When Everything Was New. (A Flume, ILLENIUM, and ODESZA twin AU)

The Party

Over the next few days, the brothers prepared for the event. Adrian found himself reluctantly pulled into the excitement as they curated their setlist, mixed tracks, and tweaked their sound. Eli was in his element, buzzing around, full of ideas and energy.

Adrian, Eli, and Dev made their way over to the Sigma house, a stereotypical frat house adorned with obnoxious Greek lettering, a testament to an ostensible appreciation of history that was often drowned in parties and intoxication. The door swung open to reveal Jake, known motor mouth and gossip king on the campus.

"Yyyooooooo, Batman, what's up!" Jake exclaimed with a kind of enthusiasm that Adrian found slightly overbearing.

'What a fucking dork.'

"Come on, lemme show you where you guys are set up," Jake said, motioning for them to follow him inside.

The interior of the Sigma house was a flurry of activity. Young men and women buzzed about, decorating and arranging the place for the night's festivities. There were strings of lights draped haphazardly across the ceiling, creating a warm, if somewhat chaotic, glow. The walls were adorned with Halloween decorations—skeletons, cobwebs, and the occasional cheesy poster of a horror movie icon. The scent of beer and cheap cologne hung heavily in the air.

Adrian noticed a group of guys playing beer pong in the corner, their laughter boisterous and infectious. Another group was huddled around a couch, engrossed in a heated debate about something that seemed immensely important to them. Everywhere he looked, there was a sense of uninhibited freedom, a stark contrast to the more reserved life he preferred.

"Here you go," Jake announced, snapping Adrian back to the present.

Looking upon the setup, Adrian was, against his will, a bit impressed. He didn't know where the fraternity got the money, but the equipment was top-notch. The latest Pioneer mixer was flanked by big monitor speakers on both sides of the DJ booth, promising a violent auditory experience.

"How many people you think are coming?" Eli asked, his voice tinged with a mix of excitement and nerves.

"Oh, man, at least a couple hundred," Jake replied, his eyes gleaming with the promise of a wild night. "This is one of the biggest parties of the year, and with you guys on the decks, word's been spreading like wildfire."

Eli's face lit up with a mixture of pride and anticipation, while Adrian felt a twinge of anxiety at the mention of 'a couple hundred.' It was one thing to play their music in the comfort of their room or even to a small crowd of friends, but a few hundred partygoers were a different beast altogether.

As they set up their equipment, Adrian's mind was a tumult of emotions. The house was starting to fill up, the buzz of conversation growing louder, and the air more electrified with each passing minute. He watched Eli chatting animatedly with Jake about the setup, his brother completely at ease in this environment.

"Dude, we only have like ten songs at most, hope you curated some more," Adrian said to Eli, a hint of concern lacing his voice.

"I got us," Eli replied, holding up a flash drive confidently.

"And I at least hope it isn't all like, shitty EDM, big room either."

"What am I, some loser?" Eli responded in fake hurt, "Deadmau5 and Justice mostly."

Adrian smiled. That was good enough. "Cool."

"It's a few hours before the party, y'all wanna test anything out, rehearse a bit?" Jake asked, leaning against a nearby table.

Eli plugged in their drive. "Alright Age, you go down there to see how it sounds, and we'll fix whatever we need to fix."

Adrian nodded and hopped off the little stage in the middle of the room, making his way to the center of the dance floor.