#gjac

Sebastian was weird. Always wearing black, tattoos on his hands and a face full of piercings when he put on his concerts. His nails were always painted black, and his pierced ears always had a black plug in. A cigarette was always in between his lips. He was weird, bad news, the kind of guy your mama warned you about.

Or at least that's what Alex kept trying to tell himself. 

In reality, Sebastian was sweet, polite, and had a laugh that was infectious. He didn't laugh often, but when he did? The sound was magical. Alex always wished he could be the one making Sebastian laugh, the one making his lips quirk into a lopsided smile.

Alex could pretend that he wanted this out of a need for friendship. He could pretend that he wanted friends who weren't girls, weren't men ten years older than him. But it just wasn't true.

He wanted these things out of a different need.

It had started when he was a kid, seeing Sebastian sitting on the swings by himself at recess. Alex had felt bad, but another boy approached the noirette. A blonde boy with a friendly grin. And at his approach, the seemingly lonely boy looked elated. His face lit up, eyes bright.

Alex had felt a strange swooping sensation in his gut when he saw that look. He didn't know what it meant, but ever since that moment, he couldn't help but seek out that boy with his eyes.

He learned the boy's name when he was tossing a gridball with his friend, and accidentally nailed the poor kid in the head.

"Sebastian!" the blonde boy cried out.

Alex stuttered out an apology, but Sebastian glared at him and stormed off. His guts twisted, and he felt a pang in his heart. Alex nearly abandoned his game to chase after Sebastian, but felt that might be strange.

A week after this incident, Alex and his mom came to Pelican Town to visit his grandparents. Usually they would come to the neighboring town to visit Alex, but his mom had insisted on coming here. It took ten minutes before Alex caught sight of him.

Sebastian was sitting by the river, feet dipping into the cool water. The blonde boy from school sat near him, showing off the wheels on the heels of his new shoes.

Did they live here?

Sebastian caught sight of Alex and frowned. Terrified, Alex darted back into his grandparents house, heart beating fast. Was Sebastian remembering the gridball incident? 

Luckily, that didn't seem to be the case. The town was small and Alex couldn't avoid him forever. He learned the blonde boy was named Sam, and they decided it would be fun to wander through the forest together. Alex couldn't believe his luck.

They even started hanging out at school. Elementary school went by in a breeze, and the three boys were overjoyed when they learned they would all be going to the same middle school.

But then Alex's life flipped upside down.

His grandmother showed up at the school, and Alex was called out of class.

"She was…sick," his grandmother said. "This…sickness…caused her to have to go to the hospital. She's with Yoba now, Alex. She's not sick anymore."

His grandmother's words barely registered. Alex's mother, the one constant in his life, was gone. Dead. Never coming back. It wasn't until years later that he learned about depression, the "sickness" his mother had.

Alex didn't cry, not once. He was too numb, too shut off. He took off that year of school, trying to heal. His grandparents took him in, uprooting him from everything he knew, bringing him to a new town.

Sebastian and Sam tried to visit, tried to help. But Alex shut them out, occasionally lashing out at their attempts to cheer him up. Their friendship became strained, and eventually dissolved.

He watched Sam and Sebastian grow into the men they were from a far. His grandfather however, did not approve of them. He used cruel words to describe them, throwing in a slur every now and then. Alex's grandmother was distressed by these words, but you could only tell that from her expressions. She never said a word.

Alex met a nice girl in town named Haley. She was beautiful, but didn't come close to Sebastian. Her lips were plump and soft, but anytime Alex looked, he immediately thought of Sebastian's mouth. He wondered what those piercings would feel like if Sebastian kissed him.

Alex's grandfather seemed to approve of Haley, and always asked when Alex would finally grow up and ask her out. Eventually, Alex finally did, but was turned down.

"I don't like guys," she had said, eyes challenging him to say something rude.

"Oh," Alex said. "I guess we can check out girls together!"

Haley had laughed, and it wasn't long before Alex confided his deepest secret to her.

"I think I like Sebastian," he had said quietly, watching Haley take a picture of a cute rabbit.

"Really?" Haley had said, thrilled.

"Yeah. I think I have for like, years. I dunno." Alex said, shrugging.

"Are you gonna tell him?" Haley asked.

"Haley, I don't even know if he likes guys," Alex said, exasperated. At the look on Haley's face, he frowned.

"What's that look?" he asked.

"Sebastian is bi," she said. "I thought everyone knew that!" She whipped out her phone and began texting furiously. Her phone dinged a few seconds after she put it down, and she giggled when she read the message.

"Who're you texting?" Alex asked.

"Oh, Emily and I are making fun of you for thinking for even a second that Sebastian is straight."

Alex glared daggers at her, and Haley cackled. But it kind of made sense. Alex thought those slurs his grandfather said were based on simple appearance, but maybe that wasn't the case. He suddenly felt angry. 

"My grandpa says…things…about Sebastian and Sam," Alex admitted. "But I didn't realize he knew."

Haley made a sound like an angry cat. "George is an ass," she said furiously. "I wish I was surprised by the fact that he said that."

Alex nodded. His grandfather was an ass, he couldn't deny it. He tried to ignore it though. George and Evelyn were the only family members he had left. He couldn't lose them.

Making the decision not to tell Sebastian was an easy one. They weren't on bad terms, but they never hung out. It was easy to avoid him, easy to pretend he felt nothing. 

That is, it was easy until the new farmer showed up.

His name was Léo, and he had moved into the rundown farm at the edge of town. Supposedly his grandfather Davíd had left it to him, and Léo had decided to move in.

Alex wouldn't have given him much thought normally. But he couldn't help but notice how close the new farmer was getting to Sebastian. He was getting equally as close to Sam and Abigail, but Alex didn't notice that. 

Léo was making Sebastian laugh. Léo was catching frogs in the rain with Sebastian. Léo was going over to Sebastian's house and hanging out with him. Alone. In his room. Alex had to shoo unpleasant thoughts out of his head when he had first heard about Léo's visits. 

"You are so jealous," Haley had said one day, watching Alex pout as Sebastian and Léo walked past the ice cream stand.

"Am not," Alex mumbled.

"Looks like "denial" isn't just a river in Egypt," Haley said in a sing-song voice.

"That was bad and you should feel bad," Alex said, rolling his eyes.

"Doesn't make it any less true," she fired back. "But I think if you paid closer attention, you'd see that Léo is not your competition."

"What?" Alex asked, confused.

"I was visiting Leah–"

"Nice," Alex said with a grin, making Haley blush.

"Shut up asswipe," she said, but a smile gave her away. "As I was saying, I was visiting Leah, and we happened to pass by Marnie's place. Marnie was outside talking to Mayor Lewis, and I overheard her saying that Léo keeps making "sad cow eyes" at Sam, and that they need to hurry up and get together already."

"Sad cow eyes…?"

"You'd understand if you looked at Léo while he stares at Sam. It's ridiculous. Honestly, I think he got close to Sebastian in order to get close to Sam."

"Oh," Alex said, looking shocked.

"I really think you should at least start talking to Sebastian, even if you don't tell him your feelings right away," Haley said. "I think you'll feel better."

It took about a month before Alex finally walked up to Sebastian, determined to speak to him. The man was smoking, but it wasn't a cigarette. Alex wrinkled his nose.

"That's not a cigarette," he said bluntly. He internally cursed himself. What kind of shit opener was that?

"No shit," Sebastian said, amused. Alex swallowed thickly at the tiny smile that graced Sebastian's lips.

"What is it?"

Sebastian finally looked up at Alex, his face neutral, but his eyebrows raised. "Are you serious? You don't know what this is?"

"Way to make a guy feel dumb," Alex said looking down and kicking the dirt.

"Don't feel dumb, I was just surprised. It's weed," Sebastian said. "You want a hit?" he asked, offering the joint.

"Oh um…I've never smoked anything before," Alex said. "How do I…?"

Sebastian paused, and then smiled. "Let's try something simple," he said. "I'm gonna take a hit, and then I want you to open your mouth."

Alex was confused, but did as asked. When his mouth opened, his heart began to race. Sebastian was leaning in. He was close, too close! Alex's brain nearly shut off as Sebastian opened his mouth as well, their lips so close to touching.

Slowly, Sebastian breathed the smoke into Alex's mouth. He pulled away, and Alex knew his face was burning.

"I uh…I gotta go…" Alex said, flustered. "But um. We should hang out sometime!"

"Clubbing? You? " Haley asked with a smirk. Alex narrowed his eyes at her.

"Yes, me, " he said huffily. He couldn't understand why that was so hard to believe.

Well actually, he could.

Alex had never been much of a dancer. He always avoided school dances when he was in middle and high school, only making an appearance for homecoming and prom. And even then, he had been stiff and awkward. So okay, maybe dancing wasn't his thing. But Sebastian? Well, Sebastian was definitely his thing.

God, the entrance fee could be 100 bucks and he would STILL go. The idea of watching Sebastian dance, and maybe dance with him, was too good. He couldn't pass this opportunity up, no way.

"Wish I could go with you," Haley said with a pout. "Abigail invited Emily but I don't think they'd want me there."

"Why not?" Alex said with a frown.

"Because I'm me," Haley said with a sigh. "I'm so awkward when it comes to people and I end up being mean. I bet they hate me."

"Want me to ask if you can go?" Alex asked. Haley shook her head no.

"Just have a great time, and tell me everything, got it?"

Alex nodded. "Yes ma'am!" he said with a salute.

“And make sure Emily gets you something hot to wear for your man,” Haley said with a wink.

“He’s not my man!” Alex said, face pink. And it was true, Sebastian wasn’t his man. And Alex was endlessly frustrated by this.

He had attempted to set up an actual date with Sebastian several times, but something always came up. And they didn’t exactly hang out now. The only time he had managed to catch Sebastian outside of his cave was at the Saloon. He had been playing pool with his friends. When Alex had entered the room, Sebastian had been bent over the table, back arched slightly as he lined his cue up, trying to get the perfect shot. Everyone in the room was holding their breath, Alex included. Though for him it was because he hadn’t realized that Sebastian had a booty. A round, plump, gorgeous–

Anyway.

The point was, they weren’t an item yet, no matter how much Alex wanted it to be so. He was trying not to be down about it, but apparently was not succeeding. He was standing in Emily’s sewing room, and was watching her “fix up” his gridball jersey to make it something he could wear to the club.

“Will you quit pulling faces and moping around about Sebastian?" Emily snapped as she began to serge the edges. "It's distracting."

"I feel like maybe he doesn't like me anymore," Alex said, arms crossed over his chest. Emily let out a long suffering sigh and turned to look at him.

"Each reason he's given has been a legit reason for not being able to go on that date," she said. "I personally think it's just bad luck," she said, turning back to her work. Alex continued to pout, much to his friend's chagrin.

“I wish you were coming with us,” Alex said to his blue haired friend. “I think you’d have fun.”

“Oh I know I’d have fun,” Emily said bitterly. “But I promised Gus I’d pull a double shift that night. I’m sorry Alex.”

“It’s fine,” he said glumly. Abigail had taken the news hard, making both Alex and Haley curious. Was there something between those two?

"Finished!" Emily finally said and presented the new jersey with a flourish. "Pair this with those skinny jeans you ordered and you'll look like a million bucks!"

Alex held up the tiny looking shirt. "You sure it'll fit?"

"I took your measurements, all I did was make it tighter and shorter. How dare you doubt my skills!" she said with a huff.

"Sorry. Thanks Em," Alex said gratefully. "I owe you one!"

"You always owe me one!" she shouted as Alex left. 

Finally the night arrived. The night that Alex was suddenly terrified of. His grandpa had given him a scowl upon seeing his outfit, and muttered something Alex couldn't hear. Honestly, he didn't want to know.

He was wearing his gridball jersey from college, but it wasn't the same jersey he was used to. It hugged his body, showing off his broad chest and oddly slim waist. He had always been uncomfortable with his figure, but tonight he wanted to show his body off. 

Emily had taken that into consideration and cropped the jersey so that it hit right above his belly button. Alex hadn't been sure about the shirt, but when the group arrived to pick him up he felt much better. 

"Damn!" Abigail said and wolf whistled at him. Alex let out a laugh, which only got louder when Sam asked how his abs got like that. 

“Working out for an hour every day will do that to you,” Alex said with a shrug.

"I wanna…" Sam said, reaching out, but Léo smacked his hand away.

"Hands off unless you want to sleep at your house tonight," Léo said, and Sam immediately retracted his hand.

"Wow, his dick game must be good if it gets you to stop doing stupid shit," Sebastian said as they began to walk away. Alex raised his eyebrows and Sam blushed. 

"Oh uh, Léo and I are a thing now," he said bashfully, and Léo chuckled.

"Too scared to say I'm your b-word?" Léo asked.

"He's your bitch?" Abigail asked Sam. The whole group burst into laughter as Léo tried in vain to say he had meant "boyfriend."

They all piled into Léo's new truck, and they made the trip to Zuzu City. Alex's whole body felt like it was buzzing as he watched Sebastian laugh with his friends. He loved how the dark-haired man looked with genuine joy on his face. A few times the ball on his tongue piercing flashed, and Alex gulped. It looked so sinful, so good.

The club they went to was called Cece's, and several pride flags adorned the windows. Alex felt at ease seeing them there. He had been worried about getting weird looks, but he knew he'd be fine at a gay bar.

The music was loud, and Alex could feel the beat of the song in his body. Brightly colored lights flashed in the darkened room, and the people were moving in ways Alex didn't know were possible.

Abigail was the first on the floor, quickly finding a cute and curvy goth girl to dance with. After a few shots, Sam and Léo followed, and Alex had to look away from them after a bit, face red.

"They look like they're fucking on the dance floor," Sebastian commented. 

"So does everyone else," Alex said fairly. "It's just different 'cause I know them." 

"Should we join?" Sebastian asked. Alex chewed on it and shook his head.

"I'm not a good dancer," he said. "I'll stay here for a bit. You can though."

"I will," Sebastian said, a slight edge to his voice. Confused, Alex turned to the bartender to order another drink. Why had Sebastian snapped at him like that?

He turned back to talk with his friend but noticed he had vanished. What the hell? Alex scanned the room and…

No.

No way 

He could feel the blood pounding in his ears as he watched the scene unfolding before him. Sebastian was on the dancefloor, ass pressed up against some random guy's crotch. His arms were thrown back, and curved around the guy's neck. And the guy…his hands were on Seb's hips, gripping him tight as the two danced pornographically in front of him.

Alex knew he didn't have any claim over Sebastian. They weren't dating, they weren’t anything except friends. Friends who sent pictures of themselves nearly naked to each other sometimes. That had to count for something, right?

The fingertips of the other guy dipped under Sebastian's jeans, and Alex snapped. He slammed his drink on the bar and stormed over. He had no earthly idea what he was going to say, but he was too pissed off to care.

"Hey!" Alex shouted over the music. Both the random man and Sebastian looked at him.

"What?" the guy asked, annoyed.

"Get away from him!"

Wow.

Okay, that was a bit much. But he refused to back down. Sebastian was his! Sort of? It didn't matter. All that mattered was that the stupid guy behind Sebastian left.

"Oh am I dancing with your man?" the guy said with a smirk. "Lucky guy, he upgraded to me."

Alex wasn't entirely sure what he said next, but what he did know was that Sebastian was dragging him off the dancefloor to the hallway that led to the bathrooms.

"What was that? " Sebastian hissed. 

"I was getting you away from that jackass!" Alex said angrily. Sebastian rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"I didn't want to get away from him!" Sebastian said with a glare. "I was having fun!"

"Well, I didn't like it!" Alex said. His throat felt like it was closing up, and his fists were clenched. "I don't want you dancing with him!"

"Who the hell should I dance with then?" Sebastian snapped. "You didn't want to dance with me, so who do you think I should spend my time with?"

Alex wasn't good with words. He wasn't good at communicating his feelings very well, so instead of speaking, he decides to act. He roughly shoved the smaller man against the wall and kissed him deeply.

It wasn't an elegant kiss. It was rough and fevered and needy. It was full of Alex's emotions–anger, sadness, jealousy and…and something else. Something Alex was too afraid to name.

When they broke apart, Sebastian looked up at him, eyes wide in shock. Alex cleared his throat and looked away. When he finally locked eyes with Sebastian, he was full of determination.

"I should've said yes when you wanted to dance," Alex said. "I wasn't thinking. When I saw you with that guy I…I just…Seb, I want to be the one dancing with you. I want to be yours."

Sebastian smiled softly at him, threaded his fingers through Alex's short hair, and kissed him back. It was slow and steady this time, and soon the sound of lips on lips filled the tiny hallway as the two men kissed.

"Want you," Sebastian murmured, his hips meeting Alex's. At first, Alex didn’t get it.

"Not here! " Alex said in a shrill tone when he realized what Sebastian was implying. "Also I told you that you don't get to see the goods until you take me on a date."

"You free next Friday?" Sebastian asked. "I have so much fucking work all week and next but that Friday I'll finally be free."

"Y-yeah," Alex said with a blush. "I'm free."

"What are those?" Alex asked, as his blue-haired friend skidded to a halt in front of him. She had quite literally run over to him with what looked like pieces of paper in her hand. He tossed his gridball in the air a few times while he waited for a reply.

"Tickets!" Emily said with a toothy grin. "To see Goblin Destroyer!"

"Who?" Alex asked, face scrunching in concentration. "Oh! Sebastian's band!"

Emily rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you forgot their name," she said and thrust one of the tickets at him. Alex took it and stared.

"We've never had to have tickets before," he said, looking at Emily quizzically. Goblin Destroyer had played plenty of times down on the beach. Gus would serve drinks, and everyone would gather around and listen to them play. It was always a guaranteed good time.

"That's because they only played in Pelican Town. But this time, they landed a gig in Zuzu City!" Emily clapped her hands in excitement.

"In Zuzu City?" Alex gasped, eyes wide. "That's a big deal!"

"Sure is!" Emily said. "So you're going, right? I bought that ticket for you."

Alex bit his lip. It would be great to see Sebastian play. They hadn't crossed paths since the smoke blowing incident (Emily said it was called "shotgunning") and Alex was having a difficult time trying to figure out how to casually meet up with him.

Maybe they could meet up after the concert. He could compliment Sebastian on his playing. That could lead to an actual conversation, right?

"I dunno…I'll have to ask my grandparents…" Alex said nervously.

"It was $90," Emily said, "Per ticket. Non-refundable."

"Oh hey, grandma? Grandpa?" Alex said, putting his hand to his ear like a phone. "You're suddenly okay with me going to the city late at night with no supervision? Amazing! Can't believe it! Good news Emily," he said, putting his hand down, "I can go."

Emily clapped her hands together excitedly. "This is gonna be so much fun! And don't worry about your grandparents, okay? Haley and I came up with a special plan."

Alex frowned. These two sisters were downright dangerous when they put their heads together to come up with a plan. Mischief wasn't something Haley was usually up for, but when Emily planted an idea in her head, things could get intense.

"It's nothing bad!" Emily said quickly. 

"That's what you said when you allowed Léo to modify the Mayor's boxers with your sewing machine!"

"Lucky purple shorts," Emily amended. "And they turned out lovely. That gold trim made them look so fancy!"

"Yeah, but Mayor Lewis was furious!" Alex retorted.

"Well, I'm sure he'll get over it when he has a special guest over who gets to admire them," Emily said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. 

"I hate that you just made me think of the Mayor doing the do with–"

"Did you really just say "doing the do" instead of saying sex?" Emily said with a snort. "Are you twelve?"

"Look, we're way off track!" Alex said, flustered. "Whatever plan you and Haley have cooked up is probably crazy!"

"It isn't though!" Emily insisted. "Haley told you about our parents deciding to ditch us again for Winter Star, right?"

"If by "tell me" you mean slamming my bedroom door open, flopping onto my bed, and screaming into my pillow without stopping for a full 60 seconds…then yes, she told me," Alex said. It had been a very strange experience, but Alex had done his best to comfort her.

"Yeah, she was pretty pissed when they backed out and decided not to come to Pelican Town. So they sent us some "Sorry we're shit parents" gifts. I got a serger, and Haley got a vintage Polaroid camera!" Emily said. Alex waited patiently for her to continue. He wasn't sure where she was going with this.

"So we thought that you could tell your grandparents that you want to get Haley a super special gift for Winter Star! We'll just say it took a while to find the perfect gift. And when they ask to see what you got…you'll show them the Polaroid camera! Nobody in town knows she has it yet!" Emily looked rather pleased with herself, and honestly, Alex thought the plan was a pretty good one.

"Alright," Alex said. "That should work."

“It will work,” Emily said firmly. “Just…make sure to keep the fact that you’re going to the concert on the down low, yeah?”

“Right,” Alex said with a nod. He wouldn’t want someone to accidentally let slip that he was going to a concert. His grandparents meant well, but they were a bit overprotective. Scratch that, very overprotective. He was 23 years old, and they still treated him like he was 16. It was infuriating. Going to the city shouldn’t be an issue. And while they technically couldn’t stop him from going out, his grandfather had locked him out of the house one night when he stayed at the spa until 10 pm.

The day before the concert arrived, and Haley had insisted that instead of meeting by the bus stop, he should meet at her and Emily's house.

"I need to approve your outfit," she had said, looking dead serious. "I can't have you embarrassing Pelican Town by wearing something ridiculous."

So Alex found himself walking into their home, door unlocked as always when Haley knew Alex would be coming over.

"I'm here!" Alex called out.

"Alex!" Haley said happily, emerging from her bedroom. She stopped short and stared at him.

"What?" Alex said nervously.

"What in gay hell," Haley murmured, eyes flicking over him from top to bottom. "You can't wear that."

"What's wrong with my outfit?" Alex asked defensively.

"You absolutely cannot wear a gridball jersey and loose fitting jeans to a rock concert!" Haley said, exasperated. "Emily! Get over here right now!"

Emily walked out of the bathroom and Alex gulped. Okay, maybe he wasn't dressed appropriately. Emily was wearing a tight black tanktop with the words "Hell's Belles" on it. Her tight black jeans had a studded belt through the loops, and her Doc Martens looked fantastic.

"Oh fuck no," Emily said, and Alex crossed his arms, letting out a huff of annoyance.

"I can't change now!" Alex said. "I'll have to just go in this."

"Nope, no, no you won't," Emily said. "Let me grab you something."

Alex laughed. "You're a twig!" he said. "How the hell will I fit into your clothes?"

Emily ignored him, and brought out a pair of skinny jeans that definitely weren't hers, a white shirt, and a leather jacket.

"The jacket and jeans are left over from a fitting I did with Shane," she said. "Though he ended up in something uh…well anyway. The shirt is mine. It's like a dress on me, but it should fit you."

It was tight. No matter how baggy Emily had claimed it was, it left nothing to the imagination when it came to his chest and abs.

"These jeans," he grumbled, coming out of the bathroom, "have almost no space in the crotch! I hate them!"

"Suck it up, you look great!" Haley said. 

"Yes, that's more like it," Emily said approvingly. "Now let's go!"

They raced to the bus stop quickly, hoping that nobody would catch sight of them and rat Alex out. They made it without incident, exhaling in relief when they saw Pam wasn't driving the bus tonight. She wasn't one to tell on anyone, but still. She sometimes had loose lips when she got drunk at the Saloon.

Alex bought the bus tickets, determined to pay for everything. Emily had spent quite a lot of cash on the concert tickets after all. He had tried to pay her back for them, but she refused, saying that if he bought her drinks and food at the concert, she’d consider it repaid.

“Are you sure I look okay?” Alex had said, glancing at Emily as they sat down.

“Have you seen the looks you’re getting?” Emily said with a grin. “Everyone on this bus is checking you out. You look fantastic!”

Alex nodded. He had noticed people looking at him, but was still concerned. He was planning on trying to meet with Sebastian backstage, and he was worried he looked ridiculous.

“Well…okay,” Alex said. The bus ride was a long one, and Alex was relieved when he finally got to get off the bus. He stretched, and then he and Emily made their way to the venue.

They were playing in a large park-like area. Apparently, it was a large space owned by the brewery nearby. This brewery would be providing the food and drink for the concert, and Emily was thrilled at the idea that the beer wouldn’t taste terrible.

“It always tastes like someone pissed in my drink,” she said.

“Maybe they did,” Alex teased, and Emily made a face.

The beer was excellent, and they even managed to score some decent snacks before finding a spot to sit. They had come early enough to where they’d be able to sit nearby the stage. Alex wondered if Sebastian would see him from the stage, but guessed that his friend wouldn’t actually be looking into the audience.

When the opening act came on stage, Emily’s shirt suddenly made a lot more sense. The band was an AC/DC cover band that was made up of all women. They were called “Hells Belles” and apparently Emily was a huge fan.

“They’re amazing, you’ll see!” she said in excitement.

Emily was right, they were amazing. They played each song perfectly, and somehow managed to make them sound better than the originals! Alex clapped and whooped after they finished, and was slightly disappointed to see them go. But those feelings immediately evaporated when Goblin Destroyer came on stage.

Emily giggled at the look on Alex’s face when Sebastian walked out. There was no other way to say it, he looked sexy.

Sebastian was known for his baggy hoodies, but right now? He was wearing practically the opposite, if that was a thing. His shirt was ripped and tight, showing off his well defined arms and…collar bone piercings? Alex didn’t even know that was a thing, but he was so glad it was.

He gulped as he spotted hip piercings, shown off by his low slung skinny jeans. Since when did Sebastian have all these piercings? He knew about the lip, ears, and eyebrow piercings, but the rest? Alex swallowed thickly. Sebastian typically didn’t put his lip and eyebrow jewelry in, but he was wearing it tonight. God, Alex wished he wore them every day. He looked amazing.

“Put your eyes back into your head, you completely missed everything Sam just said!” Emily hissed.

“Oh,” Alex said sheepishly, realizing that she was right. He hadn’t even registered that Sam was speaking at all.

When they began to play, a wide grin split Alex’s face in two. He knew he enjoyed their music, but it was much tamer in Pelican town. But the songs they were playing now were far more intense. The music was louder, and they played like they meant it, none of them worried about how they would be perceived.

And the lyrics were very different. Swear words and sexual innuendos were in practically every song. Jas and Vincent often attended the Pelican Town concerts, so they never played songs like this. Alex was loving it, and really getting into the music. Emily was as well, and they both found themselves dancing and shouting.

Alex noticed Emily dancing with a few people, but he wasn’t sure how to feel when he was approached. Usually, he would be all for it, but he felt weird, dancing with someone when he was here to see the guy he was interested in playing. 

Intermission finally came, and Alex found himself being forcefully dragged to the stage by Emily. He let himself be pulled, but was confused by what she was doing. She had given no explanation, simply grabbing his wrist and running.

“ABIGAIL!” Emily screamed out as the band was making their way offstage. Abigail was the drummer, and stopped when she heard her name. She looked very surprised at someone knowing her by name, and looked into the audience. Surprise was written all over her face when she saw Emily and Alex standing there.

“Holy shit!” Abigail said, looking very happy. “Come over here! Sam and Seb will definitely want to see you guys! Hell, I’m excited to see you guys!”

Alex didn’t think twice about following the two chattering girls backstage, but was suddenly overcome with a wave of fear when he realized exactly what was about to go down. He was about to see his crush, who looked sexy as hell, and was supposed to act natural? Alex didn’t even manage to act natural with his first attempt at conversation with Sebastian, how was he supposed to do so now?

“Hey guys!” Abigail shouted out, “Look who’s here!”

Sam and Sebastian looked over from where they were standing. Since the backstage area was outside, Sebastian had a cigarette, and had just taken a long drag from it before looking over. His eyebrows shot up, looking just as surprised as Abigail had.

Sebastian looked even better close up, and Alex found himself unable to take his eyes off of the man before him. Words died in his throat as Emily began to speak to them. How long was too long to look at someone for? Alex forgot.

“Nice to see you Alex,” Sebastian said in his raspy voice. He gave Alex a small smile, before looking at Emily. “You too, Em,” he said. “Can’t believe you guys are here.”

“You guys should totally have some drinks with us after the show!” Sam said excitedly. “We were just going to celebrate our first totally legit gig with some tequila shots, but just with us three. It’ll be way more fun if you guys join in!”

Emily expressed her interest straight away, but Alex was more hesitant. His eyes flicked to Sebastian, who was looking at him. It was hard to tell what the expression was on his face. That man was hard to read.

“You’re gonna join us, right?” Sebastian finally said.

“Of course!” Alex said, caving. How could he say no to such a pretty face?