A/N Italics are Norwegian/Swedish.
Disclaimer: I don't own Metalocalypse
Charles, while he felt it was safe enough to allow Toki and Skwisgaar the day to themselves, knew that the next day they'd have to get back to work the next day.
"So uh... what do we have to do? Like, how do we beat that motherfucker," Nathan asked, his anger having faded slightly since the return of Toki, and the sight of him still perched on Skwisgaar's lap, the blonde's long fingers entwined around his waist, had it fading even farther. Only the thought of Abigail still out there, still injured and alone, and the death of the record head made him continue caring about the Metalocalypse.
"We have to release a new album, an album with the right message, and fulfill the prophecy. I, in the meantime, will work with the Klokateers and complete the extermination of the Revengencers while searching for Abigail and attempting to discover Selatia's location," Charles said, his chin perched on his entwined fingers.
"How the hell are we shupposed to know what the right meshage ish?" Murderface asked, stabbing a knife deep into the table.
"Nat'an always knows dood, he always knows when the album is just fuckin perfect, ya know?" Pickles said, not quite sober, as he threw his arm over Nathan's shoulder.
"Yeah, I'll uh... I'll do it. I'll write the perfect fucking album, and you guys are gonna fucking... play it."
"Ja, wes does dat. Ams dis done now?" Skwisgaar asked, no longer invested in what was happening.
"Skwisgaar! We is has to does dis, we is has to helps Nat'an and Charlies! Dey can't does dis alone, nones of us cans. We gots to be togethers for dis, or it will nots work," Toki said, glaring at all of them, though the effect was lost by his place on top of Skwisgaar.
"Toki is... Toki is right guys... we gotta do this motherdouchebags! We gotta do this together, like we done everything else," Pickles said, swaying in his seat. Nathan steadied him carefully. Charles smiled, seeing once again the unbreakable bond that tied them all together, that would make them stand by one another no matter what happened. Skwisgaar, he saw, was rolling his eyes, though he was smiling and his arms tightened around Toki.
"Shit, guysh, thish ish sho fucked up. Are you sure we can do thish?" Murderface asked, now scratching gouging deep holes in the wood.
"Of course wes can, Muderface. We ams Dethsklok, and we can does any'ting we wants," Skwisgaar scoffed, and Muderface nodded.
"Yeah! Yeah, you're right Skwishgaar! Guysh, we're fucking Dethklok! Thosesh motherfuckersh are gonna learn to never fuck with ush!" Muderface yelled, and Pickles whooped before he fell out of his chair. Toki laughed and Skwisgaar laughed and Nathan helped him up while Charles smiled. For a few moments, right then, everything felt normal once again, though it didn't last long. Only a few moments had passed before Charles stood and straightened his suit.
"Boys, this album you're about to write, it's ah, it's not like the others. It's more important than anything you've ever created or ah will create, and you can't slack off like you usually do. This album needs to be done by the end of the month at the ah, the latest, and it needs to be perfect. I ah believe in you guys, and I trust that you're going to defeat Selatia. Now, if I could have you all pay ah attention one last time, I'd like to tell you something important," he said, looking at them all seriously. They nodded. "Good. Now guys, I know you ah know I have a dangerous job, and the Revengencers are powerful, especially the man with the ah iron face, so there's a good chance I may not make it out of this, but I want you to know that I'm not the ah important one, you guys are. If I happen to ah, die, I don't want you guys to give up: I want you to keep going, and defeat Selatia. I swear to all of you that I'll do whatever I can to ah, to protect you." The whole band stared at him, and Pickles looked like he was about to cry.
"Charlies..." Toki mumbled, before leaping up and hugging him. The rest of the band followed.
"You ain't gonna die Charles, none of us are! You're a part of Dethklok too dood, we fuckin... we care about ya. You ain't the only one that can protect people," Pickles gave a crooked grin. Charles smiled once again, and returned the hugs of his band.
"Thank you guys. Now, I ah, I have to go. You guys get to work," Charles said.
"Sure thing Charlesh," Murderface said, and the rest of the band each gave him a serious nod.
For the rest of the day the band holed up in the recording studio, Nathan scribbling madly his notebook while Skwisgaar and Pickles worked out the guitar, bass, and drum lines. Toki and Murderface, rather than ignoring the process as they normally would, practiced to make sure their sound would be perfect on the first take because there would be no time rerecord anything.
After two weeks everything was recorded, and two weeks remained for them to record, produce, and ship the album. For days they sat in the recording studio, Nathan playing Abigail's part, all of them often staying up until midnight until a song was perfected. The fingers of Toki, Skwisgaar, and Murderface all bled despite the calluses they'd built up over the years, Nathan's voice cracked with every other word, and Pickles' tired arms hung tiredly by his side.
"We can't do this anymore tonight," Nathan croaked, collapsing on the couch.
"Nat'an, yous voice sounds horrible. I go get Jean Pierre to makes you de teas with honey," Toki mumbled, scabbed fingers petting Skwisgaar's head as the taller man lay stretched out across his lap.
"No, don't. This is gonna make the album sound fucking brutal. More brutal than anything else we've done," the black haired man mumbled, rubbing his throat.
"Nat'an, ya at least gotta rest it fer tonight or you're not gonna be able to talk tomorrow, much less sing," Pickles said, barely able to lift a beer bottle to his lips.
"Gives me a drinks of dat," Skwisgaar said, sitting halfway up to take the bottle. "Yous wantings any, littles Toki?"
"Nos, I is just wantings to sleeps," Toki said, and Skwisgaar nodded.
"Go ahead man, we're nat doin anything else tonight. We'll get you up in the morning," Pickles said.
"Alrights... Skwisgaar, I switch places with yous?" the brunette asked, and Skwisgaar nodded, before he stood and sat on the couch, allowing Toki to lay across his lap and drift off to sleep. The others spent the rest of the night taking turns sleeping to make sure they wouldn't waste the next day, and by seven A.M. they were back to work.
Charles, from his place in the Dethsubs command center, sent troop after troop of Klokateers out in minisubs to clear out every known Revengencers hide out and seek out Abigail while he and a group of the most trusted Klokateers sought out the location of Selatia and the other members of the Tribunal. Thus far they'd had no luck, but Charles would not give up for anything. Never again would that man hurt his band, never again would they have to fear anyone. Selatia, he vowed, would die no matter what he had to do. His phone sounded, and when he answered the Klokateer on the other side gave him a bit of cherished good news. They'd found Abigail, and while she was heavily injured and delirious she was alive, and the Klokateers felt that if they returned with her soon enough she could be saved. Charles decided not to tell the band until they were sure of this, and gave the Klokateer the order to bring her back immediately. As soon as he heard the affirmative he hung up the phone and returned to work.
The band, with a mere three days remaining, was putting the finishing touches on their final song: a loud, guitar-centered piece that had both Toki and Skwisgaar panting with exertion, but they worked through it, and once Nathan had deemed it perfect the two hugged each other tightly and laughed and kissed while the rest of the band watched with mild discomfort.
"You did wonderfully, my little Toki! I've never heard you play so well," Skwisgaar smiled.
"Thank you, Skwisgaar. I'm glad this is over though, we're nearly done. Soon all of this is going to be behind us, and we can take a vacation, right?" Toki grinned.
"Yeah, we'll go away for a month, maybe two, and spend time together, away from the bullshit. At least now we'll have something to come back to though, and we won't have to look for a new dildo band," Skwisgaar laughed noisily.
"That's right, we already have a dildo band, and it's the best in the world! After this album we'll last forever," Toki said, and Skwisgaar nodded. The two then collapsed on the couch beside each other and could not be awoken for the rest of the day. Nathan and Pickles left the room after that to tell Charles that the album had been completed, and Murderface sat in the recording studio beside the two sleeping guitarist, finally feeling as though he really and truly belonged in Dethklok and immensely enjoying it.
After hearing the news that the album was completed Charles immediately got to work distributing it and setting up press conferences for Dethklok to announce the completion of the album. It needed to be all over the world, the message needed to be spread, the Metalocalypse was upon them. Charles made phone call after phone call, calling in favors he'd had since college, making threats, ordering deaths, anything to get the album everywhere.
He hadn't slept in a week and his eyes burned, but this needed to be done. This was the most important album ever created and he couldn't rest until everyone heard it. By the time he was sure the album would be distributed in time he was getting calls of the Revengencers grouping together in order to retaliate against the attacks by the Klokateers, and he rubbed his temples. He still had a long night ahead of him. He made a quick call to Nathan and told him to tell the others to get some rest and to take a long nap himself.
The next day Dethklok was restless. Charles had sent a Klokateer to give them each a gun and teach them how to use it, but that had barely taken any time at all and they all wanted to do something. Charles, they knew, was up there working himself to death and they were doing nothing to help, so eventually Nathan stood and marched upstairs.
"Charles, fucking give us something to do. You're doing all this shit and we aren't doing anything. We uh... we want to help," the frontman stated, his eyes daring Charles to disagree. Charles, however, had long become immune to that look.
"No, Nathan. You all have done your part, and this is mine. You need to rest up for what's coming later," Charles said, getting a phone call. Once he completed it he was smiling. "Good ah, good news Nathan. I've just received a report that Abigail has been found and is alright. You can go get the rest of the band and visit her in the hospital wing where Toki was taken when we returned with him." Nathan obviously looked unwilling to leave, but eventually the happiness that the final part of his band was alive and well had him rushing to get the the other guys and taking them to the hospital wing.
"Abigail! Yous ams alright!" Toki yelled, hugging the woman tightly. She groaned. "Sorries!"
"It's okay, Toki. How are you guys doing?" she asked quietly, seeming tired.
"We should be asking you dat," Pickles grinned, and Nathan slung an arm around his shoulder and agreed.
"I see you guys made up. That's good. Anything else happen while I was away?" she wondered.
"I's is goings out with littles Toki now," Skwisgaar smirked, and Abigail found the strength to role her eyes.
"What a big surprise. I could tell that was going to happen the moment I met you two." Skwisgaar had the gall to look offended, but Toki just snickered.
"Anyone who knew them could tell you that! At leasht they haven't been keeping the resht of ush up all night with kinky Shcandinavian shex," Muderface said, and once more Skwisgaar looked offended.
"I will haves you know dat I has not fucked him once yets! Ands I am nots dat kinkies, yous dildo! It ams was de skankies sluts dat was de kinky ones." Pickles snickered.
"Yeah dood, the sluts put all dat bondage shit in yer closet. Also, ya been trying ta fuck him ever since ya got together with him, only reason ya haven't is because Toki has some fuckin decency and don't wanna screw in front of his bandmates."
"Decency mine ass. Toki just amnest wants you guyses to hear him screamings and moanings like de whores," Skwisgaar smirked, and Toki slapped him. Abigail smiled from her hospital bed, though it was quickly stifled because of the healing bruises and cuts that littered her entire body.
"I missed you guys," she said fondly, though the doctor chose that moment to enter the room.
"Masters, I'm afraid you must leave. Mistress Abigail needs to rest," he said, and the band, for once, obeyed.
Charles finally thought he'd gotten everything under control when he received another phone call.
"Master Charles, it appears Magnus has escaped in a minisub. What would you have us do?" asked a random Klokateer.
"Go after him, quickly. He likely won't be able to get far without knowledge of how to pilot the sub, and I'll assume he's injured. You must not let the band know about this," Charles said, hanging up quickly and holding his head in his hands. He allowed himself only a few seconds before he was back to work.