#russel Hobbs x reader

[can-ya-guess-my-curent-obsession]

Russel Hc's

Authors note: Had some Russel thoughts baking in my mind after I watched some interviews. I know I said I just want to clear up my asks, but tired of writing Murdoc and 2D as much as I love them, I need a break. I'll probably write some noodle ones down the line

Requests: Closed

Phase: Nonspesified,

Hc type: A mix of general + Russel x reader

Note: I got a bit salty while writing this, cuz I like to research and listen to interviews while I write for the characters, and there is truly such little Russel stuff in recent years it kinda pisses me off, same goes for noodle- I want more GIVE ME MORE- ehem sorry, lets forget about this and move on

TW: Bad spelling, mentions of death, self isolation?

smh this man is so unappreciated

I don't think we talk about it enough but Russel is the most well dressed out of all of the band

It was clear from the start of Gorillaz that he took great pride in his appearance

In more than one interview, in the early phases they asked Russ about his taste in clothes and he would reply very passionately

Ya know when we used to see them interview everyone not just Murdoc and 2D

sorry that was uncalled for

Anyways, we've all seen the clip of Russel thinking about himself in a dress so we're all aware of the fact he takes pride in how others perceive him

I think that would apply to his relationship in a way

While I don't think he expects you to be dressed to the nines

I think he would want his partner who also takes pride in how they are perceived by others

Because as your boyfriend what reflects on you is a refection on him for dating you

So if his S/O is a person who enjoys fashion I could see him and S/O spending time making outfits together, giving each other feedback

Maybe the occasional matching outfit or at the very least coordinating outfits

but if is S/O isn't that kinda person, and just wears what they have not giving it much thought like me

He would give you subtle feed back on your clothes and clothes

And if you pick up on what he's doing and offer to let him make your outfit, he would be very happy and might spend a whole day rearranging your closet making set outfits for you of course taking your style into account

His favorite holiday was halloween purely because it allows you to dress up however you want

Also he has lot of fond memories picking out costumes with Noodle when she was younger

Really good with hair

Like weirdly good with hair

Well it's not that weird cuz he was the most like a parent when raising Noodle

So if you want him to do your hair, as long as he isn't busy he's down

And while Noodle's hair is for the most part straight so he doesn't have much experience with different hair types, he learns fast and would probably watch some videos in his free time to learn, in which like I said he learns fast.

Russel like's doing more complex hairstyles on his partner if they have long enough hair, because it gives him a since of craftsmanship and pride when he finishes

But every time he finishes doing it he swears he'll never do it again because of all the work and time it took

but it's a lie

Despite the horrible traumatizing shit he's been through in his life he has to be one of the healthiest(mentally) in the band(ignore phase 7), though that's not saying much

But it is true, in interviews and rise of the Ogre, he seemed to know who he was, and seemed to come to sense of peace and acceptance for what has happened in his life

Of course he has him dark moments we all do

Sometimes he just needs some time to mourn the past and will probably find himself sleeping in a guest bedroom in Kong studio's for a few days

Days where he buries himself in his music and his hobbies taxidermy as an attempt to drown out the the looming image of deaths face

These days where honestly few and far in-between before plastic beach, but they became more often after the events

He's scared for the people he loves and what being around them could mean for their safety.

He won't exactly avoid you

He'll state that he needs time to himself before avoiding you.

But when he comes back around he'll often start telling/ reminiscing to you the good times of his life before he met you, his parents, Dale, his school life

Its his way of accepting the past

[c-y-g-m-c-o]

Y/N: "Dear fuck, the pills aren't working.. ughh, I'd do anything to get rid of this headache..."

Russel: "Then go to bed"

Y/N: *Pouting* "no"

->

Y/N: "Dear fuck, the pills aren't working.. ughh, I'd do anything to get rid of this headache..."

Murdoc: "Then just take more pills till it stops."

Y/N: "w-what no!"

->

Y/N: "Dear fuck, the pills aren't working.. ughh, I'd do anything to get rid of this headache..."

2D: ":( oh no, if you want I could make you some tea. That's what I do if my pills aren't helping my migraines :)"

Y/N: "that would be lovely stu"

_____________________________

This was brought to you by the pounding in my head and the Tylenol that failed me.

Sorry no Noodle, couldn't think of anything for her.

[tokitoooth]

Howdy! Could I request some headcannons for Russel’s skeptic s/o meeting del for the first time?

YES!! I absolutely love writing for Russel and this is my first time writing for Del :]

Here's some headcanons!

Russel tends to brings up Del after practice with the band, or he blames unusual happenings on him.

This annoys his s/o and usually leads into a small argument, usually because they don't understand.

The arguments never escalate much and are kept pretty calm, but they both get frustrated.

Russel always tries to understand his partners side of things.

He doesn't blame them for not believing him, he knows his story sounds pretty made up.

After one argument over a vase Del had knocked over, both of them get more frustrated than they ever had been in an argument.

Russel tries to explain the vase was knocked over by Del, but his s/o is having none of it.

Reaching his breaking point, Russel snaps and finally lets Del out around his s/o for the first time.

The sight of Del terrifies Russel's s/o at first, but they quickly become friends and chat for a while.

Del eventually explains everything that happened to Russel that day and how he died to help Russel's partner understand more.

After Del leaves and Russel is conscious again, his s/o apologises for not believing him.

They both spend the night on the sofa watching old films and holding each other as an apology for their past arguments.

I hope this was okay, I'm a bit rusty on writing and trying to push through art block. Also I'm so sorry for taking so long!!

[faeble-drabbles]

•Fandoms I Will Write•

!!Currently Closed!!

So I want to keep this a blog where I write things for fandoms that don't get much love or characters/pairings that need more love.

Under each I highlight things id love to write but don't be discouraged to ask if it's not listed under the fandom you want to request!

PLEASE READ MY OTHER POST FIRST! It says everything I'm okay and not okay with.

•°• Dragon Ball Z / Super •°•

+ I NEED more poly Vegeta x Reader x Bulma in my life. Same with Goku and Chi Chi

+ I also need more sub Frieza. Specifically a scenario of a God of destruction reader making him a sub 👀

+ Raditz my sweet baby needs more love too. AU where he gets a second chance like Vegeta.

•°• Hunter x Hunter •°•

+ NGL Mostly gonna write about the Spiders / Phantom Troupe 👀

+ I will love you FOREVER if you request Franklin x Reader.

+ I will only accept Feitan x Reader if the reader is just as unhinged as he is

+ Nobunaga, my sweet palm tree needs love too

+ Non-Spider wise, love me some daddy Morel

+ Uvo is a big teddy bear and is fun to write

•°• Yu Yu Hakusho •°•

+ My childhood and it needs more love

+ Who else needs love? My Irish wind goblin, Jin

+ All of the boys and girls need love Especially Yusuke needs a new s/o

•°• Pokemon •°•

+ No Pokephillia here and leave the kids out

+ Most of my favorites are from Sword and Shield. My trio Leon, Piers and Raihan. Want poly with those? Abso-fucking-lutely

+ I also simp hard for Guzma and Nanu

•°• Gorillaz •°•

+ Ace was only a temp member, but I will LOVE request involving him

+ All of them need some good lovin

+ Even stinky Murdoc

•°• Gravity Falls •°•

+ FUNKLE THE GRUNKLE

+ My guilty pleasure

+ Stan and Ford are absolute GILFs

+ Probably won't write for any other characters

+ I have ideas and you will see them

**List will probably be updated as I go**

[mytheoristavenue]

There’s like… no Russel smut in this hellsite wth ☹️ Even fluff for him is sparse or only in like headcanons that include everyone

[simp-king-noshi]

I need requests <3

[supernatural-bias]

𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐨𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐨 𝐄𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞

↳ warnings: fighting, brief mentions of injuries & alcohol. murdoc is a warning in himself to be frank

↳ song: rock the house—gorillaz

↳ notes: headcanons about murdoc & you. made to be platonic/a self insert type fic, but could be romantic too. this overall just stemmed from my infatuation and hatred for his green ass

nasterlist | commissions | carrd

• Murdoc is so self-absorbed. It's honestly beyond you how he hasn't floated away into the sun with how inflated his ego's gotten

• It doesn't help that he's regarded as the sole reason for bringing together one of the best bands ever recorded—something that he holds over the entire bands head when he feels like being an asshole

• With that giant persona of his inevitably there comes jealousy. The musician gets unreasonably grumpy if someone, especially you, is ever more excited to see a collaborator over for a recording session instead of him of all people

• "You were just gawking at 'em the entire time like an idiot! Wha', never seen a bloody live recording before?" Murdocs accent clipped his words as his gravely voice spit fire at you one afternoon. You just laughed at his annoyance, not even bothered by his attitude after years of putting up with it

• "Murdoc, it's De La Soul. Of course I'm going to be excited. It's ten times better than waking up to you rummaging around in the fridge with nothing but a thong on."

• "Get fucked you little twat." He barked, stomping off and ending the little spat. You didn't see him the rest of the day, no doubt off brooding in his Winnebago. It didn't bother you. More quiet time to hang out with Noodle for you!

• More than often, the two of you have been recorded in separate interviews talking about the other. Mostly just talking shit

• "So, what's this we've all been hearing about a certain bassist getting in a car accident?" A random reporter asked you one day from over their horn rimmed glasses. 2D, who was currently the only other person besides you that had been able to make it to the questioning, scratched his head absent-mindedly as you cackled in glee

• "Yeah yeah. I ran over Muds with my car one day. Just knocked his sorry ass right over. Pow! He recovered fine, dont worry, but the moment he did, I had to run for my life." You managed to get out through laughter. "Still have no idea how those fucking tabloids got ahold of that story."

• "Wasn't it an accident f'ough? I remember you sayin that." 2D tilted his head with a slight lisp

• You just grinned toothily and said nothing

• "It. It was an accident. Right?" He asked again, this time with more nerves

• The interview was cut off shortly after that

• On the topic of cars, Murdoc's own set of wheels was probably his only pride an joy apart from his bass. And ironically, the van was the bane of the rest of the bands existence

• The amount of times you had to bang on the Winnebago's dented door to tell him to shut up— the smell of cigarettes, sex, and too many air fresheners leaking from the cracks —should be a crime

• And each time without fail, you were always met with a shirtless Murdoc; either inviting you in for his version of a night of fun or just plain flipping you off

• You always found the latter easier to deal with

• Russel has always been the medium for any serious fights you and Murdoc would have. You both fight a lot, sure, but normally over small things like who should run out to get more booze or tune up band equipment. It was only when things got really heated that the drummer would step in

• Nine times out of ten, that just meant he'd pick you up with one arm and place you in a separate room until the two of you could stand to be around each other. It was always you he did that to, too, since the one time he'd tried that on Murdoc, Russel narrowly avoided a black eye and a week's docked pay

• It really was easy to forget that technically Murdoc is your boss. With how much shit he gives out, and vise versa from all of you, it really just felt like he was an annoying roommate. An annoying, rich, and vibrant green roomate

• At the end of the day, though, none of you really hated him. Well, the jury was still out on 2D, but you had a feeling the past few years the singer had been trying to pick himself back up

• Murdoc, however much of a prick he is, is still a key part in the band. Without him, some of the best song you'd all produced would have never happened, and some of your best drinking memories would have never happened. Hell, he even did a pretty good job raising Noodle. With plenty of help from everyone else, of course

• So no matter how many inanimate objects you all chucked at each other's head, at the end of the day you'd never trade him for another bass player

• "You lot getting soft on me now?" He grinned sharply at you, licking the outside of his teeth as you pretended to vomit at the mere thought of being nice to him

• "I'd rather die and be reincarnated as a cockroach." You grimaced dramatically. But the both of you were smiling at each other, breaking up the conversation with playful punches

[rurivu]

umm power couple match outfits 🛻

[mybluelonglegs]

waiting for the bell to ring on a Friday be like:

[littlefanficprincess]

Backstage VIP pass

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

Gorillaz phase 1 x fem reader

Word count: 3k

Synopsis: After moving to the UK, you meet Murdoc and become the assistant of the forming band 'Gorillaz'

(A/n): An one shot from last year which I decided to finish.

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

I was about the age of twenty-two when I moved to the UK. I grew up in the big land, America himself. To be honest, I was getting kinda sick of it.

"This stuff tastes like shit" A voice says, before coughing their lungs out. Next to (h/c)nette was a man with sickly green skin. Even though he said it tastes terrible, he continues to drink it.

Right, Murdoc. Using one word to describe him, is far from enough. He is lazy, rude, a slob, an asshole, an alcoholist and so much more. 

I don't remember how I met him, at the time I had lived in the UK for four years. He calls me his 'assistant', but it feels more like a babysitter, considering the amount of trouble he gets himself in.

Even though I could leave anytime, I never did. I'm not sure why, it just became routine to check on him. I am a little ashamed to admit that he is kind of my only friend, even if he doesn't see me as one himself.

(Y/n) takes a deep breath, before exhaling out of her nose. She exited the cafe she works at, clutching the bag that was hanging over her shoulder.

The boots she was wearing made a loud sound every time they touched the pavement of the sidewalk. She pulls out the key of her apartment which was attached to other important keys.

She pushes the key in the lock and turns it to unlock it. Opening the door, she was met with a guy on her couch. It was in fact not Murdoc, but someone with blue hair.

Cautiously, she approaches the individual. 'Who is this and how in the world did he get into my apartment?' she asks herself. She bows down to get a better look at him.

When she suddenly hears "Took ya long enough, I though' you weren' going to show" An all too familiar voice chimes. Leaning against the door frame of the kitchen, holding a beer he most likely stole from the fridge.

"Murdoc, who the fuck is this and why are they on my couch, in my apartment" she questions him, annoyance very much present in her voice. She motions to the unconscious person laying on the soft furniture.

"Jus' some loser I have to 'ake care of...after I knocked his stupid eye out" Murdoc admits, sounding unremorseful and even annoyed.

"YOU WHAT!?"

"Here we go again..."

"You do so many stupid things, but I let you do it because you didn't hurt anyone. But now you possibly made someone blind and they made YOU care for him!" She yells at him at the top of her lungs, so loud that the neighbours could hear her.

She pauses, noticing the bruises on his face and arms "Did he get those at the accident?" She points at the dark mark.

"Hm, nah. Ofcourse no', luv. Just a few minutes before you came home, I got a li'le bored while you were gone" Murdoc confessed, grinning proudly.

In a blink of an eye, Murdoc realises he was standing outside the apartment. The door behind him slams shut, making a loud bang. He lets out an annoyed grumble, stomping out of the apartment building, knowing that the girl wouldn't let him in.

Meanwhile (Y/n) turns back to a sleeping stranger on her couch. She gently lifts his head, putting a pillow underneath. Even though she didn't know him, she wanted to treat him the best. He literally got attacked by a troll she was acquainted with.

From then on, it was mostly (Y/n) taking care of him. Murdoc both enjoyed and hated it, he didn't have the burden to care for some rando. But he couldn't just walk in and bully the poor guy like a Ragdoll.

Well that did come to an end. (Y/n) enters her apartment as usual, but this time something was missing. The blue haired boy was missing, but there were empty bottles. Which made (Y/n) immediately panic.

Pulling out her phone, she begins filling Murdoc's inbox to the brim.

'MURDOC'

'WHERE ARE YOU'

'DID YOU TAKE HIM???'

'IF YOU DON'T ASNWER ROGHT NOW'

'MURDOC!!!'

She quickly pushes the call button, hearing it ring. Until he finally picks up, only saying "I've struck gold" before hanging up. Leaving (Y/n) confused.

"What do you mean- did he just hang up on me!?" She groans, throwing her phone on the couch. It felt like she could rip her own face off, and probably that Bastard's too.

Her face lights up, realising something. She snatches her phone from the couch. She opens her friends app and presses on Murdoc's account. It said that he was in a parking lot.

With the anger burning in her, she grabs her keys  and rushes out of the door. She  sprinted over the sidewalks, almost leaving a fire trail behind. She didn't seem to be tired at all, most likely the idea of Murdoc hurting the mysterious person was enough to drive her.

She spots the criminal himself standing next to a car. But someone else was there, the blue haired guy. He seemed wide awake, his eyelids peeled open to reveal two pitch black eyes.

"Murdoc!" She screams out, as she approaches the two. "What was going on in your head to make you think you could take him on a joyride?!" She turns to the lanky tall blue haired guy. "Are you alright? I hope he didn't hurt you too much"

"Just my head hurts a lil'" The guy mumbles, rubbing his head. The last he remembers was that he was helping a client at the music shop he worked at, then a car crashed through the window and was heading right towards him.

"Thi' is my lovely assistant: (Y/n)" Murdoc introduces the (h/c)nette, slinging his arm around her shoulder. But (Y/n) nudges him off. He motions to the other person, "And this is the newest member of the band, I call him 2-D"

"2-D? That's a name. Hold on, did you say newest member of the band? Since when was that decided?" The girl questions him, raising her eyebrows. Last she saw '2-D', he was still unconscious.

"A few minutes ago, he 'old me he could sing" Murdoc explains. He could already see it before him, with 2-D at the front as the singer. He just needed a drummer and a guitarist.

The other two were both confused about what was happening. (Y/n) remembers that Murdoc said he only injured one of 2-D's eyes on the first accident. So most likely his other eye got injured a few minutes ago. He has a pretty unique look.

Not too long after, Murdoc bought a 'Gigantic Disused Haunted Studios In The Middle Of No-Where' on a very sketchy website. Using a mix of his and my money (without even asking). It was right in a graveyard, it was not ideal.

Me and 2-D did most of the cleaning. It took a good bit, considering how big the studio was. Conveniently, there was a fully functional recording studio. 

One day, I was just doing my own things. When I was cleaning up some things, a very tall and menacing man walked past me. He introduced himself as Russel. Apparently Murdoc had kidnapped him, but he decided to stay since he found the music pretty good.

It's nice having Russel around, he was kind of like a gentle giant. He would sometimes make sure Murdoc didn't get in trouble, he was better at it than me, mostly because he is a lot stronger. I found out he was from America as well, he lived not that far from where I used to.

"The coffee there was absolutely terrible, the barista's hair wasn't any better" A woman with black hair says. She leans on the couch's rest, waving her hand around. Her eyes weren't visible due to the sunglasses she was wearing.

Right, Paula cracker. She is 2-D's girlfriend, they had been dating for about two months. If I had to describe her I would say–

"A great girlfriend" 2-D says, smiling.

-

"A bitch, but in a hot way" Murdoc comments, holding a mug with cold coffee in it.

-

Russel breaths out through his nose, before getting up from the couch and walking away.

-

–mixed results. It was nice to have another girl here, but I rather would've preferred someone more... respectable.

"Oh yeah, totally. I can get that fixed" Paula loudly talks over the phone, slamming the front door. She tosses her coat onto what she assumed was a clothing rack. She walks off with phone in hand, not lowering her volume.

(Y/n) sighs, pulling the jacket off her face. She was just about to head out when the door had opened in her face.

Our cold war came to an end not too long after. 

(Y/n) hums to herself, strolling through the hall. She opens the bathroom door, walking in. Her figure stops by the mirror, to check on her appearance. 

What made her pause was the noise of clothing hitting the ground and murmuring. It wouldn't be weird if it wasn't for the fact that she heard two voices. 

Her (e/c) slowly lowers to look at the gap of one of the toilet stalls. She sees someone on their knees, assuming by the red pants, it was Paula. There was someone sitting on the toilet, having their pants and boxers hanging on their ankles. 

Before (Y/n) could think it could be 2-D, she notices the green tint of the skin. Her eyes widened in realisation. The woman rushes the stall, slamming the door open.

She took in the sight. Paula on her knees, only a few inches away from Murdoc's dick. She and the green goblin himself look shocked at being caught. 

(Y/n) felt her anger bursting at the seams, along with emotions she was bottling up. "You disgusting pieces of shit! What makes you think you have the right to go behind 2-D's back and go suck eachother off!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

Meanwhile 2-D perks when he hears (Y/n) yelling, making him look away from his show. He notices it was more intense than her usual scolding, making him want to check if everything was alright. 

He follows the noise, finding himself in the bathroom. He witnesses (Y/n) shouting at something or someone in a bathroom stall. He cautiously walks over to see what she was looking at. His jaw drops at what he saw, his girlfriend about to blow his bandmate. His hands turn into fists as he tries to hold back tears. He rushes out to who knows where.

Next to appear was Russel, who sends Paula out the door. He turns to Murdoc, cracking his knuckles. 

Murdoc sheepishly chuckles, pushing himself to the back of the stall. "Russel, buddy. We can talk about this!" The next that was heard was the sound of Murdoc's nose being broken by Russel's massive fist.

As her anger mellows, (Y/n)’s face softens. Her mind drifts off to the upset singer of the band, wanting to check up on him. She strolls through the big building, stopping in front of 2-D’s room. She could hear crying from the other side, it broke her heart having to watch the poor boy so upset.

Slowly raising her first, she knocks. The sobbing becomes quieter, followed by barely hearable murmuring. She opens the door and peeks inside, finding 2-D sitting on his bed with his head in his hands.

She walks in, closing the door behind her. She takes a seat next to him, not saying a word. She rubs his back, trying to comfort him. The only sounds there were the soft sobbing of 2-D and the creaking of the bed.

Thinking he probably wants to be alone, (Y/n) stands up. She was about to walk out of the room when she felt 2-D’s hand latch onto her arm. “Please don’t leave” he mutters, looking down towards the ground.

Without skipping a beat, she sits back down. She feels him leaning against her, placing his head on her shoulder. The girl rests her head against his. 2-D had stopped crying, only sniffling. 

From what he had heard (from Murdoc) (Y/n) had been caring for him, back when he was unconscious. He swore he heard her a few times, but it was all blurry. She was a guardian angel, compared to the demon that was Murdoc Niccals.

Her presence was calming to him, knowing he was safe with her. The rush of it all came crashing down on him, his energy drained. He fell asleep against her, she stayed with him for some good time.

It said ‘haunted’ on the listing of Kong Studios, but there could be no way it was true. Well I found out myself it was.

Laying on the couch were (Y/n) and Russel, the girl leaning against the taller person. Both of them had fallen asleep while watching a movie. (Y/n) was softly breathing in and out, while Russel was snoring.

“Nah man, this movie is lame. Put on a different movie” A voice chimes from the other side of the couch.

(Y/n)’s (e/c) eyes flicker open, slowly waking up. She turns her head, expecting to see Murdoc, judging by the voice. But she was met with a huge guy with glowing blue skin and white eyes. She yelps, scared by him. She falls off the couch, letting out a groan of pain.

The noise woke up Russel. “You good?” He asks, sitting up. He slightly leaned over to look down at the woman on the ground.

The assistant sits up, pointing to where the ghost was. “There was a…ghost?” She trails off, realising there wasn’t anything there. Was she still half asleep?

“It’s late” Russel gets up, turning off the tv. He walks off to his room, “Goodnight” he says before disappearing out of sight.

Shaking her head, (Y/n) shook off the odd thoughts. She glances towards the TV, she swore she could see the ghost in the reflection.

The original guitarist was Paula, but since her “departure”, we needed a new one. Murdoc had come up with an idea, not the best but still an idea. 

“No hippies… why no hippies?” (Y/n) reads the text on the flyer, raising an eyebrow.

“Too sentimental ‘n stuff, gives me a headache” Murodc explains, waving his hand dismissively. He had already sent it out, giving the last copy to his assistant.

They hear the bell of the front door go off. “You order sumthin’?” Murdoc questions (Y/n). The girl shook her head, “I didn’t, I wonder what it could be” she answers.

She walks out the room and then down the stairs and finally reaches the front door. She opens the door, being met with a giant FedEx crate. It was almost as tall as her, it made her curious about what was inside. “Hey, 2-D can you help me carry something in?” She calls out.

“Um, yeah. Wha’ is it?” He asks. He walks towards her, spotting the giant box behind her. “Wha’ could ‘his possible be?” He inspects the wooden thing.

(Y/n) shrugs, answering “No clue. Okay, how about I pull and you push” she suggested. She places her hands on the edges of the front, while 2-D pushes his back against the other side. They kept pulling and pushing until they had reached the living room.

Not long after, the other two bandmates appeared. None of them had a clue what could possibly be inside. Murdoc was able to pry it open with a crowbar.

Jumping out of it was a small asian girl holding a guitar. Her finger swiped across the stringer, doing an impressive riff. “Noodle!” She yelled, standing there proudly.

While most of them looked shocked, Murdoc looked thrilled. He walked over to the child and ruffled her hair, “Welcome to the band” he greeted her.

The other girl was so worried about why and how a child was in a crate, to notice the splinters in her finger. She finally took note when 2-D muttered something about it. “Oh, you’re right. I’ll just go to the kitchen to pull them out”.

“Here, let me help” The lanky guy leads her to the kitchen, motioning for her to sit down on a nearby chair. He took the first aid kid off the wall, taking the tweezers from it. He takes a seat on the chair that stood opposite from hers. He gently put his hand under the one that hat splinters in them. He began removing them one by one, thinking about how soft her hand was.

Once he was done, (Y/n) gave him a thankful smile. She embraced him for a moment, before walking off to ‘speak’ to Noodle.

Having someone who only spoke Japanese made quite a language barrier. For some reason she kept calling me Aneki, even after I kept correcting her. I think it’s a nickname, I just really hope it isn’t anything inappropriate.

Now with a complete band, they only needed a name.

“What abooouuuuttttt…Amaretto?” (Y/n) thinks out loud, spinning around on the chair she was sitting on.

“Alcohol?’ He questions her, wondering what the inspiration for the suggestion was.

“Well you drink alcohol when you're down or want to chill, it makes you happen” She replies, unsure of the name herself.

“You know what makes me happy…?” Murdoc trails over, putting his hands together.

“What?”

“Swinging around in the jungle, naked” He answers, grinning.

“I am not sure how that would be relevant to the conversation” (Y/n) comments, trying not to get a mental image of it.

Murdoc stands up from his chair, “What about Gorillaz, with a Z to make it cooler” he holds his hands up with spread fingers. “Gorillaz, huh? Not bad”

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

I remember writing this at my prom instead of dancing cause that room was so small and suffocating (and loud). The part where I picked it back up was when Russel broke Murdoc's nose. This one shot has a special place in my heart.

[captain-lessship]

Phase One 2D Having A Crush On Reader

- it’s a strange thing. When you are in love with someone and then another appears and you feel the love for them more than you should. That’s how 2D said it was with you.

- He would do little things that no one else really noticed. Would let you have the last of the peppermint tea, offer you biscuits, help you with anything you needed.

- No one noticed this. Except Paula. You and her did not get along due to her blatant disregard for 2D’s wellbeing and the disrespectful way that she would fawn over Murdoc while 2D was in the same room.

- You and her would often bicker but it ceased when you noticed that it made 2D upset and the other band members uncomfortable.

- When it inevitably happened, you were the first to rush to 2D to try to make him feel better. He was inconsolable for a few hours and was about to choke Murdoc the fuck out but you didn’t let him leave the room til he was calm. Russel was already… taking care of your lights work.

- When Paula left, she saw that her car had been spray painted with a derogatory term for disreputable person. You did feel bad…. That you also hadn’t slashed the tires.

- Murdoc could only await your acts of wrath. You locked him in his Winnebago until he apologized. (He made it about two weeks. But he ran out of fresh water.) and then you gave him the cold shoulder until he apologized to 2D directly.

- 2D did forgive him, which surprised you. But it was easier than it would’ve been because he had you.

- 2D was in love with you.

[can-ya-guess-my-curent-obsession]

L- Lost: /Losing their S/O in a crowd/

A/N: nothing much to say- besides I think I wrote to much for 2d's

Request: open

Edited: no

Pairing: The band x GN!reader

This is apart of my crack alphabet

Tw: Panic, Murdoc acts a bit toxic(and it's not ok don't let people treat you like that), idk if i missed something

°•□•°•□•°•♡•°•□•°•□•°•♡•°•□•°•□•°•♡•°

-Bold of you to assume 2D wasn't the one getting lost

-It take's 2D a hot minute to realize S/O wasn't even there anymore

-At first he wouldn't realize it, so he would go about walking around doing whatever you two were doing- when he realized you two aren't holding hands anymore, so he looks back to go grab your hand when he realized S/O wasn't there

-Like Murdoc he comes to a freeze- as the info that his S/O is now gone sets it

-2D snaps back to reality when someone accidently bumps into him

-"oh- sorry didn't mean to-" the stranger was cut off by 2D's unintelligible panic talk before 2D scrambled away leaving the stranger confused

-2D would scramble all over the place looking for S/O panicked, to anyone who was looking from an outside perspective would be sincerely confused- I mean he doesn't look crazy or anything but he looks very lost

-And especially if you guys are on tour in a unfamiliar country or place for the first time

-Because if so- he's panicking get's worse

-Eventually he sees someone with a phone- and the realization that he should check his phone

-2D sighs in relief thinking that you probably sent him a text- in which you didn't and panic sets back in

-He spends the next half an hour looking for his S/O when 2D see's his S/O too busy looking at something to notice 2D

-2D stumbles over to S/O a bit winded and babbling about you being gone

-"Luv- where have you been-?" 2D said pulling you into a bone crushing embrace, "Why didn't you answer da' phone?"

-"oh sorry Stu... I got distracted, and my phone is dead so I couldn't answer any text-" you say as 2D still didn't let go

-After some reassuring hugs and a kiss and you two go back to whatever your doing- as 2D basically forgetting what just happened

-He panics a bit but stays in place

-At first he just waits their hopeing S/O wanders back but when two minutes has passed and no sign of you

-Murdocs next checks his messages, and he had zero from you

-So now he's stressed as hell, but he tries to keep calm

-And walks around casually like nothings wrong, while he's sweating bullets and his eyes are darting all over the place looking for you

-every few minutes Mudz takes out his phone checking for a message

-He eventually find you and jogs over to you and grabs S/O by the arm and starts to grumble out frustrated nags

-"The hell- have' ya been, I've been looking all over the fucking place-" Murdoc would snap at S/O, as he drags S/O back to the car

-"Jeez sorry- just got distracted..." S/O would respond

-"Well why didn't you answer yer fuck'en phone?"

"Uh... I left it at home..."

-Murdoc would face palm

- you two didn't get to finish the outing because murdoc was stressed and just wanted to go home and relax

-But the next day you two went back out but this time Murdoc kept his arms around S/O's waist or shoulders

-She looks around for a second before checking her phone to see if you texted her, and when she see's you didn't she would immediately start searching the area for you

-And Noodle finds you immediately- no joke, she take like a minute and then finds you

-"Hay S/O- where did you go?" Noodle said as she placed a hand on your shoulder as she walks up behind you

-"oh hey sorry Noods, I didn't realize I lost you..."

-Noodle accepted the apology and you two went about your outing but this time Noodle walked behind you to make sure you don't wander off

-The most rational out of all of them

-Like Noodle, Russel immediately checked his phone and sighed when he saw no texts

- He would calmly look around for you- it took like ten to thirty minutes to find S/O

-And when he found S/O he didn't ask any question, he just walks up to S/O puts a hand on their shoulder and says "Hey baby- come on we have things to do"

-"Oh- hey Rus look what i found.." S/O would point at the thing that distracted them

-"yeah yeah- lets go hon" Rus would hold your hand as you two go about your day- and he would look over his shoulder every once in a while to make sure you're still there

[c-y-g-m-c-o]

What are yr thoughts on Russels family? Any headcannons?

I actually do, and have had doe awhile, but admitidly I'm not very well versed in his lore, I actually need to review gorillaz lore in general. But I know I had some HC's about him and his family and about his childhood but never shared them because I was scared they weren't cannon accurate. But ya know here they are

- Rusaela been struggling with seeing paranormal things he was really young

-when he was a baby, he was just overly calm and just seemed like he was always looking at something

-it scared the shit out of his mom and so russel spent a lot of time as a kid in and out of the pediatricians office

-as russel got older he seemed more normal but still was an off kid overall

-He seemed more intuned with his environment and knew things he should've

-partially because he was speaking ghosts in his head, and didn't realize that they just weren't his own thoughts,

-and at some point the connection got more real and he started seeing a lot more ghosts

-it ended with his partner's talking him to the doctors when they found out, thinking it there was something wrong with his head, but there was no conducive diagnosis.

-the uncle he stayed who he worked for in the UK was actually his mother's half brother who they had little contact with

-Rus is really close with his uncle to this day

-Both his parents and uncle wanted to press charges on murdoc for literally kid napping Russel, and his uncle got ready close to but Russel was able to get his uncle to back off.

-his Uncle, who was at least 10 years older than his Rus's mom, and when in hiss 60's development alzheimer's disease

-Russel would spent a lot of money and time taking care of his uncle after that, visiting him as much as he could till he passed away right before phase 7 causing Russel to spiral and using the promise land as a coping mechanism for the loss of his uncle

-Rus's father is dead, and died in the 2010's but his mother is still alive, and doing pretty well for a women in her mid to late 80's

-ruasel went to private school so his parents had to be doing some what decent for themselves.

-I see his mother being a the daughter of a lawyer who worked very hard to become an attorney herself

-Russel's mothers name was London because thats where her father's first wife(aka Rus's uncles mother) was from, her mother didn't know about the names orign

-His's mother is a second generation imagrant, with her mother being from another country

-And his father was a pencil pusher for a news paper company. His father had aspirations of being a journalist, but they never came to fruition.

-I also Hc Rus as having alopecia areata totalis, which means he's exclusively unable to grow hair on his scalp for the most part, but it can get patchy so he actually shaved it(this isn't about his family or childhood but I'm not ever gonna get a chance to share it anywhere else)

I dunno if these are random or what you wanna here but they're what I got. And thanks for the ask I actually really enjoyed writing these

[sinning-23]

Publicity Pt.4

Hey everyone sorry for the wait! It's here now tho! Enjoy!

Link to:

Introduction

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

PART 5 UP NOW! (WARNING: Contains smut)

Warnings: language, suggestive content, 2D and y/n are awkward, it’s complicated?

A yawn pushes past your lips as you take a breath and place the headset over your ears, listening to the track Murdoc, Noodle, and Russel had come up with while you were on your outing with 2D.

The instrumentals aren’t exactly how you imagined the night prior but it was damn good regardless.

It’s easy when you’re alone. Singing was easy, and playing instruments was easy, but damn it if there was one person in the room you’d fall apart.

It wasn’t like this when you started out.

Making music was a hobby and career you’d come to thoroughly enjoy. Your father gifted you any instrument you could ever want. He told you that you could be an amazing artist one day, making music that makes people want to move. And you did for years. Sold out concerts and tours alike.

Until he got sick.

The music wasn’t for fun anymore. Or to bond…it was for money to keep him alive. And all the encouragement and energy he put into making you a star…wasn’t for you. It was for him. He’d been sick for a while and just needed you to get comfortable in the limelight.

Unfortunately for him, it was all for naught. The virus spread and only tore him apart. How dramatic of him to die as you’re performing in a concert HE made you show up for. It was like the world stopped when you got the news, people in the audience calling out to you as your reaction was projected onto jumbo screens.

“You could have just told me…I would’ve done everything to…to keep you from…”

The words are thick in your throat as you squeeze his cold hand. He looks pale, the sight making your stomach turn.

“Dad…”

That was a long time ago though.

You sing through the lyrics 2D had written that day, each word slipping off your tongue with such desire and passion you’d almost forgotten how long it’d been.

Speaking of which, this wassss a rather suggestive song. When the hell did he have time to write like this?! That liar.

“This is more your caliber.”

Bullshit.

Especially not with the way he had you last night. A shiver shoots down your spine and into your core. The hazy lust in his eyes had you reeling, the lyrics feeling heavier now.

You don’t hear the door open, your eyes squeezed tight as you flow into your own verse, hot and heavy, and heavenly into the microphone like some reincarnated Donna Summer.

You could imagine his voice melting with yours, the song intimate but dance worthy. This would definitely have babies being made.

Another shiver with the ghosting feeling of his lips on your skin, the slow drag of teeth and his palm pulling you’re body down into him.

The instrumental loops again as you open again, the same sound echoing through the studio. You’re finding it again, the voice you’d lost so long clawing its way out of your throat and manifesting in siren-sweet tones.

The track stops and your head snaps just to find you'd been watched for a while now.

Noodles' got her hands covering her mouth as Murdoc simply grinned and nodded almost in approval.

“Now thas’ the sound we needed yesterday darling. Something change overnigh’?” He chuckles, seeing you swallow hard.

“I’ve got serious chills! I mean your albums before sound amazing but hearing that in person?” Noodle beams, greeting you at the door of the booth.

It’s impossible to fight the smile that rises to your face. Maybe you were just being too hard on yourself? Your confidence had come back just like that???? No, you were still nervous and had no idea you were being watched, but…the positive reinforcement was nice.

“Thank you. Think I found my voice again and we can really get to work. But um…I need to talk to 2D first.” You admit, feeling guilty about last night.

It wasn’t his fault you backed out like that, god no.

And you needed him to know that, no matter how hard the conversation would be.

“He left earlier with Russel, but forget ‘im. We got more work to do if you can sing like that! Tracks for this will be done with righ’ on time.” Murdoc schemes, Noodle rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, before that let me just- c’mon!” She huffs, pulling you to the side.

She’s got this knowing look in your eyes you try to avoid but you’re failing.

“Something did happen last night…WITH-“

Your eyes widen and you slap your hand over her mouth, immediately retracting and apologizing.

“Well, yes but no. I…I panicked and pushed him away. I’m screwed. I can’t keep ruining whatever this is.” You sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose.

She does the same, looking behind her briefly to see if Murdoc was listening near by.

"2D is pretty simple. He's not hard to read and since you got here he's been happier I suppose?" She explains, hands resting in her pocket now.

"Props though, you work fast. Day 5 and you're already after our lead.." She giggles, wiggling her eyebrows and you wave her off.

"Seriously though, talk to him when he gets back. And you better sort it out 'cause this whole ordeal is gonna make the album suffer if you don't." She warns, stepping away to go manage her guitar.

She was right though.

You tap your pocket for your phone, hoping to check the time. Speaking of which, you haven't checked your phone since you'd gotten here really. Too much had happened you'd damn near forgotten about the thing.

Upon pulling the device out of your pocket, you're met with thousands of notification

Text messages, missed calls, and likes and comments across all platforms swarm you. Was all of this still over the video you made? Opening up the app your heart sinks to your stomach.

Rumors spread like wildfire, and it's only natural that people come to their own conclusions and observations when they don't have the full story.

The first post you see includes a photo of you and the blue-ette running out of the airport hand in hand. The caption speculates that the two of you are hiding some kind of secret relationship. Well, not too far off the truth if you could figure out what exactly is happening between you two.

The real shocker was the photo that was somehow captured at the pier.

You're facing he ocean, 2D staring directly at you with this content smile on his face. The caption reads,

"Santa Monica Romance? papazarri speculates lead singer of 'Gorillaz' 2D and artist/musician Y/N have been concealing a secret relationship which will be showcased in the new collaborative album!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You’re pacing, breathing heavily as you try to explain to your media team the misunderstanding that wasn’t really a misunderstanding. Your panic is cut short when the front door opens with the sounds of 2 familiar voices.

A sprint is more accurate to say how you’d left your room and just standing outside your door was the man of the hour himself, face heated and eyes wildly searching for something.

“We need to talk." You huff, grabbing his shoulder with furrowed brows.

He sort of pulls away, a look of concern and slight irritation now flooding his features.

What the hell was his deal?

"Wha' abou'?" He huffs , hands shoved in his pockets with his lips pressed into a firm line.

"THIS!” You grunt, shoving the phone in his face as his eyes widen with each word he reads. His face is bright red,

"So are you gonna keep acting like you don't want me near you or?" Your attitude is coming off in waves now, Russel retreating to the kitchen whilst you both talk.

"Oh thas' rich coming from you." He mumbles, your expression now guilty.

"The fuck are you talking about?!” You whisper shout, stopping briefly when you catch Noodle out the corner of your eye.

She slows for a bit, before shooting you a look, shaking her head, and moving right to the kitchen with Russel.

“You…every time we…you just don’ want me around you. You shu’ down on me.”He struggles to explain, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

Damn, you were definitely guilty right now. No matter how bad you did want him you just wouldn’t let yourself. You didn’t want to risk not only loosing the opportunity, but the trust of the band and…his friendship.

It all meant too much to you to throw away over some stupid feelings you’d developed.

“And that’s on me?! I-I just didn’t want to mess things up!” You explain, eyes focused on his.

2S scoffs, shaking his head as he makes his way up the stairs, you’re close behind. His strides are long and purposeful, your legs moving as fast as they can up the steps.

You reach for him, missing again before catching his wrist just before he can hide away in his room. He freezes, eyes narrowing at you, soon going soft the longer he watches your genuine state of hysteria.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry every time you get close to me I freak out. I'm sorry about..last night. I...I can't afford to fuck up and I'm not trying to drag you down with me." You explain, releasing your grip as he hand sort of stays midair for a beat.

He's silent, hand returning to his side and then shoved right back into his pocket.

"Can we just..try again? I finally got comfortable in the studio, we can record if you want?" You offer, trying your best to extend this shitty little olive branch.

"Yeah..tha' be nice." He agrees, sort of shuffling as you nod back.

Yeah, it was a little awkward but the conversation sort of happened? Right? Have you addressed the social media post? No. Did he seem indifferent to it? No, not really.

Sooo problem solved? Your media team had the post taken down and suggested you lay low for the time being. Maybe avoid lil outings with the lead singer. Were you good at following instructions?

Hell No.

"About the post, uh my team got it taken down." You explain, seeing his expression shift for a fraction of a second.

"Ah, that's uh good I suppose." He responds, the energy still awkward as fuck..

Its your turn to nod now, slowly backing up down the hall. He swallows, stepping into his room as you sigh heavily and retreat down the stairs.

You groan still not quite settled with how that ended but you shake it off. It'd have to do for now.

The walk to the kitchen was fine but entering, not so much. Murdoc's got this look on his face and Noodle isssss judging you? Russel proceeds to mind his business, but not forgetting to give you a slight side eye.

"What's fucked now?" You sigh, Murdoc smirking and shooting you a wicked grin.

"Not tha' tosser upstairs thas' for sure." He chuckles, your eyes rolling so far back you were sure you'd see your brain.

"Offered to record with him later, hopefully, we can get the vocals done and I'll be out of your hair." You explain, searching the fruit bowl fr something that wasn't spoiled.

Apple it is.

"No no no, studio it-

“Off limits at night? Unless it's you?" You finish, biting into the fruit with and raised brow.

Okay so maybe it was spoiled.

You force yourself to chew and swallow, grimacing a bit at he taste before continuing.

"D told me. But unless you want me here longer than I'm supposed to be and an unfinished album I suggest you let this happen." You argue, awaiting a response.

Murdoc only squints, remembering your final warning to him. He was already in a bad spot with you so, maybe he'd swallow his pride and let you have the illusion of running shit before he gets his lick back.

"Fine." He scoffs, standing and passing by you with a nudge of his shoulder.

As soon as he's gone Noodle pipes up with her own questions.

"So? What happened?" She whispers, like the situation was some kind secret.

"Nothing, it was really awkward and I apologized and offered the studio for us to finally work in together." You explain, still not feeling content.

"Somethings still bothering you." Russel points, taking a seat at the table.

You swallow, silently cursing yourself for being so easy to read.

"W-well it doesnt matter. What matters is were arent on..bad terms?"

"Nah that's stupid as hell." Russel grunts, shaking his head.

After confiding in him about your feelings for the lead a while ago he was more than aware of your current situation.

"You two better figure it out in that studio, otherwise this album...ain't happenin."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's only empty for a moment, your voice echoing against the walls again, even better than earlier. You pause momentarily when the door opens, but soon relax upon seeing who it is. Just as you discussed, 2D had joined the session, not really bothering to speak, only putting the headset on as the trach looped.

You give a brief thumbs up, still singing as you try to steady your heartbeat. Part of you was anxious to hear him sing in person, knowing good and well the sound was gonna give you literal chills.

And the minute his mouth opens to harmonize with you, you can feel yourself melt. God his voice is so pretty...And how the hell does it blend so nicely with yours?! It's like the two sounds are perfect.

You lean into the mic, eyes long fluttered shut as you leave countless, perfectly timed adlibs. The song in itself is full of tension, the lyrics dripping with poetic inuendos as you let each note fall from your glossed lips.

It goes quiet though, only your voice echoing off the walls now much to your concern. And when your eyes open he's already locked on you, chest steadily rising and falling, gaze pointed at your lips.

"What?" You whisper damn near, hear beating wildly in your chest.

"Nothing 's just.." His face is flushed, a slight red tint to his cheeks.

"W-What?! You wrote it I'm just singing what you wrote!" You ramble, that same heavy feeling from the last time filling your tummy.

"i know tha'! I-It's jus' you uh..." He's at a loss, the instrumntals looping again.

“You sound really good.” You sigh in awe, completely removing your headset now.

He copied you, smiling and nodding. That gap tooth is adorable.

“You too.”

You can't help the grin that rises to your lips and you try to focus the fluttering in your heart and stomach on something else. Tugging the headset back on, you catch up in time with the instrumental, taking note of his 2D, which hadn’t done the same.

“You okay?” It’s more of a question to yourself but hey who’s really paying attention?

He blinks once, twice, and thugs the headset back on.

The studio was alive with the sounds of two angels and sirens from 7pm to 12am

A/N: hey you guys sorry this chapter ok so long again! I suppose I’ll spoil yall and do like a double upload situation? Chapter 5 coming in hot! I hope you all are enjoying so far!! Thanks for the love and support :)

[xocalliexo]

Would people be annoyed with an out of character Murdoc fanfiction? (And maybe the rest of the gang but really just him.)

I have an idea for a multi-fic for Murdoc x Reader but I don’t want people getting annoyed that he’s probably going to be a bit out of character, especially towards the end after a time jump.

I’ll probably end up writing it anyways and I know that authors should write no matter what since it’s their art but I always overthink things.

Feedback on this would be so much appreciated!!

[mytheoristavenue]

To Binge - Russel Hobbs x OC - I

Summary: Russel thought going to live in Soho to work at Big Rick Black's Record Shop would be a fresh start- and it was, just not in the way he'd hoped.

Warnings: Mentions of dark themes, heavy drug use, mentions of SA, toxic relationship dynamics, sexual content, love at first sight, mentions of racial difference, mentions of death/trauma.

Russel hated Soho. God, was it boring. At least it was relatively safe, though. And at least he could hold down a job, though he didn't know how. This damn record store rarely had more that ten customers daily. Didn't matter, it paid his rent.

The bell on the door chimed and Russel couldn't quite see who it was over the shelving. "Aye, need help findin' anything?" He muttered noncommittally. There wasn't an answer but he could see a crown of golden hair pivot side to side. He simply shrugged and went back to the magazine in front of him on the counter.

"Uhm," A small feminine voice muttered, a pair of vibant blue eyes peeking over a shelf.

"Yeah?" Russel asked, a bit taken aback by the long lashes fluttering over the pair of eyes staring back. "Need help?"

The girl nodded, stepping out from behind the shelf in a shy stance. There was a blue and white gingham sundress hugging her figure and brassy golden waves cascading down her back. What really caught his attention attention though, were the freckles dotting across her nose and the way her gapped teeth nipped her nip in a nervous fashion. "I... ain't really know how ta say it..."

There's no way this girl was from Soho, he realized. She talks like his cousins from Atlanta, only whiter. "What's it sound like?" He asked with a lazy smile.

"It's uh," She began sheepishly. "Nu-jah-vez...?"

"Nujabes," Russel corrected warmly, coming out from behind the counter. "Lookin' for 'Sweet Sticky Thing'?" The girl nodded nervously, and he wasn't sure if it was him making her nervous or the embarrassment of the slip-up. "It's in the new releases."

Russel led her to a table near the front of the store with a few crates full of new stock. He pulled a black and yellow album from one of the crates and showed it to her, much to her delight. "Anything else?" He asked, tucking the record under his arm.

"That's it," She smiled, revealing a gap between her front teeth. He tilted his head toward the counter and started walking over to ring up the purchase. "So, where ya from?"

"Texas," The girl answered softly, taking out a small coin purse.

"Figured," Russel grinned, bagging up the record. "That accent's a dead giveaway." The girl gives a sheepish smile and pulls out a debit card. "I'm from Brooklyn myself." Her eyes seemed to light up, finding a sort of camaraderie with him over both being Americans in England. "So, whatcha doin' in Soho? Sightseeing?"

"Nah," The girl dismissed, plugging her card into the machine. "Here for work."

"Kinda work ya do?" Russel replied, finding her surprisingly easy to talk to.

"I'm a singer," She confessed sheepishly, as if she didn't consider herself to fall under that title after all. He let out an impressed whistle.

"Let me guess, country?" She nodded, pulling her card from the machine and tucking it back into her coin purse.

"I'm starting a tour," She added as he handed her the receipt.

"No shit?" Russel laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "In Soho?"

"That's right," The girl confirmed.

"So what, ya famous or somethin'?" He grinned, leaning back on her stool behind the counter.

"I won one'a them singin' contests like on TV," She shrugged, nudging her heel into the ground, as if to make the feat seem smaller. "I won a record deal or somethin', I don't know."

"Damn, cowgirl," Russel laughed dryly. "What's your name?"

"Dallas-" The girl paused before shaking my head. "Jolene, my name's Jolene, like the Dolly song." The man cocked a brow, tilting his head at the sudden correction but he doesn't push the subject.

"Nice to meet ya, 'Jolene Like The Dolly Song', name's Russel." He said as he extended a hand to shake. Jolene took it after a moment of hesitation, noting how his hand enveloped hers past her wrist. "So, you're tourin' Europe, then? Little young for that, huh?"

"I'm nineteen," She corrected with a slight pout, as if offended that he underestimated her age. "Almost twenty."

Russel couldn't tell if the weird feeling in his chest was from her being younger than he initially thought, or from relief that he hadn't been checking out a minor. "I'm a little older than you," He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I'm twenty-four," Was this weird? No, he's being respectful, right? Russel noticed he'd trailed off after the comment, anxiety making his back sweat. He had never been good with people, let alone girls.

"That's okay," Jolene said with a shy smile. "I don't mind."

"What don't you mind?" Russel smirked, crossing his arms as he leaned forward on the counter. The way her freckled cheeks blushed made him feel an odd sense of victorious serenity that he chose not to dwell on.

"I-I didn't-" She stammered, shaking her head.

"Messin' with you," He chuckled. "Chill." Jolene flashed a warm smile as her shoulders released their tension. After a moment, they both forgot to stress over small talk, basking in the ambiance of a dusty record shop with soft hip hop spilling from a player behind the counter.

Suddenly, he noticed her peachy bottom lip tucked between her teeth again- must be a nervous habit. "What's up?" He asked softer than meant to. Unable to gather words, Jolene stepped closer to the counter and fished something out of his dress pocket and dropped it in front of him. It was a laminated card on a plain red lanyard.

"Keep it," She muttered sheepishly, avoiding the confused look on his face.

Russel had never been to a concert, never had the opportunity, but he still knew what a backstage pass looked like. A smile crept across his face, and he palmed it, tucking the card into his pocket, letting the lanyard dangle beside his jeans. "When?" He simply asked.

"Tomorrow, seven in tha evenin'." She replied, still unable to tear her face from the Inkblots poster to her left. "At KOKO,"

"I'll be there," Russel said, finally prompting her to glance up in disbelief. "Ain't really into country, but since you were so generous to give me a backstage pass, I'd be crazy not to."

Suddenly, the bell above the door chimed again and before Russel could put on his professional face and greet them, he got the hint that this was no vinyl enthusiast.

"Jolene McEntire McClain," A shrill voice rang out as a bottle blonde with tall beehive hair stormed in. "What did I tell ya 'bout wanderin' off?" It wasn't hard for him to understand that these two women were affiliated. What could've been the odds that two deep southern blondes were in the same store in Soho and coincidentally knew each other?

"M-Mama," Jolene stammered as the older woman grabbed her arm. "I just was doin' some shoppin'. I wanna get a souvenir from every stop on that tour..."

The innocent gesture warmed Russel's heart just a bit, but made him wonder how many other record shop cashiers she'd end up sweet-talking in the coming months.

"That better be a country record in that bag," Her mother warned, eyeing the plastic bag on the counter. It wasn't- it was a hip-hop mixtape.

"I-It's somethin' different," Jolene confessed sheepishly.

"Then yer leavin' it here," The woman scoffed, dragging her daughter toward the door.

"Ma'am, we don't do refunds," Russel lied, calling out while hoisting the bag up. "Might as well take it, be a waste of money otherwise."

Sharp eyes settled on him. They were blue, like Jolene's but lacked that appealing friendliness that he'd come to like. "I ain't havin' my angel brainwashed by yer thug music." Oh, she was one of those old white ladies.

"Its a mix tape," Russel raised his hands in a placating gesture. "It's all vintage music,"

The woman gives a distrustful look before snatching the bag from him, seemingly relenting. After shoving the record into her daughter's arms, she ushers her to the door. Jolene frantically turns to look over her mother's shoulder to wave goodbye.

Despite the sour encounter, Russel finds himself with a lazy smile on his face as he watches her continue to wave as they pass the window of the store. To her delight, he gives a wave in return, already anticipating the following night.