#im the two hour flight to get a starbucks is already too much

[consultingsister]

trying to buy a house on shetland means 45% of the time you’re trying to convince yourself that you’d be fine living on an even mORE remote island for the price difference 

[livtries]

love at first...flight? c.h pt 1

love at first... flight? part one pairing: calum hood and female reader summary: you were on a plane, on your way to a friend's wedding. you were sat next to a very attractive boy. little did you know, that wouldn’t be the last that you saw of him... word count: warnings/tw: swearing throughout. a/n: i’m going to try to make this into the first person! it’ll be the first story ive done that with, so please bare with me. also, im sorry for being gone for so long! but i’ll try my best to stick around for a while, i have nothing but time now!! hope everyone is staying safe & healthy. love you all! <3 -- “shit! i’m gonna miss my flight...” i spoke to myself, as i tried my hardest to zip my luggage. i always pack way too much stuff whenever i go anywhere. i go to my parents to visit for the weekend, and i bring half of my wardrobe along with me, so as you can imagine, i’m gone for a week, and i bring nearly all of my clothes with me. i succeeded in zipping my suitcase after a few tries, and some sweating. i made sure i didn’t forget anything and was out the door. i walked out my front door, locking it, and struggling to put my luggage into the trunk of my car. 

i managed to get it in and was off to the airport. i got there with about 20 minutes to check-in, and get onto the plane. one of my childhood friends has invited me to her wedding, and i, of course, couldn’t turn that down! she’d been a good friend of mine for so long, and i couldn’t wait to see her again! i got through security just fine, and i wanted to go get coffee before i got onto the plane. i had to pass by the starbucks to get to the terminal anyway, so it wouldn’t have been out of the way anyways. i saw the line and decided i better not. there were nearly 50 people in line waiting for coffee, and such. and i wasn’t about to be late and miss my flight.

i got to my flight in time, and meandered to my seat, behind some older women, probably going on vacation, and some men in suits, probably on their way to an important business meeting, or something along that line. i checked my ticket one more time, trying to find my seat, and keep moving, careful to not walk too slow, and hold up the people behind me.

i saw my seat, there was no one there as of then. i made my way over there. i managed to get my luggage into the overhead bin and took out a notebook, and pens from my carry-on. i made myself comfortable by the window, wiping down the tray, because... you never know. and i put on a movie to watch. as i was just getting comfortable, a guy, who looked very flustered and rushed looked at his ticket, and then looked at me.

“33K?” he looked at me, noticeably out of breath, probably from running to get onto the plane. i nodded my head and absentmindedly smiled.

“looks like i’m sitting next to you.” he smiles. “33J.” he showed me his ticket. i finally got a good chance to look at him. as soon as i looked up at him, he caught my eye, and then it was just weird... he sat down after 10 minutes of trying to put his luggage in the overhead compartment.

“do you need help?” i asked him. he kept swearing and shaking his head. “no, thanks. i’ve got it.” he tried to laugh it off, but he was clearly frustrated. he finally was able to get his back into the overhead bin, and he sat down in his seat. he had the same idea i did. he brought out his blanket and some writing material.

“what’re you reading?” he pointed at the book that was turned over in my lap.

“john green.” i turned the book over so that he could read the title.

“i’ve never read anything of his, but i hear that he’s a really good writer.” he smiles and looks down at the notebook in his lap.

“what’re you writing?” i asked, catching a glimpse of all of the notes he had written down.

“just some songs and stuff. and some doodles.” he handed the notebook to me, “flip through if you want.”

i flipped through a few pages and admired the incredibly messy writing and cute little drawings that were on nearly every corner of every page. i gently closed the book and handed it back to him. 

“so, what brings you on this plane ride, today?” he asked me, as one of the flight attendants came to ask us if we wanted anything to eat or drink.

“i’m actually on my way to a friend's wedding!” i put my book down and asked him the same question.

“i’m on the way to a friend's wedding too! my friend matt is getting married,” he spoke. i know i should’ve probably asked my friend what her fiance’s name was but i didn’t...

“one of my friends is getting married too! her name’s emily!” i spoke. “what a coincidence would it be if we were going to the same wedding??” he chuckled a little and smiled at me.

“that’d be weird.” i laughed and he reached out to turn on a movie.

“any recommendations?” he asked me.

i clicked on ratatouille. “i know it’s sort of a kids movie, but it’s good, ok!” i laughed and he laughed too.

we sat next to each other in silence for a bit, until it started to get late. it was gonna be a pretty long plane ride, since we were going from california to hawaii. it was about a six and a half hour plane ride from here to there. there was about an hour layover too, so it was about an eight-hour adventure from beginning to end. 

“i just realized that you have no idea who i am...” he looked over at me, through his unruly hair that was peeking through the hood he had on.

“names calum.” he smiled cheesily and held out his hand.

“im y/n.” i smiled back to him and shook his hand.

“so, where are you from?” he asked me.

“i’m from [state/town name].” i responded.

“where are you from?” i asked him.

“australia! sydney actually.” - once i finished my first movie, i looked over to see how calum was doing. he was drifting in and out of sleep. before i could say anything to him, he looked over to me.

“can i use you as a pillow?” he quietly asked me.

i blushed and smiled a bit. “of course. make yourself comfy.” he rested his head on my shoulder for the majority of the plane ride, until one of the flight attendants announced that there was a one hour layover in florida, because of a rainstorm.

“what’d she say?” calum looked at me and asked.

“there’s at least an hour layover in florida because of rain...” i repeated, and opened my book once again. before i continued reading, i glanced over to calum, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

“you still tired?” i asked him.

he nodded his head and yawned again.

“lay back down, you have plenty of time to sleep.” i joked, and he laid his head back on my houlder. - once we finally landed, i had to wake calum up.

“calum, you gotta wake up. we landed.” i nudged my shoulder a little. he lifted his head up, slowly, taking in his surroundings

“we landed already?” he asked me. i nodded.

“you slept nearly the whole time.” i smile

he got up to get his stuff out of the overhead and got my stuff down for me. everyone slowly filtered out of the plane, and went to get their luggage, and greet their families.

i had left calum to go get my luggage, and he walked up beside me.

“hey, i know that he kind of just met... but i wanna see you again. maybe take you out for coffee, or dinner?” he asked, as i turned towards him.

“yeah... i’d love to.” i blushed. “what’s your number? just so we can keep in touch.” i asked, pulling out my phone.

we exchanged numbers, and we were both on our way. i got my luggage and was off to my hotel for the next week.

a/n: part two will be up some time later today!! i really hope you all liked this, and thanks to whoever read this far. you’re awesome!

[barnesthesarge]

Here For You (2)

Bucky X Enhanced!Reader

Summary: The Avengers have a new enhanced on their radar when they run into you during a HYDRA extraction mission.

Warnings: language, VIOLENCE, flirting

Instead of going to your friends house like you originally planned, you went to one of your safe houses, deciding against putting her in danger. When you unlocked the door, you found the house just as you left it.

“Safe house sweet safe house.” You said to absolutely no one. You turned the TV on and put on the news, making a warm cup of coffee to soothe the coldness currently in the house. You groaned at the lack of any milk of cream, and groaned louder at the thought of grocery shopping.

You turned the heat on, lighting candles on the way, and whined, seeing it was now raining. You went into your bedroom and grabbed clean clothes, taking a hot shower, and leaving the house to get groceries.

Your new phone buzzed, showing that Tony had texted. Hi Y/N, I hope your flight was well. I put the whole team’s numbers in your phone. Don’t hesitate to contact any of us if you need to.

You shut it off and went about shopping, deciding to just order food rather than cook. It wasn’t long until you were snuggled on your couch, paying attention to the news, and eating. A weeks worth of groceries stocked.

A story about HYDRA came on and you stopped eating to listen. “Witnesses say Iron Man saved a woman from the van, and when authorities arrived every member that was in the van was taken into custody. There’s speculation about who the woman kidnapped could be. However if she’s wanted by a terrorist group, it’s safe to say that she’s relevant with them. We reached out to Tony Stark but so far there’s been no answers. We’ll let you know when we find out more.”

You rolled your eyes, going back to eating and flicking through channels, leaving on a dramatic soap opera. You finished eating and cleaned up. Your phone buzzed again.

Hello Y/N, it’s Bucky. I’m not very good at using these things, but I’m here if you need anyone. I know how lonely it is to be on the run. I don’t know if you know anything about me, but I was holed up in Bucharest for a while until I was forced to come out of hiding. While it’s nice to be on your own and not have anyone to worry about, it’s also isolating and lonely. I remember hearing creaks and groans of the structure of my apartment and thinking it was my last day alive. It wasn’t until Steve helped me that I finally felt okay around other people. Make sure you keep your eyes open for anything suspicious and remember the SOS button Tony showed you. Again, I’m here if you need anyone.

You shut the phone off again and rubbed your temples, you hated that you found it endearing that he was worried about you.

You opened it back up, Thanks Bucky. All is well here, just cold.

Where are you? If I’m allowed to ask, Tony has access but I don’t.

Who’s to say these aren’t traceable by HYDRA (; I wouldn’t want them knowing I’m in London.

Ha-ha, very funny. Man if I was in hiding right now I’d want to be somewhere warmer than London. FRIDAY says it’s raining.

I have a safe house here. Otherwise I would’ve fucked off somewhere tropical, trust me.

Maybe if you start rain dancing it’ll go away. Think warm thoughts, maybe hula dance. You never know (-;

You grinned at the device, I’ll keep that in mind.

How long do you plan to stay in London?

You sighed now, closing the phone, that was enough of updating until the next destination, you peaked out the curtains to see it was already dark outside, and got ready for bed.

———————————————————————

“Barnes, she’s completely fine. She’s been in the same place for a week, and has shown no signs that she’s in danger. So what she hasn’t answered your text.” Tony was in the middle of finishing a 3D blue print.

“What’s that for?” Bucky asked, it looked like a bedroom.

“Well, if Y/N ever decides to stick around, I’m making a room for her. Or if she ever comes to visit of course. I offered that to her.” He shrugged and Bucky bit his lip to hold back a smile. “You like her, don’t you?” Tony turned around abruptly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I know nothing about her. I’m just being friendly.” Bucky lied, the truth was that he already knew he was whipped, you could kick his ass with just your attitude, and he found it endearing.

“Mmhmm, yeah okay Bucky. When you’re done drooling about her maybe you can convince her to stop traveling around the world and join us.” Tony paused, “if you score a date with her someday, I’m gonna be livid.” He chuckled and turned back to his work. Bucky took it as a hint to get lost.

His phone buzzed, Im leaving London today.

Bucky smiled proudly, he was finally getting a reply, Going anywhere fun? (-:

You ask too many questions.

His face fell, shit that was why she didn’t reply. I’m sorry.

Bucky felt dumb when he didn’t get an answer, and instead of thinking about it went to go workout. He was in the middle of starting a ten mile run when Tony appeared behind him.

“Barnes, since you seem to really care, Y/N is leaving and heading somewhere else.” He flashed him a smile that didn’t quite reach the eyes.

“I know she’s leaving London, where’s she going?” Tony cocked his head.

“How’d you know she’s in London? Are you snooping my office when I’m not around?” Bucky blushed.

“No, I-um, I asked her and she told me.” Bucky could feel heat radiating off his cheeks.

“So you know where she’s going then too?” Bucky shook his head.

“She told me I ask too many questions, and hasn’t spoken to me since.”

“Darn, I was gonna ask you to be on her security detail. She’s heading to Arizona, and she has a layover for two hours, but if you aggravate her I don’t want to send you.” He shrugged, “I’ll ask Steve.”

“What-no! Tony I was texting her days ago too! You said it yourself I actually show I care!”

“Maybe a little too much..” Tony trailed off, “I’ll ask her who she wants me to send. It’s not safe for her to be alone in New York.”

Bucky stepped off the treadmill and walked upstairs into his room, pulling his phone out. He had no new messages.

———————————————————————

I was to send a security detail to protect you during your two hour layover. Do you have any preferences on who I should send? I’m thinking Steve, Bucky, or Wanda. Your choice.

You stared down at the text, you wouldn’t be in New York for another 6 hours. Now you had to think about who you’d want to be there. Definitely not Wanda, you had a feeling you were off to a rough start with her. While you did collapse a roof on her, you felt it was fair since she prodded in your head. Steve was honest but you worried that maybe he was a bit too concerned, he always had his eyebrows knitted. And Bucky, he asked too many questions, he tried to get you to stay with the Avengers, he had his foot in your door. You couldn’t stand how much you almost liked talking to him. He was the only Avenger besides Tony to reach out and text you.

Send Bucky. You replied, shutting off your phone and deciding to sleep the rest of the way. When you woke up, the captain was telling everyone to fasten their seatbelts, as it was time to land.

Hey Y/N, I’ll be waiting at the gate for you (-:

You blushed, oh god Bucky was going to see you after you just woke up. You patted your hair down and within a couple minutes the plane was landed, and everyone was grabbing their bags and getting off. You grabbed your duffle and followed the slow pace of everyone exiting. You met Bucky’s bright blue eyes and he grinned, you forced yourself to watch your feet in order to disguise the butterflies you were getting.

“Hey, nice to see you in one piece.” You met his eyes again.

“I’m not in one piece yet, I could really use some coffee.” He barked a brief laugh and grabbed your bag.

“Here let me get that for you, I saw a Starbucks on my way here.” You followed him in silence, scanning the crowds of people for anyone suspicious.

You ordered a drink and sat across from him, he set his phone down and folded his hands together, “Arizona, huh? Are you taking my advice about warm weather?” He had a mischievous smile.

You finally cracked a smile, finding his to be much too contagious, “No it’s a bit too hot there for my liking. I’m meeting up with someone I haven’t seen in a while.” He raised his eyebrows.

“Oh—“ your order was calling and you hurried to grab your drink, sitting back down, and eating a pastry you bought. “Just so you know I’m scheduled for a mission tomorrow, I’ll be gone for a week. Sam, Steve, and Natasha will be with me. Anyone else is fair game to talk to.”

“Where are you going?” You asked, not knowing why exactly you cared.

He chuckled, “Afraid I can’t tell you.” You nodded, frowning, “how long are you staying in Arizona, do you have any plans on where you’re going next?”

You bit your cheek, “No, I plan on where I’m going based on who I feel like seeing, or rather if someone texts me. I have lots of friends around the world, and all of them always miss me.”

“So you use them for places to stay?” He teased, “Do’ya have a boyfriend or something?”

You raised your eyebrows, “I don’t have time for boys. I’m too busy saving the world every once in a while.” You blushed at the thought that he cared.

“That’s fair. I have a feeling even if you did you move too fast around the world for him to keep up. You seem like you sure know how to keep people on their toes.” He winked at you and You furrowed your eyebrows.

“That would be his problem.” He opened his mouth but you cut him off, “You’re asking too many questions already. Enough of those.”

“Yes, of course. I’m gonna go get a drink for myself.” He excused himself and got in line, metal hand gleaming in the sunlight.

You pulled out your phone and saw that Tony had texted, How’s everything with the Terminator?

Fine, you replied, putting it back in your pocket. Bucky sat back down, “Man this stuff is expensive. All I got was a black coffee and it’s still like $4..”

“Welcome to the 21st century.” You mumbled, staring around the cafe, “Say, you see that guy over there?” Bucky subtly turned his head and looked to the guy you were indicating. “He’s been hovering quite a bit, wouldn’t you say?”

“He was lingering at the gate too, but it doesn’t seem he followed us here alone.” He paused, “He has a comm in his ear, we have to go.” Bucky grabbed your duffle and the man stood up, whispering something to his earpiece.

“FRIDAY, cancel Y/N’s flight, and tell Tony we’re coming to the compound right away. There’s an agent following us.” Bucky grabbed your arm and rushed you.

“Bucky he has a—“ you quickly put up a purple shield between you and the man, who just tried to shoot Bucky. “Gun.” You growled, using the same powers to slice the mans hand clean off, “But he can’t use it.” Bucky looked to you in shock, and then smiled. You ignored the mans howls of pain and continued running, while more men appeared out of nowhere.

You lost track of who was an airport security agent, and who was a HYDRA agent. Bullets were flying now from all directions, and now you kept a shield all around you, taking the time to injure each HYDRA agent. Bucky pulled you into the parking garage, and everything got quieter. It wouldn’t be like this for long.

“It’s gonna be an awkward fit, but come on.” He dragged you in front of a big motorcycle, handing you your duffle bag. He opened the seat and handed you a helmet. You heard the door open and lots of footsteps. You put the helmet on and squished the dufflebag between the two of you, holding on tightly.

The engine roared to life and Bucky sped off, you blocked more bullets, Bucky veered out in traffic and swerved around people aggressively. You could feel your heart racing, as you held on to Bucky’s chest the best you could with the big stuffed dufflebag between the two of you. By the time you got to the compound, you were shaking from adrenaline, and holding Bucky so tight you were sure it hurt him.

Tony and Steve ran out of the compound to meet you, Bucky parked the bike and you stepped off, he caught you when he saw how wobbly your legs were.

“What the hell happened?” Tony barked, you pulled your helmet off and Bucky took it back.

“HYDRA agent, he seemed to be alone but when we noticed him he came after us and others came out too, some dressed as airport security.” Bucky kept a secure arm around your middle.

“Y/N, you need to stay here.” Steve said, “Come on I’ll take you to your room, Tony and Bucky need to talk about what happened.”

“No way, I’m not letting her out of my sight. I’ll bring her to her room and then we can talk.” Steve raised his eyebrows.

“Barnes, you’ve done enough. Y/N, follow Steve.” Steve grabbed your bag and you hesitantly stepped out of Bucky’s grasp, you hated that somehow Bucky was now in trouble.

You followed Steve inside, and he led you to the elevator, “All of our rooms are on floor five, there’s six above floors, and as you can see, several below. There’s a gym, rec room, track, pool, spa room..” he trailed off, “just about anything you could want. We have state of the art kitchens..” you stopped listening and grabbed the elevator railing, stabilizing yourself.

The doors opened and you realized Steve was still talking, “Oh and Tony has a nice party once a month, we do weekly movie nights, weekly training sessions together—“

“Steve please just take me to my room, I think I’m gonna be sick.” You pleaded, he nodded and brought you down a hall of many doors, down at the very end he opened a door and dropped your dufflebag on a king sized bed.

“That’s the bathroom, and the closet is over there. You’re welcome to stay as long as you want. Just talk to FRIDAY if you need anything.” You nodded and went straight to the bathroom.

You stayed in the bathroom until you knew you weren’t gonna vomit, so instead you pulled out a pair of pajamas from your bag, changed, and crawled into bed. You sighed at how comfortable it was. You pulled your phone out and sent a text message to your friend saying you wouldn’t be there, that you had a family emergency.

You shut your eyes and just about fell asleep when a voice overhead piped up, “Hello Ms. Y/N. I’m FRIDAY. Mr. Barnes is at your door and is requesting enterance.”

“Let him in.” You commanded, sitting up. Bucky came in, looking weathered.

“Hey Y/N, I just wanted to see how you’re doing.” He stood at the doorway and you patted the bed, he came over and sat down to face you.

“I’m doing better, just tired from my flight and everything that happened.” He scratched the back of his neck.

“I’m sorry. I got distracted. I should’ve realized that the HYDRA agent was there before you pointed him out. I failed my duty to protect you.” His jaw was clenched, and now he bit his cheeks.

“Is that what Tony made you think?” You chuckled, “I don’t think either of us are hurt, are we?-“

“That’s because you put shields around us.”

“Bucky, you agreed he was suspicious, and that you noticed him beforehand. We wouldn’t have made it out alive if you hadn’t of driven so well.” You reached over and rubbed his metal arm reassuringly.

“I’m no longer going on that mission tomorrow, Tony thinks it’s a better idea if I hold down the fort and stay here. We can do something around here if you want.” Bucky stood up and sighed. “Thank you for not berating me.”

———————————————————————

Bucky didn’t sleep as well as he’d hope to. He felt dumb, dumb that he let Y/N distract him when you weren’t even trying to do that. You could’ve gotten hurt, or worse killed. He was too absorbed with how little time you guys would have together he didn’t even think to look around. You didn’t see it but he did.

Everyone had already left, and he was the first awake. He kept hearing Tony’s word in his head. “You can’t let your feelings get in the way of your job.” “She could’ve died and it would’ve been all your fault.” “This was a failure on your part, you’re lucky she’s a quick thinker.”

Bucky was just happy you didn’t feel the same way. Speaking of you, you came out of your room in your pajamas, wandering into the kitchen.

“Good morning.” Bucky tried super hard not to think about how cute you looked when you had just woken up. “Coffee?” He had brewed a whole pot in case you wanted some too.

“Mornin’, I wouldn’t mind a cup. Thanks.” He poured some into a mug and handed it to you.

“There’s sugar and creamer right here.” He pointed on the counter and you didn’t hesitate. Bucky made note of how you made your coffee, and watched you take a seat at the bar. “Are you hungry?”

You met his eye and grinned, “Are you always this chipper in the morning?”

Bucky’s cheeks turned red, “chipper?” He paused, “are you teasing me?”

“I wouldn’t be caught dead teasing you.” You shot him a wink.

Bucky readjusted his stance to seem taller, back straightening, “I would never let that happen.” He bit his lip to try and hide a smile, “although I would’ve never predicted you’d be so flirty in the morning.”

Your cheeks turned red this time, “Flirting? You think this is flirting?” You crossed your arms and stood up, leaving your coffee sitting and returning to your room.

You shut the door behind you and leaned against it, were you flirting with him? Why are you offended he called you out on it? Isn’t that good?

You opened the door and came back out, sitting back down, Bucky put his newspaper down. “Back so soon? Did you miss me too much?”

“No, I’m hungry. I would sell you for food.” Bucky flashed a beautiful smile, you felt your heart rate quicken, it dropped just as fast.

“And how much do you think I’m worth?” He stepped closer now, you could almost smell his cologne, you tried your hardest not to notice his stubble on his jawline. Or the way his shirt hugged his body, the way his hair was pulled back into a bun, just one stubborn strand you were dying to push back.

“At least enough for breakfast.” You concluded, “So about...French toast, bacon, and hash browns.”

He stood right in front of you now, “Of course doll, the metal arm itself could get you lots of that. I’m sure a couple of my super soldier organs could get you a lot on the black market.” Your heart rate was only climbing.

“Well get to it then. I won’t ask for your body parts again.” He grinned excitedly and walked back around to start making breakfast.

Did you really just flirt with Bucky, willingly?

———————————————————————

A/N: I hope you guys are liking this so far (: I’m really enjoying writing it! My inbox is always open!

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[how-to-survive-a-factory-tour]

How to Survive a Factory Tour - Chapter 7

A Sanders Sides / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Crossover

PREVIOUS

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I can’t believe this! I’m here! I’m right outside Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory and will be going inside when the clock strikes ten! Only half an hour of waiting to go...

I’m the first of the winners to arrive, of course. By the time I arrived at the factory, a crowd had already formed, and it had started to get bigger since, forming a semicircle around, well, me! Since no one else is here yet, I have some fun giving the photographers my best angles for photos. I notice Dad rolling his eyes and Pa chuckling at me from where they’re stood in the crowd.

“Nice poses. Maybe you should do the ‘draw me like one of your French girls’ pose next.”

I turn to see Ethan come into the semicircle, holding up his ticket so people will let him pass through. Almost immediately, all cameras turn to him. I’m not surprised, given as he didn’t have an interview, so no one really knew he had the ticket yet.

“Hey, don’t make fun of me for being dramatic when you’re wearing that,” I reply. "If I’d known fancy dress was a requirement, I would have come in my prince costume.”

Ethan straightens his bowtie. “What can I say? I dress to impress.”

He certainly does. He’s wearing a tux: yellow shirt, with a black bowtie, jacket and trousers. He’s also wearing a black bowler hat and yellow gloves. Very snazzy.

“I must admit, it is a nice look. Colour coordinated and everything.”

“Well, thank you.”

“Hi, guys!”

We both turn to see Patton and Logan pushing through the crowd, Emile and who I can only assume to be Patton’s parents just behind them. As they step into the semicircle, Patton turns and hugs his parents and brother. “Bye, Mum, Dad! I’ll see you later. You too, Em. Can’t wait to tell you about it all!”

Logan offers his hand to Patton’s parents, shaking both their hands in turn. “It was nice to meet you, Mr and Mrs Picani.”

“You too, Logan, but please, call us Dot and Larry,” Patton’s mum replies. “Have fun, you two.”

“Bye, Pat!” Emile smiles as Patton and Logan turn and come over to us.

Patton’s wearing a sky-blue polo shirt and khakis, as well as what looks to be a grey cat hoodie tied over his shoulders. Logan’s sporting a black polo shirt, a blue striped tie and blue jeans.

“This is so exciting!” Patton grins. “I can’t believe we’re going into Willy Wonka’s factory! Oh, it’s going to be wonderful!”

“I know!” I grin, staring up at the colossal mountain of a factory before us. “I wonder what will be inside...”

“Oh, I’m sure it’ll be very sweet!”

Logan lets out a groan at Patton’s pun. “Can you not? Please?”

“Aw, don’t you like puns, Lo? That’s pretty sour. Especially with your name. It’s a berry good pun!”

”That’s it. I’m going home. When’s the next flight to London?”

Ethan and I chuckle at them both. I must admit, there is definitely some romantic tension there. I ship it.

“Can I ask why Logan looks like he wants to die?”

Virgil steps into the semicircle, Remy and, by the looks of it, his twin brother just behind him.

“Patton’s telling puns,” Logan replies. “He won’t stop.”

“Are you trying to say I’ve reached a new Lo- “

“Don’t.”

“-gan.”

“I’ve lost all respect I had for you.”

I mouth ‘OTP’ to Virgil and he nods, replying with ‘definitely’.

“Anyway, guys, this is Thomas, my twin,” Virgil introduces us. “Thomas, these are the guys.”

We all greet each other when something catches my eye. “Why the camera?”

“Oh, um, I’ve recently started a new YouTube channel,” Thomas explains. “I figured all this would make a great video. Remy even suggested Virgil hide a camera on him to catch footage of inside.”

“Too bad that would probably get me kicked out,” Virgil shrugs. “Also, I don’t have a camera that small, or a phone to record on.”

“It’s super cool you have a channel though, Thomas!” Patton smiles, pulling his phone from his pocket. “What’s your channel called?”

“It’s just Thomas Sanders.”

Patton nods, typing on his screen. A moment later he smiles. “Found it! I’ll check out some of your videos after the tour.”

“Oh, wow, thanks.”

“No problem, kiddo!”

“How much longer until you all head inside?” Remy asks, sipping his Starbucks.

“About ten minutes,” Ethan replies. “Not much longer.”

“I’m just so excited!” Patton grins, letting out a small squeal of delight. “We’re actually going inside Willy Wonka’s factory! It feels like I’m dreaming. Someone pinch me so I’m sure I’m not.”

I lean over and pinch him and then myself. “Hm... Nope, definitely real.”

Patton chuckles. “I’m glad.”

I can’t help but notice Logan purse his lips as I make Patton laugh. Already protective and jealous and they’re not even dating yet. Man, Logan is really deep in this crush. Maybe he’s even passed the crush phase and gone into flat out love and adoration. It’s adorable.

In fact, I shuffle over to Logan and whisper in his ear. “Don’t worry, Logan, he’s all yours.”

I hold back laughter as Logan’s face burns bright red and he shoots me a glare.

“Oh, don’t act like that, it’s obvious you have feelings for him. You should go for it. You live in different countries. This might be your only chance to woo him.”

Logan seems consider this, before sighing. “You’d have a point if I knew anything about flirting and romancing. I do not. There’s nothing I can do.”

“Well, in that case, today’s your lucky day, my nerdy friend.” I drape my arm over his shoulders. “You see, I am the master of romance. Let me tell you what to do.” I clear my throat and sing, seeing my chance to reference Be More Chill.

“You gotta buy him a rose Compliment him on his clothes Say you appreciate that he’s smart You gotta tell him that he excites you sexually And that’s the way you get to his heart!”

“Wait, what was that last one? I can’t have heard that correctly...”

“Oh, you did.”

“I’m not telling him that!”

“Fine... In that case, it’s simple. Give him a gift at some point during the tour, something you know he’ll love, and compliment him. Like, ‘I got you this flower because the light blue colour reminded me of your beautiful aquamarine eyes.’ Simple.”

Logan nods, but still looks uneasy. I pat his shoulder. “You’ve got this, Erlenmeyer Trash.”

“Gee, thank you.” Logan rolls his eyes at the nickname. Unfortunately, my chance to make a witty response is snatched away when Patton gasps.

“The gates are opening!”

We all turn to look, a grin stretching across my face. This is it, the moment I’ve been waiting for since I was ten and the first contest was announced.

There he stands: Willy Wonka, dressed in a purple tailcoat, bottle green trousers, and a black top hat, a cane clutched in hand. He bows as the crowd cheers.

“Welcome! Welcome one and all to my factory! Please come forward one at a time and present your tickets!”

The five of us share glances, unsure of who should step forward first.

“Shall we go in the order we won our tickets?” Logan suggests. The rest of us nod in agreement before Patton steps forward.

“Hi! I’m Patton Picani! My brother and I are really big fans of your sweets.”

“Patton, wonderful to meet you!” Wonka grabs Patton’s hand and shakes it vigorously. “I always love meeting fans! Can I see your ticket? Hm...yes, it’s perfectly in order. Please go wait just inside the courtyard.”

As Patton went through the gates, Logan stepped forward next, handing over his ticket. “Logan Berry.”

“Logan, welcome! Amazing to meet you! Your ticket is valid, you may go through. Oh, today is going to be such a wonderful day!”

Logan flexes his arm once it’s let go, heading over to stand with Patton. I step forward next, flashing a charming smile. “Roman Prince, at your service.”

“Roman, ecstatic to meet you! Enraptured, enchanted! Your ticket? Let’s see... Perfect! Go right on through.”

I head over to the other two as Virgil presumably steps forward next. “I can’t believe we just spoke to Willy Wonka! I’m having the biggest fanboy moment of my life!”

“I know, right?” Patton grins. “It’s so hard for me to hold back squealing with excitement!”

“Don’t either of you think your reactions are a little over the top?” Logan asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Not at all, Microsoft Nerd! I have been waiting for this day my entire life...”

Virgil comes over and joins us. “Honestly, I’m just glad to be somewhere where I can actually get a decent amount to eat.”

“Oh, kiddo...”

“It’s fine, Pat. Jokes are my coping mechanism.”

“Not exactly a healthy one,” Logan replies.

“Hey, there’s really nothing else I can do to help my situation. Making jokes is my one way to make my life a little less dark.”

The conversation is cut off when Wonka and Ethan come over.

“Everyone here? Yes? Good! On we go!” Wonka turns and heads towards the door leading inside. We all quickly follow.

This is going to be wonderful! I can’t wait to find what wonders of pure imagination lie inside...

----------

NEXT

Couple of authors notes!

1) Remember, this is also an ask blog! Don’t be afraid to send in asks for the characters. Anyone introduced so far can be asked!

2) After the new video, you'll probably be wondering whether Remus is going to be in this story. The answer is yes! He will be! However, it won't be until quite a bit later. Don't worry, he'll be here.

Taglist: @clone-number-1, @pumpkinminette, @i-have-n0-idea-what-im-d0ing

[pixelburied]

excuse the cropped weirdly pictures; my family/pet's foster parents are great at snapping a sneaky picture of me curled into an unattractively slouched (relaxed) fetal state. which i'm self-conscious about because it's an unattractive position for pictures even tho i am quite pretty (but they are also cropped because im just also private as hell, sorry lmao). 

bonus tho: said pet is laying ontop of me, face buried in my shoulder, twitching in her sleep as we speak!

--- but anyway. onto the actual submission:

so yeah. i saw your post! i'm here to address your call for dogs. but i dont have anymore pictures of my dog, Cash. however, i do have stuff about my cat, Allegra. 

i dont have any of them together cuz Cash lives at my family's house and Allegra lives in my apartment. and we're p sure he'd try to eat her and she'd scratch the hell out of him, so we don't try to let them meet. but, just like how Cash continued the legacy of us adopting another big slobbery dog with possessive seperation-anxiety, Allegra does fit all the criteria of those same personality traits we are such a beacon for. so i hope youll accept it as comfort nonetheless

here's a story about my cat who acts just like a anxious, cuddly, and slobbery pupper. i even bought her a pet ID tag that's shaped like a bone to honor that joke lmao) Allegra: "the honorary and tiniest mastiff" and named after the allergy medication

i got Allegra just this last year. she was a stray. now, for context: there are lots of outdoor cats in my neighborhood and they all hate strangers (they aren't feral tho, they have collars). but they all avoided my old house though because of Cash. so Allegra, newly abandoned, took advantage of that safety(?) by constantly hiding out around my family's house whenever she felt endangered

before that point tho, where i vaguely realized she existed but had no idea of what her strategy had been: i knew the cats of the neighborhood would run 15 miles away at the sound of people. but i am a small bean of cliches, so i always say "Hi kitty" anyway. even if them running away breaks my heart. and on that day, i was on my way to work for the opening shift, not early per se but i had enough time for starbucks if i wanted (and i did want) and i saw the vague mass of a cat on the lawn. predictably, i went "Hey kitty". but i also kept walking to my car due to said expectation of cats running and not wanting my heart to have that little break

and allegra did run. she just ran at me, full speed. i almost kicked this sudden HURLING THING in my peripherals like a football out of fight/flight + anxiety, except i have the aim of Charlie Brown so i thankfully missed her terribly. she was purring up a storm and crying pathetically. tho she's a Siamese, so they talk (read: complain) a lot anyway so maybe she wasn't crying. i always call her talking "crying" anyway tho cuz of the whiny pitch of it so such is a moot point. the real point was: she was ridiculously friendly

then, one morning, she was especially incorrigible. she wouldn't let me go into the car without her jumping inside too and kept scenting me, my car door, and all my equipment for this art class i was going to use for my presentation. a presentation that was a huge chunk of my grade that i couldn't be late for and Allegra was going to make late for. i had to trick her into thinking i was going to run away from my car, to which she zoomed ahead to cut me off, except i had actually done a fake-out and had really ran into the driver's seat and was already starting to slowly reverse out of the driveway. she had the sense to not go after a moving vehicle, thank god. my family texted me she cried outside our front door for hours later though. my art class that semester met once a week, so it was a 4.5 hour class that started at 7AM. and even tho that day had been a presentation day and we had less than 15 students, we still went over 3 hours. she cried during all of it. i used the "free time" to make sure i bought a cat leash and a cardboard cat carrier. but when i came back, heard no crying

i tried to get one of my neighbors to hold onto her for the afternoon. i couldnt leave her in my old house; i had family members i lived with who were terribly allergic. but i swore, so long as someone held onto her for my shift, i could take her to a shelter after. she was just so friendly and obviously new here, i just needed someone to put her somewhere safe (we lived by the freeway, by a train, by the main alternative to the freeway, and by two dog parks). but nobody really could hold onto her, so i had to hope she'd show up again when i came back from work. she didn't. i left her food out anyway.

i took her to the Humane Society Shelter closest to us because they have a microchip scanner. and she did have a chip! that was completely empty! apparently, that's a thing!! the guy there asked if i was going to keep her then, and i hadn't really thought that far. i had made the mistake of naming her and thinking she was cute, and she had done the legwork of being a cuddly motherfucker who purred constantly whenever i was around

she'd only ever appear in the early morning, when i was on my way to my shift or a midterm. about a week or two passed like this with me having no idea where she was for the rest of the day. turns out, according to said allergic family members, Allegra actually never left the house. she would hide on our roof or on our back porch's clutter or in our droopy lawn plants (like our sweetgrass) to hide from the outdoor cats or other dangers (she's a smart cat who hates the sound of cars and would hide whenever any one was particularly loud)

i'm pretty sure she's plenty well-cared for tho. in fact, i'm almost positive she's a very spoiled cat. for example, i have backups of everything x2. i have one of everything in my living area and a copy in my bedroom, should i need to close her in there when allergic family members are over (i also carry all the big allergy medication brands as a back-up in case i get a visitor who forgot to take their medication, which includes me being stocked with allegra the medication lmao) and then i also have a back-up of all her stuff in my closet should anything break. i always make sure all my windows are open when i leave for class/shifts so she can have "Cat TV" since birds do fly around the area. she has a ton of toys (she has a toy box actually) and i bought her multiple hideaways (like her shark pictured here; she also has a cactus that's pretty cute). also, ontop of having a good breakway collar, her microchip now reads my information. but yeah, im still working on the money to get her one more of everything for the house we visit for the holidays so i don't have to carry everything. i do a lot of research still-- on both cats and Siamese-- to make sure i am doing everything to make her happy, since her world is just me and our apartment now

i called out for her-- i had long since started calling her Allegra as a joke, because its a name of a popular allergy medication and so much of my family was allergic-- and shrugged sadly when she didn't come out. i had just put my stuff down to get my key out when i heard a familar crybaby. turns out, she had been sleeping in our sweetgrass and i had woken her up. she ran over and i called my family to take my things inside while i used the rest of my day to get her to a shelter. i put on a cat harness+leash before trying to out her in the cardboard box. don't buy cardboard boxes from Pet Co. they're shit. she broke out of it Alien style before i had even fully reversed out of the driveway. i had to improvise her leash into a seatbelt instead

but yeah. i say my favorite gremlin is dog-like because:

she has an overbite, so she looks like she's got her lip jutted out in a pout all the time. what's dog-like about it is this makes her slobber whenever she's excited or content (and i've grown up with mastiffs, who slobber so much you need 2 rags per room dedicated to their slobber)

hesitatingly, i called my only family member that was semi-local to see if he would be okay with fostering her until i was going to move (which was less than 6 months away) because, otherwise, i wasn't going to be able to keep her. and she was definitely going to be adopted immediately. he and his wife said of course, without hesitation. they were both huge cat lovers and they were, emotionally, my closest family members; so i had kept them in the loop about my cat quest. and they had already discussed potentially fostering Allegra, knowing my request was a possibility (read: probability). he drove over from his workplace to pick her up, with his own carrier, and drove the roughly 2 hours from our house back to his

she meows when people are at the door and greets them by begging for pets

she loves shoes. she steals my tennis shoes because she loves the laces and she will try to swat at them when im tying them. her claw getting stuck and forcing me to not continue has worked to make me late multiple times. but she also will lay down around my friends' feet and rub her face against their shoes, flipflops, and toes. one of my friends likes to joke that allegra has a foot fetish. she also can and will put her face into my tennis shoes and try to sleep like that. that's my bastard baby

i visited their house about once a week. except during finals, where i didn't visit for two or three weeks since i didnt have any exams so much as i had projects. (allegra was PISSED at me when i came back, my cuddly kitty refused to come near me and would run away when forcibly placed on my lap. she even swiped at me. by the next visit, she was grumpy but happier. by the one after that, everything was back to normal) i really liked visiting those family members too; it made us even closer. though it still annoys the male how much research i do about cat-care (as opposed to just accepting everything everyone tells me as gospel). i researched even down to "how to best pet a cat". i did this since, due to said allergic family members, i had never owned a cat and therefore didnt osmosisly process how to best care for one. i've also never been fully fauthful of people's advice that's based on "This is how we've/the media always done it". my history with mastiffs showed that not all breeds are the same and that you do have experts to utilize within your phone, and they are experts over peers for a reason. so i looked up dumbass questions like "how to best pet a cat" since i'm not an expert and Jackson Galaxy and friends are right there in my phone

she wants to play constantly. she loves tug of war the most, but anything involving chase has her going at full-speed

ive spoken to fellow cat-owners and mastiff-owners about this, and i thought this was interesting: when she isn't playing, she's sleeping. which is what mastiffs and cats do. and when i get up, she follows me. which is what our mastiffs do. and while i do stuff, she sits and waits by the doorway or else walks around my feet until i tell her to sit out of the way. which is what our mastiffs do. and then i go to sit down again, and she lays down as close as she can and goes back to sleep, which is what our mastiffs do. apparently, none of my friends cats do this; their cats just, at best, wake up to watch them leave and then their cats go back to sleep in the same place regardless of if they come back

Allegra likes to sleep at the foot of my bed for bedtime, at least for a majority of it

but, regardless if my worries, allegra seems happy! she cuddles with her claws out all the time (not sticking into my skin, just out) which is a sign of contentment. she'll also use her claws to keep me in place, like a fucking seatbelt (example pictured in post); it's where her claws will dig into the furniture and i cannot get up because of her, the possessive piece of shit. but she also gives me tons of Slow Blinks of I Love You. and she always runs to greet me at the door. and it's really funny how, anytime there's guests over, she tries to make it obvious that she's my favorite over (usually through politely tapping my leg with her paw to ask and recieve pets, and then giving everyone a very Cat Surrounded By Knives grin cuz i havent petted any of THEEEMMM lmao) she's hilarious

she doesn't like to be carried unless it means she's going with me somewhere outside the house. then she's as well-behaved as a chihuahua in a purse

she licks my hands all the time. and she licks my face to wake me up (at 4AM, Allegra, go aWAY)

she loves smelly clothes. the shoe part should tell you that much tho. for our mastiffs, we would leave them a smelly piece of clothing between washes to comfort via smell. Allegra, in a similar vein, was not impressed when i bought a laundry basket with a lid (almost carrying her to the communal laundry room once was enough, thank you!)

in the same vein as the clothes: she also loves blankets too. the more Me Smelling the blanket, the better (aka she doesn't like brand new blankets until its been like. month two or three of use). this is largely because i love blankets. but she kneads them, purring, even if im not using them. and when i am, she takes my using them as an invitation for cuddles

she sits whenever i tell her "NO" like 'who me? i was not doing a bad. i am but small creature'

she asks for a daily walk. she doesn't like the idea of being an outdoor cat. she just wants walks. like, she has lived several months not going outside and has been super happy. she made it clear on her adoption day that she was done with outside. she was perfectly content with being an indoor cat! still is, in a way! i ruined it. for myself. me. i was worried she wasn't being stimulated enough, so i experimented taking her on a walk and now i have created a monster. now she sits by the door and cries until i get out her harness and leash. which she hates her harness in a "no ball, only throw" kinda way. but she has also proven hates going outside alone since she is now ALSO scared of everything (remember those outdoor cats Allegra The Stray would hide from? how they would run away from strangers?? yeah. now that she has a Person, Allegra's turned into one of Them now). yeah.. she runs the fuck away (or as far as she can with a leash) from people she sees on her walks now. and it is pretty obvious she hates cars and dogs too, because when i have walked her outside of our new complex she is too petrified to move. like, she freezes even when just being close to a street. she likes our complex's janky carpeted hallways between the apartments, and she likes the ability to hide behind my legs. being an outdoor cat is something Allegra has decided she is not a fan of. if i try to change things up scenery-wise, she always asks to go home as soon as possible and runs into the apartment if our walks turn too much into what her life was before being adopted (aka. streets/cars, lawns, people walking). she wants walks. she LOVES and BEGS for walks. but not be outside. walks. even though she still hates her harness lmao

and that's Allegra! she's aproximately 2 years old, i've had her for less than a year, and she's assumedly a purebred Siamese cat. and she's also my ESA, or Emotional Support Animal. if applicable, a cuddly and loving pet is helpful for keeping mental health more stable. in my experience of getting one, it was fairly easy to get it permitted; especially a cat because they're super easy to get registered as compared to a dog. i am lucky enough to have regular physician as my doctor that empathizes with mental health and knows it not to be her area of expertise so much as the patient+their therapist (but also i have a history of attempted treatment on my medical record since i was 16), so my getting registered was literally just me asking for a doctor's note and her giving it to me near immediately. i can't take Allegra with me to classes or resteraunts or anything, nor do i even want to, but it forces apartments/hotels to HAVE to let me board with my ESA and to do so without an additional fee. however, i don't know if that's how ESAs work internationally or even in all of the states of America, the country where i live. but it definitely helps to have someone who needs me to get up everyday, who can never trigger me, who makes me laugh with their hijinks, and who cuddles with me regardless of if i have had a good day or bad day. Allegra is especially good at her job by being especially attentive whenever i am anxious. even if it's just me getting a little bit anxious because i'm late in turning an assignment in but have logically decided it doesn't matter because the assignment is only 2 points anyway, just turn it in late and don't focus on it; and she starts patting my leg almost continuously asking for pets inbetween rubbing herself on my legs. it's why i let her get away with never paying rent. i'm really glad she chose me. we both got really lucky with that decision ♡

i don't want to assume your situation, so i won't recommend an ESA for you so much as just remind you that they exist. i hope this all helps you feel supported and encouraged to continue to find the small wonders ♡♡♡

[conorpmaynard]

All Started With a Song Part 7// Conor Maynard

Word Count-  1852

Summary- conor sees your cover and contacts you

A/n- (feel free to change the friends name I was just too lazy to write y/f/n that may times) so sorry it took so long. i was at my friends and couldnt get time to post. heres part 7. i hope you enjoy. im also not going to lie ot you guys, i have no idea when part 8 will be up. this is laos the longest imagine ive written so far!

~~

You groaned as you rolled over in your bed, the loud noise filling your ears. Your alarm was going off. You slowly reached your hand out from under the blankets and shut it off. You were so tired but you knew you needed to get up. It was currently midnight. You needed to pack everything into the car, get to the airport and get everything checked in by 2:30.

You reluctantly got out of your oh-so-warm bed and walked to the guest room.

“Ali, get up. We have to get ready,” you whispered, lighting shaking the brunette.

You walked to the other side of the bed, “Livy, c’mon. We have to get ready.”

“Why did we stay up last night? We’re so dumb,” Alice groaned, sitting up.

“I regret it so much,” Olivia whined, pulling the blanket over her head.

You laughed lightly, grabbing the blanket and ripping it off the bed.

“You bitch! What did I ever do to you?!” Olivia shrieked.

“Get up you lazy bums. I’m making breakfast,” you said walking out to the kitchen.

“By making do you mean getting the cereal and bowls out?” Alice smiled, following you.

“And the milk!” you retorted.

“Hey Liv, can you bring me some Ibuprofen? My head is killing me,” Alice lightly shouted. A few moments later the blonde came out with a bottle of pills.

“Why did we do that last night?” She groaned.

“Because we’re dumb and immature,” you laughed.

“Not so loud please,” Alice whispered, swallowing 2 of the pills.

“Sorry,” you gave her a smile. “Maybe some Cheerios will help.” You passed her a bowl full of her favorite cereal.

“Oh my god,” she moaned as she took a bite. “God is real.”

You and Olivia laughed.

“Did we take any videos from last night?” you asked, handing Olivia her bowl.

“Let me check,” she took a spoonful of cereal while opening her camera roll. “Oh. My. God.”

“What?” you and Alice asked in unison.

“Look,” she had a weird look on her face when she handed you her phone.

You looked at the screen, mouth wide open.

You were stood on your bed, in an old t shirt and booty shorts. You were clearly drunk and very happy.

“Y/n!” shouted Alice. “Give your bae a quick shootout!”

“Yeah!” Olivia giggled, her grip on the phone shaky.

“I don’t have a bae,” you said sadly. “But I will give a shout out. Shout out to Conor Maynard for being a grade A asshole.” You hoisted the bottle of beer in your hand into the air. “You really know how to treat a girl. Hope your mommy’s proud of you.” You kneeled on the bed and got really close to the camera.

“Oh, and I think I might love you…” you said quietly. And then the video ended.

You stood there, not realizing the tears that had shed down your cheeks.

“Oh babe,” Olivia wrapped you in a hug. “I’m sorry.”

“No. Don’t feel bad. I was drunk, I said something I didn’t mean.” You lied through your teeth, hoping they would believe you. “We’re going to LA in a few hours, we should be happy!”

“Speaking of that, we should really get ready.”

“Oh crap,” Alice said looking at the clock. “It’s already 12:45.”

You three quickly washed your dishes and rushed to the bathroom. You guys spent the next 45 minutes getting ready, jamming out to music and packing your essentials into your carry ons.

By 1:30 you three were stood at your door, making sure you had everything.

“Carry ons?” you asked.

“Check!”

“Check,” Olivia placed her hands around the straps of her backpack.

“Phone and charger?”

“Got them both,” Alice said phone in hand.

“Where’s your charger?” you asked.

“In my bag.”

“Prove it.”

She sighed, “Yes mom.” She took her backpack off, opening the front pocket to reveal her various chargers.

“Olivia?”

“Check and check, “she had her charger in one hand, phone in the other.

“Makeup?”

“We packed all of it into yours.”

“Oh right. I have the necessities, Liv has the snacks and you have the activities,” you pointed at Alice who nodded.

“Suit case?”

“You can see them!” Olivia chuckled.

“I’m just going through the list we made!”

“Computers?”

“Yes! We both have them! Can we please go now?”

“Yes! Let’s go!!” you squealed, shooing them out the door. You placed the key in the lock and turned it. “Hold on, I need to do one more thing.”

“What?”

You ignored their questioning looks as you walked across the hallway, knocking on the door. The door opened faster than any of you expected.

“Mornin’,” said the very attractive young male who just happened to be shirtless.

“Hey Alex, here’s the key. Feel free to eat any food you find and use my Netflix.” You smiled, handing him the key.

“No problem,” he smiled, leaning against the door for support. “What exactly am I doing again?”

You chuckled, “Just making sure no one breaks in.”

“Right,” he straightening himself. “I can do that.”

“Thanks again,” you reach up and kissed him on the cheek. “I owe you.”

He smirked and closed the door. You turned around to two girls gawking at you.

“What the hell was that?” Olivia asked.

“That’s my neighbor Alex,” you said, grabbing your suitcase and beginning the long walk to the elevator.

“Why have you never mentioned him?” Alice asked, following you.

“Never came up, I guess,” you shrugged, approaching the elevator.

“Can we also talk about how its Alex. As in Jack Maynard’s friend Alex.” Olivia trailed off.

You laughed, pressing the elevator button, “It’s not a big deal guys. He doesn’t really socialize with anyone but the boys.”

“Have you guys hung out?” Alice pestered, following you into the elevator.

“Once, but it was when I first moved it last year. He was nice, but then had to leave cuz Abe needed help with someone. We just never clicked,” you shrugged once more.

“Why are you not freaking out?” Olivia questioned.

“Because I wasn’t going to use him to get to Conor, so why try? Yeah he’s nice and stuff, but I’m not that kind of person. Also he’d find out sooner or later that I’m a fan of him and his best friends.”

“You have a point, but I would have been all over that,” Alice laughed.

“Do you want his number?” you joked.

“You have it?” she gawked.

“No,” you laughed. “I just wanted to see your reaction.”

~~

It took you girls a solid 10 minutes to figure out how to get everything in the car, it was like a giant version of Tetris.

The car ride was full of out-of-tuned singing and dirty looks from people who were stuck at the stoplight next to you.

When you finally got to the airport you parked in the long term parking and walked inside. It took about 20 minutes to get through security. You had to stop and beg the security to let you take the snacks on the 11 hour flight, which they eventually allowed.

You stopped by a Starbucks because you were all running on about 2 hours of sleep.

“Guys look!” Olivia smiled, pointing out the large windows that displayed all the airplanes.

“Let’s get a picture!” you giggled.

“Hi, could you please take a few photos of us?” Alice asked a teenage girl.

“Sure!” she smiled a big toothy smile and took the phone.

You guys took some facing away from the camera, some facing the camera and some sitting on the ground. After thanking the girl, you exchanged pictures.

While you were sat at Gate 4 waiting for your flight to LA, Conor was an absolute mess.

~~

“I fucked up mate,” Conor sighed, spreading across the couch.

“And I don’t feel bad,” Jack said annoyed. Conor did this to himself.

“What do I do?” he asked his younger brother.

“Let her go. Bro you lost her, just accept that.” His brother sighed, pausing the game to give Conor his full attention

“I can’t,” Conor sat up, squeezing a pillow tight to his chest. “I like her a lot.”

“Then why did you ‘forget’?” Jack asked, using the finger quotes when necessary.

“Because I was jealous, I wanted to make her jealous. But I regret it,” he groaned, slamming his head into the pillow.

“If you regret it, why did you unadd her on everything?”

“I don’t know, I was upset that I just let her leave.”

“Bro, you’re so fucking stupid.” And with that Jack got up and went to his room.

Leaving Conor by himself while he was sad was a bad idea. He always did things he would later regret. And this time was no different, he opened his phone and went to Instagram. One lil peek wouldn’t hurt.

Yes it would.

He typed in your username and noticed you had a new picture. The picture was of you and two girls, the same two girls from your previous post, in front of a giant window of what looked like an airport. All three of you were in a squatting position. Alice and Olivia had their fingers pointing at the camera and you were in the middle, hands in prayer formation.

His eyebrows knit together in confusion as he read the caption.

@y/i/n/

spontaneous vacay with my besties? i think yes!

Where were you going? Why? Who were you going to see there? What were you going to do? He clicked the picture and went to the brunette’s, Alice, page. He was even more upset after seeing her post.

@aliiibooo

a spoon full of travel makes the sadness go away

Her picture was off you three, once again in front of the giant window. But this time you were in the middle, one arm wrapped around each girl. Alice was throwing up a peace sign and the blonde, Olivia, had her hand on your face, squishing your cheeks together. He once again clicked on the picture, this time going to Olivia’s page.

Her post was of you three facing away from the camera. Conor couldn’t see your face but he knew you looked beautiful.

@oliviaaaaaa

LA, we’re coming for ya ;)

California? Why were you going to California? What was in California that wasn’t in London?

Lots of things you idiot.

Conor was half tempted to message you about it. But then he got a call.

Incoming call: Anth

Anth? Why was Anth calling him?

“Hey bro, what’s up?” Conor asked, curiosity filling him as he laid back on the couch.

“Before I tell you anything, you have to promise not to get mad or do anything stupid,” Anth said slowly.

“What are you on about?” Conor chuckled.

“Promise me,” there was no laughter in Anth’s voice.

“Okay… I promise. Now tell me what’s going on,” he sat up again.

“Y/n is coming to LA to do a cover with me,” Anth said quickly, fear consuming him.

It took Conor a few seconds to respond but Anth never expected him to say what he did.