#and I’ll listen to their top songs then start going through their albums

[zeppelinlvr]

Kiss Your Eyes Again

Sam Winchester x Female Reader

Summary: you and Sam head home from the bar before dean, the two of you get ready for bed but you find yourself wishing you had gotten a room for just the two of you.

Notes: Like half of this got deleted and I had to rewrite it and I almost cried. Also, the fic literally has nothing to do with the song Anything by Adrianne Lenker I was just listening to the Songs album while writing this. I want to thank all of you for the continuous support, I appreciate it so much. Also feel free to send in requests because I'm running out of ideas 💔

Warnings: Cursing, this gets frisky but there's no actual smut, making out, fluff.

w.c 1.4k

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You placed two beers for Dean and Sam down and a seltzer for yourself, on the small table at the bar. Sam, Dean and you were in the middle of a case, Dean and Sam had done interviews with victims and visited the morgue while you looked at autopsy reports, symbols they had found, and the contents of the hex bags they had discovered. You knew the three of you were dealing with a powerful witch as the spells you found being used were from around the 15th century.

“This witch is hardcore, her end goal looks like she wants to be possessed by or summon a demon, we need to get to her before she can even attempt to do that” You told the two as you sat down.

“Why the hell would someone want to be possessed by a demon?” Dean asked, taking a sip of his beer.

“No clue” you shrugged “Some witches have sex with demons too, they use it as a way to seal the pact they made with the demon”

Dean scrunched his face “I’m glad you're smart but you don't have to share everything you know”

Sam was watching you with interest in what you were saying “so we’re not just dealing with some everyday pagan?”

“Nope, this bitch is crazy” you told him with a giggle.

Sam gave you a soft smile, the two of you had been dating for a while but he always looked at you like it was the first time he’s seeing you, his eyes wide, taking in how beautiful you are.

The conversation carried on, the two boys sharing about the people they had met and how a few seemed off their rocker.

You finished your drink then said to the two “I’m tired, I’m gonna head back” You gave Sam a look, wanting him to join you, not only because you didn't want to walk in the dark but you missed the two of you being alone together and you were hoping to get some time with just him.

“I’ll go back with you, I’m tired too” Sam responded.

“Don't be gettin’ your freak on you two, I’m not gonna be out all night, I’ll have a couple more and head back” Dean told both of you, a smile on his face at your reaction of embarrassment.

“He’ll be done before you even finish your next drink” you joked, earning a laugh from Dean and Sam quick to defend himself with statements about how it wasn't true.

You and Sam headed out of the bar, the motel was only about a 5-minute walk away. You gave a dramatic shiver in hopes to get his jacket.

“Sammy, I’m so cold” you giggled and rubbed your arms dramatically

“You don't deserve my jacket after that comment” he replied, rolling his eyes as he shrugged his jacket off and placed it over your shoulders.

“We both know it isn't true and that's all that matters” you told him, putting your arms through the sleeves and cuddling into it, his smell engulfing you.

Sam laughed and brought his arm around your shoulder, his larger frame completely overshadowing you. You brought your arm around his waist and began to gently scratch his back. He placed a sweet kiss on the top of your head.

“I’m not really tired, I just wanted some alone time with you” you admitted “I love Dean but I want to be alone with you sometimes”

“I know baby” he told you “how about we get ready for bed then we can cuddle and watch some desperate housewives”

You smiled at the mention of the cheesy show the two of you had gotten invested in, it started off as a background show that you’d turn on when you waited for the boys to come back to the motel, or when you and Sam were trying to fall asleep, but you quickly became invested and so did Sam.

“That sounds perfect” you told him

The two of you had returned to the motel, Sam unlocked the door and you made your way over to your duffle bag, changing into your pajamas, Sam did the same. You made your way to the bathroom Sam close behind, you brushed your teeth at the same time as him, unable to hold back your giggles at the toothpaste that dripped down his chin and how aggressively he brushed his teeth.

You washed your face and he watched you closely, eyeing the products you put on your face.

“Why do you have so many potions for your face?” he asked, a small smile on his face.

“Sam, its three things, and it's so my face doesn't break out and get greasy” You explained

He was nothing short of intrigued by your explanation “But why is your face wash called la roach pussy?” he asked, reading the bottle

“Its probably french or something” you shrugged “I don't know how to actually say the name”

When both of you were ready for bed, you turned on the current episode of desperate housewives that you were on.

You snuggled into Sam, he wrapped his arms around your waist, and you leaned into his shoulder. Both of you attempting to cuddle while still being able to see the show.

Sam placed a kiss on the top of your head “I’m sorry we don't get a lot of alone time, I wish I could give you a white picket fence life, but I think we both know that's out of the question by now”

“Sammy don't apologize, and I’m okay with not having a Stepford Wives style of living” you paused “It’s more interesting to research monsters and see you come back sweaty and covered in dirt, its hot” you giggled and poked his chest, he shook his head in response, but a small laugh escaped.

“Sam, I really do love you and I wouldn't trade the life we have for anything, I like knowing we helped people at the end of the day” you added earnestly.

A smile played on his face as he brought you in for a kiss. It was slow and loving, he brought a hand to hold the back of your head, gently toying with your hair. You scratched and rubbed his shoulder, your other hand on his neck playing with the tufts of hair.

The kiss became heated when Sam picked you up and set you on his lap, doing it with such ease it felt as if you weighed nothing. He worked kisses along your collarbone, a soft moan escaping your lips at the sensation. He placed a few kisses on your shoulder before pulling your shirt over your head. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of your bare chest, running his hands along your sides a few times, tracing your figure, before grabbing one of your breasts with his large hands, he began to gently toy with your nipple. Your incoherent encouragement and praises followed, you were unable to speak properly, it had been a while since you had been able to be so intimate with Sam.

“I know baby, it's okay” he said in response to your babbling.

You ground down onto his lap, earning a groan from him, you had your hand around the back of his neck tugging on his hair more desperately now, your other hand holding on to his large arm. You felt his growing erection against your core, your arousal pooling at the overwhelming sensations you were experiencing.

Sam brought his lips to yours again, his chest heaving as he harshly breathed while kissing you. His hand on the back of your head pushed you into him, holding you close. You continued to grind down onto his lap, Sam swallowing your soft moans and letting out groans and soft whines of pleasure.

As Sam was beginning to pull off your pants you heard a knock at the door. You sighed, not wanting this moment to be cut short. You threw your shirt on quickly and climbed out of Sam’s lap, giving him a sweet kiss.

“Are you two decent” Dean yelled through the door

Sam was uncomfortably shifting around, pulling the blanket over his lap.

“Yep, just watching tv” You yelled back

You heard the door unlock and Dean entered the room, laughing at Sam’s messy hair and your disheveled shirt, he chose to keep his comments to himself and made his way to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Sam pulled you into him, his chest flush against your back, he wrapped his arms around you, and you snuggled into him. You could tell he was still aroused, his erection poking you. You giggled at his issue, and he sighed but also laughed.

“We’ll get our own room next time” he told you and placed a kiss on the top of your head.

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[elsthoughtshrs]

Midnights

Summary: Spencer's surprising knowledge regarding Taylor Swift's newest album 'Midnights' sparks the teams conversation about his secret girlfriend.

Couple: Spencer Reid/Fem!Reader

Category: Fluff

Word Count: 882

Read on Ao3

“Have you listened to it yet?” Penelope asked eagerly as she approached JJ’s desk across the bullpen.

They had just gotten back from a case the night before and thus were confined to the bullpen as they worked through paperwork before a new case hit their desks. However paperwork was dreadfully boring, as I had told Spencer in the car that morning, so any opportunity to ignore it was taken gratefully.

JJ looked up with a smile, “I did, I got to listen when I got home last night and again on my way to work this morning.”

“Perfect.” Penelope dragged an empty chair to her desk before she continued, “Do you have a favourite song yet? I have a couple but I need to know your opinions first.”

Briefly, I glanced to Spencer who hadn’t looked up at the commotion but he wore a small smile at the mention. Since we had started dating, he learnt quickly that I loved Taylor Swift. I hadn’t made him listen to the entirety of her discography, but Midnights was the first album to come out since we started dating. Obviously, I had insisted upon him sitting up with me as we listened to every song as soon as we had the chance. We sat up the night before listening to every song, stopping at the end of each so I could give him my thoughts on them.

“I think Mastermind,” JJ replied thoughtfully.

Penelope nodded earnestly, “That’s a good one, I think mine Bejewelled. Or Lavender Haze. Or Karma. I don’t know, it’s hard.”

Those had also been top contenders for her and Spencer, although eventually it was decided upon between the both of them that they liked You’re On Your Own Kid the most.

“It’s so different from Folklore and Evermore though, I wasn’t ready for it, I love it though,” JJ raved.

Absentmindedly Spencer spoke up, “It’s like a mix of 1989 and Speak Now I think.”

He hadn’t looked up when he spoke, so it wasn’t until the bullpen fell silent that he looked up and saw the curious looks around him. Even Tara, Luke, and Matt had tuned in.

“What?”

“I didn’t take you as a Taylor Swift fan?” JJ said, looking bemused by his confusion.

He merely shrugged, briefly glancing my way before he replied, “She’s my girlfriend’s favourite artist. We listened to Midnights when I got back last night.”

Penelope gasped at the words, “Again with this mystery girlfriend, she gets better every time I hear about her. Now she’s a swiftie.”

“When do we get to meet her?” Matt asked, adding to fuel to the fire.

“What’s her favourite song?” JJ added.

Spencer opened his mouth slightly before he actually spoke, “I don’t know, I’ll have to talk to her about it.”

He had mentioned a few months back that he had a girlfriend to the team in passing. It was just when they were asking about his plans for the weekend and he unthinkingly mentioned that he was going to a Chess exhibit at the Smithsonian with his girlfriend. It had gone downhill since then, every other question from Penelope to him was about this mysterious girlfriend of his.

It hadn’t even been that they had been trying to hide the relationship at first, it had mostly just been new and so they also weren’t going out of their way to publicise it. However, it had been a solid eight months and no one really knew. Well, Rossi definitely knew. He hadn’t mentioned it but he did give them a slight nod with a smile after he saw that they arrived at his place for dinner together.

“Can you at least tell us about her?” Penelope pleaded.

I bit my lip as I looked down at my paperwork, attempting to hide a smirk. Although it didn’t go amiss with JJ.

“What was that, do you know who she is?”

“Who who is?” Rossi asked as he walked through the bullpen with Emily.

Spencer looked relieved at their presence, “Do we have a case?”

Emily shook her head, “Nothing. Who are we talking about?”

“Spencer’s secret girlfriend,” Tara called out with amusement.

Rossi gave an amused nod as Luke spoke, looking my way, “Apparently it’s not all that secret.”

I glanced to Spencer who raised his eyebrows in question, I only shrugged in response. He tilted his head before I nodded slightly and spoke up.

“I’m his secret girlfriend.”

“What?” Penelope gasped, jumping out of her seat. “Since when? Why didn’t you tell us? Oh my god, this is so exciting. Really?”

Spencer let out a quiet laugh and nodded, “Since about eight months ago.”

“Eight months!” JJ exclaimed, “You’re kidding.”

“Wait,” Penelope said suddenly, “What is your favourite song on Midnights?”

I snorted at her sudden revelation that I also liked Taylor Swift, “You’re On Your Own Now Kid.”

“Oh my god, this is so great,” Penelope continued as she gave me a tight hug before she quickly moved onto to Spencer.

Tara nodded, “We’re going to give you so much shit for this.”

“Oh definitely,” Luke agreed.

“Not as much as your mom gave me last night,” I called as JJ gave me a hug, earning an eyeroll from Luke as the team congratulated us.

[spadesolace]

feel special - im nayeon x producer! reader

synopsis: in the midst of thousands of faces trying their best to capture a certain bunny’s heart. you were the only person who captured her attention through your skills in music, to capturing her heart with your very own heart.

spade speaks: nayeon is actually my ult bias (along with yeji) who made me stick around and listen to k-pop. on top of this, feel special being my fave album for various reasons. happy very belated birthday to my fave album and to my fave bunny!

if there was one thing you know about nayeon, is that she prefers the quiet and serene moments of being alone, watching some show on tv, and having kookeu by her side.

nothing beats that.

yes, she loves her members, they’re her second family but living with 8 girls for 3 years then moving to a bigger place with 2 roommates, she still chose to stay in her room. then you arrived.

you were no one in the midst of hundreds of producers wanting to work with the group, to say the least, maybe it was fate that made you two meet. jyp did in fact introduce you two, from working with their twicetagram album to becoming a constant producer in various b-sides.

im nayeon, who’s voice is as sweet as honey, one to bring you comfort, and overall just bring a smile to your face.

before her, solitude was in your studio with your dog who would keep you company as you vibe to music you’ve produced. your place was never quiet, there was always some sort of music playing in the background, and twice became a constant to your playlist. a part of you immediately would distinguish nayeon’s voice in every twice song, maybe it was because she’s your bias.

a little part of you wanted to get to know her, not just as colleagues, but as friends.

it started small, from bringing her drinks so as to not make her throat dry from singing for hours. visiting her after practice just to hear her talk about her day, from overall just being there.

it didn’t take long for you to ask nayeon out on a proper date, similar to the ones you’ve been doing for months. this time, there was an actual label to it, not simply a hang out to talk about each other’s day. it wasn’t much, you just invited her to your place where you cooked dinner, hearing her talk about digesting oil as there are benefits to it, having kookeu and your dog play around as you two played board games to kart rider. 

“no, i don’t see any benefits in consuming oil aside from getting sick.” the debate was still on-going as the game went on, you were leading with nayeon barely catching up.

“it’s tasty and consuming oily food would get you sick.”

“eating straight up oil is worse, nabong.” who knew you would fall for this girl who eats oil.

your date was a complete success, having to cuddle with nayeon as you watched carol. bringing her back to the dorm was bittersweet, a part of you didn’t want it to end but clearly, nayeon had different plans. watching her about to leave your car, she looked back at you, a smile evident on her face.

“i’ll plan the next one.” a kiss on the cheek was all it took just for her to have your heart.

one date turned to two, then three, then it became weekly. 

there was not a time that you two weren’t together. her free time was spent in your studio as you two made songs together that the world would not get the chance to hear. having the chance to hear you sing behind closed doors, persuading you into posting it on your socials. it didn’t take long for that snippet to go viral.

every love story had to start somewhere and yours was about work. from listening to her sing her parts in sweet talker, helping with their japanese album, do the remix for their concert, and overall just admire the girl.

at the very same studio you two first met; you had finally called nayeon yours.

nayeon’s idea of solitude changed from the day she met you. it was no longer being stuck in her room scrolling on her phone or watching a random series or movie on the tv with kookeu. it was now with you, in the comfort of your home where she could be alone… with you.

when their tour started, slowly your time together faded. nayeon was busy and all you could do was consider the situation, the girls are still at their peak and you were merely there to help them out. she still used her free time with you when she’s back in korea, talking about the tour and how fun it was but she wished you could be there to watch them. you did, yet it was only the first day at seoul. so, when their manager had given you a ticket to their manila concert, you immediately took it, letting their management know that you wanted to surprise the girls.

when your girlfriend was busy doing the concert, you watched with keen eyes on how the group you’ve adored since debut to working with them and now, dating the girl of your dreams, felt too surreal. too surreal.

that’s where your thoughts left you with, would nayeon get tired of you? would she pick her career over you? until when will she settle for you and realize she deserves better?

ironic how you’re watching her perform with the loudest crowd there is to date, and you’re overthinking your relationship with who you consider the girl of your dreams… you fear waking up from this dream and return to reality with nothing but disappointment waiting for you. but this is reality. she’s your girlfriend, nayeon is and will be proud to call you hers as you call her mine.

“y/n? you ok?” their manager looked at you as the show finally ended, watching the crowd leave the venue. everything feels gloomy, tiring, anxious would be the better option to describe your state.

“yeah, just tired.” it may have been unnoticed by the manager that you were lying but clearly one nayeon saw you with the same smile you give her but with eyes calling for help, she knows something is wrong.

nothing goes past nayeon, especially when it comes to you. the thing is that she knows not to ask until you feel ready… but whatever is running in your mind makes her worried. you’re one for open communication, she knows this as your colleague and girlfriend, not once did you not voice out your concern for anything. what’s stopping you now?

maybe it was the fact that your best friend, mina, is telling you how much she needs to keep going. she has to, as she would say. you knew of her state for quite a while now, but there was something after their manila concert that just made her break. you were at the manila concert, the way mina was struggling, oh you can never tell your best friend what you’ve been thinking when she needs you the most.

nayeon watched your interaction with mina, she knows well enough how deep your friendship goes but she can’t merely just watch how you were also distancing yourself from her. not when there is clearly something going on inside your mind that you can’t seem to hide anymore. that’s where it started, the sad songs, how you’re writing ballads rather than your usual upbeat music that most of their songs are about. even when mina is already in hiatus and planning to go home for a bit as to recharge and be under the care of her family. you were lost, gone, mind running with the possibility of nayeon leaving you as if you’re not doing it yourself.

that was a toxic defense mechanism, one that you’ve done multiple times. if it weren’t for jihyo’s stubbornness, you would have continued avoiding nayeon.

in your studio where everything is normally organized was a complete mess, jihyo took notice of your eyebags, the amount of takeout containers. the sleep deprivation and the lack of sunlight was getting to you. phone on do not disturb as you avoid replying to nayeon or just sending cold replies, everything is out of place. slowly, jihyo took care of you, cleaning the studio while you finally slept. that was where she took notice of the little things, how you and mina had been talking, keeping your best friend company who was back in her home country, while she was clueless to how you were overanalyzing your relationship with nayeon and how mina being on break took a mental toll on you.

“you can’t keep running away from her. not when she also needs you right now.” jihyo has always been right, the girls have had quite a hard hit when mina went on hiatus, some of which were scared of what the future holds and nayeon was handling it quite poorly.

“jihyo, she’ll realize that she deserves someone better, and it’s not gonna be me.”

“she needs you, y/n. you’re the best thing that has happened to her and you can’t just decide on what’s better for her when you haven’t told her what you’re going through.”

while jihyo took care of you, slowly making sure you were properly talking to nayeon as she set up a schedule with your personal psychiatrist. slowly you were back on track. therapy was an eye opener, how you’re the one ruining the relationship for not knowing how to communicate your concerns because you deem it to be childish.

if it weren’t for jihyo, things would have been different. you wouldn’t be in front of nayeon’s dorm holding a bouquet and a bag filled with her comfort food. you wouldn’t be crying in front of your girlfriend as you told her every single thought. you wouldn’t be able to call her yours as she gave you reassurance that you’re the best thing that has ever happened to her.

“you’re so dumb thinking that i’ll leave you.”

“i know, it’s just that- you’re literally a superstar with everyone falling for your charms, how can i not think of that?”

they say fear attracts.

in nayeon’s eyes, the idea of losing you was the last thing on her mind. that if you were gone, she’d prefer to stop being an idol and try her best to have you back. losing you is one of her biggest fears along with losing her members. when one of her greatest fears (mina going on hiatus) was close to becoming reality, she needed you. she wanted you to know that she needs you the same way that you need her. if fear would be the reason for your breakup, nayeon has every right to call you dumb; you love her yet you won’t fight for her?

solitude for you has and will always be nayeon, losing that would result in chaos, disruption of your peace. you can live without music but without nayeon in your life, without the girl who you tried to push away and yet she still stayed, it would be stupid of you to let her go.

when things have been settled, and jyp asking for your help in producing two of their b-sides, you couldn’t say no to what the message of the album was. having to perfectly encapsulate your thoughts and emotions along with the group’s own thoughts being let out. aside from the chance to work with your best friend and girlfriend; feel special holds a place in your heart.

even when the world becomes dark and you’re consumed by your thoughts, you’re reminded that nayeon is there for you, that she has the patience to understand what is happening inside your brain.

so when her birthday is a few days away, you wanted to surprise her. something that screams that i’m glad to have you in my life. and no, an engagement ring would be too early in your relationship of around 5 months. what better way than to spend the entire day or at least an hour together as she prepares for their comeback the following day.

in some world, or way, you’re back to how you first started, admiring the girls as you make a name in the industry. nayeon shines on stage and it has been like that for years. even when the pandemic hit and you could only talk virtually until things lightened up. in every song she writes, you were a part of it, and when her solo debut was on the works, one call away and you’ll produce half of it.

to nayeon, you’re every song she’s written, every song she covers, and a vital piece to her everyday life.

to you, nayeon is your solitude, baby blue love, and your everything.

“happy birthday, love.” you wave your candybong with the crowd singing happy birthday to nayeon, and in the midst of the crowd, her eyes are set only to you.

[1d1195]

Committed II

Read the first part here

(I'm sorry it's gonna have to be three parts at this rate)

“Hi, kitten,” his voice vibrated in his chest and through her body.

“Hi Harry,” she whispered.

“Missed me?” He hummed to the top of her hair.

“A little,” she muttered. He chuckled.

She had heard Harry sing for almost her whole life—since she had met him when she moved to England and started primary school the same year as he did. Harry’s voice was like a lullaby—her suggestion to record covers was joke, but she was grateful all the same. But there was no greater music than Harry laughing in her ear.

On the days where they weren’t getting ready for a show, she was working her day job; managing a local music store—anything to get into the business of making Harry’s dreams come true. Harry often meandered there on his lunch break to look over albums and sit while she organized shelves and chatted with customers.

As much as Harry liked the idea of becoming part of a big-time band, he didn’t really mind if he didn’t. He was content working at a club when he wasn’t playing in the band. One day he planned to own his own club and play as much as possible. He loved music and loved the idea of supporting small town bands like his. And honestly, he always imagined owning it with his best friend in the world.

She was walking toward another shelf to organized it while Harry mindlessly flipped through new album titles on old vinyl. Harry was in awe of how his generation and the one after him were moving toward such vintage ideals, he liked the feel of records again. But mostly, He liked seeing her in her element among the songs and titles.

As she walked over, Harry called a quiet “Hey,” and tossed a French fry in her direction at the same time. Without even a break in her step, she turned her face just as he threw it, the fry bounced off half her cheek and she managed to snag the other half with her tongue. He chuckled as she winked at him. It was moments like these that Harry thought about Niall saying she would be insane not to take the internship. More so when she said she should be committed then, because she wouldn’t be taking it.

Because the only thing Harry could think about was how he would have to be committed if she did take it.

The idea of not seeing her every day and hearing her laugh made his chest ache for something he shouldn’t even be aching about. She was right there. Just a shelf away from him. Her eyes scanning titles of albums to make sure they were in the right order. Humming to the music that played (her choice of course).

“I think you should record,” she said.

It came up every so often. Usually when one of the songs Harry covered played over the speakers filling the room with sweet melodies that she loved so much. It was part of the reason Harry did all the covers. Why he was so insistent the band learn the old songs and obscure songs that they wouldn’t have normally played. Whatever she loved was fine by him because there wasn’t a song as sweet as her happiness.

She had a lot of favorite songs, and as such, so did Harry.

“We can’t jus’ record covers, kitten.”

She rolled her eyes. “There are cover bands, Harry,” she reminded him.

“I know, m’love,” he chuckled. “But...I want t’record m’own music.”

“Well, you can do that too...I just think you sing this song better than original and I’d like to have it recorded so I can fall asleep listening to it.”

Shaking his head as he popped another fry into his mouth he thought about her suggestion. He liked the idea that his voice would be the last thing she heard before she fell asleep. “Maybe if y’take this internship, I’ll record us...a going away present,” he suggested.

Her organization of the shelf came to an abrupt halt. Her eyes locked with the album titles, and she then slowly closed them. “Very funny,” she muttered.

“Kitten—”

“Don’t. Just don’t, Harry. You’re supposed to be on my side.”

He was quiet for a few moments as he pondered the notion that she wouldn’t leave because of him. Mitch couldn’t be right. That would be insane. There was no way she would give up an incredible opportunity like this...for Harry. “M’always on your side, love,” he said softly. He didn’t want to upset her, and he could see the way her jaw locked tensely as he started to speak again. It was like she was on the defensive. But Harry could also see the way her eyes started to water. “S’why I think y’should go,” he told her. As much as he didn’t want her to be so far away... “I...I would come visit,” he promised. “S’only a year,” he reminded her. “We could FaceTime all the time.”

She didn’t speak for a moment. “A lot can change in a year,” she whispered quietly so the sadness in her voice couldn’t reach his ears.

But it was her, so he heard it anyway. “Not us.” Harry watched a tear roll down her cheek and she caught it with the back of her hand before Harry could make a big deal of it. “Jus’ think ‘bout it,” he said. “Don’t say no yet,” he murmured and stood from his stool, another French fry between his fingers as he walked closer to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, gave her a squeeze with a kiss to the top of her head. He held the fry to her lips, and she bit it, despite not feeling in a playful mood.

“Okay,” she said and wrapped her arms around Harry’s waist tucking herself into his chest and Harry wished with everything in him that it didn’t feel like goodbye.

*

When they caught up at home, Harry would sit with her legs draped over his lap a book in between her hands and he would play a video game with Mitch or just watch a show while she read. They looked like a couple. Acted like a couple. “Do you want Mexican or Italian?” She asked randomly as her eyes scanned her book.

He glanced from his game to catch her concentrated expression and he just wanted to kiss her sweet face for the rest of his life. “We haven’t had Italian in a while, yeah?” He murmured.

They certainly sounded like an old married couple.

“Mmm,” she hummed. “Can you pick it up?” She smiled impishly.

“Ugh...” he groaned. “I got it last time!”

“But I don’t wanna,” she whined.

Harry would slice his arm off at the elbow if she asked. Even if her dramatic whine was all fake, he would do anything for her to appease her. Smirking he sighed just as dramatically as she whined. “Oh alright.”

“I’m so lucky to have a best friend like you. Thank God, I sat next to you on the bus,” she giggled. Harry smirked gently tossing her legs off his lap. “Gah!” She gasped. “No wait! Never mind! Let’s get pizza or something else delivered.” He chuckled.

“S’matter, love?”

“I was so comfy,” she frowned and pouted petulantly. Harry couldn’t believe how cute she looked. He thought his heart would ooze right out of his body and melt at his feet. How could she not know how much he adored her?

“Aw, kitten,” he cooed at her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I’ll be right back...actually, can I get it on your phone? Mine is dead from—” He grabbed it off the coffee table and started to unlock it with her passcode when a message popped up from a guy’s name he didn’t recognize. He felt his eyebrows pinch together in confusion. Her mouth fell open because even though Harry didn’t know what was going on, she definitely did. “Who’s this?” He asked.

“Uh...remember the night I fell at the club?”

“Yeah...”

“This guy started chatting with me in the crowd when I left backstage.”

Harry remembered the guy almost instantly. He hadn’t thought to think about him because all he could think about was her safety, her head injury, and how scared he was that night. Any thought of inquiring about the man that caught her attention was lost in the shuffle of more pressing matters. And Harry couldn’t believe he forgot about it—especially now, seeing his name on her phone. “Oh.”

“He’s nice,” she said quietly. “He wants to get coffee sometime.”

Harry nodded and moved to her internet browser so he could look up the Italian restaurant. He was glad he was going to get the food now. It gave him time to collect his thoughts. “That’s nice,” he said absentmindedly.

She hated when he was grumpy. “Are you mad?”

“Y’didn’t mention him...s’been almost a month.”

“Wasn’t really anything to tell you.”

He nodded ordering her favorite without asking. He didn’t need to. Smugly, he thought the guy at the other end of her phone wouldn’t know what her favorite meal was without asking. He’d have to find out and that made Harry happy. The guy in question was good looking and he obviously had good taste if he had eyes for the sweet girl sitting beside him. He remembered in the moment how mad he was that someone was chatting her up and making her cheeks turn pink. Harry wanted to throw her phone in the toilet and flush it before she could answer him. “Okay,” he said but he sounded irritated, and she knew he was.

“Harry?” She asked as he started for the door to put his shoes on.

“Yeah, love?” His sour mood shrinking as he distanced himself from the offensive text messages.

“I wouldn’t go out with a guy without telling you about him,” she promised. “Someone has to make sure I’m not kidnapped or murdered.”

Harry wished he could have just said what he was thinking. But instead, he smiled and shook his head. “You sweet girl, anyone that kidnapped you, would bring y’back t’me after ten minutes,” he winked exiting before she had time to argue.

“I resent that!” He heard her call through the door.

*Three Months Later*

It took a lot of convincing, a lot of packing, and a lot of reassurance that she could go, and it would be okay.

Harry was the one that took her to the airport. Her mom knew how important it was to give them a chance to say their goodbyes alone, without an audience of people they knew. Besides, her mom had always wanted to see the states. She would visit in no time. They didn’t chat while Harry walked her bags through security check, and he pressed a hand to her back when the crowd got too large. She was so completely comforted by his touch it melted her like nothing she’d ever felt before.

But when Harry heard her sniffle, he knew he was done for. “Oh, don’t start, kitten. I won’t be able t’stop if y’start,” he chuckled sadly, and tears filled his vision.

She sniffled around a choked off, giggly breath. “M’sorry.” He stopped in his tracks and wrapped his arms around her tightly clutching her to his chest. He kissed the top of her head as she shook with silent sobs. Harry swallowed around the emotion in his throat trying to be brave for her. But he couldn’t help but worry about all that could happen in a year. As much as he didn’t want it to.

After a few minutes her tears, they continued walking to her gate. Harry held her hand and it felt like they were a couple. It always did, but there was something about this...this moment that felt so different. “You can’t get a new best friend while I’m gone,” she blurted. “Maybe Niall can be your new best friend or Mitch...maybe even Sarah, but that’s it. Definitely, no new girl ones.”

“Kitten, I couldn’t dream of replacing you,” he promised. As easy as it would have been to roll his eyes at the prospect, he refrained. He meant each word. There was no replacing her. When she got back, Harry would still be there waiting for her. She noticed how there wasn’t even a smile at her near crazy outburst. He didn’t even laugh at the idea of it all. “We’re going t’talk every day,” he assured her.

She felt like someone was ripping her heart out piece by piece right through her chest. She should just say it. Tell him. He probably knew she was in love with him. It was kind of him to remain best friends even when she was infatuated with him. There were so many options for him...and without her around to be in the way...

God, a year seemed like forever. “Yeah?” She asked meekly.

“No...you’re the only one I need, love.” She wished with everything in her Harry meant those words. “I’ll see y’before y’know it,” he said.

“Don’t,” she sniffled.

“I know,” he said and looked at the floor. “I got y’something,” he mumbled.

She looked up at him. She wished she wasn’t crying so much because Harry was too beautiful to be blurred by tears and it was going to be the last time, he saw her for a good long while. “Why?” She asked.

He rolled his eyes and chuckled. “You’re something else, love.” Reaching in his pocket he procured a flash drive and placed it in her palm. “For when y’fall asleep.” It took a moment for the words to process. But once they did her jaw nearly unhinged, and she wished she could have been more put together in that moment but instead she threw herself into his embrace and held onto him like he was a life raft.

Part of her believed he really was a life raft in more ways than one. She was certain that if it weren’t for the scheduled flight, she might have drowned the two of them with her tears.

*

As soon as she landed, Harry was the first one she texted.

I’ve arrived.

Good. Now s’only 179 days till I visit. :)

After she called her mom and showed off her new little place, she FaceTimed Harry, of course. She knew it was late there, but he answered on the first ring. “Hey,” she said softly.

“Hey, love,” he smiled sleepily. “Show me around,” he hummed.

“No...it’s late. I just...wanted to say goodnight to you.”

“No, show me,” he pressed. “M’not tired.”

She could see the way his eyes drooped, and she would have given anything to coerce his tall and lanky frame to bed. This would be the longest six months of her life. “I’ll show you tomorrow. I’m pretty jet lagged myself,” she said.

He nodded. He really would have stayed up. Harry would have asked questions. But he was glad he wouldn’t have to. “Oh...okay, love. Did y’listen yet?”

“No,” she said and pulled her laptop from her bag. “I will now,” she smiled. “Good night, Harry.”

“Good night, love,” he murmured. As she was about to end the call, she waved but he stopped her. “Wait,” he said suddenly. She paused and he smiled gently. “I love you, kitten. Miss you already,” he said sweetly.

Her heart thudded loudly throughout her body. “I love you too,” she whispered.

But she wondered if he knew she meant it from six thousand miles away.

*

She wondered if Harry thought about her as often as she thought about him. It was evening time for her, and Harry was probably (hopefully) sleeping. She knew if she called him, he would wake to the sound of her ringtone. She would tell him how much she missed him, and he would be alert and awake before the sun was even up.

So, she stared silently out the window of the tall building she was living in on her own, trying not to think about her best friend half a world away. She tried not to think about how his life was very much the same and hers was not. It’s not like she could date anyone even if she wanted to—she was only state side for another six months and then she would be back to pining for Harry. Hoping and praying that they would just be.

Sarah called frequently and kept her updated on how Harry was actually doing. “His mind is everywhere...well not really. All he thinks about is you; but it really clouds his judgment and vision and everything,” she snickered. “We all miss you a lot.”

“I really miss you guys. This is an amazing opportunity and I’m glad, I guess,” she giggled. “That you made me go,” she rolled her eyes.

“My pleasure,” Sarah flipped her hair with a proud smile on her face. “So how are the guys?” She asked with a wiggling eyebrow.

“Oh...” she snorted. “That’s a no from me,” she told her. “There’s no point at all,” she explained.

“Plus, your betrothed would lose it,” she amended. “I heard something, somewhere, that even if you don’t eat, you can appreciate the menu,” she giggled. “So, tell me what they’re like.”

“What do you mean betrothed?” She rolled her eyes.

“Love, please don’t be silly,” Sarah sighed. “Harry would go out of his mind.” She looked at Sarah through the camera and stared at her. “You can’t be serious. If you met a guy in the States, Harry would go out of his mind. He’d spiral that you’ll never come back,” she explained. “You obviously know this.”

“No, I don’t obviously know this.”

Sarah was silent for a few moments and they just stared at once another. “Love,” she said so gently. “You have to know you’re both madly in love with each other,” she said.

Swallowing she shook her head. “Sarah, I don’t look like you. I don’t look like any girl Harry has ever dated. I don’t look like the girls that fall in love with him or Niall or even Mitch when you guys play on stage. I’m not...” she felt the pricking of tears burning her eyes. It was hard to have this conversation at all. Having it over Facetime thousands of miles away from her friend was even worse.

“Harry doesn’t love me though,” she said gently. Sarah’s eyebrows pinched together in concern and her lips pressed together. “He’s so entranced by you. I wish you could see the way he lights up when you’re around,” Sarah sounded so sure, so positive. It broke her heart that she couldn’t see how much Harry loved her the way she saw it. “He doesn’t love those girls because they’re not you.”

“But he should,” she whispered.

“Why would he?! He’s your best friend and he adores you. Everything about you. He was so excited for you to get this opportunity as much as he wanted to handcuff you to his side. You—”

“Because I’m not good enough for him,” she said dejectedly.

Sarah was silent again. “What are you talking about?”

“Sarah, he’s perfect,” she said. “He’s beautiful, he’s funny, he’s smart, he’s nice. He is the best person I know and he deserves—”

“He deserves you,” she interrupted. She shook her head sniffling as she thought about all the times she wanted Harry so much and he was always so close but he really, always, so far away.

“I’m not pretty—”

“Love, you’re stunning,” she promised. “You have to believe that. Harry forgets how to speak when you walk in the room...he’s so completely smitten with you.”

She snorted. “Harry forgets how to speak when anyone walks in the room.”

Neither of them spoke for a moment. Just a small sniffle every couple seconds. “Harry has been depressed while you’ve been gone. He’s been dying to come see you. It’s all he can talk about. He doesn’t go out, but he doesn’t even want to go out without you. He plays music, he packs up, he sleeps, and he goes to work. The only time he’s himself is when he chats with you. You are his favorite person; that is more than enough.”

She didn’t respond to Sarah’s claims. “Are you coming to visit?”

Sighing Sarah smiled weakly. “We’re all trying to spread out the visits so as not to overwhelm you but also make it go by faster for us all,” she rolled her eyes. “He may miss you the most, but he’s not the only one. It’s quite testosterone-y around here,” she giggled.

Smiling she nodded. “Yeah, I bet,” she shook her head. “M’sorry to leave you with them all.”

“Oh it’s quite alright. You’ve always been good about reigning in their craziness though. I just don’t have the knack, energy, or patience for it,” she rolled her eyes. “They’re silly boys.”

“That’s for sure. Niall told me he was going to try his hand at your drums.”

“Yeah, he did! I almost murdered him,” she laughed.

She was grateful to not talk about Harry for the rest of the phone call. As much as she probably did want to talk about him. But if she did, she was afraid she would continue crying and crying until it was time for her to go home.

*

While she loved having everyone visit, of course it was Harry’s visit she was looking forward to the most. (Not that she would tell the others that.) But it was Harry that she was nearly bouncing with excitement in the airport terminal as she waited anxiously for him to appear through the doors of baggage claim ready to tackle him in a hug that she hoped would never end.

“For someone so tall you think I’d find you more easily,” she said to her phone.

He chuckled a bit tiredly. “M’jus’ stuck behind a ton of people, kitten. M’here though. M’looking for your short frame but m’afraid I might miss you.”

“Suddenly I want you to go home.”

“Aw,” he cooed. “Don’t be mean,” he chuckled. “Came all this way,” he reminded her.

She was about to make another slight joke at his expense, but her eye caught his tall frame just as the doors open once more. All at once, she was running.

She dropped her phone into her purse and felt tears prick her eyes and she didn’t even warn him that she saw him, didn’t warn him as she silently flew across the crowd of people. Only stopping when her arms were around his neck, her toes barely touching the floor and nothing ever felt so much like home except for Harry. Stumbling at the sudden mass of energy flying at him, he sighed with relief as his arms wrapped around her. They stood silently, just as they did the last time they were in the airport, her tears silent and few this time as she released a breath she felt like she had been holding since she left.

“Hi, kitten,” his voice vibrated in his chest and through her body.

“Hi Harry,” she whispered.

“Missed me?” He hummed to the top of her hair.

“A little,” she muttered. He chuckled.

She had heard Harry sing for almost her whole life—since she had met him when she moved to England and started primary school the same year as he did. Harry’s voice was like a lullaby—her suggestion to record covers was joke, but she was grateful all the same.

But there was no greater music than Harry laughing in her ear.

*

Harry had the longest visit—staying two weeks in her little place all snuggled up like their little married couple that everyone mistook them for. “M’so happy t’be here,” he said while she poured muffin batter, she just finished mixing into the pan.

“Just for muffins?” She smiled.

With a shake of his head, a sigh, and an eyeroll he thought about shaking her a bit at how silly she was being. “Kitten, ‘ve missed you something awful,” he murmured.

She focused on pouring carefully and not how her stomach fluttered at his words. “I heard,” she said gently. “Moping around?”

“What’s the point in going out if m’best friend isn’t around?” He shrugged.

“So you don’t get all sad and sappy while I’m gone!”

He smiled that beautiful, dimply smile that made her heart skip beats. “Love, m’a mess without y’around t’keep me in line,” he admitted. “Can’t remember ever being apart from you after I met you.

Putting the empty bowl in the sink and the pan in the oven she looked Harry all lanky and beautiful sitting on the stool at the breakfast bar sipping his coffee that she so kindly made for him. All the things that Sarah mentioned ran through her brain. Here he was visiting her so he wouldn’t go crazy for the rest of the year. She thought about all the girls that fawned over him and how pretty they were and how pretty he was.

But she also thought about how he was here. Completely content on being alone in her place or exploring nearby while she was at work. Cooking her dinner and taking her for walks and visiting tourist attractions when she was free.

Hope seemed like the enemy every time she looked in the mirror. Looking at her reflection made her long for a less asymmetrical face. She wished her skin was smoother. And if she looked past her neck, she made herself forget how to breathe without how sad she was and the idea that she would never be good enough for her best friend.

“Hey love, I made reservations for this ramen place, have y’been to it yet?” Hurriedly she left the bathroom with a shake of her head and hurried to find Harry scrolling on his phone, comfortably at home on her couch.

Over the six months she’d been here, she felt the place always seemed a bit empty.

She should have known Harry was the part that was missing.

*

When Harry left to return home the heartache was nearly as fresh as the last time. But now it felt like a countdown—for as much as she loved the internship, she was excited to go back and get back into her routines and be with her best friend.

The tears continued to roll down her cheeks as she watched Harry cross through security and out of view. “It’s so refreshing to see a couple so committed and in love with each other,” a woman smirked gently at the poor girl sadly gazing longingly after her best friend. She turned to the woman who looked old enough to be her mother.

“Pardon?” She sniffled wiping her cheeks and under her eyes with both hands.

“I’m sorry, not to be intrusive, you just reminded me of my husband and myself years ago,” she said reaching into her purse for a package of tissues and then offered one to the poor sad girl. “In college we spent some time abroad—a year apart from one another each. The longest time we were ever apart.”

“Oh...we’re not...” she sniffled wiping the tissue under her nose. “We’re just friends.”

The woman smirked and shook her head. “Yes. They usually are,” she trailed off and headed toward the security line as well.

Blinking away the final tears and sniffling, she turned on her heel heading back for the warm air outside the airport thinking how there were fewer minutes left until she would see Harry next.

--

@tiaamberxx

[yourimagines]

Hi!

Can you perhaps write a twenty one pilots one shot. Maybe about their newest song that came out.

I love your work, take care!

I really love their new song, overcompensate.

It’s a short one but I hope this is a good one!

Pressure

* English is not my first language I apologise

* Triggers: Dark, Angsty, Swearing and Fluff

Y/n POV

Tyler was hyped about their newest album coming out soon but he’s also nervous. He’s a perfectionist, he’s never 100% satisfied with his work. Always overthinking, always asking the what if questions. So he was downstairs in his home studio, listening to the album as I was making dinner for us. “Ty? You want some dinner?” I asked him as I stood at the top of the stairs. “Sure.” He answered quietly back. “Okay, I’ll be down in a minute.”

I made him a plate and brought it downstairs to him. He was sitting behind his desk, his headphone covered his left ear. “Here you go handsome.” I placed his plate down on his desk. He turned his head to look up at me and smiles. “Thanks beautiful.” His hand slightly touched my leg. “Are you okay down here?” He nods and turns his head back to the screen. “I’m fine, just making sure the album is finished before we release it.” I gave him a gentle squeeze in his shoulder. “Okay, don’t overthink too much about it.” “I won’t.”

I was tossing around in bed, it was midnight and Tyler was still downstairs. ‘This is not healthy for him.’ I throw my blanket to the side and got out of the bed, I stepped into my slippers and walked downstairs. The house was quiet and dark, the only lights that were on came from his home studio downstairs. “Ty?” I tiredly asked and looked downstairs to look at him. His eyes were glued to his monitor. “Yeah?” He didn’t moved a muscle, like he was possessed by something else. “Are you coming to bed, it’s already past midnight.” He waved his hand and nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I’m coming in a minute.” I rolled my eyes and turned around. “Okay, see you in a minute.” I left him alone again, knowing he isn’t coming to bed anytime soon.

Tyler POV

My mind was running around as my eyes stared at the computer screen. “Still not good enough.” I changed it again and again. As I grew tired, tired from staying awake for so long. My eyes started to burn from all the lights and no sleep, my migraine was back and was hurting my brain as I’m still not satisfied with the results. “It’s always the same fucking shit.” I groaned and took a sip from my water, looking at the files as the words started to change, changing in those dark thoughts I rather not have lingering around in the back of my mind. “I need Josh’s opinion on this.” I tried to shake off those chilling thoughts and tried to block out those voices that were now screaming in my head. I shared the files with him and looked at the clock, 3am. I rubbed my face and leaned back in my chair, still looking at the monitor as the words on the screen started to fade away, feeling all dizzy and a lot of pressure forming in my chest. My phone buzzed, it was Josh sending me a quick message.

Joshua🥁: I will listen to this asap in the morning 😴

Me: need really your opinion on this one 👌🏻

Joshua🥁: Don’t worry, just get some sleep 💤

I sighed and saved my work and turned everything off. I walked back upstairs and checked if everything was closed off and slumped upstairs to our bedroom. Y/n was already sleeping, as she lay on my side of the bed. ‘I’m so blessed to have her in my life.’ I stripped my clothes off and joined her. As soon I lay next to her she moved closer and lay her head against my chest. “Ty?” She tiredly says as I caressed her back. “Yeah it’s me, just go back to sleep.” I kissed her head and she immediately felt asleep again. I stayed awake for a while, looking at the ceiling, as my migraine started to fill my brain with these dark thoughts about life….

I woke up from the morning sun that shines through our window. She was lying against my chest, all wrapped up around me. My hand went carefully towards her face and gently wiped her hair away. ‘Beautiful.’ Her eyelids slightly moved, a small low hum came from her and with that she opened her eyes. “Good morning beautiful.” I said in my morning voice with a small smile on my face. I caressed her cheek and she smiles tiredly at me and nuzzles her head back into my chest. “Good morning handsome.” She mumbled softly against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and started to rub her back as she started to trace my chest in the morning sunlight shining down on us.

I was downstairs, video calling with Josh. “No, I think it’s good enough, they will love it.” He says as he was eating some breakfast. “I know but I think there is more.” He chuckles and shook his head. “You always say that, believe me it’s good.” I nodded and looked down at my notepad. “You really think so?” I asked him as I was playing with the pen that was laying on my desk, not really feeling sure about it. “Yes I really think so.” I hummed and looked up again. “Okay, then let’s release it.” He nods and gave me a thumbs up. “Let’s do this.” I nodded and saved up our files. “Yeah, let’s do this.” Feeling a bit unsure about this….

——— Release Day Overcompensate ———

Y/N POV

Tyler was nervous again, as their newest song was about to release. “They are so hyped up for this.” Josh said as everyone was hanging around our house. “Are they?” Tyler asked as he looked over at Josh’s phone. “Yes, they can’t wait.” He showed them some comments. Debbie smiled at me as the guys were reading the comments. “They are so cute when they do this.” She says to me. I laughed and nodded. “Yes they are.” Josh was scrolling through the social media apps as Tyler was looking at the reactions. “Can’t wait for them to hear the rest.” He says to Josh. “Me neither.”

The song was released and they were watching the fans react to it. Josh was streaming his phone to the tv, sharing his feed. “They love it.” He says with a smile on his face. Tyler nodded, secretly feeling proud of what they created. “Look at that honey.” Debbie says and wraps her arms around him. “Cool isn’t it.” They were both smiling and pointing some comments out. I lay my head on Tyler’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you.” I said to him as we both were looking at Josh and Debbie who were standing in front of the tv, reading some of the comments out loud. “I know.” He says and grabbed my hand. “This is the last one….” I looked up at him and placed a small kiss on his cheek. “You deserve this my love.” He brought my hand up to his lips and placed a kiss on the back of my hand. “For us.” I smiled and nodded. “For us.”

[youngsadlesbian]

asking for poly!marylene x reader pretty please with cherries on top? orr if you don't write poly, can you just do something with mary? i'm thinking of singer! mary here, dedicating a song to the reader in the crowd? or asking r to come to stage because she just need to show the world they're together? thanks for considering it! 💞

HIDDEN MELODIES — mary macdonald.

pairing: mary macdonald x reader

summary: you and mary have a secret relationship for almost a year until she finally reveals to the world who her heart belongs to.

a/n: i think that's close to what you asked and i promise to try to write and post something with poly marylene soon, but for now, enjoy this cuteness <3

word count: 1,1k

warnings: none, just fluff.

Mary Macdonald had been your girlfriend for almost a year, and only a total of five people knew about it. It wasn’t your intention to keep the relationship a secret, but Mary was a rising star in the music world, and her agent thought it would be smarter for you to keep it under wraps for a while.

You agreed because you understood the importance of Mary’s career and how the world was still extremely homophobic. Perhaps the time to reveal your relationship would come, but for now, you supported her from the sidelines, cheering her on at every opportunity.

One of your favorite places to be was in the recording studio with Mary. You loved watching her work, seeing her eyes light up as she perfected each song. The studio was her sanctuary, and you felt privileged to be a part of it.

“Does this sound okay?” Mary asked, pulling off her headphones and looking at you expectantly.

You listened to the playback, her voice filling the room with raw emotion. “It sounds incredible, Mary. You’re going to blow everyone away with this album.”

She smiled, a blush creeping up her cheeks. “I couldn’t do this without you, you know. Your support means everything to me.”

You walked over to her, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. “And I’ll always be here for you, no matter what.”

Mary sighed, leaning into your embrace. “I wish we didn’t have to hide. I want the world to know how much I love you.”

“I know,” you whispered, holding her close. “But for now, let’s focus on your music. We’ll figure everything else out when the time is right.”

Many nights were spent in the studio, rehearsing late into the night. One evening, after a particularly long session, you both sat on the couch, exhausted but content.

Mary looked at you, her eyes soft with affection. “Do you remember the first time we met?”

You laughed, nodding. “How could I forget? You were so nervous, but the moment you started singing, it was like magic.”

“I was nervous because I saw you in the audience,” she admitted, a shy smile playing on her lips. “I wanted to impress you.”

“Well, you certainly did,” you replied, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “And you continue to impress me every single day.”

She leaned in, her lips meeting yours in a tender kiss. “I love you,” she murmured against your lips.

“I love you too, Mary,” you whispered back, feeling your heart swell with emotion.

The opening night of Mary’s first tour was approaching, and you could feel the excitement and tension in the air. You were in the front row, filled with pride and anticipation as the lights dimmed and the music started.

Mary took the stage, her presence captivating the audience instantly. She performed several songs, her voice resonating through the arena, touching the hearts of everyone present. Then, she paused, scanning the crowd until her eyes found yours.

"This next song is very special to me," she began, her voice filled with emotion. "It's about someone who has been my rock, my inspiration, and the love of my life. Tonight, I want to share with all of you a part of my life that I've kept private for too long."

The crowd murmured in curiosity, but Mary’s eyes never left yours. "This is for you," she said softly, "thank you for everything."

As the first notes of the song played, you felt tears welling up in your eyes. Mary’s voice was filled with love and sincerity as she sang, and each word felt like a personal message to you. The audience was spellbound, hanging onto every lyric.

When the song ended, the arena erupted in applause, but Mary wasn’t finished. She took a deep breath and looked out into the sea of faces. "I want everyone to know that I’m in love with the most amazing person. We've been together for almost a year, and it’s time I share this part of my life with you all. Y/N, I love you."

The crowd's reaction was a mix of surprise and admiration. You stood there, overwhelmed by emotion, as Mary extended her hand towards you. You made your way to the stage, your heart pounding in your chest.

When you reached her, Mary pulled you into a tight embrace, and the audience cheered. The moment felt surreal, like a dream come true. You looked into her eyes, filled with love and gratitude.

"Thank you," you whispered, your voice shaking.

Mary smiled, her eyes shining with tears. "No, thank you. For everything."

From that moment on, your relationship was no longer a secret. The world now knew that Mary Macdonald was not only a talented musician but also deeply in love with you. The support from her fans was overwhelming, and you both knew that together, you could face anything.

The tour continued, but this night was forever etched in your memory as the night your love was celebrated openly, and the beginning of a new chapter in your life together. Backstage, the atmosphere was electric with excitement.

Mary turned to you, her face glowing with happiness. "We did it," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. "We finally did it."

You nodded, tears streaming down your face. "I’m so proud of you, Mary. You were amazing out there."

She laughed, pulling you into another hug. "I couldn’t have done it without you. You’ve always been my biggest supporter."

"And I always will be," you replied, kissing her softly. "No matter what."

In the weeks that followed, your relationship became a beacon of hope for many. Mary’s fans embraced your love story, and you received countless messages of support. It wasn’t always easy, but knowing you had each other made every challenge worth it.

One night, as you lay in bed, Mary turned to you, a thoughtful expression on her face. "What do you think the future holds for us?"

You smiled, brushing your fingers through her hair. "I think it holds a lot of love, happiness, and adventure. And as long as we’re together, I know we can handle anything."

Mary leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to your lips. "I love you more than words can say."

"And I love you," you replied, holding her close. "Forever and always."

As you drifted off to sleep in her arms, you felt an overwhelming sense of peace and contentment. Your journey together had just begun, and you knew that with Mary by your side, the future was bright and filled with endless possibilities.

[malarkgirlypop]

MEDIC! Part 23 (Donald Malarkey x Fem!OC)

HEHEHE love you all!

Based on the HBO show and the actors who portray the characters, no hate to anyone involved.

Tag list: @next-autopsy, @panzershrike-pretz, @xxluckystrike, @bucky32557038ww2 (let me know if you want to be tagged.)

Since we were moving off the line I started helping George with the stock. No one would be needing any medical care so I was a free hand. I unpacked the shelves with the new items we had gotten from the previous drop, rations, clothes, ammo, everything we needed to survive. I was helping George with the ration packs, they gave us a whole bunch of food but we needed to sort it into separate bags to give to the men to take with them. I pulled a heavy box off of the top shelf, sliding it to the front.  

“George.” I heard a call from behind me as one of the soldiers waltzed into the room. “We need you to come blow this thing up.” The man said. 

“Alright, I’ll be there. Em, I’m going to blow shit up, you gonna be alright here?” He asked, picking up the bazooka and slinging it over his shoulder.

“I’ll be fine!” I called over my shoulder, I heard his footsteps retreat out of the room. Now I was alone, milling around and sorting the items. It was so boring. A tedious task. Normally it wasn’t so bad. George helped and we chatted, then the other soldiers came in to visit as well, keeping me distracted as I worked. But now it was silent. If only I had some music to listen to that always made cleaning and chores so much more fun. Music! I had my phone and earbuds. No one was here and hopefully they still had some battery left. It wouldn’t hurt and I would get the job done faster I’m sure. I grabbed my bag from the corner of the room, rummaging through it. I pulled out my phone and earbuds that I had stashed deep down the bottom so no one could find them, along with everything else I had in my pockets the day I arrived. I powered on my phone, it worked. God I hadn’t been on it in months, which was weird to think about, it’s a normal accessory in my own time. 60% that’s pretty good, and my earbuds were still alive too. I was ecstatic. I placed one in my ear, I should only have one in incase someone comes in or there is a bomb strike. Wouldn’t want to miss that. I heard it chime on and connect. I opened spotify, since all the songs I wanted to listen to were downloaded I didn’t need to worry about having service or data. I scrolled through my curated playlists. I stopped on the GUTS album. This is perfect! I played it from the start. 

It was fine at the start, since I was alone I quietly hummed along to the song. If anyone walked in they would just assume I had a song stuck in my head. I sorted the rations while listening. Bopping my head the beat. I sang along with the words as I worked. Dancing to the faster songs as I went. I had memorised all of the songs when the album first came out, so I still remembered them all. 

“I’m a perfect all-american bitch, with perfect all-american lips and perfect all-american hips.” I swayed around the room, singing only a bit louder. No one could hear me. 

I packed the rations, working fast. Having dance breaks when a good song came on. I forgot where I was. I sang into my hand like a microphone, bouncing around the room. I didn’t realise it but I got significantly louder in my singing. Having the headphone on full volume so I could hear it over my own voice. I pretended I was performing on stage as I jumped around singing. I took a quick glance over my shoulder around the room, no one was there good. 

Then ‘Vampire’ came on. I stood in place singing into my hand. My voice echoed around the room as I belted it out. 

“Blood-sucker, fame fucker, bleeding me dry like a goddamn vampire.” I sang loudly.

By this time I completely disregarded my task at hand, making it counterproductive. I didn’t care, liking the normalcy I had forgotten. I had missed this. Jumping around my apartment with my speakers on full singing as loud as I could. I puffed as the song finished, I pretended to receive applause from the fake audience in front of me, bowing deeply. 

The song ‘Logical’ came on. I gasped, “I love this song!” I squealed, waiting for the lyrics to start. 

I belted the song at the top of my lungs forgetting where I was and what I was doing. In that moment I was putting my heart and soul into the song. The lyrics somehow all related to the anger I had pent up about Don and I’s fight. Come for me like a saviour, Don had done that, he had made me think that he cared. When he clearly didn’t. I put myself through hell for him, just for him to tell me I was an obligation. God I was so mad, at him, at myself. I had fallen for him so hard, with such high hopes he felt the same. It crushed me to know he didn’t. So maybe I do go home after all of this, if anything was going to stop me going, it was him. But if he doesn’t want me, I’d be better off leaving. I poured my emotions into the song as I sang. It was relieving, I forgot how much music helped me when I was stressed, being able to get in my car and sing my heart out with the windows down without a care in the world. For some reason the song just hit the spot and my pain was now being shouted into the air as I sang. 

“AND ALL THE THINGS YOU DID TO ME. YOU LIED, YOU LIED, YOU LIED, OHHHH.” I was pretty proud I was hitting all of the notes. I could sing, I was in the choir at school but I was never very talented. It’s not amazing just being able to hold a tune. My voice wasn’t unique or different, but it still could belt out my favourite songs in a way that wouldn’t hurt the ear. 

Another fast paced song came on after the other one had finished. I bopped my head, dancing around the room like a crazy person. Almost bumping into multiple things around the room as I had my eyes closed as I danced. I changed my playlist to the one I most often played in the car, hitting shuffle. The song ‘Push up’, by the freestylers. It was one of the songs my mum always used to play in the car when we were driving. I was little but still sang along with her. When I got older I actually listened to the lyrics, I was horrified I was singing it in front of my mum who also belted it out in the car. Now I play it when I want a good time. Mum had good music taste. I don't know what dance moves I was doing, my body just moved to the beat. I did that one move where I moved my chest up and down pretending it was being pulled by my hand. Shaking my ass like the song said. I breathlessly sang and danced, a bright smile on my face.

“PUSH UP, YOUR BODY, YOUR BODY NEXT TO MINE, I GOTTA MAKE THAT SEXY BOOTY MINE, AND SHAKE IT, BABY, SHAKE THAT ASS, I LOVE IT WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE GETTING NASTY!” I panted as I moved, forgetting how tiring dancing was. I spun in a circle, a group of men watched me, I finished my turn, facing the way I was originally. A group of men watching me? I looked over my shoulder, surely I had just imagined it. Nope they were there, a group of Easy men looking thoroughly entertained. I turned away from them cringing, how much did they see. I quickly slipped the headphone out of my ear and pocketed it. I slowly turned around to face the men. As I did so they started clapping, they all grinned from ear to ear. There in front of me stood Lieb, Babe, Grant, Web, and George. 

“How long have you been standing there?” I asked, hoping they had just arrived. 

“We had come when you were singing that song about lying.” George grinned. “It went like you lied, you lied.” He sang. That was like three songs ago. 

“But we heard someone singing so we all came to see who it was. Turned out to be you.” Babe chuckled. I didn’t think they could hear me, but I guess I was singing loudly. 

“My favourite song was that last one.” Lieb smirked, of course he liked that one the prick. The image of me shaking my ass came into my head, they had all seen it. 

“What was that move that you were doing?” Grant asked, putting his hands on his knees and shaking his butt left to right. 

“Should I teach it to you?” I joked, trying to not sink into the floor from embarrassment. They all nodded laughing, “Wait, really?” I asked. 

“Yeah I want to dance like that, it looked different. I don’t think I have seen any of the moves you just did.” George grinned at me. “What’s it called? The move?” He asked. 

“Twerking.” I laughed as the men looked at me puzzled, they tried out the name themselves, a mutter of the word “twerking” filled the room. I laughed at them. 

I gathered the men in front of me, they shook their arms and legs loose like they were going to run a race. I laughed at them, they were so eager to learn, who was I to say no. 

“Ok, stand with your feet shoulder width apart, and then lean forward putting your hands on your knees.” I was trying to keep my composure, why did they all look so serious. Their concentrating faces on, they followed my instruction. They looked like they were trying to catch their breath after running. “Ok now you just move your pelvis up and down.” They all tried, looking like cats about to throw up. I cracked up watching the five men try their hardest. 

“I can’t do it. What is it supposed to look like again?” Grant asked, standing up straight scratching his head. I got into the same pose as them, moving my pelvis up and down in a smooth motion. They all looked very impressed. 

“I can’t do that.” Babe groaned. I laughed at his pouting face. 

“Arch your back and then relax it.” I did the motion again for them. This is one of the weirdest things I think I have ever done. Not in my wildest dreams would I imagine teaching five WW2 soldiers how to twerk. 

I watched the rest of the men trying, all doing very odd interpretations of the dance move. George just bent and unbent his leg, bobbing up and down. Grant leant forward but moved his butt from left to right like a dog wagging its tail. Babe hunched his shoulders up and down like he was excessively shrugging. Lieb was impressively very good at it, “Ok Lieb!” I pretended to make it rain dollar bills over him. I looked over to Webster who just looked entirely lost, like a weird caterpillar his whole body moved. “Oh Web.” I laughed at the man, he just stared at me with his blue eyes. 

“Here, when I do it only my butt moves, everything else stays in place.” I said turning around to show him, he stepped closer and really focussed in on the move. Trying it again, he still didn’t get it. 

“Look here.” I placed his hand on my lower back, as did the move, “See my back stays still.” 

“What is going on?” I heard from the doorway, looking over to see Don watching us. His eyes set on Web and I. He looked pissed. “Web mind taking your hand off her ass.” My eyes widened, of course he was pissed. The position Web and I were in didn’t look very good. Me bent over in front of him with my butt out and him with his hand on my lower back. I stood up, stepping away from the man. The other Easy men in the room looked uncomfortable as well. Don glared at Web and I. 

“I was just teaching them a dance move.” I tried to explain. He huffed, turning on his heel and marching out of the room. The men watched me gauging my reaction. I was so mad. 

“Shut up!” I snarled, the men looked offended, they hadn’t said anything but I could feel it. The looks they were giving me said it all, they didn’t need to say anything. They looked uncomfortable, like walking in on a lovers quarrel. I followed after Don, letting my anger get the better of me. I caught up to him on the street. 

“Stop acting like you care!” I yelled at him. He turned to face me. “What? You want to push me away and then get mad at me for talking to someone else. You don’t get to do that! Stop fucking with my head!” I shouted at him. I panted from my rage that raced through my body, how dare he say he doesn’t care and then act like this, it was making my head spin. 

He stomped towards me, grabbing me by the arm. He dragged me into one of the houses. “Let go! Let go of me!” I tried to pull out of his grip but he was stronger than me. He shut the door behind him, I wrenched free of his grasp. I tried to move past him and leave, but he blocked the door. “What do you want from me? I don’t have the cash for the hours you babysat me, sorry!” I spat angrily. 

“Stop it!” He growled. “Stop acting like this!” 

I scoffed astonished, “Are you kidding! All I wanted was to check on you. You were avoiding me, I wanted to check if you were ok? I know you’re hurting too! Those boys meant so much to you! I just wanted to care for you how you did for me. It goes both ways! You’re allowed to hurt!” I told him, his face dark, I could see the pain etched into his features. 

“It’s fine, you don’t care for me the way I do you. But I still care about you, even though you hurt me so much. I can’t turn them off. If you can’t talk to me about it, that's fine, but at least talk to someone!” His features softened.

“I do care for you! Of course I do! It’s just been so much! I can’t process it, I’m so busy, I feel like I have the weight of these men on my shoulders, they have expectations of me, I feel responsible for them. If they get hurt it’s my fault!” He rambles on, it all floods out of his mouth, like opening a dam. 

“I don’t have time to think about Skip and Alex or Buck or Bill! I knew I would if I talked to you, I knew if I just spoke to you for a second that it would all come out.” He takes a breath as he spills the truth. 

“So I avoided you. I’m sorry Em.” He scrubs his hand over his face, sighing. 

“I didn’t mean what I said the other day either. I’m so sorry I hurt you. It killed me to see you so upset, and that I was the one who did that.” I listened to him, it hurt me to see the agony on his face. He walks forward standing closer to me. 

“You are not an obligation! You never have been, ever! ” He says, taking my face in his hands, lifting my head to look into his eyes. “I choose you! I will always choose you.” He pauses looking deeply into my eyes. My hands reach up holding onto his arms that still cup my face. 

“I love you.” I uttered softly, it was barely audible to my own ears, but he heard me. 

It happened so quickly, I couldn’t even process what had happened. Don kissed me. His lips found mine. He kissed me so deeply with so much desire. It was like gasping for air after coming up from the water. I didn’t know how much I needed him, wanted him. His mouth moved against mine, hungrily tasting me. I kissed him back with the same intensity. Enjoying the way his lips felt on mine, like we were made for each other. My stomach clenched, the butterflies swirling around inside. I wrapped my arms around his neck pulling him flush with me. His hands moved to my back and held me tightly. I opened my mouth as he deepened the kiss, his tongue finding mine. I tangled my fingers through the hair that peaked out from under his beanie at the base of his neck. It was like I was addicted, I couldn’t stop myself from kissing him. The taste of his lips on mine, his familiar scent that filled my senses, his hands that roamed around my body, the sound of him moaning into my mouth as we kissed. He pulled back, I whimpered, needing his mouth back on mine. 

“I love you.” Don smiled down at me, my heart swelled, I grinned at him. He placed another gentle kiss on my lips, letting it linger before pulling away.   

“Do you forgive me?” He asked. 

“Hmmm? I don’t know, I think maybe if you kissed me again, I could potentially forgive you.” He laughed, placing a kiss on my lips. 

“How about now?” He smirked. 

“Maybe another one?” I said playfully. He leant forward placing kisses all over my face in quick succession. I giggled as he assaulted me with his lips. He placed the last one on my lips, so gentle and sweet I could melt.

“What the hell were you teaching the guys when I walked in?” He asked, his eyebrow quirked. I flushed, burying my face in his jacket. 

“Nothing.” I mumbled into his clothes. His hand found my chin, tilting it up to look him in the eyes. “I was teaching them a dance they caught me doing.” I said giggling, thinking back to all of their weird moves they had done while I was teaching them. 

“What was the dance?” I smiled and laughed. He looked confused at why it was so funny. 

“I’ll show you another time.” I gave him a wink, he looked at me curiously. “Don, it’s not your fault if those men get hurt. You know that?” I asked, the conversation turning more serious. I took his face into my hands, my thumbs brushing along his skin gently. “I understand carrying all that responsibility, trust me. And I know it’s easier said than done as well. But we can’t let their deaths haunt us forever, all we did was try our best.” He nodded, still wrapped in each other's arms. I pulled him in, hugging him tightly. “We can have a break hopefully, since we are being moved off the line.” I smiled, thinking about how the men didn’t have patrol tonight and that we were leaving tomorrow. It was so exciting. 

The door to the house swung open, Don and I jumped apart in fright. George, who was peeking his head in the door, wryly grinned. “Sorry to interrupt you two, but grubs up.” We smiled at the cheeky man. Following him. Don and I kept sharing glances, our faces flushing pink. Thinking back to the moment we had shared. I kept giggling happily, feeling ecstatic. 

We made our way into the basement, the rest of 2nd platoon already there. I spotted Lieb who watched us enter. I came in first smiling, with a shy looking Malarkey in tow. His eyebrows raised as he smirked at me. I walked over to him. “Ah, I wondered where you disappeared too.” He teased me. 

“Shut up.” I laughed, bumping into him.

“Are you going to sing us a song?” Babe asked, his mouth full of food. 

“No, I am not!” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. 

“Or what about some more dance moves?” Grant teased. I picked up a cloth that laid on the table in front of me hurling it at the man, smacking him in the face as we all laughed. I walked over to where the cloth landed, bending down to pick it up. 

“Ow!” I cried holding my back, pain evident on my face. I looked up to see all of the men looking at me worried and concerned. I slid my hand from my back, my hands on my knees. 

“EHHH!” I said as I shook my ass laughing. The men’s faces changed from worried, to confused, to amused. “Got you suckers!” I said standing up, Grant shook his head. 

“I still have no idea how you do that?” I patted him on the shoulder, still laughing. 

The rest of the night passed quickly, it was like Christmas had come early. I was so excited for tomorrow I could hardly sleep, and when I did I had definitely fallen asleep smiling. 

We packed up our gear and made our way to the trucks, ready to move off the line. Lt. Jones had been promoted and was leaving us, he shook our hands as we wished him good luck on his future endeavours. We climbed into the back of the truck, Don helping to pull me up. He sat beside each other, our hands secretly held by our sides. I watched Web approach the truck, going to climb up by himself, Lieb stuck his hand out to offer assistance. I smiled knowing that Lieb finally came around to liking the man. I watched as the small town faded into the distance and wondered what might be ahead for us next. I knew whatever happened that Don and I would face it together. 

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

Chapter 24

[jakescaravel]

Autumn Intake

Pairing: Jake Kiszka x reader

Word Count: 4,282

Warnings: Smoking, mentions of weed, cuddling, kissing (this is purely Jake fluff!)

Albums mentioned (to listen to while reading!): Disraeli Gears, Dark side of the Moon, The Cars

Ok thats it, enjoyyyy!!

After a long day of getting yelled at by your boss and hiding away to cry in the bathroom, you were finally going home. The sun had already set and a chilly autumn wind swept through the air.

The heat in the car was on full blast as you tore down the residential road leading you to the tiny cabin you shared with your best friend and boyfriend Jake. You were anxious to get home, to get to him.

Usually you drove to the house just as the sun was setting and beautiful shades of orange and pink painted the sky. Usually you listened to some Beatles or Cream songs but today you were too upset to fiddle with the bluetooth of your old car or to pull over to connect your phone in the first place.

Despite the growing temperature in the small vehicle making your body hot, your feet were cold. Luckily you were only minutes away from home. 

As you pull into the driveway, you see a steadily flowing line of smoke coming from the chimney, and a few lights on in the house. (Silly little habit of Jakes, no matter the countless times you had argued over the expensiveness of keeping extra lights on, he still did it but of course you only found it endearing).

After parking you make your way to the door and it opens before you can even lay a finger on the handle. You are greeted with the immediate warmth radiating from the house, and the man standing right in front of you. The smell of chicken noodle soup hits your nose and the hunger you didn’t know you had grumbles loudly in your belly. The faint crackle coming from the fireplace tickles your ears, relaxing you.

You look up and see him in the doorway wearing his big ‘I missed you all day and I’m so happy to see you smile.’ He brings you in for a big hug and rests his chin on the top of your head swaying back and forth with you. The fabric of his sweater feels soft on your face, and it smells like him even though it belongs to you.

It's hard to describe what hugging Jake feels like, and you’ve tried many times. It feels like finally visiting your childhood home after being away for so long. It feels like being wrapped in a million blankets that hug your body perfectly, lulling you into peaceful sleep. It feels like home.

You let yourself melt into his arms, breathing in his comforting scent before stepping out of the cold. He smells like burning wood, a homey campfire, your favorite smell in the entire world. The one that reminds you of years of camping with your family and friends, and hundreds of nights spent under the stars roasting marshmallows with your favorite boy.

You pull away slightly to look up at his face. He looks so cozy and gentle. His hair is hung in a low bun messy from an afternoon of napping on the couch and his eyes are lazy and tired but he looks at you with the same amount of love he’s looked, since the moment he met you.

“Long day at work baby?” His sweet gravelly voice makes its way to your ears warming you from the inside out. 

“Yeah, like you wouldn’t believe. I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” He leans down and places a single gentle kiss on your forehead. Jake rubs your cheek with the pad of his thumb, lightly prickling the skin from his rough calluses. “Is that old boss of yours still giving you trouble?”

You nod slowly looking into his beautiful brown eyes, so beautiful. 

“Alright then.. I’ll kill him” his eyes light up and that stupid smile creeps out as you giggle into his arms.

When you let go first (Jake would never let go first as he drunkenly took a vow years ago when you first started dating.) you take a step into the house. You notice your brown fuzzy blanket on the floor next to the couch from when Jake sprang up to rush to greet you upon hearing the car in the driveway. Part of you feels jealous of his day spent lounging around doing absolutely nothing but he is so hard working and deserves this just as much as you do. 

“I made soup, I made chicken noodle, your favorite.”

“Really?!? Thank you Jakey! It smells amazing, I'm sooo hungry.” You stand on your tiptoes to deliver a kiss right to the end of his nose. He blushes and smiles shyly. Then his tone changes completely, his British alter ego slipping out.

“Well take your coat off, stay a while, let's eat! And I’m talking about the soup, not you by the way, although you do look entirely delectable.”

Oliver makes an overly exaggerated gesture pointing to the already laid out bowls of soup. This silly little persona never fails to make you smile, it's just so Jake and reminds you of the night he made it up. That night is one you replay a lot in your mind. It was the first time you said ‘I love you’. It might have been a drunken confession but you would have had it no other way.

“Did you not eat yet honey, it's so late?” You say as you hang up your coat and put your bag down by the door.

“Honey?? I’m not your honey, I’m a man goddamn it!”

Oliver goes away and Jake comes back with a comforting smile. He pulls you in to whisper “no, I wanted to eat with you.”

“The soup is probably cold by now.” You whisper back.

“No. I warmed it up just a few minutes ago so it's the perfect temperature. Not too hot, not too room temperature-ee.” He smiles at you.

“Gosh, you're so perfect and why are we whispering?”

“I don’t know, it's kinda hot though. Feels like we’re keeping secrets.” He moves his eyebrows up and down in a flirtatious manner.

You pretend to swoon and you dramatically place your hand over your forehead, half falling to the floor. “Oh Jacob, what ever did I do to deserve you?”

“Yeah I have no idea what you did, must have been something really great.”

You punch his arm, maybe a little too hard.

“Hey!” He giggles and in one quick move he scoops his arms under your legs and carries you towards the dimly lit dining room table. “Put me down!” You’re both laughing as he sets you down gently.

There is one perfectly placed candle in the middle of the table, next to it lays a small hydrangea from the bush in the front yard. You pick your seat next to him and settle into the chair as he does the same. You lean forward to smell the pretty flower. He knows they are your favorite, which is why he planted the bush all those months ago.

You bring one knee up to your chin and relax even further into the comfortable padding of the wooden chairs. You and Jake had gotten them for free at a stoop sale last fall. It was pure luck that they perfectly matched your wood cabinets. Jake was very insistent on them matching. He was mostly responsible for all of the interior design in the house, he has a very good eye for this kind of thing so you’ve never minded.

Before digging into the wonderful meal he has made you, you steal a quick kiss, this one on his lips. He leans into it and you feel his soft lips press into yours. You can taste the apple and peanut butter on his tongue and you smell the traces of weed left over on your sweater. You also smell his cologne.

Your mind flashes back to last summer when you had walked into a sort of candle shop. The two of you walked hand in hand around the whole shop for at least an hour smelling every single candle and every single hand soap. You both agreed that out of all the seasons, fall had the best smells (crisp apples, warm cookies, cinnamon, pumpkin and squash soup). You also agreed it had the best tastes (pumpkin pie, turkey, chai, walnuts), the best holidays (next to Christmas obviously), and the best weather. After a bit of searching, you had found thee fall smell and in anticipation of the new shared favorite season, he had bought three bottles of it. (“To last a lifetime with you, or.. whatever three bottles will last me until, this shit is expensive man!”)

You're broken out of your day dream with a little poke on your leg.

“Hey you in there?”. 

“Yeah, yeah just thinking, you smell good baby.” He hums in response wearing a satisfied sort of smirk.

You feel your cheeks warm and the smile you can’t help makes its way across your face. Right as you're about to take your first sip of the warm broth Jake yells, you almost drop your spoon.

“WAIT!!!!!” 

He jumps up and scampers off to the living room. He walks back a minute later looking content when a familiar drum fill fills the house followed by ‘strange brew, killin what's inside of you.’ 

He sits back down as the album you had both picked out on your first date plays out on the record player you gifted him on your first Christmas together. You had immediately bonded over your love for cream and especially the ‘best album of all time’ Disraeli Gears. 

Your eyes light up. “Good song!!”

“The best.”

There's a beat of comfortable silence between you before you decide to unleash what you’ve been holding in all day.

“Ok so.” You sigh.

His expression immediately changes to one of concern and you tell him about your shitty day. You tell him how much you had just wanted to come home to cuddle or watch tv together or anything other than work and how you had cried multiple times. He rests his hand on your arm while he listens to you rant, nodding his head every once in a while to show you he’s still listening. After quickly returning from flipping the album to the B side he sits back down and rubs your forearm once more. 

“Come sit in my lap baby, I'll play with your hair.” He gazes at you with those twinkling eyes and you can never resist them.

You move to sit in his lap and wiggle around until you're comfortable. He wraps his arms around you as you nuzzle into his chest. He brings his hands up to your hair, softly dragging his nails across your scalp.

“Tell me the rest of your story.”

After you finish telling Jake all about your day he says his sorrys which of course he doesn’t have to say and squeezes you to him. He peppers you with little kisses along your jaw until meeting you on the lips for a long slow kiss.

Jake finished his soup before you and he waits eagerly for you to finish with an excited look on his face. It looks… suspicious. 

“What are you planning, mister?”

“Well now that you ask… since it's friday and you won’t have to see any of the stupid work people until monday… we should celebrate. I have the perfect idea.”

He stands and holds his hand for you to grab, leading you to the couch that is already a mess of blankets and pillows. He pushes you to fall back onto the plush blankets and he’s not far behind. He falls on top top nearly crushing you. After a quick wrestling match which you unsurprisingly lose, Jake leans over to grab something resting on the coffee table. He turns back to face you and he holds up a small brown lighter and a tightly wrapped joint. 

“OH FUCK YES!” 

“Smoke with me baby?” His low gravelly voice is so unbelievably sexy when he asks you the question and it's always been your favorite thing to smoke with Jake. 

“Yes yes yes always. Ohh I love you, this is exactly what I needed!” You notice his flushed cheeks and half hidden lids.

“How much did you already smoke?” The realization hits you that he's been high the whole time and suddenly some of his actions make a lot more sense. He always gets so cute and affectionate when he’s high, you had suspected it but now it was very evident.

He rolls his eyes “You know I don’t really know, who's even keeping track?” He looks down and smiles to himself.

He presents you with his rendition of a ‘girl blunt’ with a precious will toothed grin. You had explained the concept to him the past week and ever since then, he has refused to use any papers other than the sunflower ones you got him. You could have sworn you had seen the old papers in the trash a few days after.

You practically squeal with excitement and waste no time cracking open the window behind the couch to let out the smoke. The cold air blows through the house and you wrap a blanket around the two of you as you both lean out of the window. He hands you the joint and you place it in between your lips as he holds the lighter to the end of it. You take a long inhale and look up to see him staring at your lips.

The feeling of the smoke traveling down your lungs warms you from the inside out and you melt into the soft couch. You blow the smoke out the window and hand the lit joint to him. He takes a big hit and then passes it back to you once more. After some minutes of passing it back and forth, your mouth goes dry and you feel your heart rate quicken. The familiar taste of weed coats your mouth and your body goes slightly numb embracing the relaxing effects.

After you’ve both had your fill, Jake closes the window and he lays down on the couch. He opens his arms and you settle in next to him pulling the blanket over you. You turn your body into the cushion and he matches your shape, cradling you with care and comfort. His entire body is pressed against yours and it feels so safe. Nothing bad could happen to either of you at this moment. The whole world starts to melt away and it's just you and Jake on this couch. 

Whenever you two smoke together it feels like your souls are intertwining. The connection you’ve shared since day 1 twisting itself around the two of you like silk, wrapping you both up into the softest, safest cocoon. With any physical contact like this, it's hard to differentiate between your two bodies, you’re just one being. You don’t even have to be talking to him or looking at him to feel completely content. Just his presence and the soft music in the background is enough to feel perfectly happy.

As you relax, you start to really pay attention to the song playing on the record player and you can’t help but laugh at the exaggerated British accents in the song ‘Mother’s Lament’. You turn to Jake, a big smile paints his face and you both fall into a fit of giggles as the last song ends on a dramatic piano slide.

You both laugh as you're looking into each other's eyes, never once breaking the contact and a comfortable silence finds itself over the two of you once more. You stare deeply into his eyes although it feels rather like you're staring right at his soul. From the way he's looking at you there's no way he doesn't feel the same.

You can both feel the weed dancing around in your system and he certainly felt it judging by the way his hand kept moving over your ass and his necklace dangled over your face when he leaned down to kiss you. There's that taste of apples and peanut butter again. So perfect, so Jake. 

The silence is broken when he says, “babe?”

His voice moves slowly through the air and his speech sounds delayed. In your state you find it entirely hilarious and he looks at you with confusion before falling into his own fit of giggles. When you finally calm down, you ask “yes?”

“We should go as Westly and Buttercup for halloween!” He looks so cute with his excitement. His eyes are sparkling and his cheeks are the prettiest pink. You can tell he is very into this idea. To be honest you’re surprised he isn’t thinking of forcing you both to go as pirates for the millionth time although this idea isn’t far off. 

“Oh my god, that's such a good idea, I already have the perfect dress, we would just need to buy you some stuff.”

“So you wanna do it!?”

“Yeah! That’s such a good idea, and it's our favorite movie. But you have to do whatever I say all day.” You squint your eyes, challenging him with a playful smirk.

“As you wish.” 

You giggle and kiss him softly. All of a sudden you are very excited for halloween. 

“Hey are you cold?” He asks.

“Yeah a little, you’re warm though.” You say as you curl into him. Jake starts to stand up.

“Nooo don’t leave, you’re so comfortable!”

He runs away from you teasingly and you chase after him. He reaches the fireplace and throws another log on the fire. He squats down and moves his messy bun out of the way, holding it behind his head with one hand to blow on the fire. The embers glow a bright red, it’s completely mesmerizing in the darkness of the room. The flames grow much higher, licking the inside of the chimney and his face is lit up, you can see the flames in his reddened eyes. He looks so cozy it makes your heart flutter. How is he all yours? 

“We gotta listen to some more music. What should we put on?”

“Hmmmm I don’t know, let's look.”

You both walk over to the shelf containing all the records. You both rapidly switch through them trying to find the perfect bit of music to match the mood.

“Jake!” You hold up the dark cover with the prism on it displaying the silver letters: The Dark Side Of The Mood.

“Oh my god, You are a genius.”

You carefully pull the record from its pocket replacing the previous album with it. You go to put Disraeli Gears safely away back in its place on the shelf as Jake fiddles with the needle. 

The sound of a woman wailing in the background is heard then the calming sound of an organ replaces it in its perfect opposition to the drum beat. This song truly is a work of art, the whole album in fact.

He hurries back over to the couch to snuggle right back in with you. He wiggles his toes to show off his warmest socks with little ghosts flying around. You lift up your foot to show your ‘work’ socks (boring).

You both rest silently listening to the music although it's hard not to focus on his heartbeat. You close your eyes and paint a picture of the song in your mind. You can literally see the sound of the slide guitar like a bird flying through space. The high notes of the guitar look like stars in the night sky. The song changes to a haunting electronic sound causing your heart to beat even faster. It's almost scary sounding in the dark room and for a moment you begin to panic. The feeling of the polyester blanket suddenly starts to feel suffocating but all it takes is for Jake to rest his hand on your forehead, calming you down and bringing you back to earth.

Jake has that sort of power of knowing exactly what you need and when you need it. It's the kind of connection you’ve never shared with another human being and it’s never failed you.

“Wow, I never realized how scary that song is. It's so spooky, and haunting” He says into the dark room.

“Yeah, maybe it wasn’t the best choice. It is kind of powerful though, I could like, feel it in my skin if that makes sense? But it's a little too spooky right now, can we put on something else?”

“Yeah I agree.”

Jake starts to get up again but the blanket is tangled around the two of you. After some fiddling with it, he stands and you follow closely, clutching his arm refusing to leave his side. You both walk over to the record player and he removes the spinning disc. All of a sudden like a crack of lightning shooting through your brain, you remember food exists so you leave him to venture into the kitchen. When you open the refrigerator door, the bright light hitting your sensitive eyes, something terrible happens. You realize... there's nothing to eat.

“Jake!!!! There's nothing to eat, this is really bad!” You call from the other room. He pokes his head around from where he stands.

“Shit, lemme see.” He follows into the kitchen and looks at the mostly empty shelves. 

“I just wanted some chocolate covered pretzels or something man come on.” You hang your head in defeat. Jake snickers.

“Hey! This is really bad Jake, I wouldn’t expect you to get it honestly.” You walk closer to him as you speak the words until your noses are touching. He pretends to bite off the end of your nose and you back away laughing. 

“Jake.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m so hungry I’m gonna eat you.”

“You know I wouldn’t mind that.” He smirks and sends you a wink. You roll your eyes.

“Get your phone quick, I need an apple cider donut from that place next to the record store.”

“Baby.”

“What? Go get the phone please, I'm so hungry.”

“It's 11pm.”

“Fuck. Okay let's get Dunkin Donuts.”

He whips out his phone and opens the doordash app. You scroll through the many options and each pick out 3 donuts. One boston cream, a vanilla one and chocolate one for Jake and three pumpkin donuts for you. You both cave and order a slice of pizza each, to pair along with the donuts.

After placing the order, the after effects of the weed pull you back into the comfort of the couch. You perfectly intertwine with each other and the rhythmic sound of Jake's heartbeat draws you into a peaceful slumber. 

The sound of someone knocking rapidly on the door wakes the both of you and Jake jumps up. The sound startles you and you clutch your chest trying to regain your composure after the initial panic fades away.

“Who is it, it's so late?” You look at him and he looks back with the same level of confusion before his expression changes and he starts to laugh.

“What??”

“Baby.. it's the food we ordered, we fell asleep..” He giggles all the way to the door and opens it to greet the person. With a quick thank you and an exchange of two large boxes, Jake closes the door and sets the food on the table. You can smell it from a few feet away and you walk over to join him. Without a doubt it's most definitely the best thing you’ve ever smelled. 

“Hmmmm.” You both say at the same time.

After fixing yourselves both a plate and placing them on the coffee table next to the couch, you pick out the next album. The Cars, a classic, an album perfect for fall and another shared favorite between you and Jake.

The retro sort of sound is so very dance worthy so you move your way over to him gracefully moving your feet in a haphazard function. He laughs at you so you pretend to look hurt. 

“You can judge my dancing skills when I see you dance alright big shot?” He rolls his eyes, smiling still. 

You sit next to him on the floor and see that he has already started on his pizza. You waste no time scarfing down your own slice as well. He waits for you to finish yours before moving on to dessert. You both cheer for the donuts holding them up high before quickly finishing all of them. You steal plenty of bites of Jake’s after regretting your decision in only getting one flavor.

“I don’t know at the moment it just seemed really good!”

After finishing all the donuts, you both lay back for a moment, unable to move from the amount of food you’ve consumed.

“That was delicious but I need to sleep for like a week now. Should we go to bed or just fuck it and sleep on the couch?” You stand up stretching your limbs and he does the same. Jake intertwines your fingers in his and sways them by your sides.

“I don’t know we’ve been sleeping on the couch a lot lately, I kind of miss our bed.” A small smile plays on his lips and you both share a look of agreement without evening having to speak the words.

You and Jake walk hand in hand to fall asleep on the couch for the third time this week. You both fall asleep instantly, dreaming about one another, those kinds of dreams that you don’t ever want to wake up from.

.

.

.

.

[asteracelatte]

KIR☆MEKI EMOTION (SP☆RKLING EMOTION) – ST☆RISH (Lyrics)

Ittoki Otoya (CV: Terashima Takuma)

Hijirikawa Masato (CV: Suzumura Kenichi)

Jinguji Ren (CV: Suwabe Junichi)

Ichinose Tokiya (CV: Miyano Mamoru)

Shinomiya Natsuki (CV: Taniyama Kishou)

Kurusu Syo (CV: Shimono Hiro)

Aijima Cecil (CV: Toriumi Kousuke)

ㅤ

–

ㅤ

Life is music (Music!) It’s a precious love song (Love song!) We connect by shaking hands (Shake hand!) And I’ll never let go of yours For you I’ll sing with all the love I have Make all the stars in the world light up KIR☆MEKI EMOTION ReThe best stage you wish for Re Is not a dream, it’s right in front of you Ma An unexplored DEEPZONE Ma The feeling of jumping into it is exciting Na Wakux2 What lies Sy Dokix2 Beyond that?! Na Get hooked on this Sy Super LIVE! Na Sy The more passion you put in, the hotter it gets Ot Let’s give shape to this happiness here To A future where you can fly depends on you To I’ll always be waiting for you Ot In a dazzling, shining Paradise Ce Just enjoy this time with all of your heart Ot Ma Na Now, let’s go Ot Ma Na To the hill where everyone’s waiting for you To Re Sy Ce Ready, go! To Re Sy Ce Raise your voice to the skies!! Let’s shout out, let’s start (Let’s start!) Be who you are, my song (My song!) Tell everyone you’re happy (Happy!) I wanna give you my best smile Just go for it, jump! To the journey towards the top This is a song to give you endless courage KIR☆MEKI EMOTION Re When we met for the first time Re Do you remember the shocked look on your face? Ma It was an inexperienced REDZONE Ma A dream encounter that swept me off my feet Na It got your heart pounding, didn’t it? Sy But more than that Na A 1000 times over Sy I want to give you that feeling Na Sy I’ll be by your side Na Sy No matter when or where Ma The road you’re walking, I want to illuminate it for you To To be the light that pierces through the darkness, I swear To Even if you have to stop and cry for a while Ma Like always, like right now, until forever Ce I’ll keep walking by your side, just like today Ot Ma Na Let’s share Ot Ma Na All the hardships To Re Sy Ce Even if time passes To Re Sy Ce LOVE changes everything Listen to your heartbeat (Heartbeat!) Write and dance your true song (True song!) Believe in what you’re dreamin’ (Dreamin’) Because you’re here alive Now it’s time to jump! I promise that you’re not alone Foreverx2 I’ll always love you KIR☆MEKI EMOTION Ce There’s so much we’re still missing Sy But it’s totally fine Re As long as your color To Is never forgotten Na Regardless of what color it is Ma It’s still a part of the rainbow Ot That’s why no matter where You can always find us Life is music (Music!) It’s a precious love song (Love song!) We connect by shaking hands (Shake hand!) And I’ll never let go of yours Now it’s time to jump! Your dream doesn't have to stay a dream Make all the stars in the world light up KIR☆MEKI EMOTION ㅤ

ㅤ

TRANSLATED BY:

Mia

LYRICS/COMPOSITION:

Agematsu Noriyasu (上松 範康) – Elements Garden

ARRANGEMENT:

Iwahashi Seima (岩橋 星実) – Elements Garden

ALBUM:

LIVE EMOTION Theme Song CD -Single-

[deus-ex-mona]

yeah it's them again, ✨izumo edition✨

Aizo: Cheerful and athletic. During their visit to Izumo Shrine, he said “I will definitely become an idol who’ll not lose to anyone else, so please cheer me on.” when he was making his prayers.

Q: What feature(s) of Izumo made the biggest impression on you?

Aizo: It goes without saying that the shrines and temples were impressive, but I also climbed to the top of a lighthouse known as the Hinomisaki Lighthouse. I heard that it’s the tallest lighthouse in Japan, and the view from the observation deck at the top was amazing. You can see the entire Sea of Japan from up there. I hope that everyone would be able to give climbing to the top of the lighthouse a try.

Yujiro: Mild-mannered and polite. During their visit to Izumo Shrine, he said “Thank you for watching over me every day. I’ll continue to devote myself to my work.” when he was making his prayers.

Q: What feature(s) of Izumo made the biggest impression on you?

Yujiro: I guess it’d be Izumo soba, their local delicacy. It’s known as Warigo Soba, and the soba is served in three stacked tiers of round bowls, along with condiments and dipping sauce on the side. It was the first time that I had ever eaten this style of soba, and I found it to be delicious. This style of soba seems to have been perfected back when people started to eat soba as a packed meal. The origin story of the meal was also really interesting to listen to.

The Tourism Ambassadors of Izumo: Up Close and Personal with LIPxLIP!

Congratulations on being appointed as the tourism ambassadors of Izumo! How do you feel about it?

Yujiro: Through this collaboration, I learned that Izumo City has a very deep connection to the history of Japan, with the famous Izumo Shrine and numerous historic shrines and temples being found within the city. As such, I feel that it’s a great honour to have been appointed as the tourism ambassadors of Izumo City.

Aizo: You know, Izumo City is where shito, our producer from HoneyWorks, spent his youth, so I wonder if that connection to him led us to our appointments as its tourism ambassadors thanks to the Matchmaking shrines in the area. I’d like for us to show off the charms of Izumo City to many people as LIPxLIP, its tourism ambassadors.

What are your plans for this collaboration event in Izumo? Also, how did your voice recording go?

Aizo: Starting on the 26th of January, “Izumo Day”, we will commence a digital stamp rally called “Touring Izumo City with LIPxLIP” via an app, which will play our voices as you visit famous spots in Izumo. The recording was a ton of fun too. We learned a lot as we voiced our introductions about each of the featured spots.

Yujiro: There are many stories about places and people that are straight out of Japanese History textbooks, so I think there are things to be enjoyed about the tour, aside from our dialogue. Of course, there are snippets of our personal conversations included in the recordings. Like when I went into a footbath with Aizo. Right, Aizo?

Aizo: You mean that time when you chased me all the way to the edge of the footbath, huh?!

Yujiro: Is that what happened? Ahahaha (laughs).

I heard that the two of you reunited with an unexpected person while you were sightseeing in Shimane, while you were there for a tour?

Aizo: Yup, we did. We bumped into him by chance. His name’s Nagisa. You know about him, don’t you?

Yujiro: Nagisa came to our concert too. I think he became a fan of LIPxLIP too, don’t you?

Aizo: Yeah. He definitely became our fan. No doubt about it.

Yujiro: We’ll confirm it with him when we see him again.

HoneyWorks’s 6th album, which is set to be released in March, will include a recording of the Special Sunny Party (SunnyPa) Live on a bonus disc. You guys performed Shin Jidai for the first time at SunnyPa. How was it?

Aizo: Shin Jidai was a song that our seniors, Full Throttle4, invited us to collaborate on. It felt like a brand new challenge to us, as it was a song that we would not usually get the chance to sing or dance to as LIPxLIP. As such, I got the sense that we were performing it with a rather fresh feeling.

Yujiro: Our seniors were singing and dancing fairly seriously, so we were desperately doing our best so as to not fall behind them. Just like Aizo had said, I, too, felt like we had performed with a fresh feeling. And, through this performance we got to experience a sense of something that we didn’t yet have, which we are hoping that we would be able to apply in our next performance.

Aizo: The Julieta who watched the concert loved it. They said that their hearts pounded when they saw Yujiro acting all aggressively confident, since he doesn’t do that often. Right, Yujiro?

Yujiro: Weren’t there comments about how scary my face looked? I haven’t watched the recording yet, but I wonder if I did alright.

Aizo: They sure were honest, huh (laughs). Please do check out the recording, okay?

During the emcee portion with Full Throttle4 (FT4), you guys imitated each other again, didn’t you? What are your thoughts on FT4’s imitations of you two, and how did you feel about trying to imitate them again?

Aizo: Let’s not talk about the imitations! We were just swept up in FT4’s bad vibes, really. We didn’t even agree to do that beforehand, and yet they suddenly sprung it on us… 

Yujiro: That's the one thing I wish they’d stop asking us to do. It’s embarrassing, regardless of whether we succeed or fail at imitating them, and it’ll destroy LIPxLIP’s image, you know? (laughs)

Aizo: Wait, don’t tell me that emcee portion was recorded too?

Yujiro: It seems to be so.

Aizo: Seriously…? I wonder if it’ll appeal to our Julieta, though…

Lastly, LIPxLIP, please give a message to your Julieta who support you!

Yujiro: We’re truly happy to have been granted the opportunity to bring happiness to all of you Julieta, right from the start of the year, in the form of our collaboration with Izumo City. I’d like us to continue to expand the scope of our activities as LIPxLIP and meet lots of you along the way, Julieta.

Aizo: This year has only just begun, and I hope to make it a fun year with all of you Julieta. Please look forward to seeing a different and more mature LIPxLIP as compared to how we were like last year. See y’all around, Julieta!

Yujiro: See ya!

Yujiro: I’d like us to expand the scope of our activities as LIPxLIP and meet lots of you along the way, Julieta.

Aizo: I'll be really happy if our feelings of gratitude to our Julieta have been conveyed properly.

[minisnacc]

First time ever writing something like this on Tumblr, so it’s most likely hella messy because this is just a very IMPROMPTU BRAINSTORM :( I also got the German translations for stuff from a friend who lives in Germany :) ((he says, and I quote, if you need anything in German I’ll be your guy))

Anyways,

Imagine ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ Loser!Konig, Yknow, the kinda guy that’s like ‘I listen to rock hurrhurr no one understands me hurrhurr’ the ‘NEVER interacts with anyone (other than his best friend Hong Jin) ESPECIALLY women’ trope.

Like imagine König with a wardrobe FULL of band shirts, and ripped tank tops, and he’s obviously got a bass guitar, his dorm room is filled with band posters and he has medium length hair, and he like, never ever interacts with women cause ‘he’s not like that’ ((sure bud, sure)) and he only ever listens to rock and metal to ‘drown the voices out’ ((definitely not cause he’s edgy or anything 🙄🙄🙄))

Sees you, who has the smile of an angel, and at first tells himself he’s DEFINITELY not enamoured by you, your laugh, giggles, the way you speak, the way you just… are.

“Agh, nein, I’ve just been lonely, these are just delusions, why the hell would she be into me anyway,” shakes it off and goes back to his dorm and goes to sleep thinking about you (because well, he was… trying NOT to think about you).

Sees you repeatedly on campus, like as if you’re TAUNTING him with your presence, and he then begins actively avoiding the places you frequent, like the library, the canteen, even starts sitting on the COMPLETE opposite end of the classes you share with him, to the point where even you notice it.

Now you.

You, who have been hypnotised by this behemoth of a man wandering around campus, in his band shirts (and your personal favourite, his tank tops, cause, you know, his big meaty arms…), and think to yourself that someone as cool and attractive as he is would NEVER be into you anyway.

The way he always chuckles deeply at what his friend says, this Hong Jin guy (who you think you kinda have a crush on too, ugh, why are there so many cute guys on campus?), and the way he flips his hair out of the way when it gets into his face, sooooo majestically… (okay, so you might be slightly delusional, so what?)

One day you notice he starts… disappearing from the campus… like there’s a lack of presence from him. How? He’s like, the Hulk 2.0, HOW IS HE GONE??

So you start actively going out of your way to ‘bump’ into him. You go to places where you think he’d be on campus - to classes you KNOW he has, with the excuse that you’re there to say hi to a friend, or to the vending machines scattered throughout the compound, cause he loves his canned drinks, and even to the GYM, just lurking around long enough till the staff ask if you’d like a membership (to which you sheepishly decline, then scurry away).

Two whole weeks go by and you begin to think he doesn’t like you, and in fact, think he HATES you.

Then you see Hong Jin, by a vending machine, alone. You stare at him for a good minute, contemplating on whether to just approach him outright and ask him about König. You vigorously shake your head, hype yourself up, and approach him at an alarmingly quick pace, to which he notices, and is startled when you abruptly stop right in front of him, interrupting him as he chooses his drink.

“Jin, right? Nice to meet you, does König hate me?” You ask, almost rapping it like as if you had 1 second left to live, eyes wide and brows furrowed.

Jin simply looks at you, flabbergasted, so shocked because that was NOT what he expected to be asked today. Or by anyone. Or by YOU. The girl König had been talking about, the one he said he thought looked ‘kinda cute’, which, he never ever says, cause he’s way too busy raving about new albums or songs or his new PR at the gym.

He chuckles, which then turns into a laugh, as he looks at you through forming tears. You feel like a puppy with its tail tucked in between its legs, shy, scared that you pissed him off with your (unintentional) direct attitude.

“You’re funny, you know that?” Jin says, wiping away a tear, his laughs tapering off. “To answer your question, no, he doesn’t hate you,” he smiles, a glint in his eyes… a hint of deviousness, you decipher.

“Let me let you in on a little secret,” he leans in close, to your ear, and takes a quick glance to his left and right, “Reason he’s not been around is cause he reeeeeaaaaaaaalllllyyyyyyyyyy likes you,” he drags the word out, taunting you almost, and you jerk your head back and look at him dead in the eyes.

“Really?” You whisper, a smile creeping on your lips.

So this guy liked you this entire time? Who would’ve thought?!

“Yeah at one point he couldn’t shut up about you,” he grins, gaze shifting behind you, his voice now louder than before, “Oh, and don’t tell him I told you this, but he LoooooOooOOOOves thinking about you at night,” Jin leans backwards to an upright standing position, and smirks in the direction behind you.

You turn, and see Konig standing behind you, eyes blown wide, mouth slightly agape, frowning. You can’t tell if he’s shocked, mad, flustered, or all three.

“Oh, right, and I think you’re real cute too,” like pouring gasoline on an already ABSOLUTELY BLAZING DUMPSTER FIRE, you see König’s face shift to that of anger.

You can physically see him tense up and turn red, and the once stoic giant you (thought) you knew explodes, “HÄ?! DIGGA WAS MACHST DU?!” he practically screams.

You flinch, instinctually, from the giant getting mad, like he’ll actually charge straight through you to get to his best friend. König notices when he glances over to you, and loosens his body a little, as well as his expression, but still maintains a glare at Jin.

The Korean man taps you twice on your shoulder, dragging your attention back to him, and he winks at you, “good luck,” he clicks his tongue twice, and promptly RUNS away (rightfully so, or he would’ve been ripped apart by the angry Austrian), leaving you and König alone together.

You’re frozen in place. Don’t even turn around to look at your crush. Well, more like can’t.

His best friend just admitted to the fact that he likes you… like, REALLY likes you. Your mind races with so many thoughts, like, what did Jin mean by König thinking about you at night?? And why did he not shut up about you??? Is this real?? Is this a dream??

A loud sigh interrupts your train of thought, urging you to look behind you.

“Sorry,” König says so quietly it almost sounded like a whisper. He looked like a kicked puppy. Then, a moment of awkward silence. Your eyes dart EVERYWHERE but at him, you don’t even know if you can bring yourself to look at him, such a pitiful sight, but you do, and your heart aches. His eyes are glued to the ground.

It looks like he thinks you hate him, almost like as if he’s holding back tears and ready to beg for your forgiveness for being such a fucking creep, for being such a loser in love with someone like you, and you deserve someone soooo much more manly and cool and handsome and actually likes something other than dumb songs and dumb drinks and dumb gymming routines and…

“Hey, it’s alright,” you break the silence, approaching him slowly, “If it makes you feel any better I really like you too,” you smile softly, offering comfort. You look up to the poor man, into his eyes, and take his hand gently.

You wipe his shame away with those words, and there is a spark in his eyes, which you notice.

“Wirklich?”

“Yeah, wouldn’t believe how much I think about you too,” you blush, now you’re shy, because this is way too much for one small meeting. You’re pouring out intimate secrets to him, ABOUT HIM, while he very very very intently listens.

Again, there’s silence, and it’s a little awkward, considering now you both are in close proximity, being intimate, your neck craned upwards just to be able to maintain eye contact with this giant (HES a tree, you swear).

“So, uh,” König gulps, now taking your hands in his, “Wanna come have dinner with me?” He asks, slight blush dusting his cheeks, “At… my place?” He smiles.

[sweetdreamsjeff]

Amazing 'Grace': How Australia Gave Jeff Buckley His Biggest Hit

23 August 2024 | 12:00 pm | Jeff Jenkins

“In that moment, Jeff Buckley became a superstar in Australia.”

“I’ve got something I’d like to play you,” the woman from the overseas label announced.

It’s the start of 1994, and I’m at a Sony sales conference on the Gold Coast. We’ve been running through the major priorities for the year – Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Pearl Jam and C+C Music Factory – when the representative from the company’s New York office mentions a new signing.

“I’ll play it during morning tea,” she says.

As she pressed play on the CD, you could hear a Mojo Pin drop. The Sony staff – music fans, grizzled music veterans and cynical indie types – were all united. No one had to say a word. The look on everyone’s face said it all: “This guy is special.”

In that moment, Jeff Buckley became a superstar in Australia.

Hearing him sing Hallelujah for the first time was a revelation. Nothing needed to be said. It was as if Sony’s Australian staff made a pact: we’re going to make this record a hit.

Jeff Buckley’s debut album, Grace, was released in the US 30 years ago today. The album’s Australian release came the following month, when Inpress editor Andrew Watt put Buckley on the cover and eloquently explained the album’s appeal. “Every now and then a new artist comes along whose sheer quality and artistic vision is so obvious that you just know you’re going to be listening to him for a long, long time.

“Grace is an album that seems so complete and so vivid in its expression that it’s almost an insult to try and deconstruct it and examine it to try and find out what makes it work.

“Probably the highest compliment that can be paid to Grace is that it’s timeless. It’s a brilliant album now, it would have been 10 years ago, and it will be in 10 years’ time.”

The record company bio that accompanied Grace had a section where the label listed what format it fitted. Grace ticked most of the boxes – alternative, AOR, easy listening, heavy metal, jazz, jazz/rock and “all other”. But Buckley responded: “That’s all just useless typing … everything it’s not, it is.

“What is it?” he added. “It’s just American music.”

And yet, Grace didn’t connect with American audiences. It peaked at number 149 in the US. Australia was the only country where it landed in the Top 10.

The American critics were initially unsure of what to make of the album. “Jeff Buckley sounds like a man who doesn’t yet know what he wants to be,” stated the three-star review in Rolling Stone.

John Encarnacao had no such reservations in his four-and-a-half-star review in Juice. “What kind of person wouldn’t like this disc?” he asked. “Maybe someone afraid of involvement. Or someone unprepared for music to penetrate their outer layers. Or anyone who rolls their eyes at the names Joni Mitchell, Neil Young or Sinead O’Connor. Grace is one of those sacred recordings.”

Grace received some play on US college radio but was shunned by the mainstream stations. “The songs were too long, and they didn’t have any hooks,” Buckley explained, relaying the complaints of the American radio programmers.

“It’s all a question of taste. I have no idea. I don’t know how their minds work, and if I ever do find out, I’ll hang myself from the nearest tree. I’m not really bitter about it at all.

“It’s a total crapshoot dealing with radio, so it doesn’t matter. Just so long as people come to the shows and enjoy it and get what they want, I can’t ask for more.”

And that’s exactly what Australians did – they embraced Buckley live. That first Jeff Buckley tour in 1995 is referred to in the same hushed, reverential tones as The Beatles’ 1964 visit and Nirvana’s shows in 1992.

You had to be there.

In Melbourne, Buckley did three shows at small venues – the Lounge, the Prince Patrick Hotel and the Athenaeum Theatre, as well as a set live to air on Triple R’s rooftop.

Lainey Wilson Has Never Been In It For The Awards: ‘I Want To Feel Something & I Want People To Feel Something’

Amazing 'Grace': How Australia Gave Jeff Buckley His Biggest Hit

23 August 2024 | 12:00 pm | Jeff Jenkins

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“In that moment, Jeff Buckley became a superstar in Australia.”

Jeff BuckleyJeff Buckley (Source: Supplied/'You And I' album cover)

More Jeff BuckleyMore Jeff Buckley

“I’ve got something I’d like to play you,” the woman from the overseas label announced.

It’s the start of 1994, and I’m at a Sony sales conference on the Gold Coast. We’ve been running through the major priorities for the year – Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Pearl Jam and C+C Music Factory – when the representative from the company’s New York office mentions a new signing.

“I’ll play it during morning tea,” she says.

As she pressed play on the CD, you could hear a Mojo Pin drop. The Sony staff – music fans, grizzled music veterans and cynical indie types – were all united. No one had to say a word. The look on everyone’s face said it all: “This guy is special.”

In that moment, Jeff Buckley became a superstar in Australia.

Hearing him sing Hallelujah for the first time was a revelation. Nothing needed to be said. It was as if Sony’s Australian staff made a pact: we’re going to make this record a hit.

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Jeff Buckley’s debut album, Grace, was released in the US 30 years ago today. The album’s Australian release came the following month, when Inpress editor Andrew Watt put Buckley on the cover and eloquently explained the album’s appeal. “Every now and then a new artist comes along whose sheer quality and artistic vision is so obvious that you just know you’re going to be listening to him for a long, long time.

“Grace is an album that seems so complete and so vivid in its expression that it’s almost an insult to try and deconstruct it and examine it to try and find out what makes it work.

“Probably the highest compliment that can be paid to Grace is that it’s timeless. It’s a brilliant album now, it would have been 10 years ago, and it will be in 10 years’ time.”

The record company bio that accompanied Grace had a section where the label listed what format it fitted. Grace ticked most of the boxes – alternative, AOR, easy listening, heavy metal, jazz, jazz/rock and “all other”. But Buckley responded: “That’s all just useless typing … everything it’s not, it is.

“What is it?” he added. “It’s just American music.”

And yet, Grace didn’t connect with American audiences. It peaked at number 149 in the US. Australia was the only country where it landed in the Top 10.

The American critics were initially unsure of what to make of the album. “Jeff Buckley sounds like a man who doesn’t yet know what he wants to be,” stated the three-star review in Rolling Stone.

John Encarnacao had no such reservations in his four-and-a-half-star review in Juice. “What kind of person wouldn’t like this disc?” he asked. “Maybe someone afraid of involvement. Or someone unprepared for music to penetrate their outer layers. Or anyone who rolls their eyes at the names Joni Mitchell, Neil Young or Sinead O’Connor. Grace is one of those sacred recordings.”

Grace received some play on US college radio but was shunned by the mainstream stations. “The songs were too long, and they didn’t have any hooks,” Buckley explained, relaying the complaints of the American radio programmers.

“It’s all a question of taste. I have no idea. I don’t know how their minds work, and if I ever do find out, I’ll hang myself from the nearest tree. I’m not really bitter about it at all.

“It’s a total crapshoot dealing with radio, so it doesn’t matter. Just so long as people come to the shows and enjoy it and get what they want, I can’t ask for more.”

And that’s exactly what Australians did – they embraced Buckley live. That first Jeff Buckley tour in 1995 is referred to in the same hushed, reverential tones as The Beatles’ 1964 visit and Nirvana’s shows in 1992.

You had to be there.

In Melbourne, Buckley did three shows at small venues – the Lounge, the Prince Patrick Hotel and the Athenaeum Theatre, as well as a set live to air on Triple R’s rooftop.

“His shows caused the biggest buzz in town since the Stones were here in March,” I wrote in Inpress.

I took my friend Nova Weetman to the Athenaeum show. She wrote about it in her recent book, Love, Death & Other Scenes. “I was down the front,” she recalled, “weeping as the strains of Hallelujah lifted us up.”

Buckley was a potent mix of Jackson Browne and Jimmy Page. He had the heart of a poet. And he could rock like a god. As one Rolling Stone live review said, “The punchline is, Jeff Buckley can get away with anything.”

Interviewing Buckley was no easy task. He seemed troubled, knowing that the interviewer would inevitably ask about his father.

Jeff’s mother, Mary, had been briefly married to a then-unknown Tim Buckley. When he was eight, Jeff spent a week with his dad; apart from that, he never knew him. Two months after that meeting, Tim Buckley died of a heroin overdose.

The young Buckley loved record stores. “They’re a really emotional place,” he said. “All my life, I tried to work in one, but they never accepted me, and now I’m in them. I go to Tower Records and see all these lives in the bins.”

He noted the sad irony of his record being filed next to his father’s catalogue. “Separated all our lives, and now I’m right there in the bin next to him.”

David Browne, the author of Dream Brother, the biography of Jeff and Tim Buckley, noted that the younger Buckley “was painfully aware of the mistakes Tim had made in his life, and struggled to avoid them”, though “the weight of acclaim helped undo them both”.

That first Australian tour sent Grace into the Top 10. I remember a backstage scene when a Sony rep informed Buckley that the album had gone gold and was headed for platinum. “But do I really want that?” the artist responded.

In Sydney, he visited Bondi Beach at sunrise. “I tried to swim, but the water was too cold,” he smiled. “My nuts totally contracted into my body.”

Thirty years after it was released, Grace has gone eight-times platinum in Australia, and it remains a consistent seller.

Buckley returned in February 1996 for bigger shows, forging a rare connection with Australian audiences.

On the morning show on ABC radio in Melbourne, Raf Epstein has a popular segment called Changing Tracks, where a listener talks about a song that was playing at a pivotal moment in their life.

Recently, Julie recounted her memories of driving down Puckle Street in Moonee Ponds in September 1995. “I was listening to triple j,” she wrote. “I had just given birth to my only daughter … and I was in a loveless marriage. I was feeling extremely emotional and desperate. My husband had not wanted to be a father and was reluctant to involve himself in parenting.”

Like Tim Buckley decades before, Julie’s husband said, “I don’t want this.”

She realised she would be better off on her own.

“Listening to the radio that morning, I heard Jeff Buckley for the first time,” Julie continued. “Singing with a lilting, powerful, emotionally charged voice, he seemed to soothe my pain, and it lifted me out of the hole I had found myself in. I bought the CD that day, and his music supported me through probably the worst 12 months of my life.

“Every time I hear Jeff singing, he reminds me of the strength I found in the most vulnerable time in my life. For that, I am grateful.”

In that first interview with Inpress, Buckley revealed his desire to write a new American national anthem. “I hate the national anthem,” he declared. “The song itself is about having kicked somebody’s arse in war with bombs and stuff. Someday, there will be a [new] song, and hopefully, if I live into old age, I’ll make a stab at it.

“That will be my crowning achievement if I can replace that awful thing called the national anthem.”

He also said he hoped that Grace would be timeless. “If I make it into old age, I’d like to be able to visit it and have it still be true. The things I love the best are very timeless.”

Buckley highlighted Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Duke Ellington and Allen Ginsberg. His favourite Ginsberg poem was Kaddish, which includes the line:

And how Death is that remedy all singers dream of.

Sadly, Jeff Buckley didn’t make it to old age. On May 29, 1997, while in Memphis working on the follow-up to Grace, he went for a swim in the Wolf River. His body was found on June 4.

Jeff Buckley never got to write that new national anthem. But one of his wishes came true: Grace is timeless.

In that first Australian interview, Buckley mused about his second album. “I’ll make an album that’s so not me,” he predicted. “But it will be me.” He even revealed he had a title for the record: My Sweetheart The Drunk.

The posthumous album Sketches for My Sweetheart The Drunk was released the year after Buckley’s passing.

“The songs that would have been My Sweetheart The Drunk (as well as all the other recorded material he left behind) are the true ‘remains’ of Jeff Buckley, not the speck of dust that was pulled out of the Wolf River,” his mother Mary Guibert said.

The Sketches album entered the Australian charts at number one. It was Buckley’s first number-one anywhere in the world.

Guibert also compiled the 2000 live album Mystery White Boy, which included five songs from the Palais Theatre in St Kilda, as well as Buckley’s cover of Big Star’s Kanga-Roo, recorded at Sydney’s Phoenician Club.

The great tragedy of Jeff Buckley and the modern music business is that Grace was his only completed album.

In the liner notes for Sketches, Bill Flanagan wrote: “If the music business ran in the ’90s as it did in the ’60s, Jeff would have had five albums out … But Jeff loved searching more than arriving.”

By the time Tim Buckley died, aged 28, he had released nine studio albums. Jeff, who died at 30, released just one.

But then, we were blessed to have experienced Jeff Buckley’s genius. One perfect album and some magical live shows.

Hallelujah.

[lonesome-witching]

The World Can Know

I have gotten the request to write a celebrity AU by @rabbitofdeath-atcastleaarrggh based on this post by @autismbarbie (I think). And I have to say I absolutely loved that post so much that I was a little excited to write this.

You can read my previous prompts or send me some new ones.

It had all started with a drunken tweet. She shouldn’t have been drunk. It was only 2 pm and she was supposed to be working. But she had finished the last song for her album, and somebody had pulled out a bottle of champagne and now she was sipping lukewarm beers in the recording booth and scrolling through twitter.

It was then that Robin Buckley saw a picture of Nancy Wheeler. It wasn’t that she had never seen her before, she had seen Nancy everywhere. A couple of days ago, she and Steve had gone to see one of her movies. And Robin had returned the next day to watch it again. So, she knew of Nancy Wheeler. She had seen her all dolled up in movies and on red carpets. She had spent an embarrassing long time staring at her in that flowy top with her dark red lips at the Paris fashion week just a few nights ago.

The only difference was that all of those times Robin hadn’t been drunk, and therefore had been able to refrain herself from making her tiny obsession public knowledge. But this time as she noticed the picture of Nancy Wheeler in a simple blue shirt, purple cap and sunglasses walking in New York, the same streets Robin walked every single day, she was drunk.

Her fingers were typing out the words before her mind had registered them. Her thumb only hesitated a second before posting the tweet.

Literally dont FUCKIGN talk to me if u r not Nancy wheeler btw!!! dont even say hi i’ll be pissed

She regretted that tweet that same night when a text from Steve told her to check twitter. The memory of her own embarrassment came flooding back and the only reason she opened her account was with the pure intention of deleting the entire thing. That was her intention until she noticed the notification. It was a simple reply, just a simple hi with a smiley face behind it. The main reason Robin nearly went into cardiac arrest was that it was from Nancy freaking Wheeler. 

-

Talking with Nancy had been surprisingly easy. They had hung out a few times, going for walks after dark and eating take out in Nancy’s luxurious apartment. Robin had even invited Nancy to the recording studio after a mix up with the vocals forced her to drop everything. They often talked until the early morning hours, laughing and crying like kids at their first sleepover.

Now that Robin was able to see Nancy in real life it became obvious that the pictures and movies didn’t do her justice. That she looked best when she woke up with her hair all messed up and her eyes only half open.

It also became obvious that Robin was falling in love with her. Robin had difficulty not staring or stuttering when they hung out. She would always trip over her words whenever she tried to give Nancy a genuine compliment. And when Nancy returned the favor her cheeks would heat up and turn bright red. The words ‘I’m in love with Nancy Wheeler’ might as well have been tattooed on her forehead.

As the months crawled forward Robin and Nancy hung out more and more. Even when Nancy had to go to LA for some promotion material for her newest premiere, they called every night. Robin would listen attentively to Nancy chattering about her day as she stayed up way too late talking the other girl to sleep.

It almost felt like they were dating. Almost.

Robin tried her best not to dream about that possibility. After all, she had already gotten way too lucky to have her idol in her life.

Robin checked her phone for the thousandth time, waiting for a reply from Nancy. But as her screen lit up, she saw nothing but her lock screen. It had been a mere 9 hours since she last received a text from Nancy. She could survive 9 hours without Nancy. She had to.

Robin checked her phone again when the doorbell rang out, echoing through her too empty apartment. She dropped the phone on the couch and got up, shuffling to the door. On the other side stood Nancy Wheeler, her hair wet and dripping raindrops on the floor.

“It’s raining,” she stated as her eyes stared into Robin’s face.

“Nance? What are you doing here? Come in, come here.” Robin pulled her in, nearly hugging her. “I’m going to get you a towel… And— and some dry clothes. You should shower. I thought you were in LA.”

“I just got back. I— Robin, I need to speak with you.”

Robin stopped running around, a pink towel in her hand that nearly dropped to the floor as she saw the expression on Nancy’s face. “Okay.”

“I—” Nancy frowned. “I don’t know where to start.”

“Maybe at the beginning,” Robin offered.

“I don’t know if there is a beginning. And I’m hoping this isn’t the end. I just feel like there is middle. Everything has been the middle. I can’t start at the beginning because there isn’t one. There is just you.”

“Me?”

Nancy nodded, taking a deep breath. “There is just you. And then there is me. And I’m hoping you and me could be an us.” Nancy’s teeth were digging into her bottom lip and Robin worried she’d draw blood.

“What are you—” Realization dawned on her. Nancy’s doe eyes and nervous expressions might have not been enough, but her words were clear. “Oh.”

Nancy nodded again, barely. “Do you think—”

“Yes. I like that. I’d really like to be an us.”

Nancy’s lips turned into a bright smile as she closed the distance between them and pressed their lips together.

-

“I wrote you a song,” Robin said about two weeks after their first kiss.

They were laying in Nancy’s bed, cuddling and kissing. It had been heavenly to be cooped up in Nancy’s flat the entire day. It had been marvelous to sink into her mattress and feel her lips all over her body. And now Robin was enjoying the warmth of her girlfriend.

“You wrote me a song?” Nancy asked with a soft voice.

“I did.”

“That is so sweet.” Robin could hear the smile in Nancy’s voice.

“I was hoping you would be in the video.”

“I would love to be in the video.”

-

They had agreed to keep their relationship to themselves until the video came out. Which Robin knew, logically speaking, wasn’t very long. It was supposed to be released in less than a month time so it would align with Nancy’s premiere.

But Robin was ecstatic about her new situation, and she had lasted about 3 days after they had agreed. It had at first been a slip of the thumb. She had taken this adorable picture of Nancy and couldn’t not post it. Maybe she could have used a more ambiguous caption than ‘gf reveal’ but she had slipped up. It was Nancy’s fault for being so cute.

It was only when no one believed her that she kept going, that she kept tweeting about Nancy and her dating. Not that it helped.

“They still don’t believe me. It’s insane.”

Nancy laughed softly. “At least I know it’s true.,” she said as she pulled the phone out of Robin’s hands and crawled onto her lap.

-

The premiere of Nancy’s movie was scheduled for Friday. The music video was going to drop Thursday. Robin smiled as she thought about it. But tonight, on this beautiful Monday evening, Nancy was curled up into her side as they watched the Late Night Show together. Nancy was on this episode and when she was announced Robin cheered at the screen, much to her girlfriend’s amusement. 

“So, we have to ask, is there anyone special you are taking to the premiere on Friday?”

“Well, actually, there is,” screen Nancy answered, and Robin’s eyes widened. “I’ll be taking my girlfriend, Robin Buckley.”

Nancy’s arms tightened around Robin’s waist. “So, I may have told the world.”

“Yeah,” Robin replied, nodding at the screen, not even registering the reaction from the audience.

“You’re not mad, are you?” Nancy looked up with those soft doe eyes.

“Mad? Why would I be mad? I’m delighted. I’ve been talking about it for ages now. All I wanted was you and for the whole world to know.” She lowered her face to press a kiss on her girlfriend’s lips.

[yepthatsacowalright]

"Like everyone else in the modern world, large parts of my life have become increasingly digital, sometimes against my will. The result is a very mixed bag. Some things have improved, and others have definitely degraded. I constantly wrestle with the balance of these changes, and I try to be mindful about them. But this is the hardest to do where it intersects with my work.

I’ll start with streaming. I did not come up on streaming. I’m in my 40s, so by the time I was buying music of my own it was the early 90s and I had cassette tapes. Then came the CD, then mp3 players, then streaming and cell phones. The last change has affected how I interact with music the most. Since streaming became the norm, I listen to music a lot less. I know my age is a factor here, but streaming has killed a lot of my desire to explore. I still love to hear new music, but I’m basically 100% recommendation based at this point. I never browse platforms like Spotify. In theory, having all of recorded music available at once, for a monthly fee that’s less than what a single album cost 30 years ago, would be a feeling of abundance, of infinite possibilities. But the actual result is just being overwhelmed. Sifting through hundreds of thousands of tracks that aren’t quite doing it for me just sounds exhausting. So I don’t use it very much. I can’t remember the last time I actively searched for new music on it. And passive things like algorithmic suggestions and playlists have not filled the gap.

I also work in music, so I’m always suspicious of how much that colors my opinion. But I feel the same way about film these days. I used to really stay on top of movies and shows. Since the streaming model has taken over, I have that same overwhelmed, agitated feeling I get from the music platforms. Scrolling through all those films and shows, with their auto-playing trailers and automated recommendations, just makes me turn the tv off. So I rely entirely on recommendations here, too, and I have no desire to explore.

It’s been strange watching former hobbies and sources of joy turn into chores, or even things I actively avoid. I realize that a lot of people will feel the exact opposite here, though. I don’t think this is unanimous by any means. But this is how it has turned out for me, and it has made what I do for a living feel really strange. Because I no longer enjoy these platforms very much as a user, releasing work has become increasingly dissonant. How do you make things for platforms you don’t personally enjoy? I’ve never had this issue before now. I liked buying albums. I liked going to record stores, where they had curated selections, and hunting for something that I wanted to take home with my very limited funds. So the idea of creating something that would be packaged as an album, that someone else might discover in a shop and decide to take home, was really motivating. It served as a mental model. And while I liked going to shows sometimes, they weren’t what made me want to write songs. I was all about records and the process of finding them. I cherished my tiny little collection, and the idea of being a part of someone else’s was really cool to me.

Watching a number occasionally go up on an app I personally try to avoid isn’t quite the same." - Ben Cooper/Radical Face's blog entry Investment Strategies [x]

[pommpuriinn]

♩♫❤️¨*:·. MAKING OF BLACK MAMBA EP

SYNOPSIS: Bang PD has decided to give Joohyung the chance to shine with having ideas to let her become a solo artist that has full creative control. But with Joohyung’s commitment to TXT will she even take the offer and balance everything on her shoulders.

ᵕ̈♡˳೫˚∗ JANUARY 2022

Tubatu just finished their end of the year performances and are currently on a short break before recording new songs for future projects. Eunha came to the dorm with a surprise meeting for Joohyung, who was currently under her sheets fast asleep. Finally sleeping in after months of working was the greatest until someone has to come in and ruin it. “Joohyung,” Eunha whispered, gently rubbing Joohyung’s back trying to slowly wake her up. “Joohyung-ah I’m sorry but you have to wake up.” Eunha did feel bad for waking her up. “Mm?” Joohyung moved slowly around her bed. “Bang PD is calling you in for a meeting.” Eunha started running her fingers through Joohyung’s hair trying to fix it. “Are the members up too?” Joohyung queationed, with her eyes still closed. “The meeting is just for you.” Eunha answered. “Why?” Joohyung slowly sat up while rubbing her eyes awake. “It’s a surprise~” Eunha sang while shaking Joohyung trying to wake her up even more. “I’ll wait in the living room.” She got up and closed the door behind her.

Joohyung got dressed before heading inside her bathroom to do her morning routine. They stopped to grab their matchas before heading to the Hybe building and meeting everyone. “Did I get trouble?” Joohyung whispered, aa they pass by security. Eunha chuckled, “no I think it’s something you’ll look forward to.” Eunha opened the door for Joohyung to go in first, Joohyung gave a quick ‘thank you’ towards Eunha before bowing her head at everyone as they got up from their seats to so the same. “Joohyung it’s been awhile.” Bang PD smiled at her. “It has. Our schedule is pretty hectic.” Joohyung sat down and cross her leg over the other. “So I have some exciting news for you today.” Bang PD gathered his papers. “You’re such an amazing artist and we value your hard work and everything you had to put up with since the beginning. With that being said we want to ask if you are interested to be Tomorrow x Together’s first soloist?”

Joohyung’s eyes widen immediately she never really thought about debuting solo since she was chosen to be in the final line up. “Oh…um I firstly want to thanked you for thinking about me.” Joohyung nervously chuckled. “With full transparency if I do take this opportunity I would really want full creative control. I know what I want and I know how I want it to sound and look like.” Joohyung really wanted to stand her ground. “I do believe you will make something great and I don’t doubt you. But the only thing is we really want to release your project January of next year, so you would have half the year to write and record and the another half to do jacket shoots and film your mv along with the process to make the albums.” Bang PD laid everything out for Joohyung who was listening intently to all the information. “But this is on top of all the Tomorrow x Together already existing schedules that you have to attend.” A staff member added. That was the thing that’s sitting behind Joohyung’s head is the amount of pressure she was going to face if she takes the opportunity. This is also another dream for her and is something she wants to do. “I would like to accept it.” Joohyung answer made everyone sigh in relief.

“Amazing. I do want to say we have hired a new small group of female producers that I think really suit you and could help you with your project. If you like of course.” Bang PD threw the suggestion to Joohyung. “We could set up a session at the studio.” Joohyung nodded. This solidified new beginnings and new hardships for Joohyung.

┄┄ ︰ ┄୨୧┄ ︰ ┄┄

TWO WEEKS LATER

Joohyung made her way to her brand new music studio which will the place where she meets the new producers HYBE hired. Eunha gave her a heads up that she’s there with the girls already. “Don’t be awkward Joohyung. Don’t be awkward.” She mumbled to herself while she walked down the hallway. Joohyung made it in front of the door that was now labeled ‘Jooie’s Place’, Joohyung gave soft knocks on the door before twisting the door handle opening the door. “Hello~” the new hires immediately stood up and gave little bows towards Joohyung. Joohyung covered her mouth with her hand shocked at how pretty the three girls are. “Hi, I’m Joohyung.” She shyly waved at them making them laugh at her shyness. “How cute~” the short blonde haired one cooed causing the other two to agree with her. “Ok, now that Joohyung arrived we I can introduce everyone.” Eunha announced. “Joohyung this is Winter,” the blonde bob one. “Giselle,” she has reddish brown hair with bangs. “And Ning Ning I think she’s our youngest producer.” Eunha finished introducing everyone to Joohyung. “Our trio name is Aespa.” Giselle added.

Everyone took some time to get to know one another which was going well, Eunha was relief that girls were vibing and were actually fond of each other. It didn’t take long before they started discussing about Joohyung vision for her solo project. “I have a couple unfinished songs and beats we can work with.” Joohyung went straight to her computer that had everything on it.

┄┄ ︰ ┄୨୧┄ ︰ ┄┄

MARCH 2022

It’s been a little over two months now and almost everyday Joohyung meets Aespa in her studio constantly working and perfecting the first two songs. “Let’s work on ‘Aenergy’ first.” Joohyung felt like something was missing as she played the song out loud. “I like how powerful the song is, but I want to add like a fun aspect to it. Maybe we can play with the ‘Joohyung rocket puncher, Winter Armamenter- towards the end of the song.” Joohyung put out her input. “How about we kinda hype ourselves up like ‘Winter your hands in the air, Giselle your hands in the air!’” Ning Ning threw an idea out there. It was like a lightbulb went off in everyone’s heads and they immediately went in the recording booth.

The reason why Joohyung wants the three girls including their name ‘Aespa’ on her tracks is because she genuinely likes them and can see how passionate they are of their art. Joohyung even included their name in her title track ‘Black Mamba’. As they moved on to working on the main track which didn’t need much work, but layering Joohyung’s vocals on top of each other. “Unnie your voice is crazy!” Winter spoke through the mic. Joohyung laughed, “thank you I try.”

“I honestly think it’s perfect and done.” Giselle announced giving Joohyung a thumbs up. “Yay~” Joohyung was so happy and proud of all their work. “Now the part where I dread the most is coming.” Joohyung could already feel the pain her body is going to be in sooner or later. “What part?” Ning Ning was curious. “I have to submit the first round of the two songs so the team can hear it, especially the title track. Then I have to start figuring out choreo with our choreographer and dance for hours on end.” Joohyung explained.

Along with working on her solo project Joohyung also has to work on ‘Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child’ thankfully for Joohyung it’s only an EP After finishing in her studio Joohyung quickly said her ‘goodbyes’ to her girls and made her way to TXT’s main recording studio.

“Noona~” Kai and Taehyun sprung up at the sight of Joohyung entering. The group have been taking extra care of Joohyung and how much supporting her since she told them the news. At first they misheard her and thought Joohyung was leaving them to become a soloist, which almost ended with all of them crying. But Joohyung quickly reassured them that that’s never happening and wouldn’t leave them. “You should take a nap before it’s your turn.” Soobin said, as he started clearly the long couch. Joohyung gladly took the opportunity. The members worry about Joohyung because she’s doing 10x more work then they’re doing right now plus seeing their schedule for year doesn’t help. The comeback in May and the tour starting in July. Joohyung immediately went to sleep it was like her body was dying for her to take a nap with all the all nighters she was pulling.

“Even though they gave her a year to finish everything that isn’t enough time with all our schedules that they’re making her attend to.” Taehyun sighed, as he rubbed Joohyung’s leg softly. “I wouldn’t be sad if she didn’t promote with us for this comeback.” Kai just didn’t want Joohyung to overwork herself and wanted her to focus more on her solo. “Me too, but Joohyung doesn’t want to disappoint moa nor us. She’s stubborn and she wouldn’t allow that.” Soobin shook his head ‘no’.

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APRIL 2022

“Let’s run it again.” Joohyung announced to her team. During the last week of March Joohyung the her choreographer started working on the dance for ‘Black Mamba’ after Bang PD approved on the first two songs they finished. It was now 3 in the afternoon and everyone started at 8 in the morning, sweat was running down her forehead which Joohyung quickly grabbed a clean towel to wipe off the droplets. “It’ll be the last time for today.” Joohyung smiled at her female backup dancers feeling really appreciative of their hard work.

After perfecting the dance everyone besides Joohyung and her team got to enjoy the rest of their day while Joohyung has to make her way into another practice room. “Hello everyone~” Joohyung greeted everyone in the room before throwing herself into Beomgyu’s arms. “I’m tired.” Joohyung mumbled into his chest. Beomgyu wrapped his arms around her tried body squeezing her a bit. “Sit this one out. Your cheeks are red and you feel warm.” Beomgyu was trying to convince her. “No.” Joohyung stubbornly refused. “At least promise me you’ll come straight home and rest. No going to the studio, no working just laying down ok?” He wasn’t really asking her, but more like telling her. Joohyung weakly nodded and continued holding on to him already shutting her eyes.

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MAY 2022

In a blink of an eye ‘Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child’ was released and breaking records. Moas loved the album, the concept photos, and TXT’s new dark look. Joohyung did end up getting a bit sick during the promotional period, but thankfully nothing too major. Soobin kept on giving her vitamins while Yeonjun would buy her healthy meals and juices making sure she never lack nutrition. As much as Joohyung hates to admit she really relied on the members during this time. Which didn’t bother them at all they wanted Joohyung to relied on them for everything and anything, since Joohyung always knew puts on a brave face and hides her emotions so she doesn’t burden people or the group. She never wants to disappoint.

Not only were the members huge help moas were too. They could tell something was a little off of Joohyung, and the members did say during a group live that Joohyung didn’t attend to that she was feeling a bit sick. So moas made sure to send her ‘get well soon’ messages on weverse and on twitter. It made Joohyung day reading all the encouraging messages. It gave her more confidence and motivation to continue performing on stage.

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JUNE 2022

By this time promotions ended and it was getting closer to the start of tour, so now everyone was practicing the set list along with outfit fittings. Joohyung and Aespa finished the final two songs for her ep ‘Black Mamba’. Everything was approved and it was time to start the photo shoots for each version so the albums could finally get made into physical ones. Joohyung would sometimes leave early from practicing and get home late from the photo shoot site. Slowly but surely the weight on Joohyung’s shoulders were lifting off and she could finally feel lighter. Before Joohyung would sometimes come home crying because of stress and tiredness that was building up inside her. Finally seeing moas in person from all around will really help Joohyung and really distract her from all her worries.

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JULY 2022

The Act: Lovesick tour went well minus Beomgyu getting sick in New York. Joohyung felt alive again as she pushed all the solo project stuff away and lived in the moment. She even got permission to announced that she was going to have a solo debut in the LA show. It was tiring month but it was fun.

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SEPTEMBER 2022

Just after the Japanese leg of tour ended Joohyung went straight back to Korea to start filming the MV. Filming took a total of 3 days to film and of course the members visit the set throughout the 3 days to show their support.

(I don’t want to write much because I plan on making a separate post about the MV filming)

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DECEMBER 2022

Hybe officially confirmed the release date of ‘The Start: Black Mamba’ coming out January 1st. Life was still a bit hectic like always with finishing TXT’s second tour back in October, announcing another mini album coming, along with preparing for Joohyung’s music shows performances.

Preorders were now opening and with just one day alone Joohyung’s first EP was breaking records with the amount that was being purchased. Fans and non fans were trending hashtags on twitter even making tiktoks talking about how excited they were to listen to it and get the physical album.