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"Y/n? Y/n I know you're awake! Come down, we have visitors!" your mother beckoned from the end of the wooden staircase. You groaned and fixated your attention on hurriedly throwing your hair into a loose side braid before trudging irritated down the stairs. Instantly, you made a beeline toward the kitchen, making yourself some cereal before heading into the living room to meet your mother. You figured it would be the landlord and his wife again, here for another discussion about rent which your family couldn't afford to keep up with but you were proven wrong. Instead on your couch, 6 strangely familiar men were sat together laughing in unison with your mother and demolishing all the snacks set out on the table for them. Your mind began to piece together why they looked familiar, and connected them to be one of your favourite gothic metal bands from Finland- but what were they doing here? Your mother signed you over to sit next to her, fluffing up a cushion while doing so and allowing you to settle yourself in.
You looked at these musicians, focusing intently on their features and energy in order. On the very left, Juska sat with his legs crossed, covered with black jeans and a long sleeved ebony shirt fitted over his fairly skinny arms. He had a warm smile on his face, aloof and inviting while looking from his vanilla biscuit to you, and you to his biscuit. Your eyes wandered over to the right, where Mige was positioned comfortably and open. On him was a short sleeved dark brown top with dark blue baggier jeans and a large red bandana over his forehead. He held a chocolate cookie in one hand, crumbs falling on his chest as he laughed with his bandmate on his other side, Ville.
The first time you'd seen him was in your local record shop after getting a tip from the fast food place you worked at. It seemed suitable to treat yourself to a new CD or two after being financially responsible for a grand total of a week helping with rent. A dark red cover stood out from the sea of other albums, the morbid and melancholic image spoke volumes to you, and the track listing seemed enticing enough. Being honest though, you thought the man on the cover wasn't anything special, but you may have slightly taken him for some kind of inspiring muse. Nothing much, but his looks and features were akin to a fallen angel, and in real life, he lived up to those expectations.
His light emerald green eyes were enchanting, contrasted by his darker lashes and frizzy shoulder length hair. His jawline was chiseled and defined, and he wore a black skin-tight shirt under a long leather jacket accompanied with silver hooped earrings. He held a cigarette in his left hand, occasionally taking puffs between speaking, chuckling, and glancing at you frequently.
You blushed, and although hard to look away, you saw Gas Lipstick, the band's drummer indulging himself in a couple of pastel macaroons. He wore a Motörhead band t-shirt accompanied with casual black trousers and silver circular rimmed glasses. Next to him was Linde, who's long blonde hair reached halfway down his torso and partially covered his face, but a slight smile was made out beneath it. He wore a similar outfit to Ville, but with a shorter leather jacket detailed with golden zips and buttons.
The first to talk, Seppo (the band's manager) began with thanking your mother for kindly inviting them over to talk about the terms of your potential new occupation.
"Sorry, what new job? I'm slightly lost.." you asked, your voice laced with concern.
"Ah- you're a photography student, yes? And you dabble in make-up to accompany your aesthetics. Well me and the guys were wondering if you'd join the branding and make-up team. This obviously means you'd need to tour along with us for shows..." he continued talking, and you started to piece together a vague idea of what this job entails.
"I'm really sorry, but I can't leave my family. I don't think the new job will pay me enough to take care of all of us while I'm gone-"
"Rest assured," he interrupted. "your expenses will be paid by us, and your wages can be spent on leisure and family! The main downside is not being able to see your them for a while at a time- but the upsides really do make up for it."
It made sense. There was really no reason to decline the offer considering the opportunities it gave you and the responsibilities lifted off your shoulders with how much you'd be paid.
..Not to mention spending most of your days around your favourite band. It was a dream come true and you didn't know when this luck would come around to bless you again.
Your mother shot you an encouraging look, as if to say you should take the offer. After finishing your last spoonful of the cereal, you placed the bowl on the side table and sighed, legs bouncing restlessly in thought.
"..Alright. I'll take it. When do I start?" you declared, with a half-smile on your face. You felt the band staring at you, happy but still intimidating, before Seppo exclaimed, "Perfect! Pack your bags and at 5 you can meet us at our final show in London before we head back to Finland." He then handed you a special dark blue lanyard with 'BACK STAGE TEAM' printed on, which you promptly stuffed into your pocket.
The guests then shook your hand, thanked your mother and you for hosting and left with haste trying not to overstay their welcome. As they left, you couldn't help but notice the singers hand lingering on yours for slightly longer, and his eyes twinkling with a faint motive behind them. But you made light of it and brushed it off quickly.
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Bags packed and family wished farewell, you arrived at the concert venue. Despite having been to concerts a pretty minimal number of times, you loved all of the ones you'd been to, and kept your tickets stuck in your messy scrapbook. This would be your first HIM concert however, and you knew that it would be the most memorable.
After giving your bags to the driver of the tourbus, you pushed your way into the front row, the crowd consisting of mainly metalheads like yourself with alternative teenagers seasoned throughout. The band, positioned in their usual spots on stage opened strongly with 'Your Sweet 666' and the audience erupted in shouts and screams of recognition and joy.
Almost instantly, you recognised the band had a particular sound unlike most others at the time. Ville would sing with a siren-like voice with firm and possessive deep undertones and hypnotising high notes. Linde's guitar would sing with equal impression to Ville's voice almost as if they were made to be played beside each other. Mige and Gas set the pulse and feel of the song and Juska added brilliant highlights to the performance which were unique to the live show- overall it was electrifying. With every melody and beat, you could feel their passion for the music and effort to make a connection with the crowd.
Just as soon as it started, it was over and as the crowd dispersed, you made your way backstage showing your ID card as needed. Once there, you met up with the band who were drinking away and everyone started walking out to the tourbus. You sheepishly followed along behind them and felt the light rain falling on your hair as you waited for everyone to jump in‐ then you sat in the corner fiddling with your necklace.
"Did you like the show?" Juska asked, sliding in the seat opposite you with a cigarette in hand.
"Of course! I loved it. I haven't been to much but uhm, it was definitely my favourite." you replied politely.
Looking out towards the window, rain drops pounded against the glass and warped the vision of the neon streets of London. You wondered how different Helsinki would be and felt a pang of sadness in your stomach after realising you wouldn't be here for much longer.
Juska hm'd in response and looked around awkwardly as if searching for a way to lengthen the conversation. Luckily for him, he caught eye of you admiring the city lights and figured you'd be missing it soon.
"Helsinki is a beautiful place too. I think you'd like it," he fumbled around in his pocket for a second before handing you a pack of cigarettes, "Want one?" He was really trying his best to be nice to you and make you feel welcome, maybe he knew best what you felt like at the moment. And so, you took a cigarette, thanked him and borrowed his lighter to light the cigarette before taking a deep puff and exhaling it calmly.
"I've never really been outside my city. I haven't really wanted to venture out, but Paris might've been nice in future even though I don't think I realised how much I was gonna miss London." you confessed. The cigarette danced between your pointer and middle finger before straightening it to take another puff and gently tapping the ash tray.
"I feel like that when I tour different countries too. But you learn to love wherever you go and the city's always waiting. I wouldn't worry or miss it too much. You'll be fine." he reassured. Truth be told, you didn't exactly know what to expect while touring, but you imagined that you'd be in your own room doing your own thing until needed. Juska's interactions were lovely however, and you appreciated the extra effort put into making you comfortable. The rest of the band were busy at the back of the tourbus, and he went to check on them.
Left alone, you pulled out your scrapbook and began drawing up concept ideas for, well anything. How you felt in the day and what lay ahead. When you began to feel exhausted, you had arrived at the airport and went to board the plane. Business class treatment was nice, but it wasn't enjoyed and experienced as it should've been as there was a slight bit of turbulence and you were extremely tired and slept roughly throughout the whole thing.