3-17: Stay With Me

 ------------------------------

"I'm sick of this bus, and I miss my cat."

Apollo snorted, tossing a ball of paper at Vega's head.

"We've been on this bus for like four hours... We haven't even played our first show. You've got a long road ahead of you, buddy."

Vega's face fell and he pulled out his phone, showing Apollo the lock screen of his fluffy black cat he'd 'saved' from Apollo's trash cans back in Riverview.

"How can you not miss this face too?"

Variance let out a noise, grabbing the phone from him.

"She's adorable! Do you have more pictures?"

Apollo shook his head, laughing quietly.

"You're not even supposed to be on this bus. You have your own.

So I'm guessing you're here because you miss his cat too."

Variance nodded in agreement, scrolling through Vega's phone and pictures of said cat.

"I do. It was a cute cat."

Hale came into the room, running his hand through his hair. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and Apollo raised an eyebrow. Variance looked up from the phone at Hale, and her cheeks went bright red. The phone dropped from her hands and she reached for it quickly, but Hale got to it first.

He held it out to her, winking. She took it from him, dropping her eyes to it instantly.

"Thanks."

She mumbled the word, and Apollo looked between the two of them, scowling.

"Cut it out."

Variance looked up at Apollo, something flashing through her eyes. She cleared her throat, handing the phone in her hand back to Vega. She got to her feet, straightening out the dress she was wearing. When she smiled up at Hale, her voice bright, Apollo's eyes narrowed.

"You wanna see the pictures I took last night?"

Hale's eyes widened and he flicked them onto Apollo, before looking back at her.

"I... uh. Yeah, let me get a shirt."

He turned back for the bedroom, and Variance went to follow him, but Apollo grabbed her wrist.

"What are you doing?"

His voice was low, serious. Variance stared at the place where Apollo's skin touched hers and he flinched as a jolt of electricity went through the contact. He let her go, shaking his hand out.

Her ability was transferring energy. Electricity being the one she'd used the most as a kid. Because it was everywhere. Easy to harness. Apollo hated it then, and he hated it now. She crossed her arms over her chest, looking down at him.

"What I'm not doing, is anything wrong.

Unless you can come up with a reason I can't sit next to your best friend, looking at pictures on my laptop, we're done here."

Apollo tried to say something, but Hale reappeared, looking between the two of them.

He raised an eyebrow at Variance, and Apollo blew air through his teeth.

"Whatever."

The tension in the air increased as Variance grabbed her computer from next to Vega, disappearing into the back of the bus. Hale looked at Apollo for a long time, before backing up the direction Variance had gone, both hands up.

"I won't touch her, dude."

Apollo felt the anger pressing at his chest, and he wanted to punch Hale for no reason. Other than his cousin seemed damned determined to push his buttons. And Hale was how she was doing it.

Vega looked at Apollo, a smile on his face.

"This tour is gonna be fun!"

Apollo looked out the window, watching the trees fly by on the interstate, nodding once.

"I'm probably going to end up in prison."

--------------------------------

Apollo leaned around the back of the bus, searching for Hale. He was standing a few feet into the night, a small figure caught up in his shadow.

"Hale! Stop hitting on chicks. The show starts in five minutes."

Hale turned around quickly, and Apollo's eyes narrowed when he realized who the shadow had concealed. He walked over to the two of them, looking down at his cousin.

"What are you guys, best friends now?"

Variance's cheeks turned red and she touched Hale's arm briefly, heading back towards the bus. She threw her comment over her shoulder, tying her bright green hair on top of her head.

"Something like that."

Apollo turned back to face Hale, raising an eyebrow.

"Something like that?"

Hale ran his hand through his hair, clearing his throat loudly as he watched Variance bend down to get her camera from the case on the pavement.

"Don't worry, mom. She's not taking any pictures of me you can't see."

Apollo rolled his eyes, hitting Hale on the shoulder.

"That's not funny."

Hale rubbed the spot, his grin wide.

"I don't know. She thinks I'm funny."

His eyes were behind Apollo and he turned around, just in time for the flash of Variance's camera to blind him.

"You two are cute. But you should probably get on stage.

It's your first show. You should probably try not to blow it."

Hale passed Apollo, knocking the snap back off of his head as he did. He repeated that same huge grin, walking over to Variance and pulling the strap of the dress she was wearing off of her shoulder. He disappeared through the door on the side of the stadium, and Variance quickly followed him, fixing the strap with pink cheeks.

Apollo wanted to be pissed off, but he was distracted by Blake's voice, echoing out from the same entrance Hale had gone through.

"Come on, guys! Let's do this!"

Apollo picked his hat up off the ground, rolling his shoulders.

He'd waited his entire life for this moment. 

It was time that it happened.

-------------------------------
The lights blacked out, and all Apollo could hear was the roar of the thousand people from the wall of the stage as he went behind it.

Blake's voice was lost in the residual hum of the speakers, and his eyes were lit up. When he hugged him, his heart pounded so hard inside his chest, it matched Apollo's.

"You guys were amazing!"

Variance's voice cut through the high, and she slammed into Apollo's chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. Blake took a step away, laughing, and pulled out his phone.

"I'm gonna go call Paige."

Apollo nodded at him, looking down at his green haired cousin.

"Good job, Apollo!"

He laughed, returning her hug as gently as he could manage. She may have been a vampire, but she wasn't made of concrete.

"Thanks, Vari. I bet you got some amazing shots."

She nodded, her smile bright in the lights backstage.

"I did. And video footage. Maybe we can put together a concert DVD at some point?"

Apollo went to respond, but he was cut off by Hale shoving himself between the two of them, his voice vibrant. But for once, not because of cocaine. Because of the show. The music. The happiness in his eyes was something Apollo hadn't seen since before his sister had disappeared.

"We fucking killed it."

He held up his fist, and Apollo put his knuckles against it, nodding once.

"We did."

I always knew we would.

----------------------

Apollo's voice rang out clearly, through the mic and into the crowd in front of them. It was the second city on the tour, in a state he'd never been to. Only heard stories about. And the people there were just as amazing as the city.

The crowd fed his ego. But more than that, it fueled the fire that made him do what he did. The people his music could effect were the reason he loved music as much he did in the first place.

He pulled the microphone away from his face, listening to Blake's guitar bleed into his eardrums. He adjusted the piece in his ear, waiting for the final note that indicated he should start singing again.

He glanced at Hale, and he was lost in the sound, completely caught up in the bass in his hands. They were all as they should be.

Blake's note went off, and Apollo turned back to the mic, hitting the first few chords of his own. He glanced up to pull the mic down toward his voice, but something caught his eye in the stands to his left. 

She was taller than most girls, and her long brown hair almost reached her hips. She was wearing converse, and mouthing the words to a song she couldn't possibly know. Because it was one he'd never shown her.

He did a double take, her sage colored eyes shining in the lights from the stage.

His words didn't fail him, but he missed the next note, watching the familiar face fade back into the crowd. 

He knew she couldn't be there. He knew he was seeing shit.

But it still took him a couple of seconds to get the notes to come out right from the guitar under his fingertips.

He finished the song without messing anything else up, sitting his guitar back on its stand when it was over.

He didn't say a word, heading toward the stairs that led up to the stage. As he passed Hale, he reached out, grabbing his arm and looking out toward the crowd that moved like an endless sea.

"We have two more songs. What the fuck are you doing?"

Apollo shook his head, pulling his hand across his neck like he was cutting it.

"Done."

He mouthed the word, pulling his arm out of Hale's grip and taking the stairs until his shoes hit pavement.

--------------------------------

Blake grabbed Apollo by the shoulder, using enough force to make him face him.

"What the fuck was that?

That never fucking happens.

You don't just walk off stage. You can't just fucking walk off stage, Apollo.

People are paying a lot of fucking money for these shows. We had to pretend like that was the end of the show, but you fucking know that it wasn't.

What the hell is wrong with you?"

Apollo shrugged, trying to climb into the bus, but Blake pulled him down back onto the concrete, his voice irate.

"No. You don't get to fucking walk away.

This is supposed to be so fucking important to you.

So tell me what happened."

Apollo shoved Blake backwards, and it took every ounce of control he contained not to hit him.

"I thought I saw her. It fucked me up. It won't happen again."

Blake regained his ground, his hands curling into fists at his sides.

"Harpia?

Seriously?

She's in fucking California, Apollo. This is New York."

Apollo pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, lighting it and blowing smoke in Blake's direction. Which only seemed to piss him off more.

"Maybe if you'd just admit your fucking feelings for her, this shit wouldn't happen!

Do you expect it to just go away? That this won't happen again?

We've worked our entire lives for this, and you fucked up because you can't get over her."

Apollo slammed his fist into the side of the bus, and Blake scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Seeing Harpia in that crowd didn't give me any sort of revelation, Blake!

I don't know what you expect me to say here.

I know she's not there. I know that I fucked it up.

For once, stop reminding me of what I did wrong, and just get the fuck out of my way."

Blake stared at him for a moment. He stepped up onto the stairs of the bus, clearing his throat. All anger he'd had in his voice had dissipated. He spoke quietly, his tone sober before he disappeared inside.

"That's the first real emotion I've seen from you when you're not drinking since she left.

Maybe you're having more of a revelation than you think you are."

----------------------------------

These things take time to grow
It's been said that time heals woes
But no, I won't be controlled
And so the story goes