First Night of tour
September 12th - First night of tour
REGULUS
Regulus was currently being sprayed and covered with so many chemicals that he was nauseous. Granted, it was for the sake of the show but still. His uncles were doing all of the band’s makeup and hair, Alphard was working on Pandora's braids and putting flowers in her hair. Giuseppe was switching between doing Dorcas’ eyes and Regulus’ hair
“ Reg, darling, look up. I need to see your face in the light.” Giuseppe instructed.
“I’ve been in this chair for hours, are you almost done?” Regulus' voice was whiny, but he’d never admit to that and nobody dared to bring it up.
“God, you’re such a baby” Barty was sitting up on the counter chugging an energy drink (he always does before a show)
Regulus gives him a look that could shoot daggers. “ says the one who can’t even sit still long enough to get their base done.” Evan muffles a laugh and Barty swats a makeup towel at him.
“Ok wait, we have like thirty minutes, do you know what that means?” Barty asks, not really waiting for an answer and starts singing off-key to the abc’s
Everyone groans in annoyance.
“You’re a drummer why the fuck do you need a warm-up, you dont even sing” Evan complains.
Yeah and I can see why.
“Maybe I just like to get a reaction out of you, Rosie,” Barty winks and Evan rolls his eyes.
Are you seeing this? He sends a look to Pandora, I know they’re oblivious, it’s ridiculous
Dora replies silently.
“Okay, all of you are ready.” Giuseppe squeezes his shoulder reassuringly.
“Good luck, petite etoile” Alphard says softly
The nickname makes his stomach feel warm and he steps up backstage.
~~~~~~~
He could hear it. There were so many people out there it was astonishing. Sometimes he forgets how he did this, he still feels like the boy trapped in that house with no escape. He got out. He got out. HegotoutHegotout. Just like he promised himself he would.
“You ready?” Dorcas is smiling and her brown eyes are wide and bright, thanks to the purple eyeliner that Alphard did.
“ Yeah ‘course just-”
“Lost in thought” Dorcas finishes.
“Alright, how's everyone doing tonight?”
The crowd is going mental, there’s signs everywhere and people screaming while wearing elaborate outfits. There’s a girl with a sign that says Dorcas could step on me and I’d say thank you! In bold with pink stars around it.
“First night of the tour! Are we excited?” Dorcas yelled from Regulus’ right.
A chorus of yelling and cheering went up through the crowd and people were waving their signs, screaming song names and shouting things at them.
“Okay so the first night of the tour is a big deal, as we know,” the crowd is cheering even louder now “ and lucky for you we have an awesome setlist ready so we’re gonna start off the tour with a bang!” Barty is trying to get the crowd even more hyper, which seems impossible in Regulus’ opinion, their setlist was a mix of indie, upbeat songs and slower melancholic songs.
“This first song is a way of life per say, and a mindset I developed after I started dating and we all know how that went…..” Regulus trails off and the crowd is chuckling and laughing, some of
them going feral because they know which song it is.
“You ready?” The crowd responds enthusiastically, some getting their phones out and ready to record.
Rule number one, is that you’ve gotta have fun, but baby when you’re done, you gotta be the first to run
Rule number two, just don’t get attached to, somebody you could lose
So le-let me tell you,
THIS IS HOW TO BE A HEARTBREAKER!!!!
Dorcas and Pandora start combining and harmonizing their voices with Regulus and the music.
Boys the like a little danger, We’ll get him falling for a stranger, a player, singing I lo-lo-love you
Regulus makes eye contact with a random person in the crowd, winks and then looks away.
HOW TO BE A HEARTBREAKER
Boys the like a little danger, We’ll get him falling for a stranger, a player, singing I lo-lo-love you
At least I think I do
Regulus winks on the last lyric and turns upstage.
* * * *
DORCAS
Dorcas was tired. Not just from the concert but from… pretending. She was tired of pretending that she wasn’t worried about Evan and Barty, tired of pretending she didn't see all of the misogynistic hate on her songs, she was just tired.
“WOOOO! HOME SWEET HOME, BABY!” Barty was booming as he walked through the front door with manic eyes.
“Oh my god, can you shut the fuck up for five minutes” Evan complains and brushes his hair back, away from his eyes.
Barty does, in fact, shut the fuck up but he rolls his eyes and there’s a hint of blush on his cheekbones.
“We’ve got interviews and a premiere tomorrow, so we need to go to bed early tonight. I’m looking at you, Barty” Regulus sounds like a mom when he speaks like this, Dorcas thinks.
Everyone grumbles and walks to their respectives rooms in the apartment. Regulus grabs his shark plushie off the couch and walks to his room. Dorcas lets a soft smile develop on her lips at the sight. Fuck, she had a premier tomorrow, which meant other people in the industry would be there and furthermore, McKinnon. Fuck, she hated her. She was obnoxious and loud and hung out with Regulus’ older brother whom she already has a grudge against. She also was really pretty. Like it was ridiculous. She’d recently gotten pink high-lighted tips on the ends of her shaggy bleach blonde hair. It annoyed her that she looked that good. If she wasn’t such an asshole, Dorcas might flirt with her but her personality ruins everything. She plays guitar well, she’ll give her that, but everything else is just…. Idiodic.
Well, life will be hell tomorrow.
******
September 13th 11:30 am
“ Excuse me! Miss!”
“Hello?”
“Over here!”
“Look this way!”
Dorcas was being called 24/7 at this premier. It wasn’t even hers! She didn’t know why but appreciated the attention and it distracted her from all the… thoughts in her head.
“Miss Meadowes who are you wearing tonight? You look absolutely stunning by the way.” A reporter asked with a microphone that she was shoving in Dorcas’ face. She was young, but older than Dorcas, maybe late twenties.
Dorcas smiled and turned to face the camera. She looked good, and she knew it.
“Thank you, that’s so kind of you to say! My bag is from Dior, my suit is from Valentino, and my
top was custom made by the wonderful Giuseppe Black” Dorcas voice is calm but confident and she looks directly into the camera before she leaves for more photos.
Dorcas was the epitome of confidence. She just took the attention of everyone in the room and always did something meaningful with their focus. She was wearing a black suit that shimmered against the light, and she had on a custom top that fit her really well. It was a nude color with black accents and glitter laced through the blouse. She also had on black stilettos and her hair was in a high ponytail and her braids were falling loosely along her shoulders and upper body.
She answered and was interviewed a few more times before exiting the carpet and making her way over to the drinks and hors d'oeuvres table.
Ughh. The very reason she hated these events. Marlene McKinnon.
She was talking loudly and using her hands with every word. Obnoxious. And of fucking course she was talking to Sirius Black. She hated him. He left Reg, her Reg, alone. She has to admit, they do look rather similar , Sirius and Reg she means, the stormy eyes, high cheekbones and dark hair is all the same except for the length. Sirius’ hair was quite a bit longer than Reg’s and their eyes were slightly different shades.
McKinnon was…. different. While she could admire a man’s beauty and bone structure she could never fall for a man. But Marlene. She had lovely freckles doused on her cheekbones and she had the most gorgeous blue eyes… but no. Dorcas hated her. She was 100% sure that she despised her very existence.
Marlene turned her gaze and it found its way to Dorcas.
Fuck.
She was staring.
Marlene looked her up and down, winked, and then shifted her attention to the host, Minerva Mcgonagall, one of the most respected managers in the industry.
“Attention everyone! We have some exciting news and I’m sure you are all excited for the reveal of this premier so without further ado, please welcome The Valkyries onto the stage!” Minerva had a powerful voice and everyone in the room had their eyes on her. They all clapped when she finished speaking.
“Hello, Hello everyone! I’m Marlene McKinnon”
“I’m Mary MacDonald”
“And I’m Lily Evans, and we’re here to present our new album: Pretty Girls Don’t Cry.
It will be released in two weeks, on September 27, and we are excited to share with you and all have a listen today! “ Lily was shorter than both Mary and Marlene, around 5 '3, Dorcas guessed.
“Thank you all for coming! Are you ready for the first song?” Marlene is engaging with the audience and waiting for an answer. The crowd all screams in agreement and the intro starts to play.
It's got a nice beat and Mary and Lily's vocals are overlaid nicely. It's still the beginning of the song so the main lyrics haven't started yet.
OHMYGOD.
Her music is heavenly.
Terrible.
Terrible. She corrects herself.
It’s really…. up beat.
Not the lyrics but the music all of it just comes together and she imagines Marlene’s fingers strumming her guitar and-
No.
NoNoNoNoNo.
She just likes the music. Right? Yeah. Yeah she does.
Because if she likes…
No. Not an option.
She just has to beat her for best rising artist of the year and she’ll forget about all of this.
But that’s in February. It’s September.
Fuck. Well, she’ll just avoid her until February, if that’s possible.
The song closes and Dorcas blinks, trying to get herself to focus.
“Unfortunately that’s all we’re allowed to share with you all, but please check out the album when it premiers on the 27th!” Mary says while Marlene and Lily take to exiting the stage by the stairs. Mary quickly follows and Dorcas notices a little bounce in her step. She must be excited then.
“Thank you ladies, that was wonderful! Please feel free to walk around and mingle. There will be drinks coming around and hors d'oeuvres are on the left hand side.” Minerva finishes her speech and leaves, all while in platforms even though she’s well into her fifties.
Dorcas turns her head and finds Barty and Evan goofing off by the hors d'oeuvres table and Barty fails to catch what Evan, currently cackling and squinting his eyes, threw. Idiots.
“What are they doing? I swear if we ever get kicked out, it’ll be because of them” Reg says, startling Dorcas because he’d been silent the whole time and she’d forgotten he was there.
“ At least they’re not pestering me” Dorcas sighs
“Give them two minutes.” Reg deadpans and takes a sip of his champagne.
Dorcas rolls her eyes but sure enough, the two idiots waltz over with wobbly steps, probably due to the alcohol.
“Cassieeee” Evan slurs, hand on Barty’s shoulder to keep him steady, as if it would work.
“Cassandra the fourth please grace us with your attention,” Barty puts on a posh accent and bows slightly.
Dorcas simply rolls her eyes “Neither of those are my name, what do you two want” she replies
“Can you please be a dear and get us two glasses of champagne” Barty pouts his lip and bats his lashes. His green eyes look glossy and he tries to make puppy dog eyes.
“Pretty sure you guys already have that handled”
“Well, we did but the hot bartender kinda… cut us off” Evan answers pointedly looking away from her.
“Yeah and for a good reason, you’re more than tipsy, I can smell it “ Dorcas looks for the “hot bartender” in question , ah Dorcas recognizes him it’s a Prewett twin. Gibson? Garret? No- Gideon. Yeah that’s it. They’re not wrong, he’s got good eyes and cute freckles Dorcas thinks not my type though.
Her type is sea color eyes, freckles, shaggy blonde hair and-
No.
No.
nonononononono-
Her type is nothing actually. She’s gonna push that down as far as it goes.
“Morning, Meadowes” Speak of the devil. She looks at Dorcas with a glint in her eye. Dorcas wants to comment on it but decides not. We’re avoiding her remember her brain reminds her.
Right.
“It’s almost twelve o’ clock Mckinnon.” Dorcas quips back
“Well it’s not afternoon yet”
“Midday then”
“ Did you know that when you argue you get a crease in your brow, it’s adorable” Marlene’s voice sounds airy which is unusual for her.
“Why did you come over here?” Dorcas says, pointedly ignoring her comment, she’ll deal with that later.
“Maybe I just wanted to talk to you, besides Mcgonagall said we’re supposed to mingle and it’s my premier after all, gotta set a good example.” She pops a grape and then turns to look at something over Dorcas’ shoulder.
“Sirius, a pleasure as always. Have you two met?” Marlene gestures between Sirius and Dorcas.
No. fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever had the chance, no” Sirius replies, wearing an easy smile.
“Nope.” Dorcas replies to Marlene stiffly. It was one word but still, Marlene noticed. She gave Dorcas a look but didn't comment on it.
“Nice weather today, no?” Marlene asks seemingly trying to relieve some of the tension in the room.
“We’re inside, Marlene.” Dorcas reminds her, there’s no patience or playfulness in her voice and she’s purposefully not looking at Sirius.
“Ah, first name basis is it now, Meadowes?” Marlene has a hint of a smirk on her face when she says it.
Shit. She let that one slip. The worst part is that Marlene caught it. She can’t mess up again or Marlene- Mckinnon she corrects herself- will notice and suspect that they’re friends which they are not.
“Actually, you’ll have to excuse me, I need to find my friends” Dorcas thanks herself for being quick on her feet and being able to get her out of there because she might’ve let reg’s name slip and that would be bad. She pushes through the crowd trying to find everyone. Good thing Pandora stayed home so she doesn’t have to find her, she’s a wanderer especially at parties. She only needs to find Reg, Barty and Evan which shouldn’t be too difficult because Barty and Evan are practically attached at the hip.
Ah. There they are. Barty and Evan are laughing with The Valkyries manager, Emmeline Vance.
“We need to leave. Now.” Dorcas’ voice is low, trying to not draw unnecessary attention, but still firm.
“We’ve only been here an hour though” Evan complains, his words were slurred and he was swaying without music.
“Sirius is here and we need to find Reg before Sirius finds him first.” She explains getting straight to the point, there was no time for thorough explanation.
“Last we saw him was talking to some red head by our table” Barty offers, distracted with keeping Evan standing right-side up, even though he’s no less drunk.
They all scan the room looking for Reg and just like Evan said, he was making small talk with Lily.
“Um, wait Dorcas! You dropped your bag!” Sirius calls from behind them.
No. No. No, please don’t come over here. Don’t see Reg, please.
She turned around fast, grabbed the red clutch and turned swiftly, her eyes immediately landing on Regulus. She mutters a thanks over her shoulder and grabs Regulus.
“We need to leave, like right now” Her voice is stern and low, safe from prying ears.
“But you guys just got here! I haven’t even gotten to introduce you guys to Mary yet.” Lily complains, they’ve all known her the longest in the industry besides each other.
“Sirius is here, we’ve got to go before he sees you” Dorcas says this mostly to Regulus but still loud enough so that Lily can hear.
Regulus simply nods and says “Ok that’s fine, text you later, Lils?” His voice is blank, neither good nor bad, which is a sign itself.
“Yeah I will, sorry about that though” Lily responds waving goodbye and Dorcas doesn’t hesitate to grab Regulus’ arm and rush out whisper yelling at Barty and Evan to hurry up.
They end up catching an Uber out of there and she texts Pandora to let her know they're on their way home.
She looks out the window for the rest of the drive, running over the past conversation with Marlene, before Sirius came over. She remembers the music and how she felt it in her bones and not just her ears. She thinks about Marlene’s flirty demeanor, which isn’t unusual for her but made Dorcas’ heart flutter nonetheless. Stop this won’t happen, stop thinking you have a chance.
She’s grateful when their apartment complex comes into view.
Pandora welcomes them in, clearly just getting back from her interview. Her steps are floaty and makes sure all of them are inside before shutting the door.
******
Pandora
September 13th 4:00 Pm
It’s been about an hour since Dorcas brought the boys home. She explained what happened with Sirius and him almost seeing Reg, but it’s nothing to worry about. Regulus has been gone for almost two years now, they don’t have to worry about his family anymore, Sirius is completely oblivious.
Regulus seems completely fine, or as fine as he ever is after seeing Sirius.
“You okay Reg?” Evan raises his eyebrows at him.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” He narrows his eyes when he answers.
Pandora has known Regulus the longest out of the four of them. She knew him from a shoot they did when they were kids and they always got casted for the same jobs. She knew him best even though they’d all argue and say they all knew him equally well. So, she knew when he was projecting, which is exactly what’s happening at this moment right now.
He’ll be fine, it wasn’t the first time they’ve almost ran into Sirius at an event. They all need to cool down and get ready for tomorrow, they have their Edinburgh show and after they’re going to Reg’s uncles, which is really the whole band’s adoptive family, and sleep at their house.
She doesn’t end up responding to Regulus’ question, although she’s mostly sure it was rhetorical. Instead she talked to Dorcas whom filled her in on what she missed at the premiere. It seems like she’s leaving a detail or opinion out of the story though, her eyes are shifty and she’s rambling but she stops in the middle of a words-or no, a name.
“Yeah and then Mck—” Dorcas stops short, closes her mouth and opens again, looking at the couch cushions instead of making eye contact “—um I mean… the bassist! Yeah, it was her song that was played at the preview. The lyrics were pretty good, but we don’t need to worry because Regulus beats anyone in that department, and the beat is a real nice even drum with the girls’ vocals over it. They’re not a threat —yet— but we should definitely…” The rest of her sentence isn’t registering to Pandora, it’s like she’s on low volume in a crowded space. Why did Dorcas correct herself, is there something she’s hiding or did she simply misspeak? Well she’ll discover it soon enough, she always does.
They stay up until it gets black outside, and then they all retreat to their respective rooms in the flat.
*****
Pandora loves her room. Not even in the it’s familiar and comfy kind of way, she loves it because it looks like hers. All of their rooms are like this, Regulus made sure of it. She remembers him saying You all can do whatever you want to your space, as long as you don’t knock down any walls and that they did.
It’s one of the many times she’s grateful for the large sum of money they all make that allows them to live so comfortably. They all have their own rooms (as well as a guest room) and they didn’t have to live in two separate places. A six bedroom flat is very atypical in London, but luckily they make over 4 million a year each, along with extra if you record solo songs, and they are always smart enough to put “necessities” over luxuries, and then save what they want to after everything’s paid for. It pays off to have a genius as a friend.
Her room is colorful, but not obnoxious. It’s filled with old maps and paintings, along with photos, newspaper clippings, quotes, lyrics, you name it. She has lights and strings that hold up stars, butterflies and jellyfish. She has a handmade quilt on her bed (almost identical to the one on Evan’s bed) that she received on a childhood Christmas one year. Hers is warm toned with oranges and crimson reds and bright yellows and soft pinks and browns where as Evan’s quilt is cool toned, patched with indigos and violets and soft greens and steely blues. She has all her jewelry hanging from a skeleton hand on her wall and a curtain guarded her bed and billowed when she left the window open. She has a few lamps around her room, illuminating the space with red and purple lights. Her books rest on the shelves of a brown nightstand and a flower lamp lay on top, aiming its light at her bed.
She loves her room and wished she has enough energy to take advantage of its comfort and play a song on her ukulele before bed, but she’s much too exhausted. She, as well as the band, have a big day tomorrow and they need all the rest they can get.