Green spent most of his time at C-cubed. He was always scanning through his list of club mixes, dubstep hits, and the occasional Haunting Hour single, keeping a sharp eye on the party-goers in the meantime. He always knew exactly what song to play at what time. Every so often, he would even throw in his own spin, scratching the records with expert timing and skill while the dancers cheered him on. It was a fun job, and he excelled at it.

That day was different, though. It hadn't been the best morning: a pedestrian had tripped on the curb and stumbled out into the street, right in front of Green's moving bicycle. While neither of them were hurt too bad, the resulting crash had caused Green's headphones to slam right into the asphalt, damaging them beyond repair. Sure, he had a backup pair at home, but he was too far away to turn around without being late to work. So, he spent the rest of the ride without his music, feeling naked without the 'phones covering his ears. And on top of everything, he had to suffer through a nasty bruise on the top of his head.

Green already wasn't looking forward to showing up at the club. There was supposed to be a rave that night, but the girl who usually ran the light shows was sick and couldn't make it. Green had done the job a few times before and a decent idea of how to work the console, so he offered to be her replacement. It wasn't something he particularly enjoyed, though. Keeping an eye on the colorful neon lights and switching programs in tune with the DJ's song list was a behind-the-scenes job. There was no excitement, no adrenaline.

On the up-side, though, he would get a chance to see his old teacher at work. Red had DJing skills just as renowned as Green's, but the happy-go-lucky young man hadn't touched a turntable in months. Time spent with his band had packed his schedule lately. Green was looking forward to seeing if Red still had the stuff, even after all this time.

Green took his seat behind the rows of buttons and switches in the glass booth up in the corner of the building. He could see some of his bigger fans waving up at him; their green-streaked hair was hard to miss. He cracked the most convincing smirk he could manage and waved back.

The door to the booth swung open, and there was Red, stopping by to give his friend a quick pep talk to lift his spirits. Green found himself once again impressed by Red's ability to read him like a book, and by the time the younger man left, Green was able to smile for real. He cracked his knuckles and set his fingers on the switches, listening intently for the musical cues that Red would sneak into his mix to signal for different patterns on the lights.

Just before the first song began, as the dance floor was rapidly filling with all manner of colorful customers, something glinted in the corner of Green's vision. He looked over at the table next to him, and sitting beside his water bottle...

...was a brand new pair of headphones.