“Of course. Always.”
With nothing else to say, they stared at each other in silence, sealing their pact.
As they stayed there, exhaustion finally settled in. It had been a rough night, but being here with Noah made Kaj feel like he could close his eyes and nothing bad would happen.
Those lips though…
Noah cleared his throat. “So, we’re good?”
Kaj dragged his gaze up to his. “We’re good.”
Rolling onto his stomach, with both arms tucked under the pillow and still a respectable distance between them, Noah sighed. “Get some sleep, Larsen. We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
“Yeah. G’night.”
Sixteen
Asthelightsdimmed,Kaj could practically hear the pulse of the crowd, an anxious energy simmering beyond the stage. His hands tightened around the sticks as he took a deep breath, mentally running through the setlist one last time.
The LED screens behind them flashed to life with eerie, distorted visuals. Without looking at them, Kaj knew the images flickering at his back by heart—moody, dystopian cityscapes, cryptic phrases. The low hum of industrial synths rumbled through his chest.
One, two, three…
A sudden explosion of light illuminated the space in ominous red, silhouetting the other three musicians in stark contrast.
As “White Noise” erupted, Kaj’s drumsticks hit the snare in time with the crushing riffs and pulsating bass licks that ripped through the air. He could feel every impact reverberating through him and rattling the very structure of the ground beneath them.
Then, Noah stepped into the glow at the front of the stage.
The throng of people at their feet roared, moving like an ocean in a storm as they surged forward. It was always incredible to see. A part of Kaj stirred at the sight, but it was soon drowned by the euphoria swamping the venue.
Kaj’s double kicks fired off like a machine gun, forcing a rush of adrenaline through his veins. His job was to hold everything together, to drive the force behind the melody, and control the heartbeat of the performance. Every fill, every crash, every moment of silence between the notes was a calculated breath. But no matter how hard he played or how deep he sank into the rhythm, his gaze kept drifting back to Noah.
The way he arched his back, abandoning himself to the music. The way he bent forward menacingly while delivering brutal growl after growl. The veins in his arms, pumped and visible under the heat of the lights. The sweat already glistening on his skin.
Kaj’s chest puffed with pride, knowing he would be taming that beast later tonight.
Cleveland had been hectic, and the day that followed wasn’t exactly relaxing, either—a show, a couple interviews, a flight that got delayed and had them stalled at the airport for over six hours. It’d been grueling. In Los Angeles, they’d slept on a bus that drove them through the night to San Francisco. But tonight, here in The Golden City, where they’d have a couple of days to wind down. They werefinallygoing to burn all Seven Heavens to the ground.
This was just the warm-up.
The lighting changed in tandem, strobing violently during breakdowns, dimming to a soft ethereal glow during more melancholic moments. Raw. Organic. Electric. The venue transformed into a vast chorus, thousands of voices joining Noah’s as he delivered every line like a fucking confession.
Kaj’s drumming became more deliberate, each hit soaked in emotion rather than aggression. Xander’s fingers were dancing along the fretboard of his bass, his entire body immersed in the groove. On the opposite side of the stage, there was Aksel. His pick hand was a blur as he shredded through intricate leads.
As the show neared its climax, Kaj pushed himself harder, arms and back burning at this point. His entire body was drenched and his breathing was ragged, but still, he found the strength to steal another glance at Noah as he stepped up on the platform at the edge of the stage, reaching out to the sea of fans before him. Their hands stretched toward him in response, desperate to merge with the sonic devastation Artificial Suicide unleashed.
Energy swirled.
Unrelenting.
Savage.
Dark.
When the final notes of the encore rang out, the lights dimmed and the mosh pit slowly subsided. As a wave of cheers and applause crashed over them, Kaj let the deafening sound engulf him. Aksel, Xander, and Noah stood at the edge of the stage, their chests rising and falling with exertion. But if their body language was any indicator, they felt as fulfilled as the drummer.
And there, in the middle of chaos, as Kaj approached them, Noah’s gaze found its way to his, charged with illicit promises, before returning to the crowd.
