Doctor Death Defying

I have no clue what the fuck I'm doing lmao I'm too old for this but my inner fangirl needs to write really shitty fanfic to satisfy my soul enjoy kiddos
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It was hot, almost too hot to be performing outside for this concert, but the rush was exhilarating either way. This was a tiny tour, and they weren't even headlining but that didn't make it any less exciting. New Jersey didn't offer many amazing concerts(at least not in Belleville) and if they were going to perform anywhere, even as an opener, they were going to hop all over that. Evie's hope was that someone big would recognize them and they'd be asked to sign with a studio and then set to tour and be big and famous and recognized so that they could spread their message to fans all over the world like her favourite bands had done for her. It was not likely going to happen. The bands playing here weren't that big. Not many of them were signed on to recognizable labels. Regardless, Evie had hope.

Jay walked up on stage before her, bass in hand, hair braided in two long ponytails with the tips dyed orange because why fucking not? Evie's own hair was a natural shade of brown, but sometimes she styled it and made it look like she hadn't just rolled out of bed. And despite the crippling weather, she still wore skinny jeans, and vans, pairing it off with the loosest tank top she could find in the depths of her closet.

At this point, as the girls were all plugging in and Caitie was tuning up the last bits of her guitar, Evie's own ready in her hands, and Kels adjusting the height of her stool, she seriously wished she'd braided her hair like Jay's. A ponytail would have to do, she thought, yanking the elastic band off her wrist to throw her locks up into a careless mess. Maybe she should have lathered on more sunscreen too. Well, too late now.

One look to the girls to make sure they were ready and Evie stepped to the mic.

"Hey everyone! We're City Skylines and we're ready to rock!" The drums pounded, starting the song off. Evie bobbed her head along to the beat before grabbing the mic and turning towards it, "Well are you ready Jay?"

"Yeah!"

"How 'bout you Kels?"

"Uh huh, all there baby."

"How 'bout you Caitie?"

"Fucking ready!"

"Well, I think I'm alright! One, two, three, four!"

The guitar lick kicked in with the drum beat and Evie's hands moved to her guitar, strumming out the chords as she began singing. This was one of favourite songs to open up with, if only for the major guitar solo she got to hog in between verses. All the nerves she'd felt before walking on stage disappeared as she immersed herself in the music, head banging, singing into the mic, tapping her feet, everything about her was into it. During the guitar solo one of the strings cut into her finger and she saw blood gliding up and down the strings and dripping onto her clothes and the stage. These were the kinds of things that happened with music. She just couldn't keep herself from going all out. Go extra or be nextra. That was what she believed in.

They got to play five songs. All of them high energy. One of Evie's biggest fears going into this gig was that no one would cheer. But what was great about this crowd is that most of them were drunk already as they were one of the later afternoon shows. The cheers were louder than she could imagine. She had no clue what the turnout for this event was but goddamn, the sunburn was worth it just to hear those screams.

Breathless and high on the adrenaline Evie approached the mic for the final time, taking in a few gasping breaths as her guitar hung from the strap. "Thank you so much guys. I'm Evie and we're City Skylines, and we'll see you next time!" She dropped the bloodied hand from the mic and saluted with a smirk, a skip in her step as she followed Kels off stage. All she wanted right now was a drink. One finger stuck in her mouth to try and stop the blood, the other grasping the hand of whichever one of her girls was approaching her with shouts of delight that they'd nailed their set.

"You bet your ass it was great. Hey you got a band-aid? Or tape or something?" Evie asked, unable to keep the smile off her face as she tried to find all her shit. How hard was it to find a guitar case?

"The fuck did you do?" Jay asked, her voice laden with her usual accent of heavy sarcasm.

"Fucked up my finger, that's what," Evie grumbled, now a little frustrated that she couldn't actually find her guitar case. "Hey, where's my case? Did you guys fucking hide it again?"

Jay snorted. Her typical empathetic reply. Kels, on the other hand, at least tried to make it seem like she cared. Her drums were back home, (God, they weren't rich enough to afford that kind of transportation and set up time. This event wasn't that high key), but she had a drumstick twirling in her hand, bubble gum popping a balloon right before she started to help look around. "Where'd you leave it?"

"Here dumbass," Evie muttered, crossing her arms and trying to remember if she actually had left it here.

Pulling the strap over her head, the other finger dangling from her mouth like a toddler still since it wouldn't stop bleeding, she contemplated. "Well, fuck it I guess. I have to change the strings on this anyway." Examining the neck of her guitar and the ever so gnarly stains of brown-red that dotted the blue and black of her instrument.

"Ew! That's nasty!" Caitie shrieked, leaning in extra close with squinting eyes as if she needed to really investigate it and make sure it was real.

"What can I say? I guess this makes me hardcore? But shut up," Evie pushed on Caitie's forehead to get her to stumble back a couple steps, "And find my case. I'm serious. I can't go home without it and my wallet's in there with my phone."

"You're fucking dumb," Jay snorted, but at least she got off her ass, holding her shit and putting a hand to her forehead to get the sun out of her eyes. "Well, let's go."

Jay's word tended to be final in these situations and as desperate as Evie was – to get her case and a fucking band-aid; would this cut ever stop bleeding? - she was eager to follow along.
They had split up, all deciding to search. If they didn't find it within the hour than they'd have to report it to police which would suck. Belleville was full of crime already and Evie did NOT want to become a statistic. She was edgy, but not that edgy. By now she was at the edge of the event, bordering the fence at the entrance that opened out onto the street. She'd stopped being a vampire on her cut, though there was some mild oozing and now that she looked at it, it was kind of a nasty, meat grinder like cut. Probably from how she had kept playing despite knowing that it was fucked. She was busy staring at it when a hand landed on her shoulder, startling her.

"Jesus Christ-" she shouted, whipping around. The bottom of her guitar whacked into whoever it was as she spun, nailing the person in the knee much to her surprise. The man grunted but kept his lips shut for the most part, only pausing for a second to rub a hand over his kneecap. "Oh shit... I'm so sorry. You scared me, I thought – I'm like... Oh my god, I'm so sorry. Do you need ice or something?"

The tall guy shook his head, curly locks flying around his head as he did. "No, that's fine," he managed to breathe out, a laugh in his words. When he straightened, Evie was surprised to find him nearly a head taller than herself. Like she was short... But not that short. But that wasn't it. Nope. Like... This wasn't just a stranger in the crowd trying to do who knows what with her. It was Ray fucking Toro, guitar and back vocals for My Chemical Romance.

"Holy shit."

Notes

LMAO I honestly just laughed the entire time
This one is for Alie lmao