Drown (Doomed sequel) - Oli Sykes fanfiction

20. Dive in when I'm down

CW: Talk of supernatural abilities, mentions of abuse and mistreatment in women, anxieties are high all round for multiple reasons, it'll all make sense once you read it.

Once they arrived at the hotel in Birmingham and checked in, it was all stations go - for the bands at least. Max set about organising them all for their rehearsal slots, so Mia and Oli took some time together for a couple of hours.

Birmingham was the birthplace of Black Sabbath - one of the biggest British rock bands and certainly one of the icons of metal music as it was today. Oli was in awe as they paced the streets of Birmingham, insisting on getting pictures and selfies with every Black Sabbath or Ozzy Osbourne sight they found. He was like a kid in a sweet shop!

They stopped for lunch in a cosy vegan café before heading back to the venue around 3pm so that Mia could get set up and ready for doors at 6pm. Oli hung around and mingled with the bands between warm ups, catching up with Hayley and reminiscing about their old Warped Tour days. Mia stopped for a break around 4.30pm and joined Oli who was now chatting with Andy.

"Hey love," Oli greeted Mia and pulled her into his strong arms as she joined them. "How's everything looking?"

"Pretty good!" Mia responded cheerily, wiping her forehead with her sleeve. "Just a few adjustments to make when the stage changes between sets, but otherwise, all good. How's things going here?" Mia darted her eyes between Oli and Andy, subtly raising her eyebrow in question.

"We've just been chatting about band life, touring, all that stuff," Andy replied with a chaste wave of his hand. "It's definitely more difficult when immortality comes into it too."

Oli nodded in agreement, then paused, raising an eyebrow at Andy. "Wait, what do you mean?"

"Did Mia not tell you?" Andy flicked his gaze towards Mia who shrugged.

"Not my secret to tell," she replied nonchalantly.

Andy chuckled and gave a little shake of his head as Oli remained completely puzzled.

"Wait, are you-?" Realisation suddenly hit Oli's face and he gestured between himself and Mia.

"Not quite," Andy giggled. "Immortal, yes. Vampire, no. I'm a Siren."

Oli paused for a moment to process this information before a thoughtful smile crept onto his face. "So, what does that mean for you?"

Andy's face lit up. It wasn't often that he could talk freely about his affliction. This was exactly why they hired Mia and he was excited to be able to share it with Oli too. "Well, mostly I just help people with their anxieties, but you know the drill. Consent above everything."

Oli mused on Andy's words for a few more moments, processing before appearing to accept this information. "I don't really have much experience with Sirenism," Oli finally spoke. "But I'd love to chat some more about it, if that's okay with you?"

Andy smiled his famous, dazzling smile. "Of course!"

Just then, Max's voice came loudly over the venue sound system, calling all the acts backstage. Andy clambered up, giving Oli and Mia quick hugs before darting backstage to join the others, but within ten minutes, Mia was called to the photography pit too and Oli found himself alone in an empty dressing room.

Andy's words circled violently in his head. He didn't know much about Sirens, but what he did know made him really anxious.

Mind control. Telepathy. Superhuman strength.

Oli took a deep breath and attempted to focus on the important part of what Andy had told him. Consent above everything. That was one of the main rules in immortality, but there were always exceptions that broke the rules. Unwanted memories of his younger days flooded his mind. He certainly had broken them a few times when he was first learning to control his hunger, but Jordan taught him well. Then there was Josh. Even more recently, Josh had almost certainly bent the rules when he first was chasing Lisa.