#fizzy.

Summer was nowhere near Ozzy’s favorite season. It was hot, miserable, and the amount of mosquitoes could make anyone lose their mind.

Finly loved summer however.

She loved wearing dresses, going out with friends to soak in the sun, and swimming. Definitely swimming.

“Ozzy, it'll be fun! I promise.” The human out of the two insisted, holding Ozzy’s hand as they walked up to the large house that Val and King were hosting a pool party in. “Everyone will be there, and it'll be a blast.”

The shark monster grumbled a bit, but they tried to keep it down. It wasn't being around a lot of people that was the problem or the fact she was feeling particularly exposed due to the swim trunks, it was just the heat. Ozzy hated the heat. Their greyer skin soaked up the heat and roasted them like a baked potato. Not to mention the lack of makeup left him feeling open and naked.

The pair made it to the front door, ringing the doorbell and waited. Finly swayed their Interlocked hands a bit, hoping it would relieve some of Ozzy’s tension. “You don't have to stay if you don't want to.” She said.

“No, it's okay.”

“Are you sure?”

Ozzy sighed, squeezing Finly’s hand gently. "Yeah, I’m sure. I just need a moment to adjust, that’s all."

Finly smiled warmly at him, her eyes reflecting the bright summer sun. "Alright. Just remember, you can always escape to the shade if it gets too much."

Before Ozzy could reply, the door swung open, revealing Val, who was dressed in an unbuttoned vibrant Hawaiian shirt and a red speedo. "Hey, you two! Glad you could make it!" Val greeted them with a wide grin as Ozzy immediately looked away- avoiding the sight of the blonde vampire almost entirely naked. "Come on in, everyone’s out back by the pool.”

Finly tugged Ozzy forward, leading them through the house and out into the backyard. The scene was bustling with activity. People were lounging by the poolside, splashing in the water, and enjoying various summer treats.

William was manning the grill- dressed in a wife blesser, colorful patterned swim trunks, a simple baseball cap and flip flops. Marley was next to him, wearing his own pair of swim trunks and flip flops. Kiefer and Skarn were in the water, Achak was reading underneath an umbrella by the side of the pool, Avy and King were relaxing together under the sun, Kai was floating around in a flamingo floatie with Matt nearby in the water, and Monty was staying close to his vampire lover who was sleeping underneath the shade of an umbrella, his hands over his chest like some corpse being laid to rest.

"See?" Finly smiled, nudging Ozzy. "It’s not so bad, right?"

Ozzy scanned the crowd, noticing the friendly faces and the overall relaxed atmosphere. "I suppose it’s not terrible." They admitted, a small grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Hi, Finly! Ozzy!” The older man, William, waved over the pair. Marley looked over to them as well, but he didn't give as bright of a welcome. “Glad you could join us!” He called out, flipping a burger on the grill. The aroma of sizzling meat wafted through the air, and Ozzy couldn't help but appreciate it.

Finly waved back cheerfully, guiding Ozzy closer to the grill. "Hey, William! Everything smells amazing.”

“Thank ya kindly, miss. I made sure to get some veggie burgers for you, they're cooking on their own side with their own special spatula. No cross contamination.”

"You're a lifesaver, William!" Finly exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with appreciation. "I knew I could count on you.”

“Anytime.” The man beamed, his beard shifting as he smiled. He was always such a friendly fellow, it was easy to relax around him. “They'll be ready in a few more minutes.”

Marley grumbled with frustration as he would have to wait longer for food, but that was to be expected from the stoner werewolf. Everyone was used to it.

“C'mon,” Finly turned to her lover with a gleeful tone. “Let's go sit somewhere by the pool for a bit until the food is done. Maybe swim a little?”

Ozzy gave Finly a soft smile before responding. “Okay.”

The pair walked around the pool before eventually settling down next to Montgomery and Nkah- the ex-priest happy to see his friends in the same place. Monty was wearing a loose graphic T and a pair of shorts while Nkah- who was still peacefully sleeping- was wearing a full body swimming suit, hardly any of his skin exposed to the sun. It made sense.

Finly quickly engaged in conversation with Monty, while Ozzy found himself staring at the water, its cool surface beckoning to him. They were a shark-like creature at origin so swimming was always something that came naturally, but it was a hassle. Especially now with all the hair they had. It was a chore to wash it all after swimming.

“Wanna go take a dip in the pool, Ozz?” Finly asked her lover as Monty excused himself to go get something or another. They shook their head.

“I'm good.”

Finly looked at Ozzy a bit knowingly. “Want to put your hair up in a bun or something so it doesn't get wet?”

“No, I'll just stay out of the water.”

“Ozzy…” Finly gently reached out, touching Ozzy's arm. "I get it, love, I really do. But you love swimming, and I hate seeing you miss out because of your hair. Let's just tie it up. We'll make sure it doesn't get wet, okay?"

Ozzy hesitated, glancing around at the others enjoying themselves. The water did look inviting, and the thought of cooling off in it was tempting. With a resigned sigh, they finally nodded. "Alright, but only if you help me.”

The worry on Finly’s face was immediately replaced with excitement as she smiled. “Of course! Here.” She pulled a hair tie from her wrist and motioned for Ozzy to turn around. With practiced hands, she gathered their long, flowing hair and twisted it into a secure bun atop his head. "There, all set! Now, let's get you in that water.”

Ozzy smiled a bit more now as they simply stepped into the pool, Finly quick behind. She looked gorgeous in her simple bathing suit, her body accented by it amazingly. Ozzy reached out to rest their hand against her side, making her giggle a bit. “See? Not so bad.”

Her arms wrapped around Ozzy’s neck, looking into their eyes. A flush quickly came to their cheeks when Finly pressed a quick kiss to their lips. She only looked away when the pair heard Val making a very loud gagging noise in their direction.

Ozzy wasn't entirely sure why some random girl in the concert audience had caught their eyes. She had short blackish brown hair with blue highlights, tan skin, and quite the voice. She sang- eer, screamed to every song Nkah sang on the stage. She must've been a long time fan. That, or she simply learned all the lyrics before coming.

Either way, she had caught Ozzy’s attention.

“Did you see them all? God, they were ready to kiss your feet, man!” Val cheered as they reached backstage, away from the audience. The blonde vampire had an extra pep in his step, and it was infectious to the other band members.

For once Nkah let a smile grace his face as he fixed the cuff of his sleeve. “Yes, I suppose they were.”

As they walked, King nudged Nkah with his hip, making the singer sway a bit. “You got a lil fan club forming?” He teased.

"It seems so," He replied, his voice calm. "Their enthusiasm is... appreciated."

Val clapped Nkah on the back, his energy barely contained. "Appreciated? Man, they were losing their minds out there! Especially that girl in the front row. She was all in."

Ozzy, who had been silently observing, finally spoke up. "She did stand out." They said, more to themselves than anyone else. "She knew every word, every beat."

King raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "You noticed her too, huh? What’s the deal, Ozzy? You usually don’t pay much attention to the crowd.”

The shark-like drummer felt their cheeks warm up slightly. “I don't know. I just noticed her is all.”

Val gave Ozzy a knowing look, but before he could say anything snarky he was interrupted by Monty.

“Nkah!” The human smiled from ear to ear, wrapping his arms around the singer. He kissed Nkah on the cheek, hugging him tightly. “Ye guys looked amazing up there- like always.”

The other 3 band members were unphazed by this affectionate charade. Since Monty was dating the lead singer of 4TL, he got special privileges like VIP and going back stage to meet them. Averyll would certainly be on his way soon to see King and Val.

Ozzy fought back the jealousy that formed in his chest.

“Do ye have anything planned tonight?” Monty asked the band- more specifically the other 3. He already knew what he and Nkah would be doing tonight.

Val rested his arms on his hips, smirking. “Me, King and Avy will probably celebrate like per usual.” His demon lover nodded besides him.

Monty looked at the dummer. “Ozzy? What about ye?”

“Probably get some sleep. I'm wiped.”

The ex-priest looked a little saddened by the reply, but at this point he knew better than to pry with Ozzy. The shark would rather bite your hand off then admit anything.

“King! Val!” A voice called out a bit further away, grabbing the two’s attention. When they say Averyll shoving himself through workers, they immediately bolted off to embrace their 3rd party with kisses and words off affection. Ozzy was sure to hear complaints about being sore tomorrow.

Nkah turned to Ozzy, adjusting his glasses before speaking. “I assume you know you're always welcome with me and Montgomery.”

They nodded. “I know.”

Nkah gave a small nod, acknowledging Ozzy’s response. “Very well. Should you change your mind, you know where to find us.” With that, Nkah turned his attention back to Monty, who was already dragging the vampire along and chattering away.

Ozzy lingered for a moment, unsure if they wanted to stay or go. The image of the girl from the concert flashed in their mind again. She was gorgeous- fitting any definition for the word. They wished to try and find her, maybe talk to her, but it was already late. Ozzy doubted she'd stay around for long after a concert- most people usually tried to go home or to bars after wards.

They decided after a few moments that it was time to go home. Ozzy did some clean up before telling the crew and the helpers goodnight. As they walked through the hallway, the noise of the backstage gradually faded, replaced by the quiet hum of the night.

The air outside was cool, a welcome contrast to the heat of the concert venue. Ozzy took a deep breath, savoring the moment of the cool air. They hummed to themselves one of the songs from the concert, the melody still fresh in their mind. Ozzy tapped the beat of the songs against their leg, hearing the music in their mind and seeing the rest of the band doing their own parts as if they were performing again. It was relaxing to imagine. Playing with 4TL- despite their differences- was enjoyable. It was a little family.

Ozzy was only ripped out of his internal jam out session when a voice called for them. “Hey! Aren't you the drummer?!”

They turned around, seeing a girl running up to them from behind. THE girl.

“Uhm…” Ozzy immediately grew embarrassed, their body tensing up and she finally caught up, panting a little. “Yeah.”

She smiled, squealing a bit. A cute noise. “Oh, good! Uh, can I get your autograph?”

Ozzy watched as she held up a photograph of them. It looked like it was taken on a hand held camera. It was obviously taken during this concert.

“Sure.” They replied simply, trying to act casual. She handed them a sharpie and helped keep the photo still as Ozzy signed it. “There. Here's your sharpie back.”

She beamed as she looked at the finished autograph, jumping up and down a bit. She held it close to her chest before speaking. “Thank you, thank you! Argh, this was my first concert with you guys. I always loved your music, but you guys never came here! Ack- I'm rambling, sorry!”

Ozzy watched as this literal godess rambled off to them, her face constantly glowing more when she got excited. “No, it's okay.”

The girl rubbed the back of her neck nervously, chuckling. “You probably get a lot of people going off on ya like that, huh?”

It was obvious she was embarrassed, but Ozzy didn't see why. She looked absolutely adorable right now- and that was nothing to be embarrassed over. “Not really. Nkah and the other two get the most fame.”

The response seemed to make her a little upset, but she pushed it down. “Well, if it makes you feel better- I think you played way better than those guys! You can't have a complete song without a good beat!”

Ozzy wasn't oblivious to the way she was obviously trying to hype them up to feel better- but it didn't feel offensive. Ozzy actually liked it. It was nice. They couldn't help but smile a bit. “Thanks.”

There was a pause between them, neither of them knowing what to say. She eventually spoke up. “Ozzy, right?” She asked.

Ozzy nodded. “And you?” It felt like such a dangerous question- asking this fan her name. It felt like they were breaking a law- is it against the rules to accidentally have a blossoming crush over a fan? Is that wrong? It didn't matter however, as when she answered Ozzy’s felt the worry wash off.

“Finly.” She said, a pinkish tint on her cheeks. From this view Ozzy could see her green eyes hiding underneath her eyelashes.

Asking Finly out on a date had been the most stressful thing Ozzy ever went through.

The pair was hanging out (something they did quite often after their meeting) and Ozzy had popped the bubble. It has been a few months since they met- surely it wasn't too soon?

Finly thankfully agreed. They set up a date, and they would meet up again. Ozzy insisted she pick a restaurant considering she was vegetarian and they didn't want to pick something and completely ruin the date.

Ozzy stood in front of the restaurant, “Bellacino's.” They never came here before, but Finly said they had good salads and pizza- something for em both. Ozzy was wearing a typical turtle neck, black jeans and boots- minus the spiked collar that was usually around their neck. They waited for her to show up, occasionally looking around at the different cars that drove by, hoping she wasn't just doing to ditch the date.

Finally, after what felt like ages to Ozzy, a familiar figure appeared in the distance. Finly approached with a warm smile, her blue-highlighted hair catching the light of the setting sun. She was dressed casually yet stylishly, a denim jacket over a nicely fit red dress. Ozzy fought hard to keep their tail wagging with excitement.

“Hey, Ozzy! Sorry if I'm a little late.” She apologized as she came up to her date, looking a bit flustered by her lack of time management.

Ozzy shook their head. “It's all good, don't worry.” With Finley here now, they reached forward and grasped the door handle, opening the door for her. “Ladies first.”

“Lay in the charm, Ozz. Be the biggest gentleman that a gentleman has ever gentlemened.” They lectured themselves in their head as Finly giggled and thanked them.

The bell above the door chimed as they stepped inside, the warthm inside the little restaurant making Ozzy shiver. It felt really nice. You could plop on the floor in the kitchen and probably take a nap from the pizza ovens gushing out the heat. Not to mention the smell- absolutely delicious. They sat down in a booth near the corner of the restaurant- away from most of the other people eating.

Now sitting down, Ozzy spoke up to break any possible silence forming between them. “You look really good tonight.”

The compliment made Finly smile. “Thanks. You too.”

Ozzy knew it was just her being polite and returning the compliment but it still made their heart do a backflip in their chest. They both picked up their menus, browsing through the options. Ozzy felt a bit nervous, but Finly’s calm demeanor helped ease their anxiety. After a few moments, a waiter approached their table with a friendly smile. The waiter was slick and clean- their hair reminding Ozzy of a quail.

“Good evening! Can I start you off with something to drink?”

Finly looked at Ozzy, then back at the waiter. “I’ll have a water, please.”

Ozzy nodded. “Same for me.”

“Any lemon?”

The pair both said no at the same time, which made Finly giggle a little and Ozzy flush. The waiter excused themselves before leaving the two.

“What are you thinking of getting?” Finly asked Ozzy, already setting her menu down as if she knew what she wanted.

“Uhm…” Ozzy’s answer fell a little flat. They didn't eat pizza a lot, so they didn't have any expertise. “Probably just pepperoni. If that's okay.”

Finly looked a little confused. “Why wouldn't it be okay? I'm not eating it.”

Ozzy grew a bit nervous. “I don't want to be disrespectful. Ya know- eating meat when you're a vegetarian.”

Finly's expression softened. "Ozzy, it's really sweet that you're thinking about that, but it's okay. I'm not one of those people who gets offended by others eating meat. You should eat what you enjoy."

“I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

She smiled warmly. "I appreciate the thought. Besides, you can't go wrong with pepperoni pizza. It's a classic."

The waiter returned with their waters, placing them gently on the table. "Are you both ready to order?"

Finly glanced at Ozzy, who nodded. "I'll have a large garden salad with balsamic dressing," she said.

"And I'll take a large pepperoni pizza," Ozzy added.

The waiter jotted down their orders and disappeared into the kitchen. Ozzy and Finly were left in a comfortable silence, sipping their waters and occasionally exchanging glances.

“This is nice.” Ozzy said, hoping to keep the conversation going. Finly hummed in agreement before sighing.

“This is nice, but I need to get something out of the way.” She admitted in a tone that sounded very serious. Ozzy straightened a bit in their seat.

“Alright. I'm all ears.”

She hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “I'm trans, okay? I'm not a biological woman. I'm asexual too, so I don't have any desire to do anything sexual. I understand if that kills this whole date for you- but I can't allow myself to just let you go on with this date thinking you're talking to a cis girl who's ready to jump your bones when the night goes right.”

Ozzy was left a little speechless. This wonderful girl just dropped this bomb and them- and expected Ozzy to be upset? Hurt? Frustrated? Angry?

“What? I don't-” They stumbled over their words, trying to get out their thoughts quick enough. “I don't give a damn if you're trans. You want to be seen as a girl- so you are one. You're asexual? Awesome. It doesn't bother me. I don't really care about sex all that much either. None of this changes my outlook on you. Honest to God.”

It was Finly’s turn to be a bit stunned. After a few seconds her cheeks flushed with color, and she seemed to grow embarrassed. “Oh. Well, that's…” She avoided Ozzy’s gaze, looking down at the table. “That clears stuff up.”

Silence fell between them, so Ozzy decided to speak again.

“Finly, I'm being serious. I really, really like you. I don't care about all of that stuff. I mean, I do, because it's what makes you the gorgeous woman I'm talking to now- but it's not going to immediately make me hate you. Okay?”

Finly reminded quiet before she nodded a little, looking up at Ozzy. “Thanks.”

She seemed more happy, more at ease- and that made Ozzy happy. All they wanted to do was make her happy, see that beautiful smile on her face, see how her eyes shined just a bit more. They wanted to reach out and hold her hand- but was it too soon?

To hell with it.