#second concert that they added because the first one sold out in minutes and my friends who started liking them AFTER me were going to | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

natromanxoff · 3 years

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

(x)

Fan Stories

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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tinyboxxtink · 3 years

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"Caught In The Storm" *Part 10* (Epilogue)

Alright I'll be honest, I think the "Short ending" has to end where it did.

This epilogue is for the second ending, or the "True" Ending as I'd like to call it. I hope you all have enjoyed this as much as I did writing it!

Idk if I should admit this but I totally didn't mean for the story to line up with the song as much as it did, it just turned into a happy accident!

I'll be honest I think this MIGHT be my new favorite. I love all of my babies the same though. Mostly.

Please PLEASE let me know if you'd like to be added to the tag list for any future writings/drabble!

And my requests are now REOPENED!

--------

A Year Later

It was your very first sold out concert in Madison Square Garden, the cheers were deafening. People lined the streets even from outside of the gates, just trying to get a glimpse of the show.

You looked out from behind the curtain, your hands were shaking. Actually your whole body was shaking, the nerves were overwhelming.

Suddenly, two warm arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you back into their body. You lifted your head to see your husband smiling back at you.

"You are going to rock the house, baby,"

"Rock the house?" You giggled. "Why don't you just say 'raise the roof' there, old man river?"

"Owww, below the belt there hermosa," He held his stomach as if you had just punched him.

"I'm sorry, I'm just--"

"Nervous, I got that," He cut you off.

"Do you think they'll love me, Raffi?" You whispered, looking into his eyes with anxiety.

"They ALREADY love you, carino. Do you know how much people paid for these tickets?" He chuckled.

"But none of them love you as much as I do," He added as he pulled you into a kiss.

"Eh, debatable," You smirked, thinking about Tumblr stans. He just rolled his eyes in response.

"Five minutes, Mrs. Barba," A crew member called to you, you nodded in response.

"What?" You asked, referring to his now huge grin.

"I'll never get tired of hearing that, Mrs. Barba," He pulled you into a bunch of tiny kisses.

"Alright MR. Barba," You ruffled his hair and nuzzled his neck. "I'll see you after,"

He kissed you again and made his way back into the venue to take his seat.

-------

It was about the end of the night, and you were ready for the closing song.

"Alright guys, I just wanna say THANK YOU to all of you who came out tonight, you've made this one of the happiest nights of my life!" You grinned, getting screaming and cheering in response.

"I'm gonna leave you guys with the song that started it all, the song YOU GUYS made #1 around THE WORLD!!" You grinned, hardly believing you could say those words out loud.

"And," You walked over to the side of the stage you knew your family was sitting. "I'd like to dedicate it to my amazing family-- especially my husband, Mr. Rafael Barba,"

You bit your lip with a smile as you looked into his eyes. He still made you blush like a little school girl, he probably always would.

Cheers erupted as the music started, people holding "BARBA 4EVER!!" and "RAFA <3 Y/N!" signs waved them wildly.

You waved and smiled as you began to sing:

You can push me away

I can take it

I can make you a promise

and break it

We know the way it goes by now

You thought about how many times Rafael had pushed you away, how long it took you to get where you were.

Running off just to see

if I chase you

I pretend I know how

to replace you

still we get tangled up somehow

How long it felt like you chased him, how many times you tried to move on from him, it never worked.

Hear it thunder

and I wonder

How long can I hang on

I'm caught in the storm

I'm caught in the rain

I'm caught in the rush

that hides this pain

I'm ready to drown

but it's coming down

but I feel so alive

Did you sing this song to him almost two years ago, knowing this would happen?

Just let me go

Just walk away

If you love someone

you never let them stay

caught in the storm

Rafael watched you singing on stage, thinking about the first time you sang this song to him. Well, to all of the squad. The whole time he was actually thinking how beautiful you had looked on that stage, how you belonged up there. How you were born for the stage. Pretty much the exact same thing he was feeling right now, except now you were his.

As the bars on the Bowery are closing

you arrive at the door standing frozen

you say you thought you'd find me here

He thought back to how he had seen you in that bar with Nathan, how he should have just stomped in there and punched him in the face. But he didn’t, and it had just kicked you both further down the road to lead you here.

Tell me how I begin

to forget you

when you keep coming back

and I let you

Love me until you disappear

He thought about the million times he had tried to pull you from his mind, from his heart. He thought about the lists you made of reasons that you shouldn’t be together, and how in the end none of it mattered.

I'm caught in the storm

I'm caught in the rain

I'm caught in the rush

that hides this pain

I'm ready to drown

but it's coming down

but I feel so alive

Just let me go

Just walk away

You both looked at each other as you sang, knowing the storm you both had gone through to get to this moment. Happy and together-- forever.

If you love someone

you never let them stay

caught in the storm

You thought back to your wedding day, when it had been appropriately raining; the day Rafael had come and finally proved his love to not only you, but literally the world.

Let me wash away

you can find me after the flood

let me wash away

The “flood” that followed had been a media frenzy, your wedding had been broadcast around the world, after all. Debates spread over whether or not you were a heartless bitch for dumping Nathan on a livestream, or if it was crazy romantic the way your true love came in and swept you off your feet like a movie.

caught in the storm

caught in the rain

caught in the rush

that hides this pain

You looked at your family who were also taking up the front row; they were beaming at you. You thought back to this exact moment almost two years ago, when you were in that tiny club on that little stage, with just Kelsey on the piano.

And with the last line, you looked into your husband’s eyes. You both were thinking the same thing; this line, these words are what started it all. And they rang truer than the day you had first sung them to him, because you had both stayed in the storm, and came out the other side.

If you love someone

you find a way to stay

caught in the storm

#rafael barba #rafael barba x you #rafael barba x reader #rafael barba imagine #rafael barba fanfiction #law and order svu #law and order special victims unit #law and order svu fanfiction #caught in the storm

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shra-vasti · 4 years

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MAKES ME WONDER [1/40] The Concert

→ Synopsis : Your dream to attend a Seventeen concert was finally coming true but you weren't prepared for the events that were going to follow after Joshua made eye contact with you and chose to make you his partner for the mini game and take you out on a date as a winning prize.

→ Genre : fluff

→ Type : Idol x fan au

→ Word count : 1.4k

→ Taglist : @mngyuheart @vannie24 @uglyratlmao (let me know of you want to be added to the taglist)

→ Pairing : idol!Joshua x fan!reader

→ Main Seventeen Masterlist

→ Makes Me Wonder Masterlist

You sat in front of your laptop, anxiously waiting for pledis to open up the site to buy Seventeen's concert ticket, you weren't sure if you would get a chance since they have been getting more and more popular with their career, your friend Miu was seated beside you with the same anxious expression.

"You think we would be able to snatch the tickets before it gets sold out?"

Your eyes were trained on the time that was showing at the corner of your laptop, you had tried to go to their concert before too but the first time you did, you were 2 minutes late and the other time the site crashed, you weren't going to give up this time around since they were going to be at your city and you've been staring at the opened site from the last one hour, you were sure you would get it this time.

"I swear to God I'll go feral if I don't get it this time, I just have one damn wish to see them live at least once in my whole lifetime, it shouldn't be that hard."

Your friend just giggled at your anxious state even though she felt the same but you had been waiting for this time way before she did and she understood how you felt.

The notification for the tickets to be ready to sell popped up and you immediately started the process of buying two seats in the front row although you knew it would be hard to get.

You had been practicing how to buy the ticket fastest ever since you lost the chance due to your naivety and less experience in the said field but you had spent the last couple of days watching how to buy tickets fast and you were hoping that your finger would work magic this time around.

You had Miu's laptop opened in case you couldn't do it with your own but you were hoping you wouldn't reach that stage, you were hoping for the front seats but you wouldn't mind getting anywhere at this point.

Your heart was beating loudly and your hands were shaking due to nervousness, Miu leaned closer to the laptop screen yelling incoherent words which went above your head and you gave your card details ending the process.

You looked towards Miu and then back at the screen multiple times yelling in victory once you got the notification that you got your tickets.

"WE DID IT."

You crawled on the floor as if all the strength had left your body and you and Miu stayed there for what seemed like eternity, wide grins plastered on both of your faces, you finally got a ticket for Seventeen's concert.

▫️▫️▫️▫️▫️▫️▫️▫️▫️▫️▫️▫️▫️▫️▫️▫️

"Miu, get ready fast, you don't wanna be late for the concert, I'm literally going to pass out if you don't hurry up, I'm getting dizzy."

You hurriedly put your earrings on, taking a run towards your shoes, you wanted to wear as comfortable clothes as possible, you knew the arena had seats for the audience but you wanted to wear something which was well planned but comfortable, it wasn't like any of the boys would notice your presence to over dress yourself and feel uncomfortable all throughout the concert, you wanted to enjoy it as much as possible, it was once in a life chance.

"I'm ready, let's go, I booked the cab and it's waiting outside."

You locked your apartment, making a run towards the cab and getting seated. Your throat felt dry and you were sure you would cry due to being overwhelmed.

You had followed the boys ever since their debut days but since you were also young your parents didn't allow you to go to the concert but now that you were finally going to see them, you were about to piss your pants.

You heard they would be in your city for almost two weeks before finally going to another city and you were glad they would spend the next two weeks relaxing along with practicing for the next concert.

The next few hours were a blur to you as you found yourself seated in your assigned seat in the front row, it was a bit to the left of the center but front row nonetheless.

"We're going to get noticed by them, I hope we do."

Miu yelled since the screams of the other carats were too loud, you were massaging your elbow since someone knocked you sideways and you collided with the wall due to the impact.

Carats can be wild when they want, the journey from the gates till the seats were one hell of a ride, you don't even know which of your body parts was hurt at this point.

"Just be glad we were able to attend the concert and were lucky enough to get the front row, it's still the dream of many carats, although it would be nice to get noticed by them, let's not make our hopes high."

You dismissed her from talking any further, you wanted to save your yelling for the fanchants. The large screen started showing the music videos of the boys from debut till the recent one and you were shocked to see everyone chanting the fanchant even at the music videos, you followed soon jumping and yelling at the same time and dancing the choreography you've learnt by heart.

The countdown began and the cheers got louder and louder as the boys made their grand entrance with Clap blasting all throughout the arena.

"ARE YOU READY?"

You could feel your eyes water and tears escaped your eyes as you took in their sites clad in king like outfits with red sash, it was a dream come true, you eyes scanned each other the boys as they performed their first song.

"Bro, is this even real?"

You shook your head not feeling it in your system to even utter a single word as you kept on cheering for the boys with a bongbong in your hand. Every single one of them looked so good you weren't sure if they were real at this point.

"Say the name, Seventeen."

The boys greeted as everyone vowed down and did their individual greetings.

"HOW ARE YOU FEELING CARATS?"

Everyone screamed as Vernon started talking, making the others laugh because he couldn't continue.

"Okay we know you're excited but please calm down."

The crowd comparatively calmed down as the members continued interacting with carats.

Every carat beside you kept on cheering and screaming their name but all you could do was stare at them in complete awe, so much for practicing to do fanchants when you weren't even able to open your mouth even when they were just talking with each other.

You calmed your nerves, a foolish smile on your face as they introduced their next song to be a vocal unit song 'Second life'. You smiled when you realized that your favorite song was up next and you cheered loudly when the boys came on the stage, dressed differently.

You nodded your head along with the bongbong in your hand as you looked at whichever member near to you, getting lost at how beautiful they sounded live.

The crowd cheered loudly again and you looked at Miu in confusion.

"They are carrying roses in their hands, maybe they'll give it to some of the carats."

Your eyes widened in shock as you took a look at the members holding single roses in their hand and disperse among the wide stage.

From where you were seated, you could clearly see Joshua and Jihoon walking towards the left of the center, where you were seated. The carats near you screamed as you just watched them, Jihoon stopped midway where as Joshua stopped right where you were.

The cheers got more loud from your side when Joshua looked down, his eyes making a contact with yours, a gentle smile adorning his face as he waved at you.

He squats down when you didn't move from your seat, you could still hear other's deafening screams but you weren't sure what was happening.

He outstretched his hands towards you motioning you to take the rose in his hands.

You just sat there looking at him shocked, the bongbong in your hand was on your lap, you couldn't even react as Miu and others yelled how lucky you were to get noticed by him.

You slowly stood up and Miu pushed you towards his direction as you shakingly reached your hands and took the flower from his hand, your hand brushed his during the process and you were sure seeing the stars.

He put the mic back and sang his lines.

"We’re already beautiful, I like it because it’s us, no words are necessary, the gaze, the touch."

He got up as he sang, eyes never leaving yours and you were sure your face was as red as tomato.

"What just happened?"

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selinakidreams · 3 years

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Junk of the Heart

this was inspired by this song and a personal experience that i could have only wished ended like this. side note: i thought kiri would b ideal for a first fic post bc........... i wuv him a lot nd i couldn’t get this scenario out of my head; everytime i hear this song i think of him singing it so there u go <3

paring: gn!reader x kirishima eijirou

band member au! so no quirks

genre: fluff

warnings: none, good ol ushy gushy self indulged romance

Word count: around 3.3k

You were surprised that exhaustion hadn’t taken over your body yet.

The day was a non-stop escapade of the mundane and the irregular; all in the same day, you went in and out of different big cities, to having afternoon coffee followed by going back to the apartment you were staying at to nap, to visiting a local rose garden, to drawing with chalk on the sidewalk of your friend’s house post potluck. You were only visiting for the weekend so your friends were going to make the most of it.

By the end of the night, you somehow found yourselves waiting in line on the side of a cozy neighborhood venue to try and get concert tickets to an already sold out show.

You didn't really know what was going on, not that you minded; the motto for the weekend was “go with the flow”. However, the spontaneity of randomly going to a concert where you don’t know who’s playing has peaked your interest. You’ve never done it before and once the idea had time to marinate in your mind, your heart was set on getting those tickets.

Waiting for 30 minutes for the tickets seemed like nothing until whispers of, “they’re not giving out any more tickets!” And “they’ve officially sold out!” came trickling down the line, causing your heart to falter.

Groups in front of you started leaving and your group moved to take their place. “Did you want to see if we could finesse our way in?” Said one friend. “Doesn’t it seem pointless, though?” Responded the other, yet your group remained in line. You didn’t want to leave, there was something in your gut telling you not to, but you were starting to doubt the probability of actually getting in.

Everything next happened in an instant.

Somehow, you and your friends managed to get up to the window selling the tickets and talk your way into getting in. It didn’t seem like a miracle more along the lines of sheer dumb luck, they just happened to find more tickets- but you didn’t dwell too much on it, you were already inside enjoying the vibrations of the live music moving through you.

Lights were reflecting off of a giant disco ball, bouncing in every which direction, exposing random people in the crowd. The lights on stage only added to the different colors brightening the dark expanse. Bodies swayed close together as the next song started calmly.

You had been off to the side, waiting for your closest friend to come back with the drinks she offered when you guys were first greeted by the bass and guitar. The rest of your friends had gotten lost in the crowd, but you didn’t mind. The scene you were taking in felt surreal. You had never seen complete strangers come together in a way that it made it seem like they’ve known each other for years because of good music.

As your friend made her way through the crowd with two cups in hand when the band announced that it was going to be their last song for the night. You looked up at the members on stage; you had been paying so much attention to the experience as a whole that you hadn’t even seen the band actually playing.

The first person that caught and kept your attention was the man in center stage. Bright red spikey hair with ruby red eyes to match, and a toothy grin. A white electric guitar with a red strap hung on his sizable shoulders. He looked like the physical version of the music he was playing; a plain black fitted t-shirt tucked into his loose blue jeans with holes in the knees. His black converse seemed worn out, like they’ve been on so many adventures, this night on stage being one of them.

You tried to look at the other members but your gaze always shifted back to him.

Now with a sweet alcoholic beverage in your hand, you were pulled to the barricade by your very persistent friend. You heard her say something along the lines of, “you look like you’ve witnessed a miracle! We need to get closer!”

Nobody seemed to mind your friend’s pushiness to the front, everyone there was just enjoying the show had to offer.

“Before we get on with our last song of the night,” the red head chuckled at the immediate chant of boo’s that rang out, “we figured we ought to introduce ourselves!” His smile showered over everyone in the crowd. He leaned into the mic stand as his big hand loosely covered the secured mic, “in the back, and away from people where he should be,” a melodic laugh rang out as he looked to his annoyed band mate, “is our drummer, Bakugo Katsuki!” The audience was greeted by an eye roll and a curt wave and gave back an applause. “Next we have our all talented bassist, Jirou Kyouka!” She ran her pick over the strings, you felt the vibrations through your whole body and decided to let out a laugh, joining the others in letting out a loud “wooop!”.

“And on the keyboard, we have the electrifying Kaminari Denk!” A wink and finger guns were shot out and in response, a few girly giggles could be heard throughout the cheering room as well as a few squeals. Kaminari threw his head back and put his hand over his heart.

“And me? I’m Kirishima Eijiro on guitar!” You could hear the swarm of girls that cheered overpowering the crowd as well as thunderous hollers from a few guys,

‘Pretty popular,’ you thought, taking a sip of your drink. Of course he was popular. His smile was contagious, full and bright. You could see the happiness illuminating his eyes, the crinkles by the corner of his eyes showed he truly couldn’t be more content than in this moment.

Bakugo spun his drumsticks and began playing a beat as Kirishima began to talk,“ We had a fuck ton of fun tonight, thank you for having us. We hope you give the same amount of love to the band that hops on the stage next.” he said, the smile never leaving his face. He adjusted the ear piece before finishing with, “But as for us, this song is called Junk of the Heart, let’s go Bakugo!” And just like that, they dove into the song. Kirishima began strumming to Bakugo’s already given beat.

As Kaminari hit the keyboard, the stage lights changed drastically. All of a sudden there was no color on stage or bouncing off the walls, beams of golden light shot out from behind them, giving them the look of angels. The space got significantly darker; you had no choice but to look at the band in front of you.

Backlit and beautiful, it was as if you were actually hearing them for the first time.

“See I notice nothing makes you shatter, no no,

You’re a lover of the wild and a joker of the heart,” Kirishima looked out onto the faces that were close enough to see. He loved seeing how invested people got- to see how music can bring people together and create a bond. It made him feel like he was at the top of the world.

You thought to yourself as you watched him sing into the mic, “He looked so god like, it was ironic that you were looking up at him.”- that was until your gaze was met with his. He stopped the wandering gaze; it seemed as though his eyes got bigger than before, which didn’t seem possible. His eyes were already so round and curious, but making eye contact with you brought a different kind of wideness.

When he sang, “But are you mine?” it seemed like he was asking you.

“I wanna make you happy, I wanna make you feel alive.”

Your body and your mind felt disconnected. You couldn’t decode any messages that were being played through your head, all you could feel was the beat of the bass match up with your heart.

“I wanna make you happy

If you’re a good girl tonight.” He sang to you before looking back at the rest of the crowd. It looked like he had just broke out of a spell.

“Y/n? Y/N? Was he looking at you?? Do you know him?!” Your friend's voice came into light.

And for the first time in the whole day, when the trip’s motto pushed itself into your head, you waved it aside.

You looked at your friend with a determined smile before leaning into her and yelling out over the music, “No, I don’t know him but I sure want to. After the song, I’m going to make it so there’s no way he could possibly forget the girl in the crowd.”

Your friend, stunned at your decisiveness but loyal, slowly began to nod. She reached for your hand and wrapped your pinky in hers, then slowly got back into the groove of the song by spinning you around.

“Let me make you happy, I wanna make you feel alive at night,” Kirishima sang on, grin growing as his eyes wandered back to the spot you were in. Something warm bubbled in his chest.

‘I want to dance with them’ was the first thing he thought when he saw you smiling in the dim lighting, hips swaying with hands in the air, and not a care to be found.

Finishing off the song, the lights faded to black for a second before the room became a tad brighter yet still dark enough to leave the haze of the concert euphoria just a little longer.

Kirishima bolted. At the speed of light, he handed his guitar to a snickering Denki before navigating his way through the maze of the backstage and into the crowd. So many heads to look over and so many gazes to catch, but when he caught yours, everything simply melted away. Time didn’t stand still, yet making his way over to you seemed like it was one of the easiest things that he could do.

“I’m sorry but I really need to hear you say something,” Kirishima said loud enough when he approached you, trying to ignore the intense gaze of the person standing next to you.

You didn’t really know how to respond- to you, everything happened so quickly. You could only tilt your head in response, to which you felt a jab in your ribs.

“Please just say my name. Not Kirishima but please call me by my first name in the next sentence that leaves your lips.” He said with a hint of desperation. It was almost like he was hoping your voice was a song he could listen to on repeat- that your voice was something he could eventually turn into a song.

You took a slow deep breath and let it out, there was a self-put urgency to have the next sentence you say mean something.

“I feel like…” you began to say, and paused when you saw his features change to something you couldn’t quite describe, “... watching you perform on stage is something I could do… more often… Eijirou.”

Something made his eyes twinkle. Maybe it was a trick of the light or maybe you just imagined it, but it made your heart race just a bit faster. When would it reach the finish line?

He let out a breath you didn’t notice he was holding; his chest slightly contracted.

“Just as I thought, your voice is beautiful a-and so are you.” He sighed. “Can we step outside for a second? I promise you it will only be a second. It would be rude for me to take you away from your friend for the rest of the night.” He smiled at your friend for a second. You were a bit stunned; first, the compliment that tugged at your heart a little too hard and now the decency to respect that you came here with your friends. A true kind hearted man.

It took you a second to reply but before an answer could even leave your lips, your friend yanked you towards them. Kirishima’s ever wide eyes grew again but showed no signs of leaving.

“Listen, this is all up to you,” your friend whisper-shouted excitedly in your ear. With impeccable timing, live music started playing.

“Anyway, what I was saying was,” your friend stated a little bit louder so you could hear her over the music, “it’s your choice! If you feel comfortable with hanging out with this dude for the night, do it! This is your trip, do what you want and have fun. Regardless, you know where we are and where we’re staying. Just text me and let me know.” She pulled away, waiting for your response. You smiled and mouthed, ‘I’m gonna go’. She showed her delight by pulling you in and leaving with the final note of, “stay safe,” before disappearing into the mass of bodies, probably to go look for your other friends.

You turned to Kirishima before taking his forearm, noting that it was one of the fittest ones you’ve ever laid hands on, and headed out of the venue.

The temperature drop was a bit of a shock but you held your composure as a wave of goosebumps washed over your body.

You spun around to face the guitarist, only to be greeted with a shyer version of him. It seemed his sheet of confidence went hand in hand with the warmth from inside. As soon as he stepped out, it was instantly ripped away by the cold.

“I- um, well.. may I ask for your name?” He stuttered out, realization hitting you that you never even said your name. You felt your cheeks grow hot before stepping closer to him and whispering your name then taking another step towards him. The nippy air seemed to have the complete opposite effect on you.

At this point, your chest lightly brushed up against his as you looked up at him; his gaze fidgety while yours is sturdy but kind- set eyes flickering from his ruby reds to his plush pink lips.

You chose not to question your boldness as you pushed yourself up to the tips of your toes.

He had approached you with such determination, you might as well match his energy.

With your chest fully pressing into him now, you carefully watched his reaction to see if there were any signs of discomfort before slowly draping your arms around his neck. Even on your toes, he was still a head taller than you.

“Kirishima, what is it that you wanted me to come outside for that you couldn’t do inside?” The teasing whisper dripped from your lips.

It was as if he was visualizing the words you were saying, his sight trained on how your lips moved.

“Can I kiss you?” He matched your whisper, his head already slightly dipping in to ghost his soft lips over yours while his large palms fell to your hips, invoking a ripple of heat to coarse through your body.

It was up to you, the fate of the evening was in your hands. Whatever you wanted to do, Kirishima would do as long as he was with you.

“You can…” you began as you moved to play with his surprisingly soft hair, “walk me to where I’m staying, and maybe if you’re lucky, I’ll let you.” You innocently giggled as you slowly lowered yourself against his broad chest and pulled away completely.

Kirishima’s dazed expression stayed only for a second before he slightly shook himself out of it, a renewed shade of red dusted on his cheeks.

Another giggle escaped from you before whipping out your phone and texting your friend about the newly made plan; red eyes plastered on you and following your every move.

You slid your phone into your back pocket and scooped up Eijirou’s hand, relishing the size difference, and started walking.

The walk held the best kind of conversation: the kind that consisted of everything and nothing at all. You two were taking your time, walking around local parks and goofing off by performing air guitar and dancing around to no music. He talked about how his band started and how he discovered his love for making music. You talked about how you were visiting your friends because they moved away for college and you couldn’t bear to not see them for another few months. At that you saw his open figure slightly deflate.

“So you don’t live around here?” He muttered, unconsciously gripping the energy of the lighthearted conversation downwards, but you stopped it before it could get to the point of no return.

“I’m transferring here.” You said with a promising smile, Kirishima returned the action with a full blown grin. The topic took a turn for the happier as you two chatted about random thoughts and valid opinions.

Inevitably, the time came where it was you two standing in front of your door, spare key in hand with the outside light illuminating the mirroring soft expressions. You stepped closer, recreating the exact actions you did in front of the venue, and this time when he asked to kiss you, your response was nonverbal. You took his lips with yours at first with a peck. The delicate sound of you pulling away only lead to a deeper kiss, one that made his planted palms uproot and wrap you up entirely in his embrace. Your tongue danced with his; The closeness and warmth had you sighing against his mouth. You slightly pulled away, watching a thin trail of saliva leave you two connected before leaning back in for another peck. To that, he loosened his hold without actually letting go.

“Can I see you before you go back?” Kirishima’s voice was breathy and low, a really good combination for him.

“Give me your number and we’ll see.” You replied, trying to compose yourself. He chuckled before fishing out your phone from your back pocket, giving your ass a little squeeze in the process. A squeak instinctively left you as you watched a smirk form at the corner of his lips. You refused to look at Kirishima as you put your thumb on the home button to unlock it, your cheeks were too red.

He added his contact with a red heart next to it, ‘ironic’ you thought.

The goodbye was drawn out; a lot of lazy pushing away and pulling back in, in addition to feverish kisses and roaming hands, but that all came to an end when you finally pushed the key into the lock and twisted it open before quickly shutting it, leaving Eijirou outside begging you to come back out.

“No because soon enough I won’t be able to resist you and I’m going to tell you to come inside and stay the night- which would not be cool to my friends,” you laugh as you hear a huff on the other side of the door.

“You’re right… and I really want your friends to like me…” he trailed off, letting you ponder what he meant for a second.

“Okay can you just open the door one more time please?” So you did. You were greeted by a sweet and soft kiss, reminding you of a dessert that you couldn’t quite put your finger on.

“Goodnight Eijirou.” You whisper before closing the door gently.

Replaying the gushy romantic events that took place that night, you took it upon yourself to text him to write a song about you- playfully of course. The charming red cherry on top of a perfect Hallmark-movie-type of night.

He ended up taking it seriously,

and performed it at the next live show you went to, a few months after you transferred.

And it was that night, when he bounded through the crowd to find you yet again-

instead of asking to hear your voice, he asked to hear your answer on being his romantic partner.

#fawn daydreams <3 #kirishima x y/n #kirishima x you #kirishima eijiro fluff #kirishima eijiro x reader #kirishima eijirou #bnha x reader #bnha #bnha kirishima #mha #mha kirishima #mha x you #gn!reader #hot chocolate ♥︎

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xxfanfiction-emo-trinityxx · 4 years

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Wouldn’t Give You My Number - Gerard Way x Reader

Request: maybe a gerard way x reader where they meet at a concert and it gets really fluffy? if you don’t have time it’s ok

Word count: 1 264

A/N: Time I spent at uni today plus time I spent studying today = eleven hours. I’m done, my brain is mash. I want to sleep but it’s too early, and I still have to write memory cards for five lessons, and finish writing two scripts summarising the lectures. And I should actually study the memory cards at one point or the other. Got my exams on Monday and Thursday next week. I mean, it’s fun to study, but knowing there’s a deadline, and I will have to write an exam is stressful.

The deep sounds of the bass made the floor vibrate underneath your shoes, and every beat of the drums was like a punch in the stomach. You stood rather far away from the stage, a soft smile on your lips that did not match the aggressive rock music that flooded the venue. Watching the audience, you nodded along to the rhythm of the song you did not know.

Originally you had come for the opening band, but since you were always open for new music, and you had paid for the ticket, you might as well educate yourself a little on this other band. The venue was not big, maybe three hundred people when sold out. It was a basement, deep underground, with ancient looking, huge pillars supporting the vault’s ceiling. You loved this specific place especially for its great atmosphere; the contrast between the almost medieval seeming room equipped with modern light and sound systems always sent a shiver down your spine.

Scanning the room again, you found that most of the people had indeed tried to be as close to the stage as possible. Only a few people were on their way to or from the bar, and a handful of people, including you, were sparsely spread over the last meters furthest away from the stage. Looking at them, your eyes met those of a stranger, who shot you a lopsided smile. Black hair hung into his forehead, and over a dark band shirt he wore leather jacket.

He was pretty, you noticed, beautiful even. You smiled back, and turned to look at the stage again, but after a few seconds you felt a strange tingle at the side of your face, the same tingle you got when you felt someone was watching you. And indeed, when you looked around the room once more, you found the black haired stranger was still, or again, looking at you.

When your eyes met his again, his smile grew a little, and he tucked his hands into the pockets of his ripped jeans, before starting to move over.

“They’re pretty good,” he shouted over the music the moment he was close enough to you.

“Yeah,” you answered, “kind of a raw energy. Do you know them?”

He shook his head no.

“No, was here for the opening band.”

“Me too,” you laughed.

“Really? Do you know the guys?”

This time it was you who shook their head no.

“Not personally if that’s what you mean,” you explained, “been a huge fan of their music though for a long time.”

The stranger nodded enthusiastically.

“Me too! They have some of the best tracks to-“ he continued speaking but the music suddenly got louder, and drowned his voice out.

Furrowing your brows, you placed your hand at your ear, signaling him to speak up. Instead he leant in closer to you, his head right next to yours.

“I said, they have some of the best tracks to get lost in your own mind to,” he repeated, making you nod.

“I don’t know how many hours I spent just dreaming away to their music! And it’s still so fucking angry all the time,” you laughed, but this time the stranger just copied your movement, so you repeated yourself, but he just shook his head. The music was so loud that there was no way to have a conversation here. For a moment he looked around, as if he was considering something, before pointing to something behind you.

Turning, you realised he was pointing to the door that lead up the stairs to the court of the old building. You nodded, agreeing to his proposition of going somewhere more quiet, and lead the way up the stairs.

In the court it was freezing cold, the winter breeze being a welcome change to the stuffy air in the vault. Quickly you pulled your pullover, which had been tied around your waist, over your head, and turned around to the stranger. Only a few other people were standing out here, most of them to have a smoke.

“So, what did you say downstairs?” His voice sounded so different, now that he did not have to scream anymore.

“I don’t know how many hours I spent dreaming myself away from the world while listening to them,” you explained, your voice sounding strange in your own ears after the loud music, “and yet they still sound so fucking angry.”

The man laughed.

“They do, don’t they? What’s your favourite song of theirs?”

You continued talking to him, finding out his favourite album was the one you had first heard of them, that his name was Gerard, and that he loved music just as much as you did. For ages you were discussing best songs, which songs should be made into a medley, why the new album was very important concerning the current political climate, and many other things.

By the time you ran out of things to talk about, you realised that the music of the band that had played, had stopped, and instead old rock music was sounding in the venue downstairs. Agreeing that it was time to go downstairs, not only because it was late, but also because it was cold, you made your way back to the vaults, where a little party was going on for the guests that had liked to stay.

Gerard and you decided to both buy something from the merch table, and even got the chance to talk to the band, which you had come to see, for a couple of minutes. They recognized you from a few other shows, joking around with you a little.

On your way back up the stairs towards the exit, Gerard made fun of you, in a sweet way, and you felt like he was almost a little envious, but you were not sure if it was because they had known you but not him, or whether it was because for a while your focus had not been entirely on him. When you reached the exit, Gerard nervously started tucking on his sleeves, making you raise your eyebrows questioningly at him.

“You okay,” you asked, watching him fiddle around with the zipper of jacket.

“Yeah, I was just- I was just wondering if I could see you again sometime,” he confessed, his eyes not meeting yours.

You could not help the sly grin on your cheeks as you felt yourself blushing.

“Got a pen?”

Confused he looked at you, but pulled a black felt-tip pen out of his back pocket. Taking it from him, you grabbed his wrist, and pushed up the sleeve of his jacket, revealing a pale forearm.

“This,” scribbling down a few well known digits, “is my number. Give me call?”

Looking back up at him, you found Gerard was grinning and nodding happily.

“If you’re okay with that?”

“I wouldn’t give you my number if I weren’t,” you giggled, and handed the pen back to him.

“So… can I call you to ask you out for coffee some time?”

“You can even call me just like that, or you can ask me out for coffee just like that,” you shrugged, amused by the stupidly happy grin on his face. It was adorable.

“I think I’ll do that,” Gerard laughed.

“That would make me very happy,” you nodded.

You kept talking and flirting for a while longer, until the night really got too cold, and you said good bye, going your separate ways home. But not before Gerard had officially asked you out for a date first.

Taglist (if you want to be added or taken off, please let me know):

General: @justawriterinprogress @robinruns @jayloverthe3rd @lookalivefrosty @butterfly-writes @angelevansfalls @rene-royale @500240 @starduststyx

MCR: @deadlovers

#gerard way x reader #gerard way fluff #gerard way fanfiction #gerard way imagine #my chemical romance #my chemical romance fanfiction #my chemical romance imagines #My Chem #fanfiction #fanfic #fluffy fanfiction #mcr fanfiction #mcr imagine

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slapshot-to-the-heart · 4 years

Text

Flatbush & Atlantic: part iii

Part iii is here! Read it, reblog it, text your friends about it, talk to ME about it, everything.

part i part ii

part iii

November 13

From: Mat

The tickets should be at will call! Let me know if you have any trouble, we’re headed out for warmups in a few

Cass shoved her phone back into the back pocket of her pants, turning to Samaira. “He put them at will call, which is,” she scanned the front of Barclay’s, “right there.” Samaira followed her to the counter. “Hi,” she said as the ticketing agent called for the next in line, sliding her license under the glass. “There should be two for Cassidy Shaw.” The agent nodded, reaching over to leaf through a filing box and pulling out the envelope. “Enjoy the game!”

Samaira looked over as Cass handed her her ticket, eyeing the long line to get through the metal detectors. “What kind of seats did he get you?”

Cass shrugged. “I’m not sure. He said they were good ones? Somewhere lower bowl, mid-ice I think.” Just got them, be in in a few! See you soon, she sent back to Mat.

She tugged on the collar of her Rangers jersey, ignoring the occasional dirty look thrown her way. It was only one borough over, so she was far from the only fan in blue and red, and she couldn’t deny that there was a part of her that was looking forward to seeing Mat’s reaction when he saw her in their rival’s colors. It was too early into her and Mat’s relationship for her to be wearing his jersey to games; she wouldn’t want to curse anything prematurely, but jerseys could run upwards of two hundred dollars, and she didn’t exactly have that kind of money to go spending on just anybody. Not that Mat was “just anybody,” but Cass was someone who thrived on stability and she wanted to be sure.

The usher at the doors scanned their tickets, and it was only then that Cass bothered to look down at hers to see where they were headed. She was familiar enough with the layout, it wasn’t her first Rangers-Islanders game and had been to a Lorde concert her first year in law school. Walking down the stairs, they kept going, and kept going, and kept going. Until they were right at the glass behind the home bench. Samaira whistled. “Boy came through.”

Cass nodded, smiling apologetically as the pair squeezed past the others in their row. “I’m not sure how he got them, these ones are usually sold out months in advance. Or some rich guy has them for season tickets.”

Samaira raised an eyebrow. “As much as you hate to admit it, he’s kinda a big deal around here, Cass,” she said, leaning over to her. “I don’t think it’s that hard for him to get seats on a week’s notice.” Not only was Samaira one of her best friends at school and the only one who had the night free, but she was also a born-and-raised New Yorker — and a huge Islanders fan. Mat told her that he’d set aside two tickets, and it didn’t take Samaira more than a minute to respond in all caps when Cass asked if she’d be interested. The guys were nearly done with warmups, and it only took a minute or so for Mat to notice her, raising his eyebrows and looking pointedly at her jersey.

“Sorry,” Cass mouthed, shrugging her shoulders. Smiling, he shook his head, skating back to the blue line to take another shot. Cass excused herself to go to the bathroom after warmups had finished, her phone lighting up with yet another text right as she finished drying her hands. Traitor. She laughed. You knew what you were getting yourself into, Barzal 🤷🏽‍♀️

She got back to her seat just as the players were skating back out, handing Samaira one of the two beers she had picked up on the way. “Don’t spill,” she said ruefully. “These were like ten bucks each.”

After lineups and the national anthem, they sat back down, and the puck dropped.

---

Much to her chagrin, the Islanders had won 3-2, but Mat had netted two points, one of which was an absolute beauty over Lundqvist’s left shoulder. So she really couldn’t be that mad. As much as Cass would have loved to stay and congratulate Mat on the win, it was ten o’clock and she really needed to head home if she wanted to get back anytime before midnight. Walking back to the train, she figured Mat would be done with postgame interviews and risked a call. He picked up on the first ring.

“What’s up?”

Cass smiled. “Hey, Mat. I’m sorry I couldn’t stay and see you after,”

“Don’t worry about it, babe, I know you’ve got a long ride home.” The pet name slipped easily from his lips, and Cass felt her heart skip a beat. “It means a lot that you wanted to come.”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I? You had a great game, that goal was incredible. I’m fine with you winning against my team if you’ll do it like that every time.”

“I’ll convert you if it’s the last thing I ever do.” He deadpanned. They talked for as long as they could, until Cass had to swipe her metrocard and was about to lose reception. “Talk to you later?” Mat asked hopefully.

Cass giggled. “If I’m not passed out, sure. Promise me you’ll get some sleep too?”

“Promise.”

Samaira lived on the same line as her, getting off with a hug and a promise to meet up for lunch on Monday. Cass had taken the route at night a hundred times, but it was just as much second nature for her to keep a hand on her pepper spray as it was to keep refreshing her Instagram feed.

As soon as she made her way up the stairs into the cool Bronx air and back to the land of cell reception, a text from her dad popped up. It had entirely escaped her mind that sitting right behind the bench meant that she and Samaira would have had plenty of airtime on the networks broadcasting the game, or that there was a 100% chance her dad was watching. He had taken a picture of the TV when she just so happened to be smack-dab in the middle of the screen, grimacing at what she guessed must have been another Islanders goal. And how did you get those tickets? Were they from the internship?

Cass let herself into the apartment, waving goodnight to Ryanne, who was watching Netflix in the living room, and tried to formulate an answer. No, not from work. They were a gift.

From?

The person I’m seeing. Cass hadn’t told her family about Mat yet. It’s not that she thought they would disapprove, but she wanted to make sure that it was real, really real, before she let her family in on it.

She could imagine her dad scratching his head. What kind of law student would have that kind of money? For that matter, what kind of person? Are you and Samaira together? Cass let out a laugh. Her parents knew Samaira and loved her to pieces, and she doubted they would have had any issue if she was dating her. But she wasn’t.

“Rip the bandaid off,” Cass whispered to herself as she shucked her coat off, leaving her in the jersey and leggings. Hahaha no, not her. They were from Mat. She added as an afterthought, Barzal.

You’re dating Mat Barzal?

I am.

Huh.

Guess the cat’s out of the bag?

Nov. 17 (tues)

Cass’s seminar leader for Native Law, Professor Davidson, had just emailed the class, cancelling that afternoon’s meeting. My daughter came down with the flu, she had said. It wasn’t the cancellation that bothered her; obviously, if you have a sick kid, take care of your sick kid. It was the fact that now she had four hours to kill and no idea how to spend them. If she went home, that was an hour’s trip either way, so what was the point? And as much as she genuinely did love the library (and she really loved libraries), she knew those chairs and knew that her ass would start hurting somewhere midway through hour 3. As if on cue, Mat called. He had left for a West Coast roadie a few days earlier, and wouldn’t be back for almost a week.

“Hey!” She said brightly. “Congrats on the win last night, I would have called but I definitely fell asleep somewhere during the second intermission.” The Islanders had beaten the Ducks 4-2 the night before, but the time difference meant that it finished well past midnight, and Cass had been up early.

She heard him laugh on the other end. “Nah, no problem. I’m glad you caught it though. How has your day been?” One of the things Cass had grown to appreciate the most about Mat, even in their short time together, was how deliberate he was. He didn’t just ask her how she was or how her day was going because that was the standard “boyfriend” question of the day, he asked because he genuinely wanted to know. Because he cared.

So she was honest with him. “So-so. Yoga was great, they had my favorite instructor which was pretty nice. Good meeting after. Got a croissant. But then one of my classes got cancelled, so I’ve got to either find some coffee shop to work at or park myself at the library, neither of which is sounding too appealing at the moment.”

“Why don’t you just crash at my place?” Mat asked, like it was the most obvious question in the world. “It’s closer, I’ve got coffee and stuff if you want.”

Cass was taken aback for a moment. It wasn’t like the thought hadn’t crossed her mind, momentarily, but she didn’t think that they were there yet. She had been to his apartment before, once, under very different circumstances. Mat had tried, valiantly, to cook pasta and roasted veggies for dinner. Tried being the key word. The vegetables had all been burnt to a crisp, and he had thought the pasta was supposed to be cooked for 18 minutes, not 8, causing it to more closely resemble pudding than pasta. They ended up ordering Italian from the place down the street. But having a stay-in date at someone’s apartment and letting them crash there alone were two very different things, and Cass was touched not only by the offer, but by the fact that he trusted her enough to extend it. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, of course, Cass. I want you to be comfortable. My spare key’s left with the front office, I’ll call them and let them know you’ll be picking it up. Shouldn’t be a problem. You remember how to get up there, yeah?”

“Mhm. Thanks, Mat, for real. You totally didn’t have to do this.”

“But I wanted to. Listen, morning skate’s about to start so I’ve got to go, but text me if you have an issue getting up. Or, like, if you forget where the bathroom is or something,” Mat added as an afterthought.

Cass laughed. “I think I can manage to find it, but thank you for the offer? Talk to you later.”

“Later.”

Half an hour later, Cass was curled up on his living room couch, a pot of coffee brewing in the kitchen and her books sprawled haphazardly on the coffee table. She spotted one of his hoodies slung over the armchair on the other side of the room. I don’t think he’ll mind if I steal it.

---

Nov 23 (mon)

The team had gotten back from the roadie around noon, and Mat had insisted on taking Cass out for dinner after she got off from work. “It’s been almost a week since I’ve seen you,” he had bemoaned on the phone earlier. Shaking her head and laughing internally at how needy her boyfriend was, she agreed to meet him at a Mexican restaurant a few blocks away.

She arrived just a few minutes before him, kissing him as they sat down. Grabbing a basket of chips, she headed over to the salsa bar. “How good are you with spice?” She asked Mat.

“I can hold my own, as long as it’s not like a Carolina Reaper or something crazy like that,” he answered, cracking a smile.

She laughed in response, setting the cups down on the table. Her enchiladas and his pozole came later, and Cass blushed at the knowing glance their waitress gave her as she slid the dishes onto the table. “How does it stack up?” Mat asked after she had taken a few bites.

Cass nodded happily. “It’s good. Really good. Obviously, I’d be disowned if I didn’t say that my grandma’s is better, but this is a close second.” Mat sipped his horchata. Cass had balked when he said he’d never tried the drink before, and his glass was now near-empty.

“Yeah, glad to hear it. This is super good too,” he said, eating another spoonful. She could tell something else was on his mind.

“What is it, chou?” Cass asked.

Mat bit his lip. “You’re still good to come to the game against the Canes tomorrow, yeah?” She nodded. “How would you feel about sitting up in the box?” Her brow furrowed. The box? Sensing her confusion, Mat continued. “Up with the other girls.” Cass knew that there was a box for the WAGs, obviously, but it hadn’t quite hit her that she was one now. She had met Paige, Beau’s girlfriend of six months, a few weeks prior, but that had really been more of an accident than anything. They had been walking around the Central Park Zoo one weekend, one of their first official dates, and happened to run into the other couple somewhere around the lemurs. It being lunch and the boys being boys, the group stopped for some sandwiches. Cass and Paige got to talking, chirping the boys for their sub-par “disguises” — “Since when has sunglasses and a baseball cap fooled anyone?” Paige had asked. Cass had laughed, they had exchanged numbers, and been talking ever since.

So, there was going to be at least one person she knew there. Why not, then? “Yeah, sure, sounds fun!” Cass said, nodding and tapping her fingers on the table, trying to get her nerves out.

Mat ran a hand through his hair, smiling nervously as if he hadn’t been too sure of what her answer would be. “Good,” he said, leaning down to pick up a bag. “Would have made this pretty awkward if you said no.” He handed it to her; she hefted it, trying to tell what was inside.

“Ooooh,” she said, “I didn’t know we were at the ‘presents’ stage of our relationship yet.” Mat blushed.

“Didn’t really cost me anything,” he mumbled.

“It’s got some weight to it. Soft. I’m going to go with...a mink stole.”

Mat looked baffled. “I’m not even going to pretend to know what that is.”

Cass laughed, untying the piece of ribbon that held the handles together. She pulled out a navy and orange jersey. “It’s one of the ones from my rookie season, figured I couldn’t have you going up there wearing another Rangers jersey. Didn’t want to throw you out to the wolves.” It was only then that she shook it out and turned it over. Barzal - 13.

Cass beamed, leaning over the table and kissing him on the cheek. “I love it, chou.”

---

Nov. 24 (tues)

Cass glanced at her watch. 6:38. The train was running on schedule, so she still had a little bit of time before she was supposed to meet Paige up in the box. She had offered to wait for her outside of the arena and walk her up, but she had driven Tito earlier and Cass didn’t want her to be stuck outside waiting for her. The car was packed with orange, blue, and white-clad fans, so nobody paid her any mind as she pulled out Mat’s jersey from her bag, switching out from the fleece she had been in all day. Are you sure it won’t be weird if I wear a jersey? Don’t most of the others show up to these things in dresses and shit? Cass had frantically texted Paige late last night.

Don’t worry! She had responded. Some do, yeah, but it’s def not uncommon to be in a jersey. I’ll be wearing Beau’s :)

It didn’t take long to get through security, showing her pass to the employee at the elevator and shooting Mat a good luck text, she let Paige know she was on her way up. Mat had given her the box number, so she made her way up to the suite, nervously smiling at the usher. “Hi,” she said.

The usher gave her a quick once-over and a curt smile. “Hi. Name?”

“Cassidy Cabrera Shaw, um, Mat Barzal should have added me.” She scanned the clipboard, making a tiny checkmark next to her name.

“Enjoy the game.” Cass tentatively made her way in, searching for Paige but still a little thrown off. It hadn’t escaped Cass the way the usher had looked at her, like there was something just a little off about her, like she didn’t quite belong.

It was a good thing that she didn’t have enough time to get too into her head, because Paige came barreling at her, wrapping her in a massive bear hug. “You came!!” She said, squeezing Cass’s hand once she finally released her.

Cass laughed. “Did you think I’d skip out on you?”

Paige shook her head. “No, I knew you’d come through.” She pointed to the hooks on the wall, where a mixed bunch of purses, scarves, and coats were hanging. “You can leave your bag there, let me get you a drink and introduce you to the other girls.” Cass followed Paige into the main room, where a dozen or so women milled about, sitting on couches and keeping an eye on the warmups below. Paige nodded at the bar. “What are you feeling? White? Red? Sparkling? I can make a mojito if you want. It won't be good, but if you’re desperate,” she shrugged her shoulders.

Cass threw her head back, laughing. “If they’re picking up the tab?” She replied, tilting her head towards the ice, “Give me the best champagne you’ve got.”

Paige grabbed a flute. “Yes, ma’am.”Pouring the champagne, she handed it to Cass, leading her over to where a group was hanging by the window. “Hey guys!” She said brightly, one hand touching the back of Cass’s shoulder reassuringly. “Girls, this is Cass. Cass, this is Lauren, Kerry, and Karley,” she said, pointing to each woman in turn. Lauren pulled her into a tight hug.

“Lauren Rodych Eberle,” she said, “Paige told us you’d be coming along. It’s great to have you.” The other girls introduced themselves, leading her over to a corner of the room. “These are the comfiest couches,” Kerry noted. “You always want to grab them as soon as you get up, they’re a hot commodity.”

Cass laughed. “Good to know.”

“So you’re Mat’s girl, yeah?” Kerry asked.

“Yep,” Cass replied, trying and failing to roll up the sleeves on Mat’s — her? — jersey.

She smiled. “I’m happy. He’s a great guy, don’t get me wrong, but could use a girl to balance him out. Bit of a himbo, but,” she lowered her voice conspiratorially, “almost every hockey guy is.”

Cass nearly snorted out her champagne. “Fair statement.”

Kerry took a sip of her own wine. “So, Paige said you’re in law school, yeah?” Cass nodded. “What’s that like?” If Mat could talk about hockey for hours on end and still not get through half of what he wanted to say, that was Cass with the law. It was refreshing to talk with a person who wouldn’t constantly try to interject with their own theory of jurisprudence or Constitutional interpretation, just someone who was genuinely interested in what she had to say.

---

The team had managed to extend their win streak to 3, a wraparound from Nelson that just squeaked past Reimer clinching the 2-1 win in the third minute of overtime. Everyone let out a collective cheer, some gathering their things and others hanging back to mingle. Cass meandered back over towards where Paige was waiting by the door; they didn’t have to rush since the guys probably hadn’t even finished showering yet, but the plan was to meet them down by the locker room.

“How’d you like it?” Paige enquired.

“It was really nice,” Cass answered genuinely. “I love going to these things with friends, but it’s nice to be around people who know the game and know the guys.”

“That’s the whole point,” Paige said easily. “We’re all in the same boat, even if some peoples’ home or work lives look different, nobody quite ‘gets’ this whole thing like each other.” Paige led her down elevators and corridors until they were nearly at the home team locker room. “Oh!” She exclaimed, causing Cass’s to snap around and look at her, startled. “No, nothing bad,” she added hastily. “Usually once or twice a roadie, the wives of a veteran or captain will host a family watch party. A lot of the partners and kids will come over, it’s really cute. Obviously don’t blow off work or something to come, but I’ll let you know.”

Cass smiled. “That would be nice.” The locker room door opened, players starting to filter out.

Anthony came out before Mat, giving Paige a kiss on the top of her head and smiling at Cass. “Mat should be out in a minute,” he added. She thanked him, congratulating him on his first-period goal.

True to Tito’s word, Mat appeared soon after, embracing Cass. “What’s that dumb look on your face?” She asked, seeing Mat’s satisfied grin.

“You’re wearing my jersey.”

“Well, yeah,” Cass said slowly. “You gave it to me.”

Saying their goodbyes to Tito and Paige, Mat tangled his hand with hers. “Nothing. You look good in it.”

---

Nov. 25 (wed)

The coffee tasted bitter in her mouth, but the much-needed caffeine jolt it gave her was enough for Cass to choke it down, shoving her cup — the white-and-blue one Mat had given her — into its spot on the center console of her white Escape. Cheryl had been with her since just before her freshman year of high school, the culmination of summer jobs, graduation gifts, and a used car lot. It wasn’t practical nor economical for her to drive most places in New York, so she usually sat in the parking lot of their apartment building unless one of the girls needed to run out at night or Cass was driving back home, as was the current case. It was the day before Thanksgiving, and she had a two hour drive (if she was lucky) and hours of cooking ahead of her before the clock ever struck Thursday.

Digging into the CD holder, she handed over the toll to the attendant at the station, giving as grateful a smile as she could muster when the toll arm lifted. Mat was going to call after practice, promising to keep her company on the drive up. He had been a little pouty about her leaving for the better part of a week so soon after he had gotten home, but one reminder from her about how long his roadies could run had shut him up quickly.

Cass loved family, so Thanksgiving had always been one of her favorite holidays. Their house was hosting this year, and if Cass had any money to bet, she’d guess that as she drove, her mom was frantically running around the house, pulling out napkins and silverware and trying to figure out how to fit fifteen people in a two-thousand square foot house. While her mom’s side rarely made the trip up from Texas and Hermosillo, her dad was from a big New England Irish Catholic family that never let a single holiday pass by without celebration. Her dad’s parents meant Grandma Maggie and Grandpa Joe, which meant an inevitable barrage of questions as soon as anyone let slip that she wasn’t single anymore. Cass loved her grandma to pieces; really, she did. But she was going to want to know his name, where he worked, where he went to school, and his mother’s damn maiden name before she would give it a rest.

Her phone was hooked up to the car, so Mat’s call came straight through, interrupting her preferred driving music, a mid-2000s playlist starring copious amounts of early Lady Gaga. “How’s the drive going?” He asked.

“Uh, pretty good,” Cass replied, changing lanes to pass the sluggish Honda ahead of her. “Just crossed into Connecticut, I’m thinking it’ll be another hour or so? How was practice?”

Cass heard the door to his apartment close behind him. “Good, Coach had us run a lot of passing drills, so it’ll hopefully pay off next game.”

“Friday, right?” She asked. “Against the Caps?”

“Yeah, should be a good game. They’re doing really well this season, hopefully the boys come through, extend the streak a little bit.”

Cass smiled. “You’ll be great. I’m sorry I won’t be there to see you, but —”

She could imagine him shaking his head on the other end of the line. “Babe, you don’t need to apologize. Thanksgiving’s a big thing here, and I know it’s been awhile since you’ve really spent much time with your family.”

“Yeah,” Cass said, chewing her lip, “that’s true. Pretty much my dad’s whole side is going to be there though, so I’m prepared to spend a solid hour fielding questions about you and my whole ‘new relationship’ I’ve got going on. I think they’ll be disappointed you’re not there.”

Mat chuckled. “It’s fine, Cass,” he said, reassuring her. “Just promise them you’ll bring me next year.” Cass couldn’t stop a big, dumb grin from spreading on her face. Next year.

“I promise.”

#hockey imagine #nhl imagine #mat barzal imagine #mat barzal #hockey writing #nhl writing #hockey imagines #hockey smut #nhl imagines #nhl smut #islanders #new york islanders #islanders imagines #islanders writing

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blackkudos · 4 years

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Donny Hathaway

Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American jazz, blues, soul and gospel singer, songwriter, arranger and pianist. Hathaway signed with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto", in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music." His enduring songs include "The Ghetto", "This Christmas", "Someday We'll All Be Free", "Little Ghetto Boy", "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know", signature versions of "A Song for You" and "For All We Know", and "Where Is the Love" and "The Closer I Get to You", two of many collaborations with Roberta Flack. "Where Is the Love" won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1973. At the height of his career Hathaway was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was known to not take his prescribed medication regularly enough to properly control his symptoms. On January 13, 1979, Hathaway's body was found outside the luxury hotel Essex House in New York City; his death was ruled a suicide.

Early life

Hathaway, the son of Drusella Huntley, was born in Chicago but raised with his grandmother, Martha Pitts, also known as Martha Crumwell, in the Carr Square housing project of St. Louis. Hathaway began singing in a church choir with his grandmother, a professional gospel singer, at the age of three and studying piano. He graduated from Vashon High School in 1963. Hathaway then studied music on a fine arts scholarship at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he met close friend Roberta Flack. At Howard, he was also a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Hathaway formed a jazz trio with drummer Ric Powell while there but during 1967 left Howard just before completing a degree, after receiving job offers in the music business.

Career

Hathaway worked as songwriter, session musician and producer for Curtis Mayfield's Curtom Records in Chicago. He did the arrangements for hits by the Unifics ("Court of Love" and "The Beginning of My End") and took part in projects by the Staple Singers, Jerry Butler, Aretha Franklin, the Impressions and Curtis Mayfield himself. After becoming a "house producer" at Curtom, he also started recording there. Hathaway recorded his first single under his own name in 1969, a duet with singer June Conquest called "I Thank You Baby". They also recorded the duet "Just Another Reason", released as the b-side. Former Cleveland Browns president Bill Futterer, who as a college student promoted Curtom in the southeast in 1968 and 1969, was befriended by Hathaway and has cited Hathaway's influence on his later projects.

That year, Hathaway signed to Atco Records, then a division of Atlantic Records, after being spotted for the label by producer/musician King Curtis at a trade convention. He released his first single of note, "The Ghetto, Pt. 1", which he co-wrote with former Howard roommate Leroy Hutson, who became a performer, writer and producer with Curtom. The track appeared the following year on his critically acclaimed debut LP, Everything Is Everything, which he co-produced with Ric Powell while also arranging all the cuts. His second LP, Donny Hathaway, consisted mostly of covers of contemporary pop, soul, and gospel songs. His third album Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway was an album of duets with former Howard University associate and label mate Roberta Flack that established him, especially on the pop charts. The album was both a critical and commercial success, including the Ralph MacDonald-penned track "Where Is The Love", which proved to be not only an R&B success, but also scored Top Five on the pop Hot 100. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA on September 5, 1972. The album also included a number of other covers, including versions of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend", "Baby I Love You", originally a hit for Aretha Franklin, and "You've Lost That Loving Feeling".

Perhaps Hathaway's most influential recording is his 1972 album, Live, which has been termed "one of the best live albums ever recorded" by Daryl Easlea of the BBC. The album can also be found on the British online music and culture magazine The Quietus' list of "40 Favourite Live Albums". It was recorded at two concerts: side one at The Troubadour in Hollywood, and side two at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village, Manhattan.

Donny Hathaway is also known as the co-composer and performer of the Christmas standard, "This Christmas". The song, released in 1970, has become a holiday staple and is often used in movies, television and advertising. "This Christmas" has been covered by numerous artists across diverse musical genres, including The Whispers, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Alexander O'Neal, Christina Aguilera, Chicago, Harry Connick, Jr., Dru Hill, *NSYNC, Gloria Estefan, Boney James, The Cheetah Girls, Chris Brown, Anthony Arnett (First Baptist Bracktown Christmas Celebration), Patti LaBelle and Mary J Blige (A Mary Christmas, album 2013), Seal, and Train.

Hathaway followed this flurry of work with some contributions to soundtracks, along with his recording of the theme song to the TV series Maude. He also composed and conducted music for the 1972 soundtrack of the movie Come Back Charleston Blue. In the mid-1970s, he also produced albums for other artists including Cold Blood, where he expanded the musical range of lead singer Lydia Pense.

His final studio album, Extension of a Man came out in 1973 with two tracks, "Love Love Love" and "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" reaching both the pop and R&B charts. However, it was probably best noted for his classic ballad, "Someday We'll All Be Free" and a six-minute symphonic-styled instrumental piece called "I Love The Lord, He Heard My Cry". He told UK music journalist David Nathan in 1973, "I always liked pretty music and I've always wanted to write it." Added the writer, "He declined to give one particular influence or inspiration but said that Ravel, Debussy and Stravinsky were amongst whom he studied."

He returned to the charts in 1978 after again teaming up with Roberta Flack for a duet, "The Closer I Get to You" on her album, Blue Lights in the Basement. The song topped the R&B chart and just missed the number 1 spot on the Hot 100 (reaching #2). Atlantic then put out another solo single, "You Were Meant For Me" shortly before his sudden death.Liner notes for later releases of his final solo album explain: "Donny is no longer here, but the song "Someday We'll All Be Free" gathers momentum as part of his legacy... Donny literally sat in the studio and cried when he heard the playback of his final mix. It's pretty special when an artist can create something that wipes them out." Edward Howard, lyricist of the song, adds, "It was a spiritual thing for me... What was going through my mind at the time was Donny, because Donny was a very troubled person. I hoped that at some point he would be released from all that he was going through. There was nothing I could do but write something that might be encouraging for him. He's a good leader for young black men".

Personal life

FamilyHathaway met his wife, Eulaulah, at Howard University and they married in 1967. They had two daughters, Eulaulah Donyll (Lalah) and Kenya. Lalah has enjoyed a successful solo career, while Kenya is a session singer and one of the three backing vocalists on the hit TV program American Idol. Both daughters are graduates of the Berklee College of Music.Mental illnessDuring the best part of his career, Hathaway began to suffer from severe bouts of depression. It was found that he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and was known to take strong medication daily to try to control the illness. However, Eulaulah Hathaway has said that her husband was frequently less than diligent about following his prescription regimen. Donnita Hathaway has said that her mother gave her similar information about her father, saying that when he took his medication, he was generally fine, but that when he did not, it was impossible for her to deal with him. Over the course of the 1970s, Hathaway's mental instability wreaked havoc on his life and required several hospitalizations. The effects of his depression and melancholia also drove a wedge in his and Flack's friendship; they did not reconcile for several years, and did not release additional music until the successful release of "The Closer I Get To You" in 1978. Flack and Hathaway then resumed studio recording to compose a second album of duets.

Death

Sessions for another album of duets were underway in 1979. On January 13 of that year, Hathaway began a recording session at which producers/musicians Eric Mercury and James Mtume were present. Mercury and Mtume each reported that although Hathaway's voice sounded good, he began behaving irrationally, seeming to be paranoid and delusional. According to Mtume, Hathaway said that "white people" were trying to kill him and had connected his brain to a machine, for the purpose of stealing his music and his sound. Given Hathaway's behavior, Mercury said that he decided the recording session could not continue, so he aborted it and all of the musicians went home.Hours later, Hathaway was found dead on the sidewalk below the window of his 15th-floor room in New York's Essex House hotel. It was reported that he had jumped from his balcony. The glass had been neatly removed from the window and there were no signs of struggle, leading investigators to rule that Hathaway's death was a suicide. However, his friends were mystified, considering that his career had just entered a resurgence. Flack was devastated and, spurred by his death, included the few duet tracks they had finished on her next album, Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway. According to Mercury, Hathaway's final recording, included on that album, was "You Are My Heaven", a song Mercury co-wrote with Stevie Wonder.Hathaway's funeral was conducted by the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Later in 1979, the Whispers recorded the tribute song, "Song for Donny", for their self-titled breakthrough album. The song reached #21 on the R&B chart.

Legacy and influence

Hathaway has been widely praised for his voice. Justin Timberlake calls him "the best singer of all time." Raúl Midón said that Hathaway is "the strongest soul singer that ever existed" and compares his vocal technique to a classical singer. "When Donny sings any song, he owns it," David Ritz quotes Stevie Wonder as having said. Amy Winehouse called Hathaway her favorite artist of all time. She mentioned him in her hit "Rehab” and covered several of his songs. Hathaway's work including Donny Hathaway Live, which featured noted R&B musicians Willie Weeks (bass), Fred White (drums), Mike Howard (guitar), Phil Upchurch (lead guitar side 1), Cornell Dupree (lead guitar side 2) and Earl DeRouen (percussion), has been cited as an influence by numerous other artists including John Legend, D'Angelo, Mary J. Blige, Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, R. Kelly, Alicia Keys, Jon B., Chris Brown, Nas, Common, Beyoncé, George Benson, Victor Wooten, India.Arie, Jon Gibson, Stevie Wonder, Brian McKnight, Anthony Hamilton, Usher, John Mayer, Led Zeppelin, Freddie Jackson and Frank McComb. Hathaway's use of the Rhodes Piano on his early Atco R&B recordings has also influenced many neo soul artists & producers.A second live album called In Performance, released in 1980 following his death, also included tracks recorded at venues in Los Angeles and New York between 1971 and 1973, showing Hathaway to be a fine stage performer. Later, in 2004, selected tracks from these two albums were added to previously unreleased live recordings for These Songs for You, Live!.For Record Store Day 2014, Live at the Bitter End 1971 was released on 180g vinyl as a numbered, limited edition. This album marks the first time this 1971 performance at The Bitter End has been released on vinyl, previously appearing on the CD release of the 2013 career anthology, Never My Love. The 21-minute recording of "Everything is Everything" had never been released before on any format and was an exclusive track to this release.

Discography

Studio albumsLive albumsSoundtrack albumsCompilation albumsSinglesWith Phil Upchurch

Upchurch (Cadet, 1969)

The Way I Feel (Cadet, 1970)

Tributes

On soul group the Whispers' 1980 self-titled album, the group paid homage with "Song for Donny", written by fellow soul singer Carrie Lucas. The song was set to the melody of Hathaway's "This Christmas".

In 1999 Aaron Hall recorded a brief tribute version of "Someday We'll All Be Free" on the third album for his group Guy titled Guy III, with Teddy Riley and Damion Hall.

In September 2001, Alicia Keys performed "Someday We'll All Be Free" on the 9/11 televised tribute concert America: A Tribute to Heroes.

In 2005, neo-soul singer songwriter guitarist, Raul Midón (Blue Note) worked with Hathaway's longtime producer Arif Mardin (known for collaborations with the Bee Gees, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Norah Jones, and Aretha Franklin) and created a tribute song to Hathaway called "Sittin' in the Middle".

In her 2006 song "Rehab", Amy Winehouse sings of learning from "Mr. Hathaway" instead of going to rehab.

In 2007, Deniece Williams covered "Someday We'll All Be Free" for her Love, Niecy Style album. Williams later shared that she broke down in tears in the studio while recording.

In 2008, Ed Pavlic published Winners Have Yet to Be Announced (University of Georgia Press), poems re-imagining the life of Donny Hathaway.

The song "What a Catch, Donnie", from Fall Out Boy's fourth studio album, Folie à Deux (2008), is named for Hathaway and mentions Roberta Flack, his writing partner.

Bizzy Bone's song entitled "A Song for You", is a track that includes an interpolation of Donny Hathaways's original recording of the same name.

In the 2013 song "Classic", band MKTO references writing songs "like Hathaway".

Wikipedia

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sea-side-scribbles · 4 years

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Fanfiction: Sympathy For A Downer

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22737214/chapters/64898629

Chapter 33

When Morrie was long asleep, Nick was still restless. He needed a moment for himself, so he went into the kitchen to pour himself a night drink. The feelings he had been too tired for during the day finally broke through. Anxiety took over him, as if he was about to face a threat he couldn't cope with. In his past, he had been unaware of what he was really doing until it had been too late to take it back. Now he knew what was coming for him but instead of feeling prepared he was afraid. Everyone expected him to learn from his mistakes but he didn't know what to do. He now clutched his drink, as if it could help him. If only he could remember, then perhaps he would make out what he had to do. So he won't fail again. He pressed his eyes shut, trying to recall his fameless life with Morrie before everything had started.

Norbert had kept his promise. To everyone's surprise he had stopped dating girls. He had made it look like it was the band that kept him busy now. Actually he really spent more and more time with The Make Believes, since they had started playing in various pubs all around town. They took every opportunity to earn a reputation. Still, they were only known in their district, but they had been in Lud's Holm once, with chances to get a foothold there. After their concerts Norbert and Morrie used to spend a lot of time with each other.

Norbert's second passion besides Morrie was Richard Bates' Music Shop, that had guitars and equipment that made him dream. Because Morrie shared that passion with him, he usually came along when Norbert visited the shop. As usual, Mr. Bates wasn't surprised to see them again, but pleased. "Good day you two. What will it be this time?", he greeted them with a big smile. "Just a set of new strings and some plectrums, please," Norbert said, curiously searching the room with his eyes. The latter he kept throwing to the most enthusiastic fans as a gift, who were mostly girls. It was approved by Morrie, because it was only a part of the show.

"Strings again?", the shopkeeper asked and shook his head. "Boy, you got to be careful." "I'm experimenting," Norbert defended himself. Bates left it at that. Instead he asked Morrie: "And what's it for you?" "I'm fine. I'm just here to make sure he doesn't go astray." He and Norbert chuckled at that.

When Norbert turned his gaze back to the counter he noticed something. "Mr. Bates, you undercharged me." He held up the bill. "Oh, indeed. Seems like I miscalculated." Bates winked. "Slight error in your favor I'd say." Norbert gaped. "You're such a treasure." "Ah, It's nothing. Gotta support a young talent like you," he waved him off.

Bates liked Norbert, ever since he had sold the boy his guitar when he had been 13. And after hearing him play in the park for the first time. It had made him really proud. "Just don't spread it around," he added. "Sure not," Norbert said and quickly payed. Then his eyes fell back on a shining blue guitar, that brand new model that had been part of Bates' inventory for a few days now.

"Anything else you like?", the shopkeeper asked and Norbert only gave a longing sigh. Bates understood. "I guess even I can't miscalculate that much." "I know", Norbert sighed, eyes still on the model. "Some day, my boy. Just keep playing and I'm sure you'll make it." Norbert quietly nodded. He would've loved to stare a bit more, but he had to play another concert that night and he wanted to get some things done before that.

He said goodbye to Bates, picked up Morrie who was viewing some new equipment and left the shop with him. Morrie had become very affectionate after they had confessed each other's love. Together they strolled along the streets back to their new home. The band had moved into one of the empty demolished houses that scarred Wellington Wells and no one ever talked about. No one rebuilt them, no one took them down. They only started to pretty them up and paint them in bright colors. They were perfect for five young musicians who had no money to pay a rent. They had found a house that had only a crater on one side, so many rooms were still intact. Norbert and Morrie of course shared a room.

The others playfully called them "our two lovebirds" but they didn't know the truth. Morrie had insisted to keep it a secret. Whenever they wanted to sleep with each other, they turned up the radio. Norbert quickly found out he had something he could teach Morrie in return for all the music lessons his lover had given him. And all the time and patience he had expended for him. Morrie however didn't act stupid at all. When they calmed down they spoke about their dreams.

"I wish we could get married," Morrie said when they lied in bed together. Norbert chuckled, but asked: "Why do you think we can't?" "Norrie, you know why," his lover answered gloomily. "People would hate us." "And what if we become so famous, so popular that nobody would hold it against us?" They locked gazes. "You think that's possible?", Morrie asked. "Why not? And when we made it, I'll marry you." Norbert kissed Morrie's hand and the other boy melted away.

In the evening they had a gig that would last until late night. Norbert had started to feel more and more comfortable on stage and had also learned a lot from the more famous bands, whenever they had had the chance to meet one. He was indeed experimenting in multiple ways. Tonight, he didn't notice the man who was watching him not only for amusement.

Virgil Dainty had been watching The Make Believes for some time now, as he was doing it with every band that looked promising. They had come quite far since he had first seen them and he liked their sound. They were about to find their own style that marked themselves off from the others. Also the two lead guitarists, one of them left-handed, made them stand out. Virgil's favorite was the left-handed guitarist. He had potential. Today he was convinced that the band was ready to make a big step forward.

When Norbert left the stage after the show, he soon stared up at a tall, handsome man who suddenly stood in front of him. He already regretted that he was most likely only there to ask for the way when the man said: "Pardon me, are you Nick Lightbearer?" He spoke in a deep voice, that was loud enough to be heard over the chattering in the pub. Norbert stopped whatever he had planned to do. "Y..yes?", he stuttered. "I'd like to talk to you, if you can spare a minute." "Sure...", Norbert said, still helpless. The man gestured towards a free table and Norbert nodded.

When they sat down, the man spoke again: "My name is Virgil Dainty. I'm looking for new talents all around Great Britain and your band caught my attention the fist time I've been in this town. I've been watching you since then and I'm impressed. You've come very far." Norbert needed a second to process this. "You're watching us?" "Yes. You've got style. What bothers me is that you're too careful. You're still an insider tip. You need a bigger show, at a place where more people can see you." "We've been in Lud's Holm...", Norbert said to defend them. Virgil waved him off. "I mean outside Wellington Wells." Norbert's heart pounded now. "And where would that be?", he asked breathlessly. The man placed a piece of paper on the table and pointed at it. It was a handout from a famous music festival. Norbert gasped.

"Do you really mean this?", was all he could say. Virgil nodded. "You don't have to decide about it now. I'll be back tomorrow." Norbert stared at him with furrowed brows. "But...but what do you want in return?" "I want you to be at your best, so you won't bring shame on me," the man said, but with a playful wink. Norbert couldn't help but smile with him. He was lost in Virgil Dainty's attraction.

"You make me all flustered," he sighed when his tongue suddenly loosened. "Are you doing this on purpose?" Virgil was confused for a second, then he said: "Not at all. Sadly I have that impact on people. If you get to know me, you'll learn that I don't bite." "What if I want it?", Norbert whispered before he could stop himself. Virgil didn't flinch this time. "Then I can arrange that too," he said in his deep, calm voice. Norbert went dizzy. "Until next time, Mr. Lightbearer," Virgil added and rose from the chair. "Until next time, Mr. Dainty..." Norbert muttered more to himself, still clutching the paper. He watched the man leave the pub and then ran home.

When he entered their house his face was bright red with excitement. "Guys, guys listen! Something smashing has happened!" The band quickly gathered around him. "I met a man in the pub who wants us to play at the festival", he said waving around the paper, "And if he didn't lie to me he doesn't want anything in return." His friends stared at the handout. "Are you sure?", Brad asked. "Did he have a name?", Morrie looked at Norbert. "Virgil Dainty." "Virgil Dainty?", Matt repeated. "You mean THAT Virgil Dainty, the manager?"

"Uh..." Norbert shrugged. He had never heard about him. "I don't know." "Holy shit, man! What did you say to him?" Matt grabbed his collar. "Nothing yet," Norbert said and freed himself from his friends grab. "He set us a deadline until tomorrow." Matt was now just as excited. "Do you know what that means? Virgil fucking Dainty found us! He could be our manager!" "If we're good," Norbert added. "We are, man! If Virgil says so..." "Many people will hear us." "Finally! It's a big stage!" "We didn't do that before...", Norbert quietly said and bit his lower lip. Chris understood the hint.

"Don't chicken out now, Nick! We can't miss this chance!" "I know, I know..." Norbert massaged his temples. It was all too much. "You'll make it. And you won't be alone. I'll be always right next to you," Chris comforted him. It was true. They stood next to each other on stage. "I will hold your hand if I must." "And we'll be right behind you," Brad said and put a hand on Norbert's shoulder. "You're so sweet," Norbert sighed, then he hugged them.

At night Norbert and Morrie both couldn't sleep. "Looks like we're finally making it," Norbert whispered into the silence. Morrie kissed his cheek. "Don't be afraid, Norrie. Just be as smashing as you've been today." Norbert thankfully kissed him back, concentrating on nothing but his lover's tender lips, trying to get Virgil Dainty out of his head. That night, it worked.

The next day they were all nervous, knowing that the famous manager was watching them. He didn't show himself until the end of the show, when Norbert suddenly found him sitting at a table and waving at him. "That's him," Matt whispered when they made their way to the table and Norbert felt goosebumps all over his body. They shook hands, intodruced themselves and expressed their approval to Virgil. Norbert stayed in the background, so that Virgil already asked himself if he had been wrong about him. The others were much less shy. But then again it was possible that he was embarassed about his emotional outbreak at their last meeting. Virgil couldn't blame him for that, but he planned to cause more outbreaks from him in the future.

#we happy few #whf #wehappyfew #nick lightbearer #whfnick #whf nick #whf morrie #morrie memento #nickxmorrie #whfvirgildainty #whf virgil

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iohourtime · 4 years

Text

Hey!Say!JUMP 2019 in Taipei - Reports from various newspapers

Notes:

I was going to do this back in October when it was more timely but I was going nuts trying to organize all the articles in some semblance of order. Why now then? The concert DVD’s will be released on August 5! A digest version of the Taipei concert will be included in LE 1. According to the fans, they only cut 3 songs (and probably a lot if not all of the MC).

This article was translated mainly from the Apple Daily article, but I filled in the details from other articles, con reports, and news clips.

Johnny's group Hey!Say!JUMP held their first concert in Taiwan in 7 years. The 9 members of Hey!Say!JUMP are Yabu Kota, Takaki Yuya, Inoo Kei, Yaotome Hikaru, Arioka Daiki, Okamoto Keito (studying abroad), Yamada Ryosuke, Nakajima Yuto, and Chinen Yuri. For two days, they took over the Taipei Arena and were greeted with great enthusiasm: the 22,000 tickets sold out immediately, with the 2 performances grossing 58M TWD in ticket sales.

The concert was not just attended by local Taiwanese fans, the Japanese fans also formed their own tour groups to go to the concert, and you could find fans from many countries like China, Thailand, etc… Wu Chun, who co-starred with Yamada Ryosuke and Arioka Daiki, sent flowers to congratulate them on opening night. They also arranged a lot of "Taiwan limited events" for the local fans, such as opening a pop up shop, releasing 2 songs on streaming services, as well as a collaboration with Line Poko Poko.

2 minute digest video here.

Opening Introduction

As the LED sign of Hey!Say!JUMP's name rose to the top, the 8 members appeared on stage donned in sparkling suits in their own members' colour. The 11,000 fans switched on their penlights to their biases’ colour and turned the arena into a spectacle of lights.

Yamada shouted "Are you ready!!!!" Takaki* (or Arioka & Chinen) said in Mandarin, "Are you having fun? OK, we are having fun too. Taiwan! Welcome to our concert!" The other members didn't want to lose to each other and they all chimed in with their newly learned Chinese phrases like "you guys are super cute", "sing along with us" , "please sit" or “let me hear you scream”. They started with a performance of “Arigatou~ Sekai no doko ni itemo”, a song that included lyrics in many languages, such as “Thank you” in Manadarin.

* The Taiwanese media could not tell some of the members apart, so certain quotes were attributed to multiple members. I used 1 and put the other possibilities in brackets. I suppose we will find out when we watch the DVD.

When it was time to introduce themselves, they did not forget to flirt with and charm their fans in Mandarin. Yabu Kota started by saying “We’ve learned a bit* of Chinese. Please bear with us as we are not very good. How are you, I am Yabu Kota. We’ve let you wait for too long. Friends in the back, I can see you clearly!”

* Another article said we’ve spent a year learning Chinese. That’s what I heard from the news clips too, but either is possible because of his pronunciation. 😅 我們學了一點 (yī diǎn)中文 vs. 我們學了一年 (yī nián) 中文.

Hikaru Yaotome continued, “I remember the last time we came here. Let us melt your hearts.”

Takaki Yuya also shouted, “I really really missed you guys.”

Inoo Kei, who wasted no time telling the fans they were cute made a “shocking” declaration. “You are all our girlfriends. Can my girlfriends on the left hear me? How about my girlfriends on the right? ” Then he put his arms around Chinen Yuri and said, “But my real girlfriend is…” and trailed off, leaving the fans to draw their own conclusions.

Chinen Yuri was worried that the fans did not recognize him, so he kept asking “Do you know me? Do you know me? Really?” When he heard the affirmative responses, he said, “I like you very much! Thank you.”

Meanwhile Yamada Ryosuke tried a different strategy and used Taiwanese to tell everyone in the audience that they were cute*. However, his pronunciation was quite off so nobody understood what he said and the response was very tentative. He panicked and kept repeating the phrase*, when Chinen finally asked him to clarify. Yamada said “You’re cute” in Japanese and that was met with kyaa’s. Nevertheless, his failed attempt brought a lot of joy to the audience.

* Cute in Taiwanese is 古錐 (Actual pronunciation). 😅

Finally, Nakajima Yuto used both Mandarin and English to address the audience. “It’s been a long time. We are so happy to see you again. We’ve been waiting to see you again for 7 years since we came here last time. For 7 years. Our dream to come back here has finally come true. We are so glad.” (Source: a clip from a Taiwan TV entertainment show.)

You can watch some of the exchanges here.

There were many familiar songs on the set list but with a Taiwanese twist. For example, in Kimi Attraction, the members mugged the camera and acted cool as usual. At the end, Chinen said “As expected, Taiwan is No. 1.” Inoo added in Mandarin, “So cute!”

They also brought back the "flying circle" from the stage show “SUMMARY”, which was something they had not performed for years. Dressed in white, they quickly hooked each other up to the harnesses and held each others’ hands as they flew, their capes flowing gracefully as they twirled to the music while they sang “Born in the EARTH”, the audience went wild. The rest of the concert was filled with effects like confetti, smoke, dry ice, and gin tape. It was a spectacle.

Just before the end of the first half, the 8 members were chatting with fans and each other on stage. When they found out a lot of them attended their concert at Nangang 101* 7 years ago, they immediately said “Thank you” in Chinese. They then asked each other (in Mandarin), “Do you have a smartphone?” Nakajima also asked the audience, “What kind of group is Hey!Say!JUMP?”

* Nangang 101 was a small concert hall that has since been demolished. From what I heard, it was actually a pretty bad location. Supposedly, Taipei Arena is a much nicer space.

At this time, it looked like Yamada was going to introduce each member, but all he did was point at each one and said “他很帥! (He is handsome)”. When it was Arioka’s turn, Yamada pointed at him and said, “他是笨蛋! (He is an idiot)”. Arioka, who didn’t know the Mandarin for “idiot”, immediately asked, “Hey, the word you used to describe me is different from the others!” The audience roared.

After Yamada introduced everybody, Chinen introduced Yamada* with “他是...我的錢包. (He is my... wallet.)” Yamada clarified, “不是,我是...銀行! (No, I am... the bank!)”

*This is not in any of the news articles, but the Taiwanese fans won’t shut up about it, so I’ll add it here. Either the whole thing was in Mandarin or it’s a mix of Japanese and Mandarin. I have no clue but at least “wallet” and “bank” were in Manadrin.

Meanwhile, out of nowhere, Chinen showed off the line he learned and said, “I will not make the same mistake next time”*. The members were completely baffled by that.

* When Yabu, Yuto, and Chi went to Taipei for the press conference, they appeared on a number of TW entertainment shows and were taught a bunch of “useful” Mandarin phrases. I think this was one of the lines.

They also remembered to advertise the pop-up shop. Since the members arrived a day earlier in Taipei, they secretly visited the pop up shop to check it out and signed the poster. The members teased Yamada, the spokesperson for Lachesca cleansing product, and said “The shop is filled with Yamada.” At this time, Yamada brought out all the products and promoted them to the audience. Nakajima added, “If you use this, you will have the same soft skin as Yamada!” Yabu said, “I heard a lot of items that were sold out will be restocked tomorrow. Please go check them out.”

They also promoted the Line Poko Poko game they were repping. Takaki jokingly said, “Yesterday, I went to the sauna. Just when I was very relaxed, I suddenly saw our ad on TV. It was a bit embarrassing.” They also revealed that the stickers were designed by Yaotome Hikaru and even used Mandarin to say “Go download it.” Indeed, they were good spokespersons.

Second Half

After a short intermission, the second half of the concert began. The members changed into purple Japanese outfits for the “Wa” corner, with Nakajima on taiko and Yaotome playing shamisen. The “Wa” corner was reminiscent of senpai Domoto Koichi’s musical, “SHOCK”. Each member performed a series of fan dance and ribbon dance, set to a rearranged version of “Over” and “Give Me Love”, etc. The background also changed throughout the set into various Japanese motifs. During “Give Me Love”, Yamada and Chinen grabbed the white ribbons and started flying on stage with no safety harnesses. The audience was shocked and awed.

As the main part of the concert came to an end, the audience was treated to a highlight video of HSJ’s last Taipei concert 7 years ago, giving them a chance to reminisce. They changed into sparkly gold outfits and sang a 12-song medley of their hit singles, including their debut song “Ultra Music Power”, “Mayonaka no Shadow Boy”, “Mae wo muke”, etc., while… you guessed it… flying through the air again! They finished with “White Love”, their single from the previous year, but to the audience’s surprise, they sang the last half of the song in Taiwanese (correctly pronounced apparently)! The audience completely lost it with excitement at this point.

「White Love」（台語版）：

若有一天會實現

咱兩人永遠做伙的彼個夢

妳就是唯一願望

妳是我的從今以後的未來

最後一擺的戀愛

我的愛乎妳一個

獻予妳全心全意的一個人

我的心愛妳到底

我愛妳　遮愛妳

全世界只有妳一人

我愛妳遮愛你

妳是我永遠註定的命運

上愛的故事

“White Love” (Taiwanese version)

If it comes true one day,

That dream where we are together forever,

Then I only wish for you,

You are my future from now on.

My last love story,

I give my love only to you,

To you, who love me wholeheartedly.

In my heart, I will love you till the end.

I love you, I love you very much,

There’s only you in the whole world.

I love you, I love you very much,

You are my destiny,

The best love story.

You can watch the video here

Encore

After the thunderous shouts of encore from the audience, the members appeared on stage again and sang “Fanfare!”” and “You & I”. They promised their Taiwanese fans to “not let them wait this long for the next time”. However, since this was the last night, the 11K fans shouted for a second encore and the members appeared on stage again. Chinen said with a smile, “We see each other again so soon!” Yabu used Mandarin to ask the fans, “What do you want to hear? What do you want us to sing?” They then performed “Ultra Music Power again, and rang around the stage. Nakajima Yuto said in pretty fluent English, “Thank you everyone for coming. We are so happy. We will not forget tonight when you are here with us in Taiwan together!” Chinen also said in Mandarin that “We will come again!”. The members wistfully said goodbye to their fans.

Fan stories and fan service

Hey!Say!JUMP’s concert was like a grand entertainment show. In addition to the members’ hard work, the fans also brought a lot of enthusiasm. In Johnny’s tradition, fans communicate to their idols through homemade uchiwa, which was a sight to behold for [those unfamiliar with Johnny’s concerts]. Fan messages included “Wink at me”, “Blow me a kiss”, “Point at me” etc., and the fans could quickly switch to different uchiwas depending on the member who appeared in their sights.

A 30 year old OL fan, Sen, brought a Yamada Ryosuke and Nakajima Yuto uchiwa as well as 2 message ones that said “Give me a kiss” and “Did you drink bubble tea?” She said the handmade ones were actually borrowed from a fan, who successfully got a kiss from Yaotome Hikaru the day before, so she hoped the luck would rub off on her.

Apple Daily’s reporter even saw a Japanese fan who brought 8 uchiwa, and she even joined forces with her seat mates, all holding up that members’ uchiwa together to catch the attention of their idols who appeared in front of them. During the encore, Nakajima Yuto immediately started running around the stage to look for fans. When he found a fan from Singapore and he asked this fan directly, “Did you fly here from Singapore?” He also compiled with all the fan service: blowing kisses, giving them thumbs up, heart signs, the fans were super excited. [I guess you can say his service is excellent.]

Sources (in addition to news clips and twitter / weibo):

Apple Daily

https://tw.appledaily.com/new/realtime/20191006/1644575/

China Daily

https://www.chinatimes.com/amp/realtimenews/20191006002555-260404

Liberty Time News

https://ent.ltn.com.tw/news/breakingnews/2938402

https://stars.udn.com/star/story/10092/4089578

Now News

https://www.nownews.com/news/20191006/3674832/

https://www.nownews.com/news/20191006/3674976/ (White Love lyrics)

Star UDN

https://stars.udn.com/star/story/10092/4089727?from=udnamp-referralnews_ch1022artbottom

#hey say jump #taipei concert 2019 #translations #yamada ryosuke #chinen yuri #nakajima yuto #arioka daiki #inoo kei #takaki yuya #yaotome hikaru #yabu kota #hey!say!jump #Hey!Say!JUMP 2019 in Taipei

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xialing-gf · 5 years

Text

the benefits of working in a music store

summary: meeting mj, who also happened to go to your high school, at the music store was the best coincidence in your life, ever

(Week 3 of my 30 weeks of writing prompts challenge: music store)

wc: 1347

read on ao3!

MJ detested many things: gender roles, smelly shoes, war, and most of all, store employees who tried to make conversation. She absolutely hated employees who were overly friendly and tried too hard to get her to buy whatever they were selling with their charm.

One time, MJ was at retail store with her mother and she picked up a bottle of perfume because it was decorated elegantly and suddenly, a store employee popped out of nowhere with a giant grin on his face and began complimenting MJ’s hair before proceeding to tell her how she would smell wonderful with the lovely lavender perfume she was holding. MJ freaked out and almost chucked the bottle at him, but luckily, her mother stopped her before she could.

She never imagined that she would work at a retail store but she realized that all the books she wanted all were in hard-cover and extremely expensive. While MJ’s mother always bought her books, MJ knew that her mother wouldn’t buy her all the books on her wish list and decided to find a job. Since she wasn’t legally an adult yet, most of the jobs available to her were related to retail.

Fortunately, there was a music store that sold vinyl records and CD’s offered jobs to people over the age of 16 so MJ got a part-time job at the store. She was taught to be friendly to the customers and smile more, which she did, only when the customers were looking. MJ didn’t try to coerce customers into buying records as she knew from first-hand experience how annoying it was.

MJ had been doing a pretty good job of being a mediocre store attendant until you walked into the store one day. When you walked in, MJ didn’t notice at first as she was reading a book about the history of advertising but she heard the sound of fingers against shrink wrap and she looked up to see you browsing vinyl records.

You were one of the prettiest people MJ had ever seen and she stared at you for a solid half-minute before returning to her senses and putting away her book. MJ watched as you flipped through the vinyl records, occasionally stopping on one here and there but not picking anything up. After a minute of browsing, you suddenly pulled out a vinyl record with a small smile on your face.

“Good choice. Not a lot of people buy vinyl records anymore, much less the first Panic! At the Disco album,” MJ remarked from her position behind the counter and you looked up from the record you were holding, noticing her for the first time. You weren’t the only one who was surprised as MJ was shocked she found the courage to speak up first.

“Yeah, it’s their best and most underrated album. I also just got a new record player so I need some new vinyls,” You replied as you continued to browse through the vinyls and MJ walked out from behind the counter to stand next to you. This was the second time she had left the counter voluntarily, the first time being to help a customer figure out how vinyls worked. She took out a record from the shelf next to where you stood and handed it to you.

“This band good is pretty good too. If you like Panic! At the Disco’s first album, you’ll like this album,” MJ smiled and she was internally screaming at herself. She had no idea what came over her that made her act so nicely but when you smiled back, her efforts were no longer considered wasted.

“Thanks! I think I’ll just get two today,” You remarked as you followed MJ to the counter, where she prepared the cash register for your purchase. You planned the two vinyl records down on the counter and MJ picked them up, scanning them and tapping a couple buttons on the screen.

“That will be fifty dollars and sixty two cents,” MJ read the total and you handed her the money. Another reason why vinyl records weren’t used anymore was because of how expensive record players and vinyls were. Most people used digital streaming services to listen to music or just stuck to the radio.

“Do I know you from somewhere? I feel like you look familiar,” You frowned as MJ counted your bills and calculated the change. MJ carefully counted the coins and bills as she handed you your change and handed you your receipt as well.

“Maybe. Do you go to Midtown High?”

“Yes! Wait, I think you’re in my sixth period physics class. You’re MJ, right? Our teacher called you out for asking too many questions once,” You laughed as MJ blushed at your comment. Placing the change in your pocket, you still stared into MJ’s hazel brown eyes as you spoke.

“Oh, right! Yeah, I remember you too,” MJ rubbed the back of her neck embarrassingly, glancing down at the counter as she prayed that her face wasn’t tomato red. She always had trouble speaking with insanely attractive people and this was the worst moment for her habits to kick in.

“Well, nice talking to you. I have to go home now but hopefully, I’ll see you tomorrow at school!” You tucked the two vinyls under your arm and waved as you left the shop. MJ waved back and for the rest of her shift, she couldn’t stop thinking about your brilliant smile.

MJ was lucky that it rained the next day because as a result, everybody ate lunch in the cafeteria, filling up all the tables. Of course, she sat in a secluded section of the cafeteria so she didn’t have to deal with any fights over space. But she was surprised when you walked up to her and asked to sit with her during lunch since all the tables were full.

You broke into a relieved smile when MJ nodded and you sat down next MJ. She had been reading a book about the theory of relativity and to break the awkward silence, you asked what type of books she liked to read. The conversation then moved from books to film adaptations of books and before you knew it, lunch was over.

The next day, there was no rain and the cafeteria wasn’t crowded but you still sat with MJ. This time, you two talked about music and you learned about MJ’s taste in music. She liked a variety of music and liked at least one artist from each time period.

One day, you decided that you wanted to listen to some new music so you asked MJ to make you a playlist of songs she liked. She spent all night crafting a perfect playlist of recommendations and when she watched you listen to it at lunch the following day, she was anxious to see if you liked it.

You absolutely loved it and it became a weekly tradition for MJ to make you a playlist with new songs. With each playlist, MJ got a little braver and added more love songs. She decided to take a leap of faith when she was making a playlist and named it “hidden message”. MJ chose her favorite songs and arranged them in order so that the first letter of each song put in together spelled “will you go on a date with me?”

Instead of showing it to you at school like she usually did, MJ texted you the link to playlist and waited for your response. You usually always responded to her text messages quickly but this time, you didn’t respond at all. MJ thought this meant that you were scared away by her but the next day, at school, she was surprised that you greeted her with a hug.

As you wrapped your arms around MJ, you whispered in her ear, “Yes. Yes, I will.”

It was safe to say that MJ’s choice of bringing you to a concert for you first date was one of the best decisions she had ever made in her life.

check out my mj x reader masterlist or look at my marvel page for more marvel fics! comment to join my mj x reader taglist!

Mj Taglist: @retrobhaddie @just-your-local-history-nerd @chickenstrips45

#marvel #mj x reader #mj imagine #michelle jones x reader #michelle jones #mj #mj x fem! reader #mj x y/n #michelle jones imagine #mcu #marvel fanfiction #marvel imagine #women of marvel #x reader #fanfiction #imagine #fluff #friends to lovers #sam's 30 weeks of prompts challenge

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mendesstories · 4 years

Text

From the Ground Up

A/N: This idea came to me when I first heard the song ‘From The Ground Up’ by Dan + Shay a few months ago and this has been sitting around in my drafts ever since. I never liked how it kept turning out and I’m still not a 100% proud but here goes nothing. Tell me what you think!!

Taglist: @mendesficsxbombay @particularnervous (if you’d like to be added or removed let me know)

March 2016

“So...it’s time, eh?” He sighs looking at her.

She glumly nods, her eyes roaming everywhere but refusing to meet his. Her mouth opens to say something but her throat runs dry and suddenly words seem hard to find. Truthfully, she’s not sure what to say to the boy she loves when he’s about to leave for what, she prays for his sake, is the first of many of his own world tours.

She steps towards him, takes a deep breath and attempts to gather her resolve for him.

“I’m only nervous because I don’t know how things will work out ahead.”

“But I’ll call ever-”

“No wait let me finish, I want you to know that this-” she gulps and her fingers fidget with the frill of her top, “-this is big and it’s going to change your life. I’m so so proud and happy that you get to do this because, my dude, you deserve to live your dream more than anyone else I know. And, even if all the distance and time changes us, I won’t hate you ever, you’ll always be my best friend first.”

He wants to tell her that her fears are irrational. They are them, they’ll get through it all together but he’s not sure he can actually convince her this time. If he’s being honest he’s terrified she’s going to be right like always, that’ll he’ll get caught up in the glitz and glamour of it all and lose her.

He moves towards her tentatively, hands snaking around her waist and she melts into his embrace. Her head rests on his chest, her shoulders shuddering and for a split second, he blames himself for choosing to do what he loves and hurting the ones he loves in the process.

For a fraction of a millisecond, he has this feeling although nothing might ever be the same in his life again, that somehow the two of them will pull through it. That little glimmer is enough for him. Now, it’s his turn to take a deep breath and garner some strength for her sake.

He whispers softly, “Believe me, baby. We’ll be alright.”

Her dad watches them wearily from the side. He knows Shawn is a bright young boy with big dreams filling up his mind and only the best intentions at heart but he cannot help his fatherly inhibitions from clouding his thoughts.

He wonders how right Shawn is in choosing to make this his career and not going to college. He isn’t sure if they truly understand how the dynamic of their relationship is about to alter, both of them ambitious but heading down starkly different paths. He worries the scrutiny and attention that is bound to come, will wear out even his strong-willed little girl.

August 2019

Post-concert Shawn is always on an adrenaline high. Tonight, however, was truly special. He’s played the biggest show of his life. A sold-out stadium in his home city. The same place he would pass by numerous times as a child with his gaze fixated and eyes wide unable to wrap his mind around big it is.

Certainly, he never imagined that one-day a deafening crowd would sing the words he wrote in his journals back to him when his slacked jaw and welled up eyes leave it hard for him to swallow and finish the words.

She’s out there in the deafening crowd with her hair flying in every which direction with his sister singing along to every song just like everyone else in the audience. His biggest (and possibly favourite) supporter since day one.

He gets off stage a jittery mess with his heart still pounding fast against his chest and the whole room is electrified with his entrance. He hands his guitar to Cez and is pulled in for a hug.

There are bottles clinking, friends and family making rounds hugging him and each other. There’s enough energy in the room to spark up the CN tower standing tall behind them.

The past five years of his life and career have gone by in the blink of an eye. She was right when she predicted everything would change but the one thing that’s stayed constant is that he wouldn’t want to do any of this without her by his side, be it having to clean up the beer bottles and leftover pizza after Brian’s roaring 21st or playing a twice as roaring Rogers Stadium.

So, smile a mile wide and hands still clammy he makes his way towards her. He picks her up giving her a quick twirl and she lets out a little laugh. It’s enough to ignite his burning heart further.

He puts her down and she pulls him in closer for the tightest and warmest hug ever. Her blanket of love, happiness and pride envelops him.

He did it

Something lights up in her holding him so close in her arms. A glimmer, like the one he had in the airport all those years ago, tells her as long as they are hand in hand giving life their all, they’ll have many more moments like this one.

September 2019

He’s seated in the crowded auditorium between her parents and little brother, adjusting his dress shirt and formal slacks waiting for the graduation to start.

He recalls that one late night during the Europe leg of the tour when he woke up to fetch some water and realised she wasn’t in his arms. He found her with her shoulders bent over her textbooks and laptop, reading and rereading the words attempting to make sense of the page. She rubbed her eyes and willed herself to stay awake.

5 more minutes she convinced herself every five minutes

His heart plummeted looking at her haggard appearance knowing he was partly responsible for it. He never asked her, he never had to, she magically always knew. She could tell sense his anxiety building up. The initial buzz of being on tour fading away. He wanted to come home, tease his sister and press kisses to his mother’s cheek.

She would give him the world if he so asked and if there was anything she could do to keep his heart even slightly happier, she would. So without much hesitation, she makes a few adjustments in her budget for the rest of the month and flies out to him.

The glint in his bright eyes and his warm laugh reverberating through her eardrums when she surprised him made it all worth it.

Standing in the dim light of the tour bus it occurred to him how selfish and unfair he was to be so caught up buzzing around in excitement of her arrival to see how all that she does for him takes a toll on her as well.

He knows she’s going to compensate for this trip by working a few extra and long shifts around her classes. Her classes are a whole other story. They are far from easy and he has come to understand computer science is an incredibly time consuming and draining major despite her being passionate about the subject.

Recording albums, selling out stadiums, and writing heart-wrenching, gut-twisting songs was never her dream but she believed in his nevertheless. While chasing her own dream, she’s continued to support his.

Decidedly he wipes the sleep away from his tired eyes. He makes up his mind that he’s going to help her study even if that meant simply keeping her company.

“What? Why are you awake?” She asks him breaking out of her trance as he settles into the space beside her.

“Here, please take care of yourself, honey.” He mumbled into the dark placing a cold glass of water and some fruit in front of her.

Andrew may have found them the next morning all cuddled up, soft snores leaving their exhausted bodies, but they had successfully finished her linear algebra 1 work.

His face breaks into the biggest grin when they announce her name. Hands clapping as loudly as possible while she walks up on stage beaming with pride and standing tall in all her 5 feet 5 glory. Her dad even whistles a few times. He can only imagine how proud her parents are of their daughter.

She did it

His chest constricts with a bubbling feeling and he isn’t quite sure what it is. Perhaps it’s pride but something tells him it’s just the all-consuming love he has for her and all of her.

4 years later

The second she is pushed out the room is engulfed in an overwhelming torrent of emotion.

She’s beautiful

It’s his first thought. Certainly, she’s covered in baby gunk but she’s still beautiful.

The silence in the room for the first few seconds seemed piercing. Is she alright? She’s supposed to cry, right? Why isn’t she crying? Then it’s replaced by her faint little cry which grows louder and louder until it has turned into an all-out no holds scream. She’s loud but he doesn’t mind in the slightest. She’s safe. His wife is safe. His own family is here safe and sound.

“We have to clean her up first.” The nurse declares gently picking her up from her mother’s chest where they placed her for barely a minute.

He doesn’t want to let her out of his sight. So, he drops his head and presses a kiss to his wife’s forehead, whispers an ‘I love you’ and speeds off after the nurse.

Not so much to one’s surprise she cries and shrieks as they take a prick of her blood and check her vitals. It takes everything in him to not pick her up and coo into her little ears that he’s right here and as long as he’s round he won’t let anything bad happen to her.

“Hi angel, I love you.” He bends down and mumbles as the nurse runs a washcloth across her tummy.

He never imagined those five words would alter his life and perspective forever. Her cries seem to subside and he knows that newborns have little to no muscle power and she can’t really see but he swears she looks at him and calms down.

4 years later

Estela Mendes is nearly four now. She has more fun each day than should be legally allowed. She struggles with sharing toys and her parents’ undivided attention with her toddler brother (her parents promise you they are working on this), while her curiosity about the baby in her mama’s belly grows each day.

4 years and 7 months later

Gotta support the neck Gotta support the neck

The thought has been drilled into his head by his parents over the past few months. While his fans may have said countless things about his large hands, some of their words managing to leave him haunted, he never really noticed how large his hands actually were until now. She seems so little and fragile in his arms compared to the first two now notorious Mendes siblings.

It’s safe to say the youngest Mendes daughter wasn’t planned yet somehow she came at the perfect time.

The two of them had spent a fair number of nights with goosebumps rising on their skin in the Toronto breeze, after putting their kids to bed, (god, how do they sound so old?) huddled shoulder to shoulder as she indulged in her choice of cravings for the night (it was a jar of pickles more often than not) dreaming of what the baby girl growing inside would be like.

Now, she’s here and he’s enamored with her very existence. He can’t keep his eyes off her. If it was all up to him he’d sit there for hours on an end memorizing every little detail of her being and watch her attempt to clasp her small figures around his large ones.

His wife rests her head on his shoulders, exhaustion rimming her eyelids with her matted hair against her forehead. She moves her hand that is free of the IV needles and tubes to bring the two older children, smitten with the latest addition to the family, closer into her lap.

Everything he’s ever wanted - needed really - is right here in his arms. He feels complete.

7 years later

The youngest Mendes child is clutched to her waist, hands moving animatedly describing plans she has with her siblings for the rest of the day, as the pair of them make their way out to the rest of the family in their backyard.

His wife’s heart grows in size finding both sets of grandparents recollecting stories while Shawn teaches his two older children how to strum a certain chord on his guitar.

The mess of curls - that is her son - seated on Shawn’s lap has a glint of mischief lacing his eyes trying to think of ways to add his touch of fun to the relatively calm backyard.

She puts her daughter down who wobbles across the grass to where her dad and siblings are seated.

Now, all four of them are playing some game. He somehow manages to lift all three of them into the air, makes the sound of a bear growling, places them back onto the grass gently and tickles them until they’re all in fits of laughter.

The delirious belly laughs they let out at his antics have him grinning ear to ear. The simplicity of the moment overwhelms him. This is all he could ever dream of having and more. A family of his own, people that are his own and people with whom he can cherish the wild rollercoaster of moments his life has been and continues to be.

All those inhibitions her dad had at the airport years ago no longer hold true. He’s watched Shawn grow into being the incredible partner and father that he is today.

He’s the man her dad hoped he would be.

65 years later

The morning sun streaming in uninvited kisses them awake. He opens his eyes to the slivers of light peeping in through the gaps in the blinds casting thin stripes across her tan and angelic skin.

She blinks multiple times adjusting to the sudden light drowsily, mouth curving into a lopsided grin as he pulls her closer into his embrace.

65 years old now, in this little house that they made home when they stepped foot into young, first child on the way, eyes dancing with excitement for the future.

The pictures that adorn every nook and corner of this warm and humble abode are a testament to their tale. The clouds may have rolled and the earth may have shook but they sheltered each other through the wind and the rain.

They did it

#shawn mendes #shawn x oc #shawn mendes fic #blurb #shawn #shawn x reader #mendes #writing #shawn mendes fanfic #fluff #fics #shawn mendes fics #fanfic

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shawnpetermuffins · 5 years

Text

Misery Business (decode 2)

A/n: and the much requested part 2. Part 1 is in my masterlist under my song based fics. This will be the final part.

Summary: Shawn's finally starting to realize what this relationship has done to him.

Warnings: angst, swearing, the usual

Word count: 2.2k

***

I should be happy. My career has never been better, my singles are doing pretty great on the charts, I'm in the top 5 most listened to artists on spotify, and I'm getting loads of publicity hanging with Camila. And don't get me wrong, she's beautiful, hourglass figure that every guy wants, I guess. There's just something wrong and it's this, she's not y/n. I thought our relationship would withstand anything my career threw at us, I really did. But I should have known that she wasn't okay with this. I knew that there was always some kind of underlying territorial battle between her and the girl that's currently holding my arm while we walk down the street, but I ignored it for the sake of a few extra views on a music video, for a few extra streams.

This publicity thing has taken y/n away from me and no one seems to notice, or care, because the songs are doing so good. Since she walked away that night no one has talked about it. No one asked what was the final straw, it was just never brought up. And all that's going around Twitter and Instagram are these God awful, staged photos of me and Camila acting like we're so in love when in reality I am heartbroken and on the verge of a nervous breakdown in most of them.

"They're looking," she says into my arm. "Kiss me now." She's been telling me to do that a lot more often recently and I'm starting to feel just how wrong it is for us to be doing this. She knows about the breakup, but it seems like she couldn't care less. She parades me around town and follows me on tour, adding a little too much tension between me, Brian and Connor who have barely spoken to me since y/n left. It's clear that they weren't on my side in this situation, but that didn't matter to Camila. She was eating the attention up. She loved knowing that people were talking and that they were talking about her, it apparently didn't matter in what context.

"Andrew," I grab my manager's attention one night before he goes into his hotel room.

"Yeah, bud?"

I clear my throat, glancing over my shoulder to make sure no one was still out wandering the hall, listening. I lower my voice anyway, "How much longer do Camila and I have to keep up this PR game? The fans are starting to notice it's fake."

"We have to keep it up at least until the stadium show."

"What? What happened to it ending after the VMAs?"

He shrugs, "Sorry. We need to sell more."

"The stadium's already sold out, what do you mean we need to sell more?!"

"Shawn, you said you were okay with this. What's going on?"

I lost the best thing that's ever happened to me because of this stupid game. That's what's going on. But I just sigh, "Nothing. Nothing, guess I'm just worried. I don't want the fans to lose interest. I can't keep ignoring the question."

"Well you can't talk about it. We're under contract. Now it'll be over before you know it. So for now, just enjoy it. Enjoy the publicity. You need it. Gets people excited for new music."

You know what else gets people excited for new music? Promotion.

---

I'm scrolling through Instagram, seeing all the photos fan accounts are posting of me and Camila, becoming more and more emotionally drained with each passing second. But then I see something that catches my eye. It's a photo of me and y/n, one of the only photos she allowed me to post of us. Except it's split right down the middle. I hurriedly look at the caption.

Fanaccount Is no one going to talk about the fact that we don't know how, why, or WHEN y/n and Shawn broke up??? Did we all just forget that they were together for 2 years?? What happened to our girl?

Then I start reading the comments, which I shouldn't do, but I can't stop myself.

Fanaccount2 Idk if it's true but someone said she was still on tour with him up until like 2 weeks ago…

Fanaccount2 Do y'all think Camila had something to do with it?

She had everything to do with it.

fanaccount3 Who cares? He's with Camila and she's better.

Fucking liar.

fanaccount4 I know we don't know what happened, but if it's because of C that's fucked up. Y/n deserves better. Shitty PR to sell a song that's already been at #1 for weeks?? If he lost her to this I feel bad for him.

Fanaccount5 But what about her? She had to watch all this go down? It was a really dick move for him to even think it was okay to do this.

fanaccount6 Okay but look how happy he is with Camila. He clearly doesn't feel bad, so why do you???

Fanaccount4 THEY WERE TOGETHER FOR 2 YEARS! and now he's sucking face with his "best friend" come on. That's shitty and you know it.

I don't even realize that I'm crying until I can hardly catch my breath. I'm panicking. I haven't had to deal with a panic attack alone since y/n came around, but this is the third one I've talked myself out of since she left, and I've had to go back on my medication. I never realized that she was the main thing helping me through.

My phone buzzes with a notification - a message from Andrew.

It's a screenshot of my spotify account and it reads: #2 baby!!

I want to hurl - my phone or the contents of my stomach, I'm not sure. Maybe both. But I guess, we've got the fans where we want them.

But like we always do, in true Hollywood bragging, we post the screenshot to our Instagram stories. And Andrew to his feed and twitter. It's all working so well. They're buying it - the relationship, the song, everything. But when I look at my follower count and see I'm down at least 100,000… maybe not everyone is buying it.

---

We're in her hometown and every part of me wants to go see her, wants to make sure she's okay. Because I have the day off and it would be so easy to just drive out to her and make things right. But Camila won't leave my side and I'm going insane.

"Shawn, pay attention to me!"

And I snap. "What do you think I've been doing these past two months, Camila?! I've been paying attention! Jesus, fuck, give me just two minutes of alone time."

"Whoa! What's up your ass?" She crosses her arms over her chest.

"You!" I scoff, throwing my hands up.

"You've been moody all week. Do you want to talk?"

"Not to you," I mumble, but she hears me.

"You're serious? This is about y/n? It's been a month, Shawn. It's time to move on."

"Move on? How am I supposed to move on when she was the literal best thing to happen to me? When I lost her because of this stupid PR move that is in no way helping me anymore, Miss number two!"

"Now I don't deserve to be number two? Really?"

I don't say anything else, I just take my phone and wallet from the coffee table and leave without another word. I don't know where I'm going until I'm there at her doorstep, breathing heavily and running my clammy hands through my already ruffled hair. Before I can talk myself out of it, I knock on the door and wait, my hands in my pocket.

"Can you get that?" I hear her say to someone inside, but I'm not expecting it to be my own best friend.

"Brian?" I say, confused.

"What are you-?"

"Bri, did you? Shawn?"

"Connor?"

"Guys, who's at the…" she stops cold in her tracks when she sees me.

"Y/n," I sigh. I can't read her face. She could be any number of things, but shocked is probably the most accurate.

"Babes, can y'all give us a second?" Her arms cross defensively over her chest while the guys retreat to the kitchen. When she walks further into the living room, I let myself in, closing the door behind me. "What the hell are you doing here, Shawn?"

"I miss you," I say desperately. "I - I know I fucked up. Severely fucked up. I put my career ahead of you and I said I'd never do that. The numbers became more important and it shouldn't have been that way. I'm so sorry. Just… please give me a second chance. Let me prove to you that you're first. Always."

"A second chance isn't going to do anything for you, Shawn."

"How do you-?"

"Because you're still pretending with her! If you're even pretending at this point! I can't be with you like this because if the numbers were all that mattered two months ago, who's to say they're still not going to matter three years from now? Your entire career revolves around them and I'm not going to be your number two. That isn't what I signed myself up for. Not to mention my Twitter mentions right now are your fans calling me a whore for standing in the way of 'Shawmila's true love!'"

I flinch, "I'll fix it."

"You can't!" She screams and I see the guys slowly make their way into the room. "Jesus, don't you get it? It doesn't matter what you think you can fix because I can't forgive you! I'm done. I'm over it. I don't want this!" She gestures between our bodies. "You don't want me, you want the familiarity. Well, why don't you teach her how to calm down your anxiety attacks. And tell her how you like your eggs in the morning, and how you'll only get out of bed after at least ten minutes of silent cuddling.

"And you go around town acting so fucking innocent, which no one believes, by the way. Teach her how to be your girlfriend, and how to do it right because clearly I wasn't doing it right," her voice cracks at the last part of her sentence and it breaks me in half. When the first year falls, I want nothing more than to take her in my arms, but I hold back, knowing damn well she doesn't want me near her.

"Y/n, it's not the same without you. The concerts aren't as fun, the days between drag on forever. I thought that being seen out would make the numbers rise, and yeah it has, but I'm losing more than im getting."

"That's not my fault. You did that." She wraps her arms around her, holding herself together. Just like I've always known her to. I notice that the tears aren't falling anymore either. She stopped then just as quickly as they started.

"This isn't how I thought we would turn out."

She bites the inside of her cheek, her clear sign that she's distraught. "You know, it's funny. It took me so long to realize that I was watching your dreams come true. Selling out arenas and winning awards and putting out awesome music. I watched all of those dreams come true. Not once did you say I was a reason for it. You always avoided the questions about if the songs were about me. I was - I was never part of your dream, Shawn. And I put mine on hold to watch you live yours. It's my turn," she looks at me with some type of fire in her eyes. "Its time for me to go for my dreams and watch them come true. I thought it was you. You were my dream for so long, but that's just not it anymore."

I suck in a shuddery breath, "no. Y/n, baby. Please."

"You need to go."

"Y/n," I reach out for her but I'm stopped quickly by my best friend.

"She told you to go, Shawn."

"I'm not leaving until we fix this."

"Just let it go, man. She doesn't want you anymore." Connor says from his same spot, only this time with y/n in his arms, her head buried deep in his chest. Seeing her in the arms of another makes me crazy and I lunge for him, but Brian pushes me back again.

"You need to go. I'm not saying it again," he's practically dragging me out the house.

I point an angry finger at Connor, "You're fired."

"That's fine," he says. "Good luck with the rest of the tour." He shoots me a glare and then his attention is back to my sad ex-girlfriend. And I'm out the door before I realize it.

"What am I supposed to do?" I ask aloud because I feel Brian standing behind me, making sure I don't get any ideas to go back inside.

"Sounds to me like you need to reevaluate your priorities. You chose this career, and up until recently you were able to balance love and music. Find that again. Now go back to the hotel. I'll see you for soundcheck tomorrow." The door closes once again. But this time it's closing on everything that was and everything that could've been. I know I'm not getting her back. I chose the music business, but now it's the misery business and there's no way to get out of it.

***

Tags: @curlyshawny @anamariel2301 @shawns-badreputation @bbellbagel @turtoix @ivegotparticulartaste @tomshufflepuff @dino-16-avocado @sleepybesson @lifeoftheparty74 @shawnssongs @luvluvxx

I hope you enjoyed it. I'm sorry for the angst. Like, reblog, and leave feedback!! 💙💙

#shawn mendes #shawn peter raul #shawn mendes blurb #shawn mendes imagine #shawn mendes fanfiction #shawn mendes one shot #shawn mendes angst #shawn mendes fluff #shawn mendes smut #smfsource

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simplygojo · 5 years

Text

killer queen - chapter seven

Series summary : Y/n, a native to London England, gets asked by the legend himself, Freddie Mercury, to help manage the band. Obviously she accepts, and it ends up being the best decision she’s ever made. Quickly she becomes close with each member of band, Roger Taylor specifically…

Chapter Summary : Two months after Queen’s first tour, y/n’s relationship with Scott leads to some surprises. The band finally prepares for the production of their new album.

Word Count : 3.7k

Pairings : Ben!Roger Taylor x Reader

Warnings : Swearing, cheating

a/n - I’M BACK BITCHESSSSS!! LOL sorry I was gone for so long but I REALLY appreciate all the support you guys are giving me on this series even tho I started it in January...luv u!!

chapter six | chapter eight

Queen’s first tour had come to an end. You knew that there would be more tours as each concert filled up more and more until they sold out. But a quarter of the money went to the recording company, another quarter went to the private jets, tour bus, and equipment, and another quarter went towards them fully buying the small recording studio, so they could only split the last quarter amongst themselves. Freddie and the boys insisted that you be included in the money split, they said that “They couldn’t have done it without you” although you disagreed with them, you gladly took the money. Since then, the boys decided to take a bit of a break, not from each other, just from making music. Although, they promised John Reid that they’d have a complete album done within the next 6 months. John Reid had also gotten the band a lawyer, Jim Beach, who was a very nice man and was always willing to help. Even though the band was not making music you all still hung out all the time. Roger had been keeping his distance from everyone, he mostly spent his time drunk, high, with hookers, or all three. You have been with Scott for about two months now, and still no action in the bedroom. He has been treating you like a princess, opening car doors, pulling out your chair, alwaysing saying “ladies first.” He was doing all this for you, because he really cares about you. Scott looked at you like you were his world, like without you he wouldn’t be able to survive. And that is the reason you haven’t broken up with him yet. Plus he makes you happy, he is funny, kind, and can always make you smile no matter how bad your day has been going. The moment Deaky told you that Roger has feelings for you you wanted to end things with Scott, you wanted to go to Roger and tell him you felt the same way, you wanted to kiss him, you would kiss him like you have wanted to since you first saw him. But you couldn’t do that to Scott, he was too nice, too chivalrous, too perfect. Despite all of this, being with him still didn’t feel right deep down. Since about a month ago Roger had began to go down a spiral that you and the boys were just constantly trying to get him out of. Roger always had at LEAST one girl with him, you hadn't seen him sober in four weeks, and he was always starting arguments with Freddie. It was driving everyone insane, and it made it much harder to get together as a group. You knew that you being with Scott was annoying Roger at first, but you just assumed since he had so many hookers around he was over it.

That morning you woke up beside your boyfriend and smiled before looking at the clock. “Oh crap! I’m supposed to meet Deaky and Brian for brunch today.” You said before throwing the covers off your body and scrambled to grab your jean jacket. Scott groaned and propped himself up on his elbows as he watched you grab your hair brush and brush your hair. “You’re cute.” He said, making you roll your eyes at him as you looked at him through your mirror. “Shut up.” You countered, a smile slowly growing on your face. You riffled through your drawers until you found the sweater you were looking for, and walked out of your bedroom and into the bathroom. It was weird for you, not being able to change in front of your boyfriend, but over the last two months you’ve gotten used to it. You had just come to the assumption that Scott hadn't done anything with a girl before, so he was waiting for the right time. Shaking these thoughts away, you changed into your bright red knit sweater and blue jeans before walking back into the bedroom to give Scott a quick peck on the lips. “Okay, I’ll be back soon but I know the three of us might be meeting Rog and Fred at the studio, they want to start their new album, so I could be late.” You told him and he nodded his head. “Don’t know how I’ll survive.” He said through a toothy grin. He always seemed to be in a happy mood, sometimes it was just plain obnoxious, but you just assumed he was an optimist. You shot him a grin back and then walked towards the front door, your fake grin instantly dropping once your back was turned. After you put on you shoes and walked out, you got in your car and drove to the small diner where you were meeting John and Brian. On your drive you began to think about Scott, you don’t think you’ve ever actually seen him in any mood other than insanely happy and upbeat. You realized that you barely even know him, he was just some stranger you met at a concert. By the time you got to the diner, you had made a decision that you had been thinking about for a month now.

Once you got there you parked your car and walked in, seating yourself at a booth. After a few minutes of you looking at the menu you heard the chime of the door opening and you glanced over your shoulder to see your two friends walking towards you. “Hello there.” You said as you watched Brian slide into the seat in front of you, while Deaky sat beside him. “Hey y/n!” Deaky said happily as the waitress handed them their menus. “Hey, I-” You interrupted yourself for a moment and then looked at the two boys. “Guys I need to confess something.” Brian and Deaky looked at each other and then back at you. “Alright then, what is it.” Brian said as he picked up the menu. “Is it about Rog..?” Deaky asked as he raised an eyebrow. You didn’t respond for a moment, until you let out a sigh. “Kind of..uh, I don’t-actually, no, it's about Scott.” You told them as you took a sip of your crappy coffee. “I think I’m going to break up with him.” You said, feeling a weight being lifted from your shoulders. “About time y/n.” Deaky said giving you a small smile as he finished reading the menu. “ None of us really liked him all that much anyways.” Brian laughed. “Yeah, he always seemed a bit too upbeat for my liking.” Deaky added just before the waitress came up to your table. The nice young girl took all three of your orders and then let you be. “So y/n, does this sudden decision have anything to do with a certain drummer I know?” Brian asked as he moved his tea bag around in the gray-blue mug. “No it does not, and this decision is not sudden I just haven’t told you two about it yet.” You quickly corrected Brian. “I’ve been debating this for a month now, I just don’t feel the connection I think that two people should feel when I’m with Scott. Don’t get me wrong, he is probably the nicest and funniest guy I’ve ever met, but it just, ugh! It doesn’t feel right with him. You know? It almost feels as if we’d be better off as friends.” Both boys nodded, even though they probably didn’t know what you meant by that, but they knew that it was best to let you go on. “When are you going to do it then?” Deaky asked you, you shrugged in response. “I should do it today, it’s just cruel to lead someone on for that long.” You added wrapping your cold hands around your mug. The waitress came back to your table with the three plates of food, it all smelling of the most delicious breakfast foods. There wasn’t much talking while the three of you ate, but it was never an awkward silence with those boys, they were like the older brothers you never had, and sometimes the older brothers you never wanted. But all in all, you would trust these boys with your life. At the end of your meal you put both your hands flat on the table and stood up. “I need to do it now, if I’m going to break up with Scott, it has to be now or else I will chicken out.” You said as you looked down at the two of them. “You’re good with paying for the meal, right?” You said with a sly smirk as you grab your car keys out of your pocket. Both their mouths opened and you laughed. “ Hey! I’m kidding! Here’s £6, I’ll see you guys later!” You said, waving to them as you left the diner and briskly walked towards your car.

Once you finally got back to your flat, after a drive that felt like seconds, you tossed your jacket onto the couch and dropped the keys onto the counter. “Scott?!” You called looking around the flat. “In the kitchen y/n.” He responded. You walked into the kitchen and looked at him, he was making himself a cup of tea as he smiled over to you. “That was a quick brunch.” He said with a small chuckle. You didn’t want to do this to him, he did nothing wrong, all he did was be kind to you, but he just wasn’t the right person you felt like you should be with. You decided to simply rip off the bandaid. “Scott I think we should break up.” You said quickly, the chipper smile quickly fading from his face. “It’s not you Scott, it’s fully me, I just-” Scott interrupted you. “You’re in love with Roger.” He said quickly which made you furrow your eyebrows and quickly deny it. “What?! No!” You said causing Scott to run his hands over his face in frustration. “Then you found out.” He said, you had absolutely no clue what he was talking about but you nodded, deciding to see what he meant by that. “Yeah, I-I did find out.” You said as you slowly walked towards him. He dumped his tea down the sink and ran one hand through his hair. “Look y/n, I didn’t tell you about her because I didn’t want to hurt yo-“ Your eyes widened and you could feel your body fill with rage. “Hold on a moment, you’re cheating on me?!” You yelled in disbelief. “You said you found out?!” He yelled, obviously confused. “I was lying to make breaking up with you easier on me!” You pinched the brim of your nose as you began to think, the rage simmering down quickly. “Wait hold on...is this why you wouldn’t sleep with me? You were fucking someone else?” You asked, everything finally falling into place like puzzle pieces. He looked at you in the eyes for a moment, and then slowly began to nod. You let out a frustrated sigh. “Honestly y/n, I thought that you just didn’t want to...you know...because you were a virgin.” He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. You were shocked, which was evident in your dropped jaw. “For the record I am nowhere near a virgin. But...I thought you were a virgin?” You said all of your frustration and rage completely leaving your body. You both let out a chuckle. “Well I mean, I guess this does make breaking up with you easier.” You admitted giving Scott a small smile. He sighed. “Yeah I guess it does.” He agreed and opened his arms for a hug, which you gladly walked into and gave him a friendly hug back. “Hey, because we didn’t sleep with each other this means that it’ll be easier to stay friends.” Scott said once you guys pulled away. You laughed and nodded. “I would love that Scott.” There was a bit of an awkward silence for a moment before you broke it. “Well, I have to run to the studio help the band make more songs, and when I get back later...I hope you’ll be moved out.” you said which made Scott laugh. “Don’t worry, I will be.”

Soon you arrived at the studio, assuming no one would be there yet, but Freddie and Roger were setting up the equipment. “Oh! Hey boys, what's up?” You asked them as you set your jacket and purse on the sofa. “We’ve decided it’s time to start working on our next album.” Freddie said, sounding excited. You nodded and clapped your hands together. ‘Well I have some news...Scott and I broke up.” You gave both of them a reassuring smile as they both walked over to you in surprise. “What happened y/l/n?” Roger asked, a half empty beer in hand. “Scott was cheating on me.” You said quickly, almost dismissing it. “I’m gonna kill him.” He said running his hand through his hair. “Rog…” You said and he just shook his head and looked at you. “I told him we should end things, and then he accidentally told me he cheated on me. It actually was mutual, I think we’re gonna stay friends.” You explained, which did not seem to help Roger’s anger at all. “No one treats you like that y/n! You deserve better!” He yelled and Freddie looked at him. “Roger calm down, killing him will just get our drummer put into jail.” Freddie said, you nodded in agreement. “Rog, your giving a more dramatic reaction than I did, trust me it doesn’t even matter. Honestly I don’t even know if I ever really liked him in that way.” You said as you looked up at Roger, who was staring at you, almost as, if he were to look away, you’d leave. “Alright, your cool now, right? Good. Let's finish setting up before Deaky and Bri get here.” You said, not even giving Roger the time to answer your question. You knew that Roger was dramatic at times, well most of the time, but it was odd how he acted when you told him about what Scott did. “I hope you guys don’t mind but I’ve invited Paul to come and help us with the first day of making our new album.” Freddie said as he sat down on the sofa. You and Roger looked at each other and then back at him. Before Roger could pipe in, you smiled at Fred and said, “Yeah Fred, that’d be great.” You said before shooting Roger a side glare. He rolled his eyes and went to go grab his drumsticks from the control room. You knew that none of the guys liked Paul, well matter of fact neither did you, but Freddie did like him, so you don’t care as much as the boys did. Finally after you were done setting up, Brian and Deaky arrived at the studio, the first thing they did was ask you what happened with Scott. “So y/n, how did it go?” Brian asked, tossing his jacket onto the couch where Freddie sat scribbling things into his notebook.“What? How did they know beforehand?” Roger asked, most likely out of jealousy. You shrugged and walked over to Brian. “I had brunch with them earlier, so I told them. You jealous Taylor?” You asked looking at him over your shoulder with a smirk. He rolled his eyes and walked over to the drum kit. “Yeah Bri, it went really good actually, he ended up cheating on me and the-” “Woah hold on, he cheated on you?” Deaky interrupted you and you nodded. “Well yeah, but I don’t care that much, to be fair I don’t even know if I liked him as much as I led him to think. So it was mutual, but we’re gonna stay friends I hope.” You said with a bit of a smile. Just then the phone began to ring and you did a little jog to get it. “Hello, y/n y/l/n speaking.” You said into the phone while everyone else began talking about their upcoming album. It was John Reid on the phone, whom none of you have heard anything from since the end of the tour. You chatted for a bit before he finally told you what was going on. “No way! That’s awesome, I can have the boys ready by five. Thank you so much Mr. Reid.” You said excitedly before hanging up. You ran over to where the boys were with a huge grin on your face. “That was John Reid on the phone…” You began. All of their heads turned towards you, focusing their attention on you as you spoke. “Bloody hell we haven’t heard from him in ages.” Roger exclaimed. “What did he have to say y/n?” Freddie asked. “Well, Reid has a meeting set up with EMI records, they want to talk more about our album, and are willing to give us funding for it!” You exclaimed, you all knew that the band would run out of money soon enough, so this was a huge deal. “Holy shit! That’s awesome!” Freddie said. “You all need to look your best, look professional, so I need you all to be at EMI at 5 sharp, even five minutes early would be amazing.” You explained. “So I’m sending you all home to get ready.” You stood up and smiled at them. “Come on! Let's go, you all only have 3 hours to get ready. Roger you need to sober up, and Freddie you need to figure out what is going on with Paul.” You told him as you all began to get ready to leave. “All right, all right, relax!” Roger said as he went to go down the rest of his beer, but you quickly placed your hand over the bottom end of the bottle so it couldn't be tilted any further up. “Not on my watch… give it to me.” You said, making Roger glare at you. “No, what the fuck? You’re not my mother.” He said, jerking his arm away from you. You looked him dead in the eyes. “I know that Taylor, I’m your fucking assistant, so give me the beer so you don’t fuck up this oppertunity for the rest of us by showing up to the meeting drunk.” You brutally explained to him, causing everyone to go into an awkward silence.

“All right well I’m gonna head out.” Brian said, breaking the awkward silence, the other two following behind him. You crossed your arms and sighed as Roger put the half full beer bottle down on the small table. “Look Rog, I don’t know what has been going on with you since the end of the tour, but it needs to end soon. I’ve been trying to help-” Roger interrupted with a scoff. “Are you joking? This is all your fault, y/n.” He grabbed his beer bottle from the table and turned his back to you. You scoffed right back at him. “How the hell is your downward spiral my fault?” You said angrily. Roger turned back around to face you, and if looks could kill his would, his eyes felt like daggers staring into yours. “Do you have no memory of the tour y/n? Do you not remember the early morning coffees, the afternoon naps we took together? Or maybe you’ve forgotten about what almost happened backstage at our concert in Miami?” You stood there as these memories flooded back to you. It’s almost as if you blocked them out when you began to think that nothing would happen with Roger. You remembered how he would bring you a coffee every morning, even if he didn’t get one himself. You remembered how before the concert started and after you had finished setting up, you and him would lay in the dressing room and just fall asleep. You remembered the way he looked at you when it got later into the night, how your heart skipped a beat every time you caught him looking at you while he was performing. You never thought anything of these actions because...well because it was Roger Taylor! Roger was usually drunk and had hookers and was always out into the early mornings. You felt you heart drop as you remembered laying in your bed after meeting Scott and dreaming of what would have happened if Roger had feelings for you. “I have never gotten that close to someone in that way, ever, and when I finally worked up the courage-” “Rog you never need courage, your the most outgoing man I know.” You countered. “With you it’s different, it’s always different.” He told you slowly shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter now, I’ve gone through so many girls since then I don’t even remember what that feeling was like.” You knew he was lying, it was so easy to tell with him, but you didn’t say anything. “I’m sorry Rog…” You apologized sincerely. He nodded. “It’s also my fault for thinking I had a chance with you anyways, your killer y/n, Scott was a lucky guy.” He said before giving you a sad smile and walking out the door. You stood in your place for a moment, shocked as you realized that Roger had completely fallen for you, at the exact same time you had fallen for him. But you were stupid enough to completely ignore the signs that Roger was giving you. You have never felt this stupid on your life. You shook yourself out of this thought train and chased him outside. He was about to get into his car, with one hand on the open drivers door. “Roger!” You shouted causing him to turn around to face you, his one hand resting on his car. “You’ll always have a chance with me.” You told him, completely serious.

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