The Prophet And The Redeemer

Eyeliner is Flirting

Tour was going so smoothly. Everyone was so kind and positive. This was quickly becoming Andy's favorite tour he's done in the last few years. It was already significantly better than the Resurrection tour.

It didn't take much to be better than that tour though, the bar was very low.

Andy's mental health had plummeted during that tour. The stress, anxiety, and depression hit him like a truck. Most nights he was completely alone, curled up in a ball on the floor of the back lounge wondering how things had spiraled to this point.

The loneliness was overwhelming. Andy was on a separate bus with the crew rather than his band because Ashley refused to have a dry bus to accommodate Andy. The crew never even questioned it. Yanni and Jesse were livid but knew they couldn't do anything but make damn sure no one brought alcohol or cigarettes onto the old bus that the crew and Andy were on.

Andy didn't want to make it a dry bus, at this point in his sobriety, he never thought about drinking, but he knew the tour would be stressful and he didn't want to take any risks.

He was really happy he took those precautions because there were more than a couple of nights where the familiar numbness of whiskey or the calming burn in his lungs from cigarettes was very appealing to him. Andy would never admit to those moments of temptation, but he was proud to say he never gave in and sought out those unhealthy coping mechanisms.

The Resurrection tour was such an ironic name seeing as it was essentially a funeral for what was left of Black Veil Brides. Andy didn't like thinking about that. He didn't want to think about how everything he had worked towards for well over ten years was for nothing. He missed the days when everything was okay. He missed when he had his band with him. He missed when making music wasn't a means to an end and he was excited about it.

Don't get Andy wrong. He loved the Ghost of Ohio, and he was so very proud of how it turned out... but it didn't start out as a fun project for him and Feldy to create together. It was a way to pay the bills. He knew he would probably sound so entitled to anyone with a 'real' job, but this was different than a regular nine to five. Andy put his entire being into everything he made and to see something so important to him fall apart and be powerless to stop it was heart breaking.

Eventually the album turned into something exciting for Andy, and he loved it. He was able to make a comic book for God's sake! He did a panel and a signing at San Diego comic con. He has gotten so many incredible opportunities this year alone and he was thrilled. Andy wanted his band, but that wasn't an option anymore, he would just have to put all of his love and energy into Andy Black and try to move on.

Andy opened his makeup bag and placed the contents into a neat row on a paper towel. His OCD was the reason for this, but it was a small little compulsion that didn't hurt anything or anyone so he indulged it. He made the mistake of using a new face was so now he was broke out in a rash around his jaw.

Andy pumped a small amount of foundation onto his finger and applied it to the area, blending it in carefully before he set it with powder. He only ever wore foundation if he was broke out. His hand burned painfully from his damn eczema flare up. It looked awful so he would be wearing his fingerless biker gloves to hide it.

Lonny came into the green room of the venue they were playing, and spotted Andy in front of the mirror getting ready. "Hey, man." He greeted warmly, making his way over, and hopped up on the counter to sit.