Somewhere after midnight
In my wildest fantasy
Somewhere just beyond my reach
There's someone reaching
back for me

❧

She was on top of the world.

Alice Augustine was literally high as a fucking kite. The only thing was, she was sober. It was more of a metaphorical high. The kind that accompanied a girl that started a band that had climbed the charts – the kind of band that people chased down the streets. She’d always wanted this. Even as a kid, pining after The Beatles and their one-of-a-kind career, Alice had sworn that she would be among the greats. But she wouldn’t be able to do it herself – she didn’t want to do it herself. She wanted her best mates behind her. People like Pip Monday, the incredible guitarist and flirt. Holliday Lachlan, the future Queen of bloody England and the best drummer in the world. Ziggy West, the sweet, kind keyboardist. And Fox. Fox Rowley – her best friend and the bassist that would never, ever let her down.

She was living the dream. The sort of dream that people would kill for. Every night was full of music, concerts, parties, anything that sounded fun, really. While they weren’t on tour, they were free to do as they pleased, but it was usually all of them hanging out together. The Polyjuicers weren’t just a band – they were about as close to family as they could get.

Fox sat at the bar in the back of Opium looking like a fish out of water. Out of all of them, he was the softest. The sweetest. The kindest. She approached, wrapping her arms around his neck. He had been her best friend for as long as she could remember and he was always the one that pulled her out of trouble. He was perhaps the most responsible member of the band, which was hilarious given that Pip had technical seniority. But Fred had always been an old soul. A part of her knew that she had always been in love with him. Another part told her that she could never, ever let it out. Not when he’d joined the band and they worked so well together. She couldn’t risk it. Not any of it.

Alice inhaled for a moment, momentarily burying her face in the crook of his neck. She liked the way that he smelled – familiar, like home. Goosebumps moved across her skin from their point of contact, reminding her just how much she had missed him. Almost immediately, she realized her mistake and withdrew slightly. She wasn’t here to cuddle like they were on the tour bus. She didn’t need rumors floating around about them, did she? “You look bored…are you bored?” Alice withdrew even further but kept her hands locked around his neck.

Loud music pulsed around them, as it always did. There was never a dull moment in the Polyjuicer’s days. At least, not lately. She raised her hand to the bartender. “Two, yeah?” The bartender immediately took noticed and poured two shots of tequila, pushing them towards the couple…of friends. “C'mon Fox. Loosen up, have another drink. Have a drink,” Alice said, pushing one of the shots in front of him. She was supposed to be babysitting, but another wouldn’t put her under. Her tolerance was much too high for that. She wasn’t even sure that Fox had had anything all night. He usually was more concerned with making sure that everyone else was alright than he was with having a good time himself. Sometimes Alice worried about him. Yes, they’d spent their entire childhood imagining what it would be like to be actual rock stars and now here they were…actual rock stars. Sometimes she wondered if Fox was cut out for it all. He always seemed too sweet to be in this industry – too pure. He wasn’t the type that got caught up in stuff like the rest of them.

“Don’t you want to be like Holliday? Just for a day?” Holls was off somewhere, probably getting a tattoo or drinking herself under the table. “Be like Pip?” She wasn’t sure where Monday had gotten off to. “Be like me. Be free. Just for tonight.” Alice detangled herself from his neck and took the barstool next to him. A few girls that had been ogling him seemed disappointed but went to whispering when they realized who it was. Alice ignored them. Tonight, they weren’t important – fans or not. Tonight, it was about getting Fox to relax and accept that they were fucking legends.

@fox | 739 | Outfit

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + ADOX 2.0

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The band was out partying. Again. Some days, Fox felt as if they were either in the studio of letting loose in this club or the other - the true life of a rock star. And whilst that had never been something he'd dreamt of as a child, Fox could say that he was happy. They were all like his family and he loved them all as such. They might be different, sometimes a lot, but in the end they were united by something far stronger. Something that couldn't be broken. And...well, Fox had Allison. For all that he called her Alice in public these days or went with Alls, she was still the same cutie that had hidden in his place with the Bible reading excuse so they could pretend to be what they were today. She was his best friend, half of his soul, and being here to watch as she lived her dream was more than he could have ever wanted. For Fox, there was nothing purer, nothing that he wanted more in this world than this. Than seeing her this happy, this elated with what she'd managed to conquer. If anyone deserved everything, it was Alls. Whilst Fox loved every single member of their little family, Alls would always, always be special to him.

Before, he'd been dancing with Pip near the DJ booth but, true to his form, his friend had ditched him for the prettiest face around and Fox didn't have vocation for third wheel. Or any will at all, since the person he loved above all others - and that he knew loved him back, as hell bent in pretending nothing was happening. Fox...he'd let her. He's always let her and this wouldn't change. It had to come from Alls, not from him. She had to decide that she wanted to take that leap and he could say with a hundred percent certainty that she wouldn't lose him not matter what. He'd always love her and he'd be content with whatever it was that she decided to do. So he'd gone to the bar and ordered a beer, something a lot weaker than what the others were drinking, but someone had to be responsible. Technically, Alls was the babysitter of the day. But knowing that Hols and Pip would take that as an opportunity to go wild - as always -, Fox decided that he'd keep himself level enough to help her. Or keep her company. Both worked.

He hadn't been alone in the bar for more than a few minutes, sipping his beer and ignoring the giggling girls by the side with as much tact as he could, when he felt warmth on his back and his entire body relaxed. Fox didn't even need to look to realise who it was. Alls. He knew her, her touch and her smell better than anything else in his life. Touches like these...god, they made him hope so hard. They could have it all, all the time, but- ah, there it was. She pulled back and he swallowed any noise of disappointment, laughing. "Nope, not bored. Just didn't want to play third wheel to Pip and flavour of the night. Or of the hour. You never know with him, Jesus Christ." He turned slightly to her, nose brushing against her jaw, and smiled. "Never a slow moment with you guys around, you know that, Alls."

Groaning as she spoke to the bartender, Fox made a face but didn't argue, taking his shot in hand as soon as gave it to him and eyeballing it. What was even that? Knowing Alls, something far above his tolerance. That was okay, though. He knew that she'd never give him something he wouldn't like. That witch knew him better than anyone else in God's green Earth. "I am having a drink. A beer. It's perfectly respectable, okay, no judging, not all of us can hold our liquor. You know I'm a complete baby where alcohol is involved," and he is, painfully weak. One drink isn't going to kill him, though, so he threw it back and presented the empty glass to Alls, cheekily. "Happy? Drank everything, without spilling," god, he couldn't stop smiling around this woman. It's a thing, a thing that he never wants to change but is very pathetic nonetheless. It's interesting that he's pathetic and doesn't give a lick.

Fox's eyebrows knit up together as she speaks. Being like Holiday? God forbid, he'd never survive a single day. Nor would his liver. "Alls...look at me. Do I look like I have the mental fortitude to be in any way like Holiday Lachlan?" He didn't, not even a bit. Fox was of the opinion that Holiday born with the good sense of a moth but the daredevil skills of a goddamn leopard or something. Pip...was a lot more moderate but also crazy. Fox wanted very little. Most of all, he wanted Allison. "I am free. Like a baby bird. This is me, being free with my best friend because we are fucking rock stars and we'll rule the world. Just- you're the supernaturally talented, Holiday is the crazy, Pip is the smooth charmer and Ziggy is the sweet one. I'm just me." As she took a seat by his side, Fox wrapped an arm around her and brought her closer. Burying his face on hair, he sighs. This is good. "We can dance in a bit, yeah? Gonna be fun, Alls."

tags: @ Alls

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words: 910

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i need a hero

[attr="class","reasonsmallalice"]SOMEWHERE AFTER MIDNIGHT IN MY WILDEST FANTASY SOMEWHERE JUST BEYOND MY REACH THERE'S SOMEONE REACHING BACK FOR ME

[attr="class","reasonbodalice"]Alice and Fox had grown up together. For years, they weren’t a part of the famed Alice and the Polyjuicers. They were just…Allison and Fred. They were the sort of kids that went to church every Sunday and sang to whatever great powers above were listening just to hear themselves sing. They were the sort of kids that used to make jokes while they were sitting at church and write on each other’s pamphlets because they weren’t actually interested in what was going on up on the pulpit.

“A beer? A beer.” Alice repeated, shaking her head against the back of his neck and then pulling away so she could look at him properly. “You’re a bloody rock star and you think a beer is going hard. That’s what I love about you, Fox,” she said with a grin. A part of Alice knew that she loved Foxy. She would always love him. Before, it had been as a brother. He was the person that always took care of her and made her feel better. He was the one person during her childhood that had let her be who she wanted to be – even if that was a girl that changed her hair to puke green just to make him scream. Now that they were older, things had changed. Her love for him had changed. But it had also become more difficult. They weren’t children anymore. They were adults with jobs – with a band. And the band conflicted with everything. It made it incredibly difficult to sort through her own feelings, so Alice just pushed it all down and away. If she didn’t think about it, then she wouldn’t be tempted by it. At least, that was what she said to herself.

“Happy,” she said, taking the shot glass and returning it to the bar. Sometimes, she needed someone like Fox to ground her. There was so much that Alice got caught up in being a rock star, but every so often, it was nice to be back to basics. It was nice to go out for a night of drinking with her best friend…and the one person in the world who had always seen her.

“I don’t think any of us have the mental or physical fortitude to keep up with Holiday,” she’d know, actually. There had been a stint back in Hogwarts when she’d been into the rock and roll queen of the band. What could Alice say? She’d always had a thing for the danger. Maybe because Hols was the antithesis of Fox, she reasoned. He had a point – he was free in his own way, he always had been. Even growing up, Fox had a sense of self that Alice always envied.

She found herself laughing – giggling even – as Fox drew her closer. Alice knew she should back away, but the alcohol always made her clingy. At least she had a reputation she could throw out when the tabloids caught wind of this one. But tonight, she felt incognito. She felt like no one was watching them… Or maybe it was just wishful thinking. “You’re the balance. The scale that refuses to tip. Even when we’re all jumping on the other side, Fred.” She rolled her eyes and pulled back, coming to her senses…sort of. “Let’s dance,” she agreed, pulling him up from his seat and dragging him onto the dance floor. “Should we request one of our songs?” She asked, pulling his arm up so she could slide underneath it in a tight turn.

Merlin’s Beard, what was she doing?!

[attr="class","reasontagalice"]@ foxy fred | 595 | OUTFIT

[attr="class","credalice"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + ADOX 2.0

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