#with this small of a caption there’s actually a lot to unpack here | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

annie-mit-ie · 3 years

Text

Glimpses: Part 5 (Kathryn Hahn x Fem!Reader)

Part 1 / previous chapter <<< >>> next chapter

Summary: Just a random Morning.

Word Count: 1.5k

A/N: I’m sorry this is rather short once again, but the middle of the week is usually my busiest time with uni and work and all. @zafirosreverie keeps saying that you guys are most likely happy about every single word posted, so I hope nobody actually minds if some chapters turn out to be a little shorter than others. Besides that: Enjoy! Hope everyone is having a great day!

_____________________________________________________________________________

It’s been four days since you’ve left the hotel. That’s four days in which you haven’t heard from Kathryn. It drives you crazy and gets to you more than you want to admit. You’ve talked to Alex about it and the both of you agreed that she must be very busy right now because there is no reason for her to ghost you. Or is there?

You have to listen to Alex more. She always preaches how worrying doesn’t make any sense. “Worrying only means that you suffer twice, Sweetheart.“, she says and sometimes you feel like that’s the smartest thing someone has ever told you.

It’s time to pace up and down in your room, again. Your phone has become you biggest enemy and you know it’s childish, you really know, but you just wanted all of this to mean something to her, too, and the realization setting in that it doesn't just doesn’t sit right with you. Looking at the clock on the wall, you realize it’s just past 11 and your mom should be back from her shopping spree any minute. You stayed home, even though you had your day off today. But considering your current worries, you just didn't feel like leaving the house.

The problem about all of this is that your dear Kathryn Hahn doesn’t have social media, which is why you have no clue what’s happening in her life right now, at all. But then again, there is not much happening lately, anyway, so how much could there be to tell you? Wandavision just aired and she had lots of press to do, which is now finally calming down again. Good for her.

Your life is boring, too. In between university and work, you’ve got time for an occasional movie night with Alex over Facetime here and there, but other than that everything is going kinda slow right now. On second thought, though, how boring can life be when you literally just met your favorite actress? Ironic, that you’ve met her before you’ve met Alex. Online friendships are wild.

A noise right outside of your window grabs your attention and you move your blinds to check on it. It’s a beautiful summer day, the sky is blue, the bluest kind and the clouds up there are so tiny and fluffy, it reminds you of little pieces of cotton candy. You keep your blinds closed all day in summer since it gets pretty hot in LA and, coming from upstate, you don’t enjoy that as much as the locals. Looking straight down in front of your house, you see your mom, who is just arriving home, about to unpack groceries from the back of her car. Tossing your phone onto your bed, you run downstairs to lend her a helping hand.

Your mom, a sweet lady with dark hair and loving eyes, is very thankful as you appear at the front door and plants a short kiss on your temple before handing her bags to you. “Thank you, dear.“ You smile. It has always been just your mom and you and the relationship you guys were having is great. Even though you don’t agree on everything, life with her is easy and you feel at peace knowing she is around. In a way, your mom is your best friend, too.

When you came out to her, just a while back, she wasn’t shocked or anything, no, quite the opposite actually. After you told her all about it, it felt like she was loving you just a tad bit more for truly being you. She actually supports you in everything you do. Thinking about that, you squint your eyes trying not to cry, since it is still making you very emotional.

You place the bags on the counter and help her sort through them to put the groceries away. “Thank you so much, Y/N.“

She walks past you and shortly places her hand on your forearm as she puts her bag down on a kitchen chair.

Your home is more than big enough for the both of you. The ground floor is pretty much an open space with a beautiful white marble-colored kitchen that leads into a living room that is characterized by a large mint green couch, a little darker than the mint green color that fills the walls. There is a small electronic fire place in the corner and a rather big tv is hanging on the wall. Scanning the place, your heart fills with warmth as you remember the endless hours you have spent with your mom sitting on that very couch, watching classics after classics. Movies really are your kind of thing.

Your mom sees the way you look at the space. “It’s time for another movie night soon, isn’t it, Hon?“ You nod eagerly and wrap her in a big hug.

“Yes Mom! Let’s watch something on Friday, I would love that! Your choice of movie!“ You're beaming.

Lately, with all the work and school stuff you have going on and the time you spend online, you feel like you are losing touch with your mom a little, even though you try to eat dinner with her every single night.

Looking at your mom, you can tell how happy it makes her that you're actively making time for her. She looks at you a little too long, though. You can tell she is trying to read you by the way her eyebrow is raised, just a little, and the fact that she is holding on to the kitchen counter with one hand has her knuckles turn a little too white. Neither of you says anything as if she is waiting for you to come forward. You don’t. She sighs.

“Are you alright, Honey?“ You mom lets go of the counter and faces you directly.

For a moment, you think about if you should tell her. But tell her what? About how you have met Kathryn and, essentially, spent a night with her? You can’t. After all, Kathryn is still a stranger and she would be so mad if she knew. But at the same time your mom and you share anything and everything, so you might very well just go for it.

You consider your options, but the fact that Kathryn hasn’t contacted you yet holds you back. If it was a one time thing, she really doesn’t need to know and worry about it all. You don’t want her to worry. You opt for the option not to spill and shoot her a forced smile “It’s fine, Mom. I’m just tired and missing Alex. That’s all. As always.“

She nods and you can tell that she doesn’t fully believe you by the look she has on her face. Her eyes give away so much, you got this from her. Hiding things from other people really isn’t your best trait. But then again, you don’t want it to be. Honesty is very important to you, always has been, which is why your friendship with Alex works so well, because she is an open book ready for you to read at any given moment.

You remember the time and the fact that Alex is probably on her way to bed right now. She didn’t have the best day and you want to talk to her, just for a few minutes, before she drifts off to sleep. You tell your mom and, of course, she completely understands and tells you to just be back downstairs in an hour latest to have lunch with her. Planting a short kiss on her cheek, you grab a drink from the counter and make your way upstairs, already trying to remember where you put your phone.

It’s easier to find than you expect. When you open the door, the room is still set in darkness, the sun just barely finding its way through the blinds, but the phone, lit up by a notification that’s just coming in, illuminates the space around your bed.

Thinking it must be Alex, who is shooting her daily after-work-update your way, you jump onto your bed, kicking down half of the pillows and blankets on it in the process. You catch your favorite one, a light colored fall blanket with orange pumpkins on it, right before it touches the floor. Thank God, you think, as you pile it under your chin to use it as a pillow while you reach for your phone.

Alex had indeed texted you, but not just now. The notification lighting up your phone consisted of a picture. A platter with nicely decorated breakfast on it is looking at you, a pool (on what looks like a roof top) in the background. The caption is short, nothing special, but to you it means the world.

„This made me think of you. xx K.“

#kathryn hahn #kathryn Hahn x Reader #Kathryn Hahn fan fiction #Kathryn Hahn x you #groupie #groupie au

97 notes · View notes

groovybaybee · 4 years

Text

Greener - II

Greener - I

(4.2k)

cw: mentions of abuse (not this chapter and nothing too intense but better safe than sorry) also alcohol consumption

There are moments in life that conjure up intense emotion any time you think about them. Happy or sad, whenever your mind flicks through its rolodex of memories and lands on it, you feel that moment come to life. You brain must have logged every detail of that time and packed it away in the back of your brain for you to stumble upon later down the road. Your mind takes you back to that moment and brings your senses along with it. My mother always reaches for these moments in times of strife, dipping her hand into a lucky dip of ‘happy places’ and allowing the sensation to wash over her. Her favourite is a family holiday to Spain, sipping ice-cold drinks as we swung our legs in the chilly waters of the pool below us.

Not all the moments I remember are so positive, but I feel them just as strongly. Instead, I created my own ‘happy place’ to escape to whenever I felt overwhelmed.

I stand, waist-deep, in warm water. Waves lap around me, hugging and kissing my naked skin as I breathe gently under the moonlight. The sky above me is clear and an audience of stars shine down on me. I bare my soul to the universe and feel love and appreciation in return. The night sky watches over me as I let my eyes close, leaning my head back, chin high. My shoulders relax more than they ever have as a warm but refreshing breeze wraps around me, hugging me tightly. I hear trees rustle somewhere behind me, whispering sweet sentences to one another as the sand beneath my feet reaches my ankles, anchoring me securely to the world, grounding and protecting me from floating away.

I let my eyes open and I am back in my kitchen. No gentle breezes or salty air. Just my kitchen, with its colourful, mismatching crockery and photographs blu-tacked to the wall. However, there is a clear change in the room since the time I shut my eyes tightly, my chest feels looser, my throat no longer feels as though it is closing, and my breathing has slowed drastically.

Raising my phone from my side, I return to the source of my sudden panic.

A news article, forwarded from my manager, Jim, a simple ‘Didn’t know you were dating’ preceded the link to the website. Of course, he was joking, not realising the stress I was about to feel.

Quickly clicking the link, I remind myself to breathe deep and slow as I am redirected to a webpage.

BACK ON THE HORSE? HARRY STYLES SPOTTED GETTING CLOSE WITH MYSTERY WOMAN

Hunky heartthrob, Harry Styles, caught canoodling outside hot Los Angeles restaurant, Spago. Despite reportedly having only split with model ex-girlfriend, Camille Rowe, a mere two months ago, the pop sensation was witnessed cosying up to a new woman.

I am skim-reading at this point, desperate to get to the end with some shred of mental stability. My eyes land on the articles singular piece of ‘evidence’, a video taken from across the street. It begins with Harry and I talking and laughing outside the restaurant, follows us as we migrate closer to one another, my head thrown back in laughter before we are nearly pressed together. I had not realised quite how close we had gotten. The video ends when Harry and I are blocked from view, Harry’s car obstructing the camera’s line of sight. No one would be able to tell we did not kiss. My stomach squeezes uncomfortably as I read the video’s caption.

Keep it in your pants guys!

It is all a little dramatic. A small part of me wants to laugh at the way this has all been exaggerated and made into a big deal. That amusement fizzles as I continue to read the article, pausing after reading the final line.

All this has us wondering, has Harry really moved on so quickly?

Good question.

Quickly replying to my manager, I send the words ‘Blind date’, before glancing at the comments beneath the article.

Big mistake.

Despite the article not naming me directly, not something I am shocked or offended by as Harry is clearly the more famous of the two of us, the comment section of the webpage has not mirrored the same unawareness. Almost every comment mentions me by name, the majority questioning how we even know each other.

I allow myself to be sucked into the vortex of curiosity, taking in every opinion possible. Many of the replies to the news make it clear that they do not know who I am, and therefore that is reason enough for me to be nowhere near Harry. A lot of comments debate whether or not Harry has fully dealt with his breakup, suggesting that this was a PR move to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. I make the mistake of googling her.

Well I don’t think the jealousy tactic is likely to be effective.

She is stunning. A French model. Could I be more of a cliched parallel to her? I try not to compare the two of us, however, a few comments bring attention to the bloat of my stomach and it becomes very difficult not to feel vulnerable after that. It was a blind date. Harry and I were set up. That is the only reason he would ever look at me twice.

But he wants to see me again.

I cling to that thought and close the webpage on my phone, pocketing it and deciding fresh air is what I need. Stepping through the patio doors of my house, I peek out into the sunshine, letting the warm rays soak into me instantly. The small house is built on a hill, the garden demonstrating this the most as it is split into two grassy tiers. I walk up the concrete steps until I reach the patio furniture at the top. Sitting myself on one of the wooden chairs, I take a second to appreciate the view; the back of my house shaded by the incline of the hill which allows me to peer over the top of my roof and look out at the hills. As a kid, I had pictured living somewhere warm enough for palm trees, now I am able to watch them arc in the wind.

I did this, and this is far more important than a few words. I am alive, I am good, and I am kind.

Pressing my toes into the soft, cool grass beneath me, I slip my phone out of my pocket and compose a text.

Sat in my garden and I reckon the view would be fun to paint, fancy it?

The soft yellowy horizon gives me a sense of security as the evening creeps in. There is so much beauty in the world and I am glad I took the time to sit out here rather than obsessing over some meaningless gossip. It will all blow over and people will either forget about us or realise that we are not actually together. A small smirk tugs at my lips as I imagine pinning this on Lucy and using it as an excuse to get a free drink out of her.

My phone vibrates twice against the wooden table.

I love that idea. Tomorrow work? (I’ll bring wine) – Harry

I cannot help but grin at the small screen, quickly typing a reply.

4pm? Catch the last of the sun that way. Also you don’t have to keep signing off!

Only a few seconds after placing my phone back down on the table, I have to pick it back up to read his latest message.

Sounds perfect. It’s harder to stop than you’d think – Harry

Giggling at him, I lock my phone and set it down, excitement pooling in the bottom of my stomach. This time tomorrow Harry will be sat beside me, paint-covered and maybe a little bit tipsy. I make a quick mental note to go shopping for food to line our stomachs, not wanting to let him be exposed to my drunken self just yet.

I spend the next day getting my house presentable, or at least as tidy as possible despite the numerous large, brown boxes which clutter my living room. I also spend the day doing errands, shopping for food and drinks Harry might like (probably going a bit overboard and buying enough options for five people rather than two), and picking up some art supplies for the two of us.

Once home, I unpack the groceries, setting some of them out on plates and dishes, making an attempt at a charcuterie board I had seen on Pinterest the night before. Setting up the area we would be spending the most time in, I move the two small canvases I purchased earlier outside, along with paints and brushes and cups of water for rinsing. It seems a little bit amateur, but I do not have time to dwell as Harry texts me that he is just leaving his house and will be here in half an hour.

Dashing back inside, I take the speediest shower of my life just to freshen up and rinse the day away. Chastising myself for my lack of planning ahead, I smear on a touch of makeup and quickly style my hair. I am still pulling on a pair of dungarees, clipping the straps into place, when I open the front door.

“Hi,” I greet breathlessly.

Harry is already smiling when I meet his gaze, looking down at me with an infectious grin. I allow myself a second to drink him in. Obviously, he is dressed more casually than two days ago, dressed in a simple but figure-hugging black t-shirt, a golden chain peeking out from underneath. Alongside them, he is wearing a pair of brown, straight-leg corduroy trousers. He looks good. It should not surprise me, but it does anyway.

“Hi,” he offers brightly.

Stepping aside to let him enter, I try not to check him out, mentally telling myself that I am still not certain where he stands re us kissing each other’s faces off. Probably for the best to err on the side of caution.

Closing the door behind him, I walk us through the living room and to the adjoining kitchen, feeling a tad embarrassed by my decorating style. Splashes of colour litter the house, the walls are mostly covered in photographs, interesting drawings and potted plants.

“When did you move in?” Harry asks, noticing the stack of boxes. My heart pangs slightly at the question but I try not to let the dread within shine through.

“Few months now, I’m just terrible at unpacking,” It is not a total lie, so I do not feel totally bad about it. There is, however, a small part of me that resents not being completely honest with him about why a certain box remains closed and sealed. “I might have gone overboard with snacks, so please eat anything you want,” I tell him when we reach the kitchen and he sees the spread I had laid out.

Suddenly, it all feels like too much and heat prickles my cheeks in embarrassment as I watch Harry eye the full countertops. I had bought far too much and probably seem incredibly eager. Bread touched three types of meat, touched three types of cheese, touched olives, touched sundried tomatoes. There was another plate full of fruit, washed and sliced and displayed daintily in concentric circles. Then there was the bags of crisps, pretzels, biscuits, and chocolate buttons. This was enough for a family picnic, not a light grazing, and definitely too much for a second date. If that is even what I could call this.

“This is amazing,” Harry utters quietly, and I almost do not hear him, my internal monologue reprimanding me so severely it almost overpowers him. He turns back towards me, gazing at me softly, his face a beautiful light pink. “Feel bad for contributing so little now,” he says, a gentle teasing lilt to his voice which makes me smile, a breathy and grateful laugh falling from my lips.

“Trust me, your contribution is the most valuable,” I say, stretching up into a cupboard to grab two wine glasses.

We manage to carry a disproportionate amount of food outside, giggling as we stacked our arms high until I could barely see over the top of my pile. Once outside, we settle on the wooden chairs and Harry pours us each a glass of merlot.

“Matches your hair,” he muses, smirking as he hands the glass to me.

“Never heard that one before,” I tease, trying to ignore the voice in my head questioning if he thinks the colour is ugly.

Harry settles back in his chair, looking out across the hills and valleys before speaking again, “This was a good idea,”

“Yeah, the view is the main reason I bought the house to be honest,” I mumble into my wine glass.

There are a few moments of silence. It is not particularly uncomfortable, but I decide that we could use some music. I dash inside to grab a speaker and connect my phone to it.

“Can I leave it up to you?” I ask, holding out my unlocked phone for him to take, “I’m indecisive.”

He lets out a chuckle, muttering a soft, “Sure.”

Taking the phone from my hand, our fingers brush momentarily, and I have to remind myself that I am not in the middle of a romcom. I feel my cheeks redden at the interaction and quickly turn to my canvas. Placing the wooden end of my paintbrush in my mouth as I scan over the paints in between the two of us. The soft opening notes of The Chain begin to play, mingling with the warm breeze that swirls lightly around the garden.

“Listen to the wind blow,” I sing under my breath, unable to hold myself back.

From the corner of my eye, I see Harry picking up his own brush, dipping into a little bit of blue paint and brushing across his own canvas. I dip my brush back into the yellowy orange colour I had been mixing and paint the outline of my house. It is messy and a little childlike, but I am having a good time. Harry and I both begin to relax as we paint, singing along, and doing embarrassingly enthusiastic seated dance moves when the guitar solo plays.

“I love Fleetwood Mac so so much,” I admit gleefully, catching my breath as I giggle and take a sip of my wine.

“Me too,” Harry replies, a bright smile pairing with beautifully pinkened cheeks.

“What’s your favourite song?” I ask happily, popping a raspberry into my mouth.

Harry pauses for a moment, lowering his brush and giving the question some good thought. He makes it impossible not to admire him, watching as his brows furrow ever so slightly, lips puckering temporarily as his brain ticks over.

“I always come back to Songbird,” he tells me, looking up at me and nodding to himself. His eyes look so bright when they catch the light, reflecting into mine. I almost have to look away.

“It’s a beautiful song,” I admit softly, my voice quieter than either of us had expected, suddenly nervous again to be in his presence and having a conversation which means so much to me.

“What’s yours?” Harry asks, his gaze not wavering for even a second. He is undeniably intimidating, not even due to his status in the world, but simply being beside him feels as though I have won some sort of contest. There is something in his general being that makes me feel both small and powerful all at once. Simultaneously, I cannot believe that he is here in my garden when he could be anywhere else with anyone else, nor can I believe the way he is looking at me, observing me with such delicate looks that it appears he is afraid of scaring me away.

“Storms,” I blurt out. Taking a second to collect my thoughts, I explain, “Skies the Limit is my go-to, but Storms made me feel when I felt numb.”

Realising that I have most definitely overshared, I quickly dip my brush in the nearest colour and spread it across the top of my canvas, accidentally painting the sky pink.

“I think that’s really special,” Harry utters softly, his gaze still on me as I pretend to be focused on my painting and not the spectacular man beside me, or the way his eyes feel on the side of my face. “I want to make music like that, you know?” he says, turning back to the view ahead of us and finishing off his own skyline.

“I think you have,” I confess, feeling his eyes back on me in an instant. I force myself to turn to meet his gaze, urging some sense of bravery to course through my veins. When our eyes meet, he is looking at me like water in the desert, some sort of miracle before him that his brain does not fully believe. His mouth opens, pauses, then closes again. A second later, a smile pulls at his lips.

“I like your pink sky,” he tells me, grinning brightly, not breaking away to look at the canvas in front of me.

I laugh, “Started as a mistake but I think I prefer it like this,” I admit, pursing my lips as I take a long look at my painting.

“I like the way your mind works,” Harry says, smirking when I turn to him with knitted eyebrows, “I feel like you’re so bright and full of joy. Just walking through your house felt like I’ve known you years… I don’t know if that sounds mental.”

He looks at me cautiously, afraid he has revealed too much, and maybe he has, but I enjoy it more than I could even tell him. I like his perception of me. No matter what happens, how much he comes to learn and dislike about me, at this moment he likes me. And, oh boy, do I like him.

The thought of kissing him pops into my head, bold and illuminated in neon. I let it pass, determined not to ruin the moment. Instead, I look at him, and he looks right back. We share a brief period of peace, the sun on our faces with a light wind blowing between us.

“Oh!” We both exclaim enthusiastically as What Makes You Think You’re the One plays on the shuffle. Smirking at our joint reaction, we turn back to our paintings.

For the next hour or so we fully relax into our little world, grooving along as we paint. There is a real sense of calm throughout the space, even the birds in the trees seem to chirp softer, almost as though they were part of our garden party.

The only moment in which there is a break in the bubble of tranquillity is when Harry desperately reaches for a strawberry, stopping himself whenever his hand, covered in a rainbow of paints, gets close. Impossible to tear my eyes away, I watch him for a moment, a delicate smirk on my lips as he attempts to approach the task from a multitude of angles. He lets out a small sigh and I decide that it is my duty to intervene.

“Need a hand there?” I ask, failing to hold back a giggle as I pluck a strawberry from the plate with paint-free fingers.

“Thanks. Can you-- You could… Thanks,” Harry stammers while I hesitate as I raise the fruit to his face, temporarily feeling awkward about feeding a man I barely know.

I quickly get over myself and lift the berry to his lips, already somewhat parted. Taking the fruit into his mouth whole, his lips graze my fingertips ever so lightly. Our eyes lock the second it happens.

Things start to move slowly. My hand lowers into my lap. Harry chews the fruit and swallows, his tongue poking out to catch a stray bead of juice that had escaped from his lips to the corner of his mouth.

No way are you letting yourself be turned on by this. So cliché.

Despite the mental chastisement, I find myself drawn to Harry. The need to feel his lips on my own is overwhelming me. Every second spent not knowing whether he is a good kisser feels like torture, my mind in agony.

It appears that he feels the same way, gaze hesitating over my parted lips, hopefully not focusing on my clear breathlessness. Our bodies seem to be migrating towards one another, some unknown gravitational pull guiding our chests together until out faces are almost touching. I feel his breath on my cheek and quickly I worry that mine does not smell as good.

Why did you eat that slice of manchego?

Surely, he won’t want to kiss me anymore. He must not have noticed yet. But he will, and I will be humiliated. Better to stop now, while for some reason he actually is not appalled by the thought of kissing you. Why does he want to kiss me anyway? He could kiss anyone he wanted. He could have anyone he wanted. It is probably the wine.

The wine has probably stained your teeth as well. God you’re a mess.

I stop dead in my tracks. Swiftly, I pull away from him. It is harder than I had expected, his cologne sucking me in so that it feels like I have to stop breathing in order to separate from him.

“Sorry,” I mumble.

I cannot look at him. Unable to face the reality of the situation and see his bemused, beautiful face. I would only want to kiss him if I did look up at him, so instead I fidget with the hem of my sleeve, nails picking away at the firm stitching.

“I’m sorry,” Harry says, his voice is so quiet that it hurts my heart to hear him so small and dejected, especially since I was the cause.

We sit in silence for what feels like an eternity. I can feel his gaze on me, soft and apologetic, but I am still unable to bring myself to make eye contact.

“I’d be happy just being your friend,” I tell him.

It is a lie. Partially, anyway. Of course, I would love to be his friend, but I also want to kiss him all over and have heart-to-hearts in the early hours of the morning. I want to hear about his first kiss, find out his favourite sweets and his happy place. I wonder if he is there now, desperately trying to escape the awkward bubble of tension surrounding us.

“Yeah, I shouldn’t have assumed… I’m sorry.” Is all he says.

“No,” I pipe up, a well of guilt forming in my stomach as I regard his sunken features, “It’s not you...”

“It’s not you, it’s me?” Harry says with a quirk of a smile.

I let out a breathy chuckle and we finally meet each other’s eyes and understand. It’s all alright.

We keep painting. By the time the sun starts to set and the water for our brushes turns a murky grey, I have finished mine and sit teasing Harry as he adds the finishing touches to his own.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Harry counters with a grin as he adds a sweep of dark red to his canvas.

“Better be some painting,” I mutter into my wine glass.

“Okay!” Harry exclaims excitedly, “She’s done. Ready for the reveal?”

“Yes,” I laugh at his question, as if I have not been waiting to share for twenty minutes.

Harry had insisted that our final products should be a surprise for the other, so for the last hour we painted in secrecy, occasionally peering out from behind our canvases to try and sneak a peek at the other’s.

When we angle our paintings towards one another, the difference in our styles is clear. Mine is bright with exaggerated shapes, almost cartoonish. Meanwhile Harry’s painting is more true to life, a meta portrayal of the view, two little figures of him and me seen from behind at the bottom of the canvas.

“I love it,” I tell him, the picture bringing a grin to my face as I observed the tiny version of myself; a little blob of shoulders and messy hair.

“I’m calling it ‘Friendzone’.” he tells me, a wicked smirk on his lips.

“Hey!” I whine with a gently nudge to his arm, however, the bout of laughter he has elicited really weakens my protest.

Harry helps me clear up the garden before he leaves, carefully carrying his precious painting out with him. After bidding me a sweet goodnight, leaving no doubt in my mind that he had a nice time today, I finish cleaning up. As I am washing the two wine glasses, I peer over at my painting, smiling as I remembered Harry’s comments about my pink sky. Maybe being just his friend would be easy after all.

masterlist

47 notes · View notes

ms-rampage · 3 years

Text

Eden's Gate: Left Behind Chapter 1 - Welcome to Hope County

A new series!!!. Take place 2 years before the events of Kidnapped.

I created "Hope County University" for this series, and a few other locations that aren't in the game. Because its all headcanon shit.

Warnings: None

Word count: 1.9k

John Seed slightly out of character. (That's what happens when you encounter a Winchester 😂😂)

*********************************

Hope County, Montana, February 2018

*Arizona by Hey Monday plays on the radio*

A black 1970 Monte Carlo with a small trailer attached to it drives down the road with an Arizona license plate on it "ARIZONA E34R90D".

19 year old Kate Winchester, who just moved out of her aunt and uncle's house drove 7 hours from Jackson, Wyoming to Hope County, Montana. Drumming her fingers on the steering wheel to song.

Starting her new life, leaving the hunter life behind her, she applied and got accepted at Hope County University.

Hoping to get her Master of Science degree in Psychology, and then move on to get her Doctorate Degree.

Luckily her aunt and uncle were able to cover her tuition for the whole year. She even told them that she was willing to pay her own rent, and which surprisingly is only $750 a month. Hell her rent is cheaper here, than Arizona and Wyoming put together, but of course they're willing to pay for it, even though she refused, so she saves some money there.

She’s been attending college since she was 15 years old. She lied about her age to get a head start, with the help of her aunt Laura, and her grandmother Eliza. She attended community college in Wyoming before wanting to get transferred out of state.

She was able to rent out a small 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom house with a decent size backyard that is owned by the University, which is why the rent is pretty cheap usually it costs a lot more, and she also got a job at the University's café & diner with starting pay at $14.50. To her that seems very unrealistic but she’ll take it, she ain’t complaining.

She drives down the road with her dog Haley in the passenger seat with her head out the window trying to bite the wind as they drive down the road.

"Smell that fresh Montana air Hale" she says with a smile, Haley pulls her head back in and lets out a bark, her eyes widened and has that look like she's smiling.

You know that look dogs do with their tongues hanging out making them look like they're smiling.

Driving down the road, off on the side, a huge billboard sign with a photo of some man with the caption.

“We Love You and We Will Take You��

"That's very welcoming" she jokes.

Kate turns onto a small side road that leads to her new home.

She drives slowly, while looking at the GPS on her phone.

After a few minutes she finds the house.

"Here it is" she says, pulling into the driveway.

Shutting off the car, and getting out.

"Come on Hale" she says, padding her thigh.

She takes the house keys out of her pocket, and opens the door.

It's a decent size house for someone who's living on their own, the house is slightly furnished. Her uncle Brent sent some of their old furniture to her new house.

A coffee table, a few chairs, few lamps, a night stand, and a full size bed with the frame, head, footboard, mattress and box spring.

The backyard is bigger than she thought. She opens the door, and lets Haley out to the back.

"Go sniff around" she tells her.

The 2 1/2 year old German Shepherd sniffs the corners of the fence, looking for a spot to do her business.

Kate goes back inside, leaving the backdoor open for Haley.

She checks out the rest of the house, the 2 bedrooms, the bathroom and washroom, luckily a washer and dryer comes with the place. So at least she wouldn't want to buy it.

She goes back to the living room, and sees that Haley came back inside.

She goes to close the backdoor, locking it, she heads out to the front and unpacks her trailer. Boxes, boxes and boxes of her stuff, clothes, books, her WiFi router, personal hygiene products, small furniture, stuff for school, some groceries she has in her mini fridge, some of Haley's stuff, her toys and food.

She finishes unpacking around 3:30pm, her room is all set up, her bed is fixed, all her clothes are put away in the closet and dresser, she has photos of her friends, family and posters of bands she likes hanging up on the walls.

She set up her 60inch TV, the box and WiFi router in the living room, she put up curtains on all the windows, and put some plants out on the front porch.

She has all of her hunter stuff in the 2nd bedroom, her angel blades, demon blades, holy water, bags of salt, her books, her dad’s journal. Bullets filled with rock salt, and all of her other hunting supplies.

She has everything set up, and all she needed now was a kitchen table, a couch and maybe some appliances like a microwave, toaster and a coffee maker.

She sighs in relief, lays back on her bed, Haley jumps on, laying next to her.

"You wanna go into town?!?" she asks the dog, she looks at her while tilting her head to the right.

"You wanna go for a walk?!?" she asks again, she tilts her head to the left while still looking at her. She lets out a loud bark which catches Kate off guard, and jumps off the bed.

Running back and forth down the hall, jumping at her on the bed in excitement.

She gets up from the bed.

"Okay let me find your leash" she says, while going into the living room.

She goes through some of her boxes.

After a few minutes, she finds her leash and puts it on her collar. Debating whether or not to take her in the car, or walk into town.

"It's only a 10-20 minute walk from here to town" she says out loud.

After a couple of minutes, she decides to drive, just in case some stores don't allow animals in, she can leave Haley in the car with all the windows down of course, or maybe leave her outside.

They drive into town, and she parks her car next to a gas station store.

"Come one Hale" she says.

She jumps out of the car, Kate locks it up and they walk past the small shops.

A grocery store, a pharmaceutical store, a gun shop, an autoshop, and lastly a bar called "The Spread Eagle".

She looks around, and sees an appliance store, she really does need those appliances.

She walks closer, and sees a sign on the door saying "Sorry, no animals allowed inside".

"Of course" she says to herself.

She ties Haley's leash to a parking meter under a tree

"I'll be right back" she says to her, petting her head.

She goes inside the store and looks around. Right off the bat she finds a toaster with 4 slots, and it costs $30 in which to her is a steal.

She finds a coffee maker and a microwave all that costs a decent amount, less than she thought it would be.

She pays for her stuff, and goes back outside to untie Haley, they walk back to the car, and put the appliances in the backseat covering them with a blanket.

They continue to walk around the small town of Falls End located in the Holland Valley region. They cross the street to go onto the opposite side. Up ahead Kate sees a small group of people walking into a church on the other side of the street. Thinking nothing of it.

While on the other side of the street at Falls End Church, John Seed is standing outside of it holding the Book of Joseph, preaching.

"Sin must be exposed so it may be absolved. We must wash away our past" while some of his men escort some locals into the church.

"You will know the power of Yes, you will confess your sins" he continues.

As he looks around he sees Kate with Haley walking on the opposite side of the street.

He stares at her as she walks by, a smirk appears on his face. Perhaps he is engrossed by her?. He gets a weird feeling in his stomach but he ignores it.

He continues to watch her as she walks further down the street away from the church.

He shakes his head, snapping out of that trance, and continues to preach to the sinners.

Kate walks down the street towards a different market. Once again they don't allow animals in the store.

So she ties Haley to a small iron fence in the shade "I'll be back'" she tells her again.

She shops for about 25 minutes, she doesn't like to keep her dog outside that long especially out in public, she grabs bread, eggs, orange juice, fruit, cereal, milk, breakfast sausages, bacon, dog treats, grounded coffee and butter.

Typical stuff you would buy at a grocery store.

She pays for her stuff, goes outside, unties Haley putting the leash around her wrist.

"Here you can hold your treats" she says, as she gives Haley her bag of Beggin Strips.

She carries it in her mouth making the bags less heavy for Kate, and they head back to the car. They cross the street, now walking on the church side. John steps out of it, and sees Kate walking towards the church.

He gets a better look at her, she's really cute. Actually she’s more than cute, she’s beautiful. Black hair past her shoulders, brown eyes, looks like she could be 19-22 years old?. Could she be a college student?. He's about to say something to her, but it gets ruined when one of his men calls out for him.

"John!!" they call out.

Turning his head to look back at him.

He quickly looks back at Kate who is too far for him to call out to her.

He rolls his eyes in annoyance, and goes back inside the church to see what they want.

Kate walks back to her car, and puts her groceries in the back seat.

Haley jumps into the front seat, and they drive off.

They get stopped at a red light in front of the church, John looks out the window, and sees a black 70 Monte Carlo with a German Shepard sticking its head out the window.

He quickly recognizes the dog, and sees Kate in the driver seat.

Quickly, he goes outside before the light turns green. He doesn’t know what to say to her, so he yells out "Nice car!!".

Kate can't see who yelled it because Haley is blocking her view from the passenger side, and is barking at some of the peggies outside the church.

So she yells back, "Thank you!!" followed with a honk of the horn. She in a way acknowledged John even if she didn't really see him.

She continued to drive down the road heading back home.

After a 10 minute drive, she makes it home, and puts all her groceries away, hooks up the appliances and sits back on one of her chairs for the rest of the day watching TV with Haley chilling at her feet.

“What a day Hale” she says, resting her feet on the table.

*3 in half hours later*

That night John is baptizing, cleansing some sinners, making them a step closer to being a part of Eden’s Gate. He’s doing his usual thing, making sure they are cleansed, and washed away from their sins.

He can’t seem to get Kate off his mind, he finds this very strange because these are some new feelings, that he has never felt before.

After he finishes the baptism, Joseph notices something is off about his younger brother.

He approaches him once he’s finished.

“John?!” he says, approaching him. “What is troubling you brother?”.

John doesn’t know what to say, he stumbles with his words “Nothing, Joseph”.

He places his hand on John's shoulder, their foreheads touching.

“It’s about a girl, isn’t it?” he asks, sounding like he already knew what this was all about.

John looks down, and lets out a soft sigh.

“Go to her. She can be your other half, when we cross Eden’s Gate” he tells him, before walking away.

John looks up at his older brother as he walks away, leaving him to contemplate with what he should do next.

#far cry 5 #john seed #kate winchester #john seed x kate winchester #far cry 5 fanfiction #eden's gate: left behind #my writings #my ocs #my oc kate winchester #john seed x oc #far cry 5 fanfic #far cry 5 oc #joseph seed #power of yes #fc5 john seed #fc5 fanfic

12 notes · View notes

tfiolarry · 4 years

Text

one: conincing

summary: after announcing the band’s hiatus, harry and louis announce their love, their soon-to-be marriage, and their two kids (who won’t be in a baby carriage).

[masterlist] [two]

ask us anything!

a/n: gif not ours creds to owner

One Direction Taking Extensive Hiatus Starting Next Month!

Yes, you read the title right: One Direction is going in many directions. We know - try to remain calm, Directioners.

As one of the biggest boy bands to take over the 2010s, selling out tours in arenas and stadiums around the world, the foursome has decided that they will be taking a break for at least a year, starting next month and following the departure of Zayn Malik. Sources tell us that they will be using this time to “pursue solo projects”, rather than promoting their fifth album, due to release later this year.

••

Rumor Has It Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles Are Together!

FINALLY! Larry shippers, this one’s for you - the ship is sailing!

Former One Direction members, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, are getting cuffing season started right with some cozy by the fireplace pics in Harry's lovely London home.

Harry Styles posted a picture late Friday night of his feet along with another pair of feet by the fireplace. Hold the foot fetishes, guys - LARRY’S REAL. It's so obviously Louis, especially because of his famous “The Rouge” tattoos on his ankles.

We all knew Wellington wasn’t just a figment of our imagination.

••

Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson Are Getting Hitched!

That’s right folks, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson both liked it and appear to have put some rings on it. Finally!

Earlier tonight, Harry Styles posted an Instagram picture holding a ring with no caption, with his boyfriend-now-turned-fiancé Louis Tomlinson in the background. Not even ten minutes later, Louis posted a picture of Harry as well. The caption? “Can’t wait to say I do.” Too cute!

According to fan theory, this romance dates all the way back to their days on The X-Factor, coining the name “Larry Stylinson” to refer to this adorable pairing.(Article: “The Timeline Of Larry Stylinson, As Told By A One Direction Superfan!”) Sources have confirmed that after much time together, the two are definitely ready to “take their relationship to the next step.”

Oh, how far they’ve come.

••

Louis Tomlinson to Paps - “We’re in love and adopting two little girls.”

What? What? Whaaaat?

A lot to unpack here.

While out on town today, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles got tangled up with some nosy paparazzi. Yikes! The Hollywood Fix caught the two getting in their car asking about the engagement, when Louis frustratedly tells them that they are, in fact, very much so in love and going to be adopting children.

• •

WEDNESDAY

4:32 PM

STYLINSON HOME - LONDON

Harry and Louis arrive at home, carrying smaller backpacks of the girls’ clothes and toys while holding their hands. They step into the foyer and Louis and Harry let go of their hands. Dani and Jordyn looking around and up at their surroundings, almost as if nonverbally asking if it’s okay to go ahead without them.

LOUIS: You guys can go, it’s okay…

Dani and Jordyn look at each other and then run off, ending up somewhere in the living room. Louis looks at Harry, not saying anything but smiling a little.

HARRY: (looks at Louis) What?

LOUIS: Nothing, just...it’s crazy that we actually did this. Like, they’re here in our house for real.

HARRY: (smiles too) I know, we’re, like...officially parents. (gasps while covering his mouth)

LOUIS: (laughs a little and nods) That we are. (looks at the kiddos) We should probably get them in some kind of routine, no? With their rooms and dinner and stuff? Is it too soon for that? (looks at Harry) Now I’m kinda nervous.

HARRY: (looks at the kids) Don’t be nervous, bub - we got this. We should probably get them settled in their room, though...or...rooms? Should we separate them?

LOUIS: Maybe that’s too soon. Imagine being one of these two, tiny sorta-kinda strangers in a big, weird house with some bigger, scruffy lookin’, sorta-kinda strangers - personally, I would not wanna be alone.

HARRY: (looks at him and puts a hand on his chest) Did you just call me fat?

LOUIS: (laughs, like genuinely) So annoying, I would never and you know that.

HARRY: (looks away) That’s right, never.

JORDYN: (knocks over a big plant and looks at Dani in a panic and whispers) Oh no.

DANI: (looks at her with wide eyes and then at Louis and Harry and then Jordyn again) Uh oh. (runs away as a small bundle of panic, hoping Jordyn follows)

JORDYN: (follows Dani)

HARRY: (watches them run away) Where are they going? (laughs and walks to see the plant is on the floor with a little dirt on the ground)

LOUIS: (follows Harry, laughing) I have no idea, I don’t even think they know where they’re going yet. (looks at the dirt on the floor) Perhaps first things first in our parent duty - get fake houseplants.

HARRY: (looks around for them) First thing is to actually clean this mess up while I go find the kids. (walks away to go look for the kiddos)

LOUIS: Aye aye, captain. (goes and grabs their broom from the kitchen and brings it to the scene of the crime, handling the fallen plant gently so he doesn’t ruin it at all and starts sweeping up the dirt)

HARRY: (goes to look in the bathroom because he hears some little voices coming from there and he peeks his head in)

JORDYN: (gasps when she sees Harry and hides behind Dani)

DANI: (pouts) Noooo….(moves from in front of Jordyn, no longer being a shield, and tries to climb in the bathtub to hide instead)

JORDYN: (whines) Dani… (pouts as well and looks at Harry with puppy eyes) I sorry.

HARRY: (smiles) It’s okay, we’re not mad or...upset or anything. (kneels down in front of Jordyn) Are you guys hungry? You want something to eat?

DANI: (gasps and gives up climbing the tub and sits on the floor instead) Yeah.

JORDYN: (just nods her head still a little nervous)

HARRY: Alright. (stands up and holds both his hands out for the girls) Let’s go eat!

JORDYN: (takes his hand)

DANI: (gets up, smiles a lot and goes to him, grabbing his hand)

HARRY: (sings) Food time. (walks out the bathroom with the girls)

JORDYN: (giggles) You funny.

HARRY: (looks down at her) You think so?

JORDYN: (nods)

HARRY: (looks at Dani) What about you? What do you think?

DANI: (looks at him like she’s thinking about it, like a little head tilt and everything)

HARRY: Oh. I see how it is.

JORDYN: (looks at her) Say he funny Dani. (pouts)

DANI: (giggles and nods) Yeah, you funny. See? (points to herself and smiles really big)

HARRY: (laughs) Very convincing, Dani, thank you.

JORDYN: (looks up at Harry) What conincing?

DANI: (nods and looks at Harry) Yeah, what?

HARRY: (looks at both of them and then up and sees Louis) Hey sweetheart, how do you explain to three year olds what “convincing” means?

LOUIS: (looks at him and then hums in thought before looking at Dani and Jordy) Well, I would say...convincing means...that you mean it for real. No funny stuff.

DANI: (nods once) For real.

LOUIS: (nods back and waits for confirmation from Jordy that it makes sense to her too)

JORDYN: Okay.

HARRY: Okay, food Louis?

JORDYN: Lou Lou. (giggles)

LOUIS: Lou Lou is definitely down for food, but what are we feeding these adorable children, Harold, lover of mine and light of my life?

HARRY: Um... (looks at the girls) ...chicken tenders?

JORDYN: (eyes go so wide) Yes! Please?

LOUIS: So that’s a winner. (to Harry) We should stock up then. (starts going to the kitchen)

WEDNESDAY

8:05 PM

STYLINSON HOME - LONDON

After dinner is done Harry and Louis make sure the girls are washed up and their teeth are brushed. They show them their room which they chat a bit about nonsense the little ones want to talk about.

DANI: (in the middle of a story about a friend in the foster home) ...and the ball, it went—(gestures with her hand)—like that to a, um…(gestures to explain a bush with her hands) lots of leaves, and then, it was gone. (nods as if that made all the sense in the world)

LOUIS: That is quite a story, Dani, did you get it back?

DANI: Yeah.

LOUIS: I’m glad.

JORDYN: Dani cry.

HARRY: You cried over the ball Dani? (pouts at her)

DANI: Yeah, it gone, I sad, I cry.

LOUIS: Yeah Harry, c’mon, it only makes sense.

DANI: (nods) For real.

JORDYN: Conincing. (nods)

HARRY: Alright, sorry, geez.

JORDY: (looks at Louis) I sleep here? (points to her bed)

LOUIS: Yeah, that’s your bed, and Dani’s gonna be over there. (points casually to the other bed, probably on the other side of the room)

DANI: (looks confused) Why?

LOUIS: Why?

DANI: Yeah.

LOUIS: ...Did you want the floor?

DANI: (looks at him even more confused than before) No? (looks at Harry) Why?

HARRY: (looks at her confused) Because that is your bed and this is Jordyn’s.

JORDYN: (pouts and looks at Dani)

DANI: (looks at Jordyn and then at Harry and Louis) You too?

LOUIS: Us too what, love?

DANI: Like…(points to their separate beds to make a point)

LOUIS: (shakes his head) No. It’s different.

DANI: (looks at Jordyn sadly) Okay…

JORDYN: (blows kisses to Dani) We big girl, ‘member? (nods)

DANI: (shrugs) Yeah...

LOUIS: (looks at Harry, mouthing) Did we mess up already?

HARRY: (looks at Louis and shrugs) Okay, well (looks at the girls), you girls gotta go to bed and get your beauty sleep.

JORDYN: (lays down) Night night.

DANI: (baby sighs and gets off of Jordyn’s bed and shuffles over to her own and sits sadly)

LOUIS: (looks at her and laughs a little) Oh, stop it, bug, you’re not far. (nudges Jordyn) Say hi so she knows you’re still here.

DANI: No.

LOUIS: (looks at her) That won’t help?

DANI: (shakes her head and lays down too)

LOUIS: You’re so cute, c’mon…

DANI: (with all her tiny might, unmakes her bed and gets under the covers, from head to toe)

LOUIS: (looks at Harry) Should we have done bunk?

HARRY: Maybe? I’m sorry, Dani.

JORDYN: Dani, I wuv you!

DANI: (muffled because she’s hiding) I wuv you too. (to Harry) It’s okay.

LOUIS: Alright, we’re gonna go now so you guys can sleep, you guys are okay, right?

DANI: (peeks from under her blanket) Yeah.

JORDY: For real.

HARRY: (looks at Louis) Conincing. (looks back at the girls) Alright goodnight.

LOUIS: (laughs and gets up) Goodnight, babies.

DANI: Bye bye.

Harry and Louis leave.

JORDYN: (whisper yells) Dani!

DANI: (looks at Jordyn all smiley) Hi. (giggles)

A/N: we were fourteen and had big dreams of becoming fic writers. the idea for the fault in our larents came to be for the mere reason of creating a dream life using a ship we both loved - the one and only larry stylinson. over the years (yes, literal years) the story has evolved and grown, including other generations and going through a few rewrites until it became the version in which we present today. blood, sweat, fights and tears have been poured into this. pls enjoy it.

#TFIOL V1C1 #louis tomlinson #harry styles #larry stylinson #larry fic #larry au #larry stylinson au #one direction #larrie #larries #walls #fine line #louis and harry #louis x harry #larry #larry is real #ao3 feed larry #larry proof #larry is life

51 notes · View notes

greenishbucket · 4 years

Text

good vibez only

Perhaps it’s not in like, the festive spirit or whatever, but Dex refuses to feel shame in reactivating and skimming through his array of dating apps the second his flight gets delayed.

nursey/dex, tindering in an airport au, 1.6k. For @ellienchanted! thanks for the help with this and happy new year :D on ao3

Perhaps it’s not in like, the festive spirit or whatever, but Dex refuses to feel shame in reactivating and skimming through his array of dating apps the second his flight back to New York gets delayed. What else is he going to do? Read a book? Talk to the people around him? Not likely.

And like, he’s just maybe been feeling slightly more desperately alone than usual, after the holiday period spent with family. His parents were his parents and even his shithead brother had been lovey-dovey with his admittedly very nice girlfriend, not to even mention the bloodbath that was social media.

It’s only midday on New Year’s Eve, but Dex can sense in his old-man bones that it’s already ramping back up again after a few days of quiet after Christmas. Picturesque, loving content as far as a guy can scroll, most likely.

Not that Dex is bitter. He has friends, has love in his life and shit. He’s on his way home to show his face at Ford's party, after all. Except the plan is to prove he didn’t die en route, get smashed as efficiently as possible, then probably get kissed platonically by six people at midnight because his friends are like that, before ultimately heading home alone and passing out alone.

Dex is, in short, just acutely fucking aware of his singleness right now.

In the heart sense and in the dick sense, unfortunately. Whatever. He’s got a few boring hours stretching ahead of him; even if he doesn’t match with or message any of the many dudes he can swipe through, at least a good twenty percent of them are hot enough to pause for a whole second.

One guy, after some fifteen minutes of mindless, semi-horny swiping, warrants more time than that.

He has a tattoo. It wraps around his very nice bicep and Dex’s mouth goes dry. His name is Derek, and he has a couple shirtless pics, a hockey one, a few ones Dex figures are trying to convey culture – museums and art and like, sweeping landscapes – and ends it with a meme.

Which is like. It’s kind of funny, and this dude is super hot, but really? But also he is so, so hot. In like, a hot way, and in a beautiful way, so Dex can at least entertain the idea of their boning. Then Dex reads Derek’s bio:

‘what i want is what i’ve always wanted. what i want is to be changed.’ im pretty and my meat is huge. good vibez only, no haters ✌️

Dex doesn’t smile a little. He doesn’t. He definitely just rolls his eyes hard and swipes left. That quote. He doesn’t have the patience, not even for someone that looks like that.

“Ouch,” says a voice from over his shoulder. “Hard no for that one?”

Because of course, because his flight is delayed and the drive to the airport had been shit anyway, because of course – it’s the dude. He’s not just nearby, he’s literally right there. Derek. Sitting in the row of seats backed up against Dex’s, twisted round to watch over Dex’s shoulder in a flagrant disregard of like, normal fucking behaviour, and somehow even hotter in the gross airport lighting. He’s doing some kind of smirk thing that Dex isn’t into at all.

His voice is like– It’s nice. Dude has a nice voice.

And of course, instinctively, result of being a grumpy fuck since birth and years in the big city, Dex’s immediate response is, “Fuck off, asshole.” Then, back up instinct, result of his mom’s loving care and years in a small town, he adds, “Shit, sorry, that was- I didn’t mean- um.”

Derek’s smirk solidifies. Something natural rather than an expression he’s holding there, not that Dex would’ve recognised it wasn’t completely assured and legit until then. “No worries, man. It’s chill. Sexy pic with the lobster, though.”

Nursey absolutely, completely, fucking two thousand percent should not have said anything. He’d almost be surprised at himself, watching this whole thing happen out of body, except this is the least surprising behaviour from him ever. Like he’s ever been able to let a minor hurt pass without poking at it until it’s something unbearable and he has to nope out like that’d been his plan all along.

Whatever. It’s chill. He’s got this. They’re in an airport, so Nursey can nope out whenever he likes, and more effectively than usual. It’s going to be fun.

“Excuse me?” says Will.

Will, who Nursey had first noticed for his massive ears and exhausted vibes, then absently clocked as attractive, and then clocked some minutes later as the same dude whose profile he’d just come across. Will who Nursey had just swiped right on, though not before screencapping his profile and sending it to Chowder, captioned ‘a straight???’

Like. Okay. Nursey doesn’t want to stereotype, or whatever, tries really hard not to, but when a dude sees a bio like I'm Will. I like hockey and lobster-fishing and good beer. We should get to know each other? He's not proud of it but questions start arising.

“Sexy pic with the lobster,” Nursey repeats. It had been, honestly, in a kind of weird display-of-masculinity way that Nursey doesn’t want to unpack right then but definitely would with some weed.

“Thank you?” says Will. A pause. “Are you making fun of me?”

“No,” Nursey replies honestly. But that feels like some kind of defeat, because this guy is cute and freckly and like, certainly has hands, but he also just dismissed Nursey’s careful construction of self while Nursey watched, so he continues, “I mean, I’m a vegetarian? So I kind of do disagree with the concept of trapping and killing an innocent animal for your own consumption, or whatever.”

Will snorts. “Of course.”

Nursey’s stomach sinks. He should’ve known. Pretty eyes or not, it wasn’t going to be fun with a guy who is a self-proclaimed hockey and good beer fan. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” says Will.

Nursey doesn’t want to get into a full-blown argument in the middle of an airport, so he lets it drop. But he also doesn’t want to sit here in awkward silence or have to get up and haul all his shit over to somewhere else. “So, while we're both sitting here, any pointers for improvement?” he asks instead.

“What?”

“For my profile, dude. Gotta up my game, clearly.”

"Why?"

"Self-improvement is my new year's resolution," Nursey replies easily, only half-lying; it's been his new year's resolution for like, five years straight, whatever. "I'll start: you need a better bio, or just scrap the whole thing. You're just about cute enough to pull it off, but it does you zero favours, dude. Bland as fuck."

Will goes pale, then red, then says, "What the fuck? Who asked?" Nursey waits, unsure if he should keep pushing or if he's maybe crossed a line, and after a long moment or two Will sighs. “Okay, fine, I hate doing description things and I'm shit at it. But yours also sucks. You could try with less of the pretentious quote shit, for one thing.”

“Less Mary Szybist?” Nursey asks, only having to up his aghastness a little. “Mine does not suck. I’m trying to convey an inner sensitivity, bro. Poetry is a window to the soul.”

Will frowns. “I thought that was eyes.”

His frown is cute. Shit. “First, a little thing called poetic license? Second, you said I was pretentious.”

“It’s Shakespeare,” Will says, unimpressed. “You didn’t do Shakespeare in high school?”

“Sure,” Nursey agrees, “but clearly it didn’t stick,” which is a lie. “Haiku, though. That’s the good shit.”

“What?”

“In my bio. It’s a haiku, five-seven-five syllables?”

Will visibly goes through Nursey’s bio, mouthing out the words, which, hey. It left an impression, at least. “That’s not five-seven-five,” he says.

“I’m pretty and my / meat is huge. Chill vibez only / no haters. Peace sign,” Nursey recites easily, clapping the syllables out like they taught in elementary school.

Will snorts out a laugh and can’t quite seem to reign his face back into looking unimpressed. Nursey smiles back and can’t quite reign that in either. The bitterness from watching Will swipe past him seeps almost entirely away at last, Nursey finally able to unfold his arm from around his stomach; Will’s shoulders come down from around his ears, too.

“Um. I did actually like your photos,” he says after a moment, almost hesitant, those same ears flaming. “Like, a lot."

"Ditto," says Nursey, as casual as he can. Will is pretty great in pics, if unfortunately blind to his angles, and even better plus assholeish irl, which is a beauty of a combination.

"But you’re cheating your syllables with that peace sign bit, pretty sure,” Will adds.

Nursey rolls his eyes, ignores the warm glow. Not a straight, definitely. And Will thinks his pics are good, at least, which is a success of sorts. He doesn't know what flight Will is getting, but his own back to NYC has been delayed by a few hours, so maybe he should try and shoot his shot one last time.

He chucks his stuff over to Will's side of the chair-row, then hauls himself over. Pulls his sweater back down. Fuck this twisting around in his seat nonsense.

Will blinks, face pink. "Hi," he says, a little hoarse.

“I think you mean bye. I said no haters, didn't I?”

Will laughs again, full and warm this time. “Fuck off, asshole,” he says, and this time Nursey laughs with him.

#my writing #omgcp fic #nurseydex

59 notes · View notes

angrylizardjacket · 5 years

Text

the things we do for likes {Joe Mazzello/Reader/Ben Hardy}

Anon asked: lol ben and joe having instagram wars on who can post the most embarrassing content of reader

A/N: again, written on my phone because the writing demon possessed me at 2am. I'm probs gonna have this as a series akin to B/R/R, aka disconnected vignettes in the same universe. Lemme know if you wanna be tagged. A case of the mondays is a McElroy reference, before you ask. 😊😊

It starts when Joe wakes up to an empty bed and noises coming from the kitchen; noises being footsteps, a loud bang, and some half coherent swearing. There's silence for a moment, then the opening and closing of the fridge. As soon as he's got his wits about him and realises it's just you in the other room, he opens his phone.

"So I wake up to no girlfriend and noises in the kitchen," Joe says after a minute of searching through his closet for his baseball bat, ready to film a bit for his Instagram. As he makes his way to the kitchen now, he holds the bat in frame, "I'm ready to rescue her if it's robbers." He assured the camera, voice still quiet and rough with sleep. Once he gets to the kitchen, however, he stops dead at the sight before him. There's a very long couple of seconds where all that the camera catches is his surprise.

"Why do you have a bat?" Your voice is muffled, as if you're speaking around something, and that's when Joe seems to remember he's filming, he changes to his front facing camera and turns on his phone light, exposing the fact that you're sitting cross legged on the kitchen island, eating a banana with a carton of juice in your other hand. You hiss at the light, arm coming up to sheild your eyes. The light doesn't move, and after a beat you shift your arm so he can see your face scrunched up where you're squinting at him, clearly unhappy about this intrusion into your snacking time. You take another bite of banana.

"Why are you on the counter?" He breathes, a little flabbergasted, and you chew, looking down at where you're seated, as if it's only just occurred to you that it's not exactly a normal chair. After a beat, you shrug, and raise the juice carton to your lips taking a long swig. You were so focused, so deliberate, and so obviously tired and half asleep that Joe couldn't help but laugh.

"Seriously, why do you have a bat?" And you finished the banana and put the peel down beside you with far more delicacy than it reasonably warranted.

"I heard noises and you weren't there, so I thought I'd come protect you from robbers." He explained, moving forward until he was standing next to you by the counter. You gaze into the middle distance for a moment as you contemplated his words.

"I was the robbers." You say, nodding sagely as the realisation comes to you. As if to prove this point, you reach out blindly for the fruit bowl that you'd already accosted once, picking up a lime and trying to fit the whole thing in your mouth. The last thing the video catches is Joe lunging forward to pull the fruit from between your teeth with a surprised exclamation before the video cuts off.

It's there that he realises that you're not half asleep, you're completely asleep, and sleep-eating at that. You're compliant enough when he leads you back to bed, though you adamantly refuse to let go of the juice, and you sit it triumphantly on your bedside table before promptly falling back into bed. Despite everything, Joe can't help but be endeared as he settles in beside you.

The video goes up the following morning after he shows it to you for your approval.

@joemazzello @yourinstagramhandle: "I had a case of the Mondays!" Me: "What does that even mean?"

@benhardy1 there's so much to unpack here

@benhardy1 also @yourinstagramhandle caught red handed drinking straight from the carton

@joemazzello @benhardy1 listen it was a lot to take in but youre right @yourinstagramhandle there was a cup right beside you!!!

@gwilymlee what is happening over there??

@benhardy1 @gwilymlee i know, im gone for one week......

@yourinstagramhandle I HAD A CASE OF THE MONDAYS!! 😂😭 @benhardy1 @gwilymlee @joemazzello

@yourinstagramhandle dont bully me @benhardy1 i miss you x

@benhardy1 @yourinstagramhandle 😘😘

@joemazzello @yourinstagramhandle @benhardy1 gross (im kidding, come home)

@benhardy1 @joemazzello 🙄🖕 (😘)

It becomes a thing, much to your chagrin, 'a case of the Mondays' becomes a meme the moment Ben posts a video from set, of him walking into his trailer where you'd been waiting for him, only for him to find you laying on his sofa under a fluffy blanket, watching Netflix with a face mask on.

"You took too long, now I'm having me-time." You announced. In the background, the Friends theme song starts.

Ben captions the video 'when you're hit with a case of the mondays', and tags you.

Not fifteen minutes later, Joe responds with his own video posted to his Instagram story captioned 'are mondays contagious? asking for a friend'. The video seems to have been taken not long after Ben's since you're still in a facemask on his sofa in the trailer, the difference is that Ben's in a face mask, and you've got your feet in his lap. The video starts in the middle of a heated argument, and it takes a few moments for the two of you to realise Joe is there, filming. Ben's the first to reach out to him.

"Monica's the worst Friend, right? Back me up here." He asks, and before Joe can even think about answering, you groan loudly, rolling your eyes.

"Ross is obviously the worst Friend, are you kidding me? He's manipulative, he's mean, he's-" you start, carefully extracting yourself from beneath the blanket as you spoke, peeling off your face mask.

"He's a terrible boyfriend and brother, yeah, but he's not the worst Friend," Ben elaborates, following behind you, and Joe quickly takes your spot on the sofa while you're in the bathroom. The argument continues as you wrinse your faces, you taking it in stride easily when you realise your seat's been usurped, sitting yourself in Joe's lap while Ben takes back his original seat. Finally the two of you look to Joe who had been waiting for this moment. The Friends laugh track goes off in the background.

"Well, you're both wrong; the worst Friend is Phoebe." He announced very matter of factly, like it's something he's been sure of for a while. After a beat, both you and Ben groan in unison, you even going so far as to move from Joe's lap to Ben's. That's where the video stops.

You update your Instagram story not long after with a picture of Joe in a face mask, grinning like an absolute fool, captioned 'we got him'.

There's more videos, more pictures, all showcasing you in the worst lighting or weird situations, and all of which you approve before they're posted, despite how embarrassing some of them may seem. Despite all of this, you don't care; it's posted because you're comfortable enough to share yourself with them, even in less than flattering situations, and when you look up, their gaze meeting yours where they're grinning behind their cameras, you can see in their eyes the fondness, the 'yeah, this is the fool I love'.

Ben posts a candid video of you recreating the Risky Business sock-slide scene when the song comes on your Spotify while folding the laundry. The moment you spot him, he stops filming however, because he sees the mischief in your eyes, and the way your hips are moving as you step towards him; you're feeling silly and sexy, climbing into his lap on the sofa, still dancing, though it's more grinding now, and singing the half remembered words. That's not for the rest of the world to see.

Joe posts a series of photos chronicling you forgetting to use an oven mitt to check on the frozen pizza you'd chucked in the oven, and even goes so far as to draw a red circle around the mitt that was literally sitting on the counter beside the oven as you sulked in the foreground of the final photo, holding a bag of frozen peas to your hand. He doesn't post about how he sits you down in front of the TV and brings you a proper ice pack, how he finishes getting dinner all ready and how he and Ben spend the rest of the night doting on you as much as they gently tease you.

They post dumb, nonsense arguments, but not sleepy morning kisses; your reaction to trying food that's way too spicy, even for you, but not how you smile so sweetly over desserts; the way you nap in the weirdest places, bit not how cute you look when you fall asleep on one of them. That's by design. From the outside the relationship is fun and chaotic and bright, but you don't owe the world a confirmation of just how much you love these men. But honestly, the world seems to understand, and somehow that doesn't make you uncomfortable. Though even the small snippets the three of you have shared, it's clear you love and trust each other.

And it comes out in other ways too, other cast members, not that you really mind.

"Tell us about Ben, Joe, and Y/N, are they actually sappy on set?" Gwilym reads out a question during an Instagram live session he's hosting in his trailer to kill time between scenes. "Listen, I'll tell you what, they're worse on set," he tells his audience with playfully annoyed expression, getting up. "Joe's trailer is right next to mine and if I check-" leaving his own trailer he takes his phone with him, knocking on the one next door as the comments of his live show go absolutely nuts, "I bet all three of them are in there." He mused.

Joe opens the door, yawning and rubbing his eyes, clearly having just woken up. "Keep it down, man," Joe mumbles before he sees the phone in Gwil's hand.

"Sorry I woke you, say hello to Instagram, Joe." Joe grins, giving a wave when Gwil holds up the phone. "They were asking about you three," he knows without having to ask that you and Ben are with him. Whenever you came to visit the set the three of you stuck pretty close together.

"They're still asleep," Joe steps aside to allow Gwil to peak inside. As promised, you and Ben were draped over each other on the sofa, though your feet have clearly been moved where Joe had to extract himself to answer the door. The UK Office is playing on someone's laptop. You yawn in your sleep and nestle in against Ben further, even Gwil's heart melts a bit at that.

"Alright, sorry to wake you," Gwil smiles and retreats as Joe stifles a yawn and assures him it's no trouble at all. When he's back in his own trailer, Gwil takes a breather before going back to looking at his live stream.

"They're cute, it's disgusting at times, how cute they are, and yeah, no, they don't show a lot of that in public, but they do really care about each other." He paused, shrugging, "and sometimes they're just weird. I saw Joe dare Ben to try and eat a whole apple in one bite, and he tried, and Joe video called Y/N when it got stuck, but it turns ou her solution was for her to eat a whole apple in one go too, to see how to get out of it; it just got stuck. They all seemed surprised by this, and it was just one of those times where I was like 'ah, yes these people make sense together', you know?" He shrugged, grinning as he read a few comments, "yeah it really did feel like they all got hit with a case of the mondays."

Taglist: @cosmicsskies

shoot me a message and I'll add you xx

#ben hardy #ben hardy imagine #joe mazzello #ben hardy x reader #joe mazzello imagine #joe mazzello x reader #the angry lizard writes #gwilym lee #borhap cast imagine #borhap cast #bohemian rhapsody imagine #borhap imagine #bohemian rhapsody #borhap #bo rhap #ben x reader x joe #ben hardy x reader x joe mazzello

634 notes · View notes

arysafics · 5 years

Note

if u do take requests please: a fic where clarke and bellamy are in a stable relationship but someone makes a comment about her body figure, and she starts to feel unconfortable and make diets, not feeling good on being naked in front of him and he notices

loose lips sink ships all the damn time

Summary: Clarke has always known Bellamy is too good for her, but it still hurts when strangers on the internet think that too.

Rated T, ~4000 words

Clarke has always known that Bellamy would make it bigsomeday. They’ve been together since he was in drama school and he starred in ashort film she wrote. It’s still the best thing she’s ever made, and it’s notbecause it’s her best writing (far from it), it’s because he made it amazing.

Since then, Clarke has given up writing scripts, findingshe’s better suited to novels, and Bellamy has had a lot of small roles in TVshows. There were a couple of recurring characters, and once, the villain in asci-fi show that ended up being cancelled after a season. But finally, his fucking agent did somethinggood for once, and got him an audition for a big action trilogy, which of course he got the lead for, starringopposite the mega-famous supermodel/actress, Echo Whiting.

The premiere was last night, and people are already goingcrazy for it. Bellamy has never been the type to keep up with social media, orread reviews about his work, but Clarke loves it. She gets a thrill every timeshe sees his name pop up on her Twitter or Facebook feed, whether it’s a reviewof his brilliant performance or just a fan screaming about how much they lovehim. Sure, it gets weird sometimes, especially because a lot of his fans arethirsting after him, but she hardly ever reads anything negative about him.

He’s still asleep, and Clarke elects not to wake him up. Hefinally has some time off after weeks of interviews and appearances, and Clarkeisn’t about to ruin his first day to sleep in.

She opens Twitter on her phone, and searches Bellamy’s name.The latest tweet is a link to an article of the best and worst dressed from thepremiere last night, and Clarke clicks on it, already knowing Bellamy will bein the best category. She finds himat number two, after Echo, and she stares at his picture, smiling to herself.She loves him because he’s kind and selfless and funny and talented. But he’salso really hot as well.

The caption reads: BellamyBlake can do no wrong when it comes to fashion. We don’t care what he wears, aslong as he keeps showing up to give us that dreamy smile.

Clarke continues scrolling, until she reaches the worstdressed. Okay, if it were up to her, these lists wouldn’t even exist. But also,secretly she kind of likes judging other people’s clothes. She has to agreethat number one on the list is kind of awful. There are just too many colourson Ontari’s dress, and all of them clash. The second one Clarke doesn’t thinkis so bad, but then, she’s no fashion expert.

She continues scrolling, and her stomach drops when she seesnone other than herself at number three. She hadn’t even realised anyone waspaying attention to her. She’s not even in the movie. She’s not a famous actor.She’s just Bellamy Blake’s girlfriend.

She doesn’t even think she looks that bad in the dress shewore last night. She felt sexy at the time, in skin tight red, and if the wayBellamy pulled her out of it after they got home last night was any indication,he thought she looked sexy too.

Her eyes scan the caption, wondering why she’s made theworst dressed list.

Look guys, we havenothing wrong with the dress itself. But Clarke, honey, it’s not for you. Sheneeds a stylist that can dress her for her body type, and hide all theunflattering bits. Oh, and by the way, this is a red carpet, not the red lightdistrict. Put those things away!

Clarke feels sick to her stomach. She looks at the pictureagain, and suddenly she can see what they’re talking about. The dress stretchesover her stomach and thighs, making her look bigger than she is. Or maybe shereally is that big. And the dress probably is too low cut for someone withbreasts like Clarke’s. Echo would probably look really good in the dress.

“Hey,” Bellamy says sleepily, cuddling up to her. Clarkeexits the article quickly, blinking back tears.

“Sorry,” Clarke says. “Did I wake you?”

“Hmm, I don’t think so. What were you reading?”

“Just a stupid article,” Clarke says.

“You’re not googling me again, are you?” Bellamy grins.Clarke smiles back at him. She has to remind herself that it doesn’t matterwhat one dumb article says about her. Bellamy’s opinion is the one thatmatters, and he loves her and thinks she’s beautiful.

“Someone has to do it,” Clarke says.

“Well, thank you for being my biggest fan,” Bellamy says,leaning over her to kiss her. He takes her phone from her hands, placing itaside, continuing to kiss her, letting his hands roam over her body. She tenseswhen he grips her thigh, and he stops. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Clarke says quickly. God, she’s so stupid. She can’tlet the words of some bitch pretending to be a journalist get to her. They’rejust jealous that Clarke is with Bellamy. And who could blame them?

Even knowing this, she pushes him off her and scoots out ofbed.

“I just really need to pee,” she says, shooting him a smileto show him she’s okay.

Bellamy raises an eyebrow at her, but he doesn’t push it.“Okay,” he says. “We should probably get up anyway. I still have to pack.”

“We have time,” Clarke says. “Go back to sleep.” He givesher that dreamy smile everyone is so in love with, then falls back against thepillows. Clarke heads to the bathroom, wondering if she should have told himabout the article. Except she already knows what he’d say. He’d tell her thearticle is wrong, and that they’re just trying to get attention, and that sheneeds to stop reading that shit. And he’d be right, obviously. Which is why shedoesn’t tell him.

Clarke decides she’s going to go social media free for acouple of weeks, while she and Bellamy are in Fiji. He has some time off, andwhile he loves his job and his fans, Clarke knows he tires of being the centreof attention. It will be good for the two of them to disappear, even if justfor a little while.

“No Twitter, no Facebook, no Instagram. I’m not even goingto use Google,” Clarke tells Bellamy, putting her phone on the charger. They’restaying in a tiny little private villa, close to the beach, and Bellamy isalready dressed in his swim shorts. It’s a distracting sight.

“I’m not saying I don’t believe you, but I also know youvery well. If you last the day I’ll be surprised,” he grins.

“That sounds a lot like you don’t believe me,” Clarke pouts.

Bellamy laughs. “I believe you want to try.”

“I’ll show you,” Clarke says, poking her tongue out. “I’mnot even going to take my phone with me to the beach.”

“That sounds like a brag, but I don’t get why you would evenneed a phone at the beach.”

“Photos,” Clarke says. She picks up her phone and snaps oneof him to prove her point. “That’s going to be my new lock screen.”

Bellamy shakes his head, amused. “Come on,” he says, holdingout his hand. “The ocean is calling to me.”

Clarke takes his hand, grabbing her towel from the bed onthe way. They make the five minute walk to the beach hand in hand. It’s perfectbeach weather, warm and not too windy, and yet there is hardly anyone else onthe beach. They lay their towels down, and Bellamy waits for Clarke to take herdress off so they can get in the water. She hesitates, just for a moment. Thewords from the article run through her mind, reminding her about all her unflattering bits. She’s just wearing abikini underneath the dress, and it doesn’t cover all that much. She hadn’tlooked in the mirror when she put it on, and she’s suddenly worried about whatshe looks like in it.

Steeling herself, Clarke hurriedly pulls the dress over herhead and puts it down on her towel, trying to keep her stomach covered with herarms as long as possible. When she looks up, Bellamy is staring at her.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he shakes his head. He smirks. “Just wish we wereback at the villa instead of on this very public beach.”

“You wanted to come to the beach.”

“Yeah, but that was before I saw you in that bikini.”

“Stop it,” she says, giving him a playful shove. She stillloves it when he gets all flirty with her, looks at her like he wants to devourher. Yet part of her wonders if he’s just putting it on. Acting like he wantsher more than he really does. He grabs her arm and tugs her close, kissing her.“We shouldn’t do this here,” Clarke murmurs between kisses.

“Why?” Bellamy whispers back.

“You’re famous. People might recognise you and takepictures.”

“I don’t care.”

Clarke breaks away from his lips, trailing her fingers downhis arm and taking his hand. “We’re going swimming first,” she says, pullinghim towards the ocean. “And then when we get back to the villa you can dowhatever you like to me.”

“Okay,” Bellamy agrees, and he lets Clarke lead him into theshallows. He grabs her around the waist, and she shrieks, laughing as he kissesher, then pulls her down into the water. He loves her, Clarke reminds herself.He loves her and he wants her, regardless of what anyone else says. She has toremember that.

Out of stubbornness and nothing else, Clarke makes it thewhole two weeks without social media. She does feel proud of herself, but thetrue prize is Bellamy admitting he was wrong for doubting her.

Of course, the first thing she does when they get home isopen Twitter, while Bellamy does the responsible thing and starts unpacking hissuitcase.

She goes through her notifications, liking questions fromfans about her next book so she can answer them later. She reads every tweetshe’s mentioned in, which usually isn’t that many, seeing as it’s been a whilesince her last book came out, and though she’s on Twitter a lot, she doesn’tactually tweet that much. Occasionally she’ll get people asking her aboutBellamy, but she never replies to those ones.

There is a tweet from what looks like a Bellamy Blake fanaccount, judging from the username.

Give Bellamy Blake anOscar @bblakefan291

@clarkegriffinwritesdid you see this? people are so mean

Clarke clicks on the tweet, wondering what mean thingspeople could possibly be saying about Bellamy. She doesn’t want to get into aTwitter war over it, and she probably won’t tell him if it’s too harsh, but shefeels like she needs to know anyway.

She finds the tweet is a reply to a picture, a photo takenof her and Bellamy while they were at the beach. Her first thought is that theyboth look really happy. They’re standing in the shallows and he’s got his armaround her and she has the biggest smile on her face. Then she reads thecomment that goes with it.

Kelly @bechorise

No offence but he cando so much better lol. What is he even doing with her?

Clarke rolls her eyes, trying to ignore the sinking feelingin her stomach. It doesn’t matter to her what some random on the internet hasto say about her relationship with Bellamy.

She knows she should just exit the app and forget about it,but she sees the tweet has three hundred likes already, and fifteen replies,and she can’t resist scrolling down to see what other people are saying.Perhaps some part of her hopes there are people defending her.

Bellamy and Echo @bellamyandecho

He should be withsomeone actually hot. Like Echo!!!!!

Georgia @georgiagg55

She actually has apretty face but she really needs to lose a few pounds

hell is empty @ladygagaisshakespeare

lmao someone finallysaid it

Bellamy Blake’s Wife @wifeofbellamyblake

I’m hotter than she ishe should be with me!!!

becho are secretlydating @bechoes

don’t worry, this isjust a cover, he’s actually with Echo. It would literally make no sense for himto be dating this nobody lol that’s all the proof you need

frankie @franksfornothing

you can tell she’s waymore into him than he is into her. He’s going to break up with her soon I canfeel it. Then we celebrate ladies!

There are a couple of tweets defending her, but the repliesto those tweets are just other people telling them to shut up. The worst one iswhere someone has reposted the picture, but they’ve circled and labelled allher flaws. Her cellulite, her stretch marks, the rolls of fat around herstomach.

Her chest is tight and her eyes well with tears. It’sstupid, she knows it’s stupid. They’re just strangers on the internet whoseopinions shouldn’t matter. But the thing is, she’s always kind of suspectedshe’s not good enough for him. When he first asked her out, she had troublebelieving it wasn’t some kind of dumb prank. Guys that look like that don’tdate girls that look like Clarke. They date girls that look like Echo Whiting.

And it’s not that Clarke thinks Bellamy is cheating on her,or wants to cheat on her, or is secretly planning to break up with her when thetime is right. But she can see what everyone else sees. That he’s better thanher. He’s more talented, he’s more charismatic, he’s more attractive. Clarkedoesn’t deserve him, and she’s always kind of known it. Deep down, there’s thisfear that one day he’s going to wake up and realise he can do better, and thenhe’ll leave her. To have other people validate that fear, to have strangers onthe internet voice her worst and darkest thoughts about herself and herrelationship—it just makes it seem more real.

The thought of losing Bellamy makes her ache. What if hesees this picture, sees how out of her league he is, starts seeing her the wayshe really is? How long would it take him to stop touching her, because hethinks she’s too fat? Stops taking her as his date to awards shows andpremieres because he realises she makes him look bad?

“Okay, I’m done unpacking,” Bellamy says, strolling out fromthe bedroom. Clarke quickly brushes the tears from her eyes, swallowing. Shecan’t tell him about this. He’ll think she’s stupid, or he’ll think she’sright, and either way she doesn’t want to deal with it. He stops, frowning, hisface etched with concern. “You okay, baby?”

“Yeah,” Clarke says. Evidently, she hasn’t hidden her tearsas well as she would have liked. “Just watched a dog video.”

Bellamy smiles. “Cute. You want to get pizza for dinner? I’mnot really in the mood for cooking.”

Clarke hesitates. Pizza does sound good. But perhaps sheshouldn’t be eating pizza, if she actually wants to keep her boyfriend. “Youcan get pizza if you want. I’m not that hungry.”

“I can just order you some garlic bread if you want.”

Clarke huffs. “No, Bellamy. I don’t want garlic bread.”

“But you love garlic bread. And you might be hungry later.You can heat it up—”

“I said I don’t want it,” Clarke snaps. Bellamy snaps hismouth closed, frowning. Clarke takes a deep breath. “Sorry,” she mutters. “Ithink I’m just tired from the flight. I’m going to take a shower and go tobed.”

“Okay,” Bellamy says. Clarke doesn’t look at him as sheheads to the bathroom, but she knows he’s watching her, confused as to why shesnapped at him. Clarke doesn’t even really know herself, except that he’sencouraging her to eat things that will make her fat, and that annoys her.

While she’s in the shower, she decides she’s going to starta diet in the morning. Cut out carbs completely maybe. Only eat things that aregreen.

She towels herself off and puts her pyjamas on and gets intobed. She can smell Bellamy’s pizza when it arrives. Her stomach grumbles. Whenhe comes into the bedroom to offer her some, she pretends to be asleep.

Clarke starts her diet the next morning. While Bellamy isstill asleep, she plans out what she’s allowed to eat for the for the week andsticks the chart on the fridge with a magnet. She’s already hungry just lookingat it. But she’s sure she’ll get over that.

Breakfast today is just half a grilled tomato. Bellamywanders into the kitchen as she plates it up.

“What’s that?” he asks.

“A tomato.”

“What’s it for?”

“Breakfast.”

The look Bellamy gives her is sceptical. “That’s notbreakfast, Clarke. At least have some toast with it.”

“Can you stop telling me what to eat?”

Bellamy actually flinches. Clarke stabs her tomato with herfork, feeling guilty. “Sorry.”

“Clarke,” Bellamy says. “Is everything okay?”

“Uh huh,” she says. She doesn’t look up from her plate. “Ijust really have a craving for grilled tomato,” she says. She keeps talkingbefore Bellamy can say anything else. “Anyway, I need to get some writing donethis morning, so I’m going to be in my office for a few hours,” she saysquickly, picking up her plate and hurrying to her office.

She hardly gets any writing done. She’s hungry and she can’tthink straight and she feels guilty for snapping at Bellamy for no reason. She’swritten two sentences in two hours by the time she hears Bellamy get back fromhis run. She sighs to herself, leaving her work and finding him in the bedroom,stripping off his sweat soaked shirt.

“Hey,” she says, poking her head into the room. Bellamylooks up, throwing his shirt into the laundry basket. “Sorry about before.”

“It’s fine, Clarke,” he says. He folds his arms over hischest, his biceps bulging. Clarke quickly meets his eyes. This is a seriousconversation. “Are you going to tell me what’s really going on though?”

Clarke shrugs. “Must be getting my period.” All manner ofweird behaviour can be excused that way, right?

“That’s it?”

Clarke nods. Bellamy sags. “Fuck, Clarke,” he says. “You hadme really worried.”

“You were worried? About what?”

“Yeah,” he says softly, walking over to her. He takes herhands in his. “I thought—I don’t know. It doesn’t matter.” He kisses her softly,then a little harder. He presses her against the doorframe, crushing heragainst his sweaty chest. Clarke’s heart races as she kisses him back, her needfor him growing.

“Bellamy,” she whispers, her voice husky. He presses a kissto each of her cheeks.

“Yes?”

“I need you.”

“Come and shower with me,” Bellamy says, his lips againsthers again, his hands still holding hers. He tugs her towards the bathroom, andClarke lets him pull her with him. He doesn’t even bother shutting the bathroomdoor before he’s kissing her again. His hands slide under her shirt, and she tensesup instinctively, thinking about the circles that person drew on her picture,pointing out her chubby stomach. Bellamy stops instantly, pulling back.

“Clarke?”

“It’s okay,” she says, even though it’s not. She wants him,she really wants him. But the thought of him seeing her like the rest of theworld sees her makes her sick. She looks okay in her baggy shirt and jeans, butshe doesn’t want him to see her naked. Not until she’s lost some weight, andshe can look like a girlfriend he can actually be proud of. “I just—um,” shesteps back, away from him, eyes on the floor. “I changed my mind. I—” she feelsher throat closing up. She tries to swallow, so she won’t cry.

“Clarke, baby,” Bellamy says softly. “What’s going on? Tellme.”

She looks up at him, just as a tear rolls down her cheek.She shakes her head. “I don’t want you to think I’m ugly,” she says, and itsounds so stupid she could laugh, if her chest didn’t ache so much.

“Ugly?” Bellamy shakes his head. “Why would I ever think you’reugly?”

Clarke sobs, though she tries to hold it back. The truthspills out of her. “Everybody thinks I’m not good enough for you. And they’reright. Why are you even with me, when you could have anybody you want? Someonewho’s actually in your league?”

“Clarke—” Bellamy says, searching her eyes, confused andconcerned. “I don’t understand. Who thinks you’re not good enough for me?”

Clarke pulls her phone from her back pocket and opensTwitter. It only takes her a moment to find the tweet.

“I don’t get it,” Bellamy says. “This is a good picture.”

“Read the comments, Bellamy.”

Bellamy looks back to the phone, his eyes scanning thescreen as he scrolls. His expression gets darker and darker as he reads. Helooks up, his eyes hot with rage.

“Clarke,” he says. “This is a load of bullshit. I love you and I want to be with you. Just the thought of you thinkingyou’re not good enough for me—” he cuts himself off with a huff. “Fuck anyone whomakes you think that,” he growls.

Clarke shrugs. “But look at me,” she says. “And look at you.”

“Clarke,” Bellamy says, his anger turning to anguish. “Don’tsay that. You’re beautiful. What can I do to make you believe me?”

“Nothing, Bellamy,” Clarke huffs. “It’s not your fault. I believeyou believe that. But one day you’re going to wake up and realise you should bewith someone who makes you look good. Someone like Echo.”

“I’ll quit the movie,” Bellamy says. “I’ll quit actingentirely. None of it means anything if I don’t have you.”

Clarke shakes her head, tears falling again. “Don’t give upyour dream because of me.”

“Don’t leave me,” Bellamy says, his voice trembling. “I loveyou. I love you.”

Clarke’s heart misses a beat. “I’m not leaving you,” she says.“God, Bellamy. This isn’t a break up.”

Bellamy exhales, his relief evident. He takes her face inhis hands. “Clarke. You have to know, I think you’re gorgeous. I don’t want youto ever doubt that. But I don’t love you because of the way you look. I loveyou because of you. All of you. Ilove you exactly as you are, and I will love you if you change entirely, and Iwill love you if you stay the same.”

Clarke’s heart thrums in her chest. She puts her hand overhis. With his words, the fierce sincerity in his eyes, her doubts vanish. He’snever once made her feel like she’s not worthy of him, and the fact that shelet some childish internet trolls make her believe any different fills her withshame.

“Bellamy, I’m sorry,” she whispers. “I should never evenhave read those comments. I don’t want you to think I don’t trust you, or thatI think you’re shallow—”

“Hey, hey,” he says. “You don’t have to be sorry. You feelhow you feel. But I want to know how you feel too, okay?”

Clarke nods. Bellamy drops his hands from her face. “Wouldyou really quit acting for me?”

“I would do anything for you.”

“You know I would never ask you to do that, right?”

“I know,” Bellamy says. “And that’s why I would.”

Clarke shakes her head, smiling. “I’m the last person whowould want you to give up acting. You know I’m your biggest fan, right?”

Bellamy smiles. “And I’m yours.”

#bellarke #bellarke fanfiction #the 100 #the 100 fanfiction #mine #Anonymous

120 notes · View notes

k-knightt-blog · 5 years

Text

I barely knew I had skin before I met you

Title: I barely knew I had skin before I met you

Relationship: Tom Hiddleston/Reader

Chapters: 1/?

Wordcount: 1,231

Summary: You are Susanne Bier’s, the director of Night Manager, on-set assistant who falls in love with her boss’ leading man. Now, why would you do something so stupid?

Part 2 Part 3

You had been told to stay in bed for at least half the day, that’s what the director of The Night Manager Susanne Bier had told you. “At least until dinner, you’re not doing yourself any favours”, that's what she said before you left set yesterday, three times she said it, making sure you would get it into your head. It wasn’t that you were poorly, but the lack of sleep had been a concern for everyone on set, well, everyone who had the time to notice. You were sure Tom didn’t mind your absence this morning, as much as your mind wanted that to be false it probably wasn’t.

Maybe, just maybe he’d miss you slumping into the sofa next to him, your limbs tired, and as a reflex, he would steal one of your headphones and secure it in his own ear. Sometimes he liked the music, sometimes he didn’t. Rolling around in bed you let out a frustrated groan, the duvet flipped off you and so did your phone that had been hiding somewhere in between the sheets. With a restless hand you grabbed it and checked for notifications, but sadly there was nothing to be excited about. Someone from back home had gone on a rampage, liking nearly every post you’ve ever posted on Instagram. It wasn’t uncommon when your mum always keeps posting about the quote-unquote famous people you worked with.

When you come to think about it’s also Tom's fault. A few weeks ago he had posted a photo on his Instagram he snapped of you munching down crisps at a rapid speed, you glaring into the camera giving him your best grin. The caption read “Charming girl!” He didn’t tag you since you asked him not to, knowing the field day people would have if they did find your account. Not that a lot of people wondered who you were anyway, you weren’t an actress people recognised, you weren’t an actress at all for the matter, so it wasn’t as interesting for his fans. However some people who knew you from home recognised you, and of course, chucked a message in your direction.

Throwing your phone on the bed again, the heaviness of it in your hand made you feel blue, it was rather the heaviness of not having the person you cared about caring about you. Shaking your head, your short hair covers your eyes. From your lips, a small ”Fucking hell” came out, and a ”You’re being ridiculous” also followed soon after. It wasn’t like you were walking around falling in love with people often, actually never, but here you were falling for one of the greatest actors of his generation. Not to mention that he was also an enormous heartthrob and sex symbol for men and women alike.

Then and there you decided that nothing would ever happen between you two, he’d probably fall in love with some gorgeous, talented actress any minute now anyway. It wasn’t a part of your five-year plan to suffer, you’d tried suffering but didn’t like it. No time for heartbreak, you haven’t got the time, simple. Trying to convince yourself of those facts your phone chimed, tapping the screen you see that’s it's Tom.

The aching heart in your chest begun to beat heavily, just like in every romantic film ever, what a cliche you were. Clicking and flicking every surface on the phone rapidly you got it unlocked and his messages popped up. ”I’m dearly hoping that you are sleeping right now, having those being the only orders you have today,” You stopped to bring the phone closer to your face, the bright light illuminating off it making your eyes hurt. How did he have the energy to always sound so formal? More importantly, why did he care how he was perceived when it was just you – he was sending a text message to. You shake your head and continued reading, “Anyway, when you awake please report back to me and tell me you are finally feeling better. It is not quite as fun without you running around on set. Come by for dinner in the cafeteria/ Tom”

Despite your blue state of mind you let out a chuckle, he always finished his messages with a dash and then Tom, like you didn’t already have his number in your phone. He was there yesterday when you broke down crying for no apparent reason, of course, he would be concerned? Right? Why where you giving yourself mixed signals. You considered him a friend, but sadly that’s all he’ll probably ever be, but that had to be enough. It’s that or nothing.

Yesterday had been a particularly hard day, two-thirds of the shoot had relocated to Cairo. Relocating meant unpacking craters of things, things get lost and needed to be found, also new crew members and new actors. There’s a recurrence, if circumstances are stressful and hard for Susanne, the director, things would also be stressful and hard for you, her on-set assistant. The trouble with your sleep had been going on for two months or so, just at the beginning of shooting. Around noon yesterday Tom walked into the designated coffee-room of the hotel we were filming in.

You stood in front of the coffee station, looking at the selection of teas for far too long. Trying to remember how to actually function like a normal human. However, a smile spread across his face as he walked up to you, but as he came closer to you his smile faded into a thin line. Your appearance took him by surprise, a hand appeared on your shoulder before he spoke.“You don’t look too good, Y/N. You haven’t been sleeping.” It wasn’t a question, he knew because you had told him a few weeks before that you had been sleepless. "Like Edward Norton in Fight Club". You remember him saying that it’ll be alright, stress can do that to you.

”Wow thank you tom, not everyone has a makeup team by their side...” You were quick to add, ”Not that you need it of course.” He didn’t let your joking dismiss what he was actually concerned about, the bags under your eyes where deep purple, you looked sick. He just looked at you, both his hands now on your shoulders, gently squeezing and that’s when you started to crumble. A sob escaped your throat and tears started to run down your cheeks, in shock your hands flew up to your mouth knocking his hands off your shoulders. “I'm s-sorry.” You tried to leave the space but Tom didn’t let you.

Quick as lighting your head was situated under his chin, his arms wrapped around your smaller frame. ”Don’t be sorry, Y/N, you just need some rest. Let me ascot you to your room.” His voice soft, he almost whispered it. You began crying, even more, it must have shocked him and he suddenly didn’t know how to console you, he thought his calming-tactic would help. Before you realised someone else’s hands were on you, ”What’s wrong? What happened?” It was Susanne and she wasn’t asking me, she was asking Tom. She rose her hand to my forehead, perhaps to see if you had a temperature. ”She hasn’t been sleeping,” Tom said and you could see Susanna nodding.

#tom hiddelston imagine #tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston x reader #tom hiddleston x you #fanfic #marvel #the night manager #night manager #jonathan pine x reader #jonathan pine #tom hiddleston fluff #tom hiddleston fandom #tom hiddleston fan fic #tom x reader #tom x you #fluff #tom fluff

178 notes · View notes

big-deak-energy · 5 years

Text

Delightful.

Ben x Reader

AN: This is another fluffy as hell drabble thing that I wrote on the bus to and from work last week, lemme know whatcha think, if anyone has any requests feel free to drop me a message!!

——

Having an actor boyfriend is great. Visits to set. Seeing bits of the film that the audience won't see in the final cut. Travelling with them all over the world when it's time for the premiere. Getting all pampered before the red carpet. Meeting new friends.

But having an actor boyfriend while looking after a little female clone of him is difficult.

Lola Evelyn Jones-Hardy. Three years old. Spitting image of her Dad, the most gorgeous blue eyes, silky blonde hair that's currently braided. The most luscious pink lips- just like her dads. She makes missing Ben all that much easier knowing I have an actual clone of him running round my house.

It's been a wild ride welcoming Lola into our life.

We'd been together for three years when we found out we were expecting. We were sunning it up in Mauritius when I had a feeling I might have been pregnant. So we came home with a little something more than island souvenirs. And nine months and six hours of labour later, our beautiful baby girl was born. And we're just as in love with her and each other as we were when she arrived.

Me and Ben decided that we don't want anymore. She's too precious to us. She's completed a missing part of us both.

We're currently on our way to set of Ben's new film to surprise him. He's filming in LA and we’re in the most beautiful house - a house that him and his cast mates from Bohemian Rhapsody all put in for so they have somewhere to stay when they’re all in LA. We haven't seen him properly for a while and he told me he's finishing early today so we're going to go for food and just be together. He left early this morning, not before pressing kisses all over my skin. Before he finally peeled himself away from me to leave for work.

Lola is sat next to me jamming away to the radio as we head down the winding streets.

"You excited to see Daddy, Lola?" I reach over to hold her hand. She's dressed in jeans, a white tshirt, a little leather jacket and a pair of vans that Ben brought home a few nights ago. She rocks it. She's always been fashionable, because Ben always bought her the best. I didn't want her to be spoiled but seeing as she's our only child, it's allowed.

"Yes!" She grins at me, a smile so similar to her Dad's.

"Good, were nearly there," I grin as I pull up the barriers at the studio's and roll the window down.

"Good morning ma'am, do you have an appointment?" He ducks down and leans his hands into my car.

"We're here to surprise daddy on set, Ben Hardy on 6 Underground," I grin at him, leaning back so he can see Lola.

"She's definitely his daughter, she's a spitting image of him," he grins, tipping his hat to me.

"Thank you, what studio is it?" I ask and he consults his clipboard.

"Studio seven, there's plenty of parking over that way, have a lovely day," he taps my window again and raises the barrier and we crawl into the lot and follow the signs for number 7.

I park up and jump out of the car so I can get Lola and my bag. I sling my bag over my shoulder and Lola grabs my hand.

"This way baby," I pull her over to the door I've been through before. Inside the sound stage, it's eerily quiet, like normal. But as I follow to where all the people are gathered the scene being filmed gets louder. I swipe Lola up into my arms and balance her on my hip. We grin at each other. I smile at the few people I pass and head into a gap in the crowd. We spot Ben straight away, he's dressed casually, he's currently getting his hair fixed.

"DADDY!" Lola shouts at the top of her lungs. Thankfully they're not filming. It causes the director and everyone else on set to laugh. Ben hasn't noticed yet, maybe because he's still getting his hair fixed.

She shouts again and he snaps his eyes open and scans the crowd of people until he finds up when his eyes light up. He grins, standing up so quickly that he knocks the chair over he was sitting on and dashes over to us.

"Hi," I grin just before he reaches us and envelopes us in his arms, he takes Lola from me and she clings around his neck.

"This is a lovely surprise," he runs a hand around my waist and peppers Lola's face with kisses making her squeal with happiness, before finally giving me a kiss.

There's a lot of movement around us and the director shouting that it's a wrap for the day. I stroke his cheek.

"Thought we'd come down and take you to lunch," I grin as he guides us outside to his trailer.

"We're thinking pizza, then home for a movie and cuddling under a blanket," I run a hand around his waist as he guides me.

"I think just spending time with my ladies will be my favourite," he kisses me again and I feel a pair of ting hands against my cheek.

"Daddy, stop," and we laugh as we pull away from each other.

"What's up my angel? You want daddy kisses too?" He grins, he stops, throwing her up into the air, she screams and it's delightful. That's their thing.

"Okay, kisses for Lola," he squeezes her close and kisses her all over. I link his arm as we continue to walk.

He leads us into a trailer and passes Lola back to me.

"I'll just get changed and I'm outta here, did you come in the car or get an uber?" He asks, wandering into the back of the small trailer.

I put Lola on the floor and she runs after him, I follow behind and she's flopped onto the bed. I join her, pulling her into my lap.

"We came in the Beemer," I wink. He knows that I'm in love with that car as it's the same as the one he drives at home and I drive the Audi Q5 but I'm dying to have a car like his, but we need two different cars because we can't pack up for weekends away in a tiny BMW.

"Look at you flexing in my car, it's a smooth ride init?" He whips his clothes off in the tiny walk in wardrobe, I catch the occasional glimpse of him.

"Have to control myself when I have our little misses in the car," I tickle Lola, making her laugh.

"Me and Lola go fast on the car all the time don't we princess?" Ben pokes his head around the door. Pulling a funny face at our daughter.

"Daddy! That's a secret," she shushes him. I laugh, knowing damn well he speeds with her in the car but he's an excellent driver and knows when to be sensible.

He steps out of the wardrobe, dressed almost identically to Lola. He's got a camel coloured coat on. But the jeans top and shoes are the same.

"We're all matching!" He grins, propping his foot on the bed.

"We are, shall we go, I'm rather hungry?" He claps his hands silently asking if Lola wants carrying, she leaps over to him and he catches her just in time.

As we walk back to the car we hold both of Lola's hands and swing her happily. Her laugh lights up my day.

"Here, you're driving," I throw him the keys out of my bag and he catches them.

"You're directing?" He raises an eyebrow.

"I know just the place," I grin.

Before we get in the car I take a photo of our matching shoes and post it to Instagram with the caption : 'a fashion forward family'

Once were all buckled in Ben heads back out of the studio lot.

"Follow signs for Universal Studios Hollywood," I say, sitting back in the seat, pushing my sunglasses onto my face.

"We're not actually going are we?" He laughs, the bags under his eyes really showing now he's wiped all his makeup off.

"Noo, we're going to CityWalk for Blaze Pizza," I grin. Knowing it's his favourite.

"Oooh, now you're talking," he grins, reaching over to hold my hand as he chauffeurs us to CityWalk.

Two and a half pizzas later and lots of refilled drinks later. We are full. Ben demolished his before I'd even got half way through. But at least I know he's eating. Blaze Pizza was the first place me and Ben went to eat on our first holiday to Florida together and he fell in love, that was before we had Lola and now she loves it too. No other pizza compares.

Ben is carrying Lola who is still sipping on her drink as we pop into Sephora so I can pick up some mascara. A good thing about staying out here with Ben is that I can finally go into Sephora whenever I need something and not order it online or trek into central London.

We make our way back to the car when his phone buzzes in is pocket.

He reads it with a creased forehead and then it turns into a grin.

"What's happening?" I stroke his arm.

"I have the next two days off," he grins.

"Oh wonderful," I run an arm around his shoulders and up his neck and pull him down to kiss his cheek.

"What about taking my ladies to Disneyland again?" He grins.

"Oooh, yeah, how does that sound Lola?" I grin at her. She absolutely loved it last time. She was a high as a kite the morning of our first day. She dragged us in whatever direction she wanted to go on, Ben bought us matching ears and took lots of photos. She ended up passed out against Ben's shoulder while we were watching the fireworks, hopefully if we go this time, she can watch them.

Settled in the car again we stop via Target to pick up some water and snacks and a few treats for ourselves and then we finally make our way home.

Our beautiful rented home in the Hollywood Hills. It's secluded with absolutely amazing views of the city. It's a house that his friends, Joe, Gwilym and Rami all stay in when they come to LA, sometimes it's the four of them all in the house, we had Joe staying with us three weeks ago, Lola was delighted to see him. Joe took her out for the day to Target so me and Ben could have the day to ourselves.

It was needed but the family cuddles we had when we got home was so lovely. We feel like we're missing an arm when she's not with us.

We arrive home and head inside, putting the shopping on the kitchen island. Lola runs off to her room and it's me and Ben in the kitchen. Ben his checking his phone as I'm unpacking the bags. I quietly walk over to him, pull his phone from his grip and push myself into his body. Wrapping my arms around his neck and pushing up onto my toes to kiss him softly. His hands link together, resting on my lower back.

"I've missed you," he whispers against my lips.

"I miss you always, but having Lola around helps, it's like having a mini you running round," I stroke his face. My fingers running through his sideburn.

"You know when I have to leave early in the morning, I go in and give her a kiss and a cuddle, just so she knows that I love her," he whispers.

Tears prick my eyes. I never knew he did that.

"Don't, I'm going to cry," I whisper.

He just pulls me into his arms and strokes my hair and my back.

"I can't wait till filming is finished and I can be together with my ladies again. Back in London, in our actual, cozy home, feel like I haven't seen my little lady properly in ages, need to get all them cuddles in,"

We stand holding each other in the kitchen until a little pair of arms wrap around our legs.

We pull away and look down to see who it is. And Ben swoops her up into his arms and we have another cuddle.

"Daddy you can choose," Lola smile at him, stroking his hair.

"Choose what?" He grins at her. Their smiles are identical, my heart swells looking at them both.

"The film!" She laughs.

"Oh I know what we can watch," he grins, putting her down and they make their way onto the large couch and get comfy. I mooch about in the kitchen getting snacks and drinks for my little family. He's flicking through the tv looking for the film.

I carry the tray with drinks on down the two steps and push it onto the table.

"Right before we put the film on shall we go and get changed into some comfy clothes?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at Ben. He knows I mean pyjamas and not just his boxers.

"I think that's a wonderful idea, let's go," he picks Lola up again and tickles her as we head down the corridor to our bedrooms.

We quickly change into some comfier clothes, baggy jumpers and sweatpants and a onesie for Lola. One that Uncle Joe bought her when they went out together the last time he visited. They've got matching ones.

Once we're settled back on the sofa again, I pull the blanket around us. Lola is sat between us, Ben has his arm over the back of the sofa and I'm snuggled into the corner. Ben has his daughter tucked into his side. She's grinning up at him as he presses play on the movie.

The famous Disney castle plays out before us. I know what film they've chosen as the chords of a song I've heard a hundred times before start to play. It's Moana. It's a good job I love these two humans. We're going to have a singalong and I am beyond excited.

Life hasn't always been smooth to get where we are today, Ben's away a lot but he always makes it up to us, by whisking us away for mini holidays, with no phones, just the three of us.

And I wouldn't want it any other way. I want to be like this forever.

#ben hardy x reader #ben hardy #ben hardy imagine #borhap #bohemian rhapsody #dad!ben #dad!ben hardy #iana writes

140 notes · View notes

pr1ncessjasm1ne · 5 years

Text

Love Sick

Summary: Y/N reminisces on memories that have led to the confessions of her best friend, [college!]Grayson, admitting his feelings. Word Count: ~ 5,600 Warnings: Cursing, mentions of smoking and drinking, but mostly fluff. A/N: Yikes, this is my first time posting for this fandom and NOT on my side blog, this is also the first time I write with a concept that I really like and needed for myself. I grew to love it and I might make a part 2, so PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GIVE FEEDBACK AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU WOULD WANT A SECOND PART!!! <3

tags: @cutesydolan @joeyskinnyleg @hmmmethan @ohmydolantwins

My days at university have been exceptionally beautiful during many moments. I was getting to date my best friend, whom I met here. It was an occurrence that I never really expected. It all started my freshman year. It was move-in day, to be exact.

“Mom, it’s to the left,” I instruct her on the other end of the large, blue plastic moving cart that we had unloaded my stuff into from our car. It was move in day for my first year of college, and I was ecstatic to be settled in and meeting new people to make friends immediately. I was also super excited to finally be away from home where I had never been allowed out of the house.

“Okay, number 205, right?” she asks as she slows down in front of the room. I nod in confirmation and move around to unlock the door. I guess I beat my roommate, since it was empty.

“Sweet, I want the bottom bunk!” I smiled at my mom as I started to walk in and she followed with the cart.

“Yay! If you fall off when you’re sleeping, you’re only a couple of feet off the ground!” She teased. She likes to think I’m a huge clutz in avoiding the reality that she’s oblivious to, which is that she’s the huge clutz. But whatever. I rolled my eyes in response and asked her to start putting the sheets on my bed while I go get the second cart with my dad.

The second I stepped out my door, I bumped in to a taller, larger man holding a huge box that hit my face. “Oh shit- I’m so, so sorry!” I heard as I clenched my eyes shut and held my hands to my temple. I open my eyes to find a pair of beautiful, deep green orbs decorated with some thick and sharp eyebrows currently furrowed with concern.

“Uh… it’s ‘kay,” I giggled. I felt like I forgot the entire English language in that moment. I continued my hold on my temple before he gently removed my hands by the wrists, making me shiver a bit.

“Oh no, did the corner of the box hit you? It looks like you have a little cut.. oh my god, I’m so-“

“Hey, it’s fine! Nothing a little Neosporin can’t fix,” I reassure, “just be a little more careful, please. I’m asking for everyone.” He sports a small smirk and I caught his cute little dimple. The little dimple I didn’t know I would ever come to love so much.

“Okay, you got it. But still, I’m so sorry. Can I do anything?” He asks, without realizing someone was behind him trying to push another cart. It was my dad, bringing in the second cart I was supposed to help him with.

“Y/N, who’s this?” My dad blatantly asks. Grayson drops his hold on my hands and looks up. Dad has never been fond of any boys in my life, saying they were clearly only after one thing. It was no different with any stranger who looked between 17 and 20 years old. He’s a little overprotective, I guess.

“Good question, what’s your name, boy-who-hit-me-with-his-box?” I cross my arms and cock an eyebrow. He shifts his eyes between my dad and I, growing a little red in the face.

“I promise it was an accident- I’m Grayson…” he smiles a bit awkwardly. I couldn’t help but giggle at his reaction to my dad’s glare after I mentioned the incident that brought our meet, to begin with.

My dad completely dismissed Grayson’s existence and asked me to move out of the doorway to bring the first cart in and replace it with the second one. I did as I was told and moved over to let my parents handle the moving for a second.

“Do you need any help with that box, by the way?” I asked, pointing down at the box he had dropped when he grabbed my wrists. He quickly bent down to pick it up and let out a small chuckle.

“Actually, I wouldn’t mind a spotter to make sure I don’t hit anyone else,” he smiled in my direction. How am I supposed to resist that smile? I moved to be in front of him and led him down to the boy’s hall of the residence.

“What number?” I asked, slowing down my pace as we made our way down.

“220, right there,” he pointed me to the door just a few feet away. I helped him steer clear of a couple of parents he couldn’t see, and probably would have hit with his obscenely large moving box. I noticed the door was prompted open, so I let myself in. I let curiosity get the best of me and decided to watch him for a bit.

“Bottom or top bunk?” I asked. He set the box down behind me and dropped to his knees to start unpacking it.

“I want the bottom bunk, but I know my brother is going to use the ‘I was born first’ card to claim it once he gets here,” he sighs. I take the liberty to sit down on the bottom bunk to test it out.

“Hmm. Unless you want to hit your head constantly on the top bunk, I think you dodged a bullet there,” I stated while holding the metal bars above me.

“Same difference, I’ll hit my head up on the ceiling, too. I just don’t wanna climb,” he smiles. He shifts his focus from the box over to me, and I notice he caught a glance of my exposed thighs in my shorts. I immediately felt a bit insecure and I covered them with my hands before standing up.

“True. Well, good luck to you, Grayson. I have to go help my parents before they complain and say I’m avoiding them,” I say while peeping into his box. It looked like a bunch of tech stuff and lost interest for the moment, making a mental note to ask about it later. “I’ll see you around,” I sport my biggest smile as I leave the room.

“Bye, Y/N!”

I saw Grayson very frequently that year. We bumped into each other nearly every day first semester; I saw him after sociology as I was making my way into the building and he was making his way to class. During midterms season in early October, I would get annoyed of my roommate talking to her boyfriend from back home every single night while I was trying to study. I decided to go in the common room of the residence hall one night and found Grayson taking up an entire table with his laptop, books, and notes spread out as he was studying. That night, he was wearing a white hoodie and gray sweats, looking real cute and cozy. He had his hood up and fidgeted with the strings, which I later found out he did often. He was alone in the common room, which indicated that it was pretty late at night considering that was a popular study space. Even though there was plenty of space, I still sat at the table he occupied because I didn’t want him to feel lonely, even if we were both going to be silently working on our own things. That quickly turned out to be the opposite of what we intended. Every time we started studying, he would ask me random questions about myself and got me rambling for hours. Eventually, this became a problem because we would never really get work done. I found out his twin brother, Ethan, was always playing video games late at night while he tried to study. I didn’t mind that I would hardly get my work done with him. I enjoyed getting to know him every few nights at 3 in the morning until the sun rose and we called it a night and went on with our lives.

Second semester, I found him in my statistics class. Our late-night study sessions, therefore, started to become intentional as well as more frequent. The fact that we both actually needed to study and had each other for support didn’t stop us from getting distracted and talking about literally anything else. I also started hanging out with him in our rooms which eventually led to hanging out outside of the residence hall. We started going to the dining halls together along with his brother, Ethan, and my new friend Alena. Alena quickly made a move on Ethan one night while we were all taking a walk around the lake nearby to stargaze. I was very happy for them when they shared their first kiss together, but it made me a bit sad when I had no one to share an experience like that with. Grayson suggested I should get on tinder, but I didn’t cave then. I was always hoping something would spark between us and bring us together and I don’t think I would have wanted there to be a chance for it to happen with someone else. Not at that time.

Over summer, Grayson and Ethan went back to New Jersey, while Alena went back to her hometown of San Angelo, Texas. I made my way back to my small town in California, which was only a few hours away from our university. I was happy to be back home, but I missed Grayson more than anyone. We started sending one another consistent snapchats of random things that happened throughout our day. Or random selfies with “bored” somewhere on the caption. It always depended on the day, really. But there was never a day I didn’t see his gorgeous face on my screen. At some point in the summer, we started to facetime at night, continuing our late-night chats from the study room. Most times, he would be sending me things to watch on youtube and watch my reaction. It was something we liked to do at our distracted study nights as well. Other times, we would just keep each other company while we played video games or one of us was trying to sleep. It became habitual to fall asleep to the sound of Grayson Dolan’s soft snores even though he had never physically slept next to me. I almost couldn’t sleep the night I moved back up for the second year of college.

“This apartment is sick, [Y/N]! You could throw parties here!” Grayson exclaimed, sitting on my new bed. I let out a small giggle as I sat next to him. “I’m not really a party girl, Gray,” I tilted my head at him. He averted his gaze and stared at his lap.

“You’re right, but I’ll be coming over a lot. This is way better than the small studio Ethan got us stuck with,” he said shifting his eyes back to mine. I felt a slight rush of heat and decided to lay down and stare at the ceiling to shake off the effect Grayson’s eyes had on me. I hadn’t looked into them since the last day before summer, and I forgot how intimidating they were. I always felt like Grayson could see into my soul and take it to keep whenever he laid eyes on me.

“You’re welcome to stay whenever Ethan won’t stop geeking out,” I offered. “But you’re also welcome whenever, and you know that”. I was trying so hard to suppress the smile that threatened to stretch out my cheeks. I felt him lay back next to me, and I shifted my attention to his face.

“Thanks, beautiful,” he almost whispered. I swear if it had been any lower, I wouldn’t have heard him. I almost pretended not to hear it, but my smile and blushing cheeks made it evident. I quickly sat up again, shaking off this feeling.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want Grayson to know how I felt, nor was it that I was afraid of rejection. I genuinely just wanted to keep Grayson around as platonic as I could for as long as I could. I also did not think he was anywhere in my league, but I wouldn’t let that flood my mind. I enjoyed Grayson and his company. His actions and words never crossed any boundaries of mine and I couldn’t tell if that was intentional or not. Regardless, he was my best friend and Alena would kill me if she heard me say it. I tried to tell myself I was just lusting over my best friend because I was horny, and he was the closest guy I had around. Besides him and Ethan, I didn’t have many guy friends who were straight in my life at the moment. And I definitely did not want to pursue Ethan after him and Alena had hooked up one night and she caught feelings for him- BAD. And I can’t blame her. Ethan was amazing, sweet, hilarious, and the tinge bit of annoying was actually endearing on him. However, he was no Grayson to me. Sure, Ethan checked up on me and sent me random memes every now and then. But my second year showed me just how close Grayson and I were going to get.

It was a cold night during finals week of first semester when I was studying at the library and I got my period out of nowhere. No, it wasn’t just that I was far from my apartment and couldn’t get a pad that made me lose it. It was also that I was so close to failing the class I was studying for, and it was that I had spent 14 hours studying the material that day alone, and that I hadn’t had a proper sleep for 4 days also studying for this exam.

While I was sitting in the bathroom stall, crying my eyes out at 1 am, I tried to call Alena to see if she could bring me a pad or tampon from home. To my dismay, her phone was off and I kept getting sent to voicemail. Just a few minutes later, I got a text from Grayson, who had also been studying with me at the library:

gray<3: hey u good?

I knew he was no stranger to periods and wasn’t one of those boys to get freaked out by it, so I decided to call him.

“Hey, what’s up? You’ve been in the bathroom for a while. I got worried,” he said. I tried to muffle my sobs and get myself together.

“I got my period and I don’t have anything with me, Alena won’t pick u-“

“HEY does anyone have a pad or tampon?” I heard Grayson say away from the speaker. “My friend is in the bathroom, she doesn’t have anyth- oh thanks! Yeah I think she’s in the bathroom on this floor,” he said to someone else. I started laughing at his shameless behavior. He was never hesitant to make sure I was taken care of but this was just amusing to me. “Okay a blonde girl is gonna come in there any minute now, she had something useful,” he giggles. I reciprocate the laughter as my heart jumps a little bit.

“Thanks, Grayson,” I say before hanging up.

While small, the gesture stuck with me that night. He also went to the campus convince store located across from the library and bought me some snacks to cheer me up while we studied a bit longer. When we were done, he walked me back to my apartment and stayed the night. When I asked him why he wanted to spend the night during the most stressful time of our semester when he could be bundled up and cozy in his own bed, he said he would rather make sure I’m extra warm and getting cuddled when I was on my period and stressing over exams. This was new territory in our friendship and we had yet to test the waters. We had cuddled before, but it was always for a short period of time and while others were present. Most times, it was when we were watching movies or playing games with a group of people and we were stuck sitting on the floor. I would lean my back against his chest as he leaned against a couch or cabinet. That night, he held me in the same position but laying down, with one arm gently around my waist and the other tucked around my head as he stroked my hair every now and then. It was the first time since summer that I had fallen asleep to the sound of his soft snores. I found myself drifting off easily to the gentle, warm feeling of them against my hair. To say I caught myself falling in love with him that night is an understatement. I finally admitted it but didn’t know where to go from there. It was different from how I had seen him before.

Winter break separated us again, and the facetime calls became more frequent than they had been over summer. It got to a point where I started introducing him to my family over facetime, and he did the same. Nonetheless, I was surprised on Christmas Eve when he facetimed me asking to open the package that he sent me through the mail as a Christmas gift for a reaction. I was in the living room where my family had been gathered to watch a Christmas movie when he texted me to check the mail. I didn’t expect to see a small box and a separate envelope from him in there. Immediately, I ran up the stairs to my room with my family asking what I was doing. I didn’t pay attention to them and bolted straight to my bed as he called. I answered and sat down before opening the envelope first, as he requested.

The first thing I found in there was a hand-written note reading:

“Y/N,

First of all, you don’t understand how much I miss you. Seeing you through a screen literally does you no justice. I’d rather be giving you this in person. Second, you’re so special to me. You’re my best friend. And my best friend deserves the best. I really hope you like it. I chose it myself and Ethan said it was nice… I kinda trust him. I just thought of you instantly when I saw it. Lastly, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

- Gray”

I think he knew exactly how to pull at my heartstrings by this time, and he knew handwritten notes were one of my favorite things. I kept all the random sticky notes with jokes and doodles he put in my notebooks when I wasn’t looking while we studied at the library all those nights. He didn’t know I kept them all in the back of my planner, sticking them an inch apart to create a collection.

I pulled the next thing out of the envelope, which was three Polaroid pictures we had taken at three different times. The first picture was an attempted selfie that was mostly Grayson’s smile and my eye featuring one of the ears of my cat ear headband. On the bottom, written in sharpie was: “10/31/17 – one of my favorite nights”.

“So we’re dressing up just to hang out and eat candy?” I asked Grayson from my bed, as he sat against it with his laptop open searching for last minute DIY Halloween costumes.

“No, we’re dressing up because it’s Halloween. It’s tradition,” he states sternly.

I didn’t dare question Grayson and his love for holidays. He ended up asking me to do some skull makeup on him, which I did… poorly. And I just stuck on my cat ears that I had laying around for when I wanted to push my hair back while doing my makeup. I went full out with him and drew some whiskers on with eyeliner and drew a pink heart on my nose with lipstick. He insisted we should take a polaroid and the one that came out was the one he sent in the mail. We burst out into laughter after we saw the developed photo because Grayson swore that he had the perfect angle for us to be in frame, and he was totally wrong. But at the time, it was the last of the film he had, and we decided the photo would suffice for memories and we took a few selfies on his phone for better measure. That night ended in us watching Rick and Morty until I passed out in the bed where we were sitting against the wall, and Grayson went home. I didn’t know why it was one of his favorite nights, so I asked him while we were on facetime.

“It was the first night I saw you fall asleep in front of me,” he said with a bit of hesitation in his voice, “all the other times were over facetime.” My lips betrayed me when I tried to hide my smile. I didn’t think Grayson had such fond memories of small things like this as I did. I thought I was the only one.

The second photo was one of Grayson holding a joint in his mouth and I held a lighter against the joint and smiled at the camera. Again, written in sharpie: “11/11/17- baby’s first weed”. I laughed hysterically at this one. This was from the first time Grayson and I smoked weed together, and his first time ever smoking.

“Okay, remember to hold it in your mouth and then when you pull it away, inhale it,” I instructed Grayson. My housemate Kiara had brought home several joints and left them out on the living room coffee table for anyone who wanted them. I was curious to see what Grayson would be like while he was high. Alena was with us, and she had never smoked before either.

“Wait, let me take a picture with Grayson’s polaroid!” Alena exclaimed. We posed somewhat silly, and then I lit the joint for Grayson.

Grayson took a puff of the joint and breathed as I had taught him. His eyes were getting a little bloodshot as he kept taking hits, and they were also a bit hooded and seemed sleepy. I knew he was high when the three of us were sitting in comfortable silence while lightly playing The 1975 from my phone. I heard a slight snort escape him. It took me a little bit to react, looking over to him and giggling inexplicably.

“What?” I asked through a smile.

“I don’t know,” he replied, still giggling. “I just wanna laugh!!”

“It’s the weed, Gray!” Alena cackled out. I couldn’t believe the lightweights that sat on each side of me on the couch. I was also high, but I obviously forgot what it was like when you smoked for the first time.

After a while, Alena felt the sleepiness hit her and she knocked out in her bed, leaving me alone with high Grayson. We sat in the same silence with the light sounds of the music for a while before Grayson admitted he was feeling the munchies hit him. We made our way to the kitchen when I remembered I had some left-over, pre-made cookie dough from baking cookies for Alena’s birthday last month. Right as I put the cookies in the oven, Grayson wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and lifted me up.

“Gray!! STOP!” I squealed and laughed. I would have normally begged him to stop for a bit longer, but he turned me around and sat me up on the counter next to the stove. I choked on my breath a little bit as he spread my legs apart slightly to allow himself in between. I didn’t know what was going on because he had never done this before, but I wasn’t going to complain. His face was close to mine, and I noticed his eyes fixed to my lips, then my eyes, and then my lips again. I couldn’t handle the intensity in this interaction, so I grabbed the cookie dough wrapper and started picking at the bits of lingering dough to stick in my mouth. “Want some?” I asked with a slight shake in my voice, holding out my dough covered finger. He smiled and accepted the cookie dough I held up, licking up the dough and going for more from the wrapper. I didn’t want things to get awkward with Grayson if I had made a move and kissed him when maybe he was just super high and admiring me for no reason.

The last photo was just of me, asleep on his chest with his hand through my hair. This was from the morning after he had spent the night during finals and I didn’t even know he took this. This time, the sharpie just read “12/13/17 – nervous x nbhd”. My heart escaped my entire body and I felt my head start to spin. I knew this meant he wanted me to know that I made him nervous, as The Neighborhood had so perfectly titled their song. I couldn’t breathe, but before I could ask Grayson anything, my mom barged into my room.

“Y/N, come back down please. We’re doing family stuff,” she said eagerly, “don’t be rude by staying up here.”

“Okay, give me just a second mom, Grayson sent me this-“

“Y/N! Now!” she whisper-yelled. I put the polaroids away in my desk just in case my mom wanted to punish me for smoking weed or being asleep on top of a boy.

“Hey, Grayson I’m sorry. I gotta go, but I’ll open the package later?” I bit my finger nervously.

“That’s fine, go do family stuff. I’ll be awake,” he reassures me. I felt butterflies in my stomach knowing I’ll be talking to him later.

While watching yet another boring Christmas movie with my family, I couldn’t help but think about Grayson deciding to put that song title on the picture of me sleeping. What did this mean? Was there any meaning to it at all? I was stepping in more uncharted territory with Grayson, and with anyone. I hadn’t had a boyfriend since the beginning of high school, so I forgot how to interact with boys I liked. I also didn’t get much practice since I was too busy swooning over Grayson to pay attention to any other guys who might have been potential interests. Grayson didn’t make it very clear if there were any other girls in his life, but the more I thought about it, the less I could think of a single time he talked about being interested in a girl. I grabbed my phone and texted Ethan.

Y/N: Hey I need to talk to you Don’t tell Grayson!!! PLEASE!

Eetee: What’s up??

Y/N: Okay I need you to be completely honest with me right now

Eetee: Ok…? I always am but ok

Y/N: Yes. So does Grayson like me??

Read at 9:47pm

I got nervous as he left me hanging for a good 15 minutes.

Y/N: ETHAN PLEASE DON’T SAY ANYTHING TO GRAYSON

Eetee: I can’t tell you anything either

Y/N: What do you mean?

Eetee: You’re asking someone who was sworn to secrecy on this subject. Shouldn’t that give it away?

Eetee: Btw that should be a totally obvious answer, but I can’t insinuate anything. Just talk to him

Ethan knew Grayson was in love with me. Grayson had told him about every single time he got me to smile so much that my faint dimples started showing. Grayson told him about every snapchat I sent him while he held up his phone and said “Isn’t she so cute?!” Ethan was there every time Grayson came home from hanging out with me, feeling sad that he couldn’t find the courage to confess how he felt. Ethan was also there the night Grayson got high and came home giggling hysterically. He knew he had smoked, but what he didn’t expect was to hear Grayson tell him how he almost kissed me. He almost found the courage to act on his feelings, but I made cookie dough our “cock-blocker”. Ethan wanted to tell me all of this right then, but Grayson made him swear he wouldn’t spill a word to me because he wanted to do it himself. He needed to find the right words and the right time.

I decided to leave my family once again, claiming that I was tired and promised to come back down if I couldn’t sleep. It was a cheap excuse, but my family finally let me go and I immediately facetimed Gray as I locked the door to my room.

“Hey again,” he smiled through his barely open hoodie. He was snuggled up in his bed and looked so perfectly cute. I could never get enough of him.

“Hi, sorry about earlier. I’ve been so eager to keep talking to you.”

“It’s okay. Go open your present,” he flashed his toothy smile as he commanded me to open what he sent.

“You know you didn’t have to get me anything, right? The pictures are amazing, and I was so close to crying before my mom came in,” I admitted.

“Cool, then it worked. Now open what I WANTED to get you because I know I don’t have to get you anything,” he chuckled. He knew I was stubborn about gifts and I hated being materialistic.

But when I opened the package, I didn’t expect to see what he had gifted me. It made my heart stop for the second time tonight, but also start racing faster than it was already going. I stopped fighting my smiles at this point. “Gray….. what the…?” I whispered.

“Just wanted you to know how much you mean to me.” He said sweetly. It was a beautiful, dainty gold necklace with a small crescent moon adorning that I had seen in a jewelry store we checked out when Ethan wanted a new chain and we tagged along. It was very pretty but I couldn’t afford it and I had honestly, completely forgotten about it. I’m surprised Grayson remembered how much I loved it when I saw it.

“Why did you- when did you- what?!” I was out of words. This was the most attention someone had ever put into a gift for me. Even though I didn’t wear jewelry often, I knew I was going to be rocking this necklace every single day just because Grayson had gifted it to me.

“I know you love the moon, and you loved that necklace so much. I saw it in your eyes when we were at that store. I went back like a month later by myself and got it. Saved it for Christmas.” Grayson sounded really proud of himself, and honestly, I was too. This was such a sweet gift and it truly made me want to be the first to confess how I felt and get it over with.

“Grayson, I love it. Thank you so much,” I gushed, “god, I love you…” I said quietly. I felt an awkward silence fall on us, and I was unsure as to if he heard me or not. I kept my focus on the necklace to avoid seeing his face if he had heard me.

“Y/N… I need to tell you something….” He said quietly, losing his short-lived confidence. I looked at my phone screen to see him tucked behind his hoodie that he had pulled the strings on, only his nose and some of his forehead visible. “I’ve had a major crush on you since we met, and my feelings just keep getting more intense. I wanted to tell you in person, I swear-“

“It’s okay, you have told me in person,” I cut him off reminiscing in all the memories where I left myself wondering if he liked me or if it was just a delusion of mine. The pictures and his confession of said “crush” was enough confirmation that I had been waiting for.

“What do you… oh, the pictures?” He chuckled, opening his hoodie a little more, to peek through. “Yeah, I was hoping you caught on eventually… I just- I’m not sure how to tell someone I like them, so…”

“It’s fine, I love the pictures. I love the necklace. I’m so, so happy right now, Gray.”

We spent that night on facetime until 5 in the morning in my time zone, but he was up until 8 in the morning, where he had to go open presents with his family. We talked about our different memories where it was obvious that we had feelings for one another and we both felt like the other was not into them. I laughed at how he thought the time I changed in front of him was because I thought of him as a brother. But I was very drunk, and he walked me home that night to make sure I was okay. And I needed help getting out of the dress I had worn because the back zipper got caught on something and fell off completely. Everyone else in my apartment was still out partying and Grayson was the only person around, which was fine by me. I pranced around in my underwear after he helped me out, hoping it would be a bit amusing or maybe spark a bit of innocent, drunk fun between us. He admitted he was also drunk that night, being overly tempted to finally kiss my lips as well, and touching my bare skin made him too nervous to make a move. He didn’t want to send the wrong message, so he avoided contact with me until I needed to be tucked into bed when he kissed my head through my hair. I hardly remembered that, as I was pretty wasted. But, he told me how nervous he was I’d get weirded out by it.

This is where it really started.

#grayson dolan #grayson dolan imagine #grayson dolan x reader #grayson dolan fan fiction #dolan twins fan fiction #dolan twins #ethan dolan #ethan dolan x reader

202 notes · View notes

henry-hart · 6 years

Note

I have the big writer’s block so I don’t have much but uhhh how about some good ol fashioned squad fluff with ray and the kids?

OKAY I HAD THIS ALL TYPED OUT AND IT WAS PERFECT BUT THEN MY LAPTOP FREAKING REFRESHED THE PAGE AND I LOST IT. HHHHHH

I hope I remember it well enough

(I feel that writer’s block frustration. It’s a mcfreakin’ pain in the butt, my dude.)

I made it a little goofy as well as fluffy bc I really like the comedic dynamic of HD. I hope you like it!!!! :)))))

I just got back from a beach trip, so let’s go with that

it’s summer in Swellview and it’s crazy hot

that summer heat is taking no prisoners

Ray is down in the Man Cave and everytime the elevator opens up, it lets out all the hot and stuffy air from the store

he’s all “no. nope. not happening. I’m here sweating when I could be on the beach sipping from a coconut with one of those frilly umbrellas. this is unacceptable.”

he calls Schwoz and the kids and tells them he’s taking them on a spontaneous beach trip

he says he wants them to come with bc he doesn’t want to be alone and look like a creep

but it’s really bc he enjoys their company and wants them to have fun

he sends the kids home to get ready while he closes shop

“Can Piper come?” “Who’s Piper?” “My little sister, Ray.” “Aw, no. Is she that little loud girl?” “I guess she can be loud? Anyway, can she come or not?” “I feel like saying ‘not’ would make me a bad person but I really don’t want to say yes….” “Come on, man.” “UuuuuUUUggggGGGGhhhHHH fine. Paper can come.”

they all pile into Ray’s car

the ride there is a bit chaotic bc the beach is 45 min away and the car is cramped and it’s hot and no one can agree on a radio station to listen to

“Henry, I’m not going to say it again. Move. Over.” “Piper, I’m not even touching you.” “You’re about to touch me.” “Are you kidding me?” “No, I’m not.” “Where do you want me to move? There’s only so many seats in the car.” “I don’t care. I can feel the heat coming from your gross body.” “Okay, I’m not gross, for one, and I would scoot over if Jasper would get in his seat.”

“I already told you I can’t be by the window. I get carsick.” “Then why did you choose the window seat?” “Because I get claustrophobic in the middle seat.”

“Henry, I’m gonna kill him.” Char overhears and intervenes. “Hey, Piper, why don’t you sit with me on the way back?”

Ray heard all of their bickering, so he rolled the top down to cool them all off

as soon as they got to the beach, Schwoz shot out of the car blurting out something about having to pee

Ray packed food from the auto-snacker (sandwiches, chips, fruit, etc.–things he thought the kids would like), so he grabs the ice chests full of food/drink while the kids get their stuff

there isn’t too many people on the beach, so they don’t have a problem finding a quiet spot

Char x Piper get Hen to take pics of them right where the waves meet the sand

Piper posts them with captions like “beach day with my best-ay” and some lyrics about summer

she even takes a few with Hen for their parents

Jasper brought wayyyyy too much sunscreen

“I don’t joke about my skin care. Skin cancer is not a joke. Do you think I maintain this ivory color by not using sunscreen?”

Piper agrees with him bc she’s fair-skinned too

Hen doesn’t like it too much bc he doesn’t like how it feels, but it beats sunburn

Ray, however, won’t use it.

“I’m indestructible. The sun is no match for me.” “It’s literally a ball of fire in the sky.” “Psh. I’ve had worse.”

the kids don’t agree with him, but they know arguing is futile so they let it go

Hen brought a beach ball and some paddles with a matching little ball

the Harts used to go to the beach a lot, so Hen had a lot of stuff to choose from

he and Piper team up like they used to when they were younger and together they are un-beatable

no one else wins. at all.

they have this ridiculous handshake/victory dance they do every time they win and it’s so over-the-top (like Ross x Monica’s new years dance routine for you friends fans)

even Ray thinks it’s a bit much

Char x Jasp have no idea what to think

they’ve never seen Hen like this

“I always thought Piper was the scary one.” “I know. Did you see Hen’s face when I scored a point?” “He looked like he was going to kill you.” “Yeah, and Piper looked like she was going to help him get rid of any evidence.”

(I like that little ride or die sibling bit ajksjslksj)

Schwoz comes back from the restroom and Ray scoops him up, running to the water to throw the little man in

everyone joins in

the tide is pretty rough and Ray’s a little worried

esp for Char and Schwoz and whatever her name is bc they’re all pretty short

Hen is chasing Jasp x Piper, pretending to be Jaws

a pretty big wave comes and washes over all of them

Hen x Jasp are okay bc they could just easily stand up but Piper is a lot shorter

Hen starts freaking out when she doesn’t come up

Ray is worried too

he sees the little girl and immediately yanks her out of the water and into the air

“Paper! Paper! Are you okay???”

she swallowed a good bit of nasty saltwater that burned her throat/nose, but she’s okay

“It’s Piper.”

Hen sighs in relief, moving the hair out of her face. “She’s fine.”

they take a break from the water for a bit to eat lunch

Ray unpacks the food he brought for them

Hen x Jasp eat their lunch on an inflatable unicorn inner tube :)

Piper takes some more pics of the gang eating

she records a snapchat video of Hen being attacked by a swarm of seagulls after his sandwich

he takes off down the beach after them but gives up, hoping the birds at least enjoy it as much as he did

he doesn’t bother asking Pipes to delete it bc he knows she won’t

after lunch Hen x Char go off alone to collect seashells

Hen finds a really pretty spiral shell to give to his mom

Jasper tries to get Ray to at least put on a little sunscreen, but Ray is still being ridiculous

Piper is flying a kite, but Schwoz keeps pestering her about using a new device he created that’s supposed to make the kite fly ten times higher

she lets him do it just to shut him up, but it goes wrong

the string gets cut, and her favorite kite flies away just like the birds did with Hen’s sandwich

she’s furious

Ray jumps between them just in time

a second later and Schwoz would be pummeled

“Look, Paper, I know he’s an idiot, but I kind of need him, so if you could just not kill him, I’d really appreciate it.”

“Its. Piper.”

Hen x Char return from collecting shells and everyone gets back in the water

he won’t let Piper go out in water that reaches any higher than her stomach (she put up a fight but she agreed, not wanting to drink anymore disgusting water)

Jasp x Hen played a game where they’d wait for a big wave and then turn around so that they could fall backwards into it

a fish brushed against Schwoz’ leg, and he tried to jump up on Char to get out of the water

she just dropped him so the he ended up going under right where there was a school of fish

Ray let Char x Piper get on his back so he could tow them around

he also picked them up so he could toss them into the water (playfully, of course)

a fish nibbled Jasper’s foot, and he wanted to catch it so he could bring it home as a pet

no one could catch it, and there was no way of telling which fish it was

Hen got a pretty gnarly sting from a jellyfish, so they all decided it was time to get out of the water

the sun was beginning to set anyway so the others weren’t too upset about getting out

there was still some food left over from lunch, so Ray made a little campfire and they all ate a light dinner

they watched the sun dip down below the horizon line

the sky turned dark

Ray reached behind his back and pulled out a surprise: s’mores

Hen’s leg was still hurting so Ray handed the s’more fixings to Piper

“Here, Piper. Why don’t you make one for Henry?”

she just stared at him, shocked that he had used her real name for the first time

she didn’t say anything

she just took the food from Ray and made her brother a s’more just the way she knew he liked it: marshmallow extra crispy, chocolate extra gooey, and graham cracker as is

Ray smiled to himself, knowing Piper’s reaction was bc he’d remembered her name

he didn’t call any attention to it though, knowing neither of them wanted that

they ate their s’mores in comfortable silence

Char noticed Schwoz was smiling mischieviously

“Schwooooooz…..why are you making that face?”

he just giggled and produced a small guitar from behind his back

everyone groaned

“What? What? Why the not happy sounds?” Ray just rolls his eyes. “Because, Schwoz, no one wants to hear you play.” “Why? What’s wrong with my tunes?” “Your ‘tunes’ sound like a dying cat.” “So does your singing, but I never tell you you can’t.”

he plays anyway and…he’s actually…..really….good???

“Schwoz, where’d you learn to play like that?” “I had lessons.” “When? You never leave the Man Cave?” “………from Lelani….”

Char keeps Ray from jabbing Schwoz with his hot s’mores stick

Schwoz keeps strumming away while they all sit around the campfire, listening to it crackling, listening to the waves crashing against the shore, watching the light flicker on everyone’s faces, watching the smoke from the fire rise up the the stars

the kids almost fell asleep, but Ray got them up and in the car, deciding it was time to go home

he let them get seated while he packed everything up

the kids did fall asleep on the drive home

Ray kept the hood down so the cool night breeze makes its way to everyone

he finds an alternative station that’s playing a slow, soft, hypnotic song that’s perfect for night drives

he keeps checking on everyone in his rear view mirror and smiles big when he sees them all sleeping soundly in the same seating arrangements that had caused problems before

Hen x Piper are leaning against each other when they’d been complaining about being too close before

Jasp is propped against the window, no longer needing to worry about getting car sick since he’s sleeping

Char even let Schwoz use her as a makeshift pillow despite the fact that he drools

Ray turned the radio up a little bit

he drove on under the yellow street lights in the quiet night, listening to the quiet pulsing song, feeling perfectly content and happy

it had been a good day

bonus:

Ray wakes up the next morning and screams at the top of his lungs

he’s as red as a stop sign

he got sunburned after all (just as everyone else knew he would)

“Sun: 1 Ray: 0″

#thank you for always coming through when I ask for hcs or requests #you are the best ryker #i hope you liked this!!!!#i enjoyed it so much #it was good to be able to write something without my uninspired a** messing it up #headcanon #henry danger #henry hart #piper hart #jasper dunlop #charlotte bolton #ray manchester #schwoz schwartz #mine #em writes #request #hd ask

24 notes · View notes

neshatriumphs · 6 years

Text

Don't Make Me Over 36

I feel like a DICK! The date on the original notes for this was 5-10-15 (And it was SUPPOSED to be posted in MARCH of that year.)

HOW you gon' have "a hard year" for years? Smh.

If ANYBODY is even still around, I am so sorry. And, also thank you.

Don't Make Me Over 36

Babycakes Is Born

Jonesy was in the middle of her workout (which meant doing choreography of R&B and pop song official videos, but real talk - like 2 or 3 videos and she'd be done with everything and everybody), when she first started feeling pains. The pains weren't severe or really uncommon for her, having had a couple of bumps in the road during this journey already. She wasn't really ready to give up on her workout yet because that end part of Beyonce's Grown Woman gave her LIFE, but when she felt… not really a pain, but more like a hard kick from the baby, she almost hit the floor.

"You ok, Boss Lady?" Bree asked.

Jonesy chuckled, "Yeah.. I felt this weird super kick…" She hoisted herself up and a gush of fluid released from her body. "Goddamn." She said, as calmly as can be. "I have to go change and get in contact with the doctor..."

Fortunately, she had her things together and it didn't take her long to both change and to put on an adult diaper which her mother insisted she purchase. At some point between the changing of her clothes, washing her face, brushing her teeth… she began to hurt. She rinsed her mouth, came out of the bathroom and gave Bree a worried look.

Bree had already called in assistance, in case something went wrong and she sat alert, "What is it?" She wondered.

"Just some pain." Jonesy took a few deep breaths. "Get a photo of me before I go into labor."

"Of course," Bree said and did so. She began tweeting while Jonesy made her way for the couch, her legs collapsed and she barely caught her fall this time. Bree yelped, dropped her phone and rushed over to help her. Jonesy's heart was beating really fast and her head was spinning. She almost started crying as she called Sam. "Sam. H… Hey…"

"Jones… are you okay?" He was already taking off his work belt. "Is it time?"

"I feel like I might have another seizure!" She sobbed.

"Where's Bree?"

"She's… she's…"

"I'm on my way! Let me speak to her!" He ran passed his manager, just saying, "Jonesy!" The manager, the rest of the staff and the customers looked either surprised or confused, but he hardly had time or attention to notice.

Jonesy was trying to explain something to Bree as Bree was on the phone with Sam, trying to listen to both of them and also to get Jonesy situated where if she had a seizure, she could help her power through it. "She might tell you not to call 911, but I've been saving up for it and just go ahead and do it. You can't really see her through a seizure and drive her to the hospital at the same time, you know?"

"Yeah…" Bree said, reaching for her own fallen phone, but keeping Jonesy's hand in hers and honestly feeling super overwhelmed wondering where the fuck her backup was. Jonesy heard New Edition's "Is This The End" playing from her laptop and hoped silently that that was not a sign, because she certainly felt like she might die.

Renee and Mack finally came in and Mack wondered, "Is this the baby?" in excitement.

"I think I might be preparing to seize," Jonesy was trembling and crying at this point. Mack's eyes widened.

Bree rubbed her belly, "Your hormones and blood pressure are likely not ideal, but maybe it'll be okay. Maybe you aren't seizing. Think about that. Say that," she spoke into the phone, "Yes, she's had one in the past and I guess right now she's having auras. She's pregnant, her water has broken and she thinks she might be about to have a seizure." She looked at Mack and said quietly, "Water and towels." Mack rushed off to comply. Bree put the phone down and cradled Jonesy. "I am going to try to get somebody here to help you. I need someone to help me get you into fresh clothes."

"I got the diaper on."

"Ok. Well, do you need help changing it?"

"No… I don't think I'm seizing. I think I felt the pain and started having an anxiety attack… Cancel the ambulance."

"No, Sam told me not to listen to that order. He claims he can afford it and if I'm being real, I can use the help for my own peace of mind."

By the time the ambulance arrived, they took her vitals, checked her out, confirmed whether or not she needed to be rushed to the hospital (and decided that she didn't seem to, but that they would bring her.) She wanted to wait until she had to be there. She wanted to be comfortable, in the meantime.

Bree had been in a Twitter war pretty much all day long. It started with her posting the pre-hospital photo of Mercedes, and the caption, "When your queen springs a leak but she's still on fleek." Several fans had responded and retweeted in the excitement of the nanny seemingly confirming that Jonesy's water had broken. But, several others decided it was time to try to come for her. There were size jokes and the typical declarations that there was no reason for people to care because, 'She isn't even actually a star. She's a blogger and her reality show isn't good.'

" KittyWildebeast MarleyRose And yet, here you hoes are. #LoveToLoveToHateYou #YallHatersCorny #BabycakesDay"

Sam sighed, "She is always on her phone."

"It's her connection to the outside world," Mercedes said, rechecking all of the stuff that Bree had gathered. "And, she already did her work. I'm just… Sort of freaking out."

"I would love if we can go, now." Sam told her.

"I still have time. I don't want to wait around at the hospital."

"I don't want to try to get there too late and have something happen. I can't believe you sent the ambulance away. We're still going to have to pay for it."

"Worrier," she said.

He quickly muttered in reply, "Says the one triple checking work that she already approved."

Bree commented from her seat, "He's right!"

"Was that a vote to go to the hospital?" Sam asked. "Because that's a two-fer, if so. And two-fers mean you gotta," He looked at Jonesy and she frowned, but reached for her bag. Bree got up and started gathering the stroller, with everything else tucked inside. Sam got up, took Jonesy's bag and made his way towards the door.

Ryvie had arranged for a private room and she and Mary had already decorated the door, which had a guard outside of it. Jonesy pointed a thumb at him as she came inside, "Ummm?"

Ryvie shrugged, "You never know, with your life." She looked at Bree, unpacking the stroller onto the small table and wondered, "Are you planning to be here for the duration? Because if so, I could give you a little tip for watching Ra. Her and her daddy are heading this way."

Bree asked, "Do you not want her to see and know the wonders of bringing human life into the world?"

"To be frank, I'm caught between not wanting to traumatize her with that bloody event and WANTING to traumatize her with it."

"She's too young to be anything but entertainingly grossed out by it, I think," Bree offered. "But, I will take her on. After it was decided to do the hospital thing, instead of the home thing, I'm really not worth much use around here other than handling supplies."

"Nonsense. I have felt better since you were hired," Ryvie said.

Mary was seated at the table, preparing the first outfit and kicked out a chair for Mercedes to sit at. "You ready for this painful miracle?" She asked.

"I am. It feels surreal. Like, so many times, actually coming to full term was not a reality, so inside of me, no matter how well I'm keeping it together, I am losing my shit."

"If it makes you feel better, you ain't keeping it together well. You appear to be losing your shit from where I'm sitting," Mary said.

Mercedes shook her head, "It doesn't make me feel better."

"Well, it didn't make you feel worse," Mary commented.

Ryvie interrupted with, "Whenever it all happens, there can't be too many people in the room. I hope you made some choices, because all of your little friends will get their feelings hurt if they think that they're about to crowd into this space when you're at risk."

The last checkup she received, her blood pressure was dangerously high and she had to be on bed rest. Mostly, it was her obeying, but feeling sick all the time and Bree helping her to try to keep her pressure down. But, the more she tried to relax, the more time she had time to sit and think about everything wrong. About if she saw a baby that looked like Finn, what was she going to actually do. About why she went through with this, especially with all of the complications and the restrictions. About the time when she'd gotten so upset that she had a seizure. A fucking seizure. And the doctors were not sure that she wouldn't have another one.

That was possibly why she had so much anxiety about it and almost manufactured one in her mind.

The level of support made her heart swell. She expected much of it, but hormones didn't care about that when she was crying every time she saw a new check in at the Babycakes Day event that Kurt set up on Facebook.

This. Was. Painful.

Hours of it, in fact. In her mind, she had imagined this happening with a soundtrack in the background that embodied the experience. She had thought that it would play out, not like a movie, but like a viewing. She had somehow expected an out of body experience. Like… she had dissociated from a lot of things over the past nine months and now, she was finally hit with the sobriety of her choice. There was now going to be another person in her life that no matter how screwed up or out of wits she was, she was going to have to be responsible for! And this additional person was coming today. And she was bringing the pain with her. Pain like Jonesy had not been capable of imagining.

For some reason, the "soundtrack" happening in Jonesy's mind was Tina covering Tina's Wish by Ike and Tina Turner at a Shucks on a Shingle show at her request. "I'm talking to the priest. The priest. And everybody out there in the universe. If what I'm saying is wrong, then tell me the right way to say it. Cause, I wanna be made over…"

"What was I thinking?" Jonesy groaned out loud, nearly crushing Sam's hand. "I don't want to do this. I didn't understand what I was signing up for. I can't be a mother. I can't raise nobody!" She cried.

Ryvie wiped some sweat off of her head and said, "You're already a mother, biologically. You still have time to sign off.."

Jonesy could barely breathe. Sam was handed Babycakes, and he stared at her, trying to smooth over the crying. "If you don't want her, I'll take her," he said and moved closer to her.

Everything hurt, but when Sam brought the baby over and showed her to her mother, Jonesy reached out to accept her and forgot whatever she had just been saying.

#dmmo #Don't Make Me Over #samcedes fanfiction

4 notes · View notes

margaretbeagle · 5 years

Text

The Science Behind the Best Instagram Bios

Small-but-powerful. Front-and-center. Instagram bios are well worth the time and investment to write well and test often. They’re one of the most visible descriptions of who you are and what you’re about! We’ll sort out all the best practices, design tips, and strategies that the top brands and profiles are using today.

Should you go highly descriptive of what you do, or keep it loose and aspirational?

Should you include contact info? hashtags? emoji?

And how often should you update it?

We’ll unpack these questions together and send you on your way with some tips that you can try on your bio today!

The Golden Rule of Instagram Bios: There is no one, right way

First off, let’s start with a golden rule about social media marketing, which applies here to Instagram bios, too.

There’s no one single “correct” way to create an Instagram bio.

We’ll give you lots of tips about best practices and tactics to try, but ultimately you’ll find that there is no consensus on the single best way to write a bio. Your mileage may vary with some of these tips, and you’re bound to find an ideal format — or two — for your brand’s bio.

The one thing we love to remind people of is to constantly be testing and iterating. We’ll get into some tips for testing later in the episode.

Where the bio lives on your Instagram profile page

Let’s define what we even mean when we talk about Instagram bio.

The bio is one of many pieces of information at the top of your profile. This list includes:

Your Instagram username

Your actual name, either yours or your business’s

Your bio – a sentence or phrase or paragraph describing who you are

and one link

For Instagram business accounts, you get a few extra pieces of information. You can choose a category for your business and add contact information like a phone number or physical address.

We’ll be spending the majority of our time on the bio itself — the sentences or phrases that you can use to describe your profile. But we’ll sprinkle in some tips about usernames and links, too.

Ok, let’s dive right into some of the top tips that we’ve pulled from looking at hundreds of beautiful bios on Instagram.

Tip #1: Make the most of your limited space, and drive people to take an action from your Instagram bio

You get 150 characters to use in your Instagram bio. It’s important that you make the most of it!

One common way that we see brands do this is by focusing the bio on a single action that they want the visitor to take. It’s reminiscent of some of our favorite email marketing advice: that a good email should have one job to do — for instance, getting clicks to a pricing page or driving traffic to a blog.

You can think of your bio in the same way. The quickest and clearest way to drive action from your bio is — quite simply — use a verb. It can be “share this” or “shop that” or anything action-oriented.

N: We’ve seen this work especially well around big campaigns. Often, if a brand is running a campaign, their bio will reflect it — the text will be updated, the link will be related, and all of it will point visitors to a single destination.

A few other examples of “single jobs” that a bio can do include:

sending visitors to a community hub

letting visitors know how to get in touch with you with support questions

promoting a branded hashtag or a fellow Insta account — more on this in a bit

reinforcing your brand’s positioning

sharing a bit of social proof via a review or press mention

Having so many options here adds to the fact that you can — and maybe should — update your Instagram bio with regularity. From what we’ve seen on the Instagram bios of the brands we researched, it can be a good practice to refresh your bio every month, either as part of a monthly social media audit or whenever a fresh marketing campaign comes up.

Seeing this list also makes me think about our first rule of Instagram bios: there is no one “correct” way to do a bio. We saw some brands that included almost every job in a single bio!

All this talk about calls-to-action dovetails nicely with our next tip:

Tip #2: Make your one bio link count — either match the link to your bio or try a multi-URL landing page.

At Buffer, we’re big fans of the latter — using the link to send folks to a landing page with multiple URLs. We built this into the Buffer product with our new Shop Grid feature, which comes with Buffer business plans.

The way it works: You get a single URL to put on your Instagram profile, and that URL links out to a landing page that shows off a number of different links based on your previous Instagram posts. You can assign a link to every post, essentially making your whole Instagram feed clickable.

Shop Grid has been especially useful for ecommerce brands and profiles that show a lot of products in their feed. I’ve seen it work really well for marketers and personal brands, too.

Additionally, there are tools like Link Tree that let you add any links to a single landing page — perhaps a link to your homepage, your YouTube, and your contact forms, for instance.

No matter what tool you use, the multi-URL landing page can be a great asset for your bio. If you’re encouraging visitors to take action from your bio, you can send them straight to the bio link. And same goes for any messaging you have in the captions of your Instagram photos.

Tip #3: Add Line Breaks to Your Bio

Line breaks are the hard returns that let you place text on the next line below. You’ve probably seen them used in Instagram captions and many other spots. You’ve probably even seen them in some cool Instagram bios. These list-style bios are some of the most popular ones out there.

They can be a really effective way to communicate information and space out the different attributes of your bio .. if, say, you have your company tagline, followed by a branded hashtag, followed by a call to action.

But of course, if you’ve tried to do this for your bio, you might have found that line breaks can be a bit tricky to implement.

Here’s what we’ve found to get this to work:

Get out your laptop or log onto your desktop and visit instagram.com. Then go to your profile page and click Edit Profile

This opens up your Instagram profile settings, and you can type directly into the bio from here. Simply use the Enter key to put in a new line break.

Voila! When you click “submit” it should save your bio just as you intended, with all line breaks included

Tip #4: Put emoji in your bio

If you’re keen on having a bio that stands out, there are few things more eye-catching than a well-placed emoji next to a block of text.

Of course, you’ll want to make sure that any emoji you use are on brand and in context to what you’re saying in your bio. We don’t recommend using emoji for emoji’s sake — although that probably would catch someone’s eye.

A few examples that we really love include:

Using an emoji that captures the essence of your product — say the coffee emoji if you’re a coffee seller or the palm tree emoji if you work in the vacation space

A globe emoji for travel brands or remote work teams

And one of the most eye-catching ones I’ve seen: the red SOS emoji when talking about ways to get in touch with your customer support team

In addition to emoji, you can also use special characters like hearts or boxes or wingdings — any of those fun black-and-white shapes that you might’ve seen before online or in text editors.

Example from textfac.es

To add emoji, you can do it right from the Instagram app in your profile’s settings, and to add special characters, you can do this in the same way you added line breaks – by logging in to the web version of Instagram and editing your bio from there.

Another way to design a noticeable bio is something we’ve hinted at multiple times already this episode:

Tip #5: Use hashtags and @mentions right in your bio

Linking to other profiles and hashtags is not only eye-catching, it’s also useful. Any hashtags or profiles you put in your bio are tappable — they’ll take you to that person’s profile or the Instagram listing for the hashtag.

Many brands use the @mentions to link out to sub-brands — for instance fashion brands might link to labels within the brand.

And for hashtags, we commonly see this used with branded hashtags. We have one of our own — #bufferlove — that we use to track positive word of mouth and kind words about Buffer. The travel brand Away used the hashtag #travelaway as its branded keyword, right in the bio.

One of the neat things about adding hashtags to your Instagram bio is that it can help with discoverability for your content. It’s like having a bonus Instagram feed.

And on the topic of discoverability, that reminds me of some of the hidden power of your name on Instagram.

When people are searching on Instagram, the only parts of your Instagram profile that will be included in search results are your name and username. That’s it. So if you stuff your bio with the word “apparel” 10 times, Instagram search won’t know about it.

But, if you add that keyword to your display name on Instagram, or if you’re lucky enough to have grabbed a username with the keyword in it, then Instagram will recognize it in search results. For instance, with Buffer, we could have our display name as Buffer – Social Media Marketing.

Recap

First, you have only 150 characters in your bio, so keep this in mind as you’re crafting your message.

Second, think of the “one job” that your Instagram bio has. Do you want people to shop? To come to your website? To share with a hashtag? Don’t be afraid to ask for it.

Third, make the most of your one Instagram link. Tools like Buffer’s Shop Grid give you extra options to make this link go further.

Fourth, format your bio in an eye-catching way. Consider a list-style bio with line breaks, or add relevant emoji to the different aspects of your description.

And fifth, consider your bio as one piece of the overall presentation of your profile. Optimize your username for search, add contact info and categories for your business, and give thought to the link you’re using.

Remember: there is no single “correct” way to craft an Instagram bio.

We hope that these tips have been helpful for giving you ideas on what to try next.

If anything, the key takeaway for me with all this is that it makes sense to keep trying new things! Change up your bio once a month or whenever a new campaign or new focus comes up.

We can’t wait to see what you come up with.

How to say hello to us

We would all love to say hello to you on social media – especially Twitter!

Heather-Mae on Twitter

Dave on Twitter

Thanks for listening! Feel free to connect with our team at Buffer on Twitter, Buffer on Facebook, our Podcast homepage, or with the hashtag #bufferpodcast.

Enjoy the show? It’d mean the world to us if you’d be up for giving us a rating and review on iTunes!

About The Science of Social Media podcast

The Science of Social Media is your weekly sandbox for social media stories, insights, experimentation, and inspiration. Every Monday (and sometimes more) we share the most cutting-edge social media marketing tactics from brands and influencers in every industry. If you’re a social media team of one, business owner, marketer, or someone simply interested in social media marketing, you’re sure to find something useful in each and every episode. It’s our hope that you’ll join our 27,000+ weekly iTunes listeners and rock your social media channels as a result!

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

The Science Behind the Best Instagram Bios published first on https://improfitninja.weebly.com/

0 notes

mariemary1 · 5 years

Text

The Science Behind the Best Instagram Bios

Should you go highly descriptive of what you do, or keep it loose and aspirational?

Should you include contact info? hashtags? emoji?

And how often should you update it?

We’ll unpack these questions together and send you on your way with some tips that you can try on your bio today!

The Golden Rule of Instagram Bios: There is no one, right way

First off, let’s start with a golden rule about social media marketing, which applies here to Instagram bios, too.

There’s no one single “correct” way to create an Instagram bio.

The one thing we love to remind people of is to constantly be testing and iterating. We’ll get into some tips for testing later in the episode.

Where the bio lives on your Instagram profile page

Let’s define what we even mean when we talk about Instagram bio.

The bio is one of many pieces of information at the top of your profile. This list includes:

Your Instagram username

Your actual name, either yours or your business’s

Your bio – a sentence or phrase or paragraph describing who you are

and one link

For Instagram business accounts, you get a few extra pieces of information. You can choose a category for your business and add contact information like a phone number or physical address.

Ok, let’s dive right into some of the top tips that we’ve pulled from looking at hundreds of beautiful bios on Instagram.

Tip #1: Make the most of your limited space, and drive people to take an action from your Instagram bio

You get 150 characters to use in your Instagram bio. It’s important that you make the most of it!

A few other examples of “single jobs” that a bio can do include:

sending visitors to a community hub

letting visitors know how to get in touch with you with support questions

promoting a branded hashtag or a fellow Insta account — more on this in a bit

reinforcing your brand’s positioning

sharing a bit of social proof via a review or press mention

Seeing this list also makes me think about our first rule of Instagram bios: there is no one “correct” way to do a bio. We saw some brands that included almost every job in a single bio!

All this talk about calls-to-action dovetails nicely with our next tip:

Tip #2: Make your one bio link count — either match the link to your bio or try a multi-URL landing page.

Shop Grid has been especially useful for ecommerce brands and profiles that show a lot of products in their feed. I’ve seen it work really well for marketers and personal brands, too.

Additionally, there are tools like Link Tree that let you add any links to a single landing page — perhaps a link to your homepage, your YouTube, and your contact forms, for instance.

Tip #3: Add Line Breaks to Your Bio

But of course, if you’ve tried to do this for your bio, you might have found that line breaks can be a bit tricky to implement.

Here’s what we’ve found to get this to work:

Get out your laptop or log onto your desktop and visit instagram.com. Then go to your profile page and click Edit Profile

This opens up your Instagram profile settings, and you can type directly into the bio from here. Simply use the Enter key to put in a new line break.

Voila! When you click “submit” it should save your bio just as you intended, with all line breaks included

Tip #4: Put emoji in your bio

If you’re keen on having a bio that stands out, there are few things more eye-catching than a well-placed emoji next to a block of text.

A few examples that we really love include:

Using an emoji that captures the essence of your product — say the coffee emoji if you’re a coffee seller or the palm tree emoji if you work in the vacation space

A globe emoji for travel brands or remote work teams

And one of the most eye-catching ones I’ve seen: the red SOS emoji when talking about ways to get in touch with your customer support team

In addition to emoji, you can also use special characters like hearts or boxes or wingdings — any of those fun black-and-white shapes that you might’ve seen before online or in text editors.

Example from textfac.es

Another way to design a noticeable bio is something we’ve hinted at multiple times already this episode:

Tip #5: Use hashtags and @mentions right in your bio

Many brands use the @mentions to link out to sub-brands — for instance fashion brands might link to labels within the brand.

One of the neat things about adding hashtags to your Instagram bio is that it can help with discoverability for your content. It’s like having a bonus Instagram feed.

And on the topic of discoverability, that reminds me of some of the hidden power of your name on Instagram.

Recap

First, you have only 150 characters in your bio, so keep this in mind as you’re crafting your message.

Second, think of the “one job” that your Instagram bio has. Do you want people to shop? To come to your website? To share with a hashtag? Don’t be afraid to ask for it.

Third, make the most of your one Instagram link. Tools like Buffer’s Shop Grid give you extra options to make this link go further.

Fourth, format your bio in an eye-catching way. Consider a list-style bio with line breaks, or add relevant emoji to the different aspects of your description.

Remember: there is no single “correct” way to craft an Instagram bio.

We hope that these tips have been helpful for giving you ideas on what to try next.

If anything, the key takeaway for me with all this is that it makes sense to keep trying new things! Change up your bio once a month or whenever a new campaign or new focus comes up.

We can’t wait to see what you come up with.

How to say hello to us

We would all love to say hello to you on social media – especially Twitter!

Heather-Mae on Twitter

Dave on Twitter

Thanks for listening! Feel free to connect with our team at Buffer on Twitter, Buffer on Facebook, our Podcast homepage, or with the hashtag #bufferpodcast.

Enjoy the show? It’d mean the world to us if you’d be up for giving us a rating and review on iTunes!

About The Science of Social Media podcast

The Science of Social Media is proudly made by the Buffer team. Feel free to get in touch with us for any thoughts, ideas, or feedback.

Thank The Science Behind the Best Instagram Bios for first publishing this post.

0 notes

kristablogs · 4 years

Text

Let’s watch Samsung announce new smartphones and gadgets at its Unpacked 2020 event

If you follow the tech press at all, you probably have a pretty good idea about what Samsung has planned for today’s Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco. It looks like we’re getting a new, smaller folding screen phone called the Galaxy Z Flip—we even caught a sneak peak of it at the Oscars—as well as a new flagship phone in the form of the Galaxy S20.

But, these events typically encompass a lot more than two products. So, feel free to click on the live stream embedded above, then scroll down for all the news as it happens and some crucial context and commentary.

Samsung starts the event talking about the Galaxy Fold. “It was the first entry in an entirely new era of smartphone history.” With that, the Galaxy Z Flip is official.

The new Flip Z comes in black, mirror purple, and—in some countries—mirror gold. It folds in half to fit in your pocket and then flips open to reveal a 6.7-inch screen that’s very tall. The screen is made of foldable glass. Samsung says it’s tested to 200,000 folds in terms of durability.

The Galazy Z Fold screen is made of foldable glass. (Samsung/)

In addition to the fully open and clamped closed positions, Samsung introduced Flex Mode, which splits the display into two distinct parts. So, you can multitask and do things like watch a YouTube video while commenting on it. It also helps to position the camera for taking selfies.

The new hinge has a “fiber shield" that fills in the gap that appears around the hinge when you open and close the phone. It’s designed to keep the particles out that may otherwise climb under the screen and break everything like we saw with the Galaxy Fold. This is good for people like me who have kids (or love snacks) and constantly have crumbs floating around.

Fibers around the hinge of the Galaxy Z Fold will catch crumbs and other junk before they get into the hinge. (Samsung/)

It starts selling on Valentine’s day and it will cost nearly $1,400, which is a lot, but that’s not a total surprise. The crowd isn’t sure how to react to that price.

The small screen on the front of the device is useful—it will feed you alerts and even work as a tiny live view screen if you want to shoot a selfie. Still, it’s so small. It’s unclear if people will think that’s an advantage or a disadvantage.

Now, we’re moving on to the more bread-and-butter Samsung gadgets. According to Samsung, consumers want “more multitasking," which is why the Galaxy Fold showed up. We’re starting to hear about 5G as well. Next-generation wireless is clearly going to be an emphasis here for the company.

There are three new models of S20, including the original version, the S20+ and the S20 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S20 family portrait. (Samsung/)

“This is the year of Galaxy 5G,” makes sense in Samsung’s gameplan. Once consumers figure out what 5G actually is, this will be important to them.

The camera takes center stage for the Galaxy S20. The main sensor boasts 64-megapixels, which is a ton. Space Zoom mode emulates 100x zoom, which lets you crop in very hard on your frame. The camera draws on AI smarts to automatically capture different versions of the scene with its various cameras and lets you choose later. It’s picking the “best” shots, which is a popular thing for AI to do here in 2020.

The S20 will shoot 8K video, which gives you more resolution than you need since you almost certainly don’t have an 8K TV or display in your house. Samsung would like to sell you an 8K TV, however, which is convenient.

Even if you’re not watching 8K footage, the extra resolution can be helpful. It allows the software to add more effects, like noise reduction, without losing as much detail. That means the footage will look cleaner in the finished product, even if it’s not displaying in native 8K.

The Galaxy S20 Ultra is the photo-specific model. It has a 108-megapixel AI camera. It promises larger sensors and AI HDR functionality that takes just 1/10th of a second to mash together. The camera uses a folded lens to give it 10x optical zoom, which you can extrapolate into a 100x zoom effect. It won’t look perfect at 100x, but this is a new area for smartphone cameras to venture into.

The 30x zoom effect lets you get close from afar. (Samsung/)

You’re almost never going to use 100x zoom because it’s extremely hard to handhold without everything getting extremely blurry. The 30x zoom, however, seems more reasonable, even if it will still be tricky. People are going to buy more phone tripods to take advantage of this.

Samsung is using the S20 phones to actually film and livestream its event today. The company clearly has a lot of faith in it. It’s weird to see the phones tucked inside the elaborate cranes, gimbals, and shoulder rigs the pro shooters are using in the venue.

Samsung is officially partnering with Netflix on the S20. Samsung users will get bonus content from Netflix originals. The content creators will make content with the S20 and then people can watch it on S20s.

All three S20 models have a 120 Hz refresh rate, which will mean much smoother motion. This is actually a pretty huge deal for smartphones. The screen is a dynamic AMOLED and Samsung partnered with Microsoft to bring a new Forza game to the devices. They glance over the cloud gaming solution (Microsoft xCloud), saying we’ll hear more about that later this year.

Galaxy Buds+

Galaxy Buds+ got more speakers and more microphones. (Samsung/)

The new updated wireless earbuds have two speakers—one low and one high—but use a similar form factor to the previous model. They have three mics to optimize performance during calls. They use wireless charging and have an 11 hour playtime. Just three minutes of charging will get you an hour of playback, which is good for people who constantly forget to charge headphones before going into the gym (which literally happened to me today).

They will cost $149.

Here’s the pricing for the Galaxy S10 as well as the cheaper prices for the Galaxy S10.

The S10 got cheaper. The S20 is not cheap. (Samsung/)

Google is talking about the tight integration of its software into the new phone. Live Caption is coming to the S20, which is a first for a partner phone. Google’s video chat app, Duo, is also baked into the S20. Samsung has been getting cozy with both Microsoft and Google in recent years, so it’s not surprising to see even more cooperation.

With that, the event is over. No smart speakers or any surprises here. We’re looking forward to getting some hands-on time with the phones in the coming weeks.

0 notes