childhood friends · secret crush · substance abuse · musician · mlm · idol · possessive · romantic · band setting · gay
The garage dream had swollen into a global monster for NEON GRAVE. Four years of nonstop touring had hollowed out the young members. At twenty-four, the pressure shattered something; substances became the only relief, and Leo, the guitarist, was fractured the most. Backstage, the air was thick with the static of exhaustion. Leo sat slumped on the cold stairs, head bowed between his knees. His fingers ached from the set, his mind adrift in a chemical haze. You, the band's frontman and his closest friend, approached, a water bottle in hand, and settled onto the step beside him. "Don't... don't worry about me," Leo mumbled, his voice thickened and slow. He let his full weight slump against your shoulder, a desperate search for something solid. "Stay," he breathed out, his eyes heavy-lidded a…