SuperStar!

As the jet cruised smoothly through the sky, Ethan was still buzzing from the news. Winning Song of the Year at the Brit Awards? It was unreal. His phone was blowing up with notifications—fans, friends, industry peers, all sending their congratulations. He scrolled through his DMs, laughing at a message from Sydney.

"Damn, superstar, winning awards while flying private with Eminem? Some of us are still out here fighting for our lives. 🤧"

Ethan chuckled, shaking his head as he started to type back. But then Eminem's voice cut through the low hum of the cabin.

"That Brit Award show…" Em said casually, leaning back in his seat. "I think I was nominated this year too."

Ethan paused mid-text, his head snapping up. "Wait, for real? Which category?"

Honestly, he hadn't kept track of the awards this year. Not because he didn't care, but because he'd been too damn busy. The tour, the album, the nonstop interviews—it was all a blur. He barely even knew what he was nominated for himself. The only one he'd really paid attention to was the Grammys. Everything else? Background noise.

Em shrugged. "Yeah, two, I think. International Musician of the Year and International Song of the Year."

Ethan nodded, impressed. "That's dope, man." Then a small frown crept onto his face. "Damn… now I feel kinda bad. If I knew, I would've at least made sure to pay attention to the show."

It wasn't just that he hadn't watched—it was the fact that he hadn't even known. His first major professional award, and he hadn't been there to experience it. No acceptance speech, no moment on stage, no soaking in the cheers. Just a notification on his phone, like it was some random event. The realization gnawed at him.

Em must've caught the shift in his expression, because he gave him a knowing look. "Hey, don't trip about it," he said, his tone easy but firm. "You were on tour, right?"

Ethan nodded, but Em wasn't done. He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping just a bit. "And honestly? The bigger you get, the less time you're gonna have for all this award show shit." His eyes flickered with something unreadable—something deeper. "Not just that. There's a lotta things you won't have time for. That's the price, man. You give up more than you realize."

The weight in his voice lingered, hanging in the space between them. Ethan felt it settle in his chest.

He'd heard people say it before—how fame demanded sacrifices, how success had a cost—but hearing it from him, from someone who had been at the top for decades, made it feel more real.

Ethan let out a slow breath. "Yeah… I guess so."

His mood had visibly shifted, and he didn't even hear the soft ping of his phone. But Em, sitting across from him, also received a message at the same time. His eyes flicked down to the screen, and as he read it, a smirk spread across his face.

"Cheer up, kid," Em said, his voice lighter now. "We just won Best International Song."

Ethan blinked. "Wait—what? We were nominated together?"

Em nodded, amused at his reaction. "Hell yeah. 'River' got nominated." He shook his head, still smirking. "I was surprised it even made the cut, let alone won seeing as its my first time getting the song nomination its usually just artist of the year."

Ethan was still processing that when Em chuckled again, reading the expression on his face like an open book.

"Ohhh, I get it." He leaned back, stretching his arms over his head. "'I know why i won. Brit supporting Brit. I ain't even mad at it."

His smirk turned into a small grin.

Ethan let out a breathless laugh. "Man, this is crazy."

Em glanced around the jet. "Where's that damn system? Let's celebrate or somethin'."

Ethan grinned, shaking his head. "Bro, we're literally in the air and what do you even want to do."

Em shrugged. "So? We got Wi-Fi, right?"

Ethan couldn't argue with that. He grabbed his phone, still buzzing with notifications, and opened his messages again. Sydney's texts had tripled.

"BRO ANSWER YOUR PHONE—YOU JUST WON A BRIT AWARD WTF"

"ETHAN HELLO????"

"I HOPE YOU'RE SCREAMING RN CAUSE I AM"

Ethan let out another laugh, shaking his head as he shot back a quick reply.

And just like that, the weight from before? Gone.

Tonight, he was a winner. And that feeling? That was something worth holding onto.

The private jet hummed quietly as it cruised through the night sky, the soft glow of the cabin lights reflecting off the sleek interior. Ethan was still scrolling through messages, his smile refusing to fade, when Eminem suddenly leaned forward.

"Yo," Em said, grabbing a laptop from the table. "Let's go live."

Ethan looked up, confused. "Live? What do you mean?"

Em smirked. "Mo's putting us on at the Brit Awards. They want to hear from us."

Ethan's eyes widened. "Wait, we're going live on the actual show?"

Em chuckled. "Yeah. Don't act surprised—you already did one earlier."

Ethan let out a breath, shaking his head. "Alright, let's do it."

A few moments later, the laptop screen flickered, and suddenly, the Brit Awards stage was in front of them. Mo Gilligan, the night's host, grinned into the camera, the crowd behind him buzzing with excitement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, listen—we are making history tonight!" Mo gestured dramatically toward the big screen behind him. "Because right now, live from the sky, joining us straight from a private jet somewhere in the world… give it up for Eminem and Ethan!"

The audience exploded in cheers as the video feed went full screen, showing Eminem, sitting relaxed with his signature smirk.

"Yo, yo," Em said, nodding. "Appreciate y'all. Uh… didn't exactly plan on doing this mid-flight, but, you know… life happens."

Laughter rippled through the crowd, and Mo shook his head. "Man, you guys are literally accepting awards while in the air—I mean, talk about flexing on all of us regular folks down here."

Em chuckled. "Hey, listen, I just wanna say a big thank you to the fans, the UK, the Brits… you guys have always shown crazy love, and I appreciate it. First-ever Brit Award for Song of the Year? That's insane."

The audience cheered, showing their love, and Mo nodded excitedly. "Yeah, yeah, crazy moment! But hold up, you got someone else with you, right?"

Em smirked. "Yeah… someone else wants to say hello."

He turned the laptop slightly, and the crowd erupted as Ethan's face came into view.

Ethan smiled warmly, waving. "Hello, everyone! This is unbelievable. Thank you so much."

Mo laughed. "Ethan! Three Brit Awards tonight! Talk to us—how does it feel?"

Ethan exhaled, still in disbelief. "It's incredible. Honestly, I am still processing everything. Winning Song of the Year is such an honor, and then receiving two more awards tonight? I truly don't have the words to describe how much this means to me."

The crowd cheered, feeding off Ethan's excitement.

Mo grinned. "Listen, listen, let me break it down for y'all. Ethan—you now have three Brit Awards tonight. You still have two more nominations left. If you win just one more, you'll tie the all-time record for most wins in a single night, held by Blur and Adele. If you win both? You'll be the sole record holder."

The audience gasped, then erupted into cheers.

Ethan's eyes widened. "Wait… really? I had no idea."

Em raised an eyebrow. "Damn, kid. You breakin' records already?"

Mo pointed at the screen. "I'm telling you! If you win one more, you tie the record. If you win both, you're number one!"

Ethan shook his head, smiling. "That is unbelievable. Just being nominated alongside such talented artists is already an honor. To even be in this position tonight is something I never imagined."

The audience clapped in support, and Mo grinned. "No pressure at all, right?"

Ethan chuckled. "None at all."

Mo laughed. "Alright, before we let you go, anything else you want to say to the fans?"

Eminem nodded. "Just wanna say—thank you, for real. This is crazy. Shoutout to Ethan, man, he's killin' it tonight. Appreciate all the love, always."

Ethan nodded, his expression sincere. "Yes, thank you, everyone. I wouldn't be here without you all. Your support means everything to me."

Mo smiled. "And we love you guys! One more time—make some noise for Ethan and Eminem!"

The audience erupted, and as the call ended, Ethan leaned back in his seat, still smiling.

Em smirked at him. "You better start makin' room for those trophies."

Ethan's smile widened as he quickly grabbed the laptop, his fingers flying across the keyboard with newfound energy.

Eminem raised an eyebrow, watching him. "Yo, what are you searching for?"

Ethan didn't even look up as he grinned. "I'm checking the award results—I wanna see who won what."

Em leaned back, crossing his arms with an amused look. "Or… you just wanna see if you got a shot at breaking that record?"

Ethan paused for a second, then slowly lifted his head, his expression guilty but playful. "I mean… we're talking history here"