Battle Scars
Summary: Charlie and Leondre are nearing the end of their tour in America. They have been through a lot and both of them just want to go home. But before they go back to England, they have more challenges to face. They've got to help each other to get through these times. Chardre, Larlie, Leondre/Charlie, Bars/Melody! Shifting POVs
Battle Scars
Charlie's POV
I felt a mix of excitement and exhaustion a lot these days. I loved being on tour but it was getting tiring. We were always on the road with not a lot of time for ourselves to go on dates. After the car accident, I was a little hesitant to drive. When I did drive with Leondre, I would have flashbacks to that night and we'd almost crash. Until I could get over it, I didn't want myself driving, especially driving with Leondre. I didn't want to put him in danger.
He still had some scars from that night. He had one that he was able to hide with his hair but my scars were much more visible. I had a scar on my neck from surgery and scars all over my body. Some were on my face but others could be hidden with my hair. The ones on my face were fading more so they weren't that bad. I was just lucky I didn't end up dead that night. I was so lucky.
We went to court with the car company that gave us the BAM car. They had said that everything was up to date and working efficiently in the car but neither the seatbelts nor the airbags worked properly. Neither mine nor Leondre's airbags went off, causing me to keep him safe in the car as best I could before I crashed into the steering wheel and then through the windshield.
I was better now, well, as good as I can be after having phonosurgery. My voice was basically back to normal expect for a few rare occasions where it would crack or I would talk more hoarsely. It would last maybe a day or two and then it would be back to normal. I would still go to voice therapy whenever I was free and it really did help. I didn't need it as much but it certainly helped my voice get stronger.
We only had a two more concerts left and we were about to head on stage for one now. We started this new thing in America that was similar to what One Direction does. We put a big screen up and we would answer any twitter questions. I liked doing that, it helped our fans feel more connected to us. Sometimes we would get silly requests, like one time Leondre and I had to show off our best hip-hop dance moves. We couldn't stop laughing the whole time.
We ran on stage hand in hand. We smiled at the sea of people that had come to see us. We knew the drill. We always open with "Hopeful" to get people to hear our lyrics and stand up to bullying. We did some of our other songs before taking a break for a little bit to answer some twitter questions on the big screen. Our first question, "Bars, how did you ask Melody out?"
We looked at each other and laughed for a second before Leondre answered, "Well, I actually didn't know that Melody had the same feelings for me or if he even took an interest in men so I just walked over to him and told him we should date. At first, he spit out the water he was drinking on me and then I just told him how I felt about him and that we could be so much more than Bars and Melody. So, I just asked him out and he said yes."
It wasn't really ideal but at least we're together now. He pulled me close to him and kissed my temple. I smiled at him before looking up at the screen for question two, "Melody, does it bother you at all that you aren't the guy in the relationship and that you're with someone who is two years younger than you?"
"Well," I began, "to answer your question simply: no. It doesn't bother me at all. I don't care that I'm not the "guy" in the relationship and I don't care that he's younger than me. All that matters to me is that I'm with the boy I love. Age doesn't matter to me because I feel that love is ageless. I hope that answered your question, thank you for asking!"
The rest of the questions were either similar to that one or they were daring us to do things. Leondre got dared do his best impression of me, which wasn't too bad. My dare was to do the dance to the High School Musical song "We're All in This Together." I'm not ashamed at all for knowing every dance move. The last question was, "Bars and Melody, can you two please sing the song 'You Get Me' by Tom and Angela? PLEASE!"
"Wh-what? They expect me, Bars, to sing a duet? I can't sing!" He laughed.
"You saw the tweet, we gotta do it! That means you have to sing."
"Cover your ears everybody! There's a reason I'm Bars and he's Melody!"
I just laughed at him and waited for the music to come on. When it finally came on I hummed for a little bit before singing with a playful smile, "Crazy people, we can make really good friends. That's why we let each other in." I looked at Leondre with a smirk and he glared at me as he sang, "With you beside me I never have to pretend to be stronger." He sounded okay to me but the fans laughed a little.
"I finally belong here…" I grabbed his hand.
"And I don't feel alone anymore!" We sang together.
"You get me and I get you…"
"Together there's really nothing we can't do!"
I wrapped my arm around his shoulders as I sang, "I've got your back…" He wrapped an arm around my waist as he replied, "And I've got yours, too!" We turned to each other and we grinned as we sang together, "Yeah, you get me and I'm pretty sure that I get you!" You know, together we really didn't sound all that bad.
I hummed for a little bit before we turned to look at each other as he sang, "On the inside…" He raised his eyebrows at me and I laughed as I sang with him, "I'd think I was part of the crowd." He tilted his head and gave me puppy dog eyes as he sang, "But on the outside I wasn't allowed." I love how he was starting to get playful with me during the song. He sounded fine to me.
"All I wanted was just to be where we are now." I sang as he grabbed my hand.
"Yeah, it's better…"
"And I know I'll never, ever feel alone anymore!"
I was laughing the entire time Leondre twirled me around and sang to me, "You get me and I get you. Together there's…" He pulled me in close so we could sing together, "really nothing we can't do!" I swear I felt like I was falling in love with him all over again and it was absolutely amazing. There was no place I'd rather be right now and no other person I'd rather be with.
"I got your back…" I sang as I wrapped my free arm around his neck.
"And I've got yours, too!" He wrapped his free arm around my waist.
"Yeah, you get me and I'm…"
"Pretty sure that I get you!" We sang together.
He picked me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. I wasn't too surprised that he could hold me with one arm, I was actually pretty light if I do say so myself. Our foreheads were touching as he sang, "I finally have someone to lean on…" He kissed my forehead before I sang back, "And you have someone to lean on, too… to lean on, too, oh!"
After that, he put me down and we danced and sang the chorus two more times. When we finished, we bowed to our fans and received applause in return. We both ran off stage and that's when the music came on for our ending cover song. I laughed to myself when I saw Leondre hop onto his tricycle and blow me a kiss before riding on stage.
He rode around the stage, earning laughter and applause as he rapped, "I wish I found some better sounds no one's ever heard. I wish I had a better voice to sing some better words. I wish I found some chords in an order that is new. I wish I didn't have to rhyme every time I sang." God, did I love his voice. Even after puberty he sounded amazing.
He stopped riding his tricycle and just sat there in the middle of the stage rapping, "I was told when I get older all my fears would shrink but now I'm insecure and I care what people think." He rode backwards to me and that's when I stepped on and he rode out as I sang, "My name's Blurryface and I care what you think. My name's Blurryface and I care what you think…"
Everyone was laughing when we rode out there and then when we both stood up to do our handshake. We smiled at each other as I sang, "Wish we could turn back time to the good ole days when our mama sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out… wish we could turn back time to the good ole days when our mama sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out…"
"We're stressed out…"
I ran off stage and rode out on my tricycle so the two of us could ride in circles as Leondre rapped, "Sometimes a certain smell will take me back to when I was young. How come I'm never able to identify where it's coming from? I'd make a candle out of it if I ever found it, try to sell it, never sell out of it, I'd probably only sell one…"
He rode around until we stopped right in front of each other. We looked at each other like we were having a conversation when Leondre rapped, "Give it to my brother cause we have the same nose, same clothes hometown's a stone's throw from a creek we used to roam. But it would remind us of when nothing really mattered, out of student loans and treehouse homes we all would take the latter."
We both shrugged and nodded at each other after the last line as if we were agreeing with the statement. I loved it when we tried to act out the music videos. We weren't spot on but we tried. I smiled at Leondre's grinning face as I sang, "My name's Blurryface and I care what you think. My name's Blurryface and I care what you think…"
We both stood up and just stared at each other as I sang, "Wish we could turn back time to the good ole days when our mama sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out…" The next thing we knew we were dancing to the music as I repeated, "Wish we could turn back time to the good ole days when our mama sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out."
Leondre came over to me acting like he was talking to me as he rapped, "We used to play pretend, give each other different names. We would build a rocket ship and then we'd fly it far away, used to dream of outer space but now they're laughing at our face saying, 'Wake up, you need to make money,' yeah…"
We both threw our arms up and fell to the ground, acting as if life was getting too hard as Leondre repeated, "We used to play pretend, give each other different names. We would build a rocket ship and then we'd fly it far away, used to dream of outer space but now they're laughing at our face saying, 'Wake up, you need to make money,' yeah…"
We both slowly sat up and just looked at each other as I sang, "Wish we could turn back time to the good ole days when our mama sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out… wish we could turn back time to the good ole days when our mama sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out…"
I still sat but Leondre stood up and crouched in front of me, rapping to me, "Used to play pretend, used to play pretend bunny, wake up you need to make money. Used to play pretend, used to play pretend bunny, wake up you need to make money. We used to play pretend, give each other different names. We would build a rocket ship and then we'd fly it far away, used to dream of outer space now they laughing at our face…"
"Saying, 'Wake up, you need to make money!' Yo!"
We both collapsed on stage and laughed as we heard the crowd roar with their screams and applause. When we stood up, we bowed and thanked out fans before I jumped on Leondre's back and he gave me a piggy back ride off stage. We were laughing as we breezed through the paparazzi waiting for us outside. Snap some pictures of us looking happy as ever, go on and do it because that's how the world should see us.
Leondre carried me to the new BAM car and we both hopped in. I put the keys into the ignition and put my hands on the steering wheel. I paused, blinking back the memories of that night on the highway. Leondre must have noticed me fighting my memories so he put a hand on mine and smiled, "You can do this. I'll be right here next to you. This car is so much better than the last one. You got this, Charlie."
I took a deep breath and nodded before driving off. Leondre turned on the radio and instantly started to pick up on the song, "'I'd die for you,' that's easy to say. We have a list of people that we would take a bullet for them, a bullet for you, a bullet for everybody in this room but I don't seem to see many bullets coming through. Metaphorically, I'm the man but literally I don't know what I'd do."
He was really nailing this rap right now and sometimes if I listened closely enough I would catch him being just a little bit faster than the words, "'I'd live for you,' and that's hard to do, even harder to say when you know it's not true, even harder to write when you know that tonight there were people back home who tried talking to you…"
He turned to me and I smiled as he rapped at me, "But then you ignored them still. All these questions they're for real like who would you live for? Who would you die for? And would you ever kill?" We both laughed for a second because he had actually finished the rap before the man singing it.
I smiled, keeping my eyes on the road ahead as I sang to Leondre, "Oh, oh, I'm falling so I'm taking my time on my ride. Oh, I'm falling so I'm taking my time on my ride! Taking my time on my ride!" We instantly grew quiet but then I sang again, "I've been thinking too much, I've been thinking too much, I've been thinking too much, I've been thinking too much…"
"Help me…"
We laughed again, I loved these kinds of car rides. They were silly and they made me forget all about that night. We drove around all night until we decided to grab some fast food before heading back to the tour bus. I parked behind the bus and we snuck onto the bus and into our shared bed. Since we only had one more concert before we left for England again we just decided to sleep in the bus.
I yawned as I rested my head on Leondre's chest. He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me as close as I could get to him. He kissed the top of my head before we both drifted off into sleep. We woke up that morning to our mothers pushing both of us until we opened our eyes and glared at our mothers. What time was it? Noon? God, that was too early. I needed more sleep.
Our mothers just stopped trying to wake us up and decided to just let us sleep the day away. Didn't I want to explore America one last time? Honestly, I had seen a lot of it and we were going to have to wake up early in the morning for our flight back so we might as well get all the sleep we can get now. Leondre seemed to have the same mindset because he yawned and turned to spoon me from behind. I smiled and drifted back off into sleep.
When we woke up again, it was time to get ready for our last concert. We yawned again as we got dressed and stumbled out to get to the stage. We looked like zombies walking around half asleep. Why were we so tired? We slept, like, all day. I yawned again as I got my microphone but I stopped halfway through my yawn when I heard an explosion of screams from our fans. How many people came to this one?
We both looked at each other before walking onto stage and both of our jaws dropped at how packed the stadium was. I'd never seen that many people at one of our concerts before. I gripped my microphone tighter and Leondre must have picked up on it because he grabbed me and kissed my forehead, instantly making me calm down. I smiled at him and kissed his cheek, causing him to act like he just swooned.
I giggled at him before we went on to sing "Hopeful." We carried on into singing "143" and "Stay Strong" before deciding to answer some twitter questions. We sipped some water that was brought on stage for us as we read off the first question, "Bars, what is your favorite thing about Melody? What drew you to him?"
"Well," he began, "you could say I heard him before I saw him. I had clicked on one of his videos and I went into another room to grab something when his voice literally stopped me in, like, this sort of trance. I was just like, 'Who is this person? His voice is absolutely beautiful.' I swear I fell in love with him before I even saw him. I fell in love with his voice first and then when I saw him I knew I had to have him. So, to answer your question, my favorite thing about him is his voice."
I was a blushing mess the whole time he was talking. No matter what people said about my voice, Leondre was always my number one supporter and fan. He thought my voice was beautiful even when it was cracking or it was hoarse after surgery. He reassured me time and time again that my voice was the prettiest one he'd ever heard in his life. It made me feel a lot better about myself.
Leondre pulled me close to him and kissed my scar on my neck. I was so embarrassed by that scar but Leondre was always telling me that he loved it. He really had a way with making me feel better about myself and I loved it because I needed that extra support nowadays. We read the next question, "Melody, if Bars never reached out to you do you think you two would still find each other?"
Wow. That was a hard question. I honestly don't know. I gulped before I answered hesitantly, "I really don't know… honestly, I'm almost at a loss for words because I never thought about that before. I'm just completely thankful that I have him in my life but… I feel like deep down inside I would know that nothing would feel better than being Bars and Melody with Leondre. Eventually, I feel like we would find each other because of how strong our love is."
He pulled me in again and I surprised him by kissing his nose. He laughed and just kissed my face all over, causing me to throw my head back and laugh. When he stopped, we started asking for dares. We were answered with a dare for us asking us to do the Fester Skank like we did on an interview. We were both laughing at each other. He was popping his shoulders and I leaned back whimpering, "Ice cold water."
We heard the fans laughing at us and it honestly made us laugh more. When we stopped, we got another dare to slow dance together. Some fan threw a rose on stage so I grabbed it and put it in my mouth as Leondre wrapped an arm around my waist and I put a hand on his shoulder. We held each other's free hand and we slow danced around the stage to no music. We smiled at each other and I rested my head in the crook of his neck.
"I love you, Leondre, I really do." I accidentally spit out the rose.
"I love you more than you could ever imagine, Charlie."
He kissed my head and after a couple more minutes, we pulled away and just looked at each other. We blinked a couple times before blushing and getting dared to share a lemon with the hashtag #BAMEatTheLemon at the end. We laughed and internally cringed when a lemon was brought out to us. I was definitely not going to eat the whole lemon and I know Leondre wasn't going to either.
I peeled the lemon and managed to rip it in half for the both of us. Leondre grabbed his half and we both cringed as we took our first bites of the lemon. Leondre instantly started coughing and gagging. He really wasn't a fan of sour things, especially eating lemons. I felt bad for him so when I managed to finish my half, I grabbed his half and ate it, too. I felt like I was going to throw up but I'd rather feel like that than Leondre feel like that.
His face was slightly paled but he was starting to get some color back now. The look he gave me was one of pure gratitude. I smiled at him and blew him a kiss, which he grabbed and placed above his heart. I shook my head and laughed before I was rewarded his a forehead kiss. We did a few more dares before deciding to end the concert with a cover like we usually do.
A piano was rolled onto stage and I sat in front of it while Leondre sat on top of it. I started playing and it didn't take me long to start singing, "You were the shadow to my light, did you feel us? Another start, you fade away… afraid our aim is out of sight, wanna see us alive… where are you now?"
The beat started up and that's when I sang "Where are you now?" in the background as Leondre rapped, "It's so cold down here in the dark. I have nothing left, you have taken my heart. Just keep breaking it down and breaking it down, don't worry I'm used to it, keep breaking me now…"
Leondre seemed really into it tonight when he finished up his rap, "You've taken all control and I can't seem to see. I try to gather up the courage but you rip it out of me. I would sell my soul if I only I could know it all, but I held the key all this time…" This rap always got him so emotional, I was surprised he wanted to do it tonight.
I took a deep breath and just looked at him, hoping he would look back at me but he didn't. I refused to look away as I sang, "Where are you now? Atlantis, under the sea, under the sea… where are you now? Another dream… the monsters running wild inside of me… I'm faded… I'm faded… so lost, I'm faded… I'm faded… so lost, I'm faded…"
Tears started to sting at my eyes as he just kept rapping without even thinking to look my way, "When I look into the stars and whisper at the moon, I think of birds singing in the sunny afternoon. I was beginning to feel the power, it struck me like a storm. Is this out of sight? Take me to where I don't belong. But I'm getting side tracked and I can't stay focused, hold it in your heart but your heart's wide open…"
My heart was slowly starting to break as I heard the sheer emotion in his voice as he kept rapping, "Am I supposed to accept that this is meant to be? I want to be a part of something that is more than me. Am I the only one? Tell me I'm not alone. Tell me what I want to hear, tell me I'm going home. Then come and kick me to the ground, lock me up in chains…"
A stray tear escaped my eyes as I looked at him and listened to him pour his heart out into the rap, "Make me feel like I'm worth nothing so I'm scared to use my brain. Am I ever gonna break this? Can I ever feel? Now that I'm awake, this has never seemed so real. The depths have got the best of me, I can't seem to see and I'm tired of empty promises that you can never keep…"
He finally looked at me and that's when I knew his heart was breaking. He reached over to wipe the tear away as he finished, "I hear the silence talking to me, telling me to run away but I can't bring myself to fight or ever see the day. Yes, I am alone but I still have a heart. One day I will find the strength to tear your world apart."
I pulled away from him, causing him to give me a look of shock. I didn't bother trying to look at him as I sang the final chorus, "Where are you now? Atlantis, under the sea, under the sea… where are you now? Another dream… the monsters running wild inside of me… I'm faded… I'm faded… so lost, I'm faded… I'm faded…"
"So lost, I'm faded…"
We received more applause than we usually do. We both stood up and bowed before thanking our fans and walking off the stage. I walked ahead of Leondre but that didn't stop him from grabbing my arm and turning me to make me face him. I crossed my arms, waiting for an explanation. He pulled his hood over his head, a defense mechanism of his when he didn't really want to talk about it.
I stomped my foot, something I would unconsciously do when I was frustrated or angry at Leondre. He took a deep breath before explaining, "I didn't want to look at you during that because… well, I wrote that rap when I was mad at you for leaving me when I went solo. I just thought it fit with the song so that's why I decided to put it in and I-"
I was frozen. I didn't hear any of the words he spoke. I was just frozen in time, or that's what it felt like. He wrote a rap about me and it was probably one that just attacked at my heart when I took some of the lyrics in. 'One day I will find the strength to tear your world apart' really stuck out to me. He wanted to tear my world apart because I left? He was the one who tore my world apart for ditching me and telling me he didn't need me.
He was still talking to me but I just shook my head and that's when the tears fell. I waved him off and I walked away but my walking soon turned into running. I ran outside and past the paparazzi. I didn't know where I was going, all I knew was that I needed to get away from the boy who actually thought about tearing my world apart when he had already done it to me the day he told me he didn't need me. Lyrics just attacked at my brain. It all made sense now.
"I'm tired of empty promises that you could never keep."
"I want to be a part of something that is more than me. Am I the only one?"
"I try to gather up the courage but you rip it out of me."
"Don't worry, I am used to it, keep breaking me now."
I just cried more as those lyrics sank into me, making me feel terrible about myself for leaving when I really knew I shouldn't be feeling bad. I had to leave that day. He couldn't blame it on me when he's the one who told me he didn't need me anymore. Why would I stay somewhere I'm not needed? So I can ride your success and have everyone hate me more than they already did at the time? How is that fair to me?
"Make me feel like I'm nothing so I'm scared to use my brain."
"You've taken all control."
"Come and kick me to the ground, lock me up in chains."
"I have nothing left, you have taken my heart."
Why would he ever write a rap about me like that and then think it's a good idea to put in one of our covers that we sing in front of our fans? They're going to catch on that it's about me and then we'll be at square one with them hating me and thinking that he should go solo and I should just stick to making solo covers on YouTube. I didn't see it coming, I didn't see the car coming.
The car managed to stop but I still got knocked to the ground. The man got out of his car to see if I was alright but flashbacks of that night came into my mind and I just screamed and got up. I ran away from him, ignoring him yelling for me to come back. I just kept running until I was sure I was just running in circles. I started walking and that's when I realized I was right in front of the tour bus.
I chuckled to myself. I guess it was true, you'll always find your way back home. I sat outside in front of the tour bus. I sighed before I sang to myself, "Feeling used but I'm still missing you and I can't see the end of this. Just wanna feel your kiss against my lips and now all this time is passing by but I still can't seem to tell you why it hurts me every time I see you…"
"Realize how much I need you…"
I heard the bus window open but I didn't even bother looking up. I knew it was Leondre. I just let the tears fall as I kept singing, "I hate you, I love you, I hate that I love you. Don't want to but I can't put nobody else above you. I hate you, I love you, I hate that I want you. You want her, you need her and I'll never be her…"
I rested my back against the bus as I sang softly, "I miss you when I can't sleep or right after coffee or right when I can't eat. I miss you in my front seat, still got sand in my sweaters from nights we don't remember. Do you miss me like I miss you? Messed around and got attached to you. Friends can break your heart too…"
"And I'm always tired but never of you…"
I could hear some sniffling coming from the open window as I kept singing, "If I pulled a 'you' on you, you wouldn't like that. I put this reel out but you wouldn't bite that. I type a text but then I never mind that. I got these feelings but you never mind that. Oh, oh, keep it on the low. You're still in love with me but your friends don't know. If you wanted me you would just say so…"
"And if I were you, I would never let me go…"
I actually felt a teardrop land on my arm and I just let it sit there as I continued, "I don't mean no harm, I just miss you on my arm. Wedding bells were just alarms, caution tape around my heart… you ever wonder what we could have been? You said you wouldn't and you did. Lie to me, lie with me get your fix. Now all my drinks and all my feelings are all mixed…"
I put as much emotion into it as I could as I sang, "Always missing people that I shouldn't be missing. Sometimes you got to burn some bridges just to create some distance. I know that I control my thoughts and I should stop reminiscing but I learned from my dad that it's good to have feelings. When love and trust are gone, I guess this is moving on. Everyone I do right does me wrong…"
"So every lonely night, I sing this song…"
I could hear him almost sobbing as I sang just a little bit louder, "I hate you, I love you, I hate that I love you. Don't want to but I can't put nobody else above you. I hate you, I love you, I hate that I want you. You want her, you need her and I'll never be her…"
I stood up and looked him straight in the eyes as I sang at him, "All alone I watch you watch her like she's the only girl you've ever seen. You don't care, you never did. You don't give a damn about me. Yeah, all alone I watch you watch her… she is the only thing you've ever seen. How is it you'll never notice…" I felt hot tears streaming down my face.
"That you are slowly killing me…"
I smiled through the tears as I sang the last chorus to Leondre, "I hate you, I love you, I hate that I love you. Don't want to but I can't put nobody else above you. I hate you, I love you, I hate that I want you. You want her, you need her and I'll never be her…"
I saw him rush from the bus and the next thing I knew he was on his knees in front of me crying, "Please, Charlie, I was stupid to ever write something like that about you and then put it in a song. I was frustrated and angry with you when I wrote it but I know now I had no right to be either of the two with you because it was all my fault that you left. You had every right to leave."
He grabbed my hands and made me look at him as he continued, "You had every right to leave me that day, Charlie. I acted out at you and told you I didn't need you and you don't know how many nights I lost sleep over remembering that I said that to you. I still lose sleep over it because you were always the one I looked to when I didn't feel like I was needed and, Charlie, you made me feel like I was everything."
I lifted him up and just hugged him crying into him, "You don't know how bad those lyrics hurt me, Leondre. I sang that song because that's how I felt those six months. You didn't reach out to me or anything. You made me feel like those two years meant nothing to you, like you didn't care and that you never did. You left me hanging for six months. I needed you…"
He held me tighter and I could feel my shoulder getting wetter and wetter as he said, "I know I did, I know, I know and I'm so sorry, Charlie. I was just frustrated with the situation and part of me just expected you to move on and find someone that could treat you better than I could but you didn't… I listened to your cover of "Purpose" and read your description box and I saw you still needed and wanted me… I had to go to you…"
"You're the Melody to my Bars, the Charlie to my Leondre. I need you."
"Don't you ever do that to me again unless I deserve it. I didn't deserve it."
"No, you didn't, Charlie. You're so right, you didn't deserve it and I'm so sorry."
"You're so lucky I love you…"
He kissed my head and whispered into my hair, "Yeah, you're right. I am lucky that you love me. I'm so lucky I have you, Charlie, and I need to appreciate you more. You deserve so much better and I'll do whatever it takes to make you feel the way you make me feel. I need you in my life, I need and want you more every day. I love you to the moon and back and so much more, Charlie."
We cried on each other for another couple of minutes before we crawled into the tour bus and into our shared bed. He laid on his back and I put my head on his chest, sighing softly when I felt his arms wrap around my waist and pull me even closer to him. I wrapped an arm around him and closed my eyes. Waking up was going to be complete hell.
Waking up was complete hell. Our mothers were ushering us to get ready but we were moving in slow motion. I would move faster if I wasn't so tired. Leondre was on the same boat as me, laying there as his mother dressed him. I shook my head and laughed at the sight but then again, I couldn't really laugh because my mother was tying my shoes for me right now.
We managed to make it on the plane just in time. Leondre gave me the window seat again but what did it even matter when we were both going to be asleep the whole time? We instantly passed out, my head on his shoulder. When we woke up we were almost there. Had we really been sleeping for that long? Only an hour left and I could see we were over some land.
I yawned and looked over at Leondre, he was peacefully snoring and I couldn't help but smile. I took a couple pictures before he finally woke up. He yawned and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I raised an eyebrow at him and he removed his arm saying with a laugh, "What, Charlie? At least I didn't ask if you wanted to count shoulders!" I threw my head back and laughed at him.
Everything was going great, we were talking and laughing until there was this feeling of terrible turbulence. I looked out the window and I saw smoke and fire coming out of the side of the plane. This couldn't be happening. The next thing we knew, lights were flashing and the captain was saying something to us but everyone was screaming so loud I couldn't hear a thing.
And then we were going down. Leondre held my hand, causing me to look over at him. He smiled as he shouted to me, "If this is really the end, I'm so happy that I'm going out with you forced to be by my side by a seatbelt." I laughed as I replied, "I'm so happy that these seatbelts are forcing us to be next to each other. Wouldn't want to go out with anyone else, my sweet Leondre."
I didn't know why were laughing and joking at a time like this. We were probably going to die soon so shouldn't we be saying nicer things to each other? Leondre kissed me before he shouted again, "If this is the end, I just want you to know that I love you more than anything in the world! You're my best friend and the boy I had hoped I would marry one day! This is a sucky turn of events! You would have been Charlie Devries!"
I kissed him before I shouted back to him, "I would have loved to be Charlie Derives! I love you, Leondre, I really do! I had such high hopes for our future together and if by some strange chance that we do make it, I say we never take a plane again! I'll sail the seven seas with you if it means avoiding this!" He laughed back at me and squeezed my hand.
We just looked at each other and smiled before everything went black.
Leondre's POV
I heard this familiar beeping noise. It was constant but if I found the right beat to go along with it, it could seriously make a killer rap. I was humming to the beat when I heard someone talking. Who was interrupting my jam session? I opened my eyes and I saw my mother looking down at me with tears falling down her face. Why was she crying? I turned to face her and that's when I just felt pain.
"What happened?"
She held my hand and explained to me, "Leondre, we were in a bad plane crash. The plane snapped in half on impact. The front of the plane is completely destroyed but we were lucky. Our part of the plane snapped off and we didn't blow up. Leondre, you're in the hospital right now. You suffered serious burns and neck trauma. Nothing's broken but you'll be in pain for a while."
"Where's Charlie? What happened to him?"
She looked behind me and that's when I managed to sit up enough to see that the boy in the bed next to me was Charlie. He had tubes all over him and down his throat to help him breathe. It was like the car accident all over again. I could see some burns on him but they looked like they were healing. Why wasn't he awake yet?
My mother answered me, "Charlie hasn't woken up yet. It's been five days and he hasn't woken up. His burns are healing nicely but the doctors fear that he might go through another round of vocal cord paralysis if he endured neck and chest trauma again. They might not be able to save his voice if that's the case but he needs to wake up soon."
I saw Charlie's mother asleep in the chair next to Charlie. She looked exhausted and I could see some bandages on her, as well as my mother. They didn't need to go through any of this. None of us did. I laid back down. I couldn't believe that this was happening to us. I closed my eyes and fought back the tears. Why was this happening to us?
A week went by and I was cleared but Charlie had not woken up. I stayed by his side every day, holding his hand and asking him to wake up. Sometimes I would play our songs for him. His external wounds were healed and he could now breathe on his own without the machine but I still wanted him to wake up.
Hours passed and right when I was getting a little sleepy, his hand twitched in mine. I instantly snapped my head in his direction and watched as he stirred awake. He blinked a couple of times before he looked around the room and then at me. Why was he looking at me like he didn't know who I am? Just as I was going to say something, he beat me to it, "Excuse me, but…"
"Do you mind telling me who you are?"
Everything just froze. The whole world just paused for me as I just sat there thinking, he doesn't know who I am. I shook my head as tears filled my eyes when I explained, "Charlie, it's me, Leondre. You know, your boyfriend? The one you've been going out with for over two years now? We're Bars and Melody, don't you remember?"
"Bars and Melody?" He started, "No, I've never heard of Bars and Melody before but that sounds like a cool name to have for a music duo. And I'm sorry, did you say that you were my boyfriend of two years? I didn't realize I had a boyfriend. Last I knew I was still searching for one but it's nice to know I can wake up in a strange place and have a boyfriend. Good job, Charlie, good job."
Oh my God, he seriously doesn't remember me or Bars and Melody. A doctor came in and that's when Charlie squeezed my hand as if he was afraid. I squeezed his hand back as the doctor looked at us and asked, "So Charlie, how are you feeling? You've been asleep for some time now after your plane crash."
"Plane crash? What are you talking about?"
"Charlie, what year is it?"
"2013, why?"
"Charlie, the year is 2016. You're suffering from amnesia."
He sank back into his bed, trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was now missing three years of his life. He was missing me. We didn't meet until 2014. He has no memories of me or Bars and Melody at all. My heart felt like it was breaking. He didn't know me at all. I would have to get him to fall in love with me all over again. I sank back in my chair as well.
"Now," the doctor started, "it's too soon to tell whether you will get these memories back or not so I want you to stay with Leondre to see if you can get any back doing the things you normally do. You're missing three years of important memories and the only way we can hope you'll get them back is if you go back to your daily routine."
The doctor left us alone in the room after that. Charlie looked down at my hand and asked, "Are we really dating? Don't get me wrong, I think you're cute and all but are we really dating? How did we even meet? And what's the deal with this whole Bars and Melody thing? You've got to help me get my memories back, please. I want to remember."
I pulled out my phone and went to YouTube. He watched as I clicked on our audition video for Britain's Got Talent. He heard the music come on and that's when he squeezed my hand and froze. He saw us both on stage. He put his free hand over his mouth when he heard me rapping. I was just wondering it maybe he was starting to remember this moment, it was such a big day for both of us.
When it was his turn to sing the chorus in the video, I snapped to look at Charlie when he sang with the video, "Cause I'm hopeful, yes I am, hopeful for today. Take this music and use it, let it take you away and be hopeful, hopeful and He'll make a way. I know it ain't easy but that's okay, just be hopeful."
I just started laughing in amazement. He remembered the song! He smiled at me and said, "That's me and you! I remember that song! I remembered something!" I cheered and hugged him but he instantly tensed up. I let go of him but he grabbed me and pulled me back in for a hug.
"Don't pull away… somehow this feels right."
It had been two months and Charlie was remembering something new almost every day. He was starting to feel more comfortable being with me as a boyfriend because he was remembering things we would do together but he was having trouble here and there getting used to it completely. He was starting to get back to the Charlie I know but he was a little shaky sometimes.
We were back in our studio in England when I caught him writing something down on a piece of paper. I looked over at him and asked, "What are you writing, Charlie?" He looked over at me and smiled. He didn't answer me but he did give me the paper. I read it all over and my eyes widened. He was writing a song. Did he want to go on stage as Bars and Melody? Was he ready to experience that?
"Charlie… are you sure you're ready to be Melody again? You don't remember everything yet."
"I want to do this, Leondre. I've remembered so much. I really think this will help me."
"You don't have any memories performing, Charlie. All you can remember is being with me."
"I know but I really want to do this. I want to get all my memories back."
He grabbed my hand, making me jump because he was never really the one to touch me first. He kissed my hand and whispered into it, "I want to be more confident with touching you and being with you again and if going on stage with you can possibly help me remember more, I want to do it, I want to try. I want to remember everything again. I'm missing three years of my life and I want them back."
I put my head down sighing, shaking my head before looking up at him. I was silently asking him if he really wanted to do this and I could tell from the look in his eyes that it was a yes. I kissed his hand and he didn't jump or anything. I took another deep breath before I said, "Okay, Charlie, we'll go on stage in the next couple of days."
"I want to do this song."
I was taken back at first. Don't get me wrong, it was a good song and I liked the lyrics but I didn't make a rap for it and we didn't even have the music yet. He squeezed my hand and that's when I knew we just had to do it. So for the next couple of days before our concert, we were working on the song together. When he had it finished, it was the day of our concert and we had not rehearsed it live before.
With Charlie's memory loss, I was afraid he wouldn't remember the lyrics. We walked on stage and everyone just started cheering for us. Charlie looked like a deer in the headlights. I could tell he was not used to this at all. Part of me was scared he would run off stage so I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. He looked at me and smiled before the music came on. I kissed his cheek before we sang "Hopeful."
He knew all the words to "Hopeful" so we decided to push his memory by singing some of our earlier songs like "Keep Smiling" and "Stay Strong." He was able to remember them with little difficulty but now it was the time for the Twitter questions. I had requested only a couple questions because Charlie really didn't deserve to be bombarded with a lot of questions because who knew what would happen.
The first question was, "Melody, do you have any memory of Bars and Melody? How did you remember the songs?" I looked over at him, he didn't have to answer if he didn't want to. He looked out and answered, "No, I do not have many memories of Bars and Melody but almost like muscle memory, I found myself able to remember all the lyrics to our songs."
I could tell he wanted to say more but he just froze on stage. Was he remembering something? I walked over to him and just as I was going to ask him if he was okay, he turned to me and kissed me. My eyes shot open at the feeling of his lips on mine and his arms wrapping around my neck. When he pulled away, he kissed my face all over repeating, "I remember, I remember!"
"Charlie, what are you talking about?"
"It took me two months and I really needed this concert… I remember you, I remember us!"
"What do you mean?"
"Hearing everything again and performing just sparked something in me."
I swear my smile was a mile wide when I picked him up and spun him around the stage. I was just so happy that I didn't have to be scared to touch him anymore. I had my Charlie back. It was a challenging two months but I'm so glad I have my Charlie with me again. He remember us, he remembered Bars and Melody. I couldn't be happier right now.
When I put him back on the ground, I signaled for them to play the music to our new song. Everyone started cheering as Charlie sang, "You don't know what I've been through. I can teach you something that I never knew. Take a seat and take some time, let me tell you what I've been through. They didn't know we'd come this far, now they're looking at our battle scars. Half the lies you heard ain't true…"
"So let me tell you what I've been through…"
I walked over to Charlie and started rapping, "I have a dream to be the one I want to see up on the screen and when my son sees me I want to be the one he wants to be. And honestly I'm scared, my life is like a pier. People walk all over me, the waves are closing in, you see. Relying on fate but what if I wait? Maybe a day but what if I'm late?"
Charlie shrugged at me and I smiled at that as I rapped, "I miss my ride to take me where I'm meant to go or take me home. Why do I have these emotions? I don't want them, please, take them. I'm stuck inside a hole with nowhere to go and I really hate them. Damn, do I have that much of an impact? My rhymes really did that? Sometimes I want to quit and hit back but what is there to fear? Why am I even here?"
"Is there someone out there cause there's no one I can hear?"
We looked at each other as Charlie sang the chorus again, "You don't know what I've been through. I can teach you something that I never knew. Take a seat and take some time, let me tell you what I've been through. They didn't know we'd come this far, now they're looking at our battle scars. Half the lies you heard ain't true… so let me tell you what I've been through…"
Charlie jumped on my back and I held him with one arm. We turned to look at each other as I rapped, "It's hard looking back but I feel the time's right. I ventured to the dark but I want to see the light. I'll lay my scars in front of you and show you what they've done to me. I wouldn't change what happened, they have made me who I am."
He kissed my cheek and hopped off of me but I kept looking at him as I rapped, "Damn, I want to hit back, I want to hit it at the park but I don't have a bat. Am I out of my depth? Am I out of my league? Tell me where the exit is cause I want to leave. I'm terrified to know what's at the middle of the maze. If there is a God, please take me from this place."
We were just sort of dancing and moving around each other at this point as I finished rapping, "What's the meaning of existence? Am I stuck inside a game? What will happen when I die? Will my story re-re-replay? I feel a void inside me that not a thing can fill. Sometimes I wanna cry, die, even want to kill. What's up with these emotions?"
"I don't want to feel at all…"
We looked at each other and I lip synced the lyrics as Charlie sang the chorus again, "You don't know what I've been through. I can teach you something that I never knew. Take a seat and take some time, let me tell you what I've been through. They didn't know we'd come this far, now they're looking at our battle scars. Half the lies you heard ain't true… let me tell you what I've been through…"
I smirked and wrapped an arm around Charlie's waist as we looked out at the audience as he repeated, "You don't know what I've been through. I can teach you something that I never knew. Take a seat and take some time, let me tell you what I've been through. They didn't know we'd come this far, now they're looking at our battle scars. Half the lies you heard ain't true… so let me tell you what I've been through!"
"So let me tell you what I've been through…"
Everyone just cheered loudly for us as we finished and, well, because I kissed Charlie right after he finished. I was so thankful he talked me into writing that song, I really feel like it helped him remember things. He read over my rap a couple times, too, much more than he usually would. Some words probably stuck out to him and then finally performing our songs again probably refreshed his memory more until he could finally remember everything. Charlie was lucky.
When we pulled away, I looked out at the sea of fans and wrapped an arm around Charlie as I said, "Life likes to throw curveballs at you and the best thing you can do in those unlucky situations is to make your own luck and keep trying. When life gets you down, get back up and keep trying to show life that you can overcome anything you set your mind to. We all have what it takes to be incredible."
Charlie wrapped an arm around my shoulders as he continued, "I have been knocked down a countless number of times in life but the best thing to do is exactly what Bars said, get back up and keep trying. I didn't let vocal cord paralysis keep me down, I stood up and got phonosurgery. I didn't let having amnesia stop me, I came out here today and ended up getting my memories back."
"Never stop trying and you will succeed."
"If you need motivation to keep going, look at Bars and Melody."
THE END. You know, odds are I'm going to make one last story about Bars and Melody but it'll be when they're a couple years older and I'll go through the whole engagement and wedding between Charlie and Leondre. I might even put some mpreg in there just to keep it interesting and brush upon their life with a child! I hope more people will tune in and if not, well, I tried.
Sorry for any mistakes!
Songs in order of appearance: "You Get Me" by Tom and Angela (from Talking Friends), "Stressed Out (Cover)" by Bars and Melody, "Ride" by Twenty One Pilots, "Faded (Cover)" by Bars and Melody, "Hate You, Love You" by Gnash, "Hopeful" by Bars and Melody, & "Battle Scars" by Bars and Melody.
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to favorite, follow, and review! Don't forget to show Bars and Melody some love!
