It was hard to ignore what was happening in the next room as the sounds of pleasure were rough and loud and it lasted nearly until sunrise. Remington was near inconsolable while Lux acted as if this were to be expected.

  “I can't believe him!” Remington choked out as Ephraim hugged him.

  “Pfff, this is classic normal Vezaias to me.” Lux said seriously.

  “Even so, this doesn't seem to be a direction that we want Zay to go in.” Ephraim said.

  “Heh, good luck convincing him of that. Vezaias is going to do what the fuck Vezaias wants to do.” Lux scoffed. Remington looked crushed knowing this was probably true and crawled into the bed and cried into his pillow. Lux sighed, feeling terrible for Remington's emotional pain and he got up and crawled into bed with him and Ephraim and the three of them snuggled together and eventually fell asleep.

  Vezaias enjoyed the female attention that was freely given. He made sure to satisfy all three of the females that stayed until morning. The activity moved from the hot tub to the leather couch where each female had their chance to grind out their own personal experience with Vezaias. Once they were all satisfied and exhausted the girls fell asleep laying in a pile with Vezaias in the hide-a-bed couch. It was a few hours of heavy intoxicated sleep when suddenly a door slam woke Vezaias up. He groaned and wiped the long hair out of his face of the female who was snoring on his chest as he tried to look to see what the noise was. The room was quiet except for the snoring of the drunk females. Vezaias sat up pushing the unconscious female off of himself and slid off the bed. He slipped on some boxers and went straight for the bathroom. When he was finished he returned to find the females nearly awake and looking glad to see him.

  “Vee! Come back to bed okay?” One asked eagerly.

  “Nah bitch you gotta get lost, I have shit to do today that doesn't involve any of you.” He said. They all looked various amounts of disappointment but he made sure to usher them out of the hotel then he quickly got dressed before discovering the hotel room was empty. He gathered his stuff and left quickly through a portal back to base. It was already past noon and the time for the morning briefing had long since passed. He tracked down his team quickly finding them in the communal bedroom.

  “What the fuck? You just decided to ditch me at the hotel? Why the fuck didn't anyone wake me up?!” Vezaias snapped.

  “Shit I'm sorry, I thought you needed more time with those bitches!” Remington snapped sourly. Lux was quiet and serious, Ephraim only looked worried.

  “Rem you are making the adorable angry face again, what the hell is your problem?” Vezaias asked seriously.

  “You fucked those sluts at the hotel! How the fuck do you not realize that would piss me off?!” Remington snapped back.

  “You seem rather surprised that I took advantage of the opportunity. Why is that I wonder?” Vezaias said angrily.

  “Because you act like you can just do whatever the fuck you want!” Remington snapped back. “…and you don't seem to care that it will hurt my feelings or make me fucking jealous!”

  “I told you if you were feeling jealous to say something! I wasn't hiding what I was doing at all and you didn't open your damn mouth once to speak your mind so I fucking proceeded! Lux doesn't seem surprised about it!” Vezaias shouted.

  “Typical Rock Star behavior, even more so typical Vezaias behavior.” Lux said seriously.

  “See, he was expecting it, and Eph isn't chewing me out about it either?! So what the fuck Rem?!” Vezaias shouted.

  “But they are not happy about it either I’m just the only one willing to tell you to your face that I'm fucking pissed off about it!” Remington yelled back.

  “Okay so you're pissed off but Rem, those girls don't fucking mean anything to me! I don't give a shit about any of them!” Vezaias yelled back.

  “Then why the FUCK did you sleep with them?!” Remington yelled.

  “Because Rem, they are just some random sluts! Last I knew you didn't have a fucking pussy in your pants! Or any fucking tits!” Vezaias yelled back. Remington looked hurt and angry.

  “You can convince me to let Ephraim and Lux into the relationship but not random slut whenever you feel like it! You want tits and a pussy, then fine, but I'm not going to stick around then!” And with that Remington left through a portal. Vezaias stood in place looking angry but crushed and in mild disbelief that Remington would just leave like that. Lux and Ephraim sat quietly soaking in the horribly tense moment.

  “So are you both going to leave too?!” Vezaias snapped at them both.

  “I have nowhere else to go. It's either here or in prison again.” Lux said solemnly. This seemed to crush Vezaias.

  “I am not going to leave, but that doesn't mean I'm not just as hurt as Rem is about this.” Ephraim said looking emotional. Vezaias felt the need to run away now and he left through a portal. He landed under the bridge. He walked up the slope and on the walkway to the bridge then climbed up and over the rail. He sat quietly for a long while. Eventually he got tired and got up from the rail and walked back down to the underside of the bridge where there was a smooth slope of cement where he sat down and laid against the cold floor and crossed his arms to comfort himself. There was a wooshing sound not far away and soft footsteps approaching him. He didn't bother to look.

  “What do you want Ava?” Vezaias asked in annoyance.

  “Your flock is very worried about you.” Ava said humdrumidly.

  “You mean Eph is worried about me.” Vezaias corrected him.

  “Mmm, sure.” Ava said, taking a seat next to Vezaias.

  “You didn't tell them where I was, did you?” Vezaias asked, still very annoyed.

  “Of course not. I know better than that. Plus what exactly would I get out of ruining your hiding spot?” Ava mused.

  “Ugh, you're such an opportunistic bastard.” Vezaias scowled.

  “Even so, it seems you are in distress and since I am trying to be empathetic now I came here after discovering the turmoil your flock is in to see if I could help you. Or at the very least keep you from jumping.” Ava sighed.

  “Even if I did jump it wouldn't kill me. I am beyond the ability to just off myself. Sol wouldn't let me. I just came here to think for a while.” Vezaias said seriously.

  “Remi is angry at you. Why?” Ava asked.

  “Because I took advantage of slutty bitches that came backstage to see me.” Vezaias scoffed.

  “And you call me an opportunistic bastard.” Ava giggled.

  “Fuck all the way off Ava.” Vezaias said in irritation.

  “Hehe, Vee, your so grouchy.” Ava was amused. “I do not understand at all why you bother with females when you know they are not what you really want. It's even more astounding that now you do have what you want, times three, yet you are still supplementing with these females.” Ava mused. “You have never had a solid positive thing to say about any female on the planet. I think it's because of how much you hate mama.” Ava said mildly. Vezaias covered his head with his arms as if to hide from this conversation. “And yet you still have no problem shamelessly using a female for purely selfish reasons. You were quick to call out my callous, slutty, selfish behavior but you are just as callous, slutty, and selfish as I am, but more towards females specifically.” Ava explained.

  “What's your fucking point Ava?!” Vezaias snapped.

  “I don't have a point I suppose. I don't know how to empathize with your need to search for whatever it is you hope to find in these females but I can empathize with Remi feeling hurt over it and even the females you are using and tossing in the garbage as soon as you get what you want from them.” Ava said solemnly. Vezaias was quiet. “It really hurts getting tossed in the garbage. Don't you know what that feels like?” Ava paused. Vezaias was quiet. “Everyone always wanted you. You had our father, girls, your flock of boy toys, friends, everyone loves you. Everyone always chose you over me. You must not know how to empathize either.” Ava sighed.

  “You're wrong.” Vezaias said seriously. “I know what it's like to be tossed in the garbage too. For one Remington ditched me for a whole year. It felt horrible, but I think that more relevant than that, mom ditched me. She left me when I was four years old and she didn't come back for nearly 18 years. Then when she came back to find me all she fucking wanted was my money.” Vezaias was getting emotional. “So excuse the fuck out of me if I use these bitches and lose them as fast as possible and I don't give a fuck how much I hurt their feelings in the end anyway!” Vezaias snapped. He pushed up off the ground and headed up the slope to the bridge. Ava quickly followed him. Vezaias climbed over the rail and hung himself only by a loose grip as he stood over the edge.

  “Easy Vee! Don't do it okay? If you jump I jump, remember?” Ava said, trying to calm him.

  “Shut up Ava you don't understand!” Vezaias snapped.

  “Yes I do! Mama hurt you. I am trying to deal with that pain too. It hurts. I've always covered it up with drugs before. You would drink. You want to hurt these females don't you? You are trying to make them feel like garbage as some sort of revenge for how horrible mama made you feel right?” Ava said seriously. The dissection hurt. Vezaias cringed on this reality and leaned out over the long drop to what would be any normal human’s death below.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “I hate her Ava!” Vezaias yelled angrily.

  “I know you do, but she's dead now isn't she?” Ava soothed.

  “Yes but that wasn't punishment enough! That fucking cunt!” Vezaias snapped. “Why didn't she want me?!” He choked out.

  “Because she was a horrible woman Vee. Why do you think I never wanted to tell you what it was like living with her? I told you it was one adventure after another when really it was one life threatening survival game after another. Do you know what it's like to be used as currency?” Ava said seriously. Vezaias cringed and a sob escaped his lips.

  “I can't do this anymore.” Vezaias choked out. He leaned more and let go of the edge. Gravity gladly pulled him towards his death. Ava jumped forward shifting into Skyler hoping to snatch him with his borrowed telekinesis talent but just as he reached the ledge a pair of wings sprouted from Vezaias's back and caught the air like a parachute and he glided gracefully forward then with a strong flap he propelled upwards then soared through the sky doing a barrel roll then bolting back towards the bridge and landing gracefully on the ground.

  “How bright it is tonight. We must get Remington to come back. As I understand, he is the only one who can open and close portals.” Solaris said seriously.

  “Thank you for saving my brother. I am not sure where Remi went but I can look for him.” Ava sighed as he was now himself again. Ava used his borrowed talent to check the base but Remington was not there. He did not show up again until it was time to go to the next concert. The tension was thick backstage and Remington and Vezaias did not once try to communicate with each other before the performance. On stage the tension continued however Vezaias did remain normal when interacting with the crowd, especially when people shouted from the audience that they loved Remington. “You're gonna have to fight me for him!” He would shout back, gaining an amused reaction. The performance ended exactly as the first concert did. Backstage Vezaias hydrated and waited for the fans to come through. He was very accommodating to them, making sure to sign autographs and let a few of the girls hug him but he was very quick to divert them away. Eventually he was chatting up one of the male fans and handing the guy money in hopes to purchase some substance. The party once again moved to the hotel where Vezaias was ready to drink and smoke heavily. Remington watched him in frustration as a new set of girls were throwing themselves at Vezaias in an obvious attempt to get into his pants. Oddly enough this time he seemed to be more aloof to attention and was more focused on drinking and smoking as a way of keeping the girls off of him. Of course the drunker the girls got the more they became aggressive as if having an expectation that he would indulge himself. Eventually one girl in particular seemed to step over a line while trying to get closer to him. Vezaias snatched her hands off of him and shoved her away.

  “I fucking told you to stop touching me bitch!” He shouted at her. She only giggled at him and leaned in again. He grabbed her and stood up and forced her to the door and booted her out of the room.

  “You don't need to be here anymore you fucking slut!” He snapped as he shut her out of the room. He turned back to see that this had completely killed the mood at the party. He headed into the bedroom to escape the situation. He buried himself into the blankets and tried to relax but he felt tense and crushed still even with the effects of the alcohol and substance in his system. The door to the bedroom opened and footsteps approached. It was quiet.

  “What do you want, Eph?” Vezaias asked in irritation.

  “Are you alright?” He asked.

  “I'm fine, now go away. I want to be alone.” Vezaias said pressed.

  “I'm just worried about you.” Ephraim continued.

  “I know. I told you I'm fine, now leave me alone.” Vezaias said angrily.

  “Okay fine.” Ephraim said disheartened. He left the room leaving Vezaias alone to brood until he eventually fell asleep.

  There wouldn't be another concert until the next weekend and the band would get the next five days off. During those five days Vezaias seemed to be completely gone while letting Solaris take over and handle things at the base. He made sure everyone was still working towards his goals, ordering Zexich to work on the portal, and Lux and Ephraim to continue training with Sigil. Remington was there but had no real direction which made him feel lost without Vezaias there. After a few days he was so worried about what was going on with Vezaias that he had to ask.

  “Can I talk to Vezaias?” He asked Solaris.

  “If you speak he can hear you, however whether or not he will pay attention I cannot say. He doesn't seem to want any conversation at the moment.” Solaris said seriously.

  “Zay please come out and talk to me.” Remington pleaded. Solaris only looked at him mildly knowing there wouldn't be any acknowledgement.

  “I know you're suffocating in there. Please just talk to me!” Remington demanded.

  “He is ignoring you, only sinking deeper to avoid you.” Solaris informed. Remington's eyes filled with tears.

  “Fine.” Remington said then he turned to leave and escape to the kitchen where he sat down and sobbed. It wasn't long before he had the other's attention. Ephraim was quick to console him followed by Lux.

  “Has he talked to either of you?” Remington asked.

  “No he is avoiding everyone, not just you.” Ephraim said solemnly.

  “I'm just so worried about him. I don't want him to do anything stupid.” Remington said with a sniffle.

  “My brother has already done something stupid.” Ava jumped into the conversation. Remington paused and waited for the information. “He has talked to me, it seems I'm the only one he isn't avoiding completely.”

  “He has? What did he say??” Remington asked in desperation.

  “He is struggling with how much he hates mama. Just as I struggled with what she did to me. He acts as if he is glad that she left and he was better off without her but really he is very hurt over it, and he feels like she threw him away. Like he is insufficient because she didn't want to be his mother. That's why he is compelled to seek out these slutty females then ditch them the moment they want to keep him around. I think it is his revenge. He wants to see how crushed they are when he tells them to fuck off, he enjoys inflicting this pain on them because it is obvious that females are not at all what he really wants.” Ava mused. The group soaked in this observation.

  “It makes sense.” Ephraim said solemnly.

  “Yeah, but now he is faced with choosing to continue to take revenge on these females at the expense of losing his flock. He knows that you three will leave if he doesn't stop, but to him it is like an addiction. He is in the process of detoxing from this behavior. He is secluding himself, to deal with it on his own. I'm just not sure if it is working or not. I know it isn't easy because he has already tried to off himself unsuccessfully over this situation.”

  “What?!” Remington jolted. The group looked crushed over this news.

  “Solaris stopped him. Vee even told me beforehand that he knew that he was beyond having the ability to kill himself. It will never work with Solaris around.” Ava sighed. Remington did not get another chance to talk to Vezaias again until the next concert.

  Everyone had gathered backstage at the next venue in the lineup. Vezaias was there and since they still had time while the stylists got everyone ready to go on stage Remington cornered him in an attempt to talk to him.

  “You are avoiding me.” Remington said seriously. Vezaias looked grim and aloof trying to ignore Remington. “Will you fucking stop avoiding me and say something!” Remington snapped.

  “I thought you wanted some time without me.” Vezaias said seriously.

  “I did but I came back and expected to have a conversation with you about things and you are continuing to avoid me!” Remington pressed.

  “I don't want to fight, and I need you to back off. This is not the time to talk about our issues.” Vezaias pressed.

  “Okay then when can we talk about it?!” Remington asked in irritation.

  “Tomorrow. So drop it and leave me alone.” Vezaias insisted.

  “Tomorrow is not good enough, I need to say something!” Remington raised his voice.

  “Then after the show! Not right fucking now!” Vezaias snapped at him.

  “Why not?! Why can't you just listen to me?!” Remington yelled back.

  “For fuck sake Remington because I am about to go on stage in a few minutes and sing about how much I fucking suffocate without you, while I am literally suffocating right now without you!” Vezaias yelled back. “So if you don't shut the fuck up right now I will just say fuck this concert and I'll leave!” Vezaias yelled. Remington choked back and was quiet. Lux was now pulling Remington away from Vezaias to separate them until the concert began. The show went on and things were tense. As soon as the show was over everyone went backstage and greeted the fans. This prevented Remington from confronting Vezaias. As soon as the meet and greet was over Vezaias disappeared. This was crushing Remington and it didn't get any better for the next concert.

  Once again Vezaias avoided all contact until it was time for the concert then immediately afterwards he disappeared. Another five days went by without an appearance from Vezaias, Solaris was even missing too for each of those days but always returned in the evening to sleep in one of the queen beds in the communal bedroom. Remington would be relieved to see him in the queen bed sleeping with his wings stretched out lazily and purring like a comfortable cat. Remington was so desperate for affection from Vezaias by now that he didn't care that this was more Solaris than Vezaias, and he crawled into the bed and snuggled under Solaris’s wing and buried his face into his chilled bare chest.

  “I am not who you want.” Solaris reminded him.

  “I don't care.” Remington mumbled unhappily.

  “Humans are so delicate.” Solaris mused softly then was quickly back asleep. Vezaias emerged again for the next two concerts but continued to avoid everyone as much as possible. Remington had all but given up on trying to talk to Vezaias and was even preparing himself to dissolve the relationship completely from lack of communication on how to fix what was wrong. Vezaias continued to blow off the females that made advances on him but didn't stick around afterwards. Social media was also noticing and coming up with their own rumors as to why Remington and Vezaias seemed to be on the rocks, there were even predictions and speculation as to the possibility that they would break up as a couple, and most critics were quick to blame the polyamorous relationship for their troubles.

  It wasn't until four weeks had passed since the night Vezaias had slept with the females that something suddenly happened. The band had prepared to play their normal set of music, but as the first song began, ‘I'm Sufficating’, Vezaias stood at the microphone and did not start the lyrics as expected. Remington was confused and frustrated, deciding to loop the intro to the song hoping that Vezaias would pull his head out his ass and start the lyrics. He didn't begin but instead he had something else in mind.

  “Wait wait wait, yo, I gotta stop this song right now.” Remington immediately stopped the piano and looked at Vezaias waiting for an explanation. The crowd seemed to be flustered at Vezaias for halting the show.

  “I know you are all here to listen to our normal set of music but I have to get something off my chest first. So maybe you could all humor me by listening to a few new songs that I just wrote?” The crowd seemed to approve of the chance to hear something new.

  “Alright, good.” Vezaias turned from the microphone and directed Dem to change the song. Maxwell had hung up his guitar and was now pulling Remington into a chair to sit while on stage.

  “What is going on?” Remington asked him in confusion.

  “You just sit and listen alright?” Maxwell instructed.

  “I made a mistake the other day, and I screwed up something great that I had going for me. I finally understand why I did it and now I want to set things right.” Vezaias said mildly. Remington was even more confused as Demetri began to play a soft piano melody. Vezaias was now ready to sing the unfamiliar song.

  [A/N filler lyrics “Everytime” by Brittney Spears]

  The melody stopped and it was silent. Remington sat full of tears.

  “Mystery, I'm sorry that I hurt you. I want to change and I've been trying to prove that to you because I want to do whatever it takes to love you properly. Do you forgive me?” Vezaias said solemnly, looking ashamed but hopeful. Remington nodded quickly and jumped to his feet and smashed into Vezaias hugging him tightly and crying.

  “I love you so much. I am so sorry.” Vezaias said, looking emotional and relieved.

  “I love you too!” Remington sobbed.

  “You have been on my mind constantly, and I have more to tell you. Is that alright with you?” He asked, trying to smile.

  “If you must!” Remington sobbed more.

  “It's very necessary.” Vezaias said.