“Careful, careful,” Kevin said, applying their iconic purple eyeliner under their eyes for the show they were about to put on. Their dark brown hair was bleached and dyed yellow at its tips. They were wearing a loose fitting t-shirt that fit the ‘edgy’ aesthetic their band, ‘Morphine’ was going for. They knew they’d lose it before halfway through, drumming works up a sweat, and stripping works up a crowd.
SLAM
“Ah shit!” They said, streaking the purple across their face as someone slammed the dressing room door.
“We’re cancelin’ the show, get your stuff, we’re leavin’” They lead singer and guitarist busted in.
“Why, we finally have a sold out show, Logan! We can’t just drop the show an hour before it starts.
“We can, and we are.” He looked at them fixing the makeup, “You can fix y’r face later, let’s go.”
“I’m confused, why are you acting like this?”
He crossed his arms and huffed, “Y’r doctor ex-boyfriend is here.”
“Nathaniel?” They asked hesitantly, setting the purple stick of eyeliner down.
“Unless you got another doctor ex-boyfriend you're hiding, then yeah, Nathaniel.”
“Shit, well I mean just beef up the security, we can’t cancel now. The opener is about to go on.” They turned their face back to the mirror, finishing their makeup.
“No, what if comes to try and get you again?” He asked, meeting them by their side.
“That’s why we have security, babe. I’ll be fine.” They turned to him, grabbed his hand and moved it to hold their face, “And I have you to protect me. Plus, y’know, I can protect myself.” They turned back to the mirror and fixed their hair. “But it’s cuter when you do it.”
He leaned his arms over their shoulders and buried his nose in their hair. “You just tell me if you need me to stop the show. I will.”
Kev sat on their stool, breathing heavy. Stage fright always kicked in right before the lights came up, but now with the knowledge of the abusive ex-boyfriend being in the audience, the fear was tenfold. Logan knew this, he could always tell. He turned around and gave them a thumbs up, and they returned the gesture, letting him know that they were ok. Purple light illuminated the stage and they heard their own voice yell “ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!” and hit their sticks together above their head on beat, and Logan started playing the guitar and singing into the mic. This whole performance was perfected, and the sound of Logan’s booming voice and the beat of the drums echoed through their body, and they got lost in the music without even thinking about the malicious man sitting in the audience. Sure enough, before the second act, they ripped off their shirt, revealing a large scar they had got in a car accident a while back, and the crowd cheered. It always made Kevin laugh how much visible pain would resonate with an audience. Before they knew it, the set was over, and they and Logan were making their way to their tour bus.
“So tomorrow is Chicago,” Logan was discussing the route with them. They knew it by heart at this point, but they knew it helped their bandmate’s (and boyfriend’s) nerves. “And we should be there by 2-”
“Wonderful performance.” A tall man was leaning against their tour bus, waiting for them.
“Get the fuck out of here. Now.” The drummer demanded.
“Oh you think because you’re all big and famous now, that you don’t still owe me?”
“They don’t owe you nothin!” Logan yelled, stepping in between the two of them as the doctor closed the gap. Kevin looked around for security, only to realize that there were none around. They really would have to rely on Logan for this.
“I saved his life, and you think he doesn’t owe me.”
“You’re a doctor!” They yelled, “That’s your job!”
“After all the gifts, the money I gave you? If it weren’t for me, that wreck would’ve killed you.”
“You did all that illegal experimental stuff to fix me! It hurt like hell and I didn’t want that!”
“Yet you never argued?”
They bit their tongue. He’s right, I didn’t even try to fight-
CRACK
Before they could finish that thought, Logan cracked Nathaniel in the jaw so hard that he fell over. He grabbed their hand and pulled them into the bus. “Drive” he said to the driver, getting to the bed at the back of the bus. “Are you ok?” He held their face in his hands and looked into their eyes.
They nodded and kissed his lips. “Thank you. I owe you one.”
“You don’t owe me shit.” He said, then kissed them again.