What It Is To Burn

Odessa squinted in the sunlight, her mint green ray bans doing nothing against the blinding rays as she watched Andy laugh and joke in front of the camera. Kit was standing off to one side, her own sunglasses pulled low over her eyes as she talked to Kellin about the group shot that they were about to do next. Andy looked so happy and excited, his short black hair shining in the sun and his tattooed arms, bare as he was wearing a cut black jean vest and a sleeveless shirt underneath.

He joked around, but Dess knew that deep down he was agitated. Being around certain bare footed artists who seemed to think they were the shit always made Andy grumpy and Dess only hoped that the two musicians were able to stay far away from one another all summer long. Dess smirked as the photographer called for a break and Andy came sidling up to her, a small smile placed on his lips.


“You ready for this babe?” He asked as he approached her, his long arms wrapping around her waist as he looked down at her. Dess looked adorable today in a pair of cut off jean shorts and a light pink and black crop top. Her hair was on top of her head in a messy bun, but her bangs were still hanging in her eyes, those same eyes that always seemed to calm him down.

“Yeah! Trish is back at the hotel double checking everything for our tent and then I was going to send her down to help Toby with all of your merch. Dinner tonight with the guys sound good to you?” She asked, her ring covered fingers coming to the back of his neck as Andy only smiled down at her. Dess had become someone completely different-someone who was confident in herself no matter how she looked and he found it sexy as hell.

“Sounds perfect. What’s going on with Kit? She still dealing with her Purdy drama?” He asked and Dess only shrugged her shoulders and looked over at her best friend. Kit was currently helping Kellin decide on a shirt and Dess was suddenly happy that she didn’t have Kit’s job. It was mostly because Kit was a girl and the guys looked to her to help them out with simple things, but picking out clothes and the like seemed a little much to Dess.


The photographer called for the guys to come forward and Dess noticed that Kellin had picked a black shirt that looked like it had the Rolling Stones emblem on the front in a camo motif. He and Andy posed for the camera and Dess laughed as the photographer asked them to each make a hand gesture to the camera. Andy instantly flipped him off, while Kellin stuck his thumbs out and smiled-Andy’s face remained in a slight scowl.

He was tired-they all were and Dess felt bad that they had had to rush around all yesterday to get things ready to fly out this morning and now they only had tonight before the tour started. Dess looked on, yawning as Andy, Kellin, Devin-from I See Stars and Brian-from The Summer Set all stood before her, posing for the photographer until he finally called for a cut.

Dess felt like celebrating-it was over, her hot, long and tiring day was over and she knew that Andy was happy about that fact. He had spent all morning inside, doing his shoot for the cover and so she knew that he was probably even more exhausted than she was at this point. Thankfully everything was packed and would just need to be loaded on to the bus-butt ass early the next morning for their first show in Pomona, CA.

Andy approached her, his lips curling up into a smile as he grabbed for her hand and Dess felt herself being pulled off towards the parking garage. She waved to Kit as she passed, laughing as her best friend gave her own half hearted wave and they were off. Thankfully it was only a short ride down the freeway to get to their hotel and Dess almost wanted to kiss the sidewalk as she got out of the car.


“So what time is dinner?” Andy asked as he turned the car off and moved to unbuckle his seatbelt. Dess only looked at him, smiling softly as she took him in. His hair was short, shaved on both sides with a huge chunk of hair hanging in his face and his blue eyes were tired but she could see some excitement in them.

“Seven. We can go up and take a nap if you want to…” She wiggled her eyebrows at him and Andy only laughed as he gave her a quick peck on the lips and then got out of the car.


The couple made their way in to the hotel, their hands clasped together as they entered through the doors and were met by a small group of fans. Dess hung back, smiling softly, as Andy signed a few autographs and asked the group if they were going out to Warped the next day. Of course they were and with that Andy told them to have a great time and to not miss Black Veil Brides first set of the tour. Dess only shook her head as Andy grabbed her hand once again and they entered the elevator.

A quick trip to the third floor and soon Dess was slipping the card into their door and pushing it open. Her mouth dropped open-it looked like a hurricane had hit and Trish was sitting right in the middle of it, her hands running through her hair as she tried to get everything settled. Dess said nothing as she dropped Andy’s hand and walked towards the younger girl, placing a hand on her shoulder.


“Trish, are you okay?” Dess asked the younger girl, who only looked up at her with teary brown eyes before looking around the room. Dess could see that she had been at it for a while now-all of the shirts were organized by design, size and type, but there was still a huge pile sitting in the middle of the floor and Trish looked exhausted.

“I-I’m sorry Dess. I-I really tried to get everything done before you got back…” Trish said, her resolve disappearing and soon she was openly crying. Dess only patted the girl on the back and looked over her shoulder at Andy. ‘Go find an elsewhere to be for a bit…’ her look seemed to say and Andy only smirked, crossing his eyes at her as he left the room and headed off down the hall.

“Honey it’s okay. Here, with the both of us we will have this done in no time!” Dess plastered a huge smile on her face as she moved around the room and began to place the organized shirts into their correct storage bins.

“Thanks Dess. I know you got me this job and I just don’t want to let you down.” Trish said, her voice sad as the tiny brunette moved around the room and began to follow Dess’ example.

“You will never let me down-“ Dess stopped talking as she burst out in to a series of coughs, her whole body shaking and she groaned. Why? Why did she have to get sick right before one of the longest and most grueling tours was to start up?

“You okay Dess?” Trish asked as the younger girl moved towards the bathroom to get her a glass of water. Dess drank down the water gratefully and then smiled weakly at the small girl before her.

“I’ll be okay…I’ve been feeling under the weather lately.” Dess said, shrugging it off as she moved towards the large pile in the middle of the floor and began to get things sorted. Trish said nothing, but her silence held a weight to it and Dess knew that the teenager longed to say something.

“Y-you know Moira got sick with a cough like that right before she…I-I mean it’s probably not that and I hope you feel better soon.” Trish fumbled over her words as she moved around the room and Dess sighed.


The two girls worked in silence and within two hours everything was as it should be. The shirts were organized and stored in their bins according to their size and design and Dess had even been able to get the stickers under control. She had two more coughing fits and silently wondered if she should get to a doctor and get tested for some things. Why worry though? If it was cancer-especially the type that Moira and her father had-then she was living on borrowed time anyways and why spend that time worrying? No.

No she would not get tested-instead she was going to enjoy her summer with the guys and Kit and then come October she and Andy would get married…and then tour some more. It made Dess laugh as she thought of her life and how different it was now from what it was two years ago. She felt shocked as she let that sink in-two years. She and Andy had known one another for almost two years.

Finally finished, Dess left Trish to break down all of the packing boxes that her things had come in and she headed off to grab a quick shower. This would probably be one of the last nice showers that Dess would get for two months and she planned on enjoying it. She was slow to wash her hair and condition it, noticing that it was time to either recolor or touch some things up.

An hour later and Dess was out of the shower and blowing her hair dry as she heard the door to the room open and close and suddenly there was a knock. Turning the dryer off, Dess opened the door and was met by a pair of blue eyes hidden behind a bouquet of pure white roses. Dess smiled as she leaned in, inhaling the delicate scent and then her lips were captured by Andy’s.


“Hi. Get everything settled out there?” He asked as he joined her in the bathroom and Dess only smiled at him as she turned back to finish her hair.

“Yep. I’m almost done in here if you want to take a shower.” She said, her voice drowned out slightly by the blow dryer and Andy only smiled. He loved watching her get ready-she got this squinty eyed look on her face, her pink lips pursing up in a pout as she glared at herself in the mirror.


Andy sat in silence as he watched her get ready and Dess only smiled as she finished blowing her hair dry and then began to work on her makeup while her flat iron heated up. She hummed to herself quietly and soon Andy had joined her, both of them humming in their own pitch, but they were still harmonizing. First it was Carolyn, then they switched it up and hummed to Wretched and Divine and as Dess began to straighten her hair she began to hum a song lowly, smirking as Andy just looked at her.

It was an old AFI song, one that not many people knew but Dess had always loved it. She kept humming it, sure that he was lost in the melody, but she stopped and her mouth dropped open as Andy began to actually sing the words, standing from his spot on the closed toilet as he wrapped his arms around her and sang lowly in her ear.


I saw a star beneath the stairs
Glowin' through the meltin' walls
Who will be the first to begin their fall?
Or will we become one?
Am I the star beneath the stairs?
Am I the ghost upon the stage?
Am I your anything?
I saw a star beneath the stairs
Glowin' bright before descent
And in the morning there is nothing left
But what's inside of me
Am I the star beneath the stairs?
Am I the ghost upon the stage?
Am I your anything?


“Y-you know Morningstar?” Dess asked as Andy finished singing and she caught his eye in the mirror as he closed his eyes and placed a soft kiss against her temple. He was so amazingly wonderful and at his touch Dess felt her own eyes drift closed.

“I do…it’s one of my favorite AFI songs.” Andy said, his voice low in her ear as Dess finished with her hair and then smiled at him in the mirror. She turned, kissing him gently on the lips before exiting the bathroom to find that Trish had gone off to her own room and Dess began to riffle through her clothes.


Dess picked out her outfit-a cute little sundress that she had gotten and knew that this would probably be one of the only times she would be able to wear it. The fabric was printed in a floral pattern, the roses pink and bright against her pale skin as Dess looked at herself in the mirror. The back of the dress was longer, almost reaching her ankles, while the front was just at her knees and as she twirled around and looked in the mirror Dess couldn’t help but smile.

She had worn a dress similar to this one on a fateful day during Warped 2011-the day she and Andy had spent together in Virginia Beach. She smiled wider as she thought over that summer and how much fun it had been…being smitten by someone who cared so much about you. As Dess stood there, looking over herself in her dress and cute little ballet flats, she hoped that this summer would only be filled with good memories.


An hour went by and still Andy hadn’t come out of the bathroom-he liked to take long showers but this was kind of ridiculous. Dess sat on the bed, watching television when suddenly the bathroom door popped open and Andy was in front of her and Dess couldn’t keep the shock from her face. His hair-his shining black hair was no more.

Andy stood before her, his once midnight locks dyed a light blondish brown and it was slightly shorter than it had been earlier in the day. He looked down at her, his blue eyes questioning as Dess said nothing and walked over to him. She ran her fingers through it, thinking that maybe it was a wig, but no…Andy’s hair was now a light brown. It looked healthier and if Andy liked it than Dess was fine, but it certainly was a change that was bound to stir some shit up with the overly sensitive BVB Army.


“You hate it right?” Andy asked, his nose scrunching up as he looked down at her. Now that the initial shock had worn off Dess realized that no, no she didn’t hate it. It made him look younger-not that he needed to look any younger and it made him look slightly healthier, almost like his skin had a glow to it.

“No, no I don’t hate it. I was just shocked…you didn’t say anything to me about doing this to your hair and it caught me off guard. D-do you like it babe?” Dess asked, smiling softly up at Andy as he turned and looked at himself in the mirror once again.

“I do. I needed a change and I didn’t want to tell you because I was worried that I wouldn’t go through with it…” Andy said as he ran his fingers through his hair before moving over to the bed to grab his jacket. Dess took in what he was wearing-skinny black jeans with rips in the knees, a cut up black Game of Thrones shirt and his black jean vest. Andy looked happy in that moment and Dess felt her heart grow light.

“Well then good. You ready to go?” She asked him as Dess held out her hand and Andy only smiled as he took it and followed behind her. He knew it was a drastic change and that some of the fans were probably going to hate everything about it, but Andy didn’t care-he couldn’t always be that same guy who ran around on stage with long black hair.


The couple walked down the hall, stopping to knock on Trish’s door and Dess had to hold back her laughter as Trish opened the door and the small girl’s eyes grew wide. Dess knew that it would be an adjustment for everyone, seeing Andy with light hair was weird at first, but the more she looked at it the more she liked it. Appearance doesn’t affect talent and if the fans couldn’t understand that then fuck ‘em.

As the small group hit the elevator, Dess smirked as she noticed that Trish could not take her eyes off of Andy or his hair. Trish and Brady both still crushed on Andy, but Dess wasn’t worried-Andy saw both girls in the same light that he had seen Moira which was as sisters and nothing more. Finally they had made it to the street and as Dess plugged in the address for the restaurant, she saw that it was only three blocks down and so they began to hoof it off in the right direction.


“You ready for this?” Dess asked as they came up to the outside of a small Italian place and Andy heaved a heavy sigh. The guys were big on appearance and Andy was worried that his light hair color would bring on the relentless teasing and jabbing.

“Yeah…let’s go.” Andy said as he pulled the door open and stood back as first Trish and then Dess walked in to the small establishment.


What would the guys say? Would it really be that big a deal to them that his hair was no longer black? Andy wasn’t sure, but he knew deep down that it shouldn’t matter. He was still the same Andy Biersack that he was earlier today-he would never change his ways.

Notes

Surprise Christmas present for my lovely readers!

We are now at the start of Warped Tour...so let the games begin!

Please read and review <3

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