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wonlouvre · 3 years

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Yayyy i absolutely love your writing!!

I would like to request a Hoshi × gn!idol! Reader angst+fluff imagine where Soonyoung cheers/takes care of his reserved s/o who has been having a hard time and has opened up to him about it for the first time. S/o is someone who can't say no easily and because of that their workload had increased a lot. But in the end they can't hold themselves any longer and breaks down.

strength | k. sy.

pairing: hoshi x gn!idol reader genre: fluff, angst, then fluff again warnings: mentions of anxiety, physical and mental tiredness (please tell me if i missed anything!) word count: 1.8k+ (i honestly don’t even know anymore)

💌: thank you very much for requesting! i made some tweaks here and there and i hope you still like it! thank you for loving my writing as well :’( it really means a lot that <3 i hope you like this!

Soonyoung was aware that you’d be coming from Japan for your collaborative magazine photoshoot. He just didn’t know that you’d be going straight from the airport at four o’clock in the morning.

He thought he read your message wrong saying that you’re on your way to the assigned shooting location. As far as he’s concerned, the call time was at seven a.m. He had to do a double take while squinting his eyes over the brightness of his phone but when he saw another bubble pop out saying you’re already there, he immediately jumped off his bed to shower.

He misses you. You’ve been going in and out of the country because of promotions and the chances of getting to see you has been slim to none. If he ever meets with you, it will be short because either one of you has to go back to work or has to go back to bed because there is a flight to catch the next day. It’s obviously tough. But your relationship perseveres.

Soonyoung will do everything to make it work and you are together with him on that. So if it means he has to shower half-asleep and wear his boxers backwards just to see you, he’d never mind.

Your Japanese album tour started and ended successfully but work didn’t stop from there. You were just getting started. Before leaving the said country, you were fully booked for live television performances, interviews, variety shows and the like. It was exhausting but, it was an opportunity that you couldn’t miss out on for the world even if you wanted to.

Soonyoung is proud of you and he will always be. Heart eyes were formed whenever he got the chance to watch your performances whether it be from a paid livestream event or from kind fans sharing and uploading their videos or photos on Twitter or Instagram. He’s even more in love when it’s in person and he gets to watch your performance plus enjoy it with your never failing supportive fans.

However, Soonyoung is also worried because he knows you’re also tired. He knows how fulfilling it is to do what you love the most, but he’s no stranger to the physically and mentally tiring part of it. He wasn’t even surprised to catch you asleep on the couch when he arrived at your dressing room.

Your manager’s eyes brightened when they saw him, quickly standing up from the chair to give him a hug.

“They told me they just need a fifteen minute nap,” they whisper against Soonyoung’s shoulder as he hugs them back. “But we both know they need more than that.”

Soonyoung sadly smiles while his eyes never leave your curled form. He mutters a simple “I’ll take it from here” while your manager excuses themself to buy everyone breakfast.

It’s a challenge to take you into his arms without disturbing your sleep because he doesn’t want that from happening. He just wants to hold you for the remaining time without interruption from other people. He just wants to hold you and share this moment of calm before the lights and camera get into action later.

Soonyoung’s thankful you didn't, although he still felt your lips lightly ghost against his jaw, telling him that you know that he’s here. He brings your legs over his lap while he cradles your head close to his neck. He wishes to lay down, but the couch is too cramped for two bodies so he’d have to settle with this position. He guesses it’s fine with how you deeply inhale his scent and snuggle closer and closer, locking your arms around his waist with no intentions of letting go.

Just like you, he falls asleep, completely comfortable and content in finally having you in his arms again.

Your tangled bodies were shaken to wake up at least an hour later. Both of your managers have food in their hand, ready to energize the two of you up before moving forward with the hair and makeup. The agenda for today includes a photoshoot with several changes of outfit, a short shoot for an audio video presentation and lastly an interview or question and answer of some sort.

Your relationship has been publicly known for two years already. Some fans have been supportive while some have been angry. It’s nothing new and it’s nothing the two of you could care about at this point.

Countless projects have been offered to the two of you during the course of those two years whether it be a song or dance performance, a guesting on a famous variety show and even a three second cameo appearance on a drama. They’re all lovely offers and you would love to participate, but the two of you made a decision to keep the relationship private. Sure, you’ll accept it from time to time. But, it’s still very limited to one to two songs to sing or dance to together and some magazine photoshoots. Just like now.

By far, this is the third time the two of you would be featured on a magazine cover. Your respective publicists already know how to communicate to the publishing company your terms and conditions. Questions about your relationship are allowed, but to a certain number only. The rest will be about what’s mostly seen by fans and the rest of the public which is automatically your music.

The concept is not necessarily daringly romantic. After all, what you’re trying to promote here is the clothes. But your chemistry is maintained with a few fleeting touches here and there. In one shot, you two were holding hands and the other has his arm is loosely wrapped around your neck.

You and Soonyoung are careful to not get lost in each other’s eyes during the short breaks in between because the cameras were still rolling. Although, his soft touches on your hand and arm still lingered. On the other hand, you help him fix his hair whenever he gets excited and jumps from time to time. You could kiss him right now, but again, you want to be careful.

The shoot concluded faster than you thought and the next thing you know, the two of you are sitting side by side with a camera blinking red in front, ready to record the interview included in the contract.

The interview consisted of questions that’s nothing out of the ordinary. The magazine asked about your favorite go-to styles lately, your look inspirations, a little bit of this or that, your recent music releases or favorite music releases at the moment and of course something about your relationship that you're comfortable and willing enough to share.

But one particular question caught you off guard that you had to hold your tears and brave through the rest of the interview without showing any signs that you’re about to cry.

“How have you guys been lately, individually?”

“I’ve been great,” you quickly answer with a smile that didn’t even reach your eyes. The camera may not have noticed, but Soonyoung did. It took a lot of patience and restraint for your boyfriend to stop himself from cutting the interviewer off to ask you again how you really have been.

Everything that was in store for the two of you today ends and when the cameras are gone, you and Soonyoung hand in hand walk back to your dressing room. It’s a relief that this is the last project for the day and you’re glad you could get some rest for the coming week.

Your body slumps on the couch while the staff pack up. You puff out a breath before closing your eyes. You wish you could yell out how tired you are lately. Work piled up over the course of six months and you couldn’t have at least two days away from the makeup and flashing lights.

Soonyoung bites his lower lip as he settles beside you. He’s contemplating whether he should ask you now or later because he doesn’t want you to grow conscious and shut yourself away. He knows how brave and strong you are. But he also wants you to know that you can trust him and that if you ever need a shoulder to cry or at least lean on, his are more than welcoming.

“You okay, babe?” He asks in the quiet as the staff leaves one by one. “Anything bothering you?”

You surprise him by sitting up straight and opening your eyes, welling with tears. That makes him shoot up and instantly hug you close. “Oh baby.”

You finally cry and set free the tears that you’ve been locking deep within you. You thought you could brave through this pain and anxiety without having the need to shed any vulnerability. You thought this shall pass soon. You thought you could do this.

But here you are now letting go with sniffles and shaking shoulders as Soonyoung gently caresses the top of your head.

He hates to see you cry. But it’s only right to let you.

“I just feel like I’m going to miss out on everything if I turn down any project offered to me.”

Soonyoung pouts when he hears what’s been bothering you. It took a while for you to calm down and finally talk, but it’s okay. He doesn’t mind. He will never mind.

“I understand, honey,” he assures you and wipes your tear stained cheek. “And there’s nothing wrong with feeling that way.”

Your lips shake again and crying makes you want to hide. Without hesitation, you crawl to your boyfriend’s lap and wrap your arms around his shoulder. Soonyoung doesn’t complain and just keeps you close, protective arms around your waist.

The dressing room is empty except for the two of you. The staff got the message once Soonyoung pleaded with them through his eyes to give you some time with him since you’re already done for the day.

“It’s also okay to work and work,” he continues, soothing hands rubbing against your back. “But at some point, it’s also okay to take a break for them.”

You pull away and rest your hands on his neck. “Even though I’m going to miss out?”

Soonyoung nods and leans his forehead against yours. “Yes and there’s also nothing wrong with that.”

“I seriously want to go on a trip with my family,” you say and sigh. “And of course, with you too.”

Soonyoung can’t help but giggle. “I’d love to. How about next month? Let’s go somewhere with your family or friends. Where do you want to go? What do you want to do?”

Your boyfriend’s enthusiasm puts a smile on your face and this time, the smile reaches your eyes. “Let’s go somewhere quiet first. I want to take a long nap before we proceed to do anything that needs an awake body.”

“You got it, babe,” Soonyoung promises and kisses your lips.

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officialwittek · 4 years

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pt. 4

*gif is not mine*

word count: 2,101

Ever since my little conversation with the girls I haven’t been able to really be myself around Jeff. Now I notice the side glances, the lingering touches on my thigh, the way his breath hitches when I get pushed a little too close to him at parties, and everything else I haven’t noticed before. My friends were adamant that he liked me back but I couldn’t see it. Slowly I distanced myself from them, for one my manager thought it would be a good idea to release some new music soon so I was extra busy and I can’t really be around my friends without feeling like my heart is going to explode. Of course they started noticing and not a day went by where I didn’t get texts from at least three of them asking where I was and why I stopped coming around. Even Jason and Josh dropped my apartment to make sure I was still alive.

Three weeks have gone by since my sleepover with Jeff. We still talk but not as much as before. Carly and Natalie were constantly calling and texting and I truly felt bad, but it would seem like such a bullshit excuse to say it’s because of my crush on Jeff.

“Sage, this is... this is real good work. I’m thinking we finish it up, and be set to release it in two weeks” James, my manager, said listening to to the final of three of the songs

“Thanks dad, I think today we’re recording the last song. I’ll email you our final version by the end of the day” I reply, he ruffles my hair and nods, leaving for another meeting while the producer and I talk about the last track

We record for about four hours, fine tuning every last detail. After the two of us finally felt good about it we sent the file to James who also gave the approval. We sent it in the the higher ups who also gave us the ok. All the promotional pictures were finished, we had an album cover chosen, now to put it all together and make this my first serious piece of art. After the long morning I decided to head straight to my apartment. I wasn’t particularly hungry anyways. I parked my car and took the elevator up to my apartment.

I noticed shushing and brushed it off, thinking it was just Carly and Erin messing around. I unlock the door and see all of my friends crammed into this fairly small apartment. No one had their cameras out and they all had their arms crossed I sighed and put my things down before shutting the door.

“Before you even say anything. No I’m not on drugs, I don’t hate anyone, and I actually have been working on my music. My first EP is coming out in a few weeks” I explain, their faces relax and Carly walks up to me

“Don’t you ever try to ghost us like that again. We hated it” She said, wrapping her slender arms around my shoulders and I nodded, our friends came around and we all had a sweet group hug

“Well a congratulations are in order. I think we should celebrate tonight” David says, laughing loudly

“Fine, I’m stealing a Red Bull from your fridge though” I say, we all go downstairs and I finally notice some of their cars parked there

We all head to David’s house and I grab a Red Bull. We all sit in the living room. Filming dumb bits and getting ready for tonight. David wanted to throw it at his house since he wanted to keep it relatively small. Natalie, Carly, and Erin went to stock up for the night, asking me about all my favorite things. It took about an hour and a half for them to come back. Everyone helped get things from Nat‘s car and set up. We were finally ready and decided to start drinking before everyone got here.

“May Ilya and Zane stay away from the hospital. Amen” I yell, all of them cheering in response as we take our shots

After a few rounds of shots I was already pretty tipsy. I sat down at the couch, answering a few congratulatory texts from others. I talked to a few of our friends here and there. Jeff was nowhere to be found. I frowned a bit, but who can blame him? After all, I’m the one who made the decision to not talk to him.

“Do you think we could get a sneak peak?” Jason asks, taking a set next to me but I shake my head

“I want to keep it a complete surprise. Plus I’ve been thinking about having a release party and showing everyone there” I said, Jason actually thought that was a much better idea than just playing it

We made small talk here and there, apparently Wyatt has been dying to see my new studio. I loved Jason’s kids like they were my own family, especially since Wyatt and I have such a love for music.

“I’d love to have Wyatt at the studio. He can even record some things if he wants to. I know how to produce as well” I said, Jason damn near cried at the suggestion and we set a date

“Someone looks a little sober” Zane yells from behind us, I laugh and allow him to take me to the kitchen where the others were taking shots or making their best interpretations of different cocktails

After sampling everyone’s horrible attempt at a blackberry mojito it’s safe to say I was one shot away from exiting the physical realm. Especially since Zane decided it was appropriate to just dump nearly an entire bottle of rum in the drink. After a few minutes Todd headed to the door and let someone in. I heard the familiar accent and my heart dropped to my stomach. Jeff is here.

To be fair, I’m probably the only one who really cares that much, especially since I’m drunk as hell and I have a crush on the dude. I try to run and hide in a corner but there’s a lot more people now. I finally see an opening and head straight for the backyard. Thankfully no one noticed because Zane was too busy doing something extremely dangerous. I sit in one of the chairs we reserve for smoking, hitting my puff and scrolling mindlessly through TikTok, trying to get the thoughts out of my head. I hear the sliding door open and look up to see David.

“Alright what’s wrong? You look like we threw a party because we killed your dog” David jokes, my lips spread into a light smile

“Nothing, I’ve just been so exhausted lately with everything going on.. that’s all” I lie, I mean I’m not really lying, just not telling him the whole truth

“So it has nothing to do with Jeff showing up and you’re definitely overthinking and avoiding him even more. C’mon I’ve known you for forever, you can’t lie to me” He replies, his tone suddenly being serious

And it’s true, I’ve known David since I moved out here. He was my first real L.A friend. He’s seen me at my absolute lowest moments, and someone I could always go to whenever something was wrong. I hated that he could read me like a book.

“Fine, the Jeff thing is a contributing factor. But I’m being honest about the exhaustion” I say, crossing my arms like a child

We sit and talk, something we haven’t done in forever. It felt nice to have someone listen to me. After about half an hour of just talking we decide to head back inside. I felt too sober again and took some shots with Natalie and Toddy. I could feel Jeff’s eyes glaring a hole into the side of my head, but I was too sober to deal with anything right now.

At around 1:00 am. I got hungry and ordered DoorDash for everyone. All the other guests had left so it was just our main group scattered around the house. Jeff was surprisingly still here. Todd had whispered to me earlier that the only reason he was sticking around this late was to make sure I got home alright. I smiled at the sentiment, he was always making sure my drunk ass was safe.

Our DoorDash arrived and we all ate while watching some movie David found on Netflix. Jeff took a seat next to me, the look in his eyes was telling me he was going to ask for my permission so I simply nodded and scooted over so he could be comfortable. After we ate David wanted to get some last minute bits before we left for his vlog tomorrow.

“Jeff are you attracted to Sage?” David asks, my breath hitches in my throat, making me choke on my water

“No, I’ve blocked her out. Since she’s part of the friend group I don’t want to make anything weird” He replies, I can tell the answer even made David a little upset

Jason makes a joke to lighten the mood before there’s any tension which I greatly appreciate. Although Jeff’s words struck a cord, while I sit there repeating what he said it hits me. He’s right, I can’t guarantee that if Jeff and I were together that it would be for life and I can’t lose my second family. He’s right, it would never happen. Before I know it I feel my eyes watering and Natalie gently grabs my hand before leading me to her room with the rest of the girls in tow. When she closes the door I finally let it all out

“It’s ok princess, let it out” Mariah says, the girls wrapping me in a group hug

“It’s so stupid, we’re best friends before I let this stupid ass crush ruin everything but just hearing him say that out loud made it so much more concrete that we will never be together” I cry, resting my head on her shoulder

We have a little talk and I clean myself up before we all go back outside. At that point David was done filming and was looking through the footage on his camera to pick out some clips. Jeff was waiting patiently on the couch before Corinna spoke up.

“Hey Jeff, I’m gonna take Sage home. We have some plans tomorrow and it would just be easier if I stay over” She says, it’s sort of true, Corinna has some meetings in the morning and they’re closer to my place but she isn’t staying over

“Oh ok, I should head out then. I’ll see you guys later” Jeff says, saying his goodbyes and leaving

“So was anyone else uncomfortable with Jeff’s answer or was it just me?” David asks, the group agrees, it’s definitely in his right to say that I mean no is mad

“Yea, I wasn’t mad cause it’s his own opinion and Jeff is a big boy, but he seems to sort of lead you on for him to turn around and say that he doesn’t even see you like when we ask him about Natalie and Corinna” Heath replies, everyone nods in agreement and I just sigh

“I’m not mad, I mean I have been sort of ghosting everyone these past few weeks, maybe he’s just upset” I explain, Heath and Todd give me the look

“Baby that’s bullshit and you know it” Heath laughs, Todd agrees with him and taps my leg

“To be honest, he was very stressed out while you were gone” He says, I know he’s trying to make me feel better but it doesn’t really help

Corinna and I leave shortly after we have our little group talk. We caught up during the car ride and before I know it we’re at my apartment. We say goodbye and plan to meet for lunch tomorrow before I head up to my apartment. I knew Carly was probably fast asleep so I tried to be as quiet as possible.

I get ready for bed and climb into my warm blanket, wrapping myself like a burrito. I browse TikTok on my phone for a few minutes before setting my alarm. Just before I let sleep take over my phone buzzes on my nightstand.

Jeff: I missed you.. I’m sorry for being an asshole tonight. I had no idea that I was leading you on, but I didn’t know you had a crush on me..

Fuck.

#vlog sqaud #vlog squad imagine #jeff wittek imagine #jeff wittek

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natromanxoff · 3 years

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Queen live at Civic Auditorium Arena in Omaha, NE, USA - September 13, 1980

(x)

Fan Stories

“I don't know if anyone has ever been able to appreciate a rock concert as much as I did when I saw Queen at age 7. I knew the order the songs were supposed to be in, the way the stage was supposed to look, and what the band was supposed to do. And everything happened perfectly. Except for that damn mustache. Late summer 1980, I was pestering my mom to take me into town to get candy. She said, "Do you really want to get candy, or would you rather get tickets to see Queen?" I stopped in my tracks and started being the nicest boy you could imagine. I thought maybe she was kidding, but knew she wouldn't kid me about something like that. I guess my dad had already OKd it too. Like Axl Rose once said about Queen: "They meant everything to me." We drove all the way to Omaha to get tickets: they were $9 in advance, or $11 the day of the show if still available (though now I'm not sure how they weren't sold out immediately). I'm still not quite sure why Queen was playing smaller arenas at that point, since I think they had already begun playing stadiums. Finally, September 13 arrived. I was in 2nd grade. Ads had been all over the radio for this concert. One of my baby-sitters and two of her friends rode up with us also, and they went off on their own when we got there. The show was one of those infamous "general admission" things, so our seats depended solely on how early we arrived. I think we got to the arena at about 9 am... almost a full 12 hours before the show actually started (much longer in 7-year-old hours). A single word, "QUEEN", was boldly displayed on the marquee above the many doors where small lines were beginning to form. Excited bands of people were running/gathering everywhere. Queen was one of the biggest five bands in the world at that time: "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was on the charts, The Game had just been released, and "Another One Bites the Dust" was soon-to-be released as a single. We picked one of the lines and got ready for what was indeed halfway dangerous: the growing mob of people ready to run in when the doors would open. This was a big issue of the time, as it was the year before that 11 people were crushed to death at the turnstiles of a Who concert. (An episode of the TV show W.K.R.P. in Cincinnati even focused on this.) People were starting to press onto the transparent doors trying to look inside, when suddenly there was the sound of tires screeching from the street: a white limousine honked twice and sped around the corner toward the other side of the arena, and was gone within seconds. The "big kids" screamed and ran after it; I was too small to do this, but we got better places in line! When everyone came back, they said they actually saw Freddie and John get out of it and be scuffled into the building before getting attacked by the mob of people. In the meantime, others around us were starting to talk to my mom. Two of them were a man and a lady who were apparently on date, and they ended up even staying by and sitting by us through the show. Some other people also offered to kind of stay around my mom and I to make sure I'd be safe on the way in. A couple of times, a big fat drunk guy yelled out, "Who's your favorite group?" and of course everyone yelled "Queen!"

Now people were beginning to bang on the doors of the entrance. I think the doors finally opened at around 11 am. When they did, we and other people from several sides of the arena moved in, towards those coming in from other doors on opposite sides: within seconds, everyone had funneled from outside to stopping cold in the lobby, having basically run into each other. This is exactly where everyone stayed for the next two hours. A human shield of several people were intact around my mom and I preventing my being crushed... and all I could see for two hours were a bunch of butts! Once in awhile someone would try and lift me up to see all the people. From the distance, the drunk guy again repeated the "Who's your favorite band?" line a couple of times, realizing that more people could hear him now that he was indoors and echoing, and everyone gave the appropriate response. By the fifth time, only the drunk people were responding to him, and by the tenth time people were laughing and moaning. Every so often, some loud music would come out of the arena like a band was tuning-up, but it wasn't Queen music so everyone figured it was just the opening act. At 1 pm, the turnstiles were finally opened. I was kind of keeping my guard around me as everyone pressed forward, and everything was moving faster the closer we got, but by surveying the area I thought I'd be safe. I had my ticket in my hand. The guy from the couple was going to try and enter first, then me, and then my mom. When I got to the turnstiles, my mom and the guy grabbed my arms on both sides and completely hoisted me over. A surprised old man tore my ticket while I was in mid-air. Suddenly, we were standing relatively calmly inside: the difficult part was over, and we were at least safe from here on out. People were still running everywhere and screaming, but the hallways were pretty big so it wasn't too dangerous as long as we stayed toward the edge. Most people were still outside, since we were somewhat early. An older 12-year-old tore around the corner, then his '70s-style tennis shoes screeched against the floor and he fell down for a second as he decided to which way to go. We knew we were sort of on a mission to walk fast toward a balcony and just get seats instead of wandering around indecisively like others. We went straight up toward the second level balcony, as others ran the opposite way down to the main floor. My mom and I and the people we'd befriended walked right next to the wall, and I pressed against it while just a few feet away scattered groups of people would sometimes run by full-speed. I would have wanted to be on the main floor, but my mom had previously explained to me how, unless we were in the balcony, we would have to actually stand through the whole show (there weren't any chairs on the main floor) and would hardly be able to see anything. Plus, along with the horror stories of people running in at the beginning of a rock concert, I had also heard how people supposedly got crushed to death against the stage... so sitting in the balcony was just fine with me. We got two seats in the front of the second balcony, just by the railing to the balcony below. We were on the right side of the arena, about halfway back, so we couldn't complain. Now, I knew this was the beginning of the biggest wait: sitting in the same spot from 1 in the afternoon to about 9 at night.

The main parts of the stage I liked (from viewing the pictures in my Live Killers album) were intact: the steps were lined with lights under Roger's drums, and middle of the main stage had a small plank stage that stuck out for Freddie to walk on, where the crowd could touch him but not too easily. Most of the instruments, and all of Roger's drum set, were covered in giant sheets of plastic. I'd never seen such big speakers; I had a flashback when I saw the black and white photo to the right because that's what they looked like with the house lights up. Throughout the afternoon, the lights in the arena would go out, then come back on... like we were being teased. Finally when it was about time for the opening band, the lights went off longer than usual and the band took the stage. The opening band was someone we had never heard of, and my mom and I both can't even remember who it was now (two people have e-mailed me saying it was a band called "Dakota"). I don't think they had any hits, and then apparently disappeared soon after. The crowd tolerated the first two or three songs. Then, every song ended with "Just one more song!" much to the audience's vocal dismay. I went on a trip to the bathroom, and they were still playing when I came back. Then they left. Ten minutes later, they came back and said "Just one more song!" and I think they played three. People were yelling, "We want Queen!" People were getting harsh to the point it was just uncomfortable even seeing the band on the stage. Everyone cheered when they left. The lights came back on. Another two hours. Just seeing them walk across the stage would have been enough for me, so at that age I really couldn't comprehend being in their presence for a whole two-hour concert. This wait was easier though because every second we knew the show could start. Seeing Queen still seemed like it was too good to be true, like some act of God would occur just before the show to prevent it. Then, the lights went out. There's no feeling like the wait in total darkness just before a Queen concert. It was 10 minutes of black and the loudest screaming I'd ever heard. I remember it was "scary" and so I think Brian might have also been playing the weeping guitar sound like the beginning of the We Will Rock You concert video. It was a good scary feeling though, like going up the first hill of a roller coaster. After several minutes of intense darkness and the crowd screaming, when I felt like my ears didn't have room for any more sound to enter (though I loved it), the even louder sound of thunder clapped across the arena with an incredibly blinding light. I could see everyone on the main floor have to turn completely around in unison toward the back of the arena because the lights were so bright. I kept trying to glance at the stage to see what was happening, but it was too bright to see anything... plus, in between the flashes, it was too dark to see anything. It was sort of an unnerving state, being totally blinded in that big of a place with that many people, and coming to the realizaton that it would be unthinkable to actually move around and that we were basically helpless. I was holding my mom's hand. Queen had the whole crowd paralyzed in their tracks before the show even began.

I'm not sure if the lights all rose up like in the We Will Rock You video or not (since we couldn't see), or if they were already raised because of the opening band. Eventually the thunder and noise turned to music. Finally, through my wincing, Freddie Mercury was suddenly in front of my own little eyes on the front extended stage in all the smoke. I'd never even seen a celebrity in person before, much less my idol at the time. I didn't think they would open with the fast version of "We Will Rock You" for some reason, since that's at the beginning of the Live Killers album and I thought they would want to do something different, but was surprised that they opened with a non-Queen song: "Jailhouse Rock". The stage looked similar to that in the We Will Rock You concert video, with the smaller panels of lights replacing the single giant panel from previous tours; however, I'm certain there was at least another entire, higher level of moving lights (not only from seeing them at the concert, but also looking at the pictures for years afterwards). The lights in the We Will Rock You video seem extremely cut-back. Instead of one row of panels of lights across the back of the stage, the panels were all over the place and the ones above the band moved straight up and down on poles and tilted back and forth. There were also little men somehow sitting amongst the panels who manually operated at least a dozen spotlights, and more guys doing this from a small section hanging down from the ceiling at the middle of the arena. Since the spotlights were directed from the top of the arena, there wasn't a big bulky spotlight booth in the middle of the main floor taking up space, and the audio booth was placed along the right side of the arena (down not to far from us) so it wasn't in anyone's way. In the darkness between a lot of the songs, flashlights darted around the stage... we couldn't figure out if it was the band or engineers setting things up. Thankfully, no one came out on stage before the show to announce the band (I've always thought this is really cheesy). Freddie had on those red leather pants with the blue knee-pads... and, unfortunately, that ugly mustache! "What do you think about my new mustache?" Freddie asked. (Mixed applause.) "Some people don't like it, but I just say 'fu** 'em.'" (Crowd goes wild.). Freddie drank some water, then tossed the rest out onto the crowd along with his cup. He tossed his tambourine out later, and I couldn't imagine what it would actually be like to touch it. Freddie also had that long silver microphone stand that he always danced around with in the videos. He was running all over the place; one second he was on the plank at our side of the arena, the next at the other side. The three high school girls who rode up with us were excited because when he went to the end of one of the planks he ended up level and close to them in the balcony (but upset because, had one not been on crutches, they would have stayed on the main floor where Freddie tossed his tambourine!). Once or twice I remember looking into the middle of the arena and some kind of explosion occurred in mid-air (apparently launched from the lighting duct at the top of the arena). There weren't that many lighters in the audience, but instead everyone was using those green glow-sticks that come out around Halloween (I think these were new at the time). The audience kept throwing their green glow sticks up on the stage until at times it was covered, and more than once Brian kicked off some back into the audience (and I think he might have been getting upset but I'm not sure!).

There were numerous parts of the show I knew had to be there... and they all were. The first was the "scary" sound effects and section of "Get Down, Make Love", where Queen showed off their lights. (At that age, I thought the erotic sound effects were simply supposed to represent the monster breaking-in on the cover of News of the World). Smoke shrouded the band, as the panels of lights took over and moved around to the audience's ooohs and aaahs. My mom and I were trying to figure out what was on Roger's bass drum, since it didn't look like an album cover; it turned out to be the white "face" design, also in the We Will Rock You video. Back then, concerts didn't have big video screens, so we just had to use the binoculars that we'd brought. Some spotlights were gathering on Freddie and Brian as they went to sit on two stools toward the right of the stage, and my mom got excited because we knew "Love of My Life" was coming. Freddie announced, "This is our first time in Omaha... " as the song started, and got the crowd to sing along like on the Live Killers album. Meanwhile, I had become a source of info for those around who wanted to know what the songs were; every time a new song would start, people would ask me what it was! I really don't know if anyone has ever actually been able to appreciate a concert as much as I did that night: I was only 7, but had every album except the first two, and knew every song they played except maybe two or three. But what's interesting is how fans often wish they could experience how a "classic" band was 20 years prior... and this is strangely how I felt I was experiencing the show, because at my age it seemed like Queen had been around 20 years. There were parts of the show, including the stage design, that were "legendary" to me, but were only 2-3 years old in reality. Now, 20 years later, they're legendary to everyone else. Periodically, the guy next to me changed the tape in his "hidden" tape recorder. We knew the show was close to the end when "Bohemian Rhapsody" began. Everyone clapped to the pre-recorded opera section, and as the Live Killers liner notes say: "The audience and the lights take care of the rest." The crowd went nuts when Roger hit the famous gong at the end.

I think there were two or three more songs, and then everything went black for about 10 minutes. Could it be that they were actually not going to play the standard "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions/God Save the Queen" closing? The house lights may have even come on for awhile, then went back off. A few people were starting to leave, and I kept telling my mom that they had to end the concert that way, because that's the only way a Queen concert ends... but then even I was having doubts. Finally, the yellow lights around the gong all turned on, pointing directly on Roger, who started the drums of "We Will Rock You" and everyone stomped their feet and clapped. Of course "We Are the Champions" was next, and Freddie shook some of the hands flailing in front of the stage while singing it. I remember there was one hand jumping up and down that never got shook! Freddie bent his neck way back when he sang "... of the world!" at the very end like I knew he was supposed to from videos on TV, and we hoped for another song but knew that was probably going to be it. A grand finale of Queen's famous pyrotechnics began shooting everywhere from the stage, the lights were all moving around, and everyone was jumping all over in the aisles. Soon the pre-recorded Night at the Opera version of "God Save the Queen" did begin playing...but, nobody really sang to it since this is America and no one knows the words! At this point, I tried to make sure I was truly fathoming what it was like to actually see the band members in front of me since they'd be gone soon. Freddie was still dancing around and danced out a little door behind the drums, and the rest of the band followed one-by-one, with John being last as he waved to everybody one last time. The lights flickered and moved some more to the rest of the song, slowly going dark along with the rest of the arena, with the final rise of the crowd's applause. Perfect. Except for that damn mustache. We walked down what seemed like endless spiraling stairs on the way out...extremely slowly this time. My ears had that weird "ringing" feeling like everyone said I'd have, but that I'd never experienced before. Spotlights were panning the sky outside. We said goodbye to the couple we'd been with during the show. A guy in his late 20s started talking to us on the long way out; he laughed and told me how he'd also had to argue with his mom who said Queen would never come to Omaha. My mom asked him if he thought I'd even remember the whole thing since I was so little. He looked down at me, saw my grin from ear-to-ear, and said, "He'll never forget this."” - Jim

#queen #queen band #roger taylor #freddie mercury #brian may #john deacon #queen concerts

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sapphire374 · 4 years

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When Stars Align

“Is this the second time we’ve both gotten stuck in the same elevator?”

Wattpad Link

I would like to give a special thanks to @silver-inked for helping me when I went through writers block with this idea. I was able to figure out an idea cause of your help so thank you. :)

Background: The gang are at a Roller Skating competition. It’s sort of an AU that would take place in season three but there are no spoilers or mention of anything that correlates to season three. A character does mention Mitchel but nothing specifically about him is said. Ships included are Lutteo (with angst) and Simbar.

Luna and Matteo both entered inside the elevator to head upstairs since it was their turn next to compete. They stole glances from each other and it was just pure silence in the air. They both couldn’t help but stay angry at each other for their own reasons.

“C’mon Emilia hurry up,” Ámbar demanded outside of the elevator.

“Can’t you see I’m trying!” Emilia replied. Emilia was frantically unscrewing the latch that contained all of the buttons of the elevator outside. She pulled out her scissors from her back pocket and snipped at one of the cords. The elevator stopped.

“It stopped..” Matteo noticed.

“Chico Fresa, what do you mean it stopped? Can’t you just press another button to go up.”

“None of them work. The elevator is stuck,” Matteo stuttered whilst frantically pressing all the buttons at once.

Luna covered her face in astonishment. Out of all the days and all the times it had to be now, right before it was their turn to perform and nonetheless with Matteo. The one person she didn’t even want to look at right now or even be with. Luna pulled out her phone.

“Ugh there’s no service. What are we going to do?” Luna anxiously asked.

“It’s ok, calm down Chica Delivery. Someone is bound to notice and try to use the elevator. They will let us go and we’ll be fine.”

“Clearly you’re forgetting one very important event. We were up next to skate and now we won’t be able to make it on time! Plus how are you able to stay so calm? You must not care so much about this, only your album is all you worry about.”

Matteo rapidly turned towards her. “Of course I care, it’s just in matters like these it’s important to stay calm. Plus you’re not so perfect either Luna. You haven’t stopped holding a grudge on me for what happened with the album and Bruno. You know I’m not like that anymore and I already apologized countless times,” Matteo rebutted.

“Ok maybe I went a little too far there but lately you’ve been just so distant from me and the gang. Whenever we talk about competitions you lose interest and the closer I try to get to you, the farther you move away.” Matteo stayed silent at her response.

Luna broke the silence and said, “Well I’m going to try to call for help.”

“How?” Matteo questioned.

Luna yelled whilst banging at the door with her hand as a fist “HELP HELP! WE’RE TRAPPED IN HERE! HELP!” Matteo decided to do the same thing.

“Aww hear that Emilia, they’re trapped. Poor things, well I guess they have to figure it out all on their own.” Ámbar and Emilia cackled together. Emilia picked up all of her tools and placed it in her backpack after screwing back the elevator button latch so there will be no evidence that it was them.

“C’mon let’s get out of here so no one thinks it’s us.” Emilia ran out the hallway and so did Ámbar till she bumped into someone. Her black, fringe shoulder bag falling to the floor alongside her phone. “Watch where you’re goi- oh Simón! Uh what are you doing here?” Her mood and tone of voice quickly shifts when she notices it’s Simón.

Simón bends over to pick up Ámbar’s stuff like the gentleman he is. Ambar always loved it when he was nice to her but now wasn’t a good time. She had to hurry quick before the others suspect it was her. “I’ve been searching for Luna and Matteo. They’re needed now at the rink, they’re up next to skate. Have you seen them?”

Ámbar rapidly shakes her head, “No no I haven’t, sorry. Don’t worry too much about it though, they're bound to be found soon. In fact, they’re probably at the rink tying up their shoes, you know they’re never late to a performance.”

Simón scratches his head. “Yeah I guess you’re right. Hey, what are you doing here?”

Ámbar quickly makes up an excuse. “I was just… looking for the vending machine! I wanted to eat something before I prepared skates.”

“Oh say no more.” Simón stuffs his hands in his pockets scavenging for something. He pulls out two granola bars and smiles. “Here you go. You can have it. It’s not much but it’s something you can eat and not have to buy or waste your money.”

Ámbar couldn’t help but smile at this sweet gesture Simón made. He always helps her, without thinking. Ámbar couldn’t help but wonder maybe there is somebody in this world who cares about her, could it be Simón? Would life be better if she just let her guard down to him, for him.

“HELP! HELP!” The staring contest between Ámbar and Simón spontaneously ended. “Do you hear that?” Simón asked Ámbar. “No no. Must be some kids playing outside.”

Simón immediately ran to the dressing room hallway. Ámbar changed her mentality on a “what if she did change” cause she feels at the end of the day he will always prefer Luna and the others. “Stupid Lunita always ruining everything. Plus, what’s the point of changing if he’s alway going to care for those losers and ignore me or leave me at the sidelines. I’m tired of being thrown to the side,” Ámbar wondered.

Emilia dashed to Ámbar. “I came back. I thought you were right behind me running. If we stay any longer they will figure out it was us.”

“I know we have to hurry but our plan sort of backfired. Simón was able to hear these two idiots yelling from the elevator.”

Emilia puts her hand over her head. “No it can’t be. Well, fixing that elevator shouldn’t be easy and it's their turn now meaning they’ll miss it. We’re just going to have to hope that the judges don’t give them a second chance.”

Ámbar and Emilia escape the scene. Simón runs into the hallway. He notices the closer he approaches the elevator, the louder he hears the screaming for help. “Guys are you ok? Who is this in the elevator and what happened?”

“Simón! Simón! It’s us, Luna and Matteo! The elevator randomly stopped and there’s no service. Ever since then we’ve been trapped in here,” Luna announces.

“Oh I’ll go get Juliana now! Don’t go anywhere ok?”

“Guitarrista, where would we go, we’re trapped,” Matteo answered.

“Oh yeah that’s right. Whoops.” Simón replied.

Simón runs off to go let the team know. Now it’s just Luna and Matteo…. alone. Luna sits down, bends her knees and lays her head on top with a gloomy expression plastered on her face. Matteo can’t help but stare at the way Luna feels depressed. He hates seeing her the opposite of her usual happy, cheery self. “Cheer up Chica Delivery, they’re coming soon to fix the elevator. We’ll be out of here in no time.”

“But Matteo, we missed our turn to skate and what if the judges don’t give us another opportunity. What if, cause of us, our whole team misses out on performing as well. We don’t know how severe the elevator issue is nor how long it will take and -”

Matteo cuts Luna off and tries to comfort her. “And everything will be okay. Look if those things do end up happening then we’ll have another opportunity in a future competition. Some things are just out of our hands, like this elevator incident in this case.”

“You’re right but we worked so hard for this competition.”

“And we'll work even harder for the next one,” Matteo being optimistic, hoping this would make her feel better.

“Yeah you’re right.” Luna sighs.

The elevator turned to silence again. They couldn’t help but steal glances from one another. Oh how it was so hard to just speak to the other, they’re constantly overthinking and worried to put their heart out on the line. “Why do we always end up in arguments with each other,” they wondered. Matteo inhaled a large gulp of hair, tried to put his nerves on the sidelines and his courage to the test.

“I’m sorry for avoiding you these past days.”

Luna’s head shifted towards Matteo now. All her attention is now on him.

“It’s just I didn’t know how to react when seeing you constantly with Michel and I was worried there is something more between the two of you. I thought there was and tried to give you space, you deserve someone who truly loves you and cares about you. I didn’t want to get in the way of that but at the same time it hurt seeing you with him so I always tried to leave. Sorry if I ended up hurting you in any way from doing that. I would never want to hurt you or cause you any pain.”

Luna's lips slowly curved into a little smile. “Chico Fresa, thank you for being honest with me. Me and Michel are just friends, I can guarantee that. I also would like to say I’m sorry for being harsh and upset. Your music deal was very important to you and I shouldn’t always prioritize these competitions, I should’ve been there to comfort you when Bruno cancelled it at the time. You were my boyfriend and I really did care about you, and still do. I think it was just I didn’t want to see you lose sight of yourself and care solely about your album and your success. Life is much more than that but I should’ve expressed myself better. I did notice though you have changed ever since you apologized. You now make more of an effort to get along with Simon and are even friends, which is so cute! I know it has been tough for you ever since Gaston left as well. Just know I will always be here for you, whenever you need me.”

Matteo smiled widely now. Luna’s words couldn’t have been any more comforting. He hates arguing with her but he loves these intimate moments, maybe it wasn’t so bad after all to get trapped in this elevator. Maybe it was meant to be, maybe it was their time for the stars to align.

Matteo and Luna both got up. Juliana and the gang were outside with an electrician fixing the buttons to the elevator. Luna and Matteo were so wrapped up in their conversation they barely even noticed. “Let’s make a deal Matteo. I will try to focus some more time in helping you out with your music if you will do the same with these competitions and actually get excited for them, and train with me.”

Matteo chuckled. He was beaming with joy and anyone who knew him could tell. “It’s a deal.” Luna took out her hand and Matteo shook it. Right after, while holding her hand shaking it, he pulled her in closer. They were only centimeters apart now. The air felt like it escaped their lungs and Matteo knew exactly what he was doing when he did it. “So Chica Delivery, is it true what you said about me? You still care about me?”

Luna looked up. Their faces were so close to each other, their noses touched. “Chico Fresa, you still have doubts, on me?!” Luna joked.

“Do you still have feelings for me too?” The sparks were reignited again and floating in the air. Luna tried to breath and her nerves couldn’t stop from taking over her. Great, now she forgot how to breath. Matteo caressed her cheek and now her skin feels like it’s on fire. Her heart couldn’t stop racing. She wanted to answer but she already knew he knew the answer as they kept leaning closer...and closer… and…

BING

The automatic doors have opened

Everyone stared at Luna and Matteo’s almost kiss. Luna and Matteo frantically moved their faces and stared in shock. They were not expecting the elevator to get fixed so fast. Jazmin had her tablet in hand and exclaimed, “YES I GOT IT ALL ON TAPE! Ja- Jazmin fans you all are in for a real treat this week!” Luna face palmed herself and couldn’t believe Matteo was laughing, even if he was trying to hide it.

#soy luna #Lutteo #soy luna ficweek #soy luna fic week #soy luna fanfic #Simbar #soy luna wattpad #sl wattpad #soy luna one shot #soy luna lutteo fic #soy luna lutteo fanfic #soy luna one shots #soy luna when stars align #lutteo fanfic #soy luna universe #Luna Valente #Matteo Balsano #Ámbar Smith #Simón Alvarez

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rovewritesit · 4 years

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Angel Of My Dreams (Chapter 5) John Deacon x Reader Series

GIF: @johndeac

Apologies for the delay! Work has been an absolute shit fest. The big show I’m on got canceled, but we still have to finish the season at some point so oof. Also, my boss is moving to Italy? Pray for my sanity, folks.

Series Summary: After reluctantly joining a band with your childhood best friends, you are thrust into oncoming stardom with no sea legs and an overwhelming sense of anxiety. But you just might find your way, thanks to some seasoned pros by your side. And the interest of one particular bassist.

This series is a work of fiction and is loosely inspired by real people and events. Absolutely no offense is meant to actual Queen or their families.

PART 1 - PART 2 - PART 3 - PART 4

Pairing: John Deacon x Reader

Chapter Warnings: Strong language. Feelings of anxiety. Angst (oooo!)

Chapter Notes: I've rewritten this chapter so many times that I don't even know what it is anymore. Angst is hard, my dudes! Why can't it all be flirty glances and quick banter?!

Song/Title Inspiration: Angel - Fleetwood Mac

Songs Mentioned:

Moonlight in Vermont - Frank Sinatra

Blues Run The Game - Jackson C. Frank

Taglist: @yourlocalmusicalprostitute @brianmays-hair @deacyblues @squishy-geckboye @hae-bee @aprilaady @theresalexis @uglipotata72829

- - - - - - -

September 1982 - The Music Inn, New York City

“Bri, get a load of all these fucking maracas!”

Brian makes his way over to where Roger is gazing at a massive wall adorned with shaker-filled shelves, dipping his head low to avoid the sea of guitars hanging from the ceiling above his long frame.

Queen was back in New York for their first-ever appearance on Saturday Night Live. Finding time in between the intensive rehearsals during the week had been hard, but Freddie insisted they would make the time for his favorite New Yorkers. When the time was finally found, he, of course, was unavailable, off antiquing at some of Manhattan’s luxury spots but promised to meet up with the group later on.

The Limbs managed to snag the other three men for a trip to the historic Music Inn. Nestled in the heart of Greenwich Village, the dingy treasure trove was located a stone’s throw away from the city’s most prominent folk clubs that boasted discovering the talents of Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel.

You were quite confident that your newfound English friends would love it. Every visible space was stuffed or covered with an abundance of musical paraphernalia. So much so that you had been in the store dozens of times without ever finding out what color the walls were. Its layout was always changing to fit the ever-growing amount of items displayed, the familiar specks of dust that sparkled in the sunlight being the only constants.

“Hey, Jeff!” Steve calls out to the eccentric owner. “Where are these from?”

The aging hippie shuffles over. “Mostly South America,” he explains in his usual gravelly drawl. “A customer brought back some new shekeres from West Africa last week that have a nice sound to them.” Jeff motions up the sprawling wall. Roger immediately grabs a few, testing the sounds out against the ones Steve is already playing with - the two of them like kids in a candy store.

Jeff had been a good friend to The Limbs since their early teen years, having let the group spend hours on end attempting to learn every exotic instrument they could get their hands on. Anyone who entered the shop could count on him as a spirit guide of sorts to a wealth of worldly music. And while The Limbs had kept their first album fairly plain in context, they were already itching, particularly Steve, to experiment on the next album. Whenever that would be.

Now that a few more of their singles were moderately successful hits, Columbia Records was focused on milking it for all that it was worth. The execs were currently setting up an extensive American tour of the Mid - West Coast part of the country, all the major cities they hadn’t hit on their first tour.

“Y/N,” Jeff gestures for you to follow him, probably excited to show you a new find seeing as you were always eager and willing to give them a test run. You make your way down the staircase lined with large balalaikas to the musty lower level filled with various sound equipment and electronic instruments.

“What on god’s green earth would you use that for?” you hear Rich’s deep voice implore. He rolls his eyes as Eddie moons over an ornately engraved mandolin.

“It worked for Rod Stewart, didn’t it? That mandolin solo in Maggie May shredded,” he retorts. “Plus, look how pretty she is!”

You watch your feet as you carefully maneuver around the amps and pedals haphazardly strewn around the floor, following Jeff to the back of the room - taking special care to step around John, who is crouched low looking over the wiring of a particularly grody-looking amp.

Upon entering the store, he had taken off on his own right away, immediately entranced by the sprawling selection all about him. But you had caught the worn, far-off look in his eyes when he greeted you with a short wave earlier. You try not to let the lack of attention bother you as you pass him without so much as a glance up. The heartfelt conversation you had the last time they were in town had rooted itself in your memory. Spilling your guts like you did that night wasn't a common occurrence for you- figuring you were already easy enough to read due to the panicked expression often etched onto your face.

Why him? Even your bandmates weren’t privy to the babblings of your intimate thoughts. It couldn’t just be his boyish tooth-gap or the pleasing line of his straight nose. Maybe it was the confusing mix of nerves and comfort you felt whenever in his presence. It was unlike the persistent butterflies you were used to when around attractive humans. Feeling instead like a gentle humming that you somehow sensed everywhere at once.

You’re brought out of your swimming thoughts as Jeff clears his throat loudly to get your attention. You must’ve been staring blankly at the floor for quite a while. He gestures to a bulky item draped in a tarp, as you give him a small apologetic smile.

“Oh yes, very pretty,” you smirk at him.

He rolls his eyes as he attempts to sweep the tarp off in a dramatic reveal, but in reality, it gets stuck. The man scrambles to uncover it, and as soon as it peeks out, you gasp.

“A theremin!”

You gaze at the ordinary-looking wooden cabinet in awe. It must be old, seeing as they were mostly compact now.

“You haven’t had one in ages,” you marvel, locking eyes with Jeff.

“Which means it’s been a while since I’ve heard your ambient screeches plaguing these walls.”

Your finger points to him in protest. “Hey, I was getting better until you sold the last one on me!”

“Well, I didn’t see you making a bid for it,” he playfully shrugs.

“Let’s hear those screeches!” Eddie yells out. Rich claps his hands excitedly beside him. You poke your tongue out at them, but your eyes catch John’s, and you quickly close your mouth. Still crouched, he looks on with mild curiosity wrinkled on his brow. He lightly raises them at you in silent encouragement.

You slowly make your way behind the instrument as Jeff plugs it into the wall. Turning one of the knobs, it hums to life as you check the metal attachments protruding from the wood frame. It really is old. You have no idea how to even begin to calibrate it. Taking a deep breath, you timidly bring your hands up in position.

It lets out a high pitched wail that burns your ears from being so close, and you yank your hands away from the field of current. Eddie and Rich erupt into cheers while John slowly stands, moving a bit closer to see the mechanism properly.

Jeff lightly pushes you back towards it in a gentle coax. This time you slowly bring your curled hand a reasonable distance away from the pitch antenna, keeping your other low on the one for volume. Squeezing your eyes shut to focus on the tone, you slowly move until you find your starting note. It was all about sense memory and your ears to fill the gaps with nothing to physically touch.

Uncurling your fingers, you begin the opening notes of Moonlight in Vermont - the one song you had somewhat taught yourself through hours of painstaking practice. You fumble a bit, eliciting a squeak or two while trying to remember the hand placements that produce the proper notes. While you might “play” many instruments, you were middling at many, master of none. You make it through the first verse before your head starts to pound from your jaw-clenched concentration.

“Fuck the mandolin, let’s get that for the next album!” you hear Rich tell Eddie.

“Ah, yes, you’ve heard Pet Sounds. Now prepare your ears for The Limb’s sophomore attempt, Ghost Sounds,”

Their banter is drowned out as John chimes in. “How on earth did you learn that?” You meet his struck expression and shrug lightly.

“Don’t downplay it, Bun. It’s pretty fucking cool,” Rich assures you. “And her knowing ASL also helps,” he explains to John.

“Sign language?”

“Oh yeah, Y/N’s mom is deaf,” Eddie reveals bluntly. You shoot him a look.

“Sorry, hard of hearing,” he holds his hands out in defense.

John is silent for a moment as he mulls the information over, causing a speck of tension in the room.

“Your mother’s never heard you sing?” he asks incredulously as if he can’t possibly imagine it.

You give a small smile. “No, I guess she hasn’t. But I was in the car with her the first time I heard us on the radio. I turned the treble down and the bass all the way up and she bopped along to the beat pretty well.”

Rich chuckles lightly at the story. “She’s always been hoot, hasn’t she?”

You nod gently. “Aptly put. That’s how she describes herself as a matter of fact.”

John shoves his hands deep in his pockets as he takes a look around the room, his cheeks a light pink. You're unsure of why.

“I’m gonna head out for a quick smoke,” you decide, patting Jeff on the shoulder. “I know how you hate it.”

He gives your hand a light squeeze before you make your way upstairs, hoping to catch John’s eyes, but he avoids yours yet again.

A pleasing blend of harmonies can be heard as you hit the landing. You peek your head around a large assortment of bongos to find Brian strumming a small acoustic on the other side of the store. Roger, Steve, and Lawrence all crammed around, the four of them singing a rendition of Blues Run the Game.

Your heart warms at the sight, remembering the times when you and the boys would sit around a campfire and croon out the same sad tune. Eddie and Rich will be pissed they missed this. Steve notices your presence and silently ticks his head for you to come join. You hold up your pack of Marlborough’s in response to him before finally slipping out the front, trying your best to not jingle the adorned bells too much.

A cool breeze promptly passes through the knit of your sweater. It’s late September, and New York has begun to really cool off. You pull down the sleeves to cover your hands as you light your cigarette, wincing a bit on the first inhale. It was a leftover habit from your college days- scarcely used, only in social situations, or to get out of awkward ones.

Taking in the familiar street, you can’t help but giggle at the day you were having. To be showing Queen around your old hangout still felt absurd. No matter how genuinely they seemed to like the company of your band, you couldn’t fathom them wanting to spend the day with you all. Weren’t there bigger and better musicians in this city to be hanging out with?

The sound of a lighter flicking to life comes from your left, and you turn. John leans against the faded wall as he takes a drag, his eyes trained on the dirty sidewalk.

“I’m sorry, i- if I offended you with my comment about your mother,” he professes quietly.

Your brows shoot up in confusion. “What?”

“We have a friend whose father is deaf. A lovely man. I shouldn’t have been so insensitive.” He sighs, finally turning to face you. “It’s just that the memory of hearing your voice for the first time isn’t something one can easily shake. I mean that in a way that- it’s just a shame really. For her to not be able to share in it when it’s something so...” he looks as if he’s racking his brain for an appropriate word. “Well, singular.”

You suck in a breath at his words. In all your years, you had never gotten that as a response to your mother’s disability. It was mostly a polite, “Oh, really? I’m so sorry to hear that.” His honesty and consideration for your feelings knock the present hum of your body up to 100.

You flinch as gentle burning hits your fingers, and you look down at your forgotten cigarette, quickly flicking it to the ground before crushing it under your heel. John shifts his weight from side to side, never taking his eyes off of you while he waits for you to collect your thoughts.

“I write out my lyrics for her so she can read them as poems,” you state simply, smiling up at him. “Sometimes she makes up her own melodies and sings them around the house. It’s not the easiest on the ears, but she’s pretty inventive.” His eyes crinkle as he returns your grin - his first genuine one of the day.

“So she’s heard music before?”

“Oh yeah. She has nerve deafness, which didn’t start till her late twenties. She actually spent a lot of time around here when she was younger. Bitter End and The Gaslight are just a few blocks away.”

He hums lightly as he stares at you- like you’re a puzzle whose pieces are just beginning to fit together.

“Can you teach me something in sign language?”

Once again, your brows shoot up, shocked by his response. You blink a few times, trying to think of what to say. Going with the only thing that pops to mind, you sign out a phrase as he watches your hands intently.

“And what does that mean?”

You smirk, “You are a cheesy cow.”

“I’m sorry?” he laughs out.

You repeat it back slowly while signing along. “You. Are. A. Cheesy. Cow. It’s the first thing my mother taught me how to sign.”

He runs his hand over his jaw as he chuckles. “Rich was right. A hoot she must be.”

“I’m pretty shit, to be honest, and she read lips, so it’s mostly used for snide comments during extended family gatherings.”

You watch as he puts out his cigarette and carefully takes a step closer to you. “I’m assuming your colourful vocabulary extends to those instances as well.”

“Right you are.”

“Freddie will love that,” he snickers. “He always seems to collect vulgarities in other languages wherever we go.”

Your attention is torn away as a sleek black car rolls up to a stop at the curb. It’s out of place in the middle of the street filled with old and worn buildings, which can similarly describe the people who mill about.

“Speak of the Queen herself,” you laugh as a sunglass-clad Freddie steps onto the sidewalk.

“Oh, isn’t this quaint!” he exclaims, peering into the shop window. He straightens as he turns to you, hands-on-hips.

“Deacy. Thumper. Are we fans of freezing our tits off, or shall we go inside?”

You give John a small smile and push yourself off the wall, making your way over to Freddie, who immediately pulls you into a bone-crushing hug. The bells against the door ring out as you all enter the shop.

“Ah, Deacy,” Brian pokes his head out from one of the narrow aisles, still in a constant crouch to avoid the instruments above his head. “I was looking for you. Found these adorable teeny guitars I thought might be good to bring back for the kids. What do you think?”

“Kids?” you mumble to yourself as John makes his way over to inspect them.

“Brian has two, and John’s already up to 3. Maybe we should’ve nicknamed him Bunny.” Freddie laughs, nudging your arm. “You know… fucking like rabbits,” he expands due to your lack of chuckling.

He leans into your field of vision as he studies your statue-like expression, eyebrows knit in confusion. His eyes take in your ashen face and your lifeless expression. You weren’t even sure if you were breathing. When you lock your eyes with his, you know he understands from the sheer size of how big they become. He straightens up, glancing around quickly as if looking for something to put out a fire.

“Freddie!” Steven dances over, clicking a pair of castanets in his hands. “I wanted to show you thi-”

“So sorry, love, we can’t. Y/N promised to come to a fitting with me, and we’re already late," he announces loudly, pulling you by the arm and out the door before anyone can react.

- - - - - - -

You blankly stare at your reflection in the long mirror. Freddie had instructed his stylist to pull some outfits for you to parade around in as he tried on a bevy of metallic coats.

“You’re an idiot,” you tell the girl staring back at you.

Freddie sashays over, a shag jacket swaying with him as he places his hands on your shoulders, surveying the strappy dress you were currently squeezed into.

“Oh yes, this will do for the after-party,” he instructs.

“I’m not going.”

He heaves a deep sigh. “Darling, you already refused the ticket I got you for the show. You’re coming to the party,” he declares, turning away to look at more options.

“This isn’t really me…” you mumble, gesturing to the dress.

He regards you with a small smile. “Exactly. I say this with love, but you need a look, Y/N. Something that makes you feel unstoppable,” he gestures to his body as he twirls towards you. “Don’t you want to shock them?”

You chew your lip as you ponder that sentiment. Dawn usually just shoved you into whatever ensemble she had picked for you - leather jackets, monochromatic sets, tight jumpsuits. She kept hoping you’d find a style you fancied, but you had yet to find anything remotely likable under the lights of the stage.

“To be honest, I just want to be able to feel comfortable out there," you sigh. "But I can’t strut around in flashy outfits or conduct a whole crowd like you do." Huffing as you collapse onto one of the white couches around you. He perches beside you, throwing an arm around the back of the sofa.

“Then don’t,” he says simply.

You snort a response as you cross your arms over your chest.

“I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but have you tried showing them a bit more of yourself?”

“I can’t do that.”

He turns to you now, grabbing your attention with his eyes.

“And why not?” he questions.

You gaze down at your hands, which you’re now wringing together in your lap. “What if it’s nothing spectacular?” you whisper out the criticism that you'd drilled into your mind for the past year.

Freddie laughs lightly as he stands. “Let’s not start lying to ourselves, shall we?” He moves in front of you and kneels, now at eye level, making so you can’t look away.

“Sometimes people go to a concert for an escape. A big bloody show with dazzling lights and petite men galavanting around a stage in spandex tights,” he smiles.

“But most of the time they just want to find a piece of themselves in it, don’t they? Commonality. They want to hear you, see you, and feel just a little less alone than we all know we are. I saw just a slice of it at your concert, and it was indeed something spectacular. So take that as you will.”

You’re not one to cry much, but your eyes soften as you take in the icon of a man in front of you. A man loved by millions, who was currently filling in as your personal rock n’ roll fairy godmother.

“You’re a fantastic person, you know that?” you tell him genuinely.

“Yes,” he quips as he gets to his feet. “Now, are we done scurrying around the real problem at hand?”

You sigh as you look away, firmly willing yourself not to break the dam of bottled emotions threatening to spill out. Why couldn't you just feel numb? It would be better than the wave of childish self-pity you found yourself in.

Freddie huffs at your reaction. “Oh, you brat. Sorry to tell you, but you’re an open book, my dear. And not one of those big pompous things Brian reads. A bloody children’s book. One filled with pictures.”

You're sure you’ve now bitten through the entire top layer of your lip as you contemplate how to even begin.

“I’m an idiot,” you shrug to yourself yet again.

“No,” he points a finger at you. “You’re decidedly not. Though I am curious as to how someone who’s as big of a fan as your friends say you are, missed out on that detail.”

“I’m not sure either. I mean, I listen to your albums and go to your show, but I guess I didn’t pour over the tabloids or press interviews or anything like that.”

Freddie nods along as he sifts through another rack of jackets, choosing an incredibly tight white leather number.

“I assumed you knew,” he answers while glancing at his reflection. “And I would say Deacy should know better, but he’s not quite himself at the moment.”

“What do you mean?” you press, suddenly much more interested in the conversation.

He turns to you, palms up in explanation. “It’s not that he wouldn’t normally be charmed by your shy presence and occasionally crass mouth… But I’m a bit worried he’s finding comfort in your smiles for the wrong reasons.”

“Huh?”

Sighing heavily as if debating if he should keep skirting around his words, he holds your gaze. “An impending divorce is crippling lonely, even if it is somewhat amicable.”

His mouth is brought into a pout as you suck in a sharp breath.

Divorce. All your previous interactions play through your head from a different angle. Pity sneaks up on you as you remember John’s advice he’d given you. The concept of home is a funny thing. You scoff out loud at how your childlike crush had skewed your interpretation of your relationship with the man.

“I’m usually the one singing his praises,” Freddie muses, breaking you out of your inner monologue of resentment towards yourself. “But he seems more lost than usual at the moment.”

He gently lifts your chin. “I don’t normally meddle in- well, actually I do. Just don’t want to see you get hurt, Bunny. Not when the world is soon to be at your feet.”

"I'm fine," you lie, gently brush away his gesture. "I barely even know the guy. I was just shocked to have my silly fascination with him interrupted. Stupid, really."

"Don't do that," he exhales. "Don't put it on yourself. You'd have to be blind to ignore the fact that he's quite taken with you."

"I'm fine," you repeat, making your way into the back to change out of the ridiculous dress that suddenly felt even tighter now.

Shutting the door slowly, you let out a deep breath. It's all good, you tell yourself. Of course you got caught up in the attention of a world-renown musician. Who wouldn't? It's nothing special. As Freddie said, he's not even acting like himself. Although you were indeed in true form- getting caught up by the slightest of interactions. Unconsciously playing them as a loop in your head. You can't help but cringe at your own escalation of the situation.

Squaring your shoulders, you take in the image of yourself in the dress again. Perhaps it was time for you to shock them all.

- - - - - - -

“And so my grandfather goes out to the alley and sees her just wailing on this scrawny man. I mean, really going to town. So he pulls her off him, and the dude’s got a black eye and a bloody nose. And he’s like, “Thanks mate, thought she was gonna kill me there.”

Roger ruffles your hair in response to your poor attempt at a British accent. The group of cast and crew around you chuckle at the gesture.

You had decided that if you were going to be forcibly dragged to this after-party by your bandmates, you would at least aim to make it worthwhile. A debut of your new mentality. One where you weren't just acting the part of a rising rock star, but living it.

Which is why at the moment, you found yourself the center of attention, surrounded by the cast and crew of SNL laughing along to your amusing story. But this was all hinged on you carefully, avoiding the presence of John Deacon at all costs. Which, in reality, wasn't very hard to do- you had yet to see him since arriving an hour ago.

“Oh my god, who was it?!” the young cast member beside you presses. You think her name is Julia, but the sheer amount of people you'd been introduced to was dizzying.

"That's exactly what we asked him when he told us. All he said was that it was some man with big lips who was in a fur coat and looked like he hadn't eaten in a month..."

The cam op across from you gasps, "It was MICK JAGGER? God bless your grandfather, I would've wept if she murdered him."

"So would my mom AND grandmother," you laugh. "Give us each a glass of wine, and it's basically a Mick fan club."

"Who else?" Brian taps your leg, surprisingly urging you to divulge more gossip.

You can't help but smirk as the group leans forward intently.

"Robin Williams?" you tease as their eyebrows all raise.

"Horrible tipper, but he makes up for it by performing dirty puppet shows with the napkins."

"Sounds about right," funnyman Brad Hall confirms, offering you another drink.

You politely decline, determined to keep your wits about you this evening. "I'm gonna go grab some water. Anyone want anything?"

The group shakes their heads, but Lawrence jumps up to join you on your trek to the crowded bar.

"Wouldn't it be insane if this was us one day?" he exclaims as you weave your way through the mass of bodies littering the Capitol Grill.

You smile up at him, "Dream big, buddy."

"Oh, I intend to," he confirms you as you spot Eddie and Rich waving you over from a spot at the bar.

Rich promptly wraps his arm around your shoulders as you join them. He always had a stoic way of letting you know he saw through the cracks in your poorly constructed armor. Taking the role of a caring older brother, more so than your own.

"Have we lost Steve again?" Lawrence asks the group.

Eddie nods across the room. "He's exactly where you think he'd be," he scoffs as you catch a glimpse of Steve, trailing Freddie like a lost puppy.

"Um, excuse me?" a short girl mumbles from behind Eddies' denim-clad shoulder. He turns, glancing down.

"Hiya," he regards her casually, causing her a deep blush to creep across her cheeks. She shoves a napkin and pen at him.

"C-could I get an autograph? Please?"

Eddie smirks at her flustered appearance, making sure to brush her fingers as he grabs the items out of her trembling hand.

"And what beautiful name should I be making this out to?"

She lets out a jarring high pitched giggle as she stumbles over her words. "Oh, uh, Shelley."

"Well, here ya go, Shelley," he hands the napkin back to her, now adorned with his messy scrawl. "Maybe I'll see you later."

She squeaks as she hurries back to her shrieking friends who are huddled conspicuously off to the side.

"Gross," you state. "She's a child. Probably one of the executive's kids."

He rolls his eyes dramatically. "Gotta keep em' interested, Bun. As the heartthrob of the group, it's my sworn duty."

"Slow your roll there, Rob Lowe," Rich interjects. "I think Y/N's giving you a run for your money in this dress."

You glance down at the Freddie approved ensemble. It was eye-catching for sure, precisely what you were going for. It's black suede straps crisscrossed strategically against your body, giving peaks of the skin underneath.

"It looks good, Bun," Rich assures you.

“Guys,” you all turn your attention to Steve, who has just joined the circle clumsily. His pupils are blown wide from his current blood alcohol content, and he sways slightly on his heels.

"I- I have something to say," he announces to the group, getting your attention. You all wait patiently as he hesitates, clearing his throat twice before lowering his voice. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m gay.”

You glance around to the other boys whose expressions mirror your own warm smile. You’d all known Steve was gay since high school, not that any of you had talked about it. You had just assumed it was something unspoken. That he’d tell you whenever he was ready or met someone good enough to introduce to you all.

Steve gapes at your expressions. "Where is the shock? I was expecting shock and awe, people!"

"Steve, please don’t take this the wrong way. But I’m assuming we’ve all known for a while," Rich says gently. You all nod lightly in agreement.

"How?"

"Do you remember the types of girls who used to throw themselves at you? Like Becky Whale? Man, I would’ve killed for Becky Whale to throw something at me. But you never took them up on it," Lawrence elaborates.

Steve smiles around at all of you, his shoulders visibly relaxing.

“I had a crush on Eddie in high school,” he confesses.

Eddie pumps his fist lightly. “Fuck yeah.”

“Oh, c’mon!” Lawrence exclaims. “You just had to boost that ego, didn’t ya? I know pretty boys are great and all, but I’m the one with the big soft cuddles. People love big soft cuddles!”

Rich expands his arms as he brings you all in for a hug.

You kiss Steve gently on the cheek. “I’m proud of you, bud,” you whisper.

"Thank you guys, I just felt like it was time. And now that that's out of the way," Steve grunts as you all untangle yourselves. “I’m gonna go find Freddie. He said he’s taking me out to a club after this!”

He skips away with a grin, back towards Freddie, who catches your eye with a knowing smile and winks. It seems you weren’t the only band member who had found a fairy godmother in Mr. Mercury.

You all lightly laugh affectionately at your friend until Eddie and Lawrence wander off to scope out the food situation. You lean against the bar next to Rich, glancing around at the loud laughter erupting from the outgoing crowd. One person noticeably sticks out. A sullen John Deacon sits at the end of the bar, hunched over what looks like a glass of whiskey.

"Looks like he's in need of a friend," Rich surmises.

You tear your eyes away from the sorry sight to look at him. "They're around here somewhere," you shrug.

He rubs your arms up and down lightly before slinking into the crowd, knowingly leaving you alone.

You sneak a peek over at John. He runs one hand through his curls as the other absentmindedly stirs the straw of his sweating drink. You watch him sigh, bringing the glass to his lips and gulping down the spirit without so much as a wince.

Hesitantly making your way over to him, you rub your clammy hands over the expensive material of your dress. This is the opposite of avoidance, you scold yourself, silently willing your feet to change direction. But your willpower has seemingly left the building.

You carefully perch yourself on the stool next to his, as not to disturb his brooding. He glances over quickly, doing a double-take when he realizes who it is.

"Oh, hello there," he greets you with a small smile. "I didn't know you had arrived."

You nod your head lightly. "How could you? It seems you set up camp over here."

"Ah, yes," he breathes, straightening his posture. "Wasn't our best tonight, I'm afraid. Not much to celebrate."

You take a sip of your water as you continue to nod silently.

"Actually," he begins, angling his body towards yours, almost slipping off his stool as you notice his apparent intoxication. "I was thinking about that conversation we had. When I met your spritely grandfather."

"Oh?" you question. Keeping your face neutral even though your heart was already buzzing at the fact.

"Yes. Mostly about how naive I was—all that bloody nonsense about finding a home. Do me a favor and never take my advice, will you? You'll end up completely wrecking yours."

This was a bad idea.

"It's just- you draw these lines for yourself in the sand," he drawls, waving his hands about in front of him. "A stupid phrase, really. Where did it even come from?"

"The Bible," you tell him quietly.

He lets out a big sigh, rolling his head back to stare at the ceiling.

"Well, it's gotten it wrong before, hasn't it?"

You simply hum an acknowledgment, too scared to probe for fear of where this was going.

"Anyway, you draw these lines. Moral, physical, promises you make to yourself, things you swear you’d never do, dreams to accomplish," he lists out. "But sand moves about, dunnit? It blows all over the place. Makes a mess. Gets in your sandwich. And those lines blur. Or fade away. And all of a sudden, you've crossed them without even knowing! Broken those promises. Skipped right over those dreams."

He's too far gone in his rant to register the growing panic sweeping across your features.

"You were right. Sometimes you look in the mirror, and it's just a complete stranger staring back at you, isn't it?"

Trying to keep your breathing steady, you stare at the crumbling man before you. He runs his large hands along his face before ducking back into his former position, signaling for the bartender to bring him another drink.

This is precisely why you should've stuck to your original plan. What were you supposed to say to the man who was so obviously hurting from his failed marriage? So much so that it was pouring out of him. You know that if it weren't for the alcohol, he wouldn't be confiding any of this to you.

But there was a reason the boys called you the mom of the group, and it wasn't because you were the only female. You feel a pang of need to comfort him. You gaze at him, not with pity, but an overwhelming sense of empathy for the man and make up your mind.

You clear your throat to answer, brushing away your own warnings about how it would only sink you deeper into your fascination with him.

"I was wrong, actually," you start as he brings his head up to look at you. "And you know what phrase I hate? That people don't change."

He furrows his brow but remains silent as you continue.

"Maybe we're not made up of lines in the sand. Maybe we're the wind?" You try not to cringe at yourself and your poor use of metaphor. "And winds sometimes blow in different directions... but that's okay because it's where life is supposed to take them." Falling silent, you decide to quit while you’re ahead.

You're not ahead. You're not even out of the gate. What the fuck was that?

A slow smile inches onto his face as he holds your stare. "How did you get so wise for someone your age," he teases.

"And what age would that be?"

His mouth opens and closes as he studies your face. "Twenty?"

"Mm, close. Twenty-four."

"Really?" he ponders. "Freddie mentioned you dropped out of university."

"Ah, yes. The university I could only go to after working to afford it," you explain.

He continues to stare, the look in his eyes shifting slightly as he takes you in. A look that matches the color and intensity of uncharted, open water. You need to get out of here.

"Well, that explains your extraordinary use of analogy then."

Dragging your eyes off of his, you glance around at the party you were missing. Gladly missing, unfortunately.

"I should go check on Steve. He's having a bit of a night," you tell him as you stand. "Try not to drown yourself in those," gesturing to the new glass of whiskey in front of him.

"How can I drown myself? I thought I was the wind," he points out with a grin.

Before any more banter can ensue, you simply smile and make your way back to your friends. Thinking to yourself that maybe lines in the sand weren't so bad. And that perhaps it was time for you to start drawing some of your own.

#john deacon #john deacon fic #john deacon imagine #john deacon x reader #angelofmydreams

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atruththatyoudeny · 4 years

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Monthly Reads | April 2020

The happiest of 28ths to all of you! April has been a fantastic month - Big Bang started!! Make sure to head on over to @onedirectionbigbang to check out all the upcoming fics and the awesome art.

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⇢ There's No Other Place | nikogda | hybrids - a/b/o - 1930s - enemies to friends to lovers - soulmates - nesting - angst - roommates - misunderstandings - 52k “Do you have a warm place to go?" Harry asked. "I can offer you room and some food.” The hybrid pushed his cloak off his head as he looked at Harry in the darkness that covered them. “I don’t need your charity. You can be on your way, Sir.” “You could catch your death tonight,” Harry said. The hybrid stood and grabbed a bag beside him. “I’ve yet to catch my death, I won’t be doing such a thing tonight either.” He turned to leave and the air smelled sweet. Something inside Harry stirred and he reached out, grabbing the hybrid by his wrist. “I’ll ask you one more time.” His tone was firmer, more demanding as he spoke. “Come and stay at mine. You will be safe and warm.” The hybrid nodded and Harry dropped his hand. Or: the one where Harry offers his home for omega hybrid Louis in a world where his very existence is illegal. It was meant to be temporary, but as time goes on, neither of them want it to be. Too bad things are rarely that simple.

⇢ Follow Your Arrow | bitter_leaf | friends to lovers - High School - teen angst - slow burn - mutual pining - coming of age - 78k Harry was the golden child, blessed in every way; Niall was the charming miscreant, a bad boy; Liam was the future-son-in-law parents of daughters dreamt of, and Zayn was the kid parents wished was their son. But Louis, Harry thought, Louis was the special one. It's senior year and everything is about to change.

⇢ A Road To Something Better | taggiecb | friends to lovers - fluff - humor - 25k Louis Tomlinson, famous romance novelist, has just had the rug pulled out from under his feet when his boyfriend leaves him without notice. What's the most appropriate response to this? Move a thousand miles away and seclude himself in a tiny lake town, of course. But nothing is as he expects it to be in the very best way, especially not the handsome mayor of McAll, Idaho.

⇢ i must admit i thought i'd like to make you mine | disgruntledkittenface | Girl Direction - fake/pretend relationship - strangers to friends to lovers - fluff - 51k Louis fell apart when her ex broke up with her and moved across the country. Just as she’s starting to move on, Zayn comes back to town for their mutual friends’ wedding – with a new girlfriend as her plus one. Blindsided and scrambling to save face, Louis lets herself get talked into a fake relationship with her new friend Harry. Their arrangement makes Louis feel pathetic and embarrassed, but it’s only going to last a few weeks. She just has to get through the wedding – what could happen?

⇢ The Devil In My Brain | larryshares | Heaven Á Hell - devil - ghosts - witches - voodoo - immortality - past suicide attempts - reincarnation - angst - tragedy - hate to love - enemies to friends to lovers - humor - fluff - 75k “Jesus Christ!” Louis yells as he jumps back in reaction to Harry once again popping up out of nowhere. Harry doesn’t even flinch. “Quite the opposite.” He jokes, holding out one of the drinks for Louis to take. A freshly sizzling vodka Red Bull; his favorite. Louis’s initial reaction is the thought you remembered. His rational brain says, “No thanks.” “Louis.” Harry says it like a concerned parent, the tone of it matching the way his mum used to say Boo Bear, you have to eat your vegetables to grow up big and strong, and that ignites something feral within him. “Satan.” He counters, same tone coupled with a glare and a pair of arms crossed over his chest. - Louis used to be good friends with Harry, until he woke up alone and immortal with no one to blame but The Devil himself.

⇢ Compete Against the Stars | amomentoflove | a/b/o - arranged marriage - college/university - werewolf - pining - fluff - angst - 31k “We should probably keep our distance,” Harry says, now backing up until he’s leaning against the wall opposite of Louis. It already feels too far away. “I don’t know if I can handle not being able to touch you in some small way.” Louis nods and looks down. “The solstice will be here soon,” he murmurs. “And with it, our mates,” Harry finishes, his voice cracking at the last word. An ABO au where Louis finds out he's claimed to another Alpha. Angst ensues.

⇢ Need So Much of You | lululawrence | canon divergence - fake/pretend relationship - famous/famous - coming out - friends to lovers - friends with benefits - pining - 47k “Alright, I’m just going to get right down to it,” Jess said. “We were contacted yesterday by Harry Styles’ team with some information regarding his own schedule and promotion that is going to have some bearing on Louis.” “Me specifically or all former members of the band?” Louis asked, confused. “You specifically,” Jess said, looking at Louis with a heavy gaze. “Harry’s going to start his own promo for his second album in the coming months, which is going to include a coming out.” “That’s great,” he said, nodding. “Is that it? Or is there more?” Mark shifted in his seat and Louis watched his expression change. “We’ve discussed it and we think it would be best if you came out as well and had a promotional relationship with Harry for the album drop through both of your tours next year.” Louis started laughing in surprise, but no one else joined in. Shit, they were serious. Or the would-have-been canon compliant, fake relationship, friends with benefits, friends to lovers fic where Louis wonders if this thing going on with Harry is going to break him or change everything for the better.

⇢ tempests of dust | scrunchyharry | royalty - historical - secret identity - angst - miscommunication - 31k Louis lived an ordinary life, albeit in an extraordinary place. His family, alongside many others, were mandated to maintain the fortress of Bourbon-l’Archambault, one of the many castles belonging to the crown of France. It was thankless work, but it was a roof over their heads and a quiet, steady life. For all that he knew, the Crown had forgotten Bourbon-l’Archambault even existed, which suited him quite well. That was until the Dauphin, Prince Harry, came to stay for a summer and decided that he would experience the life of a peasant, for his own personal growth, without any regards to how it would affect others. After a summer spent together, the thought of parting ways was too much to bear and they struck a deal: Louis would pretend to be a duke at the court of Versailles for a season: if after three months, he was miserable, Harry would let him return to his former life without making a fuss. Did they really think it would be that simple?

⇢ The Stars Look Very Different Today | kingsofeverything | science fiction - space - outer space - galactic colonization - space travel - rescue mission - hate to love - enemies to lovers - mistaken identity - enemies to friends to lovers - 43k For Harry Styles, child genius turned glorified spaceship mechanic, rescuing lost or broken down ships is a fairly common occurrence. There’s nothing common about his latest mission, the ship, or that ship’s captain. The last thing he expects to find in a distant galaxy is the one thing he’s been missing on Earth.

⇢ Under your skin, Over the moon | messofgorgeouschaos | enemeies to friends to lovers - royalty - 35k If there was one thing Harry didn’t expect the day before his uni graduation, it was for his long lost grandmother to show up and tell him he’s actually a prince thats next in line to rule Genovia. He also didn’t expect to fall for his royal advisor, who happens to hate his guts. A Princess Diaries AU.

⇢ Yahoo! | musketrois | fluff - pining - roommates - friends to lovers - 7k I think I’m in love with my roommate???? Harry typed into the question box. Oh, shit. Love? Did he love Louis? This question was already turning out different than he originally planned. He continued typing before delving into that thought process. or Harry turns to the Internet for romantic advice.

⇢ Where I Should Be | captainsftlouis | friends to lovers - mutual pining - cheating - angst - D/s undertones - 31k "Louis smiled, nodding at Harry, encouraging him [...]. Harry’s eyes were bright and his smile warm, and he winked at Louis before turning towards their friends. “We’re engaged!” Harry exclaimed. Loud cheers immediately filled the restaurant, and Louis laughed when he recognized Charlie’s very distinctive shrieking voice yelling an eloquent, what the fuck. He joined the clapping as everyone started to gather around the couple, but he stopped mid-clap when he actually turned his gaze towards Harry. Louis watched as Harry picked Amara up and spun her around, kissing her into oblivion, and over the cheering, he heard one part of his heart break with a thundering sound." --- Or, the affair AU where Harry is getting married, Louis is in love with his best friend, and they only have this life to get it right.

⇢ through the storm | Harryskiwiposes | mpreg - miscommunication - angst - fluff - 6k Harry and Louis' marriage has hit a rough patch. A much needed week vacation in Jamaica just may be the second chance their relationship needs. What could possibly go wrong? The answer? Everything.

⇢ Falling Down For You | theweightofmywords | a/b/o - arranged marriage - miscommunication - angst - fluff - implied/referenced cheating - 15k If there was an alpha that Louis wanted to call his, it would be Harry. But what happens when an arranged marriage, a hungry press, and doubts get in the way?

⇢ Second Spring | vondrostes | establshied relationship - trans female character - domestic fluff - light angst - implied/referenced sexual assault - gender dysphoria - hurt/comfort - hospitalization - surgery - post-op trans character - 103k Two years into their relationship, Louis and Harry encounter a new beginning

⇢ Oranges, Whipped Cream and Blueberries | Jennifer_Kaid | a/b/o - fluff - dom/sub - domestic fluff - arranged marriage - mpreg - 9k Louis was an omega of a pure bloodline. He had known since he was merely eight years old that he was to be bonded with a high ranked alpha. Not the one of his choice, but the one deemed suitable for him by the elders. Little did he know that the alpha would be the leader of his pack; the greatest pack known to their kind.

⇢ strawberry lipstick state of mind | Hazloveshisboo | Girl Direction - sex worker - cam girl - fluff - angst - 15k She unlocked her phone to that conversation and giggled at the message. She had been talking to this person casually for a while now, one of her subscribers and every message she received made her feel like a teenage girl with a crush. ltommo77: I don’t know how you manage to make me wet with a censored picture but here I am, sitting in front of 20 teenagers, in ruined underwear. Thanks for that. Harry beamed and laid on her bed as she typed out a reply. agedlikefinewine: And just why are you checking your Instagram when you should be teaching the future leaders of the world? *** Harry is a mother, bakery owner, and cam girl. Louise is a secondary school teacher. They've been talking online but what happens when they meet in person?

⇢ so...how's parenting going? vol. iv: the case of the reoccurring announcement | thealmightyavocado | kid fic - established relationship - crack - fluff - 19k Louis ruffles Rory’s floppy curls, sitting down on the stool closest to his son. “Rory, sweetheart, you know you don’t have to announce everything for us to listen to you.” “Yes, I do.” Rory insists adamantly, eyes wide. “Why?” Harry asks again, hoping to grasp just a single ounce of understanding into the innerworkings of this child’s mind. “Why Rory?” The question seems to utterly trigger Rory. “Cuz you don’t listen to me! I just told you! See! You’re not listening!” “Rory—” “Listen, Daddy Listen!” Rory stresses urgently. “I am listening, Rory I promise, I’m listening to you!” Harry frustratedly pledges. Rory shakes his head stubbornly, not at all willing to budge on his perspective. “Nuh uh. You only listen to Winnie now. I’m invisible.” or ever since the arrival of his baby sister, Rory no longer believes that his parents are really paying attention to him. Taking matters into his own four-year-old hands, he decides to announce everything he does.

⇢ pretty in pink | hereforlou | established relationship - body hair - beard burn - rimming - 6k Louis pulls back, lips tingling, and blinks his eyes open. The first thing he notices is how flushed Harry’s face is, how swollen and pink his lips have gotten. Then he notices that it’s not just his lips, but the skin around his mouth looks rubbed raw, and Louis reels further back. “Shit,” Louis says. “Sorry, baby.” (Or, the one where there’s beard burn.)

⇢ keep me safe, keep me sane, keep me honest | hilourry | royalty - a/b/o - arranged marriage - fluff - implied mpreg - 9k Louis is the Prince of England. All past omega princes and princesses have been married and pregnant at age 18, so his parents arrange him to be married to Harry Styles, the royal family's PR guy.

⇢ make this feel like home | soldouthaz | enemies to lovers - slow burn - angst - minor character death - grieving - famous/not famous - roommates - past alcoholism - past drug use - past emotional abuse - 43k The house on West 28th Street in London is twice the size of Louis', more expensive than the price of all of his house and car payments combined, and is falling apart at the seams.

⇢ Sometimes You Just Know | 2tiedships2 | a/b/o - soulmates - bonding - exes to lovers - fluff - 34k “Dear diary. Today is going to be a good day, and here’s why...” “What are you doing?” Louis mumbled as he bit into a piece of toast. “It’s been almost two years and today Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson reunite. Louis is very excited about…” Louis’ chair screeched along the kitchen floor as he flew up out of his seat, quickly grabbing the paper from Niall’s grasp. As he scanned the page he found it amounted to lines of nothing. “What is this?” Louis asked again. “We’ve discussed how Harry Styles will never be spoken of in this flat. I don’t care how long it’s been.” Niall snatched the paper from Louis and proceeded to draw a line across the page before writing. “Today is the day that he-who-shall-not-be-named is coming to dinner.” Or the one where Harry and Louis don’t believe in soulmates… until they do.

⇢ fearless | suspendrs | friends to lovers - enemies to lovers - High School - famous/not famous - betrayal - angst - internalized homophobia - 97k “You’re my best friend, Louis,” Harry says, barely above a whisper. Even if he was yelling, Louis wouldn’t be able to believe his ears. “And I know it’s been a while, but you’re still the person I consider my best friend,” Harry says. Louis blinks, and then blinks again. “I honestly cannot say the same, Harry,” he says. Or, Harry left home without a word after high school, and a lot can change in ten years.

⇢ i hope that you won't slip away in the night | louistomlinsons | royalty - established relationship - light angst - 14k He turns back to Maybe Jessica. “Who’s going to be here?” “Harry Styles,” she says. “The one-” “I know who he is,” Louis snaps. “Who invited him?” “Uh, you did, sir.” Louis didn’t think that was serious. When he had responded to Harry’s cheeky tweet about the gala with his own cheeky ‘You should come - I’ll put you on the guest list’ he hadn’t expected anything to come of it. Least of all for Harry to show up. or the one where louis is a prince and harry is a popstar

⇢ Nothing But You On My Mind | nonsensedarling | royalty - enemies to lovers - secrets - 84k Louis Tomlinson is a PR manager hired to improve the image of royal bad-boy Prince Harry Styles. Unfortunately for him, that means being faced with the Prince's constant innuendos, incessant dirty jokes, and relentless flirting. Louis just wants to make it to Princess Gemma's coronation; once she's crowned Queen, his contract is up and he never has to see the Prince again.

⇢ The Nation's Sweetheart | Snowy38 | ice skating - injury - hurt/comfort - age difference - alcohol use/misuse - 77k In limped a graceful giant; slim bodied but broad shouldered with thick thighs. Harry's hair was a little wild where it had grown out of it's usually boyish short style. For some reason Louis' fingers flexed, as if wanting to course through the flicks in the bottom of his rich brown hair. It had been curly once. Louis had seen pictures of him innocent with wide green eyes and a wider, bright white, toothy grin. Everything about him screamed privilege. Louis wondered if he knew he'd only taken this job to stop him losing his flat.

⇢ come on over, we've got something to share | jaerie | a/b/o - lactation kink - male lactation - accidental bonding - unplanned pregnancy - friends with benefits - neighbors - kink exploration - 13k Even as an unbonded omega with a four year old, Harry had everything he needed. His beautiful son, a nice apartment, money to pay the bills -- oh, and an alpha next door always willing to knot his brains out.

#28th appreciation #fic rec #my reads #monthly reads #completed fics #larry fics

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sharperthewriter · 3 years

Text

Chapter 9 of Possible-y Utah

Chapter 9 - The 20-Year Old Proposal

(June 10, 1986)

James said "We were gearing up on what was to be a 2-week trip to Utah to see the national parks. I had taken Ann to a few of the national parks before, so this was nothing new."

James, then 25 years of age, was packing up his stuff in a 1972 Wombat RV that has seen better days. It had belonged to his dad before he gave it to his son. He, along with his scientific posse, minus Drew, were at John Knight Hall at MIST.

"Dr. Possible, do you think this RV will hold?" Ramesh asked.

"Relax, Ramesh, this baby will make it through the trip!" James said with confidence. "We brought all our girlfriends along...unlike Drew!"

Both he and Ramesh chuckled. "He's probably living in his mother's basement."

Chen, in the meantime, was putting the food in the cabinets. "Do you want the marshmallows in the left or right cabinet."

"The left, Chen!" James suggested before turning back to Ramesh, "Now, I have a surprise in store for Ann, my girlfriend and I have chosen Zion as the perfect setting. Whatever you do, do not spill the surprise, especially to Ann!"

"We won't tell a single soul!" Ramesh agreed. Chen nodded his head as well, indicating his part of the plan. Little did they know that it was Ramesh and Chen's girlfriends who even suggested the idea of the trip.

Ann E. (AN: The E is for Elizabeth) Nomaly came up to the house. She, 24 at the time, was in acid-wash floral jeans, a MIST sweatshirt with shoulder pads on them showing off her midriff, leg warmers, a Swatch, giant neon hoop earrings, and a bowler hat. Of course, being that this was the 80s, Ann's red hair was in gigantic curls all the way past her shoulder.

"And there she was!" James said, passing along a photo of Ann in the photo album on that trip.

"Whoa!" Kim exclaimed, "Mom's outfit definitely screams Excessive 80s!"

"What else can I say? Your mother's outfit was quite the looker!" James laughed.

"Can we get back to the story, please, Dad?" Kim asked.

"Very well then, Kimmie-cub!" James replied, "As I was saying, we were going to give that RV one last good ride before we sold her to the scrapheap."

"James, are you sure this thing can make it to one national park, let alone five?" Ann questioned.

"Just chill, Ann. We will visit all of them!" James said with confidence.

"What about the picnic blanket?" Ramesh's girlfriend asked.

"Store it in the compartment over there!" Ramesh replied, pointing out to the compartment under the dining table.

"Did that RV even make it to Utah?" Kim asked.

"It took us 630 miles, but we finally made it to the Beehive State...and to Zion National Park. That magical day, the 18th, began with a picnic... " James began.

"That went wrong..." Ann muttered.

Ann was overseeing the damage of the picnic with bees swarming all over James' posse, trash all over the place, and a black bear was eating honey from the jar, along with the food that has been laid to waste by the bear. She was wearing an 1980s exercise outfit plus the leg warmers. Her normally long immaculate curls were doused with water.

James, Ramesh, and Chen had a few bee stings on their hands and all of their clothes were sopping wet after jumping in the water. Ramesh and Chen's girlfriends all had their clothes wet as well.

"Ready to jump back into the RV?" Ann asked.

"I'm with her on this!" James exclaimed as he got into the driver's seat and started the engine. "I should not have chosen that spot to hold a picnic!"

"Agreed!" echoed the chorus of Ramesh, Chen, and their significant others.

All four of the twenty-somethings piled into the RV as it sputtered out of the picnic area, belching gray smoke.

"That was so close!" Ramesh's girlfriend complained.

"My hair's all wet!" Chen's girlfriend whined.

"And my white labcoat has grape stains on it!" Ramesh groaned.

"Look, everyone! I know that the picnic didn't turn out the way I hoped, but I know something that would turn those frowns upside-down!" James proclaimed.

"And that's when you took me to Canyon Overlook!" Ann replied. "To make up for the picnic fiasco."

"I had to do something." James said, "We didn't have the Internet like we do today, so we had to rely on maps of the park to find it.

"Plus, he had to cover my eyes to the perfect spot." Ann added.

"Just a few more steps..." James proclaimed. Ann's eyes were covered by a blindfold James put on her.

"This view better be worth it, James. I hope you can make up the mess of the picnic from earlier."

Ramesh and Chen, meanwhile, were hiding behind a rock almost on the edge of the overlook.

"Should we take the picture?" Chen asked, "I've been holding this instant camera for two hours now!"

"No!" Ramesh insisted, whispering, "We wait until Dr. Possible gives us the signal!"

"And stop!" James said. The couple were about 20 feet from the edge.

"Now can I take the blindfold off?" Ann asked.

"You may!" James replied with a smile.

Ann took the blindfold off and was captivated by the beauty of Zion Canyon. Her blue eyes took it all in.

"Oh my gosh! I can see almost the entire park from here This...this is beautiful!"

James replied while Ann was transfixed by the canyon, "Actually, Ann, it's the second-most beautiful thing in this entire park...compared to you!"

Ann turned her head around and the next thing she saw was James on his right knee genuflecting to her and in his hand was a small black box with a gold engagement ring with a pear diamond.

"Ann E. Nomally, will you marry me?"

Tears welled up in Ann's eyes at this unexpected surprise by James. Out of all her emotion, she blurted out, "Yes! YES!"

James then put the ring on Ann's left hand, her ring finger.

She happily embraced James tightly around his waist and kissed him.

Ramesh and Chen emerged from the rock, clapping and cheering.

"Three cheers for the newly-engaged couple!" Ramesh exclaimed as he took out the instant camera. "Say...happy trails!"

Both Ann and James exclaimed "Happy trails!" And then they kissed each other again.

(back to the present)

"So me and Ann enjoyed that wonderful moment! We still have Ramesh's picture on my nightstand!" James explained.

"Yep, the view and ring definitely made up for everything that happened the rest of the trip." Ann added. "We eventually got married 8 months later."

"Did you manage to finish the Utah trip?" Ron asked.

"Unfortunately, no, Ronald. The only other park besides Zion that we managed to visit was Arches." James sighed, rubbing his back, "The transmission to the RV gave out and we had a flat tire."

"We used what was left of the money for the trip to pay for bus fare back to Middleton for all six of us." Ann explained.

"So that's why you wanted this year's family vacation to be at Utah." Kim said, figuring out her dad's plan.

"Yes, Kimberly! That is the Possible Plan!" James replied proudly, "To visit all 5 national parks of Utah as a family..."

Ron and Rufus both cleared their throats, feeling left out.

"Whoops...sorry..." James chuckled, correcting his mistake, "...plus Ronald and Rufus."

"So when do we leave, Dad?" Kim asked.

"We leave on the morning of the 10th, so be ready by then!" James answered.

"Okay, Dad! I'll totally be awake and alert!" Kim insisted.

#kim possible #fanfiction #ron stoppable #james possible #ann possible #ramesh #chen

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flirtingwitharson · 5 years

Note

Prompt: Sirius and Remus + mistletoe?

“James,” Sirius warned as he walked back in the front door to their shared flat, his hands laden with shopping bags. “Not this year, mate, come on.”

“It’s the holidays, have a bit of spirit!” James yelled back. It was Christmas Eve, and James and Sirius were hosting their annual Marauder family get-together. In typical James-and-Sirius fashion, they had left all of the decorating and setting up for just hours before people were to arrive.

“You can’t keep fucking trying to get us under the mistletoe, you dickhead, you know it’s deeper than that and you know you’re being a child.”

By us, Sirius was of course referencing the seemingly taboo topic of himself and one Remus John Lupin. Anyone with two eyes could see that the pair were head over heels for one another, and James had been pushing to get them together since they were at least seventeen. Now, at the ripe age of twenty one, he was still not-so-subtly trying to catch them under the mistletoe so they could, in his words, “snog, shag, and get married already.”

James huffed and took the leaves down from the doorway, leaning forward to give Sirius a quick hug and lend him a hand with the groceries. “Let’s not have our knickers in a twist on Christmas, yeah?” He said as he laid bags out on their kitchen table and began to unload groceries and the like.

“Yes, mum,” Sirius bit out in reply. “Where’s darling Lily, is she still lending me a hand in the kitchen? I can’t possibly make the roast without her, I season it all wrong.”

With James’ affirmation and a well-timed knock on the door, Sirius’ mind was put off of the melancholy note that rang out when Remus crossed his mind.

Three hours, two glasses of spiked eggnog, and one wonderfully seasoned meal later, people had begun to arrive. Euphemia and Fleamont Potter—ever the earliest to arrive and one of the last to leave—arrived first, for which both James and Sirius were happy, simply because neither had seen their parents in a bit of time. Peter and his girlfriend followed, and then people were all arriving at the same time and Sirius no longer cared to keep track. He tried to surreptitiously keep an eye out for honey-brown curls and a horrid yet endearjng jumper, but to no avail, for James mumbled a quiet, “he’ll be here, Pads, calm your tits,” in his ear.

“Stop it, you ponce, I know he’ll be here—“ Sirius snapped back, until he was interrupted by a pair of familiarly lanky arms around his neck from behind.

He turned around and couldn’t even find it in himself to be ashamed of the too-wide grin that took his snarl’s place. “Hiya, Moony,” he threw out as he was released from the man’s grip, if only so he could hug James.

“Heard you were doubting I’d come, then, hmm?” Remus grinned back. His jumper was just as billowy and ugly at first sight as Sirius had envisioned, but he felt his heart melt to jelly as soon as he noticed it had the phases of the moon and the Lupus constellation stitched onto the front.

“I never!” Sirius replied in mock offense, hardly even noticing James leave the conversation for his girlfriend on the otherwise of the room. It was so easy for Sirius to get lost in Remus—his eyes, his smiles, his ethereal goddamn presence; after five years of being irrevocably in love with the man, he still hadn’t gotten used to it. “Er, do you want to go put those under the tree, then?” He asked, pointing to the boxes by Remus’ feet and looking down to hide the red on his cheeks after he realized he was staring.

“Yes,” Remus nodded. “I’ll go do that.” He bent to pick up the gifts but stood again, adding as if as an afterthought, “Oh, I forgot to mention. I couldn’t exactly, uh, warrant the trip back to Wales this year, so I’ll be here in London for the holiday. I know it’s very last minute, but I’d really rather not spend it alone...”

Sirius rolled his eyes and shoved at Remus’ shoulder playfully. “Of course I’m not letting you spend bloody Christmas alone, you bastard. You know the Potters love you, they’ll be so happy to be able to give you your gift in person. Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”

It was Remus’ turn to blush this time, and Sirius tried to commit the visual to memory. “I was trying my damnedest to scrounge something up to go and see them, and I almost took the hit to my pride and asked you for a loan, but I realized I haven’t spent Christmas with you lot since we were fifteen and I found I missed being in London for the hols.”

Smiling to himself, Sirius bent and scooped up Remus’ things and handed them to him. “I’m glad you know you can always ask me for help, then,” he said, “and I’m really excited you’ll be with us tomorrow, but get outta here and go put these by the tree, I have people to feed.”

Another three hours saw people trickling out the door, only the Marauders four plus Lily and Sarah—Peter’s girlfriend—remaining. Many drinks, a successful meal, and plenty of gift giving and receiving was had. Sirius was the proud new owner of a new pair of Docs, several of his favorite albums on vinyl, and the comfiest jumper he had ever seen (from Remus, for secret santa, of course). His friends, of course, were all grateful for the plethora of thoughtful things he had gifted them in return.

“We have to make the few-hour drive to her parents, so we’re should go,” Peter announced as he stood and shrugged off his coat. “Another lovely Christmas Eve, cheers, you guys.”

“We’re for bed anyways,” James stated through a yawn. “Be safe, ring us when you get there.”

As Peter and Sarah said their goodbyes and left the flat, Sirius turned to Remus, who looked to be reluctantly reaching for his own coat. “Want to stay and listen to music for a bit?” He suggested, hoping Remus would give in easily and stay. “I mean, you can honestly just stay here and ride with the three of us in the morning, doesn’t make any sense if you drive separately.”

Remus’ shoulders immediately eased up and he nodded, following Sirius across the flat and into the door of his room. Shutting the door behind himself, he took in the room around him; he’d seen it a thousand times, but was always so enthralled by just how Sirius it was. The walls were painted a gloomy, darkish red, but every inch of the surface was covered. Images of musicians, album covers, photos of the Marauders from various stages of their life, and even drawings and paintings Sirius had done himself were all over. His record player lied on a table in the corner, next to a comfortable bay-window seat with a bookshelf stacked from floor to ceiling with records and CDs to the side of it. The bed was up against the far wall, and the frame was painted to look like the night sky; the artwork was done by Sirius, but the bedfeame itself and most of the other beautifully engraved wooden furniture in the room was Remus’ handiwork.

“There’s clothes in that bottom drawer that are likely to fit your tall arse, wear whatever,” Sirius pointed, interrupting Remus’ moment of infatuation. He went to shuck off his jeans and felt something in his back pocket, having completely forgotten it was there. He took it out and held it in his palm, carefully closing his fist around the item as he stood and walked over behind Sirius, who was rifling through his bookshelf for music to put on.

Remus stood behind Sirius, and with a short nod to summon confidence, he held the object in the air above them, waiting for Sirius to acknowledge his presence and turn around.

“Moony, quit being all quiet and—“ Sirius tutted. He stopped short as he turned around, looking up, then back at Remus again. His heart raced as he noticed what was undeniably mistletoe between Remus’ thumb and forefinger.

“Sirius Black, I think you and I both know fairly well that I’ve been in love with you for some time now,” Remus breathed out. “It was only recently that I finally believed that the feeling was certainly mutual, but I hadn’t had the bollocks to do anything about it, until now. So, this year, I figured I’d provide the mistletoe, s’much more romantic than James trying to rope us into it, I hope.”

Sirius blinked. He didn’t know why tears were coming to his eyes, and he would certainly deny the lump in his throat, but after a few seconds of stunned silence he leaned forward and kissed Remus, hard. “Happy fucking Christmas,” he mumbled against Remus’ lips when he pulled back breathlessly. “This is real, yeah? This is the long run, you’ll stick around?”

“Stick around? Pads, you’re stuck with me for as long as I live, damn it, seventy percent of the reason I stayed for Christmas was for you.”

Laughing, Sirius pressed his lips to Remus’ again. “Best present I’ve ever received, then,” he claimed. “I most definitely won’t be returning this one.”

#crimas time!!!#marauders christmas #marauders #marauders fic #ficmas #remus lupin #sirius black #wolfstar #moony #padfoot #james potter #peter pettigrew #prongs #wormtail #wolfstar fic #mwpp #remus x sirius #sirius x remus

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votederpycausemufins · 5 years

Text

Red: ch. 13 Earrings

this is cross posted on Ao3 (my username is causemufins)

A certain rockstar shows up to help his niece and stop Lila's lies.

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

Chloé couldn’t help herself from fidgeting in her seat. It had taken a bit of prodding from her and Alya to get Marinette to come back to school after what had happened yesterday. The class was still treating the designer like scum, but Chloé was no longer upset at the new girl as the message she sent to Marinette was apparently supposed to cheer her up, it just managed to have the opposite effect.

Chloé felt her phone buzz and couldn’t help but smile. That should be the message saying they were almost here. And by them, it meant Penny and Jagged Stone. Yesterday after school, she had met back up with Marinette to get her phone. She told Marinette she was just going to ask the rockstar just to publicly denounce Lila, but that isn’t what happened.

“Hey! What’s my favorite honorary niece calling for?”

“Is that supposed to mean you have more than one?”

“Nah, Marinette’s the only one who deserves that title. Speaking of that rock and rock girl, who’re you and why d’ya have her phone?”

“My name is Chloé Bourgeois. You may recognize my name as my father is the mayor of Paris, owns the hotel you tend to live in while in Paris and I am also friends with Marinette. She asked me to call you because she feels a bit nervous asking you for a favor.”

“I’m happy to help my lucky rocker with anything she needs. She’s helped me tons with all her designs for me.”

“Well, we have someone in our class at school that claims to know you and even though Marinette actually knows you, they’re only believing this other girl’s stories about you and won’t listen when Marinette says she’s lying. We’re hoping you could like publicly state you don’t know this girl or something.”

“What?! Look, I may be famous, but using my fame like that ain’t very rock and roll. What’s she been saying?”

“Mainly that before you had Fang, you had a hamster… sorry Marinette reminded me it’s a cat. Anyway, you apparently had a cat, and it ran out onto a plane runway so this girl went out to the runway and saved the cat.”

“What?! Anyone who’s a fan knows I’ve had Fang since he hatched which was ages ago! And I doubt anyone random could get onto a runway. Plus I would think it’s hard to hit anything on a runway. Aren’t there like only three wheels on planes? And those things are huge! Anything would run off before it could get too close.”

“Exactly! Even you can see how idiotic it is without putting much thought into it! But of course everyone else, even the smartest kid in the class just give their blind trust while this girl villainizes Marinette.”

“Excuse me, they’re whAT?!”

“First of all, ow my ears… second, basically only a few of us know about this girl’s lies. There’s me, but I used to be a bully before Marinette helped me improve so everyone will think I’m bullying this girl if I try to stop her lies. Marinette of course knows but this girl has threatened her and bullied her to the point Marinette is barely holding on. There’s a boy that knows about this girl’s lies but does absolutely nothing because it’s ‘not hurting anyone’”

“Lies and rumors are similar. They can ruin an image and hurt people emotionally and damage relationships. Lies are far from rock and roll.”

“Yeah, the three other people who know are a girl who just moved here, one friend I’ve had for ages, and Marinette’s old best friend, who only recently found out, and before then just acted like Marinette was jealous of this other girl. It didn’t help that this so called friend is a reporter and when Marinette started talking about the bully’s lies, the friend asked for proof without getting her own proof for the bully!”

“Man, no wonder my rock and roll niece needs my help. I’ll be at the school tomorrow!”

“Wait you’ll what?”

“Better if I set the record straight in person. Plus it gives me an excuse to visit Marinette. Hey Penny! Put in the schedule we need to visit Marinette tomorrow! No the school not the house! I’m gonna make sure people know she’s my rocking niece!”

“I… I guess we’re going to see you then, huh.”

“Yeah! See ya! Rock and Roll!!!”

“... So… Jagged is coming to the school tomorrow to out Lila.”

“HE’S WHAT?!”

Chloé looked over to the notes Sabrina was taking. The redhead was understanding of Chloé being distracted once she explained what was going to happen. Looking at the scattered notes, it seemed Sabrina was equally distracted.

Then there was a knock on the door of the classroom. The whole class, except for Marinette, looked at the door. Chloé guessed the ravenette didn’t look because she was nervous or something. Mlle Bustier paused the lesson before walking over to the door and going outside to see who it was. The class kept staring as a quick muffled conversation occurred before their teacher stepped back into the room. “Marinette, it seems your… uncle is here to see you.”

Everyone looked at Marinette for a few moments before looking at the door again as the rockstar stepped inside, their jaws dropping.

“Marinette! How’s my rockin’ niece doing?!”

Marinette gave a small smile. “Um, I’m fine.”

Jagged shook his head. “Nah, I heard the story. So, who’s the chick giving you trouble?” He looked around at the class.

“I believe you’re talking about Lila Rossi.” Sabrina was the one to speak up. “She’s told us a few times that she knows you, so that’s the best guess I can make.”

“Alright, who’s she?” Jagged asked, not even needing a verbal answer as the class all looked towards the liar. “You huh? And you apparently know me how?”

“Oh, you probably forgot because it was a while ago. I saved your cat.”

“I’ve never had a cat. I’ve only had Fang. In fact I hatched him from his egg myself. But I mean, with the band ‘Kitty Section’ maybe cats are pretty rock and roll. Hey, wait isn’t that the band you helped design for Marinette.” Marinette nodded. “I guess that's why they look so bloody rock and roll. Speaking of designing, I also wanted to ask if you could help with my next album cover. I mean, after that poster and glasses, I just can’t get enough of your style!”

Marinette blushed slightly and everything was silent for a few moments before Rose spoke up. “Wait, so you really don’t know Lila?”

“I mean, I didn’t even know her name until this girl up front said it. The most I knew is there was a girl in here bullying my niece which isn’t rock and roll at all.”

“Marinette’s been the bully! She probably just lied about Lila and made you say all that.” Kim spoke up.

Jagged shook his head. “Nah, I didn’t even find out about this from her. Someone else did and they just told me about this liar’s story and how she was messing with my niece with lies and threats.”

Rose and Mylene both looked shocked and the former spoke up. “Lila, you haven’t been threatening Marinette, have you?”

“Of course not. Chloé and Marinette have been hanging out a lot! She’s probably trying to hurt me. And Jagged stays at her hotel a lot. Plus, doesn’t she tend to force people to do what she wants because her dad is mayor?”

“First, yes I did call him. Second, I’ve been hanging out with Marinette because she has lost all of you as friends because you all believed Lila over her. Third, Jagged isn’t a permanent resident so my father doesn’t have power over him. If anything he would just need to find a new hotel to stay at when he visits.”

Suddenly, Alya stood up after Chloé had finished speaking. “She also didn’t just threaten Marinette. She threatened me as well. I learned from Ladybug herself that she and Lila aren’t friends so I was planning to post the correction post anyway, but Lila threatened that if I did post it, she would make Marinette’s life worse, and from how all of you were texting Marinette hateful messages yesterday, it seems like she made it happen.”

“Really guys.” Chloé spoke up once more. “Wasn’t Marinette supposed to be the class’s everyday Ladybug? What the hell happened?”

The whole class was silent for a good thirty seconds before all hell broke loose. Chloé and Jagged helped Marinette escape the classroom while Alya held the rest of the class back from following the designer. As they went out the door, Chloé caught a disapproving look from Adrien, but there wasn’t much he could do.

Eventually, the three of them had gotten far enough away from the classroom to give Marinette a chance to calm down. As Jagged did his best to help Marinette, Chloé felt Marinette briefly take her hand, but when the designer pulled them away, Chloé could tell she had left something in her hand.

With a quick glance, Chloé looked in the palm of her hand to see two earrings sitting there. Her eyes widened, but before she could say anything, there was a scream that came from the classroom. Ladybug was needed. And Marinette was in no condition to fill that roll.

#miraculous ladybug #ladybug and chat noir #ladybug #chloe bourgeois #marinette dupain cheng #lila rossi #jagged stone #uncle jagged

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mirkwoodshewolf · 5 years

Text

Moment with little queen; Queen x child reader

*Author’s note*

After the AMAZING success of “baby queen’s first word and steps” I’ve been putting a LOT of work and effort into this little head cannon (first time doing one) plus combined oneshot just to show you all what I’ve had in mind. Just so that I could save some time trying to write a oneshot for every single member of Queen when I’m trying to get through not only requests but my two current running series “Rock angel” and “Mother dragon” so I decided to do this till I can get up a real oneshot with the reader starting to date (as some of you have suggested I do).

Okay so not really much warning EXCEPT for Roger’s that deals with some serious stuff cause of the SOB P**l P**nter so just expect some serious stuff to go on in that. But other than that FLUFF ALL THE WAY FOR ALL 4 HC AND ONESHOTS.

Taglist:

@geek-and-proud

@psychosupernatural

@ixchel-9275

@plethora-of-things

@waddles03

@coolcxt

@queendeakyy

_____________________________________________________________

John Deacon:

· As you know our Deacy is the peacemaker of the three Queens.

· But also the sassiest little shit ever (cause c’mon let’s be honest).

· But when it comes to our little baby Queen, he’s a pile of mush and will do anything she asks.

· Even after becoming a father up to this point with two boys, he can’t help but dote on his little niece.

· He’s always there to help her out, especially when the three other men are arguing or too busy.

· He’s her advice giver, her comforter, and is always offering his shoulder or chest to cry on when she gets scared or feels lonely.

· Next to Roger, Deacy is practically the KING of playfully teasing her. Whether mixing up her words, or threatening her with the appearance of a certain ‘monster’ coming to get her.

· More or less you could say he’s a protective doggie around her. Soft and cuddly around her but mess with her, watch out! He’ll lash out in the best verbal way he is known for to cut you down to size if you threaten or mess with his beloved baby girl.

· Nicknames for her: Love, bumblebee (when she’s really sad or frightened), dearie, bear cub (for their games), sweetheart.

*Jan. 17th, 1978*

John was by himself in the corner trying to perfect this one song he had planned for the upcoming album “News of the world”. He wanted to make this song superb to what he envisioned and something that the lads could get on board on, but of course even if they didn’t he had a secret weapon to help convince them. A weapon that was actually taking her afternoon nap in the other room of the studio on the couch.

Wanting to see if she was still asleep (because cheeky little thing sometimes wakes up in the middle of her nap), he decided to go in and do it himself since the other three were too busy with the current song they were trying to find the right levels too. He walked into the other room hoping to see the little five year old napping peacefully.

But instead the first thing he heard were her whimpers of distress and fear and he saw her thrash her head from side to side. Deacy raced in and knelt down by the couch and said to her.

“(Y/n), (y/n) wake up.” The five year old shot up panting frantically as she looked around in fear. “It’s okay, it’s okay it’s me. It’s just me.”

“Uncle Deacy?”

“That’s right love. Are you alright?”

“What was it? Why am I so scared?”

“Sweetheart, I think you just had your first nightmare.”

“What’s a nightmare?” she asked innocently. Her eyes still brimming with tears.

“Well, a nightmare is another word for a bad or scary dream.” Deacy explained as he sat down beside her and wiped the tearstains from her cheeks. She cuddled into her uncle’s side and whimpered.

“It was scary uncle Deacy.”

“I know bumblebee, I know.” He cooed as he brought her onto his lap and allowed her head to rest over his heart, hoping that the sound of his heartbeat would calm her down. Just like he does with his two boys. “But it’s over now. I’m here, I’m right here my little bumblebee. You’re safe and nothing can hurt you now.”

“You promise?” she whimpered.

“I swear it. Here give me your hand.” He extended his hand out with his palm facing upward and she immediately placed her hand in his. He adjusted her so that he could now replace her head with her index finger and he made an X shape as he vowed, “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“But I don’t want you to die!” She exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, I won’t die for a long, long time love.” He said as he stroked her father inherited long black hair. Deacy brought her back close to his chest as he now began to rock her softly from side to side as he leaned up against the couch. “Do you want to tell me what your dream was about?”

“It was dark—and—and scary. A monster he…..he was taking daddy away from me.”

“Aww love~”

“It was awful uncle Deacy. I ran and ran but no matter how fast I ran they were too far away.”

“It’s okay love. It was just a dream. Your daddy’s fine, he’s just in the next room working as usually with uncle Brian and papa Roger. Wanna see?” she sniffled and nodded.

Deacy then picked her up and held her close to his chest as her arms wrapped around his neck and the two of them went over to the door and peeked through the window, and when (y/n) saw what her uncle said was true, she began to relax.

“See?” she nodded. “You want to try and go back to sleep?”

“But what if the monster comes back and tries to take him away from me again?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to your dad. He’s well protected by the three of us, including your mum. Okay?” she nodded softly and whispered.

“Okay.” Deacy then brought her back to the couch and tucked her in and said.

“Besides, I think I’d be more concerned about yourself.”

“Why?”

“Well—you didn’t hear that?”

“Here what?” she asked inquired as she sat up and looked around.

“Something just appeared under the couch.” He crouched down to look under the couch, “It—uh-oh it’s your favorite monster.” Deacy teased as he now slowly rose up with his hands up as he wriggled his fingers and grinned devilishly at his niece.

She shrieked and instantly dove right under the covers. Deacy chuckled deviously and said.

“Aww where’s my little dearie? I heard she was sad so I came along to cheer her up. Hmm, where could she be?” He began poking and prodding around the blanket which made her squirm and giggle. “What’s this? Why’s this blanket giggling? What a weird blanket. I’ve never seen anything like it, what happens if I do this?” he wriggled his fingers into her side. “Oh-hohoho. This blanket seems to be ticklish, hmm?”

(Y/n) couldn’t contain her laughter as her uncle kept teasing her with the infamous tickle monster. She was laughing and fidgeting so much that by the time she realized that she had now exposed her feet out of the blanket, it was too late.

“Ohh what have we here? Cute tiny fairy feet?”

“No!” she laughed out as she tried to pull her feet back in but Deacy had a strong but gentle grip on them.

“It talks! I wonder…..” soon the blanket was removed exposing (y/n)’s head and when she was revealed, Deacy gasped and said, “There’s my favorite bear cub. I thought I recognized these feet. Tell me do you think you can help a little mouse find his house?”

“Nohohoho!” she laughed out trying to break free.

“No? Why my baby bear cub why must you be so rude? All he wants is to find his home so he can be safe and warm. Well if you won’t I will.” He then began to lightly tickle around her feet as he recited a little ‘tickle rhyme’ as he and Roger liked to call them. “There was a little mouse, looking for his house; Not here,”

“Uncle Deacy! Plehehehease!” He then moved to her exposed neck and began tickling around there making her tense up giggling as he continued, “Not here,” he then suddenly threw the blanket aside exposing her entire body as he now went for the kill and began tickling her most ticklish spot, her tummy. “But here, here, here!”

“Nohohohoh! Not thhehehere!” Deacy kept tickling her for a couple more seconds before finally ceasing his attack. She was in post giggles as Deacy just grinned down chuckling at her.

“You okay there love?”

“I’m fine, thanks uncle Deacy.”

“Anytime love. I figure there’ll be no more nightmares from now on.” He took back the blanket and tucked it back around her and settled her down back against the couch and lay her head on the pillow. “No more nightmares?”

“No more nightmares.” She said determinedly.

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

“Good because who know whose gonna come back if you break that promise.” He teasingly threatened as he wriggled his right fingers in a tickle fashion making her shriek and him laugh. “Alright, time to go back to sleep. Your dad will come check on you in an hour, okay?” she nodded and he kissed her forehead but before he could stand up she said.

“Uncle Deacy?”

“What is it love?”

“Will you—will you sing me a lullaby?” he softly groaned and said.

“Oh love, you know I would if I could but, you know I can’t sing.”

“Please? Pleeease?” she extended the E cutely as she looked up at him with the famed puppy dog eyes.

“Ahh don’t make that face. Who even taught you how to pout like that? Your mum?” she nodded and he muttered, “I knew it.”

“Pwease uncle Deacy?” he sighed heavily and said as he leaned his forehead against hers making his nose touch hers.

“One of these days that face won’t work on me. But today is not that day.” She quietly cheered happily as Deacy sat himself down once again but this time she lifted herself up and rested her head in his lap as he stroked through her hair, “This is a new one I’ve been working on for the album actually. It’s not finished but I hope you like it.”

He then softly began to sing his new song that he has called ‘Spread your wings’. It was a nice ballad like song that soon sent (y/n) back off into dreamland. When he finished singing what he had, he looked down to see his niece sound asleep.

He softly smiled and very carefully put her back on the bed and brushed away the black strands of hair away from her face. “Goodnight my little bumblebee, dream sweet dreams.” He kissed her forehead and quietly left the room allowing her to continue her nap.

And dream sweet dreams

Brian May:

· If you want a teacher, look no further.

· Brian May to our beloved little Queen is the best teacher she could ever ask for.

· He’s always teaching her about the stars in the sky.

· But of course to a child using all those big words she either doesn’t get it or understand so little headaches come with Brian as a teacher.

· Like Deacy, Brian’s calm demeanor is like a warm blanket surrounding her.

· He’s always the first one she goes to whenever it comes to singing a lullaby to her unless he’s busy but nine times out of ten she’s preferred Brian’s voice) because of the gentleness and warmness of it. (can’t explain it any further but you get the picture.)

· Whenever she feels lonely or homesick, he’s always the first one to notice a change in her aura.

· He’ll just hold her and have her talk about what’s bothering her in her own way in her own time.

· Nicknames: Star (anything having to do with the word star like my bright star or my shining star, etc.), darling, sweetie, my bright aurora (like the aurora borealis), love, poppet.

*Nov. 25th, 1981. Montreal, Canada*

It was after a very successful concert in Montreal. It was also a relief because now it meant that the ‘filming concerts’ were finally over. It sometimes would affect the boys’ performance or it just made some of the audience members uncomfortable as they now had deal with a camera hanging over them or turning towards them and they felt like they’d rather watch the camera than the band.

But thankfully it was finally over and done with and now the guys could focus back onto just performing before the audience. Everyone was backstage doing a successful after show party in celebration of that (mostly because of the success of the future film hits it would make).

Since things were starting to get a little hectic in the building, Brian decided to step out just for some fresh air when he noticed a small figure sitting against the building. Through the lamplights near and above the stadium, he could see that leaning up against the building was his niece.

“(Y/n)?” she looked up and said.

“Oh hey uncle Brian. The show was awesome, you all were wonderful.”

“Thanks darling, but why are you out here alone?”

“Just needed to clear my head is all.” He was skeptical at first but he said.

“Alright, would you mind some company?” she shook her head no and gestured for her uncle to take a seat beside her. “So you really enjoyed the concert?” she nodded with a soft smile. “What was your favorite performance?”

“Why must you make me choose?” she whined out.

“Because we want to see what our little Queen has enjoyed the most about each performance. As long as you don’t say ‘I’m in love with my car’ then we’re good.” They both laughed at Brian’s teasing comment and (y/n) finally answered.

“Well, I think this rendition of ‘Somebody to love’ will forever be my favorite from now on.” Brian nodded in agreement. “Then again it’s always been my favorite Queen song.”

“And there’s no shame in that. Your father definitely came through with that song. Even if most record charts don’t say it’s in our top ranking, the only opinion that matters is yours.” He gently ruffled her head making her giggle softly.

The two of them looked back up at the sky and could see the faint glimmer of the stars, but due to all these streetlights, they couldn’t see them all.

“You wanna head for that park just down the road from here?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” They stood up and Brian managed to get one of the drivers that drove them all to the concert hall and asked him to take them over to the park for some quiet time together at the park.

When they arrived, immediately (y/n) took off running for the first thing that caught her attention in the park; the swings.

Out of anything in all playgrounds or parks if there was a swing, you bet you will see 8 year old (y/n) Austin-Mercury right on the swing.

“Uncle Brian can you push me on the swing?”

“I would be honored your royal majesty.” Brian teased with a mock bow with his hand over his chest. She playfully rolled her eyes at her uncle’s antics but soon felt him gently push her on the swing. As this continued on for a little while longer, (y/n) soon spoke up.

“Uncle Brian?”

“Hmm?”

“Do—do you miss home?” Brian gripped the rails of the swing and slowly stopped it before coming around to kneel before his niece.

“Sometimes, do you?”

“A little. Mostly I just miss mum. I wish she could come to every show like she used to. But now she doesn’t anymore because her and dad split up, I—”

“Oh love,” he gently wiped away a tear that had slipped out of the young girl’s eye. “Being on the road is hard at times. Trust me, when our first tour in Japan began, I was homesick to the max. I knew I wanted to keep going for the band’s sake but I couldn’t help but miss my own home. It’s natural for you to feel that way coming on the road with us.”

“I didn’t want to tell dad because I thought he’d get mad. Prenter said that’ll happen if I try to go back home.”

“First of all; never listen to that twat. He doesn’t know anything. He’s not as smart as you are.” He said as he gently bopped her nose which made a smile come across her face, “Second; you don’t always have to come if you don’t feel like it. We’ll understand if you would just rather watch us on the telly. God knows that’s been happening a lot lately, especially with this tour. If you ever feel like you want to stay at home with your mum, that’s fine. We’ll call every night when we can.”

She nodded but still looked a bit sad as she now stared down at her hands which now sat in her lap. Brian looked up at the stars then back down to his niece and said.

“Come with me (y/n). I want to show you something.” He picked her up from the swing and the two of them walked up a nearby hill underneath a tree that gave the best clearing for stargazing.

Brian set himself down before guiding (y/n) to sit between his legs and he wrapped his arms around her.

“You remember all those lessons I taught you about the stars and everything regarding the universe.”

“Oh no this isn’t one of those long lectures again is it?” Brian playfully scowled at her and said.

“No not this time yah little ankle bitter.” He lightly pinched her cheek before continuing, “What I’m going to tell you is that no matter where one is in the world, whether here on earth on this side of the Atlantic or the next, or even into the depth of outer space, the stars never change. Everyone looks up at the same sky, the same stars. Some even believe that the stars are there to help guide lost souls back home.”

“Really?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Do you believe that theory?”

“I’d like to think that’s one of the many theories we have stars. So you see (y/n), even though we are far from those that we love for a time, so long as we look up to the stars, we find ourselves home again. For our loved ones look up at that same sky, no matter what.” (Y/n) and Brian kept their focus on the sky and saw each star twinkle and shine in the pitch black sky.

“Oh darling look!” Brian exclaimed as he pointed outward and to their surprise they saw a shooting star.

“A shooting star!”

“Hurry and make a wish love.” She closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest in an X formation as her two fingers crossed. “So what did you wish for?”

“Uncle Brian, you know that if I tell it, it won’t come true.”

“Right of course, silly me.” He teased. Brian then leaned his forehead against (y/n)’s and softly whispered, “I love you my shining star.”

“Love you too Uncle Brian. Will you—sing your song 39 for me?”

“Hadn’t done that song in a while, but for you anytime.” She then lay her head across her uncle’s lap and as he stroked through her hair, he teased, “First time doing this acapella really. But I hope you enjoy it either way poppet.” He then began humming the first few bars before finally beginning to sing.

If (y/n) was honest, out of her four family members, she always favored her uncle Brian’s voice. Sure her father’s voice could go into ranges most people can’t hit because of his additional incisors, and her godfather definitely had that voice that can either break glass or send shivers as he would give it that growl affect but also sound so soft.

It was Brian’s voice that was that feel-good feeling of the high-low range. It almost sounded angelic whenever he sung alone. It just made her feel so good inside and she could just listen to her uncle sing forever if she could. As the song was drawing to a close, (y/n) had managed to fall asleep.

When Brian took notice of his now sleeping niece, he couldn’t help but smile softly and lightly kiss her nose and he whispered.

“Goodnight my little stardust, sail through the cosmos in your dreams my darling.”

Roger Taylor:

· Okay let’s be real here.

· As said before from day one Roger has absolutely gone GAGA OVER THIS LITTLE GIRL.

· Spoils her to no END.

· NO BOUNDARIES

· NO RULES

· JUST FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN!

· Well of course he had to set some rules with her, otherwise she’d walk all over him, but I’m not lying when I say he spoils her.

· Even when he ever has a girl on his either arm, if his goddaughter needs him, he’s off like a shot even if it’s just for a glass of water.

· Like Deacy, he’s also the KING of endless teasing and playing around with her, especially when it comes to their favorite game “Lions on the Savannah”.

· Cause ever since he bought her that stuffed lion at 1 year old, lions have always been her favorite animal. So much so that she even named her stuffed lion after her godfather.

· And for warning, you ever hurt, harm or even give this baby girl the wrong look, you’ll be facing the wrath of a true Leo. Deacy is the verbal attack, Roger won’t hesitate to get physical and he don’t mind going to prison for it. NEVER. MESS. WITH. THIS. LEO’S. GODCHILD.

· Nicknames: Lovie, lovely, lion cub, dearie, my true beauty.

*May 1st, 1983*

It was a lovely spring day in London. Queen was currently on break from touring and just spending quality time at home with their families after being away for 7 months. In the backyard at Garden Lodge, something was moving through the tall grass of the garden, a stuffed lion was sitting there in the open fields of the backyard.

Silently stalking through the grass was 10 year old (y/n). She was down on all fours as she crept up towards her stuffed lion. She waited patiently as she stalked a little closer and waited once more before finally roaring out and tackled her lion, roaring like a lion that just caught its prey.

“Well, well it would appear her majesty has taken on the rival threat and single handedly won to protect my kingdom.” At hearing that voice she immediately shot up and turned around to see her beloved godfather on the ground just a few feet away from her.

“Papa!” she raced up towards him and tackled him down to the grass. The two of them laughing and rolling around in the dirt.

“Oh my lion cub you’re getting so big. Please stop growing.”

“Never!”

“Not even if your king commands it.” He proclaimed with a wave of his hand like a king making a proclamation.

“Especially that.”

“Ohh little rebel are you, does that make you my rival then? Have you turned rouge you cheeky little thing?”

“Maybe, you never know when I can strike out.” She mocked as she got into a pouncing position on all fours.

“I wouldn’t go bragging about it though love, you never know when you’ll be punished by your treachery!” Suddenly he lunged at her and took her in his arms as he gave her a playful noogie making her cry out as she tried to get out of her godfather’s arms.

“Hey no! No! Gah grr!” once she got out of his strong grip she pounced on him. “Come here!” Roger quickly got up and began racing around the garden as he laughed with his goddaughter chasing after him. When she finally caught him by jumping onto his back, Roger slowly tumbled down onto his knees.

The two rolling around once more laughing as (y/n) had her godfather pinned. She lay across his back, having her arms crossed over his shoulders as she said.

“Papa Roger,”

“Hmm?”

“We’re pals right?” He smiled and said.

“Right.”

“And we’ll always be together, right?” He got up which caused (y/n) to slide off his back and he picked her up to sit her between his legs as he said.

“Right till the end lovie. No matter what you’ll always be my true beauty.” He placed his forehead against her temple, allowing his nose to press against her cheek as he nuzzled her lovingly, like a lion does with his cub.

“I would’ve thought by now she’d outgrow these childish games? When will you both act like actual human beings for once.” An Irish tone spoke up. (Y/n) looked up while Roger glared hatefully at the man that now stood before them.

Paul Prenter.

“Your father wishes to see you (y/n). I suggest you love your actual father and not someone who isn’t even related by blood.” She narrowed her eyes and clung onto Roger while Roger now spoke up.

“Do you mind pissing off Prenter? By law I am required to love her as I am her godfather.”

“An irresponsible, sex-addict like you taking care of a child? The day that happens is the day that I find myself dead on the ground.” With all his might he wanted to beat the shit out of Paul.

“You can’t talk to him like that!” snapped (y/n).

“Never talk back to your elders lassie. Now clean yourself up you’re absolutely filthy like a dirty mutt.”

“Talk to her that way again and I’ll throw you over the bloody house!” Roger snarled. As Paul glared at the two and walked away, Roger suddenly got an idea. “Lovie, how well is your stalking?”

“I’m as quiet as a mouse. Roger 2 never suspects a thing. Why?” Roger smirked mischievously as he whispered.

“I think I’ve found you some live prey to practice on.” He turned back to Paul and called out, “Oi Prenter?”

“What now?”

“You know; if you want to impress Fred he always loves it when he’s given roses.” This got Paul intrigued.

“Really?”

“Oh yes, he especially likes the red ones. They’re just over there.” Paul then went over to the roses and knelt down to try and find the best and beautiful roses to give to Freddie. “Okay my little lioness, get ready.”

Already getting at what her godfather was wanting her to do, she got into position. She got down on all fours into her pounce position. “Stay low to the ground.” Roger whispered as he placed his hand on her lower back telling her to not have her butt sticking in the air.

“Yeah okay stay low to the ground, right got it.”

“Shh, not a sound.” He whispered deviously.

As Paul continued to browse through the rose bushes he was completely oblivious to what was going on behind him.

Suddenly he felt a force pounce on him and a roar from behind making him scream out and he fell face first into the rose bushes. Roger was in complete hysterics as tears filled his eyes and his sides began to hurt.

(Y/n) let out a victorious roar as she got off of Paul trotting smugly back towards Roger.

“That was better than I could imagine!” he laughed. He held his hand out for a high-five to which she gave it to him and he hugged her and kissed the top of her head.

“Did I do good?”

“Oh lovie you were amazing. A true lioness of the savannah. C’mon champ, let’s get you a victory ice cream.” He picked her up bridal style and took her back inside for her just reward.

It was a few days after that day in the garden, and right now (y/n) was continuing her piano lessons since she promised her dad that she’d practice before her big recital coming up in a few weeks. Using the techniques that both her father and uncle Brian had taught her, she lost herself into the music and let the piece take her away so that the piece had more meaning and emotion behind her playing.

But her concentration was broken when the door was forced open. She stopped playing and her heart began racing. She didn’t hear any voice and she was afraid it was a thief coming to rob them, so she did the best thing she could.

She raced outside next door to her mum’s place. She banged on the door but there was no answer. It wasn’t until she realized that her mum was at work right now and wouldn’t be back till later this evening.

She suddenly felt a hand grip her hair and when she looked up to see who it was, she was now looking into the piercing red eyes of Paul Prenter. His face covered with band-aids still trying to heal all the rose thorns that went into his face that day.

“You think this is all fun and games? You’re an insane, mental case. And if you don’t come quietly to be put away forever, then you can have your father as well as the rest of your ‘family’ kiss their Rockstar dreams goodbye.”

“Let go of me!”

“Think you’re so tough now? Well you aren’t without your godfather to back you up. You’re weak, pathetic.” He threw her down to the ground with such force that she heard a crack in her wrist as she had landed on it. She let out a cry of pain as she cradled it in her other hand.

(Y/n) crawled towards her father’s garden and Prenter merely followed behind her with a smug look on his face.

“They never really loved you, yah know. Especially Roger. He’s just using you. Like he does with all his girls. He’s pampering you lass, till you’re old enough to shag and then he’ll leave you hot and dry. Just like all the others.”

“Shut up you faggot!” She roared out.

“It’s true. He’s not what you think he is. Once a womanizer, always a womanizer.” She then let out as best as she could just to drone him out, her best and fiercest lion roar. “You think you’re a lion? Then prepared to get treated like one.” Prenter now stood over her ready to treat her like how some humans treat lions in the circus or zoos.

But before he could even touch her, a sucker punch was thrown across his face. The collar of his shirt was gripped and he was forced to look up and glaring down at him was a furious and beyond pissed, Roger Taylor.

A fist was raised in the air before he sent a punch across each cheek before forcing him backwards to uppercut him in the gut. He then sent a Spartan kick against his chest sending Prenter down to the ground.

Like a lion attacking a rival predator, Roger proceeded to beat the living shit out of Paul, giving him a few well deserved punches and kicks before finally pinning him down and choking him, his eyes burning with pure hatred while Paul’s shown nothing but absolutely fear.

“Roger….Roger please I wasn’t going to hurt—”

“SILENCE!!” He roared. “I heard what you planned on doing to her Prenter. If you ever come near my goddaughter again, I’ll show you just why I’m a leo. I assure you.”

“Please I’ll—I’ll do anything.”

“Get out!” Roger hissed before standing up, lifting Paul up and threw him aside. Paul coughed trying to regain some air as he just stood there frightenedly. Then Roger did something that was absolutely primal, he actually roared at Paul like the true Leo that he was which caused Prenter to tuck tail and run as fast as he could away from Freddie and Mary’s property.

With Prenter finally gone, his angry demeanor ceased as he now turned to his goddaughter who was on the ground cradling her hand in pain, trembling in fear. He slowly walked up to her and knelt down beside her. Very gently he brushed the hair away from her face and when she looked to see her godfather now hovering over her, she tried to sit up but by putting pressure on her right hand, she cried out in pain.

“Shhh, shh. Let me see it lovie.” She sniffled and held out her hand as she felt the gently calloused fingers of her godfather stroke around her wrist. But even the slightest touch caused her to cry out in pain. “I think it’s broken, I’ll take you to the hospital and have it checked out, c’mon dearie”. As he slowly picked her up, the slightest jostle of her wrist caused her to cry out in pain.

Tears began running down her face as she held her right hand trying to dull the pain.

“Shhh I know lovie, I know. It’s okay. It’s okay I’m gonna take care of you. You’ll be alright.” Roger comforted her as he took her to his car and drove off as fast as he could to the hospital.

Unfortunately she had broken her wrist and she was forced to wear a cast for the next 8 weeks which sadly meant she couldn’t do her piano recital and by missing a recital in her school, it meant automatic disbandment so she was kicked out of her piano school.

After hearing what Paul had done, he was immediately fired as Queen’s band assistant and officially kicked out of EMI as well as any other record company again. Of course witnesses who saw part of the story, tried to claim an assault case against Roger but based off the testimony of (y/n) and the evidence against Prenter, no charges were placed against Roger because he reacted in pure self-defense.

(Y/n) was currently in her room looking down at her newly cast arm that was supported by a sling that she needed to use for the next few days. A knock was heard and peeking in was Roger.

“Hey, can I come in?” she nodded and Roger came into her room and shut the door behind him. He slowly walked towards her and asked her, “You doing okay?”

“Yeah just fine.” (y/n) spoke solemnly. Sensing there was something wrong with her, Roger sighed and knelt down in front of her.

“Love I can tell when you’re lying. So c’mon out with it. Is it what Paul said to you? Because you know whatever he said isn’t true, whatever he said about you isn’t—”

“It’s not that papa. It’s not about anything that he said. I know he’s a liar and a cheat. It’s just that……” she trailed off as she looked away from her godfather. Roger waited patiently as he took her uninjured hand in his giving her silent encouragement to tell him, to show her that he was listening. “With my wrist busted like this, and now being kicked out of the school I—I feel like I failed dad. He worked so hard to get me into that school and I wanted him to be proud of me, I wanted all of you to be proud. But I guess I’ve disappointed all of you.”

“Oh love you could never disappoint us.” He gently cupped her chin between his thumb and index finger as he had her turn to look up at him. “That school was always too strict with their rules anyway, you’re better off without them. Your mum and dad can always find you a new school, or you can have private lessons with both your dad and Brian. I personally would go with the latter cause that means I get to spend more time with my best girl.” As he said the last statement, he wrapped his arm around her hugging her.

(Y/n) softly smiled and nuzzled into her godfather’s shoulder and he pressed a kiss on top of her head and said as he looked down at her.

“Now don’t you worry love. Soon you’ll have that cast off of you and you can go back to being the lion queen I know you to be.”

“Thanks papa Roger, I love you.”

“I love you too my little lion cub.” The two cuddled up to each other giving each other lion snuggles as they both liked to call it. “Besides, there’s one good thing that comes with having a cast.”

“What?” Roger stood up and went over to her desk and grabbed a sharpie before returning back and knelt down in front of her.

“Signatures filled with get well notes that you can look down at every day till it comes off. Now give me that arm.” She took it out of the sling and Roger delicately held it in one hand as he wrote something down on her arm, along with his signature. It read;

To my beloved lion cub,

Get better soon for your next hunt. I love you beyond time and space and always will. Never change lovie.

XOXO Roger Taylor aka papa lion.

He even grew to the best of his ability a picture of a lion’s face right next to his nickname she would sometimes call him.

“Can the others sign it as well?”

“Absolutely, c’mon let’s go.” The two of them stood up and headed downstairs and she got signatures from her family including her aunts, some of her dad’s trusted friends like Phoebe and Terry his driver, all filling her arm with good wishes and fast healing.

Freddie Mercury:

· Like all fathers, this man is the KING OF SPOILING HIS DAUGHTER.

· He always takes any chance to dote on his favorite girl (besides Mary of course).

· Ever since the day she first walked and talked, Freddie has tried everything to get his girl to be on her side.

· He tried to be the first one to teach her an instrument or how to sing.

· Whenever he’s home, he’s always the first one to sing her a lullaby or tell her a story.

· Have I mentioned that he really loves to spoil her to no end?

· In case it’s not clear, he does. Both he and Roger even sometimes have competitions to see who gives her the best gift.

· Which of course never works cause she loves them both so much and just can’t choose. AWWW 😊

· Nicknames: Darling, dear, lovely, princess, baby girl, sweetie pie, little kitten, angel.

*Feb. 11th, 1976*

It all began when she was just 3 years old. By watching her father, godfather and uncles ever since she was born, she’s always had an eye and ear out for music. Some pictures have shown that when she was just a few months old, either Roger or Freddie would have her sit in their laps with a toy piano or guitar, or when Roger would actually have her in his lap by his real drumkit with his sticks in her hands.

Even though she wasn’t quite ready to learn just yet, as Mary believed it would be too much pressure on her still developing brain, but it didn’t stop her when she saw her father at the piano-bed and she heard her dad humming what might’ve been a new song.

She quietly walked towards the bed and pulled herself up onto her mum and dad’s bed and crawled up towards him.

“Ahh there’s my little angel, have a good nap?” she nodded and asked him.

“What are you doing daddy?”

“Oh just fumbling about with the old piano bed. Had an idea for a song so I figured it needed to be played so that I could decide whether to keep it or just toss it aside.”

“It’s pretty.” She said.

“Thank you my darling, I think it has potential too.” She scooted herself closer to the piano and couldn’t help but stare at the black keys in front of her. She watched as her father continued playing, his black painted fingernails seeming to blend in with the keys as he played the song once again. As she heard the beautiful music come from the keys, she couldn’t help herself as she reached out and poked one of the lower note keys.

Freddie stopped playing and turned to see his daughter looking at the piano with pure fascination and awe but when she heard her dad stop playing, she looked up at him and he asked her teasingly.

“And just what do you think you’re doing princess?”

“Being like daddy.” Hearing that made Freddie smile proudly.

“Say darling, what would you say to me teaching you what I know?”

“Really?” she asked hopefully, her wide (e/c) eyes glowing with excitement.

“Absolutely. That way I can even rub this in your godfather’s face.” He muttered the last part to himself. “Come here dear.” She came up to her dad and he placed her on his lap. “You ready?”

“Ready daddy!”

“That’s my angel. Okay so first we start with the basic note. Let’s start off with C.” He then played the Middle C note. “Think of this as the heart of all the keys, set right at the middle and you can guide yourself by always finding the C chord. Try it my dear.” She lifted her hand and tried to find the Middle C but already she had forgotten since the keys were all similar. “Right here darling, it’s this key right here.” Her dad pointed out.

She then pressed the C note a couple of times and she smiled.

“Ahh excellent darling, now let’s try a scale up with three notes. We’ll go up the scale like this.” He then played the C, D and E chord. “You remember that movie mummy made us watch. The one that plays the scale song.” She nodded.

“That’s my favorite movie!”

“I know dear, now each key as said in the movie is a note of the scale. What you just did was play Do.”

“A deer, a female deer.” She sung along making Freddie chuckle.

“Exactly, now let’s try Do Re and Mi. Like this. Using your first three fingers to play the keys.” Freddie showed her first and then he allowed her to do it next. As he watched his daughter try to do the notes, he noticed she was struggling in using her tall finger and ring finger together. “Here darling, like this.”

“But it’s hard.” She whined.

“I know darling but you’re doing so good, here try it again.” It took awhile but she finally managed to use all three fingers instead of just one or two. “Oh princess, soon enough the band will replace me with you!” he praised as he picked her up and held her over his head.

As the minutes ticked by, she slowly began to master the basic scales of the piano.

“I did it daddy! I really did it!”

“Oh darling I am so proud of you, you truly are a master pianist. Just like me!” Freddie proclaimed as he embraced and rapidly kissed all over her face making her giggle.

“Does that mean I can play one of your songs now?”

“Ohh not yet princess, it takes years and years of practice before you can be able to play one of our songs.”

“Aww! But I wanna learn now!” she pouted.

“Okay little miss pouty face.” He teased as he began tickling her making her release her pout and squirm in her father’s lap as he laughed evilly at her. After getting rid of her pout, he held his daughter close and said again, “I’ll tell you what, put your hands on top of mine.” Freddie then placed his hands on top of the keys and his baby girl placed her tiny hands on top of his large ones.

He then began to play “In the lap of the Gods revisited”. (Y/n) kept her hands on top of her father’s and slowly slide her fingers till they sat over his as he played the song before starting to sing the song. Having heard the song many times before, (y/n) softly sung along to the words that she could understand, mostly the vocalization part of it.

Hearing her sing and ‘play’ along with him, Freddie couldn’t help but feel utter pride and warmth within him. Never did he imagine himself to be a father just when his music career was finally exploding off the charts since last year when ‘A Night at the Opera’ hit the charts. But he wouldn’t have it any other way as his little girl, the apple of his eye was taking an interest in learning to play from him. Not from her godfather.

“Oi Fred you in here!?” he suddenly stopped playing and hearing that voice (y/n) immediately perked up and raced on out of the room.

“Well it was nice while it lasted.” Muttered Fred as he got off the bed and walked in to see his daughter race up and hug Roger’s legs.

“And just who is this hugging my leg?” Roger teased.

“It’s me papa! (Y/n)!”

“No you can’t be (y/n), my (y/n) is surely not this big just yet.”

“Yes I am!” Roger knelt down and got into her face making her giggle and that’s when Roger picked her up and tossed her in the air and said.

“Okay you are her. Only my lovie can giggle like that. Jesus you’re growing so fast, stop it!” he said as he attacked her cheek with kisses.

“What’s going on guys?”

“Well if you’d answer phone, you’d know already.” Brian said as he saw that Freddie’s phone was once again off the hook.

“Reid wants us in his office to discuss our next tour in a few months, as well as to talk about our next upcoming singles.” Roger spoke as he kept his goddaughter in his arms.

“You’re going away again?” she asked sadly.

“Afraid so love, but it won’t be for another 3 months. You’ll have us until then.” Deacy spoke as he came over and gently ruffled his niece’s head.

“Well I guess I better call Maria.”

“No need, bring her along. She’s a blast to have with in the studio.” Roger said. He turned to her and jostled her lightly so that her legs now hugged his waist instead of his hip, “What do you say lovie?”

“Can I come daddy? Please?” Freddie knew he couldn’t win. Every time she’d use the puppy dog eyes of hers, he always fell for it. They all did.

“Oh why not.”

“Yay!” Both she and Roger cheered as he spun her around.

“And while we’re there, I can finally teach you the drums. Oh you’re gonna be the next best drummer next to me.” At that Freddie couldn’t help but grin and softly chuckle wickedly.

“Why are you smirking?” Deacy asked.

“Hate to disappoint you Roger darling, but she’ll learn the piano first.”

“Please, who did she take her first steps for, hmm? Oh and umm what was her first word again I can’t seem to recall oh that’s right, my name. Hate to break it to yah daddy dearest, but this girl will follow in her godfather’s footsteps, isn’t that right my little lion cub?” At asking her that, Roger teasingly tickled her ribs making her squeak and bury herself into his neck.

“Oh I wouldn’t go saying that Roger. See before you three barged in, my darling princess and I were having a very important lesson. Would you like to show them darling?” Freddie said as he scooped his daughter out of Roger’s arms and into his own. She nodded enthusiastically and he carried her into the bedroom.

The guys stood around the bed as Fred placed her in his lap and he said to her.

“Alright darling, just like we’ve been practicing.” She got her right hand into position one and played the Middle C chord a few times before slowly scaling up, her fingers easily gliding up as they hummed each note of the scale. When she reached the last Do, Brian and Deacy both applauded while Roger stood there in shock.

“Wow love that was incredible!” Praised Deacy.

“Excellent work my shooting star, soon enough we can boot your father out and replace him with you.” Teased Brian.

“As much as I resent that comment, that’s what I told her would happen.” She looked up to her godfather who looked awful mad about something. She cautiously crawled up to him and asked him.

“Are—are you mad with me papa Roger?” he immediately snapped out of his daze and said as he picked her up.

“No lovie I could never be mad at you. Never. That’s impossible for me to even do such a crime. No you played wonderfully. Elton John better watch out. There’s a new prized pianist in London town!” She giggled and hugged her godfather as he said to her, “But I would like to talk to your father really quick about something, kay?” he kissed her forehead and set her down and turned towards Freddie.

With a gleam of murder in his eyes.

“No Roger she’s my daughter and she deserved to know the piano first!” Freddie claimed.

“Just come here for a second Fred.”

“Hell no darling I don’t trust you!” he then raced out with Roger right on his tail. Soon the sounds of broken glass, thumping, cat’s crying and yelling came up.

“Did I do something wrong?” (y/n) asked innocently. Deacy picked her up and said.

“No darling. Your father and godfather just suffer from their own hystericalness. Trying to see who can win your affection more.”

“I do that?”

“Oh darling if only you could remember they day you took your first step and said your first word. Your father destroyed the entire studio trying to get a hold of your godfather.”

“I wish they wouldn’t fight though.”

“They can’t help it love, you’ve got them wrapped around your tiny little finger. That goes for all of us, I might add.” Brian said as he walked up and stroked her hair before lightly bopping her nose at his last statement making her giggle softly.

“Should we at least try to stop them?” asked Deacy.

“I say we just let them work it out. Now then love, did your dad teach you anything else about the piano?” Brian asked as he took her out of Deacy’s arms.

“You play piano too Uncle Brian?”

“Of course. Your father’s not the only one gifted with the keys on piano. And I wouldn’t mind showing you a few shticks I’ve got up my sleeves when it comes to piano playing.”

300 notes · View notes

johannesviii · 5 years

Text

Top 10 Personal Favorite Hit Songs from 2005

16 to 17 years old. Finished public highschool, started public university in September. Looking back at 2003-2005 feels like looking at ten years of my life condensed in three. Exhausting.

Also we’re now past the halfway point of these lists! And this is another exceptionally good year for hits.

Disclaimers:

Keep in mind I’m using both the year-end top 100 lists from the US and from France while making these top 10 things. There’s songs in English that charted in my country way higher than they did in their home countries, or even earlier or later, so that might get surprising at times.

Of course there will be stuff in French. We suck. I know. It’s my list. Deal with it.

My musical tastes have always been terrible and I’m not a critic, just a listener and an idiot.

I have sound to color synesthesia which justifies nothing but might explain why I have trouble describing some songs in other terms than visual ones.

So I finished highschool that year. I met my best friend ever in late 2004 and we even had some sort of small crew back then! I had a bit of a crush on her but alas it wasn’t meant to be. I don’t know who invented the term ‘friendzone’ but they got its meaning completely wrong because staying friends basically forever with someone you love can be a fantastic thing. Things weren’t rosy nor perfect that year, of course, and I still was miserable at home, but I’m not sure where I’ll be today without her. She's amazing and she still lives nearby nowadays. Shoutout: if you read this, E., you pretty much saved my life.

I was still making tapes and burning CDs, still using my trusty portable cd player, and always listening to stuff while drawing during recess, sitting in a corner and doodling stuff in my sketchbook on the floor like a weird gangly goblin.

I had already started to buy Rock Mag in August 2004 but it really became my monthly ritual in 2005, and it lasted until autumn 2007. A reliable source of posters to cover my walls. At that point they were almost completely covered with paintings, drawings, torn pages from magazines and posters of Linkin Park, Mylène Farmer, Placebo and Indochine.

I also had a better access to the family computer and was a bit more involved online. Might explain why the number of singles I was buying plummeted.

It’s time once again for some (ok, many) honorable mentions!

Beverly Hills (Weezer) - I don’t even know why I like this but I do.

Bouger Bouger (Magic System) - I never understood why it was cool to make fun of these guys in my country. Their music is so happy and fun.

Holiday (Green Day) - My brother loved that band and listened to it a lot, and I was 100% fine with that.

Wake Me Up When September Ends (Green Day) - See above.

Gabriel (Najoua Belyzel) - That is so-bad-it’s-good at its finest right here.

Candy Shop (50 Cents) - As a sucker for terrible puns (HA, get it?? I’m sorry I’ll get out immediately) I can’t help it, I love this.

Love Generation (Bob Sinclar) - Stay tuned for more of this guy on another list.

Listen to Your Heart (DHT) - The original is better, but it was really nice to hear that again on the radio.

We Be Burnin’ (Sean Paul) - Not my favorite but still damn good.

Bad Day (Daniel Powter) - I even bought the single. What can I say except “relatable”.

All About Us (Tatu) - I bought that single as well. Almost made the list.

Le Bateau Blanc (Karol) - The last cut from the list. Not even kidding at all. I’m still not sure if Keane deserves to be on the list more than this to be honest.

Like it happened previously with Placebo not being elligible at all, it is a complete outrage that Precious by Depeche Mode isn’t elligible for this list. Like, what the f█ck. Playing the Angel was one of the defining albums of the year to me. I’m not even sure it would have topped the list, maybe #2, but it still feels wrong.

There’s another band who’s complete absence from this top feels kinda painful to me, considering how much I loved their new album at the time. Indeed, no single from Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge by My Chemical Romance is elligible for this list, and it feels wrooooong, man. I love I’m not okay and especially Thank You For the Venom, but even Helena would have been nice. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

For some unfathomable reason, Get The Party Started (Pink) and, even more unexplainable, Do You Really Want to Hurt Me (Culture Club) recharted in France in 2005 and both made the year-end top 100. The fact they are both elligible but all the stuff mentioned above this paragraph isn’t makes no sense whatsoever.

And now, the actual list!

10 - Everybody’s Changing (Keane)

US: Not on the list / FR: #48

Pretty great even though it’s not my favorite Keane song. That would be Crystal Ball. It’s fantastic and as a person who is scared, above all, by existential horror, the music video is terrifying. Sadly, it’s not elligible for my 2006 list, so Everybody’s Changing will have to be its slightly less good proxy for 2005.

9 - Et Si En Plus Ya Personne (Alain Souchon)

US: Not on the list / FR: #100

This has to be the most borderline non-elligible song ever put on one of my lists. But I’m glad it is still elligible. Remember the song on the 1993 list that I called an “anticapitalist ballad”? Well that’s the same guy. And this time it’s a song about how religion can cause both beautiful things and war, and how “the sky might be empty” because of us. It’s great. Here’s a translation. You’re welcome.

8 - F█ck Them All (Mylène Farmer)

US: Not on the list / FR: #62

Aaaaaaaaand unfortunately for everyone including myself, she’s back. Not her best song by a mile (told you it was all downhill after C’est Une Belle Journée didn’t I), but still pretty damn good, and that music video where she’s destroying bird-like scarecrows is amazing so here’s a bonus gif.

7 - Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Green Day)

US: #7 / FR: Not on the list

My brother LOVED this band and listened to it SO MUCH. And yeah, they were very good and that song might just be my favorite one from them. I don’t have much more to say about it, you all know it already. Let’s move on.

6 - Sugar We’re Going Down (Fall Out Boy)

US: #40 / FR: Not on the list

Again, it feels wrong that both Fall Out Boy AND Panic! at the Disco were elligible for this list but not My Chemical Romance. I was never a fan of these two acts, at all, and their supposed rivalry was kinda hilarious to watch from afar. With a bucket of popcorn. While listening to Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge and nodding sadly, of course.

This is still a great song, mind you.

5 - Feel Good Inc (Gorillaz)

US: #37 / FR: Not on the list (really? wtf happened)

Again, I live with someone who loves Gorillaz, so I claim overexposure.

It’s still #5 on a list based on a very, very good year.

That’s quality for you.

4 - Speed of Sound (Coldplay)

US: #57 / FR: Not on the list

A new chapter in the ascension of Coldplay from “Johannes hates this band” to “this is one of the best mainstream bands we have”. An epic saga, years in the making, and Speed of Sound was basically the last scene of Act One. Not my favorite song from X&Y (that would be Talk), but still really good. Hell, I even bought the single, and goodness knows I wasn’t buying a lot of singles anymore in 2005.

Holy shit, half of these are Benassi Bros garbage. None of them are elligible, though! Dodged a bullet there, didn’t I.

3 - Numb/Encore (JayZ + Linkin Park)

US: #93 / FR: #75

What a blessed mashup. For a few magical months in 2005, all the punk goth kids and the hiphop kids were united under this song’s banner and it felt like world peace had been achieved. It could have pissed off everybody but no! Everyone loved it instead!

“But Johannes, this is just Numb all over again with different lyrics. You can’t keep putting Linkin Park at the top of your lists forever.” Sadly no, I can’t. I know. It’s only #3. Don’t yell at me. Also, the next two songs are genuinely better, at least in my opinion!

2 - Lift Me Up (Moby)

US: Not on the list / FR: #31

I heard this on the radio and bought the album, Hotel, on the grounds that Natural Blues from 2000 was one of my favorite songs ever and than it wouldn’t hurt to actually own an album of that guy after all that time (”all that time” being only five years, but please keep in mind the past three years had felt like ten, and in my mind, they still do ; trauma is one hell of a thing). And a couple of days later that year, we went to Disneyland for my brother’s birthday, and I only had a small bag that could contain my cd player, and the earphones and nothing else. So I could only put one cd in it and that was it.

So I picked Hotel, and I basically retreated inside of it whenever my mother was starting to talk aggressively, which happened a lot in the various queues. So in the end, I listened to that cd a LOT that day and every single time, it would calm me while still being energetic enough to keep me enthusiastic for the various Disneyland rides.

Lift Me Up is energetic but cold, aerial but distant, uplifting but sinister. It was the perfect song for someone who was, at the time, trying to tone down their aggressivity and anger and trying to be masculine but in a softer way, while still staying themselves and not giving up the fight. I absolutely adore this song. It’s perfect.

It instantly joined my list of favorite songs ever that year.

1 - Mr Brightside (The Killers)

US: #16 / FR: Not on the list (this feels so wrong)

If I had to make a top ten of the hits of that entire decade, this would be #2. No debate whatsoever.

Because holy shit.

I was already sold on that band after hearing Somebody Told Me on the radio, which sadly isn’t elligible for this list (I instantly loved it, first because it was catchy as hell, but also because I love the chorus “Well somebody told me you had a boyfriend / Who looked like a girlfriend / That I had in February of last year", because as you already know I tend to be extremely literal minded and my immediate conclusion was “wow you two dated the same trans guy before and after he was out of the closet” and that was highkey relatable and no you can’t change my mind). So I bought the album about two weeks after, mostly blind, because the cd store was playing it and also because Rock Mag said it was great.

That was an understatement. Hot Fuss is one of the best albums of the entire decade and you probably know that already. The first song, Jenny Was a Friend of Mine, floored me right after putting the cd in the player and it felt like the album already reached its peak and there were still 12 tracks after that.

The very next track was Mr. Brightside. And. How do I put this.

There’s like a dozen interpretations possible for this song, and most of them are something like “this guy is so anxious and paranoid he’s gonna break up with this girl because he keeps imagining her cheating with another guy and it might not even be real.”

Now might be a good moment to remind you that at the time, I had a crush on my best friend, and was still firmly in the closet. And this song starts, as everyone knows, with “Coming out of my cage and I've been doing just fine“.

So... yeah. This is the song that accidentally convinced me the closet sucked and did nothing to deter bullies anyway, and that after more than three years of feeling mostly miserable, I should try to be myself and screw the consequences. I know it wasn’t the original intention behind that song. But still.

Godspeed, The Killers. I owe you one, guys.

Next up: Still not able to put Indochine nor Placebo on a list, OP is this close to punching a wall

#Johannes’ bad not good pretty terrible music lists #music #long post #eye contact tw

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