(OPEN) && sleep 'til it's 4 in the afternoon.

[nixon levine anderson]

Nixon finished the last few beats of the last song of their set before he stood up. He wasn't one to toss his drumsticks, even if the rest of the band would throw their picks. He thought a drumstick would hurt a lot more than a pick when it landed on your head or in your eye. So he tucked them into his back pocket, and started off the stage. He wiggled the mic off of his shirt, and unbuttoned the pack. He wasn't like the rest of the band and could just get up and walk over to the dead mic. So he had one pinned to him.

He smiled at a few people as he passes, making his way to the vendors. He grabbed a water, ducking behind one of the tents to drink the cold water. He finished off half of it before he finally stopped for air. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, then his upper lip before he looked around. The place was packed, that was for sure. But there were, what? Three bands playing tonight? Three if you counted the high school opener.

He started over to the merch booths to see if there was anyone there who he knew. Normally, he would just duck behind stage and hide on the bus until the show was over, then get off for autographs. But the night was especially cool tonight, and he wasn't going to pass up sitting in the cool breeze to sitting on a hot, still bus listening to everyone else talking outside.

[kathryn leigh fox]

Kat had just been out and about this weekend. The sunshine had been beckoning her name and since her band had the weekend off for once, everyone seemed to be able to do their own thing. Being cooped up on a tour bus got to be quite stifling. During the day she got to hit the mall and buy some new clothes which she got to wear out tonight. She had also been thinking about doing something drastic like chopping off her hair to change her look, but that idea quickly faded when she saw the many salons in the city. Many of them looked so snooty, and it was not likely she was going to part with her big beautiful hair as of yet.

Kat being -- well Kat, she quickly made friends in the area and learned that Beautiful Freaks and a couple of other bands were playing in concert in a venue near by and that meant that she definitely had to go. She didn't really believe in 'rival bands' and tried to make nice with everyone, but this particular band one of her friends was a drummer. She had met Nixon when her band had first been created, and they hit it off spectacularly. They did happen to be polar opposites, where he would rather relax and kick back on the tour bus while she was spontaneous and raring to go, but it made for interesting conversation and more times than not they balanced each other out. Together they could be silly and supportive, chill and creative.

As the show came to a close, she made her way over to the merch tables first to scout out anything that she might like. Any roadie and band member knew that the good stuff always sold out the first half hour after the show ends. Especially a show like this one where the venue was filled fence to fence with people. Pursing her lips, she bought up some knick knacks and jewlery, then started to make her way to the Beautiful Freaks tour bus. More than likely, Nix would have started in that direction anyway. It was to her surprise that she nearly ran into him making her way from the merch stands.

"Oops, excuse me...I didn't--" She started before she realized who he was. "Nix?! I was just coming to look for you. You were rockin' tonight, baby!" She exclaimed excitedly and pat him on the arm.

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[nixon levine anderson]

Nixon had his phone out, reading over the text messages he had missed when he was playing. There was one from his mother wishing him good luck, and he assumed he was only reading it now because back home they were a couple of hours behind. By now, home-time, the show was just starting, according to the clock. He had one from an old friend, who he hadn't talked to in awhile. And despite being he nice person he was, he didn't think he should waste his time on someone who was only texting him now that he was well-known. The word 'famous' bothered him. 'Nixon Anderson' isn't exactly Tom Cruise or Bill Clinton.

He was texting his mom back, which even though he despised it, it was better than calling and having her talk his ear off, when he ran into Kat. He smiled, tucking his phone into his pocket. He heard it go off with another text, but he hated to be rude and answer it. 'Number one reason why I hate texting.' He thought. "Thanks. They got some bright lights on that stage.. I think I've melted and lost like, seven pounds. And the wind might have carried me off to begin with." He teased. He knew he was a little person, in every sense of the word. He was short, for a boy, and so skinny, he could hide behind a pole. "What's a pretty thing like you doing hanging around our merch booth?" He asked, putting his hands into his pockets. He was a terrible flirt, not that he was trying. But when he did, it was horrible.

[kathryn leigh fox]

Kat watched as he put his phone back in his pocket and smiled gently. He was such a gentleman. She could not understand why he hated texting so much and teased him that he must have been an alien from another planet or a soul from a previous century that's thinks that these new fangled gadgets are taking away from humanity. Never the less, it was adorable. He was only a few years older than her, but most of the time he came out to be so much mature. That is until she can rope him into some crazy silly antics and get him to come out of his shell. It did not happen very often, but when it did what a time they would have.

When he mentioned that he practically melted on stage and got carried off by the wind Kat giggled with a small shake of her head. Yes, the boy was incredibly skinny and they were probably the same size, Kat being a little bit on the shorter side. "Honey, I would die for your figure." She put a hand on her hip in a sassy hip switch and looked him up and down curiously. "You are looking a bit starved though. Too bad they aren't serving up conies in this bih."

When he asked what she was doing here, she looked around them quietly then leaned over closer to him. "You can't tell anyone...But I'm stalking you. I love you, Nixon Anderson and we shall have beautiful children together and all of them will be named after you." Her eyes widened gently as she pulled of the best non-joking face that she could. For anyone that didn't know her, Kat could definitely come off as a creeper, but she only meant fun and games.

After a moment, she started to laugh. "We're off for the weekend and I didn't want to stay in tonight and some of your fans told me you were playing tonight so I just decided to hop over."

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[nixon levine anderson]

Nixon couldn't help but blush a bit when she said she would die for his figure. A lot of girls told him that, although he never really believed them because they all looked wonderful to begin with. Who wanted a bony body? He had to chuckle at the cony comment, though. "Yeah, no kidding. Too bad we can't get like.. care packages with conies in them. I'd tell my mom to send sixty."

Her comment about loving him got him seriously giggling. He bit his lip to try and stop the laughter, saw a few people looking over at them. "Then I guess I love you too, Kat." He said, then nudged her with his elbow. He glanced at the shirts they had printed, almost liking the bright, obnoxious colors they had chosen. They certainly stood out. "I dunno if a bunch of kids named Nixon, Nix, and Levine would blow over well, though. They might take us for a couple of nuts." He said with a smile, picking up one of the keychains.

"Yeah, my fans said that I don't use Twitter enough. And I hate it cause it's like texting. But I guess if that's what they want.." He shrugged, sitting the keychain back down and picking up another one. "I just tell them when and where the shows are gonna be. Since I think our site crashed. You like this for mom?" He asked, handing the keychain over. He picked up a third one, knowing he wanted to get that one for his dad. He pulled his water from his back pocket and took a drink from it.

[kathryn leigh fox]

Kat had always been the type that loved to banter back and forth and that was probably one of the main reasons that she and Nix got along. He usually picked up on when she was joking and when she was being serious and was never really offended by her sense of humor. Had she said something as crazy to someone else they probably would have taken a restraining order out on her, just in case she was serious. Giggling gently at his response, she took a look at some of the other jewelry that had been displayed.

"Of course you love me. You have no other choice. And hey. Who is to say that they would be wrong to call us nuts?" She nudged him back with her own elbow. She then picked up a lime green tshirt that said Beautiful Freak in bold sparkly letters and on the back was a lyric from one of their more popular songs. It was strangely attractive but realistically much too bright for her tastes.

Taking the keychain from him as it was handed over, Kat pursed her lips and after a moment of thought she handed it back to him and nodded confidently. "That one is nice." After a few silent moments of browsing, Kat picked up some a pair of large dangle earrings, and turned them over in her hands in thought. It was nice that Nix had supportive parents. Hers really could care less what she did as long as she wasn't in prison or dead. On occasion she would get the just saying hello e-card or text message, but other than that while she was on the road she didn't hear from them very often. She tried not to get too hung up on the fact, but there were just some moments like this where she wished that she even knew what her mother might like so that she could buy her something.

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[nixon levine anderson]

Nixon took the key chain back from her, looking it over again before he put it with the other key chain. He twirled them around his finger, ready for one to go flying at any minute. "How do you even wear those things? I have my in-ear mic in and it feels like a brick." He said, just not remembering he still had the little piece in. Not that it mattered when the battery pack was back on stage. He took it out and put it into his pocket. He swished around the rest of his water in the bottle, wandering down to the rest of the stuff. "Who wants a mug with my face on it? That's so weird.." He mumbled, picking it up. He shook his head and sat it back down. The things they came up with never failed to amaze him.

"What are you doing later on, sweet cheeks?" He asked with a sly smile, even if he meant nothing by it. She was beautiful, yeah. But she was also practically his sister, which made even the thought of anything more than being friends completely awkward. "I think we're getting a hotel and staying here for the night. That bunk's starting to kill my back."

He looked up as someone called his name, and a few girls walked over with their new shirts on. He pulled out the sharpie from his back pocket, his drumsticks falling out. One of them asked if she could have them, and he shrugged, picking them up for her. He handed them over, signing the shirts and the sticks before they finally left. "I was reading one of those.. tween tabloid things." He said, looking back at Kat. "And apparently someone decided to make up this story about me being gay. Reading about yourself is weird enough, but like.. the stuff they pull off the top of their heads amazes me." He said, shaking his head.

[kathryn leigh fox]

Turning her gaze down to the earrings in her hand, she offered a soft smile and pulled a small mirror from her pocket and held it up to her earlobe. They were really pretty. Kat loved to accessorize and had a brief obsession at one point. "Well, as a lady I am obligated to endure pain for beauty. But you get used to them when you wear them often, like I do." That statement was not completely false but she meant it as a joke nonetheless. As a front to a band, she knew (and was constantly reminded) of how her image was directly proportional to her and the band's claim to fame. Industry standards of beauty were always changing and even a person that could predict the future could not keep up with image expectations. If you wanted to feature in magazines, on blogs, and even have your face on a mug you did have to earn that spot by having a positive or attractive image. Looking over to the mug, she giggled gently and picked it up. "This is so your fans can have breakfast with you. Good morning, Nixon!" She placed it back down on the display. To this day, her face on merchandise makes her laugh.

When the boy asked what she was doing later, she shrugged gently and glanced at her phone for the time. She also had a couple of text messages, but she would answer them later. Since Nix was so irked by texting, she often did not text around him unless they were doing absolutely nothing. "Nothing for tonight as far as I know. We're not back on the road for a couple more days. Why, you wanna take me back to your place?" She winked at him with a laugh before one of his fans called his name and he was suddenly crowded by a bunch of girls that wanted his autograph.

Stepping out of the way, she smiled gently and folded her arms across her chest. Sometimes around him she felt like the proud younger sibling, glad that the older was getting the attention they deserved. That's kind of how their relationship always was. Once the girls had left, she rose a brow at him curiously at his statement. "People write what sells." She said with a slight shrug. "Besides the writer just probably wishes you were. So in a creeper way, it's a compliment." She locked one of her arms with his and offered a friendly smile. "But you're mine and I will never let you go." She said in a sing song voice.

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[nixon levine anderson]

Nixon chuckled at her comment about his fans having breakfast. The idea of it was kinda creepy. To think someone had your face on a poster in their room was one thing. But on something you used? Why not stick his face on a toothbrush? Then again, he wouldn't put that past marketing. They might actually do it. "But I'm a grump in the morning. Even my own mom hates when I wake up." He said with a laugh. He was a hard one to get up, and when he did wake up, he was usually grumpy and mad about it, wanting to just go back to bed. Not to mention he usually needed a pot of coffee before he was even coherent.

He smiled as she winked, lowering his gaze. He was a shy one, even when someone was just teasing and meant nothing by it. "Maybe. We can always go rent a car and go looking for conies." He said with a smile. He couldn't help wrinkling his nose at her next compliment though. He knew what he liked very well, and he knew that it was also frowned upon. Especially by management. He was okay with no one but him knowing. He didn't even think his own parents knew. "Yeah, well. Compliment or not, it's still really weird." He said, looping his arms with hers. "But you know you're my faaaavorite." He teased, leading her over to the cashier. He paid for his key chains, then stuck them in his pocket.

"You wanna head back to the bus and see if we can't find my manager?" He asked, letting go of her arm to press his hand to the small of her back. He lead her around the back of the booth and through the crowd of people before they finally hit a clearing. "Geez. Everyone and their mom is here." He said, pulling his water bottle out of his back pocket. He finished it off, then tossed it in one of the trashcans.

[kathryn leigh fox]

Kat patted his arm reassuringly. Weird or not, so many publications liked to make up things about musicians to see if they could spark a controversy. It worked perhaps sixty percent of the time as people get worked up -- especially if it is a situation as personal as your sexuality. She was still fairly new to this game that is the music business, but she picked up on it quickly and played very well. At the mention that she was his favorite, she beamed a large grin, like a small child being praised. Once he paid for his keychains, she also paid for the earrings that she had in her hand and then was escorted behind the stand and towards the parking lot where the tour buses were located. "I haven't seen any place that sells conies, but I am always up for an adventure."

She glanced back at him for a moment before looking forward once more to maneuver the crowds. It had gotten to be quite crowded with people just milling around with no specific place to go. When they got to the clearing, Kat brushed a stray stand of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "I know, right? From what I heard it was a sold out show tonight." Taking a brief look around, she continued to walk forward. "How about we not try to find your manager and we just find some fun on our own? I promise to have you back by tomorrow." This place was just as new to her, but Kat being --well Kat she loved a good sense of adventure. Getting in and out of trouble was a specialty of hers.

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[nixon levine anderson]

Nixon shrugged. He didn't make it a point to know how many people were there or if they sold out or not. He was just happy if even one person was there because it meant he was doing what he loved and someone appreciated it. It wasn't the volumes of people that he cared about, but that he was making them all happy. "I dunno. I don't like worrying about selling out." He bit his lip at her next suggestion, though. He wasn't one to leave without someone knowing. What if something happened? That and he was beyond cautious. What if he got into trouble? What if they thought he was kidnapped? What if they weren't staying here and were heading to the next city? He'd have no idea. And that bothered him, the fact that he didn't have everything under control.

"I'd rather ask than be left here in a hotel." He said, climbing up into their bus. He found his manager, asking if they were getting a hotel or not. When the man said they were, he handed him his pass, and told him he was going to get his stuff. He walked to his bunk, and started shoving everything into a book bag. He hummed to the song on the speakers, zipping his bag up carefully before he threw it over his shoulder and started out the front door. He didn't even bother with the steps, just jumped over the railing. He tucked his skateboard under his arm, looking back at Kat. "Ready to go get a ride?" He asked with a smile, checking to make sure he had his wallet on him before he held his arm out to her. "I got another board on the bus if you wanna borrow it. Beats walking."

[kathryn leigh fox]

Kat shrugged her shoulders gently when he insisted that they find his manager. She didn't really think of the consequences if they were to just up and leave without telling anyone. It was usually often that she would be in one place one moment then up and leave and find something a little more interesting to do the next moment. A social butterfly is what she was, sometimes more of a gypsy. She enjoyed the challenge of mischief and many people, if not annoyed by her overwhelmingly optimistic attitude were charmed by her whimsy. Still, she understood that Nix just didn't have that type of personality. He worried about everyone and everything and though sometimes she could convince him to do something out of his character, other times she was not as successful. He could tend to be a little of a control freak and stressed about the little things that he couldn't change, but she loved him still.

Following him to the tour bus, she paused at the door and looked up into it for a moment. She didn't know the rest of his band that well and didn't want to intrude on anything, so she decided to wait for him outside the door instead of following him up. Folding her arms over her chest, she turned slightly and leaned against the bus, looking out in the distance. There were definitely less people back here, though the dull roar of crowds still echoed in the distance. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she checked her texts and answered them. It was mostly people that she was on tour with wondering where she had gone and wondering if she wanted to hang out since she had a clear schedule. Humming the song she heard coming out of the speakers on the bus, she answered her texts like lightning and was placing her phone back into her pocket when Nix jumped back off the bus.

"You already know, I'm ready for anything!" She giggled gently and shook her head at his skateboard, shifting her weight so that she was no longer leaning. "No thanks. I'll probably end up killing myself." Unfortunately, she was just not coordinated for doing anything that meant having balance. Riding a bike even tested her limits.

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[nixon levine anderson]

Nixon just chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah, we don't need you falling and breaking your neck and dying or something." He said, nudging her with his elbow. He walked beside her with his head down, trying to keep any attention from being drawn to him. He just wanted to go get a rental and get the hell out of Dodge. Preferably in the search of a coney.

Once they were out on the sidewalk, he stopped and fixed his book sack, then got onto his board. He pushed off, starting slowly down the sidewalk so he didn't lose Kat. "What 'appens if I call you Kit-Kat? Cause you know you're sweet like candy." He smiled, glancing over at her through his long bangs. He swerved past someone, then pushed off again, weaving back and forth from boredom.

He turned into the parking lot of the car rental shop, and kicked his skateboard up, holding it under his arm. He walked in, talking to the woman at the desk. He handed her his credit card, and she started to ring everything up. She handed it back, and he waited at the counter for her until she came around the side of the building in a baby blue convertible. "Oh baby, I love big cities." He said, holding the door open for Kat before he put his skateboard in the back, sliding into the driver's seat. His back pack was soon in the back along with his board, and he pulled on his seat belt. "Looking for Coneys?" He asked, smiling over at her.

[kathryn leigh fox]

Kat smiled up to him and shook her head gently as he nudged her. She was an absolutely terrible klutz. It was a few years ago that she had attempted to learn to skateboard, but in the end she looked like a six year old and kept falling down and hurting herself. As they walked, she glanced over to him and gave a broad smile. She couldn't help but feel that it was like they were escaping some cruel penitentiary and they just had to keep moving before they were detected. Once on the sidewalk, Kat adjusted the tote bag that she was carrying and started to walk with a little more pep in her stride to keep up with him.

At his question, she pursed her lips in thought. The girl was not too fond of pet names, but given her and Nix's relationship there were always exceptions that she could make. "Well, if you call me Kit-Kat I'm going to call you -- hmm -- uhhh -- Twix! Because you're sweet and gooey." Giggling at the thought, she started to skip, keeping beside him before starting to walk once more.

Walking into the rental shop, she looked around and hummed beneath her breath as Nix conducted business with the lady behind the desk. Wandering around, she stuck her hands in her pockets and picked up a magazine that sat out on a coffee table and brushed past some very obviously plastic plants. These types of businesses bored her. Since she was only nineteen she legally was not allowed to rent cars and she would just travel by taxi or find a nice car service where people would drive her around. There were other times where she preferred a more public mode of transportation like a city bus line or the subway depending on where she was headed. Being friends with someone that was older than you definitely had it's perks.

When the woman drove around to the side of the building with the convertible, Kat's eyes grew wide and looked over at Nix in awe. "We're going to be riding in THAT? SWEEET!" She slipped into the passenger seat and looked around for a moment, running her hand over the fine leather. "So sweet..." She muttered under her breath then looked back over to Nix as he climbed into the driver's seat.

"Well duh! I heard that they sell coney's downtown somewhere..."

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[nixon levine anderson]

Nixon couldn't help but wrinkle his nose at her nickname. He'd never been too awful fond of nicknames, especially considering 'Nix' sounded like some really bad band or something. But it beat being asked if you were named after a president or something. He liked his name for the fact it was just unusual, that it wasn't often he ran across someone else named Nixon. But the nicknames some people could come up with for it was just out of control.

"Well, duh. When in Rome." He smiled over at her, was almost glad he'd learned how to drive a standard or he might be really confused. He'd heard a lot of people complain at how hard it was to drive a standard, but he didn't really see a difference besides you were using both your feet. He dropped the car into gear, and pulled out of the parking lot, headed in the opposite direction of where they'd came. He didn't want to be in a crowd anymore. He would be content to get his food and head to a hotel for the night so long as it was just him and Kat. She wasn't near as annoying as a crowd full of people.

When he got the car up to speed, he reached over to flip on the radio and scan through the channels, stopping on a stations that seemed to be playing the dancier songs of the stations. "Tell me, cap'n. Any conies on the horizon?" He teased, glancing over at her before he looked back at the road. He very well could do both, but he preferred to be on the safer side and strictly watch the road. It made him feel a lot less like he was putting the other person in the car with him in danger.