(Happy New Years :3)

The V.I.P. tag hanging around Teller's neck felt more like a leash than anything else. Their first concert was in a little over an hour, so the whole band was getting ready with their outfits and the make up artists. Except for him. There was no need for such things when you weren't even showing your face. 

At least you can walk. 

It had taken him a lot groveling to be able to keep that privilege after what he'd pulled with Ello. When he was dropped off, Mr. Canzoni had been waiting right inside the hotel, and of course, had seen the group, besides Tay-Yun, who had stayed behind, bid him farewell. 

The only reason he probably didn't actually do much more besides make my eyes match is because we're likely to meet Ello again along the length of the tour. 

They had several venues they shared during that time, and he thought that they opened for at least one of Ello's shows, too. 

As he walked toward the back of the venue, the crowds of people around him began to slowly dwindle. Fans weren't allowed in the back areas, and all of the doors were heavily guarded for the performer's safety. 

Turning toward one such set of double doors, Teller paced toward them, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder from one of the large guards. "Sorry kid, no access for fans." 

Fan? 

Fighting to keep from rolling his eyes, Teller lifted up his V.I.P. pass. That got the man's attention, but after he looked over at his partner, then back down at Teller, he still shook his head. 

"That's a nice fake, but you're not going in." 

Scowling, Teller looked at the card hanging around his neck by a lanyard. It most definitely wasn't fake. It looked exactly like the ones Mr. Canzoni had passed out to the rest of the band. Not that he could explain that... without talking. 

Oh. Wait! 

Pulling out his phone, he quickly typed out a message in Korean, then held it up for the guards. 

I am a friend of the group Mimic. Mr. Canzoni, the manager, gave me this pass and told me to meet them before they went on. 

"What, are you mute, too? That doesn't mean anything to me. Why don't you call him and have him come bring you in, then?" 

The idea of doing that made Teller's eyes throb. Mr. Canzoni would absolutely not like having to do that, even though he was just relaxing in the make up room laughing it up with the band as they got ready. 

"It's okay, Fen-Won, she's with us." 

The guard looked over his shoulder at the sound of Wan-Nu's voice, but Teller forced himself not to turn around. 

"Of course. Though, she said she was a friend of one of the other bands performing, Mimic, not you guys." The guard said as Ello approached from either side of Teller. 

"Did she now?" En-Ti asked, a smirk on his handsome face as he leaned over, using Teller's shoulder as an armrest so that he could move closer. "I didn't know you knew English that well, Fen-Won." He stated, raising an eyebrow up at the guard before returning his attention to a visibly nervous Teller. 

"She typed it in Korean." 

And... there goes one of my rules down the toilet. 

"Wait. You can understand Korean?" Sahn-Re asked, suddenly appearing on his left, a look of shock and excitement on his face. 

Instead of opening his mouth, Teller lifted a hand and gestured that he knew a very small amount. That earned him a glare from Tay-Yun as he stepped in front of them, triggering the guards to hurry and open the double doors. 

"You know very little, hm? Then I assume you just put something like 'Mimic, friend' on your phone?" He asked as the group ushered Teller inside. 

Teller offered Tay-Yun a sheepish smile that only earned him a raised eyebrow. 

"Hey, Teller?" 

Wan-Nu took Sahn-Re's spot as the group headed for a set of rooms down the hall they were walking through. When Teller turned his attention to the man, Wan-Nu pointed at his own eye. 

"Is okay?" 

Sweet guy. 

Nodding, Teller offered him a smile, but didn't move to take off his sunglasses, even though it was somewhat dim where they were. Wan-Nu seemed a little hesitant to believe him, considering his body language, but let it go after a few moments. 

"That is good. Are you singing?" 

The abrupt question made Teller misstep and trip himself, nearly earning him a place on the floor. Thankfully, Wan-Nu had great reflexes and caught him before he could make the tile's acquaintance with his face. 

"Thank you." 

Teller only realized what he'd done when his arm jerked back where Wan-Nu was still holding him. The man had stopped in his tracks, forcing Teller to halt when Wan-Nu refused to release him. 

In seconds Teller felt his body beginning to shake, but he knew that he couldn't let himself make another mistake. Instead of bolting, like he wished he could do, he lifted a finger to his lips and gave Wan-Nu his most pleading look. 

Please don't say anything, please! 

A look of frustration crossed his face before he sighed it away. "I know you're being hurt, and were also told, for some reason, not to talk." He said quietly, making Teller try to pull his arm free of his grasp. 

Wan-Nu shook his head and released him, allowing Teller to take a few steps back before continuing to speak. "I won't say anything, but here..." He reached into his coat pocket and took out a small business card, offering it to Teller. 

"Take this. If you ever need me, or if I'm not available, one of the boys, just call or text." 

It took a moment for Teller to work up the courage to take the card. He'd have to throw it away later. If Mr. Canzoni found out that he had Ello's manager's card, he would really be in trouble. 

Slipping the paper into his back pocket, Teller gave the man an awkward bow before running off in the opposite direction. 

"Wan-Nu!" 

Sahn-Re ran up right as Teller hurried to disappear around a corner. Honestly, he wasn't sure where he was going, as the backstage area seemed a lot more complicated than how they'd come in before. Thankfully, after a few wrong turns and more than a couple odd looks, he managed to find his band's dressing rooms. 

It was utter chaos inside. Only two of the four looked even remotely ready, and of course, Mr. Cazoni was stalking right toward him with a face as red as a tomato. "Where the hell have you been?" He yelled, raising his hand. 

You told me to go for a walk...

Thankfully, he seemed to remember that there were other people in the room who weren't accustomed to seeing the beatings he got nearly daily, and he quickly dropped his hand to Teller's shoulder. It was squeezed hard, but the pain wasn't nearly as bad as what he had been about to get. 

Raising an eyebrow at the question, Mr. Canzoni glared behind him at the make up artists present and grumbled. "Don't fucking answer that. If you're ready to go, get to your spot." He said as he shoved an earpiece microphone into Teller's hand.

Nodding, Teller hurried out of the room and down the hall. He needed to find a place to stand backstage where no one else was. Mr. Canzoni was supposed to take care of such a spot, so Teller snooped around different areas as the crews finished setting everything up. He got stopped a couple times, but thankfully his I.D. badge worked and wasn't considered a fake. 

"Hey, Teller!" 

Please, just go away until after the show!

Biting his lower lip, Teller turned around to see Ello heading toward him. Most of them were walking, but Sahn-Re was already skidding to a halt a few feet in front of him. 

"Are you here to help with Mimic?" He asked, surprising Teller that he had guessed their band correctly. 

Wait. Of course he knew which band it was, it's the only American one here tonight and the guard at the door had mentioned that he'd said he was here for them. 

Deciding to play along, Teller nodded and offered an awkward smile. 

Please, just go. 

"Great, we can watch together since you are likely done setting up with the performance starting soon?" Sahn-Re said cheerfully as he swung one arm around Teller's shoulders and began to steer him toward a waiting area. 

Teller clenched his teeth as he tried to figure out a way out of the situation. After a moment, he shook his head and ducked away from Sahn-Re's arm, then pointed off in a random direction. 

"Ah, you have to bathroom first?" 

What... bathroom?

Looking over his shoulder, where he'd pointed, Teller felt his face turn white. 

Why am I not surprised? 

Turning back to Sahn-Re, he bowed his head, then hurried toward the bathrooms. When he stopped outside and glanced over his shoulder to see if Sahn-Re had left or not, the guy came to a stop near the men's bathroom.

"I've gotta go to. I'll wait for you here, okay?" 

Before Teller could respond, Sahn-Re was gone. Looking back toward the rest of the group, Teller noticed that they were almost to him. No. I can't deal with them anymore right now!

He hurried and turned, taking off running. He could hear a few people calling his name as he ran, but he didn't dare slow down or look back until he was safely tucked between two sets of curtains. 

No one's here. Perhaps this is where Mr. Canzoni wants me?

He didn't get much time to consider moving, because right as he stepped closer to get a good view of the stage, the lights began to dim and the band rushed out from the opposite direction. 

Teller made eye contact with Ike for a split second, nodding as he ran by and took his spot at the mic center stage. He slid his own mic into place, then worked on calming his breathing. As the crowd began to roar, Teller took it as his sign that they were starting soon and turned on his mic. He focused completely on Ike, and when the beginning music to Matchbox Twenty's If You're Gone started playing, he squared his shoulders and gently pressed his fingertips to his throat. 

As Ike opened his mouth, so did Teller. They synced up quickly, and soon Teller was swept away by the song. He did have to hand it to the band, they knew what they were doing on the instruments, and Ike was very convincing with his lip syncing. 

A faint nudge of jealousy slipped into Teller's mind as the song seamlessly slid into Imagine Dragons' Dream. The roar from the cheering crowd made his lips split into a smile as he began the first chorus of the song. He let himself believe that they were cheering for him, and not Ike. As the song wound down, then began to transition into Taylor Swift's Blank Space, he turned to face the crowd, only to notice something moving in his peripheral vision. The words of the song felt like a sadistic backdrop to the predicament he suddenly found himself in. 

I can read you like a magazine. 

Tay-Yun and En-Ti stared at him, eyes wide and mouths open. 

Aint it funny, rumors fly. 

Teller wanted to run, but he had to force himself to stay still and remain calm as he continued to sing for Ike. 

And I know you heard about me. So hey, let's be friends. I'm dying to see how this one ends. 

The two began to come toward him, forcing Teller's heart to hammer in his chest angrily. His voice wavered, but he made himself recover as he stared back at Ike. He was doing his choreography, and had likely heard the tiny slip up, be cause he sent Teller a nasty glare before he returned to the front of the stage. 

Grab your passport and my hand, I can make the bad guys good for a weekend. 

Jerking his eyes away from Ike, he nearly gasped when Tay-Yun and En-Ti were only a few feet away. Without thinking, and because he clearly couldn't talk while singing, and with his mic on, Teller yanked off his sunglasses, dropping them to the floor. 

So it's gonna be forever, or it's gonna go down in flames. 

Both of them stopped abruptly, looking uncomfortable. No doubt his new black eye was a surprise. Hopefully they would connect it to what could easily happen if they made him mess up... or worse. They stared at each other. En-Ti seemed to calm down a little, but Tay-Yun's hands balled into fists. They remained that way while Teller finished Taylor Swift's song and transitioned into Daughtry's Home. 

Teller was ready for him to come force him to stop fooling everyone when Wan-Nu suddenly slipped between the two and walked right up to him. His heart made him breathless, making him struggle to keep up with Ike as Wan-Nu approached. 

Hinder's Without You began as Teller squeezed his eyes shut. He expected to be reprimanded as he struggled to keep his voice steady, but when he felt a gentle hand settled on his shoulder and give a soft squeeze, his eyes opened wide and he looked up at Wan-Nu. 

The chorus started up, allowing him a chance to get himself back on track. 

Cause something changed, you were acting so strange, and it's taking its toll on me. 

As Teller turned his attention back to Ike, he felt Wan-Nu take his left arm in his hand. A moment later, the feeling of a marker running across his skin drew his attention to his arm for the briefest of seconds. 

He's writing a number down? Does he know that I was going to throw away his card? He did have Tay-Yun's in his phone, but he'd never call him considering the death glare he was currently getting from him. 

Wan-Nu capped his marker, then made a call-me sign with his hand before ruffling Teller's hair before turning back toward Tay-Yun and En-Ti. Tay-Yun looked livid, but En-Ti was offering a small but encouraging smile as Wan-Nu took them both by an elbow and lead them away. 

Some how, I'm saved, hopefully. For now. 

He had no doubt that Mr. Canzoni had heard his mistakes, and even if he hadn't, Ike would definitely point them out. The idea of getting a beating before the band went out for celebratory drinks ruined any of the previous joy he'd felt when starting the show.