Published: 27 Feb 2025

Theo went into the drum and cymbal flourish leading into the key change lift for the chorus when Alvin muted his strings with a hard slam against the body of his guitar. Here we go again, Theodore Seville thought, silencing his drum kit and folding his sticks and hands in his lap. Sure enough, Alvin and Simon turned on each other, each complaining about the other coming in at the wrong time.

Dave was no help, practically useless when the older boys got into arguments over “artistic measures” in the studio. They’d been trying to hash out this song for the new record for days, not getting anywhere, one side of the “creative team” was always upset at the other over tiny things. Neither of the older brothers wanted to give any room.

But this was ridiculous. Over and over, right at this spot in the song, they get bitchy about it. Theodore was tired, hungry (always hungry lately), and just pissed that this kept being a problem.

“You keep coming in too early!” Alvin screamed, arms folded across the top of his guitar.

“I have to be there, if you’re gonna do that pic slide, there needs to be a base note under it to give it space to ride!” Simon replied, pushing his glasses up his nose, taking the high road, pointing out music theory, in general being everything Alvin wasn’t.

“No, no no no! It’s my song! We do it my way!” Alvin screamed back.

A click and staticky squawk from the control booth caught their attention before Simon could point out “No, it’s our song,” which was his go-to response.

“Uh hey guys, let’s try it Alvin’s way first, then Simon’s way, and we’ll mix both. You can hear it and see…”

“No, Dave. We’re not doing it that way. It’s my song, I wrote it, we’ll do it my way.”

“Why are you such a pain in the ass about this, Alvin?” Simon sighed, sitting on his base monitor amp. “It’s always your ego and not the band’s performance.”

“Oh, just shut up, four eyes!” Alvin shouted back, flinging his headphones off.

“Is that the best you can do, Shorty?” Simon deadpanned back, clearly pretending to tune his bass, ignoring Alvin’s increasing agitation.

“Fuck this,” Theodore sighed, getting up from the drum kit as his brothers started their personal bickering. It had been hours since he’d had something to drink and his throat was parched from singing backup during the contentious song. No one seemed to notice he’d gotten up, even Dave, who was still trying to calm down the warring brothers through the PA. As the door closed, Theodore heard something slam into an amp. Probably Alvin kicking over the monitor in front of the keyboard kit, again. Figures, Theo thought, he never knocks over his own gear, only mine.

The youngest Chipmunk walked past the control booth to the lounge area at the back of the studio. He reached into the fridge, pulled out a tall, bottled water, and sank into one of the plush couches beside the fridge. He felt horrible, empty, exhausted by both of his brother’s egos.

Since this recording session, they’d been worse than usual. Why Dave didn’t want to record at home, where they were more comfortable was beyond Theodore’s 7th-grade understanding. Adults still confused him at times. Then again, Alvin and Simon’s recent secrecy and moving around late at night were confusing as well.

Long ago Theodore realized he wasn’t as smart or as talented as his brothers. He wasn’t as well-liked or popular. He was the chunky kid in the back who did third harmony and all the background instruments, mostly drums. Alvin was the star; Simon was the super musician. Theodore… was just the chunky little brother. Even with puberty beginning to take hold, he was just sort of ignored.

He spun the cap of the water bottle off, a trick he’d picked up from a drummer at a festival they’d played last year. He took half of the water in one gulp, feeling it coat his sore throat.

A kid walked into the lounge and seemed to realize that Theodore was there and had frozen in the doorway. Theodore looked over, uncertain who this boy was. He looked sort of like the engineer at the mixing board, although much younger. Maybe a 6th grader, Theodore considered.

“Uh, are you okay?” the kid said, his voice sounding oddly deeper than Theo would have thought.

“Yeah, just had to get out of the war zone,” Theodore said, with a bit of sarcastic backspin. “Those two need to just go in the backyard and fight it out.”

“Do they do that a lot?”

“Not always. But they have too much emotion. Too much ego.”

“Oh,” the boy said, nodding. “Your tracks are all good. My dad says that you’re one of the best drummers he’s ever worked with.”

“Your dad is Jeremy? The sound engineer?”

“Yeah. When I heard he was working with you guys this week, I begged him if I could watch.” Almost instantly the boy’s cheeks seemed to flush red, as if he’d said too much. “I have all your records.”

“Oh. Thank you,” Theodore said, sitting up straighter. He recapped the bottled water, feeling his own ears get a little warm. After all these years, it still made him feel uncomfortable to hear praise for the band heaped his way. “I’m sorry, I’m being rude. Good to meet you, I’m Theodore Seville,” he said, standing and offering his hand.

“Oh, uhm… I’m Mikey, uhm… Mikey Malone,” the boy said, reaching out to shake hands. Theo got a closer look at the boy. His dark blonde hair fell in a loose part over his left eye, partly obscuring the soft golden hue of Mikey’s hazel eyes. His jawline was strong, yet still smooth and hairless, his cheeks set high, giving his eyes a perpetual smile. His teeth were encased in braces, but seemed large, easily on display with his slightly embarrassed smile. He seemed to be at that point when boys hit early puberty, where his slight baby fat was melting into the growing muscle of his developing body. Oddly, Theodore noticed that the boy still holding his outstretched hand seemed to be suffering from a boner, the bulge at the front of the boy’s jeans almost bouncing.

“Always happy to meet a fan,” Theodore said, remembering how Dave had trained them to speak while in public. The boy continued to hold his hand, so Theodore gave it an extra squeeze and a shake, before relaxing his grip. Mikey seemed to get the idea and realized he had been holding Theo’s hand for a long time.

“Uh, your dad asked if I’d check on you while your brothers were arguing. They take it very seriously, don’t they?”

“Yeah,” Theo said, looking at his feet. “Music is all about passion and performance. They kind of take it too far sometimes.”

“Too bad someone doesn’t tell them that,” Mikey implied, angling his head back towards the studio. The sound of a large amp bonking into the ground echoed from down the hallway, the reverb spring shaking and extending the sound of the slam.

“Yeah, they just need to get a room, fight it out then kiss and make up.”

“Oh… so the rumors are true, then?” Mikey asked, leaning against the doorpost.

“What rumors?”

“You haven’t heard?”

“Haven’t heard what? What are you getting at, Mikey?”

“The rumor that Alvin and Simon are… sleeping together,” Mikey said, dropping his voice conspiratorially.

“What? No. We have separate bedrooms. Had to when Alvin started jacking off all the time. I thought he was hurting himself, and Simon complained he couldn’t sleep with Alvin moaning like that,” Theodore giggled.

Mikey’s face blushed. “Gosh, I can’t imagine Alvin doing that.” ‘Oh, I bet you could,’ Theo thought, noting the point of Mikey’s jeans flexing without his hips or hands moving.

“Yeah well, I’m glad I have privacy now. I don’t know how much he does it now, but if they’re arguing, maybe they both need to do it more. I know we have no privacy in the hotel room.”

Mikey giggled, which Theodore found sort of cute. “Yeah, I don’t have any brothers or sisters, so no one to interfere with me when I get boners.”

“Yeah,” Theodore smiled, finding his eyes drawn back to the small tube shape pushing against Mikey’s pants, realizing his own peen was having a slight thickening as well. Theo looked down and his eyes popped open, realizing his peen was practically pushing out the top of his jeans. He quickly flicked part of his overly large shirt over his crotch. As if an after-thought, Theodore realized that he wasn’t as tubby as he had been last year, when he’d picked out this shirt. His tummy was fading, even though he was still a bit stocky.

“Uh, I guess there’s tension in the hotel room too, huh?” Mikey said, his hand trying and failing to adjust himself without being noticed.

“They fight over everything,” Theodore replied, dropping back on the couch and throwing his legs up to one side. “Who gets the shower first. Who gets the last donut. What channel to watch at bedtime. Everything is a squabble with them lately.”

“That’s brutal. Having brothers doesn’t sound like much fun.”

“Yeah. How about you, any brothers or sisters?”

“No, like I said.” Theo realized he’d said as much before and saw the way he tucked back a strand of his hair up over his ear. “Just me and my dad.”

“Oh. No mom, either?”

Mikey got a sad look in his eyes, looking back to the clock. “No. She had a terrible disease. She died a few years after I was born. Didn’t get to see me start kindergarten.” Mikey shrugged and turned back to Theo, grinning. “I kinda think if I did have brothers or sisters, there’d be times when we’d fight, but it would be more fun than fighting. At least I think so. But, not like your brothers.”

“It’s not always like this. I mean, it is but it isn’t. They just get territorial about music.”

“But not you?”

Theodore sighed, taking a sip of water. “They never listen to me about music ideas. I just go along and do fills and extra instrument parts when they want me to.”

“That sucks. Most of the drummers my dad works with get lots of say in songs. I mean, many of them work for more than one band. Good drummers are kind of rare. You should put your foot down more.”

“I’m not as talented as they are.”

“Uhm, I kinda have to call bullshit on that,” Mikey said, standing up straight. “I watched while you were doing keyboard work earlier, when your brothers were in the bathroom, and like… Dad recorded it. You’re really good, Theodore. That piece you were playing, that could be a track on the record all by itself.”

“It was just something I do when alone,” Theodore protested.

“It was good. It was moving. Dad recorded it and turned on the other mics in the room, so it had natural reverb. Made the whole room into the recording. Like, it was expansive. Filled the space. It was like you were on stage alone, doing concert piano stuff. So don’t tell me you aren’t talented.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Mikey nodded emphatically. “Come to the control room, you can hear it for yourself.”

“Nah! It can’t be that good.”

“I thought it was wonderful,” Mikey said, meekly. “Like you were playing a feeling. A yearning. Like when someone feels totally alone and doesn’t know what they need to fill the empty space.” A moment of silence passed between them, only the sound of the ancient clock over the doorway ticking away seconds on the long red second hand. Theodore felt his own cheeks redden, realizing he was actually getting complimented as an artist as well as a technical musician.

And… Mikey got it. The boy in the doorway understood exactly what Theo had been feeling when he played that piece, just playing without any sheet music or plan. Playing in the moment, from the heart.

“Anyways, your dad asked me to see if you were okay and tell you to come to the control room when you’re ready. Okay?”

“Yeah, okay. thanks, Mikey.”

“Yeah. Anytime. I hope stuff gets better for you and your brothers. Your music is so… idunno, cool. Inspiring. Better than a lot of the crap on the radio now.”

“Thanks, Mikey. I appreciate that.”

“Well, I appreciate you too.” Mikey turned and walked off.

“Sleeping together,” Theodore muttered, remembering the talk of the rumor. “As if those two could stand to be in the same room together.”

And then he thought about it… how the two of them were often sitting heads together at home, writing music they always said. How they both snuck out of the house each night to smoke. Like, no one knew the two of them were sneaking cigarettes? You could smell it in their hair!

But then something else clicked in Theodore’s mind. How they were so much nicer to each other lately. How they didn’t seem to go out with friends as much. How Alvin’s name got giggled about a lot more on the school bus. How secretive they were when together.

‘How they seemed to be leaving me out of things lately,’ Theodore realized. ‘Maybe they are sleeping together. Wow… what if… what if they are… gay… and together?!’

The thought bowled over Theodore and he sat up, the bottle held between his hands with his elbows on his knees, bent over in thought.

It explained so much. And they were so upset because… because Theodore himself was in the way of them being happy. Of being together. It made sense, even though Theodore himself had no understanding of what being gay meant. He only knew what he saw boys and girls doing in the hallways between classes.

And the way Mikey was looking at him… Theodore realized that wasn’t just how a fan looks at a famous person. That was how someone who is much more interested in someone looks. That deep glance, the shy sort of looks away. The direct truth in one way and the subtle attempt to not be directly seen yet still wanting to be seen.

Theodore stood up and walked to the control booth, getting a look at himself in the wall mirror in the hallway. His face had been getting leaner lately, still a bit chubby through the cheeks, but it was clear he was about to have one of those mythical growth spurts. ‘Too bad Alvin hasn’t had one yet,’ Theodore chuckled to himself. But the reflection that looked back at him wasn’t just the fat kid on drums that he was used to being on all their earlier albums. He had grown up, just a little bit. And his feelings seemed to be growing up as well.

‘I wonder if Mikey likes me the way I think Alvin and Simon like each other?’ he thought, slowing to look at his own eyes, deeply. Part of him wondered what Mikey saw looking into those eyes staring back at him.

“Earth to Theodore,” Dave said, his voice sounding campy and distant, like some old space cartoon. “Come in Theodore. Are you receiving?” His adopted father walked down the hallway, awkwardly wiggling his fingers, bent down like a surfer. ‘God he can be such a dork.’

“I hear you, Dave,” Theodore replied. Oddly, he’d never felt comfortable calling Dave “Dad” in public places.

“Looks like the other boys are having a meltdown. Again.”

“They didn’t kick in my bass drum yet, did they?”

“Well,” Dave said, turning to put his arm around Theodore’s shoulders, “Simon dodged when Alvin threw a guitar and it punched through the right kick drum, bent up the high-hat stand, and knocked over your entire left side electronic percussion board.”

“Those idiots!”

“And it’s coming out of both of their allowances. I wish they’d only destroy their own gear.”

“Dave, would it be okay for me to become a solo artist?”

Dave laughed at the idea, and bent over, hands on his knees beside his youngest adopted son. “There are days I think you’re the only sane one. Don’t worry. I’m going to separate them and punish them for this. And you’ll get some brand-new instruments out of this.”

Theodore sighed. “Seems like they always find ways to push me out of musical decisions.”

“Hey, buddy, I know it seems like they get all the attention. You are a very important part of this band.”

“Yeah, I’m the drummer. Have you heard the jokes about drummers, Dave? Duh, what did the drummer get on his SAT test?” He paused, making a dopey face. “Drool! They don’t see me as important. They can’t get past seeing each other as a threat all the time. It sucks!”

“Theodore, you aren’t just the drummer. You bring so much more to this group. It’s just that Alvin is an attention, uh…”

“The word is attention whore, Dave!” Theodore spat out.

“Yes, well, you’re not wrong there. And Simon is a perfectionist who doesn’t like Alvin’s spontaneous nature.”

“You mean he’s a ridiculously precise control freak and has no room for emotion.”

“Wow, what’s come over you?” Dave asked, taking a knee to be more at face level with Theodore. “I know that they’ve been kind of difficult to live with lately.”

Theo sighed. “I’m sorry, Dave. I bust my butt on these songs. They… they treat me like crap. And I’m tired of it. I know I’m younger but I’m not a baby anymore.” The frustration and anger had built up in him and the tears were unstoppable.

“I know, Theo,” Dave said, consoling. “I find myself having to remember that you are growing up. Part of me wants you to always be my little guy. The boy that would run to my room during thunderstorms, wanting to hide from the flashes and bangs. Or the smiling boy who used to help me make cookies and ate half of them.”

“One time!” Theo cried out defensively. “One time I did that! I’m not that fat!”

“Okay, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. But it is hard for a parent to watch their child grow up sometimes. Hard to let you go and be who you want to be. Can you understand that? I don’t want to lose you, even if it is losing you to who you become.”

Theodore felt his lips twist from a slight feeling of sadness and anger to a small smile. He hugged Dave around the neck, tightly. Dave hugged back, standing up and patting Theodore on the back.

“My dear sweet, Theodore. Don’t grow up too fast. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Dave walked the both of them into the control room, where everyone was giggling watching Alvin and Simon wrestling on the studio floor, both red in the face from their exertions. Instruments and cables that had once been carefully set up were now a disaster area, a guitar protruding neck first out of the drum kit, which had rolled over. A bass guitar stood up from a monitor which it had speared through. In the control booth, one of the interns had his cell phone out, taking video and giggling.

“I’m gonna go separate the combatants and take us all out for a late dinner before I sentence them to no TV and internet for a week.”

“Great! So, I have to suffer with both of them being miserable,” Theodore grumbled, gesturing with both hands.

“Maybe not,” Jeremy, the sound engineer said. “Mikey and I would be happy to have Theodore spend the night with us. Give him a night away from those two. Let everyone kind of chill out. That is, if it’s okay with you, Theo.”

“Can I Dave?” Theodore asked, his voice rising in pitch at the prospect.

“Sure buddy. We’ll just stop by the hotel room to get you some clothes, okay?”

“Thanks, Dad,” Theodore said, hugging tightly.

“Love you, son… but not so tight, you’re stronger than you look.”

Theo looked over Dave’s shoulder and saw Mikey smile and wave at him.

Dinner was a very subdued event. At least as subdued as you can expect when Japanese grill cooking can be. Dave invited the entire recording crew to join the family at a local hibachi restaurant. The chef was brilliant at doing all the usual “dinner and a show” bits. Making train noises while he pushed the onion volcano across the hot grill, catching eggs on the back of the spatula, in his pocket, on his hat. He even had a small plastic toy figure of a little boy that would pee to put out the fire.

The mood around the table was happier and fun, despite Alvin and Simon’s foul moods. They sat on opposite sides of the grill, staring daggers at each other. Simon sat beside the guitar tech, Gwen, and they seemed to be chatting about what sort of setups Simon wanted for the upcoming tour after the album was released. Dave sat close to Alvin, trying to engage him in conversation but only getting short, dark responses. Clearly, the oldest of the brothers was still fuming over the dust-up and the expected punishment. A full-on talent fit.

Mikey and Theodore sat together, chatting away about things they liked. Pokemon Go. Movies. Sports teams they liked, and ones they hated. Music was a big topic between them, especially, oddly enough, older music. Seems they both had a deep love of classic rock. Theodore showed Mikey how to use chopsticks. Mikey made awkward duck noises when he ate his shrimp. Total goofball moment.

After dinner, everyone stood around outside talking for a moment. Alvin and Simon maintained an obvious distance but kept their “if looks could kill” competition going, Alvin almost leaning into his contention, Simon looking down his nose and adjusting his glasses to display his disdain.

“Wow, they really are pissed, huh?” Mikey whispered to Theodore.

“You have no idea,” Theo replied, rolling his eyes.

Dave checked his watch and sighed, preparing for what might happen next. “Okay, guys, so we’re gonna call it a night. I have to lower the boom on these two. Gwen, how soon can we have that equipment replaced?”

“I have three drum kits available in studio four, Theo can pick what he wants to use until we can replace his gear. We have three basses and four guitars, only two total were damaged in the fight. I can have matching new amps here by noon tomorrow. I don’t think the keyboards were hurt, the whole rack held together pretty well despite being knocked over.”

“Still, won’t be cheap to replace. Why don’t we take a day off from recording while we get the new stuff installed and repair what we can,” Dave suggested. “Give everyone a chance to relax while we figure out our next move.”

“Sounds good to me,” Jeremy said. “We really need to talk about putting in Theodore’s solo piece, too.”

Alvin and Simon both shouted “What?!” and turned their eyes first to Jeremy, then to Theodore, who seemed to shrink a little, his shoulders coming together, head hanging forward a bit.

“It is really good. I don’t think it needs any background instruments. Maybe some subtle add-ins. Wind noises or something. I’ll play it back to Theo tonight and he can tell me what sort of atmospheric he wants, or if he just wants to have it stay a solo piece without vocals.”

“When, exactly, did you record a solo piece without us?” Simon inquired, clearly shocked.

“Yeah, when?” Alvin parroted back, clearly feeling the need to make his displeasure known.

“When you two were in the bathroom, yesterday,” Jeremy answered for Theo. “It was… beautiful. Lyrical. Very moving,” the sound engineer nodded, smiling. Gwen smiled and nodded as well, as did the sound tech Lilly, and the interns, Greg and Ethan.

“Solid keyboard work, man,” Greg said, giving Theo his knuckles for a fist bump. Reluctantly, the youngest Chipmunk matched Greg’s gesture, smiling briefly before realizing his brothers were staring at him with mouths hanging open.

“Okay, “ Dave said, still wearing the producer hat as well as the Dad hat. “Let’s do that. Why don’t you follow us to the hotel, Jeremy? That way Theodore can pick up some things for the sleepover.”

“Sleepover?!” Alvin and Simon asked as one, incredulously.

“I asked Theo if he wanted to keep Mikey and me company tonight. Let you guys have some space to cool down,” Jeremy said, his hand resting on his son’s head. Mikey turned his face up to his dad, smiling. Theodore wasn’t sure who to look to and found himself flicking his eyes back and forth between his brothers and then looking down to his feet.

“Sounds good. Let’s go with that plan. Boys, get in the car, please.”

“Can Theo ride with us?” Mikey asked, a little faster than he probably meant to.

“Uh,” Jeremy began, looking over to Dave, who nodded. “Sure, if Theo wants to.”

“Want to?” Mikey asked, clearly excited.

“Yeah,” Theodore responded, standing up a little straighter. “Yeah, that, uhm… that would be cool,” Theo responded, feeling more confident.

“Okay then. We’ll follow you, Dave.”

The ride to the hotel was oddly quiet in the Seville’s SUV. Alvin sprawled across the back seat, ignoring the seat belts, his nose going almost at once to his cell phone, checking his fan page on Facebook. Simon scrunched his back into his seat at the mid-deck, arms crossed, deep in thought. The bespeckled boy pulled out his own cell phone and opened his private Telegram channel to Alvin.

SimonEyes- We need to talk
xXxKing AlxXx- No
SimonEyes- Did you know that Theo was recording solo stuff?
xXxKing AlxXx- No. I’m still pissed at you.
SimonEyes- That Mikey kid seems really close to Theo. When did that happen?
xXxKing AlxXx- Who the fuck knows. I’m still pissed at you. Who cares?

-Long pause.-

xXxKing AlxXx- If Theo gets a solo track, I want one too.

-Another, longer pause.-

SimonEyes- I think Theo knows.
xXxKing AlxXx- Knows what?
SiimonEyes- About us.

Simon turned to look to the bench seat in the back, where his older brother and lover stared back, his eyes showing a glint of fear.

xXxKing AlxXx- If he does, what do we do?

Simon turned back around, catching Dave’s eyes in the rearview mirror, watching his two boys as much as the traffic around them. Simon returned to his phone, typing back, his thumbs moving quickly, having to go back and fix the text a few times before pressing send.

SimonEyes- I don’t know. But if he does know, I don’t think we should lie to him, especially if he asks us about it directly. He’s still our little brother. He’s still a big part of the band.
xXxKing AlxXx- There’s only 3 of us, without him there is no band.
xXxKing AlxXx- I don’t want to lie to him… but I don’t feel about him the same way I feel about you.
SimonEyes- I know. Me too. I miss our privacy.
xXxKing AlxXx- I miss fucking you… I miss you fucking me.
SimonEyes- We’ll be alone tonight. We can figure out what to do about Theo tomorrow. After Dave punishes us.
xXxKing AlxXx- yeah, okay. Do you think he and Mikey are gonna fuck?
SimonEyes- No. They’re just little kids. Theo doesn’t know his dick is for more than peeing. And Mikey is just a star struck fan boy.
xXxKing AlxXx- Yeah, I guess you’re right. Tho they look cute together. >;-P
SimonEyes- OWO. Just remember to wipe this conversation. Dave is likely going to take our phones.
xXxKing AlxXx- yeah, probly. Simon, Im sorry I punched you and threw a guitar at you.
SimonEyes- You can make it up to me by sucking my nuts out my cock in the shower.
xXxKing AlxXx- You say it like I don’t like that

“Okay boys, put the phones down,” Dave said. “You two are grounded. One week, no phone, no internet, no TV.”

“Aww, Dave!” they whined together, in harmony.

“No ‘aww Dave.’ The response I’m expecting is ‘Yes, Dad.’ You two behaved horribly. I expect more from you both. Alvin, you are too old to act so petulantly. And Simon, you are not excused from losing your temper either.”

“Yes, Dad,” they replied, turning on the sad eyes.

“Can we at least finish our conversations?” Alvin asked, almost pouting.

“Yes, say goodnight to your little fan girls. But I will be collecting your phones when we get to the hotel. And your tablets. And the TV remotes.”

Simon dropped his hand behind his seat, offering a fist to Alvin, who promptly tapped knuckles, grinning in the darkness of the back of the car.

Mikey and his dad lived comfortably, but it wasn’t like the Seville household. A simple second-floor apartment near the city center. In his head, Theo knew that people lived in places like this, but he hadn’t put it together in his mind how people LIVED like this. To his semi-suburban mentality, he expected everyone to live in airy McMansions like in his neighborhood, where the houses were big enough to cause echoes, the front yards took up almost as much space as the back yards, and the houses were close enough you could pass the butter from one dining room table to the next.

But the apartment was clean, neatly kept, and had some recording gear in it so that Jeremy could work from home. Mikey and his father immediately took off their shoes upon entering the place, so Theo assumed he should as well. Mikey showed him around his room and where the bathroom was. After a quick bowl of ice cream to settle their stomachs, Jeremy brought Theo to the third bedroom, where a miniature recording studio was set up, complete with a keyboard and an acoustic guitar.

“So, here is a copy of the playback from your solo piece. Give it a listen.”

“I don’t even remember what notes I played,” Theodore stated, sitting down.

“That’s okay. My software can pick up what notes were played and score it out. We’ll be able to publish it once you have ideas for like a name or any changes. Give it a chance, okay?”

Theo nodded, clearly amazed at all the things that went into being a sound engineer. He took a deep breath and sat down as Jeremy hit play. Sitting beside his dad, Mikey smiled, and for some reason, Theo smiled back.

It started slow and kept an off-tempo feel throughout. As if disjointed and out of sync. But as the melody repeated, a sort of melancholy vibe grew in the song. A central theme that kept repeating, coming around to the same phrase of major chords played in such a definitive, final way that it naturally led into a minor modality with a single line of notes. Theo could see the keys in front of him as he heard the harmony line in his own head. He could remember playing it, his right-hand fingers playing around in the inner voices. It had classical jazz mixed with a contemporary blues feel.

As the song ended, Theo found himself weeping, although he couldn’t say why.

“Theo, you okay?” Jeremy asked.

“Yeah. It just… something about that really moves in me.”

“It moved in me as well. And the interns and two producers from studios down the hall. Even Jay Garrett from Interscope came by to hear it.”

“They wanted to know who was playing that sadly. Took their breath away when they found out it was you,” Mikey said. “It has a familiar quality to it. Like a memory, or a …”

And Mikey and Theo said at the same time “Lul-la-bye,” startling each other.

For a moment, Theo stared at Mikey, the two saying nothing.

“So, for record-keeping purposes,” Jeremy broke in, “I have it listed as TS-P 0001. Do you have an official name for the piece?”

“I dunno. I’ll think about it. Simon and Alvin are so much better than me at this stuff.”

“It can wait. Play around with it. Maybe you’ll come to something you like.”

“Wait. What does that mean? TS-P, I mean.”

“Theodore Seville – Piano,” Mikey replied. “I named it. I hope you don’t mind. It’s only temporary.”

“No, it’s okay,” Theo said, wiping a tear.

“You okay, buddy?” Jeremy asked, putting a hand on Theo’s shoulder.

He nodded. “I’ve just never had anything written in my name before. It’s kind of, idunno, overpowering.” He touched the name on the screen, knowing fully what it meant. What it might mean to his brothers. To the band.

“I’m not feeling so good. Can I just lay down for a few minutes?”

“Sure, buddy. Why don’t you and Mikey go get ready for bed? I’ll be in to tuck you in after a while.”

Theodore got up and went to get his pjs. He followed Mikey to the bathroom and stripped down, not thinking anything of it. His mind was so lost in the music that it never dawned on him that he was stripping while Mikey watched. Quietly, Mikey closed the door and stripped as well. The teens got into the shower one at a time and Theo turned to find Mikey in with him. He panicked for a moment but played it cool, picking up the soap and turning to get wet.

“Is the water warm enough,” Theo said as if his brothers were in the shower with him instead of a boy he’d just met.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” They danced around each other, backs turned so their butts rubbed. Mikey with his narrow, skinny butt, Theodore with his more bubbled-out, padded rear. It seemed that no matter how much Theo was losing weight and growing stockier, he still had a pronounced bottom.

“I never took a shower with someone else before,” Mikey said, under the spray. “Much less a rock star.”

“I’m not a rock star. Alvin is a rock star. Simon is a music star. I’m just the drummer.”

“I don’t think so,” the blonde boy said, turning under the stream to rinse his hair out. He closed his eyes and Theo couldn’t help but stare. Here was this boy he’d barely known, so open about everything in his life, obviously a lot hipper to things than Theo was, and he was so calm in his nudity.

And then Theo got a good look at his nudity. Theo’s earlier estimation of Mikey’s body was based on the other boy’s clothed appearance. The clothes hid so much. If there had ever been a drop of fat on Mikey’s body, it had long ago moved so far away that it took days for mail from it to reach Mikey’s address. He wasn’t proportioned like some superhero or pro athlete, but his body had that smooth sculpted look like a Greek statue. Smooth, evenly formed. His skin was even comparable to Greek marble in its flawlessness, even skin tone and a tan that showed no lines. He was wet, which added to the smooth look, and hairless, like Theo himself.

Mikey’s boy parts hung loose and free, warmed now by the shower stream. Nothing too dingy-dangly, but not teeny-tiny either. And perhaps plumped up a bit by more than just heat from the shower.

Theo looked at his own body and was slightly disappointed. His chest poked out with two tiny peeks where his body had developed pointed nipples. His boyish tummy was fading but still showed some of the baby fat that others teased him about. His boy bits, while swelling at the moment, were nowhere near where he expected them to be. Certainly not the fully fleshed tubes he remembered from the last time he saw either of his brothers nude. But then again, they were older.

Mikey turned suddenly and passed Theo the soap, which was far too slippery and he dropped it. He looked at Mikey and both of them burst out laughing.

“Just leave it there,” Mikey said, completely ignoring the situation. “It’s like in the gym showers. You just ignore it and go on.”

“I don’t know what gym showers are like.” Theo shrugged his shoulders. “When I was old enough for middle school we were touring so much I pretty much skipped PE. So, I never got that experience like the other two did.”

“Well, you didn’t miss much. Everyone brags about having a big one, but the shower was the great equalizer there.” He paused to spit water out of his mouth. He switched with Theo again, this time not bothering to go backs together, but managing to keep their parts from touching. “All the guys brag, you know, but in the shower room, everything is laid bare. And after a while, it’s no big deal to be in the same room with a naked guy. You even see boners, although you aren’t supposed to look.”

“So, guys don’t have hair down there yet?”

“I hear it’s more a ninth-grade thing. Some guys do have some, but it’s like not a full bush or anything like that. I’m kinda late to puberty, but Dad says it’s like that in my family.”

“Oh, well, you look fine to me.” Theodore practically turned three shades redder realizing he’d spoken aloud.

“Thanks. You want the shampoo?”

“No. If we’re just gonna take the day off, I’d rather go to the pool. Why waste time shampooing today when I’ll just do it again tomorrow. Hey, wait a sec. If you never showered with anyone before, what about gym class?”

“Oh, that,” Mikey said, shutting off the taps. “I mean never showered personally with another person. Gym showers you pretty much don’t have time to actually get clean or enjoy it. It’s not private, more a group thing. Always on someone else’s schedule.”

“Yea. That much I know about.”

“Plus in gym, well, it’s not personal. Sure, it’s all open and stuff and everyone can see. But like, it’s all open space and no time, kinda like washing your hands in public. Just get it done, ya know? And there’s all this attitude of not looking. Like you have to keep telling yourself not to look and stuff, so you keep your eyes down; focus on just getting wet, soap, rinse.”

“Hum, I guess I never thought about it,” Theo said. He turned his head slightly to consider. “I guess it’s kinda like being at the urinals.”

“Yeah, pretty much. But you don’t got much to worry about,” Mikey said.

“Oh?” Theo said, eyes downcast.

“Yeah. You got most guys beat even if you haven’t got much fuzz.”

“I do?”

Mikey laughed, wagging his hips back and forth making his peen slap near his hips. “As if you don’t look at other guys in the bathroom. All guys look, just no one wants to be called out for looking.”

“Oh.”

“And trust me, you got nothing to be ashamed of,” Mikey smiled, turning off the taps. Theo looked down, wondering what Mikey meant. He realized that he didn’t really know such things, but he also realized he often thought about them. Something else his brothers had been keeping him from. He also realized that homeschooling kept him away from learning things from other boys. This revelation gave him much to think about. It had been a lonely time to be the youngest member of a traveling boy band.

The boys dried off as boys do, poorly, and opted for only pajama bottoms instead of full gear. Mikey opted for Ninja Turtles themed sleep shorts, while Theo simply had green ones with no pattern to them. As they got dressed, Theo wondered what his brothers were doing right then. If they shared a bed or not. Which brought to mind his own situation. Mikey had bunk beds set up in his room, with the bottom one bigger and going sideways from under the upper bunk. His desk and computer sat below, so the room really seemed like a cross between an older boys room and a younger ones. The curtains were decked out in Batman and Superman themes.

They waited in Mikey’s bedroom, playing a quick game of Mario Cart to pass the time. By the time Mikey’s dad came in, they were two games deep with one win apiece, going for the rubber match. Jeremy leaned on the door post making commentary from the side. After the game was over, with Mikey barely edging out Theo’s cart, it was time for bed. Theo climbed up to the top bunk, settling in. Strangely, he forgot to grab his teddy bear.

“Okay, close it down, you rascals. I already know you’re gonna be up late talking. I will be working on the files for tomorrow. So good night to you, young master Theodore,” he said ruffling Theo’s hair, “and good night my son,” he continued, giving Mikey a long kiss on the forehead. “Off to dreamland, the both of you,” he said with a flourish and turned out the light. Closing the door, the boys were in no mood to finish talking for the night.

“Your dad is a goofball, just like Dave.”

“Yeah,” Mikey said with a pause, “he is. But he’s cool, too.”

“Yeah,” Theo agreed.

“So, have you met a lot of other rock stars?”

“I guess so. When you are a top-tier boy band, people just walk up to you and shake your hands, pose for pictures. I guess we have met a lot of people. I met Miley Cyrus at one festival. Met two of the guys in Metallica on tour. We opened three shows for The Black Keys.”

“Dude, that’s pretty diverse.”

“We almost opened at the Hollywood Bowl for Taylor Swift but Covid hit. Did a lot of studio stuff with some new artists. Laid down one track with Jason Derulo, but I don’t think it ever got released. I dunno, I guess we have met a lot of stars. The guys from Imagine Dragons were cool.”

“I’ve met those guys. Pretty cool. I meet a lot of people through my dad working with them. Learned a lot of stuff as well.”

“Alvin’s the real star, though. Not many of them want to talk to me.”

“Awww, that’s rough. I bet a lot of them are all social media warriors, just looking for clicks. If they got to know you, you’d be more popular.”

Theo rolled over and hung his head over the bed rail. “What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s like that piano piece you did. People never get to see your real talent. Alvin shines because he’s upfront, singing.”

“I sing too. You know how hard it is to do three-part harmony. I’ve got the youngest voice so I sound higher pitched, and get all the notes that Simon can’t hit and Alvin wants to show off so he goes higher. I have to fit in the middle.”

“I know. Dad did an album with a Swedish quartet and was constantly having to pull them apart from fighting because they were stepping on each other’s notes all the time.” Mikey giggled. “Kinda like you with your brothers, only they didn’t ruin the band equipment. Pure singers, the band wasn’t even in the same studio”

“Lucky for them. Man, I’d just gotten that drum kit broken in, too.”

“Gonna make them buy you top of the line gear?”

“Oh, they will pay,” Theo intoned darkly. “With what they hold most prec-c-cious-s-s-!”

“Their lives?”

“Oh, far worse. Their allowances!”

Mikey’s giggles at that got infectious and soon they were making silly faces at each other in the near darkness.

“Thanks for having me over, Mikey.”

“No probs. It’s not every day a famous musician stays at my house.”

“Geeze, I’m not that famous.”

“Wanna bet?”

“Huh?”

“I bet you are just as popular as your brothers.”

“No way. They’re the musicians. One piano solo doesn’t make me skilled, or a songwriter. Or even well known.”

“Bet me!” Mikey said. “I bet you have as many comments online as they do.”

“Dude, no way. Alvin’s name is literally in the name of the band. He’s gotta have lots more. Plus his digital presence is fierce. He’s got a fan club and everything.”

Mikey hopped out of bed and booted up his computer. “What are you doing?” Theo asked, craning his head around to follow.

“Proving a point,” Mikey said. Theo slid his legs over the side of the bunk bed and came down with a noticeable THUMP, landing on his feet but sitting down onto Mikey’s bed.

“What point? Alvin’s got to be the top. Like I said.”

“Yeah, yeah, his name is in the band’s name. But just hear me out.”

Mikey booted into Telegram and scrolled down a lot of names. Theo felt sort of left out that his own messenger was much more limited. One of the groups was called “Chipmunk Nation,” and Mikey checked in. He also noticed something called “Chipmunks After Dark” on the list, with over three hundred messages waiting.

The screen lit up with fan images from paparazzi. Them entering the studio on Monday. The three of them and Dave standing on the red carpet at the Grammys, with their single of the year for “Camero Boy”, the last and biggest hit on their last album, and the only original song. A picture of Simon outside a McDonald’s, with Alvin inside, waving back to the staff, behind glass. When did they take that one? Theo thought. He couldn’t remember the last time when they’d been to a McDonald’s. Another case of his brothers keeping secrets from him.

“Wow. I never knew this was a thing. How long has it been running?”

“Since ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks – Live at the Hollywood Bowl’ came out.”

“That was like, four years ago. Our third album. We were just kids. Simon’s voice actually squeaks during ‘Live and Let Die’.”

“Yeah, I know. My dad was the sound engineer for that one. I got backstage passes from it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’ve been a fan for a long time. I’m gonna be an engineer just like my dad. I’ve seen all kinds of artists come through.”

“Like?” Theo asked.

“Dad did four tracks for Evanescence, a solo part for Korn back in the day. He worked for Jason Aldeen and Florida Georgia Line, and uh, we did one live track for Queen and Adam Lambert, he worked on I Heart Music festival, the one where Prince brought the place down.”

“Wow, he really is popular.”

“He knows his stuff. We travel a lot. One summer I went with him to Iceland to record some stuff for Bjork”

“That must have been cool.”

“Yeah, lot of sightseeing stuff. She was pretty cool too. I met the guys from System of a Down there, too.”

“How were they?”

“Eh, distracted musicians. Didn’t want to deal with the guy behind the counter’s kid. Very into themselves. I met the ‘What does the fox say’ guy. too,” Mikey finished. “Total weirdo.” They giggled together.

“So, you said bet,” Theo said, looking back at the screen. “What’s the bet?”

“Uhm, backstage passes to your tour for a year?”

“Doubt we’ll be out that long. But if your dad is gonna be the engineer, you easily could have those. Try again.”

“Uhm, okay, I bet if I’m right, uh, a milkshake from a restaurant of your choosing, any flavor.”

“Oh, that’s not fun. That sounds like you just get a milkshake. What do you really want?”

A text popped up on the screen, a private message to Mikey from someone named Din Grogu. Mikey opened the text and read it quickly, then blushed.

Din Grogu- Hey Mikester. How’d it go today? Did they finish recording yet? Has Simon bashed in Alvin’s head?

Mikey turned to Theo and turned his eyes down. “Sorry about that. My friends know about what my dad does.”

“Friend from school?”

“No, Grogu is from Orlando. His dad is a tour manager for big bands. Keeps the road crew busy setting up the stage.”

“Ah. Big circles, huh?”

“Not really. I met him on Jason Mraz’s tour. We were like eight then.”

“Better answer back before he goes offline,” Theo prompted. As Mikey turned back to the screen, they both saw another message had popped up and Mikey quickly shut it down.

Din Grogu- Is it just me or did Theodore like turn mega hawt over the summer?
Din Grogu- He’s like the hottest of the Chipmunks. He should be upfront
Din Grogu- And Naked 😛

Mikey clicked the screen off so fast, Theo barely had time to read that last line. He sat there in the newly acquired dark and his mind spun. On the computer chair, Mikey sat and pulled a leg up, resting his arm on it to hide his face.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said. “He can be a bit…” But Theo cut him off.

“Is that what you meant?” A long, strange silence spread out between them. Theo found himself reaching over to lift Mikey’s chin up to look him in the eyes. “Is it?”

“I…” Mikey began, but couldn’t form the words. “I don’t know what to say. Some guys think you’re… hot.”

Theo gulped. It hung in the air between them, like a weight made of something clear, something incapable of deception. At that moment, Theo felt a clarity he couldn’t describe completely. Not in words anyway. It was something felt but not understood. Something that needed understanding.

Something musical.

“Do you,” Theo said more than asked, his hand still hovering just inches below Mikey’s chin. “Do you feel this way about me?”

“I…” Mikey started to say again, lost in Theodore’s questioning gaze.

The computer chimed, signaling another incoming message.

“You better answer that,” Theo said, lowering his hand. He stood and reached up to the upper bunk, pulling himself up. He wrapped himself in the blanket and turned towards the wall.

“Theo,” Mikey said, standing a moment later. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s a lot to deal with. I just… I need to think. Okay?”

“Okay. Okay… alright, okay.”

“G’night, Mikey.”

“Okay… okay.”

“If you say okay one more time, you’ll use up all the okay in the room,” Theodore said, sounding suddenly more like Simon. It felt oddly good, yet seemed like it hurt Mikey at the same time to be so superior to him. Felt like Alvin to be demanding.

And in that balance, he felt chaotic. Unstable. Vulnerable. Conflicted.

Still, the misunderstood, chunky little brother only good for pounding the drums and singing second harmony. The underling. The one not good enough to be heard for his own ideas.

He felt the bed rock gently as Mikey got into the lower bunk. He heard more than felt the subtle shaking of Mikey’s body as the other boy tried to sleep. It was an odd feeling. Sad in a way. Very sad. It would be some time before the weariness of the day overcame him and took him into a world behind the walls of sleep.

The next morning, Theo woke up alone. Down the hall, he could hear soft acoustic guitar playing. It was oddly familiar, with many soft squeaks from the player not taking his fingers completely off the strings to move back and forth through the chords. There were no electric effects going through the guitar, just the sound of steel strings resonating in a wooden box, making that timeless, classic sound.

It took a few moments of waking for Theo to recognize the chorus as his piano solo, played with skill and finesse. He heard a soft humming as the song wove on, picking out the melody line, rising with it, falling against it. He climbed down from the top bunk and made his way to the third bedroom, the in-house studio.

Mikey sat there, eyes closed, playing Theo’s song. Jeremy was behind the board and didn’t see the younger boy walk in. Mikey played with such simplicity as if he’d studied the song for hours. He brought the chorus up to the bridge and his fingers creaked on the fretboard, missing the transition. It was a difficult part, Theo considered. It would take Alvin or Simon several tries to get right. Mikey looked down at the guitar neck, checking his hand positioning, and glancing up saw Theo standing in the doorway.

“Theodore!” he said, clearly startled.

“Oh, good morning, Theodore,” Jeremy said, turning around. “Sleep well?”

“No, not really,” he answered. “Was that my song?”

“Yes, I asked Mikey if he’d play it for me on a different instrument. Give it a different voice. I thought we’d let you sleep in and then go out for a late breakfast.” Jeremy’s smile was comforting. Mikey’s blushing was somewhat unnerving. The other boy could not meet his gaze.

“It sounds different that way. But Alvin plays all the guitar parts.”

“I know. Just seeing if a companion instrument would work. I think it’s got potential.”

“But it’s my song.”

Jeremy started to say something, but Mikey cut him off. “You’re right. It’s your song. I’m sorry, Theo.”

Theodore was about to pop off like Alvin and Simon did so often, but he stopped himself. This is how they started out, bickering. Being so possessive that no one else could be heard.

“No, it’s okay. I kind of like what the guitar added to it. The squeaking string makes it sort of talk.”

“That’s what I thought,” Jeremy said. “Just a light touch, here and there, but let the piano ring through.”

“I will have to think about it.” Theo stood there, and his stomach gurgled. He looked down and noticed his morning erection was visible in his sleep-pants, tenting up, pointing towards his navel, but still concealed.

“Why don’t you hit the bathroom, go get dressed and we’ll see about getting some breakfast, huh?” Jeremy asked. He noticed that Mikey was still wearing his Ninja Turtles shorts from last night.

“Uh, yeah,” he said and turned to visit the toilet, hoping his rampant boner would go down while peeing. He focused on his aim, letting the events of the last few minutes play over in his mind. A moment later, his yellow stream poured forth, arching down from his penis, similarly bent down. He had leaned in over the toilet bowl on his left arm, approaching the bowl at an angle. When he finished peeing, his boner had gone back to just a simple limp noodle.

The music still hung about in his memory. Mikey’s hands wringing the tune out of that guitar with such calm strength, such sure precision and tonality. It even matched Theo’s way of playing on the piano, that soft yet sure style, as complex as it was. It spoke of respect for the music. Which spoke of respect for the songwriter.

He flushed and went into the bedroom, only to find Mikey there, sitting on the lower bunk, looking miserable. He still didn’t know what to say to the boy with the hazel eyes. The last 24 hours had been a revelation of rumors that seemed to be true, half understood truths he still needed to puzzle out, and just a bunch of feelings he couldn’t get a grip on, at least not yet.

What if Alvin and Simon were doing sex stuff together? It made a lot of sense, considering how they were acting. What about Mikey’s fanboy crush on Theo? And apparently, the other people talking about him like he was cute? How and when did that happen? And was it true? And all these people putting so much praise into a song he didn’t even have a title for yet?

Should I release it as a single? Apart from my brothers?

Theodore Seville – Piano 0001.

“Sorry if I woke you. Dad said he wanted to hear it on guitar.”

“Yeah. He just said that.”

“Okay,” Mikey said. He had a set of clothes gripped in his hand and stood up suddenly. “I’ll go change in the bathroom. Give you some privacy.” The boy stood and made to bolt for the door but Theo’s arm shot out, grasping Mikey’s upper arm.

“Please… Don’t go.”

“What?”

“Please… It’s your room. I should be the one to give you privacy. You and your dad have been so kind to me. I shouldn’t make you leave your own room.”

“Okay. Okay…”

“And stop using up all the okay in here,” Theo smiled. “Save some for me? Okay?”

“Oh…uhh, sure.”

“I’ve made a decision. I’m not angry at you or your buddy for saying that kind of stuff about me.”

“You’re not,” Mikey said, kind of flabbergasted. He looked down at his arm, realizing that Theo still held him there. Theo sort of realized it at the same time. He released the other boy and turned to his overnight bag.

“No, I’m not. I don’t know how to feel about someone I know feeling that way, but I can’t stop the fans from acting that way. It’s part of the whole gig like the pictures taken out of car windows when we go out to eat or the people asking for autographs.”

“Yeah, I guess I can see that.”

Theo stepped out of his sleep pants and stepped into a pair of jeans. He looked and saw Mikey pulling a tee shirt over his head. They dressed quickly and then had an awkward moment of silence.

“It’s really okay?”

“What, that people think I’m, uhm, hot?”

“Yeah,” Mikey replied, cautiously. “Obviously.”

“Well, I’m not really comfortable with it. I mean, I don’t think I’m hot. How can anyone else?” He shrugged and looked Mikey over. “I mean, it’s the internet. I guess if people do something famous, people are gonna talk. Can’t control it.”

“What if… what if, uhm… I thought… you were hot?” Mikey said, stumbling over his words. “Or someone like me?” he added, a bit too quickly.

“If someone like you did,” Theo said, his chest trembling, and not just from not having pulled his shirt on yet, “I guess that would be cool.”

“And… if someone like me… more than thought you were hot?”

“More than?”

“Yeah,” Mikey said. “Like more than more. Like a lot.” His words rushed out at the end, almost as if trying to get out of his mouth before his brain could call them back.

“Mikey,” Theo said, his voice trembling a bit. “That would be the most awesome thing ever.”

“Yeah?’ Mikey smiled.

“Yeah,” Theo responded. “I think it really would.”

Mikey stepped up to Theo and gave him a kiss on the cheek. His first kiss not from a fan or from Dave. Just a quick peck. But that seemed to warm Theo from the inside out. He dropped his tee shirt and wrapped Mikey in a hug, not completely understanding why, but going with the moment.

“Boys,” Jeremy called from down the hallway. “Breakfast is gonna have to be lunch if we don’t hurry.”

Both boys’ stomachs seemed to growl at the same time, starting a giggle fit. “Alright Dad,” Jeremy called, using his hands to pry his slender body away from Theo’s. “We’ll be right there.”

“We’ll talk about this later, right?” Theo asked.

“Yeah. But I’m starved!”

“Me too.”

They ran to the car and hopped in, Jeremy already asking where they wanted to go.

Dave was on the phone most of the morning. Thankfully, he had his own room and was so busy he didn’t notice the time. Which was good, because Alvin and Simon were in no mood to be interrupted. They laid out on the one bed, semi-covered by the blankets, naked as the day they were born, worn out from an all-night session of trading blow jobs, and really rough sex from Alvin topping Simon. They got out a lot of aggression and built even more emotion. Simon topped Alvin’s smaller frame once, but he mostly wanted to be dominated by his older, yet shorter brother. Either way, Alvin wasn’t complaining.

“Well, that was certainly…” Simon said, his voice failing away mid-sentence.

“Yeah,” Alvin giggled, arms up behind his head, “it was.” His brother and lover lay across his midsection, head rising and falling with the exertions of simply breathing. “Been a while since we went at it that hard.”

“Yeah, we needed that.” Simon put his glasses back on, after wiping away a blob of cum that had dried as they slept. “And we need to do it more often. The music suffers when we fight too much.”

A comfortable silence stretched out between them for three breath cycles, both of them very conscious of how their diaphragm moved. Alvin’s hand drifted down to stroke through Simon’s straight light brown hair, now darker with sweat in some places. Oddly, Simon was starting to get more of a John Lennon look about him, behind those large glasses. Alvin couldn’t decide if he liked Simon better with or without the lenses framing his eyes.

“So… Do you think that Theo and that Mikey kid are doing it?”

Simon put on his thinking face, scowling up at the textured ceiling. “I don’t know. He’s so moody and hard to read lately.”

“Puberty sucks!” Alvin blurted, then started giggling, “But not as good as you do.”

“Yeah well, our baby brother is kind of getting less baby and more studly,” Simon pointed out. “It was only a matter of time until he started to question his own, then our sexuality. But I think you’re right about one thing.”

“I’m right about all things!” Alvin insisted. “What was I right about?”

“About not messing things up with the band.” Simon turned over to give Alvin’s tummy a soft kiss, which earned him one of Alvin’s patented smiles and another hand to run through Simon’s hair. “We can’t lie to him. I just hope he’s understanding.”

“If he knows about us like you think he does, then we have to come clean.” Alvin turned his eyes back to the ceiling, his imagination detecting patterns, like faces, in the tiny, raised popcorn structures there. “And we can’t treat him like a little kid. We have to tell him the whole truth.”

“How far back? All the way to when I first saw you jacking off and decided to blow you?” Simon asked, rolling over to stretch out his lanky form.

“Yeah. Like all two years ago,” Alvin chuckled. He reached down to unconsciously scratch his nuts. “We’d better get a quick shower before Dave comes in.”

“What about if Dave knows?” Simon said, sitting up suddenly.

“I guess we’ll deal with him the same as with Theo. I just hope he doesn’t enforce curfew on us.”

“Yeah, that would be too much to bear,” Simon said. He crawled up Alvin’s short body and planted a deep, wet, slippery kiss. Alvin responded in kind, grabbing Simon’s head and using it to move the taller boy’s body across his own, and then under, more passionately.

Until they both fell off the bed, dragging the duvet cover with them. They giggled madly for a bit, regaining their feet and eventually moving to the shower for some post sex cuddling. And washing.

As Simon started the water, Alvin grabbed a few towels. His reflection caught his attention and he got lost in his own eyes for a moment. Simon came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his older brother from behind, wedging his semi hard prick right between Alvin’s muscular buns.

“I know that look,” Simon said, laying his head on Alvin’s narrow shoulders. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking we’re really rotten brothers if we didn’t notice Theodore growing up. And we’re really rotten band mates if we didn’t realize his talent. I suddenly want to hear that track he laid down while we were being butt heads.”

“I do too. He’s always been there for us, even if he wasn’t fully on board with your crazy ideas or my methodical nature.”

“Yeah, that too.” Alvin sighed. “I think we owe him a huge apology.”

“Eee-normous,” Simon agreed. He felt himself starting to chub up, just resting his cock at the top of Alvin’s crack. He reached around and found Alvin’s cock starting to grow some as well, still swollen but not hard. “Band meeting?” Simon asked as Alvin grabbed lightly at Simon’s thighs.

“Brothers meeting,” Alvin sighed. “We gotta get it all out. And Theo deserves better treatment from us. From me.”

The door between the hotel rooms opened and Dave called out “Simon! Time to get dressed. Al-vin!! Where are you guys?”

“We’re getting showered, Dave! Give us a little privacy, will ya!” Alvin shouted from behind the bathroom door. “Can’t a guy take a crap without a chaperon?” Simon stayed silent but covered his face against the giggles.

“Okay, well, hurry up. We have to get some things done today and I’m not letting you two troublemakers out of my sight.” He went back into his own room, closing his own door.

“I’m not letting you two troublemakers out of my sight!” Alvin mimicked, getting a poke in the ribs from Simon. “Oww! Watch who you’re poking, buddy.”

“Shut up and get in the shower before my boner gets bigger,” Simon chided. Together they walked into the shower.

“Oooh,” Alvin said, “threaten me with things I like.”

After a big breakfast at the “Awful Waffle,” Jeremy asked the boys what they wanted to do all day. He was still surprised that teenage boys could put away so much food. Theo didn’t want to do anything with music. He just needed a break. From not only the grind of the production schedule but also from the tension of the band. Meaning the tension of and with his brothers.

“We could go to the beach,” Mikey offered, shrugging his narrow shoulders.

“That could be cool,” Theo said, lifting a mouthful of maple-sopping pancake to his lips. “I haven’t been to the beach in a long time.”

“Cool. We can stop by the house and get bathing suits.”

“Yeah,” Jeremy said. “Let me call your dad and check-in.”

“Okay,” Theo replied, sighing. “I hope Simon and Alvin haven’t destroyed the hotel room.”

Mikey giggled. “Just like prima donna rock stars.”

“Yeah, although with Dave parked next door…” Theo raised his hands. “Even Alvin wouldn’t mess with that.”

“Hey, do you think Madonna ever wrecked a hotel room?” Mikey said around a fork full of ‘scattered covered smothered topped and capped’ hash browns.

Jeremy grinned as he went up to pay for breakfast, his cell phone already out, making a call. Mikey was staring at Theo, occasionally looking away. Theo felt something happening between them, but couldn’t figure it out. There was attraction, sure. But there was uncertainty, too. Not about Mikey himself, but about what he should do next. Still, he felt himself smiling at the thought of seeing Mikey changing again. About being wet and next to naked with him.

“What ya thinkin’ bout,” Mikey asked, his voice drifting a bit.

“About the song.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, you learned it pretty quickly.”

“Oh, that. Dad has software that turns recordings into standard musical notation. I tried a couple of different voicings, because, you know, guitar can have the same notes played on different strings, but it gives it a different tone. That last one you heard was about halfway down the neck, so it gave a nice counterpoint to the piano.”

“Damn, you really do know your stuff,” Theo said, clearly impressed. “Was that in A minor?”

“Yeah, doing pentatonic blues scale, about an octave higher than you played it on piano.”

“That’s wild. You should be playing professionally.”

“Nah, it was just a thing with the software. Like I said, the real talent was in the writing, not the playing of something written.”

“I didn’t hear much,” Theo said, “but that was better than a LOT of studio musicians.”

Mikey sort of let his mouth hang open a moment, then closed it, smiling, blushing.

“Good news, boys,” Jeremy said, coming back to the table. “You don’t mind if your Dad and brothers tag along, do you, Theodore?”

“No,” the youngest Chipmunk responded. “I think they could use a break from the studio, too.”

“It’s settled then. Let’s get home and get you two into some swim gear and we’ll meet on the sand.”

Theo and Mikey shared a look and for some reason, a giggle.

Dave came into the boys’ hotel room through the by-pass, phone up to his ear. He continued whatever conversation he was having as he turned to close the door.

“That sounds great, Jeremy… No, I don’t think the boys are up to anything. We could meet up… Sure, I’ll just GPS it…Right, sounds good… You want us to bring anything or… I like that idea. Okay… see you there.” He closed up his flip phone with a snap.

Alvin quickly dropped his backup tablet over the side of the bed as Dave came in. Simon, brushing his teeth, leaned out of that bathroom then leaned back in, eyes rolling behind his wide glasses. As Dave turned around he clapped his hands. “Ah, Alvin, good. Where’s Simon?”

“Brushing his teeth,” Alvin sighed.

“Good. Grab your swimsuits and towels.”

“We didn’t pack swimsuits, Dave,” Simon said, coming out of the bathroom in his boxers. “Remember, we came out here to work on an album, not have fun.”

“Your words, Dave. Not ours,”

“Now, boys, both of you have been acting up quite a bit lately,” the elder Seville began.

“No, we’ve been lousy stinking brats,” Simon said, pulling a shirt over his head.

“And we’ve been lousy band mates to Theodore,” Alvin put in. “So Simon and I will buy him new instruments.”

“And pay you back for the studio time we lost.” Alvin looked over at Simon with alarm, and Simon looked over at him with a stern, tilting grimace. Alvin rolled his eyes and rolled onto his back, spread eagled.

“And pay you back the studio time,” he agreed reluctantly. “There goes my Corvette fund.”

“Okay, boys, that’s very generous of you. And I’m sure Theodore will take you up on your offer. But we really need to talk about your problems rather than just throw instruments at each other.”

“We know. We’ll talk to Theo about it.”

“And we’ll talk about things in the band with each other more.”

“And we will apologize to the recording crew.”

“As soon as possible.”

Dave’s head kept going back and forth, waiting for the boys to speak more.

“Wow, that’s a lot of progress. I should ground you more often.”

“So, why do we need bathing suits if we are grounded?” Simon asked, slipping into his acid washed jeans. His blue tee shirt hung down and he tucked his bits into place.

“Yeah,” Alvin said, rolling over to lay belly down on the bed. “I thought the pool was out of bounds?”

“Jeremy is taking Mikey and Theo to the beach. I figured if you three are going to relax and get better, you should relax and get better together. Make no mistake, you two are still grounded. But family comes first.”

“Okay, Dad,” Simon said, tossing Alvin an oversized red shirt. “Whatever you say.”

“Right, well, since you didn’t pack any suits, we’ll have to buy some. Get your pants on, and be ready to go in five minutes. I have one call to make, then we’re outta here, boys.” His phone was already in his hand as he passed back into his bedroom.

“Now that…” Simon started, but they both finished, “was lucky.”

“But next time, let’s try to do it a bit cheaper?” Alvin asked. Simon’s only response was to smile and throw Alvin his skinny jeans, approximately in the direction of his face.

The six of them met up at the beach, but they didn’t arrive together or at the same time. Jeremy parked near a popular boardwalk and strip mall. Shops with open doors led out onto the wide, wooden concourse and wonderful scents of beach pizza, fried dough and meat on the grill filled the air. People wandered around going down to the water and roamed the coast freely.

Mikey and Theo arrived first, with Jeremy saying he’d stay up on the boardwalk to await the rest of the Seville’s. They dropped their towels at the beach and ran for the receding tide, howling like monkeys. The sea water was crystal clear, and warm, as if drawn fresh for a bath. Sea birds shrieked and whirled overhead, carried along by the onshore flow of the air currents, effortlessly.

Out in the surf, Mikey and Theo played. Mostly jumping waves, splashing at each other, exploring seaweed patches. Occasionally they would wrestle in the water, playing a private game of grab ass under the waves. They got out into deeper water and were floating with the rollers, lifting up over the waves as they came in so that their feet left the seafloor and they were momentarily weightless. Theo couldn’t take his eyes off Mikey’s water slicked form. The other boy’s skinny body just seemed to be speaking to him. Well, at least one part of him. He found himself touching Mikey a lot. Touches that were not turned away; in fact, they were more often than not returned.

He wasn’t sure what this new feeling was, this need to touch and be touched, but the youngest Chipmunk was liking it as much as he was liking the swells of the ocean. And just like that ocean, he wanted to be swept out to sea in that feeling, sink into its gentle embrace, feel it on all parts of himself until it surrounded him and overwhelmed his senses.

Clearly, Mikey was too.

Theo didn’t know what the other boy saw in him. And then, as if daring himself to, he looked down. In the constantly bouncing interplay of light from the waves, he saw his own body, for once not cast in an oversized tee shirt. His body wasn’t as slim as Mikey’s but he saw that his nipples, while a bit pointy, had gone down in size compared to his chest muscles. All that moving around of drum kits and keyboard equipment had put a little meat on his bones.

He looked lower, followed with his hand, and examined his tummy. The baby fat wasn’t as much as before, also, starting to give way to a thickness to his body, but one that was leaner. The dance lessons for the videos they had shot earlier this year showed. He wasn’t defined, as yet, but his tummy had split down the middle, showing the beginnings of a six-pack. He could feel it now.

Looking around, he saw Mikey grinning back at him, treading water as another roller started to swell, lifting them both in the water. He brought his hand lower, into the top of the bathing suit he borrowed from Mikey. His hand slid in and he could feel the pad of fat above his erection seemed flatter, tauter, also split by an almost muscular center line. He felt down to his dick, which had been between rock hard and simply thickened by excitement since he and Mikey had been in the water. It seemed to respond to his touch, and even that seemed larger than he had ever remembered. It wasn’t that his penis had grown just going to the beach, but that he never thought about it. His balls seemed bigger too, despite them being pulled abnormally close in the water.

The roller passed, bringing both boys up and down, to touch bottom and bend their legs to find the trough of the wave.

“Hey, my dad’s waving us in. Next wave, body surf in.”

“Okay.” Theo was feeling a bit tired as far out as they were. Maybe a short break would be a good idea. The salt from the water was making him a bit thirsty, too.

The next big roller came powering in, and Theo turned to start swimming with it. Mikey started earlier and made a quick “duck dive” to get started. Theo found his eyes drawn to Mikey’s bottom, tightly clad in Ninja Turtles trunks. He almost missed the wave. They coasted along with the wave, riding it as it broke into foamy, crashing lines. They stood when they were into knee deep water, Mikey pulling his swimwear out of his crotch. Theodore found himself doing the same, wondering suddenly if all boys unconsciously do that.

Dave, Alvin, and Simon were just putting down a cooler when Mikey and Theodore got back to the spot. The wind whipped and chilled their bodies, despite the summer heat. Theo felt himself frowning at the older two, but he couldn’t bring himself to meet their eyes. Dave and Jeremy seemed to be chatting, amiably.

Mikey handed Theo a bottle of water. “Hey, can you show me that trick you learned?”

“Which trick?”

“The one you showed me yesterday, in the lounge.”

“Oh, you mean this one?” He turned the cap enough to loosen it, breaking the seal, and then with a deft movement of his thumb he spun the cap off the top of the bottle, into the air, where he came down right between Alvin and Simon. The older boys looked up at each other and then over to Theodore, who simply bashed his bottle with Mikey and said “Cheers, mate,” in a really weird British accent. Mikey giggled and they both drank.

“When did little Theo get so cool,” Simon asked, in a conspiratorial whisper.

“Beats the hell out of me,” Alvin replied.

The boys got down to some serious beachy things. Sand castles, sea shells, splashing around in hip-deep water. Eventually, Alvin and Simon managed to get into the mix as well. Both sporting brand new swimwear. They started by splashing around with each other and eventually with Mikey and Theodore. It seemed awkward at first, but then they got more into the fun of the moment and let all the band stuff go.

“Your boys are something else, Dave,” Jeremy said, watching as the burgers cooked slowly on the beach grill. “I hope they know all you do for them. It can’t be easy raising three multi-talented sons alone.”

“They can be a handful. Especially,” Dave started and they both finished, “Alvin.” They both chuckled. “I hear you have been working with Theodore on his solo piece.”

“He’s easy to work with but hard to read. Very guarded, that one.”

“Theo has always been very introspective. Of the three of them, I think he remembers the most about their mother,” Dave said, getting sad eyes. “The older two remember some things, maybe better. But Theo was still a baby when she…” Dave paused, eyes focused on the seagulls as they chased the thermals. “The cancer was very aggressive. I don’t think the boys know how much pain she was in near the end. For which I am glad. It would be too much to put them through.”

“It isn’t easy to talk about such things, especially with kids so young. I guess you were lucky to find them when they ran away from their first foster home.”

“The boy’s mother was my best friend in college. I knew roughly where to look for them. Still took me a few days. Alvin always was the wily one,” Dave chuckled. “I found them singing on the subway for loose change. I had to promise them Happy Meals in order to get them to come home with me. Two each.”

“They’re devoted to each other. Something that my Mikey lacks. But they are also each coming into their own. Puberty does weird things to us all.”

“True. But I worry less about Simon and Alvin. Despite their open animosity, they always come together. They always have each other. Theodore seems to get left behind.”

“Is it that bad?” Jeremy wondered.

“No. I mean, as a band they are fine. As brothers, well, the baby of the family is finally growing up. I can’t keep certain truths from him for much longer.”

“Oh?” Dave simply nodded. “I have the feeling that the rumor mill is about to get some juicy topics.”

“If you mean the rumors that Alvin and Simon are sleeping together, then no. I’m not about to out my sons. I just hope they out themselves when they’re ready, not before.”

“Oh wow, so it is true. How’d you find out?”

“I’m their father and only caregiver. I should know my own sons. Besides, Alvin is terrible at keeping secrets, or his mouth shut when he thinks everyone else is sleeping. I heard him moaning one night, went in to see what was going on and I found them half asleep and fully naked, together in the same bed.”

“That must have been a shock.”

“At first, yes,” Dave admitted. “But they looked so peaceful, so happy. I didn’t know how to talk to them about it. So I let it go on, thinking that it might be just a phase. But it’s been about two years now, they are both in high school, and I fear that one word slipping might end their careers just as they are getting truly started.”

“Well, fortunately, they can’t get each other pregnant,” Jeremy pointed out, getting Dave to gesture vaguely with his water bottle. “I sort of had the same situation with Mikey.”

“Really?”

“Not exactly the same situation,” Jeremy asserted. Dave raised his water bottle to his lips and took a long drag. “I found out he was masturbating into his socks,” Jeremy stated, casually, getting a near-spit take from Dave.

“Geeze, give me some warning before you drop a bomb like that!”

“Sorry, sorry. But when half of his socks started coming into the laundry, no pun, dripping and smelling like bleach, well, I had to give him the talk. The old birds and the bees. He already knew the technical aspects of it, naturally, from that health and hygiene class they had back at the end of fifth grade. What shocked me was when he asked me if it was wrong that he liked boys.”

Dave stared at Jeremy for a long moment, both men just evaluating.

“So, what did you tell him?”

Jeremy shrugged. “Same as you did. That it could just be a phase. All boys go through a sexually confused period. Hormones do weird things to a kid’s brain sometimes. I mean, back when I was a boy I don’t think there was a surface in my room I didn’t try to rub it on.”

“Yeah, that sounds familiar. I once found Alvin dry-humping the side of the tub.”

“Hehehe,” the sound engineer laughed, “I found Mikey sitting naked in front of the TV when I was working late one night, his hands still on it, fully asleep.”

“How’d you resolve that?”

“I went back out of the apartment, shouted at him to go to bed, and turn the TV off from another room. I don’t think he knows I caught him. But boys are like that. Sometimes they go through phases and sometimes…”

“Sometimes they know what they need before they know it,” Dave sighed. “So, Mikey is still in a phase or…”

“Oh no, he told me he’s fully gay. Girls don’t interest him at all. In fact, I think he might be a bit smitten with young master Theodore.”

“Really?”

“He’s part of several Chipmunks chat groups. Some of them are more than a little scary. But he’s a good kid. I let him have his freedom. And I know he would never do anything against anyone’s will,” Jeremy said.

“Because he’s never done anything before?”

“No,” Jeremy said. “Because I raised him right. Just like you did with Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. He might be a horny kid, but my son is a perfect gentleman.”

“Then my little Theodore is in good company,” Dave said, reaching out his bottle for a tap, which Jeremy reciprocated. “I have my own concerns about whether or not Theodore is gay, too.”

“I see. If you want him to come back to the hotel tonight…”

“Oh no, you misunderstand me. My boys are the product of open and honest parenting. If they ever have a problem or concern, they come to me and we figure it out together. I don’t dominate them, and I don’t force them to think a certain way. Kids get enough of that in school. No, if Theo has a problem with your son, he’ll tell me if he can’t deal with it on his own. I give them trust that they will seek my advice if they need it. And trust me, over the years, they’ve needed it. That’s why they call me Dave instead of Dad.”

“You are not wrong in doing that,” Jeremy responded. “When I lost my wife, I made a promise to raise Mikey with total honesty and truth. We have never had a problem. He always comes to me with whatever is on his mind.”

“Okay,” Dave said, building up to the next topic, “so what if it comes out that our sons are playing sexually, together?”

“I’m not going to stop them unless they are hurting, or hurting each other,” Jeremy answered, levelly. He held Dave’s gaze the whole time.

“Good. That’s about how I’m going to deal with it. Next question: how’d you like to go on the road as sound engineer for the boys once this record drops? The big wigs at the label are already talking about a 50-city tour through early fall, maybe into next year.”

“I’d say I’m your man, as long as Mikey can tour with us. I’m okay with brief homeschooling.”

“Okay, that’s settled. So tell me about Theo’s piano solo.”

“Uh, Dave, you better flip that burger, it’s about to become crispy”

“Hehehe, that’s for Simon. It’s the only way he’ll eat it.”

“I guess a father knows his sons.”

The boys had drifted out past the breakers again, into the rolling waves, just laying back and floating. The mood had grown oddly partisan again, with Mikey and Theo just watching the rollers drift in, following the wind. Simon motioned with his head to Alvin towards the other two boys. Alvin in turn gestured that he didn’t know what to say. To which Simon pointed a finger down into the water explosively and then pointed to the younger two, a grimace on his face made all the more severe by his lack of glasses. Alvin rolled his eyes in exasperation and swam a few strokes to the younger boys, with Simon in tow.

“Look, uh, Theodore,” Alvin began, bringing his arm up to rub the back of his neck. “We’re kind of sorry we banged up your equipment.”

“Kind of?” Theo repeated, turning to tread water more forcefully. “Either you do or you don’t. Which is it?”

“We do. We are,” Simon said, swimming over, just as a big roller brought all of them up and passed, taking them back to their feet momentarily. Simon spit out some water, balancing in the waves passing. “We’ve kind of been butt heads to you lately. And it’s not fair.”

“Damn stinkin’ right it’s not fair!” Theo shot back.

“Hey, hey, hey, take it easy!” Alvin said, holding up his hands as the next swell started to come in.

“No, Alvin. I will not take it easy. You two have been keeping secrets from me. And harassing me. And getting all… all… Abbey Roads on my.”

“Abbey Roads?” the older boys asked together.

“Yeah, just like the Beatles did. You with your big jerk energy,” he said, looking at Alvin, “and you with your McCartney and Lennon perfectionist ways. You even got Lennon hair now to match your glasses.” The brothers looked around at each other, the hurt registering in Theo’s eyes.

“You do sort of have hair like John Lennon did,” Mikey offered from the side.

“I never noticed, but yeah, he does,” Alvin admitted.

“I was just letting it grow out for the summer. Look, my hair is not the issue here. The fact is, we’ve taken you for granted little brother. And you are growing up. And there are some things we should trust you with.”

“Like that fact that you both don’t take my music seriously?” Theodore asked, feeling a bit stronger as another roller passed through. “Or that you keep secrets from me?”

“We weren’t sure you were ready for some of the secrets,” Alvin said. “It’s a really shitty explanation but it’s true.”

“We didn’t mean to hurt you, Theo. We just…”

“Just thought I was still the pudgy little guy sitting behind the drum kit?” Theodore asked, again riding up a big roller, swimming hard to keep above the top of the wave as he spoke down to his siblings. “Did you think I didn’t notice that you started smoking?”

“We have been trying to quit. It’s not good for your singing voice,” Simon offered, coming down as the wave again drove on by.

“Or that you guys sneak off to be alone together at night?”

There, on the rise of another roller, bigger than any others, the truth hung in the balance. Simon and Alvin exchanged guilty looks, Alvin gulping.

“We…” Simon began as they fell from one roller directly into another without touching the bottom.

“It just sort of happened, Theodore,” Alvin said, treading water more actively now. The boys didn’t realize it, but they had been pulled deeper out to sea as the tide rolled back from the shore. “We didn’t mean for it to happen, or to keep secrets from you.”

“We got caught up, and, well… We’re together… now… as a…”

“Couple,” Alvin finished.

Mikey shot a hand up over his mouth in disbelief, even as they crested another roller. Theodore looked back and forth between the two of them. Two more big waves pushed past them in the time that Theodore stared at his older brothers, both of them blushing as if in shame. This wasn’t what he wanted. It didn’t seem right.

“Are you in love? I mean, we write about that in our music a lot, but… like for reals, are you in love?”

Simon and Alvin spared a moment to look at each other as another smaller swell lifted them, barely enough to take them off their feet. At the same time, they reached a hand to each other and then looked back to Theo.

“Yeah, baby bro,” Alvin said, keeping his eyes on Simon. “I think we are.”

Theo felt his feet touch the ground and bounced with that feeling, his knees bending slightly. He felt calm, centered, and balanced. The next roller hove in and he let it lift him, carried on the wave, not fighting it, not plunged under it. Not destroyed by its epic elemental power. He simply joined it. Rode it. Was at one with the energy that was as old and powerful as creation itself.

“Then I want a say in the music. Equal say.”

“Uh, you aren’t mad at us?”

“For what?”

“For not telling you we’re gay,” Alvin said, as if saying the words out loud to another person for the first time was no big deal.

“And for trying to hide our relationship,” Simon put in, struggling to get over the wave.

“I can’t be mad at you for being what you are. Who you are. I’m just mad you didn’t trust me to keep your secret and to be happy for you.”

“You are?!” they said together, almost slipping into harmony.

“Besides… I think I might be gay too.” There, he’d said it. He’d been feeling it since finding out that other people, including Mikey, had such feelings for him. And it wasn’t just reciprocal, it was an awakening to what was already there. He had been checking Mikey out all morning, and he had thought about it all night, since that chat room incident.

“Guys, I have been feeling… I dunno, kinda like this for a while now. I just didn’t know how to say it. Or what it was. And,” he looked around to Mikey, “I don’t know where all this is leading, but I trust you, Mikey. And I want more than just a friendship with you.”

“Oh geeze,” Mikey stammered.

“I know we haven’t known each other very long but… it’s like I know you,” Theo said, emphatically. “And I don’t really understand it, but I want to know you more.”

“Theo…”

“Let me finish,” he said, as another roller passed and dropped them onto their feet again. “I don’t know what that means yet. I don’t know if that means like rolling around naked and humping until the light of day… or whatever that is. I just know that right now…” rising up on a swell, “I just want to know you and no one else.” The wave sped on by, leaving Theo and Mikey, Alvin and Simon, standing in hip-deep water, with another wave about to ride up on them. “Does that make sense?”

“It does,” Mikey said, striding through the gathering water toward Theo. They met and openly embraced as the wave washed over them, lifting his two brothers who stared in shock and awe. As the wave passed over them, they opened their eyes and shared a tender kiss, each reaching for the other.

“I told ya they were gonna bone,” Alvin whispered.

“Yeah, so what are we gonna tell Dave?”

“Until he needs to know, he doesn’t need to know,” Alvin said, putting up his hand to tap knuckles with his lover. As they watched their little brother kissing his first boyfriend, they settled in for another hug. “But I think we better put a hold on this conversation. Dave is waving something in the air back at the beach.

“How can you see all that far away?” Simon asked, squinting.

Without missing a beat, Alvin replied with perfect deadpan delivery. “Heh, because whatever it is he’s waving is on fire.”

Later that night, Dave put his Alvin and Simon to bed. They had been exhausted from a whole day spent at the beach. Probably would be sunburned come the morning. The boys’ natural swarthy tones kept much of the sun at bay but it had clearly marked them, especially in their cheeks and on their shoulders. Theo was spending the night at Jeremy and Mikey’s again. But after so long in the studio and then so long in the sun, stuffed with burgers and hot dogs from the grill, Dave’s older two were so worn out that they had fallen asleep in the car.

He carried them in over his shoulders, gently removed their clothing, and put them into the same bed. Pulling the duvet up to their chins, he marveled that so much talent and energy could be wrapped up in such lithe packages. Giving both boys a gentle kiss on the forehead, not pressing too hard for fear of waking them, he could feel the heat radiating off their skin and pulled the duvet down to their waists.

Tomorrow was another day, and they would get back to the recording studio. But for now, two of his little demons were presenting the images of peaceful angels. And for that, he was grateful.

Sneaking back to his room, he ordered some breakfast for the morning, and a nice club sandwich for his own midnight snacking. He had a lot to do before this album and tour happened. Many plans to make for his boys.

Alone in Mikey’s room, the two lovebirds sat on the edge of the lower bunk, uncertain what to do next. Mikey’s dad had already been in, and realizing something had changed with the boys, decided to not mess with the feeling in the air. He told them both good night, and quietly shut the door. And that was it for parental intervention.

“So, uhh, what’s next?” Theodore asked, his heart thumping as loud as his bass drum and kicking twice as fast.

“I don’t know. I guess, uhm… I guess we get undressed?” Mikey replied, also feeling excited beyond belief. His cheeks may have been stained rosy from the sun they’d absorbed, but the blush that spread under the skin was genuine.

“I was gonna do that anyway. I think I should have put on more SPF,” Theo said.

“Yeah, I burn real easy,” Mikey said. “You’ll probably be red for like a day and then have that all-over sexy tan.”

“Not all over!”

“True. Next time we might have to try nude sunbathing. I know of a nude beach nearby.”

“Even been there?”

“A few times… with my dad. And… And a few times without him,” Mikey admitted, giggling uncontrollably.

“Ugh, I can’t stand this heat,” Theo said, pulling off his tee shirt. True to form, his shoulders were an angry red, as were his arms, part of his chest, and his thighs about where the swim trunks stopped. The line stood out well down past the lower edge of his sleep pants. Giggling, Miky also stripped off his shirt, although somewhat more cautiously. It was clear to see that Mikey had gotten a bigger dose of rays. He hurriedly shed his sleep pants and stood before Theo in only boxer-briefs. Seeing Mikey’s smile, Theo dropped his sleep pants as well, revealing his own boxers.

“Hehehe, well, stud,” Mikey said, over emphasizing the “stud” part. “You got me down to my undies. What next?”

“Mikey,” Theo said, smiling. “I know what I want to try, but…”

“Butt?” Mikey asked, twisting his own backside and giving it a slap. Immediately he regretted it and winced.

“Yeah, uhm, I don’t think either of us is going to find anything tonight to be, uhm, sexy. It’ll just be hurting too much touching the skin in places. And I really want to touch you.”

“Me too,” Mikey said, staring into Theo’s eyes.

“So, uhm… while I wanna do sexy things with you… a lot… for tonight can we just… sleep together, without doing sex?”

“You mean like… like, more like how lovers sleep?”

“I think so. I don’t want our first time to be tainted. I just want to hold you.” Theo held out his arms and barely touched Mikey on the shoulders, tenderly. The heat of his skin seeped into his fingers. Mikey simply looked at Theo and smiled.

“Okay. But before that, we probably should rub down. I have some lotion.” With a short trip to his side table, Mikey came back with a tall clear bottle of green gel, the words “After Sun” printed in bright yellow. They spent several minutes coating all the places where the sun had been particularly harsh. They did each other’s backs, and fronts. Theo noticed that the burn hadn’t affected his lower torso area much. Yet another sign he had changed from the tubby kid he used to be. In times past, his tummy would have burned the same as his cheeks. When they were finished, and feeling slightly sticky, Mikey nodded and silently got into bed, opting for only a top sheet. Theo climbed in after.

Once they found a comfortable balance, snuggled up on the single bunk bed, heads resting on each other, Theo’s body tucked up behind Mikey, they drifted off to sleep. Sometime later, they both got up to pee and climbed back into bed without their underwear. They talked gently for a while and swiftly faded to dreamland, feeling safe and happy in each other’s arms.

Simon was up first and decided he would wake Alvin up in the time honored and traditional way that all alpha males prefer to be roused from sleep. Truth be told, he was just feeling really horny but everything ached with sunburn. So rather than try to get his brother hard for a full-throated session of bed destruction, he went instead for a long honk on his brother’s penis.

He sat on the carpeted floor, below his shorter brother, with his sleeping legs split apart slightly. He really liked the feel of Alvin’s muscular thighs on either side of his face, under his hands. He’d never admit it to anyone else, but Simon really loved the scent and taste of his brother’s cock. The barely 6” of upwards jutting boy flesh just had an aura to it, a glow of pulsing light about it. Either that or Simon needed new glasses. Either way, there was a natural wholesomeness to Alvin’s cock that drove Simon wild with desire.

He slipped the head out of his mouth, lapping at the underside, feeling the way the tube moved and flexed naturally. He lifted it up and licked along the base of Alvin’s ball sack, gently taking one of them into his mouth to suck. He could feel the testicle start to quiver from the sensation, swelling slightly. His fist gradually started to stroke the pulsating tube of uncut boy meat while he continued to lightly chew on the ball in his mouth.

Alvin sighed, lolling his head around as Simon worked him over. He was still in dreamland, reacting to his brother/lover’s tender touch. Simon reached under himself and started to jerk off, his own breath washing over Alvin’s balls and cock. He reveled in the smell coming off of the tight scrotum and inhaled it greedily. With a pop, he pulled himself off of Alvin’s nut sack and bent his mobile dick down, stroking it as his lips sought the tender tippy. He pushed the foreskin back with his lips and tongue, feeling the warmth of the crown open for his thirsty mouth.

Alvin’s hands smoothed down his own body towards his cock, moving along the tight muscles of his trim, compact frame. Being the frontman meant he ran around the stage a lot, but it also developed some killer abs. Or it could just be his ADHD coming out. Either way, it was clear that Alvin was now awake as he stretched his torso and rib cage in different directions under Simon’s assault and pushed his own fingers down into Simon’s hair.

“Sy,” was all he said, as he fondled his brother’s brain case, surrounding his meat. Simon for his part moaned around the cock head in his mouth and swirled his tongue out around the shaft. His own jerking became faster when Alvin had grasped onto his head, guiding his mouth. Simon switched his hand to Alvin’s balls, his mouth plunging up and down around the pulsating shaft.

“Oh, gawd, Sy, you really do love me,” he moaned and began to lightly hump to meet Simon’s lips. The hard suctioning mouth would twist and dip, slow down then rapidly rise and climb on the turgid link between them. Simon’s hand became a virtual blur as he began to feel his own climax approaching. Alvin could feel it too, and grasped possessively at Simon’s head, at his long hair. One leg climbed up on the bed and Alvin lifted his butt with that foot, digging the other into the carpet beside Simon’s thigh. He thrashed about, his foot on the floor lifting into Simon’s lap, pushing on his wildly gyrating hand and cock, offering its heat to Simon’s own.

“Sy… Uhmph… Ooh, Simon! Umfff, I’m cumming… I’m cumming. Cum with me!” he murmured, trying to keep his voice down, even as the feelings tore through his teenage body. The leg up on the bed that had been holding him went straight, then hooked Simon’s head. His clenching toes felt Simon’s cock unload a torrent of warm boy semen shooting first under his sole and then onto his toes, up to his ankles.

Simon knew the flood was coming and pulled off to just the head of Alvin’s cock, milking the shaft mercilessly with his hand as he sucked down as much of the thick teen seed as he could. But his face thrusting back and forth on that rounded, bulbous knob of bluish-red flesh could only gather so much. Alvin’s sperm dripped out of the left side of his brother’s sucking mouth. They pulled loose for a moment, allowing Simon to suck down a breath between swallowing, and two jets of Alvin’s teen cum came flying up out of his shaft, up to his collarbones, partly filling the hollow of his throat with rich pearl jam.

Still shooting, Simon stood on shaky legs and fired his last volley up over Alvin’s body, streaking his hairless, heaving tummy with his own ripe jizz. Alvin’s hand clutched at his brother’s long thin tube and continued to rub on it after the cum had gone from a stream to a trickle, causing the younger brother’s thighs to twitch and gyrate. He fell forward, partially on the other cumming teen, and bucked his hips against his brother, mashing their erections between each other.

For long moments they lay together, waiting, chests heaving, boners throbbing and bobbing against supple, hairless teen skin. Alvin unconsciously reached an arm up over the small of Simon’s back, in an almost possessive movement. They panted together for a bit. Coming down from that boy sex high.

“Dude, I love when you do that. I love you, Simon.”

Simon was taken aback. He knew that there was passion in Alvin. It was one of his most powerful qualities. It defined him on stage as well as everything else he did. And while they acknowledged that they loved each other, it rarely came out between them that they were IN LOVE. It was a subtle difference, but there it was.

“I…I love you, too,” Simon said, with a halting certainty. He levered his upper body off of Alvin’s and they kissed briefly, Alvin getting, not for the first time, a taste of his own cum in Simon’s open mouth. Alvin reached up for Simon’s face and pulled himself up over his brother, his lover, and started to take a more dominant role in the kiss, guiding Simon to roll more underneath…

Until they both fell off the bed, again. With a loud thud. For a moment they held together, neither making a sound, barely daring to breathe. Then they both broke out in bursts of whispered, chittering giggles, trying to keep quiet. The two boys rolled apart and stared at each other in the early morning light that stole into the room under the floor-to-ceiling curtains.

“I really mean it, Simon,” Alvin said, all serious. “I do so love you.”

In typical Simon fashion, he sat up and said, “I know.”

With the scant wispy morning fog outside, sweeping down the hillside and into the hotel courtyard, and with the slanting sunlight streaming through trees, Alvin and Simon got up, grabbed each other tight, and made the most solemn vow, that no matter what else happened in this life, they would always have each other. And for that one perfect instant, the whole of creation went away, leaving two wounded souls finding all the missing pieces in each other to become one.

Theo woke up feeling much better. Partially because the sheet was completely at the foot of the bed, leaving his body completely open to the air conditioning. The blessed chill traveled over his sunburned skin with the sweet bliss of calm, cool, and comfort. His eyes opened and he smiled. That after-sun rub down from Mikey was near blissful. Both boys enjoyed playing their hands over each other’s skin with the slick substance.

But in the early morning, he felt like he was sticky in places that he didn’t know he had.

And Mikey was out of bed already. The shower was running. Poor Mikey was so fair-complected that while he got the same amount of sun, it affected him more. As it was, Theo’s chest and shoulders still stung, but the “after-sun” treatment took a lot of bite out of it. He got out of bed, gingerly, and went to tug a t-shirt over his head. Before he pulled it over, he stopped, staring at his reflection in the mirror in Mikey’s room. He turned, posing. Examining.

He still had a bit of puppy fat, riding on his hips and tummy. But it was fading into some interesting shapes, emerging beneath the surface. His arms were toned and tight from all the drumming, and so to his legs. Not shaped like an athlete’s, to be certain, but definitely starting to show through to the muscle he’d developed all along. His torso was no longer just a rounded, oblate egg shape, cascading downwards from his underdeveloped chest. He was on the cusp of having a body closer to what Alvin had and showing the beginning of Simon’s height.

He might still be the littlest, but he was by no means just the chunky little brother who hid behind a huge drum kit on stage. He looked at his face, seeing the total package. His discerning eye found he liked what he saw there. His features weren’t as sharp as Simon’s or as elfin as Alvin’s were, but still an odd yet appealing of the two. He noticed the way all of them had a similar head shape, eyes, and cheekbones. He got so lost in his own reflection that he was startled to see Mikey staring as well.

“Like what you see,” Mikey said, smiling broadly, “Ganymede? Or should I say Narcissus?”

“Ha ha, very funny,” Theo replied. Then his gaze traveled over Mikey’s form. The blonde boy wore only his towel from the shower, the terry cloth snug around his narrow waist. The towel was partly open to the thigh, allowing Mikey’s left leg to peek out just above the knee. His face was smiling but because of the sunburn, Theodore couldn’t tell if he was blushing or just radiating. In fact, everything from the towel up seemed to be touched by the sun, including the insides of his wrists.

“How’s your burn?”

“It’s not so bad. As long as I don’t move much. Like this spot right here is heaven,” he said, emphatically, pointing up. He stood directly under the central air conditioning vent in the room. Theo lowered his shirt, which strangely was still wrapped around his forearms, waiting to be lifted over his head. He got right up to Mikey and immediately felt washed in the cooler air.

“Oooh, yeah,” he breathed out, just standing in the descending column of chilled air. “Now that is awesome,” he sighed.

“Yeah it is,” Mikey said, face leaned back to let the air cascade through his still wet hair.

They looked each other in the eyes, enjoying the comfort of the moment. Then they realized that they were practically standing right against each other. Theo let the shirt drop, freeing his arms. Feeling the cloth pooling at his feet, Mikey dropped his towel, joining the shirt.

“No fair. You still got something on,” Mikey giggled. But before Theo could respond they heard a discrete cough in the hallway. Giggling like 4 year-olds, they both bent to retrieve the cloth and managed to get both the shirt and the towel in place before Mikey’s dad knocked on the partially opened door.

“Everyone awake and decent in there?”

“Yeah, Dad,” Mikey giggled and Theo moved away from where they had been standing together. He had to reach down and shift his erection so it was more tucked into his undies. That had changed too, he noticed. Not overnight, but it was just a part of his body that he didn’t notice had changed much. ‘Funny how that works sometimes,’ he thought.

“Well hurry up and get dressed. We have an early brunch with Dave and the boys, and we have to get back into the studio today.”

“Okay,” they both called out together, in unison.

“And don’t forget your lotion Mikey.”

“Alright Dad.”

“I better get a shower then,” Theo said, going back to his bag. He unzipped the bigger pouch and picked up the large shell he found there. It was wide, round, a pale sandy white, with an intricate star-shaped pattern on the top and bottom. It was the oddest shell that Theo had ever seen in that it didn’t have an inside or outside clearly formed. It was almost as if the shell was still closed, but Theo could see no hinge or even a ridge indicating an opening.

“Wow. Hey, Mikey? What’s this?”

Mikey pulled his undies up, the boxers hugging tightly to his narrow hips, proudly showing Spiderman swinging around on the silken material. “Oh,” he said, turning. “A souvenir of your trip. It’s a sand dollar.”

“Oh. Cool. Is it a shell?”

Mikey walked over, tossing the towel to the side. He stood close to Theo and placed a finger on the sand dollar. “It’s an animal that lives down in the sand, kind of like a starfish or a coral. When they die, they leave behind this kinda like a skeleton. Often they break up when the big waves come in. But to find one intact like this, with the sides still showing, it’s a rare thing. Legend says, if you are lucky enough to find one complete, you get to make a wish.”

“But I didn’t find it.”

“I know. I wanted you to have the wish.”

“Well, gosh,” Theodore said, and the color that flooded his cheeks had nothing to do with the stinging sunburn. “But I can’t take it. You found it. It’s your wish.”

“Either way, I wanted you to have something cool from our beach day. Something kinda cool and unique.”

“Thanks. I’d hug you, but…”

“Yeah, no, no. Not yet,” Mikey said, backing off. His smile was a big thing, enormous even.

Theo placed the sand dollar back in his bag and grabbed his change of clothes out. He took a very quick but welcome shower, the stickiness washing away. Oddly, he still felt some heat in his skin, but it already felt better. He pushed his head under the stream and allowed the water to darken his hair. He kept thinking about Mikey, the sand dollar, that awesome day at the beach, and how he had felt going to sleep beside Mikey. It began to mix in his mind, and a beat began to form. He imagined Alvin’s guitar work, coupled with a flanger to get that rolling surf sound. He could hear Simon’s rising baseline, going through a rising four-note progression along with the chordal melody. And he could hear a three-part harmony, but the words seemed just beyond him.

It was haunting, melodic, with quick chord changes and long held notes. He absentmindedly hummed the theme he felt building and his hands wove in the air, as if conducting an orchestra in the background, rising into the main chorus, dropping into the bridge and solo, and then ending on a slowly raked arpeggiated minor chord and cymbal slide to silence, the sound of crashing waves ending his musical mood.

His eyes shot open and he turned off the shower. He grabbed his towel and ran to the studio room. Jeremy looked up, suddenly, from his computer in the home studio, shocked by Theo’s state of undress.

“Jeremy! I had an idea! I had an idea!” he shouted, still dripping wet. He clutched at the towel and had to keep it closed, pulling it up to his hips.

“What idea?” Mikey’s father asked. “Slow down. Take a breath.”

“A music idea, in the shower. It was… it was awesome. But I want to get things down while it’s still in my head. Can we record real quick?”

“Yeah, yeah. Go get some shorts on and I’ll set up the microphone.”

“Great! GREAT!” Theo said, running to Mikey’s room, whooping loudly.

Jeremy reached for his phone. “Hey, Dave. Hi. Listen, we might have something to bring in to the studio. Yeah, your son just ran in here sopping wet from the shower and he was ecstatic. I think he might be opening up and finding his own voice. Yeah, we’ll lay down a quick track and bring it in… hahaha, no, I don’t think it’s the sunburn talking. You should have seen him. It’s like he’s a whole new boy!”

The Sevilles and the Malones met for a late morning breakfast, the boys taking one bench seat and the adults taking another. Dave was already on his third cup of coffee before their food arrived. As expected the boys dove on their breakfast like starving wolverines in a virtual cloud of silverware and syrup. Dave barely touched his bacon, writing a series of emails and texts, taking in coffee almost like a sponge.

“Dave,” Jeremy said. “Dave, eat something. Man does not live on caffeine alone. C’mon, man. Put the phone down.”

“Alright, alright. There, sent,” he said, physically putting the phone down.

“Like a teenager,” Jeremy said, sipping at his orange juice. He couldn’t help but smile at how Dave’s own mild sunburn made him look like he was a reverse raccoon, the shadow of where his shades had sat while the boys played in the water leaving a broad clear mark on his normally pale face.

“It is a lot of work getting an album made. Even more so when the label is on your back and this is your entire career at stake.”

“Yeah, I feel that. But the boys are working hard, making some awesome music. It’s going to be epic. The boys are very good at their craft. And the tour will be awash with teen fans.”

“It’s the logistics of it that have me most worried,” Dave responded, putting syrup on his waffle. “So much could go wrong.”

“It’ll be fine. You have good people on your team. And the music these guys are coming up with… Dave, you’re probably looking at a monster album here. We’re talking like Def Leppard ‘Hysteria’ or Carol King ‘Tapestry’ or Fleetwood Mac ‘Rumors’ level music. Queensryche ‘Empire’ level tracks. This could be huge. I’ve heard a lot of stuff, and what these guys are doing is amazing. I hear at least five hits.”

“Five? The label guy said he only heard two and only top 100’s at that.”

“You haven’t heard Theo’s stuff yet. And I think that they are underrating ‘Going Viral.’ The two meanings in that kind of resonate with this age group.”

“You said Theo recorded something this morning?”

“Yeah, it’s just a vocal bit, Mikey doing backup and some simple chords. They were on the track talking about how Theo wants it. He really was excited. Came running straight from the shower! I haven’t seen him with that much energy before. He was frenetic. And Dave… it’s good.”

“Really? Do you have it?”

“Yeah, listen up,” Jeremy smiled. He keyed up the file on his phone and played it for Dave. It came up a bit louder than Dave expected. He looked up to Jeremy, but the sound engineer made no move to correct it, as they listened to Theo count off. “Trust me, I had to record it louder than normal for the subtleties to come through.”

The track began to play and instantly all of the boys lifted their heads from the feeding frenzy they were deep into. Theo opened his mouth as if to say something and then his own voice, humming along to the acoustic guitar chords, played simply. He looked at his two brothers who exchanged a look and then looked at Theo, shocked.

Dave listened, his fingers picking up the beat instantly. They reached a part where Theodore’s voice changed from singing and then went into explaining, right at a shift to a minor chord progression. And his voice floated over it, humming and “da-da-ing” to the rhythm, with the sound of his fingers tapping a beat in the recording. And then he stopped Mikey and requested a chord change. “Yeah, more like that; like syncopated. Dah-dah, pause, da-daaaah-dah. Yeah, and then back to the D minor,” Theo’s voice said, nearly singing.

The track stopped suddenly. But the entire restaurant was quiet, listening in. Dave looked around, amazed by how the truckers, travelers, and other late breakfast crowd had stopped what they were doing and listened, patiently, to Theo’s voice. He sank down in the booth, trying to shrink back from the spotlight.

“Jeremy,” Dave asked. “Is there more?”

“That’s all we could throw together before heading out to get here. But I think he’s got a lot of good ideas in this track. I took notes on what he wanted. I…” Jeremy cast a look towards the youngest Chipmunk. “I think this is a hit if we can match words with everything he has in mind.”

“Hey, was that you singing, son,” one trucker said, paying for his food to go.

“Uhm,” Theo said, looking unsure of himself. Dave noticed, as did the other boys.

“That’s beautiful, man. Make it from your heart, and you can’t go wrong.” The trucker smiled and tipped his cap to the table and walked out.

“That,” Simon said, turning to sit back in the booth, “was the most amazing thing, Theodore.”

“Yeah, what do you call that?” Alvin asked.

“Sand, uhm… Sandcastles.”

“Can we record that today, while it’s still fresh in your mind?” Simon asked.

“Okay. But one condition,” Theo said, suddenly feeling assertive.

“Dude, anything,” Alvin promised.

“Mikey plays rhythm on this one.” From across the aisle, Dave noticed the power dynamic in the band suddenly shifted but then Theo raised a finger. “He already knows the part and it will free Alvin to do solos, and Simon to roll bass lines.”

“Ah,” Alvin said, looking to Simon for support. “Sure. That way we’ll still have the whole band in it.”

“Had me worried, little brother,” Simon said. “I thought you were going to want this as a solo project.”

“Guys… I could never do this without you. You’re my brother’s and I love you.” A tear ran down his face. “So, please, will you listen to me on this one?”

“Yes,” Alvin and Simon spoke as one. Simon continued, “We’ll try this your way.”

“Thank you,” Theo said.

“Ready to go, boys?” Dave said, standing.

Jeremy smiled and watched the mad scramble to devour whatever was left on their plates.

Sandcastles altered the recording schedule but in a good way. Work on the album continued over the next week, and the boys managed to get two songs in the can with amazing speed. They laid down the music and Theo worked on the lyrics, carrying a legal pad around and constantly scratching out and starting again. The song began to take shape.

Theo moved in with Jeremy and Mikey, which left Alvin and Simon to their privacy. When the next recording session came around, they had a listening session when they took time to hear the two tracks. Sandcastles went through three variations before it was decided that they might try to get some violins added in. Still, Theo had the words about half done and they began to lay down those tracks. Alvin offered some suggestions and Theo was glad he didn’t make demands. Simon simply looked on smiling, as if he knew some secret.

The second track was a revamped version of the song that they had fought over earlier, ‘Going Viral.’ This time Mikey joined them on keys and somehow that one instrument freed up the lead guitar and bass to both sound stronger. Simon dropped into his bass run and muted his strings, just as Alvin went into the pick slide, with Mikey holding two tones at the same time. The result was magical, and they managed to finish the song out.

As the week continued, they looked into reviewing the tracks on the album. Some tracks got shelved, others scheduled for reworking. The question about Theo’s solo piano track still remained. He liked Jeremy’s ideas for the song from a technical, atmospheric point of view, but wondered if he should bring in his brothers. When he wasn’t listening to Sandcastles and trying to write lyrics to match, he was listening to that piano, that song. He began playing it endlessly, with Mikey occasionally running acoustic guitar fills.

It was the third week of recording since the “battle of studio 3” as it had become known, and excitement began to grow among the recording team. There was an energy and fun that the album hadn’t had. Things got playful among the staff. The band was never tighter, and Mikey seemed to be involved in that more and more. One time, Mikey sat at the keyboard and played a jaunty tune, which Theo joined in on. Without warning the other two joined in. In a short time they were all jamming together in a hopping, jazz kind of song, following the keyboard with Mikey’s quick fingers doing a happy little pattern. He shot Theodore a smile, which Theo happily returned. Unbeknownst to the boys, Jeremy had started recording before Mikey had started, running a baseline check for the board. He was quite surprised to hear the boys getting into the music, just playing, no singing.

“It’s like the Beatles in Abbey Road,” Jeremy said, and Dave simply nodded his head, tapping his feet. There was such a burst of joy in that room that he didn’t mind losing any recording time.

“Let’s not make that kind of comparison just yet,” Dave responded. But he could see it, too. He just didn’t want to jinx it. “Whatever happens, keep this going. Record until they stop and get out of the room.”

“You like it?”

“Are you kidding?” Dave asked as Jeremy made minor adjustments to the board. “They are having the time of their lives and making the music that they love. And my boys haven’t had a single fight since you let Theo come by to visit. I’m loving this.” Dave slipped his cell phone out and reviewed a message. He grinned and his thumbs went into a whirl as he started writing to the group chat for the staff. “I’m calling a meeting for the group. We have some good news to discuss.”

That night, the group decided to meet again at the same hibachi restaurant after the Battle of Studio 3. The guys were bouncy and happy despite a long day of recording a new song. Mikey again joined the boys, this time on rhythm guitar, freeing Alvin to really dig into his soloing and giving Simon that top-middle support to really hammer in the lower end, and ground the song. They shared a hand stack and slap at the end of the last run-through. Theo smiled, loving how his brothers and his new friend were gelling as a band.

Still, nearly a week after getting Sandcastles in the can, musically, Theo was having difficulty with the final lyrics. He loved the unresolved feel of the song, and how it ended on that minor chord rising, keeping some tension in the sound of the song. Like a memory, bittersweet, hopeful, but uncertain.

“Hey, Earth to Theo,” Dave said. He looked up from his legal pad, actually dropping his pen.

“What?” he asked, a bit fearful.

“I asked what you wanted to drink.” Dave looked at his youngest son and tilted his head, quizzically. “You alright in there?”

“Yeah, just. The lyrics. Still troubles me that I can’t get that chorus down.”

“Maybe you should return to your inspiration place,” Dave offered.

“The shower?”

Dave chuckled. Mikey seemed to pick up that Theo was confused and moved over next to him. “No,” Dave said. “It’s pretty obvious that the beach is your inspiration. Whatever it was about that day at the beach, try to get that back.”

“That’s… actually a great idea. Thanks, Dad.” He jumped up and hugged Dave, getting a loud “Ulpp!” in response.

Alvin yelled out an old battle cry from when they were younger. “DOG PILE ON DAVE!” and he and Simon jumped on as well. Dave fell over backward in his seat, swarmed by the three brothers. They fell in a writhing heap of arms and legs, giggling happily.

After things settled down, the chef began making fire-turned food amazing. The rice was fried, the shrimp were tossed, and the noodles were cooked all in plain view. The crew talked about what they would do during the weekend break. Dave stood and tapped a glass a few times with a fork since he couldn’t use chopsticks to save his life.

“Okay, I have an announcement. I have an announcement,” Dave said, getting everyone’s attention. “First, I want to thank all of our techs, interns, and crew for helping to get us back on track after our previous altercation.” People around the table clapped and called out yes. “You guys got us back up and running with only a day in between, and what a time it’s been since.” Again, hand slaps and claps moved around the table. Dave raised his hand and bowed his head, expressing his gratitude. “On behalf of myself and the boys, I salute you and your talent.”

“Whoo hooo!” Alvin applauded, with Simon shooting fingers to his bass tech.

“Okay, okay. Heh heh heh, oh-kay. So, I wanted to tell you a couple of things before we break off for the four-day weekend. I got a text from our record label guy over at Liberty Records. He says that he has heard the dailies on our recording sessions and he wants three tracks as advance singles.” The table erupted in cheers. “And!” Dave pointed out, “And, they love Sandcastles as well, so they are maybe going to offer us four advance singles and we don’t even have the album done yet.”

“Holy crap!” Simon said, turning to look at the other boys. “Do you know what this means?”

“That we’re awesome!” Alvin said, smugly.

“More than that,” Simon explained. “If we have singles out before the album, that means the record company really likes the songs. It means they will get behind it with nationwide advertising and radio air time.”

“Fuck,” Mikey said, the air seeming to rush out of him. “That means you guys will likely have like at least a million record sales!”

“At least,” Theodore said, in awe.

“No, not us guys,” Alvin said, putting his hand on Mikey’s shoulder. “We guys,” he finished, his fingers running around between the four of them. “Mikey, we really like you, and what you’ve done to help the band. You’ve become a member of the team. So…” and he looked at Simon, getting a smile and a nod, “we want to invite you to be a Chipmunk.”

“And, we were already changing the band name to just The Chipmunks. We are all in this together.” Simon looked over at Theo. “That is, if you like that idea.”

“Of course I do!” Theo said, hugging Simon and Alvin. Mikey just stood there, gap-mouthed. The brothers turned towards Mikey and lined up.

“So please say yes,” Alvin said. The other two, in unison three-part harmony, joined in and asked again. “Please?”

Mikey started crying. Smiling but crying. Theo bounded to his side and enveloped him in a hug. “Please say yes?”

“Yes,” Mikey spoke, quietly.

“Yes!” Theodore repeated.

“Yes,” Mikey said, grinning through his tears. A cheer rose from the table behind them and Jeremy picked up his son and spun him around in place to applause.

Theo drifted back to his brothers. “Thanks, guys. This means a lot to me.”

“He earned his place, both in the band and in your heart, little brother,” Alvin said.

“He’s a great musician and a good friend.” Simon offered. “And the band has been, well, missing something for a while now.”

Mikey got let down and he came over to the group. All smiles. All happy tears.

“Okay,” Dave said simply. “Enjoy the long weekend. Be ready when we come back, we got a lot of work to do.”

That night, after the group went their own separate ways, Dave and Jeremy sat down and shared a drink, listening to the master of the four tracks that the label was asking for. They each took notes.

“I think we need to lead with ‘Running It Down’ as the first track we release. It’s fast-paced and will get the excitement out there but it’s not the strongest track.” Dave looked up and stretched as Jeremy continued. “It’ll lead into ‘Schooled’ better.”

“I agree. We should remix that and find a way to insert Mikey. Maybe on the keys.”

“He’s good for that.”

“I need to be straight up with you,” Dave said. “Mikey joining the group was the boys’ idea, all of them. And I’m fine with that. But we really need a good intro song with him in order to get him fixated on being IN the band. The label is kind of stretched thin at the moment. This is a big, big risk.”

“What about if he was introduced as a friend of the band before announcing his joining the band?”

“You have something in mind?”

“A single. One that he knows intimately and plays well, that he can be announced on the track as a ‘featuring’ credit. That way he gets band association and we can see how well that tracks, not only with the label side but with the fans.”

“You are talking about Theodore’s solo track?”

“You should hear how they play when they play it together. It’s magical.”

“Magical. Humph. That’s a good word for it. And for the change that’s come over Theo. Mikey has been a good influence on the boys. I really appreciate him being around.”

“They are more than just band mates,” Jeremy said. “And we would have to be blind not to see it. We both know, the media isn’t blind.”

“I know. I’m not sure how we’ll deal with that once the truth gets out. Maybe it will be something we can keep under wraps.”

“I doubt it. Especially when they start talking about Sandcastles.”

“But it’s going to be our third release. If Theo ever finishes the lyrics,” Dave sat over his knees, exhaling. “Whatever we decide, the boys are going to have to live with it. No matter what.”

Jeremy blew out loudly, leaning back, and running a hand over his face. “Yeah. That’s going to be a heck of a shit show. We’ll have to talk about it before the album premiere.”

“Well, let’s hope they can figure out how they want to handle this. A lot rides on this tour being solid.” Dave sat back and winced, visibly. Jeremy noticed instantly and stood up to help. Dave simply waved him off, getting to an upright position with great difficulty.

“Dave, you have to tell them about the MS. It’s only going to get worse. Pretty soon the boys are going to notice. And your medication is starting to not work so well. ”

“I don’t have time. Once they have a successful tour and record deals coming, I can relax. My boys’ future is… it’s too much to ask for them. They were orphaned once before. I won’t leave them penniless and orphaned again.”

“At least let me help you. I already said I’d be your road manager, so that can take some of the strain off you.”

“I appreciate that. You and Mikey have been a godsend.” Dave sat up a little straighter, visibly stiffening to do so.

A simple truth passed between the two fathers, a certainty that needed no explanation. “How long?”

“Doctor says it will be about a year before I go terminal. Possibly half a year after that. Maybe sooner.”

“No cure?”

“No cure,” he replied, raising his hands to his sides in submission. “No cure.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Dave.”

“I’m not dead yet,” he smiled. “And the Chipmunks are going to be the biggest boy band in the world. Then my boys’ future will be safe. Then they can take whatever road they find themselves on.”

“Still, I’d go ahead and tell them. They need to know.”

“I’ll tell them later. Let them finish their work. Once the record’s done and the tour starts… we’ll see. I don’t want to spoil their fun right now. Alvin and Simon get to be lovers, Theodore and Mikey get to be two goofy kids in puppy love. That’s all a parent could ever want.”

“Maybe,”

“Yeah, Maybe.”

The four boys collapsed into a booth, the couples sitting next to each other. The hotel restaurant was basically a greasy spoon, but it was mostly empty, which was perfect for four young pop stars trying to avoid the paparazzi. They had spent the day out, having fun at a local amusement park, with intentions of hitting the water park tomorrow. Under the table, both couples held hands.

“That was super fun,” Simon said, slumping in the booth. “That parachute jump was such a fun ride.”

“Oh no, man, the Turkish Twist was insane!” Mikey said, practically glowing. “The way it spins you and pins you to the wall, then the floor drops away… Whooo whooo!”

The waitress came over and took their orders, winking at Alvin. He smiled and Simon simply rolled his eyes. “Flirt!”

“Hey, just keeping things good with the fans. Is that so wrong?”

All at once their cell phones all buzzed a notification. They grabbed their phones and read the message, sometimes reading through it again as they comprehended the meaning.

“Holy crap… the label wants to meet with us?” Theo said. All of them got quiet.

“Let’s not panic, guys,” Alvin said. “We all know they were going to be worried about Mikey joining the band. We all knew they were going to want to see what he can do.”

“How did they find out so soon, though?” Mikey said, a bit of worry creeping into his voice.

“However they did, they know now. We’ll be okay. Once they see you play, once they see how the band is now…” Simon said, trailing off.

“They’ll be super happy to be backing us,” the oldest Chipmunk said.

“What do you think, Theo?”

“I think,” Theo said, “it’s too soon to panic, and too late to do anything about it other than make the meeting. It’s too soon to tell. We just got to play it by ear.”

“Okay. I mean, I don’t want to be getting in the way. I mean, if I’m not in the band…”

“Oh, stop it, Mikey,” Simon said, playing with his drink. “The label knows we’re going to make this a great album. And Theo’s song is slated for top single status. It’s going to be fine. You’ll see.”

“Yeah, you’ll see,” Alvin put in, leaning back, his arms going wide behind Simon’s shoulders.

“Alright,” Mikey said, leaning back, unable to focus.

Theodore, however, could tell his boyfriend was worried. He picked up a napkin and started writing. “Theo?” Mikey asked. He stuck his tongue, poking it outside his mouth. His pen was going a mile a minute. For several minutes moments after, he kept writing, ignoring the food. Theo seemed obsessed. He couldn’t do anything but work on the napkins, going into a second napkin, and a third to complete. By the end of his writing, his french fries were cold, and his burger was barely touched.

Simon read through the first two pages of lyrics, listening to Theo humming a melody line. He began humming along and started dropping into a base run once he figured out the chord progression. Alvin picked up the melody and started humming it too, with Mikey feeling along the base notes with Simon.

They all stopped and looked at each other, then at Theo. “We have got to record this, now,” Alvin said, whipping out his cell phone. They started recording the song, getting the hotel staff members to stop and stare in wonder. Theo’s impromptu song was poignant and heart-wrenching as well as melodic, breaking out into four part harmony, forcing Alvin to stretch to the end of his range. But it was so moving and bittersweet. When they reached the end, the hotel and restaurant staff were moved to applaud, which also got recorded. All told, an hour had passed, and Theo looked around when it was done, at smiling faces all around.

“Uhm, I’m starved,” he said, getting a round of laughter. That also got recorded.

Dave and Jeremy walked in to a chorus of “You’ve got to hear this!” They listened, reviewing Theodore’s notes.

“We should record this.”

“But we did,” Alvin said, and played the track as his phone recorded it. It was raw, unrefined. And yet, something about the simple melody had an odd strength and emotion to it. Dave looked up to his boys.

“You guys are amazing,” Jeremy said, grinning. “I guess you saw the message about the label?”

“Yeah, dad. Does it mean they don’t want the band to add me?”

“I don’t know. They are talking about releasing singles but I have the feeling they might like to release that one, too.”

“Well whatever they want,” Dave said, “ they don’t make decisions about the band. The band does. So if all of you say that Mikey’s in, that’s all that matters.”

“Oh, he’s definitely in,” Simon said, adjusting his glasses.

“Definitely,” Alvin said.

“Yup,” Theodore said, nudging Mikey from the side. Mikey grinned and kept his face turned down. He gripped Theodore’s hand.

One of the restaurant workers came over. “Excuse me, Mr. Seville?” Dave looked up. “Can we all have a group picture with your boys? I’d like to have something to remember when I heard that song for the first time. We all would?”

“Uhm, sure. Boys,” Dave said, motioning to them all, “selfie time.”

The boys gathered together in usual formation and the staff members formed up around them, all leaning in. Mikey stood next to Theodore, flashing a smile as well. After several pictures, they all spent time shaking hands and smiling with the fans. One person asked who Mikey was.

“He’s the newest Chipmunk,” Alvin said. “It’s now Simon, Theodore, Mikey and of course, yours truly. But yeah, he’s joining the band!”

“And what’s the name of that song? It was so beautiful.”

“It’s called,” Theodore began and looked around as the fans waited expectantly, “Devoted.”

The boys insisted on “Devoted” going straight into the can. The simple acapella song didn’t need instrumentation, they said. Nor did it need any studio work. It was pure and strong and left you with an odd feeling, yet a hopeful one. They got it mastered and put it into a package for the label execs to listen to. The sound of the applause from the hotel staff was refreshing and genuine and helped to sell the song. Five songs were on that package and as an afterthought, Dave added Theo’s piano solo song, with a note like he was unsure of sending “Theo’s piece while the other boys were on break.” It was a calculated risk, making it sound like it was accidentally added to the package.

It was a big calculated risk.

The boys got into the swing of recording, putting together more and more complex songs. Alvin’s guitar-heavy anthem really stood out, as did Simon’s bass-driven, moody, bluesy track, complete with Mikey playing a repeating piano riff under the bass lines, focusing on them. The band was gelling and really finding a new stride. They started playing all of the new songs together, finding a pattern to the songs, almost a natural progression to them. Almost a concept album.

The excitement around the album was getting out to other studios, too. New artists would come by and listen in to a recording session or two. Several of them expressed an interest in maybe doing tracks together. It felt like this energy was building around them and their music, where previously only anger and a sense that the band was self-destructing had haunted them.

One young rap star, Lil PNK, offered to do a guest shot with them. Dave was surprised. But the boys were ecstatic about it. They met and spent a lunch talking about how they might collaborate. The young rapper wanted a R&B style shuffle to break out with, putting some singing into the track. The boys said it sounded great. Dave heard a potential hit, and a crossover if they played things right.

A country singer came over and offered to do the same, while her band was on hiatus. She had just been in the studio checking in with her label contact and stepped in to touch base with Jeremy. While she stood in the doorway to the recording room, the boys were in the studio, playing three songs from the new album, feeling out the transitions. Jeremy called her over and spoke with her, briefly. But the boy’s performance was so captivating, that she sat there, tapping her toe along with the beat.

Then the boys broke into Devoted. Their instruments were stilled, their voices joining in harmony. She stood as the harmony reached its crescendo. When they finished, the boys were just sitting in the studio, slumped over their instruments, smiling. The country star was standing and applauding. Jeremy clicked the intercom, letting the clapping fill the studio. They looked up, confused.

“Boys, that was just beautiful. Y’all doin’ us all proud,” she said. “Rock on!”

“Was that Julie MacCaw?” Simon asked, as the intercom switched off. They looked around each other and scrambled to unhook from their headphones and instruments. They were awed by the two-time country artist of the year, and she was just overwhelmed with their ability as musicians.

“If that’s not album of the year, then the Academy just ain’t listening with proper ears. I’m not a rock girl, but that music had passion and punch. Y’all are amazing.” Theo was bashful upon hearing that, although Simon nudged him with an elbow, knowing it was Theo’s song that had earned her praise.

“We,” Alvin said, looking at his shoes for a minute. “We had a real team meeting recently, and, well, we’re doing things differently now, but we’re doing it all together. Even with Mikey. He’s just joined the band and we all think…” he looked around at his brothers and then started again, “No, we know that he’s fully a part of this album and this band. And all of us are better for it.”

“Aw, guys,” Mikey said, blushing.

“It’s true,” Simon reaffirmed. “When he got us through our troubles, helped Theodore out of his shell, even found ways to help us find our own music again…” Simon trailed off. “It’s not like a brother we didn’t have, but a partner that we needed. All of us. And since he’s joined us, Theodore’s been like a songwriting machine.”

“Yeah, and it only took us kicking over his keyboard rig and tossing a guitar through his bass drum for us to realize how selfish we had been,” Alvin said.

“Oh, so the rumors about y’all fightin’ in the studio are true?” Julie asked.

“Were,” Theo said, throwing his arms over his brothers’ shoulders. Alvin dropped his arm around Mikey’s shoulder as well. “Were true. We still got the feelings, still argue, and try things in different ways. But it’s with love now, not jealousy. The band is the thing.”

Julie nodded. “Indeed it is. Took me and my band a while to figure that out. My name may be on the album cover, but it’s a team effort, the whole way. Don’t nothin’ come from just one voice, one guitar, one hot lick. The mix of it all is what makes it magical. And it sounds like you guys have got it now.”

“Yeah,” Theo said, looking at Mikey. “I guess we do.”

“And if you keep playing like that, together… well, let me tell you, I’ll be at your first show when you get out on tour.”

“Really?” all four said together.

“Heck, yeah!” Julie said. “Good music is fun, but great music speaks to the heart because it has heart. You guys,” she said expressively, “make great music. Don’t let no one take that from you.”

The label sent back their recommendations. It wasn’t good.

They sounded initially happy at the sound, but they weren’t happy with the direction that the band was taking. The notes that were sent back made that clear. Their feel of the album was more grown up, with complex hooks, odd harmonic choices; an edgier sound, an older sound. The label wanted more of a poppy, happy go lucky sound, and felt that the songs they were writing would not gel with their 8 to 14-year-old demographics. “Do more cover songs from the label’s catalog,” one of the notes read. And they didn’t like Dave “changing the dynamic of the band” by adding a virtual unknown in Mikey. Dave insisted that the makeup of the band was always the boy’s decision, not his, but he championed the band’s decision.

The record execs weren’t happy with it. They rescinded their initial offer for a three-single release and offered two. They also limited how much longer the band had in the studio to produce the record. Making this new album was beginning to cost the label lots of money, even though the group was finally back on track as far as production.

One exec wanted to know more about why a bonus track got sent in and wondered which studio musician had slipped in that piano piece with the boy’s work. Answers were requested, and Dave was expected to deliver. The pressure was on.

No, the record company was not entirely happy with things as they stood. And it wasn’t good.

The band and crew all met up at 10 am, in the studio. The mood had started out good, that Tuesday. The band was looking to get back into the album, and the boys were putting their heads together over a song. Their set list for the upcoming, anticipated tour was growing and showed not only the band’s chops but developed the growing storyline of the album. A possible concept album.

Dave called them all into the recording booth, the crew all lining the room and the boys, because they were shorter, in the middle. He smiled when they all were in the room and waited for the door to close. He held his breath for a moment and let it out slowly. Only Jeremy knew what was to come.

“Okay, guys. We sent off the package to Liberty. Five songs. And they have had the weekend to listen and send back their thoughts,” he said, emphasizing the “thoughts” part. “They have made their feelings very plainly known.” He and Jeremy handed out sheets of printouts, sort of “take one down, pass it around” style, until everyone in the group had a copy of the return emails.

“Wait, what?”Alvin said, looking down at the words on the page. “They hated the songs?!”

“Overly complex hooks that the fan base won’t appreciate?” Simon read, incredulously.

“Did they even listen to the music?” Gwen, the guitar tech asked. “This is some bullshit!”

“Production values are too high for a teeny bopper record and should be pulled back, for financial reasons,” Kyle, the assistant sound tech said, looking around the room. “Does this mean we’re being fired?”

A hubbub of voices rose in protest, reading through all the complaints on the page, worrying about their jobs, the work done, the songs, the sound of the band, all these things kept going over and over the negative remarks. All except two, Mikey and Theo. They simply looked at each other, their faces telling the whole story. Mikey was near tears, and Theo was suddenly very angry, resolute, and stony.

Theo stood up without saying anything and the room slowly quieted down. “Oh fuck,” Simon actually said, almost too silently to be heard.

“So what does this all mean for us, Dad?” Theo asked, holding his page up.

“It means we have a choice to make and it is not an easy one.” Dave took a deep breath and looked at Jeremy for a moment, getting a nod. “We are a team, all of us. The band is bigger than just the boys. All of us have a stake in this album, this band, and what you are all building here. So we have a choice to make right now. The question is this…” he said. “In my contract, I have the option to get the masters, publishing rights for this session, and the full recording catalog going back to your first Christmas song. I will not lie to you. It won’t be cheap. And we won’t be able to continue to pay for the studio time, or all of your salaries. We have about ten days to decide this.”

“So, we’d own our own songs?” Alvin asked, speaking for the group.

“You would own the music we have produced in this studio,” Jeremy said. “But we wouldn’t be able to put the album out. And it might take time to get the new royalties to start coming in. It’s a matter of do we want to release the album like we had intended, on time, and start the tour on time?” he finished, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s a big risk.”

“And let’s make it plain,” Dave said. “The tour is where you are going to make money. T-shirt sales, album sales, concert tickets, food and beverage sales, all of that comes from the live performance. The singles get them to the door, but it’s the tour sales that drives a band’s success.”

“Ten days, huh? Why that much time?” Gwen asked.

“That’s exactly how much time the record company has allocated us to finish the record,” Dave said, and then he pointed to the ground. “This stays in this room. If we don’t do something in ten days, the company will release ‘Schooled’ and ‘Going Viral’ as singles this fall, and then let the record languish. So we are on a time crunch.”

“What are our options?” Simon asked, standing. “Realistically.”

Jeremy spoke up. “If we keep to the schedule of the next ten days, we can get maybe four or five songs finished and in the can. Then we turn it over to the label and hope for the best. At present, they are only willing to back two singles.”

“And if we fight them?” Alvin said, standing as well. “If we buy the entire fucking catalog, go off on our own? What will that mean?”

“If I opt to take our catalog, including these songs, we won’t have a record deal, nor tour backing. We will be able to release all of our songs, but it will be very expensive to get it done. We might only have one or two singles we can release to gain interest in the album. Which means an album release might be beyond our ability to pull off. Also, I’d have to pay the record company back for all the studio time, including paying the crew.”

“I’m so sorry guys,” Mikey said, standing and running out of the room, tears streaming down his face. Theo looked at Dave and his brothers and followed, calling after Mikey.

“I know what I want to do,” Simon said.

“Me too,” Alvin looked around at the crew, the five people who put together the album sitting in the room with Dave and Jeremy. “We started this album fighting each other. We moved through to working together. We turned a corner since adding Mikey. And you guys, all of you…” he said, turning around, and putting his eyes directly on each person in the room. “All of you have not only been 100% the best crew, you’ve put up with us being bratty little bitches. And still, you believed in us, in our music.” He turned back towards Dave. “So I intend to fight back. We will finish the album and buy it back. We will shop it around and find another group that can put the album out, and we will fucking ram it down their throats with the best recording they’ve ever seen!”

“Ditto!” Simon said, standing behind Alvin.

“It’s not going to be easy or cheap, boys,” Dave said. “We have to be dead solid sure about this.”

“Well, we need to hear from Theo and Mikey. But this is where we stand.”

“I’m with Simon,” Gwen said. “Something good is happening here. I say we fight the record company. I know some people in the industry. I can reach out and find us some help.”

“Thank you. I know all of you know people. I’ll have to scramble to get financing together,” Dave said, smiling. “But I am happy to hear you want to fight.”

“Dad,” Alvin said, his voice rising. “I’m scared, but it’s the right thing to do. All these people… They believe in us. They depend on us. We can’t just sit by and do nothing.” Simon sniffed and pushed his glasses up his nose, getting a reflection of the lenses, but it was clear, the middle Chipmunk was crying, silently.

“Then we’ll do it. No one silences my boys!” Dave said, getting his sons to rush to his side. Gwen rushed over and hugged them as well, starting a hug pile.

“Now we only need to know what Mikey and Theo think,” Jeremy said, getting up. “I’ll go find them and find out what they want.”

“Give them a moment,” Kyle said. “Whenever my little brothers ran off like that, they just needed a moment to talk it out. They’ll be back soon.”

“Yeah, they’ll be back,” Alvin said as the hug pile broke up. “SO, what do we want to do about these assholes trying to clamp us down?”

“I have an idea,” Simon said, rubbing his hands together with an evil smile.

“Oh, goody,” Alvin said. “Let’s hear it.”

Mikey didn’t get far. He ran into the hallway outside Studio 3, crying. He ran into the wall opposite the door and crashed. He slammed his fist into the wall hard enough to drop a nearby picture onto the carpet. He smashed his small fist into the wall twice more, turning around, and slid down the wall, throwing his arm over his eyes, and sobbing heavily.

Theo burst through the door and stopped, seeing his boyfriend so distraught. He dropped to one knee beside Mikey, wordlessly putting his hands on Mikey’s crossed forearms.

A door opened from Studio 4 and a head poked out. “Oi, who’s knockin’ boots on the walls?” Theo was talking to Mikey and the owner of the head realized something serious was going on. “You boys okay?” the slightly accented voice asked. Theo nodded and looked over, about to say that they were okay. Then he realized who it was.

“Hey, you’re Myron Jay, from the Glow Spyders,” Theo said, getting Mikey to look up.

“Oh, yeah, you heard o’ me,” Myron said, smiling. He stepped into the hallway. He examined the damage and nodded approvingly. “Someone’s got a hell of a right hook. That wall never had a chance.” He walked over, taking a knee beside the two boys. “You alright, mate?”

“No,” Mikey wailed, clearly upset.

“We just got bad news from the record execs.”

“Oh, I see. THOSE pricks,” Myron said, with exaggeration. “It’s been my experience that they never know exactly what really good music is about. Fuckin’ bean counters. If you’ll pardon my French,” the older, lean man said, realizing the boys were rather young. He grinned, letting his longish face widen.

“S’okay, my brother’s say worse,” Theo said, sharing the smile.

“Say, aren’t you Theodore Seville?”

“Yeah,” Theo replied, “This is my, uhm, my mate, Mikey Malone. He just joined the band and now the record guys think it’ll ruin our image or something,” Theo found the word “mate” ironic for more than one reason. Apparently, Mikey did as well, because he looked up despite the tears, more than a little star-struck.

“Do they now?” the English rock star stated, with a sagacious nod of his head. He took note of how Theo looked at Mikey, how his hand remained on Mikey’s crossed arms. ‘More here than meets the eye,’ he thought. “And how do you lads think your music sounds?”

“Theo’s stuff has been amazing,” Mikey responded, sniffing back tears. “His piano and vocal stuff has been incredible. But they don’t need to get slighted just cuz of me.”

“We aren’t gonna let them control us. We won’t give in. I promise you.”

“Wait, wait a half… they are trying to tell you who can and can’t be in the band?” Myron asked, quizzically. “How ludicrous!”

“Here,” Theo put the half-wadded-up paper with the “notes” from the record execs into Myron’s hand. The older rock star took the paper and read, his eyebrow noticeably popping up at certain parts of his reading.

“Ah, I see. You know, I’ve been in this business a long, long time. And I don’t like to see good music go to waste. Give me a minute to talk to my people in there, then let me come hear your tracks. Let’s see if this,” he held up the paper, “is just fit to wipe a bum with or not, yeah?”

“You want to hear our music?” Theo asked, awed that this big-time British recording legend wanted to listen.

“Are you kidding? The kind of passion that causes a guy to punch a fuckin’ wall? Cause irreparable damage to a defenseless but obviously done in bad taste picture?” he said smiling. The picture that Mikey’s blow had knocked off the wall lay nearby, the cheap plastic frame looking slightly shabby, with an “inspirational theme” image of some kind showing. It looked awkward, upside down. “For the type of damage you were willing to do, Michael,” he said with flair, “I want to know what that kind of music, that kind of band is like. I’ll be right back.”

Mikey and Theo grinned, Mikey wiping back the tears.

“You okay, uhm, babe,” Theo said. It was the first time he had spoken that appellation outside of Mikey’s bedroom.

“Yeah. It’s just so frustrating!”

“They don’t determine who’s in the band. And I know Alvin and Simon are with me when I say you’re in. You’ve earned it.”

The door opened again and Myron came out with two other performers from his band. His guitar player Leo Macintosh and his drummer Colin Davies. Theo’s eyes opened wide, seeing such stalwarts of the recording business coming right at him. “I hope you don’t mind if my mates join in on the listening party?”

“Wow… uh, yeah, oh yeah, fine. I’m sure Dave would love to have you.”

The boys got to work. After some hugs and checks to make sure Mikey was good and knew that they weren’t about to abandon him, they got into the studio and started working on the basics of the next song, which they agreed would be a power ballad love song. The boys went over their ideas and tried to make it work. But they weren’t feeling it at the moment and shelved the ballad. They were feeling angry, they were feeling strong and oppressed and fed up. They switched gears and went with that.

In the recording booth, a meeting of minds had been going on. Dave and Jeremy had been planning their next move to get things going when Myron and company walked in. He explained meeting Theo and Mikey briefly in the hallway and their conversation, as well as reading the “notes” from the record execs. As the boys tuned up and went through writing and testing song parts, Myron got to hear the playbacks from the boys playing live, some of the finished tracks, and even Theo’s solo piece.

“It will be a shame if this album isn’t made the way you are doing it now,” Myron said. “I’ve been making music for a lot of years now, over twenty-eight come October. These boys are about to go from novelty act to genuine artists. This stuff is not just great, it’s epic, and it’s a little more grown-up than folks might expect from this band, but it’s real.”

“Yeah, mate,” Colin said, putting his two cents worth in. “And that piano piece is gorgeous. Brought a tear, ya know. That deserves a single all by itself.”

“The stuff that dreams are made of, yeah,” Leo said, his heavy brogue tickling the words. “Those lads are the real deal.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Dave said. “I’ve always felt that their first albums were the boys building their chops. Like you said, artists instead of a novelty act.”

“Aye,” the Scottish guitar player agreed, “sharpened that talent to a keen edge you have. Wouldn’t mind trading licks with that Alvin on stage. Might be nice to be throwin’ shape against someone younger’n me who can keep up.”

“What if we could arrange that, fellas?” The room fell silent thinking about that when Alvin started a warm-up riff in the studio. He picked up the pace, getting a heart-pumping cadence going. Theo matched him on drums, recognizing the song, and Simon struggled into his base to get in on the action. Mikey moved to a microphone, cooing and revving up his voice for a cover of Queen’s ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ and they just owned the whole studio. Myron simply grinned and sang along, marveling that Mikey could hit those Freddy Mercury-style high notes. The other boys joined in for vocals and it sounded so polished, so clean, and had such emotion to it.

In the corner of the booth, Jeremy smiled at Dave. Dave pointed from the room to the board, asking silently if they were recording. Jeremy nodded, making little adjustments. “From the beginning?” Dave asked, getting a simple thumbs up as Jeremy went back to managing the board.

“Mate,” Myron said, “These boys are gonna keep rock and roll going. Anything we can do to help, we’re in.”

“I can’t ask that of you, Myron,” Dave said. “I appreciate it, but…”

“Look, David,” Colin said. “You see those young boys in there? Do you see them playing and making music? Do you see the absolute joy they have in that music? That’s the spirit of rock music right in there. If you need us to help you fight the record company, to prove those pricks wrong, hell man, you don’t even need to ask.”

“Besides,” Myron said, looking to his band mates, “our time is ending. Theirs is just beginning. What better legacy could we have other than making sure the next generation of artists have the chance to strut their stuff.”

The band hit the crescendo of the song and the boys were slapping high fives. Jeremy leaned in over the intercom. “Great guys, got that in one take.”

“You recorded that?” Alvin said, with his guitar monitor off but his fingers still going through the motions of the guitar lick.

“Sure did. Hey, can you guys do a live version of Sandcastles? I want to get the most recent version of Theo’s lyrics down.”

“Uh, sure, Dad.” The boys made the necessary changes and got set up. They broke into the fluid and moody chord progression, Alvin and Mikey on guitar, with Simon layering in on bass. As the music swelled to the D minor rake at the chorus Mikey broke into a rising acoustic guitar part, plucking the strings with a powerful up-and-down pattern while Alvin kept up the rolling bluesy solo work that had him making “lead guitar” face on the high notes. As the song came to its conclusion, and that unfinished, unresolved D minor ending, they all looked over to the booth. The three Brits in the booth, talking shop with Dave and such were standing, applauding.

“Okay, boys, we got it that time. Take a break.” Dave turned back to Myron. “I want to do this right. Can I call you tonight?”

“Sure, mate. We’ll make it happen,” Myron smiled. The boys made their way down the hall into the lounge. “But I think it’s going to be bloody amazing.”

On day four of the end of the recording session, they had finally written both their love ballad ‘Summerland’ and their angry song ‘Feeling Crunchy,’ which really got a lot of attention from Myron. Especially the way that Simon really hung it all out there with the side vocals on the call-and-respond part of the song. They were working on another song, a poppy mostly instrumental song tentatively called “Not ME!” which was kind of a step-back acknowledgment of their former kid star status. Between takes Mikey broke into a keyboard run and kept at it, making a jaunty back and forth pattern. Simon picked up on it and started to play guitar along with him. Theo stepped out to the bathroom and Alvin was taking a break, so it was just the two of them.

“So, how are things with you and Theo?” Simon said, stopping to write down a few bars, erasing one bar, and rewriting it.

“It’s good. He’s been really good to me.”

“That’s cool. Alvin’s been kind of worried.”

“About me?” Mikey said, his voice squeaking a bit.

“No, he’s fine with you. As long as you are good for the band and good for Theo, Alvin won’t have any problem with you. So don’t worry about that.”

“Oh, okay. That’s good. Cuz me and Theo are good.” His hands started idly tickling out a tune on the piano, making his fingers sort of jump around on the studio piano’s keys like a cat dancing.

“Cool. We were kind of worried you two weren’t… you know. Enjoying being alone sometimes.”

“Well, we sleep together in my room if you are wondering,” Mikey said. “We shower together sometimes too.”

“Awesome. Alvin had kind of worried that you two weren’t having sex yet.” When Simon said that, Mikey’s fingers lost their jumpy, bouncy feel and seemed to crash into the keyboard. The music stopped. “You guys are having sex, aren’t you?” Simon asked, keeping his voice low.

“Uhm, uh, we…” Mikey said.

“Oh. I’m sorry to ask about that. I’m so embarrassed.”

“No. It’s just…” he looked around, made a quick look into the recording booth. “I just haven’t really talked much with Theo about it.”

“Ah. I made sure your dad wasn’t in there before I spoke to you,” Simon said, reassuringly. “Seems any time we’re in the studio and your father’s in the booth we’re getting recorded these days.”

“Heh, yeah. Thank you. It’s so embarrassing,” Mikey started and they both finished, “talking about sex with Dad.” They both giggled, sort of collapsing as they did. Simon went back to writing music, and Mikey just sort of tinkled with the piano.

“Sorry, Mikey. I won’t bring it up again.”

“No. It’s… it’s okay. I just, well… we haven’t done… you know… IT… yet,” Mikey spoke, timidly.

“Oh. So, nothing?”

“We um play around. Nothing fancy though.”

“Ah, so do you know yet if you’re a top or a bottom?”

“What’s that?” Mikey blurted out. Simon inclined his head, looking over the rim of his wireframes. “Oh, that! Uhm, well… I mean.”

“You don’t know, do you?”

“We,” Mikey sighed loudly, “mostly just touch each other and kiss a lot. And roll around in bed. And like, we’ve uhm, used our mouths on each other, you know,” and he indicated his lap with his eyes, and then just kept his eyes down. “I mean, is that okay?”

Simon made a big show of putting the pencil down and shifting behind the guitar in his lap. “It’s okay whatever you do together. I’m pretty sure this is new to you guys. With Alvin and I, well, I’ve known him my whole life. It’s an unfair advantage. Pretty much we’ve been fucking around,” Simon said, watching Mikey blush almost purple, “sorry, having sex for almost 3 years now. When he was the same age you guys are now.”

“How did it happen?”

“Well,” Simon chuckled, “I noticed him having erections and jerking off when he thought we were asleep. I was interested in why his dick shot stuff out and mine didn’t. He let me play with his dick and eventually, when I made him have the feelings, I got up the courage to lick it.”

Mikey bit his own lips together, compressing his lips. “How was it?”

“Well, what Alvin lacks in height, he makes up for in other areas,” Simon smiled. “He was big even back then. So, just before I was about to go through puberty, I still was kind of small, and he had that pole. I wanted it. Eventually, I got it. Later on, when I was able to shoot, he offered to let me do him. I still prefer him being the top, like controlling things, but I occasionally will do him too.”

“Wow. How did you know?”

Simon thought for a moment, “I kind of always knew. I think it’s just in me to want to be on the bottom more often. Like it makes sense to me. Like, Alvin is going to be 100% Alvin, all day, every day. And I love that about him, even if it makes me furious at times how he can be stubborn, pig-headed, intractable…”

“All the things you like,” Alvin said, walking into the room. “We talking about my dick now?”

“See what I mean,” Simon said. Alvin walked up behind Simon and kissed the side of his neck, getting a soft “asshole,” from Simon, even as Alvin slapped his butt lightly.

“So, you and Theo boinking yet?”

“Al-vin,” Simon said, sounding oddly like Dave.

“Uhm, no,” Mikey said, looking down. Alvin picked up the mood immediately and sat at the piano, his back facing the keyboard, resting one elbow on the console.

“Hey, it’s okay. Theo is more of an emotional kind of guy. He’ll be good to you, however the both of you figure it out.”

“That’s just it,” Mikey said, slumping. “I don’t know if I want him to be on top, or to have me on top.”

“Oh, well, I have Simon hop on top and ride a lot. He likes being in control of it.”

“It?”

“My man meat!” Alvin said, making lewd motions with his hips. Mikey blushed like the top of a traffic light.

“Uh, that’s not what I think he means,” Simon inserted. “I think he doesn’t know if he wants to be the top or the bottom.”

“Ohhhh,” Alvin said, exaggerating his expression. “But Theo’s not tiny, though?”

“Alvin!”

“Gosh, no,” Mikey chuckled. “He’s bigger than I am there.” Mikey’s blush continued, causing him to cover his ears for a moment in frustration.

“Oh good. Got the family reputation to think about,” Alvin said, making a sort of tired yet proud sound with his voice. Simon slapped Alvin’s shoulder, getting a chuckle from the oldest brother. “What, it’s not like you aren’t hung like a rock star, too. And not like you haven’t pushed my legs up over your shoulders before,” he said to Simon, getting an exasperated smile and head shake in return. Poor Mikey covered his face with his hands.

“Look, Mikey. If you need advice about sex, come to us. We’ve got some experience.”

“Like last night!” Alvin shouted, picking up his guitar and plugging in.

“And if you need help talking about it with Theodore, come talk to me. I have kind of been where you are.”

“Thank you, Simon. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, Mikey.”

“Does it, uhm, does it hurt?”

“It can. It can be just uncomfortable taking it at first. It gets soooo much better after, though. And if it’s done right…” Simon got a faraway look in his eyes. “Well, let’s just say, it can be awesome enough that you might even overlook ALVIN BEING A JACKASS,” Simon said, loudly, over his shoulder. Alvin flipped a bird over his shoulder, then twisted around, kissing it.

Mikey simply burst into laughter, his fingers going back to that bouncy melody, with Simon jumping into the rhythm. Alvin sat back, checking his levels on his monitor while watching his brother and his friend get into the music. He smiled and put his head down, wondering if they were going to be able to pull off whatever it was Dave had in mind.

Getting to day six had been a real ball-buster. Working on a Saturday was never a great thing for any of them, but under the crunch of the deadline, they had done it and had gotten another song at least written and partially recorded. So when Sunday rolled around, and everyone was pretty much exhausted, Dave called for a half day and insisted that everyone relax, watch football on TV and just stay in the studio, within easy reach of the instruments but not necessarily on them.

Basically, he called for a working day without doing any music. They ordered a bunch of Chinese food, took over the studio lounge and sacked out. It seemed that Gwen and Kyle had formed an attachment, and they pretty much lay on each other a lot while watching the games. Simon and Alvin found reasons to not be around, claiming they wanted to “touch grass.” Mikey found himself staying near Theo a lot, but he wasn’t interested in the current game. Not that anyone could blame him. Carolina at Detroit was going pretty much as expected and the crew were really waiting for the Cowboys vs. Giants game, which was set to be much more competitive. Dave stayed on the phone, trying to work deals, and he frequently was in the recording booth with Jeremy, working on preparing the tracks.

Theo got up and walked into the studio. He sat before the piano and the keyboard rack. His eyes drifted over the keys, softly humming the melody line from his piano solo. His hands fell on the keys, gently going over the chords. He started to put more emotion into things, varying the tempo, pressure, the attack, and release of the keys, the subtle tension in how he lifted off the keys and struck them down.

When he reached the end, he slumped on the bench, crying softly. His tears dripped onto the piano, unencumbered with sobs. He still didn’t know why this song moved him so. Or where it came from, although he felt that the answer was from within himself.

A familiar touch moved over his slender shoulders, around his neck, loosely. He knew without having to look. Mikey leaned into Theo’s back, draping himself along his spine.

“It’s still a beautiful song,” Mikey said. He kissed the side of Theo’s ear. Theo smiled and brought his hands across his body to hold onto Mikey’s arms.

“So much depends on the next few days,” Theo said. “I know Dave said not to worry, and we’re gonna fight and all. And Myron said he’d help.”

“But?” Mikey prompted.

“But I’m scared. I’m so scared. I’ve never seen Dad like this. He’s really worried. Everything could be… I mean… what if we can’t make them see that this is right?”

“I don’t know.”

“I don’t know, either.”

“Babe,” Mikey said, kissing the back of Theo’s head. “We are making a big effort. It’s been a really weird month.”

“Has it been so long?” Theodore asked. “Seems like just yesterday you were telling me my brothers were sleeping together and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it.”

“Well, it has been a really weird month,” Mikey giggled. “A fun month, but a weird month.”

“Yeah. A cool month too. I mean, we met Myron and the Glow Spyders, Julie MacCaw and Lil PNK.”

“Yeah. And they all liked our music. Heck, Lil PNK wants to hang out and record with us!”

Theo smiled. “I’ve actually been writing a song for Lil PNK.” Theo went into a quick series of piano stabs with a rolling bass line. It had echoes of Stevie Wonder or Michael Jackson. “That’s all I got so far.”

“Dude! That’s amazing!”

“Yeah, I thought about how I approach drums and I kinda realized that keyboards are kind of like a percussion instrument. So I wrote it like I’m doing piano and drums at the same time, notes and beats, giving it kind of a shuffle feel.”

“We should get Lil PNK in here for it,” Mikey said. “See what he thinks.”

“Just a month ago, I would never have thought to write a song for anyone else, much less for us. I just let Alvin and Simon run the show. Now,” he moved and had Mikey stand between his thighs, the two of them getting comfortable with each other’s physicality. “Now I feel like I’m finally free. But it’s so… uncertain. It’s weird. I shouldn’t feel so happy about all this, but I am.”

“We both are, honey.”

They looked into each other’s eyes for a moment and then broke out into simultaneous laughter.

“Oh gosh, that sounded so weird,” Mikey said.

“Yeah, it did,” Theodore said, wiping his eyes.

“Dunno why I said that. I NEVER say that.”

“We never talked about that, though. What do we call each other when no one else is around?”

“Idunno,” Mikey said, getting over his chuckles. He stretched his shoulders, with his arms over Theo’s shoulders. Theodore’s hands moved around Mikey’s back in a familiar motion. Both boys could feel each other’s arousal starting to rise, looking into each other’s eyes. “But I don’t think that one works,” Mikey finished, his breathing a bit elevated.

“Can I call you baby?”

“Maybe,” he giggled.

“Or Babe?” Theodore asked, licking his lips.

“That sounds nice,” Mikey cooed.

“Or how about…” but Theodore didn’t get the chance to finish as Mikey leaned in and silenced his talking with a soft, open mouthed kiss, inviting Theo’s tongue to other activities. As they got into things, their hard boy parts got harder and it became painful to stay within the confines of their clothes. They were about to get a lot more comfortable when someone opened the studio door. From the way that the piano and keyboard rack were set up to the door, they were partly obscured. This gave the two boys a chance to separate.

The couple that entered the studio was completely oblivious to Mikey and Theo being in the room and moved in, kissing and moaning and writhing in passion. The two boys were caught completely off guard but covered their mouths to keep from laughing out loud. The boys leaned over the piano to see who it was, and Theo’s hand came down on the piano keyboard, making a strong and discordant banging of sounds.

The couple looked around shocked. Gwen’s eyes were wide open in surprise. “Who’s there?” she asked.

“Uhm, it’s me, Theodore.”

“And Mikey.”

“Oh, hum, your father sent me to look for you. The Chief’s game is just about on if you are interested.”

“Yeah, we’ll be right there,” Mikey said.

“Uh, cool. Okay, see you there.” Again the boys covered their giggling faces as Kyle and Gwen quickly made it out of the studio. The boys adjusted themselves and soon followed, but not before they took a second to give one last kiss, with a quick feel up by Theo. Giggling like they’d just watched something naughty, they sat together in one of the overstuffed chairs in the lounge.

The game was on in more ways than one.

Monday. Three days and counting. Shortly after midday, the boys paused. They’d been trying like mad to make a song happen, but they kept hitting a wall. It wasn’t the lyrics, or the hook, or the melody that seemed off. It was something indescribable, but pervasive and clinging. All the boys felt it, but none of them could figure a way around it. It wasn’t a bad song, it just lacked… something.

“They need a break from this song,” Dave said, to no one in particular. The intern and the guitar tech agreed, but said nothing, trying to keep the bad vibes at bay. Jeremy was out getting Chinese food and the boys were sitting around the studio, barely plucking at their guitars. Something had to break the mood, and soon. They still had time to record, but somehow the album felt incomplete.

Mikey sat at the piano, idly tinkling on a rhythm out. He unconsciously tapped out a melody and started finding chords that fit. Simon started humming along, picking out a bassline, settling into the descending chordal pattern that was kind of poppy. Kind of toe-tappy. Theo Idly got a syncopation between the high hat opening and closing with a run across the wood blocks and cowbell. Alvin picked up the chordal melody, looking over Mikey’s shoulder, but opted to try and do double-stop runs, mimicking the high and low in Simon’s bass run, making them a little punchier by plucking the strings up from the fretboard.

“I’m a fanboy, living that pop star blues. Just playing chords, playing in twos.” His head swayed back and forth as he played, getting a goofy look on his face.

“Yeah!” Alvin shouted, just as Simon’s bass ran up and down the neck, gliding on the string. Theo smiled, flashing his smile, starting a repeating series of taps, three times, and then a drum crash. The boys just hopped into the groove, smiling as they followed Mikey’s lead.

In the booth Dave sat forward, his eyes open wide. “Tell me we’re recording this,” he asked excitedly.

“Yeah, Jeremy had the board set to record anything as long as the boys were in there. I mean, it’s all digital. Not like we’re rolling tape like in the old days.”

“Just putting in time, paying my dues,” Mikey sang, adding a complicated piano run, capping it with an “ah haahh!”. Alvin threw in a bluesy sparkle in the middle and Theo tapped in a cymbal flare.

Dave’s cell phone rang and he hopped on it. He had been trying for hours to get through and finally, he had a secretary on the other end, holding for a record exec. He was getting kind of agitated when a knock came on the recording booth door. Gwen got up to check the door and quickly came back to Dave’s side. As she tried to get his attention, he held up a hand, talking animatedly to the record exec. He got more animated, angry really, as the conversation went on until he saw the two faces that came up to the board, looking in as the boys jammed.

“It’s like I told you. They’re naturals and can do any style,” Myron said, getting Dave to look around. Beside Myron stood Lil PNK, who was sort of clapping and shuffling with the music.

“They almost sound black,” Lil PNK said, appreciably, his hand on his chin.

“I’ve never seen a band go from Mo-town R&B to jazz to rock with such ease, mate.”

“Yeah, and they trade leads, too,” Lil PNK said, recognizing the transitions. “Everybody’s on the bus. Just like Parliament.”

Dave made up his mind. It was time to start tossing the big irons in the fire. “I’m sorry, I’ll have to call you back. Myron Jay and Lil PNK just came in my studio. Tell your boss I’ll call him later.” He hung up the phone and greeted their guests. “What can I do for you, fellas?”

“Naw, man. It’s not what you can do for us. It’s what we can do for you,” PNK said. “I heard your boys been workin’ on a song idea for me. I got one for them. I think we should talk crossover.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Remember USA for Africa?” Myron said, grinning. “I think we got a huge idea that could work along the same lines. And lead into some concert surprises for all of us.”

All sound in the room died down and the boys swept into a very bluesy version of Sandcastles that had everyone entranced, the guests in the room especially. At the end, Simon saw who was waiting in the recording booth and started the bass line for Billie Jean. Mikey realized what was going on and punched up the right setting on his keyboard stack, hitting the key stabs in time with Simon’s burbling, rolling bass. Theo got into it, laying it in heavy with the high hat. The band kept it up and Alvin approached the mic, his feet going back and forth. He gave a strong version of the song, with the other boys dropping backing vocals.

Lil PNK leaned over the mic, keying it with a loud whine. “Y’all sound amazin’. I don’t think MJ’s band could do it better. I got a proposition for all a’ y’all.”

The final day of recording came and the band was tense. They had a few bits to come back and redo, just for edits, but pretty much the album was done. They’d managed to cram in two last minute songs, both recorded in record time. A secret song called ‘Rocket Punch’ done amazingly fast and one with Lil PNK called ‘Keepin’ It Real’ featuring Theo’s keyboard parts and Alvin’s powerful hot licks on guitar. Mikey switched to drums and Simon’s bass played clean up with Alvin. Lil PNK added a rap to the center and shared vocal duties with the boys. They decided to share the “Featuring” credit on the track and called their collaborative effort a ‘Munk and PNK’ song.

The party for the album wrap was small, and Dave was very much lost to it. His phone seemed to be continuously ringing or on his ear. The Glow Spyders were there, congratulating the boys, as was Lil PNK and much of his production crew. There seemed to be some kind of scheming going on, as the various crews sat and traded stories. Julie MacCaw and two of her producers showed up as well, quietly bending Jeremy’s ear for a bit. The pizzas showed up and the true debauchery began, at least as far as the food was concerned. The boys eventually started playing, putting on a mini concert with lots of different styles and songs. Myron and the Spyders picked up spare instruments and added to the fray.

At one break in the festivities, Theo went back into the break room, flicking the top off a bottle of water. He lay back and was just relaxing when Dave poked his head into the break room.

“Hey, Theo. Got a sec?”

“Sure, Dad,” he said. It seemed to be so easy to call him “Dad” now. ‘Had this month really changed us that much?’ Theodore wondered. He got up and moved to the lounge, where Dave held the door open.

Jeremy, two producers he didn’t know, Julie MacCaw, Lil PNK, and Myron Jay sat in the room. There was kind of an expectant quality to the mood in the room, one that Theodore recognized almost at once. He sat down, nearly stiffened with anticipation and concern. This was a power conference and it clearly was meant for him alone.

Julie stood up as he entered and held out both hands to him. Her smile was genuine and warm, which should have put Theo at ease, but somehow didn’t.

“Theodore, congratulations on finishing the album out. You and your band mates finished in record time.” She leaned closer to him and whispered, “Although you really shouldn’t have been rushed to it. Still, amazing work.”

“Thanks.” She let his hands go and everyone sat around a low table. Jeremy’s laptop was waiting on the table, plugged into the wall. “Uhm, what’s going on?”

“Okay, so, you know I’ve taken to recording just about everything you guys do in there,” Jeremy began. “And it’s yielded quite a number of really good tracks. We literally have enough stuff to almost do another album. I mean, we have enough cover songs for you guys to put out another one, maybe a few months after.”

“That much?”

“Oh yeah,” Jeremy said. “You guys have been phenomenal lately.”

“We like to play. And since Mikey’s been with us, it’s like… idunno, we somehow click better. Definitely can add more players without adding studio guys.” He looked to the two unknown producers and quickly said, “No offense.”

“None taken,” one of the unknowns said. Myron stifled a chuckle, covering his mouth with his hand. Lil PNK simply laughed once, a short, sharp laugh, his eyes smiling.

“So, you remember your song? That piano track? TSP-001?” Theodore nodded. “Well, we played it for Julie about a week ago. And she wrote some lyrics to it. We recorded her over your backing track and we want to see what you think about it.” Jeremy reached to his laptop and tapped a few keys.

The piano rang out, sad and clear, beautiful, without any other instrumentation. As it swelled a soft, clear voice sprang up from the piano, as if singing to it. The vocalization seemed to mix with Theo’s own voice, just harmonizing, and a subtle acoustic guitar, doubling the main chord structure. He recognized Mikey’s playing, the hand squeaks from when he let his fingers ride on the frets, the subtle vibrato giving almost a violin-like quality to it. Unconsciously, a tear streaked down his face.

Julie’s voice spoke of a mother’s love, her wishes for her son, and her sadness at not being able to see him grow up. The song lyrics ended with the mother singing that she doesn’t know what the future holds and she was sad that she wouldn’t be part of his life. The last stanza ended with:

My sweet boy,
although we have to part, and I will not go on,
you’re always in my heart, you’ll always carry on.

Theodore looked up to Julie. She was openly crying as well. “Ah hope you don’t mind. I heard this song and the lyrics just came to me.”

“How?”

“Ah had a letter, many years ago, from a fan whose mother died from cancer before he could graduate high school,” Julie said. “And it seemed to fit the music. It was her final letter to him. Literally, her words as if spoken after she passed. And I heard your music, how it had so much feeling, like a mother singing to her son. It felt like something I’d say to my own grown son. It was a lullaby and a goodbye at the same time. Very bittersweet.”

Theo just lunged at Julie, wrapping her middle in a teenage hug. She seemed surprised but wrapped him in a hug as well. “Oh, Theo.”

“Thank you, Julie,” he said, squeezing in extra tight.

“Thank me? Thank you. And you’re welcome. But why this reaction?”

“I didn’t know what to do with this song, but… but you found its purpose. And as sad as it is, I love the lyrics.”

Lil PNK spoke up. “Hey, that song is for real, T. It made my heart hurt to hear it. And with Julie’s voice? Man, I bawled my eyes out the first time I heard it. You got the talent, baby. You got the IT!”

“So do we have your permission to release it as a single?” Julie asked.

He released her and looked at Dave. Dave just shrugged. This decision was up to him.

“Okay. I love it. But, everyone that worked on the track gets credit and a piece of it. And I want to be able to play it live.”

“Well, I was hoping to debut it at some of your upcoming concerts. You start playing, and your buddy starts with the guitar part and I come out to sing it. Kind of a surprise for your fans.”

“That… sounds awesome.”

“Hey, I need a tune-up before my own tour, and you need the hit song. And, I think your song will be a top ten hit.”

“Really?”

She turned to the two suits in the room, extending her hand. “This is John Markham of Memphis Records and this is my tour manager, Sandy Morris. His real name’s Alexander but we like Sandy better.”

“Good to meet you,” Sandy said, with a slight country twang to his voice. “Julie speaks very highly of you and your brothers.”

“And Mikey,” Julie put in. “He’s that fine young musician doing the guitar work.”

“Ah, yes. The newest Chipmunk as it were.”

“Yes, I want him to have a guitar credit on the song. I’ll settle for co-writer with Julie.”

“Hold on there, buckaroo,” Julie said, holding out a finger to Theo. “I’ll be fine with just lyricist. I want you to get full credit for writing that track. Everyone should know you are a world class musician and not just the drummer of a novelty band. All a’ you boys are skilled, talented artists. And the world should know about it.”

Theodore was overcome. Dave put his hand on his son’s shoulder and spoke. “We’ve created a spot on the album for the song, both your Piano Solo and Julie’s lyrics floating over them, as a bonus track. With a little workaround, we can fit it into the set list, too.”

“This… What do you call it?” he asked.

“Carry On,” Julie responded. “Momma’s Song, in parenthesis.”

“Okay. But I want the others to sign off on us putting this song on the album and in the show. If-if-if you don’t mind, that is?” Theo said, deferring to Julie. I mean, after all, she might not be a legend in the Chipmunk’s preferred genre of music, but she was still an icon of country music, virtual royalty.

“I think we can wait to hear from your brothers and Mikey about that. I’m glad you are thinking of the whole band, not just your own career.”

“We do stuff together now. All the way,” Theo said.

“Which is the only way to approach such things, young man,” Myron said, sagaciously. “But I have a feeling they will not only agree but insist on it.”

“I hope so,” Theo nodded. Then he realized that Julie had introduced her tour manager. “Wait, uhm, Mr. Morris, sir?”

“Just Sandy is fine, Theodore. Mr. Morris is my cat.” Myron chuckled at that.

“Er, okay, uhm, Sandy. If you and Mr. Markham are here, does that mean…”

“It means that we will be fronting a good bit of the early capital for your tour and album release. Along with Myron’s team and Lil PNKs team. We plan on doing a simultaneous album release across all four groups with extended tours through summer of next year.”

Theo was floored.

“How?”

“Simple, really,” Myron answered. “We’ll rent out venues for a week, put on four shows in about nine days, and move on to the next venue. Wash, rinse, repeat. We do that for a few dozen shows to get started, then we shift gears a bit, let each group go out solo for a while, get back together about Memorial Day, hang out at the same venues until your Independence Day celebration, go across the pond and do the same thing in Europe for about six weeks and then split off to finish our own tours.”

“We can do that?” Theo asked, stunned. “That sounds awesome.”

“Maybe in early fall we can do some dates in Japan and Australia,” Dave offered.

“Well, let’s just see how much of that ball gets ta rollin’, first,” Sandy said. “But yeah, this is a cost saving measure that will help all four groups get out into the touring space. By the time you get to summer, your private tours should all be rakin’ it in. Ready to soar independently.”

He turned to Dave. “This was what you had planned?” Theo asked.

“It was Myron’s idea to get the other groups involved. Julie thought it was a great idea, and so did Lil PNK’s people. Plus it will give you guys all a chance to show up and perform on each other’s tours. It’s a bit of genius really.”

“Just taking an old idea and remaking it for modern tastes, really,” Myron said, dismissively. “But my guys really do want to have time with you boys. Sort of passing the torch to the next generation of rockers.”

“You may regret that. The boys get pretty big egos sometimes,” Dave warned, with a big smile.

“Rock and roll needs big egos every once in a while,” Myron returned. “Big egos to match big talent.”

“Can I tell the guys?”

“Sure, Theo,” Julie said, standing to hug him again. “And thank you for trusting me and Jeremy with your song.”

“Thank you for making that little lullaby special.” He shook everyone’s hand, gave Dave a great big dad hug, and ran from the room to find his band mates.

Dave turned to everyone in the room. “I don’t know how I could possibly repay your kindness, generosity, and talent,” he said, suddenly sitting down. He clutched his midsection in sudden pain, gritting his teeth. Myron was there in an instant, helping him ease down.

“Take it easy, mate,” he said, getting Dave seated. “Are you okay?”

“This doesn’t leave this room,” Dave said, looking around. “The boys don’t know yet and I don’t want them to know. I have MS. I have probably a year, maybe more, maybe less. It’s past the point that they can do anything for me.”

“Ohmigod!” Julie gasped, her hands going to her mouth. “Dave, bless your heart! Why don’t you want the boys to know about this?”

“They are on the verge of being able to write their own ticket. I don’t want them worrying about me. This is my future for them. As long as they are happy and crazy and having a good time, making a career for themselves, then… it’s my gift to them if they can keep making the music that they love.”

“They’ll understand, mate,” Myron said, standing back up. “They are a resilient lot.”

“I know. But for now, I don’t want them worrying about me. Let me give my boys this. Let me give them a future in their own hands.”

“David Seville, you are one stubborn sunuvabitch,” Sandy said. “I can totally respect that. And I can respect the wishes of a man who knows his time is limited.”

“What will happen to the boys?” Julie asked.

“Jeremy will take care of them. It’s already taken care of. He has power of attorney, custody, and everything. When the time comes, I’ll let the boys know. He pretty much knows their day to day life as it is.” Dave looked around the room at his new business partners. “Please promise me you won’t tell them until the time… my time comes.”

“Damn, Dave,” Lil PNK responded. “You got balls of solid rock. Those boys don’t know how good they got it.”

“We will mate,” Myron said. “We will hate it, but we’ll keep mum until you say so.” Lil PNK nodded as well.

“Just promise you won’t wait too long,” Julie said. “The boys are strong like ya said. But they’re gonna be lost without ya.”

“I know. But for now, they’re happy and soon they’ll be successful. That’s all I can do for them.”

“You’re wrong,” Myron offered, quietly. “You can be the best damn dad there’s ever been for them.”

In a startling reversal, the record company decided to give the band three single releases and decided to give them a big album release party. It was a generous offer. It would be a great way to get the album out.

The record label never saw it coming when Myron, Julie, and Lil PNK all opted out of their own contracts, teamed up with the Chipmunks, and went rogue. The new record label they created, Spunky Munky, debuted all four new albums on New Year’s Eve with simultaneous releases and concerts in New York. The crowds were wild. The music world was stunned to see the former novelty band holding its own with a country music legend, hip-hop royalty, and gods of British psychedelic rock. They weren’t just a kitschy kid band playing cover songs anymore.

Mikey’s debut also seemed very favorable. When they did their end of set bow to the audience, Alvin even dropped to one knee and pointed to the newest Chipmunk, and the crowd went wild. Girls mobbed the stage. Guys were kind of excited by the raw energy that the band brought on stage. And the house went nuts when the band took a break and Theo came on to play his piano piece. Mikey rode up subtly behind him, playing such soulful notes on the guitar to match Theo’s dramatic piano riffs. The crowd was feeling the vibe when suddenly Julie came in and delivered such a wrenching performance of ‘Carry On (Momma’s Song).’

The place went crazy. Then Myron and the Glow Spyders came out, following the boys and they ran through several of their hits from their arsenal, Alvin getting in some quality time with THE Leo MacIntosh, trading licks as the rest of the combined band kept pace. It was epic.

The elder statesmen of English psychedelia went through the paces on their own album release for a while giving the kids a chance to rest up. Then Lil PNK took the stage rapping over a Glow Spyder’s song which morphed into a version of Atomic Dog and then went right into Theo’s hook for Keepin’ It Real, the boys coming back in for the one song. They turned it over to the PNK Allstars and the party got hot.

The next morning, New Year’s Day, saw Julie singing on a parade float with her band and the Chipmunks, playing Carry On for the crowd. The float got mobbed twice by girls screaming and the boys had to be whisked away. It was like the Beatles had returned! Alvin got nearly carried off by screaming fans, but all the boys got so swarmed they had to call security to get Theo and Mikey out and Simon lost his glasses.

The record company was furious. Not only had they lost control of four acts, but the four simultaneous record releases had generated nearly a million record sales in a single day. The plan was working.

When the tour dates were announced, instantly there was a commotion. Never had so many live shows hit the market all at the same time. They sold out the first six concerts for all four acts in record time. Concert dates months in advance were selling up close to standing room only. It was monumental.

The Chipmunks debut album on Spunky Munky records, Sandcastles, was also accompanied by a media blitz, doing the rounds of Disney and other radio outlets and even a rapidly opened spot on Saturday Night Live, where they got thunderous applause for Schooled, Runnin’ It Down and Sandcastles. The first three singles entered the charts high into the Top 40.

As the concert tour ran on into February, the band was feeling very good about themselves. They shared moments on tour with the other three acts and it seemed they could do no wrong. Carry On (Momma’s Song) got lots of critical acclaim, entered the charts at number six, and stayed in the top five for ten weeks, topping out at number 3. Five other songs from the Sandcastles album made it to the charts on their own, plus Carry On and Keepin’ It Real hit the crossover market.

February became March. March became April. April became May. They shot three videos of their hit songs and lots of footage for a concert movie. The boys were looking forward to their break before the big European tour hit. Already they were international stars and looked forward to taking the continent by storm.

Simon had started a sort of video reel of all the bands during rehearsals and other “candid camera” type moments. Everyone seemed good-natured about it and gladly mugged for the camera. Lil PNK and Theo put their heads together and started writing stuff for another collaboration.

Then during an extended holiday in Nantucket, Dave had a bad day. A really bad day. The muscle spasms hit him hard, through the chest. He was in his hotel room and the boys didn’t see it, but Jeremy called for a helicopter to take Dave to the hospital.

The boys were gathered up and rushed to his side at Mass General Hospital in Boston. The image of their father laying on that isolation bed, supported by a ventilator, looking oh so frail was shocking to the boys. Jeremy held onto Mikey and Theo. Alvin and Simon held each other.

“Boys,” Jeremy began. “I’m so sorry to have to tell you…”

“Dave is… Dad is sick, and he’s been very sick for a while now,” Simon said, with steel in his voice.

“You knew?” Mikey’s father asked. Mikey looked up and leaned on his father’s side.

“I suspected. I don’t know what it is. Cancer, something vascular, AIDS, Covid. But I do know he’s been working himself like a dog, and he’s been slowing down.”

“When were you gonna tell us?” Alvin asked, near to tears. Simon swallowed and pointed his face out the window.

“I wanted to tell you. I did. But it seemed like something Dad should tell us himself. When he was ready.” A big tear shipped around Simon’s high cheekbones. “I thought he’d tell us soon. So I left it up to him to decide when.”

“I understand,” Theodore said, putting a hand on Simon’s back. Simon turned and hugged his younger brother, letting the tears go. Alvin stood still as a statue for a minute and then bolted from the room, slamming the door in his wake.

“I’ll go get him. He shouldn’t be alone now,” Mikey said, breaking from his father. For a long moment, there was silence in the room aside from the rhythmic rise and fall of the ventilator and the soft sobs from Simon. Jeremy quickly came to the boys’ side and put his hands on both of their backs.

“It’s MS, Simon. Multiple Sclerosis. And he’s had it for a few years now,” Jeremy admitted. “It’s only gotten worse with time. Occasionally, the symptoms become treatable and he’s fine. But it also comes back and hits him harder after such remission.”

“Is it treatable, like, for a cure,” Theodore asked. All Jeremy could do was shake his head sadly. Theo hugged Simon tighter, also sobbing away, inconsolable.

Later that night, alone in their bed, Theo and Mikey hugged each other fiercely but said no words. There was no mutual need for each other’s affections, just a need to be held, to have another body there to hold them, to feel another heartbeat. To not be so lonely with the knowledge that Dave was not alright.

There weren’t any words spoken in Alvin and Simon’s room either but for different reasons. They sat on opposite sides of the hotel room bed, both with their naked butts on the carpet, unable to look at each other.

“How long have you known?” Alvin said, rubbing a forearm under his nose.

“About six months now. I saw that something wasn’t right about the time we started recording the first tracks for ‘Sandcastles’ back in September.” He turned and put an elbow over the edge of the bed, half facing in Alvin’s direction. “It was little things he said. Things he did. I started seeing him covering up for something, but I didn’t know what it was.”

“Fucking MS!” Alvin whispered harshly. “And he hid it so well,” he said, turning his head a bit to face the wall. “I never saw it coming.”

“It’s not like he told me either. I only knew something wasn’t quite right, not that it was this bad.”

“And here we were thinking we had him fooled,” Alvin said, bitterly. He hiked his own elbow up over the bed facing more in Simon’s direction, but not quite. “Jeremy said he’s known about it for years. How could we not have seen it?”

“Because we’re still kids,” Simon said at length. “We’re still self-centered, ego-driven, selfish kids. And despite how grown up we think we are, how much sex we have, and whatever secrets we keep, we’re still just kids that only see what’s right in front of us, never looking beneath the surface.”

“Like how we used to treat Theo,” the oldest brother realized. “I wonder how he’s doing?”

“I wonder how you’re doing,” Simon said, sadly. “Look, brother, you and me have always had differences of opinion. But this is about our family. This is more than just about us fucking around. I don’t want to see Theo lose himself. I don’t want to see you lose yourself, too.”

“I’m not,” Alvin said. “And I’m not fucking losing you.”

“Ditto,” Simon replied, leaning over the bed. “But what can we do about Dave?”

“I dunno, Simon. The doctors seemed pretty pessimistic.”

“Wow,” the bespectacled Chipmunk replied with a smirk. He pushed his glasses up his nose more. “Didn’t know you had that big of a word in there.”

“Occasionally, I do read,” Alvin replied, with more than a little snark. “But it’s not looking good.”

They regarded each other in silence for a moment, each with thoughts spinning inside his head.

“Should we cancel the tour?”

“I dunno. We should have a band meeting to discuss it.” Alvin climbed up onto the bed, his thick wiener hanging down. “I do know this. Mikey was right.”

“About what?”

“When he ran me down in the hospital stairwell, he said that Dave needs us to be strong now. Well, no. He said Dave needs me to be strong now. I can’t keep running away when things get tough. He said,” and a large tear dripped from the older Chipmunk’s cheek onto the duvet cover. “He said that my band needed me to step up and become a leader. That Theo needed it too.”

Simon climbed on the bed and knee walked over to his older brother and wrapped him in a hug so tight it lasted until dawn, both of them collapsing onto their sides, wrapped up in each other.

Theo awoke with his boyfriend turned little spoon inside the curve of his body. In the last several months, he’d grown completely out of his baby fat and seemed to be getting lean and trim. A fact that the already skinny Mikey had commented on about a month ago. Very appreciably so. They usually had sex about two or three times a week since New Year’s. Mostly on days when they didn’t have a full concert show, just a “surprise” guest appearance on another act’s show. They kept pretty much busy the rest of the time with school work and travel. The advantage of doing the four shows in one town schedule was that they got to stay in one place for a while, and got to enjoy some of the places in different cities. The photographers were everywhere after the new label debuted, but they still managed to find some quiet time in public.

But with Dave’s collapse, Theo wasn’t thinking much about his own needs suddenly. If he was honest, he usually didn’t think of his own needs first. His times with Mikey seemed to be more loving, and relaxed. Less the heightened, frightened, frantic sexual activity that his brothers spoke of. He was all about putting Mikey first. And Mikey, for his part, was the same way. It seems like maybe they weren’t as horny as the other two, but neither was worried about it. Puberty still hadn’t completely done its thing yet, and they were so busy with music, school work, and travel that they rarely had time to be a couple.

Mikey himself was having to play catch-up. Being on stage had its own kind of demands. He kept in shape, kept his voice in good condition, kept his piano chops and guitar licks up to snuff. But the sound checks and stage lighting, and practicing new parts of the show were beginning to get to him. He had been glad for this mid tour break. Now, he was worried about how Theo was dealing with his Dad basically suffering a massive nervous system attack. How would he deal with it if Dave died on the other boys?

Theo gently rubbed his face against Mikey’s back and neck, earning a hand back to Theo’s face, holding him there.

“Hi there,” Mikey said.

“I think the line is ‘Hello, there,’” Theo said, doing his best Obi-Wan imitation.

“Dork,” Mikey replied, trying to roll over against Theo’s naked chest. For his part, Theo backed up to allow Mikey the room to complete his transition from side sleeper to back sleeper. The blonde boy reached up and smiled, putting his hand on his boyfriend’s face. “How you doing?” he asked, with a pause before saying, “Honey?”

Theo stared down at him for a minute and then both boys broke out into tittering laughter. Theodore lay back, his left arm still under Mikey’s neck as they both eased off. Then they looked at each other again and couldn’t help but laugh again, this time not even trying to hide it. Mikey then rolled up on top of Theodore, their morning pee “not quite so hard” penises rubbing over each other.

The youngest Chipmunk still had a bit of physical bulk on Mikey, but it was firm now, showing more of his muscles from actively drumming so hard the past several months. In fact, all the boys seemed to be in much better physical shape now, thanks to an early morning exercise routine they had gotten into, thanks to Lil PNK’s example. The rap star was frequently taking off his shirt in concert, and the boys saw how that affected his crowds. It wasn’t long before Theo and Alvin would get shirtless halfway through the show, sometimes with Simon and Mikey joining them. Four young hotties showing off their sweat-covered torsos as well as their musical chops.

“Better?” Mikey asked, settling in above Theo’s chest.

“Uhm, better,” Theodore agreed.

“I keep thinking about Dave.”

“Me too.”

“What have you come up with?”

Theo blew at his hair, leaning down over his own forehead. He’d need a cut soon. He’d have to have Jeremy set that up. “I don’t know. It’s a serious disease but I don’t know what all it means. I mean, can he like, go on tour with us? Does he need a nurse’s care? I know the doctor said that the symptoms come and go, but, like… “ and he gestured blindly for a word.

“Is it safe for him to travel so far away?” Mikey offered.

“Yeah. And what if he has another attack after this one passes? Will this one pass? I’m not sure, Mikey. I was really wanting to go to Europe. But with things like this going on… I just don’t know.”

“Well, there’s one thing I do know,” Mikey said, standing up from the bed, his naked body straining as he groaned through an overhead stretch. “I need a shower. You’ve been sweating on me all night.”

“I thought you liked my sweat on you. Didn’t you say my sweat smelled clean?” he giggled getting out of bed as well. “Race ya to the showers?”

“Oh, I dunno about that,” Mikey said with deliberate slowness and then said, “One, two, three, GO!” and ran for the hotel bathroom, Theo hot on his tail.

The boys came down to the hotel’s diner for breakfast. The hotel was kind of a ritzy place, with marble lions out front and gold accents on everything. Theo and Mikey were slightly late, as Jeremy had instructed them to be down promptly at 7 o’clock. But they weren’t the only ones late, arriving about six minutes ahead of Alvin and Simon. With breakfast ordered and out of the way, Jeremy addressed the boys.

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to keep this out of the press. I have a friend of mine at NBC keeping a cover on the story, but it can’t stay like that for long. So, we need to get it into our collective brains about what we want to say.” He folded his hands in front of him, very businesslike. “Now, I am your tour manager and since your father knew this might become a problem, I should inform you that I am named as your legal guardian in case anything should happen to him. But I’m also your friend. So this needs to be a band decision, and I’m giving final say to you, boys.”

“Do I get a vote, too, Dad?”

“In what the band does next, yes. About their father… I think it’s more appropriate that you…”

“Mikey’s vote counts,” Alvin said. Simon crossed his arms and frowned at Jeremy. “He’s as much a member of the band as Simon and Theodore are. His opinion matters to me.”

“Well, I… Okay, boys. All of you get a vote,” Jeremy said, opening his hands in submission.

“First off, we need to talk to Dad about this,” Simon said. “We need to know from his own lips if he’s going to be okay.”

“And we need to bitch him out for keeping this from us,” Alvin put in. “Once we hear it from his own mouth, then we move on. Do you guys agree?”

“Yeah, that sounds fair,” Mikey said.

“I want to know why he didn’t trust us,” Theo said, getting a sad look on his face. “Guys, what do we do about Europe? The tour starts there in one week. And the week after that we do Wembley.” It was a big deal for any band to get to play in Wembley Stadium, one of the biggest soccer and music venues in the world. The band was planning on pulling out all the stops for that show.

“I want to know why as well,” Simon said. “But I think the bigger issue for the band is deciding on if we cancel the European tour. It is going to take a lot of stuff to move all our equipment, the stage gear, the crew and all those permits and such to get to England in the first place. This is a big undertaking. Unless we can give it our all, we shouldn’t do it. All these people are depending on us.”

“But can we do it without Dad?” Theodore said, uncertainty creeping into his voice.

“What do you think, Dad?” Mikey turned and asked his own father.

“Boys, listen. I’ve spoken about this with your father. The logistics are all firmly in control and ready to go. If you want to continue the European leg of the tour, including Wembley Stadium, we have everything set to go. I can handle the tour planning, so don’t worry about that. What I want to know is if you are going to have your heads in the game. Wembley can make or break a band. It’s the Ironman Triathlon of arena rock shows.”

“So, it’s all on our shoulders?” Simon said. “I say we save this vote for after we talk to Dave. Then we’ll see how we all feel.”

“I agree with Simon,” Mikey asserted. “The sooner we find out from him, the better. But I know I want to go to Europe. I’d hate to let my brothers down,” he said, his hand shooting out to Simon’s shoulder.

Alvin looked to Theodore. “What say you, little brother?”

“I say… I’m mad as hell at Dave for putting us in this situation. And I’m scared for him. And I’m not afraid of screwing up, but I’m really scared for Dad.” He paused, looking at Mikey and then at Jeremy. “But this was what Dad was working so hard for. To get us that record deal, to get us on the tour. And it’s what all our friends helped us to do. You wanna know what I think?” He stood up and punched up into the air.

“I think we take on Wembley and Europe and we let them know the Chipmunks were here!”

“Ahem!” a voice said from Theo’s left. “Your pardon, young gentlemen. Breakfast is served.”

“Oh uhm, yeah, sorry,” Theo said, embarrassed.

“And for the record,” Jeremy said, as the plates were dished out, “I’m with you, all the way.”

The band got off at the Boston Transit T’s Red Line Charles Street subway station and walked the short distance to the hospital. Upon reaching the proper floor, they piled out of the elevator, seemingly in relatively good spirits despite the grim task ahead. They really did not want to have to grill their father and tour/band manager about this turn of events. But it was necessary, unpleasant business. Make or break time.

But when they got to Dave’s room, the bed was empty and stripped. All the apparatus that had been monitoring him was quiet, and the respirator was silent. The boys’ faces turned to shock and confusion.

“Guys, stay here,” Jeremy said looking to find a floor nurse or someone else in charge and get some information. But the boys were frantic. Alvin started running down the hallway, shouting for Dave. Simon walked into the sterile room, looking for clues, not really ready to admit what his senses were telling him. Theo and Mikey just stood in the hallway, Mikey unsure what to do, Theodore afraid to move. A male nurse ran down the hall, chasing after Alvin.

But to Theodore, everything seemed to slow to a crawl. Had it been hours since they stepped off the elevator, or only seconds? Why was his skin so flushed and hot at the moment but all he felt was cold? He couldn’t understand it. What did it all mean? Why was there no Dave… No Dad?

A hand touched his shoulder, familiar and warm. Theo risked a look around, craning his head to look up to the person who had grabbed him. It was the sort of touch that Mikey’s dad had. That Julie had. That so many people in his life had. He turned his head completely around and saw a familiar face, looking back at him with a serious, stern expression firmly fixed.

“It’s good to see you, Theodore.”

“Dad!” Theo screamed and leapt into Dave’s arms. Followed almost immediately by Mikey, a wonder-struck Simon with tears flowing freely down his face, and a moment later by Alvin screaming “DAD!” at the top of his lungs. The dog pile squirmed around as the boys found a limb and held on for dear life. His hospital gown fluttered in places in the back.

“I’m okay boys, I’m okay. Let me up before you put me back in the hospital.”

“Dad, when we saw the room was empty, we thought you were gone.”

“Well, as you can see from my lovely attire,” he said, opening his arms, “I’m not out of the woods yet. But at this moment, my symptoms are clearing up. They merely moved me down the hall to another bed.” His paper-thin gown was mostly firmly tied in back, mostly, but his hairy legs and arms were plainly visible.

Alvin went off and slugged Dave in the shoulder, hard.

“Oww! What was that for?”

“How about for not telling us you were sick, for starters,” Alvin said, petulantly.

“And for making us worry. You know how many people get helicoptered to the hospital and live? It’s not great odds.” Simon said, sitting back and folding his arms across his chest in typical Simon fashion.

“We were worried, Daddy,” Theodore said, his voice sounding small and timid again.

“Boys… I’m sorry I worried you. It was exactly because I didn’t want you to worry that I kept my illness from you. You were all so happy, making music. That’s all I wanted for you.”

“Dad, are you gonna die… soon, I mean?” Alvin asked, his face a wash of worries. Dave glanced around at the big eyes all around him, getting a solemn nod from Jeremy.

“I can’t lie boys. I have about a year. Maybe less, before this disease takes me.” Theo rubbed at his eyes, trying to will the tears to stop. Dave’s waterworks began as well. “And I am so proud of you, all of you, for what you have done. I’m going to be your biggest fan, your loudest screamer, every minute of the time I have left.”

“Even louder than a girl?” Mikey asked, getting a few giggles. “Because they got some lungs,” he said, shaking his head.

“Okay,” Simon said, getting over his anger. “But you can’t do that to us again. We need to know how you’re doing, okay? No more deceptions.”

“Or we’ll kill you ourselves,” Alvin intoned darkly.

“Alvin!” the others shrieked.

“What, just sayin’, sheesh!”

“We do want to know if you’re okay before we go off to England,” Theodore said, wiggling a finger at his father. “Promise?”

“I promise.”

“Uh uh. Pinky promise,” Theo demanded, extending his right pinky.

“I pinky promise,” Dave replied, hooking his pinky finger with his youngest son. Only to have Simon hook in, and then Alvin. Simon looked over to Mikey and Jeremy.

“You in on this?” Simon asked. Mikey smiled through his tears and hooked in as well, getting a small kiss on the cheek from Theodore.

“All the way,” Jeremy replied, adding his finger to the mix.

Dave made the trip to Europe and got to see his boys play live at Wembley. There were several surprise performances, including Myron getting up to sing Peter Schilling’s ‘Coming Home’ with Simon thumping on the bass, Julie walking in on Theodore and Mikey playing Carry On (Momma’s Song), Brian May coming on to match licks with Alvin on ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ and a surprise visit from Sir Paul tearing the place down for ‘Hell on Wheels’ and ‘Band on the Run’ with Mikey scorching a solo on keys. They played their album straight through, and played a few fan favorites from their cover stuff like ‘Bad Company’ and ‘Hourglass’ and ‘Heart of Rock and Roll.’ Then for the encore, they played another forty minutes of Pink Floyd favorites. Second encore they came out and played fan favorites from Rolling Stones and Def Leppard, the Beatles and Led Zeppelin.

The crowd loved it. They absolutely ate it up. The London papers couldn’t stop praising the boys, saying their ascension into the realm of rock royals was well on the way. Things were looking up.

Dave returned home for treatment. His outlook started to get better. The boys continued their European leg of the tour, adding three festivals to their run, and second stops through Paris, Rome, Berlin, Oslo, Barcelona, and Athens. By the end of the summer, they returned to America, touring parts of Canada as well. The shows were routinely selling out. The boys always seemed to be adding songs to their playlist and added surprise guests from time to time. By Labor Day, they were exhausted, but very happy with how their careers were going.

The kids took a vacation from the road, actually going to Disney World, without advertising it. They were still swamped with fans from time to time and true to their upbringing, they gladly stood around to meet and greet with their “Chipmunkies,” as their fans became known. Disney decided to comp them their rooms for part of their stay for making their fans and fans of the park satisfied.

Everything was going according to plan.

Around the middle of September, there was talk of doing a much less active tour schedule. After the initial plunge so hard, the boys committed to eight dates a month until Christmas. They were just putting together the final touches on a late fall tour, when Dave’s health took a hard left turn, into a spikey wall. His MS flared and the spasms were so intense that he pulled several muscles in his chest. His body was beginning to shut down, seize up, and break down. The boys kept up their hopes. The doctors had run out of options.

Things were not going according to plan.

Near the end of September, quite suddenly, Jeremy received a desperate summons while the boys were going through a practice dry run. The boys raced to the hospital, just left out of their practice session at a dead run to be at his side. They were on the way to the hospital, Jeremy going as fast as he could. They flat-out ran through two stop signs. They raced up three flights of stairs because waiting for the elevators was too slow. But by the time the kids got there…

David Seville had passed on.

Theodore was crushed. Just utterly devastated. He wailed and threw himself on Dave’s body, unwilling to let him go. It took Jeremy to physically restrain him. He melted down. Unable to do anything else, Mikey held on to his soul friend, consoling him as he wailed. Alvin cradled them both, even as Simon pushed against the brothers, hugging them above their shoulders and pulling them in close. The nurses stopped taking out all the tubes and wires, leaving the boys with their adopted father’s body.

“Daaaad!” Theo wailed. Mikey tried his hardest to be there, to be whatever Theo needed, but he was not sure what that was.

Jeremy talked to the primary attending doctor about Dave and got him to come over to the boys. He explained briefly that Dave’s heart started beating rapidly, erratically, and how they had tried to ease his suffering. But then complications started to add up. And his body just didn’t have the strength. He drifted into sleep and his poor weakened heart just… Just gave out, stopped beating, and flat-lined. He was very sorry for their loss, but that did little to keep these young boys from their grief. The doctor gave the boys permission to go in and say goodbye. They looked at each other, afraid.

“Gimme a sec, okay?” Alvin asked. “Big brother’s prerogative.” He got up and started to go, but looked back to Simon. Something passed between them and Simon stood up to follow. Poor Theo simply sat scrunched up on the uncomfortable waiting room couch, sobbing gently in Mikey’s embrace.

Alvin and Simon went first, and walked up to their father’s body, holding hands.

“Hey, Dave. Dad,” Alvin spoke up, sniffling. “I know you tried so hard. And I know you believe in us. Still.”

“And we love you so much.” Simon took off his glasses, feeling misty.

“I know… I’ve been a screw up.” Simon shot Alvin a glance as he was putting his glasses back on. “Okay, I’ve screwed up more than a lot. But I promise you, Dad. I’ll take care of them. I’ll keep my brothers safe. I’ll look out for them like you would.”

“And he’ll have help,” Simon reminded.

“You can rest easy, Dad,” Alvin said, tears running down his face. He put his free hand on his father’s barely warm arm and then leaned forward over his chest. “I promise you.” Simon joined him, both of the older boys crying.

They stood up and made room for Theo, Mikey, and Jeremy. Theo couldn’t face it though. He simply turned at the entry and ran. Alvin went to follow but Simon grabbed his arm and stopped him.

“Let him go, Alvin. He needs time.” The middle Seville boy looked to Mikey and nodded. Mikey took that as permission. He ran after Theo. “He needs time to gather his wits. Time to let go.”

Theodore ran as if he would never run again. He had gotten healthier, and leaner, on tour. The spontaneous dance breaks and occasional swapping of instruments on certain songs, the singing and running around, touring, all of it had contributed to making him a stronger person, physically. Plus, certain effects of puberty kicking in. His body was still a bit stocky, but almost none of it was fat, not anymore.

As he ran, images swam in his mind’s eye. Always Dave, always Dad. When he was eight and afraid of a thunderstorm at night. When he came home from school with an honor roll report card. The night they went on stage for the first time and he nearly wet himself with nervousness. That night he woke screaming remembering when their mother had died, such a horrible dream.

And always there was David Seville.

But now Dave was gone. That stability, that strength. Just… so much of his memories were tied to moments with Dave.

Learning the drums. When kids at school called him fat and he wanted to just crawl into bed, bury his head, and fade away, there was Dave to take him out of school and visit the zoo. That day stuck out in his mind, with Dave coaxing his fears out, soothing his mind. Making sure that Theodore felt and knew he was loved. He had been eight then. His older brothers were wrapped up in their own worlds. Theo was just the younger chubby brother in a cute kid band doing cover songs. They never knew how much he actually hated himself then. They never knew that no matter how smart or talented he might be, bullies in school just made him feel lower than dirt.

But Dave knew. Dave rescued him when he was wallowing in self-doubt and self-hatred. Dad had saved him.

Dave told him that they could be more. That he could be more. And that he’d always have their backs. Theo fell in love with his dad that day. There was always love in the family, even when the boys fought like brothers do. But that day, he genuinely felt like someone out there was always on his side. Someone who would always be there for him.

And now that lifeline, that safety net was gone.

Mikey came around a corner, calling out to Theo. He hadn’t realized it but he’d run outdoors and had stopped under a tree, inches from a busy city street. He recognized Mikey but he didn’t see him. His eyes were working but so many feelings were crashing over and over in his head, so many memories, so much unbearable sadness.

“Hey, hey,” he said, putting his hands out, and holding them up to keep Theo focused. “It’s me. It’s me. I’m here for you.”

Theo just broke down and sobbed. He slowly sank to his knees and Mikey collected him, drew him to his own narrow chest, and held him.

‘I’m here for you, babe,” Mikey whispered, holding Theodore’s head, and stroking his hair. Theo clung to him, just silently sobbing as traffic flowed by.

The following days were just an endless string of “so sorry for your loss,” and “he was a great man,” and such. Simon pulled the boys through, keeping them together and alert, even though Theo wanted to do nothing but just run and hide. Mikey worked hard to keep him focused and forced him to face up to what he needed to. Kept him getting out of bed in the morning and showering and eating. Alvin was strong through it all, speaking for his brothers publicly, and standing for press moments with the paparazzi. Somehow they made it through the rituals and legal matters that accompany death.

The funeral service was supposed to be a family only affair. But with all of the recording crew, all of the road crew, the travel team of tutors and care workers, security personnel, and the other bands that had been on the tour earlier that year, it just seemed to fill up the church. Lil PNK showed up, making sure the boys knew that if they needed anything, to call him first. Myron and the Glow Spyders were present, along with all the executives and staff from Spunky Munky. Julie was returning from Nashville and would be present at the burial the next day.

Theodore just kept his head down and barely spoke as adults walked by him, offering platitudes. He felt like a shadow, a ghost drifting aimlessly through the day. His physical responses to everything were muted, dry, and thoughtless. How could Dave… no, how could Dad be gone? He missed Dad.

At the burial, Theo walked up to the casket with his brothers, Mikey, and Jeremy. He placed a rose on the closed box that held his father’s mortal remains and cried. People from all facets of the music industry showed up. Performers came up and offered their condolences to the boys. They pulled together and got through it, still saddened. Still bearing up under the stress of loss.

The next day, the boys officially came to live with Jeremy. Or more accurately, Jeremy and Mikey moved in. It was hard moving Dave’s stuff out. The boys got to go through and pick out what things of his they wanted. Theo selected an old button-up sweater that Dave always wore in the fall. It still smelled of his aftershave.

That night they had a family meeting. The boys sat in silence while Jeremy spoke, and there was a noticeable echo in the house, an empty space.

“We have a couple of important things to discuss.”

“We aren’t going back to sleeping in our own rooms,” Alvin said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Okay. Wasn’t going to suggest that. In fact, as far as that goes, as long as it’s not a problem, I have no problem.”

“Even me and Theo, Dad?”

“Mikey, you and Theo have been sleeping together for months on tour. I doubt anything I could do could break that up. And I’m not about to turn this house into a war zone thinking I could. Besides, it’s not like you can get pregnant.”

“DAD!!”

“Oh, don’t blush so much, my son. You boys being together is a good thing. You guys make each other happy. That’s all I ever wanted for all of you. And I’m sure that’s all Dave would have wanted too.”

“Well, since that’s off the table,” Simon said, “what is it you want to talk about?”

“First off, I know I’ve been named your legal guardian, but I’m not going to go nuts on you guys and start spending your money. Most of it will go into a trust for you boys when you come of age. At that point, I will be an advisor to you on financial matters for a year. But just an advisor. You guys earned your money, you’ll get to decide how to spend it.”

“Oh-kay,” Simon said. “I didn’t expect this conversation to turn this way, but okay.”

“Second, you guys still retain a 25% ownership in Spunky Munky Records. Your business partners would like to meet with you on Thursday the week after next to discuss the plans for the label going forward.”

“Can we make it sooner,” Alvin said, not asked. “I think we all need to get our minds off things.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Julie thought you might like a little time off. But if all of you are okay with it…?” Jeremy said, looking around. Simon nodded sagely, pushing his glasses back up his nose. Alvin nodded, a serious look on his face. Theo felt a tear run over his face, but he, too, nodded.

“Right. So the crew is interested in getting back on the road for a few dates before Christmas.” The boys looked at each other, their eyes uncertain. “I’ve looked over the numbers and we can start up around Halloween and finish out on December 15^th.” Jeremy sat forward. “But that is up to you. Give it some thought.

“Last thing on the agenda is this,” Jeremy said, holding up a CD. “We’ll make it official tomorrow with the magistrate. But I thought you’d want to hear this first.” He took a few steps to the Blu-Ray player and inserted the disc. He moved back out of the way and picked up the remote. The TV flared to life and then the CD played.

The boys’ faces, even Mikey’s, were shocked.

“I love you, too, Dad.”

“You, too, Dad,” Alvin said, hugging Simon close, tears streaming down their cheeks.

“Daddy,” Theo said, practically bawling.

On the screen, tears began rolling down Dave’s face.

As the video finished, the boys were hugging each other, just crying and sniffling. Even Mikey was a mess. After several minutes, Alvin untangled himself from Simon and stood up. He ran an arm under his nose and stood up as straight as he could.

“Okay, so… are we gonna do this thing?”

“Alvin,” Theodore said, untangling himself from Mikey. “I want to do as Jeremy said. Not just for our fans or for our brand new record label. I want to make it a goodbye tour for Dad.”

“Are you sure, Theo?” Simon asked.

“He… he would want us to go on. I want to just hide away from the world and let the tour end now, but it’s not what we need to do. We need to be brave for Dad. And we need to show the world that this might hurt us, but this won’t beat us.” He turned to Jeremy. “I think we should make the rest of the tours for the rest of the year into benefit tours. Like, donate all of our money for these shows for multiple cirrhosis research.”

“You mean multiple SCLEROSIS,” Simon said. “But I think you are on to something.”

“Yeah. I like that idea,” Alvin said. Then he turned towards Mikey. “You in?”

“Uhm, I don’t really get a vote on this one. I may be in the band, but…”

“But nothing,” Simon interrupted. “You’re in the band, that means you are family. What you say matters.”

“Then, yes. I’m on board. All the way.”

Alvin turned towards Jeremy and all the other boys turned their eyes his way. “So, I guess we’re doing this,” he said.

“We’re doing this, then. I’ll make the arrangements.”

“Good,” Theo said. “Tell the crew we are meeting next week to rehearse.”

“And the Grammy for Producer of the Year goes to…” the announcer read and pulled the card from the envelope. She and her co-presenter read the name on the card. “David Seville for Sandcastles!”

Mikey’s hands went to the back of Theo’s chair. He looked shocked as he and his brothers stood. There were hugs and back slapping around the table. The boys made their way up towards the dais. The orchestra played ‘Sandcastles’ as they walked up the steps from their table, right from the rising D minor chorus break in. As they arrived at the podium, there were many hugs and kisses on cheeks. When the orchestra fell, Jeremy was there, pointing to the podium for the boys. Alvin and Simon looked at each other, and then both backed away from Theo.

He reluctantly moved up as the applause continued. The award, a gilded gramophone mounted on a polished wooden block. He put his hands on the award, looking at it, feeling its weight. He looked around at the crowd and saw them all standing up to continue their acclamation. As the crowd sat back in their chairs, Theo looked back at his boyfriend and brothers, holding up the award.

“Hullo again,” Theo said, getting a soft chuckle from the audience. “I don’t know what else to say,” he said. “Uhm, to our crew, who didn’t know if they’d get paid, uhm, guys, we did it!” He said, getting the audience to applaud again. Theo looked back and drew Mikey beside himself, side hugging the happy boy.

“Uhm, several years ago, a trio of young boys were singing for money on the subway, dodging cops. We had just lost our mother, ran away from a bad foster home situation, living on the streets, and one man on that subway saw us and realized we needed a place to stay. He took us in, fed us, and gave us a roof over our heads. He later adopted us. All three trouble-making brothers,” which garnered a giggle from the crowd. “Especially ALVIN!” he yelled, getting another giggle from the audience. He turned to look back and his brother clapped, grimacing in mock anger. “And we resisted calling him Dad at first, but he always was much more to us than just Dave.” He felt a tear, his fingers swiping up quickly to clear it.

“So, uhm, so our Dad was responsible for so much of our success this year. And uhm… the proof is in the hardware, as they say. I mean, Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Rock Single,” he lifted his hand, making a gesture, “and now Producer for Dave. About the time we made the album that was to be called Sandcastles, I was ready to give up music for good. We were fighting, throwing instruments around. Generally making each other really, really pissed.” The audience chuckled. “And uhm, because Dave had faith in all of us, in our music, in Mikey joining us… I love you, Mikey. But Dave, Jeremy, all our crew… they believed in our music. Our music. And he fought for us, he fought for our label Spunky Munky Records. So, this one is for Dave. With all my love. We did it, Dad!” Theo screamed, raising the fourth Grammy the group had won that night. The boys rushed in and they raised it all together. The crowd applauded loudly, and the group was ushered off stage left. From the wings, Simon turned to his brother and kissed his square on the mouth. Mikey followed suit and planted one on Theodore’s lips.

“So, does this mean we’re getting a raise?” Gwen the guitar tech asked.

“This means you get a big raise,” Jeremy said.

“Oh yeah, it means you get a big raise,” Alvin said. “As soon as we get in the studio.”

“Oh, you got ideas for a new record?” Jeremy asked.

“I think we got a few ideas.” Simon adjusted his glasses.

“Yes,” Theodore said. “I think so.” He turned to Mikey and kissed him again. “I have a few ideas.”

“Sandcastles” by the Chipmunks

Song List

-Going Viral (pumped up song, Alvin’s)
-Schooled (The song at the beginning of the story where the boys fight)
-That’s Not ME! (look back at their former kid status, very poppy)
-Running It Down (Simon’s bluesy song, very bass and keys heavy)
-Devotion (Theo’s vocal only part, recorded on Alvin’s cell phone) Acappella
-Sandcastles (Theo’s Song post fight)
-Fanboy [Pop Star’s Blues] (Mikey’s song, kind of a capture showing them at work. Worked in track.
-TSP-001 (Theo’s piano solo) Untitled
-Summerland (Power Ballad, Simon and Alvin’s love song)
-Feeling Crunchy (Angry Song, Alvins)
-Rocket Punch (very guitar heavy song, kind of punk style, Mikey on drums, Theo on rhythm guitar)
-Keepin’ It Real (Bonus track Featuring Lil PNK, a Munk and Punk joint)
-Carry On (Momma’s Song) (Bonus track Featuring Julie MacCaw)

Our authors only payment are the emails that you send them. D’Artagnon deserves to hear from you if you are reading his stories. RobbyBlueWolf at Yahoo dot Com.

If you are using webmail please include, on the subject line, [CR] [name of story]. This let’s the author know 2 things: Where you read the story and which story you are writing about.

532 views