A/N: I wrote this ficlet collection based on this edit on tumblr with the songs and one line of lyrics for each song from the album AM by Arctic Monkeys, and each ficlet is written in the span of its corresponding song. With only 3 or 4 minutes per ficlet, the quality isn't the best, especially when I was aiming to craft a loose story but it'll have to do for now.
Might be a bit confusing though because some of them are loosely based on existing rp threads I have going on tumblr.
AM
Do I Wanna Know?
Maybe I'm too busy being yours to fall for somebody new.
He's seen the outcome of the last dance she's attended, where she had confessed to a boy who had been too oblivious to her feelings to notice how much he had hurt her before it was too late. Mercury shakes his head. No, Pyrrha deserved someone better than Jaune.
But when Pyrrha asks him if he's going with anyone, despite the overwhelming urge for him to ask her out, he merely replies with a simple 'no'– a mere bastardization of what he truly wants to say; that maybe he's too busy being hers to fall for somebody new, but that he's not good enough for her either. And so they part ways.
She doesn't see the look on his face. But neither does he see hers.
R U Mine?
The thrill of the chase moves in mysterious ways.
Mercury knows both his female partners notice the way he treats Pyrrha and although Cinder doesn't say anything, Emerald often asks about it, more often than not rather irritably. He dismisses her concerns about the potential impact on their mission.
"I'm just having some fun, Emerald. Relax."
And the female lets it slide with an exasperated sigh. Even she knows he's a massive flirt, if the number of broken hearts he's left in his wake is any indication.
One For The Road
There's no need to show me round, baby, I feel like I've been in here before.
He manages to catch her after the tournament.
"Fifth consecutive Championship," Mercury shoots her an impressed look. "Congratulations."
Pyrrha smiles. "Thank you."
"So, I take it you're going to the victory ball?"
"Where is the guy?"
"Yes, I am. Are you?"
"There is no guy."
He shrugs. "Depends."
"When you're placed on a pedestal like that for so long, you become separated from the people who put you there in the first place."
She looks at him quizzically and he takes a step towards her.
"Do you have a date?"
"I guess you're the kind of guy I wish I was here with."
There's a moment of hesitation before she lets out a small laugh. "Are you asking me to the ball, Mercury?"
The male grins. "Yes. Yes, I am."
Arabella
Her lips are like the galaxy's edge, and her kiss the colour of a constellation falling into place.
She slips off his jacket, revealing pale, creamy skin, and hands it back to him with a shy "thank you". He nods graciously and she moves to enter her house. But then she turns back towards him with a smile and leans forward to place a gentle kiss on his cheek.
"Thank you for a wonderful night, Mercury."
She disappears from view, leaving him standing there with a silly grin on his face, his whisper lost in the empty street.
"Anytime."
I Want It All
Ain't it like you to kiss me and then hit the road.
He's at the door of his room when his scroll vibrates, lighting up and dancing merrily in his pockets. His good mood plunges the moment he sees the caller ID and the message attached.
Pick up the package.
Sighing, Mercury proceeds to change out of his formal attire before heading back to Remnant.
He doesn't even get the chance to say goodbye to her.
No. 1 Party Anthem
It's not like I'm falling in love, I just want you to do me no good and you look like you could.
Mercury tosses the package in front of Cinder, slightly annoyed at the interruption of his trip to Mistral. Cinder only smiles sweetly at him, eyes flashing in amusement.
"What's the matter, Mercury? Did I interrupt something?"
His eyes narrow slightly in response even as his lips curl up into a smirk.
His leader is a formidable woman and he doesn't know how much she knows about anything really, but he can't bring himself to care at this point and he pulls his shirt over his head before unbuttoning his pants.
"Maybe," he replies teasingly, "but you sure as hell can finish it."
Mad Sounds
We just weren't feeling how we wanted to.
"Why have you been avoiding me?"
He's distinctly cold to Pyrrha when he's around Cinder. He knows he's not supposed to grow attached to the enemy - after all, it would make things so damn complicated – and so he tries to distance himself from her in an effort to allow his lust to subside.
"Look,"he growls lowly,"I don'tneedyou to…"
It hurts him and he's irritated and he chooses to lash out at her, to hurt her in the way she's hurt him unintentionally, unknowingly.
"Don't need me to what?Care?"
He doesn't need her to care.
"We had fun, I'll give you that, but I got bored. That's all."
He doesn't want her to care.
"You're not that special."
He's lying.
Fireside
I just cannot manage to make it through the day without thinking of you lately.
He charged, leg slamming against her shield and she swiped at his feet, knocking him off balance. His back hits the ground and he does a backflip instinctively. He'd learnt to never stay still in a fight, not when he's so vulnerable, not even if he's dazed or blinded. If you're moving, they can't hit you.
He inhaled deeply and assaulted her with a few more strikes, twisting and turning, using the momentum to give his kicks more power. She absorbed all of his blows with her shield and he switched tactics, bringing his leg up from the side. With a little flick, she sent her sword spinning in the air, blocking the blow with her arm.
Someone prods him suddenly and he jumps.
"I've been calling your name for ages," Emerald gives him a peeved look.
"Sorry," he shrugs, "my mind was wandering."
"What were you thinking about?"
He merely grins.
Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High
Once again I was just dreaming of bumping into you.
He glances at his watch with a hint of impatience. The doors to the classroom open almost like clockwork and the students pour out into the hallways. Mercury eases back against the wall, folding his arms as silver eyes scan the crowds.
The flash of red catches his eye and he looks up with interest. She's making her way in his direction with her team.
Pyrrha laughs at something Jaune says and Mercury resists the temptation to roll his eyes. Instead, he looks away as she brushes past him, pretending not to notice her.
But then a hand clamps down on his shoulder and he turns around in surprise to see sparkling emerald eyes and a radiant smile.
"Hey Mercury."
A lopsided grin starts to creep across his face but he schools his features into a blank, nonchalant expression.
"Hey."
Those are the first two words she's said to him in the last 3 weeks.
Snap Out Of It
Forever isn't for everyone. Is forever for you?
They may not have spoken in 3 weeks but Mercury still sees how Jaune looks at Pyrrha; how he tries to make her laugh, how he tries to get her attention with his clumsy antics.
Mercury's made it a point to keep his distance from her but it doesn't make any of this easier to swallow. His eyes flicker between the girl standing before him and the blond lurking in the background.
Hands slip into his pockets and he moves to pass the redhead.
But as his shoulders brush against hers, he leans towards her slightly and growls lowly.
"You deserve someone better than him."
She turns around, eyes wide but he's gone, melting into the crowd of students easily.
Knee Socks
I thought you might be mine in a small world on an exceptionally rainy Tuesday night in the right place and time.
The male had long given up on running; he's soaked to the bone anyway. Instead, he trudges through the empty streets, cursing loudly at the rotten weather. The rumble of thunder rolls with the dark clouds as the wind picks up around him, whipping the icy needles of rain in a mini cyclone.
There's a small canopy at the corner and he ducks underneath it, slicking back his hair with a loud breath. His wet clothes cling to his skin and he shivers at the cold.
Pounding footsteps reach his ears and he sees a dark outline of a person running towards him as the lightning illuminates the sky for the briefest of moments.
"Oh, hello! Is it alright if I keep you company?"
Mercury grins at the newcomer and shuffles over to the side to make room for Pyrrha.
"Sure."
Perhaps the weather isn't so bad after all.
I Wanna Be Yours
Secrets I have held in my heart are harder to hide than I thought. Maybe I just wanna be yours.
"Why do you dislike Jaune so much?"
Mercury arches an eyebrow. "I don't dislike him."
Pyrrha sighs, fingers tapping impatiently against her arm. He smirks with a little tilt of his head – he should've known that she'd know him well enough by now to tell when he's lying. Or at least about the more obvious things.
"I just don't really like him, ok?"
He almost blurts out how he hate that she's so familiar with Jaune, that she spends so much time with her leader, but his mouth clamps shut before he can make a fool of himself.
But her eyes sparkle mischievously as realization dawns on her.
"You're jealous of him!"
"What?" He protests indignantly, "no, I'm not."
She laughs merrily and he pulls her into his embrace.
"I think that's really endearing," she whispers.
He holds her closer just a little more tightly.