#Cole Preston

[felixlefebvre]

WALLOWS Live from Amazon Music’s City Sessions at Bowery Ballroom in New York City on May 23rd, 2024.

[lvndrfucks]

hiii !! are you able to do just cute tour moments with dylan ?? either on stage or not ?? thank u sm for writing for the wallows cuz i swear no one writes for them 😭

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆tour moments ft. dylan｡˚🐻𖤐🧋

➤ during performances, you sang clairo’s part in “are you bored yet?” you’d usually sing from behind your keyboard until fans were making comments that you should be up front with dylan during the verse.

just as you were about to sing, dylan quickly raced to your side and offered his hand out. you laughed while singing.

“feels like I've known you my whole life, i can see right through your lies.” hands intertwined, dylan led you to the front as the crowd roared in excitement. “i don't know where we're going, but i'd like to be by your side.”

your cheeks began to hurt from smiling as he circled around, his eyes never leaving yours. the two of you harmonized. “if you could tell me how you're feelin', maybe we'd get through this undefeated. holdin' on for so long.”

instead of going back to the keyboard, the two of you jumped around stage until the song finished.

➤ fans also made the connection that you and dylan often shared clothing. there were countless photos online that showed side by side comparisons of him wearing a shirt/sweater and you wearing the same one. they thought it was sweet and you thought it was cute how people picked up on the little things.

one time, during a concert, dylan decided to tease the audience a bit.

it was after you performed a song and were about to do the talking portion when dylan leaned into the mic.

he called your name. “i really like your shirt. where’d you get it?”

you glanced down, giggling a bit. “thanks. i’m not sure, actually. just something i found from my closet.”

“i didn’t know my suitcase was considered your closet now.”

the crowd screamed as you rolled your eyes playfully, waving a hand at him dismissively.

of course, there was one memorable moment in particular that was a fan favorite.

“hi, guys,” you beamed into the mic. “do you guys like my outfit?” it was a sheer lace crop top with black lace trim and gothic-inspired lettering. the top was paired with a denim skirt with a ruffled hem, giving it a playful touch. “my boyfriend got it for me.” more cheers erupted. “can we say thank you dylan?”

you laughed at the boy’s red face as half of the audience just screamed while there were a mix of thank you’s thrown in. braeden and cole thought it would be funny to thank dylan as well as they said it into their microphones.

➤ a lot of behind the scenes moments were shared online, whether they were on tour or in the recording studio. if you focused hard enough and squinted your eyes, you and dylan would be spotted in the background of certain scenes.

during the beginning of your guys’ relationship, you tried not to show too much pda in front of the camera. now, the two of you could care less.

most of them consisted of the two of you close to each other. you sitting on his lap, him having one arm around you. there would be little snippets of the two of you messing around thrown in.

as you were doing your makeup, dylan approached you from behind with a camcorder. you flashed him a small smile before focusing back to your makeup. he zoomed in on you through the mirror.

“isn’t she gorgeous?”

you tried biting back a smile, attempting to glare at him.

“see? she’s cute even while trying to be mad at me.” you placed your palm over the lens, pushing away gently. “hey, don’t hate the camera man,” dylan defended.

“go bother braeden.” you breathed out a laugh.

“fine. only because i like bothering him.”

dylan peppered your cheek with kisses, the camera only getting a shot of your shoulder when he leaned in. but the audience knew what happened.

➤ have you guys seen that one clip of ross lynch and jaz sinclair (rip) at one of the driver era concerts and she’s dancing around while he just stares at her in full admiration? and when she goes to walk away, he’s just following her with his lips pressed against hers, not wanting her to go?

yeah, that was definitely you and dylan.

during your songs, you interacted with the crowd quite a bit and liked to dance around the stage. dylan always had heart-shaped eyes watching as you pulled the silliest moves just to see him laugh.

you both leaned in for a kiss, but he didn’t want to pull away. you attempted to walk back to your keyboard, but he was right behind you with his lips still against yours. eventually, you placed your hand on his chest to pull back, cheeks red and smile so wide that it hurt.

“love you,” he mouthed.

you blew him a kiss that he pretended to hit his heart.

[kmsvisuals]

Dylan Minnette from Wallows

performing live at Toyota Music Factory in Dallas, Texas.

shot by me

[dreamgirlev1l]

um pinterest did you mean scrawny motherfucker with a cool hairstyle

[awarnin]

can i request literally just anything written for cole… idc what you’re the only wallows writer ive been able to find and im starving for cole content 😭

Dating Cole Preston | HEADCANONS

warning: none

author's note: THANKS FOR YOUR REQUEST!! I wrote these headcanons because I thought it was something very general and you might like it, I hope you do!!! Lmk your opinion <3

_

Cole is a very sweet boyfriend, little impromptu dates during the week when you two have a little free time.

A very organized person, with clear goals and objectives. He will make it clear to you what he wants for your relationship from the beginning.

I don't think he's thinking about marriage, a long-term relationship is what he wants.

Quality time is definitely his love language, he likes spending time with you, from going for a walk together in the mornings to talking for hours during the early hours.

He will definitely persuade you to play video games with him, if you don't understand them he will take the time to explain in detail how it works, and he will let you win the first few times. Only the first few times, he has a competitive spirit.

He likes to wear matching outfits with you, combine colors or textures, he thinks he's very cool.

He is a very romantic person behind closed doors, he will definitely hug you and kiss you in front of other people, but he will open up much more to you when you are alone. Sweet words every day, repeating how much he loves you.

I can imagine him laying on your chest at night just scrolling through Tiktok for hours with you, enjoying your company.

He's a very good listener, you can talk to him for hours and he'll remember every word, nothing will ever come out of his mouth.

He will take photos of you at .5x always, like, always.

He'll definitely write songs about you, little tunes that make him think about your relationship. He'll feel a little embarrassed for you to hear them at first, even though you love them.

He'll never get angry, he's anxious, and a little awkward at times, but he's a very patient person and prefers to talk to you about the problems you have before anything else.

He's a little bit jealous, nothing exaggerated, and it'll never be your fault, he's a little insecure, even though you make it clear that you love him and he's enough.

_

[rageisinourveins]

WALLOWS PLAYS 'MOST LIKELY TO' MUCHMUSIC

[gettingmoneyontour]

[irwinsblender]

drunk on halloween

a/n: felt like writing a halloween themed fic as halloween was coming up! and i noticed a lack of wallows fics on here!!! so i thought id write one for braeden :)

happy halloween to those who celebrate <3

pairing: braeden x reader

summary: you hadn’t been to many social gatherings since your break up quite a few months ago, braeden thinks going to a halloween party with a small amount of drinking may do you some good. although, that may come with an unexpected confession.

warnings: drinking alcohol, reader feeling negative about herself

word count: 2.4k

✩ ✩ ✩

Halloween.

Usually you’d be the first person to be wanting to go out and buy a costume to go to a gathering or party with your friends.

You loved halloween. It’s the time of year you get to dress up however you want, in whatever costume you want, and you always found that thrilling.

The past couple of years, you would match costumes with your boyfriend, go to some stupid party and most likely get laughed at by his friends. It wasn’t all that fun for you now that you think back to it.

This year would be very different. You and your boyfriend broke up back at the start of the year. Which meant, no matching costume, no shitty halloween party.

Instead, you would get to spend the day with your friends. Especially, your longtime friend, Braeden. You’d turned down his halloween plans since being with your boyfriend, which was mostly his doing, so this year would be a breath of fresh air.

In your opinion, Braeden had stayed friends with you for longer than he should’ve. For reasons out of your control, you didn’t talk to him as much, you skipped plans, you practically avoided him. All because of your ex.

Braeden repeatedly told you that it wasn’t your fault. That he knew what was going on, that he wasn’t mad at you over it whatsoever.

He could never be mad at you, he cared about you way too much for that.

Since your break up, Braeden had been with you almost every day. He’d be at your apartment, cooking you food, watching movies with you, letting you borrow his clothes, sleeping over with you more than being in his own house.

You hadn’t been out much since everything happened, so Braeden put in extra effort to get you to have a good time. He took you out to eat, took you to your favourite ice cream spot, everything a boyfriend would do.

He was the perfect guy. And maybe he’d wished you’d seen that sooner.

Now, you were sat on Braeden’s bed. Legs comfortably crossed in front of you as you waited for him to change into his costume in the bathroom.

He’d told you about the halloween party Dylan would be throwing at his place, suggesting that it might be a nice time for you to see friends and relax for the night.

It didn’t take long for him to walk into the room, standing with his arms out for you to see the full outfit.

“So, you’re meant to be a… magician?” You asked, the black pants, white shirt, cape and hat made that obvious.

“And I have the props to go with it,” he enthusiastically held out a deck of cards and a magic wand. “Maybe I can magic a rabbit out of my hat.”

“You have a rabbit?”

He had an odd expression on his face. An almost unreadable one. He went to his drawers, pulling out a headband… with bunny ears on it. He raised his eyebrows.

You realised at that moment why Braeden had suggested for you to wear your most hated white dress to this halloween party. You’d even put on a hoodie over it because you hated it so badly.

“You’re not serious,” you folded your arms. “You really want me to be the bunny?”

“I just thought i’d might be nice to have a matching outfit,” he defended himself.

“But, I only used to do matching outfits with—“

You sighed, running your hands through your hair. Braeden, put the headband down on his cabinet, slowly sitting down next to you.

“I thought us doing a matching outfit could take your mind off of it,” he explained. “Give you some new happy memories for halloween.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” you looked at him, seeing the sorrowful look on his face. “I know you’re doing this for me, it’s just that it’s the first halloween since everything happened.”

“And I probably should’ve asked about these outfits before calling you over here,” he truly did feel bad. He didn’t want to make you do this if you didn’t want to. “I’ll take you home so you can wear something you want to wear.”

You contemplated for a moment. Looking at this thought out costume that Braeden was wearing. You didn’t want to ruin something else for him.

He did this for you, he wanted to try and make you happy, make you forget about your ex. Another example of how much he cared, that he was willing to take you home now if you really didn’t want to do this.

“Give me the bunny ears,” you held your hand out.

“You’ll do it?”

“I’ll do it.”

He abruptly stood, grabbing the bunny ears to give them to you. You stood up too, standing in front of his mirror to place them atop your head.

The ears looked ridiculously large on you. Either way, you turned around to show Braeden who was waiting patiently behind you to see. He let out a quiet laugh, coughing to cover it up after.

“Don’t laugh!” You folded your arms over your stomach. “You’re the one who wanted me to do this.”

“No, no, you look great,” He straightened up the ears on your head, staying close to you afterwards.

You looked up at him, the sweet expression on his face, the way he was looking at you. There was meaning in that look, there must’ve been.

“Um, we should probably get going,” he stepped away, finding his phone to check the time. “I have a pair of white gloves for you too, where did I put them?”

He rummaged through his drawer, finding them after a few moments. He handed them to you, watching as you slipped them on.

“Okay, I’m ready,” you smiled, Braeden raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Your hoodie.”

“What about it?”

“Aren’t you gonna take it off?” He asked. “For your dress.”

“Oh, uh, totally.”

You hesitated for a moment, taking your bunny ears off before slowly pulling the sleeves over your hands to go to take it off, but you stopped. Your dress was thin, slightly clingy. Did you have to do this?

“I always think you look beautiful in your dresses,” Braeden leaned against his wardrobe, noticing the unsure look on your face.

“it’s just—“ you closed your eyes, shaking your head. “It makes me look—“

“Pretty?” He spoke over you. “Gorgeous?”

“Come on, stop,��� you chuckled.

He raised his hands in defence, looking away as you eventually pulled your hoodie over your head, placing it on Braeden’s bed before turning around.

He went to speak, no words coming out. He’d underestimated how much he’d missed getting to hang out with you, getting to do things like this with you. With his best friend. Perhaps the person he saw more as a friend.

“You look beautiful,” he smiled softly. You rolled your eyes. “I’m serious, we look good together, huh?”

Together.

You looked down at your dress, over to his magician costume, “we match well,” you finally agreed. “Good job thinking of this.”

You both discussed final arrangements for Dylan’s party, making your way over to his house soon after.

It didn’t take long to get there, Dylan greeting you at the door in his priest costume before grabbing drinks for you both to have for the start of the night.

You passed Cole in his pumpkin outfit on the way to the living room, enjoying himself as much as everyone else here.

Braeden knew you had a tendency to drink to forget about your problems, so he was making sure to watch you didn’t over do it, not wanting you to end up feeling sick.

It was hard for you to admit to yourself, but you had been having a good time here so far. For the first time in two years, you were having fun on halloween. Without your boyfriend, without his stupid friends that you never knew.

You were having fun with Braeden, your best friend who you suddenly felt the need to be overly thankful to. Perhaps the alcohol in your system taking effect after being half way through your second drink.

“You know,” you gained Braeden’s attention, sitting on the sofa in the living room. “You really didn’t have to do all this matchy outfit thing for me just to try and make me happy.”

“You know,” he mocked jokingly. “I’d do anything for you if it means you’re happy.”

“Well, I am, I’m very happy,” you shuffled closer to him. “I don’t know what I did to deserve a friend like you, or to keep you around.”

He sighed, glancing to your cup to see it was almost empty. You did tend to get emotional when you’re drunk, so that’s what this must be.

“I was always gonna stay around,” he leaned forwards, placing his cup on the small table. “I wasn’t about to lose you over some shitty guy.”

“He was shitty, wasn’t he?” You laughed with a shake of your head. “You’re not shitty though, you’ve never been shitty.”

“I try my best,” Braeden laughed with you.

As he sat back, you leaned that small bit closer, laying your head on his shoulder. You decided you liked him this close, feeling his arm go around your shoulders.

He noticed you fiddling with the top of your plastic cup, something you usually did if you had something on your mind. He took a deep breath, trying to slow his racing heart with you being so close.

From beside him, Dylan walked past, knocking his shoulder gently with a raise of his eyebrows. He knew how Braeden felt about you, so did Cole who was looking from the other side of the room.

“Why are they looking at us like that?” You asked, causing Braeden to abruptly look down at you.

You looked up at him, now realizing the close proximity you were in. Neither of you moved. It’s as if everything around you froze. Had his eyes always been this dreamy?

“Is it hot in here?” He suddenly questioned.

“what?”

“We should um, go and get some air,” he turned away. Glaring at his two friends as he stood up.

You didn’t know what was going on, but you followed his lead, stumbling slightly as you stood up, maybe you did drink a little too much.

Braeden immediately reached for your hand, steadying you before going any further.

“You okay?” He double checked.

You looked down at your hand in his, suddenly feeling your heart racing. This hadn’t happened before. What was going on?

“Drunk on halloween, how cliche,” you chuckled, forcing yourself to look up at him.

He shook his head at you, starting to lead you away from the living room, his hand keeping hold of yours.

You went to the back of the house, leaving through the back door. It was quiet in the backyard, peaceful, away from all the music and drinking.

You both sat down on the patio chair, now letting go of Braeden’s hand. It was a clear night, the bright stars glowing in the sky above you. Tonight was a perfect night.

Sitting in the quiet was definitely needed. Letting your mind settle, although, the only thing you could think about was all the moments you’d had with Braeden today.

The way he looked at you in his house when he adjusted your bunny ears, him calling you beautiful, his arm around you inside, the way he looked at you then, him holding your hand.

You were close to Braeden. He was your best friend. But things had felt different tonight.

Without thinking, your hand had started to edge closer to his. Pinky’s touching, linking yours with his as a little gentle touch. He didn’t move his hand away, didn’t ask what was going on.

Friends don’t act like this. do they?

“Thank you for getting me to come to this party,” you broke the silence. “It’s been nice spending this time with you again.”

“I’ve missed it,” he admitted. “It’s been a while since we’ve been together to have a good time, rather than you being upset.”

“yea, together.”

You took a long breath in, shuffling to look at Braeden beside you. He turned too, not knowing why you were looking at him the way you were.

You reached up, taking his hat off of his head to run your hand through his fluffy brown hair. The only look in his eyes was adoration, he couldn’t help but smile.

“I don’t know why I ever thought he was a good guy,” you said referring to your ex. “When I’ve had you the whole time.”

Braeden furrowed his eyebrows, he didn’t understand where you were going with this.

“I don’t know why I didn’t see it before,” you cupped his cheek in your gloved hand. “I think it’s been you for longer than I realized before.”

“Stop,” he moved away slightly. “You’re drunk.”

“I’m not saying this just because I’ve been drinking, Brae,” you defended. “No one’s ever cared about me the way you do, you’re always here, no matter what.”

He knew you were serious after calling him by that nickname. He sighed, relaxing into your touch as you continued on. You felt ever so closer to him now, the closest you’re sure you’d ever been to him.

Close enough to notice his quick glance down to your lips.

“I pushed you away, when I should’ve been honest with you, with myself, from the start.”

Now it was Braeden’s turn. He brushed his thumb delicately across your cheek before tucking your hair behind your ears.

“I guess my whole plan for tonight was to give you some happier halloween memories,” he holds your chin between his thumb and finger. “Can I kiss you?”

You don’t know what you’d expected, but it wasn’t for him to say that. Judging by his initial reaction, you were expecting him to move away completely.

“I thought you would’ve noticed the signs earlier on,” he leaned in closer. “Maybe now’s finally the right time.”

Without another word, he moved forwards. His lips connecting to yours in a soft kiss. He slowly pulled away after, waiting to see your reaction.

You had the most lovestruck smile on your face. A blush rising on your cheeks before you quickly cuddled up to Braeden.

This Halloween had been perfect. And now you knew that he’s all you needed and more.

✩ ✩ ✩

taglist: if you would like to join my wallows taglist, please comment here or see this post

[myidolstuffs]

wallows headers! w3 is coming i'm so exciting.

[wallowsfike]

less than 2 weeks until model !!

[cyb3rnephilimsarchive]

[reinventboy]

you could have me on my back every night. i don't mind the things that you've been doing, think you need someone like me to get through it.

[lvndrfucks]

It was early when the band and crew arrived at the venue. You were lying backstage on the couch, scrolling through your phone. Everyone else was moving around you, but you still couldn’t help but feel a bit sluggish.

You were so distracted on your screen, you didn’t realize one of the boys coming up and wiggling their way into your arms. A small groan left your mouth at the sudden weight.

“Why?” Your voice strained.

“You’re tired. I’m tired.” That was all Cole said with his head lying on your chest and arms wrapping around your body.

Before you could respond, the both of you groaned this time as Braeden decided to be the cherry on top.

“I love you guys,” he sighed happily.

“I…can’t…breathe…assholes.”

Dylan, who was sitting a few feet away, was recording on his phone. He giggled quietly zooming in on his bandmates. He captioned it “hard at work” before posting it on the band’s story.

You slapped Braeden’s arm with all your strength. He eventually got up and Cole sat up, as well, letting your legs rest on his. You took in deep, dramatic breaths.

“That actually felt nice,” you admitted. “I was getting cold.”

Cole playfully rolled his eyes. “Do you want me to get your blanket?”

You shook your head. “It’s okay. We’re gonna rehearse anyways and I gotta do my makeup after. And figure out what to wear.”

“Wow. Someone’s unprepared.”

You sat up and punched his arm. You let out a yelp while running away before he could get you back.

The whole band was on the stage for soundcheck. You had just finished rehearsing one of your solo songs and waiting to continue with the setlist. You stretched your arms above your head, letting a large yawn out. With a large sigh, you laid flat on the stage and stared up at the ceiling.

You still sang into the microphone softly to test the levels. Dylan noticed the videographer recording for the behind the scenes and decided to mess with you a bit. He placed his guitar down and started towards you.

A small screech escaped as you cowered behind your arms at Dylan’s attempt to jump you. He laughed as you tried stretching to kick his legs. He ended up grabbing your ankles, threatening to use you as a mop across the stage. This time, you were laughing while trying to break free.

You made Braeden carry you backstage after soundcheck was done. He dumped you on the couch.

“I smell tacos,” you spoke.

“Maybe because there’s tacos,” Dylan replied.

With a gasp, you sprang up and made a B-line towards the food. A few chuckled at your sudden enthusiasm. After piling the food onto your plate, you sat down on the floor in front of a full length mirror to start your makeup.

Cole glanced at you from time to time at your multitasking. He started to notice the frustration on your face as you kept trying to tuck your long hair behind your ears or keeping it from falling over your shoulders.

He walked over and wordlessly sat behind you. He gathered your hair back gently and used the spare hair band on his wrist to tie your hair back.

(Dylan and Braeden saw this as a photo opportunity.)

You thanked him, continuing your makeup. He didn’t move from his spot and watched you work.

“Should I put glitter on,” you asked, looking at Cole over your shoulder.

“Why wouldn’t you?” He grinned.

“I don’t know. What if I start crying or something? I can’t put on eyeshadow because I get all oily and sweaty.”

He chuckled. “Why would you start crying?”

“I don’t know! I’m a very emotional person.” You sighed and faced the mirror. “Fuck it, I’ll just put it on.” You leaned in closer to the mirror to place glitter in the inner corner of your eyes.

Cole thought it was a perfect time to take a photo through the mirror. (And Braeden took a photo of him doing so.)

You groaned suddenly. “You know what. I should’ve put the glitter on right before we go on stage. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“How was I supposed to know?” He threw his hands up while laughing. “It’s okay. You can just reapply it later.”

“It’s not the same,” you pouted. “It’s not fresh.”

Cole placed his hands on your hips, kissing the back of your head. “It’s okay,” he reassured. That seemed to have done the trick as you relaxed. “But don’t put on your lipstick yet because you always complain about ruining it. Then, you end up having to take it off and rushing to put it back on.”

“Ugh, you’re right.” You placed the lipstick back in your bag. “You’re so smart.” You turned your head to place a kiss on his cheek. “Come help me pick out an outfit.”

The two of you stood up, you holding onto your plate of unfinished tacos tightly.

Cole sat in one of the chairs as you looked through your suitcase. Well, you were actually throwing all your clothes onto the floor trying to look for specific pieces because you had a vision.

“Okay,” you started and faced him, “long sleeve with my black mini skirt and knee high boots. And,” you reached into your other bag, “this white belt or no?”

He tilted his head in thought. “Definitely white belt.”

You nodded and set them aside. “That settles that. See? I’m not unprepared.”

“No, you’re just messy.” He gestured to the clothes littered around the floor.

You waved your hand dismissively. “Part of the process.”

You started folding your clothes to put back. Cole moved next to you to help.

It was nearly showtime. You were currently getting your mandatory photoshoot. The boys often liked to crash it, just like now.

Braedon peeked his head in before standing right in front of you with a wide smile. You pushed him aside, the camera capturing your faux annoyed expression. After he left, Dylan passed through and the two of you took a few serious shots. One of the both of you leaning back against the wall and another with your arm resting on his shoulder.

When Cole entered the room, your smile seemed to have widened. You beckoned him forward. He shook his head at first until you seized his arm and pulled him to your side. He tried maintaining a straight face, but it was hard to when you were looking at him with heart-shaped eyes. The both of you ignored the ongoing clicking.

“You guys go on in five,” the stage manager announced.

You thanked the photographer and joined Dylan snd Braedon on stage. Before you and Cole could separate, he held onto your arm and pressed a brief kiss upon your lips. You smiled as he pecked again and again.

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you too.” Your thumb rubbed over his cheek.

Cole settled himself on his drums while you at your keyboard. You glanced back at him, giving a small wink just before the lights dimmed.

“All the things you don't wanna let go…”

hera speaks!

i recently saw wallows in concert and it quite literally changed my life. then, to my disappointment, there was a serious lack of wallows fics! so i’m making it my duty to fix that.

if you have any requests, i encourage you to send them. the fluffier the better!

(can you tell who my fav is…)

[heartsforwallows]

THEY.... THEY PLAYED MY FAVOURITE SONG GANGGG (also happy birthday danny!!!)

[acjrven]

wallows post concert depression is hitting hard so here are some my fav photos i took!

(manchester n1)

[awarnin]

Hiiii queen!!! I love your work sm and you’re literally the only person writing for wallows at the moment so thank you for that!! Can I request a Braeden fic? Maybe something to do with comforting the reader or the reader comforting him? I’m honestly fine with whatever cause I know it’s gonna be amazing either way. Thank you!!💕

Do You Think So...? | BRAEDEN LEMASTERS X FEM!READER

synopsis: He doesn't know how to face an argument...

warning: angst, Braeden thinks everything is against him, anxiety. He argues with Dylan.

author's note: it hasn't even been 24 hours since this request was made omg when it comes to Braeden's angst im SEATED (i've been daydreaming about this for the last month lmao) thanks for your request and the compliments, baby. let me know what you think, i hope you like it <3

wordcount: 5.1k

.

You sit at the kitchen table, the warm light of the lamp above you casting soft shadows on the walls as you swipe your finger across your phone screen. The distant hum of the city filtering through the open window mingles with the soft whisper of the trees. You're waiting for Braeden to come back from his studio session with the guys, like he does every Thursday, when the sound of the door suddenly swinging open breaks the tranquility. The bang of the door slamming shut echoes through the house, and you hear hurried footsteps running up the stairs.

“Brae?” you call, setting your phone aside as you stand. There’s no response, but his body language says it all. You follow the sound of his footsteps, climbing the stairs one by one, a growing concern building in your chest. When you reach the hallway, you hear the bedroom door slam shut, followed by a muffled cry of frustration.

As you gently push the door open, you see him. Braeden is lying on the edge of the bed, his feet dangling in the air, and his eyes—those eyes that have always shown you strength and kindness—are now filled with helplessness. He looks at you like a wounded puppy, extending his hand toward you, seeking comfort.

“Oh, babe… What happened now?” you ask softly as you take his hand. You lie down beside him, feeling the weight of his emotions in the air, so thick it feels like you could cut through it. Your fingers find his hair, and you begin to stroke it, trying to soothe the storm in his mind.

“It’s the same as always… Dylan doesn’t listen to me,” his voice is barely a whisper, as if the words weigh him down. He falls silent for a moment, struggling to find the way to explain what he’s feeling. “I want to do one thing, he wants another, and…” He lets out a long sigh, and it feels as if the air leaves his body like he’s been holding his breath all day. “It’s suffocating,” he adds, his hand falling limply to his side as his eyes search yours, filled with uncertainty.

You keep stroking his hair, your gaze soft yet steady, trying to offer him reassurance. “And what did Dylan say about it?”

Braeden shifts slightly on the bed, his gaze lost on the ceiling. “He said it was fine, but…” he pauses, his eyes narrowing as if replaying the moment in his mind. “I know he was upset about it. I told him we could leave the song the way he wanted, but he told me no, that it was fine the way I suggested. But still… everything felt tense.”

You know Braeden hates conflict. He’d rather swallow his own words than get into an argument, and that’s what worries you most. Sometimes, his desire to avoid problems locks him in an emotional prison.

“Braeden…” you look at him, your eyes reflecting the sadness you feel for him.

“I know! I know what you’re going to say,” he interrupts, his voice rising a little, not out of anger but from frustration with himself. “You told me to stand my ground, not to give in so easily, but… God, it’s so hard. I don’t want him to be mad at me.”

You feel this is one of those moments when you need to be his anchor, so you take a deep breath before speaking. “Are you willing to sing songs you don’t like for the rest of your life just because you’re afraid of facing a small disagreement?”

Your words seem to hang in the air, heavy, but necessary. Braeden falls silent for a moment, his brows furrowed as if processing what you just said. You know he’s not someone who gives up easily, but the fear of disappointing others has always kept him bound.

“It’s not that…” he finally responds, his voice softer, more vulnerable. “I just… I don’t want him to think I believe his music is bad, and I don’t want him to end up singing songs he doesn’t like either.”

You sigh, understanding him more than he understands himself. “Brae,” you look at him tenderly, “if Dylan accepted your suggestion, it’s because he thought it was good, because he listened to you, he didn't do it because he felt obligated. The only one putting this pressure on yourself is you. Making music with your friends shouldn’t feel like this.”

Braeden keeps staring at the ceiling, processing your words. Slowly, he raises an arm and places it over his forehead, covering his eyes. “Do you think so?” he asks, his voice tired, but also carrying a small glimmer of hope.

“Yes, I do,” you respond firmly. “Music is a reflection of what you feel. You can’t keep suppressing your ideas out of fear of what others will think. You need to find a balance, and the guys will, too.”

Braeden turns toward you, his eyes tired but grateful. In that moment, he feels small, vulnerable, but also comforted by your presence. You take his hand again and squeeze it gently, giving him strength.

“Thank you,” he murmurs, his voice barely audible.

You snuggle closer to him, wrapping your arms around him, feeling his breathing slowly deepen, becoming more relaxed. The atmosphere, once thick with tension, now feels lighter. The night outside carries on, but within that room, the world seems to pause for a moment, giving you both a much-needed reprieve.

Braeden closes his eyes, and you keep stroking his hair, knowing that for today, at least, you’ve managed to calm the storms in his mind.

.