A Burning Thing {Avi Kaplan fanfic}

-1-

(entire story is Avi POV)

Working with Home Free was one of my favourite things to do when I wasn't singing with Pentatonix. They had a fun, laid-back vibe, and truth be told I really enjoyed singing country music. The song we were making the video for also gave me the rare chance to sing lead. This wasn't the first video I'd guested on for them, but the first one where I was actually singing.

There weren't a lot of other bass singers that intimidated me, but Tim Foust was at the top of my list. His range was similar to mine, and his sound was incredible. The song we were doing was already recorded, but I still felt a bit nervous as we got ready to sing.

We'd just finished going over the set-up and were enjoying the beautiful night and the warmth of the bonfire when an old pick-up truck pulled up on the opposite side of the fire and a blonde girl jumped out, flashing an enormous smile.

"Bitsy!" Austin shouted.

"Mattie!" she cried, flinging her arms wide.

Austin looked sternly over his shoulder. "You’d better stand down, Tim," he grumbled before running over to swoop the girl up in a hug.

I looked to Adam quizzically. "What am I missing?"

"Elisabeth is Austin's little sister - she actually goes by Ellie so I don't recommend you call her Bitsy unless you want a kick in the ankles," he grinned. "She's also the only one besides Austin's mom who calls him Matthew."

"And what did Tim do to earn the warning?"

"Tim has a bit of a crush on her," Chris said with a smirk.

"I do NOT!" Tim protested. "And even if I did, she's just a kid. I'm not that kind of guy."

"Austin doesn't trust you to behave?" I asked, one eyebrow cocked.

"It's not Tim he doesn't trust," Rob said, smacking Tim on the back. "The first time Ellie heard Tim sing she basically turned into a puddle."

Tim blushed. "Apparently she has a soft spot for basses."

All four heads swivelled towards me.

"Hey, she's gonna love this song then, isn't she?" Rob grinned. “Double the basses, double the fun!”

"Oh man, Avi," Chris said, "you better not even look at her or Austin'll have your ass in a sling."

"Whoa guys," I said, putting my hands up, "I am not about to mess with anybody's sister."

"Does the sister get any say in this?" chirped a bright voice behind me.

"Smoooooth," Chris whispered.

I turned towards her, hoping the darkness hid the heat in my face. She seemed to be enjoying my discomfort, tilting her head and smiling up at me with a wickedly gleeful expression.

Fortunately Austin had missed the conversation entirely. "Avi I'd like to introduce you to the prettiest girl in Georgia, my sister Ellie. Ellie, this is the second-best bass in the business, Mister Avi Kaplan."

"Pleased to meet you," I said, possibly dropping my voice a little lower than normal.

"Only second best? I think you and Tim are going to have to duel for the title some time.” She paused before continuing: "It’s nice to meet you, Avi. I'd like to pretend I've never heard of you but I'd be lying. I'm already a confirmed Pentaholic."

Everyone laughed and I tried read her face to see if she was kidding, but just then the director called us over. He had finally gotten the equipment set up to his liking and the fire was blazing just right, so he wasn't about to miss a minute of perfect timing for the night shoot.

"Should I move my truck?" Ellie asked.

"No, it'll look good in the background; just leave the engine off and turn the headlights on," the director said. Ellie looked concerned, but he continued: "I promise we’ll boost it if it dies. You, however, will have to sit beside me and stay out of the shot."

We got into our positions and Chris gave us the pitch. To appear authentic we needed to sing in perfect sync with the studio recording that was playing in the background.

Ellie was sitting outside of the shot almost directly across from me, and I caught her eye from time to time. At one point I hit an especially low note and her face lit up with a huge smile. I couldn't help but smile back at her. I chuckled a bit later on when the director commended me for looking so "charismatic". Little did he know that I'd had some special inspiration.

~~~~~