Vipers, Nights, and French Fries

by ThisIsARealAccount

The war for Humanity's autonomy is over, the alien despots of Advent have been overthrown by Xcom and a new age is on the horizon. However, world changing events do not occur without a price. Power vacuums were created in Advent's absence, their alien pawns, once completely under control, now have found their own autonomy. a young man, from humble beginnings, can NOT fix this.

8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A cool afternoon breeze blew in through my windows, carrying a smoggy smell from the city. I sat on my couch staring at my phone. My feelings were still a mess days after I hung out with Tay. It was a lot of fun and I didn't regret helping her, but… I don't know if it was what you would call platonic, a word Dan used when I told my friends what happened. It was stupid, but I felt bad for some of the ways I enjoyed myself.

Tay was still buddy-buddy with me, and seemingly less distracted. But, it was clear to me she was still trying to hide something that was bothering her. She was functional, though. I asked her every day this week how she slept, and if she wasn't fibbing, she's doin' better.

I knew I was getting in too deep with her. A couple nights after I hung out with her I had a dream. Rarely did I dream, and on the off chance I did, I never remembered them afterwards, but this one was different. It felt focused, I couldn't get it out of my head. In this dream, Tay and I were in a place I didn't recognise and I was dancing right beside her. It looked like everyone else was having fun. I was having fun. It felt so good to be there, it felt like I belonged there, right next to Tay. As we jammed, the rhythm got stronger. I wrapped my arms around her and she wrapped her arms around too, like when we hugged in the parking lot. Then I felt the shining sun on my face and before I knew it the dream was over.

I had to make it up to Thorn… but I couldn't tell her about what Tay and I did. And, I really couldn't tell her about this dream either. I'd thought about it, maybe she'd congratulate me for making up with my coworker, after all that's what she basically told me to do. Like how mad could she really get at me for that… But I'm not stupid; I know there were parts to that heartwarming story she wouldn't like.

We're pretty much dating at this point. Thorn and I, I mean. I've tried flirting with her via text, but it hasn't really worked. I don't know if it's me, her, or a combination of us both, but I thought I sent some real bangers and she just didn't get it.

U up lol?

Ye lol. What's up? Can't sleep?

Yup, just thinking about you.

O_O me?

Yea, lol. Nothing weird, just how cute you looked at our coffee outing

:3 that's nice

That one wasn't my best work, I felt like an idiot for calling it an outing, it was a date. But, this one wasn't that bad.

I started it off by sending her a meme of two toads watching the sunset with the text: this could be us.

U want 2 be a toad and watch the sunset with me?

Hell yeah!

- Ur so weird, lol

I just don't think she got it.

The messages we had exchanged a couple of days ago were staring back at me when I scrolled down. I felt like I was losing her interest, so I planned a date with her. She was coming over to my place after work, for snacks and anime today. I had gone grocery shopping yesterday to prepare. Instant ramen packs, chips, candy, diet and regular soda were sitting on my wooden table behind the back of the couch. Everything had to be perfect tonight if I was gonna get anywhere with Thorn.

But I still had to go to work today, so I grabbed my nice blue sneakers. As I slipped them on, a faint smell of ketchup wafted out. I chuckled to myself, locking the door behind me. That day seemed so distant to me now.

Mark had been avoidant all week, if my friends weren't asking me about it every day I might've forgotten to ask about the police report. He has been hiding in his office most days and leaving early when it got busy, but today would be different. I was gonna walk straight into his office and ask about it.

I said good morning to the crew as I passed by them all on the way to Mark's office. I paused at the door, anxiety gripping my chest and holding my hand by my side.

I'm like a fucking detective right now. What if he actually says something suspicious? What do I do? Should I tell the police? Maybe I should talk to Tay about it.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.

What am I thinking? There's no way something is going on here. He's probably just gonna explain everything.

I knocked on the door. I heard some paper shuffle inside before Mark grumbled "Come in."

He looked surprised to see me when I sat down in one of the cheap office chairs across from him. "Thanks, yea. I just had a question."

He waved a hand. "Ask away. Nothing we talk about has to leave the room."

Shit! Do I look nervous? Maybe he's saying that just in case? I cleared my throat. "Nah, it's nothing like that. I was just wondering about the police report. Like, do Tay and I need to make a statement or something?"

His eyes widened for a moment. "Ah, that… Yeah, you and Tay don't need to do anything."

"Really? Why not?"

A wrinkle formed on his brow as he looked down at his computer. "I told you I'd take care of it and I did. The police don't need a statement from you. That guy will be brought to justice."

An uncomfortable silence hung between us for a few moments before Mark spoke up. His chair creaked when he leaned forward to look me in the eyes. "Do you feel… unsafe at work?"

"I, uh, yea, I guess. I mean who wouldn't after that; what's to stop another guy from robbing this place."

He nodded as I talked. "Do others feel the same way?"

"Yea, I know Tay does."

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I'm sorry you two had to go through that. The - police have done everything they can. I can't promise it'll never happen again, but it's less likely. In all my years of working here that was the first time we were robbed."

He did mention the police. Maybe I'm worried about nothing. "Yea, I guess he was pretty crazy. Talking about stealing gold and stuff." When I said gold Mark tensed up. "A normal person wouldn't have robbed this place."

He tapped his fingers. "Yes… he did steal gold from us, the gold we use to buy - supplies."

"Hmmmm? You use gold to buy supplies?"

He nodded. "Sometimes, it's like X-credits, universal. Any trader will take it."

I raised an eyebrow. "And that's normal?"

"Generally, yes. Depends on… who you do business with."

He seemed a little nervous, but it didn't feel like he was lying to me. "Ok. That's all I had a question on. If the police needed us to do anything."

He shook his head. "No, you are fine… The police may return for questions, but neither of you need to take any actions now."

"Ok."

That conversation made me feel a little better, so I returned to work. The shift was busier than usual. Everyone wanted burgers tonight; vans full of people kept pulling up to the drive-thru.

I didn't bother mentioning my conversation with Mark to Tay, I was pretty happy with what he said.

After a few hours, we hit a break in customers and I got to talking to Ash.

Ash shook his blond hair away from his face."So, what's your next big money move, dude?"

I shrugged. "'Whaddaya mean?"

He leaned on the order bagging station's counter. "You aren't gonna be here forever, are you?"

I thought about his question for a few moments as I started frying some fries. "I hope not."

He shot up and gestured to me. "See, that's your issue. You gotta be thinking about the future, plan where you're gonna be that isn't here, or you'll never leave."

That made me chuckle. "Come on, bro. How many people has that happened to?"

"I'm serious, dude. You work any crappy job enough, it wears on you. You get tired and lazy. It's harder than hell to find a way out, once a place like this sinks its teeth into you." He gestured down the kitchen. "I mean, even Carlos is trying to get outta here and into the college program."

I crossed my arms and leaned against an empty counter. "So what. You got an exit plan, I take it?"

He smirked and looked proud of himself. "You bet! As soon as Xcom shows up to recruit, I'm quitting."

"You must be outta your 'fuckin mind if you think joining with those guys is a good idea. Why don't you just join the city Militia or Police? Would probably be less dangerous."

He chuckled. "It's dangerous either way. If I'm gonna die, I'd rather have my life be used to work towards a more unified humanity, than fight for some tiny state's petty power plays, or shoot at petty thugs playing mafia."

"And you think you can make a dent in that? The only time we were even close to being united was when we were forced to by alien invaders."

He nodded. "Exactly my point. We can't afford to be as disunited as we are now. The world is barely even a confederation. We were enslaved by Advent, we can't pretend as though there aren't hostile beings out in space, and I guarantee there are creatures way worse than the Ethereals looking for weak civilizations like ours to wipe out."

"They'd just use you to clear out a cryssalid hive. They're not even close to being as bad as Advent was, but Xcom does whatever it takes to get results."

"If that's what they need me to do I'll do it. I'd rather die doing what I could to make the world better than live a full life wishing I had done something."

I could tell tensions were rising between me and Ash. Tay's voice caught us both off guard. "You know, Ash, I never took you for that kind of guy."

He turned to look at Tay. "Wh-what?"

She smirked. "If you're telling the truth, it's a brave thing volunteering for service in Xcom."

Ash looked stunned as he tried to process what she said.

I was just as stunned too. "Tay? Did you just give Ash a compliment?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't get used to it. He's right, dipshit. You need an exit plan."

"Don't tell me you have one too."

She seemed caught off guard by my question, clearly debating how much to say in her head. "I do."

"What—"

"I'll tell you mine if you ever come up with one of your own."

I chuckled. "That's gonna be a while. I stopped giving a shit a while ago."

There was a hint of disappointment in Tay's eyes after I said that.

"Well-p, I got an order," Ash said, turning towards one of the POS terminals.

My fries were done, so we all went back to work.

The rest of my shift went by mercifully quick, and soon I was at home setting everything up.

I wanted to watch something classic with her, something safe that a chick would like. Legend of the Galactic Heroes was awesome, but I wasn't sure it would hold her attention. So I put in my disk for Cowboy Bebop.

I was surprised she agreed to come over so early in the morning, but she said she had a ride. I was tired as hell, but I didn't work tomorrow, so I could push through it.

Despite how excited I was, there were some thoughts at the back of my mind I still couldn't shake.

What if she finds out about Tay? I can't do this shit, man. It's like I'm living two lives. I want to have fun with her today. I am dating her, but it's like I'm dating Tay now too. Are girls cool with you having girls as friends... I guess I'd find it weird if Thorn was spending a lot of one-on-one time with some other guy.

I tried to push those thoughts aside while I filled a big bowl with Cheddar Cheese Squigglies.

Then my doorbell rang.

I nearly dropped the bag.

Is she already here? My heart beat like I was running a marathon. I quickly slicked back my hair with some water and made my way to the door.

I dared not look through the peephole before I opened it.

Thorn was in the doorway, in all of her pink and bald glory. She was wearing a black t-shirt with Gir from Invader Zim on it, and a black and white striped long-sleeve shirt under it. Most of her thighs were covered by a black skirt.

Her thin lips curled up when I answered the door. "Heya, Vince!"

I saw myself reflected in her large black eyes, and I suddenly realized how disheveled I looked. "Woah, hey, what's up."

"Nothin' much." She put her hands behind her back and leaned forward ever so slightly. "How are ya?" I felt her pupilless-looking eyes examining me.

"Oh you know, livin' the dream. Heh. Glad you're here. I wasn't sure if you'd come."

She cocked her head and smirked. "Well, I did go to the last one, ya doofus. I always have time for anime." Her body leaned out further, giving her a better look into my house.

We're still just hanging out by the door. "A-awesome. Uh, yea c-come on in." I stood to the side and gestured her into my house.

"Thanks." She walked past me, standing by my couch to glance around the kitchen and living room.

As I closed the door behind me, I realized something. There's a girl in my house; an honest-to-God, real girl. She wanted to be here, she got herself here to see me before she went to work.

"It smells nice in here."

Thorn's comment pulled me from my thoughts. "Huh?"

She twirled around. "O-oh, I mean it doesn't smell bad. Better than I was expecting, and it's clean in here." Her voice was polite, there was no malice in it.

I felt a spark of anger pulse through me. "Were you expecting the city dump to be in here?"

She raised her drawn-on eyebrows. "Oh no, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. Or well... maybe it was, to a lesser degree. But, I mean it as a compliment. Sorry, I, well, I say too much sometimes."

This chick is putting the autist in autistic. "It's cool. Yea, I mean it's not perfect, but I don't want to live in a pigsty." Please don't ask to see my room. PLEASE stay out of my room.

She looked relieved and wandered into the kitchen. "Wow, you weren't kidding about the snacks." Her hand darted towards the Cheese Squigglies. There was a satisfying crunch, that was quickly followed by several more. She pointed at the 2 liters of Bepsi on the table. I nodded, and she took a huge swig from it. "I thought you meant a thing like pretzels and that's it."

I chuckled. "Jeez, how cheap are the jokers you usually hang out with?"

She shrugged. "I know money is tight for folks sometimes, so I'm not that bothered by it. You didn't have to go through all this trouble, I'm only gonna be here for a few hours..."

"I know, I know, but I wanted it to be fun." I walked over to the table. "Have as much as you want. I got some instant ramen if you're really hungry." I lifted two orange plastic square noodle packs.

Her eyes widened. "Oh no, I'm sorry, I already had oatmeal for breakfast."

"Don't be," I said, tossing them back in the bag. "I'll eat all this stuff eventually. It won't go to waste." A pang of guilt shot through my heart. I did so much more stuff with Tay. This is fucking pathetic. I'm a horrible person.

Her eye twitched for a moment. "Good, I'm glad." She cocked her head. "Sooooo, whatcha got in the DVD player?"

I acted aloof. "Oh you know, a little show called Cowboy Bebop... Ever hear of it?"

Her hands shot forward, latching onto my shoulders. "I flipping LOVE that anime."

Her enthusiasm made me laugh, and surprisingly her touch didn't make my anxiety shoot through the roof like a pressure cooker. "Yea? Me too. I challenge you to find one guy that's watched it and doesn't like it."

She let go of me, "True… true." By the time the second true left her lips, she had cleared the armrest and was already on the couch.

She smiled and patted the empty cushion next to her.

I plopped down right next to her and hit play.

The pounding string of five double trumpet blows coupled with drums and flashing images with the words Cowboy Bebop sprawled across them grabbed our attention immediately.

Then silence for a fraction of a second, followed by the start of a dirty baseline that only an upright bass could produce. All of that while the main character's face was illuminated by the cigarette he was lighting. You knew what was coming next. The bongos started and a guy with a smooth voice said: I think it's time we blow this scene. Get everybody and the stuff together. Okay, three, two, one, let's jam. Then the trumpets busted in and the whole thing was kicked up a notch.

The intro always hyped me up. The titular characters flashed across the screen on colored backgrounds as the jazzy music built up to its climax.

I looked to my left and saw Thorn was more hyped than me. The reds, yellows, greens, and blues from the intro played off her face as she stared, starry-eyed, at the screen.

The title card dropped and the episode started.

"I forgot how amazeballs the intro was!" Thorn exclaimed.

I chuckled. "Yea, it's pretty pog, no cap." Thorn squinted at me. "Hey, if you're gonna pull out amazeballs, I get to say poggers."

She shook her head and turned back to the show.

The episode was good, Spike was trying to catch a drug-dealing criminal called "the red-eyed coyote" to turn him in for the reward money. While we watched I couldn't help but glance over at Thorn occasionally, she was completely invested and never noticed.

She's really enjoying the show. At least I did something right, but is it enough? How could it be… I'm watching a TV show with her, we're not even doing anything. I walked all over with Tay. But I just don't have the fucking energy today, I'm so tired…

I took a swig of my 2 liters of caffeinated soda. The carbonated Cherry flavor soothed my thirst, but not my nerves.

In typical fashion, the episode ended on a solemn note. The beautiful woman Spike tried to save died with the drug dealer.

Thorn sighed. "I hate sad endings."

"Yea, me too. It's a great episode, but that girl was one lucid bitch. Should've just accepted Spike's help."

She nodded her pink head in agreement. "It's just as sad IRL. Sometimes ya can't save people from themselves."

I paused the next episode before it started. "What do you mean?"

She looked up at me and shrugged. "Ya can't force people to listen. They have to want to change. Sometimes - by the time they realize that it's too late. You're not always what can change them. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try to help, you just have to be prepared to use a lot of time trying."

"Sounds like you've got experience with that. I'm sorry."

"I…" She looked to the side and back at me. There was more she wanted to say, but she was deciding whether or not to say it. "I-eee have a friend. She's, uh, difficult at times, but she's had a hard life. I don't hold it against her."

"You'd be hard-pressed to find someone that has had a good life these days. I get it."

She clasped her hands together on her lap. "She has trust issues, we've got a big friend group, but she's unwilling to open up to folks. She's opened up to me, but, well, I tend to have that effect on people."

A chuckle escaped. "Yea, you really do. Is her not sharing that big of a deal? To me, sounds like she could just be an introvert."

She rubbed her chin, turning her gaze to the floor. "It goes beyond that. Her pessimism is almost draining when I'm around her. She just needs to meet some good folks so she realizes they exist." A thin, nervous smile formed on her face. "I realize this sounds weird - like I'm trying to make plans to fix her life. It probably appears to be controlling to you, and maybe it is. I just want her to be happy. If she was happy as she was I'd let her be... but she's not." She touched her bulbous pink head with a finger. "I can feel her emotions, even when she says she's fine. She knows this as much as you do... I can't help her directly... I just - don't know what to do. And I'm worried that when I try to help her, all I end up doing is pushing her further away."

Thorn took a deep breath, the sort you'd take in through your nose if she had one. "Sorry, I didn't mean to rant. All my friends have heard this before, I... I haven't had anyone to talk about it to in a while." She looked over at me; warmth radiated from her expression. It seeped in through my face deep into my brain. "You're a good listener."

Some of what she said was weird to me, but all I could think was: now here's someone who cares about her friend. There were no ulterior motives. She really wasn't kidding before, she has a way of making you say whatever is on your mind. Maybe I feel obligated to tell her about Tay because I know she can feel my emotions. Am I being a good friend to her? She still has no idea what I did with Tay. Am I being a good friend to Tay? Or am I just wasting Thorn and Tay's time? How often do I think about how Josh, Ray, and Dan are doin'? I'm so selfish, all I care about is myself. My thoughts came and went, but one thing was clear to me. "Whoever your friend is, she's lucky to have you watching out for her. I wish someone cared about me that much."

She clasped her hands together and leaned her cheek on them. "Oh, Vince. I watch out for all my friends, you included. It just works better if you do it from the shadows, teehee... She's never seen it that way though."

I shrugged. "People are different I guess, as long as you're worried about pushing her away I think you'll be fine."

"Thank you for listening to all of that. Sorry I dumped it on you."

"No, don't be sorry, it was no trouble. I am interested, I want to learn more about you." I tried to stifle a yawn, but failed. "We've only hung out twice, I want to get to know you better."

"We'll have much more time to get to know each other." She gestured to the TV. "We can get back to the anime, I don't have much else to say."

"Me either." I chuckled while pushing play.

The next one was the episode about the crew searching for a genetically modified dog. It was also a good episode, but for some reason, I was fading fast. I was keeping up with the first five minutes fine, but my labored blinks became me closing my eyes for minutes at a time. Before I knew it, the episode was over.

"Awwwe, that episode was great. Ein is such a fun little dog. He's smart, he's like that mouse from that old cartoon with the cat."

"Barry? The-the mouse?" I mumbled.

"Yeah, that sounds right."

The next episode started. I couldn't tell you what happened in it, it felt like I had my eyes shut the whole time. Every time I'd close them for a minute I felt my head drop back and I'd almost lose consciousness before jerking awake. Luckily, Thorn was still invested and didn't notice. Keeping myself from tipping over was a chore. I tried to respond when she said things, but it was all a blur.

I NEED to stay awake. I have to. If I fall asleep right now, I'm gonna ruin the date. I'm such a terrible person, I can't even stay awake for her.

At one part in the episode, Thorn said something to me I don't quite remember. I did remember feeling something warm on my cheek with a texture like cotton. After that, I felt a wave of exhaustion roll over me... My willpower wasn't strong enough to resist this time. I gave into it... I felt myself sinking, tumbling in upon myself. I fell into it. My mind was free to wander. It was peaceful...

When I opened my eyes, my perspective had completely changed. Why is the TV sideways? The thing I was lying on stirred slightly. In an instant, I realised that I wasn't lying on a pillow or the couch. My head was being cradled by two things that were yielding and warm. Smooth, like skin...

An answer spawned. Thighs, I'm on her thighs...

I looked to the side and confirmed it.

Life pulsed through me and I instantly sat up in my seat.

Thorn looked at me with surprise. "Oh, sorry, did I wake you?"

My body reacted faster than I could wake up. "I'm'shoosorry. Fuck, I didn't... I'm sorry."

I felt a sort of tenderness radiating from her eyes. "Hey, shhhhhh, it's alright. You looked tired so I let-cha sleep. You didn't do anything wrong."

I looked down at her legs and back at her face. "But... you. But I..."

She chuckled. "But, what?"

I sighed and looked away from her. "You... I just can't believe you let me do that."

She touched my shoulder, "I know this is gonna sound weird," punctuating with a deep breath, she continued, "but the fact you felt comfortable enough around me to fall asleep is, frankly, a nice change of pace for me. I'm used to people being weirded out by me. Making me feel, like, well a freak. But not you. You just laid on my shoulder with your eyes closed, I let you fall on my lap. You were comfortable, you felt safe, happy, I experienced that. I was a part of that. I enjoyed it."

I couldn't help but shake my head as I glanced at the time on my wall clock. "It wasn't cool of me. This is only the second time we hung out and I fell asleep. I was supposed to be awake with you for this. I fucked everything up."

She lightly slapped me on the shoulder, pointing at me. The light glistened off of the black polish on her nails. "Don't-cha dare feel bad. You're tired. I know you had a long shift. Some girls are easy to please, and, lucky for you I'm one of them." She reached out and held one of my hands between hers. "The effort you put in today was enough for me. I enjoyed watching anime with you. Ya didn't have to be awake for it all."

Warmth built up around my eyes, they burned. I've gotta lock it in. I tried to blink it away. "Shit Thorn... I, uh, I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I had a great time today~." Her voice softly fluttered from her lips.

I can't do this. She's so nice to me, nicer than anyone I've ever known. I have to tell her about Tay. What I did with her. She doesn't deserve to be treated like this. I don't deserve her. I don't deserve anyone like this. My guilt poured out of me as I turned to look at her. "Thorn, I... I have to tell you something... I—"

She put a finger over my lips to silence me. A mischievous grin mired her face. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I've got to go to work soon."

I moved her finger from my lips. "But—"

She turned her hand to hold mine. "I can tell you've got something on your mind, Vince, but you're too tired right now, you don't know what you're saying. It can wait until next time. I've gotta be at work and you've got to get some sleep, mister."

I couldn't think of anything to say, all I could do was sigh.

"Don't you start pouting either. I told you I had fun." She giggled and looked at me expectantly. "Come on, aren't you gonna see me off?"

"Uh, uhhh, yea."

I stood up and walked her to the door.

We stood in the doorway for a few moments before she hugged me. "Don't forget to lock the door and off to bed with you. Try to not beat yourself up so much."

"Yea, yea. I'm sure I'll sleep great."

I patted her on her back and she left to climb into a dirty white car. I couldn't make out who the driver was. She waved to me as the car drove off. I waved back until she was out of sight.

I followed her orders and went right to bed. Cuddling up to my sweet, Jeanne-Monette pillow. Wow, that was all like a fever dream. An amazing fever dream. I hope it was real...

0-

The rest of my weekend went the way of most weekends: too fast.

My friends loved hearing about what Thorn and I did. I wasn't sure what to think before, but she had actually let me lay my head on her lap, I couldn't deny it. It felt like I really had a chance with her. That was just the mustard on an already delicious burger.

Monday comes whether you want it to or not, and today I had to go to work. My fun time with Thorn really gave me a boost, but I knew I still had to tell her about Tay, and, for that matter, I still had to tell Tay about Thorn.

Man, I'm such a bitch. Why can't I tell either of them? This isn't gonna last forever. They're gonna find out. It's better if I tell them what's going on. And "something" is going on. I'll have my whole shift to think about what to do.

My thoughts were a mess as I walked in, but I hoped I would be able to think of a solution to this problem.

As soon as my shift started I could tell something was off with Tay.

She greeted me excitedly. "Hey. What's up, dipshit? You have a good weekend?" The tip of her tail flicked against the ground.

I nodded. "Yea, actually I did. Gamed with my friends and watched TV. How was yours?"

Her blue eyes darted to the side. "Oh, you know… Good… Just - hung out…"

"Cool."

She was tapping her claws on the metal counter. Normally, that would be the end of our conversation, but it seemed like she had more to say. "Well, I've got a burger to make now."

Just like that she spun around and went back to work.

Huh… Weird.

I did the same.

Shift went about as well as any shift, busy and left me drained. Eventually, I was blessed with my lunch break. I was in the middle of finding a moment of peace in my greasy burger and fries when Tay came in.

I had wised up to this play by her at this point. She only ever did this when she wanted to talk privately. It was ironic how much she did this, considering she hated me for interrupting her break the first time we met.

She closed the break room door and backed most of her snake-like body against it.

"Heyyyyyy~, Vince." Her tail tip was practically thumping against the door. Her eyes rested on the table I sat at.

Vince? VINCE! She's using my REAL NAME?! What could she possibly want? What's going on? The last time she used my name instead of "dipshit" a guy was holding me at gunpoint!

I tried to hide how much that caught me off guard. "Yea, what's up?"

She closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and cleared her throat. "So, I have this thing I'm going to…"

"A - thing?"

She waved her hand. "Oh no, it's not, like, a thing, it's a concert. Music. And I was gonna go with my friend, buuuuut, she got sick. She doesn't want to go anymore, and it's too late to refund the ticket, sooooooo… Do you want to go?"

She wants me to go to a concert with her?! So, that's why she was acting weird. Fuck. Should I say no? What's a guy 'supposta do? She's inviting me out to have a fun time, again, she looks so happy… Do I really want to be an asshole and say: Sorry I'm seeing someone else. Tay, I mean, she's a friend, she hasn't tried to kiss me or nothing, we've hugged once. I hug my boys all the time, that doesn't make me gay. So why would hugging Tay mean we're - a thing? Maybe it's not what we've done, but how she makes me feel… NAHHHH. Sure she's bad, like reallll BAD, but I mean I know her better than most, she is NOT someone I want to date. Who cares if she's the hottest thing I've ever seen, doesn't matter. She means nothing to me, nothing. Yup, noth-ing.

"Uhhhh, what's the concert?"

Tay froze for a moment. Maybe she was shocked I was considering going. "It's like a cool underground thing, it's in an old bar. So you can get drinks and shit."

I scratched my head. "A bar, I, uhh, I'm not 21 Tay…"

Her eyes widened and she cocked her head. "You're not?" Her surprise hung awkwardly between us until she blurted, "God, please don't tell me you're 17."

I scoffed. "Hell no. I'm almost 20."

She raised an eyebrow and squinted. "Oh."

"What? What's wrong with that? Don't give me that look." I gestured to her.

She snickered. "Nothing. It's just… Well—" She intentionally unleashed a devilish smile. "I thought you were older than me."

"How old are you then?"

A snicker escaped her again. "Doesn't matter."

I crossed my arms and gave her my own smirk. "Well, you're clearly old enough to go to a bar."

"Who said I was?"

I sat up in my chair. "Bitch? How do you expect to get in then?"

She rolled her eyes. "Dipshit, you know no one checks digital IDs anymore, but just in case me and my friend got fake ones. I thought you were at least 21, so you wouldn't need one… Hmmmmmm…" She scratched her chin. "If they stop you at the entrance, I may be able to sneak you in through the back. I've done it before…"

"Woah, back it up. I don't even know if I want to go yet. What kinda music is it gonna be?"

Her eyes lit up, she pointed at her fingers as she listed the bands' names. "Fuck, they've got a great lineup. There's Kaiju, RatGhasm, Static-X, and Dark Holy Day. It's crazy they got so many great bands to all play at such a small venue, but that means the tickets were expensive."

"Never heard of any of them. What genre are they?"

Tay frowned with her eyes. "I didn't realize you were so uncultured, dipshit. You need to go to this concert more than I thought…"

"And I fucking MIGHT, if you tell me what genre they are."

My frustration was ignored by her, there was so much passion in her eyes as she described all of these bands'. "Well, Kaiju is heavy metal. They've got this lead singer that wails onstage, you can feel the raw emotional energy— RatGhasm is Death Metal. Like, straight-up Death Metal— Static-X is crazy. They've got all kinds of sounds going on, the guy sings like he's on meth and wants to kill someone. I'd define them as industrial metal— and Dark Holy Day is more like Doom Metal. They really know how to tell a story with these dark soundscapes that just make you feel like you're wandering through this dark fantasy land and there's no way out…"

I rested my head on my hand. "Wow… I've never heard someone describe something in that much detail, and not understand any of it."

Tay crossed her arms. "You can say no, dick."

Should I go? She wants me to go bad if she's putting up with my bullshit. What the hell, why not. It's an event, we're friends, nothing is gonna happen between us there. "You know what, sure, I'll go."

"You will?" She looked confused for a fraction of a second. "Of course you will. Awesome." She seemed to be talking more to herself than to me.

"Yea, uh, so what day is it? Where do you want to meet up."

"Sunday. We can meet up at McDougall's. Does your car still work?"

"Uhh, yea."

"Great. Pick me up here at 6 pm and I'll give you directions to the venue."

"'Aight, works for me."

"Oh, and Vince. I know this is gonna be hard, but try to NOT dress like a dork. This is a heavy metal concert. People are gonna get fucked up and want to fuck shit up. Be ready for it."

I couldn't help but shake my head. "I'm not some kid you know. I can handle myself. Jeez, you're probably, what, like one year older than me and you start acting like you're my Ma or sometin'."

Her smirk was renewed. "If you say so, young man. I'll text you the ticket code tonight."

She turned around and slithered back over to her station.

Gee, I sure hope I don't regret this.

0-

Normally I'd be at my wits end about agreeing to do something with Tay, debating whether or not I should go, but at this point, I'm sick of it. I've gotten so stressed about going out with a girl so many times that it was starting to get old. I was committed to going at this point, anxious as all hell, but committed. I'd never been to a metal concert, but I figured it'd be fun. If nothing else, at least a new experience.

My conversation with my friends about it went about as expected.

Holy shit dude, you're hanging out with the war criminal again?! Josh blurted before anyone else could react.

Despite the fact we had all but confirmed Tay didn't have some kind of combat background, it was still an inside joke between me and my friends to call her a war criminal.

Vince. You can't be serious. You're basically going on dates with two girls at the same time. You're leading them on. Dan was upset, to say the least.

Ah what do you know, Danny boy? You got lucky and found your girl right off the bat, first try. Not everyone is so lucky, Vince has gotta feel out his options. That's an important step. You can't expect someone to be ready to make a lifelong commitment after the first date. For once, I found Ray to be more of a voice of reason over Dan. A rare Ray "W".

I still didn't feel good about basically dating two girls, but at this point, I had come to accept it. I had yet to declare Thorn my girlfriend, and she hadn't asked if I wanted to be her boyfriend yet, despite letting me sleep on her thighs. I haven't made a decision, I haven't verbally committed to either of them. I'd be lying to myself if I said I wasn't interested in Tay, I mean she's a viper for fucks sake, I basically have a goddamn fetish for them. And I was starting to see a side of her I'd never seen before, a side I found myself liking.

As I was getting ready for the concert: putting on jeans, a plain black t-shirt, and slicking my hair back, I couldn't get her out of my head. I was genuinely excited to hang out with her. It was pretty fun the last time I did it. Hopefully, she's not gonna dress like Count Dracula's personal stripper. If she doesn't do that I'm sure nothing'll happen between us.

I hopped into the crusty leather driver's seat of my rust bucket charger and drove to McDougalls. The sun was going down, but I could still see pretty well. As I pulled up to the curb I saw Tay sitting on a bench outside McDougalls.

She was, to my surprise, dressed somewhat modestly. She was wearing a rippled black canvas skirt that was about as long as the one she wore at work. A black leather belt with silver spikes held it to her waist. For a shirt, she wore a black band tee, that had the text Dark Holy Day on it, stylized to look like grey stone. The shirt depicted a scene of a mysterious man in a trench coat standing at the end of a gnarled-looking misty forest path.

I rolled down my passenger window and waved to her. "Hey!"

Instantly she turned to look. Her deep blue eyes were accentuated by that smokey black that surrounded them always, except this time she had extended it. The black outline of her eyes reached far back like sharp wings, almost touching the start of her hood.

She slithered up to my car and leaned into the passenger side window. I couldn't help but notice the… heft. How her massive snammaries hung from her chest, pressing against the fabric of her shirt and forming around the top of the door. They were…

"…so, you made it."

Tay's voice broke through my thoughts. "H-huh, oh yea. Course I did." I turned to the side to face her. "So, do I look like a dork?"

"Yes, but this time it's not because of your clothes." She said with a mischievous grin and a flick of her forked tongue.

"Shutthefuggup and get in my car," I said, hitting the unlock button.

She opened the back door and ducked down, slithering to the other side of my car, then slithering back to the side she entered from, forming a "U" shape with her body on the floor and the seat. "You've got a nice big backseat," she commented, giving it a meaty thwap with her tail.

I gave her a thumbs up. "Yea, this car was good back in its heyday… Where we goin'?"

She pointed one of her polished black claws at the intersection across from McDougalls. "Turn left here, I'll tell you where to go from there. It's not too far."

"Sweet."

After I drove out of the parking lot and through the intersection I kept talking to her. "I, uh, hope I didn't keep ya waitin' too long."

She cocked her head and raised a scaly brow. "You got there like two minutes early you dork. I was only on the bench for a few minutes."

"Oh, cool, cool." Her calling me a dork was pretty lighthearted, so I let it slide.

"Turn right here!" She yelled and pointed. After I turned she started talking again."I can't wait to get a Kaiju shirt when we get there."

I looked at her in my rearview mirror and chuckled. "You're already wearing a band shirt? Why wear one to the concert if you're just gonna wear a shirt you buy there?"

She rolled her eyes. "Because it looks cool. I love Dark Holy Day. And besides, I don't have a Kaiju shirt yet."

I shrugged. "Yea, makes sense. You like Kaiju a lot?"

She rolled her eyes again. "Uh yeah. They're amazing. You already told me you're uncultured, so I won't give you more shit for it, but they're the opening act. You'll see what I mean when we get there."

"I'm sure I will. You just haven't given me much to go off of for any of these bands."

"Well, if you're not a metalhead; What kind of music do you listen to?" She held a hand up. "Oh! Turn left up ahead."

I turned left where she told me to. "I listen to whatever, like uh, Pink Floyd and Daft Punk."

"I've heard of Pink Floyd, but not the other one. How would you describe their music to me."

"Oh, uh, it's kinda hard, but… they're French house music tha—"

"Tssst!" She made a loud short hiss sound that cut me off. "You see what I mean, it's hard to describe music because music isn't something you describe, it's something you experience." She crossed her arms and smirked.

I raised an eyebrow at her through the rearview mirror. "You seem pretty proud of that one. I didn't know you were the thinking type, Tay. I mean, aside from that time you put ketchup in my shoes without me finding out. Haven't seen you do much planning."

She chuckled. "Yeah, sorry about that. Did the smell come out eventually?"

"Yea, my foot stank has probably covered it up by now."

"…You probably think I'm an idiot, huh?" She mumbled.

Shit, I made her feel bad. "What? No, I don't think you're stupid. I, uh, don't feel like I know who you really are is what I meant."

"Oh. Well, I think about stuff all the time, I just don't talk about it." She mimed talking with one of her hands. "Idiots will jabber all day and night about nothing. The less I say the more valuable my wisdom is." She broke her philosopher routine and went back to normal. "But, seriously… think about it. Why spend 10 minutes describing a song when it takes 1 second to understand it by experiencing it."

"Good point."

Five more minutes of driving later, I still wasn't sure how far away from the venue we were. To top it off we were in a weird part of town I didn't go to often.

"Damn!" My car lurched as I hit a pothole I didn't notice. "Hey Tay, how much further?"

No response.

I looked in the rearview mirror and she was staring directly at me.

"Tay? You awake?"

No response, not even a flick of her forked tongue."

"You good?" It was in this moment I felt a spike of fear. I still didn't know who Tay was, and I was in a sketchy part of town, just me and her, no one else.

Something brushed against my right arm. "Eugh! What was that?!"

Her stern expression broke and she burst out laughing. "I touched - your arm - with my tail."

I breathed a sigh of relief "Jeez, don't do that. I'm trying to drive here."

"Yeah, we're there basically. Just turn right here and pull into that parking garage on the right."

Sure enough, there was a parking garage and I pulled into it. There was a kiosk at the entrance with 100 shills written on a sign above it.

I looked back at Tay with a smirk.

"Don't look at me, asshole. These tickets were a lot more than that."

I nodded. "Just checking." I paid with my phone and found a place to park on the first floor.

As Tay and I got out, I couldn't help but remark on it. "Damn, I think that's the first time I haven't spent at least five minutes looking for a parking spot."

Tay shrugged. "We're here early. I wanted to get my shirt before the show started."

"How early are we?"

"Like 40 minutes."

"Oh, that's not too bad."

As we stepped out of the parking garage I got a sense of just how weird this part of town really was. The street had cracks all over it, potholes patched up with tar, some were just filled with gravel, and some weren't filled at all.

The buildings around here looked old. Cracked red brick, broken windows boarded up with plywood. Some still had plasma scorch marks on them, a bitter reminder of the 2nd War we fought against Advent for our freedom.

Guess they didn't completely fix up every part of town after the war.

A group of real punks walked by us, I mean they were decked out like something you'd see in a post-apocalyptic movie. Black leather, metal spikes, patches covering their jackets. Their hair was stretched into neon-colored spikes. They were talking about bass guitars or something.

I suddenly realized we were surrounded by seedy characters all converging in a line in front of a building with a lit-up sign above it that read Wrought Iron.

One thing I noticed was the lack of aliens heading towards the bar. There was one muton, a few sectoids, and one viper, not counting Tay. Less than you'd expect to see in public, but maybe metal wasn't popular with them.

I elbowed Tay, speaking in a hushed tone. "Hey, I know I picked you up from McDougalls, but I can totally drop you off at your place after the concert if you want. I'm sure you can handle yourself, but I wouldn't want to be walking around downtown - alone - at night."

Her hood widened slightly. "You'd do that?"

I nodded. "Yea, it's no trouble, really. I owe you for the free ticket anyway."

She looked at me intensely, weighing her options. "Yeah, if you want to, I'd appreciate it."

"Cool, like I said, no problem."

"Great, now let's get in line quick." She grabbed my hand, tightly. I didn't even have time to feel excited before she dragged me over to the back of the line. As soon as we got in, a huge group of metalhead-looking dudes and chicks lined up behind us.

"I forget how fast you are sometimes."

Her white scaly lips curled into a smirk. "Of course I'm fast. I don't have to spend all that time picking up a foot and stepping back down, I just move."

Time to break out the forbidden rizz. All my dating sim training has led me to this moment. I lifted our hands to show her we were still holding hands. "Do you, uh, wanna hold hands all night, or what?"

She squinted her eyes and frowned. Her grip loosened to let go, but I held on tighter and smirked.

"Do you wanna hold hands all night?" She repeated back in a mocking tone.

"Hmmmmm. Tempting…"

"I'll make it simple. I'll scratch you if you don't let go." She threatened, displaying the well-groomed claws on her free hand.

Her threat made my pulse quicken, but I wasn't done bullying her yet. I had to know if she really liked me. "Why would you do that? You're always the one that gets to hold my hand. Can't I hold yours for a bit? It's only fair."

Her eyes darted to the side. The arm she threatened me with fell limp as she sighed. "Ugh, Fiiiiiiine."

I faked a gasp. "So you do like me."

She rolled her eyes. "Like - is a strong word, dipshit. It'd be more accurate to say I don't hate you as much as I used to."

I mustered a warm smile. "Awe, how sweet. I don't hate you too."

She leaned her head forward, sticking her forked tongue out at me with a sneer. Before I could say anything, she pulled her head back and started looking around at people in line.

After a while, I let go of her hand and we both started scrolling on our phones. Eventually, the line started moving. As we got closer and closer to the door, I noticed the bouncer guy was checking digital IDs.

"Ah shit, I think I'm screwed, Tay. He's checking Dige' IDs." I whispered.

"Don't worry. There's a door at the back I can let you in from, I'll call you and tell you where it is." She pointed her nose at an alley at the corner of the building, about 60 feet away.

It looked filthy, I saw a garbage can knocked over right outside the alley. "What if I get mugged back there?"

"You won't, I'll let you in right away. Now shut up and stand in front of me, so the bouncer doesn't think we're together." She hissed.

She grabbed my shoulders, forcefully facing me forward as she slithered behind me.

After a few more people went inside I finally got a good look at the bouncer. He was a stout man, bald with a short beard, armed with nothing but a QR code scanner.

As it came to be my turn, I pulled out my phone and clicked on the link Tay sent me.

He eyed me up, glancing between me and my phone screen. The scanner made a single beeb as he scanned my phone. He nodded once and said "You're good," before waving me inside.

He didn't check me?! I tried to hide my excitement as I walked inside.

The inside was a sort of lobby, dark, lit by a dingy chandelier. A ripped-up leather sofa that had seen better days sat in the corner. It seemed to only serve as a place to pass through to get to the bar.

I turned around, expecting Tay to join me in a second. However, the bouncer seemed to eye her with much more suspicion than me.

When he crossed his arms, I knew something was up. "I'm gonna need to see some ID, Miss."

Tay tried to play it cool, but a few flicks of her tongue told me she was sweating internally. "Oh, sure." She clicked around on her phone for a few moments before showing it to him.

The scanner made a bad noise and he shook his head. "This ID is fake." He stated coldly.

Tay was flabbergasted. "What do you mean? This is my ID. I have a ticket."

He sighed. "Listen, Miss. You are not a 45 year old man named Jeffrey. You're gonna have to show me your real ID or leave."

She hung her head in defeat. "Fine…" She moved out of the way. Once the bouncer was preoccupied with someone else she made the "call me" sign with her hand.

I walked through a door at the end of the "lobby", and felt my heart beat a million miles a minute.

Once I was in the main bar area my anxiety only got worse. It was huge and filled with people. The first thing that hit me was the smell: old booze and weed. Rock music was playing on the stage speakers. Old steel girders, used as columns to support the roof, populated the room. The wooden floor creaked with every step. People were passing back and forth to the bar that ran lengthwise to half of the room, to the merch stand across from the bar, and to the end of the room stage where the bands would be playing. It wasn't any less dark and dingy than the "lobby".

I ducked behind a steel girder. FUCK. What are we gonna do? What am I gonna do? I'm surrounded by people I don't know, I don't know shit about heavy metal. Half of these guys look like they're looking for a reason to punch you. What if Tay can't get in… what if—

My thoughts were interrupted when my phone rang. I answered the call when I saw who it was. "Hello, Tay?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Seems like your, uh, fake ID thing didn't work out, Jeff."

Her phone picked up a snort. "I know, it's bullshit. My friend told me the ID was solid. Don't know what he was thinking, giving me a man's ID. Ah, whatever. I'm in the alley now, by the door. You gotta let me in."

"Uh, is this legal?" I asked hesitantly.

"What do you think, dipshit?" Her voice was deadpan. "You know what, I'm not gonna let you answer that. Of course, it isn't, but if no one sees you, there won't be any problems."

"I, uh, I don't know about this, Tay... I've never snuck anyone into a building before…"

"You're not sneaking me in, you're opening one door. That guy was an asshole, I paid for my ticket fair and square. I'm not gonna buy booze. And, since I wasn't able to refund my roommate's ticket before the concert, they sure as hell aren't gonna let me do it after."

"I don't know if I can do this…"

My speaker was silent for a few moments. "Vince… please… You have to. I need to see this concert. I've been looking forward to this for months. Who knows how long it's gonna be before Kaiju comes back."

Her voice was genuine, carrying with it a weight of sadness. Despite how apprehensive I was about doing illegal shit, she was calling for help. She wanted to be at this concert a lot more than I did. She gave me a free ticket, and I still kinda owed her. Not to mention it wouldn't be the same without her. And I couldn't deny the primal part of my brain that wanted to rush to the aid of a girl.

I mean what's the worst that happens if they find me? They throw me out? If they do that, then I get to go home. I took a deep breath. "Aight, I'll do it."

"You will?" She sounded excited at first but reeled it in when she said will.

"Yea, where do I need to go?"

"Do you see the bar?"

"Yea"

"To the left of it is a hallway with the bathrooms in it. Go down it."

"Ok."

I followed her instructions, trying to play it cool as I passed by people.

There were fewer people in the hallway. There was a short line for the women's bathroom and people kept walking in and out of both of them. The hallway had this old striped wallpaper you'd expect to see in a crusty motel, and the wall sconces looked like they were on their last legs, one was hanging by a wire, but had no bulbs in it.

"Ok, I'm by the bathrooms, where do I go now?"

"Go to the end of the hallway, take a right, the door to let me in will be on the left."

The turn she had me take sent me down a completely derelict part of the building. Wallpaper was peeling off the walls, the carpet was ripped to shreds. There were only two dudes, and, as I got closer, I realized they were smoking something.

Then the stink smell hit me. Weed

Tay spoke up on the phone. "Ooo, I see you. Turn around."

She waved at me through a window by the door. I hung up the call and looked at the two guys.

They were dressed like punks, and from the passing glance they gave me, I could tell they were barely interested in my presence. That wasn't enough for me, I felt like I had to give a reason why.

The smoke wafting off the joint they passed back and forth gave me an idea. "My, uh, my friend went out for a smoke break and got locked out."

The one holding the joint shrugged. "That sucks." He mumbled. The other guy seemed transfixed on his shoes.

With my alibi stated, I pushed on the metal bar to the door and let Tay in.

She lunged at me, giving me a quick hug as the door closed behind her. "Thanks."

I tried to hide my embarrassment. "Yea, well… ya know. Show wouldn't have been the same without you."

Her tongue flicked out once and her eyes darted to the side.

She slithered up to the two dudes. "Can I get a hit?" She gestured to the joint the dude was holding.

He looked at it for a second and wordlessly handed it to her. She took a quick drag of it and handed it back to him.

He took a hit from it and coughed. "I swear I've seen you before. You ever been 'round about Sniff's place?"

Tay shrugged. "Yeah, I buy shit from him sometimes."

He seemed satisfied with her answer, mumbling "Cool, cool," to himself. Wordlessly, he offered the blunt to me.

I held a hand up. "Nah, I'm good."

He didn't react to my refusal and went back to smoking.

"You don't know what you're missing. That was dank shit." Tay commented.

We made our way back to the main bar. Once in there, she sped off towards the merch table like a bat, or rather, a snake outta hell and I slowly trailed behind her.

We didn't have to wait in line too long. As soon as we got to the counter Tay asked me a question that caught me off guard. "You wear XL's?"

"Huh, yea, why?"

"No reason."

The guy working the counter was thin, he wore one of the RatGhasm shirts that were on sale. "What do you want?" He asked Tay.

She didn't hesitate with her answer. "Grab me a large number 3 and an XL number 3."

I elbowed her. "Tay, I uh, don't have money for a shirt, these are like 400 shills."

She smirked and waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. You're not the one paying for it."

It wasn't until she bought both of them and handed one to me as we left the line that I realized what was happening.

I looked down at the shirt. It was for the band Kaiju, it had an image of a dragon monster in front of an erupting volcano on it. "You didn't have to do that…"

She didn't respond until after she slipped into her shirt. Her hood popped back out to its normal size after she squeezed her head through the neck hole. "I know. You really helped me out by letting me in, so I figured you deserved a little reward."

"T-thanks." Not wanting to seem ungrateful, I put the shirt on over my other shirt.

"Think about it this way. It'll be a nice reminder of how much fun you're about to have. Now let's see how close we can get to the barrier."

She grabbed my hand and we inserted ourselves into the crowd that was slowly forming. There were a few layers of people in front of us, but we were close enough to the stage that we would be able to see the band when they came out.

"Wow, we got really close, even after all of that. I love going to smaller venues." She tried to sound collected, but her tone betrayed her excitement.

"Yea, we are." I checked the time on my phone. "So… when does the first band come out?"

"8:00, but they usually take like 20 minutes longer than the time they give to come out."

"So, we stood around outside for an hour just to get in… and now we have to stand around inside for another hour before the concert even starts?!"

She chuckled at my frustration. "Yeah, doofus, that's how you get a good spot."

"What are we supposed to do for an hour?"

She pulled out her phone and shrugged. "Whatever you want. Look at memes on your phone. That's what I'm gonna do."

"Wow, a girl who likes memes? Chat, is this real?" I injected pure sarcasm into my tone.

She side-eyed me. "Say anything like that again, dipshit, and I'll strangle you."

"Is that a promise?"

She looked back at her phone. "I am so happy I won't be able to hear you talk when the music starts."

I looked at my phone. "That's gonna be in about 59 minutes, so I guess you'll have to tolerate me until then."

My pestering was rewarded with another eye roll.

We didn't actually talk much while we were waiting. We just kinda showed each other funny memes as we found them. A lot of them were crass and dark humor. Some of the ones she showed me were: an image of a black lion standing among sheep with the text: me in DiscountMart vaporizing the DiscountMart greeter with a plasma rifle; an image of Anakin Skywalker angry in the shadows with the text: Mutons when you say they shouldn't cause property damage; an image of a man in a dark chamber covered in some kind of tan liquid with the text: you are in her DM's, I am in the blacksite liquified remains of her parents, we are not the same. I expected that from Tay, but it was rare to meet a girl with a similar sense of humor to me.

The generic music they were playing out of the speakers cut out. When people started cheering, I knew it was time.

Smoke billowed out of cheap smoke machines, and the stage was lit with a blue glow from the lights above.

Four people took to the stage. I wasn't sure what to expect from a heavy metal band, but these guys were dressed like… normal guys. Jackets, jeans, t-shirts. They were dressed differently, there wasn't a theme.

Two of them had guitars, one had a bass, and the last guy was on drums.

A droning sound came over the speakers. It started soft and grew louder until it filled the whole room. The sound was silenced with a drum hit. The guitar riff that followed was electrifying. Everything around me seemed to disappear for a moment. Even the band seemed to disappear. All I could feel was the music. He cut across the strings in sets of two, like a deep heartbeat. In tune with the beat the cymbals crashed. After three heartbeats he changed it up, four notes hammered out the pitch zigzagging up and down. Back to the heartbeat. The pattern repeated again until the drummer began to slam on his drums, building to a crescendo.

The riff became more complex, the drums went with it. I felt every blow, every beat pound in my chest. It was like I was their instruments. Not only was I hearing the music, I was feeling it, literally feeling it inside my body.

It was all so much to take in, and then one of them began to sing.

The riff became more simple. Almost like a metronome. "A growing sickness in the heart!"

"Defective, lack of control!"

"The cure is somewhere in the silence!"

"But I'm crushed by the noise INSIDE!"

His voice… it was… emotionally charged. He was wailing, yelling, lamenting, and full of rage all at the same time. It wasn't something that could be put into words, but in that moment I understood what he was saying without really knowing what he was trying to say.

He continued to pour his refined agony out on stage to powerful guitar riffs and sharp drum beats until the song was finished.

When everyone cheered I was suddenly awakened, like I had been sleeping the whole time.

Tay's voice stood out among the crowd. "How was it?"

I turned to look at her. "What?"

She cupped her hands around her snake-like mouth. "Did you like the song!"

It was almost a fucking religious experience. I cupped my hands around my mouth. "Yea, it was fucking awesome!" I cheered with everyone else.

The lead singer started talking and everyone quieted down. "Thank you. It's great to be back in New Chicago, been a few years since we toured here. We missed you guys."

The crowd cheered.

"As most of you know we were planning on coming here during our tour last year, but the interstate was infested with chryssalids. Let's make some noise for Xcom sending those fuckers back to bug HELL!"

Everyone yelled as loud as they could.

"Right, so fuck Advent! And we're gonna play a song from our new album Lava."

Before anyone had a chance to make noise the band went into their next song.

This one was much more hard-hitting. The guitarists were wailing on their strings. The lead singer sang of surviving and following a shooting star to a frozen land to the north.

I felt Tay jab my side. She had a crazed look in her eye. "This is my favorite song!"

It was hard to make out what she was saying. "It's awesome."

"Can I get on your shoulders?"

With a normal girl, this wouldn't be hard to accomplish, but Tay was not a normal girl. She was a big-ass snake chick. God knows how much she weighed, maybe 500 pounds?

Is she an idiot, or is she not gonna put all her weight on me? How is she gonna do this?

Being the retard I was, my curiosity got the better of me. "Sure, why not. As long as you don't crush me."

She smirked. "There won't be any crushing, but I will have to squeeze you."

Before I could ask what that meant, she coiled around me tightly. My cheeks felt like they were on fire. She used most of her body to build up a base and coiled around my torso like a spiral so she could be above me. It was like standing in a stack of tires that were tight around my legs. I tried supporting part of her body with my arms, but it seemed like she was using me for stability, rather than putting all her weight on top of me.

She's coiled around me… I never thought this would ever happen. Fantasized about this for years and now it's actually happening. She felt strong and sturdy. I felt muscles rippling against me as she tried to maintain her balance in the air. Could be better, more intimate. If we were back at my place, coiled up and cuddling on my couch. Dumb movie playing on the TV…

I looked up, she was screaming and waving at Kaiju. Her shirt was tight around her chest, but looser at the bottom.

Damn. If it wasn't so dark in here I might be able to see up it… Woah, keep it together man. This coiling thing is making me feral. I gotta relax.

I tried to focus my mind on the song, the final lyrics were what stood out to me the most.

"Everlasting love is ever-growing. Hang onto what you have and let it grow."

"Everlasting love is ever-dying. It's in the past you have to let it go."

I cheered along with Tay when it was finished. She released me from her grip and instantly locked eyes. "That was so cool. Joe fucking looked right at me."

"Who's Joe?"

Confusion passed across her face. "Oh, yeah. He's the lead singer."

"His name is just, Joe?"

"Well, it's actually Joseph."

"You'd think it'd be something cool like Disembowler."

"Musicians have normal names, dumbass."

The next song started and we couldn't talk anymore.

Kaiju played a few more songs before they left the stage.

Tay and I had a chance to talk.

"You weren't kidding, Tay. That was awesome. Thanks for inviting me."

Her trademark smirk appeared as she gestured to herself. "I knew you'd like them. That's why I bought the shirt. You look like you'd like heavy metal. I'm shocked it took you this long to figure that out."

"Thanks, seriously. For the ticket, for the shirt—"

She chuckled. "Please… hold all your thanks until the end of the concert. This is just the beginning."

It was another 20 minutes until RatGhasm came out. A similar setup, as Kaiju, two guitarists, a drummer, and a guy on bass.

These guys were dressed up, wearing tattered coats and jeans. Their faces were painted white with black triangles pointing to their chins.

The lead singer grabbed the mic and yelled. "How the fuck was that? Let's make some fucking noise for Kaiju!"

He smiled wildly and looked around the room, waiting until everyone quieted down. "It's good to be back home. We LOVE playing for you guys!" He gestured to the bass player. "We had a lot of fun at the last venue though."

The bass player responded. "Yeah, those guys in City 31 were insane."

"Do you think they're crazier than the audience tonight?"

He looked out into the crowd and chuckled. "I don't know, I think I see a lot of freaks in the pit."

The singer turned his attention back to the audience. "Well, Are you guys FREAKS? Are you CRAZY? Are you ready to INFEST, to DEVOUR?!"

The volume of everyone yelling shot through the roof.

"Let's fucking DO THIS! MOSH you fucking vermin!"

The word mosh hit me like a slap in the face. I only had a vague idea of what it meant, but I knew it wasn't good.

The guitarists slammed away, ripping out complex riffs that pounded into my head like punches. The drummer beat his set like it owed him money.

Before I had a chance to figure out what the singer was saying Tay wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "Hang on, dipshit."

What?

The crowd around us tightened up. We had a little space between us before, but it was gone now. I was being touched on all sides by people. I figured out what she meant by "hang on" very quickly when the crowd began surging. Waves of force from a few hundred people shoving made its way up to the front. It was like being hit by waves in the ocean during a storm.

All I could do was try to stay standing. Tay helped a lot. All of her weight was coiled on the floor and she had enough muscle in her to keep us both standing. People stepped on my shoes and rammed their elbows into me. My pelvis was practically being shoved against some dude's ass in front of me.

I was terrified out of my mind, but I didn't know how to react. The only thing that came out of my mouth was a maniacal cackling.

Is this fun?

Every pulse of the crowd forced me to adjust my feet. Every time I looked up it felt like we had moved slightly. It was hard to tell if all the smoke I was seeing was intentional, or if it was just from everyone smoking weed.

They kept shoving until the song finished. I was given a few moments to catch my breath… Then the next song started and we were back into the fray.

Tay held to me, like a snake, it was impressive how strong her arm was. I draped my arm over her shoulder too so I could stabilize myself more.

Every shove made it feel like we were caught in a river. There were a couple of times I nearly fell over. RatGhasm played song after song. I felt the crowd's energy wavering, I had hoped they might chill out so I could actually pay attention to the music.

Then before the next song began the lead singer made a parting motion with his hands. "Let's open that PIT UP!"

Like disciplined soldiers, the crowd obeyed his order. Suddenly there was a lot more space around me and Tay.

We were smack in the middle of a mosh pit.

I looked at her, she looked at me. We looked like two deer about to be hit by a semi. "It's been an honor moshing with you tonight, Tay. But, I think we're fucked."

Her brow furrowed. "We aren't dead yet."

Before we could say anything else the band started to play and people from both sides ran at us.

It was like a game of Red Rover on steroids, except there were no teams and no goal beyond surviving.

Tay and I held hands as we tried to avoid the people running in the mosh pit. Some were flailing their arms, some were head banging, others were just kinda running around, and a few were straight up trying to start fights.

I ran, she slithered. People bumped into us. Tay was running interference with her tail, tripping up people who were gunning right for us. I shoulder-checked the dudes that got too close.

Everyone was manic, I was manic. It was crazy like we were all possessed, flailing around in some kind of insane ritual.

It was going pretty well for a minute... until I saw that muton charge into the pit. If the mosh pit was a level in a video game, then he was the final fucking boss.

Everyone gave him a lot of room. He was jumping around and flailing his arms. The whole room vibrated just from him.

Holy shit! This retard is gonna kill someone!

Tay and I kept to the opposite side of him. He looked at me a few times as we ran around and around.

We tried to slip back into the crowd, but we kept getting shoved back into the pit.

The floor rumbled. Instantly, I knew what was happening. The muton barreled right for us. I let go of Tay's hand, we separated and he ran right between us. The crowd parted for him, I watched as he ran straight into the brick wall and fell over.

I reunited with Tay and we were both laughing. A strange feeling of… belonging overtook me. I felt like I was supposed to be here like I belonged here. As we weaved between people in the mosh pit, circled around each other it was almost like we were… dancing.

As the song came to an end my surroundings suddenly seemed familiar, the fog even gave everything a dream-like haze.

This is exactly like my dream. We're dancing, we're having fun. We're so close…

She was beautiful, I couldn't deny that any more than I could my affinity for vipers. Her sharp blue eyes caked in darkness. Like blue stars out in the void of space. The pearlescent white scales on her face, the subtle grey patterns stretching across. She wasn't smirking now, she was smiling, I loved it when she smiled.

What am I thinking?! I like Thorn more… Don't I?

Tay hugged me and hopped up and down, ripping me from my thoughts. "We survived!" She shouted triumphantly.

I hugged her back. "…hell yea."

We let go as the band left the stage.

I grabbed my head with both of my hands. "Dude, that was fucking insane."

Tay nodded in agreement, eyes wild from the adrenaline. "I know, I've only watched from the sidelines, I've never been in a mosh pit."

"I don't know what I would've done on my own. Thanks for keeping me on my feet."

"You held your own pretty good, yourself. I saw you knock into a few of those fuckers."

"Yea, I did, huh. Not too bad for a dude who's never been to a concert."

She chuckled. "You're talking like it's over… there's still two more bands." She said attempting to strike an ominous tone.

"I don't think I remember any of those songs they played. I was just trying to not fall the whole time."

"We should listen to some on the drive back to my place. They're pretty good..."

Tay attempted to explain the deep lore of the next band: Static X. It was founded by some guy called Wayne Static who died from doing drugs too much. Wayne's friend who could sing like him was given approval by his mother after he died to sing in the band. Eventually, that guy passed the torch onto someone he met who he thought could take up the mantle of singing for Static X. Never heard of a band having a line of succession like royalty.

Static-x was industrial-sounding. Heavy electronic beats and the dude really did sing like he was on meth. Screaming "Run, run, run!" in one of the songs like he was chasing you. The moshing reflected the music, more crowd surges, more mosh pits. Tay and I managed to stay on the sidelines for the subsequent mosh pits.

I was so tired by the end of their performance. It felt like I had run a marathon, there was nothing left in me. I felt bad for wishing it would be over soon because I knew Tay was having the time of her life, but I was ready to go home halfway through Static-X's performance.

We all got a few minutes to catch our breath before Dark Holy Day walked out on stage.

The smoke had become a haze, the members of the band were little more than silhouettes, highlighted by dimmed stage lights.

The sound of rain came through the speakers, subtle at first, but it quickly grew into a monsoon. A distant and foreboding lone church bell rang intermittently. Thunder crackled and the stage lights brightened. The guitarist played a simple riff of three notes that sounded like distilled dread, before yanking his whammy bar like nobody's business.

The guitar and drums toned it down so the focus was on the lead singer.

"What is this that stands before me?" His voice was gravelly, but he spoke clearly.

"Figure in black which points at me."

"Turn 'round quick and start to ruuuuun."

"Find out I'm the chosen oooone. OH NOOOOOO!"

I got chills. Where has this music been all my life?

I yelled along with Tay and everyone else. This music, despite the sense of doom it tried to instill, was so cool it gave me some energy back. I think it was old school. People were just headbanging along, no moshing. I relaxed.

Maybe I can make it through the rest of this.

Tay shook my shoulder and gave me a dopey snake grin. I smiled right back at her and we turned our attention back to the music.

They played banger after banger, I was getting into the music feeling it, like with Kaiju, and I was getting invested in the story they were telling with their music. For the next half an hour I had tunnel vision, my focus was only on the band, and I was enjoying every second of it.

In the middle of one of their songs, I felt someone touch the back of my arm.

"Excuse me." The way he said this was a joke. It wasn't intended to be polite.

"What?"

In the blink of an eye, two guys slid in and stood in front of Tay and me. I didn't have time to react, it just happened. They were slightly taller than me and it made it hard to see the band.

Fire. It scorched my brain, my chest. Burned every cell in my body. Rage coursed through my veins.

These fucking guys, what the fuck. I hate them, I hate them so much.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

They didn't even ask, they just did it. I didn't even get to say no. I was caught off guard. They're ruining the concert for me and Tay. I bet I look like such a bitch to her right now.

All I could do was stare daggers into the back of one of their heads. I couldn't hear the song, I wasn't enjoying the music anymore.

My hands balled into fists.

Look at this smug retard. He's not scared of me at all. He has no idea how pissed I am. How much I want to KILL him. He's completely defenseless. He's wide open, right in front of me. His stupid bald head is the perfect target.

Something my father once told me came to mind: Listen, son, always, and I cannot stress this enough, ALWAYS t'row the first punch. If you're going to jail either way might as well be able to walk yourself to the squad car. And if you ain't been in a fight before, be defensive, catch them off guard by throwing an elbow instead of a punch. And 'neva forget to use your other arm to block your face.

My father and I were a lot alike. I was scrappy, but I'd never had the chance to cut my teeth in a fight. I was a noob.

But this wouldn't be a fight if I struck right.

All I have to do is slam my elbow into the side of his head and watch him drop like a sack of bricks. Tay would back me up. This isn't like the robbery, he wouldn't have a gun. We could take the other guy if he wanted to fight.

I stewed in my hatred of these two guys. Imagining how the fight would play out. It was oppressive, all-encompassing, I hadn't been this angry before in my entire life.

My arms raised up.

I'm gonna teach these motherfuckers a lesson they'll—

"I know what you're thinking… it's not worth it, Vince. Don't do it." Suddenly Tay's voice, almost imperceptibly quiet, slipped into my ear.

I felt her touch my shoulder. It was icy cold compared to how hot I felt. I looked into her eyes. Blue like troubled waters.

It gave me pause. The rage hadn't stopped but there was a delay. After looking at her for a few moments I forced my arms down to my sides.

What Tay had said was enough to help me keep my shit under control until the end of the concert. The band threw out guitar picks and a drumstick. The guys that had cut in front of us caught a pick.

As soon as those two guys left I immediately felt better. Like a massive weight had left my shoulders. I was so mad it was like I was out of breath. Despite that, I still felt the toll the concert had taken on me.

Only after the concert did I realize I probably should have brought earplugs. Everything sounded muffled, it felt like I was shell-shocked.

I stormed towards the exit. Not as fast as I would have liked because there was a huge mass of people slowly filtering out. After waiting in line for a minute I left and went for the side door I had let Tay in at.

Once I was in the alley I felt someone touch my shoulder.

"Are you ok, Vince?" Tay asked.

I nodded. "Yea, the further away those assholes get the better I'll feel."

We made our way back to my car and we kinda just sat in it. I didn't even start it.

"I just… I wanted to fucking kill that guy. I was soooo mad. I don't know why." I said, unprompted.

"I know how you feel."

Normally when someone says something like that it comes off as disingenuous, but with Tay, I didn't doubt she knew what this was like. I mean we hated each other there for a while and almost got fired for it. We both knew a thing or two about uncontrollable anger.

"Yea. Thanks… for stopping me. I'm sure it was a bitch move, but—"

"Ohhhh NO. You don't get to say shit like that. We both know how much restraint it took to not punch that guy."

I sighed. "Yea… you're right."

"Remember when you told me I wasn't a bitch for doing nothing the night of the robbery. Well, I'm telling you NOW, that you aren't a bitch either. That wasn't your fight. You saw security, we were right in the front row. Like they'd see you do that immediately, cut and dry. Are you honestly saying you'd rather be in jail right now?"

"No, I wouldn't…"

"Those guys were assholes. Assholes at every concert. They get drunk and use it as an excuse to fuck with people. They're scum. They're not worth your time. Believe me, I've been there. If you had started a fight I would've had to help you, and I'm on probation… It wouldn't have been good for me. You made the right call."

I chuckled and turned to look at her in the backseat. "Don't think I could've taken them by myself?"

She rolled her eyes.

"I'm fucking with you. Good to know you had my back." I said, punctuating with a smile.

She smacked her scaly forehead. "Duh, of course I do, dipshit. You're telling me if some asshole tried to pick a fight with me, you wouldn't step in?"

"Don't get used to hearing me say you're right this much, but… you're right. Yea, I would have."

"Keep hanging around me and I may have you eating your words."

We were both quiet for a second. "Well shit, guess I'd better drive you back home before that happens. You know the way from here?"

"Yeah, go down the road you took to get here, I'll tell you where to turn."

"Cool."

The drive back was uneventful. Despite the fact I had gotten far from those jerkoffs and the rage was gone, all I could think about was them cutting in front of me. I was thinking about what I could've said, what I could've done. Maybe if I had just planted my foot they wouldn't have gotten in front of me in the first place…

Tay had directed me toward an unassuming brick apartment building downtown. It seemed pretty clean, but still looked like it was pre-war. A few other similar-looking apartment buildings surrounded Tay's, and a cafe sat across from us was closed for the night. The whole area didn't look that bad actually, the road was smooth on the way in, a few healthy trees were growing from planters, and the buildings still had all of their windows. A nice change of scenery from where the concert venue was.

We both sat in my car for a minute. I said something to break the silence. "Well, we made it."

"Yeah... we did. That concert was awesome, but I was kinda ready to go home there towards the end."

"Oh thank fuck. I thought it was just me."

"No, like, they were moshing hard the whole time. I'm tired as fuck. I'm glad you offered to drive me home because I don't know if I'd be able to walk."

I turned around to look at her in the back seat. "Walk? Damn, you must really be tired if you think you've got legs."

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. Walking, slithering, it's all the same."

"Yea, it is..."

Some more awkward silence between us. She wasn't leaving my car, I wasn't telling her to leave. There was something more I had to say.

"Tay, I… I'm not gonna lie, I'm still pissed off about those guys. It's gonna take me a while to get over that. But, I don't want you to think I'm mad at you. I had fun, I don't regret coming along."

Her eyes softened. "I get it, Vince. Really, I do... More than you can imagine. I know you're not mad at me. Don't let two assholes at the end ruin the whole concert for you."

"I know I shouldn't, I just can't help it, it's how I am. You know, some bullshit happens to me and I'll be thinking about it all night. I can't stop myself. I was thinking about it the whole drive here, that's why I wasn't talking much."

She got a look in her eye that I couldn't quite place. I had seen it many times before when she tried to sabotage my work. She slithered over the center console to be right next to me. "I'm glad you decided to come. Going to concerts by yourself isn't as fun." Her voice softened as she got close to my face.

My mind blanked. "I... uh, what are you..."

"Shhhhh."

Is she gonna bite me?! I backed away from her a little, she moved closer.

She was fixated on my face, her pupils were wide. "I know I owed you for letting me in the bar, but you're really gonna owe me after this..."

"W-what?"

She gently placed her hands around my face. Claws lightly scratched against my jaw and neck. Her movements were unsure but strategic. "Here, let meee... let me."

She moved her head forward, eyes closed, pressing her scaly lips into my cheek. Her lips made a light smacking sound as she kissed me. She let go and moved back to give me some space.

My hand drifted up to where she kissed me. I was speechless. First... Kiss...

She smirked. "Maybe that will give you something better to think about all night instead. I wasn't joking by the way, you owe me for this."

"Uhh, yea, totally. I-I owe you, uh, big time."

She nodded, mumbled "Mmmmhmm," and slithered into the backseat. "See you at work tomorrow, dipshit."

I rolled down my window and waved at her as she slithered up to the apartment building. "Have a good night."

She acknowledged me with a flick of her tail as she went inside the building.

I sat back in my seat and stared at the roof of my car. "Wow…"

Fuck. Maybe she does like me. I was soooo wrong about her.