note: day two of the twelve days of christmas! :) x
REQUESTS ARE CLOSED.
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You were headed to the airport for your flight home from California. You had moved to Los Angeles three months ago and were already extremely homesick. Fortunately, the holiday season gave you a reason to take off from work and return home for two weeks to celebrate the season with your loved ones.
Given that it was December 23rd, the airport was bustling and incredibly crowded with travellers wanting to get home in time for Christmas. You had managed to secure a seat in a spot that wasn't too crowded, and were currently munching on some snacks while listening to a killer playlist.
The vibes were immaculate.
Nothing could've possibly killed your cheerful vibe.
Then, the lights turned off.
Looking up from your phone, you noted that everyone had confused and concerned looks on their face. There was a giant window nearby, and you could see the effects of the roaring wind outside. Snow was descending from the sky in a malevolent manner, as if it had been waiting years to fall down. You didn't know what was going on or what to do, so you remained still.
There were people pacing around, on their phone calling friends or family.
Babies that were wailing.You tried not to panic or overthink, but it was becoming more and more difficult to do so.
You were caught up in your bad thoughts when a small voice to the right of you asked, "Are you ok?"
Snapping out of your thoughts, you look over. A seat away from you was a man, probably around your age, that was glancing at you with a soft smile on his face.
You nodded your head. "Are you?"
He chuckled. "Yeah, I think so. I was looking forward to getting home, but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon."
"You reckon?"
"Yeah," his smile faded.
As you opened your mouth to respond, airport employees drove by in small carts announcing that there was a city wide power outage. They asked that everyone remained calm, since there was no indication of how long the outage would last.
Slinking down in your seat, you ran a hand over your hair in frustration. "I think you were right."
"Do you mind if I sit next to you?"
You shake your head. "Go for it. Anything to get my mind off of this madness."
He scooted to the seat next to you and you two started chatting, making small talk and getting to know each other. A couple minutes turned into a half hour, which turned into an hour; eventually, you realised that neither of you had made a proper introduction.
"I never got your name, actually." You prompted, leaning back in your seat.
"Frank Iero."
Without thinking you respond, "Oh, sounds kinda familiar." A slight crease formed on your forehead as you racked your brain trying to figure out where you'd heard that name before.
He gave a light laugh, scrunching up his nose as he nodded. "Yeah, I get that a lot."
You smiled, still trying to piece together why it rang a bell, as he repositioned himself and lifted one foot to rest on the opposite knee.
"What's yours?"
"(Y/N)."
"Rad name," he grinned, a tiny sparkle in his eye. He observed you for a moment, tilting his head to the side and squinting, then turned to grab something on the seat next to him. When he turned back around, you saw that it was a guitar. "Well, (Y/N)... you're clearly super bummed about being stuck here with a bunch of randoms instead of your family and friends or whatever, so whaddya say we have a little fun?"
"Uh... define 'fun'," you chuckled, shuffling closer to him as he positioned the instrument under his arm.
He thought for a minute, then pulled out a pick from the pocket on the front of his jacket and strummed gently. You listened with the utmost attentiveness, recognising the notes he was playing as the intro to All I Want For Christmas Is You.
A giant smile appeared on your face as Frank started to sing. He didn't really know the lyrics – as was evident by the way he'd mumble certain words – but you could tell that he was trying.
People in the nearby vacinity began looking over, listening to the skillful way Frank's fingers elicited beautiful sounds from the guitar. He turned to look at you, nodding as if to say that you should join him in singing.
You were hesitant, but (finding yourself caught in the moment) you sang along. Not long after, one of the other stranded passengers joined in; then another, and another until eventually, everyone in your corner of the airport was belting out the Christmassy tune.
Frank finished off the song with a guitar flourish, causing the crowd to errupt into cheers and applause. He chuckled softly before turning to you with a bashful grin. "Did I cheer you up?"
"Yes! I think you cheered the whole terminal up!"
He ran a hand through his greased hair and shrugged. "You guys were definitely better at performing it than my band was."
His words froze you in place. "I'm sorry, your what?" you squinted.
He didn't answer, only stared at you with a closed-lipped, childlike smile on his face. In that moment, the lightbulb in your head lit up.
And so did the ones in the airport.
You had to blink a couple times to allow your eyes to readjust to the bright lighting and once your vision was clear, you looked over to the man next to you to confirm your suspicions. And confirmed they were.
"Oh my- you're that guy!" you gasped, pointing at him, "From that band!"
Clearly bemused, he bit his lip as he nodded along and attempted to stifle a laugh. "I am that guy. From that band." The musician leaned his arms on his guitar and cocked his head sideways. "Ya know, you wouldn't make a very good detective."
"In my defence," you sat back and folded your arms, "I didn't have much to go on. It was dark, and you don't usually sing."
He peered at you disbelievingly. "I literally gave you my name."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sucky with those."
"Hopefully that won't be the case anymore."
You raised one brow, smirking at him. "And how are we gonna make sure of that?"
