#and then I’m just waiting on the cool bloody one they released for Black Friday(? I think) that I didn’t actually buy at first

[slicksquid]

never thought I’d say this but I actually need special power up chunks

[kim-miyeon]

Hell Above-Chapter One

PAIRINGS: Hwang Hyunjin X Female Reader

WARNINGS: Mafia!AU, strong language, violent scenes, use of weapons, mentions of blood, mentions of sex trafficking, murder, suggestive language, sexual scenes, unprotected sex. 18+ Please.

WORD COUNT: 6.8K

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This is a Wasteland, My Only Retreat.

The faint roar of the vehicle engine rumbled lowly as you sat in the driver seat of your car, both of your hands resting softly on the steering wheel. Your annoyed sigh released itself as your head turned to look at the sleek folder that laid in the seat next to you. You smirked to yourself as you averted your eyes back to the rusted standing building in front of you. The allure of the night caused the whole scenery to match the mood of this dreadful evening. Your eyes scanned over the area surrounding, four black cars parked to the left side of the building, the whole estate heavily guarded with about fifteen men, the soldiers. You stared for a bit before looking up to your rearview mirror and allowing your eyes to observe you. It was almost cliché the way you looked for the part you played. The way your features could kill a man alone and you knew that better than anybody. Reaching your hand into your purse that sat on your lap, you pulled out an item that was set to complete such a look of power,  your blood red lipstick. You moved closer to the rearview to get a better view as you applied a layer of the tint on your lips, bringing your character to life. You rubbed  your lips together and cleaned around the edges before your eyes naturally diverted to a dark figure walking towards your car.  You groaned in annoyance as you unbuckled yourself and grabbed the folder to the right of you. Turning your keys in the ignition off, you opened the car door, throwing your legs over onto the pebble ground, where the heels of your black boots met. Your whole appearance could have blended into how dark the night became as you wore black jeans and a black sweater, paired with your favorite black trench coat. The only color that could be determined was the deep red on your lips and the silver gun that hung by your side. 

“YAH Y/N!”  the voice of the figured called out and you heard the thick accent of an Australian native come through

You slammed the car door shut behind you as you inhaled the cool freshnes of the autumn night. Shifting your direction to the young man walking closer to you. He had a slim figure, soft blonde strands that fit his small face and hints of freckles that coated him. On a usual day, he would be smiling and spreading his contagious positivity. But on nights like this, he was different. We were different.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” He asked sternly, voice low and accent deep. You walked towards him with the folder in your hand.  

“Is that anyway to greet your elder, Felix?” You smiled back playfully, shoving the folder into his chest. He grabbed a hold of it flipping through the contents before looking back at you.

“How did you find out?” he sighed in defeat. 

“Well, I heard you caught a mouse,” You said as you started to walk towards the building,  with Felix following, “the cat wanted to play.”

“You shouldn’t be here, Y/N,  you know you can be comprom-” 

“Cut the bullshit Felix,”  You waved your hand,  pushing away the topic. “Just tell me what you know.”

Felix groaned and you looked over to him, stopping both of your tracks, “He was one of the associates. Caught taking pictures and asked too many questions.” 

“Is that why the soldiers are here?” You asked, arms crossing over your body. 

“Mhm. We don’t know which associate can be trusted, and didn't want to create more trouble.” 

You squinted in confusion at his statement and Felix bit his lip as if he was debating to reveal anymore. 

“We think he might be working with ‘Y’.” 

Y. The alias name of a mystery person who has had multiple failed attempts in trying to reel you out. Or reel out whoever they can in all honesty. Pathetic and yet intriguing, as you and your family have been on the hunt for this mystery person for the past 6 months. Your interest spiked up to the new found information. 

You laughed sinisterly as you turned back to walk towards the entrance of the building. “God, I love a good Friday night.” 

“Y/N, I’m serious. You really shouldn’t be here. We don’t know the multitude that ‘Y’ is working on,” Felix pleaded.

“So we find out.” You stated.

 “We are. YOU just can’t be here because Min-“ you stopped in front of the door to the warehouse and you turned around to Felix who cut himself off from finishing his sentence.

“Because what, Felix.” You gritted.

Felix sighed and looked at you. 

“Minho doesn’t want you here”

You clicked your tongue and scoffed in disbelief at the sentence. You felt the blood bubble in your veins as the adrenaline from anger rushed through you. 

“Last time I checked, Minho wasn’t my fucking boss.” 

You marched up to the warehouse doors and pushed it open. Felix following you as you both walked into the dark and musty place, smells of decaying animals and blood surrounded you immediately, which could have bothered any normal individual, but the smell was too natural for you. 

Straight ahead was a dim light shining on a profound scene. Your sight was captured by a man tied to a chair, hands cuffed behind him, blood hanging from the ends of his hair dripping down his cheeks and arms. Barely hanging on to whatever life he may have left, he raises his head to a man who you assumed performed such a violent assault. The man’s brown hair was sweat ridden and he wore his white dress shirt with sleeves rolled up.  On his hand sparkled a set of brass knuckles that he wiped off with his handkerchief. Walking closer, you witness the man as he swung his forearm back and connected another blow to the captured man's face, earning splatter of blood to the floor and a grunt from the victim. You scoffed softly as you approached such a disappointing scene. 

If it weren’t for the loud clicks of your heels to suggest your arrival, it could have been the dark demeanor you had when you came into the lit area and the man looked at you, first in surprise and then annoyance. It was hard to admit, but he was attractive, his muscles bore through his shirt and pants. His face was one that could ruin a woman. His dark sweaty hair stuck to his forehead from the work he put in for the night. He scoffed when he saw you and you crossed your arms over your chest and smiled at him. 

His eyes switched his gaze to Felix who approached behind you.

“You had... one job.” Stepping forward and raising his finger to emphasize Felix’s one job of the night, implying that it was to make sure you weren’t there.

Felix bowed his head in an apologetic manner and you laughed as you looked down at the floor and the back to the man.

“You’ve been relieved of your duties for the night Minho, you can go.” 

He laughed at you and came closer, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“It wasn’t a suggestion.” You stepped closer to him.

Minho paused and looked at you as you held his gaze sternly. He finally let up, cursing in the air, understanding the consequences of disobeying you. 

Minho turned to grab his coat and walked away calling out for Felix to come with him.

You breathed out in content and removed your coat. The man sitting in the chair raised his head slowly as he had heard your heels come closer to him. You grabbed his bloody chin and forced his head up to look at you as you examined to damage Minho had done. 

“Tsk tsk tsk, he really did a number in your face.” You let go of his chin and he hung his head low again. 

“Who are you?”

“Who am I?” You smiled at the question asked, “I can be whoever you want me to be.”

The man raised his head slightly as he saw you walk over and grab an empty chair, pulling it to sit across from him. You sat down and crossed your leg over the other one and pulled out a box of cigarettes from your back pocket, along with a lighter. You pulled a cigarette out with your mouth and lit it as you inhaled deeply. The smoke burning the back of your throat, almost sobering you for a second.

 “Who am I?”  you reiterated, “ Well truthfully, I don’t think that’s as important. I actually came here cause I wanted to get to know you more”

“I already told the man before that I don’t know anything.” 

You sucked in air as you pulled the cigarette out from your lips “See I could believe that, however, I know that’s not true, right... Danny?”

You paused as you saw no reaction, “ … or is it better to call you...SungHo.” 

He looks at you in immediate terror and you smile, inhaling another drag.

“How do you-“

“Kim SungHo, father to two beautiful young girls, Mina, 3,  and Hyerin, 5. A loving husband to Kim Ji Hye for 10 years. Congratulations, your anniversary was last month right?” You asked innocently as you watch the man in front of you begin to widen his eyes to your knowledge. 

You pulled another drag from the cancer stick, “A former professional photographer. You had your own business that went bankrupt, right? So you opted into your dangerous pleasures to feed your girls, huh?”

“I was just doing what I can,” He mumbled.

“Life in prison without parole. I heard they were even considering the death penalty for the men they found, men like you, right SungHo?” You scooted closer to him as you watched a tear roll down his face. 

“Did you like taking photos of those girls? Did you like watching them beg for their lives?”

He cried and choked on his own tears as you stood up and flicked the cigarette to the ground and stomped on it to put it out. 

“Tell me who you work for SungHo.”

“I can’t” he choked out.

“Oh SungHo, you don’t want to make me mad. I’m worse than that man before. Way worse.”

Sungho just cried and you grew intolerable to the minutes that past as you waited for information. You knew that beating him the way Minho did was foolish. So you did the one thing none of those bastards could ever. You grabbed your gun and cocked it back aiming for his head as he cried softly. You notice the lack of adrenaline, the almost inviting acceptance he was having to a moment of death you could implicate. So you moved your aim towards his groin.

“STOP! STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” he screamed. 

“Tell me who you work for Sungho, my patience is at an all time low.”

“I DON'T KNOW HIS NAME, HE WENT BY Y!”

“What did he want?”

“HE WANTED TO KNOW IF THE LEE FAMILY WAS STILL OPERATING, HE ASKED ME TO TAKE PICTURES AND FIND OUT WHO THE BOSS IS. TOLD ME TO BECOME AN ASSOCIATE TO DO IT!”

“When’s the next time you’ll see him?” He paused and you lowered your gun and fired a gunshot right into his crotch. He screamed in pain and you aimed your gun back at his head. 

“ANSWER ME!”

“HE DIDN’T SEE ME, HE CALLED ME. TOLD ME TO GO TO THE TRAIN STATION AND DROP OFF MY CAEMRA BY THE HOUSE WITH THE MAILBOX!” he cried out as he looked down and saw the blood dripping from his crotch. “PLEASE, HE SAID HE’D KILL MY FAMILY IF I DON’T DO THIS! PLEASE!”

You stepped back and relaxed yourself as you had found all the information you needed. You stood back looking at him as your mind thought back to the kids he had. You can’t protect them y/n. You watched as Sungho cried out in the pain as he bled. Your curiosity got the better of you in the moment as you twirled your gun.

“Did you find out who the boss was?” 

Sungho breathed out heavily,“I took pictures of the man before you.” 

You smiled in disbelief, “and you believe him to be the boss of the Lee Family?”

“The associates say that he is the only one they have seen and fits the description of the son of Lee Won-Shik.” He looked up at you and your face went pale. 

That name. One that you knew too well. Your father’s name.

You aimed the gun back at his crotch and fired another bullet in anger. SungHo screamed and gritted as blood began to pool from his groin area, surely ending whatever reproduction system he had left.

“I TOLD YOU EVERYTHING.” 

“I know, it’s a shame.” 

The pain you inflicted caused you to wonder how painful it could have been. You just watched him bleed out and scream as he begged you for help. You turned and saw the camera lying on the table and you walked over to pick it up. You scrolled through pictures of Minho leaving offices and greeting people, people who worked for your family for years. Any leakage of this information could be detrimental. The whole thing put a sour taste in your mouth. 

“Unfortunately Sungho, you won’t be dropping off this camera tomorrow.”

“NO, NO, PLEASE!” 

“It’s a shame. A man who watches girls younger than your own daughters be taken from their families and exploited in such a distasteful manner… makes me sick.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” You walked over and you cocked your gun back again as you aimed the gun to his head. 

“Also, Lee Minho doesn’t run this family,”

You turn to Sungho who was crying in pain and pulled the trigger of your gun watching his head fall back as blood and pieces of his head splattered, coating the wall and floor behind you both. You move away and placed your gun back in your holder as you turned back to grab your coat, walking toward the exit. Leaving Sungho’s dead body to bleed out. 

“I Do.” 

**********

Outside, you see four men talking as you closed the large door behind you. Their views shifted on you and you watched as Minho walked up to you in anger.

“Three gunshots. You killed him.” He spat. 

“He saw my face.”

“I had everything under control.” 

“An interrogation that lasted two hours is your version of under control? What kind of questions did you ask Minho? What kind of camera does he use? Can he get you a deal at Best Buy?” you mocked.

“Like he told you anything! You were in there for 30 minutes and now we have a dead man and no information, I bet. I bet you killed him because he disrespected you as a woman! I know that really gets your blood boiling and you act like a deranged child!”

“Do you want a demonstration?” You grabbed your gun and aimed it at him until you hear a yelling from behind Minho. 

“GUYS SERIOUSLY.” You turned your eyes to the boy who yelled out at you and sighed as Minho began to relax is demeanor. “We are family, we shouldn’t be fighting like this.” 

“Seungmin’s right, we could be in a world of trouble and we need to work together now.” Felix reassured as he walked up to you and Minho and pushed your gun down. 

You walked up to the group as Minho avoided eye contact with you. You stood next to Seungmin who was looking at you with caring eyes. You smiled because he was the type to always bring down the heat of conversations and make everyone regroup. Next to you stood a smaller boy, with blue hair. He had a soft fox like face and you smiled at him as he admired you. 

“What information did you find?” The younger one asked you and you nodded. 

“He worked for ‘Y’ in exchange for immunity to his crime charges to come later this week. That camera is supposed to be delivered tomorrow at the train station on the west side but unfortunately there’s been a delay.” You looked the boys who were nodding their heads all except Minho. 

“And I saved both of are asses tonight, Minho. The associates are talking a lot among themselves, they believe you are the alleged son of my father. He has pictures of you meeting with secret partners. Had I kept him alive, our secret would have been revealed and the Hwang family would had found you, not just ‘Y’.” You informed. 

“Thank you.” he muttered. 

“Everyone report tomorrow 9 AM sharp. Seungmin put together a strategy plan for going forth on the ‘Y’ issue. Felix  dispose of the body near the train tracks, make sure you make a note for ‘Y’ to see. Minho,-”

Minho looked at you carefully having calm down from the interaction earlier, “Kill all the associates. None of them can be trusted.”

The boys all parted was and the youngest member stood by your side looking to you innocently. “What would you like me to do?” 

“I need you to go find Sungho’s family and bring them to safety tonight. Don’t tell the others about it Jeongin, keep your tracker on. Take your soldiers with you.” Jeongin nodded and you hugged him close as he went off. 

You walk towards your car and your phone dings in your coat pocket. You pulled it out and read the message that flashed across the screen. 

“Just got on to my connecting flight, see you soon ❤️-HJ” 

You smiled and put your phone back into your pocket, as you opened and sat in your car, ready to go home.

*************

You opened the oven and was blasted with a rush of heat as you removed the roasted potatoes in the pan and placed it on your stove top. The sound of the ongoing sizzle was still coming from the potatoes drowned out by the soft playing of jazz that you had in the background on your speaker. To the left of your view was the  piece of steak you had searing on your pan. It had been a while since you had a nice home cooked dinner. It had been a while since you two have eaten together like this. It had been a while in general. Since you last saw him, leaving you a kiss, one that you still remember fleshed on your lips, and watched him drive away. Just the thought of you two being in the same room made your stomach flip. He was captivating in the sense that he could make you drown in his aura and remove everything around you. It was like you were light like a feather, floating around him, and he was the gentle hand that caught you every time. You blushed to yourself, deep in thought as you began to place the food on the plates you had grabbed from the cabinet above you, remembering how incapable you were when reaching all the dishware in your house, becoming grateful for the way he towered you and helped you in these moments.

You just missed him. And it was difficult for you to admit to yourself that he made you feel secured. There was always fear when you thought of him and how you felt towards this man only to be reminded of how deep of a hole you dug for yourself. Your heart ached every time you had to remind yourself what your true mission was, what the point of this relationship meant. And yet, you pushed it all away. You turned an eye to the ratchet truth because you needed more time. It was a constant fight between heart and mind. Playing a double character all this time exhausted you even when you felt like you were completely and unapologetically yourself in front of this man.

You carried the plates over to your small dining room table and placed them at each end. Stepping back, you absorbed the smallness of the dining room area in your home. You laughed as you took in the lack of luxury in the space, and the lack of luxury in general. You lived comfortably, you never felt drowned in bills, you never went hungry. You had a roof over your head and a bed to sleep in. And yet, if anyone were to ever find out about your true income, they’d wonder why you opted to live in a one story house on the north side of town. You were able to buy the whole damn country if you wanted to. You were able to live a life of luxury and protection, but this is what he wanted. He wanted to show you that he is not who he really is and you acted like you didn’t know what he did, who he was. All these years, he played a character too. That’s how you knew that he loved you the same, if not more. You knew that in order to be with you, he had to tell you, because you had to know what it meant when you took his last name. But in his secrecy, you saw the need of protecting you from a world you already knew so much about and also the aching to hide away and be normal. 

You sighed as you reached over to the bottle of wine you had on the table. You unscrewed the bottle and grabbed your glass as you poured yourself a decent amount of red lush. You raised the glass to your lips as you walked slowly to the mirror on the back wall of your dining room. You looked at yourself, watching how the simple silk black dress hung loosely down your chest. Smiling, as the silk draped over your breasts teasingly and stopping just inches from your knees. Your hand caressed your collarbone, down to your chest as you rose your other arm to bring the glass of wine back to your lips. You drifted your eyes from the mirror to your drink as you took another sip of the sweet liquid. It was almost alarming the way your attention was brought back to the mirror when a figure appeared in your peripheral. Your eyes widened in shock as your breath sucked in rather quickly. You looked at the man through the mirror, as he stood long and tall. Dressed in a pair of freshly pressed black slacks, a white long sleeved satin shirt, and blonde straight hair that was tied in his most comfortable form. Half up with two strands caressing over his face. His complexion was such a creamy tone and had a natural airbrush effect. His thick pink lips were painted on his face with intent to make a woman go insane. His eyes were sharp hiding his dark orbs that made your heart flutter. 

Ethereal would be an understatement to describe him. He simply was created by all the gods.

He smiled softly at your longing gaze through the mirror, sticking his hands in both of his slack pockets,  tongue drifting over his bottom lip naturally. 

“I didn’t hear you come in,” you managed to choke out as you turned around swiftly to now face him.

“Should I have knocked?” The sound of his voice was honey and danced through your ears. It almost made you shudder. You exhaled a breath at his comment as he began taking small steps towards you, looking at the mess you made in the kitchen. “What’s all of this?” 

“I made dinner.” You sat the glass of wine on the table as you felt your skin tremble with anticipation as he made his way over to you. 

“What did you make?” He was so close, voice dropping volume as he walked closer to you.

“I-I made s-steak and p-potatoes,” closer.

“Mmm,” he hummed and got closer.

“and s-some salad-d…” closer.

Until there he was, in front of you. Eyes finally connected, his natural scent and cologne invading your sense of smell, you wanted to drown in it. The heat of his body could be felt on your own as he kept taking steps, making you stumble back until your back was against the wall. He removed a hand from his pocket and placed his fingertips on your forearm, brushing softly, slowly and teasingly dragging his fingertips up your arm as you felt goosebumps form.

“I thought maybe we could, sit and eat..”

Fingertips now close your neck, grazing over your shoulder blade. He tilted his head and his eyes looked down at your body and slowly came back to match yours. He hummed at your words and you eagerly let him stroke over your sensitive neck. It felt like years since you’ve been touched and the thought of him taking you, all of you,  flooded not just your mind, but your core. 

“That all sounds very nice but,” he paused as his fingers slid up to your chin pulling it gently to face him as he started down at you. He was now  centimeters over your face, you were convinced you could already feel his lips graze yours. “I’m actually craving something a bit more….sweet.” 

You were almost in euphoria, your mind was clouded with anticipation and desire. Lust was dripping down your legs and you were falling down a hole. Everything around you went black and it felt like it was just you and him. You barely heard the words that came out of his mouth.

“there’s ice cream in the freez-“ 

“Just kiss me.” 

You nodded frantically as he pushed into you against the wall. One of his hands slamming against the wall, the other wrapped around your waist as he brought you closer to his craving body. You had your arms wrapped around his neck pulling him deeper. His lips molded over yours in such an artistic way. It was simply amazing the way you two fit into each other, as if the heavens created you from the same strand of souls. One in body, spirit, and mind, you both became. You longed for the taste of him and it was as if on cue, he connected his tongue with yours, deepening your kiss. There was so much fire and passion, it was as if you two were begging for this. You moaned into him, feeling the vibrations against his lips as he pulled away from you to catch his breath. Eyes hooded, orbs dark and the light of the room stinging your sight as he moved his head to pepper kisses on your bare neck. Your body responded to him by tilting your head to the side and he used his free arm to slip down the back of your thigh, hiking your leg to his hip. The wetness of his tongue coating the hidden veins of your neck as he nipped softly, earning the sounds of your moaning. You felt his hard aching dick push near your core as his fingertips brushed further up your dress, barely touching where you needed him the most. He pulled back, panting and eyebrow cocked up at you as you licked your lips craving his delicious taste again.

“No underwear?” You felt your blood run cold as you remembered your lack of undergarments under the dress. You knew this was how you two would end up but your mind had erased every detail you had planned the moment he revealed himself to you. You just smiled seductively to him as he growled.

“I know my baby girl didn’t think she was going to tease me tonight.” 

In one fluid motion, you were lifted off the floor, legs around his torso as he carried you to your kitchen island sitting you on the cold surface, your bare ass touching the marble and you hissed at the sudden feel. He wasted no time pushing all your dishware away and you heard the sounds of metal crashing to the ground, as he made room for you to lay. 

“Normally you would have been punished for that,” he uttered referring to your attempt to edge him on. He pushed you back so you could lie on the counter, you grunt as you felt the shivers down your spine. He pushed the  fabric of your dress up, revealing your dripping  heat. He nearly groaned as he saw the way you glisten and wasted no time taking his long finger to drag  up your slit. You arched your back in delight as your pussy throbbed painfully for him. He leaned over your body, lips close to your ear as he let a low hot breath.

“But I’m fucking starving.” 

You watched as he leaned down your body and bent his knees to make himself align face to face with your core. He never broke your gaze as he did so and you hitched a breath as you felt his velvet lips kiss your inner thigh.

“Don’t tease,” you moaned out involuntarily. It was all too much, your mind was so foggy and you heard his low chuckled.

“I have to savor every part of my meal, babe”  his hot breath hit your wet lips and your breathing heightened. It was agonizing.

A sigh of relief and a cry from your lips rang out as he dragged his long hot tongue over your slit, collecting every drop of arousal you produced and laying flat against your throbbing clit. Your hands immediately rested on his head, fingers intermingling with his soft hair. You pulled yourself up in reaction as he lapped you sensually, drinking you, eating you. You were a mess, eyes shut and rolled to the back of your lids. Intoxicated by the way he performed. He looked up at you as you cried and heaved, sweating beads forming from the edges of your hairline. Profanities slipping from your mouth with every movement he made against you. You felt his tongue part your slit and insert inside of you, lapping all he could, moaning into you. You laid back and groaned, hips bucking up at him to chase more. Licking his way back up to your needy clit, he took the bud into his mouth, sucking and licking it. You felt two of his long digits slip into you with ease and stretching you out. 

“Oh my fucking god.” You cried out as you felt him bring you close to your edge. The white hotness built in the pit of your stomach and your legs began to shake. You felt his fingers curl inside you and he lapped deliciously, eyes looking at you as you held on to his head. He smiled as he saw your fucked out face and your mouth was opened, loss of words. He pulled back from your pussy and replaced his ministrations  with his thumb as he kept fingering you. Leaning forward he kissed you, your juices coating his face as you tasted yourself on him. He moaned when you arched your self into him and he pulled back to look at you. He knew you wanted to cum. He could feel the way your walls pulsated against his fingers and saw how fast your chest was rising and falling. Licking his lips he came closer your face, forehead resting on yours, one hand now pushing your hips down and the other fucking you into ecstasy.

“Cum for me baby girl.” He pecked your lips softly as you moaned “Cum for daddy.” 

Your body spazzed and you cried out to him as he enclosed your cries by kissing you passionately. His fingers slowed down their pace and pumped into you deeper, thumb grazing over your worn out clit, which made you convulse every time he flicked over it. He pulled back and stood over you, pulling his fingers out of your dripping core. You tried to catch your breath as he raised his fingers to his lips and slipped them into his mouth. You watched as he sucked your taste of him. It made your cheeks flush red and grow needy again watching the erotic scene. 

“I missed the way you taste,” he smiled at you. You smiled back and found the strength to raise your body to him, sitting up and grabbing his belt loops pulling him closer to you. He bent down and cupped your face as he kissed you again. Your hands fiddling with his belt and buttons of his pants frantically, craving his dick more than ever. You wanted to watch him come undone the way he did with you. As you started to unzip his pants he pulled back and placed his hands over yours. Your innocent eyes looking into his in confusion as he held your hands away from his pants. He knew what you wanted to do, but he had other plans.

“Later, love. Right now I just wanna be inside you” he said softly. You smiled and he resumed, taking his pants off along with his underwear. You watch as his hard dick sprung out of the fabric and you gasped in delight. He wasn’t big or small, but the perfect length, the perfect girth. You licked your lips in the thought of being filled by his cock. He took a hold of his dick  and rubbed up and down your slit, coating himself with your cum. You groaned due to your sensitivity and lied back down on the counter again.

“I can’t wait to ruin you” he stated as he inserted himself into you. 

“Oh my god, Hyunjin.” You slipped his name out for the first time of the night. His hands slammed on the side of your head, as he hung his head low by your neck, stretching you out. You heard his sighs and groans in your ear. He slipped an arm under your head, pulling you close to him and you gripped his shirt as he whimpered, “Even after all that and your still so fucking tight.” 

He snapped his hips into and you yelped. He groaned into your neck and his free hand found yours as he intertwined his fingers with yours. 

“Faster, daddy” you whimpered.

He lifted his head to look at you, “You want it faster, love?” 

He was pumping in and out of you slow and deep. His body melding into yours and your juices slipping out, pooling under you. You bit your lip at his question and you nodded. He pushed his way up and towered you again, grabbing a hold of your legs firmly. He began to quicken his pace as the room was filled with the slapping of skin. The feeling of him inside you was immaculate and you cupped your breasts through your dress as your mouth slipped out anything that came to mind.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck” 

“You like that baby girl, you like when I fuck you like this?” 

Your back arching off the counter again as Hyunjin fucked you into another world. It was almost impossible for this man to not bring you into a state of bliss. Each snap of his hip hit you in exquisite ways. His deep grunts and moans sent bubbles in your stomach you watched as he would roll his head back to the pleasure you gave him. The way he spoke to you in moments like this were difficult to overcome. You could cum just by his words alone.

“God y/n you feel so fucking good.” 

You could feel the pit of your stomach grow light again. Your walls began to pulsate around him and he could feel that you were chasing your second orgasm of the night. He smirked at you as you began to convulse, feeling the white heat rise to your ears.

“Are you gonna cum again, love? Am I making you feel that good?” 

“Yes Hyunjin, fuck, you’re fucking me so good...” 

“God dammit.” He growled. 

Everything paused for a second as Hyunjin grabbed you off the counter, still inside of you, and he carried you to the dining room, kicking one of the chairs out for him to sit on. He sat down bringing you on top of him, slamming down on his slick member. 

“AHH,” you moaned, tossing your head back at the different angle you had of him.

His hands rested in your ass and he leaned into your ear, “fuck yourself to oblivion, love”

You nodded as you rested your hands on his shoulders. You began to rock yourself back and forth on his dick, moaning loud. His hands helped you as you felt your orgasm grow closer and you began to lose your strength. 

“Come on baby, give it to me,” you rocked faster and faster and soon you felt your orgasm inch closer. The pit of your stomach churned and the walls of your pussy clenched. “That’s it baby, cum for me.” 

You cried out again and you felt your lower half give out to the intensity of your orgasm, you stopped moving for a second as you breathed in heavily trying to catch your breath. Hands still resting on Hyunjin’s shoulders and head hanging low, you felt so light, so spent. Hyunjin gripped your hips and began snapping his hips up into you, your eyes shut tightly as you gripped him, screaming. Your head now resting on his shoulders, body almost limp to the overwhelming orgasm you just had. Hyunjin fucked into you like a mad man, having not reached his high yet. You moaned into his ear at the overstimulation as he grunted to you. You finally felt like you had enough strength to finish him off and you began rocking yourself back to meet his thrusts.

“FUCK” he yelled as you didn’t let up. Your lips found the skin under his ear and you lapped and sucked on it tasting the sweat that formed in his neck from tonight.

“I’m gonna fill you up so fucking good.” 

You smiled against his skin as his thrust grew sloppy. Your lips moved to his ear and you placed a soft kiss before whispering, “do it, baby.”

He groaned on cue and whimpered as he snapped his hips into you hard. You felt the warm spurts of his cum hit your walls inside you and you didn’t let up to the way you rocked against him, wanting to milk him dry. He gasped and tried to hold you still, unable to handle the sensations. 

“Fuck, oh my god y/n,” he sighed as you stopped overstimulating him and just sat there in the chair with him still inside you.

You raised your head to look at him, both of you  fucked out, and you smiled as you leaned in and kissed him again. He cupped your face into the kiss and held you there. The heat radiating of your sweaty bodies and the smell of sex filled the air as the both of you kissed each other with so much need. Pulling back slowly, you rested your forehead against his with your arms around his neck.

“I am never leaving for that long ever again” he stated and you laughed as you moved a piece of his hair off his sweaty forehead, fingertips lightly touching his vein that the top that always came out when he was working hard like that.

“You were gone for a week” you responded and he pecked your lips a few more times and moaned softly.

“A week too long” he smiled and caressed your lower back as you still sat on him. “I missed you too much” 

“You’re back now, and I’m not letting you go anywhere” you kissed his nose cutely and he pulled you in for another kiss.

“Sorry about dinner.” 

“It’s okay, I’m glad you got what you were craving” he smiled.

“Oh honey, that was just an appetizer” he stated as he lifted you both up off the chair. You felt him grow hard again inside you as you laughed. He kicked his pants off his ankles and began walking you to your living room. Finding your couch, he laid you down and kissed your neck as you giggled. He pulled back and made a goofy smile as you reached your hand to caress his face. He tilted his head to kiss your fingertips softly as you smiled adoringly to him. 

“I love you so much y/n”  He leaned in to hover over your lips and your heart skipped a beat to his words.

Because you knew that no matter what, you were falling into that hole, deeper and deeper. And you didn’t know if you wanted to escape, no matter the consequences. Because this, here like this, with him was all you wanted. For the rest of your life. 

“I love you too Hyunjin.”

***

A/N: Ahhh, it’s out. The first chapter!! I hope you like it and are excited about the series as I am! If you made it to the end and are reading this you are loved <3 

[hellimagines]

Indebted to You -- Barry OBX

Masterlist

Summary: As JJ Maybank’s older sister it’s always been your top priority to protect your little brother. Even if that means easing your father’s temper by indebting yourself to Outerbanks’ top dealer.

Warnings: child abuse, frequent dr*g mention and dr*g dealing (of the non-oui’d variety), paying off someone else’s debt non-conventionally

Pairing: Barry x fem!Maybank!reader

Word Count: 2.4K

DISCLAIMER: Please, for the love of fuck, DO NOT do hard dr*gs just because you think they’re ‘cool’ or because you think dating a dealer is ‘cool’. Believe me when I tell you that neither of those things are cool, and that is NOT what I am trying to get across with this story; I don’t condone hard dr*g use.

A/N: This is something I pulled out of my ass because I wanted to write for Barry really bad, but I didn’t have any ideas. It has potential but I’m not sure if it’s gonna go anywhere. Also, Barry may be a little OOC since we don’t get much from his character. Anyway, I hope you guys like this and let me know what you think!

You released a slow, aggravated huff while staring down at your drunken father. He sat hunched over on the couch, with his elbows digging into his knees and his gaze trained on the coffee table before him. Behind you, your younger brother was curled into an armchair with a frozen bag of expired peas pressed against his left eye and a bloody tissue under his nose. You yourself had a welt already throbbing and beginning to swell on your cheekbone, but you ignored it in favor of kicking your dad’s limp foot. His head shot up, neck cracking with the unexpected speed, and narrowed his eyes at you dangerously.

“You had some nerve steppin’ in on something that wasn’t your business. What’ve I told you ‘bout stickin’ your nose where it don’t belong?” he snarled while attempting to stand, but was pathetically unsuccessful due to his inebriated state. All he managed to do was stumble and fall back down on the couch with a grunt. 

You rolled your eyes, “And what’ve I told you about mixing your whiskey and blow? I already have your grave dug outback, and the sooner you keep this shit going, the sooner I get to toss your ass inside it.” Luke scoffed at your words but didn’t offer a rebuttal as he flexed his bloody knuckles. “JJ didn’t touch the fucking money-- I’ve been keeping ahold of it so nothing goes missing before I head to Barry’s. You’d remember that if you weren’t fucking high or drunk all the time. JJ’s got his own job and is making his own money, he doesn’t need to jack your rolled bills for anything.” 

You pulled out a wad of recently-flattened bills, shaking the cash in front of your dad’s face. It was roughly $600 that you had made the past weekend while bouncing from Kook party to Kook party. Luke’s eyes widened at the sight of the money and he instinctively reached out to grab it from you. Your arm jerked back and you clutched the wad tightly before shoving it back into the pocket of your leather jacket. 

With a shake of your head, you looked over your shoulder and gave your brother a once over, nodding to yourself after assessing he wouldn’t be dropping dead anytime soon. “Why don’t you go to JB’s? I’ve got shit handled here and I heard the waves were supposed to be good before the sun sets.” 

“You sure? I can go with you-”

“Over my dead body. I got involved in this so you didn’t have to. Scram, before I change my mind and make you clean the kitchen.” JJ frowned but did as he was told, depositing the peas back in the freezer before making his way out the front door. You turned back to your dad, who was now laying on the couch with an arm thrown over his face. “I don’t have many more runs to do before we’re out of this shit-eating debt you caused with Barry. Keep your paws off the cash and we won’t have any problems, okay? You can’t fuck this up before I manage to fix it. Please, dad,” you whispered pleadingly and lowered yourself to the edge of the coffee table. 

Your dad peeked open an eye at you before laughing darkly. “You’re running the game, princess. The streets know you, but even worse, those rich Kooks know you and know what you have to offer. That won’t be forgotten, especially with how good you’ve been running that shit. You’re not gonna be getting out anytime soon, so what’s it matter if a couple twenties go missin’ or a gram gets cut on our table? Don’t piss Barry off and don’t get caught by the cops, and you’ll be set for life.” 

“No, I’m not like you,” you growled as your lip curled into a sneer. “I don’t wanna keep dealing and end up bitter and angry and alone, like you. Once I’m finished working off your debt, I’m done.” 

Luke shot up from the couch in the blink of an eye, towering over you while gripping your jaw tightly. You could feel his fingers painfully digging into your skin, pressing against your teeth, and making you wince. “Doesn’t matter what you fucking want. This isn’t your world, princess. Once people know who’s moving product in the streets, you’re stuck. So you may as well embrace the Maybank name and take what you can while you can. Now, be a good girl and go make daddy proud,” he hissed in your ear, before roughly letting go of your jaw by flinging your head to the side. You teetered off the edge of the table and fell to your side on the floor, but Luke didn’t spare you a second glance as he stepped over you and stumbled to his room. 

After pushing yourself to your feet and massaging your sore jaw, you shot a glare toward the direction of your father’s room. “Fuck you,” you spat quietly before leaving the house and slamming the door shut behind you.

By the time you made it to Barry’s trailer, the sun had set and the small grassy area Barry called his ‘backyard’ was lit up with lights, noises, and people. You made your way around the trailer, nodding to a few people you recognized before you found Barry lounging in a lawn chair with a beer in his hand. His smile was wide and dirty as he laughed with the people surrounding him, seemingly at ease with everyone. When he noticed you walking toward him out of the corner of his eye, his smile brightened and he shouted out for you.

“Ay, look who it is!” he yelled, waving an arm out toward you while the others cheered at your arrival. “I was just thinkin’ about you, sweetheart. C’mon, sit down with me. I left a chair open just for you,” Barry smiled, gesturing to the black lawn chair beside him with a Mikes waiting in the arm pocket. Despite yourself, you couldn’t help but to snicker softly at him and take the offered chair. 

“What made you so certain I’d show up tonight?” you hummed teasingly while opening the spiked limeade that had been waiting for you. 

Barry grinned over the lid of his beer, his brown eyes watching you intently as you drank from your bottle. “Because I know you, sweetheart. Sunday nights are your drop-off nights.” Your cheeks warmed at his comment, but you played it off with a scoff and shake of your head. “I wanted to make sure you were more comfortable tonight, so I kept that chair open for ya and grabbed your favorite while on a liquor run.” 

A harsh scoff came from a chair on the other side of Barry, and you peeked around him to see who it came from. “Special privilege for his new fucktoy, what a surprise,” the voice muttered, and you recognized it as one of Barry’s frequent buyers, Sherry. You’d never had a conversation with the girl despite having gone to school with her in the past, and even though she was always at Barry’s get-togethers, she typically seemed more focused on her next fix rather than talking with anyone.

“The hell is that supposed to mean?” Barry snapped, turning to look at her with a clenched jaw. He seemed to purposefully be blocking her view of you, and you remained silent as the altercation unfolded.

“You know what it means,” she snapped back. “Whenever a new piece of trash starts selling for you, you put your dick in her and use her until another one shows up. But, you never bought them their favorite bitch-drink or saved them a seat, so what makes this one so much better, huh? Why does she get to sit in the big, nice chair next to you, but the rest of us have to have three-legged chairs and warm beers? What about her cunt makes her so much better?” Marie shouted, causing a couple of the others to whistle in disbelief. 

Before Barry could respond, one of the boys in the circle spoke up. “Maybe it’s cause she’s not a psychotic bitch who snorts the blow instead of selling it.”  You could hear Marie’s angry gasp at the diss, and when Barry gave her a pointed look rather than defending her, she flipped off the group before storming away. 

“Remind me why we let Sherry stick around all the time?” Someone questioned as you idly picked at the label on your bottle.

“Because this ain’t a fuckin’ gated community,” Barry scoffed as though it was obvious. The other chuckled in agreement before the conversation picked up and everyone went back to their own thing. You cleared your throat awkwardly once the attention was off of you, not knowing how to respond-- or if you were even supposed to. Barry gave a deep sigh, “Sorry about that, sweetheart. Don’t listen to anything she said, Sherry just hasn’t been doing great since she lost custody of her son. You’re not a fucktoy and I ain’t got no intention of using you like that.”

“Don’t worry about it, she’s going through shit and I get it. I shouldn’t stay long anyway, Luke’s fucked off his ass and if I’m gone much longer he’ll flip,” you shrugged, reaching into your pocket and pulling out the cash as you spoke. “I made about $600 this weekend, and I know it’s not as much as it usually is, but someone had already hit up the beach and two of my usual places by the time I was able to start selling. So, I was stuck at Rafe’s party all of last night and only a handful of small pickups on Friday night.” You handed the wad over to Barry with an apologetic wince. “I still have some blow left over, so I’ll try and push a few eight-balls before the weekend. I’m sorry it’s not more.” Barry flicked through the cash quietly as you explained everything to him, before folding it into his pocket once it was all counted. He finished off his beer while looking you over, causing the nervous feeling in your stomach to grow. 

“Sweetheart,” he began with a shockingly gentle sigh, “You ain’t gotta apologize for any of that shit. You’re cleaning up your daddy’s debt because he’s too useless to do it himself, yet you’re not bitter or angry at everyone because of it. I’ve heard of the way you stick by new users throughout the night, making sure they’re using safely and doing okay. You still go to your day job and take care of your brother and his shithead-friends despite being up past dawn most days. You’re doing great, and I don’t ever wanna hear you apologize for thinking you’re not doing enough.” 

Your cheeks flamed and your eyes widened in shock as you spluttered helplessly at the man in front of you. “I wasn’t implying that I wasn’t doing enough! I just know how much my dad owes you, and $600 weekends are gonna take too long to pay it off.”

Barry raised an eyebrow at you before grabbing onto the arm of your chair and tugging you closer to him. You yelped at the sudden movement, bracing yourself for the inevitable collapse of you and your chair. Barry laughed loudly at you when you squeezed your eyes shut and gripped the chair tightly, but there was no mirth or mock behind his laugh. Once the chair stopped moving and his laugh slowed to a chuckle, you breathed a sigh of relief.

“Relax,” he chuckled, reaching out to move a strand of hair out of your face. “I wasn’t gonna let you fall, just wanted to talk to you better.”

“You could’ve just asked me to move closer,” you grumbled, casting your eyes to the side as your cheeks flushed. “And I told you I can’t stay long to chat.”

Barry gave you a nonchalant shrug, “Where’s the fun in that? Besides, if your daddy’s got an issue with you keeping me company, I’ll just go and have a talk with him. I don’t want you worrying about him when you’ve got enough going on. Stay for a bit, sweetheart. I’ve got a whole cooler full of those Mikes, and you’re the only one I’m allowin’ to drink ‘em. If you really wanna go, I won’t stop you, but I want you to know that I don’t mind you stickin’ around me for a while.”

You bit your lip as you considered Barry’s offer, quietly looking out at the happy party-goers. It was calmer than any Kook party or Boneyard Blowout you had attended, and you had to admit that you loved the calm and welcoming atmosphere. Barry’s warm hand settled over your propped up knee, bringing your attention back to his hopeful eyes. 

“Okay, fine,” you caved and Barry squeezed your knee in delight. “But, you have to go get me a drink. Sherry was right, this chair is comfortable as fuck and I don’t wanna get up.” 

“Whatever you want, sweetheart,” Barry teased and patted your knee before leaving to grab your drink. You stared after him with a bashful smile, unable to help yourself as the nervous feeling in your stomach evolved into flustered butterflies.

‘Shit,’ you groaned to yourself, ‘I’ve got a schoolgirl crush on this motherfucker. I’m so screwed.’

[fly-flower-fanfics]

Mercy

Patrick x Male Reader

Warnings: A couple gay slurs, abuse

*I didn’t feel comfortable writing vivid abuse so I hope this is okay.*

~~~~~~~~~~

I held hands with my boyfriend, Mark, as we walked down the school hallway. I smiled and said goodbye, but he tugged my wrist roughly, yanking me back against his chest with a sweet smile on his face.

“You didn’t kiss me goodbye,” he pouted, blinking his big blue eyes.

I pressed a light kiss onto his lips. “Better?” I asked, laughing softly. “Goodbye, Mark, I’ll see you after shop.”

I felt myself sigh in relief as I walked closer to the shop classroom. There was just... things about Mark that made me not like being around him. He made me feel like I constantly had to have my guard up and one wrong move would set him off.

Mr. Callahan wasn’t in the classroom yet when I got there, and a small part of me was disappointed. Shop class was the only class I really liked and felt comfortable in.

I headed toward my normal seat in the front of the classroom. I liked to work alone, and no one else sat in the front except for Patrick. Patrick had quickly become one of my best friends.

“Hey, Nothing,” I said to Patrick as I sat down beside him.

He turned to me. “Hey, Something.”

I laughed softly to myself and shook my head. “You ever gonna let ‘Something’ die?”

“Not until you let ‘Nothing’ die,” he replied with a cheerful smile on his face.

“Touché.”

I settled back into my seat, closing my eyes and letting out a soft sigh. I was excited for class to start, but at the same time, I found myself feeling the same feeling of dread every day at the beginning of this class. Like I never wanted it to start so it wouldn’t have to end.

“You okay, Y/N?” Patrick asked me, leaning forward and settling his arms on the desk. “You’ve been acting funny lately at the start of class. Everything going okay?”

I nodded, not wanting to worry Patrick since I didn’t even know what was going on. “Just anxious for the class,” I said, hoping that sounded convincing enough and was a satisfactory answer for the boy.

“You’re like, the best in here. I’m scraping by!” he laughed, shaking his head.

I watched the way his wavy black hair bounced, and I found myself smiling. Patrick was the first openly gay man I had come into contact with when I first came to this school. It was odd, seeing as though he was the only one, but I’d catch glimpses of gay couples in the halls.

Patrick turned and smiled at me. His smile was... perfect. His perfect lips formed a perfect smile around his perfect teeth. All I wanted to do was grab his face and kiss it.

I turned away from him.

I have a boyfriend. What the hell am I doing?

Thankfully, Mr. Callahan walked into the classroom, and class started. It was the same as it was yesterday: working on a clock. Patrick and I chitchatted as we worked. Or, mostly, as I worked. Patrick was just sort of watching me.

I felt all giddy and blushy as I felt Patrick’s eyes on me. I felt like a stupid little boy falling in love for the first time. Why didn’t I feel this way about Mark?

The bell rang all too soon, signaling that the day was over. The familiar feeling of dread reappeared in the pit of my stomach.

I walked with Patrick out of the classroom, laughing about some stupid joke he told me. The laughter died away when I caught a glimpse of Mark in my peripheral vision. I tried to push the image away, but somehow, someway, Mark must’ve noticed that I’d seen him, and he started to walk towards me.

“I-I gotta go Patrick. I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” I gave him a soft smile. Tomorrow was Friday, and we had plans after school to go to the school’s dance. Even though both of us didn’t dance, Sam, Charlie, him, and I were going to go. To just... have a good time. As friends.

As friends. Part of me felt sad to say that, but I didn’t understand why. Did I really love Patrick? Was that who I was falling for? Then why was I with Mark? Why couldn’t I get myself to leave? Maybe tonight... tonight we could talk about it.

“Mark?” I asked, once he was close enough. “Can we talk about something tonight?”

“Of course,” he replied, winking at me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and began leading me back to my locker so I could grab my backpack. “Anything in particular?”

“I-I’d feel more comfortable waiting until then,” I said softly, barely being able to be heard over the crowd of students that was passing by us.

Mark stayed silent until we were out in his car, and he was driving me home. Mark was the first to speak up. “I don’t want you hanging around that faggot Patrick kid so often,” he said.

I frowned. “Patrick is one of my best friends. Don’t talk about him like that. He’s gay, just like you and I.”

Mark rolled his eyes, chewing on a toothpick, rolling it between his teeth. “Either way. I don’t want you going to the dance with him tomorrow. I want to go with you.”

I turned in my seat. “Mark, you promised. You said I could go with my friends. I’m going with Patrick and Charlie and Sam. It’s not just him. It’s not a date! You don’t even like dances, Mark; you said so yourself. So why all of a sudden do you wanna go with me? You know I was looking forward to this.”

“Because I fucking said so,” he growled, his grip tightening on the wheel.

He pulled into my driveway, and I got out of the car. I didn’t like crying in front of Mark, and he didn’t like to see me cry. Except I heard the slam of his car door and knew that this conversation wasn’t over.

“I’m not finished with you,” he said, grabbing my arm and whirling me around viciously.

I winced at the amount of force he used to grab me. Tears pooled in my eyes and I fought to keep them down. “I’m finished with you right now.”

A hand slapped me across the face, causing me to freeze. I couldn’t believe he had just slapped me in the face like that. No, it wasn’t the first time he had hit me, but it was the first time he slapped me across the face.

“Don’t you ever speak to me like that again, do you hear me? Never. We’re not done until I say we’re done. You’re not going to the fucking dance with that faggot and that slut and that freak, and that’s final. I don’t care if you don’t go with me, but you sure as hell aren’t going with them.”

Tears rolled down my cheeks, and I sniffled. “You promised!” I yelled. “You promised I could go with them. They’re all I have, Mark! They’re my best friends, and we all have been looking forward to this. I’m going. I don’t care what you say.”

There was another slap to my face and while I was reeling from it, his large hand wrapped around my throat, pulling me closer to him.

“Look, I don’t give a single damn what I did and did not promise or did and did not say.” His grip got tighter, and I could feel it getting harder and harder to breathe. “You are. Not. Going. To that dance. Now get your ass inside. I’m done seeing your fucking face.” He released my neck with a forceful push, causing me to fall and scrape my hands, leaving them bloody.

Mark got back into his car and drove away. I sat in the driveway for a little while just crying until I got up and walked inside. I went to the bathroom first, cleaning my hands and making sure the new cuts on them weren’t dirty. When I looked in the mirror, I noticed the red handprint mark on my neck.

I winced even though it didn’t hurt anymore and turned away from the morrow. I put bandaids on my hands and went to the bedroom, slipping into a turtleneck shirt. Sniffling, I wiped my eyes on the sleeves and picked up my phone.

“Hello?” Patrick’s voice rang through the small device.

“Hey, Patrick,” I answered back.

Immediately, however, he knew there was something wrong. “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

I shook my head, feeling my lower lip quiver as fresh tears welled up in my eyes. “Ah, I-I can’t go to the dance tomorrow...”

“What? Why not?”

“I...” I closed my eyes and rubbed my cheeks, wincing a little as I rubbed over my right cheek. It still stung from where Mark had slapped me. “Something came up...”

Patrick was silent for a couple of moments. “What aren’t you telling me, Y/N...?”

I squeezed my eyes shut now, trying to stop myself from crying again. I didn’t want Patrick knowing I was crying. It wouldn’t go well for either of us. Patrick would be here before I could even tell him no. He always took care of me like that.

Though being in Patrick’s arms was something I so desperately wanted... I wanted him to hold me. To tell me everything would be all right. I wanted to be surrounded in his scent. To feel the warmth of his body against mine.

Fuck. I’m doing it again. I shook my head to try and clear my thoughts.

“Mark and I fought,” I explained, holding back the rest of the truth. I wasn’t technically lying. Mark and I really did fight. But I couldn’t tell Patrick that Mark had hit me again. Hell, he didn’t even know Mark hit me in the first place. “We fought, and now I don’t really feel like going to the dance anymore.”

I hated lying to Patrick, but I couldn’t tell him the truth. That was purely off the table. No way.

“Going to the dance would help clear your mind,” Patrick replied. “It would keep your mind off the fight. You two should keep your distance for a day or so if the fight was bad. Let things cool off before you go back into it. Going to the dance would be good for you, Y/N.”

I knew he was right. I knew it. But Mark would be so mad if he knew that I went to the dance... “Okay,” I found myself saying. Fuck whatever Mark thought. “Okay. I’ll go. I’ll go. It’s been too long since I’ve been able to hang out with all three of you anyway.”

I could almost see the smile on Patrick’s face, and butterflies filled my tummy. I cleared my throat, trying to keep my mind off of that. I have a boyfriend.

“That’s awesome!” he said. “I’m glad you agree with me. We’ll make it a good one. You won’t regret it.”

“I have to go, Patrick,” I said, offering a small smile even though he couldn’t see it. “Take care of yourself. See you tomorrow.”

Once I hung up, I immediately burst into tears. There was no way Mark was going to let me go. I knew that. I knew that. I sunk down on the couch and covered my face with my hands. I just made a promise I couldn’t keep. Unless I snuck out. It didn’t seem like Mark wanted to be with me anyway...

~~~~~

It was eight o’clock, and I found myself button in a white button-up and a black bow tie. I had on black jeans as well. It wasn’t perfectly dressed up, but it was enough.

There was a loud knock at my door, and when I opened it, Patrick was leaning against the doorframe. He had his fingers against his lips. His body was decorated in clothing similar to mine, but he had a jacket on as well, one that had white sides and made him look more flashy.

“Are you ready to come out and play?” he asked, and I laughed.

I shoved him back playfully and closed the door behind me. “Fuck yeah.”

I got in the truck with him and said hello to Sam and Charlie. The four of us blasted our own music as we headed to the school once again for this dance.

Once we got there, we all seemed to agree that it was a wash. They were playing shitty music. So we huddled in the corner, just sort of swaying back and forth to the beat of the music that was playing. I didn’t really know much of the music; it wasn’t my taste or brand.

However one song caught my ear, and I grabbed Partrick’s arm, stopping him mid sentence. “They’re playing good music.”

“What?” Sam asked, frowning.

“They’re playing good music!” I said, excited.

“Holy shit. Holy shit! They are! They’re playing good music!” Patrick shouted, grabbing my hand and Sam’s, pulling us into the dance floor. I managed to catch Charlie’s hand before I got too far away and pulled him along with the rest of us.

We all danced to the song, danced like no one was watching and danced like it was the last night of our lives. And it was perfect. Everything about tonight was perfect.

However, the dance soon ended, and we got back into the truck. We were still laughing and carrying on like the stupid teenagers we were. We reached my house, and I got down and out of the truck.

“Thanks, guys. That was amazing. I’ll see y’all later. Stay safe!” I called, closing the door behind me. The three of them waved as they drove away.

I opened the door to my house, humming one of the songs to myself before my heart immediately stopped.

“I thought I told you not to go to that dance.” Mark was sitting on my couch, his arms folded over his chest like he was my father catching me sneaking in from a date.

“I had promised them, Mark,” I said softly, tucking my lower lip between my teeth. “I just wanted to fulfill my promise to them.”

Mark stood up and walked over to me. He felt a lot taller than he actually was as he loomed over me. “I told you. Not. To go. And you did.”

Before I could do anything, he reached out and slapped me in the face. I cried out, gripping my cheek in my hand.

“Fuck, Mark! What the hell is your problem!” I shouted before realizing what I said, and I knew I was in so much trouble.

He grabbed me by the throat. “What the fuck did I say about never talking to me like that!”

After that, I shut down. I watched myself get abused from the corner of the room. It didn’t even feel like it was happening to me. He punched me, kicked me, yelled at me. It was all like I was watching some movie.

It was only after Mark shouted, “We’re fucking through!” and slammed the door behind him did I feel all the abuse.

My body ached. I felt drained and empty. I closed my eyes, sinking against the couch. My face was stained with tears and blood. I didn’t even want to shower and clean myself off though I knew I was going to have to. I closed my eyes tightly but quickly winced and stopped.

I reached for my phone with a trembling hand and called Patrick. I didn’t know what else to do. I wanted to be alone, but I was horrified that Mark would come back. He always had bursts of energy, and once was never enough for him.

“P-Patrick...?”

“Y/N? Are you crying? What’s wrong?”

“Can you come over...?” I whispered into the phone, hesitantly. Even if Patrick sped over here, Id still have time to take a quick shower. I winced as I pushed myself back up off the couch.

“Yeah. Yeah, of course. What’s up?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” I mumbled. And with that, I hung up. I didn’t even say goodbye. Fresh tears rolled down my cheeks as I headed to the bathroom.

I managed to get myself into the shower and began to wash myself off. The water was much hotter than I wanted it to be, but I didn’t have the energy to change it. And I wanted him off of me. I wanted his touches and his scent and everything that belonged to him off. And I felt the only way I could do that was wash it off with hot water.

Once the water began to run cool, I shut off the water, dried off, and put pants on myself. I looked in the mirror and inspected myself.

My bottom lip was cut, and it was clear my left eye was going to bloom into a black eye. The rest of my bruises were still rather faint, some darker than others, but visible enough to be seen. I slid into an oversized sweater so Patrick wouldn’t be able to see a majority of the damage that Mark had done.

I wandered out into my living room once again, not really having a destination in mind. I felt like a ghost. Like I had no place to go. But I more felt like none of that had actually just happened. Like Mark and I were still together, and he hadn’t just beaten the shit out of me.

My eyes glanced toward the door when I heard a frantic knock at it. I knew it was Patrick, but I found myself frozen in place, unable to move and go toward the door.

“Y/N? Y/N, it’s me. Let me in,” Patrick said, knocking again.

I still couldn’t move. I felt like the door was miles away; I’d never get there.

“Y/N! Please let me in. What’s wrong?”

And before I knew it, my handle was settled on the doorknob, opening it, but I didn’t recall how I’d gotten there.

Patrick’s face fell as he noticed the state I was in. He quickly ushered me back toward the couch so he could close the door behind him.

“What happened to you, Y/N? Who hurt you? What’s going on?”

“Mark—” I took notice to how hoarse my voice sounded. “Mark... we broke up.”

Patrick pulled me closer to him and wrapped his arms around my waist, allowing me to rest my head on his shoulder. He didn’t say anything for a long while. He just held me in silence. Maybe he was waiting for me to talk. I didn’t know. But I didn’t want to say anything.

“Did he hit you?”

I nodded, but kept silent. I closed my eyes, inhaling shakily, breathing in Patrick’s scent.

“I’ll kill him.”

“Patrick, please... just leave it... I never wanna see him again...” My grip tightened around his waist, almost like I was holding him back from getting up and actually doing it.

“Why would you let him do that to you? You’re so much better than that.”

“We accept the love we think we deserve,” I said softly. “And that’s what I thought that I deserved.”

“Hey, Y/N, you don’t. You don’t deserve someone like that. You never did. And I’m so sorry we didn’t get you out of there sooner. I wish I would’ve known.”

I didn’t say anything back, and Patrick said nothing else when I didn’t respond to him. I genuinely thought I deserved to be treated that way. Maybe I was just doing something wrong.

I sighed and closed my eyes, wishing all of this was just some awful nightmare. I wished things with Mark would’ve ended differently. I wish things with Patrick could be different but now he’d think I’d be using him as a rebound. And did he even want me like that in the first place? He couldn’t. He wouldn’t.

“Could you stay the night, Patrick? I just... I don’t want to be alone...”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course. I’ll take the couch. I’ll be around if you need me. Any time. Don’t be afraid to wake me.”

I got up, gently shrugging off his grasp, and I gave him a smile or something that resembled one. “Thanks, Patrick. You can watch TV or grab something from the fridge. I don’t care.” I bent down and kissed his forehead before going back to my bedroom.

I got myself under the sheets and rolled into my side. Thoughts flooded my head, and I knew there was no way I was going to school on Monday. I didn’t want to face Mark.

I closed my eyes as soft whimpers left my lips. Eventually, I fell asleep.

~~~~~~

I woke up the next morning, aching and stiff. I rolled over and stifled a scream as I noticed Patrick on the floor, bundled in blankets. I didn’t realize he’d come in last night. Maybe I’d asked him to. I didn’t remember last night...

I couldn’t help but take notice to his sleeping figure. How his messy hair was even more of a mess. The way his chest rose and fell evenly and peacefully. The way his face was calm and tranquil. Something I wished I was.

I swung my feet over the side of the bed and got up, tip-toeing around him to the bathroom. I felt the need to take another shower as the thoughts and memories from yesterday settled in.

I turned on the water after I got in, but sat on the floor instead. I let the water run over me, but I didn’t feel like getting up. I just sat there and started to cry again. I’d just lost my boyfriend — which was the least of my worries — and got beaten up and then called up my best friend and told him I’d gotten smacked around. And now here I was, sobbing in the shower.

Once I got myself to my feet, I gently scrubbed my body and washed my hair. Everything hurt. The warm water helped, but I still felt achy.

I hit out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my waist before looking into the mirror. My black eye was definitely swollen. My neck still bared a red mark. My chest was littered with bruises here and there as well as my stomach. My wrist still held a faded mark from Mark’s hand.

I turned away and redressed myself. I didn’t want to look anymore. What did Patrick think of me...? What? Why did I care what Patrick thought of me? But even at the thought of him, I felt my heart get lighter. Butterflies flew around in my stomach as I thought about the fact that he was on my bedroom floor right now.

Fuck... is this what real love is...?

I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against the bathroom door. I nearly jumped out of my skin when there came a knock from the other side.

“Y/N? You okay?”

I opened the door to see a sleepy, yet concerned Patrick standing there.

“I’m okay,” I said with a soft smile. “I’ll let you shower and stuff. You can use the bathroom. Shower if you need. Whatever. I’m sorry.”

“No need to be sorry,” he replied and let me pass. “Do... do you remember anything you said last night?” he added hesitantly.

I shook my head as my heart fell to my stomach. “No.” What the fuck did I say?

“Okay.” He seemed relieved at my answer. With that, he closed the door.

I went back to my bedroom, wondering what the hell had happened last night. Did I embarrass myself? Did I embarrass him? Did I say something I’d regret? That he didn’t agree with? Something I wasn’t supposed to say?

Oh my god.

Did I tell him I loved him?

I didn’t. I couldn’t. But did I?

Shit.

Patrick came back into the bedroom a few minutes later with a towel draped around his shoulders. He was shirtless. Shirtless. Really? Did my hwart have to stutter now? My brain swoon now? Really?

Did I even want a relationship after what happened with Mark...?

I shook my head slightly to clear it of thoughts. That didn’t matter right now. I didn’t even know what had went down last night.

Patrick was now putting a shirt on and replacing himself on the floor, his arms wrapped around his knees, hugging them.

“Patrick...?” He nodded. “What happened last night? I... kinda tuned everything out. I don’t even know how you got in here. Well, I know you walked, but I don’t know why,” I rambled.

“You we’re having a nightmare,” he explained, “and so you asked me to stay in here in case you had another one.”

I sighed softly, swinging my feet lightly and brushing them against the carpeted floor. “Did I say anything else?”

Patrick’s eyes darted away from mine for a split second. “No.”

“Patrick...”

“I swear!”

“You’re lying. I know your tell.”

He sighed. “We... had a conversation after your nightmare. Well, it was mostly you rambling about Mark and how you never truly loved him. How he scared you and told you that this was the relationship you were meant to be in. The things he called you and did to you.”

“That’s it...?” I asked, almost afraid to.

“You asked me if I ever felt love before.”

Great. So I embarrassed him.

“So I told you,” he continued. “I told you I was in love with someone. Someone smart and handsome. Someone who needed love, but didn’t quite realize it. Someone who was slowly falling apart even though he tried to be strong. And I loved him for his kindness and sweetness. The way he loved everyone he could. Treated everyone with a gentleness few possessed. A man that would give gifts so gay that I would think I’d given them to myself and a man that was just... perfect for me.”

I smiled softly. “He sounds like a wonderful man.”

“He is. He just doesn’t... know.”

I frowned a little. “Why don’t you tell him?”

“Because he’s told me he’s scared that his next relationship will seem like a rebound. That he doesn’t think he wants one yet.”

Patrick looked down at his knees and was silent. I didn’t realize he was crying until he looked up at me again. My heart broke at the sight of his tears and I got down onto the floor with him. He stopped hugging his knees. His lower lip trembled as he spoke.

“Why can’t you save anybody?” he whispered.

“I-I don’t know, Patrick. It’s... hard to save people. It’s hard to help them. It’s hard to protect them, especially when you have feelings for them.” I laid a hand on Patrick’s shoulder. “But I’ll always be here for you. I promise.”

He looked up at me, cupped my face in his hands, and pressed his lips against mine. I was taken back by the sudden action, but I eventually kissed him back.

He pulled away all too soon.

Patrick looked down at his hands that had now returned to his lap. “I-I’m sorry. I... I’m just in love with you. And I want to save you. To take you away from things like Mark and the stressors in your life. But I don’t know how.”

I took Patrick’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I just need you by my side right now. I love you, too, Patrick, I really do. But I’m scared of having a relationship right now.”

“You said last night,” he said. “And I know. I understand. I’ll wait. I’ll wait for you. I love you. I love you so much. I love you, and I have for a while.”

“I-I never felt true love until I started falling for you,” I admitted, giving him a warm smile.

It felt like everything that yesterday was hadn’t happened. All that mattered right now was Patrick and I. And the fact that we could have something beautiful.

“I’ll wait for you,” he repeated. “I’ll wait until you’re ready to be in a relationship again.”

“I really appreciate that. That means more to me than you’ll ever understand.”

I pulled him into a hug and buried my face in his shoulder. He hugged me back, his hand gently cupping the back of my head. I closed my eyes and breathed out a sigh.

Patrick and I would be okay. I would be okay. With him by my side, I felt like I could handle anything. And right now, I was in his arms. That was all that mattered to me.

I finally felt safe.

[lovemesomesurveys]

January (Month Survey #1)

Warning: These surveys are long. Take at your own risk.

National Days

Jan 1. National Hangover Day: What’s the worst hangover that you’ve ever had? The one after the last night I ever drank. That night was horrible. I got so sick and it was embarrassing and ugh it just ended up ruining the rest of the night. I still trip out because I honestly don’t recall drinking that much, but I got really drunk. I guess the drinking games made me lose track or something. Thank goodness for my best friend at the time who took care of me. I couldn’t really sleep that night cause I got sick a few times and just felt like shit and the rest of the day I just did absolutely nothing. I didn’t even want to look at alcohol for awhile.

National Bloody Mary Day: Do you believe in the Bloody Mary folklore? No, but I still don’t mess around with that kind of stuff.

Euro Day: Do you have any Euros? No.

National Black Eyed Peas Day: Do you like listening to the Black Eyed Peas? How about eating them? The group was cool, I liked a few of their songs. I’ve never had actual black eyed peas.

Apple Gifting Day: What’s your favorite type of apple – red, yellow, or green? I’m not an apple gal. Well, when it comes to the fruit. I love Apple products haha.

New Year’s Day: How did you celebrate New Year’s? My mom had to work until 11PM and my brother was at a friend’s house and was spending the night, so it was just my dad and I. We got takeout and watched the New Year’s Eve shows, but he ended up falling asleep a couple hours before midnight. My mom got home just in time to watch some of the New Year’s Eve shows before midnight and then we watched the ball drop, so at least I wasn’t alone. My dad slept right through it lol. It was a very chill night.

Jan 2. National Buffet Day: Where’s the best buffet in your area? The only buffet I liked was Mongolian BBQ. You put your noodles, meats, veggies, toppings, and sauces yourself and then they cooked it right in front of you on a big, round, super hot grill, so I felt comfortable consuming it. Other buffets where the food is brought out for everyone to have access to... yeah, no thanks. 

World Introvert Day: Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert? Oh, I’m an introvert all the way.

Swiss Cheese Day: What meat do you typically eat Swiss cheese with? Ya know, I don’t think I’ve ever had Swiss cheese. 

National Cream Puff Day: Do you like cream puffs? Have you ever made them before? Yeah, they’re good. I’ve never made them, I just bought them from the frozen food section at the store lol.

Run Up the Flagpole and See if Anyone Salutes Day: Have you ever tried to climb a flagpole before? No. I couldn’t do that even if for some reason I wanted to.

National Personal Trainer Awareness Day: Do you have a personal trainer? Nope.

National Science Fiction Day: What’s the last science-fiction novel you’ve read? The Hunger Games series several years ago.

Happy Mew Year For Cats Day: Do you prefer cats or dogs? Why? I’m a dog person, personally. I’ve always had dogs and I just vibe more with them. Mine have all been so loving and sweet and silly and pure.

National Pet Travel Safety Day: Does your pet do well during car rides, or do they hate it? She doesn’t like them. 

Jan 3. National Drinking Straw Day: Do you use drinking straws at home, or only out at restaurants? I use a straw with everything I drink.

Festival of Sleep Day: Do you enjoy sleeping, or do you spend most of your time awake? I love sleeping.

Humiliation Day: When’s the last time you were humiliated? Why? Let’s not get into that.

National Chocolate-Covered Cherry Day: Do you prefer chocolate-covered cherries or chocolate-covered strawberries more? Strawberries. 

National Fruitcake Toss Day: Do you like fruitcake? No. It just doesn’t even look appealing to me.

J.R.R. Tolkien Day: Have you read the Lord of the Rings series? What did you think of it? Nope. I’ve never seen the movies, ether. Just wasn’t of any interest to me.

Jan 4. National Missouri Day: Do you know anyone who comes from Missouri? Well, not from there, but my dad lived there growing up and I have family out there now.

National Spaghetti Day: Is spaghetti one of your favorite Italian dishes? Yessss. Spaghetti and meatballs, specifically. 

National Trivia Day: Do you enjoy playing trivia games? Any in particular? Yeah, those like Trivial Pursuit and Scene It.

World Braille Day: Do you know anyone who can read Braille? No.

World Hypnotism Day: Have you ever felt hypnotized before? Can you describe it? No. 

Jan 5. National Screenwriters Day: Have you ever written a play or some other sort of script before? Nope. I’ve written short stories and fan fiction, though.

National Whipped Cream Day: Have you ever used whipped cream for sexual purposes? Nope.

National Keto Day: Do you or anyone you know follow a ketogenic diet? Not that I know of.

National Bird Day: What’s your favorite type of bird? Hummingbirds are neat.

Jan 6. National Thank God It’s Monday Day: Do you actually prefer Mondays to Fridays? Why or why not? The days are all the same to me now, but back when I was in school I always dreaded Mondays.

The Epiphany (Three Kings Day): Do you celebrate this holiday? No. I had to Google that because I had never heard of it before.

National Bean Day: What’s your favorite type of bean? (ie: baked, lima, green, etc) Refried beans.

National Technology Day: What’s your favorite piece of technology that you own? My laptop and phone.

National Shortbread Day: Have you ever eaten those Trefoil  Girl Scout shortbread cookies? Yep. I love shortbread cookies.

National Cuddle Up Day: Who’s the best cuddler you know? My doggo. 

Jan 7. National Bobblehead Day: Do you own any bobbleheads? Of who? I have a Chewbacca one.

National Tempura Day: Have you ever tried tempura before? Did you like it? I’ve had chicken and vegetable tempura, which is really good. 

Old Rock Day: Would you be interested in digging for fossils? Only when playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons haha. That’s part of my character’s daily routine.

Jan 8. National Argyle Day: Do you own any clothing with argyle print? Nope.

National Bubble Bath Day: When’s the last time you took a bubble bath? When I was a kid.

Male Watcher’s Day: Do you like to people-watch? It can be interesting. 

National Take the Stairs Day: Do you prefer the stairs or the elevator? I can only take the elevator.

National English Toffee Day: Do you enjoy eating toffee? I’ve had more toffee flavored things than actual toffee, but yeah.

Elvis Presley’s Birthday: What is your favorite Elvis Presley song? Can’t Help Falling in Love.

National Joygerm Day: How do you treat people with kindness? Do you typically have a positive attitude about things? I try to be understanding and openminded, I try to be a good listener, I don’t put people down or belittle others, I try not to be rude or impolite, and I try to help if I can. I don’t have a positive outlook when it comes to myself, but I can for others. We could even have the same issue and I’ll be able to see it differently for them than I do for myself. I’m forgiving when it comes to others and I’ll see the good in them, truly believing it, but I beat myself up all the time. 

National Winter Skin Relief Day: What do you treat your skin/lips with, when they are chapped? Ugh, I have that issue in the summer as well it’s so annoying. Anyway, I just use lotion and chapstick. I don’t use it as often as I should, though, for some reason. It would definitely help. I should also use a face moisturizer. 

Jan 9. National Apricot Day: Do you prefer apricots dried, in fresh fruit form, or the canned version? I don’t like apricots at all.

National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day: Do you have issues with people of authority? I have an issue with the bad ones who abuse their power.

National Static Electricity Day: When’s the last time your hair succumbed to static electricity? Hmm. I don’t recall. I remember doing that with a balloon when I was a kid, though lol.

National Balloon Ascension Day: Have you ever released balloons purposefully into the air? No, that was so sad whenever it happened. RIP to all the balloons I’ve ever lost. 

Play God Day: What would you do if you were in charge of the entire universe for the day? Noooo way. I will gladly leave that to God.

Jan 10. National Bittersweet Chocolate Day: What’s your favorite type of chocolate? White chocolate.

Save the Eagles Day: What are bald eagles symbolic of? Strength, freedom, bravery.

Peculiar People Day: Who’s the most peculiar person you know? Hmm. I don’t know. I use that word to describe things more often.

National Cut Your Energy Costs Day: What do you do in order to save energy? We wait to run the dishwasher and washer and dryer until after a certain time. I think it’s after 7PM.

National Oysters Rockefeller Day: Have you ever had baked oysters before? Did you like them? Nah, I’m good.

National Houseplant Appreciation Day: Do you have any indoor plants? How about outdoor plants? No indoor ones, but my mom has a couple outside.

Jan 11. National Arkansas Day: Have you ever been to Arkansas before? Nope.

Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day: Do you know how to use Morse code? No.

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day: Do you know anyone who’s been a victim of human trafficking?   Nooo. I can’t believe that goes on, horrific doesn’t even begin to describe it.

National Milk Day: Do you prefer white, chocolate, or strawberry milk? I liked strawberry milk when I was a kid. I could totally go for a strawberry milkshake, though.

National Girl Hug Boy Day: Have you ever been the one to make the first move? No.

National Hot Toddy Day: Have you ever made yourself a hot toddy before? Nope. I’ve never had one.

National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day No question for this?

National Vision Board Day: Do you have a vision board? Have you ever made one before? What would be on it? Nope. I have no idea what I would do for one.

Jan 12. National Pharmacist Day: When’s the last time you visited the pharmacist? Uhhh, it’s been a long time. My mom or brother just pick up my medicine for me.

National Sunday Supper Day: Do you have big Sunday dinners with your family? No. 

Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day: Who’s a fabulous man that you know of? lol what an interesting day. Anyway, hmm. I don’t know.

National Marzipan Day: Do you know what marzipan is? Have you ever made it/had it before? I know what it is, but I don’t think I’ve had it. I definitely have never made it.

National Curried Chicken Day: Do you enjoy curry? Have you ever had it before? I’ve only had it once, but I remember liking it. It’s spicy, right? I can’t have spicy food anymore. :/

National Kiss a Ginger Day: Have you ever dated a redhead before? No.

National Youth Day: Do you know of a child who made a huge difference in society?   I’ve heard stories of kids who have done really awesome things for charity and to help their communities, especially during the pandemic. 

National Glazed Doughnut Day: What’s your favorite type of doughnut? Maple or glazed cake donuts.

Jan 13. National Rubber Ducky Day: When’s the last time you used a rubber ducky in the bathtub? When I was a kid.

Stephen Foster Memorial Day: Do you like any songs by Stephen Foster? I had to Google who that was, and the only song I think I know is Swanee River. 

National Peach Melba Day: Have you ever had a Peach Melba before? How was it? Nope. Had to Google that, too.

Korean American Day: Do you know any Koreans immigrants who now live in America? No.

National Gluten-Free Day: Do you know anyone who has to follow a gluten-free diet? Not personally, but a couple people I watch on YouTube have celiac disease. 

National Sticker Day: Did you like stickers as a kid? I loved stickers. Stickers are still awesome. Although, I never know what to do with them now, ha. I can’t commit to putting them anywhere.

National Clean Off Your Desk Day: Do you have a desk in your room? Is it organized? Nope. My desk is my bed, ha. It has my laptop and some other stuff that a desk would likely have. My bed is where I spend most of my time, so.

International Skeptics Day: Are you skeptical of anything? What? Yeah. Like when reading something online, for example. Or certain news stories.

Make Tour Dream Come True Day: Have any of your dreams actually ever come true before? Uhh well, I’ve had dreams about going to Disneyland and I’ve gone. ha.

Jan 14. National Dress Up Your Pet Day: Have you ever dressed up your pet before? In what? Yeah, she has a few sweaters and Halloween costumes.

National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day: What’s your favorite kind of sandwich? Deli sandwich with turkey, salami, Monterey Jack cheese, pickles, mayo, mustard, and oil and vinegar spread is my favorite. I’ll have that at home, too, but it always taste best when I get it from somewhere. I like bologna sandwiches as well.

Ratification Day: Do you remember the significance of the Treaty of Paris? Yeah.

International Kite Day: Have you ever flown a kite before? Nope.

National Shop For Travel Day: When’s the last time you went shopping for a vacation? Back in February before our Disneyland trip. I can’t believe we were in lockdown/quarantine about a month later. 

Jan 15. National Booch Day: Do you like the taste of Kombucha? I’ve never tried it and have no interest to. My brother loves it.

National Hat Day: What does your favorite hat look like? It’s rose gold and has a little white Mickey Mouse symbol on it that I got from Disneyland.

National Bagel Day: What kind of bagel do you eat most often? What do you put on it? I haven’t had a bagel in years, but I always just had a regular one with cream cheese. Strawberry cream cheese is really good.

National Strawberry Ice Cream Day: What’s your favorite flavor ice cream? Strawberry.

Museum Selfie Day: When’s the last time you went to a museum? Several years ago.

National Fresh Squeezed Juice Day: Have you ever made your own juice or lemonade before? How was it? Lemonade, yeah. It was good.

Jan 16. National Nothing Day: When’s the last time you did absolutely nothing all day? Everyday?

Appreciate a Dragon Day: Are dragons your favorite mythical creature? Nah, I’d go with fairies. 

National Without a Scalpel Day: Has anyone ever used a scalpel on you before? Yes, for surgical procedures.

Get to Know Your Customers Day: Is the customer really always right? Why or why not? Not always, that’s for sure. I’ve heard a lot of horror stories from people I know who work in retail and yikes. People can be so rude. 

National Religious Freedom Day: Are you a religious person? Yes.

National Fig Newtons Day: When’s the last time you ate a Fig Newton? I’m not exactly sure, but I know it’s been yearssss.

International Hot and Spicy Food Day: What’s the spiciest food you eat? I can’t eat spicy food anymore D: I used to be obSESSED, though. I put hot sauce on just about everything and loved spicy chips and ramen and just everything.

Rid the World of Fad Diets and Gimmicks Day: Have you ever been on a diet before? Did it work? I’ve had to be on high protein and high caloric diets before and I’m supposed to be on one now, but gah. My appetite is a mess and I have other issues that affect my eating and yeah. It’s hard. Jan 17. National Bootlegger’s Day: Do you know anyone who makes bootleg DVD’s? No. I don’t really hear much about that anymore like I did back in the day.

National Hot Heads Chili Day: What do you like to eat in your chili? I can’t eat chili anymore, but back in the day I loved it spicy. 

National Hot Buttered Rum Day: Are you a fan of rum, or do you prefer another type of alcohol? I don’t like any alcohol.

Ben Franklin Day: Name at least one of Ben Franklin’s inventions. The lightning rod.

Michelle Obama’s Birthday: Do you miss when her husband was back in office? I don’t like getting into politics. 

Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day: How long do you keep your New Year’s Resolutions for? Do you even make them in the first place? I stopped making those years ago. 

Jan 18. National Winnie the Pooh Day: Who is your favorite character from Winnie the Pooh? Awww I love Winnie the Pooh, he’s my favorite. I really vibe with Eeyore, too. 

National Michigan Day: Do you live in Michigan? Nope.

National Gourmet Coffee Day: What’s your favorite “specialized” coffee drink? The winter drinks at Starbucks.

National Thesaurus Day: When’s the last time you used a thesaurus? Recently for something, I forget why.

National Peking Duck Day: Have you ever eaten duck before? No.

National Use Your Gift Card Day: Where would you like to get a gift card to? Hmm. BoxLunch would be cool.

Jan 19. World Quark Day: Have you ever heard of quark? Nope. I just Googled it, though. Doesn’t sound appealing.

National  Popcorn Day: What’s your favorite seasoning/flavor of popcorn? Good ol’ movie theater popcorn with salt and lots of butter. I also love this garlic parm seasoning I get at the store.

National Disc Jockey Day: Would you rather have a band or a DJ at your wedding. DJ.

World Religion Day: What is your religion? Do you have one? Christian.

National Tin Can Day: What’s the last can that you recycled? My family and I recycle our cans and plastic bottles. The last can I had was a Starbucks Doubleshot coffee energy drink.

Jan 20. National Cheese Lover’s Day: What’s your favorite kind of cheese? I loveee cheese. Various kinds.

Martin Luther King jr. Day: In what ways was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. influential? He was a huge influential leader in the civil rights movement and helped spark major changes. He was a very courageous and intelligent man.

National Buttercrunch Day: Have you ever made butter crunch before? Nope.

National Penguin Day: What’s your favorite thing about penguins? Their little waddle and how they mate for life. They’re so cute.

Jan 21. National Hugging Day: Are you a hugger? Not really. Like, I’m not one to initiate a hug. Hugs from certain people are really nice, though.

National Granola Bar Day: Do you eat granola bars? What’s your favorite flavor? I used to all the time. The Quaker Oats chocolate chip, peanut butter, and s’mores ones were my favorite. Sunbelt oats and honey granola bars are really good, too.

Squirrel Appreciation Day: Squirrels or chipmunks? Chipmunks. Aww, this reminds of Ty because he was squirrel and I was giraffe.

International Sweatpants Day: How many pairs of sweatpants do you own? Only 2. I’m a leggings gal, I have a shitload of leggings. I feel like a cartoon character when they show their closest lol.

National Banana Bread Day: Do you prefer your banana bread with or without walnuts? How about chocolate chips? Without walnuts, hands down. SO good. I’ve never tried it with chocolate chips.

National New England Clam Chowder Day: Do you like New England Clam Chowder soup? No.

Jan 22. Celebration of Life Day: Do you believe that abortion should be legal? Why or why not? I don’t like getting into political and touchy topics like this.

National Blonde Brownie Day: What’s your favorite type of brownie? Fudge brownies. Yum.

Library Shelfie  Day: How often do you visit your public library? I haven’t gone since I was in high school, so it’s been over 10 years.

National Southern Food Day: What’s your favorite Southern food/meal? Biscuits and gravy.

National Sanctity of Human Life Day: Do you believe that all humans have some sort of value? Yes?

National Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day: Do you talk to your pets? Of course! All the time.

Hot Sauce Day: How hot do you like your hot sauce? I can only handle a little mild hot sauce now. D: I used to be obsessed with spicy foods and hot sauces back when I could have it.

Jan 23. National Handwriting Day: Do you prefer printing or writing in cursive? Printing. 

World Spay Day: Are all of your pets spayed or neutered? Yes, my doggo is spayed. That was done before we could bring her home from the adoption shelter.

National Pie Day/National Rhubarb Pie Day: What’s your favorite type of pie? Cheesecake. That’s the only kind I like.

Measure Your Feet Day: How big are your feet? I have small feet. I wear a 6 in womens (US). I can wear a 3.5/4 in kid’s, too. That’s the size my Adidas are.

Jan 24. Beer Can Appreciation Day: What’s your favorite type of beer? Ew, none.

National Compliment Day: What’s the last compliment that you’ve received? I don’t even remember, it’s been a long time.

National Peanut Butter Day: What’s your favorite food that involves peanut butter? Reese’s. 

International Day of Education: Why do you feel that education important? There’s a lot of benefits to being educated. It helps you gain knowledge about the world around you, helps you build and form opinions, make better, well-informed decisions on certain things, helps you learn skills that will be beneficial for you... there’s a lot of reasons.

Global Belly Laugh Day: When’s the last time you laughed so hard you cried? It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good laugh like that.

National Eskimo Pie Patent Day: When’s the last time you had an Eskimo Pie? I’ve never had one.

National Lobster Thermidor Day: When’s the last time you ate lobster? I don’t eat lobster. Or any seafood.

Jan 25. National Opposite Day: Have you ever been attracted to someone that was the complete opposite of you? Yes.

Community Manager Appreciation Day: At your workplace, do you have a good manager/boss, or not? Are you your own boss? I don’t have a job.

National Irish Coffee Day: Have you ever had an Irish Coffee before? Nope.

National Seed Swap Day: What’s the last seed you planted? I’ve never planted any seeds.

National Florida Day: Do you know anyone who is from Florida? Not personally, but a few YouTubers I watch are.

Chinese New Year: What is your Chinese animal? (the year of the ___) Snake.

Burns Supper: Favorite poem by Robert Burns? I don’t think I’m familiar with his work.

Jan 26. National Green Juice Day: Do you drink any sort of health drinks? Nope. 

National Peanut Brittle Day: Do you enjoy peanut brittle? Nah, it’s too hard.

National Spouses Day: Do you hope to get married one day? Why or why not? I don’t plan on getting married.

Australia Day: If you were to go to Australia, what would you want to see/do first? I’d probably want to go to Sydney. 

International Customs Day: What do you think of the current level of border security in your area? Uhhh.

World Leprosy Day: Do you know anyone who has leprosy? No.

Jan 27. National Bubble Wrap Day: As an adult, would you still be interested in popping bubble wrap? Um, absolutely! You’re never too old for bubblewrap. 

National Chocolate Cake Day: Do you prefer chocolate cake or another flavor instead? I much prefer white, funfetti, strawberry, or red velevet.

World Breast Pumping Day: If you have a baby, would you breastfeed or formula feed? Why? I’m not having kids.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day: Do you know of any Holocaust survivors? Eli Wiesel, the author of Night, a book about his horrifying experience during the Holocaust and in Nazi concentration camps, came to talk to my sophomore English class.

Wolfgang Mozart’s Birthday: Do you like to listen to Mozart? I have an appreciation for a lot of piano pieces.

Punch the Clock Day: Do you have to punch in and out at work, or do you have a paper time sheet? I don’t have a job.

Jan 28. National Have Fun at Work Day: What is one fun thing about your work?

National Blueberry Pancake Day: Would you rather have blueberry pancakes or chocolate chip pancakes? Blueberry.

Data Privacy Day: Have one of your websites ever been hacked before? Yes, back in the day.

National Daisy Day: Are daisies your favorite flower? No, but they are pretty.

National Lego Day: Do you follow the building instructions if you have a Lego kit, or do you build your own prototype? I haven’t played with Legos since I was a kid, but I just made my own things for the most part. I do remember attempting to make some of the things they showed on the container the Legos came in.

National Kazoo Day: Have you ever played a kazoo before? Nope.

National Plan For Vacation Day: Where would you like to go on vacation? A lot of places. I wish I could just go on a vacation at all right now. :(

Global Community Engagement Day: How do you play a part in your community? Uhhh. I’m not involved in any community things.

Jan 29. National Corn Chip Day: Fritos or Tostitos? Both are good.

National Puzzle Day: How many pieces was the last jigsaw puzzle that you completed? I have no idea, I haven’t done a puzzle since I was a kid. I’ve actually been wanting to do one recently, though.

Jan 30. National Croissant Day: What do you like to put on your croissant? They’re just good on their own.

National Inane Answering Message Day: Do you leave voicemails, or do you hang up and try again later? If I’m calling my doctor I might leave a voicemail, but usually I’ll just try again later. I hate leaving voicemails, though. If I’m calling my parents, I’ll just call again or send them a text.

Jan 31. Inspire Your Heart With Art Day: What form of art would you be most likely to try your hand at? I like to color, but that’s as artsy as it gets for me.

National Backward Day: Can you walk around backwards without tripping over something? Well, I can wheel backwards.

National Hot Chocolate Day: Do you like hot chocolate? Do you prefer a certain flavor? Yes. I just like the regular kind with marshmallows and whipped cream.

National Big Wig Day: What type of job would you like to have that allows you to be in charge? I wouldn’t want to be in charge.

Eat Brussel Sprouts Day: Do you like Brussel sprouts? Nooo.

Brandy Alexander Day: Do you like to drink brandy? Nope. I don’t drink alcohol.

National Weeks

Folic Acid Awareness Week: Do you know anyone with a congenital disability? Yes.

Universal Letter Writing Week: When’s the last time you hand-wrote a letter to someone? I don’t even remember.

Diet Resolution Week: Have you ever gone on a diet before because of someone’s comments about your weight? Yeah, but it was to try and gain weight because I’m too thin. 

National Silent Record Week: Have you ever listened to a silent record before? No.

National Pizza Week: What do you like to eat on your pizza? White sauce, feta and ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic, crumbled meatballs, and pesto drizzled on top.

Home Office Safety and Security Week: Does your home have a security system? Yes.

Cuckoo Dancing Week: Do you like to dance? Sure. Well, by dance I mean head bobbing and maybe moving my arms and shoulders a bit. Oh, and sad attempts at TikTok dances haha.

World Kiwanis Week: Do you know what the Kiwani’s Club revolves around? No.

National Mocktail Week: What’s your favorite mocktail? When I was a kid I liked virgin strawberry margaritas. This one restaurant my family and I often went to had them for kids and they were so good.

Hunt For Happiness Week: Where do you find your happiness? At the beach watching the waves crash in and out, smelling the ocean air, and feeling that nice, cool breeze. I just get lost in it and it’s really relaxing.

National Healthy Weight Week: Do you feel that you are a healthy weight? Why or why not? No, I’m not. I’m underweight.

International Snowmobile Safety & Awareness Week: Have you ever ridden on a snowmobile before? Nope.

No Name-Calling Week: What’s the worst name you’ve ever been called? Who knows what people have said or thought about me that I’m not aware of, nor do I want to know, but the only things I know of are the things I’ve said and think about myself. I’m my own worst enemy.

International Hoof Care Week: Do you like any animals that have hooves? Giraffes. <3

National Catholic Schools Week: Did you ever go to a Catholic school before? No.

National CRNA Week: Have you ever been put under anesthesia before? How were you when you came out of it? Yeah, several times. I always felt sick, groggy, and really cold afterwards.

Meat Week: What’s your favorite type of meat? Or are you a vegetarian/vegan? Chicken.

National School Choice Week: Would you have preferred to be in a public school, a private school, or to be homeschooled? I was fine with public school.

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Week: Do you know anyone who is a cowboy? Nope.

National Months

National Hot Tea Month: What’s your favorite flavor tea? Chamomile, peppermint, and spearmint.

National Oatmeal Month: What’s your favorite flavor of oatmeal? I like regular oatmeal with condensed milk, brown sugar, and cinnamon. 

National Slow Cooking Month: Do you have a crock-pot? Well, my mom does, but yeah.

National Soup Month: What’s your favorite kind of soup? I’m a ramen gal.

National Baking Month: What’s your favorite thing to bake? If I bake it’s going to be cupcakes or muffins. It’s been awhile since I’ve baked anything, though.

National Fat Free Living Month: Do you eat foods that are fat-free? How about drinks? Not usually.

National Bath Safety Month: Do you prefer baths or showers? Showers. I have’t taken a bath since I was a kid.

National Blood Donor Month: Have you ever donated blood? When was the last time? No.

National Hobby Month: Do you have any hobbies? Doing surveys, reading, and coloring. 

National Train Your Dog Month: Is your dog well-trained? Yeah.

Walk Your Pet Month:  How often do you walk your dog, if you have one? I can’t do that, but my dad or brother take her.

National CBD Month: Have you ever used CBD oil? Nope.

National Black Diamond Month: Do you own anything with diamonds – black or regular? No.

National Mentoring Month: Have you ever had a mentor before? No.

National Menudo Month: Have you ever had menudo before? Nope. It doesn’t sound appealing to me.

[a-zebra-is-a-striped-horse]

[wearecounterfeit]

Rolling Stone Russia interviewed Jamie before Counterfeit. headed on over for their gigs. You can find the interview in Russian here.

We have a rough translation for you below:

"I apologize for the late call," Jamie begins politely, carcassing one cigarette and pulling out a new one from the pack. Behind the back of a 28-year-old actor and musician, he can see a room lit by a floor lamp with a window almost to the wall. The atmosphere is very cozy, even in the absence of curtains. - Lately, a lot has happened. On Friday, I need to be at the funeral of my friend's father - we've known each other since I was eight, and before that I rehearsed a lot. The whole group now lives together in a country house, but because of the circumstances, I had to come to London for a short time. " Jamie's hair is combed back, with a black denim jacket that reveals a light blue shirt unbuttoned over his chest. The leader of Counterfeit is visibly enlivened when I tell him that I have just returned from a short but exhausting tour with Machine Gun Kelly. "I know Kelly! - with a smile of recognition, exclaims Bower, a handsome guy with delicate features. The earring glitters in his nose. - We had dinner with him somehow, and we have a lot of common friends. He is awesome!"

How do you, the musicians, survive on long tours? I was exhausted even four days.

It always happens - you just have to go through this state. The first week is always the heaviest, your body is shocked, and then you are drawn. I always thought that the most important thing for the band is the performances, so you need to make sure that everything that happens on the tour does not interfere with them. I love touring - it's on the road that I feel most comfortable. When the tour comes to an end, I try not to notice that this is the last concert - I do not want to stop. When it all ends, it takes me about a week for a kind of decompression - I understand that I'm exhausted, and I plan to spend this time in bed eating pizza and in every way imitating a sloth. However, at some point I get an incredible itch - the same happens when we get a day off during the tour - wake up at five in the morning and realize that you do not need to play any concert - you can rest. In any case, the end of the tour always causes mixed feelings - touring is exhausting, but on the other hand, you are on the road with friends, with the family that you chose yourself - this is a bonus. We've known my guitarist Tristan from the age of eight, so we perfectly understand when we start to enrage each other. The same goes for the other members of the group, the tour manager and the technicians - they are like a family, we have known each other for a very long time, and we understand when it is necessary to shut up.

Have you watched the TV series "The Tourists "?

Kelly was in it, was he not? I read that it was closed after the first season, but did not see it. We have one guy among the staff, whose name is Peter. So, Peter is a bloody pocket rocket! You know, we are always involved in the process of loading equipment onto the site. One day I went off to smoke one cigarette, and when I came back in a couple of minutes, all my shit - and it's a lot of it - was already on the stage. Peemar - that's what we call him, - a very short guy, and I do not know how he gets up such things. The guys from our team work very hard, and without them we just could not do it. I consider it very important to maintain friendly relations with them - often you see terrible examples when the group conducts between themselves and the staff a line dividing the guys into "them" and "us". For me, it's dog shit - we all work for the same purpose.

An hour ago I spoke on the phone with Isaac Holman of Slaves , and asked if he knew your group. He said he knew the name, but he had never heard your music. What, in turn, can you say about Slaves ?

I like Slaves ! I recently discovered this band for myself, and was impressed with how just two guys with a guitar and drums can create such a dense sound. They sound very cool and damp - I like it! They also have an incredible cover on " Shutdown " Skeptics - grime is perfectly combined with punk rock. For me, so generally now there is more punk in pimp than in punk rock - they send everyone to hell and talk about real shit. That cover simply blew up the airwaves when it sounded on BBC Radio 1.

Since we're talking about Skept, then how do you like his joint track with Mick Jagger?

I have not heard yet, but in general it's very cool: Skepta and Mick Jagger, two absolute icons of different generations, together! Skept in England is indeed a cultural phenomenon - he is at the forefront of the grime scene, working with Drake, directed by Boy Better Know .

What kind of music do you like lately?

I really liked the new album [Marilyn] Manson. Amazing record - he seemed to be back in those days when I first met his work - then only the track " Fight Song " came out . And after a softer, in my opinion, " Pale Emperor " - I'm a fan of Manson, but I listened to that album a couple of times and put it aside. When I really like music - like " Heaven Upside Down " - I lose it again and again without stopping until I'm already sick of it. This is an incredibly clever record, and I really like her deep aggression.

Also recently, I was mentally returning to the time when I was fifteen - then only came "The First Impressions of Earth " The Strokes , an album that summed up my teenage period - when I first heard it, it just gave me a brain. Recently I sat down and listened to their first three albums. " Is This It " and " Room On Fire " are quite similar, but in spite of this, both there and there are great songs. The third plate of The Strokes is just gloomy - Julian Casablancas, they say, he decided then to send everything to hell - so he was tired of everything.

In addition to The Strokes and Manson, there are many friendly bands that I like, for example, The Xcerts - I'm their longtime fan. Soon the guys have a new album; they play a melodic pop-rockin 'pop-pop, but without any reproduced shit. I like the latest release of The Story So Far ; The new single The Architects , which was released a couple of months ago, is simply amazing! I'm repeating these records, but, you know, when you're doing your music and you're very involved in it, then you start missing something new - I force myself to listen to new bands and be aware of what is happening in the music world.

A really cool service for such researches is Spotify with its section "similar artists". God, is he really inaccessible in Russia? It's terrible! We also have an excellent DJ Dan Karty on BBC Radio 1, he conducts a Sunday rock show and always tries to promote new bands, which is very cool - I learned about many newcomers thanks to him. I also have a brother Sam, who listens to heavier teams. This scene is very self-contained and full of cool projects, for example, thanks to him I recently discovered for myself Worthwhile - they play something like melodic hardcore. Hell, there are so many names of genres that I'm always confused in terms!

It's very cool when you find a group at a stage when they have very few followers - listen to them, go to concerts, and when they become popular, you are "Yes, hell! I have long loved them! "

Your latest video for the song You Can’t Rely turned out pretty halloweeny. Do you celebrate this holiday?

Of course! On this day everyone seems to dress the way we look every day.

What about horror movies?

I've always loved this genre - I like even bad horror movies. In general, I like all genres, because in the end it all depends on how interesting the story is. I think that I like horrors because, including them, you know roughly in advance that you will find out: there will necessarily be a protagonist who will be saved from the devil's wicked entity, or if you are on the side of this most evil essence, you just wait, when it will all dunk.

I also like science fiction, but again, the story should emotionally entice me. This succeeds in the production of the studio Blumhouse , as well as the authorship of James Wang - this guy is just a genius. The genre of horrors, having begun the way from a distant shelf, has strongly advanced in that to force spectators to perceive it seriously.

I have not seen the new " Blade Runner " yet, but I've heard a lot of good things about it. Did you like the movie? I'm a fan of the first part and I understand the general tension that arises every time a remake or a continuation of the classics is shot. Imagine that someone decided to remake your favorite record twenty years later in the spirit of "The album is excellent, but I want to write down my version." A natural reaction to this will be: "Wait, do you really think that this is a hell of a need? Maybe we'll leave it as it is? "This approach has to be resisted internally, and I'm looking forward to the moment when I can see" Blade Runner 2049 "- after all, it's a sequel, not a remake.

In one of the interviews you said that the engine of your creativity - both texts and music - is anger and aggression. With age, people usually become a bit calmer - what do you think will move you in the future?

You know, I once suppressed aggression - in the period from fifteen to twenty-five, but then I realized how it happens to many, that all these emotions are equally necessary in life - they are needed for the senses. In our first album, the malice I mentioned is not a reflection of my current state at that time, but rather there is my retrospective view of life. I believe that most of the art is born out of pain, and for me, as an artist, the pain is a powerful moving force - it concerns both songs and poems and some artistic scribbles (I'm not an artist, but I tried to draw). I do not know what will inspire me in the future - now we are starting to quietly work on a new album, and a lot of ideas are in the air. Usually I take as a basis one idea or written down on a line and build music around it - from this everything is born. It is important to establish an inner connection with yourself and pull out the words that you want to express, and also surround yourself with inspiring people. The new album will definitely have a lot of pain again - I do not know what will inspire me this time, but something definitely should - otherwise the record will turn out to be damn boring!

Say, and your name was never pronounced as "Bowie"?

Damn, no! Although I'm fucking waiting for such a case - I would like that when you check into the hotel, someone thinks I'm his son. By the way, my father's name is David - he will have to ask this question.

[clubdecode-blog]

In the minutes before they took to the stage of Glasgow’s Garage, we spoke with liverpool 4 piece The Night Café! Read below as we talk Stange Clothes, their upcoming UK tour, supporting themselves and playing a weird venue in Sheffield.

Hey guys! What made you guys want to pursue a career in music? How did The Night Café come to be?

Josh: By accident.

Sean: Yeah by accident.

Carl: I think we all really wanted to make music like when we were growing up and stuff.

Sean: Yeah it’s always a dream to be in a band.

Carl: We’ve been in bands throughout school. Like not this exact band but we’ve been in bands before in school.

Sean: We’ve been in bands with each other yeah.

Carl: and that’s just how it came together really.

Josh: There he is!

Carl: And here’s Aaron, the latecomer.

Aaron: I know, sorry.

Sean: You’re ruining my funny vibe here.

Carl: Yeah I think it was just coming together to be honest, instead of making us wanna be like celebrities. We just really wanted to do it just to make music and like enjoy it.

Sean: I don’t really want the side to it that comes… like I hope it doesn’t come for us, I hope we are one of those bands that people just love the music and that’s it. You know what I mean.

You’ve recently released your single “Strange Clothes,” how do you feel about the reception it has received? 

Sean: It’s absolutely amazing!

Carl: It’s received a great reception! It went on a playlist the Friday!

Sean: Straight away!

Aaron: New Music Friday.

Carl: Yeah new music Friday and it’s got nearly 60,000 plays in over a week! Wait, just under a week sorry!

Sean: That’s the first time that’s happened for us as well.

Carl: It’s the first time. There’s been that much reception over the week to be honest, it’s normally like 20,000 then it rises with time. But it just seems to have gone up dead fast, we’re quite pleased about it like!

What was the writing process behind the single? Where did the inspiration come from?

Sean: To be honest, we had like a week or 2 where we were literally kinda smashing out random ideas and we made this song. And for like 2 months, we didn’t really like it that much and we just thought it was like your standard song. But then I think we spent a bit more time trying to-

Carl: Beef it up!

Sean: Perfect it yeah! We had to record a song didn’t we? For something I can’t remember! We got put on the spot to like record a song and it was in the studio where like-

Carl: It was very different to what it is!

Sean: Yeah like we wrote a bit more on it whilst we were actually in the studio. Like only little bits like backing vocals and stuff like that, but it made the song what it is now.

Cause from our point of view, it does sound very different from the other stuff you’ve released before! 

Carl: We sort of like crafted it instead of you know… we just wrote the song.

Sean: I think it’s how the maturity is coming through in that song, cause like all our other songs we kinda just make a tune.

Carl: Jam it out and then it’s done.

Sean: Jam it out and that’s it! But this one we spent a little time working on it.

Carl: Yeah it took a few months didn’t it? It took a few months to write but it’s there now, it’s getting the reception it should be!

Definitely! You are in the middle of a tour with Sundara Karma, how has it been so far?

Carl: It’s been fucking sick! It’s been a pleasant few days to be honest. I loved every second.

Sean: The legless tour as they say.

Josh: I actually haven’t been drunk once.

Sean: I have been sloshed every night.

Carl: Skished. Skished every night.

Aaron: This is our last night tonight though.

Aw is it?

Carl: Tonight’s our last night!

Josh: The supports are changing, like the other band that’s been doing all the dates with us finished yesterday.

Blaenavon? It broke my heart that they aren’t here today. 

Sean: Gorgeous lads them .

Carl: awww the lads.

Josh: Our guys.

Carl: We’re going on tour with them again!

You’re not on the Glasgow date though are you?

Carl: No we are only doing the down south dates though sadly. But we are coming back to Glasgow!

Sean: It’s cause I go on holiday, not because we didn’t want to do them! It’s because I had already booked going away.

Carl: We’re coming up to Glasgow on our tour!

Sean: Yeah we are!

That follows into the next question! What can fans expect from your headline tour in May?

Aaron: Ruthlessness

Carl: Yeah, some new material!

Josh: Frivolities.

Aaron: Good verb.

Carl: I didn’t even know that was a word mate.

Sean: I still don’t know what it means but it sounds right… I just think a lot of fun from our headline tour. I just think it’s gonna be hopefully a big step up from the first one. We are playing some of the same venues but like we’re playing some bigger ones.

Carl: Like we’ve moved up to Dingwalls in London. Which is like a proper sick venue to play and it’s only up from there then hopefully!

Sean: We played The Old Blue Last first and I think it’s up capacity by like 300 people.

Josh: That was like an 18+ venue though.

Carl: Yeah it sold out as well.

Josh: We can get that many people there and we can get all ages people as well.

Carl: With all ages I definitely think it should be ok.

Sean: All gigs should be all ages anyway.

Carl: They should… apart from babies.

Sean: Apart from babies.

Carl: You don’t want any babies mosh pitting around and all that.

What was a standout moment from 2016? 

Carl: T in the Park

Sean: Trump becoming president. That was a bit weird wasn’t it?

It’s hardly a standout moment! 

Sean: It’s like a standout moment in a bad way though.

Josh: That’s not a standout moment.

Carl: A standout moment for us was playing T in the Park in Scotland yeah.

Sean: Yeah that was boss but a standout moment for the band!

Carl: Yeah but we played the festival!

Josh: First sold out headline show and Birmingham was sold out as well.

What can fans expect from the next 6 months? 

Carl: A lot of new music, we’ve got an EP coming out in March. That’s the first EP then… before summer is it? Or in summer the second one coming out.

Aaron: Yeah, 2 EPs.

Carl: After that will be like that album then. That’ll be early on next year hopefully! If everything goes to plan.

So we’re going to do a quickfire round! What was the first gig you ever went to?

Josh: Busted.

Sean: very quick!

Carl: I don’t know… Do you know?

Sean: No but I don’t know the name of them but it’s whoever sang who let the dogs out! It was when I was on holiday.

Was it not like the Baha men or something like that?

Sean: Whoever that was, that was my first gig.

We’ll google it! (It was indeed the Baha Men) 

Carl: I went to see Biffy Clyro, that was my first ever gig in Manchester.

Aaron: I think The Wombats for me! Mental, yeah!

If you could have written any song ever what would it be?

Josh: A song called Desire by a band called The Cairos.

Carl: Yeah that’s it!

Sean: I’m gonna-

Aaron: Can we have the same answer?

Yeah if you want! 

Carl: I’ll probably say… nah I don’t know. I’ll probably say that one! Cause that is-

Sean: That’s our band favourite song at the moment. That is my favourite song ever.

Carl: If it weren’t that I would probably choose like-

Aaron: A Steely Dan song.

Carl: Yeah Steely Dan – Black Cow, that’s what I’d choose.

What is your dream support slot?

Carl: Eh, you know what…

They could be dead or alive. 

Josh: So we could watch us!

Sean: You know what yeah!

Josh: We never get to watch us! You know what I mean. Not from like a vain perspective, to see what we sound like to a crowd!

Sean: No but it would be interesting to see what we’re like!

That’s the first time we have ever had that! 

Josh: I would like to watch us and be like we need to change that! Like that’s not cool!

Carl: On stage, everything doesn’t sound like it does off stage! You only get what you need!

Sean: We have always said we wanted to watch ourselves and just see-

Josh: That sounds so vain.

Carl: It sounds bad, it sounds bad! But we don’t mean it!

Sean: It sounded vague so you need to elaborate when we-

Carl: It does sound vain but-

You want to improve yourselves! 

Sean: Yeah that’s it!

Carl: We want to do it so we can see what we can improve!

Describe The Night Café in 3 words?

Sean: The. Night. Cafe.

Carl: I would describe it as messy lads.

Aaron: But that’s 2 words!

Josh: Thick as thieves.

Carl: Messy lads club!

Aaron: Messy lads club?! We should say 4 words and have 1 word each.

Josh: Sickest band ever.

Carl: Go ahead! You start though!

Aaron: Sickest

Carl: men

Sean: I

Josh: know

Carl: The sickest men I know!

The weirdest or most interesting venue you’ve played?

Carl: Last night in eh-

Sean: NO! Weirdest!

Josh: Thekla?

Sean: The weirdest is when we were in Sheffield. And there was that bloody thing where there was pure pimp chains and that. Downstairs in the club. Remember? Pure like weird kinda sex fest.

Carl: I mean I loved it in there, it was great!

Aaron: That was the weirdest one yeah.

Carl: I thought you said the best venue!

Josh: The Plug it was called.

Carl: The plug! Where’s that?

Sean: Sheffield

Carl: Oh yeah! I remember that! That was years ago that!

Aaron: It was like… It was last year.

Carl: It was 2015!

Aaron: No it was like 5 months ago!

Your best festival or gig experience?

Aaron: Tame Impala in the Albert Hall, Manchester in 2013!

Carl: I would probably say Eminem at Leeds Festival cause I fucking love him.

Sean: When we went to see Kings of Leon. That was a really magic moment for me! It was in 2011!

Josh: I don’t know, I saw Roger Waters at Wembley. That was quite good but.

Your last question! What is your most embarrassing moment on stage? 

Carl: Aw we’ve all had them!

Aaron: When you dropped your stick!

Carl: I mean, we were playing a headline show in Nottingham and it got to like the last chorus of the first song. Stick flies out my hand and I had to stop playing.

Sean: Yeah we had to restart the song.

Carl: and I just had to go, I’m sorry about that!

Josh: Remember our gig at the picket

Carl: Yeah we had to restart the song. It was bad from the off.

Sean: Remember when my guitar went off?

Aaron: Oh shit yeah!

Sean: We were playing a gig and I had this guitar which is like… if 2 switches go off in a certain place the guitar goes off and I didn’t know that cause it was a brand new guitar! We were mid song and my guitar went off and I was kind of like fuming at the sound man. Then I just looked down and the switches were there and I had stopped singing and everything. It was embarrassing.

Well thank you guys! 

  INTERVIEW: Club Decode Meet @NightCafeband In the minutes before they took to the stage of Glasgow's Garage, we spoke with liverpool 4 piece…