Twenty One Dreams

Chapter 6 - Final Show!

Once they got onstage, the crowd went WILD. Tyler approached the microphone as Xander and Josh set themselves up behind him. "HELLOOOOOO COLUMBUS!!! HOW WE FEELIN' TONIGHT?!?!" The crowd went even CRAZIER with screams and banners flying. Tyler chuckled to himself before speaking again, his tone a little quieter. "Alright alright! So as you can see, we have a new member joining us. Xander, come here!" Xander hesitated before walking up to Tyler. The crowd kind of fell silent, staring at Xander. "This right here is the soon-to-be Xander Dun, as my best buddy Josh is adopting him soon! He's our new bassist! Xan, why don't you introduce yourself?" The crowd cheered for Xander as he picked up the microphone timidly. "Well, hello Columbus! I'm Xander! I'm 18 years old, I've been drumming and playing bass since I was 6 years old! Tyler and Josh just picked me up from Pittsburgh a few days ago due to a horrid living situation, but I'm free of that now! Tonight, I'm here not just as an honorary member of Twenty One Pilots, but as Josh's son, and as a symbol of what can be done to a mistreated child." The crowd was absolutely losing it in support of Xander, which made him smile. He stepped back and let Tyler take back over, setting himself back up. He saw Josh tearing up a bit and lowered his mask to smile at him. Josh smiled back and wiped his tears. Tyler smiled and looked back at the crowd. "GIVE IT UP FOR XANDER EVERYBODY!!!" The entire venue erupted in applause and cheers, chanting Xander's name for a minute. Tyler chuckled and threw a thumbs-up at Xander, before turning to face the crowd again. "ALRIGHT LET'S GET STARTED!!!" They played through the setlist skillfully, interacting with the crowd happily. Xander stood on the edge of the stage and took off one of his chains on his belt, throwing it into the crowd. A teenage girl, who was maybe 16, caught the chain and squealed with delight, screaming joyfully through tears. "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!" Xander nodded in appreciation as he stepped back. Tyler saw it happen and chuckled a bit before continuing to sing.

Once the concert concluded, the VIP meet-and-greet followed. The trio were sitting in chairs backstage, with Sharpies in hand to sign autographs on merchandise or whatever the person had. The teen girl approached Xander with the chain on her belt, holding a CD of the Trench album. She held it out to Xander with a smile. "C-Could you sign this for me?" Xander took his mask down and smiled, nodding as he signed it. He passed it down to Tyler and Josh as well, then handed it back to the girl. "You be careful, okay?" She nodded eagerly and ran off to tell her mom about it, grinning. Once the meet-and-greet was over, Xander stretched with a yawn. "Jeeeeesus that is tiring, but it's so much fun." Josh and Tyler erupted into laughter, folding over from how hard they were wheezing. "You see why we do it now?? It's so fun! Seeing their joyful faces is the most liberating feeling. You know you did good." Josh nodded in agreement. "It's why we got into the music industry, to see everyone enjoying themselves and forgetting how shitty life was for a while. Seeing people bond over an experience. It's so heartwarming." Xander nodded with a grin. He's never felt happier. He was with his favorite people, doing something he loved and dreamed of since childhood.