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hidden-otaku-stuff · 4 years ago

Text

A Winged Wing-man

Tw: Owl puns

Word count: 4.1k Pairing: Bokuto x reader Genre: fluff

AN: It’s officially Sept 20th here! Happy birthday to the softest boy Bokuto!

“Finally, you’re all here.” Meian sighed, looking up as Atsumu and Bokuto slid into the conference room.

“Sorry Captain,” Bokuto said sheepishly. The two had been on his morning run and had forgotten about the meeting. Atsumu just grinned and waved to his team-mates. Sakusa rolled his eyes, twirling a pen in his fingers.

Meian cleared his throat, standing up. “Alright, now that we’re all here,” he shoots the late duo a look, “our PR manager wanted me to make an announcement on his behalf.” Meian opened the leather padfolio that he had been given. “Apparently, we’ve been having a bit of difficulty getting people into the audience during week-days.” At this, his team-mates started protesting and letting out exclamations of shock. Silencing them with a look, Meian continues. “It’s not that people aren’t interested, but there are still quite a bit of empty seats. So, they’ve decided to start implementing themed nights during our week-day home games in order to encourage more community members to come out, especially community members with children.”

“That’s so cool!” Hinata gasped, looking between his team-mates. “What type of themes are they thinking about?”

“Will they put Atsumu back in the mascot uniform?” Sakusa snickered, smirking at the setter.

“Yeah! He looked so good in it,” Hinata added, grining.

Atsumu rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as they leaned back. “Why, too scared I’ll steal all your fans, Oomi-oomi?”

“No, I just didn’t want to look at your face and subject others to that.”

“Enough!” Meian scolded them. Atsumu crosses his arms, pouting slightly.

“Sorry,” he muttered meekly.

Meian pinches his nose. “I don’t think there are plans to put Atsumu back in the mascot uniform nor should he. We need him on the court for god’s sake.” Meian scans the list in front of him. “Apparently the first night they have planned is a...Harry Potter night?”

“What does that mean?” Hinata tilts his head, glancing between the captain and his team-mates.

Meian’s brows furrows. “Well, they’ll be doing bobble-head giveaways. Apparently they’ll have bobble-heads of us in Quidditch robes on broomsticks as the give-away.” Meian snorts, guessing that’s another photo-shoot they’ll need to attend. He reads more. “Oh. And they’ll be bringing animals to the game.”

“Animals?” Sakusa’s brow furrowed as his expression darkened. Why the hell would there be animals at their arena? He shivers at the prospect.

Meian nods. “Yep. They’re planning on having one of the local wildlife sanctuaries come out and bring some owls and other animals for the community members to meet.”

“Owls?!” Bokuto grinned, bouncing in his chair. Just another reason to look forward to their next game.

*****

Akaashi entered the familiar hall, eyes blinking with shock at the sudden darkness. The room had been transformed into a dark chamber. One male was holding a yellow snake in his hand, letting it wrap around his fingers and his wrist as he talked to some children. He was wearing Slytherin robes while a girl wearing Hufflepuff robes had a small brownish owl on her hand. Besides them, stood a girl wearing Gryffindor robes holding a massive brown and white-spotted owl. His eyebrows raised in recognition.

“(Name)?”

“Oh my gosh, Akaashi?” You turn, beaming as your robes flapped around. “How are you?” The owl on your arm flapped his wings before preening his left wing. You walk towards him, letting the family crowd around the Hufflepuff.

“I’m good, how have you been?” Akaashi stops a few feet away, tilting his head. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

You grin, lifting your arm higher. “Yep! Just working.” You glance around. “You here alone?”

Akaashi offers you a smile. “For now. My best friend is one of the players.”

After tapping your chin, you snapped as the glimmer of recognition flooded your eyes. “Right! Bokuto, right?”

Akaashi nods. “Yes, that’s him.” He eyes the owl on your arm hesitantly.

“You can come closer if you’d like. He won’t nip ya if that’s what you’re afraid of.” You extend your arm. Kabuki ruffled his feathers, eyeing Akaashi with disinterest. Akaashi hesitantly took a few steps closer, watching the owl. “This is Kabuki.”

“What type of owl is he?” In the back of his mind a picture of a great horned owl flashed, but Akaashi could tell that this was a different type.

“Kabuki here is a spotted eagle owl.” You grin. Kabuki’s head swiveled around, fixing you with a hard stare.

“Ah. He looks very similar to a great horned owl.”

“Ah yeah, they do tend to look similar visually! But spotted eagle owls are typically smaller and actually originate from Africa whereas the great horned owl originate from the Americas.” Kabuki turned back to stare at Akaashi unblinkingly. A shiver ran up his spine. He was relieved when his phone vibrated.

“The game is starting soon, I should go.”

“Oh! Yes, you definitely should.” You offer him one last smile. “It was nice to see you again, Akaashi. Let’s catch up soon, yeah?”

“Yeah, that’d be nice.” With a final wave, Akaashi disappeared out the door. As he made his way to his seat, he couldn’t help the smile that overtook his features. Bokuto would love this.

****

“Oh wow!” Bokuto’s jaw dropped, excitement pulsing through him at Akaashi’s description. “Thank you so much for coming with me, Akaashi!” He grins at his former team-mate as they head towards the exhibition hall.

“You better hurry, Bokuto-san. They might be closing up now that the game is over.” Bokuto nodded, cursing slightly. He would’ve been there already but he had been stopped by reporters for interviews. The males sped-walked over to the hall where the exhibits were. The door slams open. By now, the Hufflepuff and Slytherin were packing up the other animals. You were still standing there, Kabuki on your arm as you cheerfully chatted with them. The owl on your arm swiveled his head, hooting and flapping his wings.

You turn your head, looking at the door and smiling as you wave. “Hey Akaashi! Is this your friend?”

You all walk towards each other. “Yes. (Name), this is Bokuto-san, the friend I was telling you about.”

You do a little bow. “Akaashi used to talk about you all the time, Bokuto-sehsu.” The owl swiveled his head to stare at you with unblinking pale yellow eyes. Bokuto was quivering with excitement as he inches closer, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “You can come closer if you’d like, Bokuto-san. Just, please don’t run or be overly excited. You might spook Kabuki.”

Bokuto nods aggressively, taking a deep breath before he makes his approach. Akaashi stands back, not particularly interested in getting close to the owl. His gunmetal blue eyes gazes fondly as Bokuto gets even closer before he shifts his gaze to your coworkers. “Are you supposed to be cleaning up now, (Name)?”

You nod. “Yeah, we were supposed to have been packed up and ready to go a few minutes ago.” Bokuto looked so disappointed that you hastily added, “But I don’t mind a few extra minutes to chat! Anything for a friend.”

At your words, Bokuto visibly perks up. “Thank you so much,” he gushes. Kabuki begins staring at him now, ruffling his feathers as he stepped out further down your arm. “What type of owl is he?”

You clear your throat, gazing fondly at the owl. “This is Kabuki. He is a spotted eagle owl or the Bubo africanus. They’re also known as the African Eagle Owl since they are typically found in Southern Africa.” Kabuki lets out a loud hoo-hoooo, stretching one of his clawed talons as he puffs out his chest importantly. You roll your eyes, knowing that the owl was just trying to show off. Pale yellow eyes pierce golden as they begin staring at one another. “Ah, you shouldn’t do that.”

“Why?”

“Staring contests with animals in general can be seen as an act of aggression,” you explain. “So unless you want to potentially ruffle his feathers - so to speak - I’d suggest you avoid that.”

Bokuto nods, a thoughtful expression on his face as his gaze shifts to your arm. “Is he heavy?”

“Not particularly! They only get up to 2 lbs at the most, but it can get tiring holding him up for so long.” You flex your other arms, grinning. “But it’s definitely a good workout!”

“Would it be possible for me to hold Kabuki?”

Your smile softens as your voice lowers. “Sorry, Bokuto-sehsu. You have to pass our raptor training or prove that you have experience handling raptors before you’re allowed to handle any of our birds.”

This time, his face completely drops. “Your sanctuary has classes available right, (Name)?” Akaashi interrupts hastily.

You look back at your former classmate as you coax Kabuki back into his crate. Kabuki narrows his eyes slightly before hopping in. “We do.”

Bokuto perked up. “Can I sign up for those then?”

“Sure!” You dig into your robe pocket, pulling out a business card. “Our website is on there, but feel free to call me tomorrow around 11. I’ll be able to handle your registration and all of that.”

“Thank you so much (Name)!”

“Oi, (Name). We gotta start heading back to work.”

“Ah, that’s me. I’ll see you guys around. Let’s get lunch sometime, Akaashi!” You wave at them. “Hope to hear from you tomorrow, Bokuto-sehsu.” With one final wave and smile, you head to the exit to meet your coworkers.

****

“Hey Bokuto-sehsu!” You greet him with a wide smile. “Ready to start your training?” He nods eagerly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Awesome, there’s a lot of classes you need to undergo before you’re allowed to handle the raptors themselves, ok?” Another nod as his head swivels back and forth, taking in the sights of your sanctuary. “Awesome, so we’re actually going to start off in Raptor 101.”

“What will we cover in that class?” Bokuto asks as you lead him down the hall towards the classrooms.

“We’ll talk about the anatomy, diets, behaviours, and special adaptations to the various types of raptors,” you explain. “This won’t be a one-on-one class though. Since there’s a lot of rudimentary content, you’ll be taught in a classroom setting and be required to pass tests in order to move on to the next stage.”

“Wait what does rudimentary mean?”

“It means ‘basic’. Another word you could use is ‘introductory’.”

Bokuto hums, mulling over your words carefully. “Wait...a test?”

“Yeah, we want to make sure that you’re fully knowledgeable before you’re allowed to handle any of them.” You glance over at him as he chews on his bottom lip. “You’ll be okay, Bo. I know you will be. You seem really passionate about the subject, and passion makes the subject matter much easier.”

He brightens up, nodding. “That’s true.” You open the door, stepping in. “Will you be the instructor for this class?’

“Yep! This is one of my favorite classes to teach,” you beam. “It helps as practice for when we go visit schools and stuff.”

“That makes sense.”

You gesture to the room, “please feel free to take a seat anywhere. We’re a few minutes early so I’ll wait for the rest of the students to enter before I begin.” A few other adults files into the classroom, taking a seat around Bokuto who had chosen one directly in the front center. “Hey everyone! My name is (Name). No need to use honorifics here,” you laugh causing them all to laugh with you. “Anyways, welcome to Raptor 101! If you’re in this class, it’s probably because you’re interested in raptors, right? Maybe you want to work as one of our raptor education volunteers, or maybe you just really love them.” There were murmurs of agreement around the class. “Awesome! So, let’s get this started, yeah?” As Bokuto listens to you, he couldn’t help the way that his heart was fluttering. That sparkle in your eyes from the pure giddiness you feel when you’re talking about passionate about? He was sure it was the same way he was whenever he was playing volleyball.

As class ended, nerves rushed over him as he approached you. “Excuse me, (Name)?” He asks. You look up from the bag that you were packing, blessing him with a smile.

“Yes, Bokuto-sehsu?”

He clears his throat as his eyes shift from side to side. “Do you wanna go get dinner or something?”

“Oh I’m sorry, Bokuto-sehsu. I actually have to head directly to animal-care now.” You zip up your bag, straightening up. “Why don’t we do something next time?”

He grins, “that sounds great. I’ll see you later!” Bokuto walks out of the center, pulling out his phone to check the time only to be greeted by a text from Akaashi.

[Akaashi]: Hello Bokuto-san, how was the class today?

[Bokuto]: It was really fun! BTW, are you busy?

[Akaashi]: Not particularly. I was just about to go get food. Did you need something?

[Bokuto]: do you wanna grab dinner with me?

[Akaashi]: sure.

Bokuto was beaming. Though he and Akaashi had been close in high-school, they were hard pressed to find time to see each other nowadays. With Bokuto’s busy schedule as an athlete with his constant trips and Akaashi’s full-time job, their chances to interact had been limited to Bokuto’s home-games and the occasional odd free weekend. He quickly makes his way to the restaurant that Akaashi had texted him. Inside, Akaashi was already sitting at a table, sipping a glass of water.

“Hello Bokuto-san.” Akaashi waves, waiting for Bokuto to slide into the chair, “how was the class?”

Bokuto perks up, eyes sparkling to Akaashi’s amusement. “It was so fun! (Name) knows so much about owls.” He took a sip of water. “It’s so cool how much work she does with owls like she was telling us about how she started and all types of funny stories about the raptors she’s worked with so far.” Akaashi opens his mouth to say something but Bokuto can’t stop from word-vomiting. “Oh! And did you know that owls are usually monogamous? And that they typically court using various calls in order to attract a female to a suitable nesting site before using various different methods to show off to their potential mates? Like, the Great Horned Owl will use flight patterns and food to demonstrate to their mates that they can be providers.”

“That’s certainly interesting, Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto nods aggressively, a dreamy look in his eyes. “God I can’t wait for the next class.”

“Are you more excited for the class or to see (Name)?” Akaashi asked, mischief flashing in his eyes before he went back to his meal.

“(Name)?” Bokuto cocked his head. “I didn’t know you were on a first-name basis with her.”

“You are too.”

Bokuto shook his head, “but you aren’t using the honorifics?”

“Again, neither are you Bokuto-san.”

“She told us to call her (Name)!” Bokuto defended, crossing his arms. “How do you know (Name) anyways?”

Akaashi shrugged, sipping his glass. “We met in intro to biology. We ended up being study-buddies.”

“Just study-buddies?”

“Is that jealousy I hear, Bokuto-san?”

Bokuto flushed. “N-no!”

****

As he collapsed onto his bed, Bokuto let out a loud sigh. For the past few days, his mind had been filled with memories from that first class. Maybe he did feel a little something for the raptor-keeper. He rolled onto his side, pulling out his phone and drafting a text.

[Bokuto]: hey (Name), thank you for the awesome class the other day!

[Name]: Bokuto-sehsu, why are you still awake? It’s like 2 AM!

He grinned, happy that she had responded so quickly. His mind searched for a possible response.

[Bokuto]: OWL i can think about is you 💛

[Name]: Bokuto-sehsu, you’re an athlete. Please get some sleep.

Bokuto bit his bottom lip at her concern. He desperately wanted to continue talking to her, but he knew that she was right.

[Bokuto]: 🥺 okay

[Name]: Good night, Bokuto-sehsu. I’ll see you soon 😊

His heart skipped a beat, filling his cheeks with warmth before he drafted the last text of that night.

[Bokuto]: Good night (Name)! Sweet dreams

****

“Hey class! Today we will have a surprise guest,” you beam. “Haru, you can bring him in.” The door opens, revealing the Slytherin from before. On his arm was a familiar sight. “This is Kabuki! You might recognise him as one of our education owls,” you say as you slide on a thick glove. Haru lowers his hand to the perch beside you, letting Kabuki hop onto it from his own arm. “Kabuki and I are often paired up together. I was the one who helped raise him when he arrived at the sanctuary as an owlet,” you explain. “Unfortunately, he’s become too dependent on human contact and cannot be released.”

“Do you normally release the owls that come here?” Someone asks in the back.

You nod. “As long as they have their instincts and haven’t imprinted, then we try our best to relocate and release them.” Your eyes shine. “But unfortunately, not all animals will be able to be released, so we do end up taking care of a decent number here at the sanctuary.” Kabuki ruffles his feathers importantly.

“What is imprinting?” Another person asked.

“Ah, animal imprinting typically happens in the early stages of life and is typically reserved for birds. When they hatch, they don’t know who their parents are and use environmental clues - typically whatever animal is present for their hatching - to determine their parents. They’ll identify with that species and try to mimic them.” Kabuki nuzzled into your head. “Though Kabuki learned how to be an ‘owl’ by watching the other ones here, he’s become more physically affectionate with me after seeing my interactions with other keepers.” You explain. Bokuto tilted his head, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he observed your interactions. “Anymore questions?” After glancing around the room and seeing nobody speak up, you continue with the class. “Now, in order to care for your owl…” You began explaining the different things to check using Kabuki as a diagram.

As class came to an end, Bokuto found himself waiting anxiously by your desk. “Hey Bokuto-sehsu!” You turn, grinning to the wing-spiker.

A jolt of electricity shot through him as he returned your grin. “Hey (Name)! Are you free for dinner today? We can wet our beaks or something.”

You brush your hair back giggling at his comment before giving him a nod. “Yeah, I am actually! I made sure that I was free this time.” Kabuki hoots, drawing both pairs of eyes. “Just let me put Kabuki away first and then we can head out?”

Bokuto nods eagerly, “that sounds great! I’ll meet you in the front then?”

“Sounds perfect.”

****

“That stuff about Kabuki imprinting on you was really interesting,” Bokuto comments as he slurps up a noodle. You giggle, wiping his chin with a napkin. Bokuto had taken you to a ramen shop down the street from the center.

“Animal imprinting is always an interesting subject,” you respond before turning back to your own meal. Bokuto was glad - he didn’t want you to see how badly he was blushing.

He quickly spoons a mouthful of broth, wincing as the heat sears his tongue. “I’d imprint on you if I was an owl,” he blurts out, his mind racing in order to both distract himself from the pain and from that moment of physical contact.

You let out a hearty laugh, “oh Bokuto-sehsu, you’re so sweet.” Wiping away a tear of mirth, your eyes rise to meet his. “I’m really glad you’re taking my class. It’s always nice to see someone so passionate about owls in the class.”

“You can just call me Bokuto.”

You raise an eyebrow before nodding. “Sure thing, Bokuto.”

A red glow crept up his neck before he cleared his throat. “So, what type of owl is your favorite?” As you launch into a discussion about the various types of owls and your preferences, he was filled with warmth. Chatting with you was easy. He was constantly surrounded by volleyball, and it was so nice being able to get out and see people showing passion in other things. It had been awhile since he’d been able to discuss owls.

“Thanks Bokuto. I had a really good time,” you bump your shoulder against his as you pull your coat closer as you both leave the restaurant.

“Sorry I had to wing it, but I’m glad you had a good time!” You chuckle, shaking your head. Bokuto cocks his head at you, looking even more like an owl than he usually did. “What, is there something wrong with what I’m talon you?” He grins, looking extremely proud of himself.

“Nah, those were some hootiful puns.” You both stop in front of your apartment building. “This is me! Good night, Bokuto.”

“Good night, (Name).”

****

“Congratulations Bo!” You cheer, handing him his certificate. It had been a long few months, but they had all passed. You look at the class, giving them a wide smile. “You guys have all passed Raptor 101! As a graduation gift, you guys will be allowed to hold one of our raptors.” The door opens, and the other animal volunteers come in. Haru holds a massive golden eagle and Aoi holds the small Southern Boobook she had brought to the MSBY Black Jackal arena. Kabuki was already on his perch, preening while he waited for attention. “You’ll only be allowed to hold one raptor for five minutes, so please get into line for the animal you’d like to work with.”

You slide your glove on, offering your arm out to Kabuki who eyes it with disinterest. With a soft hoo-hoooo, he hops onto the glove, allowing you to tether him to yourself. Bokuto makes a bee-line to you as the other classmates hover around Haru and Aoi. The girls are more on the nervous side and decide that the smaller owl would be more comforting whereas some of the males wanted to show off by holding the eagle. “Can I?” Bokuto asks, looking between you and Kabuki. His eyes shone brightly at the prospect.

“Of course.” You glance at the table, “make sure to put the glove on first ok?” Bokuto yanks it on, offering his arm. “Hold your elbow up a little more,” you correct, reaching out with your other arm to help fix him.

Bokuto flushes. “Hey, (Name)?”

“Yes?” You hum as you make more adjustments.

“I promised myself that I would get through all of the classes and hold an owl before I asked you this.” You raise an eyebrow, scanning his features. Bokuto’s eyes met yours, earnesty evident in his features. “But owl I want to know is...Will you let me swoop you away for a date? I think we’d have a real hoot together.”

You remain silent, waiting for Kabuki to hop onto Bokuto’s arm from yours, your lips trembling in the ghost of a smile. Bokuto chews on his lip, sweating slightly as he waits for your response. “Only if we leave the animals at the sanctuary,” you say finally, meeting his eyes. Kabuki jumps, wings fluttering as he lands softly onto Bokuto’s arm.

“Yes!” Bokuto grins before he turns his attention back to Kabuki. “You hear that Kabuki? Guess I’m finally gonna go on a date with (Name)!”

Kabuki stared at him with disinterest, blinking slowly. He ruffled his feathers, letting out another hoo-hooooooee in congratulations. You both burst in laughter. Who knew that an owl was the key to getting a date?

*****

AN: This was loosely inspired on my experience about a Harry Potter night with a sports team I used to work at and I did a lot of additional research in order to accurately portray the information about owls and falconry in general.

I really wanted to include this line that my coworker dropped but I couldn’t figure out where to put it so here it is. (Short context, I was put in charge of supervising the animal room to ensure that there was a decent flow to the line.)

Coworker: Did you ask him?

Me: ask him what?

Coworker: Did you ask the owl how many licks it takes to get to the center of the tootsie-pop?

Yep. I would’ve made Bokuto ask Kabuki how many licks it would take to get to the center of a tootsie-pop. LMAO.

Also random notes, owl cafes are completely adorable BUT they’re not that ethical! They’re extremely stressful environments, and this applies to most of the animal-related tourist attractions. Please do your research before visiting one of those types of establishments. In general, if the animal isn’t a domesticated animal such as a cat or a dog, then existing in those types of environments can be harmful to them.

Anyways, happy birthday again Kou!

ALSO!!! If you didn’t know, I’m officially celebrating 400 followers. Thank you so much to everyone who supports my work. To celebrate this milestone, I’ll be doing matchups and song fics for the next week or so. Check this out for more info.

general taglist: @scrappydaisies @newfriendjen @kyomihann

Please contact me if you would like to be a part of my general taglist! 💞 Check out this link for information about my taglists.

#bokuto koutarou x reader #bokuto koutarou fluff #bokuto koutarou birthday #happy birthday bokuto #bokuto kotaro fluff #hidden-otaku-stuff

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argylemnwrites · 5 years ago

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Hold On

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x MC (Cassie Vanderfield)

Book: Open Heart (just over 5 years after the end of Book 1)

Word Count: ~1100

Rating: PG (very brief language)

Summary: Being a two physician couple with a kid is a balancing act at the best of times.

Author’s Note: My second Friday Fluff drabble. This one combines two prompts which I got literally simultaneously - 19. Forgetting Something as requested by @srta-give-me-my-jax-rl and 26. Doctor Visits, which was an anonymous request.

Cassie darted around the loft, trying to find something she could use as a burp cloth while she mixed Kendall’s formula. Dr. Bilson had told them that Kendall’s reflux should be getting better by this point, but it felt like she still was spitting up with every feed. The designated burp cloths were always dirty. Rifling through the kitchen drawers, she couldn’t even find a clean dish towel they could use. Damn, they really needed to do laundry. Just one more thing to add to their never-ending to-do list. Laundry, renewing her DEA number, grocery shopping, and finally getting around to starting to introduce solids for Kendall, something Dr. Bilson had advised them to do before today’s appointment. Oh well.

Having a six month old, working as one of only two attendings on the diagnostics service, and having your husband be in the midst of fellowship interviews, it turns out, was a recipe for chaos. Cassie was the attending on service this week, so Bryce was supposed to take Kendall to her six month well child appointment, as he was currently working nights. That had been the plan - Bryce would take her to the 8:30 appointment, drop her off at daycare by 9:30, then come home and crash while Cassie rounded and saw the new consults. That was before Bryce got a last minute fellowship interview offer at Stanford. Clearly, another applicant had cancelled, but with how competitive surgical oncology was, he would be a fool to turn down any interview, even one that was wildly inconvenient for them. They just had to make it work.

Thankfully Puja, the resident currently on a diagnostics elective, was very accommodating. She was a med-peds resident, so she was very sympathetic to Cassie’s need to juggle her daughter’s needs with her professional obligations. Puja had readily agreed to carry the consult pager in the morning and to round in the afternoon. And Bryce had been able to cash in some favors from all the Christmas shifts he’d volunteered to cover over the years, so he had been able to trade away his shifts last night and tonight. However, the rapid change in plans had left them scattered and scrambling. It didn’t help that Bryce overslept this morning, no doubt a side effect of his disjointed sleep schedule this block. He currently was trying to spend a little time with Kendall while he worked on packing, but Cassie could hear her fussing in the bedroom, probably hungry for her bottle. It was just a morning of stress for everyone.

“Babe, have you seen my blue tie?” Bryce asked, stepping out of their bedroom, Kendall held in one of his arms, his garment bag in the other.

Cassie sighed heavily, walking over, handing Bryce the bottle and hanging his garment bag off a cabinet handle before she went into their bedroom and started digging through the dresser. “I have no idea where it is. Can’t you just wear the red one?”

“If I have to, I will. Some of the older docs act like it’s some wild color, but it’s probably not a huge deal.” Bryce called out.

“I think we’re at that point,” said Cassie as she came out of the bedroom, walking over to the couch where he was feeding Kendall. “Let me finish, you need to get showered and dressed now so you don’t miss your flight.”

Bryce shook his head, “I’m just going in my sweatpants. I’m going to want to shower anyway once I get to the hotel.”

“Shouldn’t you still be packing?”

Bryce grimaced slightly, “Any chance you could finish up for me? It’s just... I’m not going to see her for a couple of days and-”

Cassie held up her hand to cut him off. She wanted to make him do his own packing, but it was hard to deny him spending time with his kid, particularly when she would have to handle 100% of the parenting for the next two days. So she nodded gently and returned to the bedroom, making sure his suitcase was ready to go.

When she came back out 15 minutes later, she was pleasantly surprised to see Bryce already snapping Kendall into her carrier. “I refilled her diaper bag, too,” he told her, looking back over his shoulder.

“Thanks.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with this? I know you’re on service, so if you need me to take her to the pediatrician, I can probably catch a red eye tonight and just-”

“We’ll be fine,” Cassie interrupted, “Go wow those Stanford surgeons.”

Bryce grinned at her, taking the suitcase from her hand, “They won’t know what hit ‘em. You grabbed my phone charger?”

“Yup. And you made her six ounce bottles, not five?”

“Yes. My padfolio’s in here?”

“Of course. You threw in a new pack of wipes?”

“I did. Did you get my dress socks?”

“Absolutely. And you checked that there’s enough triple paste?”

“Uh huh. Are we all set?”

“Maybe?” said Cassie with a laugh. It certainly seemed like they were as ready as they were going to be.

Cassie grabbed her work bag and the diaper bag and headed towards the door, but Bryce stopped her in her tracks.

“Uh Cassie, aren't you forgetting something?”

“What are you-” Cassie started to ask as she spun around, but stopped when she saw Bryce, holding out Kendall in her carrier. “Oops.”

“It is generally advised to bring the patient to the appointment, Dr. Vanderfield.”

Cassie just shook her head, grabbing the carrier handle and walking towards the door again, but as she was unlocking it, she realized Bryce was forgetting something too.

“Babe, don’t forget your suit!” she called out. She heard some mumbling that sounded suspiciously like “Shit,” and then the sound of a zipper, Bryce clearly attaching his garment bag to his suitcase.

Thinking they might both be in the clear, she opened the door, but Bryce called out one more time.

“Wait! One more thing!”

“What is it now, Bryce?” she asked as he jogged over to her.

“I love you,” he said before he kissed her deeply.

“I love you, too. Now, I need to go, and so do you.”

Bryce nodded, but took one more second to drop a kiss to Kendall’s forehead. Their life was a giant ball of crazy at the moment, but Cassie knew that both of them wouldn’t have it any other way.

Permatag: @speedyoperarascalparty @mfackenthal @lilyofchoices @thequeenofcronuts @jamesashtonisbae

Open Heart: @omgjasminesimone @octobereighth

Bryce x MC only: @thequeenchoices @feartheendlesssummer @tallulahshh @fortunatelywaywardsandwich @dreaming-of-movies @choicesarehard @universallypizzataco @srta-give-me-my-jax-rl @maria-soederberg @sunnyxdazed

#bryce lahela #bryce x mc #open heart fanfiction #open heart #choices fanfiction #choices #playchoices #choices stories you play #fluffy friday

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takemedancingmaine · 6 years ago

Text

I gather my BlackBerry, massive padfolio, and a bottle of water from my desk.

“Good to see you're feeling better,” James says as he holds the conference room door open for me and Philip. We both slip inside and as I take my seat I blush.

“Just glad to be well enough to work,” I say. It's the truth. When I looked at my BlackBerry last night on the train home from Jack’s I was unsurprised to see how much I'd missed in just a day of being gone.

I am glad to be back though because it means I am well enough to be here doing something that gives me a sense of purpose, something that drives me forward. I'm already working on pitching a story idea, centric to the shambles regarding Brexit.

We all know how awful it is economically and politically for Britain at the moment, with no one knowing how to handle it. My story would be about the nonexistent plans and promises of grandeur that caused the vote to swing toward it in the first place.

Did those who wanted to leave the EU have a game plan or were they just throwing out ideas? To me, and to a lot of people, it seems to be the second: haphazard ideas and sloppy plans with how to separate ourselves that we're now being forced to struggle with. It honestly seemed like even they thought that they would lose the vote so why even bother with proper planning.

Those leading the charge to exit need to be held accountable for the turmoil our country is currently facing.

I don't know if I should pitch it today though, I'm thinking the outline and my own game plan need to be sketched out further and more completely before I bring it to James or Seamus.

Philip launches into a story about school children all around the country and how it's looking like school boards locally and nationally are looking into better, more nutritious school lunches after a mishap at some food processing and distribution centre.

This not only calls to question the low current standards but it also forces the hand of the public to recognize that either the lunches get more expensive or school taxes will increase.

I take notes just so I'm informed if I'm asked to join on a project, but I'm feeling the exhaustion in my bones from my weekend. My brain is starting to fire at a more normal pace now and I'm not so tired mentally, not really at least, but my body feels overrun with exhaustion only two hours into the day.

After the rundown meeting, I set my sights on my story, researching, reaching out to sources, and endlessly reading. I've got two on the opposing side of Brexit and one with another in the works on the side for.

It's after I help Philip film an interview that will be aired tonight that I breach the topic with him.

He's sorting through his notes and compiling his things to head to the video room to start editing and rendering the clip when I stop him.

“Philip, can I run a story by you really quickly?” I ask, my voice quiet. I think that's what makes him look at me curiously. I haven't been that quiet around him since I started.

“What’ve you got?” He asks, leaning against the anchor desk as he looks me up and down, almost as if he’s trying to figure it out before I tell him.

“Brexit,” I say and I know immediately by the look in his eyes, the change in his posture that he's not on board.

Before he can open his mouth to say as much I cut him off. “I know it's been covered for over a year now, but I think there's an angle I can work.”

He gestures for me to keep going, but he still looks sceptical. I bite my lip, take a deep breath, and then launch into my pitch for it, all the research I’d done, and the sources I'd already gotten that were willing to discuss both on and off the record.

By the time I'm finished Philip doesn't look as sceptical, but he doesn't look excited either. I don't know what he's thinking until he opens his mouth.

“You're doing good work,” he tells me. “But I want you to dig deeper. What you've got is great, really. I just think you've got more there that you can really get into. Once you've dug deeper, bring it back to me and we can run it by James and Seamus.”

My heart stops and then picks up speed. He's going to let me keep going with this. This is massive.

I've done segment pieces before and helped produce interviews and smaller things, but this would be a whole show dedicated to my story if it's up to scruff. It frightens me and excites me at the same time.

I can feel myself locking up, all the nerves just firing in my body all at once, unsure of what to do. But then Philip gives me an expectant look with those dark green eyes he has and I shake myself.

“Oh my god,” I tell him, my own eyes wide as he gives me a small smile. “Thank you! I just… thank you.” I turn to leave, realize I've forgotten everything on the desk, and then turn back in a series of very disjointed movements.

Philip is smirking at me, waiting for me to leave before he goes to the editing room. Probably expecting me to pass out or something equally as ridiculous.

“Wren?” He asks when I’ve almost made it to the door. I turn to see him still leaning on the desk.

“Yes?”

“Your phone?”

I look down at my hands. There's no phone. I left my phone. I close my eyes and take a deep breath before walking all the way back.

“Take your time with this, Wren,” he says now that I'm beside him again. “You're bright and driven. Just take some time, make this as good as it can be. And if you need help, ask.”

“Thank you,” I say again, my cheeks flushing with colour before I grab my phone and scuttle off.

I really appreciate Philip. As the senior producer it's his job to help us, I know that, but his patience is second to none. He has a short fuse when it comes to ignorance or lack of trying. He loathes complacency and apathy, but he's always here trying to help us, the associate producers.

I think it's because he's young. He’s twenty-nine and was embedded in Afghanistan for three years. He literally had a trial by fire when he was offered the job to go over. Most twenty-four-year-olds would baulk and take the safer route, but Philip trusted James.

The two of them as a team have an enviable partnership and work chemistry that makes our newsroom flow with almost unprecedented efficiency.

I never knew I wanted to be in broadcast media, I always thought I was more efficient in print, but it turns out my background in print makes it easy for me to write copy for the show.

I never expected to be in broadcast, but now that I'm here, disseminating news to more than I could ever have imagined in such an efficient environment I can't look back on any other path for myself. I mean, this has opened so much up for me career-wise and personally, I've learned so much about myself.

So with Philip’s blessing, I get back to work once I'm at my desk.

“Hey, Liz?” I look up and across the mini barrier of our desk clump.

She nods and lets me know she's heard me. I wait until she looks up before I breach the subject.

“Your sister-in-law works in the Conservative party as a strategist, right?”

She nods. “She does.”

“I'm working on digging deeper into Brexit and I want to really dissect the planning and strategies and not just comment on the obvious. Do you think she'd be willing to talk to me about the 12-point plan?”

“If you put it to her like that, she might be,” Liz tells me. “I can give you her information and you can reach out to try. I won't guarantee anything though.”

“Thank you so much,” I give her an appreciative smile. “I promise I'm not trying to make her look like a monster. I just want to really cover the story wholly and get all sides instead of just having people shouting at each other as they do on other networks.”

“That's not going to be easy, but I do hope it works out,” she gives me a smile before a news alert beeps onto all of our computers and she turns to read it.

Her scepticism about the ability to pull it off is warranted. I'm about to start watching news clips of Brexit coverage so far when Liz slips a piece of paper onto my desk with her sister-in-law’s information scribbled onto it.

I give her a smile back before turning towards my monitor where I'm sure my brain will melt with misinformation and combust with the arrogance that will be showcased.

“You are unbelievable you know that, right?”

“And you are being dramatic,” I roll my eyes and pick up my drink.

“I think I have a right,” he says and flicks my knee as I sit on his countertop and decompress after a week of long nights at work.

I sip the beer in my hand and look over at him. He's cutting little tomatoes in half and drinking beer while we listen to a Simon & Garfunkel song.

He doesn't look up at me, but I know that he can feel my gaze on him, so I bring my beer back up and slurp my next sip. He cringes, slams the knife down on the counter and points at me, eyes narrowed.

“You are the fucking worst.”

I let out a laugh and bite my bottom lip to keep my smile from spreading too large.

“What happens if Charlie wakes up?” he glares before turning back to the tomatoes. “Think of that? Having to explain a boyfriend to your nephew might be awkward.”

“He's the heaviest sleeper this world has ever seen,” I shake my head. “He's not woken up at night since he was a baby.”

My brother just continues with the knife, dicing up a red pepper. His jaw is set tight, no give or leeway in his facial expression.

“C’mon, Liam,” I lean over, my face closer to his. “You know you're secretly rejoicing that you get to torment him.”

Liam scoffs and takes a swig of beer. “I'd feel better if I'd run a background check first,” he mumbles.

I laugh at my pouting big brother.

“Li,” I put a hand on his shoulder as I gesture vaguely with my other hand, the beer sloshing a bit in the bottle as I do so. “You're very intimidating. You don't need a background check to bolster your plan of attack.”

“It would've helped,” he shoots me a look, but there's a lot less force behind this one than his earlier ones. I drop my hand from his shoulder and poke his nose before letting it fall to my side. “You couldn't invite Piper to break the tension a bit?”

“I did.”

“Did she bail just to torture me?” He asks, false despair seeping into his tone. My older brother is a child.

“Of course,” I nod. “You know her. Demented as she is,” I roll my eyes before moving my left leg sideways to kick his hip. “No. She had an event at the gallery and has to be there late.”

“Ouch,” he complains. “And is there anything of hers up? Should we have gone as support?” He asks.

“Do you think if my best friend had artwork up at a gallery event that I'd be here?” I ask rhetorically.

He answers anyway. Of course.

“Of course you’d be here,” he scoffs. “You'd be watching Charlie while I attend the event,” he grins.

I pick up a piece of chopped pepper and throw it at his face. “Get an au pair, you miserable muppet!”

“I don't want Charlie to think it's a new mum or something,” he lifts both hands in exasperation, done with my bringing this up.

“One: they have male au pairs,” I sip my beer, realizing I'm already almost done with it. “Two: he's six, Liam. He understands more than you think he does.”

“Having a guy in the house would be weird,” he makes a face. “And also, I don't care,” he adds as a response to my second point. That's that apparently.

I raise my eyebrows at his attitude. I pause and as he starts gathering the rest of the ingredients I listen to the new song.

“Were you on drugs when you made this playlist?”

Liam groans. He closes his eyes and stops in place and groans again.

I smirk. I'm always teasing him for his music choices. I knew it would be enough to get his mind off the touchy subject.

“Seriously, we’ve gone from Simon and Garfunkel to Yellowcard, to I'm sorry was that Genesis?, and now we’re on Khalid.”

He opens his eyes and then his mouth to protest and I cut him off. “There wasn't even a theme to the songs, either. It’s like musical whiplash, but in an uncomfortable way and not a cool oh-my-god-this-actually-works kind of way. More in an oh-my-god-my-ears-are-bleeding kind of way.”

Liam picks up the piece of pepper from the floor and throws it back at my face. I don't dodge it in time. It bounces off my cheek.

“You cock,” I flip him off.

“You started it, you little fuck,” he points out as I pick the offending piece of vegetable off the counter and throw it into the sink with the garbage disposal.

We’re in comfortable silence for a minute, only a minute, before he breaks it, unable to restrain his mouth, hold back his curiosity.

“So how did you two meet? You've never even told me that,” he asks.

“Liam,” I close my eyes and lean my head back against the cupboards. “You will get your fill of questions answered if you just-” the sound of knocking interrupts me.

Before I can move, Liam laughs. “Well, he has good timing at least,�� in reference to what I was saying when Jack knocked. “Thanks for getting him to knock, by the way. The bell’d definitely have woken Charlie.”

“Despite your belief, brothermine, I'm not a numpty,” I complain. “I'll be right back,” I slip down off the counter and pad barefoot toward Liam's foyer.

“Could've fooled me!” He calls out.

The lights are dimmed in the front of the house as usual and when I reach the door I peek behind me, he's not hovering over my shoulder. When I hear him clanging through a kitchen drawer I open the front door and I'm greeted by Jack.

He looks tense. I can tell by his shoulders and eyes, but his eyes when he sees my face shift a bit and some of the tension releases. I step back a bit and allow him to enter.

“Hi,” I give him a smile.

“Hi,” he attempts a grin. I try not to laugh at him. I can hear the kitchen sink running and so quickly I step forward and reach up to my tiptoes and give him a quick kiss. He does react, he does manage to kiss me back for a moment before pulling back and looking over my shoulder to make sure Liam isn't there glaring him down.

He's not.

“C’mon then, laddie, let’s do this,” I grab his hand and wait while he kicks his shoes off at the front door and then guide him back through the house to the kitchen.

I can tell that Jack is a bit in awe of the house, but he doesn't say anything as he passes through the hallway, glancing into the living room and then into the kitchen,

“Will you have a beer?” I ask as we step over the threshold. I let go of his hand and he nods.

“Please,” he nods and I watch as his eyes dart from me to Liam who’s just looked up from the counter in front of him.

As I pull a beer from the fridge and open it I try to judge Liam's initial reaction.

I've grown up with my brother my whole life. I've been able to push his buttons and read him better than anyone in this world, aside from his late wife. I've never had a problem knowing his thoughts, even after he'd been taught how to rein them in. It's a constant source of annoyance it is for him to have me always knowing what's going on in his mind, unable to hide anything from me.

Now though, I have no idea what he's thinking and that's odd and foreign for me, so I step back up to Jack, his beer in my hand before I turn to Liam and will him to look at me. When he finally does he's still blank and I still can't tell what he's thinking.

I squirm on the spot but train my brown eyes on my brothers, on eyes that mirror mine, and take a deep breath.

“Liam, this is Jack,” I say as if neither of them has already met the other. “And Jack,” I glance up quickly to see the tension has returned to his blue eyes, “this is my older brother Liam.”

Jack, for his part, steps forward a bit and extends his hand toward my brother. “Good to see you, Liam,” he says, not ignoring the fact that they know one another.

Liam shakes himself of whatever had come over him when he realized who was standing in his kitchen and, after wiping his hands on a dish towel, extends one hand out, grasping Jack’s in a handshake.

“It's all making sense now,” Liam nods in return. His voice isn't unfriendly but I watch as he scans Jack up and down in a way I'm sure he's never done before during any of their other meetings. “Wren,” my brother opens his mouth to speak again and I know that tone.

“Hmm?” I hum.

“Would you mind grabbing the cheese from the fridge while you're over by it?”

I would give a million pounds to know what my brother is thinking at this exact moment.

“Sure,” I nod and hand Jack his beer before I pop open the fridge and grab the cheese for the pizza. Once I'm beside Liam I look over at Jack who's still tense but thankfully doesn't look like he's going to bolt.

I watch as he meets my gaze before taking a sip of his beer. I knock my hip into Liam.

“So you met at school then, yeah?” Liam's eyes are on me as he finishes putting the sauce on the pizza. He's going back to the question he asked me just before Jack arrived.

“Brilliant deduction there, Sherlock,” I mock. I sneak a glance at Jack and although his shoulders are still tight he's hiding a smirk with the bottle in his hand.

“Every day you test me more and more,” Liam sighs as he picks up the spinach and starts spreading it over the pizzas that are starting to look like pizzas, finally. His eyes are a mixture of humour and annoyance.

“And every day you get further and further away from the Neanderthal you were before I was born,” I pat his shoulder. “You're welcome.”

“I was three when you were born,” he rolls his eyes.

“That's no excuse,” I fake a sigh. “You are so lucky to have me,” I shrug and then move to grab my beer. When I realize there’s only a sip left I place it down beside Liam, who quickly drains it as I grab a new one for each of us.

Liam knows I have this quirk where I never drink the last sip of beer from a bottle. From a glass, sure. From a bottle? No, thank you. He's used to finishing off my beers.

This time I stop beside Jack on the opposite of the island from Liam. I slide my brother's beer across to him.

“So,” Liam hedges, “Jack.”

“Hmm?” Jack hums as he looks up from his hands to my brother.

“Tell me a bit about yourself,” Liam’s trying to be casual. I know what he's going for though, trying to open Pandora's box. A lawyer tactic is to have your witness just talk and talk until they admit something they didn't intend to.

He's trying to get a reason to make him squirm. He's going to have a hard time though. He knows that Jack has been good with me, with my mental health, but he also knows that his own son often sings his teacher’s praises.

“What would you like to know?” Jack counters.

Liam glances up from the food and his eyes flick from me to Jack and then back to me. He's more than upset I didn't tell him. I also know he doesn't like that his witness just asked him a question. That's not how it works.

“Well, I already know you're a primary school teacher,” Liam shrugs. “But what else should I know about you now that you're dating my sister and not just teaching my son?”

I want to bite my tongue, believe me, I want to. However, since last weekend I've been getting stronger emotionally, back to normal pretty much, and after the numbness I experienced I was kind of edgy and raring to get into it with my brother, or anyone in general.

“Don't mind his vagueness,” I place a hand on Jack’s shoulder and throw an over the top smile my brother’s way. “He's just upset he's been kept out of the loop so he's trying to play lawyer mind games with you.”

Liam flips me the off and Jack actually lets out a small laugh at that.

“No, no,” Jack shakes his head at me and gives Liam a look that conveys understanding. “I play the same mind games when I'm out with Lily and her boyfriend Sam.”

“You have a sister?” Liam asks, some of his rigidity leaving subconsciously.

“I do,” Jack nods. “She's three years older than I am,” he adds. “And she decided the best time for me to meet her new beau would be my birthday dinner last month.”

Liam glances at me with an all too knowing look in his eye.

“It's like they think we’ll enjoy the meeting, either of us,” Liam shakes his head.

“Oi,” I look between them. “Don't even act like you haven't been asking me about Jack from the moment you coaxed it out of me that I was seeing someone.” I turn on Jack as Liam glares at me for being right. “And I know for a fact that you would rather meet anyone in Lily’s life than be left in the dark.”

“It doesn't mean I wanted that meeting to be on my birthday, love,” he gives me a smirk.

I roll my eyes. “You're both ridiculous,” I shake my head and Jack bites his tongue as he smirks at me. Liam has raised an eyebrow in confusion. “You get what you want, sorry it's not perfect.”

“It's two against one at the moment,” Liam points out. He raises his beer and extends it to Jack, who gives me a well-he’s-not-wrong look and he lifts his own beer and the two of them cheers.

After that initial bit of awkwardness, Liam and Jack actually ease into a pretty smooth flowing conversation.

The three of us talked uni courses, football, best and worst pubs in certain areas of London, and more. My brother and boyfriend-would I call Jack my boyfriend?-are actually getting along. I know I shouldn't be surprised. They're both reasonable people.

However, I spent my time being surprised by it, by them and just trying to engage with the conversations they were shifting between. It feels good. Liam's still mad at me, I can tell, but he's honestly eased his entire demeanour around Jack and I don't think he did it purposefully. I think he and Jack just get along

We’re sitting down at the table eating the pizza, each of us on our second or third beer when Liam gives me a look.

“So wait, at the school carnival…” he pauses as he looks pointedly between me and Jack who are sat across the table from him. “You two were seeing each other then?”

“Yep,” I nod as beside me, Jack shrugs and goes, “Aye.”

“And that was the night I interrupted,” Liam sorts through the timeline a bit more in his head. I can see the concentration on his face as he tries to sort through everything.

“Mhm,” I hum.

Liam gives me a look. “Sorry about that,” he says to Jack as I reach for another slice of pizza. Liam and I make really good pizza. Liam rolls his eyes at me before looking back at Jack.

“Nah, mate,” Jack shakes his head. “Family things happen. No need to apologize.”

Liam makes a face but doesn't say anything.

“Have you invited everyone to Friendsgiving yet?” I ask Liam now.

“Well you know that Piper is charged with sous chef duty and you're my cleaning crew, so I guess you both can come if you'd like…” his smirk turns to a laugh when I throw my napkin at his face. “And I talked to Graham, Ed and Mike, they're all coming with their partners. What about Molly and Bernie?”

“Bernie is visiting her mother, who just moved to Crete, that weekend, but Molly will be here,” I smile.

I'm so excited to see his friends from Uni. They were there for my first year and I absolutely love them. They're like additional big brothers but goofier and also give me stories of my idiot actual brother.

“Is she still with that girl…” he trails off.

“Which one?” I ask. “The one who kicked your ass or the American one?”

Liam glowers at me and I giggle.

“The first one,” he tells me, his voice low.

“Nah,” I shake my head and pick up my pizza slice. “They broke it off maybe six months ago. She's with a baker, now.”

“Wait, I'm sorry,” Jack interrupts. “Did I miss something? The one who kicked your ass?”

I laugh.

Liam glares at me again.

“Last year, my uni roommate Molly’s date kicked Liam’s ass at literally any competition he could think of. Chess, FIFA, press ups, holding their breath, literally kicking his butt when they wrestled.”

“God, I hate you,” Liam groans.

“D'you think Lily and Sam would like to join?” I ask Jack.

“I can ask,” he nods. “I'm pretty sure they'd love to, though.”

“Yeah?” I ask.

Liam nods. “Yeah, we’d love to have them,” he says.

I almost do a spit take with my beer. Liam and Jack must've really gotten on as we ate. Liam is starting to throw me off a bit with his responses.

“Do we need to bring anything?”

“Yeah,” I nod. “So the first time we did it I researched what Americans eat on Thanksgiving and we always eat traditional food. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie-”

“What the hell is green bean casserole?” Jack cuts me off.

“It's better to just eat it and then ask instead of the other way round,” Liam advises.

Jack still looks confused, but he nods anyway. “Will I even know what to make if I'm tasked to bring something?”

“I've already got you down for something,” I tell him.

“What's that?” He asks with concern and curiosity flitting across his face.

“Apple crumble,” I smirk.

“I think I can handle that,” he laughs to himself.

“Wait…” Liam glances between the two of us. “Those apple scones we had. Did you make those?” He looks at Jack.

“No. Your sister did.”

“But he did make those apple muffins,” I add.

“Mate,” Liam looks at Jack. “Those were so good. D’you bake often?”

“When I have the time,” Jack nods. “I find it relaxing.”

“I mean I read to relax, but whatever works for you, mate,” Liam chuckles.

“Shit,” I whisper when over Liam’s shoulder I see the clock that's telling me it's half one in the morning. “Liam, how dare you let me stay up this late!”

“How the bloody hell is it my fault?” He reacts with indignation.

“It just is,” I groan and slump my head down onto the table.

“You're so dramatic,” Liam chuckles. “D’you need me to drive you home, then?”

“I think I can handle that task,” Jack says from beside me.

I lift my head and smirk at Liam. He's glaring at me some more. I know exactly why, too. He wanted to drive me so that he could talk to me, maybe also be a bit cross with me and it would be more than just taking.

“Let me just go grab my things then,” I slump away from the table, leaving Liam and Jack, to go grab my things from upstairs where I stashed them when I'd said goodnight to Charlie.

By the time I come back downstairs wrapped up in my coat and pulling a hat on, Liam and Jack are in the foyer where Jack is slipping his jacket back on, laughing at something Liam has said.

I just quietly watch for a moment before either of them realizes I'm there. I don't know how they've not realised I'm here, the stairs are in clear view to the second floor. There's no hiding, but whatever.

They seem much calmer than they were before, no anxiety and nervous glances in my direction, no tapping of fingers anxiously on beer bottles, nothing out of the ordinary. If I didn't know any better, the scene I just walked into could be Liam and one of his mates from uni.

“Ready?” Jack turns to me once I'm beside him.

“I am,” I nod. He gives me a smile and I melt into his blue eyes, the comfort of them slipping around me like a weighted blanket. The sense of calm that envelops me is surreal.

“Night, Liam,” I turn to him and wrap my arms around him as he pulls me close as well. My older brother was waiting for his goodnight.

Sometimes I think his longer hugs are because he genuinely just wants to feel human contact with someone other than his six-year-old. Other times I think his hugs are a result of just feeling alone and overwhelmed. Holding another body close serving as his reminder that he's not alone and that we’d be there for him if he ever was feeling overwhelmed.

“Love you, Wren,” he whispers to me. “I'll see you Sunday, right?” He asks.

“You will,” I nod against him. As I pull away I run a hand through my hair. “And I love you too, Liam.”

He gives me a smile and then he and Jack shake hands before Jack and I are out the door and getting into Jack’s car.

#ooohhhhh #it's okay that you hate me!#it's been so long since i've updated #but here we are #meeting the older brother #never an easy or a pleasant task #let me know what you think!#hmd14

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lilac-milk-moon · 4 years ago

Text

Early Career Job Change — Learn How to Pull It Off

Navigate an early career job change with this step-by-step guide.

The idea behind both semi-retirement and FIRE is to save diligently in the beginning of your career so that you can have more freedom later. This is what I call Step 1 in the Semi-Retire Plan. As a result, it can feel like you have to “grind” at your unpleasant job with no reprieve. Well-meaning family members or mentors might tell you that an early career job change can push you off track for the remaining portion of your working years.

I would argue otherwise.

How long should I wait before changing jobs?

There’s no one answer for “correct” timing for an early career job change. How much of a problem is your current job? If you’re suffering through abuse, leave immediately. If you just don’t enjoy it, you’ll need to explore further.

Certainly, most people don’t love every minute of their full-time job. To an extent, that’s just normal. But life is too short to suffer through a job you truly hate. Even while saving for semi-retirement, it’s important to still prioritize spending your time and money in areas that are most meaningful to you.

The SR Wife and I both made early career job changes after less than 2 years at our first professional jobs. I’ll dig into the details below, but I want you to know that I’ve been in your shoes, and it can work out very well.

So, if you are not being compensated fairly, suffer abuse, work extreme hours, or outright dislike what you are working on, I want to validate your concern and discomfort. It’s alright to feel that way, and you should get out of there!

Does job hopping look bad?

Many people are concerned that changing jobs can look bad to a potential future employer. In my experience, this has not been a deal-breaker.

When employers see that you’ve made an early career job change, they’ll want to know why and if it will be a pattern. It’s true that employers want to reduce their own risk of re-filling your position after only a short time in the role.

Remember, though, that leaving a job after only a year or two is becoming increasingly common. So there’s nothing wrong with you if you’ve found that a certain role or employer just isn’t a good fit.

One other key element to navigating this topic is to avoid speaking too negatively of your previous employer that you left. If you “trash” you past employer in an interview, the interviewer will believe that you’ll speak negatively of them too, if hired.

If approached carefully, you can demonstrate to a future employer that your early career job change will not be a pattern for you as an employee.

Your main goal when talking with a potential future employer will be to speak professionally about your departure and to explain that it was an exceptional circumstance that required you to leave. You can explain in your responses that you’re a very reliable and trustworthy employee.

Where do I start when making an early career job change?

The first step in making an early career job change is to identify what’s broken.

Do a “post-mortem” review of your current role. What do you enjoy? What is your pain point?

If you’re just getting started in your field, it may be hard to know how much of the problem is specific to your manager vs the company vs the industry as a whole.

Try talking to peers at other similar companies, reading employer reviews from sites like Glassdoor, or even just imagining if your job would feel significantly improved in a similar role but with a different manager.

Only pursue a new job if your current pain point will be changed in your new role.

The SR Wife worked in a small office setting in her first job. Her manager was too intense. To him, every mistake was a “total failure.” She decided to pursue new options after being with the employer for less than a year, and it has worked out great! In her case, it wasn’t an industry problem, just a manager problem. Her salary increased by $10k at her new position.

When I left my first job, I felt that I wasn’t being compensated fairly. Your time is “worth” whatever the market will pay you. A former manager from a college internship reached out to me, and I told her I was interested! The new position included a 44% increase in salary.

How do I get an interview?

Start by checking in with any contacts you already have in your target industry. PayScale estimates that 70-80% of jobs are filled by networking, rather than job board listings.

Consider reaching out directly to companies you’re interested in and expressing your interest. They may have a position to fill that is not posted online yet.

When I was applying to the first company I worked for, I wasn’t getting any responses to my application. One day I found a broken link on the job posting, I called the company and let the HR department know about the error, and then we discussed my application. I quickly had 2 phone interviews scheduled with them.

In the interview, remember to gear all of your responses around what you can do for your new employer — that’s what they care about. Frame your responses around this structure: ��_______ happened, I responded by doing _______, and I will use that same skillset at your company to help you do _______.”

My last interview tip is be prepared to ask questions! It shows you are interested, and it gives you a chance to respond. Ask about what skills a good candidate for the position would have, then share a story showing how you demonstrate those skills.

Nailing the interview is an important step in executing your early career job change.

How do I prepare for the interview?

Next, update your interview tool kit and you’ll be ready for your early career job change! This resume guide from my friends at Your Money Geek is my favorite resource to help with this step.

Make sure your LinkedIn profile looks sharp and that your other personal social media channels either look professional or are set to private.

Get ready to interview! I like to bring a leather padfolio with a notepad, pen, and several extra copies of my resume. I also like to prep by researching the employer and identifying 5 personal stories I will share to show my relevant skills.

Be confident but not pompous or arrogant.

How do I respond to a job offer?

When you get an offer, you may also find that the possible new employer offers benefits you didn’t know you were missing. When asking about benefits at your new employer, consider inquiring about each of the following:

Salary (try to negotiate for more)

Paid time off (try to negotiate for more)

Retirement account contribution match

Bonuses

Relocation assistance

Sick days

Maternity and paternity leave

Childcare assistance

Tuition reimbursement

Discounts on company products or services

Insurance cost supplements and discounts

Discount corporate rates on cell phone plans

One of the reasons I made my own early career job change to my current employer is the tuition reimbursement program. I recently completed my master’s degree and it’s not affecting our debt level or cash flow!

You’re going to do great!

Remember, you can successfully make an early career job change. You don’t have to be a martyr for your financial future. If you hate your job, find a new one, then leave.

The post Early Career Job Change — Learn How to Pull It Off appeared first on Semi-Retire Plan.

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