The audience roars as the Starkid's step onto the stage, space walking like they do at the beginning of every show. They take their places next to their designated microphones and slowly take off their space helmets, all the while facing away from the crowd.
Joey grins to himself as the applauding carries on, never decreasing in volume. Adrenaline fills him up as he turns around and starts singing. "I wanna be, a starship ranger," He quietly sings the first line and there's more cheering. The stage is dark but he can just about see the first few rows of the audience; the fans look so excited. He carries on singing the rest of the verse, still very quiet and calm.
Once he's finished, Brian spins around and carries on the next part of the song, causing the crowd to go crazy again. Joey jumps around his microphone stand, feeling the energy from his nerves and the audience hype him up. It's weird; they've done the show so many times by now but it's still always so surreal.
One by one the rest of the group sing lines of Wanna Be until they're all facing the audience and singing together, having a ball. The crowd is loving it; singing along and clapping to the beat. Joey can feel it's going to be a good show.
***
Joey smiles as Lauren swings her legs over his backstage on one of the couches they have. He places his hand on her thigh and strokes it with softly with her thumb; he loves how comfortable she is around him.
Meredith's currently singing The Coolest Girl onstage and they're on next for Granger Danger. Lauren leans onto Joey and nuzzles her head against his shoulder. As they cuddle, (thankfully no one else is around) she slides her hand under his shirt and starts lightly rubbing her fingers on his bare stomach, causing Joey to get butterflies. He kisses her cheek with a smile and pulls her closer to him.
Lauren suddenly turns to him, she had clearly been thinking about something. "Jojo?" She asks.
He looks at her. "Yes?"
Lauren smirks and starts playing with his fingers in her hand. "What's your favourite feature of mine?" She says innocently and Joey laughs.
He thinks for a moment and then turns to her. "Your eyes." Although he's smiling Lauren can tell he's serious. He gently places his hand under her chin and lifts her gaze so she's looking back at him. He stares into her eyes deeply for a moment and then nods, happy with his answer. "Yep, definitely your eyes."
Lauren giggles and pushes his hand away from her face. "Why? They're just brown," She shrugs with a smile.
Joey frowns. "They're not just brown; they're gorgeous. I could look at your eyes all day. You're gorgeous." He says quietly and Lauren's expression softens. She leans forward and rubs her nose gently against his affectionately.
Joey smiles and plays with the hem of her shorts. "What's your favourite feature of mine?" He says cheekily.
Lauren narrows her eyes at him with a tiny smirk. "I'd say your lips I guess." She shrugs and looks away from him casually.
Joey raises his eyebrows and turns her face so she's forced to look at him again. "Oh really, my lips?" He murmurs, leaning his face closer and closer to hers.
Lauren laughs and nods. She pecks a kiss to his mouth and wraps her arms around his neck. "Mhm," She smiles and kisses him again.
The kiss only lasts for a few seconds as they soon hear the applause that signifies Meredith's song has come to an end. Joey gives her one last peck before shifting her off of his lap and stands up from the sofa. He helps Lauren up and they grab their stools, ready to go on with a warm, happy feeling that fills them up.
