Chapter Text
Johnnie regretted waking up as soon as he did, which was closer to 3PM. He forced his way out of bed while he tried to remember the night, the beat in his head the rhythm of the regretful thoughts running through his mind.
First of all, shower. Get the sand out of his hair.
Jake said that (Y/N) had left around 4.30, sharing an Uber with Tara. They had hit it off apparently.
Now the problem was that Johnnie had no idea where to go from here. He was pretty confused with his feelings. (Y/N) was a special person, they had these sweet moments together and she was incredibly attractive, so how could you... well... not be attracted to her? But it didn't mean anything, right? Now this whole thing made him anxious, which was silly, cause they were just friends.
~~
It felt a bit weird after that scene on the beach. Three days had passed and (Y/N) hadn't texted Johnnie anything. I mean, it shouldn't have felt weird cause they were just two friends being silly but it made her a bit uncomfortable. Cause she like, got a buzz in her belly. And she hadn’t felt butterflies since forever. But what made her more uncomfortable was his and Jake's Youtube channels with over 2 million subscribers. And what made her even more uncomfortable was Trisha Paytas suddenly popping up on her FYP lipsyncing(terribly) to Pierce The Veil with Johnnie and Jake.
(Y/N) efficiently gathered her belongings and slung her bag over her shoulder and walked quickly out of the lecture hall.
"(Y/N), hang on." Someone yelled from somewhere behind and she stopped to look over her shoulder.
"Brooke, hi."
"I was waiting for your lesson to be done. How are you?"
"Good. You?"
The two continued the walk out the building and through campus. "So that's what I've been doing today." Brooke finished a long monologue of basically nothing. "Wanna hang out?"
"I have a shift in an hour and I gotta study tonight." (Y/N) explained.
"Alright, you fighter. Could I get a ride home though?"
"Of course." They reached her car and (Y/N) tossed her bag in the backseat.
"You've been a bit quiet these last few days... are you, like, mad at me for going back to Leo?"
"What?? No, of course not. You said he improved and had been thinking so I trust you on that. As long as you're happy."
Brooke was quiet for a moment. "Did anything else happen?"
"No-..." (Y/N) sighed. "I don't know. Not really. I'm just a bit confused."
"Wanna talk about it?"
"I don't-... know." She sighed again. "Did you know that Jake and Johnnie are like, a big deal on social media? They're like, super popular. I didn't know. Their friend, who's also, like, famous, told me. And it feels weird that she's the one who said so and not them."
"Ooooh. What?" She shrugged. "I mean, we probably meet a lot of people who don't flex on us with their followers."
"Yeah, but, me and Jake... and J-. and Johnnie... Are good friends. It's weird."
Brooke nodded. "Yeah, I guess. That's kinda weird. But they didn't lie about it or anything. Right?"
"No, not at all, they mentioned working with social media and doing music and maybe I'm a bad friend for not checking them out. Or maybe they think I know. We've never talked about it ever."
"You should bring it up."
"In a chill way."
~~
Johnnie squinted at his phone's screen. A short text with a link to a video on TikTok.
'explain this?😭😭'
"Guys, (Y/N) just-..." Johnnie wasn't sure why he was internally freaking out about (Y/N) sending him a video from his TikTok account with Trisha, it literally made his head feel dizzy and heart race.
"What?" Jake asked.
"She sent me a video from my TikTok." He finished his sentence.
"She did?" Tara looked up from her own phone, waiting for more information. The three were hanging out in the apartment.
"Yeah, she just sent the one... With Trisha..."
Tara giggled loudly and Jake chuckled.
"Saying... 'explain this'... with crying emojis... Is-is she mad? Guys, is..." Johnnie sat up straight in his seat. "It's so weird that we haven't like ever addressed anything."
"Chill, dude, she's-..." Jake watched Johnnie's fingers dance across the screen. "Johnnie." The soft staccato of keys being tapped came to an end.
'That is the weirdest way for you to find my account if that's the first vid your seeing (Y/N) I apologize'
"What did you type?" Tara asked, her teasing grin now dropping.
"I just said--"
Pling.
'it's the first vid to show up on my tik tok but to be honest tara told me at that party last weekend. i really had no clue you had such a huge following. it's kinda weird i've managed to miss it.' i'm sorry about that. i didn't figure
Johnnie read the conversation out loud and looked at Tara, not sure how to feel.
"What?" She said. "It's kinda weird you didn't tell her."
"It just never seemed relevant." Johnnie replied.
"And it still isn't I think." Tara looked at Jake. "But it's weird she didn't know."
"It's not like we've kept it a secret or anything. It just never seemed relevant." Jake looked to Johnnie.
"I thought she... We had a moment at that party and I was scared I had like, I don't know, scared her off a bit or something, we didn't really do anything, we just... looked at the stars on the beach and... we... I... I thought that was why she's been all quiet but I'm guessing it's cause she didn't know how to handle you telling her, but--..." Johnnie stopped his rambling. "Jeez."
Jake blinked.
"I guess it's relevant in the sense that the girl said she'd never date a celebrity, so you don't have to worry about that." Tara joked with a giggle. "I'm sorry-- I mean, I didn't mean it like that. And it's good she knows, right? She would've found out soon enough which I still think it's weird you guys didn't like, boast about it."
"When do we ever boast?" Jake challenged.
Johnnie replied with, 'I wasn't sure if you knew or not to be honest and it's weird I never really mentioned it I'm sorry'
'it's chill, dude, dw!! yeah just strange I never knew cause, you know, it's a pretty big part of your life and stuff'
'I know. I think I've just been happy to have made a new friend without them knowing my channel or well I wasn't sure if you knew or not. It's like either you knew and didn't care or you didn't know and you still wanted to get to know me'
'I'm also glad to have made two great friends. this doesn't change anything, right?'
'You're the best.'
Phew.
[chewy chapter but you had to have 'the' conversation alright]
~~
It felt... okay. Okay to know how popular the guys actually were. Kinda cool? And weird to know that they chose to hang out with (Y/N). Out of all people in LA. Cause there were way cooler people to hang with(sorry). Anyways. They texted a bit back and forth. Followed each other on social media, could now send memes and tiktoks to each other. Facetime a few times and had lunch the other day. Like real friends. And the next day Johnnie called.
"What are you doing?"
"Studying."
"I'm working on this one song and I need your opinion."
"I want to hear, but I'm uh, studying, Johnnie."
"Can I come over? You can study while I bring my guitar."
Hell yeah. "Alright, sure. The code to the building is (yours! comment below and the address😊)."
Johnnie showed up about 20 minutes after that.
The late afternoon sun filtered through the sheer curtains of (Y/N)'s cozy apartment, casting a warm, golden coat across the room. With a soft exhale, she set down her textbook, feeling the weight of impending exams bearing down on her shoulders.
As he reached her building and climbed the stairs to her floor, Johnnie couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation in the pit of his stomach. He had heard (Y/N) talk about her apartment before, but he had never seen it for himself. What was her home like?
When he finally reached her door and gave it a light knock, Johnnie felt a bit nervous as he waited for her to answer. And when she swung the door open, a grin of his own reflected the sight before him.
"Hiii (Y/N)!!"
"Hi dude. It might be a bit messy here.."
"It's fine. You've seen ours. And now we're moving and it's even worse."
(Y/N)'s apartment was like a cozy sanctuary nestled in the heart of the city. The warm, inviting glow of candles flickered in every corner and the soft hum of a record player filled the halls, lending an air of nostalgia to the space.
As he stepped inside, Johnnie's eyes wandered over the furnishings and personal touches that adorned the room. A white rug lay on top of her couch with pink throw pillows, inviting guests to sink into its plush depths. Potted plants lined the windowsills, their verdant leaves adding a burst of life to the space.
But it was the little details that truly captured Johnnie's attention – the carefully curated collection of artwork that added to the walls, the well-loved books stacked haphazardly on shelves, the faded concert posters that served as a testament to (Y/N)'s love of music. The perfect person to ask for help!
As (Y/N) ushered him further into the apartment, Johnnie couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth and belonging wash over him. In this cozy haven of candles and records, he knew that he was exactly where he wanted to be – surrounded by the comforting embrace of friendship he valued. And he wondered why they'd never been here before.
She turned off the record and sat down criss-crossed in the sofa as their chatting went off, attention somewhere completely else but the notebook in her lap.
"I like that flannel by the way. You sorta look like the guy from Adventure Time. Marshall, or what was his name?"
"Hahah, yeah, Marshall Lee I think. I've heard that one before when I've worn this shirt in videos." Johnnie shifted in the armchair.
"I always found Adventure Time a bit... eerie if that makes sense? But I had a huge crush on Marshall Lee, not gonna lie. Anyways, of course you've heard that in your videos. I can't believe we've known each other for— okay, not for ages, really not that long… but we know each other kinda well by now, right?"
"I'd like to believe so.“
"Right, I feel the same. And I've still been oblivious to it?" She stretched out in the sofa with a yawn. "Crazy. I feel like you looked familiar but I'd say that's just the style you have.”
"Are you... Like, how do you feel about it?"
"The style? I was intrigued when I first saw you in that store, I think it's super cool."
"I meant..."
"I know. I'm joking." She sat up straight again, a more serious look to her face. This conversation face-to-face was inevitable. "I don't mind, Johnnie. There's always influencers at the bigger parties and to be honest I usually uh, avoid them. I don't mean to be judgy but have you ever met more shallow people? That's the only thing I don't like about LA."
"I get that. I agree."
(Y/N) shrugged, tugged at the end of her notes, trying to find the right words to express her feelings. "I mean, there's a lot of things in LA that I don't like. Shallow influencers is probably the smallest problem in our society." She corrected herself. "And you're not like that at all anyways. Neither is Jake or Tara. Like, the nicest people I’ve met." She looked up from her notes. "And I've never been affected by your— I haven't even noticed it."
"Hey now. I might not get recognized on the daily but I swear it happens. Sometimes." Johnnie offered a careful grin.
She giggled, relaxing her shoulders again. "I'm totally cool with it dude. Just f*cking weird I didn't... know. Anyways. How you feel about it?"
"I'm glad you're not making a deal out of it. Like you said it's a big part of my life. My uh, it is my life." Johnnie shrugged. "I'm just scared sometimes that people will want to hang out with me just because of it. Or if they'll get scared. Like you said you usually avoid getting to know people like… me.."
"In our case I just think you're a little too cool to be making time to hang out with me." (Y/N) joked and picked up her pen.
Which was insane to Johnnie's ears cause he felt that way about her hanging with him. And his brain told him that there was no way she could ever like him. He wasn't her type. But she looked so beautiful there in the sofa and he had to tell himself that they actually hadn’t known each other for that long. “But yeah, it would've intimidated me to know from the beginning."
"Don't say that." He pouted and she scoffed. "I feel like my emo style would've scared you off if anything."
"Yeah. It's kinda scary. Lucky for you I loved The Vampire Diaries and Twilight."
"Even if you look like the type who'd love Mean Girls and Pretty Little Liars."
(Y/N) gasped. "Hey! I definitely do not. Or well. I do love Mean Girls. Now sing your original, vampire boy." She picked up her pen to actually start with the studying. (Get it like original as in the vampire diaries get it? Get it? Haha😂😂)
Johnnie let out a snort before he cleared his throat and went on. "Good little girl, always picking a fight with me."
She gasped again, looked up from the notebook.
"You know that I'm bad, but you're spending the night with me… What do you want from my world?" A teasing but genuine smile spread across his lips. "You're a good little girl.."
"Shut up Johnnie." She giggled.
He snickered. "Don’t you know I'm a villain?"
"Enough." (Y/N) covered her mouth to stifle another giggle.
"Every night I'm out killing, sending everyone... out runnin?? Like uh, children?" He tried to recall the rest of the script from the show.
"... I got demon eyes?"
"Right, and they're lookin right through your anatomy."
"You've got a thing for me girl, it's apparent." She finished with another snort. "I don't know if I ever told you this but I did think you had contacts the first times we met. You've got the bluest eyes I've ever seen, man." She said and pulled her legs up to a criss-cross pose again, eyes down on her sheet.
"You're being nice. What's up? Are you gonna cut me off after this? Breaking up?"
(Y/N) snorted and shook her head. "You never know."
"Stop."
"I'm kidding. You know that. It's cool with the whole famous thing. I don't mind."
(I didn't know Donald glover did his voice I used to love the character and his voice dude)
Johnnie nodded. "Okay, so this is what I've been working on. Be honest, straight up." He started strumming the acoustic melody.
It sounded sweet, nice.
"Blood red sheets are my favorite... I could be your-... hang on." He snickered.
"What.. Oh! Blood red— perfect after that vampire segment." She fell into laughter herself.
"I'm sorry. Here we go." Johnnie cleared his throat again. "I want your... this is not a love- I’m not serenading you by the way."
"So you're not flirting?"
"Would you like me to be?"
"Just sing the song."
Ouch. "I want your heart, I want your brain... and that body, cause you got me going too insane. You can't control me." He continued.
(Y/N) reminded herself that he actually had to have wrote this song about another girl and it was a good reality check that their flirty banter was about two friends having fun. Their dynamic worked like that. Actually just like Johnnie and Jake. This wasn’t different.
“She makes me nervous. The way she gives me purpose. You’re getting close now, I’m not myself now. You make me nervous…” Johnnie barely dared to look up from his guitar and felt like a goddamned high schooler. This wasn’t the song he was planning on playing and it was less ready than the melody he actually came here to show her. With his heart racing, he looked up to see a pair of eyes sparkling with admiration and affection. It made his throat dry.
Then she quickly spoke, “Aye, you know I’m a rock girl, but that was a banger. I liked it. I’d listen to it.”
“You would?” Thank God. “Cool. I was sure you’d bully my ass for a corny love song.”
“I knew you were a real softie so I’m not surprised” She teased. “You think zombie love is corny?”
“A little.”
“Nah, I’ve read poems of like, cannibal love. You know the type I mean?”
“Yeah, exactly.”
“I find it beautiful. It’s like, ‘I like this person so much I want to devour them’. Maybe a bit psychotic and unhealthy but hey. I think it’s beautiful, or maybe that’s the wrong word, but you know.”
Johnnie liked this girl a lot. “Thanks, (Y/N).” He said. “Jake does more punk. Have you heard his stuff? It’s pretty good. Closer to rock maybe. We’re working on a song together right now.”
“I haven’t checked it out but I’d probably dig it.” (Y/N) finished a sentence in her notes and looked up at him again. “You’re very welcome to swing by whenever and show me music, you know I’m a music nerd. But I’m also a study nerd and it’s not going so good. I just wrote down what I said instead of what I was supposed to. My professor will freak out if he reads about cannibals instead of cognitive processes.”
Johnnie laughed. “Alright, I’ll stop yapping and just play. If that’s not bothering?”
“It’s not. I’m loving this.”
And it was a cozy vibe, a real cozy one. All that was missing was a fireplace. Getting over that little bump about hanging out with a famous guy just made them closer.
They sat there for probably another hour, studying and talking and strumming some more. Johnnie listened to (Y/N)’s work and she listened to his, jumping from psychology to music and everything in between. Though the banter kind off wore off and they kept it friendly.
And then he left and (Y/N) studied some more before going to sleep.
[im so sorry this took ages cause my laptops freaking out again]
