Chapter 1
“Want and Found”
A/n: Hello! Hello! I finally got the first chapter of this story out! I will say this is going to be a bit of a big project for me so bear with me here! I’ll still be working on my Big Brother Malleus Series along with my other stuff! I don’t have an actual set schedule for when chapters are going to come out so everyone is going to have to be patient with me on this! Sorry!
Chapter warnings: some angst, funny moments though, not a lot of warnings for this chapter to be honest. Oc characters pop up.
Song for this chapter: All I Want by A day to Remember
The sound of hands clapping and people hollering from the audience nearly deafens you as you and your friends all prep for your performance.
You couldn’t help but look at the band that performed before you as they smiled and waved to the audience, thanking them for allowing them to play their songs and for listening. A few of them were sweating from all the movements they did on stage, and it was showing through their clothes.
Even though it was gross, it showed the dedication and passion they had for their performance.
The venue was taking place in one of Linkon’s many parks. Allowing a larger audience to have space to move around and relax.
And it was a beautiful night to see the full moon, too.
You hid yourself in the dark shadows off stage with your hands in your pockets, scanning the crowd in hopes you would find a familiar face.
“Hey, are you looking for ‘He who should not be named’ again?”
You glance over at your bandmate, and long-time friend, Alfred. He was the band's main guitarist and the person who asked you to join their little side gig…
More like begging you to become the lead vocalist.
He heard you singing a song at the convenience store where you worked and practically threw himself over the counter while asking you to join him. You kept declining until he started talking about the payments you would be receiving for each performance.
You couldn’t deny high-paying gigs if it meant you could pay rent and groceries.
The redhead pats your back, bringing you back from your thoughts to the present. You let out a sigh at how right he was about looking for someone in the crowd. You were hoping that maybe he would show up. That maybe he cared at all, or that he regretted what he did.
That’s what you hoped, but over time, that hope started to dwindle.
Before you worked at the small convenience store that had shitty pay-
Before doing the side gig of being the main vocalist of a band with old friends-
Before struggling to make a living, you were the second in command of one of the most feared organizations in the N109 Zone, Onychinus.
How could someone who had so much power, so much influence, and connections end up as an outcast from such an organization?
“Hey! Good luck out there!” You drew your attention to the band that just finished their performance as they smiled and waved towards you and your bandmates as they walked past you all.
Alfred waved back as he wrapped an arm around you, helping ground you from your thoughts.
“Come on, superstar. What you need is to scream your emotions out, and throw yourself into the crowd, surfing away from your troubles.”
“The last time I did that, the crowd parted and I landed flat on my face.”
Alfred sniffs and turns away from you, taking his arm back, and begins to go grab his equipment and the rest of the band members.
You chuckle and follow suit. As you walk behind Alfred, another friend and band member of yours, Mathew comes up to you and ruffles your hair.
“Wanna be punk, gotta look punk.”
“Dude, it took me two hours to style my hair!”
Mathew doesn’t say anything as he ruffles your hair again, and combs his fingers through to get out any knots and tangles. He takes a step back to look at the clothes you have on, silently judging your dark green cargo pants and your navy blue ribbed tank top.
“… if it were me, I would add some spikes. And studs.”
“Totally some studs. How do you feel about piercing your nose?”
Alfred playfully grabs your nose with his middle and index finger and gently pulls on it. You whine and slap his arm to get him to let go of you.
Both the blonde and the redhead chuckle as they lean over and pinch your cheeks. You only give them a deadpan look as you were not entertained by their antics.
“Dragons Static! You're up now!” One of the venue workers waves you guys over to get on the stage.
“Come on (Y/n). Time to shred some strings and blow some eardrums!” Alfred smiles as he hooks an arm around you, and your bandmates go up the steps.
The audience claps their hands as they see you all make it up on stage. One of your bandmates was already waiting up there, adjusting her Bass Guitar. Ottie was her name; you didn’t know much about her. She wasn’t a childhood friend like Mathew and Alfred were, but turns out she dated Alfred for a bit before both of them broke up on good terms, seeing as they were better as friends than a couple.
And also because it turned out Alfred was gay.
But Ottie was such a delight. By just looking at her, you didn’t think she would be part of a punk-rock band. She wore pastel colors and always had some type of ribbon or bow in her hair. When she heard another girl was joining the band, she screamed in delight and hugged you on the spot.
She made eye contact with you, and a smile adorned her face, practically blinding you on the spot, besides the spotlights.
Each one of you took your places on stage and grabbed your piece of equipment. As you walked up to the microphone, you scanned the crowd one more time, hoping to find that one person, just him.
Unfortunately, you never did.
Mathew takes his seat over at the drum set and spins his own personally made drumsticks in his hand before slamming them against one of the cymbals. He starts off the tempo as Alfred uses his pick on the strings of his guitar, and Ottie does the same. Eventually, the melody comes together.
You take one last glance around the crowd and suck in a breath before beginning your part of the song.
“I'm always screamin' my lungs out 'til my head starts spinnin'
Playin' my songs is the way I cope with life
Know the words I speak are the thoughts I think out loud.”
You watch as some of the audience members in the front begin to headbang along with the music, following the beat and cheering too.
You couldn’t help but smile at their enthusiasm. You remember being in their place back when you worked in Onychinus, just wanting to support local bands and businesses on your off days.
There are times when you think, what would happen if you weren’t kicked out of your second home in the N109 Zone. If there were a way to undo the heartache that followed after the events.
Though, as you look back on it, you don’t think it was your fault in the first place. How could it be? You couldn’t stop your growing emotions and feelings for your Boss.
“Let's leave no words unspoken
And save regrets for the broken
Will you even look back when you think of me?”
You breathe as you try to focus on singing the lyrics, blinking back tears as you think back on old memories.
“All I want is a place to call my own
To mend the hearts of everyone who feels alone
To keep your hopes up high and your head down low!”
You kept telling yourself to stop looking at the crowd. To stop scanning for a familiar head of snowy white hair. But you did it every time, either way.
“Keep your hopes up high and your head down low!”
As you scanned the crowd one more time, you saw two familiar crow masks. You started to feel a sense of joy seeing the twins. They’ve tried their best to continue to keep in touch with you after you departed from the N109 Zone, and when you mentioned you're in a band now doing some gigs, they did their best to at least visit every concert you were a part of.
Nobody questioned their onyx colored masks or their get-up. It was a punk-rock concert, and nobody was going to judge that type of style.
“Still got something left to prove, it tends to keep things movin'
While everyone around me says my last days are looming overhead,”
You recall Luke and Kieran were just outside the room when Sylus was talking to you about how it was your last day working under him and the organization.
There wasn’t any room to argue either. Every time you tried to defend yourself, Sylus would glare at you like you were a pest in the way. And it hurts, it still does. It truly hurt you to know the man that you fell in love with, which you didn’t mean to do, was treating you so coldly. And for what? Because he found his lost love, Ms Hunter? That didn’t give him the right to just treat you like shit.
“But just what the hell do they think they know?
My head's above the water while they drown in the undertow!”
Irritation begins to fester inside you as you recall the last thing he said to you.
‘Our relationship was purely professional. Whatever fantasy you were conjuring up in your head would never happen.’
You gritted your teeth as his words echoed through your head.
‘So that’s it? After all these years of working with you, Ms Hunter shows up and prances around, and you wish to kick me to the curb just because you heard something which was a huge-,’
‘Don’t you dare speak down about her.’
“Let's leave no words unspoken
And save regrets for the broken
Will you even look back when you think of me?”
Red eyes glared down at you as you just stared up at your boss. Your Former Boss now…
‘I expect your stuff to be out of here by the end of the night.’
Your eyes widen at the command. He’s just going to kick you out, just like that? Is he serious?
‘Sylus, be reasonable! You're just going to treat me like shit because of what? A small crush I have on you? Because you heard me say something to her that was taken out of context?’
‘It’s more than just that. It’s unprofessional and your emotions will be a distraction in the long run if you were to stay here longer.’
You couldn’t stop the tears running down your face.
You stared at the man before you. The same man who allowed you to work under him. The same man who saved your family’s home from being bought out by the city. The same man who allowed you to cry on his shoulder when he learned of your grandfather's passing. The same man who allowed you to take time off to support your brother in his surgery.
Sylus supported you throughout your time working for him. Yet as soon as Ms Hunter comes into the mix and your emotions are laid out for him to witness, he wishes to get rid of you.
“All I want is a place to call my own
To mend the hearts of everyone who feels alone
To keep your hopes up high and your head down low!”
You didn’t even hate Ms Hunter. You got along with her when she was first brought in. She found comfort in you because you weren’t trying to mess with her emotions or hide anything from her. Any question she had, you did your best to answer, even if it annoyed your boss in the process.
“Keep your hopes up high and your head down low!”
You even remember greeting MC that day before the whole thing occurred. She was still wary about being in the N109 Zone, and she was still untrusting of Sylus. But you saw her relax when you went to say hello to her.
It was like running into an old friend and finding comfort in them.
Live your life for yourself!”
“'Cause when it's all said and done
You don't need anyone else, come on!”
MC greeted you with a hug, something that you started, and she grew used to the point where she grew comfortable initiating it.
‘I’m guessing you're here for a mission? Sylus is out at the moment, but he should be coming back soon,’ you smile at her as you get your phone out to send a quick text to him. Just letting him know Ms Hunter was here.
‘Yeah, sorry for just popping out of nowhere. I still don’t have your number. Oh! Also, I got you something!’
You watched with interest as MC pulled out a small keychain from her pocket. In closer examination, you see it's a Heartbreaker plush charm.
‘Oh my gosh, he’s so cute! I’m going to put it on my car keys!’
MC hands it to you as you hook your new keychain with your car fob, smiling brightly at the new gift you were given.
“So let's get back to when everything seemed perfect
Not a worry in the world, tell me, was it all worth it?”
You never got the chance to get MC’s number, even after the incident with Sylus, you couldn’t keep in contact with her. The only time you saw MC was on TV when news stations wanted to interview the Hunters.
You wonder if she's ever been to one of your concerts. Probably not since it doesn’t seem like her type of music she would be interested in.
Did Sylus even tell her what happened to you?
“I get what I want, so everyone's always judgin' me.
Not afraid of anything, I've got the whole world in front of me!”
You eyes Luke and Kieran in the crowd as those two were easily getting lost in the music, jumping around and waving at you when they saw you looking in their general direction.
You couldn’t help the small smile that formed on your lips when you faintly heard them screaming your name.
“All I want is a place to call my own
To mend the hearts of everyone who feels alone.”
You feel bad. They did their best to come visit you every free chance they got. There was one time when the twins arrived at your concert, and they immediately had to leave because Sylus called them back.
To keep your hopes up high and your head down low!”
You want to hate him. You WISH you could hate him. But some part of you didn’t want to curse him for what he’s done to you in the aftermath of it all.
“All I want is a place to call my own
To mend the hearts of everyone who feels alone
To keep your hopes up high and your head down low!”
The song was coming to an end. You recall Alfred’s words of screaming your emotions out, so you prepare yourself to do just that.
You tilt your head back to stare at the night sky for a second before throwing your head down to the microphone.
“Keep your head down low!”
You take a deep breath and do the same thing again.
“Keep your head down low!”
Get all your frustrations out…
“Keep your hopes up high and your head down low!”
You hang off that last note, screaming into the mic as you let your voice give out just when you finish. The roar of the audience deafens you as you stare off into the distance. You stood there trying to catch your breath while your bandmates soaked up the cheers from the onlookers.
Two familiar faces were already gone.
The one you hoped would be there never showed up…
Ottie threw herself onto you after she put her Bass down.
“Honey, you did fantastically!”
“Ottie, we aren’t even done yet. We have like two more songs to do,” you chuckle from her cheerful energy.
“I know, but I just wanted to let you know!”
Alfred walked over and playfully shoved Ottie off you so he could give you a side hug.
You look up at your old childhood friend, who smiles down at you, but you can see the concern in his eyes.
You couldn’t blame him, Alfred is like a second older brother to you, even your dad declared him as part of the family.
A gentle smile spreads across your face as he goes and messes up your hair again.
The rest of the night was filled with cheers, screams, and a lot of headbanging. At one point, the band got the crowd to form a mosh pit. Ottie and Mathew both jumped into it when they saw an opening.
Both you and Alfred waited for the two to be finished, talking about your show next week at a different music venue. After 12 minutes have passed, Ottie comes back with a bloody nose and a bright smile on her face, while Mathew has a bruised upper lip. Neither of them seemed to mind it, but that didn’t stop Alfred and you from fretting over them while scolding them.
When the event finally came to an end, Alfred offered to walk you home, just to make sure you made it back safely.
It totally wasn’t because he wanted to see your older brother.
“I fucking knew you would ask that,” you couldn’t help but tease Al and playfully shove him as you both walk over to your apartment complex.
It was already 11 pm. People were still walking around Linkons trying to either get home or somewhere to meet up with friends or family.
There were times when you couldn’t help but compare Linkon’s busy nights to the N109 Zone nights… or if they could even be called ‘nights’ since it was always dark there. The N109 Zone always felt chaotic in the later hours; illegal deals out in the open, gunshots being heard every half hour, and don’t forget the speed chases!
When you first started working in Onychines, it did bother you knowing about all the things going on around you. But over time, you’ve grown numb to the smell of gunpowder and the metallic scent of blood.
Through those times, Sylus understood that you were doing your best to adjust
An arm wraps around your shoulder, and you're pulled into a warm body, startling you from your thoughts. You look up to see Alfred, who then flicks your nose with his free hand.
“You're lost in thought again. Stop that.”
“What? I’m not allowed to daydream?”
“You and I both know you're not daydreaming.”
Damn him and his ability to read you.
You eventually make it to the outside of your apartment complex, saying goodnight to each other before you enter the building. You let out a long sigh as you slowly drag your feet through the main floor, passing the “Out of order” elevators and heading straight up the stairs.
7 flights of stairs to get to your family’s apartment. You all moved into the city when your family’s property was bought out by the city. Your old job was the only thing keeping you from having to sell the land and property. Sylus gave you enough that you were able to pay the people off who kept bothering you and your family.
It was a beautiful house, too. Something your great-grandfather built for his wife. It was passed down to your grandmother, and then passed down to your mom.
Unfortunately, your mom didn’t want to keep the property. She was tired of country life and wanted to be in the city. Your grandmother did her best to try and reason with her, but all it did was end up in a huge fight. The property was then passed down to your father, who was more than willing to take care of it.
Your mom walked out on you and the family when you started your first year in high school. She was traveling more often to the city and would stay there longer and longer, eventually went out and just never came back.
It broke your father's heart knowing that the woman he fell in love with willingly abandoned her kids and family. But he did his best to hide it to take care of you and your brother.
You were so lost in thought and thinking about your old life that you didn’t realize you made it in front of your apartment door until you heard the locks on the other side being undone.
The door opens to reveal your brother standing there in baggy sweats and a Linkon University shirt that he stole from your grandfather's closet before he passed away.
Both of you stare at each other for a long while before he closes the door in your face.
“Sorry, the person you're trying to reach is unavailable at the moment! Come back never!”
“Seb!” You began to bang on the door and try opening it. You hear laughter on the other side as you feel your brother leaning against the door, causing you to use all your strength to push it open. Eventually, he moves away, and you lose your balance, falling onto the floor face first.
Sebastian snickers as he watches you peek your head up to glare at him. “Was this what you wanted?”
“Not really. I was expecting more screaming and cursing,” he says, and gently nudges your shoulder with his foot. “By the way, Dad already left for work. It’s just me and Granny here.”
You hum to let him know you acknowledge his words as you get up from the floor, dusting yourself off and closing the front door behind you as your brother slinks over to the living room couch.
The apartment where you live with your family is small for four people. Only two rooms and a single bathroom were affordable. Sure, there was enough money you had left over from working for Sylus, but you and the rest of the family wanted to save most of the majority of it for emergencies. In case something happened to your grandmother or your dad.
Your father gave up both rooms, one for your grandmother and the other for you and your brother to share. It was always sad to see your father prep the pullout couch for when it was time for bed.
“Oui, rockstar,” your brother snapping fingers breaks you away from your thoughts once again.
“I have a buddy of mine coming over later to pick me up so we can go to the library.”
“This late at night? Seb, it’s nearly midnight, what reason will you be needing to go to the library?”
Sebastian lets out a sigh as he rests his head against the armrest. “I… wanna go back to school.”
Medical school was what he wanted to go back to. But since he wasn’t on any scholarships, everything was coming out of his pocket. When he learned about the property being sold, Sebastian decided to pause his education to help with the family by looking for a job.
When you first heard of it, it killed you inside to know that your brother put his dreams on hold just to help everyone out.
“My buddy is the one from the university. He can help me get into the library. I’m just going to study! They have the textbooks I need there along with access to the archives I need to look at-,”
“You don’t need to explain it to me, Seb,” you walk over to the couch and ruffle his hair. “I’ll support you in anything you want to do. Furthering your education? You think I’m going against that?”
“Yeah, but I’m kinda breaking into the university.”
“You're not breaking in if you used to be a student there. It’s still your place.”
Sebastian smiles at you as he gets up from the couch and walks around it, grabbing your face in his hands before squeezing your cheeks. “When did you become so caring?”
“Bitch, I’ve always been like this!” You swat his hands away, and he just snickers at you.
A knock on the door pulls both of your attention away from each other, and Sebastian walks over. He looks through the peephole before opening the door. “Damn, you're early, though you said you’ll be over in another hour.”
You looked over Sebastian’s shoulder and saw a guy nearly about to pass out and panting heavily, probably from having to walk up all those flights of stairs.
“Dude, we gotta go NOW. Doctor Zayne is doing a free late-night lecture at our university. If we want to get seats, we gotta go NOW!”
The words sink in, and Sebastian turns to you. You just shooed him away with your hand, encouraging him to go.
Sebastian smiles and gives you a quick side hug before rushing out the door with his old schoolmate.
“How did you learn about this?”
“I heard the professors talking about it in the parking lot when I was preparing to pick you up! I shove through 3 red lights just to get here on time!”
You listen to the two of them as they run down the hallway to the staircase. You don’t doubt that they were going to skip some steps and probably jump a flight of them just to get to the bottom quicker.
A chuckle escapes you as you close the door and lock it.
You were happy for your brother as he went out to continue to pursue his dream. You were happy that even with all the changes, he was still doing his best to help the family and you out.
But why did you still feel miserable?
Maybe it’s because you felt like all of this was your fault.
The small voice creeps inside your head as you let out a groan. It was just a reminder that if you still had your old job, nobody in your family would feel like they were struggling with money.
Just as you were about to walk away from the door, you heard a knock. Did he forget something? It wouldn’t be the first time Sebastian ran out of the house without his keys or wallet.
You couldn’t help but smile and shake your head as you walked towards the door and opened it.
“Ok, what did you forget this time-,” you pause and look at the tall, looming familiar figure that stands before you.
There stood a man with long, snowy white hair that was wrapped up in a high ponytail. Two horns protruded from his head, one of which looked shorter than the other. He looked to be wearing what could only be seen as “Medieval” for some type of Halloween event… his eyes, though… You knew those crimson eyes anywhere.
The figure tilts his head to the side and lets out a deep chuckle before shaking his head.
“So that is what I am called here…”
Sylus, or… whoever this man was, smiles down at you with such warmth and adoration that it makes you forget to breathe for a second.
You couldn’t move from your spot as you stared up at the familiar man before you. All Sylus(?) did was just smile down at you, and shift something in his arms, which caused you to break your gaze away from him and what was in his hold.
In his arms was a giant egg.
Was that really an egg???
The main color of it was ebony, and on it were scarlet streaks painted around it that made it look like they were veins. Scales littered all around the surface of the egg, giving it a reptilian look. The size of it had to be a smidge bigger than an ostrich egg.
Just looking at the egg, you began to feel… a sense of relief? Why?
Before you were able to mentally question yourself over the emotions that washed over you, Sylus(?) pushes himself through the doorway, which forces you to take a few steps back. The door shuts behind him, and in that moment, you notice a tail that leads to his lower back.
More and more questions buzzed around in your head. Any answer that you might be given was only going to be more confusing. Before you were about to ask why Sylus(?) was here in the first place, he spoke first-
“I finally found you, my Song Bird.”
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