Work Text:
1
Tour bus tour video (European tour)
“Hi guys! Welcome to the tour bus, this is where we’re living for the next month and a bit.” Karl smiled at the camera he had been given by their management to make videos during their tour. Apparently they had found out about Youtube and wanted to expand the band’s channel beyond just their music videos and teasers.
Karl had immediately jumped on the idea of being in charge of making videos, already giving plenty of examples of videos they could do. Everyone was intrigued by the idea of making videos. Sapnap was just willing to support Karl in all his weird and crazy ideas while Foolish and Punz were a bit more concerned about the privacy aspect. They knew Karl had friends in the YouTube scene and that out of all of them, he would be the one with the best idea of what they could do, but some of the ideas seemed a little too invasive for their liking.
Some of the ideas sounded fun, the little ones they could easily film or the listening parties where they wouldn’t have to do much except introduce their songs and talk about them a little. Others seemed a bit more hard to do. Punz put his foot down at the daily vlogs idea, there was no way he was going to let people see him unfiltered in between shows while on the road. It was enough already having to get ready and put on a show once a day nearly every day while they were away, so being filmed during his down time where his looks were the least of his worries was not something he was wanting to do. Then there were some ideas that sounded fun and easy but had their own setbacks. Things like Q&As that they could easily get management to look over a few questions and easily build hype for upcoming projects or even the tour they were currently on. However, if they conducted their own Q&A, what would they do during their promo tour? They normally leave the question asking to the radio hosts and the production teams of whatever brand that has their own youtube channel to do. The last thing they wanted to do was stick themselves into the loop of having to answer the same questions over and over. That only made the days of constant interviews a hundred times worse.
There was also the giant issue of not accidentally leaking their relationship.
For just over a year now Foolish and Punz had been dating in secret. Well, partial secrecy, after being caught trying to sneak into each other's hotel rooms for the fifth time in one tour, they decided to just tell the rest of their band members. Close family came next when they decided to spend Christmas together, but to everyone else they were just friends and bandmates.
Really, really close friends and bandmates.
Privacy was the main reason why they haven’t said anything around their relationship. Most of their songs were about the most personal and deep moments in their lives and Punz wasn’t willing to give the public more than that. It was nice having something to themselves, not having to worry about people digging into their relationship, getting constant questions about it and any other speculations that the press and media try to entertain.
Because of this, they decided as a band just to stick to some of the easier video ideas, like the tour bus tour video. It was an idea they may or may not have stolen from other youtube videos of people getting to tour around famous artists' tour buses. They also came to the agreement that not all of them had to be in every single video, they were meant to be a fun side thing not an actual obligation for them.
Late last night Foolish had gotten lonely and bored and decided his best option to cure his boredom was to invade Punz’s bunk in the middle of the night and force the other to stay up with him until the early hours of the morning when they finally both fell asleep squished up against each other to fit into the small cubical of a bed. It was the first few days of their European tour and Foolish wasn’t quite ready yet to give up his shared bed and sleep solo.
Neither of them thought much of it until they woke up with two loud voices on the other side of the curtain.
“And that’s Punz’s bunk, but I don’t think we want to disturb what’s happening in there.” Sapnap laughed full well knowing that Foolish was also squashed in the small bunk as well, otherwise he would have no problem waking Punz up to make ‘content’.
The groan that Punz let out was inaudible to everyone else but Foolish whose ear was mere inches away from Punz’s mouth. Foolish pushed away from Punz a little so he could face him properly. Placing a small kiss to Punz’s forehead before smiling brightly as he tried not to laugh at their position which would more than definitely give them away in the video. The look Punz gave him in return was him very much screaming internally and asking silently ‘why the fuck are they doing this now?’
Foolish just shrugged in reply to the look and two spent the next few minutes trying to be as silent as possible while listening to Karl and Sapnap explain the sleeping arrangements, where everyone's bunks are and some of the things they kept in their individual bunk.
It wasn’t until they heard the pair move to the back of the bus that Foolish finally broke into a fit of giggles. Punz kept the glare on his face but Foolish could see the way his eyes shined in amusement.
“I can’t fucking believe them. Why wouldn’t they give us a warning?” Punz scowled as he glared at the curtain where Karl and Sapnap stood behind.
Foolish just laughed more but was still mindful of the volume knowing that everyone was still close by. “Guess we’ll just have to stay huddled up here until they’ve finished filming.” Pushing his head back down into the pillow and pulling Punz closer, he closed his eyes, content enough to go back to sleep for a few more minutes.
“Maybe we should get out and be on camera so no one picks up on us.” Punz suggests but relaxes in Foolish’s hold, closing his eyes with no plans to actually get out of bed yet.
“You want to go on camera after waking up five minutes ago?”
“Yeah, you’re right, we should just sleep a lil more.” Punz’s words were already slurred with sleep. Resting his head back onto Foolish’s chest and letting himself relax, he fell back asleep completely forgetting about the earlier disturbance.
It wasn’t until the video was edited, checked over and posted that Punz remembered about the video and it wasn’t until hundreds of comments mentioning him and Foolish that he realised they fucked up.
The video was like any other bus tour video. It was short and showed the bare minimum of the inside and what they did to pass the time. They already had little privacy living together in such a small area, they wanted to keep as much of it as possible.
“You left your bunk curtain open.”
“What?” Foolish was completely unaware the video had even been uploaded, too busy trying to play some Super Mario game on his Nintendo Switch.
“Your bunk curtain is open.” Punz stated as if it were a fact that Foolish had all the context to.
However, he didn’t and all he could do was look at Punz with confusion.
“In the video, your curtain is open.”
“Oh shit, you can’t see anything in it, right? I don’t really need the mess of my bed broadcasted to all of our fans.
“No, you can’t see anything, but that’s the problem. You’re clearly not in your bed and you aren’t seen on the bus which only leaves my bunk where the curtain is closed.”
“I could be in the toilet or something. I think you might be overthinking this Punz, we'll be fine.” Foolish kept his voice calm as he tried to reassure the other. It could all be boiled down to a simple misunderstandment and although the bus is small there were plenty of small places Foolish could’ve been at the right time to have avoided the cameras.
“They’re all talking about it, look.” Punz shoved his phone under Foolish’s nose, shaking it deliberately to emphasise his point.
Skimming the comments he could see that they were flooded with questions of where Punz and Foolish were since they weren’t seen in the video and it was clear the bus was in motion when filming. But right where Punz’s thumb rested was a long paragraph theorising where the two were.
Reading through it, Foolish was impressed with the level of detail the person must have paid while watching. “This is pretty convincing, y’know. I might even believe them.”
“You’ll believe them because that’s what happened, Foolish! Or do you not remember being in my bed?” Punz felt agitated with Foolish’s calm tone and how he was seemingly unbothered about the fact that they nearly exposed their relationship.
“Of course I remember, but to them it’s just a theory that everyone will forget about in a week. Just wait until the next video is uploaded and it’ll be something people bring up and laugh about in a month. I remember because I know what happened, they don’t know shit, it’s all just guessing to them so let ‘em guess and just relax.” Foolish sighed. The unease was still clear on Punz’s face as he worried his bottom lip between his lips. It was silent for a moment, Foolish kept his eyes on Punz waiting to see if his words helped ease up his tension any.
Then finally Punz let out a huff “I guess, but we have to be more careful from now on, okay?”
“Of course.” Foolish pulled Punz into his side with an arm around his shoulder that then snuck down to wrap around his waist. “We won’t let anyone find out.”
2
Instagram live (in between tours)
The Instagram live happened by accident, some fans think it was actually set up by management but it was really the opposite. Management nearly killed them for it. The fall out of it wasn’t bad but was still less than ideal.
It started when Karl got bored and wanted something to do. Live streaming was an easy way he could interact with fans and cure his boredom.
When starting the live Karl didn’t expect it to be a full band thing, but then Sapnap joined after getting a notification, followed by Foolish who just wanted to make a joke but ended up staying, then finally Punz joined claiming he felt left out. Before he knew it the live went from chilling with fans to a chaotic mess of band members shouting over each other with music blasting from Sapnap's speaker.
Occasionally they would answer some of the questions that fans were spamming in the chat but it would always end up in stupid answers and the other three giggling
“Wait this one says ‘Why is Punz’s painting in Foolish’s house?’ What? Are you two together right now?” Karl asked.
Foolish registered the panic in Punz’s voice before his actual words. “No! Course not, we can spend time alone y’know.”
“Foolish, what are you doing at Punz’s house at 4am?” This time it was Sapnap that asked.
“I’m not at his house! He literally just said that.” Foolish joined in to defend himself.
“This person says they remember seeing that same painting in Punz’s room when we had to do those zoom interviews.”
“Uh-” Foolish didn’t know what to say back to that as panic of being found out built in his chest.
“Yeah, they probably did, but I moved house, remember? Foolish let me keep a lot of stuff there as I moved.” Punz improvised.
“You moved ages ago.”
“Yeah and do you know how hard it is to get a moving van? Pretty fucking hard, Sapnap.”
It wasn’t entirely a lie, Punz had moved house and it did take forever to get his stuff moved from Foolish’s to his new place, but that had all happened days ago. Right now, Foolish had been staying at Punz’s to help decorate and set up furniture and had been there for a week now. Foolish just wanted to make sure it was all perfect for when he inevitably moves in after his lease is up. It wasn’t confirmed yet and he still had a few months on his lease but he’s already spent more time at Punz’s place than his own and they both have hinted at moving in together, they just need to have the proper conversation.
“Everyone is saying the walls are the same too. Are you sure you aren’t together?” Karl teased the two fully knowing they were currently staying together. The other two often joked about their relationship but would never do or say anything to actually give away their secret and out them to their fans and the public.
Foolish just groaned at the jab. “I’m pretty sure I know what my house looks like and I’m pretty sure I’m in it, thank you.”
The conversation quickly changed when Sapnap misclicked on his computer and instead of clicking on another song, accidentally started playing a demo of their song that was meant for the new album.
Karl immediately recognised the song and started shouting in a last ditch effort to stop the viewers from hearing it. Sapnap’s own panicked shouts joined him soon after as he tried to get the music to stop and Foolish was left laughing his ass off at the two. Punz let out a little laugh but focussed on using the distraction to get to Foolish.
Foolish’s laughs stopped temporarily as he took notice of the notification at the top of his screen.
Punz
Your house huh?
Foolish
Would you have rathered that I told the truth? ‘Oh yeah, I am at Punz’s, y’know the one bedroom house that doesn’t have a sofa. I’ve been here all week staying in his bed and will probably stay for a bit longer.’ That would work well
Punz
Shut up. That’s not what I meant. Maybe next time don’t stand in front of a painting that’s obviously mine
Foolish
Okay, next time I’ll stand in front of the picture of us you have up :*
“FOOLISH! PUNZ! Stop texting and answer the question.” Sapnap’s voice took his attention away from the messages and he quickly returned to the live.
“Sorry, we were just talking about how dumb you are. What was the question again?”
Foolish made a mental note to definitely make it less obvious when he’s at Punz’s and to also text an apology to their manager for leaking their new song. Before he could go back to putting his full attention into the livestream another text came up.
Punz
It could also be your house if you wanted it to be.
3
Twitter post (first show of US tour)
After the Instagram live incident, the band was restricted to only posting pre-recorded videos and pictures and all captions had to be checked over by management. The arrangement was a little harsh but it was only for a few weeks while the buzz about the live dies down. Karl will still argue against the restrictions, but the PR team was really thrown into it when parts of unreleased songs were played, merch designs were discussed and relationships hinted at. They deserved a little bit of a break.
However, not even the PR checked posts could stop Punz and Foolish from nearly exposing their relationship once again.
The Twitter post was one they’ve made multiple times before in the past. A simple start of the tour tweet that thanked everyone that came to the show with a few pictures of the band attached. Following the pattern they usually did there were three photos, one before, during and after their first show of the tour.
The first photo was the four of them crowded around the table on the tour bus adding little notes to the setlist that was finalised, printed and ready to be taped to the floor of the stage. The second was of them on stage mid-show taken from the side of the stage. The crowd was clearly visible, hands in the air and even a couple of signs that people managed to sneak in. It was clearly taken in between songs as no one had their hands on their guitars and Punz was sitting back on his drum throne with his grip on the sticks being loose as he relaxed his arms.
It was the third photo that caused the most stir amongst their fans. It was the four of them chilling in the back room after the show. Water bottles strewn across the table and everyone looked tired but with the biggest grins on their faces. However, there was a giant obvious issue with the photo.
Punz was wearing Foolish’s shirt while Foolish sat next to him in the hoodie Punz was wearing in the first photo. It was obvious that at some point the two had swapped clothes and were wearing each other's tops. Punz remembers taking his shirt off straight after leaving the stage, it was drenched with sweat and was way too uncomfortable to wear backstage where the cold air blasting through the AC made it stick to his skin. He had discarded it and picked up the nearest t-shirt that just so happened to be a carbon copy of the one Foolish was wearing on stage. There was no way he was actually wearing the shirt Foolish had, they had both played the same ninety minute and had been sweating under the lights and physical demands that the show had. It would just be gross to wear that shirt. As for why Foolish was wearing Punz’s hoodie, he had no idea, but he had learned long ago not to question Foolish’s actions as most of the time they had no reason.
Somehow no one realised before posting the pictures but for the fans it was the first thing they realised. After seeing the multiple tweets and mentions, Punz looked back on the photos and, yeah, it was the most obvious thing in the world. It was so clear that he and Foolish had swapped clothes with each other after the show.
Unlike their PR, the fans had picked up on it pretty quick with the comments once again being filled with the mention of their names with the word relationship attached somewhere.
How can Punz and Foolish say they aren’t together then wear each other's clothes???
There is no way they swapped clothes and expect us to think they are just friends
They definitely fucked after the show
Fuck. How were they even meant to get themselves out of this one?
There’s no way that’s Foolish’s shirt, i’d hate to think how much sweat is on that thing
Finally, a comment that made sense to Punz. Why do all his fans think he’s disgusting enough to wear a sweat drenched t-shirt? He scoffed at the majority of the comments implying anything sexual. Do people even know how hard it would be to pull that off? Firstly, when they leave the stage they have to stand for a while getting all their equipment off and safe. Then they would have to find a place where they could be alone for a period of time, especially when Karl and Sapnap are incredibly strict on their ‘no fucking on the bus’ rule. It would never work out. Punz thinks they’ve only managed a few minutes of adrenaline fueled makeout sessions before their energy drops and all they want to do is lie down and sleep.
Getting back on the bus, Sapnap and Karl were laughing at all the comments people were leaving about Foolish and Punz. The two were always supportive of their relationship, even encouraging the two to pursue a relationship when they were both hesitant on the impact it would - or possibly could - have on the band.
“How do you guys keep getting yourself into things like these? Are you even trying to hide it nowadays?” Karl asked as they settled on the sofa finally getting something to eat after the show before they all went to bed.
“We are, we’re just apparently doing a shit job at it. Why were you wearing my hoodie anyway?” Turning to Foolish for the answer and realised he was still wearing the hoodie, it looked really good on him.
“Because I thought it was mine. Actually no, it is mine, you were wearing my hoodie and I just went to claim it back.”
“Is that your hoodie? Swear I’ve seen Punz wear it more.” Sapnap questioned looking at the hoodie himself. It had been one that Punz would wear often on the bus especially in the morning when there would be a chill about the place.
“It is! I even remember when I got it June 22nd last year when we went on that writing break, everyone had fucked off for the day and I decided to go shopping because it was colder than I thought it would be and needed more jumpers. I bought this one and it lasted me two weeks before I found it in Punz’s wardrobe. It is mine.”
“Aw yeah, I remember that.”
“Gee thanks for remembering now.”
Punz just shrugged, “who's to say we don’t own the same clothes, they’re pretty generic anyway and we’re on tour, we all wear each other's clothes. I think I was wearing Sapnap’s shirt earlier anyway.”
“We’ll be fine.”
4
Interview (Mid-US tour)
They were a few shows into their US tour and they finally had a few days off from playing shows but that meant they had a day of press. Radio shows and interviews filled the day as the band were driven round the city to different radio stations and filming locations to be asked similar and repetitive questions as they tried to plug their tour and new album as much as possible.
Press days were always the longest and most tiring days. Punz swears it would be easier to play ten shows back to back than it would be to do a day of press. There were always the good interviews, the ones where the people do their research, ask good and unique questions and have a good energy with the band, but for every good one there’s at least four bad ones. Sometimes it might be a bit harsh to call the interview bad when it’s just repetitive, but when you have a day of the same questions it gets hard not to roll your eyes and answer with the same genuine and kind tone.
There were also the horrible interviews, the ones that couldn’t be described as anything but absolute hell. The ones where the interviewer knows nothing, or is rude and pushy, or asks awkward and invading questions. The ones where they can’t do anything but try and smile politely as they dodge around answering disrespectful questions about things they have stated they rather keep private about.
It’s always obvious when it’s going to happen. They can normally tell as soon as the interviewer steps into the room. All of them had gained the ability to read the energy in the room pretty quickly and from that alone they could tell how the interview was going to go.
Their day started off with an early morning tv interview for one of those morning tv shows that are presented by middle aged posher people that have definitely never heard of them before who always ask the same questions of ‘when’s the album? When is the tour? Sum up months of hard work into a single word.’ Then there was a radio show where they got to answer fan questions, which was nice
Against their manager’s wishes, Punz and Foolish ended up sitting next to each other on the couch. They wanted to keep suspicion as low as possible and with their media presence and track record of getting ‘too close’ to each other in public sightings, it was better for them to lay low a little until the media calmed down. They know the fans will always speculate about relationships between all of them but when the actual news media, even just gossip websites, started publishing theories, then they were in trouble. However, when they entered the press room they would be staying in for the next few hours as interviewers came in and out, and there was only one sofa that would barely fit the four of them, they just sat down in any order. They were all squished up, thigh to thigh and shoulders bumping.
It was uncomfortable at first but by the third interview they all managed to position themselves in a spot where it wasn’t too bad and if that meant that Foolish and Punz were sitting a little too close to each other for their PR’s liking then that’s just what they’ll have to deal with, because there’s no other way for four grown men to sit comfortably on one sofa.
The interviews themselves were mixed. The first one was a good interview. Interesting questions, the host was invested in their answers and there was a good atmosphere and banter between them all. It was so good that Punz got his hopes up on the rest of the day, he really thought for a second that the rest of the interviews could be the same and that the day would go by fast.
However, he was wrong. Very wrong.
The second interviewer clearly didn’t know them and even messed up their band name calling them the wrong band more than once. Punz never blamed an interviewer when they get song names or even their names mixed up, they might not be fans of the band and they interview a lot of people in their career, but the one thing they should at least know is the name of the band they are interviewing. There is not doing research and then there is not even bothering to look up a single thing about the band.
Throughout the interview Punz tries to keep his calm. He really does, but he can’t help clenching his fist or tensing up when another dumb comment or invasive question gets brought up. The only thing that is keeping him sat down with a polite smile is the subtle, gentle touches from Foolish. His hands would softly brush down his leg as he ‘rearranged’ his arms or a slight shoulder bump. Of course, as usual, Foolish always made a joke out of the bad questions, replying sarcastically or just giving a joke answer and as usual it sent Punz into a fit of laughter. It was a saving grace throughout the forty five minutes from hell.
The game part of interviews were always a little easier. Despite most of the time being the same games and questions, the added factor of answering questions in a more fun way made the time go by faster. So when the next interviewer came in with the clear giveaway of ‘never have I ever’ signs in their hand, it was obvious what they were about to do.
The questions were fairly simple and the same ones they have always gotten. There were some new questions about their new album and tour that they do appreciate and actually have to think of the answers rather than going off of autopilot. However, like always there were the same repeated questions.
“Never have I ever kissed a band member.” The host reads out the line on the bit of paper.
Punz felt a stab in his heart as he held up the ‘never’ sign like they always did. It was what they agreed to after they started getting questions like these. Foolish and Karl would play into it, hold up the ‘have’ sign, joke about drunken nights and the dumb shit they get up to together.
But Punz didn’t want to talk about the drunken kisses, he didn’t want people to see the thing he had with Foolish as something that was just a drunken joke. He wants to show the sweet kisses, the soft time and the little things they do and know about each other.
It puts a sour taste in his mouth and worsens his mood for the rest of the interview and every interview after that. It wasn’t really anybody here's fault. Management suggested - pushed - for them to keep their relationship on the low. At the time their reasoning made sense, both of them wanted to keep their relationship to themselves especially at the start of it. It seemed dumb and irresponsible for them to announce something that was still new to them and something they were still figuring out.
Unlike they initially believed, it was a little hard to move from just close friends to boyfriends. The affection and attraction they both felt for each other had become second nature for them to hide, both from the other and everyone else. Trying to find the balance and rewrite what they had drilled into their heads was hard, learning to show one another their love while still hiding it from everyone else. There were also all the usual difficulties that came with starting a new relationship, although their friends always joked that they had been dating for longer than they realised, it was still difficult to make that jump.
Once they were finally comfortable with their new label of boyfriends, they may have become a bit too comfortable. Sneaking into each other's rooms when they stay in hotels, quick kisses before shows and adrenaline filled makeout sessions after shows. They were bound to get caught by someone at some point. Unfortunately for Sapnap, it took him walking in on them twice before they told them about their relationship.
As much as they respected and treasured their privacy it would still be nice to not have to hide their relationship all the time. Getting to make a joke or two in an interview or be able to be seen even just holding hands. They are old enough and mature enough now to handle any backlash while their careers are stable with a loyal fanbase that will stand by them.
But Punz doesn’t know how Foolish feels about that idea, and after an already hard day, that is definitely a conversation for another time.
5
Drunk history video (US tour)
Sam was a close friend of theirs that like them, was also in a band. While performing in Texas, the band had made sure to meet up with their friends down there and threw a big get together celebration. Being in a band and having friends that were also in bands meant that they didn’t get to see each other very often. Varying tour timetables and travelling to studios meant that they were often in different places too far away to visit each other. It’s only until the rare occasion of both parties being on a break happens that they get to see each other and spend time together, but even then they normally spend most of their time with their families.
Now was one of the rare occasions that the band got to meet up with Sam and have a few drinks. It was after their show and, thanks to having a two day break before having to leave for the next tour date, they were in a hotel room where they were going to be staying for the night. Luckily that meant the band and their team could properly shower and change into new clothes before their friends arrived.
When Sam did finally arrive he had brought along a case of beers to join the small pile of spirits that they had already bought. They were quick to start drinking, sitting around the room, talking loudly and catching up with each others lives. It was nice. Getting to sit with their friends and have a few drinks and forget about the pressure and stress that touring brings.
They had all had a few drinks when the idea was suggested by Foolish. They were touring with a new guitar technician who had simply asked how everyone met each other and how the band started. However, for a drunken Sam, this was a great opportunity to express his storytelling abilities.
After a minute of theatrical (and drunken) explanations and wild hand gestures, Foolish made the joke that he looked like he was on that TV show where celebrities get drunk and explain history. It was a show he found recently and had binge watched on YouTube during the long bus journeys in between shows. It was meant to be a simple joke, but before he knew it they were setting up a camera and trying to recall everything Sam had drunk so far.
The start ended up being the hardest bit to record. Trying to convince a drunk Sam to repeat everything he just said was a harder job than they had thought. As funny as Sam was drunk he was just as every bit stubborn.
“So you have Punz and Sapnap, childhood friends, known each other since preschool. They decide to try and be cool and go down to this local pub. I got dragged there once and let me tell you, it’s a shithole. No clue what they were trying to do going there, cause it definitely wasn’t making them seem cool.”
Sam’s rant was cut off by a small offended ‘hey’ by Sapnap.
“Anyway. At the bar they bump into Foolish and Punz immediately starts flirting with him but Punz is terrible at flirting so instead of getting a boyfriend, he got a bassist for the semi-shitty garage band.”
Once again Sam got cut off, this time by Punz. “What do you mean I'm bad at flirting? I’m great at it and we were not a shitty garage band!”
“You are so bad, zero rizz, deal with it. And I said semi -shitty, you guys got good once Foolish joined.” Sam huffed and took another shot, glaring at Punz for interrupting him.
Punz was ready to argue back when Karl spoke in between giggles from behind the camera, “let’s just continue the story. What came next? Our first EP?”
“The first EP by the band was good for the release, if you guys had heard what they were playing before you would be shocked at how good it turned out.”
“What the fuck?!”
“Stop interrupting me!” Sam rolled his eyes at the camera and paused for a second. “Thank you, anyway, it was surprisingly good, so good in fact it put them on the map. A small section of the map but it was impressive for a new band like them.”
The muffled laughter from everyone in the room was slowly growing louder and Punz knew by the end of the video they might not be able to even post it due to the bad sound quality.
“It was at the celebration party for the EP that I met these guys for the first time. I knew Karl online but I went up to party with them because they were some big time rockstars now and I needed the clout.” Sam was laughing harder at his own jokes than anyone else, but it was only encouraging the rest of the room to join in. “It was a shame Punz and Foolish spent the whole time making out in the corner, it would’ve been nice to see more of them.”
A shocked laugh is punched from Foolish as he tries to hide his face in his hands.
Punz choked a bit as he rushed to defend them. “That just didn’t happen.”
Punz knew Sam was only joking, he would never actually talk about their relationship without them being there and being okay with it. Sam was one of their few friends that knew about them and he had been nothing but supportive despite all the jokes he made at their expense.
“Then comes their hit song, Belong with me.” Sam leans towards Sapnap and stage whispers “It was called Belong with me, right?”
“Belong with you, bro not me.”
Sam sits up straight before loudly starting to talk again “Then comes their hit song, Belong with you. That was written by Punz and- Oh God,” Sam groaned at the reminder of how it was written, “it was awful! They were all like ‘I love you’ and ‘muah muah you’re the love of my life, oh my God I have to write a song about this!’ Sam giggles through his sentence putting on a higher pitch voice to mock Punz. “But props to you, it was a hit!”
“I just don’t sound like that.”
“Who cares how you sound, you got a hit song.” Sam giggled even more even though what he was saying made no sense.
The rest of the recording went similar to the start. Sam jumbling up his words and slurring others while giggling uncontrollably at the innuendos and jokes made about Punz and Foolish and their -possible- relationship.
With every comment made, Punz would look towards Foolish and see the blush that slowly grew up his neck up to his face, resisting the urge to sit next to him and pepper his face in small, light kisses. Instead, Punz sat back and admired the view. Foolish didn’t seem to mind the jokes or the fact that said jokes would be seen by their fanbase if the video got the approval from PR (and a sober Sam) to be on their YouTube channel.
~
Comments
spnplvr
These jokes about Punz and Foolish are getting a little too real.
i heart karl
I know sam jokes a lot but he was not letting those funz jokes go. he definitely knows something we dont
Awesamdude
Everything I said is fact.
+1
Proposal post
Foolish and Punz had been radio silent online for a while. They had hinted to their fans about a songwriting trip but in reality it was just a couples holiday for the two. They hadn’t gone far, just got out of the city staying closer to the countryside. It was supposed to be a nice relaxing break.
Key word: supposed.
Currently Punz was pacing the floor of the bedroom in the Airbnb they were currently staying in. It was a cute little cottage in a field, a stark contrast to the busy city they usually were in. Foolish was on his morning run which he is still adamant to go on even though they were on holiday and meant to be relaxing doing nothing but chilling. But Punz couldn’t criticise anything he was doing as he himself was anything but relaxed.
A small black box holding a ring that could change his life for the better, or for the worse if Foolish said no and broke up with him on the spot but he was trying his hardest not to think about that, rested in his hands. They had talked about marriage before, both acknowledging that it was the next step in their relationship. It felt like a natural step to take, they had been dating for years, living in the same house for just over a year not including the years of touring that they have spent in each other's space and hotel rooms.
But that didn’t stop the worry from building in Punz’s chest, vines wrapping around his lungs making it harder to breathe and the ugly thoughts of rejection flooding his brain.
He knows Foolish will say yes, Foolish himself had said he would say yes if Punz was to ask him, albeit he was drunk but the whole ‘drunk words are sober thoughts’ shit meant that Punz is clinging onto those words. Even if Foolish was to say no that would be totally cool and Punz would respect that, he’s just scared to put himself in that vulnerable position.
It felt like the right time, it was a beautiful place he knew Foolish would appreciate, he just had to do it.
Punz knew the cottage was the right place to propose, the only issue is that everywhere at the cottage was a good place to propose. The first few days were spent with Punz walking around comparing the different spots and creating a pros and cons list of them.
First was in the cottage itself. The pros were it’s pretty, inside so not weather dependent and he could do it at any time without having to make an excuse to drag Foolish outside. The cons were it’s not very scenic. Foolish like taking runs and they’ve spent the whole time walking through fields, would proposing inside be underwhelming? There were much prettier views out there, but those would require the sun and an excuse.
The second spot in the running was a bench by a small flower field that they spent many mornings sitting on. It had a beautiful view of the flowers and was right outside the cottage. The only issue is they only sat there in the morning and does he really want to propose still in his pyjamas with bed head with Foolish still half asleep? Probably not.
The only other place Punz could think of was during one of their walks through the fields but that would mean he might have to kneel on damp grass or uncomfortable cobble. Neither seemed too great.
Punz has exchanged multiple texts, calls and video calls with Sapnap trying to get some advice on where he should ask the question, showing off each place with his concerns but all Sapnap gave was generic answers that didn’t help sway his decision.
“I don’t know, man. It’s for you to decide.” The unhelpful words rang in his head as Punz debated calling Sapnap again in a panic that he might propose in the wrong place or even worse, not making his mind up and end up not proposing at all. He thought he was ready to ask Foolish to marry him, well he is, but he wasn’t prepared to set up the moment the two would remember for the rest of their lives. Writing down what he wanted to say was easy, he could talk about how much he loved Foolish for his whole life without stopping to breathe he had that much to say, finding the ring was easy as well, he knew Foolish and he knew what he liked so it only took a two days of ring searching before he found the perfect one. It was all going so well until the damn proposal spot came up.
“Punz! Are you up here?”
Punz fumbled to get the ring box back in his bag, double checking that the door was still closed. “Yeah, I’ll be down in a minute!” Taking one last deep breath, he stood up and made his way downstairs, there was still a full week until they had to leave back home again, he had plenty of time to decide on a place.
A few days went by and Punz’s worry had only increased with the time limit deadline coming closer. He had resorted to carrying the ring around with him at all times just in case he had a snap decision on the place or if they stumbled upon a better one. And that is exactly what happened.
Foolish had convinced Punz to join him on his morning run with the compromise that they would just talk a walk instead. The walk then turned more into a stroll as they walked further from the cottage than they had before. The sight they ended up coming to made Punz regret not straying far from the cottage earlier as in front of them was a beautiful sight of a stream coming down from a small waterfall. The water was shallow and the plants growing around it were lush. It looked like the place should be sparkling, a place where fairies lived almost like an alternative fantasy world.
“It’s so pretty.” Foolish’s voice was low like he was scared to talk too loud and scare the plants.
This is it. This is the place. A complete opposite of how they usually live in a busy city or crammed together with their bandmates and crew on a bus or even when they perform in front of thousands of people. It was just the two of them in this beautiful place with no one else near them.
Checking the ring was still in his pocket, Punz took a deep breath and while Foolish was still looking at the water he got down on one knee. The rushing of water was a calming noise over the sound of his own heartbeat keeping him grounded and focussed on what he was about to say.
“Foolish?” He only hoped his voice came out as sturdy as he wanted it to.
When Foolish turned he could see the second he realised what was happening and the small gasp he let out.
“We’ve spent years together and even before we were dating you were my best friend that got me through everything. We’ve always been there for eachother and I want to be there for you for the rest of our lives because god knows I need you there for the rest of my life. I don’t even know where I’d be without you.” Punz gave a breathy laugh as he caught himself in a ramble. “Would you do me the honour of staying by my side and being there for me and letting me be there for you. Foolish will you marry me?”
It wasn’t the speech he had planned, it was a little off track and at this point Punz couldn’t even remember any of what he had planned on saying but to him it sounded alright and judging by the smile on Foolish’s face it went well.
“Yeah, I’ll marry you, don’t know who else I’d marry no one else has really asked me so, why not.”
“‘Why not’? Are you seriously answering my question with why not?”
Punz was pulled off the ground by Foolish’s hand around his arms pulling him into his embrace. Placing light kisses on his lips and cheeks, Foolish starts to giggle at the small pout of Punz’s face.
For a second Foolish turned serious and cupped Punz’s face in his hands tilting his face up to meet his eyes. “Punz I want nothing more in life than to spend it with you. Of course I want to marry you, I couldn’t imagine a life where we’re not together and even if I could, I wouldn’t want to. You’re everything and more to me and we’re gonna have the fucking coolest wedding ever.”
Punz could feel the burn of tears building up in his eyes but he refused to be the one to cry first, Foolish looked in the same state of near-tears and lovestruck as him. Pulling Foolish into a kiss, Punz whispered close to his lips. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
The instagram post was simple. It was posted a month after they got engaged and in between that time they had released a new single and announced their upcoming album and with that came a press tour and the realisation that unless they wanted to hide the ring for a week, they would have to announce their engagement. Foolish was stubborn in not taking the ring off and Punz was more than happy to flaunt him around as his fiancé. The post was on Foolish’s account and was only two pictures. The first was the two of them on their getaway with Punz kissing his cheek while he smiled at the camera. Punz was a little shocked when he saw the photo, he didn’t realise Foolish had taken a picture of them but when he saw the photo he nearly audibly awed at it. If it was anyone else he’d fake gag at how sickly in love they looked but it was him and Foolish so it just melted his heart a little more. The second picture was just a classic close up of the ring but it got the message of their engagement across pretty clearly.
They had both agreed not to look at the comments, they normally ignored the comment sections anyway, but this time around they knew to stay far away from it. Except Punz got bored and curious when he couldn’t sleep that night and decided to check their indirects on twitter. He had enough words muted already that he felt it was the safer option to satisfy the curiosity about people’s reactions. He wasn’t too scared of seeing hate comments, they didn’t affect him much anymore, it was more the issue that he was half asleep and didn’t care about what their management would say if he replied to a few of those comments telling people to go fuck themselves that he was nervous of.
The comments weren’t really surprising considering the past situations they had gotten themselves in and Punz could feel himself start to smile at a couple.
we all knew they were together but engaged??? Holy shit
the fact they were either trying to hide their relationship and failed or tried to subtly tell us and failed
time to listen to their full discography and try figure out which songs they wrote about each other
Knowing they had their fan’s support and the thoughts of being able to be more open with their relationship filled Punz’s heart more than he ever imagined. Years ago he dreamt of being open and with Foolish but now that he was living it, it was his reality and no longer just a dream, it made him feel just so full of love and happiness he almost didn’t want to sleep just so he could revel in it for longer. But they had a lot to do for the album tomorrow and the band was back to being a priority so with his curiosity appeased he went back to curling up next to Foolish, heart full and with a smile on his face.