Chapter 9

William

The past few days? Jesus Christ. It's been a fucking whirlwind. Life on tour moving faster than a goddamn bullet train, and I can barely catch my breath. One show ends, and before I know it, we're on to the next. It's a blur of sound, lights, and endless crowds. It should be exhilarating, but instead it feels like I'm running full-speed toward a cliff, and I don't know how the hell to stop.

I've been on edge ever since that first show. Since then, all of our performances have been incredible. The crowd was always insane, the energy was electric. But that was nothing compared to the shitstorm that's been brewing in the background. It's like the whole universe decided to kick me in the fucking teeth after I stepped off that stage. The minute I got a second to breathe, my brain went straight to my goddamn song—Villain.

How. The. Fuck. Did it get on the charts?

I hadn't done jack shit to draw attention to it. No promos, no big releases. Hell, I didn't even plan to put it out in the first place. I'd posted it for myself, a little personal release. I didn't want anyone to hear it. But now it's everywhere. Fucking everywhere. I mean, it's climbing like a bat out of hell—almost 65 million plays in a month, and now it's top 20, trending. How? Why? I didn't push this. I didn't say shit. It's like the universe decided to fuck with me.

I try to ignore the buzz of my phone, the endless notifications coming in from every damn streaming platform. But I can't help myself. One catches my eye, and my stomach drops. Villain is all over social media. People are using it for dance challenges. And it's not just one country. Japan. South Korea. China. Taiwan. The US. What the hell? I'm sitting here staring at my phone like it's going to grow a head and explain how in the fuck this happened.

Finally, I catch Jules a few days later. She's been as caught up in the madness as I have, but this? This has me completely twisted. We meet up at my townhouse in Manchester, and I'm already pacing, my mind racing a million miles a minute. I can barely sit still.

She walks in like she always does—all business. I can't tell if it's a relief or if it makes everything worse. But she's here now, and there's no running from the problem.

"Okay," she starts, pulling up her laptop and digging into some charts. "I checked the trends. And your song? Villain? It's everywhere. Social media, both long and short form content. Dance challenges, especially in Asia. And your album—it's gaining traction because of it."

I sit on the couch, tapping my fingers, a nervous tic I can't control. I don't even know what to say. I'm about to lose my shit. "This doesn't make any sense," I mutter. "I didn't do anything to make it go viral. I didn't even try."

She keeps going, the facts piling up like bricks in my stomach. "It's blowing up. But no one knows it's you, right? You haven't publicly done anything with it."

I snort out a bitter laugh. "I'm not a public figure with this music. I wasn't supposed to be. No one's supposed to know."

She raises an eyebrow. "And you've never sung in public. So... no one knows it's you, right?"

"Nope," I say, shaking my head. "No performances, no shows. Nothing. Just a fucking secret hobby."

The silence that follows is thick. She's got to be thinking what I'm thinking.

I exhale like I've been holding my breath for too long. "What if the guys hear it?" The words hang heavy between us. The thought makes my skin crawl.

She shrugs, but there's a hint of worry in her eyes. "We could just... wait. Let it die down. All songs eventually do that, right?"

I lean back, running my hands through my hair, trying to stay calm, but it's not working. I'm losing my shit inside. "No. No, it's not gonna die down. Not with the way it's climbing." I throw my hands up in frustration. "Fuck. I'd be over the moon if it were a Kill John song going viral. But this? I'm fucking terrified." I let out a sharp breath. "It's like accidentally setting your house on fire and then realizing, oh shit, you actually live there."

Jules looks at me like she's trying to figure out how to make this better, but I can see she knows how bad it is. "I don't think I've ever seen a Kill John song go this viral either."

"I'm fucked, Jules," I mumble. "This is a goddamn disaster."

She looks at me, her face full of guilt. "It's my fault. I—"

"No," I cut her off, shaking my head. "I made the final decision to post it. I knew the risk. I take full responsibility for it."

We sit there, both of us heavy with the knowledge of what's coming. Neither of us says a word for a while. We don't need to. We both know that this is about to blow up in ways I can't even predict.

"So," she finally asks, voice soft but serious. "What's your plan?"

I let out a long breath. The answer is clear, but I hate it. "I'm gonna have to tell them. Before it gets any bigger." I squeeze my eyes shut for a second. "This is already getting too big. I can't let it keep going without them knowing now. If the guys finds out later, it'll be worse. A hell of a lot worse."

Jules looks at me, studying my face, and then nods slowly. "Killian's going to blow. And Scottie? He's going to fucking lose it."

I can't help but laugh, but it's more like a punch to the gut. "Yeah, I can already hear Killian's voice. 'What the fuck, Whip?'" I rub my face, trying to fight the tightness in my chest. "I'm losing my mind over here. I can already picture them looking at me like I've lost my fucking mind. Like I'm a damn freak."

Jules meets my eyes. I feel like she gets it, like she understands what this is doing to me.

She breathes in deep. "Maybe I can help," she says quietly.

I look at her, my mind a swirl of doubt. "How the hell are you gonna help?"

"I'll present the album in your place," she says, voice firm. "I can explain it. I'll take the initial heat. It's the least I can do."

I raise an eyebrow, shaking my head. "Sounds like the coward's way out."

She shrugs, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Got any better plans?"

I sit back, really considering it for the first time. The idea's tempting, but... it's not right. "No. But I don't want you to feel like you have to do this for me."

She looks at me, her eyes soft but determined. "The heat will come for you eventually. I know that."

"Yeah, but you knew this whole time," I say, my voice barely a whisper.

She meets my gaze, no hesitation, no lies in her eyes. "I did. And I'm thankful I was the first to hear it."

For a moment, everything fades away. It's just her and me. I don't know what this is—what we are—but I feel like I'm not alone in all of this.

Jules tilts her head slightly, watching me. Then, completely out of nowhere, she says, "This kinda reminds me of The Cat Returns. When Haru finds out Yuki was the stray cat she fed."

I blink, caught off guard. "What the hell? You watch anime?"

She shrugs, all casual, like she didn't just drop that bomb. "Occasionally."

I stare at her, then huff out a short laugh. It escapes before I can stop it, shaking loose something tight in my chest. "Huh." I rub my jaw, still processing. "I love anime. Animation in general, really. I almost always watch it by myself, though."

Jules frowns slightly. "Why?"

I let out a breath, shaking my head. "Because the guys aren't that interested in that kind of stuff. I tried showing them, but Rye pretends to fall asleep immediately."

Jules scoffs, shaking her head. "Well, the guys are fucking missing out."

Something inside me loosens, the tightness bleeding away, just a little. Like when she first listened to my songs without judgment, without making me feel like an idiot for the things I love. I don't have to explain or justify it. It's a small thing, but damn if it doesn't mean everything.

Jules watches me for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then, just as easily as we drifted into this topic, she shifts it again.

"It's like you said. We're all here for each other," she says softly. "And I'll be here for you."

I don't know how to respond, my heart pounding in my chest. So I just nod. It's the only thing I can do.