holding my last breath - a noah sebastian/nicholas ruffilo story

chapter 5 // day one

Houston, Texas | Day 1 of the Concrete Forever Tour

"First night of the tour!" Folio cheers, all of the guys getting hyped up and ready to go out on stage. The roar of the crowd was booming through the walls, vibrations reverberating through the floor. They could hear the interlude music, "Bye Bye Bye" by NSYNC' currently playing as the fans awaited Bad Omens' set. Jolly and Folio were sitting in the rehearsal greenroom, tuning their instruments and getting their gear set-up before showtime, and Nicholas was on a task to find Noah as he hadn't been seen in at least thirty minutes.

Nicholas is walking down the back-halls of the venue, looking into every open room before he starts to hear Noah's quiet voice from the last room. The door is cracked, light illuminating from the small area, and Nick peeks inside. He can see Noah sitting on a couch, his phone pressed to his ear and a look of nervousness on his soft features. He hasn't noticed Nick's presence in the doorway, continuing to talk on the phone.

"And you're sure I can do this?" Noah asks the person on the line, "I can't fuck this up,"

Noah waits on whoever to respond, finishing up his call and setting down his phone on the couch beside him. He glances up, finally noticing Nick in the hallway and he jumps in surprise. Nick enters the room, crouching on the ground in front of Noah and looking up at him lovingly, "You okay?"

Noah nods, intertwining their fingers on the hand that's resting on Noah's knee, "Yeah, I'm okay. I was talking to Dr. Villanueva. Just wanted to get some last minute reassurance," Noah admits sheepishly, meeting Nick's gaze, "I'm ready to do this,"

Nick grins proudly, "Well, that's perfect, because it's almost showtime," He extends his hand out to Noah, hoisting him up off the couch. He went to turn around, but Noah gripped onto his wrist, "Noah?"

Noah looks at his feet, "Can..can you just," He starts, his throat seizing up and he's unable to finish his sentence.

Nick cocks his head at Noah, trying to read his face, "What are you feeling right now?" He asks, "Talk to me,"

Noah meets his eyes, turmoil in his irises and his body language feeling small, "I just need to be held for a moment," He asks quietly, his cheeks tinging pink.

Nick doesn't respond, instead he just pulls Noah to his chest, wrapping his arms around Noah's shoulders and pulling him down into a hug. Noah melts into the grasp, tucking his face into the crook of Nick's neck and fists at his stage-shirt at his lower back. Nick can feel him slightly shaking, using his fingers to rub at the nape of his neck comfortingly. They stand for a moment, drinking in the silence before Noah pulls away, determination on his features.

"Are you ready to rock?" Nick asks, settling his hands at his waist. He pulls out Noah's initiation mask from his pocket, offering it to him.

Noah nods, grabbing the mask and pulling it over his head, "Let's do this," Noah announces, grasping Nick's chin and pulling him into a kiss before they both head towards the stage area.

"Where the hell have you two been?" Matt asks, exasperated, "We were almost late,"

Folio notices Noah's tense muscles, patting Matt on the back, "Let it go. They're here now, let's get this going," He defends, and he knows Nick and Noah are grateful by the looks they send the drummer.

Within a few minutes, the lights go black and the fans go insane. The Loading Screen music starts to play as the graphics appear on the screens on the set, the countdown beginning. Folio heads to hide behind his drums, mask on and ready to go as Jolly and Nick grab their instruments. Noah's handed a microphone, the intro of ARTIFICIAL SUICIDE playing loudly throughout the sold-out theatre.