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duskholland · 4 years ago

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No Control || Frat!Tom Smut

summary ↠ tom can’t stop thinking about harrison’s girl, and it’s starting to become a problem. — in love with your best friend’s girl au. warnings ↠ this is fifty shades of morally-ambiguous grey, but I wouldn’t say it’s /too/ out there..?¿ there’s no actual infidelity but because of the au, there are themes of cheating, so avoid this if it’s a touchy subject for you. cw: a lot of alcohol, a ton of jealousy/possessiveness, heavy swearing, ongoing frat/party/bet culture, tom being a bad friend, harrison being a bad boyfriend, y/n being a bad girlfriend, and nsfw content. this contains smut! 18+ minors dni. word count↠ 17.6k. a/n ↠ please don’t do this irl, this is just fantasy !!!! y/n, tom and harrison are all flawed people, so please don’t go into this expecting them to all be perfect !!!! this was almost twenty thousand times more debased and fucked up, but I reeled it in last minute :’) that being said, this was still so much fun to write lmao. I listened to your girlfriend by blossoms + jessie’s girl pretty much on repeat as I wrote this! title is from 1d’s classic banger, which apparently influenced this more than I’d thought. thanks to all the anons who sent in ideas for this the other week!! a lot of them made it into this fic, so if you sent in a concept—thank you so much <3 I messed around with the pov so it flips halfway through! it should be obvious but I’m flagging it so you don’t think I went mad. hasn’t happened yet my lovelies but frat!tom does test me ! :’)) enjoy !!! <3

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

extended warnings ↠ masturbating (male), oral + fingering (fem receiving), protected mxf sex. possessiveness in the dirty talk. again, there is no infidelity but there is a lot of bad behaviour + boundary pushing <3

✧ *:･ﾟNo Control･ﾟ:*✧

Tom has seen a lot of pretty girls in his life, but tonight, he thinks that he’s seen an angel.

The frat is loud. The crowd is so thick he can barely breeze, and the fog machine has left a deep grey smog smothering the living room. Flashing strobe lights and the deep drums of bass cut through the air, but despite the way Tom’s head hurts, everything irritating fades as he looks across the room and sees a girl. You. You’re standing in the open doorway, leaning against one of the beams, a solo cup in one hand with the other resting on your waist.

He instantly knows that he wants you.

You’re in a red dress, with the flattering material clinging to your waist and shoulders. It draws Tom’s attention, but that’s quick to shift to your face as he watches you laugh at a joke made by one of your friends. He recognises a few of the people that you’re with from one of his lectures, but he’s almost certain he’s never seen you before. He’d definitely remember.

“Bro? What’s up?” Harrison is behind him, Tom’s best mate. They’ve been friends since high school, and when Tom had decided to up sticks and move across the ocean to a college in America, Harrison had followed. He’s good like that. “You’re just staring at the wall. Look like a proper tosser.”

Tom scowls as he drags his eyes away from you, directing all of his most scathing anger at Harrison. The blond is smirking. Perched on top of his head is a black SnapBack, printed with the frat’s logo. It matches the one that Tom’s wearing, just Tom has it pulled on backwards. He’s the only member of the frat that wears it like that, and it’s become an unofficial declaration of his status.

For the last year, Tom has held the revered position of president of the frat. It’s a lot harder than he’d thought it’d be, but it comes with perks. Several perks.

“I’m looking,” Tom replies, crossing his arms.

“At what?”

Discreetly, Tom brings his cup to his lips and uses his index finger to sneakily point across the room. He leads Harrison to you.

“That girl,” he says slowly. “Do you know who she is? Who invited her?”

Tom prides himself on knowing most people on campus—or, at least, anyone he needs to know. Anyone involved in Greek life or the party scene at his college has a face burned to his memory, and he prides himself on recognising matching names too. A lot of power comes with being able to immediately recognise someone. It makes him likeable, and he feels good knowing that someone feels appreciated by him.

“Dunno,” Haz mutters. He squints his eyes as he looks at you too. “She’s with Tyra. Maybe they’re friends?”

Tom scoffs. “Well, I’d guess that, yeah.”

“Are you going to do anything, or continue to stare like a creep?”

After taking a final swig of his drink, Tom pushes the empty plastic cup into Harrison’s hands. His mate thumps him on the back.

“I’ll be back,” he mutters. Then Tom pauses and throws out an easy smile. “Or not. Depends.”

Harrison rolls his eyes. “Go on.”

“See ya, mate.”

As Tom walks across the crowded room, he tries to hold himself a little straighter. He’s dressed simply tonight, in an all-black combination of t-shirt and jeans, but the gold chain he has around his neck adds a little depth. Around his wrist is his watch, and it glints as Tom reaches up to briefly whip off his hat and tousle his hair. His eyes are fixed firmly on you, and he finds himself grinning when you see him.

You’re even more radiant up close. Your eyes are a beautiful shade, and they fill with curiosity as you look Tom up and down. An expression of intrigue passes over your features as you mutter something to a friend and push away from the doorframe, being pulled to Tom as if by an unseen gravitational force.

“Hi, darling,” Tom leads with, keeping his voice cool. When you step closer, he meets you, easily and lightly pressing his hands to your waist as he kisses your cheek. “I’m Tom.”

You give him a wry smile. “I know who you are,” you reply. Your eyes are fluttering all over his face, and your hips feel soft beneath his hands. “Y/N.”

Tom likes how your voice sounds.

“Beautiful name for a beautiful woman,” he responds easily. He crosses his arms, angling them in a way that makes his muscles bulge. “I’ve not seen you around here before.”

There’s a shyness to your gaze that makes Tom smile wider, and he watches as you fiddle with your hair and tentatively meet his gaze.

“Do you know everyone that comes to your parties, Tom?”

“Yeah.” Tom slips his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. “Or, at least, I try to. I know I’d definitely remember someone like you.”

“Someone like me?” You’re speaking louder now, emboldened by how fully Tom’s giving you his attention. All around you, there are people looking, people whispering. Everywhere Tom goes, he garners attention.

Tom offers you an easy smile, tilting his head to the side as he nods. Sometimes he likes to play it cool and keep his cards close to his chest, but he doesn’t think you’d like that. He doesn’t think the chase is necessary. You’re looking at him with round, inquisitive eyes, and your gaze keeps circling back to his mouth.

“You’re stunning, love,” he says. “Do you want to dance with me?”

You reach out and take his hand, and Tom feels a jolt of warmth trail up his spine. It confuses him. He’s pursued a lot of girls in his life, and he’s felt attraction plenty of times before, but he’s never had his heart ache quite like that from just one touch. As you run your thumb over the back of his hand, you look up at him from beneath your lashes.

“A dance? With the president of the frat?” you tease. As Tom chuckles, you smile cheekily. “I dunno. What can you give me in return, if I give you what you want?”

“Oh, a businesswoman,” he teases. “I see how it is.”

You smirk. “Business major,” you supply.

Tom arches his brows. “I’m a business major.”

“I know. We’re in the same class.”

For a few minutes, you slip into conversation about your course. Tom learns that you share the same 9am every Monday morning—a class that he only managed to make it to the first week of term. You don’t linger on the topic of academics for too long, though. It doesn’t take much before Tom’s got you in the back corner of the room where it’s quieter, listening to you reel off your first impressions of the frat. You keep your hands on his shoulders, slowly but purposefully rolling your fingers over his shirt, keeping him on his feet as he catches a whiff of your peach perfume every time you move closer.

He almost gets his dance, but then there’s a tap on his shoulder, and it’s one of his brothers, whispering about an incident on the patio involving a table and the pool. Tom grimaces and reluctantly casts his eyes back to you.

“I need to go and sort this out,” he mutters, frustrated. You shrug, biting your lip as you rock back on your heels. “Will I see you later?”

“I don’t know. Will you?”

Tom smiles. “I will,” he promises. Wanting to give a lasting impression, he easily swoops his hand up to cup your cheek. When he receives a nod of approval, he leans in and deposits a lingering kiss to your forehead, inhaling a deep breath of your shampoo and feeling the tip of his nose tingle in response. You cling to his arms a little tighter, and when Tom goes to pull away, he isn’t able to until you’ve kissed his cheek.

“Have fun,” you say, stepping back.

“Thanks, darling.” Tom gives you a final look, his insides debating whether or not he really needs to go deal with the issue. When there’s a loud shout from out on the patio, he sighs. “Take care.”

Even when he’s out on the terrace, you stay on Tom’s mind. As he oversees two of the guys pulling the table out of the pool, he replays his interaction, mind swirling over your face, your figure, your voice. He finds himself scratching at his chin, not entirely present. After a while, he ends up back in the house, huddled with a group of the guys, and it isn’t until someone pushes Harrison forward that Tom truly comes back into the room.

“How long has it been, man?” Jacob, one of the guys, and one of Tom’s American friends, is grinning at Harrison. The man is standing in the middle of the group, bashful cheeks a light pink.

“Eh… a couple weeks,” Harrison supplies.

“Bullshit,” Tom adds, chuckling when Harrison flips him off. “Haz hasn’t got laid in months.”

“Fuck off,” Harrison mutters. “Not all of us are as...promiscuous as you, Tom.”

Tom shrugs. “Well, what are you going to do about it?”

Harrison pauses, stroking his chin. “Dunno,” he finally decides.

Tom rolls his eyes. “We’ll wingman you,” he decides. He looks around at a few of the other guys and doesn’t stop until they’re all nodding and making similar sounds of agreement. “Anyone you like the look of tonight?”

Haz hesitates but eventually shakes his head. “Nah. Haven’t seen who’s around.”

“Alright.” Tom presses his palms together, an idea forming. “Next girl that walks into the room, we’ll set you up with.”

Harrison hesitates. “But what if she’s taken?”

Jacob steps forward, smirking. “The next single girl who walks into this room,” he clarifies. He holds out a hand and raises a brow. “Bet?”

Harrison looks down at Jacob’s hand. A bet, like the one he’s referring to, may as well be as binding as a contract. There’s no going back. He looks to Tom, a little nervous, but the fear vanishes when Tom nods.

“Alright.” Harrison does the frat handshake, and the guys around them all holler. Tom makes his own loud sound of support, grinning widely. “We’ll do it.”

They have to wait for a while. The first few girls that walk in are all accompanied by partners. Tom’s starting to get tetchy and he knows Harrison is too, but as soon as that thought crosses his mind, the universe decides to throw a curveball right into his face.

You walk in.

“Oh, shit,” Jacob says. He elbows Harrison. “There you go.”

Harrison immediately looks at Tom. “Uh… Isn’t she…?”

Tom sucks in a hard breath, the sound sticking behind his teeth. “Yep.” He looks at Harrison, who’s looking particularly deflated.

For a moment, Tom thinks about Haz and everything that he’s done to support him. Harrison flew across oceans to stay with Tom, moved into the frat with him, operates as his right-hand man. He’s his golf buddy, his gym partner, his best mate. For Haz to go back on such a public bet would be the same as resigning himself to social humiliation, and Tom would be a terrible friend for making him do that. Tom can give him this.

Right?

“I don’t need to—”

“Nah.” Tom decides to step up. “It’s a bet. It’s fine.”

Harrison grimaces. “Are you sure?”

Tom feels like a petulant child. Now he’s agreed to it, he feels his stomach rebelling. You find yourself at the centre of his attention again as he looks back over, instantly regretting it as the action connects your eyes with his. His breathing catches as your lips pull into an eager smile.

But Tom pushes through it. He looks away and stares at the floor as he nods, strengthening his attitude as he reaches out to smack Harrison on the back.

“Yep. Go for it.”

“Thanks, bro.”

He can barely watch as his guys approach you, and Tom decides to stay back in the corner of the room. It’s clear that you’re confused at first, but through quick discreet glances, Tom watches as you start to talk with Harrison. When Tom gets approached by another girl, you start to speak with Haz more freely, and he assumes that you’ve forgotten all about your conversation from earlier. When Jacob and the others split off, leaving you and Harrison alone in the back corner, Tom has to leave the room.

For a while, Tom drinks. He does a couple of shots out on the patio and chats with a few girls, and eventually, he’s pulled back inside the house. He ends up in the large living room, where the main party is happening, and it seems that you and Harrison have taken it to the next level in his absence.

Tom’s lips curve into a scowl as he looks across the room and sees you, wrapped up in Harrison. The blond’s hands roam all over you, moving from your cheeks, shifting back into your hair before curving down your figure. Tom can barely keep watching as Harrison’s palms curl around your waist and go down to squeeze your ass, and he swears he can almost hear the breathless moan you deposit into the air in response.

He looks away when Harrison starts to nibble at your neck and you toss your head back in pleasure, but Tom can’t stop himself from stealing quick glances every few seconds. In the pit of his stomach lies a terrible beast, acidic and possessive, clawing at his heart. There’s a tenseness to his jaw that he can’t quite shake, even when Tom tosses the remnants of the shit beer down his throat. There are easily a hundred people in the room with him, but he doesn’t care about a single one of them. The only one he cares about is you.

After a few moments of his eyes dissecting the contours of your face, Tom feels someone wrap their arms around his waist. He stiffens, turning his head and looking around until he finds himself staring at the face of a girl from his accounting course. She’s pretty, wearing silver eyeshadow, and Tom thinks that her name is Sasha.

“Hey, Tommy,” she greets. Her perfume smells overpowering and it makes Tom grimace. “Wanna dance with me?”

Tom looks back across the room, his stomach turning as he sees Harrison has pulled you down onto a sofa with him. As you straddle his lips and continue to kiss him, his blood runs hot.

“Fuck yeah, darling,” he mutters. Tom reaches out and wraps an arm around the girl, pulling her closer and letting his eyes fall shut as her lips find their way to his neck. “Let’s dance.”

He doesn’t need you. He barely fucking knows you. Tom has met a thousand girls, and it feels as though he’s kissed as many. The only things he knows about you are inconsequential—who cares if you smell like peaches and wear a glossy lip balm? Who gives a fuck that your voice sounds like a pretty wind-chime. Not Tom, that’s for sure. Tom’s got another girl kissing him and tugging on his hair. He doesn’t need you.

So why can’t he stop thinking about you?

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

The pillow that Tom has wedged over his head makes his ears ache and does nothing to obscure the sounds drifting into his room, so after a few moments of failed silence, he throws it aside. A loud huff passes by his lips.

It’s been a month since the party, and every Sunday morning since, without fail, he’s been woken by the sounds of your moans. Harrison’s room is right next door, and though he’d always complained to Tom that the walls are thin, Tom had never been the one on the receiving end like this. It’s always been Tom having lazy post-party sex with a random girl, or Tom taking a girl into the shower room and locking out his brothers all morning. Now it’s Harrison, making noise with you, and suddenly it’s not just the fact that he’s not had sex in four weeks that’s getting on his nerves.

Your moans are loud as they catch in the back of your throat, and they make Tom hard. He grumbles as he reaches down, hands dipping beneath the covers as he pushes a palm beneath his boxers. A softened groan passes past his lips as he pulls out his cock, pausing only to bring his hand back to his lips and spit on it before he starts to jerk off.

Tom had gotten over the guilt of getting off to you without your knowledge two weeks ago. For all he knows, you know that he can hear you, and you’re being so loud for him. He’s learnt that you’re cheeky like that, and the thought makes Tom tug his cock a little harder. Harrison’s bed is squeaky, and he can only imagine that you’re riding him. Tom bites back a moan as he imagines how pretty you must look on top.

He’s spent more time with you now, since that party, and it hasn’t helped his predicament at all. Every time he runs into you, you seem to grow hotter, and his attraction for you only burns brighter when he sees Haz grab your hand or kiss your lips. What had started as a bet for one night together has escalated, and now you’re both dating. Tom doesn’t think that he’s a bad person, nor would he ever say he’s a bad friend, but you’ve become his forbidden fruit.

Maybe it’s the fact that he can’t have you that makes Tom so incensed. He’s never been denied like this—been blocked so unscrupulously and irritatingly. Whilst you aren’t official with Harrison, Tom knows that his mate likes you. Hell, he can hear how much he likes you, right now, as Haz’s bed continues to squeak and your moans rise in volume.

Tom thinks he could get you to moan louder.

It takes an embarrassing two-minute window before Tom’s biting back a yell of your name, cumming in sync with a set of particularly loud whines that you emit next-door. He falls back onto the mattress, his clean hand going up to card through his curls as he tries to catch his breath. For a few moments, he lays there, scowling up at the ceiling as he tries to bathe in the afterglow of release, but it goes crashing down again when he hears your light giggles followed by Harrison’s deep guffaws.

Tom practically storms out of bed, wiping at his hand with some tissues before he stamps into a pair of grey joggers and leaves his room, slamming the door loudly in his wake. He hopes the sound scares Harrison so much he falls off his fucking bed.

The bad mood continues, even after Tom’s leapt through the shower and scrubbed at his ears. He ends up in the frat’s kitchen, the wide space still partially littered with solo cups and discarded bags of crisps from the party the night before. There are a few junior members of the frat hobbling around with black bin bags, looking pale and peaky. When they see Tom, they try and pretend they’re not hungover, and their act of skittish admiration is enough to make him feel a little better.

He’s just starting to assemble a protein shake when the air in the kitchen changes. Tom finds his eyes drifting towards the door, just in time to watch you walk in. The sun seems to follow you as you stroll into the kitchen, one hand at your side as the other plays with the tips of your hair, a relaxed smile on your face. As you look around the room and take stock of the several fratboys sitting on random pieces of furniture, your smile draws shyer, and Tom watches you glance down at your feet as you hurry towards the counters to where he is. You catch his eye, a blinding smile unfurling across your lips as you raise a hand in greeting.

As you sweep close, Tom blinks himself out of his stupor. He swallows down the lump in his throat as he steps forward to kiss your cheek, his hands falling onto your shoulders. When you step away, he takes in your outfit. Your legs are mostly bare, but you’re in a pair of shorts with an oversized grey t-shirt slouched on top of you. Tom’s eager eyes dip down, caressing your chest until they find the pointed tips of your nipples, straining against the fabric.

He clears his throat as he feels his cock prick to life.

“Morning, darling,” he manages, immediately turning around and facing the counter. He uses the smoothie as a pretence, but really he doesn’t want you to see the building bulge between his legs.

You seem to be oblivious, and Tom sucks in a breath as you step close. You place your chin on his shoulder and peer over it, comfortably leaning into him, and he swears he can feel your tits brushing up against his bare spine.

“Morning, Tom,” you greet, voice raspy and pure. “How’s your hangover?”

Tom chuckles, focusing very intently on ignoring the way your minty breath fans out across his cheek. You’ve got your arms wrapped loosely around him, hugging him easily and comfortably. He’d never complain that you’re at ease around him, but it doesn’t help his boner.

“Fine,” he responds, playing it cool. “I’m a pro at this, darling. Can’t remember the last time I had a hangover.”

You snort, and despite the loud volume, Tom thinks it’s a beautiful sound.

“You’re so fucking cocky,” you murmur, voice vibrating straight into his ear. “I feel like I’m going to die. Head’s killing me.”

Tom coos. He spends a moment violently mixing some green protein powder into the rest of his smoothie, then reaches up and rummages through a cupboard. When he procures a packet of painkillers, you release a deep sound of relief and finally step back.

“There you go, love,” he mutters. He makes sure to brush your hand with his as he passes it to you, smirking slightly when you jump. A lot of the time, Tom thinks his attraction to you is one-sided, but then something like this happens and casts doubt on that assessment. Neither of you has mentioned the night that you met, and sometimes he wonders if he should bring it up.

Tired and slightly delirious, Tom decides to test the waters. Just for fun, because he can, and because he likes the thought of making you flustered. He knows that his reputation precedes him and that you probably buy into the idea that he’s a flirt as much as everyone else does. If you respond badly, he’ll just blame it on his naturally charming disposition, and if Haz takes issue with it, well… Tom will just bring up the many red marks on his ledger.

“Thanks, Tom,” you say. He watches you rummage through a cupboard and pull out a glass, and his eyes follow your legs as you lean over the sink to get water and the hem of the shirt rides up.

“You know you’re fucking stunning, yeah?” Tom says before he can second-guess his plan.

You freeze, the waterline in your glass threatening to spill as you try to process his words. When you look back, there’s an expression of curious bewilderment on your face.

“What?”

Tom, his boner finally soft again, turns around to face you properly. He brings his arms over his chest, smirking wider as he watches you look at the curves of his biceps. He’s shirtless, and he knows the hours he’s spent in the yard doing weights with Haz shows in the firm definition of his abs and pecs. You seem to enjoy looking at him.

“You look hot.” Tom watches your face very carefully, not wanting to cross too many lines. “I bet Harrison told you that though, this morning.”

Something shifts on your face, and you bite your lip. “Well…”

“Well?”

“Harrison doesn’t say much in the mornings. Or, well, ever.” You pause, a deep line carving between your troubled brows. “He isn’t very vocal.”

Tom hums, stepping a little closer. “Harrison is good at a lot of things, but he has certain shortcomings.”

You lick your lower lip, and Tom’s gaze lingers on the glistening trail of your saliva.

“Like what?”

Tom makes a non-committal noise and pauses to take a sip of his smoothie.

“Well, you know. He’s very intense. He doesn’t always see what’s right in front of him.”

You raise an amused eyebrow. “Aren’t you supposed to be friends?”

“We are. He’s my best mate. But that doesn’t mean I can’t criticise him for acting carelessly.” Tom drops his voice, letting you see the way he checks you out. “I just think that he doesn’t appreciate how lucky he is sometimes.”

You turn away, breaking eye contact as you take your pills. As you hum a soft tune, you pick up the kettle and fill it up, only looking back to Tom when it’s been plugged in and starting to boil.

“Alright, I’ll bite,” you reply, voice curious. You step closer until you’re standing in front of Tom, your eyes again going to his bare chest. “What does Harrison have that you don’t think he appreciates enough?” The suggestive look in your eyes matches the seductive inflexion in your voice, and Tom feels a shiver pass down his spine.

He plays it off coolly, shrugging slightly. “I’m just saying, darling, that if I had the honour of waking up beside someone as beautiful as you, I wouldn’t let you out of my sights all morning.” Tom reaches out slowly, gently letting his fingers bridge the gap between you as he toys with the hem of your shirt. You move closer, subtly encouraging him to continue, so Tom lets his hands shift up to hold your waist, feeling your curious eyes on him the whole time. “What was he thinking, eh? Letting such a lovely lady leave his bed. Crazy.”

You chuckle, a bashful smile on your face as you gnaw your lower lip. “Well, he wanted tea.”

Tom hums. “And I think that that’s bullshit.” He pauses suddenly, eyebrows raising as he finally looks away from your face and finds his gaze sticking on an emblem branded to your big t-shirt. A deep chuckle vibrates through his chest. Of fucking course. “You know what this is, love?” he asks, tugging at your shirt. When you shake your head, he grins. “Boyfriend material.”

Your reaction is immediate: soft frown, arched brows, confused stare.

“Harrison is not my boyfriend,” you say.

Tom clicks his tongue. “Never said he was.” He rolls his hands up your sides, gently caressing your warm figure. Though he wants to run his palms higher to your chest, he stops himself. “This is my shirt, babe. Laundry gets them mixed up all the time, but it’s mine.”

Your lips part and you look between Tom and your shirt with horror in your eyes. “Oh, fuck,” you murmur. Immediately, your hands fly down to the hem. “Do you want me to take it off?”

He shakes his head. “Nah,” he says. “As much as I’m sure I’d like that, there are too many other people in here.” He feels jealous again just thinking about it.

You nod, pausing the movement after a second as your eyes narrow. “Wait, how do you even know? It’s just a plain t-shirt?”

“What, you think I’m making this up?” Tom’s smirking again, and it widens as you fluster. “‘S alright, love.” He reaches up and points at the emblem which marks an event from rush week last year. “Logo,” he states. “And… I think you’ll find if we take a look at the label on the back, it’s got my name on it.”

You let him manhandle you, melting back into his hold as Tom stands forward and turns you around. He brushes your hair out of the way and reaches up, gracing his fingers over your spine as he delicately pulls out the back label. You won’t be able to see it, but it fills him with smugness to see his initials stained stark against the label: TSH.

“Well… I’m sorry, anyway.” Your voice is hoarse, light and feathery as if you’re holding your breath. Tom lets his hand rest on your shoulder after he’s tucked the label back. He’d move away, but you’re leaning into him completely, your hands grasping at the palm that he has curled around your stomach. “I promise it won’t happen again.”

Tom leans down, and in a bold move, very gently kisses the base of your neck. Your skin is soft and warm beneath his lips, and the breathless gasp you release is just as sweet.

“It’s okay,” he rumbles. He pauses, eyes fluttering shut as he inhales your peachy scent. “Feel free to use it any time you’d like.”

Not wanting to push too hard, Tom leaves a final, wetter kiss to the bottom of your neck before moving back, unwrapping his arm from around your waist and repositioning his hands back on the counter. He leans against the wooden cabinets, wondering if you’d been able to feel his hard-on that’d peskily bounced back when he’d heard your whimper.

If you feel anything, you don’t say anything. In fact, you’re quiet as you step to the side and pour out the boiled water into two mugs. “Thanks,” you say, speaking through the steam. You glance back to Tom, and he swears your eyes are darker. “It’s soft.”

Tom sips his smoothie, eyeing you over the brim as you poke at a tea bag with a metal teaspoon.

“Fabric softener,” he says, nodding slightly. His brain is running slow, still caught up on how nice it’d felt to kiss your neck. “It suits you.”

You throw him another shy smile. “How does Haz take his tea again? No sugar, yeah?”

Tom bites his lip. “Wrong,” he lies. “Haz likes three sugars. Don’t be afraid to put in a little more, though.”

You eye him sceptically. “I don’t think that’s right.”

“He is my best friend, love,” Tom says. He hides his mischievous grin behind his smoothie, and he watches you roll your eyes. “Listen, if he’s got a problem with it, he can take it up with me or he can come and make his own cup of sodding tea. Lazy bastard.”

You snort, and Tom feels his stomach turn as he watches you spoon three teaspoons into Haz’s mug.

“Well, I’ll let you know what he says,” you mutter. Finally, you pick up the mugs in your hands and walk forward, pausing in front of Tom. Your eyes skim his figure again, briefly zeroing in on his chest before caressing the fine lines of his lips. “Thanks for keeping me company. This was fun.”

Tom nods and steps forward to kiss your cheek. He hopes you can feel how desperately he wants to press his lips to yours.

“Any time, darling,” he assures. “If you ever need anything, you know where I am, yeah?” He lets his teeth brush your earlobe as he pulls back slowly, smiling to himself when he sees you shiver.

“Yeah,” you murmur. You swallow deeply, and your eyes hold his gaze for one moment longer before you tear them away. “Have a nice morning, Tom.”

Tom watches you walk across the kitchen, almost stumbling when you get distracted trying to look over your shoulder back at him. He smirks, raising a few fingers in a lazy wave.

“See ya!” he calls back.

His blood doesn’t stop pumping until you’re all the way out of sight, and even after that, he knows the only way he’ll be able to properly shake you is by attending to his hard-on. Again.

You’re like a shadow that won’t stop chasing him.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

The party is in full swing, and Tom feels like a king.

There are several benefits to parading the title of president of the frat. Tom gets the largest room in the house, along with an ensuite. He’s able to prioritise himself on the gym schedule and the cleaning rota. Every party, he’s looked up to, treated like royalty, his every wish and command carried out by his brothers. If he doesn’t like a song, it’s changed. All it takes is one arched brow in the direction of a partygoer, and they’re ejected from the house. The beer is his favourite make, and everyone loves him.

Tom has the whole world in his hands, which is why it’s incredibly infuriating that his kingdom tonight isn’t ordered how he’d like it.

It’s two months into the semester, and the buzz that’d characterised earlier parties has faded. Finals are coming up soon, so maybe that’s why Tom feels unsettled. Or, maybe it’s the fact that the music isn’t hitting quite as well as usual. It could be that he hasn’t tied his shoes as tightly as he normally does, or maybe that the vibe within the house is just...off.

But Tom knows exactly what the problem is if he brings himself to think about it. He’s tried drowning his ugly feelings in cheap beer, but there’s no denying it: his mood had taken a significant plummet when he’d glanced across the room and seen Harrison with his hands all over you, your lips locked together. The shard of jealousy that had lodged itself in the warm precipice of his heart is unshakeable, and there’s a horrible bitter taste on his tongue.

Tom is so fucking jealous that he’s about two seconds away from pointing at the couple and getting someone to kick you out.

“Bro. Bro. The fuck is wrong with you, man?”

It’s probably a good thing that Tom’s been interrupted, as he’s fairly sure there’s enough poison in his gaze to burn off a large patch of Harrison’s hair. He shakes a grimace over his lips as he looks to the side, eyes falling to his friend, Jacob. Jacob’s in a loose Hawaiian shirt, the red and white pattern glowing under the luminescence of the UV lights.

“What?” Tom says, playing it cool. He takes another drink, shuddering slightly as he lets the alcohol ease him.

“You look like you want to beat someone up.” Jacob squints, trying to look in the direction that Tom knows he’d been staring in. “I only see Haz. Are you guys, like… Good?”

Tom releases a short bark. “‘Course, man,” he says, voice lifting lighter. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

Jacob scoffs. It’s loud in the crowded living room, but Tom can feel the undertones. “Uh, we all know about the bet. We all also know that you’d had your eyes on Y/N before Haz pulled her.” He pauses, wiggling his brows until Tom punches his arm and scowls. “I’m just sayin’... Seems like you have some unresolved shit going on.”

Tom doesn’t deem him with a response, not knowing where to start with that. It’s Saturday night. The last thing he wants to do is talk about this. He already drives himself mad every other day of the week as he ponders this particular puzzle.

“We need to get the energy up,” Tom mutters. He spins around, beckoning over a few of his friends with his hands. Someone gives him a shot, and he downs it before looking back at Jacob. “We’ll do a game or something. Get people. We’ll do it on the patio.”

Ten minutes later, there’s an assembly of partygoers on the terrace at the back of the house. It’s a mix of sorority girls, jocks, and fratbros, but Tom doesn’t pay them much attention as he claims his spot on a rickety canvas camping chair and sits back. He lets Jacob take the lead, doing another two shots when he sees you and Haz join the circle.

You’re in a black dress tonight, the material skimming just above your knees. As you walk out onto the patio, the midnight breeze swishes the hem up a little, and Tom watches as you giggle and drop Haz’s hand to smooth it down. Harrison presses an easy kiss to your cheek, and the smile on your face builds. It freezes when you spot Tom, your eyes darkening as your teeth dig into the pink flesh of your lower lip. Tom raises a brow, watching you stand a little straighter as your gaze runs over his form, lingering on the golden chain he’d pulled on earlier.

The spell breaks when Harrison sits on a chair and tugs you down with him, an expression of irritation briefly souring your angelic face before you smooth it back. Tom doesn’t look away until Jacob starts to speak.

“Spin the bottle,” Jacob announces, looking around at each person. There are a few groans, but they’re drowned out by the cheers. Tom just rolls his eyes, sitting back and briefly surveying the circle. He’s pretty sure he’s pulled at least five of the girls already, and the rest of them seem fine, too. Obviously, there’s only one person he’d want the spin to land on, but he’s already accepted that the universe isn’t on his side when it comes to you.

A few rounds pass. Tom isn’t really paying attention until the neck of the bottle lands on him and he has to kiss a girl from his psychology class. It’s a quick kiss, and her lip gloss makes his mouth tingle, but Tom only realises how hammered he is when he has to sit up from his chair and lean over to spin the bottle.

Tom looks around the circle as his fingers ponder the glass, grasping the attention of the group like he’s holding court. He looks at you and finds you looking at him, your lower lip held between your teeth as Harrison rubs your arm. Haz has you in his lap, your legs thrown across his thighs as you sit on him sideways. Harrison’s blond curls rest up against the side of your face, and Tom has to look away as he grimaces.

The bottle spins. It clatters quickly over the paving stone, hurtling with an angry force that Tom hadn’t entirely intended to use. He holds his breath, his eyes widening as it stops. Pointing at you.

“Looks like that’s Y/N,” Jacob announces.

Tom sits back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he looks at Harrison. His mate’s eyes have lost their charm, a deep frown settled on his face. Tom thinks he looks exactly like the tough-faced models from Vogue with that mardy scowl on his face. He raises a brow, as if to say, up to you, and watches as you turn in Harrison’s lap and whisper something into his ear.

A moment passes, and Tom’s surprised when Haz nods and pushes you up from his lap. He meets Tom’s eyes, giving him another smaller nod, and Tom sits back, pleasantly resigned to the fact that Harrison isn’t going to ruin the game.

“Hi,” you greet as you approach him, smiling.

Tom reaches out, offering you his hands as you finish treading over the collection of limbs and shoes that crowd the patio. Your fingers are so soft in his.

“Hi, darling,” he responds. Tom feels hot, everywhere, and he hopes his cheeks aren’t as red as they feel. “You look stunning,” he adds, voice quieter.

“Thanks.”

You hesitate, eyeing him up and down as if trying to assess the best way to kiss him. The girl he’d just kissed had bent over to press her lips to his, and as Tom remembers this, he drops one of your hands and reaches up and wipes his mouth again, trying to eradicate all traces of her lips. When he’s achieved this, he tentatively reaches up and presses the palm to your waist. Respectfully, of course. There are a lot of people watching.

You seem to be less reluctant to indulge, and Tom feels his eyes widen as you step forward and sink into his lap, your knees bending as you press your shins into the canvas of the camping chair on either side of Tom’s thighs. Suddenly your face is hanging in front of his, warm breath coming out over his face, and Tom has just enough time to wonder why your breath smells of pineapples before you’re leaning in.

He kisses you, and for a few seconds, he’s frozen. Everything that he’s learnt at the frat and over the course of his college life goes flying out the window, and he’s left feeling like a kid again. The background noise filters out, and all he can focus on is the weight of your body pressing into his legs and the feeling of your lips, soft and silky, moving over his. When you reach up to weave a hand into his hair, he comes back around, the roar of the party filling his ears as an adrenaline rush floods his chest.

Tom knows this will probably be his only chance to kiss you, so he leaves nothing behind. He brings both hands to your waist, urging you closer as he recovers his charm and kisses you properly. His tongue works into your open mouth, pressing against you and exploring the sweet space of your lips as you moan into him. He feels your fingers drift down, one of your hands staying bedded in his curls as the other plays with his chain. Never before has Tom felt so consumed by a kiss, and if the circumstances were different, he wouldn’t hesitate to reach around and grab handfuls of your skin, wouldn’t hold back his kisses, or his moans, or his coos of praising endearment. He’d give you everything.

When you pull back, your nose brushes up against his, and it feels like the two of you are the only ones in the world.

“How was that?” you ask, voice quiet. There’s a shyness to your disposition, a nervousness as you meet his eyes.

Tom reaches up, holding your cheek and brushing his thumb across your chin. He tidies up your smudged lipstick as he squeezes your waist.

“Perfect,” he replies, voice low. He can feel Harrison staring at him, but he doesn’t give a fuck. “You’re… You’re incredible, darling.”

You sit a little taller, looking proud of yourself. “Well, now I understand what all the hype is about,” you mutter. “You’re a good kisser. A really good kisser.” You pause as a shiver works its way down your spine, and Tom glances at your bare arms.

“Here,” he mutters. When you stand from his lap, he’s glad his jeans have some wiggle room so his raging boner is less obvious. Tom’s quick to shrug off his jacket, and he passes it up to you without a second thought. “Don’t freeze,” he says, wagging a finger at you.

“Tom, I couldn’t—”

“Yeah, you can.”

You bite your lip. “Won’t you be cold?”

Tom just flexes his biceps, smirking again as he sees you checking out his muscles. “Got these bad boys to keep me warm,” he teases, pointing at his guns. He softens, just for a moment. “It’s fine. Said you could always use my stuff, didn’t I?”

You look flustered, opening and then immediately closing your mouth before turning around and making your way back over to Harrison. Tom sits back in his chair, trying halfheartedly to suppress the smirk that continues to hold his lips as he admires how nice his jacket looks draped loosely across your shoulders. You always wear his clothes so well.

Tom looks at Jacob, who shakes his head in response. Then he looks at Harrison, and he can’t stop himself from laughing. Harrison’s a shade of salmon pink, and it only softens out a little bit when you settle back into his lap and kiss his cheek. Tom watches Harrison flip him off then pull you closer and kiss you harshly, and messily. You don’t seem as into it as you’d been with Tom, he realises. You’re holding back, grimacing slightly as Harrison pulls back a triumphant moment later.

The game concludes a while later, but Tom stays out on the patio, feeling dizzier by the second. The camping chair is comfortable, and the chill in the air helps him feel soberer. Whilst Tom doesn’t regret the multiple cups of beer and several shots, he does consider that he might’ve gone a little too far in his efforts to forget about you.

You’re gone, now. Out of sight, back in the party. Tom’s making light conversation with a few of the guys still left in the circle, but they clear out when a shadowy presence falls across the patio. It doesn’t take long for Tom to realise it’s Harrison, and he tries his best to sit up straight and look less smug as Harrison drags a chair over and places it opposite Tom.

Harrison stares at him, hard. He’s in a matching snapback and a loose white t-shirt, his ring glinting as he crosses his fingers and examines Tom’s face.

“So…” Tom starts, disliking how charged the air is. “Y’alright, Haz?”

“Shut the fuck up, Tom,” Harrison says instead. When Tom pulls a face, he sharpens his gaze. “What’s wrong with you?”

Tom chuckles. He’s feeling drunk and annoying. “Well, that’s a bit of an unspecific question, Harrison. There are many things that you might say are wrong with me—”

“You know what I’m talking about.” Harrison breaks off, sighing loudly as he flops back in his chair and runs a hand through his hair. He looks smaller, nervous. “Do you have a thing for my girl?”

Instinctively, Tom shakes his head. “Y/N?” he says dumbly. When Harrison nods, Tom hums. “Is she your girl?”

Harrison flounders for a moment. “I mean… Technically no, but we’ve been hooking up for two months.” He pauses, grimacing. “Look, mate. I know I fucked it when we met her. I knew you wanted her, and I still took on the bet. But I really fucking like her now, and… And…”

“And?”

“If you decide that you want her, you’ll get her. You always do.” Harrison grumbles as he crosses his arms. “Can I not have one thing? Just one.”

“You do know that Y/N is perfectly capable of making her own decisions, yeah?” Tom says, only slurring slightly.

“Oh, yeah. Of course, of course.” Harrison’s bobbing his head almost comically. “But still… Do you know what I mean?”

Tom closes his eyes for a few moments, the patio spinning. He speaks through gritted teeth. “Haz, I love you, man. You know what I’m like. I’m a flirt.” He cracks open an eye and gives Harrison a dopey smile, and the next words he speaks are the truth. “I wouldn’t seriously try to steal your girl, alright? I wouldn’t sleep with her if you guys have a thing. We were just playing the game.”

Harrison releases a deep breath. “Thanks, man, I—”

“Wait.” Tom feels bolder. “You do need to tell her, though.”

“Tell her what?”

Tom narrows his eyes. “You know what,” he says, speaking to a very sheepish-looking Harrison. “She’d want to know that your relationship is built from a bet. If you… If you seriously think that you’re g’nna have a fucking relationship with her, she needs honesty.” Just the thought of you and Harrison going official makes him feel sick.

“No way.” Harrison’s curls go flying as he shakes his head. “Fuck that. Are you mad? She’d break it off.”

Tom grimaces and looks away from Harrison. “I’m just saying,” he mutters. “You shouldn’t lie to the people you care about.”

It’s rich coming from him, but Tom knows that nothing he’s said has been a lie. He won’t sleep with you if you’re still with Haz. Maybe he’d try to break you both up, but he wouldn’t purposefully sleep with someone in a relationship. Logistically, he doesn’t think he’d be able to, even if he wanted to, because despite the tantalising banter he’s able to carry out with you, you’re a good person. You’d never cheat on Harrison.

“Yeah.” Harrison looks guilty now. “I guess.” His eyes shift away from Tom, falling to someone else. Tom startles when he feels two hands come down to rest on his shoulders, and glances down, only relaxing when he recognises the silver rings curled around your fingers.

As if a deity, you’ve appeared, just when Tom was thinking about you. He wonders if it’ll always work like this.

“Hi,” you greet, looking first to Harrison, then Tom. “What are you guys talking about?”

You’re standing behind his chair, perfume light and peachy. When Tom cranes his head back, your perfect face blurs.

“Nothin’,” he murmurs, a sleepy grin on his lips.

You chuckle. “How drunk are you right now?” you ask.

Tom makes a non-committal sound. “I don’t want to stand up and find out,” he admits. “So I’m just going to stay here until I get sober.”

“What if it rains?”

“Well, I guess I’ll get wet.” He reaches back and grabs lightly at his jacket, still covering your upper half. “Some thief ran off with my jacket.”

You snort, then pat his shoulders before walking around to the front of his chair. You offer him your hands, and Tom takes them easily.

“Babe?” Harrison pipes up. “What are you doing?”

With ease, you help Tom up from the chair. He fakes it a little, exaggerating just how woozy he is so that you have to wrap your arms around his waist. He hides his mischievous smirk in the crook of your neck, suppressing his guilt. He wasn’t lying to Harrison—he will stay in his lane. But old habits die hard, and you’re very warm, and he’s very drunk, especially with the blood rushing to his head.

“Putting him to bed,” you respond. “He’s tired.”

Suddenly, Tom finds himself yawning. He leans into you, pouting softly at Harrison as he tries to look as exhausted as possible. He’s always been a convincing actor, and his friend buys it completely.

“Alright,” Harrison says. “Do you need help?”

You shake your head. “Nah,” you respond. “I’ll be fine.” You squeeze Tom’s waist. “He’s just a big teddy bear.”

Tom doesn’t think he likes that (if anything, he’s a lion), but it seems to ease Harrison. The man presses forward, kissing your cheek before giving Tom a firm pat on his shoulder.

“Right, then,” he says. “I’ll be inside.” Harrison glances at Tom, reluctance filling his blue eyes before fading slowly. “Sweet dreams, bro.”

“Thanks, Hazzy.”

“Don’t ever fucking call me that again.”

Tom’s still chuckling as you lead him back inside, and he knows that you’re trying not to giggle too.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Tom already knows that you’re cute, but as you help him up the staircase and get him ready for bed, your adorableness really comes through.

“Drink this,” you announce, walking back into his bedroom with a glass of water in your hands. Tom admires the way that you walk, glad he’s already in bed and hiding beneath the covers. Your hair is a little wild, and he knows that’s probably his fault—Tom’s cheeky, and he’s especially persistent when he’s hammered, and he might’ve been a bit mischievous in the bathroom when you’d tried to convince him to brush his teeth, refusing until you’d had to physically push the brush into his mouth. You’d rolled your eyes, and he’d been distracted by watching you in the mirror.

“What is it?” he asks annoyingly. Now Tom is almost naked, clad only in his boxers, and he does a deliberately long stretch of his arms above his head, smirking as the duvet falls down to expose his toned torso.

You roll your eyes again as you sit on the edge of his bed, pushing the glass into his hands. “Water,” you supply. You stare at him, raising a brow. “Probably won’t help with the hangover, but I feel like I need to try.”

Tom takes a few sips, looking at you over the rim of the glass. You look tired, up close. Still glowing, and beautiful, and gorgeous, but tired. Your lipstick is faded, and he can see the shadows of your dark circles peeking through your makeup.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

You glance at him, chuckling shortly before looking down at your hands. You play around with a few of your rings, sighing.

“Just tired,” you respond. You manage a forced smile. “Doesn’t matter.”

He frowns. “It does.” Tom obediently downs the entire glass, wanting to coax a smile to your face. “Why’d you come out if you’re tired?”

“Haz wanted me to.” You bring your eyes back to Tom. “I wanted to come and support you, too.”

Tom blinks. “Me?”

“Yeah.”

“Aww.”

You scrunch up the end of your nose as you stand from his bed, smoothing down your dress with your hands. “Well, I do care about you, Tom. I know there’s a lot of pressure on you to make the parties good.”

Warmth bursts through Tom’s chest. “That’s so cute,” he mutters. He looks up at you, the light being cast from the ceiling light cascading over your shoulders like a halo. “You’re cute.”

“And you’re plastered,” you respond, smiling. You walk closer, running a hand over the top of the duvet until you reach Tom. When you’re standing up by his head, you tentatively reach down to push his shoulders. “Lie down,” you coax. “Bedtime.”

Tom sinks into his mattress with ease, smiling when you gently pick up his head and plump the pillows. You reach down and pull the duvet up to his chin, tucking it in around his chest firmly, your tongue held between your teeth as you go. You’re very attentive, and the sight of you looking after him so well doesn’t help his predicament at all.

“Thanks, darling,” Tom murmurs. He sighs contentedly. “So comfy,” he whines. “Why don’t you stay with me if you’re tired?” He cracks open an eye just in time to see the expression of shock on your face fade to one of amusement.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” you respond. “Can you imagine how confused you’d be waking up in the morning?”

“Would be a good kind of confusion, though.” Tom rounds out his eyes, trying to look as soft and unassuming as possible. “I’m a great bed partner, babe. I won’t kick you. I’ll give you space. Or, if you want, I’ll cuddle you. I’m great at cuddling people.”

You just laugh, your face vibrant and light. “You’re so funny,” you say. “I wonder if you’ll remember this tomorrow.”

Tom scowls, grumpily snuggling further into bed. “I invite a pretty girl into my bed and she rejects me,” he grumbles. “Your loss, baby.”

“You sound more and more like a fratboy every time we speak.” You stand back, crossing your arms over your chest as you look him up and down. “Right. I left painkillers on the side, and there’s more water too. Sweet dreams, Tom.”

You turn to leave, but Tom makes a noise of objection. You pause, raising a brow in question.

“Goodnight kiss,” Tom begs. “Please?”

You laugh again but step back towards him. You bend over, necklace dangling in Tom’s face as your hands smooth up to rest in his hair. He’s overwhelmed by the scent of your perfume and the close proximity, and for a moment, he thinks you’re going to imitate the breathtaking kiss from earlier. But then you move up. You kiss his forehead, gently, stroking a few strands of his hair as your lips linger against his skin for a moment longer than necessary. When you pull back, Tom has a dumb expression on his face, and he’s glad that you follow up the kiss by turning off his lamp.

“Night, Tom,” you say, walking across the room. There’s a single shard of light, peeking into his room through the open door, and it illuminates your silhouette as you pause there.

“Night, Y/N,” he responds, voice slightly thick.

You gently close the door behind you and leave Tom alone, with nothing but his thoughts and his fantasies to entertain him. He grumbles as he turns over, a very prominent and selfish thought pushing to the front of his mind:

Tom loves Harrison, but he’s fed up. He can’t carry on like this, yearning incessantly. He doesn’t want to stay in his lane, he wants you to be his girl. Desperately.

Tom has to do something. He has to make you his.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

You think that whoever scheduled Intro to International Business for 9am on a Monday hates all college students.

It’s dreary as you make the hungover trek to campus. The ache in the front of your skull rattles with each sombre step, and you never get used to the chill of November’s dark mornings despite having plenty of experience with them now. You’re bundled up in a hoodie, a jacket, and a scarf, yet the flecks of grey raindrops still manage to soak you. By the time you reach the lecture theatre, you’re grouchy and regretting ever leaving your bed.

At the time, going to the frat party the night before had seemed like a great idea—Harrison hadn’t stopped blowing up your phone about it all weekend, and you’d felt compelled to keep him company. There were other factors that made you eager to go, too.

It’s all a blur now. Spin the bottle, disrupting Harrison’s tense conversation with Tom, taking the latter upstairs. You think about the sight of Tom bundled up in bed, duvet pulled to his pouting lips, and your entire body bursts into flame, rippling with an unrestrained desire that makes you feel guilty for just existing. You’d been so affected by the events of the night before that you’d had to go home, too overwhelmed to stay with Harrison in the room beside Tom’s.

Most of the seats around you are empty. You’re early despite rolling out of bed after sleeping through your first alarm. As you settle into the back of the theatre, you begrudgingly pull out a pad of paper and a pen, wishing you’d thought to bring sunglasses. This is the class that you supposedly share with Tom and Harrison—also business majors—yet they’ve never made an appearance beyond a half-assed attempt in the first week. Sometimes you wonder how they’re both able to pass a class they never show face in.

“Fuckin’ hell, love. Who the fuck scheduled this so early? They’re taking the piss.”

You startle as a grouchy voice enters your space, and your eyes snap up just in time to see a dark figure drop down into the open seat beside you. The deep navy blue hoodie is pulled above his head, and he immediately crosses his arms, but you know without a doubt who it is.

“Tom?” you ask, voice full of shock. You sit forward, reaching out to place a hand on his arm as you peer at him. When you meet his pale face and see the thick sunglasses covering his eyes, your eyebrows raise. “Since when do you come to class?”

Tom clicks his tongue, lips curving into a smirk. It’s a little disconcerting that you can’t see his eyes, but you can tell they’re dark and seductive. They always are.

“What d’you mean?” he teases. “I’m always here.”

“As if.”

He shrugs and breaks off for a moment to yawn. “Thought I should start being a good student, ‘n all,” he mutters. “Finals next month, and everything.”

“And how’s your hangover?”

Tom pulls a face. All of a sudden, he leans over, rummaging through his bag with loud actions until he procures a bottle of water and a bag of mixed nuts. When he sits back up, he pushes down his hood and jerks off his sunglasses, exposing the damage. You wince as you take in the deep bags beneath his eyes and the way his brown irises are marred with red. He still manages to smile, though, and after ripping open his snack, crunches a couple in quick succession.

“I’ll be fine,” he says. “I don’t get hungover, but if I do, it clears pretty fast. I’m built differently.”

You snort. “Yeah right,” you mutter. You find yourself looking at his lips, and briefly, you’re transported to how incredible they felt last night when you’d straddled him and kissed him. Quick to shake that off, you find yourself blinking as you stare at him. “You were trashed last night. I had to take you to bed. Do you remember?”

Tom gives a hapless shrug, not quite looking into your eyes. You wonder, not for the first time, what thoughts are running through his mind. He confuses you immensely.

The night you’d met, you’d been convinced you’d end up sleeping with him. He’d swaggered over to you, dripping charm, looking incredibly hot in an all-black ensemble, chain, and cap, then he’d kissed your forehead and promised to see you later. Just, you hadn’t seen him later—instead, his friends had not-so-subtly set you up with Harrison as Tom had stood across the room, watching. A part of you had felt side-lined by him, but Harrison is attractive, so you’d jumped on him the moment you could.

Harrison is nice. He’s kind. Dependable. He’s the kind of boy that you could easily take home to your mother and hear nothing but kind words about. He isn’t always the most attentive, but he’s funny, and he cares for you, so it’s fine.

Tom is… Tom is an entirely different ballpark. There are no words to describe Tom Holland. You’d thought you knew enough about him before meeting him at the party, but the man you’ve come to know since doesn’t match up to the reputation that surrounds him. Tom is cheeky—it’s obvious in his flirtatious jokes, and his lingering touches, and his habit of kissing your cheek every single time he sees you. He’s funny too, but his sense of humour isn’t mean or callous like most of the lads in his house. Beneath the hardy exterior lies someone who genuinely cares, and looks out for the people he loves.

He makes you feel alive, each one of your cells burning and sizzling every time he’s around. Tom makes you feel the pounding rhythm of your heartbeat everywhere—in your ears, in your chest, between your legs. He gives you everything, whilst giving you nothing at all. It’s entirely perplexing.

You need to stop comparing them. It’s not a competition. You’re seeing Harrison, and Tom has no genuine interest in you. You’re friends, and he’s flirty, but that’s it. You’re friends, and you shared the best kiss of your life last night, but that doesn’t mean a thing. It doesn’t matter that Tom fires you up the right way, because it’s one-sided, and you’re with Haz.

Tom ignores your question about the night before and instead tips his bag of nuts towards you.

“Care for a nut?”

You snort as you pick out a cashew, crunching it softly as he watches. Tom’s deep brown eyes linger on your lower lip as you slowly lick the salt from it.

“Delicious,” you say, earning a loud cackle from your companion.

“Dirty girl,” he mutters, grinning wickedly.

“No, you just have your mind in the gutter. Not everything has to be an innuendo, Tom.”

“Wrong. Everything can be and is an innuendo if you try hard enough. You should know this by now, darling. You’ve spent enough time with me.”

“Maybe, but not all of us share your immature sense of humour, Tom.”

He gasps, eyebrows sliding up his forehead in mock shock. “Are you calling me a child?”

“Childish,” you clarify, smirking as he shoots daggers at you. “You’re such a boy.”

Tom sits back, blinking a few times in quick succession before clearing his throat. His eyes seem to darken as he leans in closer, bringing a hand up to rest on your shoulder. His fingers are warm as he pushes the hair from your face and gently tucks it behind your ear, leaning across the seat until he’s able to whisper gently.

“I am not a boy,” he coos, voice soft. “I’ve just never broken out the proper charm on you, darling.”

Your throat runs dry as his hot breath fans out across the side of your face, minty fresh.

“And what is this proper charm?”

Tom opens his mouth to speak, but it fades a moment later. He pulls back, appearing to lose his cool last minute as his cheeks flush.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he mutters instead. He shifts around in his seat, looking back at you for a split-second before glancing away. Tom’s reluctant to meet your eyes, and you watch, confused, as he chugs about half his bottle of water before pulling off his hoodie. He’s still flushed—face warmer and more alive than it’s been all morning.

Your brows furrow as you look at Tom’s shirt. “Hey, is that the one I borrowed the other week?” you ask, speaking before you have time to process the words.

Tom chuckles, regaining his charm as he throws his hoodie on top of his bag and turns to face you, a hand lodging in his hair. It’s longer than it’d been at the start of the semester, a few strands dangling over his forehead.

“Yeah,” he agrees. “Smells of you.” Something crosses over Tom’s face, and he flashes you the tips of his pearly teeth as he smirks. “Smells of us, darling.”

Your reaction is immediate and uncontrollable. A hot flush, moving through your entire body, forming in your centre and rolling across your figure from the inside out. You hope that you can play it off by pulling your notebook into your lap. The back of your mouth is dry, but you manage a weak, quipping response of, “you should wash that,” before you spiral too far.

It’s in the small things. His comments. His lingering touches. His smirks. Tom drives you crazy.

The lecture starts, but you don’t pay it much attention. Instead, you stay huddled up in the back with Tom, killing time as he shows you a collection of photos from the night before. After flicking through the snapshots from a very blurry night, Tom moves on to a different folder in his phone, nimble fingers swiping across the screen and showing off some of his favourite memes. You end up almost crying from laughter, clutching to his arm as you bend over in your seat and try to pass by undetected by the notoriously strict professor. Tom’s hand soothes over your back, and you briefly wonder if you should dissolve into laughter more often just so he can bring you back down.

When the class finishes, Tom throws his arm across your shoulders and walks you across campus. It’s only when you’re halfway towards the car park that you realise where he’s taking you.

“Wait— I can walk back home.”

“Nah. It’s fine.”

“It’s out of the way, though.”

Tom squeezes your side. “‘S alright. You’re my best mate’s girl. ‘Least I can do.” He pauses, apparently oblivious to the sour expression you pull in response to those words. “Plus, you looked after me last night, so… I kinda owe you.”

Deciding to just accept it, you hum in agreement. “Okay. Thank you.”

“No problem, love.”

He’s very warm and his cologne smells like a forest breeze. You enjoy strolling across campus with him, especially when he kisses your temple as you separate at his car. It’s a battered old thing, and you’ve been in it a few times before. You’re fairly sure that Haz owns it too, but the way Tom settles into the driver’s seat and keys the ignition makes him look like the proper owner. Tom commands any space he inhabits with poise and elegance.

“You’re out near Sarah, aren’t you?” Tom asks as he jerkily reverses from his parking space.

“Yeah.”

“Nice area,” he comments, which makes you laugh. Tom glances at you, raising a brow. “What?”

“Small talk?”

“Mmm. Well, is there anything else you’d like to talk about, sweetheart?”

Sweetheart. Fuck, you can’t handle the way that sounds dripping from his lips.

“Nope.” You stretch your hands out in front of you, yawning. “Too hungover to think.”

“Fair enough.” Tom drums his fingers over the wheel, and you find yourself watching the lines of his slender digits. He has very pretty hands. “Good party though, eh?”

“Oh yeah. Crazy. Did you have fun?”

Tom releases a noise of reluctant agreement. “It was alright. Not the most successful night for me.” He risks a brief glance at you, chuckling. “Isn’t really the best look to get escorted to bed.” You aren’t sure if you should feel guilty for that, but Tom’s quick to add, “not that I don’t appreciate it. I do. I just shouldn’t have been so eager.”

“Why were you?” you ask. “It seemed like you were trying really hard to get drunk. Did something happen?”

Tom cackles, the sound so loud and quivering so precisely that it makes you jump. “God, if you only knew…”

“Eh?”

“Nothing. It was nothing.”

You’re intrigued now. “What?” you press, reaching across the console to pat his thigh. You’re over halfway back to yours now, and like a bloodhound, you want to know answers. “Was it a girl? I’ve not seen you with anyone since… Well, ever.” You furrow your brows. “Did someone reject you?”

Tom’s face clouds over immediately, and you shift uncomfortably in your seat as you watch his jaw set into a hard line.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he snaps, his easy demeanour gone.

“Woah,” you mutter. “Sorry.”

Tom cards a frustrated hand through his hair, his eyes glinting dark. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no. I was not rejected.” The way his voice quivers makes it sound like a lie.

You pull a face as you cross your arms over your chest, your hangover exacerbating your rapidly falling mood.

“Aren’t we friends?” you ask.

He sucks in a fast breath. “Yep,” he replies, speaking through tight lips.

Something has changed. It’s as if you’ve crossed an invisible boundary that you hadn’t seen, tripped a trick wire only visible to him. The air between you is thick, and Tom doesn’t say another word until he’s turned down your street and pulled into a space outside your house.

“Well… Thanks, I guess,” you mutter. You reach into the footwell and pull up your bag, your eyebrows furrowed as you turn back to face him. For a few moments you bounce between jumping out of the car or staying, but you hate leaving things tense like this. Not with him. “Are we… good?”

Tom turns off the engine. For a moment he stares at his hands on the steering wheel, but then he brings his gaze up to you. His eyes are sad and raw, and it makes your heart hurt.

“We’re fine, Y/N,” he says, voice softer. “Sorry. It’s the, uh… The hangover. Makin’ me act like a twat. I’m sorry.”

You release a sigh of relief. “It’s okay, Tom.” A light chuckle slips by your lips. “I was worried I pissed you off for a moment there.”

Tom’s smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “You? Never, darling.” He drums his hands over his thighs, and you remember the circumstances.

“Oh, sorry. I’ll get out of your hair,” you say. You hasten to undo your seatbelt and reach towards the car door, only to pause when Tom reaches out suddenly to touch your arm. “Yeah?”

“I, uh…” Tom’s close, leaning over the console. Your eyes drift over the freckles of his face, and you get distracted by how warm his brown orbs are, like glinting pools of honey. “I really am sorry,” he adds. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

You tilt your head to the side. “It’s fine.” You glance down to where he’s softly caressing your arm, his eyes fixed firmly on your skin. His hand feels nice. Soothing. He soothes you. He always does. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Tom nods. “Yeah. I’m great.”

You don’t quite believe him, but you’re willing to accept that the hangover has knocked him.

“Well, thank you,” you say. You turn back to face him. “For the lift. And the nuts.”

Tom finally smiles again, and the sight makes your heart soar. “No worries, babe,” he says. He winks. “Any time.”

You lean over the console and kiss his cheek, your mouth hitting a spot of skin closer to his lips than the side of his face. If Tom notices how flustered it makes you, he doesn’t say a thing. You’re still shaking as you pull your bag over your back and hobble from the car, shouting back a tight, “bye!”

Tom raises his hand through the open window and winks again as he pulls away from the curb, leaving your body throbbing persistently and your heart more confused than it’s ever been.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Two weeks pass. You don’t see Harrison much, but Tom continues to come to class. Life goes on, nothing unchanged, and finals come and go with ease. Before you know it, it’s the final mixer of the semester.

Harrison’s going to miss it. He tells you as much when you turn up at the frat two hours before kickoff to find him stuffing shirts into a bag. He looks guilty as you walk into his room, question written all over your face.

“You remember Rory, yeah? From UPenn? He invited me to their party. Apparently, they’ve got Travis Scott. It’s gonna be lit, so… I’m going.”

“Overnight?” you ask, looking at his heavy bag. Harrison nods, running a hand through his hair.

“Yeah. Sorry… I probably should’ve told you.”

You roll your eyes. “Yeah.” You glance down at your hands and swallow the irritation that festers in your chest. Harrison has never been great at communication. Throughout the duration of your arrangement—whether you’re just dating, or just hooking up—he’s kept his cards close to his chest. He confuses you.

When you’d first spent the night with him, Harrison had acted like he’d wanted something more with you. You’d been on a few dates, he’d brought your flowers, the works. But with time, it’s as if he’s tired of you. The spark has slipped away, and if he wasn’t on his way across state, you’d sit him down and have a discussion about the direction of your entanglement. But he is, and you have no time, so you display your irritation by crossing your arms.

“I’m sorry,” he adds. He finishes zipping up his bag and throws it over his shoulders before stepping towards you. With warm hands, he cups your cheeks and brings you in for a deep, passionate kiss. “You can always come if you want.”

You grimace as you shake your head. “I told Tom I’d help him here,” you say. “It’s fine. Just… Have fun, alright?”

A shadow of jealousy briefly flitters across Harrison’s face, but it’s quick to smooth away when he clears his throat. “‘Course,” he says. He takes your hand and leads you from his room. “What are you guys doing?”

“Hm?”

“Tom. What are you doing with him?”

“Oh. Just hanging up banners, and stuff. He wanted me to help him with the drinks too.”

“Nice.”

The air between you is stale, and you’re glad when Harrison pulls you down the corridor and pauses outside Tom’s room. There’s loud music coming from the room, so Harrison has to rap loudly several times, an act that makes you cringe.

“Come in!” yells Tom. Harrison does just that, pulling you in after him with a firm grip. “Oh, hey guys?”

You instantly wrench your hand from Harrison’s, not wanting him to feel your palm grow hot as your eyes fall onto Tom. You’ve caught him mid-workout, perched on the edge of his bed, shirtless and doing curls with a hand weight. There’s a healthy red flush to his face, and his bicep bulges as he flexes with the weight. All across his chest are lines of thick muscle, and you find yourself staring.

“Hey, dude,” Harrison says. “I’m just on my way out.” He turns to look at you, an easy smile on his face. “Y/N told me you guys have plans tonight, so… I guess, I’m just wondering. Can you keep an eye on her? Look after my girl, y’know?” He pauses to chew on his lip, guilt at leaving reflected in his eyes. “Make sure she’s okay, ‘n all that.”

Tom stands from the bed, tossing the weight onto the mattress with ease before approaching you, smirking. “‘Course, Haz.” He wraps a very hot, slightly sweaty arm around you and pulls you into his side. “I’ll take care of her.” Tom glances at you, shrugging softly. “Take care of you,” he adds.

You don’t know what kind of dangers you might face tonight that warrant a personal guard, but you don’t think you mind it if your attendant is Tom. He’s hot and sweaty and he smells of man, but you burn for him.

“Thanks,” you respond, slightly breathless.

Harrison looks between you both, then shrugs. “Great.” He steps forward and briefly touches his lips to you. Tom freezes, holding you tighter in his arms the moment Harrison kisses you, and that action makes you feel perplexed. “Have a good time, guys.”

“You too, Haz,” Tom responds. You echo similar sentiments.

When the door closes behind Harrison, Tom doesn’t move. He simply holds you tighter, then drops his mouth down and presses a light kiss to the base of your neck. Your choked whimper travels into the air, and you flush as he steps away.

“We will have fun tonight, won’t we, Y/N?” he teases. His eyes are dark as they briefly skitter across your figure. After a moment, Tom walks across the room and picks up a towel and a fresh set of clothes. Tom pauses in front of you, tilting his head as he looks at you. He has to know how frazzled he makes you feel. He’s got to.

“Yeah,” you reply, voice high. “A lot of fun.”

“Mmm. Hope so.” Tom steps forward and cups your cheek in his hot palm, kissing your forehead before stepping back. “I’m going to shower. Make yourself comfortable, yeah? What’s mine is yours.”

A full-body shiver travels down your spine, but luckily it isn’t until he’s turned on his heel and strode over to the door.

“Have fun,” you call out. Tom turns back to wink, then disappears in a flash.

As the door closes behind him, you wonder if you really lost your spark for Harrison, or if the feelings you had for him just paled in comparison to the ones you harbour for his best friend.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

The party picks up quickly. You split off from Tom a few hours in, being pulled away by one of your friends and staying with them for a while. You start to miss him, though, so you excuse yourself from a game of beer pong out on the patio and walk back into the large frat house, cringing slightly as you hear the loud music. You haven’t been drinking much tonight. Something tells you that you’ll need your sober brain.

It takes you a while to find Tom, the house busy and wild. He’s not in the kitchen, nor the hallway. Your adventures take you to the large living room, where they have the music and the drinks set up. As you wander inside, your eyes take a moment to acclimate to the dim lighting. When they settle, you see him, and the breath leaves your lungs.

Tom is standing in the middle of the dancefloor, talking with a girl. She’s draped in his arms, the tips of her fingers running through his hair as she chats to him. Tom is looking at her intently, paying rapt attention to what she’s saying, but the smile on his face doesn’t quite stretch to his eyes. When he spots you, his brows briefly raise, only for them to lower again as he smirks. He winks at you, then reaches for the girl, bringing her in closer and dropping his mouth so he can start to kiss her neck.

Jealousy consumes you. It burns through every other rational thought that you have. The sight of the girl wrapping herself around him as Tom kisses up her neck makes your fingers curl into fists at your sides, and you start to walk across the room before you can comprehend it. Tom sees you, continuing to make flirtatious eye contact with you as he deposits light, wet kisses to the girl’s shoulder. It feels targeted and provocative, and whatever game that he’s playing seems to work.

“Tom!” you call out when you’re just a few centimetres away. He leisurely pulls away from the girl, dark eyes twinkling mischievously as he looks up at you.

“Yes, Y/N?”

You grimace. Now you’re over here, on the receiving end of stares from Tom and his companion, you wonder why you’d responded so immediately and directly.

“You need to come with me. We have, uh… Things to do.”

Tom raises an eyebrow, stepping away from the girl as he crosses his biceps over his chest. He’s wearing his golden chain, the one that always drives you mad, and he looks so fucking handsome under the UV lights.

“And what would those things be, Y/N?” he asks. The girl at his side is looking between you both.

“You know,” you hiss.

The girl frowns, then huffs out a sigh and pushes at Tom’s arm. “Can we go upstairs?” she asks him. Tom glances at her, chewing his lower lip as he finds himself on the receiving end of her fluttering lashes.

“No, Jess,” he says, evening out the rejection with a soft smile. “I’m sorry. Have a good evening.” Before she can respond, Tom reaches out and takes your hand, pulling you with ease towards one of the corners of the room. You squeal as he tugs you, easily falling into his side and enjoying the press of his warm arm to yours. He drops his voice, pausing only when you’re on the edge of the dancefloor to spin you and press his hands to your waist. “Are you alright, darling?” he asks, smirking. “Looks to me like someone was a little jealous.”

Your body heats up, and you find yourself nibbling at your lower lip as you try to make sense of the situation. “Nope,” you lie. With ease, you reach up and rest your hands on Tom’s broad shoulders. “I was just… Thinking about the night we met. You said we could dance then, but we never did.” You tilt your head to the side, throwing out a convincing smile. “Do you want to change that?”

Tom growls, tugging you closer as he wraps his arms around you. The tips of his teeth brush up against the shell of your ear and you whimper as his hot breath fans out over the side of your face. “Fuck yeah, babe,” he murmurs.

You settle into it easily. Tom ends up pulling you so your back rests flush against his front, his arms skating around to hold your waist as you grind back against him. It’s close and hot, and it doesn’t take long for him to put his lips back where they belong—on your neck, kissing deeply. Everything that he does feels calculated and purposeful, but it’s only when he brings his kisses near your ear and whispers a low, “you’re so fucking hot, baby,” that you come back to earth.

“We… Shouldn’t,” you whimper. Tom kisses your lobe in response. “Harrison.”

“What about him?” he mutters. His voice is raspy and seductive, and the way he strokes his hands over your sides makes your eyes roll back. “He doesn’t care about you like I do, Y/N. You know he doesn’t.”

You close your eyes, focusing on the way Tom sucks deep bruises to the sensitive spot on your neck. Harrison had never been able to find it, had never even tried.

“He cares about me,” you say, voice hoarse.

“Yeah. But not enough.” Tom spins you in his arms, reaching up to cup your cheek in a hand. He peers at you, eyes wide and insistent. “He lies to you. Did he ever tell you about the night that you met?”

You quirk a brow. “No.”

A shadow of hesitation passes over Tom’s face, but he swallows it down. “He only came up to you as part of a… a fucking bet. That’s the only reason I didn’t come back to you that night.” He strokes his fingers over your cheekbone, soothing you when you frown. “You’re the prettiest fucking woman I’ve ever met in my life, and it’s been killing me to see you both together.”

You press your forehead to his, feeling his breath come out in hot pants over your face. “Do you like me, Tom?”

He chuckles. “You have no idea how much, babe.” Tom shifts his hands back to your hair and he cradles your face. “I’d be so good to you. I swear.” He’s speaking earnestly, his voice breaking softly as he looks at you. “I love Haz. He’s my best mate. But we all know that you’re not a good fit. He left you here tonight. He doesn’t satisfy you.” Tom drops his voice, tilting his head to the side as his voice drops lower. He brings his lips closer, kissing the side of your mouth as you shiver. “I could satisfy you properly.”

You release a breath you hadn’t realised you’d been holding. For a moment you stare at Tom, eyes swirling down to his lips, then, as if entranced, you reach down and pull your phone from your bra. Using one hand on the screen, you reach up to cup Tom’s face with the other, smiling softly when he instinctively tilts his lips and kisses the palm of your hand. You write out a short message, the guilt in your heart fading when you briefly check Harrison’s Instagram story and see him surrounded by a sea of girls at the party he hadn’t invited you to.

After sending the message, you tilt the screen towards Tom’s face, watching his skin glow white as he slowly reads the few words.

You: Haz, I’m sorry to do this over text, but it’s over. I think we both know that we’re better as friends.

Tom’s brows raise. “Did you..?”

“Yeah.” You bite your lip and slowly tuck your phone back against your chest. “It’s over.”

Tom kisses you immediately, both of his hands anchoring your cheeks. You could almost cry with how good it feels to have his mouth touching yours again. He parts his lips and slips his tongue into your mouth, and you moan as you wrap your arms around his neck. As he holds you tightly, his hands slip down to hold your waist, and though your teeth and noses collide and clash, you don’t care. It’s beautifully imperfect, and it’s so hot that it makes your whole body throb. Tom’s curls give you the perfect leverage to jerk him closer, and as you make out mercilessly on the edge of the dance floor, you feel a piece of you slot into place.

“Come upstairs with me,” he groans, voice thick as he speaks against your lips. Your mouth is wet with spit, but you don’t bother to wipe it clean when you pull back. Tom’s eyes glint with hunger, and he grabs at your hand when you nod.

The journey upstairs is fast and easy, full of your giggles as he runs his thumb over the back of your hand. The moment you’re in his room, Tom pushes you back against the door and flicks the lock, attaching his lips to your neck with ease.

“Tom,” you whine, running your hands all over his back as he sucks harshly against your skin.

His hands skim lower and you curve your spine away from the door so he can grab handfuls of your ass, your moan mixing with his grunt when he pulls away from your neck to kiss your lips again. It’s as if he’s ravenous—unable to pick between your lips and your neck, your hips and your ass. Tom changes his position every few seconds, and the irregularity fills you with excitement.

“You’re so fucking perfect,” he groans. Tom pulls back breathlessly, looking straight into your eyes. “Can I… Are you okay with this?” he clarifies, holding your gaze firmly until you nod.

“I’m more than okay with this,” you say.

“Good, good... Pretty baby.” Tom runs his index finger down your face, his knees bending as he slowly sinks down in front of you. He scatters two light kisses to each of your breasts before travelling down your navel, only stopping when he’s fully on his knees, gazing up at you from beneath his lashes. “Darling?”

“Hmm?” You’re light-headed but aroused, your dress feeling tight as you shuffle against the door.

“Can I taste your pussy, baby?”

Your breath catches in the back of your throat, and the first time you try to speak, only a moan comes out. Tom smirks, fingers easily pushing up the hem of your dress. As his fingertips stroke up your thighs to rest on your waistband, he pauses, tilting his head to the side in question. “Yeah,” you manage, voice a whisper. “I want that so badly.”

“Mmm, should’ve just said, darling.” Tom’s head dips, disappearing between your legs. You whimper as he rubs the front of two fingers down the front of your panties, the material wet and warm. “God…” He unhooks them easily and tugs them down your legs, pausing to allow you to kick them off. When he repositions, he holds your thighs further apart and presses a kiss to your soft flesh. “You’re fucking soaked, lovie.” His hot breath fans across your centre. “Pretty cunt’s just waiting for me, isn’t it?”

His cockiness turns you on, and you’ve barely gotten out a garbled moan before he’s delving in. Tom’s skilful tongue runs up your slit, light at first, gradually leading you into it. You cry out as he finds your clit, sucking softly around the bud before lapping his tip across it gently. You have to reach out and grab ahold of the nearby bookshelf as arcs of pleasure spread out from your centre, small whimpers and moans being pulled from your mouth as Tom continues his assault.

“Tastes like paradise,” he whines, speaking against your cunt. “So sweet, baby. I understand why Haz likes being with you so much.” Tom pauses, drawing a few more strokes across your clit as you whimper. “Mine now,” he murmurs, deep voice vibrating across your centre. “My pussy.”

“Tom,” you moan, legs shaking. He responds by bringing his right hand up, slowly curving two of his digits into your heat. As he starts to thrust his fingers, the sounds of your wet arousal fill the air, making you moan louder. “Feels so good,” you encourage, realising he works harder when you speak to him. The top of his curls brushes against your legs as his tongue continues to glide over your clit, merciless and pleasurable.

“You sound so pretty, love,” Tom says, pulling away slightly. The vibrations from the noise make you moan louder, and you glance down to see him staring at you, eyes blown wide with lust and his chin covered in your juices. He looks back between your legs, readjusting his fingers and curving them at different angles before he strikes gold. When you call out his name, his other hand goes up to your hips, holding you back against the door as he smirks. “I want you to cum for me, darling,” he coos. “Let me make you feel good. I want to hear those pretty little moans. Be loud for me.”

You don’t take much convincing, as once Tom’s got his mouth back on your clit, you’re arching your back as you fall over the edge. He laps your bud with his hot, firm tongue, his fingers continuing to stroke at your walls until you spasm into climax, reaching out to grab his hair as you moan and writhe against the door. He holds you up, even when you feel like falling, and it has to be the most intensely pleasurable orgasm that you’ve ever experienced in your life.

“Fuck,” you pant, only able to calm down when Tom pulls back. He sits on his shins, smacking his lips as he looks up at you, smirking. You’ve still got a hand on his head, so you fiddle with his hair as you recover. “That was so good.” A breathless smile finds your face. “So good. Thank you.”

“No problem, darling.” Tom clambers to his feet, and your eyes find themselves drawn to the bulge in his jeans. “Knew I could make you cum,” he says, speaking almost to himself. “Looked like an angel. Taste like one too.”

You swallow a moan and step forward, hands twisting behind your back to release your zipper. Tom’s eyes widen as you push down your dress, stepping out of it with ease.

“We’re not done yet, are we?” you ask, biting your lip as you look over to the bed. Tom shakes his head and offers you a hand after you’ve pulled your phone from your bra and placed it down on his desk.

“No way,” he agrees. Tom pushes you down onto the mattress but stays standing at the edge, nimble hands quickly releasing his belt and pulling off his jeans, then his shirt. You admire his Calvin Klein boxers, black with a white band skimming across the top, and he wiggles his eyebrows. “Fuck,” he adds. His eyes skim your figure, appreciation held in his gaze. “I can’t believe I’ve got you here.” He gets on the bed, pushing you down and climbing on top of you as he kisses his way up to your mouth. When he’s hovering above your face, he cups your cheeks. “Most beautiful girl in the whole world, love. Girl of my dreams.”

You kiss him, your hands finally able to learn the curves of his muscular back. Tom grinds down into you, his covered crotch meeting your bare pussy, and the friction to your clit makes you moan into the kiss. As you admire his form, you settle into his lips, your heart beating faster and more persistently against your ribcage.

“Tom,” you say, speaking against his mouth. He pulls back, lips red and puffy. “You’re so handsome. Have I ever told you that?”

Tom bites his lip, continuing to roll his hips down against yours. When you start to grind up to meet him, an expression of enjoyment darkens his face. “Thanks, love.”

You lick your lips as you wrap your arms around him, holding him closer as he continues to grind into you. “Every time I’d see you out doing weights or walking around shirtless, it’d turn me on,” you admit. You snake a hand between your bodies, managing to press your palm up and against the outline of his cock. Tom groans loudly, dropping his head into the crook of your neck and whining as he ruts against the pressure. “I want to feel you,” you whimper. “Properly. I want to feel how good it is to have you inside me... I can feel you. I know you’re big.” You bite your lip. “I’ve thought about it for weeks.”

Tom forces his face away from your neck and meets your eyes, his pupils completely dilated. “You are going to be the death of me, lovie,” he says seriously, drawing a chuckle from your lips. Tom leans up and kisses you, softer, but only for a moment. He reaches across his bed and rummages through his bedside table, procuring a condom a second later.

“Let me do it,” you offer. Tom nods, and you swap positions with ease. Tom settles on the mattress, raising his hips and watching as you tug his boxers down his legs. You feel yourself salivate slightly as you take sight of his cock, erect and flushed, pressing up against his lower stomach. Holding the open condom in one hand, you run your thumb over his tip with the other, gathering beads of his silver precum on your fingertip. You meet Tom’s eyes and sit back on his thighs as you push your finger into your mouth, exaggerating your moan as you lick it clean.

Tom tosses his head back, his hair fluffing up against the pillows. His cock twitches against his stomach. “Fuck, baby… You’re driving me crazy.” When you reach back and roll the condom over his length, he can barely keep still, rutting up and filling your hand the moment you’re done. “You know… every time you stayed the night with Haz, I could hear you guys,” he says, looking at you through hooded eyes. You give him a few pumps, biting your lip as you admire his member and try to imagine how good it’ll feel filling you to the brim. “Used to get off listening to your moans. Imagining it was me fucking you. Thinking… Thinking about how good it’d be to- fuck- to open you up on my cock.”

His words make you feel hot, and you speed up the rhythm of your hand as you watch his face flush with heat. “I know,” you admit. “I could hear you sometimes.” You lean up and press a kiss to his chest, feeling his hot skin between your lips. “You make the hottest noises, Tom.”

“For you,” he groans, jaw tensing. “It’s all for you.” He continues to rut into your hand, and you smirk as you feel him throb. As Tom grows more erratic, you feel your slick between your legs thicken and your core begin to throb.

“Can I ride you?” you ask.

Tom immediately bounces his head, eyes lighting up like you’ve spoken the only thing he’s ever wanted to hear. “Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes—”

You bend over to kiss him, sliding up his body with ease. Tom reaches up your back, eager hands falling to a stop at your bra. He manages to unclasp it after a few attempts, grinning victoriously against your lips as it falls slack. Once you’ve thrown it aside, you sit back, watching as Tom’s hand goes down to guide his cock through your slit. One of his hands rests on your hip, palm hot and heavy, and he gives you a short squeeze as he presses his tip against your entrance.

Slowly, you sink down onto him, moaning loudly as his girth stretches your cunt. Your eyes squeeze shut as you adjust, breath hitching when Tom adds his thumb to your clit, the pleasure easing the stretch. When you’re completely seated, you find yourself shifting, Tom groaning when you clench and slowly start to ride him.

“Oh my god,” he moans. “Feels like heaven, darling. Actual heaven.” His jaw is tense as he tosses his head back, prying open an eye to watch as you bounce over him, moving faster as you find your rhythm. “So wet, sweetheart. So tight… So much better than I’d ever imagined.” He’s looking at you with pleasure screwed across his face, and the sight of him so desperate makes you feel powerful.

“Tom,” you whimper. “I can feel you so deep.” You’re starting to unravel, feeling him everywhere. With the thumb still rolling over your clit, his hand weighing down your hip, and the tip of his cock brushing deeper each time you come together, you can feel yourself on the verge already. “Can you… I can’t…”

“Y’wanna flip?”

“Yeah. Please.”

It happens easily, without Tom falling from you. A moment later, you’re resting over the warm mattress, wrapping your legs around Tom’s back and pulling him closer as he rails you into the bed. He’s faster than you’d been, and the new angle opens you up deeper, allowing his tip to press more pronouncedly against your g-spot. His chain dangles against your neck, the cool metal scorching against your flushed skin.

“Oh god,” Tom groans. The sounds of your bodies meeting as he roughly thrusts into you, again and again, fill the air. “You’re so perfect. Feels so good.” His eyes are dark as they meet with yours, swirling with unrestrained lust. “So wet, lovie. D’you like it when I fuck you? Yeah? Pussy’s squeezing me so tight. My pussy, isn’t it? You’re mine.”

“Yours,” you agree, liking how it sounds.

Tom grunts and drills into you faster. With each rotation of his hips against yours, his thick head reaches further, dragging across your g-spot with ease and causing sparks to race up your spine. His name falls from your lips like a prayer, and you clutch at his torso for purchase as you scramble to stay grounded. When you add a hand to your clit, you feel your cunt clench, squeezing his length and making him groan again.

‘I’m not gonna last, love. Shit. Feels too fucking good,” he whimpers.

You bring his lips back to yours, meeting them clumsily as you moan. Your skin is hot and sweaty, being smothered by the heat of his body bearing down on you. You wind your free hand into his hair. “It’s okay,” you get out, voice catching. “I’m so close, Tom. Fuck. Make me cum. Please.”

You ride the edge for a few moments more before Tom cries out, calling your name in a voice so exerted and broken that it pushes you over the edge too. As his cock pulses against your walls and his groans fall like music to your ears, you let everything go, basking in the pleasure that crashes over your figure in thick, consuming waves. Tom’s hands are slick as they grasp at your sides, but he’s holding you tightly in place and you like it.

When the air finally clears, Tom pulls out, collapsing onto the mattress beside you with a loud groan. You flip onto your side, quivering as your core pangs with pleasurable aftershocks, your tired eyes drifting up to meet his. He reaches out, sweaty palm drifting to your face as he cups your cheek and smiles at you.

“Well,” he starts, voice low. He pulls you closer, and you carefully curl yourself into his arms. Tom nuzzles his lips against your forehead and leaves three light kisses to your skin. “That was a heavenly experience.”

You snort, burying your face in his chest and feeling the cool metal of his chain press to your skin. “Heavenly?”

“Mhmm. Because you’re an angel. My angel.”

You smile into his front. “What a charmer,” you say.

Tom combs some fingers over your hair and softly coaxes you away from his chest. Both of you share a pillow, his deep brown eyes feel of inquisition as he looks at you.

“Darling,” he mumbles, speaking slowly, almost nervous. “I like you a lot. And… And I know the circumstances are messy and complicated, but… I don’t want this to be a one-time thing. I want this to be an every time thing. I want you to be my girl.”

“Your girl?”

“Yeah. My girlfriend.” Tom’s handsome eyes flutter over your face. “What do you say?”

You trace your index finger around the sculpted lines of his face, smiling softly as his lips pull into a grin. You think about how your life has changed since the first night you met him, and how your heart has slowly learnt to gravitate towards him. Tom’s right—it is messy, and maybe your union is complicated and a little wrong too, but it feels good. Him kissing your forehead and pulling you closer feels good. He feels good.

“Yeah,” you agree, speaking slowly. “I would really like that.”

Tom’s face splits into a smile, and he pushes in to kiss you. “Good,” he murmurs. “‘Cos I’m gonna woo you every single day of your life. I’ll bring you tea every morning, tuck you in at night. Make you moan louder than you’ve ever moaned in your life—”

“Alright, alright. You’ve already won me over, Tom, you can calm down—”

“Nope.” Tom’s grinning widely as he continues to peck your lips, unable to keep his hands off you. “I’ll keep charming you until I’ve won your heart, babe. This is just how it’s got to be.”

You kiss him, not knowing how to tell him that he’s already had your heart, firmly in the palm of his hand, since the very first night you met.

“Well,” you respond, voice quiet in the air. “I quite like the sound of that.”

Tom nuzzles his nose against you, lips brushing yours. “Yeah?”

You hum affirmatively and reach up to bury your hands back into his hair. “Yeah.”

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

:D let me know what you think please !!! I would love to know if you have a favourite scene...?! I am torn between y/n putting tom to bed + the lecture theatre...lmk (if you want !!)

mlist + taglist are through the link in my bio <3

thank you for reading!! <3<3

#tom holland x reader #tom holland smut #tom holland x reader smut #frat!tom #frat!tom holland #frat!tomfic #smut #alternate summary for this is: tom has a raging b*ner for 16k straight

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bastardtetsu · 4 years ago

Text

critical thinking | ch①

pairing: kuroo tetsuro x gn!reader

genre: college au, enemies to lovers, tsundere!reader, slow burn

wc: 1.9k

warnings: swearing, being a theatre major

※ mlist | ● ② ③ ④

you knew it was a dumb bitch move to procrastinate on your science requirement.

trying to schedule gen-eds around the demanding requirements of your theatre degree was already a nightmare, and your aversion to maths and sciences makes it even more difficult to find classes that both fit in your schedule AND don’t make you want to actively drop out of school. you weren’t sure why you thought putting off your one and only science credit until your final semester was going to solve any of that. so, you couldn’t be shocked when your only option to graduate on time ended up being 9am chemistry 1. on a monday, no less.

the first class is just as bad as you expect. the lecture drags on for ages, and as much as you will your sleepy morning brain to wrap your head around the concepts being thrown at you, no amount of caffeine, color-coded notes, or mental gymnastics can ford the river of brain-muddling frustration standing between you and a passing grade - the one you need to graduate.

panic begins to set in as you visualize all the hard work you put into your degree rendered useless, all because of a class that doesn’t even have to do with your field of study. who decided there had to be a science requirement anyway? i don’t need fucking chemistry to get a theatre degree??

“if you’re having trouble with anything,” your professor announces, bringing your attention back to the lecture that's finally wrapping up, “the tutoring center on campus is a great resource. i also hold office hours at the times listed on the syllabus. that’s our time for today folks, have a good week.”

you check the syllabus - all of the professor’s office hours conflict with your other classes, of course. asking your classmates is out of the question, seeing as you’re the lone arts major in a sea of STEM and pre-med. as annoying as it is to have to add another item to your schedule, tutoring seems like the only option if you want any hope of graduating. luckily you have some time before your next class, so you pack up your things and head for the tutoring center.

you pray that a decent chem tutor is available during any of your limited free time as you approach the lady at the desk of the tutoring office. she informs you of several with hours later in the week, none of which align with your schedule, and one who is available for the next hour. you figure tutoring right after class isn’t a bad deal - especially considering it’s your only option. the woman gives you a classroom number and a name - kuroo tetsuro - and you set out.

it doesn’t take you long to find the right classroom, but you aren’t prepared for the sight that is waiting for you there. a strong jawline and a mess of black hair that appears to stick up on its own catch your eye first as he taps away at his phone screen, his bored slouch doing nothing to hide his imposing height.

“um... hi, kuroo?” you say tentatively. his eyes glance up from his phone, slightly startled.

“oh, hey,” he responds, sitting up a bit, “you here for tutoring?”

“i am,” you reply with a half smile, “y/n.”

“kuroo. nice to meet you, y/n,” he pulls out the chair next to him as an invitation, “what year are you?”

“i’m a senior,” you say as you make your way over and sit down, “i’m in chem 1.” he definitely seems taller up close, even sitting down.

“chem 1? as a senior?” he asks derisively, his lips curling into a smirk. embarrassment and annoyance shoot through your chest.

“i’m a theatre major, alright,” you respond dryly, “i’m just trying to get my science credit and go.”

“left it ‘til the last minute, huh?” that smirk is still on his face.

“yeah, not my best decision,” you reply, trying not to let your annoyance seep through, “but i’m just trying to pass this class so i can graduate.”

“well, hopefully i can help with that,” he says smugly, “i may be a lowly business major, but i’m pretty good with chem if i do say so myself.”

a business major. of course. you’re familiar with the future capitalist machinery of the business school from your limited experience with the frat parties they so densely populated. needless to say, the impression was not good.

“so what do you need help with?”

“um...” you pondered, “all of it?” he snickered.

“you’re gonna have to be more specific if you wanna get anywhere.” his tone is dripping with amusement. is he trying to piss you off?

“ugh,” you let out an exasperated grunt, suddenly averse to showing any kind of weakness to this jerk. you pull out your notebook and flip to the page where you had attempted to take notes earlier. “this stuff.”

he leans over to take a look at your notes, and as his eyes scan the page you suddenly notice his smell - some fancy-smelling cologne with like, sandalwood or some shit - and his strong but elegant bone structure. i could cut myself on those cheekbones, you think.

“these notes are terrible.”

annnndddd he ruined it.

“well i can’t exactly take good notes if i have no clue what’s going on,” you counter, “isn’t that what you’re supposed to help me with?”

“i can try,” he says with an amused grin, “but I’ve never seen someone struggle this much with the basics on day one.”

now, you could put up with a lot of shit, but the one thing you cannot stand is being condescended to. especially not by some egotistical capitalist fucker who barely knows you.

“look,” you say pointedly, holding back the urge to throat punch him right then and there, “i’m really busy, and i just wanna pass this class, so if you could help me without being a dick about it i’d really appreciate it.”

“aw, but where’s the fun in that?”

his lips twist back into that patronizing smirk - he’s definitely trying to get a rise out of you.

“fuck off,” you say with a roll of your eyes, refusing to take his bait, “are you gonna teach me chemistry or not?”

he chuckles quietly again, thoroughly entertained. “sure. only because I’m so kind, and i could use the challenge.”

you scoff, but hold yourself back from retorting. you don’t want to give him the satisfaction.

at first, it’s excruciating. you loathe this douchey business bro getting off on being condescending while explaining chemistry to you like you don’t understand anything - which, to be fair, you don’t. but that somehow makes you resent him more.

granted, once you actually get down to business, kuroo is actually a pretty good tutor. he’s not actively annoying when he’s actually trying to teach you something, and he’s surprisingly patient and good at breaking things down. dude is smart, there’s no denying that.

nevertheless, even when he’s not being snarky, every correction he makes seems to fluster you more. you hate looking stupid in front of others, and something about kuroo seems to amplify that feeling by a thousand. you blame his attitude.

as you fumble trying to wrap your head around the unfamiliar numbers, symbols, & formulas, you’re simultaneously attempting to maintain a shred of dignity in front of this man who clearly thinks of you as the dumbest bitch on the planet. and the more you struggle, the more you worry he’s right.

“seeeee? i told you it wasn’t that hard!” he hums as you finish off another homework question you’d been struggling with. he can’t seem to praise you without being patronizing as fuck, either. you look up from your page momentarily to shoot him a glare.

frustration and embarrassment simmer inside of you with each of his snide remarks, but you hold yourself together and divert the attention back to studying each time. the restraint it takes not to deck him right in his pretty face is honestly deserving of a nobel peace prize.

“not bad,” he muses as you finally finish off the last of your homework, “and it only took you two and a half hours!”

“i’m floored,” you deadpan. your brain is too exhausted to formulate a more clever comeback. then you suddenly realize - “hang on... has it actually been two and a half hours? i thought you were only available for one??”

“technically,” he shrugs, “that’s when my tutoring hours end. but I wasn’t doing anything after, and you seemed like you needed the extra help.” that shitty smile is back. you can feel your blood boiling, but at the same time that... is actually pretty nice of him?

“ah... th-thanks,” you mumble, still resistant to showing any signs of weakness - much less gratitude - to the messy-haired prick.

“so, should i expect you back next week?” his stare reminds you of a cat sizing up its prey.

“uh... maybe,” you say. you honestly don’t have an answer yet. “i have to run though, i’ve got another class to get to.”

“don’t be a stranger,” he grins, “you’re gonna need a lot of help if you wanna graduate.”

you shoot him another glare as you swing your bag over your shoulder.

“i’ll think about it.”

he's still smirking at you as you walk out the door.

—

as much as you’d like to deny it, there’s not much to think about. none of the other chem tutors are available when you are, and there’s no way you’re passing the class without the extra help. and, as insufferable as he is, kuroo did help you get through your entire first week of homework successfully.

of course, you still resent having to rely on some nasty ass, pompous business major to mansplain chemistry to you every week so you can graduate. well, technically it’s not mansplaining since you don’t actually know anything about chemistry. and you technically also asked him to do it. but god, does he have to be such a dick about it??

it’s just an hour or two once a week, you reassure yourself, you can put up with it.

this is easier said than done, of course. the following monday, you begrudgingly approach the same classroom, empty except for one (1) chickenhead douchebag, who promptly stares you down with the most shiteating smile you’ve ever seen.

“oya oya~ look who decided to come back!” he croons.

“don’t flatter yourself, it’s not like I had much of a choice,” you respond flatly. why is he still looking at me with that dumb expression?

“true, there’s no way you’re passing on your own.”

“listen,” you reply pointedly, “some people have better things to do than worry about how many neutrons are on hydrogen or whatever”

“hydrogen doesn’t have any neutrons.”

“COOL!!!! i just want to graduate!!”

“well then you’re gonna need to know that hydrogen doesn’t have any neutr-”

“ALRIGHT, i got it,” you huff, “can you just… help me figure out this balancing equations shit? WITHOUT being an asshole about it?”

“hmm… sorry, i can only accept one request at a time.”

this is gonna be a long fucking semester.

a/n: eeeeee this is the first time i’ve actually wholeheartedly attempted to write a fic in lord knows how long (possibly ever?? idk them memories repressed) and my first time posting my own writing so i hope y’all like it !! everybody who’s ready to see me trash talk k*roo t*tsuro say way ho

#haikyuu!!#kuroo tetsuro #kuroo tetsuro x reader #kuroo x reader #kuroo tetsurou #kuroo tetsurou x reader #haikyuu fanfiction #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu #.txt #e writes

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znaeb · 5 years ago

Text

Coming home to you. | Z.K.

The only thing that Zion wanted right now was her.

His stress level was higher than a motherfucker, his anxiety was getting up there, his whole body hurt, and he hadn’t slept well in days. The tour was literally the most amazing thing to ever happen to him, but it was also the most exhausting thing he’d ever put himself through.

He was hoping to facetime her tonight after the show, but the boys got back to the bus later than he thought and he was sure she'd be sleeping by now. He sent a quick text just to see and waited anxiously for a response. Nothing.

He sighed and tossed his phone onto his bunk before going to the kitchenette to find some food. He searched through all the cabinets and found nothing that looked even remotely appealing, so he went back, changed his clothes, and got in bed to sleep.

As he laid there he thought about a lot, his brain wouldn't shut off. He missed his own bed and his dog, and his mom... but his mind kept returning to her.

He missed how soft her skin was, how she smelled, and the way her hair was always a little tangly in the back because she wouldn't stop running her hand through it.

He was just starting to drift off when the text came through...

“baby?”

he quickly grabbed his phone and replied,

“I'm here.”

He smiled to himself, “I miss her.” He whispered out loud. his smile widened at her response,

“call me?”

The phone was pressed to his ear and ringing within seconds.

“Hi.” he heard that soft voice through the phone, she always sounded so sweet.

“I love you.” he blurted without a thought.

she giggled and whispered back, “and I love you.”

they were silent for a second, both relishing the comfort brought about just by knowing that the other was there.

“I want to come home to you,” he spoke earnestly. His emotions had built and built, and he was beginning to crack under the pressure of, well, everything. An unmeasurable amount of chaos and stress had been added to his life because of this tour, and while he was extremely grateful... he couldn't help but wonder what he would be doing right now if he wasn't here. If he wasn't in the band.

"but not yet, baby." she whispered comfortingly in his ear, "you want to be there, you're just worn a little thin is all.” she always made him feel listened to, she always knew what to say.

"I know, you're right." he rolled onto his side and let the phone rest against his face, no hands.

"When am I ever wrong?" she giggled at her own joke.

When her laughter died down, he said, "when I get home we should stay in for a week...everyone will think we died, so nobody will bother us. Perfect." he joked, but to be completely honest, it sounded like heaven to be cooped up in an apartment with her for a week.

"Hmm... As long as you bring chocolate milk." He could hear her smiling, as odd as that sounds.

"Got it." He'd give anything to have her right then. He missed her more than he knew it was possible miss a person.

"Baby, you have an early morning tomorrow, don't you?" She questioned, they always shared their weekly schedules, and she had a scary good memory.

"I was hoping you'd forget and stay on the phone for a while longer... but yeah, I do." He rubbed his face, "The interview starts at 9am, I think."

"8:45." She corrected him. This made Zion laugh hard.

"Baby, I miss you so much, I don't know what to do with myself," He felt pathetic admitting to it.

"Two weeks." She recited, she was counting down the days until they could be together... although she’d never admit how thoroughly she’d been keeping track.

"Two weeks," He repeated with a sigh.

"Alright sir, you need to go to bed." She gave him a faux scolding.

"Yes, ma'am." He rolled his eyes, and even though she couldn't see him, somehow she knew exactly what his face looked like.

"Okay." She giggled, the line was quiet before he spoke.

"But text me in the morning, alright?" He let himself be vulnerable. She made him feel all mushy inside.

"It’s a deal." She smiled to herself at his growing level of clinginess.

"Okay. Goodnight mamas." He said softly, "I love you."

"I love you too, goodnight honey."

They both rested easy, the knowledge that the other was thinking about them too brought a weird yet welcome comfort.

Two weeks had passed and before he knew it, Zion was preparing for the last show of the tour. He was sad it was over, but so excited to go home to his girl.

“dude, can you believe it? It feels like yesterday that we left for tour, and now we're almost done? Crazy.” he heard Austin muse from the back of the bus. He smiled because he felt the same way, everything happened so fast that it didn't seem real. He had to pinch himself sometimes.

“I can't wait for tonight, its gonna be lit.” Brandon chimed in as he ate his cereal. That boy, always eating cereal.

“I'm excited too, but guys I'm deadass gonna ditch all you smelly degenerates for y/n when we get home.” Zion laughed.

Edwin faked hurt even though he'd probably be doing the same thing with his girlfriend. They all needed a rest and some time apart. Being in a cramped bus with four other dudes for weeks in a row made you miss girls... they're so much cleaner, and they smell so lovely, and they know how to fold things.

“Honestly I’m glad to get away from this god forsaken bus. You’re all annoying. For real though, Zion... you snore my dude, like badly.” Nick shook his head, “like I thought you were faking it to annoy me for the longest time, man.”

they all laughed when Z flipped him off and shook his head playfully, “yeah well you talk in your sleep and it's just as annoying, so I don't want to hear it, bro.”

they joked around more during soundcheck and then parted ways to start getting ready for their last show.

2:00 a.m.

He was groggy and not in the mood to move, but he could hear someone saying his name and feel a slight shaking of his shoulder. He tried to roll over but groaned when he hit his elbow on a wall, no, armrest? He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he opened his eyes to look around.

He’d forgotten, he was flying home.

“You finally awake buddy?” he heard someone next to him, Brandon.

“Yeah, I'm awake.” he rubbed his eyes and sat up straight. “we here?”

“about to land, thought you might want to get your stuff together before we do.”

“Thanks.” he nodded as he started to gather his belongings.

He looked out the tiny plane window and could see the city lights emerging through the clouds. His excitement grew, knowing that somewhere down there, she was waiting for him.

It was a little past three o'clock when he stumbled through the door. He was as quiet as he could possibly be, he knew she'd have gone to bed ages ago since they weren’t sure when his plane would get in.

He placed his suitcase and duffel bag on the floor and made sure to lock up before climbing the stairs to their room.

It was peaceful and warm. The window let in a low purplish haze from outside, and because of it, he could just barely see the outline of her all cuddled up on the bed, waiting there just for him.

Kicking his shoes off, he slowly climbed onto the mattress and kissed her temple as he draped his arm over her, pulling her as close as he could. Her little hands held on to his shirt in her sleep, and she let out a small sigh, making him chuckle at her.

“So good to be home,” he whispered to her even though he knew she was fast asleep.

he slowly drifted off, the feeling of her breathing against him lulling him into a peaceful sleep.

He was woken up soothingly the next morning, her gentle hands running over his back and up his shoulders to his arms. He smiled to himself at her little caring touches.

He opened his eyes and looked at her, the sun from the window lighting up her eyes and making them sparkle. Her hand rested on his shoulder and she smiled at the sleepy expression on his face.

“Good morning my love, welcome home.” she kissed his cheekbone and then his jaw, and then when he couldn't wait any longer, he reached his hand up to hold her face, and his lips finally found hers.

“Thank you, baby.” he smiled against her lips. his thumb ran over her chin and he looked at her face for a moment before he had to kiss her again, his excitement to be home taking over his brain and making it impossible to think about anything except kissing her because, finally, he could.

***

This isn’t the best ever, but I’m trying to get unblocked so bear with me 😅

#zion kuwonu imagine #zion kuwonu #prettymuch imagines #prettymuch #fanfiction #fanfic #imagine

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noisyquokka · 6 years ago

Text

Slowin’ It Down

pairing: Chan x reader

genre: fluff, humor

length: 1.5k

warnings: Like a few curse words, but other than that, nothing

Gist- While Chan’s schedule runs at a constant 100 miles an hour, you’re there to remind him that he needs to stop and take time for himself. Even on Valentine’s Day.

@janarine asked: 🙊 with Chan please ^_^

person A forgets it’s valentine's day until the last minute and rushes to get a gift for person B.

Wow, I really enjoyed writing this one! Also yeah, a bit late? But I couldn’t let this idea slip by! So I really hope you enjoy reading and thanks for requesting, Jana uwu 💛 Ahem, this might or might not be wholesome™ Woochan content for the most part 👀

3:58 am

Chan rubbed his eyes for the umpteenth time that morning, gazing back at the computer screen. He was tired, but insomnia was a bitch and it made sure to keep him up a little longer. At least until 4 am.

He jumped at the sound of the door opening, Woojin poking his head in the room.

“Dude, you've been at it since eight o’clock last night. You-”

“Need rest, yeah I know.” He tried! He really did! Every time Chan tried to get a blink of rest he'd end up back behind the computer screen. He had songs to finish, the group's comeback sneaking up on him quickly. That wasn't the only thing he had to worry about.

“So, what are you and y/n doing for Valentine's Day?” Woojin asked, sparking up small talk as he sat down on the studio couch. Chan quirked a brow, looking at the calendar. February 13th. No, 14th?!

“Shit, I completely forgot.” He couldn't believe it. How quickly the month had flown by. Not that it was that big a deal, it wasn’t like he fo-

“Hey, it's not like you forgot their birthday!”

Uhm, yeah... Thanks, Woojin!

Chan shook his head, massaging his temple. What could he get you in less than 24 hours? Most of the restaurants would be booked, but of course, he could always make dinner. Maybe not the best idea for someone running on zero hours of sleep…

“If I were you, I’d get them flowers,” Woojin said, looking up from his phone. “The nearest florist can have a bouquet of y/n’s favorite flowers ready to pick up by 9am.” Chan perked up slightly at his mention of you.

“Wait, how do you know what y/n’s favorite flowers are?”

“You seem to have forgotten who introduced you two!” Woojin joked, shooting him a grin. And that was when the light bulb within Chan's mind switched on!

“Woojin, would you be willing to help me cook dinner for tonight?”

“Uh sure, but why don't you just do it on your own? You're the better cook anyway.” He said, slipping his phone in his pocket.

“I'd rather not have the fire department coming to crash the special night. Seeing as I have yet to sleep, you helping me would put me more at ease that everything will go as planned.” Woojin nodded, understanding what Chan was getting at. Now all they needed was the ingredients for your favorite dish.

7:27 am

The trip to the grocery store would have been much quicker had Han Jisung not called.

“We're out of snacks!”

“Pick up some cake at the bakery!”

“We need more toilet paper…”

“What!? Jisung, there’s an unopened pack in the bathroom closet!”

“Yeah, well... Felix and Changbin are making Valentine’s.”

“With the toilet paper?!” Chan asked, tossing a few bags of chips into the cart. At Jisung’s affirmative, Woojin shook his head. How have they survived this long on their own?

“Alright, we’ll get what we can.” Even if they don’t sell toilet paper at the grocery store. Suddenly, the other members could be heard through the phone. Chan quirked a brow, Woojin frowning as well.

~~~

“Jisung, what’s going on over there?”

One glance at you and Jisung knew to keep his mouth shut!

“Oh, uhh.” Think, Jisung! Think! “We were just playing Jenga.” Chan seemed to buy it, finally hanging up with the younger member. And Jisung could finally let out the breath he was holding in, turning to you.

“What are you doing here at almost eight in the morning?!”

“Why? Don't you love me, Ji? What happened to the vows you took when we first established this friendship?” Jisung’s eyes widened. “Vows? What vows?! I don't remember vows!” He panicked, glancing over at Changbin who rolled his eyes.

“She's joking with you, dude! Chill.” Pretty funny coming from a guy making heart-shaped toilet paper Valentine's… You shook your head, heading off towards Chan's room.

“Still curious what you’re doing here!” Jisung called after you.

“I’m not telling any of you! Not after the last time.” You said, walking down the hallway. A chorus of groans and aww come on’s could be heard throughout the dorm.

You set your bag down on Chan’s bed, closing the bedroom door to keep the seven pairs of prying eyes out. And you quickly got to work.

8:45 am

“Got ‘em!”

Chan walked out of the florist, the bouquet of your favorite flowers in his hand. Woojin grinned, pushing himself off the brick wall he was leaning on.

“So we’re ready to head back to the dorms?” He asked, pulling the car keys from his pocket. Chan nodded, both of them heading for the car. While Chan didn’t feel especially exhausted, the bags that sat prominent as ever beneath his eyes told a different story. Would he even be capable of cooking dinner, even with the help of his elder hyung?

That would have to wait, his phone vibrating in his jean pocket. It was a text. From you.

Happy Valentine’s Day, you’re my one and only dork 💕

He grinned at the photo you’d sent. You were winking, sending a kiss to the camera. He tapped away at his screen, quickly responding back.

Happy Valentine’s Day, baby! 😘 You’re my one and only Q-T

Chan couldn’t hold back his laughter at your reply, a simple “eww, too cheesy.” making his heart flutter within his chest.

“We’re home,” Woojin said, pulling the key from the ignition and glancing at his friend. “Bro, go in and get some sleep! You look about ready to pass out.” Chan waved him off, grabbing the bags out of the car.

“I’m fine, I swear. Let’s just get the groceries inside.”

Woojin sighed, shaking his head at how stubborn he could be. But eventually grabbed the last of the bags, following him inside. Jisung was the first one to rifle through the grocery bags, pouting as the cake shaped void grew within his heart. Which Felix quickly filled with one of his toilet paper Valentine’s, the two hugging it out at the kitchen island.

“I can’t believe you two used up an entire package of toilet paper for that!” Chan said, placing the bouquet of flowers in a vase. Changbin glared at the leader, picking up all the - *ahem* “Valentines” - off the floor.

“We didn’t have regular paper!”

“Then what exactly do we write our song lyrics on?” Chan quizzed, pausing for a quick second to hear the rappers answer. Changbin kept silent, holding one out to Chan.

You hit all the right notes c:

“It’s too early for this…” Chan muttered, making his way down the hallway. He opened his bedroom door, rubbing his eyes before falling onto the mattress. The things that could fly over one’s head when tired…

“Chris.”

You chuckled at the way he jumped, the sound of your voice startling him. Chan sat up in his spot, confusion washing over his face.

“Y/n, what are you doing here!?”

You quirked a brow, gesturing to your surroundings.

“Notice anything different?” You asked, making your way towards him. And finally, he realized what you were talking about. The candles. The freshly made bed. The clean clothes laid out next to him on the mattress. You sat yourself in his lap, wrapping your arms around his neck.

“I can’t believe you! The guys didn’t say a word to me!” He wrapped his arms around your waist, massaging your hip bone out of habit. You laughed, closing your eyes momentarily.

“That’s because I told them to keep their mouths shut! Actually, Woojin was the only one I told.” Chan locked eyes with you, surprised by your answer. You had a way of surprising him. There was never a dull moment in your relationship, even if to some people it didn’t show. You pressed your lips to his cheek, slowly falling to his jawline.

“Get changed. I’ll be right back.” You murmured, slipping out of his arms. But Chan was having none of that! He quickly grabbed your wrist, pulling you back on the bed. Your laughter was music to his ears, your smile sending him to the moon. How’d he get so lucky?

“You need to sleep, Mr. Workaholic!” You said, sweeping a stray hair from his eyes. “This is what I had planned all along; a day of rest and relaxation.”

Chan smiled up at you, closing his eyes from the feeling of your hands in his hair. He wasn’t complaining. While he was definitely stubborn, he knew when he needed to shut down. When you were around, that was especially easy to do. You made it easy.

“I love you, y/n. So much.”

“Do you know how not to be cheesy?”

That earned you a chuckle and a lazy smirk, Chan switching places with you on the bed. And instead of a snarky comment, he replied by pressing his lips to yours. It only took a moment for him to pull away, drowsiness taking over his mind.

“I’m serious.” He murmured, burying his head in the crook of your neck. You smiled to yourself, continuing to play with his brown locks.

“I love you too, Chris.” You whispered, staring up at the ceiling. A feeling of pure elation washed over you, a smile tugging at your lips. You could rest peacefully, knowing your voice and your heartbeat were the last things Chan heard as he slipped into a deep slumber for the first time in a while.

Another drabble checked off the list!!! If you’ve come this far, let me know your thoughts. And of course, if you’ve got any requests, don’t hesitate to send one in! Thanks for reading 💛

#bang chan fluff #bang chan drabble #bang chan imagines #stray kids imagines #stray kids drabbles #stray kids scenarios #skz fluff hours #stray kids fluff #stray kids #bang chan

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ceejay1163 · 6 years ago

Text

The Teal* Bronco (*Turquoise)

First off I want to tag the amazing @aquadolan whose hilariously accurate reaction videos make me laugh cry every time I see them and makes me feel like we are experiencing the video together and having a laugh like a couple of mates despite being in opposite sides of the world.

Now for my reactions to 'Tricking my brother into thinking his car was flipped'

The ring mmhmmm just yes

The clapping tho? Not about it

Ethan has a shorter attention span then me and that's impressive

I did not pick the boys to like roller skating although they ice skate so it makes sense

Little bitch haha

I like the jumper. It looks fuzzy and cozy

How long did this take to plan? Honestly it seems like it would be taken forever

Roasting the matchingness to the car

He seems to actually be jealous that Gray's favourite car isn't the one he bought. That's adorable. Fuck I'm not even 2 mins into the video

And now the car is broken

Wait did I fuck up? Am I recording?

The gum Ethan. Eww for fuck sake mate don't be a pig.

'I have really bad attentional problems' yeah.. your English might need some work too

When's the last time I ate? -literally something I say most days

Roast him for dropping out of school and not remembering common phrases and sayings

Why do all Ethans pranks involve Graysons cars?

Also not wanting to say what time you wake up. Same

Laughing at yourself

I'm cool, I'm cool actually no I'm not

Groggy or drunk?

Slap. Pain kink anyone?

That damn projector

Air quotes

Did anyone understand the car mumbo jumbo? Like at all? Did anyone care?

Good job keeping a straight face Ethan. He won't suspect a thing.

Fun-ny

Why do boys turn everything into challenges? My nephews do it all the time

Full actor mode

Too many words in Google mate. Google doesn't care why you need a Photoshop artist

More air quotes. Except out of sync.

It's just a prank bro.

Bitter he can't go skating. Poor bubba

Morning voice half an octave lower. Yes please

Groaning. Thank you

I always end up falling asleep at least twice after waking up the first time before getting up. V relatable

Him jumping into bed to pretend to be asleep reminds me of being a kid and bolting through the house in the middle of the night after getting up to get a drink or something, trying to avoid monsters or waking up the parents

Jumpers with shorts?

He's got slippers. Awww

Realising a flaw in his plan when the car doesn't work.

Too many cars in the driveway

CRINGEY PHOTOS. WOO.

Fucking drama queen

That stupid photoshopped photo

Real us. Not actor mode us haha

Mr Dolan 😏

Doesn't analyze it too much. Good idea

He has such bloke-ish child like writing

The calf tattoo 🥺

Socks and slides Grayson? That's almost as bad as socks and sandals. Fucking hell

Love a man in light grey sweats

Run Ethan go back to bed. You're so grounded (idk)

He pulled Ethans hip so hard. Jesus

What is that bike thingy in the background?

WHO DOESN'T LOCK THEIR FUCKING CAR??? YOU FUCKING IMBECILE

Now Gray let's put on our big boy thinking caps. It's not Ethans fault. Entirely. You also didn't lock the fucking car

Booty 👀

Not knowing if you have insurance. Mate you should look into that. (Also a very me thing to not know)

Gray is loosing it. Like actually looks like he's gonna do the frustrated crying thing

"That's not chill you need to fix that." Pretty sure sleeping is pretty chill. Also how does one fix being a heavy sleeper (other then by having kids)

"You need to be able to wake up in the morning and get shit done" no need to call me out like that

Let me call the *mumble mumble mumble*

It's fucking turquoise- whelp fuck have to change the title

Who steals a turquoise car at 9am? He's loosing it

Awe he doesn't want people to get hurt. Cutie

Seriously why hasn't he called the police yet? When I got home from my nanas funeral to find my house broken into the first thing I did was call the cops. And then cry cos it was like 10pm and I'd just driven like 12 hrs so I was hella tired

He's V loud. And then V quiet.

You motherfucker. Ok rude but understandable

That sigh of relief and the laughter

All of the adrenaline just left Gray immediately. Also hiding under a blankie? adorable

"Where did you put it?" Immediately forgets haha

Did you ruin it and turn it pink or something? You're getting a rep E and why does Gray assume it would be painted pink?

The sound effect over Gray pulling up his pants to hide his plumbers crack 😂

You need to rub it out. I mean ok sure

"I kinked up bro" just why 😂

Slap. SPINNING. It's a theme park ride

You stole my car- Dude where's my car movie anyone?

Car upside down you say? Forshadowing

Grayson gives up on life.

Nope never mind he's dramatically throwing himself onto the bed and screaming into the blankets like a teenage girl

Also booty

FROG

Don't dance Grayson

It's all in the puff bro

Mr Dillon, not Dolan, Dillion

Grayson has left the building look

Nose boop

The eye movement. Wait you what?

Beard pulling

Give me the phone. No you are having the phone. Ok fine.

Intense eye contact for real tho

That dumbass look on his face. Grayson is shooketh to hell

Do they even understand any of this car mumbo jumbo? Does it even make any sense?

I don't know shit about insurance. Seriously dude that's not smart

MY CAR

That's not chill bro that's not chill at all. Putting them on a ban for the words chill and bro. More to be added. They use those words more then I use the word mate and that's impressive

I'm taking the phone and subtly suggesting human error (negligence) and a potential law suit

Oh you have footage? Talk to my older brother

I don't know much about cars. Dude

More stupid looks from Gray

I don't wanna see it

More screaming

More yelling Grayson

We can move your car but it's gonna cost you more money

Not falling for that pic

Just put it on the next one. Gray it's not a fucking bus. There's no schedule to have the next one come out. Use your head darlin'

More yelling in the car and swearing

How did he organise the street thing? Like actually.

Also surely it's illegal to pretend to have roadworks and fuck up traffic

VROOM. You go lil blue car

BULGE 👀 this is when I stopped paying attention the first time I watched it.

What is the camera guy (kyle?) wearing? Who said that be one were allowed to be a thing again? I'm not impressed

Grayson is v frustrated

DON'T LITTER

Neither of you should be allowed to dance. Its not good

That's the wrong question to ask about the camera guy's clothes

Fist clap

Wait where's the car? Is it safe? Poor Gray his brain is malfunctioning

Camera goes to Grayson. Ooh look bulge. Pans away. Move back ooh bulge.

If they keep upping the ante someone's gonna get hurt

I don't know what's inside of me. Never a good thing to say

Still allergic to dogs 🥺

HOLY SHIT THAT HAPPENED

I haven't heard you scream that much for that long 👀

Grayson's pretty loud. I would like to test that. Please and thank you.

Deep breathing

SOOOO HARD. (I volunteer)

I am going to prank the actual s out of Ethan. Really taking the not swearing thing seriously huh

Sure whatever you say. He doesn't believe you'll get him back Gray. Kick his ass

Bruh

Eric deserves a medal for his phone acting. Well done faceless dude named Eric

I give up. I give up on everything. If that's not a fucking mood

Double bitched sounds like it should mean something else. Just saying

Boob caress

My guard's up. No your guard can't be up. Pretty sure that's not how it works Grayson

Just don't hurt me. Grayson is so not listening to him. He's still mad

No rules

It was fake There's no rules

Ethan being hurt Gray doesn't love his present

Still mad.

Rubs sweat all over comfy jumper. Childish

HE STILL LOOKS FUCKING LIVID.

Alrighty take three of finishing this thing. Tumblr crashed yesterday after I spent like 2 hours writing this and deleted half my comments. I couldn't finish it then cos it was almost 2am and I had work today so I redid it from like the 20 minute mark of the video. Then I saved it to my drafts And published it but it deleted the last like 5 minutes of comments so I had to redo them again. Here's hoping Tumblr sorts it's shit out cos it's late and I have work again tomorrow. 🐨

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gumnut-logic · 6 years ago

Text

Love and Sacrifice (Prologue & Part One)

Sorry, Tumblr peeps, but you’ve probably read most of this already, but I felt bad posting it to FF.net and Ao3 without sharing it with you in order. so here be the Prologue and Part One.

Title: Love and Sacrifice

Prologue: Made for Heavy Lifting

Warm Rain Series

Author: Gumnut

3 Oct – Nov 2018

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: When she is worth everything.

Word count: 2285

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo

Timeline: After ‘Sharing the Scenery’ and the events of ‘Road Rash’.

Author’s note: And here is finally the story of the scar Virgil has on his back mentioned in the first fic of this series and so uproarishly demanded by you wonderful people. I hope it meets expectations. Also, pieces of this fic have been posted all over the place in the last couple of months as I have been slowly piecing it all together, so apologies if you have read some of it before or it seems familiar as I’ve re-written sections. Also, the prologue is one of the Warm Rain shorts, so you will have read that, but please bear with me.

Author’s note: Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

-o-o-o-

Prologue: Made for Heavy Lifting

Author’s note: This was a single fic once, asked for by @diamondinshadow in response to some lovely artwork by @photowizard17 - My muse being what it is, wandered off a little weirdly, and at 3am, no less, but I hope you all enjoy it anyway :D Thank you all for your kind and wonderful support of my scribblings ::hugs::

Virgil Tracy was made for heavy lifting.

He had been known to say it on occasion and he had certainly proved it on many others. Hell, she’d heard Gordon say his brother was built like a ‘brick shithouse’, but that was Gordon, and Gordon had issues.

Regardless of external opinion, Virgil was the physical powerhouse of International Rescue, both physically and mentally. It was a known fact.

But it had never been displayed so blatantly to Kayo until this moment.

She was dressed in loose sweats, standing in the doorway of the gym. Virgil was at the weights on the far side of the room and literally pounding through his routine.

Now this was nothing new. The man hadn’t gained his physique from painting or playing the piano. There was a certain amount of training that needed to be maintained to keep his muscular tone for when it was needed out in the field.

But he didn’t usually leave his shirt off.

Pumping his standard barbel, feet spread firmly, earphones in, a thin sheen of sweat…

Kayo blinked. She was being ridiculous. He was obviously shirtless because of the healing injury on his back. But…

“Enjoying the scenery?”

Kayo startled. Grandma Tracy was standing right next to her – illustrating exactly how distracted she was.

Surprise immediately turned to mortification.

“Grandma?” Was her voice a little higher than usual?

A hand landed on her shoulder. “Honey, any hot-blooded woman walking past would be distracted by that.” She waved a hand in the direction of her grandson.

Kayo simply stared at her grandmother.

“What? I was a girl once, too, you know. The grey hairs are only for the respect.”

Grandma looked up at her, catching her eyes and holding them for a moment. Quietly. “So, have you worked it out yet?”

A frown. “I’m sorry?”

Grandma smiled just slightly before drawing her away from the door and out of the sight of Virgil, should he look up. “Kayo, honey, you’ve been staring at him for weeks now. Virgil is a good man. You couldn’t do better.” She leant in. “Ask him.”

“Ask him what?” She played it innocent, but there was a voice in the back of her mind laughing at her.

“Really?” She arched an eyebrow. “You want to play it that way?”

Kayo sighed, admitting defeat, her shoulders slumped just that fraction. “He’s my brother, Grandma.”

“Not really.” A hand on her arm. “He’s worth the risk, honey.”

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Grandma kissed her on the cheek and patted her on the arm. “Think about it. He’ll still love you either way.” A sparkle in her eye. “And I’m here if you need me. Us girls need to stick together on this island.”

That brought a smile to Kayo’s face. Quietly. “Yes, we do.”

“Now go in there and kick his ass off those weights. The man is obsessed with getting back into the air and he’s going to break himself if we’re not careful.”

An alarmed frown. “How long has he been at it this time?”

“Oh, since about 9am.”

It was nearly lunchtime.

“Excuse me, Grandma.” She was going to kick his ass alright. How many times did she have to tell him. Why were men such blockheads when it came to recovery?

She stormed into the gym. “Virgil!”

The barbel hit the floor with a resounding thud.

-o-o-o-

Sally held back a laugh. Kayo’s voice was bouncing all over the gym, her ire at him risking his recovery only matched by his stumbling and guilty replies.

Virgil didn’t have a hope with that girl.

Shaking her head, she made her way back into the main part of the house. Entering the comms room, she wasn’t surprised to find her eldest grandson sitting at his father’s desk working through reports.

Kayo’s angry voice suddenly echoed across the building, followed by Virgil emitting a not-quite-squawk.

Scott winced. “She caught him, huh?”

Sally smirked. “Let’s just say, I set aim and fired.”

“If he doesn’t stop this, I’m going to have to threaten to ground him for even longer.”

“Hon, leave it to Kayo.” Another smirk. “I doubt he will be doing that again.”

Scott winced. “You are a cruel and evil woman, Grandma.”

A shrug. “Well, he wouldn’t listen to me. He wouldn’t listen to you. Time for the big guns.” She studied her eldest for a moment. “Fifty bucks says she asks him out before he does.”

She held back another smile as Scott startled. “Grandma?!”

Really? Were all men blind or did they prefer to live in denial?

“I know it. You know it. Those two have been eyeing each other for weeks now.” An arched eyebrow. “Your thoughts?”

He eyed her, his lips thinning, but curling into a smirk. Blue sparkled. “I think, Grandma, that you are on.”

-o-o-o-

Part One.

“Virgil!”

That voice, that sharp, crap, what the hell had he done?

He dropped the barbel, narrowly missing his feet.

It wasn’t out of guilt. No, it wasn’t.

Yes, it was.

Kayo was charging towards him across the gym. The glare on her face was enough to strip off a layer of skin.

Shirtless, goose-pimples radiated out across his chest, sweat cooling now he had stopped moving. His diaphragm was still heaving from his exertions, the exercise setting his blood running high

“What the hell do you think you are doing?!”

Momentarily stuck on the decision of whether speaking or not speaking would be the less death-causing option, he didn’t respond fast enough and defaulted to the latter.

“Do you have any idea what it was like to watch you tumble from that train?”

His eyes widened. Again his speech function failed to boot. God, her eyes were gorgeous.

“You were lucky you weren’t killed! Your brother and I had to pick you off the road. I thought…” She swallowed. “Why are you pushing so hard? Do you want to relapse? Do you want to put us through more worry and pain?”

“Uh.”

She stalked up into his personal space and shoved a finger into the middle of his chest. “Virgil Tracy, you do not have the right!” Her fingernail was sharp and he yelped, staggering backwards.

“Kayo-“

“Do you have any idea what you put me through? Do you?”

Virgil froze. Kayo didn’t…

She glared up at him and he was shocked to see her eyes glistening in the overhead fluorescents. God.

“I’m-“

“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry.” It came from deep in her throat. The passion in her eyes screamed at him.

She was so close. So angry.

So beautiful.

He leant in and captured her lips with his own. The moment froze as she startled, her hands flying up to his shoulders.

But she didn’t push him away.

Their kiss deepened. Her tongue brushed against his lips, parting them.

And she was in his arms. God, so beautiful.

Time hung. And then it restarted again as she gently pulled away.

Staring up at him.

He found his voice, tight and throaty. “Kayo?”

Quietly. “Virgil. Stop overdoing it.” And she stepped back, her eyes trailing up and down his perspiring body. She swallowed, her stance more uncertain than he had ever seen her. Her eyes caught his once more.

And she turned and left, stalking around the gym equipment, bee-lining for the door.

The room fell quiet.

Sweat dried on his skin and he shivered.

-o-o-o-

He didn’t see her after that.

He was left wondering if he had permanently damaged their relationship, if he had ruined what little chance he had.

Part of him desperately wanted to see her, to touch her again. The rest of him was terrified what would happen if he did.

Caught in limbo.

And she left.

Without saying goodbye.

He discovered it by accident, walking through the comms room. Scott had been talking to Gordon about a possible rescue in the Philippines. He mentioned Kayo would be unavailable.

Virgil froze.

“What did you say?”

“Huh?” Scott looked tired and worried.

“About Kayo.”

“Oh, she was called out on a mission by the GDF. Left this morning.”

“Where?” He could be curious, couldn’t he?

“Indonesia. Apparently, some terrorists have holed up on one of the smaller islands. Colonel Casey thought Kayo had some expertise that could help.”

“Oh.”

Scott frowned. “Virg, you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

His brother’s frown didn’t fade. “How’s the back?”

“Fine.”

“The knee?”

“Fine.”

Scott’s lips thinned and Gordon snorted. “Way to go on the info sharing there, bro.”

Virgil sighed. “I am fine. Quit bugging me.” And he left the room.

-o-o-o-

Scott stared after his brother. Virgil’s mood had been fragile since Kayo had cornered him two days ago. He wondered exactly what had happened between the two of them. It was very unlike Virgil to be so unpredictable in reaction. Usually calm and steadfast, his brother was now snappy and keeping to himself more often than not.

But Virgil, being Virgil, it would surface at some point. Scott just needed to make sure he was at the right place at the right time to be there for his brother.

So, he let it go.

Two more days passed and his brother kept quiet, only sniping when prodded. Alan was avoiding Virgil like he always did on the rare occasion the bigger man went bear. Gordon being Gordon manifested his concern by poking that bear, trying to find out what was wrong. This usually resulted in said bear snarling and leaving the room.

John was safe 23,000 kilometres away and knew it.

And that left Scott, scrambling for strategies to corner his brother and find out why he was hurting.

After all a snarling Virgil was a rarity and it usually meant something was seriously wrong.

But he didn’t get the chance. Halfway through the third day, he found Virgil sitting in the comms room with his sketch pad. It was clear the man was having little success in his endeavours, as screwed up paper lay everywhere. Scott approached his brother, but was interrupted by John flaring into existence in the middle of the room.

“Guys, we have a situation.”

Scott sighed. “Go ahead, Thunderbird Five.”

“I have intercepted a transmission to the GDF. It appears to be a combination of a threat and a ransom demand.”

“What?”

John looked almost frightened, an expression so unfamiliar on his calm brother’s face to be terrifying. “It’s Kayo. She’s been captured.”

There was the clatter of a sketchbook falling to the floor.

Scott’s throat was suddenly tight. “Explain, Thunderbird Five.” Keep it professional.

The space monitor’s eyes were darting between those of his eldest brothers. “Sorry, guys, this isn’t pleasant.” And the display switched to the recording.

It was Kayo, out of uniform, bound to a chair, her face sporting bruises. A male voice was spouting demands in another language. A translation was appearing at the bottom of the display, no doubt John at work, something about money, freedom and the threat from the GDF.

Scott only had eyes for the anger in his sister’s. Their green, despite one of them being almost swollen shut, screamed fury and vengeance.

The recording waffled on some more about the evil of the GDF. Then a fist flew into the view and hit his sister.

Scott flinched. There was a muffled something to his right, and the recording was yelling. Kayo spat blood at the camera, a drop or two landing on the lens. The holographic spatter hovered in the air in front of them.

“Deliver or she dies.”

And it cut off.

The room was suddenly silent.

A sharp retort echoed as a pencil snapped in two.

Scott flinched.

As John reappeared, Scott wanted answers. “Do you have her location?”

His brother was troubled. “Not yet, but I will. Eos is trawling the network. Thunderbird Shadow is still at the base in Jakarta. She must have taken alternative transport. She is not wearing her uniform so I have no signal from that. The fact that I cannot locate her wrist comm or her locator has me concerned. I suspect her captors know more than they are letting on. I will let you know more as we find out.” John hesitated, his eyes once again bouncing between both of his older brothers. “I’m sorry.”

And he cut transmission.

Scott swallowed his fury. The harsh breathing to his right told him that this time, he had to be the calm one.

A breath and he turned to face Virgil.

His brother was pale and his body was almost vibrating with the fear and the anger in his eyes. The broken pencil lay discarded at his feet.

“Virg?”

The younger man flinched, his eyes going wide for just a moment before the more familiar calm settled over his features. It settled cold, control hiding the emotions no doubt roiling below the surface. It was almost chilling to watch.

Brown eyes, usually warm with affection, turned on him as cold as tundra. A rasp. “What are we going to do?”

Scott’s lips thinned. “We need further information. We need to give John and Eos the time to locate her.”

“Time.” It was a snarl. “They’re hurting her, Scott.”

Quietly, with his hands held up as if to calm a storm. “I know. John is doing his best. The GDF-“

“The GDF! You have got to be kidding!”

“Virgil-“

His brother threw up his hands. “I can’t...” And he was shaking his head. “Just...” Emotion boiled and Virgil turned away. “I’ll be in the hanger. Keep me apprised.”

Heavy boots hurried from the room, and Scott was left staring at where his brother had been.

The broken pencil screamed at him.

-o-o-o-

Part Two

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbird fanfiction #virgil tracy #kayo kyrano #virgil/kayo #warm rain

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bapwoo · 6 years ago

Text

Ravi in Vienna

aka guide how to be the worst organizer of concerts with a speck of how to be awkward to the maximum level

It was another Monday evening at work, but next to me was resting a bag. The bag was packed to Vienna. Yes, I am gonna see Ravi. The Ravi from VIXX. The Ravi who is VIXX bias and one of my husbands lol.

Note: Links to some vids or photos will be seen below this long post lol (sorry)

Time when we were leaving: midnight Time when we should have arrived: 4:30am Time when we arrived: 4am Time when toilets were opening: 5am Time when first food place at bus station was opening: 5am Time when McDonald’s was opening: 6am Time when we could check-in at apartment: 3pm Number of hours slept: 0 Number of people speaking German: 0/3

Bus arrived earlier. Of course, it arrived earlier when first place where we could stay at was opening at 5am. But right next to the bus station there was huge train station which was opened, so we did not have to freeze outside; we were gladly chilling there with homeless people – we felt like one of them tbh. The worst idea was to go to the bathroom. I checked my face in the mirror – bloodshot eyes that it looked like I had too much of pot, and on the chin two huge white pimples, and almost the rest of face covered in red pimples; just a perfect timing, right?

After spending two hours on train station, we moved to McDonald’s to have some breakfast (last time I had breakfast on McDonald’s I was in my early teenage years… memories). We were waiting there until 9am, and then my friend got message from the place we were staying at that the keys were under the mat. We thought that maybe it will be prepared sooner, and we can have some nap. So we decided to go to the venue (our place was 5 mins away), check if there’s some numbering system and then check the apartment.

At the venue there was one girl. She asked us if we went to the concert and then pulled out a notebook with numbers (BLESS THIS GIRL!!! SHE ORGANIZED IT WHOLE BY HERSELF AND IF IT WASN’T FOR HER THE CONCERT WOULD BE A TOTAL MESS!! AND I WAS SO HAPPY THAT I COULD WRITE HER AWKWARD THANK YOU MESSAGE ON TWITTER AFTER THE CONCERT THANKING HER AGAIN FOR EVERYTHING). We had to write there our names and get the number. So, we write them down and me and my friend got 10 AND 11!!! (my other friend got number 1 for VIP) “HELL YES! MY FIRST AND LAST TIME BEING IN THE FIRST ROW FOR A CONCERT!!!! I AM ACTUALLY GOING TO SEE RAVI FROM FIRST ROW OMFG!!!!! THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING!” I could not believe that we were this lucky. That I was this lucky to actually end up in first row for RAVI’S concert. It must be something which can get fucked up…

After that we went to check the apartment. Excited seeing ourselves sleeping in bed/couch was pushing us forward. Sadly, when we arrived there nothing was ready, so we left again and went for a bit of sightseeing in our sweaty business clothes, smelly, hair messed up and fighting strong wind (No we did not meet Ravi. But after his ig post, we found out we were lost pretty near the place he was at). The funniest part of our sightseeing was our phones – three phones and each was pointing different direction to the same place lol (we got stuck at one place for one hour until we figured out the right direction to the place).

After few hours Fresh from shower and finally looking like people and after a long effort of trying to cover the pimples (unsuccessfully), we went to the venue. We lined nicely, no problems, there were still new people arriving and getting numbers. Everything was okay. I was suspicious about it. 30 minutes before wristbanding, Young Bros posted update on fb event saying THAT THE VENUE WAS CHANGED I was so damn mad and was glad I was in foreign country and just few people could understand my swearing lol. Anyway, it got somehow settled. We moved to different venue, there were still some chaotic moments, but it was p okay. Problem was the venue itself: Apparently no backstage – that meant Ravi wouldn’t have any privacy to prepare for the performance The capacity of the venue was small Another funny thing happened after few mins, when they told us that Ravi hadn’t arrived yet (it was past 6pm and during that time they should have already let vvips in…). It meant Ravi would arrive and go past us to the venue (AND HE DID HEHEHEH). That also meant that he needs to do a soudcheck. So… we were freezing next hour and half outside. I had to pee, was hungry and frozen. After 7pm they started to let us in. I could finally unfreeze. I was also able to keep my water – they did not take it from me, but they took it away to those who had it in bag. After another time (full of other ?!?!?!??!?! moments – when the girls had no idea what to do with albums which were right in front of them and just… a lot of other things) they told us that photo with Ravi would be in 6 people and WE WOULD BE SITTING ON CHAIRS AND RAVI BEHIND US (what???) and then we would put coats into the cloak room. I was already so mad at the organization that I wasn’t even nervous meeting Ravi lol. So my fear of not being able to say anything to Ravi died out the moment I saw him lol (… do not expect any long sentence from me or anything deep lol… I was just awkward as always lol). Me: [sees him] Ravi: [looks at me, smiles and says] “Hi.” Me: [grins like an idiot, smacks his hand (OH GOD IT WAS SO DAMN SOFT… CAN I HOLD IT??) and way too enthusiastically says] “HIIIIIIIII!!!” [sits right in front of him] Me: [realizing I do not want holding my coat on the photo] Me: [decides to put it behind me] Me: [putting the coat down mumbling to myself and partly to him] “I am just gonna put this here for a sec.” Me: [realizing that the coat would be seen on photo so I stopped and thought about an alternative] Camera guy: [starts to count down the seconds for photo] Me: [panicks, then apologize to Ravi for doing this and throwing coat past him to the corner of the room] … So yeah…………………

Anyway… we thought that after the photos there will be a cloak room for coats (we were told to put them to the cloakroom). BUT THERE WAS NONE. My friend asked about the cloak room and they told us that it is up the stairs. BIIIIIIITCH! YOU SAID THAT WE CAN PEACEFULLY PUT OUR COATS AND BAGS TO THE CLOAKROOM!! My friend started faster than Bolt to get the coats to the cloakroom and I was trying to save her spot in the first row. Sadly, we ended up in second row. The venue was very small. There was no barrier between us and stage. The stage was only like half meter up the ground and barriers were created from round tables (but with width less than one meter). The whole stage was prolly 5x3 square meters big. Can you imagine it? Ravi… person who always performed on big stages and who have definitely never performed at such small venue with fans hair away from him. I felt bad for him… (even tho... again bless Starlights all around the world that even in such situation they weren’t grabbing him and let him have that little of space he had) But t must have been such weird feeling for him. On the other hand I guess it could have been good experience for him. Because he definitely won’t have chance to perform on such place again lol. Really it felt like I was attending some underground concert and not Ravi’s concert.

I guess I will slowly wrap up my story. It would take another 1334 words to describe the whole concert. Just want to write down few things: Guy telling us before the concert started to stay hydrated - after they took away water........... First few songs Ravi looked so mad Wanted his mic to be louder but they ignored him which made him mad even more Mad Ravi is quite attractive His thigh in ripped jeans was the first thing I noticed when he arrived and then kept looking at that smooth and fine thing for a minute... I wanted to touch His hairy knee was also very adorable His whole self just screams FINE MAN He was most adorable when he was dancing I wanted to smooch his cheeks... his face looked so soft Oh man he was so happy while dancing and I was happy for him Where Am I is the banger Cold bay is the cutest rapper who exists in the world, but also the rudest one And his rap is no joke (check his sound cloud) Ravi talking in English with great accent, cutely reading English phrases he had on the screen before him Seriously… people should stop recording whole concerts and focus on the artist and enjoying the concert… Ravi spilling water at us SHIRTLESS RAVI HAPPENED Then when he leaned on the table to us I literally felt his heating body (sorry but I had to write it there bc it was so WHOA) Ravi taking some cameras and recording himself on them Never looked at me during the whole concert (’:

After the concert, we went outside to get fresh air. We crossed the road to wait on the other side, then decided to wait for Ravi to go back to hotel. We were the only ones sitting on the other side of the road. And when he got into car and leaving ISTG he turned and waved at us when we were waving at him… and I was happy that last time possible, he finally registered my person (:

Nirvana (with my stupid voice singing the chorus) Lean On Me - Ravi slowly preparing us for what will happen soon later (aka throwing away his shirt) The banger song Where Am I with Cold Bay and Ravi recording himself on phones and lot of screaming bc of that (btw I was not screaming lol)

Those who cannot see vids or do not want to watch them...

hehehehhehe

#ravi #vixx #ravi solo concert #ravi in vienna #I am telling you... I felt so bad for him #like... this must have been so uncomfy for him #like... not that he would hate fans this close #just... if I were him... I would be p stressed #your first solo tour in Europe... and your 3rd concert you are just... thrown to very improvizated stage #totally different from those you have ever stand #with people so close to you #how to interact with them? they so close?! it is so weird...#maybe I would be the only one thinking this lol #anyway... what also made me mad was all those fans with phones over their heads and recording him... like... you are so damn close to him...#... enjoy his amazing songs #jam to bomb or do the dance #take one or two short vids but... pls do not have your phone on whole concert #the venue was small and like... him seeing only phones up high and few people jamming to the songs #I felt bad :((((((((#also... vvip tickets included meet and greet (which did not happen)#pre-signed polaroid photo (which was not polaroid photo... only printed polaroid photo on paper)#priority to buy merch (which wasn't there lol... only those few CDs which they did not let us buy before the event)#................ clap clap clap young bros.... you could not fuck it up more #but bitch... I LOVE RAVI AND I HOPE HE WASN'T THAT UPSET AND I HOPE HE DECIDES TO GO HERE AGAIN BUT PLS WITH OTHER COMPANY THAN THEM... TY #wonshik #kim wonshik

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looselucy · 7 years ago

Photo

March

I walked back into our flat after dropping Liam off at the train station, and not much had changed. Mike was now cuddled on the floor with Louis rather than in the camp chair, literally fast asleep with his head on his chest, his arm slung over his waist. Ed was still fast asleep on the sofa.

Zayn had tried to wake them with breakfast, but it had been entirely unsuccessful. I couldn’t even imagine the amount of money Zayn had spent on all the food for breakfast, and now a good percentage of it was cold on top of the table. I stared down to them, wondering how they could still be asleep at 1:30pm. It looked as though me and Ed definitely weren’t going to our lecture. I stared at the three of them for a minute or two, piecing together the evening before. I remembered them all going off into the kitchen when we all retreated after Harry’s fight, and I went into Harry’s room to clear up the mark, but I hadn’t heard much of their antics after I went to bed. Obviously it had been pretty heavy. My main question was how they had ended up like that? I got it a little bit more with Louis and Ed, but Mike had his own bed, just down the hall. How and why were they all asleep like in such a way? I decided not to dwell on it too much. I would probably get some answers when they woke up, if they could remember, so I happily skipped over to the kettle, feeling increasingly more decent as time went on. I felt a presence in the kitchen, and I prayed it wasn’t Harry. I still wasn’t feeling quite up to a second interaction with him since our chat that morning. I turned from the kettle, happy to see Grace dragging her feet towards me, a dozy smile on her face. “Heeeeeey!” I beamed. “How did you sleep?” “Good. Mike offered his bed up.” She cooed. Her cheeks were tinted with innocent roses, growing out of her cheeks like the summer sun had been creating them for months. “So that’s why he’s asleep on the floor.” I giggled. “You want one?” “Tea-one, please.” She asked. “Don’t act like I don’t remember how you take your tea.” I tutted. Mike coughed slightly, so we both whipped our heads round to see if he had woken up, but he was merely adjusting himself so he was cuddled into Louis’ side even more, Louis seeming to subconsciously nudge away from him in his sleep. We chuckled as quietly as we physically could. I nudged at Grace’s side, trying to get her to spill the beans about herself and Mike, and I was praying something had happened with them the evening before. They were the greatest couple, without even being a couple. “What?” She tittered, knowing exactly what I was getting at. “Did anything happen or what?” I prompted. “Nothing.” “Not even a little kiss?” My bottom lip extended. “Nope. I wanted to but... I dunno. It’s just not our time. Yet.” She sighed sadly. “I’m sure at some point it will be, but, right now... things just wouldn’t work for us. So it’s a case of, start something now and watch it crash and burn. Or, do I wait until something special can actually be something special. I can wait. For Mike, I can wait.” Grace was a sensible soul, which was always good to have around, something I definitely missed. Because before she left, whenever I felt the urge to go out when I had a lecture at 9am the next day, she would be the one telling me not to. Whenever I decided to watch a film instead of writing an essay, Grace was the one who convinced me to at least grab my laptop and attempt multitasking. The most impressive thing when it came to Grace, is that she wasn’t one of those people who gave great advice, but couldn’t follow it herself. She was just as sensible and smart even when it came to herself, even if it wasn’t her favourite option. That was why she dropped out of uni, that’s why she knew she needed to keep her distance from Mike. She was amazing. “I really hope it happens one day.” I huffed. “The way he looks at you, Gracie.” “I know. I never usually spot things like that, but with Mike he’s so hopeless... Urgh. I dunno. I mean... look at him. How could I not... Y’know?” The kettle clicked but I turned to Mike again, seeing a dopey smile on his sleepy face, cuddling up to Louis like he was his world. Of course Grace was head over heels for him, he was Grace’s ideal man. I laughed again, before my head turned towards the sofa, hearing Ed groan. “Where am I?” “You’re at mine!” I replied happily. “Who is mine?” He asked, eyes refusing to greet the light. “Pippa Payne.” I grinned. “Shit name.” Harry had walked through the doorway and into the kitchen, once again declaring I had a shit name and taking me back to our first interactions. I wasn’t sure what kind of reaction he wanted from me, if he wanted me to be angry or he wanted me to play along. I wasn’t really sure of anything when it came to him. “Are you joking?” Grace choked. “That’s such a good name! You never forget a name like Pippa Payne.” “Never forget a person like Pippa Payne, either.” Harry added. “HARRY, IS THAT YOU?” Ed yelled as best as he could. “It’s me!” He laughed, sauntering over. It was hard to ignore a topless Harry Styles. I liked topless Harry even more on a hangover, because his six-pack poked out a little further, like his body was trying to make him have a belly. It was round but rock hard and all together nice to look at. “HARRY HELP ME!” Ed opened his arms wide. “I DON’T KNOW WHERE I AM.” “It would help if you opened your eyes.” He smirked. “I’m scared. Hug me.” Harry jumped on top of Ed without a second thought of his delicate state, which was absolutely ridiculous because he was clearly a mess. Once Harry pressed into his stomach, Ed crunched his whole body upright, and even though we all knew how ridiculously rough he was, none of us were quite expecting him to bend over the side of the sofa and throw up all over the floor. My hand slapped over my mouth, and Harry ran away from the whole scene over to me and Grace, automatically laughing like a madman. He looked like he was going to pass out, bounding over to me and clutching onto my arms and balancing his head on my shoulder. Tiny splatters of sick had bounced off the floor and landed on Louis’ and Mikes face, waking them up, and it didn’t take Louis long to figure out exactly what it was, thanks to the stench. “HOLY GOD!” He cried. “Oh, Louis, man, I’m so sorry.” Ed groaned again, flopping back so he was horizontal. “Oh no. It was Harry’s fault man. I’m so sorry.” “IT WAS NOT MY FAULT!” Harry protested, lifting his head. “What is on my face?” Mike rubbed it off with the back of his hand. “SICK, MAN! IT’S SICK!” Louis cried. “WHAT?” Mike bolted so he was upright far too quickly, forgetting his height and forgetting he was asleep under the table, whacking his head on the underneath of it, then falling back down with his hand covering the sore spot. I knew there were going to be moments that were literal comedic genius living with a bunch of my best friends, but this one was by far my favourite yet. Harry literally fell to the floor. He was literally at my feet, on the floor, crying. Louis was warier than Mike. He climbed out from under the table and ran into the showers as quickly as he could, cursing and stomping into the communal room. Grace was just stood there with her eyes wide, looking down to Mike like she had no clue what was happening. I guess we were all a bit more used to this kind of thing, having lived together for longer. I wasn’t quite as in shock as she was, though it was not a sight I had been expecting, nor one I wanted to see again. Harry lay on his back, and eventually his laughter died down, Ed looking like he was close to tears on the sofa, and Mike still rubbing his head. “Mike, man,” Harry snickered. “You okay?” “Harry I have sick on my cheek and I can’t feel my head, how do you think I am?” “One day, you’re gunna look back on this and laugh!” Harry told him. “Maybe. But that day is not today.” Suddenly his head whipped round to the cause of his pain. “ED, WHAT THE HELL, MAN?” “I’m sorry. Harry jumped on my tummy and it all went wrong.” That just set Harry off again, and not long after that Louis walked out of the showers, still fully clothed even though they were now dripping wet and stuck to his tiny frame, shaking his head. “This... This is a new low.” He gulped. “A definite new low… for me.” + + + I was leaning as far as I could to the side on the sofa, Harry basically on top of me, and Zayn on top of him, just so we could gaze down the corridor and watch Mike bid farewell to Grace. They were whispering. They knew us pretty well at that point and they more than likely knew we were listening in, but even though we couldn’t hear anything, it was impossible not to admire the interaction. He was stood so close to her, and he’d never looked taller, her tiny rose cheek cupped in his palm, speaking to her as she looked up into his eyes, the corners of her lips so gently tugged upwards. After a while, he kissed her forehead, pushing his lips hard against her skin. She gripped at the front of his t-shirt, like she really didn’t want to leave, but soon pushing out of the front door to our flat, and leaving. Again. “Shit.” Zayn whispered harshly. We all clambered and scurried back so we were sat in a plausible position on the sofa, all pretending to watch the TV as Mike strolled back into the kitchen. Mike’s heart was usually broken, but in a pathetic, Mike way. That time, it was different. It looked real. There was a sadness in his eyes that I had never seen from the boy before. Mike was always upbeat, even through his many heartbreaks, he would joke about himself and everyone else in the process. Things were different when it came to Grace. He stood in the doorway, letting out a big sigh. “You good, bro?” Harry asked. “No.” “You should be on top of the world!” Zayn cried. “You finally know that she has feelings for you too!” “OH BRILLIANT!” He yelled to Zayn sarcastically. “Now I have to cope with the fact that the girl I’m in love with, also feels similar, and yet, here I am. Still alone. Thank you, Zayn! The pain has gone. I feel AMAZING!” Without another word, Mike stormed into his bedroom, leaving us all pulling different types of ‘oh shit’ faces. “Poor sod.” Harry concluded. It was early evening, and we were all cleaned up and emptied. The sick was gone, the water Louis had left on our kitchen floor was gone, and the two idiots were finally gone, too. It felt good to just be relaxing, my four-day weekend ahead of me. Well, technically five-day weekend, if you include the fact I hadn’t gone to my lecture. None of us had. Another thing that was nice about just sitting and watching the TV, was the fact that me and Harry had been perfectly normal with each other. It didn’t feel weird or uncomfortable sitting next to him. It just felt... normal. Weirdly normal, given everything that had gone on between us in those 24 hours. “We got any plans tonight?” Zayn asked the two of us. “I need sleep.” Harry groaned. “I feel like last night defeated me, and I haven’t slept enough.” “Well, you’re boring.” Zayn rolled his eyes. “Pip, wanna do something?” “I could go out again.” I leaned forward so I could see him. “Yeah?” Zayn grinned. “HOLD ON, HEY, WOAH, HEY!” Harry put his hands between us. “You can’t leave me out of these plans. That’s just mean.” “Thought you were too tired.” Zayn mimicked. “You think I’m gunna let you two have fun without me? Uh, I don’t think so.” Before Harry moved in with us, we had this kind of relationship between myself, Zayn and Grace... Well, not exactly the same. But, our bond had never been as strong as this. I could spend endless hours just me and Zayn, and be absolutely fine with that. More than fine. Anyone would be more than fine spending that much time with Zayn. However, it seemed to be our trio, that really worked. I could have happily gone on a night out just me and Zayn, but the three of us? That would have been much more fun. “Well, you pretty much ruined last night, can you be trusted?” Zayn taunted. “I didn’t!” He argued. “Here is how it unfolded, Harold. Pippa sat on my knee, you started a fight with about ten muscle-men, and everyone ended up coming home.” Harry bit his tongue, not really being able to argue with because he was right, that was exactly what had happened. I wouldn’t go as far as saying he ruined the night, but Zayn was saying it in jest, and Harry was probably taking it to heart. “I didn’t mean to ruin anyone’s night.” He breathed. “You didn’t!” I butt in. “Can you promise not to do it again?” Zayn raised his eyebrows. We both kinda caught on to the truth behind Zayn’s words. God, it was all so cryptic. None of us were ever really just talking about what was going on. It was all hidden meanings and smoke mirrors and it was slightly infuriating, but definitely called for. Zayn was basically saying, if we were all to go out together, there could be no flirting and no jealousy and no anything that could lead us down a dodgy path. “Zayn, you’ve got this all wrong.” Harry scoffed. “Me and Pip spoke earlier and actually said on our next night out, we were going to each other’s wing-men. One, because we need sex, and two, to prove you wrong.” Zayn glanced to me, probably waiting for me to falter and give something away, but me and Harry were pretty in sync, and I found it easy to play along with what he had said. “Yeah, you wanna join in? We can find you a nice woman? Or man! Whichever you fancy.” I winked. “A woman, will do, thank you.” He chuckled. “Okay, so yeah. We’ll all find each other someone tonight. Whoever doesn’t get laid, loses. Right?” I swallowed my pride a little, hearing it put as plainly as that, hearing it being acknowledged like that. Also, the fact he had turned it into a competition was just not what I needed at the same time as being exactly what I needed, because I was so bloody competitive. Harry was too. I guess that was the part I hated. So me and Harry just nodded, fake grins on our faces, and intense feelings in our guts. + + + Zayn had decided he had had his fill of the girls available to him in Thimble. It wasn’t all surprising, to be honest. Thimble was usually filled with the same people, week in, week out. We were recurring faces in there too, so it was probably a good idea that we tried elsewhere, if we were all trying to find someone. Zayn had been pushing up the whole ‘competition’ aspect of our night ever since it was mentioned. He knew what me and Harry were like, and making this so we were pinned against one another, and the possibility of someone losing, it was just spurring us on, despite our feelings and despite how totally peculiar the whole thing was. I had never cursed my competitive streak more, because even though me and Harry had both agreed on the whole sleeping with someone else thing, it was so soon. It was something we discussed that morning. It all seemed very rushed and... weird. It was the beginning of the night though, so we had decided to go for cocktails at Jax, which was all well and good, but all the boys there seemed older, so I didn’t feel like I stood a chance. Harry and Zayn, however, were so bloody attractive, in the most stereotypical way imaginable, any girl of any age would be eyeing them up. There was no denying that. I, however, had the face of a ten-year-old. “What the hell am I drinking?” Harry questioned, before taking a sip. “Something with gin.” Zayn told him as much as he knew. “Gin? I hate gin.” He took another sip. “I also hate gin.” I added. Zayn nodded, the three of us in unison, but then there we were, all sipping our drinks away far too quickly to say they had cost a tenner a pop, and we didn’t like one of the ingredients. Still, on a student loan, we kind of felt like we had money to burn. Definitely not the case, but we always ignored that on nights out. Especially when we were somewhere like Jax. “So where are we going next if we’re not going to Thimble?” I sparked up a conversation. The area near our university, was, surprisingly, not that exciting when it came to night life. If we travelled into the city we would be surrounded with options. But we had done that the night before, and frankly, it wasn’t something we liked doing often. All of us had grown up just outside of large cities, and we liked the smaller clubs and pubs. It was what we were used to, what we all liked. “Well, we could go to Apex. Or there’s that new place, Jumbo.” Zayn said. “Who thinks up club names?” Harry spoke to himself. “There’s also Submarine.” I perked. “Seriously, who?” Harry’s voice dropped even more. “Oh yeah! I’ve never been there. It’s supposed to be good.” Zayn pondered. “I haven’t been either.” “I’ve been.” Harry joined the conversation again. “It’s cool. They’ve got fish.” “FISH?” I cried. “I LOVE FISH! CAN WE GO?” “I forget how loud you can be.” Harry shook his head, but smiling. I remembered he always found that annoying about me, how my voice would just heighten out of nowhere. It was strange now, seeing him smile about it rather than roll his eyes. Seeing his eyes twinkle instead, his mouth spread. I frowned automatically, turning away so he couldn’t see me. That’s when it clicked. After everything that had gone on, that was the moment where I figured it out in my head. Such an idiot. I’m such an idiot. It was more than a friendship. I saw Harry as more than a friend, and that’s when I realised that there was a possibility that Harry saw me as more than a friend, too. It wasn’t when we had started getting closer, it wasn’t when he kissed me, it wasn’t when he got jealous over Zayn, it was this. This truly insignificant moment that would have been brushed under a rug by anyone else, suddenly made me realise everything. “Oh shit.” I muttered under my breath. “What?” Unfortunately, Zayn had heard. “What?” I repeated. “What?” “Nothing!” I tried. “I’m literally... beyond confused.” He breathed. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I think the first thing I really felt was humiliation. I was absolutely humiliated. I felt like such a fool. The fact that I had caught onto my feelings, finally. The fact I knew Harry still hadn’t, and we were both acting so fine with each other, when really the thought of me not being with him was suddenly eating me alive. Never mind the fact that we were literally on a night out dedicated to sleeping with other people. “I just... I... I need to- I’m going for a wee.” I fumbled, basically falling off the bar-stool in my rush to leave. “Are you okay?” Harry gawped. “Me? Oh god. Never better. Never bloody better. I just... I need a wee, so... Okay. Bye.” Zayn was looking round the room as though looking for the person who had caused this change in me, but he should have looked right ahead of him and spotted the curly haired little shit, who was sitting there just as dumbfounded and perplexed by my state as he was. “Okay...” Zayn lagged. I began trotting off in what I thought was the right direction, until it clicked that I had no bloody clue where the toilets were. I had been in Jax many times, I’d even been in there sober, but my mind was in such a frenzy I had no clue. I spun on my heel. “Where are the toilets?” I asked. Zayn’s face was a picture, as he pointed me in the complete opposite direction to the one I had been heading in originally. I faked a laugh and went on my way, my whole skin tingling and not even being able to bare the fact that I could feel Harry watching me as I went. I also did not want to think what the two of them would discuss whilst I was away, but I really needed to escape. I didn’t even care. I pushed through into the girls toilets, and began freaking the fuck out. “Holy shit.” I hushed to myself. “Shit. Shit. Bollocks. Oh no. Oh my gooood. No. Oh bollocksy-fuck-shit.” Behind me, a cubicle door swung open, a small girl stood there looking at me, a little dumbfounded. “Babe, are you okay?” She asked me, concerned. “I DON’T KNOW!” I yelled. “Oh god. I’m sorry for yelling. I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’m doing.” In her gigantic heels, she shuffled over to me, taking hold of my shoulders and standing directly in front of me, trying to keep me still, trying to calm me down. “Okay, babe, just breathe. Just breathe, babe. Shhhh. Calm down, and talk to me. Tell me all, love.” Something happens in ladies bathrooms. I don’t know what it is, but I know it is often helped by consuming a lot of alcohol. I was only a few cocktails down, but it was enough. I was willing to open up to this girl, and there was nothing she wanted more than to listen. “I’m here with this boy.” I gulped. “And like, I’ve only just realised that I’m practically infatuated with him. Oh god. I really like him! And I didn’t even know! What do I do?” She had nodded along with her eyes wide as I spoke, really taking in everything I was telling her. “How old are you?” She quizzed. “I turned nineteen yesterday.” “So you’re a first year?” She baffled. “Yes.” “Okay, babe, I’m not even joking, in my first year here, I got with this boy who I thought was amazing. Obviously he wasn’t. He was a complete prick. I ended up wasting a year on him, and honestly, babe, I regret it so much. Such a waste of time, seriously! You do not want to get into a relationship when you’re at university.” “It gets worse.” I was literally shaking. “I live with him, and I’m living with him next year too!” “NO!” She yelled. “You cannot get involved with him. No. No, I won’t let you. You really need to not go there. That is complicated situation, babe. Seriously, don’t go down that path. You’ll live to regret it.” She was trying to calm me down, but all that was doing was working me up even more. How was I supposed to learn to avoid feelings I had only just realised I had? I didn’t even know how to stay away from Harry before I felt so intensely towards him. How was I supposed to stop now? “I totally agree with you.” I swallowed. “But how am I supposed to avoid these feelings? How am I supposed to just... stop caring?” “If you’ve only just realised you have these feelings,” She spoke to me with this sense of almighty knowledge. “Then you have to go back to when you didn’t know. You get blind drunk, pretend tonight never happened, watch him sleep with other girls, and move on with your life.” “I used to hate him!” I told her. “YES! That’s such a good thing to have. Go back to hating him.” “NO! No. I can’t. That was a shit time, I can’t.” “Okay, no, you’re right, babe. Rubbish idea. Just... distance yourself. Yeah? Is that a better idea? I don’t know.” “Yeah. Distance myself. I can do that. I need to do that.” I shuddered. She nodded, and finally dropped my arms. I was still shaking, just not quite as much as I had been. Thank god, for girls toilets. “Babe,” She began again. “You can do this. You are stronger, and better, than any boy that will ever come into your life. Distance is healthy. Distance is good. Boys are crap.” I nodded again, trying my very best to agree with her, but it was difficult when the only person on my mind was Harry Styles, in no way he had ever been on my mind before. I really hated it. I hated even the idea of it. I felt weak and stupid. Yeah, I was humiliated. + + + There were fish there. Like, lots of fish. There was a fish-tank, the biggest one I had ever seen in my life, filled with tropical fish and little fish and big fish and basically all the fish to satisfy my fish needs. Even better than I was expecting. Submarine was slightly pretentious, but who doesn’t like a little bit of pretentiousness in their lives? I mean, really? I wasn’t ready to become a regular or anything, but for visiting once in a while? Yeah. I was okay with being pretentious. However, I had looked in my purse and realised cocktails weren’t really an option anymore, even though we were in a cocktail bar. It didn’t really matter. I had a pint in my hand, and I felt a little more at home like that. Also, the fact it wasn’t going down as quickly, and it was half the price, was all good by me. I stood staring at the fish, Harry talking about his latest, and final, photography project for the year, that he had been emailed about earlier. I’d love to tell you more, but I wasn’t really listening, and I was definitely tipsy. On top of that, there was a fish that had been staring at me. Literally, that little bugger had been staring me out for like five minutes and I’m convinced he was ready for a fight. Or she. I’m not quite clued up on the genders of fish. “Pippa!” Zayn cried. “Look at this fish!” I ignored the fact he was clearly trying to pull me back into regular conversations. “It’s looking at me.” “Is it?” He scoffed. “Um, yes!” I spoke like he was being stupid. “Is this a fish... thing? Do they stare at people, because I swear this fish has been looking at me for-” “Excuse me?” We all whipped our heads away from the fish and round to where this new voice had come from, seeing a boy who had approached us, turtleneck-jumper on, short hair, longer beard. Basically, the kind of guy I kick myself for finding attractive, but find attractive anyway. “Yo, man, what’s up?” Harry gave him a friendly welcome. “Sorry,” He began, addressing me. “I run the risk of getting punched in the face here, if either of these guys is your boyfriend. But, I’ve been watching you look at that fish for like, ten minutes, and all I want to do is buy you a drink and get to know you.” I was never approached in bars. Literally, never. I had always put it down to the fact that... I was the girl you would find in the corner of bars, drinking a pint and staring at bloody fish! Also, it was hard to get any attention when I was always with Harry and Zayn. Then, if not them, I was with Tally. It’s hard to stand out when you have Tally by your side. Zayn turned to me quickly with a massive grin on his face, trying to hide the sly thumbs up he was giving me down by his waist, but it wasn’t hard to spot. Harry was still staring at the boy who had asked to buy me a drink, except now he didn’t look quite as friendly. He looked the exact opposite. “Um,” I tried not to choke on the spit in my mouth. “Sure. That’s... Yeah. Okay.” He grinned and offered his hand to me, which I quickly took as he lead us both over to the bar, me trailing behind him, my fingers still in his palm. I glanced over my shoulder, seeing that Zayn now had two thumbs up. Harry still didn’t look too chuffed, though he was trying to find a smile. I appreciated that. We both knew the intention of evening, and Harry was doing the best he could. But at the same time, I didn’t want him to be trying to find a smile. Suddenly, after my realization, what I wanted him to do was to walk over and sweep me off my feet and tell me he didn’t want me to be with someone else because he wanted to be with me. I was far too many drinks in to be thinking clearly. I wasn’t thinking about the implications, all I was thinking about was how much I liked him. I practically bumped into the bar as we came to an abrupt halt, having been too busy looking back to Harry and Zayn. “Sorry.” I breathed. “It’s okay.” The boy grinned, eyeing me up and down. “I’m Gabriel. Call me Gabe.” + + + I was talking to Gabe, but all I could do was glance over his shoulder every other second to see Harry kissing some girl. I had been with Gabe for about an hour, so of course he was on it with some girl, of course he was, why wouldn’t he be? It was a competition for crying out loud, and even though I had a boy eyeing up my lips, I had yet to let him meet them. I wanted to, but I definitely didn’t want to at the same time. Gabe was good at talking though. I mean, basically, he didn’t shut up. It wasn’t annoying or anything, just very consistent. It was good though, he couldn’t really see the fact that I wasn’t interested in what he had to say. Even still, I needed a little break. “I’m just gunna nip to the toilet.” I smiled to him. “I won’t be long.” Going to the toilet, would involve walking past Harry and the girl whose mouth he had his tongue in. I thought it was going to be more sinking than it was, but actually, quite the opposite feeling occurred. As I tried to scurry past as inconspicuously as possible, Harry parted from the girl so quickly, she was left stumbling and tonguing the air as he followed after me, stopping me before I could get in the bathroom. “Hey, Pip.” He grabbed at my arm, and steered me off to the side. “How’s it going?” “Umm, yeah. It’s okay.” I shrugged, as nonchalant as I was physically able. “Good. What’s his name?” “Gabriel.” “Gabriel?” He grinned. “Like the angel?” He was clearly amused by that, because for some reason, Harry thought into names far more than he needed to. I knew this first-hand. “Like the angel.” I said seriously. “Ridiculous.” He chuckled lightly. “You’re ridiculous.” I tutted. “And what’s your friends name?” “I don’t bloody know.” He huffed with a smile. “I don’t need to know.” That smug little bastard I knew all too well was out in full force, but I was quite glad of it, because anything that made me feel less positively towards him was fantastic. “Good for you, Harry. Can I go now? I need to get back to Gabe.” “Nicknames? Already? That’s sickly.” He rolled his eyes. “Are you jealous?” I asked, no messing around. “Of course I’m jealous!” He returned the honesty. “How could I not be?” I shouldn’t have asked. How was I supposed to pretend I didn’t like him when he was stood there being so open about the fact he was jealous I was spending time with an attractive boy. It didn’t matter than he was all over someone else, he was jealous, and not willing to deny it. “Where’s Zayn?” I moved on. “I dunno. With some girl? I dunno.” “Look, I really need to go.” I began to walk off again but he moved so he was stood in front of me, not letting me go anywhere, because he had something he needed to say. “Look, Pip, just wait!” I stopped, staring up to him. “I don’t want to sleep with that girl, alright? Do you want to sleep with him?” “No.” I replied so quickly, before I even knew what was coming out of my mouth. I had really wanted to lie and say yes and then I could start the moving on process sooner rather than later, but instead, my mouth just went off on a trip to the word no, without me even wanting that to happen. “I don’t want you to read into it too much.” Harry accidentally punched me in the gut with those words. “I just don’t want to sleep with her. I don’t want to. It doesn’t appeal to me. And I’m not saying that’s because of you... but it’s probably because of you. Maybe the main reason is because I don’t want to see you with someone else, but I’d rather just lay off girls for a while. Including you, to be honest.” Harry was being honest, which was great, but all my drunken mind could thing was that his honest words weren’t exactly what I wanted to hear from him. Maybe he didn’t like me in the exact same way I liked him. Maybe it was just down to the fact he would get jealous. I’d dealt with the same thing with boys before, who I had kissed on nights out and then suddenly it was like they had ownership of me, that I couldn’t kiss anyone else even though it meant nothing. “Okay.” I sighed. “But what about Zayn?” “I’ve already thought this through. We get him blind drunk. Like, seriously the drunkest he’s ever been. So then, he literally won’t physically be able to sleep with someone, so we won’t lose because none of us will have sex.” “YES!” I whelped. “Top thinking, Harry. I didn’t want to lose.” “No, me neither, so just get rid of the competition altogether, right?” He grinned proudly. “Then it’s also an excuse for us to not sleep with people, because we’ll have to carry him home!” “You’re a genius!” My eyes were wide with glee. “I know I am. I know.” “So, shall we go somewhere else and get the shots in?” I beamed. “Wise idea, Pip-Squeak. A very wise idea.” He smirked. + + + With one of Zayn’s arms around my shoulder, and one around Harry’s, we finally stumbled back into our flat. Zayn was singing at the top of lungs as he did, since that seemed to be the only thing he was capable of doing. Within a few seconds, before we could even get to Zayn’s door, Mike poked his head suspiciously out of his bedroom door, shaking his head disapprovingly for a second, before shutting it again, not a word said. Myself and Harry giggled to ourselves as we struggled to get Zayn into bed, but eventually managed. Well, not in bed, but on bed. But that was as good as it was going to get. He had finally stopped singing and he conked out as soon as his head hit the pillow, snoring within seconds. I folded my arms as we gazed down to the slumbering boy, Harry stood proudly with his hands on his hips, Peter Pan-esque. “Never has a plan been executed so brilliantly.” He smirked. “What. A. Team.” I giggled. I extended my hand to the side without turning to him, and Harry moved his and slapped it quickly, sharing a gratifying high-five. We left his room, and I was definitely ready for my bed. I knew I needed to go there alone, as much as I didn’t want to. My hand lay on the handle as Harry scuttled to his door, turning to face me once he was there. We just looked at each other, for a while. There was heavy breathing, dozy smiles, tired eyes, but only silence as we just watched each other, like we both knew what we really wanted, and we knew what was best. Harry moved, taking three large steps towards me, grabbing at the back of my head quickly and forcing his lips to press hard against my forehead, breathing in through his nose as he did, my head tilted upwards, my breath hitting his neck, my eyes closed. That was the first moment of closeness we had shared that I really liked. The first one that made my heart flutter, my bottom lip shake. Once his lips left my head, his fingers toyed with the hair on the back of my head, gulping loudly. “Goodnight, Pip.” He whispered. “Goodnight, Harry.” I whispered back. My hair slipped through his fingertips, like the mess on my head had never known knots, as he swept away from me, and back into his bedroom. I banged my head on my door, still in the corridor, wishing we had never gone out in the first place, because if we hadn’t, there was the chance of me still being blind to my achingly obvious feelings.

#LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOO #BB26 #Harry Styles #1dff

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daynamartinez22 · 4 years ago

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Weekly SEO Q&A – Hump Day Hangouts – Episode 306

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Click on the video above to watch Episode 306 of the Semantic Mastery Hump Day Hangouts.

Full timestamps with topics and times can be found at the link above.

The latest upcoming free SEO Q&A Hump Day Hangout can be found at http://semanticmastery.com/humpday.

Announcement

Hey everybody, we are now live. Welcome to Hump Day Hangouts. This is Episode 306. Today is the 23rd of September 2020. And this is the last Hump Day Hangout before we live 2020. So if you have not got your ticket yet, head over to cope with live.com, we still got some open seats left, the VIP tickets are gone, there is one VIP plus ticket left. And we got again, some extras for the main tickets where you can still get access to all of the presentations to the case studies. And then you can pick up the executive summaries and you’ll get access to the recordings. So again, if you haven’t yet and you didn’t see the emails that we keep stacking some pretty good bonuses and then this last one, I don’t want to give it away if you’re not on the email list, you need to hop on the list first. That’s the only way you’re gonna get it but we’ve got a free consultation going with one of the presenters who’s doing work as a digital marketing and SEO agency with fortune 500 companies so Enough said that’s just a little teaser because everyone on the email list is getting a shot at that. So before we dive into questions and talk some more about POFU Live and what I was going to they’re gonna say hi to everyone real quick so start at the bottom and work my way up. We got her on Hernan wearing a nice sweater today you look kind of nice.

Ah Oh, man. I’m excited about POFU, man makes black buffalo is coming bro Where the fuck is your ticket? Go to pofulive.com and get your ticket.

All right, I’m not sure whether to be scared or excited but either way, I get what Hernan is throwing down. So I think what are you trying to say that people should come to join us? That should go to footballlab.com I went live on the Facebook group. I think today talking about my topic for Saturday is gonna be pretty awesome. So I’m excited about I’m excited to see what you guys have to share. But I’m excited about what I have to share as well. So it’s gonna be pretty cool. Definitely. I am looking forward to all of them. So let’s, let’s move up here Marco, how are you doing today?

Got you looking a little different. You kind of look dressed up to you got a call? You know, it’s Look, I had to break up my vintage search shirts. somebody commented on it from a previous something. Someone said, Hey, man, nice shirt, like your shirt, whatever. So I said, Hey, you know, I got other vintage shirts. Let me stop breaking them out. And I got a place that I order from also where they have like a whole stack of shirts men from I don’t know, Hawaiian and all these different shirts. So there you go. And

Need I say more. Yeah, POFU. It’s Groundhog Day, man. But this is my POFU, right? We define it as doing what you want to do, instead of what you have to do in whatever it is right.

And even when you have to do something, it’s because it’s what you want to be doing. Think about that. It sounds like an oxymoron having to do something that you want to do or want to do something that you have to do. But it is how we do it is going to be shared on Saturday. Well, this week, not that this Friday, but Friday is going to be a drink off Bradley against anybody who comes up. So there you go. I’m putting my money on the breath.

That is awesome. Yeah, I think we just had one of the VIP attendees ought to go and check if he posted his picture yet. He said he got his beer delivered. It’s in the fridge and ready to go. So looking forward to that on Friday. I am not gonna challenge, Bradley. I’ve learned my lessons and meeting up with you guys that we all trying to say is good. I’m not. I’m just saying I feel it after we get together. Man. We have a good time. But I got a detox after we meet up so it’s not just you, man. It’s not just you, man.

All right, well, Marco is going to be kicking off Sunday at POFU Live so he has got the first talk after we get things going on Sunday. So looking forward to hearing what you’re going to be throwing down Marco. Yeah, I shared see but my mini mastermind gets most of my stuff man mo I’m not gonna say all because I got to keep one in the chamber man just in case. People can turn on your you got to be able to pop them off. So just in case, I keep on back, but they get most of it. So they got a little taste of what I’ll be doing during my presentation. And you know how I toggle my presentation, right? Like, last year? Of course, it was it’s all in your fucking head. And that’s what I went with now this year is going to find out on Sunday.

Outstanding Well, speaking of Sunday, discussions, and presentations Chris, how are you doing today? Doing super well here. I’m still somewhat here surprisingly. So yeah.

And I still have a little bit of work to do for my presentation. So like a bit of fine-tuning. But what I got so far, super exciting, so be excited as well. Cool. Cool. All right. And we were just everyone who’s watching before we right before we went live, I think Bradley, you said you’re, you’re doing a bunch of work on what you’re going to be talking about. Right? You said you were just cranking out some lead gen prospecting stuff. Yeah, I’m still working on the prospecting machine that I’ve set up. It’s, it’s working really well, I just started, I had done it before with some different applications and such, and I’m using a new app. Now that kind of combined everything all into one. And it’s working really, really well. I’ve been prospecting pretty heavy this week. And I’ve got several appointments for lead buyers for Tree Service guys to buy leads from my own assets. But yeah, it’s working really well. And I keep adding to the prospecting machine to make additional automation. So like, even more, follow-ups get added to it all the time. So it’s a work in progress, even what I’m going to be teaching about is that this weekend for POFU Live, but it’s not done, it’s not complete in that I keep adding to it. So over the course of the next couple of months, POFU Live attendees, we have a membership area. And so I’m going to continue to add to that, just like we did last year and the year before so that we can add, you know, I can, I can continue to refine it, make it better, and provide that to the post live attendees. And once it’s finalized, to where I’ve got it to where it’s not a whole lot of tweaking left to do, then that’s when I’ll end up sharing it through in the mastermind as well. So that’s usually within you know, six, eight weeks after the live event, I usually end up sharing what I shared a few live in the mastermind, you know, bits and pieces of it anyways. So I think it’s gonna be pretty valuable. It’s working really well for me. And I just hope that other people can put it to use for them as well. Outstanding. All right, and just before we got on here, I just updated the POFU Live page. We’ve been going back and forth with our last potential speaker, as well as he’s going to be presenting a case study. So I’m really happy about this Jeremy Gottesman and owner of press advantage is going to be joining us so on Sunday afternoon, he’s got a case study lined up going to drive about driving traffic with mass content syndication. He also might be pulling back the what I call it, the pulling back the curtains on a project he’s working on so we’ll see about that but really excited to have Jeremy join us. Of course, we’re going to have Jordan Fowler, Jeffrey Smith, Brian Caddo, and all of us you’re seeing here are all going to be giving presentations on top of that. Rob Beal alright guy running MGYB dedhia. If you have ever been on a PO foo live, you probably heard one of us mentioned dedhia is going to be there talking about the link building wizardry given some insights there for that everyone can put to use. So like I said, head over to POFU Live.com. We are going to shut down ticket sales at midnight on Friday so that everyone has a chance to get the info they need and be there sharp and early at 9am this Saturday, and you’re going to get to look at Hernan dancing in a sunglasses the whole week. No, just kidding. If you want we’ll make him not do that. So anyway, regardless, we’re looking forward to seeing you there. If you have any questions, either leave them on the page here or just shoot an email to support at Semantic mastery.com and we will get you sorted out as quickly as we can. One more thing that I need to comment on because you mentioned Jordan, like people you are presenters, like our rock stars, Jeffrey always brings the heat beyond all of our people. But Jordan, his presentation is what is going to focus on content, how to get your content razor-sharp, and we talk about this is our mini mastermind, this is what takes place we talked about how to get that content razor-sharp for the AI right for the artificial intelligence so that you focus right on the body presenting your entity the right way correctly. So he’s showing how content how you can focus your content to activate this bot so you can tell the bot exactly what your website is about because if you leave the bot to guess I don’t give a shit how good that AI is. It’s going to screw it all up now on top of that he’s going to show us fortunate enough to attend how to monetize it. So you’re gonna make your money back, you know how many times like how can you put a price on someone teaching you how to monetize the content that is razor sharp already to produce results. So think about this so and the guy’s a master you guys know what he’s doing out in his neck of the woods in a what roughly 20 million people metropolitan area Metroplex. So, you know, he’s killing it. He’s killing it. Brian is out there, in his neck of the woods doing the thing he does people in my mini mastermind with somebody who’s going to be lucky enough to be able to join my mastermind. So you get access to all of this. And they’re just like if you’re not hyper-focused on getting to pole for how to get the pole.

How to get in razor-sharp for that process, then we’ll help you along the way. I mean, it doesn’t get any better than that. And I don’t know what that’s worth, I can’t tell you to let my guys tell you what it’s worth being that mini mastermind. That’s awesome. Yeah, I should have definitely talked about those a little bit more. But I’m glad you brought that up Marco because that is going to be some powerful stuff. So I know a little bit about what Jordans been doing some of the success he’s had. So that’s just, I mean, I’m looking forward to all of these, but that’s another one I’m looking forward to it, I can see some great opportunities where I can put it to use for not only myself but potential clients not even do SEO for clients anymore. But there’s some great stuff here that you know, could be their add on services, or again, doing it for my own projects or ourselves. So really looking forward to that. Thanks for adding that.

Alright guys, anything else before we dive into questions?

Nope. All right, Bradley. Let’s do it. Grab the screen.

Firstly, make sure I’ve got all my sensitive tabs. Closed or hidden week. Yeah.

Call it what you want.

Alright, let’s do this.

You got to see my screen correct.

out now we can. Okay.

All right. So let’s see. Where do we start? Also, how about this man when it rains, It pours. We have got the questions today. Geez. Oh, man. Yeah, see that? Yeah.

What WordPress Plugin Do You Recommend For Adding Schema To A Blog?

That’s awesome. Thanks, everybody. For all the questions. Yeah. Let’s, uh, I guess let’s dive into this.

Uh, okay, cool. Let’s start here. Three days of cats are from seven days ago, I believe this was right at the end of the webinar or the hump day hanging out last time, but we’ll answer now Is there a WordPress plugin for adding schema to a blog that you recommend? The only one that I use for adding schema that has like schema? Like a schema generator in it is Seo ultimate pro?

There are other plugins out there that do it. But I don’t know. I’ve not used any of them. So I the only one that I recommend is Seo Ultimate Pro. Do we have a link for that guys? Or no? Yeah, let me grab that. Anybody else has a comment on that? SEO Ultimate Pro, absolutely. The header inserter. Hmm. The way you can insert custom code, as I’ll go and I because I like doing my own coding my own schema. But the inserter code allows me to control it, where it goes by post, by page. What goes where so I really like that function, man. Because you can get down into the nitty-gritty. I’ve also coded my own plugin, which if you’re, of course, one of our paying members, I’ll probably give you access to that where you can dynamically insert schema. This is especially for e-commerce is I’ve been doing some e-commerce lately. So if you need to insert schema, custom schema, and there are things that change, because you have products, then I’ve developed a plugin that will dynamically insert that schema. So it’s pretty good. It works pretty well. Yeah, to be clear.

If you already have schema code that you just want to add to different pages, there’s a number of plugins that will do that, like so go add header, the footer is one of them, there’s a number of plugins that you can do for that. But if you’re looking for a plugin that will generate schema code or structured data, that’s why I mentioned SEO Ultimate Pro, because it actually has both of those functionalities in it. One is on every page or post, it has a schema code generator at the bottom so that you can mark up that the content or the elements of that page or post. But then also there’s the code inserter module and the code inserter plus module and SEO Ultimate Pro, so that you can add code to different pages or posts or, you know, media files or whatever it is that you want to do, you can add to those as well. So it actually does both of those things that will generate structured data, as well as it will allow you to insert code via the code inserter module into you know, various pages and posts and get very granular. So there’s a lot of control available in that plugin suite.

Does Any of Network Empire’s Old WebRing Videos Still And Can It Be Used Together With Semantic Mastery’s Drive Stacking?

Okay, moving on. The next one is Olga says hi SM. I watched your recent Hump Day hangout video and Bradley mentioned he followed the Network Empire when he got started. Yes, I did. Are there any old webring videos? Is any of their old webring videos still relevant? If so, can it be used together with drive stacks as taught by Semantic Mastery? Thanks. Yeah, there’s no doubt though, they’re still relevant. So you know, it’s interesting but the syndication networks that I built I was building before I even knew about network Empire, excuse me network Empire. I didn’t get introduced to Network Empire think until 2013 I believe. When I went to Nashville for what was it OMG live in Nashville. That’s when I got introduced to Network Empire. So I was already doing what network Empire considers what they call webring one right. So are ones which is building branded properties syndicating content to what a republishing to those, but I was doing that already with syndication networks and IFTTT, and so. But yes, when I went, that’s why I was so attracted to Network Empire because when I got introduced to them at the OMG live event in 2013, they started talking about w r1. And web 2.0s and all this stuff. And I was just like, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing with syndication networks and I, at that time, I didn’t fully understand why syndication networks worked so well. But that’s where Network Empire came in is they really took that idea that I was already using, and kind of expanded on that for me, so that I got much more knowledge as to why that worked. And again, that was really the beginning of the Semantic Web. And that’s why when we formed our company, we caught it semantic mastery is because it was about developing those semantic relationships between all those properties, increasing your brand footprint online. All of that is still absolutely relevant today. Some of the methods may have changed slightly, but as far as the the the theory behind it, it absolutely is, is applicable to even projects today. So there’s a wealth of information that you can get from them as well. There’s no question about it. I’ve got nothing bad to say about Network Empire at all. So anybody wants to comment on that?

No, I don’t know enough about what they’re doing now, to be able to comment. I mean, what they were doing? Yes, a lot of it, I would say it’s isn’t even necessarily going out any further than tier one. The way that we do it is through link building. And I guess you could call them kind of, like rings kind of like, but it’s different the way that our approach is a little bit different now. But yeah, totally their branded ring, and they’re what they call their golden frame. And all that’s still relevant, how they do it and where they do it. Like I can’t say, I can’t say I can only comment about what we’re doing now and how we approach the Semantic Web.

So see, the follow-up question on that was if so can it be used together with drive stacking is taught by Semantic Mastery? Absolutely. That’s what I mean. Again, that’s kind of what Marco was just saying was, you know, the way that they teach building out, they teach something similar in that the WR ones and WR twos are almost like SEO shields, right, which is what we do with drive stacks, except we just use Google properties to create that SEO shield and why because Marco always calls it or says it’s where, you know, we’re in the belly of the beast. And we’re basically using Google’s own narcissism against itself to benefit our own properties. So but yes, again, Network Empire training, works very well in conjunction with our training. And even today, I know that they still use you know, drive stacks and such a lot of their members actually buy drive stacks from us. So I don’t know why you buy them anywhere else to be honest with you.

What Do You Mean By Jumplinks In The Drive Stack Strategy?

Alon is up next she says, I guys, just wondering why you use the Google slash URL question mark q equals in front of your web 2.0 and links in your G stack properties. Marco, do you want to? Do you want to reveal why we do that?

No, it’s not something that out that I’ll get into in a free group. We get into the why in heavy hitter club, we get into the why. And always Academy reloaded them the Semantic Mastery mastermind otherwise, not something I’ll talk about. Yeah. So yeah. And that’s why I asked Marco because there’s a specific reason why we do that. But it is something that we talked about in the paid group. So I didn’t want to reveal that here. Unfortunately, Alona let’s just say it’s beneficial to do it that way. So that’s why we do that. But far beyond that. The next question is, and by the way, if you know if the heavy hitter or excuse me, if semantic mastery mastermind is too much for you, as far as a monthly commitment, or, you know, several grand on RYS Academy is too much for you then join heavy hitter club, right. And that’s technical SEO stuff where so a lot of the stuff that’s covered in heavy hitter club is also covered in the mastermind, but the mastermind also covers about business building management, outsourcing prospecting client, you know, getting all that kind of stuff. So there are different levels for reasons, right if you just need technical SEO advice, heavy hitter clubs, your best bet.

So I would encourage you to go check that out.

Is this what you mean by jump links are a type of redirect. Well, that’s a redirect that’s a type of redirect specific to Google, but it’s not a jump link and jump link is when you have an anchor link. And I don’t mean anchor text link, I mean, an anchor link. So you can just go to Google and search what is an anchor link, right. And if you’ll look probably w three schools will come up and you can read about what an anchor link is. But that’s essentially like a table of contents on a page. Do you know what I’m saying? So like, for example, if if you can create a link, like an in-page link so that when you click on that link, it jumps to a specific spot on that page. It’s very easy to set up again, go to W three

Or just go to Google and search anchor links, create anchor links, what is an anchor link, and you’ll read about it. And it’s a very, very simple code to create anchor links. And those are very, very powerful, because you can link to specific parts of a page doesn’t have to just be an in-page link, what I’m saying is, you create the anchor link, but you can link to that specific part of a page or post, externally, right, so you can, you can use the link directly to that. So that’s what a jump link is. They’re very, very powerful. Use them very strategically. And you can get really good results from that. Does anybody want to comment on that? All of this, as you said, is readily available if you search Google, and you’ll know what a redirect is, and what a jump link is, how we use them. And how we strategically place these to get the maximum effect is, again, something that we only deal with, in the paid groups. And if I see you, as a matter of fact, commenting about my shit, and other groups, especially in the free groups, I get very upset. And I’ll call you out on it because I don’t want that.

This is what’s ridiculous to me, man. So you pay a whole lot of money to come in and learn from us to come and get a strategic advantage over everyone else. Then you go to a free group and try to look good. By thinking that you’re looking like like, like a pro, like an expert, Ninja fucked or whatever the fuck it is that you’re trying to look like. And you’re giving away the shit that you’re paying for? It is that come on there. Come on, I think I see. And I see you. I see when you go and do it. You think that I don’t know, someone will come and say, Hey, Marco, someone’s sharing your shit. And then sure enough, there I go. And then I’ll reach out to you privately and you’re not gonna like that. Just so you know. So to clarify, or to be clear was that wasn’t directed at olana? Was it? Not something that cuz he’s not one of our members. Okay. That’s a general comment. I’m just saying in general, coming to people who are paying us and then going and sharing. Now, I only share the good stuff in the paid groups, or once it’s become general knowledge as to why and how, but the why and how to keep that unfair advantage to yourself. So Ilana, if you go and you invest your time, your hard-earned money and time into learning all these things? Would you then go and give it away? Absolutely not cheap, your advantage, your time that you spend coming to here and asking us questions, and going into Google and researching cost you money. So don’t give that away. Go go and go in and apply the shit that you learn. And like totally rock here, your providers will or the sorry that that person do that you’re doing SEO for rock his world rock her world? And then trash more money, but don’t go give it away? Because then what value do you have to offer that somebody else can’t, and they’ll undercut you? They’ll find out who you’re who it is that you’re doing work for.

And they’ll come in at a lower price with the shit that you gave away? Yeah, it’s on you.

When Would You Start Using Paid Traffic To Give Google A Heads Up About Your Business?

Okay, so she’s got a few more questions here. A while we got a lot to go through today, so I’ll try to run through this very quickly. Few paid traffic questions. You’ve mentioned using paid traffic at the start of your SEO campaign to give Google a heads up about you. When would you start using it straight away? Or once you have all your stack citations and everything set up? Um, you know, it just depends. Typically, it depends on what the project is, for me, I’m generally I will run inexpensive traffic, which can be achieved through YouTube, but more likely for clicks directly to web assets, whether it’s a money site or Google properties, display ads work really, really well for that, because the thing about YouTube which might answer the default.

The next question, YouTube ads are more about views to the video, right? Don’t get me wrong, if it’s a good video, if there’s a compelling offer, then you will receive some clicks from the video to whatever destination or target that you want to drive the traffic to. But YouTube is more about I use YouTube ads or Google ads for video, specifically more for helping the video to rank or also for branding purposes, right. So I use YouTube ads to help the video rank if I’m trying to have a video rank. But I really don’t care about a video ranking so much anymore. I really just don’t oftentimes it will rank because of relevant traffic coming to it. But the engagement signals that you’re buying from Google, but I honestly don’t really care much about ranking videos anymore, because I get all the traffic I want from using Google ads and it’s inexpensive, so there’s really no reason for me to go through the trouble ranking videos. a byproduct of relevant engagement relevant views to a video is that it will often rank if the video is optimized to rank. So besides that, use YouTube ads to create branding more or less branding campaigns to constantly expose the brand to potential customers, right. So it’s not so much about driving traffic from the video to the destination. Although I always put a call to action, right, there’s always a call to action to click. But it’s, I don’t get a whole lot of clicks from that I do get clicks, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t get a whole lot of them. It’s more about views. So that said, Display Network ads through Google Display Network ads, when somebody clicks one of those ads, it goes directly to the destination. Right. So it’s not the same as watching a video. It’s remembering what the YouTube badge it’s it’s a two-step process. The first is to get the video seen. The second is to get somebody to click from within the video to the destination, which is where you want them to go. But with a display network ad, it’s the click, it’s a one-step process, that click goes directly to your destination. So I like to use Google Display Network ads for the kind of activating SEO work that I’ve done. And for that, I’ll drive it directly to usually the money site sometimes, if it’s a local project, to the GMB website, or to the Google Map, because both of those are good signals as well. Um, but so usually, I just wait until the money site is ready to for some traffic, and I have the GMB set up the Google My Business profile set up, I don’t usually have to wait, I don’t Excuse me, I don’t usually wait until like I have all this syndication network and drive stack and everything else done because I don’t typically drive traffic to any of those properties you can. But I just usually drive clicks to the money site, the GMB website, or the GMB map. And those are the three things that I typically drive to traffic to. And with that, again, as I said, it’s most of the time I use Google Display Network ads because they’re very, very inexpensive, you can get really, really granular with your audience targeting. So it’s a relevant audience, your geographic targeting, you can get granular with that as well. So you can get highly relevant clicks from specific geographic areas, especially if it’s for local, from known audiences that are in the market or are, you know, interested in by Google knows that they’re in the market or highly likely to be interested in whatever the product or service it is that I’m promoting? Does that make sense? So hopefully, that was clear cleared that up.

You mentioned using YouTube to drive traffic, are you creating videos around your niche? Sorry, sorry to interrupt you. Um, I was, I want to say that. This also applies if you want to do some Facebook traffic or Facebook ads, I’ve started working with a client that, you know, they had, like, I don’t know, three years worth of content, but their SEO wasn’t as good. So I started working with them and the SEO side of things. And what happened is that I started running some Facebook ads for their, you know, for the sad demographic, and also for relevant, you know, locations and whatnot. And that started moving the needle without doing anything else. Because I think that that also comes from you know, you have a digital persona, and you have a digital footprint. So of course, Google Drive, it would be better, but, you know, Facebook traffic, especially traffic to a blog post that they had actually started pushing the blog posts a little bit up better, just because of the fact that we were getting real traffic, real interaction, real signals, you know, people were staying in the side, they were visiting several websites and whatnot. So I think that could be also an alternative. And it’s also cheap traffic, you know, so that’s also uncertainty. So if you drop like Facebook traffic on the zip codes that your potential customer or client wants to, you know, serve, I think that that could help as well. Kickstarting your SEO for sure.

Yeah, absolutely. We call it the art of art, right? activity, relevance, trust, and authority, how you get the activity in there is essential. I mean, you don’t have the three pillars unless you can achieve that.

Adds for branding, especially are crucial. We’re in the Semantic Web, we have to make our entity clear, we have to make everything about our entity clear. And they’re calling it things, not strings, but it’s still keywords. I don’t care what they call it still work. And it’s still a sequence of numbers. At the end of the day. It’s all math, right. But we have to still present that to Google in such a way that it makes a difference from any other visitor who’s not really interacting with your website. I mean, think of the billions of people who access the web. And how many of those people will come to your website and actually interact with whatever it is that you’re presenting really makes a difference. And so sometimes we achieve that without any paid traffic. Yes, using paid traffic. I mean, we can and I often do, but using paid traffic strategically to reinforce the brand and to get people to notice the brand and to give people signals about the brand because they’ll often go and search more about the brand. So while you can’t see this from the ad, necessarily, or they’ll tell someone about the website that they saw all of these things coming together, total that activity, then that there’s a relevant cinched in there. And then there’s the trust and authority coming in. Because Google sees that people are giving you the information that you’re looking for they taking the action that you’re looking for on the website, all of this coming together is what we call the art of art. You can’t have it without one of the three pillars missing. So if you’re looking at your project, and you’re trying to determine what’s wrong, it’s generally one of those three things. And the process, our process takes care of all three. If it’s sick in one way, we know exactly what part of our process takes care of the activity, the relevance, and the trust and authority.

Do You Create Videos On A Specific Niche And Run Ads To Them?

There you go.

So the next say, you mentioned using YouTube to drive traffic, you creating videos around your niche and running traffic to them, or buying ad space on audiences you want to target. Yeah, I mean, again, it’s about I like to try to use in-market audiences or life event audiences, which are predefined audiences, however, you can create custom audiences. There used to be custom intent audiences. And then there was what’s called affinity audiences to which was already defined audiences. Custom intent is where you submit the criteria to Google ads to define an audience. And I’ve talked about that extensively in some of our training again, Adam, I know I asked this all the time. But do we have a link to the YouTube ads for local? Course? I don’t, yeah, let me grab that. Okay, because that’s a course that will help you out a lot. It’s a YouTube ad for local, you can apply that even if it’s not for local, you can still apply the same strategies to a national campaign or whatever. But I go on very specifically on how to create custom intent audiences. And now they’re called custom audiences Google over just like the past week or so has actually merged affinity audiences and custom intent audiences. But the point that I’m trying to make is I always try to buy traffic from relevant audiences both topically, right, which would be like an in-market audience or life event audience or custom audience, that I define what the criteria or the parameters are. And also geographic if it’s for local, which everything I do is for local. So if it’s for geographic, or local projects, I always said geographic targeting as well. So yes, I’m specifically buying engagement signals from a specific audience, right. Last is if you do produce videos, say you have a local roofer, what sort of content would you produce q&a type of stuff, no, I don’t produce videos at all I stopped doing that years ago, other than the stuff that I do for semantic mastery. And a lot of client videos like in other words, like, you know, videos, for prospecting, and that kind of stuff, I don’t produce, like lead gen videos and things, I just don’t do it anymore. I go to Fiverr. And I buy him there. And I’ve got some providers in Fiverr that I use regularly to create commercial like type videos, right? I provide maybe some images or perhaps some images with some short video clips that then they incorporate into the video that they make. And then I add, usually, I provide a script and they either provide the voiceover or I will either record the voiceover myself and submit the voiceover to be added to the video when they render the video. or hire a voiceover from Fiverr voiceover talent to record the voiceover. A lot of times I just record the voiceover myself because I write the script. So I just record the audio file and then send that one I ordered the gig from Fiverr and they produce the video and there are some pretty good providers in there for you know, 50 bucks, you can get a really nice video created with a voiceover track background music and everything, you know, 30 to 62nd video for around 50 bucks, some are more expensive, but you can find decent providers on Fiverr that’s what I do. You know, again, it’s more about the branding for YouTube ads than it is about providing producing traffic although you will get some relevant traffic if you’ve got your targeting right.

Okay.

Have You Used Reddit Ads For Local Campaigns?

Have I used Reddit for ads for local? No, I’ve never been a fan of Reddit. I’ve always hated Reddit, just because I just always hated it. So no, I’ve never done anything with Reddit whatsoever. And anytime I years ago, when I tried to do any SEO stuff in Reddit, my reddits would always get deleted or my accounts would get suspended. So I just I don’t do anything in Reddit at all. Does anybody want to comment on Reddit? No, I can’t comment on it because it’s on Reddit because it’s a foreign beast and I yeah, I don’t understand it. I don’t understand people in Reddit because the same people in Reddit will have one opinion there. And another opinion like in Twitter or in Facebook so well What just happened? You were just disagreeing you’re … we lost your mic.

Still nothing.

How about now. Don’t think Yeah, I don’t know what happened. It just got a hold your head just right, apparently.

All right. Next is uh, yeah, by the way, Reddit, those people in there are brutal. Right now let’s hear from someone who actually uses Reddit. So I think it’s interesting. The only thing I actually have to add to this is just to check and see if they can do local target localized targeting. I’m sure that they can. But the one time I tried it was years ago, and I don’t think they had a very sophisticated targeting system. I think that’s changed now that they’ve taken on investors. So I’m sure that they have, but just make sure before you spend a lot of time looking into this that they can do actually what you want to do in terms of our Yeah, yeah. Remember, I remember Adam, when you, you attempted that for us for Semantic Mastery. And that was right after Reddit opened up their advertising platform. Yeah. Yeah. So that was, it had to be pretty crude at that point, I’m sure.

What Do You Recommend For Video Syndication Software Similar To Tubemogul?

Okay, next is Chris says, Hey, guys, wondering if you have any recommendations for video syndication software back in the day I used tubemogul. I used tubemogul too. I remember that. Before I got bought by Adobe, is there anything good you guys use like that is like IFTTT, but to help spread videos across different websites? No, but you know, I looked at some of them, I don’t know, six months a year ago, somewhere around there, all I would do is just go look for like video distribution software or something like that. And just go search and start doing some,

you know, look at some of the different types of potential district video distribution, the software’s out there, maybe try different keywords, video syndication applications, you know, something like that, do a couple of Google searches and just start researching what you find is different products and find something that looks like it will fit for you. I know there’s some out there I because I’d actually looked at doing that a few months. I don’t know, six months a year ago, I just never never never pulled the trigger on it. But I do understand the point. So take a look at it. Does anybody want to comment on that?

Well, okay, moving. I didn’t know if maybe Adam or Hernan had any ideas?

Do You Suggest Copying And Pasting The Schema Markup From The SEO Shield ID Page To The Money Site?

Okay, next is Ed says, do you suggest copying and pasting the schema markup from the ID page to my SEO shield? Or the ID page of my SEO shield on to my money site to mirror best for implementation? Good idea, bad idea. Any better ideas? Or should the ID page stay standalone? Don’t want to F the money? Don’t want to eff up the money site. Thanks, ed. Yeah, I mean, that the structured data code on your ID page should be the same as what’s on your money site. Except for perhaps, at least the way that I do it except for perhaps the URL for it from the schema code. So for example, the schema code that goes on the money site, the URL field points to the money site, right, and then there’s the ad ID page and all that other stuff. And that all points to where it’s supposed to point to. But then on the ID page, I always put the URL is the ID page. And then the ad ID page is also the same. But it’s the same code essentially. And the difference is the same as in the same as schema, I always put the sameas attribute in the on the money site points to, even though there’s an ID an ad ID designation. I also point the same as to the ID page, like I put a sameas attribute to the ID page. And then likewise, on the idx page, I have the same as attribute the points to the money site. Marco, correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s, I don’t think the structured data should be any different on either one of them really, besides No, no, because you’re mirroring your entity, except for the fact that of that URL change, it’s the same as changes, because now the schema page is the same as the money site, but the money site would then have the schema page.

Same as, right, so you need to flip those. And that’s the only difference that you should have. Because it’s basically the same thing, your distribute, it’s an entity stack. It’s your entity stuck. That’s all it is. And so everywhere that you can replicate the entity, the information should go there.

Yeah, and it should be the same because you don’t want to be the same. Yeah, you don’t want to have different entity info on different assets. Because again, that can start causing ambiguation or confusion to Google’s algorithm. So definitely keep it the same that goes to the press advantage page to your organization page. The same thing, I do the same thing there. It’s the same schema code. It goes into if you have an account, you can add your own structured data to the organization page, do the same thing there, the URL points to the organization page. And then the same and the same as attributes it points to the money site and as well to the ID page, and all of that. So it’s the same code and all three locations, the only thing you do is swap out those couple targets to make it appropriate for the asset that it resides on if that makes sense.

How Do You Get The PUblic URL Of The Amazon S3 Folder Where Uploaded Press Release PDFs Are Located?

Mr. Nashville, Tennessee. All right, he says, When creating PR stacks and uploading the press release PDFs to Amazon s3. How do we get the URL for the folder to build links to I created a public folder and loaded it up with PDFs, the PDFs can be accessed publicly. But when I go back a level to the folder, it just tries to download a zero bytes file without showing anything. You know, I don’t know, because I’ve never done that. Mark might be able to answer that I’ve never tried to power up an entire folder. I’ve only powered up individual file URLs within s3. So I don’t know if you can do that or not Marco, do you know, can you make a folder public in s3, you should be able to but I’ve never tried. That’s what I use it for.

And so I can’t help with this. Unless I go look, if you’re in the heavy hitter club, by all means, come in, and we’ll check it out for you. But I can’t say anything about it without testing.

Yeah, and I’m just wondering, Yeah, that’d be something interesting to test because even if you’ve got a folder, the folder URL, but when you visit the folder URL, it’s prompting a download. I understand that. But what I’m saying is, could you still pass juice to that URL? Even if it’s not like a destination that will render in a browser? In other words, if it’s, it might prompt it as long as they’re public? But yeah, can you still push juice link equity into that folder? to that URL, regardless is what I’m saying? I would say absolutely. As long as it’s public. Yeah, that’s what I would think as well but I haven’t tested it so that’s interesting. Now that would be an interesting test put that on your list for heavy-hitter club Marco.

Do You Know A Good Banner Widget For WordPress?

The list just keeps growing and growing. Yeah. George’s up says hi guys started this off-topic was wondering if you knew of a good banner widget for WordPress?

No, unfortunately, I don’t I would just google the best banner widget for WordPress or best banner plugin for WordPress and then just go again just go start looking through them and try to try to find one that meets your criteria and your price range and all that kind of stuff. There are probably some free ones out there Honest to God that I’m rarely using other than some basic free plugins almost every time I have the opportunity to purchase the pro version of a plugin I do because they’re usually rather inexpensive and you get a lot more functionality out of them and usually better support if needed and all that kind of stuff. But yeah, just I don’t I can’t help you with that. Unfortunately. There’s one that I used but it wasn’t based on location like the one he wants, but it was like banner rotator It was like yeah, banner rotator I think that’s the one that’s how he was called it was banner rotator. So we rotated banners. And we’ll tell you the best-performing ones in terms of CTR something along those lines. So binary rotator plugin, I think it was pretty clear for us, but you know, like, yeah, there you go. But advertising that I think that was the one advocate, but I’m not entirely sure if that Well, yeah, that was the one advertised. But I’m not entirely sure if that will do what he wants, which is, um, you know, show different banners based on location and stuff that that one should still rotate back, I guess his ad rotate professional. Mike Lee has that. That’s what I was talking about, guys. Yeah, maybe, you know, a lot of the times the pro versions of a plugin will have so much more functionality that will I don’t know, I haven’t researched this. But that looks like that might be one also the fact that it was updated just three days ago. Excuse me, right there. It says three days ago. That’s really important, too. That’s also part of the reason why I like to go with plugins that have a paid upgrade version, because those plugins, typically, even the free versions of them, as long as they have a paid upgrade version of them are supported and constantly updated. If you go with strictly free plugins, a lot of times, that’s not always the case. But what I’m saying is a lot of times those plugins don’t get updated as often. Because they don’t have the revenue to support it. That makes sense. So anyway, check out that that might be one that works for you. Otherwise, just do some Google searching. Use Winter logic isn’t updated. But you can get widgets to control these other plugins that will control widgets so that you can display the banners where you want. Yeah, another one I use is a widget context. I like to use that one a lot. I’ve got that in multiple sites right now, actually. All right. Well, this one did logic isn’t updated, but it still works. Yeah. Um, okay. So why use? I read through this, and I appreciate you pointing. I’m not going to read this out loud, because it’s really just kind of an opinion that you have not necessarily questioned. And I appreciate that anybody that’s watching this webinar can read through this if they’d like.

As far as basically saying, using Microsoft, OneDrive, as opposed to just strictly Google Drive. And the end he points out several reasons why he says that might be wise. And that’s cool, and I appreciate that. Those are all good points. And I do like how you thought that out with the new Windows installation, Windows 10s installations, and force, you know, or by default, it’s using the Microsoft Edge browser and all that kind of stuff. So there are some really valid points that you make in your comments here. And I appreciate that. And I’m sure I have no doubt in my mind that Marco and Rob, who are resident SEO testers, and you know, godfathers of SEO as Marco is called, I’m sure they’ll test this if it gets to that point where we need to. So I appreciate that. Yeah, I would just add that it’s the 8020 rule, where most of my traffic coming from if I can get the bulk of my traffic, I don’t want to learn another, although it’s like, we basically know the algorithm because we know algorithms. It’s just, yeah, I read the comments also, and I appreciate it. And we have a time said, it depends on your niche. Because if you if you’re targeting older people, then, of course, it makes sense to go to Bing. But if you know your audience, and you know that most of your audience is coming from Google, why would you go anywhere else? Yeah, that doesn’t and doesn’t make sense. I always tell people, how much time are you going to spend on it? How much is it going to cost? And is that going than to make sense? How much are you going then going to have to charge your client? And is that going to make sense to the client? All of these things have to come together? Yeah, I understand perfectly. It’s older people. I’ve said that before, that it is older people in business, but in AOL, especially how much financial sense doesn’t make to dedicate that much time to target those people in Bing, when you’ve got your client maxed out, like when you can’t do anything else for that client, in Google, by all means, go elsewhere. Until then, there’s just so much money to be made manipulating Google, that I don’t need to go anywhere else.

Yeah, and that’s kind of like I do a lot of Google Ad stuff. For tree services now. And you know, I’m doing a lot of Google Ad stuff, and I could, I could run Bing Ads, too. But there’s such a small percentage of traffic there. It’s not worth my time to do it. So like Marco said, 8020 to 80% of my traffic comes from, you know, Google alone, like, why would I bother with the other 20%? Which would be big, you know? So again, I’m not saying you can’t, I’m just saying I don’t do that. Just because again, it’s you know, I get a lot more bang for my buck, so to speak, by just working directly within Google.

Does It Matter If You Have A Backlink From HTTP Rather HTTPS?

Okay. Yep. I’m sorry. Go ahead. No, no. Yeah, absolutely. I agree. 100. All right. Here’s BB. What’s up, baby, we wondered where you are. I did anyway, hi, guys, doesn’t matter if you have a backlink from HTTP rather, rather than HTTPS site? No, it shouldn’t matter. As far as I know, it doesn’t matter at all. Marco, does it?

It doesn’t, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is the activity, trust, and authority of the site activity relevant just authority of the website that’s linking to you. Not HTTP or HTTPS, so it shouldn’t matter. Yeah, as far as I know, it doesn’t matter. I could be wrong about that. But, you know, Marco says it as well. I agree. I’ve never really cared about that. Never, never looked into it much either, though. So anyway, why is the mgyb.co? What’s the RDS? I d? str? I don’t know if the domain score domain rank, I think, but okay. Which, which is a third party metric. Yeah, but which one? I can’t keep track. I don’t know. I don’t know if that’s Ahref or I don’t know. That might be SEMRush, it doesn’t matter, BB makes no difference Dr. Ds or whatever the fuck relevance is what matters, activity, relevance, trust, and authority. The relevance especially has to be there. Unless the trust and authority are such that it makes no difference that the link is it has no relevance. And there are those websites where if you can get a link from Google, no matter where you can get it, it’s good.

The next question is why is the mgyb.co more powerful than the raw URL as anchor straight to the money site back? Like, I’m not sure I fully understand that question. Except, do you know, okay, um, yeah, I’m not sure what you’re asking there. Maybe. If you don’t want to clarify number two, I’ll try to answer it later if we have time, which I don’t think we will today.

Is It Better To Create Multiple Articles With One Link To The Money Site Instead Of 2-3 Backlinks In It?

But number three, you say the power of a backlink gets divided between multiple backlinks from the same article created for backlink purposes, such as a press release. So is it better to create multiple articles with which have one link to the money site instead of an article that has two to three backlinks to the money site? And how does it fall within PR stacking? Yes, I mean, so here’s the thing, you know, you have a certain amount of PageRank or link equity, whatever you want to call it flowing into a page, right? So let’s say a press release, for example. Then if you’ve got one link within the content of that press release, then all of that PageRank is going to flow through that one link, or there’s some slight loss through the asset itself, the page itself, but it’s small, it’s nominal. But if you have three links, then it’s going to be split by three. So each link gets 33%. Does that make sense? So yes, if you want to focus more, then you can do that with one link. I typically, like I’ve said through like our PR stacking webinar, and everything else, the way that I typically do it is I do three links. Usually, it’s going to be one link to a blog post. If that’s what I’m highlighting, which is primarily the method that we that I use, then there’s going to be a link to a previous press release within that same PR stack, that silo stack, right, press release silo stack. And then there was usually a third link that goes to one of the branded assets, tier-one assets. But it doesn’t always have to be that way. If you’re trying to push on a specific keyword or to push more power to a specific destination, then you could just do one link to that destination that you want to push to just keep in mind that if you want to keep that kind of daisy chain linking of the silos using press the press release silo, then you’re going to want to link back to the previous press release in that same silo. So there would be two links with that. But so what I’m saying is, if you’re wanting to use PR silo stacking, then you would limit and you want to push more power to your target URL, um, you know, other than the previous press release in that same silo, then just you’d have two links in that press release. I typically, as I said, I just do three links, I do one to the dark target URL that I’m trying to push relevancy to, one to the previous press release in the same silo, and in one to one of the tier one entity assets for that brand. That’s just, that’s just the way that I develop my processes. And that’s how my VA is or my bloggers or to the press releases. So but you can, you can change it up. Remember guys, we give you guidelines or like kind of best practices, but we encourage you to test other things as well. Okay, any comments on that?

Yeah, I only use to target the initial, the initial press release gets one link to the target page, and then one link elsewhere it usually GMB to start it off, then as you know, we linked we daisy chain, those press releases, and then one other link will go elsewhere. But I’m pushing all of that juice from one press release to the other. And that final press release is going to the page. And then I do some other shit that I won’t share here that has some fantastic. So let me get ridiculous to clarify because I’m, I’m confused a little bit. So every subsequent press release and your pre our silos only link to the previous press release not to and then one other and then one other, like okay, tier one property. So two links per property. Never any more than that, too. Right?

kay, so tu tu tu tu, one of those will be two up to a previous press release, of course, in that in that same stack, yeah. And then wherever I want to push additional power, that will still end up and I’m giving away too much. But it all goes and works really well and flows really well. And right about Presley’s four or five, sometimes three, you’re going to start seeing that power push and it pushes more than when you build links into that when it’s all set up. And you’re pushing the team into your GMB and that set up correctly. And you’re pushing into the drive stack and G site and that’s put together correctly and that’s pushing over to that page. That’s when the magic happens man.

How Do You Deal With IFTTT’s Paid Service In Order For The Networks To Work?

Okay, we’re almost out of time. I’d like to run through at least three or four more really quickly, guys. So let’s go through like a lightning round if possible question from Paul F. He actually reached out to me via email with this question, and I said I’d address it today on Hump Day Hangouts. This question has come up multiple times. Guys, please understand that IFTTT has is going to pay but read what they say about the different plan levels, right, there’s the free account and it says you’re only allowed to create three applets you can turn on as many applets in your account as you as your heart desires, but you can only create three applets then you can go to a pro-level, which you can pay like 299 a month or whatever the hell it is. It’s very inexpensive. And there you can create applets um, you can create unlimited applets So my point is the free IFTTT accounts, you can still have all of the syndication applets in that account, and you can turn them all on you can only create three applets within a free account. Okay, the paid account will allow you to create as many applets as you want. That’s the only difference. So the point is if you buy networks from us, you’re still to get the network the IFTTT account set up with all the applets in there that we need for our syndication networks to work, okay, you just can’t go in and create any more than three. And if you already have applets in that account that are all turned on, then I don’t know, you might be able to create them in there if you if you’re not created, the ones that we provide. So my point is just read what it says very carefully. And it specifically states that you can turn on as many as you want. With the free account, you can only create three and a free account though you have to go to a paid account before you can create additional applets. Comment. Nope, perfect.

How Do You Prepare For The Time When Google Turns Off The Old GSites?

Oh laughs next, how do we get prepared for Google turning off the old g sites? Do we know if the links will be redirected, go into Google your old g site, log into that the sites google.com click to the classic sites, when you pull up and when you go to Edit whatever sites are in there, right? So click the site, it’ll prompt you to switch it or convert it to the new site. And then it went through that prompt process. It’ll ask you to if you want to keep the same URL or the old URL, check to keep the same URL otherwise all of the old link building and everything else, I don’t know if an automatic redirect is set up or not. Because I’ve just always said keep the same URL and convert to the new sites. But at some point, Google is going to convert the old sites to the new sites on its own if you didn’t go in and initiate that ahead of time before that deadline, comments.

How Do You Use The Excel Report in MGYB’s Keyword Research Service?

Now, moving on. Jason Gerald says I have purchased the keyword research but would like a better understanding of how to use the Excel report. Do you have a video or something that can review this with me?

I can’t remember if we did a video, but it tells you right in right in the legend. When you get the spreadsheet delivered there, there’s a legend on there that tells you exactly what the H H tab is and what it’s for. If you need more information than that, then like I’m not sure that we don’t have enough time here. But I think we did a keyword research video. I’ve done it before where I’ve explained the link building game and what to do because the three categories that you get are free, it’s all suggestions for you to follow, but you know your niche better than we do, and how those keywords that we give you in that niche apply to whatever it is that you’re doing all we can give you suggested keywords, questions, answers, everything that we found relevant in your niche sometimes we do provide you some irrelevant results but I mean that that’s a small percentage of the overall thousands and thousands sometimes hundreds of thousands of keywords that you get use the categories that we that suggested categories, use them as silos, start your silos there and then use the supporting keywords that we give.

Should You Use Full Text Or Summary Of The Feed In The Syndication Network?

Or you go man is a lot of good questions. I wish I had more time guys I’d stay and answer some more. I’m sorry, I’m not gonna be able to get to all these. Uh, next is called purchases syndication network wanted to know if feeds need to be full text or if summary will do also any advice for optimizing the efficiency of syndication networks. Okay, I always prefer full text. The reason why is because summaries when you go into WordPress settings reading, then you can select whether your RSS feed shows a summary or full text of the posts in the feed. I like to select Full Text because first of all summary posts will look kind of spammy on the blog accounts within the syndication network. So word blogger, Tumblr, WordPress, they can look rather spammy because they’re just short snippets as opposed to the full-text post is not full context there. Also, I like the fact that when you have the full text, they in any internal links from your post body with that you publish to your blog, right with an internal link to the pages that you want to rank, silo architecture, internal linking strategy, all of that those links will be present in the post that gets published on the blog accounts especially but also in like the drive, Google Docs. So like the Drive folder, and all that all of that full text means full text, including the links will be included in wherever it gets syndicated to where the full text is published some of those like bookmarking sites, it won’t do that. But for the blogs and like WordPress and one or excuse me, a drive and one OneDrive and all of that. It will post create those links as well. Okay, so I prefer that.

What Form Creator Do You Recommend For GSites?

The last question is five o'clock we probably need to go really quick fit says drop the link to the charity Marco, would you ever do? Okay. I’ve also dropped some links to YouTube videos that we have on syndication networks that we did April of last year and then the webinar that we did for mgyb.co for syndication networks also for the one who was wondering about syndication. Yeah. Um, he asked me

Do I recommend a good form creator that would work for G sites? Well, I’m using an app called lead simplify for lead generation. It helps to distribute leads to buyers and that kind of stuff. And it, I’ve got a form creator in there. That’s awesome. And I use that in G sites. But I think any sort of like Form Builder plugin for WordPress, it a lot of the times if you upgrade to a paid version like I know, there’s alike, I think one that I just recently tried was formidable, is what is called, but a lot of those form plugins. WordPress form plugins will have a pro version I just talked about that earlier, which will give you the ability to create, like embed codes out of the forms, and that kind of stuff. So I would recommend that anybody here have any comments on that? No, no, same as you Yeah, just find one that works and make sure it can embed. Okay, and the last, the last part of this and then I’ve got to wrap it up, guys is uh, he asks, If you’re running a link building gig, and instead of the hundred links that have asked for you only run to five or six is that good strategy? Yeah, fits, you don’t have to submit 100 target URLs, we just say that’s the maximum that you can submit. So yeah, if you’ve got, you know, if you’ve got very specific targets that you’re trying to power up, then you don’t need to submit any more than just those specific URLs. That’s just we just provide that as a maximum so that when somebody gets like their syndication, their SEO shield back, and they’ve got their syndication, network properties, all their drive stack files and folders, and all of that, you can put those all in one link building gig, up to 100, your target URLs, and then submit all of that so that everything starts to get powered up. But I all the time. There’s a lot of times I’ll buy a link building gig, specifically to just one URL, like So literally, like even a Nitro kit link building gig to go to one page on the G site if I’m really trying to push power to that one page for some reason. So yeah, it’s just a guideline. Okay. Okay. Well, thanks, everybody for being here. Don’t forget POFU Live this weekend again. Got your ticket yet go to pofulive.com. We’ll see you guys there. Thanks, everybody. Bye, everyone, everyone.

Weekly SEO Q&A – Hump Day Hangouts – Episode 306 published first on your-t1-blog-url

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localwebmgmt · 4 years ago

Text

Weekly SEO Q&A – Hump Day Hangouts – Episode 306

youtube

Click on the video above to watch Episode 306 of the Semantic Mastery Hump Day Hangouts.

Full timestamps with topics and times can be found at the link above.

The latest upcoming free SEO Q&A Hump Day Hangout can be found at http://semanticmastery.com/humpday.

Announcement

Ah Oh, man. I’m excited about POFU, man makes black buffalo is coming bro Where the fuck is your ticket? Go to pofulive.com and get your ticket.

Need I say more. Yeah, POFU. It’s Groundhog Day, man. But this is my POFU, right? We define it as doing what you want to do, instead of what you have to do in whatever it is right.

Outstanding Well, speaking of Sunday, discussions, and presentations Chris, how are you doing today? Doing super well here. I’m still somewhat here surprisingly. So yeah.

Alright guys, anything else before we dive into questions?

Nope. All right, Bradley. Let’s do it. Grab the screen.

Firstly, make sure I’ve got all my sensitive tabs. Closed or hidden week. Yeah.

Call it what you want.

Alright, let’s do this.

You got to see my screen correct.

out now we can. Okay.

All right. So let’s see. Where do we start? Also, how about this man when it rains, It pours. We have got the questions today. Geez. Oh, man. Yeah, see that? Yeah.

What WordPress Plugin Do You Recommend For Adding Schema To A Blog?

That’s awesome. Thanks, everybody. For all the questions. Yeah. Let’s, uh, I guess let’s dive into this.

Does Any of Network Empire’s Old WebRing Videos Still And Can It Be Used Together With Semantic Mastery’s Drive Stacking?

What Do You Mean By Jumplinks In The Drive Stack Strategy?

So I would encourage you to go check that out.

And they’ll come in at a lower price with the shit that you gave away? Yeah, it’s on you.

When Would You Start Using Paid Traffic To Give Google A Heads Up About Your Business?

Do You Create Videos On A Specific Niche And Run Ads To Them?

There you go.

Okay.

Have You Used Reddit Ads For Local Campaigns?

Still nothing.

How about now. Don’t think Yeah, I don’t know what happened. It just got a hold your head just right, apparently.

What Do You Recommend For Video Syndication Software Similar To Tubemogul?

Well, okay, moving. I didn’t know if maybe Adam or Hernan had any ideas?

Do You Suggest Copying And Pasting The Schema Markup From The SEO Shield ID Page To The Money Site?

How Do You Get The PUblic URL Of The Amazon S3 Folder Where Uploaded Press Release PDFs Are Located?

And so I can’t help with this. Unless I go look, if you’re in the heavy hitter club, by all means, come in, and we’ll check it out for you. But I can’t say anything about it without testing.

Do You Know A Good Banner Widget For WordPress?

The list just keeps growing and growing. Yeah. George’s up says hi guys started this off-topic was wondering if you knew of a good banner widget for WordPress?

Does It Matter If You Have A Backlink From HTTP Rather HTTPS?

Is It Better To Create Multiple Articles With One Link To The Money Site Instead Of 2-3 Backlinks In It?

How Do You Deal With IFTTT’s Paid Service In Order For The Networks To Work?

How Do You Prepare For The Time When Google Turns Off The Old GSites?

How Do You Use The Excel Report in MGYB’s Keyword Research Service?

Should You Use Full Text Or Summary Of The Feed In The Syndication Network?

What Form Creator Do You Recommend For GSites?

Weekly SEO Q&A – Hump Day Hangouts – Episode 306 published first on your-t1-blog-url

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