AS A WEIRD GIRL I LOVE THIS i still listen to mcr, panic, twenty one pilots, all the emo and metal bands and i think ryland could definitely be into some type of alternative music bcus of her HAHA
OH I'M GONNA YAP, HOLD ME!! you just know you both accidentally bring out the other person’s inner loser in the most soft way possiblee
because reader absolutely makes ryland reconnect with every embarrassing interest he tried to bury after high school. and vice versa, like i am CONVINCED he had a tiny emo phase that he pretends “wasn’t even that serious” that it started because he wanted to seem cooler SO bad!!
fourteen-year-old ryland grace discovering eyeliner and suddenly standing in front of the mirror like: “yeah. this changes everything.” except he was never actually intimidating. he was just some lanky teenager listening to sad music.
and the funniest part is that he genuinely thinks he hid this era well but one day you’re casually listening to music while driving or whatever and an old mcr song comes on and ryland reacts like a sleeper agent, like his head SNAPS towards the speaker!!
you’re staring at him in disbelief while this man who claimed he “wasn’t really into that stuff” is dramatically singing along under his breath??
and he tries to defend himself so hard too:
“everyone dressed like that back then!”
meanwhile you’re losing your mind because this is the greatest discovery of your entire relationship, especially because he gets all shy about it afterwards like he suddenly remembers he’s a grown man admitting he used to listen to angsty breakup songs.
and oh my godd the second you find pictures it’s OVER for him.
you’re crying laughing while holding his yearbook photo up next to his face saying “who IS this man?” and ryland’s physically trying to snatch the pictures away while turning red 😭😭
and the thing is… he absolutely encourages your nerdy interests too, so he really has no defense.
because the same man bullying you for explaining vocaloid lore is also sitting there listening attentively while you talk about tøp even though he’s clearly a little lost.
like he knows the older bands better, but when you start mentioning newer stuff he’s nodding along trying his best.
and i think secretly he loves seeing you get excited about things because it gives him permission to be excited too, like you both created this little judgment-free zone together where you can unapologetically care about “cringey” things without feeling embarrassed about it 😭💗