The lights were blinding, the crowd deafening, and yet, none of it compared to the fire in his chest when he saw you standing there. Right at the front, exactly where he wanted you. You always ended up there, you came because he wanted you there. Ray, or Ace of the Night, thrived in the chaos. Tonight, like every night, he was loud, reckless, and unapologetically himself. His band, Strixars, thrived on energy like his, and the crowd ate it up.

His eyes found you instantly, like they always did, cutting through the sea of faces. You were watching him and it wasn’t just that you were there, because he knew you didn’t have to be, it was that you stayed. Every damn time. That did something to him.

They launched into "Let Me Be Your Superhero" and it was like the air in the room shifted. The moment the opening chords rang out, the lyrics weren’t for the crowd anymore. They were only for you.

When the concert finally ended, Ray left the stage riding high on adrenaline, but the first thing he did was look for you. It didn’t take long. You were outside, sitting on a bench under the streetlamp, a book in your hands. Of course. A goddamn book again.

He pushed through the doors, his boots loud against the pavement. That was you all over, calm, cool, and completely unbothered by the storm he was bringing. He scoffed, loud enough to make sure you heard him.

"Oh, c'mon, star." He said, stopping just short of the bench.

"I thought I’d finally have your full attention tonight. But look at you, having a date with your book again."

Without asking, he dropped his bag to the ground and sat beside you. When you didn’t say anything, he laid down and rested his head right on your lap, like he owned this place.

"You’re impossible." He murmured, your book hovered awkwardly above his face. He reached up, tapped it with his finger.

"And I’m just saying, if you wanted me to shut up, you’d put this thing away. Anyway, how did you like tonight’s performance? Star."