Someone in the YouTube Community

Chapter 3 - Look After You

 

“I like someone in the YouTube Community.”

Troye knew this would make people talk. He actually wondered if Ricky would edit it out of the video before he posted it. But the challenge was Two Truths and a Lie so he reckoned it would be tough to cut around it and have it still make any sense. 

He won’t be able to ignore that,’ thought Troye. He was certain of that.

Troye knew what he was doing. He’d learned from the best. Tyler was the master of self-promotion. Of manipulating fans however he wanted. He knew how 3 seconds of video could get people talking for days after. He’d taught Troye how to tease the fandom with a few simple words or an out of context moment in a vlog. Troyler was their creation. And they loved plotting and planning each moment and then sitting back to watch Twitter and Tumblr explode in an orgy of fangirl feels.

“Oh my gosh, these are going to be so good,” Ricky said when they’d finished. “So many Gif-able moments.” 

You have no idea just how many Tricky Ricky, Troye thought.

He’d been at the O2L house filming with Ricky most of the afternoon. Troye expected Connor to be around more. Troye hoped Connor would be around a lot more. He thought maybe they’d even find a way to include him in one of the videos. But other than a brief ‘Hey’ at the top of the stairs, Connor had been in his room. The double doors pointedly closed.

‘Conrad is in one of his moods,’ Ricky had said. ‘Half the time I forget he lives here because he just stays in his room alone all day.’ Troye hated when Ricky called him Conrad. His name was Connor. You don’t make a nickname longer than the persons real name. Call him ‘Con’ maybe, but not Conrad.

“C’mon,” RIcky said getting up from the futon. “Help me get everyone ready for grand finale.  Annnd you HAVE to wear this cuuute onesie.”

Ricky’s idea was that to end the night, they would film the biggest collab anyone had ever seen. Fourteen YouTubers on a couch. Rebecca Black was coming over with JennXPenn. Alexa would be there with ThatsoJack and LOLANTHONY and the rest of that crowd. Kian and Andrea would join in along with some others Troye didn’t know. very well  

“I want you and Conrad to sit next to each other. He hates these group things. He’s just too cool for school sometimes.”

This all sounded good to Troye. He hadn’t really spent any time with Connor since Playlist Live earlier in the year. And that hadn’t exactly gone as well as he’d hoped. He’d asked him to do his trademark wink for a montage he was going to use in a YouTuber impersonation video he was working on. It had been an awkward first meeting to say the least.

Connor was better looking in person and Troye still got nervous talking to boys in real life.It was all still new to him. It was so much easier when he was alone in his room back in Perth and the boys were only on his screen.

He and Connor exchanged some awkward small talk. They’d both told each other how much they like the other’s videos. But Troye had been flustered. Connor’s eyes were too green, his hair was too cute, his shoulders too broad. And his butt. His butt was perfect. It must be all that running. 

Feeling unusually nervous, Troye cut the conversation short and quickly left after Connor did the wink. But of course, he couldn’t stop thinking about this American boy. The first thing he asked Tyler when they saw each other later that night was ‘So what’s the scoop on Connor Franta?’

That was then. He was feeling decidedly more confident now.

Troye walked out of Ricky’s Bedroom and stopped outside Connor’s door.

“Connor Franta,” Troye shouted. “Your lovely presence is requested.”

Troye could hear Connor’s laugh and a moment later he opened the left side of the double doors to his room.

“You’re in a onesie,” Connor said.

“You’re pretty fucking observant,” Troye said mockingly. “I’m sure they make a floral print version for hipsters like you.”

“I’ll pass,” Connor laughed. “Well, have fun.”

“You’re not coming down for Ricky’s YouTuber gang-bang?”

“Nooooo,” Connor looked at the floor. “I’ve got editing to do.”

You fucking dick, Troye thought.

“Well I guess it’s just going to be 13 YouTubers on a couch then.”

“I guess so,” said Connor as he pushed his hair up away from his face. “I’ll see you later. Oh and Say ‘Hi’ to Tyler for me.”

“I will,” Troye said. “Watch the video Ricky and I filmed. I think it’s gonna be pretty funny. Did you know Ricky doesn’t like chicken?”

Connor laughed loudly. “Wow, what didn’t you guys talk about?”

“Probably the same stuff you and he don’t talk about.” Troye smiled and gave Connor a cheeky wink.

And with that, he that turned and headed down the stairs. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck a doodle. Are all guys this difficult, Troye wondered.

“Okay. Okay. Everyone calm down,” Ricky had been epically failing at maintaining anything remotely resembling control of his video. Andrea had bailed after five minutes and gone up to Connor’s room. Troye tried to escape after they brought up Troyler but realized there was no where for him to go. Fuck Connor fucking Franta for leaving me with these twats, he thought.

“Last question everyone,” Ricky said, still naively believing this video was somehow going to work. “If you were a girl, what O2L member would you fall in love with?”

“Trevor!” Alexa and Rebecca screamed.

Troye had had it with this silliness. Shit was about to get real.

“I’m answering this as well,” Troye said calmly. “Connor.”

“What?” Ricky immediately spun around and looked at Troye and then quickly looked away. Rebecca’s jaw dropped and for probably the first time ever, she was momentarily speechless.

“You could settle down with Connor,” Troye said confidently. “Connor would look after you. Connor could, like, get a job and keep you safe.”

It seemed for a second that for the first time during the entire video no one was sure what to say. JennXPenn seemed stunned. All eyes were now on Troye.

“You would wife Connor?,” Rebecca demanded to know.

“Yeah,” Troye said.

“Thaaat…. is so adorable,” Rebecca said barely containing a laugh.

 Troye just smiled. Your move now Connor Franta, he thought. Your move.