#i stayed up like three hours uploading random pictures on my phone to see which one would make the best header lol

[flanneryculp]

i am loving this new blog theme

thank you!! i thought i might commit all the way to the tb8 theme, and also i needed a change in general :) glad you like it!

[dreams-madeof-strawberrylemonade]

Reunion

Request: HERE  A/N: UPLOADING IT AGAIN BC I FORGOT TO TAG IT SORRY Soo it’s been what, one year, since I last posted a fic here? I’m kind of rusty ngl but nevertheless, it felt comforting to write something like this :) As usual, critiques and comments are welcome  Word count: 1.7 K+ Warnings: none

To be added - or removed - from the taglist, please DM me or leave me an ask!

GIF credit goes to @edgeofgreta; the original post is HERE

You walked into the apartment and set the two groceries-filled shopping bags onto the laminated floor. You kicked off your shoes and carried the bags into the open kitchen, placing them on the counter. With boredom, you took out every single item and placed them in their designated spaces. With the same growing boredom, you made your way back into the living room and threw yourself on the navy-blue sofa with your head sinking in one of the biggest pillows.

You pick up your phone and look at the screen – specifically, at the lockscreen wallpaper, which was a photo of you and Jake. Josh had taken that photo on one of the getaways you made together. Jake had on a beige shirt with his top four buttons undone – in other words, only with his lower two buttons done – and his favorite black hat. He was standing up tall, a wide smile on his face, and you were leaning against him, with your head placed on his right shoulder. You smiled and unlocked your phone, then opened the messages app and texted Jake.

I miss you :( Why does tour have to last this long?

Underneath the blue message bubble appeared the notification that the message had been read, then three typing dots appeared on Jake’s end.

I miss you too, honey. I can’t wait to get home and see you.

You begin to type.

Can we facetime later?

The answer came shortly.

Sorry, but tonight we have a gig. Tomorrow, too… We’re having practice now. Josh has again too much energy and needs to drain it a little bit before going onstage. Got to go now :( Love you

You typed back a formal luck-wishing message and threw the phone on the coffee table in front of the sofa. You were bored out of your mind and in the mood to do nothing whatsoever. Jake had been gone for almost three months now. You understood that it was his job and those were the terms and conditions you agreed to when you started dating him, but you didn’t figure at the time that separation would feel like that. It was safe to say that from time to time you missed him so much it hurt you.

You curled into a fetal position and turned on the TV. Flicking through the channels, you stopped at MTV. Highway Tune just began to play. Your heart grew at the sight of the boys and especially at the sight of Jake. You were so proud of them for getting that far and the mere thought that there actually is a far longer way for them to go made your heart beat in exhilaration. As the last notes of the song echoed through the room, you closed your eyes, pleased that you had seen the band on TV again.

You woke up from the “nap” way too late – it was 1 AM when you opened your eyes – so you moved from the living room to the bedroom. You didn’t bother changing your clothes and you just got underneath the blankets covering the double bed. Before falling asleep again, you looked over at the empty space next to you and you caressed the sheets, wishing that Jake would be there.

The new morning brought along a new day, but unfortunately, the base routine was the same: breakfast, staying in bed for way longer than you should’ve, going outside for some more groceries, flipping through magazines, watching TV, texting – or at least trying to text – Jake. The difference was that today, you called in sick for work and decided to do something fun.

After calling multiple of your friends, asking if they were free to go shopping with you, you finally let yourself defeated and decided you’d visit some shops on your own.

While you were at the bookshop – the one you frequently visited with Jake – you found a puzzle which, put together, should create a 3D globe with multiple images from the Renaissance era. You figured that Jake would find that puzzle at least as intriguing as you did. I could start putting together a welcome-home gift for Jake, you grinned as the thought crossed your mind. You picked the puzzle box off the shelf and walked around the bookshop with it. You stopped in front of the vinyl-filled boxes and you began browsing through them. Jake had a ridiculously large vinyl collection, but you listened to it together so many times that you almost knew every record by heart.

After way too much time spent pondering which records to get, you finally settled for The Doors’ Morrison Hotel and T-Rex’s Electric Warrior. On your way to the register, you stopped by the wine-for-special-occasions section and picked up a bottle.

With your heart filled with excitement, you came back home and called out. “Jake, I’m –,” but you stopped as you remembered that he wasn’t actually home. You slowly let the paper bag containing the puzzle, the wine bottle and the two records on the ground as you locked the door. Before unpacking, you checked your phone. No notifications from Jake. You felt your heart lightly twitch. You couldn’t blame Jake: he was just busy and most likely tired.

You took out the new acquisitions and arranged them on the low coffee table and smiled at the thought of Jake coming in through the front door.

You were tired, so you quickly did your night routine and you got into bed. Once you were in bed though, you couldn’t fall asleep. You just kept tossing back and forth, unable to find a comfortable position. Unannouncedly and unexpectedly, tears welled up in your eyes as you laid there, alone, facing the empty space to your left. You didn’t fight the tears back; you were alone in the darkness, there was no one who could see you. You just missed Jake so much. You missed the smell of his cologne imprinted even in his pajamas. You missed his laughter that managed to make you laugh all the time and you missed those moments when you’d both begin to laugh hysterically and you’d laugh at Jake’s laugh and he’d laugh at yours, and you both laughed so much that you forgot what started it in the first place. You missed his random moments of dancing around the house and you missed his complaints mostly aimed at Josh. As the memories reeled in the back of your mind, your sobs got more frequent. Thinking of it, three months didn’t sound like such a long time, but in reality, time is tricky. Three months can easily feel like three hours and just as easy can feel like three years. For you, it felt like three decades. You mindlessly grabbed Jake’s pillow and hugged it tightly to your chest, wishing it would be Jake instead of just a pillow.

As a new day dawned, you shuffled in your sleep and hugged the pillow again. You didn’t want to wake up just yet.

“Wakey, wakey,” a voice said from somewhere behind you, almost through a dream.

“Five more minutes,” you groaned, unwilling to open your eyes. You paused then and held your breath.

“You’re gonna be late for work,” the voice spoke again and a warm finger traced your side.

You jumped almost instantly. “Jake!” you shouted and collapsed over him, your arms circling his shoulders. You buried your face in the crook of his neck and inhaled deeply – that faint smell of freshly squeezed lemons, mint and cigarettes. His arms circled your waist and you both fell onto the bed. “God, I missed you so much,” you whisper.

“I missed you too… I am so happy to be back home,” he said and hugged you tighter.

Time stood still for you. You were in your happy place and nothing could get you away from there. You pulled away and looked at Jake. You ran your index fingers on both sides of his face and then cupped his face in your hands. Jake didn’t break eye contact with you not even for a second. He softly leaned into your right hand and with his right hand, he took your free one and brought it up to his lips, leaving a kiss on it. “Come here,” he whispered and smiled at you, as his hand made its way up to your cheek, slowly guiding you in towards his lips. You closed your eyes and slightly tilted your head to the side, anticipation growing in your stomach. His lips on yours felt so soft, so satin-like and sweet. You couldn’t get enough of this feeling. As an instinctive gesture, you brought your hand up to Jake’s face and let your fingers roam over his soft skin until they mindlessly tangled into his hair. Jake chuckled in-between needier and needier kisses, “More to come later.” He softly pulled away and rested his forehead against yours. “Next time, you’ll quit your job and come with me on tour.”

“Definitely,” you giggle, already picturing it in your mind. City after city, state after state – and you’d be there to see it all. “Jakey,” you say and pout a little.

“Yes, I will cuddle with you,” he nodded his head before you even got the occasion to ask the question. You break out in laughter and fall into the bed which, now that Jake was home, was even more comfortable.

You snaked your arms around Jake’s torso and pulled yourself closer to him. Jake pulled the blanket over the two of you in one swift move and wrapped his arms around your shoulders. “I’m never letting you go,” you whisper and cuddle closer to his chest.

“Please never do,” he answered and placed a soft kiss on your forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Did one of the boys tell you by any chance that we’re coming back early?”

“No, why?”

“Oh, that’s good. I wanted it to be a surprise,” he spoke lowly. “I saw you had some wine in the kitchen.”

You giggled. “It’s for us, for when you would come home.”

“I am home now,” Jake raised an eyebrow.

“I’m calling in sick again,” you announced and Jake’s laugh echoed through the room.

“That’s my girl.”

Tags: @myownparadise96, @satans-helper, @littlegeekwonder, @songbirdkisses, @angelstraightfr0mhell, @freeeshavacadoo, @safari-karrot​, @mountainofthesunn​, @bigthighsandstupidguys​, @starshinekiszka

[artificialqueens]

Girl I Met On The Internet, 1/? (Crystal x Gigi) - Strawberry

a/n: it’s me, the anon who was talking about writing a crygi stan twitter au. and as someone who has spent many hours on social media, i really enjoy reading social media aus so i decided to write one. my writing skills are rusty and i’m not sure how long this will end up being, but i hope you guys enjoy it regardless and stay for the (not really) wild ride! :-) 

Crystal was very active on stan Twitter. Being an outcast at school with only friendly acquaintances, she used it to fill her need for the social interaction she was not getting in person. 

That being said, she didn’t have a set group of Twitter friends yet. She was very friendly with all of her mutuals, having conversations on the timeline with a handful of them, but she had yet to make a deeper connection with anyone.

She had thought about joining a group chat, but they made her feel anxious. A lot of them have forty members! That seemed extremely overwhelming to her.

The poor girl had spent an hour one night weighing the pros and cons, and in the end, her desire for friendship beat her anxiety. She promised herself she would go out of her comfort zone and would rt the next group chat tweet she saw. Possibly. Maybe.  

-

She had made that promise to herself on Tuesday. It was now Saturday, and Crystal had woken up pretty early, determined to finish writing a story for her creative writing class. It was unusual for her to be up before noon, but today just felt different. Once she finished it, she opened up a new tab and went to Twitter, curious to see if anyone was awake. Jan was.

jan! • @.arisjantasy

rt to be in a random group chat!! 

requirements: 

just be nice! :)

adding the first 10 people who rt!

There were 6 rts already, so Crystal hit rt as fast as she could to reserve her spot. Jan was very nice, possibly the nicest mutual Crystal had ever made; if Crystal was forcing herself to join a group chat, one made by Jan would be ideal. 

Nervous, Crystal switched tabs, going to YouTube. Because it was so early, none of her favorite creators had uploaded anything new. She ends up clicking on an older video she had watched dozens of times. Halfway through the video, she gets a Twitter notification.

jan! has added you to a group.

jan!: hey guys!! :) 

Crystal quickly types out an introduction and sends it.

crystal: hi! thank you so much for adding me. im crystal! 

jaida: the queen of the gc has arrived. hi

crystal: hi jaida!

jan!: no problem, crystal. you seem very nice! 

nicky: bonjour ;)

gigi: good morning everyone

gigi: nicky we get it ur french

Gigi was here? Crystal saw her on her timeline a lot, despite not following her. She was Jan’s best friend, but seemed very intimidating. She reminded Crystal of the girls at school who would call her not so nice names, but she hoped Gigi wasn’t like that since she was close with sweet Jan who didn’t have a mean bone in her body. 

gigi: omg crystal hi

gigi: i don’t like 1d but u seem very nice it’s nice to meet u

Yes, it was 2020 and Crystal was still a One Direction stan account. She had lost hope that they would get back together ages ago, but she still supported all five of them. They were the only men she would ever love. 

crystal: i can change that just give me a week SKSGFDS

jaida: i love zayn does that count

crystal: yes ma’am!

heidi: HEY! sorry i’m late!

jaida: oh, miss heidi made the cut?

heidi: 9th rt, bitch.

jan!: jaida be nice :((

jaida: No <3

gigi: dont play fight yet ur scaring crystal!!! 

heidi: well. in that case.

heidi: crystal, tell us about yourself

jaida: pls.. i’m sick of these other hoes.. i’m a crystal stan now

jan!: :(( 

jan!: but yes crystal pls!

crystal: let’s see.. im crystal, im 16, a lesbian. i stan 1d, poppy, and i really like painting!! and thrifting!! 

Crystal wasn’t expecting to feel included since they definitely had an established group already. Them being interested in hearing about her made her feel like she fit right in.

She really hoped they would end up liking her.

-

A week later, the group chat was going strong. Crystal, Jan, Jaida, Heidi, Gigi and Nicky were the only ones who ended up talking in the group, so they decided to kick everyone else out. Jaida had the pleasure of renaming their chat to “Elites Only” after that, which everyone approved of.

They opened Crystal into their friend group with open arms, which Crystal was incredibly thankful for.

Crystal loved them all, but Gigi had to be her favorite. They had all shared fun facts about each other after Crystal did, and Gigi had revealed that she was also a lesbian, but was only out online. She was a cheerleader also who loved fashion and design. her account was very put together, filled with pictures of girls Crystal would later find out are from America’s Next Top Model.

Gigi fascinated Crystal.  

The other girls were also pretty cool. Jan was also a cheerleader who had high energy constantly. Jaida competed in beauty pageants, also had the pleasure of being the funniest person in the group. Heidi jokingly referred to herself as a ‘gamer girl’, but really only played the Sims 4. Nicky lived in France and had an odd obsession with sheep. Nicky also flirted with Gigi a lot and Crystal couldn’t tell if they were a thing or not. she didn’t know if Nicky was gay, but the thought that they were a thing made her feel sick to her stomach.

Crystal opened up her Twitter app on her way to school, seeing the last message to be sent was from Nicky, at nearly three in the morning.

nicky: i think you’re asleep for once due to the lack of noise.. weird and boring!

nicky: but anyway i hope you hoes have a good day <3 

Crystal smiled and hearted the message. 

crystal: someone wake up im boreeedddd 

jan!: hey im in bio!! its boring :(

crystal: im walking to school lol 

gigi: good morning jan and crystal bbs <3

Crystal knew she didn’t mean it like that, but it still made her soul leave her body. Naturally, she exited Twitter. This was far too much for eight in the morning. Far too early to address any of her feelings.

She had managed to go most of the morning without checking Twitter but eventually, after a bad encounter with one of the cheerleaders in her history class, Crystal gave in to her urges and checked her phone to try to cheer herself up.

Definitely a bad idea.

nicky: i want to post selfies before i go to bed

nicky: you all will support yes?

gigi: YES BABE!!!

Babe? Crystal wants to cry. 

jaida: i need your beauty on my tl now

crystal: yeah i wanna see what you look like

Crystal feels stupid. She’s known Gigi for a week; she doesn’t even know what Gigi, let alone the rest of them look like. Crystal thinks it’s far too early to catch feelings for someone on Twitter.

Nicky posts her selfies, and Crystal quickly confirms that she’s one of the most gorgeous women on the planet. No wonder Gigi was probably dating her. 

She goes back onto the timeline, only for it to be filled with nothing but Gigi hyping up Nicky.

gigi • @.jennerbitch

NICKY OH MY FUCJKING GO D??

gigi • @.jennerbitch

MY LITERAL WIFE WTF

gigi • @.jennerbitch

IM GAY!!!!!!

Well, that confirmed what she had suspected. 

Once Crystal got home from school, she types out a tweet before throwing her phone on her bed, distracting herself with homework.

crystal • @.mitamcrystal

sad girl hours :(

She checked her phone first thing in the morning out of habit. There were tons of messages from the group chat, as usual, but also a message outside of the group chat.

From Gigi. 

[booksandgalore]

Mirrors of Pride [Yandere!BTS]

Foreword:

Taehyung’s company is enjoyable when he isn’t contemplating about the different shades of black-and-white filters. Sure, he cares too much about the number of likes he has on social media.

And, yes, maybe you have to reject taking pictures of him everytime he hands you his phone, but true friends stay with each other no matter what. You just need to overlook his growing vanity, and ignore all the warning signs when he starts talking about someone non-existent.

Author’s Note:

It’s my first time posting (cross-posting) a story on Tumblr! Bear with me as I navigate how to link, edit my layout, etc. Though if you do have an tips and/or pointers on how I can make my blog look more appealing, haha, then I’ll take them. Do leave a comment if you enjoyed it!

[previous chapter]

2

The professor was changing the PowerPoint slides way too quickly, and even though you had been smashing the keys on your laptop as fast as your muscles could allow, you were left with unfinished bullet points on the topics you’d be tested on.

It seemed like your classmates shared the same sentiment as you. Looking at each other, they pursed their lips yet continued scribbling furiously in their notebooks and typing away.

However, Taehyung, who was sitting next to you, merely had his brow raised before he shook his head, his pencil moving ever so slowly.

You glanced over at his notes. He had hardly written anything! The only thing he had going for him was his outfit, you supposed. He wore a black cross earring on his right ear, and he donned this sort of sweatband on his forehead that pushed his hair out of his face. A plaid shirt was also tied around his waist even though he was sporting a jean jacket. The things he did for fashion.

Wait. You weren’t supposed to be that critical to a friend. Did you just insult him? So what if Taehyung preferred to focus on his clothing choices over something the professor lectured about? It was no big deal. For all you knew, Taehyung could be booking private rooms in the library to study in later, or he could be a photographic memory prodigy in disguise.

Gah, you really just insulted your friend, huh? Rolling your eyes at yourself, you reverted your attention back to the professor.

“And that’s all I’ll be discussing about today. Any questions?” Professor Smith said, scanning the room for any raised hands. “No? Well, that’s all, folks. You’ve got ten minutes left if you want to stay in this class, but I’ll get going now. I will post the slides by tonight.”

This was your karma seeking you out. You deserved this.

Yet shamelessly you grabbed Taehyung’s hand in order to stop him from closing his notebook. You released your grip on him when you saw his widened eyes, the dangling of his cross earring occupying your thoughts for a brief second. It suited him. Scooting closer to him nevertheless, you brought your head down to the paper and reviewed what he copied from the slides, but it wasn’t that much and Professor Smith was notorious for uploading his files a week later.

”Why does this class always make me so nervous?” you exclaimed, handing his notebook back to him. “How do you study, hmm?”

”I book a room in the library, but I usually stay late. Do you need help?”

Wow. How could you have undermined Taehyung’s intelligence just minutes before? You needed to work not on suppressing the materialistic tendencies you had left, but on being a good friend. Feeling the guilt creep up on you, you lowered your gaze while rubbing the nape of your neck. Was this why you had five close friends instead of the twenty diverse friends people seemed to have? You should buy Taehyung a surprise lunch during free hour to make it up to him...though he didn’t need to know the why.

”I’ll just wait for him to post the slides.” You had turned your head in such a way where you couldn’t see him through your peripheral vision as you shoved your laptop into your backpack. “Where are you going to be at free hour?” When your shame deemed that you had enough, you were able to face him once more.

”I’ll be at the Bio building,” Taehyung replied, standing up and slinging his backpack over his shoulder. “Just have to turn in this paper and then I’m done. Want to come with me?”

He smiled at you and suddenly your spirits brightened up a little. You would have to buy him those tacos he liked so much.

You returned his smile back at him. “I’ll just meet up with you at the Commons.”

Taehyung’s smile faltered slightly. “You’re not coming with me? Who will you be with?”

You weren’t sure who you’d be hanging out with in the Commons. Maybe you’d see Jimin and sit next to him if there was an empty spot, considering that the Commons was literally a common campus building where students bought and ate lunch, but then again Jimin was usually with Hoseok and that other friend group. You could always move away once Taehyung texted you, though.

“I’ll be with you,” you assured him. Knowing the words that would soothe his mind, you stated, “Who else would I be with, Taehyung? I don’t have that much friends.” You crossed your arms and sighed dramatically for effect, placating Taehyung’s irrational worries. The amount of times you had to do this....but friendship was different with him.

With everyone.

With Jimin even.

People were people, and people had different personalities, thoughts, aspirations, goals and fears, so it wasn’t wrong to act like this with Taehyung...right?

“Okay,” Taehyung winked, his smile retreating back to its fullest potential, “big brother will take care of you.”  

“Dude, shut up. I’m older than you by one month!” You stood up and walked to the door; holding it open for him, you said, “Ladies first.”

———

“...Jimin,” you whispered harshly, stupefied. “Is that soju I smell from your water bottle?”

“No, it’s vodka.” Jimin sipped a bit of his alcohol before offering it to you, his hand outstretched and eyes glinting with mischief. He was bold but a reckless type of bold and you were still in disbelief from the randomness of it all. Sure, Jimin could down seven shots of whatever mixture you could give him no matter how strong and still come out sober an hour later, but, damn, did the stress of finals week get to him?

You grabbed his “water bottle” and confiscated it inside your backpack. “You’re not getting this back.”

”(Name), it’s Friday. I only had one class today, and I’m done for the rest of the day. Let me live a little!” he whined, stomping his feet which was unlike him to do so. God. How much of these water bottles did he drink?

“Yes, but not on campus. You’re doing this in broad daylight and you could have gotten expelled, Jimin. Expelled!” You frowned at him and raised the level of your voice to convey the gravity of the situation. “What’s gotten into your head?”

Jimin remained silent. Then, he rested his head on your shoulder. Voice quivering, he confessed, “Eve broke up with me and I...I guess I...I mean I—“

”...Jimin,” you whispered, softly this time. “Come on, we know a girl can’t affect you that much.”

“You’re right.” Jimin removed his head from your shoulder and leaned against the wall. “I think it’s the alcohol, but why...why do I miss her so much?”

It was a miracle you guys were in a secluded area inside the Commons where people didn’t frequent as often. You wondered if on-lookers would simply walk away if they saw someone having a mental breakdown, but you speculated that college students were sympathetic with each other, and thus they would help Jimin. This thought comforted you. Jimin wasn’t alone, but Taehyung? Oh, Taehyung kept an arm’s distance from anyone he didn’t personally know. Would he be willing to receive the warmth of a stranger?

It was funny how despite Jimin’s silent tears rolling down his cheeks, you still thought of Taehyung. Perhaps it was because you knew Jimin could handle the hurt, and perhaps because you had witnessed the depth of hurt that Taehyung couldn’t handle. Likewise, the incessant vibrating of the phone in your pocket only served to remind you who needed you more. It had never stopped buzzing from when you first found Jimin in his depressed state. You couldn’t ignore him much longer.

”I’ll text Hoseok to come and get you,” you said, holding his hand. Jimin placed another hand on top of yours, though his eyes were still transfixed on the wall. You pulled away reluctantly to unlock your phone; you had ten messages from Taehyung, and half of his messages were sent on different apps. Ignoring an incoming call, you told Jimin, “Forget about Eve, okay?”

”Who’s Eve?” Jimin laughed, shoulders shaking with each chuckle. The tears on his face hadn’t stopped. “Eve who? Christmas Eve?”

”On second thought, how about I take you back to your dorm?”

“Will you carry me?”

Sighing, you sent a quick text to Hoseok telling him to come to your location. He had responded fairly fast, telling you that he was already near you guys and would be arriving in two minutes.

“You really risked it all and drank on school grounds for a girl?” You rubbed the temples of your forehead, a slight headache starting to form. “Really?”

Jimin continued staring at the wall. There was no response.

“You know better than that,” you said, hoping that this tough love would get through his head. “You’re better than this.”

He started to cry, and he didn’t stop crying even when your heart softened and you gave him a hug he desperately needed. You kept stroking his hair, rubbing his back, and murmuring sweet cheer-me-ups until Hoseok came and assessed the situation. Hoseok had hugged Jimin, and engulfed you in the process. The three of you were in this position for who knew how long, but Jimin’s tears had stopped flowing at one point, his body settling into quiet hiccups before remaining still.

“You should go, (Name). I’ll take care of him,” Hoseok urged you, voice close to your ear. If it were another scenario, you would have blushed.

You nodded, squeezing both Hoseok and Jimin’s shoulders, before heading away, to the person who needed you more.

But why did it feel like you only touched the surface level of Jimin’s troubles? Was it alright to leave? Should you have stayed? Should you have interrogated Jimin and seen if there was an underlying root cause about his sudden impulsivity to drink? Were you a bad friend?

These questions plagued your mind as you spotted Taehyung near an empty table, which was close to your university’s convenience store.

”What took you so long?” Taehyung asked, lips curved downwards. He ruffled his hair, an agitated sigh escaping his lungs. “I was waiting for you.”

”Sorry I was with Jimin. He was having a rough time.” You pulled your chair closer to him. He looked at you from the corner of his eye before resting his arm on the back of your chair. His brows remained furrowed. You figured out a long time ago that Taehyung liked it when you were next to him whenever he was in a bad mood, and since you left him hanging for thirty minutes, especially when you understood the type of person Taehyung was, he was, undoubtedly, in an unpleasant mood.

“Was it that bad?”

“Yes, it was.”

Taehyung scoffed. You glared at him. Even though he had issues which he told you about, what he did was still rude!

”How can it be that bad? Did he cry?” Crossing his leg, he clicked his tongue. “You should have at least texted me about it.”

You should breathe deeply. Friendships differed from person to person.

Understand Taehyung and where he’s coming from, you thought, because he helped you during times when you needed it the most.

“I’m sorry about that, Taehyung,” you said, looking at him in the eyes so he could feel the sincerity of your words. “I mean it.”

Taehyung’s posture appeared to relax, his tight-lipped frown dissolving. “It’s okay. Did you eat yet?”

”Not yet. Did you?”

”No,” He shook his head, “I didn’t.”

”Well, why don’t we buy some tacos from the food trucks outside Greenhill Hall? It’ll be my treat.” You bumped his shoulder in a lighthearted manner.

As you both headed towards your destination, you couldn’t help but stifle a heavy truth weighing inside your mind. You could think about it later. For now, Taehyung was the focus.

[shawnsorangeglasses]

Better Conversations - Part 7

3.3k words

very special thank you to @rulerofnocountry and @sauveteen for their input and comments on my google doc. they played a very big part in how this came out so they get writing credit. check out their blogs.

Synopsis: Another assistant AU, you’ve known Shawn since the beginning but you don’t really become friends until a label party in New York. Then he offers you a job as his assistant.

It’s sightseeing day and (Y/N) gets an unexpected visitor in the middle of all the fun.

warnings: none, mostly cute

...

It’s still dark when (Y/N) wakes up, surrounded by warmth. Shawn has sort of rolled onto her in the middle of the night. His heavy arm drapes over her body. She carefully craned her neck over to see his leg crossed over her ankles as well. Her nose is dangerously close to his collarbone. Must be hard sleeping alone all the time, she thinks to herself. She knows the feeling well enough, as many times as she’s fallen asleep by herself in her lofty New York apartment.

As nice as it feels to be wrapped up in another person, (Y/N) knows she has to move before he wakes up. She starts with the ankles, slipping out easily. Shawn doesn’t seem to notice. She takes a deep breath and prepares to move his arm. A sudden and sharp inhale from his nose makes her recoil. He says something incoherent and mumbly in his sleep. (Y/N) eases out of his grasp and onto the floor with a soft thud.

She starts moving things around that don’t need to be moved. Nothing about this looks good. Should someone walk in, they’d be a great deal of trouble.

Just her luck, somebody knocks on the door.

“Housekeeping,” says the other side of the door.

(Y/N) closes her robe and cinches her waist. She tiptoes over to the door and opens it. A tiny and very friendly cleaning lady greets her. (Y/N) knows the woman isn’t there to judge her, but it still feels that way.

“Hi, uhm. Could you come back in, like, an hour?”

“Sure, darling,” says the cleaning lady and she pushes her cart further down the hall to the next room. (Y/N) breathes a sigh of relief and shuts the door as quietly as she can.

“Who was that?”

(Y/N) jumps a few inches into the air and slams her body into the door. Shawn takes a cautious step back. “Fuck, Shawn.”

“Sorry,” he says, covering up his laugh. “I didn’t think I’d scare you.”

Shawn turns back around into the room. (Y/N) doesn’t bother trying to stop herself from staring. No one should look so perfect in the morning. He only had on his shorts, and while she’s seen him shirtless many times before now, it feels different now that he’s the only other person in her hotel room. Anything could happen if they both wanted. Not that it will. Or should. But it could. And that's the problem.

“It was housekeeping,” she says, walking past him. “We have to go. I only asked for an hour.”

"Hey, do you remember if I brought my phone in here last night? I can't find it."

"No," she says, tense and on edge. "Why would I remember that? I don't remember anything."

Shawn pauses to look at her. "Are you good?"

"Yeah, great," (Y/N) squeaks. "Never better."

"Okay," he nods. "If you say so."

And then he gives her a smile. The everything-will-be-alright smile. That smile that almost everybody falls in love with. (Y/N) scurries past him into the bathroom, locking it behind her. Her heart races a mile a minute. She doesn't come back out until she hears his door open and close.

…

"Look, (Y/N)," Shawn holds up a zany frog toy and his phone camera, aiming for her on the other side of the room. "It's you."

He was poking fun for her jumpiness earlier today. (Y/N) looks around the old shop they wandered into. She spots a dopey-looking deer plushie among other cute woodland creature toys in a basket. "And this is you."

After an audible laugh, Shawn uploads the video to his story. Seconds later, (Y/N) gets the notification on her phone. Another side of her for the internet to see. Not that she minded. He has a way of catching her off guard and making it look good.

It's been a few hours out and about in Surrey, and Shawn still hasn't said a word about last night. Even in this lovely little trinket shop on the bustling streets of this small English town, (Y/N) couldn't bring herself to think about anything else. It’s become a mental chore rationalizing her feelings each time they grow stronger, wanting so badly to be better than her heart. For a while, she was good at it, and can easily bring herself back down to earth. Other times she just has to sit in the emotions until they fade.

Shawn, of course was asleep when (Y/N) woke up entangled in him. So, he thinks nothing of it and continues to do cute things, like pointing at random objects and saying dumb things like "it's you." He's not thinking that hard about it. He just knows he enjoys being near her.

Fans linger at a safe distance in small, huddled in groups outside just about every establishment they visit. Shawn already stopped to take pictures with the first wave of young girls and women. (Y/N) realizes that this new group is all fresh faces and lets him know. They all screech and wave when she points them out through a window.

"Can you come with me? Sometimes they have gifts."

(Y/N) follows him out to the sidewalk and the excitement grows. A lot of them are recording. Cameras don't bother (Y/N) anymore. Shawn's supporters are more often than not very respectful to her in public. Every time she attempts to stay in the background, they graciously call her name and want to shake her hand and thank her for helping Shawn remember things.

This is a lively bunch today, but they're more than willing to take direction. Roughly three gifts were exchanged, thankfully all small sturdy things in boxes that (Y/N) could store in her tote for the rest of the day. A few hugs and happy tears later, Shawn opts to take a group photo with everyone. He hands (Y/N) a fluffy, blue phone to take the picture.

"Okay guys, say cheese."

The shutter clicks and Shawn stands up. "Everybody say thank you (Y/N)!"

They sound like a preschool class when they say it all together. (Y/N) gives Shawn a stern, but playful look. He bumps his shoulder into hers, grinning from ear to ear.

“You’re all very welcome.”

Jake steps in and politely asks everyone for some space. Shawn is still of course signing things and making light conversation. (Y/N) steps aside to check her phone again for any updates from Andrew or Cez. It’s then that a very small hand taps her on the forearm. She looks down and the smallest little boy that she’s seen so far this tour is standing there, waving at her. Several of his front teeth are missing. Another young girl, probably a teenager rushes to his side.

“I’m sorry, this is my little brother,” she says in a thick English accent. “He just wants a picture.”

“With me?”

The little boy nods eagerly. (Y/N) looks over at Shawn, who is also nodding. 

“O-Okay, yeah that’s fine.” (Y/N) kneels down to him, as he’s only about three feet tall. “What’s your name?”

“Georgie,” he says quietly.

“It’s very nice to meet you Georgie, I’m (Y/N). Can I shake your hand?”

Georgie extends his miniature hand and rests it in hers. (Y/N) can see out of the corner of her eye Shawn logging the entire moment onto his phone. Georgie’s big sister takes the picture and she walks him back into the crowd. Just as quickly as he ran up to her, they were gone. (Y/N) stands there, heart swelled and in awe of what just happened. Shawn jogs to her side, still looking back and waving to everyone.

“That was fucking adorable,” he says into her ear.

“I know,” she whispers back. “You got video of it?”

Shawn replays the twenty-two seconds on his screen for her. Georgie is even cuter the second time. And the third.

"I'm going to melt. He's so cute."

The touring party has moved ahead to the end of the street, right at the crosswalk. The band, Brian, Andrew, and Cez were all waiting behind for them to catch up. (Y/N) reaches into her bag for a water bottle just as Shawn starts to ask for one. He gingerly takes it from her hand. She pats him on the back.

“Let’s not keep everybody waiting.”

A few more blocks and they reach 2nd street. There’s less young people around, which allows the adrenaline to wear off. (Y/N) opens the map on her phone to find the next stop.

“We’re coming up on the next place,” she tells Shawn. “I think you’ll like this one.”

“Is it food?”

“Uh, I think it’s close to food— hang on a second, we just ate like and hour ago.”

Shawn shrugs. “I walked it off?”

(Y/N) sighs. “Alright, well there’s a fish and chips place right across the street from it, so you’re in luck.”

Shawn does a mini celebration dance mid-step. (Y/N)'s phone makes a sad little chirp to let her know it’s dying. She closes every app she’s opened since the start of the walk. Before she can press the power button, a call comes in. The number is unknown, but she accepts it anyways. It could be someone important.

“Hello?”

“Hey, beautiful.”

(Y/N) stops walking and her blood gets hot. "Jason?"

Shawn stops too, once he hears the name. (Y/N) eyes meet his eyes briefly, then go back to the sidewalk. She doesn't need him worrying.

"Why are you calling me?"

"I got a surprise for you. Turn around."

She does, but sees no one and nothing out of the ordinary. "What the fuck am I supposed to be seeing, Jason?"

A figure halfway down the street waves at her. His ball cap obscures his face, but she knows those high end slacks anywhere.

"Okay, hang on," she says and hangs up abruptly. She slides the tote off her shoulder. "Shawn take this, I'll be right back."

"You don't have to go talk to him," he assures her. "Let's just keep walking."

"No, I have to. He doesn't know when to quit. I only need a few minutes, maybe five."

"Do you want me to come with you? Or Jake?"

"No. If Jason tries to start something, you'll get in the middle of it and someone will take a picture or video and that's the last thing we need."

Shawn looks for Jason past the sea of tourists. He's actually standing there like he doesn't have all day to wait around. If only (Y/N) would let him join her, he'd feel a lot better about her having to talk to this asshole. The longer he glares, the more motivated his feet are to walk down there himself. But her small hands on his chest pull him back into reality.

"Just go to the record store— surprise it's a record store— then take everyone to the fish and chips spot. I'll be back."

Shawn's face twists into a worried expression. "I really think it's best if Jake goes with you at least."

"Then who’s going to protect you?"

"I've got Brian and we can run if we need to."

(Y/N) looks over at Brian, who kindly salutes her. Jake comes up to take her tote and his place by her side. These men were not about to let her face anyone alone if it can be helped and she is all the more grateful to have them.

"Five minutes," she tells Shawn. "Then call me. If I don't answer, call the cops. I think it's 999 here."

“It’s not gonna come to that.” Shawn squeezes her hand, then looks at Jake, “Don’t let it come to that please.”

“I got her, don’t worry,” says Jake.

Shawn’s hesitant to let go, but he does eventually pry his hands from hers. She starts off in the opposite direction they came, Jake tailing close behind.

(Y/N) checks her emotions, but they seem to be on autopilot. The whole point of quitting the firm was to be as far away from her old life as possible. Jason showing up out of nowhere, unannounced and uninvited ignites a fire in her chest. Every cell in her body trembles so much so that she has to clench her fists just to focus on walking.

Jason’s sat at an outside a small cafe’s dining table when she approaches. “A bodyguard? Seriously?”

“His name is Jake. He’s friendly as long as you are.”

“What took you so long,” he sneers. “New boyfriend wouldn’t let you go so easy?”

“There is nothing between Shawn and me but a professional, working relationship. Wish I could’ve said the same for us.”

“Are you really blaming me for your having to quit?”

“No, Jason.” She sits across from him. “In fact, not everything revolves around you. Other opportunities came and I needed a change of pace. Now I’ve got friends like Jake who have my back and I have theirs.”

“(Y/N) I didn’t come here to make trouble. I simply want to make an offer.”

She folds her arms across her chest. “Give it your best shot.”

“I know this job can’t be paying you that much and you must be homesick. So I pulled some strings and got a position open for you. You’d be making twice as much as you did as my assistant.”

"This position requires that I still work under you though, doesn’t it,” she asks.

“Y-Yes, but it comes with several perks. Perks you didn’t get before.”

(Y/N) rolls her eyes, “Tantalizing.”

Jason sits back in his chair. “Alright, what’s it going to take for you to come back?” There’s an air of desperation in his words.

A wry smile plays on (Y/N)’s lips. “You’re falling apart back there, aren’t you?”

Jason finally shuts up. She glances at his hands, stiff in his lap. He’s nervous, and for the first time in all the hours they spent together, he is truly the one at her mercy. (Y/N) examines him carefully. The severe bags under his eyes. The bitter frown pushing on his laugh lines. The wrinkles in his clothes. He came here on impulse to try and get her back. A less informed person might think it's vulnerable, but anyone who knows Jason is well aware of how few and far between he does for others out of the kindness of his heart. He has an angle, and (Y/N) can't be bothered to figure out what it is.

“Jason, I’m happy where I’m at. No, it’s not six figures, but it’s about more than money for me. I’m done with fighting for my life.”

“Just consider what you’re doing here, (Y/N).”

“I’ve had two months to consider. My mind was made up when I left. You have to know that.”

(Y/N) rises from her seat and turns to leave with Jake. Jason rushes out of his seat and steps in front of her. Jake instantly moves a dense arm between them, glaring at Jason.

“I have to get back to work, Jason,” (Y/N) heaves. “I only asked for five minutes and we have a bit of a walk now.”

“I’m just telling you, you’re making a mistake. You will regret this.”

It's probably the most blatant threat to ever fall out of his mouth and it makes her stomach churn. Still, she doesn’t give him another word or second of her time. Jake leads them away from the cafe. There's no need for her to look back to know that Jason’s fuming. She can feel the heat of his stare burning the back of her neck.

She’s leading Jake after a while, until they find the record store. Shawn’s still milling around in the rock section with Brian and Andrew. (Y/N) taps the window with her fingernails prompting Shawn to look up. His face brightens like a Christmas tree and he bounds to the exit in two large strides. He catches (Y/N) in a bear hug on the steps  of the shop, just barely lifting her off the ground.

“Holy shit, you’re okay.”

“You sent Jake with me,” she giggled. “Nothing was going to happen.”

“I was still losing it. Brian had to talk me down a couple times.”

“He turned us around twice,” Brian says over his shoulder.

"That explains why you guys didn't get too far."

Shawn takes her over to the window. It’s probably the coziest corner of the room, leaving very little space between their bodies. He’s practically hunching over to look her in the eye. Passersby on the other side of the windowpane don’t pay them any mind, but (Y/N)’s body is still so hot all over.

“What did he want,” he asks, hushed and mindful of the space they occupied.

“He had a new job offer for me. More money, stuff like that.”

“Oh...”

“I said no, Shawn.” She bites her lip. “You can relax.”

“Oh! I knew that.”

"Yeah, sure you did."

"Hey you two," Andrew says. "Are we eating today or tomorrow?"

(Y/N) makes unnecessary adjustments to her clothes, tucking her shirt further into her shorts. Shawn pushes back his already tidy hair. They each exchange an awkward smile.

"Shall we," she says to him. He files behind her and the party and out of the record store.

The eatery is near full when they happen upon it. It’s a quaint little shop with specific memorabilia all over the walls and a washed out blue color scheme for the old decor. Surrey natives of all kinds are inside. The staff, though a little hard on the outside, are more than amiable. They even help push a couple of tables and chairs over to a booth to seat everybody.

"You know they're being extra nice because you walked in," (Y/N) nudges Shawn. He looks over at the two female cashiers, sending them into a giggling fit.

"You think?"

"Don't play dumb. We've already established how cute you are."

"I know. Just love hearing you say it."

(Y/N) doesn’t fire back with one of her usual quips and slumps back into the booth. Usually, she sat up straight and attentive to everyone else. All the glow and spirit she started the day with seemed to be sucked out of her. Shawn scoots in next to her, hoping to transfer some of his positive energy with mere proximity. If it were up to him, they would have kept walking when Jason showed up, but it wasn't his decision to make for her. Everybody else is preoccupied with much louder conversations at the crowded table. He moves in close, not necessarily facing in her direction, and taps her forearm.

“Are you sure everything’s okay?

She simply bites her lip and nods silently. Jason must have done something wrong or said something wrong. Shawn knows it isn’t any of his business and she clearly doesn’t want to talk about it. On the seat of her chair is her very fidgety hand, picking away at it’s weathered paint job. 

He moves his hand down onto his thigh, daring to get so close in the middle of this much company. No one else can see their side of the table as far as he knows.  Furthering himself into the gap that separates them, he stops when his pinky finger can link with hers. He gives it a tight squeeze and she returns the pressure. Her face remains expressionless, as if all the emotion has been redirected to her hand. She's okay is what this tells him, but he holds on for the rest of lunch anyway.

...

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[golbrocklovely]

only the lonely survive // colby brock - chapter fifteen: and about forgiveness, we’re both supposed to have exchanged

A/N: hey guys :) here’s the next chapter. some crazy stuff happens in this, so let me know what you think. i’ll be coming out with another request at some point soon, so be on the lookout for that.

description of the story

taglist:  @ajosieface , @localsleeper , @julyrubyrose , @far-to-many-bands , @absolute-randomness-forever

trigger warning: cursing

word count: 2200

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After talking to Casey for over an hour about Colby and Brennen, I finally went to my room. Removing my dress from the other night and changing into pjs, I scrolled through my phone again out of boredom. I was gaining a lot of followers and subscribers, my dms were filled to the max, and people were tagging me in everything.

This is all a bit overwhelming.

I clicked on my username on insta and went down to my secret account: my Sam and Colby fan account. No one knew of golbrockloves, mostly because I never talked about it. I especially haven't brought it up to Colby.

How do you tell the guy you made out with that you have an instagram dedicated to him and his best friend without looking creepy? Exactly.

I slid down my feed, only to be met with pictures and videos of me. One video was a screen recording of my snapchat from yesterday, me and Colby in the store.

Why does that feel like such a long time ago?

The next couple pictures were from people's stories: screenshots of me and Colby dancing together, me and Colby next to each other in the kitchen, me and Brennen.

I bit my lip anxiously as I clicked on the comments. They weren't exactly bad, but they weren't great.

 snc3lifee who the fck is she?????

samnccolbby her @ is skyebennett

lovely_sncc is she dating colby or brennen?

saramcc OMG COLBY AND HER ARE SO CUTE TOGETHER

solby5vr she better stay away from colby!! HES MINE!!!!

dolansnc why can't colby stand next to a girl without everyone shipping her with him? jesus christ this fandom

 It was strange to see fans talk about me, as if they didn't know I would see what they were saying. Maybe having this fan account was a good thing: I could see how they all honestly thought about me without anyone knowing.

After reading more and more comments, I could tell most believed me and Colby were together. Or maybe me and Brennen. No one was certain. All they knew was that I was close to both. A lot of fans kept saying that I wasn't dating either one of them and that I was just friends.

While still lurking around on insta, I got a bunch of notifications from my personal account. I switched over to it to see I was tagged in multiple snippets of videos. Clicking on the it, I saw the face of Travis Marcus. He had uploaded a new video to his channel, titled "my truth".

Oh God...

I went to youtube and saw his video was slowly starting to trend. I clicked play and sat down on my bed.

Travis sighed, glancing up at the camera. "Hey guys, it's your boy Travis. Um, I have a lot to get off my chest right now. I'm sorry my energy isn't as high as it usually is. But, I needed to set the record straight. There is a lot of shitty things going around about me lately and I wanted to clear the air and tell you the truth."

"Skye, did you see-" Casey stated, dashing into my room. She stopped when she saw my phone in my hand. We both stood there watching Travis.

"So, as you guys know, I was recently accused of doing something terrible... of bullying another youtuber. I won't say her name because she doesn't deserve any more hate... or clout." His lips twitched, trying to cover up a smirk.

"As if he didn't tag you in the fucking video. Fucking asshat." Casey mumbled.

"One of her friends, Brennen Taylor, an old viner, tweeted that I made fun of her at a party recently. I just wanted to say that this is completely false. What actually happened was that I introduced myself to her. She claimed she was a huge fan and that she wanted to… get with me." Travis nodded his head uncomfortably.

What the fuck.

He continued. “I declined because she was extremely intoxicated. She then proceeded to get upset with me, made a huge scene, got kicked out of the party, and then I can only assume went to Brennen. He was also really drunk, which is why he tweeted in the first place.”

Casey gasped. “Are you kidding me? I'm gonna kill h-”

I hushed her, my eyes never leaving the screen.

“I have footage from that night, because I vlogged it. However, the audio got fucked up so I'm sorry for how muffled it is.” He admitted.

The screen changed to the night of the party. I saw myself standing in front of Travis, talking to him. The audio was complete garbage, low and muffled. I glanced over at the camera, only a moment later Travis nodded at it, smirking. Something I didn't see at the time. My face contorts for a second, he shrugs, and I shake my head, leaving immediately afterwards.

“Now, does that look like I was making fun of her? No. I would never do that. She was upset because I respectfully told her I didn't want to get with her after all her advances. She literally tried later that night to dance up on me, but I just wasn't into her. After I filmed this, she got kicked out for trying to hook up with another youtuber. I think she's desperate for views and just wants more followers.” He declared.

“So, don't give her that attention. And, don't send her hate guys. I wish her and Brennen the best honestly. Sorry this video is so short, I needed to get this off my chest. I hope you all can understand. Peace.” He threw up a peace sign, and then pushed his hand into the lens of the camera, the video fading to black.

Stunned silence fell over the room. Neither one of us could speak.

“Is this real life? I kinda feel like I've had this nightmare before.” I whispered.

“He can't be serious. Does he really think he can get away with this?” Casey shook with rage.

“Why wouldn't he be able to? He has almost a million followers. I just passed 2,000, if I haven't already lost all of them.” My voice faltered.

“I'm gonna call Brennen and see if he can help.” Casey left quickly, pulling out her phone.

I laid my back against my bed, closing my eyes. I took a couple deep breaths, trying to slow down my heart-rate.

That's it.

I sat up quickly. I went over to my desk and pulled out my camera. Setting it up on my tripod, I got comfortable in my chair.

I sighed deeply, then turned my camera on

"Hi everyone. I didn't think this amount of drama would happen to me so soon in my youtube career, yet here we are." I joked.

"I'm sorry if this video is a little all over the place. I'm not editing it. I'm just gonna post it as is.” I clapped my hands together, trying to stop their shaking.

I cleared my throat. “If you don't know, I'm the girl Travis Marcus made fun of. Or he claims he didn't make fun of. I need you all to know that he is lying. I'm not sure why when he could easily just admit he fucked up and apologize. Instead, he did this.”

“I want to tell you guys what actually happened that night…” I stated, looking directly at the camera.

I began to explain that party in detail: how Travis came up to me, how he flirted with me, only for him to make fun of my appearance and film it. I then went on to explain how I left the party because of him ruining my night, only to be told a couple hours later that he got kicked out of the party because he started a fight with Sam, Colby, and Brennen by throwing his drink on Kat.

"I have four witnesses, plus my best friend. And Big Nik's security team could easily corroborate my story. On top of all that, I have this."

I grabbed my phone, pulled open my dms on twitter, and found Travis' message to me. I showed the message to the camera, letting it focus on his words.

Travis: please tell Brennen to take down the tweets. Things are getting out of hand. I apologize for what I said.

"Why would you apologize for something that you didn't do? All of this could have been avoided if you wouldn't have made fun of me. I get you're 'famous' and have the ego the size of a tractor-trailer, but that doesn't mean you get to make fun of random people because they don't fit into what you think is attractive. Be nicer. Be kind. And stop lying to make yourself look good."

I reached over and turned off my camera. I paused, my breath hitching in my throat for a moment.

Holy fuck, did I just film that?

/  /  /  /

I felt cozy surface beneath me tremble slightly. Three times in a row. I opened my eyes, glancing around my dark room.

Was all of that a dream?

I slid my hand over my bed, finding the item that was vibrating. I turned it over, my eyes closing instantly from the bright light. Squinting, I saw messages from all different people. But the most recent made me smile softly.

Colby: are you up to talk?

I shuffled my body upwards, leaning over and turning my light on. I gazed over at my sleeping laptop, my camera still plugged in. The memories flooded back to me. I uploaded a response to Travis, and instantly fell asleep from anxiety induced exhaustion. I didn't even want to see if anyone supported me or not.

Unlocking my phone, I went to Colby's message immediately.

Skye: just woke up. i'm down to talk.

Moments later, my phone started ringing. I answered it. "Hey Colby."

"Hey. How are you doing?" He asked sweetly.

I chuckled. “I've been better, that's for sure.”

“How long have you been asleep? Everyone's been trying to contact you.” He stated.

I shrugged. “Right after I uploaded the video, I fell asleep. I was just too stressed.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.” He apologized.

I held back a smile. “It's okay. I'm alright.”

“So, I guess you don't know what happened.” Colby replied.

“No, what did?” I questioned.

“Travis deleted his video.” He deadpanned.

I sat up quickly. “Wait what?”

“Well, after you posted yours, Brennen and I talked to Big Nik and we found out from him that his friend John was recording a snapchat during the fight that occurred with all of us in it. It shows Travis getting pulled out of the party yelling essentially what he said to you at everyone.” He informed me, continuing. “He cussed and screamed while he got kicked out, and John sent the video to Messy Monday, and they uploaded it to twitter. It's been trending for the past couple hours.”

“Holy shit. So, the snapchat proved me right?” I muttered.

“Yep. Travis took down his video. He's been radio silent since.” He laughed.

“He probably left a few choice words for me.” I said, rolling my eyes.

“If he did, let me know. I got some unfinished business with him.” Colby joked, causing me to let out a laugh. “Besides, before he deleted his video, Sam, me, Kat, and Brennen all came out on twitter and said that you were right. On top of that, apparently a thread was created of how rude Travis has been to fans. So... he's kinda done for.”

“I wouldn't be so sure of that. He'll be back in less than a month.” I scoffed, pulling my blanket closer to me.

“Well, even if he does come back, everyone will know you were right.” He reassured.

I picked at my blanket. “Tell that to his fans.”

“Enough about Travis. Is there anything I can do to get your mind off of him?” He requested.

I sighed. “Like what?”

“Go out with me.” I could hear the smile in his voice.

“What?” I choked.

“Go out with me. Where ever you want to go, I'll take you there.” Colby promised.

“When are you taking me out?”

“How about tomorrow? Say eight P.M?”

A smile rose to my lips. “Okay... that sounds good.”

“Where do you want to go?” He inquired.

“If you don't mind it... I kinda want to stay in for a bit. Hide away from the world. Maybe you could come here? We could order take out and watch some movies. And cuddle?” I bit my lip nervously.

He agreed happily. “That sounds fantastic.”

“Good. I can't wait.” I beamed.

“Is there anything else you want to talk about?” He mumbled, yawning.

I shook my head. “No. Besides, you sound like you need to go to sleep.”

“I'll stay up if you want me to.” He admitted.

“No. No, I'm okay really. You should get some sleep.” I declared.

“Alright. I'll see you tomorrow.” He responded.

“It's a date.” I smiled.

“Goodnight, Skye.” He whispered.

I giggled quietly. “Goodnight, Colby.”

<< CHAPTER 14 || CHAPTER 16 >>

[uraberika]

Kissing Booth

Title: Kissing Booth Characters: Urabe Rika, Aphrodi, Mutou Satoshi Pairing: SatoTeru Rated: T  Genres: Humor, Romance Words: 4300 words Summary: Rika drags Aphrodi into organising a kissing booth at the upcoming school fair and things don't go as smoothly as Aphrodi had excpected them to.  On other platforms: ff.net / ao3  Author’s note: This started as a silly headcanon of mine but after months and months that it haunted me, I finally had written it. I screamed about this to @zafiro-satoshi who drew an amazingly adorable art of if too which you can check out here.

Afuro Terumi was screwed. Yet again. He huffed in annoyance as he ran a hand through his blond locks for what felt like the billionth time.  He couldn’t believe that he let himself be fooled like that! He really should have seen it coming, after all the years he had spent being Rika’s friend (and, well, occasional lab rat for her crazy ideas).  Urabe Rika was a girl who he could only describe as batshit crazy. However, she was one of Aphrodi’s closest friends and the boy wasn’t sure if he should be glad or terrified by the fact. Rika was loud, annoyingly girly, and had the most absurd ideas in the world. Like this one, for instance, when she convinced Aphrodi to organise a kissing booth for the school fair. A kissing booth for a school fair, like in some idiotic American high school romcom! The girl had guts, that’s for sure. And, apparently, had the brains too, since she managed to get the school board to actually give their blessing to it. So that’s how Aphrodi ended up with a really enthusiastic Rika behind a stall with a sign “kissing booth” and a price for a kiss which was way too low for Aphrodi’s liking. But that wasn’t the thing that bothered the blond boy the most. What really got on his nerves was Rika’s “sense of time” as the girl liked to call it. When Rika reeled Aphrodi into this whole mess, they had agreed to man the booth in equal amounts, just to be fair. The first round would be Rika’s, then after an hour Aphrodi would take over, then Rika again after another hour, then Aphrodi again and so on, until the event would arrive to its end. It was such a simple plan; even an ape would have understood it. But of course plans are meant to be ruined even though everything started off smoothly at first. Rika started her first hour, smiling charmingly at people passing by and shouting after them something on the lines of “This is a chance not to miss/’cause you get to kiss/this beautiful miss!” which immediately caused Aphrodi to mentally cringe at the awkward poem. She was jumping up and down in excitement while making weird gestures with her hands. No wonder she was a cheerleader, Aphrodi thought. With that voice of hers, she could rouse the dead from their eternal slumber and make them win a game even against the national team. So the first hour passed in loud shouting while Rika distributed kisses to every poor soul who dared to approach the stall within two meters. They had a moderate amount of success; their shoe box of coins was still only full about to a quarter. Aphrodi snickered as he remembered that this definitely wasn’t what the principal was expecting. Even though Rika managed to get his approval, it was on the condition of donating the raised money to the school’s rather empty foundation.  The gym needed new equipment, the library needed faster computers, and the canteen was waiting for a big renewal as well. But with this amount of money, the school would be able to buy a few second-hand textbooks the most. However, it was none of Aphrodi’s concern; he just hoped that the principal wouldn’t make a big scandal about it. So when the time arrived, he took over the booth with little worry. In retrospect, he should have been worried.

He wasn’t even manning the booth for what felt like fifteen minutes when Aphrodi had to realize that people were clearly more interested in him than they were in Rika. At another time, he sure would have appreciated the attention, but in this particular case, he just wanted to get over with it. He checked his watch for the fiftieth time, took a sharp breath and let his eyes wander over the small crowd gathering in front of the DIY cardboard structure decorated with plenty of glitter and paper hearts (courtesy of Rika). Oh boy, this was going to be a long hour!

And in fact, it was one hell of an hour. Aphrodi kissed more people than he could care to count and now all he wished for was a break. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait any longer for it. He turned his head to the side and looked down at Rika. The blue haired girl was crouched next to Aphrodi, her back leaning against the wall with phone in one hand. She seemed greatly immersed in her phone and was typing so furiously, Aphrodi thought the screen would crack any minute. Rika suddenly realized Aphrodi was staring at her, and she looked up at him.

“Hey, guess what! My Darling had a match yesterday, and a video of it got uploaded, so of course, I had to check it to see my man play again but then I scrolled down and you wouldn’t believe what I saw!” she ignored the sarcastic-faked horrified gasp coming from Aphrodi and put one hand to her heart in a dramatic pose. “Someone was writing trash about PA!” PA was short for Pegasus Academy, the top-notch prissy American private school Rika’s boyfriend went to. They were exclusive and super strict when it came to rules. The school of course, not Rika and her boyfriend. To be honest, Aphrodi knew very little of Rika’s One True Love, he had only met him twice while he was staying at Rika’s for a short time. The guy seemed nice enough if not a bit anxious at times. Or maybe it was just due to Rika, to whose random outbursts the poor boy usually ducked his head in an automatic defence measure.

“Rika!” Aphrodi pinched the bridge of his nose. “People talk trash all the time on the internet. They are called trolls for a reason. Don’t waste your time with them. Come and man the booth instead, it’s your turn.”

“I can’t right now. A bitch is waiting to be roasted,” the cheerleader said and her attention was immediately focused back onto the screen. “Plus, with you, the business is booming!” Aphrodi sighed in exasperation but decided against arguing with her. Starting a fight with Rika was almost pointless since she wouldn’t even care to listen. Whenever her Darling was involved in something, her hearing and vision became quite selective.  So he chose the next best option instead.

“Ten minutes max,” he said in a threatening voice and turned back to the slowly dissipating crowd in front of the booth. He could manage ten more minutes, Aphrodi assured himself. The only problem was that Rika’s dictionary didn’t actually contain the expression “ten minutes”. Because suddenly, ten minutes turned into fifteen, then into twenty and then into twenty-five minutes, and Rika still hadn’t looked up from her phone. After an hour had passed, Aphrodi was seriously on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

“What the hell takes you so damn long?” the blond boy hissed through gritted teeth. And at last, Rika finally lifted her gaze off the screen.

“Hey, look!” she said cheerfully, as if nothing had happened. “Touko has been transferred back here, she sent a pic from the base!” and indeed, in the picture was a girl with a grin as wide as the Grand Canyon with messy shoulder-length red hair, dressed in a khaki uniform and hat. Zaizen Touko was a former upperclassman of Rika’s and her best friend before Aphrodi transferred here. When she graduated, she joined the army and now worked as a general at a small military unit, but in the picture, she was smiling as if she had never gone through the worst of hell at the army. She was way too young to serve in the military in Aphrodi’s opinion, but the girl was a tough one, he could tell, even if just from Rika’s anecdotes. “We can finally meet again!” Rika turned back excitedly to her phone and Aphrodi could literally feel the veins starting to pulse in his head. So, he changed tactics.

“Girl, I’m really happy for you. Really, I am. But we agreed on switching, and I swear to the Gods, if you don’t stand up and take my place in the next three seconds, I’ll go and dump this shoebox of cash into the dumpsters, and I don’t care if we get expelled for it.” This new plan turned out to be more effective, since Rika quickly rose to her feet, her face wrinkled up in a pout as she begrudgingly changed places with Aphrodi while murmuring something along the lines of “no need the unleash that divine wrath of yours”, but Aphrodi just rolled his eyes.  The divine or god jokes were really nothing new to him. People always made teasing remarks about him or his appearance or his love for Ancient Greek culture and mythology, so he was used to people making jokes about him being a god and all that. Actually, that was the reason why he got the nickname “Aphrodi”. Almost everyone in school called him that because he was clearly and openly a mythology nerd and, well, his appearance did seem to resemble in some way that of the Goddess of Love with his long, blond hair and delicate frame.

So, Aphrodi could finally sit back and relax. He leaned against the wall with a contended sigh and closed his eyes, letting the relaxing feel of his muscles unclenching surge through his body. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes and looked around. It was clear that the school fair was slowly but surely coming to an end. Even though there was still almost an hour left of the event, a lot of stalls had closed shop already due to selling out or simply because of the exhausted students.  Aphrodi himself wished to pack up and just leave, but that would be admitting defeat. Rika finally took her turn, and she would work for all that money that Aphrodi had raised. Because by the looks of it, Rika wasn’t getting many customers. It was not her fault though, the corridor was almost empty, and most of the students have already sneaked out of the building. It was an extra-curricular event, so no one really bothered to check whether everyone was staying until the last hour.  Occasionally, one or two students walked by, but none of them spared even a glance at the stall.

As he heard the sound of footsteps growing louder and louder in the acoustic corridor, Aphrodi cracked one eye open, and it immediately went wide. He quickly opened his other eye, because he had to double check to make it sure, but indeed, his eyes weren’t deceiving him. The one crossing the corridor was none other than Mutou Satoshi. The boy had long, purple hair, reaching way down past his shoulder blades and the warmest hazel eyes Aphrodi has ever seen. He had a white towel around his neck and was taking quick breaths as he dabbed his damp hair with the end of the towel. He must have come from practice, the sane part of Aphrodi observed. Mutou played as a striker in the school’s football team, and no, the fact didn’t make him any less attractive. Aphrodi has been crushing on him for almost a year now. He met the boy through Rika, at one of the parties that were thrown after a big victory (or an unfair lose) at some player’s house. Rika dragged Aphrodi along because her Darling wasn’t free that night, and Rika needed supervision when it came to partying. That was when Rika introduced him to the whole football team (and, well, to the cheerleader team as well, but that didn’t really grasp Aphrodi’s interest), and that was when Aphrodi first saw Mutou. After a brief handshake, neither of them really spoke to each other (due to the fact that Aphrodi was so stunned by the boy’s handsomeness that he suddenly forgot all the communication skills he used to have, and, because, as he came to know later on, Mutou wasn’t really the one for small talk. Or for talk, in general. As from what information Aphrodi gathered within several months, Mutou was a calm and collected boy with a solid moral compass but with few social abilities, and his comportment had a certain distinctness to it. His moves were delicate but calculated. His speech was always polite but at the same time somewhat reserved. So, Mutou was everything the hot headed blond wasn’t; but that didn’t stop Aphrodi from falling head over heels for the poor boy who must have had no idea about the whole situation.  Despite their first awkward meeting, Aphrodi and Mutou remained good acquaintances. They would wave at each other while passing in the hallway and, sometimes, they would eventually make small talk after practice, while both of them were waiting for their friends to change and finally be able to be off. So it was no surprise that the purple-haired striker waved and headed towards them when he spotted the duo behind the stall. Nevertheless, Aphrodi’s heart skipped a beat while he tried to get his knees to cooperate in standing up and moving his body next to Rika.

As soon as the cheerleader spotted Mutou, her face lit up. While Aphrodi was still contemplating on which form of greeting to choose (“good day” sounded so formal, while a casual “hello” made Aphrodi think that he would seem careless), Rika had no such qualms about it.

“Hey, Mutou-kun!” she shouted enthusiastically, letting everyone know even on the third floor that, indeed, Urabe Rika has spotted a friend. She waved towards him in an over exaggerated manner while a small smile spread across the boy’s lips.

“Hello, Rika-san!” he said and turned his head towards Aphrodi and nodded slightly, his gaze never meeting the blonde’s. “Aphrodi-san.”

Suddenly, Aphrodi was too aware of how the temperature in the corridor seemed to rise. This was absolutely abnormal. It was May, for the Gods, who would ever think of turning the heating on in here?! No wonder the school needed money, if they heat away all of their funds!

“How are you doing, Mutou-kun?” the blue haired girl asked. “How was practice?”

“It was fine,” the boy said, and even though he wasn’t actually smiling anymore, Aphrodi could hear the delight in his voice. “We still got a lot to work on, but I’m actually quite optimistic this time,” the boy said, and that was when Aphrodi knew that that football team must be really something. Mutou was the most realistic guy he had ever met; he had a real down-to-earth mentality and he didn’t throw around praises in the air just for nothing. Aphrodi couldn’t help but let a goofy smile loom its way to his expression. He really liked when Mutou was optimistic.  “And you, guys?” came the question, and Aphrodi was shaken out of his daydreaming in an instant. Somehow he actually realised that they were indeed doing a kissing booth, and oh boy, if this wasn’t his luckiest day in years!

“Actually,” the blond boy cleared his throat. “I was about to take over the booth, since Rika-chan’s shift was just about to end.” He tried to smile as innocently as he could while he also prayed that Rika would get the hint being a self-proclaimed love expert and all.

“You what now?” Rika asked incredulously. “C’mon man, you’ve been whining for a whole hour wanting me switch you out, and now that I’ve taken over, you actually want to switch back?” she asked in pure confusion. Looks like Aphrodi overestimated Rika’s expertise in the domain of love and subtle hints. Oh well, there’s nothing that a good shove in the ribs wouldn’t solve.  

While Rika was trying to grasp her side and catch her breath not too obviously, Aphrodi put on his most charming smile and turned to the boy at the other end of the booth who watched the events with a mildly confused expression and a raised brow. A couple of seconds passed while Rika regained her composure. She stared at the duo warily, her gaze darting from one to another with incredible speed. And finally, after what felt like an eternity to Aphrodi, the penny dropped. Her face lit up as the realisation hit her, and she sent a rather smug smirk towards Aphrodi spiced with a weird suggestive lift of her blue eyebrows (an expression which was sure to haunt Aphrodi in his future nightmares).

“Of course!” she slapped a hand across her forehead. “I was just about to head for the…” her voice seemed the waver for a minute. “Toilets,” she finished with absolute conviction. Well, Rika wasn’t the best at improvisation, but Aphrodi had to give her kudos for the dramatic vehemence. “I’ll trust you can take care of things while I’m away?” she said as she was clearly fighting to be able to keep the amusement and mockery out of her voice. “Good luck, make sure he pays just as much as any customer would!” she shouted over her shoulder, then all Aphrodi could make out was a blue blur, and suddenly the ever-enthusiastic cheerleader was gone.

As soon as Rika disappeared out of sight, a slightly awkward silence settled between the two boys. Aphrodi still couldn’t believe his luck that he actually managed to get into this situation with Mutou of all people! Just like in some idiotic American high school romcom, he smiled to himself. He must have done something really noble for the Gods to provide him such a lucky situation, he amused as he stared at the purple-haired striker with a rather starstruck expression. On the other hand, Mutou’s expression wasn’t as trusting. He eyed the blond boy warily as one would scrutinize a wildcat in its cage: fascinated but ready to bolt at any minute in case something bad happened. So, Aphrodi decided to step up his game. After all, he wasn’t nicknamed after the goddess of love for nothing!

He flashed his brightest smile and looked the boy right into the eyes, determined to say something flirty.

“So, you come here often?” Aphrodi wanted to mentally slap his own face for the slip-up. Way to go, Casanova, just barge down that damn door, wouldn’t you?!

Mutou looked around the area with furrowed brows and asked: “You mean… the corridor?” Well, there’s no turning back now, so Aphrodi just slightly nodded. Mutou’s expression didn’t soften, but he shrugged. “I guess,” he replied. “Though I have classes more frequently on the third floor.”

Aphrodi quickly swallowed back the laughter threatening to burst through his mouth. The boy took his question literally!

“I see,” Aphrodi replied to gain some time to think. “So, care to help us out in raising funds for the school?” he asked next. This time Aphrodi mentally patted himself on the back. That was so subtle that even he wasn’t sure where he wanted this conversation to go.

“Sure. The gym could use a few new soccer balls. What you guys doing?” the striker asked, his distrust slowly dissolving. Aphrodi pointed upwards, to the huge sign with “kissing booth” written all over in pink and filled with so many drawn red hearts that Aphrodi was pretty sure that it was unhealthy. Mutou followed the motion with his gaze, finally settling onto the ominous carton board. What happened next was absolutely unexpected: the ever-collected boy, who was always polite and whose expression rarely betrayed his thoughts, turned to a curious shade of beet.

“Ah I see…” he murmured to himself as he was clearly trying to recompose himself. Aphrodi knew that a lot of people were against their idea and some of them (like Nagumo) even cared to voice their displeasure. Maybe Mutou was one of those people who found a kissing booth on a school fair scandalous. Aphrodi decided it was time to backtrack before Mutou gave a piece of his mind too on the matter, just like Nagumo did.

“Of course, if you’re against the idea, I absolutely understand, the thought is what counts,” the blond boy said quickly.

“No-no, of course not,” Mutou quickly reassured him. “It’s a really… hmm…” he coughed. “Creative way of raising funds. And everything for a better equipped school, right?” he asked and fished out a few coins of the pocket of his shorts. He laughed, but the sound was strained as if he was trying to convince himself to put the money into the box. Finally, he dropped the coins into the makeshift bank. He then stared at Aphrodi expectantly with the colour not fading a bit on his face. Aphrodi was glad that even though he had a pale complexion, he wasn’t the one to easily blush. And on the few occasions when he felt insecure or embarrassed or overjoyed, only his earns turned red. Thus the long hair, and he thanked the Gods that this time his ears were safely tucked behind his blond locks because he could feel that they were almost flaming.

Aphrodi looked back at Mutou as he listened to the pounding of his heart in his ears. Should he make the first move? Should he be the one to lean in? Or should he just wait until Mutou feels comfortable enough to come closer? As he looked at the boy, he could clearly see the hesitation on his face. Does he not like him? Funny enough, this thought had never crossed Aphrodi’s mind before. Everyone is always so swept away by his appearance and manners and his whole charm that the thought has never actually occurred to him. But what if Mutou only liked him as a friend?

However, before Aphrodi could fall into an endless cycle of overthinking, the purple-haired boy suddenly moved towards him and put his lips to Aphrodi’s. Immediately, all coherent thoughts stopped coursing through Aphrodi’s brain while he felt the strength escaping his legs.  He quickly braced himself on the top of the counter as he tried not to get lost in the kiss too much. It was really the sweetest and most innocent kiss Aphrodi had today, hell, even his whole life, and he didn’t want this moment to ever end. But this time, the Gods decided that this was enough luck for today and the next thing Aphrodi knew was that Mutou had drawn back and was face to face again with him. His whole face was burning and Aphrodi could also feel that the heat had finally spread across his own cheeks as well. They stared at each other for a few seconds; both not quite comprehending what they had just done. Finally, after an eternity, Mutou coughed in embarrassment and turned away.

“Well, good luck to the rest of the fair,” he croaked and repositioned a strand of hair behind his ear. He was clearly going, and Aphrodi started to panic. No, this can’t end like this! After a whole year of pining that’s it? Maybe Mutuo didn’t get the message that he likes him? Nah, that can’t be it, Aphrodi literally kissed him on the lips! Well, as part of a kissing booth project where they were raising funds by kissing people, and Aphrodi had kissed a lot of people, and oh for the love of the Gods, Mutou had no idea! Aphrodi had to think of something quickly before Mutou’s retreating back disappeared completely out of sight. So, he decided to act upon instinct.

“Wait!” he didn’t really even think through what he was going to say, but Mutou immediately turned around and raised a questioning eyebrow at his direction. “Are you free on Sunday?” There goes nothing!

“Uhm… I guess?” the purple-haired boy scratched his neck; feeling embarrassed at the sudden attention Aphrodi gave him as his cheeks turned yet again a faint shade of red. “I’ll have practice in the morning but after that I’m mostly free. Why?” he asked suspiciously as if he was waiting for Aphrodi to take back what he said at any moment.

“You see…”Aphrodi started. “Rika’s boyfriend is having a match, a super elite one, that is. And of course, Rika, being her girlfriend, got a couple of extra tickets. Of course she would get, why wouldn’t she, right?” oh for the Gods’ sake, now he was rambling! He should have been named after the goddess of nonsense, not the goddess of love! “And you see, I actually got a plus one, and since you are a striker and everything I thought you’d be interested, and maybe we could go there together so I could show you the place, it’s an amazingly huge stadium really, one of the best, and you see…” Aphrodi was tripping on his words and he saw Mutuo’s lips curving into small smile at his struggling.

“Thank you for thinking of me,” the boy replied, his voice more measured than ever and for a moment Aphrodi’s heart skipped a beat as he became sure that Mutou was going to decline his sort-of-clumsy-date-proposal. “I would love to watch Ichinose-san’s match with you,” he said.

“Oh, great,” Aphrodi let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “So how about we meet half an hour before the match at the park next to the school? Around six? “

“Sounds great,” Mutou smiled amicably, blush fading on his face. And the next moment, the purple-haired boy was gone just like an illusion, but Aphrodi knew that it was anything but an illusion. He placed his head in the palm of his hands as he grinned at the empty corridor like some idiot. Oh boy, Rika was going to freak out so much!

[princess-butters]

BTS Reaction to Spending The Weekend with Them

A/N: Okay, I couldn’t wait till Sunday to upload this because everything was done but oh my god, oh my god, OH MY FUCKING GOD I am more than excited to write this reaction because one of my favorite BTS Tumblr accounts has given me this request. Now I’m not gonna lie, I never heard of the word kitsch before but I looked it up and this was the best I could do so, and I will say that some parts are longer/shorter than others so I'm sorry about that. And another note, I realized Hoseok's reaction didn't have an ongoing theme like the other ones do but I felt like it was best just to leave it off as it was. But anyways, here ya go @btsjeonjazz and once again, thank you so so SOOO much for the request and hope you enjoy!!

Genre: Fluff, a bit of angst (it's not sad I promise)

Words: 3.9K

Jin: You were in Korea for the weekend with your boyfriend, it was your three year anniversary and you wanted it to be special so you decided to go to his hometown.

What you didn't know, however, was that Jin was gonna propose to you. Just a few weeks ago, he had told you he was gonna rehearse for the comeback when in reality, he had secretly bought a ring and was gonna pick it up with Yoongi.

It was in the middle of the evening when it happened, you and Jin decided to go to the park and just chill out for a while which Jin didn't mind or care because he was planning to take your hand in marriage.

"Y/n, I have something I want to say to you and it's pretty important." Jin stood up from his seat but immediately kneeled down in front of you, tears already prickling in your eyes and hand covering your mouth, "We've been together for three years, right? And throughout those three years, I've felt like you were really the one meant for me so Y/n L/n," Jin stopped in the middle of his confession to pull out a small black box, opening it to show you the diamond ring, "Will you marry me?"

You couldn't contain yourself any longer and reached out to hug him, yes's and incoherent nonsense coming out from your mouth, pulling him into a kiss afterward.

Yoongi: You and Yoongi went to Daegu since he's been on tour, you were tired of staying at the house while he was away for months at a time and decided it was time to spend the weekend together, just to be with him and him only. No members, no company, no bodyguards, no fans, just him.

And while you two were at his hometown, Yoongi decided that tonight was finally gonna be the night he was gonna propose to you, being together for 3 years he has finally decided on how this relationship was gonna progress and in the end, he wanted you to be his wife.

You and Yoongi spent the night together, having a romantic dinner and drinking wine at the end, when all of a sudden, Yoongi had something he wanted to tell you so you went outside to the balcony with him.

"Y/n, you know I'm not good at showing emotion right? Well, I'm gonna try my hardest and tell you how I feel about us and our relationship. We've been together for 3 years and in those 3 years, I finally made up my mind about how I want our relationship to go so Y/n," Yoongi stopped mid-sentence and bent down on knee in front of you, taking your hand and pulled out a gorgeous ring from his pocket, "Be my wife, please?"

You grabbed him the next second and kissed him, tasting your tears as they fell down your face, you mumbled out several yes's and embraced him in your grip for so long.

Namjoon: Being on vacation with Namjoon was the best part of your relationship, there was nothing better than spending 24/7 with the man you love with all of your heart and what better way to spend your vacation with him than being in his hometown for the week. Yes, the fans would come every now and then and yes, it would piss you off but that was your boyfriend's life, you couldn't stop him from what he did or who he was known for internationally. Although lately, it's been getting a little rocky.

Unfortunately, Namjoon has been getting calls from Bighit recently and he obviously had to pick them up in the middle of your vacation and while it probably didn't seem like a bad thing at first, this was supposed to be you and his's time together which meant nobody was the interrupt you guys. And you being the loving partner, you would never say anything ugly or bad about it because like before, this was his job. You didn't have to like it at times but you needed to support him which that's what you did.

Namjoon has recently noticed you were feeling down in the dumps lately and figured it was because of the random calls he's been getting. In your mind, you thought Namjoon was getting calls from Bighit since he was on them on the time but in reality, before you guys came here, he had made dinner reservations and was finalizing everything since he was getting ready to propose to you.

A few hours later, Namjoon had told you to get dressed, confusing you since you didn't think anything special was gonna happen but he had you covered, secretly bringing his favorite dress he loved seeing you wear in his bag. You eventually obeyed him and went to get dressed, after you came out, Namjoon took you to one of the fanciest restaurants in all of Korea. After you two went inside, Namjoon immediately told you everything.

"Y/n, those phone calls that I've been getting lately weren't from the company, I had to lie to you because since we were going on vacation, I wanted to do something special for us." You felt so stupid after he told you, you should've known Namjoon had everything planned out, he was the smartest member of his group for fuck sakes. "All week, I've made plans and reservations for this place because I wanted to do something." Standing up to grab the fancy item from his pocket, he bent down in front of you and you were confused as to what was going on. "Y/n Y/l/n, I love you so fucking much, so much that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Even though we've only been dating for a short time, I really feel like you're my soulmate, nobody makes me feel the way you do. I want you to be my partner forever and now, so Y/n, will you marry me?"

Fat tears started to roll down your face, you probably looked so ugly crying right now but neither of you cared, all you cared about was Namjoon and Namjoon only. You immediately jumped out of your seat and deeply kissed him, forgetting you were in a restaurant and ignoring everybody's sudden round of applause and cheers.

Hoseok: You never felt so embarrassed in your life, how could you be so stupid and insecure? You and he had gotten into a fight because this was supposed to be you and his's time together alone, but he's been spending all of his time with his fans since you were in his hometown for the week, you were hoping that it was just gonna be about you and him but now it's about you, him, and the fans! Honestly, the fans pissed you off more than what you were with Hoseok, they didn't seem to care that you and he wanted to spend alone time together, he even hinted that this was about you and him, but would they listen? No. Now, you can't say that ALL the fans were bad, some understood, they even left to give you your space and some cried but they were happy crying, at least to you they were, but most wouldn't get the picture and continue to steal Hoseok away from you.

You knew why they wanted him with them, he was a really attractive guy and of course, several fans would want him but in reality, he was YOUR boyfriend, not theirs! You hated to sound mean and bitter but that's what you felt right now and you took it out on poor Hoseok when all he was trying to do was be the good person he is.

Looking back at the situation as you went to lay in your shared bedroom, you realized Hoseok was just trying to be that nice role model and idol to his fans but truth be told, his fans were the ones pissing you off and again you took it out on him, god you felt so horrible right now! You just want to die! You felt so awful in fact, you started to cry, you didn't mean to act so angrily towards him, it's all those fans that made you this way.

Too busy sobbing away, you never heard the door open or heard the faint footsteps of your boyfriend walk in to check on you, "Jagiya, are you okay?"

Lifting your head up to look at him, you can tell that this situation affected him just as much as it affected you, scooting to your side of the bed, you allowed him to join in and cuddle with you. Laying on each other's head as you gently sobbed, "I'm sorry, I acted like a complete jerk to you! It was never your fault, Hobi, it was mine! I guess I got so jealous because all of your attention has been on the fans and I felt like you didn't love me anymore since you were so involved with them."

"Jagi, you know you're my number one, always. I know I've been distant lately and I'm sorry for how I've acted, but know that you're my number one always, nobody's gonna take me away from you ever." He pulled you in for a very tightening hug, crushing you if he could but you didn't care, you were so close to him and he was finally yours again after so long. He would make sure this time, all of his attention would be directed to you and you only.

Jimin: Watching Jimin record his vlive was always amazing to you, he would talk to his fans about his day to day life and what's been happening lately and even answer a few questions they might have for you. This week you guys were having a little vacation to yourselves so Jimin decided to do one last vlive for the weekend so he could spend his free time with you.

One of the biggest things he'd love to talk about was you and his relationship with you, it's one of the things that always has him smiling widely and blushing about, and the best part about this was that the fans were happy for both of you. Knowing the fandom and how negative they could get with BTS members dating (unless they were dating each other), you were really surprised when everybody loved you together, there was even fanfic written about you two!

And yes, there were some fans that just didn't like you, solely because you weren't famous and thinking you were only dating him for his money and fame, the real fans knew you were dating Jimin because he could be himself with you and he always made you smile and forget about the bad people in the world, who doesn't love those precious bunny cheeks of his and how his crescent eyes looked whenever he closed them when he would laugh?

So when Jimin waved you over to where he was sitting, you were hesitant because you hated being on camera and though the fans loved you, you hated showing them your face, especially since you're not wearing any makeup and look dead but to Jimin, you always looked beautiful and he wanted to show the world and fans you're natural beauty.

You'd eventually obliged and sat down beside of him, a weak but genuine smile on your face as you stared the computer screen, waving at all the fans and saw the wave of comments flooding in.

"So guys, I actually have something I want to announce to both you and my beautiful girlfriend. There's a big reason why I planned our trip to Busan. Y/n, you know how much you mean to me, right? You're like, my whole world. You don't love me just because I'm famous or have money, you love me for who I am inside and out and you're always there whenever I need you, my angel. Remember when I didn't like the way I looked? Nobody made me feel better about myself than you did, you said 'I don't care about how you look, I care about your personality and what you are as a person.' and I realized, I need somebody like you in my life, not just as my girlfriend and best friend, but as a wife." That word instantly drove you to tears and it also drove a massive wave of fans showing hearts and (happy) crying emojis in the chat, since you and Jimin were sitting down, he couldn't bend down to take your hand in marriage and he didn't have his ring yet since he wanted to pick it out with you, so he brought your hands in his to hold dearly and smiled so big, you were afraid his cheeks would pop. "Y/n Y/l/n, will you marry-"

Before he could even finish that sentence, you were already on his lap, kissing him in front of the camera, not caring about the fans anymore and just wanted to hold him.

Taehyung: Even though this was supposed to be you and your boyfriend's vacation, of course, the company had the have a fucking concert right before it. But going to your boyfriend's concert was one of the best and worst experiences you had in your life, the best part being that you got to see how happy he looked and how much fun he was having with both the boys and the fans. The worst part, however, were the fans themselves, it was like they had no respect for anybody whatsoever, pushing and shoving each other around, it made you sick to your stomach how little they cared about one another. What fans, you thought.

But none of that mattered to you because thankfully, nobody would do anything to you since they knew you were Taehyung's girl, so if they did anything to you, he would notice it instantly and kick that person out, it's happened more than once so you bet he'll have no problems doing it again if the time comes. But that's not the main story right now.

You didn't know it, but Taehyung was gonna do something big tonight on stage in front of millions of fans, he was gonna propose to you after they perform their last few songs. All week, Taehyung had been forced to lie to you, saying the company needed him for practice and rehearsals but the truth is, he was getting you a ring, he even forced some of his members to go ring shopping with him. Of course, you'd never knew that until tonight!

Later on, it was almost time to end the show, disappointing fans, a lot of them were crying hard because time had gone by so fast, even you were shocked it was almost over. But then to everybody's surprise, Taehyung said he had something to announce to the fans. "I have something to tell you all, I brought my girlfriend of 4 years here with me tonight because I have something to ask of her." His sentence wasn't even finished because of the loud screaming of fangirls, it was like they knew what he was gonna do, all except you. "I have her in the audience now and if you don't mind, I wanna bring her up so I can ask her."

You couldn't even process anything to do except being dragged by a security guard, what was he gonna ask you? He wasn't gonna break up with you, was he? No, no that's crazy, he would never. In an instant, you were brought up on stage, millions of fangirls were staring at you, you thought they were judging you and they probably were but your thoughts were soon interrupted as Taehyung brought you closer to him, noses barely touching and the members giving you space.

"Y/n, all week I've been practicing this speech and question and honestly, I still don't know what's the right way to ask it so I guess I'll have to say it from my heart. We've been dating for a while now but we've been best friends the beginning of our lives, and ever since I first met you, I wanted to keep you in my life forever, and when I asked you out, I was prepared to be rejected but knowing you and the good person you are, you said yes. Now here we are, 4 years later and we have a bond so strong, it's unbreakable at this point."

You didn't think he was doing what you think he was doing, was he? Even though your answer wasn't clear yet, tears were already forming in your eyes, "Tae, what are you saying?"

Suddenly, Taehyung dropped to one knee and the whole stadium was filled with massive cheers and applause, you knew what you thought he was gonna do! He pulled out a velvet box and inside was a diamond ring, probably worth a fortune you thought, "I'm saying will you marry-"

His question wasn't finished because you immediately jumped on him, deeply kissing him and pushing both of you to the floor, not caring about the crowd of fans or the boys' cheers, both you and Taehyung already knew the answer.

Jungkook: This poor boy, he wouldn't know how to propose to you without fucking it up in his mind, he wanted everything to be perfect. So why not plan a vacation for you and him both? Well, he thought maybe if he was spending the weekend at his hometown Busan with you, it would be easier but no, it was worse for him, anxiety and paranoia filled him up.

Thoughts of marrying you always made Jungkook smile and blush so hard, his cheeks looked like they would pop any second. You and he have been longtime friends and lovers, starting off as friends in middle school back when he used to playfully tease you and graduating high school, shortly falling in love afterward. Yes he had a career as a singer and yes you had a career as an artist, you both somehow made time for each other despite your busy schedules.

Jungkook already had the ring and he brought it with him but kept it a secret from you, just like everybody else, he would leave you at the house for a few hours, saying he was gonna go to rehearsals, in reality, he was getting you the perfect ring for a perfect girl like you but even that stressed him out because he wanted to buy every ring for you, but he knew you only needed one and he wanted it to be special. Luckily, he found a beautiful Ruby ring since he knew your birthstone was Ruby, so already he knew it would look gorgeous on you. The price was $5000 but he would pay anything to make you happy.

Just like Yoongi, he was gonna start off the first night right with dinner and to end it off, a bit of wine. Okay, a whole lot of wine. It was already a honeymoon in his eyes so he wanted it to be special. You and him spent the entire day together, touring around Busan and going around his old school and house and even seeing some of his family after so long, you don't know a whole lot of Korean but thankfully knew enough to where you could speak around them since you spent most of your time here with them back in high school.

It was getting late, you and he were in your bedroom, eating food from one of your favorite restaurants in Busan from high school and watching your favorite K-drama on tv when all of a sudden, Jungkook gently forced you guys up.

"Y/n, I'm gonna have a bit of a problem saying this so please don't make fun of me."

He was scaring you a little bit, "Kookie, what's wrong?"

"Y/n, you're my best friend, I've known you since middle school and while yes I was a jackass to you, I did tell you why I was a jackass right?"

"Yeah, it was because you liked me." You chuckled, remembering those days.

"And honestly, I still do. Hell, I don't think I've ever loved somebody as much as I love you. My love for you is so strong that ever since we first started to date, the last thing on my mind was to hurt you in any way. You and I go way back, and I want us to stay like this forever. Even my own family loves you and wants us together, they were never like that with my other girlfriends, so that really does mean we were meant to be." He was getting off course and he had to stop himself from getting farther, you saw he was getting emotional. "I'm just gonna say this quickly. Y/n Y/l/n, willyoubemywife?"

You raised your eyebrows at him, "Huh?"

Taking a deep breath, Jungkook slowed down his sentence, "Will you be my wife?" You didn't know what to say right now, you were completely speechless. Not in a bad way, you've always wanted this to happen! You thought maybe he was getting tired of you or cheating on you, thinking back to when he would leave during the day but now realized he got you a ring! You brought him in for a passionate kiss, forgetting the food and throwing on the floor as you two got on the bed, ready to make love for the first time.

A/N: Okay, this was a LOT longer than it needed to be and I’m lazy not to put up gifs but I hoped you guys enjoyed it and I'm so sorry this took forever! <3

[fulloflesbeans]

Hazel Eyes & Cake Pops [Ch. 18]

Read on Ao3 here

The rest of the day was me watching on the side as another photographer came to take pictures for the inside of the magazine. Rachel and Chloe were having fun being together and doing outfit changes. I was told to not take any pictures on my Polaroid while this was happening. It was around lunchtime, they weren't done just yet, so I left the building and called Kate, hoping she was available.

"Hey Max." She answered happily.

"Hey, finished with the photoshoot but they still have more to do with another guy."

"How cool! Was it fun?"

"Super fun, I had a great time! But, I forgot to ask. What are your plans for today?"

She laughed lightly, "Nothing, really. I went to church, did more sketches, watched TV, and practiced on my violin. I'm just writing now to pass the time."

"You're definitely more productive than me. What are you writing?"

"You know, friends keep telling me to revise and revise the film. I think today will finally be the last time I do it."

"Do you want to read it to me? See if it sounds good?"

"Maybe when I'm done! We actually found actresses, so they're finally filming some scenes here and there."

"I really need to see it sometime."

"You will. Do you want to see the filming or the final product?"

I hummed, "Hm... both!"

"I'll see if you could come watch! They have been wanting to meet you, actually."

"They sound cool, but they do help you with revisions, right?"

"They do sometimes, but they depend on me to write it out for them."

I sat there quietly. I could faintly hear music playing on Kate's side, papers moving around, and her putting her pencil down. It wasn't weird, strangely. It was very comforting knowing she was there, listening. I was sweeping my feet against the concrete, listening to the scrape on the bottom of my shoe.

"I have an idea." She said.

"What is it?"

"Describe something to me. I'll try to guess what it is."

"Like, things I'm seeing right now?"

"Where you are, things you like, anything at all and I'll try to guess. We could make it twenty questions."

"Sure, sounds fun," I looked around me to describe it, but everything was so generic, "Okay, I got it, you ask something."

"Alright, um, is it a place?"

"No." I started to walk around the parking lot again. I've passed every single car for the fifth time already.

"Are you looking at it right now?"

"No."

I heard Kate tapping her pencil, "Is it a living thing?"

"Yes."

"Is it an animal?"

"No." I smiled. I wonder if she was ever going to get it.

"Is it a person?"

"Yes."

"Is it a boy?"

"Nope."

"Is it a girl?"

"Yes."

"Is she... blonde?"

"Yes."

"Is she a celebrity?"

"No."

She huffed, "I thought you would be describing Rachel."

"Nope, that would be too easy."

"Okay then... Is she a character from something?"

"No."

"Does she go to our school?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a class with her?"

"Yes."

"Is she tall?"

"Uh... no."

"Do you see her a lot?"

"Yes."

"Is she pretty?"

"Yes, she's very pretty."

"Do you like her?"

I paused for a second. I wasn't sure how she was interpreting "like." I could only assume she meant in a friendly way, but I could only take a chance. It was true either way. I hesitated for a long time. Too long, in fact.

"Max? Are you here?" Kate spoke up again.

"... Maybe. Those count as questions, by the way."

"Dang it, you did that on purpose!"

"You have one more question."

Kate was silent for a moment. I continued to walk around, starting to feel the weather cool down and it was even a little windy. Kate started to hum along to the song in the background, thinking of what her last question could be.

Then Kate gasped, "It's me, isn't it?!"

"You're correct!" I physically jumped.

"What do you mean maybe for the other question?! I thought you liked me!"

"Hey, I was just trying to throw you off." That was a lie. She actually sounded a little sad.

She let out what sounded like a "hmph!". I giggled at the sound. She had to be biting into her cheek and furrowing her eyebrows. It was cute in my head. She wasn't mad though. We started to giggle together. I leaned on the building and held my hand over my mouth, easing my giggling to a stop.

"You're so silly, Max." Kate said.

"This game was your idea."

"You did well though! You tricked me."

"Why thank you. I never got that before."

That topic ended with our laughter stopping at the same time.

"Oh Max, Victoria actually left a little bit ago and she said she won't be back until tonight. If you guys finish the photoshoot soon, you can come back to my apartment and hang out. Plus, we could definitely surprise her if Rachel is already inside."

"I'll ask them! Rachel will love to do that. What is your roommate doing that she'll be back late?"

"She's a party girl, so she takes advantage of the weekend for it, I think I mentioned it to you before. Anyway, I have to call another friend right now, so let me know if you can come over or not, okay?"

"Okay Kate, maybe see you later?"

"Maybe! Bye Max."

I sighed, the corners of my mouth persisted into a grin. My cheeks felt hot as I pressed my hands into them and I stared at the ground trying to comprehend the feeling I was having. It was so different and new. It made my heart feel so full and my mind so flustered and clattered with pure happiness.

"Whoa, Max Machina," Chloe's voice interrupted, "Are you sick?"

Chloe towered over me, back in her ripped jeans and tank top, with her fingers through her hair. All the makeup from her face was gone too.

"No, I don't know what I'm feeling right now." I looked up at her, letting out a dreamy sigh.

"I think what you're looking for is gay piece of garbage."

I leaned my head back against the building, "Yeah..."

"Holy shit. Well, when you're done, we can finally go out somewhere."

"You guys are done?"

"For today," she said, irritated, "I dunno how she does this every day. And like it."

"I guess you'll won't be becoming a model."

"Hell no, I'll stick to coffee making. That other guy was so fucking annoying."

"And the alcoholic drink making thing.”

"That too! I start for real on Saturday, but it’s piece of cake.”

"I wish I was confident like that.”

“And you can, just keep acting like you’re confident. I think that’s how that advice goes.”

When Rachel finally came out, we all hopped into Chloe's car and went out to eat. We were searching for a fast food for now; Rachel said, and I quote, "fuck me up." We all agreed on eating In-N-Out, but it was a far drive.

"Had fun, Max?" Rachel looked back at me, her tone was like a mom picking her kid up from a birthday party.

"I did! Thanks for allowing me to take pictures for such a high-end magazine."

"I wanted you to take those pictures! It was fun and I'll ask for some shots for your portfolio."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." I thumped myself on my forehead. Rachel only laughed at my forgetfulness.

"By the way, did you just walk around outside earlier, like in a circle? I was wondering where you went."

"Yeah, I was talking to Kate on the phone. Which reminds me, do we have time to go see her? She said that we can come over and you could scare her roommate."

"Oh, my god, yes! I need to do that! After we eat, and then we'll talk about how we're going to do that."

It was an hour-long drive. All three of us talked about random things like graffiti and signs we pass to Rachel's sudden follower growth. She even started trending for a bit online from the interview. It all ended very quickly and Rachel was grateful for that, as she explained that she stayed home to reply to any fans on all her social medias and to not get hounded by paparazzi trying to find her.

"Should we use the drive-through instead?" I asked.

"I mean, if people are going to recognize us, then so be it. My manager's probably finding bodyguards right now."

"You mean just you two, right?"

Without missing a beat, Rachel replied, "Nope, you too, Max."

"... Excuse me?"

"You too, Max, I told you before that I was going to upload a photo of us." She handed me her phone.

It was open on her Instagram, filled with pictures of her and Chloe from just being in bed to today, where they were in the studio getting their hair done. Side by side, there were two pictures just for me. One was the whole collage I took of her when we decided to walk down the street and the other one was when we were doing the fashion show.

I pressed the one with my face actually in it. I was really curious what the comments said.

This is my friend, Max! She's the one who took those amazing polaroids! She's hella cute, right?!

I read the comments under her caption and a good majority were agreeing and some even asked if I had an Instagram or if I was single.

"This is so crazy." I said. I started to look through her pictures.

"Hey, it's okay! People won't go up to you, I know it."

I made a hum of agreement, but I kept scrolling through her phone. There were a lot of changes in colors. Her more recent ones were so bright and she was smiling in complete bliss. Even before this whole coming out thing, all the locations and foods she took were stunning. When the pictures turned black-and-white with little to no emotion showed in her selfies, I knew it was the time she was away and travelling.

I gave it back before I dived in too far.

"Being famous seems so stressful..." I scratched my head.

"I don't want to call myself that, but it is. I won't let myself do anything crazy though. Already passed that phase in high school, right, Chloe?"

"Yep! It's still happening for me, if we're being real."

"Well, you passed the whole weed thing."

"You’re right. I guess I like drinking more."

Rachel chuckled, "Yeah, still haven't forgotten when we went to HUE sf. You were out cold."

When they laughed, it was quiet after. I remembered Rachel’s face when I first told her about Chloe and her habit, distant and… disappointed. As long as she was here, Chloe was drinking less and she was happier. Both of them were. The radio played its pop music softly. I finally sent a message to Kate that we'll be over soon.

What we expected at the In-N-Out was to be surrounded by people and not being able to eat at all. Though there were people who wanted pictures with Rachel, it was surprisingly tame and we were able to sit down and actually have our meals. There was something about In-N-Out's white and red colors surrounding us from the walls to the tables and chairs, the loud chatter of people, the employees yelling out numbers, and the overpowering smell of french fries that just felt right.

We bought five fries (Rachel wanted three), three cheeseburgers, and three vanilla milkshakes. We sat at a table for four people, but of course they sat together and I got the third wheel seat.

"I felt like I haven't eaten here in years." Rachel moaned as she finished chewing on fries.

"I've never seen you eat so fast." I was more amazed than shocked.

"I'm very hungry, okay!"

She was already halfway done with her burger. She did avoid eating during the whole photoshoot, even something small and would not affect her in any way.

"Do we have to go tomorrow, Rache?" Chloe said, bitterly.

"With a photographer like that, we can't just skip out. Trust me, I hate him too, I do, but it'll be over by you know it."

Chloe mumbled angry curses under her breath, staring at the bite marks in her burger.

"You'll be fine, hemoChlobin." Rachel gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. Chloe smiled, but didn't look at her.

"I thought you said to leave the nicknames to you." I pointed out.

"Yeah, but yours suck ass."

Her voice emphasized "ass" with an angry tone. I just went back to eating again, frowning and slouching in my seat.

We decided to buy some cake pops from a different cafe. They were a little smaller and in a brown box with a pink melted ice cream design. On the drive back, Kate didn't text back until we were about five minutes away from her apartment. Sorry, I took a nap. Are you nearby?

It's alright, Kate. And yeah, less than five minutes.

Something felt different from Kate's message. I didn't know what it was, so I shook it off.

At her apartment, it was kinda creepy and the whole black-and-red colored building was very off-putting. Parking on the side of the street, we went to number 20, and Chloe did her signature knock and just banged her fist against the door. A minute passes before Kate opened the door, greeted by her in her teal pajamas, her hair in a messy bun, and tired eyes.

"Hi you guys, sorry that I don't look so well." She opened the door wider.

"It's okay, are you sick?" Rachel reached over and felt Kate's forehead.

"No, I was sleeping," she yawned and then moved aside, "Come in."

We followed and went into the small apartment, welcomed by the living room filled with cream-colored walls, a big flat-screen TV, black leather couches, and a matching colored coffee table. I recognized everything, even the pillows, from the video.

"This is my home away from home," Kate announced, "Please, seat down. I need to make myself some tea."

"Oh, we got these for you." I handed Kate the box and she finally smiled.

"Aw, thank you so much. I'll try to eat all of them before they go bad." Kate went into the kitchen, small and similar to ours, but cleaner and not shitty. It was probably full of food too.

I sat myself on the couch, sinking into it and it was so comfortable. The pillows against my back were so soft. The couch was L-shaped and Chloe took advantage of that and lied down on the longer seat.

"How was the photoshoot?" Kate asked from the kitchen.

"It was fun!" Rachel replied, "Max did such a good job and she made it so exciting, and then the other photographer came and it was so... suck-y..."

"That's a shame. It must be so tiring having to pose and change clothes many times."

We heard a tea kettle start to whistle and then stop.

"It really depends for me. Today, it was one of those tiring days."

Kate came over with a white mug in hand and sat next to me. Looking closer, her pajama pants had a print of a cartoon chick peeking out of its egg all over it and her shirt was plain, but matching in color. She even had her bracelet on.

"Aw, well, I'm sorry that it was one of those days. If I knew, I wouldn't have asked you guys to come."

"Don't even worry about it! We wanted to come over!"

Kate smiled and then sipped from her cup, "I appreciate you three taking the time out."

It had been more of a conversation between them two, while Chloe and I made our own with just our facial expressions.

"By the way, I really like your hair, Chloe."

"Thanks," she ruffled with her own hair, "It was cut like this just for the shoot."

"Oh wow, can they really take off that much?"

Chloe just shrugged, "Free haircut, I can't complain."

"I wouldn't complain either."

"Anyway," Rachel butted in, "You said "home away from home." Where are you from, originally?"

"I'm from Oregon."

"Holy crap, we all were! Well, I’m from Long Beach, but I lived there! Were you near Arcadia Bay at all?"

"No, my town was a couple miles away. I went to a boarding school as well, so that was way further."

I felt awkward sitting there in between.

"What school was it?"

"It was a Christian academy. I went there for all my high school years."

Rachel scoffed, "Not surprised by that."

"Now that I think about it, I've only been to Christian schools until now." Kate laughed at herself. I could only imagine what being in those kinds of schools were like.

She placed her mug down on the coffee table, which had scattered fashion magazines on it. One, in fact, had Rachel on the front.

"How would you like to scare her?" Kate said with a slightly sinister smile.

"Not really sure, you know her fears, right?"

"Her fear is literally me going into her room," Kate looked over to the hallway behind Chloe, "I've never gone in before."

"But..." I finally spoke up, "You've known her for a year?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. It's locked. Ironic, because she forgot the apartment key."

"Yikes and you lived with her for this long?"

"I mean, this is way better than before. At least she talks to me directly now."

"Oh god, what?" Rachel's eyes widened, "Okay, yeah, I need to scare her. Let's use this."

She grabbed the magazine with herself on it.

"Someone in here needs to pretend to know magic," She continued, "Can't be Max, she sucks at acting, and if she knows me, she knows Chloe."

I actually felt physically hurt. First, I sucked at nicknames and now this.

"So, just me?"

"Does she fall for things easily?"

Kate placed her hand on her chin, "... Kinda."

"Good enough," Rachel then grabbed Chloe's and my shoulder and pulled us in, "Group in. I have a plan."

We expected to stay long, but not two-in-the-morning long.

"We should have brought clothes to stay over." I bumped my arm with Kate's. Rachel and Chloe were in the living room, practicing where to hide and where Rachel will position herself to scare Victoria.

Kate and I were in her room. It was as I expected: very clean, organized, and lots of pastel colors. Her walls had a few posters of inspirational quotes and right on her nightstand was a Bible, of course. Her pet rabbit was on top of her dresser just munching on a carrot; she was incredibly cute. Against the dresser was her violin. We sat on her bed as she tried to teach me a game called Slide.

"Wish you could. But Victoria has class, I have to meet my friends in the morning, and Rachel and Chloe said they have more photographs to take."

"I don't have class."

"You don't have clothes here."

Slide was a hand game that involved a lot of clapping, coordination, and rhythm. Clapping was fine, but I didn't have the other two, so we would stay in sync for about five times and then I'd lose it. It was just a lot of hand holding every time I messed up.

"Okay, but Einstein wore the same suit every day for a whole week."

Kate smirked, she wasn't going to give in to that, “Are you saying you’re Einstein?”

“… Yes, I am.”

She shook her head, "Let's make a deal then. If we get passed twenty, then you can stay."

I groaned, grabbing her hands, "I'm glad you believe in me, but we know that's not happening."

Kate looked up at the ceiling in thought. I looked up too and let go of her hands.

"How about I make it up to you?" She looked back at me with a smile. I looked back and tilted my head to the side, leaning back on my hands.

"Since we had such an awesome day yesterday, how about I'll take us somewhere next Sunday? We'll hang out all day again."

Did I really have to think about it? Of-fucking-course I want to go!

"Yes! Absolutely… um, I would love to."

Before Kate could say anything, there was a knock on the door. It wasn't Chloe-aggressive, but it was demanding enough. Kate got up and, when she was at the door, she put her finger to her lips to shush me. She turned off the light and closed the door.

I went up to the door again and opened it a crack. I watched as Kate went to the door; I think Rachel and Chloe were hiding in the dark in the kitchen. When the door opened, there was Victoria. She had a blonde pixie cut, wearing a really tight black dress and a big fur coat. Dear dog, I hope it was faux. In her hand were her heels.

"Hey Victoria."

"Hey Katie," She greeted back, "That party was crazy! You need to go to one sometime!"

She crashed onto the couch, right where we wanted her to be.

"Ah no, I prefer to stay home, you know that already." Kate sat next to her.

"You need to lighten up sometime."

All three of us were just waiting for the keyword we all established. There was a pounding in my chest and tingle through my fingers.

"I have been. I already told you about Max."

"Yeah and she sounds fucking weird."

Kate shushed her.

"Sorry, she sounds very lovely."

Her voice was dripping in sarcasm. Did she hate me? I couldn’t dwell on it for so long; I shook my head rapidly to get the thought out. I continued to watch.

"You still don't believe that she's friends with Rachel and I know her?"

"I'm getting there."

"Well, maybe I could prove it to you."

"And how will you do that, Marsh?"

"I've been looking into some tricks and magic lately and—"

"Oh, my god, I don't have time for this. This is a prank, isn't it?"

"Do I look like I could do pranks?"

"... You have a point. Whatever, I'll go along, I guess."

"Yay!" Kate clapped her hands, "Okay, so we'll have to clean this table except for something with Rachel on it. Which, we just so happen to have."

Kate said she was a bad actress and yet, she was doing all of this naturally.

"So, close your eyes, Victoria."

I could hear her release an irritated groan, but I think she did as she was told. Kate started wave her hand in front of Victoria's face, making sure she couldn't see anything.

"And we're just going to sit here."

"Oh, no cheesy spells or make me do something embarrassing?"

"Nope, we're going to sit and wait. Tell me why you like Rachel so much."

"Wait" was the keyword. Rachel and Chloe crawled out of wherever they were hiding and did their best to quietly get into position. She lied down on top of coffee table, on her back and acted like she was just dead on top of it. Chloe helped with straightening anything out and fixing her hair. When everything looked good, she sent me a thumbs-up and then crawled back to her spot.

"What isn't there to like? She's pretty, confident, well-spoken, and she's accepting everyone for who they are."

"Wow, I don't know why you get so mad about me knowing her."

"It's just a big deal to me! Katie, it's two AM right now, where are we going with this?"

"Okay, open your eyes."

When I assume she opened her eyes, Rachel stayed in that position with her head towards her.

I could vaguely hear Victoria say "what the fuck," and then Rachel's eyes shot open.

She freaked out. She actually jumped onto the couch, like there was a rat scurrying on the floor. She let out a shriek and many "holy shit"s. Hyperventilating and a hand on chest, she slid back down the couch.

"This isn't real! You know magic, Kate!"

"She's real!"

Chloe and I came out of hiding. We were both laughing, high-fiving and fist bumping each other, as we approached. Rachel finally sat up, laughing along with us and holding her stomach. The fact that Victoria would prefer believing that Kate knew magic was the best part.

Victoria had her hand on her forehead, trying to comprehend everything that just happened.

"Katie, it's been a long time coming, but I love you."

"Could I go into your room now?"

"No."

[visualpractitioner]

Reflecting on an Abundant Summer

What has your summer been like? How do you move forward with your abundant harvest?

It’s been a fun summer for me. But one that I didn’t intend. Which is rare because I usually have things well planned, or at least a clear vision. Still, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity and all that I’ve learned.

Because I am changing up how I approach my programming for the fall,

I’ve been asked to share what it took to pull off my summer musings. I hope you find the following helpful should you decide to do something similar.

What I did

I spent the summer at home in Durango, Colorado. Between the European travels and my upcoming travels from coast to coast and down under, I made a two-fold plan:

Stay firmly rooted in Durango so I can support some community work and hope other local opportunities pop up, and

Work hard to reach a global audience through two series of free virtual offerings: A Summer of Lettering Tips Tuesdays (LTT) and Digital Scribing for Visual Practitioners (DSVP).

I love Durango, Colorado. I have lived here on and off for over 25 years. In that time I have worn many hats and went from knowing just about everyone in town to being a total stranger as it has grown. I have a downtown studio overlooking Main Avenue. And while I love my anonymity, I thought this summer would be different. I offered classes, volunteered my time, had an art show and book signing. I had the support of a few local friends and had my first paying GR/GF gig since I moved back over two years ago. I still don’t feel like I belong and I stopped waiting for my phone to ring. It seems even in this slow, Western town people are still running in all directions. I hope they are all thriving.

So I spent every Tuesday planning, sharing, broadcasting and seeing visual friends from around the world. Together with the help of Joleyne Mayers-Jaekel and her brilliant sketchnotes, we captured 12 lettering sessions covering every type of Neuland Marker nib and the lettering styles and technique that go with them. What a blast!

Pictured above: sketchnotes by Joleyne Mayers-Jaekel

Then, every other week or so I hosted an expert visual practitioner in digital scribing to share an app, process, or technical connection. The Digital Scribing for Visual Practitioners was a hit! So many generous people in our field willing to share valuable content for others to learn and grow.

What it took

I had offered open sessions before. I thought I knew what it took. If you are interested in doing something similar, here is what I discovered:

Organizing: Putting out calls for and organizing six speakers, writing descriptions, finding and setting dates, tech calls, collecting images and branding them, event listings and social media posts (6+ hours per DSVP speaker x 6 +12 for LTT = 48+ hours)

Preparing: prep for each session, outline, emails to speaker and IFVP Social Media Committee (SMC), script (~2 hours each x 6 for DSVP + 12 for LTT = 24+ hours)

Day of Session: tech calls, live session, post-production, compression, uploading, sharing on social media, follow ups (6 + 12 x ~6 = 78+ hours)

That equates to a part-time job every week for the summer. Between I worked to support the strategic efforts of the homeless issue in Durango, offered a few free lettering workshops, and revamped the Unlock Your Neuland Markers video series that you can find here.

What I learned

Everything you want to do takes three times or longer than you think it will. Factor in limited space on the computer when working with large video files and you might as well grab that stress ball or you will lose all your hair.

People are generous. When you are generous, you model the way for others. Every guest expert gave their time and expertise to help others. Half of the experts were experienced trainers, the other half experienced virtual instruction for the first time!

It takes a team. The IFVP SMC was instrumental in spreading the word about the sessions. And Joleyne was a creative trooper with her weekly sketchnotes. And participants were wonderful for spreading their experience with others on social media.

What’s next...

For me, I need to finish what I set out to do early this summer and finish up some online courses I’ve been working on. Then it’s off to teach, learn, learn, present and learn some more for the next few months. Hopefully I will see some of you in Washington, DC and Melbourne, Australia for my in-person workshops.

With that shift, I have concluded the Digital Scribing for Visual Practitioners series and leave it open to anyone who would like to take it on. Now that you know what it takes, it’s no mystery. It was quite fun, very educational and useful, and will help you get your name out there as someone involved in the IFVP. If you want to get involved, feel free to reach out to Phil Bakelaar, board member and IFVP Institute president. Or email me if you have questions about what it entails. I’m happy to provide all of the files I created or watch you recreate the series in your signature style.

And Lettering Tips Tuesdays will look different too! I plan on offering up lettering tips and tricks, but they won’t be hour-long live sessions like I offered this summer. These will be bite-size lettering morsels you can find on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter on Tuesdays. Probably not on all platforms every week so pick your platform and please follow along if you want to learn more. I will offer live sessions again someday. Sometimes they are random, sometimes month-long. I don’t know if I will offer a summer series again as next year is already booked for travel. However, the videos and sketch notes from this summer are still available for viewing at bit.ly/levelupprep for a limited time. They will soon be pulled down and repackaged for the Alumni Portal—available to those who take my in-person and virtual Level Up Your Lettering courses.

On a personal note

I’m currently looking to the fall. We are now at the winnow and sift part of the season where we reflect on our abundant harvest and decide what to take with us into the coming year. That’s what I do in September. October is the start of a 6-week integration process and November is about building the 2020 masterplan.

For you, I hope that you will revisit some of these valuable resources we created for you this summer. And I look forward to your feedback on these and some of my other projects. I value you and appreciate the time we’ve spent together this summer.

Someone on social media responded to one of my posts: “I hope to be as generous as you are someday.” Hmmm. I didn’t know one had to wait.

Did I give too much? Maybe.   Was it worth it? Absolutely!

[sandralmuller]

Using Facebook and Instagram like a superstar

One of the things I love about organising The Great Melbourne Blog-in is that I get to shape the event. At September’s blog in, I got to question Catherine and Cherie from The Digital Picnic about all things Facebook and Instagram during our Q&A panel. You know that glorious moment when you have all these questions simmering in the back of your mind and then suddenly you’re face-to-face with some very generous social media experts and you get to ask them all those questions? Yes, that moment. It was awesome!

Social media experts Catherine and Cherie from The Digital Picnic. Oh, and that’s me in the middle.

Pin it to read later

Running a Facebook page

Best tips for running an engaging Facebook page #Facebook #FacebookPage #SocialMediaStrategy Click To Tweet

As most people are aware (except those that make this critical error) one of the biggest mistakes Facebook page owners make is using it as a dumping ground for self-promotion. Using Facebook page only as an advertising platform is not what gains you engaged fans and followers. You need to draw back the curtain and put yourself out there. Show some of the back end of your business. Make your page about your audience and what they want.

As a copywriter, this makes sense to me – know your audience, what are their pain points, how can you address them, sell the benefits and not the features yadda yadda yadda.

Since the blog-in, I’ve created a schedule for my Silk Interiors Facebook page. This page supports my eCommerce site Silk Interiors, where I sell wallpaper online. My plan includes a mix of:

design quotes

inspo photos/eye candy

recycled blog posts

decorating and styling tips

videos

FB live

before and after home makeovers

celebrity style

discounts and sales happening in Australia

memes

questions

our wallpaper products.

My next step is to use the native Facebook scheduling app to schedule content to post each day for a full month. Doing it in one big batch will save a lot of time, even though it will take some time to curate and schedule the content, but I’ve made a BIG list of sources (I’ll blog about how I find them another day), which will be a great help. I’ll monitor the engagement metrics via Facebook’s ‘Insights‘ dashboard and see which post types perform well and I’ll experiment with different times of the day.

Whatever you plan, test, test, test and figure out what works best for your business.

If you have any plans, even a very vague and distant plan to use Facebook Ads, install the Facebook pixel into the header of any or all pages on your website you wish to track. This means setting up a Facebook business account and grabbing some code to paste into your website (very easy to do with a plugin if you’re using WordPress). The FB pixel is a sneaky little thing. It gives you the data to show your ads only to people who have visited your website in the past, for example. It helps you target people already interested in your business. You can also create ads to target users in the same demographic as your website visitors. Ooooh. Sneaky sneaky. And perhaps a bit creepy…

Have you installed the Facebook Pixel yet? #SocialMediaStrategy #FacebookPage Click To Tweet

Facebook. Knows. Everything… my business bestie and I were chatting on Facebook Messenger about awnings (totes random, I know) and then we both started seeing ads for awnings in our newsfeed. We hadn’t visited any awning or blind sites or visited awning pages. In fact, in our Messenger chat, we were coming up with the most random thing we could think of in that conversation. And then there were ads for awnings. Just saying.

What I learnt about Facebook Live videos

Pre-promote your Facebook Live session so you won’t chicken out. If you’re running a Facebook Live Q&A session, give people a chance to prepare their questions that you (hopefully) can answer. As a Facebook Live novice, I’m not sure what’s worse though – people turning up or people not turning up!

Pre-plan what you’re going to say. Always have something to talk about. Talk about something before you get into the guts of your video to give people a chance to join you, live. If they’re following you, they’ll get a notification to say that you’re live.

Avoid the wobbles and use a tripod for your Facebook Live videos #FacebookLive #FacebookTips Click To Tweet

It’s best to set-up your video on a tripod so your video is steady. A steady camera can also save you a lot of data – those micro wobbles when you hold your phone camera create a fatter video file. Not that I have to worry about data here in Korea, but a tripod will give your FB video a more professional look. I tend to swing my body from side to side while my head remains stable-ish when I do Facebook Live videos. I don’t know why. Perhaps that’s where my nerves manifest. Or I’m just a weirdo.

After you finish your Facebook live video, you can upload it and then change the video thumbnail. For laughs, Youtube and Facebook are in some kind of conspiracy to make sure they choose a thumbnail where you look your absolute worst.

See what I mean? Worst thumbnail choice ever! Excruciating for me… and the potential viewer. I look so bored with my own FB Live vid I’m falling asleep on myself.

But it’s easy to change it.

On the video post, click on those three dots on the top right… then click on ‘Edit post’.

Next, scroll through the available thumbnails and hopefully, there’s one that looks like you haven’t just eaten a sour lemon or are about to pass out. But if that fails, add your own custom image.

While you’re on that screen, you can add metadata to your post to help it get found more easily in Facebook’s search engine.

After you’ve uploaded your Facebook live video, go through the comments and respond to any questions people have. This will give your post a bit of a boost. The more comments (including your own) the more reach your video will get.

If you’re happy with the video, you could also consider using it in a Facebook Ad.

What I learnt about (non-live) videos on Facebook

If you’re going to add your video to Youtube, don’t share a link to the Youtube video with your Facebook audience. Instead, for better reach, upload the video directly to Facebook. Apparently, Facebook loves native video content. Of course, this makes sense. Facebook wants to retain as much ad revenue as possible. Keeping users ON Facebook and not sending them away to the Adsense share of the market is the sensible thing to do if you’re Facebook.

For greater reach, upload your video direct to Facebook, not via a Youtube link #FacebookTips Click To Tweet

Also, consider using a square format for your video as this is becoming really popular – people are used to and expecting the Instagram size and style of videos.

Don’t share everything between Instagram and Facebook or your audience, if they follow you on both platforms, will start to look like me in that thumbnail picture above. Yawn. I think it’s lazy social media-ing when businesses do that. Especially when you’re confronted with a face full of Insta hashtags on Facebook. I’m petty like that. Mix it up and share your video on Instagram a different day (or at least a different time of the day) then when you published your Facebook post.

I need to start a Facebook group and so do you

At a past TGMBI event, Linda Reed-Enever talked about building a Facebook Group to support your business or blog. I won’t rehash those bits, but it’s a timely reminder that if you share your Facebook page’s post to your Facebook group, it sends powerful signals to Facebook’s algorithms and can help increase the reach of your post even beyond the group.

I’m still considering what my FB Group will be about, how it fits with my brand and vision for my business and who I want in it besides my business besties. But first I need to schedule content, experiment and evaluate my Facebook plan.

Stay out of the naughty corner

Something else I learnt just this week is that Facebook has legislated yet another reason to put your page in the naughty corner – not disclosing sponsored or affiliate links. Facebook calls it ‘Branded Content’.

If you’re doing sponsored posts or publishing, as Facie puts it, content that features or is influenced by a business partner for an exchange of value, you need to tag the business partners in your branded content posts. But it’s not that simple. So you can do this, first you have to sign up for Branded Content within the Business Manager section of FB and be approved. If you’re publishing branded content (by Facebook’s definition) and not disclosing your relationship with the company, then you could find yourself in the FB naughty corner. This has happened to someone I know I know in a Facebook group just this week.

You can identify Branded Content posts because they have the small text ‘Paid’ whacked next to the time stamp of a post. This is different to posts you pay to boost where it says ‘Sponsored’. Other than that, I’m not sure what it all means, yet! You can read more about Facebook’s Branded Content tool and laws here.

What I learnt about Instagram

LinkTrees! AKA where had you been all my life/why didn’t I think of that.

Solve the 'link in bio' dilemma with a LinkTree @Linktree_ #instagramtips #linktree Click To Tweet

You know how you have to write something like Link in bio on your Instagram post and then update every single time you promote a new page or post or product? So annoying. Well, enter the Link Tree. You put one link in your bio that goes to a landing page where you include ALL your links. There’s even a website you can outsource your link management to – LinkTr.ee. (I wrote more about this tip in my recent post What to do after you publish a blog post.) You could also host a link tree page on your own website.

Instagram Stories – you need to be there and in the regular ole newsfeed. Your ‘story’ only lasts for 24 hours, but now that Instagram is no longer chronological, it’s your best bet for getting noticed at the top of someone’s Insta feed.

Look at your insights. What are the peak times and WHY are they the peak times? Look into the reasons why certain posts are popular than others.

If you haven’t already set yourself up with a business profile, it’s easy to switch from a personal to a business profile – here’s how. You’ll need a business profile to access your account’s insights.

Until recently, I’d only been using the image tools like Filters in Instagram on my pictures. Then I discovered an app called Fotor. The basic version is free. You can use the app or the desktop website to manipulate your images to make them look gorgeouser. I must admit, I’m a bit visually illiterate, but with Fotor, I’ve been having fun experimenting with image manipulation.

Get your images Instagram ready with the Fotor app @fotor_com #instagramtips #photoediting Click To Tweet

To illustrate my point, here the original photo I took.

And here’s the edited version. How much cooler and more interesting does this second image look?

Final words on social media-ing

Ultimately, when it comes to sharing content, be endearing to your audience. Maybe even a bit vulnerable. Be relatable. Suprise and delight your audience.

Thank you, Cat and Cherie, for sharing your time and knowledge.  If anyone wants to improve their social media skills, then you need to attend one of their online or in-person social media courses – and not just in Melbourne. These savvy social media experts travel!

Have you experimented with anything on social media lately? Any success or spectactular fails to share? Let me know in the comments below.

Using Facebook and Instagram like a superstar was originally published on Sandra Muller

[anthonyloggins5-blog]

franziska ftv - Six Nude Ftv April Fools

The whole thing had happened in a whirlwind. I was still young and naive, traveling across the country for the first time since I turned 18. The trip itself wasn't anything special. It was a cross-country trip to a gaming convention of all places. The journey, how I got there though... So there was this girl, as there so often is. We met online, in an IRC channel in some random corner of the internet. I was a pimple-faced young man who had very little self-confidence, a side effect of having homeschooled through high-school. But, I still managed to get out there and find people to talk to, if only through girles nude the internet. The channel was really hopping that night. Someone had decided to ask what we all looked like. There was a whirlwind of compliments flying around to everyone in the chat who'd put up a picture. Curiosity got the ftv girls dani better of me, and I scrambled to get my digital camera out, take a selfie with the timer, and get it uploaded. At that point, I learned I didn't really need to be so self conscious. The compliments came in a torrent. "You're so hot!" "I want to see more!" "I want one!" But, there was one girl who didn't comment in the main chat. She /msg'd me. "Hey, you're actually really cute." "Yeah?" I responded. "Why do you say that?" "You've got a handsome face. The hair could use a little work but... you're definitely hot." Conversation turned into more picture sharing. Each picture she shared, a piece of clothing came off. It got to the point where the legality of what we were both doing was in question. I didn't want to send any more pictures, I didn't want her to send any more pictures. I wanted to Skype. And boy, did we Skype. Flash forward about six months and dozens of Skype sessions later. It was about a week away from my trip to the convention. I was talking about my trip in the channel. I was taking the Amtrak, and one of the legs I was taking happened to correspond to a trip she was taking the same day. She changed trains. The leg we were going to share was going to be about 22 hours long. A trip long enough that I wasn't even sure what we were going to fill the time with. Neither of us had a sleeper car. Just seats. We met up at the station, where I was nervously buried in my phone, glancing up and around until I finally saw her. Trying my best to avoid looking like I was too excited to see her. We boarded the train and hung out in our seats for all of five minutes before heading to the skylounge car. We sat, staring out the window waiting for the train to clear a section of track on which there was a long delay. We talked about the weather, my trip so far, what my plans for the rest of the trip were. I don't remember what we'd gotten on about, but I got lost in what she was saying, too preoccupied with her lips to actually comprehend what was coming out of them. Mid-sentence, I dove in for the kiss. Our first kiss. Conversation slowed for a bit. Neither of us quite knew what to say, and I was tera ftv girls still trembling from having taken the first step. I was never so bold, though I was cheeky. "You should talk more." I said. "Why?" she asked. "So I can shut you up again." "You could just kiss me, you know..." From then, conversation happened in short little stints. We were making out so frequently that my lips throbbed ftvmembers from having been used so much. Neither of us ate, neither of us slept, at least for the first 12 hours or so. We were too enamored with each other's bodies to care about sleep or food. We were still sitting in our coach seats making out when she grabbed my hand and guided it between her legs. Neither of us cared that there were people sleeping in the seats in front of, behind, and across from us. It was too late for restraint. Rubbing the seam of her jeans quickly evolved into me fumbling with her button fly. We were still in our seats, diagonal across the row, as I slid her jeans down far enough to provide ready access to her panties. We did well to keep her covered as my fingers clumsily navigated their ftv girls way into her underwear, learning the curves of her body, the shape of her lips. The clit piercing threw me off at ftv girls in porn first, but she took my hand in hers, guiding my fingers until they knew well enough what they were doing. The other travelers faded away as we became involved with each other's bodies. I stayed selfless for most of the night anxiously trying to find a way to break away from our seats to somewhere more private... but where? Eventually we found it. The changing room. "This works" she said, locking the door behind her as I found somewhere comfortable to sit. She quickly began removing my jeans, making quick work of my zipper, yanking them down around my ankles taking my boxers with them. She grabbed my penis in her hand, which after the three hours of foreplay we'd just had was sticky and hard. I was only 18, after all. She licked around the tip, teasing me, though I was already set to burst. Her mouth slid slowly down my shaft, once. Twice. Three times. By the fourth time, I was done. I couldn't hold back anymore. She'd come to orgasm nine or ten times in our seats in coach, and all it'd taken back here was a lick and four strokes. It was embarrassing, but amazing. She didn't mind though. She could tell that I enjoyed it just as much as she had. When we finally reached our destination, we were both exhausted. I had ftv girls a few hours to wait for the next leg of my trip, and she was splitting off onto a different train for hers. We parted ways on her platform, but not before we were recognized by someone from our shared train. They walked up and said hello, and offered congratulations. We glanced at each other, puzzled. "The way you two were on the train was so adorable. I've always loved seeing newlyweds on their honeymoon. Always so in love..." We looked at each other, smiled, and carried on until it was time for her train to leave the station as if we were a married couple, playing along with the idea that we'd planted in the heads of those around us. As the train sounded the all-aboard, I took her in my arms, stared into ftv girls her eyes, and kissed her one last time. "Maybe the next time we do this, it'll be our actual honeymoon" "Nah. This was WAY more fun" Five years have passed since that day, but each year around this time, I look back and smile at the 22 hours I spent with the girl from the internet. My friends still refer to her as "The Train G

[stilliamgrowing-blog]

Jan 17, 2017 10:51am

i’ve been busy these last few days, but in my opinion its better to be busy than just sitting around doing nothing. and a lot of my being busy is related to my personal improvement. i find myself in a constant state of self doubt, and i’m working towards filling myself with self love. 

sunday, i had a nice, calm morning. after sleeping in a bit, writing, and making breakfast, i watched some netflix and talked to D once he woke up. then, i spent some time organizing my schedule, putting together a daily/ weekly checklist or idea list of things i want to do to help me accomplish my goal of self acceptance. things like “tea tuesday” where i drink at least three cups of tea. or “self love sunday” where i dedicate the day to myself - be it a bath or a face mask or a pedicure. anyways, i did that for a while, then wrote down daily yoga exercises i’d like to do. i wrote down a bunch that’s good for morning time, then cut them out and put them in a jar. i’m hoping i’m motivated each morning to pull out five and do them. i’m going to make a jar for yoga poses before bed as well, and one for at home workouts, but i haven’t gotten around to doing that yet. 

after organizing things, i took a shower, then my mom came and picked me up. we went to target, where i bought some things to organize my room better (more drawers, a tub for my extra socks, etc.) then her and i headed to the gym. first, let me say, my new gym is SO NICE. its huge. i can’t even describe it. it has three large rooms all full of work out equipment, a pool, a hot tub, a “zen zone” for massages, yoga classes, physical therapy, a sauna, etc. and other rooms scattered throughout the building for different exercise classes. so anyways, we worked out separately after she showed me around. i did some lower and upper body workouts, then spent about ten minutes on the elliptical. it felt good to be sweating and its been so long since i actually worked out that my muscles were sore almost instantly. 

after our short workout, we went to a yoga class. it was a nice way to end the night, though i had a hard time with some of the positions. i’ll work my way up to being able to do them eventually though, i know. after our yoga, we got dinner together. she got a veggie and tofu bowl, and i got a salmon poke bowl. it was good and just what i needed after working out. then, we stopped by my uncle’s house, to pick up a shelf unit he said i could have. its perfect, makes for better organization in my room, and the wood matches my dresser and bed frame. i put candles and books on it for now, but i want plants on it at some point too. 

after she helped me carry my stuff into my room, my mom left. i had about an hour to clean my room up and put things away, then my sister and her mom came over. they helped me hang up the artwork my sister and i got on friday night, then stayed and talked for about an hour. its so nice being close to family. 

after they left, D and i skyped. he had a migraine and was super grumpy, which made me grumpy, and we went to bed grumping at each other. but the next morning everything was back to normal and we were as lovey-dovey as always.

yesterday morning, my sister picked me up. i woke up two minutes AFTER she texted me “on my way” and i swear i’ve never gotten ready so fast in my life. i showered, got everything in my purse, got dressed, and did my make up in her car. her and i parked downtown and walked around for a bit, then found a nice little coffee shop where i was able to get a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast. then, we walked down to the middle of downtown, where everyone was meeting. we were going to march in the MLK march, which walks through the down, ends at the college, and has different speeches by people. it was cold but it was actually still really fun. i got a bunch of cool pictures on my camera. i’ve been meaning to shoot more anyway. and it was cool to meet my sister’s friends since she always has had to hang out with mine. 

after the march, my sister and i walked back to her car. she drove us to my house, where we changed into bathing suits with the intention of going to my gym and using the hot tub. however, i guess if i have a guest with me they have to be 18 or over, and she isn’t. so we just went back to my house and she dropped me off. i made myself a lunch of tuna with crackers, a stick of cheese, and leftover sesame chicken and rice. it was pretty good. then my step dad came by to meet me because he wants me to learn how to use the bus. so him and i took the bus from my house, to a little shopping center/ food area about a mile or so from my house. we got some appetizers, i wasn’t too hungry and the place we chose was kind of expensive anyway. only, he left his bike on the rack on the bus, which turned into this huge big ordeal and he was stressed the whole time (he got his bike back). we took the bus back to my house, where we parted ways. i went inside and changed (my mom and i had planned on going to heated yoga at 6), and uploaded the pictures from my camera onto my laptop. my parents came back by around 5:40 and the three of us headed to the gym. 

heated yoga was sooooo fun! and i felt so good after. i could literally feel all of the energy in my body buzzing and working. like how atoms move faster when they heat up, it was almost like i could feel that. and my muscles felt so stretched and loose afterwards too. i felt better mentally and physically. my step dad chose not to join us for yoga, and just worked out on the equipment and free weights instead.

we all met up after the class was done, around 7:05, and went to a little cafe they have in the gym. we all got protein smoothies. they were pretty good. they dropped me off at home and my mom came in to see how much i’d accomplished with my room. she said it looked like night and day from when she’d seen it last, and it really does. i love my room a lot. after she left, i called D on Skype, and we were on for about two hours. it was a lot of fun and i was reminded once again how much i love him. first, we talked a bit about our days and such and got distracted with random things. him and i can talk and talk and talk, which i love, but is bad when we have things to do. we finally got our shit together and watched an episode of Parks and Rec. i kept looking up to see him smiling, staring at me, and i swear i still have butterflies, even after how much time has gone by. 

after our episode, we started to get playfully dirty, then serious dirty, and it was nice honestly. i don’t want to go into detail, but we were both generally satisfied after. it would’ve been better if he was here in person, but for what we’re working with it was wonderful. and he never, ever fails to compliment my body and help me on my journey to self love. 

we hung up around 10pm and both went to have a super late dinner. i made myself a salad with cucumber, carrots, feta, and dried cranberries. he had eggs and bacon. we both got ready for bed, then called and fell asleep on the phone. i really do love that boy. i woke up around 8 this morning, and i’m still tired. i might take a nap later. between then and now i’ve just been bullshitting on my laptop, watching youtube videos, comparing ticket prices (D wants to come visit if he's able to next month) and researching possible career paths i might enjoy doing. i still haven't eaten, so i’ll go make myself breakfast after this. i’m thinking yogurt, granola, blueberries, banana, honey, and maybe some scrambled eggs.