#who was the guitarist i need to kiss them directly on the lips

[tigerlily1615]

oh my gosh lucy your music fucks???? Girl????

[starlightkun]

⏯ word count: 9.5k ⏯ genre: fluff, established relationship, band au, punk drummer!sungchan, sequel to filler episodes, reader isn’t completely boring anymore! yay!, she’s still figuring it out a little bit but it’s not a full-fledged quarter life crisis anymore, ft. shotaro/eunseok/wonbin as sungchan’s bandmates, and nct dream 00 line as reader’s normal friends™ ⏯ warnings: the usual cursing, and reader briefly gets creeped on in a scene but gets out of there pretty quick, and that’s really it! if i missed any please let me know ⏯ extra info: this is the sequel to filler episodes, it cannot be read as a standalone! ⏯ author’s note: guys i almost died writing this they’re so cute 🤧 ⏯ now playing… pluto – xdinary heroes | undercover – a.c.e | injured crow – bears in trees

── ⋆⋅♫⋅⋆ find more stories from backstage at venue:hell here!

He didn’t pull away when the kiss broke, affectionately nuzzling his nose with yours again. “Yeah…” he murmured, a content smile on his face. “I get it.”

“Get what?”

“The sappy love songs, all the wars, carving things in trees, the locks on bridges, all of it.”

The excited hum of the crowd was audible from backstage as you helped the band with their final checks before going on.

“Shotaro, your in-ears,” you handed said equipment to the frontman.

“Oh, I was looking for those! Thanks!” He grinned as he took them from you, slipping one in his ear.

“Wonbin, I thought you weren’t going to wear more white shirts after you stained the one from yesterday blue with your sweat,” you reminded the guitarist, fixing a piece of his freshly-dyed dark blue hair that was out of place.

He looked down at his white tank top as if just remembering this, then shrugged. “This was the only clean shirt I had.”

“Laundry. We’re all doing laundry tomorrow,” you declared, looking around for the remaining members. “Where are the other two?”

“We’re here, we’re here,” Sungchan appeared at your side, Eunseok right behind him, tucking his shirt in. “Just had to use the bathroom.”

“Alright, everyone good?” You pointed at all of them, receiving various yeses and thumbs-up in return.

Another crew member called out two minutes before they had to go on, and you started backing away as they grabbed their instruments. “Okay, good luck, have fun, I’ll see you guys after.”

“Thanks, Y/N!” The other three members beamed at you, attentions turning to the stage in front of them.

Sungchan hung back with you for another moment, cupping your cheek with a hand to pull your lips to his. “Thank you, baby.”

“Good luck, Sungchan,” you murmured, giving him one more peck. “I love you.”

“Love you more.” He let you go with a grin.

You emerged from backstage almost directly in the crowd, having to pass through a set of curtains and step over one rope until you were in the packed venue. Feeling a bit bad as always, you tried to squeeze through the people as nicely as you could. A staff member of the venue who was standing up by the stage and facing the crowd eyed you as you got closer and closer, and you held up the lanyard around your neck indicatively. Hanging from the lanyard was a crew member badge for the headliner band. Roses for Eyes hadn’t been able to get any of their own made—both due to how last-minute of an addition they were, and because they didn’t really have any crew or staff of their own, relying pretty much on the headliner’s crew and you—so you had been given a badge from the headliner’s crew to allow you to move freely in the venues.

The venue staff member relaxed and nodded, gesturing between them and the barricade, asking if you needed to get in there. You shook your head, stopping a few people behind barricade and off to the side.

As the guys came out and started their first song, you pulled out your phone to start taking pictures. On top of becoming the de facto tour manager for Roses for Eyes, you had also been in charge of taking videos and pictures of all the performances for their social media. They only had a thirty-minute set, and you always felt the pressure to capture all the best moments from each night.

You were focusing in on Wonbin’s guitar solo when you became aware of a presence over your shoulder. Thinking it was just someone in the crowd trying to get closer, you shuffled forward as best you could while still recording Wonbin.

“Hey.” A guy’s voice was right by your ear, making you nearly jump out of your skin.

The guitar solo was over, and as you switched back into taking pictures, you offered a polite nod to the man next to you in the crowd who had spoken to you. “Hi.”

“They’re good, right?” He was still shout-talking to you over the music.

“Yeah, they’re awesome.” You agreed, catching the perfect moment of Eunseok and Shotaro jamming out together.

“You a fan?”

“Uh-huh. Big fan.”

The lights went down for a dramatic rise back up into the next song, and you pointed your camera at Sungchan, knowing he always went hard on the intro of this one.

“So are you here by yourself?”

“I’m working,” you told him shortly, flashing your badge at him.

He either didn’t get the hint or didn’t care. “Cool, cool. So are you single?”

“Nope.”

“Really?”

Rolling your eyes, you decided to stop answering, focusing back on your job.

“Come on, what’s—” As soon as his hand grabbed your upper arm, you whipped around to shake him off.

“Fuck. Off.” You glared at him, lowering your phone as you focused on this problem.

“So you were lying. About not being single?”

“Don’t fucking touch me,” you hissed back. “Doesn’t matter if I’m single or not.”

He held his hands up. “We got off on the wrong foot. Can I try again?”

“No. Fuck off.”

A group of women who had been off to the side of you must have taken notice of what was going on, as two of them stepped in between you and the man, staring down at him from the top of their very tall platform boots.

“She said fuck off.” One of them spat at him. “We heard her tell you twice.”

“We were just talking.” He looked at you sheepishly, as if expecting you to defend him.

“No, we weren’t.” You retorted.

“So fuck off.” Another woman took a step closer to him, crossing her arms over her chest.

He muttered something about bitches as he slunk off into the crowd. You let out a breath of relief as the women swarmed you to check on you.

“Are you okay?” The first woman who had stepped in bent down to ask you.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you assured them. “Thank you, really.”

“Of course!” A third one fixed your jacket for you. “We weren’t going to stand around with that happening right in front of us!”

“Do you want to watch the rest of the concert with us?” The first woman offered. “We’ll keep you tucked in safe right in the middle of us.”

You flashed them an appreciative smile. “If you don’t mind, then please.”

“Oh my god, of course!” They welcomed you into their group, encircling you, and letting you get lost in their fun energy for the night.

At the end of the show, you were sat at the band’s merch table. In addition to being the de facto tour manager and photographer/videographer, you also usually managed the merch table for Roses for Eyes. The headliner had plenty of crew to spare to work it, but you wanted to help however you could, and this was honestly one of your favorite parts. Various members usually came to hang out by the merch table and meet and talk with the concert goers, and you loved hearing all the praise that was showered on the guys. Almost nobody had heard of them before coming to the concerts, but it made your chest puff up with pride at how many people stayed just to tell the guys how much they loved their set.

Roses for Eyes didn’t have a lot of merch. In fact, they had exactly one kind of t-shirt, and CDs of their one and only semi-professionally recorded EP for sale. Which made your job easier, you just had to either hand them a CD, or ask their size in shirt.

“Oh my god, you’re here too!” Your next customers were the women who you had spent almost the whole concert with, their eyes sparkling with recognition and delight at you.

“Yes, I am!” You laughed as one reached out to fix your hair. “I’m everywhere, I swear. What can I get you guys?”

They each got a shirt, and a couple got CDs too. As you ran their cards and accepted their cash, they raved to you about the show.

“You know, I’d never heard of them before this, but they were so good!”

“That’s what everyone says,” you replied with a grin.

“I loved the first song they played, that was like—” She started mimicking the melody, and you recognized it immediately.

“Ah, ‘Lonely as Mars’!” You perked up. “That’s one of my favorites.”

“What’s your favorite song then?”

“Oh, I can’t say.” You grinned. “It’s not released yet…”

They all laughed and giggled at this. One peeked at the track list of the CD she had just bought from you again before looking up at you. “Guess we’ll have to wait until it’s released then, huh?”

“Yes, yes, please keep an eye out!” You couldn’t help it, you were proud of your boyfriend and the rest of your friends.

“Alright, beautiful, we’ll stop holding up your line.” One of them chuckled, giving your cheek a final tweak before the four of them moved over to the short line to chat with the band.

You couldn’t pause on that moment for too long, as more patrons came up to your table.

Once people had finally started trickling out of the venue, and you had no line left in front of either your merch table or to meet the band, you were unsurprised when Sungchan pulled up an extra folding chair next to you.

“You know,” he let out a sigh, scooting right up next to you until your legs were pressed together. “I think we need to completely deck you out in Roses for Eyes merch from head to toe.”

“One, you guys don’t even have that much merch. Two, I think all that would accomplish would be making me looking like a crazed fan.”

“Aren’t you?”

“I am your biggest fan,” you acquiesced with a giggle at how serious he looked, squeezing his leg. “But we need security to let me in, you know.”

“What about a shirt with my face on it?”

“I think that’d be even worse.”

“It can say ‘CREW’ on the back or something.”

You laughed again. “I did tell that guy I was working, you know. Which did nothing.”

“I know, baby, I’m not mad at you.” Sungchan put an arm around the back of your chair, leaning in closer to inform you, “I was up on stage wishing I could’ve been kicking his face instead of the bass drum.”

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t hop off stage just to beat up somebody in the crowd.” You whispered back. “Even if it would’ve been deserved.”

“God, I don’t know if I can take another month of hearing you get hit on from right next to me.” He was presumably referencing times like now, with you at the merch table and him nearby talking to patrons.

“You think I like hearing people compliment your tattoos as an excuse to feel up your arms?”

“I don’t let them!” He protested. “And sometimes they do actually like my tattoos!”

“I know, Sungchan,” you snickered. “It’s hard being the hottest couple ever, isn’t it?”

“God truly gives his toughest battles to his sexiest soldiers,” Sungchan joked back, letting his arm drop down to your waist.

“Hey, on the bright side, tomorrow is the Venue:Hell show,” you reminded him. “I’ll have Jeno and Jaemin and my other two much less sturdy friends there. Not to mention Anton, Sohee, and Seunghan.”

He didn’t seem much happier about this, letting out a little grumble, “Mmm, alright.”

You looked around at the nearly empty venue, the only fans left chatting with a couple of the members from the headlining band by their table. “Do you think we can shut it down for the night?”

“Yeah, I think you’ve done plenty, baby.” He snuck a quick kiss to your temple. “So thankful for you.”

Your hometown was only a short, three-hour drive from the previous venue, so Roses for Eyes made the very cost-effective decision to drive straight there after the show to crash at the band’s apartment for the night instead of getting a hotel in the city right next-door. All of you let out groans of both relief and exhaustion when you finally opened the front door to their apartment. Luggage was immediately dropped on the floor of the living room as muttered ‘goodnight’s were lazily tossed over shoulders and everyone disappeared into their own rooms. After the five of you had been sharing two (or sometimes one) hotel rooms every night and a van every day for the past month, you knew everyone was glad to have some space again. You dropped onto Sungchan’s bed, a subtle happiness spreading out through you at being in the familiar surroundings again.

Sungchan flopped down pretty much on top of you, burying his face in your neck as he wrapped his arms around you tight.

“Night, baby,” he pressed a kiss to your cheek, then left his face there, nuzzling his nose against your cheekbone. “Love you so much.”

“Mm, night, Sungchan.” You pulled one of his hands up to drop a peck on the back of his fingers. “Love you so much… even more…”

In the morning, you woke up still underneath Sungchan, and smiled to yourself, letting your eyes flutter shut. You fell asleep again for who knows how long, being woken up by gentle kisses being peppered all over your cheek.

Shifting a little bit, you squinted one eye open to offer Sungchan a sleepy smile. “Morning.”

“Did I wake you up?” He whispered. “Sorry, baby.”

“It’s okay, Sungchan,” you chuckled softly. “It was a great way to wake up.”

“I just woke up and saw you and I was thinking about how much I love and appreciate you,” he hummed, pressing two more kisses to your face. “Love you so much, and I’m so thankful for everything you’ve done for us, you know.”

“I was serious about being your biggest fan.”

“I know. But I mean, we would’ve already crashed and burned so many times on this tour without you. And you stepping up not only to manage, but take photos and run our merch table? You didn’t have to do any of that. I asked you to come with because I couldn’t stand the thought of going two months without you. Not because we needed a crew member.”

“But you did need a crew member. Several, actually,” you replied humorously. “And I wasn’t going to just tag along and do nothing. Even if you had a manager and social media person and a fully staffed merch table already, I would’ve found something.”

“I don’t doubt it.” He kissed the corner of your mouth. “God, I’m so in love with you. Love you so, so much I feel like I’m going to die.”

“Alright, well don’t do that,” you hummed, shifting onto your back and carding your fingers through his hair. You pulled him up to give him a kiss on the lips, laughing into his mouth when he dropped his full body weight back onto you again. “I love you too, Sungs. You big, clingy snugglemonster of a guy.”

“Your guy.”

“Yeah, you are.”

With your second load of laundry in the dryer, you hauled the stuff you’d just pulled out of the dryer into Sungchan’s room, dropping it onto his bed to start folding it. It’d all be going right back into your suitcases, but it was nice not having to do this in a laundromat.

You hadn’t heard a peep from the other three all morning, and as far as you knew, they were still passed out. Not that they were really morning people under normal circumstances anyway, but you figured they deserved to sleep in for today. If they weren’t up by the time Sungchan came back with lunch for everyone, you’d probably wake them up. After all, they had a show tonight, and you would need to be back on the road tomorrow morning.

Sungchan’s bedroom door opened again, your boyfriend poking his head in. “Food’s here.”

“Can you help me finish folding all this first?” You requested, and he obliged immediately, joining you by the mattress and picking up a t-shirt. “We should probably wake everyone else up so they can eat before the show.”

Suddenly, Sungchan started chuckling as he grabbed the next article of clothing to start folding.

“What’s so funny?” You questioned.

“Nothing, I was just thinking about how… normal this is.” He pointed between you, him, and the laundry. “After being on the road for a month, it’s weird. I love it, I love not being cooped up in hotel rooms with everyone and having to smell-test my clothes as I’m rushing to get changed to go on stage but—” He laughed again. “I don’t know, it’s crazy how I love even stupid little chores like laundry with you.”

“Ah, Sungchan.” You tossed aside the socks you had just paired up, wrapping your arms around his waist and pressing your face into his back. “You’re going to make me explode if you keep saying stuff like that.”

“Explode because you love me so much, I presume?” His grin was audible in his voice as he kept moving around to fold the rest of the laundry.

You just nodded against his back, continuing to hold him.

“Are we going to eat lunch like this?” He asked, and that’s when you realized he had finished up the last few garments.

You let out a dramatic sigh, taking your arms back. “I guess not.”

“You want to wake up Taro and Eunseok while I get Wonbin?”

Knowing that he was willingly taking the short end of the stick, you agreed easily. “Sure.”

You knocked on Shotaro’s door first, waiting for a few seconds before knocking again after you got no response. This time, you heard a garbled ‘Eh?’ from inside.

“Taro? You up?” You called out.

He groaned, and you could hear his feet as he shuffled over to open his door. The frontman rubbed his eyes and yawned. “Mm, hey. What time is it?”

“Lunchtime,” you informed him. “Good morning.”

“Oh, morning.” He grunted and stretched. “I’ll help you get Eunseok up.”

The two of you approached the bassist’s door together, and on the other side of the apartment, you could hear Sungchan’s unsuccessful attempts to wake Wonbin. Shotaro attempted very loud banging on the door once, and when he inevitably got no response, just threw it open. It was pitch black in the room thanks to Eunseok’s blackout curtains. You hung back by the doorway as Shotaro flicked the lights on then grabbed his bandmate’s shoulders.

Eunseok swore loudly, throwing an elbow out towards Shotaro as he rolled over and tried to push his face into his pillow.

“Nope!” Shotaro shook his shoulders again. “Come on, Eunseok! Wakey wakey! Good morning! Food! We have food! And if you don’t come eat it now, we’ll eat it all without you.”

Eunseok let out a long, slow sigh before sitting up straight in his bed. He pushed hair out of his face as he glowered at Shotaro. “If there’s no food, I’m going to cut your guitar strings one by one with kitchen shears while you watch.”

“Good morning, Eunseok,” you added with a snicker. He wordlessly flipped you off. You returned the gesture.

The three of you were already in the kitchen by the time Sungchan came back, practically dragging a still-snoozing Wonbin with him. Sungchan had a harrowed look on his face, while the guitarist yawned and nuzzled his cheek against your boyfriend’s shoulder.

“Glad you could join us, sleepy,” you cooed, fixing Wonbin’s bedhead.

Shotaro and Eunseok finished making their plates and took them into the living room to eat—the guys had no dining table. You immediately started fixing two more plates of food in addition to your own, for Sungchan and Wonbin. Carefully balancing the three plates you brought them out to the living room as well, Sungchan dragging Wonbin behind you. He deposited Wonbin onto the couch next to Shotaro, and you set his plate and utensil down on the coffee table in front of him. Shotaro immediately took over prodding and waking Wonbin up to start eating, letting you and Sungchan squeeze into the armchair together with your food.

Roses for Eyes were doing their soundcheck that evening when you felt your phone start buzzing in your pocket. Checking it quickly, you saw that it was Jaemin, and stepped away to take the call.

“Hey!” You greeted him brightly, plugging your other ear to be able to hear him better. “Are you guys here?”

“Yeah, we can’t figure out which door to use?” He said, and in the background, you could hear the distant voices of Donghyuck and Renjun bickering. “And we don’t want to get the cops called on us or anything.”

“That wouldn’t happen, promise,” you snorted. “Places like this aren’t particularly fond of cops. Anyway, I’ll come get you! Are you by the front?”

“If the front is an unmarked rusted metal door, then yes.”

“Okay! Wait there!” You hung up.

Stepping back into the band’s eyeline, you lifted a hand to get their attention. They didn’t stop playing, but a couple of the members looked at you indicatively. You jerked a thumb at the exit and mouthed ‘be right back.’ Sungchan nodded, and Shotaro, who had been holding his mic with two hands anyway, gave you a thumbs-up.

Jogging through the venue, you opened the front door, squinting against the bright light of the sun for a moment. It was easy to find your friends, as Renjun presently had an arm around Donghyuck’s neck and Jaemin and Jeno watched on like they were two dads grilling at a cookout.

“Hey, guys!” You called out, running up to them.

“Y/N!” Jaemin whipped around, bright smile on his face as he went to hug you. “Oh my god, hey! You’re okay!”

“Hi, Jaem,” you laughed, hugging him back just as forcefully. “I didn’t go off to war, you know.”

“I know, I know.”

“Just ran off with my dirtbag boyfriend,” you couldn’t help but tease him, feeling as he scoffed, and perfectly imagining the eyeroll that came with it.

“Yeah, you haven’t let that one go, huh?”

“I’m afraid the guys are going to get matching shirts at this point.”

“I didn’t even call him your dirtbag boyfriend, I’m pretty sure I said—”

“Alright, you’re hogging her and now you’re nagging her,” Jeno interrupted, grabbing Jaemin’s shoulder.

Jaemin sighed and patted your head fondly as he let you go.

“Hey,” Jeno was beaming too as he grabbed you for a hug next.

“Hey, Jeno.” You squeezed him tight. “Thanks for the save, as always.”

“We used to be ‘the guys,’ you know?” Renjun had let Donghyuck go, and lodged his own teasing complaint as he gave you a brief hug. “Now it’s them?”

“I’m staying out of this one,” you announced, holding your hands up in surrender. “You all were my first ‘the guys,’ they’re my ‘the guys’ I’m around all the time right now, and Sungchan is, well, we all know—”

“Your dirtbag boyfriend!” Your friends said in unison, even Jaemin.

Renjun peered at your face inquisitively then, declaring, “You’re different.”

“What?” You tilted your head, absent-mindedly patting Donghyuck’s back in a one-armed hug.

“He’s right,” Hyuck agreed. “You’re not our same boring Y/N anymore.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment then,” you snorted. “Come on, you guys can catch the rest of their soundcheck.”

Walking back into the venue with the other four in tow, you could already tell which song they were playing just from the drum beat that reverberated up the stairs that you were descending. The air became noticeably cooler as you went underground.

“Ooh, you guys are lucky,” you told your friends over your shoulder. “They’re playing one that isn’t released yet. It’s my favorite.”

You emerged back to where the main stage was, staying put towards the back as the band kept playing. Your foot tapped along to the beat, and you hummed along to the melody under your breath as Wonbin started singing first. Your eyes strayed from the band over to your friends’ faces every so often, however, anxious to see if they were enjoying it at all. You could still remember clearly the only other time they’d seen Roses for Eyes perform, and how well that went. They were here to show their support for you as your friends, not because they actually liked your boyfriend’s band, you were aware of that.

Jeno was bobbing his head along to the music, Renjun didn’t seem to be outright put off by it this time, but it was Jaemin and Donghyuck that concerned you. Their heads were together as they seemed to be quietly talking, but they were too far away for you to distinguish anything they were saying.

An errant sound in the song made you snap your head back over towards the stage, and you could tell that the rest of the members had noticed it as well, all of them looking at Sungchan for a second as they continued performing. As the song finished, you walked up towards the stage, concerned frown on your face as you looked up at your boyfriend.

“You alright, Sungchan?” You questioned. “You came in early for the last verse and hit the snare instead of the toms…”

“Yeah, baby, I’m okay,” he reassured you, pushing some hair off his forehead that had stuck there. “Just got distracted and accidentally started doing the last verse for Lonely as Mars instead.”

“Mm, alright.” You sighed. “Drink some water. All of you! I’m going to ask them to turn the AC up in here, you guys are dripping already and there isn’t even a crowd yet.”

A chorus of ‘thanks, Y/N’s followed you as you turned from the stage. Your friends were still standing uncertainly by the back wall, and you detoured over to them for a second.

“Sorry, can you guys wait here a second?” You requested. “I have to talk to the venue staff, it’ll just be a minute. I’ll also grab you a few VIP passes or something.”

When you returned, with the AC successfully nudged down a few degrees and four of the headliner’s VIP passes in hand, you saw that your friends had approached the stage, and were chatting with the band. Shotaro was sat on the edge of the stage, tuning his guitar, as Eunseok stood behind him, Wonbin was splayed out on his back on the stage, and Sungchan was still sat at his kit, miming drumming so as to not distract the others. His brow was furrowed with concentration as he ran through a pattern, not paying mind to anybody else.

“Here you go,” you smiled, handing out the VIP passes to all your friends. You then turned to the band to announce, “It should start getting much colder in here soon.”

Wonbin just lifted a thumbs-up in response before flopping his arm back onto the ground next to him.

“Thanks, Y/N!” Shotaro beamed. He turned to your friends again, “Like I was saying, we don’t know what we would’ve done without her. I don’t know how we managed before her, honestly.”

“You guys were doing just fine.” You shook your head. “You got invited on this tour all on your own, I had nothing to do with that, remember?”

“Dumb luck,” Eunseok snorted. “Their first opener’s vocalist broke his leg.”

“But if you guys hadn’t already put in the work yourselves, and weren’t awesome, they wouldn’t have asked you to fill in.”

“Alright, maybe you have a point,” Shotaro grinned.

Sungchan had finished what he was doing, and lumbered over to the edge of the stage, hopping down to stand next to you. He wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you close to him.

“Hi,” you smiled up at him. “You done already?”

“Seemed like everybody else was taking a break.” He gestured to the rest of his bandmates.

“Because you said you needed to run your solo in ‘Split Seconds’ again on your own,” Eunseok retorted.

Sungchan pointedly ignored him, turning to your friends instead, giving them all good-natured nods. “Good to see you guys again. Glad you could make it out.”

“Yeah man, you too,” Jeno gave him a smile back.

“Of course, thanks uh, for inviting us out here…” Jaemin looked around the underground venue that you all were in, having a hard time keeping the uncertainty from his face, if he was even trying.

“Yeah, that was really convincing,” you hissed, pinching his arm.

“Ow!” His hand flew to rub the spot that you had just wounded, a pout coming to his face.

“So, where will the safest place in the crowd be?” Renjun asked the band, gesturing to the empty area behind you all.

The band exchanged confused looks. You clarified, “They don’t want to be in the mosh pit.”

They let out unanimous ‘ohh’s, and Shotaro took over explaining.

“A pit usually forms in the center… front-ish.” He waved his hand over a large swath of the venue. “So if you stay off to the sides, you should be fine.”

“I’m usually up by the barricades and off to the side, since I’m taking photos and stuff,” you added.

“Honestly, you should try it,” Eunseok suggested. “One of the rules of a mosh pit is to look out for the other moshers. You shouldn’t get trampled or anything.”

Renjun shot a look at Donghyuck, who already had a mischievous grin on his face. “Lee Donghyuck, if you shove me into a mosh pit, so help me, I’m dragging you in with me.”

The other guys snickered, and you couldn’t help but smile at the familiar bickering of your friends.

Checking your phone for the time, you then nudged Sungchan’s side and started shooing the rest of the band back towards the stage. “Alright, break’s over. You guys need to finish your soundcheck so we can hand the stage over.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Eunseok saluted you as Shotaro hopped back to his feet and both of them started yanking Wonbin up.

Sungchan kissed your temple and squeezed your shoulder in a wordless ‘thanks’ and ‘be back soon’ before effortlessly climbing back on stage. You stepped back to stand with your friends as the band counted off for their next song.

“Shotaro said that you’re not just tagging along, you’re like, doing everything for them?” Jaemin lowered his voice as much as he could to keep the conversation between the two of you, but still be heard over the music. “Like, tour manager, running their merch table, photos and videos…”

“Huh?” You looked over at him from where you were watching Sungchan closely to see if he had gotten out of his funk from earlier. “Oh, yeah, yeah. They needed some help, it’s not like I was really doing anything else.”

“I thought you might at least pitch in like doing merch or something, but…”

“But what?”

“Do you think you’ll keep doing this? When you get back? Being their manager or whatever?” Your friend sounded genuinely curious. “They all said they really rely on you.”

The expression fell off your face as you blinked at him, having never genuinely considered this. You frowned and tilted your head. “I… don’t think so.”

“Why not?” After a beat, he half-joked, “Pay’s not great?”

You gave him a light-hearted eyeroll at that. “Not only are they covering my travel and lodging expenses, but they’re insisting on giving me a cut of the tour and merch proceeds, too. Whatever we actually end up making, if anything.”

“Not bad.”

“I mean, I filled in now because they needed someone now. But, I just don’t think that’d be good for me and Sungchan,” you admitted. “Pitching in at their merch table or even backstage every once in a while is one thing, but working together that closely and dating… I don’t think it’d be good to do for the long-term. You know?”

Jaemin nodded in understanding. “That makes sense. So you’ll be looking for a job when you get back?”

“Yeah, I’ll have to find something.” You shrugged. “Eventually.”

All of you were hanging out in the band’s area backstage when a venue staff member tapped you on the shoulder. You turned to her inquisitively, stepping away from the conversation to hear her properly.

She sighed and shook her head. “There’s three guys at the front claiming they’re with you all. They’re really insistent. Anton, Seunghan, and Sohee?”

The look on her face made it clear that she didn’t believe them, and she was expecting this whole errand to be a waste of her time.

“Oh, yeah, yeah!” You replied brightly. “Where are they? I’ll bring them in.”

“Front door.”

“Thanks!” You darted off through the building. Grabbing three more passes from the headliner’s crew first, you then poked your head out the front door.

A line had begun forming already, and off to the side were your three friends, waiting with a rather unamused-looking venue staffer. You walked over, greeting the staff member politely.

“Hi, I’m Y/N, Roses for Eyes’ crew.” You showed him your badge. “Thanks for letting us know. They’re good to come in.”

You were handing the guys their own lanyards as you spoke, and the employee glanced over you one more time before shrugging.

“Cool. You got it from here?” He asked.

“Yep. Thanks again.” You flashed him a smile before starting back towards the door. Addressing your friends over your shoulder, you added, “Hi, by the way. You guys weren’t giving them trouble, were you?”

“What? Us?” Sohee replied with mock offense. “Never!”

“Did you get a haircut or something, Y/N?” Seunghan asked suddenly.

“Huh?” You looked back at him. “No, my hair’s the same.”

“Maybe it’s the clothes,” Anton suggested. “I think is the first time we haven’t seen you in a pantsuit.”

You scoffed. “It wasn’t growing from my skin, you know.”

“Yeah, we know that now.”

“They’re right,” Sohee agreed. “Something’s different.”

“You think so?” You looked down at yourself, furrowing your brow thoughtfully. “That’s what my friends said too…”

“Did you dye your hair?” Seunghan was apparently still stuck on your hair. “Like, a different shade of the same color?”

“No, I didn’t change my hair.” You shook your head. “You guys are late, by the way. Completely missed both bands’ soundcheck.”

“Sorry, Mom,” Anton teased, making the other two snicker.

You turned around to grab his ear. “Not your mom, you little punk. Take out your mommy issues on some other girl.”

“Ow! Ow!” He whined. “Okay, fine, you’re way more like an aggressive older sister anyway.”

Sohee and Seunghan were still laughing at Anton, who cradled his wounded ear as the three of you reentered Roses for Eyes’ green room. It hadn’t been very spacious before, already rather cozy with the band, you and your friends, now a bit cramped with the addition of the other three.

“They’re finally here!” You announced loudly as you opened the door.

The band’s faces immediately lit up at seeing their friends again, welcoming them in.

“Your girlfriend’s a bully, Sungchan.” Anton apparently wanted to continue your hallway bickering.

“Whatever it was, you probably deserved it,” Sungchan replied without hesitation, putting him in a headlock and messing up his hair for good measure.

Packed into the crowd, with your friends all around you and Roses for Eyes’ music coming through the speakers by your head so loud that you could feel it rattling your ribcage, you couldn’t picture anywhere else you’d rather be in that moment. The crowd was unbelievably energetic, feeding right back into the guys’ performance, and you eagerly yelled back the lyrics to them, one of the few who did, but entirely uncaring of that fact as every time you caught your boyfriend’s eye, or one of your friends’ gazes up on stage, they would give you the wildest grin and continue singing along with you.

For their part, your friends did look like they were having fun. They danced with you, clapped and cheered between songs, and followed your lead on chants. Anton, Sohee, and Seunghan were of course having a blast, this was already their scene, and they broke away from you to join in on the mosh pit when it formed. They even managed to convince Donghyuck to come along, and you couldn’t help but laugh as you watched the four of them disappear into the throng.

Sungchan had taken you aside before the show and told you to not worry about pictures or videos tonight, to just have fun with your friends. And you were, fully immersing yourself in the moment.

You excitedly hit the closest person’s arm—Jaemin—as the vocals stopped and tension rose in the song, knowing what was coming next. “Ahhh! Listen! Listen! Here!”

It was one of Sungchan’s drum solos, and you couldn’t hide your pride, gripping Jaemin’s arm maybe a little too hard as you jumped and cheered. As it finished out and the other instruments joined back in, you let out one last yell of Sungchan’s name, and he threw his head back to shake his hair out of his face, shooting you a grin and a wink.

“Y/N!” Jaemin yelled from next to you.

“Yeah?” You replied just as loud, still half-watching the performance.

“He’s really good, but I think you’re going to make my arm bleed!”

“Shit! Sorry!” You let go of where you had been unintentionally digging your nails into his forearm in your elation, and he rubbed his other hand over the skin.

“It’s okay.” He patted your back, a twinkle in his eye as he looked at you. “I’m having fun.”

“Good!” You beamed, giving his arm a kinder squeeze this time.

After the concert, the others all went back to Anton’s place to drink and continue catching up—you again were surprised when your four friends accepted the invitation that had been extended to them. But Sungchan waved them off, saying he was worn out from the show.

Since the others had taken the van, you and Sungchan were left to walk home, which you didn’t mind, their apartment was just a fifteen-minute walk from Venue:Hell, and the night was cool and clear. Your path took you along the riverfront, and you pulled on Sungchan’s hand to stop at the railing overlooking the water. The lights shimmered along the dark, rippling surface of the water, and you took a deep breath of the crisp air.

Sungchan pecked your temple, letting out a sigh against your head before letting go of your hand and moving to sit down on a nearby bench. He let out a deep-held groan as he lowered himself to sit, resting his elbows on his knees.

You turned around, leaning back against the railing to watch him. “Do you want to go straight home? I know you said you were tired…”

“No, it’s okay, baby. It’s nice out here,” he reassured you, and his tone didn’t make you think he was lying about that, but there was still something that was bothering you.

“Is something wrong, Sungs?” You questioned. “You’ve been… off since soundcheck.”

“It’s being back home, made me realize that it’s going to be over.”

“Aw, you’ll go on tour again.” You pushed off the railing to close the space between you two, cradling his head to you and kissing his hair. “I know you will. You guys are only going to do bigger and better things.”

“Thanks, baby.” He wrapped his arms around your waist, pressing his cheek against your middle. “But that’s not what I was talking about. I meant being with you all day every day, getting to see you be our badass manager and stuff.”

“Ah, Sungchan…” You cooed again, rubbing his back. “I’m going to miss this too. I think this was really good for us, being able to spend time together like this, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’m so happy that you invited me to come with you, that I’ve been able to really see what you do and do this incredible thing with you, even if it kind of terrified me at first. But I don’t think that working together like this all the time would be sustainable for our relationship long-term.”

He let out a loud, drawn-out sigh. “Yeah… You’re right. You’re always right.”

“So you keep saying,” you replied humorously. Your voice turned soft and serious again as you added, “I’ll always be there supporting you guys; don’t think I’m going to stop being your biggest fan. But I don’t want to risk this in the process.”

“Neither do I.” He kissed your stomach through your shirt, making you giggle at the ticklish feeling. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Sungs.” You kissed his head again. “And tonight also made me realize something else too.”

“What’s that?”

“As much as I’ve loved helping you guys out and being able to support you from behind the scenes, and I’m looking forward to spending the second half of the tour doing that… I also missed being able to just cut loose with the rest of the crowd and support you like that too.”

Sungchan looked up at you, a fond smile coming to his face. “Yeah, I loved seeing you have so much fun tonight. I want you to have the time of your life at every one of our shows that you’re at, not be working.”

“Then after this tour…” You pecked his nose. “I quit.”

He was smirking as he teased back, “Not if I fire you first.”

You couldn’t help yourself, cupping his cheek and kissing him. Sungchan eagerly kissed you back as one of his hands went under the hem your shirt, fingers on the skin of your waist as he pulled you even tighter to him.

You broke the kiss with another giggle, squirming and grabbing his hand that was under your top. “Your fingers are cold, Sungs.”

He didn’t seem offended by the rebuff at all, watching you fondly as you sandwiched his one large, cold hand between your own two slightly warmer hands in a futile attempt to warm it up. “Hey, have we done your something new yet today? We’re back home, it’s not a new city.”

You let go of his hand to check the time on your phone. “It’s almost one in the morning…”

“It’s not tomorrow yet until we’ve gone to sleep.”

“Alright,” you chuckled. “What are you thinking?”

“It’s a surprise.” He jumped to his feet and offered you his hand with a grin.

You took it without hesitation, letting him pull you down the empty sidewalks at a near-run. The two of you finally skidded to a stop at the back of a building you’d never seen before in your life.

Sungchan tested the door handle, chuckling when it opened easily. “He still leaves it unlocked.”

You didn’t question where you were, who Sungchan was talking about, or if you were allowed to be here as you followed him in, the door slipping shut behind you. You ended up in some kind of stairwell, and your boyfriend started taking you up. A few yellowed lights dimly lit the concrete stairs under your feet, flickering every so often, but affording just enough visibility that you didn’t think you’d trip and face-plant. You passed by doors that seemed to lead to the actual inside of the building, only marked with numbers indicating their floors. You reached the top of the stairs after floor four. There was another door, this one marked ‘ROOF ACCESS – KEEP CLOSED’ and propped open with what looked like a broken mop handle.

Sungchan pushed the door open without hesitation, leading you right onto the roof. While the building you were on top of wasn’t a skyscraper by any means, it was taller than the others in its immediate vicinity, affording an unobstructed view of the city lights at night, glittering and shimmering all around you. The air was cool on your cheek, but you were kept warm by Sungchan’s jacket. Leaning against the railing that went around the entire roof, you took your eyes off the view and looked up at Sungchan.

“This is great, Sungchan,” you said, feeling the persistent smile on your lips that was there whenever you were with him.

“Hold on.” He slipped off his backpack, and you watched with interest as he rooted around in it before bringing out a box. It was a box of hand sparklers, these ones in particular being familiar to you as the same ones you all had gotten a few stops ago to celebrate Shotaro’s birthday.

“I thought we used all of them,” you accepted them from him as he fetched a lighter from the bag before dropping it on the ground.

“Eunseok found one more box rummaging through a box of cables earlier.”

“So you stole them.”

“So I stole them, yeah.”

You took out one sparkler for yourself, and handed another to Sungchan. He lit yours first, the firework immediately sparking in front of you. A giggle bubbled out of you as you held the sparkler out in front of you, watching it until it fizzed out. Getting another two and turning to Sungchan for him to light, you realized he hadn’t even used his first one yet, his gaze resting on you.

“Hey, you didn’t light yours,” you nudged him.

“I was watching you, baby,” he admitted freely, grabbing you by the waist to kiss your forehead. “Trying to remember that forever.”

You shoved the other sparklers haphazardly into his hand before wrapping both your arms around him and burying your face in his chest. He chuckled, rubbing your back. You could feel the curve of his smile where his cheek rested against your temple. His hand left your back before you heard his lighter click and the familiar sizzle of the sparkler again. You turned your head just enough to peek at it over your shoulder, seeing that he was being careful to hold it as far out away from you as his long arms would allow.

When it went out, you turned yourself fully around in his arms, leaning back against him. He playfully pushed you forward with his body until the two of you were both leaning against the railing on your elbows, Sungchan caging you in with his arms and hooking his chin over your shoulder to see around you to light your next pair of sparklers.

You moved to draw a star in the air with yours this time, and Sungchan spiraled his around until they both went out. On your next ones, you held yours still as he seemed focused on writing his name. His went out a second before yours, and you laughed victoriously.

“I win!” You declared, holding your still smoldering sparkler.

“Oh, we’re playing the game now?”

“Mm-hm,” you confirmed. “Didn’t you hear my telepathic message?”

“Missed that one, sorry, baby,” he snickered, giving you a sweet kiss. “But I’d never forget your prize.”

Both of you held your respective sparkler still this time, watching the tiny pops and miniature explosions as they burned through. Sungchan’s went out right after yours, and you let out a huff as he waved his burned stick in the air.

“I won.” He didn’t cheer very loudly, with his mouth right next to your ear.

You turned your head, nose bumping into his for a moment, making the both of you let out a synchronized breathy giggle. Pressing your lips to his, you let your eyes flutter shut as you melted into him even further—if that were even possible. He moved his mouth against yours as if he hadn’t just kissed you a few moments before, teeth and tongue eagerly joining too.

He didn’t pull away when the kiss broke, affectionately nuzzling his nose with yours again. “Yeah…” he murmured, a content smile on his face. “I get it.”

“Get what?” You asked quietly, searching his eyes curiously.

“The sappy love songs, all the wars, carving things in trees, the locks on bridges, all of it.”

You pushed your forehead against his, unable to do much more past the insurmountable feeling of your heart about to explode. “That almost sounds like the start of a sappy love song right there, Sungs.”

“You think?”

“Sappy love songs, all the men who went to war, locks on bridges, all the tree barks carved with hearts,” you mused. “I’m no songwriter, but I think you can pull some rhymes out of that.”

He was grinning now. “And I promise the next time you hear it, it will be one entire sappy love song unto itself. All about you, baby.”

“Gah!” You clutched at your heart as you twisted enough to bury your face in his neck. “If I don’t die of an exploded heart before then.”

“I won’t let you,” Sungchan growled playfully, rubbing your back. “You’re stuck with me. We haven’t even done all that stuff yet.”

“Is going to war for me is on that to-do list?”

“Duh. Now who’s missing our telepathic messages?”

You laughed. “That’ll be a ‘something new’ for the history books.”

At the second to last stop of the tour, you had caught brief respite in a narrow spot backstage behind the curtains, careful to stay out of the way of the other crew members bustling about. Roses for Eyes were all either changing, eating, or otherwise hanging out before the show began, and you were in a rare moment of not putting out a fire or looking for smoke before one began.

“Y/N?” A voice that you’d only heard over loudspeaker announcements or in addresses to the entire crew came accompanied by a gentle tap to your shoulder. You turned to see the tour manager for the headliner next to you, snakebites spreading with the wide grin she was giving you.

“Yes, is there something I can assist with?” You stood up straight and at attention. She was usually so busy coordinating literally everyone on the tour that you’d never even had the opportunity to introduce yourself and talk to her one-on-one like this, surprised that she even knew your name.

She offered you one of the two sweating water bottles in her hand as she flipped up the mic on her headset. “Nayoung. I don’t think we’ve officially met.”

“No, but I understand, you’ve been very busy.” You accepted the bottle with a thankful head nod.

“So have you.”

You were once again amazed that she had apparently also taken note of any of what you were doing this whole time. Honestly, you were worried about being a nuisance—a band member’s entitled girlfriend tagging along on the tour, not even lifting a finger to help, and just making the entire crew’s lives harder sounded like a pretty plausible issue for her and her staff to have faced before.

“Thank you.” You bowed your head again.

“You seem like you liked it, you picked it all up really quick after being thrown in the deep end, you know.” She cracked her own bottle cap before lifting the drink to her pitch-black painted lips.

“I’ve really loved it all, actually. Not just supporting the guys, but the work itself, surprisingly enough,” you beamed fondly as you twisted your water open. “It’s totally different from what I used to do, so it’s been really awesome learning about it all. Your staff is incredible, by the way, they’ve been so patient with me whenever I’ve had questions and helping us out when we need an extra extra hand. Really, you guys have been fantastic, we couldn’t have done it without you.”

Nayoung lifted a dark eyebrow curiously. “So what’s this I hear about you quitting after the tour then? You and Sungchan didn’t… did you?”

“Oh, no no no,” you couldn’t help but laugh a little. “The opposite, actually. We agreed that working this close together isn’t a good long-term plan for us. But it was a good experience, and I’ll figure out a way to put it on my résumé.”

“Résumé,” she repeated with mild interest, giving you an avenue to keep talking.

“Yeah, better than just saying I was unemployed for two months when interviewers ask,” you chuckled. “Not looking forward to breaking out the pantsuits again when we get back, though.”

“Who says you have to?” She asked. “You’ve been exposed to jobs outside of an office, you know there’s other options. Did you like your old sort of job so much, despite your apparent dislike for the uniform?”

You faltered for a second in what had so far been a pretty light-hearted conversation on your end, your easy-going smile slowly dropping off your features as you became overcome with confusion. “I guess… that’s what I’ve always done. I know I’m okay at it, I can get a job like that again.”

“But you don’t have to. If you don’t want to.”

You looked down at your feet as you took a thoughtful sip of your water. “You’re right. I’ve… I didn’t even think of that. Thanks, Nayoung.”

“And once you polish up that résumé, send it my way, hm?”

You almost did a spit-take on her, covering your mouth as you coughed and choked down the water in your mouth. “Wait, seriously?”

“My whole crew’s loved you since day 1. I’ve kept my eye on you, and like I said, I can tell you’ve really taken to all of this. You’ve pretty much been informally interviewing for two months already. I just need the résumé.”

“Absolutely!”

She took out a business card for the event and tour management company, this one with her own number and email on it and handed it to you. “Here, when you’re ready. We do all sorts of local stuff too, by the way, we’re not just on the road year-round. There’s a lot of planning that comes before that part.”

You held the card with two hands, well aware that your eyes were shining at her. “That sounds perfect, actually. I will totally send my stuff to you. Thank you!”

“Look forward to hearing from you, then.” She gave you one last grin before snapping the mic back down into place on her headset and started off in another direction with purpose in her steps, already talking to someone else over the mic.

Sungchan found you still rooted to that same spot, looking down at the business card in your hands. He hesitantly grabbed your elbow, startling you from your happy trance.

“Hey, what you got there?” He peered over your shoulder at it curiously.

“Nayoung asked for my résumé,” you told him brightly, practically shoving the card in his face to show him.

He jerked his head back to actually read the writing, a big smile coming to his face as well as he held a hand up for you to high-five. “Congrats, baby!”

You hit his hand hard before throwing your arms around his neck, excitedly bouncing up and down even as you had a vice-like grip around him. He just laughed and hugged you back, doing a small spin with you that the narrow space behind the curtain would allow.

“We’ll just have to make sure all your future acts knows that you were our badass tour manager first,” he teased, smirking as he cradled the back of your head to kiss you.

You pressed your lips to his once, twice more before pulling away with the same wide grin on your face as before. “Oh of course. And hopefully one day, they won’t ask me who that is when I say that.”

His jaw dropped in mock offense as you went to give him another kiss on the cheek in apology, despite your giggles. He just scoffed and pinched your side, making you squeal. “Rude.”

“I’m kidding, Sungs, you know I’m kidding,” you leaned against him affectionately. “Like I keep telling you, you guys are only going to do bigger and better things. I’m going to be the one bragging that I was your first tour manager.”

“Pretty sure you have something even better to brag about,” he reminded you, and you could feel him practically puffing out his chest with pride. “But I’ll take it.”

As you were about to open your mouth to continue your teasing banter by acting confused about what he could possibly mean, something suddenly occurred to you. It didn’t seem like Sungchan had just stumbled across you backstage, or was even looking for you just because he wanted to see you—he had seemed to be on a mission when he found you. You pulled back enough to look up at him with a knowing frown.

“Did you need something, Sungs?” You questioned.

“I didn’t need anything but to see my beautiful, awesome girlfriend.” He put a defensive hand over his chest, then added, “But Shotaro lost his in-ears again.”

“Of course,” you sighed, beginning to detangle yourself from his grasp. “One more night of this, huh?”

⤷ au masterlist | blog masterlist

[stariekis]

platonic feelings (or not).

pairing : guitarist!jay + fem!reader . genre : fluff . cw : kissing, skinship and nothing more i think ~ . wc : 2.4 k (that's actually insane gosh..)

— synopsis : friends also write love songs to each other ... and they also kiss sometimes ... right ? like that's normal ... right ?

— note : you, me, everyone loves guitarist jay ! and i'm obsessed with this jay live (pics above) so why not make a whole one shot abt him : D hope you guys like it ~ reposts and all kinds of feedback are always appreciated <3

Love songs are supposed to be written for your lover, not platonically lover but romantically. So why does Jay feels the need to write you one, he doesn't love you like that... right ?.

Of course he loves you, you've been best friends for the longest time, then why does he feel butterflies every time you are around ? Why does he get nervous every time you meet ? Why are you the only one on his mind ? Is he actually falling in love with his childhood best friend ?.

This brings us to the current situation. He was all alone in his room, his guitar on top of his thighs and the notebook he always use to compose his songs open on top of his desk. The page where the notebook was opened was filled with love letters and little hearts, all of them dedicated to you.

Jay has his own way to express his feelings and this was through songs, so that's why, as soon as he realizes his feelings toward you, he started writing one, hoping one day he would be able to sing it to you.

Little did he know that that moment was seconds ago to happen.

— 'Hey there pretty boy' said a female voice behind him. When he realized that it was actually your voice his eyes widened, he was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice you entering his room.

Closing the notebook rapidly he turned around in his chair looking directly at you. You were comfortably sitting in his bed, your leg crossed and a big smile plastered on your lips. And again, Jay's heart skipped a beat.

— 'Your mum let me in, she said that you were here so i wanted to come and see you' you said, eyes looking from his guitar to his desk where the notebook was. — 'Are you writing again Jjongie ?'

He was screwed. His best friend who he is in love with just discovered that he was writing a song, a song about her, and on top of that you asked him to sing it. He can't do that. — 'Well um i haven't finished it yet' he said looking at his feets.

But he knows you too well, he knows how stubborn you are and that you would keep asking him to sing it no matter what so, when you asked for the second time with pouty lips he couldn't refuse.

When you hear the song you were shocked to say the least. You weren't stupid, you knew that you both were more than childhood best friends, but hearing him basically confessing to you through a song was enough to confirm it.

Getting up from his bed you came closer to him without breaking eye contact. Now standing in front of him you took his guitar into your hands and you put it aside, sitting in his lap right after.

— 'Jay this is the best thing someone has done for me, you know that right ? ' he nodded at your words with a smile on his face, his hand around your waist rubbing the bare skin there and his eyes shining brightly.

Both of you were drowning in each other's embrace. He said, whispering even — 'I'm so in love with you god ' cupping your face with one of his hands and leaning in, connecting your lips in the sweetest kiss you've ever received.

Pulling away slightly you said those words he has been wanting to hear from you for so long. — 'I'm in love with you too, my rockstar' your lips connecting again, you could feel him smiling in between kisses.

So yes, best friends can also kiss and write love songs about each other but clearly they are never platonically.

[fanficbtss13]

Pretty Please?~

<Babygirl series> [1]

JJK (JEON JUNGKOOK) ONESHOT SMUT.

⚠️ WARMING: DO NOT read if you are not used to smut and mature content or if you are not an adult.

Do NOT copy.

Available on Instagram too- @fanficbtss13

Loving you right seven days a week.

⬇️

Fucking

<><><><><><><>

GUITARIST BOYFRIEND

<><><><><><><>

She put the hot chocolate cup on the coffee table after taking a sip from it and sighed in satisfaction. A clicking sound came as the main door opened and a manly voice sighed in tiredness. "I am home, babe." He stepped inside and took off his shoes, putting them on the rack.

He rushed inside towards her and lay on the couch rested his head on her chest and slid his hand inside her top, grabbing her breast and massaging it lightly, trying to let his stress out by being close to her.

She smiled and caressed his hair. "How was your day at practice, baby?" He smiled as he closed his eyes while feeling her nipple touching his palm he squeezed her breast gently and hummed. "Hm, as usual, it was just so tiring.

I always just feel like I could just touch and press against your soft skin." She chuckled lightly as she cupped his cheek and made him look at her as his hand was still on her breast, squeezing and massaging lightly to be stress-free after being tired by his practice. "You are doing great, Kookie. Don't overwork yourself, okay?"

He was silent for a while and sighed and nodded slowly. "Yeah, it's just I want the best for us both in the future." He stared at her lips and then licked his lips quickly. She raised her eyes and ruffled his hair lightly. "You have the next practice session, right? When is it?" By seeing him staring at her lips, she knew what he was thinking.

He gave a quick glance at her eyes and again looked at her lips. "Um, yeah in an hour." His voice was getting a bit deeper and fingers slowly teased her nipple while looking at her.

"Jungkook, I know what you are doing baby, we just did it the morning before you went for your practice, you were like 'I will miss you, baby, I need it.' What will you do if I will just not be in your life anymore?" She scolded him and his hand's grip tightened on her breast as his jaw clinched at her last sentence.

"Fucking dare say that again baby, or you will be cumming all day." Her heart pounded in her ribcage when she heard him say that and sighed and gave a sweet peck on his forehead, he looked down at her body, slowly sliding up her top. "What are you doing? You know you have your practice session in a while, you will get late like this."

She held his wrists to stop him and he looked up and gave her a lustful glare. "Oh stop me if you can." He smirked and moved closer and pinned her wrists above her head and her eyes widened by his aggressiveness all of a sudden. He traces his index finger on her jaw. "I've heard you are having a salsa dance for your next performance this week?" He poked his inner cheek, clearly showing his regular expression as if he was jealous.

"Who is that guy you are dancing with?"

She gulped and took a deep breath, her heart was going crazy inside her ribcage and her hands fist a bit as his hands were pinning her wrists above her head. "Jungkook, he is a normal guy and yeah he has a girlfriend. You know baby, there is nothing between us or will never happen when I love you." She was staring directly into his eyes, all his eyes screamed jealousy and lust with a mix of possessiveness and love. He shook his head,

"Oh baby, did I ask that? I. Asked. Who. He. Is. I didn't ask if I trust you or not." His jaw tightened as his hands also tightened around her wrists, he leaned and his other hand moved on her chin, gripping on it lightly and titled it as he pressed his lips on her jaw, up her neck, kissing her soft spot hungrily and possessively.

"I trust you, but not other guys." He finally completed his sentence and her lips parted as he gripped the skin of her neck between his teeth gently, marking on there.

She knew he was getting jealous and just putting those marks to show others that she was taken. "Ah- um, S-Seokmin." She shuttered and he teased her neck area with his kisses and love bite. "Hm okay, just tell me if he does anything to my baby girl, okay? And if he even touched my baby girl inappropriately, he would be messing with the wrong guy."

He said in a low voice and moved his hands unhooked her bra and took off her top, now her upper body was naked in front of his hungry eyes, he was trying not to let the animal inside him take over all the control. "Um, Jungkook you will get late for your practice." She bit her lower lip and his breath ragged as her heart pounded seeing him staring at her breast,

"Fuck baby, why are you always too beautiful to resist? Huh?" He swallowed hard, gliding his hands all over her body which was so beautiful and gorgeous in his eyes, and again met her gaze, "No way I will not fuck you every single day, even twice a day." He moved closer and whispered and his hands cupped her breasts. Her eyes widen, "No way baby, it's too much!" She whined and he laughed at her cute whining,

"For me, it will still not be enough." He smirked as his hand moved down and took off her shorts and rubbed her clit with his thumb through her pantie, and she gasped lightly, "Jung... Jungkook you have a practice session, you will get late like this." She tried to pull away but his hand was tight on her wrists and he smirked wider,

"Oh no, I need to fuck that tight little pussy, jerk off and leave my cum inside as if I am writing my name there forever. And as for the practice, I promise I will make this quick and that's it." He moved lower and took off her pantie too.

"Now be my good baby girl and spread your legs and show your pussy to your dearest boyfriend." She looked at him and gulped, biting her lower lip harder. "But-" She was about to say something but he cut her off by spreading her legs himself after hearing 'but' from her and she closed her eyes tightly. He placed his two fingers over her folds and spread her folds, he was getting hard in his pants as he looked up at her with hooked eyes.

"Please let me get inside, my baby girl?" His calling to her, pleading and his fingers on his folds made her more wetter for him. She reluctantly nodded his head and leaned back on the couch. "But be quick, okay?" His lips break out with a lustful bright smile as he hears her and his hands rush over the bottom of his jeans he takes off his jeans and includes his boxers, exposing his hard length and positioning himself near her pussy.

"You know what baby? I was just thinking about you in the practice room. Yeah, we did this, this morning but I was feeling like being inside of you forever."

He gazed directly into her eyes, and she gripped his shirt tightly he entered inside her and she gasped. Both of their hearts were pounding inside their chests crazily.

"Fuck." He groaned as he started moving inside her tight hole, stretching her with his huge size and she gasped, the slapping of wetness and the sound from their parted lips filled the living room, he started moving faster and leaned over her, capturing her lips on his, making their moans collide just how their body were colliding.

"Jungkook..." She moaned his name against his ear and he started moving faster hearing that and wrapped his arms around her waist tightly and pulled her up and now she was on top of his and his legs were folded back. He thrust upwards, filling her more and they moaned louder together.

"I'm... So fucking close.." He growled lightly and thrust harder inside her and held her close to him as she gasped louder than before when he released his cum inside of her. They were breathing heavily and he was buried deep inside her, emptying himself.

He slowly pulled out of her and it made a light wet sticky sound, he gazed down, his cum was dripping out of her as he was breathing heavily, and her lipstick was smudged, all was so sexy in his eyes as he pulled her close to his chest "Thank you, so much baby." He whispered in her ear and pressed a soft kiss on her cheek and she smiled. "Why do I need to thank, kookie? You know it is yours, forever."

She made him chuckle lightly and he ruffled her hair and took a blanket from the edge of the couch and wrapped it around her and he stood up wearing his clothes back. Her breathing got normal as he looked at him, dressing.

"Okay, I am getting late. I need to rush!" He looked at the clock on his phone and looked back at her and smiled fondly and affectionately and leaned to give her a quick peck on her lips and she blushed lightly and smiled. "Bye, baby." She said in a soft voice and he smirked.

"Just let me come back, and I definitely have no intention to let you sleep tonight, bye baby girl!"

He had already rushed out, and she didn't even get the chance to even protest back she leaned on the couch and blushed while smiling thinking about what just happened between them.

END

Masterlist

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[shirakow]

“ Smells like teen spirit . ”

Guitarist! Satoru Gojo who just loves to eat you out before a concert .

"Come on pretty girl, I need to be quick or else I'll be late..." He'd whisper against your closed thighs, vast blue eyes staring up at you almost pleadingly.

He calls it goodluck, you call it torture. Torture knowing that it's gonna take him a while before you could have him all to yourself again. But you know you can never deny him anything if he's looking at you so desperately and obediently.

The moment you open your thighs Satoru wasted no time and dived into your glistening cunt—his mouth deftly working to taste your essence on his tongue. Muffled noises could be heard from him as he sucks and eats your pussy like a hungry man.

Pull his hair too, urge him into your cunt deeper, make it so it's the only thing he thinks about while performing. Gives him a reason to get home earlier so that he can fuck that pretty thing all night for doing such a good job on being patient. A self reward, you could say.

Guitarist! Satoru Gojo who loves cumming in your panties and makes you stand in the crowd wearing it.

"You're gonna look so fucking sexy baby..." Satoru groaned into your ear, his hold on your hip growing tighter as his other hand worked quick to fist his cock; head aiming directly for the inside of your panties.

Satoru bit his bottom lip while grinning, "My cum in your panties while I perform on that stage—fuck—it's so hot..." A dry laugh erupted from his throat. He lifted the tip and rubbed it against your clit: fucking himself in between your folds, and let his head fall back with a loud groan at the wetness and warmth that coated his cock. "Ohhh—fuck yes, baby...!"

And there goes your perfectly clean panties.

Guitarist! Satoru Gojo who gets off on fucking in his private room .

"Y-You're gonna get us caught, pretty thing..." Satoru breathes heavily into shoulder, giving it sloppy kisses with his hand clasped tightly around your mouth. "Not that I'm worried...~ I'll just keep fucking this tight pussy, show everyone how good it feels around me..." He said with a laugh.

Satoru fucked himself faster into your cunt, pressing you up against the makeup station, and his chest flush against your back. He was always so mean to you, especially after concerts—he'd always keep his clothes on yet completely undress you in yours.

Not only could you not see his body, touch him in ways you normally would in the bedroom, but people could walk in and see you in your birthday suit! Worst part is you know Satoru would just make them watch and keep roughing you up.

Satoru groaned, growing tired of just covering your mouth, and instead shoved two fingers down your throat. "Tightened up around me... Liked that don't you? Having you choke on my fingers like my little bitch?" He gave a particularly sharp thrust and snaked a hand around your waist to rub your clit in time with his movements.

"D'ya hear that baby? Sounds like my mates are coming back...~ Don't worry though, I won't tease you too much..." Satoru glanced at the vanity mirror in front of you, a wide grin on his face as he stared at your flushed face. "... But I can't keep my promises."

© shirakow ! not proof read also my insomnia was kicking in so i wrote this while listening to metal :p

LUV YA GUYS !

[th0rns-n-r0ses]

cigarette burns ~

[WARNING - MINOR BURNS]

slash (saul hudson) ~ smut ~ female reader ~ 1787 words ~

~~~~~ The last thing you can remember is being downstairs, talking to motherfucking Slash himself, the legendary Guns N’ Roses guitarist, who happened to be at that same party you were at. Something about you must’ve caught his eye, because now you’re being dragged upstairs by him, his hand tightly gripping yours.

“God, you’re so fuckin’ hot.” Slash gasps and sighs as he looks down at you walking up the stairs behind him. He seems desperate, almost needing to get you into one of the bedrooms upstairs as soon as he possibly can.

When he sees a bedroom with an open door, he quickly bolts inside with you and slams the door behind the two of you, now isolating you away from the party whilst Slash stands directly in front of you. His breath had hints of smoke and alcohol on it, but it isn’t as strong as you assumed it was gonna be.

A cigarette dangles from his lips and his dark brown eyes look your body up and down with lust as his hands trail up and down, brushing over each and every curve your body has to offer for him to enjoy.

“Good God.” Slash takes a puff of his cigarette and his hand slides up your skirt a bit. “You’re just.. So fucking sexy.” He looks down at your body as his hands run over your skin. Your breath hitches and you feel your body heat up a bit.

“I bet you taste so sweet..” His words trail off and his hands feel around your waist and butt a little, enjoying the curves you had to offer. Slash’s hands move out from under your skirt and he feels the fishnets that cover your legs and thighs, which simply makes him feel more hot and bothered and want you more.

His hands grab the fishnets, his fingers hooking through the holes, and he gently pulls them off, careful not to tear them. But realistically, he would’ve ripped them off of you in an instant if they wouldn’t become torn. As soon as the fishnets fall to the ground, he lets out a groan and a sigh, his hand tracing from your knee to your hip.

“God, I want you.” Slash groans and tugs down your skirt a bit. Your breath becomes uneven and quick as you feel his hands trace up your body and to your shoulders, then push you down on the bed. He crawls up on top of you, his dark curly hair curtaining your face. You get a good look up into his dark eyes, as they drip with lust for you. Your eyes examine each feature of his face. From those lustful eyes, his curly locks, and those soft, plush-looking lips. Your shaky breathing only quickens as he takes his cigarette out of his mouth and begins kissing your cheeks, jaw and neck, all so soft yet so sexual, as his tongue slips across your skin with each kiss. He makes small mutters with each kiss, mostly about how he wants you and to feel inside of you.

Slash moves his lips and head away from your body, looking down at you and taking in your body as a whole. He takes another puff of his cigarette, then taps off the ashes into the ashtray with a smirk. He slowly leans the cigarette down to your neck and puts it out on your skin. You let out a pained whine, feeling the burning of the embers on your skin. “Shhh..” He sets the cigarette in the ashtray, then leans his head down and plants his lips on the burn, using his tongue to soothe the heat. You continue to moan out as the burn still hurts, but his tongue and saliva seem to do the trick to make the pain fade for the most part. Slash moves his tongue away and a stinging comes to the burn, but seeing his face distracts you from the sting.

Slash looks down at you with lust-filled eyes and his hands slide over your stomach, then under your tank top, his hands sliding against your skin. You let out a few whimpers, wanting him, needing him, aching for him. He takes your tank top off all the way, then gasps a little.A lustful breath escapes him, and he then leans down again and kisses your collar. While one of his arms holds himself up above you ever so slightly, the other one rests on the elbow and cups one of your boobs, fondling it to your most desire, based on your reactions and moans.

“I want you. I want you so bad..” He swallows, then takes off your bra straps and slips your bra off of you. He lets out a gasp and a sigh, kissing your chest sloppily, occasionally leaving hickeys and bites. His mouth moves to one of your nipples and slips his tongue over it, causing you to let out whimpers and gasps.

“Oh my God…” You groan, your hands lightly gripping the sheets. “Fuck me. Just fuck me already.” Your chest rises and falls, letting out gasps and pants with each of his tongue’s movements and how he straddles you.

“Not so fast, pretty girl. We’re gonna have a little more fun first.” Slash smirks, his tone dripping with lust. He moves his body down on the bed, pulling your skirt off all the way and tossing it to the ground.

“I wanna get a good taste of you first.” His fingers slip around your waist and hips, then slip your panties down a bit. He’s practically drooling over you, wanting to get a taste of your sweetness. Slash is panting a little, looking down at you and your heat. He quickly moves back up and licks the cigarette burn to try and make sure the pain will be eased, and a large smear of his saliva is left on your neck.

“Please, Slash, I want you..” You groan, your knees shaking a little. He moves back down and pulls your panties off all the way, looking down at your wetness. Next thing you know, his hands are gripping your thighs and his tongue is inside your wet cunt. Moans spill from your mouth as his tongue laps inside you, tasting you as much as possible. Your legs shake and you grip the sheets, your head thrown back and your back slightly elevated off the bed as his tongue flicks inside your pussy. Moans and whimpers escape your mouth, spilling out each time his tongue moves against you as he licks up inside of you.

His hands grip your thighs tightly, his fingers leaving the lasting sensation of his touch on your thighs as he slowly drags his fingers up and down on them. Slash is letting out groans and mutters into your pussy, clearly enjoying this experience.

“God, you taste amazing..” He mumbles into the lips, and you feel your stomach knot up and tense as you’re about to orgasm and cum right on his tongue. Your knuckles turn white from how you’re gripping the sheets in your hands. You can feel the tension buildup in your stomach, and you let out a long and satisfied moan as you cum on his tongue and in his mouth. Slash lets out a series of pleased noises as his tongue laps up your sweetness, enjoying every last little taste he could get.

“Baby, you’re sweet as sugar..” He groans, his nose pressing up against your clit as his tongue licks up the last bit of your cum. Slash retracts, moving away from your heat. He unbuttons his shirt, showing his sweaty and toned body to you as he crawls up on top of you. You can see how tight his pants are on his body, especially at where his crotch is, his dick hardening a little more the closer he gets to you.

Slash’s body is now on top of yours, your grip on the sheets loosening. He puts his mouth back on the burn and mumbles: “I’m gonna fuck you so hard.” You take in a sharp breath and squeeze your eyes shut as you hear the rustle of fabric and the buckle of his belt clink as he takes it off. You open your eyes a little, trying to get a glimpse, but you feel him smack his hand over your eyes.

“Not yet.” Slash growls into your ear and you squirm a little at the anticipation, whines escaping your mouth. Moments later, you feel the tip of his dick just between your folds, and his fingers slowly move off your eyes. You look down and see his hot and naked body looming over yours, shining from sweat. Your breathing instantly picks up as he slowly slips his cock inside of you, beginning to fuck you slowly. He lets out labored breaths as he looks down at your body beneath his.

“I’m gonna fuck you so hard you won’t see straight.” Slash’s voice is deep, but it’s such a turn-on. Your breaths catch and quicken as his thrusts speed up, your flesh slapping together as he thrusts. You moan and bite your lips, trying not to make too much noise and disturb the party.

“Moan for me, pretty slut.”

Upon hearing that deep tone, a loud moan rings out around the room as he fucks you harder, your cunt wrapped around his dick as he moves his body harder, your tits bobbing with each thrust. He leans his head down, biting and sucking on your neck and leaving a huge red hickey behind. His breaths hitch and quicken as his thrusts falter.

“Fuck.” Slash utters from gritted teeth as he continues to fuck you quickly, hitting your g-spot with each thrust. Your breathing quickens,  your stomach screaming at you again as you feel another orgasm incoming. Next thing you know, your back is arching and your head is thrown back as your eyes flutter, a loud moan escaping your throat as you cum on his cock.

“Oh, God, Slash, I- I- Ugghhh..” You groan as he fucks you through your orgasm, feeling himself edge closer.

“Oh, God, I’m close..” Slash groans as his movements become sloppy as he gets closer and closer to his own orgasm, his breaths becoming more labored as he edges closer. With a sharp breath, he pulls out of you and lets out a moan, cumming on your stomach. The hot feeling surges around your body and you let out a hoarse moan. Slash leans down, panting as you do, and kisses your lips gently. He looks down at you, then rolls to the side, laying next to you, the both of you completely exhausted.

~~~~~

[I feel like I suck balls at writing smut hahah]

[myleskennedyloml]

More MK please

𝕔𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕓𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

myles kennedy x reader

(includes smut, unprotected sex, fem reader, p&v)

word count: 1159

myles comes home from work one day with a big announcement, so you two decide to celebrate

It had been a long day, and I swear my heart skipped a beat when I finally heard the front door opening. I saw Myles walking through the door, and I immediately ran up to him, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug.

“I missed you so much,” I quietly say, burying my face in his shoulder. I felt him wrapping his arms around me, gently placing a small kiss on the top of my head.

“I missed you more my beautiful love,” he responds, whispering into my ear. I look up at him, my eyes locking with his.

“How was work?” I ask him, pulling away slightly so he can fully come inside. When I asked him, I noticed him grinning a little more.

“Well,” he starts, and I can’t help but narrow my eyes a little at his words, now more intrigued and curious.

“I got a call today, and you’ll never guess who it was,” he started, looking directly down at me. I raise an eyebrow at him, and his grin grows even wider.

“It was Slash,” he simply says, the grin on his face somehow growing wider as he speaks. My jaw practically drops at his words, in complete shock and disbelief.

“As in, the guitarist of Guns N Roses?” I look up at him, completely dumbfounded, and he nods his head.

“Yeah, he’s putting a solo record together, and he asked if I would do vocals on a couple of tracks,” he explains, and I feel myself grinning at his words. The love of my life was about to work with one of the most famous musicians in all of rock history. I hug him even tighter in response, feeling his arms wrap around me once again.

“That’s amazing love, are you gonna do it?” I ask him, looking up into his eyes. He looks down at me, thinking for a moment before nodding his head.

“Yeah, I think so. It would be a great opportunity, and may help Alter Bridge gain some new fans as well,” he responds, having very clearly thought this through. I slowly nod my head, my arms still tightly wrapped around him.

“Well, I’ll support you whatever you end up doing, you know that?” I look up at him, lightly pressing my lips against his. The moment I kiss him, I feel all of his self restraint disappear, and he kisses me back, his lips hungrily attacking mine. His arms pulled me closer to him, if that were even possible, before he pinned me against the nearest wall, breaking the kiss for a moment to look at me.

“You know love, I don’t know about you, but I think we should celebrate,” he quietly says before kissing my neck, causing me to let out a small moan in response. My hands find their way into his hair, grabbing onto it and lightly pulling, causing Myles to moan out softly against the skin on my neck. He continues kissing, leaving dark hickeys over the skin.

After a few moments, he pulls back again, admiring his newest piece of work on my skin. He then brings his attention off my neck and up to meet my gaze, his eyes meeting my gaze. His hand gently cups my jaw, his thumb grazing my skin.

“I could take you, right here, right now love,” he softly says, and I let out a shaky breath. I look up at him, and I slowly nod my head, feeling the desire and need for him in my body growing stronger and stronger with each second.

“I need you,” is all I can manage to get out before he kisses me again, this time even more desperately than before. His hands grab the hem of my pants, quickly pulling them down before he unbuttons his jeans, and proceeds to pull them down as well, causing him to spring free and hit my thigh, already rock hard. That was one of the things I loved about him: he never bothered to wear underwear. He said it made it easier for when moments like this one arrived.

He cups my face again, looking back up at me, the slightest look of concern on his face.

“I don’t have anything on me right now, is that still okay baby?” he asks, looking directly into my eyes. Another thing I loved about him was that no matter how long we had been together, and how many times we had engaged in these… intimate activities, he always made sure I was okay with what we were doing. Always. He never tried to do something without making sure he wasn’t stepping any boundaries.

As I nod my head in response to his question, he pushes me a little higher up the wall, allowing his cock to slowly slide inside me, and a moan escapes my mouth, feeling him fill me with himself. He grins at my moan, and after a moment to allow me to adjust to him, he slowly starts to move, his eyes never leaving me.

“That’s it, baby, you’re doing so well,” he quietly says, keeping his pace slow to start with. My arms tighten around him, and I bury my face in his shoulder. The way he felt, the way he spoke, just everything about Myles made me crazy and drew me insane, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

He gradually increased his speed, now moving faster against me, and I felt my body heating up, growing closer and closer to my release. I let out a moan against his shoulder, and his arms tightened around me as he fucked me. He lightly grabbed my chin, pulling my face out of his shoulder so I was looking at him.

“I love you, so so much,” he quietly says before kissing me again, still keeping his pace. I immediately kiss him back, feeling his lips firmly against mine.

After he breakes the kiss, I look up at him, my breathing growing shakier and more labored as he continues to move.

“I love you too,” I manage to get out before I bury my face in his shoulder again, a soft moan leaving my lips. At the sound of my moan, he too lets out a low moan.

He increases his speed even further, and the moan that leaves my mouth is even louder than the ones before. His movements become quicker and sloppier, and I can tell he’s getting close. 

Within seconds, his arms tighten around me as he reaches his climax, and I felt him spilling inside me. I let out a moan against his shoulder, feeling myself come to my own release.

After a few moments, he brushes a strand of hair out of my face, looking down at me.

“I love you so much baby, so goddamn much,” he quietly speaks, pulling me in for a light, yet passionate kiss.

[reeshyz]

For the 50 Dialogue Prompts: 46 and the pairing of your choice :D

Thank yo soo much! I hope you like it :) x

46. What happens if I do this? - Richard Kruspe x Paul Landers

“Anyone seen Richard?” Paul asks, when he walks into their rehearsal room. At first nobody looks up and Paul sighs.

They had a hard rehearsal today and the last fight had been rather loud. So loud that Till had left the room for a bit and apparently Richard had walked out as well. Paul had just been to the toilet so he missed most of the stuff.

“Nah, probably outside,” Schneider answers and only then does he look up.

“Maybe you should put that down before he comes back,” Olli says now and Paul looks down. He’s not sure what he’s talking about.

“What?”

“The Guitar. Put it down before Richard sees you with it,” Schneider says and Paul laughs a bit. He had seen the guitar outside in the hallway and he had thought that maybe Richard would look for it.

Lately he leaves his stuff everywhere and then forgets about it.

“Why? It’s not like I will break it. Maybe you don’t know that but I’m a guitarist too, I know how to hold them without breaking them, unlike some of you,” Paul says and he looks at Flake, who holds up his middle finger.

Paul laughs loudly. 

Flake had broken his guitar only once, but Paul loves to remind of it as often as he can.

“Maybe I will play on it,” Paul says, even though that’s mostly an empty threat. He doesn’t really like the guitars Richard uses, same as Richard doesn’t like to play on his own. They’re very different with their guitars and that’s fine. But it could be fun to annoy Richard.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Schneider says but it seems like he doesn’t really care anymore. Paul sits down on his usual chair and waits, while he carefully strokes over Richard’s guitar.

They really need to finish this damn song today.

Luckily just then he can hear Richard and Till talking loudly. Means they are coming back and they could continue to play.

“Guys where the fuck is my guitar!?” Richard yells from the hallway. Schneider looks towards Paul as if he wants to say ‘I told you so’. Paul ignores him on purpose, but he does duck when Schneider throws a drumstick at him.

“I got it!” Paul yells back before Richard would get a heart attack.

Richard and Till walk back into the room at the same time. Till looks rather relaxed now and he even sits down next to Flake, even though half an hour ago he had yelled at him. That’s a good sign.

Richard walks over to Paul.

“Give her back,” Richard says and holds his hands out. Paul pretends to think about that really hard, before he shakes his head.

“Nah, I think I’ll keep her. She’s rather nice,” Paul answers. He can see how surprised Flake and Schneider look at that. Probably worried he’d start the next fight like this.

“What? No, come on Paul. I need her,” Richard answers and it’s almost a whine. Paul leans further away and shakes his head. 

“Maybe I play on her now,” Paul says and he puts his right hand right over the guitar strings. He can see how Richard’s eyes widen. They all know that Richard never allows anyone to play his guitars.

They’re his babies. 

“Paul,” Schneider says now and it’s a clear warning.

“Just give her back, we wanna continue,” Ollie says, but Paul had always been good at ignoring them.

“What happens if I do this?” Paul asks and then presses his fingertips right against the guitar strings. It makes a quiet sound.

“Oh you don’t wanna find out!” Richard answers, he looks a bit angry.

Paul doesn’t care.

He starts to play “Heirate mich” and looks directly at Richard. He only plays for a few seconds and then stops again.

It’s so quiet in the room.

“You know what I want in exchange for the guitar,” Paul says.

Richard sighs loudly and then leans down to kiss Paul on his lips.

“I hate you,” Richard says but he’s smiling. Paul happily gives him the guitar back now. Still in one piece, of course. Richard happily takes his guitar and then sits back down on his own seat.

Paul realizes they are all looking at them, only Till isn’t. He’s smiling at Richard.

“What the fuck just happened?” Flake asks then. 

“I kissed my boyfriend, because he thought he was being a silly idiot,” Richard says and he smiles softly at Paul, who winks at him.

“Your - what?” Schneider wants to know and Paul laughs loudly. That’s not exactly how they wanted to tell the others, but he doesn’t really mind. Each of Richard’s kisses would be worth any trouble.

Not that he thinks they really are in trouble.

“Holy fuck congratulations,” Schneider says then and Till nods towards them with his glass of water. He’d already known but Paul knows Till is glad that Richard finally found his happiness.

Olli holds his hands up for a high-five, while Flake congrats them as well.

“But just so you know, you touch my guitar again and I’ll cut your dick off,” Richard says then and he pretends to actually clean his guitar from Paul’s fingerprints.

“That would hurt yourself as well, you love my dick,” Paul answers and promptly gets smacked by Schneider.

“We don’t need to know that,” Schneider grumbles but he smiles.

Paul smiles. Forgotten is the earlier fight about the new song. Everyone seems happy and when Richard looks at him, Paul makes sure to blow him another kiss.

Richard, the dork, catches it.

[anashins]

Play Me Like Your Guitar

Title: Play Me Like Your Guitar

Pairing: Jaehyun x You

Genre: band!AU, romance, smut, a sprinkle of drama

Warnings: finger play, handjob, protected sex, FLUFF and teasing

Word Count: 6.197

Summary: In order to improve your guitar skills, you decide to take private lessons to get accepted into a newly formed band. But the first lesson does not go the way you have imagined at all.

Jaehyun had sex like he played the guitar - rhythmic, steady, precise, and with a proficiency that no one dared to doubt.

_______

You looked into the eyes of a boy around your age, his gaze reflecting as much surprise as your own expression must have given away after he had opened the door for you.

His dark brown hair was messily pushed back and he was wearing a pair of washed-out ripped jeans with a simple white v-necked t-shirt. A silver necklace was adorning his neck, trailing down to his revealed collarbones until the delicate string of chains ended behind his clothe's fabric where an oddly shaped pendant silhouetted against his shirt.

Your gaze wandered up again and you noticed that his expression had changed. He was grinning slyly at you, and where the door had only been slightly ajar before, it was now opened completely so that you could get a view of the apartment's interior behind him.

“Hi!” he greeted you joyfully. “Are you here for the guitar lesson? You’re very early.”

“Uhm… yes.” You took a short, but decent bow before starting an apology, “I’m sorry for the inconvenience with my early appearance. I just didn’t want to be late.”

You had never been to this part of the town before, and since it was your first lesson, you didn’t want to leave a bad impression at your tutor.

Actually, you had been very unsure whether to really come or not, but your ambition had driven you to take the opportunity and accept the offer of this guitar-playing student that was pinned on your college’s bulletin board, who was willing to teach advanced learners for an affordable amount of money.

When you had been going up the stairs of the apartment complex, it was anxiousness and insecurity that accompanied you, because the thoughts whether he was someone nice who taught with patience or someone who would scold you every time were keeping you up at night.

But your first impression of him was not bad at all. Absolutely not.

“No problem,” he assured you and made a welcoming gesture to invite you in his apartment. “I’m Jaehyun, your tutor.”

You nodded thankfully, introduced yourself as well and followed Jaehyun into his apartment, your huge bag with your acoustic guitar on your back. It was a neat flat, modernly furnished, and you seated yourself on the couch in the middle of the room as you put down your bag, just now perceiving the other acoustic guitar, hanging on the wall in the corner of the room.

“You’re also playing the acoustic guitar?” you asked curiously, and he nodded.

“Sometimes, but I’m more of an electric guitar player,” your tutor explained as he seated himself beside you.

As though he had broken the ice with this information, you shifted around to face him with your brightest smile. “So, you play in a band?”

“Yeah, occasionally,” he said casually.

“That’s awesome!” you returned. “I want to audition for a band next week. They are looking for a new guitarist and I’ve always wanted to join a group instead of playing only for myself. I saw a notice on the college’s bulletin board and just thought why not? I’ve been playing the guitar for 8 years already, though I’ve taken a hiatus for like a year and only laid a hand on it last week again. I’m not very sure whether my skills are up to par enough to be accepted since I think I’ve gotten quite rusty, which is why I want to take some lessons to improve myself.”

Jaehyun chuckled lightly as his lips tilted up to form a smirk, and for a moment, you thought that you might have overwhelmed him with too much information that didn’t interest him at all, luring out mockery.

“Cool,” he just answered and seemed to shrug it off instantly so that you almost felt regret for having talked to him so bluntly right away. He nodded in the direction of your guitar bag. “Want to show me what you're capable of?”

You nodded directly, slightly ashamed over your sudden outburst since he didn't seem so interested in it anyway, and reached out for your bag in front of your feet. Zipping it open, you pulled out your guitar, and with a certain carefulness, you placed it on your lap, grabbing the fingerboard with your left hand and holding the body with the other.

“I’ll quickly tune it up,” you explained.

Jaehyun nodded again, watching you fiddling with the neck of the guitar as you changed the positions of the tuning keys by turning them to get the right strains on the strings for the certain note. You plucked on each string a few times until the note sounded right in your ears and moved on to the next one until you were finished.

Satisfied, you turned aside to ask Jaehyun, “Shall I just start playing something randomly now or—“

But within a second, he had moved forward to take the same position as you. He wound his arms around each side of your body and grabbed on the guitar himself, his left hand over your own on the fingerboard and his right hand over yours on the guitar body, his chest pressed against your back and his face right beside yours as his voice whispered huskily, “This tone doesn’t sound quite right.”

You startled and your body stiffened as you felt him so close to you. Not daring to make a single move or to even take a short breath, you just sat there and perceived every little movement he did; how his fingers brushed over yours and plucked the strings, how his soft breath was always next to your ear, how his body leaned against yours, holding you in a half-embrace.

Unwillingly, your own body became weak, and it was undeniable due to the closeness of your tutor.

“I fixed it,” Jaehyun then declared firmly, pulling you out of your thoughts that had only revolved around him as he withdrew himself from you.

Feeling like if he had noticed your short absence as he grinned at you, you quickly turned your gaze away as you flushed a little and grabbed on your guitar a little firmer now that his hands on yours were gone.

You couldn’t deny the fact that the position in which you both had been before felt very pleasant, evoking feels in you that you had been missing out on for quite a time. And now that he had withdrawn himself, you actually felt like missing the embrace from before.

“Just quickly show me what you are capable of and we’ll figure out what you’re lacking in,” Jaehyun suggested and automatically, you nodded obediently.

Still overwhelmed by the act from before and a bit confused, you held your guitar rather awkwardly like you were unskilled, and as you plucked on the strings, the melody of the song you actually wanted to play sounded totally different from what you had in mind. It was like all the years of learning the instrument had been blown away, leaving you unskilled but with a mind full of something or better say someone else.

You weren’t with your thoughts by the act you actually needed to perform anymore, and it was all because of your tutor who was rather hot, you finally admitted to yourself.

Jaehyun chuckled light-heartedly and moved close to you again, looping his arms around you and pressing his body against to yours like before. And just like he had moved a lever with it, your heart suddenly started to pound faster, making a sudden hotness wash through your body that evoked a sizzling fire between you two.

His skin brushed over yours as he plucked the strings, his arms softly and rhythmically moving against yours, his face next to yours with his cheek almost touching your ear as he hummed the song he was playing.

“You need to pluck a little lighter,” he whispered, playing the same short melody over and over again.

But the melody couldn’t bother you less at that moment since you weren’t paying attention to the things he did to the guitar but rather the things he did with you.

You held your breath when he suddenly stopped, afraid that he would withdraw again like he had done before – but he didn’t. Instead, you perceived him shifting, and you instantly got goose bumps as you felt his lips brushing over your earlobe. The strength in your hands suddenly vanished and your body became utterly weak again. If Jaehyun hadn’t hold the guitar at that moment, it would’ve dropped on the ground, and truthfully you wouldn’t even care a bit.

“The strings are very sensitive which is why you don’t need to pluck so hard,” your tutor muttered, and every word that found its way into your ear made you melt away in his arms.

He was so close, and each move of his lips against your skin sent shivers down your spine.

“What are your sensitive spots?” he asked suddenly.

Although you couldn’t see his expression right now, you could swear that he was grinning while questioning you. Taken aback by this bold question, you didn’t know what to answer first, lowering your head and swallowing hard.

“That’s… not a part of the lesson,” you tried to fight, but inwardly you knew that, if he would truly make a move, you would lose.

“Well,” he started, not making a move to even slightly change his position, “you said you wanted to have lessons to improve yourself… but you didn’t say in what topic.”

“What—“

“I’m not only good in playing the guitar, you know,” he cut you off.

But before you could even get the chance to return something, you were interrupted again by Jaehyun tugging on your hair to tilt your head a bit. You let out a hearable gasp as he placed his mouth on the side of your neck and left a soft kiss right there.

Your grip around the guitar’s fingerboard became tighter when he began to suck harshly on your neck, even taking some skin between his teeth to nibble playfully on that spot. A ticklish, yet excited feeling spread through your limbs and filled you up to your last fiber, leaving you in disappointment as you felt him pulling his lips back.

“Number one found,” Jaehyun chuckled into your ear.

Before you could happen to think properly again, you opened your mouth to let out another gasp that got stuck in your throat and rendered you silent. He had wandered with his free hand under your shirt, slowly sliding his fingertips along your naked skin, and every inch that he moved over, made you shiver pleasantly.

He stopped at the area of your navel, rubbing circular patterns around that spot that made you chuckle slightly due to the ticklish feeling. Although he had the rough fingertips of a guitarist, you didn’t notice anything of this at all. His touches were soft and tender and utterly careful.

Satisfied with himself, Jaehyun stated, “Number two found.”

Within seconds, you found his lips placed on the side of your neck again while his hand was holding your body tightly against his, his palms still resting on your naked tummy under your shirt. He sucked on your sensitive spot but didn’t concentrate on there only. He kissed upwards, soft lips caressing your skin as you bent your head aside to give him more space.

You fluttered your lids, trying to gather serious thoughts as you muttered, “But the guitar le—“

“Right,” Jaehyun returned instantly, withdrew his hand that had kept you close to him and grabbed the guitar to place it carefully on the table.

He turned around and kneeled in front of you as he held on either side of your thighs to move you closer to him. He spread your legs and seated himself on the ground between them, letting his palms rest on your thighs, only the thin fabric of your pants hindering you from meeting skin on skin.

“I mean the lesson—“ You tried again.

But he reached out his hands and held on each side of your face as he pulled you down to him, your faces so close to each other that only an inch prevented your lips from meeting one another. Your eyes reflected insecurity, confusion, but also excitement and anticipation.

“Your body is telling me that you want me to help you improve in other topics.”

And with that, Jaehyun pulled you in for a kiss.

It was a rather chaste and less demanding kiss in the beginning, one that was testing the waters as he massaged your lips as softly as he had done on your neck before, experimenting how far he could go first. You were hesitant as well, returning his kisses with slight, almost unnoticeable movements.

But it was not too long before you reached out your hands to grab on his shoulders for hold before you opened your lips fully, giving him consent to continue and deepen the kiss. You could feel him smiling as he pulled you so close that your chests almost touched.

His tongue smoothly rolled with yours before he licked over your lower lip, nibbling on the flesh and heating you up even more like that before pushing his tongue back into you. Faster than you thought, you got carried away with the kiss, as it was one of the kind that you had never experienced that intensely before.

So you didn’t notice how Jaehyun had hooked your ankles around his waist and lifted you off the couch with both his hands carrying your body by holding onto your bum.

Within the next moment, he had placed you onto his bed after removing your shirt and pants, leaving you only in your underwear as he positioned himself on top of you. You watched in awe how he got rid of his shirt, grabbing onto the hem of the clothing to pull it over his head in one swift movement, leaving his hair in such a sexy mess that you couldn’t turn your gaze away from him.

Jaehyun smirked sexily, obviously aware of the effect he had on you. When he bent down to you, you reached out and entwined your fingers around the pendant of his necklace, pulling him closer to you to capture his lips.

As he returned the kiss passionately, you traced your fingers along his chest, running your fingertips down his naked skin. Under your touch, you could feel him shiver slightly, making your realize that he felt exactly the same that you did when he touched your own body; excitement, anticipation, but also a hint of insecurity.

With a quick movement, you made you both change your positions so that you were sitting on Jaehyun's lap now, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear as you fiddled with the zipper of his jeans. His erection was already straining against his pants. Your tutor let out a mischievous laughter as you threw a curious gaze at him, slightly taken aback and insecure whether you were doing the right thing.

But he only said, “Doesn’t look like that I need to teach you anymore.”

Jaehyun was obviously surprised, but satisfied with what you were doing. Grinning back at him, you pulled his pants down his thighs, revealing a huge visible tent that was kept hidden underneath the thick fabric. You tugged on the hem of his boxers, freeing his cock that instantly slapped back on his stomach.

“Touch me,” Jaehyun pleaded, and where you had watched his boner in awe before, he had pulled you out of your thoughts now and you nodded, willing to fulfill him this wish.

Tenderly, you grabbed hold of his cock on the base and slowly moved your hand along his length all the way up. You heard a relieved sigh and as you lifted your head to look at Jaehyun, he had his head rolled back while an arm was put over his forehead, covering half of his face.

By the time you’ve reach his tip, brushing with your thumb over the sensitive spot, a low groan came out of his mouth, and you perceived him gritting his teeth, then biting on his lower lip as he stretched out his arms, but kept his eyes shut close.

Somehow, it made you really proud of what you were able to do with him, so you took it a little further. You continued sliding your hand up and down his length while the other hand massaged the area around his base. In the beginning, your pace was rather slow and soft, but as Jaehyun let out a long-lasting moan and an even louder “Fuck!” you decided to tease him even a little more.

You increased your pace, sliding up and down rhythmically, fast and steady, feeling him growing even more under your palms, if that was possible.

It was only moments later when the first drops of his precum was built on his tip that you took the opportunity to lower your head and deliciously let your tongue lick over his head to sip it all up. But as you parted your lips to take him into your mouth fully, Jaehyun had already flipped you over and pinned you against the mattress with his entire weight, making it impossible for you to move anymore.

“Enough,” he breathed, sweat glistening on his forehead as he hovered over you. “It’s my turn. I am the tutor.”

He lifted your body up a bit by reaching with both of his hands under your back to unhook your bra which he then took off and tossed on the ground. He touched your left breast, first on the top slope before he lifted his hand and only run the fingertips across the mound. You mewled quietly to his touches, your nipples hardening as Jaehyun rolled his fingers around your sensitive spot.

“Another one found,” he muttered, a smile forming on his lips as his warm hand closed around your breast.

It was fully hefted into his palms before he brought up his free hand and did the same to the other breast. Placing himself fully between your legs, you felt his hard-on twitching between your thighs, only the thin fabric of your lace panties keeping your intimate parts from finding each other.

Your own body started to twitch under his as Jaehyun lowered his head and licked with his tongue over your left breast, leaving a path of saliva and making you cry out louder than you had intended. Slyly grinning, he blew over that spot, causing your curved skin to form goose bumps due to the coldness of his liquid. Bending further, he embraced your nipple with his soft lips and sucked on it harshly, but carefully as your hands found their ways to his head to look for a grip by burying your fingers in his silky hair.

Jaehyun showed a certain proficiency as he played with your breasts, kissing around the nub that he had made sensitive and placing tender kisses around the area before he got back to teasing you again, even biting slightly into it which made you cry out once more. Not because of the pain though, but because you were craving for more and for him to finally go further.

Your pink tips shuddered under his touches, but when you threw your head back to glory his mouth play a bit more, it was something else that made you shriek.

Jaehyun had bucked his hips purposely so that his revealed boner was now sliding across your still hidden core, and where you had been only wet before, you were dripping now.

“Let’s see whether this is a sensitive spot too.”

“What?!”

Your eyes widened in question, but Jaehyun said nothing. He laid himself fully on top of you, his chest on your chest, the cold metal of his necklace touching your still heated skin as he shifted his position and fixated his weight on only one side of his body. Nonetheless he managed to pull you in for a kiss which didn’t last long because you broke it instantly and breathed for air.

“Yes, there too,” Jaehyun said confidently when your entire body flinched as his thumb pressed on your clit, massaging it in circular motions.

You threw your head back, your body arched and you dug your nails into his shoulders as pleasant shudders ran down your spine right to your toes while he worked magic on your body, playing with it precisely.

Instinctively, you brought your legs together as your tutor dragged his middle finger along your covered folds, your next moan getting swallowed in his mouth as he wandered upwards again, repeating this movement a few times until you were dripping in his hand and your panties soaking.

“Spread your legs,” he commanded and you reacted obediently, although it was very hard to do so when he was still playing with you around there.

You threw your head aside, your upper body lifting off the mattress as your back arched. Jaehyun had pushed two fingers into you, and just as your thighs wanted to react like before, squeezing shut, he now rested one arm on your inner leg, keeping your limbs separated that way.

He worked slowly in the beginning, sliding in and out lewdly, teasing you and smiling over every moan that fell from your lips, but as he increased his pace, pumping in and out of you with a certain force on the right spots, your legs began to flinch uncontrollably under his, announcing the upcoming release to which he drove you further with his finger play.

Then, Jaehyun withdrew his fingers and sat up, leaving your core still twitching hotly, missing his touches already. His hair was messier than before due to your own fingers running through his curls and as he looked up, throwing a gaze at you, you couldn’t help but to smile at each other.

Jaehyun then raised his finger, licking the juice all up, and you actually happened to think that this was the sexiest scene you had ever seen. The look he threw at you was filled with lust and anticipation for the upcoming act, but also with a certain kindness and esteem towards you.

He had worked on your body like a guitar, playing the sensitive strings with precision, but deliberately and gently, exactly knowing where to work to lure out the best sounds of you. His finger play was the work of a very experienced guitar player, his fingertips rough, but he still knew how to use them to make you feel good.

He made you the instrument while he was the player, turning you completely obedient to each of his motions.

Jaehyun then bent his head and peppered butterfly kisses in between your breasts, tracing them downwards along your stomach, then to your navel, your groin, and even further till he reached the hem of your panties. Seating himself up again, he took your legs and laid them over his shoulder, tugging on your panties that he then slid off your legs and tossed it, with the rest of his own clothes, to the ground. Reaching over you, he opened the drawer of his nightstand and took out a condom that he unpacked and rolled over his erection.

Jaehyun placed himself back on top of you, his cock twitching between your inner thighs in anticipation as you could already feel his tip at your entrance. You two kept close eye contact as he pushed himself into you, not too fast, but slowly and carefully since he didn’t know how he would fit into you yet. Studying every change your expression made, he watched you sighing in relief when he glided in, the reaction assuring him that you were okay.

He stretched you with every inch he plunged in, making you dig your nails deeper into his back. As he eased himself in you, you perceived how good the way he filled you up felt, making you feel completed. Your bodies just matched perfectly.

You bucked your hips impatiently, catching your tutor off guard for a moment by sending pleasure down his body and making him lose his control for a short time. But after he had found his position again, leaning over you, he let out a short laughter as if he surely wanted to take this competition.

Jaehyun's arms were propped on either side of your head on the pillow as he began to move. And this time, he didn’t start slowly like all of his acts before, and you thanked him for this inwardly since he had heated up the both of you with his promising foreplay already.

Jaehyun had sex like he played the guitar - rhythmic, steady, precise, and with a proficiency that no one dared to doubt.

He thrusted into you with a certain force, but never too harsh to make you cry out in pain or too fast to hinder you from enjoying it. He plunged in and out of you, his hips steadily grinding against yours. You met his pace by moving your own hips with his rhythm, increasing the sensation that was built between the both of you in your connected parts.

He had moved an arm under your back, lifting up your body a bit while you had rolled your head back, revealing your sensitive neck area that Jaehyun was now caressing with kisses as he dipped his head, planting passionate smooches and every now and then soft pecks onto your skin.

Every time Jaehyun slid out and needed too long for your impatient body to push back in, you unknowingly scratched his back, crying out his name, wanting even more, and by the third time, he came to know your cravings all to well and do this on purpose just to have you call out his name over and over again “Jaehyun… Jaehyun… Jaehyun…!!”

He took his other hand to reach down to your thigh and wound your leg around his waist, bringing your sweaty bodies together, his chest brushing against your breasts, every movement luring a mewl out of your mouth while his hot breath was close to your ear, his breathing pace increasing as each thrust passed. He plunged in and out, your body becoming an entangled mess, your lips craving for more kisses and your skin craving for more touches.

Jaehyun's chest parted from yours as he brought his upper body up to grab on the headboard, ready for the climax. You studied in amazement how his majestic chest, covered in glistening sweat, rose in front of your sight, how he increased his pace and closed his eyes, and you took all of his rough poundings as he lowered his head and released a loud groan that was followed by a few quieter ones, shudders running down his spine as he released himself into you.

Against your expectations, he didn’t let go of you yet. He wanted you to come now as well. Within the next second, he had lifted you off the mattress, causing you to let out a surprised “Ah!” and had you placed on his lap in a seating position as he held your body firmly against his.

You looped your arms around his neck and dipped your head, resting your forehead on his shoulder as he thrusted upwards, more forceful than he had done before, but the effect was incredible. Your moans got muffled in the crook of his neck as your body bounced on his thighs steadily. He held onto your hips to keep them down as he rotated his own in circular motions, purposely focused on stimulating your clit by grinding against you, and as he began thrusting again, you came as well with one hard jolt of his that was followed by several other ones while he let you ride it out.

And as you did come in shudders that sent spasms down to your body, with your head thrown back, with your hands holding onto Jaehyun's shoulders, with your legs wounded around his waist and with Jaehyun embracing your body to not let you fall over, you let out the tone that was the most pleasant one in his ears – the one of you calling out his name: “Jaehyun…”

--

You were still naked in bed as Jaehyun came back with his guitar and seated himself beside you. You wrapped the blanket around your body and brought your legs close to your chest to rest your chin on your knees and listened to him playing. You had your eyes closed in the beginning, listening to the wonderful melodies he created with the instrument, absorbing every note of it, trying to remember and memorize every single accord and tone.

You were carried away by the magic of the moment and truthfully, you didn’t want him to ever stop playing again.

Peeking through strands of your hair, you secretly caught a glimpse at him and your heart started to flutter when you saw him sitting there, half-naked and utterly sexy, his messy hair now down and framing his face; his expression was concentrating, his gaze fixated on the guitar, yet he had time to quickly look up and return your soft expression.

Flushing, you lowered your gaze again as your heart throbbed fast against your chest, but it wasn’t quick enough to not have perceived the smile that he was flashing at you and in secrecy, you smiled back.

As he was finished with the song, Jaehyun put the guitar aside and shifted his sight at you, the kind smile still lingering around his lips.

“Too bad that we couldn’t come to the lesson anymore,” he said, but you both started to chuckle simultaneously because the sentence was filled with pure sarcasm to which the truth you both couldn’t deny.

“So… Your time is still not over,” he grinned slyly and moved towards you, his hands on your waist as he approached you. “How about some extra lessons then?”

You welcomed him happily with an open-mouthed kiss as he gently pushed you back onto the mattress, placing your head on the pillow and himself between your legs. As he seated himself up to remove his boxers for the next round, you saw it.

You saw it clearly and you didn’t know why you hadn't noticed it before. The oddly shaped pendant on his necklace was not some sort of a cryptic modern jewelry that one could not exactly define. It was a letter in capitals.

The letter “T”.

Within a moment that didn’t even last a single second, your view on this whole situation changed as the world, in which you had been living in the past hour, broke down.

You didn’t know why you had let yourself lure into this situation in the first place. Perhaps, it was his charm, the magic of the moment or your own craving for physical attention. And even if it was all three of them, it wouldn’t explain why the news now hurt so much since feelings weren’t involved in the first place anyways.

But the thought that Jaehyun had most likely a girlfriend, a girl so precious that he was always wearing her around his neck, just shattered you for reasons you couldn’t exactly define. And by the time he had perceived your changed mien, you realized that it utterly bothered you that it wasn’t your name he was wearing on his necklace after you had shared such a beautiful moment.

“What’s wrong?” Jaehyun asked worriedly, his expression as lost as yours.

You pushed him from top of you and moved to the side of the bed to collect your clothes.

“I need to go,” you quickly said, trying to sound as normal and strong as you could.

At first, it seemed like Jaehyun let you go willingly, but after you were fully dressed and wanted to leave his room, he grabbed for your wrist and made you stay.

“What’s wrong?” he repeated again, demanding an answer.

But you didn’t want him to triumph over another trophy by turning around and let yourself get humiliated.

So you just freed your arm with one fast jolt and left the apartment as fast as possible. You didn’t even waste time by putting your guitar back in the bag as you just grabbed each item and left the apartment before Jaehyun could even catch up on you.

By the time he had reached the living room, he just perceived the noise of the door falling shut, and when opened it again to call out for your name, you were already running down the stairs as fast as you could, sudden tears blocking your view which you frantically blinked away.

You didn’t stop running until a few blocks down the street, exhausted, tired and your heart so sad that you could barely breathe.

--

When you pulled open the door to the rehearsal room, you were actually surprised that there weren't many people auditioning as well. To be exact: There was no other person aside from you.

You pulled out the paper from the bulletin board with the date and time of the audition, but except for the fact that you were early as always, they were absolutely correct. Insecurely, you stepped in and closed the door behind you.

Immediately, a boy around your age came towards you, greeting you happily with a decent bow. “Hello, are you y/n?”

You nodded, surprised over his sudden happiness to see you. “Yes. Am I right here for the audition? Because I don’t see anyone else.”

“That’s because there won’t be anyone else,” he announced with a smile. “You’re our new member.”

“What?” Your eyes widened in surprise, unsure of whether you had heard right, and that was why the guy repeated,

“You’re our new guitarist. Congratulations!”

“What about the audition? The other applicants?”

“They’ve gotten rejected by our leader beforehand already,” he explained.

“Seriously? Why?”

“Because I said so.”

The voice that cut off your conversation was coming from another direction and oddly, it seemed very familiar.

As you turned around, you were facing a boy standing beside other two, a boy that you had been trying so hard to forget during the past days, but had never entirely succeeded in doing so.

And as your gaze fell on the pendant of his necklace again, everything fell together, relief and realization hitting you. Suddenly, you felt so much longing for him that you just wanted to run towards him and let him take you into his arms.

Like he had heard your thoughts, Jaehyun approached you and put an arm around your shoulder, pulling you close to him and placing a fond kiss on your temple.

“She’s mine,” he announced to his three fellow band mates, “so don’t you dare laying a hand on her, right?”

A moment later, after a playful quarrel between the boys and the introduction of each of you, you were seated in front of the small stage in their rehearsal room, Jaehyun standing in front of you, playing the guitar and singing, the guy who had greeted you was on the drums, another played the bass and the last one was on the keyboard. In order to get to know them more as a band and their music since you would join them as their new guitarist, they had deiced to give you a private concert.

Although you were trying to memorize and enjoy the songs, your eyes were almost always with Jaehyun.

Neither of you held yourselves back to hide the affection between you both with longing gazes that had only gotten more intensive during your time of separation. Jaehyun's slender body moved slowly and rhythmically to the music, his electric guitar always firmly in his hands as he shook his head to each tone he was playing, his hair messily swirling around.

But what specifically caught your attention today was his voice as he sang. You hadn't known that he was the lead singer as well which was another reason why you were especially drawn to him now. He had a rather deep singing voice, yet a very smooth and soft one which never got shaky regardless of the notes he needed to hit.

Jaehyun held onto the microphone as he stopped playing every now and then to concentrate on the singing, closing his eyes to hit the right notes, and every time he opened them, you were the first thing he looked at.

You knew that there were many things you needed to talk over.

First of all, you owed him an apology, but you also knew that there was much time left for you both. Now that you were playing in the same band, you’d spend more time together - time that would be filled with lessons in the rehearsal room.

Real guitar lessons in his living room, improvised guitar lessons in between the sheets and promising dates to get to know each other more.

Because T actually stood for the name of his band, but T could also stand for Together.

[issaxcharlie]

Falling like the stars✨

Pairing: Alive! Luke Patterson x Fem Reader

Summary: Luke and Y/N never got to be a thing. Whatever they had ended abruptly when she settled on someone with far more status than the aspiring guitarist. Months later, now single, Luke entangles her in a scheme to make Sunset Curve more popular. The only thing she needs to do is fake date him for 2 weeks.

Songs used: Holy Ground by Taylor Swift, Loved You First by One Direction and Falling Like The Stars by James Arthur.

High school is a world by itself. It has its own system and everyone moves through it. It is something that although it is not discussed, everyone knows. Including the three members of Sunset Curve, who are lying in the yard trying to find a solution to their latest problem.

"We need more people to support our music. If we can't get this little school to support us, how are we going to fill clubs or sign with a label?” Reggie wonders aloud to himself, no matter how hard they try, they can't get the Los Feliz student body to listen to their band.

“We should have thought about it before, Reg. Now we're just the problem kids who most likely won't finish school. Why would they come to see us at those seedy little clubs when they can go show off at football games.” Luke stands up suddenly after Alex words, one of those huge smiles that comes out when he has a really bad idea on his face.

“Well it seems that the solution is easy, boys. We have to make them see us on the same level as those jocks.”

“Oh yeah, and how are we going to do that, genius?” Alex fiddles with his hands as he rests his head on Reggie, both tired of not being able to come even close to fulfilling their dream.

Luke points to the nearest post, on which there are at least 5 posters to support the homecoming king and queen.

“Really? Do you think someone would vote for you? Before all those star athletes who also have a cheerleader to back them up? You basically have just us and I don't think I can do one of those tricks.”

“We’ll think of something. Winning that stupid thing would put us directly in the top of the pyramid. We’ll find a way, we always do.” Before anyone can respond, some screaming and commotion can be heard.

“Savannah is accusing Y/N to mess with her man! Run, they are in the hall!" students mention as they start running to watch the discussion.

“Oh god, Y/N. I’ll better go and see if I can help her somehow.” Alex gets up and Reggie begins to follow him, but not before turning to make sure Luke is following too. The guitarist makes an irritated face but ends up walking behind his friends.

From the moment they enter the main hall they can hear the screeches of probably the most popular girl in school, Savannah Miller. One of those typical unbearable girls who for some reason always reach the top of the elite in schools despite treating everyone badly.

Y/N Y/L is on the other side of the discussion, she looks calm and even bored. The first thing Luke digests from Savannah's words is that she thinks Y/N was making out with her idiot of a boyfriend during third period. What's interesting about the situation is that Diego cheated on Y/N with Savannah maybe a week and a half ago and had been dating her ever since.

But that's not Y/N's style, no matter how angry she is.

Luke knows her well enough, or so he wants to believe. She was always good friends with Alex and Reggie, and her relationship with them remained strong over the years despite how unstable and fleeting her relationship with the guitarist was.

He's never going to admit how deeply he felt for her. How much it screwed him up that just when he finally began to believe they could be something else, she completely walked away from his life so she could date the man that would end up cheating on her just because he looked more promising at the time. Rich, popular, the quarterback of the football team, the ‘perfect guy’ she said to the boys.

But hey, that's past.

Luke looks up to meet Y/N's eyes on him. In the moment she realizes she was caught, she sneakily turns to Alex, who is just inches from the guitarist and smiles at him.

“Are you actually smiling? You think this is funny?” The girl looks furious, but she's smart enough not to make this a battle of strength.

“I already told you, Savannah. It wasn’t me.”

“I can count, Y/N. Neither you nor Diego were in class."

And that’s when it hits him. The possibility of getting to the top of the pyramid in front of him. Because maybe Y/N is not the most popular, but it is undoubtedly one of the most loved by everyone. Intelligent, caring, beautiful, talented. And she certainly has the status after dating Diego Hernandez for one semester. No one had managed more than 3 months with him and the guitarist thinks that was a good sign that that idiot is not a good idea but well, it wasn’t his choice.

Luke begins to walk towards the center of the circle, Alex tries to stop him but cannot catch his arm in time. Both girls turn to see him surprised, but neither says anything.

"You can go find culprits elsewhere, Y/N was busy with me at the time. You can ask whoever you want and they'll tell you that I wasn't in class during third period either."

Of course, he wasn't there because the trio got into Reggie's old truck to get some hotdogs but no one has to know that.

His hand goes to take her firmly by the hip, just like all those nights that now only remain as memories. He is looking at every inch of her face, searching for her reaction, and is surprised by the naturalness with which the girl accepts the gesture. As if his hand belongs there. And maybe, just maybe, it does.

“Do you really want me to believe this?” Savannah asks, clearly annoyed.

“Y/N and Patterson? There’s just no way in hell. C’mon babe, he’s just pathetic, you could do better.” Diego says out loud as he approaches the scene in the middle of Y/N and Savannah.

There's something about the disgruntled way they both said it that makes Luke want to prove that a girl like her could want him. He doesn’t know how to distinguish if it is pride or insecurity but at the moment he is not interested.

He's barely going to open his mouth to defend himself when Y/N starts talking. "No. You can speak as badly as you want of me but you're not going to bring Luke into this."

Luke lets go of her so he can step back a few inches and see her from a better angle. She’s definitely not calm anymore. Her face looks altered and she is undoubtedly in protective mode. She turns to see him when she feels his hand leave her body but he offers her his hand and she intertwines it between her fingers without hesitation. At this rate she is taking control of the situation so he is going to let her continue and try to achieve his goal along the way.

“I know you need a partner to have any hope of winning the crown, but choosing Patterson is a desperate move.”

And that’s his cue. "If my baby wants that crown I will get it for her. It's that easy.”

“What? I do-” At that moment Luke panics and pulls her by the hand that they have intertwined and with the other holds her face while bringing their lips together. When he reacts to what he is doing he is afraid that Y/N will push him in front of everyone but to his surprise she kisses him back instantly, releasing his hand to bring him closer to the neck.

The kiss is passionate and almost desperate, but it only lasts a few seconds since a voice brings them back.

"This feels like deja vu." Reggie whispers to Alex, they both walked during the discussion towards the circle and are so close that Luke and Y/N heard him clearly.

“Well, we already clarified that she was not with your boyfriend so, I’ll take my girl. It was a pleasure, we should repeat this another day... said no one ever." Luke takes her hand and leads her to the nearest empty living room, Reggie and Alex locking the door behind him.

“What the hell was that crown bullshit? Why did you even cover for me? What are you up to? At least tell me is fun... or that includes you shirtless.” She jokes, a cheeky smile spreads in Luke’s face.

“I need a favor and thought you’ll appreciate an alibi.” She raises her eyebrow in reflex.

“Why would I help you, Lucas?” Luke can only think of how she makes a name as simple and boring as Lucas sound so sexy when she says it. Is incredible.

“Cut the act, beautiful. We both know you've never been able to resist me.” Y/N laughs amused at the boy’s sassiness. She won't admit it but she missed his eyes on her. She missed the way he uses that cocky stupid voice that melts her when he wants something. How he gets closer with each sentence, or his lips on her mouth.

Before she can counter attack, Alex stands in front of the guitarist raising his hands. “I know he’s an idiot, but we really need your help, Y/N. If we want Sunset Curve to gain popularity we have to start here, and this is our last year. Gaining popularity among the elite of the school would help us a lot.”

“We are getting desparate.” Reggie adds, a sad smile on his face.

“And pretending I made out with Luke in third period and getting to be homecoming dance queen and king helps you... why?”

“That crown is literally a test of popularity and status. It would put Luke on the same level as the popular kids like Savannah and Diego. People would be more interested in Sunset Curve after that. For now, for them we are only three good for nothing that one day will not appear around here again. You heard yourself that those two didn't think Luke was good enough."

Her face flushes with anger as soon as she remembers the contemptuous tone of voice they used to refer to Luke. If they hadn't been in the middle of the hall, she probably would have said a lot more than she did. That single comment is enough to make her decide, so without thinking Y/N asks “What do you need me to do?”

“Just play perfect couple with Luke until homecoming dance. Then you are queen and king, Sunset Curve gets the fans we deserve, you get to laugh at Savannah’s face and you can separate next day if you want to.”

“I’m not sure If someone is going to believe it.” She blurts out loud as she glances at the guitarist.

“Oh please, you know each others mouth better than your own names.” Reggie says without thinking, Luke snorted with laughter and Y/N blushes like crazy.

“Yeah, and you used to spend a lot of time together too, two weeks shouldn’t be that hard.” Alex tries to recover the seriousness of the situation to close the deal.

“Okay then. If I can help Sunset Curve and get that smirk of superiority off Savannah's face then sounds good to me. Are you willing to date me, Patterson?”

Their eyes meet again and without a sign of hesitation her now officially boyfriend for the next two weeks, answers.

“Beautiful, you have no idea.”

There is something about relationships that never get to happen that make the heart weigh more, that nostalgia to be stronger, the person more difficult to forget. Luke can't help but remember during the last periods of the day just how good it felt to taste the girl's lips again. Feelings of desire, of familiarity, of belonging. All colliding and going deep into his bones.

He decided a long time ago he didn't do relationships, but if he did, it would have been with her. He was willing to break that rule for her, but she had the final decision and it wasn't him. He accidentally put himself in the perfect situation though. All those what if’s will finally have an answer.

For two weeks he can test what it would have been if Y/N Y/L had chosen him. And when he finally tries the experience he will be free. Free from all the what if’s, free from her, from her memory. And there's also the part of how much the band will benefit. The main objective of doing this, obviously.

The last hour is finally over and Luke sped off toward Reggie's truck. In front of it is Alex already waiting and he can see Reggie and Y/N also walking in the same direction. The four of them regroup and Y/N starts to discuss game plan.

“If we are going to do this, we are going to do it well. There will be a party at Finch's house this Saturday and the three of you are coming with me."

The three members of Sunset Curve make an annoyed face at the words of their friend. "That's exactly why no one supports you. You think you are too cool to hang out with the people but then you want everyone to happily buy your shirts and listen to your music."

“She has a point there.” Alex agrees, and puts his arm around her shoulder.

“Okay, let’s do this. If you all come with me, we can leave early and crash one of those places you usually play. Maybe even have some people of the party to come with us and hear you rock the shit out of that place.” All three smile with bright eyes In response.

“You got yourself a deal, pretty lady.” Reggie says in a flirting tone and winks at her. Luke gives him a light punch on the arm.

"I'll see you on Saturday in my house then, at nine. Goodbye boys." She winks at Luke and walks over to her car, making sure to do a perfect walk because she knows pretty well that the guitarist isn't going to stop watching her until she pulls out of the parking lot.

Luke gives her a perfect smile one last time before Y/N leaves school. These two weeks are going to be weird.

The four members of the band are in the truck, Bobby decided to get out of school recently but a party and a gig sounds like a rad Saturday. Luke gets out and walks to the door to wait for Y/N to come out. When she finally comes down he feels like all the air is coming out of his lungs.

She's wearing the black Sunset Curve t-shirt that he forgot one of the many times he climbed up to the second floor of the house to see her. A short black skirt and one of his red flannels that he probably left there several months ago as well. Black fishnets stockings which he can't help but imagine ripping out with his teeth, her lips in that tone of red that drives him crazy, and her classic black boots that he hadn't seen since she started dating the cheating idiot.

“Genius huh? Is there anything that says more ‘Luke Patterson’s property’ than this? I don’t think so." She smiles proudly and blushes when she notices Luke's gaze locked on her legs. Fishnets may have been included in the outfit due to a certain weakness that the musician has towards them.

The hair that the guitarist is used to seeing in a perfect bun lately, is now loose and tousled. As rebellious as the day he met her, moving in harmonious tune to the rhythm of Now or Never.

Luke reaches out to to entwine his hand in her hair and whispers slowly into her ear “You look... fucking hell, you are not playing fair, baby.” Lightly biting her lobe when he’s done speaking.

They both linger in a trance for a few seconds, considering whether they should just walk in and lock the door. But before they can decide, the boys that already know this story pretty well and are sick of waiting for them while they flirt, get out of the truck. Reggie carries Y/N like a sack of potatoes and between Bobby and Alex take Luke by the arms, putting them in the vehicle so they can finally get to the lame party and then, the gig.

When they finally arrive, the eyes of almost all the girls go to the members of the band, who are definitely dressed for the occasion. Y/N can't help but notice how most of the cheerleaders wink at her boyfriend. Yeah, it’s not real and will last two weeks, but for now she justs wants to forget that part and enjoy the feeling of him being hers.

So she makes a small, harmless gesture to mark territory and puts her hand in the guitarist's back pocket.

Luke turns to see her, an amused smirk on his face. “Jealousy looks so hot on you, I wouldn't mind if you marked my lips with that red lipstick too."

That statement resonates in Y/N’s head. All the times Diego refused to kiss her so as not to stain himself and even forbade her to use that lipstick that for her was part of her brand returning to her head. Followed quickly by every night Luke came down after finishing playing and instantly attacked her lips with his, caring for nothing more than the feel of their tongues fighting for control.

“Not jealousy, just a quick reminder to everyone. You are all mine tonight.” She puts a little more pressure on the hand in his pocket and stands on her tiptoes to kiss the corner of his lips.

“Dance with me?” She asks innocently while giving him a flirtatious smile.

“With you, always beautiful.” He smiles back, winking charmingly.

His hands find hers and she begins to dance and jump gracefully to the rhythm of the music as he spins her around, both singing the lyrics to each other with unmatched energy, happy to be together.

“Tonight I'm gonna dance, for all that we've been through.” She sings with a determined voice, taking the musician by the hair and bringing their faces closer.

“But I don't wanna dance, If I'm not dancing with you.” Luke returns the verse with the same passion, just inches separating their lips. His beautiful and trained voice tends to sound like a more country vibe when he gets carried away and especially in more pop melodies like this, and honestly drives her crazy.

The fact that the rocker at heart gave in to listen to other genres for her and even remembered the lyrics was enough to melt her heart. The last time she was able to let herself go and sing at the top of her lungs like this was with him, listening to a mix of their favorite songs in his car while going for their favorite icecream. Whatever they had was a lot more deeper than what they are willing to admit.

“Did we really just see Luke sing and dance to a pop-country song?” Reggie asks the band, Alex and Bobby behind him laughing at the guitarist who blushes and kisses his date's forehead. “I am not going to discuss this. I'll go get us something to drink." He winks at her and dissapears into the crowd.

“I’ll go too, be right back.” Bobby announces leaving Y/N with Alex and Reggie, who smirk at her.

“It seems that pretending is easier than you thought.” Alex can't stop smiling, Reggie playfully itches the girl's ribs who grins from ear to ear.

"Everything always fits when I'm with him. I ruined my chance. I'm totally aware, and I'm not expecting anything from him, because I honestly don't deserve it. But I plan to enjoy every second of these two weeks that came from heaven to the fullest.”

“You should explain hi-” Before Reggie can finish speaking, Diego appears behind Y/N and tries to forcefully pull her by the arm.

The guys manage to react quickly and release her arm while stepping in front of her. But right away his teammates get behind him.

“Save yourselves the pain, she is going with me.” Diego says confidently, his face showing arrogance.

“Guys, ple-” She tries to stop them from getting hurt, but both step a little forward, determined to protect her no matter the cost.

“You are not taking her, Diego. But you are more than welcome to try.” Alex's voice sounds cool and calm, but Y/N can see how much his hands are shaking and her heart hurts at the sight.

They are all so into their own business that nobody notices the guitarist's return until his lips collide with his girl, who is surprised for a few seconds but immediately recognizes him and gives him space for his tongue to taste her mouth.

They both lose themselves in the kiss for a few seconds longer than necessary and then slowly separate. Y/N grinning from ear to ear as she tries to wipe some of her lipstick off Luke's mouth. He just smirks, as happy as ever.

"Sorry guys, do you need something?" He plays the innocent card. After that kiss, most of the people at the party are watching the scene, so Diego, who looks furious, chooses to leave without saying anything. Right away they can hear a long restrained breath from Reggie and Alex.

“You are a cocky genius, I'm not sure we could have won that one.”

“I’m not sure? Did you seriously think we had a chance?” Alex asks, clearly anxious after what had just happened.

Y/N stands in front of them and throws herself into their arms, whispering how many thanks she can say in a row. They return the hug and begin to relax in each others arms. Bobby and Luke join in the hug, and Luke whispers his own thanks to his friends.

The band decides that it’s time to go and to their surprise, when they let people know that they are going to play at a small club in the center of the city, some decide to follow them. On the way, Y/N spends her time wiping her lipstick off Luke’s face with some wipes she had in her bag, struggling not to press her lips against his every time he made her an adorable grimace or a flirtatious smile.

“You know the drill, beautiful.” Luke turns to see her directly in the eyes, concern on his face just like every time before.

“Front row, not a second out of your sight, so if I need something better wait for you guys to finish performing to get it. Better safe than sorry." She recites, proud to remember every word.

“Thank you, baby.” He smiles a little more calmly, gives her a light kiss on the cheek and starts to help take out the instruments.

They are only doing a few songs from their repertoire, but the energy they transmit drives everyone in the little club crazy. The Sunset Curve members look at a Luke they haven't seen in a long time. The energy and passion in his voice dedicated entirely to the little woman in the front row who sings with all her strength every word and melody, imitating Luke's guitar solos or Alex's drums with her arms.

The 15 students who decided to attend are close to Y/N, trying to get her attention from time to time but nothing can take her eyes off her friends. Not even she knew how much she had missed seeing them play. The look of maximum happiness on their faces.

The last song is one that the little club seems quite familiar with, but she had never heard it before. So it must have been written in the last six months.

“Had my chances, could've been where he is standing.

That's what hurts the most, girl, I came so close

But now you'll never know. Baby, I loved you first.”

The lyrics leave her breathless. Luke, who had made contact with her practically all night, now seems to avoid her eyes like a plague. She definitely has to ask Alex about this song before getting any ideas.

The four bow and get off the stage, Luke launches immediately for Y/N, some of the girls try to get his attention and even try to grab him by the arm or waist but he remains firm until his hands meet his girl's hip.

“What do you think?” Luke's fingers shaking in the grip on her waist tell her he's nervous. The fact that her opinion of them matters so much to him that it makes him feel insecure makes her heart skip a beat.

“It was amazing as always, rockstar.” A huge smile appears on the guitarist's face, who gently takes her face with his hands and kisses her nose. After all, he has to remember that they are only pretending to date and for now he has no good reason to push his lips against hers. It doesn't matter how much he needs her.

The way home is uneventful, Y/N sleeping in Luke's arms while Alex puts the guitarist's red flannel over her.

“Will they ever stop pretending they're ridiculously in love with each other?” Bobby asks Reggie as he turns his head to see the couple.

“They are both stubborn and allergic to real feelings. Especially love. They are so terrified that they have to sabotage themselves somehow.” Alex answers for Reggie who just nods without taking his eyes off the road.

"Do you really have to talk like I'm not here?" Luke asks, resting his chin delicately on the head of the woman in his arms.

Tonight felt unreal. Felt practically like one of the many dreams he has had with the girl throughout these months. Seeing her in his clothes was enough to make the night special, but without a doubt dancing in her arms, savoring every inch of her mouth and seeing her energetically sing each of his songs to end the night with her in his arms is just perfect. Reggie parks at Y/N’s after dropping Alex and Bobby, and as Luke decides how to get her to bed without waking her she sinks deeper into his chest.

"Carry me to the door hotstuff, I like to be in your sexy arms." Luke lets out a cheeky laugh in surprise, another laugh coming from Reggie.

“She’s so asleep, I can’t. Adorable though.” Luke agrees and takes her bag before walking down with her in his arms and carrying her effortlessly to the door.

“Thank you for tonight. I didn’t think I could ever feel this happy and complete again.” She murmurs in his ear before giving him a sweet peck in the lips and enter the house.

What the two of them took from tonight is that indisputably, they are both still head over heels for each other. But it was like that the first time and it just wasn't enough.

Days go by with the couple being the school's favorite gossip. People talking in the hallways about the special way Luke looks at his girlfriend, comparisons about the dry way Y/N used to be with Diego compared to how she is with the guitarist, always touching him somehow and spending all the time with him as possible, visibly much happier. Some also talking about how good the band sounds and wondering why they hadn't heard it before. Everything going according to plan.

On Thursday afternoon, Luke arranged to pick her up for the two of them to find him something formal enough for the dance. When Y/N opened the door she met his beautiful greenish hazel eyes, and swears that for a second she forgot how to breathe.

She knows this scene. He smiles sweetly at her, takes her hand and opens the door of the car for her. Multiple interesting memories inside this car coming back to her mind. His firm hands on her legs, his tongue testing her mouth, his hot moans after biting his lower lip...

“Beautiful? Whatcha thinking?” Luke's voice brings her back to the present, his hand goes directly to her thigh as all that many midnight drives and without saying anything he plays the girl's favorite album.

That’s it. If she wants a chance with him, she needs to make this right. “I- We really need to talk.” Hearing the tone of her voice, Luke senses what is coming. He was here before. So he turns off the car that hadn't even started to move yet and turns to look at her.

"I know we've been putting it off, but we have to talk about how it all ended, I-"

Luke interrupts her before she can finish, his voice sounds broken, sad, angry. "I really don't want to talk about how you preferred an idiot for whom you don't feel the remotest thing just because he'll get a football scholarship and this perfect future.”

She spends a few seconds processing his words. Did he really say what she thinks he said? "It wasn't like that, Luke."

"I know it looks like I can't compete with him, but I would have done anything for you. And I thought you knew that.”

She doesn't know what to do or say. She was so unconscious, so selfish, so heartless, that she didn't even think about how he could have understood the situation. In how much he must have suffered these months watching her with Diego, believing he wasn’t good enough. Believing that she chose someone who wasn’t him, because he wasn’t good enough.

He stays quiet, examining the girl who seems about to cling to tears. The anger evaporates instantly and he leans into her seat to wrap his arms tightly around her. She starts sobbing, but seems determined to talk.

“R- Remember the night we met? It was the first Sunset Curve presentation. I had just entered the little club, but your voice dragged me to the front row like a magnet. And when I was finally in front of the stage, I knew it. It was you. The butterflies that everyone talks about for the first time in my stomach. I knew I could never feel again something even close to what I was feeling at that moment.

I got carried away in your voice, dancing to the rhythm of the melody and recording every sound in my head. And when I opened my eyes again, yours were staring at me. And I understood that you felt it too. It was me, and you knew it. It was so natural, powerful, magnetic, deep. I loved you since the first day, Luke. How is that not going to scare me?

When the feelings started to get so strong they burned, I knew I had to run. You always made it very clear that relationships were not your thing, I could not continue to wait for something that from the beginning you made it clear you could not give.

Then Diego arrived at the right time to give me an exit, and I took it. I knew he just wanted to have me around to raise his good boy status, and feeling nothing was safer than feeling too much. So I lied. I lied to you, to me, to everyone. And I’m sorry, but I was so scared. I was a coward who should have done things differently.”

When she finally finishes pulling out what she's been saving for months, she pulls away from Luke to see his face. His eyes look crystal clear, his cheeks red. But his beautiful white smile lights up his face.

"Next time you love me so much that you can't bear it, let me know, please? I can step on your foot or sneeze in your face. I was literally going to ask you to be my girlfriend that weekend. I even wrote you a song."

“You were? The one you sang the other night?”

“Okay, I wrote you a lot of songs. Maybe too many. But the one I'm talking about is different. Maybe I'll let you listen to it one day. If you stick around long enough this time.”

She smirks and kiss him lightly on the lips, enjoying the feeling of being able to. He knows he reacted way too chill. But he also understands her feelings. What is the point of reproaching her for something they can no longer change? A bad decision made by a love so immense that it left her blind. He is simply not willing to waste any more time. They are finally going to do things right. Neither of them is going to self-sabotage it this time, and since he doesn't trust it, he'll put Alex and Reggie in charge to make sure.

The night of the dance arrives. Y/N is wearing a beautiful black dress and her classic red lips. Luke tried his best to look fancy and he's wearing a pretty cool suit but in a sleeveless version. His still fake girlfriend couldn't stop smiling when she saw him. Just perfect.

Dancing in his arms, letting him go only once in a while to dance with the other three members of Sunset Curve made the night amazing. The rest of these two weeks they spent it talking, laughing... making out. Enjoying the most of the time they lost. Even completely forgetting why they were faking it in the first place, until they ask the candidates to take the stage.

"And your king are queen are... Y/N Y/L and Diego Hernandez!"

They all turn to see Luke in shock. Just hearing their names together is enough to make him frustrated, but there's not much he can do right now. And that's when he remembers what he asked the boys to play for the king and queen's first dance. Great, now dance they’ll dance to his song together. Just his damn luck. He sabotaged himself again without imagining it.

They are crowned and Diego offers her his hand, not without first throwing a face of superiority to the guitarist. She walks but continues straight until she is in front of her lover.

Luke looks at her strangely, she smiles at him.

“But I don't wanna dance, If I'm not dancing with you. Remember?” She sings happily in his ear, and offers her hand.

“Dance with me?” He looks at her adoringly and takes her hand.

“Always, beautiful.”

They walk to the center of the floor, Alex begins to sing the first verse. Y/N rests her head on Luke's chest, her hands around his neck, as he presses her against him by the hip, wrapping her in his arms. His head bent to sing the song in her ear.

“I swear to God, I can see... you're still the girl in the club.”

Tears of happiness begin to flow from Y/N, the words that she never had the opportunity to know, finally getting revealed. Luke's sweet, soft voice in her ear. The perfect melody and the beautiful voice of Reggie and Alex in the background.

“And I need you to know that we're fallin' so fast

We're fallin' like the stars, fallin' in love.”

The moment he sings in love, Y/N lifts her head to meet his eyes. He lifts his hands to her cheeks to wipe her tears, gently holding her face to make sure she sees him recite every word.

“And I'm not scared to say those words. With you, I'm safe.

We're fallin' like the stars, we're fallin' in love.”

The second Luke finishes singing, Y/N stands on tiptoe and pushes her lips against his. Tears of happiness continue to fall from her face, wrapped in a passionate, slow, deep kiss. He's all she wants. Her heart chose him since the very first day.

“I can’t believe one of Luke’s random ideas it's what made them find their way back to each other. Reg, we tried for 6 months and we were never even close. Two weeks ‘pretending’ and bam! they are just fine.”

Both watch the happy couple dance now that they are official.

"You know what they say, Fake it till you make it.” Reggie smirks while watching Luke happily kiss Y/N.

“Fair. At least everything was fixed before we shoved Luke into the pool to see if Y/N would rescue him with a mouth-to-mouth kiss."

“We still could try, you know... for science.”

“Cool. Monday works for me. Do you think that even though he didn't win, we still have a chance to win some more fans?”

Reggie raises his head before answering, a smile appears when he sees the bunch of girls and boys who are spying on them just a few meters away. Probably waiting for them to finish talking to get closer.

“I think Sunset Curve will be just fine too, Alex.”

Thank you for reading✨

Taglist: @writerinlearning , @ghostofmgg, @strangerthanfanfiction713, @thebloodthirstyvampress, @kinda-really-lost, @kcd15, @magnet-girl, @aliandthephantoms, @stxrkspidey, @pinkrockstar19, @s0uz4s, @shycupcakealissa @cookiebuba, @fangirlangioma, @sageellsworth05, @twist3dtinkerbell, @sunsetcurvenotsunsetswerve, @caitsymichelle13, @ifilwtmfc, @luckylouiebug, @bibliophilewednesday, @totomoshi, @siennanoelle01, @lunashadow6955, @bookfrog247, @morganayennefertyrell, @kiss-themoongoodbye, @rachelle3musicals, @imsydneywalker, @really-dont-forget-it @agentstarkid @talksoprettyjjx @kaitieskidmore1

[tokisguitarpick]

drunken skunk

Characters: Toki Wartooth x Reader

Words: 2500+ holy FUCK 

A/N: hey i written in uhh 1000 years and i just binged metalocolypse on hbomax which apparently unlocked something in me. this fic takes place immediately following fertilityklok because I’ve had a weird amount of experience talking to men who want but for some reason can’t/don’t have children and watching Toki worry about it gave me feelings i just wanted someone to kiss him and tell him he was okay:( so he turned down the woman in the ep, went home and fucked, wakes up and doesn’t actually feel that much better so drinking, smoking, not being understood by his bandmates, leads to going somewhere else to drink, and that’s where we are. i also like the idea that the band members have slutted around so often that even blitz drunk, they’d still be quick and nimble in the sack 

“Y/N, can you come to my office, please?” Charles’s voice came through your cell phone.

You had the phone pressed to your cheek, despite the spikes digging into your shoulder, as you pulled on a pair of socks. When you saw Charles calling you, it was almost always to request you come to his office for a task so it was second nature to get dressed when his name popped up. “Of course, sir.” His thanks were short before the line clicked off and you were left alone to finish getting ready.

_________

Scooting past a masked employees leaving Charles’s office, you stood in front of your boss and nodded when he met your eye over the documents on his desk. “Y/N, thank you for coming. We’ve got a small situation I’m hoping we can keep small.” Your brow furrowed as he picked up his phone and start swiping through it.

“What’s the matter, sir?” you asked.

Charles held up a finger, continuing to swipe until he finally clicked a button and a whaling voice suddenly filled the room.

“Whys is this happening to mes, iS AMS I UGLIES?! Ams I- Ma’am, MA’AMS, AMS I UGLI-“

The silence that followed Charles pausing the recording was deafening. “Um, was that-“

“Toki, yes,” Charles cut you off. “He’s currently at the Drunken Skunk and is living up to the name. I need you to go collect him as discreetly as possible.” As though that was all the information you needed, Charles began looking over the paperwork in front of him again.

You sighed quietly, you hated how little you got told about your tasks since they always spiraled into some kind of crazy mess when the members of Dethklok were involved, but Charles wasn’t one to question. “Yes, sir. Consider it done.”

You turned on your heel and began to head out but when your hand touched the doorknob, Charles spoke again. “Oh, and Y/N? Be careful. Toki has been sensitive since his birthday. Tread carefully.”

Brow furrowed again, you glanced back but Charles was already looking away, eyes on his documents. You wondered what he meant but as always, better not to question him. Stepping into the hallway, you let his office door swing shut behind you as you headed into the night.

___________

The Drunken Skunk was a dingy little bar on the edge of downtown whose usual crowd were streetwalkers and weary men, so it wasn’t crazy that Toki had decided to come here but as you drove closer and closer, you were surprised how dingy it in fact was. It was cheek to cheek with the industrial district, had an empty printing shop on one side, and a storefront covered in plywood on the other. You parked in front of the boarded-up shop and did a quick check on all sides for sketchy characters before you stepped out of the car.

The bar was choked with cigarette smoke, and the stench of stale alcohol and vomit. You frowned, standing in the door while you scanned the dirty room until your eyes fell on a heaving form slumped across the bar. Toki.

His long hair was draped over his shoulders and hung down his back, quivering slightly with each heave. It seemed like he was crying, his head buried in his arms. “AMS I UGLIES?” rang in your ears again and your frown softened. You weren’t sure what had happened, but you had noticed he’d been… off since his birthday.

You had thought it was related to the fake kidnapping that kicked off the party- a horrific and idiotic idea you had spoken out against and were immediately told by Nathan not to be a bitch about- but even that wouldn’t lead to the question of if he was ugly. Would it? The Dethklok members were strange. Five lives full of tragedy and unprocessed trauma all packed into the most popular band in the world made for an uneasy balance in the workplace and living quarters. You were skilled at navigating it when you had to clear up the messes, but you were hardly ever around for the inciting event so it was always tricky to understand how it all connected. 

You approached cautiously and made sure to make a little noise so you wouldn’t spook him. If he heard you, he showed no reaction, so you perched on the bar stool beside him. “Hey, Toki?”

The guitarist lifted his head finally and his red rimmed eyes were bleary when they met yours. “Y/N? Whats is *hic* you doings heres?” His voice was hoarse and thick with tears, a few of which were clinging to his eyelashes and glittered in the dim light. It made his grey-blue eyes shine and your breath caught in your throat. You had to admit, Toki was your favorite member of the band and it had little to do with his musical talent. You weren’t one for metal much anyway.

What drew you to Toki was first his appearance. Back when you were just applying for a position at the record company behind Dethklok, he’d caught your eye on the poster in the lobby. Long hair on men was something of a turn-on and his piercing gaze struck a chord inside you. His angular face and extremely fit build made him one of the hottest members in your opinion but on top of all of that, he was a sweetheart. That wasn’t written on the poster, of course, it was something you’d discovered about a week after you started when he was the only person besides Charles to take the time to learn your name and point your in the right direction. You wouldn’t say you were close but you had a causal friendship, just right for making light conversation during elevator rides and not much else.

“I’m here for you, Toki,” you replied, trying to master a tone that was both soft and cheery. “I came to take you home.”

“Takes me… No! I wants to stay heres. I-I-” His bottom lip started to quiver as he spoke but you put a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, hey, relax, Toki. It’s just late and I think it’d be good for us to get you into bed,” you gave him a small smile, trying to coax his drunken mind into listening to you. He might be slim but if he tried to fight you on leaving, you’d have your hands full. Maybe you should’ve asked for an escort…

Toki slumped on the bar again with a huff before sliding off his stool towards you, prompting you to hop up quickly to catch him as he stumbled to his feet. He was heavy with alcohol and leaning on you to keep steady, so trudging to the door became a task. Despite having at least half a foot on you, his face was nestling further and further in your hair until you could feel his breath on the back of your neck.

You could feel your cheeks warming but it wasn’t until you got out the door, opened the back of the car, and loaded Toki halfway in that you really had a reason to blush.

“Y/N, ams I uglies?” Toki asked suddenly, looking up at you from under his lashes. He only had his butt on the edge of the car’s bench seat, looking at you with his face inches from yours, and fresh tears welling in his eyes.

Your eyes widened and your blush raged in full. Working around the object of your affection, even when that work was dragging him out of a shitty bar, was easy enough. Being asked directly about it by him was a whole other thing. Swallowing against the sudden knot in your throat, you decided to be honest and lightly shook your head. “No, Toki, not at-“

Anything and everything else you might be about to say was thrown out the window because the moment you said no, Toki launched forward. One hand on your hip, he lifted the other to your shoulder and pulled you to him lightening fast, his mouth finding yours with a squish. In his drunken state, he was a little sloppy at first but his skill began to show itself. His tongue traced the dip between your lips as he pulled you against his chest, your head fogging when he nipped your bottom lip. It was finally enough to coax your mouth open and Toki took full advantage of that fact, squeezing your hip as his other hand, warm and calloused, slipped around your neck and held you to him. Electricity jumped through you when his tongue met yours, twirling together for a moment before he moved on to exploring your mouth with a greedy moan.

“Wa-wait,” you mumbled around his lips. This was moving too fast, or maybe the fact it was happening at all was what was making you feel overwhelmed in the moment. It took everything in you to pull away, a solid percentage of your mind screaming at you to continue, to let Toki think he had control of the situation and see how far you could get with him. But you couldn’t. He was drunk and clearly something was bothering him enough to drink in the first place. You needed to just get him home. Plus if you did anything with Toki, you’d like for him to remember it, too. “Toki, wait.”

Your eyes met his just in time to watch his face crumple. The only way to describe his expression was pure heartbreak. The disappearance of his hands on your body made you miss the weight of them instantly but you hardly noticed, watching him melt right in front of you.

“I ams uglies, I knews it! I knews it!” Desperate and broken, his voice turned your stomach. His shaky hands found his hair and he began tugging on the ends, seemingly unaware of the motion. “No ones will loves me, I’ms hideous, I wills never find love! I wills never finds the mother ofs my childrens!”

While you had been paralyzed with bewilderment, his last sentence only compounded your confusion but brought you back into the moment enough to move again. Toki had cringed away from you, burying his face in the back of the passenger seat while still tugging on his hair, and you hurriedly heaved his long legs into the footwell before shutting the door and jogging around to the other side.

Even sealed in the car, you could hear his drunken crying. It twisted your heart but still, the mother of his children? Is that what he thought of you? Your blush burned your cheeks once more but you shook the thought off. He must’ve been crying about this when he left that voicemail for Charles. But what had happened?

Opening the back door on the other side, you slipped inside and snapped the door closed behind you. Toki seemed worse than before, now holding his face in his hands and heaving with small sobs. “Whats is it, Y/N? Whats makes me so uglies? I can change! I has monies, I can change!”

You furrowed your brows and put a hand on his arm, scooting closer to him. “Toki, you’re not ugly.” Quicker than you expected, his head snapped towards you.

“Then whys do you not likes to kiss me?” His lip started to quiver and you expected another outburst but his eyes stayed locked on you, expecting an answer.

Your mouth was dry and you scrambled for an answer that would keep him from crying again. How had you ended up here? Eyes darting around the car, you quickly mumbled, “I do, I liked the kiss! I jus-“

Once again, the Dethklok guitarist moved faster than you thought in his state. His hands found your face and pulled you up to him, putting you nose to nose with the lanky musician. His eyes were bloodshot and rimmed red from tears but it only exacerbated how bright his stormy irises were. You felt nervous and excited and tingly all over from being held so close and you hardly dared to breathe. Hypnotized by his gaze, you couldn’t bring yourself to look away. “Thens kiss me,” he murmured in a throaty voice. It made you shiver and lust began to haze your thoughts, the previous kiss still so fresh in your mind when his lips found yours again.

Slowly this time- painfully, delightfully slowly- Toki kissed you. His hands nearly covered the sides of your head as he held you in place, his lips closed while he kissed you once, twice, three times before deepening it. You let him without hesitation, heat coiling in your stomach. Of course, the thought of breaking the kiss occurred to you but with every motion of his, that thought got further and further away. Toki’s tongue slipped past your lips again and he gently stroked over yours as he made his way around your mouth. You returned the kiss with fervor, trying to match his speed to keep him close as long as possible.

One hand on top of his over your cheek, you let your other wander. His knee pressing into your thigh, then up the outside of his leg to rest on his hip and give it a squeeze. He moaned in your mouth and your body responded in kind, your own moan escaping as the heat in your belly moved south. When his free hand fisted in your hair and tugged, you wondered if maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if Toki didn’t remember your hookup. Hell, maybe it would keep things from getting awkward at work?

Skwisgaar’s best guitar solo blared through the vehicle, interrupting your mental plan to get the man in front of you undressed. It was your phone, ringing out from your back pocket, and you knew without looking that it was Charles. He tended to check status on the jobs he gave people, especially when they went alone, as the Dethklok members seemed to have a way of making mountains out of molehills and then exploding the mountain into a bunch of fiery chunks raining from the sky.

Toki hadn’t stopped kissing you. If anything, he seemed more desperate, his hands falling to your shoulders and tugging at your shirt. But you straightened up and caught his large wrists to still him. Pulling away, your lips tingled and you had to blink a few times to gather yourself. “I have to get that, hang on.” Your voice was hoarse and you cleared it twice as you pulled the phone from your pocket and selected ‘Answer’. Toki huffed but he seemed much more relaxed compared to the last interruption, leaning back against the seat and putting his large hand on your thigh with his eyes closed.

“Hello?” you asked, still trying to steady your voice.

“Y/N, any updates?” Charles bluntly asked back.

You cleared your throat again and replied, “Everything’s going well, I just got Toki in the car,” the guitarist squeezed your leg at the sound of his name, “and we’re about to head back home.” The thought of leaving the back seat, of having to drive with the fruity taste of whatever he’d been drinking still on your tongue and the memory of his hands on you front and center in your mind, nearly made you groan aloud but you held yourself back.

“Good, good. Knew you could handle it.” *click*

Just like that, Charles had broken the heady mood and hung up in under a minute. You sighed, knowing what the right thing to do was and knowing exactly what you wanted to do instead. As if reading your thoughts, Toki spoke, “Wes don’t has to leaves yet, does we?”

“We does,” you replied playfully, trying to convince yourself of that fact. It wasn’t often that you wished for another job, one where you could be a groupie, act a little slutty, and turn one of your daydreams into a reality. But this was one of those times. However, people got fired- or killed- at work for less and you wouldn’t have even gotten into Dethklok if it weren’t for your job.

Toki sighed, squeezing your thigh again and holding it for a moment. Glancing at him, you’re eyes scanned his face thoroughly. His eyes were closed and his head was tilted back on the headrest, giving you an eyeful of his neck and throat. He had the slightest stubble growing and as you watched, he gulped, making his Adam’s apple bounce. You wanted to remember this moment, every detail, as though that would make it last longer. While you were looking, he opened his eyes and caught yours.

“But you liked to kissing mes?” he asked, his voice more nervous than you’d heard all night. “You thinks I’ms is handsome?”

You hesitated before concluding the cat was fully out of the bag on this one and nodded. “I liked kissing you and I think you’re handsome, Toki. If you asked, I might even say you’re hot as fuck.”

Toki beamed at you, nudging you with his knee. He seemed too tired to move as fast as he was in the heat of the moment but he reached to put his hand on your hip and squeezed. “Okies, you cans drives us home. We is goings to my room,” you blushed but he continued without notice, “we cans talk, I ams asking you questions, it is ams dates.”

[modern-vellichor]

Hi, would you write a Bucky imagine where you were a happy couple but then broke up due to his job, even if you still love each other. One time you see him with another girl at the karaoke bar you used to be so you sing "Happier" by Ed Sheeran and he's all mesmerized again by you and realizes his heart belongs to you. Sooo in the end you end up kissing and nearly making out when he joins you at home and you give him another chance ? :)

I'm v sorry but I changed ur ask just a tad. reader is a bar singer and not singing karaoke sorry :(

you can listen to the song while you read, but i can guarantee it will not match up with the lyrics. Lyrics are in bold, flashbacks are italicized.

You smiled softly at your bandmates. You looked out at the bar, surveying all the patrons. You noticed him, and her. Your Bucky, and some girl. She was pretty, at least his standards hadn’t dropped.

“You’re kidding?”

You leaned against your kitchen table, arms crossed across your chest. Bucky’s words bounced around your brain as you processed them.

“Why exactly are you leaving me? You had a very quick change of heart,” you commented, remembering the last time you were together.

“It’s the job, babe.”

“Not ‘babe’. Y/N.”

“Y/N. The job is too dangerous. I’m putting you in harm’s way by staying with you. It’s cruel.”

You rolled your eyes and scoffed.

“Fine, okay. Out,” you pointed to the door. “Good luck with the job, maybe they’ll promote you.”

The barman spoke into the mic, pushing you aside gently. Bucky’s gaze met yours, and you dropped your eyes to the floor. But he never stopped watching you.

“I want to see all the couples on the dancefloor!” His voice boomed through the cozy pub. “It’s the band’s final song, and it’s a slow one.”

A small chorus of cheers erupted as you readjusted the mic and nodded to your guitarist. You smiled at all the happy couples in each other’s arms as the music began. You watched as she pulled Bucky right to the front. Right below your nose they swayed.

“I saw you in another's arms, Only a month we've been apart, You look happier.”

She looked happy, her smile was wide and beaming. She winked at you, and you smiled back. Her fingers played with the back of his shirt as she whispered something in his ear.

“Ain't nobody hurt you like I hurt you But ain't nobody love you like I do.”

You white knuckled the mic stand, forcing a soft smile onto your sullen face. Bucky spun around so he could stare up at you. He watched you with a sad smile. You tried your best to avoid his gaze, but your eyes always fell upon him. And her.

“Promise that I will not take it personal, baby If you're movin' on with someone new.”

It had, in fact, been a month. You hadn’t shed a single tear. You had better things to do than cry over a man. You had ignored all his calls and texts. You had blocked his number after a week. And so he emailed you.

You couldn’t blame him for moving on. You had thought about it. Many a man had approached you after a gig, but you had just declined and rushed home.

“Sat in the corner of the room Everything's reminding me of you Nursing an empty bottle And telling myself you're happier, aren't you?”

You swayed softly in your place. You studied every person in the bar. There were people sitting alone, some were lonely and some were lively. There were young couples who couldn’t keep their hands off of each other, and ones who were smitten with engagement rings on their fingers. There was an older couple who had told you were celebrating twenty years of marriage. There were pairs who had only met tonight that still gazed at the other lovingly.

“Oh, ain't nobody hurt you like I hurt you But ain't nobody need you like I do.”

Another girl winked at you while she was shoving a few bucks into the cup by your feet before being led away by her partner. 

A redheaded woman smiled gently at you, her arm draped over the shoulder of another, who nodded at you knowingly. She kissed her wife on the cheek, before nodding to Bucky and the blonde and back up to you. They knew. Everyone probably knew. You weren’t as good as acting as you were singing.

“I know that there's others that deserve you But my darlin', I am still in love with you.”

You knew Bucky was watching you. So you smiled wide and shot a playful wink at your guitarist, who was standing far too close to you for Bucky’s liking. But then again, he was wrapped around a blonde.

You took the mic out of the stand, flinging the cord out of your way. You pressed your back to your guitarist’s. Swaying and shimmying playfully before returning to your place at the forefront of the stage.

The two of you danced with each other through the interlude. The redhead and her wife had come to stand directly next to Bucky. The music died down until it was only your voice echoing through the bar. You squatted down in front of the couple, smiling knowingly at them. They nodded, one taking your hand as you sang softly.

“Cause baby, you look happier, you do I knew one day you'd fall for someone new But if he breaks your heart like lovers do Just know that I'll be waitin' here for you.”

You watched Bucky lazily as you packed up. He looked apologetic as the girl gazed back at him in disgust. She was going home alone. She sulked away from Bucky, who went straight to the bar. The blonde placed a few notes into your cup, you bent down to thank her.

“Sorry about him,” you smiled empathetically.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “Men suck.”

“You’ll find one you like, have a good night.”

You walked home. You weren’t afraid of the dark, or the evil people that lurked in it. You had been with Bucky long enough for him to teach you to defend yourself. And you carried pepper spray on your belt and a letter opener on your keys.

You nearly sobbed as you shut your front door behind you. Instead, you collapsed on your kitchen floor, bringing your knees to your chest.

You heard your lock click. The front door swung shut, the walls shook, it locked again. Heavy footsteps approached you.

“Why are you on the floor?” He chided. “I could have been anyone.”

You scoffed, and rolled your eyes. He hummed sadly and sat next to you. He pulled you onto his lap, your arms wrapping around his shoulders, head resting on his chest.

He gripped your chin gently, pulling you up so that he could press a kiss to your lips. It started gentle, soft and loving. And then it all caught up with you. The last month of being apart caught up with you. The kiss turned desperate, sloppy and deep. You needed each other.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered breathlessly. “You’re too good for me. I know that. I don’t deserve you,” you just nuzzled into his, not responding. “You’re too good, you know that? I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

[suchalonelysunflower]

Merry Crisis (a.i)

Pairing: Ashton Irwin (ft.5SOS) X Fem!reader (Dad!Ash)

Summary: Shopping is always stressful, but when you have a baby on the way... it can become a chaos, especially when you have 3 crazy best friends with you.

Warnings: Language. Fluff and some crackhead moments. Reader uses she/her pronouns. Mentions of Birth. Some grammar mistakes (English is not my first language, sorry)

Word count: 4.5 k

Author’s note: Hello! This is my first Holiday fic with 5SOS and it’s Ashton’s turn to shine (even tho each boy gets their moment) This was so fun to write, I did it on my sociology class (so maybe it’s not that perfect) and I love it very much and I hope you do too! Reblogs, feedback and comments are always welcome and encouraged! Support your writers! ❤️ Hope you like it and Happy Reading 🦋❤️

My materialist // wanna be on my tag list?

Twas the evening before Christmas, the streets were filled with Christmas lights and the chill air of Los Angeles made everything cozier as families gathered around the fireplace and enjoyed the most peaceful of times…

This statement does not apply to our favorite band, tho.

Our four Australians were not enjoying a cup of hot cocoa with their families as they were supposed to, oh no. They were doing the most dreadful thing a person could think of doing the night before dear Santa came to visit: They were Christmas shopping.

In their defense - or at least Calum’s, Michael’s and Luke’s defense, this was all Ashton’s fault for he was the one that dragged them to the crowded mall in the middle of one of the busiest days of the year. And, in Ashton’s defense, it was not his fault that the store had called him in the middle of a recording session to tell him that they finally had the only thing he wanted for Christmas: A music box.

He just had to get it before everyone else.

“Why did we come all over here for a little music box?” Asked Michael as they stood at the end of the line for the register. How could they only have one register open? It’s Christmas for fucks sake! but then again, it’s Christmas for fucks sake, so they know that people should be with their families instead of working a poorly paid job.

“It was the last one!” Ashton claimed, admiring the little circular box in his hand “It’s a limited edition and I just had to get it for Y/N and for the baby”

His eyes lit up when your name escaped his lips. Not even a year ago did he officially make you his wife, but now you were carrying his child! People might think it was rushed, but for Ashton it was the complete opposite. He had his life made when he met you, knowing that he will marry you as soon as he could… he had to wait a few more years to do that, but he was extremely happy, more so now that your little family was expanding. He loved you and your child with all his heart, and the boys all knew that so they can't even be mad about it, even if he kidnapped them to the mall with the promise of some cinnabuns later.

“She had one of these when she was little” Ashton continued as he admired the little hand painted details of the box “It always played a little lullaby to help her sleep. But it broke a few years ago and she always complained about not having one like this for her kids one day… But now she will!” The black haired man smiled.

“Shit, that’s actually pretty sweet” Michael commented “Okay, you’re forgiven”

“I don’t know if I want to hug you for being the perfect husband, or to kick you in the balls for being the perfect husband and making the rest of us feel bad” Luke chuckled.

The four boys laughed at the comment and started talking about their plans for the Holidays as they waited for the line to move. The problem was, it has been fifteen minutes and the line has only moved once.

“How long is this line anyway?” Calum said, peeking over the side, furrowing his eyebrows as he noticed at least thirty more people waiting in front of them “Shit, this is going to take a while. That man has at least twenty plushies and eleven race cars”

“I don’t know how people could leave this kind of stuff for the last minute” Ashton huffed, earning a death glare from each of his friends “This one is different, tho! It was the last one!”

“I’ll give you a hundred bucks for that!” Someone said behind Luke, making him jump at the sudden surprise.

“What the-” Luke said, placing a hand over his heart.

It was a short man in a trench coat who pointed to the music box in Ashton’s hand.

Ashton furrowed his eyebrows and said to the man “Uh, not a chance mate”

“Two hundred?”

“Nope”

“Five hundred?” The man would just not cave and Ashton was getting fed up with it, luckily Calum noticed and hurried to say something before his friend started a scene.

“Hey, mr. Devito wannabe. He said no, so just go bother someone else. Okay?”

The man scoffed and turned his face to the side, stating that he was offended. The four Australians rolled their eyes and turned their backs to him once again.

Another fifteen minutes passed and the line barely moved. The guys were not talking anymore, running out of things to say past the twenty minute mark. Each of them were bored out of their minds, well all but Ashton at least, he was still gleaming with pride as he looked at the music box and created scenarios in his head and thought about the joy that would be mirrored in your eyes once you open it tomorrow morning.

After a few more minutes of silence, Luke was the first one to break it “I think I’m just gonna get a coffee and wait in the car. These boots are killing me today” He looked at Ashton as if to ask permission, but the dark haired man just shrugged and nodded, asking him to buy one for him as well and to leave it in the car.

Michael then added “Yeah, I think I’m gonna go and check the electronics this store has. I think I saw a new camera that would be perfect for my streams”

And that only left Calum and Ashton waiting in line. But about five seconds later, Calum opened his mouth.

“Yes, you can go explore, too” Ashton said with a sigh before Calum even got a chance to ask.

“Cool” The curly man said, patting Ashton on the back before muttering a ‘I’ll be right back’ Leaving him alone with the music box.

Ashton didn’t mind. In fact, he kind of enjoyed this time alone. It gave him plenty of opportunities to imagine a new future for the both of you next to your little baby boy or girl. He catched a glimpse of families walking around the mall, buying gifts or eating a snack as they smiled at each other. He couldn’t wait for that to be his new normal.

He remembered the time when you told him you were pregnant. You gifted him a special baby bodysuit that said “My daddy is the best drummer in the world and there is nothing you can do about it” next to your positive pregnancy test. Ashton always wanted to start a family, especially if it was with you, but he never expected it to be so soon. Yet, once he held the test in his trembling hands, he knew that this was the best thing it could’ve happened to him. He remembers how tearful he got the second his brain processes the information, quickly running up to you and pressing an earth shattering kiss to your lips, promising you and your baby that he would be the best father in the world.

And, as he held the little object in his hand, he already thought he was doing a pretty good job. He smiled to himself and thought about calling you. Not only did he want to hear your voice at this moment, but also because he wanted to check up on you. You were having tea with your best friend at the moment, but the pregnancy hormones were hitting pretty hard lately and he wanted to make sure you were doing alright.

But as soon as he got his phone out of his pocket, your name started glowing on the screen.

“Baby! I was just about to call you” Ashton said with a smile, loving this little coincidence.

“Ashton, is coming!” You said in an alarming tone. Ashton, however, did not understand what you meant.

“Yeah? I’m coming home soon, why are-?”

“No!” You cut him off “The baby, Ash! The baby is coming!”

Ashton laughed “Ha, ha very funny Y/N. But the baby isn’t due until three weeks from now”

“ASHTON FLETCHER IRWIN” You yelled through the phone, making Ashton pull away from the phone for a second “MY WATER BROKE AND THE BABY IS COMING NOW. SO GET YOUR ASS TO THE HOSPITAL BEFORE I-” A sharp pain ran through you as you were experiencing the contractions. Ashton could hear your distant groan and immediately went pale.

The baby was coming and he wasn’t ready.

“Ash, hello?” Your friend’s calm voice came from the other end “I’m gonna take Y/N to the hospital right now. I need you to meet us there, okay?”

“Fuck, okay. I’m on my way” He rushed to say before he ended the call.

“Hey, dude. What’s going-?” Michael said as he approached the black haired man who looked like he might throw up.

“The baby’s coming!” He said, trying to concentrate on his breathing before he hyperventilates.

“What?!”

“Hey, Mike, is everything-?” Calum came next, worried about his friends’ weird behavior.

“THE BABY IS COMING”

Michael.

The guitarist started wandering the electronics and new technologies hall. He was secretly glad he got away from waiting in line for what it looked like another hour, but at the same time he was glad he decided to accompany Ashton in his little quest.

The moment he knew you were pregnant he set himself to be the best uncle that little kid will have. He already knew that you and Ashton were going to be great parents, with the way in which you love each other it was hard to think otherwise. Michael was always up for anything you guys wanted to do for each other, from secret dates or help you sneak out after a concert, or even to plan gifts! He always took pride to know that he was part of your epic love story, even if it was with just a little favor.

Michael stepped into the videogame aisle like he usually does, but this time he went directly to the kid’s section, knowing that eventually your baby will want to play videogames with uncle Mikey and he will have to be ready with the most family friendly games he could find.

He started grabbing a few of them and reading the little summaries they had on the back, eventually deciding that he did not understand anything about children’s games and that he might have to ask around in order to find the best ones.

He went back to the electronics aisle and something caught his attention.

“Is that a real megaphone?” He asked one of the workers there “I haven’t seen one since 2014” He said, remembering the last time the boys ever let him play with one of those in the Good Girls video.

“Yeah! It’s the new model” Said the teenage boy that was in charge of that seccion that day “Wanna try it out?”

“Before that, can I go and show it to my mates? I won’t be gone for long, they are just down the checkout line”

“Sure!” The young man smiled and gave him the megaphone.

Michael had a big smile on his face as he started walking towards Ashton to show him what he found. But his smile dropped the minute he saw Ashton’s face grew a thousand times paler.

He carefully walked up to him and asked “Hey, dude. What 's going-?”

“The baby’s coming!” Ashton said, trying to catch his breath.

“What?!”

Calum.

He hated the mall. He really did. There were always too many people, too much noise and the prices were always exaggerated. But he knew that he was here today for a good cause. Calum was not going to let his best mate down.

Ever since you came into Ashton’s life - and the boys’ life for that matter - he could tell that you were special. Not only because of the way Ashton talked about you all the damn time, but because of your energy, your passion, your kindness and obviously your undenying love for the drummer.

Calum was always the protective friend, always keeping his guard up for any new companion they boys might have. But with you it was different. The first time you two met was the day you instantly became best friends. He knew he could trust you to keep Ashton’s heart safe, and he knew that if Ashton ever broke your heart that he was going to have to kick his ass for being that stupid. Luckily, he wasn’t.

He was the first person (after Ashton, of course) to know about your pregnancy. He swore to himself that he would not let anything happen to his future godson/goddaughter. That baby was going to be the perfect mixture of his best friends, there was nothing in the world that could stop him from loving them just as much as he loves all of you. He even got them toys so they could play with Duke when they’re older! Needless to say that he was very, very excited.

As he wandered through the halls of the store he noticed a commotion next to the toys section.

A line of kids accompanied by their parents awaited in front of a huge chair decorated with fake snow and candy canes. Santa Claus was going to be there.

“Oh my god” A female voice said behind him “You are Calum Hood!”

Calum turned around and was faced with a young girl dressed as an elf looking at him like he hung the moon or something.

“That I am” He said with a smile “Hello, nice to meet you!”

“M-my name’s Lizza” The girl blushed “I’m a huge fan! Is it okay if- I mean, could I get a picture? Please?”

Calum smiled “Sure!”

Lizza squealed “Omg, okay. But, can we do it over there? The kids aren’t supposed to see me yet” She said, pointing to a corner with a curtain and some costumes, presumably Santa’s and his elves'.

Calum nodded and followed the girl, catching a glimpse of the Santa Claus outfit “Do you think I can wear that for the picture?” He asked. Honestly, he just wanted to know how it would feel like to dress up as Santa, knowing he would one day have to do it for your child.

“Of course!” The girl said, taking her phone from her purse and giving it to another elf so he could take the picture.

Once the picture was done, he started to strip off the big red coat, the white beard and the hat when suddenly he had an idea “Is it okay if I borrow this for a while? Maybe five minutes? I wanna prank some friends that are at the check out”

“Uhh”

“I’ll give it back, I promise,” He said with a smile.

Lizza sighed “Sure! We have another one for emergencies”

“Cool, thanks Lizza”

Calum walked away with the fake beard, the warm coat and the hat, feeling cheeky as he approached the line.

“What?!” He heard Michael yell. And although Michael always yells, this one seemed important as his voice sounded concerned.

“Hey, Mike, is everything-?” Calum said, approaching his friends with a very confused face. But before he could even finish the question, Ashton looked at him with fear in his eyes.

“THE BABY IS COMING”

Ashton.

This was not good. Not good at all. His wife is at the hospital about to give birth and he is still in the line of the fucking mall.

“Oh shit!” Calum said, looking frantically over the line that was still too long “OH SHIT”

“Okay calm dow- Is that a Santa costume?” Michael asked.

“Calm down?!” Calum said, panicking “My best friend is having a baby and you tell me to CALM DOWN?!”

“I’m having a baby…” Ashton said in a whisper, not really paying attention to what was going on around him “I’m having a baby”

“Not you!” Said Calum “Well... also you but I meant Y/N! She’s the one pushing it mate” But Ashton did not listen.

His whole world paused in that moment. Too many thoughts were running through his head as he tried to formulate a plan, any plan that would get him the quickest to you.

He thought he was doing a good job, he thought that he was going to be the best dad ever and now he was going to miss the birth of his first child because the line wasn’t fucking moving.

“Ash?” Michael called, but he wasn’t listening.

How could he screw this up so early in the game? Your baby wasn’t even born yet but he swore he could already feel their disappointment.

“Ash..”

And you! How could you ever forgive him?! You will surely file for divorce once the baby is born.

“Ashton!”

“What?!” He yelled, looking at Michael who was shaking him by the shoulders.

“Fucking breathe man! You almost turn purple there”

Michael started breathing at an even pace, motioning Ashton to breathe with him and so he did “It’s going to be okay, don’t worry about it”

“How can you say that?!” Ashton almost cried “I’m not even a dad yet and I’m already screwing up! Who doesn’t show up to the birth of his child?”

Michael rolled his eyes, knowing his friend was just talking out of fear than out of reason, and shook him by the shoulders again “Listen to me, you are already a great dad! You were a dad even before Y/N got pregnant and you are not going to miss the birth of my nephew or niece. I won’t allow it. But first I need you to calm the fuck down!”

Ashton looked at Michael and swallowed the lump in his throat “What if I’m not ready? What if we’re not ready?”

Michael chuckled “You asked me the same question when you were about to walk down the aisle a year ago. You were ready even before you knew you were and this is not different”

But before Ashton could say something, Calum walked up to them again.

“There are fourteen people ahead of us” Said Calum, who had just run up to the start of the line “If we asked them to move, we might get there in time”

“Or maybe you could leave the music box to me…” The man with the weird vibe intervened.

“Fuck off DeVito!” The three Australians yelled.

Suddenly, a lightbulb got turned on on Michael’s head “I got an idea!”

A panicked Calum dressed as Santa and a very panicked Ashton watched as Michael ran out of the store for a second, only to come back pushing a Target cart “Get in!” He said jumping in the cart and motioning to Ashton to follow him.

Ashton jumped inside without asking any questions, not even when Calum started pushing the car or when Michael turned on his… was that a megaphone?!

“Attention ladies and gentlemen” Michael said through the megaphone, making every single person turn their heads towards them, as if two large Australians standing inside of a shopping cart being pushed by a very tattooed Santa Claus wasn’t stiking enough “We have a man that’s going to become a father at any moment now while his wife is in the hospital! Please let us through!”

Ashton does not know if it was the weird scene they caused, his desperate face or Christmas magic that made everyone on the line take a step back as Calum pushed them through the checkout.

Once they got there, the cashier took his money, too shocked to say anything else as Ashton yelled “Keep the change!” As they rushed through the doors and towards the parking lot with Calum pushing the cart at a great speed with all of his energy as all the other customers looked at them and wondered what the hell was going on.

“Mommy?” A confused random kid asked “Why was Santa pushing those men on the cart?”

Luke.

His favorite Christmas playlist was playing in the car. He loved the holidays, but he hated Christmas shopping with his life. So he was very thankful that Ashton could understand this and let him wait in the car.

As he hummed through the song “His Favorite Christmas Story” he thought about the gift he got to your little unborn baby. As soon as he found out you were pregnant, he knew he had to spoil that kid rotten. Well, not that he knew he had to, but he wanted to. You and Ashton were the best people he has ever met, and he knew your little baby was not going to be different, so what’s wrong with giving that child the world they deserve?

A few months ago he talked to a friend of his that made customized presents made of crochet, so he asked if they could make a baby mobile to put over the crib. He also made sure to ask that the animals that were to adorn the mobile were your’s and Ashton’s favorites, and also throwing a little kangaroo in honor of their father’s homeland and a little penguin in honor of their future favorite uncle.

He smiled to himself as he thought he couldn’t wait to meet the little pal and how he couldn’t wait to start a family of his own. But his daydreaming got cut short when he heard a commotion coming from the mall’s doors.

Sirens were ringing and a lot of people stood and watched at whatever was causing the disturbance. He even had to take a double look because he thought he just saw Calum dressed as Santa Claus pushing a shopping cart with Ashton and Michael inside, the latter speaking with a megaphone in his hand. And indeed that is what he saw.

“LUKE START THE CAR” Michael yelled from his megaphone. And Luke, being the smart man that he is, did not ask questions as he did just that.

Soon enough, Calum Santa Claus was jumping inside of the car, followed by Michael and Ashton, who just sat in the front seat.

“What is-?” Luke tried to ask, but his three friends were quicker as they all said at the same time:

“The baby is coming!” “We needed to get the music box” “The line was too fucking long”

“Hurry up, dude!” Calum said, giving Luke a pat on his shoulder as he stared at them, very confused.

“Why didn’t you just leave the music box with one of them?” He said, motioning to his friends in the back “I could’ve come back for them after I dropped you off…”

The three Australians all looked at eachother like they were the most stupid people on the planet. Until Micahel turned on the megaphone again and said with a defeated voice: “Just drive”

The ride to the hospital was silent as Luke drove through the streets of LA at full speed. Michael even turned on the siren of the megaphone to make way across the traffic jam. How the hell they didn’t end up in jail? A Christmas miracle if you ask me.

Once they got there, Ashton was the first one to jump off the car, followed by his best friends as they ran through the hospital’s floors.

“Irwin!” He said, once they got to the maternity wing “Y/N Irwin! My Wife-”

Luke followed, almost knocking down Ashton as his boots slipped on the floor “His wife!” He said, almost out of breath.

“His baby!” Calum added, almost falling to the floor as he tripped over his foot.

And last but not least came a small “Help?” From Michael who was completely out of breath as he sat on one of the chairs in the waiting room.

The nurse, apparently not taken aback at the sudden outburst of three grown man and a Santa Claus in her waiting room, just smiled at Ashton and said: “Over here, Mr. Irwin. You are just in time, she just started dilating…”

But Ashton didn’t hear much as he walked behind her, anxious to see you and see your baby. Breathing heavily as he tried to calm his nerves before he got to your room. He gave one last look to his friends and smiled at them.

“You can do it man!” Michael said, giving him the thumbs up.

“You go Poppa!” Luke cheered.

“We will be here!” Calum said, feeling tears of pride gather up in his eyes as he watched Ashton turn into another hallway, ready to become the dad he always knew he could be.

“Did you actually steal a Santa costume?” Michael said as the other two sat down next to him.

“And you stole a cart and a megaphone so shut up”

A new family.

You watched with tired eyes as your husband held your baby girl in his arms.

“She is so tiny…” He said with fresh happy tears falling rolling down his cheeks. Ashton started crying as soon as he saw her little face and heard his heart shattering cry.

You almost thought that he wasn’t going to make it in time, afraid that you were going to have to get through the birth of your child all alone. But he came through the doors just in time and he did not let go of your hand for a second, even when you knew you were crushing it as you pushed.

“I love you so much” He said, just as he’s been saying for the past hours since he got here “I love you so much and I love her so much I- Thank you”

“Why are you thanking me, love?”

“For giving me the best gift of all” Ashton said as he laid next to you with your daughter curled up on his chest “You gave me the family I always dreamed of. I could never thank you enough for it”

He slowly lowered his head and pressed his lips to yours, showing you all the love that he could in only one simple kiss.

“Well, it’s not like you didn’t help on making this, you know?” You teased, making him chuckle “I should be thanking you, Ash.You and her are the best thing that has ever happened to me, I love you”

“I love you” He said, capturing your lips in another kiss as you let the music box play in the background, filling the room with the notes of your favorite lullaby.

“Should I let the boys in?” He asked as he passed your daughter back to you. You just nodded, not wanting to let your friends wait a second longer to meet your baby. “Oh, and just a heads up, Calum is dressed as Santa Claus and we might never be allowed on the mall again”

You laughed “I can’t wait to hear that story”

Ashton smiled as he got out of the room and walked towards where the boys were sitting. Once they saw him walk up to them, they immediately got up, all of them smiling proudly at the new - official, father of the band.

“Boys, come and meet our baby girl: Jane Elizabeth Irwin”

Tags: @iknowyouthinkimbulletproof @talksoprettyjjx @mystic-232

[kissinginkitchens]

You Bring Me Home—Chapter Four: You Can Hear it in the Silence

a/n: hello again!! So glad to have you back :) I hope you're all enjoying the story so far. It's been wonderful to read some of your comments and thoughts! I do have to give a special shoutout to @harrysblackcoat and @determined-overthinker for their continued support and feedback, it really means the world to me, so a huge thank you to you both!! I am tremendously grateful for all of you lovely readers and I hope you will enjoy chapter four as much as I enjoyed writing it! As always, my inbox is open, so feel free to drop by and chat with me after reading! Much love, Mel <3

Pairing: Hawai'i!Harry x Original Character

Warnings: swearing, allusions to sexual content

Word Count: 6.7k

read parts one, two, and three 

“You kissed him?” Maleah gasps over FaceTime, her mouth so wide, Alani fears her jaw will detach from its socket. 

She had finally decided to tell her best friend everything, excluding the Rolling Stone details, nearly two days after the last time she had seen Harry. The entire next day had been spent replaying every moment and listening to the recorded interview on her voice notes until the phone battery was completely drained. Alani’s stomach fluttered at the sound of Harry’s voice and it only made her miss him more. The part that she desperately needed her friend’s input on was what had happened immediately before she left. 

“No,” Alani clarifies, quickly. “Well, almost. Maybe—I think,”

“I’ve only been gone a couple of weeks,” Maleah starts, brows furrowed as if her brain is malfunctioning. “And you’re already swooping in on my man?”

Alani feels her cheeks warm but she pushes past it and rolls her eyes. “There is no swooping going on,”

“I don’t know. You two were caught in the rain together, sounds like swooping to me,”

“But that’s the thing,” Alani huffs. “I don’t know what it is. And I don’t know if I’m just making a big deal out of nothing,”

Maleah nods understandingly and pushes any jealousy out of her mind, the love for her best friend winning out. 

“Well, tell me exactly what happened before the kiss,”

“There was no kiss,” Alani emphasizes, thinking back to the last few minutes spent in Harry’s car. 

The sun had already set when the two of them arrived at her house, leaving little light in the already darkly tinted Range Rover. But even in the darkness, Alani could see the intensity in Harry’s eyes. Their bodies had been close enough in the confined space that she could feel the warmth radiating from him, and his vanilla scent enveloped her in an intoxicating haze. For a moment, her eyes had darted to his plush lips and she imagined what it would feel like to close the space between them. She could have sworn that he had done the same, finding his eyes wandering just below the tip of her nose when she looked up. Before anything could happen, however, she found herself reaching for the door handle and stepping into the crisp night sky. 

“But did you want him to kiss you?” Maleah questions. 

Alani waits a beat, but she doesn’t have to think about the answer. “Yes,”

“Well there you go!” her friend responds enthusiastically. “Problem solved,”

“Problem not solved,” Alani corrects. “What about the fact that he’s, like, famous? I mean what happens when he has to go back to L.A. or London or whatever?”

“Woah, woah, woah, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,”

Alani anxiously nibbles on the skin of her lower lip, not stopping even when she tastes blood. “But it’s true—” 

“Yeah, well, you don’t have to think about it right now,” Maleah assures her. “What if you just let things happen and… enjoy it for what it is?”

Alani doesn’t miss the double meaning in the last part. “Mi, you and I both know that I’ve never been one to just enjoy it for what it is,”

“I know this, and I love you,” Maleah starts slowly. “But as your best friend—and I say this with nothing but love—you need to get laid, for real,”

Alani groans, slumping further into her mattress. “But what if that’s all he wants? I just don’t think I’m ready for that,”

“And that’s perfectly fine,” her friend coos. “But from what you’ve told me so far, it doesn’t sound like that’s all he’s after,”

Alani considers this for a moment before Maleah continues. 

“Look, let’s start with something simple: do you like him? I mean, do you like spending time with him and just generally being around him?”

“Yes,”

“Then start there,” Maleah suggests. “You can enjoy someone’s company without making it romantic, it’s just friendship. Don’t put pressure on something that you’re not ready for, or something that might not even be there,”

Alani feels a small weight lifted off her shoulders and nods. “Yeah. Yeah, no you’re right I shouldn’t psych myself out over something that didn’t even happen. I mean, for all I know he has a girlfriend,”

She waits a beat before a new concern enters her mind. “Wait, does he have a girlfriend?”

“I don’t know,” 

“Well even if he does, it doesn’t matter,” Alani reaffirms. “Because we’re just friends,”

“When are you gonna see him again?” her friend asks. 

Alani stomach drops. In all her concentration of the past, she hadn’t even considered what will happen when she has to face him again. “I don’t know,”

“Who initiated the last hang out?”

“He did,” Alani admits, thinking back to the hours he had spent reading in the café until her shift was over. 

Maleah hums. “Well then it looks like the ball’s in your court,”

Alani is quiet for a moment, which her friend takes as her cue to offer some more reassurance. 

“I’m sorry I don’t have more answers for you, Nani, but it’s gonna be okay. Promise, ” 

Alani sighs, kneeling to look out the window next to her bed. 

“No, Mi, it’s okay. I really appreciate you just being there, it means a lot,”

“Of course, babes. Keep me updated.”

“Will do.”

The call ends and Alani continues watching the palm trees sway in the wind. Will do—the very same last words that she had spoken to Harry that night. Her mind wanders back to the moment right before she had opened the door to escape and plays out an alternative scenario. What would have happened if she had leaned just an inch closer? 

********

Harry pinches his lower lip between his index finger and thumb. Will do, he repeats in his mind— two words that he never knew could carry so much weight. 

“I said ‘I think Manchester United is shit,’” Nick Grimshaw says loudly, shrugging at Mitch and Jeff Bhasker when his plan doesn’t work. “I dunno, that should’ve gotten him,”

“Oh hey, Alani,” Mitch speaks into his phone loud enough for Harry to hear. This piques the singer’s attention immediately, his heart racing. “Yeah he’s right here,” 

“What the fuck?” Harry questions, zeroing in on Mitch. 

“Who’s Alani?” Nick teases with eyebrows raised into his hairline. 

Harry springs from his seat and corners Mitch, who holds his phone above his head. “Gimme the phone!”

“Hello,” Nick interrupts, watching the struggle continue. “Feeling neglected here, who’s Alani?”

The guitarist ducks and sprints to the opposite wall, Harry chasing close behind. They hop from couch to couch and swerve around fragile equipment while Mitch snickers and guards his phone close. Harry had no idea why Alani was calling and why she hadn’t reached out to him directly, but he’s dying to hear her voice again and is growing increasingly frustrated with his friend’s antics. 

“Mitchell, stop fuckin’ around!”

“I’m sorry,” he relents, holding out the phone with an amused laugh. “It wasn’t her, wrong number,”

Harry huffs and returns to his seat disappointedly, a guitar resting in his lap. Nick, who had only been able to drop in for the weekend due to his busy schedule at the BBC, narrows his eyes at both boys before speaking up again. 

“Once again, no one has answered my question.”

“She’s just a girl he’s been hanging out with,” Jeff explains nonchalantly. “He wants to have her babies.”

“Don’t,” Harry warns. 

Despite already having his fun, Mitch can’t resist adding on. “It’s none of our business… but I’ve heard a summer wedding is in the works.”

“I’m gonna go drink now,” Harry announces, standing. “And none of you fuckers are invited.”

He wanders down the hallway and into the kitchen, immediately reaching for the tequila. Is it too early for margaritas? he wonders before deciding that he wants a second opinion.  No new texts are displayed on his phone screen, much to his disappointment, but he decides to open the messages app anyway. He carefully types in Alani’s name and writes, then re-writes, the text several times before pressing send. As soon as the tag reads “delivered”, his body is filled with apprehension, but there’s no turning back. 

Harry: Is 10 a.m. too early for margaritas?

There’s a minute of silence, then two, and Harry turns his phone face down onto the counter to reach for the ingredients. It dings just as he opens the bottle of tequila and he immediately lunges for it. 

Alani: Never. Morning margs were invented for a reason. 

Relief. He quickly types out a risky response. 

Harry: Any chance I can convince you to join me?

He stares at the screen, willing the “delivered” to turn into a “read,” but it doesn’t budge. His lips ghost over the rim of the tequila bottle before he bites the bullet and takes a sip. 

Alani: Working :( sorry. Another time maybe. 

Defeat. He knows that “another time maybe” is a polite “never.” Another swig of tequila down the hatch. 

Harry: Yeah, no worries. 

Alani sets her phone down on her nightstand and brings the duvet up to her chin. She hopes with every muscle in her body that Harry doesn’t show up to the restaurant, though if he’s planning on drinking, perhaps she’s safe. Maybe I should do the same. She wonders, thinking about the rosé her mom keeps in the cupboard for special occasions. Surely heartache must be a good enough reason to crack it open. Regardless, Alani doesn’t think she has the stomach to keep it down at the present. 

********

Harry pushes the remaining peas around on his plate with the prongs of his fork. His chin rests in the heel of his hand. 

“And then I said ‘what’s the difference?’” his manager remarks, sending the rest of the group into a fit of wild laughter. 

“You’re so fucking stupid.” Mitch comments through a chuckle. 

The laughter slowly dies down and their eyes all wander to Harry who hasn’t budged for the past twenty-five minutes. They exchange worried glances, and Jeff begins to wonder if  his initial advice for Harry to go out with Alani was a mistake. 

“Hey, H,” he begins gently. “You feelin’ alright?”

Harry looks up from his plate and musters his best fake smile. “Yeah, jus’ tired,”

It was partially true; the crew had spent their entire afternoon at Honoli’i Beach practicing their surfing, though it was mostly unsuccessful for Harry—his life seemed to be a series of wipe-outs these days. 

“I’m gonna go watch a Rom-Com in my room,” he announces, standing with his plate. “Probably doze off.”

The group exchanges “good nights” before Harry saunters down the hall to his room. Settling into the bed, he flicks through the movie selection and clicks on one that he knows by heart. He contemplates texting Alani again, scrolling through their brief conversation from three days ago. Against his better judgment, he types out another message and presses send. 

Harry: Opinion on The Notebook?

He waits, attention briefly occupied by Rachel McAdams until the phone dings. 

Alani: A classic, though not as good as Dirty Dancing if I’m being honest. 

The corners of his mouth curl and he immediately types out another response. 

Harry: You have a problem with The Goss?

Alani snorts, planting her spoon into the pint of strawberry ice cream to reply. 

Alani: First, I have many gripes about you referring to Ryan Gosling as “The Goss”. Second, I was actually rooting for Lon Hammond, but maybe that’s just because I’m partial to James Marsden. And third, the scene where Baby and Johnny are dancing alone in his room. That’s all I have to say. 

Harry hums, hanging on every word. 

Harry: Confession: I’ve never actually seen Dirty Dancing…

Alani: We need to change that immediately. 

His heart pounds. So she didn’t plan on ghosting him forever. 

Harry: So Lon Hammond, that’s your type? 

Alani doesn’t know why she finds it unsettling that Harry steers the conversation away from any possible talk of them hanging out again. She reminds herself that she had been the one to decline his invitation for margaritas and shovels another scoop of ice cream into her mouth. 

Alani: Kind, supportive, successful, handsome? Yeah, I’d say so. Not to mention he forgave Allie for cheating. 

Harry: But Noah built her a house. Her dream house, I might add. 

Alani: I’m not discrediting Noah, I love a grand romantic gesture as much as the next person. Just think Lon deserved better. 

Harry grins, entirely ignoring the movie at this point. Grand romantic gestures, he notes, good to know. 

Harry: And what about the fact that Noah wrote it all down and reads their literal love story to her every time she forgets?

Alani: Maybe he deserves some rights for that. 

Alani taps the spoon against her lower lip and thinks about Cecily’s words. Just let things happen. She desperately wants to, but she doesn’t know how. The thought of getting too close only to let it all slip through her fingers is too overwhelming, so she starts with something simple: do you like spending time with him? Alani doesn’t think she could enjoy anything more. Her mind wanders back to the passenger seat of Harry’s car and the image of his wrist draped over the steering wheel, lower lip captured between his fingers. She had noted this tick early on and found it endlessly endearing. Save for the awkward fifteen minutes of their very first interview, their conversations all seemed to come so easily. Alani enjoys his quick wit and the way he speaks slowly, as if carefully weighing each word. She likes that even though the entire reason for their relationship is for her to learn all that she possibly can about him, he makes an equal effort to get to know her. Alani compares Harry’s sincere reaction to hearing that she was a journalist to David’s snarky remark. Harry had believed in her from the get-go—he had trusted her. He makes her feel seen and known. Isn’t that what it means to be loved? To be known? His words echo in her mind. 

Harry: How’s the article going?

Alani’s stomach drops. Fuck. In all her contemplation over the almost kiss, she had forgotten the truth behind her motives. She had lied. Harry had trusted her, and she had lied. Not yet, she thinks, I haven’t lied yet. It would only be a lie if she submits the article to Rolling Stone. Her throat tightens. But I’m so close. She thinks about telling him, but quickly shuts the thought down when she considers that she still doesn’t have enough material and can’t afford to risk it now. This is her chance, there’s no doubt about it. Why else would the universe have planted a world famous rockstar right at her feet just when she had decided to give up for good? Alani had to at least try, she owed it to herself, and she reasons that if Harry really cares about her, he will understand. He would have to. 

Alani: It’s going. 

Harry: Can I get a sneak peek anytime soon?

Alani: Soon. Good night, Harry. 

She sends the last text and sets her phone face down next to her. If she was going to do this, she had to do it right—even if it meant putting some space between the two of them. She owed that much to Harry. 

He sinks further into the mattress, not understanding what he had said or done wrong, but he grants Alani her space, anyway.  

Harry: Good night Alani. 

********

“You’re listening to KWPX The Wave and that was the latest single from Ariana Grande,”

Alani stops fiddling with the radio and sits back with a defeated huff. She had been in a rut with her own music lately and after spending nearly fifteen minutes in her driveway shuffling through songs, she decided to turn on the radio and leave it up to fate.

“Next up is a song from everyone’s favorite ex-boyband: One Direction,”

Goddamnit, Alani groans. She had forgotten what a bitch fate could be. 

“Now, I have to say, DeeDee,” the radio DJ starts. “I was personally heartbroken to hear the news, and I know my daughters were too,”

“Oh definitely,” DeeDee replies. “And I can’t help but wonder what this means for all of them. I mean, what do you think they’re up to these days?”

The first DJ gives a snide chuckle before he continues. “Probably doing what every twenty-something year old millionaire does: booze, cruise, and schmooze—the pretty girls, especially,”

Alani scoffs, rolling her eyes at his insinuation. She had begun to resent all of the gossip and speculation surrounding Harry’s whereabouts, especially after learning how much privacy meant to him. Moreover, she hated the twinge of jealousy that coursed through her veins at the thought of him with another girl. Alani supposes that it wasn’t entirely out of the question since they were far from romantically involved. While he had occupied her mind over the past few weeks, she knew that it was highly unlikely that he paid her the same attention. The thought still brings bile to her mouth. 

“Well whatever they’re up to, one thing seems to be pretty clear,” DeeDee speaks up again. “All eyes will be on Harry Styles. I mean, he’s really the one to watch in all of this, isn’t he?”

“I think you’re right. I’m curious to see what he’s got in store. Maybe he’ll join Justin Timberlake and Nick Jonas with the ex-boyband buzz cut. But without further ado, here’s Drag Me Down.”

Alani knows that she’ll have to talk to Harry eventually; over the past week and a half, she had dodged every invitation to hang out, left cut and dry responses to all of his texts, and even ducked into the restaurant’s walk-in fridge when he unexpectedly showed up one afternoon. While the temptation to indulge his friendly advances was high, professional boundaries needed to be established. She had already begun working on the article with material from the two previous interviews—and it wasn’t half bad—but there was still so much of the story to fill in. If Alani was going to make it all worthwhile, she had to keep digging and do it fast; she couldn’t afford to let her personal feelings get in the way.  

Her car sputters slightly as she heads south on Mamalahoa Highway and the radio fades in and out. Alani checks all of her gauges—she had made sure that the gas tank was full before leaving—and doesn’t see anything unusual. A few miles later, it jerks again before coming to a complete stop. 

“Fuck,” she cries, pounding her palms against the steering wheel. “No, no, no, no, no!”

Alani waits a moment before turning the key again, but the engine refuses to start. She whips her phone out of the cupholder and scrolls through her contact list. 

Pua—no license.

Maleah—out of town. 

Dad—also out of town, catering a wedding in Oahu. 

Mom—probably scrubbed in on a major, life-saving surgery. 

She continues scrolling until her finger lands on a name that makes her heart race and sink at the same time. 

Harry Styles—no. 

There’s no way she can justify calling him, not after giving him the cold shoulder all week. If texting back and forth was unprofessional, then asking to be rescued off the side of the road surely crossed several boundaries. Alani scans her surroundings, shielding her eyes from the blinding afternoon sun. There isn’t a car or person in sight for miles—what other choice does she have? With shaking fingers, she dials the number and presses the phone to her ear. Harry answers after the third ring. 

“Hello?” he responds loudly over the sound of cymbals crashing and laughter in the background. 

“Hi,” Alani greets, raising her voice to be heard. “It’s Alani,”

She hears shuffling on the other end and then Harry’s voice, softer this time. 

“Oh hey. How are you?”

“Good, how are you?”

Harry senses that something is off, but he’s glad to hear from Alani, nevertheless. His friends continue their antics in the studio, despite his silent gestures to knock it off, so he heads outside. 

“Uh, yeah I’m fine. S’good to hear from you,” he offers shyly. 

Alani’s chest tightens. 

“Ditto,” she replies. “Hey listen, um, I’m kind of in a bit of trouble I—” 

She hesitates. What the hell am I doing? 

“I need your help,”

Harry’s heart sinks, immediately filled with worry. 

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she reassures him. “It’s my car,”

“Where are you?”

“The highway, southbound. Just past exit 243, I think,”

“I’m on my way,”

“Thank you,” Alani offers gently. “Really, thank you.”

A soft smile spreads across Harry’s lips. “Anytime.”

He arrives in a pink Cadillac fifteen minutes later, pulling over behind Alani. She doesn’t recognize the car and  her confusion only deepens when a man with short-cropped hair emerges. As he approaches, a wave of recognition and relief washes over her. 

“Harry?”

“Hey,” he greets, walking up to the driver’s side. “Need a lift?”

Alani’s mouth hangs open ever so slightly, scanning his new appearance. He looks like a completely different person than the one she remembers, and he has the faintest trace of stubble above his lip and jaw. 

“You cut your hair,”

“I did,” he confirms. 

“It’s so short,”

“Do you like it?”

“Of course I do,” Alani offers with a light laugh, feeling flustered under his gaze. “I mean it looks great, really suits you. Not that it matters what I think, it’s your hair,”

But it did matter. Everything she did, or didn’t do, said, and didn’t say— it all mattered to him for reasons he couldn’t quite explain. And it mattered more than she would ever know. 

“So Stevie quit on you?”

Alani sighs. “I don’t know what’s wrong, honestly. All of the gauges look fine and I filled the tank this morning,”

Harry asks her to pop the hood and makes his way to the front of the Bronco. He looks around, not seeing any smoke or trace of other issues, though his knowledge of cars isn’t as comprehensive as he’d like in this situation. 

Alani joins him, doing her own scan over the inside of the hood despite the fact that she has no idea what to look for. Her eyes wander to Harry’s strong hands as they prod the various bells and whistles, and she notices the way his tanned skin glistens under the sun. The cross pendant nestled behind his white t-shirt escapes when he leans over, swinging like a mesmerizing pendulum. 

“I called a tow truck,” he says standing with his hands on his hips. “Should be here soon,”

“I’ll pay you back,” Alani offers quickly, her throat dry. 

Harry waves her concern away with a hand and places the hood back. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you’re okay,”

“I really owe you one,” she says appreciatively. 

He leans against the car with his arms crossed, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Have lunch with me and we’ll call it even.”

“Deal.”

The tow truck arrives ten minutes later and the driver gathers all of Alani’s information, letting her know which mechanic the car will be taken to and when she can pick it up. She sighs watching Stevie pull away down the road and imagines the dent it’ll make in her savings. Harry nudges her gently, motioning for her to get in his car. 

“New ride?” she questions, running her fingers over the cotton candy paint. 

“It belongs to the owner of the studio,” he explains. “All of the cars do except the Rover, she’s a rental. But Jeff took her out to get us lunch,”

“I’m so sorry for interrupting your plans,” Alani apologizes. And for kind of ghosting you, she thinks. 

Harry shakes his head, shifting the gear between them. “Nah, you didn’t interrupt, we were just messing around. But I am curious to know what brought you all the way out here on a Tuesday afternoon. Skipping town?”

Alani giggles at the way he says “Tuesday,” but responds despite the curious look he flashes her. “Day off. I was gonna go to the beach,”

“Bummer,” Harry offers, thanking every deity that he can name. “We could still go,”

“Your friends won’t be mad?”

“They’ll be fine,”

Alani nods, her eyes studying the orange checkers on her trousers.

“What’re you hungry for?” Harry speaks up. 

She thinks for a moment and is reminded of her original plans. “I could go for some sushi,”

“Know any good places?”

“Yeah, I’ll show you,” Alani’s curious gaze falls to the glove box before her, immediately wondering what’s inside. “Do you think the owner will be mad if I open this?”

Harry glances down at what she’s pointing to and shakes his head. “Knock yourself out,”

Alani pulls down the hatch and reaches inside; her fingers make contact with what feels like a pair of glasses. When her hand re-emerges with a pair that are pink and heart-shaped, she smiles. 

“They have good taste,” she comments, putting them on. 

Harry looks over and flashes a wide grin, the dimple that Alani has become so fond of emerging. 

“Look good on you,”

“Try them on,” Alani suggests, handing them over. 

He obliges and pushes his own pair up to make room for the other lenses. 

“What d’you think?”

“I think you should keep them,” she says. “They suit you.”

And they really do; they compliment his face well and hint to the fun, easygoing parts of his personality that Alani has recently discovered. 

She directs him to her favorite sushi spot near Bayfront Park, which is buzzing per usual. After they’ve been seated on the patio outside, Harry tucks the heart-shaped sunglasses into his t-shirt and contemplates addressing the elephant in the room: the ghosting. He doesn’t want to spook her, though,  so he decides to pose the question lightly, but Alani speaks before he has the chance. 

“So what’s with the haircut?”

Harry blinks, clearing his throat before he responds. “You hate it,”

“No!” She defends. “I like it, really, it looks great,”

“You wouldn’t bring it up if you didn’t absolutely hate it,” he teases in mock offense. 

Alani rolls her eyes, a playful smile spreading across her face. “It just seems like a huge step and I’m curious, that’s all,”

He considers this, deciding to stop giving her a hard time, and responds. “Well if you must know, it’s for an audition,”

“For?”

“A movie,”

“A movie?” Alani’s eyes grow wide. “You’re gonna be in a movie?”

“Maybe,” he clarifies. “Dunno yet,”

“Wow,”

Harry leans forward, his elbows resting on the table. “What have you been up to? Any life changing decisions?”

Alani shrugs. “Same old. Work, my summer class,”

“And how’s your family?” he asks, which catches her off guard. 

“Good. My sister’s… a moody teenager. My dad is catering a big wedding in Oahu right now. Mom’s saving lives like the badass woman she is,”

Harry laughs lightly at her comment and Alani tries to store the soundbite in the back of her mind for safe keeping.

“What about yours?” she questions. 

“Fine, yeah. Mum’s good, so’s Gemma. Talk to them at least once a week just to check in,”

He pauses to take a sip of his water before continuing. “Ever since I was about...ten, maybe, ‘ve had this feeling like—protect mum at all costs. But she’s strong, has the greatest heart,”

Alani finds it sweet that Harry speaks so highly of Anne. Her own mom had always told her that a lot can be said about the character of a man by the way he treats his mother. 

“I’m sure she misses having you around,” Alani comments, thinking of her own close relationship with her mom. “I don’t know if I could let my child leave home as early as you did,”

Harry brushes the tip of his nose with a knuckle and nods. “Was kinda hard at first, but she’s always been really supportive.”

“I bet she’s really proud.”

He offers a shy smile in response, scanning the scenery around them. 

“I’m sure your family’s proud of you too.”

Alani and Harry continue their light conversation through the entire meal, sharing stories about their families and childhood. She finds herself wishing that  she could have met a teenaged Harry, pre-fame and general world domination. He enjoys her anecdotes, soaking up every detail that he possibly can as if his life depends on it. The two of them go back and forth well after the meal is finished, only pausing when the waitress stops to check on them. 

“Maybe we should go,” Alani suggests, checking her phone for the time. “I always hate when customers stay for hours,”

“Just like I did the first time at the café?” he asks, putting his signature on the bill. 

Alani feels her cheeks warm and she quickly back pedals. “No! I mean—well, yeah, kinda—”

“And the truth comes out!”

“I was just annoyed because my sister kept bugging me to fill up your water. She was afraid you were gonna, like, get dehydrated and die or something.”

“Tell her I appreciate the concern.”

Alani laughs lightly, feeling a bit of relief when the breeze soothes her burning cheeks. The two of them make their way back into the restaurant and out the main entrance, padding down the boardwalk side by side. Harry never knows what to do with his hands, usually opting to stuff them into his pockets as he hurries down a busy street,  but he desperately wishes to occupy them a different way. His pinky involuntarily brushes the back of Alani’s hand, but he pulls away quickly to avoid freaking her out. She wishes he hadn’t. 

“What were you gonna do at the beach?” he asks to break the ice. 

She thinks for a moment, watching the different couples huddled together on the beach. “Relax, get some air. Do a little reading,”

“What’re you reading?”

“Currently this book about Laurel Canyon in California and some of the musicians who lived there during the 60s. You might like it,”

Harry’s brow raises. “Think so?”

“Yeah, it’s got Joni, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Mamas and the Papas, all those guys. They talk about their experiences of coming to terms with rapidly growing fame, the reality of the peace and love movement, the collaborative process. Seems like something you might find interesting—relatable, even,”

"I’ll check it out,” Harry promises with a nod. 

Alani smiles gently and refocuses her attention on the horizon. “So what were you gonna do today?”

“Not much,” Think about you. “But speaking of books and stuff, I‘ve been meaning to ask. When you become, you know, the next Pulitzer Prize winner, do I get to be your plus one?”

She scoffs, squinting under the bright sun to look up at him. “I don’t know, I have to make it first,”

“And what does ‘making it’ mean to you?” Harry had been trying to re-define success, himself, and was curious to hear Alani’s thoughts on the subject.

She ponders the question for a minute, adjusting the straps of her orange tank-top to occupy her anxious fingers. “Move to New York, work for some big publication, something like that,”

“New York?” he asks, slightly taken aback. “And leave all this behind?”

“I think I’d like the change,” Alani reasons. “I love it here more than anything, but I think I’ve gotta make my own way, my own decisions. My grandma used to say that you ‘gotta swim before you drown because the ocean’s too vast and too interesting to get stuck treading water in the same place,’”

Harry nods, understandingly. “Wise woman,”

“Carolina,” Alani says, using the Spanish pronunciation that sounds like music to Harry’s ears. “That was her name, I was named after her,”

“Middle name?”

“Yeah,” she clarifies. “I’m half Mexican on my mom’s side,”

He hums. “Ever been?”

“To Mexico?” Alani asks, proceeding when he nods. “Yeah. Once when I was like, five, we went to Xcaret for my aunt’s wedding,”

“It’s beautiful there,” Harry notes. 

“What’s your favorite place that you’ve been to?” Alani questions, imagining all the stamps that must be in Harry’s passport. 

He thinks for a moment, a hum buzzing low in his throat as he sifts through his memory. “Probably Italy,”

“Lucky,” Alani muses, picturing the Gothic cathedrals that she longs to visit. 

“You’d like it there.” Harry says, truly believing it. A part of him felt that she belonged in every beautiful place he could think of. 

The two of them walk in silence for a few moments, each taking time to scope out the view around them. Alani sees a couple leaned against a staircase railing, looking deep in conversation, though probably not a pleasant one. 

“You think they’re breaking up?” Alani asks gently, nodding her head in their direction. “Or just having the talk?”

Harry scans the scenery before his eyes land on the pair that she's referring to. “Ah yes, the talk. Ye olde chat,”

“What do you think you’d be if you weren’t a musician?” She poses suddenly. He laughs to himself at the way Alani jumps from topic to topic and reasons that her mind must always be going a mile a minute. 

“A virgin,” Harry jokes, hoping that it’ll land. When she lets out a sudden, bright laugh, he looks over in relief. 

“God, you are so…” Alani trails off, shaking her head.

 He waits to see if she’ll finish the statement, but he doesn’t think she will. Truthfully, she doesn’t know what to say. The more Alani learns about Harry, the more he seems to surprise her. One minute he can be serious and thoughtful. The next, a ray of sunshine—aloof and carefree. She finds herself anticipating his every move, every word, and loving each minute that he allows her to. It makes her head spin at times, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

They journey down to the shore and discard their shoes in favor of feeling the cool sand beneath their toes. Alani tells Harry about the sea glass collection she had as a child, and he makes a mental note to scan the ground for any pieces she might like. She asks him if the beaches are nice in England, to which he responds a hard “no” compared to the ones in Hawaii or California. A couple of children splash in the shallow water nearby, and Alani doesn’t miss the fond look in Harry’s eye as he watches. Eventually, they wander back up to the main boardwalk when they spot a group of people  happily sipping milkshakes. Harry noticed her eyes following them, practically drooling, so he suggested it before she had to. 

“Want some?” Alani asks, her mouth full of strawberry. 

Harry gladly accepts, taking a sip from the straw that she holds out to him. He hums, letting the taste sit on his tongue before he offers  his own cup full of vanilla. She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear before leaning over for a taste. The flavor is sweet and comforting to her, despite popular opinion that it’s boring. Alani swipes her tongue across her lower lip and thinks for a moment that this is what his mouth must taste like. She wishes she could verify this thought. 

“I’m really glad you got the strawberry,” he notes, stirring his drink with the straw. “I was having a serious crisis over what to get,”

“When in doubt, always go with the pink one,” Alani says, tapping her temple, and suddenly Harry remembers that the contents of her bag were all various shades of bubble gum and dusty rose. 

“It’s the only true rock ‘n roll color,” he offers, taking another sip of his milkshake. 

“Paul Simonon?” she questions with narrowed eyes, instantly recognizing his reference to a quote from The Clash’s bassist.  

“Nothing gets past you.”

********

The clouds above start to resemble puffs of cotton candy, signaling that the day will soon draw to a close much to both Harry and Alani’s dismay. They lounge in the pink Cadillac, which is parked in an area that overlooks the entire beach, and take turns picking out the one lie amongst two truths about one another; it was a game that Harry had proposed. 

“Is it,” Alani starts, her lower lip caught between her teeth. “The four nipples?”

Harry makes a buzzer sound effect through his own laughter, temple resting against his fist as his arm drapes over the seat. 

“Wrong-o, sorry,”

“What?!” she exclaims, eyes wide. “You’re messing with me,”

“Am not,” he defends proudly. 

Alani lets out a surprised chuckle, fighting the urge to let her eyes wander below his neck. “I don’t believe you,”

“I’d prove it,” he shrugs. “But then I’d have to flash you,”

“Guess we’ll never know, then,” 

Their laughter settles down and the only sound between them is the crashing of waves in the distance. Harry lets his eyes trail down the slope of Alani’s nose to her cupid’s bow—dangerous territory. Little does he know, Alani does the same, noting the fact that his lips are heart-shaped and the perfect shade of strawberry. How sickeningly charming, she thinks. Her eyes lift back to Harry’s and there’s something hidden behind the sea-glass that she can’t quite read. The air becomes charged and the two of them are like magnets, drawn inexplicably towards one another. Alani inches closer, her heart pounding so violently in her chest, she’s afraid that he can hear it. The sound of his own blood rushing in his ears prevents this, however, as he leans in too. The space between them gets smaller, eyes fluttering shut in anticipation, when the high pitched ringing of Alani’s phone sends her jolting backward. Harry curses every deity that he can name. 

“Hello?” she responds, turning her back to him. She listens for a minute, a soft “mhmm” escaping every few seconds. “Okay, yes, I’ll be there. Thank you,” 

Alani dreads having to turn back to Harry and face the consequences of whatever lines were almost crossed. She chooses to simply ignore it all together, as if no time had passed between his shocking personal revelation and the ringing of her phone. 

“Stevie’s ready.” she says weakly. 

Harry swallows down his frustration and offers a polite smile. “Let’s go get her.”

The mechanic shop is twenty minutes from the beach; Harry and Alani spend the entire ride in silence. Neither of them address the almost kiss despite the fact that it hangs over their heads like a raincloud of uncertain emotion. She occupies her gaze with the scenery whizzing past while he tightens his grip on the steering wheel. Alani mourns the fact that their little bubble had been popped so soon, but she figures that it’s for the best. Don’t get attached, she reminds herself. Easier said than done. Harry also wallows in the aftermath of the interruption, wishing he had acted sooner. When they finally arrive at the shop, the mechanic reveals that the cause of her car troubles was a simple dead battery. Harry offers to foot the bill, but Alani refuses, deciding that she shouldn’t accept any more favors from him in order to restore the boundary. 

“So I guess this is where we part ways,” Alani says gently, toying with her keys. 

Harry scans his brain for something—anything—a single excuse to see her again, and soon. He doesn’t think he can take another week and a half of icy silence and he has a suspicion that she can’t either. After all, she had leaned in, too—hadn’t she?

“There’s this thing,” he blurts out. “A sort of jam sesh at the studio tomorrow night. There’s gonna be booze, otherwise I’d tell you to bring your sister. But I’d love for you to come, and I think it might be good for—the article, or something,”

Alani weighs the pros and cons in her mind, one of which he had already mentioned: a chance to listen to what he’s working on. It seemed professional and innocent enough, not to mention the fact that there’d be other people around to keep them in check. Once she decides it’s safe, she nods. 

“Okay, sure,”

“I can pick you up,” Harry offers. 

Alani shakes her head gently and offers a shy smile. “No, that's okay. Tomorrow night?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll be there.”

They exchange good-byes and Alani thanks him for coming to her rescue, to which he offers a modest shrug. Harry speeds down the highway and back to the house, but three words linger in the silence. 

I’ll be there.

[dustofbrokenheart]

The Covenant: I’m With the Bassist

Reid Garwin x Female Reader

Word Count: 2,631

Warning:  contains physical intimacy and mature language

Summary: Your band is popular on the local music scene and one fan in particular has managed to catch your eye. One night, you take him back to the dressing room after a show and things get heated. 

Colored stage lights bore down of the band, illuminating them for the crowd’s sake but the heat had long since taken its toll. Even the crowd appeared damper than when the show first started.

Your cloth bracelets were glued to your skin and chaffed uncomfortably against your wrist with every stroke you played. The choice to wear a black top was a good one because it hid the patches of sweat well even though you felt soaked.

There was no such luck with your face—a trail of constant sweat had been trailing down the side of your face for the past hour and you suspected that the precise eyeliner you walked on stage was smudged. Hopefully, it was more of an artistic smear and not a case of you looking like a racoon, but there was no way to be certain.

Your singer’s voice trailed off as the song faded out and you strummed one last chord on the bass before ending. The crowd writhed in electric frenzy, riding a concert high and expressed their delight in different ways, most directing their energy into cheering but there were a few who opted to throw things on stage. Empty red solo cups and an assortment of men’s and women’s underthings, mainly.

The singer grabbed the mic and walked to the edge of the small bar stage. “Whoo! How’s everyone doing!?” Screams rang out in answer.

Your band was small-time only performing on the local circuit two to three times a week, but the fan base had been growing and there were always loyal faces that the venue being played on a given night.

Blue eyes in the front of the crowd caught your gaze for a second as you looked over the crowd.

Then the singer spoke again, pulling your attention back to the band. “Thanks for coming out, we love you. Honest! See you guys next week!”

The main lights turned on lighting up the inside of the bar with its usual dingy, yellow bulbs. Applause and cheers rang out once more from the fans as the band readied to exit.

Purposefully ignoring the audience, more specifically the front rows, you turned back to talk to the drummer while sliding your bass strap over your head to take the weight of the instrument off of your shoulders. The band threw quick waves to the fans, and the guitarist stopped to pick up a particularly silky pair of men’s boxer briefs with a coy smile, and then you all bustled to get to the dressing room.

Performing on stage for people was an addicting rush, for sure, but you liked having down time in the dressing room to come off of the adrenaline and go about your business privately.

First thing you did was get yourself to a mirror so you could clean up the mess around your eyes. Luckily, that night’s smeared make-up looked tastefully done and not like a clown rendition. Next, you redid your eyes so that they returned to their glory from the start of the show; a nice, sultry bass player look. A dash of lip color followed, but nothing so obvious that the rest of the band would notice that something was afoot.

You took your sweet time in the dressing room and one by one the other members left, until you were the last one in the room. A few minutes passed until you peeked out into the hall. Everyone was used to you taking your sweet time after shows so it wasn’t weird that you were still in the dressing room. Sneaking someone in was though, and you didn’t want to get caught in the act.

He saw you signal him from his position up the hall near the bathrooms and grinned, sauntering slowly towards you until he was within reach, at which point you hauled him into the room and slammed the door shut. The lock engaged with a click and you turned to scowl at him. “Could you have dragged your feet any slower? Someone could’ve seen you!”

“Are you really that embarrassed of me?” he pouted. “You’re gonna give me complex, babe.”

“You know that’s not true. It’s more like… I’m just trying to spare myself the roasting for as long as possible. They’ve never seen me with someone and they’re going to rag on me no matter who it is.”

“Even if it’s a fine specimen such as myself?” He puffed out his chest and pursed his lips in comical exaggeration.

“You’re lucky I like you so much Reid.”

Reid Gawrin, or ‘groupie guy’ as you had initially referred to him as, was a big fan of the band and had been coming to every show for three months straight. It was hard to miss him with that blond hair contrasting with his black beanie and intriguing tattoos that showed when he rolled up his sleeves or wore a loose collared shirt. And those blue eyes… it was easy to yourself in them.

He’d always made sure to stick around after shows so that he could chat you up and at first you figured he was just a groupie looking to score with a band member, hence his moniker ‘groupie guy.’ Not wanting to come off as rude you indulged him in conversation, but always kept your distance.

It wasn’t uncommon for people to try and sleep with the band, and to be honest, the band did end up in bed with some of them. Take your guitarist: she always managed to pick up the hottest women and men. It worked great for her but you wanted something more and weren’t going to take a chance on the guy, even if he was cute, if he was just looking for a hook-up.

And, who knows, maybe it had started out as purely physical attraction on his part, but the two of you had grown emotionally attached after a while too. It was the emotional side that had led to the current situation. Not officially dating, but no longer musician and groupie either. And that lack of a label wouldn’t stop you from finally getting intimate that night.

Reid picked you up with ease and you wrapped your legs around his waist, his hands gripping your fleshly thighs as he pressed you between the hard brick wall and his body.

“You were incredible tonight,” he murmured, pressing soft kisses onto the hollow of your neck. Your head titled back and hit the wall with a thud as he trailed upward with his nose so that he could kiss the soft underside of your chin.

“Yeah?” you panted with excitement. You knew what was coming next.

He nodded and finally kissed you on the lips, his tongue quickly gliding inside of your mouth with strong, measured licks. “Bassists are always hot.” Your eyelids drifted shut and you lost yourself to his ministrations, a warm cloud of pressure weighed down your muscles.

As soon as you moaned, Reid wasted no time in grinding his pelvis against yours, the friction from his belt buckle rubbing you just the right way to fire up a reaction in your core. You pulled back, panting and he chuckled at you trying to catch your breath. “You like that?”

He was obviously fishing for an answer but you weren’t so gone that you’d give into him just yet. You merely nodded your head and bit your lip at a particularly delicious thrust.

“Tell me you like it,” he pressed.

Still, you refused him and he took it as a challenge to get you to use words. He relaxed his hold your thighs so that you slid down the wall and ended up resting high on the leg he inserted in between yours. Now you were not only stimulated by his grinding, but also rode his leg whenever your hips, the added pressure making it harder to not give in.

Your will hung by a thread, ready to give at any moment. Then he upped the ante by reaching down the waistline of your bottoms into your underwear, his fingers skipping past teasing to directly touching you in your most sensitive place.

“Tell me. Tell me you like it.”

“I like it,” you whined, your mind filled with pleasure.  

“There, that wasn’t so hard, was it? You’re a good girl.”

His wandering nail-polish covered fingers reached down lower to cup your slit more fully and Reid purred when he felt a gush of wetness flow from you. “You liked that, huh? You like being my good girl.”

A nod. You weren’t used to this kind of dirty talk. Most guys are not good at it but Reid was. He didn’t give a shit what he said as long as it produced results and produced results it did.

“So wet,” he grinned as he slid a finger into you experimentally. “See, went right in you, just like that.”

A single black nail tipped finger soon turned into two and he was eager to caress your silky inner walls, scissoring his fingers into a v that stretched you nicely. “Shit, Y/N. Look how tight you are, you don’t wanna let my fingers go.”

You gasped, goosebumps raising on your arms. It was a good thing you were against the brick wall because you didn’t have the strength to support your head on your own. As it was, your head was still lulled to the side.

It took Reid capturing your chin in one hand to get you to straighten out. The other hand was removed from your pants and used to circle one of your wrists so that you were unable to turn away. He pressed his lips gently against yours, a stark contrast from the lewd things he had done a second ago.

He rested his forehead against yours, his eyes wild with adoration and desire. “Does my good girl want more?”

“Please,” you begged.  

“Do you need it?”

“Please!”

With a parting kiss, he dropped down to his knees and pulled down your pants and underwear with a single tug. Your shaking hands grasped his hair as he placed his mouth over you, the blonde strands wrapped around your fingers. His breath was warm and, unlike when he was kissing your mouth, his tongue was relentless against the bundle of nerves between your legs. Circling, laving, sucking. It all blurred together and you realized that you were in trouble. If it was this good with just tongue, how would it be when he actually put his cock in you?

You moaned just thinking about it. Your legs squeezed together in reaction to his excellent skills but he didn’t seem to mind being stuck down there. Time lost meaning; it was felt like it was passing too slowly and too quickly simultaneously.

Eventually, his mouth left you with a wet pop and he stood at his full height. Making direct eye contact, he popped the top button on his jeans open and kicked them off, his shirt and beanie following suit. He stepped forward and hooked one of your legs around his waist to make more space.

You settled your hands flat against his chest and that damn tattoo that’s been teasing you for the past couple of months is now completely exposed for your gaze. It vaguely registers that the boy is ripped. Like, six pack ripped, but it’s the tattoo that you couldn’t stop looking at. It sloped at the base of his neck and extended past his collar bone; it was mesmerizing.

“You like that one, don’t you?” he cooed, noticing your heated stare.

Blue eyes held yours as he rolled on a condom. He entered you in one sharp thrust, your core feeling stretched and full. A sound that you didn’t know you were capable of making poured out from your throat and you immediately raised hid your face.  

Logically, you knew pleasure was nothing to be embarrassed about, but you couldn’t help feeling like you needed to reign yourself in.

Reid pried your hands away from your face and kissed you while he continued to drive in and out.

“Don’t be shy, baby,” he cooed. “I like your noises.”

Almost like his voice had control over your body, another whine left you. “Reid. I-I nee- I need…”

“What? Be a good girl and tell me.”

“More,” you cried out. “I need more.”

He picked you up entirely, both legs circling his waist and walked you over to the couch. Honestly, all of the furniture in the room was probably suspect given that all the bands used it, but you couldn’t bring yourself to focus on it during that moment.

Your back hit the couch cushions and then Reid was back to swiveling his hips, his cock hitting just right. This new angle with you on your back, your legs hanging over his broad shoulders, had your cries rising in pitch and frequency.

The euphoria was suddenly interrupted with a sharp knock. Panic ensued you snapped to look at the door. Thankfully, it was still locked which meant that you wouldn’t get caught in a comprising position, but there was still the matter getting rid of whoever it was.

“Yo, Y/N. You still in there?”

You were about to answer when Reid cupped your right breast and bucked into you hard. Shocked, you looked up in disbelief, your mouth wide open with no sound coming out. He merely winked and did it again.

The second time a whine escaped you and another knock rang out. “Y/N, you good?”

Reid leaned down to whisper conspiratorially in your ear. “Better answer them, Y/N.”

You swallowed. Risk wasn’t something you considered yourself to be into, but was a lie to say you didn’t feel yourself getting wetter at the thought.

Hoping and praying that you would pull it off, you tried to talk but nothing came out but a croak. Clearing your throat, you tried again. “H-hey. I’m still here.”

“You good? Why’s the door locked?”

In an attempt to keep your voice steady, you closed your eyes and clung on tight to Reid’s shoulders. “Just changing. Locked it to be s-safe.”

That was the right thing to say cause the voice at the door immediately backed off with an apology and left the two of you alone.

“Good save,” he acknowledged. He slowed his hips slightly and reached down to circle your clit with his thumb. “I think you deserve a reward.”

“Oh my—Reid.”

The ceiling came in and out of focus as Reid coaxed you to the edge at last. “Come on, Y/N. Say my name.” One well pressured flick to the small bundle of nerves did the trick and sent you flying, bucking like a high wire cable flailing wildly in the wind and chanting his name in a desperate prayer.

Your core clamping down on him sent him tumbling right after you with a drawn-out groan as he held himself deep inside you.

He dropped next to you on the couch, out of breath. “Shit.” He took a moment to compose himself and repeated his words. “Shit.”

You rolled your head to pin him with a teasing stare. “Cat got your tongue?”

“Oh, there was definitely a pussy involved.”

A weak slap landed on his chest. “Don’t use that word, you sound ridiculous.” Your favorite tattoo was within petting range and you kept your hand there, stroking it gently. The two of you settled into quiet bliss, content to cuddle into one another.

“That was a good one,” Reid finally remarked, stroking your arm. Exhausted, all you can do is nod against his toned chest. He hummed and you waited patiently for him gather his thoughts. “Think we can get another round in?”

_______________

Forgive me, for I have sinned 😂. Is it even good? I’m not sure but thanks to those who read it. Partly inspired by a conversation with @rpwithjayn​ but I made Reid the groupie instead of the rocker. Hopefully I did him justice for all of the Reid fans out there. 

[airi-p4]

Disconcerto

*Warning: S4 spoilers / theory*

My take on violinist Luka episode. I wanted to write violinist Luka + pianist Adrien as a duet and my fingers slipped. This is almost a full episode and I added too much Lukanette fluff for canon-verse ^^; (No regrets here)

AO3

__________________________________________

It was a peaceful evening at the Liberty when a deep sigh interrupted the sounds of Luka's guitar. Seated next to him, knees slightly touching, Marinette fidgeted in surprise. It was unusual to see him sigh. And it was unusual to see him down as well. But Luka kept playing and, despite not being a music expert, she noticed his music sounded slightly... off? Distant? And she couldn't help but feel curious and worried for her boyfriend's mysterious behavior.

"What's wrong, Luka? You seem down?"

The music immediately stopped as Luka's eyes darted to Marinette's, opened in surprise at her sudden question. She sounded worried, and that made him slightly happy, but also bad for instigating concern on her.

"It's nothing, Marinette. Nothing that should trouble you" he answered, returning to strum the strings of his guitar with his long fingers. He kept playing a little, making a few unusual mistakes Marinette didn’t fail to notice, and that encouraged her to insist.

"Luka. I know you're worried about something. You always listen and help me whenever I need it. Let me do the same for you" she offered.

"Thank you, Marinette." Luka smiled. "But I don't think you can help me. I appreciate your offer, though" he ended, kissing the top of her head. ‘So unfair’ Marinette pouted while he giggled a little.

"Luka!" She finally yelled. "Don't be stubborn and let me help you. I want to know what's worrying you so much. And I want to help you, if I can! I'm your girlfriend. I want you to trust me" she clinged to his arm looking straight into his eyes. "Tell me. Please?"

Luka blushed a little before looking away, unable to keep looking at the beautiful starry eyes that were making him melt. She was too cute. And the way she said she was his girlfriend… Luka’s heart was loudly pouding in happiness in his chest. Not that it showed on the outside, obviously.

"Ok…" he finally agreed, moved by Marinette's support. His answer caused her smile to grow wider in victory before he started his explanation. "You know how I go to a private school that focuses on music, right?" Marinette assented, even if she didn't know much about it. They hadn't been dating long, and Luka was very reserved when it came to himself. She was curious to know more about him. "Well, the thing is that school is very expensive… In truth, the only reason I can afford going there is because of my outstanding scores and the scholarship I keep receiving every year”

“That’s amazing…” Marinette mumbled, causing Luka to stop looking worried and smile instead, only for a second.

“But this year… There's a new violin teacher that never gives me more than a B+. I don't want to sound like I’m bragging, but I think I'm doing just as well, if not better than my classmates who get excellent scores. I don't know if Maestro Pinsart holds any personal grudge against me or my looks or whatever, but I can't seem to get there no matter how hard I try" Luka shrugged again, finishing with another sigh under Marinette's focused stare.

"You play the violin?" Marinette asked, in awe.

"The violin, the guitar, the lyre, the cello… The piano too, even if just a bit”, he smiled.

“I didn’t know that!” Marinette was amazed. She had never heard any of that before.

“That’s for string instruments. I can also play the flute and the drums, for the wind and percussion instrument classes, even if just the basics”

"Wow… That's amazing! How come you never told me before?" she asked, in glowing eyes.

"I like to be reserved about my own stuff" Luka shrugged with a soft smile. "Whenever I tell people about my scholarship most people think I'm just telling them because I’m either arrogant or looking for compliments, which couldn’t be farther than the truth. Their heart songs turn to jealous tunes that twist into fake compliments they feel pressured to make because of it. I hate it. That’s why I prefer to be quiet about it. Many people are envious of the way I can understand music and they can't"

Marinette felt embarrassed and used his shoulder to hide her red face behind. "Oh… I see. It makes sense… Oh... I'm such a bad girlfriend... I should have asked before… I'm sorry"

"Don't be” Luka smiled widely, while his hand moved to carefully grab a flock of her twin-tail’s hair. “You know now. And if there’s anything else you want to know, you can ask me anytime. You’re not like the others, Marinette. I know you’re sincere about your feelings"

“Thank you. I will" she blushed at the compliment and smiled at his widening grin. "But Luka, is there really no way to pass that subject and get your scholarship back? Maybe talk to the teacher…?" Marinette suggested.

"I already did that, Marinette. But his solution seems unattainable" he sighed again with a sad smile.

"So there’s a solution, then! What does it consist of?" Her eyes opened more.

Luka put his guitar aside to welcome Marinette in his arms, where she immediately found comfort. "You see? There's a violin contest for students from 14 to 16 years old in two weeks, Sunday. If I win that contest, the teacher is going to give me a ‘super excellent’ score and, in consequence, I'll be able to get my scholarship back and keep going to my music school" He told her, close to her ear, with his arms finding its natural position around her waist.

"Wow,  That’s it then! If it’s you, I’m sure you can win!” she exclaimed, locking fingers with him. “I believe in you” she finished.

“Oh, Marinette!” Luka laughed. “How I wish you were right! But it’s not that easy, sadly” he kissed her temple.

“Why not? Is- Is it that hard to win?" she asked with a mix of a sad and concerned look. Luka had to look away to control the urge to kiss her. She wasn’t ready for being kissed as he wanted yet. It was too early. He needed to be patient.

He left a resigned sigh. "Not hard, Marinette. It's impossible. The best violinists in France will be there to participate. You know I'm more of a guitarist than a violinist. I don't think I can win"

"But-! I’m sure you can do it! You’re amazing and talented!!" Marinette said, and Luka slightly blushed at the compliment.

"Thank you for your faith in me, but there's also another problem,” he continued under his girlfriend’s attentive ears. “I need someone to accompany me at the piano. I don't have any pianist friends at school, and the ones my teacher assigned to me, either refused directly or couldn’t stand my corrections after a day of practice. None of them want to accompany me for the contest " he sighed.

“Oh, no…” Marinette cried. “But then, your scholarship…”

Luka giggled again at her reaction. ‘Gosh, she’s so cute’, he thought, pressing a kiss on the top of her head. “It’s ok. At least I'll be able to go to your school if I fail, so it’s not that bad" he shrugged again, this time playfully.

"You won't fail!" Marinette yelled to Luka's soft smile. Even if the idea of Luka going to her same school enthused her, she didn’t want him to stop pursuing his passion for music- she knew how important it was to him. "If you need a pianist, we'll find a pianist-" she stopped as a realization struck.

Adrien.

Adrien was a pianist. A good one. Maybe he could help Luka? That’s it! Her face lit up. "What about A-" she cut herself again, biting her lip. What if Luka felt bad for her suggesting Adrien? What if he misunderstood it as her still having a crush on him?

Noticing how Marinette froze and lost herself into her thoughts, Luka called for her attention. "Marinette, it's ok, I also considered asking Adrien", he explained and she gasped in consequence.

"How do you know I was-!” She jumped, her bumping under his jaw. ‘Ouch’ He groaned. “Sorry!” she panicked. “It’s just that-! I- I didn't mean it that way!" Deep down, she wasn’t sure about her feelings for Adrien. Feelings that may have or have not completely faded. Either way, she wanted them gone. Or at least for them to stop interfering in her growing affection towards Luka. "I just want to help you… I thought that maybe..." she sounded apologetic.

"I appreciate it, Marinette. Thank you." He showed her his gratitude while squeezing her hand to cheer her up, and raising her chin with the other one so their eyes could lock together. "You see? Adrien is my friend too, and I’m more than aware of how talented he is. I just don't think his father would let him go, that's why I haven't asked him" he explained, making Marinette feel relieved.

“Oh… You’re probably right…” Marinette sadly agreed.

Luka started humming her song at the comfort of their bodies entangled in comfort together, but Marinette was more focused on her thoughts. What could she do to help Luka? Giving up before trying wasn’t like her. It wasn’t like Ladybug either. Hell no. She was going to do something. If Adrien could be the solution, then it was worth the shot. She was going to give it a try! For Luka. For her boyfriend.

“Luka. I'm going to get you a pianist, no matter what! I'm going to convince Adrien and his father!” she informed, under Luka’s surprised face. “Only helping, ok!? Don't think it's because it’s Adrien because it's not! I want you to win that contest and so you can get your scholarship. I don’t want to see you sad… even if I would like to go to the same school as you I think you deserve to follow your dreams..." she ended in a whisper.

"Thank you, Marinette. I appreciate it. I'll count on you, then?" Luka chuckled at her rambles.

Marinette’s face lit up once again. “Leave it to me!” She proclaimed, giving him a quick peck on his cheek. Gosh. He loved it when she did that. He was glad she couldn’t see his uncool and stupid in love face from that angle, because he would be dying of embarrassment otherwise.

“Would you let me listen to your violin, Luka? I really want to listen to you play it,” she asked.

“Of course. Wait a moment until I get it. Some practice will certainly do me good" he moved to his cabin and soon returned with the instrument case on his hands. He took the violin out of the case and checked its tunes. Standing up in front of Marinette, he started playing some classical music. The sounds were much different than those of the guitar, yet his music had Luka’s unique touch in it, she recognized. Marinette couldn't help but melt in his music, her fastening loud heartbeat matching the tempo and the delicate movements he performed with his bow. She felt closer to him as her admiration grew.

"Wow. It's amazing…" she mumbled after Luka stopped playing the classical piece of music. In response, the musician played some more, while Marinette set her resolve: it would be a pity if he failed before trying. She was going to convince Adrien to play the piano with Luka no matter what.

__________________

The next day, an akuma attacked early in the morning and made Marinette arrive late at school. "Oh, no! Now I have to wait until classes are over to ask Adrien..." she sighed in defeat in front of the school gates.

From behind her, a voice called. "Marinette!" Her eyes opened big in surprise to find Adrien Agreste running towards her.

"A- Adrien!" She jumped nervously. "Why are you here? Classes have already started! You should be in class!"

"Shouldn’t you be in class too?" Adrien teasingly smirked and Marinette couldn't stop a blush to form on her cheeks.

"A- I- Ahm- I guess, yes..." she started stuttering. Before things turned worse, she shook her head. 'Focus Marinette! For Luka!' she convinced herself under Adrien's innocent look. "I have something to ask you, Adrien"

"Hm? What is it?" He asked.

"Are you free on Sunday in two weeks?" Marinette successfully asked, to her own stupefy. If Alya had been there, she would be jumping in joy for her progress on talking to the blond model.

"Why?" His eyebrow arched in confusion.

"Oh, no! It's not what it seems!" She quickly denied his possible idea of it being a date- even if that was only in her own head. "Luka needs a pianist to accompany him during his violin contest. I was hoping you could help him..." she explained.

"Luka plays the violin?" the blond boy asked and Marinette nodded in confirmation. His face of confusion looked familiar, just like the one she had probably made the day before when she first found out too. "I had no idea. That's impressive" he smiled.

"I know right!? I didn't know either until yesterday," Marinette confessed. "Is there any possibility you could make it…? Please?" Marinette almost begged.

"I should talk to my father first… Or maybe I can ask Kagami to come too, and we can fake it as fencing training and sneak out of it" he playfully smirked.

“Oh… Kagami, of course…” she shoved away her mixed feelings and focused on Luka again. “It would be awesome if you two could make it!” she grinned.

“Sure! I’ll talk to my father and I’ll let you know later. We should go to class now. We’re running late” he signaled at the time on his phone.

“Oh- You’re right. Thank you very much, Adrien! I’ll be very happy if you say yes… I mean Luka will! Luka will be happy! And I will be happy too!!” ‘Argh, not again Marinette…’ “And I bet Kagami will be happy too!” She nervously said very quickly. “Anyway- Let’s go back to class…”

Later that day, at night, Adrien confirmed he would be able to make it for the contest through a message on her phone. She squealed and celebrated happily with Tikki and called Luka to let him know about the good news. “That’s awesome. Thank you, Marinette. I knew you were extraordinary” He told her, and her face flustered in bright red at the compliment. Tikki giggled at her cute reaction. Gosh, she really liked him.

____________________

The next day, when Marinette arrived at the Liberty, she was surprised to see Adrien playing the keyboard, accompanying Luka as he played the violin.

A duet.

The aura wasn’t the same as a grand piano, but it wasn’t like Adrien could easily sneak Luka into his room to practice without his father noticing, and it was enough for a first approach and to harmonize with each other.

Marinette greeted them raising her hand in silence and taking a seat at the sofa to listen to their music. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two boys that held a part of her heart each, completely hypnotized by their mesmerizing performance. Adrien played perfectly, clearly understanding his secondary role, enhancing the alluring sounds of Luka’s violin. The way Luka’s talent displayed made Marinette feel small. ‘He is the extraordinary one… ’ she thought, closing her eyes to get lost in the music. Marinette never knew violin music could be so versatile: soft and heart touching; dynamic, powerful and piercing, all at once. Luka’s skills were certainly outstanding. How could he not be getting excellent scores when he played so well? His music was flawless in Marinette’s biased opinion.

“Wow…” Marinette enthusiastically applauded when their practice ended. Luka lowered his violin and gestured for Adrien to come to his side, which he obeyed with a smile. Side by side, they exchanged a nod and bowed to their only audience: Marinette, who had a big fond smile on her face.

“That was amazing,” Adrien commented. “I have no doubts you’ll win if you can play like this. I’ll do my best so I don’t let you down” Adrien encouraged, extending his hand to Luka.

“Thank you, Adrien,” he took his hand in a confident handshake. “I really appreciate your help. I’ll do my best not to waste your efforts and support. Both of you” Luka commented, looking at both Adrien and Marinette.

“You could never!” Adrien and Marinette replied in unison. The girl blushed and sank her face in her hands, embarrassed, while the two boys shyly laughed at her cute reaction.

“When can you come to practice again?” Luka asked Adrien, but he shoved his head in a negative gesture.

“I don’t think I can tomorrow. But I’ll try to come as soon and as many days as I can, I promise”

“It’s ok. I understand. Thank you for this Adrien, it means a lot” Luka moved to hug Adrien, patting his back in a friendly way. Adrien hugged him back, happily for what seemed a step forward in their friendship. Marientte couldn’t help but squeal a little as a blush formed on her cheeks at the sight.

_____________________________

Sunday.

In what seemed a blink, the day of the contest arrived.

Marinette felt her heart pounding nervously and expectantly as she greeted Juleka, Rose and Kagami, who were saving her a seat knowing she was most likely going to arrive late, as usual. She excused herself to her friends and managed to sneak to the backstage. She wanted to wish Luka and Adrien good luck before the performance, even if, after having heard them play together, she had no doubts they were going to play amazingly on stage. Marinette walked discreetly, knowing she was in a restricted area, avoiding collision with the other musicians who awaited for their turn. Suddenly, she spotted Luka’s blue hair from afar.

“Luka!” Her boyfriend turned at her call, and saw her too, raising his hand to make it easier for her to spot them.

When she reached in front of them, her jaw fell to the floor at what she was seeing: Luka and Adrien were wearing suits, and they looked spectacular. Her temperature rose to what was surely feverish and she felt like passing out because of their handsomeness.

“Hot… I- mean- Here you are! Hello!” she nervously greeted, and the boys smiled.

“Happy to see you, Marinette. You look beautiful” Luka said, and Adrien nodded in agreement.

She did look beautiful. She was wearing a short pink but elegant sleeveless dress with a short white cardigan over her shoulders and a necklace she made with a beautiful turquoise colored shiny stone Luka had given her on their second date. Her hair was tied in a bun and a pink hair flower ornament decorated her hair. She had some makeup on too, which made her cheeks and lips a softer shade of pink than usual.

“Thank you, Luka” she blushed. ‘I’m glad I put effort on my look. Worth it’, she thought.  “Both of you look amazing…” She admired them.

First, she looked at Adrien. He was wearing the same outfit he wore the time he modeled with the hat she had designed. It wasn’t a surprise he looked great in it. But then, Marinette’s eyes moved next to analyze her boyfriend. It was her first time seeing him in a suit, and hoped it was the first one of many to come. She couldn’t stop looking at him.  The blue-haired boy was wearing a black elegant suit with a dark blue necktie and tiny golden details. He took off his earrings and accessories and got his hair styled for the occasion. He looked so different… But still managed to keep his usual calm aura to surround him. He didn’t look nervous at all despite how important the contest was for him and his future.

“Where did you get your suit, Luka?” Marinette asked.

“Oh, I lent him one,” Adrien explained. “Let’s say I secretly borrowed it for today”

‘You mean you stole it, right?’ Plagg mumbled from inside Adrien’s pocket and the pianist slightly hit his chest as a warning to the Kwami of destruction under Marinette and Luka’s confused looks. “Oh, don’t mind me. It just tickled for a moment”, he nervously excused himself.

Marinette returned to admire Luka. “You look so handsome...” She shyly admitted. “But…” Marinette took a step forward, closer to Luka. She grabbed and untied the messy looking necktie and tied it back correctly, finishing it with pressing the unwanted folds of his chest to make him look impeccable. “Now you’re perfect,” she proudly proclaimed, satisfied with her clean work. She didn’t realize what she had done until she raised her face up and found Luka’s face so close that soon her cheeks were tainted red again. ‘So close! So bold of me! How could I do this!? I feel like his wife now!’ her face flustered. Luka blushed too at their closeness, and neither of them moved for a few long seconds.

“It’s almost our turn, Luka. We should get going” Adrien interrupted, and Marinette felt even more embarrassed.

Luka smiled at her reaction. ‘So cute’ and lowered his head to press a kiss on the top of her hair. “I’ll be going now. Pay attention to us, ok?” he winked before turning to pat Adrien’s back in a ‘let’s go’ gesture.

Marinette nodded once, but immediately stopped Luka by grabbing his arm.

“Wait!”

Luka quickly turned his head towards her and she rested her feet on her tiptoes to kiss her boyfriend on the cheek. “I know you don’t need it but- Good luck” she smiled sincerely. Luka stood still for a second, processing what had just happened until he smiled softly at her.

“Thank you” Luka smiled softly at her under Adrien’s ‘awww’ smile.

“Go for it!” she yelled, pushing the boys backs as they walked to the stage.

Adrien gazed at Luka to see him unusually grinning, and smiled at his happiness. He looked determined- ready to eat the world. ‘I need to do my best too’

Luka felt a rush of emotions. ‘Now I’m ready to channel all this happiness into the song,’ he thought. But most of all, he felt invincible. He was going to win. Not for himself. Not for his teacher. Not for his scores or his scholarship. But for Marinette. And for Adrien too. He was going to show his audience what music meant to him, and what his girlfriend and good friend made him feel. Ah, yes. He was going to give the performance of his life.

____________

Marinette barely made it on time to see the two boys get on the stage as she rushed to carefully sit down next to Kagami, apologizing for her tardiness.

Adrien moved in front of the piano. He positioned the piano stool at his ideal position and strengthened his back and his arms to let his suit's sleeves slide down his arms to impede them from interfering with his playing, and ended his ritual turning the score to the right page.

Next to him, in front of the piano, Luka looked at Adrien, who nodded in a 'whenever you want' meaning, which Luka nodded back with a 'let's do this'.

Luka's eyes were on fire. When the first notes of Adrien's initial solo started, he raised his violin and his bow, straightened his back and searched for Marinette in the audience. He immediately found her, and she felt her body hot at his burning eyes and his loving smile. One second later, he tilted his head to let it rest on the violin and closed his eyes before letting himself merge and flow with the soft music he was producing. From the way he played, it felt like Luka had become music himself, perfectly harmonized with Adrien's soft piano as the classical slow tempo song advanced.

And then, the crescendo.

A sudden change of rhythm impressed the audience with a collective gasp and amazed voices as Luka played like there was no tomorrow. Fast and extremely difficult, according to the expert musician behind Marinette, and perfectly accompanied by Adrien's talented piano, the music reached the enthralled audience, who felt the dramatic sounds over their skins. And when the classical song seemed to have reached its climax, Luka masterfully performed a movement of extreme difficulty to create his own accord arrangement. Nobody could disagree that Luka made the song his own song.

“Your boyfriend is amazing,” Kagami whispered in Marinette’s ear, more than impressed by the boy’s performance.

The half chinese girl blushed at her friend’s comment and felt proud of being Luka’s girlfriend. He was amazing indeed... Such passion and talent, plus his ability to touch people’s hearts with his music… There was something more… Gratitude...  Ambition… And LOVE. Love towards her, Marinette realized, when he took a quick glance at her. And all her senses were glued to him: her boyfriend- Luka. His movements were both dynamic and energetic, and precise and delicate. It was perfect both visually and musically, to the point the performance moved her to tears.

And not only her. The audience was hypnotized by Luka's violin and Adrien’s piano. So much that when his music stopped in a dramatic and passionate finishing segment with impeccable control, only silence and Luka’s breath occupied the auditorium for a moment. It took the audience a few seconds to react before standing up for a heart-felt and excitedly massive standing ovation.

Luka was panting out of the effort and sweat was running down his face. The drops of sweat appeared to make him glow under the spotlights and Marinette was fascinated as his gaze moved to lock with hers again. He proudly smiled at her, satisfied of having given it his all and grateful to his girlfriend for having encouraged him to stand where he was at that precise moment. Her hands stopped clapping at that moment and used them to cover her obvious blush instead. It was in that instant when she noticed the tears running down her cheeks. She was touched by his recital.

Amid the acclaim, Luka and Adrien came in front of the stage and bowed to the audience and, then to the judges. Some of them were having real trouble holding back their tears and excitement, despite trying hard not to show it. When the two boys moved backstage, Marinette rushed to go meet them, followed by Kagami.

Soon, the girls encountered Adrien, but he was alone. His eyes glowed when he noticed the girls. "Kagami, Marinette!" He called, running to hug his girlfriend encouraged by the rushes of adrenaline from the performance.

"You were amazing, Adrien" Kagami congratulated her boyfriend with a quick peck on his lips. Adrien giggled and lifted her body. Kagami couldn't help but to smile back at him.

Marinette felt a little awkward at the scene, but somehow, she didn't feel hurt. Not as she would have expected some time ago, at least.

"Adrien" Marinette called. "You were incredible," Marinette proudly stated. "Thank you so much for doing this"

Adrien signaled Kagami to separate from the hug and let him talk to his 'good friend' Marinette.

"Thank you, Marinette. It was fun! Besides, I'm always happy to help my friends” he said, noticing how she was trying to peek behind him. “Oh, I bet you want to talk to Luka, right?" He realized, turning his head to signal her where he was. "He's talking to his teacher now. You know, Maestro Pinsart, that old man with the white crazy hair. I think it will take a long time... He won't stop complimenting how ‘super fantastic’ and ‘majestic’ Luka’s violin was" Adrien giggled.

"Oh… I guess I'll have to wait then…" Marinette sighed, a little disappointed.

"Why don't we go grab something to eat meanwhile?" Kagami suggested. “There’s still time until they announce the winner.”

Adrien's stomach growled. "Now that you mention it, I'm starving" he grinned. "Let's go get something from the cafeteria!" Adrien grabbed Kagami's hand and Marinette's wrist and pulled them like he did that day they escaped together from the Bourgeois’ Wedding Anniversary party. But this time, to his surprise, Marinette refused his hold. Adrien and Kagami blinked and exchanged confused looks.

"Sorry! I would rather wait for Luka here. I really want to congratulate him for his performance" Marinette explained with a subtle blush on her face. The couple exchanged smiles in understanding as they excused themselves and ran hand in hand across the aisle.

Marinette took little curious glances at her boyfriend and his teacher from afar. Maestro Pinsart seemed exalted. His movements were euphoric and he seemed proud of his student as he commented on his performance. ‘Spectacular! Majestic! Estupefantastico!’ were some of the words Marinette could hear him yell from afar. It was amusing to see someone so happy about a violin performance. It was understable after seeing how marvelously Luka had played, though.

Luka was listening to his teacher, but when he looked to the side for a second, he noticed Marinette and gestured for her to join them. Mister Pinsart turned his head to Marinette too, and she squeaked before approaching them.

"Your girlfriend?" The old man asked.

Luka looked at Marinette, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Yes. She's my girlfriend, Marinette. She always brings out the best in me. She's extraordinary"

Marinette blushed once again as Luka’s teacher looked at her. "So she's your muse, huh?” the old man said. “Nice to meet you, Miss. Your boyfriend is the best student I've ever had. I have great expectations for him. I’m happy to meet his source of inspiration"

"Eh? But then… I don't understand. My scores...?" Luka seemed surprised.

"I wanted you to try harder. You have a lot of talent and I know you could do better if you give it your best. And you proved it today. I'm very proud of you, Mr. Couffaine. You're my pride and joy as a teacher" the teacher finally explained his reasons.

"Then… can he get an excellent score now?" Marinette suddenly blurted, and immediately gaped, covering her mouth in regret. “Sorry!”

Instead of feeling offended, Maestro Pinsart laughed and looked at Luka, who was smiling at his girlfriend. "You know my promise, right? Mister Couffaine will get a ‘super excellent’ only if he wins” he told Marinette. Then, he focused on Luka and placed his hand on his shoulder. “It shouldn't be difficult after your outstanding performance"

"Thank you so much, Maestro" Luka blushed, happy for his teacher’s trust.

"Maestro is right, Luka! You were fantastic! I'm sure you'll win, too" Marinette agreed in excitement and Luka smiled softly at her.

"Thank you, Marinette"

"The judges will assemble to discuss the winner as soon as the violinist currently playing finishes," Maestro commented. “Don’t be late for the announcement. See you later”

“Where’s Adrien?” Luka asked.

“He went to the cafeteria with Kagami. Are you hungry? Or thirsty? We can join them, if you want” Marinette asked.

“What do you want to do, Marinette? Are you hungry?”

“I’m not-” she started, but her stomach growled. Marinette sank her embarrassed face in her hands and Luka giggled at her cuteness.

“Let’s go to the cafeteria, then”

Luka offered her his hand and soon, they joined Adrien and Kagami who were happily eating and joking around.

___________________________________

Some minutes before the time of the winner announcement arrived, Luka and Adrien returned to the contestants room to wait for the judges deliberate to end. The list of the finalists was already published and Luka's name was one of the 5 contestants' names that remained.

Marinette was nervously tapping her fingers on her lap, her feet on the floor and he seemed unable to find comfort in her seat. Kagami tried to calm her down, but nothing worked, so she excused herself to the toilet to go get any hint she could.

From behind some curtains, she saw how a man hid something inside a music equipment box near the stage. She looked at his smirk in suspicion, but soon the announcer crossed the door to go to the stage, followed by the 5 contestants and their partners. Luka seemed calm, and it helped Marinette to loosen up as she returned to her seat.

“I’m so nervous!” Juleka said, and Rose held her hand in a reassuring way. “Don’t worry, Juleka. It’s going to be ok, you’ll see”

Marinette had her hands in a praying gesture, wishing for Luka’s name to be inside the envelope the announcer had in his hands. After some words she couldn’t properly hear, the moment of truth arrived.

“And the winner is…” the man started, proceeding to read the name chosen by the judges. Oh, gosh! The suspense was killing her. C’mon say it already! She internally begged. And he finally spoke. “Miss Cresto! Congratulations!”

Silence followed for a few seconds after the revelation. Luka not winning? Nobody could understand why. Not even when they started applauding more because of protocol than anything. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t honest. Something was fishy. Before Marinette could protest someone else did.

“WHAT!? This is inadmissible!” Maestro Pinsart jumped to the stage. “My student performed the best here, there’s no way he’s not the winner! Are your ears corky!? I bet everyone in this auditoire thinks the same! This is gibberish!”

“Oh, calm down Maestro Pinsart… Everybody’s performance was impressive, just accept the judges decision… it’s never easy for them to choose one winner” the MC attempted to calm the old man.

“NO! This can’t be the result! I can’t accept it!” He was enraged at the judges decision.

“Wait, isn’t that Maestro Pinsart?” someone close to Marinette mentioned.

“Oh no, no way!” exclaimed the woman next to her.

“I thought he retired after what happened that time!” said a third person.

“Me too! I can’t believe he still goes with the name of ‘Maestro’ after everything...” yet another voice added.

“And now he’s doing it again! He just can’t accept defeat, can he?”

“Poor Couffaine boy…”

More and more voices raised as the time passed by and Maestro’s attitude only worsened.

‘What happened for everyone to think so badly of Maestro Pinsart?’ Marinette wondered, and reached her smartphone to look at his name on the internet.

Bingo.

Apparently, Maestro Pinsart had lost in an orchestra conducting contest. He claimed someone manipulated the results, but couldn’t prove it and his reputation was damaged in the process when he punched the winner of that contest: Maestro Cresto. ‘Wait. Maestro Cresto…? Isn’t that the name of the violinist who won? Something is very fishy’

Marinette couldn’t give it more thought when she saw how a black butterfly entered Maestro Pinsart’s wand baton and got akumatized by Shadow Moth. A black cloud of noise surrounded him, and an akuma who called himself Disconcerto appeared before the crowd’s scared eyes.

The akuma soon tried to get Luka under his control, but he managed to dodge the laser beam Disconcerto threw from his wand and successfully fled to hide. Disconcerto’s next target was the winner of the contest, and soon, Paris’ superheroes Ladybug and Chat Noir joined his concert.

The akuma's power was to channel his feelings through his wand into mind controlling magic. Everyone affected by Disconcerto’s powers couldn’t control their bodies and were forced to obey the akuma’s wish, which was revenge by showing people his conductor and teaching abilities and calling out Mister Cresto and his daughter. Soon, the Disconcerto had a whole army of musicians ready to punish the Crestos and fight Paris' superheroes for their Miraculous. The victims under the akuma’s control were forced to play a perfect song with musical instruments he himself provided them, giving them the skills to play them. The music was dangerous too, since it had paralyzing effects on whoever listened to it so the heroes used headphones to cover their ears.

"Lucky charm!" Ladybug called, and two bottles of wine fell into her hands.

"Wine? What are you going to do with that?" Could be read in Chat's lips. Both heroes had soundproof earphones on their ears to protect themselves from being controlled. "Cataclysm!"

Ladybug noticed how Disconcerto’s eyebrows frowned whenever someone missed the beat. ‘Bingo’

Ladybug gazed around with her spotted vision. Her eyes landed first on Luka, who was hiding behind the curtains of the stage, covering his ears and trying to find an opening to convince his teacher to snap out of his akumatization. A smirk formed in Ladybug's mouth.

Luka, his violin, his violin bow, a cable, an amplifier, the curtains, a rope, a spotlight, Chat Noir and finally, the wine bottles and their cork caps.

Ladybug asked Luka to connect his violin to the amplifier and play as loud as possible to distract the akuma and neutralize his powers. As expected, his attention immediately turned to Luka. “Mr. Couffaine! Why are you doing this! I’m your teacher!” he yelled, and Ladybug took the chance to direct the spotlight to his eyes to blind him, creating the perfect opening for Chat Noir to cataclysm the ropes holding the curtains so they fell over the akuma. She then used a cable to tie him and stuff the cork caps into his ears. With the loss of his hearing and tied up as he was, the akuma’s anger peaked and Disconcerto’s wand finally fell into Ladybug's hands. A moment later the akuma was purified and all the damage cured by the magical Ladybugs. Luka immediately ran to help his teacher and thanked the heroes.

"What happened?" the old man asked.

"You were akumatized" Ladybug explained. “It’s over now. Don’t worry”

"Oh, no! It's because I'm a failure as a teacher and I couldn't even make my best student win… I repeated the same mistake from a long time ago..." The teacher cried in regret.

"You could never be a failure, sir. Not when your student is so talented and shows all this admiration towards you" added Chat Noir.

Luka, who was holding him, nodded in agreement. "I would have never tried my best or reached this far if it wasn't for your accurate instructions. It's the first time a teacher can understand and explain music in the language I understand, myself- to some kind of inexplicable spiritual level"

"Mr. Couffaine… You really are my pride and joy. You're the winner for me. And don't worry. Rest assured you have more than an excellent score from me. I hope you continue coming to the school next year" He accepted Luka’s helpful hand to stand up.

"I’ll be honored, Maestro"

"Thank you Ladybug, Chat Noir" Pinsart thanked. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience I caused”

“Not at all, Maestro. What is wrong here isn’t your doing but this” Ladybug took the envelope from the music equipment box close to the stage she had considered suspicious. “This is most likely the real envelope with the real winner. We’ll have to ask Maestro Cresto and his daughter to give us some kind of explanation for their involvement in the matter” Ladybug explained, handing the true envelope to the MC. Everyone gasped and Maestro Cresto’s daughter ran away crying in embarrassment.

That said, the superheroes left the stage and returned to where they were supposed to be: Marinette in her seat next to Kagami and Adrien at the stage, behind Luka.

_________________________________________________

"Well… it seems there was a confusion with the results, as Ladybug pointed out… We verified it after talking to the judges and it seems someone manipulated the envelope and changed its contents. So here’s the real verdict…“ The MC paused dramatically to create expectation as he slowly opened the envelope. Marinette gulped and joined her hands in a prayer. ‘Let Luka win, please! Let Luka win…’ she begged. And the man finally released everybody's tension by reading the name of the winner. “The winner is... Mr. Luka Couffaine, accompanied by Adrien Agreste on the piano! Congratulations!"

Marinette gasped and teared up as her applause resonated with every single one in the concert stadium. From the stage, Luka smiled at Marinette and took the golden violin statue prize. Adrien offered to hold it for him as he grabbed the microphone to give his winning speech.

"Thank you so much! I’m honored to receive this prize. I just want to say that I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for my friend Adrien and my girlfriend Marinette. And this" he signaled the statue he got as a prize, "would have been impossible to achieve without my teacher's lessons. Thank you, Maestro Pinsart" Luka bowed to his teacher.

Another round of applause followed when the spotlight found Maestro in one of the seats closer to the stage. He blushed and bowed his head in gratitude, crying a little.

"Would you perform again for us?" the presenter asked.

Luka nodded and returned the microphone. He exchanged a glance with Adrien, who understood him without words, and they got ready to perform. Luka took out an electric violin and plugged it into an amplifier Juleka had previously prepared.

“One, two, three… Rock-'n'-roll!”

Nobody expected Luka and Adrien to suddenly play Jagged Stone's music. 'When did they practice for this?' Marinette wondered. It was so intense the audience was losing it. People said that Maestro Pinsart had never been fond of Rock music, but it didn't escape Marinette how he was happily tapping his fingers and moving his head at the rhythm of the song. Marinette grabbed Kagami's hand and encouraged her to dance with her. Then she encouraged Rose and Juleka to do the same and join them. Soon, it seemed more like a rock concert than a classical music contest. And it wasn’t a bad thing, the audience seemed to agree.

When Luka and Adrien finished, they bowed to the audience once again. Statue in Adrien's hands, they got stopped multiple times before they could finally make it to the contestants’ room.

By the time they changed to their usual clothes and exited the auditoire, Kagami had already returned home, and Adrien's curfew was slightly overdue. The blond boy was the first one to come out from backstage to where Marinette was waiting for them, with Adrien’s bodyguard waiting for him in his car parked nearby.

“Marinette!” Adrien called.

"Adrien!” she called back, happy to see her friend. “Congratulations! Thank you so much for this". Out of gratitude, Marinette's body moved on its own to press a thankful kiss to the blond boy's cheek. The boy innocently smiled at her, and it was then when she realized what she had done and panicked.

"See you tomorrow at school" Adrien left, waving at her and entering the car.

"Ye- yes… See you tomorrow!" ‘Argh! What am I doing? I was supposed to be over this crazy phase!’

From behind, someone tapped her shoulder and Marinette jumped, startled by the sudden touch.

"Luka!" She recognized when turning to him, jumping for a hug that left him a little puzzled. "Don't tell me you saw that?" she panicked. Luka nodded with a sympathetic smile, one that reminded her of the one he showed her the day of Felix’s ‘incident’. "It's not what it seems! I'm just grateful and thankful and moved and I don't know how it happened- it's not what you think, you have to trust me!"

Luka chuckled at her rambles. ‘So cute,’ he thought, before holding her closer in a warm embrace. "I trust you from toes to earrings, Marinette. Thank you for encouraging me" he fondly said. Marinette blushed at the contact and showed a surprised confused look. 'Does he know?' Luka could tell she was wondering. He knew her better than herself, he thought.

But the way Marinette got lost into his ocean blue eyes and raised her tip-toes to kiss him tenderly on the lips proved him wrong.

She loved him.

And she wanted to show him how confident she was about that fact. She wanted to tell him she had no doubts anymore. Tell him he was special and that she was thankful for having him in her life.

And Luka understood.

Her loving eyes when her lips parted from his were honest, and Luka couldn't hold himself back, so he cupped her cheek with one hand and finally kissed her like he had always wanted to kiss her, with all his love unleashed- no holding back. And Marinette accepted it. All his love, at the same time she gave him hers. They lost themselves in a long, magical kiss filled with new sensations that melted their insides as if their hearts were fusing together. Mutual love.

"Luka" she called in his breath. "Hm?" He pulled apart a centimeter, just the necessary distance to allow her to speak. "Congratulations for winning the violin contest" she grinned.

"Totally worth the prize" Luka grinned, before leaning in for another kiss.