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averagewriter-inthedark · 1 year

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It’s A Long Way To The Top 🎸 | Pete Maverick Mitchell / Top Gun Maverick Imagine

Takes place after the events of TGM

Top Gun Maverick Masterlist

Characters & Pairings: Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell x 80s Rockstar!reader (romantic), Bradley Bradshaw x reader (mother/son-type relationship), Dagger Squad (platonic) Hondo (platonic)

Content warnings: Fluff, slight profanity, flirtatious banter, light suggestive content, mentions of past drug use. | Female!reader (she/her) | wc: 13.5k

Social Media matching HC

Premise: The Dagger Squad didn’t know much about their former instructor turned friend, Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell. Only Rooster had insight on all there was when it came to the famous pilot, and his love life certainly fell into that. When the squad shows up unannounced to Maverick’s San Diego home for his birthday weekend, they are greeted with the shock of the lifetime when it’s revealed Maverick’s lady once ruled the radio of the decade they were born in. And what better way for them to properly meet one of the greatest rockstars to ever exist than by attending the bands reunion concert that night.

Note: So TC was born in 1962 and that what it also says for Maverick (although with his rank I doubt it lines up but Imma just go with it), so for this imagine you were born in 1964 and were the front woman of a famous 80s rock band who Mav meets after the events of Top Gun. I love rock music and have been listening to it nonstop the past week and this inspired me. At first I was gonna do this with Rooster or Phoenix with a modern day rockstar, but then I thought Mav was better suited for what I had planned.

Also in my research I found that the Staples Center (which is going to mentioned a lot) opened in 1999 and is now called Crypto.com Arena, but for this just imagine it opened in the 80s and is still called the Staples Center. Personally I will always refer to it as that even though it got a new name. Last thing, my favorite band is AC/DC and i use two of their songs as ‘your’ songs verbally said. The album/era names are ones I thought of off the bat, and feel free to imagine your friends as your bandmates, I just gave them names to make it easier when writing. And the photo on the collage is to show the outfit reference—I don’t write with any indication of race/ethnicity/etc unless it’s for an OC. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!

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“Are you guys sure about not warning Rooster we’re coming?” Bob voiced from the passenger side of Nat’s car. In the backseat were Mickey and Payback while Hondo drove the car behind them containing Hangman and Coyote.

“Bradshaw will spoil the surprise,” Fanboy reminds him, “And the whole point of this is to surprise Mav. We haven’t seen him in months and this is the first time we’re all together again.”

“I know,” Bob sighs, leaning back into his seat before glancing at Nat, “How did you even get his address, Nat?”

She doesn’t stray her eyes from the road as she responds, “I may have convinced Admiral Simpson to give it to me, saying we all wanted to send Mav a birthday gift but didn’t have his permanent residence. I know he’s often in the Mojave desert during his vacation, but Cyclone gave me his San Diego home address.”

“Hondo didn’t even have Mav’s address?” Mickey says more to himself, surprised the man did not. He was Mav’s closest friend and had been with him since the Darkstar project.

“Hondo only had his Mojave camp—which isn’t really an address when you think about it. It’s quite literally on an old airstrip that’s not even used by the Navy anymore,” Nat tells him, “Mav lived there during their assignment so it makes sense why he only had that one.”

“So what I’m hearing is you deceived Admiral Simpson so we can show up on Mav’s doorstep like ‘surprise! We’re here!’ And Cyclone just gave it to you with no questions asked?” Payback raises a brow, catching her eyes in the rear view mirror.

“Not entirely,” she defends, “I mean we are sending him a birthday gift…..it’s just we are the birthday gift.” At the laughs from the men Nat rolls her eyes, “Y’all are in this too, so I don’t know why you’re laughing. We’re almost there. GPS says ten minutes.”

The Pacific Ocean was to their right, the sun high in the sky as the time reached one o’clock. They noticed as they traveled down the road that the houses were becoming more distant and eye-catching. “Damn,” Fanboy whistled under his breath at one point.

When they got to the turn to enter the neighborhood, they were greeted with a closed gate and security. Nat mentally cursed, not anticipating Mav lived in a gated community.

Now the jig was up and they were gonna have to call Rooster.

While Nat spoke with one of the security guards Bob was already dialing Bradley, who answered with a confused, “Hey, Bob. What’s up?”

“Rooster, hey, I’m sorry to bother you but the squad and I were planning to surprise Maverick for his birthday tonight and well….we’re kinda at the entrance to his neighborhood. We didn’t think it would be gated and needed confirmation from the resident to get in.”

“Ah damn,” Bradley said with a laugh and Bob could hear him fiddling with his keys. “I wish y’all would’ve told me, but then again I know I probably would’ve ruined it.” It was the truth, Rooster could not keep a secret if his life depended on it. Last year he unintentionally spoiled Nat’s surprise party when she got promoted. Soon it became a running joke amongst the group. “Just hang tight, I’ll be right there.”

“Wait, are you at Mav’s house?” All eyes in the car turned to Bob, the WSO catching the sound of Rooster’s Bronco starting up.

“Yeah, I’m on the list and can get y’all in. Hang on, imma tell him I’m running out to get beers.” There was a pause on the receiver before a car door shuts and Rooster says, “I’ll be there in two minutes.” Bob stayed on the line before hanging up when they caught sight of the bright blue vehicle approaching from the other side of the gate. Rooster pulled off to the side, exited the car and approached the security hut where another officer met him in the middle. The team watched as they exchanged words before the guard Nat spoke with was called over.

When he returned seconds later he said, “we’re gonna open the gate and if you could please pull off to where my buddy directs you and step out. We have to check the cars.”

“Sure thing,” Nat says with a wave as he goes to relay the same to Hondo. Passing the gate, she parks the car where the guard instructs and all four step out from the vehicle. Hondo pulls up seconds later with Hangman and Coyote coming over to stand with the group as Rooster approaches.

“Well this sure is some special treatment,” Hangman jokes when an officer comes up with a metal detector to begin scanning the squad while the two search their cars. He notices one of the officers writing down the car information, including the license plate number. “Never seen this before when I’ve been to a gated neighborhood.”

“It’s just precaution since it’s your first time” Rooster says, dabbing up the guys when they are finished being scanned. “It’s good to see you guys.”

“It’s good to see you too, Bradshaw,” Nat gives him a hug and appears apologetic. “Sorry we didn’t let you know in advance.”

“Ah it’s all good. Like I told Bob I probably would’ve ruined it.” They all laugh, some muttering sounds of agreement. It was all in good heart though, Bradley wasn’t offended. He was just happy to see his friends again and celebrate Mav’s 60th with them.

The only thing….they were in for their own surprise when they got to the house.

“Does the governor of California live here or something?” Javy jokes, but judging by the way Rooster reacts he’s certain there is some truth to it.

“All clear!” The main guard shouts, nodding to Rooster. “Y’all are free to go, just make sure to call in if you leave the area and return later on.”

“Will do,” Rooster salutes, shaking his hand afterwards. “Thanks again, Frank.” Telling his friends to follow behind him, they all got into their respective vehicles and headed down the road leading to the neighborhood.

“Sheeeesh,” Mickey says in awe at some of the houses they passed. They looked to be a million bucks. Literally. They were distanced quite a bit like something you see in Calabasas and had long entrances. “Mav should be on MTV’s cribs. How the hell does a naval Captain get something like this?”

“Probably by saving for that perfect retirement home,” Nat comments, eyes lingering on one house that caught her eyes.

“Nah,” Payback shakes his head, “I’ve seen Admirals with places not even to this extent. No offense to Mav, but I don’t see how an O-6 could afford a place like this.” About a minute passed before they were turning into a long driveway, all four jaws dropping at the sight of the home.

Yeah they needed to know Pete’s secret.

It was a gorgeous two-story mediterranean style home with an iron gate surrounding the perimeter. The exterior was beautiful, with flowers and various plants on the grounds. A front enclosed patio was the first thing they could see connecting to a foyer where the front door was located. Only one word could describe the home: marvelous.

The driveway was crescent shaped and could fit at least four cars with a side entrance leading to the garage. Rooster pulled up to the furthest spot allowing Nat and Hondo to pull up behind him. “Holy shit,” Fanboy says in awe, hopping out of the car and shutting the door behind him.

Shutting his own door, Hangman whistles, “If this is what retirement looks like, I can’t wait.”

“C’mon,” Rooster chuckles, nodding his head to the entrance. “Mav’s in the garage working on his bike.” The squad all rushes to get the gifts, beer, and food they had brought for the pilot, following behind Rooster while trying to not make it look like they were gawking at the home. They hadn’t even seen the inside yet but could already tell it was going to be as incredible as the outside.

Putting a finger to his lips, the group remains quiet at Rooster’s command as they ease their way into the garage. It was very similar to the one at his camp hangar in the desert. Pictures hung on a wall with several plaques. Motorcycles lined up and sitting in the corner was a gorgeous 1966 Dodge Charger. Coyote had to put a hand to his mouth to keep from making a sound when he saw it.

“That you, Bradley?” Mav said with his back to the group, unaware his practically surrogate son was not alone. He was dressed in a greased up white tee with some old light washed jeans and boots. Playing on the radio was the 80s on 8 channel from SiriusXM.

“Yeah it’s me,” Rooster places a case of beers the squad brought on the counter near the fridge. “I brought some strays too while I was at it.”

“Strays? What—?” Mav laughs, moving to turn around which resulted in his mouth dropping and wrench clinking to the floor.

“Surprise!” Everyone shouted, grinning widely at their former instructor who was completely speechless. “Happy Birthday, Mav!”

“Wha-oh my gosh!” The pilot's feet moved before he could stop them, embracing Phoenix first since she was closest before doing the same to the others. As he pulls away from Hondo, patting his back Mav goes, “What’re you doing here?”

“Surprising you for your birthday, old man,” Hangman lightly punches his shoulder. “You’re turning the big six-zero, there was no way we were missing it.”

“Aww thanks guys,” the man blushes, grinning when they bombard him with gifts. “It’s so good to see you all—I-I wish I would’ve known you were coming.”

“Then it wouldn’t have been a surprise, Cap,” Fanboy points to him with a knowing look.

“True,” Mav laughs, directing the crew to put the bags and all on the counter in the garage where the sink was located. “Thank you all so much, you really didn’t have to do all this.”

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen ya, Mav,” Phoenix tells him, accepting the beer Rooster offers her that was already in the fridge. He passes them out to the crew, except Bob and Mav who kindly decline. Phoenix waves a hand, “Quite the place you got. Rooster had to come save us at the gate.”

Mav raises a brow at Rooster, “You didn’t know about this?”

“Nope,” he pops the ‘p’, “I’m sure you can guess why.” It takes Mav a moment, but then he chuckles, thinking back to the many times Bradley did ruin a surprise. Nat’s promotion party, Hondo’s birthday dinner, and the tickets the group got Mickey to attend SDCC’s Star Wars reunion panel.

“We hope we didn’t catch you at a bad time,” Bob says. “Dropping in unannounced. We weren’t sure if you had anything planned this weekend, but we all took a few days off—got rooms in TLF back at Fightertown, so we would love to take you out for dinner or something this weekend.”

Mav glances at Rooster, who gives a knowing look to the pilot while sipping his beer. The two share a silent exchange of words before he scratches the back of his neck….a few catch the reflective metal of a gold on his left ring finger. Phoenix and Bob’s eyes widen, looking around to see if anyone else spotted what they did.

“Um, well we did have plans tonight—but I can make a call and figure something out. Tomorrow for sure I’m free all day so whatever you guys want to do I’m game.”

“What kind of plans?” Coyote asks before Payback and Hondo nudges him for being nosy. “Owwww.”

Hesitant to reply, Mav gives Rooster another look before nodding his head to the door, “why don’t you guys come inside. Make yourself comfortable while I make a quick call.”

“Are you not going to—,” Mav is quick to cut Bradley off with a wink. Confused, the entire squad look at each other with the same expression before following behind Mav while Rooster is the last to enter and shut the garage door.

Pete doesn’t have to turn around to know they were all gawking at the interior of the home. The first rooms closest to the garage were the laundry room, open kitchen and dining room. Sounds of approaching steps alerted the group and several audibly reacted to the adult Dalmatian, white husky, and golden retriever puppy racing after them.

“Oh my gosh,” Javy kneeled down to pet the Goldie pawing at his legs. “Your dogs are adorable.” The husky was licking at Jake’s face while Phoenix and Bob were occupied with the Dalmatian before each dog inspected each of the guests. “What are their names?”

“That’s Ice,” he pointed to the husky first then the Dalmatian, “Bella.” Lastly he pointed at the puppy, who was kissing up on Mickey, “and Goose.” They spend a good three minutes right there in the kitchen allowing the dogs to receive attention from the squad before Mav directs them to the living room.

And that’s when they pass the cabinet.

A cabinet that was just one of many.

“Uh, Mav,” Payback stops, causing those behind him to do the same, gaze locked on the floor to ceiling glass cabinet—if you could call it that, it was more like a shrine.

Dedicated to one of the world's most renowned rock bands.

“Yeah?” Mav already knew what they were looking at. And that was only scratching the surface compared to the others in the house.

“Say, uh—,” Payback tilts his head, pointing to the cabinet, “Are you like, obsessed with ‘Y/n & the Romantics’,” several eyes trailed along the various shelves lined with actual Grammy awards for ‘Best Rock Performance by a Duo/Group’, ‘Best Rock Album’, ‘Best Rock Song’, ‘Record of the Year,’ & ‘Album of the Year,’ going back as 1980 to 2021 as the most recent. Other awards included almost a dozen in MTV Moonmen, Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, and an Oscar for ‘Best Original Song’. Framed photographs of the band hung on the walls and perched on the shelves. Some included them with famed music legends like Cher, Prince, Micheal Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Lionel Richie, Def Leppard, and Duran Duran….those of which the squad could make out the signature on the photograph itself. An eye catcher was the USA for Africa signed photograph of every artist, including the Romantics, featured in Michael Jackson’s “We Are The World.”

One shelf pretty much was reserved for all the times they were the musical guests on SNL. Four times to be exact. Another shelf, that had their eyes boggling, was dedicated to their 1999 Super Bowl Halftime performance with a football signed by the band and head coaches of the teams that played that year.

Fanboy nearly shit his pants when he saw the guitars mounted on the wall. Not only were they signed by absolute icons, including Elvis fucking Preseley, but one of which was the iconic checkered neon pink Fender Stratocaster frontwoman Y/n L/n played in the 80s.

Y/n L/n. Dubbed the ‘daughter of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ with a voice that had people say she was what an angel would sound like if they rebelled from God to become a rockstar. Together with some of her best friends from high school, formed the group ‘Y/n & the Romantics,’ signing with a small label in Atlanta, Georgia in 1978 at aged 14 after being discovered on the corner of a street playing covers of Elvis, The Beatles, and Billie Holiday. What had the producer write up a contract right there was when he heard Y/n’s rendition of ‘Crybaby,’ by Janis Joplin. It was as though Janis had been reincarnated. Her voice was unlike anything he’d ever heard.

They released their first single on New Year’s Day of 1979. That first single that had RCA Records knocking on their door and shot them into becoming one of the best selling rock bands of all time. When MTV launched on August 1, 1981, their music video for their Grammy Award winning single was the third to be played after ‘Video Killed The Radio Star,’ by the Buggles, and ‘You Better Run’ by Pat Benatar. Y/n & the Romantics became teen sensations, dominating the 1980s and 90s before going on hiatus in the early 2000s. Y/n was not only known for her recognizable, unique voice but also her split dye hair, leather outfits, stage presence, and signature pink guitar she named, ‘Dirty Shirley.’

And it was in Maverick’s house.

“Holy shit,” Phoenix breathed out, patting Payback to look to the left. That’s when he noticed the wedding picture hung on the wall not too far from where they were standing. The bride, kissing Maverick in the photo, was the same woman holding a Grammy with her bandmates.

Eyes bulging out, Payback whistled and asked what they were all thinking, “Or…. you got something to tell us?”

August 15, 1989. Los Angeles, California. Club Electic Idol

“Tell me, Pete—or do you prefer Maverick?” The blue light shining above her in the bar had the glitter on her face reflect. She was dazzling. Unlike any woman he’d ever met. And Pete met a lot in his career, though they never captivated him like she was now. He wanted to dance with her forever

Arms around his neck, their bodies pressed together as they swayed to the beat of ‘When Doves Cry,’ by Prince. The leather adorning her body was smooth against his fingertips. Completely ignorant of the flashing of cameras from the side and envious gazes of both men and women around them. Never did the pilot think when he, Ice, and Slider agreed on coming to that bar after the concert that he would end up with the frontwoman in his arms. They were just looking for a place to grab a quick drink, maybe dance with a girl or two, and chill before heading back to their hotel.

Guess Y/n & the Romantics were looking to do the same. Fate seemed to bring them together.

“Either is fine, sweetheart.” She smirked at the nickname, finding it amusing. God, even her smirk was sexy. Everything about her was.

“You do that little show of yours each time you see a pretty lady? Or am I just special?”

Damn she caught him.

Truth be told it scared the shit out of him to even think about doing it. Had it not been for the light buzz from drinking a couple beers and encouragement from Ice saying, “You’re the only bloke in this bar who could probably get her into bed if you tried, Mitchell. I saw her eyeing you when you went to pick a song on the jukebox.”

At first he refused. It was Y/n fucking L/n of all people. And there were plenty of people, men and women, who were taking a shot at swooning the rockstar. Left and right they were offering her drinks and asking her to dance. Mav would only go up to her if Ice and Slider sang with him. There was no way in hell he would embarrass just himself. Especially if it didn’t turn out the way he wanted.

The fact it actually did work had the pilot thank his guardian angel, who no doubt had to have been Goose.

“I’ve only done it a few times. The first crashed and burned. Second time actually got me a date,” his lips curled up, “Now I’m hoping the third time’s a charm.”

“I see,” she hummed, never taking her eyes off him. The silence that indicated she was deep in thought. “What are you hoping to get out of it?”

“Honestly, maybe a kiss when the night comes to an end if you’d allow me the honor. But if not I would want you to never forget me. Just like I won’t ever forget you.”

“After a performance like that, Lieutenant, I’ll remember you till the end of time. And about that kiss….” She brings her mouth closer to his, but still enough distance to keep them apart. Pete felt his heart skip at the proximity, the perfume she wore filling his nostrils. “Keep impressing me and it just might come true.”

Present Day

“Wait-wait-wait,” Phoenix laughed with the guys as Maverick finished telling the story of when he went with Slider and Iceman to see Y/n & the Romantics perform at the Staples center in 1989. They were all seated in the living room—which had more framed photos of not just Y/n and her band but also of her and Maverick over the years and Rooster as a child.

Jake took photos of that on his phone to hold for blackmail. Now it made sense why Rooster was always singing their songs on the piano when they would go out.

After giving a quick tour of the first floor of the home, they all settled in the living room with his dogs as Mav sent a text to his lady to call him after soundcheck. Beers were brought out and some snacks, the crew still processing the news as they took it all in. Eventually after a quick explanation, Pete answered the many questions they had, including just how the hell he managed to pull one of the greatest rockstars to ever exist.

Whose band literally had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and were being inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in just a few months.

“So from what I’m gathering,” Nat points to her forehead, as though she were deep in thought, “If my brain is right on track here….you were, to put it lightly…a groupie?”

“Now hold on—.” Mav tried to say but was cut off by the obnoxious laughter that was Javy, Mickey, and Jake while Bob and Hondo just shook their heads, although they were grinning wide at the insinuation. Rooster was smirking like, ‘told you so.’ Mav sighed, but he was smiling as the laughter died down. “I was not a groupie. Okay—yeah I had the hope I would meet her after the show, but I didn’t go out of my way to make that happen. They just happened to come to the same bar that night—I swear!”

“That literally sounds like what a groupie is, Mav,” Hondo pats his back. “You just got lucky it went in your favor.”

Blushing, Mav coughed lightly as he laughed with the group before adding, “I’d like to point out that nothing … you know, happened, alright? We simply had some drinks, danced…I may have tried serenading her with my rendition of ‘You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling,’” the laughter got louder, making his blush deepen, “and then we exchanged addresses to send each other letters—because that’s what you did back in the day or call on the landline. It was history from there.”

“Don’t forget, Mav,” Rooster points at him. “You guys made out and then you exchanged addresses before leaving.” Mav has to cover his face to hide his blush when the group hollar and cheer.

“So how long y’all been together?” Rueben asks, finishing off his beer.

“Since 1990. But we didn’t get married until 2002 after the band went on hiatus.”

“How come?” Phoenix tilted her head curiously.

Though Phoenix and most of the guys were not die hard fans of Y/n & the Romantics, they were familiar with their music of course. As one of the most influential rock bands of all time everyone had heard of them in some way, shape, or form. Their parents often played their records, or they’d hear them on the radio and in movies. The squad were all born in the 1980s & early 90s so by the time they got into their teenage years the band had already stopped releasing music. It wasn’t until late 2020 they announced a reunion with the release of their latest album and were currently on tour across North America. During the hiatus however, Y/n still wrote songs for other artists and even released a few solo records. Some of the Grammy’s in the case belonged to only her and not just with the band.

Personal lives of the band members were not something they knew too well. The only people in the group who had knowledge of some details were Mickey, who was a big fan growing up, and Hondo. Bob was also a fan, having played the drums as a teenager and cited them to be a big influence. On google information showed that the group consisted of Y/n, the lead vocalist who also played guitar, Maya the bass player, Evan the lead guitarist, Danny the drummer, and Ronnie on keys. All of them provided backup vocals on tracks.

Maya and Evan ended up falling in love, confirming long time rumors they were together in 1987 and had three kids over the course of the 90s. Danny married a famous actress in 2000 with whom he had a son. Lastly Ronnie was once married to the lead singer of another rock group before divorcing and finding love with a movie producer from when she landed a role in a tv drama, the two adopted a son and daughter in the early 2000s.

Y/n’s information did actually include the fact she and Maverick met in 1989 when they played at the Staples center, that he was a Captain in the Navy being the only man to shoot down five enemy planes in the last 40 years, and were together for over a decade before finally getting married. They did not have kids and the text read how they liked to keep their personal lives private.

Rooster of course knew everything. The first time he met Y/n was in 1991 when he was 7 years old and looked at her like a second mother growing up. She taught him piano and guitar, let him attend shows when the group were on tour in Virginia, and was always a phone call away even after he and Maverick were at odds. Since she didn’t have kids, Bradley was the closest to what it was like having a son. There was no way she was going to let them drift apart after vowing to Carole she would take care of him. They spoke almost weekly with Rooster updating Y/n on his career and asking when she was getting the band back together, knowing she missed going on the road and performing.

“Soon,” she would tell him with a laugh, “I’m working on some songs in the meantime. We all agreed once the kids are older that we’ll come back.” That was in 2012. Now it was 2022 and finally Y/n & the Romantics were on stage performing for a sold out crowd full of people from all ages. They were all in their late 50s but still knew how to rock n’ roll like the good ole days. Y/n never lost her stage presence, the audience thrived on it. Over the years she took care of her voice so she would sound exactly like she did in the 80s. It was her staple after all.

Answering Nat’s question, Mav gave a light shrug, “It just sorta happened that way honestly. We were happy with how things were—marriage was not for us until then. I should say legally married actually, because here in California the relationship was viewed as common law marriage since we had been together for so many years,” Mav explained before taking a sip of water, “Around the time they disbanded the others had young or were starting to have children so they decided to take a break until the kids were grown up.”

“I think that was the first time I saw my mother cry,” Bob chuckled, fixing his glasses as all eyes turned to him. “My mom was—is a huge fan. Anytime we went on road trips she’d play one of their albums. I think she even saw them live when she was in college—said it was one of the best nights of her life. She had a crush on Danny if I’m not mistaken.” Mav smiles, not surprised it was Danny. In the 80s the man was quite the heartthrob.

“How come you never told us?” Mickey cut in. It was a question all were curious to know. Hondo knew Mav was married, but not to whom. He and Penny had history and were friendly at the Hard Deck so they assumed they were together or possibly going to. Finding out he’s been in a long time relationship with Y/n L/n was the shock of their life.

“We like our privacy. It’s why we waited to get married also, because of how big they were in the 80s and 90s. I got followed by paparazzi in the beginning—which was causing problems with my job. We actually pretended to break up in the late 90s to get them off my back,” Mav shrugs again, “I also don’t like the idea of bragging that my wife is Y/n L/n. I love and respect her so much. Yeah I was a fan of her music, but what made me fall in love with her was getting to know her for who she was. Not Y/n the rockstar, but Y/n the girl who replays her favorite songs if someone talks during it. Who can quote every single line from ‘Dirty Dancing’. Who will scold me for leaving seven half filled water bottles on my nightstand.” Laughs rang out at that. “We personally enjoy letting people discover it on their own, rather than telling them upfront.”

“I still can’t wrap it around my head,” Jake waves a hand to emphasize his point. “That you pulled pretty much the woman all our dads, maybe even moms, had a crush on. Your game is on another level. Like please tell me your secrets, pops.” Phoenix playfully slaps Hangman on the shoulder.

Before he could answer the pilot, Maverick’s phone rings causing him to jolt from the couch. “Give me a moment guys,” excusing himself he goes around the corner into the hallway before answering, “Hey, honey.”

“Hey, is everything good? Your message sounded urgent.”

Mav heard sounds in the background, possibly the crew setting up the stage for the night’s show. “Everything is great….uhh-say is tonight’s show sold out?”

“Yessss,” he could hear the confusion laced in her tone. “At least that was what I was told by Hank. Why? Did Bradley want to bring a friend? I’m sure I can get a pass.” Mav let out a sigh, scratching his chin.

“If it’s too much to ask then don’t worry about it, I know you gotta get back to soundcheck and have a few hours until the concert starts. But my former students from a few years ago surprised me today to celebrate my birthday. They’re here at the house—Bradley didn’t even know they were coming, honey.”

Y/n laughed, “I wouldn’t have bet money on him to know,” they laughed together, Y/n following with, “But that’s so sweet of them! I know how much you’ve missed them since you retired last year. How long are they in town?”

“Just for the weekend. They all got rooms on base and were hoping to take me out either tonight or possibly tomorrow. I told them I had plans tonight….”

“But you didn’t tell them what plans, huh?” Mav could picture the smirk on her face. “Do they know?”

“About us? I just finished telling them why I never mentioned anything. They seem to understand and were apologetic for dropping in unannounced. But…..I have not told them that the last stop in your tour is tonight at the Staples Center and Bradley and I were going to be leaving in a few hours.”

“Who all is it?”

“My buddy Hondo from when I did the Darkstar project—I think I’ve told you about him, the two foxtrot teams I did the uranium mission with and two of my reserves. So seven total.”

“I see,” Y/n humed, finding her husband’s situation amusing. He let out a groan, apologizing but she just laughed and said, “Well since it is your birthday and I’ve been wanting to meet your little dagger ducklings forever now,” he smiled at the nickname Y/n had given the pilots. They really were his ducklings. “Let me talk with Hank and the venue manager. Show doesn’t start till seven so there’s plenty of time. Just hang tight and I’ll call you back, okay? I know you're probably losing your mind because you don’t want to miss tonight’s show knowing it’s the last of the tour, but you also want to spend time with them while they're in town. Imma make sure you get both, pretty boy…..and maybe a little something more when the night comes to a close.”

Fuck that got Mav blushing, knowing exactly what she was implying. “Y/n…”

“Love you, Pete. Wait for my call.” Telling her the same, Mav hangs up the phone and reenters the living room. Rooster immediately meets his eye, lifting a thumbs up to which Mav returns with a gesture to signify he was working on it. For the next thirty minutes the squad makes small talk until his phone rings again. “Hey.”

“Would it be okay if you put me on speaker?”

A smile forms on his lips, “Sure thing,” he looks at the group to catch their attention, “Someone wants to say hi,” they all, minus Rooster who’s smirking, watch with confused expressions as Mav hits the speaker button and places the phone on the table. “What have you got for us, honey?” The second the pet name leaves his lips, Mav sees Fanboy drop his now empty cup of water, Phoenix slap a hand over her mouth, Javy pushing Jake and vice versa muttering ‘holy shit.’ Everyone else pretty much does something similar when Y/n’s voice echoes through the receiver, “Hello hello, aviators.”

“Oh my God.”

“Yo this ain’t happening right now.”

“Guys, guys, shut up—holy shit.”

Y/n laughed at the reactions. “It’s so nice to finally—even if it’s over the phone at the moment—meet you guys! Pete talks about you all everyday.”

“I-I wish we could say the same about you, ma’am,” Payback nervously laughs. “We didn’t even know the man was hitched until an hour ago. Also we apologize for the fanboying-fangirling, it’s an honor to speak to such a legend. You’re an icon.”

“Oh you’re too kind,” she awes, “thank you so much. I hope you guys can forgive him for not saying anything—he meant well.”

“We understand,” Phoenix says on their behalf. “We’d also like to say sorry for showing up to your house uninvited—your home is beautiful by the way. We-we just wanted to surprise Captain Mitchell since it’s been so long since we were all together and he’s done so much for us.”

“I think that’s so amazing you guys did that! I wish I could’ve been home to greet you guys and see the look on his face. Did he cry by any chance?”

“Honey please…” Mav pleaded, causing everyone to laugh.

“I’m sorry, babe. Anyways, Pete tells me you guys are in town for the weekend and well……tonight the Romantics and I are playing our last show in L.A at seven. Bradley and Pete were set to leave San Diego around four to make it on time and if y’all are up for the short drive…..I have seven passes reserved with your names on them.”

The reaction of the dagger squad could only be described with a singular word: chaos.

First it was more of denial, but then they saw Maverick and Rooster’s face and realized Y/n was in fact serious. She was inviting them to her concert. The final show in her band’s reunion tour. The soon to be Rock n Roll Hall of Famers.

Yeah, they about lost their minds.

“I gotta call my mom—she’s gonna flip!”

“How the hell am I supposed to continue living life after this?”

“This is your birthday Mav!” Phoenix pointed at him while Bob had his hands in his face, expression unreadable. “You’re not supposed to be giving us anything, it's the other way around!”

“Nat, I would love nothing more than to spend my birthday with you guys at the concert tonight.” That just about made her tear up.

“Yo so this is legit?” Coyote held up a hand, trying to calm his excitement. “We’re actually going?”

“Hell yeah!” Jake said, Rooster and Payback agreeing with a high-five. “What the birthday boy wants, the birthday boy gets.”

“Y/n, thank you so much,” Hondo said on their behalf. “I’m sorry if you can’t hear over these clowns in the background, but I’ll speak for everyone when I say that we are so grateful for you to invite us to experience your show together and celebrate Mav’s birthday. I don’t think we’ll stop thanking you so be warned.”

After a few more minutes of mainly the squad bombarding the rockstar with words of gratitude and thanks, Y/n informs Pete of where to go when they get to the venue and she’ll meet them backstage to give them the passes. When they say their goodbyes and hang up, Coyote goes, “Okay so I don’t know about y’all…but I cannot walk into a rock concert dressed like this,” he gestures to his gray Navy t-shirt and torn jeans, “How much time we got, Cap?” The question has Pete check his watch.

“If we wanna get there before the doors open, I’d say we should leave in about two hours. It’s gonna take at least two hours to get to L.A, and we gotta consider traffic.” Mav thinks for a moment before saying, “I may have something that can help. Follow me.”

In one of the many closets used as a storage place, Pete removed a box from the self and opened it to reveal a bunch of vintage t-shirts of Y/n & the Romantics.

“Oh my gosh this is so cool,” Fanboy awed. Some of the shirts were literally from the 80s and 90s but looked to be in new condition, meaning they must have been extras Y/n kept for safekeeping. Nowadays it was hard for someone to get their hands on anything with the classic logo of Y/n & the Romantics unless it was from Etsy or a private seller. Stores like Hot Topic, Spencers, and those dedicated to the 80s or retro-like were the only places to buy the new style of merchandise. But these in the box, they were classic.

“Look through and see if you can find anything. There’s several sizes and styles—most of these were from their ‘Heartbreaker’ era but you may find some from ‘Love is the Eighth Deadly Sin,’ or ‘Rock ‘n’ Rolling to Heaven.’ We have some leather jackets I’d be happy to lend you guys—and Nat, Y/n wanted me to tell you that you’re more than welcome to borrow anything you’d like.” Her eyes go wide.

“Oh I couldn’t possibly—.”

Rooster claps his hands excitedly, cutting Nat off much to her annoyance, “Time to turn you guys into rockstars. Fuck yeah! This is gonna be the best night ever!”

So that’s how the famed naval aviators ended up in their vehicles on a two hour journey to Los Angeles. It was far from what they expected when they set out to surprise Pete Mitchell, but in Maverick fashion things take a different turn when one least expects it. The couple’s dog sitter was called to tend to their animals since it was likely they would not be coming home till the next day. Just after 3:30pm the squad, now dressed like they were straight from the 80s by cutting holes in their jeans and wearing leather jackets and chains Maverick provided, gathered in the cars and hit the road. Maverick and Rooster ended up driving, with Hondo, Coyote, Hangman and Payback in Mav’s SUV and Fanboy, Bob, and Phoenix with Rooster in the Bronco.

Upon instance from Y/n after chatting briefly with her on the phone to make sure it was okay, Nat relented on wearing the red leather Prada two piece set the rockstar wore at the 1994 MTV video awards. It fit like a glove on the pilot, jaw dropping when she looked at herself in the mirror, “Damn.” While in the car she applied some black eye pencil and smudged it out to give her that 80s grunge appearance, to which she made Fanboy and Bob do the same, “Bradshaw, I expect you to rock this too.” At a red light he applied it like a pro, like he’d done it many times before not even needing to fix it.

The entire way both vehicles played Y/n & the Romantics decades worth of music. It surprised a lot of the crew when they recognized some songs from movies and tv shows they had no idea were by them. “This was in Stranger Things!” Coyote shouted over the sound, head banging his head along to the beat. Another song had Bob go, “Wasn’t this in the Guardians of The Galaxy?”

By the time they got to L.A the city life was at its prime. Traffic was insane as usual but thankfully they made it to the Staples Center just before six o’clock. The sign outside the venue glowed bright with ‘Y/n & The Romantics—Rockin’ Down Memory Lane Reunion Tour. TONIGHT ONLY—SOLD OUT.’ Pete pulled in front of Rooster to speak to the guard when they got to the back gate. After speaking through a radio for confirmation they allowed the two cars to enter and directed them on where to go.

When they get in the building it’s buzzing all around them. Crew members of both the band and the venue run past and speak into radios. They could barely make out the words combined with the faint rumble of the crowd inside. Before a security guard could ask why they were there, Y/n’s managers, Hank and Tasha Robinson noticed them and rushed over. “Pete! Great to see ya!” The pilot exchanged hugs with the couple. They then greet Bradley, who they’ve known since he was a child, and the squad, “You guys must be the pilots! It’s nice to meet you all—are you excited for the show?”

“Absolutely.” “Can’t wait!” “We’re so excited.” “Thank you for allowing us to come on such short notice.”

“You all look great!” Tasha grinned, gasping when she saw Nat’s outfit, “Oh my goodness. Hank, look! You recognize this?” Blushing immensely, Nat didn’t know how to react besides laughing nervously as they complimented her. “You look fabulous, darling.”

“Thank you. It’s an honor to wear it—I-I hope I did it justice.”

At that moment Y/n came around the corner, a slight skip in her step until she was lifted into Pete’s arms causing her to break into giggles. They hadn’t seen each other in almost two weeks while she was touring the west coast cities. It filled the squad with warmth seeing their mentor/friend so happy. Nerves filled them, they were about to meet one the greatest voices of rock music.

Mav spun Y/n around before setting her back down, the two sharing a sweet kiss. “Missed you, baby.”

“I missed you too,” he says against her lips, kissing them once more before guiding her to the group. Bradley is the first to hug Y/n, who squeals in delight since it had been months since they last saw each other.

“Hey sugar, look at you! It seems like every time I see you, you got a new look going on,” she fluffs his hair which was now lighter in tone after he got some highlights. “You look good, Roo. Is this a new shirt?” she gestures to the Hawaiian shirt beneath the leather jacket Bradley was wearing.

“Had to pull it out for the special occasion,” he gives her a sweet kiss to the cheek while handing her the bouquet of flowers he and Mav got. Thanking him, Y/n grins at the sight of the group standing behind him.

“And you fellas must be the famous dagger squad I’ve heard all about!” They were literally speechless as they stared back at the singer. She literally was what one would envision when they thought of a rockstar. Smudged eyeliner with sparkly eyeshadow framed her eyes, dark red lipstick and her outfit was black leather that showed a bit of skin due to some cutouts, but was still modest. Where the skin showed they could make out intricate tattoos and both her arms had half sleeves of ink. She had on a harness with silver chains, thigh high boots with studs along the sides.

She was THE rockstar.

Though in her late 50s, Y/n was still breathtakingly beautiful. Yeah there was some grayness to her otherwise shiny, healthy hair, and some age lines around her eyes and mouth that poked through the makeup, but Y/n could literally pass for mid to late 40s. Same with Pete who just turned 60 and looked amazing for his age. Standing next to each other, they were one hot ass couple.

“It’s so wonderful to finally meet you guys—in person now! Ah I’ve been buzzing with excitement since we got off the phone earlier,” she clapped her hands, moving to Fanboy who was internally losing it like his namesake.

“I-I hi, w-wow. I’m Mickey Garcia—or talk about irony, you may call me Fanboy. It’s an honor to meet you, Mrs. L/n—Mitchell uh-I’m sorry. I’m a big fan.”

Y/n giggled, shaking his outstretched hand before bringing him into a friendly hug. “Oh honey, I don’t even know what to call myself sometimes. But, please call me Y/n. You guys are family now.” She goes down the line to meet each pilot, shaking their hand and hugging while saying their name back to instill it in her memory. Of course she knew their names and faces from photos, but meeting them in person was completely different and Y/n wanted to make sure she would remember who was who. When she gets to Natasha’s she can’t help but shriek, “Yay you wore it! You look amazing-oh my gosh!”

“Thank you so much,” Nat blushes again, this time because the owner of said outfit she wore was gushing over her. “Thank you for letting me wear it—I will do my best to not let anything happen to it.” Y/n assures her to not worry about it and the two have the band photographer take a couple photos of them. The guys video the whole thing causing Phoenix to flip them off at times which has the married couple laugh. Soon the band comes out, causing Fanboy, Bob, and Coyote to almost lose it and before they know it everyone is conversing like it was an ordinary Friday night. Hondo, Mav, Y/n, Phoenix and Payback are off to the side with Maya, Evan, and their kids while the others are chatting with other members and their families who came to the show.

“It’s unreal to think this year marks forty-four years,” Evan said, sitting on one of the chairs with his hand on Maya’s lower back who stood beside him.

“Yeah,” she agreed with a smile, “just a group of kids we were then. With a dream only the effects of good ole weed could give us the confidence to have our asses out at that park and hope someone would hear us.”

Y/n drops her head laughing, aware of the somewhat surprised looks of the aviators and Hondo. “Wait-really?” Y/n was known for her exhilarating stage presence. She was like Elvis, Janis Joplin, and Micheal Jackson, always captivating the crowd and keeping them hype. When watching the performances it was like Y/n was in her own little world and thrived on the energy.

“It was the 70s,” she shrugged, still smiling which made her eyes crinkle. “Believe it or not we all used to have stage fright—especially in the beginning when we first started performing. We were….gosh fourteen when we signed, fifteen when we performed on Johnny Carson. Good Lord I was shaking in my boots in the dressing room,” she gave a mock shake of the shoulders, reliving the memory, “The only way I could get up there and sing was if I had smoked. Took the edge off.” Maya and Evan nodded in agreement, Y/n leaning into Maverick’s arms as he stood behind her chair. “I think it was after we toured in ‘85 for ‘Love Is The Eighth Deadly Sin,’ that I could perform without anything. Though I still did it at times,” her smile fell into more of a sad expression, adding, “and unfortunately being in the industry at that time, and being so young, we were exposed to other things.”

She didn't have to explain to the aviators, for it was public knowledge when they read up on the band during their drive that Y/n, Ronnie and Danny had admitted to experimenting in the 80s with cocaine. It was common in that era, with many artists and actors in Hollywood able to get their hands on it easily. For Y/n, it was the frontman of another rock group she’d been romantically linked to who introduced her to the drug. Thankfully nothing ever happened that caused a big scandal or had the members needing professional help. They had their family, the support of their crew and each other so they never let anyone fall too deep to where they couldn’t get back up.

“But we survived,” Maya emphasizes, beaming at her husband, “and it sure has been one hell of a ride since. I can’t wait for November—I think I’m more excited for the induction ceremony than I was for the Super Bowl.” Evan goes on to playfully reject the claim, insisting his wife was way more excited about getting that call over 20 years ago than the news just last month about the Hall of Fame.

Y/n just shakes her head with fondness, leaning more into Maverick, who kisses the top of her head.

“Brings back memories, huh? Here at the Staples Center again after so many years.”

“Yeah,” he says softly, his friends chatting with the guitarist and bassist. “I just wish Ice and Slider were here. Then it would really be a blast from the past.”

“I saw Slider when we played in Florida. He brought the whole family—it was amazing.”

“Yeah he called me afterwards. Said you guys put on the best show of the year,” his lips curled up, leaning more towards her ear, “he also told me you threw in a song in the set I was going to get a kick out of.”

Y/n mirrored his smile, eyes full of mischief, “Oh you will, but I ain’t saying nothing, hot stuff. You’ll have to wait for when it comes up.”

“Can’t wait,” he chuckles, kissing her cheek lovingly.

Roughly ten minutes later the stage manager was rushing over, “We’re down to t-minus twenty till showtime people—we gotta start clearing!” Immediately the band are hurrying to say their goodbyes. Y/n practically runs to find the person needed to take the group to their seats. When she does, they hand out the passes to each person, “Julius is going to take you all up to the room. It’s gonna be one of the VIP boxes, the closest to the stage I believe, and it should have sodas, water, alcohol, and food. But if you need anything then just run it by him.”

They all spit out words of gratitude, blown away by the special treatment they were receiving. Y/n takes her time to hug each one of the pilots, who wish her good luck and thank her again for everything. Rooster lets his hug linger a bit longer, as does Maverick who brings the woman into a passionate kiss. “Thank you for doing this, baby. I owe you.”

“It’s your birthday, Pete. You know I would do anything to make you happy,” she lowers her voice into his ear, kissing the area just below, “Sorry it couldn’t be like the good ole days when I would sneak you into my dressing for some fun.” His hands squeeze her hips, sighing at the memories as she giggled.

“There’s still the after party,” he warns her, tone thick with something she knew all too well.

“I’m well aware, hot stuff.”

They share another kiss. And another. And another before Y/n pushes him away at the teasing shouts of everyone around them, Pete bidding good luck to her and the band before he sets off with the group. Rooster nudges him, smirking at the retired pilot, “well that kiss sure would motivate anyone about to go on stage.”

“Don’t start, Bradley.”

By the time they reached the room, they could literally feel the rumble of the crowd when the lights in the arena shut off. “Holy shit,” Mickey said, the first to open the balcony door of the room where they would view the show. Inside were couches, chairs, tvs, and refreshments. Coyote had his phone out, videoing the scene for his instagram story as they all grabbed beers and water before taking spots on the balcony.

The sight was surreal. The stage was to their left and extended out, splitting the floor in half. Approximately 20,000 people could fit in the Staples Center, and from the looks of it 20,000 people were in attendance. It was a sold out show after all. People from all age groups were there. Hell Bob swore he saw some young kids on the shoulders of their parents. The most were obviously the older crowd who likely grew up in the 80s, but there were definitely college kids and Millennials.

It got louder and louder when the two minute countdown appeared on the Jumbotron, along with a video montage of the band. Some clips showed them when they were first starting out up to them preparing for the reunion tour. As it drew closer to zero, the video showed a pre-taped montage of each member taking their place on stage. Maya wrapping the strap of her bass around her shoulder, Evan with his guitar. Ronnie taking place in front of the keyboard and Danny sitting at his drums. Lastly Y/n strutted up to the microphone, the clock hitting zero the moment her hand raises in the air and the arena goes black.

Not even a second passes before Evan’s opening guitar riff sends the crowd roaring. It was the opening to, ‘Thunderstruck,’ a song that literally was in almost every modern day action movie known to man. It was hilarious to see the guys and Phoenix lose their shit, recognizing the iconic song. There was a black curtain keeping the actual stage hidden from everyone's view, but chills came onto everyone’s arms when Y/n’s voice filled their ears

“I was caught in the middle of a railroad track.” The crowd echoed the ‘Thunder,’ with the band. “I looked ‘round and I knew there was no turning back.”

“THUNDER!” The squad shouted, fist pumping and beginning to dance. Already they knew it was going to be the best night of their lives.

When the curtain gave way as Y/n hit the chorus of the song, the audience literally exploded, increasing in volume when she shouted into the mic, “Los Angeles let me hear you!!!!” The camera’s were glued to her as she strutted down the middle of the stage where it split the floor. Her voice carried with each lyric, living up to the hype and sounding as though it was still 1985.

Nat—scratch that all of the guys, especially Maverick, were in awe. Jaws dropped, except Rooster who was living his best life having experienced a Y/n & the Romantics show as a teenager. Now as an adult man the aviator was overjoyed seeing his second mom performing on stage again with her best friends.

“Cap, your wife is the coolest person on earth!” Hangman shouted against the loud music. Maverick simply beamed, eyes never leaving his wife, “I know.”

When the song came to an end, Y/n sighed lovingly, “Ahhh it’s good to be back. We’ve missed you all dearly. Did you miss us?” She paused, screams igniting before adding, “That’s what I’m talking about, baby. It’s been twenty years since we last performed here at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and we’d like to thank you all immensely for welcoming us back. We’ve worked hard the past two years putting this show together for you, the fans. For all of you regardless if you’re just discovering us, or have been rockin since 1979.”

The energy was off the charts the entire concert. Y/n was feeding off of it on stage, and in turn her presence was feeding the crowd. In between sets she interacted with her friends/bandmates, often coming close to those on the floor to ask how they were.

“You having fun tonight?” Everyone nodded frantically, a woman close to the stage shouting, “So much fun! We love you!”

“We love you too, doll. Don’t worry the night is just getting started.” After the first couple songs Y/n informs the crowd, “I hope you all don’t mind, but as you know this is the ‘Rockin’ Down Memory Lane’ tour,” cheers erupted from every angle, “so as a treat for you fine folks this evening, we won’t just be rockin down our own memory lane. We wanna give some shoutouts to some of the greats rock music has ever seen, and some of the friends we made being a part of this world thanks to all of you. And what better way to start than by kicking it off with the song that got us discovered in the first place.”

The audience was going crazy, die hard fans knowing damn well what song the rockstar was referring to. “Whoooo!!!” Coyote felt the chills when Y/n belted out the opening of ‘Cry Baby’ by Janis Joplin. “Damn girl, sing it!” One of the hardest songs to sing, Y/n had so much emotion it nearly brought a tear to some of their eyes. Rooster brought his finger to his mouth to whistle when the song finished.

The band would do three more of their songs or a medley before covering another artist/group. “Y’all may have heard the rumor…..of the special club we’re being invited to join this fall,” Y/n smirked, hand on her hip next to Maya. Cheering indicated the crowd were aware of the news. “We’re not the only ones. Some friends of ours were also invited. You may have heard of them….Duran Duran?” She pauses to let them scream, the woman chuckling before bringing the mic back to her lips. “They just played recently at the Garden and gave a special rendition of our ‘Highway To Hell,’….so we thought to return the favor,” pausing again, Y/n nods to her band where they begin their cover of ‘Hungry Like The Wolf,’ sending the audience into a frenzy.

“I fucking love this song!!” Nat screams excitedly, passing her beer to Rooster so she could freely dance without worrying about spilling it. The outfit she wore likely cost more than her college tuition. She’d be damned if she let anything happen to it.

“Darken the city, night is a wire,” The smile never left Y/n’s face, “Steam in the subway, earth is afire.” Chills happened along her arms when the entire stadium echoed, “do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do.”

She couldn’t wait to see how the guys of Duran Duran, who she and the Romantics were lucky to call friends, react to them singing their song. On Twitter she hinted at wanting to do another collaboration after seeing the video of the band perform their ‘Highway To Hell’. In 1988 the two groups released a single together, topping the Billboard charts for nearly 30 weeks. Plus both were being inducted in November to the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame. Surely it would the collab of the century if they did.

Halfway through the show they took an intermission. During that time everyone had a bathroom break, ate some of the food provided and grabbed more drinks. Thankfully Mav did inform them Y/n’s managers got them hotel rooms not too far from the venue so they didn’t have to worry about driving back to San Diego late. When the band returned on stage for the second half of the show it appeared they had changed outfits. Y/n now sported black leather shorts that ended midthigh with fishnets tucked into her leather knee-high boots and a cropped Def Leppard shirt. The sides were cut out showing off her lace bodysuit beneath it. They went straight into songs from their ‘Love & Thunder’ era that took place in the early 90s.

Not too long after she was flagged down by the stage manager, Rick, who was in front of the floor barricade. “What do we have here?” She hummed curiously, taking the two evelopes from him. Rick shouted that it was from the couple directly behind him, who were waving frantically at the singer. The envelop on top said ‘read first.’ Confirming she could read it aloud, Y/n brought the audience to a low tone so everyone could hear.

“Dear Y/n, Maya, Evan, Ronnie, and Danny,” she read off into the mic, glancing to her friends who appeared just as curious as her. “Our names are Damien and Alana Michaels, we’re both 31 years old and met six years ago because of our shared love for your music,” Y/n awed, beaming at the couple then laughed when the letter followed, “We met at a record store and practically fought over the last copy of your limited edition vinyl of ‘Rock n Rollin to Heaven’. We were over the moon when you announced the reunion tour and feel we’ve come full circle tonight seeing as that we fell in love because your music has been an influencial part of our lives. Alana is five months pregnant with our first child,” cheering erupted, causing Y/n to speak louder into the microphone with a giant grin, “Would you do us the honor in revealing the gender of our baby?”

Y/n let the crowd scream for a moment before calming them down again, settling her gaze on the couple, “This envelope right here,” she holds up the unopened document, “has the gender of your baby?”

“Yes!” Alana shouts in glee while Damien nods, mirroring his wife’s expression.

“Give me one moment, honey—don’t go anywhere.” The stadium watches the rockstar rush to her friends, calling them over away from the mics to have a quick chat. Opening the envelope, the camera catches their reaction for the screen and they all talk for a moment before taking back their respective places.Y/n runs over to the couple again, a little out of breath, “Alright! Alana, Damien, congratulations are in store. You are bringing a new life into the world, and the Romantics and I think the best way for you to welcome them is by singing this song when they arrive,” she then looks to the crows, “To anyone who knows the words, feel free to sing along. On three guys,” she points to her friends and counts off, “One…two…three!”

“Isn’t she lovely?” Alana visibly broke into tears while Damien jumps up and down in joy. The band where harmonizing with the frontwoman, the stadium so loud it was hard to hear at times, but thankfully the speakers were at full amp to hear them sing. The couple embraced each other, consumed with happiness at the news. “Isn’t she wonderful?”

“Isn’t she precious?” Staples Center practically echoed with 20,000 people singing Stevie Wonder’s song. Y/n grinned, loving ever second of the coordinated tune. “Less than one minute old.”

“I never thought,” Y/n belted out, “through love we’d be.”

“Making one as lovely as she.”

“But isn’t she lovely, made from love,” Drawing out the ‘love’ Y/n finished the verse by shouting against the screams, “IT’S A GIRL!” Handing back the envelope with the gender to Rick, Y/n asked if she could keep the letter to which the couple agreed. Pocketing it in her shorts, Y/n says, “Congratulations Alana and Damien! Thank you for allowing us to be a part of this exiting moment. On behalf of the Romantics and everyone in attendance, we wish you the absolute best on bringing your daughter into the world and may she be blessed with joy all her life….and maybe unleash her inner rockstar from time to time,” laughter erupted, “give it up for Alana, Damien, and Baby girl Michaels!!”

Fifteen more minutes pass of the band performing their songs before taking a five minute break to set up for their next cover.

“Alright,” Y/n takes a breath, walking down the end of the extended stage. “This next trip down memory lane, has me want to ask you all a question. Ready to hear it?” When they respond with an echo, ‘yes!!’ Y/n allows the smirk to appear, “Do you guys have that one song…that you would call, your stripper song?” A laugh escapes her by the increase in volume from the sold out arena. She could just picture what looks her husband received from his former students. “You know that one song that has you thinking, ‘Gosh give me a pole and I will work it better than anyone has before,’ that kind of song?” Y/n stops halfway through the long stretch of platform, glancing around to the various sections of people.

“I would like to sing for you my stripper song—o-oh okaaaay that’s a nice reaction,” she chuckled, winking at a few spectators on the floor who were like, ‘Hell yeah!’ Pointing a finger out to a random direction, she says with a knowing look, “Now if this happens to be your stripper song too, don’t you get naked—this ain’t that kind of show,” laughter fills her ears, “Plus there's children here tonight, so technically this is a family show. So I would like to apologize now to the parents, but then again, this is a fucking rock show,” the cheers escalated, agreeing with the woman on what she was about to say, “So if you didn’t want them to see us in our element, you should’ve left them at home. But please, for the love of God, keep your clothes on if this song happens to get you in the same mood it gets me. Ready guys!”

“We're ready, babe!” Maya shouts with Evan, Danny and Ronnie giving a thumbs up.

“Step inside!” Y/n yells into the mic.

“Walk this way!” They shout into their own.

“You and me babe!”

“Hey! Hey!”

unworldly, was the way best to describe the Staples Center when the opening chords of Def Leppard’s ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me,’ sounded through the speakers. No wonder she wore the band’s shirt, hinting they were going to cover one of their songs at some point. Fans went crazy when Y/n did some of her iconic moves like crawling on the floor, flipping her hair back and forth and even usuing the mic stand as though it was a pole. She was in her element, the stage was truly where she shined.

Some of the guys were hollaring, patting Maverick on the back with knowing looks. The older man was blushing mad when they realized something was on his mind with the way he was staring at his wife. It didn’t help Y/n was biting her lip, running her hands along her body during the ‘Sugar me sweet,’ line. The camera was glued to her the entire performance.

“I know that look!” Hangman pointed out the Captain’s expression.

“Yeah, Mav, if you plan to sneak off to the dressing room after the show, don’t worry we won’t say anything.”

The band went straight into ‘Hollywood Nights,’ by Bob Seger as way to pay homage to the fact they were performing in Los Angeles, Hollywood not too far away. Jake was a big fan of the song and Rooster videoed the pilot dancing his heart out, spinning Nat around at times as they belted the lyrics.

Coming down to the final 30 minutes of the show, Y/n called the crowds attention, “This next song….is dedicated to someone very special in the audience. He’s turning 60 tomorrow and I’m celebrating twenty years of marriage with him in October.” Her smile became wider at the cheers, walking to the side of the stage closest to where Pete and the gang were.

“That’s you, my man!” Rooster playfully shakes Mav, the squad cheering when the camera pans to him. Giving a little wave, Pete blows a kiss to Y/n, who pretends to catch it.

“Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell everyone,” she pauses lightly, “With him tonight is someone who is practically our son—Lord knows I treat him like one,” Rooster does a little dance, the camera zooming out from Mav to capture the aviator next to him. “And some of his former students, the Navy’s finest fighter pilots, who I like to call his, ‘Dagger ducklings.’” The squad awed at the nickname, Fanboy and Coyote hugging up on the man.

“Does this mean you’re our papa duck, Mav?”

“Imma let y’all in on a little secret,” Y/n leans into the mic with a whisper, “That whole thing about us breaking up in the 90s? Yeah, it didn’t happen.” Laughing, Y/n stands back straight, “Right now I’m feeling a little sentimental. Pete and I actually met at a bar about two blocks away after we played here in 1989. It was there he….to put it lightly, swooned me like nobody had ever done before.” Dropping his head onto the railing, Pete’s shoulders shook as he laughed, the memory of that night replaying in his mind. “Maya knows what I’m talking about.”

“Sure do,” the bassist replied. “I think he put on better show than we did.”

“Oh God,” Maverick put a hand to his mouth to cover his grin. So many emotions were flooding him. Mostly warmth, but a tad of embarrassment.

If only Ice and Goose were here to see this.

“He sure did. And tonight I wanna take him and I down memory lane. So ladies and gentlemen, this is for anyone who’s lost that lovin’ feeling.”

Words couldn’t describe what Pete felt listening to Y/n sing, ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.’ Maya and Ronnie provided the back up vocals, harmonizing with Y/n during the chorus. The entire time she sang Y/n was swaying and keeping her body faced to the section Pete was at. The two connected eyes at times, lost in each other’s gaze causing the two to feel the love radiate one another.

She sounded so beautiful. Of course it was well known Y/n was very versatile with her music and voice. She could take it high and low, mellowing out for a slow tune. There was a lot of soul in her and the band, which is not surprising since they starting in Atlanta. They grew up on blues, jazz, and classic rock. Inspired by the greats like Billie Holiday, B.B King, Janis Joplin, Elvis, Little Richard, and the Mama’s & Papas.

Pete cheered the loudest in their group when the song came to end, whistling along with Rooster. Y/n blew him a kiss, “Never lose that lovin’ feeling with me, honey.”

Not too long after it came time for the final number. “Imma need ‘Dirty Diana’ for this one,” Y/n announced, moving to the middle of the stage where the mic stand was. A crew member appeared from the side, handing over a neon green Fender Stratocaster. She pulled the strap over her shoulder, “Los Angeles, as we come to tonight’s closing I want you to know you all have, without a doubt, been the best crowd ever. L.A, you know how to bring the energy and we can’t thank you enough for what a blast it’s been playing for you all. What a way to end our tour—can’t believe it’s already over, but fear not…we’re not going anywhere anytime soon.”

Evan, Maya, Ronnie, and Danny all say a few words, then they all thank their managers, crew, friends, and family for allowing them to put on a great show. Lastly they thank the fans in an tearfelt speach, finishing it off telling everyone to have a safe journey back home and to keep rockin n rolling. Y/n closes it out with, “Los Angeles sing this last one with us. It’s been a long way to the top,” the screams got louder, “but worth every damn second.”

Staples Center erupted, Y/n letting her hands work magic on the guitar as she played the opening riff of ‘It’s A Long Way To The To (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll) .’ Then Evan came in his riffs followed by Danny’s drums. Maya and Y/n banged their head together, leaning toward one as they feed off each other’s energy.

“Oh shit!” Payback whistled, shaking his shoulder along to the beat. This was a song he used to dance to in college with his buddies. It brought back memories for the pilot, nostalgia filling him just like it was to many in the crowd.

“Ridin’ down the highway. Goin’ to a show. Stop in all the byways. Playin’ rock ‘n’ roll.”

“Gettin’ robber, gettin’ stoned, gettin’ beat up. Broken-boned. Gettin’ had, gettin’ took. I’ll tell you, folks, it’s harder than it looks.”

Pretty much everyone shouted the lyrics in the chorus, one of the most recognizable ones in music history.

“It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll!”

It went crazy during Y/n’s solo that had all the pilot’s, minus Mav & Rooster, jaws drop. The entire show she hadn’t played the guitar much save for maybe two songs, but it was not to the absolute greatness she was displaying now. Evan guitar solos were off the chain, as were Danny’s drums. Then they had Ronnie tearing it up on the keys with Maya crowning herself the queen of the bass. The voice of the band, Y/n showed she was as talented with the instrument as she was putting lyrics to paper and belting them out for her heart’s desire.

They truly were one of the greatest rock bands to exist.

Even after the song ended they were going hard on the instruments, finishing the show with a literally bang. Lights were flashing, every single person on their feet, Danny and Evan hitting one last solo and instilling the moment as one for the history books.

“Thank you, Los Angeles!! We’ll see you next time! Good night and keep on rockin’!!”

11:58 pm, two blocks away at Melvin’s Planet Enterprise Bar

“Feels like deja vu,” Y/n laughed, dancing with Pete to the tune of ‘When Doves Cry’ in the familiar bar. Though it had a new name and owner, it still gave the same effect as it did in 1989. This time, however, there were posters of Y/n & the Romantics, one of which was signed and framed just above the jukebox playing classic hits and even some of theirs.

Y/n had changed out of her clothes again, wearing black jeans and tank top with a blue leather jacket that had studs and chains attached to the sides. Her makeup had been touched up, hair pulled in a ponytail. It was almost comical how the scene was just like that night in ‘89 with blue strobe lights shining down on them, making her look illuminated.

The dagger squad were in their own little world, dancing and drinking with each other and the band’s crew members. Jake was getting along quite well with someone from Y/n’s glam team, Nat chatting with a member of the security. Then there was Coyote dancing with the oldest daughter of Maya and Evan. They had rented out the place after the show, everyone hauling ass to celebrate the end of the tour. All grown up, the children of the Romantics could enjoy the night as well, not having to worry about being underage now that the youngest of the bunch had turned 21 the previous month.

When they arrived the party was in full blast, Rooster pulling Y/n to the dance floor to share a dance. Then they duetted ‘Great Balls of Fire,’ with him on the piano. Everyone sang at the top of their lungs. Pete held Y/n, head banging with her at the ‘Mine! Mine! Mine!’ bit and sneaking kisses during, ‘kiss me, baby!’

When her feet started to hurt from standing, Y/n sat in Pete’s lap and nursed a cocktail while they chatted with Hondo and Ronnie’s wife. Over in a corner Bob was on the phone with his family after his sister saw Phoenix’s instagram story, “You saw Y/n & the Romantics tonight!?! How the hell did you manage to get tickets—they were sold out!”

“Uhh….you remember my instructor from that mission awhile back? Turns out he’s marrried to Y/n L/n.”

“WHAT!?! Pete Mitchell was your instructor!?” Bob swore his mother about went into cardiac arrest, screaming when Y/n appeared on screeen after he politely asked if she would mind saying hello to his mother. The rockstar of course said yes, she loved interacting and meeting supporters. They were the reason she got to live her dream. Bob nearly cried seeing his mother in tears, overcome with emotion at the fact she was meeting her favorite singer of all time. After the call ended Y/n gave the WSO a tour program she had all the members sign, “give this to your momma for me. Tell her I hope to see her on the next tour.”

The dagger squad were literally becoming Y/n’s adoptive children by the second. Mickey couldn’t believe he got her to do a tiktok with him, then she had a shot of tequila with Reuben. As Nat danced the woman hyped her up with Maya and she had a semi dance off with Javy. Throughout the night stories were told about meeting Princess Diana in 1995, playing in New York on New Year’s Eve of 1999, the Super Bowl, and their iconic performance at the first MTV video music awards in 1984. They were like children gathered by the Christmas tree listening to her read a book. All they could think was how cool she was and the fact the band had truly changed the world of music over their spand of 40 years.

Prince’s iconic ‘When Doves Cry’ started to play just before midnight and it was like slow motion for the rockstar, moving to her husband who was already staring at her with the same expression. Now they really were back in 1989.

“It does,” Mav beamed at his wife, the song hitting it’s second verse. “Only thing missing are the cameras flashing, Ice and Slider sending me a thumbs up, and jealous looks from patrons.” His words make her giggle, throwing her head back slightly.

“Ice is definitely giving you a thumbs up with Goose,” her voice turns soft, stroking the side of his neck, “Bradley’s got his phone out. No doubt videoing us as I speak. He knows how significant this song is.”

“Remind me to have him send me it,” he tells her, dipping her suddenly causing her to squeal. Lips press to her cheek when he pulls her back up.

“Wanna know something though, hot stuff?”

“What?”

The light hitting her eyes shows off the mischief matching her smirk, “This time ‘round, you won’t just be getting a kiss goodnight. You actually get to take me home.” Thank god the lighting hid the color of his face, otherwise she would get a good look at how red it was.

It didn’t stop her from seeing the smile however, Mav shaking his head playfully. He didn’t have to reply for her to know what he was thinking. Just his laugh was enough.

As the clock stuck midnight, Y/n brought him into a sweet kiss, “Happy Birthday, Pete. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, baby. Thank you.”

The rest of the night was filled with celebration, not just for the epic end of the tour and impending induction as Rock ‘N’ Roll hall of famers, but also the life of the Navy’s most famous pilot. Until it came time to leave, not a single minute was wasted in having the best night of their lives.

All of which happened because two souls decided to go to the same bar after a concert. One a spectator, the other the performer. Both who made names of themselves in their own right, embedding their legacy forever for generations to come. It took a hell of a time to do it, but as one knows….it’s a long way to the top you wanna rock ‘n’ roll.

……………………

TGM tag list: @avaleineandafryingpan, @caitsymichelle13, @poppyalice2001, @cutelittlepotatofry

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highhhfiveee · 5 months

Text

melodic stoner thotz

i’ve ALSO been having this silly thought about stoner!mike (who we haven’t seen in so long, i’m so sorrrrry). pls enjoy these unedited, unproofread thoughts that i typed instead of doing my work.

i listened to brie larson’s version of black sheep the other day (plus roomie and i watched the new scott pilgrim show, 8/10) and i started thinking about popstar!reader. hear me out;

you’re in a girl group, one that i currently have no name for, and you’re starting to gain traction in the states after releasing your debut album; you make high energy pop bops that emphasize on being true to yourself and standing up for what’s right with three other girls you’d met in the hallway at auditions. you’re grateful for the opportunity of course, but it’s not exactly what you’d wanted for your music career.

you have little creative control, and you’re told to sing and dance and dress a certain way; it’s a dream and a nightmare in one, and sometimes it has you wanting to leave the group all together, starting from scratch with music you actually loved.

you’re thinking about marching to the execs with your grievances when your manager sends a message to the group chat: WE’RE OPENING FOR [unnamed band that’s as big as say…the 1975 lmao] ON THEIR FALL TOUR!!!

you loved [unnamed band] and to support them on the North American leg of their tour is something you know you’d be idiotic to walk away from.

the city mike and abby live close to is stop 4 out of 10, and you’d been doing good with keeping up your charade of happiness. you sing and dance your ass off every night, knowing that you’re here and you can’t waste a moment of it; millions of aspiring musicians had wanted this but you’d finally made it to the stage.

you rarely ever fumbled during performances, a perfectionist at heart, but during the verse of one of your mid tempo songs, your eyes somehow gaze past the blinding stage lights and focus on abby (who you don’t know as abby of course lol), shouting every single word back to you with silly shimmies and head bobs.

you laugh, consumed with butterflies at the fact that she was enjoying your set so much. you’re enthralled by her energy, and it causes you to miss your cue for the prechorus. you giggle it off though you’re flustered, singing, “we have a lot of songs, my badddddd” to the melody of the music.

it makes the crowd explode with laughter, and you use that to propel you through the rest of your set, still looking towards abby as you present the outro during your final song. “thank you all so much, we love you! [bandmate 1] and i will be by the merch table once we’re off stage, and we hope to see you some of your faces there! are you all ready to see [unnamed band]????”

the crowd roars, and you watch as abby and the guy next to her disappear through the throng of people.

abby rushes straight for you once you’re sat at the merch stand, her cheeks flushed as she holds out her t-shirt for you. it’s one from your group’s first small tour, one where you’d gone to small cities throughout the country for as much exposure as possible. it was a size to big for her, draping down to her thighs. “y/n, i love you!!! can you please sign my shirt?”

“of course, cutie. i saw you dancing to [song name], is that one of your favorites?” abby nods excitedly as you scribble her name on your shirt, accenting it with a heart. you glance up at mike, who just stands behind her observing your interaction. he’s high as shit of course; he’d been a blob next to abby, really, bleary eyes and stationary, but seeing him this close revealed to you the stoner boy of your dreams.

“i take it you’re a big fan too?” you point the end of your marker at this chest. he’s wearing the same old tour shirt as abby, but his fits him well. he can’t believe your focus has moved to him now, and even though he should feel cool and calm off the edible he took before your set, your enticing gaze has him grasping for straws inside his mind.

“uh well, i…i really do it all for her, but you guys do have some solid songs. got some on your album that make me feel all powerful and sexy when i listen to them.” you both chuckle, and you motion for him to give you your hand.

you scribble your number onto his hand in red ink, musing, “well, i always love to hear what people think about our stuff. maybe…when i’m done with tour, you could tell me more over a joint or something?”

mike’s mouth goes dry, drier than it already was, but he’s nodding all languidly, leaving you with a small smirk when you give him his hand back. “yeah, yeah. sounds like a plan.”

this is kind of messy but do you all see the vision????? a full fic would be wayyyyy more structured and detailed, but i just NEEDED to get this idea out and i wanna know what you all think 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 (it would be like safety net with more smut and a tinge more angst, but definitely fluffy as hell too. like you confide in mike about the reality of your situation and he encourages you to fight for what you believe in, like one of your group’s songs ;-; still there’s lots of drama between you and the other members and the LABEL and so many entertainment people——me thinks it would go kind of nuts)

#fnaf #fnaf fic #mike schmidt #mike schmidt x reader #fnaf movie #faire’s (stoner) mike schmidt <3 #josh hutcherson #faire asks!#faire says #stoner!mike would be a lot more chill ab reader’s fame than reader with pornstar!mike’s fame #so i think it would be interesting to see how it plays out (:

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rhinestoneskye · 10 months

Text

Kick It Off Right

Word Count; 5.7k

Warnings; brief sex jokes, mention of alcohol, slight discussion of religion and mention of disbelief, Josh being Josh.

————————༒————————

A whole month off. Tour had finished, a new album released, their record company had the ball in their court. The final decision? Let the professionals plan while the band took a break.

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do.”

Josh had a mini crisis in the middle of the living room three nights after they got the news.

“I can’t do anything. I can’t perform, there’s nothing to record.. I have no inspiration to write… the guys are all doing their own thing-“

I sat on the couch and tried my best to listen without seeming too excited. I already had ideas of ways to keep him busy, but I’d been waiting to suggest any until I knew for a fact he was at a loss for plans.

“Let’s go on a road trip.”

“That’ll never work…” he drew in a breath to continue before pausing. Josh’s arms folded across his chest, brow furrowing in question as he looked down at me. “A road trip?”

“I’ve always wanted to visit the state parks. Let’s go do something with nature.”

“A road trip?” This time he asked to make sure he was hearing me correct.

“Yes, Josh.” I folded my own arms across my chest. “We have a few months to do our own thing. Let’s escape.”

“What if they need me?”

“The label said they wouldn’t, and if they do, that’s the beauty of phone calls and FaceTime.”

“What if my band needs me?”

“They’re doing stuff too. And if your brothers really need something, they’ll have Danny. And Danny will have them.”

“What if-“

“Just pack your shit and go on a road trip with me, Kiszka.” I couldn’t listen to his endless worries any longer. He just needed to get out of his house in a way that wasn’t involved with work. Josh let out a sigh. He pursed his lips, a sign I knew all too well. He was ready to argue. To tell me no. To say I should go with the girls. I looked right back at him with a stern gaze. “You need it.” I pressed on.

There was a beat before his shoulders fell, and a sigh escaped his lips.

“Just a week.” He tried to compromise. I decided it was best to give in and not test further limits.

“We’ll start with a week.”

“Can we leave on Friday? So I can tell everybody and- and just be prepared?”

“Yeah. We’ll have to get a rental anyway.”

“A rental?”

“Absolutely. I’m not road tripping in an uncomfortable car.” Josh bit his bottom lip in consideration. “Let me handle it. Okay?” I offered.

“Yeah.. that’s fine.” He gave in easily. Josh seemed to be so stressed and yet so carefree at the same time. I could rent a van if it meant he wouldn’t have to worry about it. I’d already called a few companies anyway when I came up with the idea of road tripping. Id stumbled upon a perfect vehicle when I visited a place with an old Volkswagen camper van. Josh had talked about them before, and how much he loved them.

I already knew where I was renting from, so it made the task so much easier.

The week came and went. Josh became more and more comfortable with the idea of a road trip as the days passed. We purchased a few maps and planned our route together during quiet evenings on the couch. His excitement began to radiate as he talked about all the places he wanted to go. And of course he asked about my stops as well. Our compromise on one week immediately turned into the full month once he was fully on board with the idea. Josh and I settled on a few different bottles of alcohol to take, as well as snacks. We packed our bags according to the locations and the projected weather. Mostly shorts and tank tops. A few pairs of jeans and a sweatshirt or jacket in case of emergencies. A first aid kit was set out by our things, and a few blankets. Josh insisted on bringing his favorite pillow. Our pile was by no means big, considering the space we’d have to fit our things in, but we had certainly covered everything.

I thought we’d finished packing until I stepped out of the shower one night to see Josh sat on the floor by his nightstand, gently placing a camera into an old black bag I hadn’t seen in ages.

“You’re taking your camera?” I smiled, a laugh bubbling from my lips when he jolted at the sound of my voice.

“Uh.. yeah. I thought maybe it would be fun.. to film a little.”

“Oh yeah?” I prompted him to go on.

“I’ve always wanted to make a traveling documentary.” His cheeks flushed, embarrassed by the confession. But I found it endearing. If he hadn’t been so artistic and passionate, I never would have fallen as hard as I had.

“Only if I’m in it.” I teased, watching the way his eyes lit up.

“Of course.”

By Friday, Josh and I were practically sprinting out of the house to get to the rental company. He quizzed me the whole way there on the car I’d rented, but I didn’t let up until we got inside the building.

We spoke with the woman at the desk before we found a place to sit.

“What color is it?”

“White and blue.” I placed my hand on his knee, a gentle reminder to relax.

“Are you sure you got a good one?” He didn’t doubt me, he simply wanted to double check.

“I got the best one on the market.” I perked up at the sight of the man I spoke with when I visited, approaching with a pair of keys in his hand. I quickly stood, and Josh took it as a signal for himself to stand as well.

“Kiszka?” He asked, and we both nodded. “You two are going to love this piece of history. The company we bought it from spent quite a bit fixing it up to make it road safe and comfortable.”

“History?” Josh whispered in my direction. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

“It’s right outside. You can leave your car in the lot, and if you’d like to hand your keys over somebody will move it for you.”

“Thank you so much.” I held my free hand out to Josh, who fished his car keys from his pocket and rested them in my hand. I passed them to the man in an exchange for the van keys.

“Babe.” Josh whispered the moment the man turned to lead us outside.

“What’s up?” I asked, barely able to contain my smile.

“Can I see those?” I gave him the keys, allowing him to do his inspection, furthering his theories.

“No way-“ I had to assume Josh caught on the second he saw the logo on the key fob. “No fucking way.” I laughed quietly. The moment we got outside, Josh’s last theory became a reality. “Oh my god. It’s breathtaking.”

I released Josh’s hand to let him explore, giving a grateful nod to the man who stood by the front door. My lover looked nothing short of a kid in a candy store.

“If there’s any issue you encounter or if there’s information you need, you can give me a call. Ma’am you should have my number, and if you lose it, there’s always a backup in the car’s information package in the glovebox.”

“Thank you so much.” I flashed the man a smile. “We just have to get our things out of the car, then we’ll be out of your hair.” He nodded in understanding before turning to go back inside.

“Josh.” I caught his attention and tried to stifle my laughter when his wild expression caught my eyes. “Let’s go get our things.”

We decided to kick off our trip at Fall Creek State Park. It wasn’t a long drive, and it gave Josh and I a chance to get used to the van and all its glory. He loved it. Driving was a little different, the wheel turned a bit more stiffly, and the gear shift was a whole different style, but overall he adapted well. I sent a few pictures in the group chat with the band, most of which earned replies of excitement and playful jealousy. The three hour drive to the park was full of conversation. I’d never seen Josh so talkative, which said a lot. We stopped in between the second and third hour for dinner in an old diner, sharing quiet conversation over a stack of homemade pancakes and blueberry syrup. Then we got back on the road. Once we got to the park, it was a struggle to find a campground to settle in. The help of a ranger though, got us going in the right direction.

“I told you.” I pointed to the sign we’d passed a few minutes ago.

“You didn’t tell me shit.” Josh sassed with a playful grin.

“You better watch it.”

Josh pulled into the first empty lot, and we’d crawled out of the van with speed, pulling open the sliding door to step into the vehicle. It was a cramped space, and I had to shove Josh multiple times to get his backside out of my face, but we knew we wouldn’t be in it much other than sleep and driving. The space was sufficient for the things we’d need it for.

“We can’t change at the same time.” I informed him as I sat on the bed, watching his head turn to look at me.

“Sure we can!” I rolled my eyes when Josh pulled the door shut and tossed my bathing suit in my direction. “You just change there, and I’ll change here.” He gestured wildly to the small area, and I merely rolled my eyes at his persistence. I made sure the blinds in front of the windows were closed, and asked Josh to hold a blanket up between the back part of the vehicle and the windshield so nobody could see me. He was happy to do so. He was just as happy to stare at me while I changed too. But I let it slide.

Once I got my bathing suit on, I slid back into my shorts and t-shirt. Then Josh and I switched positions. I held the blanket while he changed into a pair of swim trunks, though I would say, I didn’t stare as much as he did. Only a little.

“Let me grab a few things to throw in a book bag, then I’ll be ready.” I informed him as he slid the van door open again. Josh gave a nod and snagged the strap of his camera bag to haul out with himself. It didn’t take me long to pack a bag. Two water bottles, a few bandages, a couple granola bars. I grabbed a towel too, stuffing that into the bag before I stepped out of the van, an immediate blush spreading across my cheeks when I caught sight of the camera in Josh’s hands.

“Josh.” I scolded in a whined tone, holding a hand up toward the lens, but I didn’t dare touch it.

“It’s okay, just smile. I want a couple pictures.” He was videoing, but I was none the wiser. So I gave in, lowering my hand and standing awkwardly for him. His smile was bright as day while his face lowered to look through the lens once again. “You look beautiful, hun.” He certainly knew how to make me open up. “Absolutely stunning.”

“Are you done yet?” I grew impatient and suspicious quickly, placing my hands on my hips.

“Yeah, yeah. Okay.” He waved a hand dismissively before finally lowering his camera, the item hanging from his neck by a brown leather strap embroidered with a white flower pattern.

“Can we go now? I wanna find those waterfalls.” I asked, hopeful to officially begin our trip.

“Yes, we can go.” Josh held his hand out, and I was swift to interlock our fingers. Work was long forgotten. Miles away back in the heart of Nashville. I had Josh all to myself.

We found a map of the walking trials and tourist spots. I helped Josh locate one of the beautiful waterfalls, and we spent some time trying to find the trail we were supposed to be on. Once we found it, our journey began.

Sometimes we shared a few words, but overall it was a quiet journey. A few stops were taken for photos, some I made Josh take, others he made me stop so he could take. We didn’t have to talk or pay much attention to one another to feel together. Doing this side by side was enough. I was certain Josh was at peace. Feeling a type of serenity he hadn’t felt in a long time. His silence was as comforting as it was off putting. I wondered what he thought. What was going through his head.

“Do you have a paper?” His voice tore through the silence at one point, tentative and distracted. Clearly still enveloped in his thoughts.

“Other than the map? No.”

“Do you have a pen?”

“Yeah. We needed one to write on the map.”

“Can I have it?”

My brow furrowed in amusement, but I turned my back to Josh for him to get the pen nonetheless.

“Side pocket.” He looked in the right one first, inconvenienced to find it wasn’t there. He quickly pulled the pen from the left pocket before unzipping the bag and grabbing our map.

“Hold still.. okay?”

“What?” I craned my neck to peek over my shoulder.

“Just hold still, please. I need to write something.”

“Okay.” I tapped my feet a few times, glancing down at the dirt while I waited for him. When the pen stopped against my back, and I heard it click, I finally turned toward him. Josh had to stretch over me to stick the map back into the book bag, flashing me a quick and lighthearted glare. I chuckled and turned back around so he could zip the bag.

“Can I know what that was?”

“Not yet.”

“Don’t make me wait years.” I groaned dramatically. Josh slipped his hand back into my own and gave a gentle tug to get me walking again. I fell into step beside him.

“You’ll be the first to hear whatever it is I’ve come up with. Okay? I promise.”

“You said that the last time.” I gently swung our hands between us.

“Well.. I mean it this time.”

“Mhm,” I smirked, glancing at him to catch the smirk on his lips.

“Can you at least tell me what’s on your mind then? Clue me in a little.” I bumped my shoulder against his own. Josh’s silence after such a question was normal. He liked to formulate his sentences in his mind before he spoke. At least when it was meaningful. When it wasn’t meaningful, he never gave a single thought to the words that came out of his mouth.

“How beautiful it all is.”

“The forest?”

“Creation.”

I should have known it was deeper than just the surface level things.

“As in.. the entire world?”

“No.” He didn’t elaborate, but I caught on.

Creation as in, the biblical creation. The creation that took seven days. Six if you don’t count the day God rested. The creation that quite literally marked the beginning of the universe.

The creation Josh wasn’t even sure he believed in.

“Somebody made it.” He paused. “Or something made it.”

His family had been raised religious. And while Josh always struggled between believing in the existence of a god or not, he did believe in something. He just didn’t know what.

“Everything has a purpose, you know?” Josh’s eyes fell to the ground. “It all fits together so perfectly. Every thing assists some other thing when it comes to living. It really hits you when you’re in the middle of it all. They used to tell us in Sunday school, that God made everything with a purpose. Sure as hell, everything has a purpose.. it’s just.. you know, there’s no real physical proof of anything.” He glanced at me, and I gave a nod for him to continue.

“There’s never an answer for any of it. You don’t know where it comes from, and even scientists can’t tell you for sure how each atom came together. I’d love to know how something so beautiful came into existence. It’s not fair we don’t get to know everything.” I chuckled softly at the almost childish expression.

“If you knew everything, you’d be unstoppable, rockstar.” I couldn’t stop him from thinking, nor did I want to, but I could try to bring him back from the existential cliff he stood on the edge of.

“Maybe.” Josh delved back into his thoughts at the end of our conversation, eyes trailing back to the forest around us.

I was thankful Josh had as much time on stage as he did, running about and simply being on his feet for hours at a time. He was certainly fit, but his short legs did him no favors when it came to physical activity. So to have the extra strength, it certainly helped. The hour walk went by fairly well, other than the occasional whine about his feet being sore or a groan about his back. Mostly just for attention.

When we came through the clearing in the forest, Josh and I finally came face to face with the beautiful waterfall we’d been on the search for.

“I’m so hot.” I mumbled, the sight of a body of water quickly making me realize my own temperature. I dropped our book bag by a tree and stripped out of my shirt and shorts, tossing both articles haphazardly into the grass before I took off toward the water. I heard Josh’s giggly laughter behind me. “Josh!” I called for him, a shiver wracking my spine the moment my feet hit the water and the droplets splashed up my body.

“I’m coming!” The water slowed my steps the deeper I got, and eventually my feet got caught so deep that I had to stop. I turned just in time to spot Josh running full speed ahead into the body of water, picking his knees up higher as it got deeper. A gasp escaped my lips the moment his body jerked forward, tumbling right beneath the water with a wild yell that sounded incredibly similar to any yell he’s ever let out for an album. I knew before he even surfaced that he had a mouth full of water. Josh’s once wild hair was completely soaked. His head whipped out from beneath the water along with most of his upper body, a scrape on one of his shoulders and one along the left side of his chest. He coughed and coughed, and my concern quickly dissipated. If he could cough he could breathe. He’d be fine.

“This is why we don’t run like idiots into shallow bodies of water.” I scolded as I leaned forward, brushing my fingers along the scrape on his shoulder. I tried my hardest not to laugh. Josh flashed me a distasteful glare and flinched away from my touch. His frown, no matter how real, couldn’t last long. His eyes met my own, and in a flash his lips turned upward in a smile to match my own. Though mischief was masked in his gaze. In my own, pure love and adoration.

That damned camera was recording again. Somewhere set up in the clearing. I caught one glimpse of it when Josh jumped upright and wrapped his arms around my midsection, lifting me up and promptly dropping me right into the water. I tensed in anticipation, prepared to scrape my own body on something, but no pain ever came other than a slight pressure when my back rested against a few rocks. I came up gasping for air, teetering on my feet and moving my hair out of my face. I caught my breath before I shoved Josh’s chest.

“You ass!” I yelled. He laughed.

“Let’s do it again!” His arms reached for me once again, but I immediately backed away.

“No!” His jovial giggles were contagious. The lighthearted nature of the entire ordeal had me laughing along with him. We looked like kids. We felt like kids. Josh always knew how to make anybody feel young.

“Josh I’m soaking wet!” I shouted through laughter as I tried to keep away from him. Though it became harder to move as he backed me deeper into the little lake.

“I am too! Just come here!” He reached for me again, but I swatted his hand away. Josh let out a rather pathetic gasp, cradling his hand to his chest in a flash.

“That didn’t hurt.” I immediately glared at him. But he merely responded with wide sad eyes and a pouting lip. “Josh, fuck off. That didn’t hurt.” I scolded him for his antics. We both knew that if he kept it up long enough, I’d give in. “Joshua.” I glared. He sniffed. I glared harder. “I swear to god, if you start crying in the middle of this place I’m gonna abandon you here.” I’d never dream of it, but we both had a rather aggressive sense of humor. Josh knew I didn’t mean it either, because the second I gave him the idea, he started acting like he was tearing up, drawing in a deep breath and readying for a long wail. Curse his family for supporting his theatre kid dreams. Since when did the the oldest children become so needy for attention?

“Okay! Okay!” I swiftly waded through the water to get to him, forcing my hand over his mouth, dangerously close to being a second too late. Josh’s arms immediately wrapped around me. I tensed, but relaxed when his hands rested on my back. A cheeky grin on his lips.

“That’s all I needed.” He confessed, content to stand there with the sun beating off our backs, wet and chilled, looking like a pair of rats. I rested my hands on his shoulders.

“You stress me out sometimes.” I teased with a quiet laugh somewhere between a sigh and a groan.

“But you love me.” He clarified. I had no choice but to agree with a nod. “May I have a kiss?” He asked, feigning a posh accent.

“You may.” I granted with a curt nod, gasping when he leaned forward and dipped me, the initial shock making my muscles tighten. Then our lips locked. I moaned in delight at the feeling, eyes closed while my hands struggled for a mere moment to slip around Josh’s shoulders. Every kiss with Josh was meaningful, but I saved the word passionate for the ones that felt truly magical. The kisses that made sparks fly. Kisses like these. He pulled away first, careful to help me up onto my feet before he pulled me by my sides into his chest.

“Will you take a few pictures underneath the waterfall for me?” He dipped a finger beneath one of the straps of my swimsuit top. Innocent, but fidgety.

“Yeah, of course. Anything for our documentary.”

“Our?” Josh acted outraged, pulling back with a bewildered look.

“If I’m your star, then yeah, it’s ours.”

“Fine. We split the credit 60/40.” He held his hand out to me.

“50/50 or you can find another star.” I argued. Josh pretended to consider it before he gave in.

“Fine.” We shook hands before trekking out of the water together. I fished the towel from our book bag and helped Josh dry off before he grabbed his camera. Ending the video I was oblivious to him taking.

“Come on.” Josh surprised me by grabbing ahold of my hand, pulling me in the direction of the water fall before I had even dropped the towel. I had to leave it in the grass a few feet from our bag, but with nobody around I assumed it would be fine. He guided me down into the water behind the water fall, holding onto my hand until I was off the slippery rocks.

“I just want a few of you behind the water.” He said, walking a little ways away, occasionally checking the lens to see what the camera would capture. Each area he wrinkled his nose at, until he stepped down into the water and found what he was looking for. What that was, I didn’t know. He gave me a thumbs up and told me to pose. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I’d been a teenage girl once, so I recalled the old dramatic bathroom photo shoots and mirror selfies, and pulled a few poses out of the old memories.

“Can you cross your wrists above your head?” I raised my brow at Josh’s words, but did so nonetheless. “Stand sideways and arch your back.” I couldn’t help but chuckle as I did so. I felt silly. “Look up.” He paused. “Beautiful.” He complimented, per usual, before taking a few more pictures. “Look over at me.” I turned my head to look at Josh.

“My back is starting to hurt, twinkletones.” I called, just barely hearing the faint click of a few photos being snapped.

“Twinkletones.” Josh laughed. “I like that one.” His head finally lifted. “I’m good now.” He stepped out of the water and came to my aid, pulling me out with a delighted expression. Josh loved music. He loved performing. But there was always a look on his face I could never describe when he was behind a camera. It was his first true love. His first dream before everything else.

“What’s next?” I asked, resting my hand on his shoulder as I stepped up the bank and onto the dry grass.

“I don’t know.. what time is it?” I checked my watch when he asked.

“Seven thirty.”

“The sun sets soon. We can go back to the van? Try to catch it before we shut in for the night?”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea.” I slid my hand into his own as we walked back to our things, grabbing the towel on the way. Josh helped me pack our bag once again, and he slipped his shirt on after.

“We’ll wash off those scrapes too.” I made note of it, and he nodded in understanding.

The walk back to the campground was full of more conversation. Josh showed me the photos he took, and though I insisted he show me the videos, he refused, saying he’d show me when he had the ‘film’ all put together.

“Water?” Josh asked near the end of the trail. I slipped the book bag off my back and unzipped it, retrieving our waters. I passed one to him and asked him to zip the bag for me. “Yeah I got it.” Josh had mumbled before sealing the bag. With the van just in sight, we had stopped to take a few sips of water. I took note of the frizz in his half dried hair, a holy mess I knew I’d have to get used to during the month we’d be out. After we closed the distance between ourselves and the van, Josh dropped down by the sliding door of the vehicle, a long sigh tumbling from his lips as his head fell back against the siding door. I laughed, gently nudging his thigh with my foot as a signal for him to move over. As he did, I slid the door open. I dropped the book bag on the floor and stepped in to gather something for us to sleep in.

“What do you wanna wear?” I called, met with silence. “Josh?” Nothing. I swiftly turned and peeked out of the vehicle. I wasn’t sure if he wasn’t listening, or if he was asleep, but his eyes were closed. I crouched down and leaned forward to pinch his shoulder.

“Ow. Fuck- what?” His eyes quickly opened, looking up at me in irritation. I chuckled.

“What do you wanna sleep in?”

“Got my sweatpants?”

“If you packed them.” I answered swiftly. His expression shifted into consideration, uncertainty, then annoyance again. He slowly stood up, groaning all the while. I slipped back into the van and sat down on the bed, making space for Josh to go through his own bag while I rested my own legs.

“Got ‘em.” He held them up triumphantly, almost slamming his fist against the top of the van.

“Perfect.” I leaned forward to grab the clothes I’d laid out on the small countertop. One of Josh’s t-shirts and a pair of silk shorts. Josh shut the van door and reached for the blanket again. He considered holding it up before he lost interest in the idea, opting out for a new one. He draped the blanket over the headrests of the van, concealing us from the windshield and front window view. There was only a sliver of light coming through, and if one looked in, all they’d see was the tops of our heads.

“Come over.” I patted the empty space on the bed, and Josh quickly sat down next to me. He leaned into my side, sliding his shoulder past my own in such a slow fashion that I knew he was testing the waters. Trying to get away with laying down. “Not yet, troublemaker.” I laughed, pushing him upright. “Pull your shirt off.”

“For sex purposes… or?” I slapped his shoulder.

“For the scrapes on you. Behave.”

“Fine.” He pulled his shirt off and tossed it onto the floor. I began to change while he slipped his shorts off and got into his sweatpants. Once we were both re-dressed, I moved Josh to the floor of the van and opened one of the cupboards below the counter. I grabbed a washcloth and the bottle of hand soap we had, using one of the bottles of water to wet the cloth.

“Tomorrow morning we are finding a place to shower.” I spoke as I prepped the cloth.

“You think there’s shower-houses around here?”

“Probably.” I answered as I put a few pumps of the soap on the cloth, lathering it before I carefully pressed the cloth to his shoulder. I let him hiss through the initial burn before I gently rubbed the raw skin. “But the sun will have set by the time we even find them and that’s not safe.” Like the many true crime documentaries and podcasts we listened to.

“That makes sense.” Josh watched as I worked, using the dry half of the towel to wipe the water and soap from his shoulder before I repeated the process with the scrape on his chest.

“Thanks, beautiful.” Josh whispered as I dried the last scrape, tossing the towel into the sink while I put the soap back.

“Anytime, songbird.” I pushed his frizzy curls back from his forehead, laughing softly at the state of his hair.

“If we open the windows we can catch the sunset from the bed.” Josh slowly stood, walking maybe two steps before he collapsed into the surprisingly comfortable mattress. He reached upward to open the blinds opposite of the pillows. A perfect view.

“I can’t believe I ever ripped on van life.” I whispered as I followed him into bed. I waited for Josh to get properly situated before I laid down beside him.

“I can’t believe you had to talk me into this.”

“You seemed like you needed it. And I know road tripping is something you’ve always been interested in.”

“I couldn’t be happier right now. With you, and this beautiful van, and the wilderness. And I get to capture it all on camera.”

“You should teach me how to take some of those beautiful photos sometime.” If it meant getting a glimpse into his creative world, I would have loved to learn. I shimmied into Josh’s side, resting my head on his chest. I pressed a kiss to his skin, enjoying the warmth he radiated.

“I’d be delighted to.” He shifted his upper body away from my own only for a moment, moving his arm up to wrap beneath my shoulders, pulling me further into his body. I rolled onto my side and draped a leg over his own, placing my head on his chest again.

“How about a normal one though?” I suggested, glancing back toward the counter to grab my phone. I had to stretch to reach it, but once I had it, I opened the camera and raised the device above us. “Smile, J.” I spoke in a sing-song tone, laughing at the over exaggerated smile he gave me. I snapped a few photos with the flash unexpectedly on, but I had no interest in taking more. They didn’t need to look good, I simply wanted a few.

“Oh, oh,” Josh reached for my phone. I quickly handed it over. “Let’s get one of the sunset.” He turned the phone sideways and flipped the camera around. How he found the straightest angle, I’d never know, but he snapped a few photos and looked through them all before handing the phone back. “Okay.. now we can relax.” I set my phone on the mattress beside us.

“Thanks for your permission, sarge.” I teased softly, relishing in the way his chest rose and fell with his sporadic laughter. As the silence settled, I closed my eyes. It had been a great first day. An easygoing one, but a perfect opener to a month full of travel and sightseeing.

“I can’t wait to see the world with you.” I whispered as I rested a hand on his chest by my head. I felt his own hand come down on top of my own.

“The whole month is ours, baby.” I smiled, comforted by the feeling of his lips pressing a kiss to my head.

The whole month was ours.

#danny wagner #greta van fic #greta van fleet #greta van fluff #jake kiszka #josh kiszka #greta van angst #josh kiszka x reader #sam kiszka #josh kiszka fic #the van’s named daisy series

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chansrighttiddie · 6 months

Text

Chapter One

Pairings: Shy!Lee Know x Idol!Reader

Warnings: Mild Language, Explicit Smut (it's going to be a minute), Fluff, Enemies to Lovers type stuff, typical stuff. I'm bad at warnings okay. English is also not my first language, sorry for grammar and spelling errors.

Summary: You are a solo artist meeting SKZ for the first-time during variety show. All the members treat you warmly, but Minho can't stand to be in the room with you. You meet again to collab later on we see where it takes us! This is part of an ongoing story.

Word Count: 1.9k+

You sat in the back of your manager’s car, fighting the urge to drift off and sleep as she drove you to the studio for today’s schedule. A script had been placed on your lap but it was hard to read because you were tired. Who in their right minds schedules recordings so early in the morning? It was expected of this producer, but you only accepted because of the other guests. It was also a great opportunity to promote your new album and make new friends in the industry.

Gyuri is one of the hosts for this week, meaning you would get to work with your mentor and label mate again. The KARA member was the one person you could rely on before your debut in 2017, being from the same company meant you could see her a lot but it wasn’t the same as actually working together.

It felt like every other year you begged your company to let you collaborate with her on something, anything! They always denied it. Didn’t believe in your argument that the two of you were soulmates.

When your manager proposed this project during your comeback activity meeting, you accepted the moment “Park Gyuri” was mentioned. No other hosts or guests mattered to you at that moment. She really was the best thing to happen to you. Anytime you think about the struggles of your debut, tears would reach your eyes.

You were in a group lineup for your company, DSP Entertainment, but the plans fell through when the other members left the company a month before. With only three members the company decided not to debut a group, this didn’t sit well with your twenty-year-old self.

All your hard work and efforts would be thrown down the drain, you even had fans! You couldn’t let them down! After fighting with the company for months they decided you could debut, but as a soloist. If the time came around where they would debut another group, you would be considered as a member. You were nervous and heartbroken.

You wouldn’t make it, couldn’t. That’s when Gyuri had stepped in, she encouraged you. She helped you train, everyday for three months. When you felt like giving up, Gyuri would sit with you in the practice room and just listen. The two of you would cry and hug it out, then get back up and try again. She really is like a soulmate to you.

“Can you please read the script and not sleep, Y/N?” Your manager’s loud voice made you jump in your seat, you didn’t realize you had fallen asleep. “Seriously, how many times have we been over this?”

“Rest when you can.” You said in a sing-song voice, your eyes were still closed. Your manager was only a year older than you, the two of you got along well. Teasing her was your favorite thing to do. “Unni you said that during the last meeting, I’m just following directions.”

You heard your manager cuss under her breath and turn in the driver’s seat. “I meant… Nevermind, we’ll be there in fifteen minutes. At least look at the plan for today’s set. When we get there you have to rush to get your hair and make-up done…” She took a breath of air then continued, “You have to get a soundpack and mic, meet the group promoting their activities as well, practice with them for the chall–”

“Practice for their dance challenge, promote my new album well, and smile the whole time.” You interrupted. “You told me everything over the phone last night, mentioned it when you woke me up, and reminded me when I got in the car.”

You were wide awake now, making eye contact with your manager in the rear-view mirror. She winced at your comment and nodded, “I’m just nervous, this is your first comeback in two years.”

You had taken up acting, two shows. One of them did really well, it even won you the Best New Actress Award, while the other… Well you don't like to talk about that one.

“I’m nervous too, we can’t show it though. We’re supposed to be cold-hearted.” That’s a lie, being an extrovert didn’t help with your ‘cold-hearted’ appearance. You talked too much, laughed too much, and smiled too much. “Suck it up.”

Your manager snorted, “Yes, we’re cold-hearted and totally a threat to the music world.”

She had a point, you weren’t that big of an artist in the ‘pop’ scene. However, everyone knows you and your sweet personality. After your debut, many programs would prank you to get a reaction but all you could do was smile. Even if they had ruined your favorite skirt with blue ink.

Although you aren’t the best dancer, or even a good rapper, you could sing! Many younger artists mention your rich and unique vocals when prompted. When it comes to your dancing… You knew all the basics to it, you could memorize the moves but not really execute them the best. Everyone loved you for it, they found it cute.

Which doesn’t explain why the concept the company chose for this comeback was a little darker and more focused on a goddess that enjoys mischief.

Your comeback also has choreography, the main title track is more upbeat than any recent songs you’ve released in the past. Your calves ache just thinking about having to dance again today. Usually you’d sing a soft or deep ballad, minimal movements and lots of stage props. This would be new, you hadn’t really trained this hard in a long time. Still, you were excited to show something new.

It was a bit of a surprise to everyone when the concept trailer released, your family members even teased you knowing you didn’t have a mean bone in your body. How could you manage to

Your manager pulled into the stage parking area and unlocked the gate, a couple of the guards waved enthusiastically towards you. You resisted the urge to roll the window down and greet them. You’re supposed to be cold today, that’s your concept. You sat back in your seat and pursed your lips.

“Son Mi, do you have my cap?” You felt a little uneasy, maybe it was just now hitting that you actually had to be an idol today. Not that being an actress was much easier, it wasn’t.

“You look fine, Y/N. Don’t be nervous.”

“Oh, I’m okay.” You laughed it off, you actually are really nervous. Hiding under a hat would make you feel a lot better. “I just want to see Gyuri first.”

“Ha.” She put the car into park. “No.”

Your manager opened and slammed the driver door. You sighed and grabbed your bag, exiting the car as well.

She was by the back unloading the rest of your things, “So if you enter Stage B3, there should be a staff member to show you hair and make up. I’m gonna check in with the director and the producer.”

You leaned down to grab a couple of bags while nodding, “Can you see if there is a cafe nearby? Or if they are providing coffee. I’m still tired.”

Those bags were heavy. “They should have something for you in the dressing room, something for you to snack on too.”

You waddled towards the large metal door with your bags, leaving Son Mi behind. It's a good thing you skipped leg day yesterday or else you would have collapsed before you even made it to the door. You shifted the bags in your arms and reached for the door handle.

You were really surprised when the door opened for you. You couldn’t really see who opened the door but based on the plain black tee they were wearing, you assumed this was the staff member.

“Thank you, do you mind grabbing one of these? Sorry, it’s heavy.” You stood there in the door frame, in silence. The staff member didn’t move and you noticed them shuffle in place. “Oh it’s okay if not, just lead the way.”

Silence again. Were you mistaken? You backed up to look at the big numbers above the door, B3. You moved forward into the door frame again, “Do you mind if I just enter a little more?”

It was pretty cold outside and your thin sweater wasn’t doing much to keep you warm. Your arm started to shake as the weight from your bags started to get heavier and heavier. Dropping the bags on the ground, you followed.

You were now on your knees in the middle of the entrance, bags everywhere, at the feet of a staff member. How embarrassing.

The staff member jumped into action and bent down to help you up, apologizing over and over. You could finally see the staff member and immediately tell he was not a part of the stage crew.

“I’m so sorry, I couldn’t see very well. I thought you were a member of the crew!” You laughed embarrassed, “Sorry for assuming.”

He looked a bit younger than you, he seemed a bit intimidating as you looked up from the floor. You dusted your knees off and bowed to apologize. “Gosh, I knew I should’ve waited for Son Mi.” You muttered to yourself. “Are you part of the cast for today’s show?”

He nodded with a bright smile, now reaching down to pick up your bags. You reached down to help as well but the stranger had already hoisted the two large bags on each arm.”I got them, don’t worry.”

Feeling guilty you reached over and grabbed a bag, “I can carry them, I just lost my grip and dropped everything.” You smiled, in pain. This bag was the heavier of the two. You extended a hand to grab the other bag but the boy turned to walk away.

He gave a small laugh as he walked away, “Follow me.”

You snatched your personal bag from the ground and quickly followed. Managing to walk in step with him. You adjusted the heavy bag with a quiet grunt and gripped your bag, “I’m Y/N, excited to work with you all today.”

“I’m Jeongin.” He stopped abruptly, “This room.” He gently knocked on the door, the little plaque next to it had your name on it.

He opened the door and set the bag down in the room, turning to you with a bright smile he laughed. “I think the hair stylist will be in soon, your hair is pretty messy.”

You dropped your bags on the floor and self consciously patted your hair down, “Does it look bad?” Jeongin was a little flustered, such a beautiful woman was in front of him asking if she looked bad.

“No!” He blurted, raking through his brain to find the right words. “You look so pretty! I didn’t mean it like that, your hair is cute.”

Feeling surprised by the younger boy’s comment, you started laughing. He looked mortified, were you laughing at him? Before he could defend himself the stylist walked in and lightly shoved him out of the doorway, “You boys are done in hair and makeup for the day, PD is looking for you.”

Shooting you a soft glare, not that you could tell with all the tears in your eyes, Jeongin quickly retreated to the room. He had to tell his hyungs about this.

#straykids #leeknow #smut #skz x reader #lee know x reader

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seasurfacefullofclouds1 · 2 months

Note

Hi! How are you? I hope you're having a good day! I hope you don't mind me sending this (and sorry if you've answered something similar before!) I was just wondering if you had any thoughts on Louis' relationship to the idea of "change" in the album?

We have bigger than me being the lead single with lots of references to changing and coming to terms with change. ('Cause, yeah, I might have changed/ But everybody does' one of my favourite lyrics!)

Then two of the bonus tracks "change" (which was the first fitf song we heard right? Sorry I wasn't around then!) Which is again about how things change and how in a lot of ways Louis still feels like the kid he used to be. (Side note- I'm always floored by how good change is, every time I listen its like im hearing it for the first time)

Then in high in california we have "spent my whole life just thinkin I had to change"

I find it so interesting and would love to hear Louis talk about it. I love so much of your thoughtful answers about Louis' music so wondered if you had any thoughts on this theme in particular?

Thank you so much!

There’s so much to say about Louis & the concept of change, and it goes much deeper than the lyrics that have the actual word “change” or “changes” in them.

Almost all of Louis’ lyrics about “home” have bittersweet overtones of nostalgia and loss— all the way back to 1D’s Through The Dark, Night Changes, Home. The reassurances of themes like, “When you’re lost, I’ll be here. I’ll lead the way. I’m be the light. Even when the night changes, I’ll be the same.” Even the flip side of Home (literally the A side to Home on the 1D surprise EP drop), Perfect, illustrates the exciting life of being a teen idol (“hotel rooms, good champagne”) sardonically, sarcastically, or as Julian Bunneta said during promo, “Ironically.” Perfect isn’t perfect at all… because it isn’t home. Perfect is pretend-perfect, superficial and glittery, fanfiction-perfect, but unreal.

(An aside… think about the reason Sony released Perfect as a single and not Home, even though Home was the fan favorite… and the fact that Home wasn’t even included in MITAM. Sony knew that fic-loving fans would generally misunderstand the concept of Perfect. The exciting, wild, party-drug-alcohol-filled life depicted in Perfect results in real life oopsie pregnancies and babies, which was causing complications in Louis’ real life. Home is a complicated topic amidst all of this instability.)

I think that for Louis, the idea of “Change” is the flip side of “Home.” Where Home is a bedrock, Change is uncertainty, anxiety, disruption. In 1D, change often ended badly for Louis. While the major change that he sought in 1D’s sound and in his involvement in songwriting brought about great personal satisfaction, it came at a huge cost— maybe even leading to industry’s blacklisting him in 2019. In 2015, most of the changes Louis faced brought about upheavals— the 1D break up that Louis didn’t want, the deep rift in the friendship with Zayn, Zayn’s and Harry’s impending solo careers, Louis’ accidental fatherhood. Initially, I think Louis was incredibly anxious about what fatherhood would mean to his personal life and his career (and his actions weren’t great, tbh). The stability that Louis had counted on at home was also about to undergo a seismic, tragic shift.

So to find out, at AFHF 2021, that the first possible song on a new album was called “Change” was intriguing, especially since Louis already knew the title of the next album would be Faith In The Future (it was flashed onto the AFHF screens, and Louis also said in interview that he knew the title before most of the songs were written). This song told us: The Future is not to be feared. There is hope in the power of positive thinking (e.g. Nikolai Tesla’s 369 manifestation method). Louis has— it seems— made his peace with change.

Listen to Change and see how much Louis invokes the idea of home in this song, bringing the two concepts together. Even his Home (Doncaster) is not truly static in a changing world: “houses all look the same/ There's different names on the gates/ You know the people have changed/ Oh, it's such a shame, nothing stays the same.”

It’s the same technique that he uses in Saturdays and in Silver Tongues, recalling his youthful past to acknowledge conflicted, painful, unresolved feelings, in order to move into the future (Chicago too). I think the most humorous reply (and the release of tension) to this push-pull dilemma is the lyric in Silver Tongues, “I don’t feel like going home.” — in a way, Louis is acknowledging that change can be rewarding and sweet, that the idea of home is in friendship and love, not in brick and mortar things, and that he can hold both concepts in his mind at the same time.

It’s kind of cool to compare the bridge from the chorus of Changes that Louis wrote and sold to blackbear (2018):

youtube

to Louis’ song Change (2020-21):

(angelsflylt on tiktok)

Where Walls is introspective, honest and vulnerable but dwelling on the past, Faith In The Future is about forging one’s own destiny, breaking through, drawing the moon in the sky, imagining one’s own poetry (Louis released merch in the shape of a bottle cap that opens bottles… thus creating its own solution).

Thank you for the question! I really missed looking at Louis’ riddles and wordplay. He’s so much fun, always (I bet he throws great parties), but also very intelligent and so heartbreakingly filled with love. We’re lucky to have his songs. He’s just in another class.

#louis tomlinson #change #Louis songwriting #change also is Louis’ very diplomatic and philosophical way of saying #that friends can change too #sometimes who he thought was his friend can become his biggest critics #for whatever reason #the pain it causes is also temporary #and one must believe in a better future regardless #and move on #the experience had value even if the people are no longer there for him #valuable lesson for all

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findingnemosworld · 7 months

Text

𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 - 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐨 𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐬

・𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲: 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬

( 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐨 𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 “𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞” 𝐨𝐫 “𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐫𝐬” 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐣𝐚𝐛𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬. )

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞, 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲

At last, following what felt like an eternity of long studio sessions and restless nights, Y/N had released her long awaited album - Midnights, her sophomore studio album which she had announced at last year’s award show, a lifetime of hard work was finally out for the world to see and she couldn’t have been more thrilled to host the release party for her family and close friends.

Amongst those included was her boyfriend of three years, Sergio Ramos - she’d met the Andalusian during one of her tour legs in Spain and the pair had instantly hit it off after being introduced by a mutual friend, he was the constant whom helped her at her toughest times leading up to this album.

They walk across the red carpet together, she was ushered for an interview and Sergio stood next to her wearing a proud smile, while she explained the process of making the album, suddenly the interviewer turns to Sergio to ask him, " Did you get to listen to the album? "

Sergio grins, " I always get the first listen before the Mrs. releases anything "

Y/N’s eyes widen before a nervous giggle escapes her lips, while the interviewer chuckles. " Mrs, so that means we might expect a wedding soon "

" We shall see " Y/N giggles once again before they were lead inside.

It was one thing to refer to her as Mrs. during a live interview yet it was entirely different as he was happily conversing with everyone that came across them, Y/N would be flustered each time he calls her Mrs. or Wifey for that matter - and it didn't stop there, as they spoke with Jack, one of the producers of her album, Sergio was happily talking about his favorite songs off the album, " Honestly I'm torn because they're all quite incredible but I will say, You're on your own kid is so touching, especially cause my sweet wife here has made it so far in life "

Y/N smiled softly, " I'm just happy that I have you "

" Are you planning on proposing anytime soon? " Jack asks with a chuckle.

Sergio beams, " Leaving it up to the right time, however I don't need a ring to call this precious diamond my wife, cause she already is since the day I saw her "

Y/N blushed, instinctively tucking herself further into his embrace.

Later on that night, while everyone continued to celebrate - Sergio had Y/N tucked into his embrace, she looks up and asks. " Why are you calling me wifey? " she asks with a chuckle.

He grins, " because you're my wife, I don't know when I will ask but I will, in the meantime - I'll keep calling you wifey " he nuzzles his nose against her cheek.

" I love you " She said.

" I love you too baby "

#sergio ramos #sergio ramos fanfiction #sergio ramos fluff #sergio ramos one shot #sergio ramos blurb

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burrowbabe · 29 days

Text

Give and Take - Chapter 9

The next morning, you're sat in the living room enjoying a cup of coffee with your brother AJ, discussing the upcoming deadline for your album.

"We have to narrow down the final songs, Anna. We can't just keep recording and scrapping everything." AJ says, running a hand through his hair.

"Don't you think I know that?" You say, rolling your eyes. You set you coffee down on the table in front of you, noticing someone else had entered the room during your conversation.

Joe.

"Good morning." He greets, shuffling in and sitting on the couch opposite of you. You both share closed mouthed smiles and divert eye contact quickly to avoid any awkwardness in front of your brother.

"We'll just have to call Oliver later." AJ says, sinking back into the couch with a big sigh.

Oliver was your loyal manager since day one. He was no stranger to your late night phone calls, strange requests, and complaints when it came to career obligations.

"Fine. We'll just see what he says." You shrug, picking up your coffee once more and meeting Joe's eyes.

His hair was disarray and the small crinkles under his sleepy eyes were so adorable. You just wanted to kiss him again.

He thought the same, eyeing your mismatched pajama bottoms and top, with your novelty oversized sneaker-looking slippers.

"I gotta get in the shower, let's meet back here in 30 and call him." AJ says, gathering his things and leaving you and Joe alone in the living room,

He matches your small smile as it grows, looking at one another.

"So, what are you up to today?" You ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Hanging out with you, hopefully."

"We can arrange that." You reply, surveying your surroundings before inching closer to him.

"After my meeting today, let's try to blow everybody off and try to spend some time together. Ya know, maybe order food, watch a movie? The whole first date cliche."

A wide smile spreads across Joe's face at this suggestion.

"I would love that."

***

Later that afternoon, the rest of your friends suggest going to dinner and a nightclub. While everyone but you and Joe agree, your hopes for a quiet night in seem to be in motion.

"But Annie, what about dancing to our favorite songs?" Tana whines.

"We can do that any other night, babe. I just want to take a night off and chill." You say.

"Me too." Agrees Joe.

"You guys are lame!" Nick chimes in, throwing back another shot to pregame the nights events.

"Listen, you guys have a great time. Joe and I will be saving our money and the debilitating hangover for another occasion." You quip, silencing any other protests.

"If you insist." Tana rolls her eyes.

"Besides, Joe and I will make ourselves busy. I have plenty of rom-coms on deck that he needs to see." You say, looking at him with a devious smile.

With an exaggerated, wide-eyed look, you laugh knowing full well that this statement wasn't totally fabricated.

***

Around 8 p.m., the others were just heading out to dinner, just as your take-out was arriving. As you called out distant goodbye's for the night, you and Joe cracked open the Chinese food containers.

You queued up Never Been Kissed on the living room TV as Joe grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge to accompany your dinner.

"Now what is this hot garbage you're about to make me watch?" He asks, laughing as he joins you on the couch.

"Only one of the greatest Drew Barrymore movies ever." You quip, pouring he and you a glass of rosé.

You didn't pay much attention to the movie though. As you ate, you both yapped about the silly characters, plot lines, and jokes, until the conversation ended up on yourselves.

"Listen, I did not know I would get suspended for that!" You exclaim, slamming your carton of noodles on the coffee table.

"How could you not!?" Joe laughs, grabbing his abdomen at your outrageous story form yesteryear.

As the laughter died down, you rest your elbow on the top of the couch, looking at him with stars in your eyes.

You had polished off the bottle of rosé long ago, but that wasn't the only reason for the blush on your cheeks.

Joe's shyness had fallen away, sitting and talking with Anna all night.

"I have to say, this date falls in the top three of best date ever." Joe says, earning a shocked expression from you.

"Top three?! I'm not number one?"

"Maybe, maybe not. You'll never know." He laughs, biting his lower lip.

"I'm not used to being number two. I'd better hope I'm the top of the list, or we're through."

Both of your dazed eyes scan each others' faces, thinking of every possible way to make the next move.

Slow and steady wins the race.

Sighing, Joe leans back against the couch.

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" he asks.

You lips part, not knowing what to say. His blue grey eyes are swimming with emotion and you're captivated by it.

"How on Earth do I get the privilege to know you?"

Your heart pounds in your chest. You don't know how to respond, but fight the desire to grab him by the collar and kiss him.

You can't even spit a word out before he inches closer to you.

"I would do anything to please you." He says, moving to kiss your neck. You gasp, rolling your head to the side to give him better access.

"Joe, I- "

"I know. I don't want to do anything you don't want to do."

You don't exactly want to give it all up to him now, but the aching desire in your core begs to differ. But, emotionally, you know you can't delve into such intimacy so soon with the fear of getting hurt.

Joe plays with the waistband of your sweats while attacking your neck and mouth with kisses.

"What do you think about taking these off?" He asks, with no ounce of pressure whatsoever. His eyes are pleading in an innocent way.

You nod your head quickly, grabbing the hair at the nape of his neck to pull him closer as he worked his hands over your body.

Before he could get your pants past your hips, the alarm system had indicated that the front door was open, followed by a loud roar of chatter from your roommates who had just gotten home.

Jumping a foot away from each other, you whine in desperation and pull your pants back all the way up.

Joe, having to grab a throw pillow to hold over his lap, joined you in sharing a painful expression because of the interruption.

"Heyyyy guys! How was your night?" Tana slurred, holding herself steady on the back of the couch.

How had you let the time pass you by?

"Good." You say, with a closed mouthed smile. "Just heading off to bed."

"Me too. Too many tequila sodas." She says, rubbing her temples. "Tuck me in?" She asks.

You look at a panic stricken Joe, and reluctantly agree.

You get up to assist Tana up the stairs as Joe is joined by your brother and his friends in the living room. Your panties are soaked and you mind races with the thoughts of what would have transpired if no one had come in.

Living under the same roof, though, it was bound to happen again.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

smut to come soon I promiseeeee

#cincinnati bengals #joe burrow #au #joe burrow fan fiction #fanfiction #smut

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captainhunnicutt · 18 days

Text

Tagged by @pomegranate and @mashbrainrot: 6 albums I’ve been listening to a lot lately! Plus one track from each that I’m especially fond of:

1). Kevin Devine - "Put Your Ghost to Rest"

For a number of years, I went up and down the east coast following Kevin - in a completely normal and sane way. Seriously. He became a fast friend and still is to this day. When he released his second full length album, that's when I financially had the resources to start travelling to see his shows. This album was his fourth release, and I was lucky enough to see him on release day. The song "Just Stay"... it made me cry the first time I heard it. "She said it's pretty, but you hate yourself, I can hear it clear as day. I said I sing like this, it sounds worse than it is... I'm okay, okay?" When I heard those lyrics, I just lost it - for him. He's such a good soul and deserves so much good. There was a period of about five years where I didn't see him, and when I finally was able to see him again, the hug he gave me before his set said so much. When he got up on stage that night, he said something like "I'm changing the setlist on a whim. Someone is here tonight who I didn't expect to see, and I know she loves this song. This is for her," and he played this.

2.) Eisley - "The Valley"

During the height of the Long Island emo scene, Jesse Lacey shoved Eisley down everyone's throats. It's the only good thing he ever did (dude ended up being the biggest piece of shit ever), besides legitimately pushing a guy off of of me at a party. The guy was being a real fucking nightmare and Jesse came in swinging, and honestly I appreciated it. Anyway. Eisley. They are hauntingly beautiful. The first time I played an Eisley song for Robby, his response was "I feel like crying," and to this day I don't know if that was a compliment or not.

3.) Manchester Orchestra - "Where Have You Been?"

The best tour I ever followed was Brand New, Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra. I went to 7 shows on that tour, and every night was a like a g'damn religious experience. Don't listen to people who try to shoot it down, follow the band. Spend the money. Travel from one end of the country to the other just to see your favorite bands play live. You won't regret it. "Where Have You Been," was one of the songs where Brand New, Kevin and Manchester all played together on stage. When the yelling "GOD MY GOD MY GOD, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" starts, you could hear a pin drop. I have goosebumps thinking about it.

4.) Death Cab for Cutie - "Narrow Stairs"

No big thoughts on this one. I just really love anything Death Cab, and this one has been getting played most recently. "Plans" is a close second. That opening bassline of "I Will Possess Your Heart?" Seriously? Perfection.

5.) Kings of Leon - "Come Around Sundown"

I'm sorry. My music taste seems to have frozen to anything before 2010. I think because there's so many good memories tied directly to musicians, bands and songs. I remember when this album dropped. I remember it leaking and my community of friends all losing our g'damn minds. A lot of KoL songs found their way into "The Blacklist," which was a great show too.

6.) Incubus - "Morning View"

Incubus has been this strange constant since I was a teenager. My sophomore year boyfriend introduced me to them as we got high in his basement. Very cliche. They were also the first band I ever followed on tour, and are all very sweet and down to earth guys. They are about to release a reimagined version of this album, and... I have mixed feelings about what I've heard. The original is far superior.

Tagging @bardengarde, @kejfeblintz, @valenshawke, @veryliteralsin, @lynnsthoughts, @angelt0rres and anyone else that wants to do it, I guess.

#sorry my music taste is stuck in the past #i am old and set in my ways #but please tell me if you enjoy any of these #Spotify

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saigonharrington · 2 years

Note

Hi! I was reading your “movies” fic and it was soooo good! I had actually been listening to the album a couple days ago and was thinking how good a bestfriend!Steve Harrington fic would be based on the song “Yours”. Like maybe they’re best friends and reader has always had feelings for him and Steve never notices. So she has to watch him date and break up with Nancy and is always there for him whenever he’s going through something. She has to watch him constantly date around when all she’s ever wanted was for him to see her the same way… omg it’d be like super angsty, maybe end it with them ending the friendship or getting together even though the song doesn’t end that way !

Hi thank you soo much!

yours - steve harrington

Here's your bestfriend!steve, hope you'll like it

Wordcount: 3,2k more or less

Category: angsty angst 🤪

There might be some mistakes since I’m writing on the phone and dont have the access to my laptop rn but i will correct them soon!

Enjoy!

—————

The smell of strawberries filled your nose as you started zoning out. Suddenly your head was full of flashbacks from childhood days. Your best friend, Steve, was almost in every one of them. He was always around, because you were neighbors. Every up and down, he stood by your side. He was there when your first tooth fell out, when you learnt how to ride a bike, when you got your first A and when you got your first D. There was always a spark of fear inside you that everything will change when you go to high school. He got popular very quickly, with the reputation of being a womanizer. You cared about him a lot and during the years of education you sacrificed many friendships just to save the one with him. Scared that he will find better, funnier and more popular classmates to spend time with, you made sure that no one will come between you and Steve. The same couldn't be told about him, but even though he had larger group of friends, you still were his favorite. You weren't bossy or obsessed with him, just afraid of what might happen if he left you.

When he made more friends you just kept quiet and tried to befriend them too, but spending time with him only was your priority. He couldn't understand your point of view, because he was much more of an extrovert than you. He loved to be surrounded by people and liked larger companies than spending time with just you. It was hard to reach an understanding, but both of you willed to work out on this problem. There were certain days and events when he made you accompany him and his mates, but also days when the two of you were having fun just by yourselves. And today it was the prior one.

"What are you thinking about?" Steve asked you out of nowhere, having his arm around Nancy on the opposite side of the table.

The two of them were going on and off for a couple of months and you were sick of this situation. You liked Nancy, she was a good listener and included you sometimes when she was spending time with Steve. But you also saw how she gazed at Jonathan and wasn't focusing on your friend. It hurt, since you knew how serious Steve was treating her. Once, when he stayed up all night with you, he revealed to you his future plans, Nance, and the kids beside him. It sounded insane to you, but as a good friend, you approved this idea adding that you would try to be the best aunt possible.

"Regular stuff. What I have to do when I come back home, you know." You replied, sipping the milkshake.

"Actually, that reminds me that I have something to do with Jonathan. See you later?" Nancy got up and wanted to walk out of the bar, but Steve grabbed her hand.

"I think we have something to talk about." He said, sounding a bit angry.

You weren't sure what to do, leave them alone or just sit there patiently? But the two of them went out of the bar, and out of your sight to speak in private. You didn't know what was going on and waiting for Steve to come back seemed to get longer and longer. Staring at the clock on the wall certainly didn't help and you got bored easily. The waiter stared at you curiously, probably waiting for the payment but Steve said that the milkshakes are on him, and now he wasn't there and you started to get nervous because you didn't bring any money with you.

"Sorry it took so long." Your friend appeared out of nowhere, sipping his milkshake as if nothing happened.

"Well..." You started, waiting for his explanation.

"Well what? The fact is, I'm single now. And I'm okay, thanks for asking. No more Nancy for me, I saw her with Jonathan last week."

Your head exploded from getting this information. Hearing this made you almost sure that Steve won't come back to her so quickly and that maybe it's the perfect time to slowly reveal your feelings towards him.

The truth is, you have fallen in love with him when you were younger, an innocent childhood crush slowly turned into one-sided love. You were having internal battles with yourself for years now, wondering if your feelings were wrong, because he was like a brother for you all the time. Was it right to fall in love with a friend? Or did you do it just because you were bored and he was the only boy who actually wanted to spend time with you and listened to you? You had so many questions that haven't been answered yet. But since things with Nance started to look worse and worse, you were getting prepared to finally talk to him about your feelings. Of course, now wasn't perfect, since he was single for only a couple of minutes, but you had to change your mindset — you have to wear your heart on your sleeve, or he will finally meet the woman of his life and all your chances will be lost. You can do it. What could possibly go wrong? Losing your best, one and only friend, with whom you spend all your life together and who is the only person that you talk to in school? No big deal, right? Right?

"By the way, as I was entering the bar, this hot chick asked me on a date. I'm the embodiment of the magnet, clearly. But no wonder she asked me, I mean who would want to miss the opportunity to date me? No one. And I need a rebound after this shitshow with Nancy that somehow existed for way too long. I've been blind. From now on, your Steve will be wearing glasses 24/7. No more blindness from this guy." He pointed his knuckles at himself while letting his sunglasses fall from his head right on his nose.

The player that you knew was finally back, and it broke your heart a little, afraid that there will never be a chance for you to talk with him honestly. On the other hand, did you really need to express your emotions? Being friends with him was fine. A bumpy road, to be precise, because sometimes you were hurt, and the other times you were the happiest girl on earth. But in the end, it's better than nothing. And there's no chance he would admit that he might love you back. I mean look at him, look at me. We're opposites. Steve likes his girls confident, which sadly you were not. Maybe having him as a friend would have more perks, and be more steady. Maybe you should wait til he's like 30 or something, and then if you are both single, ask him to marry you just not to grow old alone? It seemed like a decent plan. And you've heard about that theory, the rebound theory, that in Steve's case was right. After breaking up, he needed to have a date with a girl whose role would be a consolation prize. So maybe you should wait after things with what's her name will be over? Hopefully this time you are right.

"Great, so when's the date?" You asked, putting your fake smile on.

"We're going out tomorrow. I'm in desperate need to have fun, and then to think things through. About my future, you know. But first a date with... wait I remember her name...Mary! Yes!"

"Good luck with that. Make sure not to forget her name while talking to her. By the way, could you drive me home now? We've finished our milkshakes and I have some duties back there."

"Of course, sun. See you in two days. I can't be mourning my relationship alone, can I? Will you bake that special cake you always bake to cheer me up? I would love to eat that one with you. Soo?"

You couldn't say no to these puppy eyes. So the day after, while he probably was kissing another girl at the cinema or at the park, you tried to keep your mind busy by making a whole feast for the next day. It was great. The day has passed so quickly thanks to your tiredness after baking for the whole day. You did not only bake a cake but also cookies and got everything prepared for potential dinner before eating the dessert. Being in the kitchen for that many hours made you fall asleep easily, ready to face the next day with Steve.

For a second, during the day, you had hoped that he might call after the date to tell you how it went and mock some awkward situations that happened, but at 10 pm you officially gave up and went to sleep. Sure, you fell asleep quickly, without having the chance to overthink Steve’s date, but your subconscious mind made sure to have weird dreams about it. You saw a happy couple, now more vivid, as you were approaching them like a ghost. It was Steve and the girl of his dreams. Having fun, dancing on the field full of flowers, taking about ideal future. And then suddenly you saw yourself as you argue with him and slowly become non existent part in his life. Watching him from afar, spending the whole life in loneliness. Will it really look like that? These scary thoughts woke you up, still tired and confused about what was happening.

You looked at the clock, positive that it’s the middle of the night and you still have time to get some rest, but unfortunately it was noon, meaning you have less time to prepare the dinner than you have originally planned. You stood up frantically, trying to dress up and brush your hair at the same time. Still feeling dizzy after sleeping, you almost stumbled upon the corner of the rug which would make you fall. Looking probably like shit, you stormed into the kitchen to rush before your friend comes.

“Oh my, what’s the rush? Is it the national holiday today?” Your mother appeared out of nowhere - at least you thought so, but she was sitting down beside the table, reading her magazine and you just didn’t notice.

“Steve’s coming in an hour or so and I promised I would make us a feast.” You explained quickly, grabbing the ingredients from the fridge.

“Well if he wants a feast then he should at least help you with cooking. You’re not a restaurant or a catering company for some party. Wait til he comes and I will teach him a lesson.” She replied confidently.

“No mom you don’t understand. He finally broke up with Nancy. I need to cheer him up, with dinner and his favourite cake.

“Good for him, good for him. But actually I do understand. I think you’re still doing a little too much than a friend would do. Come on, cooking for the whole day and then waking up the next day, having your t-shirt on the wrong side and half of the hair brushed, but already continuing the mess in the kitchen? I’d say you’re a wife. The kind of wife that her job is being a wife, staying at home, taking care of the kids, cleaning and cooking all day because that’s what you do. Don’t you think it’s crazy? I sometimes think that you are obsessed with him, I swear, from what I’m seeing, he’s the only person you’re talking to and spending time with. Get a life, girl.”

She finished her monologue like she always did, reminding you that she is an extrovert too and wants you to have more fun during the teenage years than she managed to have. But it wasn’t that easy.

After receiving silence and glares from you she added: “But honestly, he’s quite a catch. And he has money. Maybe I shouldn’t stop you, maybe it was your plan from the beginning to chase him and make him fall in love with you so you would inherit some goods, that’s smart.” She made a joke and you chuckled a little, only then to realize what you might look like in others’ eyes.

The girl who is quiet, everyone barely knows her, but they remember her as being Steve’s „plus one” in almost everything, everywhere. Maybe it looked like chasing him and not giving the air to breathe? Maybe you looked like a lost puppy or a kid that he had to hold your hand and lead you through life. You wished it didn’t look like that. After all, Steve wasn’t complaining. At least to you.

“Mom, do I look like I’m glued to him?” You asked, afraid of her her response.

“I think people know that you both come in a package. No one could split you, even if then tried. But it’s good, and hey, you are beside him since childhood, it’s not like you appeared next to him when he became popular. It’s okay honey. I was just joking. I’m glad you have a friend. But I won’t complain if someday you marry him. Just so you know.”

She patted your shoulder with a smile and left the kitchen. Her words made you feel a bit better, and what the whole school was thinking didn’t matter, because they didn’t know you and you didn’t know them too, so why would you care what they gossip about?

Everything was ready when your friend chimed in through the kitchen door.

“Guess what?” He asked and you were afraid that he will tell that the date went amazing. “You didn’t answer the call yesterday! I called to tell you all the details, but your mother said that you were sleeping. Liar!” He laughed.

“I really did sleep. Yesterday was tiring to me and I went to bed embarrassingly early. Take these plates, won’t you? I think we should eat at my balcony since the weather is amazing and I haven’t seen the sun for two days.

“Sounds like you had fun here without me. Considering that amount of food in front of me… wow, I can’t thank you enough. Shall we start our feast?”

„Yeah, of course. And please do tell me how the date went, I’m curious.”

„It was okay, I guess. I was chatting, as always, but she acted bold. Like, all the time she encouraged me to do something weird and crazy and if I wasn’t eager to do this, she constantly mocked me and after some time it sounded like she was insulting me! A weird night is all I can say about it. I mean, I don’t regret it, at the beginning it was fun, but I don’t want to have a date like this ever again. I think I’m no match for crazy women.”

“If I were you I would run away from her and lock myself in my room forever. She sounds creepy.” You replied, trying to hide a smile that was appearing on your face after hearing that the date wasn’t as much of a success. “And how are you? In general and you know, after Nancy thing.”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure if yesterday’s date did what it was supposed to do, which is setting me free. I guess I will know when I meet the right girl.”

“Speaking of…” you started nervously, feeling that it’s the right time. “I wanted to talk to you, for like a really, really long time. We know each other since we were babies and we spend lifetime next to each other. I couldn’t imagine not being friends with you. But there is something more. I feel something more. I don’t know how it happened, a couple of years ago I noticed that I act a little different around you. I love you, Steve. I was there when you became popular and started flirting with every girl around you, when you were with Nancy and faced all the ups and downs of the relationship. I was there, for you, like every fucking second. I need you to know that sometimes it hurt me, even more than a little but I managed to hide my feelings only for you to be happy. But I think I can’t do that anymore. I know that you are after a breakup and you have to sort things out, I promise you I can wait. Yet I’m here, sitting right next to you, and asking you an important question. Do you love me? Even a little? Do you feel something that could tell you that we can be more than friends? I need to know, not knowing kills me and makes me overthink everything, like the sense of our friendship. Please say something.” You finished your monologue and looked at Steve who had a plate with cake in his hands, but wasn’t able to take a bite thanks to the shock that you gave him.

“Damn. Y/n… what do you expect me to do? I have just broken up with Nancy. I don’t know how I feel about anything, except for the cake that I wanted to eat, but now I can’t. What do you want to hear? Wait, I know what you want to hear. But I’m afraid I can’t say it. I’ve always had a friend in you and I appreciate that so much. There were times when it was only me and you against the world. And sure I imagined spending my life with you, since I clearly have no luck in relationships, but I can’t do that to you. I’m still confused about my feelings, I loved Nancy and I had to let her go. I can’t imagine letting you go. I know you longer than I know her and I can’t imagine how much damage losing you would make. I just can’t do this. Not right now. I don’t want to lose a friend less than 48 after I lost a girlfriend. I’ll be left with nothing. I’m sorry, I need time to think about this. Lots of time.” He left a plate with the cake that he barely touched and left your room. There were tears in his eyes, and in yours too. What was now going to happen? Did both of you lose a friend?

Watching him leave your house was the worst part. Because you didn’t know if he will ever come back and if there’s a chance to fix the mess that you made with one speech. And how would you look him in the eyes at school? Everyone will notice that something happened. And now you weren’t his girlfriend, weren’t even his friend. And he wasn’t yours.

——————

If you want to request a fic write right here!

And here’s the list of superache fanfics that I’m now writing and I would love to get ideas for next ones from you!

#steve harrington blurb #steve harrington fic #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x you #steve harrington angst #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve harrington x y/n

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