"Hey, baby. Want to go watch a movie?" Awsten asks Sonora as he leans on the frame of their bedroom door.
"Oh!" Sonora says, dropping the book she had been reading. "You scared me."
"Sorry," Awsten says, entering the room and picking up her book off the floor. "What're you reading?"
"Penderwicks! It's the best book in existence. This is probably my tenth time reading it, it's so good!" Sonora says, smiling happily at Awsten as she takes the book from him. She puts her book on her nightstand before standing and stretching. "What was it you were asking, earlier?"
"I wanted to know if you wanted to go and watch a movie with me?" Awsten questioned again, hopeful.
"If you want me to watch a movie with you, I will. What movie did you have in mind?" Sonora said.
"If you don't want to watch a movie, we don't have to. I just wanted to do something with you. You've been in your room all day with the people in your book and-"
Sonora put a finger up to Awsten's parted lips, shushing him. Awsten's cheeks turned a shade darker.
"You know what?" Sonora said mischievously, removing her finger from Awsten's mouth. "I have the perfect activity for us to do together."
Awsten smirked. "You and me think so much alike, Sonora." Sonora stared at Awsten.
"How did you-" Sonora was cut off by Awsten. He had pushed her hair away from her neck and was kissing it delectly.
"Oh my gosh, Awsten!" Sonora says, giggling as she attempts to swat Awsten away.
"Mhh. Isn't this what you had in mind, darling?" Awsten mumbled into the crook of Sonora's neck as he wrapped his arms around her lower back.
"No, Awsten!" Sonora laughed, pulling away from his embrace. "Come with me into the music studio."
"What's in the music studio?" Awsten asked, disappointed that he hadn't been right about what Sonora had been wanting to do.
"Just follow me!" Sonora said from the doorway.
"Fine," Awsten grumbled, though he was interested in what Sonora was thinking of. He caught up to her and held her hand as they went down the hall to their music room.
"If you don't think this is a good idea, just tell me. I won't be hurt, I just thought it might be fun to try doing something new together."
"Okay-" Awsten said cautiously. "Wait!" he said, stopping Sonora before she could open the door. Sonora looked over her shoulder at Awsten questioningly. "We aren't going to reenact any of the fanfictions that I've read on my podcast, are we?"
Sonora snorted, trying not to laugh. "Why would we ever do that? You get weirded out just by reading them and I just listening to them. Why in heck would we reenact them?"
Awsten blushed lightly, grinning. "I don't know. Maybe you were feeling horny like the fanfiction authors?" Now Awsten was trying not to laugh as Sonora glared at him.
"You dork!"
"I'm your dork, though, and only a dork for you!" Awsten said.
"That was the dorkiest thing to say, my dork!" Awsten grinned as Sonora opened the door to the music studio and entered.
Awsten took a seat on the piano bench, sitting backwards on the bench so he could still see Sonora.
"I've got to admit that I'm both excited and nervous to present you with my idea," Sonora said, taking a seat in the chair across from Awsten, at the desk.
Awsten leaned forward, resting his chin on his folded hands. "Okay, so, tell me, sweetheart. What is it you want to do with me that we haven't already done?"
Sonora took a deep breath. "I want us to try writing a song together!" Sonora said carefully, a joyous glint in her eyes.
Awsten's eyes widened before he grinned. "Wow! That is a wonderful idea, Sonora! I'd for sure be willing to try and write a song with you."
"You would?"
"Yeah!"
"Awesome! I can't wait to see what we produce. Also, if this doesn't work out or it's too weird or something, we don't have to ever do this again."
"Yeah. I'm sure it won't be though. We were both born poets and with our combined skills, we can conquer any song! What genre did you have in mind? Love, angst?"
Sonora bit her lip before answering. "I've actually got a song I've been working on if we could continue it? I've just got the chorus done and a little of what could be the first verse."
"That's awesome! Let's take a look at your song."
Sonora grabbed her notebook off of the desk behind her and handed it to Awsten. Awsten read the chorus aloud.
"I’m going to pretend that I’m free,
Free to roam on the wanderers road.
I’ll pack my bags and leave,
Book an overnight train.
I’d spend a thousand dollars
Just to get away from you.
I’ll only take myself.
No use in slowing me down.
I’ll be too far by the time the cops are searching."
He looked up at Sonora who looked questioningly back at him. "This is a little sad, Sonora. Who is this about?"
"Umm... Well, it's about the situation with my dad, I guess," Sonora said, her eyes glossing over with sadness.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Awsten said sympathetically.
"What did you think of the chorus, though?" Sonora asked.
"I thought it was pretty good. I liked the wording."
"Thanks! I was just feeling stressed about the whole dad thing and wrote down what I was feeling. The chorus still needs some work I think. I started to write it but didn't quite know how to word what I wanted to say."
"I understand that. I write when I'm feeling a strong emotion too." Awsten looked back down at the paper and started reading the chorus. "I needed to escape but fear’s a nasty little thing.
I used to just not dream
But ever since I knew you,
Nightmares have plagued my sleeping mind.
I toss and turn and flail and fidget underneath the covers."
"Was there anything you'd change about the first verse?" Sonora asked.
"Well, you could maybe add a line at the end," Awsten suggested, standing and going over to the desk, taking a seat next to Sonora.
"Okay. Maybe something that uses the line 'I could get therapy," Sonora suggested, taking a pencil off the desk and writing the line down.
"Yeah. That would be a good line to have. Can I see the pencil for a moment?" Sonora handed Awsten the pencil. He grabbed it from her and started writing. "What do you think?" Awsten asked, setting down the pencil.
Sonora read what he had written. "I could get therapy
But what good would that do
When I haven’t escaped the grasps of you?" Sonora smiled. "I love that. Now, what about a second verse?"
Over the next while, Sonora and Awsten worked on their song together.
"I really like what we came up with!" Sonora said, skimming through the song.
"Me too! That was really fun! I'm surprised we haven't done something like this yet."
"Yeah. We need to do this more often," Sonora said, snuggling into Awsten's side.
"I'm going to read the lyrics aloud and you tell me if you hear something that doesn't work, alright?"
"Okay."
Free
I’m going to pretend that I’m free,
Free to roam on the wanderers road.
I’ll pack my bags and leave,
Book an overnight train.
I’d spend a thousand dollars
Just to get away from you.
I’ll only take myself.
No use in slowing me down.
I’ll be too far by the time the cops are searching.
I needed to escape but fear’s a nasty little thing.
I used to just not dream
But ever since I knew you,
Nightmares have plagued my sleeping mind.
I toss and turn and flail and fidget underneath the covers.
I could get therapy
But what good would that do
When I haven’t escaped the grasps of you?
I’m going to pretend that I’m free,
Free to roam on the wanderers road.
I’ll pack my bags and leave,
Book an overnight train.
I’d spend a thousand dollars
Just to get away from you.
I’ll only take myself.
No use in slowing me down.
I’ll be too far by the time the cops are searching.
Let me go home
Where healing and joy is.
If you know I'm unhappy with you
Why keep me around?
I’ve experienced too much,
Heard things that made my ears bleed
And seen things I wish were just in my head.
I’m going to pretend that I’m free,
Free to roam on the wanderers road.
I’ll pack my bags and leave,
Book an overnight train.
I’d spend a thousand dollars
Just to get away from you.
I’ll only take myself.
No use in slowing me down.
I’ll be too far by the time the cops are searching.
I’ll get away no matter how competent your defenses are.
I’ll leave you
Never to return.
I’ll take me, myself, and the happiness you deprived me of.
No matter if I get lost.
I’ll find my way back
Following the path of perseverance and love.
I’m going to pretend that I’m free,
Free to roam on the wanderers road.
I’ll pack my bags and leave,
Book an overnight train.
I’d spend a thousand dollars
Just to get away from you.
I’ll only take myself.
No use in slowing me down.
I’ll be too far by the time the cops are searching.
I’m letting me get away.
And there really isn’t much you can do to stop me.
"I think it sounds perfect. We just need to come up with music to go with the lyrics," Sonora said.
"Great. Let's take a break for lunch and come back to it afterwards?"
"Yeah. Good idea. I'm hungry."
Awsten and Sonora's song, 'Free', ended up becoming number one on the billboard charts. They went on to write many more songs together that blew up in popularity and they grew a massive fan following.
AN: This was inspired by Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn if any of y'all didn't make the connection.