STAINED || Mendes

ONE

The world was a beautiful place.

In every new city he landed in, he made a game of seeing how many dogs he could spot chasing their own tails, how many bunches of flowers he could smell, and how many screaming kids were excitedly pulling their parents around from place to place.

He was often in his own world as his feet skillfully skipped over every crack in the ground, head bobbing to the music playing through his headphones and hands pocketed. He seemed to always have a smile on his face as he eyed the tall lit buildings at night contrasting against the dark sky, and he was sure that the city was his true calling.

The world was a beautiful place; And he was sure it'd be even more beautiful when he's finally able to see it in living color.

Every year, without fail, someone would pop the question. Whether it be an interviewer before a show or Shawn's own parents at the Thanksgiving table, he could never escape those fated words.

"So, Shawn, seen any colors lately?"

And he was absolutely sick of it.

It was embarrassing enough to be 20 years old and not have seen a single color yet, let alone be a famous pop singer who sings primarily about love without ever having experienced it. He felt like a fraud, a liar, but deep down, he knew it wasn't his fault.

He knows how these things are supposed to work. The world starts off black and white, and when you see your soulmate, you start seeing colors. However, since everyone surrounding Shawn practically had all of their colors already, he was left in the dust.

It was especially frustrating when he'd traveled all over the world meeting thousands of new people all the time, yet still, his world was gray. However, he tended to hold a semi-positive mindset, knowing that he just had to trust the process, and one day, his love would come to him.

He just wished everyone else understood this as well and stopped asking him about it.

As he sat in the empty green room of the venue he was performing at that night, his mind began to wander. Today was one of the rougher days. Although he tried to make it seem as if he wasn't bothered by his lack of color, the truth was that over the last few months, he had been feeling the worst he ever has about it.

Despite how much he tried to convince himself that everything would work itself out, sometimes he couldn't help but think that he'd never be able to find love. He'd heard the stories before of people growing old without ever having seeing any color- It's rare, but it happens.

And as Shawn stood in the mirror examining himself, he couldn't help but feel as if he might end up to be one of the rare exceptions.

"I'm young.." He muttered under his breath, turning to look at his rosy-faced profile as he buttoned his shirt up. "I'm handsome.."

One of his large hands came up to run through his hair, flopping it around a bit even though he knows it'll be messed up once more as soon as he steps onto stage.

"So what's wrong with me?"

At desperate times like these when he only wanted to be in the arms of his soulmate, he found himself giving up hope. Moments of weakness lead him to believing he was unlovable and was going to be alone forever, but he eventually slapped sense into himself, perking up and clearing his throat while forcing a grin onto his face.

Fake it 'till you make it.

"Mendes." A grim voice barked behind him, the bald venue employee sticking his head through the door and disturbing his peace. "You're on in 3."

-

The energy in the venue was electric. This city was easily one of Shawn's favorites, the way they sang along to every song, danced like there was nobody watching, and poured their hearts out to his lyrics. He couldn't wipe the smile off his face even if he tried now, and he knew this show would go down in the history books.

He was in the middle of playing In My Blood, prancing around the stage and losing himself in the music as his fingers worked frantically to keep up with the pace of the song. His eyes were everywhere, glazing over from the sheer intensity of this moment. Near the end of the song when things had finally begun to calm down, he shut his eyes, a tear escaping one as he stood still and basked in his reality, a cascade of emotions falling upon him.

And if he wasn't already emotional enough, what he saw when he opened his eyes was enough to push him over the edge, his breath hitching in his throat and catching the attention of everyone.

He'd never seen anything like it before. Sprinkled around the room, there were little flecks of something bright and colorful. It was only one color, and he wasn't sure of the name, but it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever witnessed. The contrast of the color to the black and white he'd grown so accustomed to only made him cry harder, his mouth agape in disbelief.

Shawn stood on stage for a minute more, looking like a deer in the headlights when realization finally dawned upon him.

His eyes scanned over the well-over-30,000 people in the venue, all staring back at him with confused glances.

Oh no.