#Bouncy's rap was the best for me ..then i heard this...

[momhwa1117]

✨ FiNaLlY NoW iT's My TiMe ✨

[mysadblacksoul]

Let's talk about Clancy, eh? (plus the livestream)

So I'm watching the livestream (the vod) and I decided to share my opinions about each songs!

without the first 4 singles

But tbh I think I'm an Overcompensate girly, that before hearing the rest of this album this is my top 1

With Backslide as a close second

Wait why should I increase my volume

Oh that's why

It was a trap

Okay Midwest Indigo, let's go I'm so ready

What an outfit Mr Joseph

Omg it's so bouncy

JIM

JENNA

I love the shouty lyrics

This MV is so goofy what the hell

Okay so it's so happy, so funky I love it!

The drums make want to do a lil dance

Hope the next one won't be sad

Yes Tyler, this song will go so hard live, I agree

And yes, put Josh on the mic!

Routines In The Night everybody

Oh so it's the rap one?

It's much less bouncy, but I can still tap my leg to it so I'm fine

You think that this is like the sister song to Ode To Sleep?

The chorous is so catchy what the hell

Yes! Give me those adlibs!

The dances, the visuals, the face card that never declines

What is he eating for Lord's sake

I can't pay attention to the songs when every time one ends those fools pop up on my screen again lol

"not every video is gonna be lore based" my ass

Wait so Routines is not lore oriented? But I see so many references :((((((

Vingette!

So it's a crowd's favourite? Aight

Oh it sound so nostalgic

More rap? okay, okay

Omg the vocals????

It's so different, like I can't predict where are we going with the beat

The bridge is so out of place but so in place???

What is going on

No but I see why they like it, for sure

God I love all the Joshes in the MVs

So Jenna's version will have another MV?

Sounds fun!

Oh it's soft version

So this is a fanmade mv for Jenna, how cute

No for real it is emotional, but in the best way possible

This version is filled with so much love, I can't even explain

The flashbacks to the young dudes? I might cry too

Yeah I se the vision. Like The Craving does feel more "right" played on the ukulele. It gives it much more emotion!

Now you just bully him lol. Tyler has two hands to hold two ukuleles, this is lore guys

Lavish whoo!

Before we start why the hell is the title of this song the only one written in different font in the lyric sheet in the CD, huh?

O damn man in black, get it I guess

The vocals are so dreamy, so different

Another leg mover

Why all of this songs are so catchy are you putting crack in it or what

It's also very chill so far

I also really like the use of the strings, it makes the song more full!

It kind of sounds like a movie soundtrack? Or is it just the MV that makes it feel this way

The silliest MV so far lmao

And seeing the amount of work that went into it makes it even better

And now Navigating!

I have to stop myself from looking for lore

I'm 3 seconds in, why it already sounds like a bop

This might be my new favourite song from this album

The electric guitar? With the synth? 11/10

The chorous is so amazing, simply

Will the bridge be sad or will he scream

Oh come through with this bass

JOSH ISN'T REAL THEORY WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK ARE WE IN THE FOREST FIC

Where did he go irl lmao

No for real it might be my favourite now, sorry Overcompensate

The Bandito one is the real one, write that down

NO I THINK I JUST GOT IT, THE WHOLE LORE MAKES SO MUCH SENSE NOW

What the hell Tyler, we have such a different taste then

Snap Back let's go!

What is going on

I'm like a second in

Oh no, it's broken

Instead of Snap Back premiere we have the premiere of Next Semester (ukulele version)

I'm not mad at all

Okay, let's go for real this time

Oh it's so dreamy

So this is the MV with head shaving lmao

BACKSLIDE, I heard that everyone

The drums are really shining on that song

And I love the contrast between low tone verses and more melodic, high alibs in chorous

The bridge seems sad I fear

Or are we picking up the tempo?

Nah we are putting more adlibs now!

Even better

Oldies station better be nostalgic

And quick question before we start, what the hell did you do to Josh?

Is this ballad?

Soft, fun and with funky vocals!

The lyrics are so beautiful, god

Omg Josh lmao

What a contrast to the song lol

Oh we are switching

I don't know how to justify it, but it feels like such a twenty one pilots song

Like it just makes sense for them to make it

I really like it

Honestly At The Risk Of Feeling Dumb sounds silly from the start

So is the MV

I really like the rollercoaster of the vocals. They are kind of all over the place, but still makes a lot of sense

It's the beat drop on the "drop"

Oh rap some more sure!

Why does he want to fight in every MV

Very fun, very chill and then you have the post chorous that are hard hitting

Love the contrast

Am I crazy or did they use kalimba in the end? I might be wrong tho

That's so sad that we are already finishing

One last track

Paladin Strait whoo!

I'm afraid that this one will be the sad one

The tears producer

The heart clencher

The ukulele strikes back

Love those low vocals

It's a song to sway this time

The drums strikes back

I don't know why it kind of sounds like the end of the western movie. Like after the good ending the cowboy is walking towards the sun, you see my vision?

This song is full of hope, so amazing

God the lyrics sounds like Clancy is finaly free

I might cry

It sounds like good ending to the trilogy

So it feels like a scam

It's too good to be true

But I don't know, maybe after all the ending of this story is good for all of us

What, is the silence in the official audio or is it just the end of the livestream

NO WAIT THERE IS MORE

no

wait guys no

FPE?????

WHO THE HELL

IS IT BLURRY

WHAT THE HELL

Now I need the MV to see what the hell is going on

The End

Nah, I'm not leaving you like this

I still think that Navigating is my fav from the new songs

But I'm gonna go listen to the album some more and then decide for sure

It's a good mix of everything, very twenty one pilots style

I just wished for more rage and screaming, but we need to be calm sometimes, I get it

There isn't a song that I don't like, that's for sure

So yeah! This are my feelings, thoughts (and prayers)

Give me your favourite song in the comments!

[gerogerigaogaigar]

We're almost at the end. Since this is the gay sex website or whatever I've put together a list of lgbtq+ rappers. This list obviously trends a little more towards the modern scene and a little more obscure. But there are definitely some very big names here.

TERROR PACKETS Backxwash is my favorite modern rapper. She's a trans woman who often raps about trans issues. She needs to be more popular. please I need people to listen to her she is so good and I want queer horrorcore to be A Thing.

New York Angel Haze's relationship to gender is "I don't consider myself of any sex. I consider myself an experience." I like the beat on this song, just that fuzzy bass hit and claps to help emphasize his bouncy flow.

Georgia You probably know him from rap crew Brockhampton, but Kevin Abstract's solo work is arguably better for the way it blends hip-hop and R&B. Kevin Abstract is an out and proud gay man and he sings about it frequently.

MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) You know this one. Lil Nas X kinda surprised me when he put out an entire album that was actually good start to finish, but the lead single still stands out as one of the best pop rap tunes I've ever heard.

WAP Once again, You know what this is. Both Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion have come out as bisexual. And when you consider how often both women rap about pussy it's clear they weren't really trying to hide it.

Sugar Honey Iced Tea (S.H.I.T.) Princess Nokia feels like they should be bigger. Their music is catchy, a little experimental and brings a bit of punk influence. Their back to back 2020 releases Everything Sucks and Everything Is Beautiful ought to be on more people's mind. Oh and Princess Nokia is bi and uses she/they pronouns.

Rent Bounce music is still a little way from being mainstream, but once people start paying attention they're gonna be bumping Big Freedia nonstop. You might recognize her voice from Beyonce's hit Break My Soul. Her genre defining style blends hip-hop and dance music in a way unique to the New Orleans club scene. Big Freedia identifies as a gay male, but also is okay with any pronouns and acknowledges that a lot of her style and gender presentation is based on the local drag scene.

Don Dada Cakes Da Killa is one of the more popular gay rappers out there. Don Dada has a groovy house beat that gives his voice a nice bounce.

SORRY NOT SORRY Odd Future alumni Tyler, The Creator had been hinting for a bit that he might be bi and this song from his most recent album confirms it. On top of that it is a great dialogue between the two sides of himself, the one that feels insecure for his past behavior and the side that wants to be proud of himself.

Ladies First The first female rap star recently introduced the world to her girlfriend. So it looks like there have been queer rappers as far back as the 80's. Looking back at her biggest hit I guess it is about loving women when you get down to it.

To Be Concluded ===> Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Out Patients 2000 Future Jazz / Broken Beat / Drum n Bass

Checked out this sweet turn-of-the-millennium electronic comp over the past couple days called Out Patients, the first installment in a three-volume series that was put out on UK label Hospital Records. Originally launched in 1996, Hospital was founded by London Elektricity, a duo who, sometime in the early 2000s, decided to downsize to just one member, Tony Colman, so the former member, Chris Goss, could devote more time and energy to running Hospital himself.

Now, if you know anything about either Hospital or LE beyond what I've just told you, then you know that what they're both primarily known for is their drum n bass output. In fact, in their first four years of existence, that's all Hospital pretty much ever released. However, in 2000, with the launching of this little, cleverly titled Out Patients series—songs that largely laid outside of Hospital's own sonic radius—they decided to venture a little out of their comfort zone.

So, ultimately, what we have here are a bunch of groovy electronic lounge-type vibes that largely come in the form of future jazz and broken beat—a pair of oft-intertwined electronic genres that were both surging at around the same exact time. Broken beat was this wonderful, broadly-defined music that saw fundamentals of drum n bass taken to a sharper, more complicated and unorthodox abstraction, and its rhythms would be integrated into future jazz, a type of jazz-infused electronic music that succeeds the late 80s-to-mid-90s UK phenomenon of acid jazz, and hearkens back to the halcyon days of free-flowing jazz fusion from the 70s and 80s too; also known as nu jazz.

And even though this is just an exclusive dozen tracks from a label that'd never really put out this type of material before, Hospital was still able to get a few notable names to contribute to this release here: veteran Uschi Classen, who in addition to her own solo material, had also been in a bunch of groups, like Ashley Beedle's Black Science Orchestra and the Ballistic Brothers; dnb trio Aquasky; and Mr. Scruff, whose biggest claim to fame is this very popular electro swing tune—one of the only decent ones that's ever been made—and if you're an American of a certain age, you might remember it from an old ad campaign for Lincoln's full lineup of vehicles too.

Here's one of those ads with Michael Clarke Duncan!

But, to me, the best song on this release has to be "Action," by Japan's Yukihiro Fukutomi. Fukutomi himself was his own entity too by the time this song had been included on this very comp, but the vast majority of his music had only ever been released in Japan; so when he appeared on Out Patients, it was likely the first time that many people outside of Japan had ever heard him before. And those people were probably fuckin' dazzled, because the combination of constantly shifting broken beat drum rhythm and Fukutomi's whiny old school keyboard improv here is simply diabolical 😈. Get lost in this super craggy shit!

And something that also needs pointing out here is that even though most of this comp isn't drum n bass, there are still a couple dnb tunes on here anyway. And as someone who really loves it when people just *straight-up rap* over drum n bass beats, I can't leave this post without mentioning MC Mello and London Elektricity's bouncy "Melloizdaman." This is just such a cool and fun tune, overall, and I especially love how LE add this warm coat of ambient synth to their double bass-infused beat after the first verse. Usually rappers need to rap over steady beats in order to maintain their own timing and flow, and while LE don't mess with the rhythm itself here, they're still able to enhance their tune further with this added synth in order to keep it sounding fresh. Really great stuff 🤩.

So a pretty dope set of early 2000s tunes from Hospital Records here. Mostly not the kind of electronic music that they're typically known for releasing, but they included some nice, previously unheard tracks on this album nonetheless 👍.

And if you want the type of stuff that Hospital *is* known for, check out this post I did a few months ago on Plastic Surgery 2, a double-disc comp and DJ mix that featured them on the 2-step liquid funk trend, a more mass-appealing strain of drum n bass that grew to be very popular in the UK in the mid-to-late 2000s that they themselves were on the forefront of.

Highlights:

Liane Carroll - "The Trap" Uschi Classen - "Tocatta (The Indigo Blue Mix)" Aquasky - "Another Day" Skitz + Julie Dexter - "Be...." Landslide - "Golden Cavalier" London Elektricity - "Incurable" Space Clique - "Exit #1: Luna Park" MC Mello vs. London Elektricity - "Melloizdaman" Yukihiro Fukutomi - "Action" Marcus Intalex & S.T. Files - "Taking Over Me"

[turtlemagnum]

searching for a song by clicking random on a lyric website. probably not gonna find what i'm looking for but i'm gonna post what i find, listen to, and like here:

moondance just happened to be the first song i got on the roulette wheel, and i can't say i was disappointed. has really nice, understated vocals with an impressive range, and i really like the guitar's stellar blend of simplicity and complexity. wonderful song, couldn't have asked for a better first shot

more than you know seems to be pretty standard for instrumental jazz of the era. definitely solid and enjoyable, but not life changing

stairway to the stars... it feels as if the universe read what i just wrote about more than you know and thought, "heh, i'll show you some fucking jazz, bud". i'm not sure i'm aware of any words in any language to describe how this makes me feel but it's definitely an overall positive one. definitely nostalgic, a bit like if sonder was distilled into a song. overall lovely, i could see this making me cry very easily if i were in the right headspace

shake rattle & roll, can't say i went into this expecting early french rock but i can't say i'm exactly surprised by what i heard either. pretty good by the standards of rock at the time, has a better beat than a lot of what i've heard from the era (though to be fair, a lot of what i'm mentally comparing it to were those drummers that just went thunk thunk in a consistent 4/4 like a less interesting sounding heartbeat)

call me ishmael, by corm. honestly the first one i can say that didn't properly link on the site but i went out of my way to search up anyways, purely because of the band name. corm, what a lovely word, never heard it before now. the song is pretty good for what it is, a lot of songs like this have rather insufferable vocalists but i found this one listenable albeit not exactly intelligible. a lot like green day, and it leaves a similarly vaguely positive impression of quality much like a green day song. nothing special, but definitely worth listening to. i find there's a lot to appreciate in the average if it's well constructed

i concentrate on you is giving me the distinct impression that the best music i'm gonna come across tonight is gonna be jazz. frankly i really should listen to more of it, given my love for genres i'd consider inspired by it like prog and early rap. very good song, would recommend.

weary blues absolutely reeks of 1920s americana in the best way possible. it's got a certain bouncy and bubbly quality to it that i imagine would lend itself perfectly to animation of the era, and is overall just a fun listen

one last one for the night, i'll probably add to this when the mood strikes again. i'll admit i was skeptical about praise ye jah at first since reggae isn't exactly my favorite genre, but i'd like to consider myself open minded and i will say that i was pleasantly surprised overall. the beat is pretty damn good, and i'd personally consider that one of the most important parts of a song. i won't say i especially like the vocals, but i don't dislike them either, and honestly in my experience it's not exactly uncommon for me to absolutely hate the vocals in a reggae song, so that's probably a glowing recommendation coming from me. overall, pretty good!

[myremains]

Who the hell doesn’t know who Skindred are in this day and age right?! The best British band for me of all time, they kill it live, their music is such a vibe all the time and quite frankly it’s just the most fun I’ve ever had. We’re on Album number 8 since 1998, it’s mad think about how long it’s been since I first heard “Nobody” on Need For Speed Underground 2.

“Our Religion” took me by completely surprise, that’s one evil crunchy dark sounding track really throwing me back to the Babylon days, yet in true Dred fashion it still manages to be bouncy as all hell. “Gimme That Boom” captures that whole it’s just fun vibe, its stupidly addictive, very simple chorus but lacking nothing, the breakdown has that very distinctive Skindred sounding riff that screams out for you to shake your ass round. “Set Fazers” is of a very similar nature but more forceful with it, this is one for the moshers to get stuck in to but really whatever your pleasure it’s got you covered. “L.O.V.E. (Smile Please)” slides right down deep into their reggae roots which is where this whole journey comes from, Bob Marley would be smiling down on the lads for this their versatility and bringing that age old style forward and capturing the very heart of the peace and love that the world so desperately needs. Take that style, add some crunchy riffs, let Benjii rap and put on a nice mellow clean chorus and you have “Black Stars”, that deep scream in the background injects pure adrenaline into me, it hypes me up to no end.

Some bands follow the trend of the time whereas skindred drop what they think the world needs, and I tell you what we needed this right now. Their first number 1 album and it is 100% well earned, they’re finally getting the recognition they deserve, praying to get to their tour in March!!

[10/10]

[briankang]

also hi i finally DID listen to all the solo songs yesterday so my brief thoughts breakdown per song

connected - i said it before but love island ass track. this is playing on some mtv reality show as an insert song. this is so clearly a culmination of every type of song chris likes (songs that sound like 2013-2016 specifically) lyrics wise it made me giggle out loud. he’s so goofy. she’s fun! i won’t be going back to her often though. sorry to my mans but i simply must pull him out of the past lskdjglksdk

limbo - sorry this is the best song of the 8. lee minho only songwriter only singer only man ever. what the fuck. why is this SO GOOD. the mellow verses into that MUCH BIGGER chorus? i need more. i had this on repeat to go to bed last night. lee minho i have feelings for u.

doodle - the first time i heard that screechy ass sample i whitemanblinking.gif’d but got used to it. this is so. so very changbin. his raps are good and i love the way he speeds the fuck up in the bridge. my life’s like a doodle or whatever. i like her hehe

love untold - i wanted to like this more than i did but i still liked her. u know what i mean. we’ve rlly gotten so much from hyunjin this past year i think this just didn’t hit as hard as some of his other stuff, but this is so. so classically hyunjin. pisces ass (affectionate). 

run - why the fuck haven’t you guys been talking about this song. am i the only run liker here. this is so classically jisung and i think the instrumental is so simple yet bouncy and paired with jisung’s pathetic lyrics i was ALL OVER THIS? i too want to run from the world bestie. let’s go.

deep end - lee felix i am in your walls. personally this hit me the hardest lyrics wise like in specific way and it hurt my feelings so i simply need to fight felix for that on this end but on an actual note. this is soooo. getting to hear him stretch himself and experiement and try new things is so fun. i love hearing felix sing. i was sooooo surprised to hear this from him in the best way possible. this also sounds sooooo much like the music he loves. when he mentioned sam kim’s ‘love me like that’ on bubble in reference to this i understood immediately. felix my beloved. 

stars and raindrops - i love day6 (affectionate) (obviously. look at my url). this is. so. so fucking seungmin. this WAS his day6 audition. i looooove this song. she’s my second favorite. the high note he holds for fucking ever in the outro of the song made me YELL when i first heard it THAT’S MY SINGER!!!!!! that’s my kim seungmin!!!!!!!! anyways someone should tell studio j about this i think he’d be a great addition :)

hug me- i could v literally not stop smiling and giggling listening to this it’s so. fucking cute. yang jeongin my sweetest boy ever. i know i can put this on whenever and be in a good mood. this song makes me feel like when i heard ‘can’t stop’ for the first time. i need to hear more from jeongin this was so up my alley i loved loved loved this. truly songs for better days <3

overall if i had to rank themmmmm (just for fun NONE OF THEM ARE BAD. however someone has to be in the bottom):

limbo

stars and raindrops

hug me

run

doodle

deep end

connected

love untold

anyways thank u for coming to my TEDtalk

[hongism]

UGH tell me about it there's so much to watch hehe we're such a spolied fandom 😆 django is my favourite too OMG I just love everything about it esp the bridge, it makes me feel like I want to ascend to the heavens, but also I love different snippets of all the songs (like HJ's rap in wake up like HELLO WHEN I FIRST HEARD IT MY MOUTH DROPPED OPEN SO WIDE, and the start of bouncy and HJ's rap in dune ACTUALLY ALL HIS RAPS) lmao someone on twitter said that every time hongjoong has opened his mouth this comeback it's been pure cunt and I couldn't agree more.

But this new genre of music fits them so well LIKE SERIOUSLY it's so perfect for them and honestly it makes ateez SOO MUCH MORE APPEALING I can completely understand what you're saying like I'M NOT OK WITH HOW GOOD THIS ALBUM IS *jongho's voice* I'M NOT OKAY I'M NOT OKAY

lmao shutting up

YESSSS DJANGO BRIDGEEEE ugh the whole album is such a serve like okay who pissed ateez off for them to THIS hard... holy hell! trust and believe when hongjoong's rap in wake up first hit i had to sit down and clutch my armrests for dear life bc oh my god... that person on twitter was so right fr every line he uttered on this album was CUNT CUNT CUNT CUNT CUNT in the best way possible!!

i've seen people saying that they would never have picked this sound or genre for ateez or that it sounds like it could have been made for another group but to me every song is so quintessential ateez it's unmistakably ateez but also New for them i just know that they HAVE to keep doing this sort of vocal sound in the future bc it's CRAZYYYYYYY

[lovejustforaday]

2023 Year End List - #9

Paper Cut From The Obit - Celestaphone

Main Genres: Jazz Rap, Experimental Rap, Abstract Rap

A decent sampling of: Jazz-Funk, Psychedelic Soul, Conscious Rap, Jazz-Rock, Disco Rap, Progressive Rock

Counting down the list with yet another weird ass hip hop album, and there's still two more to go after this one, so strap in.

Celestaphone is the project of American rapper/producer Joseph Murphy. The guy raps in the way I might imagine the Joker (no, not that one, the OG one) would sound if he was whacked out on some really hefty stimulants and also an IT tech guy who plays D&D.

The dude's self-portrayal is so goofy and non-threatening that it makes some of the frankly insane abstract rap ramblings go down a lot smoother. Actually, I'm kind of obsessed with his persona - I would play the hell out of a video game staring this character.

According to his Spotify bio (Look, the guy hasn't done a whole lot of interviews), Joseph grew up around total music nerds, listening to Madvillain, Frank Zappa (checks out), and Kate Bush from an early age. And there is certainly a lot of evidence of a musically colourful mind on this latest project of his.

As far as I'm concerned, Paper Cut From The Obit is probably just the unhinged setlist of an in-house live jazz band meant to be playing for the rejected late night show that got cancelled for blatant sacrilege, put to record. Sound-wise, I think Celestaphone might've just invented "prog rap" on this thing, what with the virtuosic, ambitious jazz-funk production and clear prog rock influence, combined with sudden changes in rhythm that keeps me on the edge of my seat (if I'm not already up shaking my ass to the funk rhythms).

Also, just a silly little tip I discovered the other night - playing this while rolling around in Liberty City, speeding down the wrong side of the street is a whole aesthetic moment and the closest I've felt to being invincible in a while.

The jerky organized piano jazz rap chaos of "Jettatura" is disorienting. Feels like banging my head and seeing stars in a seedy jazz club in a city I'm completely unfamiliar with. Completely twisted magic.

"Small World" is a lyrical masterclass, plain and simple - maybe my favourite bars of the year. Musically, I'm getting vivid images of bouncy animated skyscrapers and blinding camera flashes and bright ass flood lights. "Imagine you looked at a tree just the way you look at your penis" is the most hilarious lyric of 2023.

"Tops Turvy" is a mix of classic funky clavinet and a plush, organic jazz beat that feels hella comfy. Floating up on the top cloud in a technical dreamy funk heaven, while giggling with the devil himself as Celestaphone pokes fun at the promises and overzealous claims of organized religion.

The instrumental "Chitauri Chip" is a glittering and mythical jazz-rock, dancing the flickers of an old and sacred flame. Has some desert-wandering merchant energy in the general vastness and mystery of its central riff, plus those golden brown acoustic guitar chimes shimmering like treasure in the sun's massive rays.

Also, would ya look at that? Surprise Armand Hammer feature on the more chilled-out "Tithes", along with underground avant-garde rapper sensation Moor Mother. Funny, I wonder if one of them Armand Hammer dudes is gonna appear one more time on a different entry in this list (hint hint). Incidentally, another one of the best moments on this highly leftfield record.

"Babies" is simultaneously one of the strangest choices for an album closer I've ever heard and exactly how an artist like Celestaphone would choose to end a record. It's, well, it's an ode to babies. There's elements of satire but also he's making a pretty good case for baby supremacy. That twangy guitar solo throughout the whole thing just accents how utterly crazy this guy is. I wouldn't have had it ending in any other way. A comical stroke of genius.

There is one or two tracks I would omit in the mid section, and the sequencing could've been spread out more seeing as how nearly every major highlight is on either end of this 16 track powerhouse. But still, enough of this is balls-to-the-wall crazy and infectious that I don't mind that it's got a longer run tracklisting-wise, and at only 43 minutes total runtime, no song every overstays it's welcome.

Yeah, honestly I'm mostly totally impressed by this record. Between all of the ambition displayed here and the major underground names he's collaborating with, it's really not a matter of if but when this guy blows up.

Paper Cut From The Obit is one of the most creative records I listened to in 2023, and nearly every second of it is teeming with mad scientist energy thanks to Joseph's immense presence as an MC and his immaculate taste in sexy fucking retro jazz beats. I'll have whatever this guys having, thank you very much - dude's got it all figured out.

9/10

Highlights: "Small World", "Tops Turvy", "Chitauri Chip", "Tithes", "They All Con It", "Jettatura", "Babies", "Erfurt Latrine", "Paintings of Panspermia"

[pyonochrome]

my favorite kpop songs of 2023 ✨

here is a post documenting my favorite kpop songs of 2023~~ 💖 musically this year was AWESOME for me lol. my ears and my heart had so much fun.

this is just in order of release date - i can’t rank these songs, i love them all too much

…let me in is certainly my favorite song of 2023 though lol

🎶🎶🎶

perfumer - moonbin & sanha i float atop this song…it really does sound like scent drifting off incense

madness - moonbin & sanha IT GOES SO HARD!!! TOO HARD!!! i love the drop and the vocals and the choreography is COMPLETELY insane

our miracle (너를 만남이란 기적) - jinyoung the atmosphere of this song feels incredible. just my type

tinnitus (돌멩이가 되고 싶어) - txt SMOOVE AFROBEATS…it gets stuck in my head constantly. this song is so easy to put on repeat and exist to lol

skyscraper - nct 127 i bop so hard that i shouldn’t listen to this song while driving

new look - tripleS pop perfection tbh. tripleS do high-pitched vocals in a way that is very pleasing to me

sweet juice - purple kiss OKAY THIS SONG…THIS SONG IS SO PERFECT…everything about it hits every spot. and the OUTRO - i get goosebumps every time

nabi - onlyoneof the production of this song is incredible tbh. the chimes the guitars the beats. this song sounds like wind

우주의 법칙 (space science) - yukika queen. i love everything she comes out with lol. this song is particularly jazzy and comfortable.

rover - kai let's go transgender allegory. a theme song for anyone who has ever changed their name lmao. the anthem of being in charge of your own identity. this song still goes so fucken hard

slidin' - kai I LOVE THIS INSTRUMENTAL OMFG…and jongin’s voice all over it is A++++

enchanted night ~ 白夜 - billlie this. song. is. IT. this is probably my favorite non-exo song of the year lol. this song is everything i love most about billlie tbh…instrumental, vocals, rap, storytelling, this song is so funky and sleek

eunoia - billlie i do believe this is one of the best pop songs ever made. so infectious, so bubbly, so catchy. and i LOVE these lyrics

extra-ordinary - billlie this soooooong is such a groooooove it makes me want to strut around. as per usual with billlie…the vocals…insane

nevertheless - billlie SPEAKING OF BILLLIE VOCALS…okay this is another contender for soty lmao. oh my god this production??? the layering??? EVERYTHING??? this is one of the most magical kpop songs i’ve ever heard tbh

easy - key mmmmmmm so slinky i love this melancholy feeling

like crazy - jimin GAWD i love the world this song creates lol. this instrumental & production >>> it’s glittering

jelly pop - boys planet final listen i couldn’t resist ghjkfds. this is such a catchy pop song holy shit. this song is fun beginning to end.

dangerous - tempest this song is soooooo danceable…it’s like vintage kpop-y but still very fresh. i really love the instrumental in the chorus

eve, psyche, and the bluebeard's wife - le sserafim as a homo, i love everything about this song. gawd this beat.

welcome to MY world - aespa (feat. nævis) this is one of my favorite aespa songs. mmmmm the vocals…the night sounds…it’s so dreamy

crazy like that - verivery THIS INSTRUMENTAL IS SOOOOO ICY COOL...really really love this beat / synth / the fast-paced vocals that dance on top of it

item - stray kids this song turns me into the chomp chomp from super mario. just devouring everything in my path

topline - stray kids (feat. tiger JK) i just really love every single one of these verses + the chorus is tuff + tiger jk into han goes completely insane ok 😭

충돌 (collision) - stray kids i luv these horns…i luv this vibe…i luv this song

404 not found - taeyong this song resonates with my soul tbh.

attitude - fromis_9 MMMMM THE HARMONIES IN THIS SONG MMMMM THIS SONG IS FIERCE AS HELL. THE BRIDGE???? FUCK

bouncy (k-hot chili peppers) - ateez this is the banger to end all bangers. that slowed-down cronchy fucken groove in the chorus what the fuck

불면증 (insomnia) - shinee harmonies harmonies harmonies omfg…this smooooove track is my favorite on their new album

small talk - kim sung kyu the sweet catchy pop rock song of my dreams. it feels so refreshing and it's ALWAYS stuck in my head

back to zerobase - zerobaseone it's like a new universe is opening up omg. the rising synths, the fast lil beat, the TWINKLING...the HIGH-FLYING VOCALS...this song is a bath of starlight

in bloom - zerobaseone THIS SONG CHANGED MY WORLD…the way the instrumental completely incorporates the concept is SO COOL and i love the a-ha interpolation ghdsjkfds. also these lyrics…are SO beautiful…and will enchant me forever

always (zhang hao solo) - zerobaseone i say that’s my baby and i’m proud. this song is so comforting…and it sounds like a 2000s boy band song to me and i love that

let me in - exo this is already my 11th most played song of all time gshjgkfs. THE ATMOSPHERE…OF THIS SONG…is the only world i want to live in. exo’s vocals have developed to such phenomenal levels, every note & harmony in this song gives me goosebumps. this song was woven together so well. this song is like diving into the bluest waters and floating there for eternity. it’s like a perfect meeting of concept and sound. really masterful work, r&b perfection

hear me out - exo THIS SONG IS SO COZYYYYYY if let me in is introspective, hear me out is playful and friendly. this coy fuckin song with these smoove vocals omg. it’s so much fun to sing along. and the bass oh my god

cream soda - exo NASTY VOCALS ALL OVER LET’S GOOOOO. this song is like hurtling towards the sun gdshjkfds it makes me want to dance and scream. sechan’s raps are so hype and the bridge is PERFECT

regret it - exo SHAKING ASS AND TAKING NAMES. the vocals in these choruses are just??? INSANE??? THEY’RE OUT HERE SINGING. this song is so fun lol this song is SUMMER

love fool - exo speaking of fun,, i love the playful lil groove of this song all the way through!! and the chorus is SO addictive

another day - exo i. love. this. song. i love the unconventional instrumental and how it blends in with the SOARING vocals that exo lay over it. i love the lyrics…i love the way this song feels like wind against my skin

new emotions - infinite GAWD THIS SONG IS DANCEABLE i looooove the a capella-type beat and the chorus is immaculate. this song is stuck in my head at all times tbh. every song stuck in my head becomes a mashup with new emotions

je ne sais quoi - odd eye circle so slinky so smooth, the vocals are soooo heavenly atop this gorgeous instrumental

love me like - odd eye circle this song makes me feel like a real homo and i just love loona okay. this song is dance personified

poison - nct dream this song is slinky as fuck and sooooo so comfortable. this arrangement really slaps. 

cool with you - newjeans MMMM THIS SONG FEELS SO COOL…the vocals are soooo fluttery and pretty, the music is gorgeous, i totally love this song

move - treasure t5 this song takes me back to 2nd gen kpop in the best way lol, it's sooooo nostalgic sounding for me

the flash - kwon eunbi this chorus takes over my brain lol. THE SYNTH IS SO POWERFUL

girls' capitalism - tripleS lovelution this. bass. is. IT and this song is so catchy and fun and bouncy lol. a perfect pop song tbh

better things - aespa mmmm i just love his addictive this song is, all the harmonies are so tight, i love how fast-paced it is despite feeling minimalist

call d - nct u THIS NASTY ASS DIGITAL SNAKE CHARMER SONG??? GAWD all the prolonged held notes and the runs in the chorus, holy shit!! this song saunters around and seduces tf out of me

pado - nct u okay this beat is EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING. lo fi groove for the stars mixed together with nct's smooth pretty vocals. AND THE BRASS IN THE CHORUS??? SHUT UP

interlude: oasis - nct u I LOVE THIS HYPNOTIC SONG…I WISH IT WAS LONGER…but it feels perfect being as fleeting as it is. i just love this strange little atmosphere + the vocals are shimmering

picture - hyo I LOVE THIS FUCKEN SONG…it is so sexy and addictive. always makes me wanna dance

뭣 같아 (but sometimes) - boynextdoor FUNK SKA??? IN MY KPOP??? THIS SONG IS INCREDIBLE OMFG…the melody in the chorus?? the harmony??? SHUT UP. i seriously love this unique fuckin song

nothing but (이것밖에는 없다) - young k as per usual young k is breaking my heart. i just love hearing him belt these complicated feelings out like this...his music is so evocative

bungee jumping - young k this song is so breezy and fun!! again i totally love these lyrics and this song is so fun to sing along to...roll the windows down and just glide

natural - young k THANK YOU COMFY SYNTHY YOUNG K SONG! love putting this song on repeat and feeling the love

babo - young k this is my favorite song on this incredible album 🤩 luv this groove luv this vibe...these confidently self-deprecating lyrics. it's so playful and coy and sweet

what is.. - young k this. song. is. HEARTBREAKING HOLY SHIT. it really does feel like a punch in the chest and the brain, simultaneously. and also a beautiful place for young k's haunting falsetto to shine

내일의 우리 (ordinary days) - d.o. first things first, this man has the most gorgeous voice in the world, so i'm so happy whenever he gets a chance to croon and tell stories like this. this song is like warm tea (or a hot toddy at a friendly bar if you're into that sort of thing). this song is like finding comfort in skinned knees. this song has me WISTFUL

the view - d.o. this song makes me nostalgic for dreams that never came true tbh. the amount of dopamine that was woven into this song is insane. and kyungsoo’s vocals are so…so…SO beautiful. HIS RUNS??? A SONG FOR KSOO'S RUNS??? OVER THIS TWINKLING GLITTERING HEART-WRENCHINGLY YEARNING GUITAR AND PIANO AND SYNTH??? the view is PERFECTION

dive - tempest THIS SONG MAKES ME SO HAPPY…i love this guitar/instrumental/boppiness coupled with the totally cute lyrics and vocals. the post-chorus is so lovely

trouble - evnne this song is sick as fuck. THE RAPS…THE TOWERING VOCALS…THE FUCKIN DROP IN THE CHORUS OH MY GOD

byob (bring your own best friend) - billlie this cute little track oh my god,, the strings along with the synth, oh man this instrumental is totally beautiful. the soft vocals pair so prettily with it. i love this twinkly song and the lyrics are perfect lol

DANG! (hocus pocus) - billlie this song is so much FUN to listen to (and watch) and the notes in the chorus are so bubbly and fun. DANG this bangs. luv the metallic sounding harmonies and the general undercurrent of ~uncertainty that runs along with the lyrics...billlie are always dropping psychological bangers

love effect - onf VERY HAPPY ONF ARE BACK...and this song is so quintessentially them, i missed it lol. nobody does horns like onf. (and that jaunty piano for the rap break omfg i'm obsessed)

space - nct 127 this is another song where the atmosphere was so well thought out...it really does sound like it's out in SPACE lol. that sax, that reverb >>>>>

invincible - tripleS evolution once again triples are out here doing the high-pitched vocals so well. this whole production is??? insane??? i LOVE this dreampop song

growing pain - txt this song came to me at the perfect time in my life lol...i am really falling through the sky with this one. helps me scream. takes me back. propels me forward

back for more - txt this song is disgusting in the best way lmao. vocals insane, groove insane, beats insane. nostalgic and fresh dance track

deep down - txt i just love how...understated this deep club track is??? it's like...shy desperate longing. the drop + the silky vocals are addicting

물수제비 (skipping stones) - txt yes this song had my jaw on the floor on the first listen and it is still bewitching. this nasty ass indie rock instrumental holy fuck. the vocals. the lyrics. all of it together is screaming out to the universe and i love it

underwater - chuu CHUU IS FREE AND SHE IS SINGING!!!! LIKE GODDAMN!!!!! beautiful beautiful voice, beautiful beautiful song, beautiful beautiful lyrics. that chorus that feels like being suspended in space, mmm

good enough - chanyeol SELF HELP SONG! i love the cute lil beats in the chorus and the coziness of the whole track

talk saxy - riize THIS SONG...IS EVERYTHING I LOVE ABOUT KPOP LMAOOOO. NASTY BEATS, HORN GOING CRAZY, RIDICULOUS FUCKING LYRICS. "rawm pawm pawm pawm when you call my name, rawm pawm pawm pawm talk saxy" is shakespeare to me. i go so hard to this song

algorithm - heejin HEEJIN IS OUT HERE SINGING FOR THE BACK ROW ON THE FIRST LINE!!! seriously i love her voice and i LOVE this perfect pop song - the melodies are all so tight and fresh, the bass is driving, the synth is twinkly and lovely. love it all

guilty - taemin a whole art piece. the vocals...on this song...are CRAZY, taemin really stormed into the booth mad as hell. every note on this song is perfection and i love how all the vocals are layered. this atmosphere is so bleak but sexy, dystopian, rotted in the best way lol

she loves me, she loves me not - taemin speaking of rotted lmao. the catharsis that the chorus EXPLOSION gives me is impossible to replicate with everything else - this song unlocked a new emotion within me. i just love how wrecked and janky this song sounds, coupled with those operatic vocals in the bridge & the end - this song sounds like a mental breakdown trying to be contained and i love it

제자리 (not over you) - taemin the production on this song is INSANE. taemin's voice is so expressive...the way the chorus develops each time, first with the electric guitar that harmonizes with the melody and then with the synths in the final chorus that go so crazy...luv it

오늘 밤 (night away) - taemin mmmmm this song shimmers like stars in the sky. it feels so lovely and taem's voice is so sweet. that run that he repeats towards the end...holy shit right to my heart

melting point - zerobaseone SO CUTE AND COZY...love a song that instantly becomes a winter classic lol. i love the adlibs, the breakdown in the bridge, and of course the catchy hook

take my hand - zerobaseone MMMMM THIS INSTRUMENTAL REACHED A PLACE DEEP WITHIN ME...this arrangement is odd and i live for that. the soaring vocals in the chorus, the lyrics, the picture this song paints are all beautiful

ootd - dreamcatcher CMON NINE INCH NAILS INFLUENCE. MMMMMH THIS NOISY GLITCHY PRODUCTION IS SO SEXY AND DARK. this song is completely sick

wait - dino i LOVE this song. this clever little electronic beat with the sexiest, smoothest drops i've ever heard omfg. this song sounds so FRESH. THE PIANO ALL OVER...THE PIANO IN THE CHORUS AHHAH

미친 폼 (crazy form) - ateez this chorus is sooooo catchy and omfg...this makes me dance like a spell has been put on me...i really love how ateez break up their song sections lol it all feels like such a production

marine turtle - nct u THIS SONG IS SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! THIS MESSAGE???? the "i see my sea" part knocks me over omfg. absolutely love the scales in the chorus. this entire instrumental is gorgeous and the vocals are so rich

🎶🎶🎶

that's all!!! this was genuinely the Worst year of my life but there was so much music across many genres to comfort me, so i’m happy now. kpop releases always have a place in my heart and there was so much good stuff this year.

there are a handful of albums from artists i love that i never got a chance to listen to...i look forward to enjoying them in the new year.

here's to 2024 having lots of amazing music too 🎉

[qazastra]

rain drop, no clue, and gas represent some of the best that 127 has to offer in style and execution. i think that even my least favorite bsides (time capsule, suddenly, meaning of love) have real merit and i don't skip them! i dance along!

i find walk to be a good song, if a somewhat underwhelming title track without one of those jaw-dropping moments about 1 or 2/3 of the way through the song that i've come to expect from nct at this point and at a relatively slow pace, but if it had been a bside and gas had been the tt (as taeyong wanted, i hear) it would have been a really good bside (track reviews below because i decided to write those for some reason)

wall to wall........ WE ARE SO BACK. disappointing and unnecessary use of AI in the track video aside, this song is incredible. welcome back nct intros!!!!!!!! once again!!!!!!!!!!!! this is a STUNNER. idk much about hip hop but i didn't believe mark's comment that this album would include 'high quality hip-hop' until i heard wall to wall.

ALSO I FORGOT TO MENTION SOME TRULY UNFORTUNATE USE OF AAVE IN WALK... WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'LL "BE BUSSIN" im LOSING IT

no clue is excellent. sorry to everyone but i am a sucker for ty starting off a song. and the way it switches up to the Singers and then back to taeyong's particular tone and then doyoung again... and YUTA is there. SINGING. HI. i would say it's cinema but it's Music. instrumental never loses my interest.

i've heard some people dislike orange seoul which baffles me tbh???? but to each their own. it's melodic, makes interesting use of half-steps (if i remembered what the hell that word actually means), reminds me of pharcyde and i love it. also perfect combination of rapping and singing. thank you for this producer HUMBLER whoever u are

pricey is so fun it makes me want-- no, need-- to bop my head along. the chorus is really catchy i can imagine this going hard at a concert. piano reminds me of the bounciness of elevator 127

time capsule is sweet. it's simply an enjoyable chill feel-good song

can't help myself i definitely enjoyed it from the start i just didnt know what to do with it because i can hear so many (what sounds like) nods to cheesy 00s/10s pop ballads... but i like it???? maybe the closest thing to a classic sm ballad on the record. haechan and jaehyun (i believe) elevate this for real, along with the harmonies. last minute of the song is Singers who Sing. and johnny ofc. we need him

rain drop is sooooo goooooooooooood it reminds me a bit of misty and time lapse. bridge is so fun to listen to

gas is even better than no clue, it's kind of a shame it comes so late on the tracklist but i love that it shows up after rain drop. very 127, swaggering (what a dumb word soooo sorry im just having fun here i promise) along the swung horn percussion with an earned confidence some ppl will find it grating, obviously, but would it be a 127 signature track if that wasn't the case? it sounds like it follows directly from 2 baddies and fact check and by GOD it should have been the title track. walk does not have the gravitas! i'm sorry it just doesn't GAS SOUNDS SO GOOD

suddenly is fine: one of 127's brighter and less experimental songs overall, but interesting enough for me to still actively enjoy. the way the chorus drags around is v satisfying esp right after the prechorus. the brass is great

meaning of love is the one song that does not sound like it necessarily belongs on the album. it sounds to me like a better version of road trip (a song i don't really like) and i actually enjoy it, even if it doesn't stick out as being terribly good and i probably won't add it to any of my playlists.

and that's all. please check out walk the 6th album by nct 127

the low points on walk feel a lot higher than the low points on several other 127 albums

[dreamescapeswriting]

BTS Reaction|| Comforting Them After A Mistake On Stage [Request]

⤜Copyright: © DreamEscapesWriting - June 2022

⤜MASTERLIST

SEOKJIN:

This had been one of the most important events for the boys and Jin felt as though he had single-handedly messed everything up for them.

"Babe? What's wrong?" You asked when you heard the front door to your shared home slam shut, Jin was quick to walk into the living room and you felt your whole world turn upside down. It wasn't like Jin to cry that much and right now he had tears streaming down his face,

"I fucked it up,"

"What? Fucked what up?" You asked, getting up to rush over to him as he held you close to his chest. His head hid in the crook of your neck as he explained what had happened. That while he had been on stage in front of the president his voice cracked and he felt as though he missed everything up for the boys. It was one of the most important events for them,

"Baby, you didn't fuck it up." You whispered as he shook his head at you, this felt like the end of the world for Jin. He knew he had to be at his best for this show. 

"I fucked up. I stared right at him as my voice cracked, we're going to get so much bad publicity for it," He panicked as you pressed your lips against his to stop him from ranting so much, he whines a little but relaxed against your lips.

"Sit down, let me make some tea." You ushered him to sit but he followed you into the kitchen, his arms staying locked around him as you made you both some warm tea to talk about this over. It wasn't the end of the world and Jin knew that deep down but right now it felt awful to him and you were going to make sure his complaints felt heard.

YOONGI:

It wasn't like Yoongi to stumble over his words and forget what he was supposed to be rapping about but he had a huge headache and had one all week that wouldn't go away. The second he was backstage you were making him lie down and take some medication as you'd told him to do all week.

"I can't believe I messed up the words," He groaned as you laid a cold wet cloth against his forehead, pressing a gentle kiss against his cheek,

"It's okay baby, they'll understand...Everyone messes up sometimes," You reassured him as he groaned a little, the lights in the room starting to bother him. It was time to admit it was probably more than a simple headache starting to bother him.

"But I should have done something, I should have taken medication as you said. I should have rested." He groaned as you smiled weakly, getting up and turning off the lights so he could lay down in complete peace.

"This isn't the time to tell you I told you so is it?" You teased as he laughed weakly and shook his head, quickly regretting it as he hold onto his head tightly. 

"Migraine," You whispered as you looked down at him, you hated to see him this way

"I'll go home once I apologize,"

"Baby, you're going home now. You're in no state to say sorry to anybody...Y-You can put something on your social media later," You ordered him as he smiled a little at the thought of you being so overprotective of him. He rather enjoyed this side of you, not that he would ever admit it out loud.

HOSEOK:

Hoseok had hurt his ankle weeks ago but thought that with enough rest it would be okay to dance on soon but he couldn't have been more wrong. In the middle of performing "anpanman" on the bouncy castle with the boys his ankle gave out and he ended up in splitting pain on the floor, unable to move or stop himself from crying. The pain was almost unbearable but nothing compared to the thought of having to end the show early because of him,

"I can go back out, get me a chair!" He told someone as you rushed backstage to him, looking down at his already swollen and bruising ankle that was being iced.

"You told me it was better," You whispered as you sat down beside him, his eyes filling up with tears as he heard people chanting his name out in the crowd.

"Are they mad? Are they going to start yelling more?"

"Baby, they're chanting your name because they want to make sure you're okay. N-None of them are mad," You promised him as you looked down at his ankle, you knew you should have forced him to go to the hospital when he first did this. It was too late now.

"I promise no one is mad." You told him as you noticed how worried he appeared to get about all of this. Smiling a little you kissed his cheek softly, watching as they bought a wheelchair for him.

"You're going back out there?" You asked panicked a little, 

"It's four more songs and then I'll go the hospital...I-I can't let them down." You swallowed the lump in your throat and nodded your head against your better judgement. You knew this was more important to Hoseok than anything in the world and you would be here waiting for him when he came back.

NAMJOON:

"Namjoon," You breathed out as you finally found him. The concert had finished and he'd raced away from the members and staff without a word. You knew what it was about, you'd been watching the whole show and watched as Namjoon messed up a couple of steps in some choereogrpahy. 

"What are you doing in here?" You quizzed walking into the small supply closet and sitting down beside your boyfriend who was crying, instantly you wrapped your arms around him. 

"I messed it up, I messed everything up." 

"Baby no, no you didn't." You whispered as you began to rub his back softly, shaking your head at him. Namjoon hadn't messed a single thing up, sure he had slipped up on a couple of steps but it wasn't anything major.

"I messed up in five songs, not just one but five! They're always going to say something, I'm always going to be called the worst dancer!" He cried out as he held you close to him, you smiled weakly at the thought of people calling him that. Namjoon put so much effort into everything you knew there had to be something on his mind for him to mess up so much,

"You're stressed, it's natural to mess up when you're stressed but baby no one is going to say anything...If they do they don't understand what you're going through." You whispered as you continued to hold him while he cried,. You knew why he was doing it here, so no one else could see him. He hated crying in front of the boys when he knew he had to be the strongest for them.

"I promise its going to be just fine," You whispered as he finally began to calm down against you. The two of you stayed there for an hour, you'd told the boys you had him and were just trying to calm him down a little.

JIMIN:

As soon as you got the phone call from Taehyung you'd practically raced down to the venue and you were sure you'd broken a bunch of traffic laws and had tickets but you didn't care.

 "Where is he?" Your voice was like music to Jimin as he looked up from the floor to see you. Jimin was covered in sweat and crying hysterically so you rushed to his side, kneeling down in front of him and holding his face in his hands. 

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" You quizzed, turning his head to the side to see if he had any marks but there was nothing. Just a small bump on the side of his head where he had slipped in the rain and hit his head on the floor.

"I ruined it," He whimpered as he began to cry again, quickly engulfing you in a hug as you both sat on the floor together. The rest of the members left you alone as you began to kiss the top of Jimin's head.

"Shh baby, come on." You whispered, not caring that his sweat was starting to cover your shirt. All you cared about was getting your boyfriend to calm down, 

"I messed it all up, I slipped and everyone saw." He cried heavily into your arms as you rubbed his back gently, 

"I'm going to be a joke forever." You shook your head at him, doing your best not to cry at the sound of his tears.

"Jimin, it's going to be okay...It'll blow over. If anything army will be sat spamming the twitter account with questions about you...Wondering if you're okay," You told him as you pulled away, using the sleeves of your jumper to wipe away his tears, 

"You think so?" He sniffled a little as he looked at you, there were still tears in his eyes and they were completely bloodshot.

"I know so," You rubbed his shoulder and he nodded a little,

"Come on...L-Lets go shower and head home." You offered as you slowly got up from the floor and pulled Jimin with you. 

TAEHYUNG:

You'd been there watching when it happened, Taehyung had stepped on something and instantly went down to the floor. 

"What happened?! You okay?!" You sounded more panicked than the doctor who was currently bandaging up Taehyung's foot backstage. It wasn't until you heard Taehyung's sobs you realized he was crying so hard,

"Is it that painful?" You whispered grabbing his hand for him to squeeze if he needed to but he shook his head,

"I've ruined the show," He hissed as the bandage added more pressure to the wound than he wanted and he looked over at the boys who were all sweating heavily. The stage had been swept for any signs of what might have done this to Taehyung's foot and there was a stray nail on the stage. It wasn't clear if it had been left their from set up or if someone had thrown it on while the boys were performing.

"You didn't, it's okay." You whispered looking to the boys for some help but they were getting ready to go and tell people that the rest of the show was canceled. 

"Tae..." You trailed off as he trying to move,

"I need to go back out there," He hissed as he sat up and looked down at his foot, only to start crying as he remembered the look on peoples faces.

"Its my fault we have to cancel, I'm so stupid. I should have been watching what I was doing,"

"Baby, you couldn't have seen a nail on the floor, its dark out there." You told him as you rubbed his shoulder, his body shaking a little as he cried against you.

"It's going to be okay." You promised him as you held him close to you, reassuring him over and over again that it was going to be okay. Even on the way to the hospital to get stitches, you were reassuring him the whole time.

JUNGKOOK: 

As soon as Jungkook lay in bed beside you that night all he did was cry, he held onto your arms tightly as you did your best to try and comfort him from the mistakes that had happened that night. It had all been going so well for him, the first concert back in a long time and they were all looking forward to it. Training more and more every day and it was all a bit too much for Jungkook,

"Baby, it's okay." You whispered, pressing your lips against his forehead as he shook his head at you. To him, nothing about it was okay. He'd not only passed out at the end of the show but he'd done it in front of all of their fans, worrying them all about his health. 

"It's not. I scared them, I-I should have practised more then I wouldn't have ended up like that,"

"You would have Jungkook. You would have been worse if you practised more." You tried to remind him what the doctor had told him when they had checked him out. The passing out was a direct result of him pushing himself too much,

"You should be taking it easy, not pushing yourself too much." You whispered as your hands slowly began to rub his back, his head moving to rest on your stomach as you looked at him. The one thing you hated most in the world was seeing Jungkook so upset with himself.

"It's going to be okay, I promise. Army understand, they all want you to take care of yourself," You promised him, you'd already been reading through Twitter and giving him some of the positive things that his fans were chanting to him,

"Tomorrow we're laying in bed and we're going to relax all day," You told him as you kissed the top of his head. Jungkook wasn't too convinced but he nodded his head, looking up at you with a weak smile.

"Thank you...For being here," He whispered as you shook your head at him, he didn't need to thank you for that.

"I love you. I'm always here for you, no matter what." You promised, running your fingers through his hair as he slowly began to drift off into some much needed sleep.

Tagline: @lyoongx @mitzwinchester @taestannie @rjsmochii @sw33tnight @sweeneyblue1 @agustdjoon @jin-from-the-block @acciocriativity @mwitsmejk @taeechwitaa @justbangtanthingz @stillwithlix @kookiekuu @lolalee24​ @hopeworldd-2​ @totallynoanalien​ @yubinism​ @ethereallino​ @heyjiminnie​ @aerastus​ @tinyoonsblog​ @cherrybubblesandvodka​ @kimahnjung98​ @halesandy​ @snigdha-14​

[fortheloveofwonderland]

Sticks and Stones - Chapter 4 [Spencer Reid x fem! Reader]

Taglist is open, and now has an option to be tagged in this series - you can find the form here.

A/N - here is chapter 4! Lyrics are from Treat You Better by Shawn Mendes, which you can listen to here.

/// indicates change of perspective. Starts in Reader's POV.

This fic is a slow burn. Strangers to friends to very eventual lovers. Smut to come in later chapters but you will have to bear with it!

CW: mentionsof residual trauma, vague mentions of sexual themes, vague mentions of Maeve.

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

WC: 4.5K

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Chapter 4 - Treat You Better

I know I can treat you better than he can,

And any girl like you deserves a gentleman.

Tell me why are we wasting time

On all your wasted crying

When you should be with me instead?

Penelope Garcia was the dictionary definition of perky. She was like a unicorn riding a rainbow wave. She was bubbly, colourful and bouncy, everything I wasn’t. In comparison, I was the colour beige.

“So this office once belonged to the beautiful chocolate god Derek Morgan. He would be glad it’s going to good use.” she beamed at me as she showed me into the room. “The couch is surprisingly comfortable. I got you pillows and blankets so you can make yourself comfy.”

I only nodded in reply, tentatively sitting down on the edge of the couch.

“Do you drink tea? I’m going to get you some tea.” she smiled brightly at me once more before hurrying past me, as fast as her heels would carry her back out of the room.

I wrapped my arms tightly around myself, scratching at the cheap material of the scrubs.

I knew I should be at home. I should be cleaning up the mess in the house. They couldn’t keep me here, could they? I wasn’t actually a prisoner was I?

The problem was, I didn’t know any better. I’d been a prisoner in my own life for so long now I didn’t know how to speak up for myself.

So I sat and waited for Penelope to come back, staring at the wall in front me, feeling as useless as the piece of furniture I was sitting on.

I heard her coming before I saw her, her heels clacking on the floor. The door opened slowly and I looked up at her.

She was carrying two mugs, one was a unicorn and the other an octopus, and she sat next to me and handed me the latter.

“W-what is this?” I looked at the octopus I was now holding.

“It’s green tea, it’s calming.” She smiled. “And the octopus is just for fun.”

“Oh.” I croaked.

“It’s not so bad here you know? You’ll be safe here.” She placed her free hand on my knee which made me jump and I almost spilt the tea. “I had to stay here a little while ago. I had a group of hitmen after me.”

My eyes widened as she spoke. She smiled comfortingly.

“Those guys out there, they are the best at what they do Y/N. They will find him. And when they do you will never have to worry about him ever again.”

I wished I could believe her but I couldn’t. However, I didn’t have the strength to argue.

I sipped the tea from the strange mug without words.

“Are you hungry? Can I get you any snacks?”

“I can’t eat.” I shook my head. “Not until Brett comes home.” I turned my attention back to the tea, trying to focus on that and nothing else.

Penelope and I descended into silence after that. I could feel her bespectacled eyes on the side of my face, clearly wanting to speak but thinking better of it.

I got around half way through my tea, focusing on the contours of the mug in my hands to keep my mind busy, when there was a light rap on the door.

My eyes darted to the door, my heart already hammering. It opened cautiously to reveal Doctor Reid, with a sympathetic smile on his lips.

“Hi Y/N,” he gave me another awkward wave.

I gave him the smallest of smiles in return.

“I brought you these.” He held his hand out towards me.

I swallowed and put the mug down on the nearby table before taking the items in his hand with caution.

I unfolded the neatly pressed clothes, a pair of simple blue jeans and a large red sweater with yellow stripes. I looked up at him, chewing my lip.

“Thank you Doctor Reid, but I can’t wear these.” I shook my head. “Brett wouldn’t like me in these.”

Doctor Reid looked as though he was thinking for a moment before he spoke again.

“Wouldn’t he prefer you in those rather than the scrubs?”

He was right. At least they would look somewhat more presentable.

“I s-suppose.” I agreed skeptically.

“There’s a restroom across the hall if you want to change?” Penelope spoke, startling me a little. When Doctor Reid was looking at me with those incredibly expressive eyes I forgot everything else going on around me.

“Ok.” I nodded, standing up slowly.

I kept my eyes on the floor, clutching the clothes in my arms as I padded past them. I brought the sweater to my nose, although I’m not sure why. It smelt like coffee and books. It smelt like a warm hug.

It smelt like comfort.

///

Garcia excused herself to get back to work and I sat on Morgan’s old desk waiting for Y/N to return.

I’d found Stella on my couch eating pizza when I’d rushed in to get some clothes.

“Whoa Pony, where’s the fire?”

“Can’t stop. Need clothes.” I’d darted past her into my bedroom. “Have you got any pants here?”

“Excuse you?” She followed me, watching me as I ran about like I’d lost my mind. “You want to wear my pants?”

“They aren’t for me. It’s a long story.” I grabbed a sweater from the closet. It was an old one of mine I hadn’t worn in years but it was large even on me and I thought it would offer Y/N some comfort. “Pants?”

I turned back to Stella who was looking at me like I was insane. Maybe I was.

“Fine, I won’t ask questions, mostly because my pizza is getting cold. I think I slipped some jeans in with your wash. They are probably still in the drier.”

“You really are a freeloader, you know that?” I rolled my eyes, heading back past her again.

“I brought my own pizza.” she huffed.

I turned back to her with a skeptical look on my face.

She rolled her eyes and shrugged.

“Fine I brought my own pizza with the cash I found in your office. You owed me for last night.”

“Fine.” I didn’t have time to stand and argue with her.

“Why do you need my clothes?”

I sighed loudly, running my fingers through my hair.

“It’s a case. We’re chasing this unsub and we’re keeping his fiance safe at Quantico until he’s in custody. He was an abusive asshole and if we don’t keep her safe, he’ll kill her.”

I pressed the jeans and sweater as quickly as I could before breaking several speed limits to get back to Quantico. I didn’t have time to wait for a metro, and I really pushed the capability of my old car.

When she returned she looked hesitant, unsure of herself. Stella’s jeans were a little too big for her frame and my sweater engulfed her like I knew it would. The sleeves were too long and draped over her hands. She was the most adorable thing I had ever laid eyes on.

“How are they?” I asked as she slowly sat back on the couch.

“More comfortable, thank you.” She picked Garcia’s octopus mug back up, pulling the sleeves over her hands so she could hold it properly.

“Did you know that female octopi can lay two hundred thousand to four hundred thousand eggs at a time? But after she gives birth her body turns on her and goes through cellular suicide, basically it rips through her tissues and organs until she dies.” As I said the fact out loud I realised how morbid it sounded. Of all the facts in my brain, I don’t know why I had chosen to share this one.

But Y/N looked up at me from the mug, her eyes wide in childlike awe. I literally saw her light up in front of my very eyes.

“Really?” She squeaked.

“Really.” I chuckled a little.

“Wow.”

And then something wonderful happened. She smiled, she actually smiled. And I felt my heart compress in my chest.

If I never do anything else with my life, at least I put a smile on this glorious woman’s face.

I dared to push my luck, hoping another fact would have the same, if not a similar effect.

“They also have an amazing sense of touch. Their suckers have receptors which allows them to taste whatever they’re touching.”

Somehow her eyes got even wider.

“That’s…wonderful.” Her voice was breathy with fascination. She looked down at her own fingertips as though jealous of the octopi ability.

I was usually met with irritation at my constant spouting of facts so her delightedness was something new for me.

“Yeah?” I couldn’t suppress the dopey smile that crossed my lips.

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

A combination of her sweet words and the look she was giving me, like I was the most interesting person she’d ever met, felt like a vice around my heart.

And in that moment I knew I would share anything with her.

***

The rest of the team called it a night, no closer to finding Hawthorne.

I returned from the kitchen with a mug of coffee for myself and a green tea for Y/N.

She was on the couch, her legs folded underneath her and she gave me the small hint of a smile when I handed her the drink.

“Thank you Doctor Reid.”

I perched on the edge of the desk.

“You can call me Spencer.”

“O-ok…Spencer.” She tried it out on her tongue and her face said she liked it. “You don’t h-have to stay with me S-Spencer. I’ll be o-ok.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

My staying with her had nothing to do with the fact Emily instructed me to. I wanted to stay with her. In the space of a few hours I had become completely enraptured by her.

I studied her movements and facial expressions committing them all to memory. I wanted to know when she was sad, when she was scared or when she was comfortable.

I was surprised to find she did seem comfortable around me, well as comfortable as she could be given the situation.

She was starting to make a little more eye contact with me, she’d even started conversations rather than waiting for me to speak. I was already starting to see glimpses of the woman behind the mask she had spent years painting on.

She didn’t argue with me further about my being here, I imagined she would normally get scalded for talking back.

I set my coffee down and picked up my satchel from the floor.

“Do you like to read?”

She chewed her lip nodding but didn’t say a word.

I pulled two books out of my bag, two books I carried everywhere with me. One was The Narrative of John Smith by Arthur Conan Doyle. The other was Wizards First Rule.

I handed her the latter, after quickly peeling the post-it note from inside and tucking it back in my bag.

She ran her fingers over the cover thoughtfully, as though trying to absorb its information. Maybe she was hoping to taste it like the octopus.

“What’s it about?” she looked at me with that childish wonder again and if she didn’t stop doing that I was going to succumb to her entirely.

“Well, you’d have to read it to find out wouldn’t you?” I smiled, my eyes sparkling.

She seemed to like that answer as she gave me a soft hint of a smile again before opening the cover.

I’d lost count of how many times I had read that book since Alex left. I didn’t realise at the time it was only book one of a fifteen book series called The Sword of Truth. I owned most of them now, and had read all of them.

I got up from the desk and tentatively sat on the other end of the couch, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. She looked across at me and thought she might ask me to move but she didn’t speak.

“Is this ok?”

She seemed to contemplate this for a moment, and when she nodded I wasn’t sure if she’d agreed to appease me or because she really didn’t mind.

Either way I stayed, and somehow over the course of the night we came closer together, as though we were made of magnets of opposite poles. It was as though I was the north and she was the south and we were being attracted to one another through forces beyond our control.

And somehow she ended up with her head resting in my lap as she read. I couldn’t read myself, the only thing I could focus on was her and the thought of how anyone could hurt such a precious creature.

///

I don’t know how I’d ended up with my head in Spencer’s lap, I must have been so immersed in the world of Terry Goodkind’s creating because I hadn’t meant to do it.

Once I realised what I had done I sat up and shifted away from him, how inappropriate of me?

But when I looked at him, I saw he was fast asleep, his head rolled forward so his chin met his chest.

He looked the epitome of peace, I was envious. I didn’t think I’d ever felt that level of peacefulness.

I took a moment to take him in. His long eyelashes grazed the dark circles of skin beneath his eyes. His chapped lips were parted ever so slightly, his bottom lip pouted.

His mess of curly brown locks fell onto his face and down the back of his neck. They looked soft and I was sure they smelt divine.

I briefly allowed myself to wonder what they feel like beneath my fingers. How lost would my fingers get in those luscious curls?

I felt a strange fluttering in my chest as though a butterfly had made its home beneath my skin. I placed my hand over my heart with a frown. It wasn’t something I’d ever felt before and I didn’t know what it meant.

Scared of what the answer might be, I left the room, needing to create a little distance between myself and the Doctor.

The BAU was the polar opposite to the hustle and bustle it had been a few hours before. It was like a ghost town, all the agents now gone and the only sound was the faint hum of machines.

I found the kitchen and without even thinking I picked up a cloth and started wiping down the counters.

What did this all mean for me? I’d spent a huge portion of my life, every moment of my day pleasing Brett. I cooked for him, I cleaned for him; my life revolved around him.

Who was I if I wasn’t looking after him? What did I do when they found him and he went to prison? Where did it leave me?

I moved about the desks, picking up empty coffee cups and snack packets and disposing of them. I gave each desk a wipe down as well as the computer monitors that sat on them.

I don’t know how long I was cleaning for, lost in thoughts of what was going to become of me, when I heard someone clear their throat.

I jumped, a small whimper leaving my throat.

“Oh my gosh!” My voice pitched. “You scared me.”

“I’m so sorry.” Spencer looked at me a little sadly. “I didn’t mean to frighten you Dahlia.”

“D-Dahlia?” I frowned, wringing the cloth between my hands. “My n-name is Y/N.”

A wave of confusion washed over his face and I didn’t know what he was thinking. I guess they had a lot of cases come through here so it was understandable he would forget my name.

“Uh yeah,” he scratched the back of his neck. “This place has never looked cleaner.”

“Y-yeah…Brett likes me to keep things tidy.”

He pulled a face, one that looked pained.

He took calculated steps towards me and when he reached me he pried the cloth from my hands.

“Brett isn’t here Y/N.” His voice was suddenly low, breathy almost. I didn’t know what that meant.

He held my gaze and I am embarrassed to admit I got a little lost in his eyes.

He reached to stroke back a strand of my hair behind my ear and his fingers grazed my cheek and the sound that left my lips could only be described as that of a frightened puppy.

He smiled though, I’m not sure why.

Once the strand of hair was taken care of he rested his hand languidly on my cheek. Normally I would shy away at any physical touch. But his hand was warm and I found solace in his hold.

I’m not sure why but my eyes fell over his lips, well I am sure why, I just don’t like to admit it.

I imagined how those plump lips would feel if he pressed them against my own. I’m sure they would be sweet and gentle and not at all like the lips I was used to being kissed by.

Brett was the only man who had ever kissed me so I didn’t know what kissing Spencer would be like. But my whole body screamed that I wanted to find out.

I’m sure he was looking at my lips too, but I couldn’t fathom that someone such as him would ever want to kiss someone like me. It must have just been wishful thinking on my part.

“Y/N,” he whispered my name and it sounded like a prayer. I wanted to succumb to him. I wanted to give him everything I had left to give.

“Y-yes Spencer?” My breath caught in my throat. I felt as though if he didn’t kiss me I might simply die.

I’m not sure if I was imagining things but I’m sure he edged closer to me, I could now feel his warm breath as it fanned across my face.

I was about to throw myself to him, like a lamb to the slaughter. What an absolutely foolish thing for me to have done.

But thankfully, before I could do anything I would most certainly regret, we were interrupted by a faint buzzing.

Spencer practically lept back from me, pulling his phone from his pocket.

I saw him roll his eyes before putting the device away again.

“Come on Y/N.” He started walking, nodding his head for me to follow.

And I did. Because I always do what I’m told. Only when Spencer told me to do something, I didn’t mind so much.

///

Good god, what was this woman doing to me?

I liked my life how it was, I enjoyed casual sex without the need for getting feelings involved. My heart had shut down to feelings a long time ago.

So why then had I been this close to kissing Y/N?

Kissing to me was an intimate act. Sex I used lightly but kissing was different. I never kissed the people I had sex with, in five years Stella and I hadn’t even broken our no kissing rule.

Y/N was the first person I’d thought about kissing since…Maeve.

That thought alone was enough to scare the life out of me.

But it didn’t take a profiler to see she was attracted to me, I’m just not sure if it was aesthetic attraction or if she was simply attracted to the fact I was protecting her.

Either way, I know if I had kissed her, she would have let me. But if I kissed her, there would be no turning back. I would have been utterly consumed by her, like a praying mantis being consumed by his mate after copulation.

The shattered pieces of my heart would have belonged solely to her. And I couldn’t have that. My heart was in no state to be given away.

I never thought I would be grateful for Kylie’s late night booty calls, but she had inadvertently saved me from doing something monumentally stupid.

It wasn’t the first call of hers I’d ignored tonight. And clearly she wasn’t taking me not picking up as a hint because she kept calling.

With Kylie it was purely physical. I didn’t like her much as a person, she was vapid and shallow, but she was always willing to let me into her bed. We didn’t spend much time talking if I could help it. We would both get off and then I would be gone again. And it worked for us both.

There was also Nora, who was much easier to talk to than Kylie. Sometimes afterwards we would lay and talk until the sun came up. She was sweet, much less aggravating than Kylie.

And of course there was Stella, my long term submissive. With us it wasn’t even about the sex act, it was more a way for me work through my control issues that only got more desperate after prison. Honestly we didn’t even have sex all that often, mostly because the desires I imparted on her left her sore for days after. She was always willing though, I never did anything against her will. She was my best friend above all else after all.

My phone buzzed again with an incoming text message and I sighed picking up the device as I waited for Y/N to come back from the bathroom.

Waiting for me on the screen was a photograph from Kylie, clearly not satisfied with my ignoring her, she was resorting to dirty tactics to get me in her bed.

The photo was grainy on my old device but I could see it clearly enough. It was an image of Kylie’s breasts clad in a hot pink bra with a black lace trim. Her hefty cleavage spilled over the top of the cups and I’m only human so I can’t deny it did turn me on a little. But not enough to give in to her will.

A large sigh snapped my eyes away from the photograph and I turned to see Y/N behind me, she didn’t seem all that surprised by the image.

She walked past me and sat back on the couch.

“It’s not what it looks like.” I pocketed my phone.

“No. I’m sure it isn’t.” she shrugged, picking up the book and opening it at the page she’d book marked. “I’m sure there are multiple reasons a man would have a photograph like that on their phone.”

It was the first time I’d heard her speak without stuttering. I wasn’t sure what that meant.

“Well, yes I suppose it is exactly what it looks like. But it was unsolicited. I didn’t ask for it.” Why was I explaining myself to her? Why did I care what she thought?

“I’m sure it was Doctor.” she didn't look at me, she focused on the pages of the book.

I couldn’t quite pinpoint the tone to her voice. It wasn't annoyance or disgust. It was somewhere closer to acceptance, as though she had long ago resided herself to the fact that this was just the way men were.

To her, men were all the same, and Kylie’s picture did nothing to dispel that.

I sighed and shuffled closer to her, taking the book from her hands, forcing her to look at me.

“I’m going to tell you something about myself, ok?”

She chewed her lip, trying to decide if she wanted to let me explain to her. She eventually shrugged which compelled me to continue.

“Something bad happened to me a long while ago that essentially changed the fabric of who I am as a person. I lost my belief in love and happily ever after. But we all need some kind of human connection, you know? And I choose to get mine that way. We all have a story, Dahlia, so please don’t judge me based on one photograph you saw on my phone.”

She sat on my words for a while, turning them over in her head before she decided her next move as though she were playing a game of chess.

“Spencer,” she spoke after what felt like a lifetime of silence. “For starters, one day you are going to tell me why you keep calling me Dahlia. But I’m not exactly in a position to judge anyone, am I? I’m sure human connection is a wonderful thing, unfortunately I don’t have many good memories to go by.”

An idea struck me suddenly and I took hold of her hands. She flinched a little but let me hold them.

“Close your eyes for me.”

Her back went rigid.

“W-why?”

“Please?” I pleaded her. Clearly she had some kind of trust towards me as she closed her eyes. “Think back to a better time for me. Think back to a time when he wasn’t a part of your life.”

She exhaled a shaky breath.

“That’s hard. I feel like he’s always been a part of my life.”

I gave her hands a soft squeeze, trying to encourage her.

“Did you have a good childhood?”

“Y-yes. The best actually.” her lip turned up at the corner in a slightly nostalgic smile.

“You were close to your mom?”

“Yes.” she sniffed.

“What kind of things did you and your mom used to do? What is your lasting memory of human connection with your mom?”

Another nostalgic smile played on her lips and she looked so serene in that moment I never wanted it to end for her.

“When I was sad or scared, she would crawl into bed with me and wrap her arms around me from behind. She would bury her face into my neck and whisper to me that the darkness would pass.”

She opened her eyes when I let go of her hands, looking a little deflated by lack of touch.

“Lay down.” I whispered to her.

“W-what?”

“Do you trust me?”

She chewed her lip, looking at me in deep contemplation.

“Yes.” she nodded. “Yes I do. I don’t know why, but I do.”

“Then please, lay down.”

With a sigh she did as I said and laid down on the couch on her back, looking up at me.

“Turn over.” I instructed her softly.

And she did. She rolled over so her back was to me. She was shaking a little, I think she knew what I was doing.

I kicked off my Converse and with as much vigilance as I could, I laid down next to her. My movements were cautious so as not to scare her as I wrapped the small, scared girl in my arms.

She sighed as I buried my head in the crook of neck, breathing in her scent.

“Dahlia, I promise you the darkness will pass.”

I don’t know which one of us was more surprised when she threaded her fingers in mine, entwining our hands.

I swear in that moment I felt a piece of my heart break off and affix with hers. And I would never ask for it back.

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[shaynawrites23]

For Family Or For Love

Pairing: adult!Remus Lupin x reader

Word count: 2492

Prompts: “Are you scared of me?” “No. Never.”

“It doesn’t matter what they think. I love you, and that’s what matters.”

Written for @johnmurphyisbisexual’s writing challenge!

Special thanks to @the-moon-and-the-book for both beta reading and coming up with the title!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The heavy door to your private chambers creaked open to reveal the room’s other occupant; your husband, Remus Lupin. He carried an enormous stack of tests to grade in one hand, two cups of coffee in the other, and he held a newspaper clenched between his teeth. He shut the door the same way he opened it; with his foot.

You leapt forward to help him, taking some of the items from where they balanced precariously in his hold, constantly on the verge of falling. He breathed a sigh of thanks, pressing a kiss to your temple as you made your way to the bed.

Upon closer inspection, you realized half the papers he had brought in were actually yours. You taught Herbology and had recently assigned an essay. You hummed in gratitude when Remus handed you a pastry and a couple of colored muggle pens. You knew the older members of the faculty preferred quill and ink, but you chose pens. They were easier to use and much less tedious to maintain.

He smiled softly, humming in acknowledgement as you both sat down to mark papers. The room lapsed into silence, the only sound being the clicking of pens and the occasional mutters of disapproval when either of you saw something you didn’t particularly like.

A tapping on the window broke you out of your concentration. You spun around, eyes searching for the source of the sound when you spotted a small brown owl perched on the windowsill, rapping its beak against the glass.

A messenger owl.

You jumped up, hurrying over to fling open the window and welcome the creature inside. The poor thing was soaked through; it was pouring outside.

“Rem, will you get me a towel for the owl?”

“Sure thing, love.” He disappeared into the adjoining bathroom and emerged moments later with a navy blue towel.

You gently wrapped the owl up in the cloth, hoping it would help the animal get warm and dry.

There was a small cylindrical vessel strapped to the owl’s back, colored a deep red, like the darkest red visible during a sunset. You undid the clasps holding it in place, popping off the cap and peering inside. The case held a sheet of paper, rolled up tightly in order to make it fit.

“Who’s it from?” Remus’s gentle voice inquired.

You didn’t reply immediately, unfurling the note and letting your eyes fly over the words first.

“My parents,” you finally answered. “They want to have us over for dinner tomorrow evening.”

“That’ll be a welcome distraction from marking papers,” he remarked.

Remus was on relatively good terms with your family. They were somewhat sceptical of his background at first, but decided they would be happy as long as you were. Your father gave a very nervous and jittery Remus his blessing shortly before he proposed, and you had been happily married ever since.

You laughed. “Definitely.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When you awoke the next morning, your hand searched the bed for Remus, for his warmth. You found nothing. Only when your fingers reached the edge of the bed, the precipice between the sheets and the floor, did you open your eyes.

You blinked blearily, letting your eyes get accustomed to the light entering through the small gap between the curtains. Remus was nowhere to be seen.

Throwing on your robes, you shuffled over to the bathroom and peered inside. Where was he? He was indeed a morning person, but there was no reason for him to be up this early in the weekend.

Your incessant internal questions were soon answered when you heard the telltale creak of the heavy wooden door. Remus entered; you could tell from his hunched shoulders he was deep in thought. The dark circles under his eyes told you he had probably not slept much the past few hours.

“Rem? Remus, is everything all right?” You placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

He wouldn’t meet your eyes, simply holding up a newspaper and muttering, “See for yourself.”

So you took the paper from him, sitting on the bed as you turned the pages in an attempt to find out what exactly was troubling him so. The sound of the paper crackling under your fingers which usually held so much satisfaction for you, gave you no pleasure this time.

“Oh no.”

You now knew what it was, you knew what had upset him. The fifth page of the paper held a picture of him; it depicted him perfectly, there was no chance of anyone not recognize him. And on the off chance someone didn’t connect the dots, his name was printed right below it. The article revealed his true nature, his lycanthropy, informing everyone who didn’t yet know that Hogwarts’s Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was a werewolf.

You glanced up. Remus stood at the open window, both hands leaning on the windowsill as he looked out over the school grounds. You could tell from his posture he was incredibly worried, and he had every right to be. No one would hire a werewolf, much less send their child to a school which had one employed as a teacher.

“Remus?”

“How could this happen?” His voice cracked and you knew he was trying his very best to keep control of his emotions. “We were so careful, how is this possible?”

“I don’t know,” you murmured. “But we’ll handle this the way we always do; together.”

“There’s nothing left to handle.”

“Remus, my love, don’t give up hope. There’s always something. Perhaps my family can help; they have a well-respected name.”

He didn’t reply immediately, instead gazing out over the field where students were playing, studying, or just hanging out.

“They don’t know yet, do they?” It was not a question, more like a statement, as you both knew it to be true.

“They don’t- they didn’t,” you sighed. “But my family knows you. We’re married, for Merlin’s sake. They’re not going to shun you.”

“We shall see about that,” he muttered, straightening up nevertheless. “In the meantime, I should probably have a talk with Minnie. I’ll see you later for lunch?”

You nodded. “As always.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fastening your hairpin, you gave yourself a final once over in the mirror. You were dressed to the nines, and yet you wouldn’t classify your attire as too fancy for the occasion. Satisfied with your appearance, you exited the bathroom adjoining your shared bedroom to go look for Remus.

“Rem?” you called. “You ready to go?

You opened the door separating your bedroom from the hallway with its incredibly high ceilings, as could be expected from any old building. Your husband stood outside, leaning against the wall as he waited.

He hummed in confirmation, a soft smile spreading over his face at the sight of you. He reached for your hand, entwining his fingers with yours as he twirled you around slowly, admiration plain in his eyes. Pulling you close, he pressed his lips to yours, gingerly, as though you were the most precious treasure one could possibly imagine.

“Rem!” you laughed, “We have to go! You know my mother hates when we’re late!”

“As my lady wishes.”

With that, he waved his wand and you disapparated, reapparating right outside your parents’ large house. Walking up the cold stone steps, you felt Remus stiffen slightly, and you squeezed his hand. A comforting gesture, one he immediately returned.

The doorbell sounded loudly, chiming once, twice, three times before falling silent. You waited as quick, light footsteps approached, flinging open the door.

“Auntie (y/n)!” the young girl cried, jumping up and down in excitement. It was your young niece Ada, dressed in a pretty pink skirt and with her hair coiffed in cute, bouncy curls. “It’s auntie (y/n)!”

Another set of footsteps approached, slower and calmer than Ada’s. Your mother appeared in the doorway, smiling and greeting you and Remus as she ushered you inside.

“Dinner’s not ready yet,” she remarked casually as she returned to the kitchen, presumably to continue preparing the meal.

Little Ada remained by your side, dragging you by your hand to come look at her latest drawing. Remus still stood in the hall, but the young girl kept you so occupied you could do little more than glance at him every few minutes.

Your father and your brother soon entered, laughing loudly at what must have been an incredibly funny joke.

“Ah, (y/n)!” your father exclaimed when he spotted you sitting in a corner with Ada on your lap and a children’s book in your hand. “I see Ada’s gotten to you already.”

“Yes, she has. I didn’t remember her having this much energy the last time,” you joked, but Ada tugged on your arm to remind you you were supposed to be reading her fairytales.

“Ah, and Remus.” You couldn’t help but notice how much less enthusiastic your father’s greeting was when it was addressed to your husband.

“How’s Edward doing?” your brother cut in. “Not causing too much trouble, I hope?”

Edward was your brother’s eldest child, older than Ava by six years. He started his first year at Hogwarts that year, and your brother was rather anxious about his progress.

“He’s doing very well in his classes,” Remus replied. “Naturally, he’s pulled a couple of pranks here and there, but that is to be expected from such an energetic young lad like him.”

“I see. And no issues with… supernatural creatures?”

Your head snapped up at that. Ada whined for you to continue reading, but you simply told her to wait a moment. You were certain there was a venomous serpent hiding somewhere in your brother’s words, and when it would jump out to ambush you, someone was sure to get hurt.

Remus remained perfectly calm. “None that I am aware of. The boy’s a very talented wizard; he has proven himself very capable of defeating any creature we presented him with.”

Your brother’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and as if struck by a lightning bolt of insight, you know this was heading downhill. It was only a matter of moments before he’d attack Remus about his lycanthropy.

You were right.

“Lupin, you’re a danger to the children! It’s not safe for them to be around you.”

“He is not!” you burst out. You stood up and stalked over to them, the fairytale long forgotten.

“He’s a werewolf.” Your brother spoke in the same tone you’d heard him use when explaining things to Ada; things that one would expect to be obvious.

“He’s also a professor, and has been for years. Nothing’s happened.”

“Maybe not yet, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.”

Your mother emerged from the kitchen, clearly wondering what on earth was going on. Rather than engage herself in the argument, she stood in the doorway, arms crossed and leaning against the doorframe.

Remus’s hand searched for yours, entwining his fingers with yours as soon as he found it. You noticed your brother’s gaze fly towards the gesture, as if he feared a more nefarious action. But Remus was simply holding your hand, squeezing gently as if to say, ‘calm down, love.’

“(y/n), get away from him.” Your brother’s order hung in the air like a sword dangling above both your heads, waiting to see who would give in first. Your parents seemed to want to intervene, but you could tell they didn’t know what to do.

“No.”

“Excuse me?!”

“No, I won’t.” You felt like a defiant child arguing with a parent, but that didn’t matter to you. “He’s my husband and I love him. Werewolf or not.”

“It’s okay, darling,” Remus whispered to you, tone low enough that no one else could catch his words.

“What, are you threatening her now?” Your brother was clearly beyond seeing reason, too angry to think logically.

Remus was caught off guard by that accusation, and unfortunately for him, his split second’s hesitation was plain to see. “I merely told her it was okay, that she doesn’t need to fight for my honor.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I am not in the habit of lying. I am an honest man and am telling the truth.” There was a stark contrast between your brother’s wild accusations and Remus’s calm demeanor. You only hoped it would not simply pour more oil onto the fire.

“You’re a monster,” he finally spat, as if the words themselves were pure poison. “How do we know it’s not only a matter of time before you hurt (y/n)?”

That was a low blow and you all knew it. Your mother gasped, hand flying to her mouth in shock.

“I would never hurt her.”

“Maybe you wouldn’t, but what about the wolf?”

Neither of you could answer that, both fully aware he didn’t have that much control over his other half.

“Please excuse me,” Remus muttered, glancing at your parents before grabbing his coat and leaving the building.

“There. Look what you’ve done. That was low and we all know it,” you seethed.

“(y/n), he’s dangerous! He could kill you!”

“So what? So could any other wizard. So could you, or mom. So could Ada, if she were determined enough.” You crossed your arms as you reached deep inside yourself, attempting to maintain your composure.

“But you can trust we won’t.”

“What? I can trust the same of him. He wouldn’t hurt me, I trust him.”

“So you would trust a wolf not to attack?” Your brother took two steps forward, as if his subconscious wanted to intimidate you into losing the argument. Nice try. You weren’t easily intimidated.

“He’s not a wolf! He’s Remus. My husband.”

You saw the surprise on his face when you emphasized your relationship with Remus, and you took that opportunity to continue.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have business to attend to.” With that, you stalked out as well, waiting until you disappeared behind the hedge outside to run after Remus.

He probably heard you coming, because you found him standing around the corner, as if he were waiting. The look in his eyes told you he had probably fought with himself to decide whether or not to wait for you to catch up.

“Rem, please ignore what he said. I know it’s hard, but he’s spewing nonsense.”

“Love, are you scared of me?”

“No. Never.” He had barely gotten his words out before you replied, without a moment’s hesitation.

“Your family seems to think you should be.”

“Remus, it doesn’t matter what they think. I love you, and that’s what matters.”

His eyes glistened with unshed tears. He stepped closer to you, cradling your cheek gently, as if he were afraid you’d shatter like glass if he was just slightly too rough with you.

Leaning in slowly, he captured your lips with his in a sweet kiss. And that alone conveyed all he needed to say.

“I love you too.”

taglist: @the-moon-and-the-book @decalcomanei @emcchi

[youarejesting]

Mania.9

[MASTER LIST] [Mania Master list]

Rating: Mature 18+ Pairing: BTS OT7 Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Comedy, Omegaverse Words: 1.4k Blood types: Namjoon, Jhope, Jungkook, Yoongi (A) Taehyung (AB) Jin, Jimin and Yoongi (O) (Jimin in real life is an A blood type)

Summary: At eighteen everyone takes a blood test to find out their blood types. A, B, or O. Each blood type represents the person’s secondary gender Alpha, Beta or Omega and can be Dominant (+) or Recessive (-).

When small thin Yoongi receives his letter he doesn’t expect A+. There was no way he was an Alpha especially not a dominant. But as time passes he shows no Alpha nor Omega tendencies and frankly he doesn’t care. Working in his father’s electrical business helps pay the bills but Yoongi’s real passion is music.

One very hot day in the roof space of a luxury apartment that Yoongi is rewiring an intoxicatingly pleasant smell churns his insides and he finds himself in need of something to quench his thirst.

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Yoongi spent the rest of the day working on the song. Hoseok and Namjoon left him alone in the makeshift studio, they hadn’t heard what he had done in the booth but they were excited to see what he would present to them.

Yoongi dared not mess with the original copy of the track, he made an exact duplicate which he then began tweaking. After 3 hours and a few rerecords, layering and adlibs he was done. Stepping from the studio Yoongi stopped by the bathroom before raiding the kitchen once more.

Thinking about making another Iced americano, Yoongi went about the kitchen looking for a glass. It was a truly lavish home and seeing his tools by the stove a realization struck him. He hadn’t finished wiring the house. He had let himself get distracted and was a little ashamed. Taking the tools he had abandoned, thought of his coffee lingering in his head.

“Hey, I am sorry about not finishing my work, I can install the fan in the dining hall if you are okay with me turning off the power again.” Yoongi scratched his foot against his other leg trying to appear nonchalant, his hands buried in the robe he was wearing. “Not right now as you are watching something but just whenever you are ready.”

“We should probably take a break from this because it’s almost lunch,” Namjoon ordered and the room bloomed with movement like some atrocious unsynchronized dance. Perhaps contemporary or interpretive that symbolized the chaos in Yoongi’s mind. He watched some stand and stretch twisting their spines this way and that to hear the satisfying pops and cracks. 

Taehyung stretched out on the couch, before rolling off onto his feet and straightening his body until it was upright. “We should think about what we should make for lunch.”

“Yoongi do you want some clothes?” Seokjin asked, in all honesty, Yoongi had forgotten he wasn’t wearing anything other than the robe. He had grown comfortable and wasn’t ready to dress. 

“No, thanks. This is comfortable,” he fiddled with the sleeves. Namjoon bit his lip and muttered 'cute'. Yoongi pressed his lips together and looked away. “I will turn off the power and finish the work quickly.”

Yoongi was thinking about what he had to do to get everything done, he turned off the main safety switch which was tucked away in the broom closet by the front door. He saw his coat hanging between theirs and his boots nestled between some sneakers and dress shoes. It warmed his heart to see how caring the band was towards him, he had expected them to be snobbish celebrities but in reality, they were kind individuals that accepted him. There was even a part of him that expected to be tossed aside early that morning once they had had their fun. 

Nestled into the robe for a moment, appreciating the soft texture and gentle scent. Yoongi never thought his life was lacking, nor did he feel like he needed or wanted anything specific. He was always happy in his solitary life, where nothing particular happened. 

Yet there was a part of him that felt odd like he was going to float away but he just couldn’t, stuck uncomfortably in between. His heart was racing, his breathing labored and his body felt like it was buzzing. What did this mean?

Yoongi couldn’t tell what these feelings were and what they meant but it was almost sickening, did he want to cry or hide or just scream really loudly to release the pent-up energy that was hyping him up.

Climbing onto the table Yoongi began working on the fan, installing it quickly and connecting the wires with skilled fingers. A chair moved across the timber floors and when Yoongi looked down he was met by a shy smile from Jimin. The younger boy watched him intrigued by his work.

“Do you need any help?” he said lazily, playing in the box of tools. Spinning the spanner playfully, and putting on Yoongi’s tool belt that he wasn’t currently wearing.

“Uh yeah can you pass me the pliers with the red rubber handle?” Jimin riffled through the toolbox and gave a hopeful expression holding up the pliers. “Yup, they are the ones.”

Yoongi had finished wiring everything and had to lift the fan. Jimin stood up on the table and lifted the fan, resting it on his shoulder allowing Yoongi to work freely. Yoongi attached the fan to the roof and his momentary distraction was over, bringing back the unpleasant feeling.

“What’s wrong?” Jimin asked, confused, “Did we do something wrong?”

“No, I just feel funny.”

“Tell me about it,” Jimin sat down on the table and began packing up Yoongi’s tools and copper wire. “What does it feel like?”

Yoongi sat beside the younger male and began explaining how he felt, Jimin sat listening attentively gently rubbing Yoongi’s knee to help soothe him. “What were you thinking about or doing when the feeling started.”

“I was turning off the power.” Yoongi took a moment to think about what was going on when the feeling started, “and I was thinking about my coat and shoes in the cupboard. I was thinking about how you guys were nice and not snob celebrities and how I liked being here… ah!” 

“What’s wrong?” Jimin asked, slipping off the table and standing in front of Yoongi holding his shoulders delicately.

“My heart is racing faster, maybe it’s an omega thing, my hormones must be going crazy.” He sighed, rubbing his chest, his hands shaking, “I just feel jittery.”

“Look at me, I will say some certain phrase or word and you will close your eyes and think about it, allowing yourself to feel for a few seconds and then tell me what you felt,” Jimin said, taking Yoongi’s eyes closed as confirmation to continue. “What about the word ‘leaving'?”

Yoongi thought about the word and immediately thought about leaving this apartment and never seeing them again. There was a heat in his chest that made his throat burn uncomfortably, his lips parting and mouth running dry. “Uh…” he swallowed, eyes stinging. “It doesn’t feel good.”

“Did you think of leaving this house?” Yoongi’s eyes snapped open, shocked that he had guessed it. Was Yoongi missing something that was obvious to everyone else, he admitted he wasn’t the best at processing his feelings, preferring to bottle them up and forget about them or if they didn’t leave him he would rap about them. Jimin smiled knowingly, taking his hands. “Close your eyes and think about the word ‘stay’”

Yoongi followed his instructions and felt his heart skip a beat when he heard the word, he felt warm and fuzzy followed by the sickening buzzing in his body. Yoongi’s eyes opened slowly and he cringed, “It felt weird again, jittery.”

“Hmm…” Jimin took Yoongi’s chin between his thumb and crooked forefinger and pulled his chin forward pressing a kiss to his lips. Yoongi thought Jimin’s lips were soft and bouncy, he tasted sweet and kissed passionately. It was different from Hoseok’s.

Hoseok’s mouth made his head cloud quickly, it made his skin grow warm and his heart would race. Hoseok’s lips, like his voice, were like fizzy citrus, bubbly and bright. Yoongi was brought from his comparison by Jimin’s lips trailing down his neck.

The two weren’t fighting for dominance but both just trying to make the other feel good, Yoongi carded his fingers through Jimin’s hair and pulled gently once he reached the nape. Jimin’s moan traveled like electricity down Yoongi’s body striking in the pit of his stomach and made his dick twitch. He lost his breath when the younger male untied his robe and opened it, exposing Yoongi to the warm summer air and letting his smaller hands drift over his torso. 

Jimin guided him to lay back and gently grasped Yoongi’s rapidly hardening length, Yoongi hissed through his teeth when the young omega kissed the tip. Yoongi lurched forward when Jimin expertly took him in his mouth. Reaching out with desperate hands Jimin caught them, sliding his smaller fingers between Yoongi’s longer ones.

Yoongi felt his body tense as his orgasm cascaded over him, his back lifting off the mahogany table and his toes curling against the wood's edge. Jimin pulled away using the robe to gently clean Yoongi. “What if you stay?” Jimin breathed resting his chin on Yoongi’s tummy.

Yoongi looked at Jimin for a moment before he kissed him, moving to pull him on the table. It was more familiar for Yoongi to take the lead as he spent most of his life thinking he was a dominant alpha. He rolled the two over until Jimin laid underneath him and began returning the favor arrogantly. Yoongi knew he had skills with his tongue and fingers.

It was almost impressive how quick and hard Jimin came, his moans were so loud and seductive. It was no surprise that the others had heard and searched out the cause of the young omega’s calls. Yoongi was trying his best to soothe Jimin’s trembling form when a commanding voice cut through the room.

“Well, well, well.” Jungkook said hands on his hips looking amused but playing as if he was pissed off, “Someone was feeling a little slutty weren’t they, couldn’t wait could they?”

Jimin gave a sly grin, rolling onto his side, “Yoongi was feeling upset, so I tried to cheer him up and he returned the favor, really really well might I add, Yoongi’s head game is strong.”

“Is it now, I guess I don’t have to give you head for a week then?” Jungkook walked into the room and sat at one of the chairs throwing one leg over the other amused at the two redressing atop the table. The others all sat around, Seokjin sitting on Namjoon’s knee raising an eyebrow.

“What were you upset about?” Jin asked curiously.

“Uh…” Yoongi rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed.

“He said he was feeling overwhelmed with emotion and when we discussed he said he really likes us and being here and seeing how we were treating him so nicely, he was a little upset at the thought of ever having to leave,” Jimin mumbled crawling across the table to Jungkook who ignored him so he sat on Taehyung’s instead of trying to spite his mate. Taehyung accepted him with open arms and nuzzled his face into the back of his neck.

Yoongi had tied his robe and moved to slide down off the table but Hoseok stood up blocking his exit making Yoongi freeze nervously. Did they pity him now, was it truly just them being nice to Yoongi for a good time, and afterward they would never have to see each other again?

“It was just a silly thought, you guys are famous. I understand you like to have a good time and it means nothing.” Yoongi turned from Hoseok and went to exit the other side of the table but Jungkook stood up blocking that exit too. Namjoon and Taehyung stood up Jimin and Seokjin moving to stand at their seats at the table blocking all exits.

“Would you like to stay?” Namjoon asked, “I promise you we aren’t the type of people to play around, we have taken quite the liking to you Min Yoongi.”

Yoongi shrank sitting back on his heels, half facing Namjoon and the other half facing Hoseok. He felt like he was the center of attention and it was kind of an itchy feeling. Yoongi turned to Jimin who made a gesture to his chest and spoke softly, “What do you feel?”

Hoseok gently brushed his fingers across Yoongi’s neck, “I want you to take your time and think it over but, you have been calling to me since we met and not because you are an Omega and I am an Alpha.” His voice was deep and yet still so bright and bubbly, Yoongi could almost taste the citrus fizz. “I just feel drawn to you and if you decide to stay, I would like to date you with the intention of one day becoming mates if that is what you wish. I would never force you to do anything?” 

Yoongi pressed his lips together, his heart racing. He was anxious, nervous, and an all-around mess. His body flared with hormones and the Alphas growled before the wave of pheromones died back down. “He is stressed, perhaps we should give him some time to think. You know stress messes with Omega's heats.” Jin scolded

“I don’t want to leave, I am not sure how I feel but I know I don’t like the idea of leaving,” Yoongi muttered fiddling with the hem of the robe he was wrapped in. Yoongi was laid back on the table and hands caressed him from every side, laying him out on the table like a beautiful crystal centerpiece.

He was ravished without mercy, his mind reeling with their tender words and praises. Yoongi hadn’t cried since he was young but after everything they each asked him sincerely to stay. He buried his face in Hoseok’s neck and let his emotions out. 

It was different from his music, it was scary and different but he felt safe and the warmth blooming in his chest wasn’t the waves of his heat but love filling him slowly until the weight was gone and all he knew and all he felt was soft and good.

Tags: @staerryminimini​

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[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

Parallels | Chapter 6

Add yourself to my taglist! | Here’s my masterlist! | Parallels Masterlist

Characters: OC! Violet Grace Dawson, Luke Patterson, Julie Molina, Carrie Wilson, Bobby Wilson, Reggie Peters, Alex Mercer, Flynn nolastname, Willie nolastname, Nick Danforth-Evans, Dirty Candy 

Guideline: Sunset Universe is the universe in which Sunset Curve is famous and Violet is friends with Carrie, Julie and Flynn. Candy Universe is the universe in which Dirty Candy is more famous and Sunset Curve has broken up. 

Song(s) used: Now or Never - Sunset Curve / Livin’ on a High Wire - Lemonade Mouth

Warnings: Bobby raps in this... I have a headcanon that he’s a rapper (also made the most sense out of all four?) / Mention of parents divorce / Mention of alcohol and intoxication 

Words:  6,302

“Are you sure that was such a good move?” Bobby asked, brows furrowed, “Promising them you’re joining the band while you’re still in Dirty Candy? That won’t work…” 

Violet shrugged dismissively. “It worked for Alex and I’m sure it’s gonna work on Reggie…” She heaved in a breath, gathering her courage for the next part in the plan. “Where do we find our favorite bassist?” 

“The library?” Violet asked when the Wilson siblings brought her to the school’s library. “You’re telling me the Reggie in this universe actually studies?” Carrie nodded in response. “Groundbreaking.” 

Carrie and Violet made their way to the back of the library where they found Reggie with Dana and Dexter. Dana, Violet knew, was an aspiring musician who actually joined Dirty Candy in her universe. Dexter was a friend of Nick’s and part of his band. 

“Reggie,” Violet spoke up, getting the students’ attention. 

“Violet? Carrie?” Confusion dripped off their names as they rolled off Reggie’s lips. 

Dana narrowed her eyes at the two girls. “What do you want?” she spat. 

Choosing to ignore the blatant hate that Dana spewed at the girls, Violet focused back on Reggie and shot him a smile. “I heard you’re a pretty good bassist…” She tested the waters. 

“Yeah, I guess you could say that…” he answered. 

“Well… I was wondering if you would be interested in coming back to Sunset Curve?” 

Reggie’s eyes widened before he scoffed. He was clearly taken aback, but tried to play it cool. “We broke up for a reason, Violet. Not gonna happen.” 

“Not even when I’m joining the band?” she tried again, which very clearly sparked a little more interest as the boy’s eyebrows shot upwards before his teeth started gnawing at his lower lip. 

“Okay,” he replied. “If you get Luke to join your band, I’m in too.” 

Carrie and Violet exchanged glances and nodded. They were a little surprised this one was so easy, though they should’ve expected that. Reggie had always been more of a trustworthy puppy than a leading lion anyway. 

“Cool. We’ll keep you posted,” Carrie said and the two girls left the students alone. 

Now, their next stop was Luke Patterson. The real challenge out of the three boys. Not only because he was going to be the hardest to convince, but because Violet was nervous to see him again. She hadn’t forgotten what he had said to her and even though this was a different version, she knew seeing him would make her nervous and cause her to shut down. 

“Yo, Luke!” Carrie yelled at the group of boys on the lacrosse field. He stopped mid-conversation with Nick before jogging up to the girls that had beckoned him. 

“You girls lost?” he asked and pushed his hair back. 

That crush the girls were talking about in the other universe seemingly still counted in another universe. Violet’s throat closed up and her entire body heated up from the inside out. 

“I uhm…” she stuttered and stumbled, but no proper words came out. 

After spending a few days with this new Violet, Carrie had gotten to know this version pretty well, and decided to take over from her. “We were wondering if you’d consider rejoining Sunset Curve if Violet would join the band too?” she asked the jock confidently. 

Luke chuckled. “Really? What about Dirty Candy?” 

“She can do both,” Carrie replied in Violet’s place as the girl didn’t even dare to look Luke in the eye. For whatever reason that was, Carrie would find out later. 

The brunette jock let his eyes glide down the shy girl in front of him. She was going to lead their band? This little tiny mouse over here? He remembered her being more obnoxious and confident, but she was a lot less up close. 

“No, thank you,” he said and started jogging away. 

“No, thank you? Seriously?!” Carrie’s shrill voice stopped him. 

He sighed and turned around again. “Look, Sunset Curve didn’t work out because of your brother. I doubt it will when she joins in. We don’t need no Bubblegum Princess in our non-existing band.” 

As Luke walked away, Violet felt herself falling farther and farther away from her own universe. There was no way she was ever going to make it back. There was no way she could ever get that band back together. 

“What do we do now?” she asked Carrie. “How are we gonna get them to talk?” 

Carrie smiled and wrapped her arm around Violet’s shoulders, guiding her back towards the school building. “The only way Carrie Wilson knows how to,” she said dramatically. Violet looked up  to her best friend with questioning eyes. “Throwing a party!” 

Carrie entered the garage after their last school day on Friday where her three best friends were waiting for her, impatiently. The blonde girl had promised them she’d get them all Sunset Curve tickets for their gig at the Orpheum that night. 

The place where it all began for the boys was the Orpheum. It was where they had their first big showcase and a manager signed them to their label. That night’s show was the most important one to Sunset Curve, coming back after skyrocketing in the charts and around the country for a while. 

It was the most important gig to the girls, too. With their tickets, they’d be able to go and see the band live while also setting their whole plan in motion to get Luke to fall in love with Violet. 

To say it made Violet a little nervous would be an understatement. Though in her world, she looked like this young woman that oozed confidence, she didn’t quite feel so hot right about now. The Luke from her universe was a bit of a loser. Someone she’d easily wrap around her finger. But this Luke could be completely different and that scared. 

“Did you get the tickets?” Julie asked with wide eyes and a nervous, bouncy leg Violet stopped by placing her hand on her knee as she sat next to her on the couch. 

Carrie smirked and showed them the four concert tickets in her hand. “Not only that…” she added before showing her other hand, which held four backstage passes. Two girls in front of her squealed and got up from their spots to admire the passes up close.

Violet, however, stayed put and tried to manage a smile. A smile that turned into a grimace before finally disappearing from her face. One that Carrie immediately noticed fading. 

“You okay, Vi?” she asked, causing the two other girls to turn to their friend as well. 

The girl on the sofa lifted her eyes to meet her friends’. “What– Oh, yeah. I’m fine.” 

Carrie’s lips pressed together in a thin line as her eyes met Julie’s and Flynn’s. All three of them knew something was off. She wasn’t the confident girl they met days ago. She wasn’t the overly demanding, no-nonsense woman. For a moment, they saw the rawest possible side of Violet. One that reminded them of their Violet. 

“You’re gonna be fine, babes,” said Julie and rejoined Violet on the couch, wrapping her arm around the girl’s shoulder. 

Violet scoffed. “Of course I am. What makes you think I’m not?” She was trying to feign her confidence, but her friends could see right through her. 

“Your face,” Flynn spoke up. Her bottom lip stuck out into a pout whilst she joined the two girls on the sofa, Carrie following her example. “You look like Julie when she has to play in front of a crowd.” 

Julie slapped Flynn’s shoulder playfully before Carrie joined into the conversation again. “What’s going on in that pretty mind of yours, Lettie… Maybe we can help?” 

Violet wasn’t used to hearing the nickname anymore. It was something her father used to call and she hadn’t seen him in a good few years since her parents got divorced. But if it bothered her, she didn’t show it. 

“In my universe, Luke is a loser. He gave up on his biggest dream. He’s still the school’s jock, yes, but people know what happened to him and they pity him. He’s an extremely easy target to wrap around your finger. But this version of him…” she heaved in a deep breath. “I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to wrap him around my finger as easily.” 

Flynn lifted her hand and tucked a strand of hair behind Violet’s ear while Julie spoke up. “This one is known as the womanizer of the band,” she said. 

Carrie continued, “In every tabloid, on every internet page, he’s seen with a new woman on his arm.” 

Violet’s eyebrows furrowed. That didn’t sound like the Luke she knew at all. “I think it’s a publicity stunt but…” Flynn said and shrugged. Violet slowly nodded her head, processing all the information she was given. When Flynn saw this, she nudged Violet’s shoulder. “You’re gonna do great. You’re a charming, attractive woman and, from what I’ve seen so far, pretty confident in your skin.” 

The girl smiled, and her friends even noticed a tint of red coloring her cheeks. “You got this,” said Julie with a smile. “You so got this!”  

With the girl’s words echoing in Violet’s mind, she went back home and, when she started getting ready that night, she hyped herself up. She listened to Sunset Curve’s albums on repeat to at least know a few of the songs and danced around her bedroom whilst trying on various outfits. 

Looking at her own reflection in the mirror, she judged the outfit she was wearing. A light green dress with a flower pattern. She wasn’t normally one to wear flowers, but this looked really cute on her, especially with the black belt she had fastened around her waist. It perfectly showed all her curves and had quite the plunging neckline, which showed the right amount of cleavage to put to use when flirting with Luke. 

As the thought of Luke flashed through her mind, she felt the nerves bubble up again. Never in her life had she been this nervous except for the first time she performed for a live audience with Dirty Candy. Or when she was the lead in the musical in seventh grade. 

Her train of thought got interrupted before its fatal crash by someone barging into her room, all excited. Violet almost didn’t recognize him until he spoke up. “Vivi, you gotta see this, honey!” her father exclaimed while holding something out to her. 

Violet didn’t even bother to look at what was in his hands, she was busy freaking out over the fact that her father, the person she hadn’t seen since he divorced her mom, was in her bedroom. 

Trying to keep her cool, Violet swallowed all her pride and smiled. “Looks cool, dad,” she said. “I uhm… I’m getting ready for a night out with the girls, so could you…” she pointed her thumb towards the door. 

“A night out?” he asked, his brows furrowed. “You never go on nights out…” 

Violet scolded her parallel self for not living her full life here but shrugged her shoulders at her dad dismissively. “It’s a concert. Bobby Wilson’s band is playing the Orpheum tonight and Carrie has tickets.” 

“Ah,” her dad said, nodding his head. “Cool. I’ll let you get ready then–” he looked down at her outfit. “That’s a pretty dress, sweetie. It’s been a while since you wore it.” He gave her one last smile before heading out the door and shutting it on his way out. 

Violet exhaled a breath she wasn’t aware she was holding before grabbing her phone and calling the first person she could think of over FaceTime. Within seconds, the smiling, blonde haired best friend appeared on the small screen. 

“Hey ba–” before she could finish her sentence, Violet cut her off. 

“When were you gonna tell me my parents were still together?!” she whisper-shouted to make sure her dad didn’t hear in case he was still in the hallway. 

Carrie was taken aback for a moment and blinked rapidly. “Your parents are divorced?” she asked and Violet nodded, remembering the terrible fights and anxious nights when her dad came  home drunk for the nth time. She remembered hearing her mother cry in her bedroom and being unable to do anything about it. She had hated her dad for a good while after that. But seeing him here, now, reminded her of the good days they’d had back in the day. 

“I’m sorry, Vi,” Carrie said, her usual bright smile turning into a sad frown. “What happened between them?” she asked, curiously. “If you wanna tell me, that is.” 

Violet heaved in a deep breath. “It’s been years since it happened, but five years ago, my mom kicked dad out of the house… He’d come home drunk, night after night, and I would hear mom and dad fighting while I was in bed… Mom couldn’t handle it anymore, so she packed his bags for him and kicked him out. They made everything official and we haven’t seen him or heard from him since the divorce.” A tear rolled down Violet’s cheek as she spoke, but she wiped it away quickly and chuckled. “Sometimes, I wonder if he’s even still alive.” 

“That’s terrible, Vi, I’m sorry…” 

Violet shrugged. “It’s alright. I’ve gotten over it by now… Until I just saw him here.” 

“I would’ve told you if I’d known, Violet… I’m sorry.” 

The brunette chuckled tearily. “Stop saying sorry, Care. It’s all good. It just took me off guard, that’s all.” Carrie pressed her lips together and tilted her head a little in compassion. “But let’s talk outfits, shall we?” A flash of nostalgia coursed through her as she remembered her and Carrie talked about outfits before she got here. 

“What are the options?” Carrie asked, respecting Violet’s wish to drop the previous subject. Violet got up from her bed and placed her phone on the chest of drawers opposite of her bed. 

“This dress,” she said and twirled to show the cute dress she was wearing. Carrie hummed, impressed by the outfit, but not entirely convinced just yet. Violet then reached for the clothes she had sprawled across her bed. “Or ripped jeans with a crop top and a cute jacket.” She juggled to hold the three items up to the camera of her phone. “But it’s a pink jacket and pink is your color, so I’m not sure about this one.” 

“It’s not my color here?” Carrie suggested. “What else you got?” 

“Uhm…” she placed the clothes back on the bed and reached for another one. “This.” She showed a black mesh top with gold stars embroidered on it, along with black skinny jeans. 

Carrie gasped. “Did that come out of our Violet’s closet?!” she asked. 

“Yup,” Violet nodded. “I found it near the back of the closet. I take it your Violet doesn’t wear it that often?” 

“Try at all!” Carrie exclaimed. “Can you try it on for me, please?” 

Violet nodded and started unbuckling the belt on her dress. 

“You always change in front of cameras?” Carrie asked, giggling, which caused Violet to stop in her tracks with her fingers curling around the hem of the dress. 

“Carrie and I always change in front of one another,” she shrugged and pulled the dress over her head, leaving her in just her underwear. She pulled the mesh top over the black bralet she was wearing and squeezed herself into the black skinnies. 

“Needs a belt,” Carrie demanded, trying to hide the obvious blush that had crept to her cheeks. Violet nodded in agreement and reached for the belt she had put over the dress before. “Necklaces.”

Obeying her best friend’s demands, Violet browsed through the box of jewellery the other Violet had on the cupboard until finding some gold necklaces that would go well with her outfit. 

“Now black ankle boots.” 

Violet nodded again and went into the closet to find black velvet boots with the slightest block heel on them. A smile befell her face as she inspected the shoes. These were shoes she would buy and, judging from what she’d heard about the other Violet, something she wouldn’t buy. There had to be a part of her in her parallel self, more than just their appearances. 

She quickly put the boots on her feet and showed the outfit to Carrie over FaceTime, earning a gasp the second she walked into frame. “If Luke doesn’t fall for you now, then that boy is blind.” 

Violet giggled and sat down on the floor in front of her window, taking her phone with her, so she could talk to Carrie some more. It was the only familiar thing she had and though their dynamic had changed from the one she had with her Carrie. It still felt somewhat normal. 

“When are we leaving?” Violet asked when a honk was heard from outside her house. Furrowing her eyebrows, she looked outside to find Julie getting out of a car that was parked in front of Violet’s house. “I guess the answer’s now…” she giggled. 

Carrie’s eyes widened. “Julie’s already there?!” she exclaimed and Violet watched as the girl scrambled up from her bed and started rushing through her bedroom. 

“I’m gonna let you get ready. See you in a while!” she said but Carrie was too busy to hear, so Violet pressed the red button and took one last glance in the mirror. After fixing a bit of run-out mascara, she grabbed all of her stuff and made her way downstairs where her dad was talking to Julie at the front door. 

“Hey Vi,” Julie greeted once her eyes fell on the girl. “Looking good!” 

Violet’s dad turned now too and had to blink a few times. “Since when do you have that in your closet?!” he asked and Violet could feel the anger rising within him. She had heard that tone on him enough to know what was going to happen if she didn’t step in. 

“I’ve had this for ages, dad,” she grabbed Julie’s hand. “Now, we have to go ‘cause otherwise, we’ll be late.” She dragged the Latina girl out the door at a speed where she could just about say goodbye to Mister Dawson before he was completely out of earshot. 

Once the girls were safely in Mister Molina’s gray Subaru Outback, Violet could finally breathe properly. Seeing her father again had her a little on edge, she couldn’t lie about that but she had to play it cool. 

“You girls ready?” Mister Molina questioned, looking back at the girl in his backseat and the girl next to him. The two nodded excitedly before the man started the car again and drove off to go and pick up Carrie and Flynn. 

The closer they got to the Orpheum, the more scared Violet got. It had gotten to the point where her outfit didn’t feel right anymore and she felt like her makeup had already melted off. This plan wasn’t going to go the way they wanted and Violet knew this. Something was going to go wrong. 

“We’re here,” Ray said in a sing-song voice as he stopped the car. “I’m picking you girls up when it’s over, yeah? Julie, keep  your phone close and your friends closer, okay?” 

“Yes, dad,” Julie replied with an eye roll before planting a kiss to her father’s cheek and getting out of the car with the girls. 

The wait in line was agonizing. So agonizing that Violet didn’t even participate in the excited conversation the girls were having about this concert. They clearly looked forward to it more than Violet did. But that might have been because their life didn’t depend on it. 

“You got this,” Julie mumbled in Violet’s ear as her fingers laced through hers in an attempt to calm the girl’s nerves as they waited at the front row for the boys to get on the stage. 

Violet had barely noticed that they had gotten to the front. Everything felt so hazy and unreal, like all of this was just a dream. But then the lights turned out and bright flashes lit up the stage as a guitar riff zoomed through the venue’s speakers. 

Soon thereafter, Luke’s voice followed the sound of the drums, guitars and bass, and the entire crowd went completely insane as they sang along and danced around to the music the boys were creating on the stage. 

“Take off Last stop Countdown till we blast open the top”

“Face first Full charge Electric hammer to the heart”

“Clocks move forward But we don't get older, no Kept on climbing Till our stars collided”

“And all the times we fell behind Were just the keys to paradise”

This was, thankfully, the one song Violet had had on repeat while she was getting ready and so, she knew the lyrics to the chorus. Softly, she sang along with Luke while keeping her eyes on all four of the boys. 

“Don't look down 'Cause we're still rising Up right now And even if we Hit the ground We'll still fly Keep dreaming like we'll live forever But live it like it's now or never”

The more songs they sang, the looser Violet became and the less nervous, too. Though she had never thought she was ever going to see these boys on a stage together, she felt a sense of pride rushing through her. She was proud of Bobby, mostly, since she had the closest bond with him. In her universe, she had never seen him this confident, this happy while being in the center of attention. For the first time in knowing Bobby, she actually found him a little attractive, but she would never tell him that. Or Carrie, for that matter. 

“Okay,” Luke panted into the microphone as they finished playing In Your Starlight, one of Violet’s new favorite songs. “We have one last song for you guys before we head out. This is a new one that will soon be released as a single for our next album…” The crowd cheered loudly for him and the chuckle that echoed through the venue did something to Violet that she couldn’t quite place. “This is called Livin’ on a High Wire.” Luke stepped back from the microphone and played a sick guitar riff whilst Bobby walked behind the keyboard to his left. 

Alex joined in with his drums at the same time Bobby’s voice floated through the speakers. 

“Listen up This is the story on how we lived The glory of what we did It started when we were kids With music up in our heads We said”

Violet’s eyes were wide and her jaw dropped when she heard Bobby rap the verse. Bobby Wilson could rap and she had no clue. As quickly as she got surprised by this new revelation, Luke’s voice woke her up and did something to her insides. 

“I've been out on the edge Breathin' a little bit of fresh air Big dreams, I took a chance Held out for everything I got here I've been feeling this life's a circus Hanging on without a fear”

Reggie and Alex joined in on the chorus, bringing the whole thing together and the whole crowd jumping to this song they didn’t know quite yet. 

“Livin' on a high wire Runnin' through a wildfire You can't shake me, I'm not going nowhere Walking on a tight rope No net, high hopes Step back, I'm gonna make it over”

“Na na na na na na na na na Livin' on a high wire Na na na na na na na na na Livin' on a high wire”

Then, Bobby came in again with his rapping. This whole show had been slapping Violet with surprises left, right and center. Never did she think she would actually enjoy watching a concert by a band that didn’t even exist in her world anymore. 

“This is the story on how we lived The glory of what we did It started when we were kids With music up in our heads We said”

Luke took his turn again when his eyes landed on the girl in the front row. She wasn’t quite moving, just her head flicking back and forth from him to Bobby and back. Sometimes, her eyes would land on Reggie, but most times, they were on him or Bobby. He smiled and his confidence got fuelled. 

“Big top, turning round, no clowns I'm running as I hit the ground Front row, big show sold out So I'm ready for the crowd roar, let's go I've been feeling this life's a circus Hanging on without a fear”

“Livin' on a high wire Runnin' through a wildfire You can't shake me, I'm not going nowhere Walking on a tight rope No net, high hopes Step back, I'm gonna make it over”

By now, the crowd knew the words to the post-chorus and everyone sang along with them. Everyone except Violet. She had no clue what to do. Her nerves about the whole plan had vanished, but she was overwhelmed with all the things happening on the stage. 

“Na na na na na na na na na Livin' on a high wire Na na na na na na na na na Livin' on a high wire”

Bobby grabbed the microphone from its stand as he stopped playing the keyboard and instead, moved towards the edge of the stage where his sister and friends were standing. He rapped the bridge like an absolute pro. 

“When it comes to the beat Seeing that the heads are moving Move off your seat Achievement is what we're really doing Freedom of speech I'm in it just to win it I'm springin' and I can see it In the end that you can be it 'Cause it's patience, it's statements Famous greatness Movin' 'til you make it through And maybe you can make it too”

Bobby returned to his keyboard whilst Luke moved towards Reggie. Together and in the same microphone, Luke and Reggie sang the chorus with just Bobby playing on his keyboard. 

“Livin' on a high wire You can't shake me, I'm not going nowhere Walking on a tight rope”

Alex joined back in with the drums, as did Luke and Reggie on their instruments while Luke retreated to his own microphone. 

“No net, high hopes Step back, I'm gonna make it over”

Reggie’s high note echoed through Violet’s bones as the other three continued singing the post-chorus with the crowd backing them up ear-piercingly loud. 

“Na na na na na na na na na Livin' on a high wire Na na na na na na na na na Livin' on a high wire Yeah, yeah Na na na na na na na na na Livin' on a high wire”

The last notes floated through the space before the audience burst into loud applause. Violet was stumped. She didn’t know what to do. She was so overwhelmed with everything that had happened in front of her. From hearing Now or Never to the new song just now, she felt an immense sense of pride and attraction to both Luke and Bobby. She didn’t know what to do with all of that information. 

“Thank you, LA! We’ve been Sunset Curve!” Luke yelled into the microphone and stole another glance at the girl in the front row. She was still overwhelmed and didn’t move a muscle. Not even when her friends tried to shake her out of it. He chuckled as he noticed Carrie and Julie as one of her friends trying to bring the girl back with both feet to the ground. 

As he took a step towards the wings, he took another glance and then it dawned on him. He knew that girl from somewhere but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it from where. 

“Did you see that?!” Flynn yelled as the lights turned back on and the post-concert adrenaline buzzed through the venue. Her hands clasped at Violet’s arm, squeezing it in excitement. “Luke couldn’t keep his eyes off you!” 

Violet scoffed. “He probably just thought what a complete weirdo I was, staring up at them in utter shock of how good they actually are.” She involuntarily rolled her eyes at her own behavior. It felt weird. Feeling proud of those boys up there. Feeling attracted to someone she just saw as a brother. It all felt weird. 

“Let’s go say hi!” Carrie squeaked and pulled at Violet’s hand towards the side entrance that led to the backstage area. The nerves she felt beforehand came bubbling back and she could feel herself pulling back from Carrie. 

Violet usually never felt this nervous. For nothing. She could perform in front of a good hundred people but meeting this one boy? That was just too much to handle for her. 

The girls approached the band as they returned their instruments to the tech guys and excitedly chatted about the gig they had just done flawlessly. While Carrie’s smile widened, Violet’s nerves grew until they settled in her stomach and she felt like hurling. 

“Hey guys!” Carrie greeted with a smile and immediately went to hug her brother. 

“Aaah! Little Wilson!” Alex exclaimed excitedly before hugging the blonde girl as well. 

Bobby looked at Violet while his sister went to hug the others. “Hey Violet,” he said, capturing the nervous girl’s attention. “Long time no see.” 

Violet managed a smile and a deep breath in to gather all her courage. “Hey Bobbers,” she greeted and wrapped her arms around him as well since Julie and Flynn were hugging the others too. It must be a thing they did… 

“Bobbers?” Bobby chuckled. “You haven’t called me Bobbers in ages. Are you okay?” he joked as they pulled away. 

Violet’s mouth opened and closed as she thought of something to say but nothing came out. Thankfully, Carrie was confident and herself enough to jump in and save her. “She was just feeling nostalgic, bro. It’s been a while since we’ve seen you.” 

The girls exchanged a quick smile before Reggie interrupted their conversation. “You’ve changed your style, Violet,” he pointed out. “I quite like it. It’s more rock-chick.” 

A heat surged to her cheeks as she looked down at the outfit she had chosen and wondered how much different the other Violet dressed. Judging from everything she’s heard, it was very different. 

“That’s why I didn’t recognize you...” Luke mumbled, the epiphany causing his lips to curl up into a smile. “Y-you look great, Dawson.” If Violet didn’t know any better, she’d say he was a bit flustered. The thought of getting Luke Patterson all flustered gave her at least a tiny boost in her confidence. 

“Well, I wouldn’t expect you to, ya big rockstar,” Violet said sassily and flicked her hair over her shoulder. The confidence dripped from her lips and body, and her friends could all see it. The three of them exchanged glances before Carrie took the lead. 

“You big rockstars got some time for common folk like us? Maybe we could get some food at Chubbie’s?” she suggested with her always charming smile. The boys exchanged glances, silently agreeing to go ahead with this suggestion. 

“We do wanna get a shower first,” Alex then said, “But we’ll meet you at Chubbie’s in a few, yeah?” The girls nodded and each group turned another direction. Flynn and Julie wrapped an arm around Violet while Carrie wrapped hers around Julie. 

Giggling, Flynn whisper-shouted, “And now we know the real reason why Luke couldn’t keep his eyes off you!” 

“And that is?” Violet asked, though her cheeks already tinted pink. She knew the answer to this one, she just didn’t believe it. 

Her three friends let out a loud laugh. “Because he thinks you’re hot, of course!” Julie cackled. “Rightfully so!” Violet’s cheeks felt as hot as the sun as her friends giggled at the fact that a boy was into their friend. Their plan was working. 

The girls had taken a booth at the back of the diner, far away from any prying customers that might recognize the boys, who arrived about a milkshake and a half later. 

Luke and Alex squeezed in with Flynn and Julie while Reggie and Bobby slid into the booth on Violet’s and Carrie’s side. Of course they made it so Luke and Violet were as close to each other as possible. 

As the conversation flowed from life on the road to life in Los Feliz, Violet couldn’t help but notice Luke’s stares and glances. Not for one second could Luke take his eyes off of the girl. They were glued to her. But it didn’t make her that nervous anymore. Instead, it fuelled her confidence. Their plan was actually working. 

“So, Violet,” Luke started when the laughter about something Flynn had said to Reggie died down. “What do you do in life?” he asked and all four girls let out a collective “uhm”. 

“Well….” Violet dug through her brain to find something that sounded enough like their Violet to be true while still sounding remotely cool. “I’ve been… Working on a lot of music and, you know… going to school and stuff.” 

While the boys looked at her with interest, the girls gave her cautious looks, hoping that, whatever came out of that girl’s mouth, would make sense for their Violet and didn’t give away that she might not be the Violet they used to know. 

“We wouldn’t know,” Reggie responded and lifted his arm to rest on the back of the couch, behind Violet’s head. “We dropped out of school,” he whispered in her ear with a smirk on his face. 

Violet wasn’t used to this behavior from Reggie. In her universe, Reggie was the dorky one. He was sweet and kind and kind of clumsy and not the brightest tool in the shed. He was the himbo-est of himbos. Not this confident, flirty dude that tactically placed his arm behind a girl's head. 

“But you’re into making music?” Luke asked, completely dismissing Reggie’s flirty behavior. Violet nodded her head as she sipped from her strawberry milkshake. “I would love to see some of your work…. Maybe we could get together sometime?” 

Violet nearly choked on her milkshake, but quickly recovered herself and wiped the splash of milkshake from her lip, making sure Luke noticed the action. “Yeah, who knows… Maybe… If you’re not too busy with your rockstar life, that is.” 

The others around them stared at the two as though they had just said something insanely controversial. Jaws were dropped and eyes were either wide or narrowed in suspicion. 

Before anyone could say anything, Julie’s phone ringing cut any of those possibilities away. Though each of them would like to know what was going on between the two of them. Luke was being more flirty than ever and Violet was more confident than ever before. Something didn’t quite add up here. 

“Yeah, we’re at Chubbie’s, dad,” Julie said into her phone. “Okay! Yeah, see ya in a bit!” The girl hung up the phone and looked up at the group. “Dad’s gonna be here in a few minutes,” she informed them. 

“I’m gonna go for a wee, then,” Carrie announced and Violet, Reggie and Bobby all stood up so the girl could slide out. Before Violet could take a seat again, Carrie grabbed her by the wrist. “You’re coming with me.” 

“Okay,” Violet mumbled and let her best friend lead her towards the restrooms. “What’s this all about?” she asked. 

“I need a wee,” Carrie told her and disappeared into one of the stalls. “But also, what was that between you and Luke?!” 

Violet shrugged before turning to the mirror. She fixed her hair and a bit of her run-out lipstick whilst speaking. “I’m playing hard-to-get… Kinda? I guess?” 

“You think that’s gonna work?” 

“It seems to be working. Didn’t you see the way he looked at me? He’s into me, I think.” 

Carrie flushed and exited the stall, looking straight into Violet’s eyes. “And are you?” 

“No,” Violet defended. “It’s all for the plan.” 

The blonde girl heaved in a deep breath and started washing her hands. “I hope it is. I don’t wanna see you hurt again.” Violet’s brow furrowed, but figured it had probably something to do with the universe-thing and decided not to ask about it. Instead, she followed Carrie out the door after she had washed and dried her hands. 

When the girls returned to the booth, Flynn and Julie were already climbing out of the booth, along with the boys. Ray had probably already arrived at the diner and they were just waiting for them. 

“You’re coming home tonight?” Carrie asked her brother as he took her in for a hug. 

He hummed. “Yep. For a few weeks, at least.” He pressed a kiss to her temple, breaking away from her. “But I gotta help get the equipment back in the rehearsal studio first. So, I might be late.” 

Carrie nodded her head in understanding before saying goodbye to the other boys. The other three girls did the same and as Julie and Flynn followed behind Carrie, Luke held Violet back for a moment. 

“Don’t be a stranger, yeah?” he licked his lips and let his eyes fall down to her mouth. “You can take me up on that offer to work on some music together…” 

Violet smiled and nodded her head. “Sure,” she said and teasingly let her eyesight fall on Luke’s lips before turning around and running after the other girls. This was going to be a whole new adventure and all Violet wanted to know was how it was going to end. For her. For the boys and her friends. But mostly, with Luke. 

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