We could leave the Christmas lights up 'til January. This is our place, we make the rules.

It was just Tempest and the discord music bot. Sitting alone together, Tempest had it playing Taylor Swift's newest album while her eyes roved the text chat, focused on one username in particular: Gay-le69. Despite the comical name, the man behind the screen was so much more than just that. Tempest had grown very fond of him and vice versa. She felt a sort of freedom and sameness with him she'd never felt with anyone else.
And there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you, dear

Oh yes, there certainly was. It made no sense why she felt for him the way that she did, but it was something that simply could not be denied. Even though she was a bisexual who swung more towards women (as well as falling somewhere on the asexual spectrum because of how little sexual desire she felt for other people) this man had somehow become very dear to her. It was still not quite a normal romantic love, but it was still something that couldn't just be described as platonic either. But how? Why? What was so special about Gale that he should have such an affect on her? In some ways, he seemed so… plain and simple. But in others, there had to have been some sort of mystery and dazzle about him, or else their friendship wouldn't have been so hard to explain.
Have I known you twenty seconds or twenty years?

Heck, they hadn't even known one another that long. The first time they ever spoke was towards the end of January. But even though it had only been about six months (to the date, in fact!) it felt as if they had known one another far longer. Was this a common phenomenon? Was it common to meet someone and click with them so quickly and deeply that it felt as if it had been years rather than months? Could it really have only been half a year since they exchanged their very first hello? In some ways, it felt so much longer than that. And that first hello felt lifetimes ago. But in others, it felt so fast. They hadn't been a part of one another's lives for very long, and yet look at them already. She was closer to him than almost anyone else despite him being one of her newest friends! Did that sound wrong? Or was that ok? Tempest wasn't sure. Her head was a very confusing place of late. But her heart, although much more volatile and superficial, was at least easier to understand. What did it want? Well…

Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close forever and ever? And now, take me out and take me home You're my, my, my, my…

Whether it had been six seconds or six months or six years, Tempest wanted to be with him. She wanted to be with Gale, and to go where he went. Even if there was no romance or sexuality, there was something deeper than that between the two of them (or at least, she thought so) that made her want to keep him. It wasn't just a schoolgirl crush, nor was it a lustful desire. All she wanted was him. To just be with him. And to be this close with him for as long as they were both willing and able (which would hopefully be for a very long time, if not forever). Even though they'd only just met, like she'd said before, there was a closeness and sameness she felt with him that there was no word for. But despite this lack of clear description, she could still feel it within herself and she wanted it. She wanted him. Her… lover?

We could let our friends crash in the living room. This is our place, we make the call.

She could see it now, the day they finally met in person. No matter who else came along for the ride, it would still be her and him at the front and foremost part of it all. Already, that was how their server felt. No matter how many people they interacted with, it was still just the two of them against the rest of the world at the end of the day. They were closer with one another than with anyone else on the server. And Tempest could just envision it. Even though she was usually very slow and shy, not willing to meet online friends for at least a year, she was already so hopeful of getting to see Gale as soon as she could. If life was kind, that would be in but a month and a half. For the first time in forever, she didn't want to wait. There was no hesitation or fear, just a longing. And it was something he wanted too, as he said in her DMs. It would be their place, their call. Even if others came in and out, it was theirs first and foremost.

And I'm highly suspicious that everyone who sees you wants you.

And why did this closeness appeal to Tempest? Well, she was insecure and lonely. She was an asexual bisexual. A loner. An introvert. Of course this led to worry and possessiveness over the few people who could stand her (and whom she could stand in return). Of course, she was very mindful of this and made sure her jealousy never got out of hand, but it really was a genuine worry of hers that everyone who knew Gale wanted him. He was just so kind, gentle, sweet, caring, wise, intelligent and accepting that who wouldn't want him? And even worse, she feared that he would one day choose someone else over her. Someone better. Someone prettier and more stable. Someone less clingy and occasionally mean. Why wouldn't he? Especially because they weren't technically an official couple. And did she even want to be? Or did she have commitment issues? Why wouldn't he choose someone better? She wasn't very proud of this jealous mindset, but in some ways, she saw it only as further proof that even if what she felt for Gale was not a traditional romantic love, it had to be something. She had never felt this sort of jealousy for anyone else, after all!

I've loved you three summers now, honey, but I want 'em all.

Maybe it hadn't been three summers, but she certainly wanted them all. Wanted it just to be her and him and no one else. Was that too clingy? She didn't mean that she'd never let him have other friends. But she was highly suspicious that everyone who knew him wanted him. And that he was only ever one second away from choosing someone else. Someone better. It was self-sabotage at its finest, but it was persistent. But again, in some ways, this envy was almost, almost, a sign of love. After all, Tempest only felt jealous over the things she wanted, but lacked. If she felt jealous for Gale, what did that say about her? And him? And them? Besides, it took an awful lot of love and care for one person to desire another enough that the idea of that other person choosing someone else would sting. Had Tempest cared a little less, she wouldn't have been so worried. That still wasn't to say the worry was healthy, but she was taking it as another sign that she loved him, even if she didn't know in what way.

Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close forever and ever? And now, take me out and take me home You're my, my, my, my…

Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand?

And now she could see it, the entire discord rising to watch them stand hand in hand.
With every guitar string scar on my hand,

Before witnesses both in real life and online, Tempest would declare her love for him. Her claim to him.
I take this magnetic force of a man to be my…

Because he was very magnetic. Why else would she keep coming back to him for more? And he was definitely a force. Who else could make her feel so many powerful emotions, both good and bad and confusing? And he certainly was a man. Gentle, kind, wise, thoughtful, accepting, open-minded, humble, apologetic, patient, willing. And maybe that was why Tempest had fallen for him. He wasn't a boy. He wasn't arrogant, rude, crass, chauvinistic or sexist. He was a man. He was much more genuine than that. No, he was not perfect, but he was definitely one of the better ones out there. He was a magnetic force of a man and Tempest wanted him.

My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue.

She knew her own heart was all too confusing and fickle. It changed day by day. It was so new at this. So inexperienced. And his? He'd had a girl before. He had been around the block. And yes, he was older than her. Her heart was beating on borrowed time. Borrowed stories. And his had been blue. Did that make them a good enough match?

All's well that ends well to end up with you.

Because in Tempest's mind, all of it would be worth it if he was waiting for her at the end. The way she saw it, all's well that would end well if it were an ending with him. He had, after all, given a new depth to her life she hadn't ever considered before. She had gone through life as a being, but now she felt as if she had a purpose too. A selfish desire to share a life with him that she had never felt before. She didn't know if she wanted to live with him, or marry him, but there was something there that wasn't there before.

Swear to be over-dramatic and true to my…

Tempest smiled as Taylor sang this line. Wasn't that the truth? She was very overdramatic. She was very unstable and moody and hard-to-please. And yet still, Gale had stayed. He told her he didn't mind. That she was worth all the trouble she caused. What a sublime thing to tell a girl who always felt like she was too much, and only ever just seconds away from annoying someone away for good. And because that overdramatic nature of hers didn't seem to be going away any time soon, she swore that he would have all of it. Good and bad. And he didn't seem to mind it, as he'd said in their DMs and late-night voice calls. So that was just another piece of herself she was risking by granting to him. And she would be true to him as well. Overdramatic and true. Faithful. Loving.

And you'll save all your dirtiest jokes for me
 Her smile grew when this next line was sung. Oh, how the two of them loved to flirt. Even in the early days, they'd share dirty jokes and suggestive remarks. But only in recent weeks had those flirtations become a little more real and a little less silly. And this, again, was where Tempest's worries flared. Gale liked to flirt with everyone. Male or female. And in the darker hours of the night, Tempest would fear he would find a more enjoyable partner than she. But no, she knew in her heart that all the dirtiest bits belonged to her. Not only had he told her outright that she was the only one she felt completely safe to flirt with, but Tempest knew that both of them had shared more dirty secrets with one another than anyone else. There was a piece of him Tempest had that no one else did: his secrets. And god, did it make her feel proud!

And at every table, I'll save you a seat

So in exchange for his trust and vulnerability, she was going to give him her time and vulnerability. Both of them were guarded people by nature, but neither of them could hide anything from the other. That was another rare and wonderful thing that made Tempest sure that even if he wasn't "the one", he was still someone who was going to be very much to/for her for a lot longer (or so she hoped). And in exchange for his trust and his "dirtiness", she was going to give him her time and trust. He was always on her mind and she did her best to invite him into everything she did. She wanted him to be part of her world. And she wanted him to never ever feel left out. So at every table, at every voice chat, at every server, she'd save him a seat. Who else would she want at her side? And whose side would she want to be at, aside from his?

Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close forever and ever? And now, take me out and take me home You're my, my, my, my…

"Lover."