#Tucson bars

[wehavehadtoday]

hi :)

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

Linn Lane - The Book of Bars & Devils - Linn Lane - 1976

[mudwerks]

(via Arizona Daily Star)

The Legal Tender bar in Tucson over the years 🍻

[cheekyblunders]

Road Trip!

From San Diego --> Arizona--> New Mexico -->

Stopped for gas in Tucson, Arizona and then headed to a retro dive bar.

Shelter Bar

Then went down a few blocks to fill up on Noodles at Noodleholics.

Then I drove all night to New Mexico. At midnight I found a campground and slept in my car.

Next stop: Gila National Wilderness

I visited the old cliff dwellings and hiked through the canyon to spend a night at the Jordan Hot Springs.

[aleksracing]

Strut Bar, Front Lower Bar and Rear Lower Bar for Hyundai Tucson 4th gen NX4.

Strut Bar, Front Lower Bar and Rear Lower Bar for Hyundai Tucson 4th gen NX4. Great products!

[harvestheart]

Dancers in a bar. Tucson, Arizona, Photo © Thomas Hoepker, 1963

Dancers in a bar. Tucson, Arizona, Photo © Thomas Hoepker, 1963

[the-night-picture-collector]

/ Thomas Hoepker, Dancers in a Bar, Tucson, Arizona, 1963

[backwardswalks]

the passenger - screening and q&a with carter smith | horrorigins fest 9/28/24

so there was a screening of the passenger at horrorigins fest in tucson, az over this weekend that had a theater screening of the passenger and then a live q&a with carter smith afterward!

there were some really good questions and there's some video on horrorigins instagram (here and here, they haven't posted a full but i know there were several people recording and the festival is ongoing through today so they may post full video later) but some highlights:

he reiterated a lot of things that he's said in interviews about the script (so i won't go into detail about that)

he talked about his background at FIT and how benson's wardrobe was extremely intentionally chosen, and that the costume designer wanted to kill him bc the exact shade of his cardigan took three times to dye to get it right, it's also acrylic and very itchy (he has one too lmao)

he said that he gave johnny and kyle freedom to improvise on the script as much as they needed/wanted but that for the most part they stuck to it

burgers burgers burgers was a convenience store that they cleaned out and the stuffed animal place was in an actual empty mall that was "abandoned" (he mentioned there were like 7 empty malls they could have used, this one was completely empty so they didn't have to shut it down but idk if it was abandoned in the traditional sense)

he talked about the close ups and how much he loved kyle and johnny's faces and how he could shoot the whole thing in close up

the script was originally called "Randolph Bradley" which he did like but marketing didn't think would grab people and he also likes The Passenger for the movie they ended up making

i wish they had given the audience members mics when they asked their questions bc i'm watching the recording back to make sure i don't misquote something so i can't really hear some of the questions :( they also didn't upload the whole thing as of yet so the rest of this isn't verbatim but:

he agrees that at its core its a love story! when i asked my question i said "i wanted to touch on the love story comment from earlier" (bc someone else briefly mentioned it before asking a diff question) and he was like "i ALSO want to talk about the love story more!!" and was very excited that i brought up that "there's obviously a queer undertone to the film" and he just talked about what he saw in the script and how that came about, again said that jack stanley was like there's no romance but carter was like ummm anyway

he said that "this was the best thing to happen to either of them" (randy and benson) and agreed with someone who had described them as two sides of the same coin

he said that blumhouse also wanted them to lean into the weird romance aspect of it (or were okay with it), kyle was incredibly down to lean into the weird romance and was like "can we make it MORE gay"

afterward the fest went to a bar and mostly everyone went! so we actually got to hang out with carter just me and my friend and we talked a little bit more about the film and just other movies that he's enjoyed, we talked about his weekly newsletter, just random stuff like that. some highlights of that:

he said that kyle was all in on the queer undertone and was like can i touch johnny MORE

he said that there is a scene where benson touches randy again in a way that is similar in vibe to the scene in the mall parking lot where he touches his neck/wipes his tears but that they ended up cutting it because he (Carter) felt like it would undermine the emotional impact of that particular touch! he didn't expand on what the touch was or where exactly it went (he said it was after the teacher but didn't specify if it was after shepherd or mrs beard but i imagine he meant shepherd)

carter said that he would absolutely do a full up and down queer movie with kyle (if it was ever the right fit rather than writing a role for that reason)

it was really great and so interesting to hear his thoughts on the film and on filmmaking as a whole! he is really friendly and super nice and really knowledgeable. he had so much good stuff to say about the industry and he couldn't get enough of praising johnny and kyle both for their performances (rightly so) and what a good time he had making the movie.

bonus:

carter was kind enough to sign my poster (which he reposted the picture of on instagram). (i go into more detail about this event and stuff here) he also gleefully took photos of the saint randy and saint benson candles i made (because i am insane) and said he was going to send them to johnny and kyle because they would love them. kyle also reposted the picture of me and my friend the festival posted of us with the candles so now i am just dryheaving in my room. <3

anyway! support your local film festivals!! without horrorigns this wouldn't have been possible so support local and indie filmmakers and local and independent film festivals! <33

[bullet-prooflove]

Free for all

23. I like the way you kiss me, I can tell you miss me.

For John Winchester, supernatural

Tagging: @kmc1989

John’s missed you, you can tell. It’s in the way his gaze fixates on you as he sits at that table, nursing a whisky as you clean down one of the other seats that have just been vacated.

You feel his presence when you turn your back, those dark eyes making your skin smoulder as you recall the last time the two of you were together. His mouth covering yours, his firm body moving in hard relentless strokes as he fucked you into the mattress. That man is raw, passionate which is why you keep letting him into your bed despite the fact you’re out of that life.

“Come here.” He says at the end of the night when all the other patrons are gone and there’s just you, him and the jukebox playing Johnny Cash.

“No.” You say as you lean back, both elbows coming to rest upon the bar. “You come here.”

His eyes crinkle at the edges as he drains his glass and raises to his feet. He’s purposeful with his strides, moving like a predator as he stalks towards you, his gaze unflinching. His large hands come to rest on your hips, grounding you, holding you in place as his lips chase up the side of your throat, leaving a heated trail of kisses that sets every single one of your nerve endings ablaze.

“Did you miss me?” He asks in that rough, husky voice of his, his palm slipping down from your waist, his fingertips dipping under the hem of your skirt, the one you wear because it gets you better tips. “I missed you.”

“You missed my pussy.” You say, your fingers carding through his hair as his fingers trace over you lightly through your panties. He laughs against your skin, a curt huff that vibrates through his chest as he continues to caress you.

“It feels like she missed me too.” He murmurs as his fingers hook on the damp fabric, shifting it aside. “You wanna fuck my hand or can I get my mouth on you?”

“You know what I like.” You mutter and John, he gets down on his knees to worship at your alter.

“Oh honey I’ve been craving the taste of you since Tucson.” He mumbles, shoving your skirt up your hips and tugging your panties down before tucking them into the pocket of his jeans. His thumb traces over your clit, smearing your slickness over it. “She’s still as pretty as a fucking peach.”

You lean back against the bar, your head tipping back as his breath ghosts over you.

“Show me.” You whisper as he swipes his thumb back and forth, from your clit to core and then back again. “Show me what you’ve been thinking about.”

“Oh honey.” He murmurs, his lips brushing lightly over your clit as he kisses you. “That’s gonna take us all damn night.”

Love John? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Interested in supporting me? Join my Patreon for Bonus Content!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[seat-safety-switch]

There's this super fancy steakhouse near my home, and I've always wanted to eat there. Their salad bar is beyond excellent, a friend informs me, and their grated cheese is actually from Italy. Expense aside, you'd think this would be an easy trip for me. You're wrong.

You see, this steakhouse is so fancy that they have a special employee whose job it is to park my car. As far as I can tell by watching their parking lot with high-powered binoculars, their "valet" will take your car from you at the entrance, park it for you, and retrieve it for you when you're done eating. This, presumably, saves you the dinner-ruining stress of gently turning your vehicle to place it into a parking space.

Personally, I don't mind parking. My own backyard is full of cars packed helter-skelter, with mere millimetres of space between them. I could probably park a bus in here, if I really had to, but it would take me a couple of hours to get it back out. That's not the problem. The problem is that the valet would have to drive my car, which means I'd have to explain how to drive my car to them.

In case you think that's not a problem, allow me to explain. Most carbureted cars have a single choke, which you pull out when the car is cold in order to help it breathe a little better. Mine has sixteen, which must be pulled, bagpipe-like, in a specific order as the engine is running in order to keep it from dying at the lights. Could I fix it? Not until they create a bottle of head-gasket fix that also cures giant holes in the block.

Sure, I could park a few blocks away and walk there, but the valet will smell the desperation on me. If I have a rusty, propane-spurting 1970s Chrysler product, maybe I'm an eccentric. There's fewer of those left than Ferrari 458s, which makes me a "vintage collector," at least in the eyes of the super-rich-people yacht-owning magazine I tricked into doing an interview with me last year. All that goes out the window if I show up on foot. Same goes for letting my dinner date drive me there: her Hyundai Tucson is, well, a Hyundai Tucson. Not eccentric at all. Practical. They hate that there.

Ultimately, I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and do things the hard way. I've already applied for a job as their assistant valet. There's an employee discount, and I'm pretty sure that I'll be head valet once the bossman sees that I can fit like 700% as many cars in there as the old guy. It's just going to take a few weeks to get them back out again, which is even better for business.

[joshsindigostreak]

Moonburn

Chapter One

Nine of Swords, Upright: sleepless nights, worry and anxiety.

Vampire Hunter!Jake x Witch!OC

Authors Note: Hey y’all!! I hope everyone enjoys the next chapter in Jake’s story! Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list! If you need to catch up on the Prologue, do so here.

*Set prior to the events of I See Hell in Your Eyes. This is the beginning of Jake’s story. This can be read independently from ISHIYE but there will be cross references as it’s in the same universe.

Word Count: 3.5K

Warnings: Not very many just some swearing.

Description: When a young affluent hunter finds himself taking an unexpected detour in Tucson, Arizona, he finds himself drawn to a local dive bar with a rather ecclectic clientele, situated on an equally intriguing location adjacent to a cemetery. Cemeteries are neutral ground, so even if he found a Vampire to snuff out, he couldn’t. Especially with the owner of the bar being a Witch and watching him like a hawk.

Jake’s dreams were always distinctly under two categories: either he’d find his dream self walking down an empty city street, head on a swivel for any Vampiric activity, trailing one he had found earlier that kept evading him. Or, he’d wake up in his childhood bedroom, realize that he was seven years old again, hearing footsteps in the hallway growing closer.

His mind would not let go of the night that Vampire broke in and found the twins’ room first on the upper floor. The Vampire’s appearance had morphed over the years, steadily gaining more grotesque. But the feeling of its mangled and dirty fingers tangling in his hair and violently pulling upwards, sending white hot pain into the boys’ scalp as his feet lifted off the ground, was always the same.

This night was no exception, and unfortunately for the young hunter it was the latter scenario.

A distant creak of the hardwood floors down the hallway always startles him awake. His large and curious brown eyes would always pop open at the sound, and he’d strain his ears to try to figure out who was walking towards his shared room with Josh. It couldn’t have been his little brother Sam; he was too light to make the floorboards move like that. Josh was snoring above him, oblivious to everything, so that ruled out him. Maybe his parents? But he could hear the heavy thuds of shoes as the sound got closer, and why would his parents have their shoes on in the middle of the night? The realization that it was someone else in the house besides his family made his blood run cold and had him pulling his covers up to his chin as he tried to make himself as small as possible on the bottom bunk.

A few agonizing minutes later, the footsteps were right outside his door, and his younger self was stiff as a board, bracing himself for whomever would enter. Sure enough, the doorknob would slowly twist and a stream of light from the hallway would stream in as the door opened. All he saw before he screwed his eyes shut was a large, intimidating silhouette peering into his room. Jake tried to keep his breathing even, not wanting to give it away that he was awake. The intruder made his way into their room, kicking a few toys out of the way in the process. He could feel their presence near his bed, and it took everything in him to not flinch at the putrid breath that was being exhaled into his face.

But Jake was a frightened child, and his instinct was to get to his brother as quickly as possible. When the creature whispered, “jackpot…” his eyes shot open and he opened his mouth to yell for his twin, all while trying to scramble down his bed and make it to the ladder leading up to Josh’s bunk. His tiny hand had just reached one of the bottom bars when the all too familiar sensation of fingers in his hair and being yanked backwards and upwards rattled his system. Distantly he would hear his brother startle awake and barely touching the ladder as he flew down to come to his rescue.

The creature paid Josh no mind while he lifted up the younger boy to his eye level, his mouth twisting into a sadistic smile and revealing the long jagged fangs that extended from his gums.

A Vampire had somehow broken into their extensively guarded house.

Jake kicked and squirmed midair, trying to get the Vampire to drop him, but it was no use. The creature stared into his eyes, hunger clearly on his mind. The young boy couldn’t take it anymore and as he clawed at the Vampire’s wrist he took a deep breath and released a shrill, high pitched shriek that rattled the-

The now adult Jake shot up in bed, silver knife white knuckled in his fist. Through his own personal training, he had taught himself how to sleep with his hand curled around a knife under his pillow, and not letting go of it until he was awake.

His skin was damp and clammy, feeling especially chilled from the ceiling fan spinning above. In spite of this sweat gathered on his hairline, threatening to spill down his face. His eyes darted around the room for any threats, as if he was ready to face off with the Vampire from his memory. But the hunter was alone in the tiny motel room, and when he deduced this he rolled out of bed, still holding the knife. He padded over to the sink in the miniscule kitchenette and poured a glass of water from the sink. He gulped it down but it took two more glasses to finally get some relief in his dry throat.

After setting the glass down and abandoning it next to the sink he went around the room to check his security measures. His crossbow lay still on the other side of the bed, with a wooden arrow locked and loaded, ready to be grabbed at a moment's notice. With Josh off doing whatever it was he was doing, the weapon was the closest thing he had to a partner in crime.

The solitary window was covered by curtains, and Jake carefully pulled back one of the panels to look out onto the parking lot. The sun was freshly risen, giving him solace in the fact that his ultimate threats were locked inside and away from the light. Sunrises had always been Jake’s favorite for this reason. His shoulders relaxed as he opened the curtains as far as he could, letting in as much natural light as possible. Now that he was awake and definitely not going back to sleep any time soon, he turned his attention to getting a shower and washing off nightmares as best he could.

~!~

It had been over four days now, and Jake still could not get his night at The Tipsy Tumbleweed out of his head. He went to other bars around town to kill time, but all of them were so basic to him. They were too loud, or the drinks sucked, or the TV’s weren’t on anything interesting, or the bartenders would try way too hard to flirt with him for better tips. He wanted to go back, he wanted to see her, he wanted to at least get her name.

But Jake was full of an unfamiliar feeling of intimidation he wasn’t used to. He couldn’t remember the last time he had walked into a situation where he wasn’t the top dog, even when surrounded by Damned corpses who were decades older than him. His exposure to other supernatural creatures was limited. Growing up the focus was so heavily on Vampire’s that he rarely took the time to learn much about others. He usually just relied on Sam to info dump about whatever creature he was obsessed with that month and he’d tuck any useful information into the back of his mind and kept on moving.

Sam’s best friend happened to be a Werewolf, which was a secret that all three Kiszka boys kept to themselves out of respect for Danny, who always seemed like a good kid regardless of his DNA. The twins were just glad that their little brother had finally made a true friend, which was something they always worried about given Sam’s nerdy and introverted nature. The change in Sam after that first summer with Danny was like night and day, and his confidence and ego hadn’t stopped growing since. It was a gift and a curse, Josh would say in exasperation.

Witches however? Jake hadn’t truly met one in person before. He knew of them, and had gotten a few lectures on how to watch out for them. His mother in particular emphasized that they were simply untrustworthy and never expounded beyond that. Once again his brother would fill in the blanks sometimes. He mentioned a few who had gone to his university but he wasn’t particularly close to them. That hadn’t stopped Josh from making cracks about Sam going to Hogwarts whenever he got the chance, or asking if he had any classes with Hermione. This usually resulted in the nearest object thrown in the oldest sibling's direction.

The most Jake knew about them was that they were definitely not human, and most had innate abilities that were passed down via genetics. Covens were a thing but not a requirement, and most were very secretive as to what they got up to. One thing Jake would never openly admit is when he was out of his depth on something, but he couldn’t just accept defeat like this and twiddle his thumbs until he could get out of town.

Which was why he was sitting in the parking lot of The Tipsy Tumbleweed, staring at the entrance from the drivers side of his shitty rental. He mulled over the vague threat she had given him days prior. She didn’t say he couldn’t come back…just that he couldn’t come back and pull any shit. He could do that. He could just walk in, sit down and be good. He could potentially apologize.

The hunter repeated these affirmations to himself as he walked inside, immediately greeted by the familiar music, the glow of the various neon signs, and the scowl of the owner of the bar he was standing in.

She was behind the bar, writing something in a notebook of hers on the bar top when those big hazel eyes looked up and locked onto him. It took a conscious effort on Jake’s part to not trip over his own feet under her gaze.

He settled on the bar stool directly in front of her without a word, and the two stared at each other wondering who would flinch first. Her hazel irises were all he could focus on, and he took the opportunity to map out the different ways the green blended into light brown.

“Are you going to behave tonight?”

“Is there any reason I shouldn’t?”

Her right eyebrow slowly raised, “not in my bar there isn’t.”

The hunter nodded at the Witch, falling back into silence.

She reached to her left and brought a low ball glass in front of her on the bar and her other hand grabbed a bottle of whiskey and poured about two fingers worth into the glass. It was the same order from that first night, this time untampered with.

“We’re going to try this again, but if you even look at Lou for too long I’ll physically toss you out myself.”

The hunter's eyes swiveled slightly to the right, his peripheral catching sight of the Vampire who was focused on the TV. Jake quickly snapped his eyes back to the bar owner’s,

“Got it,” he replied in an obedient tone that he rarely spoke in.

She nodded and replied, “Good. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some regulars to greet.”

The Witch turned on her heel and walked out from around the bar, passing behind Jake and making her way to one of the two-top tables towards the front of the bar. As she passed, a sweet yet earthy scent wafted around him. Was that her perfume? He pondered. Or was that just her?

He racked his brain as he tore his eyes away from the swing of her hips and turned back to his glass. Whiskey was always his go-to at bars, because no one could truly fuck it up, but in truth, he was a Pinot Noir guy. It started when he was a teenager and the only alcohol he could get his hands on was the wine in the basement. His parents collected bottles from their travels and had so many at this point that they never actually drank that Jake sneaking a bottle or two every so often went unnoticed. He quickly figured out what he liked so by the time he was actually of age it became his private staple.

Jake continued to fire off questions in his head as he outwardly minded his own business.

He was brought back to reality when a familiar young voice answered, “her name is Cecilia, by the way.”

Jake looked up and saw the young bartender named Stacey standing in front of him.

“How did you-”

Her eyes went wide once again, just like that first night, “oh shit I’m so sorry! Sometimes it's hard to differentiate people’s inner voices from their outer voices and it sounds like someone asked me something out loud and-”

Jake raised his hands slightly off the bar, palms facing outwards to show he wasn’t mad, “hey, you didn’t do anything wrong it’s ok.”

Her face relaxed slightly, but she was still clearly embarrassed, “Cecilia’s been helping me get better at it but I still fuck up some times.”

Jake looked at her with warm eyes, “I’m assuming that you heard me thinking about him,” he cocked his head in Lou’s direction, “and went off and told her the other night?”

She looked down at the bar top and fiddled with her fingers, “yeah…we’ve just never had any trouble in here before and Lou is just really special to us and I didn’t want anything to happen to him.”

Stacey kept her voice low, as to not let Lou hear her saying that he was special to her. However, it didn’t work and the Vampire kept facing the TV and he suppressed a small smile while his face turned pink.

“Well you don’t have to worry about me, I'm not going to mess with him.”

“I guess that truth serum worked,” she looked up, trying not to smile.

Now it was Jake’s turn to look embarrassed, “yeah…yeah it did.”

“Well she’s still letting you sit here so she can’t be too mad still.”

“I’m on thin ice but I promise I’m just here cause I like the place, that's all.”

Stacey looked down and saw that Jake’s glass was empty, “do you want another drink?”

Jake looked down at the glass, but decided to do something different tonight, “do you have a good Pinot here?”

She looked at him blankly, “wine?”

“Yes…”

“Umm…I think we have a few bottles in the back.” She turned and disappeared behind the Employee door.

Jake sat there softly tapping his thumbs on the edge of the bar, inwardly hating that he was making a fuss over something as arbitrary as a drink. It was another reason why he always fell back on his “usual.” He hated being “that guy” in situations.

After a few minutes the young bartender busted through the Employee door and nearly jogged over to Jake’s spot at the bar. It was clear she wasn’t used to using a corkscrew, but after cussing a little under her breath the cork popped from the bottle. She threw Jake a triumphant smile as she poured him a glass.

“Thank you, Stacey,” he said warmly.

“Any time,” she replied before leaving the bar area to ask if anyone else needed refills or new drinks around the bar.

He studied the glass closely, grasping it by the stem and tilting it to the side and then back again to see what kind of legs it had before bringing it to his nose to see what flavors he could pick up. The alcohol itself was pretty strong, but he had had worse. It was medium bodied, with tannins that weren’t too overpowering due to the bright acidity from the-

“Are you detecting the grapes?”

A silky voice startled him and his eyes left the glass to look in front of him. It was Cecilia. His face reddened slightly, again, but her face broke into a smile as she wrote some figures down in the notebook she had placed on the bar.

“Oh umm-”

“Relax, I’m just fucking with you,” her smile stayed fixed on her face and Jake felt his shoulders relax. He hadn’t even realized how tense they had been. “You’re the first customer to order any of the wine we have, by the way.”

“I imagine people aren’t really thirsty for wine right off the highway,” the hunter said as he took his first sip. Oh, that’s not too bad, he thought, surprised at the texture and flavor of the wine.

The Witch nodded, “yeah people are more interested in their usual beers or liquor. You know the whole, ‘candy is dandy but liquor is quicker’ mentality.”

The corners of Jake’s mouth almost turned into a smile, “my brother likes to say that a lot.”

Cecilia’s eyebrows raised in curiosity, “you have a brother?”

Jake nodded, “three, actually. Two are biologically siblings and the other one we all kind of adopted over the years. He’s a good kid.”

She smiled, “oh that’s nice. Are they all hunters too?”

“Only one of them is; Josh.”

“Is he older or-?”

Jake grimaced slightly, “well…older…by five minutes. The other two are younger than me.”

Her lips formed an O, “so you’re a middle child? I can see that with you.”

Had it been anyone else, Jake would’ve gotten offended by that, but he let it slide for Cecilia.

“Only technically.”

“I can’t relate, I just have a little sister, Astrid. Or Ass-strid as I called her growing up.”

At this point they were both smiling softly at each other.

“What’s she like?” Jake asked before taking another sip of wine.

The Witch started to roll her eyes but stopped, “oh she’s the picture perfect Witch my mother always wanted, except that neither one of us inherited Moms psychic abilities. Astrid can enter people’s dreams, which was so fun growing up.” This time Cecilia let herself complete the eyeroll.

Jake’s eyes softened as he looked at her, the question clear in his expression.

“As for me, I do this…,” her eyes swiveled down towards Lou, who was once again minding his own business. His usual glass sat idly as he paid attention to the commercial on the TV, and immediately slid down the bar towards the Witch like a hockey puck, directly into her curled hand.

Lou was unimpressed and let out a short, “hey,” towards her and she sent the glass back, not spilling a drop.

Jake had never seen a telekinetic in person before, and sat there dumbfounded.

“Wow…” was all he could say.

She shrugged, “I can also read Tarot pretty well.”

Something inside the hunter was very interested in it all. Witches were something that weren’t brought up a lot, and when they were it was never in a positive light. He was mainly taught to focus on the Undead more than any other creature.

“...and your mom?”

Cecilia leaned in towards the hunter, closer than she had been before and whispered, “my mom talks to dead people.”

Jake blinked at her.

“She heads a Necromancy coven in Northern California where I grew up,” the Witch leaned back towards her side of the bar, “it's not as exciting as you think.”

He wanted to ask more questions, but the way Cecilia’s expression soured at the mention of her mother gave him enough of a hint to drop that part of the subject.

“How did you end up in Arizona?”

This time, her eyes softened wistfully, “my dad was from here.”

The word ‘was’ stuck out to him.

“Oh yeah?”

She nodded, “yeah.”

The two stared at each other, allowing the silence to wash over them. Jake swallowed the last of his wine, and before he could open his mouth another question was thrown his way.

“I just realized I am a terrible bar owner and have been talking to you this whole time without getting your actual name?”

Jake smirked, his eyes staring into hers, and slowly extended his hand over the bar, “Jake Kiszka, hunter of the Undead and at your service.”

The Witch held out her hand and wrapped it around his to shake. The warmth of his skin rippled up her own arm, over her shoulder and down her back, settling at the base of her spine

“I hope you don’t tell your baristas that,” she retorted with a crinkle in her nose, “Cecilia Addington, bar owner with First Born Daughter problems.”

Jake never wanted to let go of her hand. The firm grip of her fingers and the softness of her skin had his head spinning.

He wanted to know if all of her skin was just as soft.

Reluctantly, they both dropped their hands at the same time each taking a second to flex their hands under the bar out of each other's sight.

Jake was the one to speak first, “so how does-“

“No more questions until you buy another drink, Jake.”

The butterflies from sixth grade swarmed in his gut at the sound of her saying his name.

She turned her head and gave Stacey a Look and a nod towards the hunter, before giving Jake one last smile before slinking around the bar to greet a few patrons that had just walked through the door. Jake watched her the whole time, listening to the volume of her voice and appreciating the fact that she was a hugger just like he was. Fuck.

It was going to be a long night.

To be continued….

Tag List:  @dannyandthekiszkas , @readyforthegarden , @sinners-go-to-drink-the-wine , @wideminded-dreamer , @runwayblues , @wildbluesorbit , @llightmyllovee , @rhythm-of-space , @sacredthefran , @writingcold , @alwaysonthemend , @wetkleenex-gvf , @josh-iamyour-mama , @lightsofthe-living-gvf , @gvfcinema, @sacredthethreadgvf , @losfacedevil , @jakekiszkasbuttsweat , @shutupdevvie , @hearts-hunger , @gretavanfleetposts , @ascendingtostardust , @mackalah , @andromeda-raine-gvf , @jake-kiszkas-smirk , @gracev0609 , @sacredjake , @earthlysorrows , @gvfpal , @myownparadise96 , @itsafullmoon , @gvfmelbourne, @twistedmelodies , @that-witchy-pan , @gold-mines-melting , @texas-bbq-pringles , @jakekiszkapunchmeintheface , @childinthegardenn , @char289 , @stardustvanfleet , @sunfl0wer-power , @holdingup-fallingsky , @bladenotblaze , @gretavanlace , @lipstickitty , @jjwasneverhere , @josiee-gvf , @peaceloveunitygvf , @musicislove3389 , @gretavanhockey , @gretavanazula

[peachthebeast]

On the side of a bar in Tucson, Arizona.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

The ultimate party pad mansion is this 1969 Spanish style home in Tucson, Arizona. 6bds, 8ba, $2.895M.

The entrance has a water feature.

Nice casual living room.

The dining room has 2 glass walls to get a view of the other rooms, plus a skylight.

Kitchen with a mirrored wall (?) and a family room off to the side.

The primary bedroom has whitewashed brick walls.

Walk-in closet.

Lots of space in here, the primary suite, including a loft.

Large room with a hot tub, shower, catwalk to who-knows-where.

Outdoors is a large fountain.

And, a patio w/a pool, kitchen, weird umbrella sticking out of the pool.

They also have a basketball court.

Then, off to the side of the patio area is an enclosed handball court.

Purple crushed velvet home theater with snack bar.

Home gym.

Outdoor pool table.

Guest casita. Note the outdoor bird cage on the right.

Interior of the casita / guest house.

Place to restore your own classic cars.

Another patio w/a fountain and pergola.

All on 1.57 acres.

[theehorsepusssy]

GOD

The picture you posted of the GOD license plate -

That guy is a sort of cultural icon in Tucson, AZ and still drives that car around.  He goes by the name GOD. He’s in his eighties and owned a dive bar called the Meet Rack that had a sling, a stockade, and a gynecologist chair. He would brand his likeness on you with a hot iron and you’d get 20% off drinks.  It closed during covid.   https://tucsonfoodie.com/2018/

08/14/branded-at-the-meet-rack/

[deadboyfriendd]

In My Hand

This belongs to the Wild Horses universe, a culmination of blurbs between Eddie and Desert Artist!Reader. Based off of the Gutterballs fic by @dr-aculaaa , based in her Sunday Morning universe!

Blue jean baby, L.A. lady

Seamstress for the band

Pretty-eyed, pirate smile

You'll marry a music man

Ballerina, you must've seen her

Dancing in the sand

And now she's in me, always with me

Tiny dancer in my hand

The thing they don’t mention when you hit Interstate 10 heading westward through Tucson is: there is a vast expanse of nothingness you have to clear first. It is mind-numbing. It is beige. It is open for miles and Eddie fears it may all be a mirage– or that he will drive into a painted-on hole in the side of a mountain and flatten himself. 

No one warned him about the low desert, the beige-ness is all of his utter disdain for it. He pictured red-rocked Sedona, some girl in a flat-bed pickup waiting for him with tanned skin and a backless top. Not this. Mid-february it it was already warm. He thought he could see the mirage warp on the horizon, even when it was broken by the beginnings of buildings coming into his foresight. It is late after-noon by now, sun burning hot and angry but not yet pushed towards that precipice of cooling. He felt it begin to warm his neck past comfort where the black shirt lay across the flat of his back. 

This bar was a dive, for sure. Not unlike his home bar. Reclaimed wood that was probably old fifteen years ago and waxy bar tops that stayed sticky despite the mildewy wetness of the rag that was being passed over it. The bartender was a gruff-looking man, whom Eddie assumed knew how to make two variants of drinks– pulling capped lids off of bottles, or straight liquor, over ice if you were lucky. Eddie took the former, settling himself over a barstool, his guitar in case resting against his knee. 

“No open mic night here, ‘m afraid.” 

“You know of anyone looking?” He’d asked, solemnly hoping for some semblance of tips to get him to the next town. 

“Backtrack the frontage a few miles, you’ll turn back on to a county road that takes you out towards Texas Hill. You’ll know ‘em when you see ‘em. They’re about your type,” He’d said back, taking one last look at him up and down. 

He placed a few dollars on the bar top, telling him to keep the change as he headed out. 

By now, the sun leaked saturated hues into a nitrate sky. Just as the bartender had said, frontage road, county opening, and right out in the middle of the desert lay a congregation of vans, campers, and RV’S. Desert Hills. He’d said in his mind, smugly. A smattering of old, second-hand cars and the marring of people to match. The irony of this all had been incredible. A bus, painted green, was parked sideways across the front of the congregation, a drop-cloth, hand-painted sign reading, “Howl at the Moon”.

A parable of lepers-by-day, though, by night they would peel back the sore to reveal fresh skin and a strong voice. Here, the day started when the sun went down. There is a fire in the center burning hot with blue flame at the nucleus. A sun in which you orbit as a celestial body. 

You are dancing around the fire a liquid dance with no rhyme or reason. It’s fluid in motion and like ribbon in deliverance. You are brilliant, a mass of curls that sway, not as many strands, but a brilliant unit, breaking off into parts that fall over your shoulders and back again. Draped in patched together masses and adorned in turquoise– barefoot in the dune of soft sand with no fear or reverence in what hides beneath. 

“What’re you gonna do with that guitar, Mister? Ya gonna be a rockstar?” You ask, all pretty eyes with lashes that kiss at the corners. 

 He nods, smiling as you take his hand to pull him towards the mass. “That’s the plan.”

“You can be anything you want here.” 

The moon peeks out over the east mountain and you howl in punctuation. It’s a wild and unruly thing, almost like you. It pierces his ears and fills him with warmth. Something stirs in his stomach. Like champagne. You deliver a few light-hearted slaps to his chest in the midst of his, encouraging a loud, crackling howl that bellows from deep within him. It fizzles out in laughter. 

Something about the pitch of your laugh and the dusting of stars across a gradient purple sky makes something move in slow motion and, somehow, it makes him wonder how soft your hair must be at the roots. 

“Well maybe you can play that guitar for me sometime. We’ll make you into a real rockstar.” You tell him, gesturing to the guitar propped against a hay bale. Across the front reads: This Machine Slays Dragons in a hand-lettered font. 

It feels stupid to try to shake your hand, he realizes this after he offers it. You take it anyways, “My name’s Eddie, by the way.”

“Well, Eddie.” You pull your culmination of silver squash blossoms from your neck, chiming a lovely song as they move to rest around his neck, “I knight thee. This land is your land.”

You smile at him, all teeth. “Hope we don’t have any dragons come around.” 

“Or fascists.” he shrugged

“Or fascist dragons.” 

“Then we would really have a problem.” 

[oliverreedmasterass]

Words: 4k

Synopsis: My interpretation of what happened backstage before the guys took the stage in Tucson, slaying the house down boots houston I’m deceased

Warnings: language, drinking

__________________________________________

“Shit,” Josh cursed as he sifted through their tote bag of rhinestones, face glue, and eyeshadow palettes. “We have so much left over.” 

“We could auction it off for charity,” Danny suggested as he peered over Josh’s shoulder at their stash. “I know for a fact that someone would buy that.” 

“Why would they do that?” Jake asked from the greenroom couch with a furrowed brow. 

“I don’t think you understand how obsessed some of our fans are,” Danny replied. 

“Eesh,” Jake said. 

“I can’t let it go to waste,” Josh seemed troubled. “I paid good money for those rhinestones.” 

“You didn’t pay for those rhinestones, I did,” Jenn corrected him as she entered the greenroom. “And they were dirt cheap.”

“Oh,” Josh mumbled. 

“I do think we should go all in for tonight though,” Jenn suggested. “Just to end the tour with a bang, you know?” 

“I’m in,” Danny was quick to agree. Out of the band, he was the most willing to put on stage makeup. In his eyes, it was a fun way for him to stand out from behind his drum kit. Plus, he felt pretty fucking hot when his eyes were darkened with the eye shadow. 

Josh gave one more look down at the tote bag and shrugged. 

“Why not?” he decided. “I think Jenn’s up for the challenge.” 

“You bet I am,” Jenn grinned. 

“What are we talking about?” Sam asked as he plodded into the room, a bottle of water and his phone in his hands. 

“Going all out with the stage makeup,” Danny caught him up to speed. 

“Ah,” Sam replied. “Count me in.” 

“You want me to do your makeup too?” Jenn was floored. Sam had never expressed any interest in her doing anything with his face. She had heard him complain to Danny before that he put way too much effort into his skincare routine to have makeup ruin his pores. 

“Sure,” Sam said like it was nothing. “I don’t want to feel left out.” 

At that, everyone in the room turned to look at Jake. He was scrolling through his phone but looked up when he noticed the silence. 

“What?” he asked. 

“You can’t be the only one out there without a little makeup,” Josh told him. 

“You guys have your fun,” Jake waved them off and snapped his head back down to study his phone. Josh, Danny, and Sam all exchanged disappointed looks but decided not to prod Jake any further. When he had his mind made up about something, it was set in stone.  

“We’d better get started,” Jenn broke the silence. 

“I’ll go first,” Josh volunteered, because he felt like his rhinestone time was something sacred between him and Jenn. 

While Jake continued to direct all of his attention to whatever was on his phone, Danny grabbed his guitar from its case and plugged it into the amp they always requested on their rider. Near him, Sam opened his storage trunk with a grunt and started to mix a drink from his “On-the-Go Tiki Bar”. Danny started to pluck out the opening to “Broken Bells” while Josh settled in a folding chair and waited for Jenn to get her supplies ready. 

“What are you thinking for me, Jenn?” he asked her. Jenn studied his face, trying to envision what would look best on him. 

“I think we should actually put the rhinestones on hold for tonight.” 

“Daring, I like it.” 

Danny repositioned himself so he could get a good view of what Jenn was doing while he continued to mess around on his guitar. Jake took a brief second to smirk at him when he started to play a Cream song but, just as quickly, he was looking back down at his phone. Sam, with his mixed drink in hand, tried to get a peek at what Jake was doing by very non-discreetly leaning over the arm of the couch to place his face between the phone and Jake’s eyes. Jake slammed his phone into the break between the couch cushions and glared at Sam. 

“Don’t look at my phone,” he scolded his younger brother. 

“I just want to know what’s so important,” Sam defended himself. 

“None of your business, that’s what,” Jake replied. 

“Fine,” Sam huffed. He moved away from the couch slowly and, when his back was turned to Jake, Jake slid his phone back out from the cushions and started to retype his password. He called out in shock when Sam quickly turned on his heel, spilling his drink everywhere, and jumped back to Jake’s side to snatch the phone out of his hand. 

“Give it back!” Jake sprung to his feet and started to chase after Sam. Danny, making sure he was out of their way, began picking out the Benny Hill theme on his guitar. 

“You guys better not bump into Jenn,” Josh warned his brothers from his folding chair. 

“Disconnect from the source!” Sam called over his shoulder while he ran in circles around the green room, Jake on his tail. 

“Samuel!” Jake’s tone was stern. Unfortunately he wasn’t their father, so it had little to no effect on Sam. Sam started to prance around and Jake grunted out in frustration that he wasn’t able to catch up to his pest of a brother. When had Sam gotten so fast? Or was it that Jake had just gotten slower? Jake didn’t want to think too hard about that. “Please,” he forced out through grit teeth. Sam stationed himself so Danny was in between him and Jake and shook his head. 

“What is it? Were you googling yourself again? Or are you looking into Imagine Dragons tickets?” 

Danny started to play “It’s Time” which earned him a hefty smack from Jake. 

“Hey, I’m not the one who took your phone,” he frowned at Jake. 

“I would have done that to Sam instead if I could reach him,” Jake apologized. 

Sam took advantage of Jake’s moment of distraction and slyly entered the rest of his passcode, unlocking his phone. Jake looked past Danny to Sam and groaned when he saw a large grin spread across Sam’s face as he studied Jake’s phone. 

“Oh my god,” Sam finally spoke, letting the phone drop down to his side. Jake lurched past Danny and grabbed it back from Sam, who had started to laugh and shake his head. 

“What is it?” Danny looked back to ask Sam. 

“This idiot,” Sam motioned towards Jake, “this macho man who turned down Jenn’s kind offer was just Googling ‘eyeliner tips.’” 

Even though Jenn was in the middle of painting a golden line under Josh’s right eye, he whirled around in his seat to face his twin. Jake’s eyes snapped to the ground and he jammed his phone into his pants pocket. 

“I’m gonna get some fresh air,” he excused himself, and hustled out of the room. 

“What the fuck was that?” Josh asked after Jake left. 

“He did want to get his makeup done,” Danny explained. “He was just embarrassed.” 

“I don’t see what the big deal is, though,” Josh said. “I mean, you and I wear it all the time, Sam is going to tonight as well, it’s not weird at all.” 

“It’s not really his thing though,” Danny countered. 

“It used to be,” Sam pointed out. “When he was in the thick of his pirate obsession, he leapt at every opportunity to put eyeliner on.” 

“That’s right, he wore it for a few gigs and photoshoots,” Josh recalled. 

“Well, people change,” Jenn gave her two cents. “Maybe he feels disconnected from that part of his life so he’s trying to ease back into it.” 

“I guess,” Sam said. “I still don’t understand why he had to be so secretive.”

Jenn leaned away from Josh after she finished drawing the last golden line on his face and admired her work. 

“That looks nice,” she congratulated herself. Josh turned to study his reflection in the mirror and, after taking in the new look, beamed back at Jenn. 

“Good work, I look like a ray of sunshine.” 

“That’s what I was going for.”

Josh rose to his feet with a grunt and pointed towards the door. 

“I’m gonna try to find Jake and get him back here.” 

Everyone agreed that was a good idea, so Josh disappeared down the hallway out of sight. The room settled in its silence and then Jenn checked her watch and bugged her eyes at the time. 

“Danny, do you want to get over here?” Jenn motioned for him. Danny eyed the cable that was connected from the amp to his guitar and seemed to contemplate whether he could bring the guitar to the chair without it unplugging. He gave it a shot and plopped into the chair with satisfaction, testing out a loud chord that rang through the room. 

“I’m gonna play while you work, if that’s okay,” Danny told Jenn. “I’ve got some pent up nerves I need to work through before we get out there.” 

“Do what you need to do,” Jenn told him. “Just make sure you stay still.” 

Sam wandered to find another chair and brought it next to Jenn’s side so he could get a front row view of Danny’s makeup routine. 

“Can you make it extra dark tonight?” Danny put in a request. 

“You got it, bud,” Jenn nodded. 

“Wow,” Sam breathed out as Jenn passed the first layer of black eyeshadow over the top of Danny’s eyelid. “That stuff is pigmented.” 

“How do you know about pigments?” Jenn arched an eyebrow while she continued to work. 

“I have a sister,” Sam replied simply. 

“And a refined taste for quality eyeshadow palettes,” Danny poked fun. Sam faked a frown in Danny’s direction, which he returned with his tongue out. 

Sam continued to watch Jenn work her magic on Danny and, with each brush stroke over his eyes and rhinestone glued beneath his waterline, Sam started to feel a building anticipation to have his own turn in the folding chair. He just wished that Jake felt the same way. 

***

Josh was glad that it only took him a couple of minutes to find Jake. That was the perk of not only being his twin, but also spending almost every second of the day with him: the guy was pretty predictable. Josh knocked on the stall Jake was hiding in and made sure his voice was soft and soothing. 

“You wanna tell me what’s going on?” he asked through the door. He could hear Jake jump in surprise. 

“I want you to go back to the greenroom and throw something at Sam for me,” Jake grunted after some thought. 

“Come on, Jake, this is silly,” Josh ignored him. “If you want to wear eyeliner, you should have said so. We just want you to be happy is all.” 

“I’d be happy if you respected my privacy,” Jake still sounded frustrated. 

“Okay, Sam taking your phone wasn’t cool.” 

“No, it wasn’t.” 

“But I’m sure he’ll apologize to you.” 

“Josh, can I just have some space?” 

Josh knew that it was best to clear the room for Jake, as much as he wanted to try and console him. 

“Yeah, of course.” 

He made his way back out of the men’s room and shook his head. Jake could be a handful sometimes. 

Josh returned back to their room, running through all of the things he could have said to Jake that probably would have been better than what he opted for, and stopped in the doorway. Sam was sitting in the folding chair now, looking up at the ceiling while grasping onto his legs, tears pouring down his cheeks as Jenn passed some gold eyeliner under his eye. 

“You’re doing good, Sam,” Danny tried to comfort his friend.

“This feels so weird,” Sam mumbled. “I take it back, maybe I don’t want any makeup.”

“I’m almost done,” Jenn promised. 

Sam’s eyes looked to be scanning every inch of the tiled ceiling to keep himself distracted while Jenn traced the line out to the corner of his eye and flicked up. 

“I don’t feel the wet thing anymore, are you done?” Sam’s eyes looked back at Jenn and Danny. Danny studied Sam’s face and let out a chuckle. 

“That looks pretty good, Sam. You should have done this a long time ago.” 

“You think?” Sam gave him a goofy grin back. 

Josh joined their side and took in Sam’s new look. It was subtle in comparison to Danny’s dark eyeshadow and ruby rhinestones combination, but it somehow made Sam look even more ethereal than he usually did, walking around like a Jesus lookalike and all. 

“We look so celestial,” Josh commented. It was Sam’s turn to take a look in the mirror and, after gazing at himself a little bit too long, he looked back at Josh and nodded. 

Danny started to play “Here Comes the Sun”. 

“I’m not done yet,” Jenn said over Danny’s impression of George Harrison. 

“What do you mean?” Sam asked. Jenn uncapped her tube of mascara and held it out to Sam, who cocked his head to the side. “Um?” he responded. 

“It’ll make your eyes really pop,” Jenn explained. 

“You never give me mascara,” Josh pouted. 

“Just let me have this one thing,” Jenn turned back to quiet Josh, who immediately sealed his mouth shut. Sam wasn’t arguing or running for the hills, so Jenn leaned forward and brushed the wand under his long eyelashes. It would have been a crime if she left those things alone. When she finished, Danny spoke her mind. 

“Good call, Jenn,” he said. 

“Am I pretty?” Sam said, starting to bat his eyelashes. 

“No! Don’t!” Jenn was quick to stop him. “It hasn’t dried yet, you’re gonna ruin everything and then we’ll have to start all over.” 

That made Sam stop pretty fast. 

“How did it go with Jake?” Danny finally seemed to realize that Josh was back in the room. 

“Well, he’s not here, so not great,” Josh replied. “I think he needs more time to cool off.” 

***

Once Jake heard Josh shut the men’s room door, he peeked out from the stall. He knew that he was overreacting to everything, but he really didn’t appreciate how much Sam made him look like a fool back in their room. The only reason he had Googled eyeliner tips was because he was curious, that was all. Hearing everyone talk about stage makeup made him feel nostalgic for the days when he owned his own eyeliner that he tucked away in his desk drawer, penciling it quickly under his eyes whenever he felt especially bold. But that was a solid six years ago, and a lot had changed since then. Their fanbase had easily quadrupled in size, and he was worried that people would be especially vocal about how awful he looked if he couldn’t rock the eyeliner like he used to. 

But the reception with his haircut had been overwhelmingly positive, and Jake had even started experimenting with different hoops to wear on stage, which people seemed to enjoy. He could feel himself testing the limits of his appearance, trying to reinvent what the modern day rockstar was technically supposed to look like. It was just that he knew, deep down, that he was worried he would look like a knockoff member of Maneskin. That band was too hot for their own good; he didn’t want to come across like a copycat.

Jake made his way to the line of mirrors above the sinks and studied his face. He had shaved the night earlier because his mustache still wasn’t growing in the way he wanted it to, so he looked nearly identical to his 2016 self, shorter hair and all. The longer he looked, the more he could picture himself out on the stage with eyeliner. In his gut, he could feel it starting to become less of a want, and more of a need. 

“Fuck,” he mumbled to himself. He was going to have to be sneaky and fast.

It was a good thing that his band members were the least observant people alive. Jake managed to army crawl back into the room, steal Jenn’s makeup bag from literally under her nose, and slither back out into the hallway without a soul noticing him. It definitely helped that they were all crowded around Sam, who was acting as though he was being tortured by Jenn as she put on his rhinestones. In that moment, Jake was grateful that Sam could be a massive drama queen sometimes. 

Jake sprung back to his feet and hustled to the bathroom, carrying the bag under his arm to stay discreet around the numerous roadies and stage hands who were rushing around the backstage area. He forced the door shut behind him and scanned around, finding a trash can that he could tuck under the doorknob to insure that no one else came in. 

“Hello, old friend,” Jake greeted the eyeliner pencil as he pulled it out from the bag. 

It was time to go back to his roots. 

Jake was disappointed by just how out of practice he was with the pencil. It had seemed so simple when he was younger, but he had to take into account that he wore it a lot back then. Jake started with the lower lash line of his right eye since that was usually the easiest part, but ticked when he accidentally smeared the black line downwards, making him look more like a raccoon than a rockstar. He fumbled around in the bag and heaved out a sigh of relief when he found Jenn’s makeup wipes. For a second there, he was convinced he was going to have to return to the greenroom with his tail in between his legs and his makeup all smudged to beg for help. 

He wiped the slate clean and steadied the side of his hand on his cheekbone to give it a second try. 

“You’re a pirate,” he whispered in encouragement. “Be the pirate.” 

This time around, muscle memory must have clicked for Jake because he successfully drew the pencil over his waterline without a single tear. In case it was a fluke, Jake quickly moved to the top of his eye and, just as easily, drew a second line right above his lashes. 

“Ha!” he couldn’t help but call out in glee as he checked his progress in the mirror. The old Jake was coming back, and it was nice to see him. 

Jake was proud of how effortlessly he was able to get his other eye done, and he couldn’t help but flash finger guns at his reflection because he was really feeling himself. 

“I don’t need Jenn to do this for me,” Jake told himself. “I’m the makeup expert, not Josh, not Danny, not stupid Sam. Me.”

He knew he was short on time, so he tossed the eyeliner back into Jenn’s bag, packed up the makeup wipes, and carefully removed the garbage can from the doorknob. A part of him wanted to continue sneaking around until he had to go out on stage, but he also knew that it was better to just own up to what he had done. 

So he bounded back to the green room. 

***

“Do you think I should look for him?” Danny asked around the room. “We need to take the stage soon.” 

“He’ll be out there, he’s just going through something right now,” Josh said. When Jake asked for space, Josh always let Jake come to him when he was ready. “He’ll come back when he wants to.” 

“I hope so,” Danny looked at the doorway again with worry. Jake had outbursts every so often, but the music always came first, so if they ever got into an argument backstage, he usually let it slide pretty fast. This time around though he was gone for a lot longer than usual, and Danny was starting to believe that Jake had left and caught the first flight back to Nashville to start his solo career. 

“I can look for him,” Jenn offered. She was in the middle of cleaning up her work station, but stopped, turning around in a full circle. “Where did my makeup bag go?” she asked. 

“I saw it on the table not too long ago,” Josh said. 

“That’s what I thought too,” Jenn mumbled. “It’s not there anymore.” 

“Did you take it, Sam?” Josh turned to his brother. 

“No, I did not take it, Josh,” Sam responded, his hand snapping up to mess around with the rhinestones Jenn had glued near the corner of his eyes. 

“Don’t touch those,” Jenn took a brief pause from her search to coach Sam. “The glue isn’t great. It doesn’t take a whole lot to pull those off.” 

“Oops,” Sam said, letting his hands flop back to his sides. 

“Maybe I put it in the travel case,” Jenn thought aloud, returning back to the missing makeup bag. “It’s just so weird, I’m usually so good about keeping track of everything. It’s almost like someone snuck it out when we weren’t looking.” 

“That’s because that’s exactly what happened.” 

Jenn, Danny, Sam, and Josh all snapped their heads towards the doorway and gawked at the sight of Jake, who was cockily leaning on the frame, tossing Jenn’s makeup bag from hand to hand, gazing at all of them with his darkened eyes. 

“My god, Jake,” Josh was the first to find his words. “You’ve still got it.” 

“You bet your ass I’ve still got it,” Jake retorted as he handed the bag back to Jenn. “It was bold of you all to assume that I wouldn’t want in on the fun.” 

Jenn finally got a good look at the job Jake had done and waved her hand in front of his face to get his attention. He twisted around to look at her. 

“Can I help you clean that up?” she softly asked. “I think it would look good if it was smudged.” 

Jake hated admitting it, but after giving himself another quick look in the mirror, he realized that Jenn was right. His lines were a bit crooked in some places, as if he had actually been a pirate trying to apply the black lines on the choppy sea. 

“Yeah, okay,” he sighed. He really did want to look his best, even if it meant temporarily coming down from his high horse. He threw himself back into the folding chair and could feel Josh, Danny, and Sam’s eyes all on him as Jenn pressed a pencil brush against his lids and swished it back and forth, packing the dark color towards the corner of his eyes. 

“Do you want some rhinestones?” she asked with hope when she was done. 

“No,” Jake was quick to shut that idea down. He had a very specific vision of how he wanted to look on the stage, and rhinestones were not a part of that image. “I will switch these out though,” he added in an attempt to not hurt Jenn’s feelings, pointing at his earrings. “Got anything good on hand?” 

“I’ve got a pair I’ve been wanting you to try,” Jenn sounded unbothered. She reached back into her bag and retrieved a ziploc bag that contained a pair of impressive-sized, clunky golden hoops. Jake gazed at them in admiration. 

“Those look great.”

Jenn helped him fasten them on and then Jake stood back to his feet so he could look around at his bandmates. He had to admit that they all looked really good. Even Sam, as much as he looked out of his element, and as much as Jake despised his guts in that moment. 

“I think we’ve never looked better,” he decided. 

“It is a good way to finish off this tour from hell,” Josh agreed once he was done taking in Jake’s appearance. The shorter hair, bigger hoops, freshly shaven face, and eyeliner practically made him look like a different person. He looked confident and happy, which was more than enough to satisfy Josh. 

“Amen to that,” Danny commented. “Five shows left.” 

“Let’s give them a night they’ll never forget,” Sam looked around at his bandmates. “I’m gonna slay for my besties.” 

“Please never talk again,” Danny patted Sam on the shoulder as he moved to put his guitar away. 

Jenn watched the four boys do their final prep before going out on stage and beamed. She was one fucking brilliant makeup artist.