drunk karaoke night with zelly 🙏 i just know that man can sing
you don't realize olen can sing until you're three drinks deep, pressed against each other in the booth of a bar that smells like stale beer and bad decisions. the karaoke machine crackles as some guy butchers an 80s power ballad, and you nudge olen with your elbow, grinning.
"your turn."
he scoffs, swirling the last of his drink in the glass. "no chance."
"c'mon," you plead, tugging on his arm. "do it for me."
he gives you a look, one that's supposed to be unimpressed, but there's a twitch of a smile at the corner of his mouth. "you just wanna embarrass me."
"maybe," you admit, leaning in, voice warm with alcohol and affection. "or maybe i just wanna see what you got."
he sighs like you're the biggest inconvenience in the world, but a few minutes later, he's up there, microphone in hand, the opening chords of some old rock song filling the room. you're still laughing to yourself when he starts singing—
and then your jaw goes slack.
olen fucking sings.
not just decent, not just passable. he can SING. his voice is rich, a little raspy in the best way, sliding through the notes like he was born for it. heads turn. people at the bar pause their conversations. even the bartender, who looks like he's heard it all, raises an eyebrow.
but you—you just stare, completely blindsided, warmth unfurling in your chest like you’ve never seen him before. like maybe you haven’t been paying close enough attention.
when the song ends, the whole bar cheers, a few people whistling, someone yelling for an encore. olen looks almost embarrassed, running a hand through his dark hair as he makes his way back to you.
"so," he says, sliding into the booth. "happy now?"
"you've been holding out on me."
he smirks, leaning in close, voice low so only you can hear. "what else am i holding out on?"
heat flickers in your stomach, the kind that has nothing to do with the alcohol. you grab his collar, pulling him in until your noses brush, until you can feel the curve of his grin against your own.
"guess i'll have to find out."

















