HangYourSecrets

After the End

@DeltaV Just to clarify, myself and @Shorticus have a collaborate post worked out, but I was going to have my character try to talk with the captain, and he's currently with Eve. However in your post, it's stated that my character is sometime past the first week (head healed, and sea sickness) and Eve is on day two (captain conversation).

Are we assuming these two events are happening on separate days, or that everyone's post on the same day? I'm just wondering how you wanted us to tackle trying to talk to the captain.

In Bloom [HangYourSecrets x megatrash] [18+]

“Did you want some—“ Rob started, before watching Jane make her way off to the van without so much as eye contact. Something about it just…really killed him. He was a dick to her from time to time, yeah, but she was rarely short with him. Perhaps he had been taking it for granted, but it certainly set the time for the day. “It’s fine,” he muttered under his breath as he walked in, “I’ll just go fuck myself, then.” He chugged the coffee, made his way upstairs, and got the rest of the band in the car and changed. Adrianna had rolled over slightly, but Rob paid it no mind, and left the room as quickly as possible in an effort to avoid her.

Rob climbed into the front seat, and tossed the AUX to Austin, who had taken the passenger seat, since Jane had taken his own seat. A part of Rob was hoping Jane would’ve played this off better than she was, but on the other hand, what’s the point? There’s only four of them. Sam and Austin were going to figure out eventually that things were off.

Rob made no comment when Sam and Austin confronted Jane about Jared. Personally, Rob didn’t think they had sex, but only because he found her on Jared’s yard, not his bed. Either way, the subject wasn’t worth approaching from his point of view.

The van crossed its way into New Mexico, Austin’s playlist threw on a track Rob hadn’t heard in years: Dead Kennedys - California Uber Alles. Rob and Austin quietly sang along to the lyrics, laughing to themselves at the absurdity of the lines.

“I will be Fuhrer one day,” Austin sang, before suppressing a smile. Contrary to popular belief, Austin could hold his own singing, even if it was just a punk song. In fact, each of the members had a voice of their own; just not the stage presence.

---

As they approached Lordsburg, Jane asked for food, and wordlessly Rob pulled the car off the highway, and into a gas station next to a mall. He figured there’d be a lot in there for food. Plus, they had been running low on gas. He filled up quickly, then parked the car in front of the food court.

Glancing at his watch, then turning to his bandmates, Rob tried to act a bit happier than he was feeling. “We’ve got about an hour,” he said. “Meet me back here.”

As the other band members got out, Rob reached down to his groceries he had bought earlier, and pulled out his cigarettes. Instead of walking into the mall, Rob walked around the perimeter, alone, smoking nearly half the pack by himself. He had his headphones in and played music from a playlist he had of calmer music. Radiohead - Paranoid Android played calmly in the background as Rob looked up to the sky. Dark clouds loomed overhead, and a strong breeze blew past. Rain was a rare sight in these parts, but they never lasted long. He waited for the song to finish, before putting out his ninth cigarette and heading inside, seeing the faces of the people he past grimace from the scent wafting off of him.

“Smoking kills,” he heard a mother tell her son as they passed.

“Everything kills you,” he shot back, loud enough that hopefully they’d hear him.

Checking his phone, he still had another 20 minutes to kill. Making his way into a shop that seemed to sell clothes he liked, he passed Sam, checking out similar outfits.

“So,” he said, “you gonna tell me about why you are Jane are being weird?”

“What are you talking about?” Rob asked sarcastically.

“Oh, fuck off,” Sam said, but Rob took his words to heart, marching off and out of the store as soon as he had entered it. He heard Sam call out to him, but there was no point in engaging him any further. Rob went to the food court, bought an energy drink, sat at the nearest empty table, and slumped into his seat. He pulled his hood up and took a swig. He couldn’t wait to sleep tonight.

In Bloom [HangYourSecrets x megatrash] [18+]

What the fuck happened last night?

It was the first thought to run through Rob’s mind as the woke up, even before his eyes opened. As they did, the patterns lining the ceiling slowly faded away; a last remnant of the trip he had been on nearly all night. Slowly, painfully, Rob’s head rotated to the right, and fell face first into a pair of bare feet. He jerked back, so much so, he nearly fell off the bed.

As he tried to blink the last of the night away, his head raised up, trying to get a sense of where he was. On the bed, he laid with his head to the foot of the bed, his own legs wrapped underneath a girl’s head. Her own body was positioned to the foot of the beat. Both of them were naked.

Thats the photographer girl, right? Adrienne?

Looking down, Rob noticed exactly what position he was in. Even this hungover, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to what had happened here. Everything else that night, however, he still needed to piece together.

He rolled off the bed, grabbing a pair of gym shorts laying on the floor. Based on the color, he assumed they were Austin’s, who lay of the floor, fully clothed, sleeping against Rob’s bag. For his own sake, he let Austin sleep, hoping he’d forget if he had seen…anything happen last night.

As Rob walked into the bathroom to piss, he saw Sam, hardly awake and laying in the empty bathtub. He tried to stutter out an apology, but Sam beat him to it.

“I’m surprised it was you that got fucked up,” he muttered, his voice with a considerable rasp. “I mean, I drank, but holy shit—“

“You didn’t see..?” Rob asked, not wanting to finish his question. Thankfully, Sam shook his head.

“Me and Austin came in after. I mean, don’t get me wrong, we saw your naked ass.”

Sam chuckled slightly as Rob suppressed his embarrassment. “I lost the bet, so that’s why I’m here.” Before Rob could ask about the bet, Sam answered it for him: “I didn’t think you’d get laid.”

“I wish I didn’t.” Rob said. He crossed his arms across his bare chest. “I don’t remember a fucking thing.”

“Then forget it,” Sam said, sitting up. “We will if you will. For Jane’s sake, too. We saw her come up here last night, probably during your…anyways. She ran off sometime late last night. Haven’t seen her since. She was high off something. Probably shrooms.”

Fuck, Rob thought to himself. He thanked Sam and told him to get ready to go, before taking his leak and leaving the room with his wallet, a pair of shorts, his phone, and nothing else. No point waking Austin up. He took one last look at the photographer girl, before leaving. She’d be fine.

---

Rob found Jane outside, laying on her longboard and passed out still. He had scanned a clock on the way out, and knew it was about time to leave. No point in even trying to go if their driver was this fucked up. Without bothering her, Rob made his way to the town a few blocks down, feeling the hot asphalt against his soles as he went. It wasn’t at bad as he had thought it’d be, and for a bit, it made sense Jane lived like this.

He found a gas station first, and walked in, buying some small candies, fajitas, cigarettes, and Jane’s favorite chocolate bar, before crossing the street to the coffeeshop. The owners gave him a look as he entered, and pointed to a sign before he had gotten to the register: No shirt, no shoes, no service.

Rob frowned. “Fuck off,” he said as light as possible, “I’m leaving anyways.” He ordered two lattes and quickly left as soon as they handed it to him.

On the walk back, he opened Spotify and played one of his favorite songs to walk to: Gorillaz - Last Living Souls. It wasn’t a song he normally listened to, but as the beat played out and cars passed him, Rob couldn’t help but sing the lyrics:

Can you take us in?
The part that coming on,
The coldest man doesn’t see it’s all—

He made his way back to Jared’s place finishing his own coffee, before sitting cross-legged in front of Jane, setting down the food and the other cup. He reached out to shake her awake, but his hand traveled upwards, brushing the hair from her face and…cradling it?

Rob thought he felt her move, so he tore his hand back. “Some night you had,” he said, smiling. He took a bite from the shitty gas station fajita and tried his best to atone for whatever sins he committed last night.

As he waited for a response, his head filled with the blurred memories of the previous night. It was unlikely he would remember the actual events, but he tried to remember the thought of Jane walking in during his one-night stand. Nothing could be remembered; not but the taste of her skin, the feel of her body…the scent of her…it all felt so much like…like…

Like what he imagined Jane did.

Maybe it was the night that made him feel this way. Maybe it was the acid. He wasn’t sure but it was just a feeling he hadn’t really ever thought about before. Jane was a friend. A good friend, a close friend…being with her almost seemed incestual.

So as Rob looked down at their singer in front of him, he decided the timing could not have been worse. There was no time for any of this. For anything like last night. For the first time in their lives, their band had such a change. There was no way he was risking it.

No fucking way.

Rob suppressed himself as he held out a coffee to Jane.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said, draining the joy out of his own voice. “I’ll drive if you’re not feeling like it. We’ve got a show to play today.”

He couldn’t be cold to Jane, not for long. It wasn’t going to be possible. But he was surely going to try until he could figure out what the fuck was going on in his own head.

In Bloom [HangYourSecrets x megatrash] [18+]

Jared’s house was nice.

Nothing special, nothing terrible. Just…nice. As Rob entered he had remembered what Jane said earlier that day:

“Jared will let you guys change and shower at his house if you want. Pretty sure he'll let us crash there, too.”

Without bothering to look the the man, Rob took him up on his offer.

---

Upstairs, Rob, Sam, and Austin all claimed a guest bedroom as the guests milled about downstairs. They all brought up a night bag, and were looking forward to at least getting one decent night’s sleep after the party. As they had come up, Rob locked eyes with Jared, who seemed to give a nod of approval to them as he went down the stairs they climbed. Good enough for them.

“We’re heading down,” Sam said as he and Austin exited in the room. “Need anything?”

“I’ll be a minute,” Rob said as he pulled his shirt off, “thanks.”

As they closed the door, Rob made his way over to the shower. He turned the faucet on and waited for the water to heat up as he locked the door and looked in the mirror. A recent lifestyle change was doing good for him; he looked healthy enough. Small but toned bands of muscle poked out from under the skin along his arms—his best feature. As he took off the rest of his clothes, he continued to look at himself.

It was a sort of odd thing for Rob, if he wanted to admit it. To see yourself naked before you, in a mirror. When Rob was younger, and considerably less fit, he hated the sight of himself. It was shameful to see; disproportionate features on a frame too big for them. Now an adult, he seemed…typical. Normal. Real. It made him feel as if he was on the edge of youth, and tumbling off of it, without so much as an accomplishment to his name.

It was these introspective thoughts that he typically kept either to himself or locked away in his journal. It was…weakness. It was in it’s own way shameful. It stopped Rob from moving forward. From being truly devoted. And as he took his shower, Rob let these thoughts melt away from him; pour off his skin and circle into the drain below him. Insecurity wasn’t an option. There was too much to do.

After his shower, Rob wrote down everything he had thought of and done that day in his leather-bound journal, before locking it and putting it back into his bag. He then pulled out fresh clothes; slacks and a navy blue shirt. He rolled the sleeves and unbuttoned the top button as he made his way back downstairs and to the party.

As he walked downstairs, he remembered something Jane said to him:

"Hey, uh, thanks for really trying during the song. It means a lot,”

She nudged him as she said it, looking at him and giving him a smirk. Rob couldn’t think of what to say in the moment, and had only looked at her long after her eyes had diverted back to the road, before he turned back towards his own view. He knew she thought he was off today. But the truth wasn’t that Jane and himself were off because of anything the she had done. It was he that was off with his own self. He had been feeling…not himself for a while, and it was a thought he only had, for some reason…

…when he looked at her.

---

Hours passed and the house filled to the brim with other band members, friend-of-friends, and local fans smart enough to know of the party. As Rob drank, his vision blurred, and the number of people he talked to began to blur. Soon, his memory began to fade, in the middle of a conversation, no less.

Who was in front of him? A fan? The tech guy? One of Jared’s friends?

Rob blinked his eyes and stared down at the floor. In front of his own bare feet (why was he still barefoot?!) was a pair of strappy heels. As he looked up, past the dress and necklace, he saw Adrianna, smiling, and it all flowed back into him.

So that’s who I’m talking to, he thought to himself.

“You were saying about being ‘out-of-yourself’?” Adriana asked him, smiling.

Rob looked around, noticing that he was somewhere deep inside the house; not the main room. Surrounding him were bongs and pills. The air was alive with tense conversations and weed. How did he end up here? And why did he tell this girl about that?

He played along, for there wasn’t much choice. “I don’t know,” he continued, “I just sometimes feel like, it’s not me, you know? Like, up there, I’m the drummer. I’m doing my job. But it isn’t me doing it? Right? God, this makes no fucking sense…”

“No no,” Adrianna said, smiling, “it really does.”

After a moment, she pulled a small bag out of her purse. “Do you really want to feel out of your head?”

It was all too much. Sensory overload. There was no turning back from here.

For the first time in five years, Rob dropped acid.

---

Rob ran back out to the main room, Adrianna in tow. He had to find Jane. Where was Jane? Everywhere he looked was more faces he never recognized.

Finally he found her. Or…he thought it was her. Maybe.

She was sitting with Jared. Or, someone that looked like Jared. Actually, he didn’t look much like anyone at all. Or really…anything?

It didn’t matter.

“Jane!” he shouted, as he sat near her. “Jane! Jane-J-Jane! …I’ve been looking for you, all night!”

He turned to Adrianna. “What time is it?” She could only shake her head. She was just as high as he was. Rob made a face at her and turned back to Jane.

“Look, sorry I’ve been all..” he started, and waved his hands in the air as if to signify “weird” to her, “…lately. That’s dumb of me. I’m dumb. I’m…I’m dumb. Right?”

He looked to Adrianna for more support, but she clearly only wanted one thing from him. Even high, it was obvious.

“So, so I’m going to go, okay? I’ll go…go journalize how fucking weird this is…I dunno, write a song or something.”

Adrianna grabbed Rob, and began to pull him away. Shit, she’s strong.

And why did he tell her about the journal. No one knows about that journal!

“I’ll catch you later?” He called out to her. He couldn’t read her face even if he wanted to. He couldn’t read anyone’s face at this point. He barely could climb up the stairs, even with Adrianna’s help. All he could think about is going back downstairs.

—

Rob’s face hit the bed as Adrianna closed the door behind him. As she came at him, the only thought he had was that he was sad we wasn’t going to remember what was about to happen.

In Bloom [HangYourSecrets x megatrash] [18+]

Rob mounted his throne as the crowd cheered wildly at Jane and the rest of them. Sometimes, Rob had to admit, being the drummer was rough. You’re situated high and deep on the stage; the audience blurred through the kit’s hardware and cymbals. It was difficult to see Jane, Sam, and Austin be free to run about, screaming at the audience and moving at-will.

Still, there was a sort of comfort back here. There wasn’t a crowd and sometimes, that was a good thing. There was a deep focus on the music, a sort of primordial urge to just play the song really fucking well. What he lacked in mobility he made up for in solitude and he really started to enjoy the feeling.

The first song came and went; it was Sam’s first pick and easily the best opening track they could all agree to. Distorted, mindless rhythm plowed out of the channels for a good half-minute. Then, as Jane prepped the crowd and really egged them on, Sam and Austin would turn to Rob, and he’d count them in at a blistering 185 bpm, every time. He always kept a metronome on just to be sure. Perfect moshing tempo, guaranteed.

It was a fun song, sure, and so was Jane’s personal pick (which came second), but the third song was what Rob had been waiting this whole time for.

The lights dimmed. Then, Rob would start up by virtually stomping his foot on the high-hat petal, keeping time at a speed faster than their opening track. Then, he’d start out by slamming his sticks into the snare, just once.

The crowd roared for more, and Rob obliged. He slammed the snare again, which was followed by more cheers. Then, the kick began to slide in, syncopating his rhythms, throwing off the groove of the audience, causing them to stop their incessant, off-beat clapping. All well-thought out years ago, when Rob first penned this opening solo. Finally, the build-up dove into complex tom fills, cymbal crashes, and small bouts of double-bass (hence the bare feet). A snare roll broke out of the cacophony of noise, rolling for four beats before the song officially started, with Austin holding the tempo down with mindless, melodic bass. All-in-all, it was a minute and a half before Jane’s vocals even started on the six-minute track, and since Rob had gotten naming privileges on this specific song so long ago, he decided to play off her initial hesitation on the extended opening.

He ended up naming the track Speechless, and it was a track that sounded like the bastard child of Metric and System of a Down. And, for some reason, the band agreed that that analogy worked. A blend of chaos and staccato.

Finally, the single came on, and the crowd roared louder than it ever had. It was a bit of a shock, seeing as how the song before it sounded so little like the current single, but it was always exciting to hear a band play a song on local radio, Rob assumed. He paid it no mind, and played the song straight, as it was meant, without any flair or fills. Towards the start, after the verse, Rob looked up through sharp strands of hair to see Jane fucking around in front of him. His initial polite smile turned into a genuine one as she willingly made a fool of herself on stage, for him. It was a gesture he appreciated, and wasn’t going to let current events take away his fun. He tried to give the song a last push as the bridge continued, throwing in some fun fills as Jane tore up her vocal chords. He always assumed she hated it but he was glad she typically did the scream on stage to match the album version. It never failed to get a smile out of Austin, who looked to Rob as he played his ascending bass riff; one of the only moments of the song he liked.

Finally Rob rolled on the cymbals as everyone ended the song with a last flair of the guitar or tone on the bass. Rob’s eyes darted to Jane, as she slowly gyrated her hips to the beat. As he stared, he began to look past her, to Adrianna, taking a photo of the moment with her camera. He watched her drop the lens from her face slowly, giving Rob a lip bite and a smile that wasn’t hard to read in the slightest.

---

Rob was all smiles off-stage, high-fiving with Jane and the other guys, and casually trying to look around for Adrianna. He caught view of her talking to Jared in the press section, not seeing her. He looked away before he figured anyone would notice.

“I’m ready to party,” came Jane. Rob looked to Austin, and noticed his expression. Out of the four of them, it was Austin—not Rob—that liked parties the least. However, today was different. Rob would not fight Jane on this one like he normally would.

“Where at?”

In Bloom [HangYourSecrets x megatrash] [18+]

They had arrived at the festival just in time for soundcheck.

It was a funny sort of thing to play. The way Rob looked at it, there were two kinds of festivals. One was the well-knowns. The huge ones that get national attention and huge bands. Bonnaroo. Woodstock. Cochella. Austin City Limits. Hell, Burning Man might as well even count. These were massive events, orchestrated by thousands and seen by tens of thousands. Then, there were these. Smaller, shittier. Local’s and regionals only. The goal here was to have absolutely as many bands play as possible and attract the dozens of fans from each to hopefully get a band that’d blow up one day.

Because of that, the band had only been given a thirty minute set, teardown included. They had practiced the routine down to a good ten minutes for both, but it was always going to be a struggle to fit in as many songs as possible. Even more so, since a lot of their earlier work (and Rob’s personal favorite tracks) ran six minutes and sometimes more. So, they had eventually agreed to have four tracks; the single, a track Austin liked, a track Jane liked, and one Rob and Sam agreed to; the longest on the setlist. This way, pretty much everyone agreed to a track, and they’d be off the stage for the next local garage band with exactly nine minutes for teardown.

By the time Jane had finished her sound check, it was Rob’s turn. Walking out on stage, he pulled out a pair of sticks he had loaded in a pocket next to his snare. In there was another four pairs and two drummer’s keys. There was very little room for error in the rhythm section, and he was ready for it. He hooked his IEM’s up to the festival-provided transmitter.

“Go ahead,” the sound came from both the speakers ahead and in his IEM’s. It was almost impressive a festival his small had it set up so well. First, Rob gave a good strong hit to every piece on his kit; high-hat (open and closed), toms, snare, then symbols, and finally bass.

“I need more on the floor,” Rob said into a mic, hitting his floor tom for reference, “and give me more for kick. The rest is good.”

“The kick is good,” the sound guy came back.

“Trust me,” Rob said, smiling. “It’s not. I don’t play like these other assholes. When I use the kick it needs to fucking hit.”

“Prove it,” the sound guy came. “I’ll crank it for now.” Rob was beginning to like this guy. Smiling, he instantly went into the drum pattern for an unknown band he figured the festival would know; Metz - Spit You Out. Not only was a great, simple track. it had the benefit of being heavy as hell. Like playing a Nirvana song, it was just a joy to smash out on a kit.

At about 1:19 in the song, Rob rolled on the cymbals and threw in a fill for good measure, before slamming his foot on the kick. The smaller crowd in front of him cheered. Even with his monitors in, he could hear Adrianna’s squeal from where he sat.

“Shit man,” the sound guy came after the last cymbal had rang out. “If your patterns are like that, you’ll kill the first eight rows. Consider the kick cranked.”

“That’s the idea,” Rob said, “thanks,” before standing up and heading off-stage. As he passed, Sam, he slapped him on the back. “Don’t let him tune you out,” he said, jokingly.

He headed straight for the van, pulling out a change of clothes. After checking that no one was inside, he climbed into the back, and pulled off his familiar hoodie. In order to be the drummer, he thought, you need to play the part.

He pulled off his usual black jeans, and threw on a pair of gym shorts. His v-neck was replaced with a loose black shirt, and his shoes were replaced with flip-flops, to be taken off after he had sat behind his kit. If there was one minor thing both Jane and Rob shared about their performance styles, it was that they both liked to play barefoot. For Rob, it was purely functional; he didn’t feel like bringing his double bass petal, and a barefoot accomplished the same task rather well on a single, stronger petal. Plus, it honestly felt better. Never a downside to that.

As he tossed around his hair for the desired effect, he looked around the van and noticed Jane’s clothes lying around as well. Her tank top had lay strewn over the backseat, and her shorts and shoes were lazily thrown on the floor. After changing, Rob neatly folded his own clothes and threw them in a bag within his own travel bag. He almost laughed at their differences, even in clothing. Still, a part of him envied her spirit. It was certainly freer than his.

By the time Rob got back, Sam and Austin had finished the sound check, and stood with Jane as the band before them had already started. Rob shook his head to get his messy brown hair out of his eyes as he approached.

There was a persona he had always put on before shows. It something he almost mirrored after Jane. Freer, looser…

Sexier…

It was something that helped him play songs, and set him in the right mood for a show. Practice was all about perfection to him, but performances were something to be enjoyed. Admired. Embraced.

It was the first stop on the tour, and he was fucking game.

He waited anxiously as the band ahead finished their set.

“I’m so fucking reading for this!” Sam said.

“As long as they don’t fuck up our name,” Rob said, referring to an incident that had happened a year ago, “…yeah. I think I am too. Let’s do this.”


He turned and gave Jane the first genuine smile of the day. They were finally about to really do it. Really be, a rock band.

Open Waters (Slots Open!)

I'm surprised we've gotten interest once again, to be honest.

Could I get a head count of who's still sticking around? Once I get a feel for who is left I can try to work around who isn't.

In Bloom [HangYourSecrets x megatrash] [18+]

”Lighten up, huh?

The words were so…shallow. Like there wasn’t a weight to them at all. Rob wondered about Jane sometimes. There were days when he felt like she really connected with him, and days such as today, where it sort of felt like there was this…this void between them. And he didn’t just it any more than he figured Jane did.

But, once again, before he could respond, Jane did what Jane always does. Disappear on him.

Rob nearly felt the wind brush past him as she ran off to the group of guys that had been singing the song she had picked out.

Surprisingly, though, her seat was quickly filled in.

“I’ll have what he’s having,” a feminine voice rang out next to Rob. As he looked to Jane’s former seat, he locked eyes with another bar patron; this one, appearing to be another one of the festival attendees. Her hazel eyes glared at him through her brunette hair. She wore a white tank top, and had the familiar flannel tied around her shorts.

Definitely another festival girl. Rob thought to himself as she smiled to him.

“I know you from somewhere!” She called out. Her smile beamed at him in a way that made it perfectly clear—she knew exactly who he was. That didn’t mean, however, that Rob wouldn’t play along.

“I don’t think you do,” Rob said politely, taking another sip of his beer. He watched as what remained of the golden liquid sloshed around in it’s glass as he set it upon the bar.

“No, I totally do!” she said. “Jackson Pennie! You’re playing the festival tonight!”

Rob winced. “Call me Rob,” he said, hiding his contempt.

“Oh, don’t be too flattered,” the festival girl said, spinning in her seat. She angled her shoulders right at Rob, now completely facing him. “I do my research on all the bands. I have to.” The festival girl pointed to something Rob hadn’t noticed yet; the DSLR hanging around her neck, floating freely in the air between her bust and thighs. Next to the camera was a press pass.

“The single’s great,” she continued. Rob looked up as fast as he could. “I’m looking forward to your set.”

“Well, we appreciate it,” Rob said, turning on his public mode. If there was a switch inside him that altered his personality from aloof and stressed to bubbly and happy, he had just flipped it.

“Adrianna, by the way,” she had said, offering out her hand. Rob shook it. “I guess I’ll see you there, then?” Her eyes darted from his own chest and back to his eyes. Rob pretended not to notice.

“Absolutely,” Rob said. “Any publicity is great for us. Let me know if we can help out in any way.”

Adrianna hopped off the bar stool, and turned to the door. “There are lots of afterparties in Phoenix,” she said. “Don’t run off too soon. El Paso can wait.” As she walked behind him, Rob felt a hand slide, ever so lightly, across his back. Just enough to illicit the suspicion that it might have been an accident.

It was another moment before Jane came back to reclaim her seat; just enough time for Rob to finish his beer and order another. “There’s an after party tonight. I think we should go. It’d do you good to cut loose a bit, yeah?”

“Sure,” Rob said through a smile. “Why not?”

He gave her a smile as they locked eyes, and held up his beer slightly.

Alright, Rob thought to himself. Maybe that was a little fucked up.

But maybe…it wasn’t. Rob knew that the tour would be long. He knew the parties were going to happen. And every one of his bandmembers always assumed Rob hated the parties, but it really wasn’t that. He had always felt like, for every night Jane remembered, Rob remembered the mornings. The hangovers. The headings that went on for fucking days. But El Paso was a long ways away, and there was lots of time to sleep it off. Plus, if there’s any time to get fucked up, it might as well be tonight. They were on tour. They were gaining some traction.

But must importantly, they were in a fucking rock band. And just the thought of that made him smile to himself. It was what Jane and him always wanted, really.

After the End

@Carantathraiel Amos would totally smell of plants and herbs, and I really liked that idea! I'd like to imagine he's normally pretty soft spoken as well, if it helps.

*adds that to list of things she's never had to say before*

I can't tell you how often I've had that thought on this site.

In Bloom [HangYourSecrets x megatrash] [18+]

Rob rolled his eyes as the van swing to the right, pushing the occupants quickly to the left. His right hand gripped the grab handle, as his left dug around for the loose cigarette Jane left him earlier.

As Jane hopped out of the van and moved towards the back, he was reminded of their differences. She was spontaneous when he was not. Whereas Rob would have occasional bouts of anger, she would have bouts of fun. No, fun wasn't the right word. Bouts of lunacy.

And it wasn’t that this was a bad thing. In fact, it was probably great. The two balanced each other out when they needed to, and the needed to. Often. It wasn’t really spoken aloud, but the band was Jane and Rob’s. They formed together. They chose the sound.

Maybe that’s why there was an undertow of anger about Jane changing it so suddenly.

Rob tried not to think about it, but Jane managed to remind him, coming up to his window and signaling him to lower it.

“Hey, I know last week was tense, but I hope we’re cool.”

Rob tried to think of a response, but he wasn’t quick enough. Jane marched on off, towards the back of the van and searched for the AUX chord. Rob unhooked his phone and tossed it at her, and walked into the Diary Queen. Austin and Sam followed.

“So what happened again?” Austin asked suddenly, as the three guys stood in line.

“When?”



“A week ago,” Austin continued. “With J?”

“Nothing,” Rob said, short and final. The two guys knew not to press the issue further, but still managed to keep on the topic at hand.

“Well, I don’t think it’s a radio hit,” Sam said, staring ahead at the menu. Rob tried to focus on his bandmates but could only look ahead as well.

God, do they sell anything but fucking ice cream?

After a moment, Sam continued his line of thought. “Look man, the bridge is heavy as fuck. J even screams over it.”

“I don’t care about heavy bridges,” Rob said, still looking ahead.

Chicken brushetta. That sounds good…

“I’m just saying—“

“Look Sam,” Rob said, “I know you like the song. You’ve got a cool melody over the verses and you like it. But a heavy bridge means shit. We’re not fucking Halestorm.”

“Halestorm’s not bad,” Austin muttered behind Rob.

“That’s not the fucking point,” Rob spat out. Before he could respond any further, the man in front of him moved aside the counter. He was next in line. Rob rolled his eyes as he went to order.

—

“We don’t sound like Halestorm,” Austin continued as the three exited the restaurant with their food.

“Sorry,” Rob said, dry as he could. “We sound like Paramore.”

Austin rolled his eyes and went into the van without another word.


The funny thing was, he secretly liked Paramore, too.

Sam was next to speak. There was a sort of connection between Sam and Rob. Maybe it was because of their synergy on the stage (they were the rhythm section, after all), but whenever Rob was mad at Austin or (god-forbid) Jane, Sam was the default.

“Don’t take it out on Austin,” he said, kicking at the ground. The two paced slowly to talk long enough to reach the van. “He didn’t do shit. Plus his riffs are great on the single. You don’t think I like it, do you?”

Rob shrugged. “Never asked.”

“You think I like playing the same four notes on repeat for four minutes?” he joked, getting a smile out of Rob. “Look, it’s not a bad song. So, you’re part’s shit on it. Big deal, mine too. Just try to work it out with J. It’s a long tour.”

Without another word, Sam walked off, and sat back in his seat, behind Rob’s. Rob climbed in his own seat, scarfing down the last of his sandwich and preparing for more hours of driving.

---

Phoenix was the first stop, and it looked no different than the town Rob had spent his whole life in. There was nothing but trees and dirt. Just more dirt than trees, out here.

Rob shook again as Jane wrapped an arm around her. How many times has it been? He knew it was stupid to think about he couldn’t remember the last time Jane was so touchy.

“Slaintés?” Rob asked, responding to Jane’s question. In the back of his mind, he knew going to a bar before a show wasn’t the best of ideas. But there was no point in debating it now. Plus, it was only two hours. What could go wrong?

A whole fucking lot, Rob thought to himself.

---

Slaintés bar sucked ass.

No, correction: it sucked major ass.

The place was no bigger than a dorm hall, and skinner at that. Pot smoke filled the air, and Rob couldn’t help but wonder what the rules on that were in this state.

“Yuengling,” he said to the bartender, making sure to sit by Jane. No fucking way she was leaving his sight. It was kind of protective, but it was something he made sure to do, especially after a recent memory:

It was 2 A.M. when Rob showed up to a local bar, in response to an incomprehensible text from Jane. When he arrived, two men sat on either side of her, like moths to flame.

No, like vultures.

Jane had her head down. She probably wouldn’t remember what would happen. After chasing off the two men, Rob literally had to carry her out of the bar, bridal-style. He pulled out her keys after driving to her apartment, making sure to sneak past Lena, and dropped her off on the bed. It was the opposite of romantic, but Rob never forgot how quickly she passed out. It was almost…beautiful?”

Rob drove the memory out of his head and drank some of the cheap beer.

It tasted exactly like he expected it to.