#if anyone knows where this photo came from so i can credit

[darkodomain]

CHAPTER 6 :: Under the Milky Way

"Carrying Danny to the car was the easy part compared to getting him up the stairs and into Sam’s bedroom without encountering her family. When she and Tucker had gone to pull him out of the back of the Mustang, Danny had suddenly become fully alert, holding up his shaking hands as if he were going to blast them with ectorays in self defense, before promptly passing back out. As reassuring as that was regarding his consciousness, his jerky movements had restarted the flow of blood in every single one of his injuries and it hadn’t stopped since.

After hauling him out of the car by his wrists and ankles, Tucker managed to heft Danny’s limp, lanky body up onto his back piggyback-style and he and Sam exchanged a weary look before beginning to navigate the Manson mansion. Tucker tripped up the carpeted stairs once or twice, but Sam grabbed his arm and he regained his footing before ever actually faceplanting, Danny’s head jostling around on his shoulder as he stumbled. Once safely behind a locked door, Tucker eased Danny to the floor, pulled off his jacket, and laid it across Sam’s bed. Together, he and Sam carefully maneuvered Danny onto the jacket and suddenly, they were on autopilot, a routine that had been established long ago."

[yeeterthek33per]

Meet You Maybe Never (Chapter 2)

A/n Here we go, y'all. Enjoy 😘

Part 2 of this.

Content/Warning(s): Fluff. Also terribly translated German, feel free to telepathically forehead smack me if it's wrong. Time jumps a few times but I'm hoping it makes sense.

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

Early morning runs.

Specifically, Magda's early morning runs.

Despite Pernille's disgust at the woman's early morning energy levels, she'd gotten used to the ten years of waking up to an either empty bed or a very sweaty wake-up call from a freshly run-out Magda.

So, inevitably, when she woke up this morning, she suspected it was due to the front door shutting behind a returning girlfriend.

However, the loudness was more of a startle awake than her usual slow wake to hearing something shift in the room or her girlfriend kissing her awake.

The Swede wasn't one to slam doors, in fact, she usually would chastise anyone who had, a little too enthusiastically, slammed any doors in the house.

Pernille included.

"Pernille, I know you're asleep but you need to see this."

A soft grumble into the pillow.

"Not anymore."

"It happened again!"

Grunting, she sits up sleepily, although more alert than her previous state now.

"Magda wha-"

A phone shoved into her face the moment the Swede practically launches herself into the room and onto the bed, with much more enthusiasm than should be had at seven in the morning.

"Look."

As if she hadn't gotten the hint already.

Squinting, like only a freshly woken dead person can, at the phone screen, she sees a photo of a newly painted mural come into view.

"Okay...?"

The dirty blonde woman huffs.

"Did you actually look at it?"

The Dane cracks an unimpressed brow but looks back at the phone now.

It's a familiar piece.

Or at least the work is.

It's a mural of Magda this time.

Brightly painted like it just came out of the can.

"I could have caught the Straßengänger, that's how fresh it is."

"We should check it out later, can I go back to sleep now?"

Pouting softly but returning to a standing position from where she now realises is her girlfriends lap, Magda moves towards the en suite doorway.

"Or you could get up and come save water?"

The Swede makes a come hither gesture, but the older woman just shakes her head, tucking herself happily back under the covers.

"Shower and then come cuddle and I might think about getting up in an hour."

A soft chuckle and then the door shutting is the last thing she hears before she's back to sleep, followed by a shuffle in the bedding and a now clean and dry body wrapping around her frame a little while later.

It was news, but it could wait.

At least, it could for her, but it was something playing on the Swede's mind as she attempted to relax into her partners sleeping form.

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

Life in Munich had thankfully been less hectic than when they'd first arrived.

Mostly in part due to Pernille's previous history with Germany.

That was one Magda would happily let her partner take credit for, despite stubbornly struggling with the language, she was grateful for the Dane and her heavily doting teammates.

Said doting teammates had thankfully shown her enough spots and routes around town for jogs, places to avoid during certain times of day, the whole lot.

That was something she'd listed as a must-do.

Her morning runs were crucial in her routine, despite her partners protests early on to stay in bed for a while longer.

They eventually settled for a cuddle session after showering upon return, although, it only took them a year of living together to finally come to that agreement in London.

The cool morning air in Munich felt especially crisp but better than the late winter mornings had been.

Spring was on the way and that made it all the better to be running.

That was her excuse, anyway.

She was more interested in keeping an eye out for more information or sightings of a certain street artist.

And she had nothing to worry about, because within a month and a half, another appeared, this time much more of an invigorating find.

She was first to the scene here, and nothing had been touched in terms of how fresh the paint looked.

She was almost certain if she had shown earlier, she would have met with the artist themself, again.

It seems she'd have to try a bit harder, though, because there was no sign of the masked individual that morning.

Though, that wasn't much of a surprise.

They'd been especially careful to not be caught after having been plastered over the Munich forums with a single photo of them catching onto the media within hours.

That'd been before they arrived though, and it's been months since then.

Still, they were becoming more and more intriguing the more the artist left behind murals.

It'd be less intriguing if they were just doing murals for the club, but it seems like they've taken a focus on two players and two players only.

Everything else she had come across had been entirely different, usually just simple landscapes and dig as she might, nothing else.

She hadn't been keen on getting in on the investigations to do with the Straßengänger, at least until she realised how invested she was becoming along with her partner.

As she scanned over the mural, smaller details appeared.

Only, this time, the words seemed to be a bit more targeted towards her, much like Pernille's mural was towards her.

"Determined."

"Observant"

"Radiant."

"Competitive."

And one more word in German that she has to translate.

"Analytisch"

Analytical.

After that, she steps back, takes a photo and practically sprints the rest of the way back to the apartment.

By the time she's in the door, shouting up the stairs at her most likely asleep girlfriend, she's winded herself enough to forget to even consider what half of the wording meant.

And not just on the level of it being who she is as a person.

These were on purpose.

To specifically draw their attention.

Or at least hers.

In fact it doesn't occur to her that it's anything but another mural.

At least not until she's doing warm downs later that day and it clicks in her head.

She'd spent so much time analysing the artist and asking questions, she didn't even think about the part where said artist might have connections locally that would spread word about her asking about them.

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

It takes less than a day to hear about a certain Swede's line of questioning about a certain Straßengänger.

A little bit of sleuthing yourself leads you to how much she actually knows.

It's amusing you if anything.

Hence why you left the mural the way you did.

Gave her an incentive, let her know you know.

Or that the Straßengänger knows.

Also because you had an itch, and it needed to be scratched.

You'd done Pernille enough justice, then Magda.

Only you had to come up with something because that itch was starting to come back.

Regardless, you'd let your latest piece catch it's traction first.

Inspire more of an audience, you inspire attention and support to the women's game.

That's why you're doing this in the first place.

Isn't it?

It's also why you're stuck in several back to back meetings with several media lackeys right now.

You love your job but damn, sometimes you hate it.

Not to be ungrateful, nor ignorant of the knowledge of what you signed up for.

It's just another part of life and you'd have to scratch whatever itches that come from outside of it, later.

At some point, in the umpteenth meeting for the day, you spot a certain pair wander by the window, chatting animatedly with someone you were certain would be coming in for a meeting with you now.

Then, it seems, they enter the room.

You weren't aware they were joining you but who were you to complain.

"Ah, apologies for the interruption, Director, but they were just finishing up the last of their training before they could come down."

"That's quite alright, you ladies are free to take the table whenever you wish. I'm not in any hurry, trust me."

The pair smile and enter the room, taking seats in the remaining spots at the table, while the attending media manager introduced their presence in the meeting.

"So, we have been working on this partnership for a while. I understand the nature of this kind of deal would normally be dealt with by the players' personal managers or themselves but with everything happening all at once.."

The manager then gestures to the women to speak.

It's the Swede who speaks up first.

"We were hoping for a project management approval so we could get this under way quicker and easier. Estée Lauder have contacted Pernille and myself through our managers, and would like to partner with us to get a Women's health initiative started."

The older woman nods, turning to you directly.

"Director, if we could ask for someone on your team, or perhaps if you can grant the time, since we've seen the work you do."

A small brow in question at the woman across from you.

"As in, we've seen the women's projects you've started, completed, supported. We'd love for you to be involved directly, if you were willing to spare the time of course, the women's side of the club could directly benefit from the media attention of course, but also for the club as a whole. Or perhaps, if you can't maybe someone you'd be willing to trust with working with us on this? I know it's a lot to ask as two players who have only recently joined but-"

"Yes. I will assist in this project."

"And I think- yes?"

Amused with the surprise on the pairs' faces, you hold a hand up, explaining yourself further.

"You don't need to convince me anymore, it's the perfect time actually, this could be a great, and mind the terrible wording here, kick off to our season's campaigning plan. I would love to help this initiative get started personally. Contact me directly when you want to get started."

The wide smiles on the pairs faces make the extra work worth it as they both shake your hand, thanking you.

"We appreciate this so much."

"Of course, when it's for the support of women in the world, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Of course, it's completely true, this isn't just extra work to you.

It's a very important project that you'd take over and over if it meant the growth, support and visibility for women's health.

Smiling and nodding as they leave, you turn to your assistant, Liana.

"Liana, can you please put the Estée Lauder project on priority?"

"Of course, would you like me to put their numbers direct through to you as well?"

"Yes, thank you."

And true to your word and theirs, they call within a day, organising the information both sides will need.

"Alright, so we need to organise the time and place for you both to actually meet and settle an agreement for media duties, targeting audience, public viewership accessibility, etcetera."

"Magdalena and myself were both discussing possible days and times, with the upcoming international, we were hoping to do it before then, maybe in two weeks time?"

"Sounds good, I'll contact them on your behalf, if that's okay of course, and arrange a day between say, the twenty-second and the eighth?"

"Perfect, is there anything else we should prep before then?"

"Just your lovely selves, I'll have everything ready by then."

Nodding to the camera, you wave a small goodbye over the video call, hanging up after receiving confirmation, noting down everything they'd told you about the deal.

As you'd promised, within the following forty-eight hours, you call the representative that Pernille had supplied the number for, letting her know you were calling on behalf of the pair.

"Yes, hello, I am calling on behalf of Pernille Harder and Magdalena Eriksson. As their representative and representative of the organisation that employs them, I've been asked to organise a time and place for the negotiations of the upcoming project I've been made aware you and your organisation have been planning?"

It goes as smoothly as it could, surprising you if anything at how cordial the rep was being.

Normally you'd often have to go to bat for the players and any compensation they'd be advised to be given but they were generous and if anything, Pernille and Magda had themselves specified there was not much if anything that they wanted from this except to boost this project publicly.

They're an actively public persona and set of footballers, so really, the only thing to gain here is more support for the women's game.

The rep has zero qualms about compensating the players, but they both refuse, instead encouraging that the money be spent towards the project.

Donating their own time, and any possible pay prospects towards the future of Women's health.

If you weren't falling for the pair little by little already, now you definitely were.

And you had something to say about it.

Or rather.

Paint it.

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

It takes weeks until the launch of the progress, and videos are released. It's smooth as anything with them, like you expected.

You were constantly hearing from your crew about how easy it was to work with the pair for media days, so anything like this wasn't any different in your eyes.

They were confident, well respected, and self respected, level headed during proceedings and incredibly smart about any decisions they had to make.

In fact, you'd say you weren't even needed ninety percent of the time, the only time you really needed to speak on behalf of them to do with larger legal matters and anything to do with your place in this.

Everything else went through them.

Thus, you had time to plan your next move.

It was a set out large wall, freshly painted white and you'd managed to even get it in a larger area so you had plenty of space to work.

Your only challenge was doing it during the night.

Taking inspiration from the company involved, and from the footballers, using the colours of the Estée Lauder logo, a deep blue and whites, almost like black and white portraits, monochrome but with a deep navy instead, you painted both of their images up on the wall.

This time, using entirely words for the fill in and not just certain parts.

You knew this one would take a while, but it could be done.

After the very slow process of mapping out everything, you began going over it with a layer of black paint, slowly carving each shadow, crease line, jawline, pupil shine, each piece a small word of description.

This time, the words in each of their respective native languages.

Thankfully, you had a little help with that.

Not intentional of course, getting them to create media profiles, talking about themselves in languages their fans would understand from the national team, not just English and German.

Picking up bits and pieces, and a thankfully very helpful closed captioner sitting by your side who wrote and translated everything for the videos, and yourself, for Creative Director purposes, obviously.

Words like

"Empowered"

"Luminous"

"Inspired"

"Protective" For Magda

"Phenomenal" For Pernille.

And everything in between that you can put in.

But mostly one word that's resonated with you since they first got announced as a part of your club.

"Captivating"

That was the least you could describe them as.

As much you are an artist, you felt as close to a writer as you ever would be just creating this mural.

It was a lot of work for something that would surely stir up something amongst the community.

Inspiration?

Support?

A new sense of endearment from the locals as they fall back in love with their home team again?

Well, it's not like they ever fell out of love with them, more just needed incentive to return regular appearances at games again.

If it took hold internationally, well that's just a bonus.

It sounds like a lot of optimism coming from someone who's essentially graffiti-ing every blank white wall in the city with the faces of some people who a lot of Munich society may not even recognise, but when you've been doing this as long as you have.

Every single time one of your murals make the internet, and if you have a bit of hope that this one will make it big?

That's nobodies business but yours.

By the time you're done with the first lot of paint, you're sweating. It's a big damn wall and you aren't the most fit person you know. Hell, nearly everyone you know are either office workers or athletes.

Sure, you scale buildings, walls and nearly impossible to climb scaffolding but you damn aren't an endurance athlete.

Your grip strength may be in the high numbers but fuck being able to hang on to the same pole for a solid two hours.

That being said, the mural just needs the final touch up paint layers, little things like reinstating white shines and some shadows into the portraits.

Both faces have smiling expressions, examples of pure happiness and joy as they celebrate another win.

The best bit about working in a club like this is getting to see the players in form, on the pitch and outside of it, too.

Every moment you've gotten to witness all of the players in.

It's all come back to inspiration for your work.

You do it all for the players, for the one's who've worked as hard, if not harder than you have to get to where they are.

That's inspiration.

That's why you do what you do.

To get to witness that inspiration come to life.

So painting that into a mural is nothing if not a mere chip away at what can be shared with the world about the pure elation at seeing all of your dreams and hard work come to life.

And doing it with some of the community's most loved players also helps.

The final touch up layers come in quite nicely, taking a small break to let the other half of the paint dry before trying to paint over it.

As an artist, you don't really get to see a reveal like other people do.

Instead, the end result isn't so much of a surprise as seeing it for the first time.

You know how you want it to turn out, it's just getting it there in the first place.

You add and change little bits here and there.

Sometimes, you don't even know how its going to turn out but you still start somewhere with a general idea of where it's going.

With murals like these, there's always a game plan.

It's just easier that way.

Setting out a trace line and then going over it with the style and paint you want is how you do it.

So seeing it complete doesn't amaze you necessarily.

However, taking a step back, clearing your head and gazing over this complete mural allows you to just breathe and take it in.

It's beautiful.

And you hope the subjects take it that way, too.

Hearing a few shuffles, you tuck your mask back in a bit better, hoping no one saw you, and shove everything back into your bag hastily.

A group of adults walking by chatting and laughing makes you jump around the corner.

They don't spot you, and in the pitch dark, they don't see the mural either, only chatting away with each other.

It's in the early hours of the day that you finally make it home, again.

On your walk home, you think you spot a familiar jogging blonde across the road but don't stick around or follow to find out.

By then, you'd switched out your mask for a cap and turned inside out jacket and hiding hands in your pockets for the little flecks of paint the gloves didn't catch.

There's always some.

Your apartment isn't much farther from where you saw the blonde jogging, so when it's confirmed when all of sudden, on your way out the door for work, you see her practically sprinting home, it doesn't surprise you.

What does is the pace she's keeping.

Did she see the mural?

You didn't get much sleep if any, so you think you must be a little delusional to think she'd have found it so quickly, and then having had sprinted the whole way back again?

She's an athlete and all, but come on.

That'd be some determination.

You knew she'd been keeping an eye on the Straßengänger's next moves, but to catch on that quickly, there was no way.

But then you thought about it.

She's always been vocal about keeping a tight schedule.

Maybe they live closer than you think, and she's just on a morning run.

If that's the case, you've hit closer to home than you expected to, but it doesn't bother you so much as it does surprise you.

You'd just have to be more careful or you risk being caught, again.

Maybe being caught wouldn't be so bad if it was them.

You'd have to find out.

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

Pernille's eyes catch yours across the table, watching you listen intently as her girlfriend beside her rattles off lists of things that need doing for the campaign.

She'd spent so much time talking herself, that it took a little nudge from the Swede with a small knowing smile to let her take over for a bit.

The Dane was nothing if not determined, so taking charge of the campaign was more accidental that intentional.

Hell, they'd both been captains, they were both leaders.

That's why they worked so well together.

They both knew when to step in and when to step back and let the other do what they needed to do.

But something about this made her want to step in constantly.

So instead of interrupting Magda with possible interjections until she was sure her girlfriend wasn't already getting to those, she distracted herself minorly with just listening and observing.

Something drew her to you, though.

It was the passion with which you worked, the easy going but fiery steadfastness of your work, your ability, your personality.

The focus in you, the ability to talk your way around legalities and make it such a smooth process as you had.

At the moment, there was tactics of media advertisement that were being thrown around, things like videos and conferences.

Things like possible logos and sponsorship for the youth women's teams.

Those were something you would be handling with the clubs people as well, setting up possible sponsorships for the academy players and up and coming new players in the area looking to get into the game.

As well as charity donations, supporting women's shelters, donating to children's hospitals.

Everything under the sun thrown on to the table as an option.

And you took it all in stride, listening and giving small feedback but affirmations and assurances that you'd look into the options, see what you can negotiate with the business and what you could give as an option of advertisement for Estée Lauder themselves.

And they trusted you would do everything you could available to make those things happen for it.

She had no idea why she trusted you so much.

Especially when you were a business person.

They'd spent so much time being burned and run around by business people.

Not everyone was bad, but it didn't help that they were approached by people just looking for boosts for their company without doing anything in return.

The pair were never after money but god forbid they give something to something they choose.

So to finally have a company they trust on their side, and to have someone in their corner fighting with them.

It's the best feeling.

Especially when that person knows how to get it.

But there's something about you in particular.

There's a look behind your eyes.

One of genuine idolisation and passion for those with genuine belief and want to help build a better community and world of football for those who can't or need a little help themselves.

But also something else she recognises, she can't quite figure it out, but it's familiar and she almost feels safer knowing it's there.

It was a slow recognition that came to her mind over the past weeks working with you.

You weren't with them every minute of the work day, obviously, but once every couple of days was enough for her to find that familiarity.

One thing she notices is how much you fidget with your hands while working, while thinking.

It's a nervous habit, she slowly realises.

Picking at the skin of your cuticles.

Then she sees a small fleck of something, marker or ink or something.

And then it flecks off as you pick at it.

Ink wouldn't do that.

Paint would, though.

Before she can question it much further than necessary, though, Magda nudges her softly.

"All good?"

She looks up, realising the Swede had long finished talking and she'd just zoned out watching you fidget.

"Of course, right, just zoning a bit."

She says it in a small joking tone, both of them knowing well that she doesn't so well sitting still for so long.

You hum softly.

"That's completely understandable, as much as I am an office worker, I don't sit still too well, myself. Shall we take a small break? It's been a couple hours as is."

Magda nods in agreement.

"C'mon, we can head down to the campus cafeteria for some coffee?"

"Sure, I just have to head to the bathroom, I'll meet you down there?"

Nodding, the swede watches as the Dane exits before gesturing to the door.

"Join us?"

You smile.

"Sure."

Taking the opportunity to stretch her muscles well, the both of you wander down to the coffee stand, Magda ordering for her and Pernille, and then gestures for you to order as well.

"I'll pay for my own, it's all good."

You try to wave away the Swede but she insists.

"We've been talking your ears off all morning, the least we could do is pay for your caffeine intake to deal with it."

It's meant as a joke, but you chuckle and interject with.

"Please, I'd rather listen to you both talk all day than the work I do on a daily basis anyway."

"Oh, really, what could possibly be less interesting than us talking your ears off then?"

She nudges you, shoulder to shoulder, watching you flush a little.

"Office work, sitting all day in meetings, phone calls and constant paperwork. I've always hated sitting around like that. But that's just the half of it. I usually spend the extra time I get making promotional material and organising events for the club. As much as I'd like to focus just on the women's side of things, the board wanted me for the whole club. Creative Director and all."

You snort at the last bit.

"Not a fan of the position?"

"It's where I want to be in terms of what I can do for the club and how much I get to influence the parts I've always dreamed of being a part of but it just comes with all the bits I've always hated, too, so yes and no."

Your coffees are made and ready and by the time you've found seats, Pernille makes her way into the room, sitting in the spot on either side of you.

"Ah, babe, here."

Magda nudges the coffee towards the lighter blonde, her girlfriend thanking her, taking a sip of the coffee with a grateful sigh.

"What about the good parts, what else do you get to do for the club, I know we've read a lot, but surely there's stuff that the rest of us aren't told, am I correct?"

Sipping your coffee, you set it down again, nodding.

"It's a lot of work behind the scenes more than anything. Despite watching over a lot of the media parts, I don't see much of it myself. Only being shown the results at the end and obviously, any major parts of plans and announcements. Major brand deals, sponsorships and I get asked to do a lot of the men's organisational parts of their promotional as well, apparently they couldn't get anybody else to do it one persons job. It's a lot. But it's what I do best."

"Tell us about your favourite parts."

Pernille's the one to speak up.

"Actually, working with you, the players is my favourite part, I don't get to do it a lot, but when I do, you guys are the best people I get to work with, most of the time because you guys act like you're all human, not like the others. Not saying they aren't or that I don't get on well with them, because I do, especially my assistant and anyone I work closely with but they're just too professional, like they don't have too much of their own input to put in. I know I'm their boss, but I like hearing people talk about their own passions."

Pausing for a moment, you scratch at the back of your hand, something Pernille notes immediately.

"Actually, you guys are probably the best I've worked with so far."

"Really?"

You hum, nodding.

"You are both passionate, easy to talk with, understand what's going on and how to navigate situations like this. Dealing with legalities ninety percent of the time is left up to me and me alone, which is fair enough, not everyone has the patience, time or want to deal with it, but it's refreshing seeing both of you be able to keep up with all of this. You're both incredibly intelligent, analytical and passionate and it's a relief to work with more than anything. That's why I was so eager to accept your proposal for the project."

They both grin.

"We're glad to have made this process smoother, then."

"More than anything, you guys have made my job easier than it's ever been."

Chuckling you clink your coffee with the others and take another sip in cheers.

"What about you both?"

They both look at you confused.

"Well, since we're getting our answers from the sources, I wanna know, what drives you both, why this? I've heard it through so many third parties, I want to know why you're both so involved."

"Well considering we've both loved football our entire lives, grew up playing it, found clubs we love. The whole nine yards."

"You make it sound like you haven't done what ninety-nine percent of others have never done themselves."

"That's exactly why we do what we do, to help others who can't but deserve it more than anything to do the same, achieve their dreams, show the world what they're made of."

"Yeah, Magda's pretty much said it all, there. We do what we do because we want other's to know how much they can achieve and also helping them get there. Women most of all. In more than half the world, women were banned for fifty years from playing, which I'm sure you know, and Women's Football needs the boost."

"I love that."

You take another sip of your coffee.

"It's amazing what you both have done in and out for women as a community and for growing stars in the game, not only that but everything you both do for World Crisis', support of the people suffering from war, hunger, major issues. Especially those who struggle with sexuality and not being able to be who they are."

"We just want to help, that's something we especially love hearing back about it all, is that people are finally comfortable in their own skin."

"You're doing a damn good job, then."

You continue talking like that for a good long while, letting them both talk about everything they've done over the years.

Eventually, it quietens, and you check the time.

Glancing down at your watch, you urge them back up to the conference office once again.

"Shall we get back to work, ladies?"

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

In all of a few hours, you manage to set up a gameplan for the next two weeks of work before they have to head off to internationals, leaving you with something to do in the meantime.

A few times throughout those couple of hours, you catch Pernille watching you fidget with your hands.

You aren't totally sure why for a few minutes but then you notice it's only when you start picking at the impossible to keep off you flecks of spray paint.

It seems luck was not on your side in that moment because the moment Magda steps out of the room to go to the bathroom, she points it out.

"Much of painter?"

Freezing, you look up at the woman from your notebook.

"Pardon?"

She points to where you're yet again scratching at your hand.

"Just the paint you're picking off, you paint a lot?"

"Ah, a little, just getting into it actually. It's just something I do in my free time but damn is it messy."

"Oh, you should show us some of the stuff you do sometime."

Nodding, you take a sip of the water beside you.

You know the paint will get you caught one day, but spray paint is the glitter of the paint world.

It's impossible to keep off places you don't want it to be.

Then Magda enters the room and the conversation is over.

Thankfully, it feels like she's backed off you a bit, but you aren't confident it won't come back to bite you later.

Towards the end of it, Magda is scrolling on her phone as you type out some of the final pieces of information, ready to be sent off to the project managers on the partners end.

Noting the way she suddenly zones in on one particular post, you see with a glance her way, her liking and sharing a post about your newest work.

She doesn't seem surprised to see it, though, like it isn't new to her, the way she doesn't attempt to show Pernille even.

She definitely already saw it, as to whether she'd caught it this morning was another question.

You don't bring it up, though.

Instead, you continue typing and eventually, finish it with some wording changes at the request of the girls, and send it off.

"Annnnd we're done for the day, is there anything else we want done before you both head off to internationals? If you do have something come up later on, you're both welcome to call or message me directly and I can put it down to be done?"

They both shake their heads.

"Excellent, then I'll let you both head off, I can't imagine you aren't both sick of sitting for so long, rest up, and we'll talk later when the rep gets back to us."

Shaking both of their hands, they thank you profusely again and exit together.

Taking the moment to breathe finally, you look down at your hands, still little bits and pieces of flecked white and black paint, you groan to yourself, head falling into your hands.

"That was too fucking close, L/n. Get it together."

Luckily, they wouldn't be around to catch you any time in the next couple of weeks, you'd have plenty of time to do other stuff.

They weren't the ones you worry about catching you though, in fact, if it weren't for the face to face implications of it, you'd almost want them to know, but you can't let that happen yet.

It's the media, who'd have a field day at finding out the club's leading Creative Director is secretly a graffiti artist and the cause of the city's whispers, that you're worried about most.

You can only keep a low profile.

You've been getting cocky the past few weeks.

Now's the time to lay low.

Maybe put out a few smaller, less football focused art pieces, too.

Draw the attention away.

As much as you'd praised the attention, bring in too much of it and all of it collapses in on you.

Maybe one more mural before they go, though.

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

[pikapeppa]

Tiefling anatomy and headcanons

Someone else has probably done this already and in more detail, but ALAS, I could not find anything to fit my very specific smut-related needs. So I went ahead and labelled some diagrams.

Our handsome model for this post is Dammon! 🥰 SADLY, I don't know the source of the photos I used (they were sent to me by a friend and a Goog search did not help), so if anyone knows who I can credit the source images to, please let me know!

Terms and headcanons are mine. If they're well-established elsewhere/used by others, it's pure coincidence.

Within-image text will follow below, for those using screenreaders/if the font is too small (SORRY, I was in a rush). I also put a cut before the third image, since it's got Dammon's bum in it. 🥰

The first image depicts sternal ridges ("sternum" meaning "breastbone") and costal ridges ("costal" meaning "relating to the ribs"). I headcanon that the sharp-looking, pointed parts of these ridges are not actually sharp or hard, but rather, cartilage covered in skin (like ears!).

The second image depicts spinal ridges (prominences on the vertebrae) and wingtips, tiny little hooks of cartilage on the shoulder blades. I headcanon that some tieflings see larger wingtips as being good luck, or even a sign that you'll be able to fly in your next life.

The third image shows anatomy of the tail, which is grossly divided into the upper tail and the lower tail. The upper tail, also called the tail base or tail root, is where the tail attaches to the body, just above the bum. I headcanon that this area of the tail is a "private area", off-limits for being touched except by lovers or romantic partners. The lower tail, including the tip of the tail, is okay to be touched by friends and close family. Tieflings partners might link their lower tails together in an affectionate gesture, like holding hands. Siblings and friends might slap or pull each other's lower tails when they're playfighting (we're looking at you, Cal and Lia and Rolan). The tail tip might also be called a "tail-barb", depending on dialect differences.

Some other random tiefling-body headcanons, some of which are NSFW (be warned):

They have nails: not claws, not talons, but nails. 'Claws' and 'talons' are considered offensive terms, like equating tieflings to animals.

Touching a tiefling's horns is off-limits except for very close friends/family/partners. It's not necessarily romantic to touch or caress a tiefling's horns, but it often is, not unlike stroking someone's hair.

Tiefling tails are partially prehensile. Thus, they can use them during sex. 😏

Contrary to popular belief, tieflings are adept at giving and receiving finger penetration (i.e. finger-fucking SORRY TO BE CRUDE) with long nails, and don't need to cut them for sex reasons. They know their bodies, and they can easily learn how to finger-fuck without hurting anyone.

Tiefling tails can broadcast emotions, like cats' tails (though some tiefs may not like being compared to animals -- see above). I've seen at least two fantastic comics about this, here and here (MY FAVOURITE).

Thank you for reading if you came this far! And feel free to use these headcanons in fic writing, if you like, with a nod to yours truly if you're feeling kindly 🥰

If you'd like to read some tieflings fics where these headcanons come into play, you can check out my Karlach/Dammon fic here, and my Rolan/f!Tav fic here. Both are rated E for smut.

-- love from your friendly neighbourhood Pika! xoxo

[thefallennightmare]

Unveiled Hearts-Matt Dierkes One Shot

*all pictures for cover found on pinterest. gif created by me. feel free to use, simply give credit*

Pairings: Matt Dierkes x OFC

Warnings: swearing, fluff, angst, smut

Summary: Matt and Faye still can’t confess their feelings for each other. Crossing the line from friends to lovers could change the dynamics of the tour of the Concrete Jungle. An accidental kiss reveals the truth hidden behind small smiles and laughter. They both know that the smart thing would be to forget it ever happened. But some kisses are so spectacular that they change everything.

Authors Notes: When I tell you guys, this has been MONTHS in the making. I'm so glad I can finally say it's finished! Buckle up, it's a long one! Hopefully, all of your questions will be answered.

Tags: @loeytuan98 @thatchickwiththecamera @dsireland86 @iknownothingpeople @bngurngheart @malice-ov-mercy @concreteemo @cookiesupplier @heyyoplayer @myownthoughts12 @vinyardmaurao @missduffsblog @hayleylatour @sleepyomens @artificialbreezy @marvelousmal @lma1986 @wild-child-7747 @calleyx13 @illmakeyousaywow @jaded-and-hollow-souls @itsafullmoon @shilohrosechicken @klutzy-kay24 @shadowseve @blueskylinesx @exitwoundsx @thisbicc @pathion @cookiesupplier @sammyjoeee @whenthesummerdies @flowery-mess @xxkittenkissesxx @its-inourblood @madomens @collidewiththesavannah @xserena-13 @cncohshit

If I missed anyone on the tag list, I apologize!

FAYE

I sat in my car, drumming my fingers against my steering wheel and trying to keep my breathing even. Every few seconds, my eyes would dart to the clock on the dashboard, painley waiting for it to read 6:00 so I could get this meeting over with. 

“Five minutes,” I muttered to myself followed by a pep talk. 

This is a job interview, one I’ve been to countless times before. I knew what I was doing and also was confident enough in my abilities that they’d love my work. Lana even reassured me. 

“They’re a great batch of guys to work with, Faye! It’s like we’re a big family, we take care of each other,” her words echoed in my mind. 

I watched as these guys worked in a frenzied state packing the two vans with various equipment but somehow made it seem like they flowed together naturally. The effort conversations and laughter that carried between them showed how tight knit they were so I couldn’t help but feel like I was a stranger that was about to disrupt their lives. 

You are. They don’t know you. 

Grumbling at the voice in my mind, I reached for my portfolio and camera, slinging it over my neck; I never went anywhere without it. 

The laughter from the large group carried over to the other end of the parking lot where I was slowly walking up. I had to meet two of these guys at this large warehouse while they spent the afternoon packing up their things. My hands shook as I clutched my photo portfolio to my chest and as I approached them, unable to hide behind the invisible vortex I hope shielded me, I came to a stop a few feet away. 

My hazel eyes tracked each person's movement as they went from the large garage opening of the warehouse over to the two trucks and large tour bus parked on the opposite side of the lot. My mouth ran dry as I tried to find my voice to call over to them, announce my arrival, but it was difficult due to the racing of my heart. 

Suddenly a soft buzz in my back pocket was my saving grace and I pulled it out, smiling at the name on the screen. 

Tay: Okay, we need a girls night out tonight. I broke up with loser face so I need to forget about it. Find someone new. Preferably one that has a head full of curls. You know those are my weaknesses.

I giggled while quickly typing out my response. 

Me: Well, you know what they say. The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else. 

Tay: Fuck yes. I’ll pick you up at eight!

“Are you Faye?” 

My eyes snapped up from my phone to the tall figure in front of me, the sunlight catching the intricate and somewhat colorful tattoos on both of his arms. A lone finger scratched at his cheek, showcasing a small heart tattoo. I knew who he was, Lana already giving me the full run down on everyone in the band. 

While he was gorgeous, I also knew he wasn’t available. But not like it mattered, I wasn’t here for a relationship. I was here to work. 

“Uh,” my hands shook again as I pocketed my phone, clutching the portfolio to my chest. “Yeah. Sorry.” 

The man raised a brow with a soft smile. “There’s no need to apologize. Were you standing there long?” 

I shook my head. “No, no. I just walked up a minute ago but didn’t want to bother you guys. You seem a little busy.”

“You’re fine,” he stuck out his hand. “I’m Noah.” 

I desperately wished I could have wiped the sweat off of my palm as I grasped his; it engulfing mine. 

“Faye. But I guess you already know that,” I chuckled lightly. 

“Yeah, Lana mentioned you’d be stopping by to talk with us,” Noah turned to look over his shoulder, running a hand through his dark waves. “Uh, Matt!” 

I watched silently as another man stepped down the ramp of one of the trucks, head snapped over towards Noah and I. He removed the hat from his head to shake out the long strands of his hair and my breath caught in my throat. The tattoos that covered his left arm were hard to read from this distance but the bright color of the one on his leg immediately stood out. 

Dragon Ball Z. 

I’d never been a fan of it but my younger brother watched it all the time growing up. 

Suddenly realizing what Noah called him, I remembered Lana’s warning from earlier. 

“Everyone is chill. Well, except Matt. As long as you stay on his good side you should be fine.”

My palms began to sweat even more now and I rubbed one of them on the side of my thigh, hoping to dry it before needing to shake Matt’s hand. As he walked closer to where Noah and I were standing, a soft breeze blew through the strands of his golden hair and I marveled at the confidence that radiated off of him. Those dark eyes tracked over me; from my scuffed converse up over my long legs and I knew he was assessing my tattoos like I did his. When his lips twitched with a sly smile, I knew Matt had taken in the sight of my teal hair. 

“Hi,” I said once he came to a stop next to Noah. 

The height difference between them was immediately recognizable. 

“This is Faye; Lana’s cousin,” Noah said towards Matt. 

He nodded. “The fill in.” 

The way Matt said those words didn’t quite sit well with me but not wanting to ruin this potential job, I gave a forced smile instead. 

“She mentioned you guys wanted to see my portfolio,” I said while handing it over to Noah, who took it with a smile.

“How long have you been in this business?” Noah asked, slowly flipping through my portfolio. 

I adjusted the strap of my camera on my shoulder. “I started taking pictures when I was ten. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I made it my profession. I’ve photographed a handful of local bands.” 

Matt raised a brow. “So Bad Omens would be the first big name band you’ve photographed?” 

There was still that underlying tone in his voice, one I couldn’t quite decipher. 

“As a job, yes. I’ve taken a few pictures when I went to shows. But I can assure you, I know what I’m doing,” I said with slightly narrowed eyes. 

Noah froze on one photograph, a loving smile pulling at his lips. His eyes lingered on it for a long moment before showing it to Matt, who let out a small chuckle. 

“What are the odds,” he muttered under his breath. 

“So you’re used to working in fast paced environments?” Noah asked while handing back my portfolio.

I nodded, clutching it to my chest yet again. “Yeah. It’s nothing new for me.”

“This will be your first time touring though, right?” 

“Yeah,” I nodded again at Noah. “Might take some getting used to but I can assure you, I’ll be fine.” 

“Cool,” he smiled. “I know it’s kind of last minute but we leave tomorrow.” 

“I’ll be ready,” I gave a curt nod.

Underneath the rim of his hat, Matt’s eyes narrowed but he remained silent. Assessing me with the darkness of them but never once parting his lips to say what was on his mind. Which irritated me, the feeling burning low in my gut because I absolutely hated when people didn’t say what was on their mind. If they couldn’t tell me how they truly felt about a situation, how could I trust them later on? 

“Is that fine with you, Matthew?” I asked with a raised brow. 

His jaw ticked when I uttered his full name and briefly, I saw a tiny smile play at his lips. 

“Be here at six a.m,” was all he said before turning on his heels and walking back towards the large trucks. 

I pursed my lips, doing my best to keep my comment to myself; something Noah noticed. 

“Don’t let Matt get under your skin. He’s not too fond of change. But he’ll get over it. Lana couldn’t stop raving about you. Bryan is actually excited to work with you,” Noah said. 

Their other photographer. 

“I’m actually a huge fan of Bryan. I have a few of his prints hung up in my apartment,” I said while looking up at Noah. 

He chuckled while running a hand through his hair. “Did you want to stay? We’re almost done packing up the trucks and have plans for a little BBQ at my girlfriend's place. She’d love it if you joined.”

I thought about it for a long moment. It would probably be a good thing to do in a way to get to know everyone before being stuck on the road with them for the next few weeks. But then I remembered my plans with Tay and knew if I backed out on her much needed girls night, she’d be upset. 

“Thank you for the invite but I already have plans with my friend tonight. I’m sorry,” I said. 

Noah waved me off. “No need to apologize, Faye. We’re about to be stuck together for the next couple of weeks so take all the alone time you need.”

Just then, someone ran up to Noah with a breathless smile and I couldn’t stop staring at the mounds of curls on top of his head. 

“Hey, man. Sorry I’m late.” 

Noah gave the man a somber smile. “How’d it go?” 

“She stood me up.”

My eyes darted between the two and when Noah took in my confused state, he motioned to the man with curls. 

“Faye, meet Jesse. Jesse, meet the new photographer, Faye.” 

Jesse gave me a bright smile, the one that eased away all of your worries, and he adjusted the round glasses perched on his nose before extending a hand to me. 

“Oh, Lana’s cousin! She mentioned you’d be filling in for her while she was gone,” Jesse said. 

“Yep,” I shook his hand. “Seems like she talked about me to everyone.” 

Suddenly another man came up on the side of Jesse, slapping his back. “How’d the date go?” 

This man I instantly recognized. 

Bryan Kirks. 

Jesse snorted. “She stood me up. I waited at the restaurant for thirty minutes. Tried calling and texting her; got left on read.” 

“No fucking way,” Bryan shook his head. “I never had a good feeling about her. Who spells their name with two X’s like that?”

“That’s bullshit,” Noah grumbled under his breath. 

Although I wasn’t sure what happened, it was clear this relationship that Jesse was talking about ended in a way that made Bryan and Noah upset for their friend. Seeing the slight confusion on my face, Jesse gave me a weak smile. 

“My girlfriend stood me up tonight.” 

“Shit, I’m sorry,” I frowned while shifting on my feet. 

He shrugged while stuffing his hands into his pockets. “It’s alright. I’ll get over it.” 

“Well you know what they say. The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else,” Bryan smirked. 

“I just told my best friend the same thing,” I laughed while tucking a piece of teal hair behind my ears. 

The ease that fell over me as I stood with the three men, talking as if I’d known them for years, made the fear of what the next few weeks held almost non-existent. 

“Is that the D5000?” Bryan asked while pointing to the Nikon hanging off my shoulder. 

I beamed while holding it up. “Yeah. My dad gifted it to me when I decided to make this a career. I have a few other models but I take this one everywhere with me for work.”

Bryan motioned towards Noah and Jesse, who all stood together, which prompted me to snap a few pictures of them; all three of them having goofy smiles then a few serious ones. 

I clicked through the pictures while all three of them glanced over my shoulder and felt Jesse snicker towards Noah. 

“Your girl is going to love that pouty look.”

“Shut up,” Noah grumbled but you could hear the smile in his voice. 

“HEY! Assholes! Are we still taking a break or actually here to work?!” 

All of our eyes snapped up to Matt, who was pushing a large crate towards one of the trucks. Even from this distance, I could see the slits of his eyes staring directly at me. Something about him irritated me all while causing my stomach to flip as those narrowed eyes grazed up my long legs. 

“This will be a fun few weeks,” Bryan said. 

Jesse bid us all a goodbye with a nod. “Have fun with that. I’ve got plans at a certain cafe.”

As he rambled off which cafe he was going to visit tonight, I couldn’t help but smile. 

“The one downtown? Next to the therapist's office?” 

Jesse smiled. “Yeah. It’s Jolly’s favorite, for obvious reasons. We all go there at least once a week. We should all go once you guys get back.” 

“Sure,” I smiled. 

Noah gave me one final smile. “Believe it or not, we’re all stoked you’re joining us.” 

“Lana has said all good things about you guys. I’m excited. And thank you for giving me this opportunity, given my lack of experience.” 

Something twinkled in his almond eyes as he took a few steps towards the rest of the group of people. 

“It was one of the pictures I saw in your portfolio that sold me.” 

With a small wave, I turned and was ready to head back to my car when a loud voice halted me momentarily. 

“6 A.M! DON’T BE LATE!” 

Matt. 

Throwing a hand over my shoulder, I made my way over towards my car and quickly typed up a message to Tay.

Me: How does coffee and a nice book in a cafe sound?

She replied while I was buckling my seat belt. 

Tay: You know I’m always down for that. 

MATT

Carefully, I watched as Faye smiled at Noah before she retreated back to her car. My eyes never left her form even when Noah stepped in front of me, blocking my view. It wasn’t until he cleared his throat that I looked over to him.

“What?” 

He shook his head with a playful smile. “I’ve seen that look before. I’ve actually had that look in my own eyes a few times. It’s a familiar feeling.” 

Rolling my eyes, I went back to loading up the trucks. It was already well past six and with plans for the BBQ in less than an hour, we needed to haul ass to finish packing everything. Something I made known to Noah, who continued watching me with a smile. 

“Keep staring, lover boy,” I joked while pushing the crate up the ramp into one of the trucks. 

Noah stood at the bottom of his, hands buried deep in the pockets of his Bad Omens joggers. 

“I invited her tonight.” 

My head snapped over at him. “Why did you do that?” 

“Because we’re going to be with each other for the next three weeks. I thought it would be a good ice breaker before having her jump right into everything tomorrow morning.” 

There was no reason for me to have a guard up when it came to Faye but we’d been burned so many times before with new people joining the Bad Omens crew. Anytime we thought about having someone join our team, I was always the one that voiced my concerns. 

Since Faye was cousins with Lana, I couldn’t do that. Lana gave us her word that we could trust Faye. Although, I knew deep down that wasn’t the sole reason why I’d been closed off. 

I couldn’t allow myself to get close to anyone else, afraid of getting hurt again. I’d seen all of my friends around me find love while I stood on the outside, wondering if I’d ever find that. I told myself that work was the only thing I needed right now. But the moment I took in the sight of Faye and felt my heart stutter in my chest, I knew that it would be hard for me to abide by my own rules. 

I’d become transfixed the moment my eyes landed on her, standing in the middle of the parking lot looking almost like a little sheep that found their way into the den of wolves. How bright her eyes were as they locked with mine. The way her lips moved as she talked to Noah. How they twitched when she spoke my name. 

Matthew. 

My body shivered when I remembered how sweet it sounded falling from her pink lips. 

“Is she coming?” I asked while loading up the last of the crates. 

Noah still wore that annoying smirk and crossed his arms over his chest. “No, she already had plans with a friend.” 

All I did was hum as I shut the door of the truck, doing my best to ignore the way my heart sunk in my stomach. 

“Well, let’s hope she’ll be here on time tomorrow because I’m not waiting for her even if she’s two minutes late,” I adjusted my hat. 

Noah squeezed my shoulder. “Have some faith, Matthew.” 

He quickly scurried away before I could do anything in retaliation for using my full name. A familiar car pulled up which made Noah sprint towards it and wrap his arms around the figure that stepped out from behind the steering wheel. My heart ached while watching the love they shared, like it always did. I wasn’t jealous of either of them. I was jealous of what they had. 

“Matt!” Her voice called over from where Noah had her in his arms. “Are you riding with us?” 

Putting on my best fake smile, I gave her a thumbs up. “Just promise no dessert nicknames the entire drive, please?”

FAYE

Stifling a yawn behind my hand, I let my shoes scuff along the pavement as I walked up the familiar drive, the rising sun casting me in an everglow of orange and golden hues. The birds sang their morning songs and the grass was still wet with the morning dew as I came to a stop in the somewhat empty parking lot. I’d expected everyone to be here, ready to load up, but then again I was ten minutes early. Not wanting to leave my car here for three weeks, I had Tay drop me off. My plan for running into a certain someone failed when we got too caught up watching a crime documentary on her television. 

“You’re early.” 

Whirling around at the voice, I saw Matt leaning against the door of the tour bus drowning in a hoodie and joggers. He gave off a comfortable vibe that nearly matched my own. Knowing we had a long drive to the first city, I opted to wear biker shorts and an oversized shirt; one that caught Matt’s eyes immediately but never saying anything about it.

Adjusting my backpack, I gripped the handle of my suitcase a little tighter. 

“I’m an early bird,” I shrugged. “Figured it was better to be early rather than late.”

Matt hummed, the noise vibrating in his chest, and I felt his burning gaze all over me. We were standing close to each other and I could feel his body heat radiate off of him, encasing me. The sunrise caught the darkness of his eyes causing them to sparkle and I drank in the sight of the faint stubble that peppered his chin. The sharpness of his cheekbones and the way they could cut my finger if I dragged it across it had me halting doing so. The way my skin ignited as his gaze lingered on my face made my heart skip a beat. It was as if he was taking his own mental pictures but never once making a sound or moving. Simply leaning against the bus while I squirmed on my feet. Teal strands of hair fell into my eyes and I gently brushed them away. I could have sworn I had the softest intake of breath from Matt but it was so quiet, I wasn’t sure. 

He nodded towards my suitcase. “Can I?” 

With a nod, I let him take it to put it in the undercarriage part of the bus, the calloused skin of his fingers brushing along my knuckles and instantaneously, I felt something spark inside of me. If Matt felt it, he made no indication and set my suitcase alongside all of the others.  Then with a swift nod towards the door, he motioned for me to follow him up the stairs. 

“Everyone is awake so no need to be quiet,” Matt said. 

When we stepped into the main area of the bus, I felt myself freeze when a few different sets of eyes landed on me. Bryan gave me a wave and a smile while I looked at the four other men that were scattered throughout. I recognized them from not only knowing who Bad Omens were but also Lana’s rundown texts. 

“You must be Faye,” Jolly wiped a hand on a towel as he was stocking the fridge. 

“Nice to meet you,” I shook his hand.

Then after meeting Nicholas, I noticed Nick sitting in the far corner booth of the small kitchen area, a somber smile on his face. 

“You’ll have to excuse him,” Nicholas sighed. “Relationship trouble.”

“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath. “What’s in the California water? That’s the third relationship trouble I’ve heard of in the last twenty four hours.” 

When Nicholas raised a brow, I explained not only were Nick and Jesse going through something but so was my friend, Tay. 

“Jolly, you better watch out. You could be next,” Steven teased after we exchanged greetings. 

Jolly was silent, muttering something to himself in Sweden before retreating to the back of the bus. From what Lana told me, Jolly was in a relationship but it had been hard for him and his girlfriend. Almost everyone in this friend group had a significant other. Besides Matt and Bryan. 

At the thought of Matt, I quickly peeked through the strands of hair that fell into my face yet again to see that he had sat on one of the couches and kept his attention on his phone. 

“Or Noah’s relationship could be next,” Bryan chuckled. “Him and-.”

“We are perfectly fine, thank you. No need to worry,” Noah’s voice echoed throughout the bus as he stepped into the main area. 

They all gave him a quick wave in greeting and when he saw me standing there, clutching my things, he raised a brow. 

“Did anyone show you to your bunk?” 

I shook my head. “No. I mean, I could find it myself but I didn’t want to make it seem like I’m imposing where I shouldn’t be.” 

My hands shook with nerves and I could practically feel my heart pounding in my throat and ears. It felt like everyone was staring at me, even though I knew it wasn't the case. Noah glanced over to Matt, who still couldn’t be bothered to look away from his phone, and then let out a long sigh. 

“Come on. If my girlfriend found out that I didn’t give you the proper welcoming tour, she’d kick my ass,” Noah smiled before leading me towards the back area of the bus that housed the bunks. 

“Not that you would complain,” Bryan chuckled from behind us. 

“Some of us snore; me included. So I hope you brought some headphones,” Noah joked. 

All I could do was give a small smile and set my backpack down on the empty bunk he pointed too. It was the last one available on the top left, closer to the back lounge. 

It was still early morning and the lack of sleep from last night was beginning to creep deep in my bones. Noah let out a small laugh when he saw me try to hide a yawn behind my hand. 

“You should get some sleep. We’ve got a long drive to the next city,” he suggested.

I waved him off. “I’ll be alright. I feel like maybe I should sit and chat with you guys. Get to know you.” 

“After you,” Noah extended a tattooed arm back to the front of the bus. 

There was only one spot left to sit; right next to Matt. Noah opted to help Jolly set up a little breakfast while I slowly sat down on the couch, purposely leaving a few feet between Matt and I. 

“So, Faye. Lana is your cousin?” Nicholas wondered while sitting across from me. 

I pulled my knees up to my chest, trying to find a comfortable position that would help ease my nerves. “Yeah. Our mom’s are sisters.” 

“Photography runs in the family, huh?” Bryan now asked as he was messing around with his camera. 

“Yeah,” I smiled. “My dad did it as a hobby while I was growing up but I was always interested. When I was old enough and wanted to start myself, he gave me one of his older ones. I don’t use that one as much, only for really special occasions.”

“Lana said you two are pretty close,” Jolly said. 

I nodded before tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “I grew up with four brothers; three older and one younger. So I spent as much time as I could at Lana’s house.”

We all continued to chat for a while, long after the bus finally began moving and the sun rose to its full heightened glory. It surprised me how easy it was to talk to all of them. Well, almost all of them. 

Matt didn’t say one word the entire time, simply kept to himself while typing away on his phone. Never once did I bother to glance over at him with the looming curiosity as to what he was doing on his phone for the last two hours. While everyone made me feel welcome and comfortable, I couldn’t ignore the weird vibe I was getting from Matt. It was as if I was a pest infiltrating a home that was designed to keep me away. But I somehow managed to sneak in through the smallest of cracks. 

Yet I also couldn't ignore the way my heart raced as I sat next to him. Or the way my blood pulsated inside of my veins when he shifted in his spot and our knees bumped against each other. I definitely couldn’t ignore the way Matt’s fingers twitched when I rested my hand between us on the couch. Ever so softly, I felt the calloused pad of this thumb brush along my wrist; so quick I nearly missed it. 

Bryan and I were having a deep conversation on different ways we could work together on this tour that I didn’t realize Matt had retreated to the back of the bus. It wasn’t until I dismissed myself from the group with the muttering of wanting to take a nap that I found Matt standing in the narrow hallway between the bunks. 

I knew I would need to squeeze past him to reach my bunk but it was then I realized he was also climbing down from his bunk; across from mine. 

“Scuse me,” I mumbled while brushing past him, his chest nearly touching mine. 

Silence must have been Matt’s strong suit because yet again, he said nothing. Standing toe to toe with him, I saw those dark eyes stare down at me underneath his hat. His pupils dilated causing his eyes to darken even more when his gaze rested on my lips as I spoke. 

“I need to get up in my bunk,” I breathed, afraid to raise my voice above a whisper. 

Agitation began to weigh heavy within me when Matt still said nothing, simply continued to stare at me. I knew I should keep it in check, not snap at him since he was technically my boss, but if this is how he was going to act the entire three weeks, there would be no possible way I’d be able to keep myself calm. 

“Do you have a problem, Matthew?” I asked while crossing my arms over my chest. 

His lips twitched. “It’s Matt.” 

“That seems like something I’d call you if we were friends. You’ve been giving me the silent treatment since I met you yesterday. So it’s Matthew,” I shrugged. 

Due to the tight space between us, I could feel his warm breath as it brushed over my lips when he cocked his head to the side. Every single fiber of my being felt like it had been set ablaze with that look alone and even though my hands were tucked away, I could still feel them shaking. My heart was beating hard against the cage in my chest and I knew Matt was able to hear it.

His tongue darted out to wet his lips and I smelled the briefest scent of mint. The feeling of skin on skin had my eyes casting down to my leg where Matt’s fingers gently grazed over exposed skin of my thigh. I shivered underneath the touch, letting him know how much of an effect he had on me. It shouldn’t be like this, I didn’t know more than a few things Lana told me about him. But somehow he managed to sink his way inside of my mind. 

Last night while I was trying to sleep, I’d been plagued with images of Matt. It didn’t help that our meeting earlier in the evening was short so once I was home and settled, I looked him up on social media. Not much gave him away on Twitter besides the occasional snarky remark that had me shaking my head and videos of racoons that had me smiling. On Instagram, I spent a few minutes scrolling through and mentally liking his pictures. 

Until I actually liked one of his pictures. 

From six months ago. 

It was of him holding a kiwi guava flavored Celisus while standing in front of a cardboard cut out of one. I hadn’t noticed I accidentally liked it until I was scrolling back up a few minutes later and nearly fell out of my bed when I saw the red heart underneath the picture. I knew un liking the picture would do no good. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind Matt had seen the notification. 

Maybe he didn’t since he made no mention of it. Or maybe he had seen it. It would explain the sly smirk playing on his lips at the moment. 

“Consider yourself lucky. I don’t let anyone call me Matthew,” he hummed before slipping past me, back to the front of the bus. 

I stood there for a moment, eyes unblinking, as the scent of him lingered in the air. It filled my senses and brought an oddly calm feeling over me. But that’s not what gave me pause. It was his words.

With a groan, I ran a hand down my face and climbed up into my bunk with the hope that a nap would cool down my heated skin. It wasn’t until I was comfortable in the bunk, wrapped underneath the blanket with my phone, I saw the notification from Instagram that came in over an hour ago; while I was sitting next to him and talking with Bryan. 

Mattxdierkes followed you. 

Mattxdierkes liked your photo. 

“Shit,” I muttered while clicking on the notification. 

It was a picture of me standing in front of the ocean during a gloomy morning, wearing a white cable knit sweater. You could barely see my face due to my teal hair covering it. The caption was a simple wave emoji. It was also posted last year meaning Matt had also done his own stalking. Although, a little voice in the back of my mind told me that this was not an accidental like. Matt meant it, which meant he knew about my own stalking.

Grumbling a slew of curses to myself, I buried my phone underneath the pillow and let the thought of sleep take me away. 

MATT

Running a hand through my long and unruly hair, I did my best to comb out the knots before sliding a hat over it. I twisted and turned my neck to each side, breathing out a soft groan when the necessary bones cracked and popped. Years of touring with my old band and Bad Omens did a number on my back and neck but I tried not to complain too much. I love what I do and the people I do it with. But that didn’t mean I had to love the bunks I slept in. 

The first three days of the tour flew by and with today’s off day, every single one of us was desperate for a relaxing day filled with brunch and touring the city. 

With a quick flick of my eyes over to the bunk across from mine, I noticed that Faye’s was empty with the blanket and pillow fixed neatly. My heart began to race at the thought of her teal hair spread out against the silk pillowcase while she slept. Unlike all of us, she kept the curtain of her bunk open because of this irrational fear that she would suffocate. 

“I hate feeling like I’m enclosed in a tight space,” she shrugged while Bryan jokingly teased her for it. 

Faye almost immediately fit in with all of us, like she’d been working on the crew for years. Night one, her and Bryan found the perfect rhythm together; never once stepping on each other's toes. She understood Bryan was the main photographer so she opted in getting pictures of things he didn’t. Some that involved the sound deck. 

More importantly, me. 

I had every intention of keeping my guard up around her but the more her bright eyes shined at me and the way her melodic laugh reached my ears, I felt those walls slowly starting to chip away. Faye was there from set up to tear down helping all of us, never once complaining. Even after some long days, she always went to bed with a smile on her face; one that I couldn’t stop thinking about. 

When Lana first told us that her cousin would be filling in for her, I immediately did my own research. I found her photography Instagram along with her personal one; it wasn’t until recently that I decided to follow both of them. But from the first moment I saw her most recent picture, Faye took my breath away. 

It wasn’t anything extravagant, a simple selfie in front of a large mirror. She was wearing a golden sundress, showcasing off her long legs and the tattoo on her left arm of six fairies, surrounded by different flowers. Her teal hair cascaded down her back in waves, giving her an even more ethereal aura and it made my heart stutter in my chest. 

I told myself not to get in over my head with these feelings. It was a simple crush that would lead to nothing. She was only joining us for a few weeks and once we returned back to Los Angeles, we would all part ways. No use in getting my heart broken; again. 

But when I received the notification from Instagram about her liking an older picture of mine, I couldn’t stop the smile that came to my face. It was evident I had been on her mind as well. Again, I told myself not to think too much of it because it could have been an honest mistake. 

Was it an honest mistake when she brushed her hand against yours? Or when she stood a little too close to you in the sound deck last night?

Groaning at the voice in my mind, I remembered the scent of Faye as she took a few minute breather during Miracle last night. She’d taken some videos from my spot in the sound deck and decided to hang back for a long moment, watching the set with a look of awe in those bright eyes. I did my best to focus on my work but the scent of her peach shampoo grazed my nose causing me to sigh in content. All of the blood rushed through my body with heat and I felt my cock twitch underneath my sweats when her shoulder brushed against my arm.

“Everything alright?” She asked. 

I nodded, hitting the necessary buttons to cue up the next song. “Yep. Totally fine.”

Everything was not fine. 

I couldn’t stop thinking about the small smile that played on her lips while she watched the guys perform their set. I couldn’t forget the way she smelled or the way my body ignited with just her simple touch. 

What started off as a closed off relationship slowly began to blossom into a growing friendship. I was no longer giving her the cold shoulder, actually conversing with her when we were in the same room. Faye began to warm up to me as well, learning quickly that this “hater mode” people thought I had was only ever directed to people outside of my family. 

She still called me Matthew though and I wasn’t about to admit to anyone how much I liked it when it fell from her pink lips; the ones that were always shiny from the gloss. 

With a groan, I dragged a hand over my face before pulling out my phone to send a text to Noah. 

Me: I’ll be there soon. Woke up late. 

Almost immediately he texted back. 

Noah Seb: Cool. We just got here. Faye should be waiting for you.

“What?” I muttered as I came into view of the front area of the bus, my eyes immediately connecting with those bright hazel ones that began plaguing my every thought. 

Fay was sitting crossed legged on one of the couches with a book in her lap, teal waves falling over her face. I noticed how content she was reading, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. There were a few flowers placed behind her head, intertwined within her hair, and when she finally glanced up from her book due to me walking into view, she gave me a small smile. 

“I was wondering when you were going to wake up,” she pulled out one of the flowers from her hair to use it as a bookmark and then she closed the book, setting it on the seat next to her. 

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien. 

It felt as if my soul had been intertwined with hers, connecting on such a level that I could feel something inside of me pulsating; bringing me closer to Faye. 

This is that bullshit Noah was always jabbering about.

Shaking the thought from my mind, I rubbed a hand over the tattoo on my left arm; the one dedicated to The Lord of The Rings. Anytime I was around her, I always wore long sleeves so she never saw it but now that I wore shorter sleeves thanks to the warmer weather, Faye’s eyes quickly tracked my movement and I heard her suck in a breath. 

“Elvish?” She rose to her feet and motioned towards the script writing along my wrist. 

“Y-yeah. It’s one of my favorite movies,” I rubbed at the back of my neck, suddenly nervous under her gaze. 

Those hazel eyes sparkled as they tracked over every line of ink on my arm and eventually she sighed. “I never thought I’d be jealous of you, Matthew.”

I snorted. “I’ll take that as a win.”

We stood there for a long beat, both just staring at each other, and that magnetic pull I felt earlier was stronger now. It vibrated against my body, almost like it was forcing its way out so it could connect with Faye. 

“We should have a marathon one day. Watch all six movies; The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings,” she spoke while still looking at the tattoo on my arm. 

My mouth ran dry, trying to figure out what the best way to respond without sounding desperate because that’s all I wanted to do. Maybe we could skip out on brunch and hang back on the bus, just the two of us, and watch them.

Instead, no words came out of my mouth. They were tangled on my tongue and I looked like an idiot standing in front of her with moving lips that said nothing. 

I could feel her starting to pull away from me and desperate to feel some kind of contact again, I let my fingers reach for her hand to link our fingers together until she cleared her throat and motioned towards the outside. 

“We should probably go. I don’t want to keep them waiting.” 

“Sure,” I nodded. 

The walk to the restaurant was quiet as she walked a few paces ahead of me, holding the camera close to her chest. She wore a flowy white sundress, highlighting her skin even more and the soles of her sandals smacked against the concrete making it look like she was floating in the air as she skipped. Taking my phone out of my pocket, I typed out a message to Noah. 

Me: Dude, she was reading The Hobbit. She’s a fan of LOTR.

Noah Seb: Have you guys left yet? I’m starving. 

Rolling my eyes, I replied. 

Me: Did you not see what I said? She was reading The Hobbit! What are the odds she’d be reading that book?

Me: Also, yes we're on our way. 

I glanced up from my phone in time to catch Faye taking a picture of me. 

“Whoever you were texting, must have been serious because of the look on your face,” she informed me in regards to my raised brow. 

“Yeah, you could say that,” I muttered under my breath before texting Noah again, who had yet to respond. 

Me: She saw my LOTR tattoo and made a comment of maybe watching the movies together. I was an idiot and didn’t know what to say so I said nothing. She probably thinks I don’t want to. But I do.

Me: She probably doesn't feel the same. There’s no use getting my hopes up for something that won’t happen. I need to focus on work. 

Noah Seb: Is this how I was? In the beginning?

I snorted. 

Me: No, you two were worse.

Pocketing my phone, I followed step in step with Faye as we turned the corner, the restaurant coming into view. Her aura radiated like wings fluttering, making my heart do the same when she glanced up at me. 

She gave me a smile of thanks as I opened the door for her, her scent was all consuming when she walked past me. The restaurant was busy for a late Saturday morning which made the front waiting area packed causing me to slide up behind Faye. People were brushing past us to find their way out and nearly stumbling into her, I grasped both hands on her hips to keep myself steady. 

“Sorry,” I breathed against the shell of her ear. “Some asshole nearly knocked me over.” 

She giggled, the sound making my stomach flutter. I wasn’t sure what shifted between us from our first meeting, maybe it was the fact that I was starting to open up to her more that I was seeing a different side of Faye; a softer side. 

“It’s alright, Matthew,” she glanced over her shoulder to me. 

She still called me Matthew but I wasn’t about to correct her or tell her how much I loved it.

“Oh, look!” Faye pointed towards the large table in the far corner of the restaurant where everyone had been waiting for us. 

The immense cold I felt when she slipped through my grasp made me shudder and reluctantly, I followed behind her; my eyes never leaving her back. 

Something Nicholas caught but said nothing as I sat next to him. The only other open spot was next to me which is where Faye was, already talking with Jolly. Eyes grazed over the menu, trying to figure out what to get when soft fingers grazed over my arm, causing me to shiver under her touch. 

“What are you going to get?” Faye wondered. 

“Not sure. What about you?” 

She pursed those plump lips and my eyes locked in on them, desperately wanting to know what they tasted like. 

“I can’t decide. The eggs benedict sounds good but the french toast is calling my name,” she sighed dreamily at the pictures of the food. 

For the next while as the waitress came to take our orders, I busied myself on my phone to make sure everything was set up for the show tomorrow. Everyones conversations were hushed around me doing my best to focus on my phone and not the person beside me. The way her voice sounded so magical or the way she looked intently at Noah across the table as he divulged about his relationship. 

Now that he was finally where he wanted to be with her, Noah wouldn’t stop talking about her any chance he could. 

“She was actually the one who suggested I add the woo in The Death of Peace of Mind,” Noah chuckled while taking a long drink of his water. 

“I was wondering where that came from,” Faye said. 

Finally finished with the work on my phone, I set it down just as our food came and the waitress placed the eggs benedict in front of me. Immediately I took half of it and set it on an extra plate, sliding it over to Faye. 

“Matthew,” she smiled. “You don’t need to share your food with me.” 

I shrugged while licking off the sauce from my finger. “This way you get what you wanted.” 

Her eyes were fixated on my thumb gliding over my bottom lip before she seemed to snap out of it and cut her french toast in half to set it on my plate. 

“Wow, sharing food? Matt doesn’t share food with anyone,” Bryan said. “I actually don’t think any of these guys share their food with their girlfriends.” 

Noah snorted. “Excuse me? I’ll remind you I always share with-.” 

Once again their conversations fell away as I ate quietly, every so often glancing over to Faye who was already watching me. There was the smallest bit of powdered sugar on the corner of her lips, almost teasing me to lick it clean. But before I could give in to the urge, she wiped it away with a finger after she caught me staring. 

With the plates cleared from the table and the bill in front of me, I started to grab my wallet the same time Faye began to reach for her purse. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Nick waved her off. “Matthew pays.” 

My eyes sliced into him. “It’s Matt.” 

“Matt pays. Or should I say, the business always pays,” Nick corrected himself. 

“Oh,” Faye’s eyes sparked over at me and she bumped her shoulder with mine. “I knew there was a reason why I liked you.”

On the walk back to the bus, I hung back with Noah and Jolly while Faye and Bryan talked about all the different shots and videos they could get tomorrow night. She’d been wanting to try out the video aspect of her camera and Bryan mentioned that he’d be more than happy to show her how. 

“You’re staring,” Jolly’s voice broke through my trance on Faye’s side profile. 

Pushing his shoulder, I shook my head and focused my attention straight ahead. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Noah ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know why you’re trying to hide how you feel about it. It’s clear there’s some kind of feeling there.” 

“The last thing I need right now is a relationship. Especially with someone who works for me. It’s bound to get messy,” I said. 

“You don’t know that, Matt,” Jolly adjusted his sunglasses. “You deserve to be happy too.” 

I shrugged. “She’s twenty five. I’m almost thirty.” 

Noah pulled me to a stop and removed his sunglasses momentarily. “Is that what's stopping you?” 

Sighing, I scuffed my shoe against a rock. “It wouldn’t work out. I’m trying to save us both from heartbreak when it comes eventually.” 

Not wanting to explain my reasoning any further, I gave them a weak smile before walking the last little distance to the bus. But my footsteps faltered when I noticed a small stand set up right next to where our bus was parked. 

Fresh Flowers. 

I lingered on one set of flowers, the vivid color reminding me of someone sweet. While the rest of the guys ascended the bus, I held back to wait in line. Five minutes later, I stepped into the main area of the bus where Faye was sitting back in her previous spot from earlier, The Hobbit perched in her lap again. Those hazel eyes glimmered when she glanced up at me and I swore all of the breath was stolen from my lungs. 

“What’s this?” She motioned to the single flower in my grasp. 

“Uh, Tulips. It reminded me of you,” my voice shook with nerves as I hastily handed the teal flower to her. 

She twirled it in her fingers while bringing it to her nose to smell it. 

“Thank you, Matthew. This was very sweet of you.” 

The smile that played on her lips was one of the most genuine ones I’d ever seen and it made that invisible string inside me vibrate with such a force, I nearly stumbled on my feet. 

“You’re welcome,” I gave her a small smile before making my way to the bunk area of the bus. 

Jolly had been leaning against the kitchen counter with a sly smile on his lips causing me to roll my eyes at him and grumble a few curses under my breath. I could continue to lie to myself and say that I didn’t think of Faye like that. But it was all a lie, everyone knew it. In the short amount of time she’d been a part of our crew, she managed to also become a part of me in a way that had me wondering how the hell that happened.

I thought Noah was crazy for spewing all that shit about soulmates but every time I watched Faye, I couldn’t help but think that maybe he was right. Because the feeling that stirred inside of me every time Faye and I were close to each other was unexplainable. 

Faye was her own mythological being in the sense that she captivated my interests the moment my eyes caught sight of her. The desperation to find out everything I could about her was heavy on my heart. I tried to tell myself that I would never work between us yet every passing moment in her presence told me otherwise. Her spirit was unlike any other. It held so much light, wonder, and magic.

Her name gave way to who she was as a person. 

Faye. 

My little fairy.

FAYE

“Faye, where are you?” 

Cursing at the voice that crackled through the radio, I adjusted the box of merch on my hip so I could answer Steven. 

“I’m grabbing the last box of shirts. Is the back door still propped open?” 

“Yep. But heads up, fans are starting to be let in so it’s already crowded at the merch table.”

“Great,” I grumbled under my breath before carrying the box from the truck back into the venue. 

It had been a very long day and the show hadn’t even started yet. I woke up late after not being able to sleep due to a rough drive from city to city. There had been some confusion on when we’d be allowed into the venue which caused Matt to go full thot blaster mode but even so, we weren’t allowed in until three this afternoon. The guys had to rush through a soundcheck while Steven had trouble setting up the merch table so I spent the last two hours helping him. We were rushing to get things set up in time before doors opened but it proved to be futile when I saw the crowds rushing inside. 

My mind had been held up by one recurring moment that happened earlier today; one that continued to make me blush. 

“Does this sound funky to you?” Folio asked while messing with his drum kit. 

Kooter shrugged. “I think it sounds fine, man. You might just be overthinking it.”

I was walking past the stage when Folio stopped me. “Faye, do the kick pedals sound off?”

With my urging, he messed around with the kick pedals of his drum set which in turn made me shrug. 

“I’m no professional like Kooter but it does sound fine to me.” 

A warm presence was felt behind me before a can dripping with condensation was held in front of my face. 

I peered a glance over my shoulder towards Matt, who shook the Celsius can in front of my face. 

“I figured you’d need this today,” he said. 

A large smile broke out on my face as I took the can, immediately popping it open. “Arctic Vibe? I’ve never had this flavor.” 

Matt rubbed the back of his neck. “It reminded me of your hair.”

We stood like that, him behind me with me turning half of my body towards him. We were so close, I could feel the warmth radiate off of him in droves and when he reached a hand up towards my hair his actions were halted by Folio calling for him. 

“Matt! I need your opinion!”

He left my side with a soft brush of fingers against my hand.

I’d been hurriedly trying to get back inside with my mind full of Matt, I didn’t see the large curb causing me to stumble and drop the box of shirts all over the parking lot. I hissed when the stinging pain burned in my knee and noticed I ripped a large hole in my leggings. Blood oozed from the wound on and I pressed a hand to it trying to stop it. 

“Fuck,” I blew out a shaky breath, doing my best to keep the tears from falling. 

“Faye?” 

Through the tears, I watched as Matt walked out of the venue, worry evident on his face. 

“What happened?” 

“I’m a fucking klutz and tripped,” I mumbled. 

He was quick to kneel in front of me, gently removing my hand to check out the damage to my knee and winced. 

“Come on,” his voice was gentle as his arms lifted me from the ground, carrying me bridal style over towards the tour bus on the other end of the lot. 

“The shirts!” I peered over his shoulder to the scattered pile of Bad Omens merch. 

Matt sighed before motioning to the radio strung over my chest so I pressed down the button. 

“Faye took a nasty fall in the parking lot while carrying the box of shirts. Can anyone scoop them up before someone finds them to sell them on Ebay?” 

I snickered at the distaste in Matt’s voice. 

“I’ve got it,” Noah’s voice came through the radio. “Does anyone need to scoop Faye up?” 

“Already handled,” I replied. 

A round of teasing ‘ooooo’s’ prompted Matt to shut off the radio as we reached the tour bus. All of the blood that wasn’t rushing to the hole in my knee was found warming my cheeks when I noticed how close our faces were to one another. I observed the lines next to his eyes, showing how exhausted he was. It was only one week into the tour and we still had two more to go. There were freckles lining the bridge of his nose that were really prominent when the sunlight casted over his face. He wore his hat backwards, allowing me to gaze into those dark eyes that seemed to go deeper than the ocean with their depths. 

“What?” He questioned, carrying me up the stairs of the bus. 

“No-nothing,” I breathed. 

For the last week I’d been telling myself not to fall for him. I wasn’t here for a relationship. I was here for work. I didn’t need to get distracted with the first pair of eyes that looked at me. 

Even if those eyes seemed to emit light whenever I caught them watching me; which was pretty often. 

Given the small space in the back area of the bus, Matt had to maneuver us so he was able to carry me into the bathroom. 

“I can walk,” I reminded him as he kicked open the bathroom door. 

Matt made a noise that sounded like I offended him while setting me down on the edge of the bathroom counter. The bathroom was the smallest part of the bus and with me sitting on the counter, Matt had to stand between my legs. Due to the slight height difference, I was the one staring down at him for once, only by an inch or two. 

My eyes tracked as his throat bobbed when he took a deep breath, spreading his hands on either side of me to rest on the edge of the counter. Our shared body heat wrapped around us in a makeshift cocoon, locking us in. 

“Does it hurt?” Matt’s voice was barely above a whisper. 

“A bit, yeah,” I admitted with an even quieter voice than his. 

His eyes flicked down to my lips before slowly he kneeled in front of my injured knee to get a better look at it. 

“Well, I don’t think you need stitches but I should clean it to get a better look at it,” his gaze swept up to me. 

When I nodded, he rummaged underneath the sink between my legs to pull out the first aid kit. 

“How connected to these leggings are you?” 

My brows furrowed at his question. “Huh?” 

The round of fabric ripped echoed in the small confines of the bathroom and I gaped at Matt who managed to rip the leggings away from me, knee down. The entire action made something burn inside of me. The way the muscles in his arms flexed as he pulled the last bit of the material away from my leg. 

Fuck, why was that so hot? 

Maybe because you want him to do that to the rest of your clothes. 

“Please don’t kick me,” Matt said. 

“What-Fuck!” I bellowed when the sting of hydrogen peroxide seeped into my open wound. 

Out of a normal reaction, I jerked my leg only for Matt to wrap his strong arm around it, keeping locked against him. 

“I said please,” he exasperated while keeping his eyes on mine. 

“It fucking hurt!” I yelled. 

His jaw ticked. “I didn’t realize how much of a baby you were.” 

I scoffed in disbelief. “Has anyone told you how much of an ass you are sometimes?” 

The arm that wasn't holding onto my leg shrugged. “Yes, but not to the ones I care about.” 

I sat on his words for a moment, trying to understand if I heard him right. 

“Does that mean you care about me?” I finally voiced my curiosity. 

Matt tenderly brushed a cotton ball across the cut on my knee before his warm breath fanned across it causing me to shiver. 

“I’m squished in this small ass bathroom to take care of your knee, what do you think?” 

He gave his infamous Matt Dierkes smirk and I rolled my eyes playfully before watching him clean the wound on my knee then placing a small bandage over it. 

“Am I going to live, doctor?” I teased. 

Matt hummed deep, the sound vibrating in his chest as his fingers grazed up and down my exposed leg, the sensation sending shockwaves through my veins. He slowly rose to full height again, face now meters from mine, and I sucked in a breath when I felt his warm breath fan over my lips. 

“I think,” his hand ghosted over my hip. “I think you might need another check up later. Just to make sure.”

My cheeks burned and I cast my eyes down to my hands that were in my lap, unable to meet his intense gaze. 

“Fairy.”

Calloused fingers lifted my chin, forcing me to lock eyes with him, and I scrunched up my nose when I realized what he had called me. 

“What did you say?” My voice croaked out. 

Matt’s cheeks were warm to the touch as my finger grazed over those defined cheekbones. His eyes fluttered shut with every tender stroke against his smooth skin and he let out a content sigh. 

“Fairy,” he repeated and it made my stomach flip three times over. 

He traced over the fairy tattoos on my arm, following the intricate designs of the flowers, and I leaned in closer to his touch. It managed to awake something inside of me that I never knew lay dormant. It was as if a flame slowly ignited with each passing touch or stolen glance and now that Matt’s lips were so close to mine, an outburst of something I wasn’t quite ready to understand was moments away from happening. 

“No one’s ever called me that before,” I admitted with a shaky breath. 

“Do you like it?”

I swallowed thickly while tracing my nail over the slight pout of his bottom lip. “I do.”

The noise that erupted from Matt’s throat was almost sinful and I felt something twinge inside of me. 

“Good, because it stays. Fairy.”

Dark eyes weighed heavy on my awaiting lips as hands held onto my thighs, spreading my legs further apart for Matt to step into. I hesitantly reached for his shirt, the material clinging to my fingertips. The magnetic pull that was always felt between us was stronger now. My soul was practically reaching for his, desperate for a connection it had been looking for ever since I was born. 

I never was one to believe in soulmates growing up but my father was certain that mine was out there because he had found his in my mother. Yet with the way my soul felt alive inside of me, I couldn’t help but think that maybe my father was right. 

“Matthew,” I gasped when his lips ever so gently brushed along mine. 

“Fairy, I-.” 

“HOLY SHIT!” 

Both of us pushed away from each other at the shrill voice that seemed to bounce off the walls of the bathroom and when my eyes landed on an unfamiliar figure standing in the doorway of the bathroom with a shocked look on her face. 

“Who the fuck are you?” Matt snapped while standing in front of me in a way to block me. 

The young female blinked a few times as her mouth mimicked a fish out of water. “I thought I’d catch Noah.” 

I could see the muscles in Matt’s back constricted as the rage began to build inside of him. Some fan had managed to get onto the bus with hopes of catching Noah doing something. 

Fucking unbelievable.

“Ash, we’ve got an issue on the tour bus. We could use you over here,” I spoke into my radio after turning it back on. 

“Everything alright?” Ash’s voice came through. 

Matt ripped the radio from my hand. “We have a strangler on the bus.” 

“What the fuck? How did that happen?” 

Noah’s voice was filled with his own anger and agitation because he felt as if all of our personal space was tainted by some fan that couldn’t respect our boundaries. 

A look of guilt crossed Matt’s features which gave me pause on why he felt that way. We weren't doing anything wrong. It wasn’t our fault a fan snuck up on the bus. 

Soon, thunderous steps echoed in the bus and I quickly hopped off the counter and shield myself behind Matt even more. The fan’s head whipped wildly from us to now Ash who arrived with another security guard and Noah in tow. 

“I just wanted a picture with Noah!” She bellowed while throwing her hands up. “I didn’t expect to see these two kissing!” 

All the blood drained from my face when I realized that she must have been standing there for longer than we thought. 

“We weren’t kissing, I was bandaging up her knee,” Matt said while clenching his fists at his side. 

My eyes snapped up from the dirty floor of the bathroom and quietly scoffed at his words. Technically we didn’t kiss but for him to act like it almost didn’t happen made my stomach drop. 

While Ash and the other guard escorted the girl off of the bus and most likely off the grounds in general, Noah’s eyes narrowed at us. 

“How long was she in here for?” He asked with his hands on his hips. 

Matt ran a hand over his face. “Man, I don’t know. I was in here helping Faye when that chick popped up out of nowhere.” 

“Faye?” Noah’s voice softened when he took one glance at the way my lips turned down in a low scowl. “Everything alright?” 

“Fine,” I blew out a shaky breath and brushed past Matt out of the bathroom. 

“Fairy.”

Stopping momentarily in the tight space of the hallway, I glanced back at Matt and gave him my best forced smile “I’m good. I’m going to change my pants and then I’ll meet you guys inside.” 

NOAH

I followed Matt closely as we stepped off the bus to give Faye some privacy and when we were out of earshot, I pulled him to a stop. 

“You kissed her?” I asked. 

He sighed while taking off his hat to shake out his hair. “No, well almost. I probably would have if that fan hadn’t snuck up on the bus. Which, I don’t even know how they did. If I wasn’t so distracted with Faye maybe-.” 

I cut him off by grabbing his shoulders. “Matt, that wasn’t your fault. Unfortunately, this shit happens.” 

“This could have been much worse,” he said, anger still heavy in his voice. “I should go help Ash deal with that. Be a manager and not some dude distracted by some crush.”

“Why do you keep trying to tell yourself that this is only some crush? It’s clear both of you have feelings for each other. Just admit it to each other.” I said. 

Matt hesitated for a long moment, trying to gather his thoughts. “I can’t admit something knowing that in the end, it won’t work out. I’m her boss. That’s all I can be.” 

I furrowed my brows. “You don’t know that things won’t work out.” 

Before Matt could respond, Faye stepped out of the bus with her camera clutched around her neck and paid no mind to either of us as she scurried inside the venue; his eyes never leaving her. 

“Is this because of your own fears that you’re keeping yourself from something that could potentially make you happy?” I wondered. 

He snorted before placing his hat back on. “You see a shrink once a week and now you think you’re some great philosopher.” 

Playfully pushing him, we began to walk back towards the venue step in step. “She knows a thing or two about relationships. Why do you think mine is flourishing right now?” 

Once inside, we took the back hallway towards the greenroom where everyone had been hanging out. Matt’s eyes immediately found Faye who was sitting on the couch setting up her camera for tonight. The way he watched her so intently brought a small smile to my face because it was something I would do. He could tell himself a thousand times over that this relationship wouldn't work because he’s her boss but with that gillmer of light that shined in his eyes whenever he watched Faye, we all knew those words meant nothing. 

“Don’t rid yourself of happiness, Matt,” I squeezed my best friend's shoulder. “You deserve it.” 

All he did was hum, still keeping his eyes trained on Faye. 

FAYE

The crowd was electric tonight, feeding off the energy Bad Omens radiated from the stage. It put a big pep in my step as I found myself bobbing my head along to the music while snapping countless pictures of them. It helped keep my mind off of the almost kiss in the tour bus bathroom but now that I had decided to let Byran work the main stage and saunter over towards the sound deck, all I could think about was Matt. 

How close he was to me in the small space. 

How warm his body felt against mine and the way he grasped onto me like I would slip through his fingers. 

I wanted to know how he tasted, how his lips felt as they moved against mine. 

At first, I was upset when he brushed off the almost kiss but the more I thought about it, I realized that maybe it was better he did. We both got lost in the haze that we nearly cost Bad Omens a lot with that fan sneaking up on the bus. So I told myself that I needed to focus on my job which is what I originally was here for. 

The second I stepped into the sound desk, Matt’s eyes quickly found mine from underneath the rim of his hat. It was the intermission part of the show so Matt had been typing away on his phone but when he saw me, quickly he pocketed it. 

“Hi,” he said over the music and noise from the crowd. 

I swallowed thickly. “Hi.”

He shifted in his spot. “How’s your knee?” 

“Hurts like a bitch but I’ll live,” I shrugged while holding onto my camera.

Silence for a long beat before Matt motioned to the stage. 

“How’s it going up there?” 

“Good,” I nodded while taking a step towards him. “Everything sounds great. But I wanted to get a look at the visuals from here if that’s alright?

He extended a hand next to him. “You don’t have to ask, Faye.”

Slinking up next to him, I sucked in a breath when the familiar feeling of Matt encased around me. It pulled me further and further down the abyss that was him and no matter how hard I tried to crawl my way out, I knew it was futile. My heart desperately wanted to be here. 

Neither of us said anything, Matt clicking away on his laptop and me quickly checking my emails. I’d been waiting on an important one the last few days and the anxiety of not knowing if I got the job or not was making it hard to focus on other things. 

Besides Matt. 

I knew this job with Bad Omens was temporary but being on the road with them made me realize that I thrived in this life and I wanted more of it. 

“Everything alright?” Matt asked when he saw my shoulders fall. 

Shoving my pocket into the back pocket of my jeans, I gave a half shrug. “I applied to be a full time photographer for a band but haven’t heard anything yet.” 

“What band?” 

“Hollow Souls. I saw them for the first time on tour with nothing,nowhere and knew I wanted to work with them. Y/N’s energy on stage is insane. I got great shots of her I wish she could have seen,” I said with a sigh. 

The smile that spread out on Matt’s face made my heart flutter but he said nothing, simply moved around me to click a few things on the sound board when he realized it was the end of the intermission.

“What are you doing?” I asked. 

“Do you want to start the intro for Bad Decisions?” He smirked. 

My eyes doubled. “What? I don’t know how.” 

Matt pointed to something on his laptop then I felt his warm breath against my ear when he moved closer to me. 

“Click it in three,” his fingers trailed down my spine

My own fingers shook as it hovered over the buttons. 

“Two,” he now slipped behind me. 

His broad chest pressed right up against my back and I could feel his cock against the swell of my ass. I bit my lip when one of his hands slipped underneath my sweater, grazing over my heated skin. 

“One,” his hands now rested on both sides of me, gripping the ends of his sound desk to lock me in.

With a gleeful smile, I clicked on Bad Decisions, the intro starting along with the visuals on the screens. 

“Good job,” he mused in the crook of my neck. “If photography doesn't work out, you could always be my assistant.” 

Ignoring the way my stomach flipped at his praise, I slowly turned in his embrace and smiled up at him while taking his hat, and putting it on. “In your dreams.” 

With a fit of giggles, I slipped out from underneath his arms and only for him to wrap an arm around my midsection, pulling me back into his chest. 

“I need my hat, fairy,” he breathed against my neck. 

Turning my head towards him, I let my words linger over his lips before sneaking away from the sound desk, still wearing his hat. 

“You’ll have to catch me, first.”

Y/N(Angel)

Taking a sip from my coffee, I clicked away at my laptop while the hustle and bustle of the cafe behind me fell acted as a white noise while I worked. I’d been busy searching through a list of potential candidates for Hollow Souls new photographer. After Lana did our new promo shots, I still felt guilty for taking her away from her main job with the guys, so Malcolm, Chase, and I decided that we would need our own full time photographer. 

“How’s it going?” Astrid asked while setting a plate of chocolate mochis in front of me. 

I groaned. “Not that great. I thought they’d be at least one but so far, a whole lot of nothing.” 

Giving me a somber smile, she went back to working the register as my phone buzzed on the counter next to me. 

Matt: I need to ask you something. 

Raising a brow, I put my work on hold for a moment to respond to him. 

Me: I am at your service. 

Me: Also, isn’t BO on stage right now? Shouldn’t you be working?

Matt: Intermission.

Matt: How did you know Noah was the one you wanted?

“That’s a loaded question,” I muttered to myself before replying. 

Me: It wasn't really a moment. More so a feeling. It’s when my heart felt empty when he was gone but when he was around, it felt full. Cliche, I know. But that’s the only way to describe it. 

Me: Does this have something to do with a certain blue haired photographer?

Matt: Noah told you? 🙄

I giggled at his choice of emoji.

Me: Mochi tells me everything.

Me: Don’t tell him I said his nickname to you. He still likes to pretend no one knows. 

Matt: I’m going to get back at him, I swear. He thinks he’s some sort of philosopher now talking about how I shouldn’t rid myself of happiness because of my own fears.

“That does sound like him,” I smiled while taking a sip of my now cold coffee. 

Me: He’s right, you know. You do deserve happiness, Matt. I haven’t seen you two together but from what I hear, it seems like both of you are smitten for each other. 

Matt: She was reading The Hobbit, Y/N! Out of all the books she could be reading, why that one? 

Matt: And her smile? Fuck, it pierces my heart every time. 

Matt: Don’t even get me started on her laugh. The way the skin next to her eyes crinkle when she laughs. I want to be the one that gets to hear that every day.

I smiled at how he was talking about her, knowing the exact feeling he was going through. I’d felt it with Noah many times before. 

Me: Tell her that. Don’t let Boss Matt get in the way of the happiness you deserve. 

Matt: That’s the thing, I am her boss. I don’t think it’s a good idea if I get involved with her. We still have two weeks left on tour. What if something goes sour and it doesn’t work out? I can’t risk that.  

Matt: Fuck, she’s here. I have to

I waited for another text to come through after the unfinished one but after a moment, I realized he must have got caught up with something so switching from his texting thread to Noah’s, I typed out a message I knew he would see later when he was off stage. Yet I paused at the unread text from Noah that I must have missed earlier. 

Mochi 🍡: 10 more days and you’re finally going to be sleeping next to me. I miss you so much angel. I’m never going to let you go. 

With heat creeping to my cheeks, I broke out in a huge smile knowing that soon I’d be joining them for the rest of their tour. 

Me: Matt is sooooo smitten with Faye.

Me: Also, facetime me later when you’re back on the bus. I want to see your mochi face. 🍡🍡

About twenty minutes later, after Malcolm and Chase joined me at Fika, we were about to give up on our search for a photographer when Matt’s new text changed our minds. 

Matt: Answer Faye’s email. She sent in her application and resume. 

I raised a brow before telling Chase to search up Faye’s name in my inbox. 

“It went to spam,” he said while showing me the email that had a pretty lengthy resume attached. 

Malcolm read it over my shoulder. “Is this the girl filling in for Lana right now?” 

“Yeah. She seems to have Matt pretty smitten,” I said while working out a reply email. 

“Matt Dierkes? Smitten?” Chase chuckled while leaning farther back into his chair. “I find that hard to believe.”

After hitting send on the email, I quickly sent a text to Matt. 

Me: I hope you know that your input had nothing to do with this.

Matt: She deserves this more than anyone.

FAYE

I sat on the edge of the stage, legs swinging in the air, as I clicked through all of the photos I took tonight. I paused on one that made my heart beat unevenly in my chest. 

Matt in the sound deck after I’d taken his hat. His hair was unruly but his eyes were transfixed on his equipment as he worked. There was a sense of peace on the soft features of his face as he did something that he loved. 

Ruckus voices carried from the open side door of the venue where everyone had been loading up the trucks but I paid them no mind, still clicking through my pictures. 

“I like it when I tickle the cervix,” Jolly chuckled. 

My eyes snapped up from underneath the hat and glanced over to the group of guys intime to see Noah eat a tomato whole causing me to grimace. 

Matt snickered. “I’d like to nut in her hard.” 

I titled my head at the guys as they continued to laugh at their obvious talks about sex. But when those dark eyes landed on me, Matt’s shoulders stiffened. 

“Shit,” Nicholas cursed. “Sorry Faye. We sometimes forget that it’s not just a big group of guys working.”

I waved them off, knowing that their sex talk didn’t bother me. Although, Matt’s statement made my face grow a deep crimson. 

“I’m more so stuck on the fact that Noah just raw dogged a tomato like that,” I admitted with a shiver. 

He shrugged. “I fucking love tomatoes.” 

While the rest of them finished taking out the last bit of equipment, Matt came to sit next to me at the end of the stage. Both of our legs swayed together, every so often our feet would knock into each other. 

“Have you checked your email recently?” He asked. 

“No,” I sighed while setting my camera off to the side. “I’m starting to think that they might have passed on me.” 

Matt bumped his shoulder with mine before throwing his hair into a low bun. “Maybe you should check it again.” 

“Why? So my heart can break even more?” I semi-joked while pulling out my phone but froze when I read the new email. 

Dear Faye, 

First off I’d like to apologize for how long it took us to respond. For some reason your application went to our spam folder. Chase, Malcolm, and I would love it for you to officially join our team! If you accept, we’ll send over the necessary documents for you to sign and we can get you started as soon as you return from your contract with Bad Omens. 

Talk soon! 

Hollow Souls

“Oh shit!” I exclaimed while nearly dropping my phone. “I got the job!” 

Before I could register exactly what happened, I found myself jumping onto Matt who fell back against the old wood of the stage. His hands rested on my hips keeping me in place while I gazed down at him, my legs locking him in on both sides. His chest rose and fell with each deep breath as those eyes drank in the sight of me straddling him. 

“Fairy,” he lifted his chin up towards me. 

Thoughts of our almost kiss in the tour bus bathroom crept into the forefront of my mind and all I wanted was to finally feel those lips on mine. Days of constant flirting and stolen glances led up to this moment yet I hesitated with fear of making the first move. His eyes flicked down to my awaiting lips; a silent question. 

“Please,” I whimpered. 

Strong hands gripped the back of my head, knocking off his hat that I still wore, and forced me to those lips I’d been craving and when we finally collided it was as if the stars exploded in the sky. Goosebumps rose to my skin and when Matt’s tongue glided over my bottom lip, wanting entrance into my mouth, I accepted with a moan. Our lips molded together perfectly, almost as if we were made for one another. Our souls connected in a tangle of webs, our desire growing stronger and stronger as our tongues fought for dominance. I linked my hands with Matt’s, locking them above his head and I rutted my hips deeper into his, brushing my clit against the hardness of his cock. He groaned into my mouth while trying to free his hands from my grip. I nipped at his bottom lip before devouring them again, reveling in the lingering taste of his drink from earlier. 

“Matthew,” I keened against his lips.

Finally he was able to break free from my grasp on his wrists and he slid up a hand underneath my shirt. Fingers grazing at the bottom of my bralette, playing with the lacey material. 

A clearing of a throat caused me to scramble off of his lap, fixing my shirt in the process. Matt swiftly sat up while not so discreetly fixing himself and when our eyes locked in on the promoter of the venue, I heard Matt mutter something under his breath before rising to his feet, placing the hat back on his head. 

“Am I interrupting something?” Jason, the prompter, asked with a clear look of annoyance on his face. 

“No. I apologize for that,” Matt didn’t bother to look in my direction.

Jason made a noise in the back of his throat. “Well, if you’re finished with that. I’m ready to close out the final bill.” 

“I'll meet you in your office,” Matt said with a thick voice, hands resting in his pockets. 

Jason flicked his eyes over towards me as I sat on the edge of the stage yet again, hiding my burning embarrassment behind my hair. His footsteps echoed in the vast emptiness of the venue and when he was gone, Matt let out a long groan while running a hand over his face. 

“Faye,” his voice was stern. “That was completely unprofessional.” 

My head snapped over towards him, rage consuming me. “You’re equally to blame, Matthew. You didn’t stop it. All day you’ve been teasing me so don’t act like this was my fault.” 

Even though his eyes softened, the tone in his voice didn’t. “I know I’m also to blame. But that can’t happen again. I’m your boss.” 

Doing my best to keep the burning tears at bay, I snatched my camera and jumped off the stage. “Whatever you say, boss.”

The rage was still all consuming as I stepped outside, the chilly night air brushing against my heated skin, and when Noah took in sight of my agitated state, he gently stopped me from stomping into the bus. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked. 

I let out a staggered breath, feeling those damn tears prick the corner of my eyes. “Nothing, I’m fine.”

Noah’s brows furrowed from underneath the hood of his Hereditary sweater. “Are you sure? You came barreling out of that door like you were on a mission to chew someone's head off.”

For a moment, I stood silent as I tried to gather my thoughts on everything that happened the last ten minutes. Me checking my email on Matt’s request, to find out I got the job with Hollow Souls, and then our kiss that was abruptly interrupted by the promoter. But something stood out among the rest, causing me to purse my lips. 

“How did Hollow Souls know I’m on tour with you? I never made it public knowledge,” I asked Noah. 

He blinked, almost taken aback by my words. “What about Hollow Souls?” 

I then divulged on how I applied to be their full time photographer and how I ended up getting the job. 

“Oh,” Noah scratched the back of his neck. “Y/N’s my girlfriend.”

My jaw went slack at the sudden revelation, all of the pieces slowly clicking into place. 

“Did you make her give me the job?” I asked. 

“I promise you, Faye, I haven’t talked to her about it. I didn’t even know you were applying to be their photographer,” Noah assured me with a gentle squeeze of my shoulder. 

“Who else would have told them,” I muttered to myself. 

Suddenly the back door of the venue opened and Matt walked out with furry eyes. 

“That stunt nearly lost us the contract here for future gigs,” he sneered. 

I blinked at him, taken aback by his sudden change of demeanor. He was even angrier than before. 

“That stunt?” I scoffed. “You mean our kiss?” 

Noah’s head whipped between us and Jolly, who had been loading up the production truck, froze at my words. 

“What we did was completely unprofessional, Faye. I had to talk down the prompter not to black list us from here,” Matt threw a hand back towards the venue. 

“Did you tell Hollow Souls to give me the job?” I crossed my arms over my chest. 

He blinked as his lips parted to speak, only to be met with silence; the silence that gave me my answer. Every high I felt from not only getting my dream job but the kiss we shared evaporated to the concrete beneath my feet. But I refused to let anyone see how defeated I was so I held my head up high with slits for eyes as I zoned in on Matt. 

“I sincerely apologize for my unprofessional actions that involved you. I can assure you that it won’t happen again.” 

Not bothering to hear another word from him, I brushed past Matt onto the bus.

MATT

A slew of grumbled curses fell from my lips as I clicked away at my laptop with an aggressive finger. Exhaustion had been weighing heavy on my shoulders causing dark circles under my eyes which made my friends worry. I assured them with a grunt that I was fine but everyone knew that was bullshit. Today, however, no one dared speak to me because they knew I was minutes away from saying something I knew I shouldn’t. 

It had been a day of constant fuck ups. First, we were stuck in bumper to bumper traffic in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin, nearly missing our call time at the venue. Then while setting up our equipment, one of the techs nearly dropped Jolly’s guitar to the ground, almost breaking it. I’d never seen Jolly that shade of crimson as he did it best not to snap at the poor tech. More recently, I’d spent the last ten minutes trying to find the mix for Nowhere To Go on my system but it was as if it was wiped clean from my hard drive. 

Yet the worst part of this shitty day? Faye hadn’t spoken one word to me in over forty eight hours. Guilt ate away at me for how I acted in regards to the kiss. It was one of the best ones I had and I couldn’t stop thinking about how her body felt on top of mine, those lips nipping and pulling at mine. She tasted sweet like honey and I found myself becoming addicted to Faye, desperate for another hit. 

But it was unprofessional where we did it. It should have been in the private confines of a secluded room or our bus. We nearly lost a big contract with the previous promoter and with a lot of sweet talking for next time we played there, I was able to smooth things over. 

Which is why I meant what I told Faye. I was her boss and we needed to remain professional. We couldn’t allow our growing desires for each other cloud what was right. 

So you’re saying your feelings for her aren't right? 

Muttering away the thoughts, I leaned farther back into my chair in the green room with my laptop still perched on my lap desperately trying to find where the fuck that track went. The room was filled with crew members who were taking their breaks from setting up. We should have been sound checking but because of the missing track, we were hours behind schedule. The constant chatter from everyone in the room however sounded like nails on a chalkboard so with a snap of my laptop, I tucked it under my arm and stormed out of the green room. I needed to find somewhere quiet to work. 

Stepping out into the bright sun, I tucked my hat farther over my eyes but halted when a strained laugh caught my attention. I set down my laptop on one of the tables in the outdoor catering area just in time to see Faye talking with the guitar players of the opening band that had been supporting Bad Omens. 

Tyler.

“So tomorrow is an off day,” Tyler mentioned while taking a small step towards Faye. “Do you have any plans?” 

I watched as Faye shifted on her feet, playing with the ends of her teal hair. She had it down this afternoon, it blowing with the tender breeze that brought a chill to my bones even though I was dressed in a hoodie and joggers. 

That or the fact that Tyler was standing too close to her. 

Those bright eyes I found myself drowning in began to roam around her surroundings, as if she was looking for something. Or someone. When they landed on me, I would have missed the way she took a small intake of breath if I hadn’t already been watching her. 

“Yeah, I do,” she said, never taking her eyes off of me. “I still have to work.”

Tyler took a step towards Faye, reaching for the hand that was gripping her hair. 

“Cancel them. I’ve got this great thing planned for both of us.” 

Suddenly forgetting the issues with the set, I stalked towards them head-on. My eyes narrowed at Tyler, anger festering low in my gut when I noticed he still hadn’t removed his fingers from her wrist. 

“I’m not going to cancel my plans. That would be rude of me,” Faye’s soft voice eased away the anger slightly within me. 

When she tried to step away from Tyler, his grip around her wrist tightened causing her to squirm in his grasp. 

“Just make up an excuse. You’re sick. I’m sure whoever you have plans with would understand.”  

Faye’s eyes dropped to the grip around her just as I reached them, hands balled up to fists at my side. 

“Tyler, you’re nice-,” she started. 

Tyler rolled his eyes with a scoff. “Come on, Faye. Just one night. We can fuck then go our separate ways.” 

The shocked and disgusted expression that covered her beautiful features when Tyler pressed a kiss to her cheek was the tipping point. It was a list of things the last few days since we kissed. Faye ignoring me, not being able to find the missing track, not having my daily Celsius drink, and now seeing this asshole pressuring Faye; I was ready to combust. 

“Faye,” my voice was tight, along with the grip around the wire of my radio as it hung around me. “Are you alright?” 

Tyler’s gaze bounced between the both of us as I stood next to her. “We were talking, Matt.” 

I threw my shoulders back, puffing my chest. “Really? Because it sounded like you were forcing her into something she didn’t want.” 

Faye finally removed herself from Tyler’s grasp and slipped behind me. “We’re done here.” 

Tyler’s eyes bounced between Faye and me, assessing the situation until a smug smile curled his lips. 

“Oh so that’s it, you two are fucking?” 

My heart damn near jumped in my throat when I heard Faye’s soft intake of breath.

FAYE

“Oh so that’s it, you two are fucking?” 

Tyler pointed between Matt and I, causing my breath to get caught in my throat as my head snapped over towards Matt, who continued to stand toe to toe with Tyler. I nearly stumbled when my heart dropped to my stomach while I awaited Matt’s answer. 

There had been a crowd gathering and when I took sight of Noah’s face as he stepped down from the bus, I knew that whatever was about to happen wasn’t going to be good.

Shit.

“Faye is a coworker of mine. I saw she was uncomfortable because of you so I stepped in. That’s all,” Matt shrugged. 

I swallowed the burn of tears as I cast my head down at the camera in my hands. There were plans tonight to live stream Bad Omens concert and since it was a special occasion, I brought out my special camera for this; my fathers old one.

Tyler’s next words made the air shift around us as I glanced up in time to see Matt’s jaw tick. 

“Damn, her pussy is that bad, huh?”

Everything happened all too quickly, almost like a blur of shouted curses and flying fists. Noah and Bryan stepped forward as Matt shoved Tyler causing me to stumble over my feet, dropping my camera to the concrete with me. I landed on my ass, scrapping my palms as I threw my hands down to support my fall. 

Matt’s fist landed on Tyler’s jaw right before Jolly yanked him away but that didn’t stop him from yelling at Tyler. 

“I didn’t start this but I damn sure finished it, fucker!” He bellowed. 

Jolly gave Matt his own shove before running a hand through his hair. “Fucking stop! Look what you did!” 

Following Jolly’s finger, Matt gasped when he saw me lying on the ground, holding a broken camera in my bloody and shaking hands. Bryan was kneeling next to me, slowly helping me to my feet as the tears I fought so hard to keep back began flowing down my cheeks. My fathers old camera sat in crumbled pieces within my hands, irreplaceable and unfixable. 

“Fairy,” Matt’s voice was soft as he reached for me.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” I seethed while yanking my arm away from him. “Don’t talk to me. Don’t look at me. Don’t even think of me.”

“Faye,” his voice was louder now as he called after me, watching me scurry into the bus to hide from all those pitiful gazes that lingered. 

BRYAN

With a frown, I watched as Faye nearly stumbled up into the bus due to the tears clouding her eyes and I swiftly turned on my feet towards Matt, who was being held back from Tyler by Noah and Jolly. Both of the Nicks were trying to deescalate the situation with the promoter of the venue that was threatening to cancel the show tonight due to the unnecessary violence. Everything had become so fucked in a matter of seconds with Tyler’s words and now, the anger Matt felt for the situation was directed back onto him. 

“Dude, stop!” I snapped while stepping between Matt and Tyler but keeping my eyes directly on the former. “Did you not realize what you just did?” 

Matt’s jaw was rigid with his anger but he eventually looked my way. 

“You two caused Faye to fall down to the fucking ground. Her hands are cut up pretty good but that doesn't matter because something that’s irreplaceable broke. All because of you two fucking idiots.” 

I wasn’t the one to curse this much but the second I saw the camera fall to the ground, immediately I felt the pain that stabbed Faye in the chest. 

Matt opened his mouth to protest but I held up a hand to stop him. “You claim you need to be the manager, well fucking act like it. You created a scene, fix it!”

Not bothering to stick around for a rebuttal, I ran over to the bus and bounded up the steps just in time to see Faye dotting her blotchy cheeks with a tissue. 

“Faye?” I said quietly. “Do you need anything?” 

She choked on a sob while forcing a shaking hand towards the mess of broken camera pieces on the table. 

“I need my fathers camera back! Do you know how old it is? What I had to do to make sure it was usable? Everything, all the pictures and memories gone because of-of,” she choked on another sob so I pulled her into my embrace.

“I know,” I hushed her with a soothing circle against her back. “Matt never meant for it to go that far. He feels like shit, although he might not show it right now. But he cares.” 

“Right,” she scoffed while pulling from my embrace. “He has a funny way of showing it.” 

I gave her a small smile. “Matt is closed off with a lot of people which makes them get the wrong impression of him. But with the people he cares about, he’d protect them. Which is what he was trying to do with Tyler but I think his feelings for you blinded him on what was the correct way to approach that.”

Faye stayed silent for a moment, letting my words digest, before she gave a small nod. I knew it wouldn’t change the issues plaguing them. That was something they needed to work out themselves but even if my words helped a bit, that’s all I could do. 

“Come on,” I motioned towards the broken camera. “Let’s see what we can do.”

MATT

My soul was calling out into the void, searching for the connection it once had and desperate to have it again. It felt like everything had been drained from me the last couple of days no matter how hard I tried to fix things. I spent countless hours looking for that specific camera to replace it for Faye. I knew it wouldn’t replace the sentimental value and all the memories it held but maybe it could ease the pain that swam in her heart. 

The fight with Tyler happened days ago and after we both apologized to Faye, she seemed to slip into herself. That usual brightness of her soul dimmed as she went about working, never once interacting with any of us. We had four days left of tour and she mentioned to Bryan in passing that she couldn’t wait for the last day because that meant new opportunities. 

With Hollow Souls. 

Y/N had reached out to assure Faye that they hired her because of her resume not because we all knew each other. That seemed to ease away some of her worries and I could tell she was excited to start working for them. 

But my heart and soul weren’t ready to let her go quite yet. 

After closing down the sound deck, another successful show in the books, I racked my brain with ideas on how to make things up to Faye when an airy giggle reached my ears. 

“We should definitely meet up once the tour ends,” Faye smiled warmly at Greg, the drum tech for Before We Fall. “It will be good for us.”

Greg agreed with a side hug, wrapping his arms around Faye. “I’ll text you once things slow down and we can meet up.” 

“Can’t wait!” She beamed that smile I found myself falling deeper and deeper for. 

When Greg and Faye went their separate ways, the familiar jealousy rage I felt when I saw her talking with Tyler festered inside of me, spreading through my veins, yet this time I took a different approach than violence. I followed on Faye’s heels as she exited the venue and ascended up the dark bus. Everyone else was still inside helping with the tear down. 

“Faye,” I breathed her name, causing her to turn swiftly on her heels. 

In the lowlight of the lamp posts outside that casted into the bus, she looked mythological. Her white sundress shimmered and the waves of her teal hair cascaded down her back. The last few days I’ve spent any alone time I could find locked in the bathroom with my hand wrapped around my cock, the image of her on top of me playing like a loop in my brain. 

My little fairy.

“Did you need something, Mathew?” She asked with a business-like edge to her voice. 

The vision of her in that light with her hands perched on her hips while she cocked one out, full of attitude, made my cock twitch and not bother to think of the repercussions, I pressed her up against the door of the bathroom. 

“What are you-?” 

I captured her lips in a kiss that was fueled by so much fervor, it made my head spin. It was only our second kiss but just like the first, our souls danced together in perfect harmony when the magnetic pull between us vibrated. Faye’s body went stiff in my embrace but soon with a rush of air, her hands sneaked up underneath my shirt to scratch at the skin of my back undoubtedly leaving half crescent shaped moons as she dug into me. 

Her lips were soft, almost silken, and pillowy against my own. I could feel the velvet tickle of her breath beneath my nose when my fingers threaded through those vibrant strands of hair. 

An unfamiliar feeling blossomed in my chest, taking over every part of me, as my tongue left kitten kisses along her bottom lip. She began to pull away from me slightly only for me to yank her back in by my teeth. I wanted to plummet in everything that was Faye, letting her consume all of me every day. I could feel the thunderous beats of our hearts together as I pressed her harder against the door, my cock brushing ever so softly against her clit. She hooked her fingers in the waistband of my shorts, doing whatever she could to pull me closer. It was a mess of a kiss, both of us dry humping against each other to grasp that euphoric high we were craving. 

Her palm pressed lightly over my cock causing me to yank on her hair, exposing more of her neck to me. My teeth grazed over the sensitive skin behind her ear and she shivered in my grip when my calloused hands lifted up the bottom of her dress, letting the material bunch up against her stomach. 

“My fairy,” I proclaimed into the crook of her neck, a single finger slipping underneath underneath the cotton fabric of her panties.  

Almost like magic, there was a wide space between us as she pushed me away, those perky breasts rising and falling as she caught her breath. Her lips were swollen, bruised from the force of our kiss, and I groaned at the sight of a faint red mark on her neck. One that I left. 

“This can’t happen!” Faye yelled while adjusting the bottom of her dress. “You’ve made it clear that you’re my boss and this-.”

She pointed between us. “Is unprofessional.”

“Fuck that,” I spat. “I don’t care about that anymore.” 

Faye wiped away the spit from her lips and sneered her distaste. “Why? Because you saw me talking with Greg and wanted to stake your claim on something that’s not yours?”

The words spewed from my mouth like vomit.

“Well, it seemed clear to me that you like it when anyone shows you attention. Does it give you a sick thrill? Turn you on?”

Faye blinked slowly while her lips parted. “Excuse me?”

“You were going to go out with that guy!” I threw a hand over my shoulder back towards the venue. “I bet you do get some sort of sick thrill from it. You string me along, fucking with my feelings, and now that I turned you down, you’re doing the same thing to other guys? You’re just like the rest of them, I don’t know why I thought you were different.”

Something glistened in her eyes and the breath she let out sounded so broken. But I was enraged with everything that’s happened the last week, all I saw was red. 

“That’s not fair. You don’t know anything,” she shook her head. 

“I don’t need to, Faye. I’ve seen enough and I’m glad I got out from under you when I did,” I roughly brushed past her, nearly turning back when I heard a broken sob fall from her lips.

Keep going. Don’t falter. That’s what she wants. 

Thunderous footsteps echoed behind me, slapping against the pavement as we stepped outside. Faye’s bright eyes filled with her own rage stared up at me as she stepped in front of me. 

“You think you’re so fucking smart? Greg is dating a friend of mine from back home. We were talking about meeting up all together,” she poked a finger in my chest. 

Yet I couldn’t apologize because she shoved another finger in my chest. “You’re an asshole! You think you’re mature because you’re older than me? You’re a manchild who can’t accept someone who cares for you. You’re one of the most self deprecated people I’ve ever met and this act you’ve got going isn’t working.”

Another poke to my chest and this one caused me to stumble slightly.

“You don’t get to push me away, call me unprofessional for something we both did, but then try to crawl your way back to me after what you did! Your jealousy broke something that I cannot replace. I’ll never forgive you for that.” 

I grasped her wrist when she went to poke my chest again and held it flush against me. “I’m sorry.”

Her face flinched, not expecting my apology, yet she continued on with her wrath. 

“Sorry doesn’t fix things! We have four days left of this tour, let's just ignore each other like we have been and we can finally forget everything that happened the second we part ways,” Faye ripped her hand from mine and stomped back towards the bus. 

I stood there in the middle of the alley behind the venue, trying to gather my bearings from our argument. Like everything with Faye, our shared moments together were a whirlwind and I never knew what to focus on first. 

The way her body molded into mine when we kissed. 

How pretty her moans sounded when I pressed my cock against her. 

How wet she was when I brushed my finger along her folds. 

How kissed fucked she looked after breaking us apart.

Or the way her fury vibrated off of her when she poked those pretty nails into my chest. 

Once again, I let the negativity of what could possibly be something so good for me ruin it before it had the chance to begin. Faye was all encompassing, she was what my soul had been missing since creation. It scoured the earth for hers and now that it was in my grasp, I refused to let her go.

NOAH

I’d been leaning against the old brick of the venue, getting ready to facetime Y/N when heated voices made me pocket my phone in time to see Faye storm after Matt, poking her finger in his chest. When Matt dragged his feet back to the bus in clear defeat, I knew that I needed to do something to fix whatever was broken between them.

“Mochi!” Y/N’s bright smile greeted me when she answered my facetime call. “I miss you.” 

“I miss you too, angel,” I slowly paced the alley. 

“What’s going on? Why are you outside?” She asked while cuddling her couch pillow closer to her chest. 

I could see the luminescence of the television casting a glow of colors against the wall behind her. She’d been watching a movie when I called, the words echoing through my phone. 

"People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead."

“Are you watching The Crow again?” I teased with a playful smile. 

Y/N rolled her eyes before telling Jesse to pause the movie which made my brows pull together. “Wait, are you at my house?” 

“Yeah. Jesse texted me earlier asking if I could come hang out. I guess Maxxine stood him up. Again,” she sighed. 

“I never liked her,” I grumbled with agitation. 

“She was my friend! How do you think I feel?” But then Y/N shifted on the couch. “Do you care that I’m here without you?” 

“Not at all, angel. You know you’re always welcome there even if I’m not. I’m glad you’re there for Jesse.” 

Just then a head full of curls appeared on the screen. “She’s making me watch this movie. I had no choice in the matter.”

“It’s a great fucking movie,” she ruffled his curls before playfully pushing him away. “Why the sour face, Mochi?” 

Sighing I sat on the bench in front of the venue now, gazing up at the stars. It was nearing midnight and thankfully all the fans from tonight's show had left, leaving me out here alone with my thoughts. 

“It’s Matt and Faye. They’re still fighting and all I want to do is help them,” I ran a hand over my tired face. 

Something Y/N noticed. 

“Noah,” her voice was as soft as her skin. “I know you love your friends and want to help them but sometimes, they need to be the ones to do it.”

I shrugged while playing with the string of my joggers with my free hand. “Maybe I can do something that pushes them in the right direction. Force them in a locked closet at the next venue to talk it out.”

Y/N snorted her laughter. “That never works. But I know what will work.”

With a pulled brow, I listened intently to her plan as she told me what I needed to do. 

“You’re sure this will work?” I asked while slowly walking towards the bus, exhaustion digging its claws into me. 

“Everyone loves a good “there was only one bed” trope. It’ll work,” she assured me with that smile I missed so much. 

“I can’t believe I’ll see you in two days, angel,” I said with a bit more excitement in my voice than before. 

Y/N cuddled the pillow closer to her chest. “I’m counting down the hours, mochi.”

FAYE

After leaving Noah in the hotel lobby while he waited for Y/N to arrive, I spun the keycard to my room between my fingers, ready for a full night's sleep in an actual bed. We arrived at the final stop on the tour and with tomorrow night being the last show, we were staying in a hotel for the next couple of nights. 

72 hours. 

That’s how long it had been since Matt and I spoken to each other. Since our blow up argument a few nights ago, I had chosen to sleep on the couch in the back room of the bus, not wanting to be anywhere near him. Even though my heart was hurting with the space between us. Ultimately I knew I needed this space from him because in two nights, I’d be flying back home alone and forgetting everything that happened. 

Well, trying to anyway.

With an yawn, I slipped the keycard into the slot of the door, the light flashing green. I took all of two steps inside before coming to a sudden halt at the sight before me. Two suitcases opened and scattered throughout and a long body stretched out wide on the bed in the room. 

The only bed in the room. 

Matt removed the pillow from his face to see me standing in the doorway, clutching the handle of my suitcase with white knuckles and he rolled his eyes. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he grumbled while sitting up in bed. 

“What are you doing in my room?” I demanded. 

Matt scoffed. “Your room? I’ve been here for the last hour. You’re the one in my room.”

Neither of us broke eye contact, not wanting to lose, and I motioned to the keycard on the table next to him. 

“Who gave you your card?” 

“Noah,” he answered. 

Son of a bitch. 

“He set this up,” I muttered before turning on my heels, ready to march back down to the lobby to ask for another room when Matt’s voice made me freeze. 

“The hotel is booked. There’s no other rooms available.”

I threw my head back with an audible groan before slamming the door shut and forcing my suitcase into the closet of the room. I would have been fine with this rooming situation if there had been a couch but besides the bed, the only other place to sleep was an old, worn out chair in the corner of the room. 

It was almost nine in the evening and after the long day of travel, the only thing I wanted to do was shower and go to sleep. Noah mentioned plans about possibly going out for some food but the moment I saw Matt lounging on my bed, I wanted to take the pillow and suffocate him; mingling with others be damned. 

I didn’t even make it more than a single step towards the bathroom before my head snapped over to Matt when he spoke again. 

“I took all the hot water. Might want to wait a bit.”

It was then that I noticed he was shirtless in bed, wet strands of hair clinging to his chest; clearly fresh out of the shower. His shorts hung low on his hips and I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the light colored happy trail underneath his belly button. This was the first time I’d seen him shirtless and I felt all the heat rush to between my legs. 

Focus!

“I’m sure you can bunk with Bryan or Nicholas. Although, they talk a lot and I know how much that irritates you,” Matt winked while propping an arm behind his head. 

“I fucking hate you,” I seethed before stomping over to the bed and ripping the part of the covers he wasn’t laying on back so I could slide into bed. 

Matt continued to wear that smug smile which made me glare at him. “What the fuck are you so smug about? Happy that I’m miserable and stuck in this room with you?”

“You’re so upset that you didn’t even realize you got into bed still wearing your shoes and jeans.” 

Grumbling every name under the sun at him, I scrambled out of bed to kick off my shoes and nearly ripped the skinny jeans away from my legs, leaving it a pile on the floor. I now stood in front of Matt in nothing but an oversized band tee that I hadn’t been wearing a bra under. It’s what I usually go to sleep in anyway. It reached about mid thigh now that my jeans were off. 

“Is this better, Matthew?” 

Those dark eyes trailed up my long legs, lingering on the swell of my ass before he nodded. 

“I’d be fine if you came to bed with nothing,” he shrugged. 

I squealed before wrenching a pillow off the bed and smacking him in the head with it. 

Not one. 

Not two times. 

But four times. 

Matt finally realized he’d been under attack so his arms reached out to wrap around my hips, dragging me to the bed with him. It was a fight for who would end up on top as I tried to continue with my onslaught of pillow attacks but his strength won in the end. Throwing the pillow across the room, he managed to pin me to the bed with his hips and used one large hand to pin both of mine above my head. 

His hair was a mess covering his face as those dark eyes stared daggers into me but I raised my chin up at him in defiance. 

“Are you finished with your tantrum?” His chest rumbled. 

“Fuck off!” I shot back while wiggling underneath him. 

My shirt had ridden up in our fight, resting just below my breasts and my bright yellow thong was on full display for Matt to drink in. But his eyes continued to rest on my face. 

More so, my lips. 

My pussy kept pressing against his clear erection causing him to bite back a moan and tighten his grip on my hands. 

“Stop it,” he bit out through gritted teeth. 

I didn’t. 

In fact, I pressed myself up closer to him, rubbing my clit against his cock. “Stop what? This? I thought you wanted this?” 

The teasing tone of my voice was thick which only angered Matt even more. 

“You look pathetic, trying so hard not to-.” 

My words were cut off by his mouth devouring mine in such a heated kiss, it nearly rendered me useless. I lay under him, motionless for a moment, as his mouth moved against mine. The feeling of his tongue against mine made me moan into his mouth, trying to get more of him; desperate for it. 

“YOU’RE INSUFFERABLE!” I kneed him in the gut once I realized what was going on and he fell to the other side of the bed, clutching his side. 

“REALLY? LAST TIME I CHECKED, YOU LOVED IT WHEN MY LIPS WERE ON YOURS!” He shot back before reaching for me again, crashing our lips together. 

This had been weeks worth of build up, the sexual tension between us a tight rubber band ready to snap with any added extra weight. My brain kept screaming at me to push him off and smack him for what he did to me, breaking my fathers camera. 

Yet my soul was thriving. It never felt more alive knowing that Matt was once again staking his claim with his lips, nipping and sucking at the sensitive parts of my body; down my neck and over my collar bone after he yanked down the collar of my shirt. 

Calloused fingers brushed along the thin elastic of my panties, teasing me with his silent question. 

“Take them off,” I demand against his lips, raising my hips off the bed. 

Our clothes gathered together in a heap on the floor and while I lay bare for Matt’s hungry eyes, he remained kneeling on the bed. His cock was red with agitation, desperate for not only some sort of contact but release as well. 

“You’re beautiful, Fairy,” Matt mused while kissing from my navel, up between the valley of my breasts, and left small indentations with his teeth against my neck. 

I left angry red marks down the length of his spine while spreading my legs for him. His fingers gathered my wetness between my folds, pressing small circles against my clit and I sucked in a breath. 

“Already so wet for me? I haven’t even touched you yet,” he chuckled darkly before nipping at my bottom lip. 

I was not about to give Matt the satisfaction in knowing our little play fighting and making out turned me on beyond measure. My body was already on the brink of collapse from our weeks of constant teasing and bickering. I reveled in the way Matt came off rude and brooding, sometimes to me, but also found myself loving how caring and thoughtful he’d been in the beginning.

A finger slipped inside of me and I arched myself off the bed, my breasts brushing against Matt’s chest. 

“You like that?” He cocked his head to the side. “Use your words, fairy. I need to hear what you want.” 

I sunk my nails into his arm, trying to bring him closer. “You, Matthew. Please. I just want you.”

Begging? Really? There goes your dignity.

I didn’t have time to chastise the voice in my mind because Matt let out a growl before rolling me to my stomach and hiking my ass up in the air. The sound of skin on skin echoed in the small hotel room and a breathy moan fell from my lips. 

Matt cursed before leaning over the bed to reach for his suitcase. 

“What are you doing?” I almost whined. 

“Condom,” he muttered while rifling through his bag. “Shit! Of course the one time I don’t pack fucking condoms.”

I saw his eyes flick up to the wall in front of me, most likely to the room next door, and knew he was contemplating asking whoever was rooming next to us for a condom. 

“I have an implant,” I finally said while looking over my shoulder. “And I’m clean.” 

Those eyes shimmered as they rested on my face. “So am I.”

With his cock gripped tight in his hand, Matt lined up at my entrance before slowly pushing himself inside. My head went to fall to the pillows but his hand gathered the teal strands in his palm, yanking my head up. 

“Oh, god,” I moaned when he was fully inside. 

I’d never felt so full before. 

My walls clenched around him, a silent beg for him to move, but Matt remained still. His chest constricted with the breath he’d been holding so I slowly started fucking myself on his cock. 

“Matthew,” I panted. “Please, I need you to move.” 

With one tight grip on my hair and the other on my hip, he let out a strangled breath finally. 

“I won’t last long, fairy. I don’t-.” 

You assured him with a gentle smile. “I won't either. I’m already so close.” 

Knowing that I wouldn’t last long either, Matt let go of the grip on my hair to slide over to my clit, pressing fast circles against the swollen bundle of nerves. His pace was ruthless, fucking in and out of me with such force, the headboard began slamming against the wall. 

I was dizzy with my arousal, it clouding my judgment because I knew that this was only going to be a quick fuck and then we’d go back to bickering. Not accepting what both of us wanted. We could try to ignore how we felt about one another but there was no way I could ignore how perfect he felt inside of me. It was as if we clicked together like a perfect puzzle piece. 

Cliche. But it was true. 

Matt’s broad chest pressed against my back so he could drag his teeth against my spine. “You feel so fucking good. Fuck.” 

All I could do was nod, too blissed out on the way his fingers danced against my clit. My orgasm was so close, teetering on the edge of the cliff, and my body stilled for a moment as I tried to grasp that release. 

“No!” 

I whined when Matt pulled all the way out of me only for him to throw me onto my back and wrap a leg around his back, slipping back inside of me. 

“I want to see your pretty face when you cum,” he grunted while thrusting inside of me. 

I dared a peak down to where I bodies connected as he pulled himself almost all the way out and choked on a moan when I saw his cock glisten in the low light of the room because of our shared arousal. 

“Look at me, Faye.”

My eyes snapped up to his, blown wide with his euphoria and with one final snap of his hips, I cried out my orgasm; eyes never leaving his. 

I writhed underneath him but his fingers never stopped their onslaught on my clit, working me through the violent aftershocks. Matt threw his head back in a silent scream as his cock throbbed inside of me seconds before spilling his release.

His body fell to the bed next to me in a gruff of exhaustion and I lay there for a long moment, staring up at the ceiling; tracing the patterns of the cracks instead of the realization that I should get up to clean myself so I can find someone else to bunk with. 

As I began to slip out from underneath Matt, he threw his tattooed leg over my hips, blocking me from leaving the bed. 

“Where are you going?” He asked, pulling my back to his chest. 

Our skin was sticky with sweat and I felt our cum between my legs but with his grip on me, it was clear Matt didn’t want me to leave. 

“I just thought-,” I pointed to the door. 

He buried his face in my neck, leaving a tender kiss. “I’m not letting you go, Faye. This was never a quick fuck for me. I think this was weeks worth of pent up sexual frustration that turned into something we both wanted; even if we weren’t ready to admit it.” 

I traced over the tattoos on his arm as it lay lazily over my stomach. 

“Sounds like you’ve got a great therapist,” I hummed. 

Matt snorted. “More like a philosopher of a friend.”

We lay together in a mess of tangled limbs for a long moment, basking in the silence. Matt’s breathing became slow and steady, indicating he was seconds away from falling into a deep slumber, one I was desperate to chase. But I couldn’t stop the nagging thought in my mind. 

“So what does this mean for us?” I forced myself to ask. 

“This is a really shitty way of asking you out considering I broke your camera. But what do you say we go out on an official date once we're back home and settled?”

I linked my fingers with Matt’s, bringing his hand to my lips to leave a tender kiss across his knuckles. “I’d love that.”

The tight grip that had been crushing my heart and soul since we started fighting suddenly evaporated into nothing. All I could feel was growing adoration for the man behind me. 

Deep sleep was seconds away from clutching both of us to drag us into the dark depths but before I could succumb, my tired voice called out into the vastness of the room. 

“You owe me a camera, by the way.” 

Matt chuckled while laying a kiss to the side of my head. “Already taken care of, fairy.”

FAYE

“So, how’re things going with Jesse and Tay?” I called over to Matt, who stood in the kitchen in front of his stove. 

“Good!” He called back. “Although, I’m sure you already knew that since she’s your friend.” 

I shrugged, knowing he was right, but then gave him a smile of thanks when he returned into the living room with my cup of tea. 

“We were talking about getting together for a double date this weekend,” I said. 

Matt pressed a chaste kiss to my lips before settling back into the couch next to me. “Whatever you want, fairy.”

We’d been home for a few weeks now from tour and found ourselves settling in pretty quickly to this new relationship. Our first official date was the aquarium with everyone else but I didn’t mind it. I got to know Hollow Souls more and working for them had been an absolute dream. 

I was able to photograph Chase and Malcolms wedding. With the exact make and model of camera that mirrored the one my dad gave me. While it wasn't the exact one, I knew Matt had scoured the internet for days trying to find one so I was extremely grateful for it. 

We’d spent the entire day on Matt’s couch cuddled together under a pile of blankets, more specifically his Greys Anatomy blanket, with all three of his dogs either laying on top of us or next to us. The television had been on a constant rerun of Grey's Anatomy, him finally talking me into watching it with him. My fingers played with the ends of his hair, him opting out on wearing a hat today. I’d been wearing nothing but one of his shirts and a pair of boyshort panites. It had been a pretty hot day in California so Matt decided on wearing just a pair of joggers. We would have been three episodes ahead in our marathon if we hadn’t continuously paused it for our extra activities.

“Oh, shit. I almost forgot. How is Y/N’s and Noah’s redo date going?” I set my empty cup down on the table in front of me. 

Matt snickered while reaching for his phone. “I haven’t heard anything yet. I’m starting to wonder if he backed out on asking-.” 

His voice trailed off as his eyes never left the bright screen of his phone. The words on the current text thread he had open drained all the color from his face. 

“Matthew,” I said tentatively, sitting up on the couch and running a hand over his back. “What is it?” 

He swallowed thickly before running a hand over his face and those broken eyes found mine. “Y/N’s dad died. Her and Noah are flying to Japan tomorrow night.”

[fictionalreads]

Can you please do an Armando x reader angst 🙏 I don’t know abt what lol I JUST WANT HEAPS OF ANGST SO I CAN BALL MY EYES OUT AND I WANT THIS MAN TO BE GROVELLING LEFT RIGHT SND CENTRE 😭 lol sorry abt that love ur work bae💗💗 Make sure to get heaps of rest and stay hydrated 🧘‍♀️💆‍♀️🫶

A/N: Soooo... reader didn't wanna talk to me. Or more accurately I think, Armando wanted all the attention. I'm sure I'll eventually be struck with inspiration for an Armando x reader angst and I'll definitely tag you in it, but for now I hope you enjoy this Armando angst.Title is from Lonely by Benny Blanco and Justin Bieber.

No One's Listening And That's Just Lonely

Fandom: Bad Boys

Prompt: Armando reflects on times in his life that he's felt alone.

Warnings⚠️: Our boy is lowkey depressed in this one. Might be a line that could be seen as morbid.

PHOTO IS FROM @yeahnohoneybye I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW TO GIVE THEM CREDIT WITHOUT TYPING IT OUT LIKE THIS

Armando Aretas was used to being alone. After being ripped from his mother’s arms at just six years old, he learned to embrace the feeling. He was forced into preparing for his mother’s grand plan which included gun training, fight training and emotional resistance. There was no room for a six year old’s sadness over being alone. The people his mother had training him definitely weren’t the type to go and cuddle with, they were more likely to punish him for being so weak that he expressed his fear. Not that his mother was any better when he was with her.

“Otras personas te decepcionarán, mijo. Confía en ti mismo,” she’d say when he was young and upset that he couldn’t play with the other children in the prison. He was small, but it was a prominent memory from his short time with her, the first lesson she taught him.

He should’ve listened to her, maybe then he’d have heard her subtle warnings about herself.

When he was eighteen, a freshly minted adult that was on top of the world, he had thought her old saying paranoid. He had loved going out and meeting people, befriending them. It came naturally to him, but his mother had her people keeping him on a tight leash. The few times he went out, he kept his cover pretty well, never telling anyone anything real about himself but just enough they wouldn’t be suspicious. 

Until he met a girl that is. She had been different from the quick fucks he’d had before, holding actual conversation with him and keeping him on his toes. He’d loved her spontaneity, it being a breath of fresh air from the rigid routines he was used to. He had slowly dropped breadcrumbs of what his lifestyle was really like b behind closed doors, testing the waters to see if she was about the life or if she’s run for the hills. Every small test he set in place for her she passed with flying colors. He was so sure she could handle it that he told her everything. At first it seemed like he was right about her, she stayed by his side. Then one day she disappeared, no word from her at all. He went to her place and saw she had packed some things, it looked like she had been in a hurry. He initially worried that she went to the police so he played low for a few weeks, but when nothing happened, he just felt hollow.

The one he was supposed to rule the world with was gone, she had left him. He spent weeks questioning every interaction. Where did he go wrong? What signs had he misread? Did he really misread them or were they obvious and he just refused to see what he didn’t want to? Had she ever really loved him? Why wasn’t who he was enough for her to stay? Why was he destined to walk this life alone?

Thinking back on it, his mother hadn’t been pleased his attention had been split and probably had her killed.

Prison hadn’t felt as alone as he was expecting. He knew other people would be around but he’d been surrounded by people all his life and still felt alone. His cell was in murder row, the nickname for the solitary unit he was in. He wasn’t exactly friends with the others in cells in his solitary unit, but they were better than nothing. He spent time with them sometimes when they got the chance to go to the yard, sometimes preferring to workout and enjoy his hour in the sun alone. 

It probably helped that his father would visit him at least twice a month, more if he could swing the travel time. It had been interesting getting to know the man he had thought was an enemy. He hadn’t attempted the corny get to know you spiel, preferring to stick to business which was fine by Armando. Armando had learned a few of the mans quirks just through the small amount of conversation they had. But his father usually showed up to ask him for information, an effort to cut down his extremely long sentence, so it lacked the warmth that would chase the cold feeling of loneliness away.

A loneliness that hit worst at night when he would stare at the gross ceiling of his cell and wonder what could have happened if he had known his father from the start.

This alone was different. He was lying down in the boat his father had put him on to flee Miami, blood slowly dripping out of his side. The motor on the boat had long ago canned out on him, he didn’t have the strength or the tools to try and fix it. He was currently floating in open water, no land in sight. He wondered if he would bleed out, or starve to death first. Maybe he’d dehydrate, he had no access to fresh drinking water. 

He figured the loneliness felt different because for the first time, he didn’t have a tether to something else that brought him out of his self pitying. His mother was dead. He didn’t have anyone he loved waiting for him to come home. His father had sent him away knowing he’d probably never see him again, albeit he also probably assumed Armando would survive. But what was the point? Everything he had been taught growing up was a lie and everything he did ensured he couldn’t come back from those actions with a clean slate. For the first time in his life, he hoped the police would catch him. 

He didn’t want to die feeling the worst feeling in the world, feeling like there was nothing for him. He’d rather keep living and find hope for a life he could build that he should have had from the start.

Translation:

Other people will disappoint you, my son (darling). Rely on yourself.

Taglist (I'm gonna tag for all Armando pieces unless you ask me not to):

@yeahnohoneybye @bootlegroach @omg-mymelaninisbeautiful

[jokeroutsubs]

[ENG translation] Rock'n'roll in the blood

An interview with the Guštin family in Slovenian newspaper Delo, originally published 6.2.2022.

Original article is available here for Delo subscribers. Original article written by Agata Rakovec Kurent for Delo; photos by Jože Suhadolnik; English translation by a member of Joker Out Subs, native proof reading by IG GBoleyn123.

If you repost quotes from the interview, please link back to this post! And if you repost the photos, do not crop out the photographer credit.

Next Saturday (12.2.2022), Gušti and young singer Leyre will present themselves at EMA¹, but first, we visited him and his family in Bežigrad².

The Guštins (right to left) Chantal, Maja, Kris, Miha and Maks, were all happily rolling around the house during lockdowns and having a pretty nice time. PHOTO: Jože Suhadolnik/Delo

Just as I was looking at the names on the doorbells and considering calling Gušti about whether I was even at the right address in Bežigrad, the last of the five family members, Kris, came hurrying home. Actually, there are six family members, alongside Chantal and Gušti and their kids Kris, Maks and Maja, there is also Apple the dog, who greeted me with loud barking. Dogs remain with their parents even when the kids start to leave the nest, we agreed as we sat down at a big wooden table.

For musician Gušti and Chantal Van Mourik from the Netherlands, everything started with a teenage seaside romance. After that, nothing happened for ten years, but when Gušti wrote Big Foot Mama's big hit Črni tulipan, he could not imagine anyone other than his teenage love in the music video. He invited her to the filming, she came, and the rest is history. Three decades and three children later, their first-born Kris is following his dad's footsteps as the guitarist of Joker Out, the most popular band among the Slovenian youth right now.

We all know Miha 'Gušti' Guštin as Big Foot Mama's guitarist and the writer of their biggest hits. 20 years ago, he went his own way, musically, and recorded his first solo album Dolce Vita, where his successful collaboration with Polona Kasal³ started. He also did a memorable duet with Zagreb resident Ema Gagro, but let's start at the end.

If not for the good song, then for the laughter…

Next Saturday, we'll see something completely new at EMA, as he has joined forces with young singer Leyre⁴. How did they find each other? "People have been hinting that I should sign up for EMA for years and years and I never did, but this time I told myself that I would sign up if I found a truly good vocalist.

Producer Žare and I started looking, and through Dušan Obradinovič - Obre, drummer of the band Dan D, we got to Leyre. Leyre is Spanish by birth, she came to Slovenia when she was two years old. She's from Novo mesto, she is 19 years old and studies in Ljubljana. It's a one-time musical collaboration, just for EMA, so that I can finally have an answer for everyone who has been asking me for years: 'Why don't you sign up once?'" explains Gušti.

His family, especially Chantal and Kris, were initially pretty sceptical about this endeavour. Because it's a circus, because it's always said to be "rigged"?

"No, not because it's rigged, but because I thought that dad had slight misconceptions about what you can achieve with a song at EMA. My reservation was that if you go to EMA with a bad song, it falls through, no one remembers it, and it all doesn't seem worth the effort to me. Of all the songs that have been on EMA, 95 percent have sunk into oblivion, and I didn't want something like that to happen to dad.

Once we talked things through, however, and especially once I heard the song, I supported him, just like mum did. If you go to EMA, you have to win, otherwise it all passes you by, that's my opinion," says Kris.

Is Eurovision as much of a circus in the Netherlands as it is here? "It used to be, but now it's not like that anymore. For the past few years, they haven't even had a pre-selection. There's a committee that picks the performer who then represents the country at Eurovision. As for Miha, I think it's great that he signed up. The song is fantastic and the singer is truly exceptional.

On the other hand, I find it all amusing. I know Miha, and Miha is not about make-up and image, but with EMA all of that matters, the sound and the look are a package and it's absolutely not just about the song. That part, the fact that Miha is going to clothes fittings, is greatly amusing to everyone in the family," Chantal laughs.

Next Saturday, they will all keep their fingers crossed for Gušti and Leyre at EMA. Photo: Jože Suhadolnik/Delo

So did Gušti have a particularly shiny tuxedo made for EMA? "The styling will absolutely be appropriate for the event. I turned to a stylist, we just ordered everything, but I will wear a nice, elegant suit, which will still be rock chic."

The youngest members of the family, Maks and Maja, are smirking as their dad talks about rock chic. How interested is their generation in EMA anyway? "I don't know, I never asked my friends about it," is the concise answer of the youngest, seventh grader Maja, who is great at artistic gymnastics, as well as being the most artistically talented in the family.

"To be honest, I don't watch it and I'm not very interested in these things, but I will definitely watch it when dad performs, if not for the good song, then for the laughter," Maks' honesty makes everyone present laugh loudly.

History is repeating itself

Kris, who just graduated in chemical engineering, was not too enthusiastic about Big Foot Mama or Gušti's later solo projects at first.

"Everything changed when I got involved in music myself, when the summer before my first year of high school, I took up the guitar. At ten or twelve years old, I listened to what was playing on the radio, and that wasn't like the music that dad was making, so his music didn't interest me. In time, when I started discovering more complex music, rock, I started to enjoy his stuff.

My friends, who I'm still in a band with, introduced me to Big Foot Mama's music and tried to convince me that Črni tulipan was a totally awesome song. Then, for a while, I was like 'Oh, awesome, dad!' At first I didn't even care that he had been with the Big Foots, then I couldn't believe that he had left the band, it seemed horrible to me, but now I completely understand why he did it, and I really like what he's done since leaving," he tells us.

Chantal used to watch fans screaming in front of Big Foot Mama's stage, now she can relive those scenes at her son's concerts. "The screaming never bothered me, I always thought it was fun and interesting to watch. Nowadays, Miha and I often talk about how we're experiencing the same moments from another perspective.

Where Miha used to stand on stage, Kris now stands, where I used to stand in front of the stage as his girlfriend, we now stand together, but everything else is the same - the music, people screaming, girls going crazy, all that. I think that's great and I couldn't be more proud of Kris, of his band, and of course also of Miha and everything they achieved back then. We do sometimes truly feel like history is repeating itself, though."

However, some things did change from the time Gušti was starting out in music to today. Social media arrived, and these days, if you're not on it - you don't exist. "My kids and wife help me with social media, I'm not very good at it. Before they help me out, they always explain how clueless I am and that I should engage with it more and get with the times.

I'm not interested in these things, I can't find my footing in this world, but I know that it has to exist. I have Instagram, Facebook, and after they get done criticising me, everyone helps me out," says Gušti, while Chantal adds: "We have to help him to prevent something worse."

Apple the dog will also keep her paws crossed for Gušti at EMA next Saturday. Photo: Jože Suhadolnik/Delo

Joker Out take care of the social media themselves; "we have the natural advantage of having grown up with this, and it is unfortunately an integral part of the music scene today. We couldn't achieve much without Instagram. Well, after Facebook, Instagram is also almost 'out' now, so we have to start thinking about TikTok, which seems horrible to me," Kris tells us.⁵

His younger brother Maks is also part of Joker Out's story as a roadie. "It started with me helping the roadie, bringing water, putting away the cables and so on. Of course they didn't pay me, it was all in the family. Then I took over the merch, selling T-shirts and other things, which is pretty fun, it's a lot of work, but it pays off," he tells us, while Kris laughs, adding sarcastically: "Well, it doesn't pay off for him, because we still don't pay him."

Joker Out released an album (Umazane misli) recently, while Gušti says about his new one: "To me, having released quite a few albums already, the most important thing is that there is music. And there is music, I release a single or two every year, and once there's enough of them, there will also be an album. When that will happen, I don't know. Since I've never sung, I'm still figuring out the best direction for my vocals.

To put it bluntly…

Even before the pandemic, which devastated our music industry as well, Gušti and Siddharta's singer Tomi Meglič already found a recipe for these weird times, a cycle of 1on1 concerts: "During the Covid times, Tomi and I had 30 gigs, which was probably by far the most among all Slovenian performers. Seated, distanced gigs were possible. They were very well-attended before Covid already, and then it just kept going.

To put it bluntly, we were lucky bastards. It was just a pity that we couldn't put as many seats up for sale as usual and the pay reflected that, but at least we could play." I already joked with Tomi in a recent Nedelo interview that the format suits Siddharta's and Gušti's aging audience, who - judging by myself - finds it harder and harder to stand for two hours and longer. Gušti laughs: "It's true that it's mostly people our age who come, faithful fans of Siddharta and Big Foot Mama, there aren't many young people."

Putting together the repertoire gave them a lot of trouble, because together - they have too many hits. "At the beginning, the format was 14 songs with an encore, seven of his, seven of mine, which we immediately filled up. I chose his hits, he chose mine. The problems are arising now when we should freshen it up, but we don't want to lose any of the songs." At the end of March, the 31st, Gušti is also planning a solo concert in SiTi Theatre with a new team. "I will do a half unplugged, half electric version, and I will keep that up afterwards."

Unlike Gušti, the Jokers were hit by the crisis at the start of their musical journey. "At first, we planned to release the album on the 1st of April 2020, with a concert in Cvetličarna following on the 9th of April. A month before, everything closed down and fell apart. We rescheduled everything for May, then for October, and finally for next October. We also rescheduled the album release. Firstly because we weren't completely happy with it yet, and we also didn't see the point in releasing it, only us not to be seen anywhere for a year and a half.

Then people would come to a concert and wonder where anything new was, because they would already know everything. In a way, we were happy to delay everything. That way, a lot of the pressure was released, or stretched out over a longer period of time.

Covid seemed very inconvenient at first, we felt like we fell off the horse, but when we look back, it was a very productive time for us. We made some radical changes, in the music, in the line-up and in our way of thinking, and it shows. The tension was mounting before the concerts in Cvetličarna⁶ and that's why they were much more cathartic in the end," says Kris.

They have just renovated their rehearsal space and started working on the new album, which they have promised for September. That is also when they're planning a big concert in Križanke, before that they have summer concerts, including some outside of our borders. "We will try to get a gig in Serbia, and we will also release a song in Serbian."

The damage that was done to the music industry is huge, despite some bright exceptions. "The consequences will drag on for years. A huge part of the industry fell apart, and many found work elsewhere. Not musicians, not the people we see on stage, but the people in the background, as well as those who worked for publishers, in the distribution chain..." Chantal reflects.

A nomad in the house

Because of the uncertain situation, she hasn't visited her homeland for two years. "Maja and I are hoping that we can finally travel there on the 17th of February, so we're already half in isolation. The last time we were planning to go there was in September, but then Kris got sick, and then I did too. I'm hoping and knocking on wood that we can finally do it. In the meantime, my sister visited us twice, and at one point, Transavia also cancelled the flight connection between Ljubljana and Amsterdam, and I would've sooner made it around the world than to Amsterdam."

Kris visited his Dutch relatives, as well as his girlfriend and a friend who are studying there, for one week immediately after the Cvetličarna concert. "At that time, he called home to say that there were no restrictions there and he didn't need to have a mask on at the store, meanwhile here, everything was a lot more strict. When he came back, things relaxed a lot here, while over there the restrictions got stricter," says Chantal, who hopes that travelling will soon be something regular again and they will be able to visit their relatives more.

Since Kris just mentioned his girlfriend, I ask him whether it wouldn't be better for sold-out shows if all members of the band appeared single. "I have no reservations about publicly saying that I'm in a relationship, even though other band members might say differently. Our singer Bojan would say 'Kris got dumped by his girlfriend..." at every concert before a song I wrote when I once had a broken heart, but he didn't mention that it was four years ago," he laughs.

"As young girls, we used to wish that the boys on stage were single, but now I prefer to watch guys like Miha who are in a long-term relationship, because it means that they actually know something and have something to show for themselves," Chantal concludes wisely.

Maks and Maja have not been drawn into the music world (yet). "I did kind of pick up the guitar last year, but I quickly lost interest because I have too many things going on in my life to focus only on one. I can play a few of dad's songs, and I might turn to the guitar again at some point," says Maks, and his proud mum adds: "Maks is very skillful with the computer, he edits music clips and is working with various musicians.

Of course it started with Joker Out and Gušti, but now he's also working with Challe Salle⁷, Nipke⁸, he's making various videos for Spotify and has his own business. He's our businessman. All three of them are very creative, not only in the field of music, which is interesting. Maja, for example, draws incredibly well and is constantly making art."

All three kids are artistically gifted, say the proud parents. Photo: Jože Suhadolnik/Delo

They handled home schooling successfully, and as the family businessman and second year high school student Maks says, "I've found that being at home is better for me. The trip from home to school and back is time-consuming. If I'm at home, I have a lot more time left that I can use for myself."

Kris finished practically half of his studies remotely: "For the first year and a half, I was at the faculty and saw 250 students in one place in large halls, which was fascinating to me. With each new year I progressed to, there were fewer of us, and at the end there were about 40 of us left. Lockdown came at the right time for me.

All the lectures were recorded and I didn't have to get up early, I didn't have to take the bus at half past six in the morning, I could sleep in as long as I wanted and then watch the lectures. Because the professors speak slowly, I could set the speed to 1.5 and I wasn't losing time."

"I think we're all well-adapted to remote work," says Chantal, who is a veteran of it, "I've been working remotely for five years for the international school SAE, School of Audio Engineering, which used to be in Ljubljana as well, but shut down in 2016. Now I work for them in the international space. During lockdown, we were all happily rolling around the house and we were having a pretty nice time.

The happiest one, however, was Apple, who had company all the time." Gušti smiles: "I'm the only one in the house who doesn't have his own room, except for our bedroom. Whenever I needed peace to create, I retreated there, or I waited for example for Maja to go to her gymnastics practice so I could go to her room, or for Kris to not be home so I could go there. I'm the only nomad in the house."

When I last spoke to Chantal and Miha about ten years ago, we also talked about their filmesque love story which, with three small children, wasn't always easy. "I often got home at five in the morning, hyped up, with a good concert behind me, and Chantal placed a baby who hadn't slept all night in my arms. I was searching for that line, how to satisfy my rock'n'roll side on the one hand, and be a good husband and father on the other. I didn't always succeed, but I'm trying," says Gušti, who now sees his first-born backstage at concerts too.

Chantal, who speaks Dutch to her family as well as to Apple at home, has not grown fond of Slovenian cuisine even after 23 years: "I'm sorry, but that is really not for me, cabbage, sausages, blood sausages, dumplings… Luckily I now have kids who, apart from Kris, support me in this. Slovenia is developing though, and you can also get more and more Asian food here, which we really like and used to eat every other day back home, since my dad is originally from Indonesia." She says that Slovenians are very close-minded in some respects: "The attitude towards anything foreign is still pretty problematic here."

Maks adds the finishing touch: "If Slovenia was as developed socially as the Netherlands is, it could make a lot of progress as a country. I'm talking about the relationship between different cultures, who work together in the Netherlands, like water that always finds a way, while here, they are very separated."

¹EMA is the Slovenian national selection for Eurovision

²Bežigrad is a neighbourhood in Ljubljana

³Polona Kasal is a Slovenian singer; her and Gušti performed as a duo called "Gušti & Polona" for a few years

⁴You can watch Gušti and Leyre's performance at EMA 2022 here.

⁵Joker Out have, in fact, had to start thinking about TikTok since then. As you probably know, you can find them on TikTok here.

⁶You can watch the Cvetličarna concert with English subtitles here on our YouTube channel.

⁷Challe Salle, real name Saša Petrović, is a popular Slovenian hip hop singer, known for being very focused on being a good role model for his younger fans. One of his big hits was Lagano.

⁸Nipke, real name Boštjan Nipić, is a popular Slovenian rap/hip hop singer. He's part of the Dravle Records publishing company and collaborated with Bojan in the song Jst mam sam sebe rd.

If you repost quotes from the interview, please link back to this post! And if you repost the photos, do not crop out the photographer credit.

[halsteadlover]

My sleeping beauty

*Gif not mine credits to the owner*

• Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader.

• Requested by anon: Hi can I get a Jay Halstead imagine where he comes home after a shift to not being able to find his girlfriend in the apartment calling out for her until he eventually finds her asleep outside under a blanket in a thunderstorm as she loves them. He can’t help but take a photo of her and can’t resist to brush her hair back from her face and give her forehead kisses. She wakes up and pulls him down into the couch cuddling into him and just enjoying the sound of the thunder and back rubs from him. Thank you 😊

• Warnings: none just fluff.

• Word count: 1626.

• A/N: that’s ugly as shit I’m sorry 😭 I’m trying to do the best that I can, I hope you’ll like this piece anyways, please like, reblog, comment if you did, that’d be awesome ❤️ thank you as always for your support, my inbox is always open even if you want to just talk.

“Baby I'm home!”

Jay announced as he closed the apartment door behind him. He took off his shoes and his jacket, then placing it on the hanger and cursing because of the rain that soaked him from head to toe.

He immediately noticed the lights off, the silence that filled the apartment broken only by the sound of rain and thunders.

“Baby? You here?” Jay called out your name again. He looked at the time on the watch on his wrist and only then realized how late it was.

Damn it.

When he got no response, Jay made his way to your bedroom, figuring you'd be asleep there. To his amazement though, he didn't find you there and his detective nature was already starting to worry him.

He left the room and headed towards the living room and before he could even turn on the lights, there was a lightning so powerful it lit up the room for a second and it was at that point Jay noticed the small figure lying on the sofa.

He found himself mentally breathing a sigh of relief, relieved to find you there and at the same time berated himself for being so exaggerated. It's just… He couldn't help it, he was so used to being surrounded by criminals, murders, kidnappings, that he couldn't help but constantly fear something might happen to you.

He shook his head slightly, as if to free himself from those horrible thoughts, and decided at that moment that work had to stay at work. You were there sleeping in front of him and that was what mattered.

He cautiously approached you, being careful not to make sudden noises that could wake you up. He leaned over you and a small smile crept onto his lips as he saw how blissfully you were sleeping. He knew how much you loved the sound of thunders and rain in the background, but he didn't know how the hell anyone could fall asleep to those deafening flashes. Only you could.

Jay planted a small kiss on your head, at the same time moving a strand of hair that had fallen in front of your face. You were curled up on your side, a blanket covering your body, a calm and serene expression on your face, as if nothing could disturb you at that moment.

He stood up and went to get another blanket which he then placed on you. He had to go and change from his wet clothes, but the more he looked at you, the more he lost the willpower to walk away. He didn't deny he felt a bit of a maniac watching you sleep but he really couldn't help it, you were so fucking beautiful.

The way your eyelashes slightly brushed your skin, your lips slightly parted, the way your hair was scattered on the pillow and how some strands fell on your face, you really looked like an angel came down to earth and he just couldn't realize how lucky he felt.

“How are you so fucking beautiful baby?” he whispered before placing a sweet little kiss on your cheek “My beautiful sleeping princess.” He brushed your hair, a gesture he knew you loved so much. God, he just wanted so much to stop time, just to always be able to see you like this, serene, blissful, so at peace.

Jay couldn't suppress the urge to take his cell phone out of his back pocket and take a picture of you. An idiotic smile crept onto his lips as he looked back at the photo, deciding in that moment it was definitely one of his favorites. He put his phone back to his pocket, not before taking few for pictures, and then looked at you again.

A feeling of guilt took hold of him though, squeezing his stomach in a vice, thinking you had probably fallen asleep while waiting for him to return from his shift. He had promised you’d have dinner together but a case kept him longer than expected so that promise was broken and this made him feel terribly guilty. In that instant he made a mental note and promised himself that, even if the end of the world would come, he’d make up for it and organize the perfect date for you.

You deserved it, for all the nights you waited for him awake, for never letting him weigh some of his shortcomings and broken promises due to work. He was so eternally grateful to have someone as fantastic and perfect like you by his side, as patient as you were, not everyone would’ve done the same.

“I love you baby know that right? So damn much, I'd be lost without you,” he whispered, starting to brush your hair again and leaning down to kiss your forehead. At that point you couldn't hold back a smile and the little laugh that escaped your lips.

“Oh my god baby I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up. Go back to sleep,” Jay murmured.

“I was already awake actually,” you said amused, opening your eyes and then bursting out laughing when you noticed the slight blush on Jay's cheeks. “Come here love.”

You grabbed his arm, inviting him to lie down on the sofa too.

“You little…” he mumbled, trying to keep a fake disappointed expression on his face.

“Please baby, come here I need to hug you,” you said, putting on the cutest puppy face you were capable of.

“God I really hate when you do that.”

“And why's that?” you asked ironically, already knowing the answer.

Jay grabbed your face with his right hand and pressed his lips to yours, kissing you until he took your breath away. “Because I can't fucking resist that face and these puppy dog eyes,” he answered, giving you a kiss after every word and making you giggle like a little schoolgirl. You drew him into a hug, squeezing him with the strength you had in your body.

“I missed you so much today,” you whispered, kissing his cheeks.

“Oh baby I missed you so much too, I'm so sorry I didn't get to come back earlier and have dinner with you,” he replied, apologetic. You broke that hug just to be able to kiss him on the lips, trying to make him understand that he didn't have to be sorry at all.

“We have plenty of time to have dinner together love, I'm just happy you came back to me safe and sound, there is nothing else more important to me,” you said as you caressed his face with your fingers, your other arm still around his neck. He was resting with his right elbow beside your body, so as not to have all his weight on you, while his left hand stroked your face, brushing your hair out of your face.

He smiled and at the same time your heart exploded and your stomach flipped. God, Jay Halstead and the effect he still had on you even after years.

“I'll always find a way to come back to you, never forget that,” you smiled back and he continued “And you look so damn gorgeous when you smile like that, you really light up my world.”

God what did I do to deserve him?

You weren’t good with words, so you kissed him, holding him so tightly as if he could just walk away. But there was no need to say anything, Jay knew it, he felt every day the way you loved him immensely as much as he loved you infinitely.

After about half an hour of kissing and hugging on the couch, Jay found the strength to get up and go change out of his changed clothes. It wasn't his fault though, it was you and the fact you were so hard to resist.

You were both in bed, under the covers and in each other's arms. Your head was resting on his chest and your arm wrapped around his chest while his hand gently caressed your back. God, you didn't want anything else in that moment, you felt so fulfilled, in the arms of the man you loved, in the background the sound of rain against the windows and lightning in the distance, it couldn't be more perfect than this

“How was your day baby?” you asked, your fingers tracing imaginary lines on his skin, under the shirt.

“Nothing different from the usual, I just missed you so much, but I guess I kept myself quite busy with the murder case we had to investigate,” he explained, giving you a kiss on the forehead before looking back up at the ceiling, slowly starting to feel the increasingly heavy eyelids.

“Did you manage to eat something before coming back home?”.

“Yes baby, thank you for worrying, I had a sandwich, nothing special. What about you? How was your day? What did you have for dinner?” he asked but a confused look on his face when he got no answer. He lifted his head slightly to look at you and with enormous astonishment he realized you had fallen asleep again. He chuckled, in disbelief and lightly shaking his head. How the hell did you manage to fall asleep in literally five seconds? It was an ability of yours that Jay would never cease to marvel at.

He held you a little closer, inhaling the scent of your hair while giving you another round of kisses on your head and forehead.

“Sweet dreams baby. I love you more than anything in the world, I hope you never forget that,” he whispered, aware though you couldn't hear him, before closing his eyes too and slipping into a deep and peaceful sleep.

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[eclipseyll]

HI FIRST POST HERE!! this is my XMEN oc, so if my timeline in the backstory doesn't make sense IM SORRY, I forgot the flow in the XMEN movies so don't come for me hihi

And she doesn't date anyone here, I was gonna put she dates Erik bc he's like super hot but not gonna do that, but I also considered Alex but he's dead so.

I was also inspired by a xmen oc I saw online called "Remnant" so credits for them by matching the shadow and precognition abilities (I only thought about the shadow thingy since my mcu days HAHHAHA)

DON'T MIND MY GRAMMAR, ENGLISH AIN'T MY FIRST LANGUAGE!!!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Eclipse "Serena Rodrigo"

Omega Level Mutant

XMEN Member

Student (Assistant to Hank) in X mansion(17) - Investigative Journalist (at home), Author (published 2 books), the public relations manager (manages media affairs) of the school and runs a newscope club at school (21)

Nationality: Filipino

Appearance:

Tan Skin, Black Hair, Dark Brown Eyes, 5'7 and mid weight

When Using Powers:

Eyes turn into white in her irises and Black in her Cornea and Pupils

Black shadows comes out of her hands, But when using all of her powers it comes out in her upper body (like Raven)

Backstory:

She had learned of her powers at the age of 7 and 8. She had lost control of her powers and had covered her school in a shadow dome. She was taken by Stryker at age of 9 to be with other imprisoned mutant saved by Wolverine (Origins). After being saved, she escaped with other group of mutants to live independently. It last up to 5 years (14) until they were caught by the government who had sent them to Xavier's School for gifted youngsters. In the span of 5 years she had learn how to generate her own darkness and try to control her visions.

In the school she was taught how to use her abilities in combat, offense and defense. She had also learned how to properly handle her visions (as she wore gloves growing up). At school she had befriended Jean and Jubilee. She was 17 when apocalypse came and she officially joined the XMEN to fight him. Throughout her teens up to her 20s, she had found her passion in writing, journalism, politics and science. Hence why she had become a part time assistant of Hank McCoy when she was 17. She is now 21, she had already published 2 books, works at a Media company where her works only required to make at home, and she handles the media affairs of the Xavier's School for gifted youngsters, she will be the one to speak with if ever there will be interviews, events or mission that the Xmen will be needed, she is also the one who reports incidents or events in the school, she is also the one who handles whenever tje school or Xmen have a scandal and she runs a journalism club (newscope) (teaches them to write, report, take photos).

First Mutation:

Clairomancy

- The ability to sense the past, present and future by physical touch or her shadow touch.

•Physical Touch: When she directly hold someone or something.

•Shadow Touch: When she extends her dark constructs to hold someone or something.

Discovery:

Her first vision was when she was only 7 and had touch a ground where in the past it was blown up. She had more visions from the past, present and future. Yet nobody believed her.

"I don't know how I do it, I can't control it. That's why I try so hard to control it, to prevent those miserable visions..."

Second Mutation:

Umbrakinesis

- The ability manipulate the dark and shadows.

•Night Vision

•Attacks

•Constructs

•Solidification

•Generation

•Mimicry

•Teleportation

•Cut Matter

Discovery:

Only a year she had discovered she was a mutant, she hid her abilities not until when she was 8 where she was shocked to discover she can manipulate existing shadows. She had found out by being mad she had completely dimmed out the room. But growing up, learning and developing her capabilities she had learned to generate her own darkness and not rely on existed dark.

"I am not a Villain, and you shouldn't have treated me as such."

"The dark comes when I say it does."

"I could tear you apart to pieces with a flick of my hand if I wanted to."

"Consider yourself lucky, that I have a conscience."

" I will not be the monster you tried to create. "

What I imagine my powers would look like

[desire-mona]

Opinions on jacksfilms v sssniperwolf?

Penny for ur thoughts plz 🪙 (<- pretend that is a penny shhhhh)

this ask is an equivalent to asking for my hand in marriage just btw.

so in case anyone doesnt know anything abt this old ass drama (i dont know as much as i could either, this is a retelling from the bits and pieces i remember):

so basically sssniperwolf used to be this gaming youtuber but she eventually turned into a half baked "reaction" channel where she just watches tiktoks, makes low effort surface level commentary, and then doesnt credit the creator of said tiktoks. jacksfilms is a comedy youtuber who does a bunch of stuff (sketches, streaming, something called YIAY where he gives ppl prompts / questions to answer n reads em out(with credit!(also hes been doing stuff with ai recently but mostly to show how mid it is which like. eh idk how i feel abt it but its not a dealbreaker))) and he at one point in 2023 called out sniper for her content stealking and lazy content.

he started doing this thing where he reacted to her videos the way she reacts to the videos she steals? i think? and then he gives credit to the creators that sniper reacts to i hope ur following. sniper eventually got mad and was like "uhhhmmm ur stealing from me....." which is rly funny considering she steals from SO many ppl. they had lowkey beef for a while (and obv jack was in the right the entire time) and on uhhhhhh lemme look this up hold on. october 13th of last year sniper posted an instagram story poll like "jacksfilms is close to this place im shooting at should i go see him" i guess to like? talk things out?

(src)

and then some amnt of time later while jack was playing jackbox on stream with his editors and stuff (dubbed the council) sniper showed up at his house, stood outside, and posted a video OF HIS HOME ON HER STORY. ON HER INSTAGRAM WITH OVER 5 MILLION FOLLOWERS. also to add even more context that i found out from youtube comments, sniper has been arrested for armed robbery before, so! some council member alerted jack and erin (jack's wife) was like "erm im gonna go outside" and everyone was like NO DONT OMG. eventually she deleted the story but by that point it was like wayyyy too late. and photos of his house were alr on twitter and stuff. the most ridiculous part is that when jack was rightfully like WHAG GHE HELL she was like this guy is creepy and hes been harassing me! i just wanna talk!!!

jacksfilms made a video being like heyyyyy youtube can u do smthn abt this???? youtube, of course, did nothing in response. i honestly dont know how it ended but snipers still doing her thing and so is jack so ultimately nothing substantial came of it, i guess. i wasnt on stream when it happened but i was GLUED to twitter as it was unfolding since ive been a big jacksfilms fan since i was 12ish. crazy times

WAIT EDIT I FORGOT TO ADD MY OPINION OOPS LOL: FUCK SNIPERWOLF

also fun fact! ive had a couple convos with a council member (marshaldoesstuff u will always be famous) and i was in his discord FOREVER ago. like 2018 forever ago. got groomed in that server it was kinda goofy (NOT marshal's fault - nor the mods of said server, im still friends with a few of those mods and they were always so protective of me and were there to put a stop to everything, i love them dearly.) so yeah im kinda etched into jacksfilms lore in a way that VERY few remember. which is the case for a few different fandoms tbh.

second fun fact: jack and erin r house md fans (erin has a crush on house and jack has a crush on cuddy which is sooo based of them)

thank u for asking and thank u for reading :3 i luv jacksfilms

[skeletoncrevvs]

hey, i’m sure you have the best intentions in mind when asking someone to give credit where credit is due and you feel strongly about this ethic, but that blog doesn’t benefit financially from their archive. they have the same passion and love for mcr that you do so perhaps be a little bit more gracious. photos get posted every day in the mcr tag without credit and to suddenly feel like you’re in the spotlight for this ‘offense’ can be overwhelming, there is no need to make assumptions about malice or greed. have a nice day

Hey! I'm not sure if you read my initial reply to Chloe's post? I replied to her without any callousness. I was not rude in anyway. I've also never once mentioned anyone benefiting financially from anything. This is a passion project for both of us and making any kind of financial gain is never going to be in the cards. That's not at all the issue.

I know it's near impossible to contact literally everyone who has ever posted a photo or a video and ask them if they can be included in our projects. That's not at all what this issue started with. There are still active people in this community who are providing new content for us every day - which is amazing! It is not hard to reach out to these people to ask if they would like to be included on Chloe's website, rather than just copying their files and dropping it on the site. That's what the issue is! When we reached out to Chloe to remove this content, she became very hostile and rude. This is not at all about crediting random livejournal or deviantart accounts (tho, you should be lol but that's besides the point.) This is just being courteous to your fellow fans who are active in the community and have put in the time and effort to supply everyone with content. I have personally invested a lot into sourcing magazines, flyers, stickers, etc as well as purchasing a high grade scanner in order to provide everyone with high quality content that they can print for themselves, read, do whatever they like! I feel like this should be available to all fans. I don't do this for anything other than I enjoy it. Having someone take the full quality scan for their own website without at least acknowledging where it came from isn't the best way to form a community. Chloe did remove my scans when I asked, so I'm not sure why she was so combative in regards to the merch archive. I've never once made assumptions about anything - I don't think Chloe was being malicious, I just think something was inherently misunderstood and she became very defensive and rude.

[multi-fandomsfreak]

Hey, man 🧍‍♀️

How are you? I hope your doing well 👍🏽

Anyways, I got somewhat of a good request… I think..?

Alright, so imagine Reader was friends with I hate you Luigi and Mario. Reader was friends with the brothers before the events of I hate you (Where Luigi fell into lava and burned.) Even though everyone loved Mario Reader always preferred Luigi more. Luigi feels extremely grateful that at-least someone didn’t compare him to his brother and actually cared about him but this wasn’t enough for Luigi so he teamed up with Bowser without telling Reader. The events of I hate you happen and Mario comes back with Princess Peach. Reader is wondering where Luigi is. Reader asks Mario where Luigi was and Mario tells Reader that it’s best if they don’t know. Which leaves Reader even more confused and is now worried that something happened to their friend Luigi.

(You can decide if Reader and IHY Luigi get to see each other again.)

(Also this is more of a platonic fic than a romantic one and also can you use She/They pronouns pls.)

In addition if you can’t do this request then have some random images from my phone gallery 🧍 and have a great day/afternoon/night…

Burning Memory

(IHY!Luigi x Reader) (Platonic)

Hey there! Thanks for the ask!

I’m doing great hope you’re doing great as well. Honestly ever since I’ve started playing any sort of Mario games I’ve always had a preference over Luigi rather than Mario (Although I love Mario just as much). If Luigi was a playable character I would always choose him that’s how much I love him (Thanks for the photos as well).

Also I tried to make this as angsty as I could because I’m in that mood lol. Anyways hope you like this. ~Blaze/Dawn

Pronouns: She/They

Warning: ⚠️Death/Murder + Spoilers for the creepypasta/game⚠️

Requested: Yes/No

Characters: Luigi + Mario + Peach + Mentions of Bowser

Proofread: ❌

Credits: Art by ??? + Banner by aerineey on Pinterest

———————————

- The Mario bros. Everyone knows them and everyone loves them, especially you. You pretty much had the luck of getting to know the brothers and eventually became friends with them. Honestly you admire the two especially the taller brother Luigi however you seemed to notice that people had more of a preference over Mario practically ignoring his younger brother presence. But you didn’t pay much attention to them and mostly focused your attention on him.

- Honestly when Luigi saw how much attention his brother was getting compared to him it really hurt him. Why weren’t people praising him? He helped as well, why didn't he get the recognition as well? What did Mario have that he didn’t? They were practically the same. All those questions were running through his mind but before they got too extreme they managed to get cut off by you. The only person who seemed to acknowledge his skills. That was the only reason he had to keep going despite what was going on. Being around you was the only reason he didn’t snap and do whatever at least for now.

- You had no idea about how he was feeling about the whole ordeal with his brother, mostly because he didn’t express them to you. Why didn’t he do it? You honestly had no idea but you definitely would’ve assumed he was at least a little bit upset. I mean who wouldn’t. But when you try to see what was matter he just played his emotions off to a recent adventure he had. But regardless of the reason you made sure to cheer him up which he appreciates. But eventually although he does get noticed by you he got tired of being in Mario’s shadow and decided to risk it and join the bad guy himself Bowser.

- He didn’t tell pretty much anyone that he joined bowser because obviously he doesn’t think that people would care enough about him so why should he care but when it came to you he mostly didn’t tell you out of guilt. I mean he’s only doing this to get the recognition that he wants just like his brother but he’s getting some from you so why wasn’t it enough for him? He just wants to be loved by people even if it means that he has to join the bad guy he and his own brother have fought the princess for. What was personally to him the hardest part about this wasn’t how his brother may feel about this, he was sort of the reason why he was in this situation to begin with even if he wasn’t aware of it. He was more worried about your reaction to it. He was thinking things like ‘she’s been there for me when I’ve felt down’ and ‘they’re been treating me the way I wanted so why isn't it enough?’. Honestly deep down he knows that this may be wrong but he feels as if he doesn’t have a choice. If he wants to be seen just like Mario then he’ll have to be the bad guy even if it means he has to hurt people that deeply care about him.

- Eventually though everyone does have a reaching point that causes them to snap and unfortunately it happened to Luigi. One day it was a regular adventure for Mario, focusing on rescuing Peach once again from Bowser’s grasp but today was different. Once he arrived at the castle she was trapped in but instead of being confronted by him he was confronted by his own brother which ended up turning into a fight and ended in the younger brother being burnt to death in the lava he was knocked into. Mario didn’t want to do it and he didn’t mean to; he just needed to defend himself but ended up killing his own brother in the process. Although he was betrayed by his brother and had the right to feel angry at him. All he could feel was upset about what happened and how it had to end. Despite the reasons for why Luigi decided join bowser he was regardless his brother he cared for, after wiping the tears that were rolling down his cheeks as he witnessed his brother being engulfed by the lava he had no choice but to go on and accept the fact that he killed Luigi roam his mind for the rest of the time he will be alive for. Eventually Peach noticed the sadness that appeared in Mario and he had no choice but to tell her what happened and of course she was upset as well. She pretty much has known Luigi as long as she did with Mario so this came to a surprise for her as well. All she could do was cry herself with her head in her hands as Mario just stood there starting to cry again himself before the both of them returned back to her castle.

- Mario knew that he should tell you about what happened to Luigi. He noticed that you happened to be closer towards his younger brother compared to him and honestly he didn’t mind it, he was just glad that Luigi had someone to rely on but now that he was dead you had the right to know but he just couldn’t. He knows he should but he just couldn’t.

+ You were made aware of Mario needing to rescue Peach again and assumed that Luigi would be joining him as well. How many times will it take for Bowser to get the hint and leave them alone? After wishing him good luck you had no choice but to wait patiently knowing that Mario would win once again and you were right but unfortunately you would learn some unfortunate news, well sort of. As you heard Mario and Peach return you immediately went up and greeted them however you quickly noticed something. They both seemed upset about something but what was it? Then you noticed something else “where’s Luigi?” You managed to speak up wanting to know what happened to your friend but you met with silence which only worried you more “I’m sorry [Name] I can’t say” Mario somehow managed to say while choking back some tears before leaving you alone with Peach who herself was holding back tears. You couldn’t understand what caused the two of them to be this upset. Obviously something must have happened to him but why weren’t they telling you? You started to get slightly pissed but not outright and also upset. Even Peach herself asked Mario “Mario you should tell her you know” she said, she understands how you feel she also happened to be close towards Luigi as well. She really thinks that Mario should at least hint at what happened to Luigi “I’m sorry Peach but I can’t tell her, I just can’t.” Mario replied back “I know it must be hard to comprehend and it’s not your fault but they deserved to know what happened to him. They’re the closest to him out of all of us.” Peach reassured him but Mario couldn’t say anything else. She has a point and he knows that but why couldn’t he do it? But after much bugging and not receiving an answer you had no choice but to give up. Pretty much accepting that he’s missing and that you might not see him again.

- It definitely felt weird not having Luigi around. He was actually really nice to be around, especially you. You don’t understand what could’ve happened to him. Even if wasn’t recognised widely still you didn’t understand who would have an outing for him. You ended up excluding yourself from others minus Mario and Peach but even then you didn’t see them much.

- But even with the thought that he was missing you just couldn’t shake it off that he was somehow alive. You know him too well although a bit reclusive himself he wouldn’t just die, he would keep up a fight even if it takes some encouragement for him to do so. So you decided to try to at least find him even if by the time you found him he was actually dead. You decided to go to the last place Mario was and it just so happened to be where Peach was last captured and went there without letting Mario or Peach know where you were going. Although it was a little nerve wrecking going out alone, you decided to risk it if it meant that you could see your friend again.

+ After some time you managed to arrive at the castle and entered it. You felt a cold wave of air flow right past you immediately sending a shiver down your spine. “It’s really quiet here…” you said to yourself. Although this place had no reason to have anything in it you would’ve at least expected to hear some boo’s at least. You managed to arrive in a room and the cold was immediately replaced with heat. You looked down to see lava and immediately cautioned yourself to be careful unless you wanted to fall into it, as you kept walking you saw some sort of being not that far in front of you. Although you were happy that at least someone else was here you still needed to be careful of yourself. Little did you know that the man in front of you was Luigi himself.

+ Ever since his death Luigi had pretty much been forced to stay in the castle that he last saw his brother and pretty much everyone else. All that he could feel was anger and hurt. Anger that he managed to get beaten by his brother and of course hurt because he literally got burned to death. But he also felt lonely. He didn’t want to feel this but since it was just him eventually he was going to start feeling it at some point. All he could do was get lost in his thoughts about things that happened before his inevitable demise. But he was snapped out of his thoughts by something or rather someone. He heard something and immediately assumed the worst. Maybe it was his brother wanting more or maybe trying to convince him that he didn’t mean to throw him into the lava. He could already feel himself getting angry again. He wanted to yell at someone for what happened to him. Blaming anyone for the reason he ended up like this, he stood up causing the person which ended up being you to freeze. He started preparing to send them away but as soon as he took in the moment to process who was in the same room as him he immediately froze himself. Unless he was hallucinating you were right in front of him. “[Name], is that you?” He spoke up in shock.

+ At first you couldn’t recognise him, I mean yeah it sounded like him although a little groggily and yes he was wearing his clothes although they had some holes in them but it was kind of hard to piece that it was him due to him being pretty much burnt to no recognition. If it wasn’t for him calling your name you wouldn’t have known it was him. “[Name], please tell me that it’s you?” He said once again just wanting a sign that it was actually you and that he wasn’t seeing things. “Yeah it is..” you managed to speak up but slightly teary “Luigi, what the hell happened to you?” You quietly spoke, it hurt seeing him like this. His skin had practically melted off. He changed physically that it felt weird seeing him. He wasn’t able to say something, he wanted to but he was starting to get caught up in his emotions. As much as he hated everyone he couldn’t find himself to hate you. In reality he knew he couldn’t hate you. You were his only friend all this time, even now although it took a while you eventually found him again which proved that you still cared about him. He walked up closer to you slightly limping before bringing you into a hug. At first it felt weird hugging him, his body felt oddly leathery. You managed to hug him back before hearing a slight whimpering coming from him. Before you knew it you started to hear him cry. “…[Name]” All he could say through his tears was your name causing you to tear up yourself. He didn’t care that he felt slight pain due to his burnt skin being touched by you. All he cared about was just being in your arms after being lonely for so long. You could feel your heart breaking hearing Luigi cry, although you’ve seen him upset you haven’t seen him this upset and actually crying right in front of you. You tried to move slightly so you could look at him directly but he quickly tightened the hug not wanting you to move. “…please, please don’t leave me [Name]…” he said in between his sobs thinking that you were trying to leave. You decided to save your questions for later, you could tell he needed this even though you had no idea what happened between his demise and now so you let him cry his heart out until he was ready to tell you what happened. For now you and ended in a tight felt hug not letting go until the both of you got your feelings out and managed to catch up with each other.

———————————

[neonscandal]

What are your bakudeku fav moments? And what are your fav personal headcanons about them?

Okie, so I may have done a few head canons like this (and forgot to link the last five in the SatoSugu ask just like this... also the alternating colors was admittedly gratuitous but I'm not changing it now. Just know that I have regrets.). Maybe even drafted some moments like this but let's light this BBQ anyway. 💥

Horikoshi truly doesn't get enough credit for how perfect this panel and subsequent animation was. It's actually hysterical? Earnest Deku and Little Shit Kacchan. It's so them, I can't even.

HEAD CANONS

The Bakugo's are the Have's and the Midoriya's are the Have Not's but Mitsuki and Inko are so close that the boys never really knew the difference. Mitsuki helps Inko out where she can which is why Deku is a staple in their house growing up (free childcare for Inko and necessary socialization for her brat, Katsuki). You should see their childhood photo albums, they are both equally as embedded in one anothers' family histories.

When the boys first came to understand their economic differences, it was because of the disparity between their All Might merch collections and Bakugo realized it long before Midoriya. Subsequently, he staved off this epiphany by making it a point to always ask for "one for Izuku" until they fell out which Mitsuki obliged generously and proudly, knowing their relationship was precious but also a good influence on her gremlin.

I say they fell out but.. they didn't. Not in the ways that mattered. Bakugo is as big a nerd as Midoriya, he just has the sense to be more lowkey about it. Even when Bakugo was being a bully, he'd begrudgingly ask Midoriya (if Midoriya didn't ask first) to any midnight releases of All Might/hero movies and merch drops. They absolutely are the kind of dorks to camp out for limited release stuff. It's a lifelong tradition. Even if things went back to normal at school the next day, they still had that in common and both knew not to bring it up otherwise to maintain the balance of their twisted relationship otherwise. It's why, even after all this time, they're still so in sync. Also, by that point, the "one for Izuku" custom is so deeply ingrained that Mitsuki does it anyway. The turnover between Bakugo to Midoriya is so begrudging and awkward. All unspoken but a deeply rooted fact of their relationship.

Bakugo absolutely got them lost in the forest once. I think he took that fear and pivoted it into a refusal to ever be scared in nature again which is why he persistently enjoys the outdoors so much. It feels like revenge every time he comes back from a hike.

They made a blood oath to never tell anyone about how Mitsuki used them as drop in models for the Bakugo child clothing line because there was at least one season where they both modeled girls' clothes (Midoriya doesn't really care but Bakugo does). It's not that Bakugo cares or takes issue with a persons' gender, orientation or expression. He knows clothes don't define a person, he's confident and masculine either way and he knows he'd be the best looking person in a dress. He does, however, take issue with the fact that the hag likes to coo and lord the pictures over him because he was incredibly and disarmingly cute (which he acknowledges as "damn right" but despises the principle of the matter wherein his mom has anything over him).

Class 1A all notice the weird tension between the fire kid and the brittle boned dude who looks like he's never slept but just... awkwardly avoid it because they're just as emotionally underdeveloped as these two idiots. I also kinda think the confrontation between the two isn't always as bad as Midoriya's narration suggests because, I would hope in a class of hero students, someone would have intervened? But everyone picked up, day one, that they're just little weirdos and let them do their own thing.

In fact, no one finds Bakugo as intimidating as Midoriya does. Literally, no one. He's loud but compliant with a self-imposed bed time. His words are violent but his hands are skilled and intentional, never reflecting the carnage he threatens. Plus, he's a big ole dork! They know he's all bark and that's why people don't react to his rampaging (based in canon if you look at the provisional license exam, culture festival, Christmas, and Deku's secret training with Tsu, Ochaco and Sero). He used to be really bothered by Class 1A's lack of reaction to his yelling. They just kinda manhandle him to put him in his place and keep it pushing (again, see also Christmas episode and culture festival arcs). But now he accepts it as they accept him and he doesn't feel the need to be so abrasive and put up as many walls.

Midoriya, of course, notices this transition. Hyper fixated on it in fact. While he's super happy that Kacchan is settling in and finding his peace, he resents (but only a teeeeny tiny little bit) Kirishima in particular thinking this change is because of their friendship which he covets. He doesn't comprehend his own impact on or inspiration for this change, however. He never gives himself enough credit.

When Midoriya went all Dark Deku, Bakugo spent exactly one day a la Bella in Twilight sitting forlorn and waiting in the dark for the idiot to return. After the first 24, he pulled his Hermione pants on and got to work on the plan of recapturing the nerd by any means necessary.

Without spoilers, Bakugo's prized possession is the All Might card they both have because AM remains to be the pinnacle for everything Bakugo hopes to accomplish. But Midoriya's prized possession and the thing he hid before everyone did room tours at Heights Alliance is a picture of him and Bakugo. No fanfare, no merch, just a picture of the two of them with a smile that goes cheek to cheek. It's what gives him strength and resolve to keep moving forward. Aoyama's totally seen it.

Midoriya knows why Bakugo goes to bed at 8:30PM. Yes, he's a sleepy little guy. But also yes, this is his private time to read his shojo romance mangas in peace. ✨ Midoriya stays abreast of his favorite stories waiting for an inevitable "!!!" text when something big happens because Bakugo can't download his... excitement? confusion? joy? with anyone else. (Technically, Kirishima is also aware of this habit, quite by accident, but Bakugo would never tell Midoriya that).

Doesn't seem like it but Bakugo totally spoils Midoriya. It's masked in the harsh way he tends to package everything but he makes it a point to always cook for him, he's really weirdly thoughtful about gifts (no special occasion required but he'll shove it in the nerd's chest), he nags to make sure Midoriya is taking care of himself, etc. When Midoriya falls asleep in random places, Bakugo is the one who covers him with a blanket, quiets the surrounding extras down and leaves him with an excruciatingly gentle thumb across his freckles.

Bakugo pays rapt attention to Midoriya's muttering. Generally, he's interested in the subject matter because he's also an overly analytical fanboy. But also, his attention will sometimes drift from appreciating Midoriya's face and fall to his lips. This is when he gets flustered and "loses his temper". Really, he's worried he got caught lacking and is pissed at himself. It'll happen again and again.

MOMENTS

Much longer series thats focused basically on their relationship so these aren't really moment moments but rather... pieces of the story.

Better in the manga, but Midoriya running into the slime villain fray was just... so momentous. Even before knowing it's impact, it was it was just so chest fluttering. Through and through, that kid has always been a hero. Quirk or not.

In retrospect, everything about the sports festival makes me want to swallow a throw pillow. From Bakugo starting to warm up to people, Bakugo being an eavesdropping little shit, Midoriya (and Aizawa) explaining Kacchan to onlookers, Bakugo unwilling to accept victory. So much of their individual personalities are laid bare but still, that unavoidable link to one another.

I hated the exam against All Might, too much tension/confrontation. But I loved when Bakugo took a hit meant for Midoriya and Midoriya subsequently powered up to sideline All Might AND recapture Bakugo's unconscious body. So on brand for them.

Midoriya still having a psychic connection with Bakugo's enigmatic ass in Kamino by sending Kirishima in for the rescue. I know that burned him up but he's so used to sacrifice.

Generally, every time Kacchan inspired the unlock of another OFA quirk because let's be so for real. Midoriya is Captain Save a Hoe when it comes to Bakugo and even simply Bakugo's honor. Like Bakugo can't defend himself.

Super Secret All Might Meeting in the gif above. It's just so comical, how different they are, but deep down they're so similar.

Dinner at the Todoroki's because that, too, was just so comical. You mean to tell me Bakugo can be considerate? He has manners? He's not always feral!?

First Shiggy Showdown, Bakugo's hero origin story revolving around his body moving to defend Midoriya just like Midoriya's revolved around him.

Bakugo risking further injury and limb to see Midoriya because that's the first thing on his mind as soon as he opened his eyes.

Super Secret All Might Training (with Tsu, Ochaco and Sero). The fact that Bakugo comes to terms with how shitty he's been but also that he cares so much about Midoriya that he can come to terms with the fact that his idol may be withholding stuff that could negatively impact his childhood friend. That reckoning when Midoriya still struggles to not put All Might on a pedestal is peak overprotective Bakugo.

Bakugo putting on his tie properly to appeal to Nezu and Endeavor about bringing Deku back in and how, just as Midoriya can speak to Bakugo's inner workings, Bakugo can speak to Midoriya's. Which is hilarious considering how they're both still pretty dense.

THE APOLOGY. No notes. Just kidding, one amendment. The apology followed by the forced bath of city rat smelling Deku, group project edition.

⚠️ Spoiler Warning through MHA Chapter 411.

The moment Bakugo takes the field against Shigaraki. He tells Best Jeanist to watch over everyone, as he knows he'll be abdicating that role, and he thinks about Midoriya. Which we now know he's been doing this whole time!?

Volume 29 manga cover.

Just as Midoriya has been a driving force for Bakugo, we see once again that Bakugo was a driving force for Midoriya with the way he absolutely loses his shit when he sees Bakugo's discarded body.

Volume 37 manga cover!

THE TELEPATHIC WAY THEY LAUNCHED BAKUGO TO ALL MIGHT'S AID. Featuring heavily: Bakugo and his Midoriya pickled mind. That success was so cathartic. But also Bakugo verbalizing what he felt he's always been hell bent on doing, looking out for Midoriya. Which again, kinda twisted but I'm interested to see how their story ends because I think we'll get some exposure to more of their background lore.

[autumnmobile12]

D. Gray Man: Morality vs Victory (and Survival)

D. Gray Man has a unique situation as far as conflict goes. The enemy is an army of millions of demon machines that are commanded by a race of humans that are virtually immortal from the perspective of ordinary people...and they can only be harmed/killed by a weapon that is so selective that only a handful of people in the world can use it. This isn’t a situation where anyone can just enlist and train to become an exorcist nor can the Black Order simply conscript new soldiers; this is a world where the chosen few and only the chosen few are physically capable of fighting the enemy.

This is the reality. This is the shit hand humanity in this world was dealt. So from from the perspective of ordinary folk who have no power against this fate other that to rely on the exorcists, many of whom are children, it's easy to see how and why they got desperate.

The other thing to consider is this isn't a normal war. The Black Order isn't the aggressor and the Earl and Noah Clan's ultimate aim is complete and total annihilation of humanity. So there is no hope of a ceasefire. There is no treaty the Order can sign, no way to negotiate, no way to appease the enemy. The only outcome that can happen is the destruction of one or the other.

In the grand scheme of things, the Order has nothing to lose. Lo Fwa recognizes the barbarity of the Third Exorcist Program and says what a ‘good person’ would say,  “This is not how I want to win.” That is a noble thing to say, but for the above reasons, the unspoken (and even spoken) outlook of the Order's leaders seems to be, “Do we win or do we die?” 

In spite of his photography 'hobby' and unhealthy obsession with Lenalee (cause that part of this character is really fucking creepy when you look past the fact it's supposed to be a joke,) Bak is actually one of the better leaders as far as morality goes.

When the Third Exorcist Program was unveiled, Bak was the only one verbally against it. He's the only one to called out Epstain for her part in the project.

Taking his background into account, this is understandable. His parents both martyred themselves in order to shut down the Second Exorcist Program and to hopefully prevent any similar experiments from taking place in the future. On top of that, when the scandal of what Lab 6 was doing got out, he probably took the brunt of the backlash in his parents' place.

Adding to this, when the Level 3 attacked the Asian Branch, his primary goal was keeping Allen safe. He acknowledged he couldn't fight and refused to throw him into the ring with a 'figure it out' mentality. So Fou took Allen's place. Even at the cost of her life, neither she nor Bak were willing to sacrifice a child. (He was even willing to risk blackmail with the aforementioned photos.)

We've already seen that Komui's the one who put an end to the human experimentation and he actively advocates on behalf of his sister and the other exorcists. He's also the odd one out as far as the other leaders of the Order go as he's the only one who doesn't have a generational obligation to be there, as both Lenalee and himself came from outside the Order and are the only surviving members of their family. Which in an organization where nepotism seems to be the commonality, that makes his position in the Order pretty impressive. He's the Alexander Hamilton of the Order.

During the attack on headquarters, Komui mobilizes the remaining exorcists to repel the akuma and made the practical decision to destroy the Egg in order to prevent the Earl from reclaiming it. But with the Level 4's appearance and the unknown status of their fighters, he chose to retreat. Like Bak during the Asian Branch crisis, he chooses not to endanger the lives of the exorcists who couldn't fight.

However, during the Third Exorcists arc, this standpoint of his starts to waver. Like Bak, it is to Komui's credit he didn't know about the Third Exorcist Program, but there is still the undeniable fact that he did not oppose the project when it came to light. He's uncomfortable about it, for sure. You can see he is not at all okay with any of this.

But he still says nothing.

The likely consolation in his mind is the Thirds were willing volunteers for the project and are honored to sacrifice themselves if need be, but this is still undeniably a slippery slope that can blow up in their faces. Which it does, resulting in the loss of the Thirds and four exorcists.

A silence of Komui's that speaks louder, though, is the treatment of Allen during his last days at the Order. Komui was in a bad spot here. On the one hand, he still views himself as an advocate for the exorcists. On the other, one wrong word and he might be the next one they lock up. So rather than speak out, he stays quiet in order to protect the others, which effectively means abandoning Allen. He doesn't even seem to be advocating for the Science Division's efforts to help.

There's already conflict between him and Lenalee over this. She's shown arguing with him in Night 204. We don't know what about, but given the context of the chapter, this probably isn't a petty sibling disagreement. Furthermore, where the current chapters stand, she and Marie are refusing to give him any information about Kanda and Johnny's whereabouts. This goes to show that while he does have good intentions, he no longer claims the same level of trust he used to, and that is likely killing everyone on the inside.

There is a distinct divide between 'Komui is Lenalee's brother' and 'Komui is Lenalee's commanding officer.' All the way back in the Fallen One arc, he is rather withdrawn in his instructions for her to recover Suman's Innocence and telling her point blank that he is beyond saving. There is also the post-Barcelona funeral where he strictly adheres to the Order's policy of cremating their dead and refusing to allow the finders to contact the families. Later on, he is even telling himself he can't afford to be sentimental even though we can clearly see how much the losses have affected him.

After the disaster of the Second Exorcist Program, Bak and Epstain both swore they would never be a part of any experiment like that again.  They lost their parents, Epstain owes her life to the Changs for shielding her from Alma's rampage, and they were left picking up the pieces of the disaster. It was her testimony to Central that put an end to the program.

So why does she go and dredge up all that bad blood to create the Thirds?

Bak, Komui, and Epstain all definitely went through a period of recovering mentally from the attack on headquarters, the appearance of a heretofore unheard of Level 4 akuma, and had to contemplate what this would mean for their organization going forward. It's not entire clear exactly when Komui became the branch chief, but he was 23 when he and Lenalee reunited, so it was around that time. (Lenalee would have been eight when word of the Second Program got out, so he definitely would have heard about it.)

So these three made their promises when they were in their early 20s at the most. In Bak and Epstain's case, they were handed responsibilities that should have remained with their parents for a few more years. Komui was still a teenager when his parents died.

They weren't children, but they were barely adults. In the face of tragedy, they all said, "No. We can be better than this," and they upheld those ideals admirably.

However, after nine years, hundreds of casualties, and catastrophic loss of life later, the Level 4's attack called back everything into question. It's the brutal reminder of their situation and of the three, Epstain is left questioning the stance she took a decade earlier. In short, the appearance of the Level 4 and the prospect of near annihilation scared her.

It definitely scared Komui and Bak, too, but as stated above, only one of them verbally opposed the Third Program. And even Bak gave in eventually.

Fear fueled desperation and desperation blurs where the line should not be crossed, and all three of them are now grappling with the idea of surviving and hanging on to their morality.

And unfortunately, there are the members of the cast that say,  “Victory no matter the cost.”

Which brings us to this guy.

Leverrier is definitely in the category of 'Characters you hated more than the villain' and his character design definitely didn't help things. From his first appearance in the series, he's callous and cold-hearted towards the exorcists, regarding them as less than people and more weapons and property of the Church. During the Level 4's attack, when Komui gave the order to retreat, Leverrier disagreed and said they should stand their ground in spite of the fact they had a one in a million chance of winning the battle.

However appalling as this decision was, though...it still worked. Sheer, dumb luck that it was, but we still have to acknowledge that Leverrier's decision and Lenalee's resolve were the main catalysts that, for better or worse, led to the discovery of the Crystal Innocence.

Unlike Komui, Bak, and Epstain, we don't have much in the way of backstory for Leverrier's character. There is definitely an element of family pride behind his motives. That is apparent by the vague storyline of the 'daughter that was offered up as a saint' as well as his rant to Link in Night 213 about using Allen and the 14th to win the war and that it's his victory, not Central's.

But there are two moments for this character that I think are telling. One is Link's statement in Night 247. "I have someone whom I wish to save...someone who lives his life restrained and filled with nothing but hatred." Link is pretty biased, so it's hard to gauge exactly what is genuine loyalty vs blind brainwashing, but the point is Link still has some reason to stand in his employer's corner. However, the other key moment is the very brief flashback we get in Night 150 where Leverrier, as a child, is calling out Hevlaska for her part in the human sacrifices, telling her she is murdering her own people.

This is a really odd stance for an otherwise harsh character, which does maybe indicate there was a time where even Leverrier thought the extreme actions of the Order were wrong? If this is true, what happened? If he used to be like the others and did once regard the exorcists as people instead of weapons, why the change?

There's a bittersweetness to the events of Lab 6 and the perpetrators of the Second Exorcist Program.

What's important to keep in mind is that even though Alma and Yuu were lab experiments, the scientists didn't treat them that way at all. They didn't keep them locked up in cages, the pair had free range of the lab as we can see them wandering all over the place unsupervised. The scientists gave them gifts. Alma knew what winter was despite having never been outside, so that means someone had to have told him about snow. When they had to 'dispose of' Yu, Tui and Epstain are openly weeping, and even Sahlins looks affected.

It's not a stretch to say the scientists loved those two, and so the entire lab did not hesitate to say, "No more." They put an end to the project and martyred themselves.

I think there also was an element of fear in this decision. Tui and Edgar Chang also probably had a line they thought they would never cross, and then they did. Once you commit something you previously thought was unthinkable, the question then becomes, "Where is the line now? How far are we going to go?"

Were they afraid of what they could become?

Finally, we come to the last character we're going to examine:

On his deathbed, Zhu Mei Chang confesses he is the one who began the human experimentation, that he was 'proud and cruel' and sought only the glory of his clan as he trampled on the lives of hundreds. This was an unexpected point of development for a character who's first appearance was a joke. When he first shows up, he's humbly chopping cabbage in the kitchens completely oblivious to Fou yelling directly at him through a megaphone. This introduction is hardly indicative of a heartless man who possibly tortured and killed many innocent people to have the 'honor of winning the war.' So the humor of him working as a lowly cook in the kitchens takes on a quality of possibly him trying to repent for everything he'd done.

So I'd like to acknowledge the age gap again:

Komui, Bak, and Epstain are still young adults. In their early twenties, they drew a line and stayed firmly behind it. Now they are 29-30 years old and they are toeing the line they themselves drew. That's a nine year difference. Nine years of hardship and a hopeless war that's been going on for a century already. As the audience, we have the benefit of assuming this war is going to end within their lifetime; they don't have that luxury. If nine years, and the prospect of carrying on through this the rest of their lives, did that to them, what did twenty or more years do to Zhu Mei Chang and Leverrier. Tui and Edgar were 39 and 43 years old respectively when they were killed, so their sacrifice may also have been viewed as an escape from a lifetime of warfare.

Allen and company have lost Suman, Daisya, the other Barcelona casualties, Tapp, countless members of the Science Division, General Yeegar, and many others through the course of one year.

With that kind of odds, it's tragically understandable how characters like Zhu Mei Chang and Leverrier may have ended up where they did. I don't like the idea that a character is inherently evil. D. Gray Man is a series full of many characters who are complex and nuanced, so writing off some of them as 'just cruel for no reason' is kinda out of place. Especially when the main villains are just as detailed. With the way things are going for Komui, Bak, and Epstain, I do genuinely wonder if Zhu Mei Chang and Leverrier once drew their own line of morality (as the Night 150 flashback may imply) and then decades of losses led them both to ask, "Survive as sinners or die as saints?"

Personally, I think every last one of the characters listed above who are still alive are headed for a Thanos-esque, "What did it cost? Everything..." tragedy.

Further tragedy has the potential to push even Komui, Bak, and Epstain, further down an ever darkening path. D. Gray Man is not a normal war. Whether they fight for vengeance or pride or to protect those who are left or they feel winning the war no matter the cost is owed to the countless people who have already died, it's still victory or death in the most literal sense for the Order.

That said, for the characters who have already gone too far and crossed the line, there's no redemption nor should there be redemption.

Castlevania Dracula says it best:

There comes a point where even the most determined of soldiers have to ask, "Does the victory justify the atrocities?" and "If this is what it takes to win the war, then maybe we deserve extinction."

Honestly, I really hope Leverrier's character arc ends with him getting yeeted out a window like it's a Prague regime change.

So where's it all going for the younger generation of the Order?

While they don't have the audience's benefit of knowing the war could end within their lifetime and there is in fact a light at the end of the tunnel, they do have the hindsight of knowing what the Order has done, all the mistakes that have led them to this point. Similar to Komui and the other branch heads, they doubly have the stance, "Our predecessors fucked up. In spite of the odds, we can be better. We can break this chain of generational trauma and win the war without the abhorrent methods."

Wanting to be destroyers that save people.

Hanging on to hope.

[champagneher]

— STEP BACK | JUNG HOSEOK

BASED ON | how dare she come back and try to steal your man? GENRE | f!reader x idol!hoseok, established relationship. WARNINGS | jealousy, swear words. I got the photos from the internet - pinterest - please let me know if they are yours, so I can give you credit for them or remove them.

It was annoying.

You were annoyed.

You knew the backstory of them, of course you knew.

You and Hoseok have been friends for so long that you share those memories from your teenage years on your movie nights where you discussed and analyzed the life of the others. Hoseok was in love with her for years, so he was absolutely over the moon when she accepted to date him, only for him to be played for months, leaving that beautiful young Hobi heartbroken. Still, after that, she knew the power she held, so she kept on using him. Not to mention, when BTS started to gain popularity, she used him on her favor.

When you met him in 2017, she was still around, but this time Hoseok wasn't in love anymore, he, like always, was just kind and kept helping her whenever she needed something. After all, she was like a childhood friend.

You could give yourself credit in saying that it was you who made him realize that people like her didn't deserve to be in his circle, not even close, but you shared the credit with the members and his sister. Finally, when she was out of the picture, everything was like a jigsaw puzzle.

Hoseok was making it in music, he had his friends with him and he had you. For a long time, he didn't know who to trust, a consequence of the insecurities she left him with, but with you, it was different. He could talk about anything without fear of being judged, he could share his thoughts and ideas. Discuss lyrics or rhythms, and be listened to attentively. Tease and tell absurd jokes and still be taken seriously. Be the sweetest, most loving person on the planet, but still be just Hoseok with you. His serious and professional side, whenever he came out, was not feared by you, but admired. And simply, he felt loved.

You had your things too. Your friends used to joke about how loneliness and singleness were your best friends, how you were allergic to love. Of course, it started to change when you slowly fell in love with him.

It was almost like falling asleep.

One moment he was your best friend and the next you were fucked up because you couldn't stop thinking and imagining what it would be like to wake up next to him.

Accepting your feelings for each other was a bit of a long road, but here you were. In a serious, almost three-years relationship where you both saw a future together.

You liked to protect what was yours, so you were always protective of him, and your territorial side came out quite often when you recognized people who had other intentions with Hoseok. He, being the love that he is, always assured you that he only had eyes for you and only you.

With the holidays around the corner, both of you were invited to different events of your friends and family. Today, both of you decided to attend the winter party of an important and close uncle of Hoseok's family.

You were quietly immersed in a gossipy chat with Jiwoo - Hoseok's sister and your sister-in-law - when you noticed her let out a sigh and roll her eyes.

"Why the change of mood?" You asked teasingly, taking a sip of your drink.

"Oh, don't laugh, you won't be happy either." She assured you, taking a sip of her champagne. You looked at her confused, and then she indicated with her head behind you.

"Oh."

Yes. Oh.

She was here.

Obviously, you couldn't forbid or comment to anyone that it bothered you to simply hear from her, but you also had to accept the fact that after all, her family and your boyfriend's family had known each other for quite some time, so the "maybe" of running into her at some event or gathering was always going to be there.

"You don't have to worry," Jiwoo spoke to you, capturing your attention again. "She's no one in our lives anymore, but my uncle always wants to look good with her family, so I'm not surprised to see her here."

"No, I know." You nodded, looking around for Hoseok who was talking to two of his friends. "It's just… whenever I see her I remember the Hobi from before and I don't want him to feel that way anymore."

Jiwoo smiled at you and let out a chuckle. "You're the girl of his dreams, ____. I can assure you that he wouldn't change you for anyone in the world. Besides, if he does, I'll be the first to kill him, followed by my mother, of course."

"I'm counting on it." You laughed with her and were slightly elated when you felt a hand being placed on your waist and then a kiss being placed on your forehead when you looked to your side.

"My girls. What are you talking about? Still commenting on the gossip of the week?" Hoseok brought your body closer to his in a gentle way that felt so natural to him. Joining in the chatter, he couldn't help but joke about your close bond that you both shared and made him so happy.

"Oh hush, Hobi. You know you're the first to ask about everything we talk about later."

"Me?" Faking surprise, he jokingly pointed at himself and brushed it off with his hand. "I don't do that."

"The lies that come out of your mouth, mum won't be happy." Jiwoo looked at him accusingly, laughing with you.

"My girlfriend here won't let me lie, right, baby?" He turned his head to look at you and pouted his lips.

You brought your right hand to his hand that was on your waist and intertwined your fingers with his. "Don't make me lie to your sister like that, please."

Hoseok gasped almost so loudly that Jiwoo had to cover her face with her hands to hide her embarrassed laughter for her brother. You, meanwhile, were enjoying this moment.

Time passed, the person you didn't want around took a back seat and you focused on having a good time with your boyfriend and his family.

"Ah, talking so much made me thirsty." Hoseok said with a huge smile, shaking his head.

"Right? It's them and their gossip." His brother-in-law supported him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, if it bothers you so much, you should have said something! Besides, we give you fashion tips too. I don't know why you complain so much." Jiwoo exclaimed, looking at her husband with a raised eyebrow as her gaze was defiant.

"I could never shut you up, love," he began to defend himself.

"God, why don't you go get us something to drink? It's been like 20 minutes since my champagne ran out." You said.

"Yeah, yeah, come on," Hoseok said to his brother-in-law, placed a kiss on the crown of your head and dragged him almost to the drinking place.

"Men…" You and Jiwoo almost let out a laugh as you both said the same thing at the same time, both rolling your eyes.

"I'll never understand how they get to know all that," Hoseok spoke almost surprised at the long talk the four of them had, changing the subject but mostly talking about gossip and fashion tips.

"If Jiwoo wasn't my wife, I'd be a little freaked out that she knows who I had dinner with three weeks ago."

"I don't even remember what I ate yesterday."

"Well, hello," a voice behind her spoke, cutting off the small waiting chat the two men were having, causing them to turn and see who it came from. "It's been a long time. How are you?"

"Oh… Myeong."

"Hello," Hoseok's brother-in-law, in comparison to him, reacted quickly by giving a slight wave, bowing his head quickly, so he could keep looking the other way.

Clearly, it could be seen how both had tensed slightly, knowing who Myeong really was. Still, even though Hoseok had all feelings for her in the past - and very well forgotten - he felt he had to have some sort of respect for her. After all, the two of them had been through a lot together, she was his elder, and after all, it wasn't in his nature to be mean to anyone.

"How have you been, Hobi?" Myeong asked, looking to draw chatter from somewhere. Her hair pulled back managed to bring out her cheeks and big eyes to perfection. She was very beautiful, yet she was nothing more than a pretty face to him and everyone around her.

"Fine, thank you very much," he replied cordially. "And you? How has your family been?"

"They are fine, I think you did greet them." She responded with a seductive smile, and Hoseok quickly regretted asking. "I love that you still care about them."

"Well, they are very good people, their donation to-"

"They have a lot of love and respect for you," her right hand rested on his right arm gently. The conversation had taken a path that gave her a chance to check if she could still hold him in her hand as she remembered. "It made me remember how a couple of years ago you stumbled in front of them and couldn't look at them in the eye for weeks. We had some good times afterward, though, didn't we?"

"I already have the drinks, though I need you to bring yours and ____'s," Hoseok released the air he was holding in his lungs and turned to look at his brother-in-law quickly smiling gratefully. He wanted to escape from there. He had forgotten how Myeong could make him uncomfortable and feel so little in just a few seconds. In those moments he wanted to return to his safe place by your side, to hold your hand and not let go until you got home where he would hold you and if you let him he would make love to you all night long. Feeling that security and love that you gave him was what kept him alive, and he really needed it now.

Remembering what he once talked about with his psychologist, he knew that bad memories could come back quickly -even if he didn't expect it- with the right person at the wrong time or in the wrong place.

"She's your date tonight, isn't she? I've heard a thing or two…" Myeong commented, ignoring the other man, fixing her eyes on Hoseok who clearly didn't know where to look. Twisting her smile, she could tell he still didn't know what to do as he stood in front of her. She thought she still had him in the palm of her hand.

"Actually, she's his girlfriend."

"We have some catching up to do." She interrupted him, making her grip on his arm tighter. "My cousin is here, she's a big fan!"

"Where are you going?" Hoseok asked nervously watching as his companion walked quickly away from him.

"He's just giving us space, don't worry." Myeong smiled and shrugged slightly dismissively. "As I was telling you, she is a fan, and she would love to meet you."

"Uh…"

"What do you say? She's here with her boyfriend, which if you ask me, honestly she could do better, but I don't judge her, he has a company so…"

"Myeong, thank you for your words, but I'm here with my girlfriend and my sister who are-"

"Jiwoo is here?! How beautiful, I'm going to give her a call. We should all go out for dinner together.

Reminisce about old times."

"I wouldn't feel very comfortable with that."

"Why?" Her tone of voice changed to a whimsical one, she pouted her lips, giving the best puppy face she could.

Well, of course you were watching the whole interaction flash before your eyes since she approached them. You watched as she observed him, biting her lips for a few seconds, then adjusting her dress and walking towards them, you witnessed as she deliberately and shamelessly placed her hand on your boyfriend, you also saw how Jiwoo was two seconds away from going to drag his brother out of that conversation. When Jiwoo saw her husband walk - almost run - towards you, she gave you a look that you understood immediately.

She was making a move on your boyfriend, and you wanted to mentally prepare yourself to go there first.

Your insecurities soon surfaced. Knowing Hoseok you knew he wouldn't push her away, instead he would be cordial and try to make conversation and then retreat. But obviously when you took a good look at her, and saw how truly beautiful she was, it was as if your feet froze to the ground and all you could do was watch the scene unfold with a cold stare. Your heart almost broke as you noticed how Hoseok became incredibly uncomfortable and nervous after a few seconds. You almost mentally beat yourself up for not going immediately, but you were afraid at first that he really wanted to talk to her.

Clearly, Hoseok was on another level, behaving respectfully and not shutting her up like he should. It was time for you to step forward.

"Good because-"

"You can't still be holding on to the past, can you? Hobi I thought we had put all that behind us…" repeating her same technique, her right hand this time slid lower to this time grab his hand with hers and swing it from right to left playfully.

"Myeong…" Hoseok let out an airy laugh, gently removing her hand from his, "I think you should-"

"Step back?" You added, smiling, appearing from the side.

In Hoseok's eyes you could see the relief come over him, and he could breathe normally again, but with Myeong, you noticed his gaze turn to a defiant one.

"Oh, you must be-"

"____, Hoseok's girlfriend, yes." You interrupted her by giving her the most fake smile you had. Leaving aside that she was deliberately flirting with your boyfriend in front of everyone, what made you angry is the bad situation she was putting him in. You could tolerate people flirting, asking him out on dates, or even hinting at other things, but you weren't going to tolerate them treating him badly or putting him through a bad time.

Myeong rolled her eyes without even trying to hide it and let out a heavy sigh as if she wanted to downplay you. "Anyway, I'm talking to my friend here. So I'd appreciate it if you would step back and give us some space."

"Oh, I don't think so," no matter how much you wanted to spit in her face, your mask of feigning calm never left your face. You didn't want to cause a scene, and you weren't going to. "I actually came to see what was taking my boyfriend so long around here," this time you gave Hoseok a sincere smile by moving closer to him, which he reciprocated by placing his hand on your waist. "We were just having a family chat, which we want to continue in a more… pleasant place." You said the last, giving her a look that reflected a little of the displeasure you now held. Just a little.

"Do you want to go home, love?" Hoseok spoke for the first time since you arrived, bringing his lips closer to your forehead to leave a light kiss.

You could hear Myeong sneering at Hoseok's sweet action.

"Please." You answered smiling.

"But Hobi, we were just catching up," Myeong tried to interfere, and went to want to grab his arm again, to which Hoseok this time was the one who stepped back and held your waist more securely.

"It was nice to greet you, Myeong. Say hello to your parents and have a good night. If you'll excuse me, I have to take my girlfriend to our home."

Hoseok smiled and began to walk with a firm step and with you holding on to your waist. You both went to where his sister and brother-in-law were waiting for you.

"I'm calm, I swear I am, but I can't stand her." Jiwoo said with clenched jaw.

"Thanks guys, I guess we'll go home now," Hoseok said, smiling kindly at both of them. "It was a long night, if you want you can come for dinner tomorrow," he offered calmly and looking at his sister fondly.

"Oh, of course, brother."

"We'll bring dessert."

"Fantastic," you smiled at the couple. After exchanging your goodbyes, you went to your boyfriend's parents where they also said goodbye and then went to the parking lot.

Before you reached the car, you couldn't help but stop your steps to face your boyfriend.

"I'm really proud of you, you know?"

"Mmh?" His eyes went wide and confusion took over his features. "Of me?" He pointed at himself.

"Yeah, of you." You laughed at his reaction.

"Why?" He asked, smiling and leaning closer to you.

"You handled that situation like a champ. I know it wasn't the best conversation you could have all night, but, I'm proud. That's all."

Hoseok's chest filled with immeasurable warmth as he felt a shiver run down his spine. He was completely, head over heels in love with you, and he knew that the ring waiting for him, hidden in his wardrobe, confirmed it. Taking your hand in his, he brought you close and began to move slowly, as if you were dancing to a soft melody.

Used to dancing to anything with him at anytime, you just followed him and enjoyed having him so close to you.

He softly kissed your lips for a few moments, bringing his right hand to your cheek while his left went to your waist to fully attach your body to his.

"I love you."

"I love you too." You smiled.

"I love you more."

"Okay, but the next time someone else calls you Hobi besides me, I swear I won't keep my cool like I did today."

Hoseok couldn't help but let out a laugh and clapped at your comment. You just let out a chuckle and looked around to see if anyone else was around.

"Let's go home, shall we?"

"Let's go, love."

i could't put a name on jiwoo's husband i feel terrible. guess he's just brother in law for now. anyways, thank you for reading, let me know what you think!

[aoioozora]

Liu Kang Tries Earthrealm Activities: The Karaoke.

Characters: Liu Kang, Johnny Cage

Content: singing, joking, memes, friendly LK and JC interactions

Photo credit: your mom

Note: Idk if anyone has done this before, but I thought it would be funny lol. Enjoy!

“Hey Liu Kang! We should totally go to the karaoke!” Johnny Cage exclaimed, barging into the room Liu Kang was in. 

The fire god, not quite bothered by the disruption, patiently looked up from the scroll he was reading and stared at confusion at the actor, trying to process what he just said. 

“What's a karaoke, Johnny Cage?” Liu Kang asked innocently, his glowing eyes gleaming with interest. 

Johnny was about to look at the god with a “are you kidding me bruh?” look, but remembered that Liu Kang was a deity and wasn't fully familiar with Earthrealmer activities. 

“You wanna find out?” asked Johnny, slapping his chest, puffed both with muscle and mostly pride, “Because,” he now sang, raising his arm in the air and slowly swiping it across him, “I can show you the world,” 

Liu Kang, not understanding the reference and taking it literally, smiled. “And I created this world,” he said. 

Johnny clicked his tongue at the other's incompetence in matters of cultural importance. “You say that, but know nothing of what Earthrealmers do in their spare time.” He taunted with a playful smirk. 

Liu Kang smiled again. “That's why I can count on you to help me.”

Johnny laughed. “You came to the right person! Now, off to the karaoke we go!” 

As the two men went, with Johnny leading, Liu Kang silently pondered and was intrigued by this strange sounding place that Johnny was so excited about. When they reached, Johnny booked a room for two hours and before they knew it, they were in a dark room with disco lights and a glittering above, a computer, and television screen. Across the television sat two couches and a table. 

“Well?” asked Johnny, motioning at the room, “What do you think?”

Liu Kang stared confusedly at the room. He had seen all these things separately before, but all of them put together in one room made him wonder how they all worked together. Johnny, seeing his companion's reaction, brought him inside and showed him the ropes. 

Johnny first chose a song; International Love seemed to be his first choice, since a video with the song and his face went viral on the socials, causing the song to be his unofficial theme song. 

“You put it down like New York City! I never sleep! Wild like Los Angeles, my fantasy!”

Liu Kang watched carefully as Johnny sang his heart out and busted out some of his favorite dance moves. The disco lights went crazy on their own, and even in this high strung environment, he was calmly observing the modus operandi of a “karaoke session”. 

When Johnny finished singing, he let out a heavy, but satisfied sigh and handed the mic to Liu Kang.  “Your turn.” he said.

Liu Kang looked curiously at the object Johnny was handing him and remembered that it was a microphone which was handy in amplifying one's voice. He took it, and then looked through the computer screen in front of him, looking at the vast array of songs, none of which he knew. 

After looking in vain for a song he knew, he asked, “Do they have Chinese songs?” 

“Yeah! They got songs in all languages!” Johnny exclaimed and then showed Liu Kang where to find them. 

When Liu Kang saw his native tongue on the screen, he felt at ease, and now put his all into searching for a good song. A lot of them looked like modern songs that hardly made sense to him, but one of them, an old song, caught his eye. 

He declared he would sing it and stood up in front of the television screen where the lyrics were now showing up. 

“Liu Kang! Liu Kang! Liu Kang!” Johnny cheered with a woop, egging him on to start singing. 

He soon did, and Johnny was pleasantly surprised by the fact that Liu Kang's voice was so melodious and soulful. When he had thought of it, he had never really heard Liu Kang sing before. 

Just as Johnny felt like he heard this song somewhere, Liu Kang sang the chorus with passionately, 

“Xuě huā piāo piāo běi fēng xiāo xiāo, tiāndì yīpiàn cāngmáng,”

Johnny chuckled, immediately recognising it. 

When Liu Kang finished his soulful number, Johnny asked him if it was his favorite song. 

“Of course it is. There are very few songs I enjoy and this is one of them.” answered Liu Kang with a wide grin, feeling ecstatic after singing. 

“I've a request for you to sing. It's also a Chinese song.” said Johnny with a mischievous smirk. 

Liu Kang, happy to sing some more, eagerly asked Johnny which song he had in mind. Johnny had to keep himself from laughing as he made Liu Kang listen to it on his phone first. 

“This is a good song! The singer is so kind as to make a song for sad people to feel happy again. Excellent choice, Johnny Cage.” Liu Kang said approvingly. “I didn't know you liked Chinese songs.” 

Johnny flashed an amused smirk, lying straight through his teeth, “Yeah, my recent obsession. I gotta promote my movies in China too, so, I gotta learn Chinese to up my social credits.” he shrugged, smiling. “You got the tune down?” 

“Yes, I think I can sing it.”

He started singing the first stanza, and Johnny sat with feverish excitement for his favorite part of the song to come. 

“Má hái guăn tā gàn má xīn lĭ yào jì de,”

Johnny smirked. It was coming. 

Liu Kang took a deep breath and started singing the chorus. 

“Nĭ shì nèi nèi gè nèi nèi, nèi gè nèi gè nèi gè nèi nèi,”

Johnny lost it. He started laughing hysterically, even falling over on the couch, holding his sides. 

Liu Kang, startled by Johnny's sudden laughter, stopped singing. By this time, Johnny was wheezing, laughing, and coughing all at once. The singer's confusion and concern only added to the other's hysterics. 

“Johnny Cage, why are you laughing?” demanded Liu Kang, now slightly annoyed. 

“It's nothing!” Johnny said through his coughs as he wiped the tears from his eyes, still chuckling. 

“Tell me why.” 

“Ain't nothing but a heartache!” Johnny returned, his hysterics starting again, now louder than the music. 

Liu Kang looked on, his confusion growing by the second. “Did I sing badly?” he asked. 

“No! No, no, you didn't.” Johnny coughed repeatedly. “I just remembered something funny.”

“I want to know what it is.” insisted Liu Kang. 

“Nah, I'm not telling you.” resisted Johnny. He was definitely not yet going to tell him that whatever he was singing sounded like a certain racial slur that started with the letter "n". He wanted to laugh at Liu Kang's innocence a little longer before revealing the truth.

Liu Kang sighed, deciding it wasn't worth his time to know. He was more interested in singing, and continued where he left off. 

When the two hours were up, the two left the karaoke center. 

“So, I see you had fun.” quipped Johnny in a slightly hoarse voice.

“I had the most splendid time, Johnny Cage. Thank you for showing me what a karaoke is.”

“Would you do it again?” 

“Indeed, I would.”

Johnny smirked. “Now let's get some bing chilling!”

“Bing chilling?” Liu Kang looked with confusion at his companion once again, before realising what he said. “You mean bīng qílín, if you're talking about ice cream.” he corrected, “Johnny Cage, your accent and pronunciation are awful. If you're going to promote in China, you should do better.”

“Okay, okay,” Johnny groaned loudly, making a mental note to teach Liu Kang about memes later. 

End.

My other MK fanfiction:

🌸 Johnny Cage sings you to sleep

🌸 Kenshi does your hair

[tommos]

one direction history post: strange merch

hi everyone! i'm starting a small series of one direction history posts just to combine my interests in both history and the boys. these won't be super in depth, more so showing and telling. this first post is about some weird and strange merch choices one direction's marketing team has attempted to sell us throughout the years. i got these screenshots from the wayback machine looking at onedirectionstore.com, their official store. they are separated by era solely based on what was present on their shop at the time of each of the boys albums. these merch items are not a reflection of the albums themselves (which you'd think their merch team would try to appeal more to the aging fanbase as years went on), they all seem to me to be more geared toward how much they can attempt to get us buy. i now present to you the weirdest, most dated one direction merch i could find <3 enjoy

X Factor - Up All Night

what is this for, who is this for, why is this one of the first accessory items ever posted on the one direction store??? what was the initial demographic of the one direction fanbase?? idk when i was 10 i didn't need this, i would enjoy one now though

if you guys remember silly bandz, you are a veteran.. also give us toledoans credit where it's due because one of ours invented these bad boys

finally my iphone 4 will be decked out in the one direction collectors set

this was also the start of their personalized messages section of merch you could buy. surprise your loved one with heartfelt messages such as 'birthday girl' or 'merry christmas daughter'

Take Me Home

from here on out, this and two other photos are the only photos their team decided to make merch with. there is two other duvet sets that use those other photos, even in their later eras

sometimes i wake up in a cold sweat remembering these existed. if i can find my louis mask, i will wear it to fitfwt

if any of you have this keyring or the singing toothbrush, send me a clip of it singing please or if it is able to sing. i am so curious im on the edge of my seat

NAIL TEMPORARY TATTOOS

Midnight Memories

i literally do not know what this has to do with music, one direction, or anyone associated with one direction

i need to point out, these one direction watches came in literally every single color you could imagine. i do not know why they are merched inside of a can?? but they were the it-girl of their merch during this era

speaking of cans, WHAT IS THIS

would any of you fine people want to buy a 1d girls glitter strap shoe? it is merch like this that really reminds me one direction was moreso a brand than a band to their team

Four

kudos to their team for picking a more recent photo for the era, but also who would want this

do you guys remember the craze of this specific type of lamp

if the scooter isn't your speed, how about this one direction 16" cruiser bike make with old uan era font, color schemes, and photos?

Made In The AM

i am only putting this mitam find in here to point out something that i found crazy. this shirt was on the one direction merch website only one month after march 25th, you can see how quickly their merch team shelled out merch without zayn on it. i didn't include anymore, but even their on the road again tour merch on the website quickly had zayn erased

i hope you guys all enjoyed this weird trip down memory lane if you can call it that, and liked looking at some of the weird merch their team used to sell. this is only stuff that stood out to me, i'm sure there's a lot more somewhere so if you have any, send them to me or feel free to add onto this post. if you own any of these, ESPECIALLY THE BIKE, please add a pic of them to this post lol