PRIVATE ACCESS: part five
pairings: nettspend x stripper!reader
In which while heading backstage to meet her best friend after dancing at a private rolling loud pop-up y/n bumps into gunner as he's leaving his rolling loud set.
6แดแด โข แดสแด สแด๊ฑ โข ๊ฑแดแดแดแดกสแดสแด สแดแดแดกแดแดษด แด
แดสสแด๊ฑ แดษดแด
สแดแด๊ฑแดแดษด
You woke up before everyone else.
That was normal for youโ your body didnโt know how to sleep past six regardless of what time youโd gone to bed, which was an inconvenient quality to have when you worked nights for a living. The bus was far and quiet except for the highway underneath it, and for a second you forgot where you were entirely.
Then it came back. Houston. The show. The walk out. Gunner across from you watching out the window the same way you were.
You sat up slowly and looked around. Most of us people were in the bunks toward the back. Jadeโs curtain was drawn, which meant she was either asleep or on her phone trying not to be seen on her phoneโ either way she was still hidden away.
Gunner was in the seat at the front, legs stretched out, eyes closed. Not fully asleep. You could tell from the way he was sittingโ too upright for someone to actually be dead asleep.
You got us carefully and went to the small kitchen area in the back to find something to drink. Opened three wrong cabinets before Dre popped out of nowhere and pointed towards the right one. You mouthed thank you. He nodded and went back to whatever heโd been doing. Efficient. You appreciated it.
Then you headed to the bathroom to brush your teeth.
When you came back to the front Gunner had one eye open.
Gunner: โwhy you up so early?โ
You: โhm, I always wake up early. how long do we have left?โ
Gunner: โan hour prolly.โ
he shifted in his seat and looked at you properly. still had that pre-show tiredness on himโ slower, softer around the edges.
Gunner: โyou sleep good?โ
You: โmhm, this bus lowkey comfortable as hell.โ
Gunner: โJade all good, right. she figured out where she was sleeping?โ
You: โoh did she, she claimed the second biggest one within five minutes of us being on here. I donโt even know if somebody was already in there.โ
he laughed. quiet, just to himself. you liked that oneโ the one that wasnโt meant for anyone else.
You sat across from him and drank your water and watched Texas move past the windows. The sun was starting to come up somewhere out there, painting the flat land pink and orange at the edges. It looked nothing like Orlando. You werenโt sure if that was good or bad yet. Just different.
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๊ฐสแดแด สแดส ๊ฑสแดแดสแดส
Jade emerged from her bunk at 7:43am with her bonnet still on and her phone already in her hand, which was the most on-brand thing she had ever done.
She stopped when she saw you and Gunner talking at the front. Looked at the distance between your seats. Looked back at you. Her expression did not change but her eyes said everything.
Jade: โgood morning guysss.โ
You: โgood morning Jay.โ
Gunner: โwassup. we got food in the back if you're hungry.โ
Jade: โdonโt mind if I do.โ
Jade disappeared into the kitchen area. thirty seconds later you heard her voice, brighter than it had any right to be at 7am.
Jade: โheyโ Dre right?โ
Jade: โthank you for carrying my bag yesterday. you didnโt have to do that.โ
Jade: โdo you want some of my snacks? I have enough.โ
another beat. longer this time.
you looked at Gunner. Gunner looked at you. you both quietly laughed.
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แดสสแด๊ฑ โข แดสแด สแดแดส ๊ฐแดแดแดแดสส
Dallas was louder than Houston in a different way. Houston had been personal. Dallas felt like it wanted to show out.
The venueโ The Bomb Factoryโ was bigger, the kind of room that had good bones and knew it. Load-in took longer here. More people, more equipment, more of Gunnerโs team moving through it with that same focused energy that youโd clocked in Houston and were starting to recognize as just how his operation ran. Quiet, organized, no wasted motion.
You and Jade found a spot out of the way near the side of the stage and let everything move around you. Jade had her phone out but you noticed she kept glancing towards the production area where Dre was standing with a clipboard and a headset, coordinating something with the venue crew.
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Gunner did soundcheck like he always didโ no fuss, just worked through it. Three and a half songs, a few adjustments, done. You watched from the floor this time because the venue was mostly empty and there was no reason not to.
He came offstage after and found you before anyone else. Which againโ youโd noticed. That didnโt mean you were gonna bring it up anytime soon though.
Gunner: โhow you feelin about this one?โ
You: โdefinitely bigger than Houston.โ
Gunner: โcrowdโs different too. dallas donโt let you ease in. you gotta come out hot.โ
You: โwhat do you do differently?โ
he thought about it for a second. actually taking in the question.
Gunner: โnothing. you canโt perform different for different crowds. they feel it when you do.โ
You: โsame with dancing.โ
he looked at you when you said that. like he was storing that in the back of his mind.
Gunner: โso you understand it.โ
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แดสแด-๊ฑสแดแดก โข สแดแดแด๊ฑแดแดษขแด
An hour before that show the backstage energy shiftedโ tighter, more purposeful, that specific charge that built in an hour before a room full of people got what they came for. Gunner went quiet in the way youโd learn to recognize. Not distant. Just internal. You left him to it.
You found Jade near the production area, which was not a coincidence.
She was talking to Dre. Or more accurately, she was talking at Dre, who was doing two things at onceโ monitoring something on his headset and also very clearly listening to whatever she was saying. Which was notable, because Dre did not appear to be a person who divided his attention easily.
Jade: โโiโm just saying, you been on how many of these tours and you havenโt gotten bored yet?โ
Jade: โevery city just looks that same to you?โ
Dre: โnah, they donโt all look the same.โ
Jade: โokay so whatโs dallas?โ
Dre glanced at her properly for the first time since sheโd started talking. brief. then back to his headset.
Jade: โthatโs it? just loud?โ
Dre: โand good food.โ
Jade: โsee now thatโs my type of information. why didnโt you start with that?โ
the corner of his mouth lifted up. faintly. but definitely noticeable.
You stood there for a second watching Jade work her magic, which was definitely something to witness. She did it without putting in too much effortโ Just asked questions like she was genuinely curious, which she most likely was, and let the conversation find its own weight. It was the same thing she did at parties when sheโd decided she wanted to talk to someone.
You made a mental note to tell her later that you saw that. Knowing she would try to deny it.
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Gunner was right. Dallas didnโt let him ease inโ the crowd was loud from the second he walked out, the kind of room that pushed energy at you before you could give any back. You watched him absorb it and redirect it, the whole set running hotter than Houston had, faster and more physical, the crowd giving back everything he put out.
You watched from the side again, Jade appeared next to you somewhere in the middle of the set, slightly out of breath from wherever sheโd been.
You: โwhere you been?โ
Jade: โproduction table.โ
Jade: โi was watching from a different angle. itโs called perspective babes.โ
Jade: girl donโt uh huh me.โ
You looked back at the stage. so did she. neither of you said anything else.
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แด๊ฐแดแดส โข สแดแดแด แดษด สแด๊ฑ โข สแดแดแด
ษชษดษข แดแด แดแดสแดษดแดแด
The walk out in Dallas had been way bigger than Houstonโsโ more people had figured out the route, the barrier in place was more sturdy, and people still had items they wanted signed. Gunner handled it the same way. Easy. Present. Gone.
On the bus, the energy was different from the night before. Less quiet. His people were loose after a good show, talking over each other, music playing from someoneโs phone speaker. Jade had already integrated herself into a conversation in the back like sheโd been on tour this whole time. You didnโt know how she did it. Youโd been watching her throughout your whole friendship and you still didnโt have it in you to be like her.
Gunner dropped in the seat next to you this time. Not across. Right next to youโ inches away.
Gunner: โshe fits in.โ
You: โyea. jade fits in everywhere. itโs kinda alarming.โ
Gunner: โyou donโt.โ
You: โthat is not a compliment.โ
Gunner: โi didnโt say it wasnโt.โ
you stared at him. he looked back at you, easy as always, like he hadnโt just said something that was going to sit on your chest for a while.
You: โwhat does that even meanโฆโ
Gunner: โit means you donโt try to perform for a room. you just exist. people notice that.โ
you didnโt have an answer for that. you looked away first, which you almost never did.
The bus pulled out of Dallas around one in the morning, Atlanta being the next destination. The energy inside settled as the highway took overโ that particular night quiet where everyone was still awake but not really talking anymore.
Gunners shoulder was against yours and neither of you moved away from it. You both just let it be, watching the dark Texas highways through the window, the lanes somewhat full.
From the back, Jades voice, suspiciously casualโ
Jade: โDre whats the food situation in Atlanta.โ
Jade: โhmm iโm gonna need specifics at some point.โ
you felt gunners shoulders move next to you. he was silently laughing.
You: (in a low voice, just for him)
Gunner: โi didnโt say anything.โ
You: โyou know damn well you were about to.โ
he pressed his lips togetherโ still not saying anything, but he was smiling when he looked back towards the window.
You fell asleep with his shoulder still against yours and told yourself it still didnโt mean anything .
You were getting worse at believing yourself.
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แดส๊ฑแดxx.