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wonderlustlucas · 5 years ago

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four - hwang hyunjin

⇢ prompt They say good things come in fours. Who? Couldn’t tell you, but they especially do during Christmas. Maybe that’s just Saint Nick. ⇢ pairing hyunjin x female reader ⇢ word count 11.7k ⇢ genre fluff ⇢ warnings swearing. mentions of alcohol & s e x. teenagerz being teenagerz. insane amount of fluff & stupidity. kind of ends w a smutty cliffhanger. ⇢ summary After suppressing how you felt about Hyunjin back in high school, you thought you were done going back on your feelings. Turns out, a little time apart, the spirit of Christmas, and an accidental nap is the perfect cocktail for falling in love with your best friend.—friends to lovers!au ⇢ a/n hello & merry christmas! here is a gift for you all on this very merry day. also, thank you for 1,000 followers! that in itself is one of the best presents i could ask for. thank you for all your kindness & support on my blog & for following me in the first place! it truly means so much to me. i hope you enjoy reading! ♥︎

big tiddy jinny🍯🧸🌟🖇[now] Sorry! I just woke up

big tiddy jinny🍯🧸🌟🖇[now] Whats wrong fool

big tiddy jinny🍯🧸🌟🖇[now] Did u rlly think 12 texts were gonna wake me up?🤦🏻‍♂️ godt damn u on some WACK shit

You roll your eyes in time with each consecutive text that Hyunjin sends, waiting for the lock screen of your phone to blacken after reading them. He’s about as useless as pedals on a wheelchair, you think, ignoring the texts and forcing the device into the snug back pocket of your jeans before transferring the last two excessively packed grocery bags into the trunk of your car with an exhausted huff. Christ, if the bagging lady put one more item in those bags, she would be the one to blame for six cans of soup rolling about the parking lot.

The license plate rattles when you slam the trunk lid closed before hurrying around to the driver’s side and anxiously hopping inside to start blasting the heat. It is obnoxiously chilly for the first of September. Well, not really. Your body is just beginning to get used to the ungodly wrath of summer’s sweltering heat leaving you in a constant state of sweat and nausea for the past three months. Not that you’re complaining, of course. You nearly did somersaults of joy when the morning news reported a temperature of sixty-one degrees with some wind gusts and welcomed the beginning signs of autumn with open arms.

You would never admit to Mom who told yo uon the way out to change out of a tank top or at least wear a jacket, but yes— you are, in fact, cold. But now you have godsent warmth blowing from the vents and the seat warmer on its highest setting beginning to thaw away the goosebumps painted on your skin. Giving your arms one last rub, you lean up enough to retrieve your phone and open the conversation with Hyunjin.

[2:37 PM] YN: please. smell my balls

[2:37 PM] YN: nothings wrong btw. i was GOING to ask if u wanted any specific snacks for tn buttttt someone didn’t answer

[2:37 PM] YN: and excuse u i called too. i may be an idiot but im not stupid

[2:38 PM] YN: ik u would never hear a text when ur having wet dreams of yeji

You stop there with a smug smirk when the three dots on his side appear, knowing you’ve hit his funny bone with this one.

[2:38 PM] big tiddy jinny🍯🧸🌟🖇: Bruh

[2:38 PM] big tiddy jinny🍯🧸🌟🖇 :I’ve literally never have had a wet dream ab Yeji pls stop

You cannot fight your shit-eating grin, thumbs circling over the keyboard in thought as he apparently deletes whatever other text he was going to send when the three dots disappear.

[2:38 PM] YN: mmhmmmm

[2:38 PM] YN: because last time you slept over you weren’t whimpering her name in ur sleep

[2:38 PM] YN: sureeeee

You decide to end your teasing there and continue once you’re home. It is starting to get late, after all, and Mom will begin to worry that the creepy employee always in aisle sixteen has abducted you. Plus, you’re cruel and like to watch Hyunjin suffer. Switching the ringer off, you throw your phone into the cupholder and drastically lower the heat and turn off the seat warmer. It’s starting to feel like a sauna in here, and not in a fun way. Can’t understand how anyone enjoys hanging out in a sauna to begin with anyway, but to each their own, you guess.

In the five-minute drive it takes until you are pulling into the driveway, Hyunjin calls three times. He is incredibly peeved at your lack of a response to his distressed texts and still wound up from your text about Yeji. As if! You’re already a clown not realizing his ever-growing affections for you, but to think he had a crush on Yeji? You’re the whole damn circus!

By the time he calls a fifth time, now sat up on his elbow in bed and strumming an annoyed beat of his fingers at his thigh because he really just wants to yell at you for being the most annoying person alive (and maybe to hear your voice, too), you have brought in the last of the bags and look to Mom who has started to put the groceries away and expects you to half-heartedly do the same.

“It’s Hyunjin. He’s having an existential crisis because I haven’t answered his texts,” you explain to her, unenthusiastically holding your phone as it vibrates against your palm. Half of you wants her to ask to finish putting everything away first just so you can torture him even longer. Alas, such extravagant wishes are denied, because when it comes to Hyunjin, your parents would undoubtedly throw you under the bus just to keep that boy happy. And so, just like any other time, Mom’s undying love for Hyunjin has her dismissing you from the kitchen with a hearty laugh.

“Jesus Christ! What?” You hiss, halfway up the stairs when you tap to answer his call on the last ring.

“Wow! Look who finally decided to answer!” Hyunjin shouts back, the swoosh of his sheets once he finally falls back against his pillow again rustling all too loudly through the phone. “I was driving,” you spit, marching into your bedroom and collapsing against your bed, the same rustle of your blankets sounding loudly into his ear. “There’s a thing called the speaker, ___. Ever heard of it?” He retorts, evidently shutting you up and he knows he won this round if your silence is anything to go by.

“Whatever,” you groan, using all your toe strength to kick the sneakers off your feet by their soles, “what was so important that you couldn’t wait and had to call me five billion times?”

“I had a question. And you hurt my feelings.” Well, shit. You can practically hear and see his pout through the phone and your heart positively swells in your chest at how undeniably, unjustifiably cute he is. You sigh.

“I’m sorry for making fun of you about Yeji. I’m going to do it again but next time I promise I won’t pull the wet dream card,” you apologize frankly; because, in all honesty, it would be worse to say you are not going to do it again when you most certainly will. Bullying Hyunjin is fun, what can you say?

Hyunjin heaves an exasperated breath from his lungs because he knows there is no point in arguing with quite possibly the most sarcastic human he knows and that’s the best form of an apology he’s going to get. Whatever. He’ll make sure to wipe his morning snot and droll on your shirt in the morning. “Anyway,” he grumbles, in the background you hear Kkami bark from a few rooms over, “I was going to ask if you wanted to come over my place instead? I know your parents probably want to see me and stuff but mine are out of town for the night so we can sleep in my bed until like three without Mom waking us up to force feed breakfast.” You roll your eyes. Of course your parents want to see him.

“Plus, Mom just put that grey comforter I know you really like on my bed so we can cuddle all night and watch stuff on YouTube,” he quickly adds as a convincing afterthought. He’s really got his sales pitch going on this one. Truth is, you have only slept in his bed with that stupidly soft blanket twice last winter break, but it’s still sweet that he remembers how much you loved it (aka how quickly you fell asleep and how grumpy you were being woken up because it’s just that darn cozy). Either way, you would never pass up an opportunity to snuggle up with Hyunjin in the comfort of his own bed with his citrusy, floral scent on the pillows luring you to sleep.

“My Mom is going to be heartbroken, Hyunjin,” you tease, “but who cares. You had me sold at sleeping until three. Do you still want me to bring the snacks I got?”

“Oh, thank God. I love your Mom’s cooking but I haven’t left bed all day and I really want to keep it that way. And yes, please. I’ve been eating dry cereal for the past two hours.”

“Hyunjin, have you brushed your teeth yet?”

“No. Didn’t you just hear me? I said I’ve been in bed all day. Eating cereal. When would I have brushed my teeth?”

“You’ve officially taken breakfast in bed to a whole new level, Jin. I’ll see you in a few hours. Oh, and please, you have no concept of personal space so make sure you brush your teeth before I come over.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Love ya, bye,” Hyunjin promptly hangs up, probably eager to get back to binging whatever drama he’s watching before you lecture him about his hygiene again. Not that it matters, anyway; chances are, it went in one ear and right out the other and you’re going to drag him out of bed later to brush his teeth.

Damn. You didn’t even get the chance to say love you back. Not that it matters.

It doesn’t, you quickly shut down the pesky thought that keeps you up at night and force it back into the storage part of your brain labeled ‘Deal with Later,’ because, really, you’ll have to think about that later. It’s not that you don’t want to think about it yet… you just don’t have the time to stop and really figure out what your feelings toward Hyunjin actually are. Yeah. That’s it.

And now isn’t the time, you tell yourself, scooting up the mattress in order to bury your face in the pillows to suffocate the pounding throb in your head. Hyunjin is nothing special.

Well, no. That’s a lie. Everything about Hyunjin is special. Anyone with eyes, ears, even a nose can sense that. You had quickly found out just how wonderful he is when you met him freshman year of high school. At the time, he was everyone’s sweetheart by the first day, but it just so happened his eyes were all on you.

He was obviously adorable, and every class you had together he always made a point to talk to you and returned your sarcasm with an impressive level of expertise. So, when it came to him asking you to the first homecoming, the answer was yes without a second thought. But during the last slow dance of the night, with his hands gently holding your waist, he at last listened to his conscience and revealed that as much as he liked you, he truly did not want to date in high school. Or right then, at least. And honestly, you were glad; Hyunjin was quite possibly your favorite person you had met thus far, and you would have rather kept him as a friend than commit to a relationship the second month of school and risk losing him later down the road.

And boy, keep him as a friend you did. As it turned out, Hyunjin grew to be your truest, best friend in high school. Sure, you each had your own friend groups, but the two of you were the iconic pair everybody knew. But strictly platonic, despite the rumors and wishes that went around for the next four years. You like to think that neither of you ever developed feelings past what everyone feels toward their best friend— an innocent, wholesome sort of love.

But when had things changed? Hormones, as always, were definitely a big part of it. Hyunjin was always a cutie, but it wasn’t until he grew into his own skin and developed a newfound confidence did you start to see him differently. Until everyone saw him differently. Neither of you missed the way people stared him down, pupils dilating every time he ran his fingers through the black tufts of his hair, hearts aching for some sort of interaction. Or when you started attending parties, groups of girls would fling themselves at him in a blundering disarray, most of which he would turn down with a gentle dismissal that flew over their heads, too drunk to actually care.

But then there were times his dick made the decision for him, desperation and deprivation weighing in on him and you’d watch with a tight jaw as he’d leave the room with the pretty girl of the night skipping after him. You never realized it was only on those nights did you wind up in the back seat of Han Jisung’s car.

But even after the physical attraction sizzled out over time, things were not the same. Hyunjin wasn’t your hidden little treasure anymore. All eyes were set on him and it took more than a glass of water to swallow your jealousy. But why? Why were you so resentful all of a sudden?

It’s hard to share Hwang Hyunjin, you decided. Once established that you were his main hoe and he was yours, it became a significant burden watching others try and get in between. Not that they did it with a malicious attempt to separate you, but it still hurt. You’re selfish, and you admit it— Hyunjin, quite frankly, is the love of your life. Romantic or not, nothing could change your feelings toward him. It goes beyond his unfathomable beauty and spunky personality. Everything about him from his nose to his hands, to his distaste for onions and the way his face scrunches up when he lets out that giggle of his and even to the way he prefers to sleep against the wall but will force you to when you’re over so he can “protect you in case there’s a monster” all mount into this big, giant section of your heart set aside for Hyunjin.

So despite your efforts to ignore the pang of jealousy each time he would find a potential someone or the joy whenever he’d find his way back because “they kept wanting to hang out in the morning even though I said I don’t wake up before noon,” this Hyunjin-shaped hole in your heart seems to only grow the longer you ignore it. Kind of like every medical condition out there: the longer you ignore it, the worse it gets. So, basically Hyunjin is your heart disease.

Yikes. Sounds a lot worse when you try putting it into words.

Well, he won’t be your heart defect for long if he keeps ruining those pearly whites of his by only brushing once just before bed, you chuckle to yourself, rolling to your side at the sudden lack of oxygen between your face and the pillow. There’s a fleeting moment without thought when you unconsciously reach for your phone to check for any notifications before the fattest revelation of them all falls from the ceiling and smacks you right upside the face.

Shit. Looks like you’ve gone right ahead and totally dissected each and every fiber of your feelings for Hyunjin.

Blinking up at the ceiling, the weight of your emotions isn’t as heavy as you expected them to be. Instead, it’s more of a breath of fresh air, as if you have finally accepted the way things fell instead of ignoring them. Your feelings for Hyunjin have always been there. It just took a little effort to get them out.

Nevertheless, it is going to be difficult hanging out with him in a few hours with your exposed emotions still needing to be processed. Especially when he will pull you to his side and keep you nestled there the entire night. Rubbing your temples, you realize it will take some serious self-control to put everything on the back burner and just enjoy the time spent with Hyunjin.

Sighing, you check the time on your phone again. 3:21 and a text from Hyunjin asking if you could bring green tea.

“Mom!” You yell, defeated. “You were right!”

You used to think Hyunjin lived far away. Truthfully, he’s only fifteen minutes away if you go ten over the speed limit. But the only way to get to his house entails driving through the chaos of the mall and town center, which adds an extra ten minutes sitting through traffic no matter the time of day.

Now, Hyunjin’s college campus is two hours away. Well, technically five from you, since you’re almost three hours away in the opposite direction. So you’re lucky if you get to see him once a month with how hectic school becomes and how difficult it is trying to plan to come home the same weekend. Fortunately, it has worked out this semester. And while you should spend this time with your families, they know how much you crave one another’s company as the weeks drag on. The twenty-two minutes it takes getting to each other’s homes is totally worth it.

You expect Hyunjin to tell you to use the key hidden underneath the resin meditating frog statue in the front garden to unlock the front door when you text him you have arrived, but to your utmost surprise, he’s there, awake, to open the door for you.

“Stinky!” You yell, dropping your things on the floor to burry yourself in his embrace, standing on your tippy toes to wrap your arms around his neck in order to really get the full experience of hugging your favorite giant. “Poopy!” He shouts in return, long arms winding tightly around your waist and even going so far as to lift you up a few inches. God. Hate when he does that.

“Why are you up? I thought I’d have to let myself in with you sleeping all your problems away,” you ask, smiling gratefully when he bends down to pick up your bag. “I realized Kkami hadn’t been out all day, so I came down to let him out and find actual food,” Hyunjin explains as he makes way into the kitchen, opening the back door to let said dog back inside. “Aw, poor thing,” you pout, squatting to scratch at Kkami’s neck when he zooms faster than the speed of light to you, “does that mean you brushed your teeth?”

“I did, actually,” Hyunjin snorts right back, scrunching his nose at you before turning away to open the fridge. Sitting on the floor with Kkami in your lap, you take the opportunity to finally get a good look at Hyunjin now that he’s distracted. And of course, he looks good. Really good. Last time you saw him he still was a brunette, a look he rocked during the spring and summer months. This is the first time you’ve seen the freshly dyed black hair in person. Even though he always looks handsome, something about Hyunjin with black hair completely changes his aura. Brings back memories of how badly you wanted him in high school. You shiver at the thought.

And, to top it all off, how he manages to stay in such disgustingly good shape despite his atrocious eating habits never ceases to amaze you. Like, come on. The boy eats worse than a raccoon seven days out of the week, lives off boba, works out maybe five times a month, dances in his free time and still keeps his body in tiptop shape. God, you hate him. His pediatrician probably hates him, too. You even go as far as to sniff the fries in your dining hall and you gain five pounds.

Even now, he looks unnecessarily regal in the baggy material of his sweatpants and flannel. And the warmth of his kitchen’s ambient lighting does nothing to suppress the heavy thumping of your heart. So casual is his dress, yet how immaculate he looks rummaging the cabinets for a snack.

“Are you hungry?” He asks, the familiar softness of his voice shaking you from your daze as he closes the refrigerator door after his unsuccessful search. Here’s the thing: you really aren’t hungry, but Hyunjin clearly is, so if you say no then all he will be thinking about is food until you decide that you are hungry. “Yeah,” is what you say, nudging Kkami off your crossed legs to stand, “I brought green tea and a few snacks, but we could order Chinese food or something. The place near Dunkin’ and the gas station makes bubble tea now, too.”

Hyunjin’s brows shoot up, flashing his boxy smile. “Is it good?”

“I mean, I’ve only had their pork dumplings and mango tea before, and it was pretty good. I don’t know about their noodles or anything, though,” you shrug, moving to stand beside him at the kitchen island. Distracted by Kkami trying to jump onto the sofa in the living room, you don’t look to Hyunjin until the poor dog is successful in doing so. Startled to find him already gazing down at you, your heart truly is not prepared for him to go right ahead and wrap his arms around your waist, resting his chin on your shoulder. Totally not freaking out or trying to overthink his need to constantly cling, you justify his actions by quickly recalling the time he said, “My head is too godtdamn big for my godtdamn body.” More like his head is too heavy because instead of a brain it’s just a chunk of cement up there. He just needs to rest his head sometimes.

Yeah.

“Mm, I don’t know,” Hyunjin hums, swaying your body with his to an unheard tune. By now, any coherent thought has dissipated into thin air and all you can do is melt against him. “Why?” You manage.

“’Cus if we order anything that means I’ll have to get up and get it.”

“Oh my God, Hyunjin, really?” You laugh. Your hands naturally glide to where his are linked at your stomach, pressing to interlock your fingers overtop his. “If that’s the only reason for your uncertainty than I could always come get it, idiot.”

“No! It’s okay,” Hyunjin says, jumping back before you can even process it, “I’m not that hungry anyway.”

“Ohhh ‘kay,” you laugh breathlessly, whiplashed by the whole thing. Good thing you aren’t hungry, because when was the last time Hyunjin turned down food? Blinking at him precariously, he doesn’t seem to notice until one too many seconds of silence pass by.

“C’mon,” he demands excitedly, jumping back into reality, “my roommate told me to watch this anime called Soul Eater but I wanted to watch it with you.” Once again, before anything can even register past every single That Was Cute™ alarm ringing in your brain, Hyunjin is grabbing your bag and reaching for your hand, leading you out of the kitchen and upstairs.

You and Hyunjin binge aforementioned anime until he falls asleep first around 2 AM, only stopping to order food an hour in (he’s an indecisive man indeed), to get up to retrieve it, and to actually eat while catching up. For most of the night, you are able to forget the way his heartbeat against your back mirrored your own in the kitchen. But then, a little while after you fall asleep yourself, Hyunjin unconsciously shifts closer and you spend another hour blinking at his relaxed hand twitching against your abdomen, trying to keep the hurricane inside your heart at bay.

You can’t make it home October. Hyunjin texted you to let you know he was going to be the third weekend in, and you tried desperately to manage your time in order to make it work. But one group project in chem lead to another paper in psych and before you knew it, your roommate was listening to you sob over a boy and curse out your classes.

September left you emotionally wrecked, to be totally honest. You hate Hyunjin and you hate the way he makes you feel and you especially hate how realizing you have a crush on him makes you unsure if everything he does is his way of hinting he feels the same or if he’s always been this touchy and you are just now recognizing it. So, missing a month of seeing your favorite human being essentially means missing another day of trying to decipher which actions of his go in the Friend list, and which go in the Questionable list. And that, my friend, is unacceptable.

You absolutely cannot not go home this month. November is the calm before the storm (the storm being exams looming the second week of December), and while it would be beneficial maybe staying on campus to continue preparing, you tell yourself going home will be just as helpful. Mental breaks, and stuff. Totally not just to see Hyunjin.

Either way, Hyunjin asks you if you would join him on the seventeenth to go to his second cousin’s christening and you absolutely cannot say no when you know how bored Hyunjin gets at family events when they aren’t for him. And so, fast forward to the third Sunday of November and you are ready to pass out ten minutes after entering the church.

“I’m so happy for you two! I always knew you would last into college,” one of Hyunjin’s aunts exclaims, pinching your cheeks but the only pinch you feel is that of your heart.

Clearly she is misinformed, or just prone to jumping to conclusions but yet again, you can’t really blame her with how couple-y you and Hyunjin are. Past the single tunnel vision of your gaze, you watch her smile falter when Hyunjin goes rigid beside you and oh my God this is the most embarrassing moment of my life, his whole family thinks we’re dating and here we are still stuck in each other’s friendz—

“I’m glad you think so, imo,” Hyunjin suddenly picks up, sneaking an arm around to rest his hand on your hip, tugging you close, “I don’t know what I’ll do if she ever decides to leave me.”

It’s nice to think that he means it, to imagine that you are here not as a tag-along but to join him in a family ceremony because you are part of the family. The thought turns your blood to sugar and everything surrounding you falls apart; you listen to the rest of their conversation without processing it, the precise detailing in the marble pillars blurs into a mass of white, and you still feel his strong hold on the curve of your waist yet you are lost in the swam of possibilities.

How lovely it would be to live up to her assumption. To ‘last into college’ as a couple, not as best friends. To be able to call him yours even when you’re not together, to come home and kiss his lips, to sleep in his bed and it mean more than the laziness of blowing up the air mattress. At some point, he leads you into the third pew to sit beside his parents, and when you greet them with a hug all you can think about is them viewing you as more than their son’s friend.

God, you hate it.

You’re not as religious as Hyunjin and his family. But for the first time in years, you find yourself looking to the crucifix during the service and praying to whoever is up there to give you some strength and patience, because Lord do you need it.

Hyunjin is a funny guy.

Or so he thinks.

It’s not that he isn’t funny. It’s just— compared to your friends Minho or Changbin, he isn’t at the top of the list. When you think of Hyunjin, the first words that pop up are soft, loud, and dramatic.

It’s not that he isn’t funny. He’s just weird.

Insanely, ridiculously weird. For example, the time he called Jeongin a vitamin. Or the time he slapped half a bottle of sunscreen on his face. Or his random bouts of dancing at inappropriate moments. Just to name a few.

After the Baptism, Hyunjin acted like nothing happened. Didn’t even bring it up. Not even a joke. After the ceremony, you joined his family for a luncheon, which just involved the two of you being weird and making peculiar dancing videos on SnapChat with the swirly filter and complaining about school for a few hours until he drove you home. Obviously you stopped for food again on the way.

But that was it. Things went on as normal, and you returned to campus later that night and forced the whole experience to the back of your brain. It was officially grind season, and grind season meant studying for exams. No parties. No boys. And certainly no Hyunjin.

You both were home for winter break in the blink of an eye. And in normal Hyunjin style, he sort of vanished for the first week. Probably catching up on his strict sleeping schedule, you presumed, and accepted the fact that it was going to be a few days before you saw or even heard from him. The only anticipation you felt was wanting to give him his Christmas gift.

After what seems like an eternity away from Hyunjin, you get out of the shower on this fine Saturday before Christmas to find a slew of texts from him.

[5:52 PM] big tiddy jinny🍯🧸🌟🖇: Aloha mamacita

[5:52 PM] big tiddy jinny🍯🧸🌟🖇: How do u feel about getting froyo tn

[5:52 PM] big tiddy jinny🍯🧸🌟🖇: We can get fat and then u can sleepover aaaand

[5:52 PM] big tiddy jinny🍯🧸🌟🖇: We can stare at the wall for a few hours

[5:52 PM] big tiddy jinny🍯🧸🌟🖇: And

[5:53 PM] big tiddy jinny🍯🧸🌟🖇: *cough*

[5:53 PM] big tiddy jinny🍯🧸🌟🖇: Exchange Jesus gifts

See? Weird. Who wants froyo when it’s thirty degrees out?

[5:53 PM] YN: “aloha mamacita”

[5:53 PM] YN: uHmmmMMM

[5:53 PM] YN: im down mr president

[5:54 PM] YN: why do u want ice cream in winter tho. don’t u want like

[5:54 PM] YN: hot chocolate or seomthing

Obviously not. Two hours later, Hyunjin arrives to pick you up for froyo despite all your efforts in convincing him maybe you could take the train to the city and watch a light show, or simply drive around and swoon over the rich people houses and their Christmas decorations. He didn’t budge. This leads you to your second question of the day: why is it that when you threw on sweats for the occasion you called yourself a hag, but upon entering Hyunjin’s car you make a mental note of how hot he looks when he’s wearing the same exact thing? You groan at the thought. It’s because it’s Hyunjin, of course.

“Bonjour, mademoiselle,” he greets, flicking your forehead once you settle into the seat of his Subaru WRX because he’s a hotshot and likes to flex that he can drive a manual. Not really— the car is absolute garbage by now, having been his Dad’s old car (his Dad likes to flex too, apparently). However, Hyunjin takes care of it enough for it to seem five years old instead of ten, and, either way, watching him work the stick shift is unexplainably hot.

You swat his hand away. “Drive, bitch,” you huff, twisting to buckle yourself in. Once he’s reversed out of your driveway, you glance back to find him fighting against a devilish smirk.

“So,” you start once he has navigated out of your neighborhood. His brow twitches up. “Are you taking Hawaiian and French at school? You’ve been throwing quite a lot of languages at me recently.” Hyunjin shoots you an unamused look. You return it with a wrinkle of your nose.

“Anyway,” he ignores your teasing, pausing to switch gears for whatever reason so he can make it through a yellow light, “how did your exams go?”

“Well, you know…” You trail off, looking to your window. It feels a lot later than eight o’clock. With it getting dark so early in the evening nowadays, it feels as if nighttime is always following you.

“You know… what?” Hyunjin interrupts your daze, concern laced in his voice. “They were fine. I passed everything, I’m just worried about my major,” you explain sadly, barely glancing at him before you are turning back to the window to stare at the moon. Must be nice being a moon. Just get to hang out in the sky watching everyone and being watched.

“I mean, if you want to switch, now’s the time. Better do it now before the second semester,” Hyunjin advises, wise as always. Not really, but he’s right. “What are you thinking of going into?”

Yikes. He’s going to kill you.

“Nursing,” you blurt.

“Oh my Lanta, ___, are you serious?” He groans, stopping at a convenient red light presenting the perfect opportunity for him to smack his forehead on the wheel. Dramatic. “How are you gonna manage that? You’ll practically be two years behind everyone else!”

“I know,” you sigh, throwing your head back on the headrest, “that’s the problem. Bio just isn’t doing it for me. I don’t think I can spend the rest of my life in a lab watching mitosis. I need something more rewarding, so theoretically nursing is a perfect start. I don’t know, though.”

“Why don’t you switch to interior design or something? We could get our own HGTV show, ___,” he says, but you don’t meet his gaze when he glances over because beneath his words, you can sense some serious hopefulness. Interior design would be cool, but you’ve never considered that as a career choice. You once helped your parents pick out everything when they redid a bathroom at home and that turned out great, but as a major?

“I don’t know, man. I’ll have to talk to my counselor about it, I guess,” you shrug, pulling the hood of your sweatshirt over your head and tightening the drawstrings until the material covers your eyes, “why can’t you audition to be a K-pop star or something? I could be your manager. Heck, even your makeup artist. I’ve done your makeup before, remember?”

Hyunjin laughs, loud, and the sound sinks deep into your heart and makes you feel warm all over. Stress? Gone.

For the next few minutes or so, the ride is comfortably quiet. At some point, he turns on the radio and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” floods your brain and reminds you to look forward to exchanging Christmas gifts later. God, you hope he likes it. You really went out on the sentimental gifts this year.

Hood shielding your vision, you jump when his large hand suddenly comes to grab the top of your head, squeezing hard and you imagine he’s trying to press some hopefulness into your brain. “Hand on the penis stick, Hwang,” you bark, blindly reaching for his own head across the way and pulling his ear when you do so. Good Lord, you hope no one can see into the car because… what.

Hyunjin lets out a giggle this time, reaching to pull you into a headlock and even though he’s got your head shoved up against his sturdy chest and goes on to give you a noogie, you’re stuck being all high and loopy on the sound of his happiness. And hey, it’s nice to know you’re the cause of it.

“We’re literally parked, idiot. If you had your hood down you would’ve realized,” Hyunjin snickers, releasing you after watching you struggle for a few seconds. Jerking away from him, you swiftly pull back your hood. “Oh,” you laugh, reading the flashy Yogo Factory sign above the building in front of you, “you could’ve just told me instead of watching me bask in misery.”

Hyunjin suitably ignores your moaning and groaning by getting out of the car and standing in front of the car, illuminated by the headlights. Why? Why must he look so scrumptious in his black hoodie and grey sweatpants and four-year-old white Nike sneakers? He has no gosh darn right!

After fixing the mess he made of your hair, you at last join him outside the car, shooting him another glare and moving ahead of him to open the shop’s door without waiting for him. “From now on, we have to start texting each other what we’re wearing before we go out, ‘cus this looks a little ri-donk-ulous,” Hyunjin whispers in your ear as you make your way to the cup selection, trying to ignore all the stares you— no, he is getting along the way.

“What do you mean?” You ask, plucking two medium sized cups up before turning to look at him. Then you look down at yourself. Oh. Looks like you’re both wearing the hoodie from junior spirit week. “Nice.” Just Couple Things™!

Back to Hyunjin being weird— why did he drag you all the way out here just to get a cup of chocolate frozen yogurt and maybe half a scoop of peanut butter chips?

Meanwhile, he watches in absolute disgust as you blow through your own dessert. Vanilla yogurt with probably every topping offered because you physically cannot make a decision, especially when they have chunks of cookie dough up there.

“So,” Hyunjin starts, trying not to look you in the eye considering you look like a goblin shoveling globs of diabetes down your throat, “have you talked to Jisung recently?”

You choke on a Fruity Pebble at his inquiry, prompting him to reach across the table and slap your back a few times until your esophagus is cleared. “Ugh,” clearing your throat one last time, you take a few sips of water while shooting him a glare. Jisung? Really? “How dense are you?” You hiss unintentionally.

Hyunjin raises his hands in defense. “Just a question.”

Yeah, just a question. Dumbass. “I mean,” you laugh awkwardly, “not really. We have a streak on Snap and sometimes we’ll talk occasionally but I don’t text him every day or anything. How about you?”

He shrugs, concentrating instead on stirring his yogurt into a goopy mess. “Eh. We still use our group chat a lot but that’s it. He’s too busy making music in Malaysia.”

You chuckle at this, picking out the boba from your own cup and leaving the rest now that it has started to look like something sold at the Chum Bucket. “That sucks,” you offer, not the best at giving him consolidation, you opt for linking your feet around his own in some weird act of intimacy, “isn’t he coming home for the holidays, though? I’m sure you can all have a reunion soon.”

“Yeah, he is,” Hyunjin hums, suddenly too focused on trying to escape your trap under the table. Annoyed Hyunjin is cute. “Stoooop,” he whines, kicking at your shins before breaking into boisterous laughter at your relentlessness, “I will not hesitate to throw this cup at your face.”

“Yeah, right,” you scoff, “I’d like to see you try.”

At this, Hyunjin drops his stupidly long arms beneath the table and easily captures your foot by the ankle, pulling hard enough for you to slip down your side of the booth. “Hyunjin!” You shriek, panicking slightly at your sweaty hand’s insecure grip against the leather. You’re going to fall. You’re going to fall flat on your ass underneath a table at a frozen yogurt place because the boy you like pulled your foot too hard. Fantastic. Ignoring you, he starts to wiggle your shoe off your foot no matter how hard you try to squirm out of his relentless grip. “Stop trying to eat my toes in the middle of Yogo!”

Finally, he releases your foot, letting it fall limp against his thigh.

“God,” you huff, breathless as you squirm back up your seat, cheeks burning ferociously, “you are such an ass.”

Behind the playful smirk he fails to hide, something darker glints in Hyunjin’s eyes and it makes your heart skip a beat. Then, “We should go.” The suggestion makes the heat of your blush scorch even hotter down your neck and you instinctively turn away, only to find the customers on the other side of the shop watching you with just as perturbed looks. Fantastic, part two.

“Okie,” you squeak out, blinking after him in complete and total bewilderment as to what just happened when he gets up to throw his trash away. Whatever. Following after him, you too toss your cup out before quickly finding your hand engulfed by his larger one as he leads you back outside, the sudden sharpness of the cold air bringing tears to your eyes. You desperately want to ask him what that was about, or why he’s acting so sneaky, but you stay silent, too afraid your voice will come out shaky and vulnerable. Instead, you let him tug you into his side and try to keep up with him no matter how badly your knees threaten to buckle with each glance you sneak up at him.

It’s silent when you enter the car, watching warily as he reverses out of the parking spot and maneuvers through the lot. Your heart rate seemingly cannot slow itself down, adrenaline taking the place of oxygen the longer you stare at him, at the concentrated scrunch to his face, at the cute tip of his button nose and at the swell of his lips and you distantly wonder what would happen if you pulled him into a kiss at the next red light.

In the midst of your daydream Hyunjin clears his throat, bringing you back to reality and you realize with a startle that he has caught you. Jesus Christ! What has gotten into you? You mentally smack yourself upside the head, instantly turning away from his cocky little gaze and staring straight ahead in search of something else to focus on. “___,” he sing-songs, slow and sensual and entirely demolishing the walls you have built around yourself. It is at this red light you wish to simply open the door and run.

“Yes?” You manage, wincing at how small your voice sounds and while looking out his window instead of into his eyes, you notice him grip the steering wheel hard enough to turn his knuckles white. The tension is insurmountable, weighing in heavily on your chest and you desperately wish to arrive home, even though that means having to survive the next twelve hours with him. Anything is better than the small confines of his car.

“What do you want to do when we get home?” He asks, cool as a cucumber. You pale. It is a dangerous question and you do not know if he realizes that. “Um,” you cough, scooting to sit up straight, “whatever you want.” You whisper the last part, genuinely petrified because you have absolutely no idea if your brain is twisting everything to make it seem like Hyunjin is flirting or if things are totally normal. No idea.

“Hm,” he offers, tilting his head in thought, “we shall see.”

Yeah. We shall.

The rest of the ride is quiet, comfortably or uncomfortably you cannot say because you are too busy trying to calm the Spongebob burning office scene occurring inside your own head, hopelessly telling yourself that everything is fine, Hyunjin’s fine, you’re fine. Just pretend like nothing happened, you tell yourself when Hyunjin pulls into his driveway with practiced ease. “Ugh,” he groans after retrieving your bag from the back seat, and you watch with a raised brow as he skips up to his porch, yelling, “I have to pee!”

“Begone with you, piss boy,” you tease, holding the screen door open for him as he struggles to unlock the storm door and pulling on one of his hoodie’s drawstrings just to annoy him. “Stop,” he growls, low and playful but nevertheless sending a swarm of butterflies to your tummy. You ignore him. Finally unlocking the door, Hyunjin shoves the keys into his pocket and seizes your wrist, yanking your arm down with enough force to nearly topple you into him. “Why are you being so annoying tonight?” He frowns at you, nose and brows scrunched in irritation and it is only because of his proximity do you finally soften up.

“Sorry,” you pout back, bringing your other hand up to boop his nose, “I just missed ya.”

“Ew,” he snorts, stepping past the threshold and kicking off his shoes. You follow suit, closing the door behind you and clicking the lock into place as Kkami comes sprinting over. “B-R-B,” Hyunjin announces, presumably bouncing away to the bathroom.

“Oh, boy,” you huff, squatting to pick up the fluffy little dog and hugging him close to your chest, “your dad is making my life very difficult.” Pressing a quick kiss to the top of his head, you put Kkami back down and grab your bag before heading upstairs, knowing Hyunjin is going to take his grand old time and probably take a shit while he’s at it. Plus, you’re impatient and dying to take your bra off.

Aside from what light his Gudetama nightlight offers, Hyunjin’s room is ultimately left dark. Here’s the thing: he used to have a lamp on his dresser, but then he took it with him to college and only brings it home for summer because he’s lazy and sleeps the majority of the time he’s home, anyway. Instead, he put up his little remote-controlled Christmas tree in addition to the lava lamp he has beside his bed. Perfect. For Hyunjin, at least.

Switching both of these on, their subtle glow offers just enough to keep you from banging your toe against something. It’s happened one too many times. Hyunjin’s room isn’t messy— he really isn’t a messy person to begin with, but he will reorganize the furniture in his room fifty times a year and you never know where the crooked leg to his bedside table will be to ambush your pinky toe.

Setting your bag onto his bed, you excitedly fumble past all your layers and unclasp your bra, maneuvering out of it with a delighted exhale just as Hyunjin begins his ascent up the stairs, steps creaking loudly under his heavy trudging. “I’m an idiot,” he grumbles, leaning against the doorframe to catch his breath.

You don’t bother to look at him, opting to quickly retort instead, “We been knew.”

“Ugh,” Hyunjin groans, exasperated, and you finally turn to him after successfully jamming aforementioned undergarment into your bag, “anyways. I don’t know why I didn’t just come up here, because I have to wash my face anyway and you do too and now we’re both going to have to share a sink.”

“Aw,” you coo, tone dripping with sarcasm as you pat his arm, “poor baby has to share the bathroom.”

“I’m actually going to strangle you,” he sighs, nevertheless following after you into the bathroom.

“Kinky.”

Hyunjin glares, unamused as he opens a drawer for his pink bow hairband and your striped pink and blue one that he bought for you, but keeps here for sleepovers. Yeah. He throws it to your face. “Sorry,” you offer, pulling the soft headband up to hold your hair back, “I’ll try to stop. I’m just so used to annoying you.”

“Clearly,” he scoffs, flashing his stupidly cute teasing smile and in your head, you imagine raising a white flag in surrender— he’s got you, he’s won, it’s over. Time to call it quits and head home. Evidently shut up (for now), you offer him a roll of your eyes before turning on the sink to wet your hands before pumping out some of his scrumptious watermelon face wash. Maybe if you scrub hard enough, you’ll manage to rinse away all the overwhelming thoughts of the night, too.

Barefaced Hyunjin is immaculate. Well, Hyunjin is immaculate twenty-four hours out of the day, but barefaced, freshly washed, hair messy, ready for bed Hyunjin is immaculate, and you are one of the few people lucky enough to see this eighth wonder of the world as often as you do.

Now, maybe it has something to do with the unexpected ambiance the light from his laptop, Christmas lights, and lava lamp have created together that makes him look so unfairly beautiful at this given moment. Or, you’re just insanely pussywhipped and looking for an excuse. You try not to think about it.

“Why are you so squirmy tonight?” He asks, frustrated enough to interrupt Kermit singing ‘Shawty I don’t mind’ playing from his laptop. “I’m not,” you defend, a weak argument indeed, given that you have just finished adjusting your position beside him for the umpteenth time.

“I mean, four female Ghostbusters? The feminists are taking over! I’m an ad—”

“___, you’ve touched my dick like four times. Don’t try and tell me you’re not squirmy. What’s wrong?” Hyunjin interrupts a second Vine, and even goes on to talk over ‘I have the power of God and anime on my side!’ like a lunatic. Oh Christ, you have? Surely you would have noticed. “Sorry,” you mumble, embarrassed as you bury your face into the curve of his pectoral and instinctively move your leg settled between his away, “I’m just hot, to be honest.” Technically, it is not a lie. Hyunjin’s family definitely keeps their thermostat at a higher temperature than yours and you always manage to sweat your ass off every time you come over. This time, however, you are certain it has more to do with the assault your heart is facing rather than your sweat glands.

At the sound of his tap against the spacebar to pause the video, you wordlessly and reluctantly sit up from your comfortable spot beside him in order to rid yourself of your heavy sweatshirt. Now, here lies the problem. Sweatshirt: off. Nipples: out. Realistically, Hyunjin has seen your boobs a number of times over the past few years, and even if he hadn’t, he probably wouldn’t even bat an eye. But right now, your heart is on the line, you’re embarrassed and you’re trying to play it extremely safe.

You toss the hoodie to the floor and nestle right back where you were anyway, slinging your right arm over his torso and ignoring his sharp intake of breath when you snuggle closer. “Better?” He asks, voice strained and it literally makes you nauseous. “Yep.”

He resumes the video. You had started early in the night watching Pom Poko, which unsurprisingly ended with the two of you crying at the bittersweet ending, then moved to TikTok compilations on YouTube to cheer up before moving on from them and onto the classic Vine compilations. You paid good attention for the most part, chuckling along with him to ‘What up, I’m Jared, I’m nineteen and I never fucking learned how to read,’ ‘Bruh chill, I don’t know why you in a big time rush,’ and all the other absolute comedic masterpieces. But after the fourth or fifth video of the same six second clips with an occasional rare one, you began to grow bored and decided to do what you do best: admire Hyunjin.

Sure, ‘Come get yo juice!’ followed by the loud smash of the oven made you smile, but you found the flashing lights casting shadows beneath Hyunjin’s eyes and lips much more fascinating. Of course, this is not the first time you have been held so close to him. But it is, however, all too easy to get lost in the sight of him and you’ve noticed recently that you are in desperate need of a map. Whether it’s due to your time away from him or simply an appreciation for untouched beauty you do not know.

Even now, your gaze flickers to his laptop once you hear ‘Get to Del Taco,’ but having already watched it five thousand times you tilt your head upward to catch Hyunjin’s silent giggle at ‘free-sha-voca-do.’ It’s a vicious cycle, really, going back and forth between wanting to simply enjoy the night and realizing enjoying the night lies totally in Hyunjin’s presence. And so, you continue to fall into this trap each time until you pay no mind to the videos at all, basking in the brilliance of Hyunjin’s joyous smile and the warmth his happiness makes you feel. It is this thought that slowly tugs you to sleep, a fight to keep your heavy eyelids open lost until finally, you give in to the comfort and allow yourself to drift off to the sound of ‘Step the fuck up, Kyle.’

You think you are dreaming.

You think.

“___,” the softness of Hyunjin’s voice at the crown of your head eases you from the clutches of sleep and you stretch your locked limbs before curling further into his side. “We didn’t open presents.” Even though you can’t see him, you can hear his pout, and you realize you must be awake to hear the disappointed words caught sluggishly between his lips so vividly. You hum, hesitant to open your eyes because you really want to go back to sleep. Just for a little while. And so, you ask, “What time is it?”

“Just past two,” he whispers.

You hum again, trying to formulate a sensible sentence in the parts of your brain still asleep, “We can… wake up at four. And open gifts. Okay?”

“Okay, weirdo,” Hyunjin chuckles to himself, sliding lower down the mattress after shutting his laptop.

You think you are dreaming.

You think.

You can’t remember ever falling asleep facing each other. But yet again, your brain is clouded beyond capability and now, you know for certain you are dreaming. Hyunjin never faces you.

Blinking slowly, it takes a few seconds for your eyes to adjust to the impenetrable darkness and you struggle to make out the features of Hyunjin’s face. You know you are dreaming, and so you tug him closer, throwing a leg over his thigh and an arm over his waist. Even in your sleep, you feel the sadness pricking at your heart, for even it knows this is only what dreams are made of. You like to make the best of it.

“You know I love you, Jinnie, right?” Your voice comes out funny, drawn out and mumbled like your tongue is numb and you fight the urge to feel for yourself.

“Of course I do. I love you too.” His reply surprises you. You thought he was asleep and, either way, hearing such fond words from him puts your heart at ease. He must be misunderstood.

“No. I mean like… I like you, love you. Like I want to kiss you… kiss you good morning and before bed love you. Send you hearts and take stupid couple pics and… go on dumb dates love you. You know?” Your words feel garbled and incomprehensible the longer you go on, trying to express how you feel when nothing is real proving to be increasingly difficult. God, if only you could do it when things are real.

You start to feel yourself slipping as he mutters a reply, mind in free fall and fuck, fuck, fuck, he’s whispering and you can’t hear him but you are too tired and helpless to wake yourself up to hear it. No, too lost in the next dream to go back. You can’t tell what is real and what isn’t. Christ, were you awake? You can’t tell. All you know is that you are warm, so, so warm and letting sleep take over you once more is the best answer to all your questions.

Hyunjin always says he hates waking people up. Because he’s normally the one needing to be awoken, whenever the roles are swapped he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do.

This time, however, he takes it upon himself to repeatedly smack your face with his pillow. Not a fun experience when it’s coming from someone who fails to recognize his own strength. “Jesus, fuck! Okay!” You hiss, the cloud of sleep abruptly ripped away from you with the slap of his pillow against your skin. Arms raised defensively in front of you, you catch his next swing and tear the pillow out of his grasp to shield yourself all before you have even opened your eyes. When you do so, with the blatant intention just to find where he is and hurl the pillow at him, you are met with the harsh light from his ceiling fan and have to squint past the stinging white light to see his shit-eating grin.

“Was that necessary?” You groan, undeniably annoyed and wanting to glare at him more but needing to rub the ache out of your eyes. “Yes,” is all he says, reaching for your bag and catapulting it to you. He is incredibly lucky you are quick enough to catch it before it thumps against your head. What has gotten into him? Did he eat an entire bag of Pixy Stix while you were asleep? You watch, still dazed from sleep and reeling from the whole pillow smacking attack, as he flings open his closet door and turns back around with two neatly wrapped boxes. You squint to make out the dancing Santa T-rex wrapping paper.

“Oh,” you chirp, understanding, and you unzip your bag to retrieve the large box taking up the majority of space, “thanks for waking me up. I’m surprised you remembered. Did you stay up?”

A rosy blush burns its way across his cheekbones. Odd. “I, um— yeah. No, actually,” he stutters, really odd, given he was bouncing off the walls not even thirty seconds ago, “I set an alarm. You made me sleepy.” Hyunjin sits beside you once you have scooted over, leaning against the wall and crossing his long ass legs. He keeps his eyes trained on the boxes in his hands. “Oh,” you hum, looking to your own gift and suddenly wishing for the mattress to swallow you up, “sorry. I haven’t gotten as much sleep as you on break so far.”

“I don’t think anyone ever has,” he jokes and you finally look to him, sharing a cheeky smile before he gets all shy again, tongue darting out to wet his lips, “um, Merry Christmas, ___.”

It’s a simple phrase, but it makes your heart swell. “Merry Christmas to you too, Hyunjin.” Leaning over, you wrap your arms around his shoulders in an awkward side hug, but still end up feeling all drunk and loopy on love when he eagerly returns the gesture, arms curling around you.

“Okay,” you huff, sitting back, “me first.” You dramatically hold your gift out to him, jittery and nervous all over. Buying for Hyunjin is always hard. He’s just so easy to please, but when you want to do more than just please him it’s a constant battle trying to decide how far out you are going to go for him each year.

You watch impatiently as he tears the wrapping paper open first, and then finally lifts the flaps of the box up. “Aw,” he whimpers, pulling out the quokka plushie and attached certificate, “you adopted a quokka for me?”

You grin when he hugs the soft stuffed animal to his chest, the weight on your shoulders partly lifted from his positive reaction. He reaches back into the box, brow scrunched in thought as he regards the framed picture. “The First Day…?” Hyunjin asks, perplexed as he reads the title above the constellation poster. You scoot closer, leaning over to look it over once more. “This was the constellation of stars on our first day of freshman year. The day we first met.”

“Oh,” Hyunjin sniffs, “that’s really awesome, ___. Thank you. This is coming with me to school.” At this, he hugs you again, probably to hide the tears you know are threatening to spill because Hyunjin is Baby and cries every year. “Anything for my favorite fake Aussie,” you smile, leaning your head on his shoulder as he reads through the quokka adoption letter.

“Okay! Your turn!” He exclaims, setting his gifts back into the box and passing you the smaller one of his. He catches your curious glance to the second one he keeps by his side. “We have to open this one together.”

“Christ, okay. Looks like I’m gonna be crying tonight, too,” you sigh sadly. “Ooh,” jumping ahead of yourself, you wiggle your eyebrows at the white box before you, “Hyunjin if you bought me a Fitbit… I swear to God. How many times have I said I am not working out with you?” However, once you finish tearing open the wrapping paper you find it is not, in fact, a Fitbit.

“It’s not a Fitbit, idiot,” Hyunjin scoffs a second too late, waiting for you to slip the lid off the box. “They’re bond touch bracelets.”

“Explain,” you murmur, enamored but confused at the two little house arrest looking bracelets.

“So basically, we each wear one,” Hyunjin starts, taking one of the bracelets out and a burst of color blooms across its small screen at the motion, “and if you touch it, mine vibrates and I ‘feel’ your touch.” As he explains, he buckles it around your wrist, twisting it so it lies correctly. You silently take the second one and help it on him, brain too caught up to actually say anything.

“Try it,” Hyunjin whispers, suppressing his excitement.

You gingerly bring a finger to the little screen, tapping it once, twice. Nothing happens. Frowning, you try again, tapping and holding, then a second time, and finally— a strip of pink light appears and the bracelet gently vibrates as you tap and hold a random pattern. In response, the bracelet on Hyunjin’s wrist lights up blue, buzzing in the same pattern.

“Oh, Hyunjin,” you sniffle, fighting back your own tears because you refuse to let yourself ugly cry in front of him, “this is amazing. Now I can annoy you year-round. Thank you so, so much. I love you so much.” He hums, pulling you close when you turn to give him a proper hug. To your utmost surprise, however, instead of letting go he curls one fist into your side and helps swing your legs over to straddle his lap. “Oh.”

“___,” Hyunjin sighs thoughtfully, fingers playing with the sleeves of your tee, “I love you, too.”

You nearly spit up your coffee. If you were drinking coffee. Instead, you’re left with a dry mouth and a slack jaw at his words. Huh?

Glancing to the constellation picture peeking out of his box, and then to the matching bracelets you both wear, you find your mind reeling trying to make sense of it all. Yeah, you say the forbidden L-word to each another all the time, but most certainly not with you on his on lap and his lips mere centimeters away. The answer is so obviously clear as day you have trouble believing it.

“Fuck,” you laugh all of a sudden, as soon as the realization hits you, “I wasn’t dreaming, was I?”

Hyunjin lets out a joyous giggle, hands linking behind your back. Unable to hide his smile any longer, he clarifies, “You were not, madam. We literally just finished talking about when we were going to open gifts and then I got ready to sleep. Two seconds later you dumped your heart out to me, but when I answered, you were asleep.”

“Bruh,” you wince, hiding your face with your hands, “I am so sorry you had to deal with that.”

“No, don’t be,” Hyunjin comforts, reaching to tug your hands away. Your gut does somersaults when he intertwines his fingers with yours. “I was actually, uh, planning on doing some sort of confession to you anyway, but then you went right ahead and did it for me. So thanks for that.”

“Wow,” you chuckle, trying to wrap your mind around it all, “does that mean you, ahem, perhaps like me too?”

“No, I just got us really couple-y long distance relationship bracelets, pulled you onto my lap, and kissed you because I just want to be friends.”

“You didn’t kiss m—”

The sly little fucker interrupts your retort by quickly dipping down to press a fat smooch to your lips, missing miserably and you don’t know if he did it on purpose but you quickly fix the problem, releasing his hands to cradle his jaw and tilt his head the right angle. Finally, finally you kiss him, breathing in the smell of him like some sort of aromatherapy and whimpering into his mouth when his tongue swipes against your own. It is like nothing you have ever experienced, the taste and feel of him making you tremble and igniting a burst of electricity through your veins. You could kiss him forever, you think, sucking on his plump bottom lip greedily until he finally pulls back, desperate for air or trying to reel himself in you can’t say.

“You have to open your other gift,” Hyunjin reminds, chest heaving, and your gaze follows his long fingers as they comb his hair away from his forehead. Automatically, as if kissing Hyunjin once grants you some kind of free pass to do the same, you brush a few stray strands away from his face before leaning back to admire him. “Stoooop. You can’t do that and not expect me to kiss you again. Open. Your. Gift.” Hyunjin whines, squishing your cheeks and turning your head away.

“Okay, don’t blame this on me,” you huff, reaching for the second box before jabbing a finger into his chest, “you, sir, need to stop being so beautiful for like, two seconds.”

He scoffs, helping you rip off the wrapping paper, “You’re the beautiful one here.”

“Ew,” you wrinkle your nose, most certainly not used to Hyunjin dishing out such compliments, “this is too Hallmark Christmas movie for me. Let me open my gift in peace, ugly.” This box, unlike the bracelets’, is simple cardboard and when you lift open the lid, a brown leather book looks back at you. “You remember Up?” He asks.

On the leather, it reads Our Adventure Book in mismatched colors. “Yeah,” you whisper, flipping open the cover to find two baby pictures glued on the paper, one of Hyunjin, and one of you. At the top, it’s labeled ‘Before Shit Went Down.’ You laugh.

On the next page, there are random photographs from middle school, and then finally each other’s eighth grade graduation portraits. Then, written at the top is ‘Here It Begins,’ followed by a selfie he randomly took with you a few weeks into school freshman year, and then some from homecoming. Silently flipping through the rest of the book, your tears flow freely now, touched beyond comparison at all the photographs and all the memories accompanying them. Some are from large events like prom, others from random moments you don’t even remember, but each and every one comes together to form a special mold fitting perfectly into that Hyunjin-shaped hole in your heart.

The last picture is from the christening last month. Of course, it isn’t one of the nicer photos his mom took of the two of you, but a SnapChat selfie with the flaming sunglasses filter. He’s mid-laugh and you’re pressing a kiss to his cheek. Funny thing is, you don’t even remember taking it.

The page next to it is blank, aside from what’s written at the top of the page. “Togetha Foreva,” you read aloud, voice choked up and God, you cannot fathom how gross you look right now. “What the fuck, man!” You sob, punching Hyunjin’s shoulder before wiping your nose and cheeks with the back of your hands. “I didn’t sign up for this cock and ball torture.”

Hyunjin laughs loudly at this, pulling you into a hug and giving you a few seconds to recover. “Hyunjin, this is like… seriously the best thing anyone has ever done for me, holy shit. God, you Pinterest son of a bitch, this is such a good idea,” you groan, flipping back through the pages and getting teary-eyed all over again, “I can’t express how much this means to me, Jinnie. Thank you, really.”

Flashing that toothy grin of his, Hyunjin tugs you to lie back down with him and tilts your head up to press a much more accurate kiss to your lips. “I meant what I said before, ___,” he murmurs, “I don’t know what to do without you, and I know we only get to see each other once a month but I can’t keep living as just friends. You’re so much more than that. And I hope all the pictures we add from now on will show this new chapter of our lives. If not, well, then I guess I’ll just burn the book.”

“Are you asking me to be Kkami’s official poop-picker-upper?”

“Yes. Wait— what? No!”

You break into a fit of laughter, only to be interrupted with him pinching your side and causing you to let out a yelp. “Hey!” You bark, jumping closer to him and away from his hand until, finally, you give in to your self-indulgence and go right on ahead in swinging a leg over his hips and pinning him beneath you.

“You ruined my serious love speech, ___,” Hyunjin pouts, face scrunched up at you.

“I’m sorry, baby, go on.”

You pause, blinking slowly at him. He blinks back, the silence in the air weighing in heavily as both of your two brain cells bounce around trying to figure out what did you just call him?

“Never mind,” Hyunjin says, voice a low rumble of thunder as he reaches for your hips and easily flips positions, “I think you’re on the same boat.”

You laugh, tilting your head back and eyeing him indignantly. Fuck, he looks unfairly delectable hovering above you.

“Okay, how many more times do I have to tell you I love you for you to formally ask me to be your girlfriend, stupid?” You scowl, bringing your hands to cradle his neck, thumbs brushing delicately against his jaw.

“Call me baby again and we’ll see about making that happen.”

You raise a brow, tugging his face closer by the chain of his necklace. “You’re lucky it’s Christmas, baby.”

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liss-99 · 4 years ago

Note

I'm sorry I had to : 93 × no body no crime

I'm so excited what you do for this :))

I cannot even tell you the reaction I had when I saw this prompt. This might be my favorite one yet. I hid it below the line because I love it that much!

TW: murder and violence, obviously

It was a secret she would take with her to the grave.

Kate Sharma and Sophie Beckett became best friends during their first year of college. They were both averse to popularity and the social scene, electing instead to carve their own paths in life. Kate wished to become a social worker while Sophie had dreams of being an elementary school teacher. Their first meeting was in a freshman child psychology course, and the rest, as people often said, was history.

They were there for each other through all of the life moments; their undergraduate and graduate programs, getting that first job, boyfriends, drunken nights, vacations, weekend hikes, vintage clothing shopping on rainy days, living together, everything.

Sophie met a man eventually, Phillip Cavender. They married after only six months together, Sophie had been completely captured by him. He was from old money and he knew it, and while Kate didn’t particularly like him, she loved her friend, so she did her best to be supportive. Cavender never seemed to realize how great of a person Sophie was, and the veneer of their marriage quickly cracked.

Both having busy lives and full-time jobs, the women didn’t get to see each other as often as they both would have liked. But, they did have a ritual, ensuring they got to catch up with each other.

Every Tuesday, they would meet up at the local Olive Garden, their favorite chain restaurant since college, for dinner and a glass of wine, Chardonnay for Kate and Pinot Noir for Sophie. They usually chatted about work, romance, the latest news, whatever was on their minds. But this night, when Sophie arrived she looked more stressed out than Kate had ever seen her. Their wine had already arrived, the staff had come to learn the routine, so Sophie took a huge sip of hers and sighed as she sat down.

“What’s the matter?” Kate asked, concerned about her best friend. Sophie looked as if she hadn’t been sleeping.

“It’s Phil,” Sophie sighed. “He’s been acting different, and I don’t have any proof, but it smells like infidelity to me.”

“You think he’s cheating on you?”

“All I know is he tastes like merlot whenever we kiss,” Sophie replied, “and we don’t drink merlot.”

Kate crossed her arms, waiting for more.

“I was going through our joint account yesterday, you know, just for maintenance, to make sure everything was in order.”

“And?”

“There was a $1200 charge for Tiffany’s from three weeks ago. He hasn’t given me any jewelry since he proposed.”

“That bastard,” Kate exclaimed. “He’s absolutely cheating.”

“No there ain’t no doubt about it. I want to call him out.”

Sophie’s jaw clenched, which didn’t go unnoticed by Kate.

“I think he did it but I just can’t prove it. A few undiscussed charges and the taste of wine aren’t enough to accuse my husband of cheating.

“Ah, corpus delicti,” Kate sighed, sitting back in her chair. “No body, no crime.”

“Exactly. Without any proof, I don’t have grounds for divorce or he’ll ruin me. I think he did it, but I need proof. Even if it takes me until the day I die, I won’t let up.”

Kate raised her glass to cheers with Sophie, silently celebrating that her best friend would hopefully soon be rid of her scummy husband.

Sophie wasn’t there Tuesday night at Olive Garden, at her job, or anywhere. It had been a few weeks since her revelation to Kate that she wanted to leave her husband.

They’d canceled the previous week, with Sophie texting

“Sorry, talking to Phil tn. Can’t make it to dinner. See you next week?”

And that was the last time Kate had heard from Sophie. It was unlike Sophie to be non-communicative, especially with her. When Cavender reported Sophie as missing the next day, Kate immediately grew suspicious. The police launched a full investigation, but Sophie was nowhere to be found. They deemed her a missing person.

Kate drove by Sophie’s house one night, and in the driveway, she noticed something peculiar. Cavender’s truck had some brand new tires. Sophie had always been complaining that he wouldn’t get new ones even though the truck desperately needed them. Cavender always complained it was a rip-off, which was rich coming from someone as wealthy as he was. But now, all Kate could see were the shiny new tires. Also of interest was the way in which one Cressida Cowper had begun taking residence in Cavender’s house. It made a lot of sense when Kate thought about it, of course Cressida was his mistress. Kate had no doubts that Cressida probably slept in Sophie’s bed and everything as if Sophie had never even existed.

Like a lightning bolt, it all clicked for Kate. The Cavender family was proud of their name, and nothing would ruin them more than a divorce less than a year after marriage. Sophie had told Kate the morning of her last text that she finally felt like she had enough evidence to confront Cavender about the cheating. Putting 2 and 2 together, Kate determined Cavender had done something to Sophie.

He was a cruel man, and Kate was almost positive he abused Sophie throughout their marriage. But Sophie had been careful to hide any signs of mistreatment, so Kate had never been sure. But, without a doubt, Kate was positive Cavender had murdered Sophie, most likely because she accused him of an affair.

The police, lousy pigs that they were, had quickly given up searching for Sophie, and without a body, there was no crime. Kate wouldn’t be able to prove that Cavender had murdered his wife, but she could enact revenge.

It really was quite an easy decision. The world would be a better place without Phillip Cavender, and if justice wasn’t going to be given for Sophie’s death, Kate would take it herself.

On the night she decided it would happen, Kate pulled her old handgun, dusty, covered in cobwebs, and placed it in her bag. She drove out of town, to Cavender’s mansion nestled on the edge of the woods, near a big lake. Kate knew Cressida was gone; the woman was a pharmaceutical sales rep and she was often on ‘business trips.’

Kate knocked on the door, and the look of surprise on Cavender’s face when he answered was almost retribution enough.

“Kate, how can I help you?” He was cold to her, suspicious.

“I just wanted to check in, see how you are doing with Sophie’s disappearance.”

“Oh, of course, come in,” he turned, and Kate knew he wanted nothing less than for her to come in.

With his back turned, she pulled the gun out of her bag and aimed it directly at his head. When he turned back around to feign conversation with her, his breath immediately hitched.

“Kate, what the hell are you doing?”

“I know Sophie is dead, and that you’re the one who killed her.”

“You have no proof,” he laughed smugly.

“I don’t care. It’s the only explanation.”

“Okay? So you’re going to shoot me? That’s going to go over really well for you, if anything, it’ll just make it look like you’re the one who killed Sophie, even though, yeah, of course I was the one who did it. You really think I was about to let her accuse me of cheating and ruin my family? Think carefully about what you do next, Kate.”

Kate was stone-cold, unflinching, and she could see the terror behind his smirk.

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m sure I’ll manage,” she said smoothly before she fired the gun.

The look on Cavender’s face as he slumped over was one of complete disbelief as if it was the first time he would face consequences for his actions.

When she was 15, Kate’s dad had made her and her younger sister Edwina get boating licenses. He believed it was important to know how to operate all kinds of moving vehicles, ‘just in case.’

Kate was grateful for her father’s thinking as she dragged Cavender, wrapped up in a plastic bag, out back to his dock. She heaved his body into the boat, before boating out to the middle of the slimly inhabited lake. It was pitch black outside, and she’d cut the lights on the boat; no one would ever know she was there. With carefully gloved hands, a trick she knew from her crime podcasts and tv shows, she pushed Cavender over the side of the boat, and listened to the glorious sound of him sinking.

Later, she meticulously cleaned the house, removing any signs of a murder. She cleaned enough houses throughout her life to know how to cover up a scene.

The next morning, she sent Posy, Sophie’s stepsister, a text.

“If anyone asks, swear you were with me last night?”

“I swear it.”

Kate wasn’t the only one who disliked Cavender; Kate knew Posy would say whatever to protect her.

Several days later, when it became public knowledge that Phillip Cavender was missing, news quickly spread of the big life insurance policy Cressida Cowper had taken out just a week prior. Kate hadn’t known this prior to the act, but it made things all the better for her.

Everyone assumed Cressida had axed Cavender, in hopes of a large sum of money, but with no body, there was no crime, and they just couldn’t prove it.

Kate was pretty sure Cressida knew what she had done, the way they locked eyes on each other in the town center. Cressida had flames in her eyes when she looked at Kate, but she would never be able to prove it.

So, the disappearances of Sophie Beckett and Phillip Cavender were never solved; Kate Sharma was the only one to ever know the truth.

It was a secret she would take with her to the grave.

Taylor Swift Bridgerton One-Shots

#kate sharma #kate sheffield #sophie beckett #taylor swift #no body no crime #bridgerswift #bridgerton #sophie kate and taylor are the trifecta of badass women #bridgerton fanfiction #one-shots

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ikevampeventarchive · 4 years ago

Text

[ERS] Shyness Melts Into A Cocktail ～ Theodorus

Duration: 11/22 (Fri) 04:00 PM ～ 11/29 (Fri) 09:00 PM

On the way home from a party at the art gallery, Theo follows you with sweet words. However, the shock of his memory loss the next morning prompts you to leave him cold in bed...?

At that time, what happens after Theo invites you out is ——

Route Preview

[This is an unofficial work based on fan-translation. Copyright belongs to Cybird.]

Common Route

The route starts with Theo and MC at an afterparty of a successful exhibition. Theo is talking to a Marquis, the sponsor of the exhibition, who was praising Theo on a job well done. He brings Theo around the party, introducing Theo to his various friends, business associates, and connections, with Theo graciously smiling throughout. MC stands a bit away watching the scene, and thinks to herself that the Marquis seems to be quite fond of Theo. She’s glad that he’s making so many connections and that his work will go even more smoothly now.

The Marquis and Theo have another drink, and MC notes that they’ve been drinking a lot in such a short amount of time. Every time they meet a new person, another toast is called. Once their drinks run out, it’s quickly replaced with another one. Seeing this, MC worries for Theo, wondering if she should bring him a glass of water. However, Theo glances over to her and gently smiles, flustering MC. MC reconsiders, and decides to continue watching from a distance since the conversation seems to be going well. And thus the night draws on.

Once the party concluded, Theo and MC get on a carriage prepared by the Marquis and head home. Theo asks MC if she’s tired, to which she says that she’s fine, and Theo was the one who worked hard. They continue to converse about the Marquis’ help with networking, and MC eventually says that seeing Theo continuing to strive for his goals was extremely impressive, and that she too will work hard to help him.

Theodorus: What are you talking about? Aren't you already supporting me?

MC: ….What?

Theodorus: This past exhibition wouldn’t be what it was without your help.

MC: What??

Theodorus: I had already expected that in the first place, anyways. Are you surprised? I have never once had a single doubt about your work ethic.

Theodorus: I’ve always thought of you as my most trustworthy business partner. Seriously… you’ve done me a lot of good.

(TN: The phrase they’re using for help/support is 力になる, which has a very nice literal meaning of “becoming your strength.” But, it doesn’t sound quite natural in ENG, thus the replacement.)

Theo continues to ramble on, heaping various praises on MC as she continues to get more and more embarrassed. Then, he suddenly stops speaking and stares at her instead. Almost dreading his next words, MC asks him if something’s wrong.

Theodorus: …. You’re cute.

MC: What!?

As MC is too shocked to respond, Theo starts petting her head, playfully ruffling her hair. MC feels happy, but the irony of Theo petting her like King isn’t lost on her. Theo then changes his earlier statement, saying that MC being cute is a given, and starts kissing her. When they part, Theo presses up against MC, saying that he’ll both tease and pamper her thoroughly tonight.

—

When they arrive at Theo's room, they stumble to the bed without even turning on the lights, with Theo pushing MC down on the bed and slipping a hand under her blouse. MC thinks to herself that Theo is being much rougher than usual, as if something in his normal behavior had been stripped away and bared before her.

Theodorus: MC… I like you. I love you….

He’s more aggressive than usual, but… Theo’s words and endearments are also much sweeter than usual.

Again and again, they lose themselves in the sweet, yet inescapable heat building between their bodies.

Morning comes, and MC is the first to wake up. Looking down at Theo’s sleeping face, she remembers their activities last night and flush, thinking to herself that even though it’s embarrassing, it’s nice to know that Theo desired her so passionately. As MC is lost in her thoughts, Theo wakes up, squinting against the sun. MC is struck with a surge of affection upon seeing his cute reaction and wonders if it’s ok to give him a good morning kiss. However, before she can come to a decision, Theo speaks instead.

Theodorus: MC… when did you get here?

Theo comments that if MC is here already, then she must’ve gotten up early, before throwing an arm around her and pulling her close. MC quickly questions him and realizes that Theo only remembers the party and nothing afterwards. Thinking back to the way he praised her and the night they spent together, saying that MC was shocked was an understatement.

Unaware of the thoughts running through MC’s head, Theo teases her, asking if she had come to his room with only a shirt draped over her shoulders to seduce him. He starts running his hands along her body, pressing kisses against her nape. Theo says the same lines he did last night to instigate things with MC, which just reminds her all over again of his lack of memories and MC stops him. Theo freezes — confused — and MC gets out of bed, gathering her clothes and leaving after calling him an idiot.

In her room, MC sulks. She knows that she should apologize to Theo, but right now, it doesn’t feel right. After all, it’s because she was so happy that she’s upset right now. Eventually, it was time to start work, and MC was cleaning the hallways when footsteps sounded behind her.

MC turns around, expecting Theo. However, it was Vincent, who sheepishly grins at the mistake. He tells MC that Theo left for work, and should be back by nightfall. MC ends up asking Vincent if Theo had ever been drunk enough to lose his memories, to which Vincent replied negatively. Dejected, MC excuses herself and leaves to clean the staircase.

At sunset, MC sits in the gazebo and watches the sunset, lost in thought. Sebastian had let her off early, saying that there was no work left to be done. Of course, there was never an end to the work, but MC had probably let her low spirits show through and he noticed. MC laments the misunderstanding between her and Theo, and wishes to see him.

Just as the thought crosses her mind, a voice calls out to her. It was Theo — the exact person she wanted to see most right now. MC starts to ask what he was doing here, since it was not yet time for him to return, when he grabs her hand.

Theodorus: — Come with me.

—

Sweet End

Alone with him, get drunk on a sweet night in each and every way―

“ — Prepare yourself. I have no intention of forgetting the sight of your pleasure.”

—

Theo leads MC to a bar, where he quickly seats them and orders — of course, alcohol. MC is worried about the turn of events, and orders juice for herself. As Theo quickly down his first drink, MC contemplates whether she should stop him or not, since she doesn’t want a repeat of last night. Theo orders another drink without delay, and MC finally bursts, telling him to wait. He refuses, saying that if MC wants him to stop, then she should do it herself.

Theodorus: … Are you sure it’s fine to stay quiet? I might just eat you up like I did last night.

MC startles and asks if Theo had recovered his memories, only to be met with a bitter smile. Theo reveals first that the drinks are non-alcoholic, and second, that he didn’t remember anything, but it wasn’t difficult to guess that something had happened from how MC reacted this morning. When Theo returned from his work, he ran into Vincent while searching for MC, and Vincent told Theo about what MC asked him this morning.

MC: Say, Vincent…. Has Theo ever been so drunk that he’d lost his memories before?

Vincent: Huh? No….

Hearing this, Theo was certain that he’d done something to MC while drunk, and it’s revealed that he set up this entire outing to bring a reaction out of MC, since rather than blame him, she would only think of apologizing for her own actions. Then, Theo himself apologizes to MC. MC ends up forgiving him, saying that she’s happy to be spending time with him like this, and also apologizes for her behavior this morning. It’s then revealed that Theo had rushed through his work, came home, then found MC, and once again headed out to town.

They reconcile the bad feelings and misunderstanding between them, and MC laughs upon thinking about how Theo forgot the sappy words he said last night. Theo grills her on it, and he tells her to be prepared for tonight, since he doesn’t plan on forgetting her face in the throes of pleasure this time.

—

Premium End

As heat pierces through watery eyes, your heart beats faster ――

“I’ll just have to make sure every nook and cranny of this undisciplined hondje is thoroughly educated.”

—

Theo leads MC to his bedroom, where he requests that she have a drink with him. Remembering what happened last night, MC declines. Theo takes this in stride, and asks MC to just sit with him while he drinks, before picking up a glass. MC tries to take the glass away from him, again remembering how he lost his memory and they weren’t able to have a proper conversation, but fails as Theo moves the glass away. He downs the drink in one go, and reveals that it was just juice.

MC: Juice… ?

Theodorus: Yeah, that’s it.

MC: …. Why would you do something like that?

Theodorus: To verify something.

MC: Verify, what would you...?

Theodorus: What I did to you last night; everything.

Theodorus: From the way you acted this morning, it wasn’t hard to guess that something had happened. And besides… I started remembering as the day went on. The things that I said to you while drunk… and the things I did.

MC: Ah, you remembered….

Theodorus: Yeah. Even so, seeing your reaction from earlier solidified my re-emerging memories as undeniable truth. The things I did to you, everything, they are neither fantasies or dreams.

Theodorus: … For that, and for dragging you here, and for setting you up, I’m sorry.

Finishing his apology, Theo bows his head. Moved by both his efforts and her own desire to have a proper conversation with him, MC pats Theo’s head, asking if he had come home early for this. Theo confirms, saying that it was worth rushing things, though everything had been accomplished perfectly. MC thinks that this type of thinking is very characteristic of Theo, and thanks him for his efforts.

Theo catches the hand that was petting his hair, and tells MC that even though he was drunk, the words he said to her were all his true feelings. MC then tells her side of the story, saying that she felt disappointed when Theo remembered the party and his work clearly, but then forgot everything related to her, and apologizes for the way she acted this morning. Theo says that she has nothing to say sorry for but then clarifies that the reason why he drank so much at the party was that everyone he met all praised MC. It put him in a great mood and lowered his guard, leading him to drink more than he would.

When it finally clicks for MC, all the gentle gazes at the party and his words, she starts getting very flustered, and Theo admonishes her for letting it show so clearly on her face. However he soon qualifies the statement and says that it’s his exclusive right to see her like this anyways, just like how MC is the only one who has ever seen him like he was last night. MC tells Theo that she really does love him, and he pushes over onto the bed, kissing her deeply. He praises her once again, saying that she’s always so adorable, and they tell each other words of love. However, he starts teasing MC again soon after.

Theodorus: To think that a hondje like you would try and bite your master’s hand.

MC: That — I apologized already!

Theodorus: Apology or not, the truth of it happening is a problem, no?

He then kisses MC again, running his hands down her body. Theo tells MC that he remembers last night now, and he’ll pleasure her even more than before. And with that, they spend another night together.

Note: This is where the paid epilogue starts.

—

Epilogue Preview

When he gazes at you with such heated eyes, even your embarrassment melts away ——

Baring my skin in a flash, Theo teases my nipples with his lips.

MC: Ah.... St —

Theo: I don’t really think anyone who truly hates this would have such a reaction.

While his hand lifts my thigh, his tongue tongue starts moving there. Exposing my wet core to the air, the chill makes goosebumps rise up on my skin.

MC: Stop... if you go any further, I won’t....

Hands laden with intent trace my hips, slipping in between....

The fingers penetrating deep within me draw out wet sounds that seem to fill my ears.

MC: ....

Theodorus: .... Ha.... What’s wrong, MC. Is it so good that you can’t even cry out anymore?

—

Jean Route | Mozart Route | Event Info

#ikemen vampire #ikevamp spoilers #theodorus #ers #shyness melts into a cocktail #jp ikevamp #november 2019

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sarcastically-defensive17 · 5 years ago

Note

hi darling :) if its not too much trouble, could you write something with michael clifford using number 16 from the hurt/comfort prompts??

Hurting - M. Clifford

TW: MENTION OF FAMILY DEATH AND DEPRESSION. PLEASE DO JOT READ IF THIS CAN CAUSE DISCOMFORT OR MENTAL ILLNESS FLARE UPS FOR YOU.

Thank you for this request, lovie! It’s never too much trouble! I’m sorry it took so long! Hope you like it!

Original story by sarcastically-defensive17

16. “Stop telling me you’re okay.”

For her whole life, her sister, Amelia, had been there. Through every love, every heartache, through every memory and dull moment.

The ups and downs, the moment she brought Michael home to meet their parents, and the many night she spent alone while Mike was on tour with the guys.

Amelia had been Y/N’s best friend for 24 years.

Then, by freak chance, a man so high on whatever forms of drugs ended her life with a simple turn of the wheel and push of the accelerator.

Her canary yellow convertible was a wreck, unsalvagable.

She was dead on impact.

Men in blue knocked on her door one afternoon and Michael answered, dogs jumping around his legs and his girlfriend dancing in her kitchen to whatever was playing on the radio.

Michael had never heard a sound so full of pain than when Y/N heard the news. The sobs started as soon as the idea sunk in, and she crumbled to the ground in Michael’s arms.

A painful scream tore from her throat and Michael could no longer fight both the tears for the woman he had grown close to throughout his relationship with Y/N and his girlfriend who was mourning the loss of her best friend.

They stayed in the same stop long after the police had left, promising to send somebody over to perform a welfare check.

For hours she broke down. The tears sapped her energy.

Her best friend was gone.

After six months she learned to fake a smile, act like she wasn’t torn apart inside.

She was never close to her parents so she had Amelia and Michael. And now Amelia was gone, and Michael was trying his best to be there for her.

Six months later, and her heart hadn’t even began to heal. The battle with depression she endured in her younger years has resurfaced and the one person that helped her through it was no longer around.

Michael hadn’t heard from her in a few days. He was worried but every time he messaged there was no reply. Every call went to voice mail.

He wanted to give her space but he also wanted to be there for her. He hadn’t told her, but he loved her.

He loved her so much that it killed him to watch her go through such a tragedy. She had lost the other half of her soul with the death of her sister, and it was as it the light was fading from her eyes with each passing day.

“What’re you doing, mate? You’re scrolling on that phone faster than a kid on Instagram trying to hide a half naked photo from his mum,” Calum jeered him, walking carefully through to the lounge room with two cups of coffee in hand.

“Thanks,” he answered at the sound of the cup connecting with the wooden coffee table. “I’m trying to find something.”

“What’s this something?” Calum was a nosy person. He had no shame over it, either.

“I need to find a video of an otter,” he answered, looking up to see the confused look on his best friends face, “for Y/N. I send her one every day, just a little something to hopefully make her smile.”

A cheesy smile spilled onto Calum’s face as he watched the blond man go back to his scrolling.

He made a sound of admiration, reaching across to punch Michael on the cheek, only to have his hand slapped away.

“How is she doing, by the way?”

Michael sighed, setting his phone down after he sent off a few videos to her on Instagram.

He rubbed a hand through his hair, ruffling it with a huff as he forgot a hat of some kind before going to Calum’s.

“Not well, I think. I haven’t heard from her since Thursday last week.” He was filled with worry, but he didn’t want to disturb her in her time of grief.

He was mostly worried that her depression might return.

It was obvious that she would fake a smile. He saw the glassiness in her eyes whenever she had a moment to let her thoughts act on their own volition.

She was hurting so deeply, and he wanted nothing more than to help her.

He just didn’t want to invade her space or force her to feel as if she needed to open up.

“Have you tried to talk to her?” Calum’s face was pinched in confusion. He had known the woman for as long as Michael had, and it was odd for her to go AWOL.

He couldn’t deny that he too was worried.

“Called her every day, gone to voice mail,” he sighed, stretching forward to drink from his cup. “The only hint I have that she acknowledges my messages is that she likes the videos I send her.”

“Go to her house,” Calum demands, folding his arms over his chest and watching his friend.

“No, Calum, you know I can’t-“

“Can’t what? Can’t go and visit your girlfriend?” He scoffs, snatching Michael’s shoes and tossing them at him.

Michael stays silent. He knew that it couldn’t hurt, after all, he had been to her house many times before.

“This isn’t up for argument, Clifford. Your girl is grieving, and she might need some comforting from her blonde bear boyfriend.”

“Did you just call me a bear-“

“So put your ugly ass shoes on - who the fuck even wears TN’s - and get in your ugly ass car and hug your adorable ass girlfriend or you’re never allowed to use my pink cup again,” Calum wasn’t playing around. He was one of Y/N’s closest friends, and over time he had been able to learn when she wasn’t okay and didn’t need somebody, or when she wasn’t okay and did need somebody.

This situation was definitely the latter.

“But-“ Michael tried to argue as Calum reefed him to his feet by the elbow.

“Drive yourself or I’ll drive there and make Y/N fall in love with me.”

“As if,” Michael scoffed.

“Don’t tempt me. Nobody can resist these cheeks,” Calum winked, squaring his shoulders as he pulled the man over to the door and pushed him out.

The door closed in his face and Michael grunted, “You have cheeks like a toddler!” He called, turning towards his car and walking off.

~~~~~~

Y/N was doing... nothing.

Not a single thing.

She was just... numb. She couldn’t even think of how to explain the bland, emptiness that she felt.

Her motivation for anything had quickly called out of a third story window, and she struggled to regulate her mood.

She was sick of faking a smile. She wanted to let her grief consume her, but she was scared of not being able to come back from it.

She had already dealt with her depression once, and she was terrified to let this bout of depression get anywhere near what it was before.

She was almost there.

A knock on the door sounded through her house. She heard it repeat. The sequence of five knocks that Michael would always do, repeating three times.

Four times. Five times.

25 knocks before the sound of the spare key in the tumbler echoed in the silence, the wood creaking open and the distinctive sound of his feet on the hardwood was familiar on her ears.

Her room was at the back of the house, second door on the left of the hallway.

He knew where she would be, and he knocked five times on her bedroom door, peaking his head around the door frame.

She was sat, knees pulled upwards and arms loosely hung over then. She was just staring at the wall.

All of her pictures had been taken down, and she was staring at the place they once were.

It was too painful to see the happy memories of when Amelia was still with her.

“Hey, baby,” she blinked, not turning her head to him. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine, Mike. What’re you doing here?”

“Just wanted to stop by,” he sat on the edge of her bed, eyeing her carefully. “Haven’t seen you in a few days.”

She made a noise of agreement, turning towards him slightly.

Her eyes were bloodshot and her eyes were dark. She looked like she hadn’t been eating properly. When things got bad she tended to turn off of food, too absorbed in everything else to acknowledge the hunger.

“Y/N,” he placed a hand on her shoulder. “How are you? Honestly, this time. Stop telling me you’re okay if you’re not okay. I’m here for you, for anything.”

She was silent for a beat.

She didn’t know if she should tell him the truth. It was too painful to open up, but she was taught by her psychologist that opening up is the best way to confront her pain.

Even thinking of it forced the tears to prick in her eyes.

She pushed a long breath out of her mouth.

“I-I’m not okay, Mike. I’m not okay. I’m not okay,” she couldn’t stop the sob that tore from her mouth.

He moved closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Baby, I’m here for you,” he placed his hands on either side of her face, bringing her eyes to meet his. “I’m always here for you.”

She was drying her tears with his shirt involuntarily.

The comfort provided by the hug was enough to ground her and suddenly, things didn’t feel so numb.

It was just painful.

“I’m always here for you, whenever you want to talk about anything.”

“Thank you, Mikey,” she whispered against his chest.

“Let’s have a rest, okay? I think you need it,” he asked her, watching as she nodded against his chest.

He moved aside so they could lay down, allowing him to kick his shoes off before pulling his feet onto the bed.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention back to her for a second.

“Um, after, could we talk. About...her?” She was hesitant.

At the moment, all she wanted was Michael. She wanted to fall asleep in his arms and forget for a moment that her best friend was gone.

No matter what, she still had Michael.

Michael was there for her through all of it.

“Of course,” he kissed her forehead again. “Whatever you want to talk about, I’m here to listen.”

#michael clifford x reader #michael clifford #5sos #5 seconds of summer #requested

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covid19updater · 3 years ago

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COVID19 Updates: 08/11/2021

Malaysia: A month after she was considered recovered from COVID-19, musician and copywriter Wani Ardy found herself brushing her teeth with facial cleanser. LINK

India: India in talks to buy 50 million doses of Pfizer vaccine - WSJ LINK

UK: Covid sceptic who has been hospitalised with the virus urges people to get vaccine LINK

Louisiana: Dr. Mark Kline, physician and chief of Children's Hospital in New Orleans, says there are currently six children in Intensive Care with COVID at his hospital. Three require a ventilator. A 3-month-old baby is one of the patients on a ventilator. LINK

Iceland: Iceland’s Health bureaucrats say vaccine has NOT led to the herd immunity that experts had hoped for They ALSO say that it’s become clear that vaccinated people can EASILY contract the Delta variant as well as spread it to others NOT SURPRISING. Vaccine narrative is IMPLODING LINK

Brazil: RatoPati: Brazil reports 1,211 more COVID-19 deaths LINK

Argentina: In Argentina, more than 12 thousand cases of COVID-19 were recorded in past day LINK

US: A COVID-19 variant ‘more infectious than the delta variant’ will hit U.S. in 2-4 monthsDr. Robert Redfield, the former director of the CDC, suggested a new variant could come this fall LINK

France: French President Macron said that France’s overseas territories, especially the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, are being badly hit by the pandemic. “The situation is dramatic,” he said in opening comments at a virtual meeting with senior cabinet ministers;

UK: UK Government Scientific Adviser Prof Adam Finn said a third jab will be “quite likely” for people with a weak immune system, but it’s still uncertain that over-50s will be offered one;

China: China’s tighter curbs to fight its latest covid outbreak, in its 4th week and more than a dozen cities, are hitting travel & hospitality hard. has refrained from full LDs of major cities such as those seen during the early days of the Covid-19 outbreak in Hubei province;

China: Chinese institutes accuse US of being source of Covid-19 and ‘failing to take responsibility’ Chinese think tanks accuse the US of engaging in ‘virus origin tracing terrorism’ LINK

Florida: Baptist Health Hospital System: COVID-19 Update for August 11, 2021: - 582 COVID patients in our health system, 118 in ICU - 13 of these are at @WolfsonChildren, 4 in ICU We admitted 75 new COVID-19 positive patients yesterday, 2 were children.

Tennessee: IT'S GETTING BAD! #COVID19 hospitalizations in Tennessee nearing the 2,000 mark - up from 195 on July 4th. Just ***138*** ICU beds left in the entire state! #GetVaccinatedNow #WearAMask @nc5

World: Op/Ed: What am I seeing here B.1.621 (Columbian Variant) looks monstrous It has the following characteristic S Gene Mutations T95I Y144S Y145N R346K E484K N501Y D614G P681H D950N. To my untrained eye this looks like it has taken all the best bits from B.117 (501&Undel Y) & B.1.1.318. This is genuinely nightmarish. It has just about every major transmission advantage and immune escape mutation going. Unless we knock it on the head it could be worse than Delta. I'm frankly gobsmacked at how bad it is.

World: "Currently, the Iota variant is a variant of interest. We are actively monitoring this one, as we are all of the other variants of interest & concern. But as we understand, the Delta variant seems to be out-competing the Iota variant." -@mvankerkhove at 11 Aug #COVID19 briefing

Florida: 15,449 Floridians are being treated for COVID-19 in 238 hospitals across Florida right now, the most ever. 90% of our ICU beds are currently occupied — 47.6% with COVID-19 patients.

Canada: Breaking! 52% of people hospitalized with covid19 in Ontario are vaccinated.

Indiana: COVID-19 spread prompts closure of Helmsburg Elementary School in Brown County for rest of week LINK

Iran: #Iran breaks its all time high daily case record yet again 42,541 new #Covid19 infections diagnosed in the last 24 hours and another 536 deaths

US: Here are the artists canceling shows as COVID-19 cases rise LINK

China: Latest for @Independent: the rise of domestic #COVID19 cases in #China over the last two weeks has renewed the debate about whether China’s Covid-zero strategy will be sufficient to deal with the more contagious #DeltaVariant. LINK

US: Nearly 94,000 Kids Got COVID-19 Last Week. They Were 15% Of All New Cases LINK

UK: NHS summer crisis: Hospitals declare ‘black alerts’ as more operations are cancelled ‘We now have some trust chief executives ... telling us this is the busiest it has ever been’ LINK

California: Dueling demonstrations occurred Monday outside the Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego over their new policy requiring staff to be vaccinated.

World: PFIZER AND U.S.-LISTED SHARES OF BIONTECH DOWN 3.6% AND 13.8% ; EU DRUG REGULATOR LOOKING INTO NEW POSSIBLE SIDE-EFFECTS OF MRNA COVID-19 SHOTS

World: As Topol also notes, the efficacy of vaccines against any symptomatic infection by Delta is not great--maybe 50%. So is efficacy against severe disease also going to evaporate? That's why everyone watching the hosp figures.

US: * WHITE HOUSE SAYS U.S. HAS STARTED TO SEE SOME LEVELING OFF OF COVID-19 INFECTIONS IN STATES SEEING SURGE (Where?)

Hawaii: Hawaii reinstating COVID-19 restrictions in wake of surge in delta variant cases LINK

Germany: Anti-vax nurse injects 8,600 with saline instead of COVID vaccine: police LINK

RUMINT (Florida): The 7 month old grand daughter of my son’s girlfriend was rushed to the hospital last night and was diagnosed with Covid. She is doing okay but has to be watched carefully. They had to drive her to an Orlando children’s hospital. Lot’s of babies in emergency room with COVID.

World: Thrombosis after covid-19 vaccination LINK

Tennessee: Medical professionals are threatened and besieged by an angry mob in Franklin, TN after they testified in favor of masks at school board mtg. They needed police to get them out of the parking lot safely. These are organized, not isolated, and getting worse. The parking lot after a school board meeting last night in Franklin, the wealthiest place in Tennessee. Parents harassed medical professionals who had spoken in favor of masks in schools. “We know who you are. You can leave freely, but we will find you.”

Canada: There are 38 million Canadians. So why did Trudeau order 400 million doses of vaccines? That works out to ten shots for every man, woman child and baby. What's up with that? LINK

Montana: Most of the anti-mask proponents at last night's @McpsMT meeting said that masks weren't necessary in schools because no child in Montana had died from #COVID19. As of today, that's no longer the case.

Georgia: Fifth graders at one suburban Atlanta elementary school were sent home Wednesday for virtual learning due to high numbers of positive Covid-19 cases, according to a school district email sent to parents LINK

India: 11 Aug 2021: Over 40K 'breakthrough' COVID-19 cases in Kerala; Centre flags concern. Kerala has reported more than 40,000 "breakthrough" COVID-19 cases. Breakthrough infections involve cases where individuals contracted the pathogen for a second time or after being vaccinated against it. The Union Health Ministry has reportedly raised concerns about this worrying trend in Kerala, which is currently leading India's outbreak. The Centre has reportedly asked the Kerala government to send all such cases for genome sequencing. Details: Does it indicate a new mutant variant? Speaking to India Today, a source in the Union Health Ministry—who visited Kerala—did not rule out the possibility of a new variant. "The rise in the number of breakthrough infections and re-infections is possibly due to a variant which is escaping immunity," the source said. It is suspected this may not be a further mutation of the Delta variant, rather a new variant altogether. LINK

Iowa: Iowa’s seven-day average of new #COVID19 cases is 16 times higher than it was four weeks ago, showing the largest rate of increase since the peak of the pandemic last November. LINK

Florida: Brevard County, Florida's 10th largest county, urges residents to stop calling 911 unless they have “urgent medical needs” because hospitals and ICUs are at overcapacity due to the Delta variant. LINK

Mississippi: BREAKING: Short-staffed and overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, the University of Mississippi Medical Center is requesting emergency federal aid as it erects a field hospital in its parking garage for the first time since April 2020. LINK

Mississippi: Mississippi, this is where we are. Fifty beds will be installed here in a concrete garage. The federal government will send overflow medical professionals to staff it. One of the last stopgaps between Mississippi and hospital system failure.

Iowa: Polk County's epidemiologist, Dr. Schaeffer, roughly estimates Iowa State Fair could have 600 active COVID cases walking around per day. Each could infect up to 4 others. I asked her if she would attend the fair. "No. Absolutely not," she said, even though she's vaccinated. ... Dr. Meghan Schaeffer, an epidemiologist working for Polk County, said Iowa appears to be headed where Missouri and Arkansas went last month with COVID. “There is zero reason to believe we will not surge just like they did,” she said.

Iran: From @TWMCLtd - “Iran breaks its all time high daily case record yet again. 42,541 new #Covid19 infections diagnosed in the last 24 hours and another 536 deaths;

Texas: Breaking Bad in Dallas ! Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins signs an EA today, requiring masks in schools & businesses. Judge Jenkins becomes the latest becoming public official to ignore Gov Abbott's edict on local mask mandates.

West Virginia: Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) hints at statewide school mask mandate: “If this thing continues the way it’s going … we will have to adjust, and we probably will end up having to move in this direction.”

Israel: Israel: +7,668 cases in past 24 hrs.

US: Breaking NBC: The FDA is poised to amend the emergency use authorizations for the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines Thursday to allow people with compromised immune systems to get a third dose. LINK

Texas: Governor: NEW: Over 2,500 out-of-state medical personnel are being deployed across Texas to help hospitals mitigate the recent rise in #COVID19 cases. This first deployment of personnel will be fully funded by the state through September 30. @TexasDSHS LINK

Arkansas: At Arkansas Children’s tonight: 27 total patients with #COVID19, 24 in Little Rock and three in Springdale. 13 #COVID19 patients are in ICU while seven are on a ventilator.

Arizona: THIRTY SCHOOL OUTBREAKS: One week ago @Maricopahealth had 9 active #COVID19 outbreaks in schools. 7 days later there are 30 active outbreaks. Schools with outbreaks not listed publicly. Spox says, "For privacy reasons, we cannot publicly release that information."

Iowa: On average, the state of Iowa reported nearly one new COVID-19 case every two minutes over the past week. LINK

US: Op/Ed: The South will close schools for a little ice on the road but not for a pandemic

World: Doctor: There needs to be truth-telling about the reduced protection of mRNA vaccines vs symptomatic Delta infections. It was 95% pre-Delta. Many are claiming it's still ~80%. It isn't. 50-60% is best estimate from all sources

World: MIT & Harvard Study Suggests mRNA Vaccine Might Permanently Alter DNA After All LINK

Israel: SERIOUS COVID CASES IN ISRAEL SPIKE -- 90% OF SERIOUS CASES ARE PEOPLE OVER 50. FUN FACT: 95% OF PEOPLE OVER 50 ARE VACCINATED

World: ‘We Made a Big Mistake’ — COVID Vaccine Spike Protein Travels From Injection Site, Can Cause Organ Damage LINK

US: U.S. COVID update: - New cases: 159,714 - Average: 122,546 (+5,146) - In hospital: 76,863 (+2,957) - In ICU: 18,616 (+774) - New deaths: 721

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tabbytabbytabby · 7 years ago

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Thiam snowed in and having to share a bed. They're on a pack getaway and have to share after everyone else claims the rooms. They end cuddling because Liam is a total octopus. Theo thinks it's adorable, shut up Theo....I am not adorable

Thank you for the prompt! Hope this is what you were looking for.

Also on AO3

Theo can tell Liam is excited. He’s practically bouncing in theseat next to Theo as the two of them, along with Mason and Corey, drive towardsGatlinburg, TN. The Sheriff, Melissa, and Argent are in the car behind them.With the pack all spread out across the country they had decided it would beeasier to meet up somewhere as a halfway point and celebrate Christmas there.Lydia had mentioned how beautiful Gatlinburg is and that’s how they wound uprenting out a cabin in the mountains for a week.

Theo watches Liam fromthe corner of his eye, a small smile gracing his lips, “You better save someenergy. We still have another 9 hours to go. And I’m not driving the whole way.”

“You have 2 otherpeople in the car that can help drive you know,” Liam says, his excitementstill apparent.

“True. And if one ofthem drives I can stretch out in the backseat since the other will most likelywant shotgun.”

“What about me?”

Theo smirks, “Oh, youcan ride in the back.”

“It’s snowing!”

Theo’s shoulders shakewith silent laughter, “Aw what’s wrong? Little Wolf afraid of a little snow?You seemed so excited for it a few minutes ago.”

Liam pouts, “I like lookingat it. Doesn’t mean I want to spend hours out in it with the wind biting at myface.”

“Isn’t that what’sgoing to happen when we get to the cabin?” Mason asks, sticking his headbetween the seats to look at Liam.

Liam pushes his headback, “No comments from the peanut gallery.”

Mason leans back inhis seat, snuggling back up to Corey, before looking at Theo, “I can drivewhenever you get tired.”

“Next time we stopI’ll take you up on that,” Theo says.

“When is thatexactly?” Liam asks, “Because I kind of have to pee.”

There’s a collectivegroan from everyone else in the car before Theo reaches over and smacks Liamlightly on the back of the head, “We stopped an hour ago. Not even an hour ago.What the hell?”

“I didn’t need to gothen.”

“And you drank a whole2 liter of Mt. Dew,” Mason says.

Theo glares over athim, “You didn’t.”

“He did,” Corey says,“I saw him.”

Theo sighs, “Fine.There’s an exit coming up. We’ll stop there. Is anyone hungry?”

“I am!” Comes thecollective response of the three other people in the car.

“Then we’re eatingtoo. I don’t want to have to stop again. And text John so that they know we’restopping.”

Liam does a mocksalute and pulls out his phone, shooting a text to the Sheriff. Theo pulls offat the next exit, waving the Melissa, John, and Chris as they drive on. Theo’sbarely parked the car before Liam is jumping out, leaving his door open as heruns inside.

“Seriously Liam?” Theocalls after him, rolling his eyes as he walks around to close Liam’s door forhim.

Liam just does a littlewave and continues inside, leaving the others to trail after him. They get foodat the Wendy’s attached to the gas station before getting back on the road.Theo is more than happy to curl up in the back seat and sleep for a few hours.He’s done most of the driving so far so this is a well-deserved break. He’d beworried about letting someone else drive his truck but Mason has proven himselfto be a competent driver.

He falls asleep withhis head on his pillow, leaning against the door. Liam is doing the same on theother side. Except when he wakes up that’s not the case anymore. Sometime inthe last few hours Liam has moved from his side of the car over to Theo’s,practically plastering himself to Theo’s side. His head is resting againstTheo’s middle with his arm thrown around his waist and his legs stretched outnext to him on the seat.

“At least someone iscomfortable,” Theo mutters.

He hears a laugh fromthe front seat and looks up to see Mason looking back at him. Somewhere alongthe way he and Corey had switched places and now Corey is driving.

“Jesus how long was Iout?” Theo asks.

“About 7 hours,” Masonsays, “you two slept like the dead. We made two stops and neither of you evenflinched.”

Theo’s eyes widen ashe looks down at Liam, “And how long has he been like this?”

“Oh I’d say about 6 ½hours. He complained about not being able to get comfortable. He tried puttinghis feet on your lap but you kept pushing them off. Funny enough you didn’tseem to mind when he moved over to cuddle you.”

Theo doesn’t know whatto say to that. He can’t exactly say that he minds it. He actually enjoyshaving Liam this close. He’s not about to tell Mason and Corey that though,they’d never let him live it down. From the looks on their faces when he looksback up, they probably know.

“Do you want me todrive?” He asks.

Corey shakes his head,“Nah I’m good. We only have a couple more hours. If anything, Mason can driveagain.”

Mason nods, “Yeahbetter to not wake a sleeping Liam.”

Theo snorts, “How isit that he somehow got out of driving?”

“Because he’s adorableand you’re in love with him.”

“What? That’s… I amnot!”

Theo tries to move butLiam grumbles, tightening his grip on Theo. Theo’s surprised his claws didn’tcome out. He sighs, sitting back in his seat again, pointedly ignoring thelooks he knows Mason and Corey are directing at him.

“Just shut up anddrive,” Theo grumbles.

“I’m not driving,”Mason says, small grin on his face.

“Then just shut up.”

They arrive at thecabin less than 2 hours later to find the rest of the pack already there,including Liam’s parents who had flown in the night before. Unfortunately, thismeans that all the rooms have been claimed. Everyone is paired up: Derek andStiles, Lydia and Parrish, Scott and Malia, Mason and Corey, John and Melissa,Liam’s parents Jenna and David, and then Chris flat out said he wasn’t sharing.Meaning there’s only one room left. With one bed. For Theo and Liam to share.Theo is fucked.

Liam doesn’t seem allthat concerned about it, “It’s just sharing a bed.”

“Yeah but somethingtells me you’re a bed hog,” Theo says.

Jenna laughs, “Oh heis.”

“But if he gets toobad you can just kick him to the floor,” David jokes.

Liam glareshalf-heartedly at his parents, “Funny. But I’m not sleeping on the floor. I’mperfectly capable of sharing a bed.”

“We’ll see,” Theosays, grabbing his bag and carrying it upstairs to their room, Liam trailingafter him.

He just feels gratefulthe bed is actually pretty big, meaning they should have plenty of spacebetween them. He might not mind being close to Liam but he has no idea how Liamfeels. The last thing he needs is for Liam to find out how he feels by wakingup in a compromising position.

After putting theirthings away they make their way back downstairs to where the others havegathered in the living room. All conversation seems to stop as soon as theothers notice them coming which isn’t the least bit suspicious, not at all.

“Real subtle guys,”Theo says, flopping back onto the couch.

Liam immediately takesthe seat next to him, sitting close enough that their thighs touch. He looksover to see the others watching them, only to immediately look away when theynotice Theo looking. Jesus. He honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they somehowplanned to get him and Liam to room together. Especially not Mason, Lydia, andStiles. There’s no telling what plotting those three have been doing.

“So are you guys justgoing to stand around being weird or are we going to do something?”

“We just got here,”Mason says, “don’t you want to relax a bit?”

“Kind of hard for usto relax with people staring at us like some fascinating project or something,”Theo says.

That seems to geteveryone moving, some going into the kitchen to start making dinner whileothers move to the cabinet to find a game to play or movie to watch. Theo isjust grateful to have the attention off him.

It’s easy to relaxafter that. He winds up going into the kitchen and helping Jenna and Melissawith dinner. Liam joins them when they start making cookies, standing shoulderto shoulder with Theo as they line the cookie dough on the tray. Christmasmusic and the sound of happy laughter is filtering in from the living room. Thewhole atmosphere is peaceful, something Theo isn’t used to. He loves it though.

As the cookies bakethey put on Nativity, Stiles insisting it should be a classic because MartinFreeman is hilarious. It’s a lot funnier than he was expecting so Theo can’thelp but agree after, something Stiles looks far too pleased about. Which iswhy they wind up watching the second one right after.

By the time it’s over it’s nearing 11 and the others are ready tocall it a night. Theo watches them go before stepping into the kitchen. He’s notquite tired enough to sleep yet so he decides to make himself some hotchocolate.

Derek joins him ashe’s putting the cup in the microwave, leaning against the wall and giving Theoa considering look, “I know they meddle but they really have the bestintentions.”

“I know,” Theo says.

“That doesn’t mean Iagree with their methods,” Derek says.

“What?” Theo asks,“You mean like ensuring Liam and I have to share a bed in hopes that we’ll gettogether?”

“Figured it out, didyou?”

Theo laughs, “Itwasn’t that hard to figure out.”

“Just don’t be angryat them.”

“I’m not angry,” Theosays, getting his cup out of the microwave. He keeps his back to Derek as hestirs his hot chocolate, “I’m really not. I know they think they’re doingwhat’s best but… “

“You don’t want to bepushed into something you’re not ready for,” Derek finishes.

Theo shakes his head,putting his spoon in the sink before turning back around to face Derek, “I am ready. I just don’t know if Liam is.Or if he even wants this.”

“I know this is goingto sound strange coming from me of all people, but maybe you should talk tohim.”

“Like you talked toStiles?” Theo asks, smirking over at Derek.

Derek rolls his eyes,“That’s exactly my point. I wasted so much time holding back and keeping mydistance from Stiles. Time where we could have been together. There’s somethingthere with you and Liam. You just have to be brave enough to go for it.”

Derek leaves withoutanother word. Theo is left staring after him, mouth hanging open. He closes it,looking down at his still full class of hot chocolate. He knows Derek is right,but he also knows nothing is going to happen tonight. Theo takes his timedrinking his hot chocolate before heading upstairs. Liam is already changed andin bed, the covers on the other side pulled back just waiting for Theo to getin.

He’d like nothing morethan to crawl into bed and go to sleep but after hours in the car he feelsgross, “I need to take a shower.”

“I figured. There’stowels left in there,” Liam says, gesturing to the door on the other side of theroom.

He’s quick in theshower, just wanting to get the grime from the day off of him so he can getinto bed. Liam is sleeping when he walks back into the room, his back to Theo.Theo gets into bed gently as possible, not wanting to wake the sleeping beta. Hefalls asleep pretty fast, Liam’s heartbeat and gentle breathing lulling him tosleep.

When Theo wakes up inthe morning he’s immediately aware of a warm presence along his back. He cracksan eye open to see an arm slung over his waist, as well as a leg curled overhis hip. There’s also a face pressed into the back of his neck, gentle breathsghosting across his skin. It’s then that he realizes that sometime in themiddle of the night Liam sleep cuddled him.

In the car it wasunderstandable, but this bed? They could have fit two other people between themin the bed, that’s how much space there was between them. Meaning Liam had tohave actively sought out cuddling Theo. And he’s not just cuddling Theo, he’sthrown himself around him like a total octopus.

Theo can’t help butsmile, reaching up to run his fingers along Liam’s knuckles, “God you’readorable.”

He feels more thanhears Liam groan behind him, his voice speaking right in Theo’s ear, “Shut upTheo. I am not adorable.”

“You are though,” Theosays, continuing to trace random patterns on Liam’s knuckles, “you crossed allthat distance in the bed just to cuddle me. You are adorable.”

“Maybe I wanted tocuddle you because you’re adorable.”

Theo smiles, twistingin Liam’s arms causing him to grumble his complaints. Theo settles back downwhen he’s on his side facing Liam, their noses brushing, “Then I guess we’reboth adorable.”

Liam stares at himwith slightly bleary eyes, a small smile crossing his face, “Guess we’ll justhave to be adorable together.”

“Hmm…” Theo runs hisnose from Liam’s check down to his jaw, smiling at the pleased noise Liammakes, “you know when people are adorable together they’re usually a couple.”

It’s not a question,just an observation. One that feels less big in the early light of the morning.Theo watches as Liam’s smile widens and he pulls back enough to look at Theo,“I’d be okay with that if you are.”

“I’m more than okaywith that,” Theo grins, placing a soft kiss to Liam’s lips before pulling back.He wraps an arm around Liam, pulling him close again. Liam goes willingly,sighing in contentment as he rests his head on Theo’s chest. It’s still earlyand they both could use more sleep.

He reminds himself tothank the pack later, even if it means dealing with their gloating.

#thiam #thiam fanfic #my fanfiction #ravenwolf36 #filled prompt

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dailyaudiobible · 7 years ago

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8/16/2017 DAB Transcript

Nehemiah 11:1-12:26; 1 Corinthians 10:14-33; Psalms 34:11-22; Proverbs 21:14-16

Today is the 16th day of August. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it is great to be here with you today as we approach the middle of the week. And we've already passed the center of the book of Nehemiah that we’ve been reading for last few days. So, we’ll be in the book of Nehemiah from our old testament reading today and we will conclude it tomorrow. So, from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Nehemiah chapter 11 verse 1 through 12 verse 26 today.

Commentary:

Ok. So, Paul’s making some distinctions today because there's an underlying question that he’s answering. And the question is basically, ‘can we eat food that has come through a temple that is not to God, that has been sacrificed to a false God? Does the fact that it has been sacrificed to a false God do anything to the meat that we shouldn't eat it? And if we do then were participating in idolatry?’ So, the way Paul answered this question creates a distinction. So, what we have to understand is that meat would find its way into the meat market after it had gone through a temple and been sacrificed to whatever deity that the person sacrificing was worshiping. So, that meat could sometimes find its way back into the meat market. And, so, people were worried. Like, what do you do about meat that was sacrificed to an idol? And how would we even know? And, so, Paul’s making a little bit of a distinction by saying, look, the meat is the meat. The idol isn't a real thing. But the people who have given their hearts over in worship to this false thing, that's real and you do not want to be wrapped up in that. You're part of a different covenant. You're part of a body - the body of Christ. And you can't have one foot there and one foot in the worship of another god. So, in the end, the question isn't really about the meat. Paul says, eat everything and sold in the me market. You don’t need to ask questions about where it came from. I'm laughing because it's like…of course…you want to know where it came from. But the point is, you don’t have to ask, ‘hey which is the meat that was not sacrificed to an idol?’ So, what this shows us is that the Corinthian people were, obviously, in a mixed culture and believers in Jesus had interaction and even friendships with people who did not believe in Jesus but who believed in another god and worshiped another god. And were they allowed to continue with that interaction and even go over to other people's houses and eat without asking those kind of questions – ‘wait a minute, wait a minute, I worship Jesus, you worship Artemis, I just need to make sure that this lamb chop was not sacrificed to Artemis because if it was than I can’t eat it.’ Which would create incredible awkward social interactions and destruction of friendships. Which would be kind of like if we're like a really, really, really food conscious and we go over to a friend's house and start asking whether or not everything on the table is organic and grain fed and all that. Which is totally fine, but awkward if you impose how you do what you do as a guest in someone else's house. And Paul's instructions are that we should be looking out for the good of the other person. Paul says it like this, if one of the unbelievers invites you over and you want to go, eat everything that’s set before you without raising questions of conscience but if someone says to you, this food has been offered to an idol, because they know your convictions and they're giving you the heads up and the warning, then don't eat it because they’ve warned you. You're being considerate for them at that point and considerate for yourself. So, this organic analogy that we were just using a second ago, your sitting down at somebody's dinner table and they say to you, ‘oh listen I know how conscious you are about certain things and you need to know that this, this, and this is not organic’. Well, then they've given you permission and a heads up. So, you can follow your own conscience and you are being considerate to them in the process. So, Paul’s answering a specific question but the answer applies in all kinds of contexts in our lives. That it is not we who are trying to super impose our style of doing things on somebody else but we are thinking of them the whole time, especially with our friends who are unbelievers. Which harkens back to Paul's ministry posture of being all things to all people - being able to move in and out of all kinds of circumstances. And, so, Paul boils the whole thing down in a way that applies to any kind of scenario like this one. He says, ‘listen whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything for God's glory. Give no offense to the Jews who do things this way or the Greeks who do things this other way or the people of God who do things another way. Do everything that you do for God's glory. Just as I also try to please all people in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of many so that they may be saved, so that they may come to understand the good news of Jesus.’

Prayer:

Jesus, we enter into that space with You because we do have our lists of do's and don'ts and our lists of rules and allot of times they don't have anything to do with anyone else other than for us to superimpose what we think that we know and what we think is right on them. And this is kind of a counterproductive posture. So, we invite Your Holy Spirit to come and help us to continue to develop the eyes of grace, the ears of mercy, and the lips of the Kingdom. Help us in all things to look at how it's going to impact the person that we are interacting with. Help us to look at the other and become their servants as opposed to trying to superimpose what we think we know upon them. Help us to be like You because that's really the bottom line. How is it that in any situation we can be Christ-like, we can be You in this world as Your body in this world? How is it we can interact exactly as You do because You are in us? Come, Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what's going on around here. So, you should check it out.

I mentioned yesterday that we’ve brought back all of the Sneezing Jesus stuff through the Daily Audio Bible store. Now we can do that. And, so we have the 10 pack with all the stuff that we had in the first place with the medallion with the Sneezing Jesus films all available, as well as those resources available individually and for those of you who continue to sneeze Jesus using this resource, using the work, Sneezing Jesus. So, we have it all there as economical as we can make it. So, check it out. It's in the Daily Audio Bible shop at dailyaudiobible.com.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well and I can’t thank you enough for your partnership. There's a link on the homepage. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the More button in the lower right-hand corner or if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill TN 37174.

And of course, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayers and Praise Reports:

Good morning DAB. I pray that each and every one of you are well. Just know that all of you are always in my prayers. But today the God that we serve has prompted me to call in for Lee from NJ, I was just listening to you in regard to your twin sister whose lost in the world and I just want you to know that right there with you brother. I’m praying for her. I know exactly what it’s like to be lost. I know what it’s like to feel hopeless and I don’t her story, exactly, and I’m sure it’s not like mine and I cannot imagine what she’s been through but I will tell you this, that I am lifting her up in prayer. I am lifting you up in prayer and your entire family in the name of Jesus. She will be found, in the name of Jesus. Also, pastor Gene, I know that your husband going to be fine. The Lord that we serve, Pastor Gene, and you know that as well as I do, that God is a God of miracles. And God is our healer. God will restore him, in the name of Jesus. I am believing in all of this. Asia from Munich, I’m still there with you sister, praying for you, and know that God is listening to you. Victoria S., you are amazing. I just want you to know that. We love you and we need you to call in. Blind Tony, I can’t even say Blind Tony because you have a vision far beyond many that are those that I have connected with, in the name of Jesus. Salvation is mine, you are truly saved, in the name of Jesus. And I am believing in all of you. I thank you for being a part of the family. I thank you for calling in. I thank you even when you don’t call in because I know that you’re there listening in the background and praying for each and every one of us. Jill and Brian, may God bless you in this ministry, in Jesus’ name. The is Ester from Flushing, NY. God bless you.

Lord, as I walk in Your spirit today Please keep my pride and my ego at bay They often times surface and get in the way Negatively affecting the things that I say Lead me and guide me I don't want to stray I long to Yours Lord I want to obey Because Satan is watching just waiting to slay Being cut off from You God is too much to pay Help me stay humble and spiritually led It’s not just the words Lord it’s how they are said And not just the how, Lord teach me when If the timing not right then the words get in The flow from my lips to listeners ear May inflate my ego but the listener won’t hear He’ll just get resentful and throw my words back Anger will enter in and we’ll both go off track Lord what is my purpose as I go through this day That’s a rhetorical question Lord show me the way Help me keep ego and pride out of the way Place on my lips Lord the right words to say Help me walk upright and continually pray I want to yours Lord come whatever may

[email protected]. I’d like to give a shout out to Byron in FL. Hope you’re well my brother…and also Slave of Jesus. I love the both of ya’ll. And, also, once again I’d like to give a shout out of love to Brian Harding and his entire family, that they may continue in the good work. And let the Holy Spirit keep flowin’. It is flowin’, ya’ll. Let it flow. Alright…bye-bye.

By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God. Without faith it is impossible to please Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. I believe. Help my unbelief. Whoever keeps His word in Him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in Him. Faith working through love. Faith apart from works is useless. We walk by faith not sight. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. Though you have not seen Him you love Him. Though you do not know see Him you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. DAB family, this is something that I am telling myself. It's called The Fruit of the Spirit is Faithfulness. I read this on August 1st in my daily devotional and I just want to encourage anyone who is going through this depression or sadness, battling sickness, going through a divorce, going through a trial, just to remember, we walk by faith and not by sight. I am feeling led, like Jay in NJ, to just pray for all of those who are just truggling with depression. It’s such a stronghold. It is a disease, like any other disease. And I just want to encourage anyone out there that you know you are loved, you're not alone, God is with you, we are with you. Brian and Jill Hardin, thank you so much for this community. Thank you for this body of prayer warriors and everyone behind the scenes who makes DAB our special home. Cheers. Asia in Munich.

Hi. this is Elaine from Victoria. I was just to a wedding last night and there was a lot of drinking and things going on but they were happy and nobody was causing problems. But I choose not to drink. Also, I took my little grandchildren to that wedding and expected to take them back but it was ok. A relative who was not drinking either brought them home. But I checked my phone this morning and found out that the table were I was sitting at….it’s my son-in-law’s brother, Mike, and his wife, Shanna, their son and their niece were in a head on collision. But they came out of it! It was a miracle of God and I shared God with them. I said God is in the protection business. He loves all He creates. And…ah…I just said…I pray they weren’t hurt. And…I…just…I’ve been praying for these people. Is this a sign Lord, that you’ve answered my prayer, that they woke up to a God that loves all His creation? Praise God today! Even though I am praying too for my daughter to stop drinking, will this be a wakeup call for her? So, anyway, love you guys. I love this program…Brian. Just…bless you all today. In God’s’ name I pray. In Jesus that redeemed us from the curse and the Holy Spirit that lives. Amen.

Hello Daily Audio Bible listeners. To precious Brian Hardin. This is Diana B. from Newburgh Indiana and I'm joining in praying for Sam, for him be out of that wheel chair. I am letting him down from the roof. I have another friend I'm adding and I've been praying for Lenny. And also, Danny. And so, I include Sam with my prayers, letting him down through the roof to Jesus feet to be free from that wheelchair. And I also want to say to all those in depression. I went through that. I had depression…great depression. And I know what you're going through. And just remember this, God is never blind to your tears, never deaf to your prayers and never silent to your pain. He sees, He hears, and He will deliver. And, so, I encourage. Continue to listen every day to Brian read the Daily Audio Bible and listen to his encouraging prayer afterwards. And get on and encourage someone or even leave a prayer request. Because this community is very precious to me. God bless. Shalom. Shalom. Nothing is missing and nothing is broken.

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ltluda · 8 years ago

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uuuhhhh bits of a video interview with daisuke/shoma I guess

Someone on Twitter asked. It’s from this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii_HVf4h5nI up until about 7 minutes in. It seems to be an old video. I didn’t translate past there because Yuzu doesn’t really say anything different from what he usually says in interviews. I also left out bits of fluff here and there.

00:50ish:

Shoma: if you just look at the scores for the free from last year, you can tell I was able to fight to produce a better score, but this isn’t the maximum possible score- I think I can produce better and better scores. [TN he does actually repeat a lot of those words]

Takahashi Daisuke bit:

Dai: Did you have any hints yourself that you were going to be able to land a 4F?

Shoma: (after Worlds 2016) I was really downtrodden and thought I’d try to do something fun. The 4Lz wasn’t really working out for me so I thought I’d try out the flip, so I started trying it.

Dai: You succeeded after a really short amount of time, right?

Shoma: Yeah, on the first day I tried it!

Dai: Eh?! [TN: in nihongoese this is a polite way of saying something like “holy shidd what the fuck dude what are you kids eating these days ” etc]

Shoma: I landed it within the first time I tried practicing it [like within a period of time, before he took a break to come back to it]

Dai: [to off-camera people] Isn’t that crazy?! I tried doing it for so many years and only managed to land it once!

~some fluff~

Coach Yamada (at 2:44): He really loves skating, so he tries really hard. He’s been practicing really hard for ages.

~some fluff about the stuff he’s won/podium’d at, which includes other competitions that hanyu has also podium’d at~

Dai/Shoma again at 3:20ish:

Dai: Do you remember this?

Shoma: *awkward half-laugh*

Dai: You filled this out for us.

Shoma: Huh? When was that?

*flashback to Nov 2014*- basically he filled out a “future report”, so basically what he thinks his goals/milestones for each of the next few years will be. For 2014 he wrote “land the 4T and 3A in competition”, in 2015 was “go beyond juniors” (ie move up to seniors), then some ??s and then in 2018, “enter the Olympics”. So what about the ?s ???

Shoma: From here onwards I want to grow more and more [TN: in maturity, not height el oh el], and right now I don’t know how much I’ll be able to grow by then [2016ish], so for the time being I just left them as question marks.

~camera goes back to Dai and Shoma~

Dai: So before you just left 2016 and 2017 as question marks, but what do you think about [potential goals for these years] now?

Shoma: Well, back then I didn’t really think about it that much, and I didn’t think I could really land the 4T and 3A back then [when I was filling it out], so I couldn’t really see much past that goal, hence I left them as question marks. I didn’t possibly think I would end up in the current situation that I’m in now, and I think I’m still going to fight when I end up in another situation that’s far from what I can imagine.

~some fluff ~

5:38ish

Dai: You once said something like “there’s no way I can win against Hanyu”, but has that feeling changed?

Shoma: *nods*

Dai: *prompts him to keep talking*

Shoma: Yeah it’s changed a lot. From “I still can’t win against him at all” to “I want to win”.

Dai: Have you started thinking that a lot more than before?

Shoma: Yeah, that I really want to become the kind of athlete that can catch up to Yuzu-kun ASAP. There of course have been painful times recently. My goal is fairly far-flung, after all. But I’m happy since I’m much further along with my goal at this stage than I thought I would be.

~So the 2016 box becomes “I want to win against Yuzu-kun”~

[Then at about 7 minutes the video is just fluff that I don’t really give a shit about.

It’s worth noting that the stuff Shoma says towards the end of that interview seems a bit jumbled. It could be the editing, but each sentence does actually feel that disparate to me. It is a fairly old clip though- I honestly think I’ve actually seen it somewhere else before- and back then Shoma only really tended to give very basic answers in interviews . Since then Shoma has gotten much better at expressing himself though.]

#shoma uno #translation #fstranslation

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sempiternalsandpitturtle · 5 years ago

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How to use advocacy marketing to complement your other content strategies

I love when people help me with my job — especially when those people really appreciate the work I do.

I’m serious. We all need a helping hand sometimes, and it’s good to have someone in your corner when things get tough.

For businesses, those people are your advocates. They’re your best customers; not just because they buy a lot or are easy to work with but because they believe in your brand and want to help you achieve your company mission.

What’s more, they endorse your company all the time, whether prompted or not. In a way, advocates are the best cheerleaders your business can have.

That’s why it’s important to recognise your current advocates and try to cultivate as many additional ones as you can. This is what advocacy marketing is all about.

What is advocacy marketing?

The simple explanation is that advocacy is the last stage in account-based marketing. A better explanation is your marketing efforts should work to turn your clients into customers who not only love your brand but sing its praises to everyone who will listen. It’s word-of-mouth marketing for the digital age.

And we all know that word-of-mouth works.

In a survey from Ogilvy, TNS and Google, word of mouth held the most influence in purchasing decisions among consumers. And let’s face it: we’ve all added something to our Amazon wish list because our friends made it sound cool. (Mine was fancy imported instant ramen packets, for the record).

Also, keep in mind that consumer opinions posted online are the third-most-trusted form of advertising, per Nielsen. If you’ve ever seen a movie with a huge advertising budget but a horrible Rotten Tomatoes score, then you know how much online opinions matter.

Advocacy marketing attempts to fill the gap between traditional advertising and glowing online comments. In a sense, you’re using the first idea to improve the second, creating stronger content that converts people from customers to advocates. You’re also nurturing your existing advocates to strengthen your bond with them.

In this way, advocacy marketing complements your existing campaigns, working alongside them to boost engagement.

What’s a brand advocate, really?

Advocates are those customers who support your business almost as much as you do. They show up to every party with an invite, and they’ll stand by your side when you least expect it.

And they’re happy to do so in exchange for the amazing service you provide.

That’s the thing: Brand advocates don’t just support your business, they believe in it. They agree with your company’s mission, whatever it may be, and fully trust that you’ll achieve your customer-service initiatives. They provide helpful, constructive feedback to improve your product or service, and they may even come up with a new idea of their own.

And lucky for you, their enthusiasm shows itself not just in their level of engagement but in their willingness to praise your brand to other people. Advocates open up a large network of opportunities, ideally extolling your business to their peers, friends and family.

Finding your brand advocates

At first, your energy is best spent using advocacy marketing to target your most engaged customers and get them to spread word about your business. This act could be as simple as sharing a LinkedIn post from your brand or tagging your company in an Instagram post.

Clients who are the most engaged and in touch with their designated day-to-day are good people to target. Engage them with personalised marketing emails that allow them to share content on their social pages. Interview them for short videos or case studies, and invite them to any events you host.

Once you’ve developed a strong connection with these people, you can switch to your average customers. These are the people who like your brand well enough but don’t feel any strong attachment to it. With advocacy marketing, your goal is to create content that gets these people to fall in love with your business.

Also, give all of your current and potential advocates your engagement. Hype up their business on social media when appropriate to do so, and share any interesting content the company has created if it’s relevant to your audience. Showing you’re willing to support them (in the B2C space) or their business (in B2B) makes them more likely to invest in yours.

Using online platforms for advocacy

Technically, you can use any platform that resonates with your readers. If you see the most engagement and shares from your blog, focus your marketing efforts here. If people often retweet your Twitter posts, well, get those fingers ready to type some 280-character specials.

At the end of the day, choosing between LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or your blog depends on the content you’re creating and any non-advocacy goals attached to it. Want your content to spread like wildfire? Try Twitter. Want to increase your company’s standing as a thought leader? Craft a well-researched piece for LinkedIn.

Also, don’t forget the power of user-generated content! Blog commenters are advocates in their own way, as are the people engaged in your resource library or forum. It’s also a great way to turn casual customers into advocates by giving them a little individualised attention. Your customers will appreciate being noticed, view your business more favorably and therefore be more likely to recommend your company. You’ll also get all the other benefits of UGC, so it’s a win-win.

Do you really need to focus on advocacy marketing?

The tides of content marketing turn fast, and you may be struggling to finally get a hold on the last major innovative idea in the field. I wouldn’t blame you if you feel a little fatigued, but advocacy marketing really is important enough to pay attention to.

Why? Well, it’s a good supplement to paid ads, which aren’t performing as well across the board as they used to. Last year, brands saw a decline in reach on both Facebook and Instagram, two of the biggest online customer engagement platforms. Lower reach means fewer impressions and engagement, which directly affects your bottom lines. If these trends continue and paid advertising becomes significantly less effective, advocates can pick up some (or even most) of the slack for you.

Advocates, meanwhile, bring that element of third-party trust described above. They’re not paid to advertise your brand, so outside viewers see their enthusiasm for your product as honest and worth considering.

This isn’t to say that paid ads aren’t effective right now: Ads bring in three times more new customers than existing ones, and paid social ad revenue is on the rise. Plus, influencer marketing is proving to be a pretty good investment on its own. But as social reach falls and digital ad costs rise even by small amounts, brands should focus on advocacy marketing to spread word of their business.

Employees as advocates?

Yes, you can use your employees’ enthusiasm as part of your advocacy marketing campaigns. The key here is to make their comments seem organic rather than forced. UGC is great for this; have your employees share behind-the-scenes pictures and videos of themselves and the company. Make sure the copy is casual, not promotional, otherwise it’ll read as an ad, not as advocacy.

You can also create communities for your advocates, something I alluded to earlier. American Express has its OPEN Forum, which originally started as a networking community for entrepreneurs. It eventually expanded into a content and advice resource, but the community aspect is still a major focus. Wiley, meanwhile, has WileyPLUS Studio, an invitation-only advocate platform where top users can share insights, strategies and more.

Of course, launching your own community forum takes a lot of time and money, not to mention an expert web programmer. You might want to start smaller and build up your advocates on social media first. Then, once you get a large, supportive community, create an exclusive online content source specifically for them. Focus on nurturing other customers to the point where they actively want to join these communities, and you’ve got a recipe for great advocacy marketing ROI.

Writing content for advocacy marketing

Technically, you want all of your content to turn people into advocates. If you plan to dedicate focus to this concept, however, then keep these two ideas in mind:

Personalisation makes customers view your business more favorably. Mention people by name, at the very least.

Shareable content is easier for advocates to promote, so make sure you have those social icons and plug-ins handy.

Targeting your advocates specifically, again, makes them love your brand and more likely to promote it. If you want a little more guarantee for your effort, however, then there’s nothing wrong with holding a little contest. B2C brands offer giveaways all the time on Instagram, and you can do something similar in the B2B space. Maybe you can offer a free trial of a different service in exchange for user-generated content describing why customers like your business.

Also, sometimes it’s most effective to just talk to them directly. Send an email asking which pieces of content you’ve created resonate best with them, and see what they’d like to read from you in the future. Your advocates will likely jump at the opportunity to contribute. Chances are they aren’t your only customers who have such opinions on what you produce, and creating these bits of content may convert more casual customers into advocates.

Getting customer advocates goes beyond marketing. Your content can help, but its your company actions that compel people to advocate on your behalf. Make sure you have an amazing product and stellar company service, then talk about your strong points and get customers engaged.

It’s a long haul to be sure, but it’s worth it.

from http://bit.ly/34zRtJM

#content marketing

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jonasjjackson · 7 years ago

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Spring Cleaning: A Laundry Room Makeover

Jen Woodhouse of House of Wood surprises her parents with a beautiful laundry room makeover just in time for Spring! See what products went into re-creating his parent’s space below.

Spring Cleaning: A Laundry Room Makeover

Spring is officially here which means it’s Spring cleaning time! What better room to get started in, than in the laundry room? It’s literally the only space in the house dedicated solely to cleaning. Here, in this magical cleaning room, can you believe we have shiny machines that faithfully clean all the things at the push of a button?! Oh, yes.

We are serial renters (Army life!), so when The Home Depot asked me to makeover a laundry room, I knew the perfect place. My parents have wanted to update their laundry room for years now, so we were thrilled to partner with them on this laundry room makeover. I flew from Texas to my parents’ house in Nashville to complete this laundry room makeover over Spring Break and we finished it in under a week! It was so much fun – The Home Depot made the entire process so easy – they are our one-stop shop for all things Spring cleaning.

Let’s start with a few good ‘before’ photos, just so you can see where we started. Are you ready for this?

Womp, womp. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along, move along.

Does this space inspire you to clean? It sure doesn’t do it for me – and I need all the motivation I can get when it comes to cleaning.

I’m not sure why the home builder decided to place the dryer exhaust on the left and the water lines on the right. I think it makes more sense to work from left to right. Washer on the left, dryer on the right – am I right?! Perhaps, it was a design choice.

Another interesting design choice was how the water lines and the power outlet are placed on the wall: how poetic! I mean, look at them – they’re not even at the same level. (Am I the only one who gets annoyed by these things?)

Because I planned on adding a countertop over the washer and dryer, we had a plumber and an electrician move the water lines and power outlet down so that they wouldn’t interrupt the countertop lines. Then, we patched up the drywall.

Okay, so now that the nit-picky stuff is taken care of, let’s get started on this laundry room makeover. You’ll see how a few small upgrades, like cabinets and countertops, can make a world of difference.

These Hampton Bay Shaker cabinets in Dove Gray add so much functionality and storage to the room! We ordered them from HomeDepot.com and good news: because they’re in-stock, they’re delivered in 3 days or less! They came preassembled – we just had to hang them up on the wall.

Hanging wall cabinets may seem intimidating, but it’s easier than you think! First, you’ll want to remove the doors from the cabinets. Simply unscrew the hinges and doors and set them aside. Next, use a stud finder to locate the studs in the wall. The cabinets will be screwed to the studs in the wall with 2 ½-inch wood screws.

To make this job much easier, use a ledger board – a scrap 2×4 board that you’ll put in place temporarily to act as a ledge for the cabinets to rest on while you attach them to the wall. Determine how high you want the cabinets to be, then screw the ledger board to the wall studs. Make sure this board is level. Then, lift the cabinet carcass up on the wall, rest it on the ledger board, and screw the cabinets to the studs in the wall. Replace the doors and install the cabinet pulls. After the cabinets are hung, remove the ledger board, spackle any holes in the wall, and repaint. Simple, right?

We chose these beautiful cabinet pulls by Amerock in Gunmetal. Aren’t they gorgeous?

Now that we have the cabinets hung, it’s time to install the countertop. The Home Depot called on one of their local Nashville vendors, Stone World TN, to fabricate and install the countertop. The entire process was incredibly easy from start to finish – the folks at Stone World were prompt, communicative, and friendly.

We chose a beautiful marble-looking quartz countertop called Viatera Rococo. First, I determined the height of the countertop – it had to be tall enough so that the washer and dryer could fit underneath, allowing for a couple of inches clearance. Then I screwed 2×4 cleats to the studs in the wall and checked for level.

The counter will rest on these 2×4 cleats. I also built a base carcass out of ¾-inch plywood to help support the weight of the countertop. Then on installation day, the guys from Stone World simply laid the countertop into place and sealed the joints with silicone.

We chose a full ¼ round edge profile, to match the existing counters in my parents’ house. I just can’t get over how gorgeous this countertop is! Thank you Stone World TN!

Now, let’s get our Spring cleaning game on!

My mom loves a clean house, so when it comes to cleaning and disinfecting all of the hard surfaces in their home, Clorox Clean-Up Cleaner Spray is our go-to product.

For those hard-to-remove stains, we use Shout Trigger Stain Remover to pre-treat fabrics before throwing them in the washer. I should be a grass-stain-remover pro by now – I’m pretty sure I get more than my share. #boymom

Of course, Tide HE Liquid Detergent and Downy Fabric Softener are a staple in both of our homes. This liquid detergent is made for high efficiency machines.

Downy makes our towels so fluffy and soft. And they smell so good too.

We got this GE High-Efficiency Front Load Washing Machine and GE Electric Front Load Dryer from The Home Depot.

Yes, please! Give me ALL THE OPTIONS! I’m a bit of a germa-phobe, so I absolutely love the ‘sanitize’ setting. So does my mom. She’s a clean freak. Maybe it’s hereditary?

My sister drove into town for the weekend to join in on the fun. It’s a family affair! I asked her to be my hand model and this is what she gave me:

Hilarious. She gave me a few other hand-model poses, but I can’t post those publicly.

The dryer is no less impressive. All of the different settings make me feel so fancy. I especially love the ‘steam refresh’ and ‘steam de-wrinkle’ features. If you’re like me, you may forget about those clean clothes in the dryer for days at a time. This setting will help you pretend that you have your act together and you make smart life decisions.

Yay, you! You are a rock star.

This handy little ClosetMaid wire bin is great for organizing. After all the laundry is folded, I can separate it into different bins, then take the bins to their respective owners. Work smarter, not harder, right?

On second thought, it would be smarter for my family members to do their own dang laundry. #iquit

Moving on.

This Swiffer duster is great for dusting plantation shutters and blinds. The dust is magically drawn to the duster, like a moth to a flame. The extender arm helps with hard-to-reach areas. This works great for dusting ceiling fan blades too!

I love that this Decorative Wire Chrome Heavy Duty Shelving Unit offers additional storage space. These decorative plastic storage baskets and Sterilite 64-Qt. Latching Storage Boxes make everything look neat and tidy.

My dad loves his new Dyson V7 Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner. It makes clean-up a breeze. I want one for my own house now! Sadly, it won’t fit in my carry-on. (I tried.)

My mom uses these Sterilite Latching Storage Totes to store extra linens and blankets. We love that they’re clear so we can easily see what’s inside.

The Home Depot made it super easy to plan, shop for, and complete this laundry room makeover in under a week. My parents absolutely LOVE their new laundry room and I love that I got to spend my Spring Break improving an otherwise neglected space in their home. Thank you Home Depot!

Click here to shop the items you’ll need to complete your garage makeover like Jen Woodhouse from House of Wood.

The post Spring Cleaning: A Laundry Room Makeover appeared first on The Home Depot Blog.

from Home http://blog.homedepot.com/spring-cleaning-a-laundry-room-makeover/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

#construction

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dnodes18 · 7 years ago

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Spring Cleaning: A Laundry Room Makeover https://ift.tt/2qaqd2L

Jen Woodhouse of House of Wood surprises her parents with a beautiful laundry room makeover just in time for Spring! See what products went into re-creating his parent’s space below.

Spring Cleaning: A Laundry Room Makeover

Let’s start with a few good ‘before’ photos, just so you can see where we started. Are you ready for this?

Womp, womp. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along, move along.

Does this space inspire you to clean? It sure doesn’t do it for me – and I need all the motivation I can get when it comes to cleaning.

We chose these beautiful cabinet pulls by Amerock in Gunmetal. Aren’t they gorgeous?

We chose a full ¼ round edge profile, to match the existing counters in my parents’ house. I just can’t get over how gorgeous this countertop is! Thank you Stone World TN!

Now, let’s get our Spring cleaning game on!

My mom loves a clean house, so when it comes to cleaning and disinfecting all of the hard surfaces in their home, Clorox Clean-Up Cleaner Spray is our go-to product.

Of course, Tide HE Liquid Detergent and Downy Fabric Softener are a staple in both of our homes. This liquid detergent is made for high efficiency machines.

Downy makes our towels so fluffy and soft. And they smell so good too.

We got this GE High-Efficiency Front Load Washing Machine and GE Electric Front Load Dryer from The Home Depot.

Yes, please! Give me ALL THE OPTIONS! I’m a bit of a germa-phobe, so I absolutely love the ‘sanitize’ setting. So does my mom. She’s a clean freak. Maybe it’s hereditary?

My sister drove into town for the weekend to join in on the fun. It’s a family affair! I asked her to be my hand model and this is what she gave me:

Hilarious. She gave me a few other hand-model poses, but I can’t post those publicly.

Yay, you! You are a rock star.

On second thought, it would be smarter for my family members to do their own dang laundry. #iquit

Moving on.

My dad loves his new Dyson V7 Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner. It makes clean-up a breeze. I want one for my own house now! Sadly, it won’t fit in my carry-on. (I tried.)

My mom uses these Sterilite Latching Storage Totes to store extra linens and blankets. We love that they’re clear so we can easily see what’s inside.

Click here to shop the items you’ll need to complete your garage makeover like Jen Woodhouse from House of Wood.

The post Spring Cleaning: A Laundry Room Makeover appeared first on The Home Depot Blog.

Jen Woodhouse

#The Home Depot Blog

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truckingrave · 7 years ago

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SEE: Tow Truck Motorist Narrowly Misses Out On Being Struck On Highway

WATCH: Tow Truck Driver Narrowly Misses Being Hit On Highway

Posted: January 19 2018 6:51 AM

WATCH: Tow Truck Driver Narrowly Misses Being Hit On Highway

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A Michigan tow truck driver working to load a crashed vehicle by another car that lost control in slick conditions. >> Read more trending news On Wednesday morning at 10:30, the tow truck driver was working to load a vehicle that had been involved in a crash onto a truck. A Michigan State Police officer was behind the tow truck, and on cruiser cam, the officer can be heard asking for another cruiser to block the I-96 on-ramp. A moment later, the cruiser cam captures footage of a car losing control on the ramp, crashing into the tow truck. The tow truck driver was able to run onto the freeway at the last moment, avoiding being crushed by the car. “A trooper was writing a crash that occurred on I-96 in the express lane and this individual came down the ramp from southbound Southfield too fast, lost control of the vehicle and hit the tow truck,’’ Lt. Mike Shaw told The Detroit Free Press. The car that lost control ended up on top of the car that was being loaded. The at-fault driver was cited “for violation of basic speed law, driving too fast for road conditions and violation of Michigan’s emergency vehicle move-over law,’’ Shaw said. Nobody was injured, the Free Press reported.

Flight attendants routinely instruct passengers on emergency procedures before a plane takes off, and it is a necessary but tedious monologue. >> Read more trending newsHowever, passengers on an American Airlines flight from Phoenix to Dallas were paying close attention Wednesday, when they were told to brace for impact as their plane made an emergency landing because of mechanical issues. “Keep your heads down,” a flight attendant can be heard on a frightening video filmed by Scottsdale, Arizona, resident Steve Ramsthel. The plane, operated by Mesa Airlines, had some rough moments but managed to land safely at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, KNXV reported. Ramsthel, who is a certified pilot, told KNXV that he could smell smoke on the plane. An airline spokesman confirmed that “a fan issue” prompted the emergency landing. “There were some people crossing themselves, but I thought the adrenaline was high and everybody just cooperated,” Ramsthel told KNXV. 'It was pretty amazing, to be honest with you.” In a statement, American Airlines blamed “mechanical issues stemming from a broken fan,” KNXV reported. There were no injuries, the airline said.

It could be said that former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. has some of the best driving skills ever, having made a living out of going more than 200 miles an hour on some of our country’s toughest racetracks. Yet, with snow involved, Earnhardt got into some trouble while trying to help other people stuck in the weather.>> Read more trending news “(North Carolina) stay off the roads today/tonight. Five minutes after helping these folks I center punched a pine tree,” Dale shared on his Twitter page on Wednesday shortly after stopping to help some stranded travelers on the road. “All good. Probably just needs a new alignment,” he added. Fans were were thankful Earnhardt was OK, but the tweet didn’t come without some NASCAR jokes. “Jr. did you attempt to turn right? Gets ya every time,” one Twitter user said. Earnhardt’s accident comes a day after the former NASCAR driver, voted the sport’s most popular driver for 15 consecutive years, announced the day before that he would be covering the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl in the coming weeks as part of his new deal as a contributor to NBC Sports. Unfortunately, Dale Jr. was not the only driver to find himself in harm’s way thanks to the snow, as NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez found himself stuck in the snow on the side of the road in his sports car Wednesday. Michael Waltrip decided to drive in snowy conditions in North Carolina, and appeared to do so safely in his Ford and later in his Toyota Tundra. Driver Kevin Harvick thought better of it, making the decision to stay in and enjoy the snow off the main roads.

Fred Lamar’s 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air sat in a garage, just as he left it, for 30 years. >> Read more trending newsUntil about a year ago, when his grandson, Cameron Dedman, started restoring the iconic Motor City machine. On Saturday, Lamar, 81, nearly passed out when the car was revealed to him. “I have been doing a full frame off restoration of this car a big surprise for my grandpa,” Dedman wrote in a post with the photos of the restored Bel Air. “He’s my best friend and truly deserves it.” Lamar has owned the vehicle since the 1950s. The pair plan to take it to car shows this spring and summer, according to WHAS.

Unable to bridge the partisan divide on immigration, federal spending levels and more, Republicans and Democrats in the Congress were on the verge of letting funding for the government lapse at midnight on Friday night, as members of both parties eagerly pointed the finger of blame at each other for the spending impasse, which could trigger the first federal shutdown in over four years. “That would be a mistake,” said Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH). “Government shutdowns do not make sense.” That Republican argument carried the day in the House, as lawmakers voted mainly along party lines Thursday evening in favor of a four week temporary funding plan – but once the bill reached the Senate floor, leaders quickly sent Senators home for the night, unable to agree on how best to proceed. “They’re prepared to shut down the government over the issue of illegal immigration,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declared of Democrats, as McConnell said there was no reason to rush on solving problems with DACA and Dreamers, as GOP leaders struggled to get a majority of Senators to vote for the House-passed bill. Meanwhile, Democrats complained that immigration talks have been slow walked by Republicans and the White House, and that it was time to force a solution on immigration, overall budget limits and more. “We should be united in trying to come to a solution, not just kick the can down the road,” said Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer. Senator Schumer, do not shut down the federal government.⁰⁰ Do not jeopardize funding for our military and for our national security.⁰⁰ Do not jeopardize funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program.⁰⁰ It is risky. It is reckless. And it is wrong. pic.twitter.com/1NLeGDY20i — Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) January 19, 2018 If Congress is unable to reach a spending agreement by midnight, then many government functions would start to wind down over the weekend. In the House, Republicans said now was the time for more negotiations, not a spending impasse which would close many government operations. “We’ve kept the government open,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK). “The right thing for the Senate to do would be to vote yes, and continue to negotiate.” “I now just implore the Senate, do your job,” said Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA). As Senators gathered on the floor late Thursday, a number of illegal immigrant “Dreamers” were seated in the galleries, watching the debate below. “Look at the people who have gathered here late this night, who are following every word that we are debating,” said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). “Why are they here if there’s no urgency?” added Durbin, who is a leading negotiator for Democrats on DACA and immigration issues. . @SenatorDurbin holds impromptu meeting with Dreamers, explaining to them details of plan. He’s met with song pic.twitter.com/qaz8xfTcxv — Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) January 19, 2018 But while Durbin and other Democrats called for action on a bipartisan agreement on Senators from both parties related to DACA, their plan had still not been put into legislative language. GOP Senators pointed out that lack of a bill in making the case that no deal was likely over the weekend on immigration, and again saying that the deadline was not until March. “This institution regrettably needs to be forced into action,” said Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), who broke ranks with his party’s leadership to vote against a stopgap budget, demanding immediate action on DACA. “We don’t have to wait until March, it would be cruel to wait until March,” Curbelo told reporters after the House had voted. As for President Donald Trump, the White House schedule issued for Friday still had him going to his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Palm Beach, Florida, where a party to celebrate the one year anniversary of Mr. Trump’s inauguration was reportedly scheduled for Saturday. It’s unclear if Trump’s plans to go to Florida for his big one-year party would change if govt shuts down at midnight Friday. But I’m told that as of now, the belief is the Senate will pass the funding bill and Trump will head to Mar-a-Lago as scheduled. https://t.co/wO0ccJO0aO https://t.co/4l2sqQjXTa — Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) January 19, 2018 Also on Mr. Trump’s Friday schedule was an address to thousands rallying for the March for Life, and a meeting with his national security team in the White House Situation Room. But Democrats only saw one thing – Air Force One leaving town. “Trump going to Mar-a-Lago while government shutdown looms is most irresponsible, self absorbed, dereliction of duty ever by a President,” tweeted Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN). But even as both sides traded barbs, there was a lot of frustration among Republicans over the budget process, which has become stuck in neutral on a regular basis. “It is absolutely ridiculous that we are sitting here today, having not funded the government permanently for the balance of this year,” said Sen. David Perdue (R-GA). If the federal government does shut down this weekend, it would be the first spending impasse since 2013, when Republicans blocked action on funding bills for 16 days, protesting the implementation of the Obama health law.

Source

http://www.krmg.com/video/hot-video/watch-tow-truck-driver-narrowly-misses-being-hit-highway/nxzsffwqFv7t9Hzlb34oVM/

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tune-collective · 7 years ago

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A Full Timeline of Iggy Azalea's Beefs, From Azealia Banks to Halsey

Although she hasn’t released an album in three years, Iggy Azalea’s name hasn’t been forgotten. Known for causing controversy — usually having to do with racial appropriation — the Australian rapper has beefed with everyone from Azealia Banks to Snoop Dogg.

We put together a complete history of all of her celebrity feuds from 2011 all the way up to Azalea’s latest beef with Halsey. Check out the timeline below.

September 9, 2011

Days before the release of her debut mixtape Ignorant Art Iggy releases a video for her song “D.R.U.G.S.” In the video she sings over the beat of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Look Out for Detox’, “When the relay starts, Im a runaway slave… Master, hitting on the past gotta spit it like a pastor.” This is an allusion to the lyric from his song, “When the relay starts, I’m a runaway slave.”

September 13, 2011

Iggy begins one sided beef with Kreayshawn on Twitter. She later responded and retweeted more negative statements.

October 9, 2011

Iggy claims that getting booed offstage at Canal Room in New York was the driving force for her career. After the show, she took to Twitter to address the alleged female haters. “It was kinda awkward cause this girl stood in the front row my entire set screaming ‘your pussy suckssss!!!’ ! Lol #whyyoumad.” The video from the show that night tells a different story however or a particularly happy crowd with only one male booing her at the 6:26 mark.

October 19, 2011

In a tweet that was later deleted Azealia Banks wrote, “how sexy is iggy azalea?? it’s kind of ridiculous … *tugs collar to let out steam*.” Starting out as a girl crush the feud with Banks will become one of Azalea’s worst.

October 20, 2011

Azealia Banks tweeted, “once wrote a song called ‘Barbie Shit,’ but nicki minaj blew up like the week after so i took it down, lololz. i felt corny. Also wrote a song called P-U-$-$-Y before Iggy Azalea.” Iggy responded with, “its NEVER been about who did it first… its ALWAYS been about who did it better.” Banks retweeted Iggy’s insult and wrote back, “i know right?? lmfaooo. haha.” And the beef begins.

In an interview not long after the tweet, Iggy reflects on the tweet claiming Banks said, “I’m next level, I had a song about being a Barbie before Nicki Minaj had a song about being a Barbie. Here’s the link to my song. And fuck Iggy Azalea, I had a song called ‘Pussy’ before she ever did. Here’s a link to my song. It’s better.” …essentially nothing like the original tweet.

October 21, 2011

Notorious for picking fights with anyone from Kedrick Lamar to Zayn Malik, Azealia Banks subtweets about Iggy. “I smell beef.”

December 2, 2011

When someone tweeted “Iggy Azelia Banks iz weird” Banks was fast to respond with “We’re two COMPLETELY different people hun. :-.” Iggy did not respond.

December 9, 2011

Iggy announces her new album’s title, The New Classic. Possibly directed toward Banks.

December 19, 2011

A$AP Rocky and Banks are spotted holding hands in New York. This puts fuel in the fire with Banks who grew up with A$AP and his crew in Harlem.

January 13, 2012

Iggy responds to claims about feud with Banks, “I have no deal with her. I don’t know her personally. I said it about Kreayshawn, too. If I don’t know you personally, how could I have a problem with you? What would I have a problem about? I don’t know that person … I don’t know you. I truly don’t understand it. I just keep making my own music, and I’m deaf to that. What is there to say? Nothing.”

January 17, 2012

Azealia Banks tweets, “Iggy Azalea’s hair looks really great in her new video. How long do you all reckon that hair is? 40″ in?”

January 18, 2012

Azealia Banks reportedly signs to Universal.

January 27, 2012

Iggy told Billboard that she signed to Interscope saying, “I’m super happy about it.” She made statements about other labels, mentioning Def Jam specifically, claiming they would’ve made her their “guinea pig.” She later claimed that Jimmy Iovine called her “the new Tupac.” She later tweeted, “Get used to me + jimmy [Iovine] smashing shit, cause thats the plan.” Keep in mind Interscope Records is owned by Universal, this will be relevant later.

January 31, 2012

Azealia Banks tweets, “You can never be a young BLACK girl enjoying her life and having fun. There’s always some shady, dishonest cracker looking to assassinate your character. No offense to anyone.” and later, “Ok. i apologize to anyone who was offended by that tweet. I shouldn’t generalize my personal issues. forgive me.” and later, “Why am i being criminalized for being myself?”

February 7, 2012

Iggy is the first female to be featured on the cover of XXL magazine for their Freshman List. Azealia was not having any of it, tweeting, “Iggy Azalea on the XXL freshman list is all wrong. How can you endorse a white woman who called herself a ‘runaway slave master’? Sorry guys, I’m pro black girl. I’m not anti white girl, but I’m also not here for any1 outside of my culture trying to trivialize very serious aspects of it.”

Iggy later tweets “You can’t block my blessings! Today I’m celebrating! Get with it or kick rocks!”

March 2, 2012

Azealia Banks announces she’s signed to Interscope/Polydor, take a guess who is also coincidentally signed to the label.

March 10, 2012

On DJ Drama’s radio show in Atlanta Iggy is asked about Azealia’s reaction to the XXL cover, “This is my day and it’s my achievement.” She said, “You have to work to have your own achievements, with all due respect.” TI who is now Iggy’s boss adds “Strategically if she really cares about a freshmen cover maybe she could hope that she’ll suck enough to get shelved and then next year when the freshmen cover comes back around, maybe she’ll still be a freshman.”

March 12, 2012

Iggy writes an open letter apologizing for her “runaway slave-master” lyric “It was a tacky and careless thing to say and if you are offended, I am sorry. Sometimes we get so caught up in our art and creating or trying to push boundaries, we don’t stop to think how others may be hurt by it. In this situation, I am guilty of doing that and I regret not thinking things through more.”

March 25, 2012

Azealia Bank’s releases alleged dis track about Iggy called “Fuck Up the Fun.”

March 27, 2012

Iggy’s then-suspected boyfriend A$AP Rocky says, “They got to cut it out. That’s some bullshit. Iggy is not racist. Trust me. Trust me. That’s petty for Azealia because … don’t pick on her cause she white. That’s a low blow.”

May 18, 2012

Rumors of Iggy being dropped by Interscope surface. Iggy claims that she was never on Interscope just manged by them despite a tweet on February 7 2012 that says “im managed and signed to Interscope.” Many had suspicions that Azealia was behind it.

April 23, 2013

Iggy shares the news of signing to Def Jam on Twitter. Take a look at a January 27, 2012 Billboard interview where she claimed Def Jam would’ve made her their “guinea pig.”

June 18, 2013

Iggy is questioned by radio host Sway Calloway about possible plastic surgery. She responds with, “Yes, eyelashes are real. I’ve heard a bunch of crazy things: that it’s my underpants. I heard I have implants, I hear all kinds of crazy stuff. It’s my flesh. It’s my butt.”

June 2013

Fans begin to uncover old racist Tweets and Iggy receives massive backlash. She claims that it is unfair because she was able to “joke” but because of her celebrity she is no longer able to. See a few of the tweets below:

September 13, 2013

When asked about using a “black voice” in an interview for the cover of Complex she responded with, “If you’re mad about it and you’re a black person then start a rap career and give it a go, too. I’m not taking anyone’s spot, so make yourself a mixtape. Or maybe if you’re black, start singing like a country singer and be a white person. I don’t know. Why is it such a big deal?”

May 15, 2014

Tyler the Creator is asked on 106 & Park which female artists he’d sleep with. When prompted about Iggy he says, “She stinks. She got shots in her thump. I want real booty. You feel me?” Iggy later tweeted, “Tyler the creator is beyond immature. I’ve always believed you had something more to offer the world, Shame to see you be so rude,” she said. “People that make enemies and talk shit about ppl they’ve never even said hi to trip me out. I see it all the time… Strange world.” Iggy’s then-boyfriend Nick Yong also had something to say: “If ppl dnt hate then it want be [email protected] smell good to me”. Tyler apologized in his typical fashion with: “SUCCESSFUL, TROLL SUCCESSFUL, IGGY I DIDNT MEAN TO HURT YOUR FEELINGS.”

June 6, 2014

Iggy criticizes Lorde in an interview with Billboard for her collaborative performance with the surviving members of Nirvana at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Iggy said, “Nothing against her, but I think when you’re doing a tribute to someone that’s dead, generally it should be the person’s peer,” Azalea commented. “Lorde is not Kurt Cobain’s peer. No matter if she killed the performance or not, I just don’t think it’s appropriate.” Lorde responded with: “I enjoyed it. I had a good time. That’s all that mattered.” Iggy later apologized on Twitter, “I consider lorde my very talented friend. I find it ironic 2 girls tell the media theyre full of shit & weeks later supposedly I dislike her.”

May 26, 2014

Love & Hip Hop star K. Michelle tweets, “How can you be from another country and rap like you’re from Memphis, TN?”

June 29, 2014

In Nicki Minaj’s acceptance speech for Best Female Artist at the BETs she allegedly took shots at Iggy who had been criticized for suspicion of using ghost writers. Minaj said, “What I want the world to know about Nicki Minaj is when you hear Nicki Minaj spit, Nicki Minaj wrote it.”

July 3, 2014

Iggy responded to the speech in a screenshot of a letter from her notes page on Instagram. She wrote: “I have to say the general explosion of pettiness online in the last few days is hard to ignore and honestly…lame. If I had won the BET award, that would’ve been great but it wasn’t my year and I don’t mind – so you shouldn’t either. Generally speaking, I’m unbothered by anything that ‘happened’ at the BET Awards and just feel worn out by everyone trying to make me have wars with people all the time. Anyone who wishes me well is welcome in my life, and those who don’t can’t get any more of my time. I hate to see everyone exhausting themselves on my behalf over things that I’m still not 100 percent sure even exist and don’t matter. Just let it go.” Nicki later backtracked and responded with “The media puts words in my mouth all the time and this is no different. I will always take a stance on women writing b/c I believe in us!” on Twitter. “

July 9 2014

In the wake of the BET Awards, Madd Mary releases direct dis track, “Eff Iggy.” Notable lines include: “Ignorant, impudent child of wealth and white privilege who benefits from the oppressive agenda of white supremacists,” “You just too damn afraid to engage in intelligent conversation about misappropriation of hip-hop,” “Prejudiced trash, send you back to Aussie land strapped for cash.”

July 10 2014

Allegedly Iggy posted a photo of her, Drake, TI and B.O.B captioned “Me and Ma Nigg’s.” Public Enemy’s Chuck D tweeted, “a new straight path to slavery Here comes a endorsed sanctioned CORPlantation artist with A line straight out of 1853.” After it was discovered that she never captioned the photo that Chuck D wrote: “True or not the IGGY thing is a reality when you call yourself with the slaveass term that was branded on skin & today marketed, sht happens.”

September 24 2014

In an interview Rah Digga calls Iggy out, “Don’t come to America and try to convince me that you’re Gangsta Boo … Personally, I don’t consider [Iggy] Hip Hop. I listen to her album. Everything that I hear on there is everything but that. And I feel like Hip Hop is Hip Hop.” Iggy responded to the comment on Twitter with, “I honestly don’t really mind if I’m described as rap or pop. My passion is purely making music and entertaining.”

October 12 2014

A photo of Azalea without makeup went viral and Snoop Dogg even joined in. He posted this photo on his Instagram and the feud began.

Iggy responded to the Instagram with a string of tweets calling him out for being two faced and about how her bodyguard “stopped the fire truck that saved your friends life in canada when he almost burnt down the hotel.” Shortly after, TMZ ran a story about Iggy being “fuming mad over Snoop’s insta slam.” The two went back and forth with Azalea tweeting her feelings while Snoop continued to post memes on his Instagram clearly not bothered by the incident.

October 12, 2014

Iggy and her friend are followed into a grocery store by paparazzi. Clearly extremely angry her friend spits on the pap. The photographer going on to call the spit assault because he may contract AIDS or Ebola Iggy says, “Okay, I hope you have Ebola. I hope you die. You’re a fucking cunt.” The fight continues and Iggy even tried to ram him with her shopping cart calling the grocery store a “private place.”

youtube

October 15 2014

After a call from Iggy’s manager TI, Snoop squashed the beef in a video.

October 27 2014

Snoop is asked by a paparazzi if he will ever collaborate with Iggy. He responds singing the chorus of “IDFWU.”

November 18 2014

Eminem releases a dis track about Iggy where he jokes about raping her. Iggy responds in a tweet saying, “im bored of the old men threatening young women as entertainment trend and much more interested in the young women getting $ trend. zzzz.”

December 3 2014

Unlike the majority of the members of the hip-hop community, Iggy is absent at protests supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and does not speak on the issue of police killings of unarmed black men. Azealia Banks is the first to call her out on it, “its funny to see people Like Igloo Australia silent when these things happen… Black Culture is cool, but black issues sure aren’t huh?” Iggy subtweets, “we’ve all read the script 49584068408540 billion times now, find a new game plan.”

December 5 2014

Iggy is nominated for Record of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Pop/Duo Performance, and Best Rap Album for the 2015 Grammys.

December 18 2014

Azealia Banks calls out Iggy during a Hot 97 interview for appropriating black culture as well as discussing race relations in America eloquently.

December 19 2014

Iggy goes on a Twitter spree. “Special msg for banks:” she tweeted, “There are many black artists succeeding in all genres. The reason you haven’t is because of your piss poor attitude.” She went on to call Banks a “bigot.”

December 20 2014

Q-Tip tweeted attempted to enlighten Iggy in a string of tweets one of them read “@IZZYAZELEA Hip-hop is a artistic and socio-political movement/culture that sprang from the disparate ghettos of NY in the early 70’s.” He goes on to discuss how the connection between hip-hop, social and political issues will never be detached. Iggy did not respond.

An anonymous hacking group claimed that they would leak rumored sex tape pictures if Iggy did not apologize for her actions. They wrote, “You are guilty of misappropriating black culture, insulting peaceful protesters, and making light of Eric Garner’s death”. Their account was then suspended.

December 22 2014

Iggy chimes in in a string of tweets stating, “i find it patronizing to assume i have no knowledge of something I’m influenced by, but I’ve also grown up with strangers assuming that.” She goes on to say, “how you feel about me blending musical genres together doesn’t bother me, no one is making you support or buy pop rap albums.”

January 30 2015

Iggy has another Twitter freak out over some unapproved shots for her upcoming shoe line in collaboration with Steve Madden. One of the tweets read, “Tainted with these God awful images that Steve madden took appon themselves to create and share without my knowledge. Gross gross gross.” She later apologized on Instagram claiming she loves the company and “artists clash sometimes.”

February 8 2015

Probably the most random of all of her feuds… Papa Johns Pizza! Apparently her delivery man sent her personal phone number around so she tweeted at the chain and they responded lightheartedly and Iggy was not having it. “I don’t think data breach is funny.” She continued, “I expect you to contact me to explain how you are going to rectify your breach of my personal information in a satisfactory and professional way or lawsuit will be filed.”

February 18 2015

After returning home from vacation to see people criticizing her body in paparazzi photos Iggy announces that she will no longer run her social media accounts.

June 29 2015

Iggy called out Britney Spears and her team for their lack of promotion for the duos collaboration on “Pretty Girls”. She tweeted, “its difficult to send a song up the charts without additional promo and tv performance etc. unfortunately I’m just featured”. Britney responded on Instagram posting a photo that read “DONT LET IDIOTS RUIN YOUR DAY.”

August 10 2015

ComicBook NOW! tweeted ‘The Last Airbender’ is to movies what Iggy Azaelia is to music.’ Of course Iggy could not help herself and responded with “think its another one of those jokes only middle aged men who get boners over comic book movies understand.”

September 16 2015

In a Hot 97 interview, TI said that he no longer speaks to his former protégé Iggy. He says he walked away from the relationship after Q-Tip tried to teach Iggy about cultural appropriation in hip-hop music and her response was not ideal. Iggy responded by saying, “I don’t think the radio is the right place to talk about personal issues.”

October 12 2015

When Rita Ora named Iggy as a potential collaborator for a Lady Marmalade remake Azalea quickly shut her down tweeting, “Please leave me out of the whole Lady Marmalade conversation. I have nothing to do with ritas ideas & agree it should be left alone. Thanks.”

November 29 2015

Erykah Badu hosts the Soul Train Music Awards and throws shade at Azalea during her opening monolog. She pretends to receive a phone call when when she answers it says, “Uh yes? Who is this? Iggy Azalea? Yeah, hey. Oh, no, no, no, no, you can come, ’cause what you doin’ is definitely not rap.” The audience seemed to love the joke but Iggy once again took to Twitter posting, “We are days from 2016, but i came online today and saw its still cool to try and discredit my 2014 accomplishments. LOL, fucking hell.”

December 4 2015

Badu responds to Azalea linking to her tweet and writing, “Well that’ll be the LAST time I send an uber for you! I can guaran DAMN tee you THAT.”

Jan 22 2016

In his song “White Privilege II” Macklemore calls out himself, Iggy, and other for cultural appropriation. He raps, “The culture was never your to make better. You’re Miley, you’re Elvis, you’re Iggy Azalea.” Iggy, very upset by the fact that old friend Macklemore did not even warn her about using her name in the song, tweeted, “he shouldnt have spent the last 3 yrs having friendly convos and taking pictures together at events etc if those were his feelings.”

Brooklyn hip-hop artist Talib Kewli was bothered by Iggy’s reaction to the reference. He tweeted, “The [email protected] Macklemore song was a diss to her, instead of actually listening, is proof of her privilege. Fuck Iggy Azalea.” The two continued to beef back and forth on Twitter with Iggy posting, “still tweeting i see? I thought this was about macklamore? rap is global now and it has sub-styles. pop-rap is part of that.” No apology has been made.

March 2 2016

After Iggy spoke poorly about Azealia Banks in an Elle cover interview, Banks calls out Iggy’s recent plastic surgery saying, “Mentioning me is the only thing that will get you attention. Because ur music and nose job are trash.”

March 30 2016

D’Angelo Rusell posts a video of Iggy’s finance Nick Young openly implying that he was cheating on her. Iggy sarcastically tweeted, “hmmm i see D Angelo Russell is trending… I actually liked his film. Thanks bro.”

June 9 2016

Iggy announces breakup with fiancé Nick Young, “Unfortunately although I love Nick and have tried and tried to rebuild my trust in him,” Azalea wrote on Instagram, “it’s become apparent in the last few weeks I am unable to. I genuinely wish Nick the best. It’s never easy to part ways with the person you planned you’re [sic] entire future with, but futures can be rewritten and as of today mine is a blank page.” Young had a less kind response simply tweeting, “Single.”

June 30 2016

It shortly after came out that Young’s ex-girlfriend Keonna Green is pregnant with their second child together. In a string of tweets, Iggy detailed her feelings on the incident. One read, “I broke up with Nick because I found out he had brought other women into our home while I was away and caught them on the security footage.” While another said, “I find it baffling anyone would make the choice to bring a child into the world under these circumstances + want attention and $ for it.”

June 19 2017

Addressing Iggy as “Igloo” Azealia Banks jokes about a possible collaboration on her new song, “What if… Igloo [Iggy] was on Anna Wintour.” Iggy took this as a peacetime gesture and posted videos on her Snapchat about squashing their beef.

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June 22 2017

In an unrelated interview, Halsey has some not so nice things to say about Azalea. “There’s a lot of people I wouldn’t put on my record” she said. “Iggy Azalea— absolutely not. She had a complete disregard for black culture. Fucking moron. I watched her career dissolve and it fascinated me.”

Iggy responded on an Australian talk show saying, “I thought it was a bit of a strange thing to throw that out there, but she’s young and I hope she learns maybe to be a bit less judgmental when she’s kind of in the same shoes.”

This article originally appeared on Billboard.

https://tunecollective.com/2017/07/01/full-timeline-iggy-azaleas-beefs-azealia-banks-halsey/

#azaleas #azealia #BANKS #beefs #full #halsey #iggy #timeline

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