Atlas giggled, wincing slightly at the noogie, but trying not to show it. "Oh thank youu. But hey, whatd'ya mean by that?" Atlas asked, smiling. From what he knew, no one had mentioned leaving the company in front of management, they'd always said it in private.
"Oh come on, you think I don't see the way Em curls in on himself when the suits rail you? That I don't know you'd do just about anything to make him happy and you never liked the company much anyways?" She snorted, shaking her head. "I'm not blind, kid. I know you're ditching when the tour's through, I just hope you'll keep my number so I can help you get a better fit next time."
"And there goes being discrete, about leaving I mean. Basically everyone knows I fuckin' hate management. But of course, you two are the only decent people in the company. Obviously I'll keep your numbers… but you won't tell management before the tour's over right?" Atlas responded. He leaned his head on Emrys' shoulder, tired again.
Em leaned his head up against Atlas' with a soft yawn, tired out by all the public speaking. Talkshows left him anxious and the anxiety always dripped away into heavy layers of exhaustion. Maggie laughed and ruffled their hair, Atlas and then Emrys and then she pulled away. "Course not, kiddo. I've been rooting for you since the beginning, I'll not tell a soul."
"Thank you, Maggie. That means a lot." Atlas gave her a sleepy smile. Hailey checked her phone after getting a text.
"Well, let's get going, the car's here. Cadmus and Harley are in already." Hailey said, already heading out and motioning for them to follow.
Em hummed, leaning on Atlas as they stumbled over to the car. Maggie hopped in to tease Casmus and Harley, scooting everyone over to the side so Atlas and Em could squeeze into the back of the limo where there was room to spread out with some degree of privacy. Em was so slumped over Atlas pretty much had to shove him into the back, but once they made it he sprawled out, tossing his arms around Atlas' neck. "Mm, love you."
Atlas slipped his arms around Emrys' waist, pulling his close. "I love you too." He smiled, pecking his boyfriend on the lips. "Really good job out there. I know I was super nervous and anxious, so that was definitely harder than I expected it to be."
Em snuggled up against Atlas' chest, giving a sleepy peck in return and tightening his arms around his boyfriend to yank him close. "Mm, thank you. I thought I was gonna die, but… it really wasn't so bad once I got used to it. People're real nice sometimes."
"Yeah, they are. It's sometimes surprising how nice some are." Atlas smiled then softly rested his head on top of Emrys'. "Oh man, I'm gonna fall asleep right here if we don't get to the hotel soon…" He whispered with a giggle.
Em snuggled closer with a hum of agreement. "Yeah, I'm only holding on 'cause I know Maggie'll make Hailey carry us up to our rooms 'n I don't wanna do that to her." He sighed dreamily, pecking Atlas on the cheek. "We'd be so heavy. That'd be mean."
"Mhmm, that would be pretty mean." Atlas hummed, yawning at the end. "You know what's great? We can hug and hold hands and kiss each other and act like a couple in public now… we don't have to hide it." He lifted his head, softly smiling as he looked into Emrys' eyes.
"Oh boy!" Em seemed to wake a little, excitement glimmering in his eyes as he scooted himself up onto an elbow. "Oh we can, can't we?? That's gonna be great, That's gonna be… amazing. I'm gonna kiss you onstage at the next concert!!"
"And I'm gonna kiss you at the one after that, and after that, and after that. Is this was normal couples feel like? Probably not since they aren't part of a multi-million dollar band. But whatever. The fans better be ready, they've got a lovey-dovey couple to deal with now." Atlas giggled softly. He kissed Emrys with a smile still on his lips.
Emrys laughed and leaned in to kiss Atlas back. Even though it would definitely bring some backlash, he couldn't be happier about their decision. It felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, like the whole world was open to him the way it had been when he was just a little kid. "Please, the fans have been rooting for us to get together since day one."
"Oh man I was rooting for us as much as they all were…" Atlas admitted with a giggle. It was amazing how freeing something like this could make him feel. The only other time he felt this good was probably the first time one of their songs appeared on the Billboard 100 Charts..
Em blushed, hiding his face in Atlas' shoulder. "Me too," he admitted quietly. "But way before I even actually met you. I had the biggest crush on you in high school it was… embarrassing, actually." He laughed softly at the memory. "But then I joined and I met you properly and I was fucking gone."
Atlas giggled and rested one of his hands on Emrys' head, playing with his hair. "That's kinda strange but cool. Like do you know how often a fan of a band bot joins the band and gets in a relationship with one of the members? That's so many people's dream."
Em shivered happily as Atlas played with his hands, blushing hotter with a soft whine when Atlas said it was strange. "Don't make fun of me: I was a teen and you were really cute. And… and then I talked to you and you were so sweet and you cared and… I dunno, I guess I am kind of living the dream."
"Ohh I'm not making fun of you, love. It's absolutely amazing and adorable. I wish I had known you in high school. But at least I know you now, and that's all that matters." Atlas smiled and kissed Emrys on top of his head. "I don't mean strange, I guess what I meant was it's rare and almost too perfect to be true, but it is."
Emrys relaxed a little at the reassurance, though his face still felt like it was on fire. He'd always been terrible at accepting compliments so when those compliments came from Atlas he was a mess. "I wish I'd known you in high school too. You would've done me a lot of good back then, and I would've adored you."
"Me too, maybe I wouldn't have gotten mixed up with the so-called 'friends' I had. You would have made all four years of being in both band and choir not hell. Literally, the choir teacher didn't seem to know anything about music. It was basically 'copy the song' class. The only reason I took band was to learn music theory and that kinda thing… and that went into an unnecessary rant about something that really doesn't matter anymore, sorry." Atlas mumbled, burying his face in the crook of Emrys' neck.
Em laughed and pulled Atlas in close, peeking up at him with warm, affectionate eyes. "I don't mind, I like hearing you talk. My… uh… my experiences were a lot better in the music classes, I think. I never did try choir, but our band teacher was really cool and he let us stick around in his portable after school. He… ah… he's one of the main reasons I'm still around today, honestly."
Atlas' eyes went a little wider, he squeezed Emrys a little tighter. "I never knew I'd be so thankful for someone I didn't know. But I feel like band teachers are usually pretty cool, like mine was really cool as well." He went back to his smile and gently lifted Emrys' head. Looking into his eyes, Atlas kissed his boyfriend, probably for the fiftieth time that night.
Emrys squeezed Atlas close in return, kissing Atlas on the cheek with a soft sigh. He kissed Atlas back gently, pulling away with a soft laugh. "Yeah, he was the best. He really inspired me to try y best with guitar and… well, obviously that worked out, so I've always had really good memories of what he taught me."
"That's just amazing. I love things like that, they're just so wholesome." Atlas said with a large smile on his lips. The car had stopped and Atlas felt it, however, he made no move to leave. He was beyond content and comfortable in Emrys' arms.
Em pulled Atlas in closer and closer, his own smile a soft echo of his boyfriend's. They sat in peace for a few moments, quiet and undisturbed, before Maggie leaned back and smacked Atlas on the shoulder. "Up and at 'em lazy bones! Snuggle in your own damn room."
Atlas sat up completely so he could get out of the back, all while groaning over-dramatically. "FINE. It'd be more comfortable at least, I guess." He sighed then squeezed out of the car, waiting at the door for his boyfriend before throwing an arm around Emrys' waist.
Maggie fumbled her way out of the car, locking it behind them as she herded them into the hotel. Em took his sweet time getting there, leaning into Atlas with a happy sigh and completely forgetting to move until his boyfriend started meandering inside.
Maggie sighed. "Honestly, what am I gonna do with you? Onto the elevator, now."
Atlas giggled and dragged himself and Emrys inside the elevator. "That's a good question, huh?" He mumbled. Watching the numbers of the elevator go up, he grew increasingly more tired than he already was. After what seemed to be forever, they stumbled out of the elevator and down the hall.
Maggie kept prodding them forward until they reached the doors of Atlas and EM's room. 'Alright boys, this is where I leave you. Emrys?"
Em perked up a little, giving him a soft hum. "Yeah?"
"Take care of Atlas, m'kay? Keep him from dying trying to get to bed. And remember, you have a concert tomorrow so you need to be up by 11."
