Tales Don't Tell Themselves

[Devon Wentsworth]

Devon had been off the antibiotics for a while now, but to say that the diagnosis had scared him would be a massive understatement. His poor brother had been getting almost daily phone calls since Devon had found out about his infection, and Devon could tell that at many points Cade's temper had been short at best. Especially when the phone calls had changed from panic-inducted verbal tirades into complaining about not being able to drink while on the antibiotics.

Devon had been half panicking and half sulking on his birthday, and even the presents sent over from Cade and his mum had done little to cheer him. He appreciated them more now that he had calmed down somewhat. Proper tea, chocolate hobnobs, sweets, chocolate, jaffa cakes and other delicious edibles, along with DVD's of some recent British shows and a couple of guitar books, since he'd made mention of wanting to give a new instrument a try. Cade had also included a DIY plectrum maker and a DVD with a recording of the Poets of the Fall concert he had gone to in October. Granted the DVD had produced some swearing in frustration that Cade had gotten to be there and he hadn't, but after he'd settled down again he'd phoned Cade and thanked him many times over.

And then cried at him partly because he was still pissed off he couldn't go out and partly because there was a part of him that was still convinced he was going to keel over dead any moment.

It had been a little over a month since his first diagnosis, and he hadn't taken an antibiotic in a little over two weeks. Technically he could have started drinking and playing around a week ago. Technically. He hadn't, though. He had told himself (and Cade and Ferris and Roman) that the day he got the all-clear he would be out celebrating like he was 21 again. There would be alcohol and mischief and merriment all weekend long.

It hadn't happened.

The day he had gotten the all-clear he had gone back home and phoned Cade to tell him (after apologising profusely because it had still been 4am in England at that point), and then spent the rest of the day just... doing nothing besides being relieved. It had been stressed to him so many times that really, he was lucky. He had always taken precautions, even when he didn't even know the girl's name, and all it had taken was one mistake to leave him in this mess. At least it had only been chlamydia, which was easily detected and curable. It could have been so, so much worse.

Yes, it had scared him. Even though he had always known he wasn't immortal this scare had brought him down to earth with a bump, and even when he had been at his most pissy about not being able to go out drinking and having fun, there had been a part of him that didn't want to any way. If just one mistake could lead to that, what the hell kind of things could another mistake lead to? He knew the answer; he'd had Cade and Ferris and Roman and the doctor telling him at length about it.

This unsettling anxiety was only a passing thing, he told himself. With time it would ease away and he'd be right back to his usual ways. The fear would pass. This was only a temporary thing.

Give it a few weeks, and everything would be right back to normal.

Right?

[Devon Wentsworth]

Backdated to New Years Eve 2014 & New Years Day 2015

Christmas had overall been less awful than Devon had dreaded it might be. He’s eaten lots, spent some time with Tory, managed to get caught up on some of his own art projects and even gone playing laser tag with Ferris and Rome. It had been a lot of fun, and certainly helped distract him from the health issues he’d undergone not so long ago. Even though he had the all-clear now and was once more fit and healthy (well, as fit and healthy as he ever was, anyway), the experience had shaken him and left him feeling more than a bit anxious. Ferris, Rome and his other friends had been great at helping him blow out some of the cobwebs and return more to his normal self, but his fun and excitement had been capped by one huge fact.

This was the first holiday season he had ever spent without his family. There had been no bickering with Cade, no raging at arsehole uncles and no getting smacked for swearing at the table. He had missed every moment of it. He kept telling himself to be rational, that he was a grown man, for Christ’s sake! He shouldn’t be getting all mopey just because he couldn’t see his mum or brother on Christmas! No matter how much he tried to convince himself of that, though, it didn’t shake the fact that he spent most of Christmas day alone and miserable.

By the time new year’s eve rolled around, Devon had resigned himself to the fact that it just wouldn’t have all the fun and explosive drama that he always craved at that time of the year. He loved Ferris dearly but their definitions of what made a great night out differed wildly, and Rome wanted to spend the new year with his misses, which Devon supposed was fair enough. He didn’t want to go to the same old bar in town yet again though, and he couldn’t stay in the house on his own. Fuck that right off.

By midday on new year’s eve, he had made his mind up. After throwing some clean clothes into a bag and making sure the cats had enough food and water to last them until the morning, Devon got into his car and headed for the promising bright lights of New York.

---------

The first few moments of 2015 had not been promising ones. The angry buzzing of the alarm on his phone did nothing to ease the pounding in his head, and Devon shut it off with a grumpy curse before flopping inelegantly back onto the mattress of the bed in the motel room. The girl hadn’t stayed the night; she’d got what she wanted from him and left with barely a backwards glance, and that was fine by him. Google had told him the clubs in New York where he would be most likely to meet people into the same kind of things as him and it hadn’t let him down, but something just… wasn’t quite right.

Once his swimming vision had settled enough to let him sit up without the whole world seeming to spin around him, Devon sat up slowly, long fingers raking his black curls away from his eyes. Jesus, he hadn’t drank that much since before his diagnosis a couple of months ago, and it was taking its toll. A quick glance in the trashcan proved that they’d at least been sober enough to be careful, and Devon rubbed at his eyes as he stood and slowly padded his way to the bathroom.

When he looked in the mirror and saw the state of his face Devon’s knees almost buckled beneath him in horror. It took a few long moments of panicked staring, and then a tentative poke with a finger, before he realised that the dark marks around his eyes were stains from his eyeliner, not bruises. The marks on his neck, collar and chest, however, were very much bruises and bite marks, joined with numerous scratch marks on his back. A long shower helped soothe away some of the aching and made his face at least look a little more respectable. Apparently the worry of a repeat issue at the doctors hadn’t put the fear of God into him that much.

As he was getting dressed though, Devon knew that something still wasn’t right. Normally after an encounter such as the one he’d had last night the Brit was feeling sore but elated, refreshed and refocused and more alive than ever. That morning, however, he just felt… dull. The ache was still as oddly warm and comforting as it always was but there was none of the joie de vivre that normally accompanied it. He just felt oddly hollow and lifeless and just… meh.

The utter lack of any excitement felt from the night before filled him with a mounting worry. Something was clearly very, very wrong.

After throwing his bag back together and getting into the car, Devon sent a text message before setting off for home.

Cade, call me when you get up. We need to talk. I think there’s something really wrong.

---------

Lay on the sofa in his living room, Devon kept glancing from the clock to his phone and back again. He tried to focus on the TV but he couldn’t. There was something wrong and he couldn’t work out what the hell it might be, and with each passing minute he was growing more fretful. In the time since he had sent the text message he had driven back home, fed and cleaned up the cats, been harassed for cuddles by one of them, made a sandwich, failed to eat the sandwich, and worked himself up into an anxiety-riddled mess. He knew Cade hadn’t called yet because of the time difference, because his big brother would likely still be asleep until midday recovering from his own hangover, but he couldn’t help but think that perhaps Cade was doing it to spite him. The last time Devon had called him claiming it was an emergency, Cade had shouted him down and told him to stop panicking like an idiot, like his health wasn’t worth flailing over! Maybe that was why he was delaying now.

After what felt like an eternity, but was in reality just a few hours, the suddenly oh-so-reassuring sound of King of Fools by Poets of the Fall sounded, Devon’s ringtone for his big bro, and the Brit answered it quickly. “CADE! Why’d it take you so long to get back to me?”

The voice at the other end of the line was bleary, the older Wentsworth clearly still in the process of waking up. “Jesus Dev, don’t shout. It feels like I’ve got half a brick rattlin’ round in my head.”

Devon scoffed, but did lower his voice when he spoke again. “Sorry, but I'm havin' a crisis. Somethings goin' wrong with me and I don't know what and it might be really bad and I don't know what to do.”

There was a shuffling sound at the other end of the line – probably Cade sitting up and getting comfortable. “If this is another time like when you got the clap and phoned me saying you were dying, I'l-”

Devon cut him off mid-word. “No, it's nothin' like that. Listen! I went to New York last night 'cos I didn't want to be home on my own, an' I met this girl an' we ended up back at a hotel, an'-”

Now it was Cade's turn to cut Devon off. “Dev, is this what I'm supposed to be concerned about? Honestly, I'd be more worried if you didn't find some girl and end up in bed with her.”

The noise that Devon made in response to that could only be described as a whine of frustration. “No, dickhead. You're not listenin'! It was awesome and everythin', but when I woke up this mornin' there was... nothin'. I didn't feel anythin'. It's like it might as well've not happened.”
For a few long moments there was silence on the other end of the line, eventually punctuated by Devon. “Cade, you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m still here… Look, do you want my honest opinion, or do you want me to say what I think you want to hear?”

Devon nodded his head, even though he knew that Cade couldn’t see him. “I wanna know what you really think.”

“Alright, fine, but don’t bite my head off, okay? Hear me out.” Cade gave a quiet sigh and seemed to be shuffling again for a moment. “Well… I think you like someone, like, really like, and it’s clouded your physical interactions with people who aren’t them.”

There was a long moment of stunned silence from Devon’s end of the line. “And I think… that you’re a moron, and that’s the biggest pile of cra-“

Cade cut him off quickly again. “No! You said you’d hear me out! You’ve been talking so goddamn much about them for ages now, it’s been obvious. Uncle Jamie could see it, and he’s blind and deaf! Just sack up and ask them out. You’ve got a crush; so what if they work with you?”

Devon bristled, snapping in frustration down the phone. “I do NOT have a crush on Ferris!”

A genuine laugh sounded down the line, making Devon bristle more before Cade said “I didn’t mean Ferris, you muppet. I was referring to a certain recruiter, who has a son you also never shut up about.”

Devon made a noise that was half choked splutter of surprise and half bewildered gasp. “I just… No, that’s… I don’t!”

There was a moment’s pause before Cade responded. “Yeaaaah, you kinda do, actually. It’s pretty annoying.”

Confusion and frustration and shock were warring within Devon, and he snapped down the phone. “Yeah, well you don’t know a FUCKING thing all the way over there, do you? You don’t KNOW!” In an immature tantrum Devon hung up the phone and launched it onto the chair on the other side of the room before standing up quickly and storming down into the basement. Never had he been more glad to get it soundproofed. His drums were perfect for venting out frustrations on.

---------

Two hours and three broken drumsticks later, and Devon was significantly calmer. The frustrated anger had been replaced with a confused anxiety, and the Brit was much more subdued and quiet. He’d been a dick to his brother, that much he was very aware of, and while he thought that Cade had approached it in a bad way he couldn’t deny that some truth to the words was beginning to dawn in him. Perhaps ‘crush’ was a stupid word, but… he had been thinking about her a lot, especially recently. Her son was awesome and he got along really well with her and she was pretty and smart and…

Jesus, what the hell was happening to him? Devon had promised himself long ago that he wouldn’t think like that about people any more. It wasn’t worth the inevitable pain created when they tired of his bullshit or he started to feel penned in and broke it off. That had happened with Kate and he’d seen just how much he had hurt her, and the thought of causing that level of grief again was a horrifying feeling. And yet, he couldn’t deny that the more he thought about it, the more Cade’s words were ringing true. Physically and emotionally exhausted, Devon retrieved his phone from the chair he had launched it to and flopped onto the sofa, hitting redial.

Cade answered after the third ring. “What do you want? Phoning to shout and swear at me some more?”

Devon let out a tired sigh, rubbing his eyes. “No, Cade. Look… I’m sorry. That was dickish, and I’m sorry. I just… I got angry, and I’m sorry.”

After a moment Cade spoke again. “I know, it’s okay. Maybe I shoulda been more subtle or something, but you needed to hear it, bro.”

The younger brother nodded. “Yeah, I know… Thanks, I guess. Oh hey, happy twenty-fifteen.”

Cade chuckled softly. “Happy twenty-fifteen to you too. Look, are you gonna be okay?”

Devon actually had to think about it for a moment. “I… don’t know.” He raked his fingers through his hair, still damp with sweat from the drumming session. “I don’t know. It’s all so fucked up, Cade. I don’t know what I’m doin’.”

“Hey, listen, stop worrying. It’s gonna be alright, yeah? I’m here, and I’m sure Ferris and Rome will help you out too. Whatever you need, you’re not on your own.”

His big brother’s words were reassuring, and Devon nodded slowly. “Yeah… Yeah, you’re right, I guess. I just… I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now…”

[Devon Wentsworth]

Backdated to 7th February 2015.

“Cade, you’re talking right outta your arse. You can’t be serious!” Devon flopped onto the sofa with all the grace of a hippo, picking up the remote to idly flick through the channels on the muted TV to see if anything was on that made more sense than his brother was currently making.

He could hear a soft sigh down the phone, and could just imagine Cade rubbing his temples in that way he always did when he got frustrated. “I’m dead serious, Devon. It’s been months and you’re still hung up on it. I mean, look at the mess you were in around new years. You know what I’m saying is true; you’re just being too much of a prat to do anything about it.”

Devon let out an undignified scoff, gently ruffling the fur on Bliss’ back as she lightly leapt up onto his lap. “Nah, I got over that. I was just pissed; I hadn’t had schnapps for ages, it messed me up more than I thought it would.”

“We both know the schnapps had nothing to do with it, at all. You admitted it was true! Why are you being such a stubborn jackass about this?”

Devon frowned, half at Cade and half at the stupid reality show that had just popped onto the screen. “I’m not! I mighta said that then, but I was hungover and in a state. I’da said anythin’ and you know that.”

Cade’s tone got sharp and aggressive as he scolded his brother. “That is utter bullshit and you know it. Look, Devon, I’m not going to keep coddling you about this any more. You want to live alone and in denial, fine. Just don’t keep phoning and whining at me every time you feel like crap, because I think you’re acting like a complete dickhead.”

The line went dead, and for a long moment Devon just stared at the phone. Cade never hung up on him like that, ever, and he was absolutely stunned. He knew he had been pushing it a bit lately with his phone calls, and sure there had been a bit of whining but he didn’t think it was enough to warrant the ticking off he’d just got. There was a part of Cade’s words that ran true, yes, but had there really been a need for the yelling?

Devon gave Bliss another fuss before nudging her gently down to the ground, the art teacher standing up and wandering slowly into the kitchen. A rummage in the freezer produced a pizza; the perfect food for eating while trying to work out what the fuck to do. After shoving it in the oven Devon took a shower to try and clear his head, and in doing so decided that Cade was right. He was always right, but this time even more so than usual. It had been months and he was still hung up about it, and rather than easing with time, it was only increasing.

The petulant part of his brain screamed that it wasn’t fair. He shouldn’t have to do this, shouldn’t have to risk so much, shouldn’t have to put not one but two people he liked so much through such a huge risk of eventual hurt. Because it was a real risk, there could be no denying that. There was every chance it could go horribly wrong, and there was the track record to back that up. But… if he didn’t even try, how could he know for certain? Perhaps this could be a miracle that works against all the odds. Or, more likely, perhaps it would all fall apart but without all the tears and pain. Yes, it was a huge risk.

Devon had never been the type to play things safe.

Wrapped in a towel, he picked up his phone. He was going to just call Cade but decided against it, figuring that two whiney calls on the same night would probably warrant Cade contacting Ferris and getting Devon’s pastry supply cut off again. Instead he just sent a text message, saying ‘I don’t know what to do.’

Devon only had a moment to wait, with Cade replying with a curt ‘Yes you do. I’ve told you enough times already.’

Running his long fingers through his curls in quiet frustration, Devon retrieved his pizza from the oven and left it to cool slightly as he scrolled through his phone’s address book, finding the name. The pizza had long gone cold before Devon had plucked up the confidence to hit dial.

“Hey Midori, it’s me... Yeah, I’m good thanks. How’s Tory?… Awesome, I’m glad to hear it. Look…” Devon took a deep, stabilising breath. “There’s something I kinda want to ask ya…”

[Devon Wentsworth]

Cade had spent most of the night before packing his bag for the trip because he knew he wouldn’t get any time to do so between now and when the flight left on Monday morning. It was going to be one hell of a hectic week, but he had been looking forward to it for so long and at work he found himself constantly staring at the clock, watching impatiently as the seconds ticked into minutes ticked into hours. Getting the time off work had been easy, he had more than enough days saved up, though he had caused more than a few eyebrows to raise when he’d handed in his holiday form. He wasn’t usually the type to take time off work, but he was making a definite exception this time.

He and his mother were going to Vermont to visit Devon.

It had been two years since his baby brother had moved abroad to teach in the meta-human school there, and as much as he and Lorraine had wanted to visit, the timing hadn’t been right until now. Devon had seemed to struggle a lot at first, and they had decided to wait until he had settled down. It had taken longer than they had hoped, but now it seemed like Devon was finally starting to adapt to life in America and form a life for himself there. So of course, that meant it was time to go and invade it and remind him that he did still have family in England, thank you so very much.

The timing had worked out well. The school Devon worked at was off on their summer break and they had all managed to save enough money for the trip. Devon would land over here in – Cade checked the clock again – three hours, they would spend the night at their mum’s, then in the morning they would be off to Download. The festival was about a two hour drive from Lorraine’s house to the park where it was being held, but they had made the trip several times in the past and both boys were incredibly giddy about it. After all, it would be the first festival they’d been able to go to together since before Devon had moved.

What was perhaps even more exciting was that they’d spend Sunday back at their mum’s, then on Monday the three of them would be off to America. Cade had never been to the States before and, despite some anxieties about how their mum would cope with the trip, he was deeply excited about it. He was looking forward to being able to put faces to the names and voices he had been hearing for so long, to meet the people who had helped keep his brother in line and (somewhat) sane. More so than anything, though, he was looking forward to meeting the woman that was brave and/ or foolish enough to be willing to put up with his little brother in a romantic capacity.

As time wore on Cade began to grow more and more frustrated, until eventually he received a text from Devon saying he’d landed and was just going through the whole baggage/ customs bollocks. Cade signed out from work before making the short drive from there to the airport to meet his sibling. On the way there he got a text on his mobile, but he put it aside until he’d pulled in to the car park not too far from the airport where they had arranged to meet. The same place they had met when Devon had come home for Christmas the year before last. On checking his phone Cade found a text from Devon, and upon reading it his heart fell down to his stomach.

I think there’s someone following me. I’m gonna tr

Quickly getting out of his car and locking it, Cade began to search around the car park for his brother. “Devon? Devon, where are you? DEVON!?!”

It didn’t take him long, searching around the area surrounding the car park in the quickening darkness, before he found a small black and crimson weekend bag lying discarded on the ground. Nearby there was a shoe near some thick bushes. To his horror, he saw that a pool of blood surrounded the shoe. The shoe was a Converse, covered in the Game of Thrones house sigils in hand-painting that could only have been his brothers. Panic overtook him, and nausea welled up in his stomach. “DEVON!”

Cade started quickly clawing through the bushes, trying to see if what remained of Devon was in there somewhere, when a deep rumbling growl pierced the quiet of the evening. Jumping back in shock, Cade was horrified when a gigantic black and white creature started stalking towards him. It was low to the ground but solidly built, it’s huge teeth snapping as it snarled and looked set to charge at him. Cade froze in panic, staring down at the creature, his instincts telling him to run but his brain telling him that might encourage it to give cha—

Hang on.

What the hell was a honey badger doing in Leeds?

“YOU! YOU LITTLE SHIT!”

Cade charged forward, grabbing the gigantic badger by the scruff of the neck and shaking it. “YOU NEARLY GAVE ME A SODDING HEART ATTACK!” The badger squirmed and fought to get out of Cade’s vice-like grip, but the chattering sounds coming from it could only have been ones of laughter. “I hate you. I hate you so fucking much.”

After another shake Cade put the badger back down again, giving it a swat on its broad side. “Okay, fine. I got you last time. Fair enough. But if you ever do that again I’m going to forget you can shift and just kick whatever beast you are, got it?” The badger-shaped-brother was still too busy chattering in amusement, so Cade just shook his head. “You’re impossible. C’mon, dickhead. Mum’s got home-made fish and chips on the go.”

[Devon Wentsworth]

Devon sat down heavily on the damp grass, not caring that the back of his jeans would likely be wrecked by all the mud that had been churned up already. He was making the most of it now while he could; by tomorrow evening the place would probably be deep in mud and it would be impossible to park his arse down without needing to doggy-paddle to stay afloat. From where he was sat he had an awesome view down the hill to where the majority of the food trucks were parked, with the main stage down on the hill to his right. The sound of Hard To See by Five Finger Death Punch was filling the air, and though Devon wasn’t really a huge fan of them, it was hard to deny that they were creating one hell of an atmosphere down there.

He and Cade had taken a break away from the heaving crowd, stealing the chance to grab something to eat before the Judas Priest set that Devon had been aching for since he’d first decided he was coming home for the festival. The jetlag hadn’t had chance to kick in yet, and though Devon was a little tired, he was running on so much adrenaline he wasn’t noticing it. Cade seemed to have been equally excited as he had gone off to hunt down some food, telling Devon to stay put because he didn’t want to ‘ruin the surprise’. Having not eaten since the morning Devon would have eaten pretty much anything put in front of him, but the thought of it being some sort of surprise had made him sit obediently and await his brother’s return.

Listening to the music and watching a seemingly endless stream of people passing by in every direction, Devon didn’t really notice time passing. Two songs went, then three. Apparently quite a few people had decided to grab food now before the main events of the evening, and to avoid the inevitable surge after the day’s headliners, Slipknot, finished off their set that was running right after Judas Priest. Eventually, however, Cade returned.

Devon threw up his arms, hands and fingers outstretched and making grabby motions. “Gimme!” The precious cargo was wrapped in paper, and though Devon wouldn’t smell it yet, he had a fair idea of what it was. “Is that what I think it is?”
Cade nodded as he sat down on the grass beside Devon, long fingers tucking some runaway strands of hair behind his ear. “Yeah, it is. I got one between us; they’re huge, and I don’t want you puking on me after you pig out and get the clever idea to dance.”

The fact they only had one between them didn’t bother Devon in the slightest; it definitely wouldn’t be the first time they’d ever shared food, and it certainly wouldn’t be their weirdest ever festival meal. Devon unwrapped the paper parcel like he was starving (which, to him, he was) and then the smell hit him. Rich and warm and so good that his stomach growled. Heaps of shavings of spiced meat with a bit of salad clinging on for dear life as it was drowning in mint yoghurt sauce, all wrapped up in a warm oversized pita. The food Devon had missed more than anything since moving to America, and the one food he pined for above all others.

A proper doner kebab.

“If you weren’t my brother, I would kiss you right now.”

Cade laughed as he worked to pry Devon’s vice-like grip off the tray containing the edible treasure, doing his best to rip off a corner of the pita. “That’s never stopped you before. Wow, you really must be growing up.” The elbow to the ribs was totally worth it.

Devon mock-pouted, but he was too gleeful and energised to hold it for long. He ripped off a piece of the pita, taking some of the meat and drowning salad with it. As it hit his tongue he let out an audible groan of pleasure. It was spicy but cooled with the sauce, greasy from the meat but fresh from the salad and for a moment Devon seriously considered just taking the tray and running, leaving Cade to fend for himself. Cade was too quick though, and Devon grumped as his brother snagged a decent sized chunk of the kebab. “Fine!”

Scooting his legs to the side, Devon set the tray down between them so they could both attack the poor, defenceless kebab.
They ate in contented silence for a while, before Cade spoke up. “Any word on the setlist for tomorrow?”
Devon didn’t need to ask what band in particular Cade was talking about, and he gave a small shake of his head. “No, they’ve been real quiet about it. Some of the new album, obviously, but I’m hoping for a load of the older stuff too.
Cade nodded in agreement, dipping a piece of pita into some of the escaping sauce. “That’d be cool. Oh, tomorrow, Geyser’s set clashes with FfaF’s, doesn’t it?”

Over the past few weeks Devon had been looking at the line-up for the festival so often he had learned it by heart, and gave a small nod of his head. The clash was an unfortunate one, since the brothers had been planning on sticking together all weekend, but he was dying for the chance to see Funeral For A Friend again, yet at the same time he knew that Cade would be unhappy if he didn’t get to see Geyser. That was forever the problem with going to a festival that had multiple stages running at the same time. He pondered for a moment, before coming to an idea. “We could go round the stands while the first groups are going, then split up to see Geyser and FaaF. There’s only Malefice and… I think Mallory Knox after that, which I don’t think either of us are bothered with.” At Cade’s agreement, he continued. “Right, so, you stay down at the Encore stage, I’ll grab some drinks and run down to meet you there for Apocalyptica, then after that we can peg it back up to Main for Hollywood Undead.”

For a moment Cade looked genuinely impressed, then he chuckled and shook his head. “Have you got the whole rota remembered?”
Devon grinned broadly and gave a shrug. “Having to remember class schedules comes in handy sometimes.” Suddenly their attention was caught by an uproar off to their right, and as they looked over they saw the lights over the stage had dipped down, cueing screaming from the audience. Five Finger Death Punch were clearly about to start their encore, and once that was done there’d be a short break for the stage change-around, ready for Judas Priest.

Cade unfolded his long legs and stood, holding his hand out to Devon. “C’mon. We need to head down now if we wanna get a decent spot.”
Devon grabbed the last bit of pita, eating it quickly before using Cade’s hand to help him get up. He jogged over to a nearby bin, dropping off their trash, then pointing down in the direction of the stage that had just exploded back to light as the band returned to it for their encore. “Onward! We’ll be rockin' to the dawn!”

[Devon Wentsworth]

“The red poison of your lips, the red poison of your eyes is where I kissed the blood from.
Just that corner of your mouth where I can see the white of your smile...”
As Funeral for a Friend launched into their closing song, their most well known and iconic hit, Devon cheered along with the rest of the heaving crowd and sang along like his life depended on it. He'd been a fan of the Welsh group since their first album way back in 2003 and it was amazing to see just how far they had come over the years. From the growling antagonism of You Want Romance? right through to the melodic beauty of Into Oblivion, they really had matured and evolved so brilliantly over the years. However, it was the classics like Escape Artists Never Die that kept Devon coming back for more time and again. The band had clearly lost none of their momentum, enthusiasm and talent over the years. It didn't seem to matter that they never peaked the charts and didn't have worldwide fame; they did it for the love of the music, and their passion was infectious through the crowd that had gathered to watch them play.
“With a hundred thousand lights timing as everything will.
With a hundred thousand lights, timing, timing is everything to me.
Please someone help me, I'm dying here in front of you.”.

Sadly all good things must come to an end, but the mood was high as Devon, along with several thousand others, cheered FaaF as they left the stage at the end of their set. It had been too short for his liking but perfectly put together, and he couldn't have wiped the grin off his lips if his life had depended on it. It was the first band he had seen today, and it had been a truly explosive start. He knew he couldn't dawdle now though. Quickly picking his way through the thick crowd, Devon headed over to the food trucks to grab a couple of bottles of water. It was a fairly long trek across the mud-churned fields to get to the Encore stage, and by the time he was hovering around the outskirts of it Malefice's set was just beginning. Devon hadn't really wanted to see them anyway so he wasn't bothered, and it would give him plenty of time to track down Cade within the sea of people before Apocalyptica's set started. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, typing out a quick 'where are you?' and sending it. It didn't take long for him to get a reply.

About ten people left from the pole with the purple and black wolf head flag on it.

It only took Devon a moment to spy that particular flag flying high over the crowd, and he took a moment to mentally congratulate Cade on the spot he'd found. It was straight in line with the centre of the stage, set just far enough back that getting trampled wouldn't be a major concern but close enough that they'd have an epic view. However, the crowd was thick and it took Devon far longer than he would have liked to ferret his way through the herd to his brother. Once he was in range, however, Cade wasn't too difficult to spot. Cade's shoulder-length hair was a bit of a give away, especially since it was coloured to match his brothers.

Well... sort of, anyway. Devon's hair was spiked up, tinted with dark red that shone in the sunlight. Cade's hair, however, had what could only be described as a Devon-sized red hand-print on the side of it. In return Cade had given Devon a bruise on his ribs, the colour of which currently complimented his hair beautifully.

Devon managed to squeeze in beside Cade, passing over one of the bottles of water. Anything harder could be saved for later; there was no sense in drinking alcohol now and risking missing the best act ever later on that night. Cade took the bottle with a thanks, shouting slightly over the crowd to ask how FfaF's set had been.
The bright grin once more lit up Devon's face as he semi-shouted back. “Ah, it was epic! So amazing to see them again; they still kick so much arse it's unreal.”
Cade smiled back and gave a nod of his head as he uncapped his water bottle. “Geyser were phenomenal, but the crowd was dead. Guess everyone's hungover from last night.” Friday did tend to be the main drinking night at the festival, after all. The Wentsworth boys had avoided that, however, as they'd wanted to be up fairly early to go browsing the trade stands before the first of the bands they wanted to see took to the stages. “Hopefully it'll pick up once everyone wakes up a bit.”

They didn't have long to wait for that. As Malefice came to a close and the switch over for Apocalyptica got underway, there seemed to be a thrum throughout the audience as everyone started to switch on and get into the full spirit of things. By the time the band blasted onto the stage with Cold Blood the air was filled with cheers and screaming, and the enthusiasm and energy of the Encore crowd began to rival that of the Main crowd that Devon had been amongst for FaaF's set. Sadly Apocalyptica's set was a short one, completed after a mere five songs, which clearly came as a bit of a downer to the crowd. Devon and Cade, however, were slightly relieved as it meant they had a bit more time to run (literally!) across the field to get back over to Main stage, just in time to see Mallory Knox leaving and the next switch-around beginning.

Giving a soft breath of a laugh, Devon nudged Cade with his elbow. “Hey. Even someone who'd never seen a band before could be a roadie after a weekend here. See that many change-over it's ridiculous.”
Cade chuckled and nodded in agreement, watching the road crews scurry around on the stage to get Mallory Knox's equipment off and Hollywood Undead's set up and ready. Neither brother had seen Hollywood Undead live before but both liked a few of their songs and were keen to see if their stage presence lived up to the hype. The concert was energetic and the band put on one hell of a show, but by the time Hear Me Now closed the set both brothers agreed that while it had been fun, it hadn't come anywhere near as good as the other's they'd seen so far. They didn't mind, though. They both knew the best was yet to come.

Devon was not at all surprised by the number of people that filed away from the Main stage at the end of Hollywood Undead's set. The next couple of bands playing there were huge but they were being challenged by the likes of Black Star Riders, Andrew WK and Creeper at the other stages. The boys, however, branched off from the main streams of people and grabbed a couple of burgers before heading up the hill to their tent, to take a bit of a break so they would have all the energy in the world ready for the evening.

-----

Devon couldn't remember going to sleep but he must have done, considering that he got woken up by Cade's toes poking his leg. He grumped and rolled over, trying to pull the duvet over his head but utterly failing because he didn't have a duvet, he was in a sleeping bag. “Lemme alone, go 'way.”

Cade's audible sigh of frustration filled the air, the older brother turning the poking with his foot into a light kick instead. “No, get up. They've just tweeted that A Day To Remember have just finished, which means we've got half an hour to get there before Faith No More. So. Get up!”

There was a grunting noise from somewhere inside the sleeping bag, and Devon emerged rubbing his eyes. He groped around blindly with one hand, and after a few moments his fingers closed around a hip flask that Cade had put in the way of his wandering hand. A quick drink told him it was vodka diluted with a little coke. Good. Something he could drink to get merry without such a high risk of him falling over or throwing up before the best bit of the night. Slowly he crawled his way out of the sleeping bag, and after throwing on a clean shirt and tucking another bottle of water into the huge pocket of his cut-off shorts, along with the hip flask of course, he was ready to head back down to the crowds.

As the day had worn on there had been an obvious shift in the location of a vast amount of the people. The brothers headed down to Main stage through the trade stands and the area was practically deserted, though heading through the food trucks had been a mistake. It seemed like everyone had poured out of the vast field where Main stage was located after the A Day To Remember set in order to refuel before the highlights of the day. “Tut tut, amateurs” Devon said to Cade as they picked their way through the jostling crowds. Over the years he and his brother had mastered the art of eating earlier, giving the food a chance to settle down before the jumping and dancing and chaos began in earnest.

Thankfully, the mad rush out had opened up huge portions of the field in front of the stage meaning it didn't take too much effort in the ways of squeezing through tiny little gaps to secure a good position right near the front. Audio highlights from bands that had played earlier in the festival streamed through the gigantic speakers as the crews set up, and Devon and Cade danced and sang along to Through The Fire and the Flames by Dragonforce as they waited. A bloke near them tried to get them to join in with the epic air-guitaring he had going on, and Devon only too happily obliged. Despite the fact he had been learning the guitar for a few months now he knew that a song like that was FAR beyond anything he'd ever be able to accomplish, so yeah, of course he was going to Guitar Hero it up! So many years of playing live on a stage had completely switched him off to any embarrassment from being watched, and he didn't care who was watching as he and Random McStranger rocked out on the field with their invisible guitars. He didn't even notice Cade recording their little display to show to Ferris and Rome when they went State-side.

As the song came to a close Devon's new friend gave him a high-five before disappearing away into the growing throng of people. Looking back away from the stage Devon could see that the field was starting to get very full very quickly again, and he was thankful they'd had the knowledge and the sense to get in when they had. Otherwise they'd have been stuck with just watching on the massive monitors, whereas here they had an epic uninterrupted view right onto the stage itself. Suddenly the stage lights dipped and the crowd exploded into cheers, the noise getting louder as Faith No More appeared and launched into Midnight Cowboy.

The set was a long one, travelling from Caffeine through the magic that was Epic, touching at Ashes to Ashes. Devon had never been a huge fan of the band but their stage presence and energy was nothing short of awe-inspiring. He found himself dancing along to some songs he'd never even heard before, and a quick glance to the side showed him that Cade was doing exactly the same. By the time they began their encore Devon was changing his mind about his thoughts of the band and making a mental note to check out more when he got home, and when they closed with We Care A Lot he found he was actually a little disappointed that they were finished.

Of course, that disappointment didn't last long. They hadn't planned it all and elbowed their way to the front purely for Faith No More. It was the band following after that they were both itching for. The band that they had both adored since they were in their late teens. The band that Devon had flown over three thousand miles to see.

Cade quickly lost count of the times he'd told Devon to stop prancing from one foot to another during the stage turn-over. He was excited too, of course, but Devon's energy was tiring just to watch. The fact that both boys had been sipping from their hip flasks probably hadn't helped matters there. He checked his watch again. This set change was taking longer than the others had, which was unsurprising really, given the amount of props that they were setting up and the no-doubt endless array of guitars they were having to prep and check. A sudden pain shot through his foot, and he grabbed Devon's shirt. “I swear to God, if you stand on me one more ti-”

And then it happened.
The stage went dark.
The crowd burst into an uproar of cheers.
The vast screen at the back of the stage lit up with the video of a close-up of a mouth, snarling as it spat out a drill sergeant's scolding of a recruit, the crowd responding in time with chanted “aye sir!”.
The guitar kicked in and the band appeared.
The crowd exploded into deafening noise.

This was it. This was the moment the boys had been waiting for. As Muse launched into the heavy bass of Psycho the entire crowd started to rock out to it, and the Wentsworth brothers were absolutely no exception. To Devon, being able to see his brother like this, dancing and singing and partying just as hard as when they were teenagers... nothing could have topped the moment. It was like going back in time, to a time when they held no real responsibilities or cares. No careers, no drama, no worries beyond what was most awesome in that moment. It was like being free all over again.

Psycho melded into The Handler, Devon's favourite from the new album and the song that had absolutely cemented his desire to learn to play the guitar. It quickly became clear that this was unlike any Muse gig they had seen before. Muse stripped bare, back to their harder and less orchestral roots, it fed so amazingly into the vibe Devon was riding. The next few songs were all older ones, from well before Muse's stint into the world of electronic rock, and the energy in the air was palpable from the thousands of people all singing and dancing.

As Citizen Erased wound down Matt, the leader singer, left the stage. Dom and Chris, the drummer and bassist, then launched into their truly epic Munich Jam. It was their chance to truly show off while Matt spent a few minutes to recover, and Cade looked over at his brother. Cade was obviously well aware of his brother's hero-worship of Matt, but he also knew that Dom was his real inspiration. Watching Dom would have been amazing, but watching Devon as he in turn watched the drummer working his magic was like a birthday present come early for Cade. The look of awe and focus on Devon's face was such a delight to see, and Cade took a couple of sneaky photos while Devon's attention was so utterly fixated on the stage.

Eventually however Munich Jam came to a close and Devon snapped out of his semi-trance as a deafening roar of cheers welcomed the opening of Dead Inside. The super sexy sounding yet chilling song was the first song off the new album Devon had fallen in love with, and was his current favourite to drum even though it was far slower and less technical than the others. Matt Bellamy's voice had long had the effect to reduce Devon to a barely coherent quivering mess, and up so close to the stage, with the singer so clearly in view as he started to croon through the transition of the song, Devon could feel himself losing the ability to function as a normal human being.

All too soon the gorgeous waves of Dead Inside came to an end, and the explosion of noise and screaming and heavy guitar riffs that rocked in the next song brought Devon's mind crashing back to earth. He had heard the song hundreds if not thousands of times over the years, could play it better than most of the other Muse songs he had learned on the drums, and had indeed played it live on numerous occasions. He'd been listening to it in the car the day before he'd got the flight back to Leeds. Yet now, over three thousand miles away from where his new home was, the song came like a punch to the gut because he realised that, despite the high he was currently riding, there was one thing that could have made it even better.

“Oh baby don't you know I suffer? Oh baby can't you hear me moan? You caught me under false pretences. How long before you let me go?”
Out of the corner of his eye Cade noticed that Devon, while still swaying kinda like a drunkard, had mentally dipped slightly and wasn't singing or dancing anywhere near as hard as he normally did to Supermassive Black Hole. It was odd and more than a little worrying to see, and he paused his own party for a moment to give his baby brother a nudge. He all but had to yell to be heard over the music and singing surrounding them. “Hey, you okay?”

The nudge from his brother snapped Devon out of his momentary pining, and he gave a quick nod of his head. “Yeah, m'fine. Sorry, I just thought of somethin'.” Cade didn't seem at all convinced by that explanation and Devon knew he'd likely get quizzed about it later, but with that blip of longing passed it was easy to quickly get back into the swing of the concert, and by the time the second chorus rolled around Devon was back to dancing and singing with the best of them.

The four songs that followed were a truly stunningly put together mix of very old and very new, and Devon just about cheered his lungs out as they launched into Stockholm Syndrome. It had long been one of his absolute favourite songs to drum but he'd never been lucky enough to have them play it at a gig he'd been to before. To hear it live now, blasting out all guns blazing at the biggest rock festival on the planet with his brother rocking equally hard next to him, it was like his own little piece of paradise. At the end of Stockholm Syndrome the band left the stage, but the lights stayed dipped and the cheering didn't cease. Instead it sparked a mass chanting and clapping, and it wasn't long before the band reappeared and flew into the anthem that was Uprising.

Hearing somewhere close to eight thousand people half-singing half-chanting the chorus of Uprising was easily one of the most epic things Devon had ever been privileged to witness, and even though by this point his everything was aching and telling him to stop, he had no intentions of even slowing down. That mindset was only strengthened when Uprising morphed into Plug In Baby, the one song that he was determined to learn how to play on guitar even if it killed him. He and Cade danced and rocked out together, singing until their throats burned, and when that song ended and Dom took to the centre of the stage and pulled out a harmonica, they joined in with the uproar of noise because everyone knew what was coming next.

No matter how many times Devon had heard Man With A Harmonica it still sent shivers up his spine and made the hairs on his arms stand on end. It was so beautifully eerie and powerful, slow and rhythmic, yet it sent waves of energy rippling through the crowd because it was always, always followed by the one song guaranteed to get every single member of the audience dancing. This time was no different, and as Knights Of Cydonia officially kicked in it was a mad scrabble for everyone to keep to their feet as all those eight thousand people became one gigantic sea of moving limbs. The sweat was pouring and the heat and crush of bodies was intense, but it was so real and pure and utterly thrilling that Devon had a really hard time not just screaming with joy. Cade seemed to be equally going for it, long hair obscuring his face as he rocked out just as hard as his baby brother was doing.

There was not a soul on the field that didn't cheer when the fireworks launched into the air at the songs climax, lighting up the night sky like it were day and for a moment making Devon really, really regret the fact that he didn't become a rock star. The music and the crowd and the fireworks were overwhelming, and he was once more utterly stunned and transfixed as he watched Matt spiralling around the stage and Dom and Chris playing like their lives depended on it.

When the song came to a close and Matt bid his farewells, Devon braced when he saw Dom jogging up to the edge of the stage. His right hand instinctively grabbed his brother's shirt as he eyed the drummer, watching, but the soaring drumsticks flew wide. One went way behind past them, and the other was caught by someone several feet over to their right. Devon couldn't be too disappointed with missing out on that though, considering the fact that despite the near miss he was still cheering and clapping and bouncing on his toes as Muse exited stage left.

With the headliner finished there would be no more acts for the night, and the field fairly quickly started to empty. The crowd moved as one big wave, filing away to go back to their tents or to the food trucks or wherever else took their fancy. Cade seemed to be acting a little strange though and kept looking off to his side, and it was Devon's turn to nudge him. “What'cha looking at?” He wasn't convinced by Cade's answer of 'nothing, just thought I saw someone I knew', and gave his brother a small frown before turning to look back at the stage. The road crew were scurrying around on it, taking Muse's set apart and starting to get the stage ready for the next morning. Devon wanted to pretend that he found the entire process utterly fascinating, but in truth he just wanted an excuse to stand still for a moment because, now the adrenaline was starting to wear off, his ankles and knees felt about ready to give way beneath him.

After a few long moments he turned around to begin to head away, but Cade was nowhere in sight. Devon knew that his brother wouldn't have gone on without him (largely because he had a shit sense of direction and needed Devon to find their way back to the tent), and for a moment he started to panic. That panic was very shortly lived, however, as he saw Cade picking his way through the people towards him. “Where the hell did you go?”
Cade gave a slight shrug, doing his best to keep the smile off his lips. “I didn't see you stop; I kept walking. You coulda given me a sign, y'know.”
Devon nodded and started to walk, but the pain in his knees flared up to his hips and he buckled, only just able to catch himself before he fell. He was very, very grateful he'd remembered to pack his painkillers for the trip. “Carry me.”
“No.”
“Please?”
“No.”
“But I hurt.”
“So do I, and I didn't get a sleep earlier.”
“Pretty please?”

The back and forth continued for a few minutes, then Cade gave up with a defeated sigh. “FINE! Just make sure no-one sees you.” As Devon started scanning around him for anyone that might be paying attention, Cade tucked the front of his shirt into his jeans. A few moments later, he bent down and picked up the tiny least weasel that had hopped onto his shoe. “Just so we're clear, you scratch me, I'll dump you in the biggest puddle I can find. Got it?” Once the weasel nodded in understanding, Cade tucked it into his shirt so he could carry it back to the tent without anyone seeing it.

Over the course of the festival the fields had quickly turned into mud, and several times Cade slipped or sank as he tried to pick his way through the acres of tents to find theirs. Every now and then he would poke the tiny lump nestled in his shirt, and Devon would climb up the fabric and peak over the collar, using waves of his head to direct Cade which way to go. Eventually they made it back, and Cade unlocked the zip of the tent. It was useless locking it really, since anyone who was desperate to steal anything could easily just cut through the side of the fabric, but it was a nice deterrent at any rate. Why hack through the fabric when there were literally hundreds of other, unlocked tents that were far easier to break into? Not that crime tended to be much of a problem at festivals anyway; everyone was here for the same reason, and why pay the extortionate price of getting into the festival grounds in the first place when there were far easier, safer and cheaper ways to make a living through petty theft?

Cade ducked into the little porch bit of the tent, pulling the weasel out of his shirt and setting it down on the ground before closing up the main entrance bit of the tent behind them. He turned around just in time to see Devon finishing his shift back, and rolled his eyes at the state his brother was in. Apparently it was harder for him to keep his clothes in array when he'd had a few to drink and was generally a bit delirious. Once Devon had finished shrieking and managed to get his shoes off after they had manifested back on the wrong feet, Cade carefully manoeuvred to sit beside his little brother. “You owe me big time, y'know?” At Devon's confused look, he untucked the present from where he had been hiding it, under the leg of his jeans and held in place with his sock, and handed it over to Devon. The look on his baby brother's face was priceless.

“That's... that's Dom's...” Devon stared at the drumstick with wide eyes and his jaw flapping like a guppy fish. “How did you...?”

Cade gave a sly grin and shrugged his shoulders. “Idiot had it sticking out his back pocket. Honestly, these newbies don't have a clue.” Cade had expected the hug, though he hadn't expected it to be quite so boisterous and after a while he had to pry Devon off him through fear of not being able to breathe any more.

------

It was long past two in the morning but the sounds of individual little parties still carried in the air. Thankfully there were none too close to their tent so the noise wasn't too loud, but Cade was still struggling dropping off to sleep. He hadn't been to a festival since Devon had gone off to America, and he had got so very used to the blissful silence of his home. That, and his legs were throbbing uncomfortably from standing up and dancing all day. He'd have to grab some of Devon's painkillers in the morning.

As he was lying on his back he noticed Devon moving slightly next to him, and saw a dim light appear that could only have come from his phone. There was the soft sound of typing, and after a few moments the light disappeared again. Cade spoke softly so as not to spook his brother. “You texting her?”
There was a soft grunt from Devon, and a paused that stretched out slightly too long for it to have been anyone but. Devon's reply of 'nope, I'm sleeping' was about as convincing as saying the pope liked Metallica. Cade rolled over slightly onto his side. “You are, aren't you?”
Cade took Devon's frustrated sigh and roll over to face away from him as a 'yes' and rolled his eyes. For as much progress as Devon was obviously making, he was still being such a stubborn brat about things that really shouldn't matter. Still, any progress was better than no progress at all, he figured. Besides, it wasn't like Devon could keep up the avoidance dance forever as far as his family knowing about her was concerned.

Next week would mark the very definite end of that.

[Devon Wentsworth]

Devon was still stiff and sore from the night before, the painkillers just about taking the edge off, but he was not at all letting that slow him down. Today was set to be much more slower paced than yesterday, with only a couple of bands playing that the boys really wanted to see who were all scheduled for later in the day, and so they had spent more time browsing around the trade stands and picking up a few presents for people. And for themselves, of course. Because who didn't need a figurine of a cute little blue dragon cosplaying as Sherlock Holmes?

They stopped for lunch on the same hill they had been perched on back on Friday, though it was significantly more difficult to find a spot to sit on that was more grass and less mud. With just over nine thousand people trampling to and fro, the site had been turned into a swamp over the weekend. Devon felt an uncomfortable squelch as he sat, but he was too tired and happy to care. His stomach growled as he opened the little package and gazed down hungrily at the meat and potato pie he'd picked up from the food trucks. It was warm and rich and the pastry flaked beautifully, and he made a mental note to grab another one later to have in the car on the way back to their mum's.

From where he was perched next to Devon, Cade tucked into his scampi and chips that was swimming in tartare sauce. He noticed Devon making quiet happy noises next to him, and chuckled as he glanced over at his brother. “That as good as one of Ferris'?” When Devon scoffed and shook his head like it was going to fall off, Cade smiled and speared another chip with the small plastic fork. He had to admit, he was both excited and a little apprehensive about getting to finally meet Devon's friends soon. From the phone and email-based interactions he'd had with them they seemed to be pretty good people, and were clearly doing alright managing to keep Devon semi-sane, but... well... they tolerated being around Devon for prolonged periods of time. Clearly they were not quite sane themselves.

After they finished eating the boys just had time to go and take their tent down and dump all their stuff back into Cade's car before heading down to 3rd Stage to see Three Days Grace. As they were waiting for the band to come on Through the Fire and the Flames by Dragonforce started playing over the speakers, and Devon was a little disappointed that the friend he had made the day before while waiting for Faith No More to appear wasn't around for him to air-guitar with again. That didn't stop him from singing along with Cade though, and set them both up in the mood ready to cheer and clap along with the rest of the three-thousand strong crowd as Three Days Grace took to the stage.

The set was another sadly rather short one, topping out at only seven songs, but when those songs included Animal I Have Become and the hard anthem that was Riot it was impossible to have not been on a high at the end of it. After the cheering had died down and the stage became flooding with people changing over the sets, Devon and Cade joined the large majority of the crowd that were heading towards Main for the last two acts that would be closing out the festival. It was a long trek right across the site, and when they got there the crews were clearly just doing the last checks before Mötley Crüe took to the stage. Because they had come over later than most of the thousands of people, who had been around Main to see Slash, there was not a chance in hell the brothers would have been able to elbow their way to a decent spot.

Cade turned to Devon as they came to a halt fairly near the back, the stage far away and their only real option to watch on the vast monitors. “We could try and get a bit closer, if you wanted?”
Devon pondered for a moment, then gave a small shake of his head. “Nah, I'm fine back here. Besides, it'll make it easier to run back and get out before everyone else does.”

The site always stayed open until the day after the festival, giving the revellers one last night to party and celebrate before getting their stuff together and heading back to the real world. Every year they had been before the boys had stayed until the Monday, but that would not be the case this year. They had a flight leaving for the States at eight in the morning, meaning they had to be at the airport around six. Devon had mentioned that they could still stay a few hours later, but Cade had pointed out that him driving from Donington to Leeds at three in the morning after a weekend of pretty much no sleep could well result in neither of them making it to the airport because they'd be too busy being in hospital. After a moment of silent pouting, Devon had reluctantly agreed to go as soon as the last band had finished.

Mötley Crüe's set was of course amazing, and Cade certainly seemed to agree as the older brother rocked his way through Girls Girls Girls. The energy was phenomenal and the mood blissfully high, though it was also slightly bittersweet with the knowledge that it would be the bands last ever festival date, due to them deciding to retire at the end of the year. Devon had only had the chance to see them a few times and they had always been truly staggering, and he was certainly not the only one who shed a tear as the band said their last ever farewell to the festival crowds. It was the end of an era that had spanned since before he was even born, and he joined the thousands of people who filled the air with roaring cheers as they finished with Home Sweet Home and exited the stage for the final time.

During the set change-over the boys chatted about the upcoming week, pausing only to sing along with the rest of the crowd as a recording of Muse's song Uprising from the set yesterday played over the speakers. They discussed places in Pilot Ridge and Vermont in general they wanted to visit, but every time Cade tried to steer the conversation towards Midori, Devon deflected it back to this store or that restaurant instead. After a few attempts he just gave up and let Devon just keep on rabbiting about some bar owned by a Welshman until the floodlights dipped and the uproar started as Kiss took to the stage.

Even though Devon had never been a massive Kiss fan (he found them a bit too overly-theatrical and cheesy-American for his liking) he could not deny that they put on one hell of a show. The crowd was tired but still partying hard at the end of the long weekend, and Devon was powerless to avoiding joining in with singing along to the songs that he actually knew. Cade, on the other hand, seemed to be having an epic time as he danced along to Detroit Rock City, War Machine, and many of the others until the set rounded of with huge amounts of fireworks and Rock and Roll All Night.

At the end of the set many people hung around, riding the high of energy and euphoria, but also feeling the rippling waves of impeding sadness that yet another Download was over. Devon and Cade, however, left as soon as the floodlights came back on fully. Experience had taught them that if they didn't move fast, they'd end up stuck in a queue behind several thousand other cars all wanting to leave at the same time. Thankfully they had packed before going to the last gigs, and the path out was fairly steadily moving as they left the field acting as a car park and hit the road on their way home.

The boys chatted for a while but eventually drifted off into comfortable silence, the miles passing by in the darkness of the night. After a while it occurred to Devon that in the rush of the day he hadn't checked him phone, and when he pulled it out he saw he had a few messages waiting for him. One from their mum telling them to drive back safely, one from Ferris saying the cats were still alive... and two from Midori. He smiled as he read them, delighted that she had replied, but also feeling something very different. Something he had never felt before.

A pining to return to a place that wasn't Leeds, and to a person that was not his family.

Devon stared at his phone silently for a long while, and for once Cade respected his quiet. It took him a while to work out exactly what he wanted to say, and hit reply.
I'd like that a lot. New York isn't too far away, and they usually play there.
For a while longer Devon just stared at his phone, and then sent off another message.
I miss you too.

[Devon Wentsworth]

“Oh, tea, please. Milk, no sugar.”

As the stewardess fixed her drink Lorraine glanced up at the screen in front of her. It was showing episodes of a television show she had never seen before, and she had tried to watch it earlier but could not catch up with the plot she had missed. The truth was that she was incredibly nervous to be flying, but she had been doing her best to hide that knowledge from her boys. They had both been so excited for so long about the trip, and she didn’t want to give them a reason to be anxious.

The last time she had flown had been when Devon had been taken to Switzerland, when she and Cade had gone over to visit him. The cold had been incredibly hard on her and there had been a small part of her that was glad when she’d arrived back in England, but to this day she had not forgiven the school for taking her baby boy so far away from her. Sadly, it seemed to have become a theme for his life. He graduated from the meta-school in Switzerland, only to later on in life move to America to work at one there. No matter what, there was always a meta-human school taking him away from her, one way or another.

However, she couldn’t deny that he seemed happy. He talked to such great lengths about the people and the places he knew there, and even though he got reserved and quiet every time she tried to broach the subject of the young lady they would be meeting, Lorraine could tell that something had changed. Devon seemed to think that she didn’t know what he had been like since splitting up with that Katie person, but he had never been the most subtle or cunning of people. She knew he had been a mess afterwards and she had heard rumours in the years following it, and though she had always dismissed them, she knew her son well enough to know there could well be some truth to them.

Now, though, it was different. Even though she had only seen him for a few hours since his arrival in England on Thursday, thanks to the boys disappearing to the festival for the weekend, Devon seemed happier yet also more… focussed, somehow. Like his scattered little brain was actually trying to catch up with the fact that he wasn’t a teenager any more. It was a delightful thing to see. With that, on top of all the things they had planned, it was certainly shaping up to be a very interesting and joyous holiday.

The stewardess handed the little cup of tea to Lorraine, and she took it with a small smile and a ‘thank you’. She moved her magazine to the side, making room on the fold-down tray to place the cup and the little packet of chocolate chip biscuits that came with it. No, not biscuits. Cookies, Devon had told her to refer to them if she wanted to make sure she got the right thing.

Just before Lorraine settled back down, the stewardess asked her “Are those gentlemen with you?”

Lorraine looked to the side, where the much younger woman had indicated. Cade was sat nearest the window, his head resting on his balled-up jumper, leaning against the wall of the aeroplane and a book open but unread on the tray in front of him. Devon had earphones in, but he was leaning against his brother with his head on Cade’s shoulder. Both of them were quite clearly dead to the world. She wasn’t surprised of course; they had always tended to spend most of the day after a festival completely comatose. Lorraine smiled fondly. “Can I just have two cokes for them, please? They’ll probably want them when they wake up.”