#and got no money whatsoever to take the photos of any of the bands

[heavenknowsffs]

I had my wattpad moment last night when the drummer of a band i went to shoot looked at me like 3 times in the eyes in between songs (when i was already in the crowd)

[anastasiaenache003]

It’s all about the magic of the moment...

A/N: Hello there! This is my first post ever on Tumblr, and it’s also a fanfiction, more precisely an entry for #johnicaweek2021 , organised by the specatcular @eileen-crys :) I really hope that I managed to picture in the best way possible the tender relationship that John and Ronnie have. Enjoy!

My Instagram account: @anastasia.enake ( just in case)

Johnica Week day 5- “Memories” and “Nowadays”

Word count: 3087

It was the New Year’s Eve of 2021. The fireworks were now heard somewhere in the distance, with people rejoicing the last moments of a magical night. The whole house on an empty London street has gone quiet; it was dark, only the streetlights’ pale light making its way through the half-open curtains and the only sound that could be heard was the slight, almost intangible crinkling of the wood in the fireplace. On the second floor, behind the closed bedroom doors, the house’s habitants were seeing sweet dreams. Some of them were dreaming about the presents they would get in the morning; some were dreaming about the little holiday they were all going to go on for a couple of days.

The master bedroom, however, was empty. Or, to be more precise, it has been “relocated” into the living room. There were, sleeping on a comfy sofa beside the fireplace, covered in a huge and warm blanket, two old people, a man embracing his wife. On the coffee table in front of them was laying a very old and dusty photo album, which has been left open on a blank page, probably because someone had accidentally turned two pages at once. Or not?...

New Year’s Eve, 1971

“John, where’s the champagne? I thought you had bought it already?” questioned Mary as she greeted the young man in the doorway.

“I’m truly sorry, but I can’t believe that literally NO SHOP was open today in our area”, sighed John as he took off his coat. “It looks like there’s a conspiracy theory or whatsoever, I swear!”

From somewhere in the kitchen popped out a big black-haired head. “Don’t worry, darling, I made sure we would drink as much champagne as possible tonight!” Freddie gave his most flamboyant smile towards the guest. “Please, feel welcome! Mary, would you be so nice to introduce Deaky to our guests?” he added nonchalantly before disappearing in the kitchen.

As sweet and gentle as she was, Mary took his hand and led the way into the big living room where you could already hear the chattering. Freddie has always been keen on spending every holiday in the best way possible, be it Christmas, Easter or even his birthday (he was not modest at all). This year’s New Year celebration, as he and his other three friends formed the group “Queen” and already began on working for an eventual debut album, had to be very special. And extravagant nonetheless. Not that he gathered all London town’s population in his tiny apartment (although he would’ve loved to), but a close circle of good people who knew how to have fun was always welcomed.

When Mary and John entered the living room, John felt a little bit uncomfortable as all eyes were on him instantly. Truth be told, he didn’t enjoy that much big companies, but felt that this evening meant so much for the other three guys, especially for Fred, that he tried his best not to look or sound not at ease. People were approaching him and tried to engage him into different conversations, about music, books or whatever topic was popular at the moment and soon, John’s shyness melted away. As she made sure that everything was alright with the new guest, Mary glanced quickly over the people who were already in the room. She smiled to herself and then disappeared in the hallway.

The party was delightful, in every sense of the word. Soon arrived Brian and brought a whole packet of fortune cookies, “for entertaining purposes”, of course. “What is New Year’s Eve without fortune-telling?” he wondered surprised as Roger, who wasn’t into all kinds of “children games”, took the packet from his hand and gave it a discontent look. “Bri, I know you’re a very kind and wise man, but WHO ON EARTH reads fortune papers on New Year’s Eve? Be serious, no one’s interested in those and-!”. “Nice to meet you too, Rog”, smiled Brian as he shook the snow off his clothes and fluffy hair.” If you wanted us to play games, then we should’ve done “Truth or Dare”, complained Roger,” AND it’s far more interesting, at-”. He was suddenly cut off by Freddie’s yelling from the kitchen:” Not all of us are interested in THAT kind of games, Rog! Let the guy come in and enjoy the party! It’s all about magic tonight, and not about what you had in mind!” 

The last phrase was said louder than the previous two, as a few people wandered curiously in the hallway to see what was happening, but soon got back to the rest of the party. Roger rolled his eyes and helped Brian to take his fur coat and scarf off, mumbling something to himself. “Don’t worry, Rog”, Brian teased him, “I guarantee that you’ll have great fun tonight!”. “Pinky promise!” he burst out laughing, not really trying to control himself. “Fuck off!” Roger shot him an annoyed look and punched him slightly in the ribs, but also couldn’t constrain a toothy smile. The two then hurried int the living room where they were welcomed by a burst of applauses and cheesy jokes. Now, the party must have truly begun.

It was already half past eleven when the doorbell rang, to a big surprise for some guests. As neither Freddie, nor Mary, were to be seen to be going to open the door, John has offered himself to do it.

When he opened the big wooden door, in front of him was standing a young woman, a very good-looking woman, dressed in a white fur coat and a white hat. Around her neck she was wearing a bright reddish scarf which was definitely pointing out her elegant look. In her hands, he noticed a few little present bags with lots of different velvet boxes inside, which he immediately offered to help with. But as she lifted her eyes to thank him and to meet his gaze, he stopped abruptly and stared in that astonishing sparkling pair of hazel eyes. His mouth fell open in awe as the mysterious guest slightly shook his shoulder. “Excuse me, sir, are you alright? You look… a bit lost” she spoke and John could swear that the tone of her voice was sending shivers down his spine. It was so soothing, calm and sweet at the same time that his heart began beating faster. He hardly found his words and whispered: “Um… no, thank you… In fact, … I… You… You should come inside, it’s already twenty minutes to midnight and it’s freezing here…” he finally found the force to speak properly as he welcomed the young lady inside. 

As he helped her with her clothes and bags, Mary appeared in the long hallway. “Is everything alright with you two?” she wondered grinning at the couple. “Yes, Mary, thank you! This young man has come to help me, we shall come in about 5 minutes to you, guys! Open the champagne!” reassured her the new guest. Mary lifted her brow at what she was witnessing, but then decided not to disturb the two and quickly made her way in the main room.

When John carefully took the coat off the lady’s shoulders and helped her with unwinding the scarf, she stood in front of him in full height. John’s eyes were glued in the very next moment to her appearance. She seemed to be rather shorter than him, considering that she was wearing heels too. Underneath the coat was hiding a splendid tea-length long-sleeved silky dark-red dress with fine dark embroidery on the hem and on the collar. He took in every inch of her astonishing look, especially of what he later considered to be her most precious jewel- her bright hazel eyes, whose shade differed from caramel to apple-green in the light of the lamp. 

“You look…” he began, unable to find the right words to describe her otherworldly beauty. “How do I look?” she questioned, smiling widely, which made it even more difficult for John to talk. “You… You look breathtaking!” he witnessed, more to himself, not completely trusting his voice and emotions. At his confession, a tint of blush covered her already rosy from cold cheeks. “I must be honored to receive a compliment from a gentleman like you, then” she bowed her head in response. The sound of her softly spoken voice made him smile in return. “The others are waiting for us; I think we shall go…” she whispered nodding towards the door leading to the living room. Without any further explanation, John offered his hand to the young woman. She accepted it gladly, putting her tiny hand in his and together they walked into the crowdy room. This wasn’t left unnoticed by Mary, who was sitting at the big table next to Freddie and Brian.

As the couple appeared in the doorway, someone poured them a glass of champagne for each, as Mary raised hers for a toast:” My dear friends! Here we are, 15 minutes before celebrating the New Year of 1972! This year has been a tough one, not gonna lie. It had a lot of difficult situations which we are bravely over now. Still, 1971 has brought some delights in our lives, which I will be eternally grateful for. This year has seen the beginning “, she then looked at Freddie and the rest of the band, “of a new musical group, “Queen”! These four guys, who were not afraid to start a band, made their first steps into the big music industry and I hope that, in a year or two, we shall all be hearing their brand-new album storming the charts! Cheers to that!” she cried happily as everybody stood up and clinked their glasses. “Let me have my little word here too, my dear!” exclaimed Freddie, hugging Mary from behind. “I just want to wish you, to all of you, that the new 1972 brings you what you desire the most in your lives, be it love, new friends, money or whatsoever! In other words, peace and love to all of you! Cheers!” he joked and raised his glass, much to the joyful laughs of their guests.

All this time, John couldn’t take his eyes of the mysterious lady who was, much to his pleasure, sitting on his right hand. As Freddie finished saying his toast, John raised his glass to her and whispered so quietly so that only she could hear him:” Happy New Year?”. “Happy New Year!” she responded, leaving a peck on his cheek. John felt vulnerable under her tender gaze. He must know what her name was. It was a matter of life and death. Maybe he wanted to ask her that question, but was interrupted by the joyful cries of the guests who were glued to the clock on the wall- 1 minute and 30 seconds until the new year of 1972. “Open the balcony! NOW!” shouted Roger, desperate to watch the fireworks invading the city’s night sky. Even at 22, he still remained that little child who loved the New Year’s Eve. Who didn’t, though?

The whole party started to crowd the small balcony of Fred’s apartment, waiting impatiently for the show to begin. “Follow me”, the lady leaned and whispered in John’s ear, “I know a better place to watch them.” Making their way through the crowd, the couple got dressed really fast and stormed out of the apartment, giggling. “We must use the fire escape, but quickly!” she added and started to climb it, careful not to slip on the icy stairs. John followed her immediately, paying attention to her movements.

As they got on top of the roof, the fireworks were already blasting in full force, coloring the sky in the colors of the rainbow. London town was glowing. It was a breathtaking view, perfect to spend the New Year’s Eve with someone special. “I’m Veronica Tetzlaff, by the way. But you can call me Ronnie…” she whispered as they were standing close to each other, still holding hands. “Happy New Year, Ronnie” he turned to face her beautiful eyes. “My name’s John Deacon, or Deaky, as the others call me” he smirked. “May I hug you, Ronnie Tetzlaff?”. “Please”, she smiled,” Happy New Year, John Deacon!” her voice now muffled in his shoulder. Behind them, the whole world was celebrating the new upcoming year of 1972. However, a new tiny world has been created, and it was now growing at the speed of light between the two young people.

“Can I ask you one more question, Ronnie?”.

“Yes, John. Ask me anything. I like the way your voice sounds when you talk, really…” she giggled, looking up to meet his gaze and his beautiful smile.

“It might sound too bold from me, and considering that we’ve only knew each other for less than half an hour…” he started, but she cut him off. “Really? I thought I have known you for a whole lifetime…”. At her words, John’s heart skipped a beat. Truth be told, he had heard talking about two people being soulmates. But he never thought he would be able to find his, and that fast, and on such a special night.

“Ronnie, I… May I kiss you?” he breathed out shakily, his face just a few inches away from hers. He could see the fireworks’ reflection in her eyes, which made them even more spectacular to look at. She didn’t say anything, just slowly nodded and smiled gently at him. The next moment he carefully took her face in his hands and kissed her passionately. Her lips were as soft as a rose petal and felt perfectly matched for his. He moved his hands to her middle and hugged her tightly while she embraced his shoulders. If there was Heaven on Earth, that particular moment could represent it in the best way possible. However, not shortly after, he noticed that she was sobbing quietly in his arms. “I’m so sorry, Ronnie, I shouldn’t have gone that far- “he quickly started to apologize to her, but she gently stopped him. “Silly, I’m crying because I’m the happiest person in the world! Everything is perfect. You’re perfect” she kissed him back as a confirmation of her words. Freddie was right, the new 1972 has definitely brought something that they both desired in their lives- a true and profound love, which would last over the years, in happiness and grief…

When they returned back in the apartment, it seemed that, curiously, nobody has even noticed their absence. However, as soon as they stepped into the warm hall, they were greeted with a flash of a camera. “Roger! Maybe should’ve waited for us to look more presentable!” John half-shouted, half-laughed. “It’s all about the magic of the moment, so shut up! Plus, you look very presentable nonetheless. I’m talking about you, beautiful young lady. What about you, my fine friend…” teased Roger before receiving a punch in the shoulder from John. “Okay, problems aside, let’s celebrate! It’s the New Year!” giggled Veronica, taking both boys’ hands and running in the living room where the others were cheering and celebrating loudly. Happy New Year 1972…

Everything was just fine, exactly how it should be…

“Do you think it will work out for them?” Mary wondered as Freddie helped her washing the dishes. The apartment was now empty and only the confetti hanging from the chandeliers were bringing back the memories of an unforgettable night. “God knows… But I’m sure they found each other interesting, even at first sight. Do you agree, my dear?”. Mary just smiled to herself. “I hope so…” she added nonchalantly…

The first morning of the new year is always a special morning. The kids always hurry to get their presents under the decorated tree, whereas their parents and grandparents exchange secret knowing smiles and enjoy the happiness and the delight of the little ones.

The old couple sleeping on the sofa woke up before anyone else in the house. “Seems that we fell asleep here” the old woman yawned. “Good morning, beautiful” the old man turned to face her. Her hazel eyes were exactly the same as in that very morning, 50 years ago. Nothing had changed in their beauty. “Young man, you’re staring. How bold of you!” the woman added laughing. The man caressed her cheek, still admiring her eyes that caught his attention a long time ago and hadn’t let him go ever since. “You’re still as breathtaking as on that New Year’s Eve, my love. Happy New Year, Ronnie” he whispered, kissing her forehead. “Happy New Year, John!” she sighed, a feeling of perfect harmony growing in her chest. A couple of cheerful cries were approaching the living room. “Be prepared for the attack!” she laughed before sitting up and greeting her ten grand-children with a warm embrace. “Happy New Year, grandma and grandpa!” they cried in unison. “Happy New Year, our darlings, our sweet-hearts! Now go and open your presents. They’ve been waiting for you all the morning!” she advised them as she and John watched them go and rip off the packages impatiently and with stars in their eyes.

“Grandpa?” asked the youngest one, Mary, “shall we put another photo in your album? I’ll bring the camera, if you want to”. “Hurry up, then, my dear, and please wake up your parents and the rest” John told her warmly as the girl ran upstairs in her room. Soon, she returned with the whole bunch of parents and a camera in her hands. “Now”, she began enthusiastically, “everybody, gather round the tree and I’ll take a family photo. I said NOW, Richard!” she yelled at her older brother who seemed not to like the idea, but obeyed anyway. The whole family, still sleepy from the last night’s celebrations, came together smiling round the decorated tree, with the old couple being in the center of the group. “And now”, the girl warned as she fixed the camera on the tripod and quickly ran and stood at the side of the group so she would appear in the picture as well, “say CHEESE!” and pushed the camera button. The Polaroid came out instantly and showed a happy family on a New Year’s magical morning. A great picture for a photo-album. “It’s all about the magic of the moment” remembered Ronnie and saw John tearing up a little. “Yeah, it’s all about the magic of the moment…”

[thoughtfullyyoungduck]

Meeting the parents

Summary: Eddie goes to dinner with Richie’s parents for the first time since they got married 

A/N: My entire country is in lockdown, I’m freaking out and I’m bored so if anyone has any requests, please send them to me! Let me know what you  think 

Eddie has probably never been this nervous in his life before. His palms are sweating, which he finds absolute disgusting, and he keeps shifting from one leg to the other. The old familiar door is still firmly closed, yet Eddie can’t seem to stop the hysteria from bubbling up his throat.

A hand grips his underarm loosely, the rough palms of the hand irritate Eddie’s skin, yet he leans further into it. Richie is looking down on him with a knowing, teasing smile. When Eddie agreed to dinner with Richie’s parents, he hadn’t expected to feel so nauseous with anxiousness.

It’s stupid he knows, he met Maggie and Wentworth when he was barely two years old. They watched him grow up, they know exactly the type of person he was and the person he had become right before he left Derry.

He used to spend all his free time with Richie in that house. Every birthday he begged for his mom to let him go over to their house, and though Sonia refused and guilt tripped him into spending his day with her, the Toziers always tried their best to make his birthday as enjoyable as possible.

He remembers the last birthday before his mommy and him left for New York, which happened to be his fifteenth. On the day itself Sonia had confided him to their house, claiming that he was sick and he needed to either celebrate at home with her, or not at all.

Looking back on it, it was clear that she just wanted to ruin the losers surprise, as they had a party planned at the quarry. It didn’t matter anyway, Richie resigned himself to climbing through the window at night with soda and chips, and they had a small celebration together.

Two days later, Maggie invited him to their home, also for dinner. Eddie didn’t know what to expect, finding it a weird request, until Richie had excitedly pushed him into the living room, where Maggie and Wentworth had a whole buffet of pizza’s and gifts spread out, singing happy birthday to him as if they were little kids themselves.

Eddie had shyly begun to eat, feeling guilty that they had spend so much money on him, but Maggie had given him a big hug, so tight it felt as if she was breaking his ribs, laughing that it was his birthday, and he deserved to have fun and get everything he wanted for a day.

When she let him go, Eddie, embarrassingly so, started weeping. With Maggie, it felt like he had an actual mom. She was an example of what a real mother should be like, just wanting her child to be safe, but also wanting to encourage them to go out in the world. With the Tozier’s, Eddie felt loved.

Wentworth was the one who taught him how to ride his bike. Eddie’s mom didn’t want him to hurt himself so she refused to even buy him a bike, but then Eddie had gotten so mad that Richie would taunt him with his bike riding skills, that Wentworth had gone ahead and bought him a bike too, practicing with him for weeks until Eddie felt ready to ride by himself. He must have tested Wentworths patients an insane amount, considering Richie didn’t even need a week to try it all by himself, but Wentworth never made Eddie feel bad about it, he always allowed him to take things at his own pace without calling him out for it.

When Sonia found out that Eddie could ride his bike without four wheels, she had gotten absolutely furious, storming over to Richie’s house and berating both Maggie, Wentworth and Richie for endangering such a delicate boy.

It was the first time Eddie had ever seen Maggie angry. She hid it well, she was way to respectable to start screaming or attacking anyone, but Eddie could read her eyes, so much alike Richie’s, spit fire as Sonia kept railing to them. The vein in her neck was throbbing wildly.

When Eddie had finally been able to go out again after being on house arrest for two weeks, for learning how to be a big boy for crying out loud, Maggie had pulled him into the kitchen, promising Eddie that he wasn’t as delicate as his mother pretended he was.

He had been terrified that he wouldn’t be welcome in the Tozier home after the performance his mother had given, but luckily neither Maggie nor Wentworth ever mentioned it again, going on with business as usual. Everyone forget about the incident expect Richie, who took amply opportunities to tease Eddie for the way his mother had behaved. All in good fun of course, Richie could never hurt Eddie intentionally, he just found it funny.

So yeah, Eddie was pretty sure that the Toziers liked him when he was growing up, but things were different now. He wasn’t a helpless kid who needed protection from his mom anymore, and he changed, a lot, even though Richie always insisted that most of him stayed the same.

Not to mention, this was the first time Eddie would go over to their house as their son - in – law. Richie and him had gotten married the day Eddie’s divorce finalized, without any preparation whatsoever. It had been a spur of the moment decision, but one Eddie had yet to feel any regret over.

Except maybe for the fact that Richie was wearing one of his Hawaiian shirts, but if Eddie was being truly honest, it was so Richie he couldn’t help but feel endeared when he looked at the picture taken with utter precision.

Beverly was taking pictures that day, while Mike looked over her shoulder every move, trying to give advice on which angles she should shoot, only to annoy Bev to the point her hand started shaking and the photo’s appeared shaky. Eddie liked those the best. Everytime Eddie recalled the wedding day, a huge smile he couldn’t hide, or even bother to hide, took over his face.

Eddie’s first wedding with Myra had taken months to prepare, and even then most everything went wrong. The bands lead singer they had hired was sick, several of their guests cancelled, and the food was either too cold or burned. The entire day Eddie was sick with indecision, not even sure he was going to say yes until right before the vows.

His second wedding, the one where he actually wanted to get married, he had no anxiety or apprehension whatsoever. The only thing strumming through Eddie’s veins was eagerness to commit to the man who helped him be brave, to the man who he loved even when he hadn’t remembered him.

Because it had been such a spur decision, the only people that had been there for the actual wedding and the reception afterwards, were the losers. Richie hadn’t even thought of inviting his parents, simply for they lived too far away to make it in time. Besides, Richie had argued later, he wasn’t thinking of anything except Eddie anyway.

Maggie and Wentworth didn’t even know the two of them were engaged, although to be fair, they hadn’t been. Eddie wonders if they feel upset that they didn’t get to watch their only child marry someone, but Richie assured him that when he did get in contact with them and told them, they had been nothing short of thrilled. Still, Eddie wasn’t sure that that wasn’t a façade they put up to spare Richie’s feelings.

Though Eddie is highly strung with nerves; snapping at every little annoying thing Richie did, which he no doubt would feel terribly ashamed off after thing inevitably turn out alright, the lime green color of the front door also gives him a feeling of internal peace, because more than his own house, this house felt like coming home.

It’s a warm day, humid in a way that causes Richie’s hair to curl up even more, the efforts of Eddie to rearrange it neatly clearly being futile. Eddie tries again, regardless, but just as he predicted the hair flops back up as soon as he takes his hand away.

Richie laughs, and it fills Eddie’s body with something he can’t describe, maybe doesn’t want to think about too much, but it feels good, it feels enchanting, as if he just can’t get enough of things that remind him of Richie.

The weather does nothing to prevent Eddie from shivering, but that could be attributed to fact that he was back in Derry. He overheard Richie on the phone, trying to convince his parents to come to LA instead of the other way around, but Maggie had stayed firm, claiming that she wanted to cook their favorite dishes, just like she did when they were kids.

Eddie figured that Maggie sometimes got lonely, so she was trying to relive a better time, to which Eddie could relate. Sure, he had to live with his mother when he was a kid, but there had been good times too, and he missed the days when all he had to worry about was how he was going to trick his mother into letting him with his friends.

‘You look like a hobo’, Eddie teases, trying a last time to flatten his hair, before admitting defeat with a huff.

‘Yeah? Well you married a hobo then’, Richie replies easily, their teasing bringing a certain spark into his eyes. Eddie can’t get enough of it.

He rolls his eyes, crossing his arms as he does so, and watches as Richie rings the bell twice. He always rings it twice apparently, it’s a code, so that his parents know that it’s him. That way, if somebody annoying was trying to talk to them, Maggie knew not to open it.

Richie turns back to Eddie instantly, opening his mouth to say something, probably more words of encouragement, and Eddie opens his mount as well, ready to retaliate what he knows are just empty promises, but before he can, the door swings open.

It’s Maggie that opened the door, she’s clutching a wooden spoon in her hand, and a pot in the other. She looks ecstatic. ��Went’, she calls out before carelessly shoving the pan onto a wooden table near the door, storming up towards Richie.

She looks older than when Eddie last saw her, which is obviously a given, but her energy that she radiates has remained the same, Eddie remarks. She has grey hair now, which is sticking in a bun with peaks of hair hanging loosely to the side, and she is smiling vibrantly.

‘Richie, oh my god look at you. You look so much taller.’ Richie scoffs jokingly, pulling back but not getting very far, because Maggie makes sure to clutch him tight regardless.

‘I do not, besides you saw me like a year ago.’

Maggie levels him with a strict look. ‘Indeed I did, which is way too long Richard.’

Eddie can’t help himself, he laughs as softly as he can, placing his hand in front of his mouth trying to muffle it. He remembers a time when every time the name ‘Richard’ was called, Richie knew he was in trouble.

Maggie perks up at the sound of his muffled laughter, wrenching away from Richie to instead pull Eddie into a firm hug.

‘Oh Eddie, you’re still as handsome as you used to be.’

He sees and hears Richie snort at Maggie statement, but he is too consumed with gratitude towards her, he doesn’t bother scolding him.

He missed her, subconsciously even when he left Derry, but he did, so he takes full advantage of the opportunity to hug her back.

When she leans back, she cups his face in her hands. Her hands are soft and are more delicate, especially compared to Richie’s hands. The only people who Eddie never had a problem with touching him are those two. Even when he was married to Myra, he recoiled whenever she tried to be in his proximity, but back then he had just written it off as him not being an affectionate person.

When he got his memory back, he realized that that was not the case. Richie and him touch all the time, to the point were Eddie’s pretty sure the losers are sick and tired of them.

A strong, significant smell carries through the door, and the exact moment Maggie takes notice of it, she frantically turns around and rushes back into the house. ‘My turkey,’ she explains over her shoulder, leaving the door open so Eddie and Richie can join her.

Richie grasps for Eddie’s hand, not caring that it’s sweaty and as Eddie would describe it, disgusting. He never does, never thinks anything about Eddie is disgusting.

‘Told you’, he singsongs as the two pass the threshold and enter the house, where the smell is even more persistent. He’s gloating, because on the way over, all he was talking about to Eddie was how much his parents were going to love him, as they did before, but Eddie didn’t want to believe him.

Eddie rolls his eyes, bumping his shoulder against Richie’s he’s silent warning of stop fucking talking.

They find Richie’s dad in the living room, seated in an old massage chair with his leg propped up on it, and a newspaper in his hands. He’s trying to be casual about it, pretending that even the slightest of his attention is on his paper, but Eddie can tell he’s taking the both of them with a very precise look.

Eddie feels the urge to take his hand out of Richie’s, because it makes him feel a little self-conscious. Years of experience of hiding away his true emotions does that to a person he supposes. If Eddie thinks about it, he’s pretty sure that even if for some reason Richie had confessed to him, and it would have had to be Richie, since there was no way little Eddie would have ever confessed under any circumstances, he still wouldn’t have been comfortable enough to do this with Richie.

It’s maddening, how much power this town and his mother really had on him, and specifically on the way he viewed himself. He hates himself when he thinks about it, but changes were that if Richie would have confided in him about him being gay, Eddie might have tried to stay as far away from him as possible.

Being back in Derry forces those repulsing thoughts and sensations back to the surface, and Eddie doesn’t want to entertain the thought of them. He wants to leave his past behind him, and he wishes it was as simple as carving out the parts he didn’t want to carry with him, but unfortunately it doesn’t work like that. He’s seen it first hand when his mother died and he married someone like her regardless.

Just before he takes his hand out of Richie’s, the grip strengths, and Richie kisses the top of his head rapidly. Eddie splutters, all at once locking up and fearfully glancing at where Wentworth was siting, extremely fearful of his reaction.

He doesn’t have one. Not really anyway. He does put away the paper though, no longer pretending to be interested in it.

‘Hey son.’ Went leans forward in the chair, puffs as if takes all of his energy to even do that, and then straightens up.

‘Went.’ Richie nods in acknowledgment, a smirk playing on his lips. He then turns his body sideways so that he’s angled in Eddie’s direction, yet he keeps his face pointed towards his dad. ‘Dad, this is my husband. His name is Eddie. I know you’ve never met him before, but I would have been a wanker if I didn’t marry this fair madden straight away.’ Richie is using his stupid British accent that he has perfected over the years, he’s gotten amazingly good at it, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t use it at any turn to annoy Eddie.

‘Well, I’m chuffed you found yourself someone to marry with, I was beginning to you’d never find someone.’  

Eddie is stunned into silence as he watches father and son due grin at each other in delight, Went following Richie along with his own version of the British voice. In a way it makes sense that Richie would have gotten the voice from somewhere, yet Eddie never associated it with anyone else, just with Richie.

‘I don’t know how we do it every day.’ It’s Maggie, carrying a tray with an assortment of appetizer, every single one looking healthier than the one before. A small part of him feels smug, knowing that Richie has no choice but to eat some of it, even if he never would eat something as healthy as that on his own, but the biggest part feels guilty, for not helping Maggie cook, and for not coming to visit  them sooner.  

He can think of a dozen things to reply to that, some more appropriate then others. His first instinct is to make a joke and deflect. Despite the fact that he loves Richie more than he has ever loved anyone ever, it still cause him a lot of hardship to confess that whenever he wants too. He can sense the horrendous beast that is jealousy rising up again, threatening to tear him apart with confliction because he refuses to pay it any mind, but it forces his attention merciless.

He tries so hard to normalize his relationship, for just because him and Richie are two men, does not mean they are any less in love in comparison to a man and woman.

Fear still suffocates him from time to time, and in those moments it seems like all of his efforts to overcome it are in vain. He begs to whatever god is listening that Richie has enough with Eddie showing him how much he adores him in the confinements of their home, since Eddie can never seem to get over himself and show affection in public.

He’s scared now too, but then he thinks back to Went’s reaction to Richie’s joke, and how normal his responds had been, and Eddie deflects from making a joke.

‘Because we love them,’ he says instead, hearing the way his own voice shakes with reluctance, but he does mean the words, fully and holy, so he repeats it more firmly.

Maggie nods her head and places her arm with care over Eddie’s shoulder while nodding.

‘That we do. That we do.’

----

All in all, Eddie would say that the night has been a success. His anxiety had been unjustified, what a surprise, and he found himself relaxing more and more as the night prolonged. He allowed the occasional touches of Richie as long as it stayed PG, and even granted him a small peck when Richie said he would only help with the dishes if he did so.

Maggie squalled in delight, thanking Eddie for making her son less of a slob, although the fond look in her eyes gave away that she was never that she never found that too off-putting in the first place.

By the time dessert comes, Eddie has let his guard down without thinking twice about it, but alas, of course something was bound to go wrong. It’s not that bad perse, but the second Maggie mentions Eddie’s mother, the entire table falls into an awkward silence, after Richie hastily shushed his mother.

It’s just an innocent question, about how Sonia was doing, but she has always been a sore subject, so much so that Eddie and Richie barely talk about it themselves. Eddie knows that his mother isn’t a good person, she proved that herself time and time again, but it’s not easy to talk bad about your own mother. She had many flaws, but she also raised Eddie, and shaped him into the person he has become. Richie and him had a massive fight, once over her, where Richie accused Eddie of making excuses for her, and Eddie had gotten so worked up over that statement, that he had rented a hotel room for the night and stayed there.

His mother is a sore subject, and it’s complicated, which sounds like a load of bullshit, but is still the truth. She is dead though, and that for Eddie is reason enough to not dive deeper into that subject, choosing instead to let that be for what it is, focusing himself on the things that he does have control over.

Yet when Maggie asks, it doesn’t make his skin crawl with the need of changing the subject, in fact, he craves to talk about her for a little while, which is something he has never said or thought before. He can’t figure out why he wants to, only that he does.

Richie clears his throat, trying to change the subject, but Went places a hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention. ‘Help me get some more drinks out of the basement?’ It very clearly a statement, but Richie still gazes at Eddie questionly, as if to make sure Eddie would be okay if he left the room. When Eddie gives him an affirmative, Richie follows his father, leaving Eddie and Maggie by themselves in the dining room. He takes the offer that Maggie has provided, and starts talking.

‘She died a few years ago actually.’

Maggie instantly looks horrified, and Eddie sees her trying to scramble for a way to backtrack, to apologize to him even though she did nothing wrong.

He interrupts her before she can try. ‘It’s fine. Really, it’s not. It’s not like you could have known. I don’t talk about her much.’

He can see the sympathy in her eyes, but it’s not condescending in any way or shape. It just is, like the way Richie looked at him when he was recovering in the hospital after being impaled and he would hiss if a movement hurt too much. They want to help, in an actual way, not the way Sonia did.

Maggie reaches across the table to hold Eddie’s hand for a minute. ‘You can talk about her if you want? Did you, Would you have invited her to the wedding if she were here?’

He can sense the under lying question, the one she’s reluctant to ask. Would she have accepted you as gay? The answer is simple, no. She would have hated him, every single pore of him, but she wouldn’t have dropped him. She might have tried to get him to go to a conversion camp, or maybe a psychiatry, or perhaps she would have just twisted the situation to get him to marry a woman, which is what she did with Myra, but the last thing she would have done was accept him.

When he doesn’t answer for a beat, Maggie continues to prod carefully. ‘She was an old school woman Eddie, maybe if she would have been born in a different time it would have been different.’

Except Eddie knows that it wouldn’t have been. He’s mother hurt him on purpose, and made him think he was sick even when he wasn’t, she did her best to scare him so he would listen to her, and that had nothing to do with the time she was born in.

He shrugs at Maggie. ‘It doesn’t matter. You accepted Richie. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and think to myself that I’m an idiot. That I’m sick and I need to get help, because she taught me that.’ Eddie’s eyes begin to sting bitterly, but he refuses to shed another tear for a woman that is no longer alive to even gloat about it. Maggie watching him, sensing that he’s not ready and allowing him to take his time to say what he needs to, like a real mother.

‘But then Richie wakes up, and there’s this moment where the light just falls perfectly and his glasses make a stupid rainbow or something. Or when he annoys me so much by saying something stupid I could kill him, or when I see him caring about others and I get hit with this overwhelming sense of love for him, and then I realize, that it doesn’t matter what she said, because she has no idea what love was truly like.’

‘She thought loving someone entailed keeping that person in your sight 24 hours a day, and locking them up to ‘protect them’. Or convincing someone that they can’t do something because they’re too weak, even when you know for a fact that they’re not but you’re just scared.’

Eddie shakes his head to clear his thoughts, looking up at Maggie while throwing her an embarrassed smile. ‘I never really had a mom that loved me, but now I have Richie and I’m so happy I do. He makes my life better by being in it, and I’m so thankful for that. And it isn’t always that easy, some days I can’t stop thinking about all the things my mother said, but Richie accept those days, and loves me all the same.’

Maggie looks close to tears, still holding one of Eddie’s hands in her own, with a sturdy grip. ‘Well’, she sniffles, ‘You do have a mom that loves you now.’

It’s only nine words, but they cause Eddie to burst out into tears anyway, feeling like a complete and utter idiot. He’s happy though, and the fact that he was doubting coming here seems so absurd now.

‘Thank you’, he whispers, as if the words are supposed to be a secret, but he doesn’t want to break the atmosphere of love and acceptance they have. Then Richie walks back in with Went, and it burst like a bell bubble Richie always wants to pop as if he’s two years old.

‘Oh does Eddie Spaghetti need a tissue?’

‘Seriously shut the fuck up Richie.’

[hachichimitsu2]

A Comprehensive List of Stan and Kyle Moments (I UPD8 AS I GO)

A Comprehensive List of Stan and Kyle Moments (I UPD8 AS I GO)

Hello. Yes, you heard me. Here are all the scenes that legit scream out “STYLE” in South Park, whether these scenes are too far of a reach or not. I mostly compiled this out of my very own convenience, and hopefully this’ll help you a whole lot too. This is extremely text heavy, so I’ll put this under “Read More”. I haven’t played any of the games, so I won’t be including it here at this time, so if you guys know any good moments from the games, please let me know and I’ll add it to the list.

Cherokee Hair Tampons:

- The entire goshdarn episode.

- Stan being concerned and distraught over a dying Kyle breaks my heart. He was even bawling next to Kenny.

- Stan willing to donate his kidney to Kyle, even if it’d hurt a lot.

- Stan knowing that Kyle ate a bean and bacon soup half an hour ago shows that he’s been by Kyle’s side for quite some time now.

- Stan holding onto Kyle while they were at Cartman’s house.

- “Dude, you’re my best friend. I don’t want you to die before I do...”

Super Best Friends:

- Yeah, um, this episode...is gay.

- Stan and Kyle entering the episode with ice cream cones while Butters and Cartman wondering where they got them from. It’s assumed Stan and Kyle were hanging out with each other off-screen.

- I think Kyle being convinced that he’s not “really happy” through brainwashing is parallel to Stan being convinced that he’s “depressed” by the Church of Scientology.

- Stan trying to help Kyle escape with him, not even mentioning this plan to Kenny, Cartman or even Butters.

- Stan and Kyle looking at each other with longing looks while dramatic music plays in the background. Ah yes. I am...not even joking...this legit happened.

- How to Find Your Boyfriend 101: “OH MY GOD! THEY KILLED KENNY!!” “Y-you bastards...”

- Stan pleading Kyle not to kill himself and to hold his breath while being there for him.

- The ending where they call each other Super Best Friends and both proceed to beat up Cartman when he teased that they should make out.

Cartmanland:

- Stan comforting a distraught Kyle.

- @belovedhomosexuals mentioned that canonically, Stan helps Kyle with his hemorrhoid cream, and IM-

- Stan doing everything he can to get back at Cartman for Kyle’s sake.

- Stan demanding the doctor to wheel Kyle out to see Cartman in misery.

Asspen:

- “YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HEATHER!!” >:(

- Kyle not wanting Stan to do the K-13. He doesn’t want him to die.

- Kyle holds a polaroid photo of the both of them. How cute. Does he bring it with him wherever he goes?

The Biggest Douche In The Universe:

- Stan not wanting to go back to Colorado without Kyle and does all he can to convince him that John Edward is a fraud.

Follow That Egg:

- They are dads.

- They take care of their egg really well.

- “As a matter of fact, it is the nicest hat I’ve ever known”

- They’re the reasons gays could get married.

- Stan getting jealous of Kyle being paired up with Wendy. It does seem like a reach I have to admit, but if you’re a Stylendy fan, then this one’s for you.

Return of Chef

- The iconic beginning “flashback” where they both look at the sunset together.

Smug Alert:

- Stan and Kyle meeting in the parking lot in the beginning when Kyle was helping his dad give fake tickets.

- Kyle being moved away from South Park has Stan write a song to get Kyle and his family to come back.

- The cute hug in the end.

Fantastic Easter Special

- Stan, out of breath, asks Kyle for help in protecting Snowball

- Kyle helping him out anyways even though he was busy with fingerprinting.

- Cinematic parallels of Kyle killing Jesus and Stan killing that alien in Pinewood Derby.

Imaginationland Trilogy

- Kyle calling Stan in the morning regarding the “dream.”

- Stan and Kyle, unsure of the notes, both trying to recall the Imagination song. It was cute.

- Stan being distraught when ManBearPig got a hold on Kyle. (I swear, I’ve used the word “distraught” for over 1948388 times now)

- Kyle communicating through Stan telepathically with his Imagination.

Guiltar Queer O

- The whole episode.

- “I know...I need you.”

- The whole episode was literally as if they went through a break up.

- They’re both in sync when playing, right up to their tongues up.

- “Oh, so the gallant knight now comes to rescue me from the bowels of mediocrity! Oh, thank you, your royal lordship!” (Foreshadowing for SOT?)

- Stan thinking of Kyle as he’s “driving”.

The List:

- Stan doing all he can to prove that Kyle is a handsome mf. Another episode that screams Stylendy rights.

You Got F’d in the A:

- Kyle being so happy to see Stan dancing back to the Orange County kids.

- It’s canon that Stan can dance well while Kyle doesn’t have rhythm whatsoever. Wouldn’t it be a cute idea for Stan to teach Kyle how to dance?

You Have 0 Friends

- Kyle pleading Stan to water his crops.

- A short detail but if you noticed when Kyle announced that they made an FB account for Stan, he only added himself as Stan’s friend. This means that Kyle legit “friended” himself in Stan’s profile and didn’t bother to add Kenny or Cartman to Stan’s friend list.

- “Yes. WE’RE REALLY GREAT FRIENDS STAN!!” :D

You’re Getting Old:

- Oof. Yeah....

- Stan obviously loves Kyle a whole lot, but him seeing Kyle slowly turn into a turd probably did break his heart little by little. And when I mean by probably, I mean massively.

- Kyle shouldn’t exactly be demonized for not being able to handle Stan’s cynicism. Because I think it’s ok to admit you can’t handle such emotional drainage even if coming from your SBF, but do mind that him leaving Stan was most likely NOT easy for him. It’s kinda sad that they’ve slowly drifted away since then. BUT NO I REFUSE TO LET THAT HAPPEN ;-;

Assburgers:

- “Fuck you Kyle! You’re a piece of shit...Kyle, I love you. You’re a piece if shit though, fuck you...! I love you...”

- Stan immediately going back to Kyle when he’s feeling “better”

- That McDonalds Exec. literally narrating Stan and Kyle’s current rocky relationship and not believing every second of if.

A Nightmare on Facetime:

- “WILL SOMEONE GET ME A CHARGER OVER HERE!!’

- Kyle bringing and guiding Stan through the iPad.

Ginger Cow:

- Jokes aside, when Stan was asking Kyle about Cartman’s farts, he was really sweet and understanding to him. He genuinely wants to understand why Kyle likes Cartman’s farts so much and knew something was up by the way Kyle was hiding things.

- I also like how he was not afraid to call Kyle a dick. I think a good level of transparency is needed in a healthy relationship. That’s just how they roll.

- Stan helping Kyle cover up in the end....though it did backfire.

Black Friday Trilogy:

- “DID KYLE KNOW ABOUT THIS?!” “Kyle thought of it.” ;-;

- Stan being grounded and Kyle apologizing at the other side of the door was peak gay angst level.

- “That’s just how Xbox people are...” D:

- Ok now for something sweet. In the deleted scene, Stan was showing Kyle how the playstation controller works and...wow.......what cute babies.

Prehistoric Ice Man:

- “Oh my god! They killed Kenny!!” *looks at Kyle* “What? I’m not talking to you anymore.”

- Them fighting and arguing was so adorable. Their voices were so squeaky and cute in this episode.

- “First one to die loses.” SOGKEKGKRI WHAT MORONS

- Stan and Kyle kind of awkwardly trying to start the fight reminds me of Tweek vs Craig.

Mexican Joker:

- Stan angrily sending Cartman to the detention center after hearing about him sending Kyle there.

Band in China:

- “kyyyyyyYYYYYLEEEE :D DUDE YOU’RE BACK!!”

- Stan making a death metal band because a.) He hates living in the farm and b.) He misses Kyle so hard.

Britney’s New Look:

- Another Stan and Kyle episode where they both realized how so far in the wrong they’re in, and they desperately want to fix it.

- Stan and Kyle giving up in the end and joining in the chant.

The Death of Eric Cartman:

- Stan offering Kyle money so he could buy milk for lunch.

Two Guys Naked In A Hot Tub:

- “You can't just hang out with your buddy Kyle all the time. People will think you guys are, you know, funny.”

- When Kyle walks over in the end, Stan proceeds to complain to him how he had the worst night and they both go to Kyle’s house to hang.

The China Probrem

- In the beginning, Stan telling Kyle to refute Cartman’s racist sayings and got overly concerned when Kyle said he couldn’t do this anymore.

- Stan going in Kyle’s room to talk about moving on from what they’ve witnessed.

- Stan holding Kyle’s hand to run away in Kyle’s dream. Kyle waking up and crying when Stan wasn’t around to comfort him.

- Stan and Kyle crying in each other’s arms and telling each other “I love you”.

- Small detail but when they were leaving the attorney’s office and the attorney and the kids were crying altogether, Stan put a hand on Kyle to comfort him as they were crying.

The Mystery of the Urinal Deuce:

- Stan appearing in Kyle’s living room suddenly.

- “Well dude, maybe we're just super badass. Have you thought of that?” Yeah I know Stan was trying to cover up what he just did by saying that but still.

Cartman Gets An Anal Probe:

- Stan helping Kyle save Ike.

- “Hahaha you farted.” WHAT GROSS DORKS

- Kyle telling a speech to the aliens and Stan remarking how beautiful it was.

A Very Crappy Christmas:

- Kyle calling Stan in the middle of the night to get the guys, and Stan answering all sleepily is so adorable.

- Stan and Kyle voice acting together.

- Stan and Kyle doing the stopmotion animation together.

- Stan and Kyle laughing when they had Stan voice act Cartman to say the “ham” line.

Fun With Veal:

- Kyle taking care of a sickly Stan despite being a bit of a germaphobe.

The Snuke:

- Stan coming over to a sick Kyle’s house immediately after school has been suspended.

Crack Baby Athletic Association:

- Stan not being afraid to call out on Kyle.

- Kyle snuck into Stan’s room and Stan was listening to him unfazed.

Quintuplets 2000:

- Them trying to do gymnastics.

Pee:

- Kyle getting disgusted after hearing Stan talk about how it’s normal for people to pee in pools and in the shower.

Butterballs:

- Kyle calling Stan out in the bathroom, and they have this long ass stare. Kyle knowing that Stan will be jackin it in San Diego.

Bike Parade:

- Stan making Kyle laugh.

Proper Condom Use

- Stan and Kyle playing with a Jennifer Lopez doll and roleplaying.

- “SCREAM FOR ME BITCH!” “AHHHHHHHHH”

- Stan and Kyle in the same car with their cute big heads protruding.

World War Zimmerman:

- Stan and Kyle playing football.

The Scoots:

- Once again, Stan and Kyle playing football.

City on the Edge of Forever:

- Stan saving Kyle in his dream.

- Stan and Kyle sitting a bit closer to each other than usual in Stan’s dream.

Grounded Vindaloop:

- The tetherball date.

- Stan and Kyle saying “fuck you” to Kenny.

Clubhouses:

- Stan reading Bebe’s note, and Kyle being unfazed about it later in the episode. It was never defined whether he was informed the note came from Bebe.

#REHASH:

- Stan and Kyle being called grandpas by the little kids.

Tegridy Farms:

- When one of Ike’s classmates blew smoke in front of Kyle, Stan got extremely defensive about it.

Raising the Bar:

- Stan informing Kyle that it isn’t cool to continue on with “Fatty Doo Doo”.

- Stan checking up on Kyle as he’s sitting alone and listening to him lament about how the bar has sunk so low because of people.

Go Fund Yourself:

- *looking at Kyle’s ass* Boy this is the life huh.

Truth and Advertising:

- Stan and Kyle fist fighting for real, and Tweek and Craig looking at them concerned since they rarely ever fight like this.

Conjoined Fetus Lady:

- Stan preparing to catch Kyle if ever he fails to catch the dodgeball.

Stanley’s Cup:

- THEIR YOUNGER SELVES PLAYING HOCKEY!

ManBearPig:

- Stan’s head on Kyle’s lap. It’s so beautifully rendered.

Board Girls:

- “Wow, you are really into board games.”

A Scause for Applause:

- Kyle confronts Stan about cutting the bracelet by saying Heidi Turner saw him with super glue.

The Death Camp of Tolerance:

- “KYLE! KYLE! YOU HAVE TO KEEP MAKING YOUR MACARONI PICTURES!!”

South Park Bigger, Longer and Uncut:

- Stan getting jealous that even Kyle is amazed at Gregory.

Cartman Join NAMBLA:

- Stan and Kyle putting their face against the glass.

Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics:

- Stan and Kyle making fun of Shelly behind her back.

Raisins:

- Kyle coming to visit Stan with the gang after the whole breakup.

- Kyle wanting Stan to be happy again by bringing him to Raisins.

- Kyle being annoyed over Stan being distraught over Wendy. Jealous?

Mr. Jefferson:

- When Stan hears a knock on his window, he assumes it’s Kyle.

- Stan and Kyle being good caretakers of Blanket.

- Stan and Kyle sleeping with Blanket.

[mxliv-oftheendless]

Writer’s Month Prompts Day 28

Day 28: Myths

Requested by ME, but I’m tagging @cosmicrealmofkissteria because I’m writing for her Supermodel Starchild AU and she let me yell at her about this idea earlier today lol. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

1984

Maybe it was because of the drinks he’d had at this party, but instead of mingling and chatting people up like he usually did, Paul just wanted to sit in a chair and brood.

He could be having fun at this party. He could be scoping out his choices for a hot guy or girl to chat up and maybe even take home. But he didn’t want to. What was the point? Everyone considered him a selfish, spoiled diva... and he was beginning to believe they were right.

He put up that facade to protect himself, but he couldn’t lie; he was slowly losing the ability to tell if it was still just a facade.

“Mind if I sit here?” Paul looked up to see Vinnie standing in front of him with a slight frown. His makeup still looked immaculate, though; Paul wondered if his looked the same given he probably had a brooding frown on his face. Without waiting for Paul’s answer, Vinnie plopped into the chair beside him.

“Thought you were chatting up that guy at the bar,” Paul said aloud.

“I was. He’s attracted to women.”

“At least he told you outright,”

“He didn’t have to. He practically drooled over the busts of every girl that walked past.”

Paul’s frown was now one of slight disgust. “That’s creepy,”

“I wasn’t even a woman and it was creepy.” Vinnie sighed and downed the last of his drink. “But enough about him. Why’s the social butterfly of Catwalk Studios sitting here not talking to anyone?”

Paul lowered his head to his shoes. Designer shoes, brand new. Honestly they still felt a little uncomfortable. But he figured he’d get used to them—just like how he was getting used to his act. “What’s the point?” he mumbled. “It won’t make me any happier.”

Vinnie eyed him. “How many drinks have you had tonight?”

He gave his friend a withering look. “I’m not wasted, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m just thinking...”

“You think? I thought you wore too much hairspray for that.”

He rolled his eyes at the quip. “Thanks. I was just wondering if I’ll ever be happy.”

Vinnie sighed and leaned back. “I think you’ll be happy someday, Paul,”

“But will I be actually happy?” Paul stressed. “Because I don’t know if I will. Happiness just seems more and more like a myth...”

This time Vinnie was the one to roll his eyes. “Paul, I think you’ve had too much to drink. Have you actually tried mingling yet?”

“I was going to,” Paul protested. “I was just thinking.”

“Well if you keep thinking like that, you’ll stop seeing any potential to be happy. All you’ll see is a vast dark expanse with no true signs of potential happiness anywhere. So stop thinking and go mingle, or do something to distract yourself. Drinking clearly isn’t helping you right now.”

Paul blinked at him for a second. “Wow, Vinnie... That was philosophical.”

Vinnie smirked. “I can be philosophical sometimes,”

“Really? I thought you were just a bitch.” Paul teased.

“No, that’s you,”

The two fellow models shared a laugh, and Paul sat up and brushed back his hair. “You’re right. Maybe I should just stop thinking tonight. I’m gonna go freshen up real quick.”

“And then you’re going to go have fun?”

He sighed. “Yes, Mother, and then I’m going to go have fun.”

Vinnie laughed and toasted him with his empty glass. “Thank you,”

But even though Paul felt a little better as he headed for the bathroom, he still felt mostly lousy. He wanted to be happy, and he tried to be; he had a good job, he was making money, he had friends... but happiness, real, true happiness, still felt more and more like it was just a myth.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Present Day

Bruce smiled at the computer screen; there was Paul, the love of his life, sitting in a chair and laughing and talking as he got his makeup done by Trixie Mattel.

“Wait, so what happened during the photo shoot?”

A smile crossed Paul’s face. “Well, I hadn’t gotten any instructions on what to do or wear for it, and this was Bruce’s actual first day, so I wanted to see if he could handle me... so I decided to do it naked.”

There was a record scratch sound effect as the camera zoomed in on Trixie’s shocked face. “Shut up,”

Paul laughed. “I did! Absolutely stark naked. No clothes whatsoever.”

“And they just let you do it??”

“Well listen, I may have a few wrinkles on my face now—”

“What are you talking about, what wrinkles?”

“Oh, thank you. But back in 1986, I was Catwalk’s best model.”

“So you were in the studio, absolutely naked...”

Paul nodded, smiling. “Yes,”

Trixie gave a burst of a laugh. “Oh, poor Bruce,”

“Well, he married me,” Paul held up his left hand and waved his finger to show off the gold band, grinning happily, “so it all worked out in the end.”

“And what happened with the pictures?”

“I think there are still copies of the Runway issue they’re in floating around—I have one, and Bruce has one—but they’re in that issue, and it was the highest amount of sales they’d had in months.” Trixie burst out laughing, and Paul joined her. “There’s one where it’s my bare ass in full view!”

The camera did a cut to Trixie continuing to do Paul’s makeup. “Well, listen, thank you so much for agreeing to come here and do this with me.”

“Of course,” Paul smiled. “I’m honored you asked.”

“You guys, this man—this man is the sweetest person ever. And it’s crazy because I heard you used to be such a bitch and a diva, but now you’re just the nicest person.”

Paul smiled modestly. “Well, that was not the best time in my life; I wasn’t very happy with myself and how I acted, even though I felt like I had to do it so I wouldn’t get torn up or hurt.”

“Oh, girl, I feel that. Obviously you’re happy now.”

“Oh, of course. Actually what’s funny is, I remember saying... oh, it had to be, what, 1984? I remember saying to my friend, Vinnie, that I was beginning to think real, lasting happiness was just a myth. And I kept thinking that for the longest time. But you know, I turned out to be wrong completely, and I’m really glad I am. It was Bruce who helped prove me wrong.”

Bruce’s heart pounded as he gazed at Paul on screen. Paul had a small, loving smile on his face that seemed to light up all of his features with a warm glow, even with the half-finished makeup job on his face.

“That is so sweet. Literally the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”

Paul laughed. “It’s the truth!”

“You’re getting me distracted with your talk of Bruce. I want to meet this man. I want to see if he’s really a hot Superman type like you say he is.”

“Well, you could say he’s my Superman,” Paul grinned at the camera.

“That—oh my god that is one of the corniest things I’ve ever heard.” Trixie and Paul started laughing.

Bruce heard the door open behind him, and a few seconds later Paul came up behind his chair to drape his arms over his shoulders. “Hey, Photopup,” he said, kissing his cheek.

“Hey,” Bruce smiled. “I’m watching the video you keep insisting I watch.”

“And?”

“I like it.” Bruce turned his head slightly. “I’m a hot Superman type, huh?”

Paul laughed. “Well, it’s true,”

“Did I really do all of that for you? Did you really think you wouldn’t be happy?”

“Well... yeah. I did. I felt like I didn’t deserve it.” Paul laid his cheek against Bruce’s head. “But I’m glad I realized I did.” He kissed Bruce’s cheek again. “I love you, Brucie.”

Bruce leaned his head against Paul’s, smiling. “I love you too,”

[longforyesterday]

Ok. Here we are. Long post(/rant) ahead in response to the photo above. Sorry for my English, but I had to get these things off my chest. Thanks to everyone who will take the time to read this post, and tell me what you think!

1. They had all agreed to shut up about the “divorce” and he announced it to promote his album.

First of all, it was Allen Klein (one of the main villain in this wretched story) that had convinced John - who was very enamoured with him, his persona and his promises - not to tell anyone about it. In late December 1969 John, however, told journalist Ray Connolly, who didn’t say a word. Klein wanted to make as much money as he possibly could from the band, and announcing the break-up would have certainly damaged that prospect.  Paul did it in April 1970. That’s four months of limbo, of nothing. He was in the midlle of an uncertain situation, with a manager who profited off them and their work and that he didn’t want, his bandmates and closest friends against him. Paul loved the Beatles and being a Beatle, he never wanted them to break up but the time had come. George had wanted out for years but never left for good. We all know John had lost interest in the band and had already started working with Yoko. I feel like Ringo didn’t want the band to break-up, but just went along with the other two, hoping that Paul would eventually agree with them. Releasing a solo album (that he put together without any help from the other three) while staying in the Beatles under Klein, with no hope of a follow-up to Abbey Road, in a tense situation, after John’s “divorce” private announcement, alone against the other three would have meant - for Paul - that everything he made from it would have gone to Klein for the most part. Of course he didn’t want that. Let’s not act like this didn’t affect Paul at all.  It must also be mentioned that, while he was working on his solo album, Allen Klein and John had contacted Phil Spector to work on Get Back/Let It Be, which had been shelved.

Back in Beatles headspace, Paul sat in a room at Cavendish Avenue and, with fresh ears, reviewed the results of the second version of the Get Back LP. To his mind, the music was stark, unadorned, frighteningly bare, but ultimately thrilling. Klein, meanwhile, bluntly deemed it ‘a crock of shit’ and conspired with Lennon to bring in Phil Spector, who had just overseen the rousing production of ‘Instant Karma!’, to rework the tapes. Unknown to McCartney, Spector booked studio time in March and began slathering strings and brass, fairytale harp and aaahing choir onto ‘The Long And Winding Road’, making it sound hopelessly corny, like a BBC orchestra backing Engelbert Humperdinck. At this stage, however, Paul remained unaware of this development, his thoughts somewhere else entirely. Secluded in his music room at Cavendish Avenue, McCartney began recording his first solo album.

Tom Doyle, Man On The Run

Then came a letter (maybe it’s just me, but I find it a little passive-aggressive) from the rest of the Beatles.

Ringo Starr stood on the doorstep of McCartney’s house at Cavendish Avenue, unaware that he was about to precipitate the end of The Beatles. His tricky diplomatic mission, which he had chosen to accept in his role as the chirpy drummer, was to convince his increasingly estranged bandmate that there was an unacceptable clash of release dates between the long-delayed Get Back – now renamed Let It Be – and Paul’s freshly minted eponymous solo album, which was due to be issued only a week before. With him, he had a letter, dated 31 March 1970, handwritten by John Lennon and co-signed by George Harrison. It read: ‘Dear Paul, We thought a lot about The Beatles and yours [sic] LPs – and decided it’s stupid for Apple to put out two big albums within 7 days of each other. So we sent a letter to EMI telling them to hold your release date ’til June 4th (there’s a big Apple-Capitol convention in Hawaii then). We thought you’d come round when you realised that The Beatles album was coming out on April 24th. We’re sorry it turned out like this – it’s nothing personal. Love, John and George.’ Paul – his patience already strained, his temper on a hair-trigger – invited his friend inside and very quickly absorbed this information. Then he erupted. ‘I told him to eff off,’ Paul says. ‘Everyone, to my mind, was completely treating me like dirt. It was kind of like, “We’re the big guys, we’re the grownups.” And I said, “No way, man. Get out.”’ Ringo swiftly departed with the sound of Paul’s fury ringing in his ears. McCartney refused to budge and his solo album was released on 17 April 1970, forcing Let It Be back another two weeks to 8 May. It was the moment when Paul McCartney finally gave up on The Beatles, the point where he mentally quit the group.

Tom Doyle, Man On The Run    

Of course the news provoked public outrage, and Paul - trying to set the record straight - later said 

‘It was all a misunderstanding,’ he protested. ‘I never intended the statement to mean “Paul McCartney quits Beatles”. I didn’t leave The Beatles. The Beatles have left The Beatles, but no one wants to be the one to say the party’s over’ 

Tom Doyle, Man On The Run

but John was furious because he had wanted to announce it to the world and Paul had beaten him to it. He didn’t announce it to promote his own solo efforts, he wasn’t the type of person to do such a thing: Paul left that limbo he didn’t want to stay in and did what had to be done, even though it was painful. His first solo album resented from the announcement, and McCartney was destroyed by critics for ages because of it, not because of the songs, and by John, George and Ringo too.

2. “He sued the Beatles”

Yes, he sued them, that’s a fact. He sued them in December 1970, at the end of an year during which he had received worldwide hate and criticism for his actions and for his album. He could have sued the other three immediately after the release of McCartney or Let It Be (and he was booed during screenings of the movie), but procrastinated and thought a lot about it. He also had a nervous breakdown because he felt worthless and useless and because of that difficult situation within the group (which at that point didn’t exist anymore) and with Klein. We could have lost him if it hadn’t been for Linda.  There was no other escape from that situation. He brought his former bandmates to court with a heavy heart. He “killed” the Beatles, but he also saved them from their manager. In the end they all recognised Paul was right about Klein, and he did them a favour by freeing them from that shark and from Apple.

3. “It’s a drag”

Imagine having just learned of your close friend’s sudden, terrible death at the hands of psycopath. Imagine burying yourself in your work, in the studio to deal with your grief, and crying your eyes out all the while (George Martin was there with him, and I trust George Martin). Then you come out of the studio and a journalist shoves a microphone in your face, prying, asking you for a reaction to the sad news you’ve been trying to deal with for hours. He probably was still in denial. Everyone has a different reaction to death and grief.

4. “He lost their songs to his little Jackson mate”

Paul and Michael had worked together on two singles, and MJ had hung out with the McCartneys in their Scottish estate. He had also asked Paul for financial advice, and he suggested investing in song-publishing. The Beatles catalogue was up for sale and Jackson seized the opportunity. Of course Paul didn’t think MJ would go after their songs and was upset about it (eight years of his and his former bandmates’ hard work in another man’s hands? I would be furious) and he and Yoko weren’t able to outbid Michael and to get the songs back, which only happened ten years ago. 

5. The credits for ‘Yesterday’

Every song in the Beatles catalogue that wasn’t a cover, written jointly with Ringo or written by George was credited to Lennon-McCartney, even when they wrote and composed separately (especially after 1967). Paul and John also agreed that the credits could be reversed, if either of them wanted to, on any future releases. When I first got into the Beatles, I thought that that was a good arrangement, but in my book the name of the main composer should go first. For example,in my opinion, A Day In The Life is correctly credited to Lennon-McCartney, but Eleanor Rigby, which was Paul’s creation with some input by John, should be McCartney-Lennon. But this is just my opinion. Now, Yesterday. We all know Yesterday was and is Paul’s baby. John repeatedly said he had nothing to do with it. In Wings Over America (1976), Paul reversed the credits for five Beatles songs, and John didn’t say a word about it. In 1996, before the release of Anthology 2, Paul asked Yoko to reverse them only for Yesterday, and she disagreed. He didn’t ask her to remove John’s name. After Yoko’s refusal, (probably unbeknownst to Paul) Linda, who was at the height of her chemo treatment, phoned her to ask the same thing, only to be answered “That’s never going to happen”. She could have been more empathetic and polite. Maybe she refused beause Yesterday is the most covered song of all time and still makes a lot of money?

6. “Salieri and Mozart”

Some people may argue that I’m bringing Yoko into this for no reason whatsoever, but - actually - there is a reason. The comparison with Salieri and Mozart was made by Yoko herself in a BBC interview in December 1997, when Linda was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. Put yourself in Paul’s shoes.  Your wife is dying and your best friend’s widow rubs salt into the wound and describes you as the Salieri to her late husband’s Mozart. Common knowledge has it that the two composers were enemies, and that Salieri even poisoned Mozart, but in reality the Italian musician was Wolfgang’s mentor and tutor, and we probably wouldn’t have had Mozart without Salieri. If you choose to make that comparison just as Yoko made it, you should keep in mind the historical truth, and that Salieri was essential. The person who made the comment said that Paul is the modern equivalent of Mozart, and for a reason. Mozart had been a musical prodigy since his childhood, and Paul was and is still considered by many an all-round musician and multi-instrumentalist. People who worked with the Beatles like George Martin and Geoff Emerick, their sound engineer, even said that he was the most musically talented of the four. He also composed Yesterday in his sleep, for heaven’s sake! You can have your favourite among the four Beatles, but you can’t deny his talent. (The commentator isn’t doing that, but a lot of people did it in the past and still do to this day.)

7. *I’m not going to repeat those last words*

Read up on his life and work, dear commentator, and then tell me if you still think that. And his solo work shouldn’t be dismissed like that. Maybe I’m Amazed? Another Day? Band on the Run? Live and Let Die? Here Today? I could go on. (The other former Beatles wrote some clunkers too, let’s not forget that). I think that many of the nasty, horrible comments about Paul come from what John said about him immediately after the break-up. John regretted them later, walked back on them, apologised and made peace with Paul (who never badmouthed him in the press), but the media ignored that and continued spreading lies. Paul wasn’t and isn’t perfect, neither of them was. A lot of people (mainly boomers) just like to act like John was Saint John of Peace from Liverpool and never did anything wrong, while the other three were inferior to him and evil people, especially Paul. Nowadays (thankfully) people tend to be objective and to not believe the old whitewashing propaganda that has been perpetuated by the Lennon Estate. But this post is not the place for that.

[purplesurveys]

961

What was the most unsettling film you’ve seen? Unsettling films are my jam, man. To name a few, there’s Eraserhead, Room, Midsommar, Eyes Wide Shut, Misery, and most recently, I’m Thinking of Ending Things. Eraserhead takes the cake though. That movie always makes me queasy...

What unethical experiment would have the biggest positive impact on society as a whole? I’m a firm believer in nothing good ever comes out of unethical practices. I’ll never forget reading about an experiment where a group of newborn babies were given basic needs like food and being bathed, but weren’t shown any affection whatsoever and it was meant to see if humans can survive with just the most basic physiological needs. By the end of the experiment period half of the babies were dead. The results were honestly a lot bleaker than how I’ve put it, but I don’t wanna be a downer lol. Suffice it to say that experiment haunted me for days after reading it.

When was the last time you were snooping, and found something you wish you hadn’t? It was around a week or so ago, I’m pretty sure.

Which celebrity or band has the worst fan base? My sister is into K-pop and I hear insights from her all the time, but her one constant is that BTS breeds the most annoying, toxic fans. I’d have to agree. Ariana Grande’s fandom was also annoying at one point, but I haven’t heard much from them making a mess these days.

What are you interested in that most people aren’t? Autobiographies.

If you were given a PhD degree, but had no more knowledge of the subject of the degree besides what you have now, what degree would you want to be given to you? Why would I deserve a PhD on something I’m clearly not qualified for...I’m not sure I’m following this question right, but I don’t feel like thinking too hard about it.

What smartphone feature would you actually be excited for a company to implement? I’m happy with the features that are widespread now, but I wish companies adhere more to countries other than the common ones like US, UK, Australia, etc. I always see ads about phones being able to tell you how much movie tickets cost or track boarding passes, but those are all irrelevant here. It makes a lot of Apple’s basic apps useless on this side of the world haha.

What’s something people don’t worry about but really should? Long-term effects of poor habits like not getting enough sleep or drinking too many cups of coffee. I know because I’m guilty of this.

What movie quotes do you use on a regular basis? “I won’t think about that now, I’ll think about it tomorrow,” but I usually say it to myself, especially when I feel stressed.

Do you think that children born today will have better or worse lives than their parents? Better, but idk if that’s just me being biased because my generation will be the next parents lol. I just think that a lot of Gen X parents still have a lot of dated prejudices and mindsets that my generation was able to learn better from. For example my mom doesn’t like using people’s preferred names, especially if they’ve transitioned -_____- and I know I’d never want to set such an example for my kids.

What’s the funniest joke you know by heart? I know I’ve come across hilarious ones but I always fail to come up with one when asked on the spot.

When was the last time you felt you had a new lease on life? LOL RIGHT NOW

What’s the funniest actual name you’ve heard of someone having? It’s more stupid than funny and I know I’ve already mentioned this before, but Covid Bryant as a first and second name still takes the cake for me. My sister went to school with a girl whose name is just her surname backwards, and for a time I was really weirded out by it. But in the times I’ve seen her she really owns her name and never looks bothered by it, so I quickly stopped caring.

Which charity or charitable cause is most deserving of money? For me it would have to be organizations for animal welfare.

What TV show character would it be the most fun to change places with for a week? Post-El Camino Jesse Pinkman. I wouldn’t want to live through his chaotic shit  from Breaking Bad, but his fate after El Camino is something I’m super envious of.

What was cool when you were young but isn’t cool now? Flip phones, Blackberry phones, Roshes, Frappuccinos.

If you were moving to another country, but could only pack one carry-on sized bag, what would you pack? Phone, laptop, their chargers, important IDs, some of my favorite tops and jeans, underwear, essential toiletries, wallet, a family photo, a journal and pen, earphones, certain knickknacks to remember Gab and my dogs by. Minus the clothes, all of these are pretty tiny so I think these would all fit in the bag just fine.

What’s the most ironic thing you’ve seen happen? I don’t know. I’m not really a fan of rating the most/worst this and that stuff in my life, either. I feel like I unnecessarily rack my brain too hard for them when I take surveys to have a chill time.

If magic was real, what spell would you try to learn first? Probably something that’d keep my dogs from dying.

If you were a ghost and could possess people, what would you make them do? No thanks. I’d be the chillest ghost tbh, I’d like to just sneak up on people’s business and hang out but never interfere in them.

What goal do you think humanity is not focused enough on achieving? Climate change, global warming, alleviation of poverty. Corporations and the few people who actually have the power and money to change things only ever come up with short-term shit like donations and never look at the big picture. What problem are you currently grappling with? So many personal ones. But just like the recurring theme of my surveys so far, “I don’t want to get into it.”

What character in a movie could have been great, but the actor they cast didn’t fit the role? As much as I love Kristen Stewart, I heard she was cast as Princess Diana for an upcoming film and I’m not really feeling that decision. They could’ve gone with a British actress for starters?????? The movie is still in production but it is pretty annoying to think about lmao.

What game have you spent the most hours playing? Probably GTA: San Andreas as a kid.

What’s the most comfortable bed or chair you’ve ever been in? Luxury hotel beds are always so fluffy and comfortable.

What’s the craziest conversation you’ve overheard? Omg one time at a coffee shop Gabie and I sat beside this older couple that obviously was going through some heavy SHIT. There was a lot of animosity and tension between them and I caught the lady silently break into tears a few times. I never overheard anything but then again they sat in silence for hours until the lady finally walked out on him. Never knew what it was about but I’ve always guessed that the man did something crappy, like cheat, and was discovered. It was a really sad sight and a crazy situation to witness and I think I felt even more sorry because they were obviously in their 50s or 60s. I hope the woman is in a better place now as she looked rough as fuck that evening.

What’s the hardest you’ve ever worked? I wore a lot of hats when I was in my college org, and that was on top of balancing my acads as well.

What movie, picture, or video always makes you laugh no matter how often you watch it? That scene from Friends where Ross plays the keyboard for Chandler, Phoebe, Monica, and Rachel.

What artist or band do you always recommend when someone asks for a music recommendation? It depends on what music they’re into and if I have actually have a recommendation in mind for them. I obviously can’t suggest Paramore to someone who mainly listens to metal.

If you could have an all-expenses paid trip to see any famous world monument, which monument would you choose? I’m down for any monuments that are super ancient like Stonehenge or the Pyramids of Giza.

If animals could talk, which animal would be the most annoying? I’d go with frogs, but only because they get annoyingly loud in the evening.

What’s the most addicted to a game you’ve ever been? Playing The Sims, Mario Kart, Rock Band, or games in the Burnout franchise.

What’s the coldest you’ve ever been? Japan was so fucking cold when I was there. Didn’t do my research and ended up being dressed poorly, and I was so cold I could barely talk to my parents or fully enjoy my time. Sagada was also nearly unbearable in the early morning.

Which protagonist from a book or movie would make the worst roommate? Not from a book or movie, but BoJack Horseman. Diane can also be in the running as I always found her too whiny. I get that she had her personal shit to deal with, but I don’t think living with her would be good for my own sanity and mental health.

Do you eat food that’s past its expiration date if it still smells and looks fine? It annoys my chef dad to death that I don’t lol. No matter how great it looks, I’d bounce. I once ate expired Kit Kats that tasted like cardboard and that scared me off of expired food forever.

What’s the most ridiculous thing you have bought? I once bought a stupid novelty soap that to this day I’ve never even opened. It’s in one of my drawers, and I plan to just throw it out at some point.

What’s the funniest comedy skit you’ve seen? Not a fan of these but one that got to me is Dear Sister from SNL.

What’s the most depressing meal you’ve eaten? A few years ago there was a local breakfast place that offered red velvet pancakes for a limited time and I was all over that crap, so I went and ordered. The actual pancakes ended up not being any bigger than my palm, and I remember not being able to hide my disappointment once the server placed the dish on my table haha. I felt so scammed. I had to order something else to feel full, because those pancakes were stupidly small.

What tips or tricks have you picked up from your job/jobs? One of my superiors, when she was presenting a pitch to our director yesterday, kept asking questions and picking at the director’s brain so that she can get suggestions and answers straight from the director herself and so that she didn’t have to do any brainstorming anymore. I thought that was a pretty nifty and clever hack.

What outdoor activity haven’t you tried, but would like to? Hiking a mountain!

What songs hit you with a wave of nostalgia every time you hear them? Umbrella by Rihanna feat. Jay-Z.

What’s the worst backhanded compliment you could give someone? Idk, anything can be the worst depending on the context. I’m not a fan of giving those, though.

What’s the most interesting documentary you’ve ever watched? Unsolved Mysteries’ Dupont de Ligonnès episode was a lot of fun to watch.

What was the last song you sang along to? I think it was Thinking of You by Katy Perry? but I’m not entirely sure. I haven’t sung along to anything in a while.

What app can you not believe someone hasn’t made yet? I don’t really download and use a lot of apps other than the basic ones, so I don’t care too much.

When was the last time you face palmed? Last night.

If you were given five million dollars to open a small museum, what kind of museum would you create? I’d give it away to the Martial Law museum currently being made near my university so that it can do more to show the atrocities of the Marcoses. And so that I can piss off my pro-Marcos relatives.

Which of your vices or bad habits would be the hardest to give up? Uh hating myself, if that counts.

What really needs to be modernized? Public transportation systems in this country.

[bl4cklabyrinth]

Live Report: MY FIRST STORY TOUR 2019 Semi-Final at Kobe World Memorial Hall

Disclaimer: Take note that all of these reports were translated by ear, so there is no assurance of accuracy. Because of this, please do not retranslate my work. I am no Japanese or English native.

I am only reposting the relevant MCs from my Twitter thread for archive purposes. Please check my tweets to read more about my thoughts on the show.

Photo by Takashi Konuma | Taken from MFS’ official Twitter

Setlist

SE

不可逆リプレイス

Black Rail

ブラック・スワン

花-0714-(Re:arrange)

monologue

虚言NEUROSE

KING & ASHLEY

mine

君のいない夜を越えて

終焉レクイエム (Acoustic ver.)

Love Letter (Acoustic ver.)

LET IT DIE (Acoustic ver.)

Band session

無告

Missing You

Weight of my pride (Pay money To my Pain cover)

MONSTER

絶体絶命

ACCIDENT

モノクロエフェクター

REVIVER

With You

Encore

THE OVER (UVERworld cover)

LET IT DIE

ALONE

Story about Weight Loss

Hiro: Anyway, this has no relation (to the acoustic session) whatsoever, but didn’t I get super thin?

Kid’z: You did! Tell us more! You really did lose weight! Nob too!

Hiro: We declared during Hall Tour that we’d lose weight within one month, but we couldn’t do it. We made a promise though, didn’t we? I did my very best, you know?? I seriously gave it all I got!!

Kid’z: I’ve been avoiding carbs for a long time, and even tried diligently apportioning my meals and stuff like that. But before I knew it, I was already eating curry!

Crowd: *laughs*

Fan: How much weight did you lose?

Hiro: I dropped 6 kg.

Crowd: Ohhh! *claps*

Kid’z: That’s a lot!

Hiro: Amazing, right? On the contrary, I’ve always been fat.

Kid’z: No, seriously.

Hiro: I lost weight so that I can get fat again. I want to get fat so I lose weight. When I’ve lost weight, I’ll gain weight again. It’s a never ending cycle.

Kid’z: Don’t leave it as it is!

Hiro: I get told that all the time. I mean, I’m gonna gain weight before METROCK again anyway.

Kid’z: Isn’t METROCK great though?

Hiro: Can I say this? Why do they hold festivals at such a season?

Kid’z: Because (the weather) is cool? I once thought Doraemon was the one singing.

Hiro: Who you calling 123 cm tall?

Kid’z: Nobita-kun.

Hiro: I’m not the blue geezer.

Kid’z: He isn’t a geezer!

Hiro: He’s a geezer, isn’t he?

Crowd: *laughs*

Hiro: Generally, we release a CD around spring or summer. Then we start tour around autumn, right? From the beginning of fall, Hiroki starts losing weight. Little by little. Then, year end starts rolling in. By the end of the year, tour ends, it becomes production season, and eating Hiroki comes out. Hiroki enters hibernation, just like any other large mammal.

Kid’z: You need to stock up, right?

Hiro: Yep, so I can get through winter. Then it becomes spring again. METROCK is waiting for me, but I don’t want stocked-weight-from-hibernation-at-its-max Hiroki to be exposed there! Why do I keep getting told I got fatter or thinner every time?! Leave me alone!!!

Kid’z: But you did your best, right?

Hiro: ...Yep.

Kid’z: Good job.

Crowd: *claps*

Kid’z: How about Nob? How are you doing?

Nob: I lost 5 kg.

Hiro: You lost weight only because you were sick, right?

Kid’z: Because his tonsils were taken out.

Nob: I haven’t gotten my sense of taste back up until now.

Hiro: Don’t let yourself lose one of your most important senses!

Nob: Some time ago I had pickles and it was the best.

Hiro: What an old man.

Story about Poor Kid’z (figuratively and literally)

Kid’z: This story has no relation to anything we’ve talked about so far, but you (Hiro) started an IG account, right? During Hall Tour. Since then, you did a lot of things to me, like that game with the paper cups and the 10,000 yen you put inside one of them, which I played along with having good intentions in mind. I chose the right cup and you gave me the bill, but you revealed that there was 100,000 yen in the other cups.

Hiro: Yep.

Kid’z: ...I tried that with a friend. I was caught. 100,000 yen.

Hiro: Eh?? They made a winning move, huh.

Kid’z: I was like, “Oh no, what should I do?? Should I take it back?” I wanted to be able to fool someone, to get a taste of how it feels! So I started turning the cups around thinking I could do it like you did. When it was time for them to pick, my friend chose a different cup, and in my head I was all, “No no no, not that!!!” and eventually they got it...

Hiro: That person probably saw my IG post and thought you were an idiot.

Thoughts on Marriage

After Love Letter, Hiro and Kid'z talked about being excited yet nervous to play the next song, since it's been a while since they last played it.

Kid’z: Speaking of which, the person beside me seems to be nervous!!

Nob: *rubbing his palms on his pants*

Kid’z: Can I do a hand check? *touches Nob's palm* It's all sticky!

Hiro: Eh? You're scared of making a miss again? Like in Yokoari? Higedan. Ah! Speaking of which, Satoshi-kun got married! Congratulations!

H&K: *congratulate Nob*

Hiro: Eh? Official?

Kid’z: This is Unofficial.

Hiro: Ah, sorry. Unofficial. He got married, huh... There's been a crazy marriage rush recently... 

Kid’z: Yeah, it's been all over LINE NEWS lately.

Hiro: Right. back number, Higedan, Maple Chogokin.

Kid’z: You're mean for putting Maple Chogokin as last!

Hiro: No no no. *laughs* The marriage rush is insane, right... Right... Insane right... 

Fan: Do you want to get married?

Hiro: ...I don't wanna get married. 

Crowd: Eh???

Hiro: Do you? Someday, I assume. As for me, I don't wanna get married at all. 

Kid’z: *in a teasing tone* Is it because you don't have a partner?

Hiro: *taunting tone* Ha? Ha? Ha? What the hell are you saying, you.

Kid’z: Ah, sorry we had a little quarrel.

Hiro: Let's get a divorce first!

Kid’z: What the hell is this breakup!

Poor Nob

Photo by Takashi Konuma | Taken from Hiro’s IG post

Hiro: Anyway, are we good? You (Nob) still seem nervous. How are his fingers?

Kid’z: They're tender. 

Hiro: If I had to play it in a room like this, I'd be pissed.

Nob: *strums a tune*

Kid’z: It's that song!! It's definitely that song, right? Can you do it, Nob bear? Are you alright? You practiced last night without sleeping.

Kid’z: Give him your support.

Crowd: Cute!! You can do it!!!

Kid’z: The pressure on you is rising, huh.

Hiro: *in an old man voice* You can do it! You can do it! You can do it!

Kid’z: Eh? What was that voice? Father?

Hiro: *taunting tone* Ha? What the hell are you saying. Who you calling father, come home and I'll kill you.

Kid’z: Ah, sorry. Father, I apologize.

Hiro: to Nob You okay? Dududadududa~ (T/N: the intro of LET IT DIE) The last song for the acoustic session. Please listen, LET IT DIE.

Then, Hiro crouched down from his seat and kneeled, looked at Nob closely, and so did Kid’z. Nob stared back, aced the dududadududa intro and everybody clapped for him! However, Nob made a mistake towards the very end, playing the last string of notes twice. When they were walking back to the main stage, Hiro put his arm around Nob and teased in a mocking tone, "Hey, in LET IT DIE, in LET IT DIE, hey, during the acoustic set, hey, I was satisfied with the beginning, but in the middle of the song, hey, you made a mistake, right? Even if you were doing so well." When they got back to the main stage, Nob bowed down in apology.

Weight of my pride MC

Hiro: Your voice has been heard! There were a lot of requests for PTP, and in my heart, PTP is my eternal hero. It shouldn't be just us; so that he can also hear your voices, shout as loud as you can Kobe!!! Next song is called Weight of my pride!

Check out their version of the performance at Saitama Super Arena here:

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モノクロエフェクター MC

Hiro: How are we doing Kobe? I thought everyone in Kobe could handle it, you know? Aren't y'all drinking too much milk tea? Your nipples are gonna become tapioca if you drink too much milk tea, you know? Well, if you're sure you're not drinking too much then you should be able to handle it, so let's all dance together!!

Reviver MC

Hiro: Thank you so much for today! It's been a great day, I'm really grateful. I've always been alone. I've lost so many people I didn't want to lose, and I've let go of things I didn't want to part with many times. I might not be able to change the world with music, but because of music, I met the members, I met all of you, and it made me think that my life was pretty impressive. I want to believe it was my destiny to meet all of you here tonight, so let's keep walking together Kobe!!!

With You MC

Hiro: Thank you so much for today, Kobe!!! After this, the tour will be ending soon. Thinking about it makes me sad, but knowing that you will all be supporting us next year, and the year after that, and the year after that, and even after 10 years makes me feel very grateful. But there's one thing I want to say before today ends: Kobe, I love you!!!

THE OVER MC

Hiro: How was it? MFS' UVERworld. Did I become Hiroki∞? This song was really difficult. The way the lyrics jump, especially during the part before the last chorus.

Kid’z: I didn't learn that note.

Hiro: *emphasizes the difficult enunciation of a line from the song* Unbelievable, I had a hard time remembering it.

Kid’z: The instruments were tough, too. Even Nob was complaining, there were notes he had never seen before.

Hiro: I couldn't match the timing of the lyrics either. I had to enter at an exact time, 3 characters in one second!! If MFS were to do it, we'd go with a lower key.

Kid’z: You say MFS but it's your key, right? Your voice is hella loud you know.

Hiro: It's because if I'm alone, then it's not MFS.

Kid’z: Nah, we were able to match the key, but only you can sing it that high, right? (T/N: They seemed to have raised the key by 2 octaves)

Hiro: You guys thought the cover song was only Weight of my pride, didn't you? You're wrong! We did UVERworld but we received many other requests. There were a lot of PTP songs in the tags. Who else was it... Sheena Ringo, Oral, and King Gnu too.

Kid’z: Weirdly enough, B'z was highly requested too. 

Hiro: It'd be weird if I sang their songs.

Crowd: Sing! Sing! Sing!

Hiro: 萎えぇぇ！萎えぇぇ！萎えぇぇぇぇー (T/N: Nae is Japanese slang that roughly translates to “no” or “ugh” in this context) Wait a minute. Change the song.

Kid’z: *offended tone* Huh?

Hiro: Well then, sing a line that starts with A!

Hiro: You're an Ultra Soul Idiot. Do you know any other song apart from Ultra Soul?

Kid’z: Of course I do! Don't you? All of you? I love them more than anyone else, I'm even in the fanclub! こいよ！！

Kid’z: *sings a B'z line that starts with A*

Hiro: Gi!

Kid’z: Gi? *sings a line that starts with Gi* I told you, I can do anything.

Teru: Yu!

Kid’z: Yu? YUME JANAI ARE MO KORE MO SONO TE DE DOA MO AKEMASHOU, SHUKUFUKU GA HOSHII NARA KANASHIMI O SHIRI HITORI DE NAKIMASHOU, SOSHITE KAGAYAKU ULTRA SOUL!

Crowd: HEY!!!

Hiro: Oi, Teruki!! Why did you say "yu"?! You should've let him build up first before making him sing "yu"!! It was too early to make him sing that as the third song!

Kid’z: It felt really good!!

Hiro: Why did you say "yu" so quickly?!

Teru: I just made a mistake.

Hiro: Don't be an airhead!!

Kid’z: I'm really grateful!

Nob’s Redemption Arc

After their UVERworld cover, Hiro asked the audience what they should do next. The crowd started screaming different songs, to which Hiro said "I'm seriously fine with anything." Nob suddenly played the first three notes of LET IT DIE, to which Hiro said, "Ah, from earlier?" Kid'z said, "He made a mistake a while ago, so let's give him another chance." Then Nob started practicing. The crowd screamed, "You can do it!!!" then Nob walked towards the center stage and did a moonwalk. Hiro was all, "You can't do it, you're not Michael Jackson!" then sang a MJ line and howled his signature "Woo!"

Final MC

Hiro: Today was truly an amazing day, thank you all so much. We had such an intense gathering here at Kobe World Memorial Hall. The first Coming Kobe was also held here. We have so, so, so many memories here in this place. Right now, we're still on our way to reaching our dream. From hereon, we don't know if we could make such a big dream come true. We still have a long way there, but we're doing our best every year, making music for everyone and visiting various places as well. Next year, and the year after that, and even after 10 years, it would be nice if we could all make amazing memories together. Thank you so much! We're definitely coming back, Kobe!!

Photo by Takashi Konuma | Taken from Hiro’s IG post

[atruththatyoudeny]

Monthly Reads | JANUARY 2019

Happy 1D Fanworks Appreciation Day-Anniversary! I want to thank all the amazing authors and artists who make this fandom as special as it is. Thank you so much for all the hard work you put into your works and the courage to share them with us! Here are all the fics I read and loved this month:

Be Mine, Little Valentine || FullOnLarrie || PWP - strangers to lovers - 7k All Louis wants is to find someone who'll love all of him. There's just one tiny complication. Made From Love || lovelarry10 || Christmas - mpreg - established relationship - 14k It's almost Christmas, and amongst the preparations, Louis' realised something about his husband Harry. Harry, however, seems to be oblivious. Louis' determined to open Harry's eyes and make him realise the real magic that's happening this Christmas... We are timeless || Star_Henderson || brief encounter - lost love - 75k Louis and Harry meet as teenagers and have a sweet encounter in Ibiza. Years later they meet up again... Hymns for restless stars || turnyourankle || Christmas - famous/not famous - 37k Every Holiday season Louis has his pupils write down their Christmas wishes for class. He's read almost every wish under the sun, but one girl's wish takes him by surprise. It's for her uncle not to be alone anymore. It's not a wild wish by any means, but Louis had no idea that former teen idol Harry Styles was lonely in the first place. You're Here, Where You Should Be || lululawrence || Girl Direction - friends to lovers - fluff - Christmas - 5k Three years after having last seen her best friend, Louis shows up at the Christmas party Harry's family throws every year. Old feelings might not be as buried as Harry had thought. Where the love light gleams || velvetnoodle || Christmas - exes to lovers - fluff - angst - 7k When his lonely Christmas Eve is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of his ex-boyfriend, Louis, Harry is hesitant to believe that it’s fate. What begins as a series of random coincidences slowly morphs into an evening of second chances and holiday miracles and peppermint-flavoured kisses that could change Harry’s future forever I hate to Love you || brainwaves, Thingssicant || mpreg - college/university - enemies to lovers - 5k Harry and Louis are co Captains with a love/hate relationship. Winter Pines and Ocean Eyes || binarysunsets || arranged marriage - mythology - 14k The arranged marriage au between young viking Harry, son of his clan's chief, and a certain caesar by the name of Louis, heir to the empire. Life Saver || objectlesson || High School - slow burn - friends to lovers - fluff - 30k Louis is a sweetheart punk with a theater background and a heart of gold, Harry is an inexperienced nerd who plays by the rules. Classmates, lab partners, and eventually friends, what happens when Louis knows he’s in love, but doesn’t know how tell Harry? If Anyone Knew || StarFar || a/b/o - soul bond - mpreg - friends to lovers - soul mates - hurt/comfort - attempted rape/non con - slow burn - 50k Harry’s a young alpha who’s strangely gentle. Louis’ an omega who’s strangely protective. Being the only ones in the band who aren’t betas they automatically empathise with each other and decide that it’s their job to look after each other. Or Harry and Louis through the early One Direction years in an a/b/o universe. You Bring Us Together (Can't Tear Us Apart) || homosociallyyours || Ziam - establishes Harry/Louis - mental health issues - anxiety - PTSD - reunion - exes to lovers - fluff - angst - 16k The 2020 OT5 Reunion fic that your heart wants to heal with. Of the Earth || angelichl || strangers to lovers - pining - hiking - camping - minor injuries - 24k Harry embarks on a backpacking trip in West Virginia to figure his life out after breaking up with his boyfriend. He meets Louis along the way. Worth Dying For || whoknows || a/b/o - royalty - bodyguard - 44k “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Louis says, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. In the center of the table, a set of three glossy photos stares up at him, mocking him. “A security detail is non-negotiable, Louis, you know this,” his mum reminds him, tapping the middle photo with two fingers. Louis doesn’t look back down at the pictures, gesturing towards them wildly, over-dramatically. “This is not a security detail!” he protests. “This is a lanky college student. In what world do you hire someone like this kid to protect me?” At the end of my rope || safona || canon compliant - 5k The one where they go to Crete and Harry is definitely hiding something. I’d Like To Buy an ‘O’ || FallingLikeThis || Wheel of Fortune AU - humor - 1k When Louis fails at Wheel of Fortune but, by some miracle, not his love life. You Got a Heart So Big || livvywritesgay || fluff - strangers to lovers - 5k Louis' ex leaves him with a pregnant cat, and Harry helps birth the kittens. First Impressions || Chelsea Frew || canon divergence - fluff - disabled character - famous/not famous - 10k It's love at first sight when Louis, a member of popular boyband No Control, takes part in a charity event and meets photographer Harry Styles. After Louis finagles Harry's number from the charity organisers, he sets off on a mission to go out on a date with Harry. Despite differences between them that might seem insurmountable to some, Louis is determined to prove that those differences are nothing whatsoever when put up against the tremendous spark of their instant connection. Absolutely nothing. Crying lightning || frenchkiss || amnesia - angst - fluff - enemies to friends to lovers - 42k Louis doesn't remember the accident, and when he wakes up he finds that he doesn't remember any of the last ten years of his life either. All he knows is there's some curly-haired bloke by his bed claiming to be the husband he shares a house, a dog, and a life with, two siblings he's never met before waiting for him in the waiting room, and more niggling questions at the back of his head than anyone can physically answer. This really isn't how he planned to spend his Wednesday. My Star in the Sky || angelichl || a/b/o - friends to lovers - roommates - 23k Louis and Harry have been best friends since they were kids, despite the fact that society and biology say they should be something more. Everything changes when Louis mistakenly returns to their flat during Harry's rut. Our love was made for movie screens. || sweetkisses || a/b/o - amnesia - soul bond - angst - fluff - 8k Harry wakes up and doesn't know anything about anything and Louis is his omega. Making Waves || Anonymous || Overboard AU - enemies to lovers - amnesia - enemies to lovers - kid fic - light angst - 30k The one where Louis can’t remember, Harry needs money, and Niall has a plan. An Overboard AU. Going live || jaerie || Camboys - strangers to lovers - 15k Louis and Harry are both camboys for some extra cash and meet each other in an unconventional way

[rwbyremnants]

WARNINGS: Rough sex, wall sex, analingus, anal prodding, sixty-nine, anal plug, double-ended dildo sex, facial, anal fingering, coitus interruptus.

NOTES: This is a flash-foward, but as far as “epilogues” go it’s going to be two chapters instead of just one. And don’t worry – there will be other stories in this universe! But this (and chapter 43) is the last of the fully Freezerburn-focused main story, even if Weiss and Yang will pop up in the spinoffs. Hope some of you enjoy what else emerges in the near future!

=Chapter 42

EPILOGUE, PART 1

Five years of bliss followed that magical first moment in the Iron Man-styled Schnee-Xiao Long home.

In that time, while their love for one another hadn't changed, there was so much more that had. The popstar/bodyguard couple that shocked that eventful Beach Fest were now an established act together. The occasional top ten hit aside, however, not as quite as earth-shattering as Weiss's original solo career. But they didn't mind. It was a manageable and less stressful target, one that was flexible to their new lifestyles.

Ruby and Penny had graduated, so they needed advice on finances and where to apply for jobs, which led to them buying an apartment of their own. Blake's career path also eventually brought her to Nashville, where she and Sun had settled into a home twenty minutes’ drive from Yang, and that involved helping them transport all their things. All sorts of new chaos required a lot of attention…

But for the latter two of those five years, their career had mostly been on hiatus, and for very good reasons. During that period, thankfully Weiss's father wasn't without an act he could earn from. Since the untimely end of Neon's last contract, she and three friends had formed a group act of their own, one now signed on by Papa Schnee himself at Weiss's emphatic insistence. And while the lax, unhurried schedule was healthily manageable for his daughter and her girlfriend, Neon’s “FNKI” was becoming a huge money maker, taking the world by storm. It meant the couple could worry more about their lives than career paths or job securities, while also assuring Weiss's good friend still had a thriving following.

Despite the hiatus, the couple had still been in the news on occasion. Some, as predicted, were trying to pick fault over their outing, but the rest seemed to have no problem whatsoever. Yang remembered the ridiculous grin Weiss had when she noticed in one of her trashier magazines that they had been placed in a “Top 50 cutest couples” list.

Some time after the official release of “Changes Come”, their first single as “Freezerburn”, Yang had made the much-debated decision to come out as trans to the public. And unlike she feared, the majority were accepting, and even proud of her. It was a weight off her chest, especially with the knowledge that people had facts rather than unreliable rumours.

Given the changing laws, there was even less barring them from getting their marriage license before they enjoyed a lovely tropical ceremony in Hawaii, open only to their closest friends. Glowing lanterns swung from the roof of the small gazebo set up on the beach, though both Yang and Weiss were wearing lovely white dresses more suited to an indoor event. Giddy smiles and blushes never left their faces for more than an instant throughout the entire ceremony. Both of their fathers had walked them down the aisle at the same time, completely casting aside that old convention that only "the girl" got to be "given away". Neither of them looked entirely comfortable, but both looked happy.

Neon, Blake, and Winter, in an even less traditional fashion, were wearing matching blue one-piece bathing suits with seafoam-patterned sarongs to befit the locale, and the groomsmen — Sun, and oddly enough, Ruby and Penny, who had assured everyone that they didn't mind balancing out the wedding party on that side — were decked out in tuxedos with quite tropical cummerbunds and bowties. The rest of Neon's band was in attendance, clapping and cheering boisterously.

By the end of the proceedings, a couple of paparazzi had figured out what they had stumbled across and snapped a few blurry, zoomed-out photos, but for the most part their special day was kept private. There were more pictures of their reception, which was a luau during which the two were wearing original top-of-the-line designer swimsuits, Yang's with jean shorts on over the top of them for understandable reasons. In fact, the picture that popped up on the news most often was of Weiss losing her shot at the limbo contest when she fell straight down on her butt, laughing up a storm.

And a lot more had taken place between that marriage and the present day. Many stories for another time.

Their lakeside house was in a state that was very rare these days: quiet as a mouse. Ruby had offered them a day of peace while she took care of other matters, well aware that they would need as much space as they could get. After all, Freezerburn was arranging its return in style — back on another two-month tour alongside FNKI around the country. Weiss was currently making all the arrangements, writing notes and chatting to Neon herself, who'd thought of the idea.

"So we're agreed the last performance should be the Big Apple? That time of year, at least it shouldn't be snowing too hard."

"Even if it is, who cares?" Weiss chuckled, fingers flying over the keys of her laptop while glancing over at the phone now and then. "Nobody will want to miss this. But you're right, it never hurts to give the fans some consideration."

"Yeah, exactly. I mean, they'll be warm anyways with the crowd but who wants to wade in slush when they wanna see a show?" Clearly biting the top of her pencil for a moment, her eyes then lit up again when she thought of something else. "Oh! Did you and Yang wanna do a few of the signings? They're totally optional, and I know you got things to think about but I figured I should ask."

"You did need to ask, but… yeah, I think we should. I mean, if we're going to do this thing, we should really go all the way. And we've set it up with a little more time between shows, so it won't be like the hectic tours I did as a solo act." Then she smiled again. "But I'm really glad we're doing this. It's gonna be like old times!"

"Except with considerably less drinking… you were a pretty hilarious drunk but you'd be a bad influence to you-know-who now." Finally taking off the ridiculous reading glasses, Neon folded her arms and leaned in toward the camera. "So how’s life, girl?"

"Life… is perfect," Weiss sighed easily, pushing aside her laptop. "Not every second of it is, I mean, there's always little bumps in every relationship. Just, ours are honestly so tiny… I think one day we had a fight over whether or not to buy a new mattress. I wanted to get one shipped in from one of those online companies; Yang said we didn’t need it. But I mean, it was a fight that ended with us banging on top of the old one, so how does that really count as 'marital strife', right?"

"Angry seeeex," Neon teased for a moment, ending it with a small giggle, as per usual. "But that's really great to hear! I mean, we all know you and Yang are forever. Little arguments and shit are nothing. Healthy even, sometimes."

Nodding, Weiss arranged the few papers she had in addition to all the online delegating and scheduling, laying them further away and bringing her now-cold cup of cappuccino toward herself. "True. I believe that any relationship without any strife is more or less a lie – and a ticking time bomb. Better to get the worries out in the open."

Then she hesitated. There was something she wanted to bring up, but wasn't sure it would be the best idea. After all, some ancient history should stay that way. But she and Yang had been talking about it off and on for a year or so, at first only as a joke, but then more seriously as time wore on.

"Um…"

"What?" She asked, tilting her head. But when Weiss wouldn't answer, she seemed to give a friendly glare at the camera. "Come on, Weiss, I know that look. What's on your mind?"

"Okay, this will sound stupid," she laughed, even if the discomfort shone through. "But we were kind of talking about… ancient history, and some stuff that almost happened with Blake and Sun one time, and… well, you don't have a steady girlfriend. So we were wondering if during the tour, you'd want to… crash with us on the bus? It's a pretty big bed…"

"Oh." Clearly in the phone screen, even with the slightly jumpy picture at times, Neon was blushing, having to look away from the screen a moment. It seemed as though she was considering that proposal at first, but then when she looked back: "I… didn't tell you about me and Inu, did I?"

"Sure you did. And that groupie from your show in Ireland," Weiss teased, but very lightly. Then she cleared her throat. "That was part of why we considered this, actually. Plus how much you liked Yang's little video way back when. But of course, if you're not comfortable, or interested…"

"While the idea is extremely tempting, and I do still think that's a very pretty dick from what I remember…" She couldn't even hide the blush now, and the ridiculous attempts to try as she rested her head on her hand only made it more obvious. Eventually, however, she cleared her throat. "People don't know yet, and we wanna keep it that way, for now… but yeah, Inu and I are… more than just a fling. When you spend so much time on a tour bus and the other two sleep all the time… things kinda happen, heh."

"Really? With Inu?!" Weiss blinked for a moment, a little stunned. Partly at the rejection of her offer, which was a minor disappointment in the grand scheme of things, but there was another reason. "Wow… I mean, she's always so quiet, wearing those headphones all the time. I figured you'd go for a more outgoing type, like yourself."

Usually, she'd agree straight away. But this time, she didn't. She instead appeared offended. "Have you ever tried talking to her? You have her Instagram and Facebook and everything. Once you get her talking, she won't stop. It's adorable, she gets so excited."

"Well… no, I haven't; just in person at a couple of the signings, the company parties. She didn't say a word back to me." Weiss seemed most definitely startled by Neon's annoyance, because the last thing she had wanted to do was offend.

"Because she can't. You honestly haven’t noticed that as soon as fans talk to her, she either pulls out her phone or she just nods really intense?"

Shrugging her shoulders, she responded, "Hey, I just thought she was trying for that whole 'aloof celebrity' vibe! What do you mean, she 'can't'?"

"Dude, no way! She loves that people are talking to her; people usually give her the cold shoulder because she doesn't talk back. But she is listening." Soon after, she rested her hands on the table instead. No longer was she offended, simply trying to explain. "She's mute, dude. Honestly, I thought everyone knew."

"She's… wait, what?" But Neon didn't need to repeat herself. "She's a member of your band, she's a musician, so I… wow. I did not expect that." Her eyebrows shot up. "What… I mean, oh God, I've been so stupid! She probably thinks I hated her and just thought she was boring, I- I walked away from her because she wasn't talking back, I didn't know what else to do!"

"Hey hey, don't sweat it! Happens to her all the time, she knows. I'm sure if you talk to her next time you see her, she'll understand. And we'll have tons of time on tour, right?" She didn't know how else to respond. She couldn't tell Weiss she wasn't offensive; lying would do nothing. But at least she could reassure her. "Inu's pretty easy-going, she won't dwell on anything, so just apologise and she'll probably do her adorable little happy bounce she does."

Slumping down in her chair, Weiss let out a long, slow groan. "Alright… wow, I really hope she doesn't resent me too bad. And this isn't all my fault, you know; a lot of unpleasantness could have been avoided if you just somehow let me know she wouldn't be responding verbally! I mean, I felt like she was only looking and listening to be polite but she secretly wanted me to leave her alone, so I did!"

She couldn't help but chuckle to herself when seeing how flustered Weiss was getting. "Of course she didn't want that! And of course she won't resent you. She'll be fine. In fact…" Seeming to blush once again, she looked around for a moment; before leaning further in toward the camera. "If you're okay with it… I can ask if she wants to take part in that offer? Might be a little more than you were angling for, though."

"Oh, that's…" The notion made Weiss sit back and blink, several times. It was true that she hadn't thought much about Inu Shibe, not more than in passing. She'd had a few scattered conversations with Flynt, and they got along fairly well, but the other two members of FNKI were still somewhat of a mystery.

But when she thought about Inu's dyed-blonde hair, her gentle face and almond-shaped brown eyes, and especially how she was one of the few women she knew that was actually shorter than her and Neon, she felt a little guilty rush of curiosity about what it might be like, being with her in that way.

"I'll… ask Yang. This isn't the original idea, so it seems unwise to assume on her behalf, but… y-yeah, that might be okay," she began to sputter. Already, she had felt nervous about asking Neon in the first place, but had several weeks to rehearse the question, build up her confidence. This was an entirely new ballgame.

"That's fair. You want me to ask her?" But before she could even answer that question again, she began to laugh. "Wait, is this a regular thing you two do? I never expected you guys to be the swingin' type!"

"Actually…" For some reason, even though they were definitely alone on both ends of the call, Weiss's voice dropped to a whisper. "This will be the first time it's actually happened, if it does. We tossed the idea around with, um, this other couple, but we all decided in the end that the timing wasn't right. But…" Her blush was starting to rival Neon's now, despite promising herself she would be as casual about this as she could. "I've never forgotten how much fun you are. And how you drooled over Yang's video. So you're a natural choice, right?"

The blush was getting no better on Neon’s end as she was rather obviously rendering a mental image. Especially when she was squirming in her seat a little while avoiding eye contact. But rather than comment further, after the brief pause, she teased, "Think of the children."

Snorting in bemusement, Weiss finally took another sip of her coffee as she forced herself to calm down a bit. "Glowstick dipstick. But seriously, listen… I know Inu's very cute, and I’m no hag exactly, but… well, I guess what I'm saying is, if either of you aren't interested because my body's gone to Hell in a handbasket the past few years, don't even worry about it."

"Psshhh, are you kidding me? You look fine, and I'm sure even without clothes you'll look fine as well. You got a rockin' body anyone'd be jealous of."

"Well, thank you," Weiss said primly, not letting on how much that helped ease her still-fragile pride on the issue. Having Yang to reassure her all the time that she was still the "perfect ten" pop star she married went a long way toward that, and her doubts were never quite so pronounced as they had been before their relationship began. Still, it was something she would probably struggle with for a long time yet.

"Anyway, I'm looking forward to your answer. I only suggested the bus because despite the previous break-in, it's rather discreet, the new one has better locks, and no one will question why we're all in there together." Then in a still-stunned voice, she added, "All… four of us. Wow, my life turned out so much different than I expected at nineteen!"

Snorting herself, she looked straight to the screen again, smiling endearingly. "But I'm sure you wouldn't change a thing, right? Total perfect life. Got your family, your career, that sweet place on the lake… you're living the dream, I'm jealous."

"Then be part of that dream," she wheedled, mostly kidding as she displayed a moment later when she giggled. "Okay, okay, I'll drop it for now. And we seem to be all set here, so I'll have Father follow up on that date in DC and then we'll see where we are tomorrow. Sound good?"

"Can do! Right, I'll let you go, and I'll text you if Inu is a maybe or not, if you ask Yang." But just as she reached toward the phone, she paused. "Oh yeah! And, give the little one a kiss from me."

"Don't worry, I will. She's-"

At that moment, a small furry bundle leapt into her lap, and she laughed, petting her idly. "I think she heard you, Neon! Xu-Xu, say hi to your 'cousin'!"

The other side the screen, Neon was quite obviously giggling, even giving a wave with her fingers toward the small white flat-faced cat that was purring away while Weiss petted it. "Hi Xu-Xu! Us cats gotta stick together, huh?"

Picking up her little paw, Weiss helped the ball of fluff wave back. Then she laughed when she jumped down. "And hates it when I make her do human things."

"Hey, I hate it when people make me do human things too. Like getting dressed and having to be presentable when I'd rather just lay down and lick my own-"

"NEON!" But she was laughing, despite being so scandalised. "If you figure out how to accomplish that, tell me how; I think Yang would be just as interested in that lesson!"

"And I'm sure you'd be interested in watching that." Laughing again, she finally did reach for the phone this time. "You fuss over said darling wife, while I go… pick an outfit for when Inu comes over tonight. Call you soon!"

"Alright, have fuuuun!" The extra emphasis was clear in its intent, but she hung up before Neon could even so much as roll her eyes.

Then Weiss walked into the kitchen and dumped out the rest of her cappuccino. Her mood was light; the new tour was on track, their tentative plans to explore "recreational activities" with outside parties had not been met with a definite negative, and all else was as it should be. How had she got so lucky?

"Okay, the one you saw in that magazine would look great on you. That's if you wanted to go with white, I mean, have you seen some of the gorgeous purple dresses they've been doing?"

There was the faint voice of her wife from the other end of the kitchen. She too was locked in conversation with her phone screen, but unlike Weiss, was actually making sure to drink her coffee. While Weiss's call was to handle business, Yang's was to help Blake plan her own big day.

She remembered fondly how that even came to be. The rest of the Schnee-Xiao Long wedding party had plotted it without Blake's knowledge, had made sure that Blake was the one to catch Yang's bouquet when it was thrown, and have him right behind her down on one knee when she caught it. Of course she said yes; the two had been a couple for longer than Weiss and Yang had. And the several “It's about time!” comments from the other attendees confirmed it was the right decision.

Of course, now it meant all the stress of the organisation, which Yang had assisted with.

"But the purple ones will make me look like a giant plumb," Blake lamented weakly, running a hand through her bangs. "And you know I already hate how I look in dresses… can't I just borrow yours? Maybe it's not original, but it's a great dress, right?"

"If you want to you're more than welcome, but don't you want your own for your special day? Plus mine only really works if you're gonna have your wedding in Hawaii as well, with the flowers ‘n’ stuff." She took another sip of her drink while flicking through a couple more of the magazines she had to hand. Some which she'd saved just for helping Blake with this task.

"I'm just really stressing about this whole thing… and it's more about Sun's parents than him, they're all about us having a super traditional huge church wedding so they can show off the photos to everybody, and we just want you guys there at the Justice of the Peace and to get on with the reception, you know?" With a quiet laugh, she added, "But you have been awesome through all this. Thanks so much."

"Sounds like Sun's parents aren't quite ready to admit their little boy's a grown man. He told 'em to buzz off yet?" She continued to go through one of the magazines a bit longer, eventually stopping on one page. Folding the corner over so it was saved, she then looked back to her smiling friend. "And shut up. You were a godsend when it came to mine and Weiss's. And our bachelorette party was the best thing ever, told you I'd make it up to you."

"Oh that was totally my pleasure! You guys looked awesome, the party was a blast, and I've used the 'bridesmaid dress' every time we go to the beach, since I'm not much of a bikini girl. But yeah, Sun's parents are pretty traditional like that, they either want us to have an Eastern wedding or a Western one. Alternative ceremonies make them get all grumpy."

"Would ours have made them go 'Aaaaaahhhhh!' ?" she asked with a giggle. However, that did give her another idea. While she and Weiss were debating the style of their wedding, an Eastern wedding did come up. Especially when Yang knew how keen Weiss would be on it. Even if in the end they opted for something else instead, that didn't mean Blake and Sun had to.

"You know, what about a hanfu? I could hook you up with the place that did mine."

"O-oh? You… sure you won't have a problem with that?" The question was subtle, but necessary. "Not just because of that time, but I'm still a white girl. It wouldn't seem like I was trying to be something I'm not?"

Yang smiled in sympathy. "Dude, that’s ancient history. Me being mad doesn’t mean you didn’t look really good in it. And I say go for it! I know he's not really big on Chinese shit, exactly like me; but no reason why you can't ask him, right? May even keep his mom and dad off your back."

The image of Blake on the screen paused to think that over. "Well… I did always think yours was beautiful… would you go with me to have one fitted, so I don't look like some weirdo with an Asian fetish?" Then she laughed. "Even if it might be slightly true."

"Considering your dating history, yeah," Yang giggled with her. "Course I'll come with you, girl. I got another appointment on Friday, we can meet up afterward and go then?"

Alas, that was something that still hadn't quite changed. There had never been another near-miss again, but on the odd occasion, a rough patch would come. Thankfully now Yang was doing a much better job of admitting she wasn’t okay, and accepting the help. Although she probably didn't need ongoing counselling any longer, she continued to attend once a week until told otherwise “just in case” - and with Weiss and her friends’ encouragement that there was nothing wrong with mental health maintenance.

"Definitely," Blake responded immediately, nodding her understanding. "We'll have to get dinner afterward, Sun is off with his buddies doing some kind of… rock climbing thing, whatever. I mean, unless I'm taking you away from Wifey?"

"Lemme check. Oh wifey-dearest?" She turned, slightly tilting her chair so Blake could quite clearly see Weiss was in the background, making herself another cappuccino to replace the cold one she had to dispose of. Batting her eyelashes toward her, she tilted her head. "May I please, please, pretty please go for lunch with my bestie on Friday?"

"Alright," Weiss called back in an intentionally droll tone of voice as she turned the machine on. "Just don't have any sex unless you bring protection."

Of course, Blake was immediately sputtering and shouting, "H-hey, we haven't done that in forever, and we agreed that- oh, just shut the fuck up!"

But all the while Yang was laughing, even if she was surprised by the comment. They kept joking about it, even if they hadn't re-engaged in that activity since she and Weiss reunited, but it didn't stop the teasing. Even if she 'barked' right back, "Well, it's not as if we're getting any with how loud you get!"

And just as loudly, Weiss rebutted, "You ride me too hard! Especially in the ass! How do you expect me to keep it down when you're stretching out my-"

"WOW, okay, I do not need to hear this!" Blake laughed uncomfortably.

"Holy fucking shit, I did not think you'd yell about that across the room." Now it was Yang who ended up blushing uncontrollably as she went back to the camera, trying to bring her hair forward to cover her face however she could, groaning behind it.

"You really like that?" Blake called out, clearly intending it for Weiss.

"Sure!" Once her beverage was ready, she came over to stand behind Yang's chair, sipping at the mug. "Was pretty unusual at first, I'll admit, but… now it's a good alternative once in awhile. Sometimes I'm more in the mood for that, to be entirely honest with you."

Now Blake and Yang were both blushing, with Weiss the only one oddly calm. "Huh," the brunette breathed, pressing a hand into her mouth for a few seconds. "I mean, I've done it to Sun a million times, but never felt like I wanted to be on the receiving end…"

"I can't speak for those without a prostate, but it's hella fun even if you don't touch it directly…" The voice came from behind the blonde hair, still slightly muffled as Yang tried to hide away the violently red cheeks. Eventually, when the other two were done laughing at her, she did come out again, taking a sip of her drink to try and distract herself for a little while longer, before suddenly saying, "Hey, you could always save that for the wedding night."

"Good point," Blake laughed, still sounding uncertain. "My regular virginity's a distant memory by now, but the anal kind can be my wedding present to the big dope. Then again, he's just as likely to insist he's the one on bottom."

"Oh, I remember," Weiss chuckled. "He seemed to enjoy Yang's lap the few times we got him to sit on it…"

"You guys just use me as a sex toy to turn him on, I swear to god." Her wife rolled her eyes, looking off to one side. She never meant it, even if it was a very common occurrence when it came to teasing Blake's fiance.

"Don't be fooled by his 'nah, I'm not about that life' act," Blake told Yang with a slightly devilish smirk. "If you ever did want to bend him over the bed, he'd be thrilled." Then she held up a hand to forestall any comments. "Not saying we aren't satisfied with our decision to keep things, you know, separated. Just… he sure is a butt-slut."

"Yes, thank you, Miss Belladonna — soon to be Wukong." The thought was still appealing to her even now. Even if it had been many years of sleeping with Weiss and only Weiss, the occasional fantasy of sleeping with men again did cross her mind. She'd more or less accepted that no matter who her partner was, she was pansexual. It was just that sleeping with someone like Sun meant that she could still be the top.

But that would remain a fantasy. She was happy with who she was with, and happy with their current status. Even if it was only on occasion, they had other things to worry about. More important things.

"Although…"

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Although?"

"Well," Weiss began with a smirk as she calmly slid into Yang's lap, "Our decision stands. But how about… a competition? To span two nights during our honeymoon. First you and I on bottom, then Sun and Yang on bottom. And we see who's the loudest. In the event of a tie, we have one final round of the usual missionary as a tie-breaker."

Seeing that Blake was seriously considering that offer, Yang frantically looked between them back and forth, eventually raising a hand to her face again in an attempt to cover it. "Seriously?! Are you in heat right now or something? First that little ‘idea’ about Neon, and now this! Do I need to hose you down?!"

"Hey, it'd be kind of hot without getting our wires crossed," Blake admitted, though she too was still holding a hand in front of her face. "But… yeah, I'll have to talk it over with Sun. I won't tell him about the back door, since that's a surprise, but just… the other part, and see where we end up."

"Excellent!" Weiss said, cheeks only slightly pink as she wriggled more comfortably into her wife's thighs. "And honestly, it's just a random idea I had, based on… well, another conversation I had recently. No pressure."

"Okay, yeah, good to know there's no pressure," Blake snorted. "Yang, uh, you okay over there?"

"Oh, just fine. I thought we were just asking one another about dinner plans and it leads to sex contests, so I'm a little flustered, that's all." Yang instead tried to go for her coffee, even if Weiss, now present on her lap made that incredibly difficult. But realising how long they'd been on the phone, she asked, "Should I let you go? Gotta get back to work, right?"

"Oh! Good point, I only have ten minutes left on my lunch, so I should probably warm up that tuna-noodle bake. Love you guys — see you Friday, Yang!"

"Text ya later!" And with that, she reached toward the phone, giving a brief wave before she cut off the call. Then she was left with her wife on her lap, who was still smirking even with her faint blush. The smug expression Yang grew to love. "You are a nightmare."

"You have NO idea." As she shifted back and forth, intentionally winding up her wife now, she immediately transitioned into the business they had most hoped to get around to after all the other was taken care of, and using the tail end of her own call to get there. "So about our potential arrangement with Neon. There's a snag that might not be a snag."

"Arrangement with- oh." At least her cheeks were already red, so she didn't have to make any excuses. Sliding her hands around her wife's body to hold her on her lap, she asked, "And what snag is that?"

"She wants to possibly invite Inu. You know, that shy girl from her band?"

"Oh, the cute little mute girl? She wants to make it a foursome? Really?" She assumed the “bonding session” would be more than enough to ask, but now this seemed to be even better than they hoped! More to assist with, should the mood call for it – and if they paired off, no matter who with, it wouldn’t be so awkward and nobody would feel left out. Even if adding more than just Neon made her more nervous.

"YOU KNEW?!" Weiss burst out, drawing back in alarm. Then she deflated, mouth still hanging open. "Why am I always the last one to know anything?! Like honestly, I feel so stupid all the time!"

"You didn't?!" Yang couldn't help but laugh at her misfortune. She really had slipped on noticing so many things. From Yang being trans to even Neon's obvious flirting when on the talk show. Seemed it expanded even to this.

Weiss merely sat there looking grumpy and embarrassed until Yang's laughter died down. Then she continued, "Alright, listen… I just assumed she didn't like me, or wasn't very sociable. My mistake. Anyway, she is pretty cute, I just haven't ever had any reason to think about her before now since — through no fault of my own — I thought she wasn't interested in talking to me, okay?"

Finally Yang nodded, keeping her giggle suppressed as best she could so Weiss didn't have to hear her continuously making fun of her slow realisation skills. Then went back to the subject again. "Yeah… Inu is pretty fucking cute. Would be a good tale."

"Just imagine," she continued softly, settling in against her once more as she gazed up at the ceiling. "Two months of unrestricted exploration with two women as gorgeous as them… and then, when the tour is over, back to our lives like nothing ever happened. No strings."

"Yeah? Well, that does sound pretty interesting…" Even if she wasn’t totally sure about the ‘no strings’ part working. After all, Blake had still acted a little weird around her for a year or so after their ‘no strings’ romps. She pulled Weiss slightly more towards her, lightly groping the ass cheek as she looked up with a slight smirk of her own. "And after two years of worrying about volume, will be nice to just cut loose and forget about it."

Biting her bottom lip, Weiss allowed her eyes to close as she relished the gentle sensations of pleasure, thrived upon them. "Mmm… yeah, and Neon can get pretty loud. Not as loud as me, though. And…" She sighed, though she began to rub her hand up and down Yang's shoulder through her orange t-shirt. "I am sorry that it makes it so hard for us to… to do you-know-what lately. But when you really get me going-"

"Yeah, have you at least thought about the ball gag?" She smirked teasingly, continuing to stroke her backside and keep grasping on occasion, lightly shrugging the shoulder that Weiss was stroking. "So we don't have to worry about it. Last thing we want is tiny feets walking into the room to see what's up with all the racket."

At that moment, Xu-Xu meowed and came up to them, and Weiss blinked down at her. "Silly kitty. Hmm… you may have a point. Let's adjourn to our bedroom." As she stood, she added, "And we talked about all that ball gag and BDSM stuff, and I told you that I am not interested! Handcuffs are kinky enough for me!"

"I never said the rest! Literally just the gag, for noise reasons!" She laughed, taking her hand and following her straight away. As they turned the corner to head up the stairs, however, Yang spared a small wave to Xu-xu, putting on a babying voice. "And you're going to stay down here and be a good girl! Yes you are, yes you are!"

"Or we'll get out the spray bottle again, yes we will, yes we will!" Weiss said in the same cloying tone. Of course, the cat knew no difference in their words, and simply blinked up at them curiously.

Once they were in the room, Weiss kicked the door shut with her heel and whipped her white blouse off so fast that a few buttons popped free, forever ruining it unless she took the time to sew them back on. Which she likely wouldn't. And Yang quickly threw off her top in response, already reaching behind herself to unclasp her bra. It seemed like forever ago that the cast stopped her before. In fact, she could barely remember it at all.

When she threw the bra among their shirts, Yang spared a glance to the digital clock on their bed side table. Three PM. "We got one hour before Ruby gets here. Ready to race?"

"PAH!" Weiss burst out as she shucked her yoga pants and panties all in one go. "We both know that we can get so much done in an hour, it's not even funny!" Then she fluffed out her hair once she was standing there entirely nude. "Now then… what are you gonna do to your 'princess'?"

Still unbuckling her belt and shorts, she was trying to shuffle them and her underwear down as quickly as she could, quickly pushing her own hair up and out her face. Seemed Weiss's lap sitting and teasing had completely paid off, considering Yang was already semi-erect out of the gate.

"Oh I don't know… There's so many things I could do. Maybe I should pin you up against a wall; or bend you over the bed…"

"The wall?" Weiss gasped, face lighting up in excitement. "Wow, we haven't done that since… Belize, I think it was." She began to stride forward. "Do it, if you think you can."

Moving forward to meet her, Yang grasped her arms right away, using them to push her back into the nearest wall with no hope of release. "Don't think I won't," she said with a smirk, before dipping to kiss her more firmly. It'd been so long, no wonder they were each so desperate to rough one another up in the sheets. Or against the nearest flat surface, in this case.

"Nnhhh!" Weiss groaned against the lips crushing down on hers, already feeling Yang's hardness getting harder up against her curling hairs. There was a reason she did not take as much care trimming them lately, but she would reinitiate her beautification rituals from back in her solo tour days soon enough, when she and Yang were on the bus. With or without Neon and her silent companion.

Satisfied she was pinned long enough, her hands released Weiss's wrists, instead moving down her body while they kissed up a storm. Tongues battling, bodies grinding against one another firmly; just like their adrenaline filled days on tour. When they had their moments, it never really changed. Sure, they sped things up by removing their own clothes rather than each other's, and protection was no longer an issue; but in that sense, the two of them never truly grew up. They adored their time together.

"God, your rocket is already clearing the launch pad," Weiss half-laughed, half-groaned as she leaned her neck to the side to allow Yang to have her way with it. But she didn't mind; that was the goal, after all. To enjoy each other with their stolen moment.

"Always is for you." But she immediately fell to biting and suckling without a single care as to who saw the mark afterward. By now neither of them did; anyone who had a problem was simply laughed at by Yang. One hand was brushing it's way over her body, brushing to the small area above the hair. A finger seemed to stroke over something in particular; a scar that wasn't there before. It was only a slight bump of skin, but all the same, Yang fussed over it. Breaking from her kiss to whisper, "Because who can resist your gorgeous body? This included."

Weiss froze and looked away. Collected herself, suppressed strong reactions that wanted to take over the mood. It didn’t take as long as it had once upon a time, and a few seconds later, she was already looking back to Yang, smiling a small, coy smile.

"Apparently, not you," she whispered gratefully.

Noticing the slight funk in her mood, she moved the hand to her hips. Once her diva was smiling again, she brushed that hand downward, pulling Weiss's leg up against her rather firmly. "Are you kidding me?" she asked, pecking at her neck once more. "I don't stand a single chance of turning up my nose at this beautiful prize."

Another sigh, one of great need, escaped Weiss as she hitched herself up higher, wrapping her legs around Yang and locking them at the ankles to help support her weight. Between that and the wall, they were able to keep her weight upward. The thickness grinding up against her clit was delectable, but she couldn't wait to get more out of Yang than just that.

"Fuck me hard," she urged, pressing her cheek urgently against the crown of her head. "Mmhhh… more!"

"You got it, princess." Not lingering to tease further, she drew her hips back, sparing a hand to line herself up with the entrance of her lover's body. Then she surged forward, releasing a needy moan when she felt her length enter the warm, wet folds. The hand returned to her ass to support her again before she set to work. They hadn't time to waste, and were eager to enjoy their precious hour.

Screams of pleasure erupted the instant she felt herself being filled by her wife, head thrown back in ecstasy, arms coming up to wrap around Yang's back as she shifted her hips back and forth. Already, she felt ready to burst — and they had been at it mere seconds! At this rate, they would not only finish, but have time for an episode of Jessica Jones.

It was a good thing they were somewhat alone in the house with the volume of those moans. Not that Xu-Xu would bother them, thanks to the closed door. There was one occasion where the ball of fluff thought it appropriate to hop and curl up on the bedsheets above the couple, despite them quite obviously playing with each other underneath – even trying to pounce on certain bumps under the sheet. Needless to say, it was still a hilarious encounter.

Yang's own moans were simply desperate with need. Pumping herself in and out at a hard and fast pace, she bit her own lip to try and prevent them becoming too loud. For the sake of her own sense of pride more than anything. And Weiss was already fast approaching her own finish. Could she really have been this hard up for time spent alone with Yang? They should never have let themselves get this busy, this often; she would have to start setting aside more time for them to get wild and uninhibited.

"NNhhah! Yang, you're so… GOD, I needed this!"

She'd barely started, but could already feel the telltale signs her wife was about to finish. Not this soon already, she needed more time. Playing this into the game, she leaned in close and purred, "Don't you dare come. I'm not done with you yet."

A little thrill shot down into Weiss’s stomach; she loved when she was forceful. Just enough of a thrill, being commanded like that… and besides, she wanted to see how much better she could feel if she held out longer. Nodding her understanding, she tried to suppress the onslaught of pleasure that the thrusting was bringing her, licking her lips as she was bounced up and down against the wall. Yang was like an animal, unhinged and wild, desperately set on one thing and one thing only. There was a moan each time she pushed deep into her lover's body, feeling as Weiss's muscles twitched in a desperate attempt to hold off. She knew she wouldn't be able to for long, but hopefully enough time so she could find her own release. Which at this rate was building fast.

Alas, Weiss couldn't manage it any longer than that. All she had time to pant was, "K-keep going, don't stop!" before she was already riding out an orgasm unlike any she had felt in weeks. It was as sudden as it was intense.

And Yang didn’t stop. She continued to pump fast and hard, even when Weiss's muscles were trying to clamp onto her member, trying to get something out of it. The build up was quick, but getting to the finish line wasn't quite as quick at arriving.

Or arriving at all. An annoyed groan later she stopped, slipping herself out of Weiss's body. Her member was still hard, and now more or less dripping with Weiss's juices but even that wasn't enough.

"It's no good… I can't quite get there. Damnit."

"Now I… remember why we haven't done this in a while," Weiss laughed breathlessly as she was slowly let down to stand on her own. "Takes too long. Take me to the bed."

As she had become accustomed to Yang throwing her over her shoulder, it had happened so many times, she didn't even truly ask about it anymore. Which was exactly what happened; Yang lifted her up and over, quickly pacing toward the bed while she still had herself in its full glory. There was no way she wanted that to fade yet, not when they were barely fifteen minutes into their hour. While they both giggled, she tossed Weiss down into the plush mattress, about to climb on top of her when…

She paused, spying the bedside drawer. And remembered something they hadn't done in a long long time. It'd been the initial subject of her phone call with Blake, ironically enough, yet she could barely remember the last time they tried. Pausing as she was straddled over Weiss's hips, she asked, "What about… you taking me?"

"How about you taking me?" Weiss playfully teased, but she wasn't truly going to ignore her wife's request. Instead, she thumbed over her shoulder at the table. "Go on, get your best friend, but… I want you to play with me a little more first, if that's alright."

"That can easily be arranged…" She grinned, crawling over her petite wife to get to the bedside drawer. Shuffling through the various things placed in there to hide the particularly raunchy items, she pulled out the bottle of lubricant first, and then hesitated. "Hmm… double-ender, or you want me to just hit your clit this round?"

"Ooh, you're so playful today… I can't decide." Her smile was genuine; this was a lot of fun for her. "Get a few toys out and we'll figure it out later. Right now… just use your tongue. God, I miss that tongue…"

Nodding in agreement with her wife, Yang did as she was asked, pulling out the few toys they had. Their first, the icey blue friend from that video together, a double ended yellow one, a butt plug and a small vibrator. Then she went back to work. Climbing down her lover's body, she left a trail of kisses down the soft delicate skin, hands grasping her legs to prise them apart. All Weiss did was stretch out luxuriously, a contented smile on her face. Having just climaxed, she really loved having that moment to simply bask in the worship, to let Yang's lips graze over her…

Even her soft thatch of hair, which she had flinched at earlier. It did not happen a second time; she merely moaned slightly lower, loving how much her bodyguard loved her as she began to glide her toes up and down Yang's hips and thighs, trying to repay the attention in some small way. They had plenty of time to spare, plenty of time to slow down and give attention to Yang’s favourite body in the world. Even if Weiss was touchy about certain areas these days, Yang wasn’t. She would lavish the faint marks with attention, kissing continuously, all the way along the length of it.

"You've given me so much," she seemed to whisper directly to the skin, kissing one more time before she started to make her way lower. "Allow me, princess, to give back."

"Anytime," she responded, with tears of gratitude in her eyes. They wouldn't quite fall, she was past that by now, but they always welled up slightly when Yang was so considerate.

And then the eyes fell closed with a sigh of pleasure when lips hit home. "Ooh…"

This time, Yang treated her lover’s flower it with delicate care. A huge contrast between the rough treatment she'd given it not even five minutes ago. Not wanting to disappoint, she allowed her tongue to dip between the lips. Arching her back into the contact, Weiss allowed her legs to come to a rest on Yang's hips while the tongue worked its magic. Even though she had already finished, she wanted more; always more from Yang, she needed it! Licking her lips, her idle hands came up to squeeze her own chest, hoping to coax that much more pleasure from the moment.

Feeling her lips curl into a smile, she continued to savour the flavours of her lover, kissing and licking and dipping her tongue all around the softer skin. Occasionally she made sure to raise her tongue more than usual, flicking it across the surface of the delicate nub at the top. Just enough to give her a taste of what was to come. Every instant that the wet muscle met her nub, the diva bucked upward, as if chasing the sensation. And in a way, she was, though at the same time she also relished the chase, and welcomed waiting for Yang to pursue her again.

Lightly smirking this time, she waited for when Weiss seemed to be unsuspecting… and then did it again. And she continued that pattern, waiting until her guard was down before attacking. It wasn't until the fifth time it happened that she started to giggle, looking up to her from below with a cheeky grin.

"Stop teasing!" Weiss gasped breathlessly, bringing her heel down on Yang's back. "You're… so bad!"

"I know." She giggled, wincing at the brief pain from the kick. "But you already came once. That's not fair."

"And I'd want you to come five or six times if it was possible, but… we know there's only one way you can technically do it twice." Reaching over blindly, she was finally able to pick up and present Yang with the correct implement; the yellow one. "Care to… share the banana?"

She rolled her eyes, hitching herself up to take it from her. "And here I thought you were gonna treat me. Rude." But there was still a smile on her face when she crawled over again to fetch the bottle of lube, sitting it by Weiss's side for a moment so she could prepare the rest. Holding the 'giving' end toward her, she smirked. "Open wide."

Amused, she did as Yang asked — to the best of her abilities. Though Weiss may have been complaining about her aging body a few minutes ago, it wasn't as if she was taking the passage of time lying down; she was still in damn good shape. She curled her abdomen inward, reaching down and clasping her ankles to pull her feet up and position them behind her head.

"Is… this wide enough?"

Every time, Yang was amazed at the displays Weiss put on for her. She remembered how flexible Blake was, but when she told Weiss that, she was determined to beat her. And that training seemed to pay off, certainly now more than ever.

"It's good… But." She held up the dildo again, looking between it, and where it would be pushed into. "You're making this difficult to put on."

"Too bad," Weiss goaded with a grin, obviously clenching her hindmuscles. "Let's see how you pull this off; I'm curious now."

"Geeze, you make this difficult," she groaned, looking toward the now-tightened opening of her lover again. This position was going to make it so much more filling for her, but also so awkward for Yang to work with. Still, she was up for the challenge. Shuffling toward her target, she held up the yellow cock, slowly lining up the end of it with her entrance. Gradually, she pushed it up against her, slowly applying more pressure to push it inside.

"Ohhhh, that's what I like," the diva groaned in an almost obscene voice, eyes closing in bliss at the feeling of the length filling her. None of the toys were that small, but the thing she liked about this end of the yellow one was that it was just about the same size as Yang. Meanwhile, the other end… well, that was quite a bit larger.

Once it was fully slid inside, Yang took a long look at her while holding up the straps on either side. Which was making it increasingly difficult to determine how she would do it. She couldn't thread it around herself like normal, or move her legs much from that position. Eventually, she just blushed and let out a whine of annoyance.

"Stop ogling and start strapping," Weiss taunted. But when Yang only scratched her head, she rolled her eyes and lowered her legs with a slight grunt, pushing her hips up off the bed. "Is this easier for you?"

"Was that so hard to do instead of just showing off, Mrs Flexible?" she asked sarcastically, finally getting back to work now she could reach things properly. Strapping the ends around both her legs to keep it in place, she was finally ready to take her.

Of course, while Yang waited for a response, she was also looking at the much bigger end. The one she'd be receiving. It was slightly bigger than their icey blue friend in width, but Yang assured Weiss she could handle it. And a handful of times, she certainly did. Still, the sight was always one that made her weak in the knees.

Licking her lips as she watched Yang gaze at the opening, unbelievably turned on by the notion, Weiss couldn't resist any longer. Voice husky and needy, she whispered, "Hand me that lube and get your ass over my face. You have no idea how much I want to get you ready for my cock."

Immediately, Yang’s blush doubled. She looked in shock back at Weiss again, barely able to believe how forward she was being today. But she loved it and wasn't about to argue. Still needy herself, she did just as she was asked, handing the bottle straight over and climbing toward her, turning herself around once close enough so she'd present herself.

"Whatever you say, princess."

"Don't act like we don't both know how much you love it," Weiss breathed, taking in the glorious sight. Perhaps she didn't speak this plainly all the time, and it had been a while since they got to have a good, long session like this, but she had made no secret of how much fun she found toying with the tight little opening below her lover's organ.

Which was partly why she wasted no time in drawing it down closer, pressing her lips up against the tightly-puckered skin with a contented little mewl. And why Yang bit her lip, suppressing the shaky moan that attempted to escape. The fact she hadn't yet come was really taking its toll on her, making her grow desperate with desire and lust. She could even feel the slight chill from where it was still wet with her wife’s essence. But if only she could place such wetness to the opening Weiss required.

At least she knew her lover would handle that with the lubricant. She enjoyed doing that, and often insisted she'd do it over Yang herself.

However, the smaller woman was still engaged in prelubrication. As her thumb flicked open the bottle next to her, the other hand kept Yang's hips still as she pressed her tongue up against the ring of muscle as hard as she could, trying to worm her way inside without any forewarning or coaxing.

"NNNN!!! Jesus, is it even possible to work out with your t-tongue?!" she asked, trying to suppress the moans once more as she let Weiss do her work, feeling the attempts to push inside very easily. Grasping the bedsheets tightly for a moment to try and hold on, she slowly looked backwards at what was happening, barely able to keep herself contained. The moans into the skin were completely uninhibited, but she didn't take long to fully enjoy them before she was bringing up the bottle and drizzling the clear liquid onto where her tongue had just opened very slightly.

"Do you have any idea how much I wish we had more time than we do today?" she sighed shakily as she brought one fingertip up to rest against the slicked skin, pressing in gently. "It's been like, five seconds, and I miss the taste of your ass already… weird as that sounds, I know."

"I never said it was weird when you first admitted you liked the taste, I sure as hell ain't gonna start saying it now." Hanging onto the sheets even still as she felt the tip begin to slide inside, she let out a moan of her own, grinning in sheer delight as her finger easily penetrated it, and teasingly began to open her up. "Thaaaaat's it, right like that…"

Biting her lip — partly just because she was enjoying participating in the show, but partly to further enjoy the lingering taste of Yang on her lips — she watched as her finger slid all the way into the tight little opening, looked on in detached wonder as it drew out again. Feeling some resistance, she raised the bottle and added a little more, letting it start to drip down around the sides before she pushed again. A few more repeated attempts, and it was flying in and out of Yang freely.

She knew her weakness too well. Sure, getting her dick off was good, but this had her wife singing. Each time the finger slid inside, she couldn't hold back, letting out yet another needy moan into the air. And now it was going at a rapid pace, it was becoming very difficult not to jerk herself off whilst this was happening.

Speaking of which… Holding her hand back, she tried to stop her moans a moment, asking, "The bottle… Lemme prepare you."

That made Weiss pause entirely. "Oh, you… want to prepare me, too?" Her abdomen clenched, which Yang would have to be completely overtaken by the throes of the teasing in her hindquarters to miss. Gulping, she glanced over at the black plug; it had been so long since they used that, and with good reason. It was not at all petite. Her secondary entrance was only used to Yang being in there, and not the wider girth of said toy.

"Yeah, make things slide all the more easier," Yang explained. Although she noticed the clenching, and sudden anticipation when it came to her suggestion, she hadn't seemed to have guessed what Weiss was thinking. Only moving one of her hands to the banana for a moment. Seemed they were both on a slightly different page and didn't realise it.

Gulping at the thought of being double-penetrated for only the second or third time in her life, and the first with the hefty plug they had purchased primarily for Yang's needs, Weiss nodded and reached over to grasp it, passing both it and the bottle to her wife.

"Okay, j-just… just go slow?"

"…W-wait, what?" Suddenly appearing to have noticed what Weiss was implying, she looked at the items being handed to her. All she had expected was to be taken herself with the other end of the strap on, and then to put the rest away. Now Weiss wanted to use that as well? She really did want to cram everything into one hour. "You serious? You want this?"

"Yeah! I mean… wait, was that not what you were talking about?" Letting out a weakly nervous laugh, she licked her lips and said, "O-oh. Wow, I guess I really have ass on the brain." Then she giggled and said, "Does that make me a butthead?"

Chuckling to herself, Yang crawled forward and away from Weiss's finger at last, shuffling forward enough to prepare things down below. "Yep, it sure does. But who can blame you, it's been a while." Bringing the bottle up into her hands, she squeezed a hearty helping onto the yellow dildo first, getting right to work as she stroked it up and down, thoroughly soaking the entirety of what wasn’t inside her wife. There were times where she'd make her grip rather tight, enough to make the other side pump in and out of her.

Then she let a little more drizzle down between Weiss’s cheeks. Once the bottle was set down, she slid a finger into her – all at once. By now, they both knew her princess’s ass could take that with almost no effort. It pumped in and out of her until she felt the muscles give, ready to receive more.

"Mmhhh," Weiss sighed, allowing her eyes to close from the dull pleasure of the twin sensations. "Yeah… jack me off, you beautiful woman. Make your man proud."

Smirking to herself, she continued to coat the length as wet as she could. That in addition to how wet her own opening was, thanks to Weiss, she knew this would be an easy and smooth ride. Now it was her turn. She looked over her shoulder to deliberately check Weiss was looking, holding the large plug into her view. Then with the other hand, she squeezed a large helping of the liquid all over it. "And does my man… want his butt to be claimed?"

The fleeting relief that Weiss had felt when the attention returned to the "banana" was now draining away as she stared at the implement again. Her lips parted, and she had intended to go ahead and tell her wife that maybe they shouldn't bother tonight. That she liked the idea, but wanted to work up to it gradually; worry about the huge thing another time.

What came out was, "Yes."

However, Yang noticed the worried expression. It was true that they didn’t play with Weiss’s butt nearly as much as the other way around – well, with the exception of Yang claiming it with her cock. But she could give her the choice. Turning around to line her cheeks up with the phallus, she placed the plug down a moment to pick up the last toy she'd picked out. The vibrator. It was a lot smaller in comparison, however, if she was already penetrated in one hole, it would be plenty.

"Seriously, we can just use this baby instead if you don't want the plug. I know it's fucking huge; not the biggest on the market, but a lot to take up the ass."

"Maybe I want you to use both," she joked, not even laughing or smiling at the quip as she considered. "But… no, we have to use a plug; the other thing would fall out once I start fucking you." Then she took a deep breath. "You've opened up my ass a hundred times. I think I'm ready to… at least try this thing. See if I can take it. And if it doesn’t work, that’s fine."

"Well, alright, Princess." And here she was thinking she could get her end, but Weiss was so insatiable she needed more – and what Weiss wanted, Weiss got. Retrieving the plug again and putting the vibrator back, she climbed down once again to between Weiss's legs. Pressing the tapering end of the well-lubricated silicon between those cheeks, she lined it up with the slightly-loosened ring of muscle, starting to rotate around it to open her.

"Ohhhh God," Weiss breathed shakily, cheeks moving from side to side at the sensation. "Oh, I hope I open right up for it…" But already, she loved the sensation against her skin; she knew she would, she always had. It was only the thought of how much pressure was about to befall the tightly-puckered opening that kept her from letting go to enjoy the magic befalling her body.

When she felt Weiss relaxing more, Yang began to push pushing harder, rolling the plug around to open her up as much as possible. Easing gently, bearing in mind how much bigger it was toward the base than Yang’s cock. Pressing her cleaner hand to her face, Weiss panted with the effort of not crying out at the intensity. It was so big! Too big, possibly, but it was only about halfway inside of her. Maybe this wouldn’t work, but how would she know if she didn't try? Part of her said that she should be taking out the yellow one while trying this, but somehow, it was also making it easier to take; the whole area being stimulated made her muscles feel more alive, ready for anything. And this certainly qualified as "anything"!

"Doing okay?" she asked, pushing more of it inside even firmer. It was beginning to surpass the width of the strap on itself, the bigger end that Yang was going to take, gradually getting even wider. Still taking in the sight, she could barely believe how much her petite girlfriend could handle.

"WAIT!" Weiss finally gasped out when she felt the pleasure very slightly starting to edge closer to pain – a warning sign both women had learned to heed after a few unfortunate incidents. "Just… it needs a second to catch up!"

“Okay.” Holding it still again, her bodyguard gazed in awe at just how much she had taken already. Above halfway; and only a tiny amount to go. But still, she looked back up to try and catch her expression. "You're like, a finger's width off from the end, y'know. You gonna be okay?"

A weak nod. "Y-yeah… but if you kept going before… I think it would have been bad." Swallowing, she brushed her bangs away from her face; they were beginning to stick. "Can you… twist it a little, stimulate the skin?"

Tilting her head in response, she turned her hand slowly around, spinning the plug within her, inside the right ring of muscle it was forced into. "Like this?"

"NNhhhhhHH! More lube!" she demanded weakly, though her legs were shifting this way and that in extreme pleasure. Even if she might need more lubrication, it being rough was definitely not making her change her mind.

Drawing a very small amount of the plug back out again, Yang went to grasp the bottle, squirting a hearty helping around her skin, and the length itself. Managing to rub it against both, she attempted again, turning the plug around and around to spread the coating evenly.

"Ohhh… okay, I think… yeah, we're good now, it's good… thank you, baby." Her eyes were full of love for the bodyguard suddenly, lips turned up into an adoring smile even as she panted with the effort of weathering the bullet being ground past her defenses.

Nodding, she smiled back for a moment before getting right back to it. Slowly she pushed her hand forward again, stretching Weiss out wider and wider… back to where they were at before, and beyond, until she finally felt the skin accept the rest of it, releasing as the grip took the entire plug in for her and the base sat against her backside.

There was a little "AH!" from Weiss at the plug going all the way in, and then she relaxed completely. "Oh… ooh… oh that feels… interesting…" The two masses inside of her were pressing into one another through the membranes of her body, and it was not an altogether unpleasant sensation. Just a new one.

Simply taking a moment to stare, Yang was blushing anew yet again. Her lover, now with her bigger sized plug inside her dark opening, was ready to go. Phallus lubed up and waiting, just begging to be ridden. Not to mention, Weiss was filled in both her entrances. Not only would this be fantastic for Yang, but it would be something new altogether for her wife.

Grasping the phallus and slowly jerking it up and down again, she asked, "So… how do you want me? Facing you?"

"Ohhhh yeah," Weiss replied without hesitation, twitching all over from even that slight pressure in her cavity. Both of them, now. "That's… yeah, I want to see you… watch you enjoy me…"

Half closing her eyes seductively, she nodded, soon climbing over her yet again to get into position. Straddling her lover's hips, she leant right forward, sparing one of her hands to reach down to grasp the dick of her lover. After a brief pat around, she found it. Pulling it in toward her, she continued to make eye contact with her while she maneuvered that into position, lining it up with her moistened entrance. Until finally, she began to slide down, eyes slightly widening as she felt the pleasure swim through her.

"God, Yang, you look so good!" Weiss glowed, watching as the implement slowly sank deeper and deeper into her the lower her body went. Though Yang's beautiful example of a sex was partially obstructing her view, she still valued both highly, wanting to reach down and play with everything in sight. Again, another time.

Sliding down all the more, Yang eventually let out more needy moans into the air, leaning back to stare at the ceiling as she tried to process. It was so big! And so long… It always felt like something close to a train ramming its way in every time. But she loved every second. Sooner than usual, her cheeks landed right into Weiss’s lap as she moaned out again, "G-god… Ah…"

Weiss couldn’t resist. Even though it was very slightly mean, she moved her hips from side to side a bit earlier than she normally would. She also let out a quiet gasp of pleasure from it shifting inside herself before asking in a playful voice, “Does my wife like being filled by her husband?”

"Is that a trick question?" she asked, adjusting the position of her knees so she was straddling her again, making it much easier to shift herself upward to pull it out slightly. Biting her lip again, she struggled to keep in another moan. It was pushing against her inner walls so easily with each shift, touching all different areas. It felt fantastic! "Of course I do."

Already, Weiss felt almost as if she could finish again; the sensations paired with the sights were incredible, and that was without the mammoth thing inside her rear entrance. She really could scarcely stand it! Yet she wanted it there, was happy to be teased in two different ways at once. Always had been; this was just taking it to the next level.

Forcing herself back down onto it again, Yang looked straight back into Weiss's eyes again when she moaned out, pressing one of her hands onto one of the bare breasts before her. Meanwhile, she didn’t know if she should use her other hand to toy with Weiss more, or for leverage in case her knees didn't suffice. Yet also felt a dying need for something else, the sensation that had never been allowed to come to a close. That needed to be handled.

Once sure Weiss was watching, she reached downward, grasping her length and beginning to jerk firmly, matching the pace of her mild movements on Weiss's fake cock, moaning even more. "Mmm… Yeah."

"HEY!" Weiss yelped out, slapping weakly at Yang's hand as it stroked her erect length feverishly. "What… do you think you're doing with that? It… belongs to me! You have to ask!"

"O-oh, right." Releasing it from her grip, she instead placed it on her stomach a moment, slowing her riding down to give her enough time to ask. "Please, may I stroke myself?"

But to Yang's surprise, what Weiss said was, "No." Then she reached down and grasped it firmly herself, biting her lip at the sensation of her own essence mixing with the small amount that had already escaped from the head. This wasn’t the easiest angle to jerk her off from, but she really wanted to. "No, you may not. Just ride me."

Looking down at Weiss's hand, she nodded in agreement, placing her hand back down to better balance herself as she rode her “husband” again, doing just what she asked. Nodding to show that she understood, and eagerly waited for what was to come. The delicate hand angled up, holding the cock just right so that with every bounce up and down on the rigid length within her, Yang would also end up thrusting into her fist. Seeing as how each bounce also shoved the length inside her tortured sex right up against the filling presence in her other orifice, she somehow almost felt as if she were fucking herself in the ass.

Why was that idea so hot?!

Fucking Weiss’s hand was all the motivation Yang needed to go faster. Allowing herself to be filled over and over, she thrust harder, quicker. The moans practically poured through her mouth as she looked toward her with a grin, even starting to laugh.

"Oh, this is amusing to you, is it?" Weiss teased breathlessly, licking her lips as she felt Yang sliding in and out of her fingers, teasing everything in the back region of herself. "We'll… see how funny you find it… NOW!"

And with that, she began to raise her hips up to meet Yang's with increasing frequency, nearly doubling how hard and fast she rammed into her over and over. The screams of pleasure only got louder. Such a thick cock, and the fist was curled so tight around her own! The more she backed her hips to meet with Weiss's own, the closer she was getting. Especially when on a few particular thrusts, she felt her favourite spot being assaulted again and again, unable to help the higher pitched squeal that came from her when it did.

Meanwhile, Weiss was trying not to scream out from her own mistreatment; every thrust up into Yang slammed the other end into her fragile sex, torturing her insides so much that she could feel her toes tingling, her knees weakening. This was so good — and she had needed it so, so bad.

"HNNN! Aaah! Weiss!" One particularly hard thrust hit Yang's spot, making her entire lower half shudder. And then each thrust was hitting it over and over. Legs shuddering, muscles starting to clamp onto that thick length sailing in and out of her body… She could feel it now, she was incredibly close. "Faster!" she begged, licking her lips to try and regain a little composure for the end. "Y-your hand… I-it's g-gonna…!"

So it was time. Weiss had been preparing for this; she knew what she wanted. Maybe it wouldn't happen, but she had one chance to do what she could. Curling her abdomen inward, she leaned up as much as she could with the other elbow that wasn't busy helping Yang. Then, once she was as far forward as she could comfortably get…

Her hand moved faster up and down Yang while she squeezed tighter than usual. The added pressure might bring about a result they both wanted. By now they were rather practiced at this; it worked a few times, and Weiss was delighted with the results, but others it simply lead to embarrassment or even a laughable moment. Still to this day, Yang had no idea why her wife enjoyed that so much, when most would brand it as disgusting.

But finally, after a few firmer thrusts into her backside, Yang's mouth fell open, gasping loudly as she felt the waves of intense pleasure flow through her entire being, length throbbing in Weiss's grip as it shot out its seed fast and hard. She never got to see where it went, her eyes were closed tightly while she felt the pure ecstasy taking over. More shudders of joy went across her lower half. It had been far too long since she got to enjoy an orgasm as intense as this one.

An orgasm so intense that it led to Weiss's, as well — not purely from Yang gasping, but from the feeling of hot seed splashing across her cheek. She'd made it. She had not missed her mark!

"NNHAAAAHHH!!!!" she moaned out in pure joy as she climaxed again, feeling more droplets landing on her stomach. Only the one spurt had made it all the way up toward her face, but one was enough to send her gasping and shivering, completely overjoyed.

Letting the waves fizzle out gradually, Yang came to rest on Weiss's lap, completely content. The length was still fully inside her, something she didn't want to shift just yet. It felt good there, oddly warm and filling. She needed to simply savour the moment, especially now that her lover had climaxed as well.

The clock on the bedside table read 3:40pm. Twenty minutes: plenty of time to cool down and take care of everything.

"Want the plug out?" she asked when Weiss had finished her own screaming.

"Ahhh… not yet," Weiss sighed. "Let's take care of… other stuff first." Her hands glided up and down Yang's thighs now, and she let out a small chuckle when she felt a little of the cum being smeared on the skin from where it had dripped onto her thumb. "Oops… sorry about that."

"Nice." She laughed, still not completely moving off it when she leant forward to fetch a tissue from the box on the table, biting her lip when the yellow presence shifted back inside her when she sat down again. "Gah… That's what these tissues are for, you know. Don't wipe it on me!" But still, she took care of the mess, dabbing her own skin and the top of her member, then moving on to her wife's stomach and cheek.

"Thank you," she told her doting wife primly as she was cleansed, smiling as if she were a queen on her throne instead of a girl with two implements deep inside of her, naked on her back. "Now… I have something I want to do for you. Maybe you can guess what it is without any hints, but here's one; I'll need a glove."

"Does this mean I have to get up?" she asked, teasingly moving her hips side to side, but also biting her lip at the sensations it caused to her insides.

"Up off the banana, at the least." Once Yang started to lean up slightly, she reached forward and weakly swatted at her hip. "Come on; time is a luxury today! Let me get in there, I want my baby to have two O's like I did!"

"Alright, alright. I just find the banana appealing, okay?" She let that pun sink for a short moment, listening to her wife groan as she pulled herself upward, unable to help the small shudder that happened when she was out entirely. Once that was done she straddled Weiss's hips again. "Where do you want me?"

"In me." Then she let out a theatrical sigh and shrugged. "However, since I doubt you'll be 'up' for that…"

Apparently, Yang wasn't the only one who could make jokes. Sighing as she looked down to her member, now limp and lacklustre, she took a moment to reach for the gloves in the drawer. "Less taunting, more fingering, Wifey."

"Hey, I am capable of multitasking." But the taunting smile gave way to a more earnest one. "You want it on your back so I can really get in there? It's been a good while since your spot and I had a chance to bond."

"Now you're talkin'." She purred with delight, hopping off her lap and instead laying to one side on her back, spreading her legs to give Weiss more than enough of the room she needed. "It's been way too long."

Leaning up and sliding her arm over Yang's thigh, gazing down, she couldn't help the greedy little smirk that crept over her face as she began to pull the glove on. "Ooohhh, where shall I begin? Everything looks so good; I can't decide." Her now-gloved fingertips poked Yang's soft sack, making sure to avoid its contents for fear of hurting her.

"Hmm…" Instinctively she tensed, but nonetheless rested a leg up on her diva's shoulder, looking up with a smile. "Well, it's all yours. I think that was the agreement when I married you right?"

"True." As her fingers came to a rest up against Yang's slick entrance, feeling how it was already so wide open and ready to receive more, she leaned down to press her lips up against the fragile sack. "All mine, and all delicious."

Quickly glancing at the clock once more, just to double check, she then looked back toward her with another smirk, tensing the muscles deliberately against the fingers. "Well you better hurry then, clock's ticking."

Nodding, Weiss leaned up and took the partially-softened cock into her mouth. The muted salty tang of her essence hit her taste buds as she groaned against the flesh, swirling her tongue around the head as two of her fingers began to slide past her wife's loosened opening. Right away, Yang felt slight relief from feeling such wetness touching the member again after it'd become sore from the movements of her strokes, so feeling its coolness made her grin with delight. Just as the fingers heading into her backside did, which she bit her lip to try and suppress a louder noise. Her diva really was determined to make her go again!

The stirring didn't go unnoticed; Yang was getting slightly more aroused from her teasings. Of course, Weiss already knew that the chances of getting Yang all the way hard again weren't high, let alone a second spurting. But just feeling the warm flesh in her mouth was reason enough for her to keep going — so long as Yang didn't complain of discomfort.

And speaking of which… a pleased little chuckle sounded in her throat when she felt the little ridged mass she had been seeking out, deep within her lover. There it was.

"O-ooohh…" A quiet, but content purr sounded out from her bodyguard, unable to help when her legs twitched against Weiss's shoulders. Laying her head back and grinning from ear to ear, her wife was going to fuss over her favourite spot again and again, going to bring her to a second clima-

DING DONG!

[all-it-takes-is-pixie-dust]

What models are Connor’s and Chase’s Rolex’s that you bought for them? I see photos of them wearing them all the time and I am drooling looking at their watches. Girl when you buy someone a present, you fucking buy a present! You don’t fuck around! I need to look into getting one of their Rolex’s for myself, so please let me know what their models are if you can!

Haha I am actually sitting here laughing at what you said towards the end of this ask 😂😂 You summed it all up so perfectly there in a nutshell, and I am living for that!!! I go all out for my boys when I buy either one of them something, just like they both do for me, and that’s how it’s ALWAYS going to be. I will just note for the record, that I had to buy their watches at separate times because buying authentic Rolex watches...ain’t fucking cheap, as anyone that knows anything about one of the best watch brands in the world like Rolex is, can attest too 😂 but they are both worth it, and I would do it all over again. They rarely ever take their watches off, and that also makes me so happy. ANYWAYS OKAY I NEED TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION NOW. I bought Connor’s watch first, and his is a Oyster Perputal Datejust that is in 18k yellow gold/stainless steel, in the size 41mm. He’s had it for over a year now, and he cried when I gave it to him, and I can’t even tell you how happy he was. Let me just be clear on something, just as a side note. The boys did not tell me that they wanted me to buy them Rolex’s. There was no pressure from either one of them, there was not even any mention of it whatsoever. I have known for a long time that Rolex is a brand that they both love, as do so many other people, but when I bought Connor’s watch, and then Chase’s, it was all something that I did on my own. It was 100% my decision to do this for the boys, and it was only my decision, and no one else’s. I’ve been wanting to do it for such a long time, and kept it a secret from each of them until the day they both received their Rolex’s. The boys do the same thing with me, the most recent occuarance is when they kept it a secret between the two of them that they were going to buy me a Cartier love bracelet (which is something I’ve always wanted for as long as I can remember) as a Mother’s Day gift this year. I did not know that they bought me a love bracelet, until the morning of Mother’s Day when I saw the iconic red Cartier bag waiting for me to open in our bedroom. So the three of us have been doing things like this for each other for so many years. And it always is such a good feeling, and never gets old. We all love to spoil each other, we know that we don’t have too, but the difference is we truly love doing it. Even after Connor got his watch, there was no resentment or pressure or anything like from that Chase. He did not tell me that he wanted me to buy him one, it was again something I did for him, all on my own. I have known for the longest time, that they both have always wanted one, and from knowing them for as long as I have and help from family members and friends, I quickly found out what their favorite models were which was such a big help, but I just want to be clear, that this was a complete surprise to both of the boys, when I gifted them their Rolex’s. I do not regret it whatsoever, they both literally almost never take off their Rolex’s, so it goes without saying, that their watches are very important to the both of them. Their watches are really the only jewelry that either one of them wear, Connor will wear his wedding band once we get married next year, but for now, really their watches are about it. And I will say too for the record, that they both actually felt guilty when they each got their Rolex’s, because they felt so bad that I spent so much of my hard earned money on both of them on something such as a watch. But, like I told the both of them, I would do it all over again. OKAY SORRY NOW BACK TO ANSWERING YOUR QUESTION..Chase’s Rolex, I bought for him six months ago. Again, a complete surprise to him. His Rolex is a Oyster Perputal Sea-Dweller w/ a black ceramic bezel, in the 43mm size. And he, like Connor, LOVES his Rolex. He also cried when I gave it to him, and it was such a special moment. It really makes me happy, and feel so good that I did such a good job, picking both of their watches out. I hope this has helped you, sorry for little ranting I did there as part of answering this question 😅

Good luck in your Rolex goals, I would say that either of their watches would be such a fantastic choice, and you can’t go wrong with either of them. The reason why I didn’t get both of my boys the same watch, is because they both have different tastes in what they like, and I wanted to find watches for both of them, that would compliment each of them perfectly. And I feel like I successfully accomplished that, but it can be really overwhelming when you start to look for a Rolex, because of how many models there are out there. You really have to do your research, that is the most important thing and is a vital step in your purchase. But take your time to learn about all of the different models that Rolex has to offer, and find what works best for you! And if it happens to be one of the boys watch models, well that’s great and means you have great taste 😂 (just a little joke) but my advice to you, is have fun learning about them, and try on as many different models as necessary. When you find the right one for you, you will know it, trust me. AND MAKE SURE YOU GO TO A REPUTABLE JEWELER, THAT CARRIES CERTIFIED ROLEX’S. It will be more expensive, but that way you know you’re getting the real thing. Good luck! <33

[volleyballbabes-blog1]

Can I have a Scenario where bokuto has a gf that is childish and loves all Disney movies and he surprises her with tickets to Disney

Thank you so much for requesting this!!!!! This was soooooo much fun to write!!! I love getting Disney requests, so anyone who has any more, you’re more than welcome to submit them! Enjoy!!

~ Wendy!

You and Bokuto hadgrown up together. Nineties Disney movies were your go-to on a rainy day… orany day, for that matter. Whether it was Aladdin, Mulan, The Lion King, Tarzan,or Toy Story, it didn’t matter. The two of you got super pumped when The Incredibles,Beauty and the Beast, and other Disney movies got sequels or live actionremakes. In fact, when you found out about Toy Story 4, you screamed. Not justinternally, but externally. And then you told your entire family and every oneof your friends. Bokuto was your Disney buddy first, and became your boyfriendlater on.

A couple of monthsafter you and Bokuto started dating, he suggested you two celebrate graduatinghigh school with a fun trip or event of some kind. As soon as you agreed, hebought tickets to Disney. But, he told you that you two were visiting his familyin America. 

“How excitedare you!? I’m so excited!” Bokuto exclaimed, running circled around youwith his suitcase.

“I’m prettyexcited.” You laughed, loving his enthusiasm. “I take it you haven’tbeen to America much?”

“Nope, notoften! But this’ll be a great trip! We’re going to have a blast!”

“I know wewill.” You smile.

“You’re quieterthan usual. Everything okay?”

“I’m a littlenervous. I’ve known your family back home since we were kids. This is the firsttime I’m meeting new family. I just hope it goes well.”

“Don’t worry,it will!” He assured you. “Trust me, when we land, all your worrieswill be gone. C'mon, y/n-chan, Hakuna Matata! We’re going to D– We’re going onvacation!”

You weren’t surewhat he was going to say, but you knew he was hiding something. It was odd thathe hadn’t mentioned family in America before that year. It was also odd howexcited he was, and that he wasn’t at all nervous about leaving the country andhaving to speak English. Something was up, and you had to get to the bottom ofit.

You boarded theflight to Orlando, trying to think up subtle ways to get the truth out of him.

“So,Bokuto–” You asked. “Who’s family is this? Mom’s side or Dad’sside?”

“It’s Dad’ssister.”

“What’s hername.”

“Aunt…Hikari.”

“AuntHikari?”

“Yep, AuntHikari. She met Uncle… John… when she was studying abroad. But they didn’t havekids.”

“Studyingabroad is something I’ve always wanted to do, too!” I smiled. He was lyingabout everything, that you knew. He was too good and honest of a person to lieconvincingly in person. The question was, what were you really getting yourselfinto.

You landed inOrlando, and went through baggage claim. Once you had your stuff, you headedfor pick-up. But Bokuto walked right past it.

“Bokuto? Isn’tthis where your family will get us?”

“Nope, just alittle farther.” He said, continuing to walk. You saw the Disney’s MagicalExpress station at the end of the hall. There was nothing else left. But therewas no way he could actually be taking you to Walt Disney World, was there? It’sso expensive, and you only have him half the amount of money as it would taketo stay there as your part of the vacation fund. Bokuto’s smile was as brightas ever, he wasn’t even trying to act anymore. He turned around excitedly toannounce “Y/n-chan, we’re going to Disney World!”

“You’rekidding!???!!!!” You squealed. “There’s no actual way weare!!!!!!”

“Nope, we are!I have our tickets and our Disney’s Magical Express stuff right here!!! We’restaying at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, and we’ll get our Magic Bands when wecheck in!!! We’re here six nights, seven days! I have no family in Americawhatsoever!”

“Oh mygosh!!!!!!!!!!! How long did you keep it a secret for!??!!? And HOW did youkeep it a secret!?!!!??! I would’ve leaked it months ago!!!!!”

“I startedplanning this the day I asked you if you wanted a grad trip and you saidyes!”

You jumped intoBokuto’s arms, and he twirled you around like the Disney Princess you both knewyou were. 

You were extremelyrestless in the bus. Bokuto was finally getting to talk to you about howexcited he, too, was for this trip. He planned the whole thing perfectly, usingyour last trip with your family as a template. The fast passes, diningreservations, extra magic hours, everything was perfect, just as you would haveplanned it!

Your first day at apark was, of course, Magic Kingdom!

“Okay, so firstSpace Mountain! Then we’ll head to Fronteirland for the mountains there. Then,Space Mountain! Then we’ll see what’s in Fantasyland. Then, Space mountain!Then it’s about time for lunch, followed by a parade. And then, Space Mountain!Then we should greet some characters, I gotta get a picture with Donald Duck!Then, –”

“SpaceMountain, I get it!” Bokuto laughed, loving how excited you were.“We’ll do everything, including ten times the amount of Space Mountainanyone else would.”

“Perfect! Butyou’re forgetting the nighttime dance before fireworks!”

“Of course Iam.” He chuckled. “Let’s get a move on! We’re burning daylight, andwe only have fifty minutes left of our extra magic hour!”

“Race yathere!” You bolted toward Tomorrowland, Bokuto quickly overtaking yousince he was in peak shape thanks to volleyball. You were both out of breathlining up. Losing the race made you extra determined to win the mini-game inthe Space Mountain line.

“Sucker! IceCream is on you, as promised!”

“I demand arematch!”

“Double ornothing?”

"Double ornothing!”

You battled againthe next time you rode space mountain, and now Bokuto owed you two Mickey IceCream bars.

Bokuto had alwayswanted to kiss his girlfriend when fireworks were going on. That night, duringthe grand finale of Wishes, he wrapped his arm around you, and then kissed you.It was perfect, and gave you goose bumps.

Throughout the day,you took selfies in front of everything. The castle, Space Mountain and otherrides, the entrance, your restaurants, and with characters. It was the best dayof your life, by far.

The next day, youhit up Hollywood Studios.

“Okay, so,first stop, Tower of Terror!” Bokuto exclaimed.

“Oh, comeon…” You sighed. “First thing?”

“First thing!You said you wanted to conquer it, right? If you wait, you’ll just be anxiousabout it all day. If we get it over with now, then boom! You can enjoy the restof your day.”

“You have apoint……” You reluctantly admitted he was right

“Don’t worry.I’ll be right there. And remember, it doesn’t go down the entire tower atonce." 

"Alsotrue….”

He was successfullyconvincing you.

“Picture this:You, coming off the ride, with a big smile on your face. Us, looking at the MyDisney Experience app, and buying the picture of your first ever Tower ofTerror ride. You, having finally conquered every ride Disney has tooffer!”

“Okay, let’s doit.” You put on a smile, even though you were definitely going to cry atsome point from nerves. You worked yourself up all through the ride. EvenBokuto was quiet in line, trying to find a new way to encourage you and comfortyou, since he’d used up all his tricks. When you finally were seated on theride, he took your hand, and you closed your eyes. After a deep breath, youopened them, and the ride stopped.

All you could thinkwas ‘I can’t do this. I want off. I can’t do this. I want off’ on repeat.

“We’re going toconquer this together.” Bokuto squeezed your hand as the elevator enteredthe shaft. It shot up, then down, then up, then down, then up, then down, thenup, then down, then up, then down, and then it was over. It was quick, and painless,thanks to the secret trick of clenching your gut and holding your breath thatkept you from feeling too many butterflies.

Just as Bokuto hadpredicted, you were jumping around, excited.

“I can’tbelieve I just did that!” You looked back at the tower, amazed by it’sheight. “After so many years of not even trying, I just conquered it! Andit wasn’t even that bad! I did it! I can’t believe I did it!”

“I knew you hadit in you.” He smiled, whipping out his phone. “Would you like tosee?” 

You snatched thephone from his hand and loaded the app quickly, anticipating the look on yourfaces when the camera snapped its photo. You had your eyes closed, clutchingBokuto’s arm for dear life. He had his arms up, enjoying the ride. He wasfacing you, though, making sure you were okay. That picture was worth framing,so you bought it.

"Thanks,Bokuto.” You smiled, giving him a kiss.

“Anytime.” He blushed.

Next was the Beautyand the Beast play.

“They’re sobig.” You laughed. Lumiere, Cogsworth, they were all human sized. It waslaughable. But the music made up for it.

“I know, it’scompletely different from the movie. But that’s not what we’re here for, isit?”

“No, no it’snot.” You smiled, hearing the tune beginning. “Madame Gaston, oh canyou see it?” You sang along.

“Madame Gaston,his little wife. No sir, not me, I guarantee it!” Bokuto took his turnnext, with an extremely sassy face on.

“I want so muchmore than this provincial life!”

The next song youtwo belted out was Be Our Guest. Bokuto even tried a French accent, which onlymade it funnier.

Obviously, you hadto hit up Star Tours. They included the characters from The Force Awakens now,which was so cool!

“I wonder howmany versions of that ride they are? Each one has a different story,right?” You wondered.

“Well, we havetime before our Rockin’ Rollercoaster fastpass. Wanna see if we can get everyversion of the ride in the same day!?”

“Um,yeah!” You agreed, without thinking twice. You probably did that ridearound six times, asking the crew members how many times you’d have to do it tosee all possible storylines. Every time you went through the store at the exitof the ride, you looked at a different item. When Bokuto jump-scared you with aChewbacca mask on, you responded by grabbing a light saber and smacking himwith it jokingly 

After that, you bothscreamed your heads off at the takeoff of Rockin Rollercoaster.

“One of thebest things about this ride is the before scene. It’s less time to wait inline, and it’s kind of funny.” You smiled.

“Yeah, I loveseeing Aerosmith! Even if it’s only for a second.”

In the line, youplayed lots of games. Truth or Dare, Would you Rather, Eye Spy, and otherthings. You learned a lot about each other through those talks. It was nicebonding time.

After a few roundsof Rockin Rollercoaster, you headed to Toy Story Mania.

“Okay, we’regoing to do this an odd number of times. Whoever wins the most rounds winsoverall. Deal?” Bokuto suggested.

“You’re on.This ride is new since you’ve been here, you’ve never played it. I’m anexperienced gamer.”

“How about wemake this interesting? The loser buys popcorn for Fantasmic!”

“You’reon!” You smiled. Then, you entered the line. It was so cool to see all thegiant toys. Disney always put so much work into everything they did, even thewaiting lines for their rides. It meant everything was more expensive, andwaits for new lines to be built were longer, but it was totally worth it 

“No, no, no,no, no!” Bokuto exclaimed as you ended the fifth round of Toy Story Mania.

“I like mypopcorn with extra butter.” You joked, nudging him with your elbow.

“Okay, butwe’re having a rematch at Space Mountain on the last day! Loser buys popcornagain, but for fireworks. 

"I won thatone, too. You really want to challenge me again?”

“I don’t backdown when I’m beaten. I compete and improve until I win. So don’t be so sureyou’ll hold your crown forever.” He teased you 

“We’ll seeabout that.” You smiled back.

Finally, it was timefor Fantasmic. It was dark, and the lights were beautiful. You brought alongthe glowstick you had bought at Fantasmic last time you were here. The sticklit up the same colour as the show’s set did. Fantasmic’s most beautiful featurethough was not its lights, in your opinion. It was its music 

You were exhaustedby the time you got back to your room. You crashed with your head usingBokuto’s chest as a pillow. The next morning, you were well rested, ready totake on Animal Kingdom.

Kilimanjaro Safariwas always one of your favourite rides. It made you want to fly to Africa andsee everything that was there in its truly natural habitat. You had no doubtthat Bokuto could do a lot of the acrobatic stunts in Festival of the LionKing. And finally, you went on Kali River Rapids as many times as it took foryou to be in the position where you got the biggest splash.

When lunch hit, youwere soaking wet, and freezing cold, since the Tusker House restaurant seemedto be even cooler than the other air conditioned places.

“Do you want mysweater, y/n-chan?” 

"Oh, no, it’sokay, you keep it.” You smiled. “I’ll get some warm food, that’llhelp! Plus, once we get back out in the sun, I’ll dry off.” 

"I asked, but Iwasn’t really asking.” Bokuto chuckled as he wrapped his sweater aroundyour shoulders” 

It was really sweet,something straight out of a movie. You couldn’t help but blush. 

After that, youheaded to Dinosaur. You told Bokuto all about the dinosaur facts you knew, andhow the original Jurassic Park scarred you for life because you watched it tooyoung. Even though you knew the dinosaur was coming, you still screamed when itcame out at you, thanks to the suspense the ride built up.

“That wasawesome! We’ve gotta do it again!” Bokuto beamed. “He almost had meconvinced we weren’t going to make it out of there!”

“Me, too!”You laughed. “How cool would it be to really go back in time like that?And to see the  planet millions of yearsago? I wonder just how much has changed, and just how cool the dinosaurs reallylooked in person.”

“It’d beamazing! Which one would you want to see?”

“A triceratops!That would be the best!”

“T-Rex forme!” 

You two weredaydreamers. When some people saw no point in the conversations you sometimeshad, you knew that any conversation you enjoyed wasn’t wasted just because itwasn’t about something real. That was a side of you Bokuto really got, and youtruly appreciated that.

After a visit toIt’s Tough To Be A Bug, in which you avoided the stink bug smell, the beestings, and the larvae bumps, you headed to see the Yeti 

"So, how comeyou aren’t scared of this ride? It has a drop?”

“Yeah, but it’snothing compared to The Tower of Terror. Plus, going backwards is too much funto miss because of a drop!”

The both of youthrew your hands in the air for the Everest drop, and when you went backwards.You even asked for the front row seat the next time you did it.

You ended the nightwith Rivers of Light. It was peaceful, screen, and beautiful in the dark. Itwas exactly the calm you needed after another busy Disney day.

The next day, youtackled Epcot! Soarin’ had just been updated, so you were stoked to go on that,as was Bokuto. After taking a stroll through all the pavilions, you hit up morerides. Bokuto was obsessed with making the cars in Test Track that you almostdidn’t finish it in time to move on in the line. Luckily, you did, and Bokutowas ecstatic when his won overall.

You had many moreadventures on that trip. You discovered Bokuto had motion sickness and wasn’tthe biggest fan of Mission Space. You heard him scream for the first time inthe Haunted Mansion. Bokuto suggested you make funny faces during the photo.Naturally, the two of you purchased every ride picture you got throughout theweek.

As for souvenirs,you bought a matching set of Mickey and Minnie mugs, as well as some pins fortrading. Bokuto also bought you a stuffed Winnie the Pooh bear. 

And, on the lastday, when you thought the week couldn’t get any better, Bokuto had boughttickets to the dessert party on the boat. You were ecstatic, having alwayswanted to do that. The fireworks show was absolutely beautiful!

“See? I toldyou it would be better than ever!”

“It reallyis!” You exclaimed. “I was a little sad that Wishes was gone, butHappily Ever After is really, really good!”

"Where’s my five bucks? C'mon, I won the bet that you’d love this oneeven more." 

"Okay, okay.Here you go.” You chuckled, handing over the bill.

You flew home thenext day, reading over the journal you’d written about the trip. It had everdetail, from the food you ordered at the restaurants, to the scores you eachearned in Toy Story Mania. You looked over at your sleeping boyfriend on theplane ride home, wondering how you could’ve been so lucky as to land someonelike him. 

“I’m going to marry him someday. I can say thatfor certain now. ”

Those were the lastwords you wrote in the journal for that trip. And you two lived Happily EverAfter.

[mandimormon-blog]

Why You Should Stop Doing Laundry Today

Is it just me or do you see a title similar to this one everywhere? ‘Why You Should Stop Using Your (insert product here)”, “You’ll Never Want To Eat At (insert restaurant here) Again”, “After Reading This, You’ll Never Want To (insert activity here) Again.”.

We all know laundry totally sucks. It always sucks. I find laundry is one of my personal Top 16 Worst Household Chores ever list. I loathe laundry so much that I usually don’t even sort it. (Take that dark and light colors. I really showed you!)

The bending over is just like the icing on top of the cake of cruelty. Usually, I grab out it out of the water by large armfuls, as much as I can possibly get at once to reduce the number of times I’m bobbing and weaving from the washer to the front-load dryer. Apparently, I’ve got a rhythm and that’s when the danger set it. I feel like that’s a life lesson that applies to more than just laundry. Sometimes we get too comfortable and relaxed and that’s when we ruin it. We’re humbled. We’re knocked down and in this situation, it was the dryer. I had about my third armful of clothing and I noticed I probably had one more as I grabbed this armful out, like a boomerang, as I tossed it into the dryer. This time my left finger with my wedding band and engagement ring caught the top of the dryer on my execution, and I almost tore my finger off.

Of course, a painful stinging sensation sat in immediately and it felt equivalent to stubbing my toe, on a steel door, swinging toward me. Screaming at the top of my lungs, using a one hand toss to get the rest of the clothes thrown into the dryer with my right hand, and slamming the dryer door. Screw the lint trap, it’s not getting cleaned out, not this time. I started the clothes before whining around about it, because that’s what we moms do. You and I both know if I let those clothes sit they would’ve smelled awful and that would have meant more water-waste plus more dangerous household chores that I was not mentally prepared to do, whatsoever.

Per the normal “fear-inducing articles”, here’s the best advice you’ll hear all day. Friends, stop using your dryer now. Use a clothesline. Take our your wedding rings. Practice safety while accomplishing those household chores. Better safe than sorry. Share this message so your friends don’t make the same mistake I made.

We do addictions in our house. As I type, I glance to my left and see my son is hopping back and forth between two iPads, on the floor. One is near the footstool my feet are on, and the other against the wall on the charger. Both are actively playing a different show. Remi, is on a laptop, watching Trolls, and I am typing on my laptop, while simultaneously texting my husband, who seems to be a tad under the weather, laying in bed upstairs, in the same house. My oldest daughter is texting, cleaning her room, and has YouTube going on her Chromebook. This is the example of the perfect modern-day family.

Sure, we won’t have cable, satellite, or a television downstairs in our home, but we certainly use electronics. Just the other day while I was doing a little painting at the office, my son choose to watch Dish Network, while we were there. I asked him if he knew what “Team Titans Go” was and sure enough, he did.

Confused, he asked me, “What is this? An ad?” speaking about the commercial. My children don’t even know what a commercial is! But they’re fluent in YouTube Channels, Netflix, and fixing the WiFi. Things have taken a shift since my earlier years. Did I explain Jude’s fascination earlier this year over a vending machine?

Jude had never purchased anything from a vending or pop machine. We were waiting on the girls to finish up a practice for dance clinic and were rotating ourselves, back and forth, in the bar-seating in the high school cafeteria. He complained he was thirsty. So, I dug a dollar out of the bottom of my canvas tote, and handed it to him. He said, “What?”

I said, “Let’s get a drink.” I stood in front of the water and lemonade machine, reminiscing about Fruitopia, and asked him which flavor of water or lemonade he’d prefer. “What is this?”, he asked inquisitively. I covered my mouth with my hand, “Ohhhh, my goodness, Jude! You’ve never used a vending machine, have you?” Sure enough, never. He thought it was amazing how we could put money in and pick something by pressing a magic button and with a loud buzz and boom, it appeared, chilled, and ready to drink. He thought the Berry Lemonade was the best thing ever and he marveled over the vending machine mechanics.

This same “shock and awe” goes for the older generation, as well. We celebrated my dad’s birthday on Sunday, after he had a busy weekend full of auctions. My sister had the opportunity to attend his auction that morning, and from across the room, yet again, she was texting me a few photos to update his Facebook page with, which by the way, he can use Facebook very fluently. I made a few comments so naturally, he wanted to see the photos, I handed my iPhone over and as he scrolled through them, he went to the last photo I had sent my sister before those, which was me, wishing her a “Happy Birthday” through text using the Snap Chat giant-mouth-lips-eyes-filter+voice-changer. I just love how it conveys a completely mundane message with such pizazz! Of course, any message I’ve seen with this glorious filter I’ve laughed uncontrollably over.

My dad says when he gets to that on the text, “I see this lady all over Facebook!” Confused, I grabbed the phone from him, and laughed out loud for awhile. “Dad, that’s me. But that’s a SnapChat Filter.”, incredibly curious as to who on his Newsfeed is posting this. I love technology. I do.

Wouldn’t it be grand to have him auctioneer with that filter? I’m pretty sure it could go viral, without a doubt.

I also love 6th graders. Why you may ask? So, sure I elaborated on a kick-booty party based around Coachella about a month ago? Well, the girls were making a big deal out of the fact my sister is coming home this month, to live, and how she is “so cool”. I couldn’t wait to tell my sister about the adoration these kids had for her and because of that good attitude, I was blessed. They then added how most of the kids Reis’s age think I’m way young.

“Well, Girls, technically, I am young. I had Reis at age 19 which makes me one of the youngest Sixth Grade parents, for sure.”

Her friend blurted out, “No, no, no.. they think you're like 20.” 20, Tumblr. 20, Facebook. 20. Twenty Years Old. They may not be able to do Math or maybe it was an exaggeration but I will take it. Life is good.

I have to put a halt to the Electronicpalooza, here and now, wish me luck!

[secret-rendezvous1d]

IMAGINE THE MISSUS BEING THERE WHEN HARRY AUDITIONS FOR THE XFACTOR

WATCH THIS FOR A GOOD CRY.

She stayed the night before his audition because he asked her to. Because Anne gave her the all clear to spend the night and travel with them into Manchester the following day. Because Gemma wanted her to stay for dinner and it worked out. Because he needed her there to get his nerves to settle. Because he needed her there to give him his honest opinion on whether the song he was singing was the right song. Because he couldn’t sleep knowing his fate was in the hands of three people he’d seen on telly before. Tucked up in his bed, wearing one of his old sweatshirts, holding him as he sprawled himself out on the bed beside her and promising him that everything was going to be fine; that he had the best singing voice she’d ever heard, and that wasn’t being biased because he was her boyfriend and she was his girlfriend. That she was still going to love him, regardless, because she’s stuck by him until now and she’ll stick by him until the end.

They speak and stay up until the late hours of the night, when the clock struck midnight, because neither of them could sleep - well, it was more or less Harry that couldn’t sleep with the nerves bubbling around his belly as he tried to find a comfortable position to fall asleep in. Conversations rising about how glad they were to be on the verge of finishing school and how stress-free they were going to be during the summer, making plans to start driving lessons so they could drive anywhere they wanted to go rather than catching the bus or a train to a desired destination, making a plan that, if all things went wrong with his audition, that they would take a trip to the beach with a group of their friends and stay in a hotel room that was on the front to spend time with one another, post-exam season, before college began in the September. But by the time the time ticked past midnight, conversations about his audition and his future struck up; if he was to get big and famous, would he ditch her for another woman or would he have her by his side when he goes off to play songs all over the world? Would he forget all about his home life and up and leave to another city to live and spend the rest of days? But he was adament that she was in his future. Where he gave her the best life he could - “when m’big and famous and I have wads of cash in my wallet, m’going to give yeh the best life I can. It’ll be for you. I’ll do everything for you. And we’ll live in the best house we can find. In the best city we come across. I’m going to marry yeh and we’re going to have the best wedding that everyone wants an invite to, but, we’ll just make it close friends and family members. We’re going to have kids together to fill up our big house. A nice big family with about 4 or 5 kids. And we’re going to by a cat because I’ll be lonely without Dusty around.” - and where they were together to the end of time.

When they arrive at the arena where he’s carrying out his audition, he can feel the butterflies flutter around his belly. Hand slotted into his girlfriend’s where she can feel how sweaty his palm is getting, the closer and closer they got to the desk where he was given his number. His mother and his aunt and Robin following close behind with Gemma and his cousins drifting back a while but still following on course to queuing with the rest of them. He’s humming the song beneath his breath and grinning down at her with the number in his hand; a silent invitation for her to stick it on him, anywhere she fancied, as long as it wasn’t in an area that resided at his behind or his front. Between the waiting time and getting inside to finally do his audition, he’s standing with her and holding her from behind and taking silly photos with her because they need something to remember this day with, chatting with his mum about how nervous he was and how he was gutted his dad couldn’t be there to see him but how excited he was to see where this could take him, blushing shyly when they all complimented him and hiding his face into his missus’ neck when his cheeks became really heated.

When he’s pulled away for a quick televised interview that will air alongside his audition, his girlfriend chooses to bolt off with Gemma to grab a quick coffee and a little something eat before sliding back into the queue and waiting for him as he came back. A tea in her hand that she passed towards him when she saw him scuff his way back across the concrete. 

It’s when Dermot O’Leary comes over that excitement bubbles more. The nerves slightly disappearing when he sees the camera crew following in his path. His palm getting more sweaty as he clenched his fingers around hers in a tighter fashion. Hello’s and greetings being exchanged with hugs and handshakes happening before the formalities begin; questions over experience flooding in, chat about White Eskimo popping up whilst his girlfriend brought up how he’d won Battle Of The Bands at school - which was something he was extremely proud of achieving - and how he wanted to go forward from there. How he wanted to continue the feeling of being thrilled in front of people, by doing what he loved to do. By doing what he was good at, which was something his mother never fell short of telling him. Day in and day out, whenever she heard him humming along to a tune on the radio or when he’d popped in from a White Eskimo rehearsal that took place in the garage and she’d heard the song he was belting out.

“It’s more nerve-wrackin’ now m’inside,” he murmurs, settled in a seat, that had been sat on by many people throughout the day, that was set at a random angle in the space where people were waiting to be called in, “I feel like I’m about to poo my pants.”

“I don’t have a spare change of clothes,” his girlfriend teases, “you can slip on my jeans, if you want?”

“And have you walking ‘round with no trousers on? No way,” he smiles, nudging her arm with his elbow, “I’ll be fine. Just, incredibly nervous. There are so many people out there in that audience who have come to laugh at those who can’t sing and have come to compliment those who can. What if m’neither? What if they never boo and what if they never clap? What if it’s dead air? Silence? No cheers whatsoever? I’ll look like a bloody fool.” 

“Then we’ll all jump on stage and cheer. Get them all started,” Ben grins, punching his knee softly, “they’ll be able to her (YN) and your mum and Gem from behind the scenes anyway. You’ll be the loudest of all of them in there,” he adds, as Anne nods in agreement. 

“Regardless of what happens, we’ll support you no matter what,” Anne smiles, pulling him into her side and kissing his forehead, despite his whines, “you’ll be wanting plenty of kisses one day and I won’t be here to give you any.” 

“You’ll be around for ages, mum,” he smiles, pressing his lips to her cheek, “love you.”

“I love you too,” she coos, pinching his cheek softly, “you’ll be going in soon, I’m sure. Are you getting excited? Nervous? Worried?” 

“All of the above and so much more,” he admits.

When his number and his name is called out, he’s taking slow steps to the scenes behind the stage. Camera crew following his every move until he’s greeted by Dermot at the bottom of the steps, tellies all around that are focused in on different areas of the inside arena; one focused on the judges, one focused on the arena as a whole, one focused in on a specific section and a couple focused on the stage. After more greetings, and more hands being shaken, he’s clapped on the back.

“Listen, good luck out there,” Dermot grins, pointing back to his family, “wish him luck.”

And before Harry can twirl around, his girlfriend plants a good smack on his lips. Pulling away with a cheeky grin and whispering a good luck to him as his cheeks flush pink, his mother coming in for a kiss on his cheek and Ben pulling him back to press a kiss to the crown of his head. Playfully and dramatically trying to pull away before Gemma can get her hands on him to plant a smacker somewhere on his face.

And he struts out on the stage, leaving her view and leaving her behind with worry in her stomach but a smile on her face as she nuzzles into Robin’s arm and lets him cuddle her to his side. A soft “he’ll be great” leaving his lips as his audition begins and the cheers of the audience die down.

With introductions over, and a little talk over his girlfriend being backstage and over his job at the bakery and how popular specific pies were for the customer he has come in regularly for a lunch deal and how he’d just done his GCSEs and worked there as a Saturday job to earn a little money to buy his girlfriend and his family all the presents he could afford, he’s onto singing. With no melody or backing track playing in the background and no instruments assisting him; he goes acapella. How he sings around the house or in the shower or even when he’s at work and the bakery is empty after the lunch rush that came through when everyone took a break from work.

Behind the scenes, his mother is swaying from side to side and his sister is standing there, facing the cameras with a smile on her face. Ella standing beside her as she sings beneath her breath and Ben standing beside his own mother as they clap along to the gentle voice he had playing and echoing around the silent and anticipating crowd in the stalls. Robin standing with (YN) as they watch in awe of just how wonderful he was doing; all of them praying that the judges heard the right thing and agreed to send him through to the next stage, towards Bootcamp.

“You’re 16 years old and you have a beautiful voice,” Nicole smiles, nodding towards him as he blushes rosy red and thanks her softly, a smile on his lips.

But as the negativity came rolling off of Louis Walsh’s tongue, it set (YN)’s heart racing. He wanted a full house of yeses, but, she had a feeling he was coming off of the stage with two yeses and a no that would sit heavy on his heart and push him back a step in feeling confident with himself. Knowing he was feeling bad by the way his face dropped, regardless of the thank you that he gave towards him for the criticism that would help him in the long run. 

And from backstage, his girlfriend can’t help but yell out. 

“Rubbish!”

Which is something that Simon picks up on as something coming from the audience. But, Harry knows… He can tell from the sound of the voice that it’s his girlfriend yelling out in disagreement, how she was dumbfounded by how Louis considered her boyfriend too young and inexperienced. Continuing on with a praise and how, with a bit of vocal coaching, he could sound with some help coming his way with the help of the show. Because he was really good and just needed an extra push in the right direction.

With two yeses and a no, he’s off the stage in a hurry and in the arms of his mother before he could even express how he felt. Her arms winding around his neck as he squeezed her tightly and let her babble excitedly over how proud she was and how good he did up there in front of everyone. How he deserved three yeses from all of them but was even happier with the two he got from those who could tell how much he wanted it and how good he truly was; who saw a future for him, even if he was a bit patchy with his presence. 

“So, how did I do? Did I do good?” He grins, hands cupping his girlfriend’s hips as she rests her arms on his shoulders and runs her fingers through his hair, “think m’gon’a be famous?”

“I know so,” she whispers, leaning up on her toes and pressing a kiss to his lips, “I’m so proud of you. I love you. You did so good.”

“Think we can head off for some early dinner? I’m starving,” he chuckles, cupping her face in his hands, “I fancy a juicy burger. With everything in it. Chips on the side. A nice, big coke to wash it down with. What do you think?” 

“Whatever you fancy, Superstar.” xx

[circlesandsoundwaves]

"It was a huge empowering thing for us to accept and almost embrace the fact that we were gonna do this record ourselves.": Interview with Ben Lieber of Head North

Interview by Molly Louise Hudelson.

Photo by Eli Ritter.

Buffalo, N.Y.’s Head North released their debut full-length album The Last Living Man Alive Ever in the History of the World on June 2, and it was a long time in the making. Their last official release was a 2015 split EP with Microwave, and while they put out the first single, “God (Bring It Back)”, last July, “music industry bull crap” meant it was nearly a year till the album was released. The choice to self-release the album- an ambitious effort that’s also a concept album, revolving around a world where both God and love are forbidden- ended up being an empowering choice, leading to “an insane amount of confidence in ourselves.” Regardless of any external forces, the band- consisting of lead vocalist and guitarist Brent Martone, drummer Ben Lieber, bassist Alex Matos, and guitarist Eli Ritter- believe in what they’re doing more than ever. The Last Living Man Alive Ever in the History of the World sounds substantially different from the Microwave split or their prior EPs, Bloodlines and Scrapbook Minds, but it’s worth spending some time with. The “cosmic rock” album has 15 tracks and is 49 minutes long, and while they all revolve around the same theme, fitting together into a story line, each one sounds different. The earlier tracks hit harder but the second half is ethereal and ambient, and even features a spoken word installment (“Somewhere, n.D.”).

I spoke with Lieber a few days after the record was released, and we dove in to the recording process, their change in sound, and what fans can expect on their upcoming tour with Gates and Vasudeva. Read on for the full interview.

CIRCLES & SOUNDWAVES: For the record, could you state your name, what you play in Head North, and a fun fact about yourself?

Ben Lieber: My name is Ben, I play drums, and I like avocados.

C&S: You just released your debut full-length record- The Last Living Man Alive Ever In The History Of The World- that's a tongue-twister.

BL: It's a mouthful.

C&S: Yeah! The record came out last Friday, and it premiered the day before over on Substream- in the days leading up to the album coming out, what was going through your head?

BL: The record got put on hold for a long time, and for a while I was wondering if it was ever actually gonna come out, so for us to finally get in the motions of everything- we put out a song, we put out a music video- as it started to really happen it [was] kind of hard for me to grasp it. Initially, I feel like it just came out of nowhere; it happened really fast after such a long period of waiting that maybe I didn't get to bask in it as much as I hoped, but it's still- now it's out, finally.

C&S: You announced the name of the album last July- what took so long for it to come out?

BL: We got held up with music industry bull crap pretty much. We had finished our deal with our last label and were trying to find a home for this record, but it was a combination of having been off the road for so long and the record being, obviously, a huge departure from our previous sound- a lot of things played in to labels being very hesitant on picking this record up. We pursued avenue after avenue, talking to, you know, this new person who's gonna connect us to this label and yada yada yada, and it finally just got to the point where we realized that it had been so long since we'd had any sort of hype whatsoever- we had no movement behind us at this point- and we realized that there was no way that we were going to get any movement, get a tour offer or an offer on the record, if we didn't just put music out. We realized that that was the only way that this band was going to start gaining traction again.

And from the moment that we realized that, it was a huge empowering thing for us to accept and almost embrace the fact that we were gonna do this record ourselves and handle it on our own terms, and it's been awesome! I can't complain because we've had amazing support and it's been a really cool thing to go through putting out an LP ourselves. It's been crazy- a lot of work but it's been fun.

C&S: It sounds like the work has paid off.

Do you pay attention to what kids are saying online? Some bands are very in tune with what everyone's saying on Twitter and YouTube and whatever, and some purposely hold back.

BL: I take it with a grain of salt. I try not to care too much, but I also do value the thoughts and opinions of the people who care about listening to is. I feel like their voice is just as important as our voice. So, you know, I do read everything- I spend time talking to people and I think that that's really important- but at the end of the day, I don't weigh everything on it and I know that the record is sick as hell regardless of what anyone says about it.

I feel like what's come along with the whole self-release thing is an insane amount of confidence in ourselves and just knowing that, regardless of who wants to put money into us, we know that we're a good band and that this record is awesome and deserves to be heard by people. So- yeah, I don't know- I guess the answer would be I take it with a grain of salt. I do value it but not over-zealously, I guess.

C&S: No, that makes sense.

So you touched on it- I mean, anyone who's heard the record can say it's definitely a departure in sound from what you guys had done before, and it's a concept album as well- when you were first starting to work on this record, did you go in with this idea that it was going to be a total departure in sound and a concept album- or was that something that just kind of happened?

BL: Yes and no. We had this backbone idea for the storyline, I guess, but it wasn't uber-developed at the point when we started diving in to the record but [Brent] had had this idea for quite some time.

In addition to the- for lack of a better word- fictional story that the record tells, there's a lot of real life personal elements in there as far as what happened with the band, and why we stopped doing things, and us growing as people and moving out and whatever- and they kinda intertwined with each other- but as far as the story goes, the backbone was there.

As far as the sound- I have to give a lot of credit to the- truly, like, original sound that I think this record has- to the engineers that we worked with, Brett Romnes, Gary Cioni, and Kevin Kumetz at Barber Shop studios. This was our first time ever recording anything at a studio that wasn't in Buffalo and we just wanted to try something different. We connected with these guys in the studio through our booking agent and we did the one single "God (Bring It Back)" as a test run to see if we wanted to do a record there-which is why that song came out and then nothing- but we really, really liked it and then scheduled the recording time.

As far as recording techniques and everything, we just really did a lot of out-of-the-box, strange stuff, like- this is the first time we were able to have the whole studio to ourselves for two weeks- so we left everything set up and that allowed us to- A, go song by song instead of instrument by instrument- and B, jump on any spur of the moment idea that we might've had- and we had enough time to where it was okay for us to like, spend three hours on a random trumpet part idea that we had even if we don't end up using it, because we had the time, we had already paid for it, essentially, and the whole studio was at our fingertips for this. So that was incredibly conducive to us getting in the zone and [getting] our creativity flowing- like, I had never been so enveloped in a musical experience for that long- we were there for a little over two weeks, I believe, and the whole time I was just extremely down in it. I can go in to nerding out about weird recording techniques and stuff but the point is, we did a lot of weird shit that we've never done before and we kinda just ran with every idea that we had.

I feel like a great example of that is the bonus track, "Broke"- there's just so much weird stuff on that song. We were like, "Okay, this song is the bonus song, it doesn't really matter, we can put all this random shit on it."

C&S: Why is it the bonus track?

BL: Because it didn't fit the story of the record. It didn't really fit in any specific place. The rest of the songs were like, "Yeah, this song is gonna go here in the outline of the record because it fits, it makes sense"- but "Broke" never really had a spot in that. We were done recording the record at that point and we had a couple days left and we were just like, "Screw it, we'll just record that song and make it a bonus track." And we just had fun with it.

C&S: You are heading out on tour with Gates and Vasudeva in a couple days, and you had a tour in March with Heart Attack Man; when you were touring in March- you had announced the album title but I don't think you had announced the release date at that point?

BL: No. We played a lot of new music on that tour, too.

C&S: How did that go over? Did people get it?

BL: I feel like- yes and no, again. I feel like it went over well in that people vibed with how it sounded live; obviously you can take live music with a grain of salt cuz you can't really hear the vocals, whatever- but general consensus was people dug it, but they didn't get the full picture- they hadn't heard the full record- and we really feel like the full record needs to be heard to understand what we're trying to do here. There was definitely that little bit of, "Okay, this is just weird but I kinda like it"- but you know, regardless, it was cool to play songs and we did that as a kind of transition into this new, I guess, era. 

C&S: On the Gates tour, you'll be headlining the Buffalo show, can people expect to see you play, the whole record front to back, or is it gonna be mixing songs up from this and from older releases?

BL: I don't think we'll play the whole record front to back, simply because we haven't practiced that and we don't have another opportunity to practice before the tour. But we're gonna play a lot of new songs; we have most of the record rehearsed and ready to go. We're only playing new music on this tour; we're not playing any old stuff. That's kinda the deal.

C&S: Are you ever going to be playing old songs again? Or is that pretty much…

BL: Maybe. Probably... but we feel like the last tour that we did in March was people's chance to hear old songs again; and it was like, "Oh this band hasn't toured in a year, I wanna go hear 'In the Water' again"- and that's totally cool and we really appreciate that, but the record's out now and we're moving on, and we really wanna play new music.

C&S: Definitely. Wow- so you were not touring for a year- did you get restless at all? I mean, in 2014 and 2015 you were hitting the road hard.

BL: Oh yes, Molly. It was the hardest year of our lives, needless to say.

C&S: So you have this tour with Gates and Vasudeva coming up; what else can people expect from Head North this year?

BL: More tours. We're getting ready to grind- that's all I'm gonna say.

C&S: That's gotta feel good. Well, thank you so much Ben- anything else that people reading this should know?

BL: Thanks for your time and hope you like the record.

Thanks Ben! Be sure to keep up with Head North on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and their official website. The Last Living Man Alive Ever in the History of the World is available now; you can purchase a digital download or vinyl copy here and stream on Spotify here. Read our 2014 interview with the band here.  Dates for Head North’s upcoming tour with Gates and Vasudeva are below.

[bthenoise]

Play Ball: Riley Breckenridge Talks MLB Opening Day Plus 15 Years of Thrice’s ‘Vheissu’

Photo by Julius Aguilar

As you are probably well aware, most musicians have passions outside of music. Some like to draw. Some like to skate. Others, like Thrice’s Riley Breckenridge, enjoy America’s national pastime -- baseball. 

Growing up watching the game at an early age and later playing it in high school and college, the Thrice drummer has always been drawn to the bright lights of the big league.    

“My earliest memories are watching baseball games with my dad,” recalls Breckenridge. “He had it on at the house all the time. I'd go play in the yard as a little kid and as soon as there was an opportunity to play organized ball I played.” 

Now, with Thrice currently out on the road celebrating 15 years of their beloved  LP Vheissu and MLB’s Opening Day right around the corner, we figured what better time than now to catch up with the soft-spoken Puig Destroyer member and talk all things baseball.   

To check out our Q&A with Breckenridge discussing World Series predictions, the Houston Astros cheating scandal and how well his Los Angeles Angels are going to do this year (plus a little insight into the Vheissu tour), be sure to see below. Afterward, make sure to grab tickets to see Thrice out on tour here.

MLB’s Opening Day is almost here. Any thoughts? 

Riley Breckenridge: I'm excited. The Angels made a great addition in Anthony Rendon. I wish they would have got some more pitching but they haven’t done that yet. So I'm cautiously optimistic about the Angels’ chances. As far as the game as a whole, I think it's gonna be a weird season with all the Astros drama. I don't think that's going away anytime soon. I don't think Major League Baseball handled it properly. Because of that, I feel like players feel like they're gonna have to kind of fend for themselves and punish them in their own way. I don't know if that's gonna come in the form of beanballs or dirty slides or protests or anything like that, but it should be interesting to see how it all plays out.

How do you think it should all go down in your opinion? Like if you were pitching, what would you do?

I don't know. I'm not a big fan of the beanball war. Even though they're entertaining, I don't think I would enter into that if I were a pitcher. The risk of hurting somebody and then shortening a career is just too frightening to me.  

What were your thoughts when you initially found out about the Astros sign-stealing?

Super disappointed. I mean, I genuinely liked the Astros. I have a friend who works in the front office there. So even though I'm an Angels fan and they’re a rival, I really liked watching that team. I mean Altuve, Bregman, Correa, George Springer... they got a lot of really cool, good young talent and it was awesome to see them be so successful so quickly. So to find out that it came by some shady practices is super disappointing.

Aside from stealing signs from second base, do you think other teams are cheating similar to how the Astros did?

Well if you listen to Major League Baseball, they would say outside of the Red Sox, no, the other teams are not. But I have to think that with the tools baseball gave teams to do the instant replay stuff, challenging calls and stuff, they gave them the tools to do this cheating and they didn't police it well enough. So I would be surprised if other teams weren't doing it because it would almost be foolish in a way even though it's unethical. But I think there's a lot of stuff that goes on in baseball that we don't really know about and we aren't privy to. There's a lot of insider secrets.

Do you think sign-stealing is worse than steroids?

That's a tough question.

Some players say if you know what pitch is coming, that's a lot easier than just being a super muscular dude.

Yeah, that's definitely true. I mean, if you're taking steroids, sure you're going to be stronger and you're going to recover from injury quicker and there'll be less wear and tear on you during a long season, but you still have to hit the ball or throw the ball. So yeah, knowing what's coming eliminates a huge challenge.

Okay, so we're gonna get some predictions from you now. Who’s your pick for the World Series this season? And if you say the Angels, we don't blame you whatsoever.

No, I'm gonna go Yankees and Dodgers. Barring any catastrophic injuries, they clearly seem like they're a level above everybody. I think the Astros are gonna have a tough season just because of all the drama. There's gonna be a tremendous amount of scrutiny and it's hard to play through that. Even if you're immune to that kind of stuff, it's still difficult. But yeah, Yankees and Dodgers. They're both stacked. The Dodgers look like an all-star team.

The Dodgers getting Mookie Betts from the Red Sox is just insane.

Insanity, yeah.

So what do you think will win between the two of them?

I would say the Dodgers but the Dodgers seem to be cursed. They make it pretty deep into the postseason every year and they just can't finish.

Clayton Kershaw can't seem to get it figured out.

Well now with the cheating stuff, how much of his postseason struggles can you chalk up to the other team knowing what's coming?

Wow, that's very true. Okay, how about MVP and Cy Young predictions?

AL MVP, I'm gonna go with [Mike] Trout again. He's just absurdly good at baseball. Unless he gets hurt, there's no reason to think he's not going to be even better this year than he was last year.

Especially with Anthony Rendon batting before or after him.

A better, healthy Shohei Ohtani too will be helpful. AL Cy Young, I would probably say Garret Cole. A full season with the Yankees is gonna be nuts.

We assume you're pretty bummed he didn't go to the Angels.

Very bummed, yeah. I mean if they needed one thing this offseason, it was like a front end starter and he's legit the best pitcher in the game and he was available. The Angels definitely had the money to throw at him but they just couldn't do it.

NL MVP and Cy Young: I think maybe [Cody] Bellenger again or [Christian] Yelich and Cy Young, even though he's on a terrible team, it would be a repeat again but Jacob deGrom. He's just too good. I feel awful for him that he's on a terrible team.

Some people think the Mets might turn it around this season.

That would be nice if they weren't the Mets. Like, I feel like they just have a thing where even if they're supposed to be good, they can't be good. That's kind of like the Angels too. I mean, every year I'm like, “I think they'll be decent this year.” And then they're like 81 and 81 every season.

So before we jump into your current tour with Thrice, how did you get into baseball as a kid? Did you play Little League?

My earliest memories are watching baseball games with my dad. He had it on at the house all the time. I'd go play in the yard as a little kid and as soon as there was an opportunity to play organized ball I played. Then I played through high school and through my first three years of college but quit to do the band thing. Then -- I stopped doing this a few years ago -- but I played in an adult men's league with a bunch of dudes that played in college and some guys that were in the minors for a little bit. So it was super competitive and it scratched that itch even though I'm way too old to do that [laughs].

Did your brother and bandmate Ed ever have a passion for baseball? 

He played. He played until like sixth grade. He had one season where he got hit a bunch and he was kind of getting into skateboarding at the same time. So he was like, “I'd rather injure myself on a skateboard than get injured by somebody throwing a ball.”

So just talking a little bit about these shows. You guys are celebrating 15 years of Vheissu. What has the tour been like so far?

It's been awesome. It's been really cool revisiting this record. It's a record that we're super proud of. And you know, 15 years after putting it out I still enjoy playing every song in the setlist. I can't say the same for other records. Like, we play some old songs and I'm like, “Ehhh I wish we would have done this different or that different or I'm not a huge fan of this chorus or something.” So it's been cool to play those songs. The crowds have been awesome. Our touring family is awesome. The bands that we're out here with are great. Holy Fawn is incredible. Drug Church, I loved before this tour started but getting to see them live every night is... they're so fun, and they're so good and they're so tight. Patrick, their singer, is such a good frontman. And then, the mewithoutyou guys we've known for 12 or 15 years and they're an incredible band. I'm bummed that they're putting an end to it but I'm stoked we get to do this with them one last time before they go away.

When you guys were rehearsing these songs again, were there any that were really challenging to learn again?

A lot of them actually. I mean, there were two. There's one album track and one b-side that we'd never played before. And then I think there were only like four songs from Vheissu that are in regular rotation in our sets. So a lot of it was like, “Oh man, we haven't played this in like 12 years or 15 years even.” Like, we played it on the first Vheissu tour and then we just put it to bed. So it's cool. It's challenging too because there's a lot of stuff going on. So there's like samples and guys are playing keys too. So we had to figure out the logistics of it all and track down some old samples. So it was challenging but it's been awesome.

Looking forward to the future of Thrice, what excites you most about the band?

Seeing where our brains go for this next record. It's always an exciting and scary time because I feel like we always have an idea of what we want to do and then people start sharing ideas and we get a little bit clearer idea of where the record is going to end up. And then by the time we're done writing and recording everything, it ends up being something completely different -- in a good way, though. So I'm excited to see where we end up with this one.

Do you think playing some of these more experimental songs every night might influence the future record in a way?  

I think so. I think it's been a cool exercise to go back to a record that was so important to us as far as branching out and trying different stuff. It's inspiring to get familiar with that stuff again and that way of thinking and then head into a brand new creative process. It's like, it's a better headspace than just kind of rolling from the last record to whatever comes next.

Since you guys have come back from your hiatus, you’ve been pedal to the metal releasing new music and touring nonstop. Is that how you guys want to keep going?

Yeah I mean, I think after this tour is over we're going to go away for a little bit. We're not really busy for the rest of the year. I mean, we have deadlines that we're trying to hit and stuff but it's a little more relaxed then maybe the last record cycle where we finished touring, we started writing immediately [and] we were like under the gun finishing songs at the very last minute so we could get into the studio and record. This time around, I think we're going to take our time a little bit more and enjoy being home for a little bit.

A break is very well deserved.

The only bad thing about not working and being at home is that when you're not working, you're not making money [laughs]. And stuff still costs money when you're at home. So we can't afford to go away for too long but we're gonna go take our time and hopefully come out with something good.