lie

[phoenixhardy]

𝔞𝔰𝔭𝔢𝔫

she walked along with phoenix away from the coffee tent and over toward the parking lot where all their tour buses were. “that makes sense. it sounds right.” aspen shrugged, glancing up at the sky appreciatively, losing herself in it for a moment. she loved doing outdoor festivals, they were much more relaxing, and the opportunity to be out in the sun was an added bonus. she just had to ensure that she put on enough sunblock to prevent getting burnt. “so what are you doing today?” aspen asked after a moment just to keep the conversation going.

phoenix laughed softly as she agreed with the words he had spoke, her support making him feel a little less stupid because he hadn’t thought through what he had said at all when he shared that piece of advice that he had stolen straight from some of his friends. he walked along in what he felt was comfortable silence until she spoke up again, asking him that friendly question. “honestly i’ve got nothing on my schedule today. that’s why i partied so hard last night - because i knew i’d have the whole next day to recover.” he chuckled. “so it’s not a very interesting day today, but honestly those days can be the best kinds of days on tour amongst all of the hectic things going on.” he shrugged before sipping at his drink. “what about you, though?” 

[phoenixhardy]

𝔟𝔞𝔦𝔩𝔢𝔶

“no, it’s okay. i appreciate you being all protective over me,” bailey teased him, rubbing at the back of their neck. truth be told, this was one of the most genuine conversations they’d had thus far and they appreciated phoenix and his candor. as he confessed that he’d never stayed in ohio longer than he needed to, they couldn’t help but laugh. “that was a good choice. but you should check out the rock’n’roll hall of fame though. it is the one good thing in cleveland. besides me, obviously.” they rolled their eyes, grinning when he said that he was from australia. “well, yeah. hard not to notice the accent. don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but australian accents are my favorite. everyone always falls all over the british accent but you guys? yours are the best. i can’t even try to imitate it,” they sighed as if that was the world’s biggest disappointment. bailey wondered if he’d teach them some aussie slang if they asked. chewing on their lower lip, they nodded. “makes sense. i feel like nearly every celebrity lives in cali. like the celebrity to normal person ratio has to be insane.”

phoenix smiled as they reassured him that everything was okay with the way he had gotten defensive. for a moment he had been worried that he had gotten weird over the topic, but his explanation seemed to have made sense to the other person as they teased him in that friendly manner. laughing softly as they listed themself as the number one thing in ohio, phoenix nodded his head as if they were sharing absolute facts. “oh of course, i see your name in all of the ohio tourist brochures. you’re definitely the best thing there, everyone knows it, and i believe it.” he winked to silently say that he was just joking around, but straight after he also gave them a friendly smile, wanting them to know that he still thought they were a very good part of that state. “for real though, the rock’n’roll hall of fame sounds sick, i need to go check it out for sure.” he nodded his head. “oh come on.” he started, shaking his head as he laughed. “the australian accent so isn’t the best. you’re right with how no one can mimic it, but that’s because it’s fucking stupid.” he was clearly passionate about the subject, having a well established opinion on the matter. “everyone always tells me how much they love it, but we’re literally just a lazy british accent. that’s the truth.” he shrugged his shoulders. “new zealand accents are way better than the australian one. i’ll forever be upset over the fact that my parents decided to live in australia rather than new zealand, where my mum is from.” he explained briefly.

[phoenixhardy]

𝔟𝔞𝔦𝔩𝔢𝔶

bailey hummed in agreement, the universal struggle between sleep & other important things like breakfast something that they related to. they didn’t mind that the other artists hadn’t asked them much about their life. they knew that they weren’t nearly as interesting as everyone else, and that was okay with them. “no, no. not at all. i mean that hasn’t been my experience. people have been super welcoming. well, almost everyone. and i never felt like looked down on. i just meant no one’s really asked me much about my life. which is fine.” they shrugged, a bit shocked that he had reacted so strongly. it was nice of him to be defensive for her but it was unnecessary. “oh, i didn’t realize you guys formed in high school. that’s really awesome. everybody i went to school with were dicks, not that i can play an instrument anyway but i definitely wouldn’t have formed a band with them.” they rolled their eyes at the memory of their classmates and how they’d treated them, especially when they had first come out, much younger than most who came out later & were subsequently accepted by their peers. “have you spent much time in ohio? that’s where i’m from. cleveland, specifically.”

phoenix was always being accused of being that kind of celebrity, the kind that were snobby and ungrateful and terrible towards anyone not in the public eye, but he really wasn’t like that. sure, he had always been wealthy even before fame, and yes he did enjoy the perks that came with that, but he was still far from being one of those awful people. that was why he couldn’t help but to automatically assume people were being like that towards bailey. “i’m glad to hear they’re not being like that. sorry for getting all worried, i just hate those kinds of celebrities.” he shook his head a little. “oh don’t get me wrong, my band mates were also complete dicks.” he chuckled, half joking - and wanting it to seem like a joke - but also being serious at the same time. high school was rough; isn’t it for everybody? “ohio? no, not really. i’ve played plenty of shows there, i know that, but i never really stayed there for longer than i needed to.” he explained. “i’m from sydney, australia- well, obviously from australia because no one else talks like us.” he shook his head and laughed at himself. “so yeah, if i have free time i try to get back there. but i’m mainly based in la, that’s where i write and record and stuff.”

[phoenixhardy]

𝔞𝔰𝔭𝔢𝔫

“well, that’s all that matters then. if you feel like your needs are met.” aspen shrugged, not wanting to stay on the topic too long. she didn’t want phoenix to think she was shaming him for his different view on relationships. everyone here had their differences, and this was no different than that. she had learned a lot already about many of the musicians here, and was grateful they felt comfortable enough opening up to her. “oh. yeah, no, that makes sense.” she agreed in response to his comment about modeling relationships. if they hadn’t grown up around positive partnerships, it made sense that he wouldn’t seek them out. she was no psychologist or anything but that seemed logical. “i am happy, even if i don’t have a relationship right now. but it would be nice. i’ve met some really great people here, so i’m not ruling that out as a possibility.”

phoenix had always been relatively open about the way he lived his life, no matter what reaction he got. of course, with that being said, he definitely preferred supportive or more positive reactions, so hearing aspen’s reassuring words made him smile a little. he nodded his head with that same smile on his face as she responded to what he had said, and as they kept walking phoenix kept sipping his coffee, slowly feeling less hungover and more awake as he did so. “i’m glad you’re happy either way. those kinds of people are the kinds that do best in a relationship when the opportunity presents itself.” he laughed quietly to himself. “that could just be bullshit, though. i have no idea, it’s literally just something my friend told me once.” 

[fresh-hot-rp-memes]

☆♬○♩●♪✧Fleetwood Mac Starters☆♬○♩●♪✧

Change pronouns as needed

“It all comes down to you.”

“I’ve been afraid of changing because I’ve built my life around you.”

“Time makes you bolder.”

“I’m getting older.”

“Did she make you cry? Make you break down? Shatter your illusions of love?”

“Rock on gold dust woman.”

“Is it over now?”

“Do you know how to pick up the pieces and go home?”

“Rulers make bad lovers.”

“She’s a lot like you.”

“Tell me sweet little lies.”

“You make loving fun.”

“Won’t you lay me down in the tall grass and let me do my stuff?”

“I’m just second-hand news.”

“Was it worth it?”

“You won’t forget me.”

“I know I could have loved you but you would not let me.”

“I will follow you down until the sound of my voice will haunt you.”

“You will never get away from the sound of the woman that loved you.”

“Who am I to keep you down?”

“Players only love you when they’re playing.”

“Have you any dreams you’d like to sell?”

“I keep my visions to myself.”

“The heartbeat drives you mad in the stillness of remembering what you had, and what you lost.”

“Go your own way.”

“Wouldn’t you love to love her?”

“Damn your love, damn your lies.”

“Damn the dark, damn the light.”

“I can still hear you saying you would never break the chain.”

[phoenixhardy]

𝔞𝔰𝔭𝔢𝔫

“you never do? the relationship stuff i mean. you just…don’t have relationships with people? that sounds lonely.” aspen admitted, though she knew that was her opinion. perhaps he didn’t feel lonely simply hooking up with people. but not having someone in her life consistently was something she couldn’t deal with. when she was with someone, she was with them. it was clear she and phoenix were very different people. and that was okay. “as long as you’re happy. that’s all i care about.” it wasn’t her business, clearly and she didn’t really know him, but she wanted everyone to be happy. “thanks. i am looking for something, yeah. something meaningful. someone who makes me smile so much my face hurts, who i can be myself around. so here’s hoping i find it. whether here or somewhere else.” she could drink to that, but she didn’t have a drink in hand to do so.

phoenix shook his head, thinking about it for the first time in a while. “i mean, i’m always with my band mates, so it doesn’t ever feel lonely. they give me that companionship that you’d find in a proper relationship, and then i’m fortunate enough to also be comfortable with casually hooking up with people, so those needs are met too.” he was perfectly fine with sharing this part of his life with the woman, trusting her without a doubt. “and if there’s more to a relationship that people think i’m missing, i wouldn't even know about it. i’ve never been in one, so i don’t know what i’m missing, i guess. and it’s not like i’ve had many good relationships around me to learn from - if that makes sense.” he shrugged his shoulders, drinking more of his coffee. “thank you, i really appreciate it.” and he did, he really did appreciate that aspen wanted him to be happy. “that sounds really lovely, i hope you do find that person. you deserve to be happy, and if someone like that in your life helps, i’m all for it.”

[phoenixhardy]

𝔟𝔞𝔦𝔩𝔢𝔶

“food…sleep…how can anyone choose?” it was only their two favorite things in the world. bailey didn’t always get up super early, but they were always careful to eat breakfast or some kind of food within an hour or so of waking. it was important. “no, you’re allowed. no one’s asked is all.” they were flattered that phoenix gave a shit at all. smiling back at him, they nodded. “who wants to sit still at a desk all day and listen to a person talk? i’m a more physical learner, you know? school wasn’t made for people like us.” shrugging, they crossed their arms to their chest as they thought about what school had been like for them. bailey saw it more as an opportunity to socialize than anything. in that sense, tour was a lot like school. they loved being with other people all the time.

phoenix laughed, nodding his head. “it is a difficult decision to make.” as an artist with a busy schedule, sleep and eating were sometimes hard to make time for, so both things were extremely valuable to the boy. “no one? typical fucking artists, man. i mean, don’t get me wrong, so many artists here are incredible. i think soundwave has been one of the nicest tours i’ve been a part of. but a lot of artists seem to only value time spent with other artists, as if people in other professions aren’t their equals.” he didn’t mean to ramble on and get so defensive, but when phoenix was hungover he was usually either in a bad mood or in the type of mood where he got way too passionate over anything. “oh i’m definitely a physical learner too, so school was terrible. the only good thing i got out of it was my band. as soon as we were a proper, established band i dropped out.” he chuckled, feeling rather relieved that he was able to not complete high school and still be able to support himself.

[phoenixhardy]

𝔞𝔰𝔭𝔢𝔫

“thanks.” she said, about more than just his words but for the drink. aspen enjoyed his presence, smiling as he graciously answered her question. it was a very personal question so she didn’t expect him to. she took a drink of her own order before she answered. “no. i don’t really.. do the hooking up thing. at least, i haven’t before. when i like someone, i want to get to know them before we sleep together.” it was true that she had a thing for someone, but she shouldn’t tell someone else. the more people she told the higher the risk it got out before she could tell them.  “sound guys? sounds like you wanna go higher on the rungs of the ladder. power to you. i hope you get the ones you have your eyes on.” she laughed. “you are pretty cute. so i’m sure you will.” aspen was more teasing than flirting, but she did have eyes.

phoenix nodded his head as he listened to her answer, knowing that a lot of people were like that - but then, at the same time, a lot of people were the complete opposite like him. “that’s totally fair, a lot of people prefer to do it that way and i respect that. i like to know that they’re good people and i need to have some sort of a chemistry but it never needs to be that deep. i don’t do the relationship stuff or anything.” he explained, not thinking that his way was better than hers - or vice versa  - as he knew everybody was different, with different needs too. “oh i really don’t mind what they do, it doesn't matter if they’re crew or artists. as long as we find each other attractive and have good chemistry like i said. but some of these bands and artists i’ve been into for a long time, so it would definitely be incredible to get with some of them.” he smiled at her compliment, taking a sip of his drink. “thank you. i hope you find whatever you’re looking for - if you’re looking for anything, that is.”

[phoenixhardy]

𝔟𝔞𝔦𝔩𝔢𝔶

“yes, sir.” bailey hummed, tempted to ruffle his already mussed hair. they didn’t really know him well enough to touch him though, it was too familiar, so they resisted the urge. “breakfast is the most important meal of the day!” they remarked loudly, as if the phrase would make breakfast just fall from the sky. “what? why do you care?” they laughed, having never heard such questions from anyone here before. no one seemed to give too shits about what they did for a living let alone where they used to work. “i went to school for a while. wasn’t my thing. i didn’t really know what i wanted to do. i love music, and the thought of being on tour was appealing. my mom was a bartender. this is my first bartending job, but i have been studying up. don’t tell anyone, i don’t wanna lose my cred.”

“oh but sleep is more important than breakfast, and so sleep always wins. when it can.” he thought about it a bit more, thinking about how he often had to get up early for press interviews or certain performances. “being in this line of work, sometimes i do have to get up in time for breakfast, and in those cases you’re right. when i wake up that early i need breakfast, or else i have no energy and it’s just the worst.” he rambled on a bit, not really having a filter while he was so hungover. “what do you mean? am i not allowed to be interested in what you do?” he laughed, a little surprised at their words for only a moment. after thinking about it, he supposed someone like bailey wouldn’t often have artists asking them about their work, considering some artists didn’t give the crew any attention at all. “oh don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.” he gave them a friendly smile, wanting to reassure them that he could be trusted. “i get that though, school was never my thing.”

[phoenixhardy]

𝔟𝔞𝔦𝔩𝔢𝔶

“yeah, but i’m a bartender, so i’ve got an eagle eye for these things.” bailey didn’t want him to think everybody could see it plain as day. though some people probably could. lucky for phoenix, he looked cute even rough, the whole rock star look suiting him. “everything is different on tour. even breakfast is different. i’m still getting used to it. this is new for me. my first soundwave tour. don’t get me wrong, i am loving it, but it is an adjustment.”

“oh are you? that makes sense then.” he felt a little better about how he looked now, although he was still keen to get some sunglasses to conceal as much of his face as possible. “not once on this tour have i woken up in time to justify having breakfast, so that isn’t any different for me.” he joked with a chuckle - although there was definitely truth behind the joke. “what kind of bartending work did you do before this? like did you work for a company that did other events? or just like, a specific bar?” he asked curiously, wondering how they had managed to get lucky enough to join the soundwave crew. “i mean, unless this is your first bartending job.” he added, thinking about it a little more.

[phoenixhardy]

𝔯𝔶𝔡𝔢𝔫

Ryden smirks as he laughs a bit”Okay okay fair enough but seriously,Phoenix am I better looking than Brad pitt. Be honest with me.” The male asked as she suggested his ass is what Ryden could eat”See,I would but I would rather have real food that will make me feel full and don’t even say your dick because I will kick you on the dick if you do.”

phoenix nodded his head, sure of his answer, not having to think about it twice. “you’re definitely more attractive than brad pitt. definitely. way more my type.” he answered honestly, not ashamed because he had been telling ryden how he felt about him since they were young. “damn, my dick was gonna be my next answer.” he laughed. “you know me too well, ry.” he winked, before thinking about his question genuinely. “we could just go check out all of the food tents? see what they’ve got.” 

[phoenixhardy]

𝔞𝔰𝔭𝔢𝔫

“i’m still figuring that out.” aspen agreed. it was something she was working on with a therapist, along with a whole host of other issues. on the road meant she didn’t have much time to meet with her but she managed to do it through video chat once a week or so. “yup, no problem.” she stood with her hands in her pockets as phoenix ordered his drink, not at all what she expected him to get. it was so frou frou, but she wasn’t going to tease him about it. he offered to get her a drink and she thanked him, requesting a vanilla bean latte. as the barista made their drinks, aspen turned to phoenix. “have you hooked up with anybody on tour? sorry. you don’t have to answer that. it just seems like a lot of people are..”

“i get that. i’m sure you’ll get there.” he smiled, truly believing that she could do it; of course, he didn't know her that well, but considering how kind she was to him, he believed she could work through it all because she deserved to. phoenix hated black coffee, or any kind of coffee that tasted too much like, well, coffee. he was a fan of sweet tasting things with too many calories to count, and even though he was constantly being teased by his bandmates for it, phoenix would never get something he didn’t want, and he’d always get what he thought tasted best - no matter what people said about it. he ordered her drink and paid, and thankfully it wasn’t long before they were both receiving their drinks, able to go on their way. he was surprised to be asked that specific question by the woman, but he never minded answering questions like that, so he shook his head with a smile as she apologised. “i’ve hooked up with a couple of our sound guys, but no artists. which is a real shame because i have my eyes on a couple of them.” he chuckled. “what about you?” 

[armydiaz]

Never Have I Ever...

[phoenixhardy]

𝔧𝔲𝔩𝔢𝔰  

“Alright Alright Alright! MY turn!” Jules said, probably a little too loudly. It was after midnight, and a handful of drunk musicians were crowded around a small bonfire, not yet ready to return to their buses to sleep. Jules was holding up eight fingers, having lost two of them so far during the game. He hated playing ‘Never Have I Ever’ because it always made him look lame, but tonight he was too warm and fuzzy to feel self conscious. He was laughing along with everybody as someone was revealed to have ‘peed their pants in public’, and then it circled to him.

“Never have I ever…” he said, nodding along, drawing out the suspense. He wiggled his eight fingers, debating if he should try and out someone at the expense of a finger of his own, or go full on virgin mode. The thought brought a grin to his lips, and so he added swiftly, “Kissed anyone I wasn’t related to.” It was a monster of a statement. It was sure to drop fingers on everyone playing, even if he had just revealed that he’d never had his first kiss. With anyone, boy or girl.

phoenix was more than happy to join any sort of social gathering while on tour, so it was not surprising in the slightest to find him drinking amongst this group of artists, sitting in front of the fire and laughing while playing the game made for teenagers. he was losing, by only one finger, with only two remaining. most of the people around him were teasing him for it, but phoenix wasn’t one to be ashamed of how he lived his life. in fact, he was often quite proud to share the experiences he had had in his life.

as the enthusiastic boy seated next to him so eagerly exclaimed that it was his turn to go, phoenix looked at him with a chuckle, feeling like he’d definitely be able to get a lot of them out; he didn’t seem to have shared the same experiences as the rest of them, which was clear as he had almost all of his fingers remaining up. even though phoenix had thought that, though, when the boy finally did take his turn the older boy's jaw dropped out of shock. 

he wasn’t the only one who was shocked at the news, but as he was fortunate enough to be sitting next to jules, phoenix was able to speak to him, repeating the question that everyone else had all just blurted out in one way or another, all at once. “you’ve really never kissed anyone?” he put one of his fingers down as he spoke, showing everyone that he had of course kissed somebody before - not that anyone else was paying attention, as all eyes fell on jules. “but you’re so damn attractive.” he chuckled, not being a very shy person at all, feeling comfortable enough to say these words in front of a whole crowd. “fuck, i’d kiss you in a heartbeat.”

[phoenixhardy]

𝔟𝔞𝔦𝔩𝔢𝔶

they nodded in understanding, having been there. they didn’t care much about what phoenix’s reputation was. sleeping around was kind of a rock star thing anyway. it was almost expected. “you have a wicked hangover, don’t you? i probably have some tylenol or whatever in my bag.” bailey rustled through their pin-covered messenger bag before triumphantly pulling out a half empty bottle. “well would you look at that. one would almost think i had my shit together. when you get your drink, you can take some. i’m sure there’s a place on the way.” 

phoenix gave them a little smile in response to the nod, liking that they didn’t seem phased. he really didn’t have a problem with the way he lived his life, and so he enjoyed friendships with people much more if they didn’t mind it either. “the worst,” he chuckled, nodding his - very sore - head. “is it that obvious?” he hadn’t looked at himself in the mirror before he emerged from his bus, and after hearing their words, he was sure that he was looking rough - especially without a pair of sunglasses to hide half of his face. “oh you’re an actual life saver, thank you.” he smiled, sighing a sigh of relief at the sight of the tylenol. “you’d think i’d be better at this whole hangover thing by now. but i don’t know, it’s just different on tour.”

[phoenixhardy]

𝔟𝔞𝔦𝔩𝔢𝔶

“why’d you say friend like that?” bailey queried with interest, chuckling as he looked around, eyes squinty and his face confused. with a sigh, they grabbed his hand. “we’re going to buy you some sunglasses. there has to be a vendor here who sells them. c’mon.”

phoenix laughed, holding his head a little as he did so due to the pain. “well they’re not really my friend, but i wanted to avoid calling them someone i just slept with.” he shrugged, not really caring too much to be sharing that piece of information - after all, he knew he had a reputation for sleeping around. “alright, alright.” he let out another chuckle, letting the stranger lead him away from his bus. “as long as you let me stop and get coffee on the way - if we pass somewhere that sells it.” 

[phoenixhardy]

𝔞𝔰𝔭𝔢𝔫

“if you get to know me, you will,” aspen offered with her own, gentle but hesitant smile. she knew she was different than a lot of people here, and sometimes that made her feel insecure. she was trying to care less about what people thought, but that was hard. “oh. yeah, that’s me. i just…i kind of tend to put everybody before myself, and sometimes that can get me in trouble.” she admitted with a chuckle, nodding when he said something about seeing her when she played next. aspen didn’t have the schedule memorized so she’d have to double check the schedule. he could do the same but he didn’t seem particularly with it at the moment. “anyway, if you couldn’t smell it, here’s the coffee.” she gestured, giving him time to order & obtain whatever he needed. aspen thought she should walk him back, since he seemed to have a bad sense of direction & she’d hate for him to get lost.

phoenix couldn't help but to feel slightly sad as he listened to the woman, thinking that it was very unfortunate, the way she immediately focused on those traits when the topic of conversation landed on her and her personality; phoenix could understand, though. “i bet it would get you into trouble sometimes. it’s really admirable, caring so much for others, but you really need to ensure that you value yourself as well, that you can find the balance of being caring towards others while also taking care of yourself.” he shrugged, suddenly wishing that he wasn’t so hungover so that his mind would come up with something better to say - not that he was that great at that when sober and feeling good, to be honest. “ahh, thank you so much.” he sighed a sigh of relief once they reached their destination, going up to order. after he ordered his own large caramel macchiato he turned to the woman, giving her a friendly smile. “want anything?” it was the least he could do, get her a drink or something to thank her for her help.

[phoenixhardy]

𝔟𝔞𝔦𝔩𝔢𝔶

“that’s why i’m wearing sunglasses,” bailey pointed out, smirking at the musician’s rumped look. his hair was a mess and he looked like he felt like total shit. hungover, probably. “nah, sorry. phone died. it’s charging in the bus. the coffee’s over at the coffee tent, just adjacent to the main stage. can’t miss it.” 

“yeah, my uh, friend stood on mine on their way out of the bus like ten minutes ago.” he shrugged his shoulders, not overly pleased at the moment because of the pain he felt in his head due to the brightness, but not phased when it came to the long term as he knew he could get more easily. “main stage, right, thank you.” he stood there a moment, looking around and squinting at the brightness. he knew he knew where the main stage was, it was just a matter of figuring out where his bus was in relation to it.