Emo Trinity x Reader (Book 2)

Ray Toro x Reader - Priorities

Summary: Ray offers his help when you struggle with a learning a song on bass
Word count: 2 233

It had been a sweet idea of your best friend, to ask you to take the position of the bassist in her band, while their regular bassist had broken his wrist. Usually you wouldn't have felt up to that task, but you had helped write most of their songs they were supposed to play this tour, even without being a member of the band. That your favourite guitarist, Ray, was a member of the band they were touring with played no part in your decision to join this tour. At least that's what you told yourself. Well, okay, maybe a little.

Ray and you were from the same town, having attended even the same high school. You had already noticed him back then, more than ten years ago. He had been one of the quiet kids, just like yourself, and maybe that was part of the reason you had never had the courage to talk to him outside of class. After high school you had moved towns, and not seen him again until one evening, when you had attended a small show in a shabby little bar, in which My Chemical Romance had played one of their first shows. You had enjoyed their music, so you had visited a more shows, and even dragged your best friend along, who had immediately wanted to talk to the band, and a few months later both bands had gone on tour together for the first time. Without you. Since you had been no member of either band.

It was only a few weeks ago, when it had been decided you would replace their bassist for the time being, that Ray and you had really talked for the first time since high school. His eyes had widened slightly when you had entered the room, a smile spreading over his face as he had gotten up to greet you, causing raised eyebrows from his band mates.

"Hey (y/n)! What are you doing here?"

At your surprise that he knew your name, he assumed you didn't remember him from school, so he had hastily introduced himself to you. His smile grew even wider when you told him you did remember him, and that you had been to several of their early shows.

Ever since that introduction a few weeks ago, everyone teased you and him. His band members loved pointing out how much the two of you hung out, and yours kept reminding you that you knew each other since high school and how cute it would be if something romantic were to happen between the two of you.

Ray always furrowed his brows in confusion when his friends brought up that topic, sometimes even getting a little angry at their relentless teasing. You on the other hand ignored it entirely. You liked Ray, for sure. Hell, you had never liked anyone as much as him. That he was so sweet to you the entire time, always seemed to look out for you, and you were able to talk for hours without getting bored, did not make things easier. But you knew you had no chance, not with someone like Ray. He was so talented, so focused on his music, a true genius. Even if he were interested in you, he'd always put the music first, and a lover would only distract him from that. At least that's what you told yourself, building a wall around you to protect yourself from the teasing of your friends and the hopes it occasionally threatened to ignite. Instead of paying their comments any more thoughts, you simply focused on music as well, and did your best to learn as many songs of your friend's band as possible so they could switch up the set list more. Which brought you to your current problem, namely that of a song the other bassist had helped write and you struggled to learn.

There were multiple runs in the melody, and even though you were a skilled musician, you had trouble with them. For hours you had sat in the small backstage room of tonight's venue, playing the notes over and over again, but the steady flow of the melody just wouldn't come to you. The others had all gone out, sightseeing, eating, shopping or whatever, leaving you all by yourself.

Or so you had thought.

"Wow, that sounds difficult!"

At the familiar voice of Ray you looked up for the first time in hours, your neck aching.