halo 'n horns [klance au]

15. The Concert

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Keith

It was another 2 hours before we hit the traffic heading into San Jose. I had no idea where we were going- if this was another side-adventure or something on my list, I'd never know. Damn Halohead was very secretive.

Noon had passed and the sun began to slide down through the left side of the car, hitting Lance's arms and making tiny freckles stand out against his skin. I had an impulse to reach out and touch the tiny dots, maybe rub my thumb against the divot where his thumb met his wrist, reach out and feel the fabric of his t-shirt.

I turned away.

"Maybe we should try driving again," Lance commented absentmindedly. I heard the soft, repetitive click of his turn signal as he switched lanes.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked, sneaking a glance at his ski-jump nose. I remembered red blood dripping down his face and made a face. I didn't want that guilt again.

Lance tilted his head to the side and the sun hit his sharp jawline His eyes were bright and I had a flashback of the Ferris Wheel. Were his hands always so soft? I bit my lip. "I mean, you kicked my ass at Go-Karts back there," he said, eyebrows lifted.

I scoffed, "I may have only been here for a week, but I'm pretty sure that regular driving is nothing like Go-Karting."

Lance looked at me with a funny expression. "What?" I asked.

"Just..." he drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel, "I feel like we've been here for so much longer."

I looked out the window, eyebrows drawn. I felt the same way. Lance turned up the music and we didn't speak again until we were driving down the streets of San Jose and I noticed the giant stadium, a sign above it reading, "GORILLAZ".

...

The tension in the air was so tight I felt like I couldn't breathe. Next to me, Lance was still, eyes wide, practically blind in the pitch black. But I could see. In the wide stadium, I saw the countless people standing together, their excitement radiating like heat waves. I saw the shadow of the drum set on the stage.

We waited seconds, and then minutes, in silence. I felt my muscles go tight, my heart racing. And when I heard that beautiful bass beat start in, followed by, "Hello? Is anyone there?" and the crowd exploded in cheers, I knew that Lance was a fucking genius. The call sounded, again and again, the bass growing and growing, louder and louder, until the drums kicked in and smoke flowed off the now illuminated stage, bright green and intense, just as it was supposed to be.

And M1A1 was the opening song.

Followed by only the best.

...

I pushed forward, through the crowd as the opening verse floats over the crowd. 'On Melancholy Hill'. One of my favorites. Lance was clinging to my sleeve as we pushed through the crowd in the pit, shoving forward even if people glared at us or pushed us back. It was my one opportunity. My one shot at being able to see one of my favorite bands in person before I'd be forced to listen to it on my laptop back home.

We were so close to the front, I felt the vibration of the bass in my chest and I couldn't hear myself think. But it didn't matter because somehow, I was singing along. And the concert was nothing like I thought it would be but, at the same time, it was exactly the way it should be- the lights, the stage, the people.

The lyrics seeped into my brain like a tattoo and I felt myself still. I reached up to my face and found tears. Closing my eyes, I sunk to the ground, the legs of the people around me pushing closer and closer, pressing against my sides, suffocating me. I could stand up but I didn't. I didn't know what was happening.

But suddenly, golden eyes were in front of me and Lance's hands were cupping my cheeks. His whisper was so loud in my ears that it drowned out the music, but his lips hadn't moved. I was looking at his lips. I was squatting in the pit of a Gorillaz concert and I was looking at Lance's lips. And again, he whispered in my head, "Are you okay?"

And everything came crashing back like a wave at the ocean in Seattle, waking me up from my trace. I reached forward and slid my hand up the back of Lance's neck, curling my fingers up around his soft, brown hair. It slid around my knuckles and I let out a short breath, smiling a little at Lance, whose eyes were so gold they looked like molten sunshine on his face.

I could hear my blood rushing in my ears and my hands got slick with the sweat on Lance's warm skin.

"Yeah," I whispered back. I pulled Lance up with me as I stood, singing the lyrics as loud as I could, him beside me.

...

My heart was still racing from the concert and my ears were ringing as we drove out of the parking lot. It was nearing midnight, but the city of San Jose seemed more alive than ever. Bright, flashing, neon lights left imprints on my eyelids when I blinked. Lance looked tired, but his eyes were bright as well as he looked over the city.

"I don't come around here much," he said absently, peering up at a particularly bright bar.

I laughed, the adrenaline high still coursing and putting me in an uncharacteristically giddy mood. "Really? You're not a party boy?"

Lance rolled his eyes, chuckling too, "Nah, not really. I mean, maybe the occasional one, but this is a lot, if you know what I mean."

My smile stayed on as we passed through the busiest part of the city, but I felt exhaustion begin to set in as we began to turn onto the quieter streets lined with offices and small buildings. Lance pulled smoothly into the hotel drop off, got out of the car to grab out things, and then smoothly tossed the keys to the valet as he headed inside, me following behind like a tired puppy.

He spoke in a low, fast voice to the receptionist, watching me with wary eyes as my knees wobbled from fatigue. I made a pass for one of the bags, planning on grabbing it to help him, but he brushed my hands away, leading me to the elevators. We zipped upwards at a speed that unsettled my stomach, then wobbled down the hallway like two zombies.

I remembered Lance unlocking the door, then flopping onto a bed that smelled like laundry detergent before blacking out.

...

I was startled away by our door banging open and the lights being flipped on. Squinting, I lifted myself up, propped up on my elbows, blinking wildly as my eyes adjusted. I looked panickedly over at Lance, who looked just as bewildered as I felt. I saw his eyes go gold, focusing on the short figure who now stood in the middle of our room.

Her hair was chopped short and her circular glasses glinted in the light, one hand securely on her belt where I could clearly see a taser, the other pointing at the two of us. She looked over at Lance and scowled.

"Don't try any of your 'wicca wicca woo' bullshit on me, asshole. I've been trained for this. Sergeant Pidge Gunderson, Stationary Angel Legion, first battalion. Welcome to Earth. Lance, Keith- we've been expecting you."

...

hey yallllll so I'm sorry this is so short and rushed, I really wanted to get it out for you guys since I'm behind schedule. Basically, this week was midterm week and I'm struggling to get a proper sleep:study ratio going on lol.

anyways, next chapter is probably gonna be an intermission to address a few things, so it's your turn to ask the questions! ask me literally anything about this book or my works in general that you're curious about, i'll be answering all of your questions and concerns in the next chapter :)

alrighty, I gotta go study for my biochem midterm, hope you guys liked the chapter even if it was a bit shitty haha <33

love yall <3333