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lorilane33 · 4 years

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He’s Your Dancing Queen

Summary: Bucky is a man-child about indulging your want to watch Mamma Mia for the hundredth time, and when you come early a few days later you are met with something unexpected.

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Word Count: 2,589

Warnings: Bucky being a cheeky little shit. Mamma Mia obsession, fluff out the wazoo because that’s my jam. Hilarity.

A/N: This is my first every Bucky fic, and I’m super excited about it. Mamma Mia has recently become one of my favorite musical movies and ABBA has no shortage of amazing and inspirational songs :) This is the result of that. Please like and reblog, I live for that shit :)

Saturday evening arrives in the house you share with your boyfriend Bucky and he lets out a groan while his eyes roll to the back of his head; you’ve made your choice for what movie you want for movie night.

“Y/n, doll. I get that it’s your turn to pick the movie we watch, but Mamma Mia? AGAIN?” Bucky settles into the couch and his arm goes around you, his mind flashes back to the last time you watched Mamma Mia. “Didn’t we just watch it on Wednesday?”

“So?? Bucky, come on.” You stick your bottom lip out in a pout, knowing he can’t handle it when you ask so sweetly. “Pleeeease? I promise I won’t sing along too loudly this time.”

Bucky knows you are taking advantage of him but he can’t bring himself to tell you no, especially when it’s something that continually brings you this much joy. Letting out a defeated sigh he responds, “Fiiiine, we can watch it again.” When he hears you squeal in response he smiles and adds on, “It’s so not fair that you use that pout against me, Y/n. You know that look coming from you breaks my heart.”

You reach up and kiss Bucky’s cheek, the scratch of his beard against your lips a nice feeling. “You know you love me, no matter what. Now, stop being a punk if you want to keep cuddling with me.” A smirk gracing your features.

A few songs into the movie, you’ve completely forgotten the promise you made Bucky and are currently singing along (loudly) to Dancing Queen with Donna, Tonya, and Rosie, wishing you could run away to Greece with Bucky.

Suddenly you feel a heavy weight against you as Bucky sags into you and sighs with boredom. Trying to get him on board with the fun, you shove the air mic into Bucky’s face, and all you get is a grumble about how he’s heard this song a million times and he’s tired of it. Laughing, your whole body moves to the beat of the song and you serenade him through to the end of it.

“Finally, that stupid song is over. Can we watch something else now?” you hear Bucky mumble, adding on another dramatic sigh for effect.

Your eyebrows shoot up in response and you momentarily frown, the movie momentarily forgotten. “Excuse you, Bucky? It was my turn to pick!”

“I feel like I’m going to be singing these songs in my sleep because of how often we’ve watched this movie,” Bucky replies. He rolls his eyes. “And the last thing I want is to be singing ABBA songs when I’m trying to rest, doll.”

Rolling your eyes you turn your attention to the TV and realize you’ve almost missed the beginning of your favorite scene. “That’s great, hon. We can talk about it later, I promise. Now, please… shush.”

An overly dramatic and indignant look crosses Bucky’s face as he realizes you’re blowing him off and he tightens his arm around you, “Now who needs to be excused, little missy? You think you can just -”

Suddenly a pillow collides with his face and he is momentarily stunned. “I said SHUSH!” You yell all while your attention remains on the screen, where Sky and Sophie are singing their duet, Lay All Your Love On Me.

“Y/n, are you ignoring me for Sky??” Bucky whines, glancing back and forth between you and the movie. “Oh my god, you totally are!!” He exclaims as he shoves your shoulder.

Smiling you laugh at his need for attention. “And what if I am, Buck? He’s so beautiful! Just look at him!” you cry. “His voice isn’t bad either... So there’s that,” nonchalantly you shrug in amusement.

“How could you ignore me for him?” He reaches up and pokes you in the nose, and then he points to Sky onscreen as you turn to face him. “HE LOOKS LIKE HOWARD STARK, Y/N, IN CASE YOU DIDN’T NOTICE AND THAT’S WEIRD.”

At this, you burst out laughing. “Howard Stark?? Really, hon? He does NOT look like Howard! Now you’re just grasping at straws. NOW SHHHHHH!!” You add on as you turn your attention back to the TV, the chemistry between Sophie and Sky crackling on-screen.

Bucky keeps up his petulant attitude. “You’re right, he can’t be Howard because he’s half-naked and the ugly sod is bloody British,” he mockingly responds.

You pat Bucky’s knee in response to his obvious jealousy. “Awww, Sweetie. It’s okay to be jealous every once in a while,” you coo gently.

“Jealous?! Me?! JEALOUS OF THE HOWARD STARK WANNABE??? Please.” Bucky huffs as his eyes roll again. “How much of this movie do we have left anyway?”

Your grin grows wider as you break the news to him. “Bucky. Sweetheart. Babe. My love. We’re not even halfway through yet. You’ve seen this movie before, you should know!”

Bucky dramatically groans, adding another eye-roll in for effect, as he flops down to lay his head in your lap. His metal arm wraps around your waist as he mumbles into your leg, “Just wake me up when it’s over.”

You roll your eyes fondly at his antics knowing he wasn’t actually upset about any of it. “Fine, Buck. Go to sleep, you brat.” Your hand finds its way into his soft, short locks, and gives it a firm tug. He lets out a small squawk of surprise and glares at you before he closes with a victorious smile on his face.

Once the movie ends you shake Bucky to wake him up. “Hey. Wake up, it’s over.”

“Oh my god, finally!” Bucky mumbles through a yawn. “I was beginning to think it would never end. Did you finally get enough of your boy Sky and his stupid British nonsense??”

Giggling, you respond as you pinch him. “Maybe I haven’t, we should watch it again to make sure. You’re such a brat, you know that?”

He gasps. “NOOO!” batting your hand away, he continues. “Excuse you? Who are you calling a brat, punk?”

“Hey! I could have left you to sleep out here on the couch, ya know. But I didn’t, because I’m a loving girlfriend.”

“A loving girlfriend, huh? I wouldn’t have to sleep through half the movie if you didn’t make me watch Mamma Mia all the time, Y/n. So technically this is your fault.” He begrudgingly sits up, glaring at you for waking him up.

You smile and boop his nose. “How on Earth is this my fault, Buck?”

A look of mild annoyance lands on his face when he pulls away from your finger. “How is this your fault? Gee, I wonder how this could, in any way, be your fault?”

Pushing him off the couch, you smile and kiss his head as you walk past him, letting your fingers graze his bearded jaw. “Awww, Buck. You’re so cute when you’re jealous.”

Eyes widening as he realizes what you said, he calls out to your form retreating into the bedroom. “I am NOT jealous of not Howard, Y/n! We’ve discussed this!!”

____________________________________________________________

“Exactly, Stef! I don’t understand how she thinks she has the right to do that.” You continue your phone conversation while digging in your purse for your keys as you walk up to the porch.

Listening to your friend’s reply, you walk up the front steps and successfully pull your keys from your purse. Suddenly you hear muffled voices, and it sounds like it’s coming from inside.

“Hey, Stef, I’m gonna have to call you back. Yeah, I’ll talk to you later. Bye.” You end the call and dump the phone into your purse as you go to unlock the door. “Buck?”

Once you open the door the mystery of the blaring noise is solved as you hear the opening chords of Sky and Sophie’s duet coming from the living room, then Sky’s voice is heard too. But this time there’s another voice. “Um, Bucky?” You call out, hoping to figure out where he’d disappeared to.

You place your keys in the dish by the front door, confusion settling in. However, the mystery of the missing boyfriend, too, is solved momentarily as seconds later you turn the corner into the living room only to see Bucky, who apparently has no idea you’re home.

The man who complained about watching Mamma Mia only days previously is now singing along with the movie, giving it all he’s got, clad in nothing but his boxer briefs. Your mouth drops open at the sight before you as he whips his shorter locks to the song. Bucky’s hand that isn’t using the remote as an air mic glides down his body as he does a few body rolls, then his hips start swinging in time to the beat as he runs his free hand through his hair, making it stick up even more than it already was.

You continue to stare, absolutely gobsmacked, as your boyfriend starts moving along with the words even more as the second verse builds to the chorus:

“It was like shooting a sitting duck,

A little small talk, a smile and baby I was stuck.

I still don't know what you've done with me,

A grown-up woman should never fall so easily.

I feel a kind of fear

When I don't have you near,

Unsatisfied, I skip my pride

I beg you, dear,”

Bucky finishes an attempt at an elaborate spin move as he sings the last line, and you finally snap out of your trance and begin laughing.

His eyes fly open as he hears you, not expecting you to be home so soon. “Y/N?!? OH MY GOD, I THOUGHT YOU WEREN’T SUPPOSED TO BE HOME UNTIL SEVEN!?!” Bucky frantically tries to find the remote on the coffee table for a few seconds, only to make you slouch against the wall in laughter as he realizes he’s been using it as a mic.

Suddenly your laughter is the only sound now as the TV goes silent when Bucky pauses it. He crosses his arms, drawing your attention to his chest, which is heaving with his heavy breathing and covered in a light sheen of sweat.

Pulling yourself back up to a standing position, you wipe the tears that have been streaming down your face as you try to compose yourself. Giggling, you reply, “Yeah, Buck, I wasn’t. But if you had looked at your phone at all over the last hour you’d have seen my text that said I was coming home early. And lemme tell you, I’ve never been so glad to have you not read my text in our entire relationship.”

You let your eyes now wander appreciatively over your mostly naked boyfriend, taking in the Greek god that is James Barnes, and when your eyes get back up to his face you see him scoff at you. “Hey! Quit ogling the merchandise. Geez, doll, I feel so objectified right now.”

Smirking at him, you roll your eyes at his antics. “But what if your merchandise is really, really nice to look at?” You pause. “Speaking of merchandise, Buck. Umm. I’m assuming you know you’re running around in your underwear? Where are your clothes?”

Without missing a beat Bucky says, “Pfft. Duh, Y/n! Of course, I know I’m in my underwear. It’s the best state to be in. And for my clothes, they’re In the dresser, where they’re supposed to be? Well. My sweats are probably on the floor, but whatever.” He shrugs like that’s the most logical place for his pants to be.

Unable to keep a straight face, you break down into giggles. “So you’ve just been wandering around in your briefs since I left this morning?”

Dropping the remote onto the couch cushion, Bucky walks over to you, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Yeah, pretty much. Got a problem with that?”

With Bucky suddenly in front of you, blue eyes staring at you so intensely, your response is much breathier than you anticipated. “Nope. Not a single problem, Buck. But, baby.” Breathing deeply and arching your eyebrow at him you continue. “Last time I checked, you thought Sky was a Howard Stark wannabe and made fun of the fact that he’s British. What’s up with that?”

Bucky shrugs in defeat, chuckling as he responds. “What can I say? It’s really not my fault ABBA has killer songs. And it’s also not my fault that the story they’ve used the songs to tell is a damn good one.” His hands come to rest on your hips, lightly rubbing his thumbs over your hipbones, his eyes bright. “And it’s still not my fault that my irresistible girlfriend makes me watch the movie all the damn time. I’ve had it memorized for three months, doll.”

Almost subconsciously your arms reach up to rest on his shoulders in response to his ministrations as he gently brushes his nose against yours. “But Y/n here’s the real question. It’s really important, so I need you to answer honestly. My performance. It blew a half-naked Sky out of the water, right? No contest?”

“Oh my god, Bucky!” You slap his chest, laughing. “We were having a moment and you were such a brat and ruined it!”

You lean your forehead against his shoulder in an attempt to gain some composure, but it fails because your head is bobbing along to Bucky’s laughter emanating from his chest. “Doll, it was an honest question. I just need your honest opinion, that I’m better than Sky.”

Pulling away from Bucky, you walk back toward the doorway where the two bags you brought home were strewn, forgotten, along with your purse. With an affectionate laugh, you look back at him. “Bucky Barnes, some days I haven’t the slightest idea what to do with you. You are such a man-child.”

Smiling, he rolls his eyes at your retort. You walk up to him, resting your free hand on his bicep as you go up on tiptoe to press a sweet kiss to his lips. His hands reach for your ass, but you swat his hand away and smirk. “Nope. Hands off, mister. I’ll never make it to the shower if I let you get your hands on me.” He chuckles.

You brush past him, pausing for a second. “And to answer your super important question? Hands down better than Sky, doll. You’re definitely my dancing queen.” Suddenly Bucky yelps in surprise as the crack of your hand firmly slapping his ass echoes in the room as you run to the bedroom.

“HEY! Get back here, you brat!” Bucky yells as he takes off after you, rubbing his ass the whole way.

A couple of hours later, after Bucky finishes showing you just how much he loves you, and after finally, finally finishing in the shower, music can once again be heard blaring from the TV. If anyone were to walk up to the door at this point in time they would hear voices muffled through the door just as you had earlier that day, not quite sure what it was they were hearing.

In the living room, though, unaware of anyone or anything outside yourselves, you find yourself in your underwear right beside Bucky in his, loudly singing and dancing along to Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again like there’s no tomorrow. Bucky may be a man child, but he’s your dancing queen, and you wouldn’t trade him for anybody else.

#bucky barnes #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes drabble #bucky barnes one shot #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes fanfiction #marvel fanfic #marvel fanfiction #marvel one shot #marvel imagine #marvel drabble #marvel fluff #marvelfic #marvel fic

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grlsgen · 3 years

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my favorite 2020 kpop songs

there were some bangers this year... this includes title tracks & bsides and everything else under the sun.

i always got shit to say and i always see youtube videos like this but i simply can’t edit so here we are

you never know - blackpink

okay yeah i didn’t really fw hylt or lovesick girls when i first heard them but when i listened to the album you never know really stuck with me... i never get sick of it. definitely the best track off the album imo. rosé’s prechorus has made me cry a few times ngl

alien - lee suhyun

alright miss thing... i was obsessed with this song when i first heard it... the pre chorus with the ooo ooo ooo and the switch to the chorus is so good it gets me every time. she’s cute i like her... while we’re here i’ll also mention i really liked her ost in your time for it’s okay to not be okay.. i loved that drama and that’s my fav ost from it.. but anyway

lalalilala - april

They Served. Big time. the music video is so pretty and the song was stuck in my head for 6 months straight... they really did the damn thing with this. kinda sounds like an apink song but that’s a compliment... overall this whole comeback was really good and deserved better. honorable mention : the bside on this ep you.zip is so good too

open your eyes - iz*one

this is all i listened to for months after bloomiz dropped... izone’s music is really a hit or miss for me and i didn’t really vibe with fiesta but i’m so glad i gave the album a chance because open your eyes is definitely in my top 5 releases of this year. their other bside dreamlike is really good too

the book of us : the demon - day6 album

now where do i start with this... to this day i am still obsessed with 1 to 10... like that’s gotta be the best off this album imo. zombie was so good and i really liked the lyrics. the album as a whole was really really good. i sound like a broken record

children - bvndit

oh boy... another one of my top 5 releases from this year. not only is the overall sound of this amazing but i love the lyrics too. these girls deserve so much better

d-2 - agust d/yoongi/suga mixtape

my king. i shit myself when this dropped ngl... i don’t even know how to elaborate on how much i love this. daechwita was stuck in my head for the longest time.. i think the highlights off this for me have to be people, honsool & dear my friend. this mixtape was really a moment.. i love yoongi y’all

love again - baekhyun / underwater - baekhyun

alright alright .. i put these two together since they’re from the same album idk but it took a while for candy to grow on me but i’ve loved these since i first heard them... i was Obsessed. the final bridge/chorus whatever the hell thing he does in love again put me into shock for 3 months straight and the beat in underwater is heavenly

the dream chapter : eternity - txt ep

this serve. has to be my favorite from txt yet... rookies with the best discography fr. i love dark concepts and really like that they did something different with this. can’t you see me was Amazinggg. fairy of shampoo has to be one of the best songs i’ve ever heard it’s insane. i also really liked eternally, who else has that range... Nobody. top to bottom this ep is really good, i hope they do another dark concept like this again soon bc this hit big time

eight - iu & suga

it took a while for this to grow on me but whew...when it did... kinda makes me feel like i’m in a coming of age movie and i like that, makes me nostalgic for that. eight soty, they both did great on this

# - loona ep

Now... Cmon. so what was either a hit or miss for a lot of people but something i think everyone can agree on is that the bridge is godsent. like that shit makes me cry sometimes. the music video was really good, i always come back to the subway/train scene. number 1 is also so damn good. overall i really loved this ep. they really ate with this one

eyes wide open - twice album

when i first heard this album i didn’t like it That much but it’s really grown on me lately. the whole retro trend was fun and then it got a little overdone so i was tired of it by the time this dropped but actually.. some of the bsides are insanely good. behind the mask is definitely a highlight for me, mina’s bridge is heavenly. i love mina so bad. but anyway, i can’t stop me took some time to grow on me as well but it always gets stuck in my head. i also really like up no more & depend on you, they’re cute

maybe - gidle

Y’all... i love this song. it’s short and simple but it was so addicting to me. i really like that one part in the last two choruses if you know what i’m talking about (i’m not sure who sings it ? some people say soyeon some say shuhua idk, shuhua my queen btw) and soojin’s verse in the bridge hits. to this day i’m still obsessed with this song

a song written easily - oneus

this is so underappreciated, this is easily one of my favorite title tracks released all year. i’m not a huge fan of beat drops but this one was really nice imo, i also liked the lead in before the drop and the final chorus. this was really good and i never get sick of it

wannabe - itzy

CUT THE DAMN CAMERAS.... no fr this is my #1 favorite song released this year. talented brilliant incredible amazing... itzy seriously ate up everyone with this. i keep going back to this song it’s insane. iconic choreo good mv good styling amazing song.. like everything here lined up. i don’t know how they’ll ever top this for me. definitely my soty (next to psycho)

black swan - bts

this is excellent idk what else to say. i thought it was just okay when i first heard it but it’s seriously so good, me being yoongi biased i loved that he got multiple verses but i love the do your thing with me now breakdown part too. the choreo is one of my favorite from them and the mv was really pretty. black swan is one of my favorite movies so the comparisons with it made me love this song more. overall, probably my favorite off mots7

my time - jungkook of bts

jungkook always has the best album solos fr. i loved this the second i heard it, kinda justin bieber esque but it’s so good. i love the lyrics and transition it takes thru the song. the chorus hits man.. this song always makes me a little sad but he really did amazing on this

monster - red velvet irene & seulgi ep

my queens what can i say. i was so excited for this unit and they did not disappoint. monster still hits, aged like wine. the best track is fr feel good, i still have it on repeat.. insanely good. seulgi really delivered with uncover, it’s so beautiful. i think sm’s intention was always to have a subunit this year but i thought it was smart to do while wendy was recovering, hoping for ot5 soon y’all..

never gonna dance again : act 2 - taemin album

taemin my king wtf!!! i loved criminal so i was really excited for this and of course... he always delivers. top to bottom i loved this album, he really did amazing on it. identity might be the best song i’ve ever heard... and of course i loved the collab with wendy 🙏 overall such a good album, taemin always serves the best

pporappippam - sunmi

what can i say i love a little retro tune. even though i just said earlier i was sick of it idc i loved this. sunmi always shows up, i don’t know what else to say. this song never gets old

dystopia : the tree of language - dreamcatcher album

i didn’t expect to love this album as much as i did... i don’t listen to it as often anymore but i can’t deny that scream was a major serve. every time i hear it it’s like the first time... their bside jazz bar was so good. dreamcatcher’s bsides always hit what can i say

12:00 - loona ep

Yes. why not is not necessarily my favorite title from them ever (it’s butterfly, btw) but it’s always stuck in my head... obviously i loved voice/star, was obsessed for weeks and i was happy they decided to promote it a little. styling on those stages were so cute btw. i also loved fall again from this ep, chuu sounds angelic on it. loona had some amazing cbs this year

la di da - everglow

Obsessed. i watched every stage as they dropped and listened to this every 5 seconds, Amazing. sihyeon really owned this era for me and shes my bias so of course i ate this whole thing up. this was definitely one for the books, what more can i say

literally everything gfriend released this year

this might be their best year yet for releases imo, i really liked how they tried out different concepts and sounds this year, i’ve always loved their music but the switch was refreshing yknow. crossroads was so good, i loved that mv. here we are is still on repeat almost a year later... and now APPLE. apple was so mf good. i love that they decided to do a dark concept, this song really fit them well, still obsessed w it. mago might be my least fave out of the 3 but it’s still so good. don’t even get me started on yuju in the mv.. Queen. i liked the subunits on walpurgis night, especially better me. gfriend had a really good year imo, they deserved more for it.

Anyways. that was my 2 cents.

wannabe & psycho soty

#kpop #red velvet #bts #itzy #twice #gfriend #so many good ass songs this year #hoping 2021 is even better...#txt #baekhyun #everglow #loona #taemin

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alecmagnuslwb · 4 years

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Soulmates

Writer’s Month 2020 Day Five

Read on AO3

Everyone has a soulmate, even impossibly a bastard like John Constantine. Not that he thinks he’s got some great, beautiful souled person out there that’s destine to be his. No John assumes that a bastard is destine for a bastard, no matter their gender.

He hasn’t really thought about soulmates in years, not since he was a child and his mother told him stories about the moment everything bursts into color and you suddenly know the names of every color before you. He’s grown accustom to the way his eyes see the world, but lately the black and white vision he lives with every day has grown tiresome. He plays with his magic, still learning and growing stronger every day and wonders if it casts in different colors, wonders what those colors are if they do. He lights the flames in the palms of his hands and can only feel the burn without being amazed by the orange and red glow he’s been told they have whatever that might mean.

He's barely over twenty but he’s old enough to know that the world isn’t black and white by any means. It’s mottled with greys and shades of everything that he can’t see, but he can sense.

Tonight is another black and white night for him. He pushes open the door to the bar he’d seen a few nights ago when heading back to the motel he’s been crashing in. A rush of noise washes over him as he steps inside some hokey rock band that fancies themselves the next Billy Idol playing a horrendous cover of ‘White Wedding’ onstage.

John grits his teeth praying they don’t butcher something by The Clash next, he’ll have to leave America immediately if they do.

He shuffles over to the bar, taking a seat on an empty stool near the far end and flags down the bartender ordering himself a whiskey. He gives the man behind the bar a wink when he places the drink down in front of him and the bartender walks away completely ignoring the flirtation.

John just shrugs unbothered by the rejection and spins around watching as the band plays the last chorus. When they’re done the other patrons clap and John hopes they’re all drunk with the enthusiasm they’re putting behind it. The room transforms into a clutter of voices and clinking glasses after that so John swivels back around downing his first drink and ordering a second.

Behind the bar a poster catches his eye, a top hat adorning the center. He’s just reading the words Mistress of Magic across it when a deeply bad and deeply fake British accent sounds into the microphone on stage. John turns back around to find the lead Billy Idol wannabe yelling for everyone to quiet down.

“Alright, now we know your claps for us were bullshit and this is the real show you’re here for,” he says gesturing to the space around. “So, without further ado, the Mistress of Magic, the silver-tongued siren, everyone’s favorite majestic magician Zatanna!”

If John had known there was a magic show tonight, he might have found a better drinking hole. He’s got no need to watch someone pull cheap tricks and poorly concealed rabbits out of a hat.

John’s about to swivel back around, order one more drink and be on his way, but he finds himself frozen halfway when Zatanna appears on stage, not through a cloud of smoke hiding a trap door in the floor, but through a real bonafide portal.

That alone would capture his attention, but the woman herself has him sliding back to face the stage completely. She’s stunning, the goth princess of his dreams in knee high boots, fishnets, leather shorts and a corset with a bowtie.

Her arms are bare something whispered under her breath sending a trail of sparkling magic down them as she flips her long dark hair over her shoulder and gives the patrons a dazzling smile.

John doesn’t need to see color to know she’s a vision, but he’d pay good money to know what colors that magic is flowing down her arms and how it looks against her skin.

“Ready to see some real magic tonight boys, girls and non-binaries?” she says, her voice a melody. The audience roars and if John wasn’t so frozen in place he might too.

That’s when the show really begins, she conquers the stage, keeping everyone’s eyes on her the entire time. She twists magic around the room, her power strong and thick in the air. She speaks in languages he doesn’t recognize until eventually he realizes it’s backwards magic, a rarely used magic that she’s clearly no novice in.

There’s something about her that’s familiar, but he doesn’t have the right of mind to think too hard about it. To think beyond the absolute captive hold she has on him with every move she makes and every spell she utters.

Zatanna knows how to work a stage, how to hold an audience in the palm of her hand.

He’s certain he could meet his soulmate right this second and have the world burst into color and he still wouldn’t be able to tear his eyes away from the front of this bars.

He doesn’t so much as blink for the forty-five minutes she’s on stage.

“Alright, for my last trick, I need another volunteer,” she says and hands shoot up all across the bar, even the bartender who seemingly has a job to do sticks his high in the sky.

She scans the audience carefully tapping her finger to her lips until her eyes fall on him.

“You,” she says pointing his way. “At the bar.”

John pulls his eyes from the stage for the first time certain she’s pointing at someone else, like the eager bartender behind him.

“Yeah you in the tie, that’s right, come on,” she says making a come-hither motion with her finger that John couldn’t resist if he was chained down on his deathbed.

John slips from his seat picking his way through the bar and onto the stage. And if she was gorgeous from far away up-close John’s not sure how anyone could resist those piercing eyes. He wonders what color they are.

“I’m Zatanna, as you know,” she says smiling at the audience quickly before holding out a hand in his direction. Her nails are painted with little clusters of shimmering stars on them, a tiny detail he couldn’t see all the way from the bar. “And what’s your name handsome?”

He tries to force down a smile and fails, there’s no doubt she calls every poor schmuck she pulls up on the stage that and makes them blush, he’s not special even if he wishes he was.

“John,” he says putting his hand in hers and that’s when it happens. His vision blurs for a moment and then like paint being splattered on a canvas color blooms all around him. The curtains are red, the stage a deep brown and Zatanna’s eyes a deep, dark blue. She’s looking into his eyes too, a small soft smile on her lips.

Her eyes drop down to his tie briefly and she chuckles then quickly as if their whole worlds hadn’t just changed she’s turning back to the audience. A performers quick mind keeping up appearances for the show.

John barely recalls the trick he assists her with just knows that he trusts her implicitly and at one point ends up floating. When it’s over and he’s stepping down from the stage she touches his hand softly, a silent request to stay so she can find him after the show.

John nods stepping away as she gives the audience one last light show. A burst of rainbow sparks from her fingers before she disappears into another portal casting him one last glance.

John’s finally pulled from his daze once she’s out of sight and immediately books it for the door. He should stick around, really meet this person who’s his person, but he can tell from one look at that soft smile she’d given him she’s far too good to be stuck with the likes of him.

The universe fucked up, there’s no way a man like him deserves a woman like her.

He doesn’t get far, just barely out the door when a shimmering portal like the one on stage appears in front of him and Zatanna steps out now in a leather jacket with a shining silver top hat pin on the lapel.

“Oh, you’re here,” she says looking at him with that same soft smile.

He looks up and around her wondering if he can make his escape.

“Oh, you’re leaving,” she says disappointed. Her hands fall to her side uselessly.

“Look, it’s not you,” he starts and she lets out a sharp wounded breath.

“Ouch, I’ve heard that one before,” she says attempting to laugh off what she’s seeing as a rejection. He’s not rejecting her though, far from it, he’d love to curl up next to her and never leave he’s fairly certain. He’s rejecting the universe cursing this soft smiling magical being to getting saddled with jaded, piss poor soulmate like him.

He shakes his head. “It’s not that, I swear it, I’d stay in a heartbeat if it was only my heart on the line. It’s just there is no way a woman like you deserves to get stuck with a mess like me, trust me.”

He sidesteps and starts to walk past her, but a hand on his forearm pulls him to a stop. She spins around so she’s standing face to face with him.

“Look I won’t act like I understand the magic or science or whatever it is behind this system and I won’t act like it’s perfect, but something out there thinks you and I fit, thinks we could fit. So, shouldn’t I get to decide what I deserve?” she says with pleading eyes. “Please, don’t take that choice away from me.”

John takes a deep breath. He really doesn’t want to hurt her, but if he leaves right now that will hurt her more than if he stays and maybe one day down the line messes up. She’s right. He’s a coward who tried to run.

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” John says pulling his pack of cigarettes out. He pats around for a lighter and Zatanna leans in saying a quiet ‘erif’ her fingertip bursting in a yellow orange flame and lighting the cigarette he sticks between his lips.

“You’re forgiven, as long you don’t run off on me again,” she says smiling as she blows out the flame on her finger.

He takes a long drag blowing it off to the side and away from her.

“I won’t,” he says hoping he can keep that as a promise.

“Great. So, let’s try this again, I’m Zatanna Zatara,” she says holding out her hand. Zatara. Suddenly the familiarity of her makes sense, the backwards magic coming so easily for her much clearer now. If he was worried he wasn’t worthy of her before the last name doesn’t help that worry lessen. She’s a magical dynasty doing stage work in a dive bar.

He doesn’t run just because of that shocking development however.

“John Constantine,” he says putting his hand in hers. This time there’s no blurring vision, no burst of color, just a warm, soft hand holding onto his.

She smiles, “I like your tie John Constantine.” He looks down noticing the bright red of it for the first time. The irony that the rest of both of their outfits are black and white on the night where color came into their lives is not lost on him. “It’s a nice pop of color.”

He laughs, letting go of her hand to tug at the tie.

“I didn’t actually know it was red when I nicked it.”

“Nicked it?” she says eyes going a little wide. It sounds a little funny coming from her lips with no British accent.

“Uh,” he says twisting up his face. “Bought it?”

The question mark on his words is clear and she just laughs threading her arm through his as he tosses his cigarette at his feet stamping it out.

“Come on we’re having dinner and you’re telling me all about how you stole that tie, soulmate,” she says tugging him along into the neon lit night.

He likes the sound of that, even if he’s convinced the universe made a colossal mistake.

#my fic #writersmonth2020 #johnzee #john constantine #zatanna zatara

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piccolina-mina · 4 years

Text

The Misadventures of Mischief & Mayhem

Show: Roswell, New Mexico

Characters: Michael Guerin, Maria DeLuca

Pairing: Miluca/Marichael

A/N: A previously unpublished story from the archives. One-shot. Random rambles. Takes place somewhere in s1 after Songs About Texas. It’s … whatever. Enjoy, or not. To each their own.

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"I hope you can dance, Deluca,“ he shouted over his shoulder, not wanting to risk taking his eyes off of the mob of cousin-f*cking, backwoods rednecks and wannabe cowboys advancing on them.

"I can get down if I have to.” Maria’s voice was like steel to anyone in the vicinity, but he heard the trepidation, and it killed him.

He knew she was likely outnumbered on her end as well when he felt her back press alongside his – her body taut and ready to fight. He could partially smell the adrenaline.

She was so close to him he could feel her exhale as she readied herself for whatever was about to go down. Their bodies melded together – backs slick with sweat as they shifted and moved in sync.

His default was anger; anger was better than the sadness and pain, and maybe he gained a reputation as the volatile one, but it fueled him when necessary.

He hated this. He hated being stuck in a position where he couldn’t protect Maria. He knew DeLuca didn’t need saving, but he protected his people, and the dread he felt at the mere thought of not getting her out of that bar without a scratch was unlike anything he felt in some time.

His anger was burning hot and searing. He could barely hear anything beyond the buzzing in his ears. The chides and jeering faded away.

“When I’m done wiping the floor with you, I’m going to make your colored bitch put that mouth to better use,” the instigator, some muscled, sweaty brute’s lips curled in a sadistic smile, and it was all Michael needed to see red.

His anger rolled off of him in waves, his jaw clenched from beneath the brim of his cowboy hat; his eyes burned a hole through the drunkard front and center leading the charge.

“Guerin … ” his surname on her lips was a question, a statement, a prayer, and a battle cry all in one. He felt her muscles contract as she took a swing, and his fists clenched as he did the same.

The only sound he didn’t tune out was the unmistakable smack of his fist connecting with the douchebag’s face.

He was a brawler, and his objectives were simple: never lose track of Maria, and get them the hell out of there by any means necessary.

Those were his final thoughts as his world descended into violent chaos.

Several Hours before

“You’re going to really make me get on my knees, DeLuca?”

If it was anyone else, he wouldn’t be caught dead scooting around the Wild Pony on his knees, hat in hand, but he had long since accepted Maria made him do unthinkable things.

“Guerin, I’m busy.” Maria signed off on another shipment and flashed a stunning smile at the delivery man. He promptly ignored the twinge of jealousy over someone else being on the receiving end.

“DeLuuuuca,” he practically whined, as she crossed the room ignoring him as best as she could.

DeLuca,“ he called out again, raising an impressed brow at her commitment. "De–”.

She attempted to flounce past him, but this time he grabbed her hips, stilling her. The heat of her skin burned his fingertips, and he peeked up at her through his lashes.

Maria raised her brow, but the corner of her mouth pulled up in a bemused grin.

“I kind of like you down there; it looks good on you,” she jutted her hip out, placing her hands on her hips above where his rested, but at least she gave him her undivided attention.

“Yeah, I remember,” he teased.

He should have been prepared for the knee to the chest, but he wasn’t and found himself falling back on his haunches.

“C'mon, ‘Luc. I just need you to drive me there to pick up a part. It’s the last part I need to restore this vintage baby out back, and the going price is,” he whistled.

Maria was a survivor like him. She was often hard up and respected the hustle.

“I’m not one to knock a person for securing their bag, but what do I get out of this?”

He exhaled. Once they reached a point of negotiation, he always knew he had her. His heart ached a little when he thought about how behind she was in her payments to the facility she placed Mimi in.

He caught a glimpse of the letter the last time she was poring over her finances; ironically, it was while he was swiping a bottle of booze from behind the bar like a total cad.

He found a way to make it up to her, but he still felt guilty about that.

“Ten percent of the profits,” he offered.

“Twenty,” she countered. “And gas money. I’m being generous.”

“Fifteen, and I’ll tune-up your baby free of charge for the next year.”

She snorted. “You already do that, remember?”

He frowned. She was right. He regularly did whatever mechanical work on her truck on his own dime and time, but it was the least he could do for not paying her for all the booze.

“Fine. Eighteen, and I’ll fix the freezer and the eye on the stove.”

“You already fixed both two weeks ago.” She didn’t bother to hide her smirk that time, and it came equipped with her head canted to the side as she peered down on him only slightly smug.

“Shit.” How the hell did he always end up doing so much for her? The worst part is he never minded, and still didn’t, but it put him in a sticky spot whenever they bartered. “You’re hell on my rep.”

“See a sucker lick it,” she replied sweetly.

He stared at her momentarily dazed his tongue peeking out.

“You promise,” escaped from his lips before he could bite it back. He cleared his throat after an awkward beat and pivoted the conversation. “I know a spot.”

Unfortunately, he didn’t realize how graceless and suggestive it came out until her eyes got a faraway look before she schooled her expression.

He didn’t miss that though.

“A scrap metal spot. Eighteen percent and a side hustle.”

She breathed a sigh of relief, or so he thought, he could never tell with her.

“Deal.”

She stuck her hand out to shake it, and he squeezed tight using her as leverage to hoist himself off the sticky floor.

“Do I need to ask?” She waited for him to read her mind so to speak, and lucky him, he knew where she was headed.

“Trust me, DeLuca. No people or puppies will be hurt by the stripping of this copper. No one will miss it. Certainly no one decent.”

She studied him for a long moment. “I would’ve settled for 12 percent, you know.” It came out smug at first, but then she softened. “I know how hard you worked on that car.”

It was one of the things he liked about her. She was somehow ruthless and soft-hearted at the same time. She needed the money, but she didn’t want to infringe on his profits either.

Haggling was part of their spiel, so they came prepared, but it was her way of making sure she didn’t take too much.

Maria had no idea how much he would sacrifice for her. Even he didn’t understand their thing, but she was his people – somehow, at some point, it just happened, and he didn’t fight it.

Love them or loathe them, he was a self-absorbed bastard, but he always looked out for his people.

“If you plan to get sentimental on me, I will exploit it,” he teased. She rolled her eyes and stormed towards the door to lock up knowing good and well he would be at the heels of her feet.

He always liked driving with DeLuca. It was the main reason he called in a favor in the first place.

Cruising with Maria was pure escapism. It was also when he saw her the most carefree. She laughed and sang, and she drove like she was running away from her problems, and there was no way in hell they’d catch up to her.

She escaped into the open road and wherever it led her, and he escaped into her. It was something simple about that.

Half the time, she forgot he was there at all until he jumped in with the chorus of a song he barely knew the words to, and she laughed uncontrollably at his terrible voice and crappy lyrics.

Some days, he felt like he was drowning, but Maria was like catching a breath.

And there was something refreshing about her never asking him questions.

She didn’t ask much of him, which made him want to share more, so when he directed her to the archeology department of a college campus and had her stay idle in the truck because campus police are a bitch, she only left him with a cryptic, “play nice.”

And when he bolted out a side door with his hat pulled down obscuring his face, an impossibly large box in hand, and a fire alarm blaring loudly, she shot him a puzzled expression but swung the door open.

He jumped inside with the grace of a gazelle, and she sped off before his foot left the pavement – the door swung shut during their hasty escape.

She slowed down as she hit the highway but looked back in the rearview mirror to see if anyone was behind them.

Max or Isobel would have given him hell, and Alex disapproved of his less than lawful pursuits.

“I liked it better when you were speeding,” he broke the silence.

She let out a soft snort. “When you have a body in the trunk, you drive the speed limit.”

“You sound like you speak from experience,” and just like that, he eased them back into their banter. Nope, only Maria would put up with that from him.

“Not yet,” she eyed him and then the box with curiosity. “Day’s still young, though.”

Her smile momentarily dazzled him, and he forgot how to breathe. He admired her restraint; she still hadn’t asked him about the mysterious box that definitely wasn’t a car part he liberated from an establishment with her help.

No one steals car parts from the archaeological wing of a university, but covert space ship pieces? Definitely.

He almost wished she would ask. He knew she suspected something was off – she sensed things, but she never called him out on it. She just gave him the benefit of the doubt in a way no one else did.

If she asked, even once, he would probably take one look at those deep brown eyes and spill it all. It scared the shit out of him.

“Careful, Guerin,” she snuck a look at him before her eyes returned to the road. “You’re going to hurt yourself with all that thinking.”

“You and I both know I don’t do much of that,” he said. He didn’t realize how self-deprecating it sounded until she responded.

“If you were fishing for a compliment, you caught me on a good day because you’re one of the smartest people I know.”

The lump that formed in his throat was unexpected, and the silence that befell them even more so.

“I need a drink,” he said after a while. He googled the nearest watering hole and directed her to it.

She said nothing the whole time, but he couldn’t decipher the inscrutable expression on her face.

They parked some ways away, and he hopped out of the truck to escape the silence – the intensity of it. The intensity of his convoluted feelings for her.

He found the confined space stifling like someone was squeezing the little air left in his lungs, or so he thought, but what did it say about him that he didn’t find his breath again until she was beside him?

Even though it was dusk, the place had a following. They followed the dirt road to the dilapidated shack of an establishment, and he tipped his hat at her while he held open the grimy door.

It smelled of stale beer and cigarette smoke, a scent he was all too familiar with, and he rolled his eyes and swore under his breath at the rebel flag proudly taking up an entire wall over the bar.

Maria merely shrugged. “It’s Texas,” she sighed with a weariness he never thought about.

She shimmied her way to the bartender, and he appreciated the view.

“Two whiskeys neat, please,” she said coolly. Her fake smile was frozen in place when long moments later she still hadn’t gotten them.

His confusion morphed into disbelief, then doubt, but she merely raised a brow and motioned for him to order.

The barkeep gave him the drinks lightning quick, and Maria only snorted when the flirty bartender ran her fingers across his hand and smiled at him.

He slid a glass towards Maria, but it didn’t stop his new friend from engaging in small talk that roughly translated that she was down to screw.

“Always drowning in ass, aren’t you, Mikey?” She slid the glass back toward him, reached across the counter, and grabbed the bottle, pouring the two whiskeys she intended for herself.

She ignored the dirty look and exclamation from the bartender, tossed a wad of cash on the counter and disappeared into the crowd.

He tossed his own money down, grabbed his drinks and followed after extricating his hand from that of the overly friendly blond.

He figured Maria was in search of a jukebox, but instead, he found her at the pool table, stick in hand.

A group of guys was looking on, some with the type of interest that made him snarl and others with a disdain that made him worry.

Sure enough, a scruffy looking redhead made his way to the table and had his hand on Maria’s ass before Michael could reach her.

His jaw clenched at the sight, along with his fists, and he reminded himself not to cause a scene of the inhuman variety.

Before he could blink again Maria had kneed small Red to the groin and bent back his finger to the amusement and annoyance of some of his crew.

“Next time it won’t be my knee,” she hissed before releasing him.

Maria DeLuca’s her own damn hero. She could save herself, but he didn’t give a damn.

“Everything OK, babe?” He said, placing his hand to the small of her back while eying the room.

The only sign she gave acknowledging his little display of territorial machismo was a snort.

“Everything is about to be,” she responded, sensing a challenge.

He followed her line of sight and watched as a muscled guy emerged from the huddle of men and grabbed a pool stick of his own.

Michael recognized him as one of the men whose leering was more disdainful than lust.

She tossed him another stick, and they had a loaded conversation in just one look. Maria was a mystery to him, and despite her psychic claims he knew he was to her, but there were certain things of which they spoke the same language.

Their kinship was in what they did to get by – how they survived. No judgment, just mutual respect and understanding.

It’s why they worked so well together. It’s the reason they barely needed to exchange a word with one another in the hours they spent at that pool table.

He felt the tension in the room, and it made him uneasy. However, the money stacked up.

Maria’s way of fighting back against a world of people that saw her as nothing more than scum was to channel her energy into bleeding them dry. She told him it was more productive than wallowing.

He respected the hell out of it and her, but she made too much of a show of it during her last round. He could tell.

Around the time she crowed a “thanks for your business, gentlemen. Now run me my money,” he knew tempers were on the cusp of flaring.

She won, of course. Or rather, they won. The funny thing was the clowns surrounding them probably thought they hustled them when in reality, he and Maria were just that good.

It wasn’t either of their first times at a table. Maria was a shark in more ways than one, and he relied on some betting to feed himself often growing up.

“Bitch!” Their opponent wasn’t taking the loss well, and he hurled the pool stick in a fit of anger as he advanced on Maria.

He stepped in front of her without a second thought. It wasn’t the first time he stepped between a beatdown and made himself the target. But if he didn’t learn anything from those years of bouncing in and out of shitty foster homes, he learned how to fight and how to take a beating.

“Michael …” he felt her warm breath on the back of his neck as she exhaled. He didn’t have the time to unpack the use of his first name or what she was trying to say.

He swiped the stack of cash off the table and palmed it in his hand, not breaking eye contact with the group of men as he walked backward shuffling Maria along with him.

“You stole our money, and if you think we’re letting you leave here with it, you got another thing coming.”

“Oh, now that’s not true and you know it. Don’t be a sore loser, champ,” Michael responded with a smug grin that earned him a pinch from Maria. “Like the lady said, 'thanks for doing business.”

He tilted his hat and turned to leave with Maria’s hand in his. He knew they were in for hell when he heard a whistle.

“God damn assholes,” Maria muttered under her breath. “They’re really doing this.”

Her irritation was unmistakable, and she picked up her step only slowed long enough to twist the arm of some random drunk who grabbed at her.

They made it as far as the bar before Michael stalled as a mob consisting of most of the patrons at the shithole advanced on him.

The bar grew louder by the second as half the members of some biker gang headed in his direction. He swore profusely. There was no way in hell they were getting out there without a fight.

He shouted as much over his shoulder to Maria, and she was resigned to it as well. He mentally filed away her response curious as to how often and in what capacity did she find herself in a brawl.

They shared a look, then a nod before turning back to back and throwing their punches simultaneously. He heard the guy DeLuca hit howl in pain.

He landed another punch with the drunken prick in front of him and grinned when the guy’s nose gushed with blood; he broke it.

Maria groaned, and his smile turned to a grimace. He still felt her at his back, pressed against him, which was a good sign.

“Maria!” He called behind him.

Someone landed a punch to his gut that knocked the wind out of him, and he doubled over for a moment.

“I’m –” she was winded as she ducked a fist and landed a one-two number that sent some guy to his knees and impressed the hell out of him. “I’m fine, just …”

She was poetry in motion, graceful as hell, and he realized she may very well have some experience with this. He made a note to ask her about it later as her foot met the groin of one creep as her fist connected with the chin of another.

He eyed a guy out of his peripheral rushing toward Maria with a clenched fist. He swung his arm out making the guy land hard on his back and pushed him down harder with his boot.

“You were really about to sucker-punch a woman?” Michael growled.

“I haven’t seen a woman yet,” the guy coughed.

Michael didn’t get to respond. The punch to his eye had him seeing stars, and he blindly swung, landing as many punches as he could.

A sickening smack and a grunt that was all Maria had him seeing red again. He stole a glance over his shoulder and was stunned by how many guys she warded off, but he heard her labored breathing.

He growled loud and animalistic as he drove the heel of his palm into someone’s solar plexus, and he sent the guy sprawling out across the floor.

Fuck it; he couldn’t limit his powers if they ever hoped of getting out.

His heart seized in his chest when Maria disappeared from behind him. He reached around, groping at bodies but not finding her.

The distraction was all anyone needed to get the better of him, and he went down hard. Only then did he find Maria on the floor, but damn that woman, she was still fighting like hell.

It was enough. He tapped into his powers and sent multiple guys looming over them sailing across the room – hitting the walls and sliding down.

“DeLuca,” he croaked. He grabbed her hand and hauled her up. “We gotta book it, babe.”

He slung his arm around her waist, ignoring the sharp inhale of breath she took, and they took advantage of the break in the mob and hobbled out the door.

“Guerin!” Maria yanked on his hand to get his attention. “Looks like those cowards called in the calvary.”

He blinked, his left eye made everything blurry. “A new group of people was trudging down the trail laser-focused on them.

"We’ll go around,” she whispered. She pulled him around the back, her hand sweaty and her gait off. They spotted their truck in the distance, but a linked gate stood in their way.

“Make yourself useful, Guerin,” she barked. Her voice was strained without the fire and heat.

He didn’t need to see her to know what she meant. Her foot was in his cupped hands within seconds. Her soft hands burned his skin as she used him to hoist herself up.

His hands were on her ass, pushing her over the gate until she was comfortably straddling it, and she reached out to help him over too.

They dropped to the dirt and gravel around the same time, but he flanked her as they made a run for the truck. Based on the way she ran, he was betting she sprained her ankle.

They ignored the shooting and hollering from behind the gate as some of the mob celebrated running them off, but a few stragglers attempted to climb the gate as they had done.

Maria wasn’t looking, she was too busy clamoring into the truck and swearing when she realized she had climbed in on the passenger side.

He contorted and twisted the gate sending those on it flying toward the dirt.

“Screw it, DeLuca, I got this,” he slid into the driver’s seat and sped down the dirt road still running on adrenaline.

“Easy there, Clyde,” Maria murmured breathlessly.

He smirked at the reference, then winced at the shooting pain in his jaw.

He slowed down, the adrenaline fading and the pain starting to sink in. It hit him that he and Maria barely escaped a full-blown brawl with some rednecks and not like anything at the WP either. This time he was actually scared for …

He jerked the truck over to the side of the road before Maria could so much as protest and flicked the overhead lights so he could see her better.

“Shit, Maria.’ He studied her intently his hand reaching out not knowing where to touch her but needing to. "Are you OK?”

The light was dim, but he saw she had a busted lip. Her tank top was torn and bloody. His expression and his fist clenched around the steering wheel must have given away his inner turmoil.

“It’s not mine,” she said pulling at the tank top that was nothing more than tattered pieces. Her skin was exposed and her bra, but after a tug, she gave up trying to cover herself knowing it was futile, and she was shameless anyhow.

She had a cut on her forehead that fortunately didn’t look too deep, but he couldn’t fully assess the damage.

He unbuttoned his shirt and wiggled out of it handing it to her so she could cover-up.

“Thanks,” she said with a hiss as she struggled to drape it over herself. She pressed against her ribs and grimaced some more. “Yup, those are definitely bruised.”

He could barely contain his rage.

“Cool it, cowboy.” She smiled past her pain, her pearly whites tinged pink from the bloody lip. “You didn’t exactly get away unscathed.”

She pressed against his swollen eye and cringed sympathetically when he winced.

“I’m fine,” she laughed a caustic noise. “I’ll heal.”

“Good to know. Now, what were you thinking?” He heard the severe tone, but he couldn’t be bothered to soften it. He was too keyed up.

“Wha-”

“You were goading them, DeLuca. Those … those–”

“Racist, misogynistic assholes?” She supplied. He squirmed under the weight of her intense stare. “You didn’t know.”

He started the car back up and headed for the gas station further down the highway.

“I mean the rebel flag is usually a dead giveaway for what kind of establishment we were probably dealing with, but you didn’t know. It’s not on you, and I sure as hell won’t take a lecture about instigating anyone from you, Guerin.”

Just like that, she sliced through his guilt and fear like a hot knife through butter.

“I’m not used to you being the one to start trouble,” he muttered, as they pulled into the parking lot.

“I’m off the clock,” she quipped wryly. “I can’t let you have all the fun, now can I?”

She grabbed his hat and placed it on her head, pulling the brim down until it covered her eyes and all he could see was that smirk of hers.

Maria gave him whiplash in the best possible way. She always managed to surprise him.

He ducked his head, swallowing back a chuckle, the adrenaline that was coursing through him waning.

“Hell of a scuffle to get into over $300, but you kept me on my toes,” he hopped out of the truck and shut the door. “I’ll go in,” his eyes shot to her tattered t-shirt, lingering a second too long on her breasts for it to be innocent. “You’ll draw more attention then I will.”

She barely heard his last words, too busy snickering and wincing over his error. “Oh, babe,” she emphasized the term of endearment mockingly, clearly recalling his usage earlier. “Three hundred? No, it was $3000.”

She pulled a wad from her bra and peeled off a few bills, handing them to him. “For the supplies,” she ignored his surprised expression, the gravity of what they endured finally hitting her as she laid back against the seat.

It turned out the gas attendant wouldn’t have noticed Maria. The kid barely paid him attention.

Maria was dozing when he got back to the car, and he opted to drive a bit more and pull off the side of the highway into the desert.

He hopped out and opened the truck bed, scattering the bags of first aid kits, snacks, and booze.

“Ah, the essentials,” she said at his side. Of course, he felt her before he even registered that she was really there.

He said nothing as he picked her up without warning and sat her on the bed. He tore the rest of her shirt off of her and shoved the remnants in his back pocket.

Maria had popped the cap off of the bottle of Jack Daniel’s he bought and took a swig. But she shot him a look.

“What?” He sighed gingerly prodding at her ribcage. He didn’t see any visible bruising, but he noted how she winced at his touch, so the area was at the very least tender.

“You’re the reason I can’t find my underwear from that day, aren’t you?” She narrowed her eyes at him assessing.

He activated a couple of cold packs, placing them against her and wrapping an ace bandage carefully around her. She hissed but took another sip, brow raised awaiting a response.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” his hands were resting on her hips, and he practically dared her to challenge him.

Doing that song and dance with Maria was almost as effective as a salve and booze.

“I had no need for your …” he slid his hands down her legs, stopping at her calves as he eased her foot out of her boot. “Black lacy underwear with the purple detailing. Not at all.”

He knelt down and ghosted his fingers across her ankle, noting every movement and verbal response. He proceeded to wrap that up too.

“Perv,” she hissed, flinching and squirming beneath his grip.

“I had to commemorate your poor decision making somehow.”

Her finger pushing a curl out of his face was unexpected, and his eyes met hers with a slight frown.

“You’re really good at this,” she said suddenly, seriously, her voice dropping to a whisper like she was trying to keep this observation a secret between them.

As if the desert wasn’t a keeper of secrets.

“I had a lot of practice,” he slipped. He knew he did. He always did with her. And it scared him shitless.

She let it go, reluctantly he could tell, and he almost wished she didn’t. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but he could tell her mind was racing with a dozen things she wasn’t saying.

“You gonna tell me where you learned to fight like that?” He studied her intently.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” she responded, looking as closed off as ever.

“I would, that’s why I asked the question.” The snark jumped out, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“You were impressed,” she mused. “Noted. You weren’t so bad yourself.”

She handed him the bottle whiskey and hopped off the truck bed landing on her uninjured foot.

“Your turn,” she ignored his protest and grumbles, and he hopped on the bed in her stead.

The desert air was cool, and he watched the open shirt he loaned her rustle with the wind. He saw barely visible goosebumps across her skin. His nimble fingers buttoned her up while she cleaned up his lip and eye.

He flinched and whined at every turn, and she called him a baby, but he loved it. He loved the way her face scrunched up in concentration, the warmth of her breath against his face, the way she looked up at him, and her eyes were soft and caring beneath the brim of his hat.

His hand reflexively halted her movements after she dabbed alcohol on the cut along his forehead, and she shook her head, leaning further into the slot between his legs to blow on it.

When her eyes met his again, she gave him an arresting smile that made him inexplicably emotional. He turned his away to shake it off, but her soft hand was under his chin, compelling him to meet her eyes again.

“You good?”

The truth was, he couldn’t remember the last time someone cared for him like that, tended to him. Hell, he couldn’t recall the last time he let someone try.

“Good is not an adjective anyone would ever use to describe me, DeLuca,” he winked at her.

“You know you don’t always have to–”

“Snacks? He shoved a cellophane-wrapped package of cupcakes in her hand. "You should eat something. I got sweet, salty, and spicy.”

He bit into a spicy piece of beef jerky and took another swig of whiskey.

Her lips formed a tight line, but she let it go for the moment. He knew she would file it away for later, though.

She used him as leverage as she climbed into the truck bed. She scooted to the back and stretched out looking up at the stars.

He followed suit, unfolding the blanket in the back and throwing it over both of them.

They fell into a comfortable silence outside of the munching and swallowing, as they looked at the stars.

“I didn’t mean to get us into this,” he broke the silence.

“Driving to another state to steal something that definitely isn’t a car part and getting run out of town by an Aryan motorcycle gang after hustling three grand from them? What’s life without a little excitement and adventure?” Her tone was so nonchalant he wanted to laugh.

“I don’t get away from the Wild Pony much. It’s been a thrill,” she continued

“The last time you were out, it was pretty thrilling,” he teased, grabbing the bottle from her for another swig.

The lip of the bottle left her mouth with a pop, and she frowned at the loss and cursed him under her breath.

“Was it, though,” she posed.

“You certainly weren’t complaining. In fact, as I recall you were begging me to do that–”

She shoved a mini doughnut in his mouth, and his eyes lit up with mirth as he chewed and swallowed.

She shivered, removed his hat from her head and placed it beside her.

When she snuggled up to him, wincing along the way, he only pulled her in closer, his chin resting against the top of her head.

The last time they were like that, they were buzzed, and she told him he ran hot like a furnace.

“Desert, dirt, and truck beds, next time we should opt for a hotel room,” she grumbled.

“Oh, there’s gonna be a next time?” His tongue peeked out, as he bit back a genuine smile.

“You owe me copper. On that alone, it damn well better be one, but bless your heart for getting your hopes up, Guerin.”

He snorted. “I’d be okay. I can hold my breath well, but you know that already.”

He felt her face burning red hot against his skin. Mission accomplished. He waited for a snappy retort, but she fell silent again.

“So you knew there wasn’t a car part, but you didn’t say anything?” His voice was low and husky, hushed. “Why didn’t you ask?”

“Did you want to tell me?” She whispered.

The long silence was answer enough. She didn’t know how much he grappled with telling her so many things.

“I figured if you really wanted to tell me, you would if you were ready. It’s important enough. Does it affect me?”

She sounded tired. And he tensed because maybe it did and maybe it didn’t.

“If it was important to you, and it didn’t affect me, it’s all I needed to know.”

His eyes stung with emotions he preferred to keep at bay. He sniffled, and she chose to ignore it. He was grateful for that.

He slid the whiskey from her fingers and put the top back on it. He used his foot to bunch the part of the blanket at their feet up as best as he could to make sure her ankle was elevated and pulled the rest snug around her.

He could sense a shift in her mood, but all he could do was ride the wave or wait it out.

“You always take care of me.” Her voice was small, hoarse, nothing above a whisper as if it cost her something to say it – like she trusted him with it but was afraid of how he would respond.

It was wonderous, like the mere thought– the concept was so foreign to her she couldn’t process it.

He recognized it as the thank you that it was.

“You always let me,” he whispered back.

This time when she shuddered, he knew it had nothing to do with the cool desert air.

She yawned, then hissed when the action caused her to ache, a litany of curses spilling from her lips to his utter amusement.

“Next time only call me if you’re robbing a bank,” she grumbled.

He scoffed softly but pressed his lips to her hair so lightly he doubted she could feel it. “Will do, Bonnie.”

“Go to sleep, Clyde,” she mumbled. Her soft snores following.

He didn’t, but she never needed to know that.

#roswell new mexico #roswell new mexico fic #maria deluca #miluca #okay byyyye

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flowery-skz · 3 years

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Top 20 Songs of 2020

Okay y’all, here’s my top kpop songs of 2020 list for this year (finally, good lord this year felt like an eternity). These are the 20 songs that I felt really made an impact on me this year and why 💕

Starting from last to first, here we go!

20. Dr. Bebe, Pentagon - this song deserved so much better tbh the music video was everything, their acting was excellent and the vocals were *chefs kiss* i also loved the dark, creepy vixx -reminiscent vibes

19. Back Door, Stray Kids - Ok like objectively i know that God’s Menu was like their piece de resistance this year, but Back Door was just so fun and had a great bass line and the choreo was SO good

18. Cry For Me, Twice - this literally JUST came out like two seconds ago but let me tell you cry for me has legit been stuck in my head from the SECOND i heard it just ask my sister she’s this close to killing me next time i sing the chorus

17. Red Sun, Dreamcatcher - Let’s be real, dreamcatcher’s entire studio album was perfect from start to finish, and red sun was a standout among that perfection for me like from the magical mystical instrumental to dami’s absolutely earth-shattering rap line, just absolute gold my dude

16. Kick It, NCT 127 - This was a very polarizing song for a lot of people i feel, but for me the concept was literally executed to perfection. It had so much potential to be cheesy and gimmicky, but it totally wasn’t and i think it’s because nct 127 committed SO wholeheartedly to the concept

15. So Bad, StayC - THIS song. I actually already had my list all written out when i discovered so bad by stayc and i literally had to reconsider my ENTIRE existence. They are so so good with such a talented production team backing them and they’ve literally just debuted.

14. Dun Dun, Everglow - A lot of people really hated this song, and don’t get me wrong i had my own issues with the line and screen time distribution for sure, but you can’t deny it’s a total banger

13. Nonstop, Oh My Girl - This is the kind of song that i never really expected to fall in love with. It’s bubbly and cute and quite like youthful, but oh my girl honestly pull that concept off so well and they had me immediately hypnotized

12. Be In Love, Itzy - 2020 was the year of bailey eating her own words aka the year of me falling in love with itzy. when itzy debuted i seriously thought if they stuck with their concept i probably wouldn’t ever be into their music but lmao. they showed me. anyway this b side is seriously underrated and it really shows the girls vocal talents off, especially lia and yuna

11. Love Killa, Monsta X - hyungwon. that’s it that’s the post . . . jk but for real, visuals popped off. love killa was exactly what i’ve been wanting from mx for the past year or so. they hit the nail right on the head with the this one.

10. Secret Story of the Swan, izone - my relationship with izone is basically like my relationship with itzy part 2. I always appreciated them for their talents and having a very recognizeable sound but i could never get into their music. then SSOTS happened, and to be honest it STILL gets stuck in my head at random times

9. Phobia, Stray Kids - i LOVE this b side. for a while i thought it might replace Voices as my favourite skz track, but it just didn’t have the longevity that voices does. that said, it’s still such a good song with an important message did i mention that i love stray kids

8. La Di Da, Everglow - i have said it before and i’ll say it again: no one is doing it like everglow. this song came so out of the blue and blindsided so many people with how unexpectedly different it was, all while being a certified banger. the line distribution is aMAZING, you get to hear each member’s unique flavor, the straight 80’s vibe is immaculate, the styling is God-tier, just . . . everything. i LOVE this comeback

7. Eternally, TXT - if you know me, you know i love a good beat switch-up (i mean, my ult group is stray kids for crying out loud) and ladies. this song is the switch up to end all switch ups. txt somehow managed to combine two completely different tracks, each of which would have been A+ songs all on their own, and somehow make something a million times better. listening to eternally is a whole experience in and of itself and i haven’t heard anything that could compare to it to this day

6. Girls, Nature - UGH. WHAT an underappreciated masterpiece. girls by nature does everything that other companies are so afraid to do with their girl groups: a strictly dark, horror concept, a haunting melodic line with no need for a rap breakdown because it stands on its own as is, a visual concept that does not sexualize the girls in any way but instead tells a story of a person at the mercy of the one they love. it’s e v e r y t h i n g. Not to mention the song has one of the best pre choruses i’ve EVER heard.

5. Wannabe, Itzy - Let’s be honest, you knew this was going to be here. Everyone and their grandma was learning ryujins shoulder move. this was literally the summer of itzy’s wannabe. This is actually the comeback that got me onboard the itzy train and now i’m barreling down the mountain going 200mph and can’t find the breaks

4. I Can’t Stop Me, Twice - I think onces really had no idea where this comeback was gonna go. after more and more got such mixed responses from fans, we all weren’t really sure what direction the company was going to take twice in next. personally, i’m SO happy they went for the retro synth 80’s vibe concept. it was current enough to fish in non fans and keep new onces engaged but they also added their own unique twice spice to it, and i’ve been playing it on repeat for weeks also stan risky risky wiggy wiggi

3. Oh My God, G Idle - Ahhhh, yes. another polarizing song from gidle. omg for me was exactly what i needed from gidle. They’d been playing around with the darker concepts but had never fully committed to the potential that i saw in their music, but with omg we finally got the see them go full out with it, and i don’t think ANYONE could have done it better. The drop while empty was somehow so satisfying, the visials in the mv were visceral and witchy and to think that soyeon wrote and produced such a masterpiece. all i can say is bravo

2. Daisy, Pentagon - if this song doesn’t hold a very special place in your universe heart then buddy i think it’s time to throw the whole heart away. daisy, on top of being the first song to earn pentagon a well deserved music show win, was so emotionally moving from the lyrics to the mv to the choreo. you don’t need to know korean to feel exactly what the writer is feeling when hui sings that chorus, and that my friend is true artistry.

1. Answer, Ateez - Bet you were expecting a stray kids song. answer though has had my whole entire heart body and soul from the second it came out all the way back in january. for it to last a whole year as my favourite song of 2020 really speaks volumes as to how incredibly talented ateez and their production team are. Over the course of this absolute shit year, this song really inspired me to push forward, to keep working toward my goals and to keep believing in myself, and i think that’s a pretty amazing feat for one single song.

Anyway y’all sorry for the unnecessarily long post. I’ve just been compiling this list for months and was really excited to share. If any of my followers or just anyone who reads through this wants to share their own list, id love to see what songs impacted you this year! Happy New Years’ yall!

#bailey yodels #bailey yodels for an unnecessarily long time #kpop #top 20 #2020

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wickymicky · 4 years

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2020 Comeback Ranking: March Update

march sucked lmao but here’s this

here’s a link to my last update: (x)

Dreamcatcher - Scream: obviously haha. when a song comes out that’s better than scream, i’ll let you know.

Cignature - Nun Nu Nan Na: i’ve felt like it should be this high the entire time but only now am i bold enough to say it

Izone - Fiesta: another bold stance but idk, is this one as hot a take as cignature? like, fiesta’s a bop right? we’re all agreed? maybe we arent lmao but i think its a bop anyway

Loona - So What: im so proud of them!!! they got their first win this month!!! yeah idk, this song is always gonna be controversial and polarizing, but i like it a lot more than i dislike it, for sure. the choreo’s not as exciting, and the stages were empty without haseul and orbits, but the song in and of itself is good, it’s gonna remain stuck in my head all year.

Dreamcatcher - Endless Night: this song is cheesy as hell but whatever lmao. breaking every endless niiiiiiight

Cherry Bullet - Hands Up: in my last update i said “fairly simple lol this is just a weird bop” and i stand by that

NCT 127 - Kick It: at the beginning of the month i would have put this at number 2, but i havent listened to it as much lately. part of that is me finding more comfort during this quarantine nonsense by listening to girl groups and watching girl group vlogs and other content and stuff, but also part of that is just sort of the novelty wearing off a little bit, and some minor nitpicks i had becoming more prominent and hard to ignore now. tbh i still think this is in my top 3 nct 127 songs though, easily

Weki Meki - Dazzle Dazzle: it’s really hard for me to tell where i should place this. i love weki meki to death so i want it to be high, but i don’t like it as much as some other weki meki songs. i think it’s catchy, it’s weird, it’s veeeery bubblegummy (literally lol it has popping sound effects throughout it), but it’s good. it’s just a solid weki meki track, i guess. this is the song i’ve listened to the second most this year so far, apparently, but i’m not sure it’ll stay that way.

GFriend - Crossroads: i cant believe i had this at number 3 last time lol. everything i said about it still stands but i just dont think that stuff warrants number 3 anymore. i think it is an emotionally affecting song that got better every time i listened to it, and i think the stages for it were always pretty good, but you know... maybe this drop just reflects my need for more fast paced hype-up songs this past month cause those lend themselves better to escaping from the outside world haha

Itzy - Wannabe: it’s itzy and they own this 4th gen “teen crush” concept (i hate that term even though weki meki coined it and own it even more than itzy does lol), so of course it was gonna be good, but i think it’s still up for debate exactly how good it is. i dont think it’s as classic as dalla dalla or icy will go on to be. i dont even think wannabe is the best song from their mini album, lol. it’z me might be the best mini album of the year so far, tbh. i mean dont get me wrong, this song is good, and of course ive had its chorus and weird noisy production stuck in my head all month

honorable mentions (basically 11-15 except i didnt feel like writing things for these lol): Pentagon - Dr Bebe, Sunmi - Gotta Go, 3YE - Queen, Elris - Jackpot, Sejeong - Plant

and here’s a thing i’m doing for the first time this month... here’s my top 5 bsides of the year so far! its hard to compare these with title tracks since generally i listen to title tracks so much more, because theyre just like... a bigger deal, you know? i give title tracks more thought and criticism too. i’m trying to be better about listening to bsides this year though, but even still, i dont always listen to the bsides for a comeback, so this list is gonna be even more biased than my title track list. i dont care though cause like... so what? of course it’s biased lmao it’s my opinion, of course it’s subjective. anyway here it is

Dreamcatcher - Red Sun: the stages made me love this song even more and understand its aesthetic so much better, but even without that it was still one of the best bsides i’d ever heard from a group. part of me wants a Red Sun special clip, but part of me wants them to wait till Handong is back. it’ll probably never happen, but we can dream. anyway this song kills me with how good it is

Elris - This Is Me: this song slaps so fucking hard lmao. i’m not that into the dance break in the song, it kills the momentum a little bit, but damn this shit is such an adrenaline rush, i love it

Dreamcatcher - Sahara: we all joked about this song already, but seriously that special clip made it totally impossible to take this song seriously... which vastly improved it, in my opinion. this song becoming just something you headbang to and giggle about the “ra ra ra”s and the antics in the special clip made this song 10x better, and i already loved it to begin with lol. this song is such a fuckin anthem haha, a silly, powerful, just-good-dumb-fun anthem

Itzy - That’s A No No: this song has some of the most unique production i’ve heard in a kpop song. it’s downright nightmarish, this thing sounds like a fever dream

Izone - Open Your Eyes: idk what to say about this song other than that it’s an easy song to get lost in actually there’s a tie for this spot... this song is tied with Loona - Number One: idk what to say about this song other than that it’s an easy song to get lost in

#i was gonna put daydream but then i listened to open your eyes again and i realized that thats actually better #2020 comebacks #long post #o #writing

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nyxdelanuit · 4 years

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A Dream In Red Ch2

CH 1 // A03

Your heart beats fast and anticipation runs through the air like electricity. It was hard to decipher whether the energy was coming from you or Inasa, as the sharp emotion of his mind drifted to your senses. His excitement felt like the taste of citrus, sweet and tangy on your tongue. A breath entered you, deep and refreshing. Strong arms curled around your waist, lifting you off of your chair as the sea of students around you stood hastily. You felt the cool breeze of being above the crowd as Inasa boosted you above their head, and you cheered. A thrill ran through you as you joined the chorus of your enthusiastic peers, “Plus Ultra!”

Tears collected at the edge of your sight, you felt so full of… something. It was hard for you to place. For the first time in a few years, you felt the tingly feeling of acceptance as you looked to your peers. Inasa brought you back down to his chest, eyes wild and a smile threatening to split his face. Your lips felt tight as your smile grew in response. Like lightning, his face grew tight and flushed as he realized how close he had brought you. You were swiftly planted on your feet, with a soft chuckle from the broad man.

“I guess I got a little caught up, Y/N.” he spoke with a ghost of his usual voice. You brushed it off, clenching your fists in front of your face.

“Plus ultra! Plus ultra!” You punched the air, still swept up in the camaraderie. “You kept talking in high school about how much you wanted to join UA just to say these words. I think I understand now.” A giggle slipped through your lips. Inasa replied in kind, chanting “Plus ultra!” with you as students began to filter out of the area.

The two of you were some of the last people to walk out as you chatted. You were happy for Inasa’s presence. You knew that having your friend by your side only made this new experience sweeter. And now you get to start so many new things, and you’ll have your friend by your side! You jolt at that last thought as you think of all the new things you’d do, including classes. That you had today. Starting 20 minutes after the opening ceremony.

“OhshitInasaI’malreadylate!” you squeaked as you raced in front of Inasa, face flushed and eyes tearing. “I’ll see you later, I have to get to class!” A rumbling laugh could be heard from behind you as Inasa watched you run away, a stray butterfly appearing and dissipating in your wake.

With two minutes to spare, you arrived in front of your first class! A quick wipe over your face rid it of any stray hairs and sweat, and you hurriedly straightened your outfit. With a smile plastered on your nervous face, you opened the door to your first class of the semester. Most of the other students were gathered in small groups. Your eyes scanned the gatherings, wondering if they had all gone to UA together before this. One group gathered in the back had caught your eye as you observed. They were exceedingly more colorful and loud than their peers. Your feet moved without much thought, and you slipped into a desk near the interesting group.

“The Bakusquad reunites!” squealed the bubblegum pink woman, jumping on a blonde next to her. “It’s been a few years since we were able to be all together like this!” The blonde seemed to glow red as her chest pressed against his arm. You couldn’t help but snicker at his predicament. His eyes caught yours in response, and he shot you a cheesy grin.

“Whatever extras, I just need this class to graduate, stay out of my way.” This voice you recognized. Ash blonde hair and steeled red eyes refreshed your memory. Bakugou Katsuki, Ground Zero, never was good at staying out of the limelight. He seemed to have calmed in recent years though, as you had never seen a press conference where he was able to speak so calmly. Maybe it was a trick of your eyes, but you could swear he also has a hint of a smile on his face. Bakugou can’t smile, right? He only smirks. Or scowls. You got caught up in your thoughts and missed a bit of the conversation. It seemed the black haired friend was teasing the blonde, but there was one person you couldn’t seem to see as they stood around each other.

As your curiosity about your new classmates grew, you questioned how long they had put up with Bakugou before he had become less… explosive around them.

The door opened with a bang, and excited chatter drew you from your thoughts.

“I AM HERE!” Your eyes grew wide, your first class at UA, taught by All Might? A slight pinch to your arm confirmed that you were here, and not in a dream. His muscular framed angled through the doorway, his smile almost mask-like as he greeted your class. Once at the front of the class, he reverted to what you affectionately referred to as ‘Small Might.’

“Welcome to Hero Relations! Young heroes, let us work together to make you into the future symbols of peace!” You smirked at the thought of Bakugou taking Hero Relations, as it was basically a PR class. How long until the angry hedgehog had enough of his class and stormed out?

With All Might’s declaration, the students milling about searched for an open seat. Bakugou had already flopped himself down on the seat they were standing near, and the pink girl and black haired man quickly followed suit. You could hear two voices complaining about the seat choice, but your eyes were glued to the former pro at the front of the class. That was until a hand smacked on the table in front of you.

A red-headed boy that been masked by the rest of the group while they talked was sitting on the floor next to you, with his arm bracing himself against your table. “Come on Kaminari, that was not manly!” he whined, his bottom lip sticking out slightly. Your shock faded fairly fast and you couldn’t help but chuckle at his expression.

“Sorry bro, I called the seat next to the cute girl!” The blonde, Kaminari you presumed, grinned.

“How was I supposed to know who you were talking about? You say all girls are cute.” The red head’s eyes lifted to meet yours and he suddenly stood up, bowing before you. “I am so sorry! I didn’t notice I had run into you!”

You flushed as the attention turned to you. You put up your hands in front of you, waving them slightly. “No, no, it’s really okay! Um, if you’re still looking for a seat, there’s an open one on the other end of this table!” You quickly sputtered, trying to resolve the issue before more people turned to look at the three of you.

“Young Kaminari, Young Kirishima, are you already causing trouble?” All Might’s deep voice boomed. He had transformed back to his strength form to chastise the two boys on either side of you. They both smiled and tried to look ashamed. As soon as Kirishima slid into the seat next to you, he apologized again and stuck out his hand.

“Sorry, Kaminari usually isn’t that ridiculous.” An indignant ‘hey!’ could be heard from the blonde, “My name is Kirishima Eijirou!” You quickly shook his hand

“L/N F/N.” you smiled in response. Kaminari slid his seat over to say something, but All Might had decided it was past time to start the class.

The class passed without much further interruption. As it was the first day, most of the class time was spent on introductions and going over the syllabus for this semester.

“Alright, young heroes! I look forward to working with you all this year! Plus Ultra!” All Might left the room as everyone gathered their things.

“So, Y/N, are you new to UA?” Kaminari was at your side before All Might was even out the door. You nodded your head with a nervous smile. “Well, we have been around here for ages! Let us show you the ropes.” He grinned mischievously. “I could even show you around town and maybe in exchange, you could show me around your room?” His eyebrow quirked comically. You burst into laughter, which made his face fall slightly before he recovered, “So is that a yes?”

The pink girl walked over to Kaminari, grabbing the back of his shirt and pulling him away. “Oh no, you do not get to chase this one away. Do you know how annoying being the only girl in this group is? I am going to go crazy if I don’t get a girl friend this semester.” She huffed at him, and he flinched away, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Hi! Mina Ashido! Please don’t let Sparky scare you away.” she pleaded with a grin.

“Y/N, and honestly? I’m not sure he could if he tried.” You smirked at Kaminari, who was busy groveling on the floor. Mina ushered you over to the group with a wave of her hand.

You were quickly introduced to Sero and Bakugou before joining into the conversation. “So you guys have had All Might as a teacher since your first year of high school? I’m so jealous!” it came out whinier than you had liked. Bakugou scoffed at you and turned away from the group.

“I’m out of here, extras. I don’t want to hang around pathetic wannabe heroes.” Bakugou scoffed. Before he could walk away, Kirishima threw an arm around him.

“Oh come on Bakubro! Like you wouldn’t have been jealous in her shoes.” You were amazed at how close the two of them seemed.

“GET OFF ME, SHITTY HAIR.” And there was the classic Ground Zero persona you remembered. Bakugou stomped out of the room, leaving you with an embarrassed Bakusquad.

“H-He’s really not that bad.” Mina placed her hand on your arm, trying to convince you.

“Wow, is that like a record?” you looked at her, confusion written on her face. “Well I’ve seen him on TV before, and usually he can only stand someone for 30 seconds before he turns into an angry hedgehog. That was like a whole two minutes.” You giggled at her. With an audible exhale, Mina relaxed next to you.

“Oh my gosh, I knew I liked you,” she cheered as her arms wrapped around your shoulders. Kirishima smiled at the two of you before looking up at the clock.

“I’d like to stay guys, but my next class starts soon.” He said nonchalantly. You stiffened in Mina’s hold You really needed to stop losing track of time today. Mina seemed to already understand as she let you go and pushed you toward the door.

“Go, go, I’ll find you later Y/N!” she cheered.

You still had enough time to walk to class, but not enough time to stop for anything. You pouted as you read the name of your next class. Stamina Training. A sigh escaped your lips, you really would have liked to pick up some food before this class.

It seemed like your footsteps really echoed in this hallway. You could almost swear you heard them twice, but no time to check! You were determined to not be late. Like your first class, you stopped in front of the door to the gym, which was already open.

Something hard was pressed up against your back suddenly, and you found yourself laying on the ground. You flipped over on your back to see a cherry red Kirishima hovering over you, supporting himself on his arms on either side of your head.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N! Why’d you stop so suddenly?” You wondered if his face could get redder than his hair and giggled. “Why were you so close behind me?” you answered with your own question, quirking an eyebrow at the flustered boy.

“I was just walking to my class! And you were walking in front of me! I didn’t know where you were going so I didn’t want to say anything!” Maybe his face really could get redder than his face. Is that healthy though?

You gasped in an over-exaggerated manner, “Stalker!” you giggled. Kirishima shook his head no and stumbled over any words he tried to get out.

“T-that’s- n-no- th-that’s not manly!” he yelps. A deep laugh shakes you two out of your conversation. You looked up to see an orange-covered circle leaning against the wall of the gym.

“Sorry kiddos, that’s not the kind of stamina we’re working on in this class.” The laugh rumbled through his body, seeming to amplify in the large gym. Oh no, it’s your professor. Fatgum, the BMI hero!

Suddenly you realized how intimate this position looked and pushed a frozen Kirishima off of you by the shoulder. “Fatgum-sensei! I’m so sorry for that!” You stood quickly and bowed at your new teacher, his cheshire grin still plastered on his face.

“’Sokay. I was here the whole time. Heard everything.” his laugh boomed once again through the gym. Kirishima was still frozen in the doorway, his face slowly cooling to a mild pink. With a sigh and grin, you grabbed his arm and pulled him from the doorway.

What a first impression.

#Kirishima Eijirou #kirishima x reader #bnha #mha #bakusquad #kirishima #adir #nyx writes

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wknc881 · 5 years

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Best of 2k Indie (So Far)

As of September 1, 2019 my radio show, 2k Indie, will be a 1 year old show. To commemorate the special occasion I thought I’d look back at what has been played on the show and share some of my favorite tracks, some of the ones that really stood out most to me. My music library has grown immensely since I started DJing at WKNC so without dragging this out too much here is The Best of 2k Indie (So Far)…

Natural Supersoul by Superfood

This song has been one of my absolute favorites since I first heard it. The chorus ‘You’re a natural supersoul, find yourself and lose control’ is so uplifting and followed by ‘Someday you’ll see there’s nothing to be but you’, this song really leaves the listener feeling confident, uplifted and in good spirits. The music is so smooth it makes you just want to lay out in the grass as you focus on the lyrics. As often as I go back to this track it still hasn’t lost its spark. Especially at the end when the lady’s voice chimes in, adding in that extra something that makes the song flow even more smoothly.

Art School Wannabe by Sorority Noise

This song has a lot more ‘classic indie’ vibe and really takes me back in time, since it was my anthem freshman year. The chorus really makes me feel like my young more grunge and emo self again, but the music is more indie rock themed. The guitars really hold this track together, especially with the guitar solo that comes in perfectly near the end. It makes it just upbeat enough to put a little bop in your head as you’re walking to class.

My Good Grades by Cecil Frena

This track holds a very special meaning to me since Cecil Frena’s album ‘The Gridlock’ was the first album I ever reviewed for WKNC. The album quickly became a favorite of mine, but this track in particular has always stood out to me. There’s a story here that is told so well it has always stuck with me. The music is also insanely catchy and the guitars here really stand out. I absolutely love how the music in the intro mimics the lyrics and makes you start to sing along before the vocals even come in. The chorus starts with ‘so watch me now, I’m not ashamed, look what I did with my good grades…’ and when he starts to repeat ‘you will know who I am’ you really start to get a sense of how badly the artist wants to get his message across. We’re all told going to school, doing your work and being a good student will take us far but the artist disagrees. He mocks this ‘ideal scenario’ that people claim to be the reason some people don’t end up the same way in life economically, and he does it in such an elegant way.

The rest of the songs I picked for my ‘best of’ set are in the playlist below. But before I end this I want to give some special shouts (although every song on that playlist is definitely worth a listen, in my opinion, and I do love everything I play on air). These songs have just really stuck with me through time. it rains in nyc by dalynn // Echo Parade by Modern Diet // Disappear Daily by Ollie MN // Get to You by The Honeysticks // Not the Noise by J.P. Plains

- DJ Psyched

Full Playlist Link // https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4bCHuhlW4yttAy5ccRB76B?si=0HGY9ewARPOSyz1QALp0JA

#best of 2k indie #daytime rock #wknc #wknc 881 #submission

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elareine · 5 years

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In the shallows

Chapter: 2/6 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings for this chapter: Some swearing, mentions of racism (no slurs), guns and addiction Relationships: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, NO CAPES, Identity Porn, Romantic Comedy, Drama & Romance, Texting, Online Dating AO3: /18803473

Chapter One

Why is LA traffic so terrible.

R_n_R: You get used to it.

It’s like there’s a thousand damned souls on the freeway each morning and we just haven’t noticed we died yet.

R_n_R: Jesus, did you skip your coffee or something?

…Maybe.

Big day today. Wish me luck!

Two weeks into the pre-filming stage, Jason and Dick finally got together to work on the music.

“So. This is when they first become a couple, right?”

Dick frowned. “I don’t know if that’s accurate. They don’t kiss until after that scene, and they don’t talk about it until much, much later.”

Jason honest to God was rolling his eyes at him. “You honestly think they need to kiss to be together? They’ve both made the decision to do this, right?”

Dick barely managed not to yell at him. “I don’t think it was that conscious for Vano, but continue.”

“Thank you.” The sarcasm was grinding. “So I got the bridge and all that, but we need to figure out the chorus part. It’ll be you alone at first and then together. Like this…”

Jason started playing.

Listening to him, Dick felt all his annoyance fade. Say whatever you wanted about Jason - the man knew how to write songs. Hearing him sing live was different from streaming him on Spotify, too. It felt a bit surreal to be in a room with this… this genius.

“For arrangements, I was thinking just the acoustic guitar at first, then later the piano and more strings. Drums for the finale.”

“Yeah, it’s good.” That was admittedly a bit of an understatement.

Jason didn’t look fazed by Dick’s apparent lack of enthusiasm. “Here are the lyrics. Let’s try it together, yeah?”

After a deep breath on Dick’s side, they did. It was fine until they came to the chorus Jason had talked about. It had sounded great when Jason had done it alone, but with Dick…

There were a lot of long notes and Christina-Aguilera-style ’ah-ah-ah’s. It was just a lot. Dick barely got through it.

Jason didn’t look impressed, either. “Okay, again. Just the second part. This time, remember to breathe and get loud. Put some power into it.”

Dick glared. Way to be encouraging, asshat. “Okay, bring it.”

Infuriatingly, Jason just grinned as he started playing again. At least Dick was annoyed enough to forget about worrying. It probably improved his performance.

Still, he felt kind of stupid, singing his heart out as if he was at carpool karaoke.

“Better. Again. Stop feeling self-conscious.”

“Oh, thank you, that helps.”

“You’re an actor, right?” Jason barked. “So act. This isn’t your song, it’s Vano’s.”

Right. Vano, who loved Mateo and wanted to share this moment with him. Who found a voice in this scene.

“I’m off the deep end, watch as I dive in // I’ll never meet the ground // Crash through the surface // Where they can’t hurt us // We’re far from the shallow now…”

Dick’s heart beat faster when they finally came to a finish. Yeah, okay. That had been much better.

Jason looked approving, too. Despite every bad thought Dick had about him, that did feel good. “Fucking great.”

Before Dick could, you know, bask in the compliment or anything, he added: “Though you were off-key. This is G major, not minor. Again.”

It was going to be a long day.

Do you sing, too? Or just play the guitar?

R_n_R: Hey, there’s no ‘just’ about it! Guitar is difficult!

R_n_R: I sing too, though, yeah. Why?

I don’t know how people do it.

R_n_R: Talent and work. The usual combination.

No, I don’t mean that.

Don’t you feel exposed?

R_n_R: Pretty sure there is an exhibitionist joke in here somewhere

R_n_R: No, but seriously, aren’t you an actor? What’s different about singing? Just that it’s less your thing?

That too. I’m vain, in case you didn’t notice. I’m not me on stage or in front of the camera though, am I?

R_n_R: Interesting. I never looked at acting that way.

R_n_R: With singing it’s… I mean, I’m a songwriter because I think there has to be truth in the music. Even if it’s just a fun song about sex.

R_n_R: People notice when you’re just putting it on. Might be enough for a hit or two with the right manager, but you’re not going to last.

R_n_R: Look at Adele. Are her songs revolutionary? No. Are they continually evolving masterpieces of songwriting? No. But it’s not just her voice. She’s got that magic. You believe every emotion she sings about. It’s never too much.

R_n_R: Not saying there isn’t a skill to it. Obviously there is.

That’s what I’m worried about. Lessons can only teach you so much.

R_n_R: This for a recording?

Yeah. Sorry, can’t tell more.

R_n_R: It’s all good, I know how it is.

R_n_R: Who cares if you get it right the first time then? You’re not playing live. Auto-tune and techs will fix what you can’t. If the songs are good (I’m assuming you didn’t write them) and you’re decent technically, just focus on being honest. Or honest in your role.

R_n_R: I have no idea how that part works, obviously.

Haha, thanks. That’s actually reassuring, tbh.

And no, I don’t write the songs. Wouldn’t even know where to start. How do you do it?

R_n_R: Depends. Sometimes it’s a motif (melody snippet) I can’t get out of my head, sometimes a feeling or a song lyric. Then I just sit down and try it out until I got a solid idea, and then write it down. And then it changes again when I’m playing it with other musicians. How do you approach a performance?

I usually get a script, right? So it’s not making it up in my head so much as trying to understand what the writers and the director envision and then turn that into a fully formed character with mannerisms and a distinct voice and all that. I used to fill out reference sheets with character building questions, but these days, it comes naturally.

But honestly, movies are broken down into small scenes that you repeat over and over and over again, so it’s more important to stay in that moment. You need to be able to fix it on a character timeline, sure, but ideally, you stay in the feeling and give the director something slightly different each time to work with.

Why, got a big acting job lined up?

R_n_R: Luckily, it’s not much of a requirement in music videos, but I’ll take any help I can get ;)

R_n_R: But seriously, enough shop talk. Wanna watch another episode?

Even as filming started in earnest, relations between Jason and Dick didn’t exactly improve. They didn’t argue all the time, but Dick was always relieved when someone else joined them for lunch. One Tuesday, it was one of the main sound technicians. Dick barely knew him, but Jason seemed to, as they immediately started a good-natured argument over West Coast vs East Coast venues.

Honestly, it was pretty funny. Despite himself, Dick laughed when Jason described New York clubs as “full of wannabe writers and singers”, but still better than “the wannabe-celebrities in LA”.

Kyle looked at him. “You’re both from New York, right?”

Jason snorted. “You say that as if it means we should know each other, Kyle. Are you still on about that East Coast Elite conspiracy shit? ‘Cause let me tell you, we ain’t it.”

Always escalating the situation, that man.

“I was born there, yeah,” Dick acknowledged to diffuse the situation, “but my parents were circus folk, so…”

Kyle looked taken aback. Dick was used to that, so he just added: “We never stayed anywhere long. I consider our circus my home town.”

“Huh. Well, I’m from a small town in South Carolina.

“I’ve seen your so-called ‘town’, Kyle.” Jason actually made the air quotes with his fingers. “It’s about as Guns, Jesus and Country Music as you can get.”

“And yet you played our local theater.”

“Dude, in the beginning I would’ve played a McDonald if they’d paid us in veggie burgers.”

Kyle slapped his back, laughing. “That’s my Jason.”

Jason flinched visibly. Then he tried to laugh it off immediately, but Kyle looked at him with concern. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, just took a tumble a couple of days ago. Just a pulled muscle.” He grinned. “Don’t go thinking your weak-ass slap did that, dude.”

Despite himself, Dick cringed. He’d been injured for most of the filming of ‘Step Up 6 - Heatin’ Up The South’ and it had been a pretty shitty experience. ‘A star is born’ wasn’t nearly as physical, but thinking of all the lifting Jason had had to do over and over again this morning, he offered: “Would you like some painkillers? Pretty sure I got some in my trailer.”

“No.” Jason’s answer was more brusque than the offer demanded. Even Jason himself seemed to realise that because he added: “Thank you. I took something earlier, don’t want to mix.”

Yeah, when exactly? They’d been stuck together for the entire day. Dick would’ve noticed. Still, he mentally shrugged it off. If Jason wanted to be in pain, he could be, for all Dick cared.

Tell me about yourself.

R_n_R: Uh.

Not, like, identifying information. What do you like, besides music and movies with plenty of explosions?

R_n_R: This isn’t going to be much of a surprise, but travelling. It’s one of the best things about being on tour.

Do you have time to really see a place?

R_n_R: I try to take it these days if scheduling allows.

R_n_R: My band’s, I mean. It loses us some money, but I think we all benefit if it’s not just one anonymous stadium after the other.

God, yes, I hate that about press tours. At least with filming on location, you get to see the area. What’s your favorite place to visit?

R_n_R: Yeah, with promotions I never know where I am, either. Favorite place…

R_n_R: Man, that’s difficult.

R_n_R: What’s yours?

Just so you know, I can tell you’re stalling. Tokyo blows me away every single time. I got to see a lot of Japan, actually, and it was so beautiful.

R_n_R: I went on this Japanese game show once, it was fun. Just doing physical games against a boyband that’s super famous there. Not much talking needed, which was good because I always feel terrible I don’t speak more than a few phrases of the language.

Well, you’re just traveling through, right? At least you tried.

C’mon, answer my question.

R_n_R: I kind of fell in love with Berlin.

R_n_R: Not the prettiest city by any means, but there’s just so much on offer and no one looks at you twice no matter what you do or look like.

Sounds like New York.

R_n_R: Kind of, yeah. They have a similar vibe, but obviously, Berlin is more European. Also amazing bookshops. I stumbled upon one that’s sci-fi and fantasy only.

Wouldn’t the books be in German?

R_n_R: Nah, there were plenty of English ones (and other languages). It’s a very international city. The seller told me many people like to read books in their original language, if possible, and most of them speak English in some capacity.

So you like reading then?

R_n_R: Yeah.

R_n_R: Confession: I spent most of the day just there. There was a market hall with food stands right next to it and two more bookshops, one specialising in mysteries, and yeah. I got stuck.

Sounds amazing.

Though I gotta admit, I prefer audiobooks these days. Just more convenient to listen to while I’m doing something else.

R_n_R: See, I can’t do that, I need to sink into it.

I’m just bad at sitting still.

R_n_R: Not judging! I think it’s cool there are so many ways to get to experience a story these days.

R_n_R: Listened to anything good lately?

Dick tried to be a giving actor, really. Until today, Jason had been a receptive partner. Today, though, he was going through the motions woodenly, not picking up on any cues, really. It negatively influenced Dick’s own acting, and Dick could feel himself tensing up, knew he was slipping from the character.

Two hours and countless takes into the scene and Dick snapped.

“What the fuck are you doing,” he asked even before Kate called ‘cut’.

Jason glared at him. “My job.”

“No, you’re fucking not!”

“Both of you, shut up.” Kate wasn’t happy. “We’ll take twenty. Get over whatever crawled up your asses and come back ready to work.”

Jason nodded and wordlessly stalked off. Dick forced a smile on to his face: “Sorry, Kate.”

She rolled her eyes and waved him off.

Whatever, this wasn’t his fault, Dick thought as he walked over to his trailer. Jason was just impossible today. Fuming, he took out his phone, ready to complain to Rock_n_Rumble, when he saw that there was a text waiting for him.

R_n_R: Not feeling so great today.

Immediately, Dick shoved Jason the back of his mind. That asshole wasn’t that important.

:( What’s happening?

R_n_R: Just ran into an asshole racist this morning.

?? Are you okay??? What happened??

R_n_R: Said he was a fan, but, you know, clearly didn’t get the memo that I’m not available for his white supremacy bullshit.

Dick knew that feeling all too well. His blue eyes made it easy for people to forget he was Romani. These days he tried to talk about it as often as he could in interviews and stuff, but… people saw what they wanted to see.

R_n_R: Nothing unusual - you know how it is right now - but he was carrying a gun and I wasn’t. Didn’t pull it, but.

That sounds terrifying R

R_n_R: Kinda was. I dunno, I’m just still feeling slightly off-kilter right now and I can’t concentrate at work.

That’s understandable. Can you take a break?

R_n_R: Am on one right now.

Me too. Won’t be long tho - anything I can do?

R_n_R: Tell me not to do what I used to.

Dick’s mind started racing with the possibilities, but all he typed was: Whatever it is, don’t. Those assholes aren’t worth it.

R_n_R: Thank you.

R_n_R: Okay, time to pull myself together. No use taking it out on the wrong people. I can go punch something later.

Look, there’s literally no way you’re being as much of an asshole as my co-worker today, so.

R_n_R: Pretty sure there’s every way, but I’ll do better now.

As if on cue, there was a knock on Dick’s door. “Mr Grayson? Filming will resume in five.”

“Thank you, I’ll be right there!”

Gotta go. Take care, ok? <3

R_n_R: You too. Punch your co-worker for me.

When he returned to set, Dick wasn’t in any mind to deal with Jason’s shit, but the other man seemed to have pulled himself together. He didn’t talk at all beyond the necessary between takes, which usually would have annoyed Dick to no end but honestly worked out better than what happened before.

Turned out they didn’t need many takes after that.

Maybe it had just been Jason being scared of being vulnerable? Dick knew some of these tough guy types were.

Still. He would have expected the guy to be enough of a professional to not let it bleed into their work and fuck it up for everyone else.

When he fell onto his couch that evening with a sigh of relief, Dick’s phone chimed with a new message.

R_n_R: Sorry to have put that on you.

R_n_R: I did mention I was an addict before, right?

In passing.

Dick was about to add more, to tell him it was okay, that they didn’t need to talk about it today, but R_n_R kept texting as if he hadn’t seen Dick’s ‘typing’ status.

R_n_R: I don’t know what it’s like for actors but honestly, once you’re on tour and even halfway famous, drugs are fucking everywhere. It’s not an excuse - I grew up with that shit, I know better. Got put on some opiates for an injury and never got off.

R_n_R: So I needed pills to push me up.

R_n_R: And alcohol for my nerves, which weren’t doing so great with all the other stuff I was taking. Weird, right?

Dick’s hands were shaking. Now more than ever, he wished he could at least hear R_n_R’s voice on the phone to soothe him; or better yet, be face to face with him. Hold him through what was clearly a painful thing to tell.

R, it’s fine. You don’t need to tell me.

R_n_R: No, you should know what it means. You know, if we ever meet. I’m always going to be an addict, just hopefully a clean one.

R_n_R: My mom died of an overdose. I’m not going to be her.

Promise?

R_n_R: I promise.

R_n_R: And you never need to worry about setting me off, okay? Like. Even if you decide I’m an asshole and not worth it tomorrow, my stuff isn’t on you.

Dick hadn’t even realised he had tears in his eyes until one dropped down on the screen. Still, he was smiling, too.

Thank you. For that promise and for telling me.

I don’t think you’re an asshole at all. Kind of the opposite tbh.

#in the shallows #elareine writes #jaydick #jason todd #dick grayson #fanfic

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juunshua · 6 years

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Same love I'm still into never from broduce but prefer hands on me. Idk what to think about woojin's raps. Sometimes they fit into the song, sometimes the instrumental or lyrics makes it seems like it was haphazardly written to give the dancer oriented members something to vocalize. Energetic remains the only w1 song i can listen to without getting bored. No matter how much I'm into yoon jisung, jaehwan, or minhyun I can't seem to listen to their eps without my mind wandering elsewhere (1/).

If youre looking for a good tropical I would suggest Hollands Im afraid. He isnt the best singer but the songs arrangement and production is stellar. I know it's from last year but kards Hola Hola, even if i prefer ohnana, is also a stand out. Whats funny is that your criticisms of tropical house is exactly what I have been hearing other people say about oh my, how it's low energy and not engaging, esp for svt. It definitely took me a couple of listens to appreciate its place on the mini. (2/)Tbh exos Kokobop is the closest kpop has come to producing dancehall rather than tropical, even if the chorus is so much musically interesting than the verses. Hello texture! Idk about semina i feel like it falls flat but that may be because I was expecting something similar to their produce audition. I was really into chunghas debut song but her nasality turned me off so much. Please mh give her something lower so that she can sing well and have interesting choreo bc she has the talent (3/)I guess Im less harsh on songs released in summer because theyre supposed to be light and airy, hence the myriad of comebacks/debuts experienced/about to experience. (Hyorin and triple h has my heart though.) It's a lot of misses for me too so don't feel bad about not enjoying the majority. I guess thats the good thing about saturation. Sorry if this part feels disjointed from the previous messages as tumblr seems to be in the habit of eating transitional ones as seen in previous threads. (4)

omg jisung was my 1-pick from ep 1 i was so happy to see him make the final lineup laksdjf broduce was actually one of the reasons i got into svt. i got tired of poor vocals and i remembered that svt has boo? who is pretty darn good at singing? so i went to listen to him after listening to the mansae performances and ladjkf somehow i ended up where i am today. but hmm really? actually someone i know said something similar ahaha. i wouldnt know about rap flow or lyrics or anything, but he remains the only person in w1 that id consider a rapper. the rest of the ‘rappers’ are baritones and are rappers for the sole reason that they are baritones. not everyone could have pulled off ‘d i double f e r e n t’ ksjdfl like idk. i personally enjoy his execution of raps ahaha like in light, he raps the word ‘벅차올라’ in a way thats really reflective of the imagery of the word itself? to me he really brought that word to life and laskdjf i think thats the only reason i gave light a second try but to each their own^^. ahaha i think ive gotten used to most of w1s title track though (at least they dont have a tropical house title track). some of their none title tracks though are good! wannabe, even if the lyrics are a bit cringy, musically i really like! it was composed by the same people who wrote air for infinite and twinkle for lovelyz, both songs i adoreim afraid? hmm for me personally the chorus was kinda overwhelming i wasnt the biggest fan of that instrument (it kinda hurt my ear actually). i feel like the verses had something going for them but then the chorus hit and i just kinda idk lakdjf. also kard i know i tried listening to their music but really couldnt get into it. i think i prefer oh nana as well after listening to both songs but still not something thatd end up in my music library.hmm really? tropical house i think in general with the instruments as a genre really isnt my thing so idk if im really criticizing tropical house as much as im stating why i personally am not a fan of it? the genre as a whole really turns me off and ahaha im a simple person if a song isnt tropical house i will honestly give it more listens and more tries to get into it. gfriends sunny summer is gradually getting stuck in my head as summer ends for instance ahaha i might be jamming to it come december ahaha. all of w1s title tracks are another example. there are times though where ive gone back to a trop house song and ended up realllllyy liking it. actually thats literally the case with all trop house songs that i like ahah aksdjf but yeah its really hard to get it to me on first impression i think idk what it is about the genre but its not my thing. ahaha im not a professional musician at all so idk but i thought the drum line was pretty neat in oh my? some of the vocal melodic lines were super pretty to listen to. and with a lot of svt songs too, like the verses in oh my were not the same copy and paste sort of thing. it could have been low energy and not engaging, to me it really felt like the summer afternoon heat that kind of vibe, but still i think i could get some musical things from it? or smth idk what is dancehall? and ahaha semina actually reminded me of their produce audition a lot alkjsdf and hmm yeah it did fall a bit flat but hey its not trop house ahaha i think i was super excited about hearing that sort of genre again after such a long time the last people i can think of who were close to that genre was mamamoo back in like 2014/2015. semina does get catchy after u listen to it after a couple of times? or at least thats the way i felt it was to me personally (or maybe nayoung hypnotized me with whatever magic she usually does on me). chungha? nasally?? the only song i liked that she released was why dont you know but i didnt know she had a nasal voice? at least an obvious one at that? i think she has her nasal moments but ? has she gotten progressively more nasal after debut? i know she has a suPER heady mix is that whats clouding my hearing ahaha. oh actually now that i think about it, her voice always used to remind me of some mix between sica and taeyeon ahaha so i think i just got used to her voice and her nasality over the years. but honestly i dont think her nasality is that consistent? i think she should work on bringing her chest into her mix first ahaha thats her biggest problem as of rn for me. and tbh i dont mind her voice and her tone too much! but there are def songs where i just wished the singer was a stronger vocalist so then id enjoy the song akdjf bc thats happened where i like the song but the singer just kinda detracts from it so i think i get where ur coming from...ahh i feel u in her debut song i was so disappointed by the rap alsdkjf i was like ‘wow this could have been a neat dance break for her’ but nah we got a rap ahaha. shes a soprano though so idk if she should sing any lower as much as she should start challenging her technique with the range she sings in.hmm yeah i think as pop music progresses in general, for me its just going to be a majority of misses ahaha personally speaking from a personal enjoyment standpoint. im sure a lot of the songs i dont like have a lot of musical credibility to them (ie triple h and hyorin lksdjfl rip like i dont even know what music i like these days from kpop groups minus svt honestly. select songs will stand out to me sure but nothing as consistent as svt. my go to girl groups also released trop house this summer i was so sad :((( )

#technique anon #replies #anon

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tracklist-fic · 6 years

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Tracklist Fic | 002 / Baggage

Title: Tracklist // 002 | An original, mature, Ed Sheeran fanfic CO-AUTHORED BY: @tea-and-toblerones and @sippin-on-red-wine Rating: No smuts in this chapter, sorry!

Ed……. I pulled into the studio’s car lot excited and ready to begin work. I had been enjoying my vacation immensely, so much I had skived off longer than I had originally planned. Now that I’ve sat down and discussed my vision I couldn’t wait to dive in. I had been up half the night writing notes and ideas down, too anxious to sleep. I was also looking forward to working with Jac. She had left a serious impression on me. She had such a magnetic personality. Strong, fierce and willing to take risks. She’s awfully fit too….no, Ed, she said this was a one off and she wanted to keep it professional from here on out. Her reputation is at stake here and I don’t want to sabotage it in any way.

When I turned my car off and was getting ready to get out I saw her standing on the pavement in front of the building completely obliterating some guy with an obnoxiously large bouquet of flowers. Her face red as she screamed at him. She threw them in his face, vigorously pointing away from the building before turning on her heel and marching into the building.

Uh oh…I don’t think she’s a fan of flowers….

Jac……. My morning had started off rough. I had gotten a poor night’s sleep due to a mix of Dylan’s lingering hands on my body and Ed’s scent in the sheets. Every toss and turn released a little burst of cinnamon sin in my nose. Just a reminder of the hot and wildly inappropriate night I had spent with him. Those bright whimsical flowers were sitting in my kitchen taunting me.

They’re not romantic Jac. They’re supermarket flowers for Chrissakes. Ed’s a known romantic. There’s no way he’d buy flowers from the grocer to express a romantic intent. Besides, daisies aren’t that romantic. They’re probably the most innocent flower you can give. You’re over-thinking it. You need to relax.

I was not prepared when my alarm sounded. Groaning, I turned it off, contemplating adding a mandatory nap break in today’s schedule. I unwillingly tossed the duvet aside and started my morning routine. I grabbed a to-go breakfast and filled my largest thermos with coffee, catching the flowers out of the corner of my eye. They’re so bright and colorful, just like him without clothing. That probably wasn’t the intention but…it’s right there. I grabbed my keys and headed out. I was determined to have a good day.

Today is not going to be a good day.

I knew this as soon as I pulled into the studio and saw Dylan sitting by the door. With flowers. Not just flowers: Roses. A stupid amount of roses. Oh hell no, he did NOT show up to give me these at work. He’s went too far. I slammed my car door closed and made my way to the entrance. He saw me, launched to his feet and rushed to meet me. His face broke out into a smile when he presented the stupid bouquet. He had left off the snapback again, wearing a light blue button up shirt with his aviators hanging from it, khaki shorts and brown boat shoes, his skinny pale ankles on full display.

“I thought I’d come give my girl some flowers at work. What girl doesn’t love that.” He beamed, so proud of himself and the gesture as he held them out for me.

I quickly knocked his hand aside, absolutely fuming. “For one, I’m not ‘your girl’ so you can get that out of your head right now. Second, where do you get off showing up here? I can’t stop you from showing up at the bar but I CAN put my foot down here. This is my workplace. Third, I don’t want you or your flowers. Go home Dylan, I don’t have time for you or your bullshit right now.”

His face quickly morphed into an angry look. “Last night you were all for us getting back together. Do you know how much these cost?” He shook the flowers angrily “Did you not remember me telling you I stopped taking my dad’s money? I did that for you, y’know.” He spat like it was a big deal.

“I’m supposed to be impressed by the fact that you’ve stopped living off your daddy’s money and are finally living like a fucking adult now?! Well congratu-fucking-lations Dylan!” I gave him a mock standing ovation. "Welcome to the real world! It’s about goddamn time!“ My voice echoing across the parking lot. I was beyond the point of caring.

He closed the distance between us, getting right up in my face as he screamed, spit landing on my face as I refused to back down from him. "Well you sure fucking seemed impressed last night. So much so you couldn’t wait to get me to your car so I could eat you out! Or do you just spread your legs for anyone now?! That how you plan on breaking on the scene? By fucking your way to the top? I bet you’re fucking whatever nobody you’re working with now in the off chance they become big when they find themselves someone who actually knows what the fuck they’re doing and not some wannabe producer like you!” His hands had been flying around and with his last remark his fingers had came across my jaw.

I snagged the flowers out of his hand and began hitting him with them. Petals and leaves flying everywhere as they smashed against his face, arms and every inch of him I could hit as I screamed in rage. There was a loud buzzing in my ears as I continued to hit him.

“How fucking dare you, you asshole! I EARNED my job! I worked my ass off to get where I’m at now, I didn’t go 'Daddy, give me a job at your movie studio ’ like you did! So you can take your flowers and your accusations and shove them right up your bleached ass! Yeah, that’s right Dylan, I know.” I threw the mangled mess of flowers in his face and pointed to the road. “Now get the fuck out off my lot before I send for security.”

I turned and marched inside, trying my best not to slam the door behind me. I didn’t look back to see if he was still standing there or not. I was just happy the doors were mostly soundproof so they couldn’t hear what had transpired outside. I turned to Valerie, the receptionist who wore a look of confusion as I stormed through.

“Is everything okay Jac? That looked pretty volatile out there.”

“If he hasn’t left in 3 minutes, call security Val. He wants nothing but trouble.” I took a deep breath. “Thank you.”

I didn’t break my stride as I pushed the door open and went straight to the sound room. Of course he’d pull this today. Today’s a huge day for me, why would I ever expect anything less from him. I was just glad Ed hadn’t been around to hear what he had said. I threw myself in the chair as I rubbed my face. We already started on less than professional terms and that scene wouldn’t have helped my image any.

God, this is a fucking mess. What if he’s still out there when Ed comes in? I know Dylan wouldn’t think he was working with me but what if Ed recognises him from the bar and puts two and two together?

I was kneading my temples with my fingertips when I heard:

“So…um…do you not like flowers?”

I look up to see a very awkward looking Ed standing in the doorway. I felt like screaming in frustration.

“You saw that?” Great. Just great. It was nice working with you.

“I saw you walloping a bloke with roses. Which made me feel pretty uncertain about the flowers I left for you…” So he DID leave them there himself.

“Yours were fine. Unexpected, but thoughtful. They’re quirky, like you.”

He sighed in relief, fullying entering the room and sitting down in another chair. “I’m glad you liked them. I saw them and thought they’d look nice in your apartment. Plus I wanted to express my excitement with working with you.” You hear that Dylan? Ed Sheeran, three sold out shows and first solo act to play at Wembley Stadium, is excited to work with me. You can suck it. “What is he, a regular that won’t take no for an answer? I noticed him at the bar when we met.”

Sure let’s go with that. You don’t need the details.

“Yeah, something like that.

Ed graciously took the hint and dropped the subject.

“So, I was thinking I’d just play the whole album for you today. Everything I’ve got so far. You up for it?” He was strictly business all of a sudden.

I took a deep breath, letting all of my frustrations roll off my back. Time to switch into work mode.

“Absolutely. Let’s do it.”

Ed grabbed his guitar case and one of the barstools from the little break area in the mix room. I grabbed my notebook, a pen, and a couple bottles of water and settled in on the worn-in leather sofa.

He got cozy on the barstool, one sneaker-clad foot flat on the ground, the other casually resting on the bottom rung. He slid his guitar strap over his shoulder and just started playing. Some songs seemed pretty complete, others were just a chorus or a riff, a single line to build the rest of the song around. He must have played to me for nearly two hours straight, stopping between each song to explain the idea behind it, or what had been happening in his travels that inspired it. Occasionally he’d take his phone out and play some soundbits from there.

I scribbled notes furiously, sketching out each song on it’s own page – writing down lyrics that stuck out to me, noting the emotion that each one solicited, jotting down ideas. Ed was a machine, he sat perched up on that barstool playing song after song, his silky voice filling the room, surrounding me. He sang with his eyes closed, most of the time. He’d often stop and play something back again, trying a new sequence, or different wording. Some lines didn’t have lyrics yet and so he just sang syllables to fill in.

Near the end of his song bank, he explained that he had written most of this one before his last tour had ended. He’d been really homesick and nostalgic and this one just poured out of him. It struck me right from the first chorus:

“And I’m on my way, Driving at 90 down those country lanes, Dee be deeeee do deeeedee, And I miss the way you make me feel, it’s real, When we watched the sunset on the castle on the hill,”

I hadn’t grown up with any castles, or broken my leg, or did many of the things Ed was crooning about. But the song was giving ME major nostalgia vibes. It really hit me right in the heart; remembering when my friend got her license, the first of all of us. We’d drive around for hours, singing at the top of our lungs, no destination in mind.

The chorus came back around -

“And I’m on my way, – I had an idea. Driving at 90 down those country lanes, –”

“–Singing to Tiny Dancer,” I sang over top of his deee do daaah’s, offering up a suggestion for the lyric. Probably crass and totally inappropriate, this was such a deeply personal song, but it just felt right.

His eyes opened then, though he didn’t miss a beat, a grin spread over his face.

And I miss the way you make me feel, it’s real, When we watched the sunset on the castle on the hill,”

He went right back into the chorus, trying out my lyric. I sang along with him, both of us grinning like dang fools. We finished up the song, strumming dramatically before silencing the last notes from the guitar and standing up from the stool. “Wicked… I really like that, yeah.”

He sunk down on the couch next to me and crushed a full bottle of water, the very noticeable vein in his neck moving with each swallow. Look away, Jac, look away.

He wanted to look over my notes, and so I handed them over and we talked through every song. After we had went through all of them, he set the book down on the table.

“Right, okay, yeah, we’ve put in a fair bit of work. How ‘bout we go grab ourselves some lunch? I’m starving and we’ve earned ourselves a break.”

It was such a trip to see him transition from work Ed to casual Ed. Everything about him changed. His focus was strong, his demeanor serious - all business. A force to be reckoned with. Someone who demands attention. Sure of himself, almost cocky. It was obvious he was more comfortable behind a guitar. Without it, he was awkward, borderline unsure of himself.

I heard my own stomach growl at the mention of lunch, my pathetic breakfast a memory long past. I did have slight pause at how he worded that. Did he mean we go get lunch together, and if he did, how did he mean it? Work lunch or a I-fancy-you lunch?

“How about we order in? Saves us the nightmare of lunch rush traffic.”

I could see him mulling it over as I prayed he said yes. I really didn’t want to have the whole boundaries conversation again. Nothing’s worse than having to repeatedly shoot down a guy. Especially when you have to continue to work with them.

“Yeah, I could go for some take away.” I could feel my muscles relax. I hadn’t realised I had tensed up. “What’s good around here?” He added, oblivious to the internal battle that was going on.

“Um, well, it depends on what you’re wanting. Actually, I have some menus in my car if you want to look over them.”

“Alright, yeah, that sounds good.” He was fidgeting with the pencil I had been taking notes with.

Okay, he seems way more awkward now than he did before. I’m glad I gave the choice of ordering in. I’m under the impression he’s got more than a friendly work lunch on his mind.

“I’ll be right back then.”

He just nodded as I walked out the door. I gave a couple quick hellos to my coworkers that were in the hallway. I didn’t feel like stopping to chat, even though a couple acted like they wanted to have a conversation. The phrase ‘Sorry, I gotta go grab something out of my car or I would stay and chat with you,’ coming out of my mouth frequently.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw my car. Anger quickly flaring back up. The word “Whore” was written on every one of my windows. I should have known that he’d react in some over-the-top frat boy manner. Luckily, it looked like he wrote it in window paint so it would come off fairly easily. Who knows how many people had already seen it though. No wonder everyone had been trying to stop me in the hallway.

Un-fucking-believable.

I turned right around and go right back inside, heading straight to Valerie. Part of me wanted to call the police, but I mainly just wanted to wash the words away before anyone else saw.

Oh Jesus Christ, what if Ed has a girlfriend. I never thought to ask…he’s known as a good guy but nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors. Especially since he went on break. We hadn’t exactly been discreet either…No, Jac, it was Dylan. He’s a fucking asshole and this is right up his alley.

“Hey, Val, you clean the windows in the lobby right?”

“I do, why?” The curiosity rang through loudly, though it must have clicked in because she added, “You need a rag and window cleaner?”

“Yep.” I muttered darkly as she fished around under the counter.

She placed the bottle and rag in front of me. “I hope he didn’t cause too much damage and it comes off easy. I’m sorry Jac. Break ups aren’t easy.”

“Oh, I broke up with him a while ago. He just doesn’t handle rejection well.” I had managed to keep my voice at a somewhat level tone.

Really need to re-evaluate your taste in men, Jac.

I sprayed some of the cleaner on everything that was written, letting it work it’s magic. Fuming, I scrubbed the shit off my windshield. It looked like he had thrown coffee or soda on it too since my hood was sticky as I leaned on it. King of the assholes, ladies and gentlemen.

I panicked as I heard footfalls coming toward me. I had totally forgotten that I’d come out here to grab menus, Ed was probably wondering why I’d been gone so long. I scrubbed faster, not wanting him to see what had been written.

“I thought I’d make sure nothing happened… Who the fuck did this to your car?!” He looked positively furious, his voice reflecting that. “This wasn’t here when I got out of my car. I waited until that guy got in a Range Rover and left before I came in! I can’t believe he came back!” He did a three sixty around my car, looking at the damage. “Jesus, why would someone key your car?”

“Wait, WHAT?!” I hadn’t noticed anything other than the paint.

I scurried over to where he was standing and groaned. Sure enough, the word bitch had been scratched right under the handle. A substantial dent underneath it. I wonder what else he did that I can’t see. Was he actually insane enough to tamper with the gas or something?

“Jac.” He spoke softly. “It isn’t any of my business, but what’s your connection with this guy? This is fucking mental.”

I sighed. “He’s my ex. We’ve been apart for a while now… He was never a saint but I, I’d never have expected him to pull something like this. He’s off his rocker, it seems.”

“Let me help you. I’ll have someone come collect your car and take it into the shop… it might not be safe to drive, Jac. I’ll give you a lift home.”

“It’s nice of you to offer, Ed, but I can take care of it. I’ll just call a tow and take an Uber home, it’s fine, really.” As if it isn’t humiliating enough for you to be seeing this.

“Look, I get it. You’re independent. But it’s okay to accept help every now and again, innit? Here, take my keys,” He insisted, digging into his pocket and tossing the keychain my way. “Just grab anything you need out of your car and toss it in mine. Really - your flat is on my way back anyway. I’ll drop you off when we finish up here.”

“Erm… thanks, Ed. I appreciate it.”

“Okay.” He clapped his hands together. “We need food to turn this day around. You grab your stuff and I’ll order us some takeaway, okay? Anything tickle your fancy?”

“Uh, not really.” I didn’t want to tell him I had pretty much lost my appetite.

“Any diet restrictions? Are you on the vegan bandwagon? Not that… not that there’s anything wrong with that! More power to you, I’ll just know not to order anything with cheese or meat… there goes three fourths of my diet…”

It was hard to stifle my laughter at his obvious awkwardness.

“No, I’m not vegan. Just nothing with cucumbers. Though I can’t really see you eating a salad so I guess that’s moot.”

“Hey, I like salad. I just don’t like kale or tomatoes.” He feigned offense. “But you’re right, I wasn’t planning on ordering salad. That’s like going to the world’s best steak house and ordering…well, a salad…” He finished quite lamely.

“I’m sure a vegan’s done it.” I said while digging the menus out of my glovebox.

He took them with a thanks. “Leave it to Teddy to satisfy your needs.” His eyes widening in horror as what he had just said washed over him. “YOUR FOOD NEEDS. I MEANT YOUR FOOD NEEDS.” His words tumbling out in a rush. This time I wasn’t able to hide the smirk that had ended up on my face.

“Just order some food before you embarrass yourself more.”

Oh you can satisfy other needs too. Quite well and I think you know that.

He just nodded and headed back inside. I could almost hear him telling himself to get his shit together. He definitely didn’t strike me as the type to be able to pull off a lie so the whole jealous girlfriend theory went out the window.

I didn’t have much that I would need, just my laptop case and a couple things out of my glovebox. I quickly found his car a couple rows down, a silver Audi SUV. The image of Soccer Mom Ed popped into my head, quickly replaced by the thought of how much room for extra curriculars he’d have. Jac, no. You’d never guess a famous person drove it, which was probably the point. He was still staying out of the public eye and no one would bat an eye at this. Especially out here where everyone drives expensive sports cars. I threw my laptop on the floorboard of the back seat before heading back inside.

I found him sprawled out on the leather couch, his notebook and pen in hand as he scribbled out what I assumed was lyrics, his hand flying across the page as he wrote with fervour. His brows coming together as he scribbled something out, writing something else down instead, nodding as he did so. I watched him lean over, snagging his guitar as he strummed a couple of chords.

“Hey, tell me how this sounds.”

I had lingered back, not wanting to interrupt him. I didn’t realise he had even noticed me hovering in the doorway until then.

Oh she is a sight to behold The way she moves when the lights are low It takes my breath away, everytime My heart is looking for a one way trip And she’s not like the women I know She’ll be the one to bring it back home. Daisies, placed upon your windowsill, Showing me where to roam Oh but darling, I’ve had my fill.

I sat there with my mouth slightly open. Is this about me? No….certainly not….he wouldn’t write a song about me…we’ve literally just met. Wow, I don’t think highly of myself do I?

“Why didn’t you sing this earlier when we were going over songs for the album?” I asked, my mind trying to come up with anything logical.

“Oh…. because I just wrote it …it’s still a work in progress, but I like to bounce ideas off of people and get their opinions.” He had tucked the pen behind his ear as he played. His hand went up, running through his unruly locks, knocking the pen from its resting place. He fumbled as he tried to catch it, the pen clattering to the floor.

“Oh, well, it has potential. I would finish it. That’s about all I can offer. I’m not much of a writer…”

“I dunno, you busted out that ‘singing to Tiny Dancer’ bit awfully quick.” he retorted, a smile playing out across his face.

“Only because that’s what my friends and I sang when we were cruising around.” I offered quickly, hoping to quash any thoughts of me being any help in that department. “You’re the lyrical genius here, not me.”

“I hold your opinion in high regard. You’ve got a good ear when it comes to music. If you think it’s worth continuing then I will.”

Shit, if this is about me, I’m just encouraging him to continue on. Giving him false hope… but it could be a beautiful song. We’ll see where he takes it before I do anything extreme.

Before I could respond there was a knock on the open studio door. Mark was standing there, a box of pizza in hand and his usual smile on his face.

“I’ve got a delivery for erm….Ben Sherman. I’m guessing that’s you.” He placed the box down, rubbing his hands together, “So, how’s it going in here?”

Ed opened the box, giving it a quick sniff before letting the box fall closed.

“It’s going really well. Jac actually helped me with a lyric problem I had been having. Here, have a listen.”

His guitar already in hand, never straying too far away from his reach. Mark had leaned against the door as Ed played, a smile coming across my face as he sang my offered lyric. I could see Mark’s work face coming out as he listened. Once Ed’s dramatic end came to a close, Mark took a moment to digest everything.

“It’s different. I don’t know how people are going to relate to growing up around castles though.”

“It made me nostalgic for my hometown.” I piped up quickly, defending the song, “Isn’t that the point of the song? A sort of hometown anthem, throwback to your roots, to a time when everything was less complicated. Everyone can relate to that.”

Ed was positively glowing with pride. “It’s gonna be my first single.” We both stared at him blankly as he placed the guitar aside and dug into the pizza. His chewing stopped when he realised we were both looking at him. “Wot? Do you not think it’ll be a good one?”

“It’s not that… it’s just a surprise is all.” I was just taken aback by the matter of fact tone in his voice.

“It’s a bit early to be thinking of singles, anyway.” Mark stepping in as the voice of reason. “You should focus on narrowing down your songs before thinking about that. I know you probably have loads of songs to sort through.”

My mind flashed to the hours of songs we went through earlier. Some of them were fully written, others were just snippets cobbled together. Mark was right, we really had our work cut out for us.

“Maybe. But it’s gonna be a single. I can feel it.” He had taken a giant bite of pizza so his words were pretty muffled, as he wiped his mouth with on of the napkins.

“Well I’m gonna let you get back to it then. I just wanted to check in on you guys, see what progress you’ve made.” He tapped on the door as he left, his trademark smile on his face.

I gave the pizza a look over. I was surprised by the amount of veggies on the pizza. There was was a variety of peppers, mozzarella cheese, two types of what looked like sausage and what is this green stuff? I picked off a leaf and gave it a sniff. No surprise the only thing I could smell was sauce and pesto. Was this because I said I couldn’t see him eating a salad?

“It’s Calabrese pizza. One of my favorites. It’s bangin’, you’ll love it.” He must have seen me giving the pizza a thorough look-over.

“I’m surprised about the veggies is all, not about the pizza.” I took a bite, the spiciness of the sausage blending well with the cheese.

The conversation had died down as we ate. I was still playing the song he had written in my mind. Daisies placed on your windowsill. Out of all the flowers he could have picked, he picked daisies. There’s no way that’s a coincidence.

Ed finally broke the silence. “Beautiful singing voice, you have.” he says, dropping the hard ‘t’ sound in ‘beautiful’.

“Oh….um, thanks.” My experience with singing was limited to showers, cars and drunken karaoke. I had no desire to ever sing in front of people.

“Did I embarrass you or make you uncomfortable? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” He seemed genuinely upset.

“No, you didn’t. It’s just…. you.” His confused and slightly hurt expression told me that came across the wrong way. “I meant, coming from someone of your caliber. Not that you make me uncomfortable.”

Well, that’s not entirely true.

Once the food was gone we had went back to going over our notes. The hours seemed to fly by and soon it was time to head home. As promised Ed had my car taken to a shop. When I walked out, he pulled up to the door. He popped his head out the window, his black cap turned backwards.

“Hi, I’m Ed and I’ll be your Uber driver.” A playful grin spread across his face.

I climbed into his backseat, much to his confusion. He spun around to face me, his cap knocking against his head rest, pushing it slightly off his head.

“Uh….what are you doing back there?”

“You don’t sit in the passenger seat in an uber, Ed.” I said, cocking an eyebrow at him, a whisper of a smirk on my face.

I heard him grumble something as he turned back around and pulled out of the lot. It sounded suspiciously like “...what I get for trying to be clever.” As we drove, we talked about things we liked to do in our downtime. I sighed, vaguely remembering what downtime actually was. I missed the beach something fierce. It had been ages since I had a beach day, I could definitely go for a relaxing day. Especially after the events of the last thirty six hours.

“Can you direct me? I’m not sure how to get there from here.” I could see his eyes looking at me in the rear view mirror.

“You can drop the act now, there’s no one around.”

“I’m not acting, I really don’t know how to get to your flat from the studio.”

“Oh.. okay what you want to do is…”

I directed him to my apartment, I could see the recognition of where he was at kick in when we got close. He pulled into a spot and turned back towards me.

“Do you work a shift at the Copperstill tonight? If you tell me a time, I can take you.”

“No, I’m off tonight. I’m just gonna have a nice quiet night in. Maybe relax with a glass of wine and have some well deserved me time.” I put a bit of emphasis on me time, hoping he’d take the hint that I wasn’t looking for any company.

He turned the car off. Guess he didn’t. “At least let me walk you to the door in case he’s been following you around and is waiting to ambush you.”

Shit, I didn’t even think of that. If he is waiting up there, Ed is the last person I’d want to show up with.

“I’m sure it’s okay,” I said, dismissing his concern.

“Jac, please don’t take this lightly. I’d feel like shit if something happened to you when I could have stopped it. Just, please let me look out for you.” He was almost pleading.

“Okay, if it’ll put your mind at ease.”

I collected my belongings from his floorboard and climbed out, bumping the door closed with my hip as I pulled my keys out. I saw his eyes follow the movement of my hips. He held his arm out and for a brief moment I thought he expected me to take it.

“Ladies first.” That smile coming back, playful, almost mischievous

I lead the way, my nerves on edge, hoping Dylan wasn’t waiting for me. He’s not really that mental, is he? You’re worried for nothing.

We made it up to my landing, thankfully empty. I unlocked my door and turned back to Ed. His eyes snapped back to me, my guess was they had been scanning my apartment. If it was for an intruder or his flowers, I couldn’t be sure.

“Thanks for the ride. I appreciate it.” subtly dropping that I’d like to be alone now.

“Anytime. Happy to help.” He either didn’t get subtlety or he was just ignoring it. “What time would you like to go in tomorrow?”

“Same time’s good for me.”

“Okay. Well I’ll see you at 8 then.” He gave me a wink as he turned around and walked down the hallway.

“Wait, we went in at 9!” I called after him.

“I’m your ride, remember?” He didn’t turn back or break his stride but I could hear the smile in his voice as raised his hand in a wave, “I’ll see you in the morning Jac.”

Oh that sneaky little devil.

I spent the rest of my night drinking wine and binge watching Netflix. Everytime my tv went black I could see those technicolored daisies reflected back to me. I took one of them out, a bright blue one, dried it off and pressed it between one of my books. There. Now I’ll have a memento from my first real client. When I’m hugely successful I can have something to look back on. That blue daisy was the symbol of everything I worked so hard to achieve.

As promised, Ed was knocking on my door at 8 in the morning. A smile on his face, two coffees and a bag in hand.

“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got you a bear claw. I hope that’s okay.” He turned the coffee carrier towards me, his eyes flicking down to it with a nod telling me to take it.

I took it, muttering a quick thanks as I closed the door, locking it behind me. We head out to the lot where I expected to see his Audi, but was instead greeted by a sleek, charcoal grey Jaguar convertible. I looked at him in confusion as a giant grin spread across his face.

“Uh, what happened to your Audi? I quite liked that… it fit you.”

“Surprise! This is yours!” His smile threatening to engulf his entire face.

Ohyoudidnotbuymeacar.

“I…uh…come again? I’m sorry, what?!” I squeaked out.

“I felt bad since your car’s in the shop and while I don’t mind driving you places, we spend all day together and I’m told I can get annoying. So I thought I’d rent you one until yours is back. To give you a break from me.” His hands running through his hair again. He does that alot, it must be a nerves thing. “I saw it and I dunno I guess I could just see you behind the wheel so I picked it…it’s too much isn’t it?”

I had just stared at him with my mouth slightly open as he spoke. Now he was looking pretty unsure of himself. A worried crease came on his forehead.

“I just…I uh…you rented me a car? Thanks…You didn’t have to do that…I could have….I could have just ubered…where’s your car?” My mind scrambling to make some sort of sentences. It decided to make several and shove them all together.

“At the hotel.” he stated simply

“Do you see the flaw in your plan?”

“What flaw? Someone’s gonna bring my car around to the studio around lunch. No flaw.”

“No, no. I’ll take you home.” It’s the least I can do, it’s your car after all. “Seriously, I can’t believe you did this.” Shaking my head in disbelief, wandering around the car.

I hope he isn’t trying to buy my affections…

“Totally worth it to see the look on your face. Shall we?” He held the keys out for me to take, the smile back on his face.

The entire drive there felt like a dream. On the way, Ed smirked, pushing the button that brought the top down, cackling like a child as the wind blew our hair around. He cranked the radio and sang loudly along. Halfway there it hit me.

“Ed…where’s your guitar? Did you leave it at the studio or take it home?”

“Mmm? Oh, no, it’s at the studio. I’ve another back in my room.”

The day was a fairly easy one. Mostly us cutting down the song list. There was our fair share of arguing about what should stay and what should go.

“Cut it, it doesn’t fit.”

“What do you mean it doesn’t fit?! That’s the point of the album!”

“It’s too different sounding than the rest of them! Cut it. It doesn’t work. That’s like trying to make peanut butter, bologna, mayo and cheese work. Leave it off. You want a good sandwich, everything different, but complementary.”

“Fine. You win. We’ll leave it off.”

We ended up ordering sandwiches because the analogy really seemed to work so by lunch that’s all the two of us could think about. It seemed like he could practically unhinge his jaw by the way he inhaled it. Not in a gross, starving animal way but in a four bites and it was gone way.

I found out his hotel wasn’t too far from my second job. No wonder he picked my bar. It was the closest. We said our goodbyes and I drove off, grabbing a quick dinner and a change of clothes before going into work. It seemed like it was gonna be an uneventful night. Which suited me fine. I still made plenty of tips, even on slow nights.

I wasn’t surprised in the least when Ed strolled through the door, sitting down at the bar.

“Hey there, can I have a pint?”

“What happened to spending time apart?” I knew he was going to show up but I couldn’t miss a chance to give him a hard time.

“I’m not here for you.” He thanked me for the beer and I just stared at him as he sipped it. “I’m here to make sure the psycho doesn’t come in here and cause a scene. So it’s not a social visit. It’s a mission.”

“Ed, you really don’t have to do that. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. I’m a grown up-” Okay Jac well that’s debatable, “- not some damsel in distress.”

The door swung open, clanging loudly against the wall, drawing everyone’s eyes to go to the door. I felt my stomach drop when Dylan strolled through the door like he owned the place. Snapback firmly planted on his head, tight black muscle shirt and jeans.

Oh this is going to be bad…

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