Freeze Frame

Chapter 76

Third person pov

Mic had gone through every scenario in his head before Lillian came along. Thousands of possibilities and situations had occurred to him, and he'd prepared for them all. Tissues in case she started crying. Pads in case her period started, because god knows how unpredictable those are. Eye drops in case her eyes were dry. A hair brush in case she got the urge to brush her hair. Food in case she was hungry. A few blankets, because the studio was drafty. Some books, because sometimes the urge to read was overwhelming. Even some movies, should she decide she wanted to watch something. 

This situation was not one he ever could have imagined. 

Mic has made leaps and bounds in his assumptions in the past. It isn't anything new for him to jump to conclusions or create wild scenarios. But right now, he felt like he should be filming for proof. Nobody would believe him otherwise. They'd probably claim the recordings he had of the show were fake from the sheer absurdity of what was happening.

It was nearing two in the morning. Two. In. The. Morning. The show was still going. It had never gone on this long before, nor had it had this many listeners. They'd just capped a 500,000 people listening. That's right. There were 500,000 devices out there, all tuned into his radio show. All at the same time. It had never gone this high. He wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Lillian had somewhat taken over, and Mic had never been more confused.

Lillian was, personally, freaking out. 500,000 people were listening to her? Her, talk and communicate with other people? Real life people? She'd been struggling to keep her tears at bay for at least an hour now. Her breathing wasn't doing so hot either, and she was pretty sure one wrong move would send her spiraling into a panic attack. She wanted to stop, but she was also enjoying it. But she wasn't. But she was. She was walking this fine line between over enjoyment and complete panic.

"Two bros, chillin' in a hot tub." A voice sung out from the speaker.

"Five feet apart 'cause they're not gay." Lillian finished it easily. Any personal questions sent her stuttering, but there were these clear references, to what, Mic didn't know, that she finished with ease. No visible anxiety. No doubt. Absolutely zero hesitation. Never before had he seen her so self-assured. He would be crying tears of joy were he not so shocked. He'd tried calling Shota to tell him to tune in. Twice. The man simply wasn't picking up. It didn't matter. Mic's shows were all recorded and posted later for everyone to hear anyway, even if he was called a fake. Shota knew he wouldn't, couldn't, fake this.

"You're god." The female on the other end whispered before hanging up. Lillian's face went red with embarrassment as she began to sputter in surprise at the unexpected compliment. She'd been getting ones just like it for the past hour or two now. Mic was losing count, honestly. All he knew was that views were skyrocketing, and that it was all thanks to Lillian. People loved her and her... well, he had no idea what she was referencing, but they loved it. He would need to start making Lillian merch at this rate.

More ringing filled the studio. Mic pressed the answer button almost mechanically, as though out of reflex. Lillian tensed all over again and braced herself.

"I kissed a girl and I liked it! The taste of-" The teen's uneven singing cut off, but Lillian hopped in with her blue eyes alight with recognition.

"Iridocyclitis." The freckled girl said with all seriousness. Mic tried not to grin at the laughter that erupted from the other end of the line, blinking a few times. No, the blonde voice hero hadn't seen this coming at all. That didn't mean it wasn't absolutely brilliant. He'd never seen Lillian put such confidence into something before! If they could somehow channel this into the way she was everyday, then... well, she'd have no issues at all! The boldness was already there. It was just a matter of harnessing it now.