Keep Your Head Up, Champ

- Anyway... -

"How's the hi-hat?" Joseph asked, the crew now back at Kim's house to finish up the album before release.

"Hear it loud and clear. Damn, we're good." Stephen nodded, impressed with how well they sounded.

"Hoo, when the crowd hears this album, we're going next level!" You cheered.

"The pre-listen was enough to get me pumped." Knives added.

"Y/N, getting Knives in the band was the best idea you ever had." Scott smiled.

"And I don't plan on making it the last idea." You smiled back. "Hey, since the recording part of this whole thing is over, how does some practice sound?"

"I'm game, let's go." Kim agreed.

- At Kim's Room -

"Before we start, I should announce, we've got a show. At Sneaky Dee's and on Sunday. Big deal." Stephen explained.

"This Sunday?" Kim questioned.

"Sounds like you didn't plan it." You realized.

"And I didn't. I had nothing to do with it. I think Julie set us up in a petty act of revenge." Stephen guessed.

"Big surprise." Scott rolled his eyes.

"What did you do to that girl?" Kim sighed.

"We broke up." Stephen answered.

"For the fiftieth time!" Scott added.

"Too bad for her, we've grown way past what this band used to be." Knives grinned.

"That's right. We've got Knives, better sound, a better vibe, and we're ready for anything." You added.

"We're gonna spite her ass with how good we are, and then, we'll be on a roll from there. This is a golden opportunity. And the best part? Julie will have been the one who set it up." Stephen smirked.

"Good to see spirits are up. Now, shall we?" You suggested.

"Hell yeah! Let's play 'Kim's Song!'" Scott cheered.

"It isn't my song. Learn the frickin' titles already." Kim grumbled.

"But... you made up the beat for it." Scott pointed out.

"Whatever. Live! From my bedroom! We are..." Kim took a deep breath. "SEX BOB-OMB! ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!"

- Two and a half beautiful ass minutes later -

"People... we are gonna rock on Sunday!" You exclaimed, raising the "let's rock" hand gestures in the air.

"Damn straight we are." Kim smirked.

"We're definitely gonna rub our success in Julie's face!" Knives smiled.

- Sometime at Queen Street, Fashion District -

You tagged along with Scott and Ramona as they went to try out some new outfits. Well, mostly the latter, Scott had no intention of trying or buying. You, however, thought it'd be nice to try some stuff out.

"No... Nope... Eh, not my style..." You mumbled, as you tried outfit after outfit, to no avail of finding something you liked. "M-m not it... Huh, doesn't suit me... Agh, absolutely not..."

Though, you weren't so surprised. You wore basically the same outfit everyday to the point it would be unusual to not see you wear that outfit. "Crud. Well, looks like we're staying classic." You sighed.

So, back to your red flannel shirt and beanie it was. However, this time around, your hoodie was an even brighter color, being a light gray. The denim of both your pants and vest were a little bit lighter, and your shoes stayed the same black with white stripes.

You stepped out of the changing room. "Hey Y/N, any luck?" Ramona asked, seeing your usual look.

"None." You answered, shaking your head. "And you?"

"Same. All these clothes are just so..." Ramona paused, searching for the right word. "Plain. Nothing to stand out, and nothing to grab attention."

"Eh, you don't need it. You by yourself are enough to make you the highlight of the night." You complimented.

Ramona's eyes widened a little. "Oh, uh, thanks, Y/N." She replied, slightly flustered.

"Don't mention it." You nodded. "By the way, Scott! What will we be playing on Sunday?"

"I think we should do 'Erasmus the Enchanter', Stephen Stills thinks 'Herself the Elf' would be a better opener." Scott answered. "What do you think Y/N?"

"Hm... I say we go with Erasmus, just to be safe." You answered. "Knives's first show is a big deal, and it would be good to start it off with a sure-fire hit."

"That's what I'm saying! I've got a good feeling about this." Scott nodded. "Are you coming, Ramona?"

"Had your band been what it was back then? I would've said I didn't even like it." Ramona replied, but then smiled. "You've gotten a lot better, so of course I'll be there."

"Sweet." You and Scott said at the same time.

- Next Day, at the Happy Avocado -

"You both booked off work for the show, right?" Stephen asked.

"Rightey-O." You nodded.

"Uh-huh." Scott confirmed.

"You're doing it wrong. They're not- they have to be uniform, man." Stephen told Scott as the two worked in the kitchen. "Come on, here."

"If someone keeps a secret, does it mean they keep a lot of secrets?" Scott wondered.

"Stop. I don't want to think about anything except knives and the band." Stephen dismissed.

"Isn't Knives part of the band?" Scott pointed out.

"Knives like the one in my hand. Restaurant talk. Band talk. That's all." Stephen replied.

"I get your stress is still there even after how much we've improved in time, Stephen. But remember, we're better than we were in the past. Whatever you're worrying about, you'll forget once we get on that stage and hear the crowd absolutely lose it over us." You advised and assured.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry." Stephen sighed.

"There we go. Besides, we've got something like 48 hours, dude. We've got a plan, we've got practice, and we're ready." Scott said. And although you couldn't see him from outside the kitchen, you could tell he was smiling.

- Something like 48 hours later, at Sneaky Dee's... -

"Alright, everyone knows the plan?" You asked, the band all waiting on backstage. "Instruments?"

"Tuned. Check." Stephen answered.

"Equipment?" You continued.

"Fully functioning. Check!" Knives exclaimed.

"Attitudes?" You asked.

"Excited and confident. Check!" Scott replied. "And with pre-show jitters!"

"The setlist?" You questioned.

"Memorized from start to finish. Check." Kim nodded.

"Visuals?" You finished, then paused. "Oh wait, that's me! Check!"

"Oh, we are SO ready!" Scott cheered.

"We'd better be." Stephen nodded.

"We've got free time before the show, do whatever you must to get yourselves psyched up!" You encouraged.

- Back within the crowd... -

"What... Sex Bob-Omb? I thought you guys broke up." Monique snarked.

"Psh, please. We've done nothing but grow closer as a band this past months." You shrugged.

"Haven't played a show in a year or something..." Monique recalled.

"Three months." Scott corrected.

"It's like... wow... A whole generation of bands have come and gone since you guys opened for the Demonheads in Lee's." Sandra pointed out.

"That was this May." Scott replied.

"And we improved a lot since then, you have no idea." You added.

- Anyway... -

"So just to be sure, 'Erasmus' first, right?" Kim asked.

"Yup." You and Scott confirmed.

"Is Ramona coming?" Kim questioned.

"Yeah, and she digs our band! Can you believe it?!" Scott cheered.

"Good to see she also supports your lousy endeavors. I didn't think she was ever able to stand them for much longer." Kim said.

"I'm just glad that she'll be supporting our performance." You said.

"There's a lot of things we should be grateful for!" Knives beamed.

"Well, that's true." You chuckled.

"Alright, everyone ready?" Stephen asked, walking in with his guitar.

"Tank's full on video." You confirmed.

"Video? Don't you usually do neon?" Kim questioned.

"I decided to switch it up a bit. The crowd won't see it coming. Besides, I wanted to do something special for Knives' first live performance." You replied.

"I have something planned with my glass powers, too! Guess who learned about light refraction?" Knives smirked.

"Oh, this is gonna be amazing." You grinned.

"Okay, everyone who's ready, say 'yeah'." Scott said.

"Yeah!" Everyone else, including you, yelled.

"Alright." Stephen cracked his knuckles, neck, and then a smile. "Let's fuckin' do this."

You and the rest of the band walked onto the stage, as the lights were off and the crowd was cheering. You wanted just how far things you created out of video could go. Hardlight opened up a lot of creative possibilities.

Stephen took center stage, with you not being so far behind. To your left was Scott on bass, to the right was Knives on keyboard, and behind you, Kim on drums.

You looked at all their faces, and nervousness was not evident at all. In fact, there was a mix of confidence and excitement, especially in Knives and Scott. You couldn't help but feel the same way.

Kim cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and you knew what would come next. "WE ARE SEX BOB-OMB! ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!"

And "Erasmus the Enchanter" began. You wasted no time in providing the ever-so-popular visuals of the song. Your arms glowed with blue pixels, and Erasmus himself appeared in the center of the stage thanks to you.

His moves coordinated with whatever the music narrated. And you soon found out what Knives was talking about, as she created a glass sphere. Once the lights pointed at it, the colors within changed drastically, and made for a perfect backdrop.

The audience cheered, and the band was in full swing. The performance was going off without a hitch. Your heart had never beat so fast with excitement, dopamine was at top levels, and everything just felt great.

Until there happened to be a sudden interruption of a robot that charged up the stage. It tried to attack Scott, only to be stopped by his bass and countering.

"Well, looks like this is gonna be a different kind of show than usual." You smirked. "Scott, you think you can fight and play the bass at the same time?"

"We're about to find out." Scott smiled.

Scott, Stephen, Kim, and Knives continued playing while the robot attacked. The crowd seemed to enjoy the fighting aspect as they continued to cheer and watch.

You continued providing the hardlight imagery and effects. The battle continued, and everyone absolutely loved the spectacle. Eventually, Scott smashed his bass toward the robot's head, hitting it clean off.

Unfortunately, the bass broke from that. "Oh crap." Scott muttered. "The show isn't done!"

"No problem, I've got you covered!" You snapped your fingers and created a new bass out of thin air.

"Nevermind, we're good!" Scott beamed.

"Alright, everyone. We're on the last song of the setlist. Let's blow this joint away!" You declared.

- After the Show -

"This day actually couldn't have gone better." Stephen commented.

"Told you. We were going to be a big hit!" You boasted.

"And it was a team effort. All thanks to us!" Scott chimed in.

"I had a really good time! Am I really gonna feel like this every time I play?" Knives giddily asked.

"It's a rush like no other. I'll never get tired of it." You nodded.

"Hey, do you have your keys? I totally forgot mine again." Scott asked Ramona.

"Again? Didn't I say I wouldn't let you in next time that happened?" Ramona shook her head.

"Yeah, but... you're right here. I mean, it doesn't count if I'm with you. Does it?" Scott argued.

"He has a point, y'know." You shrugged.

"I dunno... Gotta stick to my guns, right?" Ramona said, though a bit hesitantly.

"Are you kicking me out?!" Scott panicked.

"What? No! C'mon. I just... need some me time, y'know?" Ramona clarified. "It's a small apartment, dude."

"No, yeah... Good idea. Take all the time you need. I'll just sleep over with one of my many friends who love me." Scott nodded.

"You know who you could go to? For old times' sake?" You suggested. "Wallace."

"I don't know..." Scott said.

"C'mon, it's just for one night. What can possibly go wrong?" You shrugged. "I'll visit you two in the morning. Heck, maybe early enough for breakfast."

"Yeah, you're right. Maybe it'll be a bit fun, catch up on old times. Plus, I did say I'd see him sooner or later." Scott smiled.