#Studio 57 definitely need to find this

[spawksstuff]

The De Completionist Checklist Part 5

1955

Note on the dates: I will mostly be going by when a show/movie was shot rather than its release date. Variety Magazine will be given first priority.

My score: 11 / 17

Need To Find: Maitnee Theatre Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, Studio 57 Vacation With Pay, You Are There: (The First Major Use of Penicillin, The Rescue of the American Prisoners from Santo Tomas, Eli Whitney Invents the Cotton Gin, Grant and Lee at Appomattox)

Favorite Movie: Bamboo

Favorite TV Show: Science Fiction Theatre YORD and The Millionaire Iris Millar

Favorite Scene: When Ike Clanton addresses the reporter in You Are There. Eyeballing him up and down, smirking, menacing, laughing.

[nomazee]

hello, could I request a model! Dan Heng x fashion designer! Reader? Here’s some keywords if they might help, tiredness, praise, warmth, try-on. The timestamp is 17:57, thank you so much!

as always i had too much fun with this... i love the idea of model dan heng but i still made him an awkward wet rag in this one (because i love him) THANK YOU FOR THE REQUEST!!!

my 1k event!

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You greet Dan Heng with your usual warm smile and a “hey, love” that never fails to fluster him. He’s heard it from you a handful of times now, visiting your studio a few times a week at your request for fittings and some brainstorming sessions. He thinks that the frequency and timing of his visits is definitely unnecessary from a professional standpoint, but he’s not planning on bringing that up any time soon. Not when your hands are so kind, light on his shoulders as you guide him through your studio. 

“I started on the pieces that I showed you the sketches for, um, last week, was it? I’m kind of losing track of time.” Dan Heng wouldn’t tell you out loud, but he can tell. There’s a huge table in the center of the room, and he can barely see its surface beneath all the cut fabric and tracing paper and tangled thread from your serger. For someone working under deadline after deadline, you’re handling yourself better than he would, but he still can’t help the heat of concern flickering in the crease of his brow. 

This is your debut show, he knows as much. So he won’t meddle with your workflow. Only hope that you can somehow pick up the signals that he’s sending you to please sit down and maybe drink water? 

“I need you to try them on,” you tell him, a gentle command as you hand him a hanger draped in silky fabrics and delicate laces. “There’s pants and a lace shirt. I’ll turn around while you change, but you need to be wearing pretty much nothing underneath these, if that’s okay. And then I’ll hem your pants—let me get you some shoes…” you’re trailing off, passing the clothes to him before turning around in a rush to find him a pair of heeled boots. 

The fabric is— it’s nice. The pants are some kind of silky, lustrous material, dark blue and cool on his skin, and the shirt is embarrassingly sheer but you’ve seen him in and out of clothes in the last month often enough that he can’t really be too sheepish about it now. What does make him flush, however, is the look on your face as you turn around to stare at him, black heeled shoes forgotten in your hands as your eyes flit across Dan Heng’s form. 

He can hear the soft breaths that you take, no more labored than usual, but it feels so intimate and so quiet that his palms grow damp. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, he waits for you to— say something, anything, tell him to take it off and go home or maybe stay, instead. The back of his neck feels itchy and he’s pretty sure you haven’t blinked yet. 

“The, um. It looks…” you’re trailing off, again, but you’re also walking towards him until you’re so close he can hear your breathing even more distinctly than before, along with the rustling of your own clothes as you lift up a hand to play with the ornamented collar of his shirt. “The color is nice on you. It’s different from the other pieces I’ve made you try, right?” 

Dan Heng only has enough strength to nod in response, the rest of his energy taken away by the feeling of your finger tips on the soft, pliant skin beneath his jaw. He’s sweating— so much, it must be gross, but he can see you chewing the inside of your cheek as you drag your fingers to the seam on the shoulder. 

“I was thinking a sash around the waist, but I don’t think it suits this outfit. Maybe I can add something like that to the pieces from last week, though.” And you’re back to your usual self, much to his dismay. Your rambling is endearing and tender, but your previously weighted gaze has now lightened, focused on the waist of his pants and the hand-sewn hook-and-bar closure, and Dan Heng misses having it trained on him. You’ve never been this close, this warm, this focused on him in particular, and he has to squeeze his eyes shut to fight the urge to take your hands between his own. 

“Dan Heng,” you say his name, breaking him out of his anxious reverie with a quiet call. “You have a lot on your plate for this show. You have three outfit changes, which can be a lot, but I know you’re capable. Do you know you’re capable?” 

He wants to say this is silly, that you’re the last person who should be telling anybody else that they have a lot on their plate, considering that you’re sewing more than a dozen garments all on your own, with no assistants besides your in-and-out mentors who rarely find time to help. He says none of that, though, because your gaze is trained on his again and he’s busy hoping you don’t notice all the little involuntary twitches in his face. 

“Yeah, I’m— I know.” 

You smile, again, something saccharine and addictive and he wants to chase it, over and over and over. “Good. You’re my favorite model, you know. It’s important that you’re ready.” 

Dan Heng could say a million things. He could say this is unprofessional, or joke and say that he’s currently one of your only models, or tell you that he’s always ready as long as he’s wearing something put together by you and your hands alone. Instead, he nods like a fool, stumbling over a weak “okay” and trying to ignore the way his stomach twists when you laugh a little. 

“I’ll be doing your makeup for the show, too. I hope you don’t mind that. I just wanted to do something specific for you,” and it’s hit after hit with you, and his throat squeezes again because you’re still smiling and talking all about him like he’s your prized gift, and he really really doesn’t hate it. “You trust me with an eyeliner pen, right?” 

His mouth is dry, but he forces himself to joke back before you kick him out for being so awkward. “I trust you with a needle more than I trust you with a makeup brush.” And you laugh, and his stomach still hurts but the tightness of his mouth loosens up into a diffident smile. It’s just a joke, really, because he wouldn’t mind you handling a brush against his face, or the gentle press of your fingers on his cheeks and on top of his eyelids, or the awestruck look you give him every time he tries something on, or the weight of your hands on his shoulders when you drag him around your studio.

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gen taglist: @tragedy-of-commons @lasiancunin @hanyi-writes

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[alovesreading]

Constant Repeat | Part 5

Summary: Having worked at Focus Creeps for a year, Ella knows that as a production assistant and part of the crew, there’s one important rule: don’t interact with the talent unless it’s needed. But once she meets Arctic Monkeys, and the recording of the music videos for their upcoming fourth studio album starts, the band seem to become her exception. Not only because they treat her more like a friend than just someone else they’re working with but when Alex continuously makes her blush with his flirting, so enthralled by her that he forgets he’s got a girlfriend, Ella finds herself growing closer to him. As videos are filmed, wrapped and edited, the friendship lines become blurry. Situations unfold, secrets are told and others are kept under lock and key, but how long can Alex and Ella endure being stuck in each other’s minds on constant repeat.

Word Count: 20.2k 

Story Warnings: Throughout this series there will be suggestive talk, jealousy, cheating, alcohol and drug use, angst, smut.

A/N:  Currently not able to stay still because this is one of my favorite chapters and it's been one I have been excited to share ever since I finished writing it. So since imagine-that-100 and I are posting part 4 of Chicken Shop Date next week, I thought I would bring this chapter forward a week hehe, though this means you'll have to wait a week longer for the next one since I'll stick to posting it on the original date it was supposed to which is April 7th. But right now, I truly cannot wait to see your reactions to this one. I have a feeling you might yell at me lolll. Enjoy!!! xx

Masterlist

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 |

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(17/09/11 10:28) Congrats on the suck it and see video, compliments the song brilliantly.

(17/09/11 10:31) Thank you for that and for helping us with it x

(17/09/11 10:39) Nothing to thank, that's my literal job Al hahaha

(17/09/11 10:40) Hahaha that's true. Well then thanks for making it such a great time for us.

(17/09/11 10:44) My pleasure :) Send my love to everyone over there, I hope tour is going smoothly x

(17/09/11 10:44) Will do x And it is! Kinda wish you were here to see the madness x

(17/09/11 10:45) We better hope America treats you just as well next time you come, I'll definitely be there :) x

•••

(27/10/11 13:16) I'm so glad Helders had the idea of going to Vegas and filming it.

(27/10/11 13:18) It was quite a lovely time, congrats on the music video Al!

(27/10/11 13:18) Even though most of it is just Bre and Matt, I'm happy to see that day after all this time x

(27/10/11 13:20) C'mon Turner, it's only been a couple months x

(27/10/11 13:21) Fair enough but, don't tell this to anyone, I miss America quite a bit.

(27/10/11 13:27) Any particular reasons?

(27/10/11 13:29) A couple come to mind...

(27/10/11 13:33) Any with first and last names?

(27/10/11 13:33) Are you trying to trick me into saying something?

(27/10/11 13:34) Maybe...

(27/10/11 13:48) I do miss you Ellie xx

(27/10/11 13:49) Well, that's good to hear xx

(27/10/11 13:49) I miss you following me around with your camera on my face x

(27/10/11 13:50) Anyone would think I'm a crazy pap from that sentence alone.

(27/10/11 13:50) Aren't you? x

(27/10/11 13:52) Alright Turner, I'm not saying i miss you too then.

(27/10/11 13:56) I joke, I joke x

(27/10/11 13:57) Hahaha I know, I do miss you xx

(27/10/11 14:02) Well, that's good to hear xx

•••

(05/11/11 02:22) Helders got a new film camera!

(05/11/11 02:22) No way?! Show me!!!

(05/11/11 02:24) *picture of Matt holding a Leica M6 to his face squinting his left eye*

(05/11/11 02:25) I'm so jealous! A Leica M6?! She's stunning!!!

(05/11/11 02:26) He's also been pestering me for your phone number, he might've stolen it from my contact book already.

(05/11/11 02:28) He did and texted me last night. Remind me again why you don't have a password? He's going to be the death of me.

(05/11/11 02:29) You said you missed the lads the other day, and I delivered the message. You didn't expect it to be that easy to escape him, did you?

(05/11/11 02:30) This is what I get for being a caring friend.

(05/11/11 02:31) It has its cons x

(05/11/11 02:46) It wasn't only Helders breaking into your phone, by the way.

(05/11/11 02:49) What do you mean?

(05/11/11 02:49) Nick and Jamie texted me earlier too hahaha

(05/11/11 02:49) Sorry? x

(05/11/11 02:50) Don't! I suppose you're gonna have a little rest from me now that I have more people to annoy x

(05/11/11 02:51) You're never annoying Ellie x

(05/11/11 02:51) I find that hard to believe x

(05/11/11 02:53) You really aren't x I actually think if you stop sending me your weekly film reviews and song recommendations I might go in a weird type of withdrawal xx

(05/11/11 02:53) I'll keep them coming for you then ;)

(05/11/11 02:54) I really hope you do xx

•••

(24/12/11 16:12) Just double checked and since it's already the 25th where you are, Merry Christmas Alex!!!

(24/12/11 16:17) Thank you Ellie, merry christmas to you too xx

(24/12/11 16:18) I hope Sinatra is playing on repeat all day today x

(24/12/11 16:21) You know he is. It's snowing later today as well, will send you pictures xx

(24/12/11 16:23) You're gonna make me miss home, I haven't had a white christmas in a while now :((

(24/12/11 16:24) We should do a video call then, make some hot chocolate and pretend you're here x

(24/12/11 16:25) Sounds lovely to me x See you later then, Al :)

(24/12/11 16:26) See ya Ellie xx

•••

(31/12/11 15:09) It feels weird having Bre here but not you, the group feels incomplete xx

(31/12/11 15:09) So sorry I said no, I had already planned on spending this one in Tennessee. And I would rather eat a cup of dirt than have you pay for my whole holiday in the uk!

(31/12/11 15:10) You don't have to be sorry, I know you missed your family x And you stubborn woman! Will you ever let me pay for anything for you without having to physically distract you when it comes to it?

(31/12/11 15:12) Never ;))) But you'll be pleased to know I have started saving up for my own trip, just give me some months and I'll be on your side of the pond x

(31/12/11 15:13) Can't wait to see how poorly you do in the cold once again, I'll have my coats ready for you to steal xx

(31/12/11 15:15) You're mean!

(31/12/11 15:16) I'm actually very kind, i'll be letting you take them all xx

(31/12/11 15:17) I think whatever you're having is getting to you already, go enjoy the party for me Turner! (I'm there in spirit x).

(31/12/11 15:17) I'm the most sober in here right now. Nick's pissed already and Matt is following very closely behind. (I can weirdly feel your presence in the room xx).

(31/12/11 15:18) Oh I would pay to see that!!

(31/12/11 15:18) Well lucky for you I won't charge you for the following videos x *video of Nick and Matt messily racing to chug down a pint of beer, video of Nick and Matt singing karaoke*

(31/12/11 15:19) You've just made my entire year with that HAHAHA

(31/12/11 15:22) Glad to hear it x

(31/12/11 16:00) Happy New Year from my side of the pond, Ellie xxxx

(31/12/11 16:03) Happy New Year Al xxxx Feels weird saying that at four in the afternoon haha

(31/12/11 16:04) Haha, time zones are mental, aren't they? Let me know when it's 2012 for you too xx

(01/01/2012 00:00) Happy New Year!!!! We just caught up to you hahah xx

(01/01/2012 00:00) Thank you, darling x How's it going with your family? xx

(01/01/2012 00:01) Absolutely insane but I had missed the madness that it was to spend the holidays with them :') Thinking about how crazy it would be if y'all were here to celebrate with us xx

(01/01/2012 00:04) Let's hope for 2013 xx

(01/01/2012 00:05) Yeah let's hope for that xx What about you? Starting the year with a hangover?

(01/01/2012 00:09) Thankfully no, but with a headache from inspiration and too much to write x

(01/01/2012 00:10) Don't stress yourself too much, it's always a perfect record x

(01/01/2012 00:11) Now you're just being nice x

(01/01/2012 00:12) Stop it, you know how good you are! I also have a feeling this one is gonna make history all around the world xx

(01/01/2012 00:15) We shall see about that xx

•••

(05/01/2012 12:21) I love how you regretted flipping the camera off and tried to cover it up with a peace sign.

(05/01/2012 12:34) I'm confused...

(05/01/2012 12:35) Black treacle just came out! Fill me in on Bre and Matt's fight after it.

(05/01/2012 12:36) You're still after Bre, I see x

(05/01/2012 12:38) Well if Matt fucks up then I need to be a good friend, don't I? x

(05/01/2012 12:39) Oh you think you're slick x

(05/01/2012 12:39) I'm smoother than you, that's for sure x

(05/01/2012 12:39) Hey what's that meant to mean?!

(05/01/2012 12:40) Hahaha nothing Turner, it means nothing.

(05/01/2012 12:41) How about I give you something? xx

(05/01/2012 12:41) And what would that be? xx

(05/01/2012 12:42) Remember how I promised you another music video? xx

Her jaw dropped at the same time her phone hit the kitchen counter, and in a delayed reaction she went to check if she'd cracked it but was relieved to see it intact. What the fuck?! was all that she could hear inside her brain, chanting to herself as she frantically opened her contact book to call Alex but, of course, the singer beat her to it. The room echoed with the ringing of his incoming call and she was quick to answer.

A loud "Are you serious?!" came out of her mouth like an instinct, not even giving him time to say hello.

His breathy laugh came through the speaker, "Do you think I'd be joking about that?"

She was screaming on the inside, her tummy fluttering as she thought about how the countdown to see him again would start right at that moment. "I don't– I just– When? Do Aaron and Ben know?"

He was lying on his settee, with his phone pressed to his ear and his ceiling was witnessing one of the brightest smiles he'd ever wore in his life. "I reckon our manager is getting in contact with them next monday, and possibly for the beginning of February. You know, we're doing a brief US west coast tour before we go back into the shadows to record the next one."

"Oh my god, really?! That's so soon!" Ella hadn't felt this much excitement since she got accepted in her first job in LA, everything felt light suddenly and she just couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

She's adorable, he thought with his cheeks aching. He could feel her happiness through the phone and she had this way of calming him down by just talking to him, that's why they had called each other so many times throughout the past months they hadn't seen each other.

"It is! And you're coming with..." Alex bit his lip trying especially hard to catch her reaction and when he got a tiny gasp, he freed his lip from his teeth and smirked, "Well, at least I was hoping you will– We, we were hoping you will." He cleared his throat, hoping the correction wasn't too noticeable.

Of course she noticed, her heart skipped a beat at that and her cheeks had warmed. Keep it cool, keep it cool, she reminded herself. "I would need to ask Ben and Aaron but I'd love to." She was giddy but then she realized what touring meant and her questions just came out in full force, "Wait... How many days would it be? Are we staying in hotels or just on the bus? We're not flying anywhere, are we? Who can I speak with from your team to pay for it?"

His chuckle was out before he could think of containing it, "It would just be a week of tour. No flying anywhere, no—we're moving on the tour bus like we did for Vegas. And as for the expenses you really don't have to worry, everything is paid for."

"But–"

He tutted, "No, Ella. I'll just let you pay for whatever you want to buy wherever we go but you're not paying for anything else if it's already covered."

She sighed feeling defeated but her excitement bubbled up again when she remembered what she had just accepted, "Oh I'm so excited!"

Alex decided to tease her and test the waters, "That eager to see me?"

She laughed at his advances, "Nope, just excited for the gigs and the free alcohol."

He laughed with her, "Glad to see where your loyalty lies."

Ella hummed and nodded, instantly feeling dumb when she saw her reaction reflected on the microwave realizing Alex was not seeing it. "And I'm glad you're understanding of my priorities."

"Talking about priorities, how come you're not at work? What have you been up to?" The thought of her casually picking up the phone at this time, when she'd normally pick up to whisper that she was at the office and that she'd have to keep whispering throughout the call, had been swirling around the back of his head and he was curious to know what had happened to change the situation.

She sighed, turning to rest her hips on the side of her kitchen counter and watching her guest bedroom door behind which her sister had been getting ready for almost twenty minutes. "Not much, just took the day off to pick my sister up from the airport."

He smiled at the news, thinking back to the many times Ella had mentioned her sister, the memories she shared with her and how many 'i miss her's he had heard after each anecdote. "Is she visiting?"

Her smile could be felt through the phone from the tone of her voice, and Alex couldn't help but count how many days it had been since he had witnessed that sight. "Yeah, she's staying for the week so I'm gonna show her every corner I love in LA."

A deep hum came from his side, "So she's getting a VIP Ella – Los Angeles tour..."

She let out a little chuckle, "Exactly that."

"Sort of jealous she gets one and I haven't gotten one yet."

With a smirk on her face Ella was quick to reply, "Well Mr. Rockstar, you haven't been here in a while and every time we've seen each other has been for filming."

He let out a breathy laugh that made her insides coat with warmth, "Fair enough. I'll be sure to get enough time in February to get a tour."

Her stomach flipped hearing him say he'd make time for her, even if it was just a joke she couldn't help the way it made her giddy and her cheeks light up. "Alright then...I'll give you a good discount, don't worry."

"You'll probably get a date before we even know of one, so I hope you have flexibility when it comes to changing reservation dates for those tours of yours." Alex kept the banter going, loving how most of the time her replies would surprise him and keep him thinking if she had really just said that.

"Of course I do! Mates rates, didn't you say it was?" She was about to continue when her guest bedroom door opened to reveal her sister all ready and putting her earrings on. "Speak of the devil... my lovely sister just finished getting ready so I'm gonna have to leave you Al, sorry." She sighed, sad that she had to cut the conversation short once again despite not being at work.

"Don't apologize Ellie, s'alright." His voice was soft and she hoped she could continue to listen to it for as long as life would allow her. "Hope you enjoy yourselves, send my regards to your sister."

She melted inside, her rational side yelling at her emotional counterpart that it was a simple thing to say and not something to swoon over but she was blind. Maybe that was his effect, pure blindness to everything else and only being able to see him. "Thanks Al, will tell her you said hi. Hope to hear from you soon."

"You definitely will," he promised, "Goodnight Ella."

Ella's eyes were on the ten in the morning sun coming through her windows and smiled to herself, "Goodnight Alex."

The room was filled with silence as she pressed the red button to end the call. A bright grin was set on her face with no intention to disappear, her cheeks were slightly pink but it was the tiny squeal that she accidentally let out that caused her older sister, Lily, to speak up.

"So you do have a crush!" Lily's index finger was pointing accusingly at Ella.

She turned her head so fast she was surprised she didn't get whiplash, "What?" She asked too defensive to make the situation seem casual.

Lily smirked at her, reading her face easily, "I was right, you do like him."

"Oh shut up, I do not." Ella's voice sounded annoyed but her sister knew that tone of hers, it was pure denial.

The older sister just sighed and rolled her eyes, "When are you ever gonna stop being so stubborn?"

"The day I die." Ella replied quickly and proceeded to grab her car keys from the counter and put her phone in the pocket of her jeans. "Let's go."

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Wednesday, the 8th of February had been the day Ben and Aaron had been informed the lads would touch down on American soil again and the day had rolled around fairly quickly.

It felt as if the countdown to the day of the band's arrival had been fast forwarded and for that she was grateful. She wasn't a fan of having to wake up early but she had woken up to a picture of the lads at the airport and several texts from all of them, and it made her grin like a mad woman as she got ready.

(08/02/2012 06:12) *picture of Matt flipping the camera off at the baggage claim area* Fair to say he's excited to see you.

(08/02/2012 06:26) Tell him I'm just as enthusiastic to see him, Cookie.

•••

(08/02/2012 06:20) My darling Ella, hope you're up and ready to see us. Alex said something about getting a tour from you...

(08/02/2012 06:27) Definitely up, and slowly getting ready. If there's one thing you should know, is that I need a good cup of coffee to properly function this early in the morning. And yes, I'm driving y'all and giving you a tour around LA.

(08/02/2012 06:28) Noted, gonna get you loads of coffee for the tour. Can't wait to see how poorly you drive xx

(08/02/2012 06:28) Alright O'Malley, rude.

•••

(08/02/2012 06:34) I bet you're celebrating I'm back in your land already.

(08/02/2012 06:35) You have the biggest head, has anyone told you that?

(08/02/2012 06:35) Been told something similar, if you know what I mean ;)

(08/02/2012 06:35) You're actually disgusting, Helders.

(08/02/2012 06:36) Yeah, yeah, you love me.

(08/02/2012 06:36) You certainly wish.

(08/02/2012 06:37) You're just in denial. We're about an hour away from the hotel by the way, you better be on your way missy x

(08/02/2012 06:38) I'm about to leave. Dreading seeing you though x

(08/02/2012 06:39) You keep telling yourself that x

•••

(08/02/2012 06:40) Can't wait to see you! We're an hour away xx

(08/02/2012 06:41) Give your friends a smack in the back of their heads for me please, haven't even seen you yet and I'm getting bullied already x

(08/02/2012 06:42) Will do. I'm guessing Helders gets double? x

(08/02/2012 06:43) Atta boy, you're so smart x I'm on my way, see you soon Al! x

To say she was giddy on the drive to their hotel was an understatement. Ella had been bouncing on her seat, not even minding having to sit in the traffic for longer than she would've liked to, singing her favorite songs a little bit louder than usual, with a bright grin permanently on her face throughout the whole drive.

She found a spot in the parking lot of the hotel quite easily and with a skip in her step, she made her way through the big window doors and into the lobby. The guys were all distracted on their phones, so many people were walking around the hotel lobby that the echo of her steps was lost in between the pattern.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Arctic Monkeys." Ella's voice was playful, a smirk on her face as she saw them turn their heads in her direction.

The four of them pocketed their phones and yelled her name, a little bit too loud for the hotel staff's liking. Ella was enveloped in a group hug and she swore she could cry when it hit her then just how much she'd missed them the past six months.

"Missed you guys." She said once the group hug was done and she went around giving them all hugs.

Alex was the last one, kissing the top of her head before he let go, "Missed you too."

She was melting, having missed the singer more than she would ever admit but the moment was cut short when Matt said, "Couldn't live without us huh?" A big smirk on his face, his eyes as playful as ever.

"Matthew, I will leave you here." She looked at the drummer with a serious expression, that was broken when she saw his film camera hanging from his neck.

Matt threw his arms up in defeat, "Alright, alright. But you couldn't though." He added the last bit quickly and quietly.

She chuckled and rolled her eyes, "If that helps you sleep at night."

After asking them if they were ready to go, and all of them nodding, she guided them to her car. It was big enough for all of them to fit comfortably so it didn't take them much time to get inside the vehicle and start driving. Alex was sitting on the passenger seat, while the rest took the backseats.

The little mirrorball was hanging from her rearview mirror with a tiny cowboy hat on top and it caught their attention. They all pointed at it with giggles whilst Alex could only think about how long it had been since the first time he saw it and how that day had been. Soon enough she turned on the car and started driving out of the parking lot.

Nick, who was in the middle, rested his arms on the front seats and looked around them all before saying, "Anyone want to share their last words before we get on the motorway?"

They all laughed hard, Ella looked through the rearview mirror at them and shook her head. She took her right hand and swatted at Nick's leg, leaving the steering wheel alone for a second which made Matt dramatically yell.

"Jesus Christ, I hate y'all." She sighed, placing her hand back where it was and focusing back on the road.

Jamie, who was sitting behind her, patted her arm. "Except you don't."

She opted to put her music on, letting the speakers drown the car with Ozzy Osbourne's voice. No one complained, which she was thankful for, they were just chatting over the music from time to time until they made it to Venice beach.

She took them walking through the Venice canals, the little suburb which was an American version of the Italian city. She had found it once while looking for a parking place when she was going to the beach with her friends, loving how quiet the place was and how pretty the scenery was. She had gone back multiple times to take pictures there, some of her favorite pictures were from the canals under the colors casted by the rising sun.

They had used the neighborhood as a backdrop to them walking around and catching up, them telling her tour anecdotes and how Nick's wedding plans were going, her telling them about the things they had been filming at Focus Creeps—which were now steering away from adverts and onto short films and artists trying to work with them after the Arctic Monkeys videos had been posted—and the shoots she'd been doing with Breana, which she promised Matt to show.

It was early, so the streets were rather empty, and it was February so it wasn't unbearably hot either.

Ella had her camera with her, constantly stopping to take pictures and it sent Alex back to Vegas. The way she would shiver despite having her jean jacket on sent him back to the day they had met. This time though, she would share her frames and exchange tips with Matt—he had her take pictures of certain places, she was helping him get the perfect shot—and Alex was melting inside. She was beyond adorable when her face lit up while sharing her passions.

After they gave the neighborhood a full walk-around, they went back to the car and she drove them over to the Old Los Angeles Zoo. The drive was long, over an hour, which was filled with her music and lots of chatter. She turned the volume down, the Talking Heads song fading to the background, so that she could give them a small preface of where it was that they were going.

"Okay so before you say anything about the LA Zoo signs, I'm actually taking you to the old abandoned one. It's very apocalyptic looking, but it has character."

Soon enough they were parking on the side of the road, and they could see an old rusty sign that read 'Picnic Area'. She guided them into the place, agile while scurrying and crouching down and through the stone ruins.

They were walking around and seeing every one of the forgotten cages, the lads getting inside of them and getting their pictures taken by Ella while they made weird faces or they tried to act like the animals they'd guess had lived in those cages.

Matt had trapped Ella into one of the cages, making her curse him through the metal bars as the band waved at her and faked leaving her behind. Alex taking a quick picture of her with his phone, she flipped him off and he smiled even harder.

Ella had gotten her payback when they were in a particularly claustrophobic cage that had a very steep staircase. Matt had been resting his palms against the graffitied walls at the top, as he slowly leaned his body forward to look down but he screeched when Ella had purposely nudged his hip and made his balance waver.

"You little–" The drummer had mumbled sternly before setting off to chase behind her, not hard to know where she went since she had run away giggling and they could still hear her.

Another thirty minutes of them messing about went by, before they were back in her car. She sighed as she settled in the driver's seat. Everyone shuffled into their seats but before she could start the engine, she had to make her mind up about where to take them next.

Her fingers drummed on the steering wheel as she looked through the rearview mirror at them. "Alright, so do you wanna go to the Hollywood sign or am I good to take you to the next place?"

They had already gone to the iconic landmark multiple times before so it wasn't hard for them to shrug and agree on moving onto the next place, which ended up being Los Feliz and they drove through the Shakespeare bridge on their way there, which she had pointed out enthusiastically.

Ella loved this part of the city of Los Angeles, she would visit it at least once a week to have some food at La Pergoletta and then go to the Los Feliz Theater which was just a couple blocks away. And that's exactly what they did. They sat at the Italian restaurant to have some early lunch—Ella giving them all recommendations of what they should get and fighting them to pay for the meal when the check arrived—, and then they went over to walk by the theater and the rest of Los Feliz Boulevard.

With their stomachs full and yet another roll of film gone, they went back to the car. Jamie walked ahead of the group as he claimed to remember exactly where they had parked, Nick and Matt talking as they followed closely behind, Alex and Ella on the very back of the group smoking.

"Are you excited to go on tour with us?" Alex inquired after he took a drag of his cigarette.

A puff of smoke left her lips, "I certainly am, though I can feel my back hurting already."

"Bunk beds are lovely, aren't they?" He looked at her with a playful smirk that made her chuckle.

"I bet you love going to the chiropractor." She sighed, exhaling the smoke and flicking some of the ashes to the floor.

"I've never been to one actually." the singer admitted after thinking for a second, trying to recount any visit to a chiropractor.

"Are you serious?" Ella asked with a gasp, and when he shook his head, she shrugged. "Well you should, it's the weirdest relief."

Alex thought about it but then frowned, "Doesn't the cracking noise freak you out?"

"Kind of? The first time he cracked my neck I fully thought I had died and was seeing the other side." She recalled, shuddering at the memory and the wind that had hit her.

He snorted, "That's exactly why I'll stick to massages, thanks very much."

"Are you gonna share your masseuse's number then?" She jokingly replied, but actually thinking of ways to alleviate her upcoming backache during the tour in the back of her mind.

Alex looked straight ahead towards his friends and pointed to the one in the front. "That would be Jamie actually, he knows his shit when it comes to a good back massage."

She hummed, looking at the man walking confidently ahead of the group. "Good to know." A few seconds of silence passed as they kept smoking and she thought of taking a picture of them, like that, in a mundane LA setting so she turned to the singer. "Alright Alex, c'mon go walk with them I wanna take a picture of y'all."

He nodded, smoking the last of his cigarette before tossing it to the pavement and stepping on it. "Tired of me, are you? The tour hasn't even started yet." He teased with a raised eyebrow.

She rolled her eyes, smiling at his behavior. "Shut up, idiot."

He smirked back, before starting to walk faster ahead of her. "How do you want me then?"

"Just keep walking and turn around when I call you." Ella instructed with a point of her finger.

Alex nodded and complied, walking right behind Nick and Matt who nodded at him in acknowledgement but kept talking between themselves. He was waiting for her voice to call out to him, watching his feet move, the sound of every step he took hitting his ears as the city noise became more background noise than anything.

When he heard a soft "Al" being called, he turned around with a soft smile—a smile that she captured, with the perfect focus and he looked stunning so the thought just escaped her.

"Stunning." Her voice was soft as she rolled the film with the lever, sticking it back into its place right after. Turning the device off since she wasn't taking any more pictures, she let it hit her upper stomach and when she looked up, she was met with his gaze.

"Is that so?" Alex nudged her hip with his and Ella blushed.

"Yes but don't let it get to your head," her cheeks stayed warm as she tried to play it cool, "Or else I'll have to take it upon myself to keep you humble."

He hummed as he pursed his lips trying not to grin, "I'm sure you'd enjoy that."

"You're right, I truly would." She nudged him this time and he tripped on his feet making her laugh out loud, the lads turned around to see him stumble and joined in her laughter. "Told you I would." She added smugly.

Alex looked at her mesmerized, Ella was just so hypnotizing to him. With everything she did, what she said and how she looked, he couldn't help but stare. She flushed under his gaze and was saved by the bell when Jamie indeed found her car and she had to speed her walk to unlock it for them.

Once inside, she ignited the engine and clapped her hands, "The next place I'm taking you is probably one of my favorite places in the whole world, I spend hours here every time I go and it's beautiful so..." she ranted before turning her music on, Stevie Nicks' voice now drowning the vehicle as they moved through the streets and back onto the highway.

It took them less than thirty minutes to get to the place, which had felt way faster after Matt decided to tease her about being born in the wrong generation as her playlist was filled with 70s and early 80s songs rather than more modern music; she hadn't gotten a chance to even fight their argument because when Alex started skipping through the songs, their point was backed. Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Talking Heads, The Cure, Pink Floyd, Bowie, Dolly Parton, Fleetwood Mac. Ella blushed as she slapped Alex's hand away from her phone, Bowie's voice lost in the background as everyone laughed.

When they stepped through the threshold of the bookstore, Ella's breath was taken from her by the views, as if she didn't frequent the place and she wasn't acquainted with the people who worked there.

Even Matt, who couldn't be arsed to be in a bookstore, was taken aback by the way the place looked. The way the books were arranged and the eccentric decor of each room was like nothing he'd ever seen before. It was like a Disneyland themed room, but it was just a bookstore.

"Just wait until you see the book tunnel." Ella's voice was giddy, her smile growing as she stepped further inside, with them following closely behind.

And soon enough, while she gave them a tour of the place—saying "Hi!" to people working there who greeted her back and knew her name—, they were met with a room which had a tunnel against a wall, entirely made with books. Further ahead a wall with what had been arranged to look like flying books, that reminded them of Harry Potter.

After agreeing to spend half an hour there, since they had to be at the hotel in about two hours and she had to pick her stuff up and Breana to meet them back again, they separated to look through the endless selection of books the store offered.

Of course they had left Alex and Ella by themselves, but she was too entranced by the worn out spines on the shelves to see Matt winking at his best mate before leaving with Jamie and Nick.

"You know, I found an annotated original copy of Pride and Prejudice here the first time I came. It was titled 'Elizabeth Bennet' rather than Pride and Prejudice and I found out that that was the title of some copies when they first got here in 1832. Have been coming here since then." Her smile was soft at the memory, her eyes glimmering under the dull yellow lights.

He hummed, mirroring her gentle grin, "That must be worth a fortune."

"Oh definitely, but that book is not leaving me ever. If I don't get buried with it, then I will pass it down to my kids." She laughed at herself by the end, shaking her head at her thoughts and started walking to turn into another aisle.

He giggled with her, eyes wondering from her figure to the books. Some old, some new but all equally hypnotizing to her as she picked them out and inspected them.

"I'm sure they'll appreciate it."

"They better," Ella said absentmindedly as she put the book back in its place, "Or else I will haunt them."

Alex let out a breathy laugh as he reached for a book on the top shelf that had caught his eye. "You'd be the worst ghost, if they even exist."

She clicked her tongue, turning to look at him, book left forgotten in his hands as he met her gaze. "C'mon Turner, you need to have some faith or else I won't be able to haunt Helders for the rest of his life."

His smirk grew playful, "You'll make him miserable?"

She winked, "You know it."

Time flew by like it always did, purposely forcing the needles on the clock to spin faster when it knew Alex was with her, wind blowing the sand from the hourglass so they ran out of minutes when they were together. And as if they had been the embodiment of an alarm clock, the other three members of the group appeared, precisely on the dot of the time they had agreed on.

Back in the car, she sighed as she saw them all take in their assigned seats. "So how was it class? Did you like your road trip?"

Nick shrugged in the middle, his lips pressed to avoid smiling. "Eh. Could've been better."

And before Ella could retaliate, Matt added, "I'm pretty sure the driver tried to kill us a fair few times." to which Alex and Jamie agreed with "'Yeah, yeah."

She just rolled her eyes through the rear view mirror, and took advantage of having the singer next to her so she could smack the back of his head. "I can't stand any of you." She muttered as the engine hummed alive, making them all erupt in laughter at the way Alex had jumped in his seat.

The drive back to their hotel had grown amusing when 'Still Take You Home' came on, and she turned the volume up after saying with a massive smirk "See? How's that for modern music boys?"

She started singing along, copying Alex's accent and exaggerating it to an obnoxious extent but they were loving it. She made a full show, playing an imaginary guitar, getting cheered on by the lads and when the song was over she did a little curtsy with her eyes on the road.

Jamie patted Alex's shoulder, making him turn around and see a smirk on his friend's face. "Sorry Al, you're being replaced."

The singer only sighed, keeping up with the charade, "Just like that, huh?"

"Sorry mate." added Matt, a faux-comforting grasp of his shoulder as he apologized.

Ella grabbed his hand and squeezed it, "Sorry Al, but it's clear who's better if the decision was that easy." A frown on her face as she acted on putting a face that exuded fake pity.

He only shook his head, grabbing the phone. Unlocking it easily with a swipe on the screen and he searched through her music. "But do you know..." He trailed off as he pressed on the track. The quick drum pattern of 'Pretty Visitors' coming through the speakers and her pout faltered.

"Won't even try because I can barely understand what you say in it." Her cheeks tinted pink as the other three hollered in the back of the car.

"Looks like you're back mate." said Nick, backtracking their previous statement.

Alex smirked at Ella, who caught the sight of him for a quick second before turning back around to look at the road. "That's what I thought."

In an hour, she had dropped them off at the hotel so they could get ready before the tour bus got there later and picked them all up. She rushed home to pick up her suitcase—which she had forced herself to keep light and small—and then went over Breana's to get her.

The sun was setting as they talked, laughed and sang, driving down the highway and on their way back to the hotel. The closer the hotel's exit got, the more nervous she felt. Bre noticed, but she kept making jokes that made her loosen up. After all, nothing bad would happen; the worst could be that however she felt about Alex got nowhere and she'd stay silently crushing over a man out of her reach. And she somehow was okay with that, as long as she still could have him as a friend.

It was muscle memory that made her find a parking spot and turn off the engine of her car at the hotel. With a blink, she realized just how dangerous that had been, because she couldn't recall those last five minutes of the drive. The thought of him was dangerous.

The tiny wheels on their suitcases scratched down the pavement as they met the band at the hotel's main entrance. She had to quickly reach for Bre's suitcase when she let go of it to run into Matt's arms, catching it right before it hit the ground.

Jamie sighed, "Thanks Bre, we missed you too." Sarcasm so clear in his words, Matt chuckled and only held his girlfriend tighter.

Eventually, the lovebirds let go of each other and Breana could properly greet everyone. They all lit cigarettes up as they waited for the bus, which according to the text Alex had gotten, would be there in about fifteen minutes.

It was all laughter and chatter, a taste of what the upcoming week was going to be like, and Ella found it refreshing. Yes she loved her job, but there was something about driving down the west coast along with her friends, who happened to be musicians, enjoying their art and whatever the cities had to offer.

She wished she could go on tour more often already but since she knew this was gonna be the first and last time she'd get to go on one, she'd make the best out of the experience and enjoy every second of it.

A few minutes earlier than anticipated, the bus arrived. Tall black coach with dark windows that made her wonder if you could even look through them at all. She found that she could, after they all left their luggage where they had been instructed to place it and they walked up the steps and into the vehicle.

"Holy shit," Ella could barely keep her jaw from falling at the size of it, "It's bigger than the last one."

Matt walked up to her, throwing an arm around her shoulder and his other arm hugged Breana tighter to his side. "Had to upgrade since we're taking on two very special guests."

"Awh, I knew I was special to you." Ella cooed playfully before jabbing the drummer in his ribs.

He flinched and tried to get her back but she moved faster, "Don't go pushing your luck now, Ellie."

She giggled before she was swept away by Breana, who grabbed her hand and took her to the next few steps that led into the rest of the bus. There were far too many bunks for just the six of them but they looked bigger and more comfortable than the ones in the tour bus they had taken to Las Vegas so she wouldn't go complaining about anything. She was sure she could go without a hotel throughout the week, seeing that they had a perfectly sized bathroom inside as well, with a small shower and all.

Nick walked into the hallway, standing by the door that separated the bunks from the rest of the bus. "Yous can choose your beds first."

Bre turned to her with a playful smirk, shrugging her shoulders mischievously. "Chivalry is not dead I see..." the model trailed off, getting a hold of Ella's hand again to bring her back down the hallway.

And after leaving their coats on top of the beds they had chosen, which were facing each other, they went back down to the lounge area. The driver was at the bottom of the stairs telling them they'd be setting off in five minutes and made sure there was nothing else they were missing.

Five minutes after the confirmation that they were good to go, the bus started moving. They felt the change of rhythm as they got off onto the highway whilst they chatted, scattered around the settees in the lounge area.

"So Ella, are you ready for the groupie lifestyle?" Matt's voice was teasing, a slight pitch higher as the anticipation of her reaction bubbled inside of him. Breana giggled against her boyfriend's side which she was pressed against.

As per usual, Ella was starting to blush. Her cheeks tinted a faint pink as her lips pursed, "Groupie? That's a big commitment."

"Well I know a few people that would love to come to an agreement with you." The drummer let his eyes wander to his best friend who was about to break his jaw with how hard he was clenching it.

Ella knew exactly who Matt was staring at so her cheeks turned a very obvious red now, even the tips of her ears matching the color on her face.

She sighed, letting her head drop just a little bit for a few seconds before looking to her left and staring at the other three musicians. "How long is this tour again?"

Matt snorted, Breana laughing just as hard as Nick was. "Eight days." Jamie ended up replying, holding back laughter.

Her eyes were still on the rest of the band and she gave them a pitiful shake of her head, "Can't believe you can stand months of this one on the road. I'd pull all of my hair out."

Alex agreed with her then, "I'm fairly close to that point every tour."

"Sure mate, I'd pay to see you bald." Dared the drummer to which he only received an eye roll and a lovely middle finger from the singer.

Ella could only think how unforgettable those eight days were going to be.

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

Ella had been right.

She had it all imprinted in her mind.

Every kiss to her cheek followed by a 'good morning', an arm snaking around her waist giving it a firm squeeze before letting go and leaving her breathless.

Every time an arm came around her shoulders and rubbed her arm up and down when she was shivering because of the strong winds outside the venues as the sky turned from lilac and orange to a velvety blue.

Every whiskey glass turned into a slurred 'you look stunning, darling', that somehow always led to shared cigarettes outside bars and his giggles in her ear as he leaned into her every time she'd make him laugh.

Every picture she had taken of their views and their surroundings, that turned into a plea to take a picture of her with whatever it was in her previous shot as a background.

Every late night chat they had as they were always the last ones to go to bed. It be on the tour bus' lounge or a hotel bar, the walls of these places being confidants to everything they'd shared: stories from their childhoods, a movie they never really got over, a hobby they always wanted to get into but never could, their already gone dreams that would forever stay as that, the intricacies of existence they'd come to terms with never really understanding.

She was sure she had never blushed more in her life compared to how she had been in the past five days. Her cheeks were sore from grinning after everything Alex did, whatever little things he'd say to her.

They had grown closer, always next to each other. Their behavior had earned them plenty of eye rolls from the rest of the band, but they didn't truly care anymore.

That Tuesday she had woken up with a groan. They had been in Vegas the day before and, whilst their stay had been shorter and tamer than the last time they had been in the city, they still had had plenty to drink. A headache was all she felt, softer than she would've expected and she found a bit of hope in the fact that she could nurse it with a couple of painkillers.

Her phone screen flashed in front of her, a notification from the weather app telling her it would be a sunny but windy day in San Diego. Eyes going up to the time, nine in the morning and she took a deep breath but it got stuck in her throat when she realized the date. Fucking Valentine's Day.

Ella had grown to have good memories of the holiday, but they had all been tarnished by people's decisions and time. She didn't care much for it anymore, or she forced herself not to. Now all she could think was how she would hate the decision of having Breana sleep just across from her, she'd have to sleep blasting music in order not to hear anything. It had already worked for her the days before, so she would hold on tight to her earphones and her playlists to drown out whatever the lovebirds would get up to that night.

She shivered just thinking about it.

Slowly pushing the curtain aside, Ella slid out of the bunk. Landing with a thud on the floor, before she walked out to the lounge to make herself a cup of coffee on the fancy Keurig the tour bus had.

Nick had kept his promise of asking for loads of it. It had been an exaggerated amount but it was of a really really nice kind so she wouldn't complain.

Surprisingly everyone rose up not long after her, she thought it was probably the coffee's smell that had guided them out of bed and into the lounge. First came Jamie, who stood beside her, leaning against the makeshift kitchen counter as they sipped on their coffees.

Nick and Breana followed, the girl claiming Matt was still asleep but they'd be going out when he woke up, which meant the other four of the group were gonna be left alone without the lovers.

She had been teasing Breana along with Nick and Jamie—laughing as they managed to make the model blush and hide behind her hands—when Alex came out looking freshly changed, wearing a plain white shirt with a leather jacket, dark jeans and his usual chelsea boots. Gold chain around his neck and she had to pinch herself to stop her mind going places.

He took her breath away and it was shown in the way her exhale pushed the steam of her second coffee cup forwards.

"Morning everyone." The singer greeted in a low voice, morning's effect still over it as it sounded husky and slightly raspy.

They all said morning back, Ella turning around to pour him a mug of coffee. A spoonful and a half of sugar, the way she now knew he liked his coffee.

When she held it up for him to take he got closer, pressing a kiss to her cheek and whispering "Thank you, Ellie."

He took a long sip of the beverage before he cleared his throat, "You should get ready, we're going out in a little bit."

She frowned, cup slowly leaving her lips. "But–" she turned to Jamie then, who was still standing beside her, "Didn't we not have plans?"

Jamie smirked, looking from Ella to Alex, "We didn't."

"Just us, you deserve a break from these two idiots." He tried to downplay it, not wanting to say he was taking her on a date but he was.

Her hand was still frozen, the cup of coffee midair as she slowly broke out of her shocked state. "Alright..." she trailed off, her voice barely a whisper.

Nick got up, taking the mug from her hand. "Go on, I'll wash this for you."

Breathlessly she replied, "Thank you," before she, in panic, looked at Breana who had the biggest grin on her face.

The model jumped up onto her feet and ran away into the bunk beds with Ella's hand tightly clutched. They moved onto the empty bunk area, and closed the door behind them to not wake Matt up.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Breana whisper-yelled and it only made her more nervous.

Ella waved her hands to calm her down, "Stop! Stop!" She shouted back in a whisper.

Bre sighed, "He's totally asked you on a date."

"No he hasn't, it's just– We're just going out." Ella fought back, stuttering as she made her point.

"Going out. On a date." The model stated in a tone that said it was obvious.

"Fuck." She swore under her breath and Breana shrieked. "Shush! I don't want to get my hopes up."

The admission made Bre stop in her place, she grabbed Ella's arms and squeezed affectionately, "Everything will be okay, alright? Whatever happens, it will be a good day and you'll remember it as such."

She inhaled and exhaled, twice, long deep breaths to calm her down but they did nothing really. She needed a cigarette, desperately, but she needed to get ready first. "What do I even wear?! I have nothing date-appropriate to wear."

"Lucky you have me, babe." Breana wasted no time before she crouched down to pull her case towards herself, unzipping it and showing a mess of fabrics.

Ten minutes later, after she had been pushed into the bathroom to get ready and then change into the clothes Breana and her had chosen, she was putting some mascara on. Breana pushed one of her lip glosses into the pocket of the cheetah print coat she had lent Ella.

The coat had been decided into the outfit after Ella claimed she'd get too cold without one as she was just wearing a satin top, that looked like the top half of a slip-on dress, and her high waisted blue jeans. She fished her packet of Marlboro reds and her lighter after spraying some perfume on the way out, her camera already hanging on her shoulder and her phone in the back pocket of her jeans.

Her boots clicked as she walked down the few steps that led into the lounge. And Alex swallowed hard when she fully came in view. He didn't have it in him to feel shy or embarrassed to be heard by his mates when he went over to her, clutched her hand and told her, "You look beautiful, Ellie." followed by a kiss on her cheek.

His lips burned on the already heated skin of her cheeks. She just had it in her to say back a quiet, "Thank you, Al. So do you."

He quickly said goodbye to everyone before they could say anything, and he thanked his lucky stars that Matt wasn't there or else she would've shied away from it all with his teasing. She said bye too, quietly as the nerves bit away at her slowly with every step they took in direction to the bus door.

Once outside he decided to tease her, joke around to have her loosen up because he could feel just how stiff and nervous she was. "Beautiful am I then?"

She chuckled, blushing again. "Shut up." she replied with her head down, her voice directed at the floor. "Where are we going anyway?" She put a strand of hair behind her ear as she inquired.

Alex smiled softly at her, "We're renting a car and I'm taking you to this place I've always wanted to go but never had the chance to."

"Mysterious." She let her words hang in the air as they walked, she had no idea where they were going and that made her more nervous yet she was growing giddy too. The bus had stopped at the venue, so they took an exit through a door all the way around, where the fans weren't queuing up for later.

Just like he had been saying, there was a car rental place a few blocks away and it wasn't long before they were driving down San Diego's coast. About twenty minutes later, when she had asked many times where they were going and he was not telling her, Ella was able to see the outline of a rollercoaster beside the sea and it made her gasp.

"Are we going to Belmont Park?!" Her pitch was high as she couldn't contain her excitement, and Alex grinned hard when he took a quick glance at her and saw her practically beaming.

He hummed like he didn't want to let a pathetic happy squeal, "We are."

She couldn't stay still and she was aware that she probably looked like a child but she had always wanted to come to this place, and she was fairly sure she had mentioned it to him when they found themselves chatting over a few drinks at the bar of the hotel they had stayed in when they were in San Francisco.

It came back faintly to her mind then. Alex had mentioned that San Diego was the last place before they would drive back up to Los Angeles and Ella had gone on an alcohol-induced rant about how she'd been dying to go to Belmont Park but the few times she had gone down to San Diego, no one had wanted to go with her or something happened that kept her from going.

Her insides filled with a feeling she had been trying to ignore for the past few days, just thinking about how he had remembered all that when she had almost forgotten even mentioning it in between the cocktails.

Alex rolled the windows down, wind blowing their hair around. Not even her hair on her face could hide her grin and it only got bigger as they parked and got to the ticket booth.

The place was less crowded than she expected it to be, with kids back in school and it being winter, so they were walking freely and enjoying the controlled noise from the people already there.

The orange wristbands they had gotten allowed them to go on any ride they wanted so they went walking around the place, drinking in everything they could do throughout the day and seeing what caught their eyes first.

"We're definitely saving the roller coaster for last." She pointed out, her ears filling with the yells of people on the ride's trains as they came down the big slope.

He nodded, "Yep, but we're going in the first row." He was wearing dark sunglasses but she could see his teasing gaze behind them.

She smirked at him, "Okay, deal." putting her hand out for him to shake and that he did, firmly and matching her smirk.

A few minutes later they had found a mini golf course, safari themed that they deemed the best way to start the day. They picked up their score card, a pencil, their balls and putters and off they went into the course.

Ella turned to him as they approached the first hole, "Don't laugh at me," her finger threatening as it pointed straight at her face. "My dad tried to get me into golfing but I've always been shit at it."

His lips pressed hard against each other, trying to hide his smile. "Sure. Promise I won't laugh."

But when she hit the ball first and it awkwardly landed in the furthest spot from the hole, completely missing it by a foot, he snorted and she huffed as she turned around. "You said you wouldn't laugh!"

Her pout tugged at his heart strings, "Sorry darling," he pressed a kiss to her temple before placing his ball on the tee, "But you really are bad."

"I know." She whined, a soft chuckle leaving her lips seeing how far her ball was and how funny she found her own lack of golfing skills. Jesus, that's fucking embarrassing, she thought.

Ella didn't mind keeping the score, she was just a little embarrassed by the end when Alex won by having half her points. She blushed when he asked who had won, only wanting to tease her because he knew it was him.

Alex had compensated it by getting her ice cream, which they were eating away blissfully as they walked around.

The wind kept blowing her hair around, making her curse as she tried to keep it away from the ice cream. He stopped and handed her his cup, she was confused until he stood behind her and brushed her hair back to then start braiding it.

Her face was heating up, as she stared ahead of her, feeling his fingers on her hair. "What are you doing?" The words were so soft they almost sounded weak.

"A plait, so your hair doesn't blow on your face." Alex responded just as softly, his breath hitting the back of her neck. He could see the goosebumps erupting on her skin so he smirked, purposely brushing his finger against her neck soothingly.

He didn't take long to finish it, tying it with an elastic she had on her wrist. He squeezed her shoulders to indicate he was done and she turned around on her heels, "Thanks, Al."

"No worries." He smiled, getting his ice cream back from her.

"Where did you learn how to braid? I'm curious now."

Alex chuckled at her eyes clearly showing her curiosity. "I used to have long hair y'know."

She paused, "Wait– like long long? Longer than when we met?"

He nodded, "Way longer."

"Oh I'm gonna have a good time on google later." Ella elbowed him softly to tease him, cheeky smile breaking out despite the spoon between her teeth.

He rolled his eyes in faux annoyance, "Sure you will. Will have a good time chatting shit with Matt too, I bet."

She beamed and joked, "You know me so well."

Ella kept on walking then to taunt him some more, leaving him to keep up with her as her strides got faster. She got a playful shove when he caught up beside her which ended in her laughing.

Teenagers were running around with their friends, laughter came from all around the place, the sun was shining bright behind the clouds that stubbornly chased the star around. It was all perfect and it only got better as the day went by.

They had gone on the bumper cars twice, the drop tower, the beach blaster—which had gotten them so dizzy they ended up riding the carrousel afterwards, earning frowns from certain parents who were holding their toddlers up on the horses—, the go karts, the fun house and even a laser maze.

It was around lunch time when they were walking past a line of stands filled with food you could only find at a fair. Sweetness bold in the air, making their mouths water.

"What's that? Smells very nice." asked Alex when they passed a funnel cake kiosk.

Ella stopped in her tracks, grabbing his wrist to drag him to the back of the short line. "Funnel cake and we're getting some," she fished for her card to keep it in hand and pay before he could, like he had done all day. "Have you ever tried it?"

He hadn't even heard of the term before, "No, is it good?"

She sighed in delight just thinking about it, "It tastes like heaven."

Ten minutes later they were sitting on a little wooden table with two funnel cakes—that she proudly and quickly paid for—sitting on top of it. One had whipped cream and caramel drizzled all over, while the other had a scoop of vanilla ice cream, chopped strawberries and chocolate fudge.

"This is like asking for a diabetic coma." The singer joked, watching the dessert filling the plates.

She smiled at that, "Welcome to America baby," she quipped back with a playful tone on her voice.

The phrase came out of her mouth without her even having time to realize the pet name, but she played off her flushing cheeks as excitement as she moved one of the plates towards him and pulled the other in front of her.

Plastic forks dug into the fried batter and, just as Ella had described, it tasted amazing. She made him take bites out of hers, claiming he had to try it or else he'd regret it, so he did and she watched him take it in as she wiped some caramel from the corner of her mouth.

Alex savored the bite, thinking about how if he kissed her, she'd taste just as sweet and just that thought made his mouth water even more.

She had been taking pictures, and he thought about how he'd never grow tired of seeing her like that: so adamant on catching the perfect shot, sometimes slightly crouching down or standing on her tippy toes, nose scrunching as she closed one of her eyes to focus the frame, finger so delicate yet precise when pressing the shutter and that beaming grin after capturing it.

The same grin she was giving him now after she had taken a picture of him and the funnel cakes, the rest of the attendees so oblivious to her heart swelling up at his soft smile and the way his eyes crinkled.

Once they finished their food, they stood up and kept on walking until they stumbled on a photobooth on the left side of the boardwalk. He paid before she could notice, and when they were sitting on the flat red leather seat, she awkwardly smiled at the screen.

There was a five second countdown that made her internally freak out until she settled on just smiling, eyes closed from how big it was and he copied it as he also faced the camera.

Once the shutter sound went off she sighed, "I have no idea what to do, I'm usually the photographer!"

He chuckled and threw his arm around her shoulder to hug her into him, cheek pressed against her temple making her giggle. The sound of her bubbly laughter was interrupted by the shutter and she couldn't wait to see how that one had turned out.

She let out a small shriek, desperately trying to think of something to do. "Okay Mr. Rockstar, rock on." Ella said quickly before doing the rock 'n' roll sign with her right hand, tongue sticking out to the camera. He mirrored her actions, both of them bursting out with laughter right after. "Sorry I panicked, didn't know what to do."

Alex just shook his head and she scrunched up her nose looking at his blissed expression. "You're something else." He said almost breathlessly, getting lost in her pretty eyes.

"Is that a compliment?" Her voice was shy as her cheeks tinted pink for the hundredth time in the day.

He smirked, "Definitely."

And with that the shutter went off capturing the last picture. When they came out of the booth and saw the freshly printed pictures, they laughed. They laughed to hide how the strip of photos actually made them feel, her skin erupted in goosebumps at the sight of the last one: both of them just smiling wide at each other, eyes staring into the other's like nothing else mattered.

He held the little sleeve in which the two strips were now saved, and delicately placed it on the pocket inside of his jacket, so ironically over his heart.

Not long after, they were on the line for the roller coaster which they had agreed would be their last ride before they went out to eat at this Mexican restaurant she loved that wasn't too far away.

She had always hated the long queues at amusement parks, the wait making her body catch onto just how sore her feet were or how her back begged for a resting place but it was easy with Alex. They would get caught in conversations so quickly, effortlessly flowing through topics and stories, making the forty minutes of wait seem shorter.

He had asked for them to be seated in the front row, having to wait for five more minutes before they got the instruction to sit and when they did she wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans.

"Are you nervous?" Alex asked, half teasing and half worried.

Ella cleared her throat to begin explaining, "I love roller coasters but hate heights. Just a walking contradiction I am."

He squeezed her thigh to then pull on the black bar set firmly atop of their hips, "Don't worry, this won't budge."

And before she could nod the trains started moving and her eyes widened, a chesty laugh falling from his lips at her reaction. A few seconds later they were in complete darkness and then the light of day could be seen at the end of the tunnel.

Once the light hit them again, the trains started going up and she turned to him in warning. "Just so you know, I tend to laugh like a maniac when I'm scared on a ride."

"Very excited to see that." Alex was teasing her but not quite, he actually wanted to hear every version of her laugh.

Ella could see the drop coming up and suddenly she remembered the lack of protection her top provided, words spilling out of her mouth with no filter as the anticipation built up. "My fucking tits are gonna fall off this top!" She shouted through her teeth, just loud enough for only them both to hear.

In comparison, his laugh was loud, "Well I wouldn't mind seeing that either."

She scoffed, one hand on the bar on top of them and the other holding the fabric of her strappy top to her exposed chest. "Of course you wouldn't you cheeky– Fuck!"

The car dipped faster than she expected and she closed her eyes for a second after her curse flew out into the wind. He was laughing beside her, making her laugh with him and as the trains went up and down, a funny feeling on her stomach made her giggle away uncontrollably.

The ride ended after a brief minute of ups, downs and tilts to the sides, and as they came to a stop at the loading bay of the attraction, Alex turned to ask her, "You wanna go again?"

In all honesty, he didn't want to make another almost-hour-long line but the whole time he had been looking at her and hearing her in the ride, and he selfishly wanted to experience it all again.

"If the line wasn't as long, then I'd say yes. But maybe next time yeah?" Ella replied, patting his cheek before the worker lifted the security bar and they got out.

They had laughed at her reaction on the way back to the car, the sunset creeping on behind them. She gasped at the colors in the sky as she opened the car door so she stopped to take a picture before getting inside.

"Got it?" The singer asked softly with a small smile on his face.

"Mhm." She nodded, shy smile reciprocating his.

And then they drove as she sang to the songs from her phone. Smirking when 'Suck It And See' came on shuffle, "Oh what a lovely coincidence, isn't it Turner?" she had said before singing along to his voice booming through the speakers.

He had only shook his head as he looked at the road but whenever he turned to see her singing to her heart's content, with the pink and lilac casted behind her as the sun fell slowly to kiss the horizon, he took a mental picture of it all. Not because of nature's wonders but of her, in all her glory, she was far more captivating than any of the most stunning skies he had ever seen.

"A picture would last you longer, Turner." Ella played, feeling his burning gaze as she scrolled through her music on her phone.

His cheeks heated slightly from being caught, "It would. Quite gutted I'm driving right now."

She blushed but leaned into the console to get closer to him and kissed his cheek, "Your memory better do then."

When they stopped at the restaurant, she came out of the car with a bounce on her step. "Oh thank god! I was starving." she admitted, holding his hand as she rushed them into the place. When the tune of the bell greeted them inside, two heads turned and were quick to say 'hello' and sit them down.

"Alright so," she started, clasping her hands in front of her on top of the table, "My guilty pleasure is Mexican coke and I'm just so lucky that we always have it here in the south so we're getting some first. It's so much better than the American one, far sweeter."

He hummed at her, thinking back to remember if he'd ever had Mexican coke but barely even remembering the last instance he'd had a can of regular coke. So when someone came back to take their orders, the first thing she asked for was two bottles of Mexican coke along with carne asada tacos and chips with guacamole.

They ended up ordering another pair of Cokes to wash down the food. She desperately wanted one to nurse the numbness the hot chili sauce had left on her mouth and when the two new bottles were left on the table, she thanked the waitress and quickly enclosed her fingers around one of them.

Condensation dripped down her palm and wrist, as her swollen red lips found purchase around the tip of the bottle. She took a long sip, her throat bobbing up and down as she swallowed the carbonated liquid. Alex suddenly wanted to be the bottle, to feel her lips on his in any way he could, to feel them around him. There was nothing he wouldn't do to be in the place of that damn bottle.

It was about an hour, the time they had spent at the restaurant. They paid—he did, despite her arguing with him about it—, and they were on their way back to the venue shortly after. When they got to the theater, they parked by the back entrance and ran inside seeing they only had fifteen minutes left before Alex had to be on stage.

He got waved over by one of the sound guys, telling him they needed him to check his in-ears before it was show time and he promised he'd be over soon, the man leaving after telling him where they were gonna be waiting for him.

She blushed at the tension in the air, she felt it so thick over her like the humidity after a hot summer rainfall. So shyly she held his hand, rubbing her thumb on the back of it. "Thank you for today." her tone was so timid, it made his need to kiss her shyness away even bigger.

He gave her a soft smile, so genuine that it melted her. "I should be the one thanking you, darling. Had the best day."

Someone in the distance shouted his name, and she could've bet money on it being none other than Matt 'Cockblocker' Helders. But before the drummer could've come to completely ruin the moment, she took it in her own hands to seal the day with a golden ribbon.

With a tinge of courage she started, "Well, happy Valentine's day Al." and before he could say it back, she was standing on her tippy toes and pressing a chaste kiss on his lips.

For merely a few seconds he felt her plush pink lips on his, they were soft and hot, still a bit swollen from the hot sauce. They were seconds that felt like an eternity but way too short for his own liking. Just that moment felt like it had caused a domino effect that somehow provoked a new universe to be created in space, a new black hole to be born and suck everything around it.

She practically ran off before he could do anything else, following the signs that guided her towards the crowd where she knew Breana would be, like every other gig in the past days.

Matt yelled out his name once again but Alex was just standing in the middle of the hallway staring at the wall with the sensation of her lips still pressed against his.

"What the fuck are you doing just standing there like an absolute melt?" The drummer asked with a frown on his face, watching the clock ticking on the wall in front of him.

Alex sighed, wishing time would stop just so he could sit on the feeling and replay the moment over and over until it was permanently engraved in his mind, frame by frame. "Matt, would you just shut up?"

"What? Was the date bad or–?" Matt inquired, teasingly and ready to annoy his best mate.

The singer sighed and cut him off before he could continue with his taunting, "Shut up Matthew." To which the drummer frowned when he saw the big smile breaking out on Alex's face as he turned around.

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After the band got off stage, they all got back in the tour bus and when the lads had finished taking turns to shower, they suddenly decided it was a night worthy of some wine.

Four bottles of red wine later, Ella found herself giggling away as she rested her head on Alex's shoulder. Their cheeks were flushed due to the alcohol and she felt like she was about to start sweating but she couldn't find it in herself to peel away from his side.

Not that Alex wanted her to, that's why his arm was firmly stuck around her waist as he kept her cuddled into his side. He would pinch her side when she made a dig at him, and rub soothing circles on her stomach over the satin of her top when she would laugh or snuggle further into him.

It was nearly three in the morning when they all started to quiet down and he noticed how Ella seemed to have fallen asleep on his shoulder, face hidden on the crook of his neck.

He couldn't find it in himself to wake her up, that's why he stayed until the latest he could, watching everyone wave him goodnight before disappearing up the steps. Eventually, his eyes started closing as he felt the exhaustion catching up to him. He rubbed her arm, up and down until she started squirming under his touch.

"Darling, shall we go to bed now?"

She mumbled something, her lips brushing against the base of his throat, making him almost shiver.

"Should I carry you to bed?" He suggested, his fingers pinching her side softly as he continued, "Huh? Lazy."

She groaned, "I can walk Al. Just–" she paused to yawn behind her hand, "Gonna keep my eyes closed though, so just guide me yeah?"

He nodded, "Alright." So he did what she had asked, saying "Step, another step, last step." his hands around her waist as he walked behind her and guided her back into the bunk beds. When he slowly opened the door, he noticed Jamie and Nick inside their bunks, snoring away peacefully. Bre and Matt were nowhere to be found but he could bet they were on any of the other beds from the room that followed the one they all slept at. At least they are considerate today, he thought.

When they were in front of her bed, he brushed her hair back and away from her face. "We have arrived at your destination, darling."

She hummed slightly in annoyance as she now had to open her eyes to slide into her resting space. "Thank you," her eyes opened just a tiny bit, hissing at the light hitting her corneas. "Fuck, that's bright."

His chuckle made her smile, a loopy grin before she slid into her bunk. "You comfortable?" Alex asked as she slithered further inside the bunk.

She sighed content to finally be in bed, "Very much so," she poked her head out, squinting to see him and decided she was sleepy enough to not care about what she did anymore so she leaned into him to give him another kiss. A peck that ended up being delivered to the corner of his mouth but he wouldn't complain, not when her voice sounded so mellow when she said "Sweet dreams, Al."

And they were sweet dreams, the ones he had, as he fell asleep with the whole day playing on his mind in a never ending loop that he wasn't getting tired of, and the feeling of her lips on his haunting him.

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

Ella woke up the next day with another headache and a long list of questions. The memories of the previous day helped lull the ache in her skull but it only added to every single one of her inquiries and worries. She had no idea if things would change or if it would stay all the same.

That was answered sooner than she expected when she went out to meet everyone after brushing her teeth. It seemed like it all was the same but different at the same time, because he still told her good morning followed by a kiss on her cheek but whatever she felt about the things he did before had grown exponentially, and it was like her stomach was flipping on its own over and over.

It happened throughout the whole day, her insides melting at every single embrace, the kisses on her cheek or her temple, the laughs in her ear. And Alex wasn't too far behind, feeling his insides coat with warmth when she would hug his waist every time he came beside her and threw an arm around her shoulders, the way she'd play with his fingers as she chatted with the guys, how she would brush his hair out of his face when the strands got in his eyes.

They had driven back to Los Angeles that morning, meaning they had arrived at the venue just in time for lunch and they weren't planning on doing anything else other than stay in the greenroom until showtime.

After their meal, the band had done a quick soundcheck before the show. Bre and Ella, cheering for them, playfully telling them they could do better and doing silly little dances that didn't match the songs at all.

Back in the greenroom, they had started drinking and playing truth or dare. Ella had rolled her eyes but agreed to participating, despite being nervous about what she'd be dared to do or say.

It was Nick's turn to choose someone and that person ended up being Ella. Her sigh was heard by the whole group, making them laugh.

"Ella, truth or dare?" The bassist's eyes indicated nothing but trouble.

She sipped on her margarita before choosing, "Truth."

Nick paused for a few seconds before he straightened up and smirked, "What was your worst sexual encounter?"

She blew the air out of her mouth dramatically, "You wanna know the worst worst one?"

Everyone nodded along with Nick, all curious to know.

"Okay, erm– Fuck, alright. Just be ready 'cause it's really bad." She started, putting her drink down on the closest table. "A little preface though, this was back when I was confused and seeing if I actually did like men or if I was just a lesbian so bear with me."

She cleared her throat before she could start and took a deep breath, "It was sophomore year in university, we were all in Florida for spring break and I took the chance to just... Y'know," her cheeks reddened at the thought of saying her motives to her friends, "Fuck around." she finished quietly and they all laughed making her face heat up even more.

"Anyway, so I found this guy at the beach who was really hot and he ended up buying me a drink and whatever. Long story short, he told me he had a room in this hotel across the street and we had both been pretty obvious about our intentions so we went up to his room." They all saw how she grew impossibly redder as she reminisced, "So we got down to it..."

Breana interrupted with a gasp, "He went down on you?"

Ella just shook her head, "I wish." The words left her lips before she could think about them and everyone chuckled at her bluntness. "We were just getting off for a while, you know, dry humping and whatnot until we got to bed." She sighed, grimacing at what was coming next. "We took our clothes off and all, he put a condom on after I asked him to and then he started going at it. Only that he never went inside me..." She trailed off, her voice rising in pitch as she got more embarrassed.

"He was on top and we were basically in missionary, but when he went to, erm– put it in, he just put it between my ass and the bed and started thrusting. Mind you, I wasn't making a single noise because I was genuinely confused while he was moaning like a mad man." She turned to grab her glass back up and take a swig of it, the tequila pushing her to finish the story. "He finished so quick and had the nerve to ask if I had finished, I just stood up, said 'no but probably the duvet did', put my shit back on and left him."

Jamie whistled, "Mental."

Matt had the deepest frown on his face, "How do you not notice it's not in?"

"He said something about that being the reason he doesn't wear condoms as I walked away." Ella shrugged, before taking another sip of her drink. "Thanks to him I almost entirely gave up on men."

Breana snickered then, "Oh, but do tell who gave you back hope."

"That's for you to find out if I choose truth in another turn." Ella winked at the model with rosy cheeks, bluffing as she definitely wasn't choosing truth then because one sex story was enough for the day.

Nick interrupted then, "Alright Ella, who are you choosing now?"

"Jamie." She decided after a few seconds of internal debate. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare." The guitarist uttered, taking a sip of his own drink.

"I dare you to reenact for us your favorite position." She had a smirk on her face, wanting to tease the man just for the laugh.

"Can't do it alone though." Jamie argued just to see if that would get him out of the dare.

But to Jamie's dismay, she pointed at the man standing right beside him, "Well you've got Alex right there don't you?"

When Jamie dragged Alex to the settee and pulled him on top of him as he laid on it, the rest of the group started hollering, Matt wolf whistling as Alex hovered above Jamie's lap in a cowgirl position, swinging an imaginary laso above his head.

"I see the vision, Ella." Bre approved playfully between giggles which got her giggling too as she went to retrieve her polaroid camera.

She pointed at the two guys on the sofa and ordered them, "Stay there, I'm taking a picture of this." as she turned the device on, and ten seconds later the shutter had gone off and the picture was getting printed out.

Matt took the opportunity, seeing as Jamie got off the sofa leaving Alex sat there alone, to dare Ella to do the same using Alex as her partner. "Go on then Ella, it's your turn to show us yours."

"Says who? It's Jamie's turn to choose." She chatted back knowing exactly what Matt was trying to do.

But before she could continue, Jamie clocked onto what the drummer was doing and egged her on. "I choose you and you're doing that same dare."

She rolled her eyes, cheeks growing more flushed despite them being already pink from the alcohol. Her legs hit the sofa and she laid on it just like Jamie had done, only she pressed her feet on the settee but before she lifted her hips up, she grabbed Alex's hand and guided him on top of her.

He was about to tease her, about to say 'Oh so you like being on the bottom?' when she knocked the breath out of his lungs by saying, "Hop on, you be me." loud enough for everyone to hear and gasp in shock.

Once Alex was on top of her, she pushed his hands to be just above her shoulders so his chest was almost pressed against her and his collarbone was straight on top of her face. She lifted her hips up and pressed them on his ass for a quick second, winking at him before dropping back down.

Matt was quick to comment, with a heavy smirk on his face. "Oh she is dirty."

Nick followed, "Naughty!"

And Jamie topped it all off by asking, "How long have you been thinking about that one? You worked that out with Alex really quick."

She hid behind her hands, her palms feeling the growing heat on her whole face. "I'm never drinking with y'all ever again."

Everyone laughed away, even Alex but he did it in her ear as he dropped further into her fully sitting on her lap.

"Uncover your face for me darling." He ordered with such a raspy voice she wanted to squeeze her thighs together but she couldn't so she just did as he said. He smirked, pulling back a few inches to see her from that angle, all flustered and with her hair disheveled over the settee. What a stunning view.

"That's it." His eyes looked at her adoringly and she felt like she was melting onto the settee under his gaze, but Ella completely froze and burnt over at the same time when Alex whispered to her, "Good girl."

As if he hadn't just said that, he got up and walked over to get another cup of whiskey. She was left gathering her thoughts on the sofa, head all scrambled and her very human needs screaming at her to do something about the man.

She got up eventually, Breana winking at her as she walked past her and to the table which had the bottle of tequila. She needed a shot, or two. So she poured them and downed them instantly, needing herself to calm down.

After that moment, it felt like everything had gotten even more intense. Maybe it was the sexual tension suffocating them whilst they were in the same room and she wondered if their friends around them could feel it too.

Alex would come up behind her and hug her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder as he rubbed circles on the skin that showed in between her black dress pants and her shirt. Ella would relax in his arms, drowning in his scent as she indulged in the sweetness of his touch.

He would press kisses to her face before he went anywhere, brushing his fingers on her arm or her waist as he walked past. She would turn over her shoulder to see him and scrunch her nose at him before leaving a peck on his cheek that made a toothy grin break out on his face.

She was drinking it all in, knowing that the next day, when her coworkers from the crew came over to the venue for the gig and later on they moved to the place they'd film at, she would force herself to distance herself from Alex just to appear professional and not have everyone talking and asking questions.

That's why that night, she was in front of the barricade beside Breana recording every single bit of the gig that her phone allowed her. He had noticed, of course he had, since he spent most of the time on stage looking at her so he decided to tease her for a bit.

"You ready? You recording?" Alex asked into the mic with his eyes on her and everyone in the crowd looked to their left to see her.

Her eyes went wide like a deer caught in headlights so she just lowered her phone down with her signature pink cheeks.

He wanted to coo at her, "No, no. Record this one, it's your favorite." The singer added before he put the mic back on its stand and started playing 'Teddy Picker'.

She had recorded it all and when she went back to see the videos before falling asleep, she found every glance he took at her forever captured, every point of his finger as he sang, every little dance of his that she knew where the one's she had made fun of him for. She had it all.

And just as she had predicted, the next and last day of the little tour had arrived, making her wake up melancholic. She savored every hug, every feel of his lips against her skin, every graze of his fingers on her body, before her bosses and coworkers got to the venue.

When the Focus Creep crew arrived, a few hours before the show, Alex instantly noticed the change in her behavior and he knew why that was, so he would respect it. He kept to stolen glances and fleeting touches, no constant kisses on her cheek or her temple, no hugging her every chance he got but definitely some embraces here and there.

The limited affection had already sparked questions and talks from her coworkers so he understood her position, which he had heard in echoes and passing comments, and on top of that was Ben who attentively was watching them and then smirking at Alex like he knew exactly what was happening.

Ella had decided to be a part of the crowd that night, standing almost in the middle of the crowd, about five rows from the barricade but she had a perfect view of the stage so she wasn't complaining. Some of her friends from work stood beside her and Breana did too, they all had a drink in hand, sipping absentmindedly as they waited for the show to start.

When they had all finished their drinks is when the band had gone on stage, causing the sea of people to push forward and make her stumble. He had found her in between all the faces fairly quickly, winking at her before greeting the audience and starting the gig.

She knew by then that the sixth song was always one he would sing looking at her since she loved it, so before they were due to start it she puckered up and blew a cheeky kiss to him when his eyes had landed on her.

He smiled before puckering up himself and blowing her multiple kisses. Bre shook her by her shoulders and shrieked in her ear very not subtly, making her wince inside but her smile couldn't be brighter and she couldn't care less if her work friends had seen, because she was incredibly happy.

She was sure by the end of the night she'd grow the courage to properly kiss him. Finally.

So with that goal set in her mind, she kept going about her night with a smile and a skip in her step. She had a beaming smile on her face even as she picked her blue clipboard and saw the massive list of things she had to make sure were in order for the shoot.

The location in which they were filming had only been ten minutes away, and they had come to it almost ready. There was a car which looked the exact same as the one on the Black Treacle music video and about twenty feet in front of it, by the end of a dirt trail, was a circular spinning platform that was homing a drum kit made to look exactly like Matt's on stage.

Around the place were tents in which Matt and Alex were being touched up to be ready for filming, and two tents down the row from the lads were the models getting their makeup done and changed into costume. Caroline and Arielle were the lovely models and Ella had just introduced herself to them before she got called away by one of the camera men.

When Ella went back to the tents to check up on the models, she walked past Alex and Arielle chatting away a few feet away from the tents and beside the big lights that were up around the site, soft smiles on both their faces as they dove into conversation. She felt a small pinch in her chest, one that she decided to ignore the best she could because Alex was a nice person, he was kind and welcoming and she had no reason to feel and react that way at the fact that he was only talking to someone else who she had heard was his friend.

Her feet took her to check up on Caroline who was almost ready, and Matt who was getting his hair fixed. She instructed both of them to go back into the filming area as soon as they were done so the filming could be started.

After that she left to go stand beside Nick, talking to him about random stuff like how long it usually took the crew to set up shoots like that or how Nick had been doing with the wedding planning as she'd heard him on the phone in the morning with Kelly.

When the four people who were gonna appear in the video were ready, Ella told them to follow her up to the directors. Ben and Aaron told them they would rehearse a few goes before properly filming the whole thing, since it was a single-shot video and it would be filmed by Alex and Matt at the start.

First went Alex and Matt, to get instructed exactly what they should do when they got in the car and how they got out, the musicians brainstorming the things they could do whilst they filmed themselves in the car.

As they went over and over again, for about six or seven times, Ella had been standing next to Arielle. They had been talking about lots of things: Arielle's modeling career, Ella's photography hobby, how Arielle had been auditioning for a few commercials and small acting gigs, how Ella had moved to LA and a year later landed a job with Ben and Aaron. The girls had gotten on fairly well, following each other on Instagram and laughing about the things Alex and Matt were doing in front of the camera.

After that, Ella got called over as the two brits got let off after almost half an hour. Matt had gotten off the car and gave her a smile, Alex side hugged her quickly before walking off with the drummer. She had smiled back at him when he let go but he missed it as his eyes were set on the model standing a few feet behind the PA, his smile being directed towards Arielle rather than her.

She had had to act cool, as if that minimal detail wasn't begging to claim her every thought, nodding as her bosses told her to stay close and annotate as they gave instructions to the crew on set.

Someone drove the car back down the dirt trail, Ben guiding the two cameramen on the angles he wanted to be captured and the setting on the light. Ella had helped move some of the lights, her eyes focused on Aaron as he moved his hands from side to side and sometimes rotating them.

Her eyes had slipped in Alex's direction a fair few times and she had noticed just how much closer Arielle and him looked, as they didn't leave each other's side even if she got called over by the makeup department or he was called over by Ben to ask if he was alright with that angle and the timing.

By the time she was done with the lights, Ella had gotten sent to check if the platform was spinning correctly, she pressed the button and as she heard it turn she also heard Alex's voice a tad louder than the creaks of the spinning object.

"So have you got a map?" He asked Arielle, his shoulder brushing the model's.

Arielle frowned with a smile on her face, "Of LA?" The singer nodded quickly, "No I don't, why?" she had asked back just as quickly.

"Just wanted one 'cause I keep getting lost in your eyes." Hiss tone was cheeky, and Arielle let out a bubbly laugh. Her perfect smile on full display as she nudged Alex's shoulder with hers.

"That was a nice one." Arielle had replied back, still smiling hard at him.

Ella had spun the platform back around by the time she had heard the end of the interaction and she rolled her eyes before walking back to the directors. She couldn't be annoyed though, she had no right to be, he was probably just being funny like he always was.

Breathe in, breathe out, she told herself.

As the directors went over to Nick to tell him exactly how he'd be sitting in the back between the two models, Matt came to stand beside Ella. Her eyes were glued to the scene in front of her as Arielle was still very much stuck beside the singer and he was leaning into her more and more making her laugh.

"Seems like you make a great matchmaker." lightheartedly joked the drummer, looking at the same thing she was.

She frowned, confused as she turned to Matt, "What do you mean?" Matt pointed at Alex and Arielle with a tilt of his chin and she frowned even deeper before adding, "It wasn't my decision to choose her."

It was Matt's turn to frown then, "Whose was it then?"

"Well I was told by your team she was selected by you because you already knew her."

Matt sighed, "We've seen her a couple times in artists sections in festivals, yes, but the only one who was a slight bit more of an acquaintance with her is Alex."

Ella hummed, "That answers the question then, doesn't it?" She finished up, a tight lip smile that was way too forced and Matt started to feel bad. It got worse when Arielle broke out in a very loud laugh that had Alex covering her mouth with his hand, fully hugging her as they swayed from her weak attempts to break from his hold.

Ella's heart was sinking, but she had to remind herself she had no leg to stand on to go and complain about his behavior, to be openly jealous about it because nothing serious had happened between her and Alex. At least not serious enough for him, if he was going around acting this way with Arielle after being so close with her the week before.

Ben called everyone to their places, meaning Ella saw Arielle and Alex separate for the first time in thirty minutes. She had no idea what to think anymore, the way he was acting with the model reminded her how he was with her and she hated it.

She tried to push it in her mind that he and Arielle were friends already, so maybe there was a trust to act that way with each other. She tried, but it did nothing to the way her guts twisted at the image of those two together like that.

They did one take but something had seemed off from the cameras, the settings seemed too different from the car to the outside shot so the directors got to fixing it up the quickest they could after they yelled cut.

Out of the corner of her eye she had caught Alex and Arielle leaving for the furthest tent and getting behind it, her giggles could be heard as they walked away from everyone and she slowly felt like she was going to be sick.

It took about ten minutes to get it all sorted out, Ben's voice called everyone up again to start filming again and everyone listened. Aaron called the models in first, giving them a second rundown of their duties and how they should get in frame. As the director talked, Alex had walked over to Ella and hugged her from behind like he had gotten used to throughout the tour.

Ella hadn't want anything more than that, as she had been deprived of his touch for a fair while since they had gotten to the set, but when she tried to relax into his chest and rest her head on his shoulder, she had smelt the model's perfume and it had make her freeze in her spot. Alex had felt her tense up but brushed it off, his mind too aware that he had the attention of two stunning women and it had gotten his ego boosted up a little too high.

She didn't reciprocate the embrace like before: only one of her hands on top of his, her back inches apart from his chest, her head not weighing down on his shoulder, no kisses on his cheek, no cheeky glances or nose scrunches. But he didn't really wonder about it since he was too busy staring at the other American girl that was dressed in costume right in front of him. A few seconds later, he got called over and he easily let go of Ella, leaving her with a faint squeeze of her waist.

She had noticed how enthusiastic he got every time he was able to get back beside the model, always a smirk on his face as he kept brushing shoulders with her or whispering things in her ear before he got in the car for each take.

Alex was looking amazing for the shoot as well, meaning Ella could see Arielle so painfully obvious checking Alex out and him doing the same to the model when she turned around.

It was probably the twelfth official take they had done, almost running off of the flares the models walked with to the drum kit as they kept repeating the video over and over. The new song that she had already learned the lyrics to, now completely engraved in her mind since they had it playing on loop with almost no breaks in between each play.

The question now replayed in her mind, bringing back memories. Are you mine? His gaze stuck on hers while singing the chorus. Are you mine? Her wink after she sang 'are you mine tomorrow? Or just mine tonight' that night at the very last gig, making his smirk grow and a tinge of blush show on his face. Are you mine? His eyes no longer on her now, but stuck on Arielle even when he had her in his arms. Are you mine? Ella just wanted to turn the song off to stop it all coming to the forefront of her mind.

They were about to start the thirteenth take, after the directors went over the last bit of footage the last take had given them, when she walked past the quiet place Arielle and Alex were cooped up in. It was near a corner, behind a line of four big lights and away enough from everyone from the crew. Ella had been walking around the site, the edges of it taking her straight behind them, and that's why she had heard them.

"I've got another question..." Alex had started with that tone that meant he was gonna say one of his cheesy flirt lines and Ella just had to stay and listen to what he'd say, she thought her head was cooler by then and she might find it funny but she had no idea what she was about to get. "How does it feel like being the most gorgeous girl in the room?"

Ella's blood ran cold then, the familiar words coming back to her like a bucket of ice cold water and as Arielle giggled and leaned into him touching his arm, she felt herself feeling faint.

She didn't even think about her following actions, as she scoffed much louder than she anticipated but still quiet enough for it to only be heard by her and the other two. Her feet took her faster than she was thinking, accidentally barging into Alex's shoulder as she made a beeline towards her bosses.

He whipped his head around so fast, forgetting about the model beside him and catching a glimpse of Ella's pale complexion. But his worry was brief as he turned back around to the model, who was now fully leaning into him to continue flirting with him. A smile broke out on his face, seeing Arielle's reaction.

Ella felt like those fifteen feet of walk had actually been a whole mile, her heart hammering in her chest as if trying to keep her up until she could finally break down. As soon as she got beside Ben, she tapped his shoulder. The man saw her worried face, the lack of color on it and he got preoccupied.

"Are you alright Ella?" Ben asked softly, his inquiry making Aaron pause what he was doing to check on their PA.

She sighed, feeling everything coming up her throat and wanting to leave her body. "I'm not feeling well guys, I– I, uhm, I think it would be better if I just go home."

Aaron nodded, they didn't have much left anyways and Ella was so dedicated to her job, they knew that if she was asking to leave, it was because of something serious. "Of course, you have a way to get home?"

She thought about her car, being parked at the hotel an hour away from home but she'd take a taxi. She didn't care anymore, she just didn't want to be there. "Yes, someone is coming to get me, don't worry."

And just like that they let her go. She practically ran to the Monkeys' tour bus to retrieve everything she had there, and she thanked the fact that Bre had to leave right after the show for having encouraged her to have her suitcase ready well before the gig.

Ella called a cab company and told them to pick her up at a McDonald's that was a block away. As she walked, she felt like she wanted to cry and it infuriated her even more. Because why would she cry? They weren't anything at all, a date didn't mean shit apparently and much less would the touches they shared.

She cursed herself for getting attached when she knew she shouldn't have. It all came back to who they were, even if he hadn't done what he had that night, by the end of it she'd be getting dropped off at her house and he'd be leaving to travel around the world. It would've never worked out.

When she remembered how she had strived to properly kiss him goodbye that night, before they parted ways once again, she allowed herself to let the tears fall. And she cried on the way back home, when she saw their photo booth pictures sticking out of the inside pocket of her purse.

She wanted to throw it away but she couldn't, that's what she did when somebody hurt her: cling onto every last beautiful thing they gave her even if the memory stung like a wound being sprayed with salt. She was half tempted to burn it as she lit the cigarette she had just placed between her lips before finding the pictures but when she flipped it, she found something written down.

'only the sweetest of dreams for you, miss tennessee xxxx'

It came over her how every sweet memory of him would taste bitter now, and how it would up until the moment she'd finally decide she was over it. And that's when it all started tasting more bitter, and then it turned sour and her sadness turned into anger.

The audacity he had had, to just drop her like a toy he had gotten bored of, and maybe he had had other intentions but seeing how shy she was and how he wasn't getting anywhere, he decided to change her the first chance he got.

And there it was, that feeling of being so easily replaceable dawning over her head like the darkest cloud in the sky that swore to bring the heaviest precipitation of the year. The heartache she had felt when she got cheated over by the one person she swore was the one, and it was insane to her how she could feel a similar way about someone she knew for so little doing her wrong too. But she couldn't downplay it either, not when it opened a wound back up that had taken so long to close.

In her head she was asking herself repeatedly, 'am I that easy to replace?' until each word lost its meaning but the feeling was still the same, if not worse.

She cried a little more when she got home, feeling the familiar walls like an embrace that she longed for. The tears were falling as she showered, slowly and without permission, making her wipe them with more force than necessary, leaving her cheeks red raw. But it had been slightly relieving to cry under the shower for she confused her tears with the water falling over her and it made her feel less pathetic.

By the time she was out of the shower and she slowly finished getting ready to sleep, the filming had been wrapped up. The crew were quick to pick everything up and load it into the production company's coach.

Matt walked over to Alex, who was too busy staring at Arielle's ass as she walked away to get out of costume that he didn't notice his presence until he cleared his throat.

"Y'Alright?" asked Matt, still confused about his friend's antics throughout the day.

Alex nodded with a tight lip smile, "You?"

"Wonderful." The drummer answered, a slight hint of irony in his voice that the singer decided to ignore.

The both of them had stayed quiet, watching the organized chaos going around. And it wasn't until Alex saw Ben with Ella's blue clipboard as he waved goodbye to them that he realized she was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Ella?" The singer seemed worried, it dawning on him then how he hadn't seen her since she barged into him.

Matt shrugged, "Dunno. She left running earlier and the driver said she got her case from the bus."

Alex's heart dropped, thinking about all the endless possibilities of something happening to her, "I'm gonna text her and see if she's okay."

"Well, she probably isn't after she's played cupid against herself." Matt sassily replied.

Alex frowned, "What do you mean?"

Matt sighed, almost annoyed at his best mate's lack of common sense, "Mate, there was something there between you two after Valentine's day, and tonight you've just gone and switched her for Arielle."

"No I haven't. Me and Arielle, that's just banter." He explained back like it was obvious.

The drummer didn't want to get deeper into the situation, he had already said what he had seen and all that was left was for his friend to realize so, "Whatever you say Al." was all he mustered before leaving him, going straight back to their tour bus.

Ten minutes Alex was left thinking, taking the first few minutes to text Ella and the rest to thoroughly think about what Matt had just said. He knew she must've heard him talking to Arielle and maybe it wasn't the best of things to listen to after everything that had happened during the past week but it was just lighthearted banter to him, a joke to keep them entertained during the filming process.

It was all a misunderstanding and he would tell her if that's what she had gotten upset over. Surely it has to be something else though, he thought.

(16/02/2012 23:13) Ellie, are you alright? Don't know what happened but I hope you're okay darling x

(16/02/2012 23:14) Matt said you left running and he saw you getting your stuff out of the tour bus, please let me know you're alright xx

(16/02/2012 23:15) We didn't even get to say goodbye properly but I hope to see you soon yeah? xx

(16/02/2012 23:17) As soon as you see this, please let me know you're okay xx

(16/02/2012 23:19) Maybe you're home and asleep already, if that's it then text me in the morning? Sweet dreams darling, see you soon xxx

Their drive to LAX had been going fine. They were relatively quiet in comparison to how they usually were but it was because they were tired: the days of tour, driving and walking around plus the late night filming had caught up to them. Alex was mixing his concern about Ella with his exhaustion making it even worse, the sways of the tour bus not helping with the headache he could feel brewing in the back of his skull.

Alex's thoughts were interrupted then by Matt laughing at his phone, the light of his device reflecting on his eyes.

(16/02/2012 23:32) Is everything good Ella? Saw you running to leave the set.

(16/02/2012 23:48) Everything is good Matt! Sorry for leaving like that and not saying bye, I was feeling kinda sick and I couldn't keep it together any longer. (Feel like a bitch for not saying goodbye knowing I'm not going to see you for god knows how long :()

(16/02/2012 23:48) Yeah probably not the best to have you projectile vomiting in the middle of our music video!! (You don't have to feel like one, you're one already xxxx)

(16/02/2012 23:49) You're the absolute worst...

(16/02/2012 23:49) HAHA love you Ellie!! Hope to see you very soon xx

(16/02/2012 23:49) Love you too dickhead. See you soon xx

Before Alex could complain about the unnecessary noise coming from Matt, he informed them all, "Ella's fine, she was just feeling ill." which made Alex snap his eyes open to look at him.

Jamie snorted then, cheekily suggesting, "Ask her if she's sure she isn't pregnant."

Leaning over Matt's shoulders, Nick and Jamie started laughing as the drummer's fingers started typing what the guitarist had said.

Alex frowned, not only at his friends acting like kids but at the fact that Ella had replied to Matt and not him. There wasn't a day she didn't reply to him within minutes if she was awake. He thought for a second then that he might've gotten a reply but hadn't noticed it, so to make sure he unlocked his phone.

But he hadn't expected what he saw, and he thought back to what Matt had said and just how bad of a confusion the end of the night had been when he was met with the proof that she had just plainly ignored him.

(16/02/2012 23:13) Ellie, are you alright? Don't know what happened but I hope you're okay darling x

(16/02/2012 23:14) Matt said you left running and he saw you getting your stuff out of the tour bus, please let me know you're alright xx

(16/02/2012 23:15) We didn't even get to say goodbye properly but I hope to see you soon yeah? xx

(16/02/2012 23:17) As soon as you see this, please let me know you're okay xx

(16/02/2012 23:19) Maybe you're home and asleep already, if that's it then text me in the morning? Sweet dreams darling, see you soon xxx

read at 23:41

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A/N: Uh oh... Well now I don't even know if I should ask if you liked it hahaha, but I really hope you did. Shit only gets more interesting from here so I hope you lot are just as eager as me to see how it unfolds. Thanks a million for reading, I appreciate it so much!! I hope you have the best weekend and I'll see you April 7th for the next one xx

Taglist:  @imagine-that-100​ @red---moon​ @kennedy-brooke​ @faveficz​ @indierockgirrl​ @ladydraculasthings @moonvr​ @unwantedlovergirl​ @eaglestar31 @nikisfwn​ @funniestpersoninnyc​

[bratshaws]

goodness gracious 70. brb x oc

a/n: FEEDBACK IS WELCOME OK THANK UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU love you guys uwu ( i am so tired )

check out the fic's playlist made by the sweet @wiipes !!

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: Fluff,these two idiots will be the death of me

chapters:

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20/21/22/23/24/25/26/27/28/29/30/31/32/33/34/35/36/37/38/39/40/41/42/43/44

45/46/47/48/49/50/51/52/53/54/55/56/57/58/59/60/61/62/63/64

65/66/67/68/69

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!!)

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @shrimping-for-all @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix

@lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3 

@lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2 @emilybradshaw @j-6o @louisahale @leobabbyyy @kulicny @winter-run @ktjmac @graciereads 

-

With the meeting finally out of the way and Beatrice finding out the types of clothing she’d wear to the photoshoot, she spent the rest of the day smiling and feeling a lot more confident than she usually was, her hold on Rooster’s hand was tight but not painful and there was a pep in her step on the way to the car. 

Bradley was very thankful everything went well in there, he was a bit worried Beatrice would end up either feeling too overwhelmed by everything around her or she’d just turn around and leave before anyone could stop her, even himself. To see his girlfriend looking so much better than he expected her to, warmed his heart, “We should go to the mall.” she announces suddenly, giving him a little smile, “Spend some time there, maybe?”

A bit random, but he wasn’t complaining. Evelyn stayed behind at Marcus’ studio to talk to him about the overall design for the campaign, so now there were only the two of them. The last time they went to the mall was before he was deployed months ago, which was also the time she got that bikini that just never left his brain. He had a feeling that whatever she chose to wear in that photoshoot would have the same reaction out of him.

Which he wasn’t complaining at all.

Once they arrived at the mall, neither of them hungry enough to wander to the many restaurants on the food court, Beatrice looked around quickly until her eyes zeroed on a store with mannequins that were a bit thicker. Smiling, she pulled Bradley along and looked at the clothes there with her eyes shining.

He noticed two things: this was a store that focused mainly on plus sized bodies and it was the type of clothing that would definitely kill him because it showed a lot more skin and curves than Bea was used to wearing, “Oh I love these.” So did he, he liked the dresses and tops a lot, “Oh look at that one!It's so cute!” She was pointing to a three piece outfit: a large shirt with oranges printed all over the white fabric, a pattern that continued to the shorts and it was only broken by the spaghetti strap white top that seemed to be glued on the mannequin’s chest.

Rooster inhaled quietly, his eyes moving everywhere when they got inside, the clothes only looked better and better and he couldn’t stop imagining Beatrice wearing all of those. Hell, he’d even buy her some if she wanted them, he didn’t care. Since it was a huge store, the vendors would just ask them if they needed help and offer them a basket for clothes to which Bea promptly thanked the woman.

He kept his eyes on her at all times, she got the orange three piece in her size and then marched to other clothes, especially dresses and shorts. It was still cold, but California was never cold enough so you couldn’t find anything summer-y to buy. Beatrice was grabbing things that, while he loved a lot because it showed so much skin, she would never lean to. 

Maybe it was Marcus being so kind to her and saying that she’d be perfect for his photo shoot - his muse as he called her - that turned her confidence to a hundred, making her want to try things she rarely tried before. Like cropped tops, high rise shorts that showed just a curve of her buttcheek, tight dresses that hid nothing from view and complemented her skin  greatly.

Honestly, she was having fun too and to him is all that mattered. He just watched her pick random items, plopping them in her basket and then turning to him with a brilliant smile, “Are you going to try them on?” he probably sounded more excited than she was right now, the cold water hitting his face minutes before helped him in absolutely nothing. 

“Marcus actually taught me a trick to check if it’ll fit or not, so I don’t have to bother going to the changing room.” oh. He tried to not appear disappointed “Plus, I wouldn’t want to put you through something like that again, you know? It’ll take too long.”

Rooster digs his hands into his pockets, pursing his lips, “Well, I don’t mind.” he murmurs, giving her a gentle shrug and hoping it’d be enough to change her mind. Beatrice looked up at him with her big green eyes blinking, before a smile spread over her face and she held his hand to lead the two of them to the changing rooms. This store had private booths as changing rooms, with a lot of space for a group of people to stay there.

He was already enjoying the small space, especially the red couch that was a lot more comfortable than the one in Marcus’ studio, watching Beatrice disappear behind the wooden door and hearing the sound of clothing being moved. He waited in silence, listening to the songs pumping over the speakers above his head until Beatrice walked out with the orange three piece, tugging the top on her chest just enough to keep his eyes entertained, “How’s this?”

“It’s great.” he says, seeing how the top hugged her cleavage a bit more and made her breasts look fuller while the soft shirt and shorts gave her some coverage while still exposing parts of her body like half of her stomach and her legs. “You look great.”

‘Thank you.” she grins, turning her body halfway to check her own reflection in the mirror inside the changing room, “Hmm…” she twists her torso again, “It’s a bit snug on the back.” she comments, eyeing the seam of her shorts and how it rose up to show more butt than she was accustomed to.

The goblin-voice slowly tried to make itself known, but Rooster’s voice was louder than it was, “I think it looks perfect on you, turn around?” she does and she tries to hold back the eyeroll when he whistles low, “Yeah, yeah I really like that.” he’s even resting his chin on a hand, having the most dopey like smile she had ever seen on him when she takes a look over her shoulder in his direction. “What’s next?”

God he was like a child at a candy store. But she complied. The other outfit was a houndstooth dress that reached her upper thighs and a white long sleeved shirt, “I love this one,” she says, looking at her reflection with a smile, “Reminds me of Clueless a little bit.”

He had his hand in front of his mouth to keep his jaw from falling because honestly anything Beatrice wore he’d be one hundred percent into it, “Yeah.” it’s all he could croak out, earning an amused look from the brunette whose bare feet tapped on the wooden floor as she continued looking at her reflection. “You look gorgeous, either way you know?”

Beatrice smiles,”Thank you, Roos.” pulling the shoulders of the white shirt so it’d be better on her arms, then rolled the sleeves to her elbows to see if it worked just as nicely, “I can use these with some stockings.” she mutters, “And boots, too. It’s not too warm to, like, keep it as winter clothing.” she wrings her hands together nervously then, which makes him furrow his eyebrows in question, “Does this bother you?”

“What?”

Bea just shrugs, “Going shopping with me? I mean,I know some guys don’t like it and think it’s dumb.” Rooster lowered the hand that was supporting his chin, setting his hands on his thighs so he could push himself to stand up and approach Beatrice whose eyes turned away from his.

“I think you know by now that I don’t mind, if it makes you happy then,” he shrugs, wrapping his arms around her waist, “I’m happy. I don’t think it’s boring, I like seeing you try new clothes and ask for my opinion, even if you don't really need it.” Bea blushes a soft red, lowering her eyebrows with a small smile, “I don’t mind it, baby. I really don’t.” he leans down to peck her forehead, then taps her butt lovingly to gently nudge her back into the changing room, “There’s more stuff inside, go on.”

She does, but not before kissing his lips as a thanks, then disappears inside the changing room. Like the others, the following outfits were definitely approved by her boyfriend, who was always so very vocal about her and her body and how much he liked both of those. In the end she ended up just taking three of the outfits: the oranges one, the houndstooth and a baby blue checkered dress with a light beige colored bolero - who would’ve known boleros would still be a thing nowadays? - alongside some funny socks she found on the way out.

“Do you want to get anything?” she asks when they get out of the cashier line, Rooster lifting his arm so she could glue right by his side and drop it around her shoulders to keep her closer to him. “We can if you want.”

“Nah,I’m good.” he murmurs, “I got plenty of clothing, baby.” but it warmed his heart she wanted to get him something when she really didn’t have to. Plus nothing around there really called his attention, nothing for him anyway. They just strolled around the partially full mall, it was getting fuller by the second since it was nearing afternoon, so Rooster kept her away from the groups of people wandering by.

“Funny that the last time we were here, you met Leonardo.” she murmurs as she reminisces, “And I was freaking out about it.”

“Oh, yeah,I remember it.” his eyes casually move to a very specific dark area hidden by artificial plants, “And I also remember you pulling me to the side, right over there.” he nods in said direction, watching Beatrice’s cheeks flame up when she turned to look at it as well, biting her lower lip with a smile, “That was really fun.”

Bea just shakes her head with the same smile, rubbing his knuckles with her thumb and dragging him out of there before he decided to repeat what had happened…not that she wouldn’t want it, it was just she wasn’t sure if she’d be as quiet as last time. They go down the long hallway of clothing stores and random shops, sometimes stopping to analyze a certain outfit - “That doesn’t look good on anyone gorgeous, I’m sorry they shouldn’t even put it on sale.” - or check what was popular in pop culture lately - “I played Among Us with the others, it was terrible and they kicked me out twice and I was not the impostor.”

Bradley however stops them when they approach a bathroom, letting her know he’d be right back and to wait there. She nods, smiling when he leans down to kiss her lips, humming as he tastes her cherry chapstick, “Evil woman.” he murmurs on her mouth, making her laugh softly before gently shoving him towards the bathrooms, where he disappeared with a knowing smirk on his face.

She leaned on one of the large pillars that held the second floor since the benches around her were all occupied. She holds her bag with both hands, looking around the area with curiosity since there were new shops she hasn’t seen before. Mostly were clothing stores, especially brand ones, but the one a few meters away from the bathroom area called her attention.

It was mainly white, with large windows and big golden letters that simply said ‘Grace’ on the upper part of the store. Curiosity took hold of her, looking back to the bathroom door to check if she’d be able to see Rooster even from a different distance,  as she steps closer to the shop. It wasn’t just a clothing store, it was a bridal store.

She halted her movements, clenching the little cord that held her bag with both hands so hard the texture was now inside her palm. She inhaled sharply, nervously looking back to the bathroom door and then back at the store because she couldn’t look away now that she noticed it. The bridal gowns were beautiful, lace, satin, all in mannequins in different bridal poses that would make anyone stop and look.

Beatrice’s eyes moved to each one, her feet taking her closer and closer until her nose almost touched the glass. There was one that definitely called her attention, it even looked a bit vintage by the way it looked on the mannequin with the poofy skirt and lace sleeves that went up to the middle finger almost like a glove. She couldn’t help but admire it, looking at it up and down, seeing that the mannequin was posed in such a way to show all the small details within the fabric, no doubt that would be painfully expensive.

She always wondered what her wedding would be like, she was very inspired by her nonna’s wedding dress, she thought it was so beautiful. Her nonna still had it when she was much younger, she’s not sure if it's still within the family now that she passed, but she recalls her nonna pulling it out of a black box with the smell of mothballs hitting her nose like a punch. 

But it was gorgeous, her nonna mentioned she sewn it herself and it was very…daring for the time, it showed a lot more skin than it was common back in the 50’s. It wasn’t poofy and the sleeves were short - her nonna had a summer wedding - to her mid biceps. The skirt was long with tiny pearl button flowers that clustered by the bottom back of the dress creating a shiny wave of pearlescent colors everytime she moved. While the collar of the dress exposed a lot more cleavage in a heart shaped bustier, where lace and even more tiny pearl flowers adorned the whole rim.

Instead of it being the usual white, her nonna chose for a champagne color that appeared to be white depending on how the light touched it, she said her favorite thing to do at the wedding was ask her drunk family members and friends to discover what color her dress really was. But honestly, Beatrice would want something…with less pearls, maybe something with more lace and that showed her shoulders and collarbones, it could show a bit of cleavage too and– what was she doing.

Her eyes widened in realization that she was still looking at the mannequin, still staring at the bridal shop like she was going to have her wedding soon. Jesus Christ, she hasn’t even moved in with Bradley yet. It had to be the lack of attention from a guy that genuinely cared about her, because this made no sense at all. Slowly and as inconspicuous as she could, she backed away from the store and tried to keep herself still and eyes away from it as she waited for Rooster to return.

Her paranoia only screamed that he’d know she looked and he’d be weirded out so she better come up with something else fast before he got curious. So, moving her eyes around frantically, she noticed another store she hadn’t seen before on the complete opposite side from the bridal shop and decided that they were going to go there. And just in time too, because Bradley walked out rubbing his hands together with a smile, “They got nice soap in there.” he comments casually, “I don’t think my hands ever smelled this good. They usually have those scentless ones.”

Beatrice only nodded, immediately holding his hand and tugging him the opposite side, “That’s good!” she says quickly, “Um, so I just remembered I had to buy something else, so uh, follow me!” He does, a bit confused, seeing she’s almost power walking away from where she once stood, leading the two of them to a colorful store he hadn’t noticed before. Beatrice isn’t paying attention to what the store sells, she just stops in front of it and looks at Rooster, “Well, here we are!”

He looks at the front of the store then back at her with his eyebrows furrowed, “Uh…okay? What exactly are you going to get in a baby store?”

Baby store.

Beatrice’s face lost all color immediately, her eyes widening comically as she finally turned to face the shop. It was a baby shop, more specifically it was a clothing store for ages zero to four, literally not a single one of her nephews or nieces fell in that category, “Oh…ah…” quick, come up with something fast, “Oh!Um, well Eliza has a niece and she– her sister! Um kinda got surprised with the birth so she doesn’t h-have a lot of clothes! So she u-uh asked if we could help in any way.”

Rooster furrowed his eyebrows a bit more, irises moving back to the colorful baby store as he took in her explanation, “Okay.” he says finally and Beatrice feels a mix of relief and regret because it was like that instead of jumping into a pool of crocodiles she decided that a pool of lava would be better! She’s burning red when they walk in, the sweet xylophone version of Daisy Bell coming out the speakers alongside the obvious baby noises from the other customers inside the store made Beatrice feel like she should probably die about now.

She made up a story, she had to get baby clothes - infant clothes - because she couldn’t lie to him again. She eased out a nervous breath, the two of them standing awkwardly in between the several racks of tiny clothing  before Beatrice took them forward. She had no idea what to look for, she made up a story out of nervousness because she thought her seeing wedding dresses was bad enough.

Eventually, thankfully, she stops by the infant section where several tiny outfits hang on animal themed hangers, several colors and sizes greet her nervous gaze and she just picks a random one, “This one looks good!” she looks down at it finally, her eyes softening when she takes notice of what it actually looked like. It was a newborn onesie, so small in her hands, with the sleeves and the chest in white and the tummy and legs forming a sleeping duck in baby yellow and orange.

Oh that was too cute.

And her brain was sending messages to her body that weren’t welcome right now because this wasn’t…for her…it was for Eliza’s imaginary sister and newborn daughter. “That’s pretty cute.” he says from over her shoulder, looking down at the tiny onesie with the same eyes as Beatrice, his chest clenching with a want he didn’t dare to voice it outloud, “Do you think Eliza’s sister will like it?”

Beatrice takes her eyes from the onesie, finding out it came with a duck beanie as well and she almost squealed out at how cute it was, “Oh, um, yes. I think she will.” She could almost smell that baby scent she got everytime a new baby would be introduced into the family, it was almost like a ghost scent that traveled all the way into her nose and latched itself there, almost refusing to leave. 

She tries to keep her eyes on the wrapping taking place once she places the tiny onesie in front of the cashier and not on the several baby pictures around the walls, the small stuffed toys still boxed on the shelves and especially the constant baby giggling coming from the other families around the shop. Bea thanks the woman, returning to grab Rooster’s hand as the two make their way out of the store with Beatrice slowly sighing out in relief, “Well that’s done! Hah,” she laughs nervously, looking down at the tiny bag inside her much larger bag of clothes, “G-Glad I could get it.”

“I didn’t know Eliza had a sister,” she doesn’t, she’s an only child, “Does she live in Cali?”

Beatrice blinks her eyes at him, then looks down to think of a response, “Uh…uh yeah! Yeah, she lives in…S-San Francisco.” she tries to hold back her nervous stutter, “So, I’m going to give this to Eliza uh…tomorrow! Since she’s going to visit her sister then and such.”

“Sounds good.” there was something in his tone, something she could notice was clinging to his tongue and begging to come out but he was holding it back. She didn’t know what it was, she just knew it was something he desired to say but couldn’t, maybe not yet, she wouldn’t push it out of him. “Those were pretty cute clothes in there.” he says holding out his hand for her to give him the bag again

“Yeah.” she agrees, looking down at the small bag when she passes it towards him, “Kids are fashionable these days. I even saw a little suit, it was really cute.”

“I mean I used to have Ninja Turtles shirts and shorts, and now kids are wearing suits and ball gowns at age two.” he chuckles, shaking his head with amusement “Fucking crazy, I think kids should wear kid clothes, you know, let them be kids and wear stupid shit they won’t use it anymore as an adult.”

“Yeah, it is a bit weird seeing how some of those outfits resemble something I’d wear to my everyday life.” especially a cute little cardigan dress combo with tiny boots! But those were cute and not weird, “But I mean, I don’t know, I think you can give kids cool clothing. Make the other kids at preschool super jealous.” she giggles, smiling wider when he laughs along, “Oh, come on, wouldn’t you think it’d be cute seeing a little kid wearing an aviator jacket and sunglasses? How badass would that be?”

For a second he saw it, a miniature version of himself and Beatrice wearing an aviator jacket much like his and his sunglasses. He could see their tiny legs running up to him and hugging his own before he picked them up– okay, that was quite enough. He had to stop this constant thinking because he wasn’t going to be able to hide how much going to a baby store messed with his brain. 

It’s not his fault that he wanted something more with Beatrice, was it? It wasn’t his fault he loved her so much and wanted to have the word he will not think about because it’d just grow into another thought of future musings. And this has been happening a lot often and yet they haven’t moved in together yet, so instead of voicing his wants he’s going to hold it in, “Yeah it’d be pretty badass.” he finally says after a few seconds of being lost in his own daydreaming, smiling down at her, “Aviator jackets are pretty cool after all.”

“And warm.” she adds, her cheeks reddening sweetly as she interlaces their fingers together, “The world has changed Roos, kids no longer wear mismatched clothing of random 90’s characters and huge windbreakers. They are all tiny fashion models now.”

“Good were the times when you could be just a dumb kid.” he chuckles, bringing her closer to himself as they walk down the hall towards the other side of the mall. 

Beatrice felt much calmer, amazingly, after a while. She got them both some boba tea to enjoy on the way out of the mall, Bradley with his black tea and Bea with her mango one, sunglasses in front of their eyes as they made their way towards the Bronco.

Bea smiled in thanks when Bradley placed her things on the backseat, in return she held his tea so he could do it with his hands free. They both sat inside the Bronco, sipping their own cold beverages but not moving from the parking lot, choosing to finish it there would be wiser than balancing on the way out. Beatrice’s eyes moved to everyone walking to their cars, then her vision turned upwards where she could see the sky turning gray with rain clouds approaching in the distance, “Rain? Right now?” she questions, “Weird, I hadn’t seen anything about it on the weather apps.”

“I think from what we’ve seen this past weekend,” he murmurs with the straw between his teeth, “Weather apps shouldn’t be really trusted.” she smiles at the joke, but her eyes wander back to the rain clouds slowly rolling by, the wind picking up around them, “We better go, I feel this might be a rough one.” he finishes what’s last of his tea so quickly Bea couldn’t even notice it, but she does hold his empty cup so he can wipe his hand and drive out of the parking lot.

Beatrice’s green eyes kept looking at the clouds, seeing the grayish blue turn almost black in the sky, it was really terrifying to see honestly..but it also brought a memory out of her, “Do you remember that time you took me home?” she begins, “Before we dated, after the game on the beach and I was alone at the bar.”

“I do remember.” he replies with his eyes on the road, “Hard to believe it’s been…six months ago.” 

“Yeah…honestly I was really mad that night…I wasn’t–well, I was mad at Shells and myself for pulling that out, you know? I mean,I was crushing hard on you and I was wearing–”

“Those shorts that hid nothing from view. I was being a gentleman and not looking I promise.” he flicks his eyes towards her, seeing her squinted look, “Listen, I could admire you from my peripheral vision.”

Beatrice scoffs, shaking her head with a laugh before she continues, “I got so freaked out because– that was the most people have seen of my body and skin, especially you, you know? I just freaked out.” she confesses, leaning back against the seat with a soft sigh, slurping the mango bubbles and popping them in her mouth, “And now…now I just,I don’t know, I guess I’m better.”

Rooster frowns a bit, dropping a hand to caress her jeans covered leg, thumb rubbing soothing circles on the side of her thigh, “You are,” he says, “I’m really proud of you. I’m glad to see you open up more.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah, and the fact you are getting adventurous with your clothing is something I appreciate a whole lot.” his huge hand squeezes her thigh for emphasis, “You are beautiful, Bea, you really are. And I’m not saying this because I’m in love with you and you just drive me fucking crazy, but because anyone could see it.”

Beatrice smiles sweetly, dropping her own hand on top of his to rub his knuckles in thanks “Thank you, Roos.” she says, watching the raindrops fall down the glass with her eyes following a specific one that disappeared on the side of her door. A low rumble of thunder shook the car, making both of them look up in surprise at how loud it was, “God it’s going to get really cold.”

“You played in the snow, I think you can handle this.” Bea jutted her lower lip in displeasure, making his own lips curl upwards in a pleased grin as he drove them both away.

[heavenknowsffs]

11 13 43 54 55 56 57 61 70 71 72

hii! thank you <3

11. Are you happy?

Here and there, i've come to accept there's no such thing as being happy, there's happy moments in between your life, there's dull moments which are the most part of it and there's sad moments. I think what counts is make the most of happy moments and make the dull ones turn happy whenever you can so they trump the sad parts. There's no sunshine without rain as they say

13. Dogs or Cats?

Dogs since i've always only had dogs but i actually love both

43. Would you rather live in the countryside or the city?

I've done both so... it's hard tbh the city has much more career opportunities and the countryside is calmer/safer but living in the countryside is a nightmare because: everyone knows you and gossip ensues because there's literally not much else to do except drink, smoke, sleep and gossip; no career opportunities so either live off a farm or nothing else; not a lot to do unless in summer it's cool to go to the river. the city also sucks for some reasons like too many people, the rent is too expensive, but there's also more to do

so bottom line is i love my village and would love to retire and die there but i want to explore while i'm young and find my career goals which i can only do in a city (also my hometown is pretty much a mix between city and countryside so that's kinda cool)

54. Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

behind always that's why i became a photographer adkjals

55. Do you have a collection of anything?

I collect coasters, cds and started my record collection

56. Do you save money or spend it?

I try to save but.. in this economy... if you save something and you want to treat yourself a tiny bit .... well there it goes and mind you the definition of "treat yoself" for me personally doesn't usually extend past 20€, one meal out/takeout and a snack at the supermarket

57. What would your dream house be like?

Simply a house i could call my own. Don't even want a big house or anything, a tiny appartment that was 100% mine would make me happy af. but if i had to dream "big" i'd say a couple of bedrooms so i could have people over, a good garden for summer get togethers, a nice spacious kitchen like those youtubers that cook have, a music studio and a living room that's like a rock star living room (think guitars in the walls, record player etc) a kind of dinning room just for get togethers and stuff, bathroom and all those other necessary rooms, maybe a craft room (the garage?) and a hidden library like in a movie

61. You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

a) maybe? maybe not b) i think i'd gather all my money and go travel or go to a concert (depending on the month), would def quit my job, and would prob drink too much only to then find out i lived more than a month because you never know these things c) can't say tbh

70. What is your ideal partner like?

Someone kind, funny, same political views (just like in terms of human rights lmao, a lot of people don't believe in human rights tho so gotta specify), same music taste or similar (because we need to go to concerts together ofc), same interests, and good vibes

71. Do you want to get married?

not really

72. Do you want to have kids?

absolutely not

thank you for the asks!

[lollypopsx]

Flatmate!Harry: I’ll Make It Up To You - Part 3

Please like if it’s not too shabby, re-blog for anyone who you think may enjoy this and follow if you want to see more! Any suggestions are happily taken for future writing! I love you all! be safe and be kind x

Part 1 - Part 2 

Word Count: 3.9K 

Warnings: I think slight swearing, One sentence of smutty language. 

A/N-The bold bits are a flashback! 

————————— 

 You were spending your Wednesday afternoon doing housework and cleaning up your apartment. In the last two weeks, you had been helping Harry here and there with writing some songs, but you never wanted to take any credit for his work. You were just happy to help. 

You’d both let the mess pile up a little bit, mainly paper thrown everywhere, scribbled with random lyrics and instrument chords. You had vowed to yourself that you weren’t going to write anymore or get yourself lost in your musical dream world, but Harry always seemed to manage to get you sucked in to help.

You pick up your phone to dial H, letting it ring a few times.

“Y/N? Are you okay? Everything fine?” Harry answers worriedly.

You couldn’t help but chuckle “Everything is fine, I just phoned to see if you needed any of that paper on the piano or if it can be thrown?”

“Erm, maybe just stick it in a pile in my room and I’ll go through and sort it later. What are you doing?”

“I’m cleaning our pigsty of an apartment Haz!” You laugh and smile. 

“Look at you being a wife” He teases and chuckles. 

“Shut up, or you’ll be my next victim! Do you want me to wash your bedding too?”

“Ohhh yes please! You’re an angel!”

“Someone’s got to be” You smile. “And your spare sheets are in the drawer under your bed?” You hold your phone to your ear with your shoulder as you pile the thrown papers together. 

“Yeah I think I- Erm...a-actually I can put the sheets on when I’m home!” He says quickly. You were slightly taken back by the change in his tone. “Are you sure?”

“Y-yeah....yeah I...I forgot I’d bought some new ones a while ago and they’re...they’re still in my car” He fakes a chuckle, although you soon became oblivious to his cover story.

“Did you manage to get those silky black ones?!” You gasp.

“Y-yeah...yeah I did”...fuck. “I gotta go, Jeff’s pestering me to sign some stuff. I’ll see you later”

“Okie dokie, see you later. Text me when you’re leaving the studio and I’ll start dinner.” 

“Thanks babe, laters” He sighs softly and hangs up. “I need to order black silk sheets on Amazon asap...” He groans.

“You still haven’t told her?!” Jeff sighs, his head shaking. “Harry you need to do it sooner or later...”

“I know but she might freak out!” Harry’s brows furrowed as he kicks the floor softly. “Right...let’s keep going” He sighs.

You cleaned the apartment top to toe, and you couldn’t help admit that you did feel much better. It felt cosier than before, and on this particular day, the sun was glowing, warming your skin through the window.

You promised yourself you wouldn’t do this. You promised yourself two weeks ago that you wouldn’t be doing this. You promised yourself that you wouldn’t put your mind back into your past and be sitting writing songs about old feelings and passed experiences. But here you were...

Using the back of the scraps of paper from Harry’s pile, you were spilling out every word that came to mind, like every feeling in your chest was finally released. Your fingers glided across the piano keys flawlessly with the words you had pieced together, falling perfectly from your mouth. The weight being lifted made you wish you had done this months ago.

—————————

“Come on babe, everyone’s already waiting for us at the party...your birthday party which me and all your friends have thrown for you and we’re late!” Your boyfriend Adam teased as he smiled, “You look great” He chuckles as he grabs his jacket. 

“Okay, I’m ready! Let’s go. I can’t believe you guys all managed to book out Club 21 for me!” You grin as you followed him into the taxi towards the club.

“You dropped my hand while dancing, so I left you out there standing...crestfallen on the stage with...champagne problems

You had a cheap ring for it...my picture in your wallet...but my heart was glass and you dropped it...now I have champagne problems” 

The music was pounding as you danced around happily with all your friends on the dance floor. You were having the best night of your life so far. Surrounded by all of yours and Adam’s best friends. You pant as you escape the crowded dance floor and head over to the bar, joining your friend Niall, and your best friend and flat mate Harry, who were both best friends too. 

“Hello birthday girl!” Niall grins and hugs you tightly, kissing your cheek. “It’s not my birthday yet!” You laugh and hug him tightly, then hugging Harry. “Not for another...57 minutes” Harry smiles.

“Have you guys seen Adam? He said he’d get me a drink and I haven’t seen him since!” You say over the music. “I think he’s in the toilet...I’ll go find him. H can get you a drink” Niall pats your back and heads to the men’s toilets.

“Did you tell your family the real reason? Or did you keep it in?...Your mum had splashed out on the bottle...now no ones celebrating”

“Dom  Pérignon, you brought it...but our friends never applauded...your hometown skeptics say it’s...champagne problems”

As Niall strolled into the toilets, he checked his hair in the mirror, noticing a pair of white trainers and red heels in the reflection, hidden behind a cubical door. He smirked and chuckled quietly until he heard “Ohhh fuck, Adam keep going” the female moaned softly. Surely not...there must be plenty of Adam’s in the club. “Mmm I haven’t been able to resist you since I arrived...fuck you’re so tight baby” Adam moaned. It was him. Niall felt the fury cause redness to his cheeks and it took all of his will power not the break the door down and beat Adam to a pulp. He knew where he needed to be most importantly.

His fists were clenched as he left and walked over to the bar “Y/N...” Niall couldn’t help the frown on his lips. You smile as you saw him come back “There you are, was he in there?” 

“Y/N I need to tell you something...” Niall gulped. You couldn’t help but feel like his expression said every word you had been so scared to hear. And he never had to say a word, as you saw Adam stumbling out the men’s bathroom, with an unknown female following out 10 seconds later. You had no words, everything you wanted to say...to scream. You wanted to cry. You wanted to punch something.

 “I’m going to fucking kill him” You heard a mutter from Harry. But you couldn’t react.

“Was it all for the money...or all for the show...I found out that you cheated so I had to go...I always thought I’d know the answer, ‘til you were on your knee and asked me”

You went to storm up to Adam but he was long gone. You had no clue where he had gone...was this it? Was that how he leaves us? As you turn back to Harry and Niall, their eyes were no longer on you, their dark, angry  eyes watching up at the stage. Adam appeared with a wide grin on his face.

“Where’s Y/N?” He calls out. If you hadn’t of just seen him fall out the bathroom with another girl, you would never have believed he could do something so breaking. “Adam...what are you doing?” You mumble, feeling tears in your eyes. Harry and Niall stood close behind you.

“Come up here baby” Adam grins, but before you could even attempt to run away, you were being pulled up onto stage by two of your other friends, who clearly didn’t know what had just happened. 

Was this it? Was he about to break up with you 45 minutes before your birthday...in front of all your friends? You couldn’t think of anything more embarrassing. But oh no, this was much worse.

"I was going to do this in 45 minutes...but unfortunately, one of our friends has to leave the celebrations early for work tomorrow...” Adam smiles brightly at you. You felt sick to your stomach. How could he have the audacity act like he hadn’t just cheated and broken your heart.

You were still in shock. Everything was happening so fast, that you didn’t focus until you realised Adam was on his knee. “Y/N Y/L/N...will you marry me?” He pulls out a small ring, that was clearly not going to fit you. It would definitely cut off your circulation!

The lights were bright in your eyes, as they reflected the tears threatening to spill. But they weren’t the happy tears you always dreamed you’d have at this moment. He pushed the ring up into your hand, silently begging you to take it. You don’t know why...but you held the ring in your hands loosely.

“H-how could you cheat on me...” You whisper, only loud enough for him to hear. You could see the guilt in his eyes as everyone was about to cheer, assuming you’d said yes...but the crowd quickly fell silent as you shook your head, you just wanted to run.

You rushed down the steps at the side of the stage and pushed through the crowd, your legs feeling like jelly as you crashed through the doors and ran...you just ran. The tears finally freed themselves as you let out heavy sobs.

You heard people shouting your name down the street but you couldn’t stop. You were scared to face whatever happened next. You ran and ran until you felt two arms grab you from behind “Hey...shhh c’mere it’s me” As soon as you heard Harry’s hushed tones, you stopped resisiting his grip. You turned into his chest and clutched his shirt, sobbing loudly as you wanted to fall into a pile there and then. His arms protectively tightened around you, his head resting ontop of yours.

“I got you...I’ve always got you. Niall’s getting the car and we’re taking you straight home” 

“...I could of made such a lovely wife...what a shame you fucked up my head... they said “you’ll find the real thing instead...and he’ll patch up the pieces you’ve shred.... and he’ll...hold my hand while dancing...I’ll never leave him standing, crestfallen on the stage with Champagne Problems”

The journey home was painfully silent apart from your sobs. Harry held you closely as Niall drove. “I’ll pop round tomorrow ok...text me if you need anything” Niall says to Harry, pressing a kiss to your forehead before you get out the car. “Thanks Ni” You mumble. “Anytime princess” He gives you a sweet smile before driving home. 

Harry gets you inside, you wipe your soaked cheeks with the back of your hand. You headed straight to the fridge intending to get some water, but instead you found two bottles of champagne which had been sat in the fridge since Christmas.

“Better late than never...” You mutter and take them to the sofa. You popped one open and took a large mouthful from the bottle. Harry brought in a hoodie of his for you, wrapping it around your arms as you suddenly burst into heavy sobs. “Why me?!” You scream into his chest.

“No you’re perfect...he doesn’t deserve you” He whispers, holding you close to him. “You don’t need him. You have me...and Niall”

You whimpered as you took swigs from your bottle very quickly. It tasted awful. But nothing tasted worse than heartbreak.

“Hey Y/N…happy birthday m’darling” he whispers “I’ll make sure you have the best day”

“A cheap ring in your pocket...her picture in your wallet...you won't remember all my...champagne problems

Have you forgotten all my champagne problems?

Now, his mum’s ring in his pocket...my picture in his wallet...he’ll never give me any...champagne problems

He helped to cure all of my champagne problems...”

The next morning, you woke with a heavy head. You found yourself quickly remembering the night before. You sat up slowly, feeling an arm tightly wrapped around your waist. You and Harry had fallen asleep on the sofa...you must have cried yourself to sleep after demolishing one and a half bottles of champagne.

“How are you feeling?” Harry whispers, his hand brushing your hair back gently. You stare at the ring on the table. “I...I don’t know. I never thought this would happen to me...I though this was it.” You mumble sadly. “I thought I was enough” You whisper silently. His heart broke and the ide that you felt you weren’t enough. “You will always be enough...” He frowns and holds you. Kissing your head. He’d never wished more than to have the ability to take someone’s pain away. 

“Y-you...you won’t leave me too will you Harry?” You sniffle, your head resting on his chest.

“Never...I’ll never leave you” He mutters into your hair.

“What if I’m alone forever...what if I can’t heal from this?” You whimper

“You’ll find it. I know you thought you did...but you’ll find the real thing instead, and whoever it is will patch your heart up. And you won’t ever need to leave him” He whispers reassuringly.

————————— 

 You play around with the last two versions of the chorus, completely oblivious to Harry’s presence in the doorway until you heard a small shuffle from that direction

Your head snapped up “Jesus Harry! I didn’t know you would be home yet...You scared the life out of me! What’s wrong?” You frown as you run up to him, throwing your arms up around his shoulders, noticing his furrowed brow and the sad frown on his lips.

“I...that was so beautiful Y/N...and it just reminds me of how much he hurt you...a-and you...y-you’ve grown so much” He whispers softly, his arms tightly wrapping around you. “You never deserve to be treated like that...and I still hear you crying some nights, I just couldn’t face seeing you that way and...and I-I knew you’d kill me if I barged in...” He mutters, his eyes grazing the floor, as you let out a small laugh. “And you wrote a song again...I’m so fucking proud” 

“It’s okay Harry...I’m okay now!” You whisper, holding his cheeks in your hands. “I just needed to do it. One final time, and that’s it now. I’m going to get a proper job and-”

“Y/N I need to talk to you.” Harry cuts you off. “I was planning on having this conversation with you in a much nicer setting...but I don’t think I can wait.”

This was it...you didn’t realise how much you had craved to hear those three words fall from Harry’s mouth after months of trying to convince yourself that you didn’t feel that way.

“I’ve got you a recording contract with me for the new album...I want you on it. It’s been sat under my bed for weeks ready to give to you but I was worried you’d say no-” Harry says nervously.

You almost didn’t realise what he’d said until it was too late and you already started speaking.

“Harry I love you too...I-” You gasp as your hand flies in front of your mouth. No. No. No no no. This was not happening! You had single handedly embarrassed the shit out of your self and ruined the rest of your life. You wanted the ground to swallow you whole and spit you out in Australia.

“W-what?” Harry froze, taken back by the sudden confession. He didn’t know what to say, but to say he was shocked was an understatement.

“What...” You tried to act natural. Wishing to take back the last 5 seconds. “Oh...that’s erm...that would be a good read...you can just slide it under my door and I’ll read it in 3-5 working days.” You mutter quickly. You didn’t  slipping past him, to disappear into your bedroom.

“Y/N...wait!” His hand grabs your wrist “...you love me?” His gaze fell soft into yours. You thought of every excuse to get out of this situation, as scared as you was to admit it...it was out now. 

“Y-yeah...” you whisper, staring into his eyes, praying to make some sense of how he felt towards you. You so badly wanted him to speak, but the silence hanging between the two of you was deafening. You needed to know.

“D-do...do you...Do you love me Harry?” Your voice croaked. 

Of course he did...

“I-I don’t know...” You couldn’t help but feel your heart shatter some more, the sparkle in your eye slowly fading. And at that moment, you know you had ruined the best friendship of your life. You prepared yourself for Harry to leave the room, pack a bag and go to stay at Niall’s. But he just stood there, analysing your face intensely. You began to pull your hand away from his and run quickly.

“No...wait! Y/N I didn’t mean it like that I just...Well you always had Adam...and you’ve always been my best friend...and then when you guys split up, I...I was so angry because I knew I could never do that to you, and I wanted to change that so badly, but I never wanted to my feelings to get in the way of our friendship. I don’t ever want to loose you Y/N...I always thought I just wanted what I can’t have...until I knew I wanted to protect you for the rest of my life...I love you...I’ve always loved you Y/N, I just didn’t want to ruin anything...” He whispers, his bright eyes sparking as the warm sunset glow flooded your apartment.

“H-have I ruined it all....” You whimper softly, feeling your breath getting stuck in your throat.

“Never...” He whispers, one of his hands cupping your cheek, and the other locking into the side of your neck as you felt soft tears slipping down your cheeks. You had never been so terrified of losing someone. But that worry was soon washed away when you felt Harry’s soft pink lips press against yours. Sparks were flying through your blood as you wasted no time kissing him back with every ounce of passion until you couldn’t breath.

Neither of you wanted to beak the kiss...but Harry also didn’t want the pair of you to collapse. He pulled his lips away from yours, pressing his forehead against yours, the both of you panting heavily. 

“I love you so fucking much” He whispers, tears filling his eyes.

—————————

- 3 Months Later -

"Y/N we need to get you downstairs, we don’t have time to get you mic’d up up here, Graham has already started the show, so we’ll mic you up in the wings” A runner knocked on your dressing room.

“Ok I’m ready lets go...” You get up from the chair and check yourself in the mirror quickly. You had a beautiful red dress on, the sleeves hung off the shoulders and there was a slit in the leg of the floor length material. You had sparkly silver heels on, which looked like diamonds when they caught the light. Your hair was curled in a half up, half down style, with your normal glamourous makeup. 

Harry was in the wings waiting, speaking to a few other people as you were getting mic’d up. He was in a red suit, to match the colour of your dress, with a white shirt, his shoes just white this time. He glanced up with a wide grin. “There she is...mmm look at my beauty” He smirks happily and presses a kiss to your lips, holding your hips as a runner was hiding the wire in your dress.

“And you’re on in 3...2...1...” 

“Please welcome Harry Styles and Y/N Y/L/N!”

Harry took your hand as you followed him onto the set of The Graham Norton Show, the crowd cheering happily as you are greeted with a hug and kiss on the cheek from Graham, returning happily, and sitting down beside Harry after he gave the same greeting.

“Hello hello and welcome! It’s an honour to have you both here tonight on my sofa...although you have both sort of blended in” He chuckles

“Yeah...we didn’t really think about that until we got changed...” Harry chuckles, his hand holding yours tightly as you smile, taking a sip of wine from your glass.

“So we have a lot to talk about tonight...but firstly...congratulations on your new album! It sounds incredible and I know I’m not the only one wondering this, but how did you find working together while being in a relationship? Because your relationship only came into public view after the album was released...Now you two have lived together for...4 years is that right?” Graham asks.

“Yeah so...actually we have been best friends and flat mates for years, we’ve always had such a heavy impact on each others lives but we always both sort of thought it was just friendship. Around a year ago now I went through a really difficult break up and Harry was there every step of the way. Since then I always knew I loved Harry but it wasn’t until just after we had written the first version of Fine Line that I found out he felt the same” Your eyes gleam just talking about it.

“So...you two wrote Fine Line together, was that the first song you wrote for the album?” He looks over at Harry

“Actually, I’d already written Watermelon Sugar, Golden and Adore You. Fine Line was next and I was writing it at home. Naturally every song I write, Y/N is one of the first to hear, whether it’s in the living room, or when she’s in the bath and I sit outside the door to play it. It’s always been that way, even before we got together.”

Graham nods and smiles “You can’t let the poor woman have a bath in peace!” He jokes and teases as you both laugh. “So did you decide to name the album Fine Line because it’s the first song you wrote together?”

“I know!” Harry chuckles “sort of...Fine Line actually came about after...well it was after a prank I tried to pull on Y/N which went horribly wrong, then she finally forgave me and I was talking to her in the kitchen about how I was struggling to write emotional songs at the time. And the words she said to me really stuck...that night I sat at the piano and tried to piece together our conversation in a song. Y/N came to help me and she just...she’s really the saving grace. So I think yeah...maybe that was one of the reasons we called in Fine Line.”

“That’s incredible...and Y/N you were actually going to give up music weren’t you? Thank god you didn’t” Graham smiles.

You blush softly “I was...I just as going through a rough time. I helped Harry with the song and then I said I would quit. Then a couple of weeks later, Harry declared his love for me after he’d told me he had a joint record deal contract for us, to include me in the album” you tease with a smirk.

Harry grins widely and laughs quietly “I think the details of that have been slightly twisted...” He teases as you blush.

“Well I can’t wait to hear that story later! Now are there going to be any more joint albums...?” Graham asks curiously.

“...” You both look between each other “Time will tell Graham” Harry winks.

“Well...we are goin to go to an ad break now, but stay tuned because you don’t want to miss the first ever live performance of Fine Line by Harry Styles and Y/N Y/L/N!”

The crowd cheer loudly as the cameras cut to an ad break.

“I’m not waffling too much right?...it is my first ever proper interview” You mumble slightly as Harry and Graham sat with you in conversation while you were having your makeup touched up.

“You’re doing great baby...everyone loves you. I told you I’d make it all up to you when I stole your clothes and you missed that audition...” He grins cheekily.

“Now that’s a story I definitely need to hear!” Graham laughs along with the audience

—————————

Tag List: @harryhoney-bee - @sunandherflores - @sad-capuccino @beachwood-cafe

[bloodpacks-archive]

MUSIC OF THE RFA (+V AND SAERAN) HEADCANONS

first is zen’s taste - okay, so yes, zen loves his show tunes and will absolutely listen to broadway soundtracks a good 57% of the time. That being said, he also really enjoys classic rock. he got into it around the time he was in that motorcycle gang, and even though he doesn’t uphold a lot of the values that he had there anymore, he still finds himself listening whenever he really needs to go out for a ride. sometimes, the mc will find him jamming out with some headphones in while he works out or while he cooks. he gets a bit ridiculous with it sometimes—air guitar and everything—and might even grab her and start dancing with her even though she can’t hear the music.

next is yoosung’s taste - when he isn’t listening to the lolol soundtrack (which, i’m gonna be real, is a really good chunk of his time) he’s got this weird taste for like, 80s pop. which, i get it man, but you visit him and he’s got Take On Me playing in the speakers and you could definitely hear it all the way down the halls. you have to tell him to put in headphones so he doesn’t get a noise complaint. but honestly, it’s really sweet sometimes to come into his dorm and hear him quietly singing along to a song while he plays lolol. he says music helps him concentrate better if he’s not playing in team chat. but when he isn’t listening to 80s pop, he’s got the lolol music on. he specifically uses it when he studies because he says it helps him to focus, but really it just makes him want to play more.

jaehee’s music taste - yes. jaehee listens to zen’s music on repeat. but i like to think when her comphet finally breaks down and she pulls away from her obsession with him for a good few minutes she likes to listen to some soft rock and some jazz. carole king just works for this. It’s Too Late is one of her favorite songs, and she’ll dance around her bakery with a bowl of dough set to rise in her hands—finally a little more carefree—and sing to herself. the mc will laugh at her and steal one of her bluetooth headphones so she can dance with her and then they’ll dissolve into quiet laughter before the oven timer interrupts them.

what a guy! jumin han’s music taste - he’s big into classical music. he really loves impressionist piano, but he also really enjoys the violin, actually. with that though, he doesn’t only listen to classical. jumin actually listens to a lot of blues. he really likes etta james and the mc can find him quietly playing some of his favorite blues songs on his record player after a stressful day, a glass of red wine not far from his lips. when he gets a little drunk, he’ll grab her by the hand and spin her around. he likes slow dancing at night sometimes, and he’s good on his feet, even with a little wine in him, so he’ll twirl her and hold her close while the record player hums in the background.

mmm. saeyoung choi’s music - i’ve said this a lot and i will continue to say it: saeyoung choi loves freddie dredd. other (similar) artists include rav and kill bill: the rapper, but he also branches out from rap a bit! he likes the song Just Like Honey by The Jesus and Mary Chain, too, mainly because it really fills up his headphones. it’s a weird sensation, but he says the way it sounds when he wears his headphones can help him if he’s been having issues with noise that day. otherwise, he loves the way freddie dredd and those other artists make him feel. he loves playing them in the car because for once he can feel a little unstoppable without being tied to a computer. so much of that is his identity, and since he doesn’t go out on missions that much anymore, he can kind of feel like he’s lost some of that resolve he had when he was a bit younger. music can help him get that back. and honestly, when he’s driving and he’s singing along, he gets really confident. it’s definitely not uncommon for him to reach over and place a hand on the mc’s thigh while he’s driving with her, or even to play with her hair absentmindedly—really anything to just touch her while he drives and feels as confident as he does.

god. jihyun’s music taste... - mitski with like a sprinkle of hozier. boom you’ve got the music taste. he honestly just really loves the power behind mitski’s music. there’s something about the way she communicates through her craft that he really admires. he also adores everything about how she performs. from an artist’s standpoint—he’s completely enthralled by it. sometimes, the mc will hear her quietly playing in their apartment and will walk into jihyun’s studio to find him painting to her music. it’s honestly this really sweet, calming feeling just from being in there. sometimes, though, he gets really caught up in his piece and the song and it can be pretty emotional for him—especially if the piece has something to do with his trauma which, honestly, he starts to explore a bit in the later years at the recommendation of his therapist. sometimes, she walks in and has to put her arms around him and remind him that it’s okay to feel the way he does, and he can feel grounded again.

finally, it’s saeran’s music - saeran ends up really liking movie score. he has a certain affinity to the coraline soundtrack because he likes all the different notes and all the separation between them. he likes how simplistic it is, is what i’m getting at. but he also really enjoys score from period pieces, like pride and prejudice. he finds the piano to be really calming and likes to listen while he gardens! it gets to the point that he knows the pieces by name just from the first few notes, and he’ll be humming the pieces around the house even when he’s not listening.

[carllisle]

I posted 2,009 times in 2021

371 posts created (18%)

1638 posts reblogged (82%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 4.4 posts.

I added 1,142 tags in 2021

#ask - 252 posts

#carlesme - 200 posts

#carlisle - 129 posts

#anon - 112 posts

#twilight - 107 posts

#esme - 102 posts

#rosalie - 68 posts

#the cullanos - 62 posts

#fanart - 57 posts

#breaking dawn - 53 posts

Longest Tag: 112 characters

#as the person who has to clean the kitchen up after their against-the-pizza-oven sessions you’d never forget it.

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

i made a who’s your olympic coven spouse quiz and its definitive lmk who your sexy spouse is 

604 notes • Posted 2021-01-07 22:11:35 GMT

#4

shout to the lesbian and bisexual women in the twilight fandom truly the backbone of this community!!!!!!!!!! 

628 notes • Posted 2021-02-19 18:17:06 GMT

#3

remember when emmett bought a new radio for bellas truck and installed it and remember how when they were protecting her from james he did it not only because he loved the fight but because he already loved her and remember how he was so happy at her birthday that he hugged her and span her around remember how bella crossed the field to the volturi and looked behind her for emmet to join her and with a single glance, no words needed, he went to her REMEMBER HOW MUCH EMMETT AND BELLA LOVED EACH OTHER

686 notes • Posted 2021-07-11 15:20:50 GMT

#2

“No one has ever loved anyone as much as I love you” miss bella, your father in law waited hundreds of years to find his soulmate, and he bought her an island that he named after her meanwhile ur dusty 17 yr old who yahoo searched “immortalicum” for some reason gave you the ugliest hand-me-down ring after you refused his proposal like 3 times. respectfully shut up

687 notes • Posted 2021-01-31 00:26:46 GMT

#1

it’s so sad to think that bella went to the ballet studio to die in her mother’s place, to sacrifice herself for her mother, and rene couldn’t even make the effort to go to bellas graduation

965 notes • Posted 2021-09-17 13:51:21 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[yoongailrecs]

Min Yoongi Fic Recs Masterlist

Note: If some links aren’t working, please feel free to send me a message! I’ll be adding more fics every weekend. Thanks and enjoy!

@bangtan-dreamland​

One Shots

Rain - angst, a little fluff

“Yoongi spends too much time at the studio, leaving you to wake alone in your house all too often. But it’s okay. After all, it’s all too easy to notice the hints lying around- and the ring sitting hidden in the drawer the biggest clue of all.”

@chillingtae​

One Shots

Baby Maker - fluff, smut

“Your husband is mildly surprised at your request when he arrives home from work, but it doesn’t take you long to convince him that a baby is just what you both need.”

@cinnaminsvga​

One Shots

A Boy Like You - fluff

“for whenever you are feeling low, always remember that there is a boy you know who would lift the sky for you.

{or alternatively: Min Yoongi loves you, though he never says it. He’s always been a firm believer in that actions speak louder than any words ever could.}”

Churro Chumps - fluff, humor/crack

“Hey Y/N. If I’m 130 pounds and I eat 1.3 pounds of churros, does that make me 1% churro?” -Min Yoongi, 2017

{or alternatively: two idiots with their two functioning brain cells try to make a Christmas miracle}”

Neighborly Etiquette - fluff, slight angst

“Based on this prompt [x]. You and your boyfriend live across from Yoongi’s apartment, much to his chagrin. Your laughter and dancing and bed creaking were seriously annoying him, until it stops. Then, Yoongi finds himself knocking on your door. And no, he’s definitely not there to comfort you. No way.”

@dinoyoongi​

One Shots

Home for Christmas - fluff, angst

“Accompanying Yoongi to Big Hit’s fancy holiday party, you take advantage of the open bar and spiked cider to help rid you of your homesickness. Who would have thought that your tolerance for bourbon was so low?”

@dovechim​​

One Shots

Tsundere - angst, smut

“according to the rumours, min yoongi is a bad apple- doesn’t take grades seriously, drinks as if he has two livers, a certified bad boy™. when you get paired up with him for a project, you’d never expect that someone like him would have a thing or two to teach you about life itself- and how it should be lived.”

Series

The Singularity Theory 01 | 02 | 03 - angst, fluff, smut

“in your last year of undergrad, you find out what a gloryhole is at the expense of your final year thesis. it’s a classic example of a psychology experiment that went way, way wrong.

but how were you to know that a certain min yoongi would be sticking his dick into your life?”

@floralseokjin​

One Shots

;first and last and always - angst, fluff

“You and Yoongi broke up two months ago. It was mutual, you’re positive, but there’s one teeny tiny issue… You never told your parents, and now they’ve invited you back home for Christmas. Both of you. You can’t say no, but you also can’t bear to go alone, so you do the only thing you can think of, plead with Yoongi to come with you and pretend like everything’s okay…”

drabbles

Hold Me Tight - angst

“the end of a relationship comes slowly but suddenly”

@gossamie​

One Shots

the things i said when i loved you. - fluff, angst, and a li’l humor

“listen to the past two years of your relationship with yoongi, as told in a series of voicemails.”

twelve minutes in tokyo. - angst, slight fluff

“Yoongi wakes up only to relive the same twelve minutes that ended in tragedy over again. He is quick to realize that this is the universe’s cruel way— or divine intervention— of deciding the fate of his relationship.”

@ggukieslovin​

Drabble Requests

01 - fluff

“Hii! I'll fill your box 😂😂 So... making out with Yoongi and you're doing crazy with his marvelous tongue and he can't keep his hands off your bubble bum. Have fun ❤.”

@hiimbo​

One Shots

siren - smut

“you’re willing to do anything to get out of having your license revoked after officer min catches you speeding for the third time this month.”

@hobidreams

Series

The Early Shift 01 | 02 | 03 - smut, angst, fluff

“your coworker yoongi is always infuriatingly late. except the one time he’s much too early.”

drabbles

@httpjeon​

One Shots

Show - smut

“yoongi decides to show the boys how he makes his girl cum with his mouth alone”

the cockpile: love birds - smut, fluff

“being an adventurous couple has led you down a strange path of amateur pornography with your boyfriend Min Yoongi. you’re dubbed the Love Birds.”

@inkofyoongi​

One Shots

Blow - smut, fluff

“Yoongi loves you, even if he’s never said it… but gestures sometimes speak louder than words.”

@itsamejin​

Series

Goodbye 01 - angst

“Yoongi watched silently as you exited the car and out of his life, but he can’t help but feel a sense of panic at the thought of you leaving him for good.”

Leave Me 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 - angst

“He’s cheating and you’re aware. You just don’t know what to do about it.”

@jamaisjoons​

One Shots

tongue tech - smut

“Yoongi turns you on with that tongue technology”

@jiminssizzles​

One Shots

autumn leaves - angst, fluff

“the one where you and Yoongi are lighting fall-scented candles.”

first things first. - fluff, slight angst and crack

“Both Yoongi and Namjoon deserve you, but you can only pick one. What do you do when your bestfriend, Taehyung, put the matter in his own hands, leaving you with no choice but to just trust fate?”

if the world was ending - fluff, slight angst and crack

“The soulmate system works on your side of the world, only it activates after you turn 20 years old.”

Series

Track 2: Afterglow - angst, fluff, smut and a little crack

Part of the Taylor Swift Mixtape Series

“Gail just went to the BTS fanmeet with her bestfriend, Eunice, to see Namjoon. She did not expect that her boyfriend from Omegle will see her there – and that Omegle boyfriend is Min Yoongi.”

Sparks Fly - fluff, slight angst

“It’s Gail’s birthday in a few hours… What do you do, Yoongi?“

@jimlingss​

One Shots

Primae Noctis - smut

“Marrying Jungkook is your greatest fortune, but before you can leave the land forever, you owe one last favour towards Lord Min. As the lord of the land, he has the right to deflower you and you will happily allow him to do so.”

Series

She’s Testosterone 01 | 02 | 03.1 | 03.2 - fluff, crack, smut

“Drop dead gorgeous, cute and sassy - you adore your best friend. But is there more beneath the surface? Who exactly is Min Yoonji?”

The Truth Between Us 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07  - fluff, angst, drama

co-written by @gukyi​

“a book deal should be the most exciting time of your life, but there seems to be a constant and omnipresent damper on your mood in the form of a certain min yoongi, who you would just cut out from your life, if he weren’t your editor. but then, the world shifts beneath your feet, and you begin to wonder if maybe you’ve always been looking at life from the wrong angle.”

@joonary​

One Shots

the way to your heart - fluff, humor

“when your office christmas party’s secret santa gives you absolutely no context on what kind of gift he wants, you have no choice but to get to know him better.”

@joonbird​

Series

Wildest Moments 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 - fluff, angst, smut

“Min Yoongi is forbidden territory. And although you both know better, the two of you just can’t seem to stay apart.”

@katobobato​

One Shots

Teach Me - fluff

“In which you use learning a language as an excuse to tell Yoongi how much you love him.”

@knamjooned​

One Shots

Time Skip - fluff, angst, thriller

“34D 14H 46M 57S. 55S. 40S. The soulclock seemed to be skipping numbers, counting down much faster than the other’s soulclocks were. As it began to skip minutes, Yoongi realized he needed to find you before time ran out.”

@minnpd

One Shots

Dancing With The Devil - smut

“At first, Yoongi was just another handsome face with a charming mouth, stroking your ego while you laughed at his terrible jokes and topped off his drink twice as much as you charged him for. It was fun to flirt with the customers, an exhilarating game of cat and mouse that never went beyond the doors of the club. Until Yoongi.”

@out-of-jams​

One Shots

A Toast - smut, fluff

“Who cared that you had a whole wedding reception waiting for your arrival? Besides, did they really expect any less when your groom had shown up to the altar with newly dyed black hair and an undercut?”

Series

Cheers If You Agree 01 | 02 | 03 - fluff

“If it weren’t for the fact that he didn’t know who you were or even how to get into contact with you, Yoongi wouldn’t be posting all over Weverse for anyone to see. Not that he thought anyone would be smart enough to put the pieces of the puzzle together with how many people responded to his posts anyway.

Except you. He hoped you could.”

@personasintro​

One Shots

Next Door - smut, fluff

“Your neighbor doesn’t respect your complaints about him being loud, but you don’t let it slide so easily.”

Stay High - smut, fluff, angst

“You’ve to stay high to keep your ex out of your mind when he comes back into your life.”

@ppersonna​

One Shots

make me - smut, fluff

“an ordinary sleepover with your best friend turns into anything but ordinary, thanks to your ridiculously loud neighbors above you.”

the landlord - smut, fluff

“your air conditioner breaks right at the height of a recordbreaking heat wave.  good thing your hot landlord, yoongi, knows how to attend to any needs you may have.”

@scriptaed​

One Shots

behind closed doors - angst

“after falling for your already taken best friend, min yoongi, your confession results in a less than surprising fall out. three years later, you find yourself at your own wedding, except whom the last millisecond of each one of your heartbeats is beating for isn’t the groom; it’s him.”

it isn’t love. - heavy angst, fluff

“it all happened too fast. first, he held you in his arms in the couch of your living room, and next, he had packed all of his belongings and left you to an abandoned apartment without warning. now, he’s known as suga of bts and the only way you can cross paths with the renowned star once again is to win a date with his bandmate, kim namjoon.”

tell me that you love me. - angst

“sometimes letting go is the hardest thing to do - a cruel lesson that comes crashing on the both of you when the unexpected occurs: a mutual fall out of love.”

@searchingtae​

One Shots

Morning Star - angst

“When Yoongi fell from heaven, he never once regretted the reasons leading up to his fall. What he does regret was bringing you into this.”

@softlyjiminie​

One Shots

nine months from now - smut, angst, fluff

“this was not supposed to happen. this was never in the plan. a sudden, unexpected turn of events leads you into a world of baby bottles and baby grows, it just so happens that the cause of this mess is your boss…min yoongi.”

@sugalarity​

Drabble Requests

01 - angst, fluff

“i'm not sure if you do requests, but can you please do a yoongi drabble that is a soulmate!au? something with shooky shooky keeps on playing in yn's head on repeat and yoongi is kinda annoyed because he hears it too. but for a twist, make it angst. 😂”

@thestorytellerofkpop​

One Shots

In My Head - angst

“Yoongi is slowly distancing himself away from you, and you can’t help but fall victim to the insecurities in your mind as you can’t help but ask: why?”

@yeontanismypresident​​

Series

I’m Done 01 | 02 | 03 - fluff, angst,

no summary

@yoonia​

One Shots

Undo - angst, smut

“You were his soulmate, that part he knew well. Until one day he didn’t want you anymore. He couldn’t, when all he could see from you was light and all he felt within himself was darkness. Your love has gone cold as he retreated from you, burying himself deep in the dark. But what happened when Yoongi had to watch you start over with somebody else, when Yoongi let his selfishness gain control on him of you.”

drabbles

Series/Drabble Request

Reflections 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 - angst

“Yoongi + “How could I ever forget about you" + Angst | for anon”

@yoongi-sugaglider​

Series

Forget Me Not 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 - angst, fluff

“Yoongi + “How could I ever forget about you" + Angst | for anon”

[lovemesomesurveys]

1. Do you like having your picture taken? No.

2. Have you ever done a photo shoot, professional or non? I’ve had pictures taken at photo studios and I have a cousin who’s a photographer that did my college graduation photos.

3. If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go and why? I mean, nowhere right now. BUT, there’s a lot of places I’d love to visit one day. Various countries and places here in the US. I just want to be able to travel a lot one day.

4. Who would you take with you on this little adventure? My family.

5. What would you say is the most daring thing to do in a lifetime? That’s going to be different for everyone of course, but basically something that pushes you out of your comfort zone. Conquering a fear.

6. Would you ever do that? I don’t know. 

7. Have you ever done crossword puzzles? Yeah. I much prefer word searches, though.

8. Ever actually completed one? Yeah.

9. Pick up the closest book and write a sentence at random from it. There isn’t a book near me.

10. Do the same with a lyric from either a cd or the radio. Nah.

11. Have you ever tried to analyze your own dreams? Yeah, many times. I’ve tried to look up what some things symbolize and what it might mean for me. 

12. Would you put up posters in your room? Yeah. I have some things hung up. 

13. Can you sing? I can’t sing well at all. I wish.

14. Do you ever sing to yourself while doing everyday tasks? Yes.

15. What's your favorite color of post-it note? Pink.

16. How many cassette tapes do you own? Zero.

17. How many cd's do you own? I don’t have any CDs anymore.

18. Ever bought a cd for just one song? I probably have. 

19. What would your perfect day consist of? Beach days are nice. Or since it’s winter, renting a cozy cabin in the snow sounds lovely.

20. Have you ever lied to get off the phone or out of talking to someone online? Yes.

21. Have you ever written a survey? Once. It was several years ago during the Xanga days. I wish I still had it saved.

22. How about a song? If so share it. No.

23. Or maybe a poem? If so share it or one of them. I dabbled with poetry when I was 16. I am definitely not sharing one, they’re super cringey.

24. Is your vcr flashing 12:00 all the time? I don’t have a VCR. Wow, cassette tapes and VCRs how old is this survey?

25. Do you read your horoscope? No.

26. If so, do you base your day on it? No, I’ve never been into astrology. I used to read it when I was younger like in an magazine, but it was always just for fun.

27. Would you rather chew gum or use mouthwash and why? Chew gum. Mouthwash is way too strong to me and I find it irritating for my mouth and yeah it’s just not a pleasant experience.

28. Do you floss? No. :X

29. Are you addicted to napster like me? Okay, now you’ve mentioned Napster so this survey is super old. Napster was like late 90s and early 2000s. 

30. How many times a year about are you sick? I rarely get things like a cold, which I find interesting because I feel like my immune system is crap, but I feel sick and crappy often for other reasons.

31. Ever been in an airplane? Yes, a few times.

32. If so where were you flying to? Georgia and back and to Disneyland and back.

33. What radio station to you listen to most? It’s been a few years since I’ve listened to the radio.

34. What color are your shoes? I wear my black Adidas the most.

35. Was fuzzy wuzzy a bear? He was. He had no hair, though, so he wasn’t actually fuzzy.

36. Do you know how to play dominos? I’ve never really played.

37. Or do you think I just mean pizza by that? No, I know what dominos are.

38. Speaking of pizza, what's your favorite kind? (toppings and/or place to get it from) My favorite is from this local place. I like to get white sauce, feta and ricotta cheese, crumbled meatballs, garlic, spinach, and pesto and olive oil drizzles. I’ve been really craving that lately.

39. What color are your eyes? Brown.

40. How many surveys have you filled out this lifetime? Oh pffffft, I am not even going to attempt to figure that out. There’s no way I could. I’ve been doing surveys for so long and sadly so many of them are gone because they were done on Myspace and Xanga. :(

41. Describe your bedroom, include all details. Okay, you want details? Here we go...

It’s small and has way too much stuff. For one thing, there’s giraffe stuffed animals all over, including a 4 ft one in the corner. There’s a dresser by the window that has my TV and Christmas decorations on it. To the right of that is a 6-cube shelf with some of the aforementioned giraffe stuffed animals as well as giraffe knickknacks, some coloring books and coloring supplies, a mini Christmas tree on top, a few more giraffe stuffed animals, a nice picture frame with my dog, Brandie, who passed away, and my BB8 droid I made at Disneyland. Above the shelf is an I Love Lucy wall clock. My closest is nearby and is full of medical supplies, 3-drawer file thing with random stuff I insist on holding onto, my shoes, and all my jackets and sweatshirts. To the left of my dresser is my bookshelf with a lot of books and other figurines and knickknacks of various things I like and hey surprise, surprise, more giraffe stuffed animals! Across from the bookshelf and dresser is my bed, which is also my desk cause I keep my laptop on it, my chargers, my phone, a coloring book, a couple packs of colored pencils, my Bible study stuff, my remotes, and my Nintendo Switch. I have a pile of clothes, too, cause dresser and closet are too full. I have like 8 throw pillows, a body pillow, a back pillow, and a couple actual pillows. I have a few stuffed animals that sit on my bed as well, which are a huge squishmallow giraffe, a small squishmallow pug, a small squishmallow Dumbo, a small squishmallow Baby Yoda/Grogu, and a Baby Yoda/Grogu plushie. To the right of my bed is a TV tray that has my bottles of water, my medicine and pill crusher, a box of straws, a glass, a Starbucks Doubleshot energy drink, chapstick, my wallet, a Zip-loc bag with half a glazed donut and half a chocolate one, and a small bag of shortbread cookies. Behind the TV tray is my 3-drawer bedside table, which has a makeup storage thing on it that I plan on cleaning out and getting rid of cause I don’t wear makeup anymore and could use that space for something else, a bottle of lotion, a couple little room sprays from B&BW, and a jewelry tray. Hung up on my walls around the room are a few giraffe framed paintings, a couple beachy canvas paintings, two Alexander Skarsgard calendars, a bulletin board with various stuff pinned to it, and a marker board. There’s also a hamper in here, a floor lamp, a ceiling fan/light, two fans, and an ottoman.

42. Name one person your life is made better by. My mom. She’s my best friend. 

44. How about someone else's? Huh?

45. Can you do math with ease? Ha, noooo. Me and math never got along.

46. What size is your computer screen? It’s 13.3 inches.

47. If you could only talk to one person online who would that be? Someone from the survey community on here.

48. Name your favorite type of music and why. I like a variety of music--various genres and decades.

49. Are you a vegetarian? No.

50. How about an aspiring actor/actress? Not at all.

51. What famous person dead or alive would you interview if you had the chance? Alexander Skarsgard.

52. Which movie can you watch and say the lines along with the actors? There’s a lot of movies I could do that with. I try not to cause it gets annoying, but it happens.

53. Name one of your passions in life. I don’t know. :/

54. What's your least favorite time of day? Evening time.

55. Who's your favorite member in a band, singer, guitarist, bassist, drummer, and why? The singer, typically.

56. Do you use hairspray or gel? I use neither.

57. Describe your favorite meal. Wingstop’s boneless garlic parm and lemon pepper wings. I also really enjoy my nightly bowl of ramen.

58. What color is the inside of your head when you close your eyes? Black.

59. Ever listen to classical music? Not typically, but it is nice.

60. Have you ever said lol in real life without thinking about it? No.

61. Do you find you use internet language when writing notes irl? I use “wtf, “wth”, “omg”, and “lol.” 

62. What songs would be on your ideal cd? Like I said, I like variety, so a mix of songs.

63. Say one thing you've learned today. Nothing, really.

64. What is the best present you've ever given someone else? I don’t know.

65. What is the best present someone else has ever given to you? I’ve been given many nice gifts throughout my life. I’m appreciative of all the gifts I’ve received.

66. So hey, what's your full name? Stephanie is all you need to know.

67. Describe yourself while drunk. I was chatty and annoying.

68. How big are the windows in your house? Regular, common size? .

69. Do you wear a watch? Nope.

70. What's the kinkiest thing you've ever done with someone else? Nothing.

71. What's the largest age difference between you and someone you've dated? Just a year.

72. How many mirrors do you have? Just one in my room.

73. Write one sentence stating what you want people to say about you after you've passed on. I don’t know, man.

74. Have you ever sailed? Nope.

75. How fast can you run? I used to be able to go pretty fast, but not now. I don’t have the upper body strength or energy I used to have.

76. What do you believe in? I believe in God.

77. How long does it take you to get ready to go out? Not long at all. I just change clothes, quickly do something with my hair, brush my teeth, put on deodorant, put on my shoes, and then grab my bag and mask and go. And a coat if needed.

78. Do you shower daily? If not how often? No, I shower 3-4 times a week.

79. What one thing would you change in your life if you had the power to do so? I’d make it so I had good health.

80. Describe the ideal superpower and what you would do if you had it. Teleportation. I’d travel all over.

81. Are candles romantic or a fire hazard? They can be both.

82. Name something you've done in the last 24hrs no matter how big or small. I had coffee and donuts. Exciting stuff.

83. Do you wear necklaces, bracelets, anklets, earrings, rings? I haven’t worn any in awhile.

84. What colors are you wearing right now? Just black.

85. How often do you change the sheets on your bed? Twice a month.

86. Have you ever gotten lost? Not alone, thankfully, but yeah.

87. What's on your computer desk? I mentioned in the question about my room that my bed is also my desk and I listed the things on it.

88. How many folders are on your desktop at the present moment? Zero.

89. When your talking do you ever use your hands to do quotation marks in the air when saying certain words? Sometimes, if I find it necessary to do so.

90. Which landmark would you climb if you could? None.

91. Do you own or have you read, or thought of reading any self-help books? I read the Chicken Soup For The Soul books when I was younger but that's it. <<< Same.

92. Ever seriously questioned your sanity? Yes. 93. Can you breakdance? No.

94. What's in your fridge right now? Food and drinks. I’m tired from listing everything in that room description question lol.

95. How many people do you live with? I live with 3 people and a doggo.

96. Have you or would you ever do anything more than kiss in a public area? No.

97. What is the strangest thing you've ever done? Uhhh. I don’t know.

98. Name an instrument you've never played but would like to. Guitar.

99. Have you ever been on tv or the radio? Myself, as well as my story, was on TV after my accident happened. 

100. What is the worst thing anyone could ever do to you? Physically hurt me.

101. Are you a fast typer? Yes.

102. How high have you counted before getting bored? I don’t know, but probably not very high. I probably would get to 100 and be over it.

103. Describe how you sleep. (ie. your position and/or how you fall asleep) I sleep slightly propped up and turned to my left side. I have indigestion and post-nasal drip issues, so I can’t sleep flat. I have a whole nighttime routine consists of scrolling through Tumblr, doing surveys, and listening to ASMR until I feel tired enough to fall asleep.

104. Are you straight, bi, gay? I’m straight.

105. Do you ever do something else while on the computer? If so what? Sometimes I’m watching TV.

106. What is the most expensive item you own? My MacBook Air.

107. How about the least expensive? My little knickknacks.

109. What do you do online? Check my social medias, watch YouTube, scroll through Tumblr, and do surveys.

110. Name some stores you've bought clothes in before. Boxlunch, Hot Topic, Kohl’s, JCP, Target, H&M, Macy’s, Forever 21... those are a few that come to mind.

111. Have you ever read a book and not understood it? If so which one? I struggled with mythology. I just couldn’t get into it, so that definitely didn’t help, and it was hard to follow.

112. Have you ever watched a movie and not understood it? If so which one? Yeah. Whenever that happens I jump on Google and read up on it afterwards. 

113. Do people pick up your slang language more than you pick up theirs? I pick up lingo from others most often. 

114. Are you easily influenced by other people, or current trends? No, I wouldn’t say that.

115. What makes you unique in your own opinion? I don’t feel very unique.

116. Name your worst quality. Where to start... .

117. Name your best. I like that I’m open-minded.

118. What would you like to do with your life? I need to get myself together and figure that out.

119. Do you blowdry your hair? Nah.

120. How many clocks are in your house? We have like 3 wall clocks and there’s digital clocks throughout the house on appliances and electronics.

121. Are they all set on the same time? The phones and electronics are. The others are a few minutes fast. My parents set their digital clock like 15 minutes fast.

122. Have you ever intentionally set a clock ahead or behind the actual time? Like I said, we set some of them a few minutes ahead.

123. What do you think about when you first wake up in the morning? "What time is it?"

124. Which browser do you use? Google Chrome.

125. Do you bite your nails? Ugh, I don’t bite them but I pick and clip at them with clippers constantly. 

126. Would you ever leave little notes to your gf/bf? Sure, I think that’s cute.

127. Ever been to a farm? Yes.

128. Tell me about your dream last night. I don't remember. I rarely ever do. What typically happens is I’ll remember when I first get up, but then it like vanishes. My dreams are like Snapchat. If only there was an option to save or screenshot them like Snapchat.

129. Ever seen a shooting star? No, actually.

130. Say one thing about yourself you've never told anyone. Uhhhh. I’m so boring, I can’t think of something interesting to share.

131. Do your days fly by or seem to last forever? It often seems like the days go by slow, but then before I know it it’s already been a whole week again and I’m like wtf it was just Monday? That’s how the years tend to feel, too. There’s definitely some days that just really seem draaaaag, though. And there’s something about January that always feels super long. 

132. Have you ever stayed in a fancy high class rich hotel? Yes. 133. Have you ever stayed in a rent-by-the-hour motel? No.

134. What in your opinion is the best advertising slogan out there? If they get stuck in your head then they’re doing something right. It’s gotta be catchy. Jingles work well.

135. When they start sending rockets to the moon for us civilians, will you be on the list to go? Noooo, absolutely not.

136. How are you feeling right now? Tired, kinda hungry, and lonely.

137. Have you ever written anything on your skin? Yeah.

138. If so what? Random stuff. That was something a lot of people seemed to do in like middle school and high school for some reason.

139. Which website do you frequent most often? Tumblr and YouTube.

140. What color are most of your clothes? Black.

141. Do you own any plants? Nope.

142. Are things as bad as they seem? They sure seem bad to me.

143. Describe the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you. My mom is amazing. She’s sacrificed so much. I’m 31 years old and require aid with some things and here she is still taking care of me and doing so much for me on top of working a full-time job, being a caregiver for a family friend as well, taking care of us as a family and of things at home, and she very rarely has anytime for herself. She’s spread very thin and works so hard and yeah I just could never thank her enough. She’s the absolute best and I would be so lost without her. I couldn’t keep going if it weren’t for her.

144. Ever looked directly at the sun? Yes.

145. Have you ever made a pin hole camera to watch the eclipse? No.

146. What's your favorite cereal? All the main sugary ones, ha.

147. Who do you miss? My loved ones who have passed away.

148. Name something you just can't forget no matter how hard you try. Uh, a lot of things. My mind doesn’t like me to forget things like that. It likes to remind me of them often. Things like that hit at random times as well, like my brain will be like, ‘hey remember when...’ and I’m like, ‘ugh, yes I remember you won’t let me forget.’

149. Describe the worst fight you've ever been in whether physical or verbal. I’ve never been in a physical fight, but there were some verbal ones. I don’t want to get into them right now.

150. Say something else about yourself you've never told anyone before. Noooo. 

[eternaleve]

I’ve spent the course of COVID lockdown cycling through hyperfixations while also trying to engage in some much needed therapy (lolsob), and I’ve been essentially encouraging myself to try and do more things I can enjoy without feeling shame. Anyway, that’s a short way of saying I decided to blog about all the music videos of Depeche Mode for reasons of science.

The science is that my basic premise is that most of the videos are pretty bad in ways that I find to be pretty strange. Full disclosure is that I spent my teen years being a huge Cure fan and there’s an overlap there? Of songs with very niche high-concept ideas that don’t necessarily map onto a model of popular music but found mainstream success in the rise of new wave music in the wake of the collapse of first wave punk and amplified by the creation of music videos and music video TV. And I owned all the Cure music videos and played them on my iPod Nano because I was a very strange child. But to get back to my central thesis, many of The Cure’s videos are very stylised and fun and memorable in ways that are good. And yet, despite existing in the same sphere and having an overlap of fans, the music videos for Depeche Mode mostly stay bad until the end of the eighties, a fact I will prove by watching them all.

Can you tell that I am bored because i have lost my job and my mental health is making me fixate on strange shit currently because that is absolutely the case right now

Speak & Spell

Dreaming of Me (Feb 1981)

The single art is really lovely - the red/yellow contrast is very striking against the white, and I really love the design. Hey remember when people used to go out and buy singles and you would appreciate them and the work that went into them? I don’t think I’ve bought a physical single since I was about sixteen. I used to buy them from the Woolworths music department because it was cheap and all my friends worked there, so they had a pretty lenient attitude about what exactly constituted paying for things. Woolworths policy of only hiring teenagers is probably what destroyed their business.

Anyway, Dreaming of Me did not chart super well, getting to number 57 and having no official music video - or actually getting onto the album. It wasn’t included on Speak & Spell in the UK until the 2006 re-release. So, there was no music video for me to look at…

Apart from this video I found from local TV in 1981 to promote the song. It’s a maybe-music video. Because music videos had only been around for about six years and MTV didn’t exist until later in the same year, my guess is that Mute Records were pretty cautious about putting money into a medium that might cost more than they would get in publicity. That’s only a guess. I don’t have a crystal ball for forty years ago. 

Anyway, here are some children recording music.

If i was 19 and someone offered me a recording contract I would have taken it without thinking (like i took on all those student loans without thinking through any consequences wompwomp) but now I am nearly thirty I watch this and think, ‘These children shouldn’t be outside unaccompanied’. The passage of time has made a fool of me.

They go bowling and play Space Invaders which, hey, still sounds like a great night out to me, but I’m guessing that because this is very clearly aimed at teenagers the TV producers didn’t want to encourage teen drinking by showing them performing a gig at a club night.

I call it high fashion. The all-grey really sells it.

This reminds me so much of a advice column in teen magazines - when they’d have problems set out in a little faux-comic strip of still photos? ‘My best friend stole and read my diary’ ‘My crush found out about how I feel and now he’s going out with my best friend’, that sort of thing. That is also a classic carpet pattern. I think my grandma’s living room had that carpet. 

The video is very naive! It’s the sort of thing we would all see now on Youtube from bands just starting out and it is wild to me that this went out on TV. It’s very un-glossy and normal, the stuff that bands put out on YouTube now because of DIYness.

New Life (June 1981)

This is also a really great piece of single art. It’s very bold and striking - it would definitely be the standout record in a sea of other 7’’ released the same week. It also doesn’t particularly match the tone of the single but eh, it looks pretty cool. New Life did much better than Dreaming of Me and got up to number 11 in the UK singles chart. Still no official music video, but the charting meant that the band got onto Top of The Pops! ToTP was cancelled when I was a wee baby teen, because the BBC decided to stop caring about yoof viewership and promoting music was circling the drain everywhere as streaming hit, but it was the place to promote music so was definitely a sign that You Had Made It.

So, last video was silly and made by children, but now they’re wearing see-through mesh shirts, leather trousers, and leather hats with a design that I am a little bit dubious about. I grew up on the oi/punk scene and let me tell you about how many first wave punks wear iconography of bad regimes for faux edginess reasons because I met a LOT of them in my time.

Oh boy do i have thoughts about that hat. It also looks like a Leather Daddy hat which, well, let’s leave that thought to one side. Most ToTP performances were lipsynced. Playing things live would sound weird in the studio, be picked up strangely by the audio equipment and the cameras, so 99% of performances were mimed to the single. Now, some acts would deliberately play up to the pretence and refuse to act like they were doing anything that corresponded to the song - The Jam, The Communards, and The Cure are literally the first examples that come to mind who would just… not do anything close to pretending it was real. 

This is not that. It is very earnest and awkward and serious, which sort of makes it very sweet.

Just Can’t Get Enough (September 1981)

Right, that is shibari, isn’t it? I’m not blind, am I? It’s a very striking image that 99.9% of people would not recognise other than being a striking black and white image. 

I don’t think I can overstate how… innocent, in a way, this point of time was? As in the general level of knowledge about non-conventional stuff in the wider public at large. As in my mother, an almost teen at this point, saw George Michael walking with his boyfriend in central London and had no idea he was gay until he came out. It’s actually the widest cultural gulf I can think of between her teen years and my teen years because I was very aware of queer people from a young age.

Anyway, moving on, I feel like it bears repeating that this song fucking slaps. It’s the last single to be written by Vince Clarke and the last single until 2006 to be written by someone other than Martin Gore. This is one of those songs that just works on every level. Can you imagine coming up with this for the first album of your band? That blows my mind. It’s so overpoweringly good that it was probably for the best that it was saved for last - coming out the gate with a guaranteed fucking banger was been the nail in the coffin for a lot of other eighties synth/electronica bands. They scored a huge hit and then nothing after that managed to be as good or meet the hype. Depeche Mode had built up a far bit of radio play and interest before dropping this which turned out to be very good in the long run!

This got to number 8 on the UK charts and the first to get a music video! It is the only one with Vince Clarke. Full disclosure in that I had this song on my iPod through downloading the video to my computer (that’s how we got songs without using stuff that would give us viruses because i got a ton using bearshare for rare cure demos) and I remember watching the video, all of sixteen years old, and thinking, ‘Man, all these people look so grown up, compared to me, I can’t wait to be an adult!’.

Twelve years have changed my view, somewhat.

Look at this little baby man. Were you in one of my A Level classes - as in, ones that I have taught, not ones that I have been in.

Vince Clarke, however, has had a significant glow up in the six months and now looks like he is the bouncer in a leather bar. This is the One Adult in the room.

Ahh, I see it’s Open Mic Night at the local leather bar. You know what I was saying about how teens in the eighties tended to be significantly more naive about what we might call certain signifiers? Because what this outfit says to me, a queer woman in 2020, is susbstanitally different than to my mum and her friends watching this when it first came out. She would read this as ‘This is totally rebellious and cool!’ while I go ‘Someone just joined the university kink club and spent all their bursary’.

I don’t remember the member of Blazin’ Squad that wore a slave harness. (Now, there’s a reference that shows my age. A Blazin’ Squad reference in the year of Our Lord 2020. Hoooo boy.)

I read somewhere (that I can’t find now because, of course I can’t) that these are the band’s girlfriends and I always remembered that because it made me think, lol, same. One of my closest friends is the Head of London, so she’s in every band in London and if she’s not in yours yet give her time, and my partner was in a locally successful metal/hardcore band for about a decade and being connected with any sort of band means you will be helping out hugely behind the scene constantly. I have held lights, moved speakers, picked up instruments, been in music videos, and have bought tearaway trousers and glowsticks for gigs. You get called in to help all the time which is a lot of fun, so that fact always just stuck with me. It also makes sense financially because then you don’t have to hire any professional backing dancers, you can rely on people who will happily do it for free (while looking pretty rad while doing it!).

Anyway, the band look like those generic raiders that you run into when randomly walking across the map in a Fallout game.

I love awkward choreography in music videos. It feeds me.

Filming a night out provides A) Great footage and B) Can be done for limited overheads, leaving more money to be put into promotion. 

I always like seeing this sort of footage in music videos. I tend to see a lot of it, given the DIY punk scene, and it always charms me. I am easy to please. And all those women have the most amazing eye makeup that makes me super jealous because it all looks so good.

That hat is on point. This looks like a still image for some sort of cyberpunk big band style swing revival that, sadly, lives only in my dreams.

It took me so goddamn long to screenshot this shot probably because i was also blasting dream nails whoops

Anyway those are my reactions to Speak & Spell’s one solitary music video with some other things thrown in and this took me way too long. I make myself laugh though, that’s the main thing. I will do A Broken Frame… at some point. I think I have a bunch of vinyl for A Broken Frame? My mum actually bought all the singles for that album and I stole most of her collection years ago. I will have to search and see what I can find.

[taylorswiftstan4ever]

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Hi Taylor,

So as my last ever ranking, I put together all of the rankings I did for your eight masterpiece studio albums, as well as songs you wrote for other artists, songs you were featured on, and songs that you released that were not on your studio albums. I omitted covers for the purpose of these rankings, even though your covers are always top-notch.

Some people are bound to disagree with my ranking, but it is based on my own preference during my current mood. In fact, some of the tracks are listed in different order here than they are in the studio album rankings simply because my rank changes depending on the moment. Anyway, this was definitely the hardest one so far and thankfully, the last. So here we go…

157. Half of My Heart - John Mayer **I'll be honest...I really like this song with your vocals, but since I can no longer listen to it without thinking about how the relationship behind it ended up, I put it last***

156. Christmas Must Be Something More

155. Girl at Home

154. How You Get the Girl

153. Untouchable

152. Sweeter Than Fiction

151. So It Goes...

150. Don’t Blame Me

149. You Are in Love

148. I Think He Knows

147. Highway Don't Care - Tim McGraw ***Love your vocals on this one***

146. ME!

145. SuperStar

144. Wonderland

143. It's Nice To Have A Friend

142. Only The Young

141. Beautiful Ghosts

140. Eyes Open

139. I’m Only Me When I’m With You

138. The Moment I Knew

137. Long Live

136. This Is We Can’t Have Nice Things

135. The Outside

134. Both of Us

133. London Boy

132. Innocent

131. Shake It Off

130. I Know Places

129. Ours

128. Come In With the Rain

127. The Other Side of the Door

126. Jump Then Fall

125. King of My Heart

124. ...Ready For It?

123. A Perfectly Good Heart

122. Cold as You

121. The Man

120. Welcome to New York

119. Mean

118. Stay Beautiful  

117. The Lucky One

116. Look What You Made Me Do

115. The Best Day

114. Mary’s Song (Oh My My My)

113. Out of The Woods

112. New Romantics

111. Breathe

110. Tell Me Why

109. You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home - Miley Cyrus ***I would love to hear you perform this to see what your take on it was when you wrote it***

108. Change

107. Come Back...Be Here

106. If This Was a Movie

105. This Is What You Came For- Rihanna ***I love Rihanna, but I also really love the videos of you performing this live and am so happy that you are finally getting the writing credit you deserve***

104. Holy Ground

103. Stay Stay Stay

102. Superman

101. Christmas Tree Farm

100. Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince

99. Treacherous

98. Sparks Fly

97. Never Grow Up

96. I Almost Do

95. All You Had To Do Was Stay

94. Haunted

93. False God

92. Better than Revenge

91. Fearless

90. I Forgot That You Existed

89. End Game

88. Our Song

87. Starlight

86. Tied Together with a Smile

85. Babe – Sugarland ***I LIVE for the concert videos of you performing it***

84. I Heart ? ***This song NEEDS to be on Spotify***

83. peace

82. the lakes

81. Safe & Sound

80. Sad Beautiful Tragic

79. State of Grace

78. The Last Time

77. I Don't Wanna Live Forever

76. A Place in the World

75. Red

74. Gorgeous

73. seven

72. epiphany

71. mirrorball

70. Paper Rings

69. I Wish You Would

68. Christmases When You Were Mine

67. You Need To Calm Down

66. The Story of Us

65. You’re Not Sorry

64. Invisible

63. Clean

62. illicit affairs

61. Style

60. Bad Blood

59. Call It What You Want

58. mad woman

57. the 1

56. Dress

55. Two Is Better Than One

54. Everything Has Changed

53. Dancing With Our Hands Tied

52. Beautiful Eyes

51. Enchanted

50. Daylight

49. Speak Now

48. Better Man - Little Big Town ***I usually listen to the version of you performing this at the Bluebird Cafe because I can hear how you envisioned it when you wrote it, but I still love LBT's version too***

47. the last great american dynasty

46. Hey Stephen

45. I Did Something Bad

44. hoax

43. The Way I Loved You

42. Best Days of Your Life - Kellie Pickler ***Love your vocals on this one***

41. Picture to Burn

40. I Knew You Were Trouble

39. Afterglow

38. Lover

37. august

36. cardigan

35. 22

34. Forever & Always

33. Mine

32. invisible string

31. Should’ve Said No

30. Today Was A Fairytale

29. Cruel Summer

28. Love Story

27. Cornelia Street

26. You Belong With Me

25. Dear John

24. this is me trying

23. Crazier

22. White Horse

21. Tim McGraw

20. Death By A Thousand Cuts

19. Wildest Dreams

18. The Archer

17. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

16. my tears ricochet

15. Delicate

14. Last Kiss

13. New Years Day

12. Begin Again

11. exile

10. Blank Space

9. betty

8. This Love

7. Getaway Car

6. Back To December

5. Teardrops on My Guitar

4. Fifteen

3. Ronan

2. Soon You’ll Get Better

1. All Too Well

Alright. Now that the rankings are done, I can start doing way less stressful posts haha As always I hope that you and your family are safe and healthy.

Sincerely,

Holly

@taylorswift

@taylornation

[impressedbytaylor]

73 thoughts I had while watching Miss Americana

(spoiler alert)  1. OMG it’s finally happening !!!!!!!!!!!! 2. Look at Benji and his little paws 3. Which song is she playing on the piano? 4. Quill and ink is actually super Taylor Swift ™ 5. GUITAR!!! SHE. IS. HAPPY. 6. OMG COUNTRY TAYLOR  7. YES FEARLESS TOUR 8. YES RED TOUR I LOVED THE HAT SHE WORE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SHOW 9. 1989! SHORT HAIR! 10. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR SHE’S SINGING READY FOR IT ACAPELLA !!!!!!!! 11. I MISS THE REP TOUR SO MUCH 12. HOLY SHIT SHE LOOKS SO GOOD IN THAT OPENING OUTFIT 13. 2018 grammy nomination day shit 14. I’m super anxious rn 15. NO TAYLOR NO! REPUTATION WAS SO FREAKING GOOD! I’M SORRY YOU FELT THAT WAY 16. Wow ME! sounds super sad on a piano 17. Yas! I love to see how the lyrics started compared to where they ended 18. LOVER IS ONE OF HER BEST SONGS EVER AND THAT’S THE TEA 19. Lucky You WHAT A THROWBACK 20. Tim McGraw by “this girl Taylor Swift” ha... little did she know 21. OUR SONG GETTING THE RESPECT IT DESERVES YASSS 22. 2009 VMAs oh no... oh no.... I don’t wanna watch this it makes me SO MAD AJKSH 23. FUCK YOU KANYE 24. Did she just... omg that interview made me so uncomfortable 25. OK THIS IS IT. ARE YOU RELLY TELLING ME SHE THOUGHT THEY WERE BOOING AT HER ???? I CAN’T 26. ALL TOO WELL *heavy breathing* 27. OOTW CAME UNANNOUNCED AND KICKED MY ASS  28. “TAYLOR SWIFT IS THE MUSIC INDUSTRY” THAT’S RIGHT 29. grammys again... shit this is really crushing my heart. 30. LMAO burritos 31. “THIS IS AS RIHANNA SHIRT” HAHAHAHAHAHAHA 32. The back of seats on the plane have a “13”  33. KITTY! 34. :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( 35. ABIIIIIIIIIII :) 36. LOL Olivia sitting on the table with them she’s my spirit animal 37. Right Abi??? Taylor will be a GREAT mom  38. “this is my front yard”... this situation is actually sad tbh 39. “Fucking impossible” that’s exactly what this “standards of beauty” are 40. I’m glad you stopped doing that to yourself sis :) 41. “I’M NOT GONNA WALK HOME WITH ANY MEN TONIGHT” FUCKING YES QUEEN YOU TELL HER!!!!!!! 42. FUCK YOU KANYE AGAIN 43. It’s official: watching Taylor cry is on the top 3 of “Things that easily make me cry a lot” 44. Call It What You Want :) 45. “I also was falling in love with someone...” MY LOVER HEART IS PUMPING 46. SHE JUST POINTED AT HIM WITH HER FOOT WHILE SAYING “I DID ONE THING RIGHT” I AM WEAK SOMEONE HELP ME  47. OK AND SHE JUST TOLD HIM “I LOVE YOU” I CAN’T BRB GONNA GO CRY LIKE A BABY NOW 48. D E L I C A T E ... LET’S GO BITCH! 49. GETAWAY CAR YES!!!!!!! SOMEONE HAND ME THE MIC  50. THE WAY SHE CLOSES HER EYES WHEN SHE’S ON HER ARMS. THAT IS THE DEFINITION OF “HOME” GOOGLE IT 51. I LOVE THEIR LOVE 52. REP ROOM!! I’M THE GIRL ON THE GREY SWEATER LOOSING HER SHIT SAME SIS!!!!!!!! 53. “There’s a difference with I really connect with your lyrics and I’m going to break in” - PREACH IT TAY 54. Brendon is super talented I love his voice 55. Ok now I fully understand the ME! video lol 56. Ugh people are really not used to listen to women speak  57. THE MAN THE MAN THE MAN THE MAN 58. Seeing Taylor in the studio developing lyrics is one of my favorite things ever 59. Gosh being in that court room must be terryfing. I’m so sorry these things happen on a daily basis :( 60. CLEAN. *sobs uncontrollably for the next 7 minutes* 61. FUCKING YES TAYLOR TELL THEM!!!! YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO SPEAK UP 62. Tree!! :) 63. DID TAYLOR JUST SAID “YEAH FUCK THAT, I DON’T CARE” FOLLOWED BY THE WORDS “THE PRESIDENT COULD COME AFTER YOU” THIS WOMAN REALLY IS A TRUE GEM LETS PROTECT HER AT ALL COSTS  64. “CHEERS TO THE RESISTANCE” HAHAHAHAHAHA Taylor don’t you ever change 65. “GO TAYLOR!” lmao same Tree we need to be best friends asap  66. *jaw drops* THAT DRESSSSSSSS WAS FIRE  67. “I AM A POP TART WRAPPER” hahahahaha give her a comedy award already please  68. “Live out a narrative that we find to be interesting enough to entertain us, but no so crazy that it makes us uncomfortable”....... SHIT 69. WAIT A MINUTE MY EARS ARE LISTENING TO A NEW TAYLOR SWIFT SONG NO ONE TOUCH ME  70. JSHDOWHEOIDJWDHUIHSAIJKSHQOIEFHEQIOFEJW 71. ONLY THE YOUNG.  72. This type of content is what the world needs right now. 73. I didn’t wanted this to end :(  I’m sure there’s no one out there feeling more proud of Taylor than I am right now. I wish I could hug her and tell her she is an extraordinary human being who’s willing to be brave and teach us how to be brave. I actually have no words right now. I love her. woah just... woah. 

[scratchybeardsweetmouth]

Game of Thrones’ Iain Glen on the fiery finale and saying goodbye to Emilia Clarke

Game of Thrones is coming. And as the world’s most  popular TV show gears up for its fiery finale, Iain Glen – aka Ser Jorah Mormont –  explains what life  in Westeros is really like. ‘Tits and dragons’ and all… By Chris Harvey 23 March 2019 Photos by Frank Allias 

Put under a read more because I included almost the entire article. It Is quite long:

[...] One abiding memory of Glen will be from the last season, when Jorah, infected with the slow-creeping but deadly greyscale, bites down on a leather strap as the thick, scaly layer that covers his torso is cut away piece by piece with a scalpel. It may not have been his most nuanced performance but the agony on his face made it impossible to look away. ‘I was pretty spaced out,’ he tells me. The prosthetic took eight hours to apply – it had underlayers that would ooze pus and blood as it was sawn off – so Glen had to be on the filming base at 11pm, have make-up applied all night and then shoot a 12-hour day. ‘After what it required, the acting became quite easy,’ he says. We’re in a photographic studio near the Thames. Glen biked here from his home in south London. ‘I’m addicted to cycling,’ he says. He will even cycle to red-carpet events and park his bike around the corner. ‘I find it a very sterile atmosphere being in the back of a limo… and [cycling] is quicker. I duck and dive, and I’m not somebody who will wait endlessly at a red traffic light.  I go up one-way streets the wrong way, too.’ He looks fit and lightly tanned. He was at home in Dulwich, where he lives with his partner, actor Charlotte Emmerson, and their two children, Mary, 11, and Juliet, six, when the scripts for the final season of Game of Thrones landed in September 2017.   ‘Security around the series has got more and more fierce,’ he says, ‘to the point where nothing was allowed on printed paper throughout the whole season.’ It could only be accessed online, with extensive security protocols – it wasn’t even allowed on the cast’s own devices. ‘There was a bit of resistance from actors to that,’ he adds, ‘particularly of an older generation.’ He performs a convincing harrumph – ‘“I need to look at my lines, how can I possibly…?”’ When he read the scripts, ‘I felt, “they’ve done it, they’ve pulled it off”,’ he says, ‘that balance of satiating people’s desire for things to be complete, but leaving enough questions in the air for people to try to project forward what world will follow, individually for all the characters and universally for the world that Thrones has occupied.’  Sadness at the end of ‘the best ride in the world’, after almost 10 years of the show, was tangible at the read-through of the series with all of the main cast in Belfast 10 days later. ‘There’s a real sense of loss, it’s like a family… there were lots of tears because it was coming to an end, but real excitement and joy that we were going to shoot it.’ As characters died within the story as they read, it felt to Glen and others as if they were really being lost. ‘We’ve all grown very close to each other.’  The filming would prove to be punishing. An enormous battle scene involving many of the key characters, pitched against the Night King’s invading Army of the Dead, was shot at the set of the fictional castle of Winterfell, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It took 11 weeks of night shoots in sub-freezing temperatures, enduring rain, mud, high winds and ‘sheep s—’. Glen has described it as ‘a real test, really miserable’. [...] Young actors like Kit Harington (Jon Snow) and Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) ‘are made’ by being in the show, Glen says. His storyline has been joined to Clarke’s almost from the start. What was their parting like in real life? ‘We’re friends and we’ll always be friends,’ he says. ‘Emilia went through an extraordinary story arc for herself as a person, and her character. I saw her as a nervous young actress, who had just got this big gig and everyone, [from] directors [down], was saying, “Is this the right actor? Is this how she should look? Does the wig look right?” It’s an incredible amount of pressure and I saw this young girl cope with it incredibly well.’ ‘She did ask for guidance and invariably I was saying, “Just keep doing what you’re doing.” Emilia’s very gifted, she really has no idea how good she is – she remains very vulnerable but it’s not a destructive vulnerability, it keeps her very focused… She’s [also] a very altruistic, warm person, who was the great generator of social life during Thrones. I’ll always keep an eye on what she’s doing and take pride in it.’ In the series, Ser Jorah is in love with Daenerys. Although Clarke’s character was aged up from the books for TV (in George RR Martin’s novels, she is in her early teens) fans have worked out that Daenerys can still only be 16 or 17 at the start of the show (Clarke was 22 at the time of the first season). ‘There was a point when it was definitely unrequited sexual love,’ Glen says, ‘but I think there’s always been a reciprocated love without the physicality.’ Given that Ser Jorah is in his mid-40s in the show and Glen is now 57, is his love for Daenerys age-appropriate? ‘You have to say that there’s a lot in Thrones that’s not “appropriate”,’ he returns, ‘but it feels plausible for a very different period.’ At the end of season one, Daenerys emerged from her husband’s funeral pyre unburnt and naked, with three newly hatched dragons. I wonder how Glen feels about former cast member Ian McShane’s contention that the show is ‘just tits and dragons’? ‘If tits and dragons is a negative, it doesn’t seem to stop it being a massive hit, does it?’ he says. He accepts that ‘there might have been a degree of HBO trying to arrest people’s attention, and you could accuse The Sopranos of doing that as well – there were tits and violence but there was a psychology that was underlying the whole thing.’ He thinks it might have been overstated in the first season of Thrones, in ‘putting everything on the line’ to establish the world, but says he has never felt concern about the many controversial scenes in the show, from sadistic sexual fantasies to rape. ‘At the end of the day, you can choose to watch or not to watch. When I look at history, at things that have taken place in real life that are just awful, I think there is room for dramas that try to depict that, so I’m not into censoring. I never felt things were gratuituous… Violence wise, it’s never bothered me.’ After filming their final scene, each of the main cast members was presented with a drawn storyboard from the making of the show. Glen’s depicted the bloody gladiatorial battle Jorah fought to win back Daenerys’s favour in season five. It was shot in the bullring of Osuna, in Andalusia, southern Spain, and had special memories for him. His family were with him, and the director took his daughter Mary, then seven, into the make-up tent to get blood all over her face ‘so she looked like Daddy’, then had her shout ‘action’ and ‘cut’ for the scene. After the presentation speech by writers David Benioff and DB Weiss, Glen says he was in floods of tears. Glen, who also has a son, Finlay, 22, from his first marriage to actor Susannah Harker, says he adores being a father. ‘I keep producing children… it imbues your life with a great amount of fun and magic and exhaustion. I have to be away working sometimes, and if I could I would have them with me all the time, because being woken up by a child, or having to wake up a child and deal with the minutiae and a lot of the boring crap, just having those eyes looking at you full of discovery... I love it.’ 'I always think it’s a woman’s prerogative,’ he adds, ‘I think my lady is now done on the kids and that’s fine, but I would always have more.’ He breaks off to take a call from her. As a boy himself, growing up in Edinburgh (he has two older brothers, Hamish and Graham) he was equal parts shy and extrovert, he says, and had no sense of danger. He would happily crawl out of a very high window and climb along gutters. His escapades saw him hospitalised a few times. He was adept at pretending to fall over and hurt himself – ‘I could even do it for you now.’ He still has an earring in his left ear, which he pierced himself with a pin, aged 12. ‘Dad refused to take me to the golf club unless I took it out. I thought, “F— it, I’m not going then. No.”’ His investment banker father paid for him to attend the independent Edinburgh Academy, but he had to stay on to try to improve his grades, then got the same ones again. He  managed to get into Aberdeen University to study Russian, where he discovered the joy of drama and dropped out to go to Rada. He studied alongside Ralph Fiennes, Jane Horrocks, Imogen Stubbs and Jason Watkins, but still walked away with the top acting prize for his year, the Bancroft Gold Medal,  previously won by the likes of Mark Rylance, Fiona Shaw and Kenneth Branagh. Glen built an acclaimed stage career alongside early TV roles, but has always managed to mix blockbuster  paydays – for films such as Tomb Raider (2001) and the  Resident Evil franchise – with more personal work. As Thrones’ popularity has grown, salaries have risen exponentially, with the top-end cast paid a reported $500,000 per episode (around £380,000). He notes that it’s a flat fee for a season, however many episodes you’re in. Have the rewards felt life-changing? ‘No, not really,’ he says. ‘I’ve always been lucky and busy as an actor.’ Glen experienced the negative side of press attention when his first marriage broke up in the early 2000s. Some of it was ‘intrusive’, he says – questions that related to the fact that he ‘sailed close to another relationship,’ which was [that of] Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. ‘I did a two-handed play with Nicole, which was about a sexual relationship.’ The play was David Hare’s adaption of La Ronde, The Blue Room, which famously featured Kidman’s nude bottom and Glen performing naked cartwheels. It led, perhaps inevitably, to tabloid rumours of an affair between Glen and Kidman, whose marriage ended around the same time. Glen has always denied it, but it ensured that his separation from Harker was played out in public. ‘Compared to what some people have to deal with, it was fine,’ he says. ‘But you have a lot of eyes on you and pressure on you, when you just want to deal with your own private life.’ There’s generally no other downside to fame, he notes (‘My wife says it’s like getting your bottom patted every day’), although he will politely refuse to pose for selfies if he is with his family. Game of Thrones’ vast, global appeal means that he was once even surrounded by fans while visiting a township in South Africa. [...]

[goldenduskvalentines]

Diabolik Lovers Para-Selene Vol 3: Kou Mukami [English Translation]

Hi~ I tried to translate the Para-selene Drama CD of Kou ❤

Cv: Ryohei Kimura

Track 1: Our time together

Kou: Good job, I hope you like the new song. *gets out of the studio* I'm tired... Ah!... M-Neko-Chan! Hey, hey, did you see my recording? The new song was great, right? Really? Thank you! *hugs* It’s fine, I’m tired, let me hug you.* hugs you *

Ha… I knew it seeing you after a long day makes my tiredness disappear. My manager is very cruel, as soon as the new song came out makes us practice a lot of choreographies, some my schedule is full & I could not see you.

Kou (1:04): I know. Of course, my work as an idol is important to me, but my most important thing *Kisses* is you, M-Neko-Chan. It’s okay, I told the manager that my girlfriend was coming today so I asked that no one come to my dressing room, that's why ... *Flops* Give me a reward for trying hard. That's right, will you give me your blood? That’s fine, as I said before, nobody is going to come in so they won't catch us and I can't endure it any longer.

Kou (2:01): Besides, I know that you're really dying for me to suck your blood. If you are obedient, it will feel good. Come on, I want to hear your pretty voice ~ say "I want you to drink my blood." Eh? I'm not being bad. Do you really think that? Come on; just say you want me to drink your blood, okay? *laughs* Well said, then as you wish, I will drink a lot *bites*.

Kou (3:04): *laughs*You look so happy, are you so glad I’m drinking your blood? You are blushing to the neck; you have nothing to be ashamed of. Don't look away. Look at me properly or do you want me to punish you, huh? Did you want me to punish you? You smell great, how delicious. Hey, can I devour you completely? *laughs* Just kidding, if I did that I could no longer flirt with you. M-Neko-Chan, so in return I will drink more *bites*

Kou (4:12): Hey, don't look away, I told you that if you don't look at me I will punish you. Ah ... but you like to be punished, right? You don’t? Then listen to what I tell you. Look at the area from which I suck your blood *bites*. This time it will be from here. Heh~ You can't hold it in anymore? For me it is still not enough. What’s wrong? Normally you want more.

Kou (5:09): Hey ... M-Neko-Chan ... you won't hate me, right? Well, we have not seen each other lately. So, I’m becoming a little insecure. You may prefer someone to whom you can see more, not like me ... You might have actually forced yourself to see me today ... Just kidding, I'm sorry I made you hear something like that.

I see, what a relief ... I will also love you forever, forever. You are the one I love most in this world. *bites*

Kou (6:21): *Car door opens* Okay, M-Neko-Chan, go down first. *Kou speaking to the driver* Thank you very much for bringing us today too, I count on you for the next.

Kou (6:43): Let's go.

Kou (6:51): Huh? Is there something wrong? Eh...? The Moon? Oh you’re right, it seems that it had a kind of fog around it. That’s rare, it seems that there were two moons ... But it's scary, let's hurry up and get in ... M-Neko-Chan? What happened? Why do you stay there? * Kou’s head hurting * W-what is this? D-out of nowhere my head * faints *

Track 2: The value of memories

Kou: * waking up * This is… Is this my room? When did i get in? If I remember correctly, my head hurt in front of the house ... and then ... M-Neko-Chan! Did you call Ruki and the others to bring me here? MNeko-Chan? What happened? Why are you so distracted? * sigh * Hey what are you saying? Stop joking that you don't know me and that you don't remember this place. I am the super popular idol; Kou Mukami and this is our house. Today you went to see my recording and we came back together. Remember now?

Kou (1:07): Are you upset because I haven't been able to see you very often? Hm ... You're angry because I couldn't see you much because of work, right? That's why you pretend not to remember anything and make me feel bad, I'm so sorry M-Neko-Chan, I will strive not to feel lonely so forgive me. Won't you listen to me unless I try it with actions? So if I kiss you, will you remind me? *Kisses* Are you better yet? But I can kiss you again * you push him away *. Ah! What’s wrong? Hey are you still angry? Besides, I'm not "you," I'm "Kou-kun," don't call me like I'm a stranger.

Kou (2:08): I told you to stop. Even I would get mad if the girl I like calls me that way. O-hey, don't move so much. Why are you so scared? You act the same as when we met. If you continue with that joke then,  I will give you a punishment, in this way-- What will I do? I'm a vampire so I'm going to suck your blood, isn't it obvious? What are you surprised about ...huh? That expression again ... Stop it already. Hurry up and say it's a lie!

Kou (3:00): Ah, Really? You still plan to continue with that, so you leave me no choice, I promised myself not to use my right eye again, but if you insist on saying that it is not a lie *Kou use his right eye to see the truth *. Hey...? What is this...? You really don't remember me? It can't be ... No way… Why?! We've been together all this time and still ... you forgot it so easily. Don't joke with me! At this time, you really do not remember everything we have done. This does not make sense; just how little were our memories worth ?! To say you loved me, were those words and feelings so easy to forget?

Kou (4:01): I will not forgive you ... I will not forgive that! *bites*. I will definitely make you remember. *suck * The strongest memory you should have of us should be this pain, so if I make it hurt for sure you will soon-- * suck * what did you say? I'm making it hurt on purpose so that your memories come back soon *sucks*. I already told you that it is no use resisting. Hurry up Hurry and remember me! *sucks and his head hurts * ...! W-what? Again? It hurts ... N-I won't let you act like nothing happened.

Kou (5:12): No matter what ... h-I'll make your memories come back ... no matter what ... I swear. *sucks*

Track 3: Rejection

Kou: * waking up * Eh? Where...? ...! The living room? When did I get here-? It is true! M-Neko-Chan, where are you?! She’s not here ... I really went overboard, I did not imagine that I would lose my patience in that way; but that wasn’t an act. She really lost her memories; she forgot me and all our memories together ... Earlier in the dressing room laughing why? I must look for her; I must hurry up

and make her remember. Huh? The moon, there are still two moons ... it's really disgusting.

Kou (1:15): *door opens* At last I find you, so you were here. Wait! Do not runaway! Earlier, I lost my cool ... I'm really sorry. I calmed down so let's make peace; I don't want you to fear me forever ... okay? So ... have your memories come back? I see, not yet ... N-don't escape! I will not do anything to you. Although, after what I did, I know I don't sound convincing.

Kou (2:01): I know! How about we eat together, M-Neko-Chan? As a way to reconcile I would like to eat your vongole bianco. I see, you don't remember. The vongole bianco is my favorite food, you used to prepare it often, if I were Ruki-kun I would ask him ... now that I think about it, where did everyone go? I don't remember them saying something about going out ... Oh well, anyway, if you forgot how to do it you can see a recipe out there, you might remember something while you prepare it, please?

Kou (2:45): That look on your face ... you're obeying me so as not to make me angry ... *sighs* For now, it doesn't matter, you may understand it once we eat together ... If I remember correctly Ruki-kun left the recipe in ... Found it! Here you go. Hey can i look? I won’t be in the way. Thanks, then please prepare a delicious vongole bianco * you start cooking *. I haven't seen you cooking for a while, since I go home late and by then dinner was already ready. Ah, if there is anything I can help you tell me, at least I can beat the ingredients. Oh none? Then, It's okay...

Kou (3:56): Hey ... M-Neko-Chan, did you remember anything? Not yet ...hmmm then ... * hugs you from behind * Don't be so surprised, I'm just hugging you a little. I'm not interfering while cooking, I just wanted to hug you. Hey, your hands have stopped, you have to move them to cook, you know? That is not true, I think if you can cook in this state. Ah… Is me hugging you making you nervous? M-NekoChan, you are so cute. But we have already done this hundreds of times so you should not be so tense. Hey, you liked me hugging you, right? Do you not remember?

Kou (4:58): Does this not work either? As I thought, if it is not some strong memory it will not work ... Hey, as the pain did not work maybe we should try something else, this time I will gently suck your blood *kiss on the neck* Here. It’s okay, I will make it pleasant, that way you might remember everything. *bites and sucks* The taste of your blood has not changed in the least and your blushing face is the same as always, so why only your memories are gone? Hey, why did you forget it?

Kou (5:57): I see, you also don't know why, well, once you remember everything, it won't matter anymore. Hey, before I suck a lot from your neck, so what if this time I do it from another area? For example, your shoulder *bites* O-hey, don't move, you don't want it to hurt, do you? *bites* I want you to feel good too, don't you remember? You’d always love this. Hmmm… You're crying M-Neko-Chan, how good does it feel?

Kou (6:55): No? How strange ... I'm sucking gently ... Your body is tense, maybe that's why it hurts, come on relax, you just have to feel pleasure, right? T-I told you not to make a fuss! *bites and you push him* Why ...? I'm giving you your longed for sweet pain and still, why doesn't it work? *you push him* Ah! It hurt...

Kou (7:37): I twisted my hand ... I don't need you to heal me since it will heal soon. M-Neko-Chan, do you really dislike that kind of touch? You’re that afraid? Well, that's normal ... because for you right now I'm a stranger. *gets up* You're not the one who fell in love with me *Kou’s head hurts* Again?* You walk close to him* Stay away! In your current state you shouldn’t care about me. W-what is this ?! Mdamn *faints*.

Track 4: Unchangeable

Kou: *waking up* Eh? My room? Did the place change again? Why? I already said it was cold, the window is open. There are still two moons and it has been quite a while it doesn't seem like the time moved ... I want to hurry up and see the blue sky ... if all this was just a dream. *close the window* Why did this have to happen? I didn't think it would affect me so much to be forgotten. 

Kou (1:03): What should I do to get her memories back? If they never came back ... if they always rejected me ... I will only suffer carrying these feelings forever ... in that case maybe ... I should give up ...

Kou (1:41): *you knock on the door* who is it? Ruki-kun? *opens* M-Neko-Chan? What are you doing here? Hey? Were you looking for me? Why? You were very afraid of me earlier. Oh the wound from before? Are you still worrying about it? You do not have to apologize, I told you before, I am a vampire so my wounds heal quickly, so I am fine ... Plus my body is already full of wounds ... I see, you do not remember, right? ... Absolutely nothing? N-it's nothing, it's something you shouldn’t care about. It's really nothing, I give up.

Kou (2:47): No matter how hard I try, you won't remember anything; just trying over and over will be a waste of time. You don't love me anymore so there's no need for us to be together. Hey ... I'm telling you that you can run away, why aren’t you moving? It’s okay, I don't care about you anymore, come on, hurry up and leave. ...hm! Why? After rejecting me all the time, why do you say you can't leave me alone now? Do I pitiful to you? If not that’s not it, then what? W-why? If you have no memories ... how can you say that I am sad? I'm supposed to give up ... Ahh…

Kou (4:00): Why is this happening? If I get so close to you I could suck your blood again, you don't want that, do you? That’s okay? Now you want to know about me? What do you mean? That's right ... you and I were a couple, although it seems you have forgotten. Well, anyone would be sad if the person they love forgets about their lover ... but right now I am a stranger to you, so you shouldn't worry about hurting me, It doesn’t have anything to do with you...! M-Neko-Chan ... You're really selfless.

Kou (5:01): You don't want to see me hurt ... A normal person wouldn't want to recover their memories just so that a stranger didn't feel bad, but that's enough, you don't have to remember anything ... I already told you , I’m giving up, nothing assures me that I can give you back your memories. Besides, for you, it could be the opportunity to fall in love again, since I am a vampire that nobody wanted to raise ... Wouldn't you be happier if you were going out with someone very kind? Why? Before you were very scared about the cruel things I did to you, remember? What is that? If you have amnesia, how can you say that I am not a bad person? If you don't know anything, I don't need you to comfort me.

Kou (6:05): Ah Really? If you insist so much then I will tell you, how I have lived so far ... I am now a vampire, but I used to be a human, I had no parents and before I knew it I lived in a sewer. That's right; it was a dirty and stinky place, I had no money to buy food and I used to settle for garbage. Even if I sometimes found bread or some money, there was nothing that satisfied me more than food ... Well, I always lived like that, I thought I would die that way too.

Kou (6:57): But one day the army found me and took me to an orphanage. That orphanage was also a horrible place, the sewer was even better ... There, they used the most beautiful orphans as objects and the nobles paid for them. Since I had a good appearance, I was very popular, every day they beat me ... Then, I couldn’t stand it anymore, I ripped my right eye thinking that when I became uglier they would leave me alone and I could run away, but it was useless. Since the beginning my life was already hell. But after that I met Ruki-kun and the others at the orphanage and after many things I am here. Do you already understand what kind of person I am?

Kou (7:56): I didn't have an ordinary life and I do cruel things to you and to top it off I'm a vampire ... Even if you remember me, if you didn't have any good memories. Would you regret it ... A-Are you? Hey,lift your face. It's the same as back then ... even if you don't have your memories, you’re crying for me. Those tears ... are not out of pity right? I knew it *you hug him* W-what's up? Hey? I'm not going to cry, I can't cry because of that, it's enough for you to cry in my place.

Kou (9:10): Your eyes are red, if you cry too much your face will turn red and it will be ugly. I don't hate you crying, but at times like this I don't like it. Eh? Tears? It's true ... huh? I'm crying? Looks like, when I am with you, it seems that I become able to cry ... N-not that I wanted to cry, but ... but ... I'm glad ...

Kou (10:08): As I thought ... even without memories you are still the person I fell in love with. Selfless enough to cry for others, and very kind ...

Kou (10:32): Mmmm… I’ve decided, I will stop forcing you to recover your memories. It's fine, because even though you've forgotten everything; I like you. Let's start from scratch, the two together, okay? Yes, I'm counting on you from now on, M-Neko-Chan. Hey, can i kiss you? Thank you. *kiss* I love you.

Kou (11:37): The morning doesn't come ... No, it's not that I hate the night, but you know, I want to see the blue sky. Yes, that's right, I like the blue sky. It should be time for dawn, but the sky does not change, so I thought I would also like to see a beautiful blue sky with you. G-Thanks, it makes me happy that we feel the same. Oh ... this rose ... *picks it up* Take it, I’m giving it to you. Of course, I think it would fit you well, accept it.

Kou (12:40): You're welcome *laughs* I finally made you laugh. Hey ... I'm sorry I said so many cruel things ... I couldn't believe, that the girl I love forgot m, so it made me frustrated... But I won't force you to remember anymore! Let's build our memories once again. Thank you *hugs you*. I love you, I love you, M-Neko-Chan. Hey ... This won't hurt ... so, will you let me suck your blood? *bites*

Kou (13:50): It's sweet and hot, give me more. *sucks*Does your body twist because it feels good? Then I will give you more *sucks*. This time, from here. *bites* You used to dislike me a lot, aren't you going to resist anymore? Hm? What? Hey, why do you stay silent? Tell me, do you dislike the one who sucks your blood?

Kou (14:55): So what do you think about that? Say it. You don't have to be ashamed, I'm just here. You just have to say “It feels nice”, easy, right? Hey, please ... Hm? What? If you don't say it louder I won't hear you *laughs*. Well said, as a reward, I will make you feel better. *bites*

Kou (15:50): I also want it from this arm. I can do that, right? *bites* I'm starting to get dizzy ... but it's still not enough, you also think that, don't you? It shows on your face that you want more of my fangs. That expression is very cute. *Kisses* If you want it, I will bite you as much as you want so trust me with everything *Kou’s head aches*

Kou (16:45): E-right now? Again? I'm fine ... it's not the big deal ... Then let me hold your hand and I'll be fine ... Thank you ... * faints *

Track 5: The end of the night

Kou: *waking up* Eh? M-Neko-Chan, are you alright? Ah? What? Does it hurt you somewhere? Hey? Did you remember ... hm! Truly?! Did you remember everything? I’m so happy! I said I didn't care if you didn't recover your memories, but I'm really glad they came back. You don't have to apologize, I don't think of it as a nuisance. It is enough for you to remember me. 

Kou (1:03): Eh? What? It finally dawned ... the dark sky is starting to turn blue. Yes, it is very beautiful;our wish may have reached it. Hey, let's take a closer look, I'll take you in my arms while flying. *picks you up *Hold tight. *flies* It's the first time I've seen such a beautiful blue sky. You too? I see, being able to see this sky with you makes me the happiest person in the world *Kisses*.

Kou (2:02): I love you.

Kou (2:29): *sighs* I am so exhausted, today. This is not fair, just when your memories have returned my work increases and because of that I could not spend almost any time with you. “We can’t help it”?You accept this too well; couldn't you pretend that at least feel lonely? It's my job ... Aah ... if my girlfriend doesn't feel lonely without me then I'll stop being an idol. I know, I'm just kidding, but I don't want to stop seeing you. Do you feel different from me? What a relief. Then, from now on let me know if you feel lonely and in case you feel that way, I will stay by your side. 

Kou (3:23): Of course, if you want something better than that, I can satisfy you *laughs*. You're blushing, how cute~ the sky? It's true that the stars are pretty, but you said it just to change the conversation, right? You are very obvious M-Neko-Chan. The blue sky we saw the other day was more beautiful. I saw the night sky until I got bored when you lost your memories so I would like to take a break from it, the moon was very unpleasant. Ah, now that I remember, after that I asked Ruki about the amnesia, I thought the cause didn't matter, but it would be a problem that would happen again. 

Kou (4:15): Yes, Ruki-kun said that it could be `` the Paraselene syndrome '', with that refers to the paraselene phenomenon do you remember that before you lost your memories we saw that the moon had a kind of fog around it, right? It is said that when non-humans see it, they are affected by the paraselene syndrome. This gives you hallucinations and this also affects the people around you. You are human, but you may have been included because you have special blood. I am surprised that this moon was the cause of all that. But I'm glad that everything has returned to normal. It was very painful for me that you forgot me...

Kou (5:09): That's why at that time I thought it would be better to separate and said things about moving away ... but as I thought, no matter what, I don't want to separate from you. I love you more than anyone so I want us to be always together. You too? I see. That’s a relief. I won't let go of you against let's live together from now on *Kisses*.

[calorieworkouts]

13 of the best monthly workout streaming subscriptions that cost less than $40

Thanks to the brave new world of on-demand sweat sessions, playing hooky from your IRL exercise course is no biggie. As well as hallelujah for that, because the concept of leaving your windy, air-conditioned residence to hit a workshop workout course in the mid-heat-wave isn't constantly appealing.

Even if your living-room doesn't yet boast a Peloton bike or treadmill, you can still increase your heart price in the (electronic) company of buzzy health and fitness instructors throughout all categories of workouts: HIIT, yoga, spin, you call it. Type of makes you desire to make your workout line as long as your Netflix one, right?

Keep analysis for 13 of the current on-demand health and fitness classes you can do right from home.

1. Body Love with Anna Victoria, $17 per month

If you, like me, look at the pinheads in the gym with full and also utter incredulity, think about Anna Victoria's Body Love application your no-judgment training hero. Each exercise is 30-40 minutes in length, as well as integrates HIIT strength and also circuit training for a quick hit of sweat that suits any type of active girl's plan. Oh, and you can likewise find delish, 'macro well balanced' dishes on this electronic location, too-- to ensure that's a plus.

2. CorePower Yoga On Demand, $20 per month

One of the nation's most popular yoga exercise studios (literally, their courses are heated up) just recently dropped an on-line platform where you can most likely to meet all your vinyasa demands. Given that CorePower is understood for combining their free-flowing courses with weights, getting hold of a set of pinheads prior to rolling out your floor covering will supply you that 360 experience. However if you do not have a set helpful, 2 water containers or no weight in any way will also do the trick.

3. mF Online, $20 per month

The similarity Karlie Kloss and also Taylor Swift have actually checked out modelFIT's New York City place (it has a second spot in Los Angeles) for practical, little muscle-targeting workouts developed by founder Vanessa Packer and also head trainer Javi Perez. The at-home editions of the workshop's offerings permit you to tone in the house and also are mostly equipment complimentary. Heads up-- some of these 5-20 min sessions call for resistance bands, little hand as well as ankle weights, as well as a Pilates ring.

4. Circuit of Modification, $25 per month

With courses ranging from 5-60 minutes, and also selections of exercises that cover from tribal yoga exercise streams to martial arts, there's something for every person on this app-- regardless of your taste of physical fitness. Circuit of Adjustment also supplies their signature New York City studio course, MindBody Bootcamp, a sweaty fusion of yoga, fighting styles, kickboxing, tribal sequencing, as well as HIIT.

5. DanceBody@Home Online, $35 per month

Prefer to breast a relocate private? No problem. DanceBody@Home now supplies its 5, super-fun trademark courses online. They'll bring the jams, all you need is your body. To actually get the entire studio-at-home ambiance, possibly spend in owner Katia Pryce's wizard (read: not gross and also sweaty) wrist weights-- Also Known As Dancing Bands-- and also Hex Mat.

6. Peloton Digital, $19 per month

Peloton workshops, the cycle and treadmill supernova with IRL areas in the Big Apple, lately launched their very own physical fitness application that permits you to rotate, sprint, or strength train under the advice of amazing teachers-- without handing over the cha-ching necessary to purchase the firm's next-level equipment. In addition to pre-recorded courses, the buzzy's brand's electronic model also enables you to participate from another location with 20 live workshop classes each day. So there's truly no need to sweat solo.

7. 108 Yoga, $14 per month

If you can't creep away to Aruba (* sigh *) to go to Rachel Brathen's Island Yoga Studio, you can still exercise with @yoga_girl and a wide variety of other expert instructors online. The platform supplies thousands of classes on-demand, so variety will not be a problem below. As an extra win, your membership occurs with accessibility to guided reflections and also healthy and balanced food preparation classes. Make sure you have your floor covering and also your yoga obstructs at the ready.

8. Physique 57, $30 per month

Bring the burn of barre class house with these no-equipment, body-sculpting workout video clips. Physique57's streaming service allows you Do It Yourself your exercise with short exercises that can be incorporated into playlists. No question, they'll be killer.

9. Alo Moves, $20 per month

Alo Yoga, who basically concentrates on creating the * most * 'grammable exercise lays out there, just recently declared their electronic square footage with Alo Relocations-- an app including popular trainers like Kino MacGregor, Aubry Marie, and Talia Sutra. In addition to schooling you on handstands as well as proper plank placement, the application likewise uses dancing cardio, core-targeting courses, and more for days when you feel like switching up your asana practice.

10. MNDFL Video, $15 per month

If it's an exercise for your mind you seek, look no farther than the online model of New York's MNDFL reflection workshop. Video clips vary from 1-30 mins and feature themes like breath, heart, as well as even emotions (you recognize-- for days when you have * all * the feelings).

11. FLY Anywhere, $39 per month

Okay, there's definitely an ahead of time price associated with this at-home exercise. When you have actually spent the $1,699 rate of the bike (plus the $400 tablet computer ... and do not neglect the spinning shoes), your Flywheel month-to-month membership is concerning the price of one shop health and fitness studio trip. Not too worn-out. And hi, you'll have access to specialist instructors 24/7.

12. Andrea Speir TV, free

Celeb pilates fitness instructor Andrea Speir brings her much-beloved Santa Monica studio workouts to the display with her YouTube network. Educated by the workshops top teachers, the majority of Speir's streamable classes get on the much shorter side (regarding 10 minutes long), so you can stack legs, core, as well as arm circuits together for a full-length exercise-- or simply appreciate them a la carte.

13. Yogaia, $20 per month

If you self-identify as a circulation addict, you have actually most likely already chaturangad on a Manduka mat: They're the internal fave of store workshops throughout America. As well as currently, the brand won't only be giving the square footage you need to practice on, they're likewise offering you the relocate to do too. Slide on a set of their athleticwear, as well as you're essentially a sponsored yogi.

14. Naturally Sassy, $13 per month

For all those wannabe ballerinas around (existing!), this membership will have you plié-ing our means to Nutcracker condition. These 10-20 minute, body weight only workouts can be stacked up together for a full-on dance routine. Currently all you require is a silk hair scrunchie to end up off your top-knot ... as well as maybe a tutu.

Originally posted January 17, 2018, updated August 8, 2018.

Another bonus of on-demand workouts is that your post-sweat snack is accessible. Here are the go-tos SoulCycle teachers make use of to refuel and the SoulCycle x Milkbar cooperation cookie you don't intend to miss.