#let's ignore the fact that he wrote this song before that specific concert but still

[setmeatopthepyre]

Ruin comes to beauty, almost inevitably And now this I see right here at home In the U.S.A. things get worse each day I hope it's not too late to pack my things and go

But where I wanna be is not where you'd expect They have a place for me down on Nieuwe Binnenweg

Is this real life or just the way I am I long for the Netherlands and I wanna go back Back to Rotterdam

[taekooktimeline]

Ask

Kayla will focus more on the latest VCR’s while Sara will do so on the one where TK appear under a blue light.

Kayla: Hello! 💜I miss questions like this🥺thank you so much for submitting it, and that means a lot that you appreciate hearing our interpretation of things💜I loved this question so much🥰

Before I start, as always, please keep in mind this is simply my interpretation of things! ☺️

I agree both VCRs seem to heavily hint to deeper things with taekook. Let’s start with Jungkook’s “my time”. He has said consistently this song is about his lost childhood and growing up in the spotlight. However, I do personally think there’s a secondary meaning. I understand some are sensitive to analyzing songs, and no not every song in a member’s solo discography is directed to his lover, but here’s what made me pause - the chorus - “I can’t call ya/hol’ ya” and then, at the end, it changes to “I will call ya/I will hol’ ya”. It fits his struggles in the spotlight - the inability to reach out due to multiple difficulties (busy schedule, saesangs, etc) and eventually he is able to reach out, call, touch. In this instance, the chorus could be considered towards relationships, like a special someone. I don’t normally like Quora, but Helen Xu, an interactor on the site, is very insightful and has said something I agree with. She directly answered a question about “my time”. Below are snippets but I highly encourage reading the entirety of her answer here - https://www.quora.com/Do-you-think-My-Time-by-BTS-Jungkook-is-about-himself-I-respect-and-trust-BTS-what-they-say-but-I-can-t-help-but-feel-that-this-song-is-for-his-significant-other-I-really-hope-so-tho-because-I-love-that-for-him-but 

Keeping in mind this, we can examine the VCR a little more closely. Jk looks at a lot of clocks on the walls.

But only a handful are singled out and on a nightstand close by him. For me, this indicates great importance to these specific clocks.

One I am still working on figuring out is the one to the far left of Jk, right behind the phone. I can’t determine if it says 3:09 or 3:10. If it says 3:09… that’s very interesting, as it’s Yoongi’s birthday. Keep in mind, Yoongi wrote letters to only taekook in 2018 that, in Tae’s own words, made him cry for 10 mins. The members joked Jk’s letter must be a “copy paste” of Tae’s, meaning the same letter:

Jk singled out both Tae’s character, Tata, and Yoongi’s character, Shooky, to be the ones supporting Cooky directly in the ring for his 2020 B21 skit.

If the clock truly says 3:09, this is the second time Jk has directly singled out Yoongi in 2020, as well as Tae when factoring the other clock. Disclaimer - Please note this part is shaky since I can’t determine the time enough to feel confident. 

But what we can deduce - as a lot noticed, 2 of the 3 clocks next to Jk show his birthday, 9/1 - 9:01, and Tae’s 12/30 - 12:30.

The fact these are singled out from the other clocks and are closest to Jk imply to me great importance to him. He picks up the third clock closest to him.

This one has the time - zero o’clock. He holds it up and smiles at it, as if he’s embracing the new time.

Zero o’clock is about starting a new day and forgetting what troubles you. For me …factoring in the two clocks being placed in a prominent position (denoting Tae’s and Jk’s birthdays) + Jk then performs “my time” right after + my suspicions that align with Helen Xu, that the song has a secondary (hidden) meaning …for me, this indicates Jk has found his time. His time has come, he’s ready/at peace and he’s welcoming it. He’s leaving his former struggles behind and will live more freely, less restricted. 

The other part of the VCR was very interesting. Only Taekook paint their faces in black. I spoke to a few different people, who were firm that painting oneself with black indicated stigma, sin, being different, in their culture. It can also be viewed as their shadow, as BTS have discussed this extensively. Tae covers his eye while Jk covers his mouth. This reminded me of “see no evil, hear no evil” in the sense their differences/“sins” are not seen or spoken about by society. Society chooses to ignore what they’ve tried to show and say.

Jk paints his mouth black while Tae paints his eye.

After, both smirk.

For me, this indicates they’re embracing their shadow/difference. They are not bothered any further by society closing their eyes and mouths to their stigma. They have come to terms with it. They will no longer hide in their shadows/darkness. 

They also showed the shadow closing on Tae (going backwards, reverse effect, not fully closing since the door still opens for him) and the light opening on Jk - parallels of each other, and again, they are the only two with this symbolism.

What I find very interesting out of all of this is how taekook are singled out as different from the group. There is a reoccurring pattern. We saw it at MAMA 2019. Both were in blue light then, based on standing order, both were in black. (As a side note - i couldn’t find a capture that encompassed Jin in the below blue/red light):

The others are in white while Taekook are black, still hidden, in their shadow. 

We then saw them be singled out as different again in the On MV. Both were the only ones that had thorns, Tae’s on his neck and Jk’s around his wrist.

Thorns also can be symbolic of sin, just like the black paint in the VCR:

Jk even says he was cast out of society for being different.

My personal thinking which isn't necessarily applicable to the VCRs and heavy hinting: a taekook subunit is coming by the end of the year. We’ve said this consistently since about the spring, as noted in the main timeline, based on the first few vlives, some festa promo shoots and the order of the festa board.

There have been some other, more recent, indicators, but this has been my consistent stance - 1) Taekook 2) Yoonmin + Jin 3) Hobi and Joon. We’ll see! I know some have a differentiating opinion on this based on the BTS YT live with two subunits, not three + photo cards but my stance remains the same from spring. And if you disagree it’s ok! It’s only theory- it can be wrong or right. In asks I feel safer theorizing more freely since we don’t have to place as much importance on being “right”. Either way, even if I’m incorrect on the other subunit pairings, I still think Taekook will be a unit. 

BH is working to normalize - to some degree - TK after years of restricting on camera interactions. Part of normalizing, for some, will be a subunit. I feel strongly it’ll happen for that reason. Whether it’s on a BTS album, or KTH1 or JJK1, I’m not sure. But I think by December or, at the latest January, the subunit will happen on one of those three (if it doesn’t happen in November for BE). 

But I want to make it clear … I don’t think singling out Taekook from the group is solely for their subunit. Whether the subunit is on the BTS album or a mixtape, I feel very strongly we are getting one. But the reoccurring pattern of showing them as different from the other five members, with symbolisms of shadow/stigma/sin (and now embracing that)... to me indicates something even bigger is possibly brewing. I’ve got a lot of mixed thoughts I’m sorting through regarding the company’s stance right now so some of that conflicts and I just need to see in time where things go. 

Please remember this is merely MY opinion / theory on this topic, which is subjective and open to individual interpretation. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong :) theory is theory for a reason and I know some disagree on the subunit part (so please don’t flood the asks with stances - I know this is a varied opinion💜😅). All we can do is wait. 

——————————

Sara: I´ve never paid too much thought to concert VCR´s because I wasn't sure if they had enough substance...but now as I pondered I'm quite excited to share my findings. We all know Taekook were the only ones to have a blue light casted over them right? Well, this is extremely important and I’ll tell you why. 

BTS have made references to the blue & red pill dilemma from matrix on multiple occasions, the first time that I recall being in their MV for “N.O.” where they take the red pill & fight the system.

In sum, if you take the red pill you face the harsh reality while if you take the blue pill you stay in a dream-like illusion, a fake and perfect one. In the music video for “Shadow” you can see Suga singing on top of the scenario covered in blue light while everyone filmed him. This is his persona. The persona, for psychiatrist Carl Jung, was the social face the individual presented to the world—"a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and on the other to conceal the true nature of the individual" = an illusion = blue pill.

  Afterwards, his shadow that was hidden among the crowd takes over and everything turns red as he faces his true hidden self = harsh reality = red pill.

What is the shadow? In short, the shadow is the unknown side. The shadow represents all the personal traits we have ignored, denied, or cut off from ourselves. Because one tends to reject or remain ignorant of the least desirable aspects of one's personality, the shadow is largely negative. There are, however, positive aspects that may also remain hidden in one's shadow (especially in people with low self-esteem, anxieties, and false beliefs). Being LGBTQ would fit into this last case as it’s not negative in nature. Jung’s concept is that the aim of one’s life, psychologically speaking, should be not to suppress or repress, but to come to know one’s other side, and so both to enjoy and to control the whole range of one’s capacities; i.e., in the full sense, to “know oneself.” That process is called “individuation” and a necessary step is to become aware of the shadow and integrate it’s hidden aspects into the consciousness.

At first the blinking blue light suffocates Tae who can be seen suffering, running around and hugging himself. Something in his interior wants to be set free.

At the end of the VCR Tae is finally standing calmly as he faces his truth, accepting it (red) -

That’s what Sinclair does in the book “Demian” that BTS based their series “Wings” on. He recounts his experiences with the two realms, two worlds of which he was aware at the time—one of darkness, and one of light, one of day and one of night. The realm of day was everything "good", straight, and Christian. The realm of night was the world of scandal and mystery, drunkenness and murder, deceit and illegal activity. The realm of light was the world of Sinclair's parents and sisters. Though living in the realm of light, he was curious about and attracted to the realm of darkness. He was tempted by Demian, who acted like an inner voice leading him to self-discovery and individuation. In the Below pic the black ink represents temptation and “sin”. Jk takes it to his mouth (in this 2016’s trailer for the Wings tour, other members use different symbolism like sinful apples, blindfolds, curtains, etc).

Jk takes a taste of this world of darkness in BS&T. The world of the previously unknown and denied shadows.

Dialogue from “Demian” that played in this scene from BS&T: “He too was a tempter. The evil world with which I no longer wanted to have anything to do”. The balloon is let go which represents lost innocence - surroundings covered in red.

As I said, the shadow is not always inherently negative, but it’s always perceived as such by either society, the individual, or both. The intro for “Wings” was “Boy Meets Evil”. When the lyrics give into the temptation the walls are painted red.

When performing this song in MAMA 2016 we can see the two realms on opposite sides. When we mix them we get a purple color representing the whole, the dichotomy of human nature (which tormented Sinclair until he accepted himself).

What are they trying to convey with this picture below?

Well, other members are letting their shadows be seen, but Taekook are showing us their carefully drafted public persona, hiding their truth. All of them do this to some extent, but this image implies Taekook’s real self drastically contrasts with the illusion that they create by wearing their masks. They have to conceal more than the rest, even if they already accepted themselves.  What you see is a pretty lie = blue. They only show us their “good” side. Just like “Fake Love’s” lyrics (a song directed to army): “Mold a pretty lie for you”, “Try to erase myself and make me your doll”.  Also, In Singularity Tae sings about silencing his voice and trapping himself into a frozen BLUE lake.

He wears a mask. The red part of his head (shadow, hidden truth) has an earring that reads “loved”. Forbidden, secret love?

Yoongi recently talked about this topic while In The Soop. He said that he talked with Bang pd nim and that, if someone has to do it (for a greater good), he himself would choose the red pill. He would sacrifice. The matrix is an ongoing theme.

About the latest VCR’s where TK have black paint, I basically agree with Kayla. They were introducing the shadow-themed section of the concert so every member was portraying the shadow in different ways but it’s definitely interesting that Taekook represented the shadow with the exact same symbolism put back to back - arguably the most visually impactful out of them - placed near the end of the VCR as it reaches it’s peak in intensity before slowly falling into quietness again. Taekook share a common aspect of themselves that is considered negative and carries a stigma and therefore - as their blue public colors indicate - is part of their red hidden shadow. They really highlighted Taekook’s scenes, so it indicates their shadow is of greater significance. It’s a bigger deal. As mentioned earlier, the black ink is related to sin.

Now JK’s VCR that introduced his song. “My time” by Jk is certainly about his crazy life while growing up in the spotlight. It’s not only about his lost childhood, but also about a “limited love”, losing the capacity to love freely during his teens and beyond. The chorus - the part of the song that delivers the main message - sings about a relationship with many physical limitations. The chosen words are pretty romantic: hold, touch, etc (discard fans as it’s a personal song). Since we talk about the spotlight, it can be understood that they can’t do those things while having eyes on them. He says “happy that we met each other” so it’s not about his family. He’s waiting for “the time” they’ll be able to love freely which he has promised will come (“I will hold ya and you know”). If we take the previous VCR’s into account it’s quite suspicious that Taekook’s clocks are placed right next to each other in the most important spot angle-wise. It does seem like a connection between Jk’s song and Taekook. 

What does all this ultimately mean? What’s the purpose of showing these hints? Well, not sure. Could be related to them coming out in the future and finding their time to live their lives as a couple without pretending, taking off their masks and revealing their truth. For the time being a TK subunit would be neat though :P 

[operaghostnocturne]

The Problem with ‘Love Never Dies.’

“Love Never Dies,” 2012 Starring Ben Lewis as The Phantom, Anna O'Byrne as Christine, watched on Youtube, 4/24/2020 SPOILERS.  I would like to note: I enjoyed the set design, costume design, some of the music, and production of this version of Love Never Dies.  I also really liked the actor’s performances.  They did a good job.  I especially loved Ben Lewis’s singing voice.  (Derrick Davis ((US Restaged Tour)) is still my favorite.) The problem with Love Never Dies is its a sequel to Phantom of the Opera, the characterization, and writing. ALW’s Phantom of the Opera stands alone. It was never meant to have a sequel.  It really doesn’t need one.  I do feel there is a big disconnect between POTO and LND. I think LND could be rewritten to have nothing to do with the original POTO and would not suffer for it. To me, LND feels like someone’s fixit fanfic that doesn’t actually fix anything.  POTO is also insanely iconic.  It is hard to follow it up. While LND’s music is pretty good, I don’t think its nearly as memorable nor iconic as POTO’s.  I also don’t feel it balanced original POTO music with new material.  Honestly, it needs to pick one. Something ALW does in his musicals is reuses the notes of a song, mixed in a different pattern to make a new one.  “The Music of the Night” and “All I Ask of You” are like this (look at sheet music if you don’t believe me.)  This is not a complaint.  This helps with cohesion of a musical.  It also makes refrains, duets with battling music, and sometimes even story, clearer. When its done well, its unnoticeable. In fact, I got to play a POTO compilation in a semi-professional concert orchestra in high school.  I never noticed ALW does this until when someone pointed it out to me like a month ago.  In LND, I can constantly hear the rifts from the first musical, to the point where I think one of those songs is about to start, or it gets super distracting.  I noticed this especially in ‘Why Does She Love Me?’  I’m 80% sure it was based of POTO’s main theme (like the song ‘Phantom of the Opera,�� or the ‘Overture.’)  Again, I liked most of the music in LND.  But it doesn’t hold a candle to POTO. oh look I made a pun. Having said that all that: LND feels like a sequel mostly to 2004.  In my opinion, 2004 has the most sympathetic version of the Phantom, and the one that could most likely end up with Christine in the end.  Especially compared to the US Restaged Tour.  In 04, I also feel like the Phantom and Christine (not their actors) feel closer in age than other productions of the musical, other Phantom adaptations, and even the book.  (For those who don’t know: Erik is 50-60 in the book, Christine is like, 16.) LND’s writing is not great.  First of all: THE PHANTOM’S NAME IS ERIK. I know they were trying to have a MYSTERY pun. Mister Y does not work for that, especially in a format that ISN’T BEING. READ.  I can understand why its left out in POTO, as it lends the Phantom some mystery (though I do not like it.) There is LITERALLY no reason not to have the Phantom called Erik it LND. Granted, this is a complaint I have from POTO too.  I kinda feel like the Phantom not having a name dehumanizes him. That is a discussion for another day. I absolutely HATE that the Phantom runs a circus company.  A big part of Erik’s trauma comes from being in a freak show.  I don’t believe Erik would be willing to go back to that.  I also don’t think it would be his scene.  The Phantom of the Opera belongs in an Opera house, or at the very least a music all. I don’t know why he couldn’t have started something like that instead of a freak show.  Or perhaps be an eccentric composer. Especially if he is getting help from the Giry’s.   I do think its fitting that he’s working with/employing disabled, or deformed people, and other societal outcasts.  However, being the owner of the VERY THING that treated him horribly is pretty bad, especially since we don’t know if he treats these people any better than he was treated. Also, every time the music switched to ‘show tunes,’ I felt Erik’s soul dying.  On that note, when LND shifts from a musical to addressing the audience directly in its ‘show tunes’ sections, its jarring.  It breaks the fourth wall way too much and really pulls the audience out of whats going on.  The way Erik is in POTO, chased away from the world and the light, is why he is like he is.  He became fascinated with the night, the macabre and darkness because of his experiences with the world. That’s a pretty big point in POTO.  Its one of the things that make him sympathetic. After all “THE WORLD SHOWED NO COMPASSION TO ME!” is the Phantom’s excuse in the final lair. LND tramples over that.  Gustave seems to be interested in the same darkness his biological father is, as seen in “The Beauty Beneath.”  Erik’s obsession with the dark, night, and macabre is turned into genetics.  Which is pretty bad for Gustave if you think too hard about it. Erik is a serial killer.  I do believe talent can be passed in genetics.  I also think the way we view said talent and how we use it is shaped by personal experiences and preferences.  On that note, Gustave could have gotten his musical abilities from his mother, or his grandfather, both of whom are also talented musicians.   Another thing LND suffers from, is making Christine a prize again. Raoul and Erik do not see her as a person.  ‘Devil Take the Hindmost’ is literally the boys having a dick measuring contest, with Christine as the prize.  That is not okay. I hated the ending. For several reasons.  First of all, the Phantom is still abusive.  He is a puppet master. He is still not capable of having a healthy relationship with Christine.   Secondly, Christine dies. ALW, if you are gonna write a fixit fic the LEAST you could do is let Erik be happy.  Plus, Christine is killed by a cliche ‘I just wanted you to notice me’ subplot. One that wasn’t entirely well set up or thought out.  Which is disappointing and frustrating.  Last two things I hated: when Christine kisses Erik for the last time, she doesn’t take off his mask.  I feel like they missed a good opportunity to show Christine being completely accepting of who Erik is, including what he looks like (again, would be better if Erik wasn’t abusive.)  I also NEVER like it when we don’t get to see Erik’s deformity in any version of Phantom.  The only other one that doesn’t I’ve seen/read is Dance. (Which I dislike greatly. Its at the bottom of my list.)  I’m kinda good either way if Gustave goes with Erik or Raoul (preferably neither, if I get a choice, which I don’t.)  Erik and Gustave can connect over music in a way Raoul and Gustave cannot. Erik can teach Gustave about music and the beauty beneath. Raoul did raise Gustave.  Raoul might also have a serious heart change after the events of LND that we are not shown.  Or we can do that one AU where Raoul and Erik become Gustave’s two dad’s (either gay or not, whatever floats your boat.)

The worst thing about LND is it completely ignores the character growth in its predecessor. Characters completely regress into who they were before the ending of POTO.  This is annoying and bad writing. Lets start with Meg and Madame Giry.  I don’t like that Madame Giry is helping Erik. Yes, she helped him escape the freak show in 2004 (and possibly other versions.) BUT, she was also absolutely TERRIFIED of the Phantom in POTO.  She helped Raoul find the Phantom’s Lair, with the full knowledge that Raoul intended to put a stop to Erik’s madness.  I think it would be more likely that Madame Giry would stay as far away as Erik as she possibly could. Madame Giry also feels like a secondary greedy villain in LND, and that feels WAY off base for her. Maybe Erik being manipulative has rubbed off on her? Again, I don’t think she would be in this position in the first place (nor would Erik be manipulative, because I see him as realizing he DUN HECKED UP at the end of POTO). Meg, I could see wanting to help the Phantom (she even does in some versions.)  I see this as her being enthralled by the legend of the Phantom, and less that they actually know each other. As for her loss of innocence, I don’t think it was set up well, nor was it executed well. Also, Meg wanting the Phantom to see her is a cliche. Cliches can be okay, if they are handled well. I don’t think LND wrote it well. The only person I feel that has consistent characterization from POTO is Raoul (well, a specific version of it.)  I have always been of the opinion that Raoul is a jerk.  Having him spiral into gambling and drinking after a traumatic event is not surprising.  Could be something that was always there, could be PTSD.  Who knows, it wasn’t really talked about beyond Raoul feeling sorry for himself, and him being frustrated that he can’t connect to Christine on a musical level. Christine’s arc in POTO was about taking back her own power and becoming her own person. Of letting go of the past and moving forward.  This is thrown out. She is once again caught between two men in a dick measuring contest, both of which are trying to manipulate her to one side or the other, completely powerless.  This time, there really wasn’t a way for her to get it back. I feel like she felt obligated to sing for the Phantom, even without Gustave’s life being threatened, and the Phantom’s manipulation is what made Raoul leave  (Granted, I think Raoul leaving makes sense in the context of LND.)  Christine has no agency in LND. Finally, the ending of POTO is what redeems Erik.  He is the one with the biggest character arc and character growth. He learns the most.  I do believe he had a genuine heart change at the end of POTO.  What happened wasn’t what he wanted, but it was what he needed to become a better person, and start moving past his trauma. Ignoring that is a big mistake. Yet, in LND, he is back to being an arrogant, abusive, manipulative, puppet master.  Sometimes, I can see small pieces of character growth. He seems less bothered by his appearance, and maybe slightly more mature. Though, even these glimpses are often overshadowed or ignored in the next scene.   LND is NOT continuation of the characters we met in POTO. Much of the writing that connects LND with POTO is meh.  Honestly, in some ways it feels like less a sequel and more its very own adaption of Phantom. Which is half its problem.

[mirkwoodshewolf]

It’s a kind of magic tour pt. 2; Queen x reader

*Author’s note*

And like I promised guys, here is the second part of the chapter and like I said I’ll try to get the last part of the chapter ASAP. But for now we are at the Budapest section of the tour, it’s not really so much of the concert as it is something else, but ohh wtf I’ll just say it, I mostly wrote about Roger’s bday in this chapter so it’s FLUFFY FATHER-DAUGHTER feels with this chapter so I hope you all enjoy this chapter as you did the previous part :)

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things​

@psychosupernatural​

@waddles03​

@ixchel-9275​

@platawnic​

@geek-and-proud​

@queendeakyy​

@kairosfreddie​

@simonedk​

@onebigfangirlworld​

@naturalswifty89​

@starswin​

@bohemiansweede​

@5sos-wdw​

@labessieisallama​

@dj-lowkey​

@isabella-bby​

______________________________________________________

*July 25th, 1986. Budapest, Hungary*

After a few days of resting from the Austria concert, we were now on the ferry ride to a place that I knew very well but the guys never got to quite go to, my favorite place of all time, Budapest, Hungary.  The guys were all psyched to visit such a beautiful country and I couldn’t wait to show them what all there was to see and do.

While Deacy and Bri were lying up along the boat getting in some sun, Freddie and I were sitting together and I was telling him all there was to know that I could remember about Hungary.  Plus he said he had a little surprise for the Hungarian audience.

“Oh look Fred the crowning jewel of Budapest. The House of Parliament.” I pointed out as we came around towards it.

“Oh fabulous isn’t it. The House of Parliament. Is it for sale?”

“Freddie!” I giggled. “You can’t just buy the House of Parliament.”

“Why not?” he then turned to Queen’s interpreter and asked him, “How many-how many bedrooms?” I rolled my eyes and shook my head playfully at him.

“About 56 bedrooms in total.”

“Do they have enough servants quarters?” I gaped at Freddie and slapped his arm and that’s when he caught onto his mistake. “Not a good thing to say in this country. Sorry, I didn’t say that.” He said to the camera that was in front of us.  I shook my head as I faced the camera and mocked the gesture of me choking Freddie before placing my hands on his shoulders and leaning my head against his.

“Fred you are such a chaotic source of energy.”

“And you only fuel the flames my darling angel.” He praised proudly as he gave my nose a peck, his tache tickling the end of my nose.  After a little more of a tour along the outer boarders of Budapest, we finally arrived at our docking point and there was an entire crowd of people, just like when I first came here, waiting to greet us like we were their Queen.

I stood along the railings and I waved to everyone before proclaiming to one and all as loud as I could.

“HELLO BUDAPEST I AM BACK!!!!!” The crowd cheered and I even saw some Rock Angel signs being held up and a few chants of ‘Angel! Angel! Angel!’ being said.

“Wow they really do love you here don’t they?” Brian said.

“Well it kinda helps when you’ve been here before, and I might’ve translated one of my songs at the time to Hungarian. Believe me it was hard and I swore I messed up some of the lines but hell it’s the thought that counts.”

“Wait so you can sing Hungarian?” Freddie said as he turned to me after he gave a wave to the crowd.

“I mean a bit.”

“Then bitch why didn’t you offer to help me with my special surprise?” of course I knew the bitch was directed specifically at me as an insult, it was just Freddie being Freddie (trust me not the first time he’s called me that in the affectionate way).

“You never asked me.” I shrugged as I went over towards Roger who put his arm over me and we both gave a wave to the Hungarian people.  Once we docked, I stood behind Deacy along the stairs and he was behind Freddie.  As Freddie was speaking to someone, probably the producer or someone else, Deacy held his arms out with that sweet loveable grin spread across his face so I decided to join him.

I switched between wrapping my arms around him, or holding his wrists and leaning up against him, placing my head on top of the floofy hair of his.  When the ferry finally stopped and the engines ceased, the guys and I walked off the ferry and walked up onto the decks to hear the crowd continuing to scream and chant.

We waved to them and as we finally got off the decks and the ramps leading us out onto the streets, we were quickly placed into the cars before the fans could try and grab a hold of us.  Of course I managed to try and at least sign a couple of things, as did the boys but we didn’t have enough time for photos before we finally got into the cabs and they drove us to our hotel.

Checking in was fortunately easy but of course cameras and photographers were taking pictures of us and watching us as we signed the guest book every guest needed to sign.

My suite was on the same floor as Roger’s and Deacy’s.  Brian was two floors above ours and Freddie got the penthouse suite.  Once I got to my suite, the first thing I did was get into the bed and reached for the phone.  I dialed the number and waited for an answer.  It rang about four times till I finally got an answer.

‘Hello?’

“Hey love.” I said with a smile.

‘Well hello mama lion. Did you and the guys make it to Budapest safely?’

“Yep we just arrived at the hotel. I promise when the tour’s over I’ll bring you and Kelly here for holiday.”

‘I don’t doubt that baby. So the ferry ride was good?’

“Oh yeah it was fun. I miss you guys so much.”

‘We miss you too mama.’

“Is my baby awake from her nap?”

‘Yep she’s playing with her stuffed lion her godfather gave her.’ I smiled and said.

“Can I talk to her?” I asked him.

‘Okay. But if she starts crying because of me taking her attention away from her toy, I blame you.’ Jack teased.

“Wanker.” I muttered.

‘I heard that.’ There was a bit of silence before I heard the coos and fussing of my 8 month old baby.

“Hi little mama!” I cooed.  It was then the fussing turned into sweet coos. “Hi baby girl.”

‘Yeah it’s mama.’ I heard Jack say.

“Hi my sweet baby girl. You being good for daddy?”

‘She’s always an angel. Although we had a rough night last night.’

“Aww little mama.” I then heard a knock at the door, but I just ignored it for now as I asked. “What was wrong?”

‘I think she might’ve had a pretty bad dream last night.’

“Can babies even get nightmares?”

‘I don’t know, I called Veronica, Dominque and Chrissie about it and they said it was possible. Ronnie even said Michael once had nightmares when he was around Kelly’s age.’ I hummed and that’s when I heard the knocking again.

“Hold on a second Jack,” I set the phone down and proclaimed. “Who is it?”

‘It’s me lovie open up!’ I sighed. It was Roger. Obviously wanting to check on me as per usual.

“It’s open!” I quickly went back to the bed and picked the phone back up. “It’s just Roger coming to check on me.”

‘His usual day to day checkups whenever you guys get to a new location?’

“Yeah.”

‘So—what are you guys planning for his birthday?’

“Well I can’t say much but Fred’s got something very special planned. And you’re sure you sent the present to this hotel right?”

‘Yes baby I sent it through the mail just last week.’

“And what exactly are you talking about little angel?” I looked up and pressed the phone to my chest and said.

“Nothing you need concern for yourself shades.” I gestured to his prescription sunglasses.  He glared at me and I said, “well be thankful I’m not calling you raccoon eyes.”

“Haha very funny.” He mocked as he collapsed right beside me. “Whose on the other end? Your boyfriend?”

“As a matter of fact it’s my husband along with my child.”

“Kelly? Let me say hello to her.”

“Ahh no sir! When they came to Wembley you took her for the entire time.”

“At least I let you see her, c’mon let me say hello to my godchild, please!” god he was such a human puppy dog.  Leaning his head against his hand and giving it that adorably little tilt, doing the pouty puppy dog lip.

‘Just put him on the phone (y/n). You know he’s never gonna give it up.’ I heard Jack’s voice say. I groaned and I said.

“Just so you know next time Nique comes with baby Rory I’m taking her away from you.”

“Fine eye for an eye now give me the phone woman!” he made the grabby hands for the phone and I went ahead and handed it to him while I got up and went over and started picking out my stage gear in two days, plus my party clothes for tomorrow.

All the while I could hear Roger cooing to my child saying hi in that baby voice.

“Hi Kelly love-a-bug. Hi lovie. Awww is that so? You think your mummy and daddy are keeping you prisoner? Why the nerve of them.” I turned to him accusingly and whispered.

“Hey!” he just grinned at me mockingly as he said.

“Well don’t you worry you sweet angel. When I get back you’ll spend the week with me and aunt Nique and your favorite sister Rory, okay?” he smiled and softly laughed. “That’s what I hope you’d say. Okay lovebug, I’ve got to go now you’re mummy is looking at me very crossly. Aww I love you too love-a-bug. Bye baby girl, bye my sweet lion cub.” He then made a kissing sound to the phone before hanging it up.

“Really? You hang it up before I could say goodbye to Jack?”

“Oh Jack was there too? I thought it was just my lovebug.” I rolled my eyes at him.

“Why must you still treat him like that?”

“Like what?” he teased.

“You know bloody well what I mean your cheeky blonde lion.” I said as I sat down on the bed beside him.

“I’ve got to, it’s my rule as the father. And I promise I’ll do the same to Rory when she marries and any other daughter that I have. They’ll get the same treatment as you. Because they may find a new lion to love, but none will ever compare to their papa lion.” He said as he sat up and cupped both sides of my face before leaning his nose close to mine, and having his forehead resting against mine.

“Then may God help us once Rory and your real girls start dating. Cause then they’ll start blowing up my phone and coming to my house to escape the overbearing papa lion.” He gave me his best ‘bitch’ face like what Deacy sometimes gives me whenever I annoy him (like any good sister would do) before shoving his hand in my face and pushing me down onto my bed. “Hey you can’t do that in my room!”

“I might as well take this room as punishment young lady.”

“You are so mean!”

“But you love me for it my full grown lioness cub.”

“That I do. And I always will, even when you’re old and gray.”

“You better you ageless Angel.”

“Hey you know only Freddie is allowed to call me that.” I snapped.

“Yeah, yeah. Well I think I’m gonna head for the bar down in the lobby, care to join me?” he said as he got off my bed.

“No thanks, I’m exhausted I think I’m gonna go to bed and sleep until lunch tomorrow.” He chuckled and came up to me and kissed the top of my head.

“Well if you do wake up later tonight, that’s where I’ll most likely be, either there or in my suite.”

“Okay Rog, see you tomorrow.” He then left my room with a salute and once I heard the door close I lay back against my bed, got into the covers and just fell right asleep.

Finally for the first time in weeks, I was able to get a good days/night’s sleep.

The next morning, I woke up to the sun on my face and a ringing by my bedside.  I groaned and tiredly reached over and slammed on the clock thinking it was the damn alarm, but when it wouldn’t shut off, I unplugged it but the ringing still happened.

It was then I opened my eyes and reached out for the phone and answered it.

“What?”

‘Sorry to disturb you Mrs. Kline but a package has arrived with your name on it.’ Hearing that made me more wide awake cause I knew exactly what it was.

“It has? Tell me it’s still in perfect condition!”

‘Yes ma’am. The box is in prime condition. Not a tear or soil in it at all.’

“Excellent. Send it up to the Presidential suite.”

‘Right away ma’am.’ I hung up the phone then picked it back up and dialed the presidential suite.  It rang about five times and I muttered,

“Come on Fred pick up, pick up!” I muttered.

‘Yes?’

“Fred it’s me.”

‘(Y/n)? Darling it’s 7 o’clock in the morning, why are you calling me at 7?’

“Well sorry if her royal majesty didn’t get her beauty rest. But I need you to be awake.”

‘What for?’

“My package for Roger just came in. For his you know what today.”

‘Wait it’s that time already?’

“Yes Fred, it’s the 26th.”

‘Oh fuck! I swear a week apart and I can’t keep up with the fucking demands.’ I could hear him getting out of bed.

“So you’ll take care of it?”

‘No worries darling your gift will be kept perfectly safe in my hands. Can I at least know what it is?’

“Fuck no because you are the worst secret keeper ever when it comes to presents. Especially when they involve your partner in crime. I swear you guys tell each other everything.”

‘Yeah. That we do. And you’re no fun darling, I promise I won’t tell Roger now please tell me what it is pleeease!’

“Nope. You’ll find out later tonight.”

‘I swear darling you’ve become so boring since you became a mother. You used to share all the dirty little secrets with me.’

“You’re such a liar Freddie. A Great King Rat!”

‘Seems like someone’s been listening to our first album again.’ He teased me.

“Can you blame me? Next to A Night at the Opera, that’s my favorite album.”

‘But can you at least tell me what you’re wearing tonight?’

“Sorry can’t say that either.”

‘Darling you’re killing me here!’ he whined which made me giggle.

“Okay so you’ve got the cake ready to go right?”

‘Yes I have the finest chocolatiers baking it right now. They’ll have it ready by tonight. I sent them the design late yesterday.’

“Great. And we’ve got Dominque and Felix flying in later today. Okay so I’ll keep Roger busy for the day and then bring him around at what time?”

‘Well the guests are gonna start coming up to my suite around 6:30-7ish. Brian will pick up Dominque and the mini Taylor at around 5:15 and Deacy will be helping me with the decorating.’

“Awesome. So I will see you tonight then Fred. And remember my package.”

‘No worries dear I’ve got it all taken care off. In fact I think that’s it right now. See you tonight my darling.’

“See yah Fred.” I hung up the phone.  I got dressed into some casual clothes for the day so that way I wouldn’t ruin my party clothes for tonight.  I ended up wearing a simple summer blouse that I hadn’t really worn since before I got pregnant with Kelly as well as some jean shorts.  I did my hair and makeup before finally heading towards Roger’s room.

Thankfully the guys always give me a spare key to their hotel rooms each time we go on tour together, just so that way if I ever needed company I could go to them, or in an occasion such as this, I could give the guys some special birthday morning loves from me.  Once I got the door opened, I slowly crept inside and there I saw Roger still asleep in bed, with his shades still on.

I rolled my eyes and tip-toed towards the bed and as gently as I could removed his shades.  Thankfully Rog was always a heavy sleeper, even more so than Brian was.

“Roger.” I softly whispered as I poked his cheek.  He didn’t flinch. “Roger wake up.” I gently shook him this time and he still refused to wake up.  So I resorted to my usual method of waking him up, “Dad!” I hopped up on the bed and pressed my hands on his back, lightly bouncing up and down, like how I’ve seen Felix do to him. “Dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad!”

Suddenly I was tackled to the bed and I was looking up into the tired blue eyes of my surrogate father Roger Taylor.

“Even when you’re a parent, why must you still act like a child?”

“Maybe you should say that into a mirror? You literally did this to me just days ago when we were in Austria.”

“So Roger Taylor, how does it feel to be 37 years old? Feeling your age yet old timer?”

“Believe it or not I still got a spring in my step. I’m still in my 30’s and I still look attractive don’t you think?”

“Not as you once were in your 20’s I’m afraid. In fact I think I see some graying right here.” I teased as I brushed my fingers through the top right corner of his head through his short, ruffled hair.

“Okay that’s it!” he tackled me and proceeded to tickle my sides.  I shrieked and tried to get away from him but he kept a firm, strong grip around my waist. “Oh no you don’t get back here!”

“Dad! Nohohoho!”

“And don’t think you’ll be in the clear yet young lady. Once you reach your 30’s I’ll be teasing you endlessly.” He ceased his tickle attack leaving me a panting mess.

“Bitch please Freddie said I’m the eternal youth. I’ll age gracefully.”

“Nope you’re gonna get grey streaks and wrinkles and bags by the time you’re 34.” I shoved his shoulder and I said.

“I’d come up with far worse insults but I don’t want to be the cruel bitch because it’s your birthday.”

“That means you’ve got to treat me like the royal Queen I am.” He said as he lay sprawled out on his back like one of Freddie’s cats.

“Yes I will. Now get dressed yah wally and let’s get going.” I got out of his bed but I was pulled back in and I whined out. “Whaaaat?” dragging out the A.

“Before you leave, I would like a birthday kiss from my daughter.” I smiled before kissing his cheek.

“There, happy?”

“I expect more. One for each day of my age throughout the day.”

“Just be thankful I’m not doing what you do to me. Damn you for not being ticklish.”

“I’m so blessed.” He then pecked my cheek and allowed me to stand back up and I left his room to allow him to get dressed.  It took him awhile to get fully ready but he soon came out with a pair of jeans, blue and red and white stripped button up shirt (you know the one that really gives him that dad vibe), his black leather jacket, of course his shades and white sneakers.

“You ready?”

“I’m ready if you are my dear.” He said as he crooked his arm for me.  I slide my arm through his and we went on our merry way out into the beautiful country of Budapest.

So for the entire morning Roger and I did some sightseeing together and I showed him some of the best locations.  We went to the National museum of Fine Arts, saw some of the famed statues, and of course took advantage of seeing the new records shops they’ve been building.

Cause last time I ever came to Budapest, since they were still heavily influenced by the Communist party, they were slightly hesitant on letting record shops being a full fledged thing.  So the biggest record shop was probably no bigger than a comic book shop.  

But in the last few years with Communist party losing it’s harsh grip, the stores grew and actually took up an entire shop now.  So Rog and I checked out to see who all Hungary was being exposed to.

After getting some lunch at a great steakhouse I hailed down a cab for us because now it was time for Roger’s main surprise from me.

“Okay Rog now I want you to do something for me.”

“That depends on what it is. If it’s not allowing Kelly to stay with me after the tour forget it.”

“No nothing like that. Where we’re going next is a surprise, so I don’t want you to see it.” Taking out of my purse, I held out a long black sash and held it out to him. “Put it over your eyes.”

“You’re joking right?”

“No I told you I want it to be a surprise. I promise you this isn’t an attempt to kill you.”

“Yeah cause saying that makes me very sure.” He said sarcastically.

“C’mon Rog, when have I ever really let you down? Hmm?” he looked at me and I quirked my brow at him, kinda giving him my best Brian gaze.

“Promise me no tricks? That we’re not gonna go to somewhere boring.”

“I swear. In fact it’ll probably be hard to get you to leave.” He took the sash and removed his glasses and tied the sash over his eyes.  I told the driver the address and soon he took off driving.  As we drove on, Roger asked me as I fiddled with his shades.

“Can I at least be given a hint of where we’re going?”

“No can do.”

“But I’m the birthday boy, why keep it from me on my special day?”

“Because birthday boy, this is part of a surprise I have in store for you.” I said as I bopped his nose. “We’ll be there in like ten minutes. It’ll go by fast I promise.” Then to get his mind off of where we were going, I asked him what he planned to do after the tour was over.

That’s basically the whole conversation between us about what we’d be planning to do.  I told him that due to this tour, I had to miss all of Kelly’s first at this point and I refused to miss her first word or first steps so I hope to have a year maybe 2 yearlong break before I start doing anything else.

Because to be truthful, the longest break I had was probably 6 months and that’s when I had Kelly. So since I began my career, all I’ve been doing is album, tour, concerts, live performances, interviews, getting married, had a baby, tour again, record, make public appearances and be apart of other singer’s records.  All in the span of five years of my career.  I need a break.

“Miss, we’re here.” The driver told us.

“Thank you.” I thanked him as I opened the door.  I took Roger’s hand and gently guided him out of the cab.

“Can I take this damn thing off?”

“No, no not yet just wait like three more seconds.”

“Well I’m counting one, two…..”

“Roger!”

“Okay, okay.” I adjusted him and said.

“Okay, now you can take the blindfold off.” He took it off before putting his shades back on and it was then he saw that we had arrived at the Go-Kart race track.

Already thousands of people were gathered around with seats as a race was already in place.

“Oh my…..”

“Surprise! Yeah I found this when I first came here and thought it’d be a cool thing for us to do. Though sadly some of the producers from the filming of the concert are here too. Kinda wanted this to be just you and me.”

“It’s fine lovie. Thank you for bringing me here. So wanna have a race?”

“Yeah. Any excuse to beat you grandpa.”

“Grandpa?!” I grinned and the two of us raced on ahead towards the race track.

Once we got down to the track, we met up with some of the volunteers who work with the driver’s on the track and we got to chat with them.  They told us how to work the cars, which pedals were the gas and breaks, and how to work the stick shift since it was on the side next to the wheel.

We also signed a few autographs for either Queen or Rock Angel fans, which I never mind doing, and I also asked if one of the workers could take mine and Roger’s picture here at the track.  As Roger and I began to prep for the next race, I told him.

“You’re going down old man.”

“I wouldn’t say that bicyclist. Cause you’re about to eat my dust.”

“Cute pun Roger Taylah. But that won’t stop you. At this point you and I are mortal enemies, see you on the other side.” I lowered the screen protector of my helmet and turned my go-kart on and revved it just to taunt him.

As Roger, I and the other racers got into place, we waited for the light to tell us to go.  It went from red, to red, to yellow then finally green. Both Roger and I took off against the other racers leaving them practically in the dust leaving Roger and I to tie neck and neck.

By the first turn, he managed to get the upper hand but pressed down on the gas pedal and tried to catch up to him.  I soon cut him off and turned back to look at him and even though he couldn’t see it, he knew I was grinning at him.  I focused back forward, and I don’t even know how it happened but he somehow managed to drive ahead of me about 7 feet in front of me.

“Oh hell no!” I tried to catch up but no matter how fast I was going I wasn’t able to catch up with him. Unfortunately he won the first race and as the two of us circled in the cockpits, I removed my helmet and he got up beaming with cockiness as he said.

“Now what was it you had said earlier?”

“Very funny.”

“What was that come again?”

“Okay I had a default gearshift, and my engine spurted on that second turn which is why those guys were able to pass me.”

“So who’s the real grandpa now?” he bragged as he knelt down beside me.

“I want a rematch. Best 2 out of 3.”

“You’re on, but it’ll just end up the same way. You biting the dust.”

“Not for long car-boy.” I revved my engine and put my helmet back on and drove back towards the starting line.

Sadly I only won the last race as Roger had beaten me again.  Then being a good sport he figured possibly one last race would maybe get me another win but the little shithead knew he’d win so he won 3 of the four races we did.

As we drove away from the go-kart track and headed back into town, I sat there pouting as I leaned against the window.

“Aww c’mon love you did fine. In fact that last race you nearly had me.”

“Oh shove it yah car lover! This is why I prefer bikes. If it were a bike race I’d cream you!”

“You’d do worse than that. I could barely even get on a bike. But don’t be such a sore loser lovie.” I grumbled and turned away from him. “Wow, my own daughter giving me the cold shoulder on my own birthday. Whatever shall I do?” he then bumped seats over and sat right next to me and pressed himself against me.

“Get off!” I whined and tried to shove him off.

“Nope. Not gonna do it till my lion cub is happy again. She’s being a grumpy pants and I can’t have that, I won’t have it. Now c’mon give us a smile, please? For me?” I grumbled under my breath and refused to look at him.

It was then I felt him poke my sides making it tickle.  I held in a squeak and I muttered to him.

“Don’t you even dare!”

“Then give me a smile and I won’t. Also stop being such a spoil sport or I’ll tell Freddie. And believe me love he’s worse than me when it comes trying to make you smile.” He was right I’ll give him that.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry I’m being a sore loser.”

“Well you’re still an adorable loser.”

“Dad!”

“You know I love you poppet. No matter if you beat me at something or I beat you.” He said with a kiss to my cheek.

“I know, and I love you too.” I kissed his cheek again and we continued on our drive back into town.

As the day went on, the sun was starting to set, I looked down at my watch and saw that it was getting close to party time.

“Hey dad, it’s getting pretty late why don’t we head back to the hotel?”

“Not getting bored of me already are yah?” he teased.

“Oh you know that’ll never happen. But I did promise Jack I would give him a call, maybe you can also get a birthday message from your goddaughter.”

“Why didn’t you say so let’s go!” next thing I knew I was being dragged along the sidewalks as the two of us raced back to the Four Seasons hotel.

We got back to my room and as he dialed my number to talk with his goddaughter, I silently slipped into the bathroom and changed into my party dress.  It wasn’t fancy-fancy just a simple dark blue dress, I changed into some black flats and as I quietly stepped out I could hear Roger once again cooing into the phone at my daughter.

“Aww lovie thank you so much. Yes I wish you could be here too.” As Roger continued to talk to my daughter, I wrote Roger a quick note before slipping out of my room and raced down the hallway towards the elevator and quickly pressed the up button. I tapped my foot anxiously hoping that I could disappear before Roger even noticed I was gone.

Finally I heard the ding and the elevator opened.  I got inside and pressed the Penthouse button and I went up the rest of the 8 stories up. When I got to the penthouse I could already hear some music and the sound of an already packed crowd of people inside the penthouse suite.

“Hello (y/n).”

“Terry. Freddie got you being watchdog for Roger?” I asked Freddie’s driver and bodyguard whose also served as my ‘temporary bodyguard’ shortly after my first one Big Rob had to retire due to health issues.  He had accompanied me during the tour just after my wedding and stayed with me up until Live Aid last year, before I finally found my current bodyguard Anthony “Big Tone” Pesci.

“Yep. I’ll radio in once I see him come out of the elevator, he’s not with you is he?”

“No he’s still in my room talking to Kelly.”

“How is that baby girl of yours anyway?”

“She’s great. God I can’t believe I had to miss her 8 month birthday. I just hope I can plan a hiatus just so that way I can stay with her for a year. I already had to miss most of her first few months because of this tour.”

“It’s hard. John was the same way when I first started working for Queen once his second son and daughter were born. Especially when Laura was born.”

“I’ll bet. God having kids really does change you doesn’t it?”

“Indeed it does. Well don’t wanna keep you waiting looking all beautiful like that, go on in.”

“Oh stop it Terry you’re making me blush.” I then went inside and low and behold there were people literally crowding the entire suite.  Not only from our team but also Hungarian press and reporters.

“(Y/n)!” I looked up and there I found that familiar tuff of black hair.  I smiled and waved and rushed over and hugged Dominque.

“Hey how was the flight?”

“Thankfully uneventful.”

“That’s good. Is Felix here?”

“Yeah he’s with Brian and Deacy. But how have you been?”

“Okay. Just really miss my baby girl.”

“I know. When Felix was first born Roger went crazy over missing him the first few months. Now that we have Rory ohh god—”

“Your parents babysitting her?”

“Yeah. Sadly the kid’s too small to fly first class.”

“Yeah otherwise we’d both have our baby girls here. Hell I’d take my kid on the road if I have to. But the road’s no place for babies, at least not yet.”

“LISTEN UP MY DARLINGS! LISTEN TO ME LOVIES! I just got a radio from Terry, Roger’s just getting out of the lift!” At this point everyone began to get into their hiding positions.  I ran with Dominque and the two of us hid behind the red sofa.  Brian switched off the lights leaving us in total darkness. Everyone trying to shush one another before we all finally fell silent.

The door opened and I could hear Roger say.

“Jesus it’s dark in here.” I saw his shadow walk further in the room before finally the lights came on and we all jumped out and yelled.

“SURPRISE!!!” Roger jumped back with a hand over his heart but had a wide smile on his face. Freddie came up with a glass of Hungarian vodka for Roger and he said.

“Surprised Roger?”

“God am I ever.” At that we all softly chuckled as Freddie handed him the shot glass and Roger took a swing of it.  He then spotted me and said. “This your idea?”

“You know me I’m nowhere near the party planner as Freddie is. I was just part of the distraction so that way he could get everything set up.” I told him.  He then turned to Dominque and he said.

“You came too?”

“You really didn’t think I’d miss your birthday did you?” she came around wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Felix here too?”

“He’s with his uncles, I can take you there if you’d like. I think the boy needs to go to bed, poor little guy could barely keep his eyes open once we got off the plane.”

“Just like his dad.” I piped in.

“And his aunt for that matter.” Roger retaliated.  I playfully stuck my tongue at him and chuckled.

As the night went on, it was now time to cut the cake.  The hotel’s chefs brought it in and I was amazed at it.  It was a small 3 level, platform style vanilla cake with a sculpted Roger on the drums in chocolate, as well as decorated with chocolate musical notes.  And to make it very “Roger-y” there was even fire spurting out from the front ends of it, sparkling like sparklers on the 4th of July.

We all gathered around and proceeded to sing Happy Birthday to Roger.  I stood beside him so that he was sandwiched between me and Freddie. By the end of the song, he hugged and kissed my head first before turning to Freddie and hugged him.

“That’s the new drummer!” Freddie announced which made all of us laugh.  After that, I handed Roger the large cutting knife so that he could make the first cut of the cake.  

As we all gathered around the small cake, it was then Freddie said.

“Now I know you don’t like this Roger, but a girl is going to pop out of that.” At that point I just laughed and couldn’t help but roll my eyes.  If there were a girl in that cake then she’s have to be pixie sized like Tinkerbell. “Just try.”

“Not very big enough.” Roger said as the crowd all laughed and Roger took the first small cut and got his slice of the cake.  Then it was Dominque’s turn, then the guys, me and then the party guests.

There was mingling, dancing, and interviews going on.  I had just a bit of cake left to go over and tease Roger while he was on camera with the Hungarian press about why Queen had finally come to Hungary and what they got in return (why do I know this? Because they asked me the very same questions the first time I came here over three years ago).

I walked over as I heard Roger saying.

“There’s a tremendous feeling of sort of—I suppose job satisfaction. Is a strange way to put it.”

“It’s quite good to get job satisfaction after 14 years.” The interviewer asked Roger.

“Well it’s a pretty good job isn’t it?” at that point I dipped my finger into the vanilla frosting and came into the camera shot and bopped his nose before saying in a sing-song tone.

“Gotcha!” I grinned like the Cheshire cat at him and couldn’t help the giggles that came out of me.

“And of course this one makes it all the more traumatizing.” I gaped at him in mocked shock but he grinned and wrapped his arm around me and said, “No, no, no she makes it so much more fun. And she keeps us in line from killing each other.”

“That part is true.”

“So Rock Angel, a lot has happened since you were last here, what has returning to Hungary meant to you?” the interviewer asked me.

“Oh god well it has been awhile. In fact to be honest I was a little terrified cause there were still some doubt about letting Rock and roll into your country, but I was welcome with open arms by the majority of your people and now like three years later I’m welcome back like I’m visiting family again. Budapest has meant a lot to me and umm….I’m just happy to be back.”

“And with touring with one of the biggest bands of the world, what has that meant to you?”

“Oh these guys are my family. I—really wouldn’t know where I’d be if not for these four. They each inspired me all my life and I—I’m forever grateful to them.” Roger kissed my temple before getting his revenge by smearing a bit of cake onto my cheek. “Oh no you did not!”

“You bet your arse I did Angel.”

“You’re gonna get it Taylor!” Soon I chased after him with the actual cake in my hands.

The party was a huge success and everyone managed to get back to their hotel rooms even with as shitfaced as some of them were.  Roger and I were on the tipsy but still sober enough (since we all had the big concert tomorrow Queen and I made a pact to not get shitfaced so that way we could be presentable and show up for soundchecks tomorrow afternoon.)

“So birthday boy, did you have a fun night?”

“I did. Thank you soo much.”

“Oh hey I uhh—kinda swiped this away cause I wanted to sorta give it to you personally.” I held out my gift to him.

“I thought it was weird not seeing a present from you.” I handed it to him and we both sat down on the floor so that he could open it properly.  He tore the wrapping off and opened the box up to reveal an official signed copy of The Who’s last album before their breakup.

Apparently when I was recording with David Bowie on his album, I went to the coffee shop just down the road from the studio we were at and there I saw all members of “The Who” who were recording their own album in a separate studio.  We chatted a bit and I had asked them if they wouldn’t mind signing something for a father-figure in my life and amazingly they accepted.

“You’re a hard guy to shop for dad, cause you practically have everything so I—I hope this is okay.” He hugged me tightly and said.

“I love it darling. You knew they were my favorite band and hearing of their breakup made me in a foul mood for weeks. This really means a lot to me, even worth my entire home.”

“And your cars and yacht?”

“Even those lovie. Because it came from you. Although I would’ve been twice as happy if I had gotten your signed record.” He said as he cupped my chin and pressed his forehead against mine.  I smiled and felt him kiss my forehead.  “Get some sleep love, we’ve got a long day tomorrow.”

“I will, so long as you do as well.”

“I will. Goodnight love.”

“Night dad, happy birthday.” I gave him one last hug and he hugged me back, rocking us back and forth.

“Thank you my sweet lioness.” He gave me one final kiss on top of my head and headed down the hall towards his room.  I got into mine and did a quick shower and changed into my nightdress before finally getting into bed.

And as usual the next day was our concert.  We did our soundchecks at around 1pm and the stage crew got the entire stadium stage built throughout the entire afternoon.  Soundchecks started by about 7pm and then the concert began at 9pm.

As always the guys and I delivered a stellar performance that only Queen and the Rock Angel can do together.  We both even had a little surprise for the audience.  Freddie was performing the traditional Hungarian folk song “Tavaszi Szél Vizet Áraszt” and I with a translator, worked together in translating my song “Shallow” into Hungarian.

The two of us had been practicing our songs all day, he with Brian and I at the piano practicing by myself.  I would help him with some of the pronunciations of some of the words, and he’d help play the piano whenever I was distracted in trying to figure out how to say and play the words that were translated for me.  It was hard work but the two of us managed to do our songs for our beloved Hungarian fans.

By the end of the night, as me and the guys closed out with “We are the Champions” Freddie came out dolled up with the kingly robe and crown and he held the crown up to the audience before we finally closed the concert.  As the audience applauded us, I gathered with the guys to the edge of the stage as Freddie said into his mic.

“Goodnight, thank you very much. You beautiful people. God bless you we Love you.” As “God save the Queen” began playing I stood between Brian and Deacy as the three of us waved goodbye to the crowd.  While Freddie actually gave his crown and placed it on Roger’s head, however that only lasted like 2 seconds before it fell off his head and onto the lower segment of the stage.

I laughed and raced over to him and proclaimed.

“What was that Roger? Disrespecting the crown you royal fool!” he embraced me getting me even sweatier than I was at that point and I groaned in disgust leaving Deacy to pick up the crown and give it back to Freddie.  Deacy also spared me from Roger’s grip as he pulled me away and wrapped an arm protectively around me as the two of us waved the crowd goodbye before finally leaving the stage.

Another successful concert.  And with that we packed up our stuff, checked out of the hotel and went back on the road to our next gig.

[gray-autumn-sky]

Sleepless in Seattle, Chapter 3

December 24, 1992- Seattle, Washington:

Christmas music plays gently in the background as Robin uncorks a bottle of wine, dividing it into three glasses. He smiles as he watches Ruby come up behind Belle, resting her chin on her shoulder as her arms wrap around her waist as Belle flips through the TV Guide.

“What are you looking for?”

“Something that’s not It’s a Wonderful Life,” Belle sighs. “I love that movie, but--”

“They’ve already played it on two channels today.”

“You know how I feel about repeats.”

“I know, I know,” Ruby sighs. “You made that perfectly clear when I suggested that claymation Rudolph movie this morning.”

“I just don’t understand why three films get played over and over and over again year after year after year.”

Robin laughs softly as he watches Ruby press a kiss to Belle’s cheek. “It’s a losing argument, Ruby. She’s been this way since she was ten.”

Belle bristles and he grins as Ruby’s hold on her tightens. “How about that--”

“What?”

“An Affair to Remember.”

“That’s not a Christmas movie.”

“Not the hit-you-over-the-head kind of Christmas movie, but--” Belle looks back specifically and Ruby looks to him, obviously looking for an ally. “Come on, Robin. Tell her.”

“I… wish I could help, really,” he says, carefully lifting the three glasses. “But I’ve never seen it.”

Ruby looks offended and it makes him laugh. “Well, now we have to watch it.”

“Fine,” Belle sighs, taking one of the glasses. “If you two are going to gang up on me--”

“We’re hardly--”

“You’re being dramatic,” Ruby says, finally letting go of her and circling around to the other side of the couch in search of the remote. “Robin, you’ve really never seen this?”

He shakes his head and reaches for a plate of Christmas cookies that Roland decorated for Santa, and he selects a lopsided little reindeer with M&M eyes and a chipped antler--then gingerly, he bites off his head. “Marian wasn’t really a… romantic movie sort of girl.”

“Ah--”

“And it’s not quite something I’d pick up on my own.”

“Come on it’s got Cary Grant and--”

“She’d leave me for Cary Grant,” Belle interjects as she sits back on the couch and tugs Ruby down beside her, pouting as if she’s actually upset about the prospect. “In a heartbeat.”

“You realize he’s both dead and a man, right?”

“Well--”

They both stop, and suddenly, his chest feels tight.

Since Marian’s death, Ruby and Belle have been constants in his and Roland’s lives. They’ve been there for everything--from random dinners during the week to Roland’s soccer games all summer to school events, even suffering through the First Grade Thanksgiving Concert in which thirty-two first graders played songs on their recorders--hitting almost all of the high-pitched notes at the same time. They’d become regulars in their lives, keeping them in their established routines and doing their best to fill the void.

But occasionally, they forgot themselves or something came across in a way they didn’t mean. Usually it was less overt--a reference to something Marian used to make for dinner or asking why there was an empty bottle of lotion in the medicine cabinet, and once when Belle had been helping him to switch out Roland’s summer clothes for fall and winter ones, she’d found an old sweater in a hamper and as she pulled it out, she’d snagged it and both his and Roland’s faces had crumpled.

It was never intentionally, but it stung, and he was convinced that they always felt worse than he did. Of course, whenever things like that happened, it reopened old wounds, making them sting and bleed again--but this time was different, and this time made him sad for a completely different reason. Now, it wasn’t just that he missed her, it wasn’t just that he wanted her back, but now he had to live with the realization that didn’t sting as badly as it would have a month ago, it didn’t bleed the same way. Still, it hurt and still, he missed her--and somehow that seemed like a betrayal, like moving would be betraying her memory.

And moving on was unfathomable.

“Robin, I’m--”

“It’s okay,” he insists, trying to muster a smile. “It is.”

“No, I shouldn’t have--”

“Maybe we should just… put on the movie.”

His eyes press closed. “I didn’t mean--”

“You didn’t do or say anything wrong,” Ruby tells him. “I did.”

“No, I--”

“Daddy--”

They all stop and turn toward the stairs, their eyes falling to Roland who sits on the bottom step, hugging his knees to his chest as he sniffles back tears.

“Hey, you--”

“Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?

“Santa’s waiting for you to--”

Before he can even rise from the couch, Roland’s face crumbles, and by the time he reaches him, scooping him up and cradling him in his arms, the boy is sobbing.

“Shh, Roland, whatever it is, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. It’s not okay.”

“Roland--”

“I forgot!”

“What?” He pulls back a little to look his son in the eye. “What did you forget?”

“Mama’s letter!”

He blinks. “What letter?”

“To Santa.”

Helplessly, he looks to Belle and Ruby who shake their heads and shrug. “Roland, what letter? You wrote one in school and--”

“We always wrote one and left it with the cookies,” he cuts in. “And I forgot.”

For a moment, all he can do is stare. He didn’t know about a letter, he barely knew about the cookies. Marian always had her own traditions with Roland, things they shared together. It wasn’t that he was excluded--they both had special little traditions with Roland--and usually he spent the time that they were baking and getting ready for Santa wrapping presents and making sure everything was properly assembled and had the necessary batteries. Once the cookies were set out and the presents were wrapped, they both tucked Roland into bed then retired downstairs, cuddling up together in front of the fire, watching the lights sparkle on the tree.

“It’s okay, son,” Robin says, kissing his cheek and wiping away his tears. “Santa hasn’t come yet.”

“But I forgot.”

“But you remembered now.”

Roland nods, but his face crumbled. “What if I forget her?”

“You won’t,” Robin says, his heart aching as he smiles. “You might… remember specific things less and memories might not always be as clear, but you won’t forget her.” Roland blinks and sniffles, but his eyes stay locked with his. “You know, you have her eyes and her smile?”

“I do?”

Robin nods. “I see her every time I look at you.”

“You do?” he asks, a little grin tugging up at one corner of his mouth. “Every time?”

“Well, when you smile and laugh, I do.” Leaning in, he kisses his forehead and rubs his nose against Roland’s. “And you know what else?” Roland shake his head. “She wouldn’t want you to be feeling bad on Christmas.”

“Yeah,” he nods, “That’s true. Christmas was her favorite.”

“It was,” Robin tells him, a little laugh rising into his voice. “Do you remember the year she made us string popcorn?”

Giggling, Roland nods. “I kept eating it.”

“Off of the tree!”

A smile spreads across his lips as he laughs. “It tasted good!”

“And then what happened.”

Roland frowns. “I got a stomach ache.”

“And then?”

“Mom made me peppermint tea.”

“And then?”

“She got worried that I ate some glue.”

“And why did she think that?”

“Because you glued the popcorn to the string.”

“Do you remember why?”

He nods. “Because you didn’t listen when she was showing you how to knot the string.”

Robin laughs. “That’s right.”

“And she laid in my bed and read me stories until I fell asleep.”

Swallowing the lump at the back of his throat, Robin forces himself to smile--and again, it hurts that it’s not that difficult. “See,” he tells him. “You do remember her.”

“Yeah,” Roland nods, grinning at him. “I guess I do.”

Kissing his cheeks again, Robin turns them back to the living room where Ruby and Belle are waiting for them with tears in their eyes--and together, the four of them sit down at the coffee table and write the nearly forgotten letter to Santa.

_____

December 24, 1992: Greenwich, Connecticut:

Regina takes a dish from Mal and dries it, trying to ignore the fact that after the dishes are done there’s still food to be divided up into tupperware containers and a handful of presents to wrap, and though it’s well-past midnight, she knows it’ll be hours before she’s able to go to bed.

“So,” Mal begins, nudging her arm as she soaps up a dish. “Daniel was here.”

“Yes, he was,” Regina says, grinning over at her. “You’re so observant.”

Mal’s eyes roll. “Inviting the boyfriend to Christmas dinner--”

“Christmas Eve dinner.”

“Same thing.”

“No, it’s not,” Regina insists, unsure of why this is even something that she’s arguing. “Christmas Eve is you and Lily, and Henry and me--”

“And Daniel.”

“Yes, and Daniel,” she sighs. “But Christmas is… my parents.”

“Your mother.”

“Unfortunately.”

“So, is he… coming over tomorrow?”

Biting down on her lip. “I told him he didn’t have to.”

Mal’s brow arches as she runs the dish under the running water. “What a welcoming invite. I’m sure he just snapped that up.”

“It’s not like he hasn’t met them before.”

“Meeting your girlfriend’s parents when you’re sixteen is very different than meeting them when you’re thirty-four.”

Regina blinks, and for a moment, she feels lost in the conversation. “So, are you saying he should or shouldn’t be coming? Because--”

“I’m not saying either.”

“Oh.”

“But judging by the way he kissed you goodnight, he wants to come over tomorrow.”

Regina blinks. “What?”

“Oh come on…”

“No… I just… what do you mean?”

For a moment, Mal just stares at her, then she scoffs and shakes her head. “You have no idea how crazy he is about you, do you?”

Hesitating, she bites down on her lip, taking a ready-to-dry plate from Mal. “I… like him, too.”

“You like him?” Mal asks, reaching for another dish to wash and frowning when she finds it caked in dried up gravy. “Regina, this isn’t the ninth grade anymore.”

“I am very aware of—“

“Are you in love with him?”

This shouldn’t be a difficult question; and really, it’s not. She does have feelings for Daniel and she loves having him around. He makes her laugh and feel cared for, he’s always there to offer an ear whenever she needs to vent—no matter how petty—and he’s made such an effort to get to know her son. Right from the start, things were comfortable and Daniel’s presence in her life—regardless of her own trepidation—was nothing short of a blessing. After a disastrous marriage, she was working on reclaiming herself, remembering who she was before she was Leopold’s wife and figuring how she’d changed and what she wanted from the world.

Daniel was kind and patient, and he never pushed her. He was simply content to just be there with her. They went on fun little dates—usually now involving Henry—and he came over for dinner almost every night.

In a lot of ways though, it felt like they were playing house. They were going through the motions without any of the commitment—and though she hadn’t quite admitted it to anyone, she liked that open-ended, go-with-the-flow sort of relationship.

Her marriage had been hard; and this was the exact opposite. It was easy and offered her companionship without any of the trappings that usually came along with it.

“I love him,” she says, after too long of a pause. “I do love him.”

“That’s different.”

She blinks as she accepts the dish from Mal. She knows that it is. “It’s not.”

“Regina, come on—“

“I love him, Mal. I’d be crazy not to.”

“That would carry a lot more weight if you weren’t so well-known for doing crazy things every now and then.”

She watches as Mal reaches for the soap. “Name one thing that—“

“You married a man you didn’t even like because your mother told you you should, then you stayed married to him for an entire decade.”

Regina’s shoulder square—she wasn’t quite expecting that. “Oh.”

With a sigh, Mal turns off the water and turns to face her, leaning up against the edge of the sink. “You do know that it’s okay not to be in love with him, right?”

Her eyes fall down to the soapy water. “But that’s just it… I… I think I might be. Or, at least, I could be.” Tentatively, she looks up, biting down on her bottom lip. “I… think I might just need to get out of my own way.”

“Well, I won’t argue with that,” Mal scoffs, flipping the water back on. “How does Henry feel about all this?”

“That’s not exactly something I discuss with my nine year old, Mal.”

Mal’s eyes roll. “I mean does Henry like Daniel? How does he feel about him being around?”

“He does.” A smile pulls onto her lips. “They… sort of have a thing whenever Daniel comes over.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s cute. I really thought Henry was going to be done with Boy Scouts this year, but Daniel seems to have renewed his interest.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Regina nods, grinning. “He helped him get two patches this fall.”

“That’s good.”

“It is,” Regina agrees, nodding. “It… it really is.”

Again, she focuses on the dish she’s drying, momentarily losing herself in thought—there was absolutely no valid reason she had for not being in love with him—and maybe, she thought, she didn’t actually know what being in love felt like. After all, it's hard to understand something you’ve never personally experienced.

“Regina, you know that—“

“I know that he makes me happy. I like being with him. I like spending time with him, and I love the way he cares about Henry. I like having something to come home to who actually seems like they’re glad to see me. I like having someone to eat dinner with and talk to and—“

“That doesn’t mean—“

“How do you know?” she asks, bristling with defense. “Maybe I am in love with him. Maybe—“

“Okay, okay,” Mal cuts in, handing her the last dish to dry and shutting off the water. “Relax. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Regina takes a breath. It's not Mal’s fault, its hers.  For years, she dulled her own pain by ignoring it, and she never imagined that a consequence was that she’d also dull her ability to feel other things—but as she considers the last several months, that’s the only thing that makes sense to her.

Mal moves away from the sink and grabs an already-opened bottle of wine. “No use in letting this go to waste,” she says, grinning. “Let’s finish it off.”

Nodding, Regina sets the plate on the dish wrack, accepting the glass from Mal as she follows her into the living room—and as soon as she sits down and takes the first sip, she feels a bit better. “This is good,” she murmurs, smelling the wine and breathing in the oaky scent. “Where did you get it?”

“I didn’t get it,” Mal tells her. “Daniel did.”

For some reason, that makes her smile. Daniel isn’t a wine drinker. This wouldn't have been something he just had. He bought it with her in mind.

She takes another sip and curls her legs underneath herself. “We still have to stuff stockings.”

“I know,” Mal murmurs, making no effort to get up. “We will.”

“I have some games and things for Henry in my car and—“

“I miss that.”

“What?”

“Getting ‘games and things’ for Lily’s stocking.”

“What did you get her this year?”

“Gift cards. It’s what she wanted,” Mal tells her, sounding a bit sad as she sighs and sips the wine. “And a pack of nicorette gum.”

“Subtle.”

Mal shrugs. “Subtle hasn’t been working. I’m trying the sledgehammer approach now.”

“Well, that sounds fun.”

“It’s cathartic, really.”

“Poor Lily.”

“Poor me.”

Regina grins and leans back, her brow furrowing when something scratchy ruins against the back of her neck—And as she turns, she sees Daniel’s blazer hanging over the side of the couch. “Oh, he must have left this,” she murmurs, pulling the jacket into her lap and rubbing her fingers over the navy blue wool. “He looked nice in this.”

“It's a good color on him.”

“It brought out his eyes.” Regina says, grinning as she looks to Mal. “He has really pretty eyes.”

“He—“

Mal’s voice halts as Regina folds the blazer over her arm and out of the pocket falls a receipt.

“What’s that?”

“I don't know,” Regina murmurs, watching as Mal cranes her neck curiously—and then, her breath catches in her chest. “Oh my god.”

“What?” Mal asks, leaning in closer. “What is it for?”

“It’s… from a jewelry store.”

“Ooh, someone’s getting a nice gift.”

She blinks as her stomach tightens and an indescribable feeling overtakes her. “Someone’s getting a ring.”

[hunterpuff]

T-Shirt (RobxReader)

Pairing: Rob x Reader

Word Count: 2,359

Warnings: Heavy making out, implied smut (nothing graphic)

A/N: (Very) Loosely based on the Thomas Rhett song “T-Shirt” I have no idea where this came from, it was supposed to be a lot more innocent than this, I promise. I’m pretty sure I didn’t write this, the story literally wrote itself. I’m a bit nervous about posting this, because...this is the closest to smut I’ve ever written and I’m pretty sure it sucks. Purely fiction. No disrespect meant to any actors or their significant others. It’s all for entertainment and to fulfill fantasies of fan girls.

Bright sunlight was peeking in through the blinds and falling across your face, waking you slowly as it infiltrated the thin covering your eyelids provided. Sucking in a deep breathe as you slowly came back to consciousness, you let out a soft groan as you rolled over, trying to ignore the glaring evidence that it was now morning time and, therefore, it was time to wake up. As you turned to your side you felt your body press up against something soft and warm and you finally allowed your eyes to slowly flutter open. Seeing the sleeping form next to you, you reached over to run your fingers softly through his hair and a small smile played at the corner of your lips as you recalled the events of the night before.

_____________________________________________

It had all started after the Saturday Night Special concert. It was late and everyone knew they should probably be heading to bed before Sunday morning snuck up on them, but you were too wired to sleep. You couldn’t put your finger on it, but something had been different. The energy from the crowd had felt different and it had translated into a special kind of energy on the stage, running through each of the people who had performed like an electric current. The entire time you had been performing your favorite song, Hell on Heels, you had felt as if every one of your nerves were standing on edge, ready to explode at any given moment. Following a night like that, you knew there was no way you could just go back to your room and fall asleep; you needed to unwind somehow, you needed to blow off some steam. So, when Rob had asked if you wanted to go grab a drink, you had immediately said yes.

The two of you had ended up at the bar in your hotel, sipping drinks on the patio, as you both talked animatedly about the night. It seemed as if you weren’t the only one who’d noticed something different in the air, Rob had felt it too. While you had attributed the difference to the band feeding off the crowd’s energy, Rob disagreed and said that the crowd had been feeding off the chemistry on stage. More specifically, he’d said, they had been feeding off of you. According to Rob, you were the one who had been different. You’d been putting off a different vibe, getting more into your song than you ever had before. You, in his words, seemed to have set out to seduce everyone watching you and had succeeded.

Maybe it was still the leftover effects of the concert, maybe it was the two glasses of wine slowly seeping into your brain and making it fuzzy, maybe it was the fact that you had been crushing on the man sitting across from you for months now. Most likely it was all three things crashing together into an overwhelming explosion. All you knew was that one minute you were sitting there, looking at Rob from across the table, and the next you were moving in towards him and crashing your mouth against his as if you needed him as much as the very air you breathed.

He had stiffened a little at first, clearly having not expected the assault on his lips, but he quickly relaxed and you realized he was kissing you back with just as much need and desire as you. Your lips parted slightly for him, allowing his tongue to slide softly against your lips, and you couldn’t stop yourself from whimpering softly at the contact. Your body seemed to have taken over on it’s own, your brain no longer having any sort of control over what you were doing. You felt your hands lift and run slowly through his hair, causing him to moan softly against your lips when your fingers got stuck and slightly pulled at his hair.

Somewhere in the middle of the kiss, you vaguely heard him asking you if you wanted to come up to his room. You heard yourself saying no, but even as you said it you were standing up from your seat and grabbing onto his hand, pulling him behind you. As you made your way through the hotel lobby you giggled like a teenage girl and kept glancing back behind you too look at him. His face was slightly flushed and his lips still swollen from the kiss you had shared on the patio, he had never been more attractive to you than he was right now and suddenly you weren’t too sure how you were going to last until you made it upstairs to his room. Upon arriving at the elevator you found yourself pressing the button repeatedly in the hopes that it would get to you faster.

Once the elevator had arrived, after what felt like an excruciatingly long wait, Rob waited until the doors had closed behind you before he slammed you against the wall and pressed against you as he crashed his lips down on yours; causing you to moan softly as you felt your back hit against the cool metal of the elevator. You’d never taken Rob to be someone dominant or rough and the realization that maybe he was a little authoritative in the bedroom sent a rush through you, turning you on even more than you already had been. Reaching up to grab onto his t-shirt, you bunched it tightly in your fists as you moved to rock your hips against him. The sound that came from his lips as he felt you pressing against him shot straight to your core, and you found yourself wondering how much trouble the two of you would get into if you begged him to take you right there in the elevator.

Thankfully there didn’t seem to be anyone else awake this time of night and the elevator never stopped until it reached the floor all of the cast was staying on. Though you gave Rob a little push to let him know you needed to get off the elevator, the two of you never broke apart as you stumbled down the hallway to his room. In the back of your mind you were silently saying a small prayer of thanks that the only other people staying on this floor were your friends and people you knew. You kept stumbling and banging into other doors as you made your way down the hall; you were even fairly certain that a few of those doors opened as you moved away and you heard familiar voices telling you to keep it down and find a room. As soon as you finally got to his room, Rob pinned you against the door as he fumbled with the keycard and tried to unlock the door without ever removing his mouth from yours. You probably weren’t helping the situation any, either; as you kept sliding your hands under his shirt and up his back before slowly scratching your nails down over his chest and stomach.

Somehow, Rob finally managed to unlock the door and push you into his room, using his foot to kick the door shut behind him as he followed you into the room. As soon as the door was closed tight, the clothes started coming off. Your dress was unzipped and pushed to the floor as you took a step backwards and stepped out of it, his shirt was pulled over his head and tossed somewhere in the general direction of the bed. Every few steps you mumbled that you should stop, but then you would be the one to lean in and press your lips against his as you reached for another article clothing that needed to be discarded. Before you knew it, you could feel the bed pressing against your knees and you fell backwards into the mattress, breaking apart from Rob for the first time since the two of you had stepped into the elevator.

Rob stood over you, his chest heaving slightly as he tried to catch his breath, and looked down to take in the sight of you sprawled across his bed. For one heart stopping moment, you were afraid that he was coming to his senses and was about to put a stop to this whole thing. You were just about to grab the blanket to cover yourself in an attempt to retain a little bit of your dignity when he finally moved, crawling onto the bed to hover over you. He leaned down and pressed his lips against yours before moving to press his soft lips in a trail over your warm skin to your neck, where he began to suck softly at the sensitive spot just behind your ear. You lifted your hips up from the bed and arched your back slightly against him, causing him to pull away from you slightly. His breath tickled against your skin, causing you to shiver slightly and goosebumps to break out over your flesh as you hear his voice right in your ear. “Are you sure about this? Before I let this go any further, I need to know it’s what you want. I need to hear you say yes.”

Your fingers dug into his shoulders and you nodded your head as you pushed yourself up against him, a softly whimper escaping your lips as you felt your skin pressed against his. “Yes. God, yes. Please.”

_____________________________________________

You couldn’t keep the smile off your face as last night’s events rolled through your mind. At the time, part of you had thought you’d had to be dreaming, there was no way any of it could be real. But now, in the light of day, there was no denying that it had been real. Rob was laying next to you, peacefully asleep, and you could feel a satisfying ache radiating through your body. You weren’t sure how he would feel once he woke up and reality settled in, but you knew that you wouldn’t mind many more repeats of last night.

Looking over his body to the clock on the nightstand, you sighed softly when you realized that you both needed to start getting ready for the day, sooner rather than later. Rob didn’t need to be awake just yet, you figured you still had a good hour or so before you needed to disturb him, so you carefully moved to get out of the bed without waking him. Reaching for the first article of clothing you found on the floor, you smiled as you realized it was the t-shirt he had been wearing the night before and you slid it over your head. It was a little big on you, but it smelled like him and the well worn fabric felt soft and comfortable against your skin.

With one last glance over your shoulder, you smiled and felt your heart flutter in your chest at how peaceful Rob looked as he slept. A part of you knew that it was a sight you could get used to seeing frequently. As you carefully stood from the bed, doing your best not to wake him, the sheet slowly slid down your bare legs and you stretched your arms over your head before you padded softly across the room to the coffee pot. After the late night you’d had you knew that both Rob and you would need it, and you figured the least you could do was make a pot before he woke up. It took you a second to figure out how the hotel coffee pot worked, it had been awhile since you’d made coffee with anything other than your Keurig, but in no time at all the smell of fresh coffee was permeating the room as it brewed.

You poured yourself a cup of coffee and moved out to the outside balcony to take in the view of the city as you drank it; you had been out there about twenty minutes when you felt strong arms wrap around your waist and the scruff of a beard brushing against your neck as soft, warm lips pressed against your skin. Sighing softly, you settled back into his embrace and laid your head back against his shoulder as you closed your eyes. Yeah, you could definitely see yourself getting used to this on a regular basis.

“I woke up to an empty bed. Thought maybe you’d had some regrets and decide to skip out on me.”

You hummed softly and shook your head as you turned to press your lips softly against his cheek. “No regrets. You just looked so peaceful sleeping, I didn’t want to disturb you. Figured I’d take longer to get ready than you would, so I was going to shower before I bothered you.”

“Or…you could crawl back in bed with me for awhile, and we could share that shower to save a little time.”

Laughing softly, you shook your head as you turned in his arms to face him and looked up at his smiling face; getting lost for a second in the way his bright blue eyes were looking at you. As if you were the best thing he had ever seen. “What’s that look on your face for, Benedict?”

“I don’t know. Just admiring the way you look right now.” He smiled softly as he leaned down and kissed the tip of your nose softly. “I always thought you were sexy before, but nothing compares to how you look right now, your hair a mess and wearing my t-shirt. It looks good on you.”

“My, aren’t you a sweet talker? A girl might think you were trying to get lucky. Again.” A wide grin broke out on your face as you wrapped your arms around his neck and brought your hands to play softly with his hair. “You know, I might be able to be talked into that idea of sharing a shower…under one condition.”

“Oh, already hitting me with conditions and ultimatums? And what’s this condition you have?”

“After we get out of that shower…give me one of your t-shirts to wear today.”

Tags: @natasha-cole

[fyeahkard]

Is KARD Breaking K-pop? The Wild KARD Tour in San Francisco

KARD is unique in many ways. They’re finding unprecedented popularity for a co-ed group but that’s not the only reason they’re so much unlike any other K-pop act. While co-ed groups have existed before — to varying degrees of success — and will likely continue to show up here and there, none of them have resembled the marketing strategy of KARD. It’s becoming clear that no K-pop act in history has rivaled KARD in its ambitious overseas marketing at such an early stage in a group’s career. Which raises the questions: Is KARD breaking K-pop? That is, has their avant garde marketing strategy struck such a nerve with K-pop fans that it begs to be replicated?

Promoting overseas isn’t a trait that’s specific to KARD alone. In fact, many groups during what’s considered the Golden Age of K-pop (2009-2012) focused heavily on overseas promotions, specifically in Japan. Ever since the decline of the Hallyu wave in Japan, and more recently in China, K-pop groups have returned much of their focus onto the domestic market. However, KARD is doing the exact opposite. Instead of focusing on Korea, they’ve put much of their efforts into appealing to fans overseas. And instead of treading into the usual K-pop stomping grounds of East and Southeast Asia, KARD turned its attention to the West.

The Wild KARD Tour in San Francisco marked the group’s final stop in the US and it’s just one of a litany of stops since the group started touring in early May, which at the time was less than six months since the release of their first single. Over the course of the following five months, the group performed in countless cities across the Western hemisphere, making multiple stops throughout North America, South America, and Europe. During this time, KARD also made their official Korean debut with “Hola Hola” by performing for the first time on music shows. This video from Popsori does a good job of summarizing KARD’s rise in international fame.

Hats off to the people at DSP Media who clearly thought outside of the box in their promotional strategy with KARD. Having cashed in heavily on Kara’s run as arguably the most popular K-pop girl group in Japan, DSP understands the importance of overseas promotions. In fact, KARD member Somin first debuted as a member of Puretty, a girl group that promoted only in Japan and never debutted in Korea before disbanding. I wrote back in January that I thought this company was in serious trouble given the lack of revenue-generators on their roster after the departure of Kara and Rainbow, but they have truly hit a home run with KARD as the group is undoubtedly bringing in immediate profits in just their first year active.

As a matter of fact, interest towards this group seemed to be at an all-time high when I stepped into a sold-out venue for the show. Every single seat in the theater was occupied, and I mean that literally because every ticket came with a seat. I thought it was an interesting choice to have actual seats at the front of the stage. I’m not sure if that served an actual purpose though because those seats went mostly unused once KARD took the stage.

Before we get into the show, let’s talk about KARD’s music because I hear people say that it all sounds the same but not in a bad way. I have to agree with that assessment because, among their four singles to date, they all share a very similar structure and sound. They’re also made by the same group of producers behind the scenes so solidifying this sound was very much intentional as it capitalizes on the tropical house trend that’s been everywhere in K-pop lately, perhaps best punctuated by the commercial success of Winner’s “Really Really.”

KARD appeals to international fans in several ways and one of them is by using English in their songs. Opening the show with the English version of “Don’t Recall,” KARD shows right away that they care far more about the international fandom than anyone else. Unlike other groups which tend to treat international fans as secondary, KARD’s marketing strategy has put international fans first and, as evident, international fans have returned their love in droves.

Another reason international fans are drawn to KARD is because the members show that they’re just like us. Following the first set of songs was a variety segment where the members each went around answering fan-submitted questions. One of the more memorable responses was when the group was asked what concerts each member has been to. The two clear-cut answers were FNC Kingdom and AOMG. This was rather fascinating because you rarely hear K-pop idols discuss other K-pop acts, much less attend the family concerts of competing agencies. This aspect resonates with international fans who are largely multi-fandom, and so it’s refreshing to hear that idols are also fans of multiple K-pop artists. In doing so, it undercuts the stereotype that K-pop fans must be loyal to a single fandom. It counteracts the rabid fan culture of stanning your bias and adheres to a more level-headed appreciation for the music and performances.

A second reason for the group’s international success is that the marketing appeals to both genders. As the night went on, the group performed various covers of English songs and played variety games which included the participation of a few lucky fans. Another memorable moment was when the MC, Danny Lim, pointed out that there was a fair amount of male and female fans in attendance which is actually quite a rarity at most K-pop events. He’s hinting at the heteronormativity of the marketing strategy behind most K-pop groups, where male groups are marketed to female fans and vice versa. In the case of KARD, that heteronormativity is still very much in play but it’s being deployed on both male and female fans simultaneously. That’s likely the biggest draw with KARD; they attract both genders equally and so they bring in twice the number of fans. The math is undeniable.

As the group performed their final set of songs and an encore, I couldn’t help but think what a long journey this has been for KARD. It’s been roughly ten months since anyone has even heard of the group and they have already held packed concerts in close to 20 cities throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Amsterdam. That’s more concerts held in the West than what even the most successful of K-pop groups ever dare to attempt over the course of their careers, and all of this occurred over the course of five months!

This brings me back to my original question: Is KARD breaking K-pop? It remains to be seen if other companies can successfully replicate this formula. There are many factors which stand out but the most significant features of this group comes down to: 1) They are a co-ed group which appeals to both genders simultaneously, 2) they draw their fanbase from international fans in the Western hemisphere, and most importantly, 3) they tour feverishly in places that do not traditionally attract a ton of K-pop acts. If this business model continues to find success, other companies will start taking notice and the future of K-pop will look noticeably different.

For once, K-pop fans residing in in the Western hemisphere don’t feel like we’re being ignored and that is likely the single biggest driver of KARD’s success. They’re showing that there is a viable K-pop market here and that other companies would be making a mistake to continue to ignore it. In that sense, I believe this group has broken through the K-pop industry’s traditional business model — of marketing mostly at home and to countries in Asia — by pioneering a new marketing strategy that has allowed the group to gain an inordinate amount of exposure to Western audiences.

via seoulbeats

[ipanemaa2]

does roberto like to go to concerts ? what's his favorite artist or band ? has he introduced brazilian movies and music to his friends ? what about politics ? is he publicly against trump ? is he an activist ? what about the positioning of the brazilian community in the united states that support bolsonaro ? how does he feel about tony stark's imperialistic character ? & is he active on social media ?

random character questions ,  always accepting .

                                                CONCERTS —— -  roberto enjoys them ,  but that doesn’t go to say he’s actively at them ,  set aside the fact he probably never misses rock in rio or coachella   (  & you can guarantee he’s going dressed up to make sure he’s the best looking one there ) .    he likely occasionally makes appearances at music awards ,  but all that aside ,  he likely won’t go to a specific artist’s concert unless someone invites him .   he didn’t go to many when he was a kid either ,  which would play a role in why despite enjoying them ,  he’s not exactly enthusiastic about them .

                                               MADONNA .  he’s really fond of 80s music alongside many other things .   legião urbana ,  dianna ross ,  mj ,  prince ,  cyndi lauper —— -  all artists he loves ,  but in terms of being shamelessly bold  &  outspoken alongside their music ,  madonna tops the charts .    she had   /   has a way of showing off her confidence   &   that she’s aware of exactly where she stands ,    &   quite frankly ,   bobby loves controversial figures .    take in the fact that he himself is one .    he’s listening to material girl   &   papa don’t preach on his way to crash his own funeral .

                                              bobby’s likely had more friends watch novelas with him than movies .    during his time here ,   especially when he was younger ,   unless it was on one of his short term trips to brazil ,   he likely wasn’t hearing much about new movies or music there just because there isn’t much exposure to it here .    of course that changes later on but when bobby first got here he definitely did not have those connections to brazilian media   (  technically he arrived here in the 80s ,   but if we’re goin with his current age being his early mid - twenties as comic books know no time ,   the internet was definitely not so big   &   broad then as it is now  ) .    so aside from when he was actually there ,   globo   &   it’s novelas were his closest things to anything really .    of course ,   movies   &   music he already knew ,   he would share .    legiâo urbana is again on that list for music ,     &  he’d be a fan of old sambas   (  influenced by his mom who i’ve gotta write a meta on cause as i’ve developed more ideas for her   &   emmanuel’s characters  ) .    he’s introduced his friends to songs by chico buarque   &   cartola ,   alongside alceu valença   &   elba ramalho   (  who i know they sing forro   &   not samba but let’s throw them in  ) .    i’m not very familiar with brazilian movies   /   haven’t watched many myself to add them to this list but city of god is probably one he had his friends watch one night ,   considering how popular it also got here ,   it was an easy one .

                                              he is VERY political   &   he is very well informed with politics as a whole .    there’s really no way he would be able to entirely remove himself from it considering his father was a big political figure ,   but his own growth into it was slow .    when he first starts becoming an attention within the news   &   inherits da costa international ,   he would want nothing to do with the subject .    during that specific time   &   rise he really wanted to detach himself from the image of his father   &   that was one quick way to link him instead .    it wound up being a repulsive topic   &   one he was absolutely disgusted with .    this same time he wouldn’t exactly consider himself an  ‘ activist ’  of any sort either   (    &   truthfully ,   he probably never will use the term in reference of himself even though his actions may as well deem him one  ) .    he wasn’t very outspoken on issues though sympathetic with them ,   it was more so a thing he’d occasionally speak about as he does have a very strong intolerance towards various issues despite his desire to maintain himself out of certain lights in the media .

                                              now ,  as he gets more mature ,   bobby’s view on many things encounter a rather drastic change ,   a lot of matters he becomes conflicted on   (  his own perception of his father being one of them  ) .    it’s when he becomes outspoken with politics   &   stating his own thoughts   &   views on things :  policies ,   laws   &   ideas ,   etc .    inevitably ,   despite being a political figure ,   he’s one of influence ,   like his dad was   (  not to undermine that ,   his dad was the type of person to have backhanded tricks   &   work a lot under the table ,     &   bobby’s driven by ambition much like emmanuel   &   is very much capable of acting the same way if for other motives   &   under a pretense of being  ‘ a different story ’  ) .    politics is also heavily one of the reasons bobby becomes a very controversial figure .  he isn’t emotional about it as one might expect ,   if anything roberto shows himself off to be very cold blooded when one the topic of any political issue even if there are things that anger him   &   get him riled .    he can’t go around punching people or things as he normally would here —— -   though trump is one of the things he’d leave clear he’d like to make an exception on .

which is where trouble sets ,   because bobby’s gonna have to meet with trump quite a bit ,  but we’ll get to that .

he simultaneously begins being a bit more outspoken towards social issues during this .    he’s not the person who entirely   /   100% agrees with the popular views of subjects   /   matters ,     &   absolutely refuses to align himself with any movement or label even if he does work besides them often to combat   &   speak out on things he deems intolerable .

he does ,   to many’s surprise ,   chip in quite a bit about environmental issues .

he can’t go around punching people or things as he normally would here —— -   though trump is one of the things he’d leave clear he’d like to make an exception on.

                                             he’s pretty vocal on his dislike of trump from the start   &   it quickly goes from him making general witty   /   cynical   /   sarcastic remarks to actually touching on the matter of politic itself with the man .    trump most definitely wouldn’t miss the opportunity to acknowledge the fact that bobby is technically running a terrorist organization   ( even if he did turn it over to be resourceful   &   no longer considers it such ,   they’ve still got a pretty big focus with shit such as pretty heavy weaponry sO )     &   pointing out the matter that bobby could very much be   /   become a threat .    &   obviously when he’s running something so big   &   potent ,   if he’s taking or just handling some of that stuff on american soil ,   he’s gonna have to have a few settlements   /   discussions with the government   &   trump’s administration .    reports come out tense   &   he’s always got a witty thing to say about it ,   end of the day he’s really damn close to becoming an enemy of the state .    more so due to the fact he absolutely refuses to cooperate with the government in any manner .

                                              bobby’s already fed up with trump so by the time bolsonaro rolls in nothing’s really pretty about it .    he hops into the discussion much quicker   &   he’s definitely more involved ,   but when it comes to dealing with brazilians in the united states that support bolsonaro   &   his thoughts   /   positions on them —— -  beto’s gonna see really quick that sad truth   &   reality of the matter is that aside from a possible single outlier ,   they’re all very ,  very ignorant .    he’s not going to be the one to waste his time   &   energy on them when it’s quite obvious off the bat that there’s really nothing one can argue with them   (    &   bobby does believe that a valid reason can be brought up solely on the term of politic by those who support bolsonaro ,   but he doesn’t believe any of it can it outweigh the stuff he’s said   &   done .    inevitably when that’s the case he’s willing to sit down   &   speak on the subject ,   with all his distaste   &   disagreement ,   but the majority of the times it isn’t .    so he’s not going to waste his breath  ) .    are his own opinions out   &   known ?    yes .    is he going to continue speaking about it ?    yes .    but is he going to surround himself with people who are ignorant ,     &   willingly choose to continue to be so when they have the opportunity to sit down   &   educate themselves ?    no .    he’ll point out the hypocrisy in it ,   as most of these brazilians are actively against trump who is much less in comparison to bolsonaro ,     &   he’ll more than likely leave it to that rather than compromising his wellbeing with said people .

                                              answering the social media question before the tony stark one —— -  he’s on it but his activity is very sporadic   &   it’s all too common of him to be in some feud with someone .    when he’s active ,   it tends to be more so on twitter ,   but there are times he’ll be barely present there if present at all .    &   he does have an instagram where sometimes you might get a nice picture from him ,   but not too often .

                                              NOW ,   his thoughts on tony stark .  i think this can get interesting ,   & i think it should be taken into account how damn close roberto is to being much the same .    the man he was raised by   &   looked up to ,   his father ,   was tyrannical ,   extremely ambitious ,    &   inevitably ,    very imperialistic .    roberto took up a lot after him ,   whether that be for better or worse ,   especially in terms of ambition   (  charles xavier once wrote a card   /   letter   /   thingy about roberto even stating he believed roberto would wind up a villain   &   especially made a point of his ambition driving it —— -    &   while he was being unfair to make such a presumption when roberto was just a kid ,     &   truly did want to do what’s right ,   it really wasn’t a presumption without roots .    roberto had ,   by that point ,   shown some pretty nasty behavior ,   despite in all his efforts to be on the right end ,   despite the fact that more often than not he was on the right end of things  ) .    if it really wasn’t for roberto having some better sense of morals ,     &   factors   /   traits i really do believe were drawn from his mother rather than his father ,   he would be on the same foot over that matter .    alas ,  one of the few times i’ll be mentioning New Avengers on this blog ,   but even mariah hill made a matter of pointing out his ambition   &   having it be one of the many basis for her certainty that before long he’d wind up an enemy as well after he took over A.I.M.

                                              now ,   setting that down —— -    roberto’s aware of this matter about himself .      &   he’s aware of the nature of tony’s own character .    there’s a certain apathy to it .    there are things about tony he admires ,   from perspectives of business ,   mechanics   &   engineering ,   but he doesn’t see tony as being on this pedestal   (  which he at first perhaps ever slightly did  ) .    he had a slight admiration   /  appreciation for the avengers as a whole before joining the team himself ,   but while he was in there that definitely died .    in terms of tony ,  when roberto leaves the team telling steve that he wouldn’t go after friends ,   regardless of what they had done ,   tony was definitely one of those specified people he’s referring to .      &   he definitely left on better terms   &   a better view of tony than he did with steve .    but he also left with the knowledge of his own similarities with tony .

                                              so tl;dr ,  to summarize it —— -  roberto has a certain respect for tony ,   he is not approving of many of his characteristics   /   behaviors   /   manners ,   nor okay with many of them .    they don’t quite alter his views   /   opinions of tony ,   however ,   because he doesn’t really have many expectations of him ,  aside from expecting him to step up should some serious world - threatening issue come along ,   cause that’s kind of all their thing ,  isn’t it ?

                                             when it comes to terms of his own relationship with tony ,   there’s a certain line he won’t overstep nor allow to be overstepped .    you won’t really see him mentioning tony   &   he’ll usually dodge anything asked of him .    but he’s a person roberto can ,     &   will ,   inevitably ,   work alongside   &   with .    he might pitch a good word in about him on the very rare chance .    but he won’t be sitting down for a beer with him unless there’s a very good reason to .