#i was worried someone was gonna comment about our age but luckily nobody cared

[possumkingluca]

he

[thearvariblues]

The Bard and The Wolf - Chapter Two

(AKA Geraskier in the Metal Band AU you didn’t know you needed)

The second chapter of my Fic That Was Supposed To Be Short But Definitely Won’t Be. You can also find it on AO3, if you want! :)

The masterpost for this fic can be found HERE.

2 – Breathe, Buttercup

Silence fell when he walked into the Kaer Morhen’s rehearsal room, and he immediately started to question his choice of clothes.

Yes, he was wearing the same tight black pants as he did the last time. But he’d rummaged through his wardrobe and found a V-neck black T-shirt and a long black vest to go with it (and it might have been a ladies’ vest, but he quite honestly didn’t care), and also a pair of heavy leather boots he used to wear when he was sixteen. His eyes were framed by black eyeliner, and he couldn’t resist putting a little bit of lip gloss on his lips.

He was convinced he looked stunning, until he saw all the band members staring at him.

God, was he trying too hard? Come on, those were metalheads, he clearly wasn’t one of them, why was he even…

And Geralt’s face was completely blank, Christ, but his amber eyes went a little wider. Was it disapproval? It had to be disapproval.

Luckily for Jaskier, someone decided to speak before his anxious brain could force him to turn on his heel and run.

“Oh, wow,” Renfri said. “You look gorgeous, buttercup.”

“Uhm,” Jaskier blinked, his racing mind coming to a sudden stop. “Thanks.”

“Yeah,” Lambert grinned. “Definitely looks much better than the pink shirt you were wearing last time.”

“That was magenta, not pink,” Jaskier said automatically.

“Right,” Lambert laughed. “As if there’s any difference.”

“Well, actually...” Jaskier started, but then Geralt smirked.

“Actually, there’s a massive difference, according to Ciri,” he said. “When I said I wasn’t sure if the pink shirt would fit our image, she rolled her eyes and said Jeez, dad, that was MAGENTA. I got a bit lost after that, so I don’t know what exactly the difference is, sorry.”

“Honestly, I don’t really need the explanation. He was pink. He’s not pink anymore. That’s good enough for me,” Lambert said.

“Ciri’s gonna be disappointed, though,” Renfri commented. “She was so looking forward to taking you shopping to find you something proper to wear...”

“She still can. I mean, those are my only black clothes,” Jaskier smirked, gesturing to his attire. “And it took me ages to dig out that T-shirt. Also, there definitely isn’t any mysterious hole on the back I had to cover with the vest, oh, no. And I have literally no proper accessories, except for the boots, and they’re like twelve years old.”

“Well, look who’s taking his new role as a metal singer very seriously,” Eskel nodded. “I’m starting to be glad Geralt insisted on giving you the chance.”

“I think that’s enough,” Geralt said, shooting Eskel a seemingly warning glance. “We should start.”

“Oh, good. Are we gonna introduce ourselves like we’re in school?” Eskel smirked. “Name, instrument, favorite drink...”

“No need,” Jaskier said. “I mean… For names and positions. Eskel, drums. Renfri, guitar. Lambert, bass.”

“And how do you know that?” Lambert said, cocking his eyebrow.

“I’m least likely to have sex with you. So you have to be the bassist, obviously,” Jaskier shrugged.

“And since he knows the lyrics to White Wolf, he’s obviously seen us play live before, Sherlock,” Renfri grinned. “Just out of curiosity, who are you most likely to have sex with?”

“A gentleman doesn’t tell, darling.”

“Is it Geralt?”

“Enough,” Geralt growled. “I wasn’t even going to say we should introduce–”

“I think Jaskier should definitely introduce himself,” Eskel said. “We should have more information about him before we decide whether we want him in the band or not.”

“Right. Sure,” Jaskier nodded. “It’s fair. So, my name is Jaskier, as you all know. Yes, technically it’s a stage name, but it’s also the name I prefer. I like fine wine, fine music, fine… company.”

“If this is the way you’re trying to tell us you’re gay...” Lambert smirked.

“Bisexual, in fact,” Jaskier smiled. “Pansexual, technically speaking.”

“Cool,” Lambert nodded. “I mean, that’s fine. Renfri and Geralt swing both ways, too, you know.”

“You really don’t know when you should keep your mouth shut, do you, Lambert?” Geralt sighed. “Please. I am trying to get somewhere here…”

“Can you play any instruments besides the guitar, Jaskier?” Lambert went on.

“Yeah, I mean, of course. I can play many instruments, really, really badly,” Jaskier grinned. “But I can definitely play the piano. And keyboards, of course. Also violin. Guitar, piano and violin are the only ones I play good enough to be able to teach them. Oh, and I can play the lute, of course, how could I forget!”

“Oh dear God, he can play the lute,” Lambert sighed. “I mean, of course he can, he’s a bard, after all, but still…”

“Just out of curiosity, what do you do for a living, Jaskier?” Eskel asked.

“I, uhm, teach music?” Jaskier replied, biting his lip. “There’s several people I tutor, and of course I am also a lecturer at the local university. Uhm. I didn’t mean of course, of course, I mean I happen to be a lecturer...”

“Breathe, buttercup,” Renfri said, clasping his shoulder. “Nobody’s judging you. Right, guys?”

“Sure not,” Eskel smiled. “So… you have a degree?”

Jaskier bit his lip.

“Yeah. Yeah. That’s right. A degree.”

“Jaskier?” Renfri said, lifting her eyebrows.

“It might be more of a doctorate,” Jaskier muttered. “In music education.”

“But that’s awesome!” Renfri beamed. “Finally someone who could teach Lambert to keep the rhythm!”

“Ha ha, Renfri, ha ha,” Lambert snorted. “Or he could teach you more than four chords, eh?”

“Nah, I don’t need more than three, usually,” she shrugged. “Right, Geralt?”

“Maybe you will, now,” Geralt smirked. “If Jaskier decides to become our songwriter, too.”

“Oh, I could?” Jaskier said, turning to Geralt with his eyes sparkling. “I mean, you don’t have a songwriter?”

“Yen wrote most of our lyrics, and we made the music together as a band,” Geralt sighed. “I’m not the best with words.”

“No shit,” Lambert smirked.

“Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh, boy, I’m gonna have a field day here. Oh, yes, baby, this is Jaskier’s time to shine!”

“Aaand you’ve just released the beast,” Eskel chuckled.

“I’m gonna write you so many great songs!” Jaskier laughed.

“Right. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Geralt said. “Before you do that, we need–”

“Renfri, honey, you’re gonna need way more than three chords, I assure you. But don’t worry, I’m a great tutor! I’m only gonna beat you a little.”

“Jaskier,” Geralt sighed, trying hard to stifle a laugh.

“Oh, my dear hearts, I’m everything you’ve been waiting for! I’m gonna–”

“Jaskier.”

Jaskier’s speech came to a sudden hslt, and the bard shut his eyes firmly and bit his lower lip.

“Geralt?” he peeped.

“Before you do all that,” Geralt smiled, “we need you to try and play a few songs with us. All right?”

“Yeah. Of course, of course,” Jaskier nodded vehemently. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, of course. You may yet find that I am just a shitty folk singer, completely unfit for your epic… metal… songs. Right. For the record, you do have lyrics for your songs somewhere, right? Because though I really love Song of the White Wolf, I’m afraid I really don’t know your other songs that much, and...”

As Jaskier was rambling, Geralt’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He checked the screen. A text from Ciri.

So… Are you keeping him? it said.

Geralt looked at the bard, who was currently talking about the importance of singers knowing their lyrics even in their sleep, and smiled as he typed the reply.

He’s an idiot.

Is that a yes, dad?

Geralt chuckled.

It’s a yes.

*

Jaskier accepted a glass of alcohol from Renfri’s hand. He was a quick learner, because he didn’t even think about asking what exactly was in it.

“So. I don’t want to sound too eager, but...”

“You’re in,” Geralt said. “If you want.”

Jaskier stopped with his glass halfway up to his lips. Those were currently too busy grinning to be able to drink at the same time.

“Seriously?” he asked. “You’re not kidding, right? It’s not some kind of a horrible, cruel joke? Valdo Marx isn’t gonna jump up from behind the couch and laugh at me for believing I could be a part of Kaer Morhen?”

“You’re really in,” Geralt answered him. “And no, we are not going to slap a wig on you and pretend you’re Yennefer, either.”

“Good. That’s good. I don’t really think I could pull that off. So… What now?”

“Now we keep practicing,” Geralt said. “For the Battle of the Bands, you mean?”

“More like for the gig next week,” Renfri muttered.

“A gig next what?!” Jaskier exclaimed. “You’ve gotta be kidding me! You’re expecting me to be able to sing a gig with you next week?”

“Relax. It’s a short one. Only thirty minutes,” Eskel said in a vain attempt to sound encouraging.

Jaskier raised his hand and put it firmly on his chest.

“Right. Only thirty minutes. Oh, dear. I’m having a heart attack. I’m dying. You are expecting me to learn… I mean, there’s just no way...”

“Come on. You’re a clever guy, aren’t you?” Lambert smirked.

“Next week. Next week...” Jaskier groaned.

“Don’t panic, buttercup. It’s gonna be fine,” Renfri said, clasping his shoulder. “We can meet tomorrow and keep practicing.”

“No, not tomorrow,” Geralt shook his head. He was the only one to have the decency to look somewhat apologetic. “I’m playing D&D tomorrow, and if I cancel it again, Vesemir’s gonna find me and skin me alive.”

“Oh, that’s just great!” Jaskier said, spreading his arms wide. “The fate of the band is at stake, we desperately need to practice, but the lead singer… Wait. Did you say D&D?”

*

And that was how Jaskier ended up sitting in a living room of a guy called Vesemir (an old friend of Geralt’s, apparently) the next afternoon, being introduced to a bunch of new players who also decided to join the campaign.

“I’m not really new,” he explained to Vesemir. “I just… kinda used to play with the guys from my former band, and since we’re not exactly on speaking terms right now, I’m looking for a new group, that’s all.”

“Great. Less explaining for me then,” Vesemir nodded. “Now, about your character...”

“Oh, yes, a very surprising choice,” Geralt muttered. “A human bard named Jaskier, who would have guessed.”

“Oh, look who’s talking, witcher,” Jaskier growled.

“My god,” Vesemir laughed. “Now, this is going to be interesting.”

“What is going to be interesting?” Geralt asked, rolling a dice in his fingers.

“Nothing, nothing. If you’re ready, gentlemen, we could start. Our story begins in a little village called Posada...”

*

“Good, you’ve passed the perception check, so… As you are threatening the sylvan, you suddenly realize there’s someone standing behind you. What do you do now?”

“I turn around and defend myself, what do you think?” Geralt growled and rolled the dice.

“One. Oh, great job,” Jaskier sighed.

“Shut up, Jaskier. I’m not the one who’s been unconscious for the past five minutes!”

“Yes, my poor eighteen-year-old baby bard got knocked out, that’s why he needed the mighty witcher to protect him!”

“Well, that didn’t really work,” Vesemir smirked. “Geralt, the last thing you see is a fist heading straight for your face. And then everything goes black.”

“That’s what you deserve for rolling a fucking one.”

“I really hate you, Jaskier.”

*

“I want to break the bard’s lute,” said the guy playing one of the elves. Jaskier didn’t remember his name, but he’d just started to hate the guy.

“No, not the lute! Not the lute!” he yelled.

“Why exactly do you want to break his lute?” Vesemir asked the guy.

“Because I hate humans?” the elf replied.

“Fair enough,” Vesemir shrugged. “No, you don’t need to roll for that. In your anger, you break the lute in half, much to the bard’s displeasure.”

“Displeasure? Displeasure?!” Jaskier growled. “This isn’t just displeasure. I’m gonna murder you.”

“You realize it’s not a real lute, don’t you?” Geralt muttered.

“Of course. I would tear anyone who would try to touch my real lute to pieces. But a lute is a lute. You don’t just destroy lutes, not even fictional ones!”

“He just really loves lutes,” Geralt explained to Vesemir.

“You don’t say,” the man replied. “Geralt, what do you do now?”

“I try to convince the elves to leave the bard alone. Apparently,” Geralt sighed when Jaskier looked at him with big, blue puppy eyes.

“Oh, thank you, thank you. Fucking finally!” Jaskier clapped his hands. “Now, just don’t screw the… Aaand it’s a one again.”

“Jaskier, I’m really starting to regret taking you here...”

*

Some thirty minutes later, the game had ended and the “elves” had left the apartment. Jaskier wasn’t convinced they would be coming back. They seemed like the types who only wanted to try playing, and trying once was more than enough for them. But Jaskier definitely was coming back. If Geralt didn’t mind.

“Right,” he grinned when he realized Geralt wasn’t about to get up and leave any time soon. “Thanks for the magic lute, I guess.”

“Who said it was magical?” Vesemir smirked.

“I’ve told you I wasn’t a newbie. I know how these things work. That lute is definitely magical.”

“Geralt, seriously,” Vesemir laughed. “Where did you find this guy?”

“On the pavement in front of our rehearsal room,” Geralt said. “His band just kicked him out and he desperately needed a drink.”

Vesemir’s eyes narrowed.

“Geralt?” he muttered.

“All right,” Geralt sighed. “Jaskier, this is Vesemir. He’s kind of… our band’s manager.”

“Not kind of,” Vesemir said. “Geralt. Talk.”

“Yennefer’s left the band. Yes, again. For good, this time.”

“Oh, great. And you were going to tell me when?”

“Right now, as you can see. I mean… hear.”

“Awesome. So Jaskier here is…”

“Our new singer.”

Jaskier raised his eyebrows. Oh, boy, was Geralt really starting to seem scared of this guy?

“Geralt, I’ve already told you,” Vesemir sighed. “You can’t choose new band members by picking up random weird kids from the street!”

“Why not? That’s how we got Renfri after Coën left.”

“You mean Renfri, who hadn’t even held the guitar in her hand before she joined the band?”

“She got good, though, didn’t she?” Geralt grinned.

“So what about you, eh?” Vesemir said and turned to Jaskier. “Can you sing, or do you just look pretty?”

Jaskier smirked and took a deep breath.

“When a humble bard...” he sang softly. “Graced a ride along… With Geralt of Rivia… Along came this… song...”

“Yeah,” Geralt smirked. “He can sing, but also play and write lyrics and music.”

“No, that’s too good to be true,” Vesemir shook his head. “After all these years, you’ve finally found someone who can do that? Well, welcome on board, kid!”

“I’m not really a kid,” Jaskier commented. “And about that lute…”

“Yes, yes,” Vesemir nodded. “It’s definitely magical.”

“Yes! I knew it!”

*

The next day, at four PM, Jaskier was doing his very best to try and ignore Ciri, who was busily buzzing around him with her phone’s camera pointing in his direction.

“Just act natural,” Geralt said, for the fifth time in the past ten minutes. “Focus on the guitar and pretend to sing.”

“I’m trying,” Jaskier growled. “Why are we doing this, anyway? I mean, I know, you want my photo for the post about me becoming the new singer, but can’t you just use an older pic of me?”

“Shut up and play,” Lambert sighed. “Though I still think we should take a photo of you both, Geralt. Our two singers.”

“That’s not happening,” Geralt’s husky voice rasped and Jaskier lost his concentration once again.

“Why not?” he asked. “We’ve got such a good chemistry together, and I’m just… me. I’m telling you, Geralt, if you only post me, it’s gonna be a horrible shitstorm.”

“I agree with Jaskier,” Ciri said. “You should definitely be in the pic with him.”

“No,” Geralt growled. “Just play. We have been here for an hour already.”

“Twenty minutes,” Renfri said and reached for her own guitar. “And only because you’re a stubborn cock. Hey, buttercup. Teach me that song, what was it called? The Fishmonger’s daughter?”

A huge smile spread across Jaskier’s face as his fingers started to dance on the strings.

“Oh, fishmonger, oh, fishmonger, come quell your daughter’s hunger,” he singed softly. “To pull on my horn as it rises in the morn. For ‘tis naught but bad luck–”

“And I’ve got it,” Ciri announced. “What do you think, Renfri?”

“That our buttercup looks absolutely adorable,” the guitarist smiled, looking over her shoulder. “Good job, Ciri. Now we only need to write the post.”

“Great,” Lambert commented. “That’s gonna be a piece of cake, isn’t it?”

Continue with Chapter Three

[munchyn]

Blue Eyes| Daniel x Reader Chapter 18- Move In

Remember how I said you're about to become 19 in this story? Well, forget that. You're going to be 18. Therefore you're younger than Zach. Also, Y/f/b should be the same age as you so I'm also changing her to 18 years old. Jennifer is the same age as the two of you.

🍉🍎🍉🍎🍉🍎🍉🍎🍉🍎🍉🍎

I was moving out of my aunt's house. I was about to become eighteen and was going to move in with Jenn and Y/f/n. My parents knew about this by the way and they totally agreed with me about it.

With the money the three of us gained, we would split the bills in three and pay them.

I was currently trying to lug some boxes out if my Aunts van. I managed to drag it a few centimeters out of the trunk and then gravity worked its magic and the box tumbled down to the ground. Luckily it wasn't something as important as books. A few of my shirts had fallen out of the box and onto the wet ground. Wet due to the rain last night.

I sighed in frustration and started placing them back into the box. My aunt crouched next to me to help me clean up. Together we carried the boxes to the front door of Jenns house. Where my two friends would take them upstairs and into my new room.

"I told the guys that I'm moving in with you," I tell Jenn and Y/f/n. "They said they wanted to come help decorate. Is it okay with you if they come over?"

"Yes! Totally!" says Jennifer. Y/f/n rolled her eyes and I looked at them in confusion.

"Okay," says Y/f/n. "Before you move in with us, you need to know that Jennifer has a thing for Zach."

"I do not!" she defends herself. Y/f/n looks at her with an unbelieving face. Jennifer can't help the smile on her face as she awkwardly laughs. "I'm telling the truth! I don't have feelings for Zach." Her cheeks go pink.

"Aww, you're blushing!" I coo at her. "You do like Zach. That's so cute. Omg, are we all going to end up with a Why Don't We boy? I mean you clearly like Zach and it's obvious that Corbyn and Y/f/n like each other," I say. "And I'm already with Daniel, losers." We all laugh. "Now that I repeat what I said in my head, I realize I sounded so rude. Sorry."

"Don't worry," says Jennifer. "It is true after all." Right after she said that we heard the doorbell ring. "I'll go get it." Jennifer went downstairs as me and Y/f/n started putting my clothes into a walk-in closet. I heard Jennifer talking with someone before I heard a bunch of footsteps going up the stairs.

"Hello Y/n!" screams Zach as he tackles me in a hug. I hear Jack do the same as another set of arms wrap around me.

"Hi Y/n," says Jonah once Zach and Jack pulled away and he gives me a light hug. Corbyn also says hi to me as we share a handshake we made together. Me and Corbyn had grown closer to each other and now it was as if he were my older brother.

"Wait! Why do you guys have a handshake!?!" complains Zach.

"Don't worry Zach," I say. "We can have one too if you want."

"Guys," I hear another voice at the back of the group. "Can I please see my girlfriend?" Daniel pushed through the guys to kiss me. "Hello Y/n."

"Hello Giraffe," I say and he pouts at me. "Accept it Dani, you're the Giraffe." I placed my lips against his again. I held his hand and turned to face the boys. "I guess we should go to Ikea now. I don't have any furniture yet."

We all went out to the cars and drove off to Ikea. (Sorry for the horrible transition.)

I was sitting next to Daniel in the same car as Corbyn and Zach. Once we drove off, I leaned forward to speak to Corbyn. I was still holding Daniel's hand. "So," I say. "When are you going to ask Y/f/n out?"

"What? I'm not-"

"C'mon Corbyn," says Zach. He looks at Corbyn out of the corner of his eye. "It's painfully obvious that you guys like each other." The two of them argue about the topic and me and Daniel placed comments into the conversation from time to time.

When the two of them stopped talking, I said, "So who do you think Jennifer likes?"

"Well she likes someone in our band," says Daniel.

"It's so not gonna be me," Zach says with a frown. He looks down at his hands.

"Why not Zach?" says Corbyn in a teasing voice. "Is it because you like her, so you have no chance." He makes quotation marks with one hand when he says "no chance".

"Wait! HOLD UP!" I accidentally scream into Corbyn's ear. "Zach likes Jennifer? What is it with you guys all being attracted to my group of friends?" I started laughing.

"What's so funny?" asks Zach.

"Oh, nothing," I tell them. "Just I know who each of my friends likes." Zach turns around to look at me.

"WHO?" he yells. "Please tell me!"

"Chill dude," I tell him. "I'm not gonna tell you. I have something called respect. I'm not gonna give my friends crushes away."

Zach pouted and looked back at the road in front of him. "You hurt the baby's feelings," says Daniel. Zach turned around in his seat and slapped Daniel's leg. "Okay, okay, sorry."

The rest of the ride to Ikea consisted of teasing Zach and Corbyn about their crushes. When we finally got out of the car, Zach chased after me. Trying to get revenge for all the teasing. Which had come mostly from me.

"Wow, what happened in the car Y/n?" says Y/f/n while laughing. "What did you do to Zach that he'd want to kill you?"

"I did nothing," I say. "And just so you know, Corbyn was also a part of this."

"Wait, wait, wait!" says Corbyn. His voice in a higher tone than usual. "Daniel's not gonna get credit for this. He was also in the car after all."

"No," I say as I squish Daniel's cheeks. "I will protect my Apple forever. Even if it is so very obviously his fault." Daniel smiles between the palms of my hands and pecks the tip of my nose.

"Thank you Y/n."

We all went into the building and moved along the isles. We passed by the toilet stuff and light bulbs and lamps to go see the bedroom furniture. I looked at a bunch of bunk beds and I joked that me and Corbyn could have a sleepover with it. Daniel wasn't exactly happy with this. He wrapped his arms around me and laid protective kisses along my neck.

We kept looking at beds that I could use. We got to a very... lets say sensually decorated. Zach then said I should get that one so I would be in the mood (Jesus Christ, I accidentally wrote nood. Nood=nude) with Daniel when he'd visit. Daniel heard this and decided to join Zach. "Do you want me to-"

"Lets move on, oh look at that bed!" I said, changing the subject. I wonder if Zach did this to get me back for all the teasing. Finally, I decided on a bed and I took a picture to remember which one I had chosen. After that, we headed to the lunch area. The next thing we'd be looking for was going to be tables.

Choose which bed you get out if the next ones.

I ordered my food and sat down at a table with the rest. We talked about the aesthetic of my bedroom and about the desks that would fit that aesthetic.

We finished our food quickly so that we could keep looking at furniture. I practically shoved Y/f/n's food down her throat because she is such a slow eater. "C'mon Y/f/n!" I complained. "We need to go look for stuff to put in my room." She just looks at me with her mouth full. "Ugh, you eat so slowly."

"Sorry!" she sais with her mouth half full. Thankfully, she finished eating rather quickly after that. We paid for the food and moved on with our search for furniture. We got a desk for my room, along with a lamp and some fairy lights. I also got a huge elephant stuffed animal.

"It's really a shame they didn't have giraffes," I say after we pay for everything and head to the van Y/f/n brought with her. "I would've gotten one if they did."

"You really take advantage of me Giraffe problem, do you?" says Daniel with his arm around my shoulders and his head rested on the crown of my head.

"I wouldn't call it a problem Dani," I tell him. "More like a permanent obstacle that will always be there to haunt you." Daniel looked at me with a face that screamed that he was done with the Giraffe shit. I couldn't help but think it was adorable though. "OMG, you look so cute when you make that face." I smiled brightly and hugged and shared a long kiss. I heard somebody cough awkwardly. I parted away from Daniel to see who it was to see Jack awkwardly standing there, everybody else didn't look very comfortable either.

"Can we like, go back home?" asks Jennifer. My face goes red and I nod. Corbyn closes the trunk and it nearly hits Daniel on the top of the head.

"Careful!" I shriek. My natural instincts to keep Daniel alive kicking in. I pull Daniel away from the van and hid my face into his chest. I didn't realize I was shaking until I let go of Daniel's green hoodie. I could feel my heart pounding in my ribcage and Daniel cupped my cheeks.

"Are you okay Y/n?" he looks into my eyes and I am instantly trapped in his. I nodded and put on a smile on my face. Trying to hide how terrified I was earlier. Zach, Corbyn, and Daniel all got into Corbyn's car but Jonah grabbed my arm before I could sit next to Daniel. I turn to face him and his usually calm face was masked by a worried expression.

"Are you sure you're okay Y/n?" I nod with the same fake smile from before still on my face. "Was that about you-know-what?" I sigh and Jonah lets go of my arm and nodded as he headed to the van where the rest of the group was. I sat in the car and all the way back to the house I was practically on Daniel's lap as we hugged each other. His touch was so comforting I wanted to stay in his arms forever (wouldn't we all).

When we finally arrived, we started bringing the boxes with the pieces for the furniture upstairs. Once in my room, we decided to start with the bed first. We opened the box and pulled out the pieces. It was complete chaos when we tried to build it. Nobody knew where anything was and the instructions weren't the easiest to understand. The first time we tried, we ended un with some kind of half upside down bed. Some of the lags where upside down and in the wrong position, making the bed tipsy.

We tried it a second time, double checked the instructions and it turned out pretty well. We put on the mattress and the f/c covers and some pillows. Once we were done, I bounced onto the bed. "Oh jeez, this bed is so comfy." Y/f/n jumps on it with me.

The next thing we built was the desk. This was pretty easy to make compared with the bed. It only took us one try. Once that was done, we started putting up the decorations. I had gotten some LED lights so we were placing them around the room. "Your bedroom is going to be confused with a club," says Y/f/n.

"I DON'T BELONG IN THIS CLUB!" I then realize that the guys are actually here. Watching me burst out singing one of their lyrics. "Oh my God, that was embarrassing."

"I thought it was cute," says Corbyn.

"Hey, back off dude!"

I laughed at how childish they could be. After talking a bit, Jack, Zach, and Jennifer went downstairs to watch TV. Probably Walking Dead because Jennifer freaking loves that series. Corbyn, Y/f/n, and Jonah went to the grocery store to buy some food. Daniel and I stayed in my room and just cuddle for what could've been forever.

____________________________

I woke up with my legs entangled with Daniels. The light in the room was a light orange from the sunset and when I looked at Daniel's face, I saw his gorgeous blue eyes staring at me. He had a small smile on his face, showing his tooth gap...and adorable dimples. "Hello sleepyhead," he greets me. He plants his lips on mine and he dashes his tongue across my lips.

But before anything can get too heated, we are interrupted by Zach yelling. I sat up. "WHY JENNIFER!?WHY?!" I look back at Daniel in confusion. I move to get off the bed and go downstairs, but an arm wraps itself around me before I can.

"Daniel-"

"Please baby," he says in a raspy voice. "Stay. I want to cuddle!" I lean back and kiss his forehead.

"Later Apple," I tell him. "I need to go check what happened. My curiosity gets the best of me." I sat up and walked out of the room. I heard footsteps behind me so I assumed that Daniel was following me down the stairs. On my way down, we passed Corbyn and Y/f/n, who were both carrying boxes.

"Oh, hey, Y/n," says Corbyn. "We found some mare lights we didn't put up and Y/f/n wanted to put them up for you. Can we go..?"

"Sure," I say. "Just make sure Y/f/n doesn't break anything." Corbyn laughed and went into my room with Y/f/n to set up the forgotten lights.

Corbyn's POV

I walked into Y/n's room and immediately started setting up the lights. We put these inside her walk-in closet. I stayed out of her personal stuff and just put up the lights.

When me and Y/f/n were done, we sat on Y/n's bed. I turned on the LED lights with the remote control that was swith them. They started changing colors and I turned to look at Y/f/n, "Well, the lights are up."

"Yeah." Silence. "Well let's go," says Y/f/n, but I grab her arm.

"Wait, I have something to tell you," I pull her back down on the bed. I hold her hands in mine as I lick my lips as a habit when I was nervous. "So Y/f/n, I just wanted to say that I really like you. As in more than friends. And I know you might not feel the same, but I couldn't stall silently anymore so I'm telling you I like you." I look up and see her cheeks are bright red. "I'm sorry, you probably don't like me. Let's just go downstairs." Before I can do anything, Y/f/n grabs my shoulder and presses her lips to mine. My eyes widen before I relax into the kiss. Our lips move against each others as the kiss gets deeper. We jumo apart when we hear a voice from the doorway.

"Seriously guys? On my new bed," we look at the hall to see Y/n with her phone in hand. "You could've at least saved it for the couch."

"Wait," says Y/f/n. "Are you filming this?" Y/n mumbles a 'shit' before running down the hall. Y/f/n chases after her while screaming, "You are so DEAD!"

"It's for my own private collection!"

"Liar! You're going to post it on your story."

_____________________________

Y/n's POV

I was lying on the living room floor with Y/f/n and Jennifer was on the couch. We were all surrounded by Pringles and bags of snacks. I look at Y/f/n, who was half asleep. "So what happened with Corbyn in the end?"

"He asked me to be his girlfriend," she says. Jennifer and I sat up when we heard her say that. Jenn's jaw was hanging wide open.

"And you said yes, right," asks our actor friend. A.k.a Jennifer, in case you forgot about that.

"OF COURSE I SAID YES YOU DUMB ASS!" Jennifer raises her hands in defense. "I'm not as stupid as Y/n."

"Now that's not fair!" I complain.

"You still didn't say right away," you gave the whole fandom, including me, a cliffhanger that was so painful to wait what would happen!" I rolled my eyes. "Don't get me wrong, I love that you ended up saying yes. But couldn't you have said it sooner?"

"Everything needs its time Y/f/n," I tell her. "Everything needs its time."

"Speaking about this," says Y/f/n, she turns to Jennifer. "When are you and Zach going to become a thing?" Jennifer flushes (because you always used this word, Jennifer, you know sho you are).

"You guys are so cute," I agree with her. "How have you not realized you like each other?"

"Well, whoop-die doo, look what time it is!" says Jennifer, trying to change the topic. Me and Y/f/n laugh at her behavior, the three of us looked like we were on crack sometimes. Ok sorry, back to the story. "I think it's about time we go to bed!" She got up and went up the stairs and into her room. I got up and helped Y/f/n stand and we started cleaning the potato chip bags that Jennifer left us with. We bade each other goodnight and I got into my new bed to get a good night's sleep.

A/N: OMG! WOW! 500 READS, THANKS SO MUCH GUYS. In exchange, I'm giving you this 3,000 word long chapter. lol. But truly, thanks so much for reading my story. It means a lot to me.

[zig-a-zow]

As told by Aiden [Chapter 3: Wild hearts]

Summary: Aiden Zhou had everything figured out. He was a Junior at high school, he would graduate in two years, attend a prestigious school such as Juilliard and become the best musician he could be. Of course, despite being practically a prodigy at what he loved, he had a lot to learn yet, especially the most important lesson: there was more to life than what he once thought.

Pairings: Aiden x MC (Grace Ashton), Michael x MC (Callie McKenzie)

Word count: 3702

Notes: Hello there! What is this, you might be asking yourself? Well, nothing other than what the title says: High School Story as told by Aiden. The events from the book, but from his perspective, plus extra scenes/fanon lore. There are significant changes in this story, though. For once, I have two MCs, best friends Grace and Callie. However, one of them will be significantly more prominent due to being Aiden’s love interest. Also, each chapter has its own song, cause how could I write about Aiden without music included? Click the lyrics to listen.

Ch. 1 - Ch. 2 - Ch. 3 (It’s right here!) - Ch. 4 - Ch. 5 - Ch. 6 - Ch. 7 - Ch. 8 (Coming soon!)

Wild hearts, run

Your time has just begun

Keep chasing for the sun

Don’t slow it down.

It wasn't long before Grace's attention drifted from him to the sliding glass doors, where they could both see her friend Callie walking out of the house, a stunned expression on her face.

Grace quickly ran toward her, and as Aiden could see, a few other classmates did the same. He didn't exactly know why, but he followed her.

"Callie? What's wrong?"

The blonde girl looked shaken, and her blue eyes darted toward Grace immediately. She sighed deeply, approaching her friend to hug her tightly.

"It's awful... Caleb and I just walked in on Brian and Zoe making out!"

Even though her voice sounded slightly hushed due to her face being pressed against Grace's shoulder, it was loud enough for the rest of them to hear it. Aiden looked around and recognized the people around them.

Maria, his classmate, and as far as he knew, the only one besides him that wasn't a Sophomore, was the first to speak with a frown.

"Well, that explains why he run away almost crying" she said with a thoughtful expression, before catching herself. "Oh, and this is terrible, of course!"

"Can't say I'm surprised" commented Michael, whose hair was still damp from the pool.

"That doesn't matter right now!" Callie let go of Grace for a moment, straightening up with a look of resolution on her face. "We have to go after him and make sure he's okay!"

"Excuse me, 'we'?"

All eyes turned to him, and Aiden made an effort not to take a literal step back. He cleared his throat, suddenly on the spot.

Luckily for him, Grace piped up just in time.

"Gonna have to agree with Aiden here" she said, shrugging slightly. "Callie, we barely know the guy. Hell, we barely know anyone here. It's none of our business."

"That, and... nobody here really hangs out with him, so the same could be said about us" Michael spoke again, hiding his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "So yeah, hard pass from me."

"But... he's one of us! Wouldn't you want someone to go after you if the tables were turned?"

"No. I'd want to be left alone, thank you very much."

"Well, I'm with you, Callie" Emma's voice was heard as she approached the center of the circle, looking a little less shy at the moment. "He needs m-- us, right now."

"Count me in as well. What Zoe did is disgusting" stated Maria, solemnly, even though a tiny smile crept into her face a second later. "Not to mention Caleb could persuade a few more people to attend Homecoming."

Once again, all eyes turned to Aiden, and he gulped loudly. He had been so absorbed in listening to everyone else that he didn't even think about what he would do.

He considered silently for a few seconds before he sighed deeply, almost in defeat.

"It's the right thing to do. So I'll join your group."

Michael let out a low chuckle at that, that almost made him frown.

"It's the right thing to do... wow. Good for you, pal, your medal's in the mail."

"Well, he's not wrong" Grace mumbled, joining the other side in a symbolic and literal way. "I still don't care, but there's no way I'm staying in this lame party instead of running around town. Sounds like fun."

"The right thing for the wrong reasons, got it" after a moment Michael joined them as well, shrugging slightly. "I got nothing else to do, I guess. Come on, let's go."

Callie squealed at that, and she put her arms around both of their shoulders for a few seconds as she happily beamed at them.

"Aww, I knew you two would come around! Now, any idea where Caleb would run off to?"

"Maybe The Golden Griddle?" Julian's voice came from behind and Aiden startled slightly, but luckily nobody seemed to notice or care. "That's where I'd go to grab a burger and sulk."

"Alright, let's go!"

Grace cleared her throat to get her attention.

"Callie."

"Yes?"

"Your clothes."

"Oh, right!" Callie's pale cheeks turned red when she realized she was still wearing her swimsuit. She walked toward the house. "I'll be right back!"

She disapeared from view, and a few minutes later she returned. And with that, the seven of them started their way toward The Golden Griddle. As he walked with his hands hidden in the pockets of his jeans, lost in thought, Aiden realized that Grace fell behind to match his rather slow pace.

"Hey... don't let that Michael guy get to you" she said with a low tone, for him to be the only one able to hear her. "I personally think it's very noble of you to do this just because it's the right thing to do."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Like, I've never heard another kid our age say something like that. Unless you count heartthrobs from crappy YA novels."

Aiden couldn't help but laugh under his breath at that, shaking his head slightly. When he turned to her, she was giving him a curious look that made him blush lightly in return. He shrugged.

"I appreciate it. But I wasn't letting him get to me anyway, his opinion means very little to me" he admitted as they finally made it to the place in question, and the rest of the group hurried inside, leaving them behind. He opened the door for her. "After you."

Grace snorted at that, but he could tell she wasn't mocking him. With a simple nod she walked in, and he followed suit.

The diner was almost empty, except for Wes and Autumn, two Seniors that he knew from school. They were sharing a milkshake while the rest of the group was already talking to them. Wes was shaking his head with a smirk as the two of them approached at last.

"Callie McKenzie, one of the newest students to Berry High, recently transferred from Hearst" he was saying, and his eyes promptly found Grace, his smile widening. "And Grace Ashton, of course. Missing New York yet?"

"A little, but this place is okay so far" she replied, shrugging as if his words weren't that important. "Now, will you stop the mysterious edgy act and tell us who you are? Seems only fair."

"It's Wes. He makes it his business to know everything that goes on around town" said Maria almost immediately, and as Wes was about to say something else, she hurried to continue. "No, we don't have time for witty banter. Have you guys seen Caleb?"

"No, not lately at least. He wasn't here if that's what you're asking" replied Autumn, before acquiring a worried expression. "Why? Is he okay?"

"I don't think so... he walked in on his girlfriend cheating on him with his best friend."

At Emma's words, Wes clicked his tongue as he shook his head, releasing Autumn's hand so he could fold his arms above his chest.

"Took him long enough to find out."

"Wait a minute, you knew about this?" Aiden couldn't contain himself, frowning slightly without even noticing. "And you didn't say anything?"

"Yeah, man, how dare you? Don't you know that telling him was the right thing to do?"

Michael's voice managed to make him scowl, his dark eyes throwing daggers at him for just a millisecond. It wasn't like Michael cared anyway, as he simply gave him a mocking smirk in return.

"Maybe so, but my job is to know, not tell" Wes replied a second later, oblivious of their silent exchange. "However... if I were you, I'd try the arcade. Caleb likes to blow off steam there."

"Oh, yay! Thank you, Wes!" Callie gave them both a warm smile before leading the way back to the door. "Come on, everybody, there's no time to lose!" 

The rest of the group clearly didn't share her enthusiasm, but that didn't seem to bother her at all, in fact it was almost like she wasn't even aware of that. As Callie walked in the front, with Michael, the rest of them followed at an average pace.

It wasn't strange that a brief silence took place at first, since most of them hadn't interacted much before that night, and they were just meeting the two new girls.

Maria cleared her throat.

"So, Grace... you used to live in New York?" she said after a moment, a bright smile on her face. "I've always wanted to visit. How is it there?"

Grace, who was distracted typing as she walked, looked up from her phone with a brief expression of confusion before she smiled, tucking her phone back in her pocket.

"It's... big. Like, really big" she walked a little faster to match their pace, shrugging slightly. "But believe it or not, I like it better here."

"You used to live here?" Emma asked after a moment, and Grace gave her a low chuckle.

"Yeah, for ten years. Then my mom wanted us to move with her to New York, but after almost six years dad wanted to come back here. He thinks it's a better environment for my little sister."

Aiden remained silent as they kept asking trivial questions about her life in New York. He really had nothing to ask at the moment, although he did feel curious to a certain extent. Luckily for him, their path was coming to an end, as he could see the neon lights of the arcade ahead.

"Oh, wow! This place is huuuge!" Callie was bouncing from place to place as the rest of them walked inside, immediately surrounded by bright colorful lights. "We have to come here again someday, just to have fun!"

Nobody replied, probably because they had spotted a group of familiar faces. They approached only to see that they were all admiring Sakura's dancing skills in Disco Dance Rebellion.

"Good evening, we don't mean to bother, but we were wondering if maybe you had seen Caleb Mitchell tonight?"

Aiden's voice was barely audible due to the chiptune music coming from the machine next to them, but Myra seemed to have trained ears because she could understand his words right away.

"He came here and beat Sakura's previous score" she replied, just as the music finally stopped. "But as you can see, she just beat him! Go Sakura!"

"Could you tell us where he went after that?" asked this time Emma, with a grimace. "We need to find him..."

"We don't know where he went, but he left about ten minutes ago" Aiden recognized the guy that spoke next as Luis, another of his classmates, who promply blushed slightly at the sight of Emma. "It's nice to see you, Emma... and everyone else, of course!"

"Yeah, sure..."

Aiden could see that Luis was blushing even more at Myra's words, and couldn't help but feel a tinge of symphaty for him. Clearly he wasn't the only victim of her ruthless teasing.

"This is all very interesting, but can you guys tell us where he went?" Grace intervened after a moment, her arms crossed above her chest. "That's the only reason we came here, to be honest."

"Yeah, uh, about that..."

They all turned toward Michael when they heard his voice, and he promptly pointed to the game where Sakura was dancing previously, although she wasn't alone now. Callie was right beside her, getting rid of her blue cardigan with a huge smile on her face.

"I don't care about winning, I just wanna dance!" she was exclaiming, clearly replying to whatever Sakura had said before and they couldn't hear. "Let's do this!"

Grace succesfully caught the blue cardigan her best friend threw at her, a slight smile on her face as she shook her head.

"Welp, seems like we're staying here for a little while."

"No, no, this is good!" Myra grinned at the rest of the group, and proceeded to explain when she saw their confused stares. "Sakura is the one who talked to Caleb, so she must know where he went... so if your friend beats her, she might just tell you guys!"

"I see..." Grace seemed to be deep in thought for a few seconds, before she turned to the game that was just starting. "Woo, go Callie! Make me proud!"

"Yeah, you got this!" Michael joined in a few seconds later, apparently understanding what Grace was trying to do. "Callie, Callie, Callie!"

Maria and Emma exchanged a quick glance before joining the chant enthusiastically. Aiden took a moment to consider if he really was willing to potentially look ridiculous cheering for a stranger in a completely unimportant game for a cause he wasn't even invested in. Just one glance at Grace's bright smile was enough for him to decide.

With the five of them cheering loudly for her, Callie seemed to put a lot more effort on her movements, and soon enough the victory tune was heard.

"Noooo! You bested me!" Sakura's cries of defeat could be heard as well, and her boyfriend Nishan quickly approached to comfort her.

"It's okay, Princess Peach, I know you'll beat the record... again."

"Don't call me that in public...!"

Callie was breathing heavily after all that dancing, and her best friend caught her in a hug right after she stepped out of the plataform.

"You did it, you beautiful beast!" Grace exclaimed with a grin, before turning her around and gently pushing her forward. "Now go ask Sakura if she knows where Caleb went."

Soon enough they all were in their way to the beach, which was hopefully the very last stop on their little journey. Grace was the last one to leave the arcade, because Luis had stopped her for a moment. Aiden wanted to stay and hear what he had to say, but obviously that would be too nosy of him.

But asking afterwards wasn't that bad, right?

"Let's just say he's very interested in Emma's relationship status, y'know?" she replied then, a tiny mischievous smile on her lips. "Maybe he likes her 'cause they're similar? Like, shy and awkward and all that."

"Mhm. Maybe so" he muttered, keeping his eyes to the front before he spoke once again. "Do you think that's for the best? I mean, when you look for a partner, do you look for someone who potentially shares your interests or even personality traits?"

Grace remained silent for a few seconds, and when he looked down, she was giving him a playful smile. She shrugged.

"You have a very interesting way of speaking. I like it" she admitted, before she let out a sigh. "And no, I don't look for anything specific. I don't have a type, if that's what you're asking. Do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Do you have type? You like people like you or different? Birds of a feather or opposites attract?"

"Oh! Uh..."

Aiden kept quiet for a few seconds, thinking deeply. He was aware that he had asked first and now she had the right to ask back but he wasn't expecting to share so many things about himself in a single, fateful night.

He sighed.

"No. I don't think I have a 'type'. Then again..." he mumbled as they finally reached the beach, walking in the tricky sand. "I haven't been looking for a partner in a while, so it's hard to say."

"Well, maybe it's time to change that...?"

"There he is!"

Aiden didn't have much time to properly stammer and make a fool of himself at Grace's words because they both heard Callie announce Caleb's presence a second later.

He gladly took the chance to walk a little faster so he could finally reach the rest of the group, with Grace following close behind.

Caleb was sitting on the edge of the water, a few feet away. He seemed to be very lost in thought, because he didn't hear them at all. The group formed a circle to discuss what they could do next.

"Well, obviously someone should go and talk to him" said Maria, and when a few of them tried to walk away toward him, she continued. "Only one! Let's not overwhelm him."

"I'd go, but I'm terrible at all this... feelings stuff" Julian spoke next, and for the second time Aiden startled slightly. He was ashamed to admit that he had forgotten about him. "Maybe someone else...?"

"I'll go!" Callie exclaimed with a smile, grabbing her cardigan from her best friend's hands so she could put it back on. "I'm really good at this 'feelings stuff' as you call it! You guys make a fire in the meantime."

And with that, she simply walked away, almost skipping in the sand. They all watched her sit down next to Caleb and start talking to him, before turning to each other once again.

"Well, he's in good hands. Let's get that fire started" said Grace, pulling a lighter from the pocket of her jean shorts.

"Do you... carry that with you all the time?"

"You never know when you need fire!"

"Like now! Gimme that" asked Michael, practically ignoring Emma's question and puzzled look, catching the lighter that Grace threw at him. "Now we only need some wood."

While the others started looking around for some dry branches, Aiden could feel his gaze drift to the pair at the shore of the beach. They seemed to be talking still, before hugging each other for a few moments, and standing up.

"There it is!" Michael's voice brought him back to reality, and when he turned around, he could see a small fire burning. "I can't take full credit though, you guys helped a little."

"A little?! We gave you the wood, you just turned on a lighter that isn't even yours!" exclaimed Maria, frowning slightly, but he just shrugged it off as he tossed the lighter back to Grace.

"That's more than others did."

Of course Michael was talking about him, but there was no way he was going to give him the satisfaction of reacting to his words. Especially because he was right, after all.

Callie and Caleb joined them just a few seconds later, and the whole group formed circle around the fire to have a taste of its warmth. After a moment of silence, in which apparently nobody knew what to say, Maria finally spoke.

"How are you holding up?"

"Honestly, I feel like I've been hit by a train..." Caleb replied almost immediately, and he certainly looked like he meant it, at least until he looked up and smiled slightly. "I can't believe you guys came all this way to find me. I thought I knew who my real friends were before tonight, but I was wrong. It's all of you."

"You should thank Callie" Michael offered the girl a tiny smirk, and she looked away with embarrassment. "She's the one who convinced us to come."

"Oh, please. I was just doing the right thing."

Callie probably wasn't aware that she was paraphrasing, but Michael certainly was. Aiden could see him bite his tongue so he wouldn't let out a snide remark this time, and that was the most satisfying thing he had seen tonight.

"Well, thank you anyway. You didn't have to, but you still did it. That says a lot."

Callie blushed even more at Caleb's words, and made a gesture with her hand, as if she wanted him to stop. Michael cleared his throat loudly. "Ok, so... you gonna teach Brian a lesson for stealing your girl?"

"That won't solve anything!" exclaimed Maria, frowning at him. "He needs to move on."

"No matter what you choose to do, you can count on us" Callie placed a gentle hand on Caleb's shoulder, with a smile.

"Yeah, that's nice and all, but it's getting kinda late and my dad already sent me a bunch of emoji infested texts."

Grace's words prompted everyone to check their own phones, and Aiden almost gasped. If his parents weren't texting him as well, was only because they were still getting the hang of their devices. Did they really spend almost two hours walking around?

The group mumbled their agreement, and soon enough the fire was extinguished. They all started their way back to Brian's house, since most of their cars were parked close by. Aiden found his rather quickly, and as he was about to get inside, he felt someone tap on his shoulder.

When he turned around, Grace was standing in front of him with a bright smile.

"Hey, before you go... I just wanted to tell you that I had a blast tonight" she said, hiding one of her dark curls behind her ear. "And it was mostly because of you, so thank you."

"Oh... no. I mean, thank you" Aiden swallowed hard, looking away as he felt his face burn. "I didn't expect to have a good time tonight, but I did..."

"... and it was because of me?"

A quick glance at her was enough to make him feel even more embarrassed, but it was worth it. Her eyes were shinning with anticipation.

"I guess you could say that, yes."

"Heh. So... are you gonna give me your number or do I have to ask you?" apparently she could noticed just how flustered he was because she simply extended her hand to him. "Just give me your phone."

Aiden hesitated for a few seconds, before he pulled his phone out of his pocket and gave it to her. She quickly typed on it, and her phone rang, so he assumed she had texted herself to get his number. To his surprise, she took a few seconds to snap a picture of herself before giving it back.

"There. I'll see you tomorrow."

He muttered a reply that he wasn't sure she heard, as he watched walk away and climb on her own car without looking back.

When he was sure she had already driven off, he checked his phone. On his contacts list, a new name was added. "Grace 👑", alongside with a selfie of her, that she had just taken right in front of him.

It took him a few second to look away from her.

Wild hearts, run

We're all animals inside

Go brave into the night

Don't slow, slow, slow it down.

Chapter 3 is up!

It took me a little longer to update this time, but I���ll try to be quicker next time. Also, if anyone would like to be tagged on my updates so they don’t miss them, please tell me! Thanks!

I hope you enjoyed it! Feedback is appreciated and encouraged. Thanks for reading!

[moversdevelopment]

How to improve your moving company’s marketing

No matter how old or young your moving business is, there are just some elements that give universal value industry-wide. Marketing is one such element, and this has been the case for a while now. However, companies today have become more dependant on the notion of marketing than ever before. Whether you’re looking to boost your traffic rate, put your moving company on the map, or develop your brand – the way to do it all is to improve your moving company’s marketing. And if you were under the impression that you’re doing everything you can, you’re mistaken. There is always more that you can do for advertising your business. Today, we take a closer look at how.

If you improve your moving company’s marketing you have a chance to compete with the best on movers market

We’re continuing to provide you with useful tips on how to get leads for your moving company. There’s almost no bad tactic for that. But some tactics and strategies are better and more efficient than the others. That’s why we continuously research the market to check what’s attracting the most customers to successful moving companies.

Luckily, our strategy gives the results. We discovered dozens of ways to collect leads directly from the web! Of course, you need to adjust to the IT age. You must improve your moving company’s marketing. To do that, first, get well informed about what are the most efficient things among the changes you need to implement. Make sure to implement those changes first. You want to see the results immediately, that’s normal. Well, we’re here to help you improve your moving company’s marketing!

Strategies and tactics to improve your moving company’s marketing

When we’re discussing attracting new customers, movers marketing is the single most important thing to mention. Why? Because there are hundreds and thousands of professional movers competing for people moving from point A to point B. You need to make your moving company stand out somehow in the eyes of potential customers. Do that, and you’ll win the biggest share of the moving market!

But to achieve that goal, you must improve your moving company’s marketing. Be the most recognizable company in your environment. Be the moving company to set the new limits of marketing for moving companies. Here are some things you can do to make your moving company’s marketing make more influence on customers:

Create an interesting and exciting movers website. It’s pointless to try to improve your moving company’s marketing without a strong movers website.

Optimize and maintain the moving blog on your moving company’s website. Provide people with useful information regarding the relocations, and they’ll know to appreciate it.

Build your packers and movers company reputability and reliability. Nobody likes uncertainty. Especially when it comes to moving all your possessions to a new home. The opposite is also true.

Using social networks is a must. Social networks are so strong nowadays that if you don’t use it, it’s just like you don’t even exist.

Focus on targeting your audience. Once you get to know your audience, targeting them with your marketing effort becomes essential.

Build your moving business on local directories and media channels. You need to establish a strong role in your local market, making your company known among other competitors, other businesses, and customers.

Use testimonials and reviews to your advantage. People tend to trust the recommendations and comments of other consumers more than ever before.

Implement Google AdWords to improve your moving company’s marketing. PPC management for moving companies can bring in a lot of traffic practically overnight.

Moving companies website itself improves your position on movers market

Comparing online vs offline movers marketing strategies you’ll always have the same winner. Online beats the offline since 10 or more years ago. Therefore, if you chose to stay offline, you’ll choose to downsize or even be forced to close your moving company. Hence, our suggestion is to go online ASAP. The first step to doing that is to create a well-designed movers website. By doing this, you appear on the internet as a competitive moving company. But, as we said, that’s only the first step. To be truly recognized by search engines and appear in search results on one of the first two pages, you need also to:

Ease-up the navigation through your moving company’s website- Don’t make people confused on your website

Make your website available for mobile devices- more than half of people research the web over mobile devices

Implement movers software in your online moving business, such as one of moving costs calculator forms.

Make your contact information obvious- Let people find your phone number or e-mail easily.

There are a lot more things you want to use to upgrade your professional mover’s marketing. But for starters, these four things are more than enough. You will immediately see the improvement in your moving business!

Movers blog is almost a necessity for professional movers these days

Nowadays, you’re not only an agency that helps people relocate from one place to another. I mean, this is still the core of your moving business. But you must offer a lot more to people to be perceived as someone worth cooperating with. This is why improving your moving company’s marketing is such an important thing. For example, keeping a blog with tips and tricks for those planning to move soon is a great thing. This is great for two things:

First, it makes people feel that you really care about them and think of you as of socially responsible company. Therefore, you’ll get more customers.

Second, a movers’ blog is one of the most important places where you can score movers SEO points. And SEO helps you position high on web search results. Which also brings more customers to you.

However you look at moving blog, it brings more people to your moving company. And in case you want to collect some information, here are some tips for creating and maintaining a blog on movers’ website.

Movers blog is probably the most important part of your website for marketing improvement of your moving company

Make your business credible to improve your moving company’s marketing

In the last decade, the number of moving scams grew rapidly. That’s why people planning to move are so scared and careful when choosing a professional mover to hire. Knowing this, when looking to upgrade your professional mover’s marketing, you’ll want people to receive the message that you’re reliable. How to do that? Well, by acting professionally, leaving a good impression, and becoming a member of professional movers associations. The last thing we mentioned could appear to be the first required if you want to get customers.

The reason? It’s quite simple. If you’re not recognized as a reliable moving company, nobody’s gonna hire you. So to get those customers who want to know it’s safe to move using your moving services, you need to have something behind you. That something could be organizations guaranteeing you’re a credible home moving company. Here are some of those organizations you should look to become a member:

AMSA (American Moving And Storage Association)

BBB (Better Bussiness Bureau)

Move For Hunger

FIDI (The global alliance of professional international moving and relocation companies)

IAM (International Association of Movers)

The social networks are so important for the marketing success of your moving company

Whatever marketing strategy you choose, use social networks

Almost all the world’s gone social. I mean using social networks. Almost everybody visits at least one, or mostly all of the social networks, couple times a day. How great resource to generate leads for moving company?! And how handicapped would you be if people couldn’t hear about you or reach you using social networks?

Being that all the other moving companies know about the advantages of it and they use it in their moving companies’ marketing campaigns. You can’t make a significant enough improvement in marketing for your moving company if you don’t use social networks. The sooner you realize this, and get active on social networks, the better the improvement your mover’s marketing will show!

Focus on targeting your audience

Knowing your audience is half the digital marketing battle. The other half is finding the best way to get through to them. So long as you manage to accomplish both, you’ll have no trouble to improve your moving company’s marketing efforts. Knowing you audience starts from identifying their needs and expectations. When it comes to the moving industry, this shouldn’t be too difficult. People today want a stress-free relocation, without having to worry about delays, frauds, neglect, etc.

Getting through to your audience is a must in marketing.

When you target them, they expect you to drown all their questions and insecurities right off the start. Make your marketing talk them into giving your business a chance to prove what makes you better than the competition.

Build your moving business on local directories and media channels

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the same goes for the reputation of a moving business. You need to take it one step at a time when it comes to developing your moving business. Start off locally, by focusing your marketing efforts on local:

Community – get involved in your local community. Partner with other businesses, contribute to fundraisers and other events, organize competitions, etc.

Media – smaller towns thrive on the power of media, and you should never underestimate that.

Directories – make sure that your business and services appear in local search results. Create listings on local directories, advertising your moving company through citations and well-established channels such as Google My Business (GMB).

Use testimonials and reviews to improve your moving company’s marketing

With so many businesses popping up today, it’s become hard to really make a smart choice, let alone build trust towards one. However, the consumer society we live in has never been stronger, and so we rely on the experiences of other a lot. People are far more likely to opt for the services your moving company advertises so long as you have someone to back them up.

Let the voice of others contribute to your marketing efforts.

Past customers can prove to be a great ally in terms of contributing to the legitimacy of your expertise. Use this to your advantage by creating a visible presentation of testimonials and reviews about your moving business.

Implement Google AdWords

Introducing the practice of Google Ads to your marketing efforts is definitely a step in the right direction. Driving traffic is one of the prime focuses of SEO, but Pay Per Click (PPC) can also aid in this endeavor. Having well-established PPC campaigns can easily lead to finding the perfect SEO campaigns to use when on the path to improve your moving company’s marketing.

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