Chapter Text
“Hoy... sorry, did I wake you up?”
“Seriously, you know I don’t sleep early.”
“Liar... I know your sleepy voice.”
“Fine, I know the voice when you miss me. If you insist, I might miss you a little too.”
“Have I told you how convinced you are? Lucky for you stupid people are my type.”
“Heh, I’m really good at this.”
“The best, without a doubt.”
“You still have a show to do, right?”
"Yes. I have to be on stage in a few minutes. I didn't want to go in without listening to you a little. You know... There are a lot of people out there.”
“Come on, firefly... You know you're going to put on a great show as always. My girl isn’t intimidated by a big crowd.”
“Your girl, huh?”
“I know you’re smiling weird right now...”
“You too, idiot. Oh, Jett, the show is about to start and-” “Is it Jett? Hey, chica! We found a really cool restaurant here, you won’t believe it!”
“Gekko, focus here quickly. Give Neon a big hug for me, please?”
“Of course, sis. You can let me sort this out for you. Anything else?"
“Tell her how beautiful she looks.”
“Did she send you a photo?”
“Pft, do you really think I need that to know? She is beautiful.”
“Well, you’re not wrong.”
“I never am. Good luck on the show. Oh, and Gekko... you better hug this girl tight or I won't send you the photo I took of Wings and Dizzy playing with your sneakers today. I went to visit your mom, she made cookies.”
“Chica, send me this photo now!”
“Hug my girl, bye!”
“JETT-“
Another day, another show. It wasn't that Jett was complaining about her girlfriend's busy schedule, she was actually happy to see the band's success. She just really missed having her around. The Korean knew that Neon's dream had always been to have a band and be able to sing for many people, it wouldn't be fair for a feeling as common as homesickness to make Jett not support her.
At first, the Korean girl feared that the band wouldn't work, after all, the group was made up of completely different people. Neon and Gekko had always been friends, they started studying music together with the intention of forming a band. He is the keyboardist and she is the guitarist. As time went by, Brimstone, an experienced firefighter, joined the group as bassist. Jett remembered well how Neon and Gekko complained about the lack of a good drummer for months until he showed up. Breach, an ex-convict with a dubious character but a huge sense of humor.
Jett hadn't agreed at all with the idea at first, but Raze knew the drummer well and calmed her down. The man practically twice the height of the Korean girl was always making some sarcastic comment, sometimes even mean, but over time, she could see that he wasn't such a bad person after all. Breach was concerned about others, especially criticism about their performance.
It didn't take long for them to become a family and, as much as Jett denied it even to herself, she felt a little jealous. The others were able to spend more time with the girl she loved, much more time than her. The band's rehearsals and the Korean's own routine didn't help much either. She worked in a restaurant and studied part time, while Neon rehearsed with the band practically every day and on weekends, performed shows around the region.
The band's success came unexpectedly, after Gekko insisted that they start recording covers of some famous songs and posting them on social media. With the increase in views, everything happened too quickly. Jett would never forget Neon's nervousness before the release of the first song she had written and her smile of relief when the positive comments began to pour in. Before Jett knew it, the friends she loved being around were traveling to perform at shows.
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How many years have passed in this process? Five, six, maybe more? All of this had started back in high school. Jett found herself once again sitting in front of the living room television, watching an interview. Neon looked beautiful with her hair down, sitting among her friends. The interview environment was cozy, a large sofa in front of a bench with some reporters, as well as a table with some snacks, which Breach didn't take long to grab a bag of chips. They spoke every day, of course, but seeing her even on the other side of the screen made the Korean girl's heart race. Jett knew Neon loved receiving photos. She felt closer to home, closer to the people she loved. At that moment, the Korean was wearing a crop top that she had received as a gift from her girlfriend. She took out her cell phone and smiled for the camera, then sent a message to the singer.
Wind Girl
20:54: Hey, girl! You are so beautiful I would kiss you right now
20:54: The problem is that I would always kiss you
20:55: Image.
The live interview seemed to be going well. Gekko loved these moments. The boy always answered questions excitedly, being helped by Brimstone. Breach ate something in silence, sometimes answering a question directed at him with his mouth full. Neon didn't really like questions, only answering what was asked directly to her in a short way.
Neon looked down. Jett knew she had her cell phone in her hand. From the Filipina's change of expression, she had read the message. That angry expression that she loved so much.
Jett started laughing. She loved teasing her girlfriend in moments like that. It was then that Neon looked directly at the camera and the Korean stopped laughing. The serious look followed by her girlfriend's provocative smile left her completely disconcerted. Jett blushed slightly and bit her bottom lip.
Neon took a while to break eye contact with the camera, which would lead to some comments from the media later, but she didn't care about that.
Firefly
21:03 : if I become a meme tomorrow, it's your fault
21:03: you look very beautiful
21:03: I love you, airhead
Jett didn't notice when a tear fell from her chin. She hugged her cell phone and closed her eyes for a few moments. She imagined the Filipina there with her. How she missed that tight hug, the habit that Neon had of always jumping on her when they were at home.
“A question that I imagine you may have already heard, but I can't help but ask. Why ‘Ragna Octopus?”
“Ah, that’s easy!” Gekko was ready to respond. “Neon and Breach were fighting a lot about which name to choose. Like, Breach wanted ‘Ragnarok’ and Neon wanted ‘Pink Octopus’.”
“Even because ‘Ragnarok’ is much cooler, who takes a pink octopus seriously?.” Breach said with his mouth full, then eating another potato while receiving a critical look from the Filipina.
“So…” Gekko spoke again. “It didn’t make any difference to me, I just want to make music with my friends. But Brim had the brilliant idea of combining the options, so neither of them would be mad!” The boy patted the former firefighter on the shoulder.
“So the kids stopped fighting, at least.” Brimstone smiled, a little shyly. He never got used to so many cameras.
The remaining questions were not very different from previous interviews. The questions were always about inspiration for some songs, future collaborations, agenda, some personal questions, questions from fans, some requests to sing, always the same pattern. Except for the question that bothered her the most.
“The next question is for Neon, okay? Sorry for the intrusion, but the people at home keep asking the same question. And your love life? Anyone close to winning this heart?”
Jett hated that question so much. The two had always been discreet about their relationship. When Neon began interacting more on social media, Jett asked that their relationship remain a secret. What the Filipina didn't know was the real reason for this: She was afraid that the singer would face difficulties because of who she is, as she herself faced at home. It wasn't easy, it never had been. Since the two started dating in high school, the Korean girl's family had never been supportive, causing Jett to leave home very early.
"What? No, no!" Neon replied a little awkwardly. “I don’t look for that now. I'm focusing on band matters, new songs. No time for romance.”
As much as Jett knew it was a lie to the media, hearing that hurt a lot. Neon and the few real friends she had met over the years were all the family she had left. Hearing her deny it so quickly, even if requested, hurt.
It wasn't that it was easy for the Filipina, she didn't feel comfortable answering questions like that either, but the topic was inevitable. She knew that the more she seemed uncomfortable with the question, the more they would insist on the subject.
Even knowing everything, it was still suffocating. Jett felt like screaming, hugging that girl and not letting her go. But she knew that was impossible. It was her dream and as much as she missed it, Jett couldn't interfere in any way. That didn't stop her eyes from starting to water. Before the tears could start falling, Jett's cell phone started ringing. Raze. Jett let out a breath she didn't know he was holding. For a brief moment, she thought it might be her girlfriend calling, but when she looked back at the television, the singer was still there, on that sofa.
"Speak." Jett hid her emotions as best she could.
“Oh, is this the way to answer the person who has a really cool invitation for you, amiga?” The Brazilian's always lively voice was really good to hear, which made the Korean smile, even if slightly.
“Okay, I’ll rephrase it. So, bombshell, what are we blowing up today?” The Korean girl's tone was noticeably more relaxed.
“That thing with the coffee machine was just once, okay? How was I supposed to know that refilling it with paints and trying to make a mini automated workshop to personalize mugs would go wrong? Just imagine, the same machine delivers the coffee to you with an awesome mug? It was revolutionary, the world simply sabotaged me.”
“Raze, I'm going to pretend I don't know that you tried to do that to look badass to Killjoy, you don't even care about mugs that much. They usually don’t last more than two weeks in your hand.”
“Eh... two weeks is a bit of an exaggeration, amiga. A month at least. The one you gave me during the soccer world cup lasted until the end of the cup, okay?”
“Yeah, you have a good point.” Jett chuckled and shook her head. “Okay, but what do you want? Like, normally you don't call me on a Friday for nothing, much less at this time. What, am I your best friend? Own, this is so cute!”
“Oxente. Te aquieta, garota! We're going out today, I just called to let you know that Sova and I are going to come by and pick you up in twenty minutes. Fui!"
“RAZE-“
The connection was cut. As expected, Raze didn't give the Korean girl time to deny it. While Raze asked her out in conventional ways, Jett always refused, always staying home alone. It was then that she stopped asking and started taking her out anyway, without caring about the protests.
Jett sighed and got up from the couch. She kept looking at her girlfriend on the other side of the screen. Maybe leaving the house a little would be good, but she didn't want to, at all. Not if Neon wasn't at the bar she was being dragged to. But Jett knew she wasn't. Especially because the television was very clear when showing how far away it was.
The Korean sighed and went to get ready. She didn't turn off the television.
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“Explain to me again why you’re not going to talk to him, Sova.” Jett said close to the ear of the blonde man next to her. “Come on, big boy... You look beautiful, that hunter look is going to be a hit.” She smiled sideways.
“I have nothing to say.” The blonde was practically hiding behind the glass of drink he held to his lips.
The music wasn't too loud and the atmosphere in the bar chosen by Raze wasn't aggressive. Opposite to what Jett expected, it was actually pleasant. No annoying flashing lights, no crowds. People were talking, some were drinking, the food served didn't look bad, even with the Korean girl's critical culinary eye.
“Amigo, just go! You've been looking at this boy since we arrived, why are you so scared? Okay, he might say no to your face. And maybe call the police.” Raze smiled and placed his hand on the blonde's shoulder.
“You are exaggerating. I just thought those golden things on his face were beautiful. Just that." He turned his back, avoiding looking in the direction the other man was. “And Raze, what kind of song is this? The beat is… different, I have no idea what she’s talking about.”
“Oh, this? Welcome to Brazil! This is sertanejo universitário, which is basically country music for young people, or something like that. I prefer axé, pagode, something more Bahia, you know? But there’s a lot of that in the south and southeast.” The Brazilian seemed excited. “You can't imagine my surprise at finding a Brazilian bar here! It's helping a little with the homesickness! Seriously, you need to try this barbecue sequence. Although here there is no tapioca, acarajé, nothing that is really good... But then, Ana Castela is playing there.”
"Sounds cool. Portuguese seems to be very difficult.” The Korean girl commented, immediately leaning on the counter.
“Menina, you speak Korean, that seems absurdly difficult to me.” Raze arched her eyebrow. “Most of them are about love. The rest are women and drinks, but we ignore these and pretend they don’t exist.” Raze's comment made Jett laugh. "It’s true! The one playing now is one of the cute ones. The name is Meu Número. It talks about a love that ended up cooling down because of the distance.”
Jett's heart froze. She couldn't help but think about Neon. Not at that moment when the drink she had taken was starting to take effect. Not when the music seemed to tug at her heart.
“The chorus is: Hoje eu to te deixando voar, mas por dentro eu quero te prender. Se você resolver não voltar, eu só quero o melhor pra você. Hoje eu to te deixando voar, na certeza que tem outro amor. Se acaso ele te machucar, o meu número nunca mudou.” Raze sang along with the song. “Which means something like this: Today I'm letting you fly, but inside I want to hold you. If you decide not to come back, I only want the best for you. Today I'm letting you fly, in the certainty that you have another love. If he ever hurts you, my number never changed.”
“That sounds a little desperate.” Sova looked seriously at Raze, then looked worriedly at Jett. “It doesn’t sound like the kind of music you’d play at a party.”
"Que isso, menino! This kind of music plays all the time! Everyone loves suffering! Well, at least it’s a hit in Brazil.” The Brazilian said excitedly, without noticing the blonde's aggressive gaze. She had drunk enough not to interpret that type of communication.
Jett was silent, motionless, looking at the floor. Sova thought about trying to talk to her, but he had no idea what to say. He knew how important Neon was to the Korean girl. They were always together, since high school, everywhere. How much Neon was missing Jett was visible in her every smile. Not even the blue-eyed girl's sharp comments were as constant as before.
“Sova, order a vodka combo.” Jett's voice interrupted the Russian's thoughts.
"What?" He questioned, surprised.
"Vodka. Today is on you.” She said seriously.
“But…” Sova thought about arguing, but he really wanted to help the Korean girl. Again his kind heart came at a high price. Really high considering the prices of the drinks. “Okay... after that, you owe me dinner and I won’t forget.”
"Deal." Jett smirked. That was just the beginning of a long night. Her cell phone was practically out of battery, something she hadn't noticed yet.
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“What happened, chica? You seem upset about something.” Gekko sat on the sofa in the luxurious apartment they were in, next to the blue-haired girl who kept looking at her cell phone.
“Jett doesn’t answer. I called, I don't know, more than fifteen times.” The girl sighed and threw her cell phone on the sofa next to her. “She never misses a call, I don’t like that.”
“Cálmate, estrellita. Your girl must be sleeping or something. We’ve known Jett since highschool.” He placed his hand on her shoulder. “We have an important show tomorrow, don’t you think you need to rest?”
Neon's only reaction was to sigh heavily and bring her hand to her forehead, in a small massage to relieve her headache. There were so many important shows that she had already lost count. Gekko realized that this was not the time to talk about their career and felt embarrassed. It wasn't the first time he found himself thinking too much about the band and neglecting the fact that everyone there was giving up something very important.
"You know what? Forget about the show, do you want to talk? Tell me, did you have and argument with Jett or something?” Gekko asked really worried, pushing away all thoughts about the next day.
“Wow.” The boy's attitude made Neon laugh softly. “You’re a nice guy, Mateo.” She took a deep breath and ran her hand through his hair, messing it slightly. “No, we didn’t argue. She even sent a message when we were in the middle of the interview, sent a photo... And she looked so beautiful...”
“She didn’t lie, she’s hot.” Breach, who had left the room some time ago, was listening to the conversation leaning against the wall.
“Breach!” Gekko scolded him, frowning.
"What? Weren’t we being sincere?” He smiled provocatively and crossed his arms. He had no interest in the Korean girl, but he loved seeing the jealous expression on the Filipina's face.
“There, big guy.” She looked serious, which made Breach stop smiling. "Not today. Okay, we both know that you wouldn't have a chance even if she didn't think you were weird, but it's still my girl we're talking about.”
“It's like I... Wait, weird? Why weird?"
“Eh, maybe we should change the subject.” Gekko signaled for Breach to sit on the couch. “Did we wake you up?”
“Of course, you can hear the girl walking around the room for a long time, I'm not deaf. I mean, not that much, the drums just damaged my ears a little.” He sat on the couch completely relaxed.
“It hasn’t been that long, I just… needed to calm down and walking around helps, you know?” Neon sighed. Breach was right, she didn't know how long she had been pacing the apartment's living room for, but considering the amount of missed calls, it really was a lot.
“Did you guys have a fight or something?” The drummer asked, dropping his sarcastic tone for the first time.
“As far as I remember, no. She complained a little in our last conversation about how long it took to get home, it was a strange atmosphere but we didn’t fight.” The girl hid her face in her hands, worried. “Does she hate me for this? Man, there are so many things in the band at the same time, I can't stop or the effort we put in for so long to get these opportunities would be wasted.”
“Come on, Neon... This is Jett we're talking about. She would never hate you for any reason whatsoever.” Gekko brushed away the strands of hair that fell over Neon's face. “You still do that thing where you guys answer each other’s call by singing something, don’t you? This is super cute!”
“It may seem obvious, but tell me something... It must be pretty late there now, don't you think she might just be sleeping?” Breach raised an eyebrow.
"No. She's not like that. Jett always answers when I call.” She hugged her body, a bitter feeling of fear began to emerge, making her stomach feel upset. No matter how much Gekko tried to make her remember special details of their relationship, it wasn't enough to get rid of that bad feeling. “She’s really good with timezones.”
"Do you believe that?" Breach smirked, making Neon frown. “What, seriously? Damn, Neon! You’re dumber than I imagined, girl!” He sat properly on the sofa. “It's not that she's good at it, she researches about it so she's always available to talk to you. Are you sure that in all these years you haven’t noticed?”
Neon was silent. She knew her girlfriend well, she knew how hard she tried to always be there, but in the last few years everything had become more difficult. The band's busy schedule meant they were away from home for months. Not hearing Jett's voice completely unsettled her. She was going after a very important dream, yes, but what was being sacrificed in the process?
"Uh, family..." Gekko interrupted Neon's conversation and thoughts. He stared at his cell phone. “I think I found Jett.”
In a quick movement, Neon took the cell phone from the boy's hand. Breach, who had just been on the other sofa, now sat on the other side of the girl, starting to look at the screen with her and Gekko.
The stories published by Raze showed some parts of the bar she was at, drinks, songs they didn't know. Until Neon saw those expressive blue eyes and the discreet smile that in the next photos would show how much she had drunk. She was with Raze and a blonde man Neon had never seen before, but Jett seemed very close to him, which made the Filipina uncomfortable.
The group seemed to be having a lot of fun. Jett was singing in a language that Neon thought was Portuguese, but wasn't sure. She appeared hugging both Raze and the blonde man in several stories.
Until Neon saw something that bothered her a lot. In the last photo, Raze was pointing at the two behind her. Jett appeared sleeping on the couch, with her head resting on the blonde man's lap while he stroked her hair.
“Ah... It could be a childhood friend you don’t know, yeah?” Gekko asked worriedly, also looking at the image.
“She… is she cheating on me?”