killing time 𖥻 TOMMYINNIT

XXV. hate crime

iris didn't realise how different spending time with non-streamers would be until she started actually doing it. her poetry class had let out an hour ago, and iris was sitting on a blanket in the park by the library with her notebook out, scribbling quietly to herself.

elijah and cara were arguing dispassionately about something that iris didn't care to pay attention to, while eloise talked quietly to her. she wasn't a very talkative person, iris had noted, but eloise was slowly coming out of her shell.

"can i ask what you're writing about today?" she asked, looking down at her own notebook.

iris flattened her pages out and clicked her pen closed. "just some older stuff, gonna turn a few into songs maybe, keep a few as poems. still sorting through my old breakup shit."

"fuck that guy," cara flopped onto her back, abandoning her argument. "or girl?"

"guy."

"knew i wouldn't be so lucky," cara huffed. "lou?" eloise shrugged noncommittally, laying back on the blanket. "what's the point of being a lesbian in a straight town?"

"gives us something to do?" iris said. "who else would i hate crime? ignore the fact that two of my three best friends are gay."

"oh, rip," elijah patted her shoulder sympathetically. "you'll find someone."

both cara and iris burst out laughing, eloise cracked a smile. "tommy is the straight one," iris managed eventually. "but thank you for the encouragement."

"that boy gives off vibes is all i'm saying," elijah put his hands up defensively.

"you haven't even met him!" iris pointed out. cara was still laughing and ended up rolling over so her head was on iris's stomach.

"lucky for you," elijah tried to pull a serious face but the deadpan look iris gave him after made him crack. "fine, what about the other two?"

iris was fully content keeping her two groups completely seperate, so she just shrugged. "not for you."

"homophobia? in the year of our lord 2021?" elijah gasped. "wow, iris. i'll take compensation in the form of hearing one of your songs?" he asked innocently.

iris considered them for a moment, eloise and cara were also waiting expectantly for an answer. she knew none of them would have an issue if she said no, but she found that she didn't want to. ranboo and tommy were still at tubbo's doing a few group streams that they'd planned. "fine," she said eventually. elijah let out a triumphant noise as iris started shoving her things in her bag. "my place is a short walk, my mum's home so we'll have to be quiet."

the rest of them let out sounds of agreement as they packed up and less than half an hour later iris found herself at her keyboard with her friends all sitting quietly on her bed. she had her phone on the keyboard ready to record a voice memo that she could maybe post on her instagram story. "okay, so this is an older one that i've been fiddling with." she was a bit nervous, this was her first time showing music to someone that wasn't tommy, tubbo or ranboo. but then iris remembered that she'd posted them onto the internet for the entire world to see, and these were her friends. they hadn't known each other for very long, but she fit so easily in their little group that it was easy to trust them. she would be okay.

iriside                                                            •••

Liked by hydrogem and 30,483 others
iriside thank u for 100k???????? absolutely in shock right now i love u, have some lyrics below <33 creature of habit by me

planned out the conversation that we'll have when you see me
for the first time after these months of apathy
and you'll say that you want me back
and i'll say, "babe, you don't mean that," ah-ah

'cause i psychoanalyzed you better than your therapist
and i know that you don't love me
i know you just hate the risk of meeting someone else
having to introduce yourself, ah-ah

you're not a hopeless romantic
you're just a creature of habit
you want me 'cause i'm easy
you love me 'cause you know me
i'm not your soulmate, babe, i swear
no, i'm just there, ah-ah
oh, i'm just there, ooh-ooh

james marriott
today at 10:17 am

hey iris it's james, i've been listening to
all your stuff and i saw your post
yesterday about your new demo, i
know we talked about doing stuff but
i guess this is me officially extending
an offer of any music production
knowledge that i may posssess. your
songs have so much potential and i'd
love to head into the studio with you
sometime, just let me know

— AUTHOR'S NOTE
happy new year!!! sorry this took so long i broke 2 bones in one of my hands so writing has been quite a struggle recently!! i wanted to take a little break over christmas and then immediately after that i hurt myself so if chapters are a little shorter or slightly less frequent than usual i really am sorry