Traded In His Misery {Brusnop Remake}

Denial

Danny's POV
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"This is We Are Harlot. Goodnight everyone!" We finished the set and walked off stage. Ben was standing with Cam, Sam, and James. All were prep talking each other and bouncing around excitedly.

"I may have fucked up Harlot's set, bur I have played and sang these songs a thousand times." Ben told himself and the others.

"Fuck yes!" James cheered him on. I stood and watched them as they all cheered each other on for the next ten minutes. After another few moments, a guy came back and told them to go on stage. They nodded and James walked out to his drum set. People began screaming loudly, then Sam and Cam walked out. They screamed even more. Ben stood next to me for a moment holding his guitar and pick, watching the crowd for a moment.

"Wish me luck." He shook his head and walked out. I cheered them on as they began the first song, Run Free. When they finished, he quieted the crowd and started talking.

"Hello everyone, how are you doing?!" They all began screaming to him. His face lit up and he smiled at them, looking over to me for a moment. "That's amazing. How many of you are here for only one band?" Barely anyone cheered. He laughed. "How many of you are here for only Harlot?" the same few cheered. "Well then, for you guys if you didn't know, Harlot's singer is actually originally from this band right here. These three fucker and I started this band with Danny. Thats okay though, because now I'm the singer and guitar player. And I'm a cocky little prick. So, enough talk for now. This song is White Line Fever."

I cheered them on with the rest of the crowd and smiled as he sang and played. After that song. He looked over at me again.

"Most of you who have heard Asking Alexandria before, right?" Most of them cheered. "Okay, good. So, you guys know that on a few of our songs and albums, we have songs where two people sing. The thing about that is it was always Danny and I singing those songs. The other thing is, Me and Cameron share a mutual love for one of those songs, and we just love to play it live. After this tour, we won't be able to play it the same way ever again. But earlier when a certain someone fucked their hand up and I took over go a few songs, this chubby ginger man said the words "I owe you." And because of that, I'm gonna be an asshole and as him to come over here and sing this song with us for old times sake." He turned and looked at me. My jaw dropped and I watched him closely. Cam walked up to his mic.

"I think he needs a bit of encouragement." He laughed. They all almost instantly began to chant my name. I laughed loudly at them before walking over to Ben. He smiled and wrapped his arms around my waist and looked at the crowd.

"This is my fiance." He smiled. A few people cheered, but some groaned their complaints and screamed a few profanities. One that stuck out was a guys screaming "Ben's a faggot." As soon as he said it, I saw a look flash across Ben's face. A look I hadn't seen since he was 16. He took the guitar he had off and dropped it before attempting to run off the stage. I grabbed his arm and tried to stop him, but he shoved me off and ran across the stage. I saw James' face turn red with anger and he stood, walking to the mic.

"Listen here you ignorant fucking cunt. Don't you ever come to one of these shows ever again. If I so much as glance at your face at one of these shows I'll beat the living shit out of you. You have 30 seconds to get the fuck out of this venue or I will walk down there and remove you myself." He growled straight at the guy. The man stayed standing where he was, smirking right back. James looked at me for approval and I nodded. He instantly jumped off the stage and straight to the guy. I saw him grab the man's shirt before my mind snapped back to Ben. My heart sank and I ran off the stage. Sam followed me, leaving his guitar.

"What way did Ben go?" I asked Brian.

"Bathroom." He told me.

"Fuck." I felt sick, but ran towards the venue bathroom. I got to it and knocked on the door. I heard sniffling and shuffing, and I tried the door. Locked. "BEN!" I shouted through the door. "Benji, open the door."

"Please, Ben." Sam added.

"Fuck off." Was the reply. I slammed my fist again, but got no reply.

"Ben, for fuck sakes open the door!" I began to panic. There was no reply. I tried to knock again, but he ignored again. I heard the crowd out in the venue cheering something on before I heard heard a loud gasp inside the bathroom.

"Ben?" Sam asked.

"D-Danny..." I heard Ben say.

"Ben, what happened?" I asked. He didn't reply. There was an eerie silence for a few minutes, and I held my breath, trying to not remember the many years ago.

"Ben..." Sam tried to talk again, but something made me think he thought the same thing. I stood for a moment before I heard the door knob jiggle, then a loud thud from inside.

"No!" I screamed and started punching at the door, trying to somehow unlock it. "Sam, find someone with a key." I turned to him, trying the door again. I didn't care about anything else except getting this door open. A few moment later, he came back with a key. I shoved it into the knob knob and turned it then twisted the handle.

Even in my darkest nightmares, I'd never been able to imagine the image on the other side of the door. I fell to my knees in shock before reaching forward and grabbing his arm.

"B-Ben..." I croaked out quietly before crawling over to him. I looked up at Sam before a sob shook me snd I screamed. Sam grabbed his phone, and I saw heard him tell the other side of the call he needs an ambulance. I looked around the room and saw the mirror had been busted, and Ben had a piece of glass in his hand. "How could you?" I asked him quietly, pulling him to me. Sam crouched next to me and took his shirt off, ripping pieces to wrap around Ben's arms tightly.

"Don't do this to me, Benjamin." His voice cracked. I hard footsteps and gasps before looking up and seeing the rest of our bands, and a few others. Sa looked to them. "Go outside and wait for the ambulance. When it's here, we'll bring him out."

"Benj..." I kept holding him, seeing the tears on his face that weren't his own. "Please don't do this..." I cried. James looked like a ghost, and crouched next to me, taking Ben's hand.

"Ben... keep fighting." James whispered.

"If you die, I die." I whispered.

"He won't die." Sam told me.

"He won't stop bleeding." Cameron said, looking at his arms where Sam had wrapped the white fabric around them. It was now dripping from the cotton shirt.

"The ambulance is here. Out front. We'll get a path for you." Someone yelled in. I stood, picking Ben up with me and followed the man. I saw the crowd was able the watch, and held him closer to me. People began to cheer until they saw what happened and cheers became screams. James screamed for people to shut up, and I left the building, bringing Ben to the ambulance.

"I'm going with him." I told them. They didn't questions it.

James' POV
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As soon as the ambulance pulled away, I walked back to the stage and grabbed one of the microphones.

"What you guys just saw... I'm sorry you had to see. Ben... isn't okay. He never has been. He told people this morning on a radio show about his past. He was abused by his dad for years, and eventually shot. His dad killed his mother and tried to kill him snd his sister, too. What he didn't say on that interview is the aftermath. He didn't saw what he went through to get better." My voice cracked. "He has never taken it this far. What you people just witnessed was a man scream that 'Ben's a faggot.'

"That word in its entirety is the most ridiculous insult ever. But when you grow up in an abusive home with a man who calls you a faggot daily, it's going to get to you. Right now, my brother is in an ambulance because of sever self harm wounds all over his arms because someone said one word. That one word that is practically a curse. I hope that man finds out what he caused, and I hope he feels pathetic for it.

" As for the show... we'll make it up to you guys somehow at a later date. I'm so sorry you guys had to see all of this. We'll make it up somehow, I promise..."

I stepped away and back off the stage before leaving for the hospital.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

/.\
I'm so sorry.

~Jnx