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marcusmixes · 2 months ago

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The other man – Charlie, he’d said his name was – appeared to be wired beyond comprehension. Or, rather, Marcus assumed he was. The Brit himself was no saint, of course. He had his own, colourful history of seeking comfort in the form of narcotics, and he’d certainly never shied away from a pot brownie or a perfectly rolled spliff even now, but he doubted he ever had quite as much energy as Charlie appeared to have. Admittedly, he supposed it was altogether possible that he was just like this and that this was his natural disposition. He couldn’t be sure, but it was disconcerting to say the least. His mega-watt smile was a blinding juxtaposition to Marcus’ own tight-lipped stare, though maybe not as unwelcome as he might have usually felt.

The producer’s eyes widened, almost imperceptibly, at Charlie’s outstretched hand. He could – and probably should – shake it, or maybe even lightly bump his own fist against the other man’s knuckles. Indeed, if that had been some other producer or studio exec, that’s exactly what he would have done. He’d have pushed aside his own discomfort and allowed himself to be touched in ways that made his skin crawl, unwelcome and leaving a clammy, burning sensation tingling at the center of his palm. Instead, he merely blinked at the DJ and simply shook his head.

“Oh, no thank you,” he managed to mumble, his gaze momentarily transfixed on Charlie’s hand.

He hoped, at the very least, that Kennedy would be proud of his attempts at being polite. His mums had done nothing but try and enforce some semblance of well-mannered dignity into their son, and while his own, awkward tendencies often overwhelmed him, he was never deliberately cruel, contrary to popular belief. If Marcus was entirely honest with himself, he’d probably say that years of being mocked and belittled, even beckoned to his knees by those more powerful than him had probably contributed largely to his immediate lack of social skills. He wasn’t entirely ready to contest with the idea that he’d been broken beyond compare, however, and simply clenched his fists at his side before shoving them haphazardly into the pockets of his jacket.

As he eyed Charlie now, he wondered what reservations the other man held – if any at all. He’d love nothing more than to be as blunt as forward as he could be, and to invite the stranger to come work with him. As far as Marcus was concerned, that’s how simple it should be. He liked Charlie’s sound, and he liked the way the other man seemed to transition so effortlessly between different styles and genres, the barest flick of his wrist or fainted scratch of a record, a dial turning deftly between his fingers. From the perspective of a producer, he was exactly the kind of person he’d like to get into the studio and see what he could do with all the right equipment at his disposal.

Still, he was currently waging a war inside his own mind, battling between his desire to discover a new artist and his fear that the other man might take an offer such as this to imply something... more. Most producers, musicians, and even technicians, in Marcus’ own experience, believed that he owed them something else in return for their time and their skill. Though the Brit himself had only ever had one lasting relationship – who, admittedly, had left him for his best friend after she’d deemed him too complacent – he had years of experience with tawdry back-room rendezvous' with crass, manipulative men who had convinced him he could only excel in his field if he was willing to set aside his self respect.

He’d been silent for too long, now, and it slowly dawned on him how uncomfortable he was probably making Charlie feel. Marcus had a particular skill for lowering the tone in any given room.

“I wondered if you would be interested in coming back to my studio?” he blurted out, unthinking and abrupt. It was an honest offer, but it didn’t go amiss to Marcus just how suggestive it could be perceived without the correct context.

At school, Charlie Clarke was always told he wouldn't amount to much. Sure, there had been a few teachers who considered him a special favourite, taken in by his sunny demeanor, or they'd taken pity on him due to his, frankly, shitty upbringing. All his report cards - tacked to the fridge of his foster family or lost amidst a sea of bills and coupons - had said the same thing. Charlie Clarke is a real leader, bright but lazy, clever but lacking ambition. So he'd accepted pretty early on in life that he might never become an important businessman, or a world leader, but when it came to DJing his favorite club on a Tuesday night during 2-for-1 cocktails? Charlie Clarke was a God.

The DJ booth was set high above the crowd, so much so that pretty girls had to get on their tiptoes to shout requests, half hanging over the raised platform and spilling out of their tops. Other than that, everyone in the crowd looked like nothing more than blurry shapes to him. The way they moved, the ferocity with which they clashed into each other with a desire to keep up. Bodies were draped over one another til Charlie could barely tell them apart, swapping spit and tabs and occasionally harsh blows, only to be pulled out by security what felt like mere seconds later. Everyone moved too fast for him to keep up, but Charlie felt connected to every single one of them. They felt the same bass under their feet, screamed along to the same lyrics. Everyone in the crowd was so fucking beautiful, and it was because of him.

Tugging an ear free from his headphones, Charlie reached to the side of the DJ booth where his beer was sitting, probably stale tasting and worse the wear for sitting stagnant. Still, beggars couldn't be choosers, and his throat was dry as fuck. He gulped around the bitter taste, swiping the back of his hand across his mouth to remove the sticky residue as the last song of his set reached it's climax. He could feel the next DJ crowding behind him, pumping his fist with one hand as the other seamlessly slid his USB drive into the port next to Charlie's own, ready for the next song.

Once you talk to me, I'll talk to you, And say, 'Hey, let's get out of here.'

"Shall we go back to my place?" Charlie roared along with the final lyric, amidst what felt like mostly a congregation of mostly white women also enjoying their Brat Summer. He clapped his hands together in exaltation, slapping the next DJ on the shoulder as he closed up his laptop, slipping from the booth.

"All yours, dog!" he chirped, sliding his laptop, covered with peeling stickers, under his arm.

The Floridian quickly moved into the crowd, enjoying the anonymity it gave him. Most partygoers didn't tend to recognise the DJ, too lost in the music to really give the guy behind the keyboard a second glance. It was only ever a handful of times that Charlie was caught by someone with a congratulatory word to bestow upon him, or a flirty come on. Most of the time, Charlie moved without being seen. Sure, his set had finished, but the night was far from over.

Tugging his phone from deep within the pockets of his baggy jeans, he prayed for a semblance of service as he wound through the crowd, wondering if any of the usual suspects were out tonight. If he was lucky, Amelia or Jessie had decided to say fuck it to their 9-to-5 and go out on a Tuesday night. If not, well, Charlie found friends wherever he went.

He found himself subconciously moving towards the smoking area, patting down his other pocket in search of his Vape - man, he needed more hands - when he found himself pinned in place by the gaze of a stranger directly in his path. Looking up, Charlie offered him a lopsided smile. If Charlie registered the fact that stopping directly in his path was a super fucking weird thing to do, he didn't comment on it. The guy was extremely good looking, with big, pretty eyes and the body language of somebody who didn't want to be there.

"Yeah?" Charlie said, a grin threatening to split his face in two. "You can direct all complaints to the bar, my guy. The girls really just wanna hear Charli this Summer."

He laughed, redistributing the weight of his laptop under his other arm, as the man quickly backtracked.

"Aw well, much obliged, dog!" he thanked the other man. With some slight of hand, he ferried his vape and his phone to one hand so he could hold out a paw to the man he now considered his new friend.

"Name's Charlie. I'm here most nights." he greeted, holding his palm outright for the other man to shake, or slap, or whatever.

#thread: charlie1 #ft. charlie

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fiddlepickdouglas · 3 years ago

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Viva Las Vegas, Pt. 11 - De Orfeo Records

Summary: Sunset Cure AU, Willex, is there a chance?, 2.8k

@trevor-wilson-covington is the bestie who makes these lovely edits, we stan supportive friends

WARNINGS: death mention

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10

Reggie and Carlos were running around in the middle of taking down equipment after their latest gig. Luke shook his head as he wrapped cords over his arm and placed them in a storage box. Alex, however, was nervously trying not to get run into as he carried various pieces of his drum set out and handed them to Bobby in the back of the van. He could forgive Reggie not really helping out since he was taking responsibility for the kid, but also hadn’t anticipated that their energies combined would put him more on edge.

As he went inside to grab the last piece of his set, he found that Reggie had taken his flannel and tied it around his neck like a cape, with Carlos wearing his leather jacket in a similar fashion. They approached Bobby, who immediately joined their game and they pretended to battle each other. By the time Alex had finished getting his whole set in the van, they were playing out a dramatic victory over defeating Bobby.

“Guys, this is great, but we really should finish packing up,” Alex said, although he was smiling from the entertainment.

“I guess you’re the next bad guy we fight,” Carlos said in a mock-deep voice.

“We can schedule it later, Robin,” Alex teased.

“Oh, no, he’s Batman,” Reggie corrected. “I’m Robin!” He put his fists on his hips in a proud superhero pose.

A big SHHHHHH came from Luke and they all looked over at him to see what was up. He was far off by the venue office, holding a phone to his ear and writing onto a notepad. His eyes were wide with excitement, and his energy was only held back by the other hand tapping against the paper. The boys watched as his smile grew bigger and he said goodbye, barely putting the phone back in place properly.

“YEEESS!!” he cried, raising his fists into the air in celebration. They all came running toward him to see what had happened.

“Boys, we’ve got good news!” Luke told them. Looking on in anticipation, Alex gripped his fanny pack tightly. “One of the record execs that came tonight is offering for us to sign onto their label and put out some songs! He even heard our demo!”

Everyone celebrated, jumping up and down and high-fiving each other. Reggie let Carlos climb onto him in a piggyback and they both yelled triumphantly. Luke pulled Alex into a bro hug, then Bobby. Alex held his arms up and placed his hands on top of his head, unable to believe what had just happened. Euphoria filled his head like helium and he went to double-high-five Carlos, who was still perched on Reggie’s back.

“So what else did they say?” Bobby asked, still smiling.

Luke had to shake off some more excitement before he could explain the rest.

“Ahhh, so he said we could meet in a few days to discuss business and contracts and such, let us get a look at the studio and stuff. I got all his contact information and he’s totally excited to get us on. We’re moving on up boys!”

The celebration continued, and their renewed energy caused the rest of the take-down to go by much faster. They were still riding the high as they drove home. Alex listened to Luke talk about which songs they would want to record first and where they would land on the charts. He remembered that feeling he had back at the Pearl during their sound check. Doing that? For real and not just dreaming and hoping about it? They hadn’t made it just yet, but this was a change he could be excited for.

Reggie had been staying with Carlos, which the rest of the boys figured was a good excuse to not stay home. As Bobby pulled up to the house, he and Luke began climbing out of the van. Carlos and Reggie were already inside.

“Uh, guys?” Alex said, still in the back of the van. They all turned back to him. “What are you doing?”

“Oh,” Luke gestured like oh-silly-me. “We all decided to stay here for the night. It’s just a nice change from the garage and Julie’s aunt has lots of leftovers that need to be eaten so…”

“So...I’m grounded,” Alex reminded, raising his eyebrows. His parents hadn’t been happy about him sneaking out to the pier the other night.

“Screw your old man, Alex,” Bobby said.

“Yeah, he can eat my shorts if he tries to do anything about it,” Luke added.

Alex took a moment to think. Disobeying wasn’t going to do anything for or against him at this point - he kept anything truly important to him out of his parents’ reach and since he’d gotten the punching bag he could actually contend with their tempers. They couldn’t punish him in a way that mattered.

“Yeah, you’ve got a point,” he said finally, following them into the house.

They found Reggie and Carlos already raiding the kitchen.

“Alex, you’re staying too?” Reggie said when he saw them enter.

“Yes!” Carlos cried, pumping his fist. “You get to make popcorn. Tonight, the Empire Strikes Back!”

“Oh yeah, baby!” Reggie responded as the rest of the boys began following orders from Carlos. Alex wasn’t crazy about Star Wars, but eh….young Mark Hamill was hot so he didn’t mind too much. He was sure most of them would fall asleep during the movie anyway.

A couple hours later it turned out he was right. Carlos was slumped on the floor leaning back against the chair Luke was sitting in, hand still in the bowl of popcorn. Luke was leaning on his hand, breathing soundly. Alex had watched earlier as Bobby’s head flopped onto Reggie’s shoulder and the flustered look that had overcome Reggie’s face, and it was too good not to smile at. Once the VCR began automatically rewinding the movie, Alex shut off the TV.

He stared at the ceiling as he pulled the handle on the La-Z-Boy he was in and reclined into a somewhat comfortable position. Even now, weeks later after meeting for only a day, the first thing he wished he could do was tell Willie the news about the record label. He probably would have been just as ecstatic as the rest of them, if not more. Victoria would be back soon and hopefully have some news. He guessed it didn’t matter if he’d been right about the missing kid, but maybe just knowing if she got to talk with Willie would be enough.

The memory of soft brown eyes still rose in his mind. He’d been doing his best to keep that moment cemented in his brain because he’d noticed it helped him sleep. It was funny because he’d done the same thing with the guys, but staring into Willie’s eyes had been an entirely different experience. Alex wished he had the proper words to describe it, but the best he could do was marvel. Willie was clearly unaware of the strength he held, and it made Alex want to bring that out with his entire being. If he ever did get the chance, that would be something worth looking forward to.

Victoria didn’t arrive until the afternoon the next day. Since Alex felt that she had gone because of him, he made everyone else clean her house as well as they could. No traces of food on the floor, no messy beds, and the kitchen was cleaner than when they had found it. As she came back into the house, she put a hand over her heart.

��Wow!” she exclaimed. “I should take trips like this more often if you boys are this good!”

“Yes, tía, please, please, please let them babysit me again! Pleeeeaaassee!” Carlos begged with his hands pressed together.

“Ay, sobrino, no me quieres?” she shook her head.

“No, I do!” Carlos tried to recover. “But they’re fun!”

As if to make a point, Reggie rubbed a hand on Carlos�� head.

“It’s okay little dude, we’ll be back.”

Victoria pulled her wallet out of her purse.

“Well, you boys took very good care of him and I promised I would pay you, so here you go.” She handed each of them a generous amount of cash. Luke, Reggie and Bobby all whooped as they thanked her and headed to the van. Alex held back with anticipation. Victoria looked at him seriously.

“There was no connection,” she told him before he asked. “His guardian explained everything to me, and there was nothing else to go on. I wanted to know because I thought I could solve an old case, but I had to let it go.”

“Well, did you get to talk to him?” Alex tried not to sound too urgent.

“You mean Willie? No, I never saw him. After talking with his guardian I didn’t need to.”

Bowing his head, Alex made himself swallow his other questions. She had at least tried.

“Thank you,” he said. “I’m sorry if it was inconvenient.”

“I chose to go, don’t worry about it,” she assured.

Nodding and saying thanks one more time, Alex hurried out after the rest of his friends.

A few days later, the boys slammed the doors of the van shut as they looked up at the building before them. It was so plain and simple on the outside; they never would’ve guessed there was a studio there. It was likely they had driven past it many times on the way to a gig. Pushing through the door, they all looked at the logo in neon lights on the wall: De Orfeo Records.

Collectively, the boys took in awed breaths at the reality of where they were standing. This was too good to believe. Alex took in the scene, trying to imagine this being a place he came to regularly. Could he ever get used to it, or get over the sheer excitement of just being there? Luke patted him on the back, desperately trying to contain himself. They wandered through the halls a little bit until they came to a room where the door was sitting open.

“Oh, boys!” A man called as they almost walked past it. “In here!”

As they all shuffled in, the man shook their hands and pointed them to a couch where they could sit. Alex nervously stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he took a seat. The man across from them was dressed surprisingly casually, if not with obvious expensive taste. He still had sunglasses on, but their yellow tint was clearly not for actual UV protection.

“Nice to meet all of you,” he was saying. “My name is Alan, I’m one of the producers here at De Orfeo. Which one of you did I talk to on the phone?”

Luke raised his hand.

“That was me,” he said, already gushing with excitement. “How’d you hear about us, anyway?”

Alan didn’t answer, but instead looked up at the doorway as someone else came in.

“Hello boys!” Caleb Covington entered, his charismatic smile spread wide across his face. “So nice to see you again.”

Alex’s heart rate immediately sped up and he clenched his hands inside his pockets. How could it be? He thought his last chance to reach out to Willie was gone and seeing Caleb brought back everything he hadn’t been able to ask Julie’s aunt. All the guys were happy to recognize him.

“I won’t be staying for the negotiations,” Caleb said. “but I wanted to properly introduce myself as the owner of this label. I want to assure you boys the best experience as newcomers in the industry. Let any nerves that still linger walk right out the door.” His eyes landed on Alex for a moment, and it felt purposeful. “Take it away, Alan.”

Listening to the producer’s pitch was difficult to focus on now, and Alex had to fight hard against his brain latching onto the new hopes that had arisen. He was thankful that when paperwork came out, Bobby was mindful enough to have them read through it. It was taking too long, though, and Alex was already wishing he had his drumsticks in hand to help pass the time. Reggie had so many questions, and Luke had trouble understanding numerous words - at least that kept Alex occupied because he could be helpful in that. A good hour had passed going over all the information.

“This looks great!” Luke said finally. “How are we feelin’ boys?”

Each of them nodded and looked around at each other, confirming that they all agreed on every settlement. Luke grabbed a pen and pulled his copy of the contract toward him, pausing momentarily to drink in what was happening. Then he signed his name in giant letters. Alex, Bobby, and Reggie followed suit, and Alex could feel a weird tingle rush through his hand as he made the final flourish with his pen. They were all in now.

As the band began celebrating, Caleb knocked on the doorframe.

“If it’s alright with you boys, I wanted to speak with Alex privately for a moment,” Caleb said, gesturing for Alex to follow him outside the room.

His curiosity was at the point of overflowing, and he went out trying to control his trembling hands. Maybe Caleb had talked to Willie after all. This could be his way to bridge that gap and he wouldn’t have to live off of just memories.

Everyone else was still going nuts over getting the contracts signed back in the room. Standing in the lobby, Caleb was looking at him seriously, maybe even pitifully. It quickly drained the exhilaration in Alex’s chest.

“I can tell you’ve been wanting to ask me some questions,” he began. “But before you do, I thought it was best to inform you of some important details first.”

Alex looked up at him with his hands back in his pockets and gulped. Why was his heartbeat suddenly so loud? He knew Caleb couldn’t actually hear it, but it still embarrassed him. His mouth began to go dry.

Caleb furrowed his brow, as if what he was about to say wasn’t easy to get out. He bowed his head and took a breath before looking at Alex again.

“Willie,” he started. Then he paused. “Is dead.”

The trembling in Alex’s hands stopped.

He stared at Caleb, as if he could pull off the serious expression and find a joking smile underneath. It was a few moments before he remembered to breathe in, and blinking seemed to cut that moment into two as if the first one wasn’t real.

“No, no, that can’t - ” he heard the words spill out of his mouth. Why was his body so tense and ready to defend itself? His cheeks felt hot.

“I know the news is hard,” Caleb interrupted, placing a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “I can hardly bear it myself. There was an electrical fire. He didn’t make it out.”

Alex could only shake his head. Caleb’s expression wasn’t changing and for some reason it was the most infuriating sight. He could punch that face and make him bleed if he really wanted to. The adrenaline was already rushing to his fist.

“There has to be a mistake,” he said, chuckling darkly.

“There is no mistake,” Caleb told him firmly.

How was the man so calm? How could he say those words out loud and not immediately crumble to the earth? How could he have worn such a large smile earlier?

“I know you two weren’t friends for long, but he made it clear you were important to him.”

The words came through as if from a tiny speaker. They’d only gotten one day and it wasn’t enough. Willie couldn’t go like that, he simply couldn’t - not when Alex needed to know if they could’ve ever had something real. He still wanted to know so many things about him and look into those brown eyes and soften the hard edges on them. He needed to -

He was crying. On his hands and knees, trying to get the dark shadow that had grown inside his chest to come out. It made him choke. Caleb had apparently left him alone, unable to console him, and he felt hands on his back and shoulders as he fought to properly breathe. Luke was knelt down before him, mouth hanging open in want of words but not able to form any. Bobby was gripping his hand and supporting him as he and Reggie pulled him up onto his feet.

“We need to get him in the van,” one of them was saying.

Any movement from there was not his own. All three boys were trying their hardest to help the tallest member of their band out of the building. Everything was numb - like a machine that had broken down after being run too hard.

The brown eyes faded into darkness, murky and thick. There was no air in his lungs to scream into that dark, no tie-dye, no rolling of wheels on the sidewalk, no ‘ribbit’, no more wondering and hoping.

Dead quiet. That was all.

#julie and the phantoms #jatp #fanfic #jatp fanfic #willex #alive au #alex mercer #willie #luke patterson #reggie peters #bobby wilson #carlos molina #aunt victoria #caleb covington #tw death mention #sunset curve #viva las vegas #de orfeo records #fiddlepickdouglas

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octothorpetopus · 5 years ago

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Afterglow

Richie refuses to cancel his shows. Partially because he does still need to get paid, but mostly because if he changes his life, if he lets the depression take him and pull him into the abyss... that means it's real. That means that Eddie's really gone and he's really not coming back.

He also refuses to cancel his TV appearances, which includes hosting the most popular late-night sketch comedy show in American history, and the one he got his start on as a cast member. Before he went to Derry, he had been excited for it. Before he went to Derry, he had been excited for a lot of things. Now, he couldn't even remember the sensation of excitement. He couldn't remember running ahead of the crowd to get to what he wanted. Now, there was only getting through it, and if he could do that, he'd survive.

The days seem to float by leading up to that Saturday night. He has meetings and rehearsals and publicity stunts and none of it matters. Not one bit. None of the other Losers call, but he didn't think they would. They're giving him space, and besides, they've all got their own things to figure out.

Saturday night comes, and Richie isn't nervous. He finds that since defeating It, nothing else can make him nervous. He stands backstage at the studio, hearing the familiar theme play and the cacophonous cheers of the audience. He's a little excited now. Not enough, but a little. He takes one last look in his dressing room mirror. His expression is tired, but when he plasters on a smile, he almost looks just like he used to. He has gotten a haircut, and he looks older. Less like a kid. He feels less like a kid. But that's not his job. His job is to make other people feel like kids.

"...along with your host, Richie Tozier!" The voiceover finishes just as Richie shakes himself from his stupor and pushes open the door of his dressing room, almost sprinting past producers and studio execs, taking a moment to compose himself before he walks onstage. There is a deafening roar and a flash of blinding light as he walks out, and it takes everything in him not to raise a hand to shield his eyes. He raises it to wave instead, flaunting a brilliant grin beneath his new glasses. He stops in the box on the middle of the stage and waits, breathing shakily, for the noise to stop. Eventually it does, and he smiles again.

"Hello, everyone. I'm so happy to be back here, and this time I'm hosting!" He whoops, letting the lights wash over him, wiping the slate clean. "No, really, it is great to be back. You know, since I left the show, I've gotten a lot of attention, which is great, and almost all of it's good, so..." He pumps his fist, timing it just right. He was not always so good at timing. "But even though I worked here for a long-ass time both in the cast and as a writer, people still tell me I'm just, like... not funny? Like, they'll come up to me after a show and just say, 'Hey, I didn't laugh at any of that. Can I still get a picture, though?' And a lot of my friends tell me that, too. I've got this one friend, and he..." Richie trails off, his eyes traveling up past the crowd and into the lights. They look just like the Deadlights, he notices. How did he not notice that earlier? In his near-excitement, he forgot all about his brief time in the Deadlights, and... and Eddie. He had been just about to mention Eddie. He snaps his eyes back out of the lights, blinking blurry purple circles away. He has to get back to the show. He can't break. He can't.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about my friend. He, um, literally never laughed at one of my jokes. We knew each other since we were eleven, and he didn't laugh at a single one." Richie has a memory of an eleven-year-old Eddie with a popsicle melting in his hand, offering one to Richie. "All my friends got kinda sick of my jokes back then. I wasn't nearly as funny then as I am now." He laughs self-indulgently, and then he is back in the lights, slipping away. He sees Eddie at eleven, at thirteen, at sixteen, at eighteen, at forty. He sees Eddie a hundred times, flashing before his eyes. He can't feel his mouth move, but it does, and he doesn't realize what he's done until he hears himself say, "And I loved him for it." That is all it takes to bring him back. He stumbles back, suddenly feeling the eyes of everyone watching close in around him. He does not know what to do. He does not know what to say. And then, all at once, he does. And he says it.

"There's something I've needed to say for a very, very long time." Nobody speaks. Nobody moves. Richie straightens, closes his eyes, and takes a long, slow breath. When he speaks again, his voice is steady and even, and not quite his own. "And this wasn't planned, but I think this is maybe the best place to do it." His eyes open, and they are glowing gunmetal silver under the lights. "I'm gay." He is unsmiling, a word almost never used to describe him before Derry. The audience is utterly silent. They could be replaced by mannequins for all Richie knows. And then, there comes a burst of nervous laughter from somewhere to his left, someone who thinks maybe this is just a very odd set-up to a joke. But it wasn't. "I'm gay, and my best friend in the whole world, the one who never laughed at my jokes... he died. Last week. I was in love with him, and I never told him. That I loved him, or that I was even gay. And... when I say love, I don't mean I had a crush on him when we were kids and something got rekindled when we were adults. I mean I loved him. Really, truly loved him, in the way most people never even get, when we grew up together, now, and almost thirty years in between." Whispers begin to rise now, floating to Richie's ears, but he shuts them out. He is going now, snowballing, getting bigger and bigger and bigger. "I think that's why I'm telling you all now. Because he never got to hear it, and now, I owe it to him to tell someone. I loved him despite the fact that he never laughed at my jokes. I loved him because he never laughed at my jokes. I will always regret never saying anything." He looks down at the people in front of him now. Some are grumbling. Some are stunned. One or two, he notes, are even crying. He reaches up to adjust his glasses and realizes that he is too.

"I'm sorry, everyone," he says. "You didn't come here tonight to see a forty-year-old man cry over his first love. And you won't have to for much longer. I want to leave you with one piece of advice, something a very wise friend said to me. Be who you want to be. Be proud." He smiles, though he feels more like crying than ever, and walks off the stage the way he came to a totally stunned silence. He passes the same producers, the same studio execs, and ignores their cries of protest. He has said his piece. And perhaps his career as a comedian is over in this one blip. Would that really be the end of the world?

He exits out the back doors of the studio and ducks his head, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. He passes a long line of people waiting to meet him, praying that they don't see him, and by some miracle, they don't. He thinks about hailing a cab, and then doesn't. It's a cool night, and he wants to walk.

This is Eddie's city, he realizes. No wonder he's been having visions and dreams of him ever since he arrived. How many times did Eddie walk these same sidewalks, bobbing and weaving to avoid accidental contact? How many times did he roll his eyes at the tourists, or hesitate before ordering bodega coffee, or step over a passed-out drunk on his way into his apartment?

He hardly makes it inside the doors of his hotel when he gets the first call. It is the first of many calls he will receive tonight, and the only one he will pick up. It's Bev. He settles into a leather armchair by the lobby fireplace and answers the phone.

"Hi, Bev-"

"Richie?" He can see her face just from her tone of voice and has to stifle a laugh at her wide eyes and open mouth. "Richie, I just saw the show-"

"Bev, slow down-"

"Why didn't you tell me? You could have told me-"

"Bev, please, go easy on him." This is Ben, muffled on the other line. Richie hears Beverly exhale, and when she speaks again, it's slower. Less frantic.

"Richie, that was... very brave of you."

"Thanks. It wasn't too disastrous?"

"No, we thought it was very... very you. And Richie?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm proud of you." He blushes and feels another tear slide down his face.

"Thank you, Beverly. Do you think-"

"I think Eddie would be too. And, Rich, can I tell you something?"

"Shoot."

"...I don't know what it's worth, but I think Eddie loved you too." Richie chokes on his own breath and has to take a moment, coughing and pounding his chest. He has a vision of using a gray plastic HydrOx inhaler.

"It's worth everything, Bev. Look, I gotta go, but-"

"No worries, Richie. Call me if you need to talk."

"Bye, Rich."

"Bye, Haystack." The line clicks off. Richie leans back in his seat and looks around the lobby. It will not be long before the news of his dramatic exit becomes widespread. He doesn't dread the flood, though. He awaits it with open arms. "If Eds could see me now," he murmurs, warm relief settling in the pit of his stomach. And then, even quieter, with a genuine, melancholy smile: "Beep-beep, Richie."

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the--blackdahlia · 5 years ago

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Too Young to Fall in Love Chapter 44 (Dirt!Nikki x Reader)

Title: Too Young to Fall in Love 44

Summary: Nikki Sixx was a hard partying musician on the strip. He never expected to fall in love with anyone, until a girl knocked on his dressing room door looking for a ride home and took his breath away. Just like everything else Nikki did; the drugs, the money, the music; Nikki went hard with love. (Y/n) Bass never expected the bassist of Motley Crue to be the one to shake her calm and calculated life up. She had a plan. Graduate school, become an epic producer, and watch from behind the scenes as her brother’s band rose to fame. Nikki and (Y/n) were perfect for each other, too bad her brother, Tommy, didn’t think so.

Series warnings: Smut (18+ Please), drug use, language, referenced miscarriage, drug overdose, mentioned attempted suicide, out of character moments for everyone in the band, the timeline might be a little screwy but it’s fanfiction! I know nothing of music production and my medical knowledge is really screwy, so it won’t be accurate.

“You’re watching MTV and we have a new breaking story. Bassist Nikki Sixx and famed producer (Y/n) Bass have announced their engagement today. As well as Vince Neil and Movie executive Vanessa Rodriguez. It sounds like wedding bells for two of the members of Motley Crue.”

Tommy stared at the TV on the yacht that him and Pamela were hanging out on. Pamela looked over at him.

“Babe? What is it?” She asked, putting down the magazine she had been reading.

“Bastard did it again!” Tommy clenched his fist. “He asked her to marry him and didn’t talk to me.”

“Oh. This happened before?” Pamela asked.

“Back in the 80’s they’d only been dating a couple of months before they broke up because of his addictions.” Tommy clenched his fist. “She better not come crying to me when he breaks her heart, again.”

“So, are you going to object to the wedding?” She asked. “She looks happy with him.”

“Yeah, she used to look happy with him too… I might just not show up.” Tommy went to the fridge and grabbed a beer.

“Babe, you know she loves you and she wants you to be there.” Pamela told him. They didn’t know that (Y/n) was going to talk to her dad. It was hard for him to walk a lot and she wondered if Tommy could help walk her down the aisle.

Tommy shrugged and headed towards the top of the yacht to look out over the water.

**********

Nikki sighed as he stretched and pulled (Y/n) closer to him. His fingers traced over her skin caressing her body. A devilish smirked played on his lips as he dipped under the covers and made his way down between her legs. His tongue licking at her folds as his fingers caressed her lightly.

“Wha…” She moaned. She opened her eyes and looked down under the blankets. “Nikki…”

“Shhhh, I’m having breakfast,” he teased as he curled his fingers into her his mouth sucking on her clit.

“Mmmmm,” She bucked her hips. She was a little sore after their fun night. She was amazed that Nikki could get it up so many times and for so long, but she loved it so much. Nikki moaned into her skin as he felt her walls clenched around his fingers.

“Cum for me sweet girl,” he murmured as he moved his fingers faster into her.

“Nikki…” was all she said before she came around his fingers. “Oh shit!”

Moving up her body he kissed her deeply before pressing his cock into her. He moaned as he pushed in inch by inch. “Fuck,” he murmured.

“Didn’t have enough of me last night?” She breathed, loving the full feeling of him being inside her. “Fuck.”

“Never going to get enough of you,” he thrust into her long and slow as he kissed her deeply drinking in her moans. “You feel so good, I just want to do this all day.”

“Too bad you have work to do.” She moaned, wrapping her legs around his waist.

“Don’t wanna,” he sucked on her neck as he began to pick up the pace, thrusting faster into her.

“Fuck.” She moaned, closing her eyes. “Stay in bed and fuck me all day?”

“Shit, Yes,” he said as he snaked his hand between then pressing on her clit. “Could do this all day.”

“Gotta eat sometime.” She was able to get them flipped over so he was on his back and she started to ride him.

“Fuck,” He moaned as he thrust his hip up into her as she rode him. His hands caressing her sides. “You look gorgeous, wish I had my camera.”

“Maybe later.” She winked. “Add it to your other special pictures you have.”

“Fuck yeah,” he smiled and let out a grunt. “I’m close sweet girl.”

“Come for me.” (Y/n) moaned, bouncing more. “I want to feel you.”

“F-f-fuck!” he moaned as he spilled into her. His fingers digging into her hips as he bucked into her.

“God Nikki, you feel so good.” She moaned.

Nikki reached down and pressed on her clit, “Cum for me sweet girl… cum.” It didn’t take her long before she came a second time all over him.

“Fuck.” She gasped.

He smiled when she collapsed on him and he kissed the top of her head. “I should get up and let Ziggy out.” He held her close not making a move to get up, “I just want to lay here all day.”

“I’ll go let him out.” she pecked his lips. “Good thing we have a privacy fence. We might have to make use of the pool today.” She winked at him before slowly getting up.

“I’m going to take a quick shower,” Nikki smacked her ass and smiled. “I’ll be down in a sec.” She wrapped her robe around her and let Ziggy out. They had been looking at getting another dog and she was thinking about going to go look today. That was if Nikki would let her out of bed.

Walking downstairs after his shower he was dressed for his day. He would be practicing for a bit before looking over trying to create his own label and maybe have (Y/n) as one of the execs. He watched her as she played with Ziggy and smiled. Grabbing his camera he began taking pictures just as the wind blew through her hair. He was brought out of his haze by a knock on the door. Walking over he opened in and frowned.

“Tommy,” he muttered.

“Hey Nikki.” Tommy said, looking sad. (Y/n) came to the door, smiling, until she saw Tommy. “(Y/n).” He said. “Good, you’re both here.”

“Tommy, what’s wrong?” She asked. She saw the beer bottle in his hand.

“I’m wondering that myself,” Nikki muttered while keeping (Y/n) behind him protectively.

“Why?” He asked softly. (Y/n) and Nikki looked at each other.

“Why, what?” Nikki looked at him.

“Why the hell did you two get engaged again?” The beer bottle fell from his hand, shattering on the sidewalk. “Fuck…” (Y/n) cringed a little.

“Because this time it’s going to stick. This time I made sure I was a better man. We’re together for a lot longer this time Tommy, and this time, I’m not going anywhere.” Nikki sighed. “Tommy you need help man.”

“No I don’t!” Tommy yelled. “I am doing just fine!” (Y/n) reached out and stabilized him.

“Tommy, when was the last time you ate?” She asked.

“Yesterday I think,” he mumbled.

“(Y/n),” Nikki breathed. “We should just take him home. He’s never going to be happy for us.”

“Let me go get dressed and I’ll take you back home.” (Y/n) whispered to her brother. “Do you need something to eat?” Nikki was amazed that after everything her brother had done to her, she could still be so kind to him. That’s another reason Nikki loved her so much.

“Yeah I guess,” Tommy mumbled as he looked Nikki and sighed. (Y/n) went up to put some clothes on. She pulled on one of Nikki’s Motley Crue wife beaters and a pair of leggings. She made it halfway down the stairs when she heard them talking.

“Tommy… why do you hate that I’m with (Y/n)? You’ve been doing this since the 80’s man.” Nikki sighed.

“Because she deserves better than someone like us.” Tommy grumbled. (Y/n) decided to intervene before things got worse.

“Come on Budweiser.” (Y/n) said, leading Tommy towards the car. She looked back at Nikki.

“(Y/n)...” Nikki gave her a worried look as Tommy sat in the passenger seat of her car. “You sure this is a good idea?”

“He tries anything, I’m punching him.” She told him. “Those self defense classes Nessa, Thena, and I took are coming in handy. And I’ll call you if something happens.” She got into the car and looked over at Tommy. “What happened to my brother?”

Tommy shrugged, “Don’t know… I’ve always been a screw up… not as smart as you.”

“Tommy…” She started up the car. “Who taught me how to twirl drumsticks without smacking myself in the face?”

“I did,” he mumbled.

“And who taught me how to punch the boys at school who kept lifting up my skirt?” (Y/n) started driving to a place they could eat.

“I didn’t protect you from Nikki,” he grumbled.

“You didn’t need to.” She told him. “I chose to go out with him. I can’t help I fell in love with him.” She looked over at him. “Just like you couldn’t help that you loved Heather or Pamela.” Tommy teared up and looked out the window.

“But look what he did to you (Y/n). Look what I let him do to you and… I know he changed but…” Tommy wasn't sure what he was saying anymore.

“What did you let him do to me?” She asked. “He never hit me. Yeah, the drugs made him emotionally distant, but he has changed.”

“No, but he made you take drugs, and he made you feel abandoned.” Tommy sighed.

“He didn’t make me take the drugs,” She told him. “I chose to do that on my own. And, as for the feeling abandoned part, I’m the one that moved completely across the country, not him.”

Tommy sat in silence just letting her words sink in, “I guess I just… I don’t know anymore… I know I got jealous you stole my best friend.”

“So, this is nothing about what Nikki did,” (Y/n) said. “It’s me.”

“Sorry,” Tommy said. “My baby sister stole my best friend. He stopped partying and I… I pushed him to keep it up.”

“Tommy, he never stopped being your best friend because he was seeing me.” She told him. “Let’s get you home, okay.” She wasn’t going to lie, her heart was hurting. The truth had finally come out. She was going to keep it together until she was home.

****

Nikki was in his private studio writing and laying down bass lines. His mind kept wondering if (Y/n) was ok. His mind replayed the time Tommy punched her meaning to punch him. Or everytime he would carry her and take her away. He wondered what happened to his best friend. Looking at the time he put away his bass and walked to the kitchen ready to cook for himself and (Y/n).

(Y/n) came into the house quietly and made her way towards the bathroom. She ran water in the tub and climbed in. Nikki had heard the door, but he didn’t see (Y/n) come in. He frowned and went to look for her.

“(Y/n)?” he called for her. He could hear music playing from the bathroom and soft crying. He started to get scared. “Sweet girl, can I come in?” he placed his hand on the knob.

“Yeah…” She whispered, pulling her knees to her chest.

Walking in, he knelt next to the tub and caressed her cheek, “What did he do?”

“He told me the truth.” She whispered. “That it wasn’t you he was mad at all these years, but me.” She rested her head on top of her knees.

“What?” Nikki looked at her confused. “How could he be mad at you? You did nothing wrong.”

“I stole his best friend away from him,” She told him. “All these years, and I thought he was mad that you were in love with his sister. But it turns out he was mad that I was in love with his best friend.”

Nikki sighed and kissed her head, “I’m not sure what to say to that. He’s being an idiot, and he could have come talk to me.” (Y/n) closed her eyes and started to cry.

“Everything that happened makes sense now.” She whispered.

“What are you talking about?” Nikki sat next to the tub and relaxed. “You know I can join you in here. We could just relax and talk about the wedding.” She offered him a small smile.

“Come on in.” She told him softly.

Nikki removed his clothes and gently moved her forward so he could go in behind her. He sighed and pulled her back to lay against him. “This feel nice. So what are we thinking. Spring? Summer?”

“Running to Vegas and eloping?” (Y/n) laughed a little. “I was thinking a spring wedding could be beautiful. Not too hot too, so I don’t have to hear anyone complaining about having to wear pants or a long dress.”

“That sounds good,” Nikki smiled. “Tell me your vision and we can start finding someone to help us out.” He was trying to distract her. If anything he was going to go talk to Tommy himself and hopefully Tommy would hear him out.

“Early evening outside. Little lights wrapped around the trees and candles.” She rested back against Nikki. “The most handsome man I’ve ever seen standing at the altar waiting for me.”

“Really? More handsome than me?” he teased.

“I mean, Ziggy is pretty cute.” She laughed. Nikki splashed her a little. “There’s no one I want more waiting for me at the end of the aisle than Nikki Fucking Sixx.” She laughed softly.

“Damn straight,” he muttered and kissed her shoulder. “We should get some new Tats.”

“Oh?” She asked. “I think I have something in mind.” She smiled and kissed him. “Dinner and some tats?”

"Now that is a plan, what should we get?" He let his hands massage her back while he cleaned her.

“What if I got something that said “sweet girl” and you got something that says “silly boy”?”

Nikki chuckled and held her close, “I like that. I think it defines us.”

“I love you Nikki.” (Y/n) said, staying close to her bassit. “You know, the offers still stands for Vegas.” She giggled a little.

“I don’t think your parents would appreciate that sweet girl,” he kissed the top of her head and sighed. He sighed, “I should really go and talk to Tommy myself,” he sighed.

“Let’s just leave him alone for now,” (Y/n) told Nikki.

“Yeah, I guess,” Nikki got up with (Y/n) and helped her out of the tub. “I’ll stop cooking whatever I was cooking and we can just eat out and get our new Tattoos.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” (Y/n) looked down.

“For what?” Nikki smiled. “We’re going to have fun. Besides, I can always cook tomorrow.” He helped her get dry and kissed her his fingers reaching between her legs. She gasped softly into the kiss.

“Nikki, I just dried off.” She moaned.

“And look at that,” he murmured, “you’re wet again.” He moved his hand and winked. “Lets go sweet girl, we have a long night ahead of us.”

“You’re gonna pay for that.” She warned him as she went to get ready for their evening. She knew the exact outfit to wear. It got him hard every time she wore it. She slid the shirt on with a pair of pants and made her way down the living room.

“Cheater,” Nikki muttered as he pulled her close to him. “You know exactly what that shirt does to me sweet girl.”

“Oh, I know.” She smirked. “So, are we going?” She wiggled away and walked towards the door.

Forever Tags: @anathewierdo @dekahg @marvel-af-imagines @feelmyroarrrr @nanie5 @imboredsueme @gemini0410 @aiaranradnay @babypink224221 @mogarukes @xxwarhawk @sandlee44 @shatteredabby @caswinchester2000 @supernaturalwincestsblog @lauravic @mrsambroserollinsacklesmgk @teller258316 @horrorpxnk @tommyleeownsme

Motley Crue Tags: @primal-screamer @waywardprincess666 @twistnet @saint-of-los-angeles @vader-kai @motleyfuckingcruee @sharon6713 @kawennote09 @2dead2function @nikkisixxwiththebass @iamtiber-andtiberismusic @jayprettymuchomw @charlyallise @you-know-im-a-dreamer @sweet-dreams-on-butterfly-wings @estxxmotley @arianareirg @the-normal-potato @nikki-sixxtynine @jjjjjjjoshdun @just-a-normal-fangirl18 @stella20131991 @tarahell @wowilovenikkisixx @i-want-to-shoot-myself @motleycrueee @sams-serialkiller-fetish @getbackhonkycatt @are-you-reddie54321 @flamencodiva @lesliethegroupie @deacyduck @scarecrowmax @major-tom-is-a-junky @anyasthoughts @bandaids-not-groupies

Nikki Sixx Tags: @daisystuffsstuff @unknownoblivion @deakysblueoutfit @fandomshit6000

Too Young to Fall in Love Tags: @kingbouji3 @leximus98 @thekidbakerinthetardis @crystalbaby12 @shawnsstxtches @knockemdeadgirl @deansgirl1993 @haileynicoleseavey17

#too young to fall in love #Motley Crue #nikki sixx #nikki sixx x reader #nikki x reader #the dirt #dirt!nikki sixx #dirt!nikki sixx x reader #dirt!nikki x reader #dirt!nikki #fanfiction

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cvteeds · 5 years ago

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Afterglow

By minnesotamemelord on AO3

"Hi, Bev-"

"Richie?" He can see her face just from her tone of voice and has to stifle a laugh at her wide eyes and open mouth. "Richie, I just saw the show-"

"Bev, slow down-"

"Why didn't you tell me? You could have told me-"

"Bev, please, go easy on him." This is Ben, muffled on the other line. Richie hears Beverly exhale, and when she speaks again, it's slower. Less frantic.

"Richie, that was... very brave of you."

"Thanks. It wasn't too disastrous?"

"No, we thought it was very... very you. And Richie?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm proud of you." He blushes and feels another tear slide down his face.

"Thank you, Beverly. Do you think-"

"I think Eddie would be too. And, Rich, can I tell you something?"

"Shoot."

"It's worth everything, Bev. Look, I gotta go, but-"

"No worries, Richie. Call me if you need to talk."

"Bye, Rich."

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luci-in-trenchcoats · 7 years ago

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More Than You Bargained For (Part 6)

Summary: An incident leaves the reader and Jensen to finally act on their feelings...

Masterlist

Pairing: Bodyguard!Jensen x reader

Word Count: 4,100ish

Warnings: language, stalking, smut

A/N: ;)

Jensen was five minutes into his Dallas Cowboys game that Sunday afternoon when you walked down the hall to his room. It was his one little break of the week where you were Jared’s total responsibility and not to go anywhere apart from the house.

“Uh, hi,” you said, knocking on the door to his room. He was laying on his bed in a pair of dark jeans and gray short sleeve tee, out of his dark suit he’d had on earlier in the day. He grabbed the remote and paused the TV, instantly getting to his feet and walking over. “Sorry, I know this is your break time and everything.”

“Doesn’t matter. What’s wrong?” he asked, glancing over to his dresser, his gun in it’s holster sitting on top.

“You’re gonna get pissed at me,” you said, Jensen squinting until you only saw dark pupils.

“Out with it,” he said.

“So...I sort of have to film some night scenes this week,” you said. He shrugged, shaking his head.

“Not my favorite but we’ll manage,” he said. “We’ll post extra security.”

“It’s in the woods again,” you said.

“Okay…” he said. “I’m waiting for the shoe to drop.”

“I...they had to flip a script around and a bunch of stuff you don’t care about and I sort of need to get kidnapped in the scene but it’s fake so it’s fine and wow those Cowboys huh? Gonna make the playoffs this year you think?” you said, scratching your head.

“Y/N,” said Jensen with a smile. “Hell fucking no.”

“It’ll be with a stunt guy and I’m just going in a car and-”

“And I can’t protect you if you’re doing something like that,” he said. “No.”

“It’s a little zip tie and it’s on me for two seconds. They cut it off as soon as the scene is done and-”

“The person that kidnaps you, are they wearing a mask?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“It’s just one of big bad’s nameless guys so probably,” you said. “What are you thinking?”

“You need to do this scene. I need to stay near you at all times. The only solution I can think of is I need to be the one to kidnap you,” he said. “If they’re wearing a mask, I can’t be positive that the person can be allowed near you.”

“Really? You want to do the scene?” you asked. “It’s not as easy as it looks.”

“I’ll be fine. I got to talk to Alex about how to set this up.”

Two days later, Jensen sort of pissed you off with how easily he understand framing and hitting your marks. By the third take, you might have even thought he was enjoying playing pretend and tossing you around.

“If the bodyguard thing doesn’t work out, you could be a stunt guy,” you said, Jensen chuckling.

“If the bodyguard thing doesn’t work out, it’s probably because someone killed me,” he said.

“That’s fucking morbid,” you said, Jensen shrugging.

“You sort of pay me to take a bullet for you. Just sayin’,” he said, going back to his mark, the two of you running through the scene again.

It was a simple enough stunt. You were supposed to get grabbed when you didn’t realize it, tied up, shoved in the back of the trunk and then have it slam shut. Originally the car was supposed to drive away but Jensen refused. You could cut around it in post though so no one said a word about it. Jensen was opening the trunk to help you out again after your fifth take when you felt the car shift. You cocked your head as he reached inside, the car suddenly pulling away.

You thought who could have gotten into the driver’s seat with Jensen being so careful, checking it constantly to make sure no one was sneaking up on you. But it wasn’t like the car was being driven...more like the parking brake wasn’t on and you were heading down the incline. Before you knew it, you were well down the embankment out of view of everyone, Jensen shouting at you.

“Oh, this is gonna hurt,” you said, getting up to your knees and jumping out, hitting the ground hard on your side, arms still pinned behind you. You rolled for a short while, thankfully the ground leveling out. A pair of hands tugged you up to sit, patting you on the head before moving away. “Thanks Jens.”

You heard the feet shuffle around and go quiet, your brain suddenly realizing that Jensen was shouting at the top of his lungs at you, running down the incline, nearly plowing into you.

Somebody else had been right fucking there.

“Shit, I’m so sorry, Y/N! I must have hit it out of park when I checked last time and...Y/N,” said Jensen when he got to you, your eyes wide, looking back behind you into the dark woods. “Y/N. Talk.”

“Someone helped me up and I thought it was you,” you said, barely above a whisper. Jensen had both hands out at once. One held a knife that slid through the zip tie, the other his gun that he aimed out. He shoved the knife away and shoved you behind his back all in one motion, pressing the palm of his hand against the flat of your back, flushed tight against him. “Jens-”

“We need to move,” he said, backing up with you. If your hands had been fisted in his jacket any tighter, it would have been ripped to shreds. He was quick, never letting his eyes or gun fall away from the direction you pointed out. Not until you were back near set with lights again did he lower his weapon and shout out to the nearest security guard. “Call the cops. Now.”

You were too shook up to argue with the show runner, director and studio exec that came down to set. The show was on hiatus until further notice. They’d show reruns if they had to they said. You also knew just how much money you brought in for them and if you were dead, they could say bye bye to the network’s top cash train.

Home was the one safe place you had left.

“Y/N,” said Alex, answering the front door in his pajamas, Jensen calling him on the way back. Alex gave you a big hug, Jared nodding from where he was stationed nearby.

“I’m fine, Alex. I just really would like to go to sleep,” you said, nodding your head.

“Come on,” he said, throwing his arm over your shoulders, walking with you towards the stairs.

“Thanks for hiring him,” you said, nodding back at Jensen. “I...fuck, the guy touched me, Ale.”

“Alright. Alright. Come on. It’s a bad night. We’ll fix you up. We always do,” he said, moving the two of you upstairs. Jensen cocked an eyebrow at Jared.

“You know what that’s about?” asked Jensen. Jared scrunched up his face, cocking his head.

“Comforting your messed up little sister?” asked Jared.

“No you giant dumbass,” he said.

“No need to be nasty, short shit head,” said Jared with a grin.

“I was a Marine you know,” said Jensen.

“I could still kick your ass, shortie,” he said, crossing his arms, letting his larger frame be on full display.

“That is why I like you Padalecki,” said Jensen.

“You like me because I’m the nice version of you,” said Jared.

“Pft, I’m nice,” said Jensen, crossing his arms back.

“And I’m the Queen of fucking England,” said Jared. “You’re a dick. Apparently with a nought-y soft center but I knew there couldn’t be just ice in those veins of yours.”

“I’m soft? Have you met me?” asked Jensen, Jared shrugging.

“Do you hang out in all your clients rooms at night?” asked Jared.

“I am not...we are not...I am watching her like I’m supposed to,” said Jensen.

“Surprised you two haven’t banged yet. I see the way you look at her. You really can’t stand the fact that you’re attracted to her, can you?” asked Jared.

“No, I’m not. She’s fucked up deep down,” said Jensen, Jared wincing and waving his hand too late.

“Well fuck you too, Ackles,” you said, stomping over to the couch to grab your blanket where you’d left it.

“Y/N, I didn’t…” said Jensen, sighing as you went back upstairs, slamming your door shut. “Jared, you couldn’t have given me any warning, like at all?”

“I was hoping you’d admit it finally. My bad,” said Jared.

“I did admit it. The fact I’m attracted doesn’t bother me. The fact that she has certain trust issues does not bother me. The fact that I can’t effectively do my job if I’m attracted to her bothers me,” said Jensen.

“Then quit and ask her on a date,” said Jared.

“I’m much more useful as the asshole bodyguard than something else,” said Jensen.

“So you don’t think she’s fucked up?” asked Jared.

“I think something fucked her up and she handles it pretty well, probably extraordinarily well on a normal day. But dealing with some dangerous stalker doesn’t help that,” said Jensen. Jared hummed before he smiled.

“You like her, don’t you, Jensen,” said Jared, Jensen growling, taking a step closer. “You think she’s cute.”

“Of course she’s cute. She’s fucking hot. You got eyes in that head of yours because it’s pretty damn obvious,” said Jensen.

“Remember that thing I said about the banging…” said Jared with a smirk. “Should probably get on that.”

“She is my client and I will remain professional as long as she remains as such,” said Jensen.

“And the non-robot answer?” asked Jared, raising an eyebrow.

“You’re killing me dude,” said Jensen, rolling his eyes. “She doesn’t need sex.”

“You want to give her what she needs though,” said Jared.

“Is this a fucking middle school sleepover? Yeah, I like her and I can’t and won’t do jack shit about it. I barely have her trust and in order to keep her safe so I don’t fuck up like I did tonight, I need to keep what little I do have with her. What’s with the third degree?” asked Jensen.

“Oh, we have an eavesdropper. I think she was going to tear you out a new one but now she just looks embarrassed, running back up to her room and...goodnight Y/N!” shouted Jared.

“As soon as this job is over, I will kill you Padalecki,” said Jensen, squinting into Jared’s face.

“Aw, I’d love to see you try you big pushover,” said Jared, ruffling Jensen’s hair as he went back to his station. “You didn’t fuck up. No way you could have covered that many angles yourself. The woods was too big to even attempt to protect.”

“Why are you saying this?” asked Jensen, taking one step up the stairs.

“Because you’ll let it eat you up that you didn’t have control over the uncontrollable,” said Jared. “G’Night, jerk. Wake me up if she decides to kick your ass after all. I wouldn’t miss that for the world.”

“Night, bitch,” said Jensen, walking over and playfully shoving Jared back towards the front of the house, earning a small smile in return.

Jensen was barely changed into pajamas before a quiet knock came at his door.

“Y/N, can I help you with something?” said Jensen, one hand on the door as he pulled it open.

“Listen, I’m-“

“Don’t apologize. I was rude,” he said, giving you a smile. “I deserve it.”

“I’m still sorry,” you said, pulling your hand from behind your back, shoving the thick binder out in front of you. “Here.”

“That can wait,” he said, taking it but placing it on his dresser nearby.

“It’s-“

“I know what it is. At the moment, I don’t particularly care what it says,” he said. “I don’t particularly care at all to be honest.”

“Maybe there’s something in there that I’m missing and-“

“Tomorrow,” he said. “Go be with your brother Y/N.”

“I don’t want to be with my brother,” you said. Jensen raised an eyebrow, opening his door a sliver more. You walked inside, Jensen quietly shutting the door behind you. “I love him to death but he doesn’t understand. He’s never going to. But you…”

“Understand,” he said. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

You watched him leave and head down the hall towards your room where you’d left a pissed off Alex. Jensen returned a minute later, the front door opening and closing.

“You didn’t have to kick him out,” you said, catching the taillights out the front window.

“I assured your brother you are well looked after here and that his girlfriend would probably enjoy it if he returned home,” said Jensen.

“How do you know he has a girlfriend?” you asked.

“I got full work ups on your family. Nine times out of ten you know your stalker in some sort of way,” he said. “You appear to have a very upstanding family by the way. Not too many dirty secrets.”

“Dad nearly beat a guy up when some dude was hitting on our mom. At a restaurant. With us there,” you said, smiling at the memory.

“I said upstanding, not uptight,” said Jensen. “I should really get on that dictionary for you, huh?”

“You’re such an ass,” you said, rolling your eyes, your lips curling up just so.

“I told him to go because he was upsetting you by being here. You can’t process what happened this evening if you have to pretend to act a certain way,” said Jensen.

“How do you know I was pretending,” you said.

“You pretend for a living. Surprisingly shitty at hiding it,” he said.

“You don’t talk to me like other people do you know,” you said.

“The population would take a significant hit if everyone talked to you the way I do,” he said. You sat down on top of his bed with a small giggle, running your hand over the cold covers.

“You don’t want anything from me. Except to listen to you but ya know, that ship has sailed,” you said, Jensen sitting beside you. “You aren’t afraid to speak your mind.”

“You’re half my size. Why the fuck would I be scared of your whimpy ass?” he said with a smile.

“I’ll kick you in the nuts again,” you warned.

“Okay, I have one thing to fear from you but I’m not here to say yes mam. I’ll say okay, thats great and all but stop being a dumbass and let me save your life,” he said.

“Such a way with words. I bet you’re a real charmer,” you said as he took a seat beside you.

For the first time ever, you felt the strength in him fall away, Jensen taking great interest in the curtains. His face was hard but there was a light flush under the freckled cheeks.

“You know every boyfriend I ever had told me I was fucked up,” you said. “Why couldn't I be like other girls. You really almost earned a black eye earlier.”

“I apologize for-“

“Jensen. I heard what you said after I left too,” you said. “I shouldn’t have listened in like that.”

“I imagine eavesdropping became a required skill for part of your life,” said Jensen. “It’s ingrained in you at this point.”

“Now who’s deflecting,” you said.

“I apologize for being unprofessional,” he said, turning to face you.

“I’d rather you didn’t. Liking someone is not a crime, Jens,” you said.

“It’s inappropriate,” he said, eyes looking into yours like maintaining professionalism was the last thing on his mind.

“For fucks sake, Jensen. Drop the shit and just-“

It felt like getting hit by a train with the way he pounced, cupping your cheek and planting one on you. Short stubble, warm breath, and those fuckin’ lips. God those lips were softer, more supple, more everything than you ever imagined.

“You are the worst client I’ve ever had,” he breathed out, resting his forehead on yours. “You are compromising the shit out of me and I can’t fucking stand it.”

“How’d I manage to do that,” you said, resting a hand against his chest.

“You walking around in your little shorts the second I saw you. Then you had to go and be a thoughtful fucking person under all the stubbornness and who the fuck are you to get me to break every God damn rule there is about not getting attached and-“

“Ryan must have pissed you off the other night then,” you said, flashing him a smile.

“Enraged more like it,” said Jensen, pressing his hand against your cheek harder.

“Why didn’t you say anything,” you said.

“Wasn’t the right time. Still not the right time,” he said. “Inappropriate. Risky. You could land anyone you want with a bat of an eye. A million reasons really.”

“Does that mean you want me to leave,” you asked, Jensen resting a hand on the back of your neck.

“Fuck no,” he said, pulling you in, kissing you rougher, no easy touch in it. His lips moved against yours with a bruising force, your mouth opening a sliver, Jensen taking the opportunity to slide on in and map out the warm cavern of your mouth.

You were climbing into his lap before you knew it, his hands resting on your hips, sliding up and down your sides. He hooked his thumbs under your shirt, pushing the material up slowly while he nipped at your jaw. You moved your arms overhead, helping him remove it as you broke apart.

“Damn you’re gorgeous,” he mumbled as he ripped off his shirt, tossing it aside before he was wrapping his arms around your back. “So fuckin’ hot.”

“Speak for yourself,” you said, your hands wandering over the expanse of muscle under your fingertips, shuddering when Jensen dipped a finger down your spine.

“Sensitive. I wonder how sensitive we can get you,” he said, brushing his lips over your ear. For the fact that you half naked, you were amazed with his focus on going back to your face, letting a hand find it’s way to your hair, the other on your cheek. You moved your hands to his chest, running your nails gently down over the skin, Jensen shivering under the touch.

“Was wondering the same thing, Jens,” you mumbled, going for his neck, finding yourself on your back staring up a second later.

“You were going to do this. Bad girl,” he said, placing a kiss to your neck, sucking against the soft skin, your tiny whimper only urging him on. You felt heat rush over your face and through your veins, shivering downwards until your hips were squirming, Jensen planting a hand over your lower stomach and pressing hard, holding you in place.

“Fuck,” you groaned when one of those long fingers started to play with the hem of your shorts, snapping the band of your underwear against your skin. “Don’t fuckin’ tease.”

“Make me,” he breathed out with a smile, winking as he left your neck, a dangerous smirk on his swollen lips. You could feel the corners of his mouth tugged up as he let his lips ghost over your collarbone, nipping and sucking softly as he went, carefully marking you up. He pressed a soft kiss to a bruise on your shoulder you’d gotten after jumping from the trunk, murmuring something to himself as he did.

The thought to ask him what it was disappeared the second his tongue swiped over your nipple, his mouth latching on, swirling around the peak until it was firm. He blew over the spot, a hit of sharp cool followed by his hot mouth earning him a hand tugging in his hair. You tried to move him down towards the throbbing between your legs but he only smiled, giving your other breast the same, slow buildup until you were panting.

“Take off your clothes,” he ordered, your hips raising up not fast enough, his hands ripping the fabric away and down your legs, long fingers grazing over your skin. “You like following orders now, don’t you, honey?”

“Fuck me,” you said, Jensen smirking as he sat up and rolled off the bed. You perched up on your elbows, getting the perfect view of him as he dropped his pants and boxers. “You have got the hottest ass I have ever seen.”

“Flattery gets you nothing, Y/N,” said Jensen, looking back over his shoulder, walking into his bathroom and back a second later, a pout on his face.

“I’m on something,” you said as you glanced down and took in his length and boy was he lengthy. “You wanted to go in bare anyways, big boy.”

“Could you be any sexier?” he said, walking back over, climbing over top of you.

“Probably,” you teased, reaching your hand between your bodies to give him a few strokes, finding him as hard as rock already. “Am I turning you on, big bad bodyguard?”

“An attitude like that is likely to get you in trouble, Y/N,” said Jensen, shifting his knees to sit between your legs, lining up with your entrance. “You want it?”

“Yes,” you said, Jensen smirking.

“Yes what?” he asked, hands on your hips holding your still.

“Yes sir,” you said. Jensen hummed and leaned down to kiss you, sliding his cock inside your wet heat an inch at a time, feeling every clench of your walls around him. About halfway on his cock he paused, pushing home until his hips clashed against yours, your moan drowned out by his grunt.

“Shit, Y/N. Tight little pussy,” he groaned, pulling out halfway, thrusting in deep. “God, such a good little pussy squeezing my cock.”

He settled into a fast and hard rythmn, snapping his hips with every thrust, growling when you dug your fingers into the meat of his back. You tried to hold it off but you came quickly. Jensen only went harder and reached his hand between the two of you, rubbing over your clit.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” you shouted, feeling yourself head towards a second orgasm as heat flooded you, Jensen biting down on your shoulder, burying his face in the crook of your neck as he came. Jensen didn’t let up and had you gripping him like a vice, clamping down on his cock as you came again, Jensen half-moaning, half-whimpering at the feeling.

He pulled out slowly, falling down to his side, breathing hot against your neck. You panted and turned your head to face him, Jensen already halfway to a kiss. He was much gentler now, soft and relaxed. You wondered how many people ever saw him with his guard down like this.

“What’d you say earlier?” you asked. Jensen laughed, tucking you up against his chest, your body feeling so incredibly small and safe beside him.

“Fuck? Or was it some sort of ‘unh’ sound?” he teased.

“When you kissed my shoulder. You were different for a second there,” you said, risking a glance up, worried green eyes staring back.

“I’m sorry,” he said, ghosting a finger over a bruise on your leg, your side, your back. “You got hurt because of me.”

“You bumped a car out of park. I’ve had a lot worse doing stunts, Jensen,” you said.

“You almost got taken tonight, Y/N. On my watch. I let you down,” he said, staring up at the ceiling.

“But the guy didn’t,” you said.

“Doesn’t matter. He could have and I wouldn’t have been able to stop it,” he said, fingers dancing lightly over your arms.

“I forgive you,” you said. “You’re only human after all. I don’t trust very many people Jensen. But you and I...you I trust my life with. So if you can’t control everything, that’s okay. I understand.”

“So much for pillow talk, huh,” he said, leaning his head against yours, taking a deep breath.

“Are we gonna go back to fighting all the time?” you asked.

“No. But you do what I say, aboslutely no fucking question about it. You’re staying home until Jared and I can come up with a game plan to get this guy for good,” said Jensen.

“I’ll stay,” you said, snuggling into him, closing your eyes.

“Good girl,” said Jensen, kissing your forehead. “Get some rest. You had a long day.”

A/N: Read Part 7 here!

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harryff · 7 years ago

Text

Chapter 2 Aria Part 1.

Trigger warning: Sexual assault, domestic abuse. Please call the 1−800−799−7233 if you have suffered from any abuse.

In the next upcoming months Aria and Harry reconnected. Her album was to be released soon but she longed to go back to the days she sang background for the band.

Laying in bed she remembered the day Liam and Harry got into a fight over whose part she will sing along with and somehow she managed to appease them both. It was the first time Harry truly noticed her as he tells it to people.

It was currently 10pm in New York which meant it was 3am in Manchester where Harry was working on his album. Aria was supposed to be asleep instead her mind raced filled with anxiety she couldn’t relax instead her thoughts took her to the worst possible outcomes for performance the next day. To help pass time she texted him

Aria: I miss you big head lol😚😙😋

Aria: I can’t sleep😣😣😓😓☹

Aria: I wish I could call you but you’re sleeping beauty and you definitely need 6 hours of sleep at least or youll be evil lol 😴😴😴

Aria: Remember the time i made you stay up for 24 hours and you were grumpy the whole day and I had to make it up 😉😂

Aria: I have to perform tomorrow. I don’t want to. I’d much rather go back to the good old days where no one knew I existed

Aria: I still laugh at the memories of you falling on stage…. clumsy prince

Aria: I’m gonna have diarrhea tomorrow theres no way I’m gonna survive

Aria: Sorry TMI 🙊

Aria: Since I cant bug you you’ll wake up to like 20 texts. 😜

Aria: she sent picture of her sleeping with the teddy bear he got her 2 years ago

Aria: Me and Mr. H miss you

Aria: I had to give him surgery awhile back. Roxy the little shit ripped his eye out. I almost cried 😢😢😢

Aria: Imagine me a grown woman crying over a stuffed animal. 😂😭😭😭

Aria: I went into panic mode!! That was not a contingency I planned for she just bit his eye and yanked it out! Then she starts running with it! In her mouth! Chewing it! I never truly knew what panic was till that moment!😲😲😲

Aria: Damn dog😒😒😒

Aria: Arent you supposed to be up running? It’s 3

Aria: I miss you again

Aria: I don’t want to perform Harry

Aria: Will you be disappointed in me if I quit?

Aria: Will you call when you wake up?

When Harry woke up at 5am his time he read the texts laughing she was definitely panicking her nerves were getting to her because she was a chatter box.

He called her via Skype

Her computer facing her she raised up hearing the call she clicked the mouse before falling back in bed.

“Aria” he said watching her move around

“Yes”

“I see Roxy is around Mr.H” he said noticing the dog by her side

“Yes she was on 1 month probation after she did that”

He chuckled

“It’s not funny” she said sitting up

“Yeh ok?”

“No” she said looking down

“Yeh’ll do good!”

“I don’t like performing in front of people”

“Yeh did when we went on tour”

“Yes but no one knew it was me”

He sighed

“I have to perform for the executives at 9. Practiced my ranges”

“Don’t strain your voice”

“I know… what are you doing today besides calming my nerves”

“Just tha'nd recording”

“You’re working on your 3rd album?”

“Yes”

She smiled “you have great bed head”

He laughed “are yeh not sleepy?”

“I am I keep jerking in my sleep”

“Just relax poppet”

“I’m trying”

“I have to go for my run”

“Ok i’ll call you when I get done”

“Ok” he said blowing a kiss

She caught it.

Harry: How’d it go? He asked when she didn’t call by the end of the day he wondered how things went

Aria: 😭😭😭😭😭😖😓

Harry called her

Harry: Pick up poppet

Aria: No 😭😢

Harry: howd it go

Aria: ‘need more practice’

Aria: Tommy said ‘on a scale of 1-10. 1 being pretty bad and 10 being the worst performance ever that was a 7.’ 😭😭😭 I can’t do this

Harry:😒😒 drop him he’s a shitty manager

Harry: Pick up poppet please

She took a deep breath before answering his call

“Hey” she said

“Where are you?”

“At home” her voice broke

“Aww pet”

“I can’t do this Harry”

“I think yeh need another manager”

She sniffed “I wish you were here”

“I’ll be there soon pet”

She remained silent

“Wanna tell me what happened?”

“My voice shook the whole time….sang off key sounded like shit”

“It’s alright Aria”

“It’s not,” her voice was soft. “I’m not made for this.”

“Aria yeh are” he stressed

She sighed “how was your day”

“It was wonderful recorded 3 songs”

“Good”

“My album is done will you listen to it?”

He paused “i don’ kno’ if i should.” He was hesitant. In the past she depended so much on his opinion he got frustrated with the search of approval from him.

“Ok fair enough i’ll have Mr. H listen to it”

He remained silent

“Maybe i can do like a Sia thing but cover my whole body be in dungeon somewhere”

He was still quiet

“Ok Harry good night.” She said ending the call. She knew him too well he was asleep.

As she sat aimlessly looking at the ceiling she contemplated all the different things she could do to put an end to her contract. Get sick with a virus, purposely damage her larynx, car accident etc. When Harry awoke at 3am his time he called her she stared at the phone contemplating whether she would swipe right or left. The screen went dark she thanked the gods for not making her make that decision.

At 10 in the morning she found herself in the studio listening to Thomas or Tommy berate her

“ARIA! Im talking to you!” he said snapping her out of her thoughts

“Sorry” she cowered away

“WHY” he paused “why didn’t you perform like you did in this video? you were so good then what is it now?” he was showing her a video of her singing at a local jazz bar. There were only 10 people, people she would never meet this was different this was executives and produces people who had the power to build or destroy her career with one move.

“I dont know im just nervous”

“ABOUT WHAT? WE HAVE DONE EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN TO GET YOU TO NOT BE NERVOUS? SO WHAT ARE YOU NERVOUS ABOUT NOW?

“EVERYTHING!” She argued back before looking at her phone Harry had called her 5 times already.

Harry: Aria are you ok ive called you multiple times

She recorded Tommy

He hit the wall beside her “YO YOU A FUCKING EMBARRASSMENT IT’S A WASTE OF TALENT YOU HAVE. I GOT A 10 YEAR OLD WHO WOULD KILL TO BE IN YOUR SPOT!” He walked away from her “…SO YOURE TELLING ME YOURE GONNA LET SOME 10 YEAR OLD OUT DO YOU? DO WE NEED TO MAKE YOU SING NAKED NEXT TIME?”

She spoke softly “Im sorry I can’t Tommy”

“DONT TOMMY ME! TELL ME YOU CANT! YOU JUST DONT WANT TO! YOU KNOW HOW HARD I HAVE WORKED FOR YOU! YOU OWE ME THIS!”

She sat silently and hit the send button

Harry: get up and walk away. He texted feeling his anger rise if he was there his fist would be connecting with Tommy’s jaw

Aria: I cant

Harry: Aria get up and walk away

Aria: he’s blocking the door.

She remained quiet waiting for the vent session to be over.

“You have a show tomorrow Chicago Bulls so get ready. Ya ass aint making a fool out of me again” She nodded leaving the studio. She ignored Harry for the rest of the day working on her vocals. She sat at home working on her ranges.

“You sound good Ria” her grandmother said cooking

“Thanks Grandma”

“Whats wrong?” she noticed her behavior

“Tommy screamed at me… told me lots of things i was an embarrassment to him… grandma i don’t know if i can do this”

“Youre too good dont let him ruin you!”

“I know”

Her phone lit up it was Harry texting her.

Harry: can you call me please

She stood up and went to her room to call him

“Aria” he said looking at her on the camera

“Hey” she said getting comfortable on the bed. Her eyes were puffy her nose was red. “How was your day?”

“Good.. are yeh ok?”

“I’m ok” she sighed

“Wha’ happened with Tommy”

“Have to perform tomorrow”

He tilted his head in confusion

“Yea”

“Don’ wan yeh to be sad pet”

“I’m ok Harry. Me and Mr. H will be tough” she joked

He chuckled “I’ll be there soon so save some luvin for me yea?” “No you dont get any”

“Wha’? Why?” he smiled

“Well see me and Mr. H have a bond even you can’t break. I have been there with him through thick and thin” her eyes welled up “and he wont” her voice started to break “and he wont let me down and i won’t do the same to him… sorry i dont mean to cry”

“Aria dont cry pet”

She chuckled wiping her tears “I don’t even know why im crying Harry thats the problem. With Mr. H i know i cant let him down"

“You never let me down" he spoke softly

“I have, i know that, but im trying not to.”

He sighed not knowing what to say. She was always too hard on herself. Her worst critic never letting up on her imperfections. “ ‘M gonna go to bed” he mumbled

“K good night” she said before ending the call

The next day she walked onto the court her hands shaking getting ready to sing the national anthem. Tommy had softened his tone but his words were still harsh. She found herself panicking 30 minutes prior, hunched over with a paper bag to her mouth. The cameras flashed she brought the microphone to her mouth. She closed her eyes imagined she was at home. When the song was done people jumped to their feet cheering her on. She thanked them and rushed off court. It was one of her best performances.

“WHOO!“ Tommy cheered “THAT WAS IT! THAT’S WHAT YOU DO!… You sounded so good. Thats what you do in front of the execs don’t worry about them you got this Aria!”

She smiled taking a deep breath in she wanted to leave there was no celebration for her this only meant the inevitable an album release and a music career.

“Thanks Tommy can i go home now?”

“Nah lets go party!” “I really dont want to”

“Look its for your image just one drink” he begged

“Ok” she sighed as they made their way to club she texted Harry

Aria: I think i did ok everyone is happy

Aria: Going to the club with Tommy

Aria: Text you when i get home

It was supposed to be the club but they pulled up to his house, there was a party going on

“Tommy i thought you said club” she said giving him a look

“I know but house parties are fun!”

She shook her head this was her first time in his house “I’m not”

“Please just one drink you promised”

“Fine one drink and i’m done”

An hour passed one drink turned to two and two turned to three she thought. Her head was spinning, Tommy was being too friendly, he was groping her in places he shouldn’t have. When she tried to leave his grip on her wrist tightened when she fought back he put her arm behind her making her face the crowd as he dry humped her from behind. When he dragged her to the bathroom she used the opportunity to escape.

“Come on!” he stressed in a playful tone licking her neck forcing her against the wall

“No stop” she said weak from the concoction she was never a light weight so this was not the norm for her He hit her thigh “I said come on!” his thigh wedged between hers his tone changed he was being forceful

“Stop Tommy” she tried to fight him off

He held her hands above her with one hand while the other groped her body “You know you want this dick, Harry can’t do you like me”

“Please” she begun to cry she was too weak

Abruptly the door swung open. The man looked at Aria’s face “Yooo chill!”

“I’m not doing nothing” he said stepping away from her with his hands up

She quickly maneuvered from him he reached out for her but her arms were too quick on her way out she fell to the floor. Only managing to stand up and rush up the steps she found a room and locked herself in it. Quickly she dialed Harry’s number forgetting he wasn’t in the US, when she remembered she called her grandmother

“Aria do you know what time it is? im asleep!”

“Grandma please come get me” she sobbed on the phone

“Whats wrong?” she sensed the urgency

“He almost raped me i dont know whats wrong with me”

“You stay there i’m calling the cops”

“NO! please”

“Where are you?”

“Tommy’s house on 3rd bellavue house with all the cars”

“Stay where you are I’m coming!”

It felt like eternity waiting for her grandmother. She was finding herself waking up from an unconscious ous state every 5 minutes. She was fighting to stay awake. Her phone rang 4 times before she awoke

“Hello? Hello? Aria!?”

“….Grandma?”

“Where are you? You tell me now or i’m coming in with my shot gun!”

“I’m coming don’t” she said weak

Slowly she stood up her legs felt like jello, she opened the door and walked to the staircase held onto the railing with a death grip the party was dying down. She saw him at the corner of her eye he was mingling slowly she walked down the steps trying her best to not draw any attention to herself. When she got to the bottom of the stairwell. The door seemed so far away there were so many people in the way she tried to quickly move around them

“Aria? Is that you?” she heard his voice

“ARIA! I’m calling you!” fear took over she was pushing people out of the way, when she reached the door she opened it and collapsed her grandmother already standing outside her car ran towards her

“Aria” he spoke in her ear as pulled her up. She winced away

“YOU GET AWAY FROM HER!” her grandmother threatened

“I’m just trying to help her out”

“YOU TOUCH HER I’LL BLOW YOUR WHOLE FACE OFF!”

His temper rose “CALM THE FUCK DOWN OLD BITCH!” “I GOT YOUR BITCH TOUCH HER AGAIN AND YOU WON’T HAVE A DICK” She whimpered standing up

“Aria are you ok?” she spoke to her helping her up

She limped to the car her ankle sprained

When they got to the house it took her grandmother 10 minutes to wake her up

“Oh thank God! Aria what did you drink?”

“I don’t know” she said turning her head away from her

“Let’s get you in the house”

She slumped on the couch her grandmother close by the whole night.

The next morning she woke up with a splitting migraine confused about what happened

She groaned her memory was hazy, she remembered drinking a blue motorcycle and Tommy being aggressive she remembered him walking her to the bathroom his smile on his face his eyes telling her something else

“Oh mi nieta you’re awake!”

Her voice raspy “Grandma what happened?”

“Thomas tried to rape you!”

She thought “No… what?”

“Aria you called me you couldn’t even stand! you need to call the cops i think you were drugged”

“He what?” she sat up needing to piece things together

She picked up her phone there were texts from Tommy

Tommy: i hope you had fun i had too much to drink

Tommy: im sorry about what i did I love you😗 Aria i would never hurt you i was just fucked up Tommy: shit you were too,

Tommy: grinding on me i miss read the signals, you know that right? You know how i get when im fucked up

Tommy: tell your g ma to chill i was fucked up too shit you were too

Tommy: call me when you get this

Miranda: 😁😀YAY bestfriend you did good!

Her mind tried to remember what happened but it couldn’t dnt her wrist was bruised, she rubbed it to sooth the pain.

“Aria you need to call the cops!”

She shook her head “I don’t”

“Well freshen up clear your head”

“How’d i get home?” she looked around

“I came to get you! that rapist was trying to pull you back in”

She stood up and fell to the ground

“Ahh!” She grimaced grabbing her swollen ankle

“I think you sprained it” her grandmother picked up her foot “here put it up let me get some ice”

In the bathroom she undressed she noticed bruises on her neck, her thighs and knees when the skirt fell she covered herself with her hands, she had no underwear, she could not remember what happened to it. In shower she tried the best she could to remember she couldn’t. But she also knew something wasn’t right. she scrubbed hard feeling dirty. She felt a sick feeling from the pit of her stomach she hunched over unable to stop it. She vomited.

In her sleep it came to her in a flash

She saw herself drinking her drink.That nauseous feeling intensified

“I gotta go I don’t feel good.” she steadied herself by holding his shoulders

“No stay” he rubbed her sides

She shook her head “I’m leaving”

“I said stay” he insisted pulling her back, her back to him he breathed on her neck. She moved her neck away “Mmmm you have a nice ass” he said before smacking it

She shot up in cold sweats her head pounding was it true? Did he really do that?

She looked at her phone there were texts from Harry. He sent her a screenshot from the tabloid the caption “Looks like you and Thomas had fun, you did great! I watched it! what a way to celebrate😂😋” the picture her hair on her face with one arm behind it looked like they were in the middle of a dance. Her wrist ached as if it had a memory of the pain that was inflicted upon it. Harry was oblivious to the dark truth. feeling nauseous she jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. Rising slowly she cried looking at herself in the mirror.She blamed herself she should have known better. She should have been more careful.

Picking up her phone there was another message from Harry

Miranda: Bitch call me you look lit😂😜

Miranda: Umm that picture doesnt look right call me 🙁😕😞

Harry: call me when you wake up pet I miss your voice😗.

She snatched her laptop from the floor quickly she searched flights to Manchester leaving the next day. She was willing to pay any price once she got the confirmation email she hopped off the bed and three clothes into her suitcase

Her grandmother walked into her room “Where you going you can’t leave!”

“Manchester”

“Are you going to tell him

“I can’t even remember what happened! if it happened will he believe me?”

“Aria he can’t get away with what he did! now I don’t know how the music industry works but that man cant walk away from what he did to you!”

“I know mimi”

“So call the cops”

“I..” she looked to the bathroom

Her grandmother stressed her point “tell him.. Harry will know what to do…. have you talked to him?”

She shook her head

“I’m not going to let this go”

“I know”

“How’s your head?”

“Pounding”

“Well relax I will finish packing for you”

The next day she found herself in Chicago O’hare limping around she hadn’t told Harry about her plan to stop by.

Tommy: You haven’t called are you ok

Tommy: just call me or send a text to tell me your ok

She felt sick looking at the texts holding onto Mr.H she walked around till her flight departure time. When she landed at 2pm she made a beeline for his condo.

She knocked in the door she quickly wiped away her tears

“Yea yea!” she heard his voice through the door

He stood confused for a second before his face lit up

“Poppet! Wha’re yeh doing here?“ he asked lifting her into a tight embrace

“I missed you” she confessed

“Yeh should have told me!”

“I just did!” she said forcing a smile

He leaned down to kiss her she could only manage a few kisses it was killing her.

“What do I owe this delightful surprise?” she shrugged walking in

“Hey” she greeted his band

“ARIAAA!”

She smiled

“Yeh should have told me really” he said pulling her down on his lap. “ ‘M flying to London tomorrow family time”

“Oh” she said looking down

“Yeh’ll come with me?”

She nodded

“Wha’ happened to your foot?” Weezer asked

“I fell... heels”

“All that partying yeh ‘nd Thomas did” Harry commented “yeh never texted by the way”

She swallowed hard smiling at him “sorry forgot”

He raised his eyebrow

“So what are you up to today?” she asked

“Last recording session are yeh ok?” he noted her pale complexion

“Yea, just cold”

“Yea we gotta go mate” Stevie said noticing the time

“Oh shit! Yeh want to come?” he said standing up

She shook her head

“Jet lag?”

She nodded

He leaned down placing his forehead on heres “Ok well yeh kno’ where the food is. Don' eat all my bananas. I’ll be back ok?”

She forced a smile fighting the tears “yes”

“Are yeh sure you’re ok?”

She hated that he could read her like an open book

“Yes” she said kissing him

“One more” he said biting his lip

She wrapped her arm around his neck. It took all the energy she had to put passion into the kiss

“Oi! we gotta go.” Stevie said

As the day turned to night she sat crying on the couch. She checked her emails wanting to tell her grandmother she was safe. Her heart dropped seeing Tommy’s name on the list she hesitated to open it. When she did it was a picture of her in the airport the title read Aria party girl rushed to Manchester to see Harry. The caption read Rumor is he called her screaming mad about the picture of her and manager Tommy G. His email: Im fucking calling you and you in UK? We got sessions you better be back by Tuesday. She felt sick to her stomach they couldn’t be more wrong. Sleep finally seeped in after hours of laying awake. Her memory flashed through her dreams

“Come on” he says grabbing her hand he had a goofy smile on his face pulling her towards the dance floor

“No Tommy” she tries to resist

He pulled harder making her collapse into him “damn baby! I didn’t know you wanted it like that?” he chuckled

“Stop” she pushes away from him

His hands grab her ass he is holding her in place as he rubs his nose on her neck “you gonna feel so good on my dick”

She sat up immediately tears flooded out of her eyes this couldn’t be happening she thought. She got off the couch and went to lay in bed. A migraine already thumping through her brain she lay in bed when she heard the door open she turned on her side pretending to be asleep.

Harry quietly took of his clothes and retreated to the bathroom. She could hear him humming behind the water. When he got in bed he cradled behind her kissing her cheek before falling asleep. As she begun to get sleepy she prayed she wouldn’t wake up from a nightmare. In the morning her prayers were answered she softly got out of bed and got ready. Harry woke up an hour later.

“Wha’ do yeh want for breakfast pet?”

“Nothing this is fine”

“ ‘Re yeh sure? you’ve been pushing around the cereal for 5 minutes” she was in a daze she didn’t notice

She shook her head “it’s fine I promise” she lied

He grabbed her hand “Ok are yeh sure? cuz i’ll get yeh anything yeh want”

“I promise” she said forcing the spoon in her mouth.

When they got to his mother’s house she was greeted with love

“Aria come in we have missed yeh oh I always knew yeh two would get back together!” Anne hugged her

She smiled

“Aria!” Gemma greeted her “finally someone we like… no love”

“When are yeh goin to marry her Harry?”Anne asked

“Oh muuum” he fussed

“ ‘M just saying she took yeh back it’s a sign”

Gemma chimed in “Yea no one wants yeh but her so yeh need to be in your knees”

“These’re strangers not my family I don’ kno’ wha’ alien planet they come from” he joked causing them to laugh

Gemma grabbed her hand dragging her away from Harry “We have to catch up that dress at the wedding to die for where did you get it?”

“Michael Castello designed it”

There was a lot of catching up to do which Aria gladly agreed to do anything to take her mind off that night

At dinner she sat once again pushing her food

“Do yeh want something else?” Harry whispered

“No!” she got scared “this is fine!” she put a mouthful in her mouth

He gave a look she was definitely being strange. She had no appetite there was a raging migraine she was trying to calm down. After yawns went around the room after dinner every one retreated to their rooms

“Ok off it pet what’s the problem?” He asked while they lay in bed. He was trying to find out what was wrong with her

She spoke softly “Nothing”

“No there’s something big show comin’ up?”

“No just thinking”

“About?”

She shook her head and smiled

“Yeh don’ wan’ to talk ‘bout it?”

She shook her head

“Ok” he looked down at her holding Mr.H “You’ve been holding him awfully tight can’ yeh hold me like tha’ too?” He joked

“No you might break” she teased

“Wha’?”

“You might break” she held back her smile

“Are yeh saying I’m weak?” He asked towering her

“……..Yes”

“Yeh wanna test tha’ theory?” he asked before kissing her deeply his kisses made her forget momentarily but when he started grabbing her thighs and kissing her neck is when her mind refused to let it go. She froze eyes shut tight. He noticed the tension in her body he raised up to look at her

“Aria wha’s wrong?”

“Nothing”

“You’re stiff as a board look at me” she opened her eyes “wha’s wrong?”

She sighed “I can’t…. not tonight”

He huffed “ok” he gave her sweet kisses

“Sorry”

“Don’ be luv is just sex… I can take care of myself” he said winking

She giggled “Perv”

“Hey only for yeh”

“I guess I should feel special”

At night her prayers were not answered. Her mind took her back to that night

She looks around people are dancing she doesn’t know where she’s going but Tommy is pulling her towards it.The bathroom door is kicked open and he pushes her inside

“Stop it Tommy” she says trying to walk passed him. He closes the door with his foot. He charges towards her stuffing his tongue in her mouth. She pushes him away and slaps him. His hand is immediately around her neck his eyes cold and dark he pushes her against the wall. “bitch ill kill you matter of fact” his other hand loosens his belt

“please” she begs clawing at his arm he pulls out his penis, "you know you want this dick" he jams his knee into her thighs forcing them open. “shut up.” He reaches up her skirt to rip off her underwear. He pulls hard making her body jerk forward before the fabric gives way. "Harry cant do you like me" He gets closer kissing her neck she tries pushing him off he places both arms above her head holding them by the hands he reaches between her thighs she’s crying “please” she begs. He stops and looks at her he licks his hand before he palms her vagina. He moans “you wet already, just how i like it”

She shot up from her sleep in a cold sweat immediately she ran to the toilet a violent vomiting spree was to begin.

Harry groaned “Aria?” he turned to his side to confirm she wasn’t there

“Aria” he called sitting up hearing the vile noise. Slowly he got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom. He knelt down beside her rubbing her back

“Something yeh ate?” he offers explanation

She nods in agreement

When she’s done her hands are shaking she can barely wash her face. She was pale as if she saw a ghost

“Wha’s wrong?” he asked noticing her expression

She turned around with tears in her eyes if he only knew

“Shhh it was just a dream” he sooths her hugging her tight.

But it wasn’t was it? Tommy really did those things. The reality was setting in.

In the morning she continues to rub Harry’s arm unable to fall asleep she lay awake against his chest

During breakfast she checked her phone

Tommy: Where the fuck are you at

Tommy: you think it’s funny you fucking with my career

Aria: I need more time please

Miranda: so you really gonna ignore me your bff?

Mimi(grandmother): Aria have you told him

Aria: Not yet I will soon I promise

As Gemma and Aria shopped around she tried her best to act natural.

“Are yeh ok?” Gemma asked during lunch Aria even though trying her best was very distant

“Yea!” she said putting on a happy face

“Sure? yeh look pale”

She smiled “Yea lack of sun” she joked

“Tell Harry he owes you a vacation”

She smiled Gemma her biggest advocate always made Harry go out of his way for her “Only if you come too!”

“You know it!”

As the day wound down she hopped the night would be gentle on her she couldn’t wake up from another nightmare.

“Did you see this?” Harry laughed showing her a picture of her crawling up the stairs. Who would possibly take that picture and furthermore insinuate she was going to have sex with Tommy?

She smiled

“Yeh were having fun weren’t yeh?”

She remained silent

“But ’m glad yeh ‘nd Tommy handled your differences” he said falling asleep

She melted into his chest not wanting to remember anything

The next day she Aria, Anne, and Gemma decided to clean up then treat themselves to dinner. She got multiple texts during the day. People were asking her about the picture.

Miranda: uh you need to call me NOW! i know your ass didnt fuck tommy

Miranda: you disappeared to Manchester whats up☹

Miranda: ARIA what did Tommy do to you? Why did Mimi call me crying???😭😭

Aria: i can’t talk about it Miranda, not now

Mimi: have you told him

Aria: not yet Mimi

Mimi: im not playing do it or I will

Aria: ok ok

~With Harry~

“Whoa Harry have you seen this?” Weezer asked

“Wha’?”

“Look” he looked at the heading Tommy G accused of sexual assault 2 victims have come forward the caption: ‘Both victims claim it happened in his house we will keep you posted’

He frowned “he didn't” he paused to think remembering the dirty glances he gave women

“I gotta find out more” Weezer said scrolling through his phone

As the day went on he couldn’t help but think about it. It gnawed at him this was her manager, someone who was close to her.

“Oh shit! Now they are saying one of the girls was assaulted the night he partied with Aria”

Harry tried to shake it off. “no he couln’ have”

Stevie rushed to him“Harry have you seen?”

“Yea” not wanting to be bothered by it

“No look!” Stevie said shoving the phone at him

Harry looked at him before grabbing the phone he read the words ‘A witness has stepped forward caught him in the act.’ As he read the details his heart rate picked up ‘…. walked in on him with his female artist.’ Tommy only managed Aria and another female artist who was absent that night

“Have yeh talked to Aria maybe its someone else” they tried to reason

“Did she tell you anything?” Gigi asked

He looked at them “no she would tell me”

When the day ended even Gemma got notifications on social media people were tagging her on the posts. Aria’s phone was buzzing nonstop.

Miranda: Aria

Miranda: dont ignore me im your best friend,…. thunder buddies for life

Miranda: Aria

Miranda: did it happen?

“Aria wha’s this?” Gemma asked showing her the article. Her heart sank reading the article Tommy was getting charged with sexual assault. Two victims identified one had yet to come forward. She was the remaining piece.

She shook her head “its nothing”

“They’re saying you’re the other woman is it true?”

“Other woman for what?” Anne asked taking the phone from Gemma’s hand

As Harry rushed to his mother’s house he thought to himself those pictures that were taken, she did look uncomfortable in Tommy’s embrace. The bruised wrist she explained away seemed to be the one he was holding behind her back. She also never got that drunk in public so it was strange that she got that drunk, even when she got drunk she was never that sloppy, falling all over the place hair in her face.

As Aria tried to convince Gemma and Anne that wasn’t her her phone lit up

Miranda: Shit is hitting the fan I hope you told him

Tommy: you bitch

Mimi: hope you told him

Aria felt her breathing hitch

“Aria this sounds like yeh!” Gemma said reading more articles

“It’s not” she whispered

Harry rushed through the kitchen door he walked in “Aria” he called

She smiled at him but stopped soon after his face was one she couldnt read ”….yes” she answered warily

“Yeh promise to tell me the truth?” it was supposed to be a statement but came out as a question

“Yes anything” she half smiled

“Wha’s wrong Harold?” his mother asked noticing his expression

He paused before speaking standing across from her. His eyes burrowing into her soul. “Wha’ happened that night at Tommy’s house?”

She looked down. Her nightmare was coming to life. It seemed forever when she heard her name being called.

“Aria” Harry called his eyes were becoming more bewildered by the second, her silence was confirming his gut instincts. She looked up at him before looking down. Pulling at her sleeves occupying her hands. She was losing the battle on holding back her tears. It wasn’t long before he called again.

“Aria… I asked yeh a question” his voice assertive he walked closer to her searching for her eyes. His breathing uneven. He needed her to tell him nothing happened. Everyone was looking at her waiting for an answer.

“ARIA!” he screamed in frustration. He startled them.

“Oi! Wha’s going on in here?” His dad asked walking in

The tears won they poured out of her eyes

“Aria tell me wha’ happened!” anger spewed in his voice

“Harold!” his mother scolded in a whisper

“Oh my god!” Gemma said in shock

The whole room came to the realization something dark happened that night. Her behavior made sense now the lack of appetite,the pale look on her face, the vomiting, the insomnia, the night mares.

“Aria” he whispered she had yet to speak. He needed her to say it was a joke. That there was no way it happened.

She looked up at him with tears rolling down her face, her hands were shaking pulling on her sleeve “please don’t make me go back to that night” she spoke softly

“Oh!” Anne grabbed her chest “yeh poor thing” Anne immediately rushed to her side and held her in a tight embrace.

“Harry he didn’…. did he?” Gemma looked at him hoping he could offer up a reason

He squatted down. Holding his head. There were no longer butterflies in his stomach from fear of the truth. Fear was replaced with anger which started from his chest and radiated out “ ’M GONNA KILL HIM!” He said standing up

“Oi! Stop that!”

“Dad not right now!” He paced the floor “…. That BASTARD put his hands on yeh? im going to kill him!

“CALM DOWN HAROLD!” His father said grabbing his shoulders

Aria sobbed in the background. He should have known something was wrong. Her eyes told him something was wrong they were filled with sorrow. He pushed passed his father going outside.

“Oi! come back’ere!” His father chased after him

Gemma knelt down next to her crying and hugging her “Im so sorry Aria”

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truemedian · 4 years ago

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Former HTC CEO Peter Chou reveals his next project: a social 5G VR headset

Engadget The Mova is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 chipset (instead of the 835 as used by the Focus and the Quest), 6GB of RAM (instead of the usual 4GB) and a 4,600mAh battery (the Quest has 3,648mAh). XRSpace didn’t specify the nature of the 2,880 x 1,440 display panel nor its field of view, but we do know that it has a slick 90Hz refresh rate and a whopping 702 dpi pixel density, both of which are much higher than its rivals, and due to using a smaller display panel. Questions remain, however, for when we get to try the device: would you prefer higher pixel density or a larger view?The Mova will ship with a single controller for gaming purposes, but it’s designed to be used with hand tracking as the primary control method. This, in theory, would lower the learning barrier for most people, and they would probably use the headset more often because of its less fiddly nature. But the company wants hand gestures to be a core interaction in its virtual world, Manova. And this is where things get different from VR headsets that we’ve seen already.Once you’re inside one of the Manova spaces (more on that later), you can toggle most common social gestures with natural movements: you can shake hands with other avatars, give high fives, do fist bumps or toast with a glass. You can even grab and throw objects, meaning you can shoot hoops or throw darts with your buddies who are actually miles away in real life. There’s also a gesture for teleportation: tap in the air with your index finger to toggle an arrow, then point at your desired spot and tap again to teleport.Since the Mova is a 6DoF VR headset, you can walk around physically as you do virtually. The biggest surprise here is that the inside-out cameras here can apparently just about track your legs, so you’re able to play simple soccer games with others in VR as well. It sounds intriguing, but I’ll wait to see how this fares once I’ve tried the headset properly.For the same reason, XRSpace lets you put on a full-body avatar by default, as opposed to making do with floating half-body versions like some VR social platforms do.

Engadget Avatar features are easily written off as gimmicks, but Chou believes it’s core to making VR work when it comes to social interactions.“Today, one of the reasons why VR is not that exciting, is not getting that level of immersiveness, is that it's lacking very good digital avatars,” the exec reasoned. “Today, most of the digital avatars are cartoonish and half body, really not something that we can call your ‘digital self.’ So what we really want to do is to let people really actually recognize this is you.”These upgraded avatars, along with higher-quality skin textures, AI-based natural facial expression and natural limb movements, come from the time Chou spent working at effects studio, Digital Domain.Chou hopes that users would then stick to the same “digital self” when meeting with families and friends, or when joining meetings and lessons. But of course, there’s no stopping you from making your avatar look bizarre for the more casual applications. “We don't prohibit that.”

Engadget Rather than relying on an existing VR platform like Viveport or Steam, XRSpace has bigger ambitions when it comes to content and services. The main foundation of that is Manova, which is basically XRSpace’s take on VR social platforms like VRChat or Rec Room. This hub is also your headset’s main interface.With private spaces, you can meet up with family, friends or acquaintances in your virtual home, meeting room, classroom, cinema or even private beach. You’ll obviously be able to watch videos, play mini-games, or fiddle with virtual objects together in those scenarios.If you want to make things a bit more realistic, the Mova headset offers a feature called “Space Scanning” which, as you can probably tell by the name, can scan a physical room and turn it into a virtual space. In a quick video I saw, the user would simply walk around a room and let the headset’s front optical sensors do the work. I couldn’t tell what the scan quality was like, but apparently you’ll able to redecorate this virtual room before inviting people over.To bolster this ambitious feature pitch, the startup has already secured one of Taiwan’s largest real estate agencies, YC House, to launch VR house-viewing tours in Q3. XRSpace is also working with furniture retailers and travel agencies to take advantage of this feature, so that customers can preview their purchases or destinations before making the jump.XRSpace is also working on bringing VR education and VR collaboration to institutions and companies. In Taiwan, there are already at least four schools on board to integrate Manova for remote learning. Similarly, XRSpace claims that its bank customers are also interested in using Mova as a remote meeting and training solution.

Engadget Things get a lot more interesting when you head out to public spaces. You start from a city center which acts as a hub, from there you can head to parks, beaches, night clubs and cinemas, in which you can hang out with friends or meet people from around the world.Then you have MagicLOHAS, which is essentially a suite of wellness activities that you can participate with other people in VR. There’s yoga, tai chi, meditation, dancing, stretching and even brain training, all of which can take place on top of a mountain, by the sea or in the woods. XRSpace tapped a handful of wellness experts to add virtual instructors to each activity, but users will have to wear body trackers — sold separately — to leverage this service.The remaining public spaces are basically portals to music, VR videos and VR games. The music part will be handled by carriers, whereas videos will come from partners like AirPano, Insta360, Digital Domain and various local content partners. In Taiwan’s case, Vogue and GQ are already on board, and XRSpace is also working with a local baseball team to integrate live signal into Manova’s virtual stadium.As for VR games, the notable ones include Resolution Games’ Angry Birds VR and fishing game Bait!, along with Futuretown’s mini-golfing game Cloudlands 2 and shooting game A-10 VR. It’s unclear how many of these titles will be compatible with the headset’s hand gesture input, though, and it’ll need to convince many more game developers to pick up its SDK — available today — in order to catch up with the competition in this space. Meanwhile, Oculus is already adding gesture-based games to the Quest’s library later this week.XRSpace’s Mova is a hugely ambitious VR headset, at a time when the sector has struggled to truly breakthrough to the mainstream. And that’s before the list price of $599. While the ideas are unique, it’ll need to work extra hard to tempt regular consumers. XRSpace is hoping that carriers will help them out. For Taiwan, XRSpace is launching its headset with Chunghwa Telecom, whereas in the West, Deutsche Telekom will be bringing the Mova to Europe in the near future. We’ll be keeping an eye out on US availability and a chance to properly experience the device. In this article: resolution games, angry birds, xrspace, peter chou, mova, xr, magiclohas, digital domain, futuretown, vr, manova, snapdragon 845, news, gear All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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