you got me mystified

Arrow pressed herself against the barrier as much as she could, because if she didn't, people would be forcing her into the cold metal anyway. Studied the front of the stage, memorising where security guards were, Arrow looked over to Eileen and offered her best friend a weak smile. "You good?" She asked, her voice raised so her friend could hear her over the excitement of the crowd, pushing her hair from her face - her hair was in a braid, but a few strands of red hair still remained in her face, and she pouted, trying to blow them away.

It was the final show of the Meet You There tour, and the cheers of the already collected crowd in the venue were driving Luke's adrenaline and excitement further. It was looking to be a huge show - when tickets were released, the venue sold out within five minutes and that just seemed to drive Luke's giddiness further. Looking to his bandmates as he put in his in-ear pieces, Luke picked up his beloved guitar. "Ready, guys?"

Oakley looked over her shoulder as she stood protectively beside Eileen. The venue was packed, and she was being crushed into the barrier already - she was only here for Eileen and Arrow's benefit, with Daria to keep her company. She wasn't too familiar with the band playing, but she dreaded the moment they came out. Looking to the two younger girls, who seemed to be on edge from lack of space, Oakley looked to Daria. "This is fun." She commented, slightly sarcastic, but still grinning.

Ashton was tapping his drumsticks on anything he could - the arm of the couch, the table which held their drinks in place, Calum and Michael's shoulders, anything. He was jittery, he always was before any show, because he psyched himself up so much and he had so much energy to spend during the time they were on stage. Grinning when he heard Luke's words though, he nodded. "As I'll ever be. Can't speak for these two."

Eileen’s fingers curled nervously around the barrier as she stared ahead, trying to stay excited and focused, but the large crowd was getting to her, and, for a moment, she began wondering if this entire thing had been a good idea in the first place. It was hot and she was uncomfortable, but, when she heard her friend, she looked over, offering a weak smile. “I think so, yeah,” she said eventually, having to raise her own voice, though she honestly didn’t feel like she was being truthful - a part of her wanted to bail and say ‘well, I tried,’ but she didn’t want to ruin Arrow’s fun.

Calum looked up from tuning his bass, having just finished, peering over at Luke when he heard his friend’s words, and he offered an excited but nervous grin. “Aren’t we always?” he joked lightly, though he knew they each had their own anxieties before each show. Still, he loved this - he loved being able to share their music with the world and he loved that he got to have this entire experience with his best friends. “I’m ready when you all are, promise.” And, to prove his point, he held up his bass, nodding to his friends, though he made a joking face to Ashton. “Oi, careful there, trying to throw us under the bus.”

Daria peered around, frowning slightly at the size of the crowd, though she reached out, placing a hand gently on Arrow’s shoulder, wanting to be near her sister to keep her safe, especially if something went wrong and the crowd got out of hand. Still, when she heard Oakley, she peered over at her friend, offering an amused grin, arching a brow. “I guess you could say that,” she said with a small shrug. “I’d rather be in a coffee shop, listening to an open mic night or something.” She laughed with the thought, but settled her gaze ahead, waiting for everything to start.

Michael made a face over at Ashton when he heard his friend’s words. “Oi, I’m definitely ready,” he said with amusement, shaking his head slightly. “Honestly, mate, have a little faith.” Admittedly, though, he could feel the familiar nervousness that filled him each time before they went on for show - but, with it came an excitement that he was well acquainted with as well and he couldn’t help but to grin. “Let’s get going, shall we?” And he grabbed his guitar, then, slipping the strap over his shoulders as he popped in his ear pieces and motioned to head out the door with his friends.

Arrow placed a hand on top of Daria's, and she silently wondered if coming tonight was worth it. The venue was heaving with bodies and Arrow could feel the anxiety grow within her chest. She wanted to turn around and tell Daria she wanted to go home, that she and Eileen could just have a sleepover instead, but when she tried to move, she felt herself stuck in place and shifted closer to Eileen. "Eileen, maybe this wasn't such a good idea." She murmured quietly, watching her best friend for a long moment.

Luke laughed with Calum's words, shaking his head in amusement. "Not always mate, seen you three off the mark before today." Luke teased, taking a sip of water as his guitar strap sat against his shoulder, babying one of his prized possessions - his custom gibson. Luke grinned with Calum's words, looking to Michael and nodding. "Last show, we've got this." Luke led the way out of the dressing room, his heart pounding in his ears as the crowd got louder.

Oakley kept a protective stance around Eileen, the crowd behind her getting worst. Seeing the discomfort on her little sister's face, Oakley looked to Daria. "Maybe we should head out -" but she was quickly cut across by dimming lights and loud screaming, and as much as she enjoyed concerts and live venues, she knew Eileen might not feel the same. "Stay calm." She murmured into Eileen's ear.

Ashton followed his friends out of the dressing room, twirling his drum sticks effortlessly in between his fingers, and it was nights like this that Ashton lived for, full of adrenaline and excitement and a type of anxiety that seemed to be primal. As the stage lights dimmed, Ashton followed his friends, separating to head to his drum kit, the first song on the setlist being Babylon.

Eileen shifted uncomfortably, feeling herself losing control. “Maybe,” she agreed quietly with Arrow, her concern growing when she realized she didn’t have her inhaler with her. Swallowing, she tried to listen to her sister and tried to stay calm, but she wasn’t sure how well it would work, and it looked like the show was about to start.

Daria watched with concern, her gaze mostly on Arrow, wanting to be there in case her sister needed her. “It’s gonna be okay,” she assured her sister quietly, “Just let me know if we need to leave, okay? We’ll get out of here in a flash.”

Calum scoffed quietly in response to Luke. “I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about, I’m never off the mark,” he said easily in response, grinning broadly. He walked with them out, though, waving to the crowd as he went to his microphone and, as the song began, he let himself get into it, enjoying it, singing his parts and loving it all.

Michael chuckled as he listened to the pair. “We’ve all gotta learn to ignore Luke,” he joked lightly as he followed his friends, smirking teasingly, “Dumbass thinks he’s a genius when he’s clearly not.” He shoved Luke playfully before he walked onto stage, waving at the crowd, and he went to his spot to play the song, grinning all the while.

Oakley frowned when she felt Eileen tense in front of her. "Eileen, are you okay?" Oakley asked, feeling her sister tense further. "Do you have your inhaler with you?" Oakley asked, going to pat her sister's jacket pockets, frowning as she felt nothing beyond loose change. "Oh no." Oakley whispered. "Daria," Oakley turned her head. "Eileen doesn't have her inhaler, she's panicking, we need to get her some medical attention right now otherwise -"

Arrow looked to Eileen with worry, the fact that her best friend was suffering causing her to panic. "Eileen?" Arrow squeaked, the heat from the crowd overwhelming, the screams causing her ears to ring in the most unpleasant of ways. "Oakley, Daria, she needs help!" Arrow frowned. "We need to get out of here, she's going to have an attack." Arrow sobbed, managing to get the attention of a security guard.

Ashton sat at the stool of the drumkit, watching the crowd with a grin because he could see them, but they couldn't see him, not yet - but as the lights came up and the opening chords for Babylon began, Ashton kept time with his brothers, and although being on stage was what Ashton loved the most, his eyes soon caught on to some sort of commotion, two girls being pulled over the barrier, and he frowned, wondering what could of gone on because it was only the first song, and he wondered if Michael, Luke and Ashton saw what was going on.

Luke laughed with Michael's words as he put his in-ears on. "Oi, no ignoring the lead singer!" Luke debated. "And for your information, Michael, I actually graduated high school, you became a mediocre guitarist, so who won that one?" Luke teased, walking onto stage with the confidence only Luke Hemmings could have, and as Calum led the vocals with Babylon, Luke watched the crowd, watching a scene unfold in the front row, looking to Ashton to see if he saw it too. "Shit," he mouthed.

Eileen shook her head quickly, finding it hard to focus, to breathe, and that just made her panic more, which only served to irritate her asthma further. She struggled to breathe, rubbing her throat and chest to try to soothe herself, but it wasn’t working, and tears sprung to her eyes as she struggled.

Daria frowned with concern, looking around, trying to figure out what to do. “Fuck,” she muttered, her concern growing when Arrow started to panic, and she quickly placed her hands on her sister’s shoulders, trying to anchor her, trying to soothe her. When the security guard came over, she helped get Eileen and Arrow over the barrier so they could be taken care of before she climbed over as well.

Michael had been grinning, getting lost in the music, getting lost in playing, enjoying every second of it. It was always a fun time, exciting and new, no matter how many times they played in front of crowds, no matter how many concerts they held. His thoughts were interrupted, though, when he saw something happening in the crowd, and he watched, concern building in his chest when he saw a security guard helping some girls over the barrier - he wouldn’t be doing that unless something serious was happening. Quickly, he looked to his friends, wondering what had happened.

Calum sang his heart out, as he usually did, but his singing faltered a bit as he got distracted by what was happening in the crowd as well. With confusion, he looked to his friends, though he tried to keep singing, tried to keep up with the song, but he wondered if there was any point. After all, something serious was clearly happening, and he wasn’t sure what they should do. Should they continue the concert and hold off on it for a bit? He didn’t want to disappoint the fans, but he also didn’t want to seem like he didn’t give a damn about what was happening.