Finn needed fresh air, and being here, on the balcony of the restaurant, looking at the roses and trees in the garden, was finally helping him relax. The moonlight was bright above his head, the white light bathed him and reminded him of those nights when he slept on the beach alone when he had nowhere to go and didn't want to be home with his family. That's how he saw the sign about the lifeguard job and became one.
The crickets were chirping loudly, the warm wind was almost like being back in Oahu. It reminded him of his broken family, just as broken as his chosen family was now.
And to make matters worse, the 'talent' bar was too high for them now, and Zeth wanted to push the limits and surpass it.
Monster Mash had become synonymous with powerful voices and never-ending belts. But this?
Finn was a big fan of punk and rock music, his voice was ideal for that too, but re-recording old songs to turn them into rock versions?
And making them much more difficult to sing?
It would be tiring, and Finn's throat already hurt at times, but he would accept that challenge.
He always did.
When they recorded their first album: 'Stitched Together', Finn was happy to finally fulfil his dream of being a singer. He sang the songs 'Hunter In Disguise' and 'Monster In Love' with all his might and surpassed his own limits. But when he first sang a whistle note in 'Haunted Forest' he realised that he never really knew what he was capable of. But Zeth did. Zeth was the one who gave him the courage to try, who told him he was capable of achieving it and believed in him like no one else did. Maybe that's when Finn fell in love. Maybe that's why he sang so emotionally when they recorded 'Boogeyman' to the point of no return, hitting another whistle note.
When they recorded the second album: 'Bite Me, Darling', Finn was a little worried because he was practically invisible despite his efforts. But again, Zeth encouraged him to fight and Finn pushed his voice more than he ever did for the final part of 'Brainless' and even dared to sing another whistle note for 'Spread My Wings' because why the hell not?
When they recorded the third album: 'Disembodied Voices', which was all about Pop-Punk, Finn was in his element so he decided that the song he wrote and never dared to sing on previous albums finally deserved a chance: Rise Like A Kraken. That would be Finn's song, his moment to shine, Zeth had said, and so it was.
It became the band's most difficult power ballad to sing, and one of their most popular songs as well.
Finn had become a powerhouse just like Zeth and Everett. That was a dream come true. His evolution was so great that Alex even asked him to sing the bridge of the song 'Exorcist' because, according to Alex himself, that part was so emotional that there was no one better in the world to sing it.
The fourth album was the best experience for Finn, as he finally discovered his full potential and sang a lot of the high notes, and whistle notes, during the final choruses and bridges, and boy was it a surprise!
Finn Belted with Everett the backing vocals for 'Frozen Heart' too and it turned out to be a masterpiece!
And the final chorus of 'Nine Lives'? Oh yeah! That was all Finn, baby!
He was ready for anything!
If Zeth wanted a too shouty, too risky revamped album, Finn would give him just that!
But there was a problem...
Monster Mash was on the brink of extinction and all because of the argument between Alex and Draco.
Perhaps Finn was exaggerating when he called this situation an extinction.
If Alex left the band, Everett would most likely sing his parts live.
If Draco left, Frank would probably sing his parts.
Whatever the case, Finn feared the dissolution of a perfect family in which he already felt complete.
He couldn't imagine his life without Draco or Alex.
They were an important part of his family.
"What are you doing out here, Seamons?" Zeth asked, walking out of the restaurant with his head held high as Finn tried to quiet his brain, "We have the restaurant to ourselves, you know? Don't get me wrong, I love the attention, but it's nice to have a night without paparazzi hiding behind flower pots and taking pictures from a nearby table."
"I needed a moment alone..." Finn sighed, looking at the moon, "You know? I used to have nothing, Zeth. Not even a family that loved me," Finn lowered his head. "And then you gave me a chance, you gave me a job, a family."
"No, it was you who sought that stability, Draco and I were the just ones in charge of bringing us together," Zeth placed his forearms on the stone railing, looking at the roses below. Neither he nor Finn looked at each other, but they were both breathing in sync. "Doesn't silence feel strange to you?"
"I like it here." Finn turned towards Zeth. "But I am not sure if I enjoy my own company enough to stay for long. Thank you for coming to see me, but I know that's not why you came. I know why you want to be here alone with me."
"I just came to keep you company, I know you get sad when you're alone," Zeth sighed in unison with Finn.
"I heard you yelling at Draco," Finn whispered, "What did the Animaniac do now?"
"Something stupid, as usual," Zeth rolled his eyes. "He dropped a very expensive bottle of wine. He was telling us about that time his popcorn caught fire in the frying pan, he opened his hands to simulate an explosion and... Crash. Oh well! Guess who's going to pay for it."
"You will," Finn rubbed his forehead.
"At least it was almost empty," Zeth turned his back on the garden, his pose was relaxed, and he looked sideways at Finn with his classic pretty boy face. "You look handsome when you are worried."
"I'm just your replacement for tonight," Finn grunted, "I saw how you looked at Frank and Jade. You wanted to go with her."
"You know I never lie, right?" Zeth asked and Finn nodded.
"You say it doesn't make sense because the truth always comes to light."
"I wasn't looking at Jade and Frank." Zeth admitted, "I was just wondering where Evie was and why Jade was there."
"Were you jealous? I mean, you and Jade..."
"She kissed me, Finn." Zeth rebutted.
"You don't like her?"
"I don't like her the way you think." Zeth took a side step to get closer to Finn, "You weren't jealous, Finn?"
"That you were staring at Jade and Frank?" Finn trumpeted his lips, "Pl-ease!"
"I wasn't talking about me," Zeth narrowed his eyes. Finn looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "Wow, so you haven't noticed."
"What have I not noticed?"
"Seriously, haven't you realised that someone else is, shall we say, in love with you?" Zeth wiggled his bushy eyebrows.
"Zeth, do you remember what you told me at the strip club?" Finn turned to see Zeth, handsome under the moonlight. "That you and I could be more than friends?"
"Yeah," Zeth nodded slowly. "Do you want that too?"
"I don't know yet," Finn answered. "I'm afraid I might get hurt. But after the show, the way you and I looked at each other and knew what to do to help Evie without words? I think it's helped me accept that maybe..."
"Maybe what? Do you want to know if our connection is love?" Zeth cocked his head with a discreet smile. Finn blushed and bit his lip. "That is a yes to me."
"Doesn't it bother you that Jade is now with Frank?"
"Why would it bother me? Jade is not my girlfriend nor my love interest. Don't push that. But does that bother you? Because that's what I was talking about. I thought that's why you were out here all sad and alone with your thoughts." Zeth moved closer to Finn, placing his hand on his.
But Finn removed his hand, surprising Zeth.
"I'm going to be honest and I don't want to sound like a jerk. But I don't like Jade being here. It's not her I dislike, it's the feeling that something bad is going to happen if she stays." Finn replied.
"There are things I wish I could say sometimes but I can't."
"I always thought I'd never have the courage to ask this but, Zeth..." Finn gulped, "But would you like to, I don't know..."
"Would you like to be my boyfriend, Seamons?" Zeth dropped the bomb and Finn blinked very quickly, paralyzed, not knowing what to say or what to think.
Zeth had just asked the question that Finn had long dreamed of, and he was here, in plant mode, just looking at him as if he didn't know him.
"Z-Zeth I... This is so... I don't have... I'm so... God, I'm saying nothing with too many words," Finn shook his head, "Did you just ask me to be your... Your boyfriend? Are you serious?"
"I know it feels like a dream, because I'm obviously a dream come true, but yes. I want you to be my boyfriend, Seamons," Zeth bit his lip, "Well? Are you going to say no to your wet dream incarnate, handsome?"
"Y-You know m-my answer, Zeth, b-but now that you've hinted that Jade likes me..." Finn rubbed his face with his hands.
"I never said anything about Jade," Zeth laughed, but Finn turned back to look at the roses to avoid those sapphire blue eyes.
"In the poly relationship I'll be able to be with you and Evie at the same time without any problems, right?" Finn whispered.
"You can be with whoever you want as long as it is reciprocal and only in the group, no dating outside of it unless we all agree to add a new member to the relationship."
"I'm worried about the problems that might cause, Zeth." Finn whispered, "I'm worried about not knowing if I like men or women or both or just you and Evie. What am I, Zeth?"
"The only thing you should care about is to be free to be yourself. Free your mind, forget about labels, orientations and anything else. You are nothing less than perfect, Finn, so live your life without putting a name to what you feel and let yourself go. If what you feel is real, say it and..."
"I love you, Zeth. I fucking love you with my heart and soul," Finn told him. "That's all I know. It's something I feel and know is real. I love you for being my mentor, my guide, the person who believed in me and never let go of my hand. Now tell me... Will you make this awkward like Alex with Draco?"
"No, I don't think so. And you know me well, Finn. You know I would never break your heart, and you know something? It was because of that heart of yours, as golden and magical as mine, that I chose you to be in the band. I mean, you are my second in command. If there are problems, I trust that you can take care of it." Zeth took a step closer and placed his hands on Finn's shoulders, turning him around to be face to face. "You are my right hand, and I'm not just talking about the band. You are my right hand because every time I want to give up, I see your face and remember how much it is worth fighting for a dream just like you did, and how you have always taken risks and accepted challenges. You live life even if it hurts, you don't just survive because it's comfortable. And if you have feelings for me, you know it doesn't bother me. And if you want to hold my hand, hug me, kiss me or whatever, you know I'm willing to do it because I have feelings for you too."
"But... What about Evie?"
"She knows how this works. All of us, in fact," Zeth smiled. "Sometimes you love more than one person at a time, and our poly relationship is to avoid conflict."
"Zeth," Finn said softly and put his hands on his leader's waist. "I love you, and I have dreamed of kissing you for so long I..."
"You can kiss me now. Why should I make you wait? I'll let you take control just this time," Zeth murmured close to Finn's lips.
"I don't want to interrupt mating ritual," Everett said, taking a huge bite of some garlic bread in his hand, "But Draco is alone at table."
"We really need to put a bell on Everett," Finn grunted, blushing a little, stepping away from Zeth, huffing.
"We'll worry about Mr. Silent Feet later. We can't leave Draco alone at the table," Zeth sighed, with one hand on his waist and the other scratching the back of his neck.
"If you know Draco is a mess..." Finn clenched his fists and looked up at Everett, as absent as ever, "Why the hell did you leave him alone?"
"Because he started swinging headfirst from chandelier in restaurant," Everett replied, "I panicked."
"We'll finish this conversation later, Seamons," Zeth muttered as he walked into the restaurant.
Finn sighed and turned back to look at the garden.
Everett stood by his side, chewing with his mouth open as always, ruining Finn's inner peace.
"We need to make Alex and Draco friends again," Everett said, and Finn looked up. Everett was looking at him, intensely as always, with his blue eyes penetrating his soul as he took another huge bite of his garlic bread, "There is much hate between them."
"I don't think Alex wants to talk to Draco again, not offstage," Finn shook his head, "Not everything has to work out between them, Everett. They're not close anymore."
"But they are not enemies either. They're just drama."
"I hope it's all over someday," Finn mumbled, "I think Draco and Alex are just going through a rough patch in their friendship."
"I hope so." Everett replied before walking away with Finn following him. But there was a noise, a slight grunt in the air, and when Finn turned, he was sure he saw a bush moving on its own.
"That's weird."
When they entered the restaurant, they found Draco at the booth closest to the window with his knees on the seat, watching the stars with his hands on his pretty cheeks. The chandelier was still swinging above him.
By the left, Zeth was telling the Fifth Octave guys that all the papers were properly signed on another table.
"I'll be with you in a moment, Big Guy," Finn told Everett, who grunted a little and walked over to the empty table where they had been.
Draco was lost in the stars when his ears moved.
"You know it's really hard to surprise me, right?" Draco looked over his shoulder as Finn sat next to him, then looked out the window too.
"How are you doing?" Finn asked.
"It hurts me to know that Alex hates me."
"He doesn't," Finn said as Draco sat down properly next to him, crossing his arms, "We need to talk."
"About what exactly?" Draco raised an eyebrow.
"About Alex," Finn began, resting his elbows on the table, "You know Alex is straight, right?"
"Yeah," Draco shrugged, evading Finn's gaze.
"And I guess you know that he loves you but only as his best friend," Finn patted on Draco's thigh.
"I understand why Alex rejected me, but I don't understand why he got so angry with me."
"Yeah, he is such a drama king, true, but I don't think he hates you, he just reacted the wrong way," Finn scratched his brow, "Maybe Alex is trying to keep you away so he can stop influencing you with his pheromones?"
"No!" Draco shook his head furiously, throwing his arms up, "It's not possible! He could do that and be nice! But he was an absolute ass to me!"
"Well, that's just him," Finn shrugged, "Maybe you should talk to him about it. You two are good friends."
"I don't think he even wants us to be friends anymore," Draco frowned, turning to watch as the Fifth Octave boys shook Zeth's hand one by one before leaving the restaurant, all except Paul, who was watching Draco from afar. Zeth said something to Paul, and the boy just nodded and walked to the door of the restaurant, taking one last look at Draco.
"Alex is your best friend," Finn said, but Draco grunted and rubbed his temples, "I'm sure that, if you talk to him, you guys will get along again."
"I don't think Alex and I were ever friends or close." Draco replied, "I think, if we had been, I would understand why he became so cruel towards me."
"We are a family, and we are going to solve this together, as we have always faced problems, do you understand?"
And there it was again, Draco's puppy eyes.
"MulÈumesc, Finn. You, you know? Writers rarely know what to do with aquatic characters like Aquaman or The Deep or Lagoona Blue but, I think the author has a certain affection for you. You've evolved a lot, Finn, and yes that's foreshadowing but... Thanks for always being one of my best friends." And out of nowhere, Draco threw himself at Finn, giving him the warmest, tightest hug anyone had ever given him. Finn hugged Draco back, as strong and warm as he always wanted to hug someone in his life, perhaps a younger brother, even though Draco was thousands of years older than him.
"That's what family is for, little Animaniac," Finn held Draco tighter in his arms, "A family always solves everything together, and we will always love you no matter how chaotic you are."
"That was foreshadowing too."
"Okay, so whenever you do that I always wonder..." Finn looked Draco in the eyes, "Who are you talking to?"
"Oh! With our readers!" Draco said and Finn looked at him weirdly, "It's called breaking the fourth wall. I do it in case my life is a Wattpad book and I don't know it."
"You say really weird things sometimes, Animaniac."
"I know," Draco stuck his tongue out, "But you love me like that."