#this masterpiece is one of my three go-to karaoke songs

[noceiling-m]

First Love: Hatsukoi (2022) trailer

All encounters are by chance. I don’t believe in fate. 

                                                          But I... I do believe in fate. Don’t run from it

[cassiopeiagarcia]

[ karaoke ]  for our muses to sing together

(Sending one to each sibling, feel free to do just one or any <3 )

Andro had found her a guitar.

Granted, it wasn't in the best state it could have been, but it was a guitar, and that meant that Cass would play it nonstop, even if her fingers hurt and her voice was strained from the effort, every single day, until she managed to empty herself of everything she was feeling, which was... a lot.

She didn't have any way of checking any music sheets, so whatever songs she felt like learning, she had to do so from memory. Luckily, her parents, Fernando and María, had paid for extensive music lessons for the three siblings (and for Orión, but he never paid any attention, and since he was a horrible student either way...) and she knew the instrument better than, in some ways, she knew herself.

'Fuck...' Tongue peeking from parted lips in both concentration and frustration, her body bending down to make a note of the chords as she progressed with the song, white fingers stained with ink as was usually the case, messy curls all over her face. 'No, this doesn't sound right.'

Repetition. Make a mistake. Try again. Absolute failure. Get it finally right. Maybe, if her music taste wasn't as eclectic as she was, it would have been easier. She'd never know. Also, her voice was a little bit too high to hit all the notes and to get the melody to sound exactly the way she wanted. She needed some help, but who could she ask? Niragi? No, he would never agree. Chishiya? Maybe, but he was always busy... Hinata's name appeared in her mind and while, she didn't want to bother him with something as stupid and as trivial as this, she just. Needed to get it off her chest.

She was in his room no less than ten minutes later, holding the instrument like she would a weapon, with something resembling reverence and as if she was scared it could go off at any minute. When Hinata opened the door, she quickly explained the situation: she needed to sing and she required someone with a lower voice. She didn't want to sing, there was a huge difference, she needed it as much as she did oxygen and food and water, to keep living. It was a supernatural thing, this weird need to create. But her close friend was an artist as well, and she was sure that he would understand.

She gave him a piece of paper with the lyrics on it, in the best handwriting she could produce, while she took a seat in the bed and started playing the intro to the song. After practicing for about half an hour, they finally got it right.

Illustrate all my pain and set it all ablaze

Burn, and set it all ablaze

So how do I apologize and put the tears back in your eyes, when every canvas that I paint is a masterpiece of my mistakes?

And in the light of my demise, I see my failures in your eyes

Every canvas that I paint is a masterpiece made of my mistakes

Their voices worked together in the same way their personalities did. In a way that was sweet, soft, almost magical; it felt like the caress of a long lost lover you had never got over. Like a warm hug when you needed it the most. Like a friend you could spend months without speaking to, but when you resumed contact, nothing had changed. There was also a... certain chaos to it, but there was beauty in it.

How could there not be? Cass asked herself, while looking at Hinata and the light that seemed to irradiate from him, after the last notes echoed in the room. He really was someone whose smile could lit up the darkness. Such a simple gesture from him could guide any astray soul back to their path. Everything good in this world could be found inside of him. Words, simply, fell short.

[kyndaris]

Quiet

Almost after the first date, Spring was busy trying to plan the second. Initially, we had settled for a film. Spring, after all, was incredibly intent on watching the latest masterpiece from the director behind Your Name and Weathering with You: Suzume no Tojimari. Unfortunately, the date for when it would arrive on western shores was still a little far off. And so, Spring scrambled to find a replacement film for the two of us to watch in an attempt to keep the time between the first meetup and a second date shorter than three to five months. A considerable period of time - especially if one is hoping to pursue the hope of something romantic.

At first, he suggested Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. A film I had already watched recently with a work colleague in the best (and most expensive) way possible. Yes, that’s right dear readers. I spent $44 to be pampered in Gold Class with its reclining seats and food deliveries! 

Was it a ridiculous waste of money? 

Yes. But it was a nice enough novelty to experience at least once in my life.

But was Spring going to cough up that kind of cash for a unique experience? Hell no!

Running out of options, he then wondered perhaps if we ought to go for karaoke instead. A sudden change from what would have been an innocuous movie outing. Annoyed at his inability to stay the course, I sternly chided him on his decision to switch to karaoke with just two people AND while only on the second date when we were still testing the waters.

It didn’t help that I could already predict the songs he would be selecting. And I did not relish having a sober karaoke session with a man that was already giving me bad vibes. Especially when it seemed that all he wanted out of a relationship was a female version of himself.

That, and the fact that he thought it was a sign of old age to just ‘listen to the radio’ instead of throwing up Spotify to listen to his curated playlist. Reading that text message, dear readers, was enough for me to roll my eyes at the inanity of his ‘observations.’ 

Let it be known here and now that I’ve been listening to the car radio for as long as I can remember. Was 5-year-old Kyndaris ‘old’ because I hadn’t been able to listen to anything except the radio and was unable to put music that I was interested in?

Realising his faux pas, Spring then tried to backtrack, racking his brain for any film that would entertain. But rather than pick a date and review what might be available during those times, he just offered up Black Adam - a film that he had already seen and was about to end its run in cinemas. So, I pivoted to a few other films by checking to see what was available in cinemas in the back half of November. The Menu and Matilda: The Musical were the ones I selected as being the best choices from the paltry selection available. At least for the day that we finally settled on to go on our second date.

Spring was picky about that too. He had hoped for a weekend, but being the busy little bee that I was, I couldn’t find time to cater to his request on the weekend that Matilda: The Musical was showing in cinemas. I did offer up a Thursday but Spring didn’t want to go out on a work night. This was despite the fact that he wanted a Monday date when he had just got back from Europe and therefore had plenty of free time.

In the end we opted for a Friday.

But I still feel obliged to say my piece: Mate, I’m sorry but the world does not revolve around you! And just because I’m ‘flexible’ doesn’t always mean that your ‘preferences’ will come first. Please think about what might be convenient too for other people or compromising should schedules potentially clash!

As you can see, dear readers, Spring had certainly pressed a few of my buttons. And not in a good way.

So, finally after settling for a date on a Friday to watch Matilda: The Musical (Spring was keen to tell me that he had watched two other musicals before. Never, of course, at the theatre, but film versions. Grease and possibly Hairspray? I can’t remember the second one he mentioned), we set up a time to meet up on the day. 

Unfortunately for Spring, bad traffic on the way home meant he was running a little late. By the time he had arrived, I’d purchased a few cheese tarts for my family and already had the movie tickets in my wallet, ready to whip them out as soon as we were asked to show them for entry.

Although he was late, we were still able to sneak in a quick dinner at Sushi Rio located close to the cinemas without cutting too much into the viewing time of the film. After all, there’s always 20-30 minutes of advertisements now before the feature. 

As we were eating our plates of sushi, I happened to glance to my right  and saw a friend and her boyfriend also indulging in a few plates of sushi after a shopping adventure for anime figurines. On the premise of just checking the time, I’d subtly texted her. To my dismay, he was not one to check her phone messages. And seeing that my message had gone unread, I then tried desperately to remain unnoticed. A very difficult feat because, mind you, this was at a sushi train and I had to look in their general direction to see what delectable sushi I might pluck off the conveyor belt. And they were less than ten metres away. 

Suffice it to say, my efforts were in vain.

After they had finished their meal, they approached and said ‘hi.’ Embarrassed a little that I’d been caught on one of my many ‘dates’ to find the one, I don’t recall if I introduced Spring. I do think I might have mentioned that the two of us were watching a film but I didn’t want to exactly define our relationship as yet. In my head, after all, I knew it wouldn’t go much further than this second date if I had any say in the matter.

So, after a brief catch-up chat with the friend and her boyfriend, Spring and I headed into the cinemas to watch Matilda. 

And I’ve got to say, it was an excellent film. While people online have compared it the 1996 classic starring Danny DeVito and Mara Wilson, this was a beast of a different nature. it was an adaption of the stage musical, which was itself an alternate interpretation of the novel by Roald Dahl. The musical itself had visited Sydney a few times though I hadn’t been able to catch it live.

But from the opening number, you could see that it was meant to be a fun, quirky and magical experience. Although I did feel like Matilda’s precognition abilities were a ham-fisted attempt to provide some backstory for Miss Honey. Honestly, Miss Honey’s parents being an escapologist and trapeze artist was just a little...unbelievable.

Still, I liked many of the songs. Be that: Naughty, When I Grow Up, School Song and Revolting Children.

And even Spring was mightily impressed by the dance choreography. He even said that it was more impressive than the cinematic blow-by-blow of superhero films because of all the editing tricks and the green screens. Gosh, my dear readers, wait until he sees musicals live on the stage! Then he’d be really blown away!

Okay, that was probably a little unfair on Spring, but I was already tired of his ‘gosh, work sucks’ attitude and ‘I’m surrounded by such normie work colleagues’ chatter. It just seemed like he simply wasn’t interested in getting to know those around him on a human level. Rather, he’d write them off as one-note side characters in his main story life.

It was honestly not the best experience to see how callous and ego-centric he saw the world. And while he might have explored more of the world than an ex-friend of mine, the narrow way that they perceive the outside world was just tiring to endure. All of ‘his’ observations were apparently new and sudden and unique. No one else was singing his song. And oh, how wonderful would it be if he could just find someone that could like what he liked.

Did I mention that one of the people he dated was someone I knew at university? No? Well, there you have it.

And I’m not sure if it was a red flag or a green flag.

Regardless, when we went our separate ways at the train station after the film, we exchanged a few messages afterwards about the fact that common sense is no longer really ‘common’ anymore and that was about it. I’m not sure who ghosted who but at least it was a mutual one.

And thank goodness for that.

[fanficimagery]

Dangerous Woman

You're a pretty popular singer/songwriter and you're finally back home in Mystic Falls. You reunite with family and friends, piss off an ex, and meet some new interesting people.

Words: 8.6K Author's Note: The songs in this imagine are taken from Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande. I could never take credit for their masterpieces. Haha. Enjoy!

Never in a million years did you think that singing covers of songs and posting them on the internet would land you a record deal. The music label who had shown interest in you just thought you had an amazing singing voice, so they hadn't counted on you being able to actually write your own music as well. So when they wanted you in New York just as you were on the verge of turning sixteen, it took a lot of legal documents being signed and assigning you a temporary legal guardian for you to be able to go. And in between writing and recording, you were homeschooled in order to keep up with your education.

You've been away from Mystic Falls for a little over a year now, making a music album and graduating a few months earlier than expected. Elena was still set to graduate and you were fortunate enough to be able to go home for a brief break and to see your sister walk the stage before you were to leave again.

You had wanted to surprise your brother and sister, so you texted your aunt Jenna for everyone's whereabouts. They were at Mystic Grill, of course, but Jenna was swamped with papers that needed grading and couldn't meet you there. So instead, you dropped by your childhood home to briefly visit with her before freshening up and heading for the Mystic Grill after making sure with Matt that your sister was still there.

Mystic Grill parking lot is nearly full, but you find a spot and then jog to the back entrance. You text Matt that you're there and moments later he's opening the back exit.

"Matt Donovan," you muse, grinning. "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

"YN Gilbert." He grins back, opening his arms for a hug. "It's been too long."

As you pull back, you ask, "So what's going on? I noticed all the vehicles out front."

"Oh yeah. It's karaoke night. It's become quite the popular activity among the highschoolers and slightly older folk around here."

You perk up at that knowledge. "Karaoke, you say? What a perfect way to surprise 'lena and Jer. Anyone else here that I know?"

"Care and Bonnie are with Elena, and Jeremy's playing pool with Tyler and a few other friends." Your nose wrinkles and Matt chuckles, too polite to try and smooth things over between you and your ex. "Uh, the girls are there with some new friends of theirs as well. Not really good people, if you ask me, but the girls are friendly with them so we tolerate them."

"Oh yeah? And who are they?"

"Klaus and Elijah Mikaelson," Matt says. "The Mikaelson family rubbed a bunch of us the wrong way almost as soon as they got into town, but apparently the girls have forgiven them for what they've done. Fortunately three of them left to explore the world, but we can't quite get these last two to leave as well."

You chuckle. "Be nice, Matty. If 'lena, Bonnie and Caroline can look past whatever they've done, I'm sure you can as well."

He rubs the back of his neck, sighing. "It's not that easy, YN."

"Yeah, yeah." You push on his shoulder a bit, grinning. "Well enough about these supposed terrible men. I want to surprise everyone. Have any idea?"

"One," he slowly grins. "Are you up to karaoke your own song?"

"Always."

"Come on then. Tyler won't like this, but we only have one of your songs in our books."

You laugh. "Not to brag, but that particular song has become quite the anthem among the female population. I feel bad already."

"Do you?"

"Nah. Now let's go, Donovan. I wanna see my siblings."

Matt leads you inside, sneaking you around until you're standing on the side stage and listening to some unfortunate soul butcher one of the latest popular songs on the radio. Then when that person's turn is over, he takes the stage.

"Alright, Mystic Grill, how's it going tonight?" Several people drunkenly cheer and you can't help but laugh off to the side. "So normally I'd call up the next person, but I have a special treat for you guys tonight. A friend of mine, most of ours really, has come home. She was a giant pain in my ass, most of our asses really, and I'm pretty sure she set someone's cat's tail on fire. On accident, of course," he amends when there's a scandalized gasp from the crowd.

You can hear a bunch of squealing then, your sister and friends realizing you're home.

"So, Mystic Grill, please give it up for YN Gilbert!"

In the crowd, Elena, Bonnie and Caroline cheer and clap the loudest. Even Jeremy's whooping and hollering, expression ecstatic as his sister takes the stage.

"Sister?" Klaus muses, looking past Caroline and directly at Elena. "How did you hide that from us?"

Elena grins, shrugging. "She took a stage name when she left Mystic Falls, and Isobel and John were smart enough not to mention her when they realized you only knew of me."

"I can't believe she's home," Caroline gushes. "And right before graduation too."

The music starts and the crowd calms, the girls giggling at the song.

"Oh, Tyler's going to be pissed," Bonnie says.

Elijah, who'd been too busy staring at YN Gilbert, frowns as he glances at Miss Bennett. "And why would that be?"

"Because she wrote this song with him in mind." Elena smirks. "Just listen. You'll see."

YN steps up to the microphone and gently cradles the mic on it's stand as she sings, "You called me again, drunk in your Benz. Drivin' home under the influence." Several people wolf-whistle, Bonnie and Elena included.

Caroline turns to Klaus. "They were too young to be in a toxic relationship, but it happened. He wasn't too happy when she left him behind to go record her album, so they tried long distance but it just wasn't meant to be."

Intrigued, Klaus turns in his seat to see the temperamental werewolf glaring at YN on stage and gripping his pool cue in a white knuckled grip

"I don't relate to you. I don't relate to you, no. 'Cause I'd never treat me this shitty. You made me hate this city." She pulls the mic off the stand, walking to the edge of the stage as she pours her heart into the song. "And I don't talk shit about you on the internet. Never told anyone anything bad. 'Cause that shit's embarrassing, you were my everything. And all that you did was make me fucking sad."

It's Elijah and Klaus' turn to chuckle when it appears every female inside Mystic Grill screams the lyrics along with YN. They watch as her presence fills up the stage, the patrons of the establishment whooping and hollering by the time the song is over.

Elena is anxious to get to her sister, but she stays put while the locals have their go at her as she hops off stage. She signs a few napkins and takes several selfies, and it's Jeremy who gets to her first while wrapping her up in a hug that lifts her feet off the floor. They have a quick chat before he ruffles her hair and leaves to join his friends, and then YN is making her way towards Elena's table.

You laugh as your sister hurriedly gets up, making her way around the table and throwing her arms around your neck. "You're home! Why didn't you tell me? Does aunt Jenna know?"

"Of course she does. I stopped there before coming here." Elena is soon replaced by Bonnie and then Caroline, and you chuckle as you take a seat at their table. "So is anyone going to introduce me to the newbies?"

The better dressed of the two clears his throat and offers his hand over the table. "Elijah Mikaelson. It is a surprise and pleasure to meet you, Miss Gilbert."

"Oohh. Fancy," you muse. "It's nice to meet you as well, Elijah." Then turning to his companion, brother really, you say, "Which makes you Klaus. Hello." Klaus smirks as he shakes your hand. "So, what have I missed? Tell me everything."

Bonnie chokes on her drink and Elena's eyes twinkle as the table's occupants glance at one another warily. "You haven't missed much. Not really."

"No? Then where are your boy toys? Do I have to play nice?"

"Oh I think I quite like this Gilbert," Klaus drawls. "You may be my favorite Gilbert."

"Of course I am. I'm adorable." You flutter your eyelashes at him, laughing. "But in all seriousness, do I have to play nice with the Salvatores? I'm not their biggest fan."

Elena groans. "Just.. be nice. To their faces, at least."

Your sister pouts and you kick her lightly under the table. "I'll be nice to Stefan, but at the first sign of snark from Damon all bets are off."

Bonnie nudges her friend. "Come on, Elena. That's fair and you know it. Damon lives to rile up anyone and everyone."

"Fine."

"Right. Well can someone flag down Matty and order me a bacon cheeseburger and fries with a Coke? I need to visit the ladies room."

Bonnie is already flagging down your friend as you quickly vacate the table, heading towards the bathrooms in the back. There's a few people in front of you and you politely wait your turn, taking even more selfies with apparent fans before it's your turn in the bathroom. Then after washing and drying your hands, you exit the bathroom.

However, you don't get too far before a hand is wrapping around your bicep and yanking you back around. You roll your eyes when you meet the angry gaze of your ex-boyfriend. "What do you want, Tyler?"

"Do you think it's funny to sing that stupid song of yours here?"

"What?" You frown. "Matt asked me to sing a song and that was the only one of mine in the books. If you have a problem with it, take it up with management." You try to pull your arm free, but Tyler merely squeezes tighter. "Ow. Let me go, Ty. You're hurting me."

He steps closer to you, lowering his voice though the anger is blazing in his eyes. "You know everyone knows you wrote that song about me. I don't know where the hell you got off smearing me like that. Our relationship wasn't even that bad."

"Really?" You deadpan. "Well my family and our friends think otherwise. Now let me go."

"Listen-"

"I believe the young lady wishes you to remove your hand from her person." Elijah's voice sends shivers down your spine and you stiffen at the way Tyler's expression turns absolutely livid as he looks up over your head. "Remove your hand now before I do it for you."

Tyler sneers, but he smartly releases you. You stumble back, only to have Elijah's hands land gently on your shoulders. "Really, YN? You're chummy with a Mikaelson now?"

"I've only met them less than ten minutes ago, but in the time I've been introduced to them they've been nothing but kind. So if that makes me chummy with them, then yeah. They're a hell of a lot better company than you are."

He scoffs. "Mark my words, Gilbert. These assholes are going to get you killed."

"That's enough, Mr. Lockwood," Elijah says. Tyler glares one last time at you and Elijah, turning on his heel and making his way towards the exit. You sigh and Elijah walks around so that he's in front of you. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." You clear your throat to keep your voice from cracking. "I'm good. Thanks for stepping in."

Elijah smiles and leads you back to the table with the others. The girls are staring at you worriedly, but you wave them off with a chuckle. Bonnie tells you that Matt's working on your food and you try to get comfortable, but your arm is suddenly bothering you. So shimmying out of your jacket as best as you can, you stare down at the arm that's bothering you and frown at the bruise that's already forming there.

"Jesus!" Elena exclaims. "Did Tyler really have to grab you that hard?"

"Well it appears his anger didn't get any better," you say. "Thank God I dodged that bullet."

"He can have a tragic accident on his way home, love. Just say the word and I'll make a phone call."

Caroline gasps at Klaus' declaration and you laugh though Elijah, Bonnie and Elena suddenly look disturbed. "As much as I find that hilarious, you look like the kind of man who would follow through. So for now, we'll table the maiming until he does something that really pisses me off."

Klaus pouts. "Very well."

"So onto a lighter subject," Bonnie finally speaks up. "How long are you here for, YN?"

You look towards Bonnie, grinning. "If you're wondering whether or not I'll be here to see you walk across that graduation stage, I will." She wiggles in her seat happily. "I'm also here to relax and possibly write a couple new songs since my manager says my best songs are inspired from here."

The girls chuckle.

"Are you excited for your tour?" Elena then asks.

"Yes and no," you admit. "I'm excited to travel and see places, but I'm not too excited to be alone on that bus. I'd rather have a friend or two."

Matt chooses that moment to set down your food and drink, and you thank him before he takes his leave.

"We could always take a gap year," your sister suggests.

"And ruin Caroline's carefully concocted plans? I think not." You take your burger in both hands, taking a bite out of it and groaning as the taste explodes all over your taste buds. Then after swallowing and taking a sip of your Coke, you say, "Besides, it's not that long of a tour. I can be a big girl and deal with it."

The first weekend you're home, you spend all the time you can with your family and friends, and meet your aunt Jenna's boyfriend Ric. You meet Damon and Stefan Salvatore, and while Stefan is perfectly tolerable, it's Damon who rubs you the wrong way with his sleazy innuendos and constant flirtation with his brother's girlfriend.

Then Jenna goes back to work while everyone else goes back to school and you're left all on your own. You get yourself reacquainted with Mystic Falls, revisiting all your favorite haunts and shops. And now that you've been introduced to the Mikaelson brothers and Damon, it's like they're everywhere you always seem to find yourself to be. Klaus and Elijah are a delight to be around, whereas Damon always has you coming up with an excuse so you don't have to spend much time with him.

You get yourself a journal and attempt to write, but as you pace around your house you can't seem to find any inspiration. So instead, you grab up a few belongings and head over to Mystic Grill to pick up some food and a drink before heading over to park in the middle of town.

Some fresh air has always done you good, so you pick a picnic table under the shade of a tree and take a seat. Then with your chicken wrap in one hand and a pen in the other, you doodle and write and hope that inspiration will strike soon.

"Why is it that every time I happen upon you, Miss Gilbert, you have food in your hand?" You glance upward, smiling at Elijah as he stands there opposite you with one hand tucked into the pocket of his slacks.

Taking a rather vicious bite of your wrap, you huff a laugh and have to quickly set down your food and cover your mouth while you chew and laugh. Once you wash it down with some soda, you say, "Have you ever heard the saying 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach'?"

His lips twitch in amusement. "Yes. I believe I have."

"Mhm. Well the same can be said about a woman. Get a woman her favorite food and we'll be putty in your hands. For about an hour or so."

"Oh? And what food happens to be your favorite?"

"Chicken wings," you answer without missing a beat. "Boneless and with fries." You pop a fry into your mouth, humming and wiggling happily in your seat. "I love food."

"I can see that." He chuckles as he takes a seat across from you, looking at your opened journal. "Are you getting some writing in?"

"Trying." You shrug. "Nothing's really happened that would make for good music."

"And how important is it that you come up with new material?"

"Not important at all. My manager suggested I come up with one or two songs, but if I don't then it's fine. I wouldn't mind surprising what little fans I have with new content though."

"Well in that case, come along with me. I'm meeting Niklaus a few towns over and I'm sure his tall tales shall inspire something."

"Tall tales? Why Mr. Mikaelson, you speak as if I don't know about all things that go bump in the night and your part in the creation of some of these things."

Elijah goes quiet and the way he's now looking at you makes you feel as if maybe you shouldn't have told him. "Elena told you," he realizes.

"Of course she did. She's my twin." You grin at his still dumbfounded expression. "Elijah, who do you think it was that convinced Elena it was in her best interest to come to an agreement with Klaus? As much as she's in love with Stefan, she doesn't want to be a vampire. She wants all the human experiences and I convinced her that the only way she would have all that is if she had someone very powerful protecting her."

"And you would have that protector be my brother?"

You shrug. "Why not? He needs her blood to make his hybrids and she's easily capable of donating a blood bag every other month. And besides, it pissed off Damon so it was a win-win in my eyes."

"And what of your thoughts on me and my family?"

"You guys had a messy beginning and I'm kinda mad I missed all the drama, but I'm also glad I was out of harm's way before Elena had that talk with Klaus." Elijah doesn't look convinced at your ease with such a secret. "I harbor no ill thoughts towards you and yours. If I did, I'd be bitchy with you like I am with Damon. Honest."

"Who all knows that you know?"

"My family and now Caroline, Bonnie and you. We can let Klaus know that I know so he may speak freely around me, but can we please keep Damon and Stefan in the dark? It's quite fun to see them struggle with censoring their words around me."

"I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive of you knowing about our misdeeds since we've stepped foot in Mystic Falls," Elijah says. He slowly starts to smile then. "But now I find myself quite relieved that you know."

"Mhm. Now how long do you think we can trick your brother before he realizes I know you're all a bunch of bloodsucking fiends?"

His smile drops. "Charming, Miss Gilbert. Very charming."

"I try." You flutter your eyelashes, chuckling as you finish off the last of your food.

Much to your surprise, you find yourself spending more and more time with Elijah. Your family doesn't think much of it since they don't really know, but on more than one occasion aunt Jenna has caught you having lunch with the original vampire.

And the one day they do finally realize just how often you speak with Elijah is when you and your family are brainstorming dinner ideas, and someone rings your doorbell. You answer it and are surprised to see it's a food delivery. Confused, you tell the delivery boy no one at the house had ordered, but he only chuckled and told you there was a note inside. You thank the boy as you take the bags and he tells you not to bother with a tip because he's already been generously paid. Then when you walk back into the kitchen, you set the bags down and slap away Jeremy's hands when he smells the food and reaches for a bag.

The note inside reads: I recall a conversation of ours where you said this was your favorite. I found it impolite to just buy you dinner, so I bought enough for your aunt and siblings as well. I hope you find it quite appetizing. - xx Elijah.

Elena and Jeremy had been absolutely gobsmacked, but they didn't deter you from pursuing the friendship, and aunt Jenna was just amused by the whole situation you found yourself in. And then after texting Elijah to thank him for dinner, you also asked him why he was suddenly sending you food. You had a feeling he had a favor to ask and you were proven right when he invited you to some museum opening that Klaus was eager to go to. Elijah was eager to go too, but he wasn't too eager to listen to his brother blather on about the history they already lived through.

So that's where tonight found you, attending a museum opening on the arms of Elijah and Klaus, but spending most of the night off to the side with just Elijah as he gave you your own history lesson.

When Elijah pulls up to your house later that night, you smile sleepily as he uses his vampire speed for the first time in front of you in order to open your door. He offers you a hand to help you stand up from the passenger seat and then tucks your hand into the crook of his arm as he leads you up the sidewalk and then the porch in front of your house.

"Thank you for accompanying me tonight, Miss Gilbert. I had a wonderful time."

"No. Thank you," you tell him as you turn so you're facing one another, letting your hand fall from his arm. "I absolutely loved hearing the stories from your past. And how many times do I need to tell you? Call me YN."

"YN." Elijah bows his head just a bit as he says your name, lips twitching. "I know we spent all day together, but do you have any plans for tomorrow?"

"I do." You frown before your nose wrinkles. "My producer secured some time in a music booth and I will start recording tomorrow."

His eyebrows raise a little in surprise. "You've found some inspiration?"

"Mhm." You nervously chuckle. "It's a total different vibe than what I'm used to, but-"

"I'm sure it'll be lovely," Elijah's quick to assure you. You can't help but smile at him, this man having absolutely wrecked you for any future romance with anybody else in just the one month you've known him. He grins, no doubt picking up on a semblance of your thoughts and then chuckles when you blush and avert your gaze. "Well since you'll be busy, call me when you're free. We'll grab dinner."

"You spoil me, Mr. Mikaelson." You huff a laugh, shaking your head in amusement. "Be careful or a girl could get used to this treatment."

"Maybe a girl should." His words make you freeze and your eyes subtly widen, and he has the audacity to chuckle. He reaches for your hand then, raising it up to his lips and your breathing ceases altogether. "Until next time," he murmurs before pressing a kiss to your knuckles and then dropping your hand.

Elijah turns and takes his leave, and you watch him the entire time up until he's driving off. You sigh longingly, a stupid grin taking shape as you bite back a squeal. Then turning around, you enter your home and stop short at the sight of Jenna smiling like a loon at you.

"Tell. Me. Everything."

"What? There's nothing to tell."

"Really?" Jenna's right eyebrow raises as she smirks at you. "That blush says otherwise."

You scowl at your aunt and she laughs, and you lighten up a bit as you brush past her. "He's a thousand year old vampire, Jenna. He's not interested in some seventeen year old girl."

"Yeah? Well the amount of times I've caught you two out and about together says otherwise as well," she says. "If he wasn't interested in some seventeen year old girl, then why spend all this time with you and getting you your favorite foods?"

You open your mouth to retort, but promptly shut it a moment later as you stop on the stairs. Huh. Aunt Jenna does have a point. But the longer you think about it, the more it just doesn't make sense. Elijah is a very handsome man and you're just- you're you. "He spends time with me because he's a nice man," you end up telling her as you turn around to look down at her. "And he's in need of some company who isn't his brother or isn't afraid of him for what he's done in the past."

"If you say so," she singsongs. "I want to be the maid of honor at your wedding. I'm going to give the best I told you so speech."

You snort, shaking your head. "I'm going to shower and then to bed. Wanna grab some breakfast before I head out for the day?"

"Of course. Goodnight."

"Night."

The day of your eighteenth birthday arrives and you couldn't be more ecstatic. Jenna was more than happy to host a get-together there at the house, but Klaus took it upon himself to throw the party at his mansion. So instead, you spent the morning with Elena, Jeremy, Jenna and Ric to have a birthday breakfast and lunch before going shopping with the girls for a bit of pre-party fun.

Elena, Bonnie and Caroline know that you have a surprise for everyone, but they don't know what it is. You're anxious, yet excited at the same time, and you decide to surprise your friends even more by dressing like they've never seen you dress before. So when you get home, you pre-snack with your family and friends before you decide to shower and then take over Jeremy's bedroom to get ready.

You pair a black sheer lace crop cami top with a pair of faux-leather, high rise shorts and a pair of ankle booties that give you another four inches. Your eye make-up is a little more smokier than usual and your lipstick a deep maroon color, and you leave your hair in loose waves framing your face. You're checking your reflection in the mirror, moving a strand of hair here and there, and you feel like you're missing something. Your outfit looks good, but as you head over to Jeremy's closet to rummage through his shirts, you grin as you find a dark red plaid flannel. You quickly take it and wrap the sleeves around your waist, tying them in a knot and then looking at your reflection once more.

It's perfect. You're ready.

Mentally preparing yourself, you give yourself a moment before leaving Jeremy's room.

"Are you girls ready? I'm ready to go!" You say as you enter Elena's room. All three females who'd been in the midst of adding some last minute jewelry to their outfits freeze and look you up and down in surprise. "What?" You ask when they don't say anything.

"Where the hell have you been hiding this bod?" Caroline breaks the silence.

"And who are you trying to impress with it?" Bonnie wonders, slowly smirking.

You roll your eyes, chuckling. "It's a special occasion. I wanted to do something different."

"Well keep doing it because you are hot!" Caroline says. "Like seriously hot. We all knew you were pretty, but this? This is-"

"You're definitely getting laid tonight."

"Okay!" Elena laughs, smacking both her friends on the arms. "Leave her alone. YN is stepping out of her comfort zone for once and you're not helping matters."

"It's fine," you assure your sister, "but can you please hurry up? I have a surprise for all three of you in the car."

At hearing there's a surprise for them, the girls hurry to finish getting ready. But then Jenna stops all of you as you're coming down the stairs and has you and Elena pose for some pictures. There are cupcakes she has for you with a single candle in each one and she takes video as you and Elena blow out the flame. Jeremy's already gone, and Jenna tells you that she and Ric will be there later.

It's dark out by the time you and the girls all pile into your vehicle.

"Okay. What's our surprise?" Caroline asks as soon as all the doors are shut.

"So, um, you know how I was supposed to write a new song if inspiration struck?"

"Yeah."

"Well.. it struck. It struck hard," you say. Gathering up your phone, you plug it in and scroll to the finished song that the producer had sent to you just yesterday. "And I want you three to hear part of it first and give me your honest truth about it."

"Why? What's so different about this song that it apparently has you squirming?" Elena asks.

"Let's just say it's different. A lot different than what I've put out so far."

Before anyone else can say anything, you hit play. The music starts and you hide your face in the palms of your hands at how sultry it sounds.

Caroline squeals. "Did you write a sex song?" You groan. "You did! Oh my god."

"Caroline, shut up. I need to hear this," Bonnie says.

You let the song play up until after the first chorus and then stop it. The car is quiet.. and then the squealing starts.

"Your range! Oh my god."

"Who the hell inspired that song?"

You glance at your sister and you bite the inside of your cheek when you see her knowing grin. "Has he heard it?"

"He? There's a he?" Caroline perks up. "Spill it right now, young lady!"

"First off, it's just a crush," you say. "I can't help what comes out once I've been inspired. And secondly, thoughts?"

"Uh," you sister huffs, "amazing! I obviously knew you could sing, but this? This was so good!"

"It's definitely different, but it's a good different. I hope whoever inspired this song inspires more because it's hot!"

"You need to make that available online because I need to download it asap," Caroline says.

You chuckle. "The fans will hear it first while on tour and it'll be available afterward. But.. I am singing the song tonight at the party." The girls cheer. "Klaus is the only one who knows because I got him to compel the guests to not record when I sing."

Elena starts to smile. "Has Klaus heard the song?"

"No. If he had heard it beforehand, he'd never let me live it down."

"Never let you live it down?" Caroline frowns. "Why would- oh my god! Elijah? You wrote that song about Elijah?!"

Bonnie's eyes widen and you groan some more, and Elena takes it upon herself to fill them in the live-action slowburn between you and the Original. There's lots of squealing, teasing and laughter, but when it dies down some you take the moment to finally start driving.

When you get to the Mikaelson mansion, you groan at all the vehicles already lining the driveway. Apparently Klaus didn't get the memo that you wanted a small party.

"Caroline, I'm going to kill your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend, YN. He's just- he's Klaus."

"Well it looks like your Klaus or whatever invited the whole goddamn town." You frown. "How the hell am I supposed to have fun when Tyler's glaring at me the entire time?"

"Tyler's still giving you trouble?" Elena asks.

"He pretty much leaves me be, but if he sees me out with Elijah or Klaus he turns into a wrathful prick."

"Typical," Caroline huffs.

"Well whatever," Bonnie says. "Tonight is your and Elena's night. If he starts trouble, I'm flinging his ass out of the party and putting up a barrier so he can't go back in."

Feeling a little bit better about the situation, you park and lock up your vehicle as soon as everyone's out. Bonnie and Caroline walk ahead, arm in arm, and you do the same with Elena. The music is already thumping and though you're excited, you're kind of dreading singing your song now.

As soon as you enter the house, you keep walking because the party is in the backyard. And when you get back there, you're surprised at the crowd that's already dancing under twinkling lights that've been strung up. There's a makeshift dance floor that's been put together atop the lawn and a DJ doing his utmost to keep the crowd going.

Almost immediately Caroline and Bonnie disappear into the crowd, and Stefan steals your sister away after wishing you a happy birthday. You wave at a few friends, accepting hugs and cheek kisses as you walk around looking for a familiar face that you're happy to spend some time with.

Surprisingly, it's Klaus you find first.

"Went a little overboard, don't you think?" You muse as you sidle up to him.

Klaus turns to you, smirk forming as his eyebrows raise in surprise. "Well, well. Don't you look-"

"Don't. Just don't." He chuckles and you shake your head, grinning.

"I like it. And I think my brother will like it too."

"Who said I care about what your brother thinks?"

"It's all in your heartbeat, love. Always gets a little faster when you're with him." You manage to hold it together for a few seconds before your shoulders sag. Klaus slings an arm around your shoulders and tucks you into his side. "I don't know why you're so worried. He's trying for you too." He points at something in the distance and you follow to where he wants you to look.

It takes you a second to realize who you're looking at and your eyes widen at what you see. The usually prim and proper Elijah Mikaelson is now in a plain dark tee with its sleeves pushed up to his elbows and dark washed jeans. There are a gaggle of girls who can't seem to keep their eyes off of him, and even one brave individual who attempts to speak with him.

"Who gave him the right?!" You quietly seethe. Klaus shakes with suppressed laughter and you absentmindedly swat at him. "Normally he looks like a snack in those suits of his, but right now he's looking like a goddamn full course meal!"

He barks out a laugh then and it surprisingly catches his brother's attention. You freeze when Elijah meets your gaze head on and then you nervously wave at him. He smiles before saying something to the girl who's trying to gain his attention and then steps past her to make his way towards you.

"And that's my cue to go."

Your head snaps up and you try to grip onto Klaus' shirt, but he easily pulls out of your grasp. "You're a dead man, Klaus. I'm telling Caroline you're an asshole!" But he merely laughs at you before winking, turning around to disappear into the crowd.

"Do I want to know what Niklaus has done this time?" You straighten up at Elijah's voice and paste on a smile. You manage to hold it for three seconds before you laugh and shake your head, Elijah then chuckling along with you. However, his gaze drops as he looks you up and down, and you curse your heartbeat for speeding up. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." You blush. Then wrangling your feelings together, you say, "And you look- very handsome. I don't think I've ever seen you out of a suit."

"Well even though I am the oldest here at your party, I didn't want to look the part of a chaperone. I wanted to.. blend in, I suppose."

You look him up and down, subtly gulping. "Well this look is definitely working for you. Kudos, Mr. Mikaelson, for looking like a snack."

"A snack?" He muses. "Not a full course meal?"

You freeze as your gaze snaps up to meet his own and you find him smiling. Your face flames and he chuckles. "You, uh, you heard that, did you?"

"I did."

"And Klaus knew you could hear me, didn't he?"

"He did." Your eyes widen as you're about to curse his brother, but his next words stop you in your tracks. "And he wasn't wrong. About me trying for you too."

"W-What?"

Elijah merely smirks, producing a wrapped present from his back pocket. You stare at it until he tells you to take it and open it, and you're pleasantly surprised at the blue moon locket inside. As you lift the silver chain and smile fondly at it, he takes it from your hand and has you turn around so he can put it around you. The locket settles right above your cleavage and you touch the pendant as a fond smile forms.

You turn to face Elijah, a thank you on the tip of your tongue, but he brushing your hair behind your right ear has your voice completely abandoning you. He smirks as you blush yet again. "Happy birthday, Miss Gilbert." He then leans in and you hold your breath as he kisses your cheek. "Now go have fun. We'll speak later."

Elijah turns and walks away, a certain swagger in his step that has you staring a little longer than necessary. Then once he's out of sight, you walk around in a daze until you spot Klaus and Damon having a conversation that looks as if he's slowly riling up the Salvatore vampire.

Walking towards them, you grab Damon's drink from his hand and down it in one swig. You grimace at the burning and then hand him the empty glass while addressing Klaus. "Your brother is a goddamn tease. I'm gonna climb him like a tree."

Klaus snorts inelegantly, leaving Damon an opening. "Like hell you are."

Your gaze slides to Damon's put out expression. "And why not? I mean it's not like he's going to seduce me, fuck me, feed off of me and then compel me," you say a little too innocently. "That's a Damon Salvatore special, isn't it?"

Damon rears back in shock. "Caroline told you?"

"No. Elena did," you say. "She's kept me up to date with everything almost as soon as it happened. And you, Damon, are not my favorite person so if I were you, I'd tread carefully."

His shock morphs into disbelief. "And the Mikaelson's are? You don't know what they've done, YN."

"Quite the opposite, Damon. If Elena hadn't told me everything, then Klaus and Elijah sure did. I'm quite impressed by everything they've seen and done."

"And you're just okay with it?"

"Well yeah. After that little hiccup with Elena's sacrifice, who do you think it was that convinced her to talk to Klaus and come to an agreement?" Damon shakes his head as if he can't believe what he's hearing. "My sister refuses to become a vampire, Damon, and I'll be damned if I let you or your brother turn her without her consent. So what if she has to donate one bag of blood every other month? At least she now has Original protection so she can live a happy, human life."

"You're unbelievable."

You shrug, expression stony. "I'm just looking out for my twin. Jeopardize her standing with the Mikaelson's and I'll stake you myself." Then smiling, you look at Klaus and wiggle your eyebrows. "Give me about an hour or so to blow off some steam and then it's my time to shine. The girls already know and have already heard part of the song."

"And?"

"I'm either gonna die of embarrassment or end the night as one happy girl."

Klaus laughs as you then take his drink, walking off to finally enjoy your party.

You hadn't planned on letting Damon know you knew all about the supernatural, but there was no going back now. The cheerful atmosphere of the party is infectious and you can't help but join in as you slide between a couple of your classmates. The music has you swaying and grinding, and you down the drink in hand before passing off the glass to someone else.

You don't know how long you've been dancing when Caroline finds you, hurrying you inside and into a bathroom. She tells you, you need to freshen up if you plan to seduce Elijah and then proceeds to wet a hand towel and wipe you down. You're laughing the entire time, but Caroline really knows what she's doing and makes you feel like you aren't a sweaty mess. Then when her job is done and you find yourself outside once more, Elena and Bonnie are waiting for you.

"Is it too late to be compelled?" You ask.

"Yep." Both Elena and Bonnie hook their arms with yours.

"No time like the present to get over that stage fright," Bonnie says.

"I don't have stage fright," you mumble. "I have Elijah fright."

"Relax." Elena squeezes your arm. "You're freaking out for nothing."

"Maybe."

As you make your way to the DJ's booth, Klaus is there to greet you with a microphone. Smirking, he hands it over. "Is this something I'm going to want to record?"

"Only if it doesn't end up on the internet. This is a brand new song that isn't supposed to be unveiled until I'm on tour," you say.

"Excellent. I just need something to send to Kol and Rebekah. They're going to be upset they missed this."

You chuckle. "Mhm. Let's just hope this is something actually worth capturing on video first." Klaus leans over and mentions something to the DJ, and the music lowers. Mumblings of confusion start to erupt because the entertainment has suddenly gone away and your sister nudges you forward. Raising the microphone to your mouth, you say, "Hey, guys. So, uh, I know birthday parties are all about guests giving presents, but I thought I'd give you all a little something instead."

Several people whoop and cheer, and you smile as Jenna and Ric push themselves to the front of the crowd. They're not the only familiar faces though because you spot Jeremy, Tyler, Matt, Stefan and a clearly annoyed Damon dotted all along the front lines.

"I was instructed to write a new song or two and I'm happy to say I've actually written one. But- But!" You say a little louder as the crowd gets excited. "It's new and I'm not supposed to be singing this, so if you aren't my sister or my aunt or my best of friends, then please do not record this. I can't afford to have this song hit the internet before I'm ready to release it worldwide."

The crowd seems to murmur their agreement, Klaus' compulsion no doubt kicking in and making them not go for their phones. As a last minute decision, you have everyone step back some off the dance floor. You have your friends bring in some chairs, placing them in front of the crowd and then take a single chair for yourself as you face them. Then spotting Elijah, a wicked idea comes to mind.

Suddenly feeling very bold, you smirk across the dance floor at him. "Elijah," you purr into the microphone, "why don't you come up here and take a seat?"

Elena and Jenna grin at one another, Bonnie gapes, and Caroline's hands come up to cover her mouth as she squeals. Damon, Stefan, Matt and Tyler all tense, but you only have eyes for Elijah who narrows his eyes at you but whose lips twitch in amusement.

As Elijah walks across the dance floor, you turn the chair so that when he sits the whole crowd will see his side profile. He stops just in front of you before turning and taking his seat. "What are you up to, Miss Gilbert?" He asks as he looks up at you.

You wink. "Just sit there and enjoy the show because this is only happening once." Then looking up, you inhale and exhale deeply to calm your nerves. At the forefront of the crowd sits Elena, Jenna, Klaus, Caroline and Bonnie. The rest of the boys stand behind them or to their sides, eagerly awaiting just what you have in store for them. "So this new song is.. different," you tell the crowd. "You all got to listen and jam out along to my teenage angst, and now you get to hear something from me that's a lot more grown up than what I'm used to."

Bonnie wolf-whistles and Klaus readies his phone to record the performance. You chuckle and then look towards the DJ, giving him the signal to start the music.

The beat starts and Jenna's eyes widen, she snapping her attention to Elena. "Yep. I know," Elena says, grinning. "But just listen. It gets a whole lot sexier."

YN walks her fingers along Elijah's shoulders, letting a completely different persona take over for the duration of the song. "Don't need permission. Made my decision to test my limits. 'Cause it's my business, God as my witness, start what I finished."

Jeremy leans down between his aunt and sister. "Uh, did either of you know YN could sing like this?"

"Nope." Both answer.

"And we're all okay with her apparently seducing a Mikaelson?"

"Yep."

He shrugs. "Okay then."

YN's left hand stops on Elijah's left shoulder before she slides it down his chest. "All that you got, skin to skin, oh my God. Don't ya stop, boy." She quickly walks around, throwing her leg over his lap and straddling his thighs. Her free hand immediately goes to the back of his head, grasping his short hair and pulling his head back as she leans in close. "Somethin' 'bout you makes me feel like a dangerous woman. Somethin' 'bout, something' 'bout, somethin' 'bout you makes me wanna do things that I shouldn't. Somethin' 'bout, somethin' 'bout, somethin' 'bout.."

"His hands are gripping YN's hips awfully tight." Ric grimaces.

"Sexy bruises." Caroline waves him off. "Leave it alone." She whistles as her friend practically gives the Original vampire a lap dance in front of a crowd of people.

"I am definitely not letting Elijah live this down," Klaus says as he continues to record.

YN sings some more, dancing around Elijah or sitting on his lap when there's a growl from behind them. Klaus tenses as he sees Tyler take a step forward in his peripheral vision, but surprisingly the Bennett witch is the one who speaks up.

"One more step, Tyler, and you will regret it." The wolf freezes and glances down at his friend in shock. "YN made her decision a long time ago. It's time for you to move on."

"Are you seriously okay with her pursuing whatever this is with Elijah knowing what he is?"

Bonnie raises an eyebrow at him. "YN knows very well what Elijah is. In fact, she knows what we all are. You included."

His expression slackens and Klaus goes back to enjoying the performance. Though he's plenty happy with what he has with Caroline, he has to admit that the Gilbert girl has a set of pipes on her.

By the time you finish singing, you're sitting in Elijah's lap with one hand gripped in his shirt. You're panting a little heavily- one because you're a little out of breath and two because adrenaline is still coursing through your veins- and you freeze in place as Elijah's hands grasp the sides of your face to pull you into a heat searing kiss.

The crowd erupts and you smile against his mouth before tilting your head to let him deepen the kiss. But ever the proper gentleman, Elijah ends the kiss with a chaste peck to your lips. "To be continued," he murmurs, sending a shiver down your spine. He smirks since he actually feels it.

"Mhm. Yeah. Sure."

"You still have to cut your cake."

"Pft. Cake? I don't need cake."

Elijah's lips twitch. "My brother is still recording."

His words bring you up short and clear away the haze that had settled over your mind. You tense in his lap before turning to find his brother in the crowd. "Niklaus Mikaelson, you better stop recording right this instant."

Your girls all laugh as Klaus pouts and lowers his phone. "Take all my fun."

You stick around Mystic Falls long enough to see Elena, Caroline and Bonnie walk the stage, splitting the time between your family and friends, and Elijah. You even get to meet Kol and Rebekah who rushed back to Mystic Falls in order to meet you after Klaus sent them the video from your birthday. Kol was a little flirt, but finally took the hint you would never be interested after Elijah pinned him to the wall and threatened him with some mystical dagger. And Rebekah was just happy to see her usually poised brother let loose a little.

You had wanted to help the girls move into their shared dorm at Whitmore College, but your time was cut short and you needed to get ready yourself. You knew leaving your family and friends was going to be hard, but you hadn't counted on becoming so attached to Elijah so quickly.

"Do not fret," Elijah says as you stand outside the bus, hands gently holding both sides of your neck with his thumbs pressed under your chin to have you looking upward. "I'll drive out to a few of your concerts when I'm able to."

"Yeah, yeah. So you've said."

He grins. "Go say goodbye to your family. There's a surprise waiting for you on the bus."

You're eager to see what surprise he has in store for you, but he's right. You need one last goodbye with your family. So you walk towards where your family and friends wait, rolling your eyes at their smirks and wiggling eyebrows. Aunt Jenna is the only one who cries, but Ric's there to comfort her and assure her that you're a smart kid and would stay out of trouble. Elena, Jeremy, Bonnie and Caroline all hug you, wishing you a fun and successful tour.

"Well it's been fun, but I think I should get going," you say.

Suddenly the bus door swings open and Rebekah Mikaelson stands there. "It's about bloody time! Come on then. Let's get going."

You gape at the blonde Original and then turn towards an amused Elijah. "My surprise is your sister?"

"Yes. She finds that she quite likes our music and I find that I don't like you being all on your lonesome."

You purse your lips at him, grinning a moment later. "Well it could be worse. My chaperone could be Kol."

"He wanted to come," Rebekah muses, "but Elijah and I forbade it. However, I wouldn't be surprised if he purchases tickets for every concert just to be a nuisance."

You laugh. "That's fine. But are you sure you want to come with? I'm sure it'll be quite boring while on the bus, not to mention the rather cramped sleeping quarters."

"Positive. Besides, I've always wanted a sister." Your eyes widen and Rebekah laughs as Elijah pinches the bridge of his nose. "Now come on. We've got to get on the road so I can tell you everything embarrassing that's ever happened to Elijah."

[d-criss-news]

20 Questions With Darren Criss: How Acting Has Helped Him Make New Music

While Darren Criss has graced our TV screens with a range of characters, from high schooler Blaine Anderson on Glee to serial killer Andrew Cunanan on The Assassination of Gianni Versace, he was last spotted just being himself, on our For You Page on TikTok. “I’m walking to rehearsal with a guitar on my back with a Trader Joe’s bag ... I did not bring an umbrella because I forgot that it was raining. I’m rocking that NYC musician life,” the Glee alum explained in the hilarious clip posted three days ago.

While Criss’ acting work has earned him acclaim and stardom, he leaned into making music during the pandemic. On Aug. 20, he dropped a new EP, Masquerade, featuring five new tracks that Criss says were inspired by the different characters Criss has embraced throughout his career. After Criss wrote songs for his musical comedy web series Royalties and Apple TV+’s animated sitcom Central Park before the pandemic struck the United States, he then used those experiences as a precursor to his new EP. As Criss continues to promote his new music, he answered 20 of Billboard's questions – giving us a peek into how his new EP came together, and how growing up in San Fransisco shaped him as an actor, singer and all-around artist.

1. What inspired your latest project, Masquerade?

Although I would have preferred that it come at a far less grim cost, I finally had the time. Before the pandemic, I had written 10 new songs for my show Royalties -- along with an original song for Disney and another for Apple’s Central Park. These were all assignments in which I was writing for a certain scenario and character. Go figure. It was the most music I had ever written in a calendar year. This really emboldened me to rethink how I made my own music— to start putting a focus on “character creation” in my songs, rather than personal reflection. The latter was not proving to be as productive. The alchemy of having this time and having set a new intention with my own songwriting and producing made me put on a few of my favorite masques and throw myself a Masquerade.

2. How do you think your background as an actor complements your music?

They are one and the same to me. I treat acting roles like musical pieces— dialogue is like scoring a melody; there’s pace, dynamics, cadence, tone. Physical characterization is like producing -- zeroing in on the bass line, deciding on the kick pattern. Vocal characterization is like choosing the right sonic experience, choosing the most effective snare sound, and mixing the high end or low end. It goes without saying that it works in the complete opposite direction. Making each song is taking on a different role literally and employing the use of different masques to maximize the effectiveness of the particular story being told.

3. On Instagram  you wrote that “Masquerade is a small collection of the variety of musical masques that have always inspired me.” Which track do you identify with most in your real life?

Everybody absorbs songs differently. Some key into the lyrics, some into the melody, some the production, some into vocal performance. When I listen to songs, I consider all of their value on totally different scales. So it’s hard to say if there’s any track I “identify” with more than any others, since I -- by nature -- identify with all of them. I think I just identify with certain aspects more than others. If it helps for a more interesting answer, I will say I enjoy the slightly more classical, playful -- dare I say -- more Broadway-leaning wordplay of “Walk of Shame,” but that’s just talking about lyricism. I enjoy the attitude of “F*kn Around,” the batsh--t musicality of “I Can’t Dance,” the relentless grooves of “Let’s” and “For A Night Like This.” All have different ingredients I really enjoy having an excuse to dive into.

4. What’s the first piece of music that you bought for yourself, and what was the medium?

Beatles audio cassettes: “Help” and “Hard Day’s Night.” I just listened on repeat on a tape-playing Walkman until my brother and I got a stereo for our room with a CD player in it, which was  when I just bought the same two albums again, but this time as compact discs.

5. What was the first concert you saw?It’s hard to say, because my parents took us to a lot of classical concerts when we were small. But I guess this question usually refers to what was the first concert you went to on your own volition, and that my friend, was definitely Warped Tour ’01. My brother and I went on our own— two teenagers going to their first music festival, in the golden age of that particular genre and culture. It was f--king incredible.

6. What did your parents do for a living when you were a kid?

My dad was in private banking and advised really, really wealthy people on how to handle their money. My mom was, by choice, a stay-at-home mom, but in reality, she was my dad’s consigliere. They discussed absolutely everything together. They were a real team, and I saw that every single day in the house. They both had a background in finance (That’s how they met in the first place.) and were incredibly skilled at all the hardcore adulting things that I absolutely suck at. They were total finance wizards together. So of course, instead of becoming an accountant, I picked up playing the guitar and ran as far I could with it. Luckily, they were all about it.

7. What was your favorite homecooked meal growing up?

My dad was an incredible chef. For special occasions, I’d request his crab cakes. They were unreal. I’ve never had a crab cake anywhere in the world that was good as my dad’s.

8. Who made you realize you could be an artist full-time?

I don’t know if I’ve actually realized that yet.

9. What’s at the top of your professional bucket list?

The specifics change every day, but the core idea at the top is to continue being consistently inconsistent with my choices, and to keep getting audiences to constantly reconsider their consideration of me. But I mean, sure, what performer doesn’t want to play Coachella? What songwriter doesn’t want to have Adele sing one of their songs? What actor doesn’t want to be in a Wes Anderson film?

10.  How did your hometown/city shape who you are?

San Francisco. I mean, come on. I was really lucky. The older I get, the more grateful I am for just being born and raised there. It’s an incredibly diverse, culturally rich, colorful, inclusive, vibrant city. By the time I was born, it had served as a beacon for millions of creative, out-of-the-box thinkers to gather and thrive. I grew up around that. The combination of that with having parents, who were unbelievably supportive of the arts themselves, laid an incredibly fortunate foundation to consider the life of an artist as a legitimately viable option. It’s a foundation that I am supremely aware is not the case for millions of young artists around the world. I was absurdly lucky.

11.  What’s the last song you listened to?

I mean probably one of mine, but not by choice. I know, lame. But I’m promoting a new EP, what’d you expect? But if you wanna know what I’ve been listening to, as far as new s--t is concerned: a lot of Lizzy McAlpine, Remi Wolf, and Charlie Burg.

12.  If you could see any artist in concert, dead or alive, who would it be?

The Beatles is an obvious "yeah, duh." Sammy Davis, Mel Tormé, or of course, Nat King Cole. I would’ve loved to see Howard Ashman give a lecture on his creative process and his body of work.

13. What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen happen in the crowd of one of your sets?

I feel like just having a crowd at all, at any one of my sets, is pretty wild enough.

14. What’s your karaoke go-to?

The real answer to this I’ll write into a book one day, because I have a lot to say about karaoke etiquette. I have two options here: I can either name a song that I like to sing for me, for fun, or I can name a song that really gets the group going. The answer depends on what kind of karaoke night we’re dealing with here. So I will say, after I’ve selected a ton of songs that services a decent enough party vibe for everyone else, then I would do one for me, and that would be the Beatles’ “Oh! Darling.”

15. What’s one thing your most devoted fans don’t know about you?

What I have up my sleeve.

16. What TV show did you binge-watch over the past year?

Dave is a stroke of genius. There are episodes that I believe are bona fide masterpieces. Also, My Brilliant Friend is a masterclass in cinematic television.

17. What movie, or song, always makes you cry?

It’s A Wonderful Life.

18. What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

Get used to sharing everything about yourself and your life now, or more astutely, to the idea that you don’t necessarily get to control how your life is shared. I know it’s not really your thing, but you’re gonna have to get used to it, so start building up those calluses now. And don’t worry, all the stuff you love now will be cool again in your mid-thirties, so keep some of those clothes because you’ll be a full-blown fashion icon if you just keep wearing exactly what you’re wearing. Oh nd also, put money into Apple and Facebook.

19.  What new hobby did you take on in the last year?

I’ve always been a linguaphile. My idea of leisure time is getting to study or review other languages. This past year, I took the time to finally dive into learning how to read, write, and speak Japanese. Other than making music, it was one of the biggest components of my 2020-2021.

20. What do you hope to accomplish or experience by the end of 2021?

I hope I get to play live shows again.

[shoutosteakettle]

Could you do a few headcanons about Hawks in heat? Like you know how certain species do that? Tbh idk if birds do but if you could do something like that it’d be great!

word count: 1041

key: ☆,♤

a/n: so i did a little bit of extra research for this ask and i think that i should cite my sources? anyways, enjoy your headcanons for this horny bird!

bio: our bird is in heat

➯ Strap yourself in for a wild ride because, for the very, very long month of May, the only thought on this man's bird brain is *ahem* breeding the fuck out of you and other things, of course.

Protecting/Claiming His Territory

➯ When the two of you go out in public while he's going through his 'heat,' he will be super protective. You think that those shorts look nice on you, well Keigo thinks they show off too much of your ass (which to be fair, does belong to him). If he had a say in the way you dress, you'd be covered head to toe, like a catholic nun.

➯ When the two of you are walking around town, you're always by Keigo's side, and his wing halfway wrapped around you, protecting you from any potential threats and prying eyes. You would not want to be the guy that Keigo catches staring at you from across the coffee shop because he is for sure going to get jumped in the alleyway behind the shop.

➯ Throughout his period of 'heat,' Keigo will always insist that you smell like him so that the potential 'threats' will know who his angel belongs to. He'll ask that you wear his shirts or hoodies everywhere. You love wearing Keigo's clothes, but you have your own that you enjoy wearing, so you politely decline...the first time. Then the second time. By the tenth, you're having a screaming match throwing his clothes out from your closet and off the balcony. So when that doesn't work as a last-ditch effort, Keigo'll start spraying you with his cologne while you're asleep.

➯ Simple makeout sessions quickly turn into marking fests, leaving hickeys all over your neck in places where you cannot hide them. And sex, phshh - black and blue bruises, wounds that'll eventually turn into scars, and huge welts everywhere. You won't be able to leave the house without looking like you went head to toe with an MMA fighter.

➯ Just remember that you are Keigo's and no one else's, and you should be fine. But if you do forget, there will be hell to pay.

Courtship

➯ Daily flights become a regular thing. It's sweet, really, just the two of you and the warm colors of the sunset. It's the best thing to come out of this whole 'in heat' situation. Every once in a while, Keigo will set up a picnic atop your favorite building in Japan, and the two of you will spend the night just laughing, chatting, and making googly eyes at each other.

➯ Karaoke nights! Even though he's god, awful Keigo likes to sing with/to you, anything from rapping (mumbling) Drake songs to screeching Taylor Swift at the top of his lungs. He might even break out some of his signature Keigo dance moves and really set the party off!

➯ Blanket forts! It's always fun building forts with you and watching movies, talking, and messing around with you (and other things…). You could spend an eternity with him just talking and staring into his eyes, but usually, you have to spend half of the night rebuilding the forts because Keigo's wings never fail to knock the fort down.

➯ You'll find him wanting to take care of you, more so than usual, and doing the most simple things.

➯ Whenever you say, you're going to hop in the shower Keigo's right there with you, bottle of shampoo, and loofa in hand. He'll wash your hair for you, rinse you off, and do all the things you are perfectly capable of doing yourself.

➯ If you had a bad day at work, he's trying his best to make up for it, listening to you vent while working his magic with his special back and foot rubs.

➯ Cuddles forever include Keigo running his fingers through your hair, brushing the tangles and knots out, making sure his angel is looking 100% presentable.

➯ Every morning he'll cook breakfast for the two of you and leave your plate in the microwave and leave a sticky note on the glass, reminding you how much he loves you before he's off for work.

➯ Throughout May, Keigo's wings are always in a constant state of flux. He doesn't even realize he's doing it, and honestly, it's the cutest thing ever the way that he is constantly 'protecting his angel from the outside world' as he likes to say. Sometimes when he tries to walk through the doorway to his bedroom, his wings will get cough on either side, and he'll fall on his ass.

Mating

➯ Sex is fucking FEARL. Slow and sensual had been fucking thrown out the window, the only thing left is Keigo's intent to fill you to the very brim with his cum with the hopes of getting you pregnant.

➯ Positions you can look forward to being forced into include mating press. That's it. The mating press is the optimal position for pregnancy, and that is Keigo's only goal right now.

➯ I hope that you don't think three rounds enough to satisfy Keigo's needs. This man will break you. He doesn't care how many times you've already orgasmed, and he is not stopping until you're filled with his seed.

➯ Don't even think twice about wasting any. This is something Keigo will be super sadistic with, pinching your clit, knowing that your walls will involuntarily clench around nothing, forcing his cum out and effectively ruining his masterpiece. Now he has to start all over again to fix your mistake.

➯ The aftercare you're so accustomed to will surely falter because fucking you into oblivion even with his level of stamina is pretty tiring. Either which way you always, always fall asleep your head on his chest and him lying on his back, his wings'll cramp up in the morning, but it's always worth it for this moment spent between the two of you right before you fall asleep in his arms.

tag list: @loisfics​ & @hawkssimp​ (because hawks...duh)

[bookstantrash]

A/N: I preordered ACOSF yesterday and I’ve been living in a happy Nessian bubble and decided to take all that energy and write something.

Today is Freddie Mercury’s death anniversary so I thought about taking my favorite headcanon of Nesta being a great singer and have her sing one of Queen’s masterpieces. This is a humble tribute of mine to the great musician and amazing person that Mercury was. May he rest in peace and his legacy live on forever.

Somebody to Love

There are said to be five steps for overcoming grief.

Denial.

Anger.

Bargaining.

Depression.

And acceptance.

Nesta had gone through all of them after her father’s death. She had spent a lot time feeling angry, and her depression was finally getting better after she started seeing a psychologist. Her sisters support had also been vital.

Those same steps could also be applied after a breakup. And that was exactly what Nesta was going through.

However, she was proud to say that after three days of being single, she had only gone through two steps: anger and acceptance.

At least that was what she was trying to convince her sisters and Emerie of.

“I’m fine, El” Nesta repeated for what was the umpteenth time in the past five minutes “It was his loss. I’m much better off alone.”

“Nesta, if you’d only talk to us so we could understand” Elain replied, frustrated by her older sister’s headstrong behaviour.

Because Nesta Archeron had only sent a text that afternoon informing her two sisters that she had called quits at her almost three year relationship with Cassian and dragged them to the karaoke bar. No explanations offered.

“There’s nothing to talk about” Nesta said, taking a sip of her margarita “Oh look! Emerie is coming back, that means it’s my turn”

Feyre and Elain exchanged a worried look, something Nesta didn’t fail to notice before she pumped Emerie’s shoulder playfully while she made her way to the small stage. Emerie only gave her a weak smile, worry also shinning in her eyes.

Nesta Archeron was far from fine. But she didn’t want to worry her sisters. Or admit that to herself.

She was over Cassian. And being here, on the place where they had shared their most precious memories, was the sign that she was taking this place back.

It would be her place. This was an act of burying for good the memories of Cassian.

She would allow herself to think about him this one last time. One last song.

About them. About her feelings.

Stopping in front of the microphone, Nesta sang.

Love of my life, you've hurt me

You've broken my heart and now you leave me

Nesta was nearing her new book’s deadline, so she had locked herself in her apartment and forbidden Cassian from visiting.

“You distract me too much” she had said while she tried to finished the paragraph she was writing, Cassian coming behind her to nuzzle his nose in her neck, promptly making her forget about everything but his touch on her skin.

“You like when I distract you” he had murmured, slowly kissing her neck.

She didn’t do much work on that day. But after that Cassian made a promise to stay away for the week.

Love of my life, can't you see?

Bring it back, bring it back

Nesta finished three days before her deadline. She had had a sudden burst of inspiration and wrote all through the night. So she had thought of surprising Cassian with some homemade food.

Nesta was on her way to his house after her shopping when she saw a familiar man bun in the sidewalk.

She was thinking about honking to gather his attention — they could go back to his place together and cut the surprise short — when she noticed that he was not alone.

Don't take it away from me, because you don't know

What it means to me

There was a blonde woman with him. A very very pretty woman. The kind that you saw on magazines covers. And the way Cassian was looking at her.... it made Nesta’s heart clench.

Cassian hadn’t smiled at her like that for some time. He always looked nervous and about to say something whenever they met, but she had brushed it off.

But maybe... maybe he was trying to say something. Maybe he was trying to say that he had found someone else.

Maybe the blonde woman that hanged on his arm.

Love of my life, don't leave me

You've stolen my love, you now desert me

Nesta had driven back to her apartment in autopilot. She had a loud ringing in her ears and her body was all cold.

Deep down she knew that Cassian would break up with her. She was not the easiest person out there, while Cassian.... he was loved by everyone. He deserved better.

So she broke up with him before he did the same with her.

Through a message. A simple message.

‘I can’t do this anymore. We’re over. Don’t come to my apartment or my life ever again’

Love of my life, can't you see?

Bring it back, bring it back

Nesta had blocked his contact from her phone. Left her apartment and went to the first place she could think of: Emerie’s.

Her best friend was surprised to see her, and Nesta spilled everything to her amidst tears.

She spent the rest of the day crying over wine and ice cream.

The next day , Nesta woke up with an horrible headache. And anger that burned so hot it threatened to destroy her.

Don't take it away from me

Because you don't know

What it means to me

She had cursed Cassian till the end of his bloodline, and decided that never again would give anyone the key to her heart.

Emerie tried to convince her to allow Cassian to explain himself.

“He left me over twenty messages Nesta!” Emerie had argued “He has been calling nonstop!”

“I have no time to hear his excuses” she spat back, clenching her fists “I saw him with my own eyes”

You will remember

When this is blown over

Everything's all by the way

Emerie had just sighed in defeat.

And by the third day Nesta had made up her mind to forget she even knew Cassian.

She messaged her sisters — which had been worried sick about her, given that he had also contacted them — and they met at the karaoke.

Their karaoke.

When I grow older

I will be there at your side to remind you

How I still love you (I still love you)

Their first date spot.

Their first kiss.

Where he had asked her to be his girlfriend.

I still love you

Nesta felt silent tears running down her cheeks. She hoped the poor illumination helped conceal them.

She was nearing the end of the song when she felt a gaze on her, what shouldn’t be a surprise given that she was singing in front of the whole bar.

Yet she knew that gaze.

A gaze that made her stomach flutter.

A gaze that made her knees weak.

Oh, hurry back, hurry back

Don't take it away from me

You don't know what it means to me

Cassian.

She was going to bloody murder Feyre. She had asked them not to tell where she was. But Feyre was never known for keeping a secret. And she did go out with Cassian’s best friend and surrogate brother, Rhysand.

Love of my life

Love of my life

Nesta had barely sung the last note when she stormed off the stage and started to fight with Feyre.

“How could you! I asked you not to say a word about where I was!” she didn’t know how, but she managed not to scream, only whisper yell at her surprised sister.

“I— Nesta I didn’t say a word! I swear I don’t know how he got here!” Feyre said, hurt in her eyes.

Nesta dared to glance at him. What only made her anger soar even higher.

For he had not come alone.

No, he had come with companions of his own.

Rhysand, Azriel, Amren, the blonde woman from before and a redhead she had never seen.

“How could he! How could he bring her here!” Nesta felt tears come to her eyes again.

She needed to leave before she had a mental breakdown in front of the whole bar.

‘So much for being over Cassian’ she bitterly thought.

“Nesta, what are you talking about?” Feyre asked, grabbing her shoulders.

“S-she! The blonde beside him!”

“But Nesta—”

“I don’t wanna hear it!” she cried, brushing Feyre’s hands off of her

“Nesta—” Emerie began.

“I’m leaving. You girls have fun” Nesta made to grab her purse while Feyre and Emerie in vain tried to talk with her.

But it was Elain — who had been awfully quiet — that caught her attention.

“You should really see this Nesta” Elain said, her voice laced with curiosity.

“What? I already said that—” she stopped herself mid sentence, her heart skipping a beat.

Because Cassian was on the stage.

And he was looking at her.

“Nesta Archeron?” he called, his deep voice resonating all through the bar.

Nesta could only nod in response, momentarily frozen in place.

“This song is for you”

•

Tags: @sayosdreams @thewayshedreamed @sjm-things @perseusannabeth @arin1030-blog @caotica-e-quieta @vidalinav @swankii-art-teacher @ireallyshouldsleeprn @duskandstarlight @greerlunna @thegoddessaltenia @dayanna-hatter @verypaleninja

{Please let me know if you’d like to be added to my tag list}

[miss-melon]

Karaoke Night

(Kazuichi Soda x Reader)

‼️POSSIBLE TW: Public Embarrassment‼️

Saturday, it was finally Saturday. After a long week of exams it was finally time for you to take your mind off of school for a couple days. No worrying about grades, no worrying about petty high school drama, and best of all, you get to spend the weekend with your boyfriend, Kazuichi Soda.

You and Kazuichi started dating earlier in the school year after Sonia Nevermind set you two up on a date, partially because you had a giant crush on him for a while, and partially because she wanted to get him off her back. You were a bit skeptical at first because you were worried that his Sonia obsession would continue even after you two began dating, but after you two began your relationship, he actually dropped the whole thing entirely.

You and Kazuichi had a very fun relationship, many nights consisted of you two playing video games all night until the sun rose and you two had realized you lost track of time entirely. Oftentimes you two would sleep on the couch together all day with your friends and family constantly worrying that something had happened to you because neither of you would answer your phones.

Yeah, you and Kazuichi were the perfect match. So when it came time for this weekend to start, you were super excited to be able to spend some time with him. Up until you realized what the weekend plan was. You heard a ping from your phone and picked it up to see who texted you, you weren’t surprised to see that it was Kazuichi.

“hey bayyyyybeeeeeeee 💕💕💕💕 a few of us were gonna head to the karaoke bar tonight wanna come with?”

When you saw that he wanted you to go to a karaoke bar with him you were a tad panicked. You knew that when Kazuichi said he wanted to bring you to a karaoke bar that he was actually planning on listening to you sing. He had never heard you sing before, and that was because you were practically tone deaf. Everytime you sang, your voice cracked, you could never hit the proper notes, and half the time you forgot a few lyrics. You actually enjoyed singing but that’s because you never had to subject anyone to your voice. You were about to politely decline his offer when he texted you again, this time it said:

“actually no, you dont get a choice, i wanna see ur cute face tonight. ill c u at 8 LOVE UUUUUUUUUU ^-^”

You honestly weren’t surprised that he would say that. He knew that you could get a little jealous when other people excluded you from plans, so he made sure to include you in everything he possibly could. His intentions were sweet, but sometimes life with Kazuichi could be like babysitting 20 toddlers at once.

After some time passed, you were sitting on your couch waiting for Kazuichi to pull up in his car. You eventually saw him pull up outside your house and that’s when he hopped out of his car, ran to your front door and rang the doorbell several times. You opened the door and were greeted with a massive bear hug and his signature sharp-toothed grin that made you swoon every time you saw it.

“HEY Y/N!!!!!” Kazuichi said very loudly. Out of the corner of your eye you see Fuyuhiko come out of the car and walk towards the two of you.

“Jesus Christ could you be any louder? I bet the whole fuckin’ city heard you just now. Sorry about your eardrums Y/N, you must be so miserable having to hear that voice 24/7.” Fuyuhiko joked. You let out a small chuckle.

“H-HEY!!! Y/N loves me just the way I am!!! Right Y/N???” He looked at you with puppy dog eyes. “Yes sharky, you know I love you, quirks and all.” You gave him a small kiss on the cheek and his face went beet red.

“Get a room you two!” Fuyukiko said with a small grin. You chuckled again as the three of you headed to Kazuichi’s car and went off to the karaoke bar, where all of your other classmates were already there waiting.

“YOU GUYS SHOWED UP JUST IN TIME!!! It’s almost time for Ibuki’s BIG MOMENT!!!” Ibuki said as Mahiru and Hiyoko were just finishing up their duet. “Bet none of you losers can beat that! That was a masterpiece!” Hiyoko said as she high-fived Mahiru. After a few of your classmates went up to sing their songs, it was finally your turn to get up and sing. Kazuichi gave you a pat you on the back. “KNOCK EM DEAD BABE!” He said in attempts to encourage you. “Yeah I just might...” You thought to yourself as you reluctantly got up to the front of the room, eyes from all of your classmates staring you down. You chose the song that you knew the best in hopes that you would actually do well at singing it.

You went through your song with many pitch errors and voice cracks and when you were done, the bar went silent. You knew that you just fucked up the song.

All of a sudden you heard someone clapping rapidly, you looked down and saw none other than Kazuichi clapping and screaming. “YEAAHHHHHHH THAT’S MY S/O UP THERE!!!” He even started whistling. Hiyoko burst out laughing as all your other classmates looked away with second-hand embarrassment.

“YOU CALL THAT SHIT SINGING??? GET OFF THE STAGE AND LET SOMEONE WITH ACTUAL TALENT TAKE OVER!!!” Hiyoko’s words only made you feel worse, that is, until you heard Kazuichi speak up. “H-HEY!!! They did AMAZING!!! Don’t you DARE slander Y/N’s name!!! Or i’ll um... I’LL DO SOMETHING THAT YOU WON’T LIKE!” He stuck his tongue out at Hiyoko.

Your cheeks went red from embarrassment as you knew you had just made yourself look like an idiot in front of all your friends. You just stood up there on the verge of tears until suddenly, Kazuichi ran up to the stage and whispered to you. “Hey, you okay babe?” You were so upset that you couldn’t even respond to his question. Kazuichi knew just what to do. He grabbed the microphone and yelled into it. “ALRIGHT EVERYONE LISTEN UP!!! Y/N and I are about to give the most BREATHTAKING performance any of you will EVER HEAR!!!” He quickly picked out a song that had 2 parts, a melody and a harmony. You were mortified, you had heard Kazuichi sing before and he was actually really, REALLY good. You just knew he was going to make you sound even worse next to him.

When the song started you reluctantly started singing, but when you expected to hear Kazuichi’s beautiful singing voice, you instead heard an unholy noise that could only be described as nails on a chalkboard. You looked over at Kazuichi and that’s when it hit you. He knew how embarrassed you were and he wanted to put all the negative attention on him to spare you from all the self-deprecating thoughts. When you finally realized what he was doing, it filled you with more confidence than you’ve ever felt before, and you finished the song with Kazuichi by your side, and his singing made you sound like Rihanna compared to him.

When the song finished, Hiyoko pointed at Kazuichi and started laughing at him even harder than she laughed at you and Mahiru actually pulled you aside. “You certainly redeemed yourself in that performance Y/N, nice job!” Many of your other classmates joined her in giving you props and validation for your singing in your duet with Kazuichi.

While your classmates were praising you for your “amazing” singing, Kazuichi was standing at the side of the bar as Fuyuhiko approached him. “You did that on purpose didn’t you?” Fuyuhiko gave him a playful punch on the arm.

“I just wanted Y/N to feel good, I love them so much and wanted to give them a break from all the stress from school, I know they’ve had a rough week.” Kazuichi said as he stared at you. Seeing you so happy made him even happier. Fuyuhiko looked at Kazuichi and said with a grin: “You’re a good kid Kazu.”

THE END.

_______________________________________________

I hope you guys enjoyed! I wanted to release something involving Kazuichi today and I think this one turned out okay!

[genesisrose74]

Karasuno Boys Singing Headcanons!

A/n: By this point I hope that everyone has seen the masterpiece that is Sugawara’s wonderful voice actor singing Under the Sea, which has won the spot in my heart for cutest thing I’ve ever heard. I then proceeded to go off the deep end of Haikyuu voice actors singing and safe to say I was in no way disappointed, so here’s some Karasuno boys singing headcanons! If you have any requests my ask box is open 💖 enjoy!

Daichi

Is it just me or would Daichi not care if someone heard him singing

He seems like the type of person who hums all the time 

Partly because it helps relax him after yelling at the team all day LMAO He doesn’t necessarily sing with lyrics every chance he gets, but when he does he’s pretty casual about it

He’ll sing in the car a lot, and it was actually the first place you heard him

Boy has a soothing playlist for school days and you always like hearing his voice when he drives you in the mornings

Will hum when you’re both doing schoolwork in his or your house

Doesn’t realize he has a good voice, so he never tries to show off all that often in front of people and thus the team has not heard him full out sing yet

So when they does hear him like, actually singing for the first time at the end of practice they’re SHOOK

Tanaka and Nishinoya instantly start spamming you with texts, asking why you hid away such a precious secret for so long

You’re sitting in the library staring at your constantly vibrating phone like ??? doesn’t he sing all the time?

When you end up texting the boys this question they go absolutely feral

At this point Daichi is losing his voice yelling at the team to calm tf down

Suga is cackling in the corner of the team gym cause he been knew

It’s absolutely chaotic literally someone come save Daichi please-

Sugawara

HAHA GET READY BOYS

Official team mom of Karasuno sings all the damn time don’t even get me started

Always humming some upbeat tune doing schoolwork, cleaning up after practice, in the car, etc.

Seriously when is this sweet baby not singing

The team is well aware of this, especially the sideline cheer squad (Yamaguchi, moi ippon nice serve!) 

Tell me he does not make up rhyming cheers under his breath during matches I dare you

Will literally make up a stupid song on the spot to describe whatever he is currently doing or feeling

Hinata bathroom vibes tbh but it’s even more out of the blue

“Got an A on my exam today, and things are going my way”

“Suga, for the love of everything please stop”

“Daichi thinks I’ll listen to what he’ll say, but I’m singing more anyway”

He is always on board with karaoke whenever Karasuno has team bonding nights

One time you are invited to this by Suga himself and he gets up and starts singing a Disney song haha guess which one 

And as often as the team has heard him sing mans is feeling it tonight for whatever reason and y’all can tell

You have never heard anyone sing Under the Sea so passionately before but it’s a gift and you’re not complaining

Asahi

Boy is so insecure oh my gosh please give him some support

Very shy about singing in front of anyone and everyone

The only time you’ve ever heard him sing was when you were over at his house and he was taking a shower

You had gone downstairs to get a snack from the kitchen and when you come back up he’s singing alongside one of his playlists

You don’t know if it’s because of the steam and the solid acoustics in the bathroom but he doesn’t sound half bad

You try not to startle him as soon as he gets out because you know how flustered he’d get

But then a while later while y’all are studying on his bed you just casually bring it up like ‘You have a nice voice, Asahi’ and that’s all

He’s a little shocked at first that you heard him but kind of smiles and sighs in relief because you liked his singing!! 🥺

Precious teddy bear is totally happy for the rest of the week, like that’s how much your praise means to him sdlkgjfdjsof he’s too cute

Eventually warms up to humming little tunes around you

He’s really blushy when he does but you pretend not to notice for his sake lmao

It makes you so warm inside that he feels comfortable enough to let you hear him

Ennoshita

In this house we do not sleep on Ennoshita

As much as he is the mom of the second years he will flaunt his stuff whenever he gets the chance and this is one of those times

If a generic pop song is on at literally any point in time and he hears it, damn right he’s going to sing 

When it comes to singing Ennoshita is hands down the most chaotic no question about it

Sometimes he’ll actually sing a verse pretty decently

And then the next line is just the embodiment of a dumpster fire and he does not care

These are the only times that Tanaka and Noya get irritated with him and not the other way around

But Ennoshita doesn’t give a shit, he’s so cheeky

Like he’ll be walking through the mall and a banger of a song like Fergalicious comes on over the speakers? You’re done for

Even if he doesn’t know the lyrics at certain points, or deadass does not know any of them at all, he’ll just power through

If there is a sports banquet complete with dancing and music and the team attends, Ennoshita is tearing up the floor and singing his heart out

Honestly you’re a little scared to interfere cause what is he even doing-

He has made quite a few friends from opposing teams with his frankly lunatic level energy

I’m looking at you Oikawa, Tendou 

Tanaka

ANIME. INTROS.

He sounds EXACTLY like that opening singer from Bungou Stray Dogs I wonder why

No but actually we all heard his little song in season one, when he’s late and walking to the gym like what a king-

In summary he is a pretty good singer 

Most definitely a frequent participant during team karaoke nights and everyone enjoys his little performances

When he realizes that girls actually like guys who can sing he starts using this to his advantage 

And surprisingly it ended up working

You’re out at karaoke with some friends one night and you hop outside to get some more food for your group when you hear somebody slaying Rough Diamonds; your mind instantly goes to Food Wars

It catches your interest and then you realize...this dude goes to your school? You are positively whipped

He sees you from the doorway and when he realizes you’re enjoying the song he amps it up another three notches

Achievement get: girlfriend 

Karaoke dates and other such outings happen often, thank you very much

As much as he enjoys singing he does not overdo it like Ennoshita, who has been limited to three songs per night every time the group goes out, please for the sake of everyone’s eardrums

Nishinoya

As Tanaka’s best friend and as the co-president of simps everywhere, Nishinoya is another common singer during karaoke nights

Having fun and maybe picking up a cute girl at the end of it all? That’s literally his life agenda

He either goes for the badass, headbanging songs that are super energetic, or he jams out to the generic and famous pop groups’ songs

There is no in between

Noya has a slightly deeper singing voice but sometimes he’ll go for the stupid high notes for fun and just...completely fails

The fact that he has never successfully hit one of those notes doesn’t deter him in the slightest though; his goal is to get there at least once before he dies

He can sing so many popular TikTok audios and you can’t decide whether to be impressed or slightly disappointed with that fact

Noya doesn’t really sing at practice just because he’s focused, but when he’s walking home or getting food from Sakanoshita afterwards he might start randomly singing something

The type of person who has like a billion different playlists on his phone for the most obscure moods (honestly same Noya)

Like there’s one named “Bad Test Grade But I Won a Free Popsicle Kind of Feeling” don’t even ask 

Will put on a concert in his room and perform a whole lineup of these songs for you

Sometimes you think it’s just so he can avoid doing schoolwork but you let him get away with it occasionally

cause you’d never tell him but it’s so entertaining and kinda hot what

Tsukishima

OH GOD THIS BOY

I swear you have tried time and time again to figure out whatever the hell kind of music he listens to with those chonky headphones of his but you have never successfully completed that mission

There are only two - count em, TWO - instances where you have ever witnessed this embodiment of a salt shaker doing anything resembling singing

Number one was a literal meme TikTok where you were using Beyond the Mysterious Beyond from Land Before Time as your audio

You didn’t expect Tsukki to recognize it at all 

But he’s in the top corner of your phone screen and he is deadass LIP SYNCING EVERY WORD and you’re SENT INTO ORBIT 

DOES HE STUTTER? NOPE

Should have expected that Mr. Dinosaur Obsessed would have watched Land Before Time and loved the all the bops

That video is forever saved in your drafts because he’d literally end you if that went public but you refuse to completely get rid of it

Second time, our french fry child actually sings because Yamaguchi forces him to do a song with him lmao

It only lasts for about three verses but it’s all anyone has heard from him before and is therefore a blessing from above

If anyone has heard these two singing Sarishinohara on YouTube you know what I’m talking about if not look it up it’s an absolute gift 

Literal perfection in a duet like?? Everyone is depressed when they realize that Tsukki’s voice had been hidden from the world until that very moment

We will cherish this short taste of Singing! Tsukki for all time amen 😔🙏

Yamaguchi

Like Asahi, this precious bean is also shy about his singing 

But he will sometimes get a burst of confidence if he’s having a really good day or if someone is singing with him

When those moments arrive they are wonderful 

He sounds like an angel, not even exaggerating he’s just so pure

Has a very light tone no matter how the song originally sounds and it’s really soothing to be honest

When his little bouts of confidence wear off please for the love of God praise him in any way shape or form, it makes him feel good about himself 

On team bus rides to games, he and Yachi will sometimes sing fun tunes together to calm each others’ nerves and it’s incredibly precious

Tsukki will send you videos of this pregame ritual and you have a folder reserved for them in your camera roll 

Everyone say thank you Tsukki

He will sing for you if you’re feeling super down about something because he knows you love it 

Never fails to calm you down and cheer you up, and Yams knows in those moments that he would gladly sing for the rest of his life if it made you smile

We stan one soft, talented bean sprout 

Kageyama 

Another stubborn boy when it comes to singing in front of other people

He will hum on rare occasion but don’t expect much more

You start to realize that whenever he does start humming, though, it’s always the same song, so one day you ask him about it

It’s a song his grandfather used to sing to him when he was little and he uses it to calm himself down

You almost start crying on the spot because you know how much his grandpa meant to him 

Kags says there were lyrics to it but he doesn’t remember them besides a few random words scattered here and there

It becomes your personal mission to find the rest of the lyrics because you’ll be damned if your precious baby goes another day without hearing them again

Finally after countless obscure Google searches you find the song 

But you don’t know how to casually bring up the fact that you had spent hours obsessively looking for them into a conversation-

So one day you’re hanging out with Kageyama, but he’s been in an awful mood all week, and you decide to start singing the song that his grandpa used to but including the lyrics

And when he recognizes the words and puts the chorus together, he instantly relaxes and starts singing it with you

He is so touched and thankful that he can finally recall the song in its entirety, and now you both sing said song to each other whenever the other is feeling down

I love him so much my heart-

Hinata

When you find out he can sing you’re absolutely floored

Literally the only time in his life that Hinata can successfully speak English words and it’s in a song? And it’s coherent?? It’s a miracle

The whole team gets on his ass about sucking at English in class but being able to obliterate those lyrics when they come up in a song and the poor tangerine gets all huffy

hE’s tRyiNg HiS bESt oKaY                

His range is SO GOOD THOUGH WHAT-

You’re in the middle of a store with him and he’s been occasionally singing along to the music from the speakers and at this point you’re not even surprised at how good he sounds

But then he just starts singing in falsetto

BOI- When I say your jaw is on the floor I am not playing games 

The power he holds is beyond comprehension

He’s looking at you confused like did he do something wrong?

When you proceed to flip out over how great he just sounded baby gets so embarrassed how cute

Again, one of those people who just doesn’t know their gift and it makes him even more precious 

I would kill to have his capabilities like imagine the talent; if that whole volleyball thing doesn’t work out there’s also the music industry sir-

In conclusion: CAN SOMEONE PLEASE GET THIS SUNSHINE A MIC THANK YOU

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Ready now; Queen x reader

*Author’s note*

To the anon who requested this from way back when, I first wanna thank you for being SUPER PATIENT with me.  I was going through a lot at the time you sent the request but I am slowly but surely getting through them. Eventually once I get the chance, I may open requests back up again.

Now there’s not really any serious warnings other than swearing, fluff, and angst.  I hope you all enjoy this fic and until next time stay safe, stay healthy, stay positive.

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things

@waddles03

@psychosupernatural

@ixchel-9275

@simonedk

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels

@platawnic

@queensdivas

@geek-and-proud

@queendeakyy

@kairosfreddie

____________________________________________________________

*Oklahoma city, Oklahoma, 1976*

It was like every other Wednesday night at COWBOY’S.  The live dancing, bull riding, and of course the famed karaoke night.  I’ve been coming to this club for as long as I can remember, in fact I think I was a kid when I first came here.  It was to see my mama sing for karaoke night and of course my dad is known around here as the world champion bull rider.

He kept that title from the time he was 16 up till just before I was born.  And because of his reputation, I (and I hate to admit it) but I get special treatment every time I go to Cowboy’s.  In fact the current owner, he was my dad’s longtime friend and fellow bull riding competitor.

As I walked inside I could already see the place was packed with people.  Line dancing and really lighting up the dancefloor making this club a real Hoedown. I first went up to the bar and there running it was the owner’s son, Jensen.  He and I go way back, even though he’s like seven years older than me, he treats me like his little sis.  Always keeping the boys away.

“Well, well, well, well, well. Look who walked in. It’s the singing sensation (Y/n) (L/n). Can I just say I am a huge fan of yours!” He teased me at the end.

“Oh Jensen stop it. You know I’m not famous yet.”

“Not yet, but you will be soon.”

“I’m not so sure.”

“Okay hang on, let me get your usual and then you spill your guts.” He walked away and got my usual beer and filled it almost up to the rim.  He slid it towards me and he said as he leaned up against the bar, “Alright now talk.” I took a sip of my beer before saying.

“What if no one likes my song?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Jens you know as well as I do that no one really sings original pieces here. It’s always covers of famous songs, and the last time someone did do an original he was booed off the stage.”

“First off, his song sucked and he kept screwing up on the guitar. So of course he was thrown off the stage. But you—you’ve got a serious talent in song writing. And your voice—baby girl the only other female singer I can compare you to here was your mom.”

“You really think so?”

“Coming from a Texas man forced to move here when we first met, you’re bout the only good thing in this one horse town. Hell you’re way better than just sticking right here. Especially since—well you know.”

“I know. It’s……it’s been rough. Ever since the car crash mama’s been—well not herself lately. Music is bout the only thing I can do to make her happy.”

“So you get up on that stage and knock these cow-folks right off their boots. Now go relax on the dance floor and I’ll let my old man know you’re here.”

“Thanks Jensen.” I pulled out my wallet to pay for the beer but he stopped me.

“No need, this one’s on my tab tonight. But expect to pay me back once you hit the big time.” I smiled at him and pocketed my wallet back into my jeans.

“Thanks Jensen, you’re like the brother I never had.”

“Someone’s gotta keep an eye on you yah silly little day dreamer.” He teased as he placed his cowboy hat on top of my head, teasingly rocking my head from side to side till I stuck my tongue at him and took another swig of my beer.

I then headed off to the dance floor to cool off (dancing always helped me calm down, especially when it’s with a group of people) and I danced with some of my old friends from high school, just letting my hair down as I danced the first hour of the night away before they would call up the performers for karaoke night.

*3rd Person POV*

Unbeknownst to (Y/n), it was also on that night that the most famous rock and roll band would also be there on that night to see her perform.  Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon, otherwise known as the band Queen, had just arrived in Oklahoma city to do their two night concert they had scheduled for their “A day at the Races” tour.

To let down some steam and relax after a few days on the road, Freddie had heard about this club from a friend of his and convinced the other three to come along and check it out.  All four of them wearing cowboy hats, so that they wouldn’t stick out like sore thumbs, they entered inside and saw the whole place buzzing.

“Wow, this is even more filled than the Disco club Veronica and I met at.” Said John.

“Well Tony said this was the one place in America where you would get a traditional Southern treatment.” Said Freddie. “And I like it. It’s reputation proceeds itself.” He continued with a smile as he adjusted his hat.

“Remind me again why we had to wear these though?” Roger said.

“Don’t be such a party pooper blondie. Besides you see every man in here. Tony said that everyone in Oklahoma wears cowboy hats. Anyone who doesn’t is automatically labeled a stranger. And I don’t want no Wanted poster of me across the state for refusal to wear a cowboy hat.” Freddie said as he playfully shoved Roger.

“It’s not so bad.” Brian said as he fiddled with the string of his hat.

“You’re just saying that cause you can’t feel it on your head.” Quipped John.

“Alright, alright Deacy darling you’ve had your shot at Bri. Now I don’t want any more brawls tonight. I wanna enjoy this night, you three know how much I love to party. So don’t fuck this up for me.”

“If you wanted that Fred then you should’ve left Roger on the bus.” Brian said.

“You know what yah curly haired space poodle……”

“Gentlemen.” The four of them turned to see an old man around his mid-50’s walk up towards them.  He wore a traditional brown colored cowboy hat, his grey goatee reflected off the lights, and the spurs off his boots jingled with each step. “Now I get it we all need to let off some steam, but if you’re gonna cause any trouble I’m gonna ask you all to leave.”

“No worries my good sir. You must forgive my friend here, he didn’t quite have him fixed yet so his testosterone can run him ragged like one of your bulls.” Freddie sweet-talked the man.

“Watch it Fred!” Roger sneered as he took out a cigarette and lit it up.

“Alright. I’m trusting you to keep an eye on your friend there. I get enough drunks brawling every night here, I don’t need another damage fee added to my billing. Bobby Singer, owner of Cowboy’s.”

“Pleasure to meet you Bobby dear. I heard about this place from a friend of mine and this place does not disappoint.” Freddie praised as he and Bobby shook hands with each other.

“Thank you son. Built this place myself with my own two hands before moving the wife and son up here.”

“How long has this place been here?” asked Brian.

“Well came up here around 51, bought this property at around 53-54 and the doors finally opened by the start of the 60’s so…..about 16 years this club has been around. And she’s still going strong.”

“Impressive.” Freddie praised.

“What kind of drinks do you serve here?” asked Roger.

“Well if you mosey on down to the bar, my son Jensen will lay down everything we got. We mostly do beer but if you can take something stronger, we got that as well. Enjoy yourselves boys.” As Bobby walked away, the boys bid him farewell.

“He seemed nice.” John said.

“A friendly old man, kinda reminds me of Miami. Firm, strict, knows when you’re starting trouble Rog.”

“Watch it Fred.”

“Alright come on, I think we can all do with a drink right now.”

“Yes.”

“Or ten.” the band members walked over to the bar to see Jensen cleaning out a mug.

“Excuse me darling!” Freddie cried out to Jensen.

“Yes can I he—he-ha-ha……oh shit! You’re….you guys are Queen!”

“Yes. I take it you’re a fan of ours?” asked Brian.

“Y-Yeah.” Jensen squeaked.  He then cleared his throat before continuing, “I mean yes. When I first heard Bohemian Rhapsody for the first time, it changed my life on how I look at music. Not even some of my favorite bands can do what you guys do.”

“Well thank you darling. Bohemian Rhapsody was a masterpiece.” Freddie said.

“But a complete nightmare to make.” Roger added in.

“So what can I get for you guys?” asked Jensen.

“What all do you got?” asked John.

“Well you guys actually came on a good day. Wednesday nights are our special’s night. Every drink at half price. We’ve basically got every beer imaginable, but we also do vodka, gin and juice, margaritas. And of course we have the basic water and soda for those sensitive to the strong stuff.”

“Well then my darling, we’ll go ahead and take three of your finest beer and a vodka shot please.” Freddie said.

“Coming right up.” Jensen walked off to prep the drinks for the four young band members.

“He seems like a nice chap.” Brian said.

“He does indeed.” Agreed John.  Before another word could be said, Bobby soon came up on stage and said.

“And that was Carol Anne with ‘Sweet home Alabama’.” The crowd then cheered. “And now ladies and gents, it’s time to be graced by our very own special songbird. Please welcome our very own Southern Belle. (Y/n) (L/n)!” the crowd cheered and it was then the four English rockers soon saw a young woman coming up on stage.

She looked to be about John’s age, maybe a couple years younger.  In her hand was a 12 string acoustic, she got onto the stool and adjusted the mic.

*My POV*

God my nerves were really starting to get the best of me.  What if no one liked the song? Oh god I wish daddy could be here, he always knew just how to calm me down.  I adjusted the mic and plugged in my guitar.

“Hello everyone. I uhh—” I cleared my throat. “Tonight I’m gonna do something a little different than my last few performances. This is an original piece I’ve been working hard on. Hope you all like it.” I turned towards the ensemble band and nodded to them.  They nodded back and as I began playing the opening on my mama’s guitar, Aaron came in with the violin and Jack soon came in with the bass.  

By the chorus, Daniel came in with a soft drum beat and as I passionately sung out the chorus, I could already hear some people cheering or whistling at me.

She was driving last Friday on

Her way to Cincinnati on a

Snow white Christmas Eve Going home to see her mama and her daddy

With the baby in the backseat Fifty miles to go, and she was running low

On faith and gasoline It'd been a long hard year She had a lot on her mind,

And she didn't pay attention She was going way too fast Before she knew it she was spinning on a

Thin black sheet of glass She saw both their lives flash before her eyes She didn't even have time to cry She was so scared She threw her hands up in the air

Jesus, take the wheel Take it from my hands 'Cause I can't do this on my own I'm letting go So give me one more chance And save me from this road I'm on Jesus, take the wheel

*3rd Person POV*

Everyone was involved in hearing (y/n) sing.  Like her mama before her, the adults all whistled and cheered for the young girl for she truly did sound like her mama whenever she sang, maybe even better than her.  But the one most intrigued by her was the leading frontman of Queen.

“Just who is that talented young lady?” Freddie spoke out as (Y/n) played a small instrumental break in the first chorus.

“That there is (Y/n) (L/n). Her parents were known in this club. Her mama for her singing and her dad, God rest his soul, he was the world champion bull rider. She’s got a gift with that voice of hers.” Jensen said as he cleaned out a mug.

“She does indeed.” Freddie muttered in awe as he continued to watch (Y/n) sing the next part of the song.

There was one point of the song where she held out a note so long, it felt like she was running on endless air.  The crowd all hooted and hollered as she held that note before finishing the song.  Everyone soon cheered as loudly as they could while (Y/n) smiled under the spotlight and stood up from the stool and took a bow.

“Wow she was amazing.” Brian praised.

“I’ll say, she held that note for like 10 beats. Not even I can do that.” Roger said.

“Excuse me, Jensen.” Freddie called out.  Jensen who had just gotten done serving another round of drinks for a bachelor party, came back over and said.

“What’s up?”

“Where can we meet that talented young lady?” he asked him.  The other three band members looked at Freddie confused.

“She’ll be out back. That’s where she usually goes when things get too hectic here.”

“Thank you so much darling.” He dowsed the last of his vodka and stood up and walked out of the club with the other three members behind him.

*My POV*

After the performance I went outside to cool off. I stared up at the starry sky and whispered.

“I wish you could’ve seen it daddy. It seems I really wowed everyone tonight.”

“You did more than just that dear.” I froze and slowly turned around and—pinch me I must be dreaming.  Cause right there in front of me stood my all time favorite rock and roll band Queen.  I closed my eyes and shook my head trying to wake myself up from this dream and found that I wasn’t dreaming.

Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor were really right in front of me.

“You—you’re……”

“Yes darling we know who we are. But what I’m more interested in is who you are. How long have you had that lovely voice for?” Freddie said as he came up to me and actually wrapped an arm around me.

“Well I uhh—for a while I guess.”

“And that was an original song you sang back there?” Brian asked.

“Yeah just…..a little something I came up with. Was it bad?”

“Au contraire darling, it was unlike anything we have ever heard. And that’s saying something.” Freddie said.

“Really?”

“Absolutely. The way you managed to have utter control of your voice as you belted out certain words of the song. Only one other person has been able to do that and that’s me.” Freddie bragged.

“Umm hello what about me?” Roger piped in.

“Oh yes you and your dog whistle range. That takes skill too.” I softly chuckled.  Man this was definitely not how I pictured this night would go (well except in my dreams). “Now then (Y/n). How would you like to be an opening number for our concert?” wait what?

“What?” I asked.

“What?” I heard the other three echo back.

“You’ve got the voice, the talent, you are too good for just singing at the clubs. What better way than to finally dive in and take this opportunity.”

“Uhh Fred can we talk to you for a second?” John soon spoke up.

“Just stay tight for a moment (Y/n) dear.” Freddie said as he bopped my nose before walking back towards his bandmates.  Okay what the hell just happened?

*3rd Person POV*

Freddie and the boys walked a few feet away from (Y/n) so that she couldn’t hear them.

“Fred are you crazy right now?” Roger hissed softly.

“What?”

“We can’t just go picking up random singers off the streets and ask them to open up for us!”

“I agree with Roger. No offense, but I don’t think Reid or even our tour manager Bill will go along with this.” Brian added.

“You don’t believe she’s worth giving a shot too?” Freddie asked.

“No, no it’s not about that. She is talented, beyond talented. We just—can’t do something like this. Picking up a random teenager and ask her to leave everything behind for the rest of our tour.”

“They do have a point Freddie. Plus how do we know she even wants this? I mean maybe she just sings for fun. To be honest I never thought we were that serious till our first album went on the shelf.” Deacy said.

“Okay first off that hurts Deacy dear. How dare you think that. And number 2, I have a feeling she does want it. She may not physically show it but there’s something in her eyes that show that she wants a chance at the real spotlight. And who am I to crush a fellow singer’s dream? Especially one as beautiful and adorable as her, just look at her!” they all turned towards her. “Who knows, maybe we’ll get an additional family member in our rag-tag band.”

“Whoa wait hold on now you’re saying we need another person involved with Queen?” Roger snapped.

“I’m thinking broadly Roger dear. Don’t be so dramatic about it darling. Now then, are you three with me?” Brian, Roger and John looked at each other and Deacy was the first to speak up.

“You’ll never let it go either way. I’ll say yes.” Fred smiled before turning to Brian.

“I mean—” he sighed heavily. “Okay fine, she can come with us. But only if her parents say it’s okay.”

“Well blondie?” Fred questioned as he turned to Roger.  Roger sighed heavily and said.

“I’m already ruled-out even if I say no.” Freddie cheered and hugged his bandmates before heading back over to (Y/n) to discuss his brilliant idea.

*My POV. 1 year later*

If you had told me that on the night I would perform my first original piece live before the people at Cowboys and then told me I would soon be standing before Queen, who not only saw me sing but also offered me the chance to perform alongside them, I would’ve called you crazy and laughed in your face.

But it happened.  With Jensen’s and uncle Bobby’s approval I was able to tour the rest of the North American tour with Queen.  I’ll admit it was frightening to perform in front of my first crowd of over 12,000 people, but once I got on that stage and just sang it felt good.

We had just gotten done doing a concert at the Hammersmith Odeon.  As par-celebration we all headed to a nearby pub the guys had rented out for the night and anyone who was involved with the concert was invited to come.

By 1am everyone was either completely drunk and were passed out on the floor, or they were having sex in the bathrooms. Wanting to perk myself up, I went to the restrooms to splash some cold water on my face but before I could walk around the corner toward the sinks I heard some girls talking.

“I mean don’t get me wrong Roger is amazing especially in the sack but why would he allow someone like her on stage?”

“Yeah all those songs she sings are soooooo boring!” I peeked around to see that the girls who were talking were some of Roger’s groupies.

“Queen is just being dragged by that little bitch who can’t sing for shit.”

“All her songs about Jesus or God or whatever. She doesn’t fit with them. I think they just pitied her so she could go on stage and sing her little country songs.” It was a stab to the heart.

I raced out of the bathroom and tried to contain my tears.  But it only got worse from there.  Walking pass the men’s bathroom were a few of the roadies who were talking about me.

“She brings to band down don’t you think? I mean her songs just aren’t up to par with where Queen is at. In fact I’ve seen sales going down at our concerts because of her.”

“Dorothy should’ve just stayed in Kansas singing for pubs. She’s nowhere near concert stadium material.” At that point a few tears ran down my face.

Was I? Was I really that bad? Did the guys really pity me? Was this all a big joke to them? I ran out the back way and just ran down through the streets of London.  

Not caring where I was going, or where I’d end up. I just figured the father I ran, the farther I would be away from those people and their cruel comments.

The next morning I was at my apartment (technically it was Freddie’s old apartment that he and his ex-girlfriend Mary had) lying on the couch holding the couch pillow close to me.  The things that the groupies and even some of the roadies said last night still rang through my head like a church bell.

Maybe I should give it up. I mean after all like they said, no one really listens to me perform.  So I decided to pack up my stuff and go back to America, back to Oklahoma, maybe try to get a job at Cowboy’s or something.  As I was packing up my last bag, the door suddenly opened and I heard Roger’s voice call out.

“Oi (n/n) you here?” shit why did Freddie have to give out spare copies of the keys?

“(Y/n) you in here?” I then heard Deacy’s voice speak up.  Oh great, not one but two of the Queens are here.

“Is everything okay poppet?” Brian’s voice echoed out. Great could this day get any worse?

“Everything’s fine.” I called out to them.  I quickly came out of my room and shut the door before walking towards the living room. “Hey guys what’s up?”

“Well you disappeared from the party last night darling so we came to see just why that was?” Freddie said.

“You didn’t sneak off with anyone last night did yah?” Roger teased.

“No! I—I felt kinda tired after last night’s concert so I just took a cab home.” I gave them a white lie.

“Why didn’t you tell one of us you were leaving? You know how dangerous the streets can be at night.” Roger said as he plopped himself on the couch.

“I’m not some fragile flower Rog. I can handle myself.”

“I know you can. I just can’t help it sometimes, you’ve become like another sister to me, plus Jensen made me promise to keep an eye on you less he shoot me in the arse.” I rolled my eyes as I chuckled.

“(Y/n) dear~” Freddie sang out as he peeked from the hallway. “If you don’t have anyone here, then why is your door shut?” oh shit.  I quickly turned towards him and he just grinned as he raced towards my room.

“Fred no! Don’t!”

“Oh so there is a handsome beast you’re trying to hide from us!” I ran behind him trying to stop him from getting in my room. “Oh-ho-ho this must be serious then, he not dressed or something?”

“No Freddie there’s no guy now please don’t go in my room!”

“Technically it was my room first so I get first—” he opened the door and that’s when he saw the suitcases.  “What’s all this?”

“I didn’t want you guys to see that.”

“So what were you planning on leaving without saying goodbye!?” By now I’ve seen Fred literally explode on some major temper tantrums but this—this wasn’t anger.  This was disappointment, and when Fred lowers his voice, looks you straight in the eye almost to the point where it’s like his eyes are piercing your soul, that really tears you up.

And you never want to make Freddie Mercury disappointed in you.  Cause let me tell you, it is the worst.

“Fred—”

“No, no, no. Please I would like to know as well.” Roger’s voice soon rung out.  I groaned internally as I turned to see the remaining three band members standing right outside my door.

Roger’s eyes glaring right at me with his arms crossed over his chest.  Brian’s eyes in shock at seeing the suitcases, and Deacy—he looked like he was about to cry.

“Well!” Roger snapped impatiently.

“Hey Rog lay off on her will yah?”

“Brian are you not as upset as we are about this?!” Fred asked.  At this point the three hotheads began screaming at each other.  God this was a nightmare!  I was hoping to just leave without any drama and now I’ve done and caused it!  I held my hands to my ears and shut my eyes trying to drown out their shouting and screaming.

Next thing I know I feel a hand on my shoulder. I opened my eyes and there stands Deacy. His eyes soft, not looking at me in anger or disappointment.  He gestured with his head to follow him and the two of us snuck out of my room.

We both sat down on the couch, him sitting close to me as his arm wrapped around me.

“Do you want some tea?” he asked me.  I shook my head no.

“Umm…..I don’t know if I’ve totally ruined this but—could I get a hug?” a soft smile spread across his face and immediately his arms wrapped around me.

“You know you will always get a hug out of me sis.”

Since Deacy and I were the youngest members of the band, we kinda clicked more than the rest.  Guess our shy natures also kinda mixed in together so we kinda had our own special psychic bond with each other.  We always knew what the other was thinking or needed, we would pull the other aside when things got too chaotic (just like now cause I never liked getting or hearing fights).

His fingers stroked through my hair as I adjusted my head so that it rested over his heart.  We sat there in comfortable silence (well besides the still arguing hotheads in my bedroom).

“I’m not good enough for you guys.” I finally confessed.

“What?”

“I—I heard some of Roger’s groupies and even some of your roadies literally talk about how I don’t fit with you guys. That I’m not even that good. Or that you guys just pitied me in order to help me get on stage.”

“I knew those tramps would be trouble.” I heard him mutter.

“But they’re right.”

“No they’re not.”

“Open your eyes Deacy!” I removed myself from his embrace. “My music and Queen’s music they just—don’t mix. I don’t do hard rock songs like you guys do. No rock fans are gonna wanna hear me sing just plain country or folk songs for 20 minutes. They’ll just be going out to get beer or go shag till you guys come up. I’m boring!”

“You’re not boring. Those arseholes are boring. If they can’t withstand a 20minute first act then they shouldn’t even be at one of ours. Because we most certainly perform longer than that.”

“Well you guys give a performance, not just a show. For me; it’s just me and my guitar. I mean yeah there’s people that may like a song or two from mine. Hell you guys allowed me to have a song on A Day at the Races and News of the World. But—in person I’m plain.”

“You’re raw.” I looked up at him confused. “I don’t mean raw in the sense of bad or disgusting. I mean you’re vulnerable. You don’t do the flashy lights, the loud hard rock of drums, or extremely, overbearing, long ass guitar solos.” I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “It’s just you up on that stage. Just you and your guitar.”

“And people should see you as that.” We looked up and finally ceasing their arguments, Freddie, Roger, and Brian now stood there.  Freddie came up behind me, Brian knelt down in front of me, and Roger sat to my right.

“But they don’t.” Freddie began to massage my shoulders.

“Darling when I first heard you sing back in the states, It was like anything I’ve ever heard in a female singer. You have this rawness that can make anything a song. You could write a song about taking the piss and it’d be a hit.” I rolled my eyes.

“More like a flush down the sewers.”

“Oi you need to stop with the negative thinking!” Roger playfully growled as he took my head between his hands and playfully shook it, almost as if he were trying to shake out the negative thoughts out of my head.  I couldn’t help but laugh at his antics as I tried to free myself.

“Cut it our Rog!” I laughed.  He stopped then said as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

“Forget about what those rotter’s said. Never, ever doubt your talent. Because you have got something that not even Queen could ever have.”

“And just what is that?” I asked doubtfully.

“Rawness. Like John said, it’s just you up on stage. Most of the rockstars like us come up glammed out to the max, prance about the stage and do the headbanging hits. You—you connect with the audience just as yourself. And if people can’t see that, then they’re fools.”

“So you guys didn’t pity me when you asked me to join you guys?”

“Absolutely not! Whoever says that you just tell me and they’ll be dropped like yesterday’s rotten tomatoes.”

“Thanks you guys. I—I really needed that.”

“Hey, you’re part of this family now. We look out for each other.” Brian said as he gently took my hands in his, his thumbs gently stroking the back of them.

“There’s just one last thing that needs to be taken care of to ensure you’re feeling your normal happy self again.” Freddie said.

Oh no. Please not that!  At this point all four of them had the look of evil on their faces.

“No. Guys don’t you dare!”

“Too late lovie, we gotta make sure you’re back to your full-fledged happy self again. And we’ve got Jensen to thank for sharing with us your deep, dark secret.” I tried to make a run for it but it was too late, Brian trapped me in his long arms and soon I was gang tickled by Queen.

A couple weeks after that, we had just gotten done playing an arena in Houston, Texas.  Wiping the sweat off of my forehead (after not only doing a few of my own songs, but also joining alongside Queen playing guitar or piano) I accidentally bumped into someone.

“Oh sorry I—wasn’t paying attention.”

“That’s quite alright. Say you’re the young woman who just performed alongside Queen correct?” this man had a strong Tennessee accent.  From underneath his cowboy hat I could see sandy blonde hair and he had the most striking blue eyes.  He looked to be about his mid-40’s.

“Yes.” I said wearily.

“Oh sorry I know this must seem a bit creepy, please allow me to introduce myself. Stan Singer.” Wait what? Oh my god!

“Wait, Stan Singer? The Stan Singer, manager of Glen Campbell?”

“The very same, you a fan of his?”

“Yeah. My—my daddy first introduced me to him when I was just 5 years old.”

“Man has good taste.” We both laughed. “How long have you been performing with Queen?”

“A year.”

“A year? Now that I don’t believe.”

“Well truthfully I’ve been performing on stage back home in Oklahoma for a few years at a bar a family friend of mine owns. Cowboy’s.”

“No kidding. I was just there last month.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Quite a shindig that place.”

“Oh yeah, it gets crazy some days. But it’s the best place to go to.”

“Listen (Y/n), While I have enjoyed managing Glen and don’t get me wrong he’s a great guy and a great singer. I’m also looking out to see if there’s a next big thing I could help mold. And seeing you up on stage, you’ve got that special little niche in the realm of country singers. How about joining me for lunch so we can discuss a contract.”

“Me? You—you want to sign me up for a record deal?” I asked ecstatically.

“You’ve got something I’ve never heard from any male artist. Here’s my card, just give me a call whenever you’re ready to talk.” He handed me a business card and said his goodbyes as he tipped his hat at me.

Wow I—I can’t believe it.  I’m actually gonna get a real shot with my own manager.  And Glen Campbell’s manager, nonetheless.  I can’t believe this is actually happening to me.

Wait….what about the guys? What would they say? Would they be mad if I took this deal? Left them when we’ve already grown so close with each other?

During our bus ride to the next city of New Orleans, I was looking at Stan’s card debating whether I should call him or not.

“What’s that?” Roger spoke up.  He soon plopped down beside me with his arm over me. “Ooh a name and phone number! Already got yourself a groupie huh?” he teased as he nudged my shoulder.

“No Roger it’s nothing like that.” I nudged him back.

“Hey did I just hear (Y/n) got someone’s name and phone number?” Deacy soon piped in peeking his head from the curtains of his bunkbed.

“(Y/n) you sly little minx.” Freddie teased.  Oh man was I really not gonna miss this.

“Alright you guys lay off of her will yah. Now just who was it that gave you their phone number (Y/n)? Will there need to be any—talks we need to do with this boy?” Brian said.

“I already told Roger Bri, it’s not like that.”

“Then what is it? I mean normally a guy wouldn’t give you his number unless he wants a date or something else.” Roger spoke. Deacy came up and slapped Roger over the head. “Ow! What was that for?”

“For being an idiot.”

“It’s a business card guys! For Stan Singer. Glen Campbell’s manager.”

“Wait I’ve heard of that guy. Yeah he’s like one of the best country singers out there.” Roger said.

“Yeah. Well Stan actually saw the show tonight and well he—he offered to be my manager. He wants to sign up a contract with me.”

“Oh my god darling yes!” Freddie cheered as he came up and embraced me tightly.

“Congratulations (Y/n).” praised Brian.

“But—” I started off.  Fred separated from me and he said.

“But what dear? You’re finally on your way! This should be a celebration!”

“But what about us? You guys? What if—what if this is the last time we’ll ever see each other?” at that point the guys grew quiet. They looked at each other and that’s when Deacy spoke up.

“The future is uncertain. Maybe someday we will meet again. But (Y/n), if you don’t take this shot now you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

“It’s like Deacy’s song says. Time to spread your wings and fly away.” Brian said as he placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. I looked between the four of them and they all had the same look.

Acceptance and love.

I felt my eyes watering up and I choked out.

“I’ll miss you guys.” They immediately hugged me and told me they would miss me too.  We remained in that group hug for the rest of the night till we arrived in New Orleans later the next day.

As soon as we got to the hotel, the guys sat with me as I called Stan up and told him that I would like to have lunch with him to discuss the contract.  Stan agreed to fly down to New Orleans and once that date was made, the guys brought me in one last final group hug telling me how proud they were of me, that they loved me and knew that I would become big in my own way.

On June 27th, 1977 I preformed my last concert with Queen as their opening act and the following day, I met with my new manager Stan Singer and together we went over the rules of my contract.

By the end of the 1970’s into the 1980’s my name had flown to the top of the charts in country artists.  So far in the 3 years of my growing career I had toured America twice for my 2 albums I had released under Sony records.

As I expected I was mostly popular in the southern states where country music reigned supreme on the radio.  But I did have some fans in the northern, Mid-west and western countries but I mostly toured around the South.

I was now performing back in my home state of Oklahoma to an arena of 20,000 people.  I had just gotten done preforming my biggest hit “Jesus take the wheel” and everyone went crazy for it.

“Thank you!” I turned and saw one of my roadies hand me a stool and I thanked him before setting it down right at the edge of the stage.  I adjusted the mic stand as I sat down. “This is a new song that I wanted to do especially for you my home sweet home. So you guys will be the first to hear this song coming up on my next album.” The crowd cheered. “But this song is also dedicated to four special men in my life. Without them—I wouldn’t even be up on this stage before all of you. It’s called Ready now.”

Then with just me on the guitar I began to sing my newly finished song “Ready now”.  As I sang the song, during the long instrumental breaks, I thought back to the guys.

All the fun memories I had with them while on the road with them.  Being there with them during their recordings, getting to do a song on their albums, or hanging out at the bars together after the shows.

Play video

You saw through me All this time I'd forgotten People are kind

I was hurting And you knew So you showed me What to do

You said, "I will listen Tell it all When you're finished We'll talk more"

But I didn't know how So we took it in turns And to my surprise We found my words

Feet firm on the ground We stood hand in hand The world seemed to tell me That I have a plan

Together we sang I'm ready now

Something new Something strange Ten feet taller I had changed

I believe you I'm not wrong Oh it suits me To feel strong

You said, "I will listen Tell me it all You don't like the ending Then we'll find on that's yours"

Oh, how did you know That's all we need A promise of hope Is enough to feel free

Feet firm on the ground We stood hand in hand And I told the world That I have a plan

Together we sang I'm ready now

By the end of the song, I heard the crowd cheer and as I looked up at the ceiling I did a silent thank you to the boys.  Even though we would never see each other in our career’s again, I would always keep their memories alive in my heart and mind.

Without them, I would never have been ready to even get to this point.  And I will always be grateful to Queen.

[ophelia-coeur]

8 SONGS, 8 PROMPTS

RULES: 8 song prompts & tag 8 people

Thanks @bandsanitizer for tagging me!

1. Favourite song at the moment

That's hard. Currently obsessed with "Starting Line" by Luke Hemmings, but I've also been vibing to everything iamdoechii is releasing, especially "SHIT" and "What's Your Name?"

My current cleaning song is "1999" by Prince on repeat.

2. A song you associate with your favourite ship(s)?

Oh, man. Okay, let me try to narrow it down.

Julie and Luke (Julie and The Phantoms) — "Till forever falls apart" by Ashe ft. Finneas

It's a song about spending your last days with the person you love. It's littered with metaphors about death. It literally describes their relationship to a T. I wouldn't be surprised if in a couple of years they'd admit it's based on Julie and Luke.

Stiles and Lydia (Teen Wolf) — "One Step Closer" by Eric Arjen and "Start of Time" + "Waking Up Slow" by Gabrielle Aplin.

Any Gabrielle Aplin song applies to stydia and, in general, is a great artist for ship music. Incredible. (I was supposed to see her right when the pandemic hit and I'm still upset about it.)

But also, any song the show has ever used during pivotal stydia moments, are peak stydia songs. Like "The Sun" by Frida Sundemo? Iconic.

Anne and Gilbert (Anne with an E) — "Why Won't You Love Me" by 5SOS and "Collide" by Rachel Platten and, most commonly, "Surrender" by Natalie Taylor.

All of these are about push and pull, the want to be together, but being unable to, the struggles that come along with it. I think that portrays them pretty well for all three seasons of the show.

3. A song that could be about you

I've never thought about that. I don't think I've ever had the feeling that a certain song is written about me, but I do relate to "gold rush" by Taylor Swift, as well as "Afterglow" and "Daylight"

Dodie's recent album "Build A Problem" screams relatability to me as well, where she's holding on to nostalgia, past people and mistakes, which is pretty relevant. The song "Before The Line" kills me each time.

I'm sure there's more that I just can't come up with right now.

4. A song that you think is underrated

The entire "Libra" album by UMM. "Nuit pourpre" and "Ecchymoses" by Louane. "Trop Beau" by Emma Peters. "If I Fall" by Gabrielle Current. Anything from Alfie Templeman his discography.

5. A song that reminds you of a good memory

"Da' Dip" by Freak Nasty

Let's just say it involves me, my insane friends, alcohol and various jars of peanut butter.

Also, "Gimme, gimme, gimme" by ABBA, which also involves me, my friends, even more alcohol and a very fun and lenient karaoke bar.

6. Last song you listened to

Currently going through Shawn Mendes' entire discography, because I'm apparently nostalgic.

7. A song that makes you laugh

"Da' Dip" by Freak Nasty lol.

8. A song you want your mutuals to listen to

DA' DIP BY FREAK NASTY

But also all the ones I've mentioned above, any of the songs by pop queen Angèle, "Impossible" by Nothing But Thieves, the soundtrack from the movie "Begin Again", "WILSHIRE" by Tyler, The Creator, anything by Shwayze on a hot summer day. The alt-rock masterpiece "Superbloom" by Ashton Irwin is also highly recommended.

Tagging: @pearlcaddy @harubirus @brizzlovesyou @thedeathdeelers @ourstarscollided @beanenchilada @kybee1497 @thatbitchmabel

[mountain-full-edition]

Mountain/Full Edition QandA

Q Alasdair & Fielding 

A Kentarou Imai

time 2020 04

Q. How did Mountain/Full Edition come together?

A. About 8 years ago there was an event where Misako Yabuuchi, one of the band’s members, did a performance for a bed-bound child with a severe physical impairment at the child’s private home. I composed a waltz for this occasion, and this was a start. Then BuBu de la Madeleine joined us and we started our activity like a band. After that, friends started to join. People come and go. The group sometimes gets as big as 12 or 13 people.

Q. Mountain / Full Editionというバンドはどのようにして結成されたのですか？

A. ８年くらい���にメンバーの薮内美佐子さんが障害の重い寝たきりの子供の家(個人宅）にパフォーマンスを見せに行く企画があって、そのために今井がワルツを作曲したのがはじまりで、そのあとキーボードとしてブブ・ド・ラ・マドレーヌが加わってバンドみたいなことを始めた。 そのあとは適当に友達や知り合いが入ったり出たりしてる。多い時は１２．３人くらいでやる時もある。

Q. What's the origin of the name?

A. When three of the original members stood in a line, it looked like a Chinese character yama (mountain). At the time we also found a flyer with a text describing a screening of a “full edition” film, then we decided to call ourselves Mountain/Full Edition.

Q. 名前の由来は何ですか？

A. 上記の三人並んだ時に山の形みたいだったから名前が山になって、そのときなんかの映画の完全版が上映って書いてあるチラシをみつけて山／完全版になった。

Q. You have occasional members from outside of Japan join the group. What do you feel binds the collective together? Any specific musical ideas, aesthetics, politics?

A.  Friends come from places like the U.S., France or Sweden, and if the timing is good, we do a session or sometimes even a live performance. We exchange ideas online and sometimes do long-distance collaboration where they send material like videos and sounds.

A.There are musical, artistic and political approaches in the group, but the dynamic changes depending on the band members who are in the band at any given time. With more liberal members in the group, what we would do will be more liberal. If I have left-wing members, we would be oriented towards the left. If we have many artists, the approach towards the work becomes more artistic. Our musical direction reflects our members at any given time.

When we have more parts where performers take part, then the focus of the work will be on the performance rather than how well the music is played. In these instances, I look back and think whether the unbalance reflected well in the work or not, but this also had a tendency to cause arguments.

Mixing various elements however allows me to reflect what is going on in society and the world. Working collectively brings out something that I cannot do on my own. These different factors influence the shape of the band, so it is also a way for me to make adjustments.

We think of the politics, visual arts and music with one brain, so it is all connected.

It is difficult, but I don’t want to fall into a trap of intellectual relativism. And I want to overcome the fear that we would be labeled as political people.

Q.日本国外からのメンバーがグループに参加することがあります。コレクティブを束縛していると思いますか？　特定の音楽的なアイデア、美学、政治などはありますか？

A. タイミングが合ってアメリカとかパリやスウェーデンなどから友達が来てなんかできるときに一緒にやるよ。

A音楽性とか美術的なアプローチ、政治性とかあると言えばあるんだけど、その時のメンバーによって変わるかな、リベラルなメンバーがいるときはリベラルな要素があるし左翼的なメンバーが多い時は左翼的になる、美術アーティストが多い時は作品に取り掛かる時に美術的なアプローチになったり、映像先行で音がついてきたり、音楽性もメンバー次第で変わるね。だから人のせいにするわけじゃないけども悪い時は悪いし、いい時はいい。

変わると言っても、例えばだけどパフォーマーの参加するパートが強い時は演奏のうまさよりパフォーマンス性に力学が働いたりするときがあって、そういうときは後になってそのアンバランスがよかったとか悪くなるとか考えるだけから、うまくいかなったりもするし揉め事も起きやすかった。

でも、いろんな要素を混同することで社会や世の動きを反映したりすることもできるし、個人の力学に陥らず集団性のいいところを発揮出来たりもした、またちょっとずつバンドの在り方を修正できることもある。

なんて言うんだろう、政治のことを考えるときも、美術のことを考えるときも、音楽のことを考えるときも同じ脳で考えてるから繋がっているよね。

で難しいといと言えば難しいんだけど、そこで知的相対主義に引っかかったりせず。また政治的な人達というレッテルをはられることを怖れず乗り越えていきたいと思っています。 もし拘束というよりルールがあるとするなら差別主義者やファシストはお断りということかな。

Q. Activism is a large part of your collective. We were wondering if you would like to talk about this for a bit?

A. Some of us  are actively engaged in activities against issues, such as politics, gender, racism, immigration, nuclear industry, while other members engage in other kinds of social activities. I try to incorporate these and express them through our music. But this is not all.  

Perhaps it is important to mention that there are not many artists in Japan who are outspoken about politics. Hardly any. And if someone talks about politics, the person would often get fierce criticism from all sorts of people for various reasons. Supporters of the far-right ruling party just want to attack whatever is against their ideology.  People generally just want to consume music as fans.

This leads to a soft and fluffy Fascism, a very unique phenomenon to Japan.  

Many artists probably think that political issues are troublesome to deal with. We feel so too. But I think linking social activities to artistic expressions can get us out of the soft and fluffy Fascism.

Q. 活動主義はあなたの集団の大部分です。 これについて少しお話ししたいと思いませんか？

さっきの話に続くんだけど、メンバーの中に政治やジェンダー、レイシズム、移民問題、原発問題に対してカウンター活動をしているメンバーがいたり、またそうでないメンバーもさまざまな社会活動に参加していて、そういう活動のフィードバックできる部分を表現活動に取り入れています。またそれがすべてではありません。

また大きな前提として日本のことについて少し話しておかなければならないと思うのは、日本で政治的なことを語るアーティストは少しいますが、ほとんどいません、また語ることで消費主義的なファンや極右政権が与党として君臨していたり、いろんな要因のもとさまざまな場所からバッシングを受けて沈黙してしまうのが現状です。

その結果日本独特だと思うのですがいわゆる、ゆるふわファシズムという状態になっています。

多くのアーティストは政治的な問題にめんどくせーと思っていると思います。自分たちもめんどくせーと思いつつやっています。またそれらの活動が表現活動に連なることでゆるふわファシズムを抜け出せると思っています。。

Q. There are a lot of masks in the group and a babble of different languages. How do you feel identity plays a part in Mountain/Full Edition?

A. I see what you mean. For a while I used to think that there were as many identities as there were band members, creating multiple forms of expressions.  But if everyone does what they wish, it becomes chaotic, a nightmare of a drunken karaoke session. This can create an amazing masterpiece, but I feel it relied too much on the chance. 

I don’t think having many identities is simply good, and I am trying to make adjustments. That is why I used the animal masks - to make us look unified. I am always thinking about the balance between keeping the group’s diversity and the strength of the work.

Q. グループにはたくさんの仮面があり、さまざまな言語のせせらぎがあります。IdentityはMountain / Full Editionでどのように役立っていると思いますか？

そうですね。ある時までは参加するメンバーの数だけIdentityがあるから、それだけいろんな表現ができると思ってたんだけど、みんなが好き放題やるとカオスで、たんにドランケンカラオケセッションのような悪夢だったんだ、またそのなかで時々見たことないような名作も生まれたりもしたんだけどね。でたとこ勝負な要素が強かった。 いまはそんなにIdentityがたくさんあることがいいともおもってなくて修正してる段階かな。だから動物の仮面で逆に統一感を出してる。グループの多様な在り方と作品としての強度や個性を殺さずに見せれるものを生成するバランスには常に悩まされている。

Q. When we first heard the group in a way it first reminded us of another Japanese underground music collective, Maher Shalal Hash Baz. Do you see yourself as part of a lineage of collective-based music? And do you see yourself as part of a community or lineage of experimental activity in and around the western Kansai region?

A. You are right. There was an interesting music scene in Kansai region in the 90’s, and I was influenced by Japanese hardcore, Scum and Japanoize. I was in a Grindcore band as a teenager, and was aware of the BOREDOMS and the noise scene. I also was inspired by sound artists like Takehisa Kosugi. And off course, Maher. But I started listening to a mix of music: Aphex Twin, Fatboy Slim, Free Jazz such as Albert Ayler, and other kinds of Jazz as well. I think I am influenced by all sorts of sounds including contemporary music starting from Arnold Schönberg, sound art, soundscapes, and pop, world folk music, music that comes into my ear even if I don’t like it. 70’s American experimental music, sounds I hear randomly, music I have forgotten. I cannot control what will come to being.

Ah, but I don’t listen so much to Vaporwave!

I am influenced not only by music, but by contemporary art, contemporary dance, left-wing culture, literature, old ladies’ knittings.

In this sense, half of what you said is true and half is not. There are many experimental music communities in the Kansai region, but I don’t actively follow them. Perhaps there are differences among them, but from afar, they appear similar. What I would like to see and experience is not in the places I expect but in other unexpected places. It is like a Buddhist riddle.

Q. このグループを初めて聞いたとき、すぐに別の日本のアンダーグラウンドミュージックの集まり、Maher Shalal Hash Bazを思い出させてくれました。 自分を集団ベースの音楽の血統の一部だと思いますか？ そして、あなたは自分自身を関西西部地域とその周辺の実験活動のコミュニティまたは血統の一部と見なしていますか？ 

A.確かに80/90年代の関西シーンに面白い音楽はあってJapanese hardcoreやScum・Japanoizeのようなものに影響は受けた。ティーンエイジの時Grindcoreのバンドをやっていたし、BOREDOMS や Noise scene にも触れてきた。Takehisa Kosugi の様な Sound Artにも影響を受けた。もちろんMaherも。 けれどもそのあと同じくらいAphex Twin・Fatboy Slim・Albert Aylerの様なfree　jazz、またそれだけじゃなくてあらゆるJazzやArnold Schönbergに始まる様な現代音楽・サウンドアート・サウンドスケープ・電子音楽、聴いてきたあらゆるPOPS・世界中の民族音楽・好きでもないけど耳に入ってきた音楽・アメリカの７０年代の実験音楽・たまたま聞こえてきた音、忘れてしまったような音楽、あるいは聴いたことある音すべてに影響を受けてると思うんだ。それがどのタイミングで出てくるかはコントロールできないな。

あっVaporwaveはあんまり聞いてない。

そして音楽だけじゃなくて、現代美術、コンテンポラリーダンスやお母さんの書いた本、左翼カルチャー、文芸作品、散歩、おばちゃんの編み物にも影響を受けているんだな。

そういう意味で、半分は正解、半分は間違い。関西西部地域とその周辺の実験活動のコミュニティが今どうなってるのかほとんど知らないし、熱を上げて観ることもあまりない。よくよく見ると違うのかもしれないけど、ちょっと距離でて眺めると似たようなものが多い気もする。 見たり体験したいことが　在るところに無くて、無いところに在る、なんだろ禅問答みたいだね（笑）

Q. What other things in the Western Kansai region (music, art etc) is exciting you right now?

A. There are many artists, musicians and dancers in the Kansai region, and whether Japanese or international, interesting things are happening in all sorts of places. But I don’t feel that there is a place where we could belong.

I don’t get excited so often, but I do enjoy the works of friends (people who join Mountain/Full Edition). And although it is not possible now due to Covid-19, if there is a protest demonstration I would like to join. It is exciting to face democracy head-on in Japan today.

Q関西の他のどの場所（音楽、アートなど）で、今あなたをワクワクさせていますか？

A関西に住んでて、わりとアーティスト、ミュジーシャン、ダンサーなどは多いし、国内のものや国外のおもしろいこともいろんな所でやってると思う、ところが理由はわからないんだけど、自分たちが所属できるような場所はないとも思う。

あんまりワクワクはしないんだけど、友達（山に参加してるような人たち）の作る作品はいつもワクワクしてます。あとはいまはコロナでできないけどデモがあったら参加したい。いま日本で民主主義に正面から触れることはとっても刺激があるよ。

Credit list

Kentarouh Imai/Guitar Monkey Concept, Music Composition, Lyrics, Video Direction

Misako Yabuuchi/Song Monkey,Twin Snake Performance, Lyrics, Costume (Twin Snake, Props), Watercolor Painting

Kohei Matsumura/Corn Saxman Camera, Video Composition

Ufo/Citizen Rap, Lyrics, Magic

Kiuchi Hitomi/Trumpet Monkey Lighting, Laser Illumination

Miho Shimizu/Pig A Costume (Mountain Jacket, Animal Masks), Translation #2

Moire/Drum Monkey Store Owner, moirestore.jimdo.com, Some luxurious effector

ChibiGuts/Dancing Monkey and Pig B

[if-found-return-to-gusu]

Happy Birthday to Me Pt 6

It was then that I heard Lan Xichen absolutely YELLING about how excited he was for karaoke later. I was torn between being VERY interested in the idea of karaoke, and very amused by the expression on DaGe’s face while Lan Xichen clung to his arm. Adorable. ♥ Apparently giving Lan Xichen alcohol made for very amusing consequences. Hah. I wonder if Lan Zhan is the same way? I noticed he hadn’t touched a drop of the wine. Maybe one day I’ll be able to convince him to share a drink or two with me. 

Ah well. That’s a thought for later. 

I tugged on Lan Zhan’s shirt to get his attention away from his drunk brother and back on his unfortunately sober me.  

“/You/ planned for karaoke?” I asked, surprised. It was a loud game of bad singing that was usually performed drunk in my experience. I knew Lan Zhan to be quite the discerning musician with a distaste for loudness and rowdiness so I was surprised he would bring in something that encouraged both. 

“Huaisang suggested it,” he said, sounding a little defensive. 

“I’m surprised you agreed to it though!” I persisted. I was about to tell him that I in know why thought this was a BAD thing when SangSang interjected. 

“He’s lying. Wangji suggested it. Said he missed singing”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lan ZHan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can sing to me whenever you want!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Lan Zhan looked rather like he would like to melt into the floor right then. Can’t really blame him as Nie Huaisang’s voice carried to the other side of the table. DaGe had a devilish expression that matched Lan Xichen’s. 

I couldn’t help but laugh, but regretted it immediately because Lan Zhan looked so mortified and not in the fun way. I think he thought I was laughing at him. I wasn’t at all! I mean he’s completely adorable and that always makes me laugh in a good way but this time I was laughing at the conspiratorial looks that the Nie brothers were sharing. I get the sense the two of them aren’t on the same page that often. 

“I’m sorry, Lan Zhan,” I said, trying to make him feel better. “I wasn’t laughing at you! Promise. I just didn’t think you’d be into that kind of thing at all!”

I don’t think it helped but I wasn’t sure what to say after that. I didn’t mean to upset him at all. I just figured he’d appreciate an opera more than Jiang Cheng screaming into a microphone. 

Before I could figure out how to make amends, Shijie started to clear the table. Lan Zhan and I started to get up to help but Shijie stopped us. 

“No you stay there!” she said, and it took me a second to realize she was talking to Lan Zhan rather than me. She passed him A-Lian who stared at him with mild interest. “I trust you to keep my daughter safe while I’m away.” 

Trust Shijie to save the day. She knocked him out of his glowring mood with one swift and decisive stroke of genius.

But now he had a different problem. And that problem was idly blowing spit bubbles while staring at him. I could tell he had no idea what to do because he just held her under her armpits while looking lost. 

I watched, waiting for that moment when my little niece started to work her magic. But first she had to decide if she liked him or not. I wasn’t worried. What isn’t to like about Lan Zhan?

She seemed to agree because her little face broke out into a grin, showing off her little baby teeth. She babbled at him and started reaching for his face and he was done for.

No one can resist that move. No one. I bet it’d even make Lan Qiren melt. 

And it worked on him just like it worked on everyone else. 

I saw his jade face crack and he pulled her in close. 

Oh….

Oh no… 

That same emotion that I refuse to identify came back in full force. 

A wave of a wish that I don’t dare to want. Not when I’m barely wrapping my mind around the slim hope he might….

I bit my lip to keep myself steady. 

I wanted this… 

I want it. 

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh

One step at a time Wei Ying! Don’t get ahead of yourself! Come on now! 

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh. 

Oof. Anyway. Heh.. 

A-Lian made herself at home on his lap and started playing with his long fingers. She kept looking up at him as if making sure all of his attention was on her. And of course it was. No one can resist that little face. 

And then he smiled back at her and my heart melted even MORE

Fuck.

I was saved by Jiang Cheng’s voice cutting through that peaceful moment. 

“Lan Wangji, if you’re trying to earn a spot as best uncle in her heart, I suggest you give up immediately!”

Of course I kicked him as hard as I could under the table because how dare????

Besides! Clearly /I/ am the best uncle in her heart! And I wouldn’t give up that spot to anyone EXCEPT maybe Lan Zhan. Because he is just the best. Full stop. 

“Why don’t you go help Shijie instead of running your mouth?” I snapped at him. 

He glared at me and asked why I didn’t do that myself. I responded that it was my birthday  and I was told to stay put. 

Though technically I think Lan Zhan was the one told to stay put. But I wanted to be where he was so I was stuck too.

I grinned at him because I knew it would piss him off. It worked. Hah. 

But then the peacock, probably trying to keep to his promise to be nice, asked Jiang Cheng to take Jin Ling to the bathroom. The quickest way to get Jiang Cheng to do what you want is to involve Jin Ling. He can’t resist any excuse to spend time with his little nephew. 

I just hope the poor kid doesn’t learn to copy Jiang Cheng’s temper. 

But he dotes on that boy so I guess it won’t be too much of a problem.

After he stomped off with A-Ling in his arms, Nie Huaisang floated back into the middle of the room for a big announcement. Apparently.

“Before we begin with the singing and dancing portion of the evening,” he said, all business, “there are two important things we must do first!”

As if waiting on a queue, Shijie came out from behind him with a large bag of something heavy that she dropped in front of me with a fwump. (Why were they making Shijie do so much when she’s pregnant! I know she’s barely showing and is in perfect health and absolutely glowing, but still! She should be using this time to do nothing but rest!)

(Yes I KNOW she’d never let herself sit idle but I can still blame everyone else.)

I tried to reach for the bag, curious, but she slid it further away. I looked at her to do my best imitation of Jin Ling’s pout, but the effect was ruined by the lights being turned off. 

The plunge into darkness lasted only a moment before the room was lit up by a bunch of candles on what appeared to be a masterpiece of a cake!  Jiang Cheng must have slipped back into the room because before I knew it he and Gamby were leading a chorus of “happy birthday” which was soon joined in by everyone else. 

As I was once again nearly moved to tears (dear god when did I get this EMOTIONAL????????) I couldn’t help but mentally note how weird this was. It’s a ritual that involves fire and chanting! Who came up with that?

And like the happy birthday song isn’t exactly the happiest sounding melody if we’re completely honest here!

I did my best to collect myself again in time to blow out the mass of candles as everyone clapped.

I guess it’s a good thing that Lan Zhan doesn’t have the lights attached to the clapper. Hah. Can you imagine?

Happy birthday! -clap clap clap-  -STROBE LIGHTS!!!!-

I tried a couple of times to blow but I was too choked up.

It was a MASTERPIECE. An absolute work of art that had Shijie’s hand all over it. 

How long must she have been working on this??? It was fit for a royal wedding! There was no need to spend all that time and effort just for my birthday! And it wasn’t even a big one! My 30th isn’t until next year!!

Oh god. I’ll try to describe it but I won’t be able to do it justice. 

It was a giant lotus pond. With frosting so clear and smooth it looked like glass. The lotus flowers and pods looked real! Carefully hand painted to the most minute of details.

Candles were placed strategically to look like lanterns lighting up the scene. 

There was depth to the cake and looking down into it revealed gorgeous koi that seemed to really swim in the flickering light from the artfully placed candles.

The piers she sculpted were an exact replica of home. Even down to the three figures sitting at the edge of one of the docks. I could hear our laughter creeping from the past from the very depths of my heart. There were no faces on the children but they were expressions of joy all the same! 

Shijie was between Jiang Cheng and myself, separating us from our play fighting as she dipped her feet in the pond. Delicate ripples extended from the point where her tiny toe touched the calm waters. 

A rare moment of peace with no pressure or demands from anyone. I remember the exact day she depicted there. If only we could all go back to that pier. Just for one more day. If only. 

I finally tore my eyes away from that memory to look at the rest of the cake. 

Oh that nearly broke me. Everyone I loved was there. Pieces of them represented in loving detail.  

There were a couple of cups of coffee and tea to symbolise the women who had welcomed me to the cafe that had so improved my life. MianMian and Qin Su. 

A small group of golden feathers glinted in the corner. A-Ling and A-Lian together with the tuft of my future niece or nephew in the protective shade of their father. (I suppose it’s fair that he’s there too. Fiiiine)

A Laptop for the friend that helps me remember that I’m worth more than I give myself credit for (Yes that’s you Huaisang.)

A crib for the grandmother I lost and found again. Gamby. 

A butterfly for the little boy that I see almost as a son. A-Yuan. 

A stethoscope for the doctors that saved my life. Who made me remember who I am. Who brought me back from that dark abyss.  Wen Qing and her brother Wen Ning. 

A pair of rabbits, one black and one white. for the man who stole my heart. Who changed my life. Who saved me in ways I didn’t realize I needed to be saved. Lan Zhan. 

Lan Zhan. 

Shijie went through the lists to explain what they all meant, apologizing for some of them being, in her words ‘unrecognizable’. What nonsense. She said sorry to DaGe and Lan Xichen for not including them but they both shook their heads and assured her it was fine. Well Lan Xichen half shouted until DaGe put a calming hand on his shoulder. 

I couldn’t see much more than that though because the dam had finally broken. I felt a bit of strength when Lan Zhan slid a hand onto my shoulder. The comforting weight helped me calm down enough to speak, though I couldn’t stop crying.

“Shijie. You made the pond,” I gasped. “Our pond.”

That was all I managed to choke out before the tears redoubled. Oh how embarrassing. I know the song says I can cry if I want to but I DON’T want to! It’s a happy time and here I am getting all snotty and gross. 

I got up shakily so I could pull her into my arms. It was all I could think to do to thank her. She understood. Of course she did. She’s Shijie. She held me close, whispering “Oh A-Xian,” as she stroked my hair like she always used to. I felt another pair of arms wrap around the pair of us as Jiang Cheng turned it into a group hug. I noticed his eyes were a bit wet as well, though the tears hadn’t quite fallen for him yet. 

When Gamby joined the group hug it seemed to be the queue for everyone else to pile on top.  Somehow Lan Zhan managed to worm his way into the inner circle. I didn’t actually notice until I felt a large hand on my back. 

Oh geez. That meant he saw me being a blubbering mess right up in his face. 

Eventually it got a bit ridiculous and I couldn't help but laugh, complaining that I couldn’t breathe. 

Everyone laughed along with me and gave me some last squeezes and pats before they pulled away. 

[valkyriesryde]

Beautiful Soul

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Summary: The team decides to let loose after a rough few months with some singing and some alcohol, what could possibly happen ;)

Warnings: swearing, alcohol consumption, bit of fluff and pining

A/N: it took me so long to decide if I wanted this to be emotional or fun and light but every karaoke au i read the songs are slow and sad and I wanted a bit of a change and my friends and I decided Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney. ENJOY

Masterlist

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

It’d been an emotionally and physically draining few months for the Avengers. Everyone had missions up to their eyeballs and if they weren’t out in the field they were stuck under piles of research or surveillance work. Finally, after the long sleepless nights the overall objective was complete, and the team could relax. Everyone was exhausted, one more week and they would have been down each other’s throats.

There had already been several examples of members lashing out. The most recent was when Natasha threw a cup of yogurt at Tony because he happened to walk in and start talking to her while she was in the kitchen. Was it too much to ask for some time to yourself for once in this godforsaken place?!?

It was safe to say that the Avengers needed some sort of release. Ideas had been bouncing about on how they should celebrate the end of the gruesome missions however nothing stuck.

The most common came from people like Sam, Thor and Tony…get absolutely sloshed and have a party. They were always shot down, the rest of the team not wanting to deal with the clean up or other people for that matter.

Another common suggestion came from Wanda and Bruce, they suggested a horror movie marathon with snacks and drinks (alcoholic optional). Bruce’s reasoning was that horror movies had been proven to provide a cathartic release most efficiently compared to other genres of movies. Wanda also made sure to mention that everyone would be too busy belittling the characters to think about how exhausted they were. It was a good idea, but there were too many PTSD ridden people in the building to create a safe enough list for them watch so it was quickly pushed aside.

It wasn’t until the day after their target had been eliminated that a decision had finally been made and Tony was quick to get everything in order so the team could celebrate as soon as possible.

It had just been a passing comment, in fact, Tony couldn’t actually remember who had said it and no one would confess. Someone had mentioned to him in the midst of everything that they just needed to pick something fun. That’s when the spark went off in Tony’s mind and as soon as he had settled back at the compound, he was booking out an entire bar for the following week. He refused to tell anyone what his plan was, only Rhodey knew and that was only because they had a deal that Tony would keep no secrets from him.

The team had specific instructions before they set off. They were to dress nicely, but comfortably. They had to attend. They had to take part.

Tony’s plans were the talk of the week as everyone took the chance to relax and get back some time to themselves that had previously been lost. Soon enough though the night came around and the team were piling into the three separate cars and making their way into town.

As they pulled up to the bar in the city no one thought much of it. There had been a couple comments here and there amongst the group, Thor suggested maybe Tony had decided to go with their original idea, Natasha warned him that surely there was something more going on, they weren’t just here to get drunk and party.

Her warning was proved somewhat wrong when they all filed into the bar one after another, it was a small bar, worn out booths with a few tables scattered around the place. They noted the lack of staff around almost as soon as they walked in, seemingly looking over what Tony and told Rhodey was his masterpiece.

“We’ve got the place to ourselves!” he exclaimed jumping onto the small stage and gesturing his arms out towards the room, “you’re all also looking over our entertainment for the evening.” There was a sparkle in his eye and a smirk on his face as he caught everyone’s attention.

“It’s not you is it?” Steve yelled out as he followed Sam behind the bar to start handing out drinks.

“No, it’s no - that’s not very nice you know Captain,” Steve just shook his head in response. “Our entertainment is this!” Tony pointed towards the machine that stood to his side on the stage, the large machine, from the back, looked like nothing special, a metal box really, the noteworthy feature of this metal box was the two microphones that sat on each side of it.

“Karaoke?” Clint raised his brow, “I’m gonna need a stronger drink than this,” he shoved the beer back to Sam who quickly replaced it with a line of tequila shots along the bar.

“Mate we all are.”

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

The party was in full swing, it took a few rounds of shots and pestering for the karaoke to begin but soon enough the music was turned off and the machine was started up. Sam and Clint belted out Bohemian Rhapsody together, Wanda, Clint and Natasha decided that they couldn’t NOT sing We Are the Champions. After about four rounds of Asgardian alcohol Steve was pushed onto the stage to sing his heart out to Party in the USA.

Everybody was singing and dancing and having a fabulously buzzed time. Then there was Bucky. Bucky was not a party man, with or without the mounds of strangers Tony would bring to his parties he just couldn’t find himself enjoying them. Bucky would much rather be at home drinking and chatting with his friends than dancing and singing in this sticky bar. That’s why he was sat in the booth at the back of the bar facing the stage, watching his friends sing along to whoever was on stage off key and out of sync.

He slumped back into the booth, sipping on his drink as he watched Tony serenade Pepper with some song he didn’t know. His peace was interrupted when Sam and Y/N came crashing into the booth on either side of him.

“Hey Bucko,” beamed Sam.

“Buckaroo” laughed Y/N. Bucky rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t hold back a smile or the laugh that escaped him as his drunk friends doubled over in laughter at the nickname.

“I’m glad you two are having so much fun,” he shook his head as Sam took a swig of his drink and Y/N leaned closer to him.

“We’re playing a game Buck,” Sam smiled at Y/N as she shot up from her spot on Bucky’s shoulder, as soon as she moved he felt a chill sweep through him.

“It is not we, it is you,” she turned her attention to Bucky and threw an accusing finger at Sam, “he’s trying to get me drunk Bucky!”

“Doll, I’m afraid you’re already drunk,” Bucky looked at the girl who sat next to him with a shocked expression on her face, her body turned completely towards him.

“I can’t believe you would say that,” she turned back to Sam, “it’s your fault isn’t it!”

“Hey! I merely offered the drink, you’re the one that took it!” Sam slurred out matter-of-factly. Y/N nodded and hummed in reluctant agreement, she relaxed back down into the booth and leaned her head back on Bucky’s shoulder.

Bucky looked down at the girl on her shoulder who was softly singing along to whoever was on stage now, a small smile found its way onto his face until he thought about what they were actually talking about and his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“Was the whole game to get her drunk? Dude,” Bucky looked at Sam with a disappointed face, you don’t just go around getting girls drunk for the fun of it.

“No,” Sam’s eyes darted to Bucky and back to the stage, “well maybe but she challenged me to it!”

“Please do tell me more.”

“I asked what drunk Y/N was like because none of us have ever met her and Y/N said, and I quote, ‘if you can get me drunk I’ll gladly introduce you’” he put on his best impression of Y/N and shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal. Bucky couldn’t help but laugh, it was kinda funny okay, he had to admit that.

“And what did you find out you idiot?”

“Yea Sam, what’d you find,” Y/N slurred out softly, sitting up again and raising her eyebrows at Sam who stuck his tongue out towards her.

“You’re you, but like, times ten and giggly,” this caused an eruption of giggles from Y/N in her drunken state and a laugh from both the men, he wasn’t wrong. “Now if you excuse me, I have a song to sing” Sam jumped up from his seat and ran towards the stage.

“You don’t want to go join him?” Bucky asked twirling the glass in his hands as he avoided her eye.

“Nah, I’m good here,” Y/N smiled sweetly at him before leaning her elbows in the desk and watching Sam get the dance floor’s attention.

“I would like to dedicate this song to my main man!” Sam pointed towards Steve, “this ones for you spangled man with a plan!” The whole room started cheering and laughing, even Steve laughed as they all started singing along with Sam.

“Why are mopping back here Bucky?” The pair turned their attention away from Sam dragging Steve onto stage to finish the song and to each other, Y/N leaned forward on her elbows towards Bucky, he tried not to lean further towards her, he tried to push the feeling of wanted to be as close to her as possible deep down.

“Not a fan of parties,” he shrugged. She thought for a minute, eyeing him skeptically before humming.

“Not a fan of karaoke?” She smiled at him with the playful look in her eyes that he couldn’t resist, and Bucky could only swallow down a mouthful of his drink and nod. “Is it because you haven’t had a song dedicated to you yet Buck? There’s no need to be moping because of that,” Bucky rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to talk but the sudden applause interrupted him, and they looked over to see Sam and Steve bowing and leaping off the stage.

“I call next!” Y/N called out as she stood up but quickly leaned down to Bucky, “don’t worry Buck, I’ll dedicate my song to ya,” she winked and skipped off towards the stage. Bucky watched her jump on and select the song, she didn’t even have to think about what she was picking she already knew the perfect song to sing.

Bucky didn’t have enough time to process what she was on about. He wasn’t quite sure why it was such a bad thing that he hadn’t had a song dedicated to him. He didn’t mind it. He was more focused on the fact that she’d run away just as fast as she’d arrived at his booth and he hadn’t wanted her to leave. He knew though, as was with all of his friends, there’s no way to control them when there’s alcohol in their systems. As long as their safe, and happy, which they were.

Y/N wasn’t quite thinking as clearly as she would have liked when she ran up to the stage and selected the song she wanted. Her one thought process, the conclusion she had come to all by herself, was that Bucky was moping because no one had sung for him and he wasn’t enjoying himself. So she was determined to make a change of that. Y/N looked out to the other end of the room and meet Bucky’s eye. He had a wide smile on his face as he watched her, and he raised an eyebrow as the music began. All she could do was give him a smirk and bring the microphone up towards her.

“This is for my favourite super soldier with the long hair and the bright blue eyes!” she winked at him.  

As soon as the music started everyone in the room began whooping and cheering. Y/N stepped to the edge of the stage and held her hand up towards the crowd.

“I don’t want another pretty face,” she screwed her eyes shut and brought her fist towards her stomach dramatically, “I don’t want just anyone to hold,” she opened her eyes and scanned the room, Sam and Clint were wrapped in each other’s arms serenading one another, Tony was pulling Pepper towards the dance floor and giving her a spin. “I don’t want my love to go to waste,” she looked towards Bucky, her movements and her voice getting more and more dramatic with every movement, but her eyes were locked with his as she sang the next line, pointing a finger directly at him.

“I JUST WANT YOU AND YOUR BEAUTIFUL SOUL!!!” the room all shouted in unison.

The song continued and everybody got louder and louder as it went. Y/N felt like she was back in her childhood bedroom, jumping on her bed with a hairbrush microphone with her friends all singing along with over dramatic gestures and their entire soul going into the performance. This really was just the adult version of that.

Bucky watched Y/N dance around the stage singing the song he’d never heard before but deciding it was his new favourite. He laughed every time she pointed towards him, singing just for him. He listened to the lyrics, oh he wanted so badly for there to be truth behind those lyrics she sung to him. He watched her movements slow as she pushed her tangled her back from her face and then held the microphone with both her hands, her eyes not once leaving him as she beamed.

“Am I crazy for wanting you? Baby do you think you could want me too?” he wanted so badly for her to mean those words, he wanted so badly to run up to her on that stage and kiss her like his life depended on it because he did want her too.

Y/N’s eyes darted away from Bucky when she started the chorus again, she tried to push back the butterflies in her stomach from having his eyes glued so tightly to her. She tried to ignore what the song actually meant, this was just fun, it was a throwback song that was just a little bit of fun at a karaoke party. Right? Right?!?

As she came to the end of the song Y/N tried to immerse herself in it, she felt the music flow through her, she felt the alcohol running through her veins, she pushed back any feelings for Bucky that sat in her mind and focused completely on the song and her friends dancing and singing with her.

The song came to an end everybody burst into cheers and applause. Bucky stood up from his seat in the booth and moved to stand in front of it, joining in on the applause smiling at the girl he was so head over heels for. He watched her jump off the stage and stumble before catching herself and being enveloped by Natasha and Rhodey, he watched her high five Wanda and Clint as she made her way through the crowd and he watched her as she stepped up to him giggling.

“Did you enjoy your song Bucky?” Y/N mirrored his stance, arms crossed, shoulders back, smile sitting ear to ear.

“You put on quite a show Y/N” Bucky dropped his arms and stepped closer towards her, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“Well,” she placed her hands on her hips and looked up at Bucky who flicked his tongue along his bottom lip, “I do aim to please.”

Bucky let out a deep chuckle, he pulled her by the wrist back to the booth before walking towards the bar and getting them both another drink.

“You gonna get out there before the nights over?” Y/N bumped her shoulder against Bucky’s after a few minutes of comfortable silence between the two.

“No way in hell,” he laughed looking back at her.

“Damn, was hoping you’d dedicate one to me,” she gave Bucky a smirk over the brim of her glass, “it’s the least you could do.”

“I can thank you in other ways,” Bucky mustered up whatever confidence he had in him, Y/N put her glass down and turned her body so she faced him fully.

“And how are you going to do that?” she leaned on her head on the booth, waiting for Bucky to make a move, any move.

He didn’t give her an answer, not a vocal one and not at first. Bucky chuckled softly and reached up to place his hand on her cheek, moving it across her skin to the back of her neck. He leaned in closer to her as she stayed in place biting her lip. Bucky brushed his nose against the side of Y/N’s, he had a small smile on his face when he noticed her cheeks turn pink at such a small action.

“I’ve got a few things up my sleeve,” he whispered before closing the gap between them. Their kiss was gentle and quick. She could taste the mixture of Asgardian liquor and the bitterness of beer on his lips but it wasn’t long enough or deep enough for her to remember the taste or feel it on her tongue. When he pulled back he didn’t move far and opted to rest his head on the booth next to hers.

“If that’s how I’m thanked after one song I wonder what another will get me,” she whispered, they kept their voices quiet, no one else needed to hear them.

“Guess you’ll have to sing me another one to find out,” he smiled, he kept his hand at the back of her neck, his fingers tangling themselves in her hair.

“I’ll need to finish my drink before you get another song out of me Buckaroo,” Y/N laughed and sat up, Bucky’s hand fell from her hair and he picked up his own drink, his other hand moved to wrap around her waist lightly.

“I think I’m starting to enjoy this whole karaoke thing,” he smiled at her from behind his drink. He’d let her sing every song under the sun for him up on that godforsaken stage if it meant getting to kiss her again.

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

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it and requests are open!

[mother-love-stone]

I was tagged by @whitedeadflower and @thenonatapes to answer the following questions, thank you 💕💕

1: What are you wearing? Underwear and an oversized t-shirt

2: Ever been in love? Unfortunately, yes

3: Ever had a terrible breakup? No.

4: How tall are you? 171 or 172 cm

5: How much do you weigh? 61 kg

6: Any tattoos do you want? Yesss, lately I’m seriously thinking of getting the symbol of Hakuna Matata somwhere on my hand to constantly remind myself to stop stressing out and enjoy life

7: Any piercings that you want? Not really.

8: OTP? Please excuse my ignorance, but I don’t even know what that means.

9: Favorite show? Supernatural, The Umbrella Academy, What we do in the shadows are some of the best ones I’ve watched.

10: Favorite band? Oh, this is a hard question, because my god, I’m all over the place musically, but I would say that Alice in Chains is my favourite band, even though I haven’t listened to them in months. It’s one of those bands that stick with me, and every time I hear one of their songs I’m like “yeah, that is my favourite band”

11: Something you miss? HIGHSCHOOL.

12: Favorite song? It changes a lot, but right now it’s Anthem by Greta van Fleet

13: How old are you? 19

14: Zodiac sign? Capricorn

15: Hair color? I dyed it red again yesterday.

16: Favorite quote? “Just remember, no matter how bad things get, they will always get better, unless they get worse” - I saw this one on an Instagram meme page, idk the author, but it’s so simple and obvious, and somehow comforting

17: Favorite singer? Chris Cornell, Layne Staley, Serj and Daron, Matt Bellamy

18: Favorite color? Green

19: Loud music or soft? Both, depending of my mood

20: Where do you go when you’re sad? Phisically, in a place where I can be alone so I can calm myself down and cry in peace. Mentally, I try to distract myself and not think about what makes me sad, I usually make up different universes in my head, like sometimes I think about how cool it would be if I were some kind of witch that can timetravel, but everytime I travel in time, another alternate universe gets created so I don't mess up the timeline.

21: How long does it take you to shower? 20 to 40 minutes

22: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? About an hour

23: Ever been in a physical fight? Nope, I'm a peaceful person

24: Turn on? Great sense of humour, a person who doesn't take things too seriously, originality and a great, well-defined personality

25: Turn off? A person that says they like food and sleep as personality traits, no communication skills, close-minded people

26: The reason I joined TUMBLR? Because I saw lots of screenshots of the supernatural fandom being everywhere and being hilarious and I wanted to be a part of that lmao.

27: Fears? My biggest fear is the unstoppable passing of time, whatever you do, you can't take back the TIME, and it's scary as fuck to me that every day we are closer to the end of something.

28: Last thing that made you cry? That I'm going to start college really soon and it terrifies me.

29: Last time you cried? Three days ago for a few hours actually, it wasn't pretty...

30: Meaning behind your url? I love Stone Gossard and Mother Love Bone.

31: Last book you read? Ok, I'm gonna say it, I'm not a big book person. I don't know, reading a whole book is just stressing me out, I never do it to relax, I do it because I have to, for school, for example. I was never a big book person, and I was always embarassed by that, because reading books as a hobby was very romanticised among my former friend group when I was younger and it made me feel stupid.

32: Last song you listened to? White room by Cream. That song is a masterpiece.

33: Last show you watched? Umbrella Academy last month.

34: Last person you talked to? My mom.

35: The relationship between you and the person you last texted? He's a very good friend of mine, we are making plans to go on a really nice hill to see the sunset and the whole city with the squad.

36: Favorite food? Pizza.

37: Place you want to visit? Everywhere, the whole world, every country has beautiful places.

38: Last place you were? The living room

39: Do you have a crush? I don't even know anymore

40: Last time you kissed someone? I can't even remember, romantic relationships are not a priority for me right now. They never have been, honestly

41: Last time you were insulted and what was it? My friends call me a crazy old lady all the time, but it's in a loving way, so I don't know if it counts

42: What color underwear are you wearing? It has blue, yellow and white strips

43: What color shirt are you wearing? Blue

44: What color bottoms are you wearing? Are you talking about shoes? If so, then no color because I'm not wearing any

45: Wearing any bracelets? None atm

46: Last sport you played? I have no idea, I'm not a very sporty person

47: Last song you sang? Teenage dirtbag by Wheatus, I always go karaoke mode whenever I hear it

48: Last prank call you remember doing? Elementary school?

49: Last time you hung out with anyone? Met up outside with some friends yesterday, don't worry, we are very careful with Covid

50: Favorite movie? I don't know, I have several movies that I like, but I don't know if I would call them my favourite movie of all time. One that I recently watched and stuck with me because of the message was Swiss Army Man.

Thanks for the tag and sorry it took so long to actually do it

I'll tag @noezppl @mvickym @spreadthecurse @punk-rock-sunflowerr only if you want to, no pressure❤❤❤

[movedvalkyriesryde]

Beautiful Soul

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Summary: The team decides to let loose after a rough few months with some singing and some alcohol, what could possibly happen ;)

Warnings: swearing, alcohol consumption, bit of fluff and pining

Requested by @turquoisekokiri

A/N: it took me so long to decide if I wanted this to be emotional or fun and light but every karaoke au i read the songs are slow and sad and I wanted a bit of a change and my friends and I decided Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney. ENJOY

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

It’d been an emotionally and physically draining few months for the Avengers. Everyone had missions up to their eyeballs and if they weren’t out in the field they were stuck under piles of research or surveillance work. Finally, after the long sleepless nights the overall objective was complete, and the team could relax. Everyone was exhausted, one more week and they would have been down each other’s throats. 

There had already been several examples of members lashing out. The most recent was when Natasha threw a cup of yogurt at Tony because he happened to walk in and start talking to her while she was in the kitchen. Was it too much to ask for some time to yourself for once in this godforsaken place?!?

It was safe to say that the Avengers needed some sort of release. Ideas had been bouncing about on how they should celebrate the end of the gruesome missions however nothing stuck.

The most common came from people like Sam, Thor and Tony...get absolutely sloshed and have a party. They were always shot down, the rest of the team not wanting to deal with the clean up or other people for that matter.

Another common suggestion came from Wanda and Bruce, they suggested a horror movie marathon with snacks and drinks (alcoholic optional). Bruce’s reasoning was that horror movies had been proven to provide a cathartic release most efficiently compared to other genres of movies. Wanda also made sure to mention that everyone would be too busy belittling the characters to think about how exhausted they were. It was a good idea, but there were too many PTSD ridden people in the building to create a safe enough list for them watch so it was quickly pushed aside. 

It wasn’t until the day after their target had been eliminated that a decision had finally been made and Tony was quick to get everything in order so the team could celebrate as soon as possible. 

It had just been a passing comment, in fact, Tony couldn’t actually remember who had said it and no one would confess. Someone had mentioned to him in the midst of everything that they just needed to pick something fun. That’s when the spark went off in Tony’s mind and as soon as he had settled back at the compound, he was booking out an entire bar for the following week. He refused to tell anyone what his plan was, only Rhodey knew and that was only because they had a deal that Tony would keep no secrets from him. 

The team had specific instructions before they set off. They were to dress nicely, but comfortably. They had to attend. They had to take part.

Tony’s plans were the talk of the week as everyone took the chance to relax and get back some time to themselves that had previously been lost. Soon enough though the night came around and the team were piling into the three separate cars and making their way into town.

As they pulled up to the bar in the city no one thought much of it. There had been a couple comments here and there amongst the group, Thor suggested maybe Tony had decided to go with their original idea, Natasha warned him that surely there was something more going on, they weren’t just here to get drunk and party. 

Her warning was proved somewhat wrong when they all filed into the bar one after another, it was a small bar, worn out booths with a few tables scattered around the place. They noted the lack of staff around almost as soon as they walked in, seemingly looking over what Tony and told Rhodey was his masterpiece.

“We’ve got the place to ourselves!” he exclaimed jumping onto the small stage and gesturing his arms out towards the room, “you’re all also looking over our entertainment for the evening.” There was a sparkle in his eye and a smirk on his face as he caught everyone’s attention. 

“It’s not you is it?” Steve yelled out as he followed Sam behind the bar to start handing out drinks.

“No, it’s no - that’s not very nice you know Captain,” Steve just shook his head in response. “Our entertainment is this!” Tony pointed towards the machine that stood to his side on the stage, the large machine, from the back, looked like nothing special, a metal box really, the noteworthy feature of this metal box was the two microphones that sat on each side of it. 

“Karaoke?” Clint raised his brow, “I’m gonna need a stronger drink than this,” he shoved the beer back to Sam who quickly replaced it with a line of tequila shots along the bar.

“Mate we all are.”

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

The party was in full swing, it took a few rounds of shots and pestering for the karaoke to begin but soon enough the music was turned off and the machine was started up. Sam and Clint belted out Bohemian Rhapsody together, Wanda, Clint and Natasha decided that they couldn’t NOT sing We Are the Champions. After about four rounds of Asgardian alcohol Steve was pushed onto the stage to sing his heart out to Party in the USA. 

Everybody was singing and dancing and having a fabulously buzzed time. Then there was Bucky. Bucky was not a party man, with or without the mounds of strangers Tony would bring to his parties he just couldn’t find himself enjoying them. Bucky would much rather be at home drinking and chatting with his friends than dancing and singing in this sticky bar. That’s why he was sat in the booth at the back of the bar facing the stage, watching his friends sing along to whoever was on stage off key and out of sync. 

He slumped back into the booth, sipping on his drink as he watched Tony serenade Pepper with some song he didn’t know. His peace was interrupted when Sam and Y/N came crashing into the booth on either side of him.

“Hey Bucko,” beamed Sam.

“Buckaroo” laughed Y/N. Bucky rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t hold back a smile or the laugh that escaped him as his drunk friends doubled over in laughter at the nickname. 

“I’m glad you two are having so much fun,” he shook his head as Sam took a swig of his drink and Y/N leaned closer to him. 

“We’re playing a game Buck,” Sam smiled at Y/N as she shot up from her spot on Bucky’s shoulder, as soon as she moved he felt a chill sweep through him.

“It is not we, it is you,” she turned her attention to Bucky and threw an accusing finger at Sam, “he’s trying to get me drunk Bucky!” 

“Doll, I’m afraid you’re already drunk,” Bucky looked at the girl who sat next to him with a shocked expression on her face, her body turned completely towards him.

“I can’t believe you would say that,” she turned back to Sam, “it’s your fault isn’t it!”

“Hey! I merely offered the drink, you’re the one that took it!” Sam slurred out matter-of-factly. Y/N nodded and hummed in reluctant agreement, she relaxed back down into the booth and leaned her head back on Bucky’s shoulder. 

Bucky looked down at the girl on her shoulder who was softly singing along to whoever was on stage now, a small smile found its way onto his face until he thought about what they were actually talking about and his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“Was the whole game to get her drunk? Dude,” Bucky looked at Sam with a disappointed face, you don’t just go around getting girls drunk for the fun of it.

“No,” Sam’s eyes darted to Bucky and back to the stage, “well maybe but she challenged me to it!”

“Please do tell me more.”

“I asked what drunk Y/N was like because none of us have ever met her and Y/N said, and I quote, ‘if you can get me drunk I’ll gladly introduce you’” he put on his best impression of Y/N and shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal. Bucky couldn’t help but laugh, it was kinda funny okay, he had to admit that. 

“And what did you find out you idiot?”

“Yea Sam, what’d you find,” Y/N slurred out softly, sitting up again and raising her eyebrows at Sam who stuck his tongue out towards her.

“You’re you, but like, times ten and giggly,” this caused an eruption of giggles from Y/N in her drunken state and a laugh from both the men, he wasn’t wrong. “Now if you excuse me, I have a song to sing” Sam jumped up from his seat and ran towards the stage. 

“You don’t want to go join him?” Bucky asked twirling the glass in his hands as he avoided her eye.

“Nah, I’m good here,” Y/N smiled sweetly at him before leaning her elbows in the desk and watching Sam get the dance floor’s attention.

“I would like to dedicate this song to my main man!” Sam pointed towards Steve, “this ones for you spangled man with a plan!” The whole room started cheering and laughing, even Steve laughed as they all started singing along with Sam.

 “Why are mopping back here Bucky?” The pair turned their attention away from Sam dragging Steve onto stage to finish the song and to each other, Y/N leaned forward on her elbows towards Bucky, he tried not to lean further towards her, he tried to push the feeling of wanted to be as close to her as possible deep down.

“Not a fan of parties,” he shrugged. She thought for a minute, eyeing him skeptically before humming. 

“Not a fan of karaoke?” She smiled at him with the playful look in her eyes that he couldn’t resist, and Bucky could only swallow down a mouthful of his drink and nod. “Is it because you haven’t had a song dedicated to you yet Buck? There’s no need to be moping because of that,” Bucky rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to talk but the sudden applause interrupted him, and they looked over to see Sam and Steve bowing and leaping off the stage.

“I call next!” Y/N called out as she stood up but quickly leaned down to Bucky, “don’t worry Buck, I’ll dedicate my song to ya,” she winked and skipped off towards the stage. Bucky watched her jump on and select the song, she didn’t even have to think about what she was picking she already knew the perfect song to sing. 

Bucky didn’t have enough time to process what she was on about. He wasn’t quite sure why it was such a bad thing that he hadn’t had a song dedicated to him. He didn’t mind it. He was more focused on the fact that she’d run away just as fast as she’d arrived at his booth and he hadn’t wanted her to leave. He knew though, as was with all of his friends, there’s no way to control them when there’s alcohol in their systems. As long as their safe, and happy, which they were. 

Y/N wasn’t quite thinking as clearly as she would have liked when she ran up to the stage and selected the song she wanted. Her one thought process, the conclusion she had come to all by herself, was that Bucky was moping because no one had sung for him and he wasn’t enjoying himself. So she was determined to make a change of that. Y/N looked out to the other end of the room and meet Bucky’s eye. He had a wide smile on his face as he watched her, and he raised an eyebrow as the music began. All she could do was give him a smirk and bring the microphone up towards her.

“This is for my favourite super soldier with the long hair and the bright blue eyes!” she winked at him.  

As soon as the music started everyone in the room began whooping and cheering. Y/N stepped to the edge of the stage and held her hand up towards the crowd.

“I don’t want another pretty face,” she screwed her eyes shut and brought her fist towards her stomach dramatically, “I don’t want just anyone to hold,” she opened her eyes and scanned the room, Sam and Clint were wrapped in each other’s arms serenading one another, Tony was pulling Pepper towards the dance floor and giving her a spin. “I don’t want my love to go to waste,” she looked towards Bucky, her movements and her voice getting more and more dramatic with every movement, but her eyes were locked with his as she sang the next line, pointing a finger directly at him.

“I JUST WANT YOU AND YOUR BEAUTIFUL SOUL!!!” the room all shouted in unison.

The song continued and everybody got louder and louder as it went. Y/N felt like she was back in her childhood bedroom, jumping on her bed with a hairbrush microphone with her friends all singing along with over dramatic gestures and their entire soul going into the performance. This really was just the adult version of that.

Bucky watched Y/N dance around the stage singing the song he’d never heard before but deciding it was his new favourite. He laughed every time she pointed towards him, singing just for him. He listened to the lyrics, oh he wanted so badly for there to be truth behind those lyrics she sung to him. He watched her movements slow as she pushed her tangled her back from her face and then held the microphone with both her hands, her eyes not once leaving him as she beamed.

“Am I crazy for wanting you? Baby do you think you could want me too?” he wanted so badly for her to mean those words, he wanted so badly to run up to her on that stage and kiss her like his life depended on it because he did want her too.

Y/N’s eyes darted away from Bucky when she started the chorus again, she tried to push back the butterflies in her stomach from having his eyes glued so tightly to her. She tried to ignore what the song actually meant, this was just fun, it was a throwback song that was just a little bit of fun at a karaoke party. Right? Right?!?

As she came to the end of the song Y/N tried to immerse herself in it, she felt the music flow through her, she felt the alcohol running through her veins, she pushed back any feelings for Bucky that sat in her mind and focused completely on the song and her friends dancing and singing with her.

The song came to an end everybody burst into cheers and applause. Bucky stood up from his seat in the booth and moved to stand in front of it, joining in on the applause smiling at the girl he was so head over heels for. He watched her jump off the stage and stumble before catching herself and being enveloped by Natasha and Rhodey, he watched her high five Wanda and Clint as she made her way through the crowd and he watched her as she stepped up to him giggling.

“Did you enjoy your song Bucky?” Y/N mirrored his stance, arms crossed, shoulders back, smile sitting ear to ear.

“You put on quite a show Y/N” Bucky dropped his arms and stepped closer towards her, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“Well,” she placed her hands on her hips and looked up at Bucky who flicked his tongue along his bottom lip, “I do aim to please.”

Bucky let out a deep chuckle, he pulled her by the wrist back to the booth before walking towards the bar and getting them both another drink.

 “You gonna get out there before the nights over?” Y/N bumped her shoulder against Bucky’s after a few minutes of comfortable silence between the two.

“No way in hell,” he laughed looking back at her.

“Damn, was hoping you’d dedicate one to me,” she gave Bucky a smirk over the brim of her glass, “it’s the least you could do.”

“I can thank you in other ways,” Bucky mustered up whatever confidence he had in him, Y/N put her glass down and turned her body so she faced him fully.

“And how are you going to do that?” she leaned on her head on the booth, waiting for Bucky to make a move, any move.

He didn’t give her an answer, not a vocal one and not at first. Bucky chuckled softly and reached up to place his hand on her cheek, moving it across her skin to the back of her neck. He leaned in closer to her as she stayed in place biting her lip. Bucky brushed his nose against the side of Y/N’s, he had a small smile on his face when he noticed her cheeks turn pink at such a small action.

“I’ve got a few things up my sleeve,” he whispered before closing the gap between them. Their kiss was gentle and quick. She could taste the mixture of Asgardian liquor and the bitterness of beer on his lips but it wasn’t long enough or deep enough for her to remember the taste or feel it on her tongue. When he pulled back he didn’t move far and opted to rest his head on the booth next to hers.

“If that’s how I’m thanked after one song I wonder what another will get me,” she whispered, they kept their voices quiet, no one else needed to hear them.

“Guess you’ll have to sing me another one to find out,” he smiled, he kept his hand at the back of her neck, his fingers tangling themselves in her hair.

“I’ll need to finish my drink before you get another song out of me Buckaroo,” Y/N laughed and sat up, Bucky’s hand fell from her hair and he picked up his own drink, his other hand moved to wrap around her waist lightly.

“I think I’m starting to enjoy this whole karaoke thing,” he smiled at her from behind his drink. He’d let her sing every song under the sun for him up on that godforsaken stage if it meant getting to kiss her again.

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

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it and requests are open!