Anywhere Else But Here
Title: Anywhere Else But Here (4/?)
Author: badenoughforyou
Rating: pg-13
Pairing: Jalex
Summary: Jack has grown up in a world where music is a felony. It was believed to influence kids too much. Jack had never known the beautiful world of music. That is, until the day the beautiful Alex Gaskarth walked into his life and showed him the truth behind music. The beauty everyone had been hiding from him for so long.
Disclaimer: I do not own All Time Low and the title is a song by Simple Plan.
Master Post
Alex buried his face in Jack's shoulder blades, shaking. He still had a tight hold on his hand and he knew now that they had to get the fuck out of there.
"C'mon..." He whispered, praying whoever that was had just thought they were mice or something. He backed up slowly, Alex pressed against him. Something about being the heroic one made him feel better, but he was honestly scared shitless right then.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" The voice said again, but this time its owner accompanied it. It was a man, maybe in his early thirties standing in a doorway behind all of the broken CDs. He had black hair that spiked up in the front and blue eyes that surveyed them from afar.
"What do you want?" He asked, becoming calmer when he saw they were just a couple of kids.
"W-We don't want any trouble." Jack managed to squeak out. The man laughed, but it wasn't menacing.
"Seemed to shake up your friend a bit." He said, walking towards them. Jack backed up a little, knocking over more broken records and bumping into the old cash register. Alex squeaked lightly, but didn't look up.
"We were just leaving..." Jack said, his voice level now. The man didn't seem like he wanted to hurt them or anything.
"Why don't you stay for a bit? You seem like a couple of kids who would appreciate what I have." He said, giving them a genuine grin as if he hadn't in a long time. Jack looked warily at the man, but there was something about him he trusted. He started walking towards him, but Alex pulled on him, whimpering.
"Jack, please... please. Can we leave?" He pleaded. His tone broke Jack's heart, but he had to know what this guy was up to.
"You can wait here, but I just... I just need to see this." Jack said. Alex looked up at him from behind him.
"I'm not going to let you go alone." He said, fear lacing his words. He stayed behind Jack, but started walking against him, telling him he could go on. They walked back to the room where the man motioned to and stepped in. There was a hallway and another door at the end.
"I had a bad feeling about this..." Alex said against Jack's shoulder.
"Fuck... it's like Willie Wonka..." Jack whispered. The man walked towards the door and opened it. The lights were off.
"Come on. You'll love it." He said, that smile still there. He stopped at the door and waited for them. They cautiously walked back to the room and the man didn't turn the lights on until the door was shut.
Jack and Alex gasped in symphony. It was something they had never expected in a million years. It was an old recording studio stashed in the back. Instruments lined the walls. Guitars of every color and style. Keyboards, basses, drumsets... hell, he had some flutes and oboes too. Everything.
Jack felt Alex let go of him. He wanted back, though. He felt hollow again. Alex silently touched the guitars in awe, his eyes glistening with tears.
"But... how?" Jack finally broke the silence. The man looked up at him. His smile had gotten smaller, but it was still genuine.
"Nothing can keep me from something I love." He said. Alex was still looking at all the instruments in amazement.
"Jack... this is amazing." He said, wide eyed. Jack couldn't help but laugh at how cute Alex looked when he was happy. Jack looked back at the man, not sure what to say.
"Who are you anyway?" He asked.
"Mark." The man answered simply. "I've been collecting for a while." He added. "After this whole bullshit... I decided I would never be able to live with that. So here I am. Nobody comes looking around here. Well... you two are an exception, but usually people are deterred by anything associated with music." Mark said, shaking his head in disapproval.
"So... how did you get all of this stuff?" Jack asked, running his hand over the soundboard. It had so many knobs and slides. What did they do?
"I used to be in a band." Mark said, his voice sounding constricted. "The other two were... they were exiled. They were found as Resistors." He said.
"But... you're still here." Alex said, looking back at them.
"I was better at concealing it than they were." He said, chuckling. But a mask of pain had overtaken his features.
"What did you do?" Jack asked, hoping Mark would know what he was asking.
"Bass. And vocals." He said, looking at the pink bass in the corner. Alex had picked up an acoustic guitar and started strumming it thoughtfully. Jack froze. What if somebody heard?
"Don't worry." Mark said, noticing Jack's discomfort. He tapped the walls. "Sound proof." He said. Jack was relieved.
"Inquisitive and thoughtful... she was the challenge he'd been waiting for..." Alex sang softly. Jack froze again, but this time in awe. He let Alex's sweet voice flow around him, taking it all in. His voice was like nothing he'd ever heard. He'd only ever heard his father sing. But there was no comparison.
"Dark eyed dreamers... they were a dangerous pair. Q next to U, scribbled out on paper." He said, getting to the chorus. Jack was beside himself. How was he doing this?
When Alex finished the first chorus, he stopped. He looked up at Jack and Mark who both looked mesmerized.
"We can't let this talent go to waste..." Mark said suddenly, brewing up an idea in his head.
"What are you talking about? Nobody else can hear it. If they did... They would take Alex away." Jack protested, the words cutting into his heart. He barely knew Alex. Why did he care?
"But we can hear it. We can change... everything." Mark said.
Author: badenoughforyou
Rating: pg-13
Pairing: Jalex
Summary: Jack has grown up in a world where music is a felony. It was believed to influence kids too much. Jack had never known the beautiful world of music. That is, until the day the beautiful Alex Gaskarth walked into his life and showed him the truth behind music. The beauty everyone had been hiding from him for so long.
Disclaimer: I do not own All Time Low and the title is a song by Simple Plan.
Master Post
Alex buried his face in Jack's shoulder blades, shaking. He still had a tight hold on his hand and he knew now that they had to get the fuck out of there.
"C'mon..." He whispered, praying whoever that was had just thought they were mice or something. He backed up slowly, Alex pressed against him. Something about being the heroic one made him feel better, but he was honestly scared shitless right then.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" The voice said again, but this time its owner accompanied it. It was a man, maybe in his early thirties standing in a doorway behind all of the broken CDs. He had black hair that spiked up in the front and blue eyes that surveyed them from afar.
"What do you want?" He asked, becoming calmer when he saw they were just a couple of kids.
"W-We don't want any trouble." Jack managed to squeak out. The man laughed, but it wasn't menacing.
"Seemed to shake up your friend a bit." He said, walking towards them. Jack backed up a little, knocking over more broken records and bumping into the old cash register. Alex squeaked lightly, but didn't look up.
"We were just leaving..." Jack said, his voice level now. The man didn't seem like he wanted to hurt them or anything.
"Why don't you stay for a bit? You seem like a couple of kids who would appreciate what I have." He said, giving them a genuine grin as if he hadn't in a long time. Jack looked warily at the man, but there was something about him he trusted. He started walking towards him, but Alex pulled on him, whimpering.
"Jack, please... please. Can we leave?" He pleaded. His tone broke Jack's heart, but he had to know what this guy was up to.
"You can wait here, but I just... I just need to see this." Jack said. Alex looked up at him from behind him.
"I'm not going to let you go alone." He said, fear lacing his words. He stayed behind Jack, but started walking against him, telling him he could go on. They walked back to the room where the man motioned to and stepped in. There was a hallway and another door at the end.
"I had a bad feeling about this..." Alex said against Jack's shoulder.
"Fuck... it's like Willie Wonka..." Jack whispered. The man walked towards the door and opened it. The lights were off.
"Come on. You'll love it." He said, that smile still there. He stopped at the door and waited for them. They cautiously walked back to the room and the man didn't turn the lights on until the door was shut.
Jack and Alex gasped in symphony. It was something they had never expected in a million years. It was an old recording studio stashed in the back. Instruments lined the walls. Guitars of every color and style. Keyboards, basses, drumsets... hell, he had some flutes and oboes too. Everything.
Jack felt Alex let go of him. He wanted back, though. He felt hollow again. Alex silently touched the guitars in awe, his eyes glistening with tears.
"But... how?" Jack finally broke the silence. The man looked up at him. His smile had gotten smaller, but it was still genuine.
"Nothing can keep me from something I love." He said. Alex was still looking at all the instruments in amazement.
"Jack... this is amazing." He said, wide eyed. Jack couldn't help but laugh at how cute Alex looked when he was happy. Jack looked back at the man, not sure what to say.
"Who are you anyway?" He asked.
"Mark." The man answered simply. "I've been collecting for a while." He added. "After this whole bullshit... I decided I would never be able to live with that. So here I am. Nobody comes looking around here. Well... you two are an exception, but usually people are deterred by anything associated with music." Mark said, shaking his head in disapproval.
"So... how did you get all of this stuff?" Jack asked, running his hand over the soundboard. It had so many knobs and slides. What did they do?
"I used to be in a band." Mark said, his voice sounding constricted. "The other two were... they were exiled. They were found as Resistors." He said.
"But... you're still here." Alex said, looking back at them.
"I was better at concealing it than they were." He said, chuckling. But a mask of pain had overtaken his features.
"What did you do?" Jack asked, hoping Mark would know what he was asking.
"Bass. And vocals." He said, looking at the pink bass in the corner. Alex had picked up an acoustic guitar and started strumming it thoughtfully. Jack froze. What if somebody heard?
"Don't worry." Mark said, noticing Jack's discomfort. He tapped the walls. "Sound proof." He said. Jack was relieved.
"Inquisitive and thoughtful... she was the challenge he'd been waiting for..." Alex sang softly. Jack froze again, but this time in awe. He let Alex's sweet voice flow around him, taking it all in. His voice was like nothing he'd ever heard. He'd only ever heard his father sing. But there was no comparison.
"Dark eyed dreamers... they were a dangerous pair. Q next to U, scribbled out on paper." He said, getting to the chorus. Jack was beside himself. How was he doing this?
When Alex finished the first chorus, he stopped. He looked up at Jack and Mark who both looked mesmerized.
"We can't let this talent go to waste..." Mark said suddenly, brewing up an idea in his head.
"What are you talking about? Nobody else can hear it. If they did... They would take Alex away." Jack protested, the words cutting into his heart. He barely knew Alex. Why did he care?
"But we can hear it. We can change... everything." Mark said.