#but yes musies is now a thing.

[the-woild-is-y-erster]

BOYS

ITS DONE

tumblr is prolly gonna rip the quality to shreds but WHATEVS

BEHOLD, THE BOYS AS THE MUSES!!!

feat. race being the amazing queen he is, crutchie being not entirely sure what race is on abt, spot having the absolute time of his life, and albert thinking he's the bee's knees.

i couldnt decide what adaptation to make them, so i just made them as all our pfps are :)

anywhizzle, tagging because they asked me to, @watch-me-stand-watch-me-run, @toffyrats, @newsiesfixation

i based their dresses off of the muses from the movie, but the girls' dresses were white and you really think race would be that boring? no sir.

do not ask me why crutchies crutch is blue. its his party crutch. mmhmm.

[male--byleth]

i have the interests of a 31 year old women its so over

[vroomvro0mferrari]

LN4 | Vexing Vacation – Part 6

Summary: When you agreed to join your brother on his vacation, sharing a room with his best friend wasn’t part of the plan. Now, that you’re constantly stuck with Lando and his relentless teasing, you’re not sure whether you want to strangle him or kiss him.

Lando Norris x Fewtrell!Reader, one-bed trope, a lot of banter and a hint of forced proximity :)

WC: 3.0K

Warnings: mentions of sex/sexual insinuations, cursing, alcohol consumption, making out (finally!)

Part 1 | Part 5 | Masterlist

Y/N went about her day pretending nothing had happened. She continued to read her book, which Lando had been so kind as to leave open on the same page as when he took it from her (she felt even more guilty after she realised that), and talked with Pietra every now and then. 

Lando barely spoke to Y/N after their fight, only engaging when it was necessary to keep up appearances in front of Max and Pietra. Maybe he had overreacted, but he had just been hit by the harsh truth that Y/N would never be his. He had never been this close to winning her over, and now she was shutting him out. It made him realise that it would never happen, no matter how much effort he put into his relationship with Y/N. He just needed some time to process the rejection, preferably without much interference from the woman herself.

When they got back to the hotel after dinner, Lando followed Max to his room without hesitation, not wanting to be alone with Y/N. Pietra quickly grabbed her stuff and joined the other girl to get ready for a night out. Lando could use a drink, and maybe a distraction, too.

Y/N was lost in her thoughts when Pietra entered the room, absentmindedly applying her makeup.

“So, what happened between you and Lando?” Pietra asked the moment she sat down.

Y/N froze at the sudden sound breaking silence. “What do you mean?” She asked, attempting to sound nonchalant.

“Oh, come on. Don’t play dumb. You told me yourself, he was all over you last night and this morning, and you’re barely speaking now. What happened at the beach?”

Y/N bit her lip. “It’s my fault. I ignored him and now he’s upset. I realised this morning that I like Lando, and now I don’t know how to act around him anymore. Regardless of what you’ve been telling me, I don’t believe he feels the same. I’m just trying to protect myself before I get hurt, I thought keeping my distance would help.”

Pietra smiled sympathetically. “He likes you, Y/N. I’m one hundred per cent sure of it. He’s just confused. Last night, you asked him to cuddle, and now you’re ignoring him. He’s probably just as lost as you are – doing the same thing; shutting you out so he doesn’t get hurt any more.” 

Y/N thought about it for a second, Pietra was making sense, but she wasn’t convinced. “Even if he does like me, all my relationships end badly. I can’t risk ruining things with Lando; it would ruin his friendship with Max and even if it doesn’t, I wouldn’t be able to face him when he comes over. Besides, what if he changes his mind, just like he did today? I can’t let myself be vulnerable with him only for him to leave when he doesn’t want me anymore.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about that. Lando’s been around for more than a decade, yes? He already liked you before I met him, I’m quite sure of it. He’s not going anywhere, he’s not going to change his mind, and he’s not one to give up easily. And if he were, isn’t it worth the risk? You’re never going to be sure—in any relationship,” Pietra explains gently.

She was right, Y/N realised. Maybe she should just admit it and get it over with, like ripping off a band-aid. If Pietra was convinced he had liked her for such a long time, it must be true right? Pietra wouldn’t lie to her about such a thing, not on purpose. She sighed. “I need a drink.”

“Maybe it’ll help you admit how you feel,” Pietra said, winking. She pulled Y/N into an encouraging hug, before ushering her out the door.

A cab ride later, the group arrived at the club. The music was loud, the lights dim, and the room crowded. Y/N headed to the bar straight away, immediately ordering a drink. She would need some liquid courage to confront Lando tonight, but he had already done a shot and disappeared before she could get her hands on the cocktail.

It didn’t take her long to spot Lando in the herd of people. He was dancing with a girl she’d never seen before. She seemed to enjoy the attention he was giving her, and Y/N wished she had done the same when she was on the receiving end. She watched as Max and Pietra disappeared into the crowd, a worried look on Pietra’s face when she looked at Y/N over her shoulder. But Y/N didn’t pay her any mind; her eyes were focused on Lando, and the pretty girl he was dancing with. 

She had already ordered a second drink before she had even finished the first one. She felt stupid. Lando had never liked, that much was clear, or he had gotten over her really quickly. She felt like an idiot for believing Pietra for that short moment, for wanting to talk to him and admit her feelings for him when he clearly didn’t care for her in the same way.

So, when a guy came up to her at the bar, she let him buy her a drink. If things weren’t going to work out with Lando, why shouldn’t she try with someone else? Her goal for the vacation hadn’t changed, after all. She eagerly followed Luca – or was it Luke? –  to the dance floor, ready to forget about her troubles. She looked at Lando one last time before she was pulled into the crowd.

Lando had been looking over every so often, just to make sure she was alright – or that’s what he told himself. Irritation flared up inside him when he saw her accept a drink from a man he had never seen before, again. He felt annoyed at the realisation that she clearly didn’t care to listen to him or her brother, especially when he saw her following the stranger to the dance floor. His jaw clenched in aggravation as they made eye contact – she was doing it on purpose, he was sure of it. She was taking to the floor with yet another stranger to spite him, and it was working.

He shouldn’t care about it, but he couldn’t deny his jealousy. Y/N made it clear she wasn’t interested earlier today, but still she watched him – dared him to come and do something about it, or maybe he imagined it. It shouldn’t matter, she was Max’s problem, not his. Yet, he couldn’t resist looking over every now and then. Even as a pretty blonde was putting up a show right in front of him, he was focused on the way the stranger’s hands moved over Y/N’s body, how they rested on her hips to pull her ass tightly against him, and how he kissed his way down her neck. Lando clenched his hands, needing to release some of the tension, and swallowed thickly – that was supposed to be him.

He stared at Y/N, completely ignoring the blonde he was dancing with, watching as the man’s wandering hands moved further down her body before trailing up her thighs and disappearing under the hem of her dress. He was done; he would not stand by and watch how the girl he loved was being touched by another man. He pushed the blonde away rougher than he intended. Muttering an apology, he forced his way through the crowd.

His eyes were still set on Y/N, and the man’s hand that kept moving higher and higher, as if taunting him. His jaw tightened at the crude sight, only encouraging him to move faster. When he was finally close enough he forcefully pulled Y/N’s arm, yanking her from the stranger’s grip. 

She opened her eyes, startled at the sudden contact. “Lando,” she mumbled as he tugged her along. She didn’t care to look back at Lucas or say goodbye, solely focused on the man in front of her; the man who had come to save her from a stranger once more.

Once they got to a quieter part of the club, Lando faced her. “What on earth were you thinking? I told you before, you shouldn’t accept drinks from strangers, or let them touch you like that! Let me guess, you were planning to go home with him?”

Y/N looked at him in shock before her expression faded into a frown. He had been ignoring her all day, he had made it clear he no longer wanted anything to do with her, and now he was pulling her away from another man – what did he want from her? “Why do you care? You’re not my boyfriend! You don’t even like me!” She exclaimed frustratedly.

Lando froze at her words, completely taken aback. He thought he had been very clear with his intentions from the start; he had spent the entire vacation flirting with her, paid for her food and drinks, pulled out her chair, touched her whenever she would allow him, and now she was accusing him of not liking her? She couldn’t be more wrong, or oblivious for that matter. 

“What the hell makes you think that?” He demanded, moving closer. His eyes wide in frustration as he provoked her, trying to find out where it had gone wrong.

Y/N stuttered under his intense gaze, suddenly forgetting why exactly she had concluded that. “You… You always make fun of me, and—”

“What?” Lando interjected. Made fun of her? He had teased her, yes, but he had never humiliated her, had he? He began to doubt himself, but didn’t let it show.

“You know, for a short moment there I thought P was right; that you actually liked me, but I realise now I was stupid. You don’t like me, or you sure got over it quickly!” Y/n said with more confidence. She was done with this. The entire vacation had been awkward and weird and she needed clarity; she needed to suck it up and get it over with; finish whatever was going on, even if she got hurt or humiliated herself in the process.

“What are you talking about?” Lando asked confused. At least she had gotten the hint sometime this vacation, but moving on? He hadn’t attempted it, and he wouldn’t succeed if he tried.

“The girl you were dancing with? She’s pretty,” Y/N huffed.

Lando laughed at her – so she had been watching him, too? – and Y/N flushed in frustration. “The girl I was dancing with?”

She nodded.

“You think I care about her?” He asked, his eyebrows raised in disbelief; as if her assumption was ridiculous. The way she acted – her arms crossed, and the pouty expression he loved so much – made it clear she was jealous, and Lando thoroughly enjoyed it; it was about time she returned the favour.

Y/N became defensive. “You seemed pretty into her. Yet, here you are, lecturing me about who I dance with, while you were—”

“You call that dancing?” Lando interrupted harshly, stepping closer again. “You were about to fuck in the middle of the dancefloor.”

Y/N gasps in offence. “I was not! I would never do that, I wasn’t going to go home with him! I don’t even know him, I—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Lando’s lips had crashed onto hers, silencing her effectively. Her protest and apparent jealousy were enough reason for him to believe she liked him back; enough reason for him to risk it. Y/N’s body froze in surprise, but the moment she felt Lando’s lips move against hers, firm yet desperate, she relaxed in his strong hold. His hands glided over her body before one settled on her hip, pulling her closer, while the other slid behind her neck, guiding her deeper into the kiss.

Y/N’s mind was reeling, her heart pounding heavily as she gasped for breath when Lando suddenly pulled away, letting go of her body. “I��m sorry, I shouldn’t have—” 

Before he could finish his apology, Y/N yanked him back by his shirt, cutting him off with her lips. Her fingers tangled in his curls, tugging softly as her other hand kept its tight grip on his shirt, as if she was afraid he’d try to pull away again.

Lando groaned softly against her lips, his hand sliding down her side again, his touch possessive yet gentle. He pulled her closer and pressed his hips into hers, a stark contrast to the gentle stroke of his thumb on her cheek. 

Y/N lost herself in the moment, surrendering to the intensity of Lando’s kiss, her body responding to his every touch, every caress. At this moment, she would go along with whatever he wanted, enjoying it far too much to protest.

When the heat of the moment had worn off, Y/N finally pulled away, in desperate need of some fresh air. She leant her forehead against Lando’s, her eyes closed as she tried to process the situation. She’d kissed Lando, but what did this mean? Did he like her? Were they in a relationship now or would they go back to being friends tomorrow? She was incredibly confused, even more so than before.

Lando’s voice broke her train of thoughts. “We should… probably find Max and Pietra,” he muttered, softly squeezing her waist as if to wake her up from her thoughts. Y/N nodded, her cheeks flushed from Lando’s penetrative gaze and, not to forget, the intense kiss.

Lando led her to the bar, hoping to get a better view of the club from there, maybe Max and Pietra would spot them there, too. His hand was back in its rightful place on Y/N’s back as he guided her through the club. A small, satisfied smile settled on her face at the feeling, but she wasn’t reassured just yet; they needed to talk.

“There you are!” Pietra exclaimed when they neared the bar, quickly pulling Y/N into a hug. Pietra eyed the girl suspiciously at the lack of distance between her and Lando but didn’t mention it right away. Although it was obvious something had happened, she wasn't entirely sure what – she would ask later, when they were alone.

Max was oblivious, however. “You guys good to leave? We want to head back to the hotel,” he said, sending a cheeky look and wink over to Pietra.

Y/N nearly gagged at the suggestive comment but nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we’re good to go,” she said, her eyes flicking to Lando’s for confirmation.

“Okay, let’s go,” Max uttered before heading the group in search of the exit. Lando walked ahead of Y/N, reaching his hand behind him for her to grab. He looked at her over his shoulder when it took too long, wiggling his fingers impatiently. Y/N blushed and grabbed his hand quickly, letting him guide her through the crowd.

The group entered one of the many taxis waiting outside the club. Max took the passenger’s seat as the rest settled in the back, Y/N in the middle. She could feel the gentle pressure and warmth of Lando’s hand on her bare knee as he rubbed slow circles into her skin. Pietra nudged her to catch her attention, nodding to Lando’s hand with a questioning look, only causing Y/N to blush more fiercely.

Pietra and Max quickly escaped to their room when they arrived at the hotel. If the sneaky kisses in the elevator were any indication of what was about to go down, Y/N was happy that their rooms weren’t next to each other.

Lando and Y/N slowly walked to their room, wanting to extend the moment before they had to face the reality of the situation.

“You okay?” Lando asked once they’d entered the room. His tone was soft and gentle, matching the reassuring hand rubbing her arm. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just, so many thoughts running through my head right now. Like, what does this mean? You still haven’t confirmed that you like me too, and I don’t want this to be just a one-time thing, you know?” She admitted quietly, as if that would make the statement less intimidating. 

“I like you, is that enough confirmation for you?” Lando said teasingly, yet lovingly. He couldn’t believe she still wasn’t sure about that after the kiss they shared. “And I don’t want that either,” he continued. “You think I would flirt with you for years just to have a one-time thing?” Lando questioned, his tone equally as soft as hers.

“No. But then again, I didn’t know you were flirting, I thought you were just making fun of me the entire time.”

Lando’s jaw hung slack at her comment, surprised at how bold she could be when she sounded so sweet. “Are you insulting my flirting now?”

“Hmm, maybe…” She said, fiddling with the collar of his shirt. “Your name is perfect for it, Lando Norizz.” She giggled at her joke, and the fake offence Lando displayed.

“It worked though,” he protested.

“Just barely, it took a lot of intervention from P for me to realise you liked me.”

“Okay, I think that’s enough slander for tonight. Let’s go to sleep, hm?” Lando said, trying to distract her from making any more comments about his non-existent ‘rizz’.

She rolled her eyes, ready to protest, when he shut her up with a kiss. Not as firm and passionate as before, but sweet and adoring instead. She held his face gently, angling his lips to perfectly fit hers, before pushing him away.

“Sleep, you said?”

– – – – –

Vote about the story here!

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[my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction]

I am fucking WEAK for the Anselem-Reader-Blue throuple, I’ve never even seen either movies (just clips) but I am so obsessed that they’re just addicted to each other and Blue is the subbiest sub to ever sub and they’re not letting him out of their sight ugh I want him to just abandon it all and stay in their mansion as their free use little baby boy

Hzshdasudihasiodu ahhhh! Thank you so much, you have made my day!

Also: HELL YES. Here are some:

Trine Headcanons

Anselm Volgelweide x F!Reader x Blue Jones • Rating: 18+ pals • Masterlist • ao3 • want to be tagged? | requestinfo • ko-fi •

Warnings: Blue being a little shit, mentions of bjs, over use of italics, typos, not beta read, railroad sentences, please let me know if I've missed a warning!

Word Count: 524

Blue spends more and more (and more) time with Anselm and you, literally he’s practically moved it. (And put his stuff everywhere.) 

He is terrible with boundaries, something’s in the house? Oh, that’s his. Food in the fridge? Must be his too. Clothing in the wardrobe, not in his size, with a post stick note on it that says ‘This is not Blue’s’? That must be a typo, because he’s taking it to the tailor. And it’s his now as well. 

You resort to a water spray bottle, and spray him whenever he’s getting too excitable with all the new things he’s ‘found’. 

He’s a cat in human form. 

Takes to wearing a silk robe that is a fraction too short for most polite company (good thing you and Anselm are nowhere near polite) and flouncing around the mansion being a nuisance to your staff and begging for (demanding) attention from both you and Anselm every chance he gets.

Wakes up one morning and realises he hasn’t been to the club in over two weeks. Panics. And then calms down when you play with his hair while Anselm deep throats him, and tell him that you’d sent a stand in manager to keep an eye on things for him ages ago. 

Blue never worries about the club again. 

You take him on holiday with you both and he acts like a spoilt brat the whole time, making an absolute fuss of everything when he’s with Anselm - so Anselm will punish him. And being the sweetest little angel for you - so you’ll call him a good boy and let him sit on your lap during dinner. 

Always ends up sleeping between you both, even if you all fall asleep with someone else in the middle. It’s not an intentional thing, and none of you are quite sure how it happens like clockwork and without waking anyone up. Anselm calls it one of Blue’s many party tricks.

Blue gets very self conscious and moody when someone else makes the assumption that he is either Anselm’s or your piece on the side. “Not both?” The outrage is so strong.

He has a reputation for being even more dangerous now that he has the Vogelweide backing, and because Anselm hired a guard for Blue whose only job is to shoot people Blue tells him to shoot. (He doesn’t like getting his hands dirty.) 

When Anselm is in his office taking meetings and you’re hanging out on the chaise lounge to the side Blue likes to sit on the floor next to you. 

Both you and Anselm have tried to convince him to let you get either a bigger chaise lounge or any other seat for him, but he refuses. Preferring to recline, rather dramatically, on the floor with his head tilted back and resting against the chaise lounge seat cushions so you can play with his hair and stroke his face.

Quite often hugs your leg and kisses your knees if they are within reach. 

Has sucked off Anselm under his desk while he’s in the middle of a meeting more than once - and isn’t subtle about it. 

Thank you for reading!

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[toboldlygohome]

Pining

Leonard McCoy x Reader

Summary: Leonard has it bad for you and doesn't know what to do about it. All he knows is that this little crush is getting out of hand.

Character(s): Leonard "Bones" McCoy, James "Jim" Kirk, Spock, Nyota Uhura, Pavel Chekov,

Warning(s): Wounds, Cursing, Slight Angst (Don't worry, there's fluff at the end)

"Bones.... Bones.... Bones?...............Bones!"

Leonard snapped back to reality and returned his focus to the conversation he was having...well...supposed to be having.

"Seriously Bones, what's with you lately?" Jim raised an eyebrow.

"What are you going on about?" Bones scoffed.

"I've been trying to discuss this report with you and you're not even remotely paying attention to me."

"I'm paying attention!"

"Really? Cause it looked like you were staring at Lieutenant-Commander Y/L/N." Kirk crossed his arms.

"No I was not," Leonard frowned.

"Were too!"

"Was not!"

"Were t-" Jim was cut off by Uhura turning around in her seat.

"Boys, seriously. You bicker like an old married couple. Some of us actually have work to do." She scolded.

Leonard sighed and shook his head. "Look Jim, I was just spacing out. That's. All."

"Yeah, spacing out while your eyes are burning holes into Y/N's back. Sounds an awful lot like staring." Jim laughed

Leonard's eyes darted over to you as you patted Chekov on the back, said goodbye to him and Sulu, and made your way out of the bridge. When he turned back, he found three pairs of eyes watching him with amusement.

"Oh what now?" Leonard put his hand on his hips. "Seriously, do you all have nothing better to do with your time than speculate on where my attention's at?"

"There is no need to speculate doctor, you have your sights set on Lieutenant-Commander Y/L/N. It is perfectly natural, there is no need for you to feel ashamed," Spock said.

"I'm NOT ashamed! I'm a doctor, not some giddy little schoolboy with a crush," Leonard defended.

"Hey, no one ever said anything about a crush. We just said you have a staring problem," Jim laughed.

Leonard sputtered for some sort of comeback. Some way to deny any validity to the things they were saying. But the truth is that they caught him in a lie. He was staring. Bones had been watching as you talked animatedly to Chekov about an experiment you were doing in the botany labs. Leonard imagined it was him you were talking to, him you were laughing with. Just the thought of it made his stomach churn in a mixture of delight and grief.

"Aaaaand now we've lost him," Jim snickered, interrupting his thoughts again.

"Really doctor, it's not that big of a deal. We've all been in your predicament before...well... maybe not all of us." Uhura glanced at Kirk playfully, who shrugged in response. "Y/L/N is a great scientist, and an even greater friend-"

"Yes yes and very beautiful, with eyes like stars!" Chekov added, "Y/N has many admirers, you are not the only one."

"Chekov?" Bones asked

"Yes sir?"

"Stop talking."

"Yes sir." Chekov turned back to his screen.

"Look, Bones you don't have to admit it just yet. You have that whole brooding cowboy doctor thing going on, I get it! Just don't let it get in the way of your happiness," Jim reasoned.

"You are all delusional! Now are you all going to continue turning me into a spectacle, or can we get back to this mission report?" Leonard demanded.

"Whatever the doctor orders. Try to listen this time will ya?" Kirk teased.

~~~

Leonard was noticing it more and more. How his eyes searched for you every dinner, every meeting, in the hallways, even in the medbay. And once his eyes found you, they rarely strayed too far.

When you weren't around him, his thoughts always drifted back to you. How nice your hair looked, how fascinating your last report was, how enchanting your voice is, ...how soft your lips look. It was all getting out of hand. He was regularly staying later to finish paperwork because he was too lost in his own head.

Leonard was having one of those moments where his mind was far away, musing about you. He was so spaced out, he nearly didn't notice the tap on his shoulder.

When he turned around and saw you standing there smiling shyly at him, his heart nearly went up into his throat.

"Lieutenant-Commander, what can I do for you?" Leonard asked, finding a smile of his own.

"Can you take a look at my hand please?" You asked, holding one of your hands closed. Leonard noticed some red peeking from between your fingers.

"Oh boy, what did you do this time?" Bones asked as he led you to sit on one of the biobeds.

"You know those plants I picked up from Lainatha?" You asked

"The ones with the purple flowers that smell like a dead body?" He asked as he grabbed his kit.

"Mhm!"

"What about em?"

"They have VERY sharp leaves," You laughed.

Leonard shook his head and groaned, "Let me take a look."

You winced as you slowly opened your hand, revealing a cut that spanned the length of your palm.

Leonard lightly cradled the back of your hand as he inspected the minor wound. "Damn darlin' those leaves must be mighty sharp to nick you this deep." He murmured. "this plant ain't poisonous, right?"

"Not that I've found, doctor." You laughed. His ears welcomed the sound. He felt his cheeks warm as he admired you. When you laughed or smiled, it was contagious. Even to him.

"Leonard?" You asked gently, breaking from his daze once more.

"Sorry, just thinking that um... We're gonna want to keep an eye on this, just in case you have some unexpected reaction," He returned his focus to your hand. "I'm gonna clean this up, put some bandages on it and give you something to speed up the healing process," Bones explained.

He went straight to work on your palm, handling it as carefully as possible. Luckily it didn't need stitches. He bandaged it nice and tight before giving you a couple hypos to prevent pain and infection.

"I expect to see you here at least once a day, so I can see the progress and monitor for allergies or poison," Leonard instructed.

"Do you always worry this much?" You giggled.

"Only about my favorite patients," he said without thinking. Perhaps it was just a figment of his imagination, but he could have swore you were blushing. Impossible! You? Blush at him?

'In my dreams,' Bones thought.

"I promise I'll stop by," You said sweetly.

"You better. If I don't see you in here by the end of my shift tomorrow, I'm coming after you." He teased accusingly.

"I'm counting on it," You...did you just... wink at him? "Thanks for the help Bones, I'll see you tomorrow!" You lightly patted his shoulder with your uninjured hand and hurried back to your lab.

Leonard slumped in his seat and contemplated the mess of feelings he was experiencing. He wasn't sure if he was ready to love someone again. He wasn't even sure if he knew how to love anymore, but he was sure of one thing. You had him wrapped around your finger and you didn't even know it.

~~~

The next day, Leonard strove to keep his mind on work. When his thoughts drifted to you, he would immediately turn his attention to the task at hand. It worked for awhile, but toward the end of his shift he realized he had not seen you all day. You had promised to come in so he could take a look at your cut again, but of course you were nowhere to be seen.

Leonard asked around the medbay, but no one had seen you except for one nurse who claimed you were still in the botany lab. "That's just typical," Bones grumbled, grabbing his kit. "I'm always running around, gathering these officers like a cat chasing chickens."

The moment he stepped into the lab, he couldn't find it in his heart to be mad at you. You were totally engrossed in your work, testing the ph levels in some alien soil.

"How are the tests coming along, Lieutenant-Commander?" Leonard smirked.

You beamed at him, "wonderfully! I'm learning so many new things, it's crazy. I-" Your face fell. "Oh no! Forgot to meet with you! I'm so sorry Leonard," you hurriedly put down your soil container and made your way over to him.

"Yeah yeah you're so sorry, whatever. " He teased. "Get over here so I can see that hand."

The inspection went just fine. Your hand was healing nicely and there was no sign of infection or allergic reaction. He changed the bandages and gave you something for the pain.

"All finished. I still want to observe it, just to make sure it heals nicely... And wear gloves from now on! I don't want to have to keep chasing you around for injuries like this." Leonard quipped.

"Yes sir," you giggled, "I won't forget to come in next time."

"I'll believe it when I see it," he closed his medical bag.

"I mean it! i'm almost done testing all the samples, so I should have ample time for remembering... at least until we visit another unexplored planet." You shrugged playfully.

"Then you'll find some new plant to creatively injure yourself with. Razor sharp leaves... give me a break," Leonard ran his fingers through his hair.

"Oh! that reminds me, I have something to show you. Come on!" You nudged him with your leg and stood up, striding over to the 'plant nursery' as you so lovingly called it. Leonard grinned at your enthusiasm and followed.

"You're sure none of these are poisonous?" He asked

"We don't keep the poisonous ones here, silly."

"But you do have them?"

"What's your obsession with poisonous and allergy educing plants?"

"I wouldn't call it an obsession, a mild concern maybe," Leonard smirked.

"I'm not gonna poison you doctor, I want to show you this!" You proudly presented him with a somewhat unassuming plant. It had a black stem with thorns on it, as well as wide black leaves. On top was a bulb; the kind that usually holds flowers inside. He couldn't for the life of him understand what was so interesting about it, but he was sure he was about to find out if that dazzling smile on your face was any indication.

He loved when you ranted about your work. The joy in your voice was infectious, your ramblings were so passionate, and he always learned something new. He would listen to you talk all day if he could.

"What is it?" he raised an eyebrow at the plant and bit back a smile.

"Don't sound so unimpressed Len, this little guy is one of my favorite plants to date." You crossed your arms. "I found him during our exploration of Conate Ultima-A." Leonard nearly melted when you called the plant a 'little guy.'

"The planet orbiting the red dwarf star?" Leonard clarified.

"Mhm! he's black all over because black absorbs all available wavelengths of light. That's important for a plant feeding off such a dim star like Conate Ultima. He has these big leaves, you see." You lightly touched one of the leaves. "That's also for absorbing light. Not only that, but they've developed thorns to keep herbivores from eating them." You explained.

"Like Earth roses," Leonard smiled at the way your eyes lit up.

"Exactly like Earth roses!" You agreed, "They also have this really unique trait where if you pick the flower, it doesn't wilt. Instead, it sprouts roots at the bottom and you can transplant it!" You beamed "But that isn't even the best part."

"It isn't? Tell me darlin', what could possibly top that?" Bones asked.

"Technically, this is another defense mechanism, but..." You cradled the bulb in your hands. "When you caress the bulb like this," You delicately brushed the sides of the bulb with your thumbs. Slowly, the bulb opened to reveal the brightest yellow flower he had ever seen. It practically glowed against the black leaves. He had to agree with you, this was the best part."

"Wow..." Leonard tried it with another bulb. It slowly opened for him as well.

"I know, awesome right?" You lightly bumped his shoulder with yours.

"What do you call it?" Leonard inquired, pulling his hand away from the plant.

"Well, officially we call it Conate Rosaceae... but I've named this one Leonard." You looked up at him with those gorgeous eyes and he couldn't look away.

"You named it after me?" He asked.

"Yeah, it reminds me of you."

"How so?"

"Well, it's perfectly designed to find light in dark places." You chuckled, "no matter how many times you try to cut it down it just comes back bigger and stronger." You fiddled with your bandages sheepishly. "It has this intimidating exterior that most people try to avoid... but... on the inside, It's the brightest, most breathtaking flower. So bright, it stands out from all the others."

To say Leonard was flattered would be an understatement. He had received compliments before. On his work, his hands, maybe even his hair, but he couldn't recall the last time someone had told him something so meaningful. Bones didn't know what to say; he didn't even know what to do with his hands. This was ridiculous. He was a grown man for crying out loud! But here he was, nervous as a long-tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs.

He needed to say something, anything. A simple thank you didn't feel like enough. Nothing about him felt like enough after Jocelyn.

He swallowed.

You made him feel like enough.

"Y/N..." Leonard stepped closer. You looked up at him with those eyes again. Those eyes he loved to get lost in. Your gaze met his and it was like something clicked inside him. Your eyes flickered down just for a moment, but he caught it. His heart fluttered and his blood rushed to his face. It was now or never.

He leaned in.

You leaned in.

There were mere inches between you.

He could feel your breath on his lips.

"Lieutenant-Commander Y/L/N to the bridge," the intercom startled you both apart.

"Dammit Jim..." Leonard slid a hand over his flushed face and sighed, clearly displeased with his friend's interruption.

"The captain always has the most impeccable timing, doesn't he?" You smiled awkwardly, bouncing on your heels.

"That's one way to put it, yes" Bones frowned at ceiling. There was an awkward pause. He could sense your expectant gaze on him, but he could already feel his walls coming up again. The love would start off sweet, sure, but it wouldn't last. It never did. Leonard cared about you- no, that wasn't right, it was more than that. He couldn't bear it if this didn't work out.

Maybe this is for the best.

"Leonard?..." You said softly.

"It's okay Y/N. You'd better get up there, see what he wants," Leonard offered you a terse smile.

You nodded softly, "yes sir, I'll um.. I'll see you later." He didn't miss the disappointment in your eyes as you left.

He was disappointed too, but Leonard was used to disappointment.

~~~

Two weeks went by and Leonard seemed to be avoiding you. Your cut had healed, but another form of hurt took its place. Had you done something wrong? Pushed him away somehow? It made you sick to think that your almost-kiss had cost you a dear friend. You had tried to speak with him several times, but he always had somewhere else to be. He was busy immunizing security personnel for an upcoming mission. Your silly affair in the plant nursery was probably the last thing on his mind. Still, you felt incredibly lonely. You missed sharing meals with him, stopping in the hallway to chat with him. You missed his anecdotes about Georgia and his snide remarks about Jim's inability to stay out of trouble.

As much as it pained you to think this way, you wished you could take back what you said in the lab. You wished you had just kept it buried, then none of this would have happened. Leonard would have patched you up instead of Christine, and you wouldn't be left in this weird limbo between friends, lovers, and strangers.

"Lieutenant-Commander?" Spock interrupted your lamenting.

"Oh! I'm so sorry Commander, what can I do for you?" You forced a smile.

"I want to discuss your productivity. Can we speak in your office?" Spock asked.

"Of course, right this way." You led him to your office and shut the door behind you. You already had an idea of where this was going. You had been feeling anxious lately and your work was suffering because of it.

"Should we...have a seat?" You asked awkwardly.

"I do not believe that will be necessary, this will only take a moment." Spock pulled out his PADD. "Tell me, are you feeling well?"

You were a bit taken aback by the question. It wasn't often Spock inquired about your state of being. "I um... yeah, I feel fine. Why?" You lied.

"Your colleagues have informed me that you seem... fatigued during your experiments. I have also noticed your report was full of misspellings and grammatical mistakes, which is unusual for you. Additionally, you appeared distracted and dazed when I approached you just moments ago. Normally you greet me by the door." He slightly raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry Spock..." You sighed and sat on the edge of your desk, "I've just been feeling...uneasy I guess."

"Uneasy?" Spock inquired.

"Yeah, my anxiety has been really bothering me lately. I don't mean to worry you." You gave him a half smile.

"Have you spoken with the doctor?" Spock asked. Your stomach sank at the thought.

"I um... no, I haven't."

Spock studied you for a moment, scrutinizing you for any hints as to why you haven't sought medical assistance or counseling when both were readily available.

"I just...don't feel welcome there right now." You met Spock's gaze. A silent conversation passed through you.

"I see." Spock said and looked down at his PADD. "Well, Lieutenant-Commander Y/L/N, I was pleased with your research on the razor-leaf corpse flower. I have kept a watchful eye on your lab access logs and have determined you are due to have two cycles off."

You smiled. For real this time, "thank you Commander Spock. I will use them well"

"I trust that you will. Good day Y/N."

"Good day, Mr. Spock."

~~~

Leonard stared at his PADD in frustration. Everything had irritated him lately, even the blinking of the cursor on the screen. His irritation quickly turned into aggravation when Jim barged in unannounced.

"Bones! My good, good friend Bones!" Kirk shut the door behind him.

"What?" Leonard grunted.

"Yeesh, don't sound too excited to see me." Jim sat in the seat across from his desk.

"I'm busy, what do you want?" Bones refused to look at the captain. Maybe if he just didn't look at him, he would go away.

"Can't I just chat with a pal without wanting something from him?" Jim fiddled with a paperweight on the desk.

"Jim." Bones warned.

"You know doctor, it's very unprofessional to scare away patients, right?"

Defeated, Leonard looked up from his work. "What in god's name are you talking about?"

"Y/n" Jim crossed his arms and stared hard at him. Something about his expression put Leonard on edge.

"What about Y/N?" Bones narrowed his eyes at the captain.

"Spock just got done telling me that Y/N, and I quote, 'doesn't feel welcome here right now.' I wonder why that could be."

Leonard huffed and ran a hand through his hair for the umpteenth time that day. "Dammit..."

"What happened bones?" Jim leaned in.

"Nothing happened." Leonard snapped.

"Clearly something happened for you to be so-"

"Nothing happened... that's the problem," Bones clarified. Leonard didn't realize it was even possible to feel so terrible. He hadn't felt this bad since the divorce, but at least with the divorce he wasn't the only one at fault. Leonard had been childishly avoiding you, and now you didn't feel comfortable in the one place you should always feel safe to go. "I'm a goddamned coward, Jim."

There was a long pause between them. Leonard didn't need to tell him what happened for Jim to understand. "What did I tell you about not letting the brooding cowboy act get in the way of your happiness?" The captain teased.

"Not helping." Leonard rested his face in his hands.

"Right, sorry." Jim shifted awkwardly. Bones was grumpy at the best of times, but he always had this undertone of playfulness. He could scold you about missing an exam or tell you your plan is trash, but it would be wrapped up in southern metaphors and clever insults. This was different, this was real. "You...you really love them, huh?"

Leonard nodded.

"Something happened and... now you aren't sure how to take that next step." Jim said.

"Something like that... I thought I knew what I was doing, but now I'm not so sure. I thought some distance would make it clear to me, but I'm more lost than ever... I've made a terrible mistake Jim, one I don't know how to fix," Leonard peered into his coffee mug to avoid the captain's piercing blue eyes.

"Look Bones, clearly you and Y/N are miserable, so why don't you do the both of you a favor and talk to them. I'm sure Y/N will understand if you just...explain how you've been feeling," Jim attempted to reassure his friend.

"I don't exactly have the best track record on talking about feelings, Jim. I'm a doctor, not a psychiatrist." McCoy frowned.

"First time for everything," Jim reached over and patted Leonard's shoulder. "Go make it right. That's an order."

Leonard took a long drink of his coffee, "can't believe I'm taking dating advice from James T. Kirk"

"Like I said. First time for everything."

~~~

You had spent the entirety of your day off attempting to read, but you really weren't in the mood for much of anything except sleep. Nyota had stopped by earlier and you greatly enjoyed her company, but the sick feeling in the pit of your stomach hadn't gone away.

You just really wanted to talk to Leonard, apologize for misreading the situation. You handled the unrequited love for years and you'd do it for many more as long as you knew you could still be friends.

You heard a buzz at the door and contemplated ignoring it. It was way past normal visiting hours and you were trying to wind down. Perhaps it was something important. You answered the door, expecting Chekov, Nyota, or maybe even Spock. Instead, you were greeted by an extremely exhausted looking Bones.

"Oh, doctor I um, wasn't expecting you." You said, feeling your heart-rate skyrocket.

"Can I come in?" Leonard asked with that rough, gravely voice you had always loved so much.

"Of course," you stepped aside "Come on in..."

Leonard hesitated a moment before stepping inside. Your room was homey, full of furnishings that were so you, it made his insides churn with affection.

"Len, are you okay?" You asked softly from beside the door, afraid to get any closer.

Leonard watched you for a moment, trying to find the words to say, but one look at you and all of his practiced lines had disappeared for good. All he could say was, "I'm sorry darlin'..."

"You're...sorry?" You asked.

"I've been acting like a kid... I'm sorry I haven't been around. We should have talked about this as soon as it happened."

You sighed. You knew this would be coming sooner or later. You were glad he at least wanted to do it in private. "I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have come onto you like that... I scared you off and made things awkward for us both professionally, and as friends-"

"No, no, wait a minute. That's not." Leonard took a deep breath to organize his thoughts. "Y/N, you are so beautiful and smart and dedicated, and funny. You light up every room you walk into."

You swallowed the lump in your throat and wondered if this was a dream. Leonard stepped closer and gave you a hesitant smile. "I'm damaged goods sweetheart. You deserve more than I can give, but it's only been two weeks and I'm a goddamned wreck." Leonard's voice was strained as he poured his heart out to you. "I can deny it all I want, but-" His breath hitched when you placed your hand on his cheek. You could feel the warmth of his skin, the sharp poke of his stubble.

"Leonard, please..." You whispered, eyes pleading with him.

"Please what, darlin'?" He drawled, bringing his hands to your face. He noticed the heat of your blush in his fingertips, he could feel you quiver, eager for him to close the distance.

"Please, just-" His lips were on yours before you could even answer. Your mind was fuzzy. All you could think about was how soft his lips were, how perfectly they fit with yours. His smell was everywhere, it was intoxicating.

He was intoxicating.

He hummed as your fingernails scratched the base of his neck. Leonard pressed you against the wall, desperate for some way to bring you closer. He couldn't remember how to breathe, how to think. All he could do was press his body against yours.

You sighed blissfully against his lips. His hands on your waist were your only anchor to the real world. You clung to him, crumpling his uniform, but you hardly cared. You just wanted him to keep kissing you.

Leonard suddenly remembered to breathe and pulled back, only to press his forehead against yours. Your breathing was shaky and your legs felt weak. You caressed his cheeks once more and placed another soft kiss to his lips, which turned to two, then five.

At last, Leonard pulled you into his chest. He didn't want to let you go just yet. You didn't want to let him go either.

"Darlin'?" He whispered.

"Hm?" You replied, face buried into his neck.

"I love you," Leonard kissed your temple. Your heart leaped in your chest and you held him a little tighter.

"I love you too Len," you whispered softly. Leonard smiled against your cheek and placed another kiss there. "Oh, and just so you know..." You started.

Leonard pulled back to look at you curiously.

"If I ever hear you call yourself damaged goods again, I will kick your ass." You grinned at him.

"Message heard loud and clear Lieutenant-Commander," he chuckled and captured your lips in another searing kiss. Leonard's communicator chimed in his pocket, but he ignored it. There was no code red, the captain could wait. After all, they could have been together by now if it weren't for him. There was a lot of lost time to make up.

[crushedsweets]

it’s been a while back so i’m w more song analysis!! this is too long i’m warning u now. in fact this might not even be readable im so sorry it’s just. so much rambling 😭

when memories snow (more mitski mm also i got tickets for her tour and i will not shut up ab it!!! she’s so cool!!!!!!!) is incredibly tim coded. the very sinister chords at the chorus, really makes you *feel* him spiralling - and the LYRICS ugh very ‘i’m trying to ignore/suppress my memories but they keep coming back against my will’ slash ‘bottling up all my feelings and forging on with my work. pretending they don’t exist’

hate yourself by tv girl is very nina x kate (in the sense of kate watching nina destroy herself for a man who does not even like her) ough. ‘i think you’d fall in love with anyone who fell in love with you / and they frequently do’ BC KATE DID!! kate fell in love with her!! also ‘i’ll just wait til those arms belong to me’ is so subtly manipulative which is very. yeah. kate’s definitely not perfect and i wouldn’t put her above being like that if she really wanted to. + the deceptively happy instrumental with vaguely dark lyrics = nina being overly outgoing and social to make up for the fact that her mental state is in absolute shambles (poor bby)

the wolf by siamés is both tim and brian but i think leans more brian (what is it with this man that makes me think of ‘walking music’. ykwim? the chain, the wolf, house of the rising sun all remind me of him. all very slow-threatening-determined-walk songs) once again, driving beat, heavy bassline. (i play bass guitar so i love a song w an interesting bass part) i think shows resilience as well as grounding - imo he’s always been one of the more mature / level-headed creeps, to the point he’s very self aware. this man knows exactly what he’s doing at all times. ‘somewhere far away i can hear your call’ even in the future when he thinks he’s escaped from slender he knows deep down he’ll never be truly free…. yes ok

keep myself alive by get scared for jane. she’s so angry - AS SHE SHOULD BE and i feel it’s just a audible version of her rage. ‘i just wanna leave this place behind / everytime i see your face in mine’ because her and jeff have the same burned face thing going on…….. ough. she can never escape from the man who ruined her life. the guitar shifting from this melancholy, reverb-y tone in the verses to the loud distortion in the chorus reflecting her mood shifting from self-pity to raw anger

bonus: class of 2013 by mitski x toby

i should rlly make a playlist for each creep but i use musi not spotify 💔

- 🌙 anon

sorry for making u read all of this ❤️

anon. oh my god. i need you to know how often i think about this ask. and how guilty i feel knowing i shouldve responded forever ago but kept putting it off. im going to respond now with shame. thank you so much for your patience. my god

when memories snow for tim is soooo real. i associate him with a longing for life before slendy, while also repressing it cuz it hurts knowing itll never ever come back. going to bars, hanging out in his friends apartments, going to class, late night driving... "I shovel all those memories, clear the path to drive to the store" i think even the imagery of him shoveling snow out of a driveway gives off that sort of strong, cold idea of him. and 'drive to the store' obv being...proxy work... SO SAD

ALSO FUCK NINAKATE MENTION IM IN TEARS ok listen. theyre both really bad. and i super agree that kate might be a bit deceptive and manipulative (intentionally or not) cuz she wants nina to completely remove jeff and take his place (NOT HIS ROLE, just his place in ninas arms). also "how long will it take before you start to hate yourself and go straight to the arms of someone else" i think its undeniable that ninas obsession with romance is related to her own self image, and kate doesnt really like herself that much either. "im not saying that you love me, im not saying anything" OHH BUT SHE WANTS NINA SOOO BAD... man.

also im absolutely in love with how you take the sound itself into account, not just lyrics. the way you explain the wolf connecting to brians determination, reslience, and grounding presense is SOOO PERFECT and i can see it in the first few lyrics as well. the also "sneaking in the pain, every truth becomes lie / i wont trust myself once i hear your call" THATS TIM AND BRIAN COME ON GUYS DO YOU HEAR THIS

also i love keep myself alive. i heavily agree she has every right to be angry, and thats a core part of her character - rage, grief, strength. "to sleep i of course think i'm stronger now / to sleep i gotta catch myself" im crying. the sleep menton + she feels alone. she has a support system, a literal wife, but she still holds all of her grief on her own shoulders. who the fuck else can relate to being violently stalked for months, walking in on your parents being tortured together, being attacked, nearly burnt alive, then LOSING your parents? also "how could this dark cloud make me stronger now" i think a lot of people would have told her that her experience made her a survivor and made her strong and whatnot. but i dont think she feels that way. i think she feels like a victim, she feels tortured, she feels like that same little girl who'd sleep in her parents bed after a nightmare - but this isnt a nightmare she can wake up from. her parents bed burnt to ashes. there is relief in just letting yourself grieve and hurt - but she's so beyond focused on being strong. and it doesnt make sense to her. doesnt make sense how she can be strong after all of that . but she is, cuz she has to be

ALSO YES OH MY FUCKING GOD CLASS OF 2013 DFUCK FUCKFUCKF FIFJF FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKK i dont even need to explain why this gets me. yall already know. my god

[iamthecomet]

Hurt/Comfort fic recs? Your own or other people's :3

Yes! For sure, let me see what I can put together for you. For my own, I don't have many. But you can try here, here, and here for chapters of my Musy May collection that are hurt/comfort adjacent. now onto the important stuff: @littlemoon-beam writes incredible angst and hurt comfort. You can find those (and other incredible things) in her tumblr ficlet collection on AO3. ALSO: We will go softly into the night @hypnoneghoul also has a ficlet collection that has some really really good hurt/comfort. You can find that here. Home by @crimsonclergy is truly fucking wonderful.

Thread the Needle by @media-nocte is really delicious physical hurt/comfort. And of course: A Loosened Heart (Corrodes the Shield) by @anotherghoul666 which has stuck with me ever since the first time I read it. There are so so so many more that I can't remember right now, but hopefully this will keep you busy for a little bit!

[bbinkus11]

@hotcheetohatredwastaken yes, I will be tagging you every chapter. No, you are not getting out of it.

:)

Chapter two of my Hamilton x LU little writing thing I have going on! Featuring: Hyrule and Time talking about their pasts :)

This one is Hyrule centric :)👇

Hyrule strolled through the streets of downtown Castletown, scrolling on his phone with his right hand in his hoodie pocket. One of the best coffee cafes was down the road, and Hyrule had been dreaming of coffee for the last ten days. He’s been at rehearsal in and out, and he hadn’t had the chance to actually go somewhere and get a good coffee. Oh he loved coffee… the smell, the effect, the taste…

Soon he reached the cozy cafe, with a beaten wooden door and a handmade sign. The second he entered, the sweet smell of cinnamon and coffee grounds hit him. A young and accented voice came from behind the counter; “Welcome, dear! Take a good look at the menu and tell me when you're ready!”

Hyrule smiled and glanced up at the large menu above the counter filled with pastries. There were so many options. Yet, it was the blissful time of pumpkin spice, and nothing beats pumpkin spice. Soon after he decided, a bright head of red hair popped up from behind the wooden counters with a wide smile.

“What’ll it be, hun?”

With a small smile, Hyrule told her that he wanted a large pumpkin spice coffee. With an excited grin, the woman wrote down the order quicker than he could process.

“Hyrule? Is that you?”

Startled by hearing his name from the back, Hyrule poked up his head to peek behind the doors separating the front counter to the small room in the back. He saw a glimpse of spiky blonde hair, but didn’t get to see the rest.

“Time, hun, I told you to stop harassing the customers!” The woman scolded.

“Oh! Is Time back there? I didn’t know he worked here. I’ve always seen him at rehearsal.” Hyrule asked curiously.

“Oh my! Are you a part of that musi-“

“Yep! He’s Burr, hun.” Time came again, coming out with coffees on a platter, “Sorry. Malon always drags me along to the cafe. Nice seeing you, Hyrule.”

“And you too, Time. Is this your wife?”

“Yep, don’t tell Legend. He still thinks I’m not married.” Time handed Hyrule his coffee, chuckled, and sat down with him at a nearby table.

“Really? And I thought he was over with those dumb bets he always makes.” Hyrule frowned.

“Bah, who cares. It’s all for fun anyways.” Time waved him off, taking a sip of his own coffee. The place was relatively empty, most tables abandoned. There were wooden planks on the walls, painted with flowers and coffee beans. The counters were filled with all different types of pastries, from vegan strawberry toaster strudels to giant double chocolate muffins topped with chocolate chips. There were warmly lit lamps in every corner. And well, the only word that could describe this place was cozy.

“Do you and Mrs. Malon own this place? I love it.” Hyrule says in awe, smelling his warm coffee.

“Yeah, we bought it a couple years back. When we moved in here, we had nothing better to do, so we opened a little cafe.” Time smiles. “Then, I started doing Broadway again, and now we’re here. This is the first time I’ve been in the shop in ten days. I missed it.”

“By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask what got you into broadway. I’ve just graduated, so I needed something to do. I looked for something local, and I found it. What about you?”

“Well, I did theater in junior high and high school, back when. When I graduated, I took classes at a local community college. That’s where I met Malon. From there, I had been doing music lessons for kids. I was a genius, you could throw any instrument at me and I’d know everything about it.” Time laughed, “But now, I stopped doing lessons and got back into broadway. I think the music got me into it. I’ve always loved music, since I was younger than you.”

Hyrule stares at the table. “Yeah, since me and Legend basically grew up together, we bonded over music. That’s how we became so close, just bonding over the things we know best.”

“And I’m glad you did. I’m glad you didn’t bond over something stupid, like, like, cars or something.”

Both of them laughed that time, and Hyrule had the coffee he’d been dreaming of for the last ten days. They had been given break for this weekend, the cold of the winter starting to creep in as autumn started to fall behind. Rehearsals had been taking up most of their time. Some days, Hyrule wished he didn’t have to go due to the slow weather and traffic. But when he got there, he didn’t regret it. The friendship between him and the a actors and actresses accompanying him would grow more and more, No doubt.

He was going to love this musical.

[whatever-color-of-the-rainbow]

farrah and kate being friends headcanons please 🙏?!

YES

Remember when I said Farrah listens to sexual songs despite being aroace because it’s funny? Well Kate isn’t aromantic (not fully, anyway), but they are asexual, and they do the same thing. They have a joint Musi playlist called “Listen, Just Because We’re Asexual-”. There’s a LOT of Chappell Roan in there. Because duh.

They met at cheer tryouts when Kate was going into sophomore year and Farrah was going into freshman year. Kate noticed two pride pins on Farrah’s bag, a trans one and an aroace one, and complimented her on them (similar to how they met Eva).

They’re the kind of friends who probably shouldn’t be allowed to sit next to each other at a serious function

They would play Mario Kart together, and they’re both really, really competitive about it.

Kate would infodump about their favorite books to Farrah, who wasn’t a huge reader but liked hearing Kate talk

Kate was the only one who knew about Farrah wanting to be a pop star when she grew up. They even co-wrote a few songs with her.

Farrah’s a trans girl and Kate’s genderfluid, so they bond over the fact that gender dysphoria sucks

Farrah would rant to Kate about her rocky relationship with Annleigh, and how she wishes they were closer because Annleigh seemed really cool and nice. Kate ended up telling Annleigh all of this after Farrah died. Think “If I Could Tell Her” from DEH, but actually true and not creepy.

Their falling out was rough. It kind of started because of Farrah’s drinking problem. Kate had to start stepping away because trying to help two friends get better was taking a toll on their own mental health, especially since it didn’t seem like Farrah wanted to get better. Then the accident happened. Farrah started bashing Chess and telling people that Chess was stoned, similar to the things she said at the sleepover. Of course, this pissed Kate off. They both said things they now regret, and that was the end of their friendship.

Chess blamed herself for Kate and Farrah falling out, but Kate assured her that it wasn’t her fault.

Even after everything, Kate missed “the old Farrah”, and Farrah missed Kate.

There were multiple moments where Farrah considered reaching out to Kate to apologize and start over. She never did, though, because she figured that she ruined their friendship for good and Kate wouldn’t want to hear from her ever again.

Part of the reason their fight at the sleepover was so intense was because this was only a few months after their falling out, so their feelings were still kind of raw.

Kate was really upset when Farrah died and couldn’t stop thinking about what could have been. Part of them wishes that they could have been friends again, but also, losing one best friend was bad enough, would they be able to handle losing two best friends? Was their fallout for the better? What if they could have made up? If Kate hadn’t started pulling away when they did, could they have helped her? etc. etc.

People were surprised to see Kate at Farrah’s funeral

Kate considered texting Annleigh to see if she was okay. They ended up not doing it because why would she want to hear from someone who yelled at her sister less than an hour before her murder? (Just like how Farrah didn’t reach out to Kate for fear that they didn’t want to hear from her. They were very similar people, that’s why they got along so well- and why their fallout was as rough as it was.)

Kate visits Farrah’s grave sometimes. Not as often as Chess’s, but still pretty often.

[black-arcana]

Maria Brink and Chris Howorth of In This Moment

by Greg Prato

On their 2023 album, GODMODE, their epic music videos, and their most misunderstood song.

Since 2005, singer Maria Brink and guitarist Chris Howorth have been the leaders of In This Moment, a band that is hard to pin down to a single style (a most welcomed attribute in an era when seemingly most successful rock acts are one-dimensional). Are they industrial metal? Goth metal? Alternative metal? Maybe a little bit of all three – which is on display throughout their eighth studio offering, GODMODE.

And while they have certainly obtained an impressive amount of success and career highlights (a Grammy nomination, billed on some of the world's biggest festivals, a Gold-certified record...), there was a point in their career when, for a brief period, the band was over. Luckily, Brink "kicked the door in" and the band found a path forward with a new visual presentation in their concerts and videos.

Both bandmates spoke to Songfacts shortly before the October 27, 2023 release of GODMODE to discuss the album's mysterious title, the stories behind several of their best-known tunes, and how they conceive their videos.Greg Prato (Songfacts): How has the band's songwriting changed over the years?

Maria Brink: It definitely has. We've been together now 18 years. When we started off, we didn't know what we were doing. We were just trying to figure it out. We used to butt heads a lot and have a lot of confrontation. Now, it feels like we flow like a river together. I think we're just more mature and we've grown with each other, and we've really learned what each other likes and how we work. It's definitely become a lot smoother.

We approach songwriting on all different levels, whether or not Chris writes a song and sends it to me, or I write something on piano. Sometimes I'll even mimic a song on a voice message, with instruments and everything, and Chris will bring it to life for us. So, we really don't have a one-way approach, but we've gotten better at it, that's for sure.

Chris Howorth: In the beginning, it was like we just had a bunch of songs written, and I had a bunch of stuff. I was kind of forcing it on Maria at the very beginning. And then we started trying to figure out what we would do together, and it was a battle. Every album was its own challenge – up until this one, which feels like one of the smoothest experiences we've had together. I guess all that time, we learned how to do it.

I don't like to be told what to do or how to sing something.Songfacts: What is the meaning behind the album title GODMODE?

Brink: The album itself felt fierce. It felt really powerful. And we're always about empowering people and wanting people to listen to the music and feel empowered with themselves. Our last album [Mother, 2020] was a bit more on the somber side because we were really depressed when we went into that album. But on this album, we felt fire and we felt really all the things. I'm always speaking about certain spiritual aspects and tend to sway into that.

But this name, GODMODE, is powerful, epic, limitless. And then Chris when I told him, he's a huge gamer, and he was like, "Actually, in the gaming world, god mode is something you can turn on that your character can't die and all these cool things." So he loved the name right off the bat. It was a no-brainer for Chris and me. We loved the name. Once we both said we should name it this, we were like, "Let's do it." It fit the album as well. Right Chris?

Howorth: Yes, it did. It felt right. And it was like what we were saying about the songwriting: Everything flowed into place on this one. And that too happened during the making of the album. We didn't have a name, and that just popped in. Like, "Oh wow. That's cool."

Songfacts: What was the lyrical inspiration behind the song "The Purge"?

There was this magical moment that happened that felt pretty liberating to Chris and me with writing. He actually wrote most of the musical-type stuff with this song – the verse and the chorus – and sent it to me randomly, and I loved it. I was like, "What is this that you just sent?" The music was so strong to me, and it gave me a really cool feeling. It made me laugh in a way - when I hear something that I love so much, it kind of makes me laugh. It's like this funny, "I can't believe how good this is feeling." So I just loved it.

The lyrics came from all the tension and all the build-up that happened. Why we had to be home and stuck in our houses. Every time I'd turn on the television or go on a social network, that's like what the lyrics are, how it all feels to me. I tried to bring it all into that song.

Songfacts: What are some memories of filming the song's video?

Howorth: The video was totally weird for us. The last few years, all of our videos have mainly been helmed by Maria and this guy named Robert Kley. That collaboration started when we did the "Blood" video, and it's been great. But this time, Maria had her eye on this guy Jensen [Noen], who had done some videos with Motionless In White and Falling In Reverse that were so amazing. You see those videos and you're like, "Oh my God. That is so good." And she was like, "I think we should get this guy for this song."

A lot of technical issues had to happen. She was on the East Coast, I'm on the West Coast. The band is all split up, so she recorded a bunch of her scenes on the East Coast in the church and all this crazy, cool stuff. And then the band got together here on the West Coast at Jensen's studio and did a bunch of stuff on green screen, and he seamlessly put it all together. It was one of our favorite videos. We're totally blown away by how good it came out.

Brink: And like you said, I've been doing the videos for almost 10 years now and it was a little scary to relinquish that power, but everything he was doing was just amazing. He was fine with letting us have our own artistic direction, and we wrote the storyboard and he worked with us on it back and forth. He is just amazing. I would definitely want to do our next video with him. He's badass.

And it was really cool with all of us filming in the church. We went for two days straight and it was pretty crazy. All of it felt pretty epic and awesome. The only thing that was strange was not being with the boys when they were filming. But I actually sat with them the entire time on FaceTime and FaceTimed with them while they were doing their little parts. I FaceTimed with them trying to encourage them while they were doing their make-up and stuff, too.

Songfacts: Are there are any other interesting lyrical inspirations behind certain tracks on the new album?

Brink: Everything we write comes from our soul and my heart. I have to always be honest whenever I do any music. But it's definitely a visceral album. This album is the heaviest album we've had in a long time, and it has a lot of frustrations that built up in me over the last few years with society and things around me, and dealing with my own mental health. So there's definitely a whole journey of emotions in there.

Howorth: I think Maria said it best. The time we had off, it created this angst and this appreciation for what we do. Also, this kind of, "I want to unleash everything." This album was just a natural reaction for those feelings.

Songfacts: Going back a ways, what was the lyrical inspiration behind the track "Blood"?

Brink: "Blood" was a pretty significant moment for us in our careers. Our band had just quit on us, our manager dropped us. Our famous story is, we broke up for half an hour, and then I came back in, kicked the door in, and told Chris, "We're not done! We're not even close to done!"

We did feel like people didn't believe in us and maybe we shouldn't believe in ourselves. We really got down on ourselves for a little bit.

Then there was some sort of surge of energy that happened within us, with all these people not believing in us, that made us want to fight harder than we've ever fought in our whole lives. And [producer] Kevin Churko, who had been working with us, he still believed in us, and so did Century Media. They both wanted to still be on board. So we went and did some songs with Kevin Churko, and "Blood" was one of the songs.

Nobody was showing us any love, and everybody was treating us like the red-headed stepchild. Then we sent that demo out to everybody – just the song – and we were getting all these amazing reactions. We had people lining up to talk to us, and our whole career changed.

You can hear the struggle in that song. It's kind of self-doubt and self-love, and that kind of back-and-forth that we were feeling at that time. Kind of these voices that I think we hear in our own heads, the devil and the angel on your shoulder.

Howorth: That was a whole natural thing that came together. Like this album, it felt like we just followed the path and let all those emotions dictate what was happening.

Songfacts: And what about "Black Wedding," which features Rob Halford?

And Rob Halford is a good friend of the band. He just popped into our lives asking to come see us. He's such a great guy – he and Maria became friends – and we thought, "Let's hit him up and see if he's interested," because she was doing this "mother priest" thing lyrically.

He instantaneously said yes. He jumped on board completely energized and ready to do whatever we wanted to do. He was down for the video and everything. He's one of the coolest people we ever worked with.

Brink: We love him. It was a huge honor to work with him. He's such an amazing guy. It was always emotional and weird for me to work with writers, because like Chris said, we didn't do it quite often. We did it on our new album with Tyler Bates, but we wanted to do that. We chose that. So, when other people are trying to have us work with writers, to me, it's an uncomfortable feeling. I don't like to be told what to do or how to sing something.

But then one day I thought, You know what? I didn't write "Hurt" by Trent Reznor. And if I could meet with Trent Reznor and he could help me write a song like that, dear God, maybe I should be open a little bit to this. So, I am grateful that we did wind up doing that and writing that song because that is one of my favorites. And honestly, out of everyone we worked with, Rob is really one of our special favorites.

Songfacts: Which of your earlier songs seems most relevant today?

Brink: "The Gun Show." Because [the Sirius station] Octane plays "The Gun Show" and people love "The Gun Show."

Howorth: And I would say "Beautiful Tragedy."

Songfacts: What's an In This Moment song that doesn't get a lot of attention but means a lot to you?

Brink: "Legacy."

Howorth: Yeah, I'll back her up on that one. She had lost her grandpa, my dad had passed away, and our other guitarist Randy [Weitzel]'s father had passed away all within a few months of each other. We all came into the whole album bummed and depressed, just feeling that loss. That song literally was just born of thinking about our passed relatives.

Brink: It was in honor of them. My grandfather was my father, so it was a really emotional album for us in general. But that song was special. Chris does a solo for his dad, Randy does one for his, and the lyrics are for my grandpa. The whole thing was really emotional to us. We'll probably do that live again someday because it's special.

Songfacts: What's the most misunderstood song in the In This Moment catalog?

Brink: Definitely "Whore." When I met my partner's mother for the first time, she asked me, "What's your song 'Whore' about?" [Laughs]

It definitely can be perceived as something more on a sleazy side, or a more not-understanding-where-we're-coming-from side, but it's actually this super-empowering, sarcastic nature. It's all about women and empowerment. It's about taking something dirty and degrading and twisting it into something that empowers yourself.

Songfacts: Lastly, how did the idea come up to cover the Björk song "Army Of Me"?

Brink: I love Björk. I'm a huge Björk person. I grew up in the '90s just loving her, and I was always so inspired by her. We wanted to do a cover, and I always get tracks - they call it my "art tracks" - where I can just do this and that. And this was one of those songs that I picked where I wanted to do a cover and showed Chris three different Björk songs. This was the one that he loved the most. He liked it right off the bat.

Howorth: The main riff, when I was listening to that I was like, "That's really cool." And then once we put heavy guitar on it, it was like, "That is outside of metal, rock, techno, whatever her music is called. That is just a cool riff not matter how you slice it – on keyboard, acoustic-whatever, saxophone... it would just be a cool riff."

Brink: She's a brave icon. I love Björk. She follows no rules.

October 10, 2023

[percyforever1022]

Okay Percy Jackson show rants bc I’m really trying to love stuff and like I’m enjoying watching it and I’ll keep watching it but also I have thoughts I need to get out (this started out as tv show complaints and also became about my love the lightening thief musical)

I feel like my biggest complaint is they messed with the stakes and they keep telling instead of showing like why change it to the solstice has passed that makes literally no sense and like yes Percy is smarter than he realizes but that comes through in how he makes instinctive decisions and pieces things together why does he just know things like the crusty one annoyed me the most it’s so frustrating and disappointing like I’m still enjoying watching it but I’m like I gotta be critical this is rough and I feel like they also just don’t know how to write tv like I think the best episode was 5 so far but even then like some great writing some bad writing shoutout to the lightening thief musical for being the best adaptation

Like I hope it gets another season and that they get more people in who know tv writing and pacing but like I’d still be nervous watching it and I think part of the issue too was like obviously they were modernizing stuff to fit now and like okay some stuff sure but then other stuff I feel like most changes really don’t make sense and haven’t been effective

Also they’re emphasizing stuff with the gods too much in my opinion and same for storylines that are a thing and covered in different novels like part of the amazingness of the first series is how well stuff builds!!! Show it to us slowly let us form our own conclusions and we learn more and more like yeah not all monsters are monsters you know who teaches us that? Tyson! not all heroes are heroes that’s the main point of titans curse

Another thing especially with the last episode I feel like we’re emphasizing too much just that the gods are bad with the kids and not just bad all around like Charon would’ve been such a great example with them bribing him and him being like yeah I don’t really get paid enough bring that up with hades like yeah what a bad system that would get reinforced when we later see calypso

Also I get changing stuff but some changes I’m like guys cmon like why change them going over the river Styx that would’ve been a perfect time to establish stuff naturally about it considering it’s really important later like annabeth being like Percy don’t touch that you’ll lose your soul like that’s relevant

And like one of the things I’m most nervous about is like Percy is different bc of sally like that’s a fact it’s the main reason him and Luke are foils and part of what’s so effective of the last book but I like in the books it being less intentional like it’s not oh I want him to be his own before you guys mess him up it’s just oh this is my son and I love him and I want him to live and be happy and in that Percy gets strength him choosing to not stay year round to be connected to humanity and be with his mom is so important but like sally just loves him and that love and connection to humanity is what makes Percy different from Luke and I think it’s more effective when it’s less intentional like obviously she makes choices to keep her son safe but idk it’s different

Also literally why make the solstice pass like the gods going to war is crazy stakes and now like technically they’re “prepping” but like they should be at war and that should have consequences why do that now it looks like nothing has consequences like the one day left thing worked let it be the solstice change has def annoyed me the most I literally wanna scream anytime I think about it

And then I feel like people get mad that people are criticizing the show and trying to be like well Rick is modernizing it and like there’s a way to do that that isn’t this and also if you’re going to do that than don’t market it as the faithful book adaption that we’ve been crazing like once again the lightening thief musical is great at adapting stuff and cutting what does work and making changes while still keeping the tone and all the stuff that makes Percy Jackson what it is and the show could’ve done that too and like everything up until the solstice change I was like okay I have thoughts but I’ll let it go the solstice tho that has larger implications

Also this is specifically about annabeth and no critique to Leah but I feel like the writers don’t know how to write a 12 year old girl like she’s supposed to be serious but in the way you’re serious when you’re 12 where you think you know everything and you can do it all bc duh but then everyone else is just like wow that child is doing a lot like where’s the energy where’s the passionate rants about architecture and the stuff she loves like this 12 year old should be bouncy off the walls she wants to do so much and make things permanent and be remembered and she’s going to do it just you all watch like literally my grand plan gets her this show complaint is also just another love letter to the musical oops like let her be desperate to prove herself not just to her mom but to everyone show us more of that

Also I love percabeth and I’m living for all the percabeth moments but I’m nervous we’re moving too quickly into romance territory like they seem too aware of it if that makes sense like I really like the moment where Percy imitates Athena in the arch bc like that’s so giving 12 year old trying to impress their crush when they don’t know they have a crush like give me more of that but also let them be friends let the trip goof around more and like this goes back to the show don’t tell them but let me see how they work together let Percy piece together information let annabeth make more plans let’s see her myth knowledge and then how they respond when stuff doesn’t go to plan that’s part of how they work so well together and same with Grover

Also like the musical just such a good job and like pairing Percy and annabeths issues and balancing their friendship and how they get closer with the potential of what could be in the future and like Percy singing I’m good enough for someone and annabeth singing I don’t know how or when but I promise you I’ll never be invisible again someone will notice me with the staging of Percy looking at her literally makes me insane

Also the musical did such a good job in the first song at setting up like yeah you wanna hear our story? Okay here’s our representative Percy Jackson and Chris McCarrell slid on to that stage like look I didn’t want to be a halfblood and then showed us why Percy is literally Mr accountability to the gods

Like this story can be adapted well it has all the potential literally everything is there but if you’re gonna do something in the medium it helps to have people who are passionate and understand that medium and know how to work with it

Also Luke’s good in the last day of summer lives in my head always truly iconic

[lilac-melody]

Fantasia LOVE&KISS Novel Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I’m not a professional translator. Also, fair warning, the chapters are quite long.

Masterlist here

🎤

There was a time when Aizou couldn’t sing anymore. There was a time when he couldn't hear the sounds that made his heart pound. There was a time when he closed off the world to escape the noise.

Today was the day for recording their newest song. And for the first time, it seemed to actually be going well. He practiced the song many times ever since he got the demo sheet music, and he tried singing it in many different ways, but today, he was able to sing the song the best way he could have imagined it.

It could be because he didn’t have a lot of tension in his shoulders, or because he felt like he was in good condition, but either way, he felt impressed with how his own voice sounded steady. His voice was clear and his tone was consistent.

He sang with his hands clenched at his sides.

Aizou shifted his speakers as a voice came from the speakers. “Okay. We’re done for the day”

Aizou glanced at the control room, which was separated by a window. “Eh? Are you sure?” Normally, he had to do it a second time and sometimes more.

“It’s fine. It was good. What’s the matter? You did great.”

“Why’s that? Do you think it’s because it’s sunny today?” Aizou asked. The weather forecast said there was a zero percent chance of precipitation, and it had been sunny when he’d left in the morning. From the speakers, he heard the director laughing.

“Does that really have anything to do with it? But if you’re really worried, then let’s do it one more time. Sing just like how you just did, with a smile!”

“Yes sir!” Aizou said with a big smile on his face. There were times when he had to re-record a song several times because he couldn’t sing it the way he wanted to, so on days like today, getting the okay on his first try was uncommon. But Aizou was more than happy to be able to sing comfortably.

The recording ended quickly, and the sun was setting when he left the studio after a quick exchange.

People were crossing the crosswalk at the intersection and walking toward the station one after another.

(This is the end of my work for today, right? I don't even have a lesson today.)

Aizou took his phone out to check the schedule and saw that the recording session was the last thing for the day.

The first time Aizo passed an idol audition and joined an entertainment agency called "Moebius" was when he was in his third year of middle school. He applied for it because he was told that the successful applicant would get to debut, but somehow there was another successful applicant besides himself, and the two of them ended up forming a unit.

The unit was now known as “LIPxLIP”, and they debuted with their song “Romeo”. They immediately grew popular as high school idols.

Aizou stopped at the intersection just as the traffic light turned red. He was wearing a hat and glasses, but two high school girls who were also waiting at the light noticed him. 

"Eh, isn't that Aizou?"

He could hear them whispering.

"Crap! Really?”

Aizou felt embarrassed when he saw them looking at him with excitement, so he quickly pulled down the brim of my hat. On the large screen at the end of the signal, he could see myself and his partner in glittering princely outfits.

It is a commercial for a live concert that was going to be held in the summer. In preparation, he was busy recording new songs, producing CDs, taking dance lessons, and taking vocal lessons.

Before their debut, Aizou didn't know what to do or where to find his place in the world, so he spent all of the time he had studying and practicing guitar. He couldn't bring himself to do anything except stare off distantly, and he didn’t feel like getting involved with anyone, and he wasn’t very social. Sure, he talked with his school friends, but he didn’t care about club activities or going out with them all.

He wasn’t comfortable staying at home either, so he rented a room at a music store that he often visited and spent a lot of his days there. He was a shy person, but the reason why he applied for the idol audition was because he wanted to sing.

That was the only reason.

Aizou didn't think he had the personality for being an idol. He didn't even like to talk with girls. Before his debut, he never would have thought of acting like a prince for anyone. When his friends from middle school heard that Aizou had become an idol, they said, "What, seriously? You?” They were surprised to hear that Aizou had become an idol.

He supposed it was only natural.

Back then, he rarely ever spoke to the girls. He was pretty sure that they ignored him because he didn’t socialize very often. It was embarrassing to be shown him blowing a kiss on a large screen.

He wasn’t an ideal idol, but he couldn't think of any other way to make someone listen to him sing.

He loved to sing, and was the kind of child who would always jump up and down on the couch while loudly singing. Seeing Aizou like that, his mother entered him in a singing contest on a whim. It was also the first time he ever got up on stage and sang in front of people. Aizou himself was praised as a good singer, and he was even admired at school, so he went around saying, "I'm going to be a musician in the future!”

He was embarrassed to think about it now, but he’d always been a happy child.

But as soon as he’d entered the large hall, he felt so sick with nerves that he had almost thrown up and sat down in the foyer. He’d been so scared. He’d felt small, like an inflated balloon that was deflating quickly.

The only reason he’d managed to get on stage was because his brother pushed him to. He could still remember the thunderous applause when he finished singing and the proud smiles of his family, who were listening to him in the audience.

His mother was crying from emotion, but she was still smiling. He wanted to sing more in front of everyone. He wanted them to praise him. If he were to  stand on stage, everyone would see him.

Everyone would see him and need him.

Even his parents, who always fought with each other, would smile.

In fact, that was probably the first time that he dreamed of standing on stage and singing. It was not a whimsical, spur of the moment fantasy, either. It was a dream that he really wanted to pursue.

Aizou had given up on that dream once when he could no longer sing, and in the midst of the dark and bleak days ahead, he wished to see it again. He’d felt that he had nothing left, so it’d been his only “hope”. 

If he stood on the stage, if he sang again, then someone would need him.

He wanted to be able to make someone smile. He wanted to regain what he’d lost.

He felt like there was no place for him anywhere in the world, so I wanted to create a place where he could feel safe and accepted.

(I never expected that it would be in the world of idols, but…)

He was content, though.

Aizou smiled slightly as he looked at the large vision screen.

His partner was incomprehensible and disagreeable, and they kept clashing with each other. It was as if he had encountered an unknown alien and was fighting him every day. Although they now understand each other to the point where they can communicate, they still disagreed and resented each other, and bickering was still an everyday occurrence.

There were times when they would have a heart-to-heart talk about their disagreements. Still, he was the only partner in the world for him, and he supposed that he really had no choice but to be patient with him.

(Come to think of it, wasn’t that guy doing a photoshoot for a magazine today?)

Since they’d been working more and more separately these days, he didn’t know all of his partner's schedule. He recalled talking about that with his manager at the office.

It was for a fashion magazine, he was pretty sure, but he didn't bother to check with the manager and was about to put his phone away when he suddenly received a message.

(Oh, it's from Yui…)

He was a member of the idol unit “Full Throttle4”, or also known as “FT4”. There was Yui and Rio, the vocalists, Dai and Megu the dancers, and Iv the manager and producer.

They were also judges for the audition that Aizou participated in, and after he passed the audition, they coached Aizou and his partner in dance and vocal lessons. They still see them sometimes when they have free time.

Even though they worked for different offices, they weren’t actually idols, and yet, they were people that Aizou genuinely respected and didn’t want to lose to.

“Aizou, I found an insanely good ramen place~! Let’s meet up at the station in 30 minutes~!”

The message was more of a demand than an invitation, so Aizou quickly typed out his reply with a wry smile on his face.

“Which station?”

Yui’s “insanely good ramen place” most likely meant “insanely spicy ramen place”. No one loved spicy things more than him.

He remembered one time, Yui got him some spicy ramen and it was so spicy that Aizou had lost consciousness for a solid three seconds. He was pretty sure he hallucinated being in a flower garden.

If it was possible, he would really like to have some actual good ramen, but he couldn’t complain if he was being treated to a drink as well.

“It really can’t be helped, I may as well go…” Aizou sighed in resignation to himself.

Besides, there's something he wanted to talk about. He was supposed to have the manager pick him up after work, but that would no longer be necessary.

He quickly reported that the recording had gone without any issues and hurried across the crosswalk after the light turned green.

Yui was waiting for him at a nearby train station. They headed toward the plaza in front of the station, the building lit up the darkened streets. Near the entrance of the station, there were many people waiting to meet someone.

The people around the area were looking at their phones or gathered around, enjoying themselves and making a lot of noise. Yui’s appearance was immediately noticeable.

He was sitting on the edge of the fountain, and a group of women were gathered around him. They were probably university students or working people. Yui, who was chatting and laughing happily with them, waved his hand in the air and called out to him. "Aizou~ this way! Aizou!" and waved his hand.

The women around him suddenly gasped. "What, Aizou?”

Suddenly they were all looking at him. Aizou looked down in a panic and tried to hide his face with his hat, but it was too late. High school girls who were walking nearby turned their heads and began to excitedly speak.

“It’s really him!”

“Oh my god, he’s so hot!”

“Ehhh! Hey, hey! Yui, why are you meeting up with Aizou?”

Aizou could hear the women around Yui. And to think Aizou had gone through the trouble to wear a disguise. He didn't want to stand out at all, unless he was at work.

But Yui didn't seem to mind at all, and even now he wasn't wearing a disguise. He was the vocalist of FT4 and popular not only among women but also among men, so it was impossible for him not to stand out wherever he goes. He was surrounded by women and seemed to take it for granted that he would be the center of attention.

Aizou was envious of his composure.

“I’m going somewhere with Aizou~! Sorry, ladies~!” Yui got up and walked over to Aizou.

“So where are we going?”

“Somewhere nice?” Yui lifted his index finger to his lips and winked at the girls, as if he were trying to say “I don’t want you to disclose my secret!” He winked at them. “We’ll see you at our next live concert! We’ll be sure to put on a great show~!”

The girls around started screaming in excitement and joy.

“Yui! You’re so cool! I’ll definitely go!”

“I’m looking forward to it!”

Yui waved his hand to the excited girls and walked away shoulder to shoulder with Aizou. FT4 was a dance vocal unit. That's what they are all about. However, they seem much more idol-like than he, who was actually an idol, was.

💮

Yui took him to a small restaurant in a narrow alley lined with multi-tenant buildings.

“Experience the spiciness beyond your limits!”

“We have the spiciest fainting level hot homemade noodles!”

Aizou felt fear when he read the signs that read off about their spicy noodles. He was about to escape, but Yui, who was in a good mood, spoke up. “The noodles here are super good, come on!”

He really couldn’t escape thanks to Yui’s grasp.

As he was pulled into the restaurant, he was guided to a seat by the counter. It was almost time to go home, the restaurant was practically empty, and the waiters seemed bored. There were only one other pair of customrs.

Aizou doubted that people didn’t come here to eat peacefully, but rather becaue the noodles would be too spicy. Sweat began to bead on his forehead before he even had any food in front of him.

(If it’s possible, please don’t make it too spicy...)

"Hey, super spicy ramen noodles for two with triple the spiciness!" Before looking at the menu, Yui raised his hand to order.

“Super spicy ramen noodles, triple the spiciness for two! Understood. Your order has been placed.” The waitress said.

(What do you mean, triple the spiciness?! Is this a secret menu item or something?!)

“It’s okay. The noodles in this restaurant are not that spicy!” Yui laughed as he patted Aizou’s back. Aizou stared at him, suddenly uneasy.

“Yui’s version of not spicy is the same thing as normal people’s super spicy!”

“Aizou...I have some good advice for you. If you eat spicy food, your singing level will go up! Just follow my example and you'll be fine!" With a look of pride on his face, Yui jabbed his thumb at himself with a flick of the wrist.

(No way that that’s true!)

Aizou could feel his throat tingling already.

(What kind of throat does this guy have..?!)

“So eating spicy food is actually very beneficial for you!”

“Aghh! I don’t get it! I don’t get it at all!” Aizou slumped down and groaned in anguish.

“You don’t know how to train yourself! Here I am, your softhearted senior, offering to train you to become a full-fledged professional!”

What in the world was he being trained for? Aizou wrinkled his brow and sat up quickly.

“I’d like you to train me in singing, if you don't mind!”

There were so many things he wanted to learn from Yui, a vocalist of FT4. His powerful voice could easily move people's hearts.

“You know, I heard that if you eat spicy food, you'll get good at it. Today's homemade noodles are the first step!” Yui was playing with a pair of disposable chopsticks, pulling them in and out of the little bag as he spoke.

Aizou had never taken vocal lessons from Yui before, but he’d taken dance lessons from Dai and Megu before.

(The instructions from those two were so easy to understand...)

Though they are rumored to be the ones who have been involved in forty different crazy rumors, they taught them well from the basics.

Iv is indeed the true leader of FT4, and although he was calm and smiling from beginning to end, the way he taught was very difficult. He was calm and composed throughout the lesson, but his teaching style was very hard. Even his partner had to correct him many times.

“You know what? No matter what happens, don't ever, ever make Iv angry!”

Dai and Megu had told Aizou that on the day that he was going to be taught by him.

"Yes, yes, or else you will experience hell on earth!”

Fortunately, Aizou didn’t piss Iv off and did not experience the hell, but he understood why the other members were so scare of him.

Behind his smile, there was a sense of intimidation that makes it impossible to say whether or not, and a strong aura that was hard to resist.

After all, he was the unconventional leader of a group with many problems. Aizou also took a lesson from Rio, the other vocalist.

Sometimes they said stuff like, “you were made by FT4!”, Aizou would always get embarrassed, but he didn’t want them to think that they were still amateurs. He wanted them to think “We can’t be overtaken by these guys so easily!”

He wanted to show them how good they were.

And, although Yui is good at singing, he also heard that he was good with sports and skateboarding.

He mentioned that he also snowboards during the snow season.

Yui asked him, "so have you ever done it before?"

“I had practiced with my brother for a while on a skateboard he had bought me. This was when they were both still in elementary school.”

“Oh yeah, Aizou has an older brother, right?”

“We don't get along very well now. We hardly talk to each other at...home.” Aizou replied with a wry smile.

Even this was not the case in the past. He used to spend more time playing with his older brother than with his friends. At the time, he thought that his older brother was "amazing" because he could do so many things better than he could. It was the same with skateboarding. The day his brother got his board, he had already mastered it and was able to do simple turns and jumps without anyone teaching him.

Aizo had tried to imitate him, but it did not go well, and he kept falling and landing on his ass.

It was not that he was not good at exercising. In fact, he was better at physical education than his classmates. It was just that myhisbrother was more dexterous than he was.

(I remember he was always like that...)

He was the best in his class on the bars, in soccer and basketball, and in the sprint. He was chosen to be the anchor at the athletic meet relay, and it was always his older brother who cut the goal tape.

His test scores were probably quite good, but he did not boast about it and always seemed uninterested. He could have been better if he wanted to be, but he was always reluctant to try, even though he could do anything.

This must have been frustrating for the adults around him. When he returned home after a bilateral meeting with his homeroom teacher, Aizou had once heard their mother lecturing his brother. She told him that his grades were good but that he lacked enthusiasm, and his brother listened to their mother's words with a bored look on his face.

People around him might think it was a waste, but his brother himself didn't seem to see much value in what he had. He was dexterous and to the point, so he could do more than anyone else, but he also got bored very quickly.

Once he improved to a certain level, he just gave it up. It was the same with skateboarding.

After a few months, he stopped playing and left the board he had bought for himself. Aizou had stopped too, simply because his brother stopped doing it. Practicing by himself was boring, and without someone to watch him, he had no motivation to do it, and eventually he lost his enthusiasm.

He was doing just fine. He didn't seem to be involved in any club activities. For better or worse, he was not attached to anything. So, if he didn't need something, he could let it go. Surprisingly, easily and effortlessly. No matter what it was.

And once he abandoned something, he never looked back.

“I wonder what he really thinks...” Aizou muttered to himself.

His brother was always making a lot of noise in his room nowadays, or grinning while looking at his phone, and it's all extremely freakin’ weird, but he seemed to be enjoying himself from start to finish.

Aizou didn't see the fake laughter that he used to see in the past. That was probably a good thing. Aizou sincerely hoped that if he has found someone he truly cares about, he won't let go of her hand this time.

Yui, who was listening with his hand on his cheek, unexpectedly reached for him and patted his head.

“Ah-!” Aizou looked at him in surprise and saw him laughing with both elbows on the counter.

"Next time, why don't you go buy a board with me? If we're going to start, we'll need it, won't we?" 

“Yes, I’ll go with you!” Aizou immediately replied with a smile.

“If you really wanna do it, then I’m not going to go easy on you! So be prepared!”

“Ah, wait, no...I’m a beginner, just a beginner...”

“You’ll catch on pretty quickly, it’s not like you have a lack in skill. Man, it’s like you don’t think you can do it yourself.”

Yui placed the bowl of ramen brought to the counter in front of him and Aizou.

It was just like how Aizou thought of his brother. He looked over at Yui, a little surprised that someone else would see it that way.

“I've never thought of myself as skillful. But...I know I have to get over it to move on, don’t I?"

Yui grinned at Aizou as he handed the chopsticks to him. Aizou looked down at the bowl of ramen in front of him.

(Ugh...I knew it would be spicy..!!)

The surface of the ramen was completely red, and just by looking at it, it looked like it would set his mouth on fire.

Aizou cracked the disposable chopsticks with a wariness as he wondered what level was safe to put in the mouth.

“Yui...you know...”

“Hm?”

“Can I order some sweet apricot bean curd after my...meal?" Unlike his partner, he usually didn’t eat much sweet food, but today he would definitely need it.

Yui rolled his eyes and looked at Aizou in amusement.

"Ahahahaha! Fine, but only if you finish all of your ramen!”

💮

“That was so good! Super spicy ramen is the best!" Yui cheered as they left after he paid the bill. "Thanks for the food!”

Aizou felt a tingling sensation not only in his mouth, but in his stomach as well. He wondered if it was better that he did not pass out like he did with the extremely spicy ramen from before.

Today's bowl of ramen noodles was at a level where Aizou could manage to finish it. However, his taste buds seemed to have gone completely haywire, and he could not taste the apricot custard that Yui ordered at the end of the meal, so it was not a pleasant experience for his mouth.

“Yui...I want regular ramen next time...”

“I guess it can’t be helped that you’re a hopeless customer. I get it. I'll take you out for regular ramen next time! I know lots of good places!” Yui laughed as he faced Aizou. He clasped his hands behind his head as he walked. “Though, speaking of which, where's your partner?"

“Uh...probably at a photoshoot for a magazine?”

“You should definitely bring him along next time!”

“I’ll keep that in mind, as long as you don’t forget your promise!”

“I’ll send you my schedule later so you know when I’m off next,” Yui said with a wave of his hand. He took his phone out and made a phone call. “Rio~ what are you making for dinner tonight~? ....Beef stroganoff! Sounds delicious~ I’m on my way now so leave some for me~”

The members of FT4 always seemed to be getting along.

(Ah, come to think...the photoshoot should be over by now...)

Looking at the watch he wore on his wrist, he noticed that it was almost 10 at night. They would have gone home by now. His body, which had been warmed by the hot ramen, began to cool down, and Aizou turned around and started walking away.

As he turned onto the main street and headed toward the station, he was suddenly tackled from behind by something.

“Uwah!" When he turned around in surprise, he saw a familiar dog clinging to his leg.

“Oi, Hotaru!” The guy who held the leash tugged at his hat, and Aizou immediately realized who it was. He was wearing the same hat and glasses he always wore for a disguise. He was breathing heavily, likely thanks to his dog suddenly pulling him away and running so fast.

“You...hey, what are you doing out here at this time of night?”

“You can obviously see what I’m doing, I’m walking my dog!” Yujiro, the other member of LIPxLIP, replied in an annoyed tone as he tugged at the leash. He was trying to pull his dog away for some reason.

(Ah...he has walked his dog here before too...)

The two of them left the station, and Aizou sat down on the stairs. He rolled his canned coffee that he bought from a vending machine in his hand as Yujiro stood with him, with his dog next to him.

The moon reflected on the surface of the river, which swayed quietly with each gust of wind.

“So how was today's shoot?"

“...It went fine...it was just a normal shoot.”

“I see.” Aizou had no idea what else to say, so he shook his can to pass time.

“...What about you? You had a recording today.”

“Ah- it went great. I was in great shape.”

“Is that it?” Yujiro, who had been staring at the river, suddenly turned to him. “Is there anything else that you wanted to ask me?”

“...Nothing big, I just...do you always walk your dog at this time of night?”

“Well...today...”

Aizou glanced at Yujiro's face as he sat down next to him and stopped speaking.

“Well..?”

“Koichiro and father were arguing again. It was....bothering me. So I left.”

“Aren’t they close? Your father and brother, I mean.”

“...I’m wondering if he’s in his rebellious phase?” Yujiro's hair and clothes fluttered gently in the wind.

Aizou choked on a laugh and put his hand over his mouth. Even though he didn’t think it's a laughing matter, he still couldn’t help the chuckle. The way Yujiro said it was strange. “I don’t think you of all people can say that.”

“I know that we don’t talk much, but...he seems to be in a bad mood lately...maybe he’s in a slump. He’s starting to miss a lot of practice and it sets father off.”

Yujiro's younger brother, Koichiro, was still in middle school. He was chosen as the successor to his father, a famous kabuki actor, and has been performing on stage since he was a child.

This was in sharp contrast to Yujiro, who was not allowed to stand on stage even if he wanted to, and was confined to a behind-the-scenes position. Although he was always in the limelight, his younger brother must have had his share of hardships.

“Well, I don’t know about any of that, but...your place seems pretty strict.”

There seem to be a lot of connections. Yujiro also had a lot of trouble convincing his father when he passed the audition and to sign a consent form to work with the office. It was different from his own home, where there was a more go-with-the-flow attitude.

“...I wonder what they’re thinking. They have a performance coming up...”

“Isn’t it good to let him try to be more free?” Aizou asked thoughtfully.

Yujiro looked at him in surprise. “Why?”

“Why...I mean, what if seeing you do all of your activities freely made him envious?” Aizou raised his eyebrows. “Don’t ask me.”

There were many things about Yujiro's house that he didn’t understand. However, he thought that he could understand a little bit, since he was also a little brother.

(I mean, even I used to stick with my brother and do nothing but imitate him when I was little...)

The same went for skateboarding. Anything his brother did seemed like a good thing, and he wanted to try it himself. He supposed that was just how brothers were. His older brother was the target of his admiration.

“You’re the older brother, so of course you don’t get it.” Aizou said when Yujiro frowned at him, looking confused.

Even though they were not related by blood, an older brother is still an older brother, and a younger brother is still a younger brother.

Surprisingly, Aizou was a little relieved to see that this partner seemed to be playing the older brother at home.

(Well, he’s probably feeling suffocated too...)

When he thought back to his middle school days, he remembered that he was constantly lost, and he hated everything about it. Everything he heard seemed like a bunch of senseless noise, and he desperately struggled to get out of it.

(Ah, but I had old man Morita helping me before...)

Morita-san was the owner of his favorite music store. He met him when he wandered around town with nowhere to go, and he was also the one who let Aizou rent out a practice room for a few days.

Whenever he didn't want to go home, he spent his time playing his guitar in that practice room. It was the only place he could keep his mind at peace at the time.

He was so pissed off about that, that he even complained about it once. At that time, Morita only laughed while patting Aizou's head and said, "That's just the way young people are.”

For those who are at the mercy of stormy emotions, it is a matter of life and death, and such simple words are not enough to convince them. However, when that storm passes, you end up wondering what was so rough about the world.

(Yujiro...never seems to have rebelled at his home...)

Though the decision to become an idol was probably his biggest act of rebellion, in Aizou’s opinion. Since he’d been forbidden from being able to stand on the stage, and that was the one thing he’d really wanted.

But for his family, it must have been a surprise. For his younger brother, too, the "betrayal" may have come out of the blue.

In any case, his partner was unique in what he thought and what he did. Compared to him, the younger brother seemed more standard in his rebellion, as he is the one who was confronting his father head-on

“By the way...Yujiro.”

“...What?”

“Your uh, dog has been biting my hair for a while now...” Aizou bent forward a bit, internally pleading for him to do something about it. Yujiro’s dog was leaning against his back and had been biting and licking at his short ponytail.

“Hotaru, it won’t taste good if you eat that,” Yujiro said, but didn’t move to stop him.

Aizou let out a sigh, resting his face in his hand.

(Is there something I missed?)

Yujiro's dog clung to him and wouldn't leave. It was better since it didn't bark at him, but he would have preferred that if it meant his hair wasn’t being licked.

He was still an idol, after all, and he had no idea when he was being watched. It would be awful if people saw him with such ruined hair.

Yujiro chuckled when he saw Hotaru wagging his tail happily. “You think you’re friends, don’t you? He’s got a tail too.”

“My hair isn’t a tail, dammit...” Aizou grumbled, yanking his hair tie out of his hair and standing up.

Yujiro stood up as well and lifted Hotaru up in his arms before the dog would start playing with his legs.

“The manager said that there’s a meeting at the office tomorrow. She said to call later.”

“Hm. I’ll check it out, then.”

“Why? I thought you were off tomorrow.”

“I don't know. We've been working a lot lately.  But the fact that he suddenly called me up must mean that she has something very important to do.”

(I wonder what it is...)

He thought about calling later to find out, but he supposed he’d just find out when he dropped by at the office tomorrow.

🎤

When Aizou and Yujiro went to the office in the early afternoon the next day, they found the president and manager waiting for them in the conference room. The other staff members seemed to be on vacation. This was probably why the office was so quiet.

Aizou sat down in one of the chairs.

“Actually!” President Tamura clapped her hands together as she told them the news.

“A play?!” Both Aizou and Yujiro shouted simultaneously.

“Yes! I know this is sudden, but this stage will be a great challenge for both of us, and if we succeed, it will lead to new job offers," the president said with a smile as she put both hands on the table in front of her.

“But...um...I've never done any acting or anything like that..?" Aizou had taken acting lessons before their debut, and he had played the role of a prince in an MV shoot, but he had never been on a theater stage.

He honestly thought it would be a long time before he would be offered such a job, so he wasn't prepared for it.

(Is it normal for this kind of thing to be sprung up on us?)

Aizou glanced over at his partner, suddenly feeling anxious.

Yujiro would have practiced and studied acting at home. During a previous acting lesson, he memorized the lines immediately, and even his teacher was amazed at his acting ability. If asked to do it, he would do it in a heartbeat.

Though he was obviously surprised, he didn’t seem nervous.

“Yes, I guessed as much. I've already told them that you have no experience on stage, and they've still agreed to do it. I know it's a lot of work for you because it's your first time on stage, but I'm sure you guys can handle it. Besides, this is a musical. Singing and dancing is what you are best at!”

“A musical?! We’re doing a musical?!” Aizou leaned forward in shock. Since he had no prior stage experience, being thrust into doing a musical seemed even more reckless.

(But...if it’s singing and dancing, is it really okay since we always do it?)

When it was put that way, he could probably give it a go... “No, no no!” He stopped and shook his head quickly.

(This isn’t possible! It's not like a live performance. This is something where you sing, dance, and act. That is going to be really difficult, right?)

He had a feeling that he would be a laughingstock if he, as an amateur performer, suddenly took the stage.

(Yujiro...looks like he may do it...)

His partner was silently listening to the president speak. Aizou put his hand to his head.

(And if only I can’t do it, it’ll make us look bad...)

“Aizou, you don't need to worry. You'll get proper instruction in acting, singing, and dancing. It's true, we don't have a lot of time. But I really want you to do this play. It's the perfect role for both of you. But the decision is yours.”

The President and Manager both looked at Aizou and Yujiro, before Uchida placed some papers in front of them.

“I’ll give you the script and sheet music to look over.”

“I want you to go look at it and think about it. We don't have much time, so I'd like an answer right away if possible. We need to talk about it together. It's a stage you’re both going to perform on!" The president, who had come around behind them, put her hands on Aizo and Yujiro's heads. She was smiling widely, as if she was convinced that the two would accept the offer.

The two left the office and headed for an old coffee shop off the main street.

Today was a holiday and fast food restaurants near the office were going to be crowded. Not wanting to be recognized, Aizou preferred a quieter place to relax and read the script.

He peeked inside the shop through the window and saw a counter with seats for four and a few seats for two. There seemed to be no customers.

When he opened the door and entered, he heard a voice calling out a, "welcome.”

Surprised by the familiar voice, Aizou looked at the counter and saw that standing there, wearing an apron, was Yamamoto Koudai, a fellow Sakuragaoka high school student. He was a member of the newspaper club and had interviewed them at school before.

“Ah, hey Yamamoto-senpai.”

“Oh. Hey. Are you guys off today?” Koudai’s eyes widened in surprise.

“No, we just got back from work...Yamamoto-senpai, you work part-time here?” Yujiro was the one to ask.

“Yes, I was asked to. There’s plenty of available seats. You can sit anywhere,” Koudai began to prepare a tray with water and napkins.

Aizou and Yujiro went to a four-seater seat in the corner, put down their bags, and sat down. They did not expect to meet a senior student from school at the coffee shop that they happened to enter.

(Well, it's nice to be able to relax...)

It's not likely that they would run into other fans of theirs. And since there were no other customers, he knew that he could stay a little longer.

The shop seemed comfortable, and he secretly thought that if Koudai was working there part-time, he would be happy to come there more often.

When Koudai put a glass and napkins on the table, Yujiro seemed to have already looked at the menu and made a decision.

“I would like a chocolate parfait and a cup of hot cocoa, please. With lots of cream,” Yujiro ordered.

“Is there even an option for lots of cream?” Aizou grumbled, opening the menu. Sure enough, there was no such thing as lots of cream on the menu.

Koudai put his pen by his mouth and laughed. “It’s alright. My junior came all this way, so I can give him that. What about you, Shibasaki-kun?”

“Ah...I’m fine with just a hot coffee. No milk or sugar, please.” After he finished ordering, Koudai wrote down their order.

“Alright. Please wait a moment and it’ll be ready.” He went back to the counter to prepare their orders.

Looking around, he didn’t see anyone who looked like they could be the owner of the shop, so it was becoming clear that Koudai was the one in charge. He was preparing the drinks and the parfait himself.

(I wonder how long he’s worked here...)

Aizou, who was not in the mood for idly watching, took the script and sheet music out of his bag and put them on the table.

Yujiro, who was sitting across from him, crossed his legs and flipped through the script. At the beginning of the script, there was a synopsis of the story and the characters.

Basically, the story is about two young men who visit a town, slay a dragon, and save the princess of the land. The character images played by the two men are clear and the dialogue is well paced. Aizou felt that he could understand why the president said the roles were perfect for them when he read the script. The way they fight and cooperate with each other was easy to relate to.

(This is...actually interesting...)

It was a script that really made Aizou want to try it.

As he turned the pages, Koudai came over with a tray in his hands. "Here you go.” He placed a cup of coffee in front of Aizou and a glass of cream-filled hot cocoa and the chocolate parfait in front of Yujiro.

Yujiro was reading his script intently with the hand holding the pen on his chin. He was concentrating. He seemed to be unaware that the parfait he had ordered had arrived.

"Take your time," Koudai said simply, realizing that they shouldn’t be disturbed. He went back to the counter. He must have known that what they were reading was a script, but he didn't ask any unnecessary questions.

Aizou reached for his cup and took a sip of coffee.

(Ugh, I knew this was going to happen...)

Aizou sipped his coffee with this thought in mind. All he could hear was the occasional sound of a car driving by, Koudai washing dishes, and the second hand of the clock on the wall. The cream from the chocolate parfait on the table started melting and slowly trickling down the surface of the glass.

By the time Aizou had finished reading the script, his desire to do it had grown. He should have guessed that President Tamura would have known.

Aizou closed the script and looked at his partner. Yujiro had finished reading the script first and was now quickly eating the chocolate parfait ice cream. It seemed to have already melted, though.

“...So what are you going to do?” Aizou asked.

“What about you?” Yujiro countered.

“I want to do it, but...I don’t know if I can...you’ll do it too, right?” 

Yujiro stopped moving his hand and turned his gaze to Aizou. Looking into his eyes, Aizou could see that he was completely motivated.

“I don’t think you can’t do it,” Yujiro said softly without an ounce of hesitation.

“Maybe you're right," Aizou muttered. For Yujiro, who could perform, there was no reason to hesitate. This is a unique opportunity for them. They knew that, but once he said that they are going to do it, there was no backing out.

It was only natural that when one accepted a job as theirs, it came with responsibility. If he accepted the job even though he could not do it, he would cause trouble not only for the president but also for everyone else involved.

“What are you so unusually timid for?” Yujiro laughed quietly. 

Aizou’s brows furrowed. “It’s just...how can you seriously say that I can do it so easily, just because I want to do it?”

“How? I mean, I’ve been doing everything I do because I want to. It’s not like I was an idol with experience before. Everyone starts off somewhere...even idols.”

The recording of their songs, the album production, the photography, the TV work, the radio, and the live performance were all a first for them. They had no confidence or experience. Yet, they still managed to build their skills.

They managed to make it this far. This was not to say that there had been no failures. There were many things Aizou could have done better. But he had always done his best, and he always accomplished what he set out to do. In order to move forward, he had to overcome this hurdle.

He knew that.

But...

Aizou brushes his bangs back with one hand and sighed in resignation.

“I understand...and I admit. For once, I'm not so sure! I may be the laughingstock during the acting lessons, so keep that in mind..! I know I’m a terrible actor and a daikon, so I can't say yes with as much confidence as I usually do!"

"...I don’t think you have to play the character.”

“Eh...why’s that?”

“Because this is what you always do!” Yujiro’s shoulders shook as he laughed. Aizou’s eyes narrowed. It didn’t sound like he was praising him.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean the simplicity and lack of thought.”

“Ah, that’s just like you! You’re really not cute or honest at all! You have a twisted personality!”

“Huh?! Who has a twisted personality?! Say that again, I dare you!” 

“I’m not doing it! I can’t do a nice musical with you!”

“That’s my line! If you can’t do it, then go cry in a corner by yourself!” Both annoyed now, they stood up without realizing it, reaching out to grab each other to start fighting. Knees banged against the table, the glasses clattered, and the parfait cup moved like it was about to fall.

“Okay. No more, you two!” Koudai grabbed them by their shirt collars and yanked them apart.

It was then that they remembered that they were not alone and they were in a coffee shop. Both of them looked embarrassed.

“I’m sorry.” They both apologized quietly, before quickly gathering their things and hurrying back to the office.

When they got back, Manager Uchida caught sight of their grim faces and rolled her eyes. “Were you two fighting again?!” She must have seen their wrinkled clothes and messy hair. She put a hand to her forehead in clear distress. “Honestly. When are you two going to start getting along?” 

Aizou and Yujiro glanced at each other, then looked away in a huff.

The president laughed at them. “Well, you two have you decided what you’re going to do?”

“Of course we’ll do it!” Both of them said, before Aizou glanced sharply at his partner.

“Don’t copy me!” Yujiro scowled. “You said you won’t do it, so what are you yelling for?!”

“I can’t be the one to let you look good!” Aizou retorted. The two had only just started to push each other, when the president suddenly ran over and hugged them tightly, indirectly forcing them to hug each other.

“I knew you two would do it! It’s just as I predicted! This show’s going to be a success!”

“President, I'll get back to you as soon as I can! Also, I need to adjust the work schedule!" Manager Uchida pushed up her glasses with a quick finger. Both the president and the manager seemed motivated.

Aizou and Yujiro were still in the president's arms, and both of them had sour expressions on their faces.

(I wonder how long we’re going to keep doing this...)

The members of FT4 always seem to be happy and relaxed whenever he saw them. Hibiki Kazuma and Soda Mifuyu, two members of the dance-vocal unit who had been in the same group before their debut, seemed to be in perfect harmony with their partners as well.

They were probably the only unit that fought so much. It's been over a year since their debut, and they must have grown up in their own way. Aizou thought it was time to put an end to the pointless fighting.

“This is uncomfortable. Stop it,” Yujiro hissed to him.

“Tell that to the president..! Ow! Don’t step on my foot!” Aizou whispered back.

Seriously, things never went well with them.

⚔️🏹

The two faced each other in the middle of the darkened alley, their hats and capes heavy with rain. They both have the same goal. What they were looking for was the legendary stone that would grant their wish.

“Do you know something that I don’t?”

“...And what if it were true?” Yujiro asked warily.

“Then I want you to tell me. I don’t expect it to be free, of course. I’ll give you a fair reward in exchange.”

“As if I would be honest with you. If we’re after the same thing, don’t you think I’d lie about the information I gave you?” Yujiro frowned.

“Maybe. I won't trust all of what you say. I don't even know who you are...but if we have the same goal, it would be easier to cooperate with each other, right? And...if you knew where the gems were, you wouldn't be going around town asking people. That means you don't know that much yet.” He smirked at him. “Is that right?”

(It’s...easier to cooperate with each other?)

But it would be no fun to go along with the conversation. As he stood there,  pondering how to respond, they suddenly heard a scream that seemed to break the silence of the night. After looking at each other, they both ran in the direction of the voice.

“H-help me!” It was the drunken man that was on the ground earlier. He was staggering about now. His legs got tangled and he fell over. Yujiro gasped as a crowd of demons swarmed the man.

They had large eyes, which were as red as scarlet flames, shone with several eerie glints in the darkness of the night. They weren’t very large. They were about half the size of a human being. The bodies were translucent blue.

(Even in a town like this..!)

In the mountains and fields of the northern country, demons rarely appeared in a city surrounded by walls. Even if they do occasionally appear, it was only one or two at most. He had never heard of a group of demons appearing in the city.

People had been acting strange in this town.

Everyone returned to their houses by sunset, and he rarely saw anyone walking down the street. It was not normal for people not to turn on their lights even after dark.

The drunken man was dragged away by the demons that surrounded him, screaming, his face pale with fear.

Yujiro put his hand on the bow he carried on his shoulder. His hand hesitated because there were too many demons. There was no end to what he could do with one of them.

The other guy pulled his rapier out of his sheath and ran forward.

“Hey!” Yujiro shouted to stop him.

“Cover me!”

“What?!”

It was too reckless to rush into a crowd of demons. The man was a drunk, and the sharp claws of the demons that attacked him were repelled by his thin rapier. He turned around and pierced the eye of another demon that tried to jump at him from behind. Normally, he would not trust someone he had just met. And yet, he asked for backup as if it were a matter of course.

It was as if the idea of him not grabbing the drunk and running away hadn’t even crossed his mind.

The drunk man was crawling away now that the demons’ attention was on the other guy, sobbing as he went.

Left behind by the drunk man he’d just saved, he was surrounded by demons who were closing in on him with absolutely nowhere to run.

(I can’t believe this guy.)

With a loud sigh, Yujiro tore the cloth off of his bow.

“I really hate soft-hearted guys who don’t use their head!” He spat out, aiming his bow and arrow.

The arrow he released hit the red eye of the demon that was going to attack him. With a deafening scream, the demon's body shattered into pieces, and the fragments, which had turned to mist, were swept away by the wind.

After stabbing at another twenty demons, the guy leaped over the swarming demons, facing him.

He was not going to deal with all the demons, as expected. There was no reason for him to stay there and struggle. Seeing him rushing toward Yujiro with a swarm of demons in tow, he grabbed his bow and immediately spun around. He quickly caught up with him and lined up next to him.

“That was horrible aiming! You seriously almost hit me!”

“That’s what you say after I just saved your ass?!”

“Yes, you’re a terrible shot!”

“Agghh! You suck! I’m never covering for you again!”

“Good, because I won’t ask you to!”

As thy turned down the street while arguing, they saw a canal ahead of them. When they crossed the stone bridge to the middle of the street, they stopped because a crowd of demons was also in the street ahead.

Their red eyes turned toward them in unison. 

“You’ve gotta be kidding me...this is all your fault,” Yujiro muttered angrily.

“Really?” The guy said dismissively.

Demons came at them one after another from the front and back of the stone bridge. As Yujiro stepped back to the edge of the bridge's railing, he was suddenly grabbed by the collar of his cape.

“Eh?!” He was promptly pulled over the railing.

“Let’s go, already!”

“Haaaa?!” Yujiro shrieked as the guy threw them off the railing, causing them to fall into the canal.

⚔️🏹

“T...terrible...” Yujiro muttered, trying to dry his hair with a cloth. He made no attempt to hide his displeasure.

The guy, “Aizou”, sat on a bed nearby and dried off with a disgusted frown on his face as he had to take off his shirt.

“At least we were saved!”

“Ha? Nothing about this is fine. We should have gotten out of there from the start!”

What's more, Yujiro found out after they jumped into the channel that Aizou can't swim. He was lucky that it was shallow, but what was he going to do if it wasn't? He was so thoughtless when he charged into the crowd of demons to save the man.

How he managed to live this long was honestly beyond him.

“I couldn’t just leave that old man there!”

“It had nothing to do with us. It’s none of our business.”

“Well, thanks to me, we managed to find a place to stay, so what’s the problem?”

“That’s a problem- why are we even sharing a room? And this place is a shitty place to stay...”

Yujiro looked at the dusty table. They were in a room of a small inn. When they finally climbed out of the canal and were walking around soaked to the bone, that drunken man came running over with a wild look on his face.

The drunken man must have sobered up completely after being attacked by the demon. He had run away in fear, but he was worried about the two he had left behind and was looking for them.

The man was an innkeeper, and when he realized that they had nowhere to stay, he said, "No charge, just stay at our place!"

He enthusiastically recommended it to them. He was apologizing and thanking them for helping him. They were just in need of a place to stay. Many of the other inns were closed and had been turned into stores. According to him, the inns in this town used to be crowded with people, but since demons began to appear, the merchants and travelers visiting the inns have disappeared, and the inns seem to have completely fallen thanks to not being in use.

The man who was working at the inn had lost his job, and the inn was as good as closed. He became desperate and often went out to drink alcohol, refusing to listen to his family's warning that demons would appear.

Although they were kind enough to let them stay as long as they needed to, the other rooms were unusable due to leaks, and they had to share this room, the only one available, between the two of them. That was the worst part. It was impossible to relax in this room.

“It's better than staying in the field with demons. You complain too much, we don’t need to stay in an extravagent place!"

Yujiro's brow wrinkled more and more as Aizou told him off.

“The room next door is empty, so just stay there. It has a bath, right?” Aizou said, sitting up from his bed.

A knock at the door interrupted their argument.

When the door opened, there was a startled yell. A petite girl with braids in her hair stood there. She looked to be about 14 or 15 years old.

“Um...my dad told me to bring you some food?” The girl’s voice was hoarse from fear. In her hands, she held a tray with two bowls of soup and buns.

“Ah, thanks. We were getting hungry,” Aizou said with a smile as he accepted the tray. The girl smiled, the tension releasing from her shoulders.

“Thanks for helping my father, by the way.”

“We were just in the right place at the right time! But it’s not safe to be out at night.”

“I’ll be sure to tell him that, but I’m sure he’s learned his lesson.”

“Do demons come out like that every night? It’s troubling, isn’t it?”

“Ehh...yeah...when the previous king became the ruler, the guards would exterminate all of the demons, and thanks to them, the demons never came into the city. But when the princess went into power, she had them shut in the castle...”

“Does that mean she's not doing anything for you anymore?" Aizou asked, and the girl lowered her gaze and shook her head.

“The people of the town had been complaining to the castle about their plight, but they were not being listened to,” she said, her face clouded.

It seems that the harm caused by demons has become so bad over the years that most of the craftsmen and merchants have abandoned the city and left. Since demons frequently appear on the streets and attack wagons, food and other supplies must have become hard to come by.

“So that’s why the market was deserted,” Yujiro commented, walking up behind Aizou. The girl took a surprised step back, and he continued. “Is there no one who can say anything against the incompetent princess?” It was a small country, but surely there were nobles or ministers.

“The princess is not incompetent! She was intelligent, kind-hearted, and thought of the people first." The girl’s face flushed as she spoke angrily.

“Then why doesn't that intelligent and kind-hearted princess do something about the people who are suffering from the evil of demons and things to the extent that they abandon the city and flee?”

“T-that's...!" She choked on her words and looked down dejectedly. "I...I don't know...but the princess has changed since the death of her father, His Majesty the King..." She said in a small voice, "I'm sorry," she turned back down the hallway, bowing her head.

The residents always seemed to clam up when talking about the princess. Yujiro looked away as Aizou slammed the door shut.

“You can stand to be a bit more tactful when you speak,” Aizou scolded.

Ignoring his light glare, Yujiro turned to the table. A draft had entered the room and the window was rattling. He pulled out a rocking chair and sat down with a small thud.

Aizuo came over and put a tray with soup and bread for two on it on the table.

“But it’s true. There’s nothing wrong with being honest,” Yujiro said blandly. “Besides, it’s not like anyone’s going to do anything about it.”

If all you do is lament and complain to someone about your plight, nothing will change. If you want to change things, you have to take action yourself.

“Not everyone is brave..." Aizou said, sitting down in a chair and sipping his bowl of soup. The soup was made up of only vegetable scraps and a little dried meat. But even this soup is probably the best hospitality the people of this town could offer.

(Still, it’s none of my business...)

It was up to the residents of the city to think about it. As Aizou said, not everyone is brave. It was one of the options to give up and say, "There is nothing we can do about it. We are just travelers staying in this city for a while. As long as we get what we are looking for, that is all that matters. When we have no more use for it, we will leave for somewhere else and will not visit this city again.”

Yujiro took a bite of the bun and frowned. “Ew.”

“Shut up and eat it. It was prepared for you.”

Yujiro put the bread back on the plate and leaned against the table. Aizou was probably concerned about the girl and didn’t want to leave any food behind.

“...You’re too soft-hearted.”

“What?” Aizou set his spoon down.

“I just think if you don’t keep your hero-complex to a minimum, you’ll end up regretting it when you run into trouble.”

There were many people who try to live their lives in a way that was easy and to the point. The most important thing to remember is that you can't just take a chance on a new product or service. One has to remember is that you can't just take a look at the pictures and say, "I’m one of those people, I’m not a good person.”

“I don't have any noble ideas about doing things for other people. Leave me alone...and besides that...I'm not soft-hearted."

“So you’re just naive?” Yujiro teased, but to his surprise, Aizou’s frown only tugged down more.

“Ahh, you say way too many unnecessary things!”

(That’s probably true.)

He laughed a bit and glanced at the candle on the table.

The candlelight flickered in his eyes. It was probably an unnecessary meddling. After all, it was someone else's business. For selfish people, a partner like him seemed convenient.

That was why they often take advantage of him. He felt a bit uneasy about that.

It would be hard to live that way.

🎤

After it was officially decided to stage the play, and after meeting with the people involved and the costars, the readings began immediately the following week.

In a large conference room with long desks and chairs, all the performers and the director, Okido Mitsuo, were seated.

Aizou took his seat with his prepared script and pen case, and casually looked around. The actors were all looking over their scripts in silence.

(Okido-sensei is a famous director, isn’t he?)

He was not familiar with the stage and did not know its name. But when he saw the stage, which was directed by Okido Mitsuo, as it was being distributed, he saw that it was indeed an amazing production that he got absorbed in watching from beginning to end.

Okido, sitting at the desk in front of him, was a man in his fifties, wearing a jacket. He had a somber air about him, and the fan he held in his hand opened a little as if restless and then snapped shut immediately. Sitting next to him was Ikezaki Anri, a dance and singing instructor. She was in her early thirties and was chatting happily with the scriptwriter sitting next to her.

When the time came and everyone was present, the reading began. The other actors sat in their chairs and read their lines at a brisk speed. Yujiro, who sat next to him, had his script open but was barely looking at it. He probably already had the lines in his head.

(Isn’t that...kind of reckless?)

Aizou felt impatient as he followed the lines written in the script with his eyes. His hand was cramping from how tightly he held the pen in his hand. Yujiro and the other actors had already created their roles, but he was mostly just reading the lines.

(I didn’t hear anything about that, though..?)

It’d only been a week since they got their script, and today they were just reading their lines.

That's what he had heard, so he even went through the script a few times and drew lines on his lines. Naturally, he had no idea how to prepare for a role. He didn't even know how to do it, and he hadn’t been taught how to do it.

It was totally different from what he had heard. Aizou kept his eyes down on the script and put his hand over his lips, which were getting dry.

Yujiro, who was sitting next to Aizou, glanced at him. But he didn't say anything.

(Crap, I’m the only one who hasn’t really done anything...)

The voice that read the dialogue became quieter as he lost his confidence. He couldn’t follow the dialogue from halfway through, like everyone else was.

He couldn't even tell where he was reading anymore. Suddenly, the voices cut off and the room fell silent. As Aizou stared blankly at the script in his hand, he felt a small kick on his leg. Yujiro was still holding the pen and staring ahead with a cool expression on his face.

“Ouch...uh, what?” Aizou blurted out, glancing at his script.

(Oh no! It’s my turn, it’s my turn!)

That's why everyone was staring at them. Aizou frantically turned the page and then honestly confessed, "I lost track of where I was at with that...”

The actors began to giggle, and Aizou, caught up in the relaxed atmosphere, almost laughed too.

“Enough!” A yell echoed through the meeting room, and the laughter instantly disappeared. Aizou was also startled and looked ahead. Okido folded his arms in irritation, glaring at them.

He continued. "I don't know if it’s because they’re high school idols or what, but are they all such amateurs? They didn't learn their lines, and on top of that, they read their lines in a deadpan manner. We're not doing a cultural festival show!" His anger echoed throughout the meeting room, the others remained silent with stiff expressions.

It was not an atmosphere where Aizou could say anything. Even a young staff member, tray of drinks in hand, was frozen at the entrance.

“You come in here in a lighthearted mood, and you’re laughing that you lost where you are?! Your role is not a standing mob! No, no! You’re the lead!” Okido tapped on the script, raising his voice. “You can't even do a good job, but being loved and praised makes you feel good about yourself, doesn't it? How can you accept a role when you can't even do it? Do you honestly think you can take my stage?”

“...I’m sorry, sir,” Aizou barely managed to choke out. He stood up and bowed deeply.

“I’m sorry sir,” the director mocked, “can the audience even hear your lines with that kind of voice? You say I’m sorry, sir!”

“I’m sorry, sir!” Aizou repeated loudly, his head lowered.

“Hey, someone get me a better actor than this guy! I can’t stand to have such a worthless shit standing on my stage!”

(Did I...really deserve to be told off that badly?)

He stared down, the script crumpling in his grasp.

It was his own fault that he hadn't been able to prepare for the role and that he hadn't learned the lines yet. However, he was told that since today was the first day of rehearsals, they would only be reading the script to each other. Besides, he had already told them during the selection process that he had no acting experience. And he thought we were told that they would be given guidance on that basis. That's what Manager Uchida said.

(But this...is another story altogether..!)

However, Yujiro and the other actors had prepared for their roles. They knew what they had to do without being told. He could only say that he was not aware of this. As he remained silent, biting his lower lip roughly, he heard a sudden slam.

Aizou’s head snapped up at the noise, surprised to see his partner standing up.

(Eh, Yujiro..?)

Aizou, as well as the other actors looked at Yujiro as in shock. It is obvious at a glance that he was pissed off. His eyes are completely fixed ahead.

When Yujiro was really angry, he was breathtakingly powerful. It was like he has a different kind of power in his eyes.

Even Okido, who had been yelling at him loudly, fell silent for a moment, as if he had been overwhelmed.

“No one was instructed to memorize the entire script today. There were others who didn't remember, right? I don't think it is only Aizou who is not ready for the role." His voice was lower in tone than usual.

Aizou tried to interrupt him. “H-hey-”

He reached out to gently grab Yujiro’s wrist, but he yanked away from him, as if he were in the way.

“I believe you were told ahead of time that we had no experience on the stage. They knew that, and that's why we were chosen for the job. We can work out our lack of acting ability in rehearsals. Isn't it your job to guide us and make the most of our performance?”

“Just who do you think you’re talking to like that?!” Okido snapped, red faced and his hands clenched into fists.

“You.” Yujiro replied.

“So this is LIPxLIP. One is a total amateur and the other is a cocky little brat!”

“You’ve been yelling for a while now. If you’re really a director, you’d use your title and give us better guidance.”

“You wanna say that again, boy?!” Okido stood up, snarling in a way that stunned everyone in the room.

(This is getting really bad...if we make him any more angry, it’ll cause a lot of problems!)

“It was my fault for not being prepared, next time I’ll do better!”

“You two, just get out of here! You don’t need to come back!” As if to enunciate his point, Okido slammed his fan on the desk. “I can’t have people like you on my stage!”

Yujiro glared at Okido and grabbed his bag.

“Excuse me then.” He said curtly, and left.

“Wha- hey!” Aizou ran after his partner.

No one else was in the hallway when Aizou left the room. The fluorescent lights were on, and Yujiro stormed down the hall, his pace quicker than usual. Aizou rushed to catch up with him.

“Wait!” Aizou grabbed his arm.

Yujiro stopped but didn’t look at him. His head was tilted in another direction, eyebrows furrowed in clear anger.

Aizou let out a sigh and slowly removed his hand. “...I’m...sorry,” he said, his voice lowered.

Yujiro finally looked at him, but he didn’t meet his eyes. “...Why are you apologizing?”

“If I had done it properly, then I wouldn’t have pissed off the director like that...and it looked like I made you uncomfortable too.”

“It’s their fault. Why are you putting up with something that doesn’t deserve to be said?”

“Yeah, but...it can’t be helped if I make him angry. It troubles the president too.”

“If that’s what you think, then go back by yourself.” Yujiro said firmly, and walked to the side entrance of the building.

“Yujiro!” Aizou called out to him, but he didn’t look back. “Dammit...what am I going to do..?" Aizou sighed as he puts his hand to his forehead.

Now that this happened, he’d have to go back to the office and report it to the president and manager.

Thinking about it, he started feeling nauseous.

💮

When Aizou called Manager Uchida, he quickly explained what happened and asked her to pick him up by car immediately. They also picked up Yujiro, who was about to walk home on the way back.

When he was called into the president’s office, he explained what happened again. He felt responsible for the whole ordeal, so he did all of the talking.

“I’m sorry...” Aizou bowed to the president.

“It’s not your fault, Aizou. He’s always a bit problematic at first. I should have known this was going to happen, it’s my fault for not warning you.”

“...What do you mean?”

“Let’s sit down and talk,” she sighed. They moved to the couch in the office and sat down. Manager Uchida put some cups on the table- coffee for the president and Aizou, and chocolate milk for Yujiro.

After taking sips of their drinks, they began to calm down a bit.

“So...” The president began, “the two leading actors for this play are the only ones who we han't been able to decide on for a long time..."

Aizou, who was about to bring a cup of coffee to his mouth, let out a soft "eh".

The president put a few fingers on her forehead. “You see, Okido-san is a strict man, and it seems that he couldn't find any actors who fit his image in the audition. Besides, this time it's a musical, so we'll need some experience in singing and dancing. That's why they came to us on such short notice. I guess I should have told you about that beforehand...I’m really sorry.” She bowed her head.

(What, so that’s...)

He had thought the offer was a bit sudden. Because Okido is a very particular man, there was no way that he would be able to find an actor who can meet his requirements so easily. Besides, not many people can keep up with his guidance. The attitude of Okido, a hard-headed man, can be described as unmannered. If he had continued to tell him what to do, Aizou would have lost his patience as well.

The only reason he hadn’t was because his even more ill-tempered partner had snapped first. He was the type of person who refused to tolerate anything unreasonable, which was why he snapped. Even now, Yujiro stared ahead, lips pressed together.

“You two can dance and sing, but you don’t have the stage experience. That’s why I recommended you two, because they said they could help you. We knew it would be a challenge, but we believed you’d overcome it...that being said...was today your first official reading?”

“It was for us...”

He was sure the others had received their scripts earlier and had had time to read them and prepare for their roles. Out of the two, it was just his partner who had prepared properly for his role.

“I think he must have been in a big hurry because he couldn't decide who would play the leading role in the play. It's not your fault, so don't worry about it. Because I confirmed it with the director in advance, and he has given his consent.“

(Does that mean...that I was scolded for nothing?)

In that case, there was no need to believe he was the one in the wrong. He leaned forward, putting a hand to his head. If he had known that he was in such a situation, he wouldn’t have put up with it in silence.

Beside him, Yujiro only pouted, as if he’d known all along.

(Well, if this ever happens again, I’ll lose my temper before Yujiro does!)

Unlike his partner, who boiled over as quickly as an electric kettle, Aizou’s anger often subsided with a bit of time to think.

“President, let’s drop this job! There’s no need for you to apologize! They can’t expect you to just take that in silence! There’s no need to bring them into this, just say the word, if you say fight, then we’ll fight!” There was flames of anger in Manager Uchida’s eyes.

Aizou almost fell back.

(Manager, your face is terrifying!)

“Calm down, I understand how you feel...” The president then glanced at the two boys on the couch. “It’s up to you two whether or not you want to continue this or not.”

“But...I don’t think the director wants us...”

“I don't think you need to worry about that. If you want to continue, he will agree, even if reluctantly. We have the theater and the performance dates are already set. It's their problem if you leave. You can dance and sing, you are well known and popular, and you are the talk of the town! Do you think it will be easy to find two people like that?"

Popular idols and famous actors naturally have full schedules. When it comes to stage productions, they spend two months or more in rehearsals.

There is no way they could be able to find the time to do so anytime soon. Although they were not free and have other jobs, they manage to make time for them because they were still in high school and their manager and president have reduced their workload so that it was not too much of a burden.

They also have a national tour coming up in the spring, and they have to prepare for that. At this rate, they would probably miss some school days.

"We don't have time to recruit and audition now. We have to make posters, and the ticket sales are coming up. If we had to find someone else, we won't make it in time. So, if you guys don't come back, we'll be in a lot of trouble,” Tamura said with a smile.

“He’s just gonna yell at our boys again! That arrogant director..!” Manager Uchida groaned.

“True, but Okido-san is a talented and capable person.  And he's trained several top-notch stage actors. I think it would be a step up for us if we could get proper guidance.”

“I disagree! Even if you want to do a stage production, there are better directors out there! I'll go out and find as many as I can!”

“It’s true, this won’t be the last opportunity we have, and if they don’t bow down, then we won’t ask them to let us do it again. I won’t object if they say yes, but I’ll make sure they can’t say no either.” The president smiled at the boys. “So what are you going to do?”

(Well, the script was interesting...)

It was a role Aizou wanted to do. He may have some lingering regrets, but he supposed it can't be helped after all this time. Okido’s impression of him must have been terrible. Even if he asked him to let him try it again, he didn't think he could give a performance that he would like.

He would just end up cursing him again. Manager Uchida was right, this would not be the only chance. It would be better for me to study the basics of acting and be prepared by then.

Just as Aizou was about to give up, Yujiro, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up.

“I’m not going to stop.”

Manager Uchida and Tamura looked surprised. They, as well as Aizou, thought that he was going to reject it.

Seeing their stares, Yujiro elaborated. “We haven’t shown the director what we can do yet.”

(Eh...are you...serious..?)

💮

“I’m really sorry!” Aizou bowed his head to Okido, who was sitting in his seat.

In the room they were in yesterday, Okido and some staff members were the only ones in there- some actors too, it sounded like, since there were vocal lessons going on inside.

Okido glared at Yujiro, crossing his arms. “Aren’t you going to apologize too?”

Yujiro scowled but didn’t utter a word. Aizou gave his wrist a small, impatient tug, but Yujiro turned his head away, as if he had no intention of apologizing.

The president stepped forward with a small smile on her face, with Manager Uchida following close behind her.

“Okido-san, I am terribly sorry for the trouble I have caused you. I sincerely apologize for any discomfort I may have caused you. The two of them are deeply sorry and would love to be on the stage with Okido-san, who we all respect and admire very much. Please, we hope that you will understand our enthusiasm and give them another opportunity to perform on your stage.”

“Tamura-san, I trusted you two when you recommended them to me. But we can’t have them coming in here unmotivated. The stage is not for fun,” Okido said calmly. Even he seemed to have a thing for Tamura.

“Yes, I think you are right about that. They fully understand that, but since it is their first time on stage, their motivation and enthusiasm have been a bit lacking...they may still be inexperienced in some areas, but with your guidance, I am confident that they will make a success of the performance. I am sure that with your guidance, we will succeed on stage. Therefore, I would like to ask you to guide them patiently.”

“If that’s what you believe, Tamura-san, I’ll trust you...and you guys will do it too, won’t you?”

“Yes. Yujiro and I will do our best!” Aizou bowed his head again and put his hand on the back of Yujiro’s head, forcing him to bow too.

Yujiro stumbled slightly and sulked.

“They both agree.” Tamura said.

💮

(As expected, the president is amazing...)

Thanks to Tamura, they were able to avoid being dropped from the play, and they were supposed to go to rehearsals tomorrow.

They were also given the opportunity to work with the actors in the production of the film. Today, they only observed the other actors rehearsing.

Yujiro did not say a word during the rehearsal. He was unmotivated only in front of Okido, and his expression became serious when he was observing the rehearsal. Once he returned to the office and finished his meeting, the day's work was already over. Since there were no lessons today, all Aizou had to do after this was to go home.

As he left the building, the sky was dusk.

Yujiro walked past Aizou, who was standing in front of the automatic door.

“Bye.” Was all he said, though there was no sign of a car that was going to pick him up. He must be walking home alone- or stopping somewhere first.

Aizou sighed and brushed his bangs back.

(Really, I never know what goes on in his mind...)

On his way home, Aizou stopped by the coffee shop where Koudai worked part-time. He took a seat in the back and opened a magazine he had bought at a bookstore while waiting for the coffee he ordered to be brought to him.

The headline read, “The Alien Next to You!”. It caught his attention, and he flipped through the pages.

He heard the small clink of his coffee cup being set down and glanced up.

“Thanks, Yamamoto-senpai,” he said as he grabbed his cup.

“That magazine. It’s really interesting, isn’t it?” Koudai said, peeking at the magazine from the side.

“Yamamoto-senpai, have you ever encountered an alien?” Aizou asked seriously.

Koudai blinked and pushed his glasses up, making them glint in the light. “I haven’t, but I’ve taken pictures of UFOs.”

“Eh! Seriously, where?!” Aizou asked, shocked. Koudai only smiled at him.

"This is a miraculous picture taken on the rooftop of the school. It's in the newspaper club room, so I'll show it to you if you drop by next time.”

Aizou chuckled as he sipped his coffee.

Akechi Saku was Yujiro and Aizou’s class teacher and taught literature. For some reason, he always wore a white coat and has candy in his pocket. He was an eccentric teacher who, despite being a teacher, seems to walk around with a lollipop in his mouth. He was also the club advisor for the newspaper club.

“So Shibasaki-kun, why are you researching aliens? Is it for work?”

“No, no. I just thought it would be useful for...something.”

“Sounds complicated.”

“Yamamoto-senpai, what time do you get off?” Aizou suddenly asked. Koudai looked at the clock on the wall.

“I have about two hours until closing time, and I’ll be here until then. Please take your time, there’s not many people out now.”

“Thank you. This place is a good place to relax without worrying about other people watching you.”

“And you stop by when you wanna see those pictures.”

“I will...ah, but it’ll have to be after I finish a job. I won’t be at school much, but I look forward to seeing them after.”

Koudai nodded and went back to the counter.

Aizou put the magazine away and took out his script.

(For now, I have to do what I can for tomorow...)

He took a pen out of his pen case and began reading the script.

About an hour later, the door to the store opens with a lively "Koudai~!”

The door of the store opened with a bright and cheerful voice.

Aizou, who had been concentrating on his work, suddenly looked up as if he had been snapped back to reality. Before he knew it, it was raining outside the store.

The high school boy shook his umbrella and Aizou frowned. That was just great, he’d run into the last person he wanted to see.

“Shibaken, I thought you were going to the shrine today?” Koudai said.

“It started raining on the way home, so I’m just taking shelter. I want a drink too. Coffee’s fine- no milk or sugar.”

For some reason, he walked over to where Aizou was. He threw his bag down on the seat and sat across from him.

“Go away...” Aizou grumbled.

This guy is the same age as Koudai and a good friend of his, so it's no surprise he's been hanging out at the store. It was an accident that he didn't notice it.

“Oh?” Ken glanced at the script that was sprawled out in front of Aizou, and then the magazine with the alien on it. “Are you going to be playing as an alien?”

“Ha?! Of course not!” Aizou had initially decided to ignore him, but he ended up reacting to his stupid question anyway.

“Ehh, really? It would suit you, wouldn’t it?”

(This guy..!!)

Aizou angrily chugged the rest of his cold coffee down and slammed it down. He paid the bill and quickly left, calling out a “thanks for the drink!” as he stepped out into the heavy rain.

Within seconds, he was already as soaked as if he’d jumped into a pool.

(I...didn’t bring an umbrella...)

Aizou hung his head, dejected. The weather forecast didn’t say anything about such a downpour.

The store door opened and something poked through. When he turned, he saw it was an umbrella. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. His brother slammed the door shut behind him.

“Koudai~ I’m sorry but I lost my umbrella, so please drop me off at the station on the way home~”

“We have spare ones here, if you’re fine with floral pattern.”

“Well, that’ fine~ I’ll just return it next time.”

Aizou could faintly hear the conversation from outside the shop. He squeezed the handle of the umbrella tightly.

(...What’s with that...)

[allamericansbitch]

Midnights is such an odd album for me. I first heard it at 12:01am when it was released. Chilling in my record room (intense music nerd), all lights off except my disco Sony speaker and that album HIT. I was obsessed for weeks. I was ready to declare it her masterpiece. But then it started to trail off. Now, without even realizing it, it became the album I go back to the least after debut. I don’t get how music reviewers do it. I can’t imagine reviewing an album with only a few listens under my belt. Things take time to sink in. All of that said, I still need the 3am vinyl.

no i think about this all the time. how do musi reviewers form a full opinion and write paragraphs or speak at length about an album that came out only like 24 hours ago. obviously they probably listen more than once and some established reviewers egt it sent to them early but it takes me sometimes a month for an album to click an dfor me to get a full view of. my opinion can change drastically, for better or worse, after the initial couple of listens.... how do they just know...

also yes literally where is the 3am vinyl

[nosakaya]

Can I request a Akane Aoi (male) x gn reader. Where the reader is chaotic but then they pull a prank on someone and that person starts to chase them. Then the reader finds Akane and hugs him from behind so now Akane needs to get the reader out of the mess. (Established relationship plz)

ENG

Thank you very much for trying ^^ sounds Very interesting and funny I hope you like it^^.

Reader is quite a chaotic person and always knows how to get into trouble. This time she decided to play a prank on a random person. But badly, it worked out because this, person started chasing her and she ran away through the whole school from the person who chased her. But unfortunately, this person was terribly persistent no matter how the reader tried to lose this person it seemed impossible. Like a tragedy. This time really, she's in trouble and it doesn't seem like she's going to get out of it any time soon, and then there's those unfortunate shoes flew off her foot but she has to leave it and run on, poor reader who has to run through, the rest, of the school on her foot with one shoe. And those people who are staring at her a little strange but no time to worry about it now life is important! And running away from that person. For a moment, the reader turned his head noticed that he lost this person for a moment. She was happy for, it was a girl. She saw that Akane was just walking down the corridors quickly ran up to Akane Aoi despite his fatigue. He ran up to the boy jumping up hugged Akane. - Hi reader - smiled Akane's boyfriend to the reader pleasantly as usual - Hi Akane! Help me her, I'm about to die otherwise! - said the reader - Are you in trouble again? - Akane froze his eyes with a sigh. It's not the first time the reader got into trouble. - Yes, but it's not my fault this guy is stubborn! - said the reader - oh that explains why you don't have a shoe hah what did you do this time? - asked akane - well. I doused the guy with paint - confessed the reader - HERE YOU ARE READER WILL KILL YOU!!! - Suddenly appeared the guy from whom the reader was running away. Reader hurriedly hid behind akane a boy taller than her - Akane, help - whispered the girl - No one will kill anyone I apologize to you for my girlfriend she always makes trouble - said akane to the boy - I will pay you for your destroyed things - said akane. Such was their relationship akane always, reader pulls out of trouble but still they adore each other.

Pl

Dziękuję bardzo za próbę ^^ brzmi Bardzo ciekawie i zabawnie mam nadzieję że ci się spodoba^^Reader to dość chaotyczna osoba i zawsze potrafi się wpakować w kłopoty. Tą razą postanowiła zrobić przypadkowej osobie psikusa. Ale źle, to wyszło bo ta, osoba ją zaczęła gonić i uciekała przez całą szkole przed osoba która ją goniła. Ale niestety, tą osoba była strasznie wytrwała nieważne jak próbował czytelnik zgubić tą osobę wydawało się to niemożliwe. Niczym tragedia. Tą razą naprawdę, ma kłopoty i nie wydaje się to że szybko z nich wyjdzie i jeszcze te nieszczęsne buty zleciał jej but z nogi ale musi go zostawi i biec dalej biedny czytelnik który musi biec przez, resztę, szkoły na nodze z jednym butem. I ci ludzie co się gapią na nią trochę dziwnie ale nje czas się tym przejmować teraz ważne jest życie! I ucieczką przed tą osobą. Na chwilę czytelnik odwrócił głowę zauważył że zgubił na chwilę tą osobę. Ucieszyła się na, to dziewczyna. Zobaczyła że akane właśnie idzie korytarze szybko podbiegł mimo zmęczenia do Akane Aoi. Podbiegł do chłopak podskakując przytulił Akane. - Cześć reader - uśmiechnął się chłopapak Akane do reader miło jak zwykle - Cześć! Akane! Pomóż mi ją, zaraz umrę inaczej! - powiedział czytelnik - Znowu masz kłopoty? - Akane zamrózył oczy z westchnienia. To nie pierwszy raz kiedy czytelnik wplątał się w kłopoty. - Tak, ale to nie moja wina ten gościu jest uparty! - mówił czytelnik - o to wyjaśnia dlaczego nie masz buta hah co zrobiłaś tą razą? - zapytał akane - cóż.. Oblałam gościa farbą - wyznal czytelnik - TU JESTEŚ READER ZABIJE CIE!! - Zjawił się nagle facet przed którym uciekał reader. Reader w pośpiechu schował się za akane wyższym od niej chłopakiem - Akane, pomóż - szepneła dziewczyna - Nikt nikogo nie będę zabijać przepraszam cię za moją dziewczyne ona zawsze robi kłopoty - mówił akane do chłopaka - Zapłacę ci za twoje zniszczone rzeczy - powiedział akane. Taka była ich relacja akane zawsze, reader wyciąga z kłopotów ale mimo wszystko uwielbiają siebie.

[screamocrip]

About Me!! 🦈

**will ONLY be referred to as he/him, please do not refer to me as anything other than.

PROSHIP, BIGOTS, & NATIONALISTS DNI.

I am a minor, so don’t be weird. I am fine with adults interacting with me & my content as long as they are SFW.**

Info on me

Reid • He/Him • Gay • Autistic (yes, I am diagnosed.)

Hallo! My name is Reid, i’m a sophomore in highschool! I love subjects like history, sociology, english etc. but DESPISE all science and math classes. I play 4 instruments as of right now, and those instruments are the guitar, bass guitar, alto saxophone and the violin! I participate in marching band & concert band at school with my alto sax, but will most likely be quitting next year. I try to be as friendly as possible, but i’m quite awkward! Despite that though I have a decent amount of friends irl, whom I love dearly.

My Interests!!

I have PLENTYY of interests that I love to talk about & share with others. Not all of my interests are special interests, my special interests are actually quite few. My special interests include music & music subgenres, emo music & subculture, the band converge, geography, cultural studies, & virtual voice banks (vocaloid, utauloid, etc.) PLEASE talk to me about these things, though be aware I will most likely go on an insane yap sesh when they are brought up.

Video games

Roblox, Overwatch 2, Resident Evil (i’ve played 4, 5, 6, & village so far), Mortal Kombat 11, Castel Crashers, Ace Attorney, Street Fighter (1, 2, & 3), Devil May Cry (3 & 5), Final Fantasy 7.

TV Shows/Cartoons

Criminal Minds, Supernatural, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Family Guy, American Dad, Amazing World of Gumball, Hetalia, MLP, Higurashi, Elfen Lied, Clarence, Steven Universe.

I also enjoy comics, art, studying & engaging in politics, & homestuck :P

My Music Taste!!!

I LOVEEE MUSIC!! I listen to a bit of everything (that I know of) but I do tend to stick with my certain group of subgenres (AKA my favorite ones). I enjoy almost all music though and i’m always happy to give & receive recommendations.

Fav Subgenres O_o

Metalcore, Post-Hardcore, Screamo, Emocore, Midwest Emo, Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal, Slam Metal, Grindcore, Goregrind, Mathcore, Noise Rock.

Favorite Artists

CONVERGE!!!!!!!!! (I love converge), Chiodos, Wormrot, Orchid, Sinema, Pg.99, Death in June, Parasitic Ejaculation, Pustulated, Pathologist, Saetia, Picture me Broken, Banished, Suffocation, ミドリ, Regurgitate, Chevelle, Insect Wafare, The Great Redneck Hope, Nails, & many more!!

Other Socials

Apologies for the lengthy about me ^