[Fic] Cale Mills -- Is this real life? (G)
Title: Is this real life?
Author: vanya_elda
Characters: Cale Mills
Rating: G
Word Count: 707
Summary: Cale sets up before an outdoor gig.
Notes: Written as a writing example for a RP where I'm applying as him to play against Kris.
Is this real life?
Man, this heat was terrible. And it wasn’t the temperature so much as the humidity. The humidity made Cale feel a little panicky. Not that he was claustrophobic or anything, it was just…the guitars. He was worried about the guitars being in this weather. If he felt like he was melting, surely that couldn’t be good on an instrument. In fact, he knew it wasn’t good for the instruments. That’s why he went out on stage early. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Steve - that man was like a brother to him in some ways - but he wanted to make sure on his own that the guitars were okay and that everything was in tune. It agonized him that there was still an hour before show time. The tuning could become completely jacked within those sixty minutes. Andrew and Steve knew it, too. But Cale, Cale was the one that was worried enough to actually step out onto the stage after the sound check was done and the gates had been opened.
Cale didn’t notice the screaming right away. He was too concerned with checking over the Les Paul that he played throughout the majority of the set. The strings needed to be replaced, he knew this, but he couldn’t do it, now, with less than hour to go. They’d need time to adjust. He’d have to change them, tonight, on the bus and hope and pray they were set by the next gig in two days.
“CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALE!” came a deep, resounding shriek from someone in the crowd and finally tore his attention away from the piece of beauty in his hands.
Green eyes flying up immediately, Cale grabbed the yellow guitar pick he held between his teeth and looked for the source of the scream. He smiled sheepishly when more screams came and a camera flashed as he showed the crowd his attention. He wished they’d save their energy for Kris. He was just a part of the backup band, after all.
Then there came a shout asking him to sign something. It was coming from a tiny thing of a girl - she was maybe twelve? Cale sighed at himself, knowing he couldn’t deny the request of a twelve year old with pig-tails and a t-shirt with Kris’s face plastered across the front. He really was an easy sell.
After carefully setting the guitar to the rack at the side of the stage, Cale wiped the sleeve of his t-shirt across his sweaty forehead. He was thankful, now, more than ever for the buzzed haircut that he had. Rounding the keyboard and monitors, he knelt at the edge of the stage and took the picture the little girl’s mother was proffering. Realizing that neither of them had a pen, he turned to see who was closest and called out to Ricky to toss him something to write with.
As soon as he had a Sharpie in-hand, Cale found himself with his own small crowd of onlookers who were asking for autographs and pictures. It was not the first time this had happened, but it was always surreal. He loved Kris’s fans. They were so adamant yet laid back. The little crowd actually waited patiently for him to go from person to person, even as he paused to talk to one or two that were more collected than the others.
A shadow soon fell over Cale and he looked up to see Lizzie’s perpetually exhausted face. She smelled faintly of her cigarette break and from the look in her eye, he knew he had to wrap things up.
“You’re welcome,” Cale said to each person who thanked him as he sped through the last four or five people holding out things to sign. He stood and stretched his knees a little as he straightened his basketball shorts - he still needed to change before the show. It would look kind of silly to play a concert in shorts and sandals.
Letting his hands graze the rack of guitars one more time, Cale flip-flopped a trail behind Lizzie to the backstage area. He fist-bumped Steve along the way and smiled when he entered the room, still waiting for someone to pinch him and say it was all a dream.
Author: vanya_elda
Characters: Cale Mills
Rating: G
Word Count: 707
Summary: Cale sets up before an outdoor gig.
Notes: Written as a writing example for a RP where I'm applying as him to play against Kris.
Is this real life?
Man, this heat was terrible. And it wasn’t the temperature so much as the humidity. The humidity made Cale feel a little panicky. Not that he was claustrophobic or anything, it was just…the guitars. He was worried about the guitars being in this weather. If he felt like he was melting, surely that couldn’t be good on an instrument. In fact, he knew it wasn’t good for the instruments. That’s why he went out on stage early. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Steve - that man was like a brother to him in some ways - but he wanted to make sure on his own that the guitars were okay and that everything was in tune. It agonized him that there was still an hour before show time. The tuning could become completely jacked within those sixty minutes. Andrew and Steve knew it, too. But Cale, Cale was the one that was worried enough to actually step out onto the stage after the sound check was done and the gates had been opened.
Cale didn’t notice the screaming right away. He was too concerned with checking over the Les Paul that he played throughout the majority of the set. The strings needed to be replaced, he knew this, but he couldn’t do it, now, with less than hour to go. They’d need time to adjust. He’d have to change them, tonight, on the bus and hope and pray they were set by the next gig in two days.
“CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALE!” came a deep, resounding shriek from someone in the crowd and finally tore his attention away from the piece of beauty in his hands.
Green eyes flying up immediately, Cale grabbed the yellow guitar pick he held between his teeth and looked for the source of the scream. He smiled sheepishly when more screams came and a camera flashed as he showed the crowd his attention. He wished they’d save their energy for Kris. He was just a part of the backup band, after all.
Then there came a shout asking him to sign something. It was coming from a tiny thing of a girl - she was maybe twelve? Cale sighed at himself, knowing he couldn’t deny the request of a twelve year old with pig-tails and a t-shirt with Kris’s face plastered across the front. He really was an easy sell.
After carefully setting the guitar to the rack at the side of the stage, Cale wiped the sleeve of his t-shirt across his sweaty forehead. He was thankful, now, more than ever for the buzzed haircut that he had. Rounding the keyboard and monitors, he knelt at the edge of the stage and took the picture the little girl’s mother was proffering. Realizing that neither of them had a pen, he turned to see who was closest and called out to Ricky to toss him something to write with.
As soon as he had a Sharpie in-hand, Cale found himself with his own small crowd of onlookers who were asking for autographs and pictures. It was not the first time this had happened, but it was always surreal. He loved Kris’s fans. They were so adamant yet laid back. The little crowd actually waited patiently for him to go from person to person, even as he paused to talk to one or two that were more collected than the others.
A shadow soon fell over Cale and he looked up to see Lizzie’s perpetually exhausted face. She smelled faintly of her cigarette break and from the look in her eye, he knew he had to wrap things up.
“You’re welcome,” Cale said to each person who thanked him as he sped through the last four or five people holding out things to sign. He stood and stretched his knees a little as he straightened his basketball shorts - he still needed to change before the show. It would look kind of silly to play a concert in shorts and sandals.
Letting his hands graze the rack of guitars one more time, Cale flip-flopped a trail behind Lizzie to the backstage area. He fist-bumped Steve along the way and smiled when he entered the room, still waiting for someone to pinch him and say it was all a dream.