#Brycenoss

[dont-doubt-dopple]

Stuck In Your Head (Brycenoss)

Stuck in Your Head (Brycenoss)

Soulmate AU Prompt I saw off @drowning-in-fandoms on Tumblr and took my own spin on. I should be doing other things, but this works. At least I’m not dead. Also, sorry if the title appears twice. I posted this on mobile, but had to go to the website to add the Keep Reading line. Enjoy!!

~•~ In this world, soulmates exists. And not in the hypothetical way. Not that I don’t believe in soulmates; if you find yours that’s amazing. I just don’t believe one should actively search for said soulmate otherwise you’d probably end up living out the end of your days surrounded by cats.

Anyways, back to the topic. In this alternate universe, soulmates are connected by ear. Music that is listened to by one is heard by the other, no matter where. So one person could be halfway across the world and the other one could hear it. It was hard, definitely, to find one’s soulmate even though every one assured it was worth it in the end. Evan didn’t find out about the connection soulmates have until 4th grade. Prior to it, his parent had him taking “special medication” to prevent “headaches”. It was actually his friends that told him about it. Evan still remembers it. Anthony, or Panda, gave him exposure to it, coming in to the lunch room with a splitting headache. “Dudes, my soulmate keeps playing All Star at 3:00 in the morning.” He whined, the bags under his eyes apparent. He slammed his head into his notebook, and Tyler followed up by rubbing his back in comfort. “I’m tempted to play the most distorted song I can find and blare it back at him.” “But then you’d have to listen to it.” Brock countered. In response, Anthony lifted his head enough to groan before placing it face down again. “At least yours doesn’t play soundtracks from horror movies and games.” “I don’t know what bullshit mine goes through.” Tyler piped up. “He doesn’t care what he listens to, as long as it’s turn up so loud that they can’t hear anyone.” “What about you, Evan?” Brock asked. “What your soulmate like?” “I’ve … never heard my soulmate?” Evan admitted shyly. “Not once? Like, not even through some shitty rock song on the radio their parents make them listen to?” Tyler pestered to which Evan only shook his head. “Maybe it’s that medication your parents make you take?” Brock suggested. “Medication?” Anthony asked, picking himself to listen to the conversation more intently. “Yeah, they have me on this pill called Surdi. It’s supposed to help me with headaches.” Evan explained as he pulled out the bottle from his bag. He passed it over so Tyler and Anthony could see. “Your parents are dicks.” Tyler concluded as he passed the bottle back over.” “Why?” “Evan, Surdi is a soulmate blocker.” Anthony explained. “It keeps you from hearing the music your soulmate does.” Evan stared at him with wide eyes. “I heard some parents do it because they were never able to find their soulmates.” Tyler added. “But seriously, Evan. Stop taking that medication. It’s keeping you from hearing the love of your life. That night, Evan didn’t take his medication. Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” echoed through his ears, and he could see why his friends wanted him to hear the music. It was like a connection into who they were and what liked all through a series of rhythms and melodies. He never wanted to let it go, so he flushed his medication down the toilet some time later. Jimmy Eats World was playing.

He would still be listening to “The Middle” in his final years of high school, when he was even writing his own songs. Evan’s heart was beating faster than normal, threatening to pop right out of his chest. He needed the “Wonderwall” in his ears to calm him down for sure. “Smitty, what are you doing?” Craig asked the mentioned when Evan sat down at their normal table. “I’m messing with my soulmate.” He replied, straight faced. He slipped on his headphones, his finger hovering just above the screen. “Watch Ryan.” “If you’re doing the thing I think you’re doing, Don’t.” David threatened. “Don’t bother, Nogla.” Brian said. “Your one of the people who’s threats we don’t take very seriously.” “Unless it’s CS:GO.” Tyler added. “Where you actually have a gun.” “Wow.” Marcel commented. “Outed by Tyler and your soulmate. Any comments, Scotty?” He then held his phone out to Scotty like a pretend microphone. “RIP.” “Beautiful words.” “Calm it down, Goals.” Smitty snapped, before his voice dropped. “Now, if you could watch the wild Ohmwrecker in his natural habitat, you’ll see the exact moment when the music starts.” Evan glanced over as the said table, which fostered 4 people. Jonathan, also known as his best friend and the only reason all of them were together. Ryan as both the most pure and kinkiest person he knew. Luke, whose constant mood almost always consisted of I’m done with all your shit and why do I associate myself with you people. And Bryce. Bryce McQuaid, with his brilliant baby blue eyes and red blond hair that wasn’t quite either but was always styled perfectly. Bryce, who he would never have a chance with because his soulmate was probably Mike. That never stopped him from loving his laugh and his smile and everything about the tall boy. “Bad Smitty, Bad.” Anthony slapped him, making Evan break out of his lovesick trance. He could see Ryan trying to cover his ears in an attempt to block out whatever meme music Smitty was playing. “What it’s the harm in it?” Smitty asked, trying to be all innocent. “I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of that.” Anthony countered. “My soulmate is Craig after all.” “This … is true.” Craig admitted defeatedly. “Alright.” Evan interrupted. “Speaking of music, I finally finished that song I was working on. Wanna hear?” “Is that even a question?” Lui asked, popping up from somewhere underneath the table. “I’m … not going to asked.” Tyler said, voicing what probably half the table felt. “Hey, Brock. Can you go get Jon and the others?” Evan asked. Brock nodded, and headed over. While the others talked to Lui about how Arlan was doing back home, Evan watched Bryce. How he laughed at Luke’s reaction to Brock and Jon’s little PDA. How there was a little bounce in every step he took. “So, Evan.” Bryce started, leaning his hands on the table but not actually sitting down. “What’s this song you’ve been working so hard on?” Everyone muttered in somewhat agreement. “Well, it’s probably not the best thing in the world, but …” “Skip the introduction. Let’s just hear this thing already.” Luke interrupted. Evan simply shrugged, and pressed Play. He closed his eyes, loosing himself in the music that he put so much of his heart into. He tried not to focus on everyone else’s reactions despite knowing that they’d be very supportive. For a little more than three and a half minutes, he wasn’t scared like he usually felt. Then the music stopped, and all the nerves came rushing back to him.

“So …” Evan started, feeling his voice begin to crack. “What’d you guys think?” “That was …” Brock started, but Jonathan cut him off. “Awesome!!!” “When you put it like that, like that, like that, like that, u-rite.” Smitty sang in tune. “Please don’t meme this into oblivion.” Anthony begged, glancing at Smitty before staring at Craig. “Hey, I was just going to ask for a copy!” Craig defended, throwing his hands in the air. “That shit was good. “Arlan wants a copy, too.” Lui stayed, not looking up from his phone. “He also needs to be convinced that you actually wrote that.” “Hey, Evan?” Evan glanced up, looking at a concern Ryan. “Can we talk quick? Outside?” “Sure.” He agreed, rising from the table. “I’ll be right back.” Ryan led Evan out to the hallway, where his concern became more apparent. “What’s this about, Ryan?” Evan asked, knowing his friend wasn’t one to stress out too much. “Bryce. He’s …” Ryan started, but Evan cut him off “Is he okay? Was there something in my song? I didn’t even see him when everyone was giving their opinions. Oh god, what if I offended him? What if he hated it? Did he hate it?” He probably would have continued if Ryan hadn’t covered his mouth. “Let me talk.” Ryan said, calmly that made some of Evan’s worries wash away. “Bryce is fine. He loved your song. Every iteration of it you’ve been through in the past several months. All the late nights up at 3 am playing different sand lyric combinations until you perfected it last weekend. And he was there whenever you got frustrated and played a song you liked because of him.” Evan didn’t respond, only blinked while his mouth hung wide open. Bryce … was his soulmate. Not just a chance he could only imagine in his head. He and Bryce were meant to be together … somehow. “Evan?” Ryan asked, bringing the former back to reality. “You okay?” “Okay? I’m ecstatic. I never thought this would become a reality. My crush is my soulmate. And if it’s okay, would you mind helping me?” “What would I get for it?” Ryan asked, before wincing slightly. “I’ll help you get revenge on Smitty.” “Smitty?” Ohm pointed to his ears, obviously referencing some meme that the younger was probably blasting in his ears. “Smitty. Deal?” “Deal.”

“Thank you.” Evan replied, and repeated when the day was finally upon them. It was at the little pizza joint Ryan worked at that let people perform on Friday Nights and, after a little convincing on his end, Evan was going to be playing. And he had the perfect song, considering Bryce always came to these things. “It’s no problem, Ev. You’re going to kill it.” Ryan assured him. He glanced outside the door to the Employees Only lounge where they currently were, before turning back to Evan. “The others are outside. I’m going to meet with them. You’re probably on in 2 minutes.” “Thanks.” Ryan smiled quick before disappearing. Leaving Evan with unfamiliar faces besides Mike and maybe one other person. “Hey, man.” Evan looked to see a blue-green haired girl beside him. “You’ll be fine.” “Easy for you to say. Not like you’ve done this to ask your soulmate out. My nerves are overwhelming.” “Least you aren’t doing a drunk Just Dance night in a French Maid outfit.” Another girl rebutted. She smirked, turning toward a red faced Mike. “We don’t talk about that Malika.” He demanded, but it was undermined by his embarrassment. “At least I can hold my drink down better than Mark!!” “Hey, well I don’t get shit faced every Saturday with Vodka like you and Drac.” The other guy in the room defended, who Evan recognized somewhat from either Luke or Jon. “At least I didn’t get hustled by Vern in online Mini Golf.” “That was good, I’ll admit.” The teal haired chick spoke up. “I remember that game.” “You lost too, Biji!” “I still be you!” “Evan.” He turned and saw Smitty peaking his head through the door. “You’re up, dude.” “Thanks.” He whispered as he walked away from the arguing. “I needed to get away from that.” “No problem. Break a leg.” The younger replied before heading back toward his own group of friends, most of whom Evan didn’t recognize. Evan didn’t know most of the people in the audience. His heart rate began to spike up to untold amounts while beads of sweat began to roll down his forehead. His hands were now clammy and his stomach was now clamped. But then his eyes locked on Bryce. His eyes stared at him in anticipation, despite probably already knowing what’s going to happen. He cracked a smile, a reassuring one, when he saw Evan’s nerves. It made Evan’s shoulders less tense and his confidence boost just a little. “This one goes out to my soulmate. The one who has had to deal with me stuck in their head for all these years. So I’m going to play the first song I ever remember hearing from them. And it may be a question as well.” Evan didn’t sit down, just pulled the guitar from his back in front of him. One breath, and he began to play the some he made sure to be careful of when he rehearsed it so it would as much of a surprised to Bryce as well as everyone else. It was Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. And he could tell Bryce knew it instantly. By the time the last verse came around, Bryce and Evan were close enough that they could touch while enough room at the same time for Evan to play. Evan’s breaths began to sync with Bryce’s, like the two of them were becoming united under one rhythm. Like nothing else in the world matted besides them and Evan’s guitar. And when Evan sang the last words, he wasn’t scared because he already knew the answer. If I lay here If I just lay here Would you lie with me and Just forget the world? Bryce didn’t say a word in reply. He simply wrapped his arms around Evan’s shoulder’s and kissed him. It was rushed and sloppy with two men who had no idea what they were doing. But ask Evan, and he’d say that was his favorite kiss of them all. Why? It was first kiss with Bryce McQuaid, and that made it all worth it in the end.