#just kind of watched them like that meme of the people staring at the camera at a party

[muirneach]

was just having a normal ass ride home and suddenly the fucking army showed up??

[alohajix]

𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈

Description: when Nora finds out her best friend Harry makes adult content, curiosity turns into something much more. One video leads to another, and soon they’re filming, posting, and falling into something hotter—and deeper—than either of them expected.

Warnings: this one-shot series contains explicit sexual content, oral sex, vaginal sex, rough sex, dirty talk, light spanking, voyeurism/exhibitionism, filming of sexual acts, and public sharing of adult content. Readers +18.

Words count: 6.2K.

I NEED HOLY WATER AFTER THIS ONE 🔥

also if you guys want a request you can hit me up

*****

I never thought I’d catch my best friend in bed with someone—not like that, anyway. Technically, Harry was alone. But he wasn’t exactly just lying there.

I only meant to grab my hoodie. I’d left it at his apartment the night before, and he told me to swing by whenever—I had the code, I always did. We’d been best friends since freshman year, and by now, walking into his place felt like second nature. But I wasn’t expecting the soft, rhythmic moaning drifting from his bedroom.

I froze. I wasn’t sure whether to knock, run, or just melt into the floor and pretend I didn’t exist. But curiosity—my most dangerous trait—kicked in.

It was faint, but familiar. Not the voice. The sound. Video. It was coming from his laptop. Relief washed through me so fast I almost laughed. Of course Harry wasn’t hooking up right now. He was watching something. But then I heard his voice.

“Yeah? You like that?” Low. Smooth. Just cocky enough. My stomach flipped.

I stepped closer. Just a little. His door was cracked open, the way it always was when he was alone. And yeah, it was his voice. Confident. Teasing. Definitely not acting. He wasn’t watching the video. He was in it.

I stood there a second too long, heat flooding my face, unable to look away from the shadow of him on the screen—shirtless, his mouth curved in that same smug little grin he used on me when he was winning at Mario Kart or stealing the last slice of pizza.

Then I turned around and left the apartment like it was on fire.

I didn’t bring it up for two days. He texted like normal. Memes. Random photos of his dog. A video of some guy skateboarding with a gallon of milk. I ignored them all.

Then finally—finally—he called me.

“Nora. Did I do something?”

I stared at his name glowing on my screen, thumb hovering over the answer button. My heart thudded like I was guilty of something, like I was the one who’d been caught moaning into a camera.

I answered. “Hey.”

“You’ve been weird.”

I bit my lip. “Have I?”

He sighed. “You’re doing the thing where you pretend everything’s fine but you’re actually spiraling and probably making a pros and cons list about whether I’m still your friend.”

I let out a small laugh. “That’s… specific.”

“Because I know you. So tell me what I did.” There was a long silence.

Then I said, “I came by to get my hoodie. A couple days ago.” Pause.

“Oh,” he said. Then again, softer, “Oh.”

“Yeah.” More silence.

Then, casually—like we were talking about what to order for dinner—he asked, “Did you watch the whole thing?”

“Harry!”

He laughed, and I could hear the smirk in his voice. “I’m kidding. Kind of.”

I groaned. “I didn’t mean to walk in on your… work.”

He went quiet again. Then, gently, he said, “That’s what it is, you know. Work.”

I sank into my bed. “I’m not judging. I just didn’t know you were… doing that.”

“You never asked.”

“I didn’t think I had to!”

He chuckled. “It’s not exactly a secret.”

I hesitated. “So… how long have you been doing it?”

“A little over a year.”

My mouth went dry. “Like… just solo? Or—”

“Mostly solo,” he said. “Sometimes not.” Oh.

I tried to picture him filming like that with someone else. I shouldn’t have. But I did.

“And… you’re okay with people watching you like that?” I asked, quieter now.

He waited. “Would it bother you if I said yes?”

“I don’t know.”

His voice dropped just enough to make me shiver. “Did it bother you when you saw me?”

I didn’t answer. But he must’ve heard it in my silence.

Then he said, “I’ve been thinking about asking you.”

My breath caught. “Asking me what?”

“To make a video. With me.”

I swallowed. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

“Harry…”

“You don’t have to say yes,” he said quickly. “I’d never push. But you asked if it bothers me when people watch—and no, it doesn’t. Not if I’m with someone I actually want.”

My heart was pounding.

“And you’d want that,” I said, my voice smaller. “With me?”

He exhaled into the phone like I’d asked the dumbest question in the world. “Nora. I’ve wanted you since sophomore year.”

My cheeks burned. “You’ve never said anything.”

“You’ve never looked at me the way you did after you saw that video.”

I felt dizzy. Like I’d just stepped off a cliff and wasn’t sure whether I’d land or fly.

“Nora,” he said, softer now. “I’m serious. If you’re curious… if you want this… we could try it. Just us. No pressure. No posting. Just… see what it’s like.”

I didn’t say yes. Not yet. But I didn’t hang up either. And that silence? That was my maybe.

I didn’t sleep much after that call. Not because I was uncomfortable—but because I couldn’t stop thinking. About what he said. About the way he said it. I kept replaying his voice, that calm, confident tone like he wasn’t just throwing out some wild suggestion, but offering me something I didn’t know I wanted until it was right in front of me. And the worst part? I did want it.

I wasn’t sure what that said about me, but I was sure about that. So the next night, I texted him:

Nora: If we did it… just us. No camera. Just to try it. Would that be okay? He called me almost immediately.

His voice was softer this time, slower. “Yeah. That’d be more than okay.”

*****

It didn’t happen right away. He came over like it was normal—pizza, sweatpants, a dumb movie we both knew we wouldn’t pay attention to. But the air between us had changed. Everything felt closer. More charged. He was watching me. Not in the way best friends did. Not like Harry. Like someone who wanted to take their time peeling me open, layer by layer, just to see how I’d fall apart.

“Still okay?” he asked when the movie was barely halfway done, his fingers brushing my knee like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to touch me yet.

“Yeah,” I breathed. “I just… I’ve never done something like this before.”

“With me,” he said, leaning closer. “You’ve never done something like this with me.”

I smiled, nervous and warm all over. “Is that supposed to make it better?”

“God, I hope so.”

I didn’t even realize how close we were until his hand slid over mine. Until I felt his thumb tracing the space between my knuckles like it was the most natural thing in the world. My whole body lit up like it was suddenly tuned to just him.

“You don’t have to prove anything,” he said softly. “Not to me. Not to anyone.”

“I know.” I hesitated. “But I want to.” That was all it took.

He kissed me like he’d been waiting forever. Slow at first, like a question. Like he was giving me space to change my mind. But I didn’t—I couldn’t. I melted into him, his hand tilting my chin just enough to deepen it, just enough to make me gasp when his tongue slid against mine.

He pulled back only a breath. “Still okay?”

“I’m never going to say no to that again.”

His grin was cocky and devastating. “Then come here.”

We barely made it to my bedroom. He tugged my hand, pulling me into him, our mouths crashing again with more hunger this time. Every step we took felt like something unspoken breaking wide open. My back hit the door. His hands framed my waist. And then I was on the bed, heart pounding, breath caught somewhere between anticipation and need.

“I’ve pictured this,” he murmured, crawling over me, his mouth brushing my jaw, my neck. “Too many times.”

“You’re not the only one,” I whispered, fingers curling in the hem of his shirt. “Take this off.”

He grinned and peeled it over his head, tossing it to the floor. I dragged my hands down his chest, slow, tentative, until he leaned down and kissed me again—deeper now. His hips pressed against mine, and I could feel how hard he was already, even through his sweats. Clothes slipped away between kisses and soft gasps. He undressed me gently, his fingers teasing the straps of my bra down my arms, lips brushing my skin as he bared it. I felt stripped down in more ways than one—every look, every touch, like he was discovering something he didn’t want to rush.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he whispered, thumb grazing the underside of my breast before taking one into his mouth. I moaned, arching beneath him, my fingers tangling in his hair as he sucked, then switched sides, lavishing slow attention that sent heat rushing straight between my legs.

His hand slid down my stomach, fingers slipping beneath my underwear. I inhaled sharply as he found me—already wet, already aching.

“God, Nora,” he groaned. “You’re soaked.”

He circled my cl*t with slow, steady pressure, drawing a whimper from me. I couldn’t stop moving, hips tilting into every stroke as he leaned in to kiss me again, his mouth swallowing the breathy sounds I couldn’t hold back.

“Tell me what you want,” he murmured against my lips, two fingers sliding inside me with an ease that made me moan.

“You,” I whispered. “I want you.”

He pulled his hand back, kissed me once more, then sat up just long enough to shove his sweats off and roll a condom on. I couldn’t stop staring—flushed and panting, wanting him more than I’d ever wanted anything. When he lined himself up and pushed into me, it was slow. Gentle. His eyes locked on mine as he stretched me open inch by inch, giving me time to adjust, giving me everything.

“F*ck,” he groaned, settling deep. “You feel so good. Better than I ever imagined.”

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, breath catching as he started to move—each thrust building, deeper, smoother, more insistent. My legs locked around his waist, dragging him closer. My name fell from his lips like a prayer, over and over.

The room blurred around us—heat, skin, breath, sound. He filled me completely, his hips rolling into mine, our bodies meeting over and over until I was gasping his name, nails digging into his back.

“I’m close,” I whispered.

His thumb found my clit, rubbing tight circles as his rhythm picked up. “Come for me, baby.”

And I did—my whole body tightening, then unraveling in waves as I clenched around him, crying out his name. He followed right after, burying his face in my neck as he groaned and thrust deep one last time, his whole body shuddering with release.

After, we lay tangled in the sheets, the silence full but not awkward. He looked over at me, hair messy, eyes soft. “So…”

I turned my head. “So.”

“Was that a one-time thing?”

I smiled, heart thudding again. “I don’t think I want it to be.”

His grin returned—easy, sweet, smug as hell. “Good.”

Then he rolled on top of me again, warm and familiar, but now with a spark I knew would never go back to innocent.

“I meant it, you know,” he murmured. “If we do ever want to make something… I’d want it to be with you.”

I kissed him, just once, slow and deep. “I’ll let you know.” And judging by the look in his eyes, he knew I would.

*****

It took me a week to say yes. Not because I didn’t want to. I did. I thought about it every night—what it would be like to let him touch me again, to do it with his camera watching. I thought about how his voice sounded when he got serious, how gentle he was even when he moved like he was starving for me. But this time was different.

This time, someone else would see it—could see it. Even if we said no one would. Even if it stayed between us. It was the idea of being seen that lingered in the back of my mind. And the part I couldn’t ignore? It turned me on more than it scared me.

So when he came over, kissed me like he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it either, and whispered, “You still want to try?”—I whispered yes into his mouth like it was the answer I’d been holding onto since the moment I walked in on that video.

He didn’t set up a whole production. It was just his phone on a tripod, angled carefully, lighting soft and natural from the string lights around my room. No pressure. No performance. Just us.

“You good?�� he asked, kneeling next to the bed, watching me with a look that was all reassurance and heat.

“I’m nervous,” I said, glancing at the phone. “But… kind of excited too.”

He leaned in, his voice low against my lips. “You’re allowed to be both.”

I gave a shaky breath and looked back at the lens. “So that’s really recording right now?”

Harry smiled. “Yep. You want to say hi?”

I laughed—nervous, breathless. Then I turned to the camera with a slow smile and said softly, “Guess we’re doing this.”

Harry’s eyes darkened instantly. “Fuck, that’s hot.”

I bit my lip. “I didn’t even do anything yet.”

He kissed me, and it was slow and deep, like he was warming me up from the inside out. He peeled off my shirt, then reached behind me to undo my bra, tossing it aside. “God, look at you,” he murmured, glancing at the camera, then back at me. “You’re gonna drive them insane.”

“They’re not watching yet,” I whispered.

“No,” he said, mouth brushing my neck. “But I am.”

His hands moved over me, slow and sure, cupping my breasts as he kissed down to them. He took one nipple into his mouth and sucked lightly, then looked up at me while doing it, watching the way my lips parted and my back arched.

“You wanna show them how good it feels?” he asked.

I looked into the lens, cheeks burning, and whispered, “He’s really good with his mouth.”

Harry chuckled low and wicked, switching to the other side. “Keep talking like that and I’m not gonna last.”

He moved lower, dragging my shorts and panties down in one smooth motion, his hands stroking up my thighs.

“Open up for me, sweetheart,” he said.

I did—nervous, turned on, and very aware of the camera now capturing every second. He lowered his mouth to my center, his tongue flicking over my cl*t in slow, teasing circles. I moaned, grabbing the sheets, but he didn’t let up. If anything, he licked deeper, more deliberately, humming softly against me.

“F*ck,” I gasped. “Harry, that feels—”

“Amazing?” he offered, glancing up, his lips shiny. “Tell them how good I’m making you feel.”

I looked at the lens, dazed and breathless. “I’m gonna come just from his mouth.”

He groaned, like he needed to hear that, and then slid two fingers inside me, curling them perfectly. My body seized up as the orgasm hit—hot and sharp and all-consuming. I cried out, riding it out against his mouth, his name falling from my lips over and over. When I opened my eyes, Harry was watching me, completely focused.

“You okay?” he asked.

I nodded, still breathless. “Better than okay.”

He kissed me—slow, filthy, sweet. I tasted myself on his lips and moaned softly into his mouth. Then he grabbed a condom from the drawer, rolled it on, and positioned himself between my legs.

“You wanna look at the camera while I f*ck you?” he asked, teasing.

I smiled, flushed and bold. “Maybe.”

He nudged the tip of his c*ck against my entrance. “You ready?”

“Yeah.”

He slid in with one long, slow thrust, filling me completely. My eyes fluttered closed, and I let out a shaky moan.

“Look at them,” he whispered.

I forced my gaze open and found the camera. “He’s inside me,” I said, voice soft and shaky. “And it feels so f*cking good.”

Harry groaned above me and started to move, each thrust smooth and deep. His hands gripped my hips, dragging me against him as he rocked into me.

“You’re perfect,” he said. “So tight. So good for me.”

My legs wrapped around him. I couldn’t look away from the lens now—I wanted to be seen. I wanted to show how wrecked I was for him.

“You gonna come again?” he asked, fingers finding my clit.

“Yes—Harry, please, don’t stop—”

“Let them see it.”

I moaned louder as the orgasm built again, my body tightening, hips grinding into his.

“Right there,” he growled. “Come for me, baby.”

And I did—hard. Crying out, trembling under him as I clenched around him, eyes locked on the lens like I wanted them to feel it. Harry thrust harder, chasing his own release, eyes flicking between me and the camera.

“Fuck, you’re so hot,” he groaned. “I’m gonna come—fuck—”

He pulled out just in time, stroking himself fast as he spilled across my stomach, chest heaving. The lens caught it all.

After, he turned off the camera and collapsed next to me, sweaty and smiling.

“You did so good,” he murmured, brushing hair from my face.

I laughed breathlessly. “That was insane.”

“You like being watched, huh?”

I bit my lip, still breathless. “Apparently.”

He leaned over and kissed me again. “Want to see how it turned out?”

I smiled, lazy and flushed. “Only if we’re naked again while we do.”

He groaned and dropped his head to my shoulder. “You’re gonna be the death of me.”

It started with the comment. Well—another comment. We were sprawled across his bed, phones glowing, scrolling through the chaos we’d unleashed online. The video was climbing faster than either of us expected, and the comments weren’t slowing down.

“Y’all got me feral. If she ever lets you f*ck her from behind, I need it filmed immediately.”

“Imagine her riding him with those little gasps—yes please.”

“We need to see her beg next time. She looks like she could be so filthy.”

I read that one twice. Then I passed him my phone. He blinked, read it slowly, then looked at me.

“You okay?” he asked, lips twitching.

I shrugged, biting back a grin. “I mean… I could be filthy.”

His brows lifted. “You could.”

I tilted my head. “You saying I haven’t been?”

He leaned in, lips brushing my jaw. “I’m saying… if you’re ready to go there, I’ll follow your lead.”

There was a moment of silence. Tension. Awareness. That subtle shift where something playful becomes serious—charged. Then I said, “Okay. Let’s film something else.”

Harry’s pupils blew wide. “You want to right now?”

I nodded. “But I want it different this time.”

“Tell me.”

“Less sweet. More…” I swallowed. “Rough. I want you to talk to me. Use me. I want to look into the camera and know they’re gonna lose their minds.”

He stared at me for a full beat, chest rising.

“Jesus, Nora,” he murmured. “You really are gonna ruin me.”

We set it up together this time. The tripod went higher, angled downward toward the bed. He adjusted the lighting, brought in a second soft lamp, and checked the shot while I peeled off my hoodie and climbed onto the sheets in just my matching black lingerie set.

“Holy fuck,” he said, just staring.

I smirked at the camera. “They wanted filth.”

“You’re giving it to them already and we haven’t even started.”

I crawled back toward the pillows, legs parted, head tilted. “So start.”

He hit record. He stripped as he walked over—slow and confident, his c*ck already thick and heavy as he climbed onto the bed.

“You look like a dream,” he murmured, settling between my legs. “You know that?”

I smiled, glancing at the camera. “Then stop staring and touch me.”

His hand wrapped around my neck—not hard, just firm enough to still me, to make me look up.

“You want rough?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“You want them to see how pretty you look getting ruined?”

“Please.”

He leaned down and kissed me hard—open-mouthed, demanding. His hand slipped between my thighs, fingers stroking my soaked underwear. “You’re already wet.”

“You haven’t even done anything,” I whispered.

He tugged my panties aside and slid two fingers in without warning. I gasped.

“Fuck,” he groaned. “You’re dripping, baby.”

I whined and bucked my hips. “Harry—”

“Shh.” He sat up on his knees, yanked my panties off completely, and spread my thighs wide. “Look at them,” he said.

I looked into the camera, breathing hard, legs open and trembling.

“Tell them how badly you want it.”

“I want him to f*ck me,” I said, flushed. “Hard. From behind. I want to feel him everywhere.”

He hissed. “Keep talking like that and I’m not gonna last.”

I rolled onto my stomach, arching my ass into the air, cheek to the sheets. “Then don’t wait.”

He groaned low in his throat, grabbed the condom from the nightstand, and rolled it on fast. The moment he lined up behind me, his hands gripped my waist, and he slammed into me with one hard thrust.

I cried out. “F*ck—yes.”

“That’s it,” he growled, pulling out and slamming back in. “Take it, baby. Just like that.”

His hips hit mine over and over, fast, brutal, perfect. I was gasping, panting, shaking.

“You hear those sounds?” he said. “That’s what you do to me. You hear how fucking wet you are?”

I moaned as he reached down and smacked my ass, once, then again, each one leaving a stinging warmth.

“Say something,” he panted. “Talk to them.”

I turned my head toward the camera, eyes half-lidded, voice shaking.

“You guys wanted to see him ruin me?” I moaned. “He’s fucking me like I belong to him.” Another hard thrust.

“You do belong to me,” he growled. “This perfect little p*ssy is mine.”

My orgasm built fast—hot and wild, dizzying as he drove into me, one hand wrapped in my hair now, the other gripping my hip like he needed me closer.

“I’m gonna come,” I cried out.

“Then come. Come with me deep inside you.”

And I did—my whole body spasming, collapsing forward into the sheets, mouth open in a silent moan as he f*cked me through it. Harry followed with a loud groan, pulling out to finish on my ass, chest heaving as he stroked himself through the last few spurts. The camera caught it all. We stayed like that for a beat—panting, messy, wrecked.

Then he leaned down and kissed my spine. “You just made the filthiest, hottest fucking video I’ve ever filmed.”

I turned my head, dazed. “You think they’ll like it?”

He smirked. “They’re gonna lose their minds.”

*****

They posted it the next morning. No warning. No teasing. Just a title—“She Wanted to Be Ruined.” It blew up within hours. By noon, Harry had over ten thousand new followers. By dinner, my DMs were full.

We laid in bed again, wrapped up in each other, reading the comments between kisses and bites of takeout.

“The way she says ‘I belong to him’? Ruined me.”

“Bro. That arch. That ass. That moan. That everything.”

“The way she talks to the camera like she knows she’s a fantasy? Obsessed.”

“That’s not porn. That’s art.”

“I’ll never recover from the way she looked back at the camera after he came on her.”

I buried my face in his chest, laughing, flustered, completely high on it.

“Think they liked it?” I teased.

Harry kissed the top of my head. “They worship you.”

“I kinda like it.”

“You love it.” I didn’t argue.

A notification popped up on his phone.

“Wanna go live?” he read aloud, then glanced at me. “We don’t have to talk about everything. Just… check in. Say hi. Let them see us.”

I raised a brow. “You think they’re ready for that?”

He smirked. “I think you’re their new obsession.”

I rolled onto my back, stretched, and grinned. “Then let’s give them a little more.”

The live Q&A was chaos. We propped the phone against the lamp, climbed under the blanket together—me in one of his oversized shirts, Harry shirtless with the most unapologetic grin—and hit “Go Live.” The chat exploded in seconds.

“THEY’RE ALIVE.”

“Nora you are a goddess what the hell.”

“Did she really come twice??”

“How does it feel to break the internet?”

I giggled and leaned into him. “You’ve created a monster.”

“She created herself,” he said to the chat. “I just helped bring it out.”

“Will you make more?”

“Is this just content or are you two together??”

“Please collab again I’m begging.”

“How did you stay hard while she was saying that stuff?”

Harry laughed, fingers brushing my thigh. “Barely.”

I looked at the camera. “We’re figuring it out. But I think it’s safe to say… there’s more coming.” The chat lost it.

We didn’t stay live long—just enough to tease, enough to connect. Enough to promise that whatever we were turning into, it wasn’t over yet. We didn’t say what it meant for us—what we were now. But I didn’t need to define it just yet. Not when I had his arm around me, my name on their lips, and the next idea already forming in the back of my mind.

After all… There’s always a next video.

[infinetlyforgotten]

How It All Began: Made Prequel: Livestream Practice

Couldn’t get this idea out of my head and wanted to share 😊

Word Count: 1.2K

Pairing: Seunghyun x Fem!Reader

Trigger Warnings: the usual fluff

(gif not mine)

“Okay, I think we can tackle Instagram Lives today. They’re easy and a super fun way to include fans in your everyday life. We can practice now if you’d like; I’ll have each of you start a Live so you can learn how to navigate it. Sound good?”

Y/N looked up from her phone to find all 4 of her friends staring at her like she had spoken a foreign language. She chuckled to herself and mentally counted to three before a chorus of questions hit her.

“Noona, how will I know if I’m live? What if I accidentally start a Live while in the bathroom?”

“Can people record Instagram Lives? If Daesung records himself in the bathroom, can I save it to my phone?”

“Yeah, if Daesung plans on recording himself while taking a shit, can I take screenshots to put in the group chat?”

“Hey!! I never said I was going to do that!!”

Y/N rolled her eyes, laughing at the ridiculous questions being asked. “Okay!” she exclaimed, bringing both of her hands up to stop the chaos.

“Firstly, there will be no bathroom selfies or Lives of any kind. I’m STILL trying to scrub that selfie Seunghyun posted a few months ago off the internet. Thanks again for that, babe.” Y/N sighed, smirking at Seunghyun, who gave her an aegyo finger heart in return, his lips in the most adorable pout.

“Daesung, there’s no way you can accidentally start a Live, at least not that I know of. You and your bathroom trips are safe.

“Excellent question, Ji. Yes, people can record Lives and save them on their phone. Remember the saying “the internet is forever”? This applies here too. Anything you post, I can promise you, your fans will eat up, save, and haunt you with it for the rest of eternity.

“And yes, babe, you can take screenshots too. But like I said, anyone can screenshot, so make sure whatever you’re doing or saying isn’t compromising. At least for my sake as your social media manager,” Y/N begged jokingly.

“Now, who wants to go first?”

The boys looked petrified, nervous to accidentally do or say the wrong thing and have it turn into a meme. They all looked at each other before immediately whipping their hands out in front of them, starting a 4-way game of rock, paper, scissors. Daesung and Seunghyun were the first to win, before Jiyong successfully beat Taeyang.

Y/N wished in that moment that there was a camera she could look into, Jim Halpert style, so she could express her exasperation.

Taeyang had no choice but to go first, letting Y/N show him what to press. She sat next to him as he began his live.

“Yeoreobun!! Wait, how do I know if anyone’s watching?” Y/N pointed out the viewer count at the top right corner of the live. Taeyang nodded and kept on going.

“What’s up, what’s up? We’re here hanging out, testing out Instagram live. How are you guys doing tonight?” Taeyang addressed the viewers as if he were on stage and it was utterly adorable.

“Okay Tae, this is where the comments will start flowing up. It’ll be fast, so don’t feel pressured to read them all at once. Just read what you see and reply if you’d like. And the rest of you, log on to Insta on your phones and join Taeyang’s live so you can see what it’s like from a viewer’s perspective.”

The comments began to pop up:

“Hi Oppa!! We love you!”

“MIANHAE MIANHAE HAJIMAAAAA”

“Are the others with you, Oppa?”

Taeyang was able to answer the last comment.

“Yes! Everyone’s here with me, say hi guys!” Taeyang turned his phone around, and everyone waved and said hello. Y/N blew a kiss to the camera, and the comment section blew up with hearts.

“Woah, that’s so cool!” Daesung laughed, loving the excessive use of emojis.

“Look, someone said ‘Unnie is such a badass, We love you Y/N!’. Another person said ‘Damn, even Y/N’s voice is sexyyy! I’m lucky I get to hit that every single….hyung what the fuck?” Jiyong snickered as he realized the second comment was from Seunghyun.

The older man was sat back on the couch, phone in hand as it rested on his lap, a very proud grin gracing his lips. The others chuckled as Y/N gasped, reaching over and pinching Seunghyun’s jean-clad thigh.

“What did I just say about doing compromising things on live! You’re such a child,” she grumbled, biting back her own smile as to not encourage him. Seunghyun let out a little giggle, moving his thigh away from her assault.

Y/N leaned back over and showed her face on Taeyang’s phone, waving at the screen with a smile.

“Hi, hunnies! Glad you’re enjoying the live! I’m teaching these old men how to use Instagram. How am I doing so far?”

The comments blew up again, mostly full of praise for Y/N and jokes about how technologically deficient the four men were. A few sexual comments came through as well, as expected, from women who wanted to do explicit things to the guys.

Daesung let out embarrassed giggles, not wanting to read them out loud. Taeyang and Jiyong ignored them, while Seunghyun read them to himself with an amused look on his face.

That was, until a few sexual comments about Y/N began rolling in. She was used to it, usually ignoring the harmless comments until they passed by doing whatever she was doing at the time of the live. But Seunghyun was appalled.

He stared at his phone, eyebrows drawn and eyes wide behind his glasses. In a flash, Seunghyun sat up, leaning forward and grabbing the phone from Taeyang. He stared at the screen, actually he glared at the screen, as more comments flooded through, everyone now excited to see the rapper. A few seconds later, Seunghyun decided to speak.

“No.”

He then proceeded to end the live.

The room was silent for a total of 10 seconds before the 3 other members burst out laughing.

“Hyung, what the hell was that?”

“Did you just end the live because someone else called Noona sexy?”

The boys cackled, teasing Seunghyun mercilessly as he stared them down, his expression still stoic. He shrugged before replying.

“People have no respect,” was all Seunghyun said before another round of roaring laughter came from his bandmates.

It was only after he heard Y/N’s laugh start to mix in that he let his lips twitch up into a tiny smile. Y/N stood from her spot on the couch, crossing over a giggling and flailing Jiyong so she could reach her boyfriend.

“Awww, thank you for defending my honor, baby. You’re my hero.” Y/N said sweetly, reaching to gently cup his cheek, bringing his face down to meet hers before pressing her lips quickly against his.

Seunghyun let out a sigh, never getting over the feel of Y/N’s lips, even after all these years. He placed the palm of his right hand against the small of her back, steadying her and keeping her close. The pair pulled apart, Seunghyun smiling down at the love of his life.

“Mine,” he said in a genuine and playful tone, his smile never faltering.

“Always,” Y/N replied, the cacophony of laughter still surrounding them as she pecked his lips again blissfully.

(gif by @jiyongifs)

Taglist: @ldydeath @loveesiren @petersasteria @pinkpunkdynamite @sherrayyyyy @wcnderlnds @jackielouuu

[lowkeyrobin]

MCYT with a reader who would literally get into a fist fight for them?? Literally, if someone even looks at them wrong reader will throw hands. It's literally that meme (Random person) "GET YO FUCKING DOG BITCH" (MCYT) "it don't bite" "YES IT FUCKIN DO-" I'm sorry I'm feeling silly 😔

OH MY FUCKING GOD I LOVE THIS PROMPT AND THE REFERENCE TO THIS MEME LMFAOOO OH MY LORD BSHWJRHEJJAJW ; very vine oriented so I apologize. you threw me into a loop referencing that

MCYT ; "anytime, anywhere, I'd beat a bitches ass for you"

includes ; tommyinnit, ranboo, badlinu, nihachu, slimecicle, quackity, & foolish gamers

warnings ; language, talk of blood/injuries, physical fighting, vine cringe because I got very carried away and you can tell

masterlist

TOMMYINNIT

he was one of those kids in high school that made light offensive jokes but would never fight anyone over anything, he's not a violent person at all other than in his jokes

but God forbid some random person look at you two weird in public, you're on their ass

you're more offended that they were judging Tommy at all, you couldn't care that they were judging you

"sorry, do you have a problem?" You squint your eyes at the person, "me and my boyfriend are just trying to shop and you keep following us around and staring, like, can I help you?"

just a teenage Karen

yall do take it outside when the motherfucker follows you out and begins to record you

you beat this fuckers ass to a PULP

Tommy's just holding the few bags of stuff you'd purchased staring down, jaw on the fucking floor like "Oh my God wtf do I do"

he had the vlog camera on so he kinda got it all on video before he pulled you away from the person

yall sprinted the hell away bc the security guards were running towards yall 😭😭

#neveridentified

#the person admitted guilt anyways and said they were planning to hurt you so no point in trying to track yall down for self defense

#i barely know the law shush

RANBOO

they just kind of accepted that you were like this

"I do not endorse violence unless you are y/n. I can't make them un-violent. I have tried, they're a vicious guard dog now"

hurricane Katrina? more like hurricane tortilla when you enter the building

yk the free style dance teacher vine? that'll be ranboo out in public and someone will stare at them all weird and you'll glare back

"walk away, walk away" you mumble, watching the person hurrily walk away as they see you like glaring daggers into their skull

your dynamic is the one vine that's like "Oh can I have a sip of your water?" and "It's not water or vodka, it's vinegar" "bitch what"

then you'll go make angsty edge lord posts to the one bojack horseman audio "I'm not a violent dog" and insert a clip of you beating the shit out of someone in high school

FREDDIE BADLINU

you post the "look at all those chickens" vine on your Twitter everytime you see a hate comment made for one of you

you love instigating fights w people online it's the funniest fucking thing

if you don't know how to reply to some dumbass edgelord response you'll just spam the guacamole vine until they shut up

"wait, why does y/n have so many soaps?"

"MIND YOUR FUCKIN BUISNESS DAVID"

Freddie's response to your violence is usually the saxophone seal vine. he genuinely laughs everytime he sees you fighting w someone online

sometimes you'll stream it while you wait for a response and while you're fighting online trolls who've been brainwashed by Twitter

"You're gay?!?!?!?11??11"

insert the "ms keisha dead" vine and the battle is over idk what to say

fight fire with fire I guess

NIKI NIHACHU

she hates yet loves that you'd fight ppl for her

oh, someone treated her wrong? you'll be trending on Twitter for fighting the person

#y/u/n will literally be at number 1 for a week

people edit the fight too

she appreciates it though, even though she doesn't exactly like to promote violence, she'll accept it from you

"Oh, don't worry about them, they're just a little... nervous around people sometimes"

"nervous? girl that mf is SNARLING at me"

you'll see a post that's like "me when someone tries to start shit w my s/o" and reply with the "hahaha I do that" vine

when I tell you she CACKLES reading online fights with people 😭🙏

CHARLIE SLIMECICLE

"get the F off my yard!" proceeds to have to drag you away from situations where someone's actin a little funny in a /neg way

he genuinely thinks you fighting people for him is funny

he'll tell the stories on stream and to his friends like "dude they fucked this guy up, I honestly feel bad for laughing"

honestly most the time it's people victimizing themselves

like that one meme where the lady very obviously and fakely falls over that bench on LIVE TELEVISION.

he's your biggest supporter

he's the old guy from that one vine of the kid singing "Oh wait a minute mister postman" and he does the whole ass high note

"here's y/n fighting someone for idk what because they're talking to the police 😋"

you're a problem at this point

QUACKITY

you've physically fought so many wild racists for him it's crazy

he'll gladly cheer you on

"AHHHH COME GET YO DOG BRO HELP"

"Oh it don't bite"

you proceed to bite the bitch

online fights are usually responded w the purple teletubby twerking meme

"L don't be a weak ass racist pussy next time"

you fight Logan Paul for some reason??? Twitter drama mostly

don't worry quackitys there to watch

17-3 don't worry... ehehehrhahahha

when he tells you that you need to stop instigating fights you send him the "They ask you how you are but you just have to say that you're fine when you're not really fine" meme BAHDNHAHA

FOOLISH GAMERS

"YOU KNOW WHAT DUDE? IM OUTTA HERE" vine in a nutshell with you two. I can't explain this but it makes sense I swear

"whatd you do to your eyebrows?" meme except its "Whyd you fight that person!?" "I don't really know!"

Twitter fights are like "and they were roommates!" "ohmygodtheywereroomates" I swear to fucking god

you love instigating shit with Twitter trolls

when you stand up for him/reply to edgelord haters for him he replies with the "country boy I love youuuuuuu" vine

"GIVE ME YOUR FUCKIN MONEY!" vine with the law and order intro is literallt how physical fights go

let's just say some stalker edgelords tracked you guys down at the streamer awards...

HE AND PUNZ GENUINLEY CHEER YOU ON

here you go trending on Twitter again

[natalicss]

Hiii babiiee! I love your popstar!reader x GD universe so much, the writing is immaculate and they’re the cutest little muffins I ever did see 🥹 responding to your post about her teasing the shit out of him about his Good Day “I’m single” quote, imagine if they hadn’t been outed at the Chanel fashion show and she’s one of his guest stars and he has no choice but to say that he’s single for the sake of their secret little relationship.

I can 110% see her ROASTING him and getting him all flustered because hello??? he HAS to say that to placate the fans but he didn’t think she’d take the opportunity to tease the shit out of him while they’re FILMING THE SEGMENT.

reader: oh what?? You’re single? *turns to camera* you heard it here first, ladies, G-Dragon is single and ready to mingle! *shit eating grin*

Ji: *eyes popping out of his head, face red* I--I mean…well…

*At the gym, on the thigh master*

reader: daaaamn Ji, leaving nothing to the imagination huh?

😂😂😂

OMG HEYYYY! tysm for the love! writing these two has been so much fun and it’s been the most motivation i’ve had for writing in a WHILEEE

HONESTLY IF I HAD KNOWN MORE ABOUT THE SHOW I WOULDVE KEPT THEM A SECRET LONGERRRRR FOR THIS!!!

either way i feel like this girl doesn’t let jiyong LIVE. she’s like early-mid twenties (i think she was 21 when they met and is about 24 now) so she’s gen z & is probably VERY chaotic. i know this girl is using fake accounts to get as many memes of him as she can to send to him. she’s saving clips from his episode to send to him.

like i have the video of him screaming as he’s hitting the tiny punching bag thingy saved, she’d send that to him every time she’s stressed about something and say “me rn”

technically TECHNICALLY the segment was filmed before the chanel stuff so TECHNICALLY this all could still happen. she’s sitting there and he says he’s single and the camera just zooms in on her looking at him like 🤨. then she starts conspiring against him.

i feel like she’d raise a brow at him and he’d catch it and immediately know where this is going. she’d turn to the camera, smiling wide. “you heard it here first! THE G DRAGON is single and ready to mingle.” she’d turn back to him and act like she’s holding a microphone. “G Dragon, tell the people what kind of person you’re looking for. what’s your type?”

this man is hiding his face as everyone else is laughing at him. he’s trying to compose himself but NOBODY IS GIVING HIM A BREAK, not even reader.

and at the gym she’s not anyyyy better. definitely teasing him & encouraging him to go on every machine. definitely wooping and cheering. she doesn’t go on any of it because WE NEED TO KEEP JIYONG CALM. we can’t have him running off with his girl in the middle of filming, and in front of EVERYBODY.

and with the thigh master specifically, when it’s jiyongs turn she’s absolutely CACKLING. she does a whistle and is like “the ladies are going to LOVE this.” she would absolutely say something like “FOR FREE???”

but the part where he’s boxing with seho & soohyun, she’s probably standing back with code kunst & is just staring at him. especially the one part with soo hyun, the camera probably zooms in on reader staring at him because she is now the one who needs to be calmed down. i meannnn come onnnnnnnnnnnn. he’s like “it feels good to do this!” and she’s just staring at him like she’s about to pounce (she is).

and even if she wasn’t there, and she’s watching it for the first time like the rest of us, she’d probably act the exact same. she’s probably sitting on her couch with him, watching the boxing scene and she’s like “pause the show.” and he’s confused because of how serious she sounds. he pauses it and expects her to either be upset with him or maybe she saw something on her phone. he barely gets a second to ask her what’s wrong before she’s aggressively making out with him.

she is proving exactly why jiyong is in fact NOT single and ready to mingle.

[deadghosy]

Vlogger! Mattheo x Editor! Reader pt.1/pt.2

You woke up, it’s been 5 months since you started dating the guy you worked for. And honestly it wasn’t bad.

He was rich, kind, a very good listener, and a good boyfriend. He had told you his past when he use to fight kids when he was younger. He even demonstrated which knuckles were split during fights. You kinda found it attractive as you chuckled.

Despite his crackhead energy, he’s a lovable guy that loves to make you smile.

He always announces on his vlogs that you are his hot editor he bought off of eBay. Which was funny as hell to you and him. Many of his fans even started to like you as well. You were very handsome/beautiful. Some can’t decide to envy mattheo or you.

Mattheo then started to go on twitch which you found usual, most influencers go on twitch anyways. You don’t appear much on his streams as you are usual editing. But sometimes you go in there to check up on him.

It was a regular night, you were in mattheo’s room where he was streaming random shit. Literally, his twitch title said “random tingz.” You had joined only for a little only for it to turn for 2 hours as you guys just chatted with the stream watchers. Mattheo thee in a little flirty jokes here and there as you try to brush them off. You two haven’t told his platform that you two are dating. Worried about what they would think of course.

Mattheo kept staring at you which earned a lot of attention on it. “Awww I wish someone looked at me like mattheo looks at Y/N..” a person said, then another said “girl keep dreaming @bigballsofmattheo” you laughed at the usernames and the chatting. They all seemed like funny people. That’s when someone gifted subs.

“@Mattheosslut, thank you for the 100 gifted.” You read as Mattheo was typing something. Mattheo then looked at chat with squinted eyes. “Slut? Well that’s funny because ima slut for—” immediately you cover his mouth with a smile. “Okay! Enough of that.” Mattheo laughed as he held your hand that wasn’t in frame of the face cam. You and Mattheo started to play duo games, you two started off with fireboy and watergirl.

“Mattheo get the damn green gem!” You yelled smacking his arm. “What you think I’m trying to get babe!?” He yells nudging you. You rolled your eyes with a scoff, “just lose the attitude pretty boy.” For a second you thought you could see him freeze for a second before getting the gem and quickly getting to the door. “There..happy now.” He says eyeing you. You nodded.

“Omg they’re so cute tg!” “Are they dating???” “Y/N is so pretty/handsome!!” “Mattheo really is love gazing his editor again.” “Quick! Someone make an edit!!” The chat was going crazy as you yawned, telling mattheo you were going to bed. “Ight night gorgeous.” He says softly, and when the chat and him heard the soft click of the door closing. Immediately mattheo started to spaz out as he faced the camera.

“Pretty boy?! Am I really that pretty…oh what the fuck am I saying. Of course I’m pretty.” He said with a smug look as he started to make his stream watch random ass memes. “I’m their pretty boy…” he mumbled to himself as he just leans back and watches the video with his chat.

He’s your pretty boy…

[spoopdeedoop]

hi i have some disorganized thoughts/hcs abt the found family human doctor au

(one of the thoughts being i should really give it a better name. another being YES this is only the nuwho doctors atm bc that's the only series i've watched so far apologies. if i ever get around to watching classic who i will add them trust)

BEHOLD my random, not at all in-depth headcanons

nine is the only one with a car out of all of them. they all keep bugging him to drive/pick them up from places -- he has mixed feelings about being the assigned taxi driver

both twelve and eleven are teachers -- college professor and preschool teacher respectively. twelve's students love them because he will say the most stupid, hilarious shit with a straight face without even knowing and eleven's students love him because he is the only teacher at the school that will dance with them during musical chairs (he doesn't even play the game. he just dances)

i want to make one of them an actual doctor but i don't think any of them could handle it unfortunately

they all share an an apartment flat on the same level -- nine, twelve and fifteen live in one room, ten, eleven and thirteen live in the one across from them. of course there are other people in the building too but they're all used to the strange loud hyperactivity of that particular flat. i think i'm using the right terminology here. yall know what im talking about

(i'm so tempted to make some companions be their neighbors)

nine and ten are the most insomniac of all of them, so they're used to bumping each other in the dead of night on their way to raid each other's respective fridges or something. very rarely thirteen will join them and they're like "WELL FANCY SEEING YOU HERE"

twelve does sleep, but like. he's nocturnal

eleven and ten hate each other in a sibling kind of way (see: day of the doctor). they are constantly sending each other death threats or tripping each other over. everyone is sick of it

sometimes when they're out shopping you'll hear ten yell "GET OUT OF THE FROZEN FOOD YOU NUMPTY WE ARE NOT BUYING FISH FINGERS" over the aisles and you'll hear eleven whine "WHY DO YOU HATE ME SO MUCH" back

(if you're lucky you'll be able to catch fifteen mumble "why did we put them in the same apartment. are we asking for an eviction notice")

eventually eleven will pick a random stray cat off the side of the road, take her home, and name her bowtie, which is a stupid name, so everyone just defaults to calling her kitty

kitty's favourite person is twelve, to eleven's absolute despair

(my original idea for this was to initially have ten hate the idea of living with a cat, since he's stated full on in the show that he doesn't like cats, but apparently there is some very obscure doctor who comic run in which he falls into a depressive spiral and adopts a cat whom he names rose-the-cat, so he might actually like cats idk?)

anyway ten hates her until he doesn't lmao. he vents to her when there's no one else home and she will Stare at him back and it is a very nice friendship

kitty and nine watch shitty romcom together

they have a joint groupchat together -- half of it is just thirteen and fifteen assigning everyone outfits they find on pinterest and the other half is eleven asking where everyone went (he keeps getting lost when they go out)

nine doesn't know how to download pictures off the internet and so resorts to manually editing memes together to send to the groupchat and everyone's like "girl that's so much more effort........."

(yes he doesn't know how to press save image to camera roll but he knows how to use a photo editor flawlessly. such is the logic of the idiocy of the doctors)

eleven and thirteen get along very well i think. they're the only two of the group to play video games and so they bond over that. they also have ridiculously similar clothing taste

sometimes they'll succeed in getting fifteen to play pokemon with them and then they'll proceed to not see him until the next day when he comes out of his room and goes "you didn't tell me plusle couldn't evolve i've been levelling it up all fucking night"

friday is assigned movie night (it's always big hero 6)

eleven is the only one to actively seek out physical affection, usually really abruptly like clinging to thirteen's back as she passes him in the hall or bapping ten with the palm of his hand until he sighs and gives him a hug. he does expect a platonic kiss on the forehead from anyone before he goes to bed and will complain if he doesn't get one

anyway thats it i'm sick in the head and really sad. if this keeps up i may be forced to actually write a fic

[kickis-conan-king]

I like to think that in a modern au, if Keith had any kind of social media, it would be a little bit like one of those accounts where you go “is this guy just really committed to the bit or is he just Like That?” Like his instagram account would be full of nothing but reels where he sets the phone camera down after staring silently into it, walks far enough away that his whole body is in shot and does like, ten backflips before the video just abruptly ends with him still in motion. Another video where he walks around town with a ton of little throwing knives and it’s just a montage of footage of him lodging them into billboards and signs and other random hard to reach places. A lot of his videos are taken in the dark at indiscernible locations with nothing but the flash too bright and distorting his face, his eyes flashing like a raccoons in the brightness, and those videos are the rare times he speaks in his vids but it’s always something like “if life has to include suffering then how come it’s minor shit. I’d rather be miserable in a big way that is kinda badass then go through one more awkward conversation with a barista.” His most normal videos are of his dog just zooming around (no commentary or caption) and just. Footage of his legs dangling from absurdly high places with beautiful views.

Lance just randomly comes across his account while scrolling through his Instagrams suggested reels and immediately becomes OBSESSED with xxjustkeith.xx4510fu. At first Lance thinks it’s a meme account, some kind of bit but then the more he watches the less sure he is. He kinda can’t believe someone That good looking would make anything other then thirst content. He spends hours scrolling the account. He starts to wonder if maybe this guy is a serial killer or something. Then he notices in one of the videos that…hang on…he recognizes that place. And that too. And holY SHIT they totally live in the same town!!! So under one of the videos he comments something obscure but that is undeniably From Their Town, basically calling this guy out on where he lives without doxxing him.

Keith immediately dms him like. Who the fuck are you and what do you want. Lance is like teehee hi uh. I think you’re insane 🥰🤪😉. And Keith is like meet me at x spot at x time for a fistfight. And Lance is like hell yeah brother, writes his last will and testament (a text to hunk) and goes to meet this unhinged hottie who literally said they were going to fight. So they meet up and like. Keith is how he is, kind of mostly just awkward and shy with an inclination for feral hobbies and knuckle first thinking and Lance is how he is all chatter and bravado and challenges and charm and so. The do spar a little bit but once they’re both breathless they just go get coffee and talk.

And after that in all of Keith’s videos there are snippets of someone chattering in the background, tan legs dangling just out of frame, a dude who does backflips with him, someone cheering or whining saying “let me try 😞 Keith hey. Let me try.” When he walks around throwing knives. A dude who is otherwise not mentioned anywhere or tagged in anything.

All the people who are fans of Keith account for its adventurous and surreal humor start speculating in the comments. Eventually Keith gets fed up and posts a video reply to the comments.

It’s in selfie mode. It a beautiful day, and him and Lance are side by side. Wherever they’re sitting it’s up high. A breeze ruffles their hair. Keith looks straight into the camera and says completely monotone. “This is Lance. He’s my boyfriend.” Lances silent shock gets cut off by the video ending (he did not know they were dating.)

[piastrixpole]

chapter 4

pairing: oscar piastri x carlos sainz

genre: written, love island au

prev / story masterlist / next

Oscar had settled in. Well, for the most part anyway. The villa itself was... alright, the kind of flashy you’d expect from a show like this. But no matter how long he stayed, he doubted he’d ever get used to the cameras watching his every move. They were everywhere—mounted in corners, hidden in plants, hovering over them like quiet observers, ready to catch every moment.

Still, the people weren’t so bad. Definitely far better than he’d expected. There was an easy camaraderie with the guys, a balance between the banter and serious talks. And Logan… Logan was a surprise. He genuinely liked her. She was sweet but had that driven side to her, the kind of person he could see himself hanging out with even if they hadn’t been thrust into this villa together. If their paths had crossed at uni, maybe in a different context, he could picture them getting along, grabbing a coffee after class, discussing assignments and pretending not to procrastinate. It was a weird thought to have, but he appreciated it. Grounded him, in a way.

Despite that, he hadn’t given up on the idea that this whole thing could be over soon. That maybe, just maybe, he’d fly under the radar long enough for people to lose interest in him and he could go back home, slip back into his normal life. No scandal, no drama—he wasn’t here to play the villain. The way he saw it, the worst thing would be to make a fool of himself on national television. He didn’t need the entire country talking about him for the wrong reasons.

His hope of just being forgotten was quickly extinguished when a text alert interrupted the villa after lunch the following day with the announcement of a challenge. Oscar’ vaguely aware of the antics these tend to involve because Lando, as much as he will deny it, tuned into the show every night since they moved in together so Oscar caught things out of context. It’d be a miracle if he came out of this unscathed.

They were rounded up into an array of jeeps driven by crew members almost immediately. The jeeps bumped and jolted along a dirt road, taking them to what seemed like the middle of nowhere, away from the villa's pristine beaches and manicured lawns. Oscar squinted into the distance, trying to get a sense of where they were headed, but all he saw was a wide-open field stretching endlessly under the sun.

When they finally came to a stop, the islanders were led out of the jeeps and corralled together by production. "Alright, listen up!" one of the producers shouted over the chatter. "You’re going to run sexy in slow motion into the challenge area—like a Baywatch moment. We want this to look good for the cameras."

Oscar could feel his internal groan building. Of course they’d have them do something ridiculous like this. He could almost hear Lando’s voice in his head laughing at him, the inevitable memes already being drafted online. Still, there was no way out. He shot a glance at the other guys, all of whom seemed equally resigned to the situation. Even Carlos, ever the charmer, looked a bit hesitant as he glanced down at his open white shirt, probably wondering if he could pull this off without looking completely ridiculous.

"Sexy slow motion? Seriously?" Pierre muttered under his breath, earning a few snickers from the group. Oscar couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head.

After multiple takes that left him feeling progressively more uncomfortable, they were ushered into the set that had been built in this random field for the first challenge. Oscar stood with the other boys near the towering slide, staring at the neon-coloured water waiting below. A giant waterslide that ended in a pool of thick, pink goo? Yeah, that was exactly the kind of ridiculous thing he should’ve expected from this show, but still, the sight was something else. He shook his head, half laughing at the absurdity of it all.

“Alright, boys,” Fernando called out from the side, his grin all too knowing. “Time to get wet.”

Oscar exchanged glances with the other guys—Daniel, Pierre, George, Alex, and Carlos—all of them looking either pumped or cautiously sceptical. Carlos, of course, was fully in his element, already smirking as he stripped off his shirt. The guy never missed an opportunity to flaunt, apparently.

“We’re really doing this, huh?” Oscar muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as he stepped forward, grabbing a bottle of water that had been provided for the task.

Daniel chuckled, slapping him on the back. “Mate, if we’re gonna make fools of ourselves, might as well go all in.”

Oscar unscrewed the cap and, with a resigned sigh, poured the water over his chest, feeling the cool liquid trickle down his skin in sharp contrast to the warm sun beating down on them. The other boys followed suit, their bodies glistening as they prepared for the madness ahead. He cast a glance toward the girls, who were gathered around the pool, watching with amused expressions. Logan, in particular, caught his eye, giving him a little wave and an encouraging smile that made his nerves settle just a bit.

“So,” Fernando clasped his hands together in excitement “the way this works - boys you will take it in turns diving down the slide and into the pool to catch one of these pink cards. From there you will climb out of the goo and read the card to the group. You’ll have to work together to guess who it was written about and seal the deal with a kiss. If you’re right, your team will earn a point, and if you’re wrong….” Fernando trailed off with a smirk “well at least you got a kiss.”

Oscar rolled his shoulders back, trying to shake off the nerves. Carlos, who had apparently drifted in his direction while he was zoned out now stood next to him, giving him a competitive smirk, already exuding that effortless charm he seemed to carry in spades. Oscar wasn't sure if the tension in his chest was from the game or just Carlos' presence in general.

One by one, the boys doused themselves in water before diving headfirst down the slide, disappearing into the pink goo at the bottom. It was as ridiculous as it looked, but somehow Oscar found himself laughing despite the absurdity.

Oscar grimaced, his skin already sticky from the water they'd poured over themselves as a part of the sexy, slow-motion intro. This was all so absurd, but he was already committed. And with Carlos standing there looking far too comfortable in his own skin, Oscar felt that usual competitive edge creep in.

He watched as Alex slid down first, disappearing into the goo before emerging with a "DM" in hand. Covered in the sticky substance, Alex unfolded the paper and grinned. “Alright, here we go,” he called out, raising his voice to the group.

“I called out my ex’s name during sex with his best friend.”

There was a collective gasp, then a burst of laughter, eyes darting around the villa to see who could possibly own up to such a scandalous confession.

Oscar glanced at Logan, her hand clapped over her mouth, stifling her giggles. Alex scanned the girls, then walked over to Lily with a cheeky grin. “It’s gotta be you.”

Lily raised an eyebrow, half-amused, half-unimpressed. “I can neither confirm nor deny,” she said with a smirk, and they shared a light kiss to seal the guess.

Hollers echoed from the islanders as the light kiss lasted a little too long to merely call it fulfilling the obligation of the challenge and Alex’s cheeks were dusted pink as he pulled away finally. Ripping off the strip covering the answer, it was revealed that it was actually Charlotte. She didn’t appear half fussed by the disbelief.

Daniel went next, he flew down the waterslide with a whoop diving headfirst into the goo with way more enthusiasm than Oscar would’ve managed. When he emerged, shaking his head and wiping pink slime from his eyes, he grabbed his “DM” and read aloud.

“I’ve made out with two people at the same party in under an hour.”

A few of the girls exchanged sly looks, and Daniel turned his head, zeroing in on Maxine with a knowing grin.

Daniel grinned and sauntered over to Maxine, locking eyes with her. “That sounds like your kind of fun,” he teased, and Maxine rolled her eyes with a smirk as he pulled her in for a quick kiss.

Oscar rolled his eyes, trying not to look too cynical about the whole thing. He could feel the cameras focused on him, waiting for his reactions.

Next, Pierre launched himself into the pool, coming up with another DM. He read it out with a smirk, barely holding back his amusement. If he could somehow make it out of this challenge without being utterly humiliated he'd consider the day to be a win.

The villa was a different kind of quiet that afternoon, the kind where something was brewing just beneath the surface. After the chaos of the morning’s challenge, everyone had settled back into a slower rhythm, lounging around the pool or sprawled on the outdoor daybeds. But the ease was only on the surface. Every few minutes, whispers passed between the girls as their eyes flitted toward Carlos, who was busy making his rounds, pulling different girls aside for chats. The simmering tension was palpable. Everyone knew what was coming.

Carlos, shirtless in all his glory with sunglasses perched on his head, had an effortless way of moving through the villa. He looked like he belonged here, like he thrived on this kind of attention. And maybe he did. First, he pulled Carmen aside, who was quick to engage with him. They sat near the edge of the pool, laughing softly as their feet dangled in the water. Carmen was clearly intrigued, leaning into the conversation with that same confident poise she always had. But Oscar couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more going on behind that cool exterior.

From his spot on the daybed, Oscar watched the scene unfold, jaw clenched in annoyance. He couldn’t care less who Carlos chatted with—really, he couldn’t—but the smugness with which he did it grated on his nerves. Oscar had told himself he wasn’t interested in playing this jealousy game, especially when it came to Logan. But it was hard to ignore the way Carlos occasionally glanced in her direction. Carlos knew what he was doing. There was no denying the tension in the air as each girl waited for her turn, and each guy tried to act like it didn’t bother them.

Just ignore it. Oscar mused to himself whenever he felt his gut wrench awkwardly in what he could only assume was jealousy. In a way, if Carlos did screw him over and choose Logan then he’d probably be out. Something which he had initially aimed to let happen early but now he wasn't quite so sure. 

Carlos’s latest target was Logan. He approached her with that trademark smile, the kind that seemed to light up his dark features even more. Oscar felt a flicker of irritation as he watched Carlos lean in close, their heads almost touching as they exchanged words. He could practically see the chemistry sparking between them, and it gnawed at him in a way he couldn’t quite explain.

“Hey, can I steal you for a minute?” Carlos’s voice cut through the poolside chatter, his tone light and inviting. Logan looked up, her smile brightening in response.

“Sure!” she replied, her voice warm and open, as she slid off the edge of the daybed where she’d been lounging. Oscar’s stomach twisted as he watched them walk away together, Carlos’s hand casually brushing against Logan’s back as they moved to a more secluded corner of the villa.

Oscar forced himself to focus on the other guys, who were joking around, trying to ignore the obvious tension. But he couldn’t help casting glances at Carlos and Logan. They settled on a sun-drenched bench beneath a sprawling tree, their laughter mingling with the sounds of the villa. Oscar could see Carlos leaning closer, his expression animated as he gestured with his hands. Logan seemed to hang on his every word, the light in her eyes unmistakable.

“Anyone want a drink?” Daniel called out, snapping Oscar from his reverie.

“Sure,” Oscar replied, his voice lacking enthusiasm. He couldn’t shake the image of Carlos’s charm, how easily he drew people in. It felt like a punch to the gut.

“What’s up with you?” Alex asked, elbowing him playfully. “You look like you just swallowed a lemon.”

“Nothing,” Oscar grumbled, shifting on the daybed. “Just... wondering what Carlos is telling Logan.”

“Are you jealous?” Alex smirked, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course not,” Oscar shot back, perhaps too quickly. “She can talk to whoever she wants.”

“Right.” Alex chuckled, clearly unconvinced. “Just don’t get too comfortable. You might be in the friend zone if you keep this up.”

Oscar rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. He turned back to watch Carlos and Logan, his heart sinking further.

“Do you think she likes him?” Oscar murmured, half to himself, half to Alex.

“Who knows? But he’s definitely trying to make an impression,” Alex replied, glancing over at the pair. “And it looks like it’s working.”

Meanwhile, Carlos was leaning in, his voice low and inviting as he said something that made Logan laugh, a sound that echoed like music. Oscar clenched his jaw, the unease turning into something sharper. He could see the way Carlos was completely focused on her, and it stung.

Carlos’s hand brushed against Logan’s arm, a touch that felt almost possessive. “You know, I think we’d make a great couple,” he said playfully, the flirtation clear in his tone.

Logan chuckled, rolling her eyes, but there was a playful glimmer in her eyes. “You say that to all the girls, don’t you?”

“Only the ones I’m really interested in,” Carlos countered, leaning closer. His eyes sparkled with mischief, and the chemistry was palpable.

As Oscar watched Carlos lean in closer to Logan, a whirlwind of emotions swirled in his chest. Instead of anger or jealousy, he felt a tightening knot of anxiety. He forced himself to look away, taking a deep breath as he turned back to the little bench, where Alex sat with a bemused expression.

“Hey,” Alex said, catching Oscar’s eye. “You okay?"

“Yeah, just peachy,” Oscar replied, forcing a smile as he flopped back onto the bench as well, trying to shake off the tension. “I mean, it’s not like I care what Carlos is doing. It’s whatever.”

Alex chuckled softly, clearly not buying it. “Sure, whatever you say. You seem a bit preoccupied with the whole ‘Carlos and Logan’ show.”

“Can you blame me?” Oscar said, glancing back at the duo. “It’s just... he’s so good at this. It feels like he’s playing a game, and I can’t help but wonder what I’m doing wrong.”

“Dude, it’s not a game. It’s reality TV,” Alex replied, rolling his eyes playfully. “And you’re not doing anything wrong. You just need to remind yourself why you’re here. Just because Carlos is charming doesn’t mean you have to compete with him.”

Oscar raised an eyebrow, considering Alex’s words. “You think so?”

“Absolutely,” Alex said, nodding vigorously. “You’re genuine, and that counts for way more than some flashy moves. Besides, Logan clearly likes you for who you are.”

“You really think she does?” Oscar asked, a flicker of hope sparking within him.

“Yeah, man. Just look at how she lights up when you’re around,” Alex said, gesturing back to where Logan and Carlos sat. “She’s enjoying the attention, but you’ve got something real. You just need to show her that you’re still in the game.”

Oscar pondered this for a moment, his heart gradually calming. “I guess I’m just overthinking it all. Maybe I need to be more confident about what I have to offer.”

“That’s the spirit,” Alex encouraged, clapping Oscar on the shoulder. “Focus on being you. And remember, there’s more to this place than just the drama. Make sure you enjoy it too.”

There’s a lull in conversation between them when Logan makes her way over to the little bench area secluded by overhanging trees. Alex leaves him with a supportive glance as he gets her silent cue to give them space. Things are temporarily awkward. Until Logan breaks the silence with the same tenderness he’s come to expect from her, “there’s nothing to worry about Oscar.”

He’s confused briefly and it must show because her hand lingers placatingly on his thigh “Carlos is attractive. I mean anyone with eyes can agree, but we don’t have anything in common. It just felt forced…I don’t know, it’s not like that with you. We get along - at least I like to think so and we like the same nerdy stuff. I wouldn’t get that with anyone else here.”

The moment Logan’s hand rested on Oscar’s thigh, a comforting warmth spread through him, momentarily chasing away the tension knotted in his chest. Her words echoed in his head, "There's nothing to worry about." He wanted to believe it. But as Carlos strutted around the villa, soaking up all the attention, Oscar couldn’t shake that gnawing doubt. Still, Logan’s reassurance meant something, more than he was willing to admit just yet.

"Yeah," he nodded, his voice carrying a sense of agreement more than certainty. He glanced at her, the natural curve of her lips and the freckles dotting her cheeks catching his attention. He could see how relaxed she was, even in this environment. It had only been a couple of days, but Logan seemed to carry this ease with her wherever she went—like she belonged here but was still somehow apart from the chaos of it all.

It was weirdly reassuring, being around her. He hadn’t expected to bond with anyone so quickly, and yet here he was, genuinely liking Logan’s company.

“Thanks for saying that,” he added after a beat, scratching the back of his neck. “About Carlos. I didn’t want to ask, you know… in case it came across as insecure or whatever.” He felt a little self-conscious even admitting it, but Logan’s eyes stayed soft and understanding.

She smiled, shrugging lightly. “It’s not insecure. It’s normal.” She adjusted slightly, crossing one leg over the other as she shifted on the bench. “I mean, let’s be real—we all know how this show works. Someone’s always stirring things up, but I didn’t come here just to be swayed by every hot guy who walks in. It’s not about that.”

Oscar raised an eyebrow, leaning back a bit. “Not even a little?”

She laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners, and the sound was infectious. “Okay, fine, maybe a little. But only for like two seconds. Then I remember he’s probably the same guy I’ve seen a hundred times at uni parties—minus the accent and abs.”

Oscar smirked, feeling a bit lighter. “Fair point. And the whole walking around like he’s auditioning for a perfume commercial.”

Logan burst into a short laugh, her hand reaching up to cover her mouth for a second. “Exactly! Like, come on. The sunglasses indoors? Please.”

Oscar chuckled, leaning into the moment. He liked this. The banter, the ease of it. It wasn’t like the forced flirting or the layers of pretence some of the others seemed to put on. Logan was just... real. That was probably what made this feel different.

Logan nodded thoughtfully, resting her chin in her hand as she listened. “For real though, I think a lot of us are still figuring out why we’re here. But I think you’re doing alright.”

Oscar raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah?”

She grinned, nudging him lightly. “Yeah. I mean, you’re not making a complete fool of yourself, which is more than some people can say.”

Oscar chuckled at that, shaking his head. “Low bar.”

“But seriously,” Logan continued, her voice softer now, “I think we’ve got a good vibe going. I wouldn’t want to be paired up with someone else, if I’m honest.”

That admission made something in Oscar’s chest tighten, but not in a bad way. He looked at her, searching her expression for any sign that she was joking or playing it off, but there was only sincerity there. And it was nice. Really nice.

“Yeah,” he agreed quietly, a small smile forming. “Same here.”

Their quiet understanding and reprieve from the chaos was short-lived.

Carlos' smooth, accented voice rang out through the villa, slicing through whatever fleeting peace Oscar had found “islanders, please gather around the firepit.”

His muscles tensed as the air seemed to shift immediately. The whispers that had bubbled under the surface all afternoon came to a halt, replaced by a collective hum of anticipation. Oscar cast a glance around, noticing how every set of eyes, even the ones that had tried to play it cool, now flicked toward Carlos. This was it. The moment they’d all been speculating about since the second Carlos stepped into the villa.

Slowly, the islanders began to gather around the firepit, finding their places on the semi-circle benches. Carmen, Maxine, Charlotte, and Lily were buzzing with anticipation, exchanging knowing glances and murmured predictions as they settled in. The guys were trying to keep it cool, but Oscar could tell they were all on edge too. Alex and George shot him a look of camaraderie as they took their seats, like they were all in this weird, high-stakes waiting game together.

Oscar hated how effortless it all seemed for him. He didn’t seem phased by the pressure, by the tension brewing between the couples. If anything, Carlos was thriving on it.

Carlos stood tall by the firepit, every bit as magnetic as he had been when he first stepped into the villa. His shirt, still unbuttoned halfway down his chest, billowed in the light breeze as the other islanders sat around in tense silence, waiting for him to make his move. The firelight flickered against his tanned skin, casting sharp shadows across his sculpted jawline. Everyone knew what was coming. The question wasn’t if Carlos would steal someone’s girl—it was who.

The air around the firepit was thick with anticipation. The girls sat upright, clearly on edge, while the boys, himself included, exchanged tight-lipped glances, trying not to show just how much they cared about the decision Carlos was about to make. He glanced at Logan, who sat next to him. For a second, he thought Carlos might actually go for her. Part of him almost hoped he did just to justify his superficial dislike of the guy.

Fernando, in all his dramatic glory, appeared next to Carlos by the firepit, his presence as commanding as ever “Carlos, the time has come...you've spent the past 24 hours getting to know these lovely ladies so the choice is now yours. Who do you want to couple up with?"

Carlos took a breath, letting the moment drag out and the tension heighten as his eyes swept over the girls. Each one of them seemed on edge, waiting for his decision. Then, he locked eyes with Charlotte. It was subtle, but Oscar noticed it. Carlos had been eyeing Charlotte all day, and as much as Oscar had believed that Carlos might go for someone else, it seemed like this had been his plan from the start.

"I’ve thought about this a lot," Carlos began, his voice smooth and confident, "and I’ve really connected with this girl today. She’s funny, smart, obviously very beautiful and we just clicked right away. I'd like the opportunity to get to know her better."

Oscar’s stomach tightened. He shot a quick glance at Pierre, who was sitting beside Charlotte, visibly tense. Pierre’s grip on his seat tightened, but he kept his cool, eyes narrowing at Carlos.

Carlos’s gaze lingered on Charlotte, and then he finally said it: “The girl I want to couple up with is... Charlotte.”

The words hung in the air for a moment, heavy and final. Pierre’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t say anything as Charlotte hesitated, clearly taken aback by Carlos’s choice. She glanced at Pierre, then at Carlos, and after what felt like a painfully long pause, she stood up. There was a tension between them, but ultimately, she walked over to Carlos.

“Thanks, Charlotte,” Carlos said smoothly, planting a kiss on her cheek before guiding her to sit beside him.

Oscar glanced over at Pierre, who was holding himself together but clearly fuming underneath. It was obvious this wasn’t just about Carlos stealing his girl—it was the way Carlos had done it, the effortless charm, the confidence. Carlos knew exactly what he was doing, and it grated on everyone, especially Pierre.

As Charlotte settled in beside Carlos, the firepit felt like it was crackling with more than just heat. The other guys shifted in their seats, some exchanging uncomfortable glances, but no one said a word. Oscar could feel the tension in the air thickening by the second.

Pierre, finally breaking the silence, forced a tight smile and leaned forward. “Fair game, mate,” he said, voice low but controlled. “But this isn’t over.”

Carlos flashed a grin, unfazed. “Of course not,” he replied, leaning back casually.

Oscar stayed quiet, watching the whole scene unfold. He wasn’t personally affected this time, but he felt the sting for Pierre. Carlos had made his move—and it was a bold one.

Once the tension around the firepit began to settle and the reality of Carlos' choice sunk in, Fernando addressed the group once more "Pierre, you are now single, but don't worry—this is not the end. You will remain in the villa and still have the opportunity to couple up in the future."

Pierre, who had kept his composure through Carlos's dramatic choice, nodded in acknowledgment, but his jaw was tight. His eyes shifted toward Charlotte, who now sat beside Carlos, looking torn but resolute

In the midst of his silent observation of that scene unfolding, Oscar leaned over toward Logan, lowering his voice to a private murmur. “Well, that’s a relief,” he said, a hint of amusement playing on his lips. “Thought I might’ve had to start worrying for a minute there.”

Logan tilted her head toward him, her eyes glinting with humour. “Worried about Carlos stealing your girl?” she teased lightly, nudging him gently with her shoulder. “Come on, you’ve been cool as a cucumber.”

“Yeah, well...” Oscar shrugged, glancing subtly toward Carlos and Charlotte, who were now deep in conversation. “It’s one thing to act chill. It’s another to actually feel it.” He chuckled under his breath, relieved that he hadn’t ended up in Pierre’s position.

Logan smiled at him warmly, her hand resting casually on his knee for just a second longer than necessary. “Well, you’re safe for now,” she said softly. “And for the record, I wouldn’t have made it easy for Carlos.”

Oscar felt his own grin deepen, a sense of reassurance settling in his chest. “Good to know,” he replied, his eyes lingering on her for a moment. “I guess we’ll just have to see how the rest of this game plays out.”

Logan gave him a playful wink. “Game on.”

As the islanders around them began to chat, speculating about Pierre’s next move and what Carlos’s bold choice might mean for the villa, Oscar couldn’t help but feel a wave of relief wash over him. At least for now, he and Logan were still on solid ground. But if the past few hours had taught him anything, it was that nothing in this villa stayed stable for long.

After the recoupling drama had simmered, and Charlotte was firmly sat beside Carlos, the producers weren’t about to let the energy drop. A crew member stepped into the villa, clipboard in hand, and called for everyone’s attention.

“Alright, islanders,” the voice rang out over the buzz of conversation. “We’ve wrapped the recoupling, but don’t get too comfortable. You’ll be getting new instructions shortly. Stay by the firepit, please.”

There was a collective groan from some of the islanders, while others exchanged knowing looks. Oscar felt the familiar weight of the cameras trained on them. He was just about to lean over to Logan with a sarcastic quip when he heard his name.

“Oscar, can we grab you for a quick confessional in the beach hut?”

He sighed, giving Logan a small, resigned smile before standing up and following one of the producers off toward the villa. Inside, the usual set-up awaited: the oversized wicker chair, colourful cushions, and the ever-present camera lens.

“Alright, mate,” the producer began from behind the camera, as Oscar sank into the chair. “Let’s talk recoupling. How are you feeling after Carlos’s decision?”

Oscar settled into the wicker chair in the beach hut, rubbing his hands together as he let out a long sigh. The camera in front of him blinked its red light, ready to capture every word. He glanced around the brightly decorated room for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts.

"So," he began, leaning back into the cushion with a half-smile. "Carlos swoops in, all suave, shirt unbuttoned to his navel—very 'I'm-too-hot-for-buttons' vibe—takes Charlotte right out from under Pierre. Smooth move, mate. Real smooth."

He paused, running a hand through his hair with a sarcastic smirk pulling at his lips. "I mean, not that I’m surprised. It’s seems to be classic Carlos behaviour, isn’t it? Show up, flex a bit, steal a girl... the bombshell role kinda seems made for him. But yeah, I’m not exactly losing sleep over it."

He leaned back again, crossing his arms with a faint chuckle. "Logan and I? We’re good. We vibe. I mean, let’s be real here—we’re both nerds, we get each other. It’s been easy. I don’t have to pull off some grand gesture to get her attention, thank God. We can just chat and laugh about random stuff, and it’s solid."

He paused, smirking to himself before adding, "Now, if Carlos wants to come after her next... well, he better brush up on his physics, because there’s no way he’s beating me in a nerd-off. That’s my domain."

Oscar let out a soft laugh, shaking his head before looking toward the camera again. "But yeah, overall? Feeling pretty chill about the whole thing. Carlos made her choice, Charlotte got her moment, and Pierre... well, he’ll live to fight another day, right?"

He gave the camera a mock salute, feeling a little lighter as he wrapped up his confessional. "And me? I’m just here to enjoy the show—preferably without getting involved in any ridiculous love triangles... but let’s see how long that lasts."

He stood up, giving the crew a quick nod as he headed out of the beach hut, mentally preparing himself for whatever chaos awaited back at the villa.

As Oscar stepped out of  the beach hut, his mind was still buzzing with sarcastic thoughts about the recoupling and his recent confessional. He turned the corner and almost collided with Carlos in the narrow hallway. The air between them seemed to shift instantly, like the sudden charge before a summer storm.

Carlos was still half-unbuttoned, dark curls tousled from the light breeze and the exposed part of his chest practically glistening. The hallway seemed to shrink around them the second their eyes met, and Oscar’s pulse stuttered as Carlos’ smile slowly curled, something dangerous and easy all at once.

"Hermoso," Carlos greeted, his voice like velvet, the Spanish accent rolling off his tongue like it belonged in the air. The word hung in the air, sinking into Oscar's chest, deeper than it had any right to. Carlos' dark eyes held his, the intensity behind them making it impossible for Oscar to look away, even though his mind was practically screaming for him to. His body? Well, that seemed to have a different plan entirely.

Oscar swallowed. His throat felt tight. It was just a greeting. Just a damn word. Except it wasn’t—at least not the way Carlos said it. The way Carlos looked at him. Carlos took a step closer, just enough that the space between them became almost non-existent. The smell of something warm—cologne and sun-kissed skin—wrapped itself around Oscar, and he couldn't shake it.

"Didn't see you there," Oscar mumbled, trying to sound nonchalant, simultaneously fighting off the sudden tension twisting low in his gut but his voice came out quieter than intended. Not like the dry tone he'd been aiming for. He should’ve kept walking, should’ve brushed past Carlos with an awkward nod and gotten on with his day. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. His feet felt like they were glued to the ground. something about the way Carlos’ attention fixed on him—like Oscar was the only thing in the world worth noticing—left him feeling vulnerable, exposed.

"You did good today," Carlos said, his tone casual but layered with something else—something teasing. His voice was warm, sultry. "Impressive." The word landed heavy between them, a compliment, but laced with a kind of knowing that left Oscar unsure if they were still talking about the challenge.

Oscar gave a weak chuckle trying to mask his discomfort, running a hand through his hair, trying to regain some semblance of control. "Uh, thanks, mate. Just doing what the producers want, y’know."

However it seemed his attempt at indifference had fallen flat. It didn't take a genius to figure that out with the way Carlos’ gaze was lingering on him. Like he saw something Oscar hadn’t even realized he was offering up.

And then, Carlos’ hand slid to the small of his back—so light, so fleeting, but enough to send a sharp thrill up Oscar’s spine. The touch was deliberate. Possessive, almost. A reminder of just how much control Carlos seemed to hold in this moment. Oscar’s breath hitched. He froze, mind caught in a scramble of confusion and something he didn’t want to name. But his body was betraying him, reacting to that brief touch in a way that had his skin tingling, hyper-aware of the warmth radiating from Carlos.

Carlos leaned in slightly, lowering his voice so it was just for them. "Maybe I should’ve chosen you," he said, the words wrapped in that same playful, flirtatious tone, but with a heat behind them that made Oscar’s stomach twist painfully. Carlos’ hand remained at the small of his back, fingers grazing the fabric of his shirt like a promise.

Oscar froze. His heart pounding in his chest, his mind at war with itself. What the hell was even happening? He wasn’t… he didn’t… this wasn’t something he was supposed to feel affected by. Not for Carlos. Definitely not for Carlos. Yet all he could focus on was the sensation of Carlos’ hand lingering at his back, the heat radiating from where their bodies were nearly touching. The words 'I should’ve chosen you' echoed in his head like some kind of loop he couldn’t shake.

His throat tightened, his brain firing signals that clashed wildly. This was...no. He wasn’t—there was no way he was attracted to Carlos. Absolutely not. That wasn’t part of the plan. But there it was—the pull. That strange, magnetic force between them that Oscar couldn’t shake, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that this was all just Carlos being Carlos, charming everyone he crossed paths with. Yet, it didn’t feel generic. It felt intentional, like Carlos knew exactly what he was doing, and exactly how it was making Oscar react.

Oscar forced a tight laugh, trying to break the tension, but even that came out a little too strained. "Guess we’ll never know," he muttered, stepping back, trying to sever whatever connection had sparked between them. The space should’ve helped. But all it did was make him hyper-aware of the absence of Carlos’ touch, like his body had already memorized the sensation.

Carlos didn’t move, though. He stayed there, eyes locked on Oscar, lips curved into that same lazy, confident smile. "Never say never, Oscar," he said smoothly, his voice low, almost a purr, before giving him a wink as he brushed past him, his fingers trailing off the curve of Oscar’s back in a way that was far too intentional before they slipped away like they hadn’t just branded Oscar’s skin with electricity.

Oscar stood there, watching him disappear into the beach hut, heart racing like he'd just sprinted through the villa. His skin buzzed, his mind struggling to process what had just happened—or more accurately, how he’d responded to it. He pressed a hand to his chest, trying to steady his breathing, but the memory of Carlos’ touch clung to him like a brand.

What the hell had that been? There was no reason—no logical reason—why a simple touch, a few words, should’ve made his heart race like that. But logic seemed to have left the building the moment Carlos had stepped into the hallway.

He was straight. He was here for Logan. Right?

Oscar shook his head, trying to clear the fog. His mind was spinning, the words "I should’ve chosen you" echoing in his head.

[britt-kageryuu]

Leo in another bout(bought?) of boredom, is streaming from the clinic again. His model dressed in galaxy print scrubs, blue crocs, lab coat with some random pins on the pocket, and his Bandana with the tails tied up to not get in the way.

The camera is following him as he moves about the reception area. Rambling off about different topics, every now and then answering a question sent in by the audience and chat.

A graphic of a cartoony Aligator Snapping Turtle swims past dragging a banner that Thanks 'Chompy' for $5 with a message 'You changed how you did things awhile ago, while it was subtle I still want to know why did you change?'

Leo pauses to stare right into the camera, like his brain stopped working, or was overworking itself to word the answer.

"Okay, so I didn't really think anyone had truly noticed. Not to say you guys are oblivious, just I didn't think I would have to explain this." He shifts while looking around the room, "So to those who might've not been here then, or watched the VODs... I originally went into this VTuber stuff as a BFE type. And for those who don't know what that means, Boy Friend Experience."

Leo takes a deep breath before continuing, "See, I didn't know what I was going to do for this, so I kinda copied the BFE type that I saw clips of, so flirting with the audience, pretending to be in love with the audience... that kind of thing. Then I got an actual crush, who became my boyfriend and it just felt awkward to keep that up." He walks over to his desk while talking, and sat down, "So I shifted my way of talking to you guys, and from there just left the flirty tone to when I'm around Thumper. Much to my siblings annoyance."

He lets out a laugh while shaking his head. "Though my usual way of talking is crafted to make you feel relaxed, less tense, and get people to listen to what I want to tell them." Leo gives the camera a smirk, "I used to call myself the 'Face Man' of the group, so I always tried to be a smooth talker, right up until I put my foot in my mouth, and told my Boyfriend I thought he dyed his hair... his hair is naturally white. I didn't believe him. I still don't get how I convinced him to date me!"

Leo has slumped in his chair with embarrassment, he looked about ready to fall out of his chair when the sound of a door opening could be heard. He sits up and faces the door. He mutes the camera mic, but not his.

"Hello, what can I do for ya today?" Pause to listen to who ever entered, "Okay, let me check." He grabs the work tablet and checks for something, "Well you're in luck. There's no one scheduled for the next few hours. So let's get you checked in. Oh give me a minute." Leo pulls out his phone to see if there's anyone to take over the stream, or if not what he should put on for the stream to watch.

"Hmm? Oh yeah... the schedule is very empty, and no one else was scheduled to work today, so I was live streaming... nothing really." The notification on his phone goes off. "And the stream will be watching a few meme compilations. So to the veiwers, enjoy the memes, and I'll be back in a bit!"

The stream cuts to a meme compilation of clips from different VTurtles! VODs and some from the Discord and Social Media. With a BRB sign propped up by River.

-----------------

Masterpost

Not much to say other than, no patient trying to sneak into the stream this time.

[titus-androgynous-87]

While I’ve seen a lot of chatter that Acacia Forgot was robbed in the Rusical this season because she wasn’t given specific choreography for her number, I strongly disagree

(More under the cut)

No, she wasn’t given specific choreo. But you don’t choreograph the 11 o’clock ballad, the big emotional high point of the show before it plays out the ending

And she also had to learn multiple sets of choreo, as did everyone it seems, while playing supporting chorus for other queens during their features as well as the group numbers

Acacia fought for that spot, and I’m sure she was coached by Jamal on how to deliver an impactful performance with minimal movement so as not to detract from the vocal performance and emotion of the scene. It was likely edited out for a combination of saving time for better clips and that it’s fuck-all boring to watch her shuffle around looking wistful while Jamal yells things like “give me more arms!” Or “you need to sell it in the face, alright? You’re feeling things, and you need to make us feel them with you.”

Even if you intercut it with b-roll of the other queens critiquing her rehearsal, it would be very much a “I’m gonna go to the bathroom, no don’t pause it,” moment in the show

And it’s not that she wasn’t selling it, it was a decent park-and-bark ballad with appropriately demure downward glances and staring off into the middle distance as you basically explain the moral lesson of the show before the big finale number and bows

It was fine

And in a season with heavy hitters on the state like Onya and Suzie, “just fine” isn’t going to keep you safe for very long. And she’s faded into the background pretty much ever since she walked into the Werk Room. Track record aside, she’s just kind of…there? She’s not creating drama or capitalizing on drama between other queens, nor is she really reacting to attempts to create drama with her

Which is a perfectly valid way to stay sane during an intense filming schedule on top of it being a competition reality show. But it doesn’t make good TV. And mediocre TV doesn’t generate buzz online, which in turn does not generate profit. So now we’re at the point where if you can’t stand on talent alone, you have to be good TV as well to have a snowball’s chance in hell at making it to the top 4

And she just isn’t good TV

And that’s ok! I think a lot of queens that have competed on a lot of seasons, US and internationally, are phenomenal at what they do AND are just bad at being on TV and/or a reality show contestant

It’s a very specific media and interpersonal skill that takes time to develop, and not everyone wants that or is suited to it. Doesn’t make them terrible drag queens or terrible people. They just suck at being on TV and in a high-stress, highly manufactured and strictly quarantined environment with a dozen people you just met 12 hours before cameras went up

I often joke about auditioning (applying?) for the meme of it all, but I simply would not be caught dead in that studio

You want to talk about the horrifying ordeal of being known? I do not want a bunch of irony-poisoned Reddit gays examining every minute detail of my life. I’ve been on the internet longer than some of these queens have been alive, I fucking know better

And to that point, yes Acacia, you were the only queen who had the spine to do a fully live vocal and musical performance. No one is denying that, and I’ll stand on that it was a bold choice and credit where credit is due

But you were pitchy as fuck and your sense of lyrical flow is dogshit. I give every queen grace because it’s hard enough doing a live performance without Ru et. al. looming and half a dozen cameras are rolling

But it was still pitchy and unintelligible

Anyways this is a very long winded way of saying: Acacia, honey, if you ever read this and want a lyricist, my rates are negotiable

[nonchalantghost]

24/7 all access pass to your life.

I saw a meme going around a little while ago that said “letting everyone have access to you 24/7 is a relatively new concept.” Well, yeah. I suppose it is. It went on to say that because of this some of us might not answer texts or calls immediately or just seem “really bad” at posting happenings of our lives on the internet. The all-wise-and-mighty-meme then said that it’s important to take time in our lives to be unavailable. It sort of resonated with me.

       I am absolutely terrible at answering texts in a “timely manner”. I will hardly ever answer my phone when it rings. Staring right at it, watching it. Watching you call me and thinking “no, thank you.” My unread text number is barely ever under 10.  I don’t post anything about my life anywhere, hardly ever. (Unless, its going really, really well.) My parents recently came down to the city to see me. This was only the second time they’ve made the 4-hour car ride to see me in the 3 years I’ve lived here. I didn’t take a single picture. I didn’t post a single moment. I’m just not an all-access kind of gal, I suppose. According to viber.com 95% of text messages are read and answered within 3 minutes of being sent. Although those of us who also operate this way are in the minority. I think the trend is going to catch on. I think people are already getting sick of being up each other’s ass constantly. After all, I always thought the best part about a text was that I could answer it at my leisure. If they really needed my attention that minute, wouldn’t they call? Not that I would answer.  

       There are a few people in my ear trying to tell me that having an old school typed out blog is dead. Like, disco. They suggested that I do tik-tok and Instagram reels instead. I think that goes hand in hand with this 24/7 access stuff. I don’t want people to hear me or see me. I want them to read me. I don’t want to post a video passionately over-explaining my current hyper fixation just for some brain-dead idiot to comment on the cleanliness of the room I’m sitting in or the state of the lawn I’m on. You know the idiots I’m talking about. I don’t like being on camera. I like to write. So, that’s what I’m going to do. People be damned.

[dadsbongos]

trashy dad

Movie/Game/Show: My Hero Academia Dynamic: Shota Aizawa/Reader (Platonic) Warnings: references (2) to un*s ann*s, one (1) use of (y/n), fem pronouns Summary: Shota trying to support his YouTuber daughter :) cuz social media aus own me Word Count: 2.1K ~~~

"Hey, gamers," you grin at the camera before tossing an arm over your father's shoulders, "My dad's in town and as you can see," you hesitated slightly before turning to face your father, "Dad's not super into taking care of himself. So, I figured what's better than doing a Q&A together while I do his makeup?"

"Hitoshi just did a 'what I eat in a day', didn't he?" Shota quirked a brow, already reaching back to tie up his messy, tangled hair.

"Spoilers!" you quietly whine as you open your phone, "He still has to edit it, silly man. We're gonna have to brush out your hair later, by the way."

Shota's eyes widened, "We? I thought this was your idea and video, (Y/n)."

"No," you huff, scrolling through a few of the questions from fans, "I mean it was but your hair is so… Okay, first question is from - oh my God the names - shrekslongtoe, what was my first word?"

"Are you gonna start putting makeup on me or just sit there?" Shota scratched at his nose before snickering, "That wasn't your first word. Your first word was 'Dada' and it drove Hizashi insane."

"Hizashi is my other dad, by the way," you lean over to grab your makeup bag, "'Toshi and I call him papa. Oooh, oh no," you looked up to Shota, "I don't have your shade, you're gonna look weird."

"I don't really care," the man shrugged, watching as you took out a pink beauty blender, "That looks like a buttplug."

"Don't say that!" your eyes were wide at his words while you got out your foundation, "Youtube doesn't like that."

"Whoops," he deadpanned, "Next question."

"Shit, right."

"Language."

"Japanese," you murmur, going to the next reply, "yoonbumskneecap asks, 'Did you believe in me-’ they said my name but you know, ‘and Hitoshi when they decided to become Youtubers?' And 'in 'Toshi's case - drop out of college to become a professional clout man.'"

"To be honest," Shota closed his eyes, only in slight fear, as you began pressing the foundation into his skin, "I was really worried about Hitoshi, I didn't know if he'd stay as big as he was because he's a lot like me, in the sense that people tend to not like us for our bluntness. So I was worried he'd be a meme for like a month and then people would drop him, but thankfully I was proved wrong," he opened his eyes when he felt you pull away and begin rooting through your bag once again, "With you, I was less worried because you're more like 'Zashi, i.e extremely likable, and you were kind of getting a boost from appearances on Hitoshi's channel. I still worry because the internet is a fickle mistress but I'm not staying up at night about it."

Pulling out a dark eyebrow pencil, you grin at your father, "Aww, that was kinda sweet. Not really but kind of."

"What I'm here for," Shota's eyes followed your hand as you uncapped the pencil and reached up, beginning to mark at his eyebrows, "I'm gonna read the next question while you kill my eyebrows."

"I'm not killing them!" you giggled, "But unlike Papa, you already have pretty thick, full eyebrows so I won't be here long."

"Good," he muttered before furrowing his brows in confusion, ignoring your frustrated groan, "who is daddysero and why is he asking if you pissed today?"

"What?!" you pull your dad's hand back to see what he was looking at, instantly calming down when you saw he was still on Twitter, "Oh, that's just Sero, he asks me that every time I tweet. I thought you went to my Instagram DMs," at Shota's questioning stare you grinned, "Mama's got simps in her DMs."

"Don't ever call yourself 'Mama' in my presence ever again," Shota shook his head, once again ignoring your annoyance, "papichulo46290 wants to know my favorite memory of you."

"If you mix me up with 'Toshi, I'll be so pissed," you return the eyebrow pencil to your bag as Shota speaks.

"I won't... probably," he shrugs while you root through your bag, "So, Hizashi had taken Hitoshi out for ice cream because of - has he mentioned his middle school trauma?" at your nod, he continues, "Hitoshi was having a bad day from middle school, shocking, so you and I were left home alone together. You were probably seven and you really wanted to paint my nails and I let you. You..." he shook his head, snickering, "you fucked them up. So bad. But you were so happy to just be spending time with me- "

"Keep talking, but I'm gonna do your eyeshadow," you lean back in, swishing your brush over a navy blue, almost black shade, "Just so you guys know, Dad wanted to look like shit, don't unsubscribe cuz this is gonna come out bad."

"It won't be too bad, you're talented," Shota did his best to remain still, "But overall, you were just so adorable and it didn't even matter that the smudged nails got me teased in the teacher's lounge the next day. It all came off after like a week because it was shitty polish but you get the idea."

"Aww, I didn't know you kept it on, that's so sweet," you fall back briefly to inspect your work, "It's not awful but I'm only posting this because you're my dad."

"Of course, I did," Shota continued scrolling through the questions, "A lot of people are asking if you mean Dad or Daddy, and a lot more people are asking for pictures of your feet, you should block them all."

"Yeah, I got sickos in my replies too, just gotta scroll past em'."

"Disgusting..." Shota grumbled as you moved to his other eye, "Is 'electrodick' Kaminari, perchance?"

"Unfortunately."

"Gross, he asks if you had an 'I'm not like other girls' phase," Shota hummed quietly in thought, "Maybe when you were eight for like a month, but that's probably because except for Nemuri you didn't have any women in your life. Thankfully you moved on from that pretty quickly."

"Oh yeah, that was a gross, weird time. You and Papa also weren’t shitty people so I didn’t have a lot of misogynist influence."

"I like to think we did a good job," Shota sighed, finally moving back into his slouching position when you pulled away completely, "Is 'explosionmurder' Bakugou?"

"You know it."

"Okay well, he's asking if you plan on fucking up your bronzing again?" he thinks for a moment, “Was that from when you looked kinda copper-ish in a video?

"Oh my God, that was one time, Bakugou!" you shout and shake your brush at the camera, "One time!"

"I don't even know what blending is so you're doing better than I am."

"God, how are we related?"

Without hesitation, Shota replied, "Surrogate. Which answers summerlongsock's question."

"Nice," you chuckle, setting the brush back in your bag, "You probably won't need too much bronze or countour since you're going for bad," you immediately turn to the camera, "And Bakugou isn't gonna say a fucking word about it!"

"Is eyeliner next? And if so, I would enjoy a nice wing," Shota muttered, looking through the remaining questions, "Hitoshi asks why I haven't done a video with him yet."

You nod along while uncapping the liner, "I'm curious about that too. I thought my first video with a parent would be with Papa. I was gonna say family but..." you shrug, "Hitoshi was my first video and then Eri came on."

"He never asked," Shota closed both of his eyes, allowing you to move his head around as you pleased, "You just texted me the video idea and we set it up while I was in town. If Hitoshi wants a video so bad he should come up with an idea."

"Jeez, don't bully the poor boy," you laughed quietly, carefully applying more eyeliner to your father's left lid, "We should all do a video together. I think it'd be fun."

"Come up with an idea," he replied flatly before opening his eyes, "davinky wants to know when you got into makeup. Probably after thirteen, sometime."

"Yeah, I got my first real eyeshadow at like fourteen and then you guys just enabled my love of makeup after that."

"Well, the thing with that was, Hizashi and I didn't want you growing up thinking you had to wear makeup for any reason," Shota opened his eyes once he felt you back away, blinking a few times, "So we waited till you were more mature because giving makeup to a six-year-old is weird."

Capping your eyeliner, you traded it out for mascara, "Yeah, even little play kits are a bit ehhh. Don't close your eyes, but look down."

Following instruction, Shota took the opportunity to read off another question, "I can't see the name but someone's asking what we did together for fun. While you were a kid."

Humming quietly in thought, you move from one eye to the other, "We used to go to diners a lot. Those late-night diner trips, remember?"

"Oh yeah, you were such a little demon about bedtime. I had to take you to this little place for scrambled eggs or some shit and you'd fall asleep on the way back home."

Putting away your mascara, you reach out for your hairbrush before beginning to pull out the hair tie in Shota's hair, "Mina wanted me to ask what videos you show people when they ask what your kids do for a living."

"For Hitoshi, the one where he and Kaminari made Bakugou breakfast with sex toys. For you, the one where you turn yourself into Mina's little character - with the pink skin," Shota winced slightly at the tug of your hairbrush, "And Eri's a teacher so that information comes first since it's the least strange."

As you fussed with his tangled nest of hair, you read another question over Shota's shoulder, "When did you know you loved me? Like after adopting me."

"Not too long after the adoption was finalized actually," Shota grumbled as the brush made its final courses through his hair, "You've always been a really great kid. I don't know when I 'realized' but it was definitely around the time you were born, maybe like the day after."

"That's pretty good considering I was a stranger," you giggled, brushing out the final knots in his dark hair, "A baby stranger."

"Hmm," Shota hummed in response, "You almost done?"

Refraining from rolling your eyes, you fluffed Shota's now smooth and detangled hair around his shoulders with a small smile, "I'm done. Your hair is so pretty when it's brushed out."

"I know," the man muttered, handing your phone back, "Wanna do one more question and then sign off?"

"Yeah," you scroll through some of the questions, "I want it to be the best question that's ever been asked."

"Ask your own, you're great at that."

You shook your head with furrowed brows at his comment, "Is that a compliment?"

"It was meant to be."

"Thanks, but no need, I've found one. Midoriya wants to know if raising two attention whores was hard. He didn't say ‘attention whores’ because he doesn't swear but that's the vibe."

"What's Midoriya's at?" Shota asked.

"SmallMight."

"Of course," the man grumbled, closing his eyes to think, "You two were honestly pretty easy to raise. Not a whole lot of fits compared to what I've heard other parents talk about. You both liked to talk a lot to each other, and, of course, to Hizashi and me. Not terribly difficult at all."

"Aww, I'm glad we didn't make you pull your hair out," you grin.

"Oh, you still did. Absolutely."

"Nice," you giggle before turning off your phone and facing the camera, "Okay guys, well, I hope you don't clown on me as much as usual because if you do, my dad will... I don't know… kick your ass."

"Exactly," Shota nodded, a horrific smile on his face, "I'll beam right into your living room."

"Hopefully you guys come back next week where I'll..." floundering for an answer, you turn to your dad as if he’d give you ideas, "Create wings to do it better than Icarus ever could."

Giving a singular stiff nod, Shota looked dead at the camera, "I'd watch it."

"You heard it from the main man himself, peeps," you waved to the camera, Shota copying the motion, “Bye!”

"If there's one comment about my eyebags, I'm never coming on your channel again," Shota lied as you leaned over to stop recording.

"They're gonna love you, I'm sure," you assure your father, "Wanna see how I edit?"

"God no, Hitoshi showed me how long it takes to edit his videos, it looks like hell."

[aminiatureworld]

Spotlight

Characters: Albedo, Kazuha, Xiao, gn!reader

Word Count: 3,707

Warnings: Swearing

Premise: Modern AU in which the reader’s s/o is famous.

Author’s Note: My first crack at a modern AU and I enjoyed it immensely! My personal media of choice definitely came through in this prompt. I would now kill for Albedo to read Shakespeare. Also streamer Kazuha is an inspired idea, thank you anon for that! Not to mention musician Xiao, truly chef’s kiss.

Albedo

Albedo was a stage actor, both by education and by trade. Starting in high school he began in local productions, before entering into the Mondstadt Theateracademie. After appearing as Estragon in a filmed version of Waiting for Godot, he began to be scouted for various television miniseries, eventually becoming a well-respected film actor.

You arrived somewhere in the middle of his career. Working as a costume assistant at the Academie you had quickly fallen for the inquisitive and deceptively intense soul that exuded every color of emotion onstage, from raging anger to soft sorrow, before stepping into the wings and resuming an aura of utter calm. He had captivated you, both as an actor and as a human being; and when you learned that he had also become slightly infatuated with you, well, it was hard not to feel like you had stepped into a wonderful play, or perhaps simply a wonderful play had been brought to life.

The switch from theatre to screen was certainly a jarring one for both of you. When the first film contract was offered Albedo had stared at it for a long time, rereading it over and over again as the coffee in front of him quickly turned cold.

“Is there something wrong with the contract?” You had asked.

“No, it’s not that. It’s only…”

“Only?”

“Only on stage there is a single audience. You can feel their reactions, can measure their response. There is nothing nebulous about the people around you. But on film you cannot do that. You cannot adjust for time of day, or whether it’s a weekend or a Friday performance. You must let your lines out and hope that they land without even being able to calculate it.”

“It’s not a science experiment my darling,” you had teased.

“Maybe not,” Albedo admitted. Still he continued to read and reread, and it was only until the next afternoon that he had told you his answer.

Still, you had to admit that he made a fantastic actor. The naturally inward part of your partner’s personality, the part that always seemed to jump out the moment he left the stage, worked well to balance with the camera’s need for subtlety, unlike the projection required for stage plays. It was little surprise then that he should grow so popular. Despite all the worries about measuring audience response, there was no doubting the success of Albedo’s acting career.

Being a naturally withdrawn person Albedo mostly stayed off of social media. He had one private Instagram for friends – he didn’t post anything; one private Facebook for family – the only picture was one of you two in the mountains next to a particularly weird looking rock; and WhatsApp – which could barely be counted. Thus when he started blowing up on Twitter – a platform you had a mostly unused account on – the reaction was mostly one of “why are they talking about me?”

Not that Albedo minded fan enthusiasm, indeed when people started showing up in droves at the stage door for him he was always careful to thank everyone collectively and talk to as many people as possible, it just sort of confused him that so many people should take a vested interest in the actor and not just the character.

“It’s because they want to show you how wonderful they think your performances are,” you’d explained.

“I don’t have Twitter,” Albedo deadpanned.

Despite his protests though you sometimes caught him scrolling on your account, face slightly red at all the positive attention. His habit of internal self-deprecation had never truly gone away. That fact became slightly unfortunate in the face of hate comments. It was hard for Albedo not to take things personally. If someone said his acting was shit then you would catch Albedo reading the same line over and over again, as if to achieve mathematical perfection. It was a difficult urge to fight, and you were always careful to give Albedo plenty of reassurance when these things popped up, as well as surreptitiously blocking the trolls that wandered their way onto your dash.

This habit to take things at face value did not apply when you entered the mix. As far as Albedo was concerned you were his partner and no amount of complaining online would make him second guess that or second guess your worth. Even if you thought that you had a better hold on social media assholerly than he did Albedo would still make sure that for every hate comment that floated your way there were at least three compliments on his part. Mentioning you off-handedly in press interviews, saying that he had to go home to his partner, leaving small sketches on post-it notes scattered throughout your apartment, there were no lengths that Albedo wouldn’t go to assure you. And, if you had to admit, these things truly did make you feel better on the days when the small part of your brain said that this wasn’t mindless social media harassment.

Being an actor Albedo had an incredibly fine-tuned sense of the way that people responded to emotions, as if he were performing some grand sort of scientific experiment to see how many people he could sway with his gift. As of such he was always careful that, regardless of his success, things between you were never upturned. You were with him before he was really famous, and you would be there during and after. Albedo loved you deeply; though he often said that he hated romance plays for how sappy they were in his mind your relationship was the one, glowing exception – regardless of the other happy couples in the world. Though it was slightly idealistic, it was the kind of intensity that comprised Albedo’s personality, was the thing that had garnered him so much success.

Albedo loved you deeply, and no amount of surprise movie contracts would change that.

 Kazuha

You had to admit that when you had met Kazuha you had no idea about his double life as a streamer. He was merely one of the many singers that came and went to the recording studios, all people eager to unleash their talent on the world. But unlike the rest of them, Kazuha could make you laugh.

Perhaps then it was unsurprising that Kazuha should be a popular streamer. Though his often florid talking style might seem on paper like it would be too grating for streaming, in reality his soft cadence combined with a dry sense of humor made him wildly popular. He rarely lost his temper, making him palatable to those who wanted to have a fun time without blowing their ears out, and when he did lose it his hyper-specific, often nonsensical insults were the stuff of memes. No, in retrospect it was not all that surprising that Kazuha was a beloved streamer.

At heart though, Kazuha had told you over coffee, the enthusiastic and earnest internet sensation was a poet.

“When you’ve had a life as dissonant as mine, how can you not be?” He’d joked. And indeed perhaps he was right, for Kazuha was as wonderful a poet as you had ever read. He was born to be a writer, you had told him.

You were also an aspiring singer, as well as a friend of the studio owner where you did your recordings. As such you had made it a habit to help around the studio when you weren’t also working or studying. As you and Kazuha were both students with intense side jobs, the good natured complaining of overworked students also made their way into you rapport, a friendship that grew day-by-day. Eventually it sprouted into love.

Though you knew that Kazuha was a streamer when your relationship started, in reality you hadn’t realized how truly popular he had become. The first time you watched one of his streams you were blown away by his popularity. Watching your first livestream only cemented that. It was hard to believe that your down-to-earth, slightly self-effacing, partner could have garnered such a large fanbase. Not that you didn’t think he deserved it. He absolutely did. However after seeing that you admitted you were a bit awestruck.

“Why? Am I not the same person on screen and off?”

“Of course you are! It’s just, well, my partner’s a celebrity!”

“I would go that far,” Kazuha laughed.

“Well you certainly are to me!”

Nevertheless your dynamic didn’t change much afterwards, besides the occasional teasing on both of your parts. Kazuha was after all Kazuha at the end of the day.

At the beginning Kazuha didn’t mention you much on stream, certainly not by name, you had to admit you were a bit intimidated by the idea of being recognizable on the internet, even if it was just by name.

“This is also my partner’s favorite map.” Had been his first mention, during a game of Mario Kart.

Despite this offhanded remark however the chat had almost immediately exploded, followed by the rest of the fanbase. Though there was, of course, some disappointed buzz – isn’t there always – the reaction was immensely positive. Positive, and curious.

After a while Kazuha started mentioning you more often in streams, especially after the two fo you moved in. Sometimes you would hear him as you passed him room – Kazuha liked to keep the door open – other times you would watch it on stream yourself.

“My partner hates this character. Too bad you can’t throw evidence.”

“Nobody tell my partner that I’m afraid of basements. I don’t need them to know that when laundry day rolls around.”

“Hey if you’re watching this dear, I promise that it’s not that much money. You don’t need to look at the bank account. Who am I kidding, this is why we don’t share one.”

“Hey, darling I know you’re watching this. Can you check and make sure I left my keys on the coffee table, they aren’t on my desk. Also can you make tea?”

Despite fans knowing very little about you, you were surprised by the amount of positive comments that flooded the streams. You had to admit that your initial expectations had been “people are going to find me annoying”. Instead funny comics of your voice drifting in from the other room popped up, along with a lot of waving and “tell your partner not to trust you with the keys” after Kazuha fell off a cliff one too many times. It was an odd experience, to be so happy about the comments of faceless people, people to whom you were also faceless.

Eventually Kazuha’s hardwork in singing paid off and his first single was recorded and given a deal. On the evening of the release livestream Kazuha set up in the living room, angling the camera so that you could sit on the chair just out of frame. You had talked about the release for months now, and a few weeks ago Kazuha had brought up the idea of a pseudo-stream reveal.

“I was wondering if you’d like to say hello to the audience or wave when my song is released. I understand that you’re hesitant about those sort of things, and I would never ask of you something that would make you uncomfortable. This relationship is the most precious thing to me, and I wouldn’t want you to feel pressured or exploited in any ways.”

“Thank you for being so considerate Kazuha. I’ll think about it.”

Now you sat in the chair, fidgeting slightly, waiting as the countdown on his laptop reached one. You excitement certainly seemed matched by that of the fans, who were typing wildly in the chat.

Eventually the screen faded to black and the chatting quieted down. The first few notes of a wooden flute emerged, combined with the strumming of a guitar. As the familiar words began to echo through the laptop speaker you found yourself washed away. Kazuha was always enthralling when he sang. At the end of the song was a dedication, and though Kazuha had already alluded to it, the sincerity still took your breath away.

To my dearest partner. My compass and my guiding star throughout this realization of my dream. You are my sun and my stars, and I’m forever devoted to you. Thank you for sharing in this project, and thank you for giving me such love.

Perhaps it was slightly saccharine. Regardless you felt the sudden, uninhibited urge to cry.

“So, what did everyone think?” Kazuha asked into the mic, face reappearing on screen. He was slightly giddy, and you watched as his hand tugged on the fabric of his linen belt.

Immediately the chat exploded, as waves of “that was amazing”, “I’m crying now”, and “the end was so sweet!” flooded the screen.

“Thank you all for the encouragement!” Kazuha let out a laugh, one that you could tell was one of utter euphoria, and no little relief. “There’s someone else I think who would like to thank you.”

Who knew that a small sentence could cause such a splash?

You barely had time to let out a tentative “Hello,” before an immediate wave of excited screaming covered the bottom left of Kazuha’s stream. “Thank you for supporting Kazuha’s song. And thank you for always being nice to me.” With a tentative wave of the hand you collapsed back on your chair, slightly hysterical laughter rising inside you out of the relief that flooded through you upon seeing the enthused fan reaction.

Afterwards your voice became the occasional guest on Kazuha’s streams, always greeted with enthusiasm. Kazuha continued to grow in popularity, and his music continued to capture a larger and larger audience.

All throughout this you never felt a snag in your relationship. Kazuha may have been a big streaming personality, but he was also a kind and considerate partner, the best that one could ask for in a significant other. Kazuha’s love was never in question. And neither was yours.

 Xiao

Sometimes you were a little self-conscious about the way that you met Xiao.

Though Xiao had definitely grown a following by the time you met – being the main pianist for a popular singer and a classical pseudo-prodigy in both piano and flute his own right certainly had roped him an enthusiastic fanbase – you had simply known him as “the guy who hogs the practice room”.

“I swear to the gods, how long can that bastard take to practice!” You texted angrily at your friend one day. Qixing Conservatory was the premiere music place in Liyue, but what should’ve been an amazing opportunity was being overshadowed by a practice room partner who appeared to not have a life, one who also had the obnoxious habit of playing the same damn thing over, and over, and over again.

“Playing the same piece as before?”

“Yes! Ugh I don’t even know what it’s called but I’ve heard it enough times to last a lifetime, maybe five!”

“Damn I’m sorry, what time does he usually end?”

“I don’t even know. Some time in the early evening. It’s obviously never gotten through to his brain that other people also need to practice. Or that hearing the same notes over and over while waiting makes me want to chuck my binder against a wall.”

“Lol. I kinda want to hear it now. Can you send a video, will the sound pick up?”

“I don’t know how it wouldn’t.”

“…”

“Holy shit! Okay, I need you to watch this video and tell me if you recognize the pianist.”

Safe to say you nearly fell out of your chair upon figuring out Xiao’s identity. Not that you weren’t already about to out of pure exasperation. Still, there was something much more intimidating about shaming a successful musician, and you no longer had the urge to glare at Xiao every time he left the practice room. Honestly, you would have been perfectly happy keeping your head down and never interacting with him at all.

Fate, however, has a sense of humor.

To be fair, some of it was your fault. You knew that Erlkonig was a massively difficult piece. You knew that you should’ve picked something else, knew that even Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata mvt. Three had to be less painful than the non-vocal arrangement you’d placed in front of your eyes. You were never trusting your music taste with your piece choices again. This was a terrible mistake.

“These stupid fucking running notes!” You let out, a groan of exasperation racing through you. Half slamming (you weren’t crazy) the piano cover down you swung the door of the practice room open. You didn’t want to deal with this anymore. Trying to ignore the embarrassment that rose up seeing Xiao waiting on a chair next to the door you went to walk down the hallway.

“You should work on it with a dotted sixteenth note pattern.”

It was the first time that Xiao had ever spoken to you.

Afterwards a rapport slowly grew between the two of you. Often Xiao said nothing as you passed, rarely you made a gesture of recognition when he finally reappeared from the practice room. However soon the occasional word or phrase of advice grew into longer sentences, later these sentences evolved into pieces of conversation. Soon enough you discovered, to your slight horror, that you found yourself yearning for Xiao’s company.

Almost as soon as you’d finally figured out your feelings you were hit with a wave of denial. You weren’t falling for Xiao? How could you fall for someone who got on your nerves so much? Sure he gave you advice, but what about it? You deserved it after having to hear him over and over again while waiting. Certainly Xiao didn’t seem interested in you, he barely talked to you! Yeah he was getting more talkative, but it’s easier to talk to people when you’re giving them advice. There’s no way you were in love with Xiao. And there was no way he was in love with you.

To say that Xiao’s career as a musician, never mind his genuine technical talent at two instruments, was a barrier would be an understatement. The moment you thought you were making some progress, finally admitting to yourself that this crush was, in fact, real, a wave of anxiety would pass over you. Xiao was too good for you, he was too important. Here was a man who had a successful musical career already up in the air while you banged frustratedly on the keys. Why would someone that successful be interested in you? Not to mention the fact that he didn’t seem interested.

Because, you had to admit, you did like Xiao’s music. Not just his classical repertoire, but his pop music as well. It was slightly jazzy, mellow and playful and utterly unlike the scowling musician behind it – something you secretly thought extremely cute and surprisingly charming. To him you were just a practice roommate, and you were sure he’d find the idea of dating someone who was more familiar with his public persona irritating.

So you buried your feelings, or tried to. Unfortunately like sometimes attracts like, and just as Xiao secretly had the emotional understanding of a teaspoon, you weren’t nearly as clever about things as you would like.

“Is there something on my face?” Xiao asked, his voice gruff and slightly reluctant.

“No, why would there be?”

“Because you’re staring at it!”

“Oh, I’m sorry!” You let your head drop, looking intently at the ivories in front of you. Eventually there was a sigh.

“You don’t have to do that. I… I don’t mind.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! You staring down is weird too. Let’s, let’s just hurry up and do this passage.”

After that you became more aware of your staring habit. You also became more aware of Xiao’s own habit, leaning towards you. Sometimes you swore that you could feel the tips of his hair tickling your neck, light and feathery and stealing all your attention.

“Hey, Xiao, do you need glasses?”

“Why would you asked that!” Xiao flared up, face reddening. By this time you’d become more accustomed to these flareups of grumpiness, and ignoring it you pressed on.

“It’s just, you seem to be leaning forward.”

“I’m not!” Immediately Xiao shifted back, almost stepping away. Without thinking about it you reached to grab his hand.

“I didn’t mean it was a bad thing!” You got out, before becoming aware of your hand grasping Xiao’s. The touch felt electric, and you were suddenly so very aware of everything, yet unable to focus at all.

“Then you shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Xiao grumbled.

Slowly the musician leaned closer to you once more. You had already half stood up and now you found yourself stepping closer to Xiao. The world continued to shrink until you were almost pressed together. Xiao was leaning forward, as were you, and the longer tufts of his hair were tickling your cheek, helped by the fan whirring away in the corner. Your hand was still in his, but all your thoughts appeared to have died away.

“Xiao?”

“Is this, too close?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

“Xiao?”

“What?”

“I like your music. I hope that doesn’t bother you.”

“Why would it?”

“I don’t know. I just, I also like you, not just your music. But I also like your music.”

“I also like yours too.”

Perhaps it wasn’t the most romantic of confessions, but at that point you were far too carried away by the moment, or maybe by the fact that was the most sentences Xiao had strung together that weren’t about triplets. Regardless of the fact, you were suddenly seized by incredible happiness, as all appeared to right itself.

Afterwards initially little changed, Xiao was a gruff as ever, you were still itching to play in the practice room more. Nevertheless when you went to a concert of his for the first time and he let out a small, almost imperceptible, smile your way you knew things had changed. They would keep changing perhaps, or maybe they wouldn’t. After all, this moment was beautiful.

So much that you didn’t even mind the hours spent waiting for the practice room.

[dottielovegood]

ASMR - Chapter 4

Elriel fanfiction

About this fic:

Azriel can’t sleep Elain has an ASMR channel Match made in heaven (or you know, on youtube..)

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You can find chapter 1 here, chapter 2 here and chapter 3 here

Read this fic on AO3

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The following week, Azriel read Elain’s messages too many times to admit. He had answered her that “meat banjo” was, indeed, a vile word, and after that, they hadn’t really talked or texted.

He had saved her number as “Elain”, which had felt weirdly private. As if they were friends, which they were not. He was just her friendly helper, and she was his remedy for nightmares.

However, even though they didn’t know each other, Azriel felt an odd sensation in his chest when he thought about her. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought that he was missing her, which was absurd. But the tight little knot in his chest felt very much like longing. He tried to tell himself that this was weird and stupid. He knew that he had a crush on her (even though he hated to admit it), but he could also see that it was a pointless crush. She was an internet sensation, he was a boring IT guy. She was light and happiness and flowers, he was dark and brooding. She made people smile, he made people uncomfortable. And then there was the practical side of things. They had met on the internet. She probably lived on the other side of the country. Hell, she could even live in a different country for all he knew. She might have a partner already - it’s not like he asked. And, last but not least, she probably didn’t have a crush on him.

Before talking to her on the phone, he had just thought that she was a pretty girl that deserved kindness. But after their phone call, he had definitely developed a crush. Which was another reason why he hadn’t texted her. He didn’t want to bother her and he didn’t want to have this crush. He wanted to stop feeling like this for a girl he would never see in real life. Yet, every night before bed, he found himself on her youtube page, watching one of her many videos.

She uploaded a new video to Youtube every Friday, so when Friday came around, Azriel was itching to get home so he could go to sleep (he told himself that he was looking forward to sleeping and not to seeing her face).

However, he had an entire workday to get through first. The office was mostly an open landscape and Azriel’s desk was next to Cassian’s. The only person with his own office was Rhysand, which was fair since he was the owner of the company. At two in the afternoon, Rhys poked his head out of his office.

“You guys are still coming for dinner this weekend, right?”

“Yeah,” Azriel and Cassian answered in unison.

“I told Feyre that I would help her with the food,” Azriel continued.

Rhys looked like he was going to kiss Azriel. “Oh, god. Thank you, man. I was scared that we would have to repeat the Christmas dinner,” he said and shuddered.

Feyre hated to cook and Rhys did most of the cooking at home, but for some inexplicable reason, she always wanted to cook for holidays or family dinners. To everyone’s dismay. Christmas had been no exception. She had burned the turkey, added salt instead of sugar to the dessert and somehow managed to buy the wrong berries for her cranberry sauce. Luckily, Rhys had been prepared and bought a few frozen pizzas and some ice cream, so the day wasn’t that much of a disaster, but nobody wanted to brave Feyre’s cooking again.

“Why don’t you just cook?” Cassian asked without looking up from his screen.

“You know that she kicks me out if I so much as go near the kitchen when we have these family dinners. And since she started the hormone treatment, she has been a bit bitchy when she gets mad, so I’ll just do whatever she says.”

Azriel chuckled. He could tell from Rhysand’s tone that Feyre had been more than “a bit” bitchy.

“I don’t understand why she lets Azriel help, though…”

“Maybe because she knows that I’ll tell her to sit down with a glass of wine and a magazine, and then she can take all of the credit for the food?”

“Fair enough.” Rhys shrugged. “Just burn the food a little bit, or it won’t be believable.”

Cassian snorted. “No one would believe that something edible was made by your wife. Sorry.”

“She does make a great green smoothie, though,” Rhys grinned and held up his glass.

Azriel and Cassian looked at each other and had to bite their tongues to keep from laughing. The smoothie looked vile and smelled even worse.

After a few more minutes of small talk, Rhys went back to his office for an important phone call. “See you on Saturday,” he reminded them before closing the door.

Azriel and Cassian worked in silence for the remainder of the day.

When Azriel came home that evening, he made a quick pasta carbonara to eat in front of the TV. He was re-watching New Girl. It was his comfort show and absolutely nobody knew that he watched it (and had watched it multiple times). He would take that information with him to the grave. But it was fun and cute and sometimes he liked to imagine his friends as characters in the show. Cassian was probably Schmidt, because Nesta was one hundred percent Cece. Feyre was Jess, which meant that Rhys was Nick. And then there was Azriel. He wanted to say that he was a very cool character, but most characters on this show weren’t cool, and also, he was definitely Winston. Alone with a cat - sounds about right , Azriel thought to himself as he finished his bowl of pasta.

When the episode ended he just waited for the next to start. He didn’t have any plans for the night and nowhere to be. His phone vibrated where he had left it on the kitchen counter. He ignored it, feeling too lazy to get up. But then it vibrated again. With a sigh, he got up. He expected to see a text from Mor telling him to bring wine tomorrow, or maybe a strange meme from Cassian. What he didn’t expect was to see Elain’s name on his screen.

He could feel his heart in his throat as he read her messages.

Elain Hey, Shadowsinger. I’m uploading a new video soon. You should watch it!

Elain I hope that message didn’t sound creepy? I just meant that I think you might like it.

Azriel’s hands were sweaty.

Azriel You didn’t sound creepy at all. Of course, I’ll watch your video. May I ask what I can expect from it?

Just seconds later, Elain answered.

Elain You can ask, but I might not tell ;)

Azriel Should I be worried?

Elain Haha, no! I think it turned out great. You were my inspiration :)

Azriel could feel himself blush. He had never been someone’s inspiration before.

Azriel So, I’m your muse? ;)

Oh god, was that too flirty? Was the winky-face too much? He wished that he could take back the message.

Elain For tonight, yes!

Azriel stared at his phone, unsure of what to answer. Luckily, Elain wrote to him again.

Elain What are you doing tonight?

Azriel Nothing. Just eating pasta and watching TV. How about you?

Elain That sounds amazing. I have been editing this video for hours so I’m just tired and cranky, haha. I have just ordered a pizza and I think I’ll just eat it in bed as soon as this video has finished uploading. What did you watch?

Azriel If I told you, I would have to kill you.

Elain Oh, intriguing! Is it trashy drama? I bet it’s Grey’s anatomy! Or maybe… Love Island?

Azriel stared at his phone. Did she really think that he would watch something like Love Island?

Azriel I watched New Girl, okay. Don’t tell anyone.

Elain Your secret is safe with me! Also, I love New Girl! Especially Winston!

It felt as if someone was squeezing Azriel’s heart.

Azriel Really? Which character would you be?

Elain My pizza is here so I am going to put all of my electronics in a different room and eat my pizza while reading a good book. It was great talking to you, Azriel! Please tell me what you thought of the video when you have watched it.

Elain Oh, and I would probably be Winston’s cat. lol

Azriel almost dropped his phone. If he had to be alone with a cat for the rest of his life, he would definitely want Elain to be his cat , he thought to himself. Which was a weird thing to think about someone you didn’t know. Azriel dropped his head to his kitchen counter and took a deep breath before replying.

Azriel It was great talking to you too, Elain. Enjoy your dinner and your book :)

She didn’t answer, but she didn’t have to. Azriel was going to be thinking about her for the rest of the night anyway.

30 minutes later, he got a notification telling him that Flower Girl ASMR had uploaded a new video. The video was called “ASMR for IT-guys”, which made him chuckle. He clicked the video and Elain’s beautiful face filled his screen again.

“Hello, my lovelies, lovelies, lovelies,” she whispered in her microphone. “This week’s video will be a bit different,” she continued, slowly moving her hands in front of the camera. “This video was inspired by my friend who recently helped me with some computer-related issues, issues, issues.”

Azriel loved it when she repeated words like that. And he liked that he somehow was a part of this video. It was something that connected them. Azriel paused the video and got into bed, knowing fully well that he would probably fall asleep soon if he kept watching this.

He pressed play again. “So, today, I thought that we would try a few computer-related triggers. I have a keyboard here,” she said and started typing on a keyboard that was out of view. “I thought that I would say a few trigger words while typing them.”

She smiled at the camera and pressed a few more keys. “I just wrote my friend’s name, but you won’t get to know who he is. But you know who you are. Thank you for your help!”

Azriel felt all warm inside.

She continued the video. “The first trigger word is IP address ”. Azriel laughed as she repeated the word multiple times while typing quickly.

“And then we have, laptop, laptop, laptop,” she continued, and Azriel felt shivers go down his spine when she popped the p’s.

Azriel had never thought that he would fall asleep to someone whispering “HTML coding” in his ears, but here he was. Relaxed and ready to sleep.

All thanks to Flower Girl ASMR.

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

The next day, Azriel texted Elain that he had loved the video. He waited for hours, but no reply came. Maybe she just wanted to repay me for helping her? Azriel thought. Maybe she would stop talking to him now that he had seen the video.

The thought of never talking to Elain again made him feel a new kind of ache in his chest. An ache he didn’t want to feel. This stupid crush needs to end, he muttered to himself as he started to scrub his kitchen counter. He tried to ignore the feeling by keeping busy. He cleaned his apartment and did some laundry before heading over to his friends’ house.

Rhys greeted him by the door and ushered him inside.

“She started cooking like 15 minutes ago, please save whatever can be saved,” he whispered to Azriel. Azriel chuckled and made his way to the kitchen. On the way there, he passed the living room and stopped to greet his friends. He saw most of them on a daily basis because of work, but he was still happy to see them. Cassian and his fiancée Nesta sat close together on one of the green velvet couches. On the opposite couch sat Mor and Amren. Mor was one of the journalists at Velaris News, and Amren was an editor. They had known each other for years. Amren and Rhys had studied together at university, and Mor was Rhysand’s cousin. Once upon a time, Azriel had a crush on Mor. One night after one too many glasses at Rita’s he confessed his feelings to her and she had looked horrified. He had expected her to tell him that she didn’t fancy him and leave it at that, but instead, she had blurted “I like girls!”

Azriel was the first person she ever came out to, and he had felt honored. He also knew now that they wouldn’t have worked out together in the long run (even if Mor had been straight). They were just too different. She was energetic and outgoing and fun, he needed peace and quiet. But she was still one of his very best friends.

Amren on the other hand, he didn’t know as well. She had always been very private, but she was damn good at her job.

“Where’s Varian tonight?” Azriel asked Amren, trying to make small talk.

“How should I know?” she answered quickly. “I’m not his mother.”

Cassian stared at her. “But you are his girlfriend?”

She shrugged. “I don’t like to label things.”

Nesta rolled her eyes. Amren had lived with Varian for the past two years, but she was still reluctant to tell anyone about their relationship.

Azriel made his way into the kitchen, and from what he could tell, he made it just in time.

“What are you making, Feyre?” he asked, because truthfully, he couldn’t tell.

Feyre turned around quickly as if he had startled her. “Oh, hi Az,” she said and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

Something was burning.

“I was trying to make lamb chops with glazed carrots, roasted potatoes, and salsa verde, but…” she gestured to the stove, which looked like a disaster.

Azriel chuckled. “That’s ambitious.” He lifted the lid from one of the pots and could clearly see that she had overcooked the lamb 10 minutes ago. Also, why had she made them in a pot, and not a frying pan? It would be inedible.

The potatoes were still in the sink, unpeeled.

She gave him a strained smile. “Will you help me?”

“Of course.” Azriel put the grocery bag he had brought with him on the kitchen island. “On one condition.”

“Anything.” She sounded desperate.

“Please, for the love of god, let Rhys cook when we come over. You really don’t have to show off. You are good at many things, Feyre. But cooking is unfortunately not one of them.”

She nodded. “I know,” she sat down on one of the stools at the kitchen island and buried her face in her hand. “I just...I need to be able to cook when I become a mother.”

Azriel took her hand in his. “You really don’t. Nobody expect fathers to be good at cooking, so why should every mother be good at it? Honestly, just let Rhys cook while you play with the kids.”

She smiled at him. “That actually sounds amazing,” she sighed.

“Right?”

Azriel started to pull out some ingredients from the bag on the kitchen island. He held up the tomatoes and the spaghetti, “How about some pasta arrabbiata with burrata?”

“Sounds fancy.”

He shrugged. “Everything sounds fancier in a different language. It’s just pasta with a spicy tomato sauce, and burrata on top.”

“Whatever you make will probably be better than that mess,” she said and glanced towards the stove. Azriel couldn’t disagree.

“Probably,” he laughed and got to work. Azriel placed all the pots and pans in the sink and started chopping the vegetables for the sauce, and in just 30 minutes, dinner was served.

“You are my hero,” Feyre said and kissed his cheek as she carried the big bowl of pasta to the dining room.

Everyone had already gathered around the table, wine glasses in hand. As Azriel sat down, Mor poured him some wine.

“This looks amazing,” Nesta said and Cassian nodded in agreement.

“Thanks, Az helped a little,” Feyre said and winked at Azriel.

“Just a bit,” Azriel said and took a sip of wine.

The conversation (and wine) flowed freely, as it always did. Cassian and Nesta told them about their wedding plans, Mor gushed about Emerie, a girl she was dating, and Feyre told them about life as a high school art teacher. Azriel would never understand how anyone could choose to spend their days with teenagers, but Feyre loved it.

After two bottles of wine, Nesta and Mor were in an argument about which animal was the cutest.

“No, I am telling you, Sloths are cuter than any animal ever,” Mor exclaimed. “Have you seen their dopey little faces?”

“Sloths? Really?” Nesta looked at her as if she had suggested that the sky was green. “Red pandas are way cuter! They are cute and cuddly, Sloths just look like every single stoner I went to high school with.”

They had been at it for 10 minutes, which Azriel found to be quite impressive.

“Can you both just shut up?” Amren gritted out. “The cutest animals are koalas. They’re even cute when they fight. I am right, you are wrong. Please stop this meaningless discussion before I die from boredom.”

Nesta and Mor looked at Amren, and then at each other.

“We obviously have to see Koalas fight if you want us to end this conversation,” Mor said.

Nesta nodded. “Obviously. Give me your phone, Az,” she said and reached for his phone.

“Why do you need my phone?”

“Because mine is dead and yours is right there on the table. Also, your screen is big and we need to watch this in full HD, for obvious reasons.”

Azriel huffed a laugh, unlocked his phone, and handed it to Nesta.

She clicked the Youtube app, and then her face fell. She looked at Azriel as if he was an alien, and then she showed the phone to Cassian who looked at him with the same facial expression.

What the hell had they found?

He didn’t have anything weird on his phone. And he sure as hell didn’t watch porn on it.

“What?” Azriel asked, and Nesta turned the phone.

Fuck. The last video he had watched was still loaded on Youtube, and of course, it was Elain’s latest video.

“What the hell is this?” Nesta asked, almost looking angry.

Azriel didn’t understand why she found ASMR so wrong, but he desperately wanted to explain himself.

“Well, it’s ASMR. It’s kind of… well, it’s hard to explain, but it helps me sleep and– “

Nesta interrupted him before he could finish. “I know what ASMR is. I am wondering why you are watching Elain?”

Azriel stared at Nesta in shock. Did she also like Elain’s videos? But that wouldn’t explain the anger and confusion.

“Do you...know her?” Azriel asked.

“Yes, we went to university together. She’s our florist for the wedding. She was the florist at their wedding, too,” Nesta answered and gestured towards Rhys and Feyre. “Surely you have met her?”

Azriel could do nothing but shake his head in confusion. If he had ever met Elain, he would have known. You didn’t forget a face like hers.

“Please tell me you’re not stalking her like some creep, Az. Honestly, her last boyfriend was the world’s biggest asshat.”

“I’m not stalking her,” Azriel blurted out. “I’m just watching her videos to fall asleep, I promise. I– I didn’t know that you knew her.”

Nesta eyed him suspiciously. “So, is this just a coincidence?”

He nodded. “Weirder things have happened,” he said, trying to lighten the mood.

Nesta glanced at Cassian, and then back at Azriel. “Fine,” she said after a small eternity. “You would probably be cute together anyway. Sorry for insinuating that you would be a stalker.” She really did look remorseful. “That wasn’t fair. I’m just very protective of her. She’s the nicest girl, but she has horrendous taste in men.”

Azriel couldn’t answer, because his mind was still stuck on the fact that Nesta said that they would be cute together. He wanted to ask Nesta why she thought that. He kind of also wanted to ask her if Elain lived here in Velaris, and what her favorite movie was, and if she, by any chance, had a boyfriend. But he refrained, he didn’t want to sound like a stalker.

“So, what the fuck is ASMR?” Cassian asked. “Is it like porn?”

Before Azriel could answer, Rhys said “It’s like porn for your ears, I guess,” and then the entire table was laughing.

“Nesta,” Feyre said when the laughter had died down. “Does Elain still have that cute, little shop on River Street?”

“Mhm,” Nesta answered and took a sip of her wine.

Azriel could kiss Feyre for asking. And if he wasn’t mistaken, he could see her wink in his direction before raising her water glass to her lips.

Azriel walked home that evening with a million thoughts in his head.

He made a list in his head:

Elain lived in Velaris

River Street was literally a 10-minute walk from his home.

Nesta thought that they would be cute together

This meant nothing

She probably didn’t even like him back

Just because they were in the same city, it didn’t mean that they would ever meet.

This was still just a crush

And it was probably one-sided

She hadn’t even answered his latest text message.

And as if on cue, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Elain I’m sorry that I didn’t answer you earlier. I’ve been at work all day. We had a leak in the basement and everything was just chaos. I haven’t even checked my phone until now.

He mentally scratched number 9 from his list.

Azriel No worries! Did you fix the leak?

Azriel checked the time on his phone: 23.30

Had she dealt with this leak until now?

Elain Yes! But so many flowers were ruined (I’m a florist) and I had to remake a few arrangements for a wedding that’s coming up.

Elain I’m sorry. You probably don’t care. I’m happy that you liked the video :)

Azriel wanted to tell her that he did care. That everything she said was interesting to him. He would probably even find her Starbucks order fascinating. But that bordered on stalker behavior.

Azriel Again, no worries! Sometimes when you’ve had a bad day, you just need someone to vent to.

Elain Exactly! Thank you for letting me vent :) This day is finally over!

There was a selfie attached to the last message.

Elain was standing in front of a big window surrounded by flowers. She was wearing a white, oversized shirt and her hair was in a messy bun. She looked tired but happy. She was giving him ‘thumbs up’ in the photo and through the window, he could see the Sidra. They were indeed in the same city. It made him both happy and nervous.

Elain Sweaty but happy to be heading home :)

Azriel received that last message when he walked through the door to his apartment. What the hell was he supposed to answer?

But then he thought back to Nesta’s words.

You would probably be cute together.

So he took a deep breath and gathered all his courage.

Azriel You still look beautiful though

He stared at his phone. Would she answer? Would she block him? Would she tell him to stop being a creep?

Elain Thank you :) What do you look like? I might have forgotten ;)

Okay. That was flirty. Even Azriel could tell that that was a flirty text message, and he was usually oblivious to such things. He quickly walked to his bathroom (it was the room with the best lighting). He checked his shirt (no stains) and mussed with his hair.

“Good enough,” he muttered, and snapped a selfie.

Before he could chicken out, he sent it to her.

Within seconds, he received a reply.

Elain Beautiful!

[yeolmae-s]

a chanbaek analysis from a veteran exo-l (part 2)

CLICK HERE TO READ PART ONE

Writing this was a bit harder in comparison to the first part, because I wanted to organize things into a neat timeline, but I ended up not having enough patience for it lol specially because both of ChanBaek's main archive blogs seem to have deleted their pages documenting each date of EXO's early years. Therefore I apologize in advance if this part is a bit more messy. Also, please don't forget that all of this is my opinion and I don't mean for any of it to be taken as truth!

I kind of want to jump from MAMA era directly into Wolf era, since we don't really have a lot of cover regarding their debut phase besides Chanyeol's overeagerness and Baekhyun's awkwardness towards it, so to sum it up, I felt as if Chanyeol was more confident and consistent on what he thought an idol should act like, while Baekhyun (sweet, innocent Baekhyun who was a trainee for less than a year!) was still unsure on how to act on camera.

On the few early variety shows/interviews EXO appeared on, the members always pointed out how funny Baekhyun was, how good he'd be at variety and at doing imitations, but he never really lived up to all the praise on camera, although off of it, he most likely was as good as his members claimed.

He was a bit stiff on his early days in comparison to what we see today, and that's normal, I guess, since he debuted really quickly, but when you compare him to Chanyeol the contrast is so interesting, because the latter was able to latch on to a persona as soon as the public gave him one, while to me, Baekhyun was still doubtful regarding what to put on display. In the end, deep inside, Baekhyun is a private person, and was even more so when he wasn't confident enough to talk to fans like he does today.

Once again, I’m sorry for not being able to upload the gifs directly into the post, so I’ll just link them like I did on my last one.

This is another one of the moments where Baek appears to tell Chanyeol to just. Hold on for a bit.

There's another one similar to this where Chanyeol does the same thing (try to whisper on Baekhyun's ear) and Baekhyun fake laughs and stares at a fan's camera right after. Then, his expression just goes blank. It's really interesting to watch because you can just see the gears spinning on Chanyeol's brain as he stares at Baekhyun for a second and clearly thinks alright, fanservice time, and leans in to whisper something: it happens so fast you just know it wasn't genuine whispering, just a playful interaction for the fans, and Baekhyun's direct stare to the camera as soon as it happens just confirms this for me. 

1: Chanyeol spots his target.

2: He’s really thinking this through.

3: Baek's in a perfect position for whispering-time, so he leans in and does his thing.

4: Baekhyun laughs.

5: And stares directly at a fan's camera.

6: Immediately regrets his life choices. Chanyeol looks pleased.

It's actually better to watch the whole thing, so I'll leave it here. (starts on 0:28!)

(Random note: on this date EXO perfomed a cover of H.O.T's We Are The Future, and I feel like a lot of new EXO-Ls have not seem it and I adore this performance, so I'll link it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1-z4s3fdgo)

Now let's jump on to Wolf era, shall we?

Wolf era

I can't help but laugh when I think about how wild 2013 was for both EXO and EXO-Ls. They had their first hit song (which was Growl, not Wolf) the fandom grew considerably, shippers where just discovering the cute ISAC moments between "BaekYeol" and "HunHan"... Or at least that's how everyone remembers most of what happened during that year.

Are we forgetting the rumoured ChanBaek fight?

Considering their past interactions on airports, SMTOWN concerts, ISAC and other events, ChanBaek was now widely known to be close to each other. Baekhyun even said Chanyeol was the one who made him open up, and both of them mentioned feeling this "connection" to each other as soon as they met (although jokingly).

After Mama, the fandom was content-less for a considerable period of time, and what most people did was sharing around old performances and repeat overused memes.  I think that in every fandom there is a period where fans establish their main inside jokes and basically just get together to create a collective line of thought for perceiving their idols. That being said, one of the most well established facts in the fandom was that Chanyeol and Baekhyun were close. That was a fact.But then Wolf came, and they suddenly were not. 

This gif is a good example of how awkward their interactions were. Not even my delusional shipping brain in 2013 was able to come up with an explanation for it.

They simply did not acknowledge each other at all, and Chanyeol appeared to be closer to Kyungsoo (I think Baekhyun interacted a lot with Tao, but that may have been during the Growl era, not Wolf. As I said before, I'm a Chanyeol stan guys, sorry lmao).

Point is, these two boys who seemed to be best friends suddenly were clearly distant from one another.

What added fuel to the fire of the rumours was their appearance on Sukira, a radio show, where Sehun cried because the members sometimes had fights. Here's a fanacc:

[130530] EXO at Sukira

Sehun cried because the members sometimes fight.

Sehun: "Let's be loyal to each other, don't fight, and go until the end"

D.O: "We've been under a lot of stress lately because of the comeback, so I wish we won't fight in the future and do our best"

Here's a video cut of this part of their interview. 

I think this ask on lets-talk-baekyeol, a popular ChanBaek analysis blog from back in the day, shows how curious a lot of fans were.

What happened back then?

There's really no answer for that. On my opinion, not even Chanyeol or Baekhyun could give us a concrete answer on it, because I don't think an actual fight happened. For me, it was most likely a personality clash, a disagreement that probably wasn't even voiced out loud, just both of them noticing how uncomfortable things got, if Baekhyun's reactions to Chanyeol's fanservice is any indication. I somehow doubt there was a specific episode that created this distance between them, specially because during Growl, they went back to being friends, although not as touchy on camera as before, as if one of them had established their limits (oh, I wonder who!), but I still have this feeling that all of this was unspoken, because unspoken things seem to be a pattern on ChanBaek's relationship (something I'll touch on later, hopefully).

But it was during Growl era that I noticed something else about Baekhyun.

Wolf era

EXO'S Showtime was a such a gift. I recommend reading lets-talk-baekyeol's blog for this. I don't really agree with everything they say they do present a lot of relevant points. I may repeat them here, since I noticed them myself as well, but credits for them nonetheless.

I remember finding the lack of ChanBaek interactions during the episodes really dissappointing, but considering the Wolf Era drought, this was better than nothing.

My 13 year old self was devastated when Baekhyun appeared so quiet during Chanyeol's birthday episode, and during a recent rewatch of it, I think realized why.

Baekhyun doesn't like superficial things. It's not that Chanyeol is insincere, but he's just better than Baekhyun is at handling people pleasing, even when he doesn't really mean what's he saying/doing. The Chanyeol birthday episode was heavily centered on Chanyeol's random admiration for Kai, which I think we can all agree that it was a little bit scripted or a really spur of the moment thing that they just ran along with and oh man. Baekhyun did not want to be part of it.

During ChanKai's hug, this is what he looked like on the background, and the poor boy even refused to eat cake. He's just in the back, which is weird, because he's such a talkative person and Chanyeol is one of his closest friends. The only moment where he seems to be genuinely comfortable is when Chanyeol blows the candle and it's really cute. To me, it seems that he was kind of embarrassed to witness so much acting from everyone else and was unable to participate because he struggles with things like this, but the moment Chanyeol blows his candles to comemorate his birthday seems sincere enough for him to fondly smile.

This ties in so well with everything from Mama Era. He's just unable to keep acting/people pleasing on the same easy way that Chanyeol does, but this time he's not as nervous about it as he was on his earlier-early days, where he probably felt pressured to actually do stuff. Now he just doesn't do **it, he just doesn't do something that he dislikes doing, and that sadly creates a distance between them on camera and probably on a deeper level in their relationship as well, because both are just realizing how different their perceptions over their jobs is.

There's also this moment that the mods on lets-talk-baekyeol pointed out.

On the Christmas episode, when the members leave the couch to go get their presents, Chanyeol stays seated while Baekhyun gets up to fetch his. This is the sitting arrangement before (almost) everyone got up:

But when Baekhyun comes back, there's free space next to Chanyeol, however he's hesitant to sit by his side. He actually hesitates and doesn't sit down. Jongdae even gives him a little push right after.

Baek just seems hesitant to do things on camera, to interact with Chanyeol in front of an audience. For this moment, I feel like he's afraid to sit next to Chanyeol and end up having to over act. It's not that Chanyeol himself makes him uncomfortable, but the image of the friendship that they ended up creating for fans demands a lot from him.

And when I say hesitant to do things on camera, I really do mean it, because when Baekhyun thinks he is not being recorded/seen, here's what he does:

Here and here.

Their relationship clearly changed, and I think the reason for it is actually simple: both of them were under the impression that they were compatible with each other when they actually were not. Their personalities are extremely different, even if the way they present themselves is sometimes similar. Wolf and Growl era was our way, as fans, of watching them navigate around each other and finding out how their relationship was supposed to work.

And you know what's nice about that? The members watched all of it unfold. Their reactions to some of ChanBaek's interaction is a gold mine when it comes to analyzing them, because they clearly know, just as we do, that their relationship is kind of complicated. But I want to talk about it on the next part.

I am sorry for cutting this off again! I don't know if the next part is going to be the last, because after Growl there's Overdose and we all know what happened on 2014 [coughs] dating scandal [coughs] god help me I don't want to talk about it [coughs] so there's a lot to uncover and I need time to organize stuff.

Thank you for reading!