Upside Down ~~ A Set It Off FanFiction

I watched as Cody and Maxx bounced around, singing some song they made up as they went. Zach stood off to the side, on the phone with Katie. And me? Well, I rested on the little couch that Matty managed to get for me. Killian laid on my chest, breath fanning across my neck. 

Zach hung up and glanced at the two weirdos. I watched as his gaze shifted from them to me. I couldn't help but smile, running a hand through Killian's fur.

"You going to be okay out there?" He asked quietly.

I nodded, "Just trying to chill." 

The crowd outside roared- did we really need to do this kickoff?

It's the last Warped Tour. You should be honored.

I gulped, running my hand through Killian's fur. I needed to focus on the here and now, not the possible. I could hear music playing- were they really playing Life Afraid?

I hummed along, bouncing my foot. Zach looked at his phone, "Guys, aren't we due to be at stage in a minute?"

"What time is it?" Cody asked, turning to Zach. His chest heaved, making me giggle. Cody looked over accusingly as I sat up, "What are you laughing about?"

"You and Maxx being absolute goofs," I said, grabbing the new muffs off the table. These muffs should be able to help Killian's ears not implode when we get on stage. Doggy ear muffs. My mind played an image of Killian being absolutely hurt when we got there.

"Killian, coi." He sat, looking up at me. I couldn't help but smile, wrapping the muffs around him. They reminded me of the headphones my dad used to wear when he went to the shooting range. I made sure his ears got all tucked into the muffs, then stood. For a brief moment, I worried that he couldn't hear me. Then I remembered that we had silent commands- duh.

Killian followed us out towards the stage. A woman stood off to the side of the stairs, smiling at me. She had on a vest on labeled 'SD handler'. She approached me, holding her hand out. I couldn't help but smile when Killian automatically moved to cover me.

"Hey! I'm Lacey, you must be Sam right?" The blonde smiled at me.

I nodded, "Yup."

"So, we have a little bed for Killian to hang out on. I believe Scott said that you and Zach are going to be controlling the music for a bit, do you want Killian up on stage then?" Lacey asked. 

"That would be amazing," I laughed nervously. I leaned down a little and snapped once, pointing to the little bed laid out on the floor. Killian immediately laid down, curling up almost like I thought a cat would. I unstrapped the treat bag from my waist, handing it to Lacey.

"Let me know if he ends up getting hurt," I mumbled, staring at Killian.

"Of course," Lacey pat my arm gently. "Now, go get 'em! You got this!"

As if on cue, someone wrapped an arm around me and led me to the stairs as the MC announced us. I looked to see who it was- Zach stood there with a smile.

"C'mon!" He shouted over the cheering of the crowd. I nodded, bouncing a little and charging up the stairs after Maxx.

"What's up LA!" Cody shouted into the microphone in his hand. I raised my arms, watching the crowd cheer. 

"Let's get the night started with some of our music! Cuz you all know we're a little selfish!" Cody shouted, scrolling through the laptop. 

The crowd laughed, chattering as Cody scrolled. 

"A-ha!" Cody shouted, pressing something. Something New played, making me smile. I danced around a little listening as the crowd sparsely sang along.

They hate us.

They aren't here to listen to us perform, you idiot. 

With that thought process seemingly quelled, I watched Cody and Maxx pick up the dancing they had been doing in the dressing room. I laughed, pausing in my dancing to catch my breath.

Zach leaned in for a brief moment, nearly drowning out the crowd. "Are you okay?"

I looked up at him, grin still on my face, "Yeah, I'm great!"

We both continued like that for what felt like hours. The crowd stayed energized the entire time though, jumping and singing loudly with us. At one point, Cody even threw an impromptu concert featuring just himself (and the rest of us as dancers). Eventually though, Maxx and Cody took a few minutes to get themselves water, leaving me and Zach on stage by ourselves. 

As Cody and Maxx walked off stage, I whistled for Killian. The crowd stilled, watching me intently. When Killian didn't run up, I remembered that he had the muffs on. I leaned into the mic, grin covering my shame, "One moment please!"

The crowd laughed as I rushed to the side of the stage. Lacey stood there, Killian heeling next to her. She tossed me my pack, letting me wrap it around my waist before letting go of Killian's leash. I gently pat my thighs.

Killian rushed forward, bounding up the stairs. I grinned, grabbing onto his lead and bringing him onto the stage with me. As we walked up on stage, I noticed something in his gait.

He was trembling. 

I looked down to see his eyes darting over the crowd, tail tucked between his legs. I reached into his pouch and pulled out a treat, giving it to him as we approached Zach.

I hadn't seen Killian act like this since we first started training. I had to give him treats every couple of minutes while he was working to get him to calm down. 

Looking up, I saw Zach raising an eyebrow. I shrugged, trying to communicate that Killian didn't want to be there. Zach nodded and leaned into the microphone. "Since Cody and Maxx had to go take a break-," He interrupted himself and made a gagging noise, making the crowd laugh, "Killian is here to help us DJ for a few minutes!"

The crowd cheered, and I could basically feel Killian collapse against my leg. I knelt, running my hands through his fur. My face leveled with his, and before I could even kiss his nose he dug his head into my hands. 

"C'mon, bud," I pulled a treat out, "I'll give you more in a few minutes, okay?" He wouldn't stop shaking though. 

I looked up at Zach, standing. "I'm just gonna take him back for now."

Zach nodded, telling the crowd what happened. I brought Killian to my side, leading him off stage and waving to the crowd as we approached the stairs. As soon as Killian and I reached the stairs, he jumped off the edge.

His shout of pain was the only thing I heard for a brief moment. I rushed down the stairs, watching as Cody and Maxx ran towards me. 

"Killian!" I dropped to the floor next to him. The MC rushed behind us, going to help Zach distract the crowd. Cody and Maxx dropped next to me, and Lacey appeared behind them.

I looked over Killian, trying to figure out where he was hurt. I gently moved each limb, watching his reaction. He whined briefly when I moved his back right paw, so I took a closer look at it.

"How old is he?" Lacey asked, moving to the other side of Cody.

"12," I replied, continuing to search over his leg.

"Killian looks like he's okay, maybe he's just getting old?" Lacey offered. "Let's try and have him walk."

I nodded, not moving. Maxx gently wrapped an arm around my shoulders, lifting me up. I let him bring me a few feet away. I turned after a moment, calling Killian.

It took him a moment, but Killian stood and walked to me. I barely noticed the limp he had- it didn't even look like anything had happened. 

Lacey was right though. Killian was pretty old, and he probably just put a little too much pressure on his leg. He would be fine for now. But... 

I sighed. I needed to reach out to the company I got Killian from to see if I could get another dog soon, huh?