Daddy Issues (Jameson Dade + The Hive)

[Kaspar]

It seemed like it was impossible for Kaspar to avoid distractions these days, he appeared surrounded by them and every time he dealt with one another cropped up. The most recent was an email from his father, the famous Nik Cherry, announcing he would be touring nearby and hoped his boy might join him for some of the tour dates. When the return email was a vague maybe, with promises of checking schedules he got a more insistent phone call. The man could really be persuasive when he wanted, putting Kaspar’s mother on the phone to coo at him and convince him to play nice was the final nail in the coffin. Nik Cherry knew how to play dirty, and what's worse he liked to. ****, he’d agreed to let the man visit HERE too, to come and spend time with Will, to watch one of his gigs. "And you'll bring that little family of yours, yes? Of course you will, let me spend time with my grandson and that beautiful woman. Good man, see you in a few days son." Kaspar had hurled his phone at the wall when the man hung up, leaving the poor piece of technology sporting a nasty dent.

His frustration had reached a new peak as the imminent arrival of his father approached, and the man found himself sprawled on his favourite chair in the Hive, writing down everything, getting it out on paper and letting it go. That’s how he dealt with a lot of things, that’s why he had so many little black books. Write it down, acknowledge it and release. Indigo drifted by to check on his progress, she was often not far from at least one of three men in her life. Wearing one of his shirts that ended up a dress on her she was the kind of distraction he actually wanted, Indie giggling as his fingertips stretched out to brush against her bare thigh. He didn’t really want Nik Cherry looking her up and down, Adley would be a good barrier for that; he wouldn't like the faded rockstar eyeing his girl even if jealousy wasn't really his thing. At least Jamie would be excited, he was a fan after all, it was part of the reason he’d had the courage to speak to Hel that night in the pub.

The man smiled up at her as she leaned to brush her lips lightly to his brow, “Indie? How would you… How would you like to meet Will some time?” She’d mentioned it previously, how much she loved holding babies and doting on them. The woman had been excited when she’d found out he had one of his very own so close by. Her face lit up, those sweet little kisses covering his face as she excitedly agreed. “My father is coming to town, and then i've agreed to join him on tour for a few days. Once I’m back, I’ll bring Will by and… I’ll see if darling Wife would like to as well, hmm?” He brushed a hand against her curls, his attention drifting once more to the book in his hand. She knew him well enough by now to realise that his mind had wandered and she would not be getting much more from him at that time. He appreciated that and she seemed content enough to prance away, knowing she’d get to play Aunty Indie very soon.

He didn't know if it was wise to mix his two lives together and yet they had become such a permanent fixture that it made no sense trying to keep them separate. What was to gain from that? Will was safe, no matter what happened with relationships, they weren't interested in harming the child. Especially not Indie, no, she just wanted to be in their world and have a little of their time. Kaspar finished writing, deciding it was time to break the news to one "Mr. Sketchy". He shoved the book back into his pocket, tugging out the beat up phone instead and dialing Jameson’s number. He put on a somber voice, as if he was about to deliver some grave news. "Mein feuer, I have some news for you, i'm not sure how you will take it..." He let his voice trail off, a deep sigh following. “It’s… It’s my father, Jameson. He’s…” Pause, giving the man time to react, “He’s coming to town and I thought you might want to meet him. He arrives tomorrow evening.” As he waited for inevitable reaction Kaspar grabbed the framed picture that sat in front of him, staring into the grinning faces of himself and Nik years ago at a premiere party. This was going to be interesting.

( Kaspar+Nik )

[Jameson Dade]

"If you're gone, then how is any of this real?" Jameson was listening to The Neighbourhood for what was probably the millionth time. He'd purchased their I Love you. album back in 2013, around the time he had been turned, and its songs had been the soundtrack to his death. How he had coped with the loss of his humanity, his slow slip back into addictive behavior, and his evolution as a criminal. Since the Hive had gotten together, Jameson hadn't really been able to do much in the way of breaking and entering. Old reliable. His bread and butter for a long time. Part of that was the fault of the gang wars, because he had gotten a taste for blood, and like a shark, he needed to have even more. He had taken out his frustrations on the demifae who inhabited the caverns. As often as he could, he would paint the stone walls with their blood. And the part that he was still trying to understand, the part he hadn't yet really admitted was that he enjoyed it. The violence made something inside of him tingle, and every time he killed someone, it sent ripples through his entire being.

It was its own special type of addiction.

He had a bluetooth stuck in his ear, music playing through the digital earpiece as he jimmied a bar over a window loose with a crowbar. The words were hummed under his breath. He had to wait until he'd pried every one free before he could get inside and then it was a race up through multiple floors, each of them with their own set of security cameras, and guards, each of them with an electronic door that required a very special type of key to access. He knew he wasn't the only thief in there, but that wasn't uncommon. News of some high value item was more than enough incentive to draw the attention of Harper Rock's criminal element. Hell. In the city of darkness, one could say it was a guarantee that it would be stolen.

So twenty minutes later, he had a new necklace of occultation tucked into his bag and he was exiting the building the way he had come. He was even nice enough to use adhesive to get the bars back into place. The longer it looked like nobody had been there, the longer it would take to realize something had been ripped off.

He was down some dark alleyway a in just a few seconds, stride easy, as he kept to the shadows and the back walkways. He didn't plan to take transit to get back to Larch Court. And that's when his music was interrupted by a ringing. "Answer call." He said out loud, using the voice recognition software to let Kaspar's voice poor right into his head. The man sounded like someone had shot his dog. "He's what?" He asked. Jay felt a guilty tug at the back of his mind. When was the last time he had talked to his own father? He didn't exactly like the guy, but he was family. It was just that every day Jamie spent as a vampire, he felt his ties to the mortal world getting weaker and weaker. He just didn't care as much about them. His parents. But that was how he was. He was very in the moment. Very in the present. If people were right in front of his face, he could love them.

"Oh." He said, unable to mask the brief confusion in his voice. His mind had been other places. So he took a second to process that. "**** yeah." He said a moment later as he turned onto Larch Court. "I'm coming in the house right now, so hanging up." He said, before he ended the call, and tugged the electronic device right out of his ear. He padded through the door a moment later. All in black, he pulled off his backpack first, which was filled with the tools of the trade. Like his night vision goggles, and his smoke bombs, other electric doodads with various purposes. Police scanner. Knock out bombs. Scrambling devices. Really anything he might need for a job, up to and including twine, adhesive, rope, soldering iron, etc. Next he stripped his hoodie off, giving it a little toss so he could reach into his sack and pull out some wipes to begin cleaning his face.

He liked to paint it muddy colors.

"So what's this about daddy coming to town?" He asked as he tugged at the zipper of his body suit, which pulled double duty as lightweight armor and camouflage. He wore black Keds with it, but left them on. His body suit was unzipped down to his middle, and left to pull off of his shoulders and arms so that half of it hung limp behind him while his bottom half remained tucked inside of the rest. He went right into the kitchen so he could tug open the fridge and grab a victory banana and strawberry yogurt from the fridge. Spoon in hand, he wandered back into the big communal area before half sprawling on a seat, legs outstretched, arms tucked close so that he could yank the tin foil top off the cup.

"Oh yeah, I got you something, Morningstar. S'in the bag." He motioned with his spoon before glancing towards Indie. Yeah. He was getting settled in nicely. And he liked to be generous with the people he cared about. He'd only just recently handed off a gun called 'The Chode' to Indigo, and another called 'Third Leg' to Adley. The former he had promised to help teach how to use the admittedly oversized piece. Couldn't be too careful on streets where the law seemed to have no power. They'd have to make a date of it.

[Kaspar]

The reaction he got was actually somewhat disappointing, Jameson had bought into the upset and sadness Kaspar had put into his voice but then hadn't reacted with full excitement at the prospect as meeting his father. Well, that was that theory out the window. Kaspar wasn't aware of how much he'd hinged his own enthusiasm on that of Jay's, if the man was excited it might lift the mood somewhat otherwise... Kaspar was wary, Indigo was being supportive and would no doubt be her lovely, polite self, Adley probably couldn't care less though getting a photo of a famous rock star in a casual setting might not be a bad plan. "Fine." Kaspar hung up, tossing his phone aside and drawing himself up from the chair he'd been perched on, stretching out long limbs and waiting impatiently for Jameson to walk through the door.

He did of course, he walked in and Kaspar couldn't help but laugh. There he was in all his thieving glory, his face painted up for camouflage and a dark body suit with interesting padding in places. He watched Jameson strip off the top of the suit, a quick look ensuring that he was in one piece after his adventures. "Tomorrow night..." Hel grunted, following Jay towards the kitchen and grabbing out a beer from the fridge. He didn't return to his seat, instead leaning in the doorway. "For me?" His brow raised, flicking the top off the beer and taking a deep draw of the amber liquid. His curiosity got the better of him and he put off the discussion to be had by rummaging in the bag. Chucked haphazardly among the tools was an old looking necklace, a relic he had heard much about. "You got me JEWELLERY? Jamie, you romantic you." He teased, slipping the thing over his head, letting it settle against his sternum. "I love it, you're definitely getting laid later." A promise he'd be pleased to keep, if the pair were in the mood.

Kaspar walked over to press a firm kiss to the man's lips, a gesture both of greeting and gratitude, his hand coming up to ruffle his dark hair. The taller blonde sunk to the ground, pressing back between Jay's thighs and dropping his head into the man's lap all the while managing not to spill a drop of his precious beer. He tipped the glass bottle between his lips once more, further delaying the inevitable. "He wants me to join him for part of the tour, so i'm going to be away for a few days. There is an awards event on, Mama guilted me into it, like a ******* sucker." He admitted, "I'm taking Wifey and Will, upon his "request", more like demand." He rolled his eyes up to Jameson, nuzzling his face to a thigh. "A few days of dealing with his drunken antics, getting ignored or dragged into stupid situations, and paparazzi. ******* joy! Anyway, he's driving out here tomorrow and will arrive in the evening, I told him we'd leave the following night. He wants to know more about my life here. I hadn't intended to tell him **** but he'd charmed it out of the Wife behind my damn back. He thinks we should all go for a drink, me and my friends..." Another draw from the beer had the bottle near empty, and Kaspar no cheerier for it.

"He has expressed concern for my lifestyle and my lack of contact with the family lately, though it's just him and Kit I don't bother speaking to much. If my darling Klaus doesn't hear from me for more than three days he begins to worry, so I tend to at least send him a short text most days even if it's to call him an arschloch." Kas gave one of his bold laughs, "Actually that's what it is most of the time, some insult followed by "love you"." He scoffed, the air around him changing as he spoke of his twin brother. "I've got all the time in the world for Klaus and Mama, the other two can jump if they think I owe them the same courtesy. Either way, this town is about to be invaded by Nik and he wants to come along to my gig tomorrow night. You coming, or not?" The question was asked gruffly, like he didn't really want to, he didn't want to put any expectation on Jay or any of them to come along. They would, he knew that and would enjoy it but it frustrated him to ASK.

[Jameson Dade]

They were taking a vacation to California, which was on the wrong side of the country, and further south than Jameson had ever been. Back in those days, Max was still respected by his parents. He'd just gotten his license and Jameson talked him into swiping one of the family cars. The father's cherry red convertible. And like some sort of divine Providence, Nik Cherry played on the radio, the music pouring from the car as they sped down the barren roadways. They coasted down the sides of mountains, singing along to tunes that Jameson had grown up with and Max was just discovering. They left behind the smell of burning rubber and steaks of darkness on the pavement. Stop riding the ******* break. Jameson said that a hundred times. They went down hill faster. Faster. Faster. Jay's arms slid into the air like he was going to fly. Maybe that was exactly what he intended to do. He was young, and he was happy, and he had yet to **** everything up. He inhaled, and cold, thin oxygen filled his lungs. He could get high from that. The speed and the power. But then Max would get scared they were going to crash, and they'd suddenly slow along a curve.

The engine ended up smoking, and they had to get it fixed in upstate Washington. They never made it to sunny California, but they had fun in a rented hotel. Going to see drag shows in Seattle. Pretending to be old enough to drink.

Skip forward.

He was at a concert, and he was jumping, an arm moving through the air. There was an entire tide of them. A hundred thousand faces whose energy was so thick that it felt like electricity. They were sweaty, and they moved in unison, and they begged for more. Their barest whisper was a roar like that of a lion. They craved every last word that Nik Cherry had to sing because all of them understood that he wrote just for them. That he sang just for their ears and that his lyrics were scribbled right into their beating hearts. Jay was part of it, and he loved every second. Every snort of cocaine. Every taste of Gin or Vodka or cheap beer. Every time he puked out shitty chili dog, bought from some local vendor who had monopolized on the appearance of such a big celebrity. That weekend was a long one, and yet it raced by like a runaway train. Jameson was one of the lucky few who got to be on board.

Skip forward.

Nik Cherry played from inside of a little box, his music drifting into the air while Jay danced. He had finally gotten himself an apartment. After he'd lived in a shitty little rented house for most of his life, and then on the streets. He had put aside money, and had his own place. He'd never had so much responsibility in his entire life. His own place. Sure, it wasn't in the best part of town, and maybe it wasn't as clean as most people would have demanded. But he had arms and rags, and water. So that was what he did. He listened to music while he scrubbed over dirty walls until they were sparkly and shiny. He washed eveyr surface of that place maybe five or six times. Not because he was a particularly clean individual, but because of the novelty. Because it was new. And it was his. And he loved it.

Skip forward.

He was in the Hive, and Kas was talking to him about a guy that he had idolized for years. It was more surreal than anything. Like being poor your whole life and finding a buried treasure. Was it even real? Could you touch it? Would your teeth sink right into that gold? Tomorrow night. That made it more real. He focused his gaze on that wild blonde hair as the other man went to look through the bag to retrieve his present. A grin tugged the corner of his mouth until it showed a hint of the teeth underneath. "****." He said. Because that was about as eloquent as anyone could expect him to be. What was he going to wear? A tuxedo? Was that appropriate? Was that what you wore to meet rich, famous, powerful rockstars? He had once attempted to dress up. The term drowned rat had been invented for him. A memory struck him. "Don't you and your father have a kind..." He gestured vaguely in the air. "Thing?" They didn't exactly get along, Jay thought. But maybe that was just transference of his own issues. Jay hated his father.

"We should film it and make it the background to a music video." A grin. He was coming back to himself. Don't be starstruck. Don't be starstuck. Don't be - IT'S ******* NIK CHERRY. Suddenly there was a body near his own. He smelled beer. There was a head in his lap. He almost wanted to say Hel was facing the wrong way. He didn't. "Glad you like it though. It's one of those...relics. Mystical things. Makes security guards go all **** for brains when you're near." He added, as if that helped. That had been what the Daradasi had called it, right? Relic. Jay still remembered the first one he'd won, and how he'd given over some kind of band to Mora as a gift. He missed her a little bit. But the past was the past. "Consider it the one to start your collection." Jamie had one that very nearly matched it, which he wore whenever he went out to steal something. They were a lifesaver.

And then it was time to share. Really share. A hand dropped so that he could let his fingers move through Kas's hair after he plunked the spoon into his yogurt carton and set it to one side. He listened to all of it. To the plans for the future and the frustration, and the talk of siblings, and mama, and the truth of the matter was that Jay felt like Kas was a little bit nervous. But his Morningstar didn't do nervous very well, so instead he turned it into a taste of aggression. But Kas was still transferring to a new life, and had an old one to deal with. "I want to meet all of them. Your family. All of it. Your dad can come first...and of ******* course I'll be there. Like I'd miss a chance to meet him. Or watch you. But you have to tell me. Do we hate him? Because event hough he's totally an idol. If we hate him, I'm prepared to pee in his drinks a little." And then he kissed two fingertips, and pressed them to Hel's lips. Chill out, babe. Take it slowwww. Don't stress. Don't worry. We've got a long way to goooo.

[Kaspar]

He let Jamie's touch soothe him, those fingertips always finding his hair, burying amongst it as they would stay their favour working to ease the tension that had Kaspar strung out. All of them. He wanted to meet his family, not just his father? This had Kas tilting his head to better look at the man, lips lightly parted with words he wasn't ready to speak, considering it. He nipped gently at the fingertips that passed a kiss to his lips, wanting to taste the skin, to taste his Fire, his troublesome sidekick. Hel turned between the others knees, leaning up to grip him behind the nape of the neck, pulling that head down until their lips could meet. He knew he would have to speak eventually, to explain or to say "yes, come with me", but right now he was happy just to covet the man's lips. The kiss was slow, yet their was a building passion in it, something that if one of them didn't snuff it would leave the pair rolling around in darkness until one had to feed or another of the Hive came in to get them. It wouldn't be the first time they'd lay in rapture.

"Mmph." Kaspar huffed, drawing back finally, reluctantly dropping back to his previous seated position. "Sorry... ****... No? We don't HATE Nik. I don't want your opinion of him to be based on mine, you are your own man and you get to decide how you feel about him. He can be a good guy, he was a good father for a few years, when we were really little. He was pretty much sober, he worshipped my mother and took some time off from music. When he went back, he'd take the whole family on tour, at first it was fun but then it got exhausting. It got too close to the bad side of rock for young kids. I think he also had a bit of trouble with the whole ageing concept and so started acting out, drinking more. At home if he wasn't trying to be your cool best friend, he was being a drunken authoritarian ***. We boys were never show which side of our father we would get when he came home. Kit got away a lot, the only girl, the princess but Klaus and I? Well, we had many disagreements with Nik."

Hel drained the beer, pushing aside the bottle. Hadn't he had a similar discuss with Indigo just the day before? He'd told her of his worst day and it wasn't a story he wanted to repeat right now.

He closed his eyes, breathing out through his nose, calm. "Anyway. Yes, of course you can meet them Jay. You've not met...I mean, you know about them, but you've not actually met Will or the Wifey one yet? Yes?" He'd remember that surely, he might've seen them from a distance, maybe around town, the three of them together. Kaspar with one arm around her, the pair of them pushing the stroller and laughing. Happy families. He was happy when it was the three of them, he liked it and it was a lot of why he worried about signing any deals. Touring would mean he would have a harder time avoiding his father's mistakes. Maybe it was now or never though? Kaspar needed to decide, and soon, he could only stay in the public eye for so long now that he was stuck in his twenties. "I know you probably aren't so interested in my boy, you know, babies and all that. I think Indie might try to kidnap him if I bring him here. Once i'm back, ok? I'll bring him around once we're back from the tour."

Indie was already in love with the idea, she herself didn't want children or family in the traditional sense, but she would adore his and welcome them into her home. "Tomorrow night though... Gig is starting at 8.30pm, we aren't on until 10pm so i'm thinking after sound check we meet at a nearby bar for a drink with Nik, you guys ok to hang with him at the gig?" Stupid question, he figured, of course Jay was showing loyalty and promising he'd hate the guy if Kas did but he knew that he was a fan. A big one. Kaspar was a fan of Nik Cherry, the rockstar, too. He could listen to his music and pretend he didn't know him, pretend he was a random rock god that he respected for his talent and stage presence. "I want you to meet them all, Jay, you three ARE part of my family now you know? I ******* hate being sentimental outside of lyrics though, so maybe i'll just write you a song hm? To tell you about it."