𝙄𝙍𝙄𝙎

She'll Stick Around

The morning light crept in through half-closed blinds, casting soft streaks of gold across the cluttered room. Dave and Iris were still tangled in blankets, the TV flickering faintly at the foot of the bed, playing an early-morning block of MTV. It was all grainy music videos and overenthusiastic hosts, but neither of them were paying much attention.

Dave lay on his back, one arm tucked under Iris, her head resting against his shoulder, legs tangled with his. The room smelled faintly of coffee drifting in from somewhere else in the house and yesterday's rehearsal gear. Somehow, the mess made everything feel even more real.

A knock suddenly broke the calm. "Yo, Dave?" came Barrett's voice from the other side of the door.

Dave cleared his throat, sitting up a little straighter, untangling his legs with Iris's but not moving the other parts of his body. "Yeah, come in."

The door cracked open, and Barrett peeked in then froze.

"Well, well, well," he said, grinning wide as he stepped inside. "Am I interrupting something, or is this the new band uniform?"

Dave smirked. "This is post-show recovery."

Iris groaned and stretched, also straightening her position, turning her body away from where Barrett stood but still clung on to Dave's arm. "Oh my god."

Barrett leaned against the doorframe, clearly enjoying himself. "Didn't realize MTV and spooning were part of the creative process."

"Helps with songwriting," Dave said, deadpan.

Barrett raised an eyebrow. "So? How was it? The show?"

Dave sat up a little, his voice immediately lifting with excitement. "It was insane for a first show, dude. Packed house, crowd moving, we actually sounded tight. I think we pulled it off."

Barrett watched him with amusement as Dave went on, giddy and energized despite the early hour.

Iris looked up at him, smiling softly. "He gets like this when he's proud of something."

Barrett chuckled. "Gross."

He clapped his hands once. "Alright, well, I was about to make breakfast. You two want in?"

"Absolutely," Dave said.

"Please," Iris added.

"Cool. Pancakes in twenty." he said as he backed out of the room and shut the door behind him.

Dave flopped back onto the pillow, grinning. "He's never letting that go."

"Not a chance," Iris said, shifting so she could rest on her side, looking at him. "So. We're up early. What now?"

Dave thought for a second. "We could look for more venues. Maybe line up a few more shows while we've got the momentum?"

Iris nodded. "That's exactly what I was thinking. I have a couple places in mind but I'll need help calling around."

"I got you," Dave said easily. "I'll play manager until we have one."

She smiled. "Thanks."

There was a pause, then Dave glanced over at her. "What would you think about... maybe going on tour? Not right now, obviously, but like, eventually."

Iris raised an eyebrow. "A tour? You mean like a real one?"

"Sure," Dave said, shrugging. "Small one. Couple cities. I've got connections, I bet I could find someone we could open for."

"Dave, we don't even have anything out yet."

He grinned. "Since when has that ever stopped anyone?"