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mira-blue · 3 years

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Long Post Containing Amphibia Spoilers Ahead!

*cracks knuckles* alright i've been debating whether or not i should post this but seeing as i've already got it all planned out in my head - why not, you know?

anyways i've seen lots of people debate what will happen in The Dinner/Battle of The Bands and they've all been awesome theories, so i've been thinking about how True Colors - a.k.a. the season finale - will go down.

friendly reminder that this 'theory' is for fun and speculation only and is probably completely wrong :]

alright, so as others have said, the two episodes before this one will most likely be about the girls slowly beginning to fix their friendship and realizing how much they missed each other - probably a mixture of fluff and a bit of angst because sasha and marcy are hiding things from anne.

moving on to True Colors, we'll start off back in newtopia, maybe in the castle. goodbyes are being said, preparations are being made, no one can actually believe that the trio is actually going home after so long.

the king insists that only the three girls stay in the throne room when the box is about to be opened, claiming something like'We don't want anyone accidently being sent back with them'. this forces the plantars (and possibly grime if he'd accompanied them to this point) to leave. grime - of course - would be glad to be out of his sight and immediately heads off to help the toad army enter newtopia.

once the girls are alone, the king begins to talk about the music box a little, revealing some key things, but nothing too major (yet). this eventually leads to him bringing up his propostion to marcy.

now, that's the one thing i can't make a solid guess on. because it doesn't seem likely at all that marcy would intentionally do something to hurt her friends. however, she has unintentionally done so before, so it wouldn't be surprising if it happens again. i doubt it's anything that will prevent sasha and anne from going home - the most likely theory i've seen floating around is the one where she admits that she doesn't want to go home.

whatever marcy's plans are, they throw anne and sasha in for a loop. especially anne, who at this point is sick of people hiding things from her.

an arguement ensues, sasha's more conflicted than ever, the king is omniously standing in the background with the music box - basically, the vibes are completely off.

and sasha realizes that. she doesn't trust the king (she is literally bringing an army to his doorstep) and she knows he's manipulating marcy (*cough* because she's an expert at it *cough*). so she confronts him, demanding he reveal his plans.

does he? i don't know. on one hand, we need a common enemy for the girls to unite against. on the other, there's still an entire season left and too much is happening.

either ways, before things escalate even more, BOOM

a guard bursts in, yelling about how there's a frogging toad army invading the city right now and they were let in from the inside!!

(cue sasha thinking 'oh no, i forgot about that')

anne connects the dots together. toads? let in from the inside? sasha not seeming too surprised?

oh would you look at that, another betrayal!

this is a lot for anne. i feel like if marcy and sasha turn out to be lying to her, it'll be a breaking point for her.

she doesn't even know what to say, just sort of glares at sasha and goes 'Seriously?' sasha tries to explain (the king is up to no good anyways, anne!) but anne doesn't want to hear it. she leaves the throne room, running to find her frog family and the one friend who hasn't hurt her yet - sprig.

so now, marcy and sasha are left behind with the king (and honestly, who can blame anne for having enough?)

now throughout all of this, king andrias has been strangely calm. he doesn't seem to be worried at all about the toads invading his city.

and you know why that is? because he's prepared.

i mean, that sort of proves that he's been aware of an incoming invasion this whole time, right? and we know that he's got some pretty messed up stuff in his basement, too. so what if, when the toads attack, he releases Something to fight them?

i doubt it'll be the Night (or whatever that 13 eyed creature is), but something horrifying enough. this further cements sasha's belief that he Cannot Be Trusted and she turns to marcy, exclaiming 'You've been working for THIS GUY?'

but, of course, she can't blame marcy - the king's facade would've had us completely convinced if we didn't get to see what went on behind the scenes.

the king decides he's had enough of sasha and orders the guards to capture her. she fights back, but slowly gets overwhelmed.

so marcy throws the game.

she rushes in to help sasha, but before that, she grabs the music box. this could go two ways - one, she throws it on the floor and shatters it, allowing its powers to return to the girls or two, she gives it to sasha and yells at her to run.

and sasha - for the first time in her life - realizes that she has no other choice but to run.

she does look back, though, just in time to see the guards arresting marcy.

outside, it's complete chaos. the toads were bad enough on their own, but whatever the king released to oppose them made matters worse. the city is - literally and figuratively - on fire.

i like to think that anne finds the plantars and is about to escape with them, when sasha stumbles into them.

she tries to talk to anne, but anne in no way trusts her - might never trust her again. she tries surrendering, tries to explain that the king's got marcy and they're all in danger, but she can't get through to anne.

nowwww i know a lot of fans want sasha to join anne and the plantars by the end of this season - and maybe she will, and it'd be dope! - but in my version of things...

they get seperated again.

i don't know how that'll happen, if it'll be done willingly or not, but having the girls end up seperated again (therefore back into square one) would be a pretty cool scenario.

anyways, they get seperated, anne heads off with the plantars, and sasha runs into grime. they fight side by side but grime knows there's no way they'll make it, so he puts sasha out of harm's way by forcing her out of newtopia - another friend telling her to run.

then he dies /JJJJJ

nah, but i think it's more likely he surrenders and gets arrested. he could still die, though...

cut back to marcy. she's been arrested and is currently in the throne room. the king is there, and he says something about how disappointing her actions were, then tells the guards to take her away.

of course, there's a lot more in the background. will we find out what the ruins of despair (the place frobo came from) were? will we learn more about The Portrait? will the prophecy be revealed?

don't really have an answer to any of those ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

but this all sets the stage for season three - anne & the plantars in hiding (maybe in the very same cave she used when she first arrived in amphibia), sasha on the run (Sasha Alone episode, anyone?), and marcy imprisoned in the castle (possibly alongside grime).

it all really depends on how next week's episodes go, and i can't wait to see that! if you've stuck around this far, thanks for reading!

#amphibia #amphibia spoilers #anne boonchuy #marcy wu #sasha waybright #amphibia season 2 #true colors #amphibia theory #analysis #hop pop plantar #sprig plantar #polly plantar #repost because of some technical issues

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fritae · 3 years

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The Missing Piece (Chapter 12)

Closer.

gang! au / ceo! au

characters: dabi x f. oc, lov

status: ongoing

read on ao3 here.

a/n: i really like this chapter heh, hope u enjoy! 😚

The staircase leads all the way to basement. I wondered why they would hide such steep, hidden steps in Dabi's office when they could create (much) shorter, more accessible ones from the first floor.

But I'm guessing that's the point.

This isn't supposed to be easy to reach. And Dabi's office is the one place no one would dare enter.

Aside from us, of course.

The basement is completely dark, forcing me to draw myself even closer to Dabi. I enjoy the weight of his hand in mine. He has a firm, tight grip. But just as the thought warms my cheeks, I shake it out of my head.

Within seconds, Dabi turns on the lights.

My eyes widen, taking in the sight before me.

Blood.

A lot of it.

Though it looks dried, like it's been there for ages.

I spot a wall of different sized knives on one hand. A gun display on the other. A shelf of jars, filled with a murky looking liquid and...I don't even want to know what that is inside.

Dabi watches me.

There's a simple, plastic white table in the center of the floor with a large white board behind it.

The place is much messier and less...classy, than the rest of the Blaze.

But I have the feeling it's because it's not meant for outside eyes.

"You okay?" Dabi asks.

I nod, squeezing his hand to comfort myself.

Before the others reach the bottom, he whispers in my ear, "Whenever you want to leave, let me know. You don't have to be here."

"Okay."

"And," He takes another glance at the stairs as the others begin to appear. "Again, Rina. This place does not exist. Anything we say here does not leave this room. Got it?"

I glance warily at the knives.

"Why are you so worried?" I try to smile so he doesn't pick up on my nervousness. "I don't have anyone outside of you guys anyway. Who would I talk to?"

My comment seems to confuse him. "What about-"

"Welcome to the League!!" Toga jumps off the last few steps and swings into full view.

I shoot Dabi a look. "The League?"

"The League of Villains, of course!" Atsuhiro follows Toga, a dramatic grin on his lips. "Only the baddest group of bad boys in town."

"And girls!" Toga calls out.

"League of Villains?" I cackle. "Who came up with that?"

Tenko scowls.

Oop.

Dabi lets go of my hand and motions for me to take a seat on one of the plastic chairs.

I pick a red chair near the board.

"So what is that you guys really do?"

"I told you," Dabi says. "Special services to people willing to pay up."

Given where we are, that suddenly feels a lot more sinister than it did when he first told me.

I look back at the knives and jars in the background.

"So like, a gang? Where you steal things and hurt people if someone pays you enough? Like the movies?"

"Guess you could put it that way."

"And there's actually people that pay for this stuff?"

Dabi shrugs. "It's a niche market."

Woah.

There's a lot more questions in my head, but now is not the time. Maybe later.

As Dabi moves to take a seat, his abdomen brushes against the edge of the table and he hisses in pain.

It releases blood again.

"Fuck!" He grips the skin.

I move closer to him, gripping his hands again. "It still hurts?" I ask worriedly. "Is there anything we can do?" I look around at the others quickly.

"Yes!" Toga says, a little too eagerly.

"What is it?"

She hops over to knives behind us, and takes a moment deciding which one she wants.

She brandishes a short but sharp blade and lets out an excited squeal, as though she enjoyed this.

"Fire please!" She calls out.

What's she doing?

Dabi groans and pulls a lighter out of his pocket. He tosses it toward her, and she carefully holds it under the edge of the blade, running it up and down for several minutes until it turns red.

She's going to seal the wound so it doesn't get infected.

"Lie down, boss," She says in a sing-song voice.

I clear the few papers were scattered on the table and move so Dabi could spread himself over it.

He lifts the edge of his shirt to his midriff, and my breath catches in my throat when I see his abdomen.

The skin is covered in large swaths of reddish purple.

Like parts of it were burnt off...

I gasp.

"These are old," Dabi looks at me. He's watching me carefully, wanting to see just how I'd react. "Still want to be here?"

I swallow my anxiety as I stare at Dabi's mismatched skin. I won't give him the chance to say 'I told you so.'

This must be why he wouldn't let me dress the wound.

He didn't want me to see this.

No wonder the stab didn't phase him.

What else has his body been through...

"Here I come!" Toga grins.

She was all too eager to take the scorching knife and press it to his stomach.

Dabi clenches his teeth immediately, leaving me to hurriedly stand next to him. I squeeze his hand to soothe him, but he grips mine back so hard I think he might break it.

I brush his hair out of eyes and press my hand to his forehead to calm him.

"It's okay," I tell him softly. "It's over."

The others stare at Dabi's wound uncomfortably, like they've been under Toga's knife before.

I wonder if they have similar wounds.

Dabi releases his harsh grip on my hand and begins to breathe slower.

One things strikes me though.

Despite all the pain he's undoubtedly feeling right now, not a single tear drops from his eyes.

I think it might just be him trying not to appear weak in front of us.

But as I look into his eyes, I'm surprised to find them completely dry.

"Are you superhuman or something?" I joke with him.

He looks at me quizzically.

"All of that and you didn't cry?"

Dabi closes his eyes. "I don't cry." He grits his teeth.

I roll my eyes.

Whatever you say.

The others slowly help him sit up straight. I take the first aid kit from Atsuhiro, picking out the cotton, gauze and antibacterial wipes.

Dabi is less reluctant when I try to wrap the area this time.

"You can hold onto me if you want," I tease as I wrap the gauze around his body.

A small smirk appears on his lips. His arm suddenly snakes around my waist, pulling me close to him.

I blush and the gauze falls out of my hands.

Dabi tilts his head. "What's wrong? Thought you wanted me to hold onto you?"

The guys snicker behind us.

I push him away from me, and he laughs as I take another piece of gauze and try again.

"You guys can talk now," I tell them focused on what I'm doing. "What exactly happened today?

Did Mr. Lane find out about the League? Is that what made you a target?"

Dabi is silent.

His silence puzzles me. I look to the others to see if they knew anything.

"Dabi tried blowing up his car!" Toga volunteers.

I frown.

Could this be just because of how Mr. Lane treated me?

No. There's no reason for it to mean that much to Dabi.

Enough to get angry, sure.

To harm Mr. Lane?

Doubtful.

"Why would you blow up his car?" I ask.

Tenko pulls up a chair. "We did some research on him. He's working with some really shady people. And Dabi told us about the whole Todoroki affair."

I shoot Dabi a look.

"They're trying to trick people into thinking they're heroes. That they should be put on a pedestal and admired. There's people out there telling their kids to be like them. Meanwhile they're going around-"

"Enough," Dabi interrupts Tenko. "Point is, they're fakes. They built up their media empires off that fake image. And we're going to expose them."

"But you guys are also doing...you know," I don't know how to say it in a way that isn't offensive. "I mean, you tried blowing up his car. And I'm guessing you probably have done more...if I'm not reaching."

Their eyes harden.

"We never pretended to be good."

I know I should stay silent, but I keep going.

"Right, but you have a double image too. There's the Blaze, and then there's the League."

They shake their heads.

"The Blaze is to funnel money into the League. Yeah, sure it's a front, but those who need our services know where to find us. We can't have masses of people finding out about the other shit we do, can we?"

"But how did this all start? What are you trying to achieve?"

"We just hate hypocrites. We'll help a bad guy to bring down a worse guy. Those that act like angels in public are our favorite targets. I don't care if we have to steal, blackmail, or kill them," Dabi's eyes shine with evil. "Whatever it takes to beat their egos down. Reveal the private faces they hide. Until they're forced to show their bloody hands before the world. Someone like Enji is using Lane for media coverage. Lane is depending on him for protection and cash. We can take them both down."

"What if you get caught?"

He dismisses the question, like it's not even worth his time. "By who?" He scoffs. "Lane? As soon as we take down Enji, Lane's done for. Since he's your old boss, we can give you leeway with how badly you want us to go after him." Dabi says this like that's what I'm genuinely concerned about right now. "Lane's a scared little prick anyway, as soon as he saw me he bounced out of the car and screamed for protection." He laughs like he can picture Mr. Lane's pathetic position as we speak. "But he'll fall. Just like the rest of them."

"I meant the police, Dabi."

The question puzzles him as if he's never considered it before. But the look in his eyes tells me they're even less of a concern than Mr. Lane.

"Don't worry about that," He says. "That's the least of our problems, to be honest."

I nod.

I let them speak uninterrupted for the rest of the night. They have business to take care of, and if I keep asking questions like this, they'll never get to finish. It's enough that they waited all day for me to leave so they could start. Can't hold them up at night as well.

The Todoroki name was brought up several times, among others. It seems strange now, considering Dabi knows it was Mr. Lane's relations with Enji that led to me leaving the company the way I did. Turns out he knows a lot more about Enji than I do.

I try to keep track of the other names as well, but there's so many and I'm so tired, I can barely keep up.

"Here's where Rina comes in," Dabi continues.

My eyes widen at the mention of my name.

"Enji's using Lane for his image. Rina, you said they were working on a movie or something?"

"A documentary, yes."

"We need to make sure that shit doesn't air."

I bite my lip, trying to remember as much information as I could about the documentary. It was supposed to air already. I remember Mr. Lane saying it would be within the month.

But it hasn't yet.

Which means I need to find out more from Al.

"My roommate still works at NNTV. She's the floor manager so she might have some idea of what's going on. I can ask her."

"You sure you can trust her?" Dabi asks with a frown.

"Well, I'm not gonna tell her any details, she's the one that's gonna need to have trust in me, no?"

Atsuhiro cracks his knuckles and rubs his neck. "I don't know, I don't like the sound of that. We have our own ways of finding stuff out so-"

"It won't hurt to try," I insist, looking at Dabi since he's the one that has final say on these matters. "Having 2 avenues of information is better than 1."

Truth be told, I just want to feel useful. I want to feel like I have a role to play, not just that I'm here to "sit and watch".

I want them to feel good about me being here, not apprehensive about whether this was a good decision.

After some deliberation, Dabi sighs. He looks to the others for input. "Might as well?"

"I mean she's here," Tenko says monotonously. "Might as well use her."

Dabi nods and then turns to me. "Just don't be stupid with it. Lead her into the conversation, don't bring it up out of nowhere. She'll be curious about why you're bringing it up. Don't say anything that'll make her ask questions. The more questions she asks you, the more suspicious she'll be."

"Relax guys, I got this." I smile. "Besides, she's a chatterbox. She'll open up at the slightest nudge and go on forever. She's the one that told me about all the.." I grimace. "..issues with the Todoroki company."

Plus, she's my friend! Of course, I can trust her. We've been roommates for years. If anyone could tell me about Mr. Lane's current plans for the documentary, it'd be her.

"So it's settled!" Toga claps. She takes a marker and goes up to the white board, drawing a flow chart with all that's been discussed today. She adds my part last, circling my name and underlining it several times for emphasis, over a big red INTEL SOURCING.

The sight of that makes me smile, like I have a role to play in all of this. I look around at the others but they're all preoccupied with moving things around and discussing their own parts.

The lack of enthusiasm isn't surprising, I mean this is normal for them.

But all I can think of is how exciting it'll be if I have something to contribute the next time we meet. If they'll call me down, and look at me expectantly. I imagine the looks on their faces with glee and the thought almost makes me giddy.

"Okay, are we done here?" Dabi asks.

A bunch of 'yes'es and 'yup's fill the basement.

"Alright then," Dabi grabs a leather jacket from on the wall and checks to make sure his keys are inside. Then he walks my way and grabs my arm.

"Time for you to go home," He says, moving me in front of him.

"But-"

"Now," His eyes narrow. He moves his head in a silent nudge, telling me to turn around and make my way upstairs.

The others watch us curiously, and Toga lets out a snicker at my expense.

"I'm jealous!" She calls after us. "Wish I had someone to drive me home!"

Dabi groans, nudging me to keep moving.

"Bye guys," I wave back at them from halfway up the steps. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

They all wave warmly and I can't help thinking how grateful I am that they trusted me with this.

It feels so weird emerging out of Dabi's office like this, from a secret path that leads deep under the building. But Dabi simply presses another tile in the walls, and the entrance reseals itself, as though it never existed.

We make our way to his car, and I hurry to catch up to him. The height difference certainly doesn't help.

He unlocks the car and slides into the driver's seat. I follow into the passenger's seat and shift awkwardly in my place.

"Where do you live?" He asks as he readjusts his rearview mirror. No sooner had I told him the address, than he revved the engine and sped away from the Blaze.

The ride is quiet for a while. Regrettably so. Dabi hands me a box of disinfectants to wipe the blood off my hands. I wonder how many times he's had to do the same thing before coming into the office.

I fiddle with the hems of my shirts as I try to think of something to talk about. Dabi doesn't seem to be in as big of a rush to speak, his eyes darting from the rearview to the side mirrors periodically as we cruise down the mostly empty highway.

"Dabi?"

"Hm."

"When they said you were gone today, were you really in the basement the whole time?"

Dabi takes a moment to answer. "After I got back, yeah. Couldn't exactly walk through the front doors looking the way I did." He glances at me before switching lanes.

"Were you avoiding me?"

"Partly."

I nod. "Now that I know about the League, do you think you'd avoid me in a case like this again?"

"A case like this won't happen again."

"Okay." I respond quietly. "Cause you know I get worried."

Dabi seems to be deep in thought.

"You worry a lot for someone who's only met me a month ago."

I smile. "Well, of course. We're friends aren't we?"

Dabi spares me a look before switching lanes again. "Right." But he doesn't look like he fully believes me.

"You think you'll be able to handle your friend?" He changes the subject.

"Who, Aliyah? Of course! I told you, we're really good friends and she's the kind of person that loves gossiping anyway. It'll be a piece of cake."

He grunts. "Okay. Because to be honest, that's part of why I wanted you at the Blaze."

I don't know why hearing that makes me feel slightly sad, but it does. "The documentary?"

"Yeah. I mean you work in the media industry. You'd know about that stuff. People like Enji have the industry wrapped around their palms. When you told me he was cozying up to NNTV, I figured you'd be the person to handle all of that for me."

I nod. "So why haven't you asked me before today?" Come to think of it, he even sounded reluctant about agreeing.

"I don't know," He sighs. "Still not sure I want you mixed up with all of this."

I roll my eyes. "I'm not even a member, remember? I'm just getting information for you," I tease. "What's so dangerous about that?"

"That's what worries me," Dabi glances at me, his brows pulled together. "That's all you see it as."

"What am I supposed to see it as?"

"What it is," Dabi gets increasingly agitated, but he tries to keep himself calm. "I'm not sure you're taking this seriously enough, Rina. The closer you get to us, the more at risk you are. The more people that know you work for me, especially what kind of work," He looks dead serious. "The more danger you'll be in."

I roll my eyes. "But no one knows anything about you, Dabi. I've been here for a month and I'm only just finding out about all of this. And I'm sure there's much more I don't know. How would people outside of the League even find out?"

"Same way we find out shit about them. Lane's using his Todoroki connections to supply him with information and protection. They're good at what they do."

My mouth drops. "You mean the Todorokis know about you?"

"Well," Dabi's jaw hardens. "They think they do."

I wait for him to say more, but he leaves it at that. We ride the rest of the distance in silence.

Once we pull up in front of my apartment complex, I try to put a smile on my face.

"Thanks Dabi." I tell him as I unlock the door.

He nods without looking at me. "See you tomorrow."

Those words trigger me immediately and I let go of the handle.

"Don't say that."

Dabi looks confused.

"You said that yesterday and had no intention of seeing me." I cross my arms. "You broke your promise."

"Don't be dramatic, no one says that shit as a promise."

"See you tomorrow means I'll see you tomorrow," I tell him seriously. "Otherwise, just say goodbye or something else."

He leans his head forward against the steering wheel and sighs. "It's just a stupid phrase, you're overthinking it."

I frown.

"See you tomorrow," He gives up. But still, I don't leave.

"I mean it!" He says. "I. Will. See. You. Tomorrow. Good enough?"

I grin. "Mhm, thank you!" I lean over to give him a quick hug before I leave, and he immediately recoils, like my body was made of ice.

"Handsy, aren't you," He mutters, craning his neck to look at me, without getting too close.

I pull away.

"Always have to ruin the moment, don't you," I counter, slightly disappointed. I turn to open the door, and suddenly feel him pull me back in.

"How do you do that?" His voices comes out low and raspy.

I look into his eyes. "Do what?"

There's that frustration in his eyes again.

"Fucking making me feel bad about shit I'd never fucking feel bad about." He growls.

The way he says it makes me blush.

"Cut that shit out."

"Yes sir," I mumble.

He leans his head back.

Then, he hesitantly opens his arms.

I shake my head, pulling my purse over my shoulder again. "Not gonna force you to do something you don't want to do."

I open the door this time, and just as I'm about to step out of his car, he pulls my arm again - harder this time, and I fall back into the bend of his arm.

My heart is pounding faster. I shake my hair from my face to get a better look at Dabi in the dark.

"Why are you so much fucking work," He mutters, his face inches away from mine. I swallow.

He leans forward to hug me closer to his chest. The leather jacket feels surprisingly smooth against my cheek, and my hand finds the back of his seat to balance myself, careful of coming near his wound. He holds me to him for a few long breaths and I smile against his chest, knowing he can't see me right now.

When we pull away, I look at his face once more. But Dabi avoids my gaze.

"You don't have to play along with me," I tell him, a teasing smile on my lips. "I'll only expect more from you next time."

"See you tomorrow," He mumbles, still without facing me. His foot is on the brakes but he's already pulling the gear shift into Drive.

And then, just before I leave for good and with no time to think this through -

I press my lips on his cheek.

Dabi's eyes widen immediately and he looks at me in alarm. "What-"

"Bye Dabi!" I wave with a laugh as I hurry out of his car. I run to the door of my building, grateful for the dark to hide my red cheeks.

Dabi remains in front of the building for a moment, his head still turned my way in shock.

I close the door behind me but hurry to the window, peeking the corner of my head out just in time to catch him shaking his head and rubbing a tired hand across his eyes.

There's no way to describe the relief and warmth in my chest, when he eventually pulls out of his spot.

But just before he can drive off, I swear I feel him smirk at the window.

As if he can hear the adrenaline thrumming in my veins.

#dabi #touya todoroki #dabi x oc #dabi fanfic #dabi angst #dabi fic #dabi fluff #dabi x female reader #touya fluff #bnha fic #mha #bnha #league of villains #dabi is a todoroki #dabi is touya #touya x y/n #bnha touya #tw: mentions of blood

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r3b3lgrrrrrrrl · 5 years

Text

A LunaTic and her Gunn (Part 32)

"RIOT GRLS"

@lovemythsworld

@creatureofthen1ght-v3

Colson's slowly collecting his stuff. He has a show in NC on the 10th and then is fully on tour until July. Sighing he shoots Ashley a text asking about Luna. She lets him know that she's with her.

"At least she's safe." Even though he's sure Pete is probably right, he's still worried about what could have upset her. He notices the time. "Damn she runs fast." He thinks impressed as he finishes his joint.

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

Ashley sits at the kitchen table while Luna paces. "It's the fucking principal. He's basically holding my music hostage, with a fucking Top 40 Hit as the ransom. Its fucking ludicrous!! Like, what the fuck makes anyone think they can fucking own me!?" She shakes her head, knowing exactly what, a Fucking contract, as she looks around for her purse. "Fuck, I didn't even bring my bag. You got any bud?" She asks Ashley.

"Yup." Twisting her pen in her hand. "Sit." She directs Luna.

She does, continuing to vent to her best friend. "And this fucking Alabama shit is insane!! It's like we're taking 10 more steps back, every fucking day." She hits the pen a few times.

"So we do, what we do. Write a fucking Riot Grl song, like we talked about, only now we have a clear message. I know you like being small Loons, but we let it be a top 40 and use it to do something about Alabama. At least draw attention to it and figure out a way to help the girls there." She takes the pen from Luna and hits it herself. "Think about what you do for Flint. Just bigger and more exposed. Fuck, my fans love merch!! We can donate all those proceeds somewhere!!" Ashley can see the wheels turning in Luna's head.

"I can't fucking feature with you, he'll demand another 40, locking me into 2." She sighs.

"So, you feature me. If they wanna play red tape, with a Fucking WORD, we'll wrap them motherfuckers up in it. You said you have Monica going over your contract. Have her look into you featuring other artists."

Luna nods. Texting Monica right then. She also asks her to please look into possibly helping local Alabama organizations. Monica texts that she will, and that she already has her ear to the ground. Luna hits the pen again. She looks at Ashley. "I think we should change some things around. Write it from 2 points of view. An 'I and Us' kinda theme." She peers at Ashley. "Am I making sense?"

"Yup!" Says Ashley excited, pulling out the book they had wrote in the night before. "How about this?" She asks changing some lyrics 🎶We've been polite//But we're done with this trend//Of men thinking//They can tell us//What we can do//In our beds🎶

"Ohhhhh!!! That's fucking nasty, Ashh! I Fucking love it! I wanna change the Exs lyric to record executives..." She takes the pencil from Ashley. 🎶Keep the record executives//In check//In their basements//Their ideas are tired//Or worse//They're complacent//I have played nice//But will now be The Bully//We're tired and angry//Coming for The Hill//So scared//Is what you should be🎶 She shows Ashley.

"AHHHHHHH!!! LOOOOONS!! We're gonna be murking motherfuckers out here!!" Ashley screams, jumping up from the table after she reads it. She's dancing around singing it to a barking Jagger. "I'll be right back." She walks out of the room. Coming back in with her guitar. They finish reworking the lyrics, over their initial melody. Then they write the rest of the music. Using soft and hard drum ideas, guitar, keytar and a solid bass line dropping in and out. Ashley is playing guitar, while Luna bangs rhythms out on the table. They're working the hard/soft formula and wanna see if Colson and his band will back them.

"I'd trust Slim and Baze to produce it." Luna says confidently.

"Oh yeah, deff after the other night." Ashley agrees. After about an hour the girls sit back, satisfied.

"What should we call it?" Luna asks. Still sitting back, Ashley thinks for a minute. 🎶I'm no sweet dream but Imma hell of a night🎶 She looks at Luna intensely as she slides her arms across the table towards her. "Nightmare." She says with nod and wicked smile.

"Fuck yes." Luna agrees biting her lip, thinking hard. "We open to you reciting The Lords Prayer." Matching Ashley's wicked smile.

Ashley laughs. "I FUCKING love THAT!! This is going to be AMAZING!!"

"They're not gonna know what fucking hit 'em." Luna agrees, her wicked smile turning into an evil grin.

Ashley starts dancing around the kitchen again, singing. This time mimicking CCR 🎶There's a Bad Luna rising, I see trouble on the way🎶 Both girls laugh before Luna calls Colson. She needs to shower and change her shoulder's dressing. She's gross from anger-running and her shoulder is throbbing.

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

Colson is smoking a joint, working in the studio when Luna calls. She apologizes for running out. She was mad at her lable and AL and said she didn't wanna take it out on him.

He gets it, he'd looked it up, AL is a big deal. He asks her why she's mad at the lable.

She explains some douche bag is anticipating their record being a Top 40 Hit and how, because Luna's mainly low-key, he wants his own Top 40 from her before he'll release her rights to Bad Things.

They know that they have the music in their physical possession and can do what they want with it. They also know that without her lable's permission they can both be sued and the song legally blocked from the air. They both agree it's bullshit. Luna's already decided she's deff walking in June.

She then asks if he would mind backing her and Ashley on their record with his band? He laughs agreeing, asking if she wants to record today. She responds with a grateful yes please. They get off the phone agreeing her and Ashley will be over soon.

Luna calls Monica to get an update on the legalities and include her in the possible new ones with Ashley, Colson and his band. She tells Luna she can't find anything to get Luna out of her contract, that she does indeed have a feature for feature clause but that HER lable is responsible for all production, publicity and artist costs on her records. Before they disconnect, she reminds her that her contract is up next month.

"Oh, Imma ride the shit outttta of this." Luna happily schemes more artists into the project.

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

Before getting to Colson's, Luna places a handful of personal calls. If she wants to lay the track this evening and shoot the video tomorrow, she HAS to move quickly. Her friend Hannah has agreed to shoot the video. Her grandmother, Frannie, Paris, Billie and Lana are all free to show up. Luna asks them to spread the Riot Grl word, that she wants a BIG SHOT at 7P, bring, send, anyone and everyone they can. EXCEPT Joan, she tells her grandmother. She then shoots a mass text out to Cara, Lily, Nikki, Bella, Phem, Steph, Ri, Nix, Zoë and Ruby letting them know what her plan is, asking if they wanna be involved, esp in the BIG SHOT and to bring whomever. JUST NOT JOAN. Her phone is exploding as she drives with Ashley to Colson's. Everyone's in. They're equally pissed about AL and excited to be involved in the project. Most can fly in tonight, others tomorrow. Definitely before 7P. Luna responds with 😍🙏💃🎉

The thread still rolling through out the night with details and updates. Luna appreciating her friends.

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Ashley heads into the studio first, to recite The Lord's Prayer over Baze's eerie keytar. Luna's pleased with how sick they sound together.

Once they finish, EVERYONE piles into the studio, Luna and Ashley are side by side. Colson and AJ each have a guitar. Rook is on the drums, Baze still on the keytar. They need certain elements. Slim is outside the booth working the board. They had given it a couple dry runs and feel confident they can get it on one take. Luna kisses Colson, smiling at him. "Let's kill a Fucking nother one, Guys!!!" She shouts as they start.

Slim plays Ashley's voice over their headphones. As her voice ends and Baze's keytar continues, the band kicks in together fiercely as Ashley's vocals pound along with them. The room zaps to life.

🎶I!🎶Keep a record of their wreckage and their lies🎶We're startin' to weaponize our powerful minds🎶They talk shit but we won't take it this time🎶And they'll realize🎶

The band stops as Luna steps in alone, slowly coming in behind her vocals.

🎶I'm out for blood and it won't be sweet🎶Tired of having the rugs🎶Pulled from beneath our feet🎶Done trusting lies🎶Done trusting Men🎶Picking each other up🎶And putting ourselves🎶Back together again🎶

Luna's voice is strong but delicate as she glides over the lyrics with passion. She continues.

🎶We've stared in our mirrors🎶And punched it to shatters🎶Picked out our pieces🎶To have our own daggers🎶Society has us🎶Pinching our skin🎶With our own fingers🎶Wishing we could cut our parts off🎶With some scissors🎶

The room is buzzing as Ashley steps in harmonizing with Luna.

🎶They say🎶Come on Little Ladies give us a smile🎶No we ain't got nothing to smile about🎶

Ashley falls out as Luna continues into the mic with more anger in her voice. Rook's drums push hard.

🎶We've got nothing to smile for🎶I waited a while for🎶This moment to say🎶WE DON'T OWE YOU A GOD DAMN THING!🎶

The band crashes in after Luna, Ashley belting the first chorus again, nailing it.

🎶I!🎶Keep a record of their wreckage and their lies🎶We're startin' to weaponize our powerful minds🎶They talk shit but we won't take it this time🎶And they'll realize🎶

The band stops again, only Baze on keytar as Ashley softens her voice.

🎶That I'm no sweet dream🎶But I'm a hell of a night🎶No, I'm no sweet dream 🎶But I'm a hell of a night🎶

Luna and Ashley exchange excited looks as Ashley drops out so Luna can step in again with Baze, Rook rumbling behind her. She sings with fire.

🎶No, I won't smile🎶But I'll show you my teeth🎶And I might let you breathe🎶If you just let us be🎶We've been polite🎶But we're done with this trend🎶Of men thinking they can tell us🎶What we can do in our beds🎶Keep the record executives🎶In check in their basements🎶Their ideas are tired🎶Even worse, they're complacent🎶I have played nice🎶But will now be The Bully🎶We're tired and angry🎶Coming for The Hill🎶So scared is what you should be🎶

Luna snarls, grinning at Colson as she joins Ashley again for the second chorus. Colson plays his guitar flawlessly, dick getting hard as he watches Luna bounce around. The girls mock each other playfully as they sing together.

🎶They say🎶Come on Little Ladies give us a smile🎶No, we ain't got nothing to smile about🎶

Ashley drops back as Luna slams into the lyrics again.

🎶We've got nothing to smile for🎶I waited a while for🎶This moment to say🎶WE DON'T OWE YOU A GOD DAMN THING!!!🎶

The booth EXPLODES as Ashley and band come in harder than ever over the original chorus.

🎶I!🎶Keep a record of their wreckage and their lies🎶We're starting to weaponize our powerful minds🎶They talk shit but we won't take it this time🎶And they'll realize🎶

The band lightens as Luna and Ashley harmonize together again.

🎶Women like me🎶Can be real nightmares🎶Completely aware🎶But I'd rather be a real nightmare🎶Than die unaware🎶Yeah🎶Women like me🎶Can be real nightmares🎶Completely aware🎶But I'm glad to be🎶A real nightmare🎶So save us your prayers🎶

The band kicks in with Ashley again HARD for the final run of the main chorus. The booth going insane.

🎶I!🎶Keep a record of their wreckage and their lies🎶We're startin' to weaponize our powerful minds🎶They talk shit but we won't take it this time🎶And they'll realize🎶

The band fades from under her as Ashley leads them out over Baze's keytar.

🎶That I'm no sweet dream🎶But I'm a hell of a night🎶No, I'm no sweet dream 🎶But I'm a hell of a night🎶

Everyone is wide eyed with adrenaline. Slim comes over their head phones. "THAT was fucking SICK, Yo!" He tells them to their cheers. Luna and Ashley squeeze each other excitedly before Luna pulls back outta pain. They head into the studio for the playback.

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

Luna sits on Colson's lap, swigging a beer as they listen to the record. Everyone is pumped with excitement. Joints are flowing. The song is raw and fierce, exactly the way Luna and Ashley wanted it. She sends the raw cut through the mass text.

"You were fucking sexy as hell in there, Kitten. Imma fuck the shit outta you later." Colson whispers into Luna's ear.

She giggles, thanking him for his help before kissing him deeply. Then she turns to the room "By the way guys all of tonight, and today Ash, are billable to Charles Fucking Ward at Riot Records!!" She announces lifting her beer. They all laugh and cheers.

After a bit, everyone heads upstaris to unwind and get fucked up by the pool.

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

Finally alone upstairs. Luna pulls the red dress she has on, off over her head. Colson comes up behind her, moving her long blonde hair to kiss the back of her neck. Even exhausted he sets her on fire. She cranes her neck back, pulling his head to her, kissing him over her good shoulder. Their kisses are sloppy, wet and firm. Colson slides his hand into the waistband of her panties. Slipping his middle finger inside of her, swirling her clit with his thumb. Panting, she kisses him harder before pushing him away. She looks coyly over her right shoulder at him as she slides her panties off. Bending over his dresser, she wiggles her ass in the air at him.

"Ooohhh... Dirty Girl wants to play? He laughs, dropping his pants.

"Yes, please." She giggles with a smile.

"Mmmm." He bites her on the ass, making her jump. Then he grabs her by one hip, sliding himself slowly into her wet pussy.

"Bunnnnyyy....." Luna coos to the girth of his dick.

"You like that, Kitten?" He asks, pulling her hair, pumping into her hard.

She yelps. Moaning "Mhhhhmmm." As she bucks against him hard. Catching his eye in the mirror, she bites her lip. She gives him a devilish look as she begins slamming into him. "Who's dick is it?" She asks.

"Yours." He says, body flush from her pussy and stare.

Not breaking eye contact, she asks again feeling her body heat up as she fucks him. "Who's dick is it?"

"Yours." He says louder, breathing hard, gripping her hips as she fucks him. He's close as they continue to stare at each other in the mirror.

Bucking hard, just about to cum, she licks her bottom lip before biting it again. "WHO'S FUCKING DICK IS THIS!?" She demands one last time, daring him with her eyes.

They both cum as he yells out "YOURS!!!!!" before carefully falling on to her back.

"Your fucking right it is." She tells him. Still grinding against him. She's greedy with his cock.

"You're a crazy fucking bitch." He tells her, kissing her bare back, making her purr. It's an action they both cherish.

As they climb into bed she asks him if Casie can come to the video shoot tomorrow.

"I think it's gonna be really iconic, there's going to be a lot of strong, smart women involved. And, if it's ok with you and Emma, I think it would be an awesome experience for Cas. Especially for her to be included in the BIG SHOT. THAT would be fucking epic!" She grins getting excited.

He loves how she reacts to things but even more how she thinks of Casie. He checks the time.

"Lemme call Em now." He says reaching for his phone. "Hey..." He says when she picks up. "Nah, everything's cool. How are you and Cas?" "Cool." "So listen, I know it's last minute but Luna's shooting like a women's empowerment music video tomorrow and she was hoping to involve Cas..." Emma's talking. "Yeah, yeah... If you could fly her out, that'd be awesome." "Cool." "Thanks Em, see you tomorrow."

"AAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Luna squeals jumping on top of him, kissing him all over."This is gonna be SO fun!!!"

"I Fucking love you." He smiles, pulling back her into him for another orgasmic night cap.

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

After going to bed late and waking up SUPER early, before she even showers, Luna asks Colson for an Adderall. He looks at her a little crooked as he hands her a 30xr. She REALLY shocks the fuck out of him when she cracks the capsule and snorts it in one shot. "It's gonna be a long day." She one shoulder shrugs.

"I FUCKING love her." He thinks laughing to himself, as he kisses her on the head.

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

Colson goes with Luna in the morning to greet her grandmother. Luna introduces her to Colson, whom she embraces warmly as she invites him out to NY for dinner. He graciously accepts while blushing. Patti flew in with her dear friends Joni, Debbie, Annie and Susan. Luna is excited to see all of them. She had anticipated lots of touching and hugs so she popped 3 30s, ate a bag of CBD heavy edibles and smoked an extra joint to pick them up. Luna's grandmother still doesn't know she was shot and Luna's goal is to keep it that way.

Colson drops Luna and the women off at the abandoned building she had rented for the shoot. It's nice to have credit in the straight world. Luna's billing every fucking thing from tody to Charles Ward at Riot Records. Red tape, Motherfuckers.

Luna's grandmother and her friends tease her over how cute and sweet Colson is. He's grabbing them breakfast from The Griddle before going to get Casie from the airport.

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

It's a fun day of filming. Filled with excitement, empowerment, ideas, laughter, bonding and surprises.

Luna's friends begin to arrive at the location at different times, bringing other strong women with them. Everyone truly coming together like a family. Each woman being involved, blending in with the other cast and helping create different scenes that Ashley and Luna play out. The women change wardrobe multiple times from street fighting, punk clothes to sweet lingerie. And everything in between. Causing Pattie to notice Luna's injury. Luna promising to tell her grandmother about it later.

Casie is on set having a blast. Interacting with everyone while Luna keeps an eye on her. Colson had dropped her off, saying Hello to Pattie and kissing Luna deeply. Leaving before becoming overwhelmed by the overflowing estrogen. It's agreed Casie will only be in the BIG SHOT. Luna's grandmother finds the girl especially sweet with her quick wit. Making Pattie laugh many times throughout the day to Luna's delight.

Luna talks to Monica regarding Nightmare and Bad Things. Monica has drawn up and had Charles sign a contract confirming that once Luna releases Nightmare publicly, she will have full control over her rights to Bad Things.

They also touch base on AL, how there are still 3 functioning clinics. They're being funded by an organization named Yellowhammer. Luna tells Monica that she and Ash were thinking about printing out merchandise in promotion of the track. She asks her to start setting that in motion. Linking all proceeds to Yellowhammer. After agreeing, Monica then tells Luna she found a Dr who is looking for help. Luna asks her to set up a meeting. Thanking Monica as always, telling her to look for the link to their hardwork on Monday morning before they hang up.

Juuuuuust before 7P. A black Aston Martin pulls up. It's Beyoncé.

"Ohhhhhhh!!! FUUUCCCKK!!!!" Luna clasps her hands over her mouth laughing. "This is gonna cost them sooooooooooooo much money." She thinks happily.

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

After the BIG SHOT, they reshoot the opening sequence to include Beyoncé. Who had heard through Jay, who had heard through Nikki. Whom is Luna's dear, laughing friend, that she squeezes as hard as she can in gratitude with her wounded body. ----------------------------------------------

Once they wrap, hug and cheer. Luna reminds everyone to bill Charles Ward at Riot Records for their time. CAST AND CREW!! That she'll send them all the link Sunday night and to please drop it promptly Monday morning at 7A with #nightmare. Everyone agrees, excited to see and share their finished project. Colson pops in for a drink and to congratulate and kiss her. Then he takes Cas home for bed, both promising to see each other later. The cast and crew continue to celebrate their victory late into the night.

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

Luna puts her grandmother into an uber with her friends back to their hotel. Promising each other to text when the other arrives to their final destination. Before kissing goodbye, Luna thanks the ladies for their help, to their smiling, excited pleasure.

Benny picks up Luna and Ashley from the set. Colson is at her house with Dom. The girls say goodbye, being happy-exhausted as Ashley sends Colson out to the Rover.

He slides in tipsy. Kissing all over Luna. Her neck, her mouth. Zapping her back to life with the elecrity from the day still bubbling inside of her. She climbs on top of him as Benny knowingly puts the partition up and turns up the music. Kissing him hard and wet, she unbuckles his pants exposing his huge, hard cock. "Mmm...Someone missed me." She murmers in his ear as she slides her panties over and him slowly inside. He groans, kissing her all over as she shifts and adjusts him inside of her. His mouth makes her body tingle. Once comfortable, there is no slow with them. Luna rides Colson hard, bucking against him, while holding on to his shoulders. Digging her nails into his skin. He holds her steady by the hips as she continues driving him deep inside of her. Fast, hard, fierce.

Pulling his head back by his hair he moans "Kiiittteeeennn...."

"Do it Bunny." She demands, bucking harder against him. Making them both explode.

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

Sunday night Luna schedules emails with links to the finished track to be sent to every major radio station across America at 7A. She schedules the upload to her YouTube channel and Twitter page. She then sends the link to any and everyone who participated, reminding them to drop the link at 7A with #nightmare. Followed by many thank yous and tons of love.

Monday morning at 7A Charles gets a text from Luna. It's a link to her YouTube channel. He clicks on the link. It's a video entitled Nightmare. The video opens to a mugshot of Luna. Followed by different flashing scenes before landing onto a fishnet and leather clad lineup of That Brooklyn Bitch, Rihanna, Halsey, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Nikki Minaj. It holds for a second before the hard, catchy, pop punk song kicks in loudly. Featuring clips of Luna, Halsey and the other famous faces embodying various personas, from punk rockers to dominatrixes to pin-up models to housewives to businesswomen. Including an all women fight club scene, little girls in front of a school bus and women rioting. Showcasing how multifaceted women are. It holds on a frame of her grandmother Pattie Smith, Joni Mitchell, Annie Lennox, Debbie Harry, Lita Ford and Siouxsie Sioux together. All in leather. Mean mugging the camera. Then flows into the BIG SHOT. A group of women marching, towards the camera. A little girl is leading the pack, holding a sign that says "We WON'T Smile". Others are holding banners and signs saying "We Support The Women of Alabama" and "Not Your Bitch". As the group gets closer to the camera, Charles is recognizing all of the women. Luna, Halsey, Ruby Rose, Lily Depp, Cara Delevingne, Pattie Smith, Annie Lennox, Joni Mitchell, Debbie Harry, Siouxsie Sioux, Lita Ford, Frances Bean, Paris Jackson, Billie Lourd, Emma Roberts, Zoë Kravitz, SZA, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Nicole Richie, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Bella Thorn, Lana Del Rey, Phem, Nikki Minaj all mixed together. It ends abruptly after mugshots of each of the 26 famous women flash across the screen. It's goes black before a link to the Yellowhammer Foundation pops up. Charles is speechless. It's cinematic history and pop gold.

"FUCK, SHE'S A FUCKING GENIUS. ONE WHO JUST COST ME A FUCK TON OF FUCKING MONEY!!"

Thinking of the cameos.

Just as another text from Luna comes in.

It says: "There's your Top 40 Motherfucker. Hope you enjoyed it 📃🎥💸💸💸💅"

He can't help but be impressed by her conniving cuntlyness.

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

To be continued......

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captainkippen · 5 years

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Cyrus and TJ's relationship can be described as ‘almost-something-not-quite-there-yet” and has been at that stage for a rather frustrating six months. He's not sure why it's taking them so long to do about it, but Cyrus is certain that TJ must have also acknowledged the tension between them because there have been a few near misses so far where he's thought 'this is iT, he's going to tell me how it feels’ only for TJ to break off what he was saying and turn it into some unrelated ramble. Thanks to this, it's becoming more and more common for him to feel like he's about to tear his hair out when the two of them spend time together. He doesn't want to push TJ to do or say anything he's not ready to do or say, but Cyrus figures it's time to take matters into his own hands or they might actually be stuck at this glacial pace of romance for the next fifty years. He doesn't think he can take fifty years of longing looks and heartfelt texts that lead to nothing. He'll go insane.

The opportunity to make a move arises when Bex and Bowie finally settle on the date of their wedding. At first there's a little hesitation, the engagement has been called off and called back on more than once now and they're all starting to wonder if they'll actually ever do it, but when it's only about a month away Cyrus figures they're finally safe from any drama and starts concocting a plan.

“I need to book dance lessons,” he says offhandedly when they're all lazing around Buffy's house one day. He's sprawled dramatically across one of the couches with his feet up on TJ's lap and a bowl of popcorn on his chest. It's a movie day but the horror flick they're watching is so terrible that nobody's been paying attention for the last forty five minutes. “For the wedding. There's going to be waltzing, right? I don't know how to waltz. Andi, do you know where Bowie's getting his?”

Andi eyes him suspiciously. She's well aware that Cyrus knows how to waltz. He had taught her to waltz when they were twelve. His mom had made him have lessons as a kid. Cyrus is fantastic at waltzing, even if he does say so himself. However, TJ doesn't know that. He gives her a look that says 'play along I'm begging you've and she sighs.

“At the dance studio on second street, I think,” she says. He's so blessed to have such good friends. “Bex knows one of the girls that runs it so she's giving him a discount.”

“You don't know how to waltz?” TJ asks curiously, perfectly on cue. “Don't you do dance for your P.E classes?”

Cyrus shrugs. “It's not ballroom.”

The thing is, he's concocted the perfect plan. TJ doesn't know Cyrus knows how to waltz, but Cyrus knows that TJ does. TJ had surprised them all with this knowledge a few weeks ago at a school dance. Jonah wanted to impress a girl he liked, TJ offered to show him how to dance and everyone got their happily ever after. Except Cyrus. TJ had not waltzed with Cyrus. He's still a little bitter about it.

“I could teach you,” he offers. “Save you the money.”

“Really?” Cyrus says, grinning. “Awesome. Yeah, that would be great thanks.”

Cyrus mentally marks phase one of mission ‘get TJ to admit his feelings’ a success.

TJ comes over on Saturday. Cyrus’ mom and stepdad have gone out to some barbeque with friends and won't be back until later so he's taking advantage of an empty house as much as he can. He makes sure to run to the store in the morning to grab some of TJ's favourite chips and soda (Baja blast Mountain Dew because what else do you expect from a teenage boy), and does a rush job at tidying up even though TJ has definitely seen the house in a much worse state than it is. He's been over during family events - he knows how wild they get. There's an odd nervous sensation thrumming in Cyrus’ veins. He has no reason to be on edge. It's just TJ. He tells himself this over and over, trying to calm down, but still jumps when he heard the front door opening and TJ yelling a greeting through the house. He's been letting himself in since they were fourteen now. It's a standard.

“I'm down here,” he yells back. They're going to be practicing in the basement so he's moved the ping-pong table out the way and set up the stereo so it's ready to go. TJ's socked feet thud down the stairs and he beams at him when he comes into view. He pulls Cyrus into a sideways hug and quickly releases him, making a beeline for the Mountain Dew. Cyrus rolls his eyes - typical.

“So how do you wanna do this?”

Cyrus shrugs. “You're the teacher.”

“You got music?”

He hands him to remote to the stereo. TJ fiddled with it for a moment before switching it on to a rhythmic rock beat with a grin. He puts it down, shrugs off his hoodie and walks towards Cyrus.

“You ready?” He pulls Cyrus towards him, positioning them both carefully.

“We're really just jumping into it, then?”

“Of course. I'm gonna lead and I'm gonna explain the steps as we go, okay? Try not to step on my feet.”

Cyrus does step on his feet, several times, quite deliberately. Each time it sets them both off in a bout of giggling and they have to pause for a moment. The afternoon continues in much the same vein, Cyrus pretending to be terrible and making TJ laugh and feeling like his whole world is complete everytime he catches TJ smiling softly at him. His heart thumps when their faces get close together and he hopes and prays that his palms aren't too sweaty where they're clasped in TJ's. It feels right, the two of them together like this.

There's a moment, when they're coming to the end of a song and slowing down where Cyrus thinks this might be it. TJ might say something. They're looking into one another's eyes, the world around them faded slightly, and he's holding his breath waiting for him to say anything. Then TJ coughs, ducks his head and pulls away, announcing they should take a break and get some lunch, and Cyrus kind of wants to scream in frustration. This plan is going to take longer than he expected.

As it turns out, the plans takes much longer than he expected. TJ gives him three more dance lessons before the wedding and nothing comes of them. It's the most irritated Cyrus has ever been with him, which he realises isn't technically fair because TJ isn't a mind reader and can't possibly know Cyrus is losing his grip on reality as a result of all these pent up emotions between them, but he can't help it.

The evening of the wedding is a beautiful one. It's being held in a large white tent in the park which is lit up with beautiful handmade lamps dotted around artfully, illuminating the flowers and chairs that have been set up for the ceremony. In the dark outside, fireflies flicker in and out of existence. The stars above them are almost unusually bright. It seems like there's a certain amount of magic in the air.

Cyrus may or may not cry during the vows. He and TJ sit together, knees pressed up against one another like always, the edges of their hands touching ever so gently stop them. He thinks he might have heard a sniffle or two from TJ as well, but he doesn't comment. TJ is sensitive about those kinds of things. Bex and Bowie are so obviously in love, they both nearly sob during their vows, and for a moment Cyrus envies them with everything he has. He wants that one day. To love somebody so much it consumes him, but it makes him happier and a better person in the process. He thinks about the boy sat next to him and how it feels like he's pretty close to that already.

In typical Mack fashion, they throw a stellar party for the reception. There's a live swing band and a lot of loud laughter. Champagne flows freely and a disco ball that he suspects was Andi's idea glitters above the makeshift dance floor. Cyrus watches in amusement as the guests get drinker, the dancing gets worse and the jokes get dirtier. Everyone's having such a good time. When the first waltz comes on, he catches TJ's eyes across the room.

It seems like time stops as he walks towards him. TJ meets him in the middle with a wide smile and pulls them both on to the dance floor, taking Cyrus’ hand and placing his own on his waist. Cyrus forgets all about pretending to be terrible but TJ doesn't seem surprised in the slightest.

“I knew you were faking,” he laughs.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Cyrus says, but he can't hold back his own smile. “... How'd you figure it out?”

He rolls his eyes. “I know you better than anyone, Cy. You're my best friend. You think I don't know you can dance? Your mom's shown me the pictures of your ballroom classes before. I'm not totally stupid.”

Cyrus prevents himself from saying 'that's debatable’ but it's a close call. TJ seems to read his mind and laughs anyway.

“I don't get why you needed to pretend, though,” he says. “You don't need to come up with excuses to hang out with me. You could tell me we're going to go sit in a field in silence for four hours and I'd still come because you'd be there.”

Cyrus sighs. “I know… it's just. I don't know. It's stupid, never mind.”

“No, what is it? Tell me.”

“I think…” he takes a deep breath. “You say you're my best friend, and that's true, but I also think you're more than that. And you have been for a really long time.”

TJ just keeps looking at him, saying nothing. Cyrus continues.

“Maybe it's just me that feels that way… but I don't think it is. I was hoping maybe if we got some one on one time doing something romantic maybe… maybe you'd say something?”.

“You pretended you couldn't dance because you wanted me to admit I have feelings for you?”

“Yes.”

“Well, obviously I do. Even Jonah knows that. Why didn't you just ask?”

Cyrus gapes at him. He can't believe it was that easy. TJ hadn't even hesitated to admit it. “... I didn't think of that.”

“You know, for the smartest guy I've ever met, you're kind of dumb,” TJ says with a fond look. “You could've told me how you felt too.”

“Oh… hush,” Cyrus says. “Stop smirking it's not funny.”

“It's pretty funny,” TJ grins. Cyrus pushes himself up on to his tiptoes to reach him, and just to wipe the amused smile from his face he presses a gentle kiss to his lips.

TJ makes him want to tear his hair out sometimes, but it's in the best way possible.

#tyrus #cyrus goodman #tj kippen #andi mack #my writing

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musicatheart12 · 5 years

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A Chat with a Bassist: Natalie Kim from Old Joy

Old Joy is an indie/alternative rock band that released their debut album on September 7th, 2018. They come from the underground New Brunswick scene and have played many basement shows around the area, with their most recent performance being for a student-run charity club at Rutgers University. This week, I got the chance to interview Old Joy's bassist, Natalie Kim, also a student at Rutgers University.

The interview:

What kind of music do you guys play? How do you, as a band, characterize it?

It's kind of under the umbrella of Alt Rock and Indie just because we're in the local New Brunswick scene. So it's kind of like Indie, DIY kind of music.

How did the band get together?

So my two bandmates who started the band started it before I got to Rutgers. When I came here as a freshman, I met one of them, Phil, and he told me they were looking for a bassist so they kind of adopted me. And then we had no drummer, so we had to go out looking for a drummer. So yeah it started with those two people. The other two of us kind of made our way in.

How long has the band been together?

I joined at the very end of summer before freshman year, and back then we had a like a different drummer like every month.

That's interesting.

Yeah, it was kind of weird since I play bass. Bass and drum really have to work with each other so I would change what I played for like every person. It was kind of rocky to start with, but we found someone about 3 months in, who ended up staying for the rest of the next summer. So when we all decided we were in it for the long run, that's when we recorded our first album.

Wow, that's very cool. Yeah, but he decided to go back to school, so literally the day of our release party, we got a new drummer.

Oh wow! Fun fact, drummers are like the hardest people to find because if you're going to be a drummer, you have to be good because everyone can hear you. There was a really big shortage of drummers, and this is a problem that every band has.

I didn't know that.

So in this current state, we've been together about 2 months.

So even though the current band is fairly new, are you guys still playing songs from the first album?

Our new drummer, he didn't make his parts, he had to learn it. But obviously, from now on, it's going to be him.

Are you guys going to make any new music?

We've started making some new stuff, but we're probably going to record, I don't know, not for a while.

That makes sense.

Maybe sometime next year. But it's also a lot different, because the two members that started the band found me after everything was already written so like, in this case, it's everyone. It's more democratic in the way we're making music. It's like everyone is developing it together, rather than it being the work of two people.

So, I know you're a full-time student. It must be difficult to find time to practice.

It's f***ing hard. The good thing with my band is, they're really good at planning ahead. We'll set up a date for a rehearsal a week or two weeks in advance, I'm so grateful. The worst is definitely when we're recording an album. It was so hard last winter. I'd have to go down to the recording studio like twice a week, and it's like an hour away, so like what I ended up doing is bringing my homework and doing it in a dark lit basement. It was hard work, but it definitely paid off because now it's just basement shows and events, which are just a weekend sort of thing. Sticking it through recording was definitely a good idea.

Were you taught music/playing or writing? Are you self-taught?

Kind of, so like, I think I developed an ear for music growing up from piano lessons as a kid. Even though that only went up until like fifth grade, that's what taught me how to read music. And then through middle school, I played French horn, I played flute. And when I got into high school, that’s when I picked up bass and I really should've taken lessons then. I regret not taking lessons when I had the time to when I was like 14. I kind of just learned bass by ear. And the internet's fantastic.

I have other questions, but I'm trying to think of a question based on what you just said.

I mean I can keep talking if you want.

Yeah, go for it if you want!

I mean, here's the thing about bass, so like I've had my friends ask me to teach them before. A lot of people have this conception that "oh I have to start the same way I learned piano" with all the scales and fundamentals, but I think for bass it's heavy on intuition. Of course, you'll be a better musician if you know all the techniques and fundamentals but like you cannot be a bassist if you do not have some kind of musical intuition. Like over the first year I picked it up, by the end of the year, I listened to music differently. I never noticed bass parts before I started playing. And then once it like really clicks you start to listen for it, and that eventually grows into the intuition. Especially playing in a band versus an orchestra. I play in an orchestra every year, and it's much more technical. Playing in the underground music scene, its more about what sounds good, what works versus what doesn’t work.

So it's more about understanding the vibe?

Yeah, kind of. It's like what people say about writing, how you can't be a good writer unless you read a lot, it's the same way. You have to listen to a lot of music to be able to play well.

Do you guys ever spend time experimenting with different kinds of music, or do you stick to the same kind of genre?

Right now, most of our rehearsals are geared toward preparing for shows. But in terms of being experimental, I'd say there are 2 parts to that. Number one, there's a lot of cover songs. We'll just like jam sometimes and go off of each other and play whatever. But also we're like trying to be different for our second album… now that we're trying to follow up to our first album, we're trying to be more advanced in terms of adding more atmospheric sounds and big picture stuff. We're going to add some synth, maybe some more keyboard stuff. I think like in terms of experimenting, I'd like to do it more, but we're not going in the wrong direction.

I know Old Joy plays a lot of basement shows. What other kinds of gigs do you guys play?

Just last Friday we performed at the student center for the Seeing Eye club, I forget exactly what the event was called. Yeah so we did that, it was a fundraiser. And in a month we're going to be doing Overnight Sensations which is like a program run by WRSU, which is a Rutgers radio station. So every week they have bands come late at night. We've also done a lot of other charity shows.

And as far as setlist goes, do you have a specific order you play in?

Our album is 7, 8 songs. There are some songs that we all love, and some that we all don't want to play. So we'll play 4 to 5 songs and we'll do like one cover.

So it's short.

Yeah, it's usually like a half hour set. Also a lot of these songs, we recorded them in the winter so almost a year ago. Now that we're more mature musicians it's kind of like, I wish we recorded this differently or played this differently.

Do you guys tease new music in your shows?

Yeah we played a new song at our last show, which was last Friday… but yeah definitely.

Do you need to think about the audience, or do you just do you (as a band)?

It depends. We don't have very many songs yet, so there's a skeleton that we have to follow. It's usually the cover that we'll very. And then the other thing we'll mix up is the order. Sometimes it’s the energetic songs first if everyone seems dead. The hardest part is definitely when everyone's like "one more song!" and we don't have any more song.

What's your response to that? Do you guys play a song from the album that you wouldn't normally play?

We'll play another cover song, we have stuff that we kind of keep in the back in case we need it. But I wish we had more stuff.

How does recording working?

So basically what happens is, first everyone plays, to get a scratch track for timing purposes. Then everyone will go in on their own and we'll put it into the computer and do it as many times as it takes to get it right. It can take forever sometimes. And so the way we did this album was each time we went down there, we'd record one song. It took a while, but it turned out ok. The recording was less than half. The rest of the time was just mixing and then sending it out to get it mastered. Honestly, I'm not a fan of recording because sometimes I can get really perfectionistic. That’s why I really like playing basement shows. I don’t think I've ever played the same song the same way twice. Like this kind of goes back to the experimental thing. Thank god we play live shows because that's where you get to be creative as a musician.

How did you guys come up with the order of the album?

It's weird, I don’t think we discussed the whys of it. We all kind of came to a consensus. It might be a little bit subconscious, and it kind of goes back to the intuition of it. There might be some legitimate reason to it, like songs being in the same key. From what I can observe, I think the biggest things are tempo and mood. As an Alt rock, indie almost emo band, there are energetic happy songs like typical Alt Rock songs, but there are also songs that are really emotional. Like we have this one song "Rover Shore". Watching Phil do the vocals for that was literally spiritual. Like I've never seen anyone put so much emotion into one song. So obviously you wouldn't put that first. We put that sort of in the middle near the end. We never discussed the explicit details, it just flows somehow.

Yeah, it just feels right.

Do you guys plan on making music videos?

We filmed a music video last year, but because we switched drummers, we had to scratch all of that. I really wanted to because one of the girls in the band is a film major. It's definitely possible, the only issue is we all have no time. 3 of us are students, and one graduated but he has a full-time job. Yeah, the biggest issue is definitely time. I understand why some bands buy a house and live together like it definitely makes sense.

Do you have any other interesting stories? Anything cool!

The most exciting moment of being in this band was this Friday. We were at a house for a show and me and my bandmate we were just walking from one side of the room to the other, and we heard a group of people talking and they said Old Joy. It was the coolest thing 'cause it was like people actually know us. That was so exciting even though it was such a small thing because people actually recognize us. Like last week someone was at work and they said some of our music was on the radio. It was really cool!

What's weird is that the style of music that we play is not my style.

So what is your style?

I've never really gotten into indie music, but I figured I'd try it out. When I play on my own, I play a lot of Jazz and Funk. So this is very very very different. And this type of music isn't what I listen to but it's so interesting because the number of things you can do on bass is infinite. I do appreciate it, it's definitely grown on me. Before, all indie music sounded the same. Like to the average person, all classical music sounded the same. It's cool that I've learned so much through this.

Does it make it hard, not having listened to indie music beforehand?

When I first started, I didn’t really know what I was doing. I was sticking to the root notes, keeping time. Super simple. By the time recording rolled around, I got the hang of it enough to create my own tracks, but looking back on it now, I would do things 100% differently.

Natalie Kim is a talented young artist making her way through with her bandmates. With the first album already out, and another in the works, Old Joy is already paving their path into music. It's cool to see the beginning of a band that is transforming into something bigger, especially coming out of a local music scene.

Check out some of their songs:

#old joy #new brunswick #college #local music #indie #alternative rock #alt rock

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