AT LEAST IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU // Dream X Reader

15

After the show, Nick stole Myra away, saying something about some party - but from the look he was giving her, you knew that the 'party' was probably just a hotel room he'd booked for the night. You just waved her off with a knowing smile, ignoring the way she rolled her eyes back at you. It was plenty obvious to you that she was more than happy to spend some time with Nick just form the way she interlaced their fingers. 

You were making your way back to the bus when you saw Clay step out of his own, notebook and acoustic guitar in hand. You smiled when you saw him, ignoring the rush of butterflies in your stomach. 

"Hey." Clay said, shutting the bus door behind him gently - George must have already passed out for the night. 

"Hey." You returned. "You guys were great tonight. Not that you're ever not great, but..." You trailed off lamely. "Yeah."

"Thanks." Clay said. He flipped his notebook in his hand. "I was going to unwind on the roof for a bit, if you wanted to join me. Probably work on this song some... maybe smoke a bit."

"Yeah." You said. "Sure."

Clay grinned and brushed past you, heading to the back of the bus, where the ladder was. He slung the guitar over his back with practiced ease before beginning the climb. From where his sweatshirt was rolled up to his elbow, you could see the veins in his forearms and hands shift as he climbed. 

You calmed your nerves and followed after him, climbing up onto the roof of the bus. Clay sprawled out on the roof, setting the guitar and his notebook next to him before reaching into the pocket of his hoodie, pulling out a joint and his lighter. You settled next to him, dangling your legs off the edge of the bus. 

Clay flicked the lighter and lit the joint before inhaling, taking a moment before releasing the smoke in rings. You watched them float to the sky, just like the other night. 

"Do you want...?" Clay asked, holding the joint out to you. 

"Not tonight." You said, not wanting the buzz to get to you and say something you shouldn't. Like that you adored the way he made everything look so effortless - even menial things. Or the way his eyes changed in the light (they looked brown now). Or that he had a really dumb tea kettle laugh.

Clay just hummed, taking another hit. 

"How's the song coming along?" You asked, changing the subject. 

Clay sighed, letting a puff of smoke float out into the air. "Not great, being honest."

"Oh?" You asked. 

"I don't know." Clay said, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bus so that they were dangling next to yours. "It just feels kind of... flat. Like there's no real feeling behind it. It's probably because it's not really inspired by anything... I mean, it is inspired by something but it's just not strong like the other songs."

"Well... what's it about?" You said. 

"How good things have been lately." Clay said. "How much I love my friends, and how grateful I am for all of this..." He gestured to the buses, and to the venue where he had just played for the masses an hour ago. "But it sort of feel s like a flex, you know? I just need something really emotional to happen. Or maybe I should finally let Nick write one."

"Nick wants to write a song?" You asked. 

"Yeah." Clay sighed out a laugh, taking another small hit. "He keeps begging me to let him put another cheesy love song on this album, even though we already have one. He's really whipped for your step-sister, I hope you know."

"It's pretty obvious." You laughed along.

Clay leaned back on his hands, tilting his head back to look up at the night sky. "Maybe I need to fall in love." He said thoughtfully. "I'd probably write an absolute banger. I should fall in love."

You laughed. "You're just going to fall in love? Just because?"

"Why not?" Clay said, waving his hand through the air, the joint trailing smoke in it's wake. "I'm young, I'm relatively famous... seems like a great time to fall in love and write some songs about it."

"You can't just fall in love like that." You said. "You have to have a connection with someone- it's a process."

Clay took a hit, blowing smoke into the sky. "I don't know." He said, glancing at you. "You've never just looked at somebody and been like 'I could fall in love with this person'?"

"Not really." You said. "It's more of a realization that I'm already halfway there, for me at least."

"Huh." Clay said. "Interesting... for me, it's kind of like a feeling. Like dread, but the opposite, you know?" He paused. "I'll just look at a person and I kind of know, that at some point, I'm going to fall in love with them. And then it's just about waiting for the right time." He glanced at you again, taking another hit. 

"Strange." You said, watching as Clay blew another cloud of smoke into the sky. As it dissipated into the air, you tried to stifle the growing hope that perhaps, you were one of those people for him, and that he was just waiting for some sort of signal. It was unlikely, but there was a growing warmth in your chest - you desperately wanted it to be true. "How do you write a love song about that?"

Clay shrugged. "Call it fate, I guess. Something about being meant to be, and the stars aligning and all that cliche shit. I like to try and be more nuanced though."

"I think you do a good job." You said. 

"That means a lot from you." He said.

You felt your face begin to heat. "Well, I mean, I'm just a fan..."

Clay just smiled and slid his arms back until he was laying down, reaching over to grab his notebook and opening it to a new page, sliding the pen he'd brought with him out of the spine. He began to scrawl on the page, and you turned your attention back to the night sky, grateful that it was dark.