#'AS SOON AS I HEARD THE GUITAR MELODY I KNEW NEITHER OF US WOULD BE OKAY AT THE END'

[masonscig]

so i’ve stumbled across the most depressing seven pov song and naturally i have to share with the class or i’ll explode

the song is katy song by red house painters

bonus to make it even MORE depressing. i like to peruse lyric explanation sites bc reading different interpretations is very fun to me. this song in particular had such great discussion! anyway, this comment on the thread ruined my night ESPECIALLY because i can’t not read this with seven in mind

[hearts4-robin]

♡︎ 𝐇𝐚𝐢𝐤𝐲𝐮𝐮!! 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 :

𝐬/𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤-𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝

------------------------------------

... -> pairing : Nishinoya Yū + Satori Tendō + Sugawara Kōshi + Iwazumi Hajime + Kuroo Tetsurō

... -> warnings : swearing

... -> genre : sfw, crack

... -> plot : none, it's a reaction <3

... -> authors note : there may be some grammatical errors, I apologise <3

♡︎ 𝐍𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐲𝐚 𝐘ū

-> sweetest most supportive baby ever.

-> he didn't know at first, you were both only in second year of high school, he didn't expect you to be a literal rockstar.

-> you were at practice with him one day

-> he was practicing as usual and when you received a call, he didn't think much of it

-> it was your manager, telling you to be at the studio, asap, in 30 minutes

-> knowing the only way to get home was Yū's grandpa, you hung up and asked Ukai if you could talk with Yū for a second

-> he sighed out an agreement before you called over Yū

-> he took the chance to grab his water bottle, sipping it as he looked at you

-> "yeah? what's up, babi-" "my manager called, can you call your grandpa to drive me to the train station?"

-> he froze still before letting go of his water bottle

-> "your... manager? like sports manager?"

-> you sighed "no, my manager told me I have to go to the studio because the producer is there and I have to be there in 30 minutes-"

-> let him catch up please, he's a bit slow

-> "wait. wait, wait, wait , wait. hold up. you? in a studio? like, a music studio? where you record songs with microphones and that-"

-> "yes. now please, can you call your grandpa-"

-> "YOU'RE A SINGER?"

-> "I play the guitar but ye-"

-> "AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?"

-> he's lowkey kind of offended

-> when you got home from the recording studio at around 01.47 am, Yū was still up, staring wide eyed at his laptop

-> "Yū? what are you doing up?" you closed the dorm room door before getting in your slippers and walking to Yū's and yours bunk bed.

-> you sat down halfway behind him, resting your head on his shoulder "whatcha researching?"

-> you try not to smile too widely as he clicks on his search bar on YouTube again to type something new and his search history pops up. all kinds of ways to find different rock bands. he was searching for your band name

-> "Yū... you're searching for my band?" he blushed in embarrassment before nodding

-> you reached in front of him and typed in the name, clicking on the channel of music, covers of songs, music videos and vlogs from the studio etc.

-> you two ended up using all night on listening, talking and discussing the music. you explained how you started a band with some old friends back in the start of middle school and it all ended up working out really well

-> he buys all your merch

-> so supportive, please

-> he's just so adorable and always goes to your concerts, filming and taking pictures

-> whenever there's a new song, he wants spoilers

-> when he catches you practicing, he want's you to teach him

-> he doesn't really love the music but he enjoys it, as long as he's with you

♡︎ 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢 𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐝ō

-> he has a fanpage.

-> you were apart of a anonymous band, never showed your face, always wore masks

-> he never knew before he caught you practicing in the lunch break

-> you were tapping a few stones with your drumsticks, Satori immediately recognising the melody

-> "you listen to ____?!"

-> you almost shat your pants when you looked at him.

-> "uh.. sure, I do-"

-> "that's so cool!"

-> "I guess so-" you had looked at him, trying not to laugh

-> he would immediately give you one of his earbuds so you could listen together

-> you wanted to cringe at the sound of your faint back-up vocals. you had never sung in front of him, you always thought it was the best way to keep your secret

-> a few days passed since that day, neither of you really talked about it more before Satori came running to you with his phone

-> "y/n!! y/n, have you heard?! ____ are doing face reveals soon!! Isn't that so cool?!"

-> so when the day the new music video without masks would air, he decided that you two of course had to watch it together

-> so he set up his phone to the tv, plugging in the speakers and got ready

-> you were awkwardly smiling at him from the corner of the sofa

-> when the band of four was on the screen, all wearing their resigned masks, Satori went wild

-> and when they one by one revealed their faces? he's gone

-> the lead singer started, your neighbour, actually. then the bassist, who was a childhood friend of yours. then the guitarist, your neighbours twin brother

-> and then you, the drummer

-> in the video, you were playing, smoke and bright lights around you before you threw your head back, the mask flying off

-> it took a second for Satori to realise what was going on before he paused it

-> he stared at your paused face on the screen as you were biting your nails in the sofa of pure fear for his reaction

-> then he stared at you

-> then at the tv

-> then back at you

-> "YOU CAN SING?"

-> "... I only do back-up vocals-"

-> " YOU'RE A ROCK STAR?"

-> "HOW COULD YOU KEEP THIS A SECRET FROM ME?"

-> you had laughed so hard when he had asked where the fuck you had practiced and kept all your stuff

-> "WE LIVE TOGETHER? IN A HIGH SCHOOL DORM. IT'S TINY. H-HOW- WHERE?"

-> overall, hes shocked, proud, amazed, even more in love and lost

-> he's really supportive tho and asked if he could try on your mask and sign a few things for him

-> you had asked why he'd want you to sign anything when you're right there, and his partner

-> he attended as many concerts as possible after that, always having front row seats and becoming the leader of the official fan club

-> he became your bodyguard at school too

-> he once showed up in a suit and wearing a single black ear bud to act like he was calling for backup

♡︎ 𝐒𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐊ō𝐬𝐡𝐢

-> he is not a fan of rock music, it's quite obvious to anyone

-> he knows a few tracks because it's the music you like

-> you had been in the band for only a few months but it was already insanely popular

-> somehow, you had managed to not be recognised outside

-> maybe your band hadn't quite reached the town yet.

-> you had started a live back at the dorm, knowing it was late practice

-> you had told Kōshi to text you when he left the gym so you had time to say bye to the fans and put all the lightning down and such

-> you leaned a bit closer to the screen to read a few of the comments "do you have a partner?" you read out loud and chuckled as you leant back again

-> "i do, i do in fact yeah. he'll be back from practice in uuh..." you checked the time "about 10 minutes actually. looks like I have to go soon." you smiled at the camera

-> the comment section was flooded with 'dammit's, 'bye, take care's and 'already?!'s

-> you chuckled as you nodded, explaining a bit about how being part time rock star and a third year in high school is hard to balance

-> you kept rambling, not noticing the notification you got

-> 'I'm leaving the gym now, ill see you in 5'

-> and before you knew it, Kōshi's voice rang through the small dorm room

-> you almost died right there as you widened your eyes and quickly rushed out a "bye guys, ill see you next live!" before ending the live

-> you reached to turn off the ring light before Kōshi walked in, sliding off his shoulder bag

-> "what are you up to?" he stared a bit confused at you as you searched for a good excuse

-> "i was uh- taking self-portraits?"

-> Kōshi tilted his head like a confused puppy before he put his bag down, walking to the opposite side of the room to change into something more comfortable

-> "didn't know you were into photography" he said, puling on a big hoodie

-> "I didn't know either." you grumbled under your breath, folding the ring light together

-> "can I see some of the pictures?"

-> you froze a bit. could he? well he did.

-> he picked up your phone, typing in his birthday and stared at the screen

-> your bands instagram account was open, pictures of you and the band smiling widely and short videos from concerts as well as you being carried by the rest of the band while you held up a golden coloured bass

-> "uh... you're in a band?" you stared at you

-> you just stared back, you didn't really know what to do

-> "yeah... bassist-"

-> Kōshi broke out in a wide, and a little awkward, smile. he put the phone back down

-> "I'm so proud of you! why didn't you tell me? I would love to go to one of your concerts or practices." he sat down

-> you climbed to him, hugging him

-> "pfft, i don't quite think any of my music is quite your taste, love."

-> "I'll support you either way." he moved you onto his lap, resting his hands on your hips

-> "even if its hardcore rock?"

-> his face pulled a weird expression before he smiled and pecked your lips

-> "even if its hardcore rock."

♡︎ 𝐈𝐰𝐚𝐳𝐮����𝐢 𝐇𝐚𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐞

-> he already knew.

-> even though it was a anonymous band, he knew

-> he found out after he recognised a few of the rings in a music video

-> you were the lead guitarist and you played both the electric and acoustic guitar very well

-> you'd usually bring your acoustic guitar when you had to drive for long with the team bus, to keep your boyfriend and his friends entertained

-> while you were sitting in the back row seats, hunched over your guitar as you searched for songs to play, some of the boys (including your boyfriend, Hajime) up front were discussing a few bands

-> your ears easily picked up the name of your band and you couldn't help but smile as you put your phone down, starting to play one of your slower songs

-> every rock band has their slower songs

-> the bus went quiet when you started singing too. you were nowhere near your lead singers skills, but you managed

-> Hajime couldn't help but smile proudly as he watched you, your fingers playing the strings just right

-> when you finished, the boys clapped (Tōru wolf whistling loudly from the front of the bus)

-> you laughed as they fell into their usual conversations again

-> Hajime stood up and walked down to the back row, sitting down beside you

-> he took the guitar from you, lowly starting to play the intro to one of your older songs

-> you widened your eyes a bit, smiling amused

-> "I didn't know you played, babe" you took the guitar back, adjusting the strings

-> "a boyfriend has to support their partners carrier, don't you think?" he was almost whispering but you heard it clear as day

-> you started at him

-> "how did you know..."

-> he held your right hand and showed you the ring he had gifted you as your first year anniversary gift

-> "I know my gifts when I see them." he pecked your knuckles before looking at the guitar again

-> you blushed softly ad smiled widely "whatever"

-> he leaned back again as the bus came to a stop. you almost angrily stood up

-> you had wanted to surprise him with it one day

-> "go little rockstar." he joked before you flipped him off, stepping off the bus

-> he's overall a really supportive boyfriend, buying a few of the albums when sales are low (in secret of course) and recommending your music to anybody who asks about music recommendations

-> he got to go to a few concerts but he didn't go to all of them

-> he did wear your band t-shirts for practice once in a while

-> your music was always playing in the dorm and it motivated him in some weird way

♡︎ 𝐊𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐨 𝐓𝐞𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐫ō

-> my man right here is so confident about it

-> he was with you when you started and he will be with you when it ends

-> your band had gotten real big.

-> like

-> real big

-> you were currently on a world tour, your last concert lined up with the day of Tetsurō and his team competing in the nationals

-> you were both so proud of each-other

-> you had a big secret up your sleeve though

-> your team had been invited to play in the break and you were fired up about it

-> you were currently in the changing room with the rest of your band, warming up and getting the last touch-ups

-> Tetsurō was in the gym that was currently being ripped down of any volleyball nets and so on

-> everybody was confused

-> "Tetsurō... what's going on?"

-> "i don't know Kenma-"

-> and boom.

-> smoke was everywhere, the lights where gone and the sharp sound of drumsticks hitting the drums once screamed through the arena. then twice.

-> and then lights turned on, you were standing on the very front of the scene, grinning widely as your eyes frantically searched for Tetsurō's

-> you began singing as the song went on, everyone rushing to get as close as possible

-> Tetsurō, Kōtarō, Shōyō and Tōru being way ahead of just about everyone else

-> a few songs later, everybody sweaty from jumping and having fun, you shushed them

-> "I'm not gonna do some big speech now. I'm just shortly going to thank all the fans for supporting the band and making our first world tour possible."

-> everyone was roaring

-> you laughed and let out a quick "and thank you Tetsurō for supporting me, I love you very much, THANK YOU"

-> Tetsurō was a blushing mess as he started at you, a few people wolf whistling and yelling as you grabbed your band members hands and bowed

-> Tetsurō was so happy until he realised his shocked and flustered face had been on the big screens

-> man went viral

-> now he wasn't just an amazing volleyball player, he was a rockstars blessed boyfriend

-> he went to every. single. concert.

-> he made you sign his volleyball

-> then you made him sign your mic

-> he's just the most supportive little (big) bean ever

[mc-lukanette]

Blanketed in Affection

Luka sighed, moving his hand away from the strings on his guitar and flexing his fingers. It was cold, his brain lost for melodies and his body stiff from the icy temperature. The Liberty never provided much insulation, so the cold was always rough for him.

He heard a soft whine from the side and looked to see Marinette having the same dilemma, her hand holding her pencil against her sketchbook but doing nothing with it. Finally, she groaned, shoving both objects to the side and crossing her arms.

Her eyes met his, and she gave him a once over before asking, "You too?"

He grinned sheepishly, setting his guitar aside. "Yeah."

She pouted. "Blankets it is then." Pausing, metaphorical gears turned before she shot up enthusiastically. "Oh!"

Luka watched as she got up, hurrying over to her bag resting on the floor. She shivered a bit, seeming to realize the mistake of uncurling herself, but nevertheless bent down to dig into her bag.

"Maman told me to bring this in case it got too cold."

At first, Luka thought it was just a large blanket, but then he saw two notable, thick wires sticking out of it.

Marinette presented it to him proudly. "It's an electric blanket! Watch!"

He pulled his hands away when she went and dumped the blanket onto his lap, afraid of his cold hands accidentally brushing her and just making her even colder. Thankfully, Marinette didn't seem offended, too focused on turning away and moving to plug the device the wires were attached to into the wall. The device lit up, a red '0' on the screen, and there were simple down and up arrows below it.

She tapped the up arrow a couple times, and Luka giggled when she tapped it even more after some thought.

It wasn't instantaneous, but Luka felt his lap start to warm up. He placed his hands on the blanket, brushing a hand experimentally along the fabric to confirm that it was indeed working. Marinette must've noticed that it was effective, given the way she beamed at him.

But then, the smile suddenly vanished, a blush taking its place. Luka blinked in confusion, then noticed the way her eyes flickered from him to the blanket, then back to him.

Oh. That's right. It was only one blanket.

"Marinette, it's okay," he assured. "I'll be fine, I'm used to this. Really, you—"

"No!" she insisted. "You have to be warm too! We..." She bit her bottom lip, then peeks up at his shyly. "We'll just have to share it?"

Luka involuntarily sucked in a breath, his fingers briefly clutching the blanket before he got himself under control. Marinette bent over, taking the blanket in her hands as she opened it as best as she could, gauging its length.

"Um..." She shifted, holding the fabric to her chest. "I don't think it'll wrap around both of us."

That made sense; her parents probably got that blanket only for her, and it wasn't made for sitting up, nor for two people sitting side-by-side; their fronts would be exposed to the cold.

The brief image of them laying on his bed - the blanket comfortably over them - flashed in Luka's mind, and he buried it. Judging from the way Marinette's blush increased, she may've thought about it too.

"It won't work," he said, half to himself for that fantasy and half to her. "You need it more than I do, and I have a lot of blankets."

"But not electric ones," she gently accused. He didn't answer, but she knew she was right.

Going back and forth with her wasn't an option - they'd both just stay cold that way. Luka looked up carefully, trying to figure out a way to convince her, but he was drawing a blank.

Then, Marinette's expression saddened. She stepped back, ducking her head as she stared at the floor.

"Marinette?" he called carefully, raising his hands towards her without touching her.

She looked at him, then away, embarrassed. "W-would you be that uncomfortable with me?"

"What?" He gaped, not knowing where she could’ve been coming from. "What do you mean?"

"I just—we'd be warm, and it's okay if you don't want to. I hoped—I thought—but you keep saying..."

Oh. She thought he was trying to get out of it.

Luka stood immediately, waving his hands in protest. "No, Marinette, of course not. I don't want you to be uncomfortable!"

She looked up at him. "Why would I be uncomfortable?"

The genuine confusion in her voice made his heart pound even worse than it already was, any of his body heat located solely in the blush on his face.

"I..." He trailed off, at a loss for an argument. "You wouldn't be?"

She shook her head, then raised the blanket to shyly cover the lower half of her face. "N-no. I'm always comfortable around you."

He swallowed. "It...it's the same with me, Marinette," he admitted. "It just means getting to listen to your melody a little closer."

She paused, taking a notable breath, then wiggled her hips sheepishly, still clearly cold. The red blush of her face was beautiful, and he saw it even closer as she took a step forward.

He fell back onto the couch, staring at her as she shifted the blanket to rest over her shoulders. She grabbed a corner with each hand and spread her arms out, at which point Luka realized that this was all really happening.

Marinette stepped forward again, now hovering over him. She hesitated, looking for signs of rejection, but he gave none, so she raised a knee to press down near his side and the other knee followed suit on his other.

In one swift motion, she was on his lap and her arms came around him in a tight hug, the blanket's warmth encompassing them. Luka let out a gasp at the multiple sensations, his mind screaming for more as his arms moved to return the hug. Marinette's face pressed in-between his neck and shoulder while he hid his own face into her hair.

They both let out a pleasant sigh of comfort, neither planning on leaving the hold any time soon.

[xlostinobsessionsx]

Everything has changed | Charlie Gillespie

Pairing: Charlie Gillespie x female Reader

Word Count: 2,854

Warnings: None, just tooth-rotting fluff

Hello, lovely fantoms! 👻💞

I’ve written my first Charlie Gillespie imagine ever. It’s been a while since I’ve last written anything. Furthermore I’ve never written anything in English because it’s not my native language.

A really really big thank you goes to @bass-ic-deaky 💕

Thank you for going out of your way to not only correct my syntax and grammar but also to even writing an entire part of it and making it way more emotional! (A/N: She refined the airport scene and now it makes me cry!) 💗

I hope you enjoy it!

(It’s based on the song Everything has changed by Taylor Swift ft. Ed Sheeran)

Masterlist

The first season of Julie and the Phantoms had been a huge success. It wasn’t long after for the second season to be announced. Kenny Ortega wanted to support even more young talent this time and had decided to give young songwriters a chance to write a song for the show. When (Y/N) had learned about this, she quickly had sent drafts of some of her songs to the executives in charge. (Y/N) couldn't believe it when she was invited a few weeks later to go to Vancouver to become part of the show. (Y/N) was not only allowed to attend the vocal coaching and the recordings of the songs, but also to be present during the shooting of the scenes for which she had written the song. The song was used for one of the performances of the band Julie and the Phantoms so (Y/N) hung around a lot with Madison and the boys. They all got on very well and (Y/N) liked each of them a lot. However she had to admit to herself that she had a crush on the canadian. Just a little one. Alright, maybe a big one, but she would never admit it.

(Y/N) always brought her guitar to set, so that she could play a bit in between takes. She was sitting apart from the actors, who were eating lunch, not feeling that hungry today. Not playing too loud to prevent her from disturbing anyone, (Y/N) lightly strummed her guitar strings before softly, she began to sing. 

All I knew this morning when I woke

Is I know something now, know something now I didn't before

This was how (Y/N) had felt the first morning on set. She had been so nervous that she had been trembling slightly. What if the cast didn’t like her song? Even if she had been afraid, she knew that this was a unique chance. It had been a step out of her comfort zone and she had been aware that a lot of new things would be coming her way. 

And all I've seen since 18 hours ago

Is green eyes and freckles

And your smile in the back of my mind making me feel like

The first time her eyes had met the ones of the young actor (Y/N) couldn’t stop thinking about him. From day one Charlie had been incredulously nice to her, trying to make her feel comfortable on set. He had made sure to let her know how much he liked the song she had written for the show. At the end of the first day she had gone home with a big smile on her face, thought of Charlie clouding her mind. 

I just want to know you better, know you better, know you better now

(Y/N) had wanted to know more about him. And with every new bit of information she got from him about himself, her interest only grew and her heart beat faster and faster. 

Suddenly, someone sat down next to her. She looked up, slightly startled. Charlie chuckled “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. That sounded really good.” He complimented her with a wide smile. (Y/N) felt her cheeks turning crimson. “Is it yours? That song I mean.” He asked curiously. 

(Y/N) nodded, hoping that Charlie hadn’t heard much of the lyrics. “Yeah, but it’s not finished yet. I can't seem to get any further from there.” She sighed. 

“I could help you!” The young actor offered joyfully, as he quickly took the last bite of his pizza before wiping his hands as he turned to her. 

“Uhm, you don’t have to.” (Y/N) nervously answered, feeling her face heat up further. She knew her feelings were unreciprocated and working with him on a song would only make things worse. 

“Come on, it’ll be fun!” Charlie smiled brightly at her. 

She paused, taking in his bright smile and the sincerity within his eyes. “Okay, fine.” (Y/N) gave in. 

“Play the beginning again.” Charlie requested. (Y/N) took a deep breath, hoping the actor also won’t notice that it was about him. She started to play the song from the beginning and slowed to a stop at the same spot she did before. Charlie looked thoughtfully at her. “Hmmm, okay. So if I got this right, it’s a love song, right?” He asked her. (Y/N) nodded shyly. “Well, if you tell a story about two people meeting for the first time, why not go on from there? May I?” He pointed at the guitar. (Y/N) gave it to him relieved he didn’t catch up on her feelings for him yet. Slowly the actor started to play a few chords until he settled for a melody fitting the one she had played before.

Cause all I know is we said hello

His eyes met hers, a big smile forming on his lips.

And your eyes look like coming home

All I know is a simple name

He slowly came to a stop, unable to think of the next line. (Y/N) hoped he would just never stop singing to her. “What do you think of that?” Charlie interrupted her thoughts. 

(Y/N) cleared her throat, shaking out her thoughts. “It sounds really good.” She complimented with a smile. “Could you maybe start again and this time end with G?” She asked him. Charlie nodded and started to play and sing the same part again he had just made up.

'Cause all I know is we said hello

And your eyes look like coming home

All I know is a simple name

Everything has changed

(Y/N) sang when Charlie played the G-chord. He looked up at her surprised. “Wow, this is amazing! The line is so fitting! Everything has changed, (Y/N) you’re a genius!” He exclaimed with a grin that stretched from ear to ear. 

(Y/N) giggled, happy that Charlie liked it. “Thanks, Charlie.” She smiled brightly at him. With a nod Charlie started to play again. 

All I know was you held the door

(Y/N) suggested, still remembering when Charlie had held the big doors that led inside the massive building with all the sets inside open for her. Charlie nodded encouraging her to continue but the words that almost left her lips next were too much. Instead Charlie continued, eyes never leaving hers. 

And you'll be mine and I'll be yours

All I know since yesterday

Is everything has changed

He finished the chorus. Shocked, (Y/N) looked at him with big eyes. It was like Charlie had read her thoughts. But he couldn’t have. He was just trying to write a love song. He couldn’t feel the same about her! They just stared into each other’s eyes. A soft smile was forming on Charlie’s lips, so contagious that when it made any panic she felt go away, she had to smile herself. They were really having a moment, but all moments must come to an end. “We need you two on set again.” Kenny informed them from across the room. Charlie nodded at Kenny and rose from his spot next to her. The actor held out his hand for her. “You good to go?” He asked her. (Y/N) nodded and took his hand following him into the halls where they were filming the next scene.

Soon, it was (Y/N)’s last day on set. The scene in which her song was sung had been recorded. She said her goodbyes to everyone, one by one. “We have something for you!” Madison smiled at her. “So that you won’t forget us.” She gave (Y/N) a small box. Carefully, (Y/N) opened it. Inside was a necklace with a small pendant, which looked like a dahlia. 

Tears were forming in (Y/N)’s eyes as she looked up at the cast, all grinning widely at her. “Thank you all so much for everything!” She hugged each of them goodbye. Charlie had insisted on taking her to the airport. They slowly walked through the halls, taking their time, wanting to spend every moment they had left with each other. Slowly, (Y/N) turned to face him when they arrived at security, as far as Charlie could go with her. A small sad smile was visible on his lips. “I’m gonna miss you.” (Y/N) admitted shyly. 

Immediately she was pulled into a tight hug. “I’m gonna miss you more.” Charlie mumbled quietly into the crook of her neck. Slowly they pulled back from the hug, Charlie’s hands were still firmly situated around her waist, sending an electric jolt through her body. They looked deeply into each other’s eyes, each sparkling with a certain emotion neither could place. (Y/N) felt her heart pounding wildly as she saw his eyes flick downward. Did she just witness his gaze wander to her lips? No, that must’ve been her imagination. There was no way he liked her like that, but even still there was no denying the chemistry between them, the magnetism that pulled them toward one another. He was all she could see. (Y/N) could’ve stayed there forever with Charlie. Even as people hustled about the pair, all shouting, all rushing to catch their planes, it felt as though they were the only two people in the world. It was just them in their moment of pure bliss. All that mattered in this moment was Charlie, and him alone. She felt her heart speed up as she subconsciously found herself, just as Charlie had, leaning in closer to the actor. They were well and truly going to share a moment. But all moments must come to an end. “Flight AA73 will be boarding at gate 77 in forty-five minutes.” A voice came over the loudspeaker announcing details of her flight, effectively breaking their bubble of bliss.

“Your flight is going to depart soon, too.” He sighed, offering her a crooked smile. She nodded, a pang of sadness radiating through her chest. Slowly and reluctantly, he let her go, hands lingering on her for as long as physically possible, so she could go through security. As she neared the metal detectors (Y/N) turned around one last time to see the brunette still standing there. Her (e/c) gaze caught his. He offered her one last grin, sadness barely evident on his face as he waved. She returned the smile, returning a small wave before she disappeared from his sight. During her flight, (Y/N) tried to keep her mind busy, trying with great effort to not think about Charlie. Reading a book, watching a movie, listening to music, none of it helped. Her thoughts always returned to the brunette actor and that sweetly goofy grin of his. Every time she closed her eyes he was there, preventing her from falling asleep. 

Once (Y/N) got home, she put her suitcases in a corner before flopping down on her bed. Tiredly, she looked at her phone, which showed that she had received several messages. “Hope your flight was good and that you arrived home safely. Can’t wait to see you again!” Madi had sent her. Owen and Jeremy also had sent her messages, but one particular  message caught her eyes. 

Come back and tell me why

I'm feeling like I've missed you all this time

Her heart was pounding so quickly, it felt as though it would jump out of her chest at any moment. Did Charlie maybe feel the same way? It was hopeless even if he did, she would probably never see him again. Only if she visited him or the other way around. Such a meeting would come about in a few weeks. Until then, (Y/N) could only dream of at that moment. 

Once they finished the filming of season two, Charlie was back in Los Angeles. He immediately called her. “Hey, how have you been?” He asked her excitedly. 

“Good so far. Missing the time on set though.” She replied, glad to hear his voice again. 

“We missed you, too!” He told her, a smile tugging on his lips. “I missed you.” He added quickly after. “I actually missed you so much that I might’ve bought a ticket for you to come visit me in LA, you know, because you said you’ve never been.”

“You did what?” She asked in disbelief. 

“Yeah, I’m gonna send it to you. And...now it should be in your e-mail.” She could hear his smile through the phone. (Y/N) opened up her mailbox and sure enough, there was a message from Charlie. 

“You’re crazy!” She exclaimed. 

The boy on the other end of the line laughed. “See you in three days!” 

Los Angeles was great but spending time with Charlie was even better. (Y/N) had planned to stay at least a week so they had enough time together. Charlie first had shown her around his neighbourhood, taking her around all his old haunts. They had been to the beach together and had eaten at all of his favourite restaurants and cafes. But what she adored most about her trip was doing ordinary, usually mundane tasks together like cooking or watching a movie in the evening or even just jamming out a bit. Sometimes (Y/N) thought that this was how it would be to be in a relationship with him. “I’m going to run to the grocery store real quick.” He informed her one evening. (Y/N) was sitting on his couch scrolling through Netflix, trying to find a movie they could watch later. She nodded. “Do you need anything?” He asked her. (Y/N) shook her head. “Okay, I’m gonna hurry. Don’t do something stupid while I’m gone!” 

(Y/N) giggled softly. “Shouldn’t I saying that to you? You’re the chaotic one.” 

Charlie laughed. “Yeah yeah, I know. Be back soon.” He said while closing the door. (Y/N) huffed, not able to find a film they could watch. She decided to wait for Charlie to come back so that they could choose one together. She reached for her guitar she specifically brought to play together with Charlie. Softly she began to sing.

'Cause all I know is we said hello

And your eyes look like coming home

All I know is a simple name

Everything has changed

All I know was you held the door

And you'll be mine and I'll be yours

All I know since yesterday

Is everything has changed

Come back and tell me why

I’m feeling like I’ve missed you all this time

And meet me there tonight

Let me know that it’s not all in my mind 

When Charlie had sent her the message she couldn’t get it out of her head for days so she decided to include it in the song. (Y/N) was so engrossed that she hadn't heard the front door open. Charlie was already back and standing behind her. “Did you finish the song? I thought we wanted to finish it together! And was that the message I sent you when you went back home?” He rambled with a furrowed brow. 

(Y/N) turned to look at him with wide eyes, her cheeks taking a faint shade of red. “Charlie I - “ She began. 

The actor took a seat next to her. “Why did you put it in the song? I mean it fits the entire love story thing because it sounds like a confession but…” He trailed off as he realised what he had said, his eyes grew wide. He had the feeling that he might have just admitted how he felt towards her. His cheeks turned crimson. 

“Wait….are you - “ (Y/N) cleared her throat, which suddenly felt quite dry. “Are you saying you like me?” She asked, the hope inside of her started to grow. Maybe he did feel the same way after all. 

“No! Charlie quickly exclaimed. Suddenly (Y/N)’s eyes grew sad. “I mean...maybe…” The actor quickly back peddled. “What if I am?” He nervously rubbed his neck. 

“Well, uhm…” (Y/N) nervously fumbled with her hair “If you are then I would too…maybe… even though I don’t really have to because the entire song is one, I guess.” She shyly shrugged. 

Charlie`s eyes grew wide “Wait...are you saying the song is about me? About us?” A big smile formed on his lips. (Y/N) nodded slowly making Charlie sighed, absolutely relieved. “May I?” He pointed to the guitar. She nodded handing it to him. He took it from her and placed it on the ground. (Y/N) looked confused at him. “It would have been in the way.” Charlie explained quietly as he gently grabbed her face, pulled her close to meet him in a soft, tender kiss. 

Slowly they detached from one another, each smiling brighter than the other. (Y/N) chuckled “I can’t believe you feel the same!”. 

“Well, I thought I let you know that it’s not all in your mind.” He quoted her. 

(Y/N) laughed. “What do you think?” Charlie picked up her guitar and gave it to her. 

He reached behind him where his guitar lay and placed it in his hands. “Should we play the song again? Together?” (Y/N) nodded joyfully. She took a deep breath, still trying to register what just had happened. Charlie smiled softly at her “You good to go?”

[putseraphinaonthaphone]

Chromatic

Classical Pianist Katsuki Bakugou has a favorite coffee shop on the short walk from his studio back to his apartment. It's small, 24 hours, and has a stage that's always free for musicians to use. And it's run by you, a would be musician who's a better baker and coffee maker-that he can't stop coming back to see.

@nanamisbento & @hanji-is-life both made a world of difference in making me feel confident enough to write this as a full drabble, so thank y'all <3 y'all are sweethearts and I love this au so muchhhh

~light angst, slow burn, black!queer!reader, musician au~

"Cross my heart hope to die, I ain't got no love to give," you plucked at the guitar strings lazily your eyes focused on nothing but the strings and trying not to cry- and if felt like your alto voice was fighting through gravel. Huskier than normal, verging on tenor like you always dreamed about, and you were too fucking sad to enjoy it.

You missed your friend, you missed talking to him. Teasing him, making him laugh. And worse, you knew the home he went back to wasn't the healthiest. You knew all too well how a house could be so much worse than the stress of school.

"Baby boy so goddamn fine, swear you give me a peace of mind," and it was true. Just being near him, talking about poetry, anything, made you feel so calm. Fuck you missed him.

"Swear you make this young girl go crazy," If some tears fell onto your fretboard at least it was late enough that no one would come in until the morning rush.

"Now how could a man like you want somebody, so incredibly immature, insecure just like me?" Because he was just as insecure as you. It's why you two would talk on the phone for hours on end, about all your fears and worries, as much as your happiness. He was the friend you could talk about the lowest lows with because neither of you were afraid or unfamiliar with rock bottom- mentally, emotionally.

You slipped the strap of your electric guitar over your head and put it back on the rack (you left it out for musicians of all kinds to play when they felt inspired by your shop's vibes) and wiped your aching eyes. You didn't see or hear Bakugou slip back out the side door he'd came in through.

~

He'd first started coming in April, when the Washington rain was too torrential not to seek cover. He'd walked in soaking wet and spitting curses as he shut the door behind him. Ash blond hair and garnet eyes plus a jawline you'd cut yourself on meant you were half way infatuated before he even ordered.

"Black coffee with extra raw sugar, and whatever bread you have that's not sweet." It was a rumbling bass of a voice and damnit now you were officially in love- but then you noticed a case that you guessed carried an electric keyboard by the shape at his feet and in your excitement (that distracted you from his stunningly pretty face enough you could talk to him without tripping over your words like you were sure you were going to when you first came to take his order) you grinned at him so genuinely he forgot he was pissed.

"Sure thing, but just so you know- we have a permanent open mic set up here. You can play whatever instruments of mine you'd like to use, or you could set up your keyboard. It's great to see more musicians in here." You meant it, he could see in the way you seemed to light up like fireworks just talking about it.

"..Maybe next time." He tried to say hell no I'm never coming back to this tiny ass shop, do you know the size of the stages I usually play?!

But how could he regret his grumbled words when you clutched your small notepad to your chest and asked him in a rush (with a sparkle in your big doe brown eyes that didn't match your shaved head or heavy silver rings and earrings but was adorable nonetheless) "You mean it? You'd play here?"

It wasn't the same eagerness of ochestral directors prepared to embarrass themselves for a chance for The Katsuki Bakugou, classical pianist prodigy, to play with their ensembles. It was just a person who loved music and ran a tiny well cared for shop that was full of second hand furniture and mismatch cutlery and china, that was excited at the thought of music being played at all.

"Why not? I could play some of my own compositions for once instead of another goddamn Bach piece." You must have been imagining the blush on his cheeks because it was gone in seconds, and he was glaring at you with only the slightest of smiles taking the sting out of his words. "But am I going to get that coffee before I catch a cold from the fucking rain currently soaking my fucking clothes?"

Now it was your turn to feel heat burning in your cheeks as you sheepishly saluted "Right, coffee," and ran back to your bar to start his order. You found some fresh plain yeast rolls on the top shelf of your display case and an old towel in your supply closet. And if you didn't think about how much of a dork you made of yourself in front of your hottest customer to date your hands didn't shake when you put together his coffee in the largest cup you could find.

"Least sweet bread I have, black coffee with a fuck ton of raw sugar.." You winked to (hopefully) let the blond know you were kidding, "and a towel to make sure you'll survive long enough to play for me sometime."

He snorted and snatched the towel from your hands, starting to rub it vigorously over his hair with a blatant lack of fucks for how fluffy and wild it made it hair, but it seemed to you that there was humor in his voice as he sighed, "That depends on how good your shitty coffee is."

~

He started coming in on the regular after that. Sometimes dressed in a suit, that he was all but ripping off until he could roll up the sleeves of his dress shirt and unbutton the collar so he could breathe. (The first time you saw the bare column of his throat and the obvious strength of his chest meeting the delicate structure of his collar bones, you had to blame lifting heavy bags of coffee beans for your breathlessness.)

Sometimes he came from the opposite direction, dressed in jeans and old tshirts when it finally started warming up. He brought in his keyboard on those days and played a range of compositions you knew were his without him having to tell you. His left hand was more comfortable in the lower octaves of his keyboard when it was his own work, and there was more grief mixed in the bombastic anger that fueled the more staccato and forte phrases that had everyone in the small shop falling quiet to listen. Because it wasn't just hammering at the keys, it was complex harmonies of thirds and major sevenths that haunted the air even as he was moving on to the next phrase that was more of a murmur of echoing themes that passed back from hand to hand.

But your favorite times to see him was during your night shifts, when the shop was mostly deserted except for your quieter night owl regulars. Then he'd play pieces that were.. lullabies. Soft melodies and less minor chords than his daylight pieces. He'd take breaks in between pieces to come talk to you at the bar, ask your opinion on his playing- the genuine way he listened to your comments and compliments making your heart melt more than his good looks could have done alone.

And some nights, especially when it rains, he's telling you about the superficial nature of the classical music world and how sometimes he wishes he'd never gone into orchestral piano and just stayed in his old tiny but cozy apartment.

"Maybe we would've met anyway, and you'd still have this place and I'd come play for scraps on the weekends." And damn the wistfulness hits him hard, you can see it in the way his eyes soften for the first time in knowing him.

"I wouldn't let you play for scraps, it's tiny but it's my place. And your music would only add to the atmosphere. You'd get full employee wages and free coffee on the house." You're wistful too, and maybe it's the rain but you'd love for this dream to be real. Even for a moment.

~

You were sure you'd actually walk into being head over heels in love if he did one more sweet thing for you with his signature grumble and glare. But it was weird, ever since a few weeks back he'd stopped coming by as often. Looked at you strange when you teased him like you were both used to, and played pieces with more anger and sorrow than you'd ever heard from him before.

It was turning into the longest you hadn't seen him by the end of the week, so you were fucking furious when he strolled in one night.

Obviously coming from one of his bigger performances with the coattails and tuxedo tie, but no smile to show for it. Not even smugness in his eyes from a performance well done. He looked a little like shit actually, dark circles under his eyes and something indescribably sad in his garnet gaze that sought you out as soon as he walked in. It was the only thing that stopped you from completely ignoring his order when he came to the bar.

But you couldn't stop the obvious way your jaw was clenched while you worked, the hurt in your eyes when you set his coffee down in front of him.

He said your name, low and questioning, confusion growing on his perfect stupid face and that's when you couldn't take it anymore. He looked like shit, but you felt it. Losing one friend in a year was more than enough heart break for you. Having a friend, who you were already half in love with, start ghosting you on top of that? You weren't strong enough to take the highroad.

"Don't you fucking dare look at me like you don't understand. I don't understand why you decided our friendship doesn't mean shit to you anymore. If you were going to fucking ghost me I would've preferred if you'd done so before I started waiting for you to come by." You were glad no one was in the shop but the two of you when you realized somewhere along the line of yelling at him you started crying. Kat was looking at you with his mouth open in shock, and you didn't want to wait around to drag out your embarrassment.

But you were surprised when he came after. Calling your name again, moving quickly to get around the counter to follow you.

"Wait. Wait." His hand grabbed your wrist, the first time he touched you with no pretenses or excuses. The strength and gentleness of his hold only making it harder to stop your tears.

"I didn't mean to make you cry." You almost wished he'd go back to his more brash daylight self, you can't handle how quiet and gentle he gets in the early morning hours. Your heart was too soft on him already- even in your anger, you didn't resist when he pulled you close and cupped your cheeks. The pads of his thumbs wiping away your tears.

"You were crying that night too, when you were playing. I'd never heard you sing before." His fingers were on your lips, silencing you before you could even ask what the hell he was talking about. It was too much. Being unable to escape the way his eyes watched you, the way his voice got quiet- confessional.

"Let me finish. I heard you sing, and I saw you cry, and the thought of you crying for another man made me so angry I thought I'd die from how much I hated him. Whoever he was. So I stopped coming by as often. I didn't know that would hurt you.. I didn't think you would care if you were still heartbroken over some asshole." It was starting to make sense, starting to make you hope that maybe.. maybe he felt the same way you did.

"I get heartbroken over friends you know. Just friends." Your words are slightly muffled by his fingers, but its worth it to see the hope flare to life in his eyes.

How had you both missed it? All these months of longing.

"But the way you broke my heart by just not coming by? When I didn't even know what was wrong? That's worse than anything I've ever felt before-"

Your first kiss with Katsuki was salty from your tears, but it was okay.

He wanted your tears, your lips, you to be his and only his.

~

[karasuno-chaos]

Recommending Music (Tsukishima x Reader)

What do you think Tsukishima listens to with those headphones of his? 🎵  Also this one’s a bit long and a bit messy, sorry. -Giz

Word Count:  2,381

Fluffvember masterlist

The notebook started in middle school.  You’d befriended Yamaguchi almost immediately, but getting to know Tsukishima had taken some time.  After your first year, you could usually read the intention behind his snide remarks and hard stares, but you weren’t sure you qualified as a friend yet.  At least he tolerated you and allowed you to hang out with him and Yamaguchi sometimes, and you were willing to take what he’d give.

During lunch one day in the middle of your second year, you finally received some clarity.

“If we’re going to be friends, I have a list of songs you need to listen to.”

“You consider us friends?” you asked, feeling a rush of excitement.

“Obviously.”  His expression was annoyed, but he wasn’t being aggressive.  Sometimes you suspected that his frustration with himself surfaced as frustration with other people.

“Is it your top ten songs, Tsukki?” Yamaguchi asked, totally unphased by his friend’s frosty behavior.  “Has it changed at all?”

“Not really.  Pass me your notebook,” he requested, holding a hand out to you.

“Hang on, I don’t have one handy.”  You heard him sigh as you ran back to your desk, but you didn’t know what he’d expected.  You didn’t usually bring school work to lunch.  You grabbed a mostly-empty notebook from your desk and flipped it open to a blank page before slapping it down in front of him.

“Here you go.”

You opened your lunch and ate while he marked the page with his sharp, precise handwriting.  Yamaguchi watched over his shoulder.

“That one’s new,” he said, pointing to the eighth on the list.

“Shut up, Yamaguchi.”

“Sorry Tsukki.”

This common refrain between them had alarmed you at first, but neither friend was bothered by the words.  Like so many of Tsukishima’s remarks, it sounded more aggressive than he meant it to be.

“Here.”  He turned the notebook to face you, and you studied it curiously.  You’d heard of most of the songs, but some of them were unfamiliar.  He’d also written little notes next to a few of them, like “bass line” or “harmonies”.

“So I just need to listen to them?” you asked.  “You’re not going to quiz me or anything, right?”

“Why would I bother?” he scoffed, shifting his headphones from around his neck to over his ears.  You glanced at Yamaguchi who shrugged with a smile.  You looked at the notebook again.  Somehow this list felt like a confirmation that you had a place in their small but very close friend group, and it made you very happy.

A few days later, Tsukishima asked whether you’d listened to the songs yet.

“I have,” you replied confidently.

“Just once, or multiple times?”

“Multiple times.  You can’t fully appreciate a song after just one listen.”

He blinked at you, and a tiny shift in his expression told you that he was impressed.

“Tsukki had to tell me to try them several times at first,” Yamaguchi admitted.  You gave him a sympathetic shrug.  You didn’t want to admit that you’d been so thorough in an effort to impress Tsukishima.  Despite his confirmation that he considered you a friend, you still felt like you might be on a trial period with him.

“What did you appreciate about them then?” he asked, sitting back in his seat.

“Hang on, let me get my notes,” you said.

“You took notes?” Yamaguchi asked, also impressed.  He looked curiously at the notebook when you pulled it out.  You’d scribbled your thoughts next to Tsukishima’s concise script.  “You really took this seriously.”

“Was I not supposed to?” you asked, starting to feel embarrassed at the effort you’d made.

“Let me see,” Tsukishima said quietly.  You handed him the notebook and tried not to fidget too much while you waited for his reaction.  You braced yourself for the cutting remarks and cold criticisms you were fairly certain would come.

“What do you mean by ‘trying too hard’?” he asked after a bit, pointing to a note you’d made.

“The singer kept embellishing the melody like she was trying to impress the listener, and sometimes the guitar came on a little strong.  It was like they wanted to come across as serious musicians, but instead they sounded desperate.”

“The band was still pretty young when they first recorded this track.”

“I figured,” you said.

“Which is why some of those guitar riffs are so impressive,” he finished with the confidence of someone winning an argument.

“I’m not saying they’re not skilled,” you conceded, “but having the skills and using them well are two different things, and I think they could have done better.”

“Interesting.”  He looked at you critically, and there was that shift in his expression again that indicated he was impressed.  Your embarrassment left.  Maybe your extra effort had been worth it.

He asked you about some of your other notes or particular parts of some of the songs.  Yamaguchi chimed in, too, and you could imagine Tsukishima giving him a similar education in his musical tastes.  He didn’t speak with particular passion or aggressively impose his views, but he was much more focused than you normally saw him.  He was actually interested in what you had to say, and you rather liked having his attention.

As your lunch period drew to a close, Tsukishima flipped the page of your notebook and jotted down another few lines.

“Check these out next,” he said, and that’s how it started.  He’d tell you to listen to a few songs, you’d discuss what you thought of them, and you’d do it all again.  You ripped out what little school notes you’d had in your notebook, and it became dedicated to your music exchanges  After a while, you started recommending songs for him, too.  You enjoyed subjecting him to your musical tastes and defending your choices.  Yamaguchi participated sometimes, but the exchange was mainly between you and Tsukishima.

You were surprised when it continued through middle school into your first year of high school, but by then you had cemented your place in this little friend group.  You were pretty sure your debates over music had helped you win over Tsukishima.  At the very least, they helped you understand him better.  His song suggestions felt like snapshots into his mood or the way he viewed the world.  You wondered if he knew how much he told you through those songs when he couldn’t hide behind snide remarks and sneers.

“Ah, look at this.  The hotshot volleyball star graces us with his presence before taking off for the week,” you said in a teasing tone as Tsukishima and Yamaguchi met you at your locker after school.  The Shiratorizawa first year training camp started tomorrow, and you were taking every opportunity you could to tease your friend about it.  You’d noticed a heightened intent when he went to practice as though his attitude toward the sport had changed somehow.  You knew he was excited about his invitation to this camp even though he didn’t say anything.

“Whatever.”  There’s a hint of scorn in his voice as he brushes off your jest, but you’re not bothered by it.  His “whatever” is the refrain he’s given you, like telling Yamaguchi to shut up.  You were used to him hiding his feelings behind his words.

“You’ll be gone all week, right Tsukki?” your freckled friend asked.

“Right.”

“A whole week free of the king of the court and that annoying tangerine,” you said, mocking the way he sometimes talked about his teammates.  “I bet that’ll be fun.  Though you’ll have to work hard, and you won’t get to hang out with Yamaguchi all day, which sucks.”

“You won’t get to hang out with him or me, so who’s the real loser here?”

“Definitely me,” you sighed, leaning against Yamaguchi.  He patted your shoulder consolingly.

“You could always help Kiyoko and Yachi while we practice.”

“I’d rather not work harder than I have to during break.”

“Then you’ll have plenty of time to listen to these.”  Tsukishima tossed the music notebook at you.  You barely reacted fast enough to catch it.

“Hey, I was wondering where this went.”  You flipped to the new list and skimmed over it.  “Did you pick any good ones?”

“Obviously,” he smirked.  “Come on Yamaguchi.”

“Have fun,” you called as they headed off to practice.  “Let me know if you get bored of volleyball and want to hang.”

“Bye Y/N.”  Yamaguchi waved before turning to say something to Tsukishima.  Your taller friend didn’t turn back or spare you a farewell, but that wasn’t uncommon.  You’d message them both later anyway.

You didn’t get around to the new song recommendations until the next day.  After sleeping in a reasonable amount and enjoying an easy morning, you flopped onto your bed.  You compiled the songs into a playlist on your computer, put on your headphones, and hit play.

For your first listen, you always laid back and stared at your ceiling, letting the music spill over you uninterrupted.  The second and third listens were for writing notes and preparing your reviews for the debates.  Anything beyond that was purely for enjoyment.

After jotting your notes for this round, you let the playlist cycle into some of Tsukishima’s past recommendations.  You enjoyed most of the songs he’d suggested lately, and part of you wondered if he was taking your tastes into account or if your preferences had shifted the more you’d been exposed to his.  You flipped through the notebook to revisit the past playlists, laughing to yourself over some of the notes on the pages.  It was amusing to see how your handwriting had changed over the years.

You’d run out of blank pages in the notebook soon.  You wondered if Tsukishima would want to continue these music exchanges, or if they’d fall to the wayside as high school and activities demanded more time and attention.  You began counting how many pages were left when some script on the final page made you stop.

You reread the top line twice to make sure you weren’t seeing things.  Songs that make me think of you.  You sat up and looked at the page carefully.  There were a dozen songs on the list, and from the variance in script and ink color, you knew he must have added songs as they struck him.  When had he started the playlist?  How long had he been working on it?  He hadn’t written any notes next to the titles, so you weren’t sure what his intentions were, but you felt a pleasant squeeze in your chest.

You listened to that playlist four or five times uninterrupted, and each time you felt like you better understood what he was saying through the music.  You could feel the blush rising in your cheeks along with a feeling of happiness.  You’d been keeping your growing crush on Tsukishima a secret.  You never would have guessed he might feel the same, and based on the evidence that he’d been working on this playlist for a while, he’d been keeping his feelings a secret for a while, too.

You spent the rest of the afternoon figuring out how to respond.  Even if it was unexpectedly sudden, you knew you needed to act on this revelation today.  After dinner, you bundled up in your winter gear, grabbed the notebook, and headed over to his house.  You waited nearly an hour, pacing up and down his block, until you finally saw him walking home from the bus stop.  He slowed a little when he spotted you, pushing his headphones off of his ears to around his neck.

“Hi,” you greeted, feeling a little awkward but determined to get this over with.

“What are you doing?”  He was being careful by keeping his tone neutral, but you could tell he was curious.

“I listened to your playlist.”

“Okay.”

“Both of them.”

“Oh.”  You could almost see his guard come up.  You understood him so easily, you were amazed you hadn’t noticed his feelings before now.

“I made a playlist for you,” you said, opening the notebook and handing it to him.  He took it and looked over your selections, keeping his features neutral.  Waiting for him to react was torture, but you let him process the situation at his own pace.  After all, you’d just sprung this on him, whereas you’d had all afternoon to acclimate to the idea of sharing feelings.

“There are too many genre jumps,” he said eventually, and you rolled your eyes as he critiqued the flow of the playlist.  “It’s like listening whiplash.”

“It’s not about the listening experience, it’s about the message of the songs,” you said.  “If I’d expected you to actually listen to it, I would have put in more effort.”

“Maybe I should wait for you to put in that effort,” he smirked, handing you the notebook.

“Tsukishima,” you said.  The seriousness of your tone made his smirk drop back to a neutral expression.  “I know I’m kind of going out on a limb here, but I think I understood what you were trying to say with that secret playlist.  The truth is, I’ve liked you for a while, in a more-than-friends way, and based on the songs you picked, I think you might like me that way too.  So I picked a bunch of songs about falling in love and asking someone out to see if maybe you’d like to be my boyfriend.”

The emotional confession left you a little lightheaded, and you almost couldn’t look at him, but you did, and you saw the way his stare softened a little.

“After you redo that playlist,” he said, walking past you to go inside.

“Is that a yes?”

“It’s not a no.”  He turned back at the door.  “Depends on how good the playlist is.”

You knew he was teasing you.  He wasn’t shallow enough to make his decision solely based on your musical tastes, but you were willing to play along.

“Fine,” you agreed with a grin.  “Tomorrow night, I’ll have the best asking-you-out playlist you’ve ever heard, so be ready to be my boyfriend.”

“Whatever,” he said, but the corner of his mouth lifted in a genuine grin as he glanced at you one more time before heading inside.

[mouse-fantoms]

Juke 25 😊

From this prompt list for those curious

25. Wet kisses after finding refuge from the rain

Your other ask might take a second to work out but here’s what I got for this quick little write!

~~~

“How’s the band doing in preparation for their upcoming gig?” Flynn came into the studio unannounced.

She opened the doors to see the band in the question rehearsing a song of theirs. She was just able to catch a spilt look of the boys before they inevitably disappeared at the interruption, stopping their instrument playing.

“Ummm what gig?” Julie wondered where she sat at the keyboard.

She pulled out her phone and showed her what was on it. “Well think about it as an unofficial official one.”

“By the beach?”

“It’ll be the like the old days boys.” Luke seemed on board right away. “Outside, just you and the people walking by.”

“The gum we got in the case says otherwise.” Alex recalled a different experience.

“Think about it Jules!” Flynn began trying to get her on board. “Julie and the Phantoms, a beach summer jam.”

“It would have been nice if there was a bit more of a heads up earlier. Then we could have been rehearsing all this time.”

“Weren’t you guys just rehearsing?”

She shook her head. “Luke and I have lyrics down. We’re just trying to work out the music part to it. We have a little bit of a melody. Speaking of songs, we wouldn’t have any for that gig.”

“Well Luke has that one ‘Wick-”

“Alex!” Luke scolded through his teeth at the drummer.

“Oh yeah wasn’t the other part of that like bea-“

“Reg!” He did the same to the bassist. With cutting the boys off hoping they would get the hint that he didn’t want that song to be brought up.“It’s supposed to be a surprise when it’s ready.” He whispered, reminding him why he didn’t want her to know about if.

He darted his eyes to the curly haired girl, relived she didn’t seem to catch their conversation, being busy listening to Flynn.

“You don’t have to play a finished song at the beach jam. You could just play what you have so far to it, that would also get your guys’ fans excited for your new music. Come on Julie, what do you say?”

She looked away from Flynn’s begging eyes over to the boys, or empty space in front of her to Flynn.

“It could be fun!” Reggie answered optimistic first.

“It would be neat to see how people would react to what we have so far.” Luke input, getting a small smile from Julie.

Meanwhile Alex brought up his concern. “What if sand gets in my drums?”

“We can just play on the sidewalk,” Julie answered, “right before you get to the sandy part of the beach. Plus, you have ghost drums. Sand might not get stuck to them.”

“Then yeah let’s do it.” He smiled.

She looked back to Flynn with a smile. “It’s a gig then.”

“Great.” Flynn headed for the door, satisfied with her visit. “Because your 890 likes agree.”

~~~

“It’s just a little sprinkle.” Luke had said. “We’ll be fine.” He stated when Julie felt droplets from the sky land on her forehead.

The band was set up to play on the sidewalk. When the boys poofed to the sidewalk, their instruments came with them. Reggie was sat on top of his amp, tuning his bass. Luke was doing the same with his guitar. Then Alex with his drums. Julie stood by them, she dressed in more casual clothes compared to their other gigs since this wasn’t necessarily a gig gig for them. She was looking cautious around the street.

“What’s wrong boss?” Luke asked when he noticed her on edge.

“Don’t you think there should be more people by here? Especially since Flynn shared we’d be here on Instagram and we got over 890 likes.”

“It would help if I knew what any of that meant in that second sentence but-”

“People know we’re here and there should at least be somewhat of a group around us.” She also noted how there wasn’t many people walking on the busy street.

“Maybe they’ll show up later after we start.” Alex suggested to ease her.

She still felt like something wasn’t adding up. While the boys continued to tune, she got out her phone.

Alex seemed to be satisfied with his tuning, waiting quietly on his stool. Luke seemed to be done too and the two were just waiting on Reggie.

Luke was watching Julie, be on her glowing rectangle device. Wow. She didn’t even have to do anything to still take his breath away (not that he had breath to be taken away). All she had to do was stand there and-

He looked up to the dark clouds confused when he felt a drop of water land on his shoulder, sleeveless of course. He saw Alex do the same when he felt a droplet on his forehead.

“You felt that too?” He asked for confirmation. To which he nodded.

Being solid was not only confused but weird. They were solid ghosts, still being able to poof out and in, still not being able to be visible to anyone aside from Julie. Apparently rain wasn’t the exception to the ghosts as the boys felt more and more drops of water landed on their faces.

“Seriously?” Julie let out looking at her phone, not seeming to notice the rain that was starting. “‘So sorry to say but the beach jam will have to be postponed because of bad weather predicted.’ Posted 10 minutes again.” She read from her phone.

“Yeah kinda guessed.” She looked up to see Alex’s blond hair starting to be wet from the rain.

“Dad can’t pick up till later because of the photo shoot he has to do.” She put her hand over her eyes to try to prevent the rain from getting in them, which had little effect since it started to come down harder by the second.

Reggie was still preoccupied with his bass, not noticed his black hair that was get damp by the second. “It’s too flat,” he stood up from his amp, “maybe it’s the amp-“

“REGGIE!” Alex and Julie scolded at once.

“Wha- Oh it’s raining.”

“Exactly.” Alex nodded, preventing a ‘the jolt feels like that time I was fixing my amp in the rain’ incident.

“You guys can go poof home and I can just-“

“You are not walking home alone.” Luke immediately interrupted, take his guitar off himself, not minding that his bangs starting to cover his sight as his hair was getting soaked. “We can walk with you.”

“Luke what about your-“ Alex called as Luke decided to lead Julie on his own across the street, “-and they’re gone.”

“Looks like we’re stuck with taking the instruments home.” Neither seemed to mind though, letting the two go off on their own together.

It was a moderate downfall, the pair did get wet from the rain but it wasn’t raining cats and dogs. Luke couldn’t help himself but kick up the puddles at their feet which got a laugh from the girl beside him. It was all fun and games until he accidentally splashed Julie.

He realized he was dead (lack there of a better word) when a playful smile played across Julie’s lips. She kicked up the water in front of her splashing his bottom half. He looked down as his soaked jeans, then back up at her smile.

“Oh. It. Is. On.” Was his only response to her.

She immediately ran ahead as he tried splashing her. She would turn around to kick the puddles at him. Once she got splashed, she’d let out a yelp laugh and turn back around to run ahead to escape from the splashes.

The water from above suddenly started to get harsh. The downfall into a downpour within milliseconds. Julie stopped in her tracks seeing how sudden the weather changed. In the few seconds she stopped for, her hair got incredibly soaked. She felt Luke’s hand grab on her shoulder when he caught up to her.

“Umm....” he hesitated, looking around for shelter, “over here!” He guided her to an awning that was attached to a café. When they were under the awning he let her go and found his place standing in front of her.

“Maybe it’ll clear up in a little bit.” He looked at the downpour then noticed her holding herself. “Cold?”

“No, never.” She was sarcastic. “Especially went water is splashed on me.”

“Ok, I did not mean to hit you the first time.”

“But you did mean to the several other times.”

“Excuse me,” he stepped closer to her to prove a point, “but you splashed me first intentionally, I had to get pay back.”

“What happened to the ‘it’s just a little sprinkle, we’ll be fine’?”

“...Not one of my proudest moments.”

“You think?” She laughed.

He shared the same smile that her laughter had. When her laughter died down, she looked at him and at that smile he wore. That perfect smile. The smile started to become closer in her view as she found herself raised on her toes. The distance between them, how close they were, was apparent as soon as he did his part and leaned into her smile that turned to pursed lips.

The only sound they heard was that of the rain hitting the pavement beside them. It was just the two of them under the awning, seeking refuge from the rain that turned to a kiss as both were, nonetheless, soaking wet from previously being in the rain. The fun childhood like game of kicking puddles at each other turned to a mature modest of sharing each others company in the rain.

[pastelwitchling]

Hi! I have never done something like this, i don’t even know how it works, or how i should do it 😬🙈 it’s m’y first prompt but also this is the first time i leave a comment 🙈 my english is not very good, so, sorry in advance, but i was listening Coldplay’s A Sky Full Of Stars, and all i was imaginig was malex. And your stories are the best!!! So, If you have time, and if you like the idea, can you write something like: Michael wrote this song for alex, (and maybe he sang in front of everyone) because he wanted to show him how important Alex is for him, how much he loves him, And why not how much he regrets what happened with Maria 😬🙈 i want everyone, and especially Liz and Maria to understand how they didn’t know anything and how bad friends they were/are... Thank you for all your work!! J’adore!! And merciiii in advance!!! Even if you don’t write something inspired by this, i like the fact that i can share something i think or feel... So thank you for this space and for your creations!!

by @m-chuchi.

***

               Michael tapped the back of his hand with the piece of paper he’d been clinging to since he left the airstream an hour ago.

He’d barely finished writing down the last of his thoughts, everything he’d been keeping in since long before Alex showed up in front of his airstream with a whole team of air force soldiers.

               And he’d given himself ten whole seconds of pacing, of telling himself what a terrible idea it was, before his defenses went out the window and he’d slammed the gas on his way to the Pony. Because it was Open Mic Night. And he’d heard from Isobel that there was one person who was definitely planning to sing.

               Not that Michael had tackled him the second he’d opened the doors. No, he’d stayed in the back, staring at Alex in his booth with Kyle, inching closer and closer without realizing he was doing it. As Alex smiled and laughed with Kyle, as Kyle repeatedly touched his arm or ruffled his hair (he was going to kill that doctor someday), Michael had to remind himself that if Alex didn’t want to keep things going with Forrest Long, then he definitely wouldn’t be starting anything up with his straight best friend.

               He spotted Liz and Maria at the bar, also glancing at Alex every so often as they shared a secret conversation, but didn’t approach them. The last thing he needed was Alex seeing him around Maria this soon and getting the wrong idea. According to Isobel, Forrest had left some parting words for Alex before heading back to New York. Namely that his friends weren’t really his friends.

               When Isobel had asked Alex about it, he’d confessed he felt a little betrayed that Liz had played favorites and Maria had done any of it in the first place. Nothing he hadn’t already told Maria and Liz themselves. Which was why they wouldn’t approach him now. That, and the fact that Kyle seemed to always have an excuse to keep either of them away.

               “It’s temporary,” Isobel had told him. “He just wants them to know he’s hurt. But neither of them wants to think they did anything wrong, so it’s taking a little longer.”

               If Michael was being completely honest, he felt a little bad for Liz and Maria, but worse for himself. He at least knew he’d hurt Alex, but his problem, unlike the women’s, lied with trust. Alex didn’t think he was anything special to Michael, not after he’d dated his best friend and dismissed him so many times. There was very little Michael could do to prove that the airman mattered more to him than anybody else.

               But this, Michael thought, nearly tearing the paper in his nervous grip, this might fix things.

               “. . . Alex Manes.”

               Michael blinked. Caught in his own mess of thoughts, he missed the introduction to Alex’s performance. Move, he thought, and without any chance to change his mind, he quickly closed the distance between himself and Alex as Alex headed to the stage.

               “Take this,” was his greeting, slipping the piece of paper into Alex’s hand.

               Alex frowned. “What’s this?” he asked, and without waiting for Michael’s answer, he unfolded the torn paper and quickly scanned the contents. He blinked, startled, and looked back up at Michael. Something shifted in his expression. “Guerin, what is this?”

               Michael held Alex’s gaze, which wasn’t hard since he didn’t think he could look away if he tried. “A song. I – I wrote it. I want you to sing it, Alex.”

               Alex clenched his jaw. His dark eyes glistened to bright hazel for just a moment, like he could hear Michael’s song in his ears, feel everything he’d felt as he’d written those words.

               “Why me?” he croaked, looking at Michael like he was terrified one word or touch from the cowboy would shatter him.

               And for the first time in a year of pretending and trying to be someone he wasn’t, Michael genuinely smiled, helpless and in love. “You know why.”

               Because it’s you. It’s us. And you have to be the one to sing it.

               Alex bit his lower lip, hesitant. He glanced back at Kyle who seemed to realize that he was in safe hands. Kyle made a shooing gesture at him to get to the stage. Alex held the paper against his chest, locked eyes with Michael one more time, and went on to the microphone.

               He sat at his piano and set the lyrics in front of him. His brows furrowed in that cute way they always did when he was concentrating, and his fingers hovered over the starting notes. Michael didn’t write songs. Science was always his specialty, not heart. But there’d been one or two instances in the past when he’d sat down at his guitar and worked at a melody that was what it is now.

               Meeting Alex, in his dark clothes and black eyeliner and all his piercings and beautiful, kind smile and warm eyes, had given him his chorus. Turning his own back on Alex, seeing him happy without Michael, that had given him his verses. The risk of losing him forever had given him words.

He’d never known what to really make of the music he’d made, but when Alex started to sing, all doubt and nerves left his mind. All he could do was listen to his airman. Somehow, he found a chair and thoughtlessly sat down, his eyes never leaving Alex as his fingers flew along the piano keys, as he sung the words into the microphone with the same anguish and hope and love Michael had felt writing them.

As he sung, Michael’s eyes burned. So we’re still connected, he thought. They were beyond a relationship, beyond just two men. They were the entire cosmic universe of stars in one love. They were for each other, and no one else. Anyone who listened to Alex sing now, sing Michael’s words, would know that he was part of another heart, another soul. And Michael would never give him up to anybody. Not ever again.

Alex’s eyes glistened but his voice never wavered, as if he’d been longing to say these same words to Michael, too. Out of the corner of his eye, Michael saw Liz and Maria staring, Liz’s eyes filled with tears as a few had already escaped Maria’s. Michael saw Liz glance at him and back at Alex, as if seeing them together for the first time.

Michael wondered if they were anything like she’d expected. If they made any sense at all to someone like her, who operated in logic and reason. In what universe, after all, did an air force captain descended from alien hunters and an angry alien cowboy ever fit?

Michael didn’t care. Alex was his, it didn’t matter how. Only that he was.

When Alex played that last note, the bar erupted into cheers. Michael could even hear Kyle applauding behind him and Liz and Maria clapping, too, but Alex didn’t seem to see any of them. His eyes were fixed on Michael.

Michael was at the stage’s side before Alex could even stand. Alex stepped down, closer than an arm’s length away, shaking his head.

“I didn’t know,” he said weakly, as if the song had drained him completely.

Michael swallowed the lump in his throat. He took a step closer. “I didn’t let you.”

Alex noticed and didn’t stop him. He held up the paper. “Can I keep this?”

“It’s yours,” he scoffed. “It’s always been yours.”

Alex pursed his lips. “And you mean it?”

“Every word,” Michael breathed, moving close enough now to press their foreheads together.

Alex exhaled shakily, grabbing Michael’s jacket tightly. “Then why aren’t you kissing me?”

That was all Michael needed. He closed the distance between them, wrapping Alex in his arms without a care to who was watching, and taking his lips in his own. Alex’s hands came up to hold his face, tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Michael might’ve moaned, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to touch more of Alex, taste more of him. If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up again.

Alex’s taste, his warmth, his beautiful tiny whimpers into Michael’s mouth – it was all so overwhelming that Michael wanted to drag him out to the parking lot and take him apart in the backseat of his truck.

Somewhere behind him, he could hear people approaching them, could hear Kyle’s voice saying, “Give ‘em a minute. You can talk to him tomorrow.”

Michael briefly imagined Liz and Maria trying to approach them, then felt the brush of Alex’s tongue against his, and all other thought vanished. Good, he thought at Kyle keeping the others back. He didn’t think he was willing to let Alex go for a single second.

“G-Guerin,” Alex breathed in between kisses as Michael slid a hand around the hem of his shirt. “We can’t – not here –”

Michael took his hand and kissed his fingers roughly, not wanting to be apart from him for even a breath. “Then come on,” he said. “I’m having you. Right now.”

And he pulled Alex towards the door, leaving the noise and conversations to be had behind them, Michael’s song to them between their clasped hands.

***

I’m not taking prompts (so please don’t send them in), this is just really late.

Merci beaucoup pour ton message, c’est très gentil de toi! (I’m so sorry for my awful French, I’m very rusty.)

Also, for those who didn’t know, I’m having an IG live for the last couple of pages of Heroes Never Die, chapter two. Right now, it’s looking like it might be this Tuesday. I thought it’d be a fun way to connect with you guys, let you see my writing process, etc. (Because so much happens in those last couple of pages). I’ll be writing for most of it, and it’ll be about an hour, but maybe you guys can come along and write with me? It might be fun. And then the following day, hopefully after edits, I can post the second chapter. I’ll keep my IG updated on the exact time, if anyone’s interested.

[littlemissaddict]

Perfect Harmony 2.0

Summary: Luke dreams of the perfect harmony scene and decides to play the song when Julie walks into find him. The last thing she expects him to be playing is perfect harmony and she finally confesses what happened the day of the dance performance with Nick.

Word Count: 1482

Written for @snowmione18, I hope you like it .

We create a perfect harmony

Luke’s mind was foggy as he pulled himself from his slumber. He didn’t even know ghosts could sleep although he guessed that for him it had something to do with what had happened that night after the Orpheum, just another little change for him to get used to. He pushed himself up from where he was laid on the couch as his mind drifted back to his dream and the melody that was still playing in his mind. The dream had felt so real like he was reliving a moment that he had no knowledge of actually happening and he was sure he would have remembered it if it had happened because it involved Julie. Anything that involved Julie he was sure to remember as she just had this energy about her, she drew people's attention even when she wasn’t trying, it was like she was a beacon of light shining through the darkness.

You are my brightest burning star

The words appeared in his mind as if he were recalling lyrics to a song he’d already written and before Luke could stop himself he was up off the couch and searching for his journal, determined to write the lyrics down while he had the chance. Letting out a small whoop of excitement when he found it, he bounced back to the couch with his journal in hand ready to start writing. As soon as the pen touched the page the lyrics just seemed to flow and his hand seemed to fly across the page making his already bad handwriting almost unintelligible but at least he had the song written down. 

Once he was done he let his mind wander back to the dream as he wonders how he had managed to come up with a song like this. It was so unlike anything he had written before and the whole dream where he had been dancing with Julie was so out of character for him but he could deny how happy the whole thing made him. 

He reaches for his guitar and lets his fingers glide over the strings, strumming as he does until it starts to sound like the melody he heard in his dream while humming along to it. He can’t believe how much better it sounds playing it out loud than in his head or how it would sound even better when Julie adds her voice to the music.

He’s so caught up in the song he doesn’t realise that Julie is now in the studio watching him with a panicked look on her face until she calls out his name, “Oh hey Julie, this sounds pretty good right?” he smiles widely until he sees the look on her face. “What’s up? Do you not like it?” he asks, his smile faltering.

“Where-where did you find it?” she stutters and Luke doesn’t think he’s seen Julie this panicked before, “Have you been through my dream box again” she accuses him 

“Funny story I actually dreamt i-” he starts to say and Julie’s stance relaxes slightly until Luke fully registers what she had said “wait why would I have found it in your dream box” he asks confused as he gets up to put the guitar back on it’s stand.

He looks at her to see that she has tensed up again, her arms lifted to wrap around herself, a gesture he recognises from Alex who sometimes does it to comfort himself when his anxiety gets too much. He softly calls her name before he approaches her so not to startle her, he stands in front of her not saying anything just watching as her expression changes and it seems like she’s having an internal debate with herself whether or not to tell him. Luke doesn’t push her to answer instead opting to just wait patiently for her to tell him in her own time. He watches as she opens and closes her mouth a few times as if she was going to say something but then decided against it last minute until finally she speaks.

“It’s-I-well I came up with the song a few weeks ago” she sighs looking up at Luke who gives her a puzzled look, he was sure that she hadn’t mentioned the song to him but then that made sense if it was in her dream box then it was generally off limits but then that still didn’t explain how he dreamt the song. “That day of the dance performance while I was dancing with Nick I was so lost in the music I guess that it just came to me only it wasn’t Nick I was thinking about” she explains a blush now forming on her cheeks and Luke understands what she means as the continue to stare at each other until a thought pops into his head.

“So that’s where the dance sequence came from” he states and Julie’s eyes widen, clearly she wasn’t expecting him to have had the dance dream as well, he thinks reaching for his guitar again “So do you want to give it a try?” he asks, not giving her a chance to answer as he begins strumming the guitar.

Step into my world

He takes a step towards her as he sings, just like in the dream, his eyes not leaving hers but she still seems uncertain as if she’s not sure whether this is another daydream or not. However, Luke doesn’t let up; he keeps singing until he gets to the end of his part and looks expectantly at Julie, hoping that she’ll join him. When she does, Luke’s face lights up with a bright smile and he can’t believe how much better it sounds in reality than it did in the dream. He’s also reminded of how much he loves hearing Julie sing, how hearing her put her whole heart and soul into what she’s singing about makes it sound so much better and he can’t help the warm feeling that spreads through him when he remembers that it’s directed to him, she’s singing about him.

The truth is finally breaking through

He joins her singing now, their voices fitting together so effortlessly and Luke can’t stop himself from wondering if this is how it was always meant to be, him and Julie together, he tries to put those feelings into his lyrics, trying to convey to Julie just how much she means to him. He’s not scared to show her, now that he knows she feels the same.

As they come to the end of the song Luke realises just how close he and Julie have gotten, the only thing stopping them from getting any closer is the guitar in his hands which he’s quick to place back on its stand when they finish. When he turns back to her, he’s already reaching up to cup her face in his hands just like he had done the night after the Orpheum, the night she saved him and the boys with her love. It was something he’d always be grateful for and he knew he’d never be able to thank her properly for it but that wouldn’t stop him from trying.

“Julie I-I love you” he says, his gaze locked on hers as he feels her shift beneath his hands and he begins to worry that he’s said the wrong thing until he feels her coming closer and pushing up on her toes so that she can kiss him. He was surprised to say the least as he was not expecting her to be so forward but he recovers quickly letting his lips slide against hers totally lost in the feel of it that they miss the tell tale noise of someone poofing into the studio.

“Well it took you long enough” Alex says causing the two of them to pull apart with wide eyes before they start laughing as it was bound to happen that either Alex or Reggie would poof in on them, Luke’s just happy that neither Ray or Carlos walked in on them as that would of been awkward for Julie to explain. He presses another quick kiss to Julie’s lips before he moves away to put his journal away not wanting to share the song with the other boys just yet but a groan from Alex stops him before he gets very far. “Okay I’m happy for you both but can you keep that to a minimum when others are present” he says causing Luke to roll his eyes.

“Come on Alex, like we haven’t had to witness you and Willie” Luke teases as Alex lets out a gasp and blushes slightly at the mention of his boyfriend. Julie chuckles as she leans into Luke’s side, they had a lot to talk about but at least they didn’t have to hide their feelings anymore.

[littlenerdgirl16]

Confusing Times (Part 2)

Here’s to Part 2! Hope y’all like this little series :) 

Warnings: fluff, angst, implied slight smut 

Word count: 1798

------------------------------------------

Previously:  I stuttered out a few words but nothing coherent. Looking down, I tried again to say what was feeling for him. He placed his hand under my chin, guiding me to look at him, “Are you ok Y/N ? What’s going on?”

I started to open my mouth, but my hands got shaky and I couldn’t come up with anything. He just waited for me to say what was on my mind. A minute passed and I finally said what I had in mind. 

“I-I’m in love... with you.” 

He stared at me for a second, replaying what I had just said to him. He eventually nodded his head and gave me a big hug. For about 5 minutes, I was trying to comprehend what I had just confessed to my best friend. 

Feeling his warm aura around me, I could’ve stood there all night and feel like it wasn’t enough time with him. That’s when I really knew how deep I was. I eventually untangled myself and asked, “So...what are your thoughts.”

He thought for a second, “I don’t see you any differently. I still want to talk to you and laugh with you. You are the closest friend I have and I wouldn’t want it any other way.” Content with the answer, we continued our hour-long walk before heading back to the compound. 

Because of his reaction, I decided that I couldn’t say I love you to him. That isn’t fair to him. He wasn’t in love with me and I knew that. I decided to say things like “Have fun!’ or “Be safe”. That became my way of telling him “I love you” without him knowing. That went on for months. Unfortunately, we drifted apart due to his obnoxious, new girlfriend.

He had found someone to love and it wasn’t me. Watching him with this girl wasn't so bad after I changed the way I looked at her. Instead of seeing an evil witch, I tried to see what Bucky saw in her. Eventually, I tolerated her presence in the compound. I spent a lot of time on my college work and helping out Steve, my dad, with random things around the place. I hung out with Wanda a little bit and kind of got to know Clint. 

Over the Christmas holiday, we reconnected and I had the time of my life! He broke up with the girl and I got to talk to my best friend again. He explained how much he missed me and wanted to hang out with me. We spent every waking hour with each other since he came back to me. 

When the day was over we made a habit of finding each other to talk about our days and plans for the next. I walked into his room, hoping he’d be there. Luckily, he was! He ran over to me, picked me up, and swung me around. We laughed and talked the entire time we were together. 

Sometimes I would stay the night in his room because neither of us wanted to leave the other. I would stay and we would cuddle all night. One night, we were cuddling like we normally do till I had fallen asleep in his strong arms. Way into the night, I scared myself awake due to a nightmare. Unfortunately, my constant twitching had kept Bucky awake.

“Hey! Hey! Y/N  wake up.” Bucky held my arms down and calmly talked to me. “Doll. Wake up. Listen to my voice. I need you to come back to me.” 

I settled down and my eyes snapped open. I looked at him as he hovered over me, noticing him, pinning my arms down. I closed my eyes and tried to relax. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” I choked out, trying to suppress my tears. Bucky let go of my arms, “I get nightmares too.” 

He snuggled closer to me, burying his nose in the crook of my neck. I was confused, “You do? How come I’ve never heard you?” He looks down as he replies. “When I’m not with you, I sleep downstairs. I don’t like to wake anyone up.” I nodded and smiled. “Thanks for telling me.” 

I positioned myself on his chest with my head above his heart. He smiled and squeezed me tight. “Don’t feel bad for having them.” He whispers. “I’m here for you.”

 He kissed my forehead, the tip of my nose and trialed down to my cheek. Blood rushed into my cheeks as he kissed them. 

“Y/N?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Can I kiss you?”

Oh, how I have waited so long for that question.

I raised my head, nodded and he raised his head to kiss me. That was one of the best kisses I have ever had. It wasn’t hungry, or needy. He was sweet and attentive towards me. I kissed him again and he hummed a little. We looked at each other for a minute, trying to comprehend what happened. As I looked at him I realized I could stare at his bright, crystal clear blue eyes forever. I could see us being happy in the long run.

 Unfortunately, I couldn’t stare at his eyes any longer. Sleep was winning the battle I desperately wanted to avoid  “I think we should sleep. We have work and school tomorrow.” I laid my head back on his chest, listening to his breathing. “Unfortunately.” He sighed. 

I fell asleep soon after, dreaming of our kiss and how wonderfully our friendship is going. I wasn’t entirely sure if we were dating or not but that was a question for later. Now, I’m going to enjoy every second with him. 

Feeling like Bucky ’s girl was the happiest I’ve ever been. The next week, I found Bucky  in the main room on the couch reading a book. I sauntered over to him and plopped on the spot next to him. “Hey, Bucky . I-I was just wondering if th-the kisses meant something.” I fiddled with my hands waiting for his answer. He looked at me with love as he pondered my questions. 

The longer he took to answer, the more I realized his love for me was platonic. I looked at him still waiting for his answer but it came too late. The affirmation that I was craving from him didn’t come. “Y/N …” 

I concluded that I was just someone to kiss and love on; never his top priority. I looked away and nodded. I got up, turned around, and went to find my dad, leaving Bucky  alone with his book. 

I knocked on Steve’s door. “Come in!” He shouted from his bathroom. I walked in and closed the door behind me. Flopping on his bed, Steve poked his head around the corner seeing his daughter face down. “Are you ok?” 

No response. “Peanut?” Worry laced his voice. He walked over and sat on the bed next to me, rubbing my back. “What happened?”

I lifted my head to face my dad. “I realized that I was in love with Bucky but he didn’t like me that way.” I started to feel the tears build up and face planted back on the bed, letting them go. Steve heard me sob but didn’t say anything. Like a good father, he grabbed me, pulled me into his chest, and just sat there. After a few minutes went by, he kissed my forehead and whispered, 

“Do you want me to listen or give advice?” 

“Advice, please,” I whispered. Steve nodded and looked up. “Ok, here’s some advice. I think you should learn to be ok with what happened, find a new hobby and ask someone on a date. You don’t have to do it all at once, but when you feel ready, go step by step, ok?” 

Everything he said was right and it sounded logical to me so I agreed, “Ok, Dad. Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you too, peanut.” 

I smiled at Steve as I got up to leave his room. I went up to my room wanting to be alone for a few minutes. Being there, I was able to be by myself with little to no interruptions. I say little interruptions because the one person I didn’t want to see, was my best friend. The one person who would stop by every night before bed, or when he thought I would need someone to talk to. 

I did the same with him, but I intended to chat about our days, not make out like Bucky  likes to do. It’s not that he doesn’t want to chat, he’s just not super good at it. He prefers kissing and touching each other. For some reason, I still let him do those things with me. Even though it hurts, it was a way that I could spend some time with him. No other distractions. 

It was a few days before I was able to be ok with leaving my room. Nat would come by and Steve would stop by to see if I needed anything. It was nice to have them check up on me. The only problem I had was that I wanted so badly to see Bucky come in and tell me he was wrong and that he truly loved me. That he wanted to be mine. 

I tried distracting myself by coloring, or learning the guitar but all I could do was think about how stupid I was for loving someone I had no chance with. Anytime I was with Bucky , I longed for his touch. I was safe in his arms. When we would stay the night with each other, I couldn’t help but think about how loved he made me feel. His touch made me feel safe, his voice was soothing; almost melodic.

It hurt emotionally anytime he got close to me after the incident in the main room. My body would have a physical reaction when I would even think about his loving touch. I wanted to crawl away and disappear. I wanted to stop feeling. There was one solution that I came up with and that was my very own music.

I got up to go find the piano in the music room on the main floor and composed a new song. It was about 11 p.m. when I snuck out. I wanted to be out of my room before Bucky tried to come over. 

As I approached the grand piano, I remembered the first song I learned. Thanks to Steve, I was able to read notes and find them on the keys. From there, I took off on my own. Being able to play and compose was one of my few passions. I was able to escape the harsh reality and create my world. I sat down, pulled open the cover, and pressed the ivory keys to create a new melody. The chords that I played sounded full but inside,  it was an empty melody. There was never enough sound to fill in the room and get rid of the emotions I was feeling.

---Bucky’ POV---

Dear journal, 

[theydontknowaboutusimagines]

Sunflower - Harry Styles AU Series (Volume 4)

The year is 1977 and it’s officially summertime. Y/N is spending it with her family at the Malibu Breeze Hotel, where she meets, aspiring musician, Harry Styles. The two clash in the beginning, but soon realize they may just need each other in the end. Find out just how life changing one summer can be in Sunflower, a Harry Styles AU.

     Here is part 4 of Sunflower. Hope you enjoy it!

  Vol. 1   Vol. 2   Vol. 3 

Word Count: 1.9k

The night of the show at The Soundbooth, I couldn’t sleep, no matter how hard I tried. I tossed and turned under the bedsheets, but my body never once gave in to sleep. The next day, my mind was still racing and adrenaline coursed through my veins from the events the night before. However, I soon realized it wasn’t just from performing on stage, but from who I was performing with. I could deny all I wanted and say that Harry wasn’t attractive or that I didn’t feel butterflies in my stomach or my heart would start to race whenever I was around him, I would be lying.

I was afraid of running into either Jasper or Harry at the resort, so I stayed in my room most of the day. Rehearsals started later that night and I was both excited and anxious to go. After we got off stage last night, no one really talked about what had just happened, not with me at least. Marianne could sense something was up with me, but she didn’t press the issue to try and find out what it was.

Part of me wonders if it’s because she could tell I wanted space or because she couldn’t be bothered with it. I would like to believe it was the former, but our budding relationship is still new, so I couldn’t exactly rule the latter out either. I sighed heading out to the balcony. We had a spectacular view of the beach and ocean. The sound of the waves sounded louder from here, almost as if it were an echo.

I closed my eyes taking in the swoosh of the waves as they crashed along the shore and the breeze against my skin. Once again my thoughts went to Harry and how it felt singing with him. I’ve never sang a duet with someone before, but I still knew that what I felt wasn’t normal or something that happens a lot. The longer I sat there, enjoying the sun kissing my skin, I suddenly got the inspiration to write a song.

Getting up from my chair, I went back into the room to get my guitar and notebook. Very seldom did words and a melody just flow out of me so quickly, but when it did, it became my best song I’ve ever written. And as I spent the rest of the day perfecting it, I knew it without a doubt this was my song, the song that would eventually put me on the map.

**

By the time rehearsals came around, the high I felt from the show was gone and replaced with nerves. I had stayed in my room all day, accomplishing my goal of not running into Harry, Jasper, or anyone else that may have been at The Soundbooth. Although, looking back at it now as I stood outside the door, I kinda wish I had already gotten the initial meeting over with earlier.

But it was too late now and I just had to make the best of it. I took a deep breath before knocking on the door. I thought we would have been rehearsing in the same building the audition was at, but it ended up being one of the member’s cabins. I wasn’t sure how that would work out though. I figured I probably should finally knock because if anyone was in there waiting for me, they could probably see me anyway. It was already going to be awkward enough, I don’t want to seem like I’m trying to talk myself into knocking on the door even though that’s exactly what I’m doing.

The old, rickety screen door rattled as I tapped my hand against it.

“It’s open!” I heard someone shout from the other side.

I wasn’t sure who the muffled voice belonged to, but if I had to guess it was Jasper. I turned the knob on the door to open it and walk through the main door into the tiny living room. There was an old, burnt orange leather couch taking up the majority of the room, while a few beach chairs and a small coffee table filled the rest.

“Hey,” Jasper said, walking over, beer in hand.

“Sorry, I’m late,” I said, tightening my grip on my guitar case.

“No problem,” He shrugged. “We’re still waiting on Harry to get his ass here. He had  to work a double today.”

Mentally my eyes widened realizing there was no way he had gotten any sleep between the show last night and now.

“So, I didn’t see you round today,” Jasper stated, taking a swig of his beer.

We walked through the cabin, which appeared bigger than I previously thought, but also still too small to have rehearsals in.

“Oh, yeah, I uh, I had some stuff to do. I didn’t get out much today,” I told him as I followed behind.

“Cool,” he shrugged.

We walked back to the small outdoor porch where the rest of the band sat around with guitars and beers in hand. Seeing them in this setting, made them seem more intimidating and made me feel like I didn’t fit in.

“Y/N, hey,” Sarah smiled waving her drum sticks in my direction.

“Hey,” I waved, nodding at the rest of the band.

“You fucking smashed it, last light,” she smiled. “Come sit, want a beer?”

“Um… sure,” I told her as I walked over to join her at the empty seat.

She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly stopped to look behind me. I followed her gaze to see Harry standing there. He looked exhausted, wearing a white tank top with his uniform trousers and his Malibu Breeze shirt in his hands, but he still made my heart race and my stomach flutter with butterflies.

“Nice to see everyone here,” he stated, looking right at me.

“Same here,” Jasper said, throwing Harry a beer, who instantly catches it without a flinch.

“Okay, let’s get down to business shall we?” Jasper asked standing in the front.

Harry sat down beside Mitch and on the opposite side of me. I turned my body to look at Jasper, but I can feel Harry’s gaze on me. I wondered if he’s thinking about what happened last night and if he does, in fact, feel something between us. Wait a minute… what was I saying? That I have feelings for him? There’s no way, I don’t even know him.

But there was something last night. I can’t explain it and I’m afraid to ask him or anyone for an explanation. I glance out of the corner of my eye to look at him, but he quickly adverts his gaze to Jasper and I do the same.

“Last night was one of our best shows in awhile, agreed?” Jasper noted.

I don’t agree, but I do look around to see everyone’s reaction. Everyone’s nodding, but Harry’s looking at me, no, staring right at me.

“Yeah, it was,” Harry said. “And you had a lot to do with it.”

“Oh, I uh, I don’t know about that. Y’all are really great, groovy, I’ve played together for years, I just did one song,” I shrugged, hoping my face wasn’t as red as it felt.

“But that one song was fucking amazing,” Mitch spoke up, causing everyone to turn their heads. “Oh fuck off. I do speak, you know.”

I hold back a smile at that, “Thank you, but I didn’t really do anything… and it’s not like it’s my song either.”

“You made it your own though,” Harry said. “And you had that crowd eating out of your fucking hands…”

I couldn’t tell if he was annoyed with me or paying me a compliment. Either way, I felt my face getting even redder and I really hoped it wasn’t noticeable.

“Look, I uh, I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity I don’t want to fuck things up, I just want to play music,” I tell them.

“Well, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get rehearsals started, yeah?” Jasper said.

**

The rest of rehearsals is more than I could have imagined. We joked around, ate pizza, and messed around on our guitars as I learned more of their songs. I didn’t realize how late it was until I could hear music over the loudspeaker on the other side of the cabin. Apparently, there was a party amongst the staff every night. Jasper, Mitch, and Sarah had already made their way out to join the party, while I cleaned up, putting my guitar back in it’s case.

I had assumed Harry had already left as well, until he appeared right before me.

“You can stay for the party,” he said.

“Oh, um, maybe next time,” I said putting a strand of hair behind my ear and out of my face. “It’s already late, I should get going.”

“Ah, right, parents,” He said.

I wish that weren’t the case. The last thing I needed was to come off like a little kid who still did everything Mommy and Daddy told her to do.

“Something like that,” I mumbled.

“Um… do you mind if I walk you back to the hotel?” He asked.

“Don’t you have a party to get to?” I asked.

“Missing one party isn’t going to kill me,” Harry shrugged.

“Um, sure, then, if you don’t mind,” I said.

“I offered didn’t I?” He asked.

I bit my lip with a nod and he took my guitar case from me. We both left the cabin and the partygoers behind us as we walked along the beach in the moonlight. Neither one of us said anything for a bit, however, it didn’t feel awkward. I still decided to break the silence.

“Thank you for uh… walking with me,” I told him.

“No problem,” he said. “Um.. look the reason I wanted to do this was so I could talk to you about last night.”

“Sorry if I uh... overstepped… it was your show,” I started.

“You didn’t,” he said. “And it turned into our show. You-you have a gift… a talent… and I saw it during your audition, but I heard it… felt it last night.”

“Thank you,” I blushed.

“Y/N, I know I’ve been an ass to you,” he sighed. “I just… I really want this, you know. Music is… the only thing I’m good at, so if this doesn’t work out for me, I don’t know what I would do.”

“I know and I don’t want you to think I would try and jeopardize that for you,” I told him.

“I know you wouldn’t,” he said. “Because I can tell you’re a really cool girl.”

“Thank...you,” I said.

We approached The Malibu Breeze sooner than I would have liked, wondering where our conversation might have gone if we were there just a little bit longer.

“Well, we’re here,” Harry said. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you then,” I told him.

He gave me a small smile before turning to head back, “Harry, wait,” I said quickly.

‘Yeah?” He asked looking back.

“You’re not going to join in on the party when you get back are you?” I asked.

“Why?” He asked.

“I don’t know, you uh… just look like you could use a few extra hours of sleep,” I blushed, bringing my hand up to move hair from his face. “Wouldn’t want you to fall asleep on the job, is all.”

He smiled, lighting up the night sky like the moon shining bright on the ocean. “You’re right, I’ll get a good night’s rest, just for you.”

“Promise?” I smirked.

“Promise,” he smiled reaching for my hand to give it a gentle squeeze. “Goodnight, Y/N.”

“Goodnight,” I smiled, standing there for a few moments while I watched him walk back down the beach.

**

Let me know what you think!!! :) I’m thinking I’m going to do a posting for this every Sunday. 

[gottlem]

favourite song (lemonjuice)

a/n: well here it is! gonna keep this short and sweet but i wanted to say how much i love these two and i wrote this just bc i felt like we needed more lemonjuice fics !!! props the the handful of writers who have already written this ship, they’re all so great !! quick sidenote, i haven’t written in a while, so i really hope y’all find this up to standard !!! <3

summary: Juice found that the best way to get her feelings out was through writing songs, but she would never tell her best friend and long time crush, Lemon, about that. Well, until she does. (3.3k words)

Juice was never really the best at outwardly expressing her feelings. Even when she tried to open up to her best friend from childhood, Lemon, it was as if the words got lost somewhere between her mind and her mouth. And as someone with far too many emotions to keep bottled up safely, she needed a way to let them out. So she began to write songs. Over a few years, she taught herself to play a guitar she had found stocked away in her home, which had been surprisingly intact and functional for it’s age.

At first, her songs were mediocre at best. The chords sometimes wouldn’t sound right together and she couldn’t really get the lyrics to flow in the way she wanted them to, but after writing and writing she started to find her sound. And it was good. Once she was truly happy with the content she was creating, she didn’t want to keep it to herself any longer. It’s not like she wanted to become famous, no, the idea of fame scared her shitless. But she wanted somewhere to put her work, she didn’t care if one person or one thousand people listened. So she made a small Instagram account. It didn’t have her name, and she didn’t tell any of her friends, but over time it acquired a small but surprisingly active following.

It was Friday night when Juice started on a new song. It was one she had been meaning to write for a long time, but was about something she was scared to even admit to herself. Feelings she was scared to face. Feelings for Lemon. They had been there for a while, festering under the surface, and only recently had they gotten out of control. Nothing had triggered it, not particularly, but suddenly she had found herself thinking about her friend far too often to be considered platonic. They had been best friends for as long as Juice could remember, and she knew she was far into the friend zone. Lemon would flirt often, make jokes about them becoming girlfriends. Which was fine. It meant she was comfortable enough in their friendship. And as long as Lemon loved her in any way, Juice was happy. Or at least, that's what she told herself.

She was in the middle of writing her very first song about the girl when her strumming was interrupted by her phone ringing. Loudly. She should have remembered to just put it on mute. It’s ringing startled her enough to be taken out of the zone she was in, so she decided the least she could do was check who it was. And she figured the universe had decided to play a massive practical joke on her right at the moment, because the caller ID read “lem”. She answered it anyway, it was Lemon after all, how couldn’t she?

“Lem! Hi!” She cursed herself for how smitten she sounded, Lemon would be quick to figure out her feelings if she wasn’t careful.

“Juicy! What’s up? What are you doing right now?” Juice’s heart stopped. Partly because of the nickname that she still hadn’t gotten used to, and partly because she has no idea how to answer that question without having to explain why she’s kept this hobby secret for so long.

“Umm, well”

She didn’t actually know why she had kept this from Lemon all this time. Maybe telling her would be good, maybe it wouldn’t even change anything. So she bit the bullet and made the split second decision to let the cat out of the bag. She didn’t have to say what, or who, she was writing about, right?

“I was in the middle of writing a song, you actually kind of scared me, my phone was so loud” There was a beat of silence. Juice bit her bottom lip nervously and just hoped she wouldn’t be asked a question that she was absolutely not ready to answer.

“You were- since when did you write songs? Juicy how did I not know about this? Can you even play any instruments? What do you play?”

These questions, Juice could deal with.

“I uh, started a few years ago, didn’t tell anyone because I wanted it to be something I could keep for myself, and I taught myself guitar after I found one in that spooky cupboard you can never go into.”

Lemon chuckled, causing Juice to blush instantly. Because of course she did.

“Wow. Years, huh? Why didn’t you tell me though?” Juice didn’t expect her friend to sound almost hurt by the fact that she had kept this from her. But then again, they tell eachother everything. She didn’t really know why she never told Lemon. Maybe she was scared of opening up too much, sounding dramatic. Maybe she was scared she wouldn’t like her songs. Maybe she was scared she would.

“I don’t know Lem. Just didn’t come up I guess”

“Well, can I hear one? What about the one you’re writing now?”

“Not yet. Maybe next time you come over once it’s finished.”

“Oh. Okay, yeah, definitely. Well I’ll let you finish it then, text me when it’s done!”

When Lemon hung up, the silence of the room fell heavy on Juice’s ears. Obviously, she wouldn’t show Lemon the song she was writing just then, but she didn't have to know that. She would show Lemon a song she wrote a month or two ago, she remembered it well enough and it’s not about anything too serious that Lemon doesn’t already know about. No harm done. Easy.

~

Lemon was set on hearing at least one of Juice’s songs. She couldn’t believe that after knowing her for so many years, she had hidden this from her! It’s not that she was angry, she wasn’t, she just wished she hadn’t missed out on all this. She wondered what she could have written about over the years, what she writes about now. She wondered what her voice sounded like, would it be smooth and silky, or breathy and soft? What would her songs even sound like? Does she have her own special sound, distinctive from everyone else? She just wanted to know. She wanted to hear them.

When Juice finally performed a song for Lemon, she was speechless. They sat on Juice’s bed, candles burning on the windowsill and hot chocolates resting on her nightstand. The moon shone from the window, it was quite late, probably too late to make any noise, but nobody was home to hear, so neither girl tried to keep quiet despite the late hour. From the moment Juice started to pluck a soft pattern on the nylon strings of the old guitar, she was mesmerised. The melody was soothing, and her voice was soft enough to send her to sleep if she closed her eyes for too long. It was a beautiful song, about a story Lemon had already heard a thousand times before, but never in this format. That made it feel brand new.

The pair fell asleep soon after that, limbs tangled in Juice’s bed just like all the other times before, except a soft humming could be heard that sent Lemon straight to sleep in her friend's familiar arms. Juice wished it could be like this every night. But her and Lemon were just friends, eventually she’d be okay with that reality. She’d have to be.

It didn’t take long for Lemon to find Juice’s account dedicated to her songs. After she went home that morning she went straight onto Instagram, remembering something Juice had said about an account where she puts all her music onto. At first, she didn’t quite know where to look, but she ended up searching through the followers and following on Juice’s main account and eventually stumbled upon it. She just wanted to hear more.

Lemon checked the most recent video posted, expecting it to be the same song Juice had performed for her the night before, since she had been told it was the one her friend had just written, the one she had interrupted the writing of. It took her a minute to realise the song was definitely not the same, but she didn’t think too much of it, maybe she hadn’t posted that one yet. Hearing one of her songs before anyone else made Lemon’s stomach do a little flip, something she was growing used to around her friend.

As Lemon scrolled through the account, listening to each and every song, she encountered one that sounded extremely familiar, posted months ago. It was the exact same one Juice had performed to her. But if she had only just written it, how had it been posted months ago? She tried not to dwell on it for too long, opting to just enjoy the music instead. Once she had sifted through every video, she followed the account, wanting to hear everything her friend came out with.

Juice’s songs were special. They allowed Lemon to feel more connected to her friend; she always felt as if Juice was biting her tongue, holding back. All she had ever wanted was Juice to open up around her, and if it was through her breathtaking music, then so be it. Some songs were about stuff that Lemon had never heard her friend even mention before, and she was tempted to give her a ring or text and ask her about them, talk more into detail about the contents, but she always stopped herself at the last minute. If Juice wanted to talk about something that was bothering her, she would talk. Maybe she was scared to. 

-

Juice almost screamed when she saw the notification that Lemon had followed her account. She looked over every one of her posts, making sure they were all good enough for Lemon to see. She wanted Lemon to love her music now she knew about it, and hoped she would bring up one of her songs to her. She wondered which song would be Lemon’s favourite, and why. She wanted to know how many she had listened to. Had she just followed the account and left it at that? Had she watched her most recent video? Had she listened to all of her posts?

So Juice waited. She waited for Lemon to bring it up. But even after posting a couple of new songs, she got nothing. She was quick to come to the conclusion that Lemon wasn’t really looking at her new posts, though in reality that couldn’t be further from the truth. When Juice figured Lemon wasn’t listening to her new music, she found the courage to post her song about the girl. It wasn’t very specific, it was clearly about a girl she had some strong feelings for, but there were no identifying details that could lead to the conclusion of the song being undoubtedly about Lemon. This meant if Lemon did happen to hear it, there was no way she would know right off the bat that the song was about her. She didn’t need Lemon to know her true feelings.

When Juice posted her first song about Lemon, the feedback had been overwhelmingly positive. She received a few more likes than usual, and the comments were filled with well wishes for her and the mystery girl she had written a song about. But there was nothing from Lemon, as usual. Juice was confident that she wasn’t listening, so she posted more and more songs about her. It wasn’t like she only ever wrote about Lemon anymore, though she was definitely getting more comfortable doing so and began writing about her more often than not, allowing herself to fall deeper for the girl. As she posted more songs, they became increasingly more specific, but never enough to allow her to be figured out. Someone would only be able to tell it was Lemon if they were actively looking for that specific conclusion.

-

Lemon couldn’t believe it when she heard Juice’s first love song. She watched her best friend’s eyes light up on her screen while singing about this mystery girl, but there was something else to her facial expression that made it all seem bitter sweet. Maybe it was the way her eyes would lose that sparkle for just a moment every once in a while, or the way her lips never really formed into the beautiful smile Lemon had gotten so used to over the years. The song itself was beautiful, as always. Juice sounded as if she meant every single word, truly singing right from her heart.

It hurt Lemon a little to find out Juice felt so strongly about someone and hadn’t told her, but perhaps she was just getting round to it. It hurt her even more that it wasn’t Lemon she was singing about. She knew she had liked Juice for a while, but tried to keep things platonic in fear of her feelings not being reciprocated, and it looked as if that was the right move because now she was listening to Juice sing a love song that wasn’t about her.

Even though she knew she would be hurt by the truth, Lemon was determined to find out who Juice had been singing about in her more recent posts. Each song hurt to listen to more than the last, because she was creating a fantasy where Juice was actually singing about her. It was only made worse that everything Juice said about this girl and their relationship could be used to describe Lemon. She just needed confirmation that it wasn’t her and then she could move on with her life as Juice’s friend. And be content with just that.

Her idea was simple, but effective. Just ask her. Juice was a terrible, terrible liar, made worse when it was Lemon she tried to lie to, so she knew she’d be getting the truth about whoever this girl was. All she had to do was try not to show her feelings, and try not to get jealous of this girl. Shouldn’t be too hard, right?

-

Juice enjoyed whatever time she could spend with Lemon, but nothing could beat when she stayed over. They turned on fairy lights and lit candles before making hot chocolate and turning on netflix, watching from the comfort of Juice’s bed. Maybe she liked it so much because they always ended up tangled together. She just liked the way Lemon’s skin felt against hers, even if it was just some small brushes under the covers. 

They were chatting about nothing in particular when Lemon changed the subject without warning, something she always did.

“Hey Juicy, I’ve loved your songs lately by the way. Not that I don’t always love them. I just thought I’d tell you” 

Juice’s heart stopped. She could practically feel the colour drain from her face. Lemon listened to her songs. Her recent songs. 

“You’ve heard my new ones?” Is all she could get out.

“Duh! I’m your number one fan, juicy”

“Oh.”

“Just one question though, who are all the love songs about?” Juice wouldn’t really describe them as love songs, more like ‘hopelessly crushing on my best friend who I have virtually zero chance with’ songs. But sure, love songs it is.

“Lem. You can’t really write a love song about a stupid crush. Love is a very strong word, I don’t love her. I can’t”

“Honey, you’re in love. You can see it in your eyes when you sing about her. Must be some special girl, huh?” Lemon rubbed salt into her own wound with every word she said. It almost physically hurt to ask about this girl Juice was so clearly smitten for, knowing it wasn’t her.

“Yeah. She’s special. But you don’t get it Lem, I can’t be in love with her. I just can’t”

“Why not?”

Juice just shook her head, defeated. She knew the answer to that. She can’t be in love because she’s her best friend. It would ruin what they have. She would get rejected. Everything would change. 

Lemon wiped a stray tear from her friend's cheek.

“Hey. Look at me,” she did, “whoever this girl is, would be so, so lucky to have you. I promise you, one day you’re going to find someone who loves you with just as much passion as I hear in those beautiful, beautiful songs. You deserve to be loved by someone who loves you that much. Okay? Don’t cry baby”

The pet name slipped out of Lemon’s mouth before she could stop it, but it felt so natural as she took the crying girl in her arms. They sat there for a while, Lemon whispering little reassurances in her ear, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

Until Juice pulled away, took a deep breath, and looked Lemon straight in the eye. She was going to tell her.

“I just- Sorry for crying on you”

But she couldn’t. Love is scary. But Lemon is not. It was a painful cycle.

“Don’t be.” Lemon couldn’t stand seeing her Juice so broken, so she figured she’d try to lighten the mood and try to find out who it was so she could finally just get over her. “Sooooooo, who is it?”

“No, I can’t tell you” Juice managed a weak chuckle, shook her head affectionately.

“C’mon, do I at least know her?”

All Lemon got in response was a nod. She was confused, really. She had set herself up to be told a random girls name and have her heart broken. She would take a few weeks to recover, but eventually Juice and this girl would get together and they’d all live happily ever after. She had prepared herself for that. She had not prepared for tears and love and self doubt and secrets. They had never kept anything like this from each other. Ever since coming out to each other, they had vowed to be one another’s wing-woman, so what happened? The only reason Lemon could possibly think of as to why she couldn’t tell her who, was-

“Juicy...” Her tone felt unfamiliar in her mouth. It wasn’t sharp or soft, it wasn’t happy, angry or upset. It might have been hope. Juice just looked up at her, eyebrows furrowed.

“Is it-”

“Whoever you’re going to say, I can almost guarantee that you’re wrong” Juice almost found it funny that she was about to guess.

“Let me finish,” Lemon looked at her in the eyes, and smiled softly “ Is it me?” 

“I-”

What was she even supposed to say to that? She couldn’t lie, Lemon would see right through it. She couldn’t tell the truth, everything would change. What if Lemon felt weird about it? What if she didn’t want to be as close with her any more? Was she uncomfortable with the idea of Juice having a crush on her?

Lemon giggled softly, “I guess the silence answers that question, huh?”

“I’m sorry. You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to anymore. I swear I can just move on and get over it. I really don’t want to ruin our friendship and I’d hate to make you uncomfortable or anything. Are you mad? I don’t blame you if-”

“Shut up” Lemon almost whispered, her soft tone still somehow cutting through Juice’s words like a knife. Juice said nothing. She let the silence take over for a second or two, before Lemon took a breath, and spoke again.

“Shut up, and kiss me”

So she did. Juice had always wondered what kissing Lemon would feel like, but now she was actually doing it, all her expectations didn’t even come close to the real thing. They fit together so easily, the kiss hardly ever breaking, staying as soft as ever. They had all the time in the world, so why rush it?

After that night, Juice wrote countless more songs for her now-girlfriend, and every single time a new one came out, Lemon would say the same thing.

“I like this one. I think it’s my new favourite song. I love you”

And Juice loved her back. You could see it in her eyes. Feel it through her kiss. Hear it in her songs.

[haledamage]

Only the Dead Never Change

(I just wanted to write a little something with Kira/Adam and music, since I realized the other day he’s the only one she hasn’t had that with (though I guess Felix’s and Mason’s weren’t romantic moments… hmmmm), but because it’s them it had to turn into something complicated because that’s what they do. since Rebecca Lovell from Larkin Poe is Kira’s singing voice claim, this fic is brought to you in part by their cover of Hard Time Killing Floor Blues)

A brusque knock sounded at the door. Kira’s hands paused in mid-chord. “It’s open.”

The door opened at her call to reveal Adam, arms crossed over his chest and wearing his grey wool peacoat. He seemed to fill the doorframe entirely, to fill the room with his sheer force of presence. He watched her almost cautiously, though his expression was completely unreadable.

“Good evening,” Kira said, when Adam didn’t immediately speak. “Or good morning, I guess. Depends on how you want to look at it.”

He gave her a cursory once over, and though nothing showed on his face she got the distinct impression he was making sure she was okay. “You are up late, Detective.”

“It happens.” She shrugged one shoulder and finally finished the chord he’d interrupted. “Am I making too much noise? I can keep it down.”

“No.” She had to fight a smile at how quickly he said that. “That will not be necessary. I was simply passing by your room and I heard music.”

“That happens, too.” She huffed a laugh and started plucking aimlessly at the strings, a song with no rhythm or melody to it, just trying to fill the quiet. “Are you heading out or did you just get back?” she asked, nodding toward his coat.

“I just finished my patrols around town.”

She nodded again and silence fell. She kept plucking at her guitar, starting to find some semblance of a tune to what she was playing, and waited for him to speak again. He didn’t, just hovered in the doorway, watching her hands move along the strings with enough focus to make her stumble a few times.

“Is something wrong?” she asked finally.

“Not at all.” He tore his eyes away from her, and even across the room she could see the way he clenched his jaw. Abruptly, he added, “You are quite talented.”

“Oh. I…” Now it was Kira’s turn to look away, feeling heat rise in her cheeks and an absurdly pleased smile spread across her face. “Thank you.”

“I apologise if I’ve invaded your privacy, Detective,” Adam said, a trace of hesitation in his voice and the set of his shoulders.

“No!” she blurted out, too quickly. She ran her fingers through her hair nervously, pushing it back from her face. “No. I just… I’m not used to having an audience. Do you play?”

He scoffed. “No. I never had much skill at… creative pursuits.”

“I could teach you,” she offered with a grin.

“That will not be necessary,” he said, but he chuckled quietly. 

“Then… I could keep playing. If you want to come in.” With how quickly he stepped into the room, it was obvious he’d been waiting for the invitation. She bit her lip to stop another smile. “Do you have any requests?”

“Whatever you would like to play will be sufficient.”

Her first note immediately went sour as her fingers stopped listening to her when Adam shrugged out of his coat. She wondered vaguely if he always took his coat off that slowly, or if he did so only for her benefit; even if she were bold enough to ask, her mouth was too dry to form the words. Instead, she just let her eyes roam the muscles of his arms and shoulders, only barely contained by the t-shirt he wore, in much the same way she wanted to do with her hands.

Kira dropped her eyes away quickly when he turned her way, trying to pretend she still remembered how to play guitar.

She meandered through any songs that popped into her head, paying less attention to the music than she was to the man in her room. Adam looked relaxed in a way she had only rarely ever seen, sitting back in her armchair with a small smile tugging at his lips. Content, almost, or at least closer to it than usual. If he noticed her attention, he didn’t comment--but then, he never did.

It didn’t take long for both of them to notice a theme to the songs she was playing.

“Do you sing a lot of love songs, Detective?” She couldn’t tell if the tone to his voice was amusement or disapproval.

“Well, most of the stuff I know is blues.” She tried not to look too proud of how quickly that reply came to her, or let on that it wasn’t entirely accurate. “Blues music skews toward pain and death and heartbreak. It’s not really a crowd pleaser.”

He cocked his head to one side, but it was the only sign he gave of his curiosity. “Why do you listen to it, then? You do not strike me as someone with much pain and heartbreak in your life.”

She took a deep breath, debating how much of herself she wanted to share, but the words started spilling from her lips without waiting for her permission. “Dad played the blues. There’s a video of him with this guitar playing ‘Hard Time Killing Floor Blues’ by Skip James, and me, maybe a year old, sitting on the floor in front of him just… hypnotised by it.” She played the intro part to the song in question, the first thing she ever learned how to play. “Mum never talks about him. I don’t begrudge her grief, but I just…” 

“You wanted a connection to him.” His voice was soft and understanding, and it should have grated on her but instead she found that it eased some of the tension from her shoulders.

“Exactly. Something that he and I shared besides the eyes and the freckles.” She stared into empty air, eyes distant and full of blurry, half-obscured memories, fingers still moving across the strings on auto-pilot. “It’s strange, to miss someone so much when you don’t even remember them. All I remember is the space where he should have been.”

He didn’t say anything in response and, not knowing how else to fill the silence, Kira started singing, picking up the song where she left off. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d sang in front of someone, actually sang rather than just mumbling along with the radio. It felt nice to let that part of her out. It felt nicer to do so with Adam. She tried not to think too hard on why it mattered so much that it was him.

The song ended, and the room fell quiet once more. She slid the guitar’s strap from her shoulders and set the instrument carefully on the bed next to her.

“Thank you for sharing this with me,” Adam said softly, his voice shattering the stillness before it could take hold. “I am under the impression that you do not let many people see this side of you.”

“You’d be right about that.” She smoothed her hands over the pale green shirt she wore, not sure what to do with them now that she didn’t have the guitar to use as a barricade. “Thank you for listening. And not--not just to the music. I’m…” she chuckled, mostly to herself. “If someone had told me six months ago that you’d be the one easiest for me to talk to, I’d have called them something that would get me scolded by Nate. A lot can change in a few months.”

“Yes, it can.” He scowled at nothing in particular, apparently unhappy about all the recent changes in their lives.

“Change isn’t a bad thing, Adam.” His scowl got deeper and Kira smiled in response. “I guess maybe you’re in the habit of assuming all change is negative, as long as you’ve been around, but… change just means we’re still alive. Only the dead never change.”

“Perhaps you’re right. But it gets more difficult as you get older.” His frown turned contemplative and she got the distinct impression there was something specific he was referring to.

“Does it?” She uncrossed her legs so they could dangle over the edge of the bed and she could lean forward. Her knee pressed to his. He didn’t move away from the contact. He didn’t even tense at it. “Because a few months ago I literally shot you, and now you’re sitting in my bedroom in the middle of the night and I’m telling you things I don’t tell anyone.”

Adam chuckled and his frown gave away to a very brief but genuine smile, though he still wouldn’t look at her. “That is your influence, Kira. Not mine.”

“I don’t believe that for a second.”

For the first time since he’d arrived at her door, his full attention fell on her and Kira gasped under the weight of those pale green eyes. Anything else she may have said evaporated like mist at dawn. She was suddenly very aware of where his knee touched hers; she was even more aware of all the places their bodies weren’t touching, and all the things they could do to change that.

If she could weaponize the way he made her feel, she would be fucking unstoppable.

As soon as the moment began, it ended again as he tore his gaze away. Slowly, he rose to his feet. “I should let you rest.”

“You don’t have to go,” she said quickly. She felt blush rise in her cheeks as soon as the words were out of her mouth, but she didn’t try to take it back. She knew she meant it exactly as she’d said it.

Adam raised an eyebrow at her, but he didn’t call her on it; she really wished he would. Eventually, he whispered, “Yes I do.”

It was starting to become a familiar exchange between them.

A long moment passed where neither of them said anything. Kira could feel the heavy tension in the air, a tension she was starting to get used to feeling around him. It made her hands almost itch with the urge to reach out to him. Instead, she broke eye contact again with a barely stifled sigh, closing her eyes as if it could calm the racing of her heart. “Good night, Adam.”

He was gone when she opened her eyes, but his presence lingered in the room like a ghost.

[thecurseoflife]

CHAPTER 9 - The snakes and the mage

Camalia was fighting sleep. But it had been hours since the last hinch of pain or whispers in her head, and she was slowly dozing off. For the first time in a week, the prison was calm. It was so comfortable. She needed this. She needed to rest. But the fear was keeping her awake. It had to be a plan... They'll be... Attacking soon... She had... To... Stay... Awake...

It was nice. Nice and warm. No nightmares, no anything. Just a reassuring black box. Eveything felt so peaceful and fine. It was if all her problems went away. She was finally okay.

A violent push snapped her eyes open and she jumped on her feet. The dizziness of sleep not helping, she stumbled against the wall.

-I AM AWAKE ! I'm awake ! I can fight you, With' ! And now I've got- wait why is it dark.

The cell was completely black, the only light being the moon and the candles lighting up the corridor. She frowned. Has she really slept that long ? Did the snakes really let her sleep that long ? Something was up. They would never help her recover from their own torture.

She looked in the corridor, in the cells beside her... No, she was alone. No one was there to hold the curse. It was the snakes decision. It had to mean bad for her. She stood in the middle of the mess she called home.

-Uhm... Witheria ? Decaiera ? Hey, I am wide awake and totally cursable ! Wouldn't it be fun to uh... Curse me ?

Silence. Something was definitely up. She sighed. There was nothing she could do but enjoy this "night off". Camalia took her guitare and started playing in front of the wall, making a broom out of the stones. She took it and started swipping the floor. It would be a shame to hurt herself again when she'll be acting like a beast. She cleared the cell and repeared the pillow. The music mage couldn't really hurt herself with this. Might as well keep it. She yawned. Even if she slept the entire day, she was still tired. But something seemed to hold her back from diving into sweet darkness again. She shrugged it off. It probably was just her. She hoped. Camalia looked at her clothes, hair and skin and winced. She really was disgusting. Thanks to various melodies, a nice bath and some time, she wiped every trace of the past few days from her. Satisfied, she looked around. Well. There wasn't much more to do. Now, the cell was empty, except from her, the pillow and her guitare. Even the bed's chains didn't resist her rage.

She sat on the ground and yawned again. Maybe now she could sleep. She lay down and was about to close her eyes when she heard the loud noise of the prison door opening. At that time of night, it must have been an emergency. She went to the bars and a chill was sent down her spine as she froze.

It was Varian.

With a third of the guards of the kingdom, of course, but it was still him. Camalia felt a wave of panic but she couldn't speak. Her throat was to tight, her mind was racing but with the same sentence over and over again.

"What do I do"

They started walking toward the stairs to go to lower level. It relieved Camalia a little bit. It wouldn't change much, but if she lost control, it would be safer than if he was right next to her. She looked at Varian and was put off by his angry eyes. She was about to say something to him when she spotted Captain at the end of the guards' chain.

-CAP !

The guard walked toward her. Camalia didn't even know what she was about to say. She just had to try something to put Varian in safety. Anything.

-Please, please Captain, you HAVE to put Varian somewhere else ! Somewhere far away from me ! Please ! I-I don't know what is going to happen this year. I mean, I'll think of something eventually, but if I don't... PLEASE, Cap...

Maybe Stan was right after all. If she feared for the boy's safety, maybe he should fear for the castle's. He took a deep breath and was about to answer, when someone violently punched the bars beside him, making Cap jump.

-Oh, so even now you want to get rid of me.

Varian was set off by her noticing his dark gaze and IMMEDIATLY wanting to push him away again. So that how it was, now. He really had to get over the time they were friends. The guards were ready to jump on him but Captain held them back.

-Varian, wha-

-Shut up ! I don't want to hear any of your lies again ! I know about your curse. I know about your people. I know everything, Camalia. I know you tried to manipulate me, that nothing was true from start to finish. You were never my friend, were you ? All you ever cared about was your curse. You thought you could use me and my alchemy, but when you realized I was useless, you just threw me away.

-N-No, that's not-

-Not true ? Then what was ? What truth did you let me see in your sea of lies ?

Camalia was frozen. Her heart was racing, so was her thoughts. She knew she was wrong, she knew it wasn't what she should have done. She knew everything and yet, she did it. The music mage broke her friend with her bare hands. She opened her mouth.

-I... I am your friend. But I was a bad one. You're right. I kept lying to you when I shouldn't have. I-I'm really sorry Varian. I was just... I wanted to... I'm sorry. I don't expect you to forgive me, but... I still care about you, and I don't want you to get h- to get even more hurt than now. Please, Varian. You have to get away from me.

Thinking about it, and hearing it from her own lips really was two very different things. So he was right. He was right all along. He felt sick and angry. He stared into her bright green eyes.

-Don't worry. I will never get near you ever again.

He stepped back and let the guards drag him away without another word. Captain was about to add something but he changed his mind and left. It wasn't the right time.

And once again, Camalia was left alone.

Soon enough, she felt the presence of one of the snakes behind her.

-It was your plan from the very beginning, right Witheria ?

She was mad. Mad at herself and mad at her curse. She was tired of surviving and agonising all the time. It was all that she put in her eyes when she looked at the giant black snake.

-Oh, come on, little plant. Don't give me so much credit. You're the one that messed up this friendship. I just made sure you suffer the consequencies.

The wheezing and falsy tender voice of the snake resonnated in the empty prison as she spoke.

-Yeah, well, geez, thanks.

-You are quite welcome, little plant. You know I always have the best ideas.

Camalia leant on one of the walls and let herself slid down. She sighed.

-So, what now ? Are you going to make me feel like there's fire instead of blood in my body ? Froze me in place for hours ? Choke me again ? Whipers unwanted truths in my mind ? Make me go insane ? Possess me ?

The snake slithered on the ground, weeling the small human with it's long body. Her black scales were shining in the light of the moon and her bright cold eyes were searching deep into the child's soul, like she had done for the past ten years. Witheria smiled softly.

-No~ I'd rather see you suffer quietly. You know manipulating mind is more of Decaiera kind of things.

Brutal doubts inserted themselves in the music mage mind. She sudddenly got up, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn't speak loud, as if she didn't really want the answer to what she was about to ask. So Camalia whispered with terror.

-Did you... Did you put the idea of lying to Varian in my mind ? Did you convince me it was what I was supposed to do ?

Witheria's smile widened.

-Oh my, little plant. How dare you insult my sister like that ? She had no need to convince you. She merely suggested the thought.

Camalia tottered backward, shocked. She put a shaky hand over her mouth, feeling tears ran down her cheek. Is any of the decisions she ever made even her's ? Was she always just the puppet of her curse ? Was she this easy to manipulate ? No. No no no. Camalia, put yourself together. That's exactly the reaction the snake expected. She had to stay calm.

-You have to understand, my sweet and fragile little plant...

The snake tail softly brushed a tear of her face as she backed down in disgust.

-... He would have taken you away from us. But we don't want that. We need you to say it. We need you by our side forever, Camalia. We are your curse. You are our anchor. You can't get rid of us like you got rid of that alchemy boy. We'll always be there.

Rage filled Camalia mind and heart. She slapped the tail with violence and stepped forward, surprising the snake.

-I did NOT get rid of him. I do not BELONG TO YOU. And whatever you do, I will always fight you, until my last breath if I have to. I hate you, Witheria. With all my heart, I deeply hate you.

The snake angrily hissed.

-Don't be stupid, Camalia. Realize what you've done. You pushed the boy away from you, with some quite success I might add. And we belong to you as much as you belong to us. We are linked, my dear. And this link is unbreakable. Neither I or you can destroy it. Stop acting like a child and grow up for once !

This time, the music mage slammed the snake against the wall, and put her face millimeters from the muzzle of the animal. She had a threatning aura that deeply unsettled Witheria. She never saw her like that.

-No, now you listen to ME. I don't care if Varian hates me, I don't care if we are linked, I don't CARE if you will hant me for the rest of my days, and I don't care what you think. I am me, and I make my own decisions, my own mistakes, my own path, and NO ONE, not a stupid curse nor a lost friend will tell me what to do. NO ONE decide who I am but me. I lost my only friend, and it is all my fault. I decided to lie, I decided to be in prison, I decided to protect him. I. Make. My. Own. Decisions. And of all the things you have ever done, you will NOT take that away from me.

Suddenly a giant black tail, slightly lighter than Witheria's twisted itself around Camalia's waist and threw her on the wall on the other side of the cell.

-How dare you speak like that to my sister ?

The strong voice, lower than the other snake sent chills down everyone that could hear it. The anger and outrage behind it told long about what she was about to do to anyone that provoked her wrath. Her tail was still around Camalia's waist, and she lifted her back up, to her green eyes.

-Do you really think you're in position to ask anything ?!

She slammed her against the wall again, earning a small yelp from the girl.

-WE have control over our link !

She slammed her again. Camalia's sight was blurry, as blood was dripping from her head.

-WE can hurt you throught it !

And again. Camalia was on the verge of passing out, her whole body numb.

-WE can make your life hell !

The last hit was heard miles away. Decaiera released the music mage, unconscious.

-And we will make you play the hurt incantation. She whispered like a warning.

Both of the snakes fade into the shadows, seconds before Captain arrived, running at the source of the loud noises he heard. His eyes widened when he found the girl on the ground, a pool of blood forming around her head. He called for help and unlocked the cell to take her into his arms. The guards arrived and some of them stopped in shock in front of the horrible state of the prisonner.

They acted fast. Masha and another maid bandaged her broken arm and tried to heal her head as best as they could. She was badly hurt, but surprisingly, she would have no scars nor aftermaths whatsoever. Whoever hit her knew what they were doing. She stayed unconscious in bed for an entire week.

When she woke up, she was back in jail. A new table and bed were awaiting for her and her guitare. She sat on the bed with caution and winced slightly when she tried to rest on her broken arm. She lifted her shirt and an entire side of hee body was covered with bruises. Sadly, because of her arm, she couldn't play the melody of heal. Decaiera knew exactly where to hit. Camalia tried to stand but her legs were too weak and she collapsed. Her entire body ached and she whimpered in pain.

-Are you quite calmed down, now dear ?

-Is my death glare enough of an answer ?

Witheria sighed.

-We just need you to play and sing the incantation and we'll be gone, little plant. No more torture nor broken friendship.

The music mage let out a laugh empty of any joy.

-Yeah, great, and so will be half of my life and probably all life in this castle. No thanks, I think I'll pass.

-And yet, hissed a soft voice, you tried to make the boy to leave the castle.

Camalia winced and looked at Decaiera who just spoke, deep in her green eyes without answering. She always had been the quieter one. But also the smartest. Witheria was all about physical hurt and long sentences. Decaiera was softer, her way of cursing the girl were always more... Sneaky. She used the link to it's full potential, searching in Camalia's mind and whispering hurtful truth in her ears. Whereas her sister rather use the link to inflict deep horrible pain in her body, pain she couldn't make without the link. The entire purpose of that was to make her play and sing the hurt incantation. One of the line to the spell was "to set the spirit free" and strangely enough, the two snakes were convinced it was the only way to break the link and to doom their holder. Weird flex, but alright.

Camalia never thought about playing the hurt incantation. Well, the melody was the same than the melody of heal, but with the singing part added, the purpose of the spell changed. The music mage read about the incantation and the power of her people. She immediatly understood the consequencies if she ever played the melody under the snakes influence. If she was the one initiating it and focusing it's power on a special point, it would be fine. But if she was upset, confused and hurt... If she was possessed by the snakes...

That's why she wanted to push Varian away so badly. She discovered about that destructive possibility only a year ago, and even before she never wanted to help the snakes, no matter what they said. If she had found out before getting imprisonned, she would have gone to an empty island and spent the rest of her day fighting her curse. Not a bright future, but if it could save lives, she would do it.

Camalia took a deep breath. She got up, helping herself with the table, pain spreading into her body. She looked at both the snakes with determination in her eyes.

-I will never play that melody for you. Never.

-Never say never, little plant.

The snakes faded in the shadows and Camalia was immediatly struck with an unbearable pain. She screamed until her voice broke and she passed out. Well, at least she could rest.

Varian was pushed in a dark cell in the level below. The guards locked it and regrouped on the order of Captain. The alchemist sighed and sat on the bed.

-Well, that was quite a fight you guys had up there.

He immediatly got back up and stared into the shadows, from the other bed, where the voice spoke. The well of light only made a very soft blue lightning, and not enough to actually see the room through and through.

-Varian, is it ?

Andrew's face appeared in the light, a soft smile on his face. He seemed really tired. Big dark circles weren't ruining his beautiful face. His beard seemed to need to be cut, and long gorgeous hair were popping onto his shoulder. The alchemist was a little put back by the handsomeness of the man. He was still suspicious. Experience told him not to trust anyone.

-How... Do you know my name ?

-Ceiling are fin in here.

Varian looked up to the well of light that was leading to another cell. The prisonner probably heard his every move. He narrowed his eyes and didn't continue the conversation.

-My name is Andrew. I am from Saporia.

The boy was startled by the mention of the ancient organization ennemy of his kingdom. This information didn't really motivated Varian to get to know the man better.

-I was put in jail by the princess and her friends when I tried to take King Herz Der Soone's journal.

The prisonner was being suspiciously honest. The alchemist couldn't tell if he liked that honesty or if he really didn't wanrt to know that.

-From what I understood, you don't like to be lied to. Well, I come clear to you.

-Thanks ?

-If we're going to be jailmate until the end of our life, it's probably better if we get along.

Varian was about to say something, but was cut by the voice of Camalia screaming.

-I did NOT get rid of him. I do not BELONG TO YOU.

The rest was said to low for anyone to understand. Despite everything, Varian still felt a point of worry in his heart. But he ignored it. He sat back into the bed and curled up there. Outside their cell, the guards had stopped talking.

-...ou listen to ME... -on't CARE if you will hant m-... make my own decisions, my own mistakes, my own path, and NO ONE, not a stupid curse nor a l-... NO ONE decide who I... -ill NOT take that away from me.

Half of her speech was cut off by the distance and the walls, but it was enough to understand what she was talking about. She was clearly yelling at someone, and so far, it seemed that this someone didn't even exist. Varian placed his hands over his ears, refusing to hear talk like crazy person anymore. Suddenly a thud resonated in the entire prison and whispers spread in the group of guards.

-Do you really think you're in position to ask anything ?!

The powerful and angry voice was not Camalia's. It wasn't anyone of the guard either. The loud noise exploded in the prison again, and everyone jumped a little bit.

-WE have control over our link !

Another violent thud followed with a cry of Camalia, freezing Varian's blood in his veins. Captain finally snapped and ran up the stairs as fast as he could.

-WE can hurt you throught it !

And again. The guards finally stopped to just stand there and followed their chief. In the cell, the alchemist was pressing his hands as much as he could on his ears, but if felt like nothing could stop the atrocious noise.

-WE can make your life hell !

The last slam was heard and suddenly it was silent. Everyone was waiting for the next part. A call for help teared the silence apart. It was Cap's voice. Camalia was hurt. There was panicked steps and the sound of the prison door closing and it was calm again. Varian dropped his hands. A whistle came from the bed across the room. He turned to Andrew casually laying in his bed with a soft smile he could now see after getting used to the darkness.

-That was distracting. And from the noise we heard, I think we'll be able to sleep the next night soundly, dear jailmate.

Varian turned back to face the wall, wrapping himself in the thin cover. He clunched his eyes shut, in a failed attempt to fall asleep and forget about everything. He was okay.

It was okay.

FIRST / PREVIOUS WHAT IS THIS ?

[confettininjabean]

Title:   On the Wind    

Fandom: The Arcana, Modern Au Pairing: Apprentice Skye x Apprentice Darius Sterling. *Mentioned: Jaydiza sterling*

Summary: Darius makes a trip to visit his sister.

Skye belongs to @deathbyarcana​ Warning: This is Angst Heavy with mentions of a character death. under a cut for length

The drive so far had been silent, only the sound of the engine and their breathing was heard. Darius sat in the driver’s seat, one hand on the wheel. His other hand was across the console, holding onto Skye’s like a lifeline. Neither of them had a said a word the entire drive. There was no tension just....a quiet sadness around him. He’d offered to let her stay home as he made this trip but she’d decline, wanting to come with him.

He’d be lying if he said that he wasn’t glad she was here. For the last three years they’d made this trip, together and each time, he’d offer to let her stay home but she would come with. He knew it meant more to him to have her here with him. Even if he rarely spoke of it. Running his thumb over Skye’s knuckles, Darius glanced at her and gave a small smile of which she returned. A few minutes later, he pulled the car to the side of the rode and put it in park. He sat for a moment, looking at the treeline, his eyes finding the exact tree he visited every year on this day. It never got any easier and at this point, he supposed it never would. He let go of Skye’s hand and stepped out of the car, moved to the trunk and pulled out a smooth, well taken care of guitar. Skye had exited the car and made her way to stand next to him. He held up the guitar, running a hand along its smooth wooden surface, “She gave this to me with her very first paycheck,” he told Skye. There was a soft fond smile on his face but sadness in his eyes as he remembered the day he’d received the guitar. He sighed...then looked up, took a deep breath and started for the treeline. 

Her name was etched with loving hands on the tree, a faint flicker of light hinted at the magic that he’d used to make the carving. His royal blue eyes glistened as his heart twisted, the whole in it very acute, very noticeable. “Hey, Jay,” He said, his voice low and full of emotion. “Sorry, I’m late. Had a harder time this morning.” Skye was next to him again, quiet. He reached for her hand, her presence soothing despite the emotions hanging around them both. “Got those renovations added to the cafe, the ones you wanted,” He continued, talking about everything that had happened since he’d last visited. Every word got harder to say. Sometime later, he fell silent, looking around but not seeing anything, lost in thought. After a moment, he looked back at the tree, his sister’s name. He held up the guitar, “I brought you something…” He strummed the strings, “All tuned and everything.” He laid it carefully against the trunk of the tree. He took a deep breath and ran his fingers along her name, “I miss you, Jay.” She’d saved his life...something they’d done for each other all their lives. Tears finally spilled as he fell silent for a long moment. His hand gripped Skye’s tightly as he dropped his hand and wiped the tears from his face. “Time to get going,” he said, quietly, voice rough in emotion. “Rest easy, Jay. I’ll be back soon. Love you little sister.” He turned, wrapping his arm around Skye’s shoulders as they walked back toward the car. The wind picked up, running through the leaves in a soft melody, brushing against his face and ruffling his hair in that playful way Jaydzia used to. He smiled at her presence, however, faint. As he got back into the car, he could swear he heard the faintest whisper on the wind. *Love you too Big Brother*

Somehow, he felt lighter as he took Skye’s hand again and they made their drive back home.

[bcbdrums]

More Drakgo!  Because the world needs more!!!

FFn link ---> https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13578348/1/Choose-Your-Side

A/N: The flash-fic well is drying up, but I've still got Tumblr prompts to fill. This prompt actually comes from an AO3 user and a faithful reviewer, shrijver. '26. Jealous kiss' for you, m'dear! This also randomly became a semi-songfic. @theiconicgwen, here's your karaoke. Enjoy, everyone!

---------------

Having common sense kept them out of most trouble, except for that which came with their schemes. Of course, Shego would argue that total and complete recklessness wasn't part of the territory. Even so, for being villains, neither of them drank much alcohol.

Shego sipped at her Blinker and stared at Drakken's Pan American Clipper, half-empty on the table. Her shoulders were tense as she felt everyone's eyes on her more than usual in the karaoke bar. But it was to be expected—they had saved the world, after all.

She wished for what must have been the hundredth time that he hadn't chosen a table in the center of the restaurant, but he seemed oblivious to the fact that there were always eyes on the pair of oddly-colored villains. And that night it was worse, as people were constantly approaching them with questions or wanting autographs.

It was probably why they were each on their second cocktail.

Drakken had excused himself to use the restroom before his next turn on the mic. He had already sung his usual favorites that Shego now had memorized, to her dismay, as well as a few she had only occasionally heard either on the radio or at other times there at his favored karaoke bar. Usually he topped out at about five or six songs in a two-hour period, as plenty of other patrons were having turns at the mic. But that night they were on their third hour and he had shown no signs of slowing down.

He had tried for years to get her to sing a duet with him, but always she refused, sometimes with a threat if he was especially persistent. But that night he hadn't asked her once. In fact, his conversation had been oddly surface-level and conservative for his boisterous personality, usually cranked up to the maximum on karaoke night.

Shego sipped at her cocktail again and wondered at his behavior. Of course, she knew she wasn't herself either. Neither of them had been since the invasion.

It had been almost a month since that day that changed everything. Terror and sleeplessness and fighting blindly against a foe they knew could truly destroy them... And then mutated plants. And Kim Possible's side-kick. And then a shining gold medal hung around Drakken's neck at the United Nations, crowds cheering in thanks and praise.

Since that day, their lives were no longer their own. They had magazine interviews, TV spots, invitations to lectures and conferences and universities and museums... There was even talk of a documentary about Drakken's life.

And that was the thing—it was all about Drakken. She was never actually invited, she was just...automatically included. By him. He didn't seem to notice that she wasn't in the picture, as far as the public was concerned. Even the awkward moment at the UN when his vine had wrapped them together had blown over with the major media outlets inside of a week. And when patrons at the karaoke bar approached her, it was always with questions about him.

She was curious as to why she had been ignored...but that curiosity kept getting pushed aside in favor of a bigger question: just what were they?

Drakken was thrilled beyond description with his newfound hero-status. Finally, people wanted to hear him talk for hours about his scientific theories and inventions. And he reveled in it each day to the point of exhaustion.

And each day they returned home...to their villain's lair.

So what were they? Was the hero-thing temporary? Was it permanent? Was he even aware that he was dragging her all over the world only to sit in the back of a hall or stand in the wings while authorities and the public alike praised and revered him?

But whenever he wasn't engaged by others, he was always at her side... Asking her how he looked, telling her how amazing it was to have his ideas praised... But other than being his...his...sounding board, what was she?

And why did she keep going with him?

Why did she go with him to karaoke?

Karaoke was technically in her contract, but, she knew he wouldn't care if she just refused to go. And yet she had gone, for years. And now on their first night out of their own accord since the invasion, that was where he'd wanted to go, and she was with him again.

She glanced across the darkened room toward the hall that led to the restroom, and then her eyes glimpsed Drakken leaning against the end of the bar. Why hadn't he come back to...?

He grinned shyly. And then she noticed the two women standing far too close to him.

Shego could tell their type instantly. Too much makeup, too much skin showing, and very clearly drunk from their wobbly posture and their giggles. Drakken appeared unsure what to do with their attention.

Shego's eyes darkened as one of the women began running her fingers around Drakken's medal—which he wore everywhere, of course—and the other woman leaned into his side and began twirling her fingers through his hair. Drakken looked between the two even more uncomfortably and Shego started to rise from the table, but then Drakken slipped between the two women and hurried up the steps to the stage.

Shego hadn't even noticed the previous song ending. And apparently it was Drakken's turn again. She felt the familiar tension coming as she knew people would be staring again.

It wasn't that he was a bad singer. He had potential. It was that he over-sang everything and put so much camp and drama into the performances that they were laughable. Although usually he got cheers. And that night, due to his new status as world-hero, he had gotten more than ever. The crowd seemed larger too, and Shego wondered if word had gotten out that he was there.

Shego watched as uncharacteristically, Drakken pulled the stool up to the mic stand and sat down, adjusting the stand to his height. He always stood and moved around while singing.

He looked around nervously over the crowd, which was also unusual. But when his eyes found her at their usual table, his face relaxed into a soft smile. He turned toward the DJ and held up a hand to signal him to wait before starting the music. Drakken cleared his throat into the mic.

"I know some of you are here to see me," he said, "but this will be my last one tonight."

A chorus of sad responses sounded from the audience. Shego felt a slight relief, knowing they could leave soon. But she was still tense knowing that they were going to get more stares before that time came.

"My last bow," he said.

His eyes met Shego's with a strange thoughtfulness and determination. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

Drakken looked back over the crowd. "On the surface it looks like the world has...been brought together by everything that happened. But it...it hasn't really."

Confused murmurings began in the crowd. Shego felt even more uneasy. What was he doing? He never made speeches. And he never, ever talked about anything other than himself.

"Maybe it can... This last song is called, 'Break Your Heart.'"

The DJ started the music and a soft alternative beat began with an instrumental that had clear jazz influences from the rhythm and melody to the instrumentation. Drakken scooted back on the stool a bit, away from the very front of the stage. He gripped the mic on the stand with one hand and bowed his head. His eyes remained open but his face was serious.

The instrumental introduction continued for a long time before Drakken took his first breath, but then he softly hummed and 'oohed' over the instruments. It was so contrary to every other performance he'd ever given that Shego began to forget about her insecurity of just being there.

When the song lyrics started, they moved so quickly at first that they almost ran together, but appropriate pauses showed up as well. Drakken sang so uncharacteristically quietly that she leaned forward in her chair to listen.

"People downcast, in despair, see the disillusion everywhere. Hoping their bad luck will change... Gets a little harder every day.

"People struggle, people fight for the simple pleasures in their lives, but trouble comes from everywhere... It’s a little more than you can bear."

Drakken had looked down the whole time, but suddenly he looked up with his face more earnest than she'd ever seen. He seemed to be trying to look into the eyes of every patron of the restaurant.

"I know that it will hurt, I know that it will break your heart, the way things are and the way they’ve been, and the way they’ve always been."

Shego sat up fully, watching the strange performance. She had completely forgotten her worries and questions about the strange existence they had been living since the invasion. Drakken's voice was soft and smooth, and every word was crystal clear.

"People shallow, self-absorbed, see the push and shove for their reward. I, me, my is on their minds... You can read about it in their eyes.

"People ruthless, people cruel, the damage that some people do. Full of hatred, full of pride... It’s enough to make you lose your mind.

"I know that it will hurt. I know that it will break your heart, the way things are and the way they’ve been. But don’t spread the discontent; don’t spread the lies. Don’t make the same mistakes with your own life. You never will let love survive."

The almost constant string of words was broken then by a solo from a jazz guitar. Drakken looked down briefly, but then he looked up above the heads of the crowd. His eyes were sad, almost longing.

Shego didn't understand. Clearly, the song meant something to him, or he wouldn't have chosen it. And why the strange introduction?

His eyes slowly moved down and found hers. She blinked, both in surprise and a bit of nervousness at being trapped in his serious gaze. Not only had he never looked like that before, but...he had definitely never looked at her like that before.

Some of the sadness seemed to leave his eyes.

"I know that it will hurt. I know that it will break your heart the way things are and the way they’ve been. Don’t spread the discontent; don’t spread the lies. Don’t make the same mistakes with your own life. Don’t disrespect yourself, don’t lose your pride and don’t think that everybody’s gonna choose your side."

The song continued with a soft trumpet solo, but it was clearly drawing to a close. When it was near enough, Drakken cleared his throat and blinked out of whatever had put him into such a strange mindset.

The crowd cheered. Drakken smiled shyly and took a deep bow. Then he left the stage and hurried back toward their table.

Shego stiffened as she suddenly felt nervous, but she didn't know why. She downed the rest of her drink in a single swallow, and then grimaced as it burned her throat.

When Drakken arrived he didn't look at her at first, but set his hands on the table and leaned over. His eyes, in contrast to the open way he had looked out at the crowd, now looked hollow as if he had seen some horror. But he quickly shook it off, cleared his throat, and straightened up. His eyes fell to his unfinished drink and he knocked it back just as Shego had hers.

With a grimace, he lifted his medal up and off from around his neck and set it on the table. Shego's brow rose and she looked at him in question. He looked down at her like he was about to say something, but he didn't get the chance.

The two women from the bar had suddenly appeared, one on either side of him. He jumped as the one whose hair had been bleached blonde too many times ran her hands up his chest and up his arm to his shoulder. The other who was somehow chewing bubblegum while drinking was pushing her cleavage out in a very obvious way as she tried to give him a flirty look.

"That was sooooooo sexy!" the blonde said with a giggle as she leaned against his side. Drakken chuckled and smiled nervously and leaned away, only to bump into the woman on his other side.

"I felt so...connected to you!" the brunette said, grinning in a way that reminded Shego of obsession.

"Ah, yes, ah...thank you," Drakken stammered. The blonde's hands were getting more friendly, and the brunette had picked up his medal from the table and looked to be contemplating wearing it.

"We have a place just around the corner," the blonde said. "Would you like to come over for a nightcap? I'd love to see what your vines can do."

"And maybe you can give us a private performance?" the brunette asked. She'd put the medal on and rested it right atop her ample cleavage. "You must have more songs."

Drakken's eyes were darting between the two women in confusion as he continued to smile nervously.

Shego was sitting so close she could have reached out and stolen from either woman's purse. But she had her jaw hung open in a mixture of awe and fury at the audacity of the two tramps, so much so that it froze her in place for several seconds as her anger built.

"Don't you want this back?" the brunette said teasingly, moving in a way that made the medal almost bounce on her chest.

Drakken's cheeks began to turn pink and his nervousness turned to discomfort.

The blonde stepped up on her tiptoes and brought her ninety-nine cent red lipstick-slathered mouth toward Drakken's.

Shego had had it. She stood up and fairly roared.

"What am I, wallpaper!?"

The two women, and Drakken, jumped with a start. And then Drakken took another step back as suddenly Shego's arms were around his neck.

"Sheg—"

It didn't occur to her until a few seconds later that her kissing him was probably just as unwelcome and offensive as one of the drunken whores kissing him. But she had done what she had done, and she couldn't take it back.

The fierce kiss she had laid on him had clearly startled him, as for the first several seconds his shoulders heaved and his lips were frozen in a thin line. But then he slightly relaxed in her embrace, and as she slowly pulled away she felt his sudden response as he tried to capture her lower lip between his.

She looked up at him with a mixture of anxiety and apology. He stared down at her in awe.

All around them, the crowd cheered.

The two women were huffing and complaining and hurling insults at Shego.

Drakken's eyes darted around, and for the first time since they'd been coming to that karaoke bar Shego saw in his eyes the anxiety that plagued her each and every time.

"Let's get out of here," Drakken whispered in a near-panic. Shego nodded her agreement.

Drakken tossed a handful of cash on the table and then grabbing her hand, began to run. Shego was only too eager to follow, but then she pulled on his hand to stop him.

"Wait, your medal!" she hissed at him.

He glanced over her shoulder toward the two tramps, and then with a grimace he shook his head.

"Leave it," he said, and turned to pull her away and out of the restaurant.

Outside in the dark, they ran around the corner and down the sidewalk toward the parking lot. When the karaoke bar and its sounds were far behind them, Drakken slowed to a stop and dropped her hand as he leaned against a lamp post to catch his breath.

Shego watched him curiously, her heart beating out of her chest.

She'd kissed him. Why had she kissed him? What was the point? She could have just as easily threatened the two women harassing him, or worse.

Drakken slowly straightened and looked at her, his cheek still leaning on the cool metal of the post.

The anxiety Shego felt covered her body suddenly, like a million crawling ants. Drakken looked about to speak, so she did first.

"You left your medal."

Whatever Drakken had been about to say died on his lips. His brow furrowed lightly and he shook his head.

"Wasn't worth it."

"But...it was everything to you!" she said quickly. She would say just about anything to avoid the subject of the kiss.

Drakken shook his head. "It was...it was nice," he said slowly.

"What was?" Shego said quickly. She took a step back as he straightened fully.

"The attention. People...finally praising me for my genius."

"You're talking like it's over."

Drakken took a deep breath. "It is. I'm done."

Shego felt her heart skip a beat. What did that mean? That he was...returning to villainy? He'd never said he wouldn't... Even so, another question burned in her mind and quickly found its way to her tongue.

"But why?"

Drakken blinked out of his inward-focus and looked her over. Shego took another step back and put more space between them.

"You kissed me."

Shego ran her hand back through her hair. "Uh...yeah. Sorry about that."

Drakken shook his head as his gaze darkened. "You did it on purpose."

Shego could feel the unspoken accusation as he stared at her. He wanted to know her motive. He wanted to know if it had been some form of mocking. She tried to think of an excuse... But either due to the alcohol or simply having no other answer, she blurted out the truth.

"Those women were all over you! As if I wasn't right there!"

Drakken considered her words. Slowly, a smile came to his face.

"You were jealous."

Shego's face flushed. "Psh, as if. I just wanted those tramps to take a hike."

Drakken's smile was soft as he looked at her. Shego didn't understand and it made her uncomfortable. She took another step back and hugged herself, even though the night was hot.

"It's okay. I'm jealous too."

Shego's brow furrowed. "Huh?"

Drakken took a step toward her. "The way everyone just ignores you...no matter where we go. And treats you like you're not there."

His expression had darkened, and Shego continued listening in confusion.

"You deserve as much of the glory for saving the world as I do."

Shego shook her head. "I didn't do anything really."

"I couldn't have done it without you."

Drakken had taken another step closer. Shego felt some of the tension from back in the bar return, and Drakken continued.

"If you hadn't been with me to help me get the super hypollinator, and distribute it at all of the attack sites...I couldn't have done anything."

"But you're the inventor. You're the brains behind it all. That's why everyone's interested in you. No one cares about the hired muscle."

Drakken took a slow breath as his expression became irritated.

"And so...I'm jealous."

Shego shook her head. "I think you've got the wrong emotion there, Doc."

"No. I'm jealous for your honor. For your glory. You've always had it in spades, and suddenly...we become heroes and everyone drops you like you never existed."

"Is that what we are now?" Shego asked quickly, finding herself even more tense. She angled her body slightly away from him. "Heroes?"

When Drakken didn't answer she glanced back at him. He looked thoughtful and a bit sad.

"I think...most of the world is really only treating me like those two women back there," he said.

Shego turned back to him in confusion. "What?"

He looked up. "We may have stopped an invasion and saved Earth from a horrible fate, but...it won't really change anything."

Shego considered for a moment and suddenly remembered the words of the song he had sung. He had sang of the injustices of the human existence, whether by chance or by selfish design, and the tendency of humankind to choose the negative over the positive.

"So you think as a hero the world is supposed to be some utopia? If we're villains we would just be making it even worse, you know."

Drakken grimaced and then an ironic smirk turned up one corner of his mouth. He didn't say anything, but turned to walk down the sidewalk. He paused and reached out his hand to her.

Shego felt a shiver even though the night was hot. He was looking directly into her again, like he had in the restaurant. Only even more-so. She noticed for the first time that his eyes were an almost impossibly deep blue.

She nervously placed her hand in his, and he gently tugged her to walk alongside him as they continued on slowly to the parking lot.

"So..." she began shakily, "whether we're good guys or bad guys, the world is gonna be a mess," she concluded.

Drakken hummed as he looked ahead thoughtfully with an almost melancholy in his eyes.

A few minutes passed. Shego felt that tension again and the night suddenly seemed to be too hot.

Or maybe it had something to do with the gentle way he held her hand.

"So...which mess do you want?"

They were a few feet from the hover-car, but Drakken stopped. He turned to her and reached for the medal on his chest out of habit, and looked down when he remembered it was gone. He pursed his lips.

"Neither."

Shego's brow rose, and she looked at him in question.

"All of this just showed me...it's not...as important to me as I thought it was."

Shego felt uneasy suddenly and carefully pulled her hand away from him, hugging herself again in the summer heat.

"No matter where we go, all I can think about is...that you deserve to be standing on every stage with me. And I can't wait until the speeches are over so I can get back to you. And how...even though there's no reason for you to come with me, you always do."

Shego shivered again as the thought she'd been pushing away was suddenly forced to the front of her mind by his words.

Why did she go with him?

She realized he'd fallen silent and she looked up. He was staring into her soul again, waiting for...something, from her.

She shrugged nervously, but couldn't think of any words to say. She looked away at nothing.

Drakken reached up to her arm and pulled her hand away. After a moment of resistance she let him.

He took her other hand and brought them together up in front of him as he stepped closer to her. Their hands nearly touched each other's chests for how little space he left between them. Shego's heart began racing. She looked up at him. Drakken's soul-searching expression softened.

"You don't have to be jealous," he said, a tiny smile taking over his features.

"Why not?" Shego asked. Why was her voice suddenly so thin? Why was she acknowledging what she'd felt back at the bar? Why was her heart pounding and her frame trembling?

"Because... There's no chance you'll ever lose me."

For what felt like an eternity they simply stared at one another in a mixture of awe and giddiness. And then the familiar pink flower led Drakken's vine down to their joined hands. Shego was startled when the vine wrapped around her wrists and lifted her her arms up and over Drakken's head, looping them around his neck. He placed his own hands comfortably on her waist and grinned. When Shego spoke, she was surprised at the tremor in her voice.

"D-didn't think you'd know what to do with a woman Doc, after that display back in the bar."

Drakken pursed his lips into a thoughtful smirk. "With the right woman," he finally said. The vine still on Shego's wrists tugged slightly and knocked her off-balance so she fell against Drakken's chest.

"So...so you don't want to be the world's hero...or dictator?" Shego said nervously, still trying to avoid what was becoming completely unavoidable.

Drakken shook his head slowly. "Either way...will just lead to heartbreak. No one is really, or would be, on our side."

Shego thought back to the words of the song he had sung that he had just echoed in the defining statement. And she thought also of the words he had spoken just moments before, declaring that she would never lose him.

She realized then that through it all, she had thought of them as a single unit. Even though the world had treated her differently, she hadn't been thinking of them as two separate lives that could diverge from one another at any moment. Her thoughts were always about what 'they' were.

Apparently, so were his.

"If it's not about the world anymore...then what are we?" she asked.

Drakken smirked and circled her waist with his arms, pulling her tightly against him. "You tell me."

He was giving her a knowing look. Shego was embarrassed by the flush that came to her cheeks. But he was right. She had started it with her impulsive kiss back inside the bar. And while she didn't yet understand the feelings surging through her and preventing her from maintaining any coherent thoughts, she did know...she liked the feel of his arms around her. She really liked it. And even though she was the one who started it...he was communicating with startling clarity how he wanted it to finish.

But he still left it up to her.

Her wrists had been released and the vine had vanished. She brought a hand down to lightly stroke his jaw as she smirked.

"I was jealous," she admitted. It was easier to say that, than any of the things his piercing eyes were communicating. "Maybe...of the world, too."

"Not necessary. I told you. You'll always have me."

She felt a fluttering of anticipation in her chest as she rose up on tiptoe and circled his neck with her arms. She thought of his song again.

"I'll always choose your side," she said.

The summer heat was overtaken by the warmth in her heart as they sealed the promise with a powerful kiss.

-----------------

A/N: The song he sings is "Break Your Heart" by Natalie Merchant.