STICKY NOTES // JSchlatt X Reader

8

And then there were two. 

Going into this, you had not expected to get this far. It had been last minute, because Austin had needed a replacement and because Maddy had asked. You had watched about five minutes of Schlatt's most recent video before choosing host. You had not been prepared for the long haul.

Four hours in, you were really beating yourself up.

"It's that time, folks!" Austin announced. "We're down to our last two lovely contestants, which means it's time for the one on one dates, and then Schlatt will make the final decision on who he wants the winner to be - you've brought him this far, chat, now his fate is in his own hands."

On screen, Schlatt looked very passive for a man who was choosing who won this whole affair. One wrong choice, and he would get hosted. 

You should have done more research before you had made your decision. You should have brushed the whole thing off and told Maddy no in the first place. You glanced back up to your cork board to see the sticky note that held today's events, where you had scrawled Love of Host along the bottom, cementing your place here.

You didn't want to be a part of this game anymore. You barely knew Schlatt, but you definitely didn't want to host him. 

Hopefully, he would choose Tessa.

"Who's going first?" Austin asked. 

"Tess can go first." You said, eager to get this over an done with. 

Tessa looked surprised by what you had said, but smiled anyway. "You're so sweet, Y/N."

"Alright, Tessa, Schlatt, you have five minutes. Tessa, this is it, one way or another. Make it count." Austin said. It was the last thing you heard before the call silenced and you were left by yourself, just watching Tessa and Schlatt's mouths move on screen. 

He laughed at something she said, and she smiled. They seemed to be getting along well - they had been the whole time, pretty much. Hopefully, he would choose her. Hopefully, she chose love. She seemed like she would have.

You fixed your eyes away from the screen, not wanting to seem too interested and give Schlatt the wrong impression - maybe if you kept up with the whole not caring thing, he would default to Tessa - and busied yourself with another sticky note instead, folding the paper into neat little triangles until it became a penguin. You set the creation next to the others that collected on your desk - at this rate you would have an entire origami menagerie.

"Alright, Tessa time's up! Y/N are you ready?" The sound came back as Austin spoke. 

You looked at Tessa on screen. She seemed happy enough - hopefully she had secured her spot then. Coming in second wouldn't be too bad, especially since you had chosen host after all. You would feel even worse if you managed to win it, only to have it revealed that you had chosen host and brush Schlatt aside like that. What had you been thinking, really? With these things, it was always better to choose love, always. Winning with love still meant clout, and you wouldn't have your first impression to someone pretty big in the YouTube community be of you hosting them.

"Sure." You said. 

"Five minutes, on the clock!"

Austin's voice disappeared and you were left alone with Schlatt. 

"Hi there." He started, smiling thinly. 

"Hi." You said. 

A moment of silence passed between you.

"I really don't know what to say." You said. "I really didn't think I was going to make it this far."

Schlatt looked a little puzzled at that. "Really? But you had some of the best responses out of everyone."

"I called you ugly like five times." You laughed. 

"Yeah, but it was funny, so I'll let it slide." Schlatt said. "And you're kind of hot, or whatever, so that helps too."

You felt yourself heat up involuntarily and you let out a nervous laugh. "Well, I think you're actually pretty funny. I kind of thought you were rude at first, but you've grown on me a little."

"Well." Schlatt huffed out half a laugh. "I'm flattered."

You pursed your lips, fingers scraping over the edge of your stack of sticky notes. "Schlatt, listen-"

"And times up!" Austin cut you off. "Schlatt! How are you feeling?"

"Pretty confident." Schlatt said, nodding slightly.

You crossed your fingers, hoping against hope. Please be Tessa, please be Tessa, please be Tessa-

"Tessa!" 

The voice was not one that you had heard tonight, and it came from the background of Tessa's part of the call. You watched her spin around in her chair on screen, grinning widely as someone else stepped into frame, leaving a plate of food on the desk next to hair. 

"Sorry." The new girl had blue hair and a British accent to match Tessa's. "I just didn't want it to get cold before you ate it."

"Ladies and gentlemen - a sudden guest appearance from Alex a.k.a alexster!" Austin announced.

"Hello Austin." Alex greeted. "Sorry to interrupt."

"Hold on." Schlatt said. "What's going on here?"

"It's Friday." Tessa said, like that explained everything. "On Fridays, Alex and I do dinner and a movie-"

"You have the audacity to be on a dating show, while you're in the middle of a date?" Schlatt asked, rising from his seat in indignation. "Unbelievable."

"Wait," Tessa laughed. "We're not-

Alex looked apologetic. "I'm so sorry love, I think I just ruined your chances-"

"She just called you love!" Schlatt said, dropping back into his seat. "What is this?"

"Schlatt, Schlatt." Austin said, an edge of laughter in his voice. "Calm down-"

"Austin!" Schlatt said. "I think I've made my decision."

Your heart sunk rapidly as you took in Schlatt's mockingly angry face and Tessa, who was still trying to explain that she and Alex were simply friends, nothing more. It was obvious that Schlatt wasn't buying it - maybe it was the fact that standing together, Tessa and Alex did look extraordinarily like a gay couple. 

Either way, this was not looking good for you, all of a sudden. Or, rather, it was looking good, and you didn't like it.