#but if she keeps cranking out songs like this I’ll give her streams that’s for sure!

[whiskeyswifty]

Little girlie put some kind of something in that’s a’me espresso or whatever like goddamn! Can’t get over this song!!!

[xnchxntmxnt]

Hi Spencer!! Ahhh I hope you’ve reached 200 by the time you get this! It’s been so amazing watching you grow and your works have brought lots of comfiness into my life 🥰 thank you so much for creating and writing and making one of the most aesthetic blogs I’ve ever seen (hehe love the constellation aesthetic) sending lots of positive vibes and appreciation your way 💕

For the matchup event (ahh it’s my first time ever doing one and I hope I didn’t put too much 😱) thank you in advance 💖

Name: eggu

Pronouns: she/her

Preferred partner: open to anyone

MBTI: INFJ

Horoscope: Aquarius

Aesthetic: light academia, soft, oversized sweaters, korean street wear, fandom merch, white and pastels, 4:00 am talks about life, stars and clouds

Some things about me:

I took piano, dance and martial arts lessons growing up and I still enjoy playing piano a lot

I enjoy playing video games on my spare time (I’m currently selling my soul to genshin impact)

I really love music of all genres but I’m currently really into kpop and khiphop (my favourite artists are seventeen and stray kids)

I really like naps and sleeping in general and prefer it over eating — I would say I have pretty low energy in general

I like desserts, pastries and dim sum

I recently got into watching art streams, journaling and collecting cute stationery

I’ve pretty much been a huge geek/fangirl all my life and have loved reading and animation since I can remember

I just finished watching jujutsu kaisen and am currently watching fruits basket (lol I enjoy both extreme shounen and fluffy shoujo)

I’m human and have lots of insecurities but I’m learning

Ideal traits in a partner:

Able to appreciate the quiet moments

I’m not a super physical person, but it would be nice to be physically close to someone I trust and that respects my boundaries

Trustworthy — didn’t have a great past relationship 😞

Isn’t afraid to keep up with banter and has witty remarks... someone that can keep me on my toes

Is driven in something they love

willing to learn and grow alongside me

@eggutartu

Thank you so so so much!! 💕💕💕 i worked really hard on the aesthetic so I’m glad you like it and I’m glad you like what I write! If you ever have ideas, don’t be afraid to share!

Anyway, onto the notes & matchup (I was really proud of this one 😁😁😁)

WHEN I TELL YOU I IMMEDIATELY HAD AN IDEA, I I M M E D I A T E L Y HAD AN IDEA. I was so proud of myself when i got this lol cause I saw your entry when I woke up, barely skimmed it, and said…

TSUKISHIMA KEI

✧ 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑀𝑒𝑡 ✧

Okay okay hear me out

Hot topic (or something similar but I’m American so hot topic)

He was looking to get something for Yamaguchi’s birthday & maybe something for himself because don’t tell me Tsukishima Kei isn’t into anime I know he is

Probably shonen but still

Anyway

You were both reaching for the same thing (yes I’m using THAT trope)

Fortunately for you, there was more than one keychain but still

He was about to get low key defensive like “hey watch it” y’know like

Was in a v short mood

But the second he got the word “hey” out he turned to look at you and just

Froze

And got all embarrassed because look at this beautiful girl he’s standing net to shit he was just cursing you out in his brain

So he’s staring at you with wide eyes and you’re like “oh I’m sorry--you like JJK too? That’s cool”

And he’s stuttering Tsukishima Kei is flustered, everybody

So he’s like “uh yeah kinda I guess I don’t really talk about it a lot cause my friend isn’t into it”

“Well I mean if you ever wanna talk about it we can”

“Really?”

“Yeah, gimme your phone I’ll give you my number. If that’s chill”

“Sure, I guess, yeah”

Akiteru was home that day and hadn’t seen his brother smile this much since he was a kid

Any time he asked though Kei just got all huffy and went to his room

✧ 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠 ✧

U two make playlists for each other on a regular basis (Spotify playlists w collaboration turned on are your best friend)

They're always killer and hit a little too hard

When you tell him you have a new favorite song, he listens to it on repeat until he knows all the lyrics and can pick on you for saying the wrong lyrics if you ever do

Also because it reminds him of you

He loves that he can be himself around you

Really he does

Like that’s one of his favorite things

He doesn’t have to hide any of his hobbies or really anything about him really and he appreciates it so much

It took a while to get there with him, but once he trusted you 100%, he realized he was in love with you

Love and trust are the same things to him (or at least similar) so he knew he loved you when he realized he really could be himself with you around and probably told you as such

He’s not one to push your boundaries, but just had to tell you so it was probably a text like

“Look I don’t expect you to say this back if you’re not ready for that yet, but you’re so amazing--I need to be honest. I’ve done nothing but stare at the ceiling for an hour and think and just realized how in love with you I am. I really am. Take that as you will.”

And then just straight up DIDN’T ANSWER UNTIL 2 AM THAT NIGHT LIKE “sorry I was at Yamaguchi's” LIKE BRO JUST DROP A BOMB LIKE THAT DAMN

Needless to say, he WAS at Yamaguchi's and left his phone at home but it was because he was too afraid of what you’d say

He got home at 11

He just procrastinated for three hours until he finally answered you back

And when you told him you loved him too, his heart SOARED he proceeded to call yams and squeal like a seven-year-old girl for a half hour

If ur shorter than him he uses your head as an armrest, no exceptions

He does it if you're taller than him too he just goes up on his toes to do it

Anyway

Can and will pick on you for everything

It’s the way he shows his love alright

Cute stationery? It’s tacky and “why do you have this it’s irritatingly adorable”

“You’re irritatingly adorable”

“I’m not adorable”

“Yes you are Tsukki"

Lets you call him Tsukki until you can call him Kei

You have to have a thick skin with him because sometimes it’s hard to tell when he’s being sarcastic or not

If he ever did make you cry or genuinely upset though, he’d tear himself to pieces about it for hours and be completely unresponsive to his phone if you text him because he thinks you hate him

When he finally texts you back he’ll never admit how upset he is, but he will apologize for making you upset

It’s really hard to do emotions with this dude but you try to manage

If you can figure out how to make him talk about his problems “let’s talk about Akiteru” “no”? Yamaguchi will love you forever

You get the best friend approval anyway but you get an extra gold star if you can get him to open up more

Oh and you totally like to show up at games or practice and everyone including Ukai and Takeda love you for it because he tries a little harder so he doesn’t look bad in front of you

It’s like a switch he goes from like 5% to 70% effort but that’s the best he’s giving until it’s game time then he’ll crank it to 100%

✧ 𝐷𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝐼𝑑𝑒𝑎 ✧

Okay okay but but but but but

Anime dates

Like once a week you two sit and watch anime over discord or smth

You don’t usually talk much but it’s nice to be in each others’ presence

Or close to that

When you can get together it’s that much better

You trade off whose house you’re at every other week, and whoever's visiting picks up snacks on the way

You’ll watch tv, make fun of the characters together, roll your eyes at the sappy moments but lean over to kiss Tsukki anyway

It’s overall a very wholesome scene

But there will be times when he is stressed and tired for whatever reason and he’ll fall asleep

Sometimes he’ll be curled into a little ball on his side of the couch

Sometimes he’ll slouch his head against your shoulder with his arm around your waist

Sometimes he’ll pause the show and pull you down against him and just lay with you for a while

Not even watch tv just

Be happy in each others’ presence

He’ll fall asleep from time to time and you take his glasses off for him

He looks so soft when he’s sleeping and not glaring at people

✧ 𝑍𝑜𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑐 𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 ✧

Libras, while they may not exactly say it, are romantics. They enjoy little things about romance, however modern, like spontaneous dates and flowers. They initiate clever ideas and Aquariuses are good at adding a different perspective, so prepare for in-depth conversations. On the other hand, Aquariuses tend to be trendsetters, which Libras support wholeheartedly.

✧ 𝐴𝑒𝑠𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐 ✧

✧ 𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 ✧

my boy - Billie Eilish

Hug - SEVENTEEN

King of the Clouds - Panic! At The Disco

She’s In The Rain - The Rose

I Can’t Handle Change - Roar

Runners up: Sugawara Koushi, Akaashi Keiji

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

The Pretty Reckless’ Taylor Momsen: “This record saved my life”

The Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momsen faces your questions about lost friends, life in quarantine and her band’s new album

Four years on from their last album, The Pretty Reckless return in the face of personal loss and depression for the follow-up, Death By Rock And Roll. In the meantime, we challenged frontwoman Taylor Momsen to answer your burning questions on the band’s new era, making dream collaborations come true and… really rubbish tigers?

What can you tell us about how the new album is sounding? Debbie Smith (email)

“Awesome! I’m ecstatic for people to hear it. It’s been a long time coming and we’ve been sitting on music waiting to put it out, it’s been torturous. I don’t want to say too much but I am very confident with this album – in a lot of ways, this might be our best album yet; it’s very much a rebirth for this band and it feels like the first record in a lot of ways. I know to my core that I’m extraordinarily proud of what we’ve accomplished on this album, it’s a new chapter in the band’s life. This record saved my life and I’m really excited to share it.”

If you could collaborate with anyone on a future album who would it be and why? Jenni Owens (email)

“I don’t know because I don’t think of music like that, I think collaborations have to come about organically and in these modern times of streaming, collaborations are used more as a marketing tool than an actual artistic statement and I don’t really like that. I very rarely collaborate with people, but I say that just as I got to collaborate on this new album with some amazing people like Matt Cameron and Kim Thayil of Soundgarden on a song called Only Love Can Save Me Now, which we recorded at London Bridge Studios in Seattle where Soundgarden made Louder Than Love, Pearl Jam made Ten and Alice In Chains recorded there. It’s such an iconic space, so being there with those guys and hearing the song I wrote come to life with them playing it was one of the best experiences of my life. The collaboration came about in a really natural way through a lot of tragedy; we were opening for them on that last tour before Chris Cornell passed and that created a bond. We also have a song, And So It Went, that features Tom Morello playing the guitar solo – again that was such an amazing artistic collaboration. When I wrote the song, he immediately came to mind as a voice that could really express the concept, the lyrics and the point of the song and really take it to another level and he certainly does; when he comes in, it’s undeniably Tom Morello and it’s awesome!”

What do you think of them rebooting your old TV show Gossip Girl? Danielle Harris (email)

“I’m curious to see it! Social media and technology has changed so much since that show first aired so it’ll be interesting to see what they do with it. I remember on the show, they used to periodically give your character a new phone and it was still flip phones when it started… now everyone’s glued to iPhones and you feel like you’re dying without a smartphone. The social commentary alone will be interesting to see how they take that and bring it into the modern life we’re all living in.”

What did 2020 teach you? @immortalevfan (Twitter)

“It’s taught me patience, which I think I had a pretty good handle on ahead of 2020 but it certainly has tested my boundaries of how patient I can be. It’s taught me to appreciate the small things that we overlook in life – if we were on tour right now, I wouldn’t be getting to spend time with my tiny dog ,who’s very old, before she’s inevitably going to pass. I’ve been enjoying the little moments of being at home because the rest of my life has always been a whirlwind and was always on the go, so now there’s no other option but to reflect on your own thoughts and your own life.”

Would you rather have an army of badass ducks or one really crap tiger? James Brian Fitzgerald (Facebook)

“Can’t it be one badass tiger or a load of ducks? I’m kind of a solitude, isolated person; I have very few friends but the friendships I have go deep. Because a lot of ducks seems a little overwhelming, I think I want one tiger but I’d have to get him on the game. He just needs a little sensei training; I’ll give him a Soundgarden record and we’ll be on the same page. I’ll reform that tiger!”

Who in the music industry was most helpful to you taking your first steps and adapting into that world? Jane McAhrane (email)

“I have to give credit to my managers who I’ve been with for a very long time, they’ve always supported my visions and always had my back, but I think the main people are in the band. It started when I first met Ben [Phillips], our guitarist and my songwriting partner, and our producer Kato at the same time. There was an undeniable chemistry and magic that you can’t duplicate – it was something otherworldly, if you believe in that kind of thing. It was a defining moment in my life. Through that, I met Mark Damon [bass] and Jamie Perkins [drums]. When we all came together and made the decision to see where this was going to go, quit our jobs and I quit acting, we really jumped in with both feet. The support, camaraderie and the way we looked at music and life, everything about it is amazing.”

In your opinion, has having the career in acting helped or hindered the public perception and success of the band? And how long do you think it took for people to see you as a musician rather than the actress who has a band? Matt Heeks (Facebook)

“I think it was a combination of both a hindrance that we had to overcome and a slight help to the press side. In the beginning it certainly helped get our name out there because I was known for something else and I was living in a tabloid world at the time, so it spread the band’s name around, but I don’t think it contributed anything to the actuality of what it is to be a band, to make music and to be successful at that – having your name written in a bunch of articles doesn’t validate anything. I think the people who gave the album a chance without judging it with a pre- existing notion and went in with an open mind, they noticed pretty quickly. The rest of the world took a while to see this for what it was. There’s no facade, it’s just who we are as people.”

Do you think we are more likely to cry or headbang during the new album? @xxrecklesstayxx (Twitter)

“I think you’ll get a bit of both! There’s a very full spectrum on this record; it starts in the dark and ends in the light and it really takes you on a journey. If the first half doesn’t work for you, you’ll find something in the second half and vice versa. It encapsulates everything we’ve been through since the last time we were out and about in the world. A lot of this record was made due to how much tragedy and loss that suddenly thrust itself upon our lives in a short amount of time, from Chris Cornell’s passing to our producer Kato Khandwala [who died following a motorcycle crash in 2018]. [Kato] was my best friend on the planet and that was the nail in the coffin for me. I went down into a hole of depression and substance abuse and I didn’t know how to get out of it; it was music that saved me, it pulled me out and made me want to keep going. Writing this record was all I had left and I think you can really hear that on the album.”

What do you miss most about touring? Aimee Baker (email)

“I miss you guys, the fans! I’m going through show withdrawal, I miss being onstage with my best friends and cranking the amps, screaming into microphones and never really knowing what’s going on. I miss the whole energy of live shows because there’s nothing like it; it’s a drug and there’s nothing that competes with it. Being in the studio and writing gives you a different substantial kind of high that lasts forever, whereas shows are just one night but you can’t beat that one night.”

Any plans to release an acoustic album of any of your songs or covers? @Jmj2022 (Twitter)

“No specific plans but it’s certainly something we’ve been talking about for years now at this point. Because we haven’t been able to get together as a band plugged in, I’ve been doing a lot of acoustic stuff from home. We just released a piano version of House On A Hill, which is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time and I think that turned out really beautiful. I’ve got to work with some amazing friends and musicians; Alain Johannes and I covered Chris Cornell’s The Keeper together, I also got to work with Matt Cameron and we recorded Halfway There by Soundgarden. Things are happening that wouldn’t have come about if we were on tour.”

[mercurygray]

Eileen and 'balter' from the one word ideas list 😊

[send me a word and a character/universe and I’ll write a short drabble!]

balter (v.) - to dance artlessly, without particular grace or skill but usually with enjoyment.

The real pride and joy of the PX was the radio.

A gleaming maple monolith, it sat in the corner enjoying light duties during the week, saving its energy for Friday, when the volume would be cranked as high as it would go and the crystals stretched to their limit as the airwaves searched for New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, repeaters across the country bringing the sultry sounds of the Cotton Club, the Hollywood Bowl, the Coconut Grove, and the Pump Room into the Georgia foothills.

The music was of secondary importance to the men, who used it mainly as a backdrop to keep the room from getting soft, but for the girls, it was a godsend - to some more than others, Judy and Doris in particular. But no one - no one - loved to dance more than Eileen, who had, she informed them one night, actually performed in a floor show at the Coconut Grove once. "Come on, Connie," she said, one particularly good evening when the energy in the room was high, "Give the chair a rest and dance. I know you want to."

"I...I can't." The shy Wisconsin girl seemed to shrink a little, having been watching Eileen's considerable skills for the last ten minutes.

"What, everyone can dance, come on." Eileen pulled the girl out of her seat and grabbed both hands, arranging a two woman chorus line as Kay Kyser began to clap and croon I've got spurs, that jingle, jangle, jingle - jingle jangle, as I go riding merrily along. "Hear the clapping? That's the beat. Now move your hands with it, left, right, left right, that's it, you've got it. Now we're gonna add some feet - just follow mine, left front, right foot, lean a little, and back we go, right front, left foot, lean the other way, good girl! Now take my hand, and we shuffle, shuffle, and the other way."

And, just like that, they were dancing, Eileen in her element, her movements poised and smooth, the Hollywood dance hostess to her core, Connie's unsure and tentative, a smile building on her face as she repeated the motions a few times and kept the hang of it.

And they sing, 'Oh, ain't you glad you're single?' And that song ain't so very far from wrong.

An audience was forming, clapping along with the beat and Kyser's smiling Oh Lilibelle, oh, Lilibelle, though I may have done some fooling This is why I never fell, the room alive somehow, from Eileen's smiles and Connie's joy at having found she could do something new.

"Hey, Eileen," Leibgott said from the front  of the crowd, with his eye to the main chance, as the song finished up and the radio station rolled into a commercial, "can you teach me to dance?"

"Not on your life, Joe," she shot back, the smiling dancer gone, replaced, once more, with the hard-headed woman who’d decided jumping out of an airplane sounded like a grand idea. "I like my feet where they are." The whole PX hollered in laughter, and Joe tried not to look too cut up about it, going back to the bar for a beer while his buddies ribbed him a little, and ‘asking for dance lessons’ became shorthand for ‘a thing that won’t be given.’

---

Quick history notes, because I love vintage radio programs - all the nightclubs listed here would have broadcast their live shows on Friday and Saturday nights, broadcasts that would have been picked up by local stations and rebroadcast. As the war goes on, many of these venues would record special shows for servicemen. Kay Kyser and his Orchestra were an occasional guest and a couple of these venues; in this period he’s perhaps better known for his movie appearances.

Also, because I feel I should - anyone interested in vintage radio should know that WDCB, a jazz station near Chicago, does vintage programming from 11 am to 4 pm CST on Saturdays. You can access a stream on their website, here. 

[holy-honeybees]

Snowdrift

AO3

Rating: T+ (for swearing)

Summary: Three friends and  their dog get lost in a snowstorm while investigating the paranormal. Amidst swirling flurries of white, some lose their way and get lost in their memories, others lose sight of their friends and loved ones, and an unforgiving winter quickly fills in the footprints one would follow to get back home.

A/N: I started this back in November but sadly never finished the work. I was thinking of holding off till it started to snow again, but figured now was as good a time as any to try and finish this.The title is taken from Snail's House song "[snowdrift]" which you can check out here! 

EDIT: I realized after I posted that the way this ended didn’t transition to the next chapter well, so had to go in and change it. 

EDIT Part 2, The Return of the Edits: Someone was kind enough to point out that I had used the wrong name for the devilish darling of the Pepper household. I must have gotten mixed up with Carolina Reapers, whoops ^^; Her name has since been corrected.

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter Two

The snow was starting to come down much steadier than it had just a couple hours earlier, already beginning to accumulate along the road banks. Swirling white eddies were left behind in the van’s wake as Lewis Pepper drove onwards to their destination. He was paying half a mind to Vivi’s excited chattering, emitting the occasional hum of agreement as her stream-of-consciousness-styled ramblings flitted from whatever thought grabbed her attention to the next. One minute she was gushing about the snow falling down around them, caught up in a story shared by her grandmother about Japanese legends of snow hags, the next minute spent wondering where the turtles went in winter. Then she was theorizing about what was behind the mysterious haunting she had determined their group was going to be looking into up north, weighing the odds that it was actually a ghost against just another cranky old man in a rubber mask. 

Even if Lewis had been able to give her diatribe his full attention, the ghost never would have been able to keep up with her train of thought. Still, Vivi was undeniably adorable when she spoke about something she was truly passionate about, and luckily, Vivi was truly passionate about a great many things. Their relationship may have been put on hold while they came to terms with his own death and Vivi’s returned memories, but it was hard not to enjoy spending time around somebody so full of life. Lewis was reminded time and again of why he’d fallen in love with her in the first place. He admired the gleam in her eyes, the animated way in which she spoke with her hands waving through the air, and the conscious effort she was currently putting into keeping her voice down so as to not wake up their passenger sleeping in the back of the van, having to check herself every few minutes as her voice climbed in volume in direct relation to her increasing excitement. He also appreciated that Vivi was okay with mostly just talking to herself, allowing his own mind to wander, watching the gathering snow with excitement. 

Lewis had never seen snow before. He’d never been farther north than Texas prior to joining the Pepper household, but even after having become part of the family, there was always work to be done in the restaurant, especially around the holidays. It was rare that Ma and Pa Pepper were able to take time off to travel far enough away from home to see snow, and even after Lewis had gotten his driver’s license and gained that modicum of independence, he’d never strayed far in case he was needed for babysitting his little sisters or bussing tables. Even their most daring paranormal escapades hadn’t lead them far enough north to experience winter. He had always dreamed of travelling one day, exploring someplace new and exciting with his friends or taking his adoptive parents on a badly deserved vacation. Now he’d never get the chance, his life cut too short at twenty-one-years-old. The thought came into his head, unbidden and unwanted, and Lewis tried to tamp down the responding flicker of anger that flared to life in his chest. It wasn’t Arthur’s fault, he reminded himself, I have a second chance, I can make the most of it. Deep down, Lewis knew it was true. Even if the most he did to blend in with the living was to stick a bandage over the hole where his heart used to be, Arthur and Vivi would gladly stand by him, accompanying him to even the kitschiest of tourist traps. If he wanted to take an extra day or two to enjoy the snow after they wrapped up their current adventure, Lewis was certain his friends would be more than willing to indulge him. He felt the last vestiges of the familiar burning rage slip away at the happy thought, quelled back to the ever-present ember that seemed to give him life. He gave another contented hum as Vivi’s self-sustained conversation switched topics to the latest batch of used books that had been delivered to the Tome Tomb, a series of increasingly laughable and cringey erotica novels that Duet had pushed to the far back of the store. The snow had begun to fall in earnest now, the first sparse spitting of snowflakes having evolved into a dizzying flurry. It was incredibly beautiful Lewis decided, the ground already covered in a couple inches of the quickly accumulating snow, blanketing the dull, flat plains they had been seeing over the past several hours. The ghost would have smiled at the wonder of it all had he the ability to do so.

Then it all went to hell.

In the increasing onslaught of snow, their surroundings became more difficult to see as the color white took over the landscape. The yellow sign pointing him in the direction of the curving road wasn’t visible until Lewis was almost on top of it, the guardrail marking the edge of the asphalt suddenly coming into view. He cranked the wheel hard to the right to avoid it, the van fishtailing wildly, and slammed his foot down hard on the brakes as he lost control. Lewis could feel the wheels lock up as the car began to slide. Vivi screamed beside him as Arthur popped his head up from the back, desperately grabbing onto the seat in front of him as he shouted,

“Pump the brakes, pump the brakes!” Lewis lifted his foot and pressed it firmly down on the brake pedal again, pulling on the wheel to try and get the van angled back towards where he hoped the road was. There was a loud bang as something hit the side of the vehicle, followed by a long scraping sound, before the car finally came to a stop. For a moment, they all sat in the van, quiet save for the mechanic’s rapid, shallow breathing. Lewis could see the wild, swerving path cut by the car’s tires through the snow behind them in the rearview mirror and quickly phased through the door to inspect the damage he’d caused. The guardrail he’d seen too late was bent at an odd angle and had left a large dent on the side of the van, as well as some scratched paint and a broken taillight. The scratches alone were sure to cause their resident mechanic some grief. Still, he knew it could have been much worse. He remembered driving this same vehicle off the road before as he had pursued it with a ghostly semi-truck, hellbent on tracking down his murderer. Thinking back to the sight of the van crashed into the side of Kingsmen Mechanics, the windshield shattered and Arthur slumped over the wheel in a daze…it had been inconsequential at the time when his desired revenge was so close at hand, but now the thought was terrifying. He’d been so absorbed in his misguided pursuit of justice for himself, he hadn’t even thought that Vivi was there, tossed about like a rag doll in the back of the van as it was forced off the road. The thought of how close he’d come to hurting his friends in his blind rage still haunted him. He gave a heavy sigh and phased back in through the side of the vehicle, not even halfway through before Arthur started peppering him with questions as to the van’s condition, his expression mournful as Lewis provided his assessment.

“What happened, Lew?” Vivi asked from up front, her eyes wide as she clung to Mystery, the dog letting out an irritated sounding wheeze.

“I can’t see the road very well and I lost control of the car,” Lewis admitted, abashed.

“You gotta be careful slamming on the brakes like that,” Arthur cautioned, “You’ll just skid in the snow if you do.”

“I’ll be more careful,” Lewis promised, reclaiming his position in the driver’s seat.

“I don’t think so,” Mystery said, wriggling free of Vivi’s death-grip on him, “Unless your ghostly abilities now include the power to actually drive in the snow, I suggest you Texas natives stay put.” Lewis had to agree that staying in place may be for the best. The snow didn’t appear to be letting up, and if they were down to Vivi as their backup driver�� As he mulled over their options, he could see Arthur offering a tiny nod of agreement with the dog, and even Vivi looked like she was considering a delay in their arrival to their final destination. For her to seriously be considering postponing an investigation, the decision had to be clear.

“Alright,” Lewis said, “We should go a couple miles further, see if we can find a place to stop for the night.”

“Uh, Lew?” Vivi said, “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but we’re in the middle of nowhere. Last I checked the map, civilization is a couple hours away in either direction.”

“Well, we can’t stay here,” he reasoned, “Someone else could miss the turn and run into us. Just give me a few minutes, we’ll find a better spot to park the van until it lets up. I’ll drive slow.”

---

After crawling further down the road at an excruciatingly slow pace, Lewis had spotted a small clearing to park the car in. Mystery and Vivi had jumped out of the van almost as soon as it came to a halt, excited to be able to relax and move around after having been cooped up for so long. Lewis could hear Vivi’s excited whoops and yells, even from inside the vehicle. He chuckled as he opened up the laptop he had borrowed from Arthur, using the address book saved to the computer to call his mom. The mechanic huddled towards the opposite side of the van to give Lewis at least the illusion of privacy as he spoke to his parents, the cat-ear headphones which Lewis thought were so cute clamped firmly over the other man’s head. The ghost wondered if it would prove to be a moot point though, as the laptop struggled to make the connection needed to dial home. Eventually, the ringing ended, and a pixelated, broken-up picture of his mother appeared on the screen.

“Hey, Ma,” Lewis greeted as she came into view. He could just make out through the badly distorted image the smile that appeared amidst his mother’s stern features.

“Lewis,” she greeted warmly, “We didn’t expect to be hearing from you so soon, let me get your father.”

“Is that Lewis!?” He heard the excited, high-pitched voices of his sisters in the background as they rushed their mother, seeing glimpses of little fingers and hands as they scrabbled for the cell phone Ma Pepper was holding.

“No fair, I want to hold the phone!"

“You’re too little, you couldn’t reach it anyways!”

“Can too!” Belle suddenly came into view as Cayenne and Paprika continued to squabble, squealing in delight at the sight of her adopted brother, his other two sisters ceasing their bickering so that they could crowd around the phone’s screen. In the background, he could hear his mother tut at their antics, and his heart throbbed with the familiarity of it all. Returning to his family after having been missing for years, and returning as a ghost after all that time…Lewis hadn’t been sure what kind of welcome home he would receive. Would his parents be too heartbroken at their son’s death to embrace his new afterlife? Would his sisters be scared of him? Would Paprika even remember him, as young as she was? But when Vivi and Arthur had brought him back, the minute he’d stepped through the door of the Pepper Paradiso, he’d been tackled nearly to the ground by three very excited sisters, not as little as he’d remembered them. His father had cried and his mother had wrapped him in one of her famous hugs, the kind that had made him feel safe and secure ever since he’d showed up on their doorstep and she’d wrapped her strong arms around him for the first time. There had been questions and anger borne of worry, then things had largely gone back to normal. He told his family as much as he felt was necessary about his death, as much as he thought they could handle, and after they couldn’t get anything more out of him, like his past, they’d stopped trying to good-naturedly pry and respected his privacy. Some things they just didn’t need to know. He’d heard secondhand how hard it had been on his family when his friends couldn’t provide any ideas as to his whereabouts after he’d disappeared, even more so when Vivi, his girlfriend whom his family cared about as one of their own, couldn’t remember their son at all. Lewis had decided it was best for them not to know about his exact cause of death, or that Arthur had a role in it. He knew the mechanic still carried a lot of guilt about the incident, and Lewis wasn’t sure how his parents and sisters would respond if they found out that while it wasn’t Arthur’s will, it had been his hand to push Lewis off the cliff.

“Lewis!” His sisters cried joyfully, causing the laptop’s speakers to crackle.

“Lew, I miss you! When are you coming home?”

“Lewis, did you make it to that haunted house you guys were going to yet?”

“Yeah, did you kick that other ghost’s butt?” Lewis chuckled at his sisters’ antics.

“I miss you too, Paprika. All of you. It’ll still be a few days before we get home, we haven’t gotten there quite yet. We ran into a little delay…” Lewis leaned in conspiratorially towards the camera of the laptop.

“It’s snowing,” he said, satisfied by the squeals of excitement he heard from his sisters.

“It’s snowing!?”

“You should have a snowball fight!”

“Make a snowman!”

“A snow angel!”

“Throw a snowball at Arthur’s face!” Lewis gave Cayenne a mock glare for her suggestion. He had to wonder why she had it in for Arthur so bad sometimes.

“Lew, I wanna see the snow!”

“Yeah, Lewis! Show us the snow!” Even Cayenne looked interested, the devilish grin she’d been wearing slipping into a more sincere smile.

“Alright,” the ghost said, “I’m not sure how much you’ll be able to see though, the connection’s pretty bad.” He maneuvered towards the front of the van, positioning the computer so it was facing out. He was pleased to hear three distinct gasps of delight from the laptop’s speakers as they looked out at the winter wonderland through the windshield. Vivi and Mystery raced into view, pausing to wave from the other side of the glass.

“Hi Vivi! Hi Mystery!” The girls chorused. Lewis chuckled again, turning the computer back towards the interior of the van as he settled back down. His mother reappeared on the screen with his father in tow, the small man wringing his hands nervously.

“Is everything alright, Lewis? We weren’t expecting your call for another couple of hours,” his father asked.

“Dad, it’s snowing where Lewis is at!” If anything, Pa Pepper looked even more nervous.

“Oh, that’s nice, Belle. You all doing okay up there? I know you kids don’t have a whole lot of experience driving in the snow.”

“Yeah, it’s, uh, coming down pretty good here, so we’ve decided to stop for a little while. Wait until the weather lets up to start driving again.” Lewis thought it would be best to leave out the mishap they’d had earlier, but his attempts at reassurance fell flat as he saw his father’s eyes dart nervously to Ma Pepper.

“Maybe you should all come back home. Lance, he’s in the dining area now, he keeps checking the radar where you’re at and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to stop anytime soon.” His father’s face brightened as a thought came to mind.

“We could even come to get you! If you’re having any trouble with the roads, that is.” Lewis sighed to himself quietly. One of the many things that hadn’t changed in the Pepper household after he had returned as a ghost was his father’s constant worry over his well-being. If possible, his father fretted even more now that he no longer had a life to lose. Before Lewis could respond though, he watched as his mother laid a heavy hand on her husband’s shoulder, causing him to stumble briefly.

“Lewis is fine, dear,” she reassured her spouse with a calm voice that brokered no argument, “He’s an adult, and he can take care of himself.” It sounded like a conversation they’d had more than once.

“Right,” Pa Pepper responded, “You’re right, of course. You know how I worry though!” The pink-haired man gave a nervous laugh.

"You will call us if anything happens, right? You know we’d drop everything if you guys were in a bind,” Lewis’s father asked beseechingly. The constant loving care of the Peppers, as differently as his mother and father expressed it, reminded Lewis all over again of how much he loved them.

“And deny the Pepper Paradiso of its head pâtissier and capsaicin artist? Wouldn’t dream of it,” Lewis said, “We really are fine though.”

“Well, alright…You be careful out there though, you hear? I’ve got to get back to work now, but I’d like to hear from you when you all hit the road again, okay?”

“I’ll give you guys a call,” Lewis promised, “Bye dad, love you!”

“Love you too, son.” Pa Pepper gave the screen a small wave before exiting from view.

“You will take care of yourself, won’t you Lewis?” His mother asked once his father was gone. It sounded more like a command than a question.

“I will mom,” Lewis responded, “We’re being careful. Arthur’s got the van fixed up so it’s like a tiny fortress against the cold, and Vivi and Mystery seem to actually be enjoying the snow so far.” His mother gave a hum to indicate she had heard him, a thoughtful expression on her face.

“Can you put Arthur on?” She asked to Lewis’s surprise.

“Uh, yeah. Is everything okay?”

“As your father mentioned, Mr. Kingsmen has been checking the weather radar in your area ever since you left, and it looks like things are going to get worse before they get better,” his mother said, “It’s not just your father who’s worried. Old fool is just too stubborn to admit it.” Lewis smiled; he had a feeling that Lance wasn’t the only one worried for Arthur either.

“Yeah, I’ll put him on. Hold on a minute.” Lewis picked the laptop up from where he’d sat down on the floor of the van, shuffling to where Arthur was still curled up by the doors. He waved to get his attention, and the mechanic hurriedly took off his headphones, looking up at Lewis curiously.

“Ma wants to talk to you,” Lewis said, setting the mechanic’s laptop in front of him before he could ask for an explanation.

“H-Hi Paprika, Belle, Cayenne,” Lewis shook his head in exasperation as Cayenne stuck her tongue out at Arthur in greeting.

“Hi Mrs. Pepper…”

“Girls, why don’t you say bye to Lewis now and go back to help your father.”

“Aw,” Belle whined, “I wanna keep talking to Lewis!”

“Me too!”

“Me three!”

“He won’t be able to call us again if he runs down the battery on the computer too fast. Now say goodbye, girls. He’ll be back soon.”

“Bye Lewis!”

“Be back soon, okay?”

“We love you!” The three little girls scurried off screen after having said their farewells. With them gone, his mother turned her full scrutiny onto his friend. Lewis could hear it as the mechanic gulped.

“Arthur,” she said sternly, “Have you been sleeping?”

“Um,” Arthur stammered, seemingly taken aback by Ma Pepper’s intense interest in his wellbeing, “Y-Yeah, I took a nap while Lewis was driving, until we—”

“He hasn’t been sleeping a lot, no,” Lewis interrupted before Arthur could say something to worry his parents even more, offering a silent apology as his friend shot him a betrayed look.

“I don’t need you to tell me that, Lewis,” his mother chastised, “I can see the shadows under your eyes from here, Arthur.”

“I’m really okay…” Arthur tried to defend himself. Lewis’s mother merely levelled an eyebrow at him.

“Good,” the woman replied, “Then you will sleep tonight.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am…”

“And you will eat.”

“Yes ma’am…”

“And you will wear more than just that vest if you go outside.”

“Yes ma’am…”

“Good,” she said again, giving a nod in satisfaction. Lewis knew she would be relaying the information to Arthur’s uncle, the older mechanic too emotionally constipated to do the asking himself, though he was doubtlessly fretting over Arthur’s well-being.

“You be careful out there,” Lewis��s mother said, her tone severe, “Lewis, look out for your friends and yourself. Arthur, take care.”

“I will,” Lewis replied earnestly.

“Bye, Mrs. Pepper.”

“Bye, mom!” Lewis said, “We’ll be back soon. Love you!” A warm smile flickered to life once again, momentarily softening her severe expression.

“I love you too, Lewis,” she said. With that, the video call ended. Arthur leaned back with a sigh, finally freed of Ma Pepper’s somewhat frightening concern.

“Your mom is scary,” he told Lewis. The ghost merely chuckled.

“Better do what she says then,” Lewis warned, “She’s even scarier if you don’t listen to her.” The mechanic offered him a small smile Lewis wished he could return, though he relished the warm feeling it gave him. Back at home, Lewis was sure his mother was already relaying a report of Arthur’s condition to the mechanic’s eagerly waiting uncle. As gruff as Lance was on the outside and as much as he tried not to let it show, he cared about Arthur, Lewis, and Vivi a lot, his skittish nephew most of all. Lewis had to wonder if Arthur knew just how much. How much they all cared. Lewis was sure his parents were now personally almost as invested in his friend’s health and safety as Lance was. Suddenly, the doors of the van flew open, causing the mechanic to let out a shriek and Lewis’s spectral hair to flicker as a flurry of snow and cold air swirled into the van. Vivi stood just outside the doors looking satisfied, her hands on her hips, Mystery excitedly prancing through the snow at her heels.

“C’mon, guys!” She said, “You’ve gotta come see this!” Lewis chuckled again, propelling himself out of the van, dumping Arthur’s orange hoodie on the already shivering mechanic as he floated out the doors and into the snow.

[fromstraykids]

love.fm | school series 8

characters: you x jisung

summary: in which every moment you meet him turns into a competition

quote: “cheer up!”

school series: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

2:38 pm - flyering 

The more your hands grip the stack of papers, the more sweaty they turn. Curse the sun and its humidity. You felt your hair getting hotter and hotter by the second, it was ironic of you to hand out flyers about heat stroke prevention while being out in the hottest time of the day. Ultimately, you regret joining the Disease and Illness Prevention Club, but hey, your professor said that he would raise your grade up if you helped give out flyers.

When you saw more people walking your way, you began to recite the speech you were required to say when handing out the flyers. “As the weather becomes hotter and humid, there’s a greater chance of getting a heat stroke! Prevent it by–”

“Tune into FM 101.1 for the latest hits and news! Your hosts will be none other than yours truly and others!” Another student shouts as he begins to hand out flyers to the walking students. He shoots you a smirk while handing out the flyers. This. Is. War, you thought as you began shouting at a higher volume.

“Students like you are at a risk of heatstroke! If you don’t want those nights you spent writing an essay to go to a waste, take this flyer to find out how to prevent a heat stroke! Drink water! Wear sunscreen!” You shoved the flyers into their hands as they shoot you glares for disturbing their “peaceful” walk back to their dorms. 

“We’re the only radio station that has Wanna One’s debut album playing before their debut!” More students, especially female ones, began taking his flyers, ignoring yours. After thirty minutes of nonstop shouting and instances where you also kicked the brunet, you and he gave out all of the flyers.

“Now that that’s over, want to go for some iced coffee?” he asks. You finally get a good look at him and realize that he lived a couple doors down from your dorm. And his name was Jisung, and he was loud.

“How about you go find a new spot for flyering first?” you suggested, folding your arms at him. He puts out his hands in defeat while chuckling.

“I need the extra credit, so I guess we’ll have to share this spot for a while.” You tsk at him while grabbing your backpack. 

“We’ll see about that.”

2:56 pm 

The next time you saw him again was when you were flyering outside of the clock tower. Despite the particularly hot weather that made your mood drop even lower, you couldn’t hold back your fit of giggles as you see him and his friend stalk their way over in chicken suits.

“Don’t. Say. A. Word,” he warns as he blows a piece of hair from his face. His friend hands him a stack of coupons as they begin to hand them out. 

“Go to Woon’s Chicken Shack!” Jisung shouts, handing the students the coupons. “If you’re over 21, you’ll be able to get free beer on Saturday night!”

“Ready?” his friend asks and Jisung nods. 

“Woon’s Chicken is saved in my heart!” they shout in unison, rubbing their stomach at the same time. A passing student, who you recognized as Park Jihoon, shook his head as he walked by them. After thirty minutes, the crowd had died down, signally you that it was time to finish.

“Finally we’re done,” his friend says, ruffling his hair to get rid of sweat. 

“Do I even need to ask why you’re in a chicken suit?” You quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Extra credit,” him and his friend groaned at the same time.

7:30 am – gym

Starting college, you made a goal to at least keep yourself fit. Well, you made that promise when you were a freshman...and now you’re in your senior year and still have no idea what an elliptical machine was.  

You opened the door to the gym in your dorm and switched on the lights. No college student in their right mind would be up at 7 if they didn’t have to, which was mainly why the gym was empty. Hopping on the treadmill, you started walking at a slow pace and put on your earbuds. You didn’t notice someone else coming in before you looked up, slightly shocked when you saw Jisung on the treadmill next to you. 

“Good morning,” he greets as he starts the treadmill.

“Morning,” you reply back before the room becomes quiet besides the sound of the running machinery. You started to crank up the intensity and began to jog. Besides you, Jisung started the run faster. Not wanting to lose this small competition, you started to sprint, making the other do the same until you felt your legs become weak.

When he takes a seat next to you, you both start laughing. “What was that about?” you laugh. He shrugs in reply and checks his phone.

“You hungry?” he asks.

“Starving.” He stands up and grabs his bag, making you do the same. 

“There’s this awesome breakfast cafe where my friend works at, wanna go?” 

“Of course.”

8:15 am – breakfast cafe

“So what’s your major?” you ask, attempting to make a conversation as you two waited for your food. 

“Broadcasting. I really want to become a variety host,” he replies, taking a drink of his water. “You?”

“Health educator, which was why I was flyering the heat stroke prevention thing last week.” The waiter, who Jisung tells you is his friend, Minhyun, places the plate of food in front of your eyes, making your mouth water.

“Ah, and aren’t you also in my communications class?” he asks as he takes a bite of his eggs.

“I think so. You’re in the Tuesday and Thursday morning class right?” you ask and he nods in reply. As you eat, you find out that you and Jisung have a lot more in common than you thought.

When the both of you finish eating, you reached across to grab the bill before it was taken out of your reach. “Since it’s your first time eating here, I’ll treat you.”

With that simple action, your heart fluttered slightly as you two exit the cafe, bidding goodbye before going your respective ways.

5:56 pm – dorm

“We should listen to some music,” Sungwoon, your study buddy, suggests. 

“We should,” you reply as he pulls out his phone. He turns on the live stream for the radio and you recognize the voice hosting was Jisung.

“Next up, we have Jaehwan on the line. Jaehwan, what’s your concern?” Jisung asks. A slight crackle is heard before another voice speaks up.

“There’s is a person that I’ve been spending some time with and I’m thinking about confessing to her, what song should I sing?” he asks. 

Jisung chuckles. “I’ve been feeling the same way, too. Well, for a confession, K.Will’s <Day 1> is the song for you,” he says as the song begins to play. 

“Aye, it’s not a pop song,” Sungwoon whines, reaching to his phone to change the station before you stop him.

“This song is nice,” you say, he stops and retracts his hand, mumbling something about wanting to listen to Wanna One’s new album.

7:40 am – Tuesday

As you walked into the campus, you felt another person next to you. It was Jisung. 

“Morning.”

“Morning.”

“Communications?” he asks and you nod. You both enter the building before Jisung says, “Bet I can get up the stairs first.” Before sprinting up the steps, making you do the same. Of course, since he had a head start, he enters the room first. 

“You cheated,” you huff between breaths. He smirks as you two sit in your seats, his in the row behind yours. 

“It’s called being faster in you,” he laughs. You roll your eyes playfully before turning your head back to the front of the room as your professor arrives.

Needless to say, you had beaten him down the stairs after class ended.

2:35 pm – flyering

It was another hot day of flyering and once again, Jisung was there with his own stack of flyers.

“How about we give combine our flyers?” you suggest, handing him half of your stack of flyers with him doing the same. Again, a crowd of students came walking after their lectures ended and your flyering began.

“Have you eaten yet?” he asks when you both finish, taking a seat next to you on the bench. You shook your head. “Me neither. Let’s go eat!”

He takes his bag and stands up before taking your hand before leading you to the cafe. 

“My treat,” you say when you both order. Before he could respond, you had already given your card to the cashier. A small pout forms on his lips as you two grab your foods.

“Consider us even,” you say when he asked you why you paid. When you finish eating, Jisung says something about going to the studio to host his section of the radio broadcast.

“Can I come with you?” you ask.

“Sure! And you could be my guest for tonight,” he says brightly before leading you in the direction of the studio.

4:10 pm – studio

Jisung drops off his bag outside of the recording room before signally at the boy sitting inside. 

“And before I leave, make sure to feel energetic for your midterms!” he says before Wanna One’s Energetic begins to play.

“Who’s this?” the boy asks when he leaves the room. You stood awkwardly next to Jisung as you looked around the room. A small round table sat in the recording room with microphones and a large machine.

“Oh, this is y/n. She tagged along to see me host,” Jisung explains, slightly pushing you in front of him to greet the boy.

The boy smiles as he holds out his hand. “I’m Seongwoo,” he greets, shaking your hand before checking his watch. “Looks like I gotta go, see you later!”

You both wave goodbye to Seongwoo before Jisung leads you into the recording room and hands you a pair of headphones. “Are you ready?” he asks, holding his script in front of him. When he sees your slightly nervous look, he reassures, “I’ll tell you when to talk. We’re on in 3...2...1.”

“Welcome to Jisung’s corner this afternoon and joining us is y/n,” Jisung says into the microphone before motioning to you.

“Hi, I’m y/n,” you say, cringing at your awkward introduction.

Jisung chuckles. “y/n is a little bit nervous since it’s their first time here. But that’ll change as soon as we start to get into the corner talk, which is coming up after these few songs!” When a new song begins to play, Jisung shoots you a thumbs up. 

As Jisung’s session starts to come to an end, you realize how funny and talkative he was, making you want to listen to his voice more. Sadly, his show comes to an end when another boy, by the name of Daniel, comes in. 

“I’ll walk you back,” Jisung says as he grabs his belongings. 

“So, I’m thinking about making you my co-host for the session, are you up for it?” Jisung asks. Your mouth widens into a smile before you exclaim,

“Yes!”

9:25 am – end of lecture

“Can I have some of your chips?” you ask as you two walk out of the building.

“I gave you a bag already,” he whines.

“But that was before the lecture and I already ate it. Just five pieces,” you beg. 

“No.” You fake pout, leading to Jisung doing a terrible imitation of it. Seeing him distracted, you grab the bag from his hands and run in the opposite direction of him. 

“HEY!” he yells as he sprints after you. You run past crowds of students before stopping at the garden, leaning down the catch your breath. When Jisung approaches you, you hold the bag of chips above your head. However, he was taller than you by a couple of inches and easily grabbed the chips. Since he was so focused on getting back his snack, he didn’t notice the close distance between the two of you. But you did and you wondered if he could feel your heart racing. 

“Fine, you can have a couple of pieces,” Jisung says, opening the bag. When he notices your quiet demeanor and looks up at you. “What’s wrong?”

“Just realized I have an essay to write, see you later!” Before hearing his answer, you turn around and sprint back to your dorm.

5:27 pm – dorm

After your communications lecture, you immediately headed back to your dorm, telling Jisung that you were not feeling well. It was blatantly a lie, but you didn’t want what happened on Tuesday happen again. 

You did feel guilty about ignoring Jisung when he did nothing wrong, but you didn’t want to catch feelings for someone who might have not liked your back. After several minutes of straight boredom, you decided to listen to Jisung’s broadcast.

“So a couple days ago, my friend and I started to talk less, I don’t know why, though. y/n, if you’re listening open up, open up,” Jisung says before Produce 101′s <Open Up> begins to play. Confused, you went to open the door. In front of your door sat a box with snacks in it and a note.

Cheer Up! If I did anything, I’m sorry! TT_TT 

You chuckle at his note. Maybe things didn’t have to be so awkward anymore.

7:30 am – Thursday

“Hey!” Jisung yells behind you. He jogs up to you and holds out a coffee cup in front of you.

“Thanks,” you say, taking the sip from the cup, immediately warming up in the frigid Seoul air. A blast of warm air greets you as you enter the lecture building.

“Loser has to pay for lunch!” Jisung exclaims before dashing up the steps. Groaning, you race after him, trying to keep the coffee in the cup as you ran. Looks like you were paying for lunch. 

“Cheater,” you glare when you meet him at the top of the staircase.

“It’s called–”

“Being faster than me,” you finished his sentence. “I know this is like the thousandth time you’ve said that. You know, if you want to be the nation’s mc, you should invest in more catch phrases. Not just the face clapping.”

“The Jisung clap is iconic,” Jisung explains, a smile appearing on his face as he holds open the door for you to enter first.

“Clearly, since almost everyone is doing it.” You roll your eyes and enter. As he follows you in, he feels his heart beating rapidly. It was probably from the running. Or was it something else?

6:00 pm – studio

It’s been a few weeks since you and Jisung made up. However, your feelings didn’t go away, instead, they became even more intense, up to the point where you would sometimes stumble on your words whenever you make eye contact with him while talking. And it didn’t help that you were with him every day to host his radio broadcast. 

“Since the corner talk is about to end, let’s read one more letter!” Jisung says as he looks through the files of letters, he chooses one and nudges you. “Let’s have y/n read this one.”

“’Dear hosts, I met this person a few months ago when we were flyering. It was like love at first sight. As if by faith, they lived in the same dorm as me and even had communications class with me. Little by little, I got to know them, such as what they liked to eat, what their favorite color was, and what shows they enjoyed watching. Although it’s been a few months, my heart never fails to beat faster whenever I’m with them, whether it’s meeting eyes with them from across the room or eating lunch with them, I get butterflies. I could never muster up the courage to ask them out, so I might as well do it here. y/n, will you be my girlfriend? – Jisung’,” you read, you cover your mouth with your hand in shock. 

“y/n?” You look up and see Jisung holding a bouquet of roses. “Will you be my girlfriend?” 

You take the bouquet and nod excitedly, “Yes!”

Jisung is unable to hide his happiness as he returns to the microphone. “Thank you for listening to tonight’s broadcast with me and my new lover, y/n. See you tomorrow!” As K.Will’s <Day 1> starts to play, Jisung stands up to give you a bone crushing hug. 

“You just made me the happiest man on Earth,” he says, a slight sniffle coming from him.

“And you just made me the luckiest person on Earth.”

[marisa-writes]

now it’s just you and me in the dark 

Number five. Inspired by “Motel Pool” by Travis Garland. Take a listen while you read. As always, find more of Teyana and Niall here.

It’s been a hell of a week.

Teyana’s been working a string of long shifts at the bookstore for the past several days, and those shifts have seemed to bring in a rainbow of clientele—terribly sweet but indecisive old ladies who she essentially ended up giving a tour of the whole bookstore, irate college students in summer school who wanted to place the blame on her for the texts they’d procrastinated on purchasing and were now out of stock, dudes tapping on the front display window while she was restocking shelves who found it charming to point at her ass and give her a thumbs-up.

She’s been soldiering through, a half hour left in her final shift before a blessed couple of days off (as a thank you from her boss), and then a small child belonging to a parent too engrossed in their cell phone screen to pay attention manages to take down an entire display of Mo Willems books in ten seconds flat. 

Teyana wants to scream.

The keyholder position sounded so, so great when it was initially offered to her, she thinks, but now she’s cursing her acceptance as the mother of the child is finally called to attention as the tower of books topples to the floor. She has the nerve to pick up a few copies and place them back haphazardly on the table before taking a few glances around, snatching the child by the hand, and walking away, and Teyana swears that steam shoots out of both of her ears just like in the cartoons.

By the time she and a co-worker have finished reorganizing the display, it’s time to close. Teyana shoots Niall a distress text as she goes about her closing duties, and by lockup time, she checks back to find his reply:

As promised, Niall is waiting outside for her, engine idling in the old red Chevy pickup truck he got a great deal on from some car lot near campus back when he was nineteen, about a month before he and Teyana even met. It’s been a constant in their relationship—he picked her up in it on their first date, it was where they shared their third kiss (the first was on her doorstep, the second was at a gig that Niall and his bandmates had invited her to see), it transported her things and his from their respective dorms over to the apartment they now call home. The truck is very much a part of their relationship, a slightly-rusted little piece of home on wheels. And in it, parked in front of the curb outside the bookstore, is Niall, who reaches across the bench seat to pull the handle and unlatch the door for her.

Teyana climbs in and immediately grins. As promised, there’s ice cream, the evidence of which is melted on Niall’s chin and waiting for her in a dripping sugar cone in his opposite hand.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, when he hands it over to her after she’s clicked her seatbelt in place and cranked the passenger’s side window down all the way. “I tried to pick it up last minute, but…”

“Summer,” Teyana finishes, with a knowing laugh, and she yelps as a stream of melted ice cream goes gliding down her wrist. She moves quickly to catch it, tongue swiping along the rim of the cone while her opposite hand blindly fumbles for the latch of the glove compartment, until she can grasp at a couple of napkins. She cleans up her arm before reaching over to Niall, pulling him towards her by the chin and wiping him clean, too.

“Thanks,” he mumbles, a lovely blush filling up his cheeks.

“You’re welcome,” Teyana replies, kissing him sweetly on the mouth before leaning back against the seat and taking another lick of ice cream. “All right. You proposed a drive?”

Niall blinks, momentarily dazed by her kiss, and then his eyes brighten and he nods before reaching an arm over the seat. He digs around until he pulls up his gym bag by the handle straps, tossing it gently into the space between them on the front seat. “Yeah,” he says, “but you gotta change first.”

“Change?” Teyana asks. With her free hand, she unzips the bag and rifles around, surprised when she feels the familiar material of swimwear slide between her fingers. She pulls it into view to find that Niall has packed her favorite bikini, the coral-colored one she’d bought the previous summer, and a couple of towels from the linen closet that Teyana’s had since her freshman year.

Holding up her bikini top, Teyana quirks an eyebrow, a silent query of “What for?” in her eyes.

Niall just smiles in response. “Trust me.”

So, trust him she does, like always, and they drive for miles and miles, losing track of time and distance as Teyana puts all of her bad days in the rear view. They sing songs at the top of their lungs—Niall, in his typical nature, sounding like he was born for it—and by the time Niall pulls off the road and putters into the parking lot at the back of a little motel, the clock display reads 11:57, and Teyana isn’t sure just how far they’ve traveled.

“Where are we?” she asks him.

Niall shrugs, turning the hand crank of the window, and Teyana follows suit on her side of the truck. “No clue,” he replies, reaching up towards the back of his neck. He pulls his shirt over his head in one smooth motion and tosses it into the backseat, then nods towards the door on his side of the cab. “Come on.”

Teyana knows that in retrospect, they will laugh about this long after this night, genuinely laugh, with the way her eyes widen once she’s realized Niall’s plan, and he has to drag her towards the low-lined fence surrounding the rectangular motel pool. She shakes her head as he gallantly hops the fence, snagging the hem of his swim shorts on the top of the fence as he goes over, and she lets out a panicked laugh as he struggles to get himself unhooked, then beckons her over, pouting his lips until she gives in.

Her hop over the fence is less than graceful, too, but nothing gets caught, surprisingly, the long hem of the t-shirt she pulled over her swimsuit after she changed in the backseat balled up in her fist as she takes the leap to the other side of the fence. Niall gives her a quiet round of applause and holds his hands up, fingers extended in a rating, a solid six of out ten.

She flips him off in return, and he laughs and offers her a grin before motioning towards the pool with his head, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Teyana knows that look and begins to protest, but Niall turns his back to her and with a running start, he cannonballs into the pool.

When he resurfaces, he’s soaked through, and he pushes the hair clinging to his forehead back and smiles. That smile sends a jolt of electricity through Teyana, excitement coursing through her veins, but still she can’t quite stop fretting, logic running laps in her mind.

Technically, they’re trespassing. The last thing either of them needs is to be caught hopping fences and diving into pools after hours at motels where they aren’t paying guests. Still, Niall swims about in the quiet of the night as if he hasn’t a single thought in his mind of getting caught, humming the theme music from Jaws before pinching his nose and dipping below the surface until he’s only visible from the eyes up.

Her little blue-eyed shark in the water.

Worrying at her bottom lip, Teyana lingers back a few feet, near the fence, at war with herself and the thrill of this night. So often, Niall is all impulse, going with what feels good or presents an adventurous opportunity for himself or the two of them. He’s not stupid, never risky to the point of danger, but he feels dangerous sometimes, willing and open to try things they never have, or do things like this, drive a couple hours out of the city to stop off at a random motel just to go for a swim. Just because she’s had a series of bad days that have sent her spirits plummeting.

He’s incredible.

When Niall pops up again, he simply stares, in that way he does that always makes Teyana break out in a full-bodied blush because it’s like he’s never seen anything better than her. Self-conscious under his gaze, she pulls the hair tie from her hair and snaps it around her wrist, fingers loosening up her curls so they fall down towards her shoulders.

“Unfair of you to look so good,” Niall muses, as Teyana tiptoes her way towards the edge of the pool, twisting her fingers up in the fabric at the hem of her shirt. He swallows hard as she pulls it over her head and adds, “Especially when you're all the way up there.”

Tossing her shirt aside, Teyana smiles and tugs the strings securing her bikini top tighter around her neck, fixing the bow as she draws closer to the pool. She gives her bottoms a tug-up as she reaches one leg over the edge, bending the opposite knee until the toes of her extended leg touch the water’s surface. It's cold, and she makes a face, one that pulls a quiet laugh from Niall's mouth.

“It's all right, petal; it's just a little cold.” Niall swims closer, treading water once he's reached her, amusement sparkling in his eyes now.

“A little cold?” Teyana whispers. She huffs and dips her toes in again, the temperature of the pool sending a sharp chill up her spine. “It's the middle of fucking summer; isn't the water supposed to be warm? Y’know, from the sun?”

Niall shrugs. “Suppose so,” he replies, “but it’s probably after midnight now.”

Teyana groans, swirling her toes through the water, willing herself to take the plunge.

Niall, on the other hand, grins. “C’mon, petal, just jump in. I'll catch you, keep you warm.” 

There's an arch of his brows that comes with the last bit.

Teyana rolls her eyes.

“Teyana, I’m serious,” Niall says, laughing again. He smiles, genuinely smiles, and her heart gives an unexpectedly hard thump in her chest. The backdrop of the motel’s ‘VACANCY’ sign paints him in neon red, and she almost misses his blond tips now, with the way they’d surely catch the color in the light.

His tone is achingly sweet as he tells her, “Baby, just jump.”

Sucking in a sharp breath, Teyana takes a few steps back, which makes Niall’s brows furrow, mouth settling into a deep frown. His expression changes when she begins to run forward towards the edge and leaps, and then his smile returns, blinding, the last thing she sees before being submerged underwater.

When she breaks the surface, teeth chattering a bit as she slicks her wet hair back out of her eyes, Niall is still smiling and he reaches for her hand, pulls her in close to him. “Now, see, that wasn't so bad.”

Teyana wraps her legs around Niall’s slim waist when he slides both arms around her, to hold her close. They bump noses, and Teyana laughs, eyes fluttering closed when Niall’s lips gently press to hers. His arms loosen their grip, hands sliding down to cup her bottom, and Teyana sighs, thoroughly entranced by his tongue as the kiss deepens.

“Thank you for this,” she breathes, when he pulls back and presses a sweet kiss to her chin. “Thanks for breaking me out.”

“Of course, petal,” he replies. The sincerity in his eyes is overwhelming. “Anything you need. Always.”

This, she thinks, when he leans in to capture her mouth in another kiss, this is exactly what she needs.

They float together like this for a couple of minutes, sharing kisses and quiet laughter, until Niall wiggles his fingers at her side and she breaks into a fit of giggles. He takes the opportunity to pull away once she’s gone squirming out of his grasp, and she squeals and closes her eyes as his arm skims across the water, sending a large splash in her direction. Then, it’s all-out war, splashing and laughing until they hear footsteps and Niall goes immediately quiet, snatching Teyana by the hand and pulling her towards the pool’s edge.

“Niall—” she whispers, but he puts a finger to his lips as he pulls her flush against him and presses his back to the edge, ducking so their heads are out of sight. His stare is enveloping, even with wide, fear-filled eyes that match hers at the possibility of being caught by someone who might care that they’ve snuck onto the property after dark.

They both breathe a sigh of relief at the not-too-distant sound of an ice machine, and once the footsteps drift out of earshot, Niall stretches his neck up to take a look.

“Coast is clear,” he whispers, sinking back down to get eye level with Teyana.

Teyana’s heart is beating hard and fast in her chest. She swallows thickly, and Niall’s eyes search her face before she reaches up to take fistfuls of his wet hair and pulls him close, kisses him hard, making him grunt softly against her mouth before his lips become pliant. She kisses him breathless, until he’s pulling away and panting, “Baby, I...Jesus Christ.”

Pressed this closely to him, Teyana can feel the way he’s going hard in his swim shorts, and it sobers her up just a touch. They can’t, not here, not in this pool where God knows how many other people have done the same. At that thought, she puts some space between them.

“Sorry,” she mumbles,” biting at her bottom lip, which only makes Niall grunt again. He rubs the heel of his hand firmly against his jaw and clears his throat.

“Maybe we should go,” he says, and Teyana can’t help but smile at the flush in his cheeks that’s apparent even in the dark. “It’s late.”

“Right,” Teyana replies, but it’s absent-minded; her brain is still halfway in her pants, and Niall’s as well.

Niall pulls himself up and out of the pool with a strength in his arms that makes Teyana dizzy with lust, the way his muscles ripple with the motion. He’s careful with the way he bends down to extend a hand to her, shielding the bulge in his shorts from her view as if she hasn’t just felt it against her thigh moments before, but Teyana gives him this, lets him be chivalrous as he pulls her up while she shoves off with her other hand to join him.

Niall’s heading towards the fence where they hopped over when Teyana spies, just to their far left, an entry gate. It’s without a lock, a simple lift latch, and she stifles a laugh while Niall visibly debates how he’s going to hoist himself over the fence with a hard-on. Her laughter catches his ear and then she catches his eye as she motions towards the gate.

“I knew that was there,” he mutters, walking over to grab her by the hand as she snatches up her shirt, and he leads her towards the gate.

“Of course you did, baby,” she replies, her tone saccharine.

Niall looks at her over his shoulder, clearly unamused, and he gives her a sarcastic laugh before flipping up the latch on the gate and pulling her through before closing it softly behind them.

They towel off quietly in the parking lot before Niall climbs up into the driver’s seat, reaching over the back for his t-shirt. He’s turned around again and tugging it over his head when Teyana reaches for the lever that pushes the bench seat back and pulls.

Niall lets out a cry of surprise, startled as the seat slides back with a push of Teyana’s hand, his head still inside his shirt. He yanks it down so that the collar is fitted snugly around his neck, his hands still twisted up in the fabric beneath it as he settles wide eyes on Teyana. “Tey, what are you—”

“Shut up,” she breathes, pushing up on tiptoes until she reaches the step. She eases her way into the truck, into Niall’s lap, bottom of the wide steering wheel pressing into her lower back.

Before Niall can utter another word, Teyana presses her mouth to his, and Niall fumbles around as he tries to kiss her back while he fights to free his hands from the confines of his t-shirt so he can grip her waist.

“Fucking hell,” he breathes, eyes still wide, once he’s finally untangled himself, the shirt hanging carelessly around his neck and shoulders as his fingers fumble for her waistline next. Teyana laughs and presses herself to his bare chest and rolls her hips down towards his crotch, and he swears again, eyes falling closed. “You’ll be the death of me, I swear it.”

Teyana manages a shrug before teasing him with another wind of her hips, and Niall’s hands scoop beneath her to palm her ass now, his head dropping to press a searing line of kisses from the curve of her neck up to the spot just behind her ear.

He nuzzles his nose into her cheek, his voice just a hair above a whisper as he asks, “You’re really gonna fuck me here?”

Teyana pulls back, brows furrowed as she studies his expression. Making love in a car is rather tame, in her opinion. She leans forward and kisses the base of his throat. “Why are you surprised?”

“Well,” he groans, swallowing hard, and she feels the bob of his Adam’s apple against her lips, “we’ve never...in my truck. Surprisingly.”

At the “surprisingly,” Teyana leans back again and laughs, because it is surprising, and then she wriggles her hips against his. “Well,” she replies, mimicking the way he’s just said the same word, “I’d say it’s long overdue.”

There are luckily condoms stashed in Teyana’s purse, and she slides off his lap and over to the passenger’s side of the truck cab to dig one out of the back zippered pocket where she keeps the other sensible things she carries (lip balm, bobby pins, ballpoint pens, an extra hair tie or two) while Niall pulls the shirt around his neck off again and tosses it beside him onto the seat.

He wiggles out of his still-damp swim shorts and after he strokes himself fully hard, he rolls on the condom, then pulls at the strings tying Teyana’s bikini bottoms together at her waist. They both give a satisfied sigh as she sinks down onto his cock, and he mumbles “I love you,” against her lips before she lifts her hips and drops down again.

It’s a slow, insatiable grind, the swell of summer heat surrounding them as the air seeps in through the rolled-down windows. Teyana’s hands feel sticky against Niall’s skin, one hand clasped around the back of his neck, the other clutching his side but soon dropping to twist fingers into the pulled-loose threading of the seat, to help her keep her balance. She can feel the sweat rolling down the center of her back, pooling a bit where the strings of her bikini top are still tied, Niall’s right arm encircling her waist while his left cradles her head, kissing her breathless as they work their way towards climax.

With a whimper, Teyana tips over the edge first, and not long after, with his face buried in her neck, Niall moans and follows suit.

The drive back home is long and quiet. Niall’s behind the wheel again, the windows are rolled down, Teyana’s feet are tucked under her as she curls up on her side of the bench seat. The radio is playing tunes so softly that the lyrics are faint, nearly muted by the sound of the wind coming in. She’s pulled the long t-shirt she had covering her suit back on, while Niall’s is folded and tied around her wrist like a bandanna, and she hangs her arm out of the window, lets her hand ride the waves of the wind for a mile or two.

Niall, happily shirtless, has one hand clutching the top of the steering wheel, the other clutching Teyana’s, fingers entwined, their joined hands resting in the space between them. She glances over at him maybe a half hour into their return trip, and he just grins and tugs her closer, pulling her hand up to his mouth so he can kiss the back a couple times. His eyes linger on hers a little while longer than is probably safe, given they should be focused on the road ahead.

He doesn’t say it before he looks away, the ‘I love you’ that Teyana knows is resting on the tip of his tongue, but he doesn’t need to.

She’s seen everything in his eyes.

[sweetnestor]

crankgameplays livestream 4/2/17

just a tiny lil recap (6 pages on paper to be exact)

he doesn’t know what to do, still getting his shit together

“I just wanted to say sahh dude” (shoulda kept a ‘saahh dude’ tally tbh)

said he wasn’t feeling good, hes got tummy aches

didnt feel like recording, so he streamed instead

doesnt really want ppl donating to the channel, but he appreciated it

someone said they wanted more original songs from him and he was confused

he started playing overwatch

on the Hit it fergie video: now he really wants ppl to stop tweeting him about it, he did the video just to shut them up

ppl are spamming ‘soft and neat’ thanks for your contribution phandom

apparently hes horrible at overwatch

ppl want him to play ukelele but he aint got one, the one he had in the 12hr solo stream was kathryns apparently

he hardly plays overwatch and frequently gets killed

“I’m an overwatch king dude!! Saahh…”

tbh its much calmer than his videos,,,,, voice is much deeper,,,, more relaxed,,,, good for the soul

so many “sahh dude”s

he forgot to tweet out the stream link oops

hasnt watched the walking dead in a while, he fell behind

used to watch twd with his dad a lot

he also misses his parents a lot

he talks about how supportive they were in everything he did, they never said one negative thing

they would drive him 45min back and forth for gymnastics :’)

he also cried while writing out a long birthday message to his dad :’’’)

“balls balls balls balls” -in the midst of a battle or something

“how did i die?” -ethan, when he dies

Ethan, brian and G are doing a panel for indy popcon and hopefully a m&g

he likes that ppl feel welcome here in the community

“Ew gross girbeagly? Stupid…” idk the context i just wrote it down lmao

“You guys really dont have to donate!!!” x23442345

will probably make more battle cats videos

he misses maine

doesnt like pacific time bc its super hard to schedule things and videos

had a road trip to canada w his bro just before he moved to la

He’s not going to do another snapchat video

In a dry spell when it comes to games lately, hopefully it stops soon bc theres new games coming

Robin is watching apparently???

Ethan says pax south is much more chill than pax east

He regrets not taking the time to reupload all his videos from the old channel onto the new one

Theres apparently 700 privated videos on the old channel

Deciding what music to play in the background

“Big jazz boy, yeah thats what i am, you know it”

*burps into the mic*

He put on the flower crown “i am adorable” :’)

Says we should listen to the podcast “the comedy button”

He listens to a lot of podcasts actually

Ethan does not live with mark, and he doesnt film in his office

Fave thing abt maine is his friends :’)

Once he moved away he really started to appreciate the town he came from

Probably gonna keep the blue hair for the rest of 2017

He likes ppl cosplaying as him

Someone asked if hes dating kathryn and he said no

“I’ll tell her about that, she’ll laugh”

Dancing to the music (this happens throughout the stream)

Someone asked if he could help them name their puppy

“Omg i love puppies i hope you love her forever and give her treats tell her i said hi!!”

talked about his pupper cooper (rip) and that she was his best friend

he really wants a girl dog, but he knows hes too busy rn to take care of one

Had a slight allergy to dogs but it probably went away over time

he’s playing with a silver ball

If youre mean and bullying ppl then u dont belong in this community, be respectful!!

says the ball is somewhat like a stress ball

basically he constantly needs to be doing something with his hands due to adhd

He did not go to college, took a gap year,,,, then another one,,,, then la happened

Considered going to film school and if he had time he’d want to do a short film

He doesnt think he could have a job that isn’t creative

He’ll think about doing a tour of his place,,,, possibly,,,, one day

Fave 21p song,,,,,,, heavy dirty soul,,,,,,,, maaybbee

He’s a scorpio (i only put this bc for some reason i thought he was a libra)

Mixed feelings about the ‘dark side’ character thing: he doesn’t want to come off like he’s copying jack & robin, but he does like the communities ideas

wants to be more consistent with trash goblin podcast

Crankgameplays name origin: dad owned a company called ‘crank’ & ethan had a poster of it in his room and then he and andrew were deciding what to name the channel, eth saw the poster and then bam

thanked the ppl who donated to the channel (lots of name butchering)

And thats what you missed on glee

[5hfanfiction]

Come Back, Be Here - Chapter 12

Camila shoves heavy loads of make up on her face in attempt to cover up the still visible bruising. Lauren just dropped her back off at Austin’s about 2 hours ago and Dinah texted her saying she would be by in an hour.

“Why won’t you go away.” Camila mutters as she tries desperately to hide the bruising around her eyes. After coming to the realization that regular make up isn’t going to cut it, she decides to bust out the tattoo concealer she bought a couple of days ago when she realized that it would probably be weeks before the bruising faded completely. Luckily, it does the trick and so Camila finishes putting on the rest of her make up and then slips on the long-sleeve dress she dug out of her closet. The royal blue sequin dress is cute and it covers the bruises lining her arms so it's  a win win.

As soon as she gets her heels on, she hears her phone ding and opens a text from Dinah saying that they are all waiting in the drive way. She quickly makes her way outside and smiles when she sees all her friends piled into Dinah’s car. Since Mani is occupying the front seat, she opts for sliding in on the left side.

“Chanch!” Dinah shouts as soon as Camila enters. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages!”

“Cheech it was only like 3 days.” Camila chuckles before turning to lock eyes with the green ones that haven’t left her body since she entered the vehicle. “Hi, Lo.”

A smile immediately tugs at Lauren’s lips. “Hey, Camz. You look great.” The green-eyed girl settles with great after deciding that fucking sexy isn’t really appropriate.

“Not so bad yourself, Jauregui.” Camila smiles before starting to sing along to the Beyoncé song that Dinah just turned on.

As soon as they walk up to the club, all eyes are on all five of the girls. Dinah grabs Normani’s hand, a subtle gesture that tells all the guys and girls to back off. Lauren just walks alongside the girl in the blue dress, her hand brushing Camila’s every couple of steps.

“Laur, you wanna drink or drive tonight?” Dinah turns around to face the brunette as they wait in line to get their ID’s checked.

“I’ll drive.” Lauren shrugs nonchalantly. She used to get hammered during her college years, but that got old really fast. Plus, meeting Camila made her change all her ways. She found out really soon that the girl was a light weight and an in-denial drunk. When they’d go out, Camila would be wasted after two shots, but would claim she was sober enough to drive them home. Lauren was always terrified if she got drunk and let her guard down that Camila would get hurt somehow and she would never forgive herself for that.

So tonight, just like she has many other times before, she cuts herself off after one Angry Orchard. Plus, not getting drunk means she has more calories to waste on hamburgers and fries. She’s realized that those taste better than beer anyway.

The young Latina and Polynesian take two shots a piece before sprinting to the dance floor while the other three girls opt to stay at the booth and watch their stuff. Lauren laughs as she watches Dinah and Camila dance their hearts out. All three girl almost choke on their drinks when Camila and Dinah start doing a synchronized dance when “JuJu On That Beat” comes on. After the song is over, Dinah drags Camila over to the bar to order them more shots.

“Four  shots of vodka please.” The brunette leans on the bar. The bartender nods and retreats to the other end of the bar to grab a bottle.

“Uh, Chanch?” Dinah spins Camila around so she is facing the booth the other girls are occupying. Camila notices that is a girl is currently attempting to sit on Lauren’s lap. The blonde stranger has her arm wrapped around Lauren’s neck and is practically sitting on top of her. Camila watches Lauren pry the arm away from her neck only to have the girl put it right back in the same spot.

“Four shots.” Camila hears the bartender say and she blindly reaches beside her to grab a shot, her eyes still trained on the blonde and brunette across the bar. She downs the first show and slams the glass down on the bar before reaching for the other and doing the same. After the liquid courage, she makes her way over to the booth and stands behind it. The blonde whispers in Lauren’s ear and Camila vaguely hears her say “I don’t see your girl anywhere.”

“Baby! Let’s go dance!” Camila finally opens her mouth and Lauren immediately scans the room for Austin, having heard Camila shout the pet name. When she doesn’t see him, she allows her eyes to fall on Camila. When the older brunette sees the chocolate eyes trained on her, her heart goes ballistic.

“Who are you?” The blonde slurs/

“Her girl.” Camila answers while jerking Lauren away, which causes the blonde to fall off the booth and collide with the floor. The young Latina doesn’t give the girl a second glance, but instead drags Lauren to the dance floor. She hears Dinah yell “Get yo girl Chanch” and she rolls her eyes, a smirk gracing her features. When they finally reach the middle of the dance floor, the brown-eyed girl turns to a confused, yet slightly amused green-eyed girl. “You look like you needed some help back there.” She slurs.

“I did. Thanks, Camz.” Lauren offers the girl a flushed smile.

“No problem.” The younger girl shrugs. “Since we are out here, we might as well dance.”

Before Lauren can answer, Camila turns around and places her backside into the older girl’s front. She grabs the pale hands behind her and wraps them around her own waist. As the music picks up, Camila grinds her body into Lauren’s and the green-eyed girl is on the verge of passing out from excitement. After, getting over the initial shock of what is happening, she tightens her grip on Camila’s waist and pulls her impossibly closer to her.

Between the loud music and her heart beating loudly in her ears, she can’t hear anything, but she can feel Camila moving sensually against her and that’s all that matters. The drunk Latina runs her hands up and down Lauren’s forearms before interlacing her hands with the pale ones wrapped around her waist. Lauren’s heart soars when she feels Camila slide her fingers between her own. They dance for a couple of more songs before Camila unattaches herself from the older girl. Lauren frowns momentarily from the loss of contact, but the smile returns to her features as soon as Camila wraps her arms around her neck. The drunk brunette leans in and places her lips by Lauren’s ear.

“I love this song.” She whispers, her words slurred. The older girl immediately shivers when the hot breath hits her ear. Before Lauren can reply, Camila leans back slightly and Lauren’s breath hitches when she realizes how close their faces are. The green-eyed girl wants nothing more than to close the gap between them and take her wife’s plump lips in her own, but the smell of vodka on Camila’s breath is strong. Lauren wants to kiss her more than anything, but she can’t do it when the younger girl is drunk.

As the older Latina is chastising herself for even considering kissing Camila when she’s intoxicated, she feels soft lips press against hers. Lauren’s body feels like it has just been set on fire and every fiber in her being wants to kiss back, but she knows she can’t. Not like this.

So Lauren doesn’t move her lips, but instead places her hands on Camila’s shoulders and slowly  pushes her back. “Camz, I can’t.” She whispers as her eyes scan the dazed and confused brown eyes in front of her.

Embarrassment floods through Camila and she takes a step back from the girl she just drunkenly kissed. When she feels tears start to well up in her eyes, she quickly side steps Lauren and makes her way off of the dance floor.

When Lauren registers what’s happening, she immediately spins around and grabs Camila’s arm to stop her. She effectively spins the girl around and when she sees the tears streaming down the tanned cheeks, her heart breaks.

“Camz hey don’t cry, baby.” Lauren immediately cups her cheeks and wipes the tears that are racing down her cheeks. “I just can’t-”

“I get it.” Camila cuts her off as she removes the pale hands from her face and keeps walking away.

“Camila!” The green-eyed girl yells, but the younger girl just continues walking.

The young brunette searches the crowd until she finds Dinah. “Cheechee, can I have the keys? I’m going to the car.” Camila asks the Polynesian. Dinah, too wrapped up in her fiance, hands Camila the keys. With the keys in tow, the drunk brunette stumbles out of the bar and heads for the car. 

“Why the fuck did you have to do that Camila?” The brunette chastises herself as she opens up the car door and slides in. She is utterly humiliated and embarrassed and she just wants to go home. Not in her right mind, she quickly cranks up the car and puts it in drive. Deep down she knows that she shouldn’t drive, but right now she’s too upset to care.

Lauren searches the night club and finally finds Dinah lip-locking on the dance floor with Normani. “Dinah, have you seen Camz?” She taps the Polynesian on the shoulder.

“Yeah I gave her the keys she wasn’t feeling well or something.” She admits and Lauren’s eyes go wide.

“Dinah she was fucking drunk and upset! Why would you do that?” Lauren runs her fingers through her hair before sprinting toward the exit. As soon as she gets outside, she sees Dinah’s car barreling down the road.

“Camila!” Lauren screams as she frantically runs after the car.

The young brunette looks in the rear-view mirror and sees the green-eyed girl running desperately down the street. She chokes back a sob and continues to drive. She knows that she’s making a huge mistake, but somehow that makes her feel so alive. When she remembers kissing Lauren, she bangs her fist into her head.

“Stupid.” She repeats over and over again. Her eyes close for a split second and when she opens them, she sees the car heading straight for a brick mailbox. Her feet immediately hit the breaks, but it’s too late because the car is already colliding with the mailbox. The airbags release immediately and explode in her face.

When the car comes to a stop and the panic subsides, she feels the impact of the airbag. Her face feels like it has been set on fire and there’s blood pooling from her nose that’s most likely broken. Luckily, the alcohol in her system numbs some of the pain though. She hastily pulls out a wad of napkins from her glove compartment and presses them to her nose. The thought of calling 911 comes to her mind, but then is quickly dismissed when she remembers she could get a DUI for this. Instead, she keeps one hand holding the tissues to her nose and she used the other to put the car in reverse. Though the car is damaged, it still drive and she’s thankful for that. Slowly, she drives to Austin’s apartment, not wanting to face her friends right now. When Camila makes it to the apartment, she lays on the couch, an ice pack on her nose.

Meanwhile, Dinah, Normani, and Ally are comforting an inconsolable Lauren outside the nightclub.

“It’s all my fault.” Lauren sobs as she paces back and forth on the sidewalk.

“We will find her, Lo. She’ll be okay.” Dinah promises as the Uber pulls up. They all pile into the car and head to their apartment complex.

“Where the fuck is she?” Lauren screams when they finally make it back to the apartment and there’s no sign of Camila. The brunette sinks to the ground in front of their building and places her head in her hands. “I can’t lose her.” She cries as Ally comes over to comfort her. Dinah is now crying too and Normani is comforting her.

“It’s all my fault.” The green-eyed girl bangs her fists on the pavement beneath her.

“No, it’s mine.” Dinah chokes out. “I shouldn’t have given her the keys. If I would’ve just given her my attention for one second.” She shakes her head as angry tears fall to her cheeks. Normani immediately kisses them away.

“Baby, it’s not your fault.” The dark-skinned girl tightens her hold on her fiance and continues to whisper sweet nothings in her ear.

A couple of minutes later, Dinah’s eyes go wide and shrugs her fiance off of her. Normani goes to protest, but Dinah holds up her finger signaling for her to hold on. She quickly reaches in her purse and retrieves her phone.

“I had Mila share her location with me after he accident when she got a new phone.” Dinah navigates through her phone. “I’ve just never had a reason to use it so I forgot about it.”

Lauren’s eyes shoot up and she immediately scrambles over to the Polynesian. She breathes out a sigh of relief when she sees Camila’s location pop up.

“She’s at Austin’s.” Dinah furrows her eyebrows. “But Austin isn’t home, he’s visiting his parents.”

Lauren digs her keys out of her purse and takes off to her car, the other girls on her heel.

“Baby, you and Ally stay here in-case she comes back.” Dinah turns to Normani. The dark-skinned girl nods and places a quick kiss to Dinah’s cheek before the Polynesian enters the car.

Camila groans as she stands up from the couch to go to the fridge and get a colder ice pack. She feels like she’s been hit by a car when in all reality, she was behind the wheel. After settling for a pack of peas, she retreats back to the couch. Just as her eyes flutter closed, she hears a banging at the door. Her heart immediately drips as she scrambles to sit up.

“Camila!” The girl hears her name being called, but she doesn’t make a move to get up.

“Chanch!” Camila hears Dinah yell from outside the door and she groans.

“Karla Camila Cabello-Jauregui open this damn door or I’m kicking it down!” Lauren yells from outside the door. The green-eyed girl is trying to sound stern, but she’s absolutely worried out of her mind. Camila has always been the type to hide her pain from others. She hides her bruises, her cuts, everything. One time, Lauren woke up to find Camila in the bathroom bandaging herself up. She was covered in blood, having just face-planted while on her morning run. After making sure the girl was going to be okay, Lauren chastised her for not waking her up when she got home. Camila claimed she didn’t want to bother the girl and Lauren spent an hour reminding her of the vows she spoken to her on their wedding day.

Camila slowly stands up from the couch when she hears Lauren’s threat to knock down the door. Her tone was convincing and Camila believed she would do it so she figured she’d save her the trouble.

Before the green-eyed girl can collide her foot with the door, it opens. She scrambles in and sees Camila retreating back to the couch. The young Latina finally sits back down on the couch, effectively revealing her bloodied features. Lauren’s breath hitches and she runs over and kneels in front of her wife.

“Baby.” Lauren breathes out as she frantically searches Camila’s body for damage. The only damage she sees is on her face though. The skin on her face is burned from the impact of the airbag and the blood running from her nose is traveling down her chin and staining her blue dress. Tears leak from the brown eyes when she looks at Lauren. “Baby, are you okay?” Lauren chokes out and Camila shakes her head no. The older girl immediately scoops the wounded brunette into her arms and takes her to the bathroom. She sets her down on the counter and stands between her legs as she cleans up her face.

Lauren carefully drags the bath cloth over Camila’s face. The young girl winces occasionally and Lauren apologizes profusely every time. After the older girl gets Camila cleaned up and gets the bleeding stopped, she just looks into her eyes, feeling tears well up in her own.

“You could’ve been killed Camila.” Lauren whispers and Camila looks down in shame. “Or you could’ve killed someone else.” She adds and when Camila doesn’t respond, she starts getting worked up. “You. Could. Have. Been. Killed.” Lauren reiterates. “Do you get that?”

Camila keeps her head ducked.

“I could’ve lost you again!” Lauren yells as she runs a hand through her waves. “What were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t!” Camila finally yells. “I wasn’t thinking, okay?”

“Obviously.” Lauren crosses her arms over her chest. “Fuck, Camila. You have people who love you and care about you. You can’t just do shit like that.” She throws her hands up.

Dinah finally walks into the bathroom and starts pulling a worked up Lauren away. She’s not mad at the green-eyed girl for speaking her mind. Hell, she’s being nice to Camila if you ask her. Dinah is still planning on ripping Camila a new one when she’s better.

“Not now, Lauren. You need to cool off.” Dinah continues to drag her to the door.

“Why do you care?” Camila yells back and watches as Lauren and Dinah both stop in their tracks. The green-eyed girl immediately spins around when she hears the question.

“Because I love you! I love you more than I love myself. You are my heart, Camila, and if something were to happen to you, I wouldn’t survive. I can’t live without you. You are the single most important thing in my life.” Lauren lowers her volume and her eyes soften. “You are my world Camila.” She stands in front of her again and leans in until her forehead is resting on Camila’s.

“I’m so sorry.” Camila chokes back a sob. “I don’t remember, but I have a feeling that you were my world too.”

Lauren leans back and looks in her favorite pair of eyes. “I need you to know that I only pulled away from the kiss tonight because you were drunk. I want to kiss you, Camila. More than anything. But not like that.” She raises her hands up to Camila’s face and traces the black circle under her right eye that became visible after she wiped the blood off her face. “He did this.” She states and Camila tenses up. “Why do you stay?”

“Because I’m fucked up, Lauren.” Camila whispers. “My head is so fucked up and my heart is too.” Angry tears slide down her cheeks and Lauren leans in and places her lips on Camila’s tanned cheek. Her lips linger on the cheek long enough to feel one of the the brunette’s tears hit her top lip.

“You’re perfect.” Lauren promises her as she tucks some hair behind her ear. “I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.” The green-eyed girl wipes some of her own tears away before walking out of the bathroom and leaving the apartment. The older brunette knows she’s leaving Camila in good hands. Dinah will take care of her. Lauren wants to, but she’s afraid if she stays, she’ll break down. She doesn’t want Camila to see her like that.

Lauren has always tried to be the stronger of the two, but tonight, she’s failing at that, and the last thing she wants is for Camila to see her fail.

[docayin-blog]

Hunting Waterfowl from a Kayak

Find a slow-moving stream and paddle to your own duck and goose paradise.

Like Huckleberry Finn, I’m a child of the river. Nothing gets me out of my chair and up and going like a trip on a stream. Being a Senior Sportsman can make me think twice about certain activities in the outdoors. I can’t slog through a muddy plowed field like I used to, but I’ll still go if the geese are flying.

But the river has a pull on this old Huckleberry. There’s nothing like riding the current, especially in the fall. Especially when the wood ducks are migrating. Nothing like it.
Imagine those beautiful leaves falling and you drifting quietly downstream. Think of rounding a bend in the river and having a flock of Canadas blast off from the shoreline right in front of you. Can you see it? Would you be able to make the shot in your excitement ? Or would you swamp the boat and have to clamber out in the cold and get a fire going real quick?

Either way, the river is always an adventure. Either way, you will leave the river at the end of your run already planning your next float trip.

These days folks are really starting to get into kayaks. Kayaks are becoming popular in the fishing community. Here on the river, we think kayaks are a big deal too. Back in the day, we float hunted on the river using canoes. Not anymore. Kayaks put you down lower on the water and that lowers your center of gravity. You are much more stable shooting out of a kayak. I used to be afraid of rolling my canoe with a shot to the side. Not with my kayak.

 How does a float hunt on the river work? Well the first thing about it that may surprise you is that this hunt begins at 10 o’clock in the morning. Nope, no sunrise vigil like on the slough. If you do go early you won’t find many geese. They fly out at dawn to feed just as they do on the slough. Then at around eight or nine they return to the river to hide and loaf. That’s why we start our float at 10. Bankers’ hours. So let’s try a simulated float hunt and see if you’d like it.

What’s a river float for waterfowl like? I’ve been asked that question a lot. Well, maybe I can explain it this way: You drift quietly down the river with every sense alert. You round a bend and there’s a flock of birds loafing on a sandbar ahead of you. They’re too far away so you hold really still and the current takes you slowly, slowly toward them.

Now actually, that’s the way I like to explain it. That’s the best time of the hunt, the tension and anticipation. The possibility of a big shoot ahead. You’re close enough to make your move now and you pull up on an exploding flock. But the kayak has drifted to the left and you’re a right-handed shooter. So you track a bird and realize you’ll be lucky to get one bird when you expected to get off three shots.

NO CAKEWALK

But honestly, you won’t be surprised. A float hunt on the river is never easy. Too many things can/do go wrong. Wind, for instance. It’s your friend when it gets the trees to rattle their leaves. You don’t make noise with the wind blowing. But then, you run into a flock of birds and you have to freeze or the birds will beat you. So the wind is blowing you at them and manages to turn the kayak completely around before you’re in range. Who’s your friend now? It happens.

Much of a float hunt ain’t good. Imagine sitting on a moving platform, shooting at a moving target. That’s what we laughingly call a humbling experience. Yes, you’re thinking that you’re a reasonably capable shooter. Then you ride the river with us. We put you in the front seat of a twin-seater kayak. Nothing to do but shoot. Plus, if we come upon that flock on the sandbar, I’ll paddle you right up there.

NATURE WONDER-CRUISE

The best part of a float is that most animals and birds that we encounter are sleeping or very relaxed so we get a good up close look at them. My son Will’s Nikon is cranking when we run by a big turtle. He loves mossy- backs with the big claws. He caught beavers asleep on their lodge last year. Fun-fun-fun!

We live in Minnesota. Out on the western prairies we have reminders of the French traders that named our rivers and the big lake Lac qui Parle. Out here we pick our float hunt rivers with care. That’s the best advice I could give to a waterfowler who wants to try a float hunt. Will and I had to learn that lesson the hard way. We thought the faster the river the better. We’d get up on them quicker. We not only got up on the birds quicker, we also got swept into snags that were under water and limbs low on the water to roll us.

Will lost a nice Nikon and lens that way and he shot downstream backwards, fending off rocks with his feet. Then we still had to pull the kayak out and continue to our take-out spot. All in all, a lesson learned. As the old song goes, “up a lazy river we go,” and since then, we have had far less trouble targeting slower waters. And yes, we take every precaution. We wear flotation vests, but those without big pads over the shoulder. That way I can shoot better and swim better too, should the need arise.

If you’ve noticed, kayaks are a big deal with anglers lately, and it made a big change for us, more stable giving you a lower profile for birds watching out for hunters. They also have nice covered areas fore and aft to keep duffle dry. Two of the best makers of hunting kayaks are Old Town and Poke Boat. Will has a camo pattern that he paints on both boat and paddles.

That’s all part of the attention to detail that we put into these festivities. Camo clothes with a change along in case of dunking. Camo gloves on the hands and a face mask for camo and sunblock. We’ve even been known to attach branches to the front if the birds are super wary. Now I’ve even purchased a camo 10-gauge from Browning. My old Ithaca Mag 10 jammed one time too many.

Why the big gun? Because it knocks down geese at a distance and ducks too. Wise ducks sit at the bend of the river. When you come around a corner upriver, they jump and just have a foot or two to fly before they are gone around the next corner. With a 10, I can sometimes reach out at long distances before they’re gone. Also, even if they jump close I have more time to shoot when I can reach out further.

GO WITH THE FLOW

These are true Huck Finn experience hunts for us if we get the time. Lazing down the river, shooting a few ducks along the way. Pulling up on a sandbar and dressing out a couple. Spitting them over a bed of coals with a tin can of coffee in hand to savor while waiting for the meat to get done. If possible, and when would it be not, a bottle of merlot to enjoy with our duck. I like a good cigar about this time to celebrate the hunt. Then the gun is put away while we put our dishes away and paddle for the takeout.

Each fall we go on the river and follow the migration. It begins early with the “summer ducks.” Woodies and teal that sit in trees and blast off branches that are over your head and weave through trees. That’s the wood duck, but teal will rocket away so fast you won’t believe it. As the migration moves along the flocks will build until a hard frost drives them south. But you won’t mind.

Because next come the fat mallards from Canada. These beauties can’t rival a woody for color, but they are much easier to hit.

They jump straight up off the water and don’t swerve as much in flight. Woodies not only fly in and out of trees, but they often fly low on the water making them hard to see when the sun sparkles the waves on the river.

Wood ducks have a nutty taste and teal are so succulent, but mallards are hard to beat for flavor too, and they stick around on the river until the water freezes over.

Other ducks like ringbills and goldeneyes are there on the cold days and we are too. Chopper mitts on hands and electric boot heaters help a lot, but a little suffering is necessary at that time. It will be worth it and all the sweeter when you know it will soon be over for the year.

By far, my favorite quarry on the river is the big Canada goose.

The geese come to the river to escape detection. Once they are down on the river they aren’t going to be found too easily. They only have one problem. They need openings in the trees along the river in order to land. With that in mind, you’ll kind of get an idea of where to expect them. That and the fact that they love to make those honks and nuk-nukks that warn you that they are around the next bend. Talk about excitement. A dozen geese sitting on a sandy beach means you’ve punched your ticket for some real waterfowl hunting fun. Another reason for my beloved 10-gauge.

A goose has to jump and fly into the wind to get airborne. They aren’t hard to hit when they do that, but you need to hit them with a heavy load to bring them down. Again, the 10-gauge. And as with any bird you bring down on the river, you have to finish it on the water unless it’s dead. A crippled duck or goose will do remarkable things to hide or escape. They will swim into snags that you can’t get them out of. They will swim to the shore and scurry into the brush where you can’t get them without a dog.

POCKET RETRIEVER

And speaking of dogs. My family came to the prairies of Minnesota from Wisconsin, and brought their dogs with them. The little American water spaniel has fallen out of favor in these days of the ubiquitous Lab, but our family never forgot. A river float is what these little retrievers were bred for. At forty pounds I can pick her up and plop her in the back with ease. Drop a duck in heavy cover along the shore? My baby will find it. In heavy current she can use her tail as a rudder. Very fun to watch.

And before you think rivers are the only game in town, consider a paddle through a slough or along the lakeshore. The advantage of a quiet approach is still yours on a slough or lake. Besides our diminutive retriever, we’ve found lightweight blow up decoys by Cherokee Sports Decoys. They take up very little room and weigh next to nothing. Find a spot, and wait for the action.

I know from experience that you will find it daunting to learn to shoot from a sitting position, but with practice you will improve. I put the kayak on the ground and sit in it while a friend launches clays with a hand trap. It is a learning curve but if you want to ride the river or creep through a slough or some brushy lakeside, you’ll have to learn.

I don’t like to get up early in the morning. I don’t like to wait around by the decoys if I don’t have to. A river float is more like a pheasant hunt. You’re moving along seeing lots of new country. Jump shooting woodies is much like shooting flushed pheasants and to me, that’s great fun. You won’t see a lot of people and now that I’ve explained how frustrating the shooting can be you know why more people don’t do it.

But even though it’s tough shooting, Will and I will be there, for we know a secret: Disneyland for duck men is a lazy river.

[brandyfields66-blog]

How to Motivate Yourself to Go to the Gym on Cold, Dark Days

[brightcove:5587982423001 default]

I love to work out, and as a senior editor at Health, it's a big part of my job. But I'm the first to admit that exercising when days turn cold and dark can suck. It's pitch black when my alarm goes off for a before-work workout, and it's dark again by 4 p.m. Plus, living in New York City means snowy, wind-chilled treks to the subway to get to my fitness locales.

But one thing I know very well about myself is that my mood sinks drastically in fall and winter. Exercise is in part an antidote to my winter blues. Because of that, I've found little tricks that help me stay consistent-and in turn happier and with more pep in my step overall-through the cold-weather months. Read on for the fall and winter workout motivation hacks that work for me . . . that might just work for you too.

RELATED: 7 Emily Skye Workout Videos We're Obsessed With

Wake up to light and music

If I'm working out in the morning before work, the toughest part for me is physically getting out of bed. Once I'm up and standing, I'm set. So when my alarm goes off, I immediately switch on my bedside lamp and stream my Spotify workout playlist from my phone. Even if I lie in bed for a few minutes longer, the gentle light and good tunes keep me alert enough so that I won't doze off again and ditch.

Or treat yourself to an early holiday present and invest in Sonos wireless speakers ($141; amazon.com). The Sonos mobile app allows you to set alarms so you can wake up to your pump-up playlist-a tip I learned from Ashley Wilking, an instructor at Rumble Boxing in New York City and a Nike trainer.

"I love choosing my songs based on what my day looks like," Wilking tells Health. "If I need to wake up at 4 a.m. to teach class, I like something to pump me up-I'll go for a rap or hip-hop mix. If I'm getting up to start my day but want to keep a mellow vibe, I'll go for the Coffee House Chill or Indie Acoustics playlists on Spotify."

Warm up on the way to the gym

If you're like me and can't (or just don't like to) work out at home, you have to find a way to make the chilly gym commute more manageable. If weather permits and it's safe to do so, try using the journey as a warm-up opportunity. "I always ride my Citi Bike to class in the morning," Wilking says. "It gets you moving before you have to move in your workout."

Wet or icy roads preventing you from jogging or biking your way there? Distract yourself with good music or a podcast. "I put on an audio book-my current listen is You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero-and take Mia, our mini Australian shepherd, for a walk along the water," Wilking says.

Follow a fitness influencer 

Like many humans, I wake up and scroll social media for a bit before getting out of bed, which helped me discover the Insta-story of Joelle Cavagnaro, a personal trainer and high school health and physical education teacher in the New York City area.

Cavagnaro is awake at 5 a.m. every morning and chronicles her dark walk to the gym, her workout, and her (still dark) hike home. She provides hilarious commentary and super motivational words of advice. Watching Cavagnaro's efforts every single day makes me think, if she's out there getting it done before the sun is up, I can do the same. 

"Knowing that I have people following my journey, my workouts, my routine, helps me to stay on track, just as much as it helps them," she tells Health.

RELATED: It's Better to Work Out With Other People Than by Yourself. Here's Why

Become a regular

For many months now, I've been hooked on a particular fitness studio-Switch Playground-and I've been more consistent than ever with my workouts. I'll get there rain (or cold, or wind) or shine.

To start, I love the actual workout-and that is key when it comes to making a fitness habit stick, especially during the toughest time of year to do it. ("It's pretty hard to stick to a workout plan you hate," Cavagnaro points out. "If you hate the treadmill, don't go on the treadmill.")

But another major part of what gets my butt to class is that I've become close with many of the instructors. I'll drop them a message, like, "I'm coming to the 7:15; I'm exhausted so I need a good push tonight!" Giving them that heads-up that I'm attending holds me accountable; and having a dialogue with the folks there makes the actual working out part less of a chore and more like a visit with friends.

So if you love a particular class, make it a point to say hi to the instructor and share your fitness goals. That way, you're expected to show up each week to meet them. Prefer to sweat by yourself at the gym? Introduce yourself to trainers and other gym regulars around the floor; chat with the guys and girls at the front desk. (Cavagnaro gets a "Sup, Big J?" from other early-bird exercisers at her gym.) The camaraderie will inspire you-as will a "Where have you been?!" if you disappear for too long.

RELATED: Winter Skin Annoyances, Solved

Find (reliable) workout buddies

"Committing to a workout with a friend is a great way to make sure you get yourself out the door, as no one likes to let their friends down," Oliver Lee, a personal trainer in New York City and a former Barry's Bootcamp instructor (and one of my workout buds who I can always count on), tells Health. 

Even if you don't like working out with a partner, you can benefit from the support of like-minded friends and family, Cavagnaro says. "I work out alone, and that works best for me," she explains. "But my husband and I are both passionate about the gym. We go to the gym together on weekends, separate for our workouts, and then meet up again after to walk home together."

I also often times reach out to people with little gym "check-ins." My mom and I, for example, cheer each other on via text, and we do this more often when the weather gets gross:

Commit to an early bedtime

As tempting as it is to stay up to watch one more episode of Stranger Things, powering down electronics and hitting the sheets at a reasonable hour is critical if you're going to beat winter tiredness and make it to the gym. This is the right time of the year to turn in on the early side, when darkness and chilly temperatures make curling up under the covers so ideal.

"I can't stress this enough to my clients, my students, or anyone else trying to have a productive day," Cavagnaro says. "I could never do what I do without adequate rest and recovery time. I know my body and I know that I need at least eight hours of sleep to be a functional, productive member of society-and to have energy for my morning workout."

Cavagnaro also suggests thinking of an a.m. workout as the ticket to an energized day, rather than something you need to find energy for. "My workout itself is like my morning coffee," she says. "It starts my day, gives me the energy to get going, and sets up my day for productivity and success."

RELATED: 11 Warm Recipes for Cold Weather

Schedule workouts strategically

Sweating it out after work? Don't leave yourself time to stop off at home first . . . and get sidelined by something great on TV or your never-ending social feed. "I tend to plan my workouts around times that I will be out of the house already, either on my way to a meeting or on my way home," Lee explains. "That way, I'm already outside."

Cavagnaro agrees: If she does have to hit the gym after school instead of at her typical 5 a.m. session, she brings all of her gear with her and goes straight from the classroom. "The motivation to go definitely dwindles down if you stop home, have a snack, have to change," she says. "I find that going right from work to the gym, alleviates those 'should I really go?' thoughts."

To get our best wellness tips delivered to you inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter

Talk yourself out of your excuses

There are still times I find myself in the comfort of my warm apartment coming up with every excuse in the book to avoid bundling up and mobilizing. When it happens, I like to remind myself of this: In the amount of time you will spend sitting around making excuses, you could be half way through a workout by now. (Slightly cheesy? Yes. But it works for me.)

I also ask myself what I would do in that time when I could be getting in a workout. Would I do a load of laundry? Would I meal prep for the next few days? Would I watch Sex and the City reruns? If I'm exhausted and know I'll use the time to do something else productive, I cut myself some slack. But if my gut tells me I'll waste the hour being lazy, I'll get my butt off the couch and do something to crank my heart rate, even if that means walking on an incline on the treadmill for 15 minutes.