#we had already applauded everybody and so they did the last song

[teddybeartoji]

i am very tired and my head hurts BUT here's a quick zimmer recap. epic. super epic. chills goosebumps chills. very fucking sick. i loved it<33333333333333

[calpalirwin]

Permanent Vacation

Summary: Calum falls for a musician.

A/N: I just really wanted an excuse to use Arrows in Action newest releases in a fic. (They’re bangers. You should go give ‘em a listen.)

Word Count: 2.8k

And away, and away we go!

__

The sun was hot as it beat down on my neck, the line for the beerstand long, and the noises of people chatting excitedly were loud in my ears. But I didn’t care in the slightest. After the isolating shitshow that was quarantine, I was more than happy to be out at a festival with, wait for it, live fuckin’ music. The only way I could be happier was if my band was in the lineup, but this was still a pretty close second. To be surrounded by musicians and people who loved music was a breath of fresh air after so long. A breath of very hot fresh air. But still.

Behind me I heard the girlish giggling and whispers of my name, which drew the attention of the group in front of me: three guys, and a girl around my own age, two of the guys a good shoulder and head taller than the other man and girl. The shortest of the guys whispered, “Could you imagine if we got noticed like that?”

The tall brunette’s eyes went wide as he pulled a face and shook his head. “No, thanks. I think I’d cry.”

The other tall one with purple hair laughed loudly, “Aw, c’mon, that would be rad! His band’s not even in the lineup and he still gets recognized. Could you imagine?”

“He has a name, and can hear you, J,” the girl hissed with a playful eye roll. Then, she flashed me a smile before calling out in a loud voice, “Hey, man! Good to see ya! How ya been?” to me, before taking a step forward and stretching up to wrap her arm around my shoulders like we were old friends. “Just go with it,” she added under her breath. “Nobody’ll bug you for pictures and autographs if you’re with a bigger group.”

“Thanks,” I laughed at her rescue attempt. “But it’s fine if they do. I don’t mind.”

“Yeah, but they can at least let you buy a fuckin’ beer first.”

“Well, thanks again,” I said, not sure of what else to say, or do so I let her pull me up with her friends who were all staring at her with I’m sure the same look of soft shock I had on my own face.

“I’m Y/N, by the way.” She let go of me as she started introducing her friends to me. “And this is Jesse.”

“Hello,” the tall one with purple hair smiled warmly.

“That’s Matt,” she nudged the other tall one.

“Hey.”

“And this is Vic,” she finished, looking at the shortest man who waved.

“Nice to meet you guys. I’m Calum,” I said, then realized how stupid that was. “But, you already knew that, huh?”

Y/N grinned, holding her thumb and index finger close together. “Just a smidge. But it’s cool. So, any bands you’re particularly excited to see?”

“The Maine and All Time Low mostly. I’m a huge fan of The Maine, and All Time Low are friends of mine.”

“Both are great bands. And the All Time Low guys are good friends to have, for sure.”

“Oh, you know them?”

“Yeah, we worked with them a few times.”

“Worked with? Fellow musicians, huh?”

She laughed. “We’re up and comers, yeah.”

“Your cool aunt’s favorite band,” Jesse grinned at me.

Y/N laughed more at the confused look that crossed my face. “That’s one of his favorite ways to refer to us. Like we’re the band you find out from word of mouth from the cool relative that’s always discovering new music.”

“Ah,” I said, nodding in understanding. “Been there. Are you guys in the lineup?”

“Yup!” she chirped happily as we got to the front of the line. “5 beers, please,” she told the person working the counter.

“Oh, you don’t have to,” I tried to decline, reaching quickly for my wallet.

“Relax, it’s just a beer,” she told me, passing me one of the cups being placed on the counter. 

“Well, thanks,” I said, raising the cup and taking a sip. “I’ll getcha guys next time.”

“I’ll hold you to it,” she grinned around the rim of her own cup. “Enjoy your beer, Cal. See ya around.”

~~~

I took the last swallow from my beer, cursing myself for not having stopped her to get the name of her band, or at the very least her last name. But before I had a chance to get the words out, I’d been bombarded with requests from fans for pictures, engaging in small conversations with them, and by the time I was done, Y/N was long gone.

So I resigned myself to walking around the festival grounds, my head reeling. It wasn’t often a woman pretended to be my friend to rescue me from the onslaught of fans. In fact, I couldn’t recall one time that's ever happened. I also wasn’t used to being bought drinks, even if I was still fully intending to return the favor. Although that would require me to find her first. But something told me that wouldn’t be too difficult.

I was grateful I’d come on my own, and not with Ashton who would have no doubt teased me about how hooked I was on the girl. The cynic with a crush? Whatever were the odds? And was it even technically a crush when I’d only interacted with her for maybe five minutes? Okay, maybe Ashton being around wouldn’t be the worst thing if he could help me make sense of the jumble of thoughts in my head. The way that man could bounce from crush to crush almost seamlessly was enough to give me a case of whiplash. 

I sighed as I tossed my cup in the trash. Whether or not it was a crush was still to be determined. All I knew was that I liked her energy, and wanted to see her again. And… that was a crush, wasn’t it? God. Fuckin’. Damn it.

A guitar chord rang out loudly, and there was a mad dash of people running towards the stage. Slowly I pushed my way through the crowd of people towards the front, grinning when I noticed it was her on stage, and grinning even more when I noticed the instrument in her hand. A bassist? Fuck, I was definitely in trouble now.

The shortest of the men, Vic, I recalled, started singing, with the other three providing backup harmony on the chorus. Until they got to the bridge that was all Y/N, her voice ringing out “Tomorrow’s a nightmare, I’m dreaming today. And my head is haunted, the past just can’t stay. The devil you know, yeah he comes and he goes. I’m selfish, and vapid, I hide in my prose!” before they launched into the final chorus.

“What up, Anaheim?!” Vic yelled into his mic to a scream of cheers and applause. “We’re Arrows in Action, and that was our newest single, Only Be Mine. I’m Vic. We got Matt over here on guitar. Jesse’s on the drums. And Y/N’s over there on bass. We got a few more songs for you all. And if you’re an awesome crowd, we might have a special treat for ya at the end of our set. Sound good?”

We answered him in whoops of cheers and loud applause, causing them all to grin as they launched into their next song.

They played seamlessly through about three more songs, enjoying the feeling of playing live in front of people again, before Y/N whooped into her own mic. “Whoo! It’s hot! Anyone else hot? Y’all staying hydrated out there?” she asked us, before flickering her gaze across the stage at Matt who was wiping his forehead. “You good, Matt?”

“Dude, it’s like a million degrees up here,” he commented, before taking a huge swig from a water bottle.

Y/N laughed. “Right. Y’all gotta understand. Matt’s from the cold states. Then there’s Vic and I who are California natives, technically, right Vic?”

“Yeah, I was born here. But I didn’t live here as long as you did.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. So Vic and I are used to the heat. Matt, not so much. And Jesse? How you doing back there, J?”

“Me?” the drummer pointed at himself in confusion “Oh, I’m great!”

“Great enough to give this crowd a real surprise?” she asked, her voice laced with playful trouble, as she looked at all her bandmates. “C’mon, boys what do ya say? Wanna give this crowd something special before we go?”

Again, we all cheered and applauded as encouragement for whatever surprise they had in mind. “Alright!” Vic laughed. “Alright, you wanna go ahead and introduce it then?”

She smiled wide as she turned towards us. “Alright, everybody! We’re Arrows in Action. We’ve had a great time with y’all! So, as a thank you, we’re gonna play a new song that we haven’t released yet. Is that cool with you?” She laughed as she awaited the response of screaming, whistles, and applause. “Alright. This is called Permanent Vacation, which will be available on all listening platforms this Friday. Let’s go!”

Matt started playing a series of chords that sounded incredibly familiar, while the other three clapped to the beat. But right before the lyrics were supposed to come in, Vic started talking into his mic. “Wait, wait, wait!” he laughed. “I don’t know the lyrics to this!”

“So it’s just like every other song,” Y/N teased him with her own laugh.

“Nah, I think it’s cuz that one’s not ours.”

“Be rad if it was though,” she said, and I swear she shot me a wink. “Alright, alright. So, that one’s not ours. But this one definitely is. And it’s definitely called Permanent Vacation. And it’s out Friday.”

A new guitar and drum beat started up and Vic immediately started singing, again with the rest of the band providing back up vocals until the bridge where it was all Y/N. A soft build before a wild yell that would have torn my own vocal chords to shreds.

“I’m locked and loaded, fire away! Permanent vacation from my brain. Extend my stay another day. Far from home, not alone,” they all finished with a flurry of chords. “Thank you!” Vic croaked into the mic. “Thank you guys so much! We’re Arrows in Action, enjoy the rest of your night!”

With tired but happy smiles, they all bowed before exiting the stage. I moved to follow, but thought better of it, going to hit the drink stand first where I bought 5 beers and 4 waters. A small challenge, made slightly easier by the person working the stand putting the water bottles in a grocery bag for me. With that hanging off my arm, I held 2 beers in each hand, and my own in my teeth.

“Cal!” she laughed, her face flushed when I found them lounging in the grass. “You didn’t have to do that,” she told me as she rose to her feet to help me distribute the beers.

“I said I’d get the next round,” I offered up simply, setting down the bag and taking a seat with them all. “I brought you guys water, too.”

“You really didn’t have to do that,” she laughed, tossing the bottles out anyway, and sitting back down, this time next to me. 

“Shut up, Y/N, let the man do what he wants,” Jesse said, downing a water bottle in 2 gulps before turning his attention to his beer. “You’re rad. Thank you.”

“For real, man. This was really cool of you,” Vic said.

“Yeah, huge thanks,” Matt nodded.

“What they said, I guess,” Y/N laughed again, following Jesse’s lead of downing her water bottle before going for her beer. “Fuck,” she sighed. “That’s good. Thank you, really.”

“Happy to do it,” I answered. “That set was amazing, by the way. And that joke at the end was pretty clever. How long were you planning that?”

She giggled. “Uh, well Jesse and I are much more the 5sos fans than Matt and Vic are. But we’re all familiar with your music. And when we were writing the song, and settled on the title, I suggested that it would be funny to start playing your version if we ever got the chance to play it live. Which meant bugging Matt to learn the guitar parts.”

“So you’re the troublemaker of the band?” I guessed.

She shrugged, and hid behind the rim of her cup. “I mean… Depends on the day.”

We continued to lay in the grass, making small talk as we all finished our beers, before Jesse cleared his throat. “Uh… Matt, Vic. You guys wanna come with me to get a good spot for the rest of the acts?” he asked, the suggestion in his tone heavy.

Matt and Vic shared a look, before nodding. “Yeah, yeah of course,” they said, all three of them getting up.

“You assholes are just gonna leave me?” Y/N asked, looking up at them.

“Just come find us when you’re ready,” they winked. “Thanks again for the beers, Cal.”

“Assholes,” she muttered again as they all made themselves scarce. “Sorry about them.”

I laughed, waving it off. “Nah, it’s cool. And kinda nice, maybe?”

“Oh?” she asked, her eyes wide. “Uh…” her face flushed. “I mean…” she started to stammer. “Yeah. Yeah.”

I gave a half chuckle, scratching at the back of my neck. “Look, it’s fine if you’re not… I mean, I figure you probably are if they did that for you, cuz they have no reason to do it for my sake. I mean, they’re your friends and bandmates, not mine. But I know a wing man set up when I see it. But if it’s more of a meddling wing man set up, like that’s fine,” I spilled out, before realizing I was rambling.

“No!” she rushed. “Oh, no, that’s not what I meant at all!” She covered her face in her hands, groaning “Oh, this is so embarrassing…” Her hands moved to push through her hair as she took a long breath to steady herself. “Of course I like you, Cal. Like before I even met you. One of those embarrassing fangirl crush type of deals. And I mean, I’m a bassist in a punk band, so you’re also someone I idolize and take inspiration from.” Slowly her gaze lifted from her lap to lock onto mine. “And then I met you today. And  you’re everything I thought you’d be. Thoughtful. Generous. A bit shy, and quiet at times. Nice. And it makes the crush that much stronger, and harder to deal with. Cuz now it’s real. And I feel like I know you. And it’s just… Ugh, it spirals from there, ya know?”

“A good spiral, or a bad spiral?”

“Bit of both? Like the insecurities in me say that you’re an A-list celebrity, while I’m more of like… not an A-lister. My band’s not on the same level yours is. I mean, we play bars and small day festivals. You sell out stadiums and have world tours. There’s a clear discrepancy. But then, another part of me doesn’t give a shit about that. It sees how we’re like-minded. It sees all the ways we click, and all the ways we could work. And that’s where the cocky part comes in, where it sees the like-mindedness and the reasons we could work, and calls you an idiot if you can’t see it too. That, uh, screwed up defense mechanism of it being your loss, ya know?”

“Mhm.”

She sighed. “Sorry. I said a lot. Point is, I do like you. And, that’s that.”

“So the ball’s in my court?”

“Only if you want it to be. And if you don’t, then no. There’s no ball. No court. Just two people who have a few things in common.”

“You wanna hear what I think?”

“Go for it.”

“I think your friends left us for 2 reasons. 1 being that they’re loyal to you, and know how you feel about me. 2 being that they’re also guys. Which gives them a pretty good insight for how I’m feeling too.”

“Uh-huh…” she nodded slowly. “And how you’re feeling is…?”

I could have said the words. But I settled for leaning in, brushing my lips softly against hers for the sweetest of moments, listening to the way her next breath got stuck in her throat. I pulled away, smiling softly at her and shrugging my shoulders.

She traced her lips with her thumb, bewilderment written on her face. “Okay, you really didn’t have to do that.”

“Relax,” I chuckled, stealing her words from earlier. “It’s just a kiss.”

“Well, thanks. I’ll, uh, getcha next time.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

__

Tag List

@aquarius-hood1996 @creator-appreciator @philthepegacorn @myfavfanficsever @cxddlyash @youngblood199456 @stormrider505 @iknowyouthinkimbulletproof @hoodhoran @metalandboybands @maybeememez @1weekago @centerlino @binxiboo​

[violetlilysunshine]

Late Night

Chris Evans x Female Reader

Summary: You meet Chris working in a bar, before he invites you to his house after closing.

WC: 3,525

Warnings: maybe a quick make out?? idk if I need to warn that, but better safe then sorry. Fluff, fluff, fluff 

A/N: I’m sort of feeling a part two, because I’ve been in such a fluffy turned smutty mood recently. Anyone down?? Lemme Know :)

Tagging the lovelies that wanted this! @maximeevansblog @saltyflowermakertaco

MASTERLIST

You’ve been working in this small bar for years now; it mainly catered to older folks, the owners having fallen in love with the 40s and 50s and themed their bar after that. You quickly fell in love with the decades as well, hearing the old music and seeing all of the older people’s faces light up, reliving their glory years. However, usually, there were a couple younger groups there to relish in the theme a bit.

You started as a waitress at 18, trying to work your way through college. Quickly, you moved up to bartender, before one slow night when you randomly decided to sing along to one of the songs that the Thursday night live band always played. They were a pretty good group, and you soon found yourself listening to the songs they played in your free time. After you sang with them, the owners decided to add you to the regular Thursday night entertainment, still bartending on other nights.

You were nearing the end of your set, just two more songs to go before you could take off the heels you had ridiculously decided to wear tonight. They were very 50s and you loved the look, but, carelessly, you hadn’t broken them in yet. You thought you would be fine, but your typical little dance during Fly Me to the Moon had suffered greatly. However, they matched your midi-navy-polka-dot dress and your pin-up style curls, so it wasn’t a total loss.

“Alright everybody, we’re getting close to that time of the night,” you hummed into the microphone, “for this next one we’re gonna slow things down a bit. To those of you I’ve been watching sit in your chairs all night, you’ve only got two more chances to ask your ladies to dance. Even if you don’t know how, ask her anyway, she'll love it.” you joked.

The band started to play Paul Anka’s Put Your Head on My Shoulder, a personal favorite of yours.

“And remember, if anyone needs a partner, I’m ready and willing,” you joked as the intro played. Quite a few times, older men who no longer had a partner took you for a spin for a song or two and you loved it.

You hummed a bit before you started singing along.

As you were singing, you watched a few of the younger guys in the back finally bring their girls out on the floor. Smiling as you watched them, you swayed back and forth.

You kept going with the song, almost at the end, glad that someone hadn’t asked you to dance, because your feet were really killing you.

You finally finished it off, earning a small applause as you twirled with the mic.

“Alright y’all, last song of the night and you know what that means as well,” you spoke to the crowd, “last call for alcohol,” you sang out.

You pointed back at the bar, and your friend who was tending tonight, before she waved at the group. A few people left the dance floor to get a drink as you continued your end of the night spiel, “fellas still sitting by themselves, last chance to take a spin on the floor. I see you still sitting there in the back! It’s a short song, I promise,” you chastised the last table you saw still sitting there.

Two couples from that table got up to dance, leaving one man sitting by himself. You felt kind of bad for turning everyone’s attention to him, but you had offered earlier to dance if anyone needed a partner, so the ball was in his court.

You signaled to the band to start up and spoke, “alright here we go,” into the mic.

It’s Been a Long, Long Time kicked off, and you instantly swayed. The band didn’t usually play this song, but after your Marvel obsession kicked in, you convinced them to add it to the set list.

You sang away, loving life, but your eyes didn’t leave the man in the back. He was obscured by shadows - probably purposefully - but you felt drawn to him already. Something about him sent tingles down your spine.

Before you knew it, the song was over. You took a small bow before turning and pointing at your band, getting the audience to applaud them individually.

“Thanks everybody, have a good night and drive safe. Hope to see you next week!” you spoke quickly and everyone filed off the dance floor to collect their things.

“Thanks, you guys, that was a good show!” you spoke to the band before you rolled up your mic cord and packed it away backstage. As soon as it was safely in its case, you took a seat on one of the saxophone cases and started rubbing your feet.

Soon, the band came back to put their instruments away and you reluctantly gave up your seat. You headed to the bar to sit with your friend while she finished cleaning up; this gave you a chance to rest your feet a little more before attempting to maneuver yourself home.

You glanced around the room quickly and everyone had cleared out except the back table. They were all standing, putting on jackets, and just beginning to file out the door. The couples went first hand-in-hand, followed by the single man. You looked back at your friend and began to make small talk about the next night, seeing as you were off, before you felt a tap on your shoulder.

“That was a great set,” the man spoke out in a low raspy voice, “I wish I had a dance partner.”

“Thank you, but if I remember correctly, I did offer to dance with anyone. Anyone included you, Chris,” you quipped back lightly, chuckling.

“Well, doll, the way you were stumbling about up there, I didn’t want to risk it,” he joked back, “and you know who I am?”

“I’m gonna head in the back to finish cleaning up and then we can go,” your friend spoke, gently tapping your forearm. You usually carpool to work because you live a few houses down from each other and it just makes sense.

“Alright, sounds good,” you answered her before turning back to Chris, “well I did just sing Steve and Peggy’s song. I wouldn’t be doing it justice if I didn’t know at least its major history. And I don’t think I was stumbling.”

“Okay, fair,” he answered, “maybe stumbling wasn’t the right word, but I can tell your feet hurt in those shoes.”

A small silence settled between the two of you as you got lost in his eyes, barely registering what he had said. His lips curled into a small smile as he gazed back. His eyes darted from yours to your lips for only the slightest second, before wandering down to your feet, which you were rolling slightly on the leg of the barstool, attempting to massage them a little. He looked back into your eyes again, his smile growing. The tension in the room rose quickly, and you began to get a little hot under his gaze. You were wondering how you ever got so lucky to have Chris freaking Evans looking at you like that.

“I’d offer to get you a drink, but you did say last call a little while ago,” he spoke slowly.

“That I did,” you answered, “maybe next time.”

“Or, I could take you somewhere else,” he offered lightly, his voice raising in pitch.

“Hmm, I don’t know if my feet are up for it,” you said softly, “and I don’t know where else we would go on a Thursday night. Everyone is probably announcing their own last call.” You were surprised by your own confidence in front of him. You had no idea how you were keeping it together, let alone flirting.

“Another option,” he suggested, “I could offer you a nightcap at my place. Or maybe coffee? A glass of wine?”

“Eager there are we?” you quipped.

“Well, what can I say, that last song did it for me,” he chuckled, “but really, it would be totally casual, no expectations.”

You thought for a moment, weighing the options. He probably wasn’t a murderer, or a kidnapper. He was probably one of the gentlest guys you could go home with, and lord knows you’ve taken a few risks with others.

“Totally casual doesn’t sound too bad.”

“Really?” he asked, “great! Do you have a car here?”

“No, we carpool,” you said, gesturing at your friend who had just walked back into the room.

“Ready to go?” she asked.

“Actually I was going to head out with Chris,” you said, looking at him while you spoke.

“Oh, okay,” she said, her voice dropping slightly, “well, I’ll lock up the front and we can head out the back together then.”

“Great,” Chris answered, his eyes never leaving you.

You slipped your shoes back on and stepped down from your stool. You grabbed your purse from next to you and turned to grab your jacket, which was no longer on the back of your chair. You looked up and saw Chris holding it open for you and you slipped your arms in, your heart swooning wildly. You smiled at each other and followed your friend out the back.

You hugged her quickly, whispering “I’ll send you my location,” in her ear. After all, a girl can’t be too careful.

You followed Chris to his car around the front of the building, where he opened the door for you before jogging around to the driver’s side.

His car was nice, as to be expected, but not flashy and you enjoyed his modesty. It smelled freshly cleaned - a big plus - but also rode incredibly smoothly. You were more than content to drive around with him, listening to pop songs and belting out musicals, but before you knew it, he was pulling into his driveway.

He got out first, stepping out quickly. You waited half a second, sending your location to your friend quickly. As you were reaching for the door handle, it was being pulled from the outside. Always a gentleman, he is.

Chris flashed you a charming smile as you stepped out, swinging your purse over your shoulder.

“This way, darlin’,” he spoke lowly, shutting the car door. His hand was quick to find a home on your lower back, gently guiding you towards the front door.

Once up the stairs, he crossed in front of you, unlocking the door and slowly pushing it open. The alarm on the wall chirped, signaling the opening of the front door. Chris quickly bent down with his hands in front of his knees, preparing for the impact. Dodger came flying around the corner having heard the chirp, and slammed right into his dad’s hands before jumping onto his dad’s legs begging for pets.

“Hey bubba, how you doin’?” Chris spoke to his best friend, rubbing his ears, “this here is Y/N, be nice to her buddy, no jumping.”

Dodger quickly took notice of you and immediately tried to jump onto your legs, a greeting you weren’t necessarily against, but since Chris said no, you quickly pushed your hand down and met him on the ground. He sat at your feet, immediately accepting your presence.

“He never does that!” Chris spoke, shocked at how quickly Dodger took to you.

“What can I say? I must be magic,” you joked and shrugged at him, making him laugh.

“Well let’s move out of the doorway, yeah?” Chris asked before closing the front door behind you.

Chris moved to the side of the hallway quickly; he kicked off his shoes and encouraged you to do the same. You happily followed suit, aching to get those damn heels off again. You sighed in contentment once your bare feet hit the cool hardwood floor, throwing your head back slightly, closing your eyes, and breathing deeply.

“That bad, huh?” Chris chuckled, waiting for you at the end of the hall.

“Oh yeah, I definitely have to get used to those before I try to wear them again,” you answered back.

“Well, follow me and we’ll figure out that drink I offered.”

You set your purse on the bench next to your shoes before following him into the kitchen. He strolled around the island, resting his forearms on the island.

“Take a seat, doll,” he encouraged you, gesturing to the barstools on the other side.

Usually you wouldn’t have obliged so quickly, offering to help him make whatever, but given the state of your feet, you hopped up quickly.

“Alright, so you have a lot of options, water as always, coffee, beer - my personal favorite - tequila, a slew of other liquor, juice, soda, milk, - which would be weird but whatever - wine, take your pick,” he said smiling at you.

“Coffee sounds good to me, to be honest,” you answered quietly. You would’ve chosen beer simply because it was his favorite, but you weren’t a big fan if you’re being honest.

“Coffee it is, gorgeous,” he answered, filling the pot with water and loading in the grounds, “milk, creamer, sugar, black? What do you like?”

“Milk and sugar would be good.”

“You sure? I’ve got peppermint creamer,” he coaxed you.

“On second thought...” you chuckled, taking him up on his offer.

“Alright, doll, peppermint it is,” he laughed.

Soon the coffee was ready and as excited to try the peppermint creamer as you were, you could’ve watched him flutter around the kitchen for days. He handed you a sleek navy blue mug, taking a red one himself.

“Shall we head to the living room?”

“Whatever you want, it’s your house,” you laughed.

“Alright, follow me,” he said, leading the way, “you too, Dodge,” he called over the island. Dodger had been sitting at his feet the whole time, watching his dad.

He settled into one arm of the couch, pulling the coffee table closer to rest your mugs on. He placed his mug down and gestured for you to join him. You sat on the other end of the sofa, gently, looking over at him. He threw an arm over the back of the couch, kicked his feet out in front of him, and turned his body towards yours. Dodger watched you sit down and looked at you, almost saying “you’re in my spot,” before turning around and going over to his bed by the fireplace.

“How’re your feet doing now?” he asked you.

“They’re okay, it may take a few days to recover,” you laughed back, turning to face him as well. You held your mug in one hand, bringing the other to your foot as you swung your legs up at your side.

Chris reached over towards your feet, pulling them into his lap, “here let me,” he spoke.

You blushed lightly at the very domestic action, but who would say no to a beautiful man rubbing their feet? He massaged them gently and you let out a little groan.

“You really don’t have to do that, but you’re so good at it I don’t want you to stop,” you told him.

“Well then I won’t stop, darlin’.”

He looked at you from across the couch, making your heart swoon again. You let out the quietest moan, enjoying the work of his hands, and closed your eyes.

Chris laughed lightly, whispering something to himself under his breath. You were a little lost in the moment, so you didn’t hear him.

“Sorry, what was that?” you asked him.

“Oh, nothing, just talking to myself,” he answered. You knew that wasn’t the case, but let it rest anyway; it couldn’t have been too important.

Chris started asking you about your work and friends and family, what kind of movies you liked, and music preference of course. You asked him as well, really getting to know each other. He had stopped rubbing your feet a long time ago, but kept them in his lap, an arm thrown across them, rubbing your shins and ankles lightly. Dodger was snoring loudly across the room, and had been for quite a long time. The both of you were so lost in the conversation, that you didn’t realize how late it had gotten. You glanced out the window behind him, beginning to see the sunrise.

“Oh my goodness, what time is it?” you asked him, chuckling.

He glanced at his phone quickly, “almost 5:00,” he said with wide eyes, “I didn’t realize it had gotten so late.”

“I’m so sorry,” you said a little embarrassed, “I’ve stayed way too long, I’ll just get out of your hair.” You began to pull your legs out of his lap, but he locked them down.

“You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to,” he spoke quietly, “I’ve really enjoyed your company.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to overstay my welcome…” you trailed off.

“Positive, sweetheart. Please, stay.”

“Okay, if you’re sure,” you asked him, raising an eyebrow. He nodded slightly at you. “Then I'll stay,” you said, settling back into the couch.

“Can I get you another cup?” he asked, gesturing to your mug.

“Sure,” you answered lightly, handing it to him. He got up and trailed into the kitchen. You waited half a second before following him.

Chris heard you walk into the kitchen, turning around to look at you quickly, “sorry, can I get you something else?”

“No, I’m fine,” you answered.

“Oh, well, uh… I would’ve brought your mug back to you,” he chuckled.

“Oh that’s okay, I felt weird just sitting there,” you laughed lightly.

“Oh, okay,” he chuckled back, “well, since you’re here now, can I offer you breakfast?”

You didn’t realize how hungry you’d gotten until he offered, “only if I can help,” you responded.

“Oh well, that’s a deal breaker, darlin’,” he answered, almost seductively.

“Well then no breakfast for me,” you laughed.

He was starving too, only having had a small dinner before he went to the bar last night. He didn’t know when you’d eaten last, so you must be hungry as well.

“Well, maybe there is one way, you can help,” he said in a high pitched voice.

“What can I do?” you asked quickly.

“Come here,” he said.

You walked around the island you had been leaning on, joining him between it and the cabinets on the wall. Chris extended a hand towards you. You took it quickly and allowed him to guide you closer to him. Once you were fully in front of him, he dropped your hand and grabbed both of your hips. He picked you up quickly, surprising you, before setting you on the counter.

You laughed lightly at him, “okay, now what?”

“Now, you sit there and look pretty while I make breakfast,” he chuckled out, standing between your knees, keeping a little distance between the two of you.

“Chrissssss,” you whine out at him.

“What, doll?” he asks, taking a step closer to you as you wrap your hands around his shoulders.

“I can do more than just sit here.”

“Oh, really?” he asks, taking another step towards you, now standing between your thighs, almost flush to the counter.

“Yeah, I can,” you breathe out, barely able to contain yourself now that he’s slotted between your legs.

“Nope, darlin’, this is enough help. Promise,” he says quietly.

Chris glanced down at your lips quickly before looking back into your eyes. He ran his hands up your thighs, starting at your knees, before settling onto your hips again. The temperature in the room seemed to rise at an unbelievable rate as you stared into each others’ eyes. You could feel his breath on your lips, you were sure he could feel yours as well, the smell of coffee and peppermint radiated between you. He slowly leaned in and connected your lips.

It was like time stood still. He moved one of his hands around to your lower back, pulling your body to the very edge of the counter and flush against his chest. The other hand stayed firmly on your hip, digging in just a little. You wrapped your arms around his neck even tighter as you molded your lips together. He licked your bottom lip slightly, asking for entrance, which you granted. He explored your mouth just a little bit before pulling back, breathless, and resting his forehead against yours.

“Well, that was, uh…” he spoke.

“Yeah,” you answered, breathless as well.

You held his gaze for another second before moving forward and kissing him once again. You pecked him sweetly, before mumbling against his lips.

“I’ll let you cook, as long as you let me clean up,” you laughed a little before connecting your lips again.

Chris let the kiss hang just a little longer than a peck before pulling back completely. He pecked your forehead quickly, before answering.

“No,” he said firmly, turning around and letting out a loud laugh, one you knew so well.

You laughed right back at him, watching him start to cook and shaking your head to yourself. How did you get so lucky?

[dapandapod]

So Jaskilion, thank you for the music, Jaskier wearing a gown, the bards just being somfte 🥺

Bards just being somfte, how about bards being somft HUSBANDS? For my sweet @jaskierswolf, after the wonderful ABBA marathon we had, and thank you @kuripon for doing a beta read in the middle of the night. My middle of the night, to be fair, but still!!

Warnings: mention of past harrassment and Geralt's accordion. That in itself needs a warning I think. Oh and, Dandelion is having a really bad day.

On Ao3 here! <3

Dandelion is so fucking tired. Some days are really just out to get you, and this day in particular seems to want him to have some sort of breakdown.

Anything that could go wrong did go wrong. Murphy’s law and all that. He stepped in a muddy puddle that was deeper than it seemed, he got stuck in the elevator for an hour, the trains were late, his boss were yelling at him (again, Valdo should go sit on something prickly), his computer froze while screen sharing during an important meeting, his food tasted vaguely like fish because the person before him didn’t obey the unspoken golden rule about not reheating fish dinners in their microwave in the office and -

Yes. Long fucking day.

The worst part about it?

He is this close to missing one of the most important nights this year, nay, his life.

Jaskier is singing tonight.

It’s been a while, a very long while in fact, since Jaskier stood on a stage last. When they met, Jaskier used to do musicals, karaoke nights, weddings. His voice is rich, beautiful, a voice that drives off the darkness of the night.

Jaskier sang at their wedding.

But after one particular incident while playing the lead role in a musical, a coworker who had harassed Jaskier to the extent that they had to go to court to keep him safe, Jaskier never stepped up on a stage again.

He tried.

Dandelion watched his hands shake, his face getting paler and sweat dripping down his neck. He heard his voice crack, his breath hitch, and the sobs in the back rooms where he thought no one could hear.

And then he just never performed for others again.

So tonight is very fucking important.

It’s just a small neighbourhood talent show, kitchen chairs collected and pushed together in front of a makeshift theater. Dandelion and Jaskier had helped prepare a few nights before, dining on the kitchen floor in wait for the big day, laughing and teasing each other.

And here Dandelion is, about to fucking miss it.

He looks at his watch one more time. It has already started, but Jaskier is the second to last act tonight, right before the big finale with Tissaia and her little magic helpers.

If he runs, he might make it. Hopefully.

Bursting through the doors, making old Vesemir jump in surprise, Dandelion makes it just in time for little Ciri to get up on stage and do her puppet show.

Gods, just in time.

Vesemir glares at him, but Dandelion just pats his shoulder as he passes, squeezing himself deeper into the room, closer to the stage. He has a stitch in his side from running, and this shirt will need a good washing tonight, but that is a small sacrifice.

Sitting down next to Ciri’s mother in the second row, he finally catches his breath. He is here. He made it.

Now he only hopes Jaskier makes it on the stage.

They talked about that too. There is no shame in backing out, none at all. Jaskier’s well being is more important than anything else. Dandelion will support Jaskier in anything he chose to pursue.

He just hopes the small spark Jaskier has been nursing these last few days will stay.

They all applaud politely when Ciri steps off the stage, Pavetta finally letting her phone fall into her lap, pausing what is sure to be the biggest spam on social media (this week) about her daughter’s many talents.

Ciri is an incredible girl; whenever they had the honor of babysitting her, she and Dandelion would spend hours by the piano. Or the guitar. Or the ukulele. Or the lute. Or the violin….

Triss walks up on the stage, thanking Ciri through a small and rather crackly microphone. Next up is Jaskier.

Dandelion's heart is in his throat. Jaskier didn’t want to tell him what song he chose, only that it would be something very special.

When his husband comes out on stage, Dandelion feels like he wants to fall to one knee all over again, butterflies dancing and swirling in his stomach.

The gown he wears is a deep blue, sparkling in the small spotlight, making him the focus of everyone's attention. Dandelion recognizes it immediately from Halloween a few years back, when there was a Eurovision theme.

Jaskier’s eyes roam the small audience desperately, and when his eyes fall on Dandelion, the tightness in his shoulders eases just a fraction.

He is still a little pale, and Dandelion can make out the small tremble in his hands when he reaches for the microphone in Triss’ hand, but oh, how very proud Dandelion is of him.

Jaskier’s eyes never let go of him, and when he walks the two small steps to the middle of the stage, Dandelion feels each foot fall through his own body.

“Thank you all for being here tonight.” Jaskier begins. “I would like to dedicate this song to the love of my life, and no, I’m not talking about this dress.”

Jaskier’s smile is blinding, and Dandelion hears the crowd chuckle.

“Dandelion, my beloved husband, thank you for always being there for me, thank you for drinking my terrible coffee, thank you for always, always believing in me. For always keeping the music alive within me, with or without words.”

Jaskier points to Triss on the edge of the stage, and she starts what is unmistakably ABBA.

“Thank you for the music, my love.”

The performance is a bit shaky. It is bound to be, Jaskier is fighting for every breath, every note, but it is every bit as beautiful and rich and clear as it ever was. As it has been in the shower, in the kitchen, in Dandelion's arms as they slow-dance around their living room at one in the morning.

The dress sparkles as Jaskier takes a few tentative steps, eyes again roaming the crowd, only to return to Dandelion to anchor him once more.

Dandelion could cry.

He registers Pavetta holding her phone up again. He will have to ask for the pictures (hopefully it's video) after. Right now, Dandelion's hand is pressed over his mouth, trying his utmost to hold back.

“I've been so lucky, I have a love with golden hair I wanna sing it out to everybody What a joy, what a life, what a chance.”

Jaskier sings, winking at Dandelion. Jaskier always loved Dandelion's blonde hair, playing with his curls, dragging his fingers through the silky strands.

The last notes ring out, and the audience clap politely again.

They don’t know how big this is.

Now Dandelion has to stay in his chair until Tissaia has finished her magic tricks, until the last little girls have scampered off stage, and Triss declaring Geralt and his accordion the winner for tonight.

Vesemir hoots loudly in the back, stomping his feet, and then Dandelion is out of his chair. The entire day has been shit, but to hold Jaskier in his arms, high on nervous energy and victorious joy, everything is forgotten.

The dress is a little scratchy under his hands, as is Jaskier's stubble against his cheek, but he holds him tight, as close to his heart he can muster.

“I am so proud of you,” he whispers, and he can hear Jaskier let out a happy little sniffle. “Let’s get home and get drunk off our asses.”

“We just need to find our chairs again, I’m not sitting on the floor in this dress,” Jaskier replies.

“How about no dress, the couch, and that strange cherry vodka you brought home the other day,” Dandelion bargains, kissing Jaskier's temple and grabbing his hand to walk back towards their house.

Jaskier thinks it over for a moment.

“Done. But only if we can blast ABBA so loud, the neighbours at the end of the street will hum Waterloo in their sleep!”

If Dandelion hadn’t already married this man, by gods, he would again.

[claybefree]

Seeing as it's the twentieth anniversary, I guess I should post this again

September Third, Two Thousand and Nine

For years whenever anyone asked me when my son Henry was born I’d start to say September instead of August 25, 2001. Sunday he had his eighth birthday party at his mother’s house, and I stayed here. Most of his mother’s friends don’t care for me much. The feeling is mutual. Tonight coming home from work I started stitching what I’m about to write together in my mind and suddenly got very afraid. I thought for a moment that I was about to go get drunk, which might very likely be death for somebody like me. I was sure I was going to change direction of the truck, that I’d drive the same route I always did back then, that I would stand by the register and stare at the bottle in my hand without really knowing I where I was. I think it has to do with the weather finally changing and perhaps that Henry’s mom and I are no longer together. I sat on the porch of my little house and called a friend and told him all this. He listened and after a while I felt better, which is exactly how these things should go. When we decided we were done he told me I should go in and write all this down.

I worked on through that whole day. Most everybody else on the job had stopped and listened to each of the radios on the different floors or cried. The asshole Turks I was framing a bathroom for wouldn’t let me quit. They had tile to run. I found it made me feel better to keep going anyway. The laborers cussed me when I asked them to move so that I could use the table saw, a natural gathering spot on any job. They seemed to think I was calloused or hard-hearted and it was because I was from Tennessee. It just now occurred to me that maybe they were right.

That afternoon, when it was determined safe to walk across the bridges, most of the job, the other carpenters and trades-people, wandered home to Brooklyn or Queens. Me and the two left to close everything up had it different as we lived in Jersey. Anthony, the boss, was big and red-haired, red faced and lived in Hoboken. Duane was in charge of demolition and waste, was a little shorter and darker, and lived in Secaucus or maybe somewhere west of that I think. They squared off on each other frequently. It always reminded me of two walruses going at it on a beach.

Whenever we went out to the bar afterwards Anthony would have a Bud tall boy in each hand at all times, the waitress would come up with four for him whenever we sat down. On the job we liked to yell at each other, I once told him I was doing him a favor by giving him such an easy target, and he never missed an occasion to oblige me. Duane was a single dad, dark haired with deep sunken yet kind eyes that always seemed to have bags under them. One of the black laborers told him once he was the most Uncle Fester looking motherfucker he had ever seen. I tended to agree.

We locked the job up at four I think, humped it across the park through the smoke to the A-train. There was smoke forming a mist around the trees of central park that day. There were no flower children loitering at Yoko’s “Imagine” monument to barge through. Our thinking was to get downtown to the Path train. We had no idea that two of the stations had been destroyed. It didn’t matter, we were underground fifteen minutes before Anthony vetoed the idea. People were running wild through the stations, on the trains, everything was panic and Oh Fuck and Anthony had no intention of being underground. He had a funny look on his face that I couldn’t figure out. It wouldn't occur to me until later that the big man was very afraid.

In the years since I have always wondered why people have reacted so strongly from that day. Later we would go to war because of a something that happened one day in New York City and this has always seemed really strange to me. I guess what I mean is that I was there and never wanted to kill anybody because of it. Most of the time I just thought it was very strange and sad and mostly just very interesting. I only remember ever crying about it twice. The first time was a few months afterward, I had quit Anthony to stay home with Henry. Part of our routine was to watch Sesame Street. One day in the winter there was a skit where Elmo got very scared because of some smoke and noise that was never identified. I suppose in this case it was a nameless fear. A New York City fireman came on screen and hugged him, told him it was okay to be scared, Elmo, and that everything would be alright. I remember little red furry Elmo hugged the fireman tight. I held Henry in my lap and cried into his fine blonde hair.

It was the fireman that did it. I still get upset when I think about the firemen. I have had a lot of trouble with cops in different times in my life, but I never had a problem with any fireman I ever encountered, drunk or otherwise. They seem to me to be a different animal entirely.

Anthony, Duane and me ran into two firemen on the deck of the cruise boat that carried us across to Weehawken. They came in and collapsed on the painted metal floor, shedding boots and letting their helmets roll away. Some people applauded weakly, others asked questions, they just stared at us and said nothing. It didn’t occur to me until much later they were probably the only ones from their station who lived. Other men that for years they worked with, ate and fought with, got drunk with were dead. There was a bar I frequented in Jersey City a few blocks from our house where a couple of weeks later I saw three firemen in dress uniforms. One was between his partner on a stool and the third who was older and may have been a captain. The captain was clearly upset, swaggering and poking the other two in the chest. Everybody else was trying hard not to pay attention to what seemed about to develop into a fight. I think later I saw the old man leaning against the bar and weeping openly, he must have been sixty at least.

I got drunk in this bar Sept. 10th while my wife and kid slept back home. She’d start nursing and pass out with him and I’d head out to roam. The thing I liked about this place was the Sinatra on the jukebox, so that night I loaded it up and sat at the bar listening. I think it was the first time I’d ever heard “Summer Wind.” The tattooed brunette tending bar must have thought it was cute because she serenaded me, singing along with a couple of the songs. There was another man with a mustache further down the line who was putting the blast on her and didn’t seem to like me much so I got the fuck out early. By “early” I mean I didn’t close the place.

I won’t tell you what we saw on the boat ride across the Hudson, you’ve seen it already. We unloaded at Weehawken and everyone, thousands of high end refugees really, started walking south towards Hoboken where we had been told there were buses waiting to take us home. I noticed that even wearing boots, the three of us walked faster than the others. We were construction workers living and working around Manhattan and we were very good at walking. I remember being comforted by walking with them. Hundreds of buses lined the streets of Hoboken and the three of us walked the length of that town. Anthony broke off about halfway to head home. A couple of weeks later I showed up having laid out drunk for two days and told him I had come for my tools. He looked at me and didn’t say a word. He mailed me my check. I haven’t seen the man since.

Duane and me trudged the rest of Hoboken together. I heard that not soon after I left he was let go to cut costs and that not long after that he got into a bad time with a prostitute on rt. 1 & 9. The smoke in Hoboken was thicker than in the city and the fumes from streets filled with idling buses finally got my hangover to officially kick in. I told Duane about how I’d had “Summer Wind” playing as background music in my head all day. He laughed and began singing the song, each line perfectly. We got through the crowd easily, after hours of walking together we had finally hit a stride together. We were marching, really. There was the giant blue sky of the day broken intermittently by smoke and there was the roar of diesel noise and Hoboken and Duane singing Summer Wind to me; some punk kid from Tennessee who had no business being there.

The only other incident I remember having to cry because of some assholes who decided to fly planes into tall buildings was coming across the Manhattan bridge one night after carrying my sister-in-law home to Park Slope. She would come over most nights to hang out with the baby, and around eleven or so and in various states of sobriety I’d be asked to drive her back home. I never hated the terrorists for invoking a War of Terror, I hated them for causing enough terror that it fucked the roads up. Shit got closed for what seemed no fucking reason whatsoever. One day coming back from the pediatrician’s office, Henry got stuck howling in his car seat for four hours because the Holland Tunnel was handling too much traffic and we were too afraid to take him out of it because of the cops everywhere. My sister-in-law and I spent a lot of time in the Saturn together on the nights I drove her home. I can’t remember what we talked about, probably everything. I haven't spoken to my sister-in-law since I moved out last summer.

This particular night the Brooklyn Bridge was only operating east-bound into Brooklyn so after I dropped her off I was diverted back across the Manhattan Bridge in order to get back into the city and eventually home. The Manhattan Bridge back then was still under renovation and I guess has always been the ugly, cross-eyed cousin of the Brooklyn Bridge. I got stuck on it, moving slower than shit, and staring at trash and old faded plywood encasing the little bit of wrought iron and Neo-Classical elements that were left up by the arch. Off to the left t seemed as though the entirety of Downtown was illuminated from the work lights that were set up down by Ground Zero. Downtown glowed with lights that were set up to look for people that weren’t there anymore. The DJ on WFMU that night was playing a super slowed down cover of the B-52’s Song for a Future Generation. If you’ve heard it, you’ve probably laughed, it’s a ridiculously chirpy pop song. I’ve always loved it. The lyrics go a little like this:

Wanna be the ruler of the galaxy

Wanna be the king of the universe

Let`s meet and have a baby now

In between each stanza, the different members give spoken-word tidbits of information about themselves. For example Ricky, the original guitarist, was a Pisces and “loved computers and hot tamales.“ Ricky also died from AIDS back in 1985 when people still had no idea what the disease was.

The version I heard that night had slowed the tempo to that of a blues song. The dip-shit ironic hipster that sang it reflected this. Stuck on the bridge it felt as though I was listening to a lament. What reduced me to tears, smoking Winstons in my little Saturn station wagon, was the feeling that whatever was left of innocence had recently been or was about to be brutally murdered by pig-face, ignorant men. Wanna be the first lady of infinity. Wanna be the nicest guy on earth. Let's meet and have a baby now.

[mm2305]

Fever

Pairings : Dr. Ethan Ramsey & f! MC Dr. Olivia Valentine

Rating : Teen

Disclaimer : All characters belong to pixelberry and all rights for the song belong to the rightful owners.

Description : Towards the end of the gala in book 2, chapter 17, a karaoke game is hosted.

Authors note : Hello everyone! This fic was inspired by 1) my love for OH and romance, 2)conversations with people from the fandom and 3) my love for this song. I recommend listening to the song featured on this story, which is "fever" by Peggy Lee, just to have an idea of why I think this song is so fitting for our dear couple. English isn't my first language and this is my first attempt at an Ethan x MC fic, so please be kind with me. Now it's story time! Enjoy!

___________________

The evening was progressing rather nicely, people having a good time,talking and mingling with the crowd, trying to do the best they could to save Edenbrook. Deep down, the hospital staff knew that this last effort, the gala, would just delay the inevitable closing of the hospital. However, there was no way they'd go down without a fight. At the very least, the hospital for as long as it would remain open, would be able to cater to those in need of medical care. Of course, apart from helping people and working there, Edenbrook had become a home to all of the doctors and nurses. Friendships, rivalries, love and pain were parts of the lives of all those people who worked in the hospital.

Things for a certain attending and resident were finally starting to become clearer. It seems that a future of them finally being together was nothing but inevitable.

Olivia couldn’t be more surprised by Ethan kissing her in front of all these people, when just a few months ago he didn’t want to pursue a relationship with her. The attraction and care they felt towards each other,were things they had both realized they felt a long time ago, but they hadn't acted on their feelings. After her albeit brief, but agonizing, brush with death though, the both of them, realized that they shouldn’t waste any more precious time just pining for one another. Dreaming, gazing, yearning for each other's touch and smile. This time, the both of them would take the leap and try. They cared for one another deeply and despite the fact that they hadn’t said the three magical words yet, it was pretty obvious that they did feel the same love and adoration for one another.

So here they are, now as a couple, after hours of talking and persuading people to contribute to their cause. The night would be soon drawing to an end but Naveen had a surprise in store for everyone.

‘’ Ladies and gentlemen thank you all for coming here tonight. We are all grateful for your help and support through these tough times. Before this wonderful night ends we have a surprise for you all. Grab your microphones and let your inner singer soar because we are hosting a karaoke game!’’, he announced with a huge smile.

The crowd cheered and applauded, thrilled for the chance to take part in this last event. This would undoubtedly be very fun and exciting for everyone.

‘’ Wooo! Get ready! ‘Cause ya’ll are about to hear my amazing voice! ‘’

‘’ I think we’ll pass scalpel jockey ‘’, Jackie smirked.

‘’ Jackie you’re no fun you know that right? How about you Oliv? Gonna sing something?‘’

‘’ Mmm… Yeah ‘'

’' At least you have a nice voice unlike some people here ‘’

'' You jealous of me Jackiee? You know that-''

‘’ Wait, you do? How come I didn’t know this Olivia? ‘’, Ethan interrupted, partly surprised. There was a spark in her eyes. "She definitely is up to something." he thought watching her carefully, trying to guess what she could be up to.

‘’Well Ethan it’s not like I sing all the time. Just when I’m in the mood. Okay wish me luck everyone! ‘’, Olivia walked away from the group and went up to grab the microphone.

‘’ Hello everybody! I’m Kyra Santana, a former patient of Edenbrook and now a member of the accounting department. However, at the moment I’m your host for this last part of our gala. Our first contestant is our very own, brilliant and gorgeous, Dr Olivia Valentine who is going to sing a song as beautiful and sensual as herself. Let’s all welcome Olivia singing ‘’Fever’’ by Peggy Lee!! ‘’

After a soft encouragement from Kyra she took the mic.

‘’This song is for someone special to me, who has made me feel things I never thought I would. For you. ‘’ Olivia said looking straight into Ethan’s loving eyes.

Never know how much I love you

Never know how much I care

As soon as she started singing, Ethan was left speechless. "She loves me? She loves me? Oh gosh. Oh gosh. Do I feel the same way? What do I say to her?". Ethan didn't need to think long about that. He knew he loved her. He had for a long time. When he thought he would lose her forever, it was like his world crumbled around him. She was his world. And he wouldn't waste any more time. With a nod to himself, he decided to tell her about his feelings too. If she could be so brave as to pour her feelings into a song and to admit her love for him in front of all these people, then he could find the courage to let his walls down. He was already hers in every single way.

When you put your arms around me

I get a fever that’s so hard to bear

Olivia moved her hips sensually to the rhythm of the music, never breaking contact with Ethan's eyes. She could see the initial surprise when she started singing, telling to him and the world that she loved him. However that surprise turned quickly into what she could only describe as love. He had a drink in his hand but he hadn't taken a sip since she got to the "stage". His eyes were taking in her every move mesmerized and she could see the slight blush on his cheeks. With a wink she broke contact to look at her friends. They were all wearing huge smiles on their faces and quietly supporting her, as always.

You give me fever, when you kiss me

Fever when you hold me tight

When she got to that part of the song she returned her gaze to Ethan who was now smiling warmly at her. With an answering smile if her own, she mischievously turned her back on him swaying her hips and got to move around the stage.

Fever in the mornin’,

a fever all through the night

Truer words had never been spoken. Olivia was on his mind, day and night, occupying his thoughts. He kept thinking of her joyous laugh, her bright green eyes and her soft touch every time of the day. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

Olivia finished her performance and was applauded by the guests there. As she began to step down from the ‘’ stage’’, she felt strong arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her close.

‘’You were absolutely amazing out there love.’’

Before she had a chance to reply, he grasped her waist tightly and kissed her passionately drawing ‘’woos’’ and ‘’ finally’s ‘’ from the crowd cheering them on.

‘’Thank you!’’ she whispered, still a little dazed from their kiss, eyes bright with love and excitement.

‘’For the record, you give me fever every time I see you too, Olivia . I … Every single time. You’re so smart, beautiful and a colossal PITA but… you’re my Rookie. I'm so honored to call you mine. I wouldn’t change that for the world, you know that right? I… I love you too Oliv, so much and I just want you it to be happy and…’’

He was interrupted by his girlfriend’s (he couldn’t believe it, yet it's true) sweet loving kiss.

‘’I know Ethan. It was pretty obvious to me, without you having said the words. But I'll never tire of hearing it. I am so so happy now. And all because of you."

Ethan took her hand and kissed the back of it. "Let’s go home shall we? I have to show you just how much fever you give me, after all.‘’

" I thought you'd never ask "

Ethan led her towards the exit, holding her small soft hand in his big one, while waving goodbye to their friends, having a huge grin in his face.

The night was young and they planned to take advantage of it.

____________________

This is it folks! Thank you for reading!

A special thanks to @caseyvalentineramsey and @actuallybored for encouraging me to try and write this. Also a big thank you to @romewritingshop for being the most amazing beta. 🙏❤️❤️

Taglist :

@romewritingshop @codykosuckmytoe @sophxwithers @actuallybored @potionsprefect @caseyvalentineramsey @ethansramsey @rookie-ramsey @lahamseiroshoe @gryffindordaughterofathena @kiara-36 @mrsethanfreakingramsey @brooks-eden @panda9584 @genevievemd @arnikki-2406 @jamespotterthefirst

Please let me know if you want to be added or removed :)

[jatphantomsimagines]

Before Us (3) | Luke Patterson

Synopsis: In 1995, Sunset Curve was set to play The Orpheum. 25 years later they wake up in a whole new world and Luke finds somebody he once used to know.

Authors Note: So, if you hadn’t already guessed it there’s a big surprise at the end of this chapter but nothing is set in stone, remember that

PREVIOUS | NEXT

__/—–\__

The first thing Riley noticed upon waking up was the millions of text messages and audio recordings Julie had sent her throughout the night. Around 10:30 they started, coming one after the other, and finally they started dipping off around 1 in the morning. 

Riley read over the last text sent at around quarter to 3 and she knew the other girl would probably have gotten no sleep the night before. She couldn’t help but feel happy and excited, having listened to the song Julie was working on all night long. 

She fired off a text message to Julie letting her know she would see her at school in the music room first thing. Immediately, Riley jumped out of bed and started rushing around her room to get ready for school. 

She threw on a pair of black ripped jeans, paired with an old band tee and her moms green bomber jacket. Throwing her hair up in a messy bun, she grabbed her school bag and ran down the stairs to head out the door, stopping at the familiar sound of sizzling coming from the kitchen. 

“Dad?” Riley questioned, taking a few steps from the entrance hall and peeking her head into the room. A tuft of black hair stood up straight from her dad’s head, sleep still evident in the way his clothes rumpled on his frame. 

“Honey.” He turned around, a smile on his face and spatula in hand. “I’m making breakfast before I go to work, want anything?” 

Riley stared a little while longer, looking at what she assumed was to be a pancake now burning in the pan her father had left unsupervised. 

“Don’t let the batter burn, and I’m okay thanks. I’m off to school!” She called out quickly making smooching sounds that her father quickly returned before the door shut closed behind her. 

The walk to school was quick enough, the girl almost sprinting in excitement because of what Julie had texted her. Riley was pumped, knowing that Julie was going to march into the classroom and perform no matter what. She was going to take charge and make things happen. 

Within moments she was running up to the school, heading in the direction of the music room where she spotted Julie and Flynn. 

“Hey so are we doing this thing or not?” 

“Or not? Everyone’s at the spirit assembly.” Julie piped up. 

“Absolutely not, I don’t think so.” Riley started. The refusal evident in her tone that she would not be accepting this for what it was. “It looks to me like we’re crashing the party.”

Riley grinned widely before grabbing both of Julie’s and Flynn’s hands. Laughter echoed through the halls as the girls were dragged behind Riley. They burst into the gymnasium only to find Carrie in the middle of the room, lights, music, outfits. 

“Look who decided to spend all of daddy’s money paying for costumes and Katy Perry’s choreographer.” Flynn piped up as they entered. Riley couldn’t help but snicker, seeing the stark pink on Carrie’s head and thinking she looked like a giant dancing panic button. 

The girl continued to perform in front of them and Riley felt her stomach turn slightly. She had never liked Carrie, especially not when they used to hang out together. It was Carrie who had decided that she was better than the rest of them, leaving them behind and adapting the snarky personality Riley had grown to hate. 

She couldn’t bother watching anymore, groaning loudly. The sound rang clearly through the room as the music finished, eyes turning to her quickly. Riley covered her mouth, letting the principal and Mrs. Harrison take over the student's attention. 

They began to talk, dismissing the crowd and quickly Riley ushered Julie on stage. She moved quickly, sneaking over and creeping away from her. Flynn had already dipped, wanting to get a good spot, while Riley stayed off to the side. 

It was time. Julie was now stood on stage, making her way over to the piano and slowly taking a seat. Julie’s fingers lightly pressed against the keys, chords being played and music flying through the room. Julie’s vocals softly accompanied the music and Riley cheered lightly. 

A smile overtook her face as she listened to her best friend. She could see the way Julie’s own smile brightened and she started to enjoy herself more on stage. It was when the chorus started that the boys appeared. In a flash of light, they came from nowhere, and now there were three boys on stage, all looking to be around their age. 

Riley’s eyes scanned over them, landing on the boy with brown hair, tucked under a bright orange beanie. Something about him seemed so familiar and Riley found her eyes locked on him. 

Julie finished singing and Riley watched as the boy moved towards his own microphone, a smile lighting up his own face. As he began singing, Riley felt a pull in her chest, her heart thumping rapidly. 

“I feel something around me now, so unclear, lifting me out.” The words sounded so different from him, his voice washing over her. There was something so comforting and familiar about his voice, Riley swearing she must have heard it before. The song continued and Riley could tell from the dip in the instruments that they were reaching the bridge. 

Riley’s eyes moved from where they had drifted to Julie and suddenly they were locked with a pair of bright brown eyes. A smirk graced his lips as he continued to sing to her, causing everything else around Riley to slowly fade away. 

Julie’s voice broke them out of their daze, Riley shaking her head slightly. She cheered loudly as the song finished, hoping that Julie would be able to hear her over everyone else. The music faded out and another flash of light appeared, the boys disappearing as suddenly as they had come. 

The entire gym erupted into whispers, everybody wondering what on earth had just happened as Julie stood in front of them all. 

“Hey, where’d the rest of the band go?” The student working on lights began to walk on stage towards Julie, asking the question everyone was thinking. 

“Wait, were those holograms?” One of the girls questioned. Julie turned once again towards the crowd, her eyes going wide as she began to speak. 

“Yes! Yes, they were holograms. I plugged it into the ceiling projector before the show. I’d explain it, but it involves algorithms and science stuff.”

Around her, the crowd erupted into cheers, everybody applauding for Julie as she stayed on stage. As much as Riley wanted to believe her best friend, she couldn’t. There was no possible way that the boys hadn’t been real. The way her eyes had remained locked with the one wearing the beanie was not something that could be faked like that. 

The principal began to usher everyone out and Riley stayed where she was, waiting for Julie to finish talking with them. As she got lost in her thoughts, Flynn came over and bumped shoulders. 

“Can you believe that?” She asked. 

“Julie was amazing, like usual. But she’s lying.” 

“I know. We need to figure out what’s going on.” Flynn took Riley’s hand in her own walking over to meet Julie who was coming towards them. 

“Wow. You did it.” Flynn stated. 

“Thanks to you guys.” Julie conceded. Riley scoffed lightly, causing worry to flash behind Julie’s eyes. “Hey, you okay?”

“When did you start playing with a hologram band, Molina?” Riley asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Flynn looked impatiently towards Julie and the girl knew she wasn’t going to be able to tell her friends the truth. There was no way they would believe her. 

“Oh, it was just one song. We’re not a band. They’re a band, a hologram band.” 

“So why have you been keeping those cute boys a secret?” Flynn asked, finally asking the question that was really bugging her. 

“There’s a reason for that. It’s just… really crazy.” 

“Well we’re all about crazy here so tell us.” Riley said, not letting up with her gaze. Julie was beginning to show signs of being uncomfortable and Riley sighed. She began doubting the way her and Flynn were acting towards Julie, wondering if they were pushing her a little too much too soon. 

It wasn’t fair to say that what Julie had done to them was any better. She had lied to both of them, not letting them know about what she had been planning all along, and that she had even known a band. 

“Anyways, who’s excited that I’m back in the music program?” Julie questioned, Riley having missed the entire explanation while she was trapped in her own head. She could tell by the look on Flynn’s face that whatever Julie had said wasn’t believable. 

“Jules, are you lying to us?” Flynn asked. Julie sighed, the smile finally leaving her lips. 

“Yes.” She admitted. 

“Since when do we lie to each other?” She cried out in exasperation. 

“Flynn, Riley, I’m sorry.” Riley could tell that Julie was genuinely sorry, not wanting to have to tell them lies. Whatever was the real reason for Julie hiding the boys was obviously something that was bugging her as well. 

“I’m sorry? That’s all you’ve got?” Flynn waited for a moment and when neither of the girls spoke up she finally stormed out, heading towards the gymnasium doors.

Riley and Julie both called out her name, following behind after her. Riley had managed to get out a half a second faster than the other and was able to make it past the crowd walking by while Julie got trapped. 

“I’ve got it!” She called down the hall, giving Julie a thumbs up and heading to where she had last seen Flynn. Students weaved through the halls blocking her path, and she pushed by them with some trouble. It seemed no matter how close Riley got to Flynn the girl was always gone again. 

She sighed, after losing Flynn for the third time and deciding that she would just have to text her and make sure she was okay later that night. She probably needed to blow off some steam alone anyways. While Julie and Riley clung to each other for comfort, Flynn usually dealt with her things alone first. 

It was only when she was done working through it herself that she would let the other girls get close to her and help her out. Although Riley didn’t like the idea of Flynn being angry alone, she knew the girl preferred her space and so she respected that. 

She headed back in the direction of the gymnasium, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets as she always did. The hallways had died down considerably and Riley found herself easily searching out the sound of Julie’s voice. 

It was the other three voices that made Riley halt in her footsteps. She recognized the voice of the boy who had sung on stage. Something about the pure joy and happiness in his voice made Riley feel a way she hadn’t before. Her heart thumped in her chest, picking up her feet and continuing to walk towards the group. 

“Julie!” She called as she rounded the corner, successfully gaining the group's attention. “You guys were great up there.” 

She knew Julie had been lying, there had been no way those boys had been holograms. She wasn’t sure how they had managed to get up on the stage with Julie but she was sure she would figure it out. Riley could see the boys clearly, looking over the one with jet black hair and smiling at him, slowly turning to the blonde and giving him a small wave. 

The one wearing the beanie looked at her, something clicking in his head and before he could stop himself he let the name slip from his lips. 

“Johanna?” 

Riley paused, not expecting to hear the name of her mother come from this complete stranger. She was sure it was just a coincidence. Of course he thought she was someone else. He probably just had a friend who looked like her. And happened to share the name of her deceased parent. 

Odd. But a coincidence. 

“I’m sorry, I think you may have me confused with someone else. My name is Riley.” She outstretched her hand to him, which was when Julie spoke up. 

“Wait, you can see him?”

-

Before Us Tags:

@vicesvsvirtuesfanfic​ @dpaccione​ @ashleyleblancx

[un-petit-sanctuaire]

Call Your Name

Fandom: Attack on Titan | Shingeki No Kyojin

Pairing: Levi x Petra (rivetra)

Genre: Angst

Rating: General

Word Count: 1400+

Summary: Levi took some time of his day to visit Petra’s family... and Petra.

Disclaimer: The characters and the world of AoT belong to Hajime Isayama. I only borrowed them and added some elements according to my imagination.

Author's Note: This fic was inspired by Hiroyuki Sawano's song, Call Your Name, one of the OST of Attack on Titan. I hope you guys enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoy pouring my emotions to it. ;_; Please excuse any grammar mistake (or point it out, if you don't mind!) as English is not my first language. Sorry if it's rusty, I hadn't written in a while. I'd really appreciate your feedbacks so that I could write better in the future! Last but not least, happy reading. <3

(p.s.: if you could, try reading this fic while listening to Call Your Name for extra feels)

______________________________

She lost her brother months ago

His picture on the wall

And it reminds me

When she brings me coffee, her smile

I wish I could be with her 'til my last day

He found himself walking into the living room of a small, quaint house. The fireplace was burning low, casting warmth around the room. Across him stood a slightly wrinkly man with shaggy brown hair, looking weary and somewhat nervous. However, the man flashed a kind smile before he spoke softly,

“We’re honored to welcome you back in our home, Captain Levi. Please, have a seat.”

A woman walked in, carrying a tray of teacups and cookies, and placed them on the table. Her ginger hair was falling behind her back, reminding him of the girl he had once hand-picked as one of his Special Operations Squad members. It happened years ago, yet it felt like yesterday. Like he had just applauded her for her skills yesterday, just fought in battles together with her and his other comrades yesterday, just saw her bringing his favorite coffee into his office yesterday,

just told her parents of her passing yesterday...

“Thank you, Mr and Mrs Ral,” Levi Ackerman finally spoke after what felt like a long silence in his head. “But I couldn’t stay long. I’m only here to give you this.”

He put down a big box he brought with him on the floor. Mr and Mrs Ral glanced at each other apprehensively before making their way towards the box and opening it. He could see that they were shaking, but they didn’t utter any word as they found the things inside: books, clothes, some other personal stuff belonging to her. There was a vase of dried iris, her favorite flower. He knew because he often caught her tending to the bushes on the headquaters' yard on their peaceful days.

Her voice was ringing in his ears and the words she spoke back then were repeating themselves clearly,

“Once everything is over, these iris bushes will grow beautifully, Captain! You’ll see! I’ll always come back to take care of them!”

That was how she had always been. She always cared for others. For her closest friends, for her comrades, for her subordinates... for her captain.

But he couldn’t take care of her in her last moments.

He couldn’t save her.

She said she gave all her love to me

We dreamt a new life

Some place to be at peace

But things changed, suddenly

I lost my dreams in this disaster

“Those are what left of her things that we could retrieve,” he said hoarsely. “... I’m really sorry.”

He could barely hear his own voice. It was as if something was choking him as he saw her parents lay their hands on the stuff inside the box, tears brimming in their eyes.

“Oh, no, no,” Mrs Ral walked towards him and took his hand in her palms. Despite her gentle tone, he could see the pain in her watery eyes. “Please, don’t be sorry... We’re grateful for this. Our Petra... she would love to have these things back in her bedroom. Thank you for bringing some parts of her home, Captain Levi.”

Some parts, he thought. Only some parts got home. She didn’t get home.

Perhaps this was a mistake. Perhaps he shouldn’t have come here and brought Petra’s old stuff with him. He only reminded her parents of the pain and agony that they felt for losing their daughter all over again. And above all those, he reminded himself of his own pain. Of the incredible person Petra Ral was once. Of the shoulder-length, ginger-haired girl who now was so out of reach.

He felt the pair of Mr Ral’s arms embracing him into a hug. “Thank you so much, Captain,” the man whispered in his ears, fighting the tears, “for—looking after her all this time. She—”

Mr Ral began sobbing and had to pull away. Mrs Ral slowly patted her husband’s back, trying to calm him down. But Levi just stood there, frozen, his feet glued to the floor. He wanted to say something, to tell them the amazing things Petra did while she was doing her duty—but no words escaped his lips. Oh, what had he done to this family? After years without her presence, her parents must’ve missed her so much.

And so did he.

People called him humanity’s strongest soldier. But what good would it be if he couldn’t even use his strength to protect his friends, to protect her?

I'm crying

Missing my lover

I don't have the power

On my side forever

He decided to leave the Ral’s house sooner than he thought. Mr and Mrs Ral were trying to convince him to stay for dinner, but he couldn’t bear looking at their crestfallen expression every time they talked about her. He had to excuse himself and told them he needed to return to his office.

But before then, he had to make a stop somewhere.

Despite hundreds of graves, the cemetery that evening was quiet and almost empty. There were some people in a distance, mourning over a tombstone he couldn’t recognize. He ignored them as he walked in alone. On his hands was now a bouquet of iris that he had bought on the market as he passed through on his way here. Yes, iris, her favorite flowers. He almost wished he kept the flowers to himself so he would have something to remind him of her. He even nearly, shamelessly, asked Mr and Mrs Ral if he could take one of her things as a memento. He didn't, though. Perhaps he hoped that they would just read his mind and willingly give something of hers to him.

He stopped and kneeled down at one particular tombstone with ‘Petra Ral’ engraved on it. He stared at the name for a few seconds before laying down the bouquet of iris next to the other bouquets he had left on his previous visits. He knew there wasn’t any body buried underneath, yet he felt that this was one of the places he could be closest to her.

His hand unconsciously touched the engraved name as he leaned closer. As if something was stuck in his throat, he suddenly felt out of breath. He could feel his cheeks were starting to get wet. Was he crying? Was he, after everything he had been through, actually not the strongest soldier, not as strong as everyone called him?

His fingers brushed her name on the tombstone. Lord, he would kill to be in her arms right now. To have her by his side.

Petra, are you there?

Oh, where is my lover?

And I got no power

I'm standing alone, no way

Calling out your name

If life was normal—if life could happen according to his will, perhaps he was sitting in the headquarters now, laughing with his comrades. Laughing with her. No, they probably wouldn’t be soldiers. There would be no Survey Corps. No battles. No war. No titans. And then he might just be a normal man living a normal life. There would be every possibility to see his friends grow old together with him. To see himself surrounded by his closest ones. Perhaps he would even get married and start his own little family... Who knows?

Yet there he was, alone, silently crying over an empty grave.

“Petra...”

Could he save her if he acted fast enough? If there was another universe, could he be with her? Would he be given a second chance to hold her, to spend every minute he has with her? To keep her safe from the harm in this world? To be in peace together? Could they become—something else?

“Petra... Please....”

He didn’t know what he was pleading for. Perhaps he wanted her to come back, to tell him everything would be okay. But he knew it was just wishful thinking. Everything that he thought of was too good to be true. Life was a mess, and Petra was already gone. There was no use to cry like this. It wouldn’t bring her back. It wouldn’t bring everyone back. Even if there was another life, it wouldn’t guarantee that they would be safe. That she would be safe.

Everyone he loved got taken away from him.

Perhaps that’s just how it is.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn’t know how long he had been crying before he pulled his hands from the cold tombstone. Eventually, he stood up, straightening his shirt and tightened his coat.

After giving the tombstone a last glance, Levi Ackerman then began walking away, out of the cemetery and into the cold night.

I’ll see you soon, Petra.

We don't know what is wrong tonight

Everybody's got no place to hide

No one's left and there's no one to go on

All I know is my life is gone

________________________________

[artificialqueens]

Gimme Love, 1/9 (Miz Cracker/Blair St Clair) - Grinder

AN: Welp! I started this back in March. It was supposed to be a oneshot and then I realised it was 200 odd pages. Whoops! Another songfic based on music by Joji. This one is Gimme Love, which some of you would probably know, it was circling TikTok for a while. Anyway, more song fics to come!! I hope y'all enjoy! Stay safe in these crazy times!

TW: Mental health, panic attacks

1993

"OK, so you got your apple juice, your finger sandwiches, and grapes. And most importantly, you got your best outfit on. Ready?"

No. I wasn't ready. They were going to eat me up. I knew just by how the 3 bitches off to the side stared and laughed. One of them was swinging from the bus stop pole. It sounded evil, but I hoped she would have fallen over.

"No." I clung to my Mother.

"Brianna." She uttered. She was tired, already having dealt with this before leaving the house. And it didn't help that Grandpa only laughed instead of helping out.

"No!" I said louder, squeezing my tiny fists into her shoulders.

"Look. Everything will be fine. The day will fly in, trust me. And I'll be right here when you get off the bus later." Mom continued.

She gave me a kiss on the forehead and shook me off.

As she smoothed her skirt down, I stamped my foot in a huff. For me, this was the second most ultimate betrayal that had ever happened to me. My Mom was making me go to school. How dare she.

"I love you, girl. Be good and have a great day." Mom said before walking away. My gaze followed, feeling the faucet in my eyes turn on. I was prone to cry baby behaviour around this age.

Now that my Mom was gone, it was all game for the bitches.

"Awww, the little baby needs her Mommy." One of them cooed in her fake voice. "Didn't you know the pre-school bus picks up two hours later?"

"Yeah!" Another decided to join in, "And I bet that's not even your real Mommy."

"She is too!" I clenched my tiny fists at my side. This was half true. I was an adopted child, but to me, Roberta was the best Mother I could have ever asked for. And no one had the right to question that.

"No, she's not! Your real Mommy didn't want you 'cause you're ugly!"

"Yeah, look at your hair. It looks like a fur ball."

"And your clothes are obviously hand me downs."

I stamped my feet again. "That's it! I'm giving you the finger!" I flipped them off. I picked it up from Mom, from the many time's drivers pissed her off. When she'd warn me never to do that, I knew it had some sort of power to it.

But it did nothing. The girls just laughed even more. I had no defences; therefore, I was left helpless.

The bus pulled up, and I was last to get in. The girls warned almost everybody to watch out for the "girl with the weird hair".

I moved down the middle of the bus, my head moving from side to side, hoping to find a seat.

Everybody with a free seat either put their bags on the chairs or put their feet up. I wanted to snap, demanding that they let me sit. But the fear inside rendered me silent.

I was nearing the back, where the 3 girls sat. They smirked upon seeing my face, relishing in the fact I was on the verge of tears. All I wanted was to turn back, get off the bus and lock myself in my house.

But as if someone above heard my innermost thoughts, that's when I heard it.

"Do you need a seat?"

I looked towards the voice. And I froze. There she was, an absolute angel. She looked like a Disney Princess with her bright blonde hair and blue eyes.

I hesitated for a moment. But the bus began to move. So I sat down next to her.

"Hi," I said.

"Hey." Her eyes were observing me, looking me up and down. And I felt even more stunned. "You have funny hair."

"My Mommy says I have lovely hair," I replied in defence.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way. I just never seen hair like that." The girl replied.

My hair wasn't even bad. I just had a massive head of untamed brown curls. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Then again, I had never seen anyone with hair like hers. She looked like she had gone to a salon beforehand. "Your hair looks golden."

"Thank you." She smiled. "I'm Blair. My favourite colour is yellow, and I wanna be a singer when I grow up. How about you?"

"I'm Brianna. My favourite colour is pink. And...I wanna be a politician someday."

"What's a pola...polatichon?" Blair asked.

"A politician." I corrected her. "I don't know what they do. They just shout a lot. And that's what I want to do."

Blair had no idea what I was talking about, but she laughed anyway. And that made my heart skip a beat.

I felt something pelt the back of my head. I grabbed it, looking at the small rolled up bit of my paper in my hand. It was wet. I had just been spitballed for the first time.

Blair looked over her shoulder, and I did the same. It was the three bitches from the bus stop. They weren't even hiding their giggles.

"Not nice." Blair stuck her tongue out at them. Then, turning back around in her seat, she put her hand on mine. "Don't worry about them. I'm your friend, Brianna."

"Really?" My eyes brightened.

"Of course!"

As much as that statement had made my heart soar, how it made me feel like there was nothing to be afraid of…

It was the biggest lie I heard that day.

As soon as I got off the bus at the end of the day, I waved to Blair, unaware that she would be sitting with the 3 bitches the next day.

And then it went on for years, being that ugly girl with weird hair. And it didn't help that I needed glasses later in life.

But I wasn't completely alone. So let me tell you about Jujubee.

2020

"Hey, asshole! I'm pulling in there!"

Jujubee was hanging out the driver side window, flicking the indicator aggressively.

"Juju, can you just...not do that?" I asked, my eyes glued to my phone as I checked how many people had seen my Instagram story. It was a picture of the two of us, showing off our outfits that had been gifted from Alexander McQueen.

"And let that asshole steal my spot? Absolutely not." Jujubee protested. She flipped the guy off, only to receive the same gesture back at her. She wasn't prone to behaving like this. I usually found it absolutely hilarious how loud she could be.

Now, you're probably wondering - two well-dressed ladies in their Alexander McQueen outfits should be seated in the back of a limo, sipping champagne.

I wasn't a fan of limos. They only drew attention.

And with Jujubee hurling dog abuse at the other drivers, I was sure the attention would be on us.

But we made it to the event without any trouble.

Jujubee was hilarious, intentionally and unintentionally. I learned that all the way back on my second day of school. When it was clear to me that I wouldn't be friends with anyone else, I ventured off on my own, exploring the playground and looking for bugs. But, instead, I found her sitting alone in the sandbox.

"Leave me alone. I'm trying to dig to the centre of the Earth." She had said, blowing her shiny black hair out of her face.

I knew she would only reach the bottom of the pit, so I laughed, and I helped her dig. We had been inseparable since.

We grew up together, all the way through elementary, high school and college. And through those years, we had one thing in common - we were the weird ones. The kids who everyone bullied.

Ugh, I hated that word; bullied. It made me feel pathetic and helpless. Jujubee and I, however? We were far from pathetic and helpless. After all, how would we even be where we were if that was the case?

OK, maybe I was pathetic and helpless growing up. No, I was. I had just accepted all the name-calling, the shoving, the damage. Jujubee, on the other hand, would fight against it all.

But back to the current situation. We were now sitting at a table with the other project workers. Everyone was having a great time, and the event hadn't even really begun yet. They passed jokes around, talked about trials and tribulations, and I laughed along.

But I may as well have been alone as I was stuck in my own thoughts. How it was even possible, we were all gathered here for this moment.

I looked at Jujubee, sitting next to me, and felt an overwhelming need to hug the shit out of her. If it weren't for her being so encouraging, then maybe this wouldn't have happened.

"What's up?" She caught me staring.

I lowered my head for a moment, breathing a laugh out through my nostrils. I didn't want to get sappy with her, even though she deserved my gratitude. My best friend, my ride-or-die bitch. Lifting my head again, I smirked. "Nothing. I'm just glad you're on this team." I raised my glass to her before sipping the bubbling champagne.

"Proud of you bitch." Jujubee reaching over and squeezed my free hand.

I was proud of me too. Because, despite all of the shit I dealt with in school, here I was, the manager and director of this whole operation.

All of the hard work paid off - years of trials and tribulations, so many arguments and disagreements. We finally did it. We found a gateway to another world, a parallel universe, a portal in the middle of the space just waiting to be explored.

Of course, people doubted me. They said things like, "Well, it is a dream, all right." How could anyone blame them?

But here we were.

The speaker, Michelle, called me up onto the stage to receive a certificate, all encased in a glass frame. I exchanged air kisses with her and graciously took the award. Jujubee cheered me on as I stood up there, letting people take pictures.

And then came the obligatory speech.

I couldn't lie; I hated public speaking. It was always something I struggled with. But, I never backed down from one. I just liked to keep them short and sweet.

"Long story short, I had dreams, and I worked towards them. So, here I am, an example of the walking embodiment of success. And I thank each and every one of you, ladies and gentlemen. Have a great night."

Short and sweet. The crowd applauded.

Yes, I was told in the past that I'm arrogant, but I disagreed. I'd say confident. And there was nothing wrong with confidence. After all, there has been a stigma around that word. Doesn't it come from a sense of insecurity, the need to tear successful people down because you're afraid to strive towards your goals?

I deserved to feel this successful, for all those times I was laughed at and ridiculed. I look down on all those assholes and let them know that I made it.

I posed for pictures as I held my award, knowing they would be everywhere the next day; in the papers, magazines, the Internet.

This wasn't the first award I had received. I had a shelf full back home, along with all of my past badges. They reminded me that, once upon a time, I was just any other office worker with her yellow badge. And now here I was, the director of the project with my black badge working closely with the government.

I got off the stage and moved back to my chair. Jujubee rolled her eyes, but her smile remained.

"Where's the after-party?" I asked as the audience shifted their attention from me.

Sometimes I never understood how she put up with me. "Don't worry. I got us covered."

She wasn't lying. A few hours later, we were in the apartment of some other rich somebody. Music was bouncing off the walls, the speakers apparently on full blast.

The main lights were out, replaced with multicoloured LEDs dancing around the place. It was as if we were in our own private club.

Jujubee and I were in the crowd dancing, but because I was absolutely wasted, I lost her many times.

No need to panic, however. Jujubee wasn't a drinker. So she'd find me. She always did.

I really did feel sorry that she had to deal with all of my shenanigans.

"Juju, where the fuck are you??" I roared, not that it would do much. Midsummer Madness by 88RISING was blaring now. Starting to stress out now.

I grabbed a champagne flute as a waiter walked by.

"Brianna, I love the dress." A woman leaned over and shouted in my ear. I had met her before at another event, a fashion reporter if I remembered correctly.

"Thanks. It's Versaci."

As I said earlier, it was fucking Alexander McQueen. I was faded.

Somehow I ended up in the bathroom, throwing up all the alcohol I had consumed into the toilet. After I finished, I washed my mouth out, looked at my reflection and said, "Baby, you're a star."

And somehow, I made it back downstairs. I was searching for Jujubee but found someone else instead. And it was fucking Ed Sheeran.

"I love your new song." I lied.

"Which one?"

"The new one." I smiled. "Hey, Ed. You wanna be the first person to go through the portal?" I wrapped an arm around him.

He looked absolutely taken aback. "Of fucking course. My manager will be in touch."

I really hoped he was joking. Why the fuck had I even suggested it?

I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Jujubee. My nerves settled, and I leaned closer to her. "Let's go outside."

I had no recollection of making it out to the balcony. The only thing I remembered happening before then was rambling to many strangers about how much I adored Jujubee.

A few other party attendees were outside too. I wanted to tell them how I didn't deserve Jujubee and that she was an angel. But she quickly steered me away.

I looked out over the city, a happy smile on my face.

"Are you having fun, baby girl?" Jujubee asked, using her favourite pet name for me. She sparked up a cigarette. I wanted to ask her for one, having gone from chain smoker to social smoker in recent years. But I was too distracted by the view.

"Yeah. I can feel it, Juju." I replied, looking at my hands. It was almost like I could actually feel it. The euphoric feeling of success running in my veins. "Good things are coming."

"Oh, I feel it too." Jujubee blew out the smoke and followed my gaze. "You know what? Your Grandpa was a great guy. And I know that he's proud of you."

My smile dropped. And I was silent.

I preferred to avoid speaking about things like this. Emotions weren't something I liked to deal with - another difference between Jujubee and me.

Just the year prior, we both went to see Midsommar. During the scene where the main character is having a breakdown on the ground surrounded by the Hargan woman screaming along with her, Jujubee was captivated. She looked almost like she wanted to scream along with them. And as she squeezed my hand and leaned over to me, she said, "I need someone to do that with me." I replied with a quiet, "Can't relate."

I'm not insensitive. I just feared emotions for two reasons.

1. They could be weaponised against me. And as much as I tried not to let the online hate get to me, I knew that if it ever became personal, then it would hit difficult.

2. The most important reason of all; a childhood full of breakdowns and too many emotions.

Jujubee nudged me. "You wanna go?"

I didn't want to. But I said, "Yeah. I'm...so drunk right now," and turned away from the city view.

"Can I be that annoying whore and ask if I can stay at your place?" Jujubee asked, taking my hand.

She didn't even need a reason. "Yes, you can."

We waded our way through the crowd, made for the door and left. And before I knew it, we were back at my place, lying in my bed. I loaned her a t-shirt to sleep in. I wanted to sleep in my Alexander McQueen. But Jujubee wouldn't let me.

We both lay there, facing the ceiling. I could already feel the oncoming suffering. Usually, I loved moments like these, when time became fluid, when I didn't have to worry about how I had even gotten home.

But my head was pounding, and the loud ringing in my ears was the cause. If I was bad now, I'd be dead by morning.

I could feel Jujubee's eyes on me, and I looked back at her. She was smiling, her brown eyes glimmering. "Almost there, girl."

Despite the pain I was in, I smiled back. I knew this whole thing, the thingy, the portal; it wasn't just my dream. It was hers too.

Fuck, I was hammered.

"Almost there," was all I could manage to say.

Jujubee turned on her side and treated me to some cuddly spooning. "OK, go to sleep, loser."

It was straining on my neck, but I kept my head turned, letting my eyes linger for a moment longer. God, I fucking loved that bitch. Nothing was ever going to come between us, and that made me the happiest.

I turned over, my back relaxing against her torso. Then, before giving in to my exhaustion, I checked my phone. The bright light made me squint at first. And the alcohol in my system didn't help matters.

I checked how many people had seen my story now. The number was blurry. So I aimlessly swiped notifications away.

But I stopped at one message in particular.

Blair: Hey Brianna! Long time no speak. I just wanted to say I saw pictures from your thing tonight. Congrats, girl! Look, I know you're probably super busy, but I'd love to have a catch up with you sometime.

"..." My eyes were wide. Now that was a name I hadn't heard in a long time.

1995

"Do you see Cassiopeia yet?" Juju whined.

I was trying my hardest to find it in the telescope. But the stars were all in clutters; there were so many. "No. I think I see the big dipper, though."

"Really? Let me have a turn!" Juju begged.

I pulled away from the telescope, allowing Juju her turn. Usually, I would have refused, only letting her use the scope after finding what I was looking for.

I really hadn't found the big dipper, but Juju bought it. "Wooooow. That's so cool."

"I know, right?" I smirked.

The backdoor opened, and Grandpa came out in his winter jacket, pj's and his signature slippers. "How many have you girls found now?"

He was carrying two mugs of hot chocolate with whipped cream. I cheered excitedly because Grandpa's hot chocolate was the best, and I'd fight anyone who tried to tell me otherwise.

"We found the big dipper. But that's it." Juju replied, sounding very much let down.

"Don't lose hope," Grandpa gave us our hot chocolate, "some are harder to find than others. I bet there are a lot more constellations out there that haven't even been discovered yet."

I sipped the hot drink, and I could feel it already warming me up. I was so tempted to take my gloves off and let the mug warm them up. But we promised my Mom we would stay wrapped up. "Do you think we could discover one?"

Grandpa took a seat on one of the old deck chairs. "Brianna, you can do anything you set your mind to. Anything is possible."

"One day, I wanna get into a rocket ship and fly away," I said, looking up at the night sky, imagining the scene in my head.

"Hey, Mr Caldwell, are there other people like us? Just looking up at the sky?" Juju asked, taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

"That's an interesting question. I'd say yes, what with how nice the sky is tonight," Grandpa let his gaze trail up, the stars reflecting in his eyes, "But did you know, somewhere far, far away, there are two little girls who are exactly like you. They look the same, they talk the same and even have your names. And they are doing exactly what you're doing right now."

My brows knit in confusion, "what do you mean 'far far away?"

Grandpa looked down again, seeing how intrigued Juju and I was. "Let's just call it the other world. It's basically like our world, but...certain things are different. Like," he paused to think, "maybe cats bark and dogs meow. Or, maybe the sky is pink and not blue. Maybe you girls are actually older, and I'm the young one."

"Do horseys fly in the other world?" Juju asked with much optimism.

"Probably. I don't see why not." Grandpa shrugged.

I glanced up at the sky as if I would somehow just see it. Another world where life was somewhat better.

"Would my Mommy and Daddy have given me up in the other world?" I asked quietly.

Grandpa was silent. His lips were pursed, forming a tight line like there were words on the tip of his tongue that he knew he shouldn't say.

Juju hugged me from the side. I wanted to hug her back but didn't want to cry.

Her hold made me feel safe, so I offered her a half-smile.

Since my first day at school, when those cretins had tried to tell me Roberta wasn't my real Mom, it stuck with me. Yeah, I knew deep down those girls didn't know shit, and Roberta was the best Mother in the world, but I was only human.

As much as I loved my Mom, Grandpa and other family members, I just wanted to feel acceptance from my biological parents.

"Brianna, honey, whoever your family is in the other world, I'm sure they love you from the bottom of their hearts. Just like we do." Grandpa said. He extended his arms out, offering me a hug.

I didn't want it. But I knew I needed it.

That night, we didn't find any constellations. Not that it mattered. After my Grandpa went back inside, Juju and I were set on finding the other world instead.

And this interest went on for nearly a whole year.

It sounded dumb, but we would play games where we were our 'other world selves'. Juju lived in a house full of cats, and they were 'cutest cats in the whole country. So cute they won every pageant!'

And I lived in a huge mansion with my Mom, Grandpa, and my biological parents.

We collectively agreed that our other world selves were the prettiest girls in school, and we had tons of friends. We were so cool, we didn't even have to go to school.

Of course, this started a minor argument between us. Juju would always say, "how can we be the prettiest girls at school if we don't have to go to school??"

"Shut up, Juju! Anything is possible in the other world!"

"Yeah, but it doesn't make sense!"

All of it was so ridiculous. But we loved every minute of it.

I'll never forget the time we built a fort in the woods at the back of my house, and Juju stood under the archway and shouted. "I'm the queen of 'Other World'. Beware ye bastards who enter our domain!"

Then she got upset because she said a bad word and thought she had betrayed her parents.

A few minutes later, I fucked up.

"I, Brianna Caldwell, am the Queen of 'Other World'. I sit on this throne along with my best friend, Blair St Clair!"

Juju was even more upset now.

"Why is she your best friend?? I'm your best friend!" She began to cry.

"Jujubee, it's only pretend." I tried to reason with her.

"No, Brie-Brie. You're always talking about Blair! I know you would rather be best friends with her than me!"

"That's not true!"

"It is!" She wept. "She'll never be your friend, Brie-Brie. She doesn't even like you."

"Take that back!"

"No!"

My anger was bubbling beyond the boiling point. So I shoved her over. "Go away. Now!"

Juju ran off crying.

My teeth were grit, my fists clenched. For about 5 minutes, I stormed around the fort, screaming in anger and kicking the ground.

Mom was freaked out. She knew it was me screaming, so she came running. When she found me, she shouted at me for scaring the absolute fuck out of her.

This only pissed me off more. It took her 5 minutes to get me to chill out.

When I finally explained what happened, she told me it was OK and that we'd be friends again the next day.

It didn't help my mood, so she took me to the mall. It was a rare occasion for us to visit the place. We weren't the richest, what with Mom struggling to keep a job. She wasn't a lousy worker; someone else would just come along who was much more experienced. And without another parental figure to help out, it just meant not much money was being brought into the house.

But Mom decided we'd go to the toy store, and I'd find two dolls, one for me and one for Juju. I made sure they looked exactly like us. Well, considering the nice clothes and great hair, they were our other-selves.

And leaving the building, I was perched on Mom's shoulders, eating the biggest ice cream cone I had ever gotten, when I looked over at the jewellery shop. Two women were leaving the store, holding hands. They leaned in close to each other and kissed.

I just...stared as they smiled at each other, mesmerised by the adoration they so clearly shared.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, Brianna, baby?"

"Why are those two ladies kissing?"

Mom cast a quick glance to where I was looking. "Oh. OK, first of all, don't stare. It's rude. But yeah, they're just two ladies in love with each other. That's all."

I looked away, just as she told me to do. "They're in love? I thought only boys and girls could be in love."

"I guess they're still telling you that in school, huh?" Mom quipped. "Well, I'll tell you this, but keep it on the down-low 'cause I don't want no parents coming and knocking on my door saying you're putting ideas into their kids' heads." She laughed. "The truth is; boys can fall in love with boys, and girls can fall in love with girls. You fall in love with whoever your heart tells you to, Brianna."

I nodded. "Uh, huh. OK, I understand." But then, it hit me. "Fuck."

"Brianna." Mom warned. She knew I was prone to sometimes spurting a few cuss words. But she only had herself to blame.

"Sorry, Mommy." And as we left the mall, my brain couldn't stop thinking about what had popped into my head.

Maybe, just maybe, I was in love with Blair.

My mind was taking me back to years prior, still in my first year of elementary school. It was coming up to Valentine's Day, and we all had to make a card for someone in the class. Bit of a weird activity for a bunch of kids who were more concerned if they were getting bikes for Christmas or not.

And I slaved over my card, making it yellow instead of the traditional pink colour, and drawing daisies all over it.

The message read, "You really deserve this. You're welcome." I've always been a poetic genius.

And instead of giving it to any of the boys, I insisted it went to Blair.

I had vague memories of that day. I only remembered her confused face as I handed it over.

I never received a card in return.

Of course, the other kids picked on me for it. But Juju had my back.

"You're all just jealous 'cause Brie-Brie's card is unique!" I remember her shouting.

But of course, they weren't jealous. This concept was foreign to them - a girl gifting another girl with a Valentine's Day gift. But then again, they just didn't know any better.

[mayflowers07]

While getting very drunk on Valentine’s Day because he is lonely, Deception “Deceit” Sanders drank:

Shots of whiskey

Shots of scotch

Shots of vodka

Numerous beers throughout the day

Numerous beers chugged after walking in on some inappropriate activities he wishes he could unsee

And a cocktail of many dangerous and illegal drugs given to him by Remus

And then retold

The Drunk History of Sanders Sides

Deceit: It’s the winter of 2016...

Roman appears in Virgil’s first video and is like “Yo, I don’t like you”

And Virgil’s like, “Yo, I don’t like you even more!”

“That’s impossible... Do you wanna have an enemies to friends to lovers relationship?”

And Virgil’s like “... yeah... that’s cool.”

And then he’s like “Yo, this is a video about lying to yourself, where’s Deceit?”

And then Logan and Patton have a video together. And Patton’s already adopting Virgil as his and Logan’s kid. Logan is roleplayin’ Sherlock for some fuckin’ reason!

And Virgil keeps showing up in videos for some reason! They start hangin’ out all together. And they're like “Oh, let’s have some fuckin’ name reveals, bitch!” It was like, Logan and fuckin’ Roman and fuckin’ Patton!

Logan said to Virgil, “Yo, we gotta change this shit up! Yo, we’ve already established prinxiety and logicality; let’s get some shit from analogical.”

And so Roman and Patton are like “Yo, that’s dope. But we need Anxiety’s name!” Because Virgil’s still playin’ villain and he needs a redemption arc!

Virgil’s like “Yo! I got character development!”

And they're like “Wait, how do you have character development?”

And he’s like “Yo, watch this: I've always aimed to protect you, but lately... It feels like I've been keeping you from doing anything.”

And they’re like “Oh my god! That sounds like character development!” So they did the arc and Roman confessed his feeling and it was like “You make us...better.”

And then they’re like: “Yo, that's fuckin’ perfect. This is famIlY.” And they made fun group content like, Gryffindor Roman, Ravenclaw Logan, Hufflepuff Patton, and Slytherin Virgil. Everyone is in a Hogwarts house, everybody loves it.

Virgil, correcting Deceit off camera: Dee, I never picked a house. That was the whole point.

Deceit, ignoring Virgil: Virgil the Slytherin! Virgil the Huffleclaw!

Virgil is a motherfuckin’ Divergent, and it's real and it doesn't matter.

And Patton talked to everyone and he was like “Yo, what the FUCK! Yo, my character arc is gonna be fuckin’ DOPE!”

So Patton was real sad and angsty for a while, and it was called: Nostaligia Part One and Two.

They didn’t mention the dark sides! They waited like three or four episodes for a dark side to show up.

The four episodes were like: Purple Isn’t A Hogwarts House, I Wonder If We Should Listen To Logan More, Oh Fuck We Should… The fourth one was like a LAMP Christmas musical or something.

And they were like, “Yo, we need Deceit. Deceit. Pretend to be Patton. Fuckin' do it.” And I did it, and I killed it.

I was like, tell the child their hamster died!

Fucking with Virgil! Revealing myself to Thomas! Silencing Logan! Playing the shit! Killing these bitches! Wrapping it out!

Deceit off camera to Logan: You just ate three fuckin’ jars of Crofters! What the fuck is going on?!

Deceit: “We should get a Roman vs Logan. 'Cause logince is a fuckin’ valid ship.”

And Roman was like “Yo, if you can make Logan more popular then me, which is not fuckin' hard, I will have a breakdown during the musical."

Logan was like ”Yo! Thomas’ got this problem that’s fuckin’ Roman’s fault, dude! It's called emotional repression. Hey wait, it's gonna be called my problem too, and it's gonna be fuckin' huge.”

And then Virgil’s like "I gotta keep it real, I gotta keep it me. Halloween’s gonna be emo as hell”

And they made a song with puppets it was fucking dope and it talked about all of their emotional problems.

Like: one issue, two issues, three! Three, two one! Three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten! TEN TO ONE!

Virgil was like, “I’ve got a secret!”

Patton was like, “I’m losing touch with Virgil!”

Roman and Logan were like, “We’re the functional ones for once!”

And Deceit had nothing to do with the last four episodes. And Virgil was like “That's good!”

I was like “Yo, fuck the wedding! Thomas can do whatever he want!”

Logan was like “Yeah, it's cool man, whatever… I don’t have feelings.”

And then Roman was like “Eh… I agree with Deceit but...!”

And Patton was like "Morality is fuckin’ great. Because it makes you be a good person. Which a lot of times, Thomas is not a good person. And I wanna change that. I wanna make sure everybody thinks that Thomas is a good person.”

Deceit: *starts throwing up in the garbage can beside him*

Deceit: I'm good so far.

Patton: You wanna spit one more time?

Deceit: No, I’m fine

Deceit: *sits back up in his chair and starts giggling as he looks around*

Deceit: ...Shut the fuck!..

Deceit: So Thomas was like “Oh my god, I’m so embarrassed about these intrusive thoughts!”

And then I saw the intrusive thoughts, and I was like “Eh, it's not bad. It's honest. Let’s be real, you wanted to be honest.”

Thomas decides to miss the callback and I am so fuckin’ pissed

I’m like “Yo, fuck you guys!”

And I’m like “Yo! Another video where I get shut down? Yo, fuck these dudes! We're gonna fucking go miles above! We're gonna send in Remus to win the fight!”

But he didn’t! Because he couldn’t fuck with Logan.

Apparently, Remus was like: “Oh, shit you can’t get rid of me.” And they didn’t but Logan taught them to ignore him.

Dude, Remus was like "What the FUCK?”

Oh, you don’t fuckin’ listen to the dark sides. It's like, fuck you!

So intrusive thoughts happen, we fuckin' have a whole video of awesomeness!

Like, Remus is cumming on himself, 'cause it's so big!

Remus was like “Yo, I gotta have a name reveal” meaning, Virgil was like “Yo, I gotta reveal my secret bro”

And Roman’s like, “My brother is the source of my insecurities! Ahhh!”

And Patton’s like “Yo, I need to accept Thomas’ flaws cause he’s a fuckin’ good person.”

And Logan’s like “I’m just gonna solve everyone’s problems and be the fuckin’ coolest.”

And they were like, “Alright, this shits been super angsty. We gotta fuckin’ come back man. We gotta come back domestic and cute af!”

Deceit: *looks around for something*

Deceit: You took my hat away, what the fuck?!

Roman: No, Remus poured beer in it to chug so we left it on the counter!

Logan: Yeah, it’s right next to you

Deceit: Whatever. So the next vid is like, we gotta make this shit legit. We’re gonna have a fuckin’ fanfic movie night and we’re gonna give in to the Mouse Corporation

Deceit: *grabs his hat and puts it on as Patton and Roman scream at him to stop and beer pours out on his head*

Deceit: What the fuck is this on my head, did I puke on myself?

Virgil: No, you poured beer all over yourself.

Deceit: Oh god...

Deceit: So Thomas was like: “Yo, next episode we're gonna have Roman and Patton scrap. It’s a right brain fight night.”

And that’s all. And that’s all that matters. And that is how the fucking story goes.

Deceit: *stands up to take a bow*

Everyone: *starts applauding and whooping off camera*

[bxthharmon]

Never Go Home Again, Pt. VIII || JJ Maybank x Reader

Words: 4102 (jeez, making up for a short last episode??)

Series Warnings: violence / talking about abuse / toxic relationships / talking about nudes sex tapes and sex tapes / drugs / underage drinking

Pt. Warnings: Breaking and entering? / underage drinking

Series Summary: A new girl, a shoebox of old memories, a past she’s trying to forget coincide with a hotheaded, but selfless, boy.  teenagers getting in way over their heads

Pt. Summary: Midsummers takes place as the pogues make headway in the hunt, Y/N struggles with her two friends’ enmity.

A/N: okay so longgg chapter. hope it’s not too bad, and i only hv one chapter left in my drafts so im gonna have to start writing instead of just editing... hopefully updates will stay just as frequent tho. lemme know abt tags and feedback, and pleaseeeeeee send requests!!! lockdowns giving way too much time.

Chapters linked in my masterlist.

“masterlist”

You borrowed your dad’s car, and dressed in the simplistic, elegant dress intended for your prom back in LA, you arrived at the party. 

You found yourself surrounded in summery cocktail dresses and flower crowns, tuxedos that ranged from elegant dark blue to pastel pinks, a couple of floral patterns spicing up the mix. Soft lights hung loosely over the patio, lights hardly noticeable in the soft, bright hue of the evening, the sun yet to fall into the glittering sea stretched out from the view in the hotel. You worked your way through the silks, chiffons and satins. Drinks were pushed into your hand, tapas offered and awkward smiles shared. By the time you found Kie, you were armed with a glass of champagne and the feeling of not belonging. She laughed at your already exhausted smile, and had dragged you to find Pope. Once you were with Kie, it took twice as long to get anywhere, because everyone seemed to stop her and ask about her parents, the restaurant, or to offer criticism on her choice of friends, giving you side-eye. You were the one who spotted Pope, pointing him out and letting her drag you over to him.

“Excuse me, sir,” Kie mocked a British accent, “do we have to shuck these ourselves? ‘Cause it might mess up my costume.” 

You all laughed, hugging him in greeting. “We wouldn’t want that now, would we?” Pope returned the joke, doing your pogue handshake.

“That accent was bad.” You shook your head.

“Yeah, it was. I was gonna let it go.” She laughed, “Y/N’s is way better.”

“Oh stop it!” you joked, in your British accent, pretending to blush, “You’re making me blush.”

“You ever seen this many kooks in one place?” Kie asked.

“Yeah, last year.” Pope grinned.

“We’re in the lion’s den.” You sighed. “Hey, have either of you heard from JJ?”

They looked at you sympathetically, shaking their heads.

“He’ll be alright.” Kie soothed. “He’s got the survival instincts of a cockroach.” 

“In the month I’ve known him, this is the longest I’ve gone without hearing from him.” You sighed, and Pope looked down guiltily.

“This is my fault.” 

“You didn’t do this, Pope.” you assured him, “Topper almost killed you, remember? JJ chose to, you know him, always putting others first. You can’t carry the blame, that’s not fair on you.”

You turned to the noise of an applaud, seeing Sarah and her family entering. You held back a snigger at the sight of Rose’s crown, but smiled at Sarah, who smiled back.

“Here come Lord Capital and the exploiters.” Kie sighed.

“She’s definitely gonna poke someone’s eye out with that.” Pope commented, and you looked back at Rose’s headdress, this time unable to contain the giggle.

You chatted for a while longer, finishing the lavish champagne and wanting to have some fun. You had practically dragged Kie to the dance floor, making her dance with you as a steady flow of drinks passed both your systems. Eventually, she was summoned to talk with her parents, leaving you alone on the dance floor. Before long, you found yourself dancing with Sarah, spinning her round, and exaggerating the both of your moves, mocking the way the adults were dancing. You went to get a drink after a few songs, and walked straight into JJ.

He was just as surprised as you, but you reacted quickly, pulling him down into a soft kiss by his collar. You looked over your shoulder, blushing at the sight of Pope and Kie clapping and giving you thumbs up. You turned your attention to him, tracing your thumb over his split lip and the bruises on the left side of his face. The dark cut contrasted the pink of his lips, and the bruises looked a painful, mottled purple that spread over his jaw and up to his cheek bone.

“JJ,” you murmured, “Did your dad do this?” 

“My dad, got a nice right jab, ya know?” he tried to joke, seeing the worry in your eyes. The light he hoped would return to your eyes stayed gone, as anger took over your features.

“JJ, I’m gonna fucking kill him.” you seethed, “He had no fucking-”

“Y/N,” he said, cupping your face, “leave it, okay? It’s nothing that hasn’t happened before.”

“JJ that’s not making me feel any bet-”

He kissed you again, taking you off guard, and you smiled softly when he pulled away. “I gotta go,” he mumbled, “I’ll see you in a bit, I promise, babygirl.”

You nodded dumbly as he walked away, turning back to Sarah, and seeing her wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at you. You rolled your eyes at her, making an excuse to leave, and walked over to Kie, who started pestering you for details, which you supplied. Your discussion with Kie was cut short by the sight of JJ being hauled out of the house and into the garden.

“Hey, Mr Dunleavy, I see you got your drink. Good, that’s really nice of you. I’m actually gonna down that.” he took the drink, and, well, downed it. “It’s okay everybody!” he yelled, “Do not panic. Leave it to the men and women in uniform! Let’s hear it for them!” he shouted, making you and Kie smirk, trying to hide your giggles. “Rose! You look like lady liberty. Good to see you again. Hey, buddy, can I have one of those?”

“Let go of him!” You called, working your way towards him.

“You can’t just boot him!” Kie backed you, ignoring the warning looks you were both getting from her parents. He looked up at you, a tiny smile on his face. “I invited him here! I’m a member of this club.” she continued through her parent’s protests. JJ turned and pushed the guard into the crowd, stumbling in the opposite direction.

“Sorry about that! Hey,” he pointed at you and Kie, “mandatory power hour at Rixon’s, Kie, Y/N. Pope, you as well, alright? Rixon’s cove, let’s roll! A’ight Y/N, come on!” You grinned, he turned to Kie, “Workers of the world unite, throw off your chains!”

Kie and Pope ran ahead, both hugging John B, and you ran straight into JJ’s arms, letting him swing you around and kiss you, for once, not caring that everyone was staring.

--

“Hey, guys, so like, my dad’s already gonna kill me.” Pope said as you all settled around the campfire. “So what’s this mandatory meeting about?”

John B shot finger guns to JJ, who looked up, “Might as well tell him, man, before we’re all gaffed.”

“You ready for this? John B replied.

You and Kie looked at each other, “Yeah.” you said, in unison.

“So, the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant.” John B started.

“Here we go again.” You muttered, settling into JJ’s side.

“No, alright? Wait. Hear him out, alright?” JJ backed John B, and you frowned, shrugging and gesturing for him to continue.

“It’s been here the whole time. It’s on the island.”

“Are you serious?” Kie asked. “Oh my God.”

“I’d like to voice my skepticism.” Pope spoke.

“I’m sure you would, Pope, but can I please present you with my evidence, Sir?”

“Proceed.” Pope mocked.

“Alright, so, in my backpack, I have a letter from Denmark Tanny.” 

“Who the fuck’s that?” You questioned.

“Denmark Tanny was a slave who survived the Royal merchant wreck. Check this out.” he handed Kie some paper, “So slaves weren’t mentioned as crew members on the ship, but my dad, he found the complete manifest. That was his big discovery. So Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom.” Kie passed you the paper. “After that, he bought his farm. Drumroll please,” you drumrolled on your thighs, “because that farm is… Tannyhill Plantation.”

“Tannyhill?” Kie affirmed. You passed Pope the paper.

“Yeah.” John B continued, “so after that, he used his money to free even more slaves. And then he sold a shit ton of rice, which pisses off all the white planters, and then they decide to lynch him. So on the day they were coming to get him, he writes a letter to his son as a farewell, and in the last line of that letter, he leaves a coded message about where to find the gold.”

“Where?” You whisper excitedly.

“Harvest the wheat, in parcel nine, near the water. Except, there’s no wheat. You see, wheat is code for gold. Check this out.” he shows you another piece of paper, and a map. “The gold is in parcel nine, near the water.” you and Kie squeal, laughing excitedly, “All we need is an original survey map of the property, and we’ve found the gold!”

“Okay, so, this might have a small chance of actually being true.” Pope said, and JJ got up from beside you.

“Dude,” you laughed, “this is like, King Tut!” 

JJ pulled John B into a hug, lifting him up. “Hello, fire! You’re near the fire. You’re gonna burn.” John B warned, and JJ put him down. “I’m so proud of you right now.”

“Thank you.”

“That’s really sweet of you.” JJ looked at you, “And jeez, Y/N, what is it with you and Tutankhamun?”

“4th Grade history?” You guessed.

“Okay, so, guys,” Pope brought the attention back. “What’s the plan?”

“Good question.” John B agreed.

“How long does this go on for?” you moaned, “Wrap it up, JB.”

“Sarah Cameron’s coming tonight.” he simplified. “And she’ll bring the original survey.”

“Hold on.” Kie stopped him, “Sarah? Wh-why Sarah?”

“This is gonna be good.” JJ muttered, and you raised your eyebrows at him.

“Sarah, um, she - she helped me into the archives at Chapel Hill yesterday, and that’s where I got the letter.”

“You were in Chapel Hill with Sarah Cameron?” Kie frowned, anger contorting her features.

“Are you guys macking?” you asked, a disbelieving smirk on your lips.

“He was mackin’ on her.” JJ confirmed, interrupting John B’s pitiful attempts at an explanation, and earning him a giggle from you.

“For real?” you asked John B.

“I wasn’t macking.” John B defended.

“You were totally macking Sarah Cameron.” JJ repeated.

“I wasn’t macking on her, okay? I was using her for access.”

“There was access, alright.” JJ mumbled, earning another giggle.

“Okay,” you piped up, “JB you should have consulted first, Kie, she obviously did something shitty, but JB, using her is pure shitty, so you better just be covering for yourself right now.”

He looked at you defeated, and you groaned. “Did you tell her about the treasure?” Kie asked.

“I was just trying to get into the archives!”

“Is that a yes?”

“I left out key details!”

“Yo, what? You let a kook in on our secret? What about Pogue Lyfe? What about the t-shirt company, bro?”

“I was just using her for information.”

“Why don’t I believe you?”

“I’m tryna make us filthy rich here! Okay, so that we can pay off a boat, or - or, uh, send you to autopsy school to study dead bodies! Look, you guys know me! Do I look like the kind of person who would fall for Sarah Cameron?”

You and JJ made eye contact, “well..” you started.

“Um.” he chuckled.

“Do you want us to answer that, or-”

“Just - just stop.” John B looked at the pair of you, defeated.

“Look, you don’t know her yet, I do! You can’t trust her!”

“Her brother did hit me in the back with a golf club.” Pope pointed out.

“Rafe and Sarah are different human beings.” John B countered.

“What did she do to you, exactly?” you asked Kie, wandering how she could hate your friend so much.

“She’s like a - a spitting cobra. First she - first she blinds you and then she-”

“This is a bad analogy.” you mumbled.

“Listen to me!” Kie demanded, “Whatever we get, she’s gonna try to take.”

--

You and JJ were lying on your bed, not having bothered to get changed before getting under the covers. You interlocked your fingers with his, snuggling closer, your eyes barely open. “What do you think Sarah did?”

JJ turned his head to look at you, he could tell it was tearing you up. “I… don’t know.” JJ sighed, defeated. “I’ve known Kie for years, and she’s never talked about it.”

“Sarah was super kind to me, I don’t understand why Kie is so against her. It’s so shitty, ‘cause they’re both my friends, and I want them to get on, but they obviously won’t.”

“They might?” JJ muttered, thinking.

“C’mon, Jay, you know it’s impossible. And I don’t even know what happened between them, so I can’t fix it.” 

“You know it’s not up to you to fix it, right?”

“So why do I feel like I have to?”

“Because you’re an empathetic, kind, brilliant person?”

“Jay,” you groaned, as he kissed you, “Be serious!”

“I am.” he mumbled, kissing you again.

“You’re infuriating,” you giggled, “you know that?”

“It’s all part of my brand.”

“Your brand?”

“Oh yeah, super-hot surfer pogue, insanely funny, get’s the best weed on the island, you know, the usual.”

“You’re full of shit.”

“Hey! At least I have a brand!”

“Is that a comment aimed at me?” you mocked offence.

“I mean, your brand is ‘mysterious new girl’.”

“You think I’m mysterious?”

“I mean, yeah, none of us know, like, why you moved or anything about you.”

Your heart twinged, but you covered for yourself, mocking him, “It’s all part of my brand.”

--

“I’m sorry, you’re staying where?” Kie passed John B to get to the bar, the group having gathered in the Wreck.

“Tannyhill.” John B repeated, and you shook your head, disbelieving.

“So you’re living with Sarah Cameron?”

“Okay, look, the only reason I’m living there is because her dad bailed me out, right?”

“I still can’t believe you got pushed off that wooden frame thing.” You muttered, and he smirked, fighting down a laugh as you and Kie went to the group’s table.

“And it’s way better than foster care,” he continued, “which, by the way, where I was about to go if Ward didn’t-”

“Hey, so do you have membership to the clubs now?” Pope asked.

“I don’t know, Pope.”

“What about those little golf carts that they drive around?” JJ added, “You get one of them?”

“Does it come with a sweater-vest, or do you have to buy one of those on your own?” You add.

“Look, you promised.” Kie brought the focus back, like always. “You said you weren’t with her.”

“Bro, just own it.” JJ backed, “She got you.”

“Look if you wanna hang out with her, that’s fine.” Kie sighed, “I mean, Y/N sometimes hangs out with her. But I’m letting you know right now that I’m not doing anything with Sarah.”

“Do you guys see her here?” John B pointed out, “No, right. Okay. A little focus would be fantastic. We’ve got the map, right?”

“It’s all out of whack ‘cause the guy was ganja’d when he drew it.” JJ commented.

“No,” you corrected, “the coastline changed, dummy.”

“So we just have to look for landmarks that haven’t changed.” Pope clarified.

“What about the old forts?” John B suggested.

“You know, the more you guys talk, the more I realise that I know nothing about this island.” You observed, treasuring the feeling of JJ running a hand through your hair.

“Battery Jasper.” Kie pointed.

“Let’s go.” you  stood up, leading the group out to the VW.

John B drove, none of you really paying attention until you reached the landmark.

The five of you looked out over the island, expansive green leading to expansive blue, you were at a high point. “We’re in battery, right here.” Pope points on the map. “So if this is parcel nine, then it’s somewhere northeast of here.”

“Somewhere over there.” Kie points, and you take JJ’s juul off him, taking a puff, then handing it back.

“Over there?” JJ followed the point. “Guys, that’s not Tannyhill, that’s a subdivision.”

“Tannyhill Plantation used to be the entire island.” reminded John B. “It got sold into smaller pieces over time.”

Pope inspected the map again, “So we’re just looking for an old stone wall.”

You ventured back to the Twinkie, following Pope’d instructions, again. John B took a sharp left, pulling up next to an overgrown stone wall.

“That looks like a stone wall to me.” JJ said, almost proud.

“This is it.” Pope confirmed. Your car doors clattered open as you hopped out of the car.

“Not the Crain House.” John B sighed.

“Are you kidding me?” Kie repeated the sentiment.

“Worst case scenario.” JJ confirmed.

“Why’d it have to be here of all places?” Pope asked.

“Hang on a second.” You turned to your friends, your lack of apprehension standing out in the group. “It’s just a house. What’s the big deal?”

“I heard Mrs Crain buried her husband’s head on the property.” JJ told you. You all looked at him, the other’s in fear, you in skepticism.

“Well that’s bullshit.” you shrugged, taking a hold of the top of the wall and pulling yourself up, throwing your legs over and landing in the overgrown thicket. You pricked yourself in the brambles, and swore. The pogues on the other side of the wall immediately started asking if you were okay, making you giggle. “Just be careful of the brambles.”

Once they were all on the inside, you began to venture inwards. “Look, Y/N, you know whose house this is, right?”

“Some old lady’s?” you guessed, and were greeted with four unimpressed stares.

“Honestly, I don’t really believe the stories of this place.” John B joined your skepticism, but was shushed by Pope.

“Which stories did you hear?” JJ asked Kie.

“The one where she killed her husband with an axe and that she’s been holed up ever since.” said Kie, making you snort. “On certain nights, when the moon is full…”

You saw where it was going, and joined in with Kie’s mockingly spooky hand movements as she finished, “... you can see her in the window!” the pair of you giggled.

“No, girls, it’s not funny, ‘cause it’s all true.” JJ shook his head, as you and Kie made ‘Waah’ noises. “I swear to God guys, this is all real. I knew Hollis. Jeez!”

You smirked, “Yeah, jeez. Who knew you were superstitious? And who’s Hollis?”

“Wait, you knew Hollis Crain?” asked Pope.

“Who’s Hollis?” you repeated, ignored again.

“Yeah, dude.” JJ confirmed.

“Dude, how do you know Hollis Crain?”

“Dude, who is Hollis Crain?” you mocked Pope’s anxious movements.

“She was my babysitter, man. She told me all about it.” He looked around the group, “She told me the truth… about her mother and what happened in this house.”

“And what would that be?” You asked, still skeptical as you looked up to the unkempt house.

“So as a kid, she heard all the stories that her mother killed her father, and she was a murderer and all. Hollis didn’t believe it. Until that night.”

“What night?”

“It all came back to her.” JJ turned to look at the house, “When Hollis was six years old, she heard her parents arguing downstairs. So she goes downstairs to see her mom washing her hands in the sink full of blood. Her mother just says that she cut her finger. The next morning, she says her father and her split up. But then, Hollis noticed something. Her mother going into the parlour constantly, in and out and in and out with plastic bags. Weeks pass, and Hollis decides to use the outhouse. And as she’s using it, she looks down, and there, in the outhouse, is her father’s head, looking straight back at her.”

“God, you are so full of shit.” you and John B outburst in unison.

“Dude, I swear to God, man.” JJ shook his head.

“Did she call the police?” Pope asked.

“She didn’t have time.” you and John B started to walk on, only to be grabbed and pulled back by JJ.

“What?” you asked, confused. He turned to John B.

“You sure you wanna do this? She’s an axe murderer. You got a cast on.”

“I don’t give a shit if she’s an axe murderer, okay? I got nothing to lose, right? You comin’, or what?”

You follow John B through the garden, and he gathers you in a semicircle. “So here’s the plan. We need to look for the wheat near the water like it said in Denmark’s letter.”

“Okay, like, what kind of water?” asked Pope, “Like, pond water?”

JJ chuckled, “Bong water?” you slapped his arm lightly.

“It just said look for water, okay?”

“That’s the shittiest secret message ever.” Kie moved past John B.

“You wanna complain a little more, Kie? Nobody said it was gonna be easy.”

“I’ll search the northeast quadrant,” Pope started, addressing you and JJ, “you two search the northwest.”

“The decapitation quadrant?” JJ objected, and you took his arm, pulling him with you.

You scanned your area, coming up empty, then followed John B into the basement. You went in before JJ, who started singing a song about how Mrs Crain was going to kill you all.

You and Pope turned, shining your torches in his face.

“Can you stop?” You hissed, and he shut up.

You swung the torch light over the room, the broken and discarded furniture giving the room a horror-movie vibe. You’d never admit it, but you were beginning to feel creeped.

“This is the part of the movie where we get attacked by the old, half-dead blind lady.” You muttered, and JJ nodded, gesturing to you as if you had predicted the future, the others rolling their eyes.

“See any water?” Kie asked, five torches sweeping around the place. You felt a tickle on your arm and slapped, your palm coming away with the brown stain of squished insect. “Another dead end?”

JJ ran his hand on the pipes, “There’s not even water on the pipes.”

“There’s no water here.” Pope confirmed as you slapped another bug, noticing that it was a mosquito.

“Not a dropamino.” JJ continued.

“Know why we didn’t find it?” Kie piped up, “Bad karma.”

“Oh, God, here we go.” John B muttered.

“You know, we had a good thing going. And then you decide to rope in Barbie, and now the trail’s gone dry.”

“Literally,” smirked, “there’s no water.”

“Coincidence?” Kie continued as Pope and JJ sniggered, “Probably not.”

“This is exactly why I didn’t wanna tell you about Sarah.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“What the hell’s the deal? What’s going on with you two?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? Is it because I kissed you? Is that the problem?”

Your eyes widened, your mouth forming a little ‘o’ as Kiara slapped him, JJ and Pope both calling out in surprise.

“Stop treating me like I’m some girl that’s obsessed with you instead of your best friend who’s actually trying to look out for you.”

The pair of them started bickering, slapping each other, using skeeters as excuses. You slapped your leg, seeing the brown stain of a mosquito, again.

“Why the fuck are there so many mosquitoes?” you fumed, slapping yourself again.

“Dude, I know, seriously. Tiny little vampire bats, just leave me alone.” JJ added, the pair of you slapping again, and again, and again. “Oh my gosh, can we leave? ‘Cause I’m already itchin’ to leave. Haha, punny.”

You looked at Pope, who was staring at the floor, his torch shining over it. You both stomped on the ground hearing the hollow sound as JJ tried to show you ‘Mrs Crain’s voodoo doll’. You picked up a stone, dropping it through the crack in the floorboards, and hearing the ‘plop’ as it landed in water. You and Pope scrambled, pushing the loose bits of wood out of the way to lift the board, opening up the well. Pope shone his torch down.

“Well, well, well.” he joked.

“Water great discovery.” You added.

“Great dad jokes, guys.” John B sighed.

“They built this part of the house right over it.”said Kie.

“This is where she hid the bodies.” JJ nodded.

“JJ, just stop.” You shook your head.

“No, I’m dead serious.”

“Yeah, you will be, because I’m seriously considering pushing you down that well.”

“It was never an outhouse.” JJ continued.

“She probably doesn’t even know it’s here.” Kie shrugged.

“So, we found water.” Pope looked to John B.

“We’re gonna need a really big rope.”

Tags: @tangledinsparkles @jellyfishbeansontoast @lolitstiana @ilikealotofpeople-younotsomuch @teamnick @thoughtsofthestars @obxmxybxnk @jjmaybankswife @kaelyn-lobrutto24 @sxcretinhuman @alexa-playafricabytoto @angvelics @badwolf00593 @coloradogirl07 @mendesmaybank​ @jiaraendgame

[anniedeodair]

Video calls in quarentine

Plot: The worst thing about not being able to leave the house was boredom and not seeing his friends or Law. Luckily there are video calls and until the quarantine ends, Luffy would talk to them through the camera.

From: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23424109

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Video calls in quarentine

Luffy opened the bowl of ramen as he sat at the desk in front of the computer. Ace hadn't felt like cooking that night and ordered delivery at Sanji’s restaurant, which was one of the few things that was still working. Also, they didn't have much food in the house anymore. The next day Sabo would go out with the car to buy food at the market that could last them for the whole next week.

His room was a mess. Ace forced him to clean every day, but he just swept up and let Sabo disinfect. His clothes and things were thrown everywhere, but he didn't care much. He crossed his legs over the chair and looked at the computer anxiously. He wanted it to be time for everyone to get online. He was terribly bored and fed up with being locked in his house without being able to leave, and talking to them was one of the few fun things he could still do. That if the internet didn't collapse with everyone using it at the same time.

"Luffy, are you eating already?" Ace asked, peering into his room.

"Yes, I just grabbed the ramen," he replied, turning his face to see him. He brought a mouthful of noodles to his mouth. "I added the meat you had made today at noon to make it better"

Ace laughed because he knew of his little brother's quirky taste for meat.

"We’re going to talk to Marco, Thatch, Koala and Hack by video call in the living room," he informed him, saying goodbye.

"Okay, I'm going to talk to the guys, too."

The ringing of the video call application turned his attention to the computer and he saw that Franky had started the chat. He accepted the invitation and eight boxes appeared on his screen. The faces of his friends appeared one by one.

"Hello guys!" Luffy yelled happily. He waved his hand effusively to greet them.

"Luffy!" Chopper appeared in one of the upper boxes and Luffy watched him. "How's everybody?"

"Eating,"  he laughed, showing him his bowl of ramen.

"Ace didn't cook today?" Sanji interjected, under Chopper.

"We don't have much food left, tomorrow Sabo is going to buy. I hope he brings a lot of meat"

"He doesn’t need to go outside, Luffy," said Nami, next to Chopper. "He can buy online and have it delivered to the house"

"I didn't know that," Chopper replied in amazement. "However here at home they go out every day, so they buy outside"

"Do your parents have a lot of work, Chopper?" Robin asked, sitting next to Franky in their living room. Their camera appeared below Sanji.

"Yes, they are both in the emergency department at the hospital, so they attended many suspicious cases that ended up negative, and several that were confirmed"

Chopper's parents were a pair of doctors, Kureha and Hiluluk. Chopper was a student, but he still didn't work or practice in hospitals, so he had to stay home during quarantine.

"What about you?" Nami asked Franky and Robin. "Classes were suspended, do you have to go to college, Robin?"

"I went the first week just because the teachers had to go, but since the mandatory quarantine was decreted we also stayed at home. And Franky opens the workshop less hours"

Franky's workshop was installed next to their house and he didn't have to go out to work. In addition, hardware stores and workshops were exempt from quarantine because citizens may need home repairs.

"At least there are some things to do," Franky said." Otherwise it would be suuuper boring"

Luffy laughed as he shoved a large bite of noodles and meat into his mouth. Knowing that he wasn't the only one who was bored to death during those days made him feel very accompanied.

"What about you, Sanji?" Robin asked. "The other day I passed near the restaurant when I was returning from shopping and I saw it closed, how are you doing?"

Sanji was sitting in a chair by the open window of his room, smoking. He looked at the computer, which appeared to be leaning against his bed since the camera focused him from beneath.

"Zeff decided to close the shop to eat there, but the delivery is still open" he answered taking a drag on the cigarette.

"Today we ordered the ramen there, it’s delicious!" Luffy added, his eyes bright with excitement.

"I didn't work today, who brought you the food?"

"Paty came, it looked like they had a lot of work," Luffy replied.

"With the quarantine, people in the neighborhood are asking for more food there whenever they don't want to cook. We are cooking a lot even though we closed the restaurant"

The box next to Sanji was black and suddenly Zoro appeared.

"Finally!" Usopp shouted when he saw him appear. "Why did you take so long? Don't tell me you got lost ..."

Everyone laughed at the absurd joke and Zoro shouted some things at him that no one heard. The video call was more chaotic than their meetings, although they were naturally messy already.

"I was sleeping," he said to apologize.

"How strange of you, sleeping," Sanji murmured to annoy him.

"What are you saying, perverted cook ?!" He yelled annoyed.

"Brook didn't show up yet, either," Chopper added. His box, next to Robin’s and Franky's, underneath it all, was still black.

"I'm sure he's sleeping, surely he's going to show up anytime soon," Robin replied, smiling.

"Hey, Zoro!" Luffy called out to him. "How’s everything over there? Did you close the dojo?"

Zoro's father, Mihawk, was a well-known martial artist from the area and had a kendo dojo in which Zoro gave some classes and trained. They lived in the house behind the dojo, in an area far from the city, surrounded by some valleys.

Zoro said he used to get lost when everyone got together because he lived further away than the others. Sanji believed it was because he had a lousy sense of direction. And that always led to absurd and fun fights.

"It's closed, but we train every day," Zoro commented, settling into bed with the computer on his legs. "Although it's boring not being able to get out of here"

"I get you," Luffy gasped with a weary expression. "I'm sick of being locked up at home! I go out to the yard and I have nothing to do. Sabo won't even let me go do the groceries!

"He knows you're going to run away if you go out," Usopp said, and Nami nodded.

"It's just for a few days Luffy, we don't want you to get sick!" She exclaimed to reaffirm the point.

"I know, but it's sooo boring!" Luffy dropped his head on the desk table and his friends laughed, understanding his sentiment, because they were all mortally bored from being locked up. "If the virus doesn't kill me, boredom will"

"I go out to the yard every day to practice my marksmanship, at least I have my equipment at home," Usopp said. "I brought it from the club before quarantine"

He practiced shooting and arrow and various other aiming sports, but he was lucky because in Usopp's house there was a big yard where he could spend the day if he was tired of being indoors.

"At home we don't know what else to do," Nami said, rolling her eyes. "Being locked up in an apartment is much worse. Yesterday we walked the dog with Nojiko and took a few more laps"

"See! I'm not the only one!" Luffy yelled at the screen.

"Nami, don't do that please!" Chopper interjected. "It is better to take him out to pee and nothing else, even if you want to walk a little. It is dangerous to expose yourself"

"I know, I'm sorry… today we purchased some clothes online! They will send them home, so at least that was fun.

Underneath them all, Brook's black box formed into an image. The man was lying on the couch at home drinking tea and the computer seemed to be on his legs.

"Hello Brook!" Usopp greeted him, waving his hand effusively.

Brook saluted even though he wasn't looking at the camera.

"On the top of the notebook, Brook!" He indicated, laughing. Usopp gave him some classes to use the computer a few years ago and now he knew much better how it worked but he had never made video calls with it yet.

"Oh, there you are," said the older man, and he started laughing when he saw them all. "How are you guys?"

"Hello, Brook," Robin said with her kind smile. "We are fine, you?"

"Suuuuper bored over here," Franky added.

"I am grand," Brook replied, drinking his tea. "I am an average retiree, this was already my lifestyle"

Everyone laughed at his joke and Luffy saw behind Brook his guitar.

"Have you been practicing with the guitar?" He asked excitedly.

"Today I wanted to play something for you guys, if you let me."

"Yes!" Luffy yelled excitedly.

Brook was the older of the group, and therefore the most vulnerable to the disease, so he was confined to his home. Usopp lived close enough and did the groceries for him. He couldn't stay long, so he left the food at the door, greeted each other and left.

"By the way, thank you for today’s groceries, Usopp-san," he said with a smile and picked up his guitar.

The man might be old, but he was rocking like no other. In his youth he had been part of a band that became fairly well known. Franky had been a huge fan in his teens and had the entire Roringustonzu discography. Sabo also liked them so Luffy knew some songs, but Brook had done others that no one else knew.

He played the song everyone liked best, Bink’s Sake, an ode to the adventures they had created after a movie night at Franky’s and Robin's. They had seen Pirates of the Caribbean and fantasized about being pirates until the wee hours. Their version ended up being much better than the movie.

Everyone applauded when he finished playing. They had sung in chorus, which with the delay came late to all the computers and made a mess of sound that made the moment even more delirious and fun. Brook bowed and laughed with them.

"Hey, Brook!" Sanji called out as he smoked. "How’s Laboom?"

Brook got up from his seat and took the computer to the fish tank in a corner of the house, where the little goldfish he had had for years danced to the tune he had just finished.

"Here he is, his food comes by online delivery, so he is kept fed," he replied.

Luffy greeted Laboom as if the fish could hear or recognize him, but everyone else did too.

"What about your dog, Luffy?" Chopper asked, poking his nose very close to the screen.

"Get a little further from the computer, Chopper," Zoro warned him. The boy pushed away the computer.

"Sorry, my books had fallen and I was arranging them."

Luffy lifted his pet off the ground and brought it closer to the screen.

"Say hello, Shushu." The dog barked at the camera and everyone interpreted it as a greeting. "I think he is the only one who has a good time because nobody leaves the house"

"Same thing happens to me," Nami said with a smile.

The noise of a door was heard but they could not identify which camera it came from, until Perona appeared in Zoro's camera, behind everything, peeking out of the frame of the room.

"Food’s ready!" She yelled in her bossy tone. Sanji straightened up and began to greet her effusively.

"Hello, Perona-chan!" He shouted with bright eyes and Zoro glanced at him with a murderous face. "Do you want me to send you free food from the restaurant?"

Nami covered her face with shame. Luckily Sanji had understood, at least, that he couldn't flirt with her and Robin, because they were his friends, but that didn't stop him from going after Zoro's sister.

"That would be great!" Perona cried contentedly in her high-pitched voice, and Zoro shoved her out of her room.

"I'll go, now get out," he snapped annoyed.

Luffy laughed because the antics of his two friends always made him laugh. In the corner of his computer, a WhatsApp Web sign popped out. It was a message from Law.

[3/28 8:46 p. m.] Torao: Hello Luffy-ya

are you free?

"Torao wrote to me!" Luffy shouted happily with the cell phone in his hand and showed them to his friends.

"Send him greetings!" Nami shouted.

"Tell him to call me later," Chopper added. "I have a bunch of things to ask him"

Law was Chopper's tutor at the university, but when classes were suspended, so were face-to-face meetings with tutors and study sessions in the library. Everything had turned towards virtual meetings. However, in a complicated pandemic situation like this, and Law as a doctor, he had a lot of work in the hospital and could not pay as much attention to his little student.

"Okay, I think he wants to make a video call with me."

"Don't let things get too heated, Luffy!" Nami raised her eyebrows and started laughing out loud. Robin covered her mouth, giggling.

"Be careful, you live with your brothers!" Franky said very seriously.

Luffy felt his face going red because of his friends’ teasing, but he looked at the cell phone hoping that Law would write to him again. He had told him that he was there and that if he wanted to talk, his computer was on.

Instead of an answer, a video call notification came through.

"He’s calling me!" He announced happily. "Okay, guys, we’ll chat later, okay?"

His friends greeted him and said goodbye to him. Luffy closed that session and opened Law's video call. The screen showed the doctor in a huge box. He was in his apartment, surely he had just returned from work, although due to his clothes, he had already changed.

"Torao!" Luffy yelled happily. They hadn't seen each other in person in weeks. Law worked a lot in the hospital and even before the quarantine began he didn't want Luffy to see him in case he could infect him.

"How are you Luffy-ya?" He asked with a smile. That kind of sideways, very soft smile that Law only gave when he was relaxed and calm.

"Fine, bored, but I just talked to the guys and it was fun seeing them," he replied with a smile. "How about you? Have you just arrived from work?"

"Yes, I showered and left the clothes on the balcony with disinfectant. Today was a long day at the hospital."

"Why? Many new cases?" He asked curiously. "I hope you are taking care of yourself!"

Law laughed and the sound of his deep voice was refreshing. There were days when he was so stuffed with work that they couldn't even call each other. Luffy missed him very much.

“We confirmed five cases at North Blue"

Luffy saw him move around the house, it seemed that he had called him from his cell phone. Law sat at the kitchen counter and began to drink coffee.

"Shachi took care of two and I saw only one," he continued informing him. All of Law's friends were from the hospital, so he got to see them often.

Luffy envied that, at least a little.

"The ones we took care of are young and have no previous illnesses, so they will be fine. I investigated the other two cases and they are more complicated, but my prognosis is not bad. They were taken to Dressrosa’s hospital, which was built for patients with the virus specifically."

Luffy liked to hear Law speak, even though he didn't understand half the things he was saying. He knew that Law was a fairly prestigious doctor and that he was running for the position of North Blue’s director . Luffy wasn't sure if he wanted Law to have such an important position, because it would mean even less time than what he already had, but it would also get him out of that front line in which he was so exposed to the virus at the moment.

But he knew that, in the end, Law would do whatever he wanted and considered best. Luffy would do the same in his position.

"Do you wear the facial mask and the gloves?"

"We always wear them, Luffy-ya."

He laughed at his answer, because it was true. However, he was surprised to see his face so red around the eyes and with some injuries and irritated areas.

"Why are you so hurt?" He asked with a frown. He focused his eyes better.

Law touched his face and looked into his camera.

"Because of the use of the equipment," he replied, massaging his face. "The masks are tight and cover the entire face. In addition we have the face masks and the whole suit. Using them so much irritates the skin"

Luffy clicked his tongue, because he didn't like seeing him hurt, but he understood that it was needed to take care of himself too.

"Does it hurt much?"

Law shook his head and took a sip of his coffee.

"No, it just burns a little. I'll put on some moisturizer later. Don't worry, it's nothing"

He had seen Law many times when he was working, before the pandemic. Luffy liked to pick him up at the hospital and go eat somewhere. Sometimes he passed Law's friends and greeted each other. Luffy liked them very much.

He missed that.

"Don't be sad," he heard him say. He raised his head to see the screen. Law was really good at reading him, mainly because he knew him very well. Just as Luffy had managed to break him apart and know all of his reactions. "I am not the most optimistic of all, you know that, but I am confident that we will get out of this situation. The isolation is temporary, remember it"

Luffy complained as always, jaded just like a whimsical child.

"I'm very tired of being home", he groaned. " I wanna see my friends, go play soccer, see you. It's not fair"

Law looked at him with a warmer smile. It wasn't a common sight, but Luffy liked when he got to see it, though it usually meant that he was sad and Law did it to cheer him up.

"No, it isn't," he agreed. "It isn't, especially, for those who get sick or for those who cannot see their loved ones who are sick"

Law always helped him get everything in perspective. If he thought it that way, Law was right. He didn't know what he would do if any of his friends, brothers or Law became ill.

"I know, you're right, but Sabo won't even let me go get the groceries!" He protested.

"He knows you would go too far if he let you out," he replied, laughing.

"Why can't I stay with you during the quarantine?" He said with a whimsical pout.

"Because I work and I already put myself at risk, I don't want to risk you too."

He knew it. It made sense. But it was difficult to stay still locked up in his house when his nature was so free and adventurous.

"I miss you too, Luffy-ya," he said quietly, looking directly at him on camera. "I don't work early tomorrow so we can talk till late. Want to see a movie?"

He felt like a child when Law spoke to him like that, but he also liked him thinking of things to do with him.

"Okay, we can use Netflix Party," Luffy added. "It’s the extension that I told you about the other day, to watch Netflix at the same time. We used it with the guys the other day to watch the last movie of Pirates of the Caribbean."

"Okay, I’ll install it, what do you want to watch?""

"Not Grey's Anatomy, please," Luffy asked, rolling his eyes. "I don’t understand anything..."

"Okay, not series. A movie? An anime?"

Luffy went through the Netflix catalog looking at what they could see. Action movies, some interesting series, and anime.

"Zoro recommended Kingdom, the South Korean series. Usopp is watching Dr. Stone, maybe you like that, he's a scientist like you, Torao!"

Law laughed from the other side of the camera and put on the headphones to hear Luffy better.

"We can also see Kimetsu no Yaiba…"

"Shachi told me it's not that good," Law said.

Luffy looked back at the camera and saw his boyfriend on the couch with headphones and a blanket. He really wanted to be there, in that same tiny space. Cuddling.

"Kingdom sounds fine to me, but it's a series, doesn't bother you?" " Law asked.

Luffy wasn’t a series lover because he didn't have much perseverance to watch them. If he got bored in a chapter, he generally didn't watch more or forgot to follow it. But Zoro told him that ‘Kingdom’ had a lot of action and that he would surely like it.

"We’ll give it a try and see if we like it."

"Okay," Law replied. "I already have the extension, so we can see it whenever you want."

Luffy looked in his closet for a snack bag that he kept there for these moments and moved to bed with the computer.

"You look good like that, Torao," he praised him with an insinuating smile and Law felt a little nervous.

He wasn't used to Luffy's advances on him, no matter how much he always did it. He coughed and settled into the couch.

"If you go stray, we're not going to watch the series ..." he warned when his voice returned.

Luffy laughed as if he had made a prank. He opened the app and the series to play at the same time and put on the headphones.

"What's wrong with it?" He asked innocently. "You said we could stay up late."

Law put play before Luffy made him feel more embarrassed and started the series.

That night they went to bed at three in the morning. It was customary for Luffy to fall asleep late and more in quarantine when he had nothing to do. He made Law promise that they would speak the next day when he returned. Now that he couldn't see him, like his friends, he wanted to make a video call even more often with him.

When the pandemic passes, Luffy will take care of filling his schedule visiting all his friends, playing soccer and sleeping a lot with Torao on his couch; where they were tight and uncomfortable, but very close. So that it never occurs to any fucking virus to want to separate them.

[oldies-enthusiast]

She’s A Sensation: Ch. 1 | Marty McFly x reader

A/N: Hey guys! So basically, I’m in the middle of one of my many BTTF marathons & since I’m clearly In The Mood™️, I decided to bless your feed with some Marty McFly content.

The name of the band in this story is inspired by my favourite band, Psihomodo Pop from Zagreb, Croatia & their song Sexy Magazin.

Have a great day! —Ally xx

Chapter 2

For as long as you can remember, you’ve loved music with inexplicable passion. Some of your earliest memories involve blasting out The Sweet’s Ballroom Blitz on your old radio & jamming out to it with your dad. Your parents noticed you had talent when you would sing or hum absent-mindedly while dressing up your Barbie dolls or playing outside.

You got your first guitar at the age of 13, but your parents couldn’t afford guitar lessons as well. You spent that whole summer saving up for the lessons & finding all sorts of ways to make money, which sounds easier than it was for a 13-year-old, though. Most of the time you would walk dogs for other people, mow their lawns or babysit little kids when needed. Old ladies were especially fond of you & made sure to pay you a dollar or two extra when you carried groceries for them. It wasn’t the hardest work, but it definitely was a fair responsibility given how young you were.

On the other hand, you’d been dreaming of playing the guitar for years beforehand and that’s why you were so determined.

When the day of your first lesson arrived, you were ecstatic. Playing the guitar turned out to be a lot more difficult than you’d thought it was going to be, but your enthusiasm never subsided. It required talent, patience & hard work, and you had it all. You got better and better with each day.

Sophomore year of high school you made friends with some cool guys who liked punk and glam metal and you started playing together soon after. At first, it was only for fun. You would goof around on your instruments pretending you were Iggy Pop or Joan Jett; at parties people would sometimes ask you to play something & that was when you first realized that as a group, you sounded really good. By the end of the school year, you were officially a band.

Your main influences were the Ramones & Alice Cooper. First you started as a cover band and soon began to write and play your own stuff. You’d been searching for a proper band name for weeks before you agreed to be called Sexy Magazine. The main theme you represented combined proto-punk style with shock rock elements. What you actually were was intimidating, and that’s how you chose the name—you really wanted to shock people.

One morning, you saw the announcement for the rock band audition at your school. You knew that with the name you had and songs you played you wouldn’t even stand a goddamn chance. After all, the school was looking for a group that would play at the upcoming dance and there was no way in hell a bunch of punks singing taboo shit would win—which was exactly why you signed up. All four of you thought it would be hilarious to walk up on stage and see how long it would take the judges to cut off the ultimate atrocity that you were.

On the day of the audition, you arrived somewhat early because you wanted to take a look at other bands. While you were hanging around, checking out the music and waiting for your name to be called, some cute guy in denim brushed hurriedly past you, slipping his guitar strap over one shoulder and heading to the front. His bandmates were already onstage. He walked up to the microphone, cleared his throat and said:

“We’re, uh... We’re The Pinheads.”

The Ramones’ Pinhead immediately started playing in your head and within an instant, all your attention was on those guys.

You were surprised to find out they weren’t going to play any Ramones. Instead, they started playing a thing you quickly recognized—it was The Power Of Love by Huey Lewis & The News.

And actually, they sounded amazing.

If this was a fair, honest-to-God rock band audition, these guys would make for some serious competition, you thought to yourself.

To your complete and utter shock, the judge stood up with a loudspeaker and cut them off within the first guitar riff. You couldn’t believe your ears.

Too darn loud?? It was a rock band audition, for crying out loud! Since when’s rock ‘n’ roll supposed to be soft?

The guy in denim looked disappointed. He quickly gathered his stuff and descended.

You honestly felt sorry for them because they sounded great and didn’t even get a proper chance. After that, it was almost final: you weren’t going to make it past five seconds on that stage, but you decided to go for it anyway.

You had agreed to play a song you wrote together called The Midnight Hour, which was basically the Cinderella story full of more or less subtle dirty references. You did have butterflies in your stomach despite the fact that you were there just for kicks. But as soon as you grabbed the mic and started singing, the feeling faded away—it was like an instant transformation.

You didn’t even notice how far into the song you’ve come and before you knew it, it was over and people were cheering, their voices snapping you back to reality. You exchanged incredulous glances with your friends, your breath caught in your throat. Even the judges seemed impressed. In fact, you saw the one with the glasses whisper something to the guy next to him, who nodded and immediately turned to the rest of them.

You thought it was all a joke. You couldn’t believe they’d let you play in the first place! This was the exact opposite of what you’d planned on doing. As much as you hated to admit it, you felt a wave of excitement wash over you as you watched the audience applauding with joy.

You sticked around for a short while afterwards and pretty soon the judges arose from their seats and signaled for everyone to gather around. They’d apparently decided on the winner.

“All right, everybody. Thank you all for participating. Your effort is appreciated. To be fair, we had a tough time choosing among so many great groups...”

A couple of kids exchanged amused looks and you heard faint snickering somewhere behind you. This guy talked like he was an actual game show host. It was ridiculous.

“...Congratulations to...”, he trailed off, taking a breath. When he spoke at last, it seemed as though he didn’t say, but spat out: “Sexy Magazine!”

Your bandmates started laughing in disbelief. You couldn’t seem to wrap your mind around what had just happened.

We won? Us?! We are going to play at the dance? 

A couple of kids came up to you to say congrats and tell you they’d really enjoyed the show. Some dude you recognized from earlier who looked as if he was high all of the time, the lead singer of some mediocre blues rock band, gave you a slow nod and a high-five and then proceeded to disappear somewhere in the crowd.

You turned around, searching the room for a specific face, but not his. You were trying to spot the one in denim, the Pinhead.

He was standing on the other end of the hall with his back to you, packing up his guitar. You pushed your way through the crowd, trying to reach him before he left. He unexpectedly turned around just as you were going to tap him on the shoulder.

“Hi”, you said, pulling your arm back.

He started, his brows furrowed. “Oh, uh... Hey.”

You wondered how come you hadn’t realized he had such beautiful eyes. Up close, he looked much more handsome than you’d thought at first.

“So, uh, I guess I just wanted to tell ya that I saw you play and you were really good. I mean, you sounded almost like Huey Lewis himself!”

You swore you saw a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he scratched his head nervously, shifting from one foot to the other.

“Well, thanks, but, uh... We didn’t play much, to be fair.”

“I know! I was really pissed when they cut you off like that. And then they let us play!”

He smiled uneasily and you thought he didn’t believe you.

“I’m not trying to sell you that fake modesty bullshit, I really think you guys were awesome. I was so angry they made you stop before the first verse. I wish I’d been able to hear you sing.”

His smile now grew bigger and more sincere as he locked his eyes on yours.

“Thank you”, he said, “it really means a lot. And, well, uh, congrats to you... I mean, you rocked that stage for real!”

You chuckled, feeling your cheeks redden all of a sudden. “Thanks! My name’s [Y/N], by the way.”

He shook your hand with a grin. “Nice to meet you, [Y/N]. I’m Marty, Marty McFly.”

The warm look in his eyes made your heart flutter. He was clumsy in a cute sort of way. He’d almost dropped his guitar case when he took your hand, which made you both laugh awkwardly.

“I ought to join my friends now, but it’s been real nice talking to you. I guess I’ll see you around, then”, you said, trying to sound casual.

“Yeah, sure thing. Thanks again. See you around, [Y/N]!”, he smiled and waved before he left.

You turned slowly and walked back over to your bandmates, trying to hide how flustered you were. His eyes and his laugh were the only things you could think about at that moment.

Marty? Such a nice name...

[warriorteam1924]

Music is my savior (Part 29)

Author note : Hello my beauties !! Thursday today so Part 29 is ready. This is really almost the end. This is incredible, I’m almost crying. This journey, just like MC’s, is merely unbelievable, I just can believe it. Thanks so much for all the support and the feedback, you are all very sweet and kind. Sis, as always, my number one fan, I love you ^^

 Summary : Reader had been chosen to be bassist on the Bohemian Rhapsody set. Reader’s journey carries on as she get to actually work on the set with everyone, and she gets more responsibilities. After a little trouble with a colleague, some entertainment with friends, the accomplishment of a special project, reader’s having fun.... But for how long? Feelings are coming reader’s way.... Yet, the adventure continues....

 Word Count :  3,010 words

 Warnings : This should be okay, even if they are certainly still mistakes

 Tagging : @crazyweirdocalledfriday​ @reavenedges-lies​ @mercurycrowley​ @multifandom-fiasco​

Permanent Taglist : @anotheronebitesthedick (it seems this is not working properly.......??? >< )

Part 29 : The millionaire waltz

 You were in an absolute bubble. Round and perfectly shaped. Soft and reassuring. Warm and cosy. Welcoming and comfortable. You had already been kissed before, and also once by a quite a lot drunk Joe Mazzello after the wrapping party of the movie Bohemian Rhapsody. But this time, on this little stage, it was as if the world had stopped around you. Joe was holding you in his arms, really tight, and he was kissing you. This certainly did not last more than seconds but it seems to you it lasted forever. And for once, it was a good forever. Joe was an excellent kisser but it also seemed he was trying to demonstrate how much he had been longing for this moment with his lips. It was absolutely perfect and again, all the problems in your little existence seemed really far away.

 Joe and you were still holding each other in this moment of intense love when you felt someone tapping on your shoulder. You did not want to leave Joe’s warm embrace but you knew you still were in the middle of the stage, and it would have been really rude to ignore the person.

 “Is a third wheel still welcomed?”, Ben asked looking at you as he opened his arms for a hug.

 You were about to hug him when Joe stepped towards him to place his arms around him and hold him tight, making everyone laugh. Ben hugged his friend but quickly quited his arms to jump in yours, lifting you and making you turn.

 “Ben, what are you doing?”, you asked him.

 “Bub, I’m so happy for you !!!”, he said as he put you down, kissing your cheek. “I’m glad I made this happen.”, he confessed.

 “You?”, Joe raised his eyebrows.

 “Well, Bri and Rog told me she was going to give this gig and I arranged everything for us to be here right on time.”, he explained, giving his partner on screen a little bow.

 “What?”, you demanded.

 “Oh, no you did not do such a thing?”, Joe carried on, pretending to be shocked.

 “Ugh. Guys?”, someone said.

 You turned and saw Rick coming shyly closer, holding a mic in his hand.

 “Sorry to interrupt, but we are in the middle, well it’s ending now, but.... the gig is not over and everybody is staring at you.”, he pointed out.

 The three of you suddenly looked at the audience, and you noticed many faces seemed a little puzzled by what was happening. Rick was right and the gig needed a proper end. You grabbed your bass again, put the strap around your shoulder and apologized in Rick’s mic. The latter announced the following song and your little band eventually concluded this gig for the ‘Mercury Phoenix Trust’, under thunder of applause. Ben and Joe were standing on the side of the stage, not wanting to interrupt again, but they were applauding as well. As the three members of your band and you had agree, the four of you bowed and waved at the audience just like the band Queen did at the end of their performance for the Live Aid. You thought is was a beautiful way to pay tribute to the legendary band, but also make a nod to the movie about the musicians and lead singer Freddie Mercury, as this was the very last scene of the movie.

 At the end of the show, people came to see your little band to have more information about music and Queen, some of them even asking for autographs. You thought it was a bit weird as the four of you were no real professional performers, but you sighed in relief when Joe gave you a nod and you saw him and Ben signing notebooks or mere pieces of paper and taking photos with the spectators.

 At the end of the day, you were exhausted by so many emotions and only willed to get back home. Merely to rest. You were driving, Joe was seated next to you and was putting his hand on yours when it was lazyly resting on the gear lever. Ben was at the back of the car and was looking at his phone, and you could see in the rear-view mirror he was smiling like a child who had just made something stupid but had not been caught. Yet.

 “What are you doing Ben?”, you asked him, narrowing your eyes, yet staying focused on the road.

 “Nothing.”, he replied, putting his phone in his pocket.

 “I bet ten box he’s already told everyone what happened. Your phone will begin to ring within a few minutes....”, Joe joked.

 Yet, he was right. As usual when driving, your mobile was on its special stand. It rang and buzzed many times, to warn you you had received messages. You sighed and rolled your eyes.

 “Ben, it’s not as if I had found a cure to cancer.... There is no big deal, really...”, you started to say.

 “No big deal? No big deal? Well, you were not at the Academy Awards, this is for sure.”, Ben replied, saying no with his face. You glanced at Joe who shrugged his shoulders.

 “Well, we kinda made a bet with Ram, Lu, Gwil and Al, so, I was making sure to remind them what was the deal....”, Ben said, trying to sound casual.

 “Is it worth me asking what was the bet all about?”, you worriedly asked.

 “I think you’d better not....”, Joe whispered saying no with his face.

 You arrived in front of you little house and parked properly. Ben and Joe took their bags and you opened the door to let them in. As Ben had already been there, he made himself at home straight away, taking his shoes off, sitting on the couch.

 “Okay, this is my bed, but only for tonight. Tomorrow, I will find a hotel, to leave the two of you in peace.”, he said, making his eyelids flutter as he was looking towards the two of you.

 You rolled your eyes and proposed tea, as you headed to the kitchen. Joe followed you, still visiting the house. He sat at the kitchen table, quietly, seeming quite ill at ease. You noticed it and tried to reassure him.

 “Joe?”, you asked as you were putting biscuits and cups on the table.

 “Hum?”

 “Are you okay?”, you carried on.

 “Yeah, yeah. It’s just.... I’m.... Well, you... I mean we....”, he babbled.

 “Joe, calm down. Saying we love each other will change only a little between you and me okay. I don’t want you to change or do other things, like buying me flowers or chocolates all the time. I don’t need a little romantic message on the fridge everyday. I have fallen in love with the man you are Joe Mazzello, not a pathetic romantic imitation of those silly movies. I.... I love you, Joe, for all of you, with your qualities and your flaws.”, you explained.

 He looked at you and it seemed he was processing the information. You knew Joe had been cheated on and you understood he was nervous. You really were trying not to show it, but so were you. He suddenly frowned at you, making you raise your eyebrows.

 “What do you mean with your flaws? I don’t have flaws.”, he joked.

 “Hell, yes you do, mister.”, you affirmed.

 “Okay, I’m calling an impartial judge.... I have no choice.”, he carried on, shrugging his shoulders.

 “Joe, no, please don’t.”, you almost begged him, playing his game.

 “BEN ??!!! Y/N is assuming I have flaws.”, he shouted towards the living room.

 The blonde actor arrived in the kitchen and helped himself with a cookie as he sat down. The three of you carried on talking during the greater part of the night, laughing, joking, making fun of each other. The two actors also showed you some pictures and videos of them while they were promoting the movie. As you could not be with them in person, you were glad they were explaining all of this to you, because even if the whole Bohemian Rhapsody journey was now over, it was still something really dear to your heart. The whole adventure had allowed you to meet your idol, to play with the most talented musicians on the planet, to find wonderful friends. And most importantly, you thought as you were looking at Joe talking about Japan in an animated way, smiling and holding your hand, it had brought you love, in the most spontaneous and unexpected way.

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

  Ben had stayed several days with Joe and you, staying in a hotel for the nights, but he had eventually gone back to England. He had pretended Gwilym had asked if they could meet to play golf. You had not believed him, but you knew he merely wanted to leave you and Joe alone, just like the rest of the cast did for Rami and Lucy.

 Joe and you were left on your own then. You still were working in the little restaurant, leaving the actor with puppy eyes at the door, as he did not want you to go. Once you came back from work, he often asked you to play some riffs or to listen to Queen music as you would carry on explaining who wrote it, the meaning of the lyrics or how the bass line was interesting for you.

 Even if you had now only one job, your days were always busy. Joe was a poor cooker, unlike Ben, who was giving his best for the two or three of you to have delicious meals. Joe had merely given up when his first attempt had resulted in the three of you eating plain bread for dinner. During the days, you would work, cook and also play music. Spend time with Joe was the best part of it. When looking at you, merely speaking, as always moving his hands in his very way, or the two of you playing games on console, you were always smiling. You could not believe this was actually happening to you.

 During the nights, Joe was holding you tight, as if he was afraid you would disappear. As you were really busy during the days, when you were not sleeping at nighttime, sometimes because Joe was snoring too loud in your ear, you were thinking. Way too much for sure, but you could not help it. You were happy, there was no denial, but you were also terrified deep inside.

 You stood up and headed to the kitchen to have a glass of water, making sure you would not wake Joe up. You sighed as you tried to reassure yourself. It would be fine, no matter what because you knew the two of you loved each other. Yet, those thoughts were running in your mind and it was really hard to get rid of them.

 You sat in the couch with your glass of water, in the dark, looking nowhere in particular. You had taken with you your notes. When Joe had come back to you, as the two of you shared the same bed again, you had remembered the riff. Your riff. The piece of paper had been laying in the drawer since you had come back home. You had not found time to carry on. Nor the energy as you had two jobs back then. And you had to admit you had not found inspiration either.

 You were in total darkness, with your glass of water in one hand and the piece of paper in the other. Yet, you did not need light. The notes were certainly clearer in your mind than they were when you had composed them on your bass guitar. Again, you remembered Joe filming you, first to make fun, but resulting in him giving you the best gift ever. You composing music.

 “Y/N?”, you heard from the bed room.

 “I’m in the living room, in the couch.”, you replied. Joe’s footsteps came closer and he pumped in a wall.

 “Damn.... Sorry my love, I’m still not used to your house it seems.”, he said, rubbing his arm.

 “Hold on, I’m switching the light on,”, you told him as you stood up and headed to the switch.

Joe was in the middle of the corridor, unruly haired, which made you sweetly smile. The two of you sited back on the couch, as you put your glass of water and the paper on the little coffee table.

 “Are you okay, my love?”, he asked you, trying not to yawn.

 “I am, yes. Sorry, I just could not sleep.”, you replied.

 “Do I snore too loud? I’m sorry, I’m sure there are medicines I can take....”, he hastily stated.

 “You do snore Joe, but it’s not the most disturbing sound in the world. In fact, it notifies me of your presence next to me so, it’s quite reassuring.”, you confessed.

 “Good to know....”, he laughed. “Tell me, love. What’s happening? I can see something is bothering you.”, he said as he took your hand.

 “I’m.... I’m scared. Not scared like I’ve seen a horror movie. Like terrified.”, you whispered.

 “Terrified?”, he repeated.

 “Joe, I have no idea what the future, well, what our future will be....?”, you tried to explain.

 “What do you mean?”, he frowned a little.

 “What are we going to do? I mean I live and work here and you live in New York and your agent can call you for another movie.... and....”, you started to say.

 “Wow wowow. Y/N.... Calm down....”, he told you, as you were lowering your head. “Look at me.”, he carried on as he took you chin for you to meet his glance. “I’m not going anywhere right now. I mean, I’ve been away from you for a few weeks and never have I felt this lonely. I want you by my sides. I need you by my sides.”, he stated.

 “But Joe, I’m not an actress nor a famous person.... Nor am I....”, you tried to explain.

 “God, Y/N. I don’t care. I-.... I have fallen in love with you. Not because you were someone else. Because you are Y/N. Merely Y/N. I know it may sound negative when I say merely, but it’s not....”, he announced, gesturing a little, making you smile. “There is the sweetest smile on earth.”, he whispered, caressing your cheek. “When we were apart, I was often listening to a song, and....”, he started to say.

 “Go ahead...”, you encouraged him.

 “I was picturing you and I dancing together.... I was longing for your arms and your embrace.”, he confessed, blushing.

 “Joe, I’m no dancer.”, you affirmed.

 “Y/N, you taught me how to move like Deaky for the movie, and we won four Academy Awards, don’t tell me you don’t know how to dance.”, he joked.

 “Making you move like my idol is not dancing, Joe.”, you stated. “And what song was it?”

 “It was.... Don’t make fun of me....”, he warned you.

 “I promise I won’t.”, you reassured him.

 “It was by Queen obviously as you offered me whole collection of their CDs.... It’s the millionaire waltz....”, he explained, smiling.

 “Oh my god....”

 “Don’t you like this song?”,  he asked.

 “Of course, I do. It’s Queen. But Joe, it’s a waltz. How on earth could you picture me dancing.... A waltz?”, you questioned.

 “No one ever taught you?”, he asked you back. You looked at him, saying no with your face. He stood up and offered his hand for you to take it.

 “You are a pretty good dancer, Y/N. You’ve proven it at the wrapping party. You taught me how to play John Deacon and how to play bass guitar, now let me teach you how to dance a proper waltz.”, he said, as he was looking for the song on his phone, and set it up to play it in a loop.

 “Joe, it’s the middle of the night.....”, you pointed out.

 “Who cares?”, carried on.

 You shrugged your shoulders and stood up. He placed your hands properly and explained how the three time tempo worked to dance.

 “You’re a musician, Y/N, you’ll get the time thing in.... no time”, he said laughing at his own joke.

 The first try was an epic fail, but Joe had decided he would not give up. After several tries, he was right. You understood quite rapidly how it worked and eventually, the two of you were dancing in the middle of the living room, in pyjamas, in the middle of the night.

 “This is how you make me feel, Y/N.”, he said at the end of yet another loop of the song. “Like a millionaire.”, and he kissed you.

 “Okay, let’s go back to bed, now you’ve proven you can teach me how to dance.”, you told him, as you gave him another kiss.

 “Why? I’m not tired anymore....”, he said like a child.

 “Cause, I’ve got to work tomorrow.”, you said as you headed to the bedroom.

 “Quit.”

 “What?”, you asked as you turned to him.

 “Just quit this job.... Damn, Y/N.... Is it what you want to do in your life? Be a waitress?”, he questioned you, very seriously.

 “There is nothing wrong in being a waitress....”, you pointed out.

 “I know, this is not what I mean. My point is, you are skilled in music, and this is what makes you live. Just quit this job and surrender to music. Playing and writing.”, he said as he pointed the piece of paper on the coffee table with your notes on it.

 “I.... I don’t know.”, you confessed. “Inspiration is really hard to get.”

 “Okay, I may not be a Queen expert like you, but you taught me one thing. Deaky had written songs for his wife right?”, he asked.

 “Correct.”, you answered.

 “Okay then. I’m not your husband for sure.... but Y/N....”, he said as he placed himself on the couch, entirely laying. “Sing me like one of your french girls.”

Part 28 : Coming Soon  //  Part 30 : My life has been saved

[mslanna]

This Is The Best Day Ever

I started a modern day Witcher AU and I don’t think it’ll go anywhere. So have a start if you like. Jaskier has an emo punk band and Ciri drags her dad along as chaperone to see them...

"Dad!" Cirilla wailed in indignation. "I am almost fourteen! I can go to a concert on my own."

"Over my dead body." Geralt crossed his arms. The he looked his wife. Yennefer's grin said clearly that she would not be the one accompanying Ciri.

"Alright. I'll get us tickets."

"You will only embarrass me," Ciri objected.

"He won't," Yennefer assured her. "Your dad is too tall to stand in the first row with you. So he will be a good boy and keep at the side."

"Are you sure?" Ciri was not convinced.

"Or we all just stay at home," Geralt offered.

"No." Ciri decided instantaneously. "Oh my god, I don't know what to wear! I need to call Dara right now."

Geralt watched his daughter rush from the room, hand already groping for her mobile. "I hope you know what you are doing," he said to his wife.

"Of course I am." Yennefer smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "After all it is not I who is going to an emo punk concert with our daughter."

Geralt grunted. She had him there.

                                        *            *                *

Looking over the crowd streaming into the venue, Geralt was regretting his decision already. There was way too much black for a crowd that age and way to few parents. As soon as he had made sure Cirilla know hoe to signal to him to get her out of the crowd, the girl had run off. Now and then he could see her blonde curls bopping up in the crowd trying to squeeze three hundred people into the first row.

Had he known what kind of music Buttercups, Almost Dandelions made, he would have taken steps to ensure Cirilla did not get into that. Now he and Yennefer had to put a foot down to keep her from dyeing her hair black.

There was nowhere to get a drink and nowhere to sit down either. Grumbling Geralt stood at the side of the hall, leaning against the bare wall. The noise wasn't as bad as expected. The supporting act was doing okay taking into consideration that the whole hall was full of people who had come to see somebody else entirely.

The moment the lights went out in anticipation of the main act, the noise did turn out unbearable. No more concerts without era plugs, Geralt decided. He would have to think of a way Ciri could not remove them though. He grunted.  Something to occupy his mind with for the next hour.

If one could think over this noise that was. A single spotlight had come up, raising the pitch of the screaming at least one octave.

Then a sliver of a person stepped into the light and caused the noise-death of the universe. It was probably Mr Buttercup himself. Again, Geralt would have expected a little more yellow on the guy. With his elaborate outfit, he would have been at home on any gothic ren fair. Dark hair hung into his eyes, black outlined the eyes heavily.

The general screaming slowly converged into a coherent chant of 'Jaskier'. The man on the stage smiled slightly and stummed a minor chord. The hall fell silent in a heart beat.

"Hello," Jaskier smiled into the microphone, lips almost touching the metal. His hand came up from the guitar, cupping the microphone with the plectrum between his index finger and thumb. "How are you feeling tonight?"

It was an invitation for the maelstrom of noise to return. Geralt prodded his right ear, trying to hold on to a shred of his sense of hearing. He needn't have bothered. A lazy chord later the stage lit up with more spot lights, revealing the remainder of the bouquet and the music started for real.

If you wanted to call it music. If you could actually discern any of it from the tapestry of screaming it was fighting against. Geralt hoped Cirilla had better acoustics in the front row with fewer screaming teenagers between her and the band. He doubted it.

Jaskier knew how to handle a crowd though. Even if it was a crowd of hormone-addled teenagers. The singer managed to quite them all down for a slow number about lonely white wolves. Quite a feat. Ignoring the occasional howl imitation.

Geralt could have done with a few more ballads. The hall was almost bearably noisy and Jaskier actually had an agreeable singing voice. He was admittedly difficult to hear above the roaring crowd.

Geralt wondered how Ciri was doing in the squash zone. But so far she hadn't signalled for extraction. She was probably so high on hormones that reality would take a day or two to get back through to her. Such was life. Adolescence happened only once. Something to be grateful for, no doubt.

The concert dragged on. Geralt did his best to no peer at his watch. He certainly didn't stop tapping the beat guiltily with a foot. Taking the overall youth music scene into consideration, this could have gone a lot worse.

The last song came on. Geralt applauded because it was finally over. The audience disagreed vocally. Waves of noise broke against the stage, taking bodies with it. Medics kept pulling people from the crowd. The lights did not go on. With a sigh Geralt resigned to the encore. And the second encore which led to the crowd howling the song about the wolf again and which got them a third encore.

Geralt peered at his watch after all and had to realise he hadn't lost as much time of his life as he had thought. The crowd was bouncing in unison, accelerating towards a shattering crescendo. He didn't wait for that when a familiar figure was lifted over the heads of the fans, drifting towards the medics. Long blonde locks trailed behind her.

Getting to the front of the hall, even at the very side was difficult. Small bodies blocked the way and there was no way to push them aside without risking serious damage. Cirilla was carried away to the other side of the stage, too. Cursing, Geralt reversed direction. He was just getting to where he had been on the other side of the hall, when the lights did come on. That did not actually convince the audience to scatter appropriately or make his way towards the stage any easier.

By the time he reached the barricade, all medical personnel had vanished. Reaching out, Geralt grabbed the next stage hand passing by. "Where are the children?"

The stage hand understood without needing further encouragement. He pointed to a door a little further down the hall. But when Geralt started to move in that direction, he did try to stop him. "You can't go backstage," he said valiantly.

"Yeah?" Geralt tilted his head. "Watch me."

To the horror of everybody watching, he climbed over the barricade, storming off to the indicated. A security man approaching him was grabbed by the arm. "Good," Geralt growled. "You know the way to medical. I want my daughter. Now."

After a few turns, Geralt suspected that this was not the way to the medical part at all. Shoving the security guard away with a frustrated grunt, he stormed back down the corridor. Signs would have been helpful. Maybe they had been taken down again already.

Judging from the steps speeding up behind him, the security guard had decided to take up pursuit. Geralt stepped it up a notch, turning around a few corners in the hopes of finally finding the medic and maybe losing the tail.

A door opened and another small black figure stepped into his path. Geralt pushed it away. At least he tried to, only to find his hand taken hold off, trapped neatly on the chest it had pushed against.

"Now if that isn't my song come to life," Jaskier said agreeably. He waved the guard away lazily giving Geralt a second once-over.

Geralt snorted. "Where is my daughter?"

"I have not taken on any daughters," the singer replied easily. "But when we find her, I might be open to a few grateful words."

"Useless," Geralt growled, barely keeping from rolling his eyes.

"Says the man with a hammer to the screw," Jaskier said.

"What do you want?"

"I?" The singer laughed. "It was you who barraged into my place, laying hand on me. Let's get that correct for starters."

"I am only looking for my daughter." Geralt freed his hand.

"And if you stopped your boorish behaviour for just long enough to let me take the lead, I am certain we would have arrived where the medics put up care long ago." Jaskier began to walk slowly, giving Geralt time to make up his mind. "You realise there is a central information point in front of the hall where you can get escorted to you daughter if she's in medical care, right?"

Geralt grunted non-committal.

"Of course this is the much more scenic route," Jaskier kept the conversation going as if Geralt was actually participating. "You get to see me after all. A much more charming company than a medical escort."

Another snort.

"You are most eloquent. A pity that our journey shall soon come to an end. Allow me to write a song about it."

Geralt stopped short, forcing the smaller man to take a step back under the force of the index finger rammed into his chest. "Don't you dare." Taking a deep breath he stepped back. The only thing worthy of song way Cirilla and his wife. But he would certainly not encourage the obnoxious. fool.

"You're right." Jaskier puled at his black shirt. "I'd never get all those elaborate grunts right."

Geralt took another deep breath and forced a neutral expression. "I will now get-"

"Your daughter, yes yes," Jaskier interrupted. "She should be here any moment now. I had sent for her."

"You what?"

"It's my place for tonight." Jaskier winked. "Has to have a few perks."

At that very moment, light footfall became audible down the corridor and around a corner.

"Ciri?" Geralt called ignoring Jaskier who was still explaining something.

"Dad!" Cirilla bounded around the corner towards her father.

He softened visibly. Seeing his daughter well and happy brought a lenient expression to his face. The love for his Ciri was written over Geralt's face in warm, fuzzy letters of insurmountable size.

At his side, Jaskier fell silent.

In the corridor, Cirilla stopped in mid-step. "Dad?" Her eyes wandered from her father to the singer standing next to him, a whirlwind of emotions crossing over her whole figure.

"Well, the family resemblance is obviously," Jaskier squinted, "somewhere."

"Dad?" Cirilla asked, the question dripping from her gaze into her tone.

"Oh, that, yeah." Geralt shrugged. "He ran into me when I was looking for you. Can't shake him." Geralt chose to ignore the indignant gasp from Jaskier as well as the unbelieving one from his daughter.

"That is-" Ciri couldn't finish.

"Yeah. Oh, right." Geralt put on the barest minimum of manners. "Jaskier, this is my daughter Cirilla. Ciri, this, well Jaskier. Does he have a last name? Do you have a last name? Do we need that?"

"Pleased to meet you," Cirilla got out.

Jaskier took the offered hand with a bow indicating a kiss on the back of it. "I can see your father passed on all his eloquence and manners to you."

Ciri blushed and caught between the urge to hid behind her father and bravely stand where she was, clutched at his side. Geralt dropped a protective arm over her shoulders automatically.

"We must leave," he growled pointedly.

"Oh, there you are again with no manners at all." Jaskier huffed. "Tell you father that this is very bad manners indeed, Cirilla. We have only just met and there he goes leaving already. Is he always impossible like that? I bet he is."

Ciri nodded a teenagers awareness of their parent's inherent cringyness on her expression.

"Her mother is waiting for us."

"Oh and now he is blaming it all on you mother." Jaskier lowered his tone consiprationally. "Does your mother know he does that?"

Ciri giggled and nodded.

"Well, that's probably okay then. And we will not leave her waiting. You go to the entrance," he waved in the general direction behind him, "and I'll be there in a moment. Decide on the take-out you want."

"We will certainly not have take-out for dinner or with you." Geralt put his foot down. It helped that he did not see Ciri's face.

"Rude," Jaskier replied.

Ciri nodded and took a brave step away from her father. "But he did buy me a guitar," she finally said, after fishing for a redeeming trait.

"So you are playing the guitar?" Jaskier asked Cirilla. "We must have a jam session then!"

"It is half past ten," Geralt cut the idea off.

"True." Jaskier's shoulders slumped shortly before he brightened suspiciously. "We will have to do that another time then, won't we?"

It was most dirty manoeuvre Geralt had ever seen. But the way Ciri's eyes lit up at the mere thought of playing guitar with her musical hero. Who would have the heart to quench that light?

"Take out is still standing, though," the singer said taking Cirilla's hand. "What do you feel like and where do you get it in this city?" When they reached Geralt, Jaskier just took the tall man's hand as well and kept walking. "As I said, wait at the entrance, security is informed. What do you think about Italian?"

"Why not." Ciri looked up at her father.

Geralt was a walking storm cloud, held in check by nothing but his daughter's elation. "I do not think that will help with me being upset."

"Maybe it will do something about you being so depressing?" Jaskier took a step backwards, putting Cirilla's hand into that of her father. "I'll be only a moment."

A few steps later, Cirilla had found the joke and started laughing.

"I'll call Yen and give her a heads up," Geralt rumbled, knowing he was beaten.

[parkerspicedlatte]

Disconnected-Chapter Four (Luke Hemmings)

Summary: In an alternate universe where everyone has a soulmate, Luke and his soulmate share the rarest of them all. Some people have matching tattoos, others feel each others pain/emotions, but mental connections are the least common. The connection that Luke and Lynn share is that they can hear whatever song the other is singing. When they are close together they will be able to hear each others voices but for the meantime, they can only hear the recorded versions.

Pairings: Luke Hemmings x Lynn Corby (OC)

Warnings: Content: bit of anxiety and mentions of injuries (barely enough to warrant a warning)

Featured Songs: If I Could (Jack Johnson)

“Break a leg!” Kylie told Lynn as the blonde walked up towards the small makeshift stage at the front of the bar. “Or you know, don’t. It might be embarrassing.”

“Maybe.” Lynn teased back. She stopped in front of the stage while one of the bartenders, Mitchy, set up the microphone stand.

“Well wasn’t that a treat?” Mitchy said to the crowd present, referring to the group of teen boys who had just finished playing. The small audience of about thirty people all put down their drinks to applaud as the two boys made their way off stage. The brunet looked about seventeen years old and so did the ginger. They had played a few originals and ended with an acoustic cover of Mike Posner’s ‘I Took a Pill in Ibiza.’ They did an amazing job on their songs; Lynn and Kylie were both impressed. The harmonising was perfect. Lynn would be lying if she said it hadn’t intimidated her a little. She wondered what it would be like to have somebody to play with, somebody who knew what they were doing and could critique her properly.  

“Next we’d like to introduce a new face to the stage. Let’s give a warm welcome to Lynn Corby from right here in Sadowa, Ontario.” announced Mitchy. She sweetly reached for Lynn’s hand to gently pull her up onto the small platform and position her beside the mic.

Lynn thanked her then leaned over to place her dark cherry coloured Martin guitar onto a stand a few feet away from herself. Stepping up to the microphone she saw that nearly the entire audience in the small bar was looking straight at her. Yikes. Lynn swallowed the nerves that were building up in the back of her throat and breathed in deeply. In the front of the audience Kylie stood, smiling widely, giving Lynn two thumbs up.

“Hi everyone, my name’s Lynn but I guess you already know that.” she finally said earning a few chuckles from the crowd. “This is actually my first time performing in front of anybody besides my roommate who has ever so kindly dragged me into here so I’m going to keep it short, I promise.”

“Woo Lynn!” Kylie shouted from the side of the stage causing the listeners to laugh again. That was something that Kylie was good for, she had the gift that made people laugh. She never failed to lighten situations and put everybody at ease, the gift that Lynn was extremely grateful for at the moment. Not only had Kylie set the light and positive mood in the audience, she’d also managed to calm her best friend’s nerves down slightly.

Behind the guitar stood a tambourine fastened to a kick drum, a weird concoction Lynn had thought of in the middle of the night after remembering seeing one with a tassel and license plate on pinterest the day before. She referred to it as her little hobbostomper. Lynn tightened the knob attached to the pedal and brought it out front, just a few inches back from the mic stand. Finally, she reached over and grabbed her guitar, slinging the strap over her body so that it rested on her left shoulder and left the guitar hanging just above her waist.

“Okay so this first one is a cover of a favourite of mine, it’s called If I Could by Jack Johnson. I hope you enjoy it.”

Lynn’s fingers started off on the fourth and fifth fret, then slid down to the seventh, eventually making their way up to the second and fourth and down again to the ninth. She continued the pattern twice before adding the beat from the kick drum into the melody. This time around, she closed her eyes and let the lyrics roughly flow from her mouth.

A brand new baby was born yesterday just in time

Papa cried baby cried said your tears are like mine

She took a second to look out into the audience to see their reactions; big mistake. Now the nerves that she had swallowed earlier had bubbled back again and weren’t going down. Lynn was so busy thinking about how nervous she was that she’d missed the next part in the song. Instead of going right to the next line, she kept picking the pattern and stomping on the pedal but she forgot to sing the lyrics. Lynn caught Kylie’s eye. Kylie gave her an encouraging smile, mouthing for her to keep going as she knew Lynn had made a mistake from hearing the song a million times before.

Realizing that the mistake could easily be fixed, Lynn hummed a little into the mic to introduce the next line as her bare, slender, fingers continued to slide back and forth between frets.

 I heard some words from a friend on the phone that didn’t sound so good

The doctors have him two weeks to live

I’d give him more if I could

 She let the beats and patterns repeat themselves again a few more times before she continued onto the chorus, feeling more nervous now than she had the whole night.

 You know that I would now,

If only I could

 Lynn tried to focus on the words playing in her head. She was trying desperately to not mess up noticeably.  Then suddenly the words felt more real to her, they felt like they were clearer, like they were right there in the front of her mind. The lyrics were coming to her strong when she realised that she wasn’t the only one singing the song.

Her blue eyes flew open and scanned the audience to see who was singing along but none were. An older couple were swaying along to the beat in the booth but not a single person was singing. There wasn’t even a single person lip-syncing. Then it hit her.

Luke, he’s singing the song with me!

Suddenly Lynn felt like she could burst from happiness. Her heart was exhilarated yet calmed at the realisation of what was going on in her head.

 You know that I would now,

If only I could

 The lyrics came out steady and in time with the beat. Lynn found a new courage take over her body as she began to sway back and forth to her own beat, all of her nerves dissolving into nothings as she closed her eyes and let the voice in her head take her through the song.

 Down the middle drops one more grain of sand

They say that new life makes losin’ life easier to understand

 It was as if she felt his lips move at the same time as hers; his tongue wrap around the same words. Never had Lynn felt so close to her soulmate, Luke, she’d never felt so close to Luke.

 Words are kind they help ease the mind I miss my old friend

And thou you gotta go we’ll keep a piece of your soul

One goes out one goes in

 You know that I would now,

If only I could now

You know that I would now,

If only I could now

 Lynn pulled her foot away from the kick drum and let her fingers dance over the last few slides down the fret board before ending in one final strum. The audience applauded politely. Kylie, being Kylie, cheered loudly, nearly scaring the pint from the hand of the fellow that had been trying to chat her up moments earlier.

Looking around the bar, Lynn’s heart felt like it was going to burst from happiness. She would be sure to thank Luke for singing along to the song one day.

 ***

 Luke slugged out of his bedroom, down the hallway and into the kitchen. He dragged his feet with every step. The blond opened the cupboard above the oven but frowned at the absence of the cereal box he was looking for.

“Morning.” Luke jumped slightly at the voice behind him, causing him to bump his head on the open cupboard door.

“Oh mother f-” Luke groaned at the pain shooting through his skull. “Morning.” he seethed clutching the top of his head.

“Rough night?” Michael grinned at Luke taking in his messy hair that stuck out in every which way, the unusually rumpled pyjama bottoms and his one sock-less foot. Michael also looked like he hadn’t slept that night. His entire left arm, hand, and the little bit of stomach that was visible was covered in ink, a late night conversation with his mystery half.

“I haven’t slept in two days.” mumbled Luke, “So yeah, you can say that.”

“Trouble in paradise?” asked Calum entering into both the kitchen and the conversation at hand.

“Well she’s definitely in a different time zone than us right now.” grumbled Luke. “She’s been singing the same damn song three days straight and if that wasn’t bad enough, she only does it at three or four in the morning. It’s exhausting.”

“Well I am so glad that you are the only one with that connection,” Calum stated, “If it’s as serious as you say it is our soulmates would all be ready to kill us all by the time we meet them for all the times that we kept them up.”

For a moment a flash of guilt crossed Luke’s mind at the thought of his soulmate suffering through what he did last night on the daily. He really had nothing to complain about. This was the first time she’d kept him awake at night, whereas Luke was sure he’d done the same to her for months on end throughout the year. He couldn’t imagine how frustrated she must get with him. Luke wouldn’t blame her for one minute if she were mad at him when they finally did meet.

With a sigh Luke continued his search for the box of cereal. Finally spotting it on the counter next to the sink, he reached over to pour himself a bowl and then place the box back into the cupboard where it belonged.

“Hey guess what?” Ashton said appearing in the doorway of the kitchen, receiving the attention of all three men in the room. “I just got a message from August, who we met at the party last Saturday. He’s invited us to stay at his cottage for a week while he’s away. I guess he had some other people lined up but they pulled out last minute.”

“Sounds like fun. Where is it?” Michael mumbled with a mouthful of his breakfast.

“Some small town called Sadowa, it’s in Canada, a few hours from Toronto. It’s not really on a map, more like a side community off of an actual city.” Ashton informed them, “Totally private.”

“Well I’m in.” said Michael without even a second thought.

“Me too.” Calum chimed in. “What about you, Luke? You probably need a break more than any of us.” he said referring to Luke’s complete dishevelled appearance.

Luke thought about it for a moment. There really wasn’t a reason for him to not go. His next appointment with Doctor Browning wasn’t for another two weeks and everything else could be rain checked.

“Yeah I’m in, get me out of here.”

“Great, I’ll let him know.” Ashton said, reaching up to grab a plate from beside the bowls. He winced slightly, having almost gone unnoticed if Michael hadn’t caught it.

“What’s she been up to?” he asked. Everyone in the room knew what the question meant despite the vagueness of it.

Ashton sighed placing the plate on the counter. “You know I have no idea but whatever it is, it can’t be good. Lots of running, think she fell a few times, oh and check this out-” Ashton lifted his shirt to reveal an array of fresh blue and purple bruises littering his left ribs, stretching out to touch his left shoulder and meet with his right ribs. “I think she got into a fight. I swear, when I meet her I am going to swaddle her in bubble wrap so she doesn’t keep getting hurt.”

“How bad does that one hurt?” asked Luke.

“Pretty bad, I don’t even want to think about how much pain she’s in today. God, I hope she takes it easy for a while, for her own sake more than mine. I woke up thinking somebody was running over my chest with a lawnmower.”

Calum stayed silent in the midst of the conversation. None of the men seemed to notice. They were now all complaining about what their soulmates were doing throughout the night. Calum couldn’t help but to feel left out. He was the only one who didn’t have any information about his other half to add. While he assumed that he would eventually get a soulmate tattoo when he was ready, he was still insecure about the fact that he had no known connection to his soulmate, whoever they were.

Series Masterlist

Regular Ol’ Masterlist

A/N: Well since you guys are so awesome and supportive I thought I would drop this guy a day early. You guys are so awesome, I’ve have never had this much love and support for a series before! Next chapter comes out a bit earlier because it’s super short. More like a blurb/filler but the chapter after that will be here next week as scheduled anyways. For more info on when the chapters are posted check out the series master list HERE.

Taglist:  @madformichael @h0tsos @fiesty5sos @misskarynie @negative-love@captivatingcal @beautifulplacesforhappines@felonystevefoundthe1975 @mellany1997 @caswinchester2000 @babylonduke@castielanddeanthedog  @katsen13 @abby-landolf @urpretendcrush @aulxna @to-the-road @pippin248 @blinkinglightsandmusic @lovcyou3000