Sweet Dreams, Tennessee

Sweet Dreams, TN

Steady hands gripped the microphone, a black Sennheiser e935. He shut his eyes as he inched his mouth closer to the tip of the mic. The smell of sweat and cigarettes filled up the bar as the crowd waited in silence, the humming of the amplifiers filled his ears. He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up slightly. Eventually, he opened his eyes, narrowing them as he scanned the dimly lit bar. His mouth now slightly ajar, "Bow down, you pigs." He mumbled into the microphone, soft yet full of authority. The crowd cheered, their patience had paid off as he retreated backwards, strumming the first few chords of the song on his black and brown Talman bass.

No Name started with their first song, one that you're all too familiar with. It was a fan favourite, so naturally, they had to play it at every gig, whether big or small.

The stage this time was small but it was far from shabby like the one from Hamilton's Bar, perfect for an intimate gig. It had everything the band needed and more. The instruments had been professionally set up and the venue even included various stage lights, equipment and techies. Having a record label definitely had it's perks.

The red strobe lights lit up the room, lighting up the features of each member who were currently on stage.

Levi's eyes scanned the room as he strummed his bass, desperation flashed in his eyes as he looked around for you. The crowd this time was rather intimate, vastly different from the last few gigs No Name had. Being here brought you back to the very first time you watched No Name played live. Though that was a year ago, it felt like it's been a lifetime.

Levi stopped wandering his eyes around once he found you at the back of the crowd, leaning against the wall. He smiled softly, never breaking eye contact with you as he stretched his foot out to press on a few effects pedals.

"The last song of the set. Be there." You recalled him whispering in your ears before he went backstage.

It wasn't like you'd wander off somewhere anyways, you no longer had a reason to stray.

You bobbed your head as you folded your arms, enjoying the moment at present. You knew the song well enough to mouth the song along with Eren, who had by now switched into his cocky playboy stage persona.

You turned your head to look at the man in question, his voice dripped with passion and emotion.

Mikasa stood beside you, her eyes glimmered with adoration for her boyfriend. They too had come a long way from when you first met them. While he sometimes would still flirt with his fans, Eren never took his eyes off Mikasa any longer.

Mikasa had been patient with Eren, sticking by him and trusting that he'd change his old playboy-ish ways. In a way, he did. He still had a long way to go, but at least he was putting in the effort for Mikasa.

Ymir caught your attention as she threw her drumsticks into the air. She didn't need to switch her stage persona on, she was always the same person both on and off the stage. You bit your lip as you recalled the first time Ymir prompted you to talk with Levi late at night outside your balcony.

You were always thankful for her for that. If she hadn't prompted you to, you probably would've never had that talk with Levi and the both of you probably wouldn't have realised your feelings for one another.

Something shiny on Ymir's finger caught your eye as you watched her twirling her drumsticks. You squinted and realised that it was her engagement ring. You recalled when she broke the news of her engagement with Historia to the band, which involved Jean getting punched by Levi after asking you to be his date for the wedding.

She hadn't had the chance to show it off to you yet, she probably would after the gig. Nothing makes you happier than seeing two of your good friends living happily together, you smirked as you imagined how chaotic their wedding would be.