#❝ filed under — cj welford.

[seykacar]

Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see. 

That family mantra of sorts (or maybe it was more of a warning?) perked up its head the second a hand landed on her arm, chased by the words ‘don’t be scared’. Sey wasn’t scared, but she was wary. In her experience acts of reassurance were more often than not lies. 

Call her curious, though. He didn’t look threatening—not that the observation meant anything—so she nodded once and followed into the empty studio.

Rather than tensing or bracing for impact she let her limbs go loose and fluid. Ready. For what, she wasn’t sure, and the irony wasn't lost on her that now, hiding out in small town Illinois, she felt more on guard than she ever had within the 'family business'. 

One brow lightly arched, head canted to the side, she kept her gaze locked on his face. “Can I help you?” 

— powerpulse gym & yoga studio. open. ( @bluestarters )

Leaving his manager’s office, CJ thought he was doing a pretty good job of looking miserable, like the verbal lashing he had just received regarding some missing equipment had affected him. Truly, he didn’t get what the big deal was — it was just a few dumbbells, and they looked sick in the little elf hats he made for them, sitting on his and Seb’s fireplace — but if he looked too unbothered, he’d probably get fired. Being on his second strike was bad enough.

Still, he denied, denied, denied having anything to do with the uncounted weights, claiming he saw ‘some dude’ suspiciously hanging around the area a few weeks ago. Technically not a lie, as CJ was some dude, and he caught a glance of himself in the floor length mirrors as he bagged them up. Still, it was his ‘mission’ to catch the culprit, and in an effort to look like he was doing his job, tapped the first person he came across on the gym floor, gesturing to the empty studio room that held classes. "Don't be scared. I just need you to come with me for a minute."

[selincakar-archive]

Although she wouldn’t say it, Selin appreciated the way he took her little quips about the devices that, quite literally, saved her life in stride. Too many people in her orbit already  fixated on the fact that she was born with a useless pancreas and treated her differently. It was suffocating. 

Not that she told them that, either. 

That’s why she’d felt so rushed to get out of sight earlier. She wanted the chance to be a girl with a sore tailbone and bruised ego without her family making it into an entire ordeal. Or, worse, insisting she go be seen just in case her spill had more to do with her sugar and not just a lack of grace on wheels

“Is that how the whole maturing thing works?” Another crooked smile bloomed. “Never would’ve realized.” 

And then, deciding to cut him a break, she shook her head with a laugh. “Selin, actually. But close enough.” Even though people just called her Sey she’d let him make the choice for himself. 

“How’s Wren doing these days? I haven’t seen her since high school, probably.” Not probably. She knew it’d been that long, except it felt better to pretend maybe it hadn’t. (@cjwelford)

CJ shrugged, pretending to be a bit more unimpressed. “Eh, Sue Ellen isn’t as cool as a name, but I’ll give her props for being a team player.” He said, with a curt nod, though his grin gave him away.

He was amused at her reaction to how much he had grown in however long ago they had last seen each other, briefly wondering if he should tell Wren about it. He didn’t know if they had grown apart the way most friendships formed in school did, but he doubted they had an actual falling out.

“I mean, I’m only two years younger, when she grows, I grow after a bit, well until she reached 5’2 and now me and Em tower over her.” He chuckled. 

CJ was momentarily confused, about to correct her if that’s what she thought his name was, but realizing at the last second it was a taunt. Whilst he laughed at the singing, it was still frustrating to not know a name on the tip of the tongue.

“I mean, like, unless you were comic books or cars, no person really made an impact on me that long ago,” He admitted, clicking his fingers as a name came to him. “Serena!”

@selincakar

[ediewelscr]

A laugh snorted out of Edie of its own volition. "Oh, I've broken plenty of stuff in the past. Just not in such a controlled environment." Or with any forethought. "Something tells me this place operates a little differently than the the times I've chucked dinnerware across my kitchen."

The protective gear she'd almost forgotten being key difference number one, the fact that she could faintly hear others in their pursuit to demolish things being another.

Her eyes roamed over to the equipment on display, pausing on the dull head of a hammer before settling on a scarred bat. "Definitely that one." Despite her first timer status she felt drawn to something that'd give the satisfaction of a solid swing.

Taking it down from its pegs she tested the weight, even more certain of her choice. A measure of tease entered her tone, though, when she asked, "You think my choice of 'weapon' says something subliminal about the type of person I am?"

Often people had told CJ that he was patient. Sometimes they seemed to genuinely mean it, other times he always detected a hint of sarcasm to their words. But it proved to be helpful in places like this, where people were to pent up with frustration and anger to take their time thinking of their own safety.

Which, he guessed, was the whole point of him being stood there to gently remind them.

"No need to say sorry," He said with a shrug, smile not leaving his face, eyebrow quirking at the request. "You've never broken stuff before?" CJ had lost count of things he had accidentally damaged just in the last month. Nevertheless, he stepped forward, getting his own safety gear on.

"Hammer or bat?" He asked, gesturing to the lineup of tools they had available, leaning against the wall of the room.

[selincakar-archive]

"Remind me to introduce you to Sue Ellen, then," Sey teased, absently patting at the insulin pump similarly taped off at her stomach. "She's the real MVP of the team."

Except she wouldn't, because this wasn't one of the age gap, best friend's forbidden sibling trashy romances loaded on her kindle. It was reality. Lifting up her shirt in front of Wren's baby brother ten seconds after re-meeting would be awkward. And borderline creepy.

Now that she was truly looking at him she couldn't believe it took her so long to realize who he was, though. All jokes aside, it was pretty damn obvious.

Her gaze cast another sweep of his frame from head to toe. "I said what I said. This—" the hand not holding her water vaguely gestured at all of him— "is still a significant change from the little bother I remember."

Her mouth curved at the edge with a hint of defiance next. "But I don't think I'm gonna tell you, DJ." She began humming 'Say My Name' by Destiny's Child underneath her breath, both as a subtle hint if he could catch it and a challenge to at least guess.

"I mean, forget the fall. I'm wounded that frizzy haired, practically still prepubescent me made such little impact." ( @cjwelford )

CJ let out a low whistle at the revelation of the device. “Dex is a badass name though, I’ll give you that.” He told her, grinning widely as she toasted with him.

He nodded at her confirmation, recognizing her from a time when she was younger, over at their house as Wren slammed her bedroom door complaining about CJ annoying them.

He watched as she clearly studied him in return, smile turning impish.

“Yes.” He countered at her obvious denial. “That’s like the nicest compliment ever, but I only ever grew up to be 5’10.” He shrugged, taking her exaggeration a bit too literally as he tended to do sometimes. 

“Also really sorry to be super rude here, but it’s been like…a really long time. What’s your name again?”

@selincakar

[selincakar-archive]

Perched at the end of one of the triage beds, Selin briefly shoved her sleeve up and over the glucose monitor taped to her tricep. Stamped across its gray surface? DexcomG6. "Meet Dex."

She tapped her bottle against his, forced down a lenghty sip, then backtracked to his first question. Wren Welford— That was a name she hadn't heard in a minute.

"But, uh, yeah. We used to be friends." Before that day on the trails. Before her parents tightened the reins and essentially refused to let her live.

The hows and whys of their inevitable distance weren't worth adding, though. Sey studied him for a moment, trying to discern what would make him ask something seemingly so random, until it clicked.

"No." Yes. She could see it now that she looked for it. Underneath a scruffy jaw and the addition of several inches, it was him.

Surprise in the form of widened eyes a somewhat wheezy laugh escaped through Sey's lips. "Aren't you supposed to be supremely obnoxious and like... twenty feet shorter than this?" ( @cjwelford )

He just nodded, not commenting on her apparent indecisiveness. Sometimes you just needed a moment to yourself to figure it out, no shame in that. “Alright, but if you need me to get anyone, just say the word.” It wasn’t often that CJ was authoritative by any means, but when it came to making sure people were okay (especially when it was his job) he took it very seriously. 

As they hobbled over to the triage room, a niggling thought bothered CJ as he seemed to recognize her face. “You know anyone called Wren Welford?” He asked, out of curiosity, always making a point to use his sister’s maiden name; that’s how most people knew her as anyway. “Dex?” He questioned, an amused smile on his face, forming into a slight serious tone at her request.

“Yeah, hold on a second,” Once he made sure she wasn’t going to collapse from the brief moments he wasn’t holding onto her, CJ made a beeline to the bar area, grabbing a couple of bottles from the fridge and running back over. “Cheers!” He joked, toasting the bottle as if it were an alcoholic beverage, before handing it to her.

@selincakar

[selincakar-archive]

"Yeah," Selin huffed in answer automatically, catching herself a second later and backtracking with a rather abrupt, "I mean no. I mean, technically yes, I am, but... no."

How articulate. Mrs. Methaney, her high school AP English teacher, would be so proud.

Trying her best to get it the hell together before she embarrassed herself any further or spiked her sugar from the stress and nerves alone, she latched onto his offered arm. “The triage room is fine, thanks. I’d rather not bother my family right now.”

She wasn’t about to let a second cousins birthday party blunder put her under a microscope all day. 

So, with his help, Sey hobbled out of sight, feeling like she managed to escape just in the knick of time. 

Naturally, as if it wanted her to be found out, that meant the monitor beneath her sleeve began to chirp obnoxiously loud. Because of course this couldn't just be easy, right?

“Oh, shut up Dex," she mumbled to the device, flashing him what she hoped was a somewhat reassuring half smile, half grimace next. “Just ignore the damn thing. I’m fine.” Still, to be on the safe side— “You think there’s a bottle of water back here I could swipe?" (@cjwelford )

He tried not to ask again, at least not immediately. CJ had his own fair share of scrapes before and had always found it annoying when people kept asking him he was okay, especially if an accident had just happened and his brain hadn’t processed the whole thing yet. So, he nodded. “Alright, let me know if that changes.” He settled for, hoping she was one of the smart ones who didn’t keep being hurt to themselves.

At her query, CJ was more than happy to oblige. “Yeah of course,” He held out his arms for her to grab onto, to hoist her up. “Are you here with anyone? I can take you to them. If not, there’s a little triage room. Apparently it’s reserved for more fucked up incidents, but it should be free?” Whatever made her feel more comfortable and safe, CJ would do it.

@selincakar

[selincakar-archive]

Shit.

By the current state of her pounding head and screaming tailbone that was gonna bruise.

As someone who considered herself at least moderately well balanced and physically fit Selin probably should've been embarrassed by her total wipe out, but she couldn't muster even an ounce. Not when she sat there, rubbing at the growing knot underneath chestnut curls, and warily glanced in the direction of the tables.

Currently, her mom was busy helping with the gifts table, but if she noticed— A soft, yet audible groan hummed in the back of her mouth.

"No, no. I'm fine, I swear." Sore? Yes, but at least her pump was on her stomach this time, not the back of her hip. She didn't have to worry about damage to that on top of Aftet going all mother hen, or insisting she go to the hospital, so she'd damn well take it as a win.

"Think you could help me hobble... well, anywhere but right here?" Anywhere out of center rink where she could take full stock of her aches and pains in relative peace.

○ location: high rollers ○ status: open (cap at 3!) - @providencepeakstarters

The one bad thing about the upcoming holiday season was how damn expensive everything was in the run-up to it. Wren had warned him not to go crazy with gifts for the girls, which he wouldn't, he swore. But he liked to get gifts for people to give out randomly, like a sexy secret Santa. And to be able to afford that, he needed to work more hours.

Break Room had no extra shifts for him, and the pool during the winter months didn't need as many staff. So, he took up a one-time shift at the roller rink during some party as an extra set of hands in the form of a first aider, thinking he'd just get to chill and boogie to some disco in normal shoes, and not have to do anything. Until there was a sickening crunch and a commotion on the rink, him being the first one there to assist, inspecting the injury. "Okay, doesn't seem too bad, maybe a little swollen, but nothing worse than that," He observed after his assessment. "How's your head? Are you feeling dizzy or sick at all?" Hopefully they didn't have a concussion, but it sounded like a nasty fall.