Meeting Again
Something new, yay!
~~~
Guitar distortion fading away...Echoing vocals dieing...A crowd cheering loudly...
The orange furred Growlithe smiled, as he stared out at the audience, sweat on his face. He grabbed the mike.
"Thank you!" The crowd cheered more. It was wonderful, this feeling.
Then, he woke up.
Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was darkness, slight silhouettes of his belongings darker than the rest of everything else. He flipped the light switch, and let his eyes readjust.
Now, in full detail, he could see the amp, guitar, and boxes of stuff crowded together in his small living space. Actually, it was his room. Which was really just an attic at his parents' house. If he didn't have to live here, he wouldn't.
The alarm clock went off as he looked at it. For once, he beat the alarm. He turned it off and stepped out of the bed, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. He padded to the adjoining bathroom, and brushed his teeth.
Turning on the shower, he sighed. First day of school. He flipped on the radio and stepped in, completely stripped.
The voice of the DJ sounded out over the radio "And that was Dance, Dance by Fall Out Boy! Coming up, blink-182, New Found Glory, Beck, and some AC/DC!" Then it went to commercials, advertising tire companies.
Finally adjusted to the hot water, he lathered shampoo into his fur, closing his eyes, and smiling softly to himself.
"At least I have privacy in here," he thought to himself, washing his sheath gently, fondling his balls, and murring a little. "But, I don't have time for that," he said, scrubbing further and then rinsing off. He had a knack for teasing himself. He always did it. Simply because he never had time to do anything else.
Stepping out of the shower, his body steaming, he looked into the mirror again, inspecting his body. He put on a tight black T-Shirt and a pair of leather jeans, along with a leather jacket with studs in it and a spiked leather collar. "If those asses at school don't like it, they can kiss my ass," he thought again, wrapping his spiked leather bracelet on. He left the bathroom just as the radio started to play "Down" by blink-182. He sang with it as he searched around his room for his left shoe.
"Tidal waves, they, rip right through me, tears from eyes worn, cold and sad...Aha! There you are!" He pulled the beaten, drawn on Converse from out from under his bed, and put it on, rushing downstairs with his bag slung over one shoulder. His mom tried to stop him and ask him if he wanted breakfast, but he was already out the door.
"I'll be damned if he ever has time for anyone," she said, shaking her head and chuckling a bit.
Hopping into the car, he rushed to the school, parking his beaten up Dodge in the far back of the parking lot. He ran into the building, headed straight towards the cafeteria. He was supposed to meet his friends there; they were supposed to set up a practice date for their band today.
~~~
The fog surrounded him. It was thick and ominous. He couldn't see more than a foot away from his own face. Lightning struck everywhere, and it was beginning to scare him. What was he doing here? Why did he feel so confused right now? It didn't make sense. It felt like some sort of prophecy.
The Jolteon took a few steps into the fog. It was cold and moist...And yet...It felt warm and pleasant and inviting at the same time...
Then he woke up, staring at the clock going haywire.
"Oh shut the fuck up." He threw it at the wall.
He went through his normal routine of showering and spiking his white hair, putting on a black headband to cover his forehead. His clothes were semi-baggy black jeans and a black t-shirt with a cartoon-ish white skull on it. His signature look.
He grabbed his bag, flung it over his shoulder, and ran out the door. His watch read 7:45. There was no way in hell he was going to make it to school in time.
"Jet!! You forgot your lunch!!"
"No time, Mom!!!"
And he ran off into the distance towards the high school building, his eyes closed tightly. The dream still lingered on his mind.
~~~
"Guys, I--" he said, tripping over himself and looking up, noticing someone new.
"Oh, hey, Jimmy, this is Tori," said Ishi, leaning back in the small blue plastic chair to look at his friend. Ishi was a Charmander, part of his band, who wore similar clothes, but they consisted of more leather bands on his wrists.
"Yeah, he just transferred here," said Toei, another Charmander, who was holding hands with Ishi. This punk Charmander wore less leather, but still wore eyeliner and a black bandana on his head. If he wouldn't beat the shit out of the principals, they'd make him take it off. As an added note, he was also in Jimmy's band.
"H-Hi..." said Tori, blushing a little bit as he looked at the Growlithe, standing in front of him. He took special note of the ring in the cartilage of Jimmy's right ear.
"Hello," Jimmy said, sounding a bit distracted, "So, you guys, I know you're mates and all, but you're not allowed to hold hands on stage, you know that, right?"
"Yeah, yeah," Ishi and Toei said in union.
"Anyway, so, are you guys free after school today?" inquired Jimmy.
"Yeah, we are. No detention today."
"Good." Jimmy noticed Tori standing nervously, swishing his tail back and forth behind him. "Hey, Tori, you wanna come to watch us practice? It's over at my place, I could probably give you a ride."
Tori was caught off guard by this "Oh, s-s-sure, I guess..."
"It's settled then. Ishi, Toei, you guys got a ride?"
"We could walk."
"I'll give you a ride, too. We'll all fit. Just...So no one argues, let's give the new guy shotgun."
Jimmy already felt something for Tori, but he wasn't going to admit it just yet. Sure, he was gay, and everyone knew it, and it caused a lot of issues with his father, but that was alright. But he'd never felt this way for someone new. And after his last relationship, he was afraid to get into any more.
"We're going to have to tell Jet, though...Why's he never here?" said Ishi.
"Because," started Toei, "He gets into fights with his alarm clock."
Everybody laughed.
~~~
3...2...1...RIIING
School was out. Luckily, all four guys had the same last period class today, so they all rushed to Jimmy's car, Tori staying behind, staying very quiet. They got to the car, and Jimmy opened the door for Tori. Tori took note...Why was this guy acting so nice to him? They'd just met.
"So, Tori, what kind of music ya into?" started Ishi, trying to get a conversation going.
"Oh, well...I listen to a lot of stuff. Mostly rock, though. I like that one song by Less Than Jake, oh, what is it...Do you know about her strength and conviction, how she puts all her faith in religion, did we ever take the time to discover how little we know about each other..." He trailed off singing, trying to imitate the vocalist's singing. Jimmy couldn't help but chuckle.
When he noticed Tori blushing, though, he quickly said, "You're pretty good. That song's...All My Best Friends are Metalheads."
"That's it!"
"So," said Toei, "What do you think of rap?"
"Hate it," said Tori, "But the cheerleading coach makes us dance to it."
"Oh, so you're a cheerleader?" said Ishi. "That's cool. You're not a stuck up prep like the rest of them, are you?"
"Not in the least."
"Good," said Jimmy, "Because if you were, we'd have to kick you out of the car right now!" Everyone laughed, including Tori. He was already feeling comfortable around these strangers. It was new for him. He'd never gotten attached to anyone that quickly. He kind of liked it.
They pulled into the driveway of Jimmy's suburban home, and went inside a moment, grabbing some cokes out of the fridge and heading out the door.
"Hello, Ishi. Hello, Toei," said Jimmy's mom.
"Hello, Mrs. Janson," replied the lovers in unison.
"Oh, you've got a new friend? What's your name?"
"Oh, mum, you haven't met Tori yet, have you?" said Jimmy. "He's a new kid at school. We invited him over to listen to us practice."
"Well, then," chuckled his mother, "I'd better get the ear-plugs!"
"Yeah, yeah, just you wait; we're going to hit it big one day."
"As soon as you have a lead singer that'll show up for practice."
"Yeah," said Toei, "Where is Jet? Jimmy, did you forget to tell him we had practice?"
"No, I didn't forget. His dumb ass just probably forgot."
BANG BANG BANG
Someone was at the door. Jimmy sighed, and would have bet money it was...
"Jet! Hey, man! You finally showed up!"
"Yeah, yeah," panted the Jolteon. "You coulda at least waited for me so I wouldn't have to walk all the way here. They took away my license after that D.U.I., remember?"
"Oh, shit! They did, didn't they?"
"Anyway, guys, we need to practice," said Ishi, slightly annoyed.
Tori just stood back, looking at the Jolteon who had just run in the door. Could it be? No, it wasn't, was it?
Jet never noticed Tori standing there in the background. He walked outside to the garage, and turned on the microphone.
"Guys, you ready?"
"Yeah," said Ishi sitting down at the drum set.
"Of course," said Toei, grabbing the bass guitar.
"Never more ready. Tori, you ready to rock out?" said Jimmy.
That's when Jet's heart sank. His eyes met Tori's, and he flinched a bit, looking down at the ground, a bright blush on his face.
"No," he thought, "It couldn't be him, could it? Oh well..."
"Alright guys, here goes...What song are we working on today?" said Jet.
"We're doing Half-Heart, remember? That song you wrote yesterday," said Jimmy.
Jet's gut wrenched. "Oh, right..." he mumbled, grabbing the mike, and staring at Tori, the Flareon carrying his own blush.
This WAS the Jolteon he remembered...Jet...Things couldn't have gotten much worse. This wasn't supposed to happen. Tori thought he'd left Jet behind...It wasn't possible, was it?
Suddenly, the guitar started playing a slow somber melody, the drums playing a soft beat. Then, the tempo suddenly picked up, the bass coming in, mirroring the guitar and the drums getting much louder.
"I never meant to let you down,
I never meant to hurt you,
I never meant to kill your heart,
And it breaks me to know
It breaks me to know
That things could have been different,
Things could have changed,
Things could have gone so much better,
But now I'm so estranged
With my
Half-heart..."
Tori stared at the Jolteon passionately singing into the mike. Jet's eyes were closed, and there were tears in them.
"If I could ever make things right again,
Believe me I would,
But now I think it's in the past
For you and me
You and me
And things could have been different,
Things could have changed,
Things could have gone so much better,
But now I'm so estranged
With my
Half-heart..."
Tori almost started crying. These words hit him deeply.
Suddenly, the beat became much heavier, and Jet grabbed the microphone out of the stand, wrapping the chord around his wrist. It was the screaming part.
"I COULD HAVE CHANGED
HOW I LIVED THAT DAY
I SHOULD HAVE MADE
MY LIFE GO AWAY
THINGS SHOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT
THINGS SHOULD HAVE CHANGED
THINGS SHOULD HAVE GONE SO MUCH BETTER
BUT NOW I'M OKAY
BUT I KILLED
MY HALF-HEART"
Jet's eyes were transfixed on Tori, piercing the Flareon's heart.
"I SHOULD HAVE KILLED MYSELF
WHEN I SAID I HAD TO GO
I SHOULDN'T HAVE JUST STOOD BACK
AND LET THEM TELL ME NO
I SHOULD HAVE FOLLOWED MY HEART
I SHOULD HAVE RUN
I SHOULD HAVE DONE SO MANY THINGS
BUT NOW I FEEL SO UNDONE
WITH MY
HALF-HEART!!!"
The song became a little less heavy, and Jet stopped screaming. He was now just a foot away from Tori. He was singing slow and soft.
"I missed you so much,
I never could have said,
I loved you more than
Death loves the dead.
And I want to know if we could make things alright
To see if we could make them okay,
To see if I really deserve to live anytime
Past today
Because I loved you and I left you
Because I let someone between us
I should have made things right,
And I want you to forgive me, please."
Guitar faded away. Drums were long gone. Tori was crying. So was Jet.
"Oh, Jet!!" Tori flung himself at the Jolteon standing in front of him, wrapping his arms around on contact. "I missed you so much...After...After you left...I...I tried to forget...but...I didn't want to...I wanted to remember...Remember you forever..."
"Jet bowed his head, and softly petted the Flareon in his arms. "I know, I know...Let's...Let's try to make this okay, alright? Things should have never happened the way they did, but now...We should be able to fix them, right?"
The rest of the band stared at the two in awe. They'd never known their singer was gay too! And to top it off, Tori was already Jet's! It almost made Toei and Ishi cry. Jimmy did cry. He hoped he had a chance with Tori.
"Hey, guys, that was great, now, let's do it from the top okay? Ishi, I think you need to put more emotion into it."
"Right-o, Jimmy."
~~~
~~~
Guitar distortion fading away...Echoing vocals dieing...A crowd cheering loudly...
The orange furred Growlithe smiled, as he stared out at the audience, sweat on his face. He grabbed the mike.
"Thank you!" The crowd cheered more. It was wonderful, this feeling.
Then, he woke up.
Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was darkness, slight silhouettes of his belongings darker than the rest of everything else. He flipped the light switch, and let his eyes readjust.
Now, in full detail, he could see the amp, guitar, and boxes of stuff crowded together in his small living space. Actually, it was his room. Which was really just an attic at his parents' house. If he didn't have to live here, he wouldn't.
The alarm clock went off as he looked at it. For once, he beat the alarm. He turned it off and stepped out of the bed, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. He padded to the adjoining bathroom, and brushed his teeth.
Turning on the shower, he sighed. First day of school. He flipped on the radio and stepped in, completely stripped.
The voice of the DJ sounded out over the radio "And that was Dance, Dance by Fall Out Boy! Coming up, blink-182, New Found Glory, Beck, and some AC/DC!" Then it went to commercials, advertising tire companies.
Finally adjusted to the hot water, he lathered shampoo into his fur, closing his eyes, and smiling softly to himself.
"At least I have privacy in here," he thought to himself, washing his sheath gently, fondling his balls, and murring a little. "But, I don't have time for that," he said, scrubbing further and then rinsing off. He had a knack for teasing himself. He always did it. Simply because he never had time to do anything else.
Stepping out of the shower, his body steaming, he looked into the mirror again, inspecting his body. He put on a tight black T-Shirt and a pair of leather jeans, along with a leather jacket with studs in it and a spiked leather collar. "If those asses at school don't like it, they can kiss my ass," he thought again, wrapping his spiked leather bracelet on. He left the bathroom just as the radio started to play "Down" by blink-182. He sang with it as he searched around his room for his left shoe.
"Tidal waves, they, rip right through me, tears from eyes worn, cold and sad...Aha! There you are!" He pulled the beaten, drawn on Converse from out from under his bed, and put it on, rushing downstairs with his bag slung over one shoulder. His mom tried to stop him and ask him if he wanted breakfast, but he was already out the door.
"I'll be damned if he ever has time for anyone," she said, shaking her head and chuckling a bit.
Hopping into the car, he rushed to the school, parking his beaten up Dodge in the far back of the parking lot. He ran into the building, headed straight towards the cafeteria. He was supposed to meet his friends there; they were supposed to set up a practice date for their band today.
~~~
The fog surrounded him. It was thick and ominous. He couldn't see more than a foot away from his own face. Lightning struck everywhere, and it was beginning to scare him. What was he doing here? Why did he feel so confused right now? It didn't make sense. It felt like some sort of prophecy.
The Jolteon took a few steps into the fog. It was cold and moist...And yet...It felt warm and pleasant and inviting at the same time...
Then he woke up, staring at the clock going haywire.
"Oh shut the fuck up." He threw it at the wall.
He went through his normal routine of showering and spiking his white hair, putting on a black headband to cover his forehead. His clothes were semi-baggy black jeans and a black t-shirt with a cartoon-ish white skull on it. His signature look.
He grabbed his bag, flung it over his shoulder, and ran out the door. His watch read 7:45. There was no way in hell he was going to make it to school in time.
"Jet!! You forgot your lunch!!"
"No time, Mom!!!"
And he ran off into the distance towards the high school building, his eyes closed tightly. The dream still lingered on his mind.
~~~
"Guys, I--" he said, tripping over himself and looking up, noticing someone new.
"Oh, hey, Jimmy, this is Tori," said Ishi, leaning back in the small blue plastic chair to look at his friend. Ishi was a Charmander, part of his band, who wore similar clothes, but they consisted of more leather bands on his wrists.
"Yeah, he just transferred here," said Toei, another Charmander, who was holding hands with Ishi. This punk Charmander wore less leather, but still wore eyeliner and a black bandana on his head. If he wouldn't beat the shit out of the principals, they'd make him take it off. As an added note, he was also in Jimmy's band.
"H-Hi..." said Tori, blushing a little bit as he looked at the Growlithe, standing in front of him. He took special note of the ring in the cartilage of Jimmy's right ear.
"Hello," Jimmy said, sounding a bit distracted, "So, you guys, I know you're mates and all, but you're not allowed to hold hands on stage, you know that, right?"
"Yeah, yeah," Ishi and Toei said in union.
"Anyway, so, are you guys free after school today?" inquired Jimmy.
"Yeah, we are. No detention today."
"Good." Jimmy noticed Tori standing nervously, swishing his tail back and forth behind him. "Hey, Tori, you wanna come to watch us practice? It's over at my place, I could probably give you a ride."
Tori was caught off guard by this "Oh, s-s-sure, I guess..."
"It's settled then. Ishi, Toei, you guys got a ride?"
"We could walk."
"I'll give you a ride, too. We'll all fit. Just...So no one argues, let's give the new guy shotgun."
Jimmy already felt something for Tori, but he wasn't going to admit it just yet. Sure, he was gay, and everyone knew it, and it caused a lot of issues with his father, but that was alright. But he'd never felt this way for someone new. And after his last relationship, he was afraid to get into any more.
"We're going to have to tell Jet, though...Why's he never here?" said Ishi.
"Because," started Toei, "He gets into fights with his alarm clock."
Everybody laughed.
~~~
3...2...1...RIIING
School was out. Luckily, all four guys had the same last period class today, so they all rushed to Jimmy's car, Tori staying behind, staying very quiet. They got to the car, and Jimmy opened the door for Tori. Tori took note...Why was this guy acting so nice to him? They'd just met.
"So, Tori, what kind of music ya into?" started Ishi, trying to get a conversation going.
"Oh, well...I listen to a lot of stuff. Mostly rock, though. I like that one song by Less Than Jake, oh, what is it...Do you know about her strength and conviction, how she puts all her faith in religion, did we ever take the time to discover how little we know about each other..." He trailed off singing, trying to imitate the vocalist's singing. Jimmy couldn't help but chuckle.
When he noticed Tori blushing, though, he quickly said, "You're pretty good. That song's...All My Best Friends are Metalheads."
"That's it!"
"So," said Toei, "What do you think of rap?"
"Hate it," said Tori, "But the cheerleading coach makes us dance to it."
"Oh, so you're a cheerleader?" said Ishi. "That's cool. You're not a stuck up prep like the rest of them, are you?"
"Not in the least."
"Good," said Jimmy, "Because if you were, we'd have to kick you out of the car right now!" Everyone laughed, including Tori. He was already feeling comfortable around these strangers. It was new for him. He'd never gotten attached to anyone that quickly. He kind of liked it.
They pulled into the driveway of Jimmy's suburban home, and went inside a moment, grabbing some cokes out of the fridge and heading out the door.
"Hello, Ishi. Hello, Toei," said Jimmy's mom.
"Hello, Mrs. Janson," replied the lovers in unison.
"Oh, you've got a new friend? What's your name?"
"Oh, mum, you haven't met Tori yet, have you?" said Jimmy. "He's a new kid at school. We invited him over to listen to us practice."
"Well, then," chuckled his mother, "I'd better get the ear-plugs!"
"Yeah, yeah, just you wait; we're going to hit it big one day."
"As soon as you have a lead singer that'll show up for practice."
"Yeah," said Toei, "Where is Jet? Jimmy, did you forget to tell him we had practice?"
"No, I didn't forget. His dumb ass just probably forgot."
BANG BANG BANG
Someone was at the door. Jimmy sighed, and would have bet money it was...
"Jet! Hey, man! You finally showed up!"
"Yeah, yeah," panted the Jolteon. "You coulda at least waited for me so I wouldn't have to walk all the way here. They took away my license after that D.U.I., remember?"
"Oh, shit! They did, didn't they?"
"Anyway, guys, we need to practice," said Ishi, slightly annoyed.
Tori just stood back, looking at the Jolteon who had just run in the door. Could it be? No, it wasn't, was it?
Jet never noticed Tori standing there in the background. He walked outside to the garage, and turned on the microphone.
"Guys, you ready?"
"Yeah," said Ishi sitting down at the drum set.
"Of course," said Toei, grabbing the bass guitar.
"Never more ready. Tori, you ready to rock out?" said Jimmy.
That's when Jet's heart sank. His eyes met Tori's, and he flinched a bit, looking down at the ground, a bright blush on his face.
"No," he thought, "It couldn't be him, could it? Oh well..."
"Alright guys, here goes...What song are we working on today?" said Jet.
"We're doing Half-Heart, remember? That song you wrote yesterday," said Jimmy.
Jet's gut wrenched. "Oh, right..." he mumbled, grabbing the mike, and staring at Tori, the Flareon carrying his own blush.
This WAS the Jolteon he remembered...Jet...Things couldn't have gotten much worse. This wasn't supposed to happen. Tori thought he'd left Jet behind...It wasn't possible, was it?
Suddenly, the guitar started playing a slow somber melody, the drums playing a soft beat. Then, the tempo suddenly picked up, the bass coming in, mirroring the guitar and the drums getting much louder.
"I never meant to let you down,
I never meant to hurt you,
I never meant to kill your heart,
And it breaks me to know
It breaks me to know
That things could have been different,
Things could have changed,
Things could have gone so much better,
But now I'm so estranged
With my
Half-heart..."
Tori stared at the Jolteon passionately singing into the mike. Jet's eyes were closed, and there were tears in them.
"If I could ever make things right again,
Believe me I would,
But now I think it's in the past
For you and me
You and me
And things could have been different,
Things could have changed,
Things could have gone so much better,
But now I'm so estranged
With my
Half-heart..."
Tori almost started crying. These words hit him deeply.
Suddenly, the beat became much heavier, and Jet grabbed the microphone out of the stand, wrapping the chord around his wrist. It was the screaming part.
"I COULD HAVE CHANGED
HOW I LIVED THAT DAY
I SHOULD HAVE MADE
MY LIFE GO AWAY
THINGS SHOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT
THINGS SHOULD HAVE CHANGED
THINGS SHOULD HAVE GONE SO MUCH BETTER
BUT NOW I'M OKAY
BUT I KILLED
MY HALF-HEART"
Jet's eyes were transfixed on Tori, piercing the Flareon's heart.
"I SHOULD HAVE KILLED MYSELF
WHEN I SAID I HAD TO GO
I SHOULDN'T HAVE JUST STOOD BACK
AND LET THEM TELL ME NO
I SHOULD HAVE FOLLOWED MY HEART
I SHOULD HAVE RUN
I SHOULD HAVE DONE SO MANY THINGS
BUT NOW I FEEL SO UNDONE
WITH MY
HALF-HEART!!!"
The song became a little less heavy, and Jet stopped screaming. He was now just a foot away from Tori. He was singing slow and soft.
"I missed you so much,
I never could have said,
I loved you more than
Death loves the dead.
And I want to know if we could make things alright
To see if we could make them okay,
To see if I really deserve to live anytime
Past today
Because I loved you and I left you
Because I let someone between us
I should have made things right,
And I want you to forgive me, please."
Guitar faded away. Drums were long gone. Tori was crying. So was Jet.
"Oh, Jet!!" Tori flung himself at the Jolteon standing in front of him, wrapping his arms around on contact. "I missed you so much...After...After you left...I...I tried to forget...but...I didn't want to...I wanted to remember...Remember you forever..."
"Jet bowed his head, and softly petted the Flareon in his arms. "I know, I know...Let's...Let's try to make this okay, alright? Things should have never happened the way they did, but now...We should be able to fix them, right?"
The rest of the band stared at the two in awe. They'd never known their singer was gay too! And to top it off, Tori was already Jet's! It almost made Toei and Ishi cry. Jimmy did cry. He hoped he had a chance with Tori.
"Hey, guys, that was great, now, let's do it from the top okay? Ishi, I think you need to put more emotion into it."
"Right-o, Jimmy."
~~~