At your feet, the abominations have turned to goo, melting into the concrete. You have a black eye and a bleeding scrape on your cheek, but that’s pretty typical for you. Your sword shimmers, then disappears off to wherever it goes when you’re not using it. Just another day in the life of a teenage superhero.
(link-reveal: "Your phone buzzes with a single text.")
[<br><div class="commentArea"><div class="bubbledLeft">MIKEY WHAT THE FUCK
</div></div>
[[<br><br><br>Oh shit.|spike is gonna beat ur ass]]]
You’re the bassist for a [[rock band of indeterminate genre|genre]] called Dogfight Pups, and you totally forgot about tonight’s gig. If you’re late, again, Spike is going to kick you out of the band, again. The supervillain creating these abominations is still out there, and you should probably handle that, but you’re not missing the gig.
[[Ask your not-friend kinda-coworker Freddie for a ride.|freddie]]
The four of you have similar music taste but different favorites. Dani favors pop punk and riot grrrl. Haru favors vkei and nu metal. You favor grunge and skate punk. Spike only likes hardcore and death metal, and hates everything else; he's got a stick up his ass. Spike says that grunge sucks, we’re never playing grunge, which makes you want to shake him and say, //WE LIVE IN FUCKING SEATTLE, GRUNGE WAS BORN HERE IN A DIRTY BACKALLEY//.
[[back|spike is gonna beat ur ass]]You text him at the nearest 7/11. You swallow your pride, which tastes like bile, and buy him Skittles as thanks. He grins sunnily when he pulls up in his second-hand car, but it drops to a concerned frown that looks near brotherly; but not like you’d know.
“You’re bleeding. Job stuff?”
You shrug. Freddie hums like that’s an answer and lets it drop for now. Freddie’s a superhero too. You’re grateful to have someone who understands, even if you pretend to dislike him while remembering his favorite candy.
He drops you off. “Break a leg!” [[He laughs when you roll your eyes.|venue]]
“I’m gonna //kill// you,” Spike says when you walk in. He’s all leather jacket, bleached hair. You think he’s going for a David from //Lost Boys// look, but it’s more like—well, Spike from //Buffy//. He swears his name has nothing to do with that, like how you swear your name has nothing to do with Mikey Way.
“Then you’d be down a bassist,” you snark.
In the green room, a half-formed slime monster that must’ve followed you is trying to absorb your bass. You just stab it with your pocket knife. It melts into the carpet. Gross. [[But the bass is unharmed.|dani]]
Dani walks in. “Fuck’s on the floor? Why the shiner? Nevermind. We changed the setlist before you got here. Spike says we’re opening with ‘Aneurysm’.”
Huh. “But that’s grunge.”
“I guess Spike had a change of heart.” Dani smiles at you knowingly, but you have no idea what the fuck you’re supposed to know. “We’re on soon, I’ll go wrangle Spike and Haru.”
You look at the slime monster’s remains. Tomorrow, you’ll be the fucking superhero. [[Tonight, you can be a kid in a shitty rock band.|fin]]
Fin.
[[reread?|Untitled Passage]]