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When Apollo walked down the stairs, Harpia was leaning against his front door. He had a vague sense of deja vu.
"Haven't we done this before? I'm not so sure it went well the last time."
She smiled up at him, clutching something in her hand as she waved. It flashed in the light from his mother's lamps, and he realized it was the toy car. He descended the last step, glancing around the room. It was empty except for the two of them.
"What's going on? Are you okay?"
Harpia rolled the car between both of her hands, biting down on her bottom lip.
"Tomorrow's the 28th, right? You're going back to Hollywood, to meet the guys to go back on tour?"
Apollo nodded, watching Harpia with careful eyes as she continued to play with the car. She walked around him, heading toward the couches. She took a seat, sitting the car on her lap. She glanced over the back of the couch at him, indicating he should sit next to her. He did, but it wasn't without hesitation.
Harpia traced the car from her lap and onto Apollo's, speaking to the faded red metal.
"I don't want you to leave.
I understand that you have to go.
And I believe that you're going to come back to me. And I'm going to wait for you.
I said I couldn't wait for you forever, but I was lying like you said you would be.
I'd wait my entire life for you.
Because, this hope I have for you, it's the only thing in the world that keeps me going.
And, no, I don't want you to go. But I understand that this is your dream.
And, I believe that this is the only thing in the world that you love like you love me."
Apollo eyes shot from the car to her at the words. She smiled at him, but all he did was stare at her.
"I hate to tear holes in what I'm sure was a carefully constructed speech, but."
He moved the car out of the way, sitting it on the coffee table. He pulled her onto his lap, his fingers tangling in her hair. He pressed his lips to her own, but only long enough to secure the taste of her in his throat before he spoke again.
"You're wrong about that. Because I don't."
She looked up at him, her eyes wide.
"W-What?"
He smirked, tilting his head as he looked down at her.
"I'm pretty sure you told me that I was supposed to wait to tell you what I had to say, and I think you're right.
So, not now, O'Conner. But soon."
She looked more confused than she had a few minutes before.
"As for this," He picked up the toy car, driving it along the curve of her shoulder. "Am I supposed to take it with me until I get back?"
She nodded, still trying to figure out what he had meant.
"I'm surprised that you kept it."
"I thought about destroying it, but, I have such a stupid soft spot for you that I couldn't."
Apollo put the car in the pocket of his jeans, holding her face in both of his hands as he kissed her again. Her eyes shined in the lamplight the way the car had when she opened them.
"It's four weeks. And then I'll be back for you. I promise."
She put one hand over his, nodding.
"I've waited this long. I can handle four weeks."
"And take care of yourself, okay? I'd like to come home to you in one piece."
She nodded one more time.
"You want to stay here tonight?"
She didn't respond, instead she lifted her lips to his. The tears from her eyes wet the skin of his hands that were still on her jaw, but he didn't mind. He was convinced that this time, those tears meant something else.
She was counting on him.
And this time, he wasn't going to let her down.
"Haven't we done this before? I'm not so sure it went well the last time."
She smiled up at him, clutching something in her hand as she waved. It flashed in the light from his mother's lamps, and he realized it was the toy car. He descended the last step, glancing around the room. It was empty except for the two of them.
"What's going on? Are you okay?"
Harpia rolled the car between both of her hands, biting down on her bottom lip.
"Tomorrow's the 28th, right? You're going back to Hollywood, to meet the guys to go back on tour?"
Apollo nodded, watching Harpia with careful eyes as she continued to play with the car. She walked around him, heading toward the couches. She took a seat, sitting the car on her lap. She glanced over the back of the couch at him, indicating he should sit next to her. He did, but it wasn't without hesitation.
Harpia traced the car from her lap and onto Apollo's, speaking to the faded red metal.
"I don't want you to leave.
I understand that you have to go.
And I believe that you're going to come back to me. And I'm going to wait for you.
I said I couldn't wait for you forever, but I was lying like you said you would be.
I'd wait my entire life for you.
Because, this hope I have for you, it's the only thing in the world that keeps me going.
And, no, I don't want you to go. But I understand that this is your dream.
And, I believe that this is the only thing in the world that you love like you love me."
Apollo eyes shot from the car to her at the words. She smiled at him, but all he did was stare at her.
"I hate to tear holes in what I'm sure was a carefully constructed speech, but."
He moved the car out of the way, sitting it on the coffee table. He pulled her onto his lap, his fingers tangling in her hair. He pressed his lips to her own, but only long enough to secure the taste of her in his throat before he spoke again.
"You're wrong about that. Because I don't."
She looked up at him, her eyes wide.
"W-What?"
He smirked, tilting his head as he looked down at her.
"I'm pretty sure you told me that I was supposed to wait to tell you what I had to say, and I think you're right.
So, not now, O'Conner. But soon."
She looked more confused than she had a few minutes before.
"As for this," He picked up the toy car, driving it along the curve of her shoulder. "Am I supposed to take it with me until I get back?"
She nodded, still trying to figure out what he had meant.
"I'm surprised that you kept it."
"I thought about destroying it, but, I have such a stupid soft spot for you that I couldn't."
Apollo put the car in the pocket of his jeans, holding her face in both of his hands as he kissed her again. Her eyes shined in the lamplight the way the car had when she opened them.
"It's four weeks. And then I'll be back for you. I promise."
She put one hand over his, nodding.
"I've waited this long. I can handle four weeks."
"And take care of yourself, okay? I'd like to come home to you in one piece."
She nodded one more time.
"You want to stay here tonight?"
She didn't respond, instead she lifted her lips to his. The tears from her eyes wet the skin of his hands that were still on her jaw, but he didn't mind. He was convinced that this time, those tears meant something else.
She was counting on him.
And this time, he wasn't going to let her down.
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"Long time no see, Vampire. I wasn't sure you were ever coming home."
Paige stepped back from the door as Apollo stepped through, glancing around the living room he had found himself missing more than he thought he would. He looked back at Paige, setting his bags down against the wall.
"I was home. Just a version of home.
Are you doing okay?"
She looked taken aback.
"You're worried about my well-being? What got into you while you were on your 'time with your family' break?
I'm fine. Well, I'm getting there. I'm in counseling. So is Blake. Because I made him go with me.
Hale just spends all his time locked in his room writing songs and practicing. And doing coke. But that's always been a thing."
She shut the door behind him, walking down the hall and knocking on Hale's door.
"Apollo's home, you two."
She looked back at Apollo, heading for the stairs.
"I'm gonna go get Blake. We'll be right back."
She gave him a weird look right before disappearing into the upstairs hallway.
Hale's door opened, and he and Variance walked out of it. They were hand in hand, which didn't surprise Apollo in the least. He watched them sit down on the couch and stood, his arms crossed, waiting for the rest of his remaining housemates to join them.
Paige stepped back from the door as Apollo stepped through, glancing around the living room he had found himself missing more than he thought he would. He looked back at Paige, setting his bags down against the wall.
"I was home. Just a version of home.
Are you doing okay?"
She looked taken aback.
"You're worried about my well-being? What got into you while you were on your 'time with your family' break?
I'm fine. Well, I'm getting there. I'm in counseling. So is Blake. Because I made him go with me.
Hale just spends all his time locked in his room writing songs and practicing. And doing coke. But that's always been a thing."
She shut the door behind him, walking down the hall and knocking on Hale's door.
"Apollo's home, you two."
She looked back at Apollo, heading for the stairs.
"I'm gonna go get Blake. We'll be right back."
She gave him a weird look right before disappearing into the upstairs hallway.
Hale's door opened, and he and Variance walked out of it. They were hand in hand, which didn't surprise Apollo in the least. He watched them sit down on the couch and stood, his arms crossed, waiting for the rest of his remaining housemates to join them.
Blake took the other chair in the room, and Paige sat down on his lap, looking between all of them.
"So you guys are supposed to continue this tour tomorrow. But I guess I'm gonna be the one to address the elephant in the room.
You don't have a drummer anymore."
Blake and Apollo exchanged a look.
"We don't."
Apollo said the words quietly, his chest heavy. The guys hadn't said anything to him about Vega, but he knew everyone was thinking about it. Accident or not, Apollo couldn't undo what had been done. And Blake and Hale knew it.
Everything would be different.
"So how do we find a drummer in less than twenty four hours? If you ask me, continuing this tour at all is a fucking mistake. We should have just cancelled the rest of it."
Apollo lifted his eyes to his guitarist, shaking his head slowly.
"Is that really what you think he would have wanted?"
"We don't know what he would have wanted."
Hale scoffed, his eyes settling on Blake too.
"Like hell we don't. You knew Vega just as we did. He would have thought cancelling the tour was ridiculous. Even the shows we already cancelled.
He would have said something like 'the show must go on', and chided us for being this fucking strung out on it.
I know it. You know it. We all do.
This was Vega."
Blake looked at the ground, nodding once.
"I'll give you that, but that doesn't give us a drummer."
Variance spoke up from her position on the couch.
"What about that guy who keeps coming to the fence outside?"
Blake snorted.
"The lunatic who introduced himself by saying , 'I'm a huge fan, I have skills, and I hear you guys have an opening'? Yeah, he sounded promising."
Apollo looked at Blake in confusion, twirling a guitar pick between his fingers that he'd found in his pocket.
"Who the hell are you talking about?"
As if on cue, the buzzer for their gate sounded, and Hale rolled his eyes, walking over to the speaker box.
"How many times do we have to tell you to get lost?"
"I'm gonna keep coming back until you give me a chance."
Apollo didn't recognize the voice, but he recognized the tone of it. The sound of someone who wanted nothing more than to prove himself. Someone who thought they could really do something special. He'd heard that tone in his own voice most of his life.
Hale went to reply but Apollo walked up beside him, speaking into the voice box.
"What's your name?"
"Ailas. Who the hell am I talking to?"
"The lead singer of the band. You have time right now?"
"I always have time."
He looked at Hale, and then at Blake, who were both staring at him like he was crazy. He pressed the button again.
"Then I'll give you ten minutes."
"I only need five."
Apollo looked at his band members one more time, and then he unlocked the gate.
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"We don't even know him!"
Blake hissed as Ailas sat down on the couch in their living room, talking animatedly to Variance.
"I already told you that I think he's a psycho, and you're like, 'no problem, come on this tour bus with us where you could murder us more easily buddy'."
Apollo couldn't help but laugh.
"He's good Blake. He's one of the best I've ever heard. And he already knows most of the songs we have."
"Yeah, and that proves he's not a psycho somehow."
Apollo leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Well if you have a better idea, I'm all ears. We leave in the morning."
Hale let out a sigh, watching his girlfriend talk to the new drummer like she'd known him all her life.
"I kind of like him. He has a hell of a personality. And he can fucking play, Blake."
Blake sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers.
"Whatever. He's good, I'll give him that. But offering him a permanent position is something I think we should all discuss after this tour."
Variance made a noise and all three of them turned to look at her and Ailas. Churro had jumped up on Ailas' lap, and was rubbing her head against his face. Apollo could hear the cat purring across the room.
The three band members exchanged a look.
"I think we should take that as a sign of Vega's blessing, honestly."
Hale said the words with a grin, slapping Blake on the shoulder.
"Don't be so uptight, man. If he tries to kill us we can always count on Apollo to take him out."
"That's not funny."
Hale grinned even wider.
"Vega would have thought it was."
"You're an ass."
"Maybe. But I'm also not wrong."
A quietness settled between the three of them. They all had one thing on their minds, and even though they didn't speak, they knew.
Hale wasn't wrong. The last thing Vega would have wanted was for his death to put things to an end for their band. He would have wanted them to be happy, and he would have wanted them to continue. If not for themselves, then in his memory.
They all exchanged one more look, and Blake turned to the newest person in their household.
"You're in."
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Tell my mother, tell my father
I've done the best I can
To make them realize
This is my life
I hope they understand
I'm not angry, I'm just saying
Sometimes goodbye is a second chance
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