#punk goes classic rock
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hh-rose · 1 year ago
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this is so very niche and i don’t know if anyone cares anymore but if anyone remembers my sambucky fic punk goes classic rock please respond this is so important.
it’s not that important but like would anyone be interested in more of that series? i’ve been thinking about it a lot recently and i would love to write it?????
here’s the link for anyone who wants to remember/if any first time readers are interested
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thelyricdude · 3 months ago
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k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9 · 2 years ago
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𝔅𝔬𝔫𝔷𝔬 𝔤𝔬𝔢𝔰 𝔱𝔬 𝔟𝔦𝔱𝔟𝔲𝔯𝔤
𝔗𝔥𝔢𝔫 𝔤𝔬𝔢𝔰 𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔞 𝔠𝔲𝔭 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔢𝔞
𝔄𝔰 ℑ 𝔴𝔞𝔱𝔠𝔥𝔢𝔡 𝔦𝔱 𝔬𝔫 𝔗𝔙
𝔖𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔥𝔬𝔴 𝔦𝔱 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔩𝔩𝔶 𝔟𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢𝔡 𝔪
𝔢 𝔇𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔨 𝔦𝔫 𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔟𝔞𝔯𝔰 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔬𝔴𝔫
𝔗𝔬 𝔲𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔯𝔰𝔱𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔢𝔦𝔤𝔫 𝔭𝔬𝔩𝔦𝔠𝔶
𝔓𝔦𝔠𝔨 𝔲𝔭 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔭𝔦𝔢𝔠𝔢𝔰
𝔖𝔠𝔥𝔬𝔬𝔩 𝔬𝔣 ℜ𝔬𝔠𝔨 (շօօՅ) 𝔡𝔦𝔯𝔢𝔠𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔟𝔶 ℜ𝔦𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔡 𝔏𝔦𝔫𝔨𝔩𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔯
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pissmoon · 2 months ago
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a-jumped-up-pantry-girl · 2 years ago
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💀💀💀 bro you are a flatulent pain in the ass 💀💀💀
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icewindandboringhorror · 1 year ago
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reminders of the passage of time moodeboard
#my blog is in his last year of middle school. he'll be off to high school next year (at least I think so..? 13 yrs old is usually 8th grade#at least from my experience. 9th graders are usually 14. 10th are 15. etc. etc. and then you're in 12th grade#and graduate high school usually 17yrs old.) ANYWAY.. wow he is so ancient..#maybe he's still in a preteeny early teen emo phase or something.. I hope he gets some black and white striped armwarmers and black eyeline#r for his birthday. Maybe an MP3 player of course. Though because I don't really like most alternative music and he is my son he's actually#not allowed to listen to metal or pop punk or emo rock whatever stuff. I open the mp3 player and pre-stock it with only#disco and funk and classical music. he can have a little chiptune or techno stuff as a treat (sometimes emo adjacent maybe more#scene. I think a lot of scene kids were into that more.. emo's weird eccentric brother))#Also he starts taking iron pills his 13th birthday because he's probably incredibly anemic just like me#so on and so forth and et cetera (I'm just being silly.. I am not pro-controlling your children down to whatmusic they#listen to or etc.etc. lol)#THOUGH I love that it's in january... january is one of my favorite months if not my favorite. yeeaaay#just such a nice cool month. I like that it's the start of the year mostly and that it's sometimes snowy here. Like where I live nov - dec#isnt really actually snowy?? You always associate those winter Months with snow but I think snow happens later on this coast#so it's more like Jan - March or even april sometimes. Though that may just be climate change lol.. But it's cool that Jan is winter AND#ACTUALLY snowy. plus the Beginning Of Year vibes and energy.. hrm... nice nice.. ANYWAY#AND this is not even my first tumblr blog. I had a different one before it I think..#evviilll to be on one website for so long lol.. Very thankful that most websites I used to use as a 10 year old or whatever#are now defunct. There's something weird about how humans are just creating endless streams of words and pictures and all of this stuff#and it just goes out into the void and stays there long after the person themselves has forgotten it. not even like 'oh no what if i said#something bad!!' but more just the general sense of.. people create so much more ideas than they can actually hold in their heads. nobody#remembers exactly word for word every post they've ever made or etc. It's like parts of yourself that you've externalized and then fade awa#from you but they're still you but they're not so you just have little snapshots of yourself in time floating around entirely unbenknownst#to you. like making clones of yourself and then forgetting you did so but every once in a while going 'shit... there's clones out there..#of me and I don't even have track or awareness of them anymore.. what an odd concept..' etc. not EXACTLY like that ghbj..you know what I me#n.. or maybe you dont.. hrmm... ANYWAY#I am just now slightly recovering from my most recent mysterious illness spell and etc. so I would like to post more again and mAYBE even#do a costume if I'm being ambitious.. but after so many times of being randomly stricken by problems I'm now fearful of ever being too#hopeful lol.. always like 'I would like to go to the grocery store tomorrow! .... MAYBE.. if i CAN.. possibly... NOT getting my hopes up'.#etc. etc. etc. every statement has a caveat and a backup plan and so on and so forth and such is life.. anyway. happy birthday evil tumblr
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theindyreview · 1 year ago
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Album Review: Grieving - Everything Goes Right, All At Once
#AlbumReview: @GrievingBand - Everything Goes Right, All At Once Band's debut LP captivates by blurring #posthardcore, #punk, and #emo boundaries @prescriptionpr @BTTIGDrecords #review #punk #emo #hardcore #newmusic #grieving #praise
When Bo from The Indy Review reached out to me about Grieving, my immediate response was, “yeah – sounds like something I could get into.” This was solely based on their name, given my penchant for tragic art. As they gear up to release their debut LP, I couldn’t be more thrilled to share my thoughts in this review. The opening track of Everything Goes Right, All At Once bears the fitting title…
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ihangelic · 3 months ago
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PAS DE PUNK ╱ h.taesan
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you and taesan go together like classical music and rock: not at all. but similar to the way taesan keeps getting piercings, there’s something about the way he gets under your skin that you kind of like— and you’re too proud to admit why you keep coming back for more.
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pair ; punk!taesan x ballerina!reader
genre ; smut (with plot), fluff?, rock band au, enemies to lovers
warnings ; fem!reader, taesan has piercings (including tongue), arguing (flirting), some jealousy, ‘make me shut up’ kiss, confessing of feelings, petnames (mostly princess), lots of mentions of taesan’s hands & rings, dom!taesan, bratty/sub!reader, thigh riding, praise, degr*dation, bre*st play, begging, a little sp*nking, no prep, piv
wc ; 8k
playlist ; smells like teen spirit by nirvana / sugar we’re goin down by fall out boy / a little death by the neighbourhood / punk rock princess by something corporate / she’s kinda hot by 5sos / good girl by thomas larosa / s*xtape by deftones / closer by nine inch nails / all i really want is you by the marías
✉️ 𓂃 ₊˚⊹ note ; happy new year!! idk if it’s unhinged to make a playlist for a smut fic but i couldn’t help myself ><. i avoided using lesser-known ballet terms for non-dancers to understand (aka me), but also tried to make it enjoyable for dancers to read. hopefully i was successful lol.
! . . . COPYRIGHT OF IHANGELIC
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dancing along with the music of l’oiseau bleu is practically impossible when it sounds like a rock concert is taking place in the room just across from you.
lowering to stand flat footed in your pointe shoes, you raise your hands to your face, pinching your nose bridge in frustration as you try and resist the growing urge to pull your hair out.
the obnoxious sound of drums, a bass’s low rumble, and an electric guitar’s higher tune rings in your ears— drowning out any of your more rational thoughts until you’re left with only rage.
you try your best to block it out, to take a moment to breathe and try to get a controlled hold over your emotions— and you think it may work after you cover your ears with your own hands, the sound of the instruments still audible but sounding more distant. then the teeth gritting noise of a cymbal pierces through the barrier of your hands and it’s almost like it’s a sound effect for the way your train of thought shatters, letting out a sigh that sounds much more like an animalistic scream before stomping over to your phone and turning off the music.
power walking out of the dance studio and to the very unfortunately placed neighboring rental space, you don’t even have to turn the knob as you look through the glass door. the raging bitch face you wear is absolutely effortless as you mean-mug all three ‘problems’ in the room; ‘problems’ that drip in leather, distressed or patched fabric, spikes, and way too oversized jeans. you’re about to feel acquainted with the three men as this situation seems to occur more and more often.
foam panels are stuck to the walls; black cords are neatly coiled or in squiggly lines across the floor; and of course there’s guitars, a drum set, and microphones everywhere.
finally you catch the eyes of the long, blond haired drummer— and that gives you enough incentive to open the door and barge in like you own the place.
“could you be any louder?” you rhetorically ask, but it goes unheard as two of the men sing passionately into their microphones, eyes closed and hands working the strings of their guitars while the drummer keeps playing his drums— all while staring at you with a relaxed, barely inquisitive face.
“could you be any louder!” you shout, the end of the sentence awkwardly fading in volume when there's a screech from one of the guitars and everything goes quiet.
the two seeming vocalists turn their heads to look at you, all three men now staring while you stand, clearly bothered as your hands are on both sides of your hips and your chest heaves with deep breaths of frustration.
“well…” the dark haired, taller one begins— and your expression only sours more as you’re already familiar with how snarky and full of himself he can be. “you’re the one yelling.”
you let out an appalled scoff, unable to help the way your eyes roll as you’re angered even more by how that only seems to make the man smirk.
“if someone has to yell just for you to hear them that means you’re the loud one.”
“you sure about that, princess?” he asks, quirking a pierced brow. your impending explosive response must be visible as the shorter statured one interrupts for damage control.
“w— we’re sorry!” he starts, speaking on his friends behalves. the blond’s expression never changes as he stares at your fuming face, while the darker haired looks like he’s about to protest— but the other continues before he has the chance. “look..we got off on the wrong foot and…”
the way his hands float in front of him, bass hanging against his chest by the strap— it only adds to how lost he looks on what to do, and it makes you feel kind of bad. (for him at least.)
you’re about to start apologizing when he’s suddenly reaching his hand out towards you.
“i’m riwoo.” he introduces, then gestures over to the other two men. “this is taesan and leehan.”
“…y/n” you say somewhat sheepishly, a bit of your shame coming back at the politeness of the bassist you now know as riwoo.
previously you’d only knock aggressively at their door to ask them to shut up, a few times popping your head in when that didn’t work to snappily ask them to please try and keep it down at least a little. you’ve never actually had a full conversation with them before— or an argument...whatever this exchange of words could be classified as.
“unfortunately we can’t really be any quieter. we have to practice for a gig we got coming up—“
“isn’t your little dance school supposed to be closed now anyway?” taesan abruptly interrupts, yet again grinding your gears with the snarky way he says the words ‘dance school’.
“it’s closed for classes, but the rooms can be used for practice up until eleven pm.” you provide smartly, catching yourself before you scrunch your nose in disgust at him.
“we try to keep the noise at a minimum if we’re here at prime hours,” riwoo cuts in again, attempting to explain gently. “but past that…” he trails off, shoulders shrugging as he gives you a sympathetic look.
you process his words, how he really is seemingly trying to help you out here, before sighing softly as your hand raises to press into your increasingly aching temple.
“do you have to use your amps?” you ask, raising a hand to point at one.
“did you not hear him? we have a show to do, we need to practice as best as we can. so yes, we have to use our amps.” taesan firmly states, over enunciating like you can’t hear. his brows are slightly furrowed as his previous amusement is completely gone, a flame of annoyance now in his eyes.
you let your hand defeatedly fall and slap against your bare thigh, taesan’s eyes glancing down at your leg for the smallest of moments before looking back up to glare at you.
“who the fuck do you think you are?” you bite at him, sick of his selfish attitude as you turn your body fully in his direction, crossing your arms.
“wxnder.” he dryly states, making your head tilt in confusion and absolute impatience.
“huh?”
“wonder— but like, with an ‘x’. that’s our band name.” leehan provides, throwing you off as you’re momentarily sidetracked by how deep and smooth his voice is. (are all these men vocalists? also, with an ‘x’— how cheesy can they be?)
“you should come watch us perform.” he smiles widely, eyes creasing and everything. you’re yet again thrown off as he speaks to you with such casual friendliness as though you haven’t practically yelled at all of them and continue to seethe at his guitarist like you want to rip his throat out.
“uh, i…”
“i’m sure miss priss has other things she’d rather do, like dance to swan lake in a feather tutu or something.” taesan finishes your sentence for you, conjuring a string of curses to lace your tongue.
“shut the f—“
“bye, twinkle toes.” he waves you off dismissively, grabbing the neck of his guitar by his multiple ringed fingers as he directs his attention back to his instrument and mic.
“it was nice meeting you, y/n.” riwoo adds somewhat shyly, adjusting the strap of his instrument as well— though much more apologetically.
“see ya’, y/n!” leehan calls before picking up his drumsticks and twirling them in his hands, looking up to taesan for his cue. you watch him cock his chin, the sudden rhythmic pounding of leehan’s drums making you flinch before taesan and riwoo start playing their strings again.
riwoo’s voice starts out soft before slowly raising in volume and you’re shocked by his melodic vocals that contrast so satisfyingly well with the rock instrumentals.
still disgruntled but more off put than anything, you don’t know what more to do than shuffle out of the room, shutting the door behind you as you stare at the air in front of you.
well, guess it’s time to find some earbuds that are sound and pirouette proof.
ㅤㅤ──────────────────────
you got it. you got the lead role.
all the extra (maybe slightly excessive) practicing, late nights and frustration (which would be a lot less if there wasn’t a band next door) paid off.
you’re playing as princess aurora for your dance studio’s performance of ‘the sleeping beauty’, which will be showing at a local theatre next month.
jaehyun, your good friend and fellow dancer who’s always making you smile and lightening sullen moments during classes— is your dance partner, playing as prince désiré.
the second the both of you found out you got lead roles, jaehyun was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement, insisting that you go out tonight to celebrate.
which is why you find yourself by jaehyun’s side at ‘sundown lounge’, your favorite bar and hang out spot.
“you look good, by the way!” jaehyun attempts to speak over the loud karaoke, leaning a little closer to your ear as you weave through the crowd.
“thanks!” you turn your head to smile at him over your shoulder, hoping your iridescent eyeshadow twinkles under the lights how you wanted it to.
“you do too.” you compliment before someone’s elbow is jabbed into your stomach, squishing yourself against the wall as you and jaehyun try to make it to the bar to order some drinks. “why is it so busy tonight?”
“i don’t know, maybe it’s happy hour!” jaehyun suggests hopefully, but when you finally reach the counter his theory is proven wrong when you’re told everything’s its original price. regardless, you sip on a strawberry margarita while jaehyun holds a glass of something that looks like muddy water before deciding where to sit.
“wanna go there, near the stage?” he asks, pointing over to a table that’s very near the performance area. you’d rather not have to hear a drunk girl sloppily sing a britney spears song right in your ears but jaehyun finds it hilarious, often unable to resist curling in on himself while giggling uncontrollably— and that always makes you laugh. so you nod your head, jaehyun grabbing your hand to make sure he doesn’t lose you in the crowd before leading you to the table.
there’s only two more songs played before the dj hops on the stage, speaking into the mic. “karaoke will be ending as it’s time for the band of tonight to take the stage. give us a few minutes while the performers are setting up!”
some people in the crowd hoot and holler excitedly as jaehyun turns his head to you. “i wonder what type of band will be playing tonight, last weeks was pretty good.”
“it’s punk rock!” a girl excitedly butts in from the table right next to yours, having accidentally overheard your conversation.
“a rock band?” you ask, somewhat groaned in annoyance as you now have a personal vendetta against the genre. but your tone goes completely unnoticed by the girl as her eyes continue to sparkle with enthusiasm.
“yeah! their music’s really good and they’re all super hot, my favorite one plays the electric guitar.”
“what’s their name?” jaehyun asks, curiosity evidently sparked.
“wxnder!” she answers, and your brows furrow with the familiarity of it. where have you heard that name before?
the girl’s head turns at a sound and her mouth drops open, a small uproar caused as some people in the crowd shriek and cheer. the unexpected noise has you flinching before looking towards the stage— and your jaw drops too, but not in a good way.
“you’ve got to be fucking kidding me...” you say to yourself in shock, watching as riwoo sits down his amp and plugs it into the wall.
“what?…what!” jaehyun whisper-yells, grabbing onto your arm to try and get your attention.
leehan appears next, sitting down behind the drum set that’s already on stage and wagging his head to adjust his hair, causing another small wave of squeals.
then a broad back covered by a black leather jacket abstracts your view, and he doesn’t even need to turn around for you to know who he is— but he does anyway. the way taesan almost immediately catches your gaze amongst the crowd is infuriating, smirking while glancing down at how close your table is to the stage before looking teasingly into your eyes again.
and it makes you pissed, unbelievably so— yet you feel your cheeks burn as you can’t help but think about how hot he looks, the stage lights glinting off his lip ring and drawing your eyes towards them.
have his lips always been so…plump?
taesan winks at you before looking down to tune his guitar, hands gripping the neck of it. veins pop out from the contours of his knuckles; long, thick fingers adorned with silver rings picking at the strings.
fuck…
“y/n?” jaehyun tries again, and you finally respond with the shake of your head, downing the remainder of your drink like it’s a shot.
“it’s nothing.” you insist.
after a few minutes of setting up, tuning, and making sure everything’s in order; taesan introduces the group (not that he exactly needs to, since it seems the bar is full of their fans), saying that their opening song will be ‘take my tears’, a song he wrote himself.
usually you and jaehyun talk throughout a band's live performance, as they’ll be playing all night— but you can’t seem to look away as you listen to the lyrics and how they perform.
it’s entrancing— much different than when you’re trying to ignore them through the studio walls. the song is somewhat emotional, beautiful; yet it also has such a fun and freeing feel. or maybe it’s just the way they sing it— how taesan sings it, his body grooving and head nodding to the beat of their sound. the lyrics aren’t what you’d expect from him— the guy you thought he was, and it leaves you wondering what more there is to him that you wouldn’t expect.
your heart skips a beat, and you’re not sure if it’s just the thrill of the rock music or if it’s because of him; the annoying, pompous punk who suddenly looks so sexy when he’s performing. (and never any other time. definitely not.)
you’ve just finished your second margarita and are a little buzzed by the time their set is finished, the night passing faster than you realized.
jaehyun is eating on a basket of fries, yapping away so fervently that he doesn’t even notice how you’ve gotten up from the table and are approaching taesan— who again locks eyes with you as he walks down the steps of the stage to meet you halfway.
“so, what did you think?” he asks, a little out of breath from the long performance, having had no breaks in between songs.
he stands closely so you can hear him— and it’s enough for you to smell his cologne; to see the way sweat clings to the skin of his neck; deep breaths coming out in puffs as his chest expands. something about it all has an effect on you— or maybe it’s something in the air, because taesan doesn’t even try to hide the way his eyes rake over your body, admiring your legs in your denim mini skirt.
“you..you guys were amazing.” you compliment, sounding a little out of breath yourself.
taesan makes a ‘hm’ sound, faintly smiling at you while biting his lip— and you swear you see the glint of metal on his tongue.
your body heats up as you wonder if his tongue is pierced too, what kind of things he could do to you with it, what it would feel like against your skin— before you frantically try and dismiss the increasingly dirty thoughts, reminding yourself that the man you’re fantasizing about is right in front of you.
“i didn’t think you’d actually come.” taesan says, speaking in a teasing tone that you swear seems flirty paired with the slight quirk of his brow.
“how’d you even know we’d be here? did you stalk us, princess?”
okay, surely that was flirting, right?
you’re about to playfully roll your eyes, paired with a smart little comment and deny that’d you’d ever be interested enough to ‘stalk’ them— until the girl that spoke to you about wxnder earlier suddenly appears, putting herself between you and taesan.
“you were absolutely amazing, taesan.” the girl croons, confidently placing her hand on his forearm as she leans all up in his personal space.
and you expect him to shrug her off, either politely or not-so politely establish some distance between them. but again, he surprises you— in a way you absolutely hate.
he smirks at her, in just the same way he did to you just moments ago— and leans even closer to her face, unneededly close.
“aren’t you sweet. thank you so much.”
“no problem.” the girl smiles cattily, clearly enjoying the attention.
something in your heart burns, and that familiar feeling of uncontrollable annoyance comes back even worse than before.
“do you think i could get your autograph?”
“sure, princess.” taesan answers lowly— and that does it.
without even feeling the urge to look back and see that girl all over him, you’re gone, picking up a drunk jaehyun by his arm.
“wh— where are we going?” jaehyun drunkenly slurs, eyes glossed over as they look at you.
“to get an uber home.” you answer firmly, eyes hard as you once again weave through the crowd.
you feel eyes on your back, but you ignore it until you get to the door, turning your head as jaehyun leans half of his body weight against you. even amongst all the faces, you and taesan’s eyes meet easily, his arm now slung around the girl’s waist as she whispers something in his ear.
his lips are in that same smirk— like he’s taunting you, and you scoff, dragging jaehyun and yourself out of the bar.
you can’t believe you were actually feeling into him— but you surely don’t have to worry about that now.
he’s just confirmed that he is in fact what you thought he was: an absolute ass and a cocky player who sings on stage to get girls in his bed.
well, fuck him. he can get his dick wet with anyone he wants but it sure as hell won’t be you.
ㅤㅤ──────────────────────
the very next day you’re back at the dance studio, rehearsing for the upcoming performance.
jaehyun whines the whole day, saying that it’s somehow your fault that he got drunk off his ass— but despite that, he does incredibly well during class. you do also, but unbeknownst to you, your friend wonders why you seem so tense— like something has been bothering you all day.
“shouldn’t you go home and rest, y/n?” jaehyun asks you at the end of class hours. everyone else is packing up their totes and leaving, yet you’re stood at the ballet barre doing leg exercises.
“i’ll be fine. practice makes perfect.” you insist, keeping your eyes on your form in the mirrored wall.
“well..just don’t overwork yourself, okay?” jaehyun sweetly tells you, and you flash him a thankful smile through the mirror.
“don’t worry, yunie, i wont. see you tomorrow.”
if it weren’t for the absolute beast you’re known to be in the studio, jaehyun would force you out of your pointe shoes and drag you home himself— but you don’t seem even a little bit tired, and it appears as though you have some steam to blow off.
so jaehyun and you exchange goodbyes before he leaves you in the empty classroom. (yes, completely empty— aside from the lady at the front desk. no one is as obsessive as you to want to stay even another second practicing when you already have for the whole day— on a saturday night, no less.)
you spend the next thirty minutes going over the steps you learned today that you don’t have down perfectly yet, having small cool downs in the form of stretching in between.
‘entrée d’aurore’ is still playing on your phone when you hear the distant voices of what must be the front desk lady and someone else speaking. you wonder if somebody has returned to get some extra practice in as well, and as you hear footsteps approaching, you remain sitting on the floor doing toe touches.
the door to the classroom opens, echoing slightly in the big, empty space— you lift your head to see someone who definitely is not a part of the sleeping beauty cast.
“y/n?” taesan says somewhat quietly, eyes looking around the big room that only holds one ballerina, who looks small in comparison to the high ceilings and vacant space.
your eyebrows furrow, somewhat irritated to see him while also being surprised— not only by his presence but by the unfamiliar way he almost looks sheepish: barely taking a few steps inside the classroom, looking around like he expects someone or yourself to scold him and kick him out.
“…don’t tell me you auditioned.” you joke, although it’s said casually. your eyes only scrutinize him for a second before you look back down to your own hands as you stretch them across your straightened legs and to your toes.
taesan has seen you a handful of times when you’re in your casual practice wear, but what you’re clad in for an official performance class is a little different. you’re wearing a black leotard with a little mesh skirt, a cropped shirt overtop, tights, and black leg warmers.
you look..really cute. even when you’re pretending to ignore him.
“no. the lady at the front desk said you were in here.” he explains lamely, all his usual snarky remarks not coming to his thoughts as he watches you in your element.
“good. i don’t want to see you in tights anyway. not your aesthetic.”
“sure you don’t.”
your head snaps to look at him before you can think not to react, cheeks heating up as you see the twinkle in his eyes and the small smile he tries to conceal by pressing down his lips.
you sigh as though you’re bothered— because you are— obviously…and get up from your floor stretches to walk over to the ballet barre again. taesan follows you.
“i don’t know why you’re here but i’m practicing. you should leave.”
“who was that with you at the bar last night?”
your cold indifference is broken at the unexpected question, your expression clearly confused as you look at the man standing beside you in the mirrored wall.
“what, jaehyun? he’s my friend. he wanted to go out to celebrate our castings. y’know, for the performance i’m trying to practice for right now?”
“so it was a date.” taesan remarks, eyes hardening right in front of you— and there’s that angered burn in your chest again, your hands squeaking from how tightly they hold onto the barre as your expression turns sour.
“who i date isn’t any of your business to speculate. i haven’t asked you what you and that fangirl got up to last night, have i?” you snap, raising a challenging brow at him— but it only makes him shake his head in unbelief, staring at you like you’re an absolute idiot.
“what? y/n, i don’t even know her name.”
“yes, well, i’m not surprised over that. i’m guessing it’s not very important for you to learn a girl’s name— as long as you’re in between her legs by the end of the night.”
his hand is on your shoulder, turning you around to face him abruptly as he stands closely, right in front of you.
“what the fuck is that supposed to mean? you think i fucked her?”
“i don’t want to know what you di—“
“shut the fuck up.” taesan orders, his fingers curling over your wrists making you wonder when they got there in the first place.
“make me.” someone (you?) says, and then you feel the cold press of taesan’s lip ring against your mouth.
it’s firm at first: the way his lips slam into yours, how both of your expressions still look pissed off at each other, even with both of your eyes closed. but eventually you seem to realize that taesan is actually kissing you— and then you’re melting into him, sighing as you feel his touch soften in response.
his kiss quickly turns demanding, lips moving against yours in pursuit of your taste. you squeak when his teeth bite at your bottom lip, not knowing you’ve fallen right into his trap until his tongue has already seized the opportunity and invaded your mouth. turns out you weren’t wrong when you thought you spotted a ball stud piercing on taesan’s tongue, you can most definitely feel it when he brushes it against your own appendage.
your head is pushed against the mirror from his vigor and you whimper, never having felt so dominated simply by a man’s kiss; taesan explores your mouth like he owns it, like it’s his, and it makes your core pulse, a flicker of neediness growing.
the rough groan he lets out as his hands move to roam and grasp at your waist hints at his possessiveness, fingers pressing into your skin through the thin material of your leotard.
“didn’t fuck her. didn’t want to.” he murmurs between the eager movements of his lips. “just wanted to make you jealous.”
“wh— why?” you manage breathily, taesan pressing his body against yours as your hands move to brace yourself on the barre.
“because i like you, y/n.” he smiles and huffs in disbelief at your denseness.
“i want to take you on a date— whether you let me between your legs or not.” he smirks, referring to your earlier harsh remark and making you cringe at the reference.
“i…i’d like that.” you say shyly, looking at him through your lashes. “the date— and..and the other thing too.”
“the other thing?” taesan repeats, confused as you only avoid his gaze, not further explaining— but funnily enough, your sudden bashful attitude is what makes it click in his mind.
“princess?” he experimentally calls, pleased when you automatically lift your head to look at him. his tongue unconsciously peaks out to play with his lip ring as he cockily grins, hand creeping up from your waist to pinch your chin between his fingers.
“why don’t you be a big girl and tell me what you mean?”
your nose crinkles, a pathetic attempt at defiance amidst your embarrassment. taesan’s other hand pinches the tender skin of your thigh, causing you to flinch and whimper at the slight pain as he makes a disapproving sound under his breath.
“come on, y/n. be good or i won’t give you what you want.”
“i— i want you...i meant—”
taesan does anything but go easy on you, eyes dark with mischief as he lowers his head to nibble at your neck. you squeeze your thighs together, looking for relief from the way your pussy now pulses prominently.
his hands move in tandem, one cradling along your jawline while the other brushes up and down your thigh, making you annoyed at your tights with how they keep you from feeling the cold brush of his rings against your skin.
you want them off. you want taesan to take them off. so you admit it.
“want you to fuck me. please, taesan.”
“awe,” he coos. “aren’t you a sweet one.”
you swear the tone in which he says those words turn you into goo, your hands releasing the barre to desperately hold onto his shirt.
“please.” you beg, finding yourself only wanting more praise— more of him— just anything he’s willing to give you.
taesan is able to identify the look in your eyes, staring at your lips and leaning down so slowly, making you whine at his teasing until he finally grants you mercy and kisses you again.
it’s dirtier than before: a lot more spit, moans, and movement from both of your tongues. taesan’s leg leans against the wall between your thighs, and whether it was his purpose to give you relief or not, you take the opportunity and hesitantly grind your core against his ripped jeans.
the pleasure is immediate, sending a tingle up your spine that has you arching against his chest, forgetting any shame as you begin to earnestly grind your hips against him. the thin layers covering your core paired with the roughness of taesan’s denim creates a wonderful friction, feeling how wet you’ve become in your panties.
“shit, you’re such a slut for it.” taesan remarks in genuine awe after breaking the kiss to watch the little show you’re putting on. his eyes take in every movement, from the way you rock against him to how your eyes squeeze shut and you tilt your head back.
the previous song playing on your phone has long since finished as some other tune now plays from your playlist— taesan suddenly becoming aware of it and that he has a girl whimpering and riding his thigh in the middle of a dance classroom.
he abruptly pulls away, the presence between your legs disappearing as you conjure a bratty sound from your throat.
“y/n,” taesan scolds in a harsh whisper. “did you forget where we are?”
“thought you said you’d fuck me if i was good?” you argue, flashing him a defiant expression.
“you think using my thigh to get yourself off without my permission is being good?”
your eyes widen, not expecting him to call you out on it.
looking to the floor and hearing taesan’s responding laugh at your childishness, it only makes the desire to act out against him stronger— you’re just not sure how you can do it in this moment.
“get your things. we can go to my place.” taesan offers, your stomach fluttering at the idea as you do what he says— moving to grab your phone, bag, and change out of your ballet wear.
your heart is pounding out of your chest and what’s between your legs hasn’t calmed down at all either by the time you walk out of the dance studio and sit in the passenger seat of taesan’s car.
and the drive is just as excruciating.
the man seems hellbent on teasing you by not giving you a drop of attention, keeping his eyes on the road while some rock song plays through the speakers. and you know he knows what he’s doing, how you can’t keep his eyes off of him, because the corner of his mouth is subtly turned.
you see no reason to hide it since he’s already aware, so you stare at him— once again admiring how hot his hands look wrapped around the steering wheel, the contours of his jawline and perfect side profile illuminated by the low hanging sun.
your eyes keep wandering— down, down, down until you get to his lap, where you see the large bulge tenting his pants.
your mouth waters and your hands twitch, wondering if he’s really as big as he looks and hoping you’ll get to find out by the end of tonight.
then you’re struck with an idea, recognizing the perfect opportunity you have right now— and you reach your hand out confidently to grope him over his pants.
you’re so proud at the way it makes taesan softly gasp under his breath, back stiffening at the unexpected touch. you mold your hand over his clothed dick, rubbing and gently squeezing— in all the right ways apparently, as you feel him twitch in your hands— even through the thick denim fabric.
“y/n, stop it.” taesan grits, and you hear the squeak of what you guess is his hands gripping tightly around the steering wheel. you don’t look at him until after you’ve located the head of his cock, rubbing over it with your thumb and meeting his fiery glare with a teasing bite to your lip— clearly pleased with yourself.
taesan is visibly pissed at your blatant act of defiance, but he gives you one more chance in the form of a threat.
“you’re not very patient, are you, princess? keep touching my dick like that and you won’t even get to see it out of my pants.”
your hand immediately stills— the man releasing a huff of disbelief when you pull your hand away completely to lay both of your hands on your lap, avoiding his gaze as you stare ahead.
not another word is shared, taesan enjoying the way you nervously squirm in your seat as he finally pulls into his apartment’s parking lot.
“stay.” he simply orders once he’s parked, and you’re left confused as he exits the car, only to watch him come around and open your door for you— even going as far to unbuckle your seatbelt and keep a firm hold around your wrist as he leads you up the stairs of his building. it makes butterflies flutter in your stomach yet your insides twist with nervous anticipation— because he does it all with the same stern eyes he spoke to you with as he threatened not to fuck you.
when the key is twisted and his front door lightly squeaks open— his residence somehow looks exactly how you thought; dark, moody, vintage rock posters and memorabilia hanging on the walls.
you expect him to be cheesy and press you against his door the moment it’s closed, but he doesn’t— instead walking over leisurely to his couch and sitting down, legs widely spread in an oddly commanding and powerful way.
your eyes widen at the arousing image, feeling yourself become sheepish as taesan lets his eyes roam over your form without shame.
“why do you look so shy now? you were such a disobedient little slut in the car.”
you swallow, hardly able but trying to hold eye contact with him as your face heats up in a delicious sort of shame.
taesan sighs as though he’s annoyed with your silence, patting one thigh with his hand.
“come here.”
“…h— huh?”
“don’t make me say it again, y/n.” he orders— and next thing you know, your body is moving to straddle the leg he’s directed you to sit on.
“there we go. guess princesses can take orders sometimes, hm?” he rhetorically asks, but you’re nodding your head anyway.
taesan just stares at you for a bit, admiring how pretty you look sitting and waiting for what he’ll do next, so different from the bratty attitude you had during the car ride.
then his hands rest on your bare waist, giving him easy access as you had disregarded your leotard before leaving the studio, now only wearing your cropped shirt and athletic shorts.
you’re unable to conceal the shuddered inhale you take as taesan’s hands creep upward, seeing him smirk at the sound before his hands slip under your shirt and reach your tits.
“no bra?” he teases, biting his lip as his fingers pinch at your hard nipples.
“n— no,” you struggle out, flinching lightly as taesan plays with your tits without any restraint, like your body is his toy. the contrast of his cool rings against your heated skin causes goosebumps to rise on the surface of your arms, chest pushing further into his hands. “didn’t think there was any p—..point.”
you watch as taesan shakes his head like he’s disappointed, yet he’s smiling darkly.
“dirty girl.” he remarks, giving a firmer pinched tug to your hard bud and forcing a whimper to escape from between your lips. “just take everything off then.”
you’re quicker to do what he says this time, only letting your sudden shy attitude make you hesitate for a moment before getting up from his lap to discard your clothing to his floor, keeping eye contact with taesan as best as you can manage— as he seems pleased when you do. he lets out a hungry exhale when you take off your shirt and your tits are revealed to his eyes, hand leisurely jerking himself off over his pants by the time your shorts are removed— leaving you only in your underwear.
“is that a thong, princess?” taesan asks breathily, eyes slightly widening in what you think might be surprise.
“yeah? it’s…it’s what i always wear underneath my leotard.” you confirm, somewhat confused— until taesan speaks again, hand moving up and down his dick faster.
“fuck, just— just didn’t expect such a prissy girl like you to— shit, i don’t know. you’re so hot.”
you smile— and it’s equally sexy and cute in a way that makes taesan feel like he’s going to go insane if you don’t get back on his lap right away. your fingers slip beneath the band of your panties to tug them off, but he stops you before you can.
“don’t. keep them on, wanna see you make a mess in them for me.”
a part of you— the bratty side— wants to say you already have, the dark spot from your leaking arousal evidence of it. but you don’t, the desire to listen actually winning over as you remove your hands from your hips and straddle his thigh again. you hover this time, not fully sitting down as you’re embarrassed for him to feel your wetness directly against his bare skin, which are revealed through the large holes in his jeans.
but taesan catches on immediately, tutting fondly as his hands squeeze at your hips.
“all the way.” he drawls, like he’s giving a ditzy dog a command they’re struggling to understand— and it makes your stomach flip, hurrying to do as he says.
you know he feels it, how your panties clinging to your wet pussy lips press against his thigh— and as he bites at his lip, drawing your eyes to his twinkling piercing yet again— your face burns as you’re sure he’s probably looking at the glistening residue you’ve surely left on his skin.
“good girl.” he mutters roughly, you whining in response as your hands fist into the material of his shirt.
you feel like such a slut, sitting on a man’s lap almost completely bare while he’s fully clothed, your needy pussy slowly drenching his thigh in your juices; and you sound like one too as taesan leans down to suck your nipple into his mouth.
you gasp and stutter— unsure of what you’re even trying to say as taesan chuckles around your bud, continuing to flick and roll his pierced tongue over you. the contrast of his warm appendage and the occasional brush of round metal against your skin makes you sensitive, hole clenching around nothing with every other swipe of his tongue.
“like that?” he whispers before switching to give your other breast attention.
“yes,” you quietly moan, wrapping your arms around to grip and play with the hair at the nape of his neck, subsequently pushing his face deeper into your tits.
he likes that— if his responding groan is anything to judge by, his hands pulling your hips forward and drawing a more unabashed sound from your lips at the movement.
“use me. get your little pussy off on my thigh.”
“fuck— yes,” you obey, rocking your hips and finding a rhythm.
“shit. that’s it, baby.” he coos, his hand suddenly reigning down against your ass a contrast to his soft tone as it leaves your skin tingling with heat. “just a few little touches is all it takes to get the brat out of you, huh?”
you scoff at that— though it’s interrupted by a moan when taesan flexes his thigh. shame burns your skin and his little remark makes you want to act out again, but all you can do is grind your pussy against him, gasping and going faster whenever your covered clit gets brushed over just right.
your hands that are still tangled in his hair pull to disconnect his mouth from your tits, leaning down to kiss him instead. taesan doesn’t scold you for the demanding gesture— but he does lift a hand to grasp it over your throat. he doesn’t squeeze, but the simple act makes you feel so good and dominated— and his other hand which gropes at your ass and snaps the string waistband of your thong has you falling further into delirium.
“please— please, tae. wanna cum.”
“then cum.” he says simply, and when you finally open your squeezed shut eyes, he’s staring at your desperate face with amusement— and just like that, you’re pissed.
“taesan! i can’t! not— not enough!” you whine, not even able to think about how pathetic you sound.
“you’re cumming by my thigh or not at all. this is what you get for acting like a fucking whore while i was driving.”
you whisper out a sigh, and it’s so broken and helpless as you rock your hips earnestly against him that he almost feels bad— but the bigger part of him is proud; proud in a dark and twisted way at how he’s dwindled the ballerina down to nothing but a mindless slut that’s practically crying with the need to cum.
another spank is delivered to your ass and you flinch, taesan’s hand around your neck getting a little firmer as he forces your teary eyes to look up at him— and you feel like a dog in heat as your hips never stop their efforts to bring you to release.
“please.” you beg, and taesan’s eyes turn hazey at the beautiful sound.
“come on, princess. i know you can do it for me.” he encourages— and turns out that’s all you needed.
taesan gets an up close view as your eyes roll to the back of your head, mouth dropping open in a silent cry as he feels you ruin your panties even further.
his thigh is dripping as you keep rutting your hips against him, letting out small whimpers as you work yourself through your high. taesan grants you mercy at the very end, helping you grind your hips before eventually slowing you to a stop.
then he’s picking you up and carrying you into what you can only assume is his bedroom— because in the next moment he’s laying you down on a black comforter-covered mattress and stripping off his clothes.
you’re panting, still catching your breath— but you still manage to make a somewhat teasing comment as the man’s bare chest is revealed to you.
“no tattoos?”
taesan looks up at you right after pulling his shirt over his head, black hair disheveled and brushing over his eyes as he smirks silently at you and combs it out of his face.
“i thought all emo’s had tattoos.” you tack on— and that gets him to respond.
“emo?! i’m not emo, i’m fucking punk!” he argues, somewhat offended but mostly amused as he works on removing his jeans.
“emo, punk, metalhead. it’s all the same thing.” you offhandedly say.
“…i’m about to go soft.” taesan threatens.
“kidding!” you laugh, sitting up on your elbows— and the smile is completely wiped off your face when taesan removes his boxers and his dick is finally freed, slapping against his abs.
“shit..” you whisper to yourself, watching as taesan rolls a condom on before climbing on the bed and caging you underneath him with his body.
“need me to stretch you first, princess?” taesan sweetly asks after peeling off your drenched panties, hand brushing up and down your hip soothingly.
as much as you want his sexy fingers in your cunt— you can’t wait any longer, spreading your legs for him as you flash him your best puppy-dog eyes.
“no. please just fuck me, taesanie. need you.”
“god…” taesan sighs, not making you wait anymore as he lines his head to your entrance before pushing in slowly. “oh, fuck. you’re so tight, princess.”
your chest heaves as he pushes into the hilt, your hands gripping against the sheets.
“move. fuck me hard, please. want it rough.”
you think you hear taesan mutter something about you being a dream before his pulling out till just the tip is stretching your hole— and slamming back inside.
you both turn a little animalistic and desperate, learning how the other feels and bodies being taken over by the pleasure of it. taesan’s cock stretches you out so good— he fucks you so good. the rocking of his bed frame hits against his wall, and you have a fleeting thought about if the walls are thin and if he’ll get a noise complaint— before all that is forgotten as taesan takes hold of one of your thighs and bends it against your chest.
“feel it, baby? feel how fucking bad i want you?” taesan groans between his teeth, hand squeezing tightly around your leg unconsciously— and you secretly hope it leaves mark indentations from his rings; tiny bruises from his fingers you can admire the next day.
you only can respond so his deeply uttered words with a broken moan, and taesan only fucks you harder.
“that’s it, princess got what she wanted.” he coos, eyes surprising you by how they turn a little soft— though the movement of his hips certainly never do. “always give my princess what she wants.”
you whine at that, grabbing him by the shoulders to ask for a kiss.
“fuck, you drive me crazy, y/n.” he breathes before leaning down to yet again give you what you ask for.
“but i like that about you.” he finishes between kisses.
your thighs are trembling in pleasure, sweat is lining your hairline and glistening from taesan’s chest— and you can’t take it anymore, wrapping your legs around taesan’s waist as your nails dig into his back.
“can i come, please? oh, fff— please?”
“such a good fucking slut when you got a cock in you, huh? can’t believe my princess likes it rough.”
his hand manages to squeeze between your bodies despite how tightly you cling to him, his fingers finding your clit and tracing shapes over it.
“cum, baby. get it all over my sheets.”
your body going stiff before trembling uncontrollably against him, all while your pussy clenched around his throbbing cock— it brings taesan to release as well, pressing his mouth to yours to swallow each other's cries of pleasure.
the come down is slow, taesan rolling over and pulling your body on top of his so he doesn’t accidentally fall against you in exhaustion.
your deep breaths puff warmly against his neck as he cradles you on his chest, hands swirling patterns over your back absentmindedly.
“that was…amazing.” you say around a sigh, enjoying the comforting aroma of taesan’s cologne imbedded into his sheets.
“yeah…are you done?” taesan asks, still breathy yet curious— and you raise your head to look at his face.
“you want to go again?”
“well,” taesan starts, somewhat sheepishly— yet his eyes hold that constant playful sparkle. “just thought you might be curious what it feels like to get eaten out with a piercing.”
your eyes widen, clearly shocked by not only the question but at how correct he is.
“come on, princess. you’re not slick. don’t think i didn’t notice you staring at it when we were at the bar. plus, you did say you wanted me between your legs—“
“can you stop bringing that up!?”
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note ; and for anyone wondering, yes, taesan went to reader’s ballet performance. (and yes, he got jealous watching her and jaehyun dancing on stage together…part two material?🤭)
all taglists (perm/fluff/smut) are open if anyone would like to be added! age must be in bio/somewhere on pinned post if you want to be tagged in perm/smut taglist.
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dumbgoondog · 2 months ago
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Kento Nanami thoughts SFW+NSFW
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Collection of headcanons for Kento Nanami.
Cw/Tw — Alcohol, mourning, slight nationalism
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Nanami loves Corn dogs. Those crumb breaded dogs too. The ones you see on TikTok and RedNote. Oh he fuckin loves them but it’s his shameful secret because he has an appearance to keep up. He fuckin loves dipping those bitches in melted cheese tho. God he had a Mac n chee corn dog once and his life changed forever. Korean corn dogs his beloved.
He’s a whisky on the rocks kinda guy. Most people go for the classic beers, sake, whatever, but not him.
Despite being a second generation Japanese citizen and his grandfather being Dutch, those genes are horrifyingly strong and he has had businesses try to deny him because “Japanese only” or try to speak English to him. He’s so tired man.
If Gojo makes one more Dutch Oven joke he’s gonna have a midlife crisis. He’s 26.
He’s probably a Cis straight man. Sorry guys. Don mean I won write otherwise tho! That’s what fan fics are for bb.
He owns a house and a car. A nice house closer to the countryside of Tokyo to the north closer to Sendai, he hopes he can have kids running around in it one day.
Nanami didn’t become a teacher because the grief of loosing Yuu Haibara still haunts him and doesn’t think he could handle loosing a student.
Nanami totally housed Itadori at his place a few times while everyone still thought he was dead. He didn’t like that Itadori was being hidden down in the basement, that felt cruel.
His tie is spotted because his curse technique is imbued into it like his blade. If you wrap the tie around your fist you can hit a 3/7 ratio.
He’s into bondage. Not like shibari or with ropes, but like using his tie, or cuffs.
He’s pretty vanilla. Light bondage, a bit of spanking, some hickies, that’s about it tho.
He’s punk. He was kinda emo when he was younger and that evolved into him being punk. While he doesn’t dress or look the stereotypical punk aesthetic, he’s more punk than the guy wearing the Slip Knot tee with a septum. He goes to underground scenes and concerts, he goes to protests and marches, he donates and volunteers places. He’s got good band recommendations where the band doesn’t have any allegations. He’s pretty cool.
He’s down for some casual sex. I mean hey, he loves helping the assistant mangers out, wants them to be treated good you know? He’s very clear with any partner tho that he’s not looking for a romantic or long term sexual relationship.
He’s demi-romantic. At least that’s the easy way to explain it. For him he feels it’s a little more complex but doesn’t care to try and explain it or label it more specifically, just saying he’s a little bit aro is good enough.
He loves pressing just the tip in, and holding a vibrator to your clit/tip. He loves feeling you squueeeeezzze
He knows everyone thinks he’s super put together and that everyone is going “What would Nanami do”. God does it stress him out but he’s trying really hard to be that grounding rock that everyone needs.
He tries not to swear too much. Not because swearing is bad or he thinks people who swear are dumb, but because he just doesn’t like too personally. Which leads to whenever he does swear everyone losing their god damn minds.
When he’s dating you Nanami hardly ever stays for overtime. When he does he gets you a gift on the way home, like your favorite snacks or flowers. Seeing you happy makes up for it to him.
Anytime Nanami has to travel for work you’re coming with. If you want that is. He’s honestly a bit clingy and gets nervous when he hasn’t seen you for a while. Texting helps.
Min private, Nanami is a little more playful than you’d expect, he likes pulling little pranks on you, or practicing dad jokes on you.
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redroomreflections · 9 months ago
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Hotel California | Track 1: Smoke and Mirrors
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Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader
Summary: Natasha Romanoff, frontwoman of the punk rock band Velvet Rebellion, falls hard for a woman she believes is too good for her. Their intense relationship unfolds in the chaotic world of rock 'n' roll, where they struggle to balance fame, personal demons, and their undeniable passion for each other.
W/c: 7k
Chapter 1/12
Masterlist | General Masterlist
Note: I was going to wait to post this since I have fifty-leven WIPs but to make up for me not being able to write for a while and also finishing two stories in the coming weeks - here we are. I'm nervous about posting this one for some reason. Hope y'all like it.
Themes: love, fame, sex, drugs
Track 1 - Smoke and Mirrors (each chapter is a track)
In the world of music, there's no denying that Velvet Rebellion's sound is electric, their melodies are undeniably addictive. But offstage, the drama and chaos surrounding this band have been the subject of endless tabloid fodder. It's a classic case of the music being sweet, but the rest of the package is a tad sour. Will their rock 'n' roll lifestyle ultimately overshadow their undeniable talent? That remains the question on everyone's lips.
The TV channel flicking produced a rapid succession of blips and static.
"You know, when it comes to Velvet Rebellion, it's clear that Natasha Romanoff is the best thing about the band. Her vocals are just on another level!"
"Oh, absolutely! Natasha's stage presence is incredible, and her voice, that raw emotion she pours into every note, it's what sets them apart. But let's not forget the rest of the band; they bring their own magic to the mix!"
Another press of the button. Another channel emitting the same rhetoric. 
"So, what are your thoughts on Velvet Rebellion, the band that seems to be taking the music scene by storm?"
"Look, I won't deny that they've had their moments. Natasha's got a powerful voice, and they've had some catchy tunes. But let's not forget, there's more to rock 'n' roll than just one person. We bring our own unique sound to the table, and we're here to show that rock isn't a one-trick pony."
Suddenly, the screen goes black. The television has been turned off. The room is silent. 
“Whatever,” The mysterious person tsks. There are better things to do. 
In the dimly lit room, the first flicker of a cigarette lighter illuminated a shadowy figure, and a guitar's haunting melody echoed through the air. It was a simple beginning, a humble birth of sound that would eventually become the anthem of a generation.
Images flashed in rapid succession—a chaotic whirlwind of memories and moments that had defined their journey from obscurity to stardom. The flashing lights of a small, dimly lit club, the very place where they had played their first gig, gave way to a sea of screaming fans, arms raised in fervent adoration.
“Bucky! Bucky!”
“Steve, we love you!”
Talk show interviews brought them into living rooms across the nation, their faces beamed into millions of homes as they shared their stories and their music with the world. The camera panned to Natasha, her fierce gaze unyielding as she answered questions with poise and grace.
And then, there were the guitars. Guitars being smashed in a blaze of glory on stage, a ritual that had become their trademark. The destructive catharsis of the act symbolized the release of their raw energy and passion into the world.
Groupies and fans clamored for their attention, their devotion evident in the longing looks and outstretched hands. Each face in the crowd told a story of how Velvet Rebellion's music had touched their lives.
Late-night studio sessions followed, with the band working tirelessly into the early hours, crafting the songs and lyrics that had earned them their place in music history. In the dimly lit room, the flicker of a cigarette lighter once again marked the beginning of a new song.
Magazine covers splashed with their images adorned newsstands across the country. Excerpts from clippings of their first studio album, "Velvet Love," told a tale of raw, unbridled emotion set to music—a story that had resonated with countless souls.
The montage painted a vivid picture of a band that had journeyed through the highs and lows of fame, never losing sight of the music that had brought them together. Velvet Rebellion had carved its path through the music industry, leaving an unforgettable mark on the hearts of those who had listened and loved.
*************
Sunlight filters through the curtains of Natasha and Wanda's cozy Los Angeles apartment. Disheveled yet determined, Natasha sits on the edge of her bed, cradling her guitar. She strums the strings absentmindedly, searching for that inspiration that once fueled Velvet Rebellion. Her fingers danced over the strings of her trusty guitar, each note a whisper in the quiet solitude of the bedroom.
Natasha's hair framed her face, and frustration lined her expression as she strummed the chords once again. The next album's melodies were meant to be born here. Yet, inspiration remained at arm’s length, teasing her like a fading dream.
"Come on Natalia," she whispered gruffly, remembering the name she had left behind long ago.
With a sigh, she shifted her gaze to the muted TV on the dresser. A NEWS REPORTER's face appeared on the screen, accompanied by headlines that could never escape the relentless clutches of the media. She searched for the remote to turn up the volume as the face of one of her bandmates, Tony Stark’s pictures appeared. 
NEWS REPORTER
(on TV)
“In a surprising turn of events, Velvet Rebellion's Tony Stark was arrested last night for public indecency.”
Natasha's eye-roll was instinctive. Tony always had a way of making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
NEWS REPORTER
(on TV)
“...fans and critics alike have noted the band's gradual decline, and it seems the once-revered punk rock indie sensation is now on the verge of falling apart.”
The reporter's words cut through Natasha's indifference, a scalding reminder of the shadows that had been gathering around them. She couldn't deny it; the band had been stagnant for too long.
Fury sparked in her eyes, and she clenched the neck of her guitar, momentarily abandoning the song. The Velvet Rebellion of yesteryears, the band that had ignited stages and won hearts, couldn't be reduced to this—a spectacle of controversies and dwindling star power.
Returning her attention to her guitar Natasha sighed. The room's stillness hung heavy as she gently laid the guitar down on the floor. It felt like a futile effort, the muse remaining frustratingly out of reach, leaving her with an empty canvas and an aching desire to create.
Her gaze dropped to the small, black notebook, its pages filled with aborted attempts to capture the essence of their experiences and emotions in song. But today, those pages mocked her, an unforgiving reminder of the creative void that had taken its home within her.
Just as her frustration reached its peak, the bedroom door swung open with a soft creak, and in walked Wanda, a bowl of popcorn cradled in her hand. She plopped down on the bed beside Natasha, her eyes rolling in a knowing, teasing manner.
“How’s writing going?” Wanda asked, grabbing a handful of popcorn to plop into her mouth. 
Natasha let out a weary sigh, her notebook momentarily forgotten as she shared her woes with her best friend.
“You have no idea. It's like I've hit a wall, and I can't seem to find my way around it.” Natasha said. “How are we supposed to come up with another album with no songs? It’s been two years. We’re going to be known as one-hit wonders.”
“First off that’s a bit dramatic,” Wanda attempted to calm her down. “We made the hot rock and alternative songs billboard charts for our debut. I think the momentum is still there.”
Wanda cast a glance at the muted TV screen, where a news reporter was still busy dissecting Tony's latest escapade. She couldn't help but roll her eyes, mirroring Natasha's exasperation.
“And of course, our dear Tony adds another branch to the publicity tree. It's almost impressive how consistently he manages to get into trouble.” Wanda shook her head. 
After placing her bowl of popcorn on the dresser, Wanda decided to abandon her sitting position and instead flopped onto her belly, propped up on her elbows. She grabbed Natasha's small notebook, a curious glint in her eyes as she skimmed through the handwritten lyrics and scattered notes.
“You know, Nat, I think I see where you're stuck.” Wanda hummed to herself for a moment. 
Turning her attention to Wanda, Natasha felt her frustration momentarily ebb away, replaced by curiosity.
“Oh?” Natasha eyed her. “Please, share your wisdom.”
Wanda's eyes sparkled with an unexpected idea, and she pointed to a particular verse in the notebook. Her voice took on a sultry, poetic quality as she suggested a new lyric.
“How about this: "In the shadows of desire, we ignite the night."
Natasha's eyes widened in surprise as the words resonated deep within her. She quickly reached for her instrument and strummed the guitar, incorporating the new lyric into the melody, and in that instant, it all fell into place. A smile grew on her face, and she turned to Wanda.
“Wanda, that's brilliant! Thank you!” Natasha leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “I know why I keep you around.”
Wanda beamed in response. 
"Speaking of," she began, her voice casual yet laced with an underlying purpose, "we've got a gig this weekend. It's a birthday party for Harley Jameson, you know, the producer's daughter."
Natasha's response was swift and uncompromising, her will clear in her refusal. Her head shook slightly as she firmly voiced her decision, her thoughts already drifting toward the disturbing pattern of her bandmates taking liberties with decisions without consulting her, the lead.
"Absolutely not, Wanda," Natasha declared, her tone leaving no room for negotiation. “Aren’t we better than performing for snot-nosed brats?
Wanda, ever patient and understanding, propped herself up on her elbows. 
“Well, when that snot nose brat is paying us fifty thousand dollars plus a retainer,” Wanda shrugs. “And all the booze and food we want.” Her words were measured, spoken with the calm that came from knowing this conversation was inevitable." Nat, remember," she began, "you're the lead, not the boss. We haven’t been taking gigs because you've been declining. You know we need to keep the momentum going."
Natasha's jaw clenched in frustration. She leaned back, her gaze shifting to the ceiling as she contemplated her response.
"There's a reason, Wanda," Natasha explained, her voice tinged with concern. "Our brand has taken a beating lately with all the scandals we've had over the years. It’s not a good look being so new. I want us to lay low for a while, let the storm pass."
Wanda sighed, her eyes reflecting her understanding of Natasha's concerns. But she also recognized the band's need to keep going ahead despite the challenges.
"Nat," Wanda said, her voice gentle and reassuring, "I get it, I really do. But we'll be fine. Harley's party should be a breeze, and I promise we'll stay out of trouble. We'll stick to the music, no antics."
Natasha's hesitation lingered. Ultimately, the trust she had in Wanda, her lifelong friend and partner-in-crime, began to outweigh her reservations. She finally nodded, a reluctant but willing acceptance of the gig.
"Alright, alright," Natasha conceded. “We'll do it. But just this one, and we'll play it safe."
Wanda's eyes sparkled with a victorious smile, recognizing that she had won this battle for now. With that agreement, they returned to their songwriting. 
**************
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the manicured lawn of Harley Jameson's grand estate, Velvet Rebellion gathered on the makeshift stage. Around them, staff and party planners began to decorate the backyard. Their instruments glistened under the setting and stage lights. 
Natasha, her guitar slung securely across her shoulder, couldn't help but notice Tony, seated behind the drum kit, his sunglasses doing little to hide the lingering effects of his earlier indulgence. She approached him with a stern expression, a hint of frustration in her voice.
"Tony, you better get it together," She warned. "We're not messing this up tonight."
Tony, ever the charmer, brushed off her concerns with an easy smile and a wave of his hand.
"Nat, I promise, I'm fine. See?"
With that, he launched into a lively drum solo, his sticks dancing skillfully across the drumheads. The rhythm was tight, the sound electrifying. Natasha couldn't help but acknowledge his undeniable talent, even as she sighed in resignation.
"Great," she muttered to herself, "the sunglasses are his secret weapon now."
Standing beside Natasha, Steve placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. His quiet and calming presence was a balm to her nerves.
"It's alright, Natasha," He reassured her, his voice steady and comforting. "We'll get through this gig, just like our old days. Tony’s recovering but he seems fine."
Together they glance back to their bandmate who was more than likely inebriated. Tony chugged a bottle of water, before crushing it and dropping it down onto the floor beside him. 
Natasha's gaze softened as she looked at Steve, a small smile forming on her lips. “Yeah, he’s the epitome of fine.”
“Okay,” Steve pulled her gently to the side. “What’s the problem?” 
“Nothing,” Natasha shrugged. “I just can’t help but think that gigs like this are beneath us. I mean we went from performing at the MTV Video Music Awards to this? A sweet sixteen?”
Steve looked at her. He had been through thick and thin with Natasha and knew the depth of her concerns. 
“Natasha,” He replied. “I get your worries, but I promise this is a good thing for us. Todd Jameson is one of the biggest music producers in Hollywood right now. There will be a lot of executives here just to support his daughter. Think of what that could mean for us.”
“Fine,” Natasha nodded. “But if he fucks up I kick his ass.”
“Oh, you bet. Right after I’m done kicking it,” Steve joked causing Natasha to burst into laughter. 
Natasha steps back over to the mic. “Alright let’s take it from the top.” 
As Natasha prepared to lead the band into their rehearsal of the first song, the peacefulness of the backyard rehearsal space was abruptly disrupted by the arrival of Harley Jameson. She swept onto the scene with all the extravagance befitting a Hollywood princess, accompanied by a harried-looking party planner and another woman, who appeared to be a guest.
Harley, the embodiment of a spoiled heiress, immediately began issuing orders with a sense of entitlement that left the party planner flustered.
"No, no, no! These decorations are all wrong! Change them around! The mirror ball should be over here. And I want a live peacock by the pool. It's not too much to ask, is it?" Harley demanded impatiently.
The party planner, clearly overwhelmed, tried to keep up with Harley's demands. "Harley, we only have a few hours before the party starts. It's going to be challenging to make all these changes in such a short time."
Harley huffed, uninterested in the logistical challenges she was causing. "I don't care about that. Just get it done. My dad said I could have whatever I wanted."
Meanwhile, Harley's attention shifted to Velvet Rebellion, her face lighting up with enthusiasm.
"Oh, my God! I've been dying to meet you! I'm a huge fan!" she exclaimed with excitement. “I’m so happy I could get you here.”
She bounded over to the band, seemingly oblivious to the chaos she was creating, and introduced them to the party planner and you.
"This is Velvet Rebellion!" Harley introduced with enthusiasm. "Steve, the keyboardist, Tony on the drums, Bucky on the electric guitar, Wanda, the second lead singer and bass guitar, and Natasha, the incredible lead singer!"
You and the other woman exchanged glances, your expressions a mixture of frustration and amusement at the whirlwind that was Harley Jameson. You gave a small wave, opting to be in the background of this exchange. 
Wanda, ever the peacekeeper, managed to maintain her composure and put on a friendly smile despite Harley's overwhelming energy. She nodded graciously at Harley's enthusiasm.
"Oh, thank you so much, Harley!" Wanda replied with genuine warmth. "We're thrilled to meet you too. Your party looks like it's going to be incredible!"
Harley's energy showed no signs of waning as she delved into the details of the band's performance. When Wanda mentioned their planned first song, "Smoke and Mirrors," Harley immediately piped up with an alternative suggestion.
"No, no, no," Harley interrupted with fervor. "I want you to start with 'Ink and Whiskey.' It's my favorite!"
Natasha, who had been preparing to protest the sudden change to their setlist, hesitated as she saw Wanda's meek demeanor. However, it was clear that Harley's demand had disrupted their carefully planned sequence.
Natasha began to voice her concerns, but Harley's retort was swift and smart-mouthed. 
“We’ve already planned this out for-” Natasha began. 
“Oh, you can change it, can’t you? It’s just a silly setlist,” Harly questioned. 
Before Natasha could respond, you intervened with a calm yet authoritative tone.
"Harley, let's tone it down a bit," You advised, your demeanor oozing an air of authority that surprised Natasha. Harley listened, her earlier defiance giving way to a more composed demeanor.
“Sorry, I’m just excited,” Harley shrugged. 
Natasha found herself intrigued by your presence and the respect Harley seemed to show you.
"Alright," Natasha conceded with a smile, "since it's your birthday, we'll start with 'Ink and Whiskey.'"
Wanda offered a nod of agreement, and the tension in the air began to dissipate.
Harley, feeling triumphant, turned her attention to the party planner.
"Sarah, darling, let's make sure everything is perfect. I want it to be a night to remember!" Harley changed the subject, pulling you both back into a conversation with ease. 
Sarah, the party planner, nodded and tried to hide her relief that the brief crisis had passed. 
"Of course, Harley. Everything will be just as you want it."
Natasha watched the exchange between Harley and Sarah, her curiosity piqued more by you. 
“Who’s the chick?” Natasha pointed over to you with a tilt of her head. She got shrugs from Steve and Bucky. Tony was way too distracted to answer as he flirted with one of the staff. Wanda squinted to see if she could guess. 
“I don’t know,” Wanda said. “She looks vaguely familiar, but I’m guessing it’s not her mom.”
“Interesting,” Natasha mumbled to herself. She shook her head. There was no time for whatever the thumping in her heart was proving to be. She was here for the band and for the music. Also for the money, she couldn’t forget the money. 
As the preparations for the party continued, your cell phone suddenly rang, breaking the conversation flow. You excused yourself with a polite smile and stepped away from the group, heading toward a quieter corner of the backyard a few feet away.
Natasha couldn't help but overhear snippets of your conversation, the tone of your voice suggesting a heartfelt exchange, likely with a significant other. Natasha discreetly glanced in your direction, her curiosity getting the best of her.
Your voice held a gentle warmth as you spoke softly into your phone, your words filled with affection and longing.
 "I miss you too, sweetheart. Yeah, the party's getting started here in a couple of hours. It's not the same without you. Can't wait to see you soon." You smiled. 
Natasha couldn't hear the other end of the conversation, but the tenderness in your voice painted a clear picture of a loving connection between you and someone special.
Meanwhile, Harley, always the inquisitive host, began questioning Steve and Bucky about the band and its music.
"So, guys," Harley started, her interest genuine, "Have you ever thought about going solo? I am dying to know the secret."
Steve and Bucky, accustomed to answering these questions, engaged in a friendly chat with Harley, even if they also found her annoying. 
As Natasha discreetly observed you from the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but be captivated by your natural beauty. You were dressed in a simple white t-shirt and form-fitting jeans, a look that should have been unremarkable, but on you, it was utterly captivating.
The way your hair was styled, framing your face in soft waves, added to your appeal. Your skin had a radiant glow, and your features held an understated elegance that drew Natasha's attention. Despite the casual attire, you exuded a timeless charm that was impossible to ignore.
Natasha found herself admiring the effortless beauty that seemed to emanate from you and she wanted to know more. 
Just as Natasha started to pretend she wasn't eavesdropping, you turned around with a warm smile, catching her off guard. She quickly toyed with her microphone stand, feigning indifference.
You found her reaction amusing but were soon drawn back into your phone conversation. Natasha couldn't help but wonder about the person on the other end of that call and what had sparked such a genuine smile on your face. 
She toyed with the mic stand for as long as possible, physically forcing herself not to look your way. It’s a few more minutes before you returned to the group. You turned your attention to Harley and Sarah.
"Harley, don't forget, you have that hair appointment in an hour," You reminded her, glancing at your watch. "We need to make sure you're all set for your big night."
Harley, momentarily distracted by the band's presence, nodded in agreement.
"Oh, right! Thanks, y/n. I'll head out now," Harley replied with a grin. She turned to the band and offered her farewells. "Catch you all later!"
With that, Harley and Sarah departed, leaving Velvet Rebellion alone in the backyard.
As the group began to disperse, you took a moment to say goodbye to the band. 
“See you guys tonight,” You said. “I’m sure you’ll do great. If you need refreshments just ask one of the staff and they will be happy to help you with anything you need.” 
Natasha responded with a small smile and a nod, a subtle acknowledgment of the brief but pleasant interaction.
Once you, Harley, and Sarah were out of earshot, the rest of the band couldn't resist teasing Natasha. Wanda, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, chimed in.
"Uh oh, I know that look," Wanda teased, earning a knowing chuckle from the others. Natasha's momentary fascination with you hadn't gone unnoticed, and her bandmates were more than happy to playfully nudge her about it.
“There’s no look, I don’t have a look.” Natasha rolled her eyes. 
“Sure, you don’t,” Wanda grinned. “Any bets on how long until she gets her number?”
“I say within the hour,” Tony raised his hand pulling out a single, crinkled five-dollar bill from his back pocket. 
“Fifteen says they sleep together after the show,” Bucky shrugged. Steve is the only one to remain silent. 
“I don’t know,” Steve scratched the back of his neck. “I think I’ll save my thoughts for later. The girl barely said two words to any of us.”
“Thank you,” Natasha said. “Now, can we rehearse like a proper band?” 
She tried to erase your image from her head as she positioned herself in front of the microphone. 
From the top. 
*****************
The night was alive with energy as Velvet Rebellion took the stage, the crowd gathered around, eager to soak in every note of their music. Natasha oozed confidence and charisma, a star in every sense of the word. The opening chords of "Ink and Whiskey" filled the air, and the crowd erupted in cheers. This birthday party was a rager if she’d ever seen one. Natasha always considered rich people stiff and uptight. Going to plenty of parties once their debut kicked off their careers. Stiff drinks, weird pleasantries, and even more drugs. She was being proven wrong with this particular shindig. 
She moved to the edge of the stage, her presence magnetic. She sang with a passion that could be felt in every corner of the space, her voice carrying the weight of their lyrics. The audience couldn't help but be drawn into her performance, and they eagerly joined in, singing along and dancing to the beat.
Wanda, standing beside Natasha, bled a different kind of cool and calm. Her steady presence provided the perfect balance to Natasha's fiery performance. It was clear to anyone watching that their dynamic was the secret to their success.
Natasha lowered her head, giving Wanda the floor to sing her part of the chorus. Wanda’s hands moved steadily between the chords as she sang into the microphone. 
Ink and whiskey, the pages of our hearts,  
Tangled in the chapters where love starts,  
In the darkness, our secrets we confide,  
With every word written, our souls collide
Natasha steps forward, moving close enough to the microphone so that she and Wanda could harmonize the last verse. Her eyes travel from Wanda’s, smiling as they share in the energy and joy of being on stage before she maneuvers herself to face the crowd. 
In the night's embrace, our love's sweet refrain,  
Ink and whiskey, like a runaway train,  
Through the highs and lows, we'll find our way,  
With every word we write, love's here to stay
In the front row, Harley danced with her friends, reveling in the music and the excitement of the night. The atmosphere was electric, and the joy was contagious.
As Natasha sang, she scanned the crowd, her eyes landing on familiar faces among the sea of B-listers and music enthusiasts. But the one that stood out the most was you. Your eyes locked, and Natasha couldn't resist a playful wink, a silent acknowledgment of your earlier encounter.
You raised your glass in a silent toast and clapped enthusiastically when the song came to an end. You weren’t a huge fan of the music genre but you could see why Velvet Rebellion was such a rising star amongst new artists. Their stage presence was undeniable, the song was catchy and the beat was electrifying. It helped that Natasha was cute. All good things in your book. You can’t take your eyes off the stage as they move into their next song. It’s a bit disjointed considering Harley made them change the setlist around the last minute but it seems smooth either way. Natasha dances a bit for this one, her body movements fluid and effortless. Almost as if she’s had some training. 
You’re momentarily distracted when a distant family member comes to say hello. 
The show must go on as Natasha continues to sing her heart out. 
**********************
The final notes of their setlist rang out, and the crowd roared in appreciation. Velvet Rebellion had given their all, and now it was time for the DJ to take over and keep the party going.
Wanda had convinced Natasha to stay a while longer, promising that the night was still young and full of possibilities. Tony, ever the charmer, remarked with a grin, "I see a few MILFs in the crowd that I wouldn't mind mingling with." He slipped into the crowd with ease, chatting up the first single woman he saw. 
Natasha, however, remained all about business. She stood at the bar, surveying the party and keeping a watchful eye on her bandmates. The chaos and revelry around her seemed to blur into a colorful swirl of dancing bodies and laughter.
It was then that you approached her, catching Natasha's attention. Your presence was a welcome change of pace, and Natasha couldn't help but appreciate the genuine compliment she received.
"You guys were incredible," You said with a smile. "I'm impressed."
Natasha, always a woman of few words in such settings, offered a gracious nod of acknowledgment. 
You extended your hand with a warm smile as you introduced yourself, "I'm y/n. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Natasha shook your hand firmly and replied, "Natasha. Likewise."
You couldn't help but notice Natasha's reserved demeanor. Almost as if she felt too cool to be here. 
"I couldn't help but wonder," You began, your curiosity evident as you raised your voice above the music. "why aren't you out there dancing like the rest of your bandmates?"
Natasha offered a wry smile and shot back, "I could ask you the same thing."
“Touche,” You nodded. “I’m not much of a party girl.” You turn towards the bartender. “Do you want a drink? Eric here makes the best mojitos.”
“Sure, I’ll have a sex on the beach,” Natasha asked. 
“You heard the woman,” You jokingly said to Eric as he began to make your drinks. As you focused your attention on grabbing a few napkins, Natasha gave you a once-over. Your party dress was a delightful balance of simplicity and style. The knee-length and backless dress showcased a flattering silhouette, hugging your curves in all the right places. The deep, midnight-blue fabric was decorated with tiny, shimmering glitter that seemed to twinkle with each movement you made. Its sweetheart neckline and delicate spaghetti straps added a touch of femininity to the ensemble, while the mid-thigh slit allowed for easy movement as you moved. The overall effect was a cute yet elegant dress that perfectly suited the festive atmosphere of the party.
Natasha's observant eye caught the jewelry adorning your wrist. It was subtle but tasteful, hinting at a level of refinement that didn't go unnoticed. It was at least half of her salary for tonight’s show. This only interested her more. She needed to know who you were. She wanted to know the mystery behind you and your name. 
“Here you go,” You step back over to Natasha to hand her a drink. “I hope I’m not being too forward.”
“Not at all,” Natasha shrugged. 
"You know, if you're looking for a bit more quiet, we could step inside for a breather." You suggested, tilting your chin towards the house. 
Natasha considered the offer, realizing that a change of scenery might be a welcome respite from the party's chaos. With a small smile, she agreed, "That sounds like a good idea."
You led Natasha through the sea of people and inside the mansion to a nearby office where the music's relentless thump was muffled, and the atmosphere was quieter. It was a welcome change from the frenzied party outside.
As you settled into seats close to each other on the couch, drinks in hand, Natasha couldn't help herself and began to ask you questions. 
“Why did you ask me in here tonight?” Natasha asked. “Not that I’m complaining. I have been invited into much worse places.”  
“Thanks, I think,” You chuckled. You sensed Natasha's curiosity and offered a simple explanation, your eyes holding Natasha's in an unspoken connection."I enjoy meeting new people," you confessed, your voice soft but sincere. "And I've decided I wanted to talk with you."
You took a sip of your drink, your gaze thoughtful. "I also wanted to apologize for Harley's behavior earlier. She can be... spirited at times."
Natasha waved off the apology with a small smile, understanding that spirited was one way to describe Harley's antics.
You went on to explain, "Usually, I don't speak up like that, but my uncle has a way of spoiling Harley. It's... complicated."
Natasha's curiosity got the better of her, and she asked, "Your uncle? He’s Todd Jameson?"
You took a moment before revealing, "Yes. He and my dad are half-brothers. Making Harley my little cousin. I don’t admit it often."
The revelation left Natasha intrigued. She had heard the name Todd Jameson before, a figure of significance in the entertainment industry. The connection between you and Harley was now becoming clearer, and Natasha couldn't help but wonder about the family connection.
“That would make your dad…” Natasha began. 
“Nick Fury, the one and only,” You finished for her. “Different fathers. My dad is somewhere out there tonight. It’s a thing I don’t like to admit to strangers.”
“I get it,” Natasha nodded. 
The revelation about your family connection to Todd Jameson made Natasha pause for a moment. She had always admired the award-winning jazz player turned talent manager, Nick Fury, from afar. His contributions to the music industry were legendary, and Natasha couldn't deny that she was a fan of his music.
She decided not to fangirl, though, and instead offered a genuine smile. "Your dad is a legend. I've always been a fan of his music."
Your eyes lit up with appreciation. "Thank you, Natasha. I'll be sure to pass that along to him." You set your half-empty cup onto a coaster, before turning back to Natasha. “So, watching you on that stage. Not many people have that star power. I was wondering if you have experience dancing? You were incredible.” 
Natasha's eyes sparkled as she recalled her performance. "The way I danced on stage during our set, it's a part of who I am. I guess you could say it's a bit of my background showing through."
Your curiosity piqued, and you guessed, "Ballet, then?"
Natasha nodded. "Yes, I did ballet for sixteen years as a child. I even got into Juilliard."
Your eyes widened in admiration. "That's amazing, Natasha. How did you get into singing and music?"
Natasha took a sip of her drink and smiled as she delved into the story of how she got into music. It was a story that she didn't often share, but there was something about her conversation with you that made her feel comfortable opening up.
"It all started back in high school," Natasha began. "I was really into dancing, and it was an elective at my school. But then, one day, I decided to join the choir on a whim. And I fell in love with singing and songwriting. I grew up in a rough neighborhood. I needed something to keep me out of the house and off the streets."
She paused for a moment, reminiscing about those early days. "So, I started writing songs, and my friends Wanda and Steve would go over to Steve’s small bedroom. We'd play our rented instruments and experiment with different sounds. It was just a fun little hobby at first."
Natasha's gaze drifted, lost in the memories of those simple beginnings. "Then Bucky, Steve’s best friend well, he's always been a bit of a troublemaker, but he's got a talent for the electric guitar. And Tony...his dad's pretty wealthy and bought us all our equipment. Plus, he's good at the drums."
She chuckled, shaking her head. "It was a bit of a motley crew, but that's how Velvet Rebellion came to be. We started playing in small venues, dive bars, and country clubs. And somehow, we made it here."
Natasha's usually guarded demeanor had softened in your presence, and she found herself enjoying the opportunity to share a piece of her journey with someone who seemed genuinely interested in her story.
“I love that,” You nodded. You and Natasha share a smile before she asked. 
“Is your boyfriend here tonight? I don’t want to keep you too long,” She fished for more information. 
“No, no,” You shake your head. “No boyfriend. You?”
“Not really into monogamy at the moment,” She shrugged. She doesn’t know if this statement will bite her in the ass later but for some reason she trusted you. “Tell me about you. Are you in the family business or?”
"I've always had a bit of a connection to the music world," You began. "As a teenager, I sang a few backup vocals for artists my uncle produced. I guess you could say I almost pursued a career in music, but life had other plans for me. I got pregnant at seventeen. Dedicated to finish school and go to college."
You took a thoughtful swig of your drink and continued, "Now, I'm a publicist. I don't mean to brag, but I'm good at what I do.When I'm not working, I'm taking care of my daughter, Isabella. She's nine years old and the light of my life."
Your face softened as you spoke about your daughter, and you couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and joy. "She's with her dad for the weekend," you added, "and we co-parent quite well."
Natasha was genuinely interested in your life outside of the party scene, and she couldn't resist asking, "Do you have any pictures of Isabella? I'd love to see her."
Your eyes twinkled with delight as you pulled out your phone and began to share a few adorable images of your daughter. Natasha couldn't help but smile as she admired the photos, enjoying this glimpse into your world beyond the music and the party.
“Here she is at gymnastics practice,” You flipped through a few pictures of Isabella’s smiling face. “And swim. She is a little spitfire and she wants to do it all.”
“Wow,” Natasha smiled as if Isabella were her own child. “Do you ever want more?”
“Maybe one day,” You said wistfully. “For now I feel pretty full with everything in life. You?” 
You noticed the change in Natasha's expression and asked, "Is something on your mind?"
Natasha sighed, leaning back into her seat. "I just don't know if I'm cut out for motherhood," she admitted. "I have a younger sister, Yelena, she’s attending the University of Cambridge in England now. She's even developed a bit of a British accent." Natasha couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.
"But," she continued, "I enjoy the fast-paced life, the music, the performances, and the constant movement. A significant other won’t quite understand that I don't always have the time. Not that I don’t ever want that someday but…” Her voice died down. 
You listened empathetically, understanding the complexities of Natasha's life as a musician. "I get that," you acknowledged. "But it's essential to find the right balance for you, whether it's in your music career, personal life, or something in between. My dad was able to do it. When he crossed over into hip-hop there was definitely a lot he missed but he still made things happen"
“Really? Well, I will have to ask him for pointers.” She grinned. 
Just as the conversation was reaching its peak, there came a polite knock at the office door. A member of the party staff popped in to inform you that they were ready to sing "Happy Birthday" to Harley.
You turned to Natasha with a warm smile. "It was nice meeting and talking to you, Natasha," you said genuinely.
Natasha, not wanting the connection to end, began, "You know, I'd love to..."
But before she could finish her sentence, your cheeks flushed, and you interrupted already knowing what she was going to say, your voice bold, "Are you going to call me, or are you going to leave me hanging in the wind?"
Natasha couldn't help but laugh at your sudden assertiveness. It was a pleasant surprise. "I’m not that type of woman," Natasha said. At your look, she laughed again. “You got me there.”
You returned her smile and handed Natasha your phone, saying, "You'll just have to trust me with your number instead, and I'll call." Asking for her number instead eased the pressure off Natasha, and also your nerves at hoping she’d call. 
You gave Natasha a wink and chucked a thumb over your shoulder to indicate you were going back to the party. Natasha nodded and watched you walk away. When her eyes trailed lower she doesn’t even feel guilty about it. 
Natasha left the office, rejoining her bandmates outside in the backyard, just as they were preparing to sing "Happy Birthday" to Harley. The festive atmosphere was in full swing, and the energy of the party was infectious.
As the crowd gathered around Harley, Natasha's eyes scanned the faces, and they landed on you, who was standing among the partygoers. Your eyes met, and you shared a knowing smile, a silent acknowledgment of the connection you had developed.
Tony, always quick to pick up on things, couldn't help but tease Natasha when he noticed her grin. "So, did you get her number?"
Natasha rolled her eyes at Tony's assumption but then burst into laughter. "No," she replied with a playful smirk, "she took mine."
The party was still in full swing when someone on stage stopped the music with a loud, "Hey, everyone! Can I have your attention, please?"
The spotlight shifted to the stage, and all eyes turned toward the source of the interruption. It was a friend of Harley's, and he had a mischievous grin on his face as he spoke into the microphone.
"I have a special surprise for our birthday girl tonight," he announced. "We have someone here who's agreed to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Harley, and I think you're all in for a treat."
A collective cheer and applause erupted from the crowd as they eagerly anticipated the surprise. The spotlight moved to you, highlighting your face and putting you on the spot. You managed to not look like a deer in headlights which was a feat in itself. Natasha's curiosity was piqued, especially considering you had mentioned you weren’t much of a singer.
You tried to protest shyly, but the crowd begged you to come up on stage. Encouraged by their cheers, you reluctantly made your way up to the spotlight.
Once on stage, you cleared your throat and took a deep breath, your nerves palpable. You began with a little birthday speech, your voice tinged with affection and humor.
"I want to wish a happy birthday to my cousin Harley," You began, your smile directed at the birthday girl. "Even though she's a bit of a brat," you teased, earning laughs from the crowd, "she's my brat, and I wouldn't have it any other way."
Then, as expected, you began to sing "Happy Birthday." Your voice, which you had modestly downplayed earlier, was nothing short of remarkable. It was soulful, sweet, and filled with a depth of emotion that resonated through the entire backyard.
The crowd, including Natasha, was utterly blown away by the unexpected talent that you possessed. Your voice filled the air, making the birthday celebration even more special and memorable. It was a moment of pure magic, and Natasha couldn't help but be captivated by your incredible singing ability.
Natasha decided two things then and there. One, she really liked you, and two, boy, was she in for a ride.
---> next part
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lil--ichigo · 1 month ago
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Tf2 Mercs and Their Music Tastes but its period accurate
Scout - Mostly just goes with what's popular. Obviously loves Tom Jones and he is his favorite singer, but I think he also likes a lot of other music. He's a huge fan of Frankie Valli, Elvis, and Chuck Berry. He fawns over romantic music, too. IMO Falling in love with you and its his go to romantic song. I think he'd also like the music his mom listens to, like Frank Sinatra and Etta James. Def also gets into disco during the time skip in comic 7. He probably plays his music very loudly and annoys the base when they're trying to sleep. Poor Engie is always the one who has to tell him to turn it down because scout always wakes him up (I actually hc Dell is one of the better mercs when it comes to a sleep schedule but i'll post about the mercs sleeping habits some other time.)
Soldier - HATES THE BEATLES and considers them hippie music (he hates any kind of anti war music in general) I think hes older so wouldn't be a big fan of the music of the 60s, but moreso the big band stuff of the 40s and some patriotic music of course. He'll throw a hissy fit whenever the others suggest playing something else. The only other merc whose music he can tolerate is Demoman's and Engie's (Unless it's bob dylan, who falls under soldier's idea of "hippie music." But Engie also introduced him to Marty Robbins and the song Ain't I Right so...) Sadly idk much about 40s music so I can't say what he'd like in particular.
Pyro - Out of the mercs, Pyro is the least particular about music. Mostly because I imagine the music in pyroland sounds like The Lovin' Spoonful, Tiny Tim, or the Beach Boys. Even hard rock records will sound like cheerful pop to Pyro. I could see pyro liking psychadelic stuff like sniper outside of that. If Pyro is listening to music, Soldier is not allowed in their vicinity. It happened once, Soldier yelled something about hippie music and the base proceeded to catch fire. That was not a fun respawn for Soldier.
Engineer - Pretty much everyone agrees he's a Johnny Cash fan, so I'm going to go into other artists/bands he'd like. Of course, country music is a given, Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Marty Robbins ect. But I also think he'd like Folk, Blues, and Southern rock. Stuff like John Fogerty, or Bob Dylan. So a pretty modern music taste considering his age. I do think he likes some of the older music he grew up with, such as the song Uranium Fever.
Heavy - I don't know anything about the Russian music scene and what was popular, so I can't say what he would have listened to growing up or before he came to America. Tbh I think he mostly listens to whatever. Probably got introduced to glam rock via Medic. I think he likes to listen to classical music like Tchaikovsky or Shostakovich when he reads.
Demoman - Kinda extending my reach of period accurate cause it only really came to prominence during comic 7's timeskip, but for some reason I see him liking a lot of punk rock, not sure why. Maybe because a lot of punk bands were from the UK? I think he'd like the Sex Pistols and The Clash. I Think in general he and Sniper have very similar tastes in music (Specifically in Jazz, stuff like Miles Davis and Nucleus) although Demo likes music that's more upbeat. Specifically, there's this proto-punk band called Death I think Demoman would love, but they were super obscure during tf2s time.
Spy - If pyro is the least particular about music, spy is the most particular, even moreso than Soldier. I heard a spy cover of Frank Sinatra, and him liking him just Clicked? He seems like a fan of swing music to me, and probably gave some records to scout when he was young in hopes he's listen to them when he grew older. Maybe he'd also be into more modern/experimental stuff like The Velvet Underground?
Sniper - Tbh I heavily project a lot of my irl music taste onto him. He also enjoys more popular stuff, but not the kind of cheery stuff scout or pyro like. He's more into jazz and rock (esp the more psychadelic stuff like Jimi Hendrix and Cream cause he def smokes) Mainly the rolling stones, Black Sabbath and The Stooges. Like demo, I could see him liking punk when it starts to become known in the mid 70s. I think he'd be a fan of king crimson and some prog stuff too, but I can also see him thinking it's a bit too experimental and pretentious for him. Also since the tf2 comics ended in 1979 its my hc and I can say he likes joy division and dances when nobody is watching.
Medic - Don't have much to say aside from that man is gay as fuck he absolutely listens to Queen and David Bowie. I think when the mercs argue with what to listen to they end up handing the radio to Medic or Scout tbh.
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spinchip · 3 months ago
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The Ninja and Fashion
Back in Ignacia, Kai didn't really give a shit about fashion. He comes to a new appreciation for it when he moves out by Ninjago City, and starts curating a strong personal style. He reads fashion magazines. He watches runways. He posts all his trend opinions on Chirper. he is by far the most fashionable ninja and has his finger on the pulse of what's in style and what's on its way out- and he loves it. He buys moist of his clothes from local shops and has a few custom made designer pieces he breaks out on special occasions.
Cole is fashionable but not in the mainstream. His is more of a classic, rock-punk vibe mixed with a bit of flamboyant camp. he would fit in at a gay bar or a siouxsie and the banshees concert with no issue. Black boots black pants black top old black leather jacket... He mostly only wears black or other dark colors- he has like, one white t-shirt. just in case?? He accessorizes a lot tho. he has one staple black watch he wears purely for looks because it's broken and doesnt actually tell time anymore. but it's cute.
When Nya goes clothes shopping, she's uisually looking for equally fashionable and practical. A skirt with shorts sewn in underneath, high quality running shoes in her favorite colors, and absolutely no strapless tops. what happens if she has to fight in that!? She doesn't have a strong sense of style otherwise, fully able to buy a lot of differently styled clothes and wear them all equally. her wardrobe has all sorts of colors. no big on accessories other than the occasional necklace.
Jay flips wildly between dressing well and looking like a lost and found clothing bin threw up on him. He's more interested in comfort over style for everyday wear, but he can clean up well and put together really nice outfits if the occasion calls for it. He's also pretty great at mending clothes so a lot of his really nice clothes are very well kept and maintained. his favorite hoodie is more mend patches than original fabric at this point. sustainable king.
Lloyd has no sense of style and it drove kai so crazy he forced him to come out shopping with him. All of Lloyds style comes from Kai picking out shirts and pants that all could easily go together mixed and matched. Lloyd TRIES but he's a pattern lover and he'll pair up patters that are so so loud and don't mesh at all and give everyone eyestrain headaches. Kai of course gets Lloyd some clothes that matches lloyds old style, he just gives him a brief rundown on what to pair together to keep him off legoTMZ's worst dressed list when Lloyd asks. Chronic croc wearer. incurable. he has cute jibbitz tho.
Zane wore the most bland, generic outfits ever until he was talking to Kai about fashion and Kai was like, "Fashion is an expression of who you are." and Zane became mildly obsessed with finding out who he was fashion-wise. His clothes are still a little on the boring side, but he has developed a distinct taste with what he wears. it's all very clean cut and timeless. he would be considered a sharp dresser. The others go to him when they need to dress Fancy because a lot of his style is pulling casual from classy. Likes some accessories- earrings, watches, some necklaces. Not a fan of metal chains of rings- metal on metal. rubs on his skin and irritates his sensors.
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thydungeongal · 1 month ago
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Do you have any recomendations for 'must listen to' goth music? I'm working on the aesthetic and the girl part, but I'm woefully ignorant about the musical side of the culture.
I used to be one of those insufferable "it's only goth if it's descended from 80s post-punk" girlies and while that is still the sort of music I gravitate towards personally I am now much more chill about the breadth of goth music. I still prefer the post-punk related stuff, but gothic metal, industrial, EBM, and whatever else is out there is all valid.
Anyway, The Cure's "Pornography" goes incredibly hard, and "Disintegration" is a slightly less somber but also classic album.
Virgin Prunes' "...If I Die, I Die" is another fun art goth album from the early days of the scene.
If you can find it, the soundtrack to the 90s movie The Crow is an absolutely fantastic collection of goth music of the era. It's got The Cure's "Burn," one of my favorite songs ever, Nine Inch Nails are there doing a cool Joy Division cover, there's some My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult there. It's a cool album. Also the film itself owns.
I'm actually really out of touch with modern goth music even though I know there's a lot of cool stuff being done in the scene. Anyway these two albums are ancient by now but Naked on the Vague's "Twelve Dark Noons" and Entertainment's "Gender" are both amazing albums.
Also gotta hype up a few Finnish bands: Musta Paraati's "Peilitalossa" is a classic Finnish goth album, as is Kuudes Tunti's "Kuinka tänään voit." The self-titled album from the 2010s band Kesä is a nice throwback to the sound of those two aforementioned albums.
Anyway there's a lot of overlap in my mind between goth and dark punk, so while this one is definitely more dark punk I consider it close to goth: Rudimentary Peni's "Death Church" fucking whips. On the American side, Big Black's "Atomizer" is another great one, but that one's already really far from goth and more into noise rock.
Also as much as I don't really like Sisters of Mercy as a whole, the song "This Corrosion" is a banger, so I guess check out their album "Floodland"?
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iam-anordinary-human-orami · 4 months ago
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I know spotify wasn't a thing probably for the aftg universe but like imagine it was and the trojans are holding a spotify wrapped unwrapped party or some dumb name like that, where they gather the team and what they do essentially is they write down what their top 5 songs were on a piece of paper, give it to this year's presenter and that person plays songs from each top 5 and the trojans have to figure out whose list it is.
So everyone thinks oh jean probably listens to french music, whether classical or otherwise, cause he seems to be so out of touch with pop culture. But, they forget that Jean started living with two lesbians and a gay golden retriever(I don't mean bark bark) and so his music horizons have widened.
So it's Jean's top 5, no one knows of course. Presenter is one of the trojans "and here goes our next mystery contestant starting off strong with... a band named, I assume it's a band, um plastic titties?" People are snickering, "we get it you're gay" "they're lesbians Harold!", and Jean tenses but hides it very well that it's his top 5. Song starts. It's a screamo punk indie rock combo. Ppl start making guesses, "your honour I think it's Cat, only she knows fringe bands with monthly listeners less than this team's defence line" cat yelling back "not my fault you're a slave to the trends you swiftie!" , "Look me in the eye and tell me you dont know the words to 'love story' " , "Settle down, we ain't finished yet. Any other guesses?" , "Are we sure it's not one of the coaches?" , "Which coach do YOU think would listen to, and I repeat, 'plastic titties'? And if anyone else responds with 'your mom' I'm banning u from this round" , "Play the next one so we cop a feel" , "Why u gotta make it weird bro"
"Okay next one!" And the next one is like an intense rap song "someone's covering their tracks people", "we need to figure out whether this is working out music or what they genuinely listen to", "go on to the next one cause this is a bop but it could be anyone", "couldn't be Jeremy though" Jeremy standing up for himself "hey, I listen to rap" , "says the person who's top song was probably by Natasha Bedingfield", "beat the Sugababes fan allegations and then refer to our captain"
"Riight, next one is" and the next one is a funky hip hop anti-establishment song "sounds like Laila people" laila making it clear "I do listen to them but I can guarantee you that's not in my top favourites, not because it's not a banger, but because I don't listen to this album very much" , "she's lying to the defence your honour!" , "No one's in trial Cody sit down" Jean turning to look at Jeremy "and this is supposed to be a bonding exercise?" Jeremy thoroghouly invested in the game and scribbling down "bet you it's Ananya, she's been awfully quiet" Jean rolls his eyes, his hands crossed while he looks upon the second best collegiate exy team and wondering how his life came to this
"Aight? Is there anyone that has an educated guess?" Shawn puts his hand up, presenter says "I said educated" Shawn puts his hand down.
The last two songs are like an indie creepy heartfelt song and a ballad. This throws everyone off. At the end of the round everyone is accusing everyone and their mother, Jean with a sigh and rubbing his temples "we could be doing drills" , someone yells "I bet my firstborn it's Nabil!" , "You are an embarrassment to this team, sit down!" "Nabil is an anime nerd, I didn't hear a single Naruto in that playlist!", "That's not amv music your honour" , "bring the strikers forward let them justify their crimes upon the eyes of God!" , "If it's a crime to have good taste lock👏 me 👏up👏"
The presenter gets tired after a while "alright, kindly shut your traps so we can have a winning day! The mystery contestant is.. drumroll people! The mystery contestant isss....Jean" Silence. And then "I didn't know the french listen to screamo?", "But your honour, this is not coloniser music?", "Amelie is not even on there though", someone quietly "not a single song about baguettes?", "What's next? Jeremy Knox being a secret death metal fan?"
Meanwhile, Dan got the foxes to post screenshots of their top 5 songs on social media. The Internet is breaking cause why is Andrew Minyard's top song by the veronicas???
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agaypanic · 10 months ago
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How about a rodrick x fem reader where she's a preppy girl but goes through a change and becomes a punk rock girl. And Rodrick had already noticed her before but now he's really into because they match aesthetics and she's really into rock music now
New Music (Rodrick Heffley X Jefferson!Reader)
Masterlist
Request Something!
Summary: While having to watch your and Rodrick’s younger brothers, he makes a little jab at you about how you only play boring classical music. You challenge this notion by learning a rock piece.
A/N: i could make a part two, bc by the time i was done writing i realized i kinda deviated from the request, whoops… inspired by metal lords and some of the rodrick asks i answered about rodrick x rowley’s older sister (specifically this one)
***
You were used to routines. You liked structure. Every day, you’d have breakfast with your family, take your brother Rowley to his school before going to your own, go to class, pick Rowley up, do homework and thirty minutes of practicing music, have dinner with your family and catch up with each other, then go to bed. Of course, every day differed the slightest bit, and you’d make sure you weren’t constantly overworking yourself, but that was the main gist of it.
And a few times a week, you had to watch after Rowley when he hung out with his best friend, Greg Heffley. And when his mom was forcing him to spend time with his brother, Rodrick had to watch after the boys with you.
More often than not, you’d either be at the Heffley house or a public place like a park or arcade. Very rarely though, you’d all go to your house.
Today was one of those days.
“Okay, don’t do that.” You said, trying to keep the frustration out of your tone as you snatched a fork away from Rodrick while he tried putting some food in your microwave. “My dad doesn’t even like Greg being here sometimes. He’d probably hate your whole family if you burned our house down.”
Rodrick rolled his eyes, slamming the microwave door shut and rolling his eyes. “Oh my god, relax. I would’ve stopped the microwave after the first few sparks.”
You sighed, gripping the fork tightly. You’d think that after years of knowing Rodrick, you’d be used to his behavior. “Look, Rodrick. We already have to look after two little kids; I don’t wanna have to look after three.” Then you handed Rodrick his fork and walked over to the living room, hoping the oldest Heffley could handle himself and his lunch without causing too much trouble.
Rowley and Greg were sitting on the couch, deeply invested in some video game. Your parents didn’t like you and your brother having too much screen time, but you figured another hour or so wouldn’t hurt. You looked at the clock on the wall and realized you hadn’t touched your cello all day.
“Hey, I’m gonna go practice so…” You looked back toward the kitchen, thinking of calling Rodrick over. But instead, you shook your head and looked at the boys again. “Don’t cause too much trouble.”
“Wait!” Rowley paused the game, ignoring Greg’s annoyed reaction. “Can you practice in here? I like that new song you’re doing.”
You couldn’t help but smile. “Sure, Row-Row. I’ll be right back.”
As you ran up to your room to fetch your things, you faintly heard Greg say, “Row-Row?”
You came back to the living room with your cello, sheet music, and music stand. As you set up, Greg looked at Rowley questioningly. “She’s really good, Greg.” He said reassuringly. “It’ll be like nice background music.” Greg just shrugged, unpausing the game and going back to playing. 
You quickly became immersed in your music, somehow tuning out your little brother and his friend yelling at the TV and Rodrick loudly munching on his food as he looked at your music from over your shoulder. 
He was polite enough to swallow his food and wait until you were finished playing to speak. “That was boring.” You rolled your eyes and rearranged the papers on your stand to play a new song. “You could play anything, and you decide to play music by dead guys.”
“Well, you don’t have to listen to it, Rodrick.” You hissed. “I’d ask what you think would be better, but I don’t really care for your opinion on music.”
You started playing again, hoping that it would push Rodrick away. But instead, he got closer. “I bet you wouldn’t be able to handle my type of music, goody-two-shoes.” You scowled, trying to not hit Rodrick with your bow.
“You could spend a year practicing a piece, and I would still play it better if I was sight reading.” You inched closer, making intense eye contact with the Heffley boy. 
“Challenge accepted.”
***
Later that week, while picking up Rowley from school, he said that Rodrick told Greg to tell him to tell you to bring your cello to the Heffley house that afternoon. Part of you wanted to say you had more important things to do, but simultaneously, you were curious to see what Rodrick was up to.
“Black Sabbath?” You read the top of the sheet music Rodrick gave you as soon as you and Rowley walked into the Heffley house. “War Pigs… like the Pig War?”
Rodrick narrowed his eyes at you and furrowed his brows. “What?” Before you could answer, he held his hand up in front of your face. “Don’t. Come on.” Then Rodrick grabbed your wrist and dragged you over to the garage, leaving your little brothers to most likely wreak havoc. 
You rarely came into the Heffley’s garage. Whenever Rodrick was in there with his friends, it was beyond loud and chaotic. Totally not your scene. So you were a bit relieved to see that besides Rodrick’s drums and decorations, the room was empty. He grabbed a chair and set it near his drums, and only then did he realize that he was still holding your wrist. Rodrick quickly let go and grabbed his drumsticks, warming up on his drums while you set up your stand and tuned your cello.
“What exactly are we doing right now?” You asked while tightening your bow. 
“We’re about to see if you can handle my type of music, princess.” Rodrick twirled the sticks between his fingers, giving you a smirk that forced you to take a deep breath and stare at your new music so you wouldn’t have to look at him. “There’s a bunch of stuff before your part starts, so just go when you’re ready. I know where to jump in. And the song’s like eight minutes long, so we’ll only do the first two pages.”
“Eight minutes?”
“Just play, Jefferson.”
You sighed, giving the page a quick once over before setting your bow on the string. You tapped your foot to the tempo written above the first measure, internalizing it for a few seconds before playing the first notes. Rodrick immediately followed by tapping on one of his cymbals. Being classically trained and not interested in this kind of music, you had no idea what each little piece of Rodrick’s set was called.
But as the two of you kept playing, the sound started to grow on you. There was something about the mix of strings and percussion that pleased you. The music relaxed you in a way, despite some of the big note jumps. 
By the time you reached the second page, you were a bit disappointed that it was over. Rodrick silenced one of his big cymbals with his hand, seeming slightly impressed. “...Not bad.”
You nodded along, loosening your bow. “So… what does Black Sabbath sound like?”
Rodrick perked up at your question. After staring at you for a few seconds, he almost fell down with how quickly he got out of his seat to go over to his CD collection. You set your bow on the stand and leaned against your cello, watching him curiously. Eventually, he plucked out a CD and put it into a player connected to a large speaker.
As War Pigs started to play, you realized it was very different from how it sounded when you and Rodrick played. When the song got to the part Rodrick had given you, you started to pizzicato along. Unknown to you, Rodrick watched you intently. 
You were both surprised that you listened to the almost eight-minute-long song without asking for it to be turned off. You quietly played along the whole time, tapping your foot in tempo. When the next song on the track played, Rodrick paused the CD, figuring you had had enough. “Not bad.” You said, which surprised him. “...I think I like our version more, though.” That surprised Rodrick even more.
He laughed a little, slightly amused. He walked over to where you were sitting, crouching down to make eye contact with you. “Don’t tell me you’re gonna go all rock now, goody-goody.” You thought he looked a bit hopeful as he said it. You rolled your eyes and shook your head.
“In your dreams, Heffley.”
***
“Oh my gosh.” Rodrick gasped dramatically as he opened the front door. “What are you wearing?”
“Shut up, Rodrick.” You rolled your eyes, but still smiled at him as you pushed Rowley to go into the house first. Once again, you lugged your cello with you. “It’s just a black dress; I’m not going all emo like you.”
“I’m not emo.” He muttered, shutting the door after you entered. “What’s with the guitar?”
“Cello.” You corrected. “I learned all of that song you gave me. Wanna play it?”
Rodrick looked at you, a bit surprised. “Uhh, yeah, sure. Follow me.” You did as told, walking close behind as he led you back to the garage. “So, you like Black Sabbath now?”
“It’s just an interesting piece.” That wasn’t a lie, but it definitely didn’t tell the whole truth. After going home from that first playing session with Rodrick, you decided to look more into the band. Your search led to their other albums, and then other similar bands. Some of the songs you heard were a bit much, in your opinion, but you really liked some of the others you heard. “And, I guess playing with you is fun, or whatever.”
Rodrick’s back still faced you, so you couldn’t see the blush creeping onto his cheeks. The chair he had pulled out for you the first time you played together was still in its spot, like he didn’t want to move it. 
The two of you got situated and quickly started playing. You were a lot better than the first time, but then again, that was a sight reading. When doing your daily half hour of practice, you added an extra ten just for the song Rodrick gave you. You didn’t know why you were so fixated on it, but it was fun to play, which you suppose was all that really mattered.
You ended up getting through the whole song with Rodrick. About seven minutes of uninterrupted playing, so in sync with him despite only practicing together once. 
“That was pretty good,” Rodrick said, popping his knuckles. He watched silently for a moment as you plucked through a couple measures before giving a mischievous grin. “I think I’m slowly corrupting you and that nerdy, good girl image of yours. One day, you’ll be wearing chunky eyeliner and listening to Metallica.”
You shook your head, giving Rodrick an unimpressed look. “Shut up.” Yet the thought of that sure did sound interesting.
***
Rodrick Heffley Taglist: @tweedledipshit
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scaredshadowsswap · 4 months ago
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Hey! Hope you're doing alright. What do you think the staffs general music taste would be?
Hey, thanks! I got a minor bout of finals flu and had to do research on a bunch of different music genres so forgive me for my tardiness XD
Clef:
Clef seems like he’s well-listened, and pretentiously so. Most likely a fan of classic rock, but he can also lecture you about the reason a particularly crunchy jazz chord was significant to the meaning of the piece. He also seems like the type of guy who can name the album that a song is from and the year it was released. Clef just really likes music.
Despite this, I don’t imagine he can play very well. Maybe a few songs on the ukelele, but Clef seems like the type to get good at something and then drop it a few weeks later, so I don’t imagine they’ve stuck with anything long enough to play super well.
Favorite artist: Has too many to choose one; depends on the day.
Kondraki:
I think it’s cheating to say I came up with any ideas for Kondraki, because it says on his personnel file that he thinks classical music is ‘‘the only kind worth listening to”. However, while I do think he’ll make comments about Draven’s music being “noise” occasionally, I think he holds back a lot because he wants to listen to Draven’s music with him.
I don’t know if they canonically say that Kondraki plays any instruments, but I imagine he plays piano very well and is proficient in violin (less so than piano, though).
Favorite artist: Chopin
Gears:
Gears seems like he’d enjoy smooth jazz. Just the mellow vibes that he can tune out a little bit more easily when he needs to lock in. Despite this, I imagine he really secretly enjoys the music Iceberg plays. Just because he doesn’t express emotions often doesn’t mean he doesn’t like feeling stuff sometimes.
I think Gears could’ve been forced to play piano as a kid and been really good at it, but the emotion was never there. He could play Rachmaninoff particularly well, but was never able to be creative or fluid enough for jazz.
Favorite Artist: Mary Lou Williams
Iceberg:
Iceberg, as cold as he is, has a very fiery personality and I think he’d be into metal, although he tries to pull back a little and sticks to hard rock when playing music around Gears because he doesn’t think Gears enjoys the extremity of it. One of his favorite genres is symphonic doom because it makes him feel cool when he’s running explosives tests. He wears thick headphones to block out any loud noises from the explosions, and then blasts his music at full volume.
Definitely did not play any instruments except for maybe a few self-taught songs on guitar. This man can sing Wonderwall at you.
Favorite Artist: Lethian Dreams
Shaw:
Shaw has heard it all, they are over music at this point. They just feel neutral about all of it, honestly, and not much music really speaks to them anymore. Shaw also seems the most likely to be the type to listen to one song on repeat until they get sick of it. If anything at all, they miss the disco era and still occasionally listen to funk.
They have been around long enough to play most instruments with reasonable skill. They can carry a tune on 30+ instruments easily.
Favorite artist: Although they feel pretty neutral now, they were into The O’Jays.
Glass:
Glass gets overwhelmed by music very easily, but I imagine he likes pop music generally. Generally only listens to whatever’s on the radio or whatever is playing, although he will take the time to listen to any song request given by patients.
I think Glass probably played a woodwind in middle/high school. Clarinet maybe? Not good at it, but never got rusty in terms of skills.
Favorite Artist: Taylor Swift
Rights:
Rights doesn’t have a specific genre, dabbles in lots of places, but that’s exactly how she likes it. She also likes the mysterious vibes that come with not telling people what she listens to, so she’ll never clarify. She goes through phases, but punk rock was a long one spanning 8 months.
I don’t think she ever played an instrument, but I think she’d be a quick learner if she ever decided to.
Favorite Artist: Destroy Boys
Strelnikov:
Strelnikov doesn’t listen to music in English because he likes to be able to relax while listening, and spending all day translating is well…not easy. Despite this, I don’t think he’s into the gopnik stuff like dubstep. He’s a military man through and through, so old songs from his childhood are usually what he plays.
I really like the idea that he plays guitar. The picture of Strelnikov on the wiki looks like a man who could play guitar. Can do fingerstyle Russian lullabies or just play the chords and sing along.
Favorite Artist: Definitely doesn’t remember the names of artists at all, but he’ll say he “like music from old soviet movie”. his favorite movie soundtrack is by Aleksandr Zatsepin
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