#jacob sighs really dramatically and then hands me $20

[teddy06writes]

Some unspoken thing

Karl Jacobs x Reader 

requested: no

Trigger warnings: mentions of covid, mild descriptions of a panic attack

premise: You and Karl have been friends, for years now, and now even your friends are starting to see that unspoken thing between you

“---” talking

‘---’ talking through a call

(y/s/n) -  your screen name

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You’d known Karl since you were at least 10, and you both agreed that you’d been together forever, through thick and thin it was always you and Karl against the world. You and your unspoken thing.

When he’d first spoken of moving away from Portland you weren’t too sure, mostly because of college, but still, you found yourself here, sprawled across a couch, exhausted from hauling boxes up to your apartment. 

“Why did we bring so much stuff?” You groaned as Karl picked up your legs long enough to sit down, then letting them drop into his lap. 

He sighed, “Don’t quote me on this, but it was you who couldn’t pack your stuff into less than 20 boxes.” 

“Yah okay Mr. ‘I can’t be bothered to even clean this laundry before I pack it up to leave’.” You scoffed.  

“That's not true! I washed most of it...” Karl trailed off pulling out his phone, “Pizza?” 

“Obviously.” 

Soon the pizza arrived and as Karl went to the door to grab it, you went and grabbed two monsters from the fridge, sitting back down in front of the couch as Karl came back with the pizza. 

“Ey I gotta pizza here!” He exclaimed, setting it down. 

“Eyyyyyyy!” You handed him one of the monsters, opening your own as he sat down, already starting to pull up an old episode of survivor. 

Once the pizza had been finished, and the left overs put away you ended up half cuddled together on the couch, your fingers softly carding through his hair. 

^^

“Hey! I’m back!” You called, looking around the seemingly empty apartment, confused, “Karl?” 

It had been a few months since, you’d moved out to North Carolina, and so far online school hadn’t been too bad even when corona hit, not with Karl and streaming to distract you from the reality of the world around you.

You went back to looking around for your friend, calling, “Hey, Karl where’d you go?” 

Sighing you followed the soft, muffled sobs to Karl’s room, knocking on the door softly, “Honey, are you in there?” 

There was silence, then a muffled, “un uh.” 

You pushed open the door gently, blinking into the mild darkness and turning to see Karl sitting on his bed, half curled into the wall and wrapped in a sweater he’d stolen from your closest a few weeks ago. 

Immediately  you crossed the room, climbing onto the bed next to him and pulling him into your arms, “Hey, hey, what’s wrong? What happened?” 

His arms drifted around your waist, burying his into your chest, “They all hate me.” He murmured. 

“Who do you think hates you?” You cooed. 

“Dream and Sapnap and everyone.”

“They don’t hate you, no one on the smp hates you.” You pressed a kiss to the top of his head, “What happened?” 

“I said somethin stupid, (y/n), I messed everything up.” 

You knew not to push any further, instead just doing your best to hold him closer, whispering, “They don’t hate you, they’d never hate you okay? It’ll all blow over and everything will be okay. I promise.” 

“What if it doesn’t (y/n)? What if I messed it up forever?” 

“You didn’t baby, you didn’t. It’s gonna be alright, I promise.” 

^^

“Ahhhhhh leave me alone!” You half shrieked, running away from Sapnap and Quackity on the dream SMP. 

‘Imposter! Imposter!’ They chanted. 

“I’m just supposed to be babysitting the chat!” You yelled, “I didn’t sign up to bully on a twitch stream! If I wanted that I would’ve been on my own stream!”

Sapnap laughed, ‘Oof! That's sad.’ 

“I know,” You said dramatically, “No one has any respect for (y/s/n), not you, not my chat, not even Karl!” 

‘We all know thats not true.’ Quackity scoffed. 

You half turned, giggling as Karl, came back into the room, “Debatable.” 

“What’s uh, whats going on?” He asked. 

“I’m being bullied, that's what's going on,” The chat started to fill with hearts and ‘(y/s/n) support.’, “Also I’ve decided since your chat likes me more than mine, so this is my stream now, I’m taking over.” 

Karl just half sighed, grabbing the chair from your desk on the other side of the office, and wheeling it over, sitting down next to you, propping his legs in your lap. 

‘(y/n) the world wants to know, how does it feel to now fill the void where Karl Jacobs once sat?’ Quackity asked, through a voice filter. 

“Well, since my dear friend Karl died,” 

“I’m not dead!” He interjected.

You sniffed, “Sometimes I can still hear his voice.”

“Dear friend?” Sapnap scoffed, “Al- Quackity look at the stream and tell me if they look like ‘dear friends’.” 

You face started to grow red, as both Nick and Alex began to catcall at you two, Karl, clearly getting confused as you ducked your head, face entirely red. 

“Whats the matter (y/n)? You got a crush?” Nick teased. 

Half covering your mouth you muttered, “Just some unspoken thing.” 

^^

“If I were to tell you that I kinda sorta didn’t listen to you, and forgot to buy more cereal, what would you say?” Karl asked, shrugging off his backpack as he came into the apartment. 

When he got no real response, he started to look around, finding you a minute later, laying on his bed, “Did’ja hear me?” 

“ehhhh... I don’t really care.” 

His brow furrowed upon hearing your monotonous, “You okay? What’s up?” 

You were still staring up at the ceiling “Grey, ‘s all grey.”

Sighing he came and sat down on the bed next to you, taking one of your hands in his, “Grey?” 

“Sad brain makes everything grey.” 

Karl fiddled with your fingers a moment, before raising them to his lips and softly pressing a kiss to your knuckles, “I’ll go make you tea.” 

He headed out of the room, leaving you to sit up and stare at the ceiling wondering what you’d done to deserve someone like him. 

He headed out of the room, leaving you to sit up and stare at the ceiling wondering what you’d done to deserve someone like him. 

A few minuets later he came back with a mug, handing it to you before he sat down behind you, wrapping his arms around you, “Is there a reason for sad brain today?” 

“Everything's just- blah. I’m just tired.” 

He didn’t need to ask to understand you didn’t mean physically, so instead he just pulled you gently to lean against his chest, pressing a gentle kiss to the edge of your jaw, “Okay?”

You knew Karl had a hard time with words sometimes, and you had long since learned how to listen for the meanings between simple phrases, and especially the weight of certain words, “Okay.” 

^^

‘So what is with you and Karl?’ Niki asked. 

You sighed, “I do not even know where to begin to answer that question.”

You were sitting in a discord call with her, originally trying to plan a joint stream but the conversation had switched.

‘I mean, if you don’t mind me saying so, it seems like your dating.’ 

“Well...” You considered it for a moment, you knew that your feelings for Karl were more than platonic, and had been for a long time, to you, it almost seemed like a fact of the world, the sky is blue, the earth is round, you loved Karl. 

“We've never talked about it, but- I suppose we- uhhh, you know what we’ll just say a little bit.” You quickly changed what you were going to say to be more ambiguous as Karl entered the room yelling, “Hi Niki!” 

‘I know you can’t hear me but hi Karl!’ She yelled back. 

You laughed, turning in your chair, “Niki says hi!” 

Karl grinned, leaning on the back of your chair, “Oh, yeah, dinners ready.”  and Niki raised her eyebrows, smirking at you.

“Don’t look at me like that.” You laughed, feeling Karl’s chin coming to rest on the top of your head. 

‘I’m not looking at anything.’ she insisted, ‘you would be a cute couple.’

Your face started to turn red, “Shut up!” 

‘It was a compliment!’ Niki laughed. 

“I know!” 

Karl’s face grew confused, “What?”

“It’s nothing. Niki I’ve gotta go, we’ll see about the stream tomorrow, okay?” 

‘yeah, bye!’ 

“Bye!” 

You disconnected from the call, “Dinner?” 

“Yeah! I managed not to burn the chicken!” 

You couldn’t help but grin, “Awesome!” 

^^

“I swear- either there both oblivious or there just really good at keeping it just hidden enough!” Dream exclaimed. 

“I mean if we don’t find out for another two weeks, I get a hundred dollars, so by all means let it drag out.” Quackity laughed. 

Sapnap groaned, “Actually its more like three hundred now, Hbomb, Skeppy and Wilbur all put in more money.” 

“Well I asked the other day,” Niki began, “and they only said, ‘a little bit’, What does that even mean?” 

“Maybe they are dating and that's (y/n)s way of dismissing it.” Tubbo said. 

You were listening to the discord call, trying not to laugh, as Tommy suggested, “Well it’s possible they are dating but like, haven’t realized it?” 

Everyone began to laugh, “Wait- wait hear me out! Hear me out! Like- you know when on like romcoms and shit where two bestfriends end up like there dating even when they technically aren’t and then they accidently kiss!” 

George scoffed, “That's not a thing.” 

“Well still!” Tommy tried to argue. 

“Not even in movies though.” Niki said. 

“Your right,” You laughed, unmuting, “We haven’t kissed yet, so it must not be a thing.” 

The vc went deadly silent as Tommy began to laugh hysterically, “Were you here the whole time?” 

“Maybe.” You laughed. 

“Wait- so are you and Karl together or not?” Dream questioned. 

“Uhhh, let you know when I find out? Do I get the money if I figure it out?” 

“Oh my god (y/n).” Tubbo was trying not to laugh himself as Tommy continued to lose his shit. 

“Yeah,” You looked over to where Karl was half asleep, leaning against you, “I’ve said it before, and I guess I’ll say it again, it’s just some unspoken thing.” 

^^

Music filled the apartment when you entered, some old song by Sinatra, and Karl was dancing around the living room as you pulled off your coat and mask. 

“Are you listening to Sinatra?” You questioned, setting the rest of your things down. 

“Come dance with me!” He giggled. 

You rolled your eyes, still smiling as you grabbed his hand, letting the other come to rest on his shoulder, “God, it’s been so long since I’ve dance.” 

“Come on, you remember don’t you?” 

You chuckled, “Back, side, forward, back. Technically this isn’t a waltzing song though.” 

“You can waltz to anything if you try hard enough,” Karl insisted, “Ready, and- one two three, one two three...” 

You fell into step, quietly humming along to the song as you moved in a slow arc around the room.

“..And- spin out...” Karl murmured, gently spinning you out to the side, and you paused for a a moment before he tugged on you arm, causing you to spin back in, finding yourself, face to face with him. 

You laughed nervously, suddenly blushing at the feeling of his arms around you. 

“What are we?” Karl asked softly, “Like, what is- this?” 

“Some unspoken thing.” Your voice was just as low, suddenly the weight of the hand resting on your lower back seeming to double.

He looked at your lips, then back at your eyes, and you nodded softly, leaning in and pressing your lips together. 

Your arms drifted around his waist as he pulled you closer, before you separated, smiling. 

“Does that mean it’s spoken now?” Karl asked. 

You grinned, “Course.” 

Later, after spending the rest of the night like any other you were cuddled up together on the couch, watching the newest episode of survivor, and you pretended not to notice as he gushed to someone through text. 

Your phone began to buzz with  venmo notifications, and Karl looked at you confused, “(y/n), why is everyone paying you?” 

You chuckled, “Reaping the benefits of our friends conspiring in a discord call that was left open.” 

After the kiss you had sent one text to a group chat; ‘I figured it out: pay up bitches.’

[wavyhairedbabyy]

Idiots - Part 1

Karl Jacobs x gn!reader

tldr: They’ve both got a crush. Sucks, since they’re the only ones oblivious to it. (Slow Burn!)

CW: some swearing(not at each other), fluffy as a teddy bear.

a/n: I got a random influx of followers ;-; Tysm for enjoying my works and sharing them. I haven’t written in 6 years, in case it wasn’t obvious lmao, so even one is super meaningful to me :) this ended up being way longer than I intended it to be so I’m splitting it into 2 parts. 

edited yet: yes - let me know if I missed anything!

Part 1 - Part 2

Y/n and Karl met when Karl was still going to college in New York before dropping things to move to North Carolina. They met the fall of their sophomore year at the campus café when Karl was trying to shoot a piece of paper into a trash can. The problem was he couldn’t aim and it landed right in y/n’s mug of coffee, quickly dissolving into a paper coffee soup. For anyone else it would’ve been okay but being that coffee was y/n’s life line, especially during finals, it most definitely was not.

“You’re buying me another, right?” they asked, “I would highly recommend it or you might see a side of me you don’t want to see.”

Being the good guy he was, and the slight fear of their bad side, he did with no questions.

“So, since there’s a side of you I don’t want to see, and I bought you a new coffee, do I get to see the side of you that I do want to see?”

“Find me next semester and you might.”

And he did.

***

“Karl, if you don’t give me that sword, I’m going to hurt you!” Y/n screamed as they lunged toward him. It was y/n, Karl, and Chris hanging out at Karl’s place until it was time to leave for a Mr. Beast project. They sat in his living room, Karl with a foam sword that y/n was desperate to take from him.

“That’s the problem! If I give it to you, you will hurt me with it!” He yelled back, jumping out of their reach.

“Okay children, why don’t I just take the sword so we can end all of this?” Chris intervened in an attempt to stop the ruckus.

Both of them paused, looking at him in disbelief. They shook their head and in unison scoffed, “No!”

The two continued their play fighting, one holding on to the sword for a short period of time before the other pulled it from their grasp. This went on until it was time to leave the house.

While this was all going down, Chris watched Karl’s behavior. He noticed how he let y/n hold on to the sword a little longer, even when he could’ve easily reached out to grab it from their hands. He noticed how he was much more careful with his movements, almost scared to be too rough with them.

With anyone else, Chris knew Karl’s pride would have taken over in this situation. He thought back to any other time he had any of his SMP friends over. With Nick or Alex, he would have hogged the sword and brutally whacked either of them with it as much as he could. He would happily tacked them and pinned them to the ground. With y/n though... there was a gentleness with them, and Chris did not fail on picking that up.

“Okay lame-os, let’s get on over to the warehouse. Y/n, you coming?” Chris asked.

Y/n shook their head, “Nah. I’m gonna unpack my stuff and relax from the flight. Plus, word on the street says that tomorrow is when the cool stuff is happening so I’ll come then.” they replied.

“Well the street is right, but they’re still a dummy,” Chris looked at Karl for reference.

“Hey...” Karl faked a sad look before staring at y/n for defense.

Y/n giggle and just shrugged, waving goodbye to the both of them, “If you don’t bring me back Burger King fries, don’t bother coming back at all!”

***

Chris and Karl sat in the car, Chris driving and Karl in the passenger seat. With some music on in the background, the two were discussing the plan of action for what was going to be filmed for the day.

“Do you know how long it’s going to take?” Karl asked, “I feel bad leaving y/n by themselves so I want to try to get out as early as humanly possible.”

“I’m not really sure. I’m sure Jimmy wouldn’t mind you scootin’ out a little early,” Chris replied. He took the opportunity and leaned over to his friend, “Speakin’ of y/n, anything going on there? Y’know, anything special?”

“Uhh- whaddya mean special?” Karl haphazardly, “We’re best friends. I think that’s pretty special.”

“No, idiot. I mean is there anything there besides just being best friends,” Chris paused for a second, “I dunno. I just noticed you’re different with them, man. You know you would never treat Nick or Alex the way you treated them.”

Karl paused, trying to think of a response but failing. He sighed, “Yeah, there’s definitely something there on my end. I mean, I’ve been attracted to them since we first met. I just don’t think they reciprocate it.”

“You never know if you don’t try. What’s the worst that can happen?”

“I’d rather not think about it,” Karl sunk into his seat, thinking of all the bad endings that could happen if he told y/n his feelings.

***

Meanwhile this was happening, y/n was making themselves comfortable in Karl’s guest room. They planned on staying for a week and a half which meant packing a month’s worth of clothes. Before starting to unpack their things into the dresser, they FaceTimed their other best friend that was back in New York to keep them company.

“You’re calling me now? Your flight landed 4 hours ago! I was sure you crashed in the middle of the ocean - gone like that Malaysia flight,” y/bff answered.

“Hi to you too,” y/n responded as they started to place their clothes in the closet, “ You are so dramatic. My flight didn’t even go over the ocean. And don’t act like you weren’t tracking my flight. You knew damn well I was fine.”

“All this worrying and caring, and this is how I’m being treated?” Y/bff shook their head as the wiped their fake tears away “The disrespect.”

“Pft, the only disrespect I’m seeing here is the lack of questions about my day,” y/n said, “I had a great flight. I got those yummy blue chips and had a nice drive from the airport in a Tesla.”

Y/bff gasped, “What kind of Uber driver is driving around a Tesla? We need more of those people up here.”

“Dude, it was Karl,” y/n replied, “I was shocked. Last time I saw this kid he was driving a hunk of junk. One year down here and he’s driving around like he’s Elon Musk.”

“Well, I’ll tell you this now. If you don’t cuff him, I will!” Their laugh echoed through the phone

Y/n rolled their eyes, “Oh please, if he doesn’t like me like that then you’re in no good luck.”

“So you told him then?”

“No, not yet,” y/n paused, “I dunno. We’ve been friends for 3, almost 4, years now. If he liked me, he would’ve said something by now. Plus we live so far away from each other now. I just don’t wanna ruin a good thing, y’know?”

“Well, I still say do it. You can tell him and spend your life in peace knowing his answer, or keep it to you yourself and spend the rest of your life wondering ‘what if?’ And I’ll tell you now, the latter always ends with regret. With the first answer, you’ll at least have a chance of a happy ending.”

Y/n shrugged, putting away the last piece of clothing from their luggage, “I know, I know. I’ll think about it. Thanks for the chat, but I’m gonna go relax now before he gets back. I love and miss you already.”

They exchanged their goodbyes and hung up. Y/n flattened their luggage and slid it under the bed. Moving back to the dresser, they found some comfortable clothes to change into after a shower.

Y/n knew y/bff was right. They just couldn’t bring themselves to share their feelings. What if Karl didn’t feel the same way? Would it ruin their friendship? Would this be the last time they ever saw each other? No, y/n knew it wouldn’t end their friendship, but it would make it awkward for a little while. They moved to the bathroom. Maybe a shower would help them compose their thoughts.

***

“I’m back!” Karl shouted as he kicked the door shut behind him. The project took a few hours so the sun had set and nighttime was settling itself in North Carolina. There was no response. Karl continued, “And I have Burger King fries!”

“You should’ve started out with that! Coming!” Y/n yelled from down the hall. Karl rolled his eyes and walked over to the living room table. He started making room for the food when he heard fast footsteps coming toward him.

“Incoming!” Y/n yelled, tackling him to the floor with a hug. They were giggling as if they just pulled the best prank in the world.

“Hi to you too,” he groaned from his body hitting the floor. Y/n continued to chuckle as they got up, grabbing Karl’s hand to help him up too. They sat on the couch, looking at the food in front of them.

“A whole whopper meal? What did I do to get the honors, Mr. Jacobs?” Y/n remarked in a posh accent, popping a fry into their mouth.

“You existed,” Karl giggled out. Y/n smiled, but the butterflies in their stomach couldn’t feign their excitement. It was small shit like that that made y/n fall for Karl. He continued, “Plus I didn’t know if you ate or not so I thought better safer than sorry.”

“Aw, you’re the sweetest,” they gave him a tight hug before returning to the spot they were in on the couch, “So, what’s the plan, Stan?”

“I’m kind of tired from filming, I hope you don’t mind-”

“Actually, I completely mind” y/n replied sarcastically. Karl shook his head at them.

“So, I was thinking we could just watch a movie or watch a show,”

“Ah yes, head empty activities. I’m down. Can we watch a movie though? Not in the mood for a show right now,” y/n replied.

“Sure let’s scroll through and find something,” Karl switched on the TV and the two munched on their food while they decided what they were going to watch. After 20 minutes of scrolling, which really was 20 minutes of fighting over who had better taste in movies, they finally agreed on Wall-E.

Before the movie started, y/n looked over to Karl. Their hands were in the shape of finger guns, pointed to each other and the tips of their index fingers touching. They had a pout on their face when they asked, “Can we cuddle while we watch?”

“No,” Karl shook his head quickly, keeping a stoic, straight face. Y/n’s pout got bigger. He continued, “I absolutely hate physical touch.”

They both immediately broke out into giggles, y/n grabbing the nearest pillow and smacking him with it, “You are so lame.”

Karl continued with his fit of giggle, “The day I say that and mean it is the day hell freezes over.”

As the intro to the movie played, the two came closer, y/n’s legs tangling up with Karl’s. When they finished up their food, they moved closer with Karl’s arm around y/n’s shoulders and their head laying on his chest.

Y/n gave a playful scoff, reminiscing on their past memories together, “This reminds me of the time we had a Disney movie marathon before spring break.”

Karl laughed, “Yeah, and you made my old roommate cry beforehand because he wasn’t doing his dishes all semester.”

“In my defense, I gave him warnings. He didn’t wanna listen and there’s no way I was letting you live in a house with a sink full of fruit flies.”

“I’m not sure if you did that for me or because you practically lived with us.”

“Don’t get it mixed up, pretty boy. That was for you.” Karl smiled at those words, looking down at the person laying on their chest. He wanted to believe there was more than friendship behind those words. The warm feeling he would always get with them filled his chest as he turned his focus back to the movie.

“I really missed you.” He whispered.

“I really missed you too.”

***

Part 2

[somedayonbroadway]

The Tape (Part 1)

BMW AU Masterlist

Guys... I’ve apparently written the next 20 or so scenes for this story. In the past two days. I think that’s a little bit insane, but hyper focus is also pretty fun sometimes. Especially when you genuinely have nothing you actually need to focus on :)))))))).

Anyways, this ones a three parter because I decided it was too long and wanted to split it up. The next part should be up by tomorrow!

Please enjoy!

Jack rushed to the door when he heard a loud knock. He knew it would be Albert before he opened the door. He’d told Race it would be alright to invite the boy over for breakfast.

What he didn’t know was that there would be a large video camera held in his face the second he opened the door.

He took a step back, somewhat stunned before he sighed. “DaSilva... what’s with the camera?” he asked.

“Well, Mr. Jacobs says a newsman always has his camera ready,” Albert stated. Jack inwardly groaned. Of course this was his best friends doing. He should’ve known. “You don’t mind if I keep on shootin’, do ya?” the boy laughed.

Jack grinned. “No, of course not!”

Albert made a move to step inside.

But Jack promptly shut the door on him.

“Hey!” Albert knocked again, his camera still held up in front of him.

Jack opened his door back up and raised his eyebrows, nodding towards the camera. “Turn that thing off, n’ then maybe I’ll let you in,” he reasoned.

But Albert wasn’t having it. “C’mon, Mr. Kelly! What d’ya have ta hide?”

Jack thought about that for a moment, dramatically looking up into space, before looking back down at his student. “Hmm, my disdain for you?” he replied.

Albert pouted.

But Jack let him in anyway.

That’s when Albert caught sight of his best friend coming down the stairs from his room. “Racer! Hey!”

“On the phone, Al,” Race whispered. Indeed he did have Kelly’s phone pressed to his ear. So Albert just listened. “Yeah, Papà, I’m still here... ya doin’ anythin’ special f’r your birthday?” Jack shut the door and watched Race take a seat on the couch in front of the TV. “Oh, that’s great!” The boy moved the phone away from his mouth so he could whisper to his best friend and his guardian. “He’s goin’ to see some horses with President Clinton,” he said with a big grin.

Jack tried his best to figure out if his student actually bought that or not. He honestly couldn’t tell. He wasn’t sure if he really wanted to know.

“Yeah... Papà... are you comin’ home soon?” Something in the young man ached at the question. Jack knew this wouldn’t last forever. He did. But hearing the boy talk to his dad on the phone just made him feel horrible inside.

He liked this kid. He was used to having him around all the time.

And he didn’t trust Matteo Higgins...

Sue him.

“No... I... I get it... I just... I miss you...” Race said, his voice getting smaller and quieter by the second.

Albert leaned over to Kelly. “Where’s his Pa callin’ from?”

With a bit of an eye roll, Jack replied, “Well, he said Air Force One, but I think the people yellin’ in Spanish behind him gave him away,” he replied sarcastically.

“Yeah... I know... okay... okay, just... Papà?” Jack could see the sadness in the boy’s eyes. More than likely, the man had hung up. How anyone could just do that to Racer, Jack would never understand. He watched the boy’s hand fall from beside his ear. He gently reached and took the phone from him, setting it back on its charger before settling on the back of the couch, reaching to run a hand over the kid’s curls.

“Ya really miss him, huh?” Albert asked, sitting down on Mr. Kelly’s coffee table.

Race shrugged. “Family’s important... my dad always says ‘Where there’s family, there’s a place to hide’,” he mimicked, getting a small chuckle out of Jack.

“Did he say when he’s comin’ back?” the redhead asked.

With a shake of his head, Race looked down at his lap. “No, but he said he couldn’t wait ta see me...” A small, sad smile made its way to his lips at that. “I think it would make him happy ta see how well I was doin’...”

Jack nodded. “Maybe he can,” he suggested. Race looked up at him curiously. “DaSilva’s got his camera. You can make your Dad a birthday video n’ send it to him.”

“Yeah! Race, we could go down to your old trailer park n’ get all your relatives on tape too! I’ll shoot it!”

It was going to be hard, eventually letting this kid go back to a father that had left him like he had, but Jack would do anything right now to get him to smile. “What d’ya say, kiddo?”

For a moment, Race thought about it. He looked a bit hesitant. But he shrugged. “Puttin’ the Higgins family on tape...” he pondered. “I guess... what’s the worst that could happen?”

Jack nodded, ruffling the kid’s hair.

—

“Alright, Racer, we got Uncle Mike, Aunt Linda, Cousin Jim...” Albert stated, trying to keep track of all of his friends relatives. There were so many. “Anyone else ya wanna talk to?”

Race grinned as he took a look around his old home. “No... I think that’s pretty much everyone...” he stated. “Hey... thanks for doin’ this... really...”

Albert smiled. “No problem, buddy.”

Just as they might have packed up Albert’s camera to leave, someone began walking towards them. Albert didn’t recognize them. But he was sure he saw Race pale a bit as his smile fell. “Well, well, well... look who’s slummin’...” The guy was fairly big. His clothes were torn and rough. He wore a big, toothy, untrustworthy grin. And there were three other kids with him. Two even bigger than him. One looking for be only eleven or twelve. “It’s Tony!”

Race shoved his hands in the pockets of the leather jacket he wore. “Kenny,” he greeted, not nearly as eagerly.

Kenny folded his arms over his chest and laughed. “I guess this is the part where you wise up n’ move back ta the trailer park, huh?” He nodded towards the boy. “Ya know we missed ya...”

Shifting uncomfortably, Race shook his head. “Nah... I’m... I’m happy livin’ where I am,” he stated, thinking back to Jack briefly. Yeah... he was happy where he was.

But the guy scoffed. “Oh yeah,” he spat. “Out in the suburbs, right? With them fancy homes built right into the ground.” It was clear he didn’t find that appealing at all.

He didn’t have to. But Race could honestly say that he felt safer in Jack’s apartment than he did anywhere else he’d ever lived.

The guy’s eyes trailed over to the boy standing beside Race. “Oh, hey built in,” he greeted.

Albert fished for words. “M-me?” he asked, praying this guy was talking to someone else.

Kenny just snorted. “Yeah, you got a name?”

Trying to snap out of it, the redhead nodded. “Uh... it’s Albert,” he stated. “B-but my karate students call me Doctor Pain.” He was trying to sound threatening.

Race rolled his eyes. His best friend was something else.

The little guy in the group stepped closer to Albert. “I could take you!”

Albert scoffed. “What are you, eleven?”

“Twelve!” the kid corrected. “But I could make you squeal!” he stated.

Albert did not like it here.

The other boys began circling Al’s camera. “This is a nice piece of equipment,” Kenny stated, eying the thing thoughtfully.

The redhead rushed to it. “That’s mine! That’s mine...” he forced out, grabbing the thing and pulling it close to his chest.

“What’cha doin’ with it here?” Kenny demanded, clearly not liking the thought of being on film.

But Race just stepped in between his best friend and the guy. “We’re just filmin’ some video with friends n’ family. No big deal.”

“Oh Tony... I wasn’t invited? Should I be hurt?”

Albert looked between the other two boys. “Racer... I got plenty a’ tape—“

“Al, no,” Race replied, shaking his head. Then he turned back to the bigger boy. “Look, Kenny... I ain’t botherin’ no one, so why don’t you n’ your friends just get lost?”

Kenny thought about that for a moment before he shook his head. “No... no, see, we still live here. You don’t. So the way I see it, you n’ your friend Al the dork should get lost,” he stated.

“Hey!” Albert cried out, offended.

Kenny turned to him, squaring his shoulders. “Hey, what?!” he challenged.

Albert almost took another step forward. But he wasn’t brave enough. “Hey! What’s the fastest way outta here?” he pointed in the direction he’d come from with Race.

Kenny just nodded.

And Albert began to walk away.

Race scowled. But he followed his friend away.

That didn’t mean he had to be happy about it.

There you have it! Thanks for reading! Let me know what you guys think!

[louisapennyfeather2021]

Newsies/Teen Wolf AU

Title: Unleashed

Summary: Mike and Ike take things too far. Jack decides he's had enough of it.

A/N: Hello! This is a scene from Season 3a, episode 4 of the MTV show Teen Wolf. If you haven't seen it, basically the twins try to get one of the werewolves to kill someone and the main protagonist decides to put an end to it.

Warnings: Violence (not horrible), claustrophobia, panic, near death experience, mentions of PTSD.

***

"The two of you will wash all the boards in this hall. Reshelving the library. Restocking the janitor's closet." Katherine glances to the girl sitting in front of her and instantly tenses. Out of all people she could get detention with, it had to be her. The girl who tried to kill Katherine and her friends not once, not twice, but multiple times.

"Mr. Harris-" Katherine pauses when the arrogant excuse of a chemistry teacher turns his stoney glare on her. "Um, does it have to be with her?"

"Now that I know you prefer not to, yes. You have to be with her." Mr. Harris hands Katherine the keys to the janitor's closet before turning, not notices to obviously expression of anger and annoyance on Sarah's face. Katherine isn't much better, although she hesitantly follows Sarah to the janitor's closet down the hall from Mr. Harris' classroom. Katherine grabs the cart full of different sanitary items to restock and begrudgingly follows the hunter. She waits in boredom once they reach the closet, waiting for Sarah to unlock the door. As soon as it's open, Katherine tenses and her breath catches in her throat.

It's small. Too small. The only way too escape is through the singular door which has no window. What if they get locked in? What if no one comes looking for then after they've been missing? What if-

"Are you okay?" Sarah's slightly bored tone brings Katherine out of her minor panic. Her face heats up because she knows that Sarah knows. Sarah knows about what Katherine's father did. She knows about the freezer. She knows everything.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just not a big fan of, um, small spaces." Katherine hesitantly follows Sarah into the closet, pulling the small cart in behind her. She leaves the cart halfway in the doorway to act as a doorstop in case the door shuts. Sarah starts stacking wrapped rolls of toilet paper while Katherine restocks the box of mop heads.

"Can I ask you something?" Sarah suddenly asks, not facing Katherine.

"Do you have to?" Katherine huffs, generally hoping to avoid any unnecessary exchanges. She can act civil around Sarah, that doesn't mean she'd ever go out of her way to give the annoying hunter even a smile.

"I guess not. i'm gonna ask anyway. Did you tell anyone that I was at school the other night?" Sarah's voice wavers just a little bit.

Ah yes, the night Sarah went against everything her and Davey agreed on to help save Smalls and Sniper from slaughtering the entire town. Katherine had been chasing the two rapid werewolves into the high school when a flash of bright light went off and both wolves retreated into the school. She had looked up to see none other than Sarah Jacobs standing on the roof of a bus, bow and arrow in hand.

Katherine knows her and Davey decided to stay out of the supernatural. Davey broke that pact when Jack managed to convince him to help track Sniper and Smalls, although it took a lot of convincing. Sarah seemed to have broken the pact long before that, seeing as she was the reason Sniper and Smalls had escaped in the first place.

"Was I supposed to?" Katherine lets out a deep breath, already tried of the conversation. She has enough to deal with already, with the twins still being around and Spot having found his little sister who he thought was dead. It's all a mess.

"It would make me really happy if you didn't." Sarah seems to relax just a bit, enough for Katherine to notice. She scowls at the back of the hunter and continues slowly stacking mop heads.

"Yeah, well, you being happy really isn't a big priority of mine, since you stabbed me, what, 20 times with knives." Katherine can sometimes still feel the blades. It was the night they found Hotshot and Snyder. Spot had made it clear that Hotshot couldn't leave alive, but Sarah and Jack were dedicated to keeping him alive. Personally, Katherine could care less. Hotshot was a dick, but she only gave up when she was repeatedly stabbed with multiple knives.

"Actually, they were Chinese Ring Daggers, but-" Sarah turns and immediately cuts herself off when she sees the way Katherine's eyebrows pinch together. "Oh, um, sorry."

"Was that an apology?" Katherine can't lie and say she isn't shocked, she's never not butted heads with Sarah on literally everything. An apology from Sarah to Katherine, especially since Katherine is friends with Spot and Spot did kill Sarah's older brother, is definitely not expected.

"Would you accept an apology?" Sarah asks and Katherine can see she actually means it.

"Um-" Katherine goes to answer, but she's cut off when something crashes into her and throws her against one of the shelves in the small room. She quickly stands up, ignoring the slight pain in her back, to see the supply cart now tipped in the room and the door slammed shut. Her eyes widen and she unintentionally starts breathing harder as she kicks the cart aside and pushes on the door.

"No, no, no, no." She mutters as she jiggles the hand countless times and pushes against the door. The handle turns, but the door doesn't budge. Even with the strength being a werewolf gives her, she can't move it the slightest.

"Maybe it's locked from the outside." Sarah offers, hoping to calm down an obviously panicked Katherine. It's not hard to tell that Katherine is panicking because of all those years living with her father and everything he did to her.

"No, there's something against it." Katherine starts frantically hitting door and pushing against it, effectively startling Sarah. She tenses when she hears an almost inaudible growl and she instinctively searches the room for anything to defend herself with.

"Okay, okay, okay. Okay, uh, all right. Just relax." Sarah starts to slowly panic, knowing she's in a locked room with a ticking time bomb.

"No." Katherine doesn't even leave room for argument as she starts knocking harder on the door, maybe in hopes of getting someone's attention. Sarah tries to get her to relax, to take a deep breath and realize she isn't with her father and that someone will eventually find them.

"Katherine!" Sarah finally yells loud enough to get through to the girl.

At least, that's what she thinks.

She's about to relax when she hears a louder growl. She watches in curious horror as Katherine turns around, her eyes glowing yellow and the tips of razor sharp fangs hiding behind her parted lips.

"Katherine, don't-" She hardly gets the words out before she's roughly pinned against one of the shelves, claws digging into the skin of her arms. Katherine growls low, her eyes feral. Sarah only stares wide eyed for a second before she starts screaming. She knows if she's stuck in here with Katherine, she'll die.

"Katherine, come on! Katherine!" Sarah manages to fight off Katherine long enough for the door to suddenly burst open and Katherine to disappear.

"Katherine!" Sarah jumps as Jack yells, although it's more of a growl. Sarah can see Katherine on the floor, her shoulders and chest heaving, although her fangs and claws have retracted. Her eyes eventually stop glowing yellow and turn back to their natural shade of brown. Her eyebrows quickly pinch together and confusion is evident on her face.

"Hey, Sarah." She flinches as Jack steps closer to her and she notices how tightly she's holding one of her wrists.

"I'm fine, really." Although she's scared out of her mind and she's never gotten along with Katherine, she knows it's not Katherine's fault. Something happened and Sarah knows better than anyone what PTSD can do to a person. She can also tell by the pure fear, shock, and confusion on Katherine's face.

"I'm- I'm sorry, I didn't- I didn't mean to do that." Katherine stumbles over her words as she rushes them out, her body subconsciously curling into itself. "I'm sorry."

"I know. Jack, it's not her fault." Sarah can see the skepticism on Jack's face. She knows Jack is still hesitant to trust Katherine.

"I know. I guess the twins want to get you more than angry. They want to get someone hurt." Jack sighs, shaking his head. He knows that if Katherine or any of the others lash out, it'll cause chaos that will only give the Alphas more of a reason to convince Spot to join them.

"So are we going to do something?" Katherine sits up straighter, although she doesn't look anyone in the eye and she keeps her knees close to her chest.

"Yeah. I'm gonna get them angry. Really, angry." Jack narrows his eyes and that's all it takes for the three to start planning.

***

"You know that there's a temple in Calcutta where they used to sacrifice a child every day? That's every day a dead baby, Albert, every day! Hey, you want to know what today is? It's dead baby day. Oh, no, wait, that's every day, because every day is dead baby day, yay!" Race throws his arms dramatically, only cringing slightly as some lower classmen pass them with odd facial expressions.

"Why are you telling me this?" Albert sighs, continuing his trek towards the other side of the school.

Race huffs dramatically, already knowing the attempt is futile. Ever since the deer, then Albert's dog, then the birds, he's found the pattern. Everything weird is happening in threes. So far, there's been three animal panics and three virgins killed. The only problem is, now he thinks whoever's causing this is going after protectors or something, he still hasn't found out that pattern.

"Because Jack's dealing with the Alpha Twins, someone has to deal with this!" Race raises his eyebrows, although they pull together when he sees the slight confusion on Albert's face. Albert drops walking, a far off look on his face. "You don't know about the twins?"

"Alphas?" Albert narrows his eyes in thought. It makes sense, even if he didn't know about it. Of course he'd never admit that, Race would find it too satisfying. Plus, nothing is ever normal in this town.

"Mike and Ike." Race confirms, waiting to see why Albert stopped walking. He wonders if maybe Albert doesn't know, but then he remembers Albert is a literal genius.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I knew." Albert starts walking again, not waiting as Race runs after him and falls into step with him.

"Okay, okay, good. So look, here's what I'm thinking. I'm thinking that the murders maybe come in threes. Ancient people love things in threes, right? So maybe first it's three virgins, and then, I don't know, maybe it's three people who own little dogs." Race nearly falls on his face as Albert comes to a sudden stop.

"I own a little dog." Albert glares at Race, although he can't deny the slight fear he now has. He notices the slightly guilty, slightly suggestive look on Race's face that goes along with a sigh and Albert scoffs before storming towards the other side of campus with Race in tow. "I'm not getting rid of my dog."

"Would you just think about getting rid of your little dog?!"

***

It's last period when everything falls into place. Albert and Race are in their respective classes as the warning bells rings. Mike and Ike sit in their class, both bored out of their minds since their plan to make Katherine snap failed.

But a plan has been set in motion.

"How long is this going to take?" Katherine huffs, her arms crossed as she stands next to a shiny, new motorcycle. Not even seconds later, the bike roars to life and Sarah stands up with a pair of tweezers in hand. Katherine offers her and impressed look before throwing her leg over the bike and positioning herself comfortably on it. She jumps only a bit when Sarah's suddenly right next to her, gesturing to the handle bars.

"Okay, pull back with your left hand. Kick down to put in gear. Front brake. Throttle. Back brake for stopping." Sarah turns her head and both girls are suddenly very aware of how close they are. Despite the earlier problem and past problems, Katherine knows Sarah saw her in a vulnerable state earlier. The fact that Sarah recognized this and didn't blame Katherine created a whole new level of trust. And maybe sparked something new. Sarah suddenly backs away, far enough so she won't risk getting hurt by the bike. "Try not to crash."

Meanwhile, Jack is all but running across campus to get to his last period class. He can't help the slight grin when he sees and open desk next to the twins and he squeezes the strap of his now heavy backpack anxiously. He makes sure to sit down loudly, enough to catch the twins' attention through the chatter of the classroom. He drops his bag and immediately notices how the twins both turn at the sound of metal hitting against metal in the bag.

As class starts and Ms. Blake, the English teacher, starts talking, Jack calmly opens his bag and pulls out a large rod.

"Looks kind of important." He can tell by the wide eyes of Mike and Ike that both recognize the motorcycle part. Dismantling one motorcycle wasn't too hard and it won't be hard to put back together, but the look of pure anger and confusion on Mike and Ike's faces is worth it. With a smirk, he pulls out a gear and spins it on his finger. "I have no clue what this does."

Both twins turn to each other before the sound of a motorcycle revving meets their ears, only loud enough for their enhanced hearing to catch. Jack carefully packs the gears back in the bag and zips it, waiting for the unavoidable break.

"Wait, Mike, don't!" Ike hisses as Mike bolts from his desk, the motorcycle engine getting closer. Mike runs down the hallway towards the sound to see none other than Katherine slowing the bike as she reaches Mike, eyes narrowed and a small smirk on her face.

"Get off my bike!" Mike yells as he grabs the handle bars, his shoulders heaving and anger behind his voice.

"No problem." Katherine revs the engine one more time before getting off and hurrying towards an open stairwell. It's at that moment that Mike must notice what just happened, especially as multiple classroom doors open and the hallways slowly fill.

"You have got to be kidding me." Mike's head snaps up to see an angry and shocked Ms. Blake, followed by his entire English class. He grips the handles of the bike tighter, knowing there's no way out of this without him getting in trouble for what happened with Katherine and Sarah earlier. "You realize this is going to result in a suspension."

Mike notices movement out of the corner of his eye and he looks over to see a smug Katherine standings next to Sarah and Jack, all three trying to hide smirks as they discreetly high five each other.

Although they successful angered at least one twin, probably both actually, they don't anticipate the retaliation that will soon follow.

***

A/N: I hoped you like it! This is one of my favorite scenes from Season 3a of Teen Wolf and although it doesn't make sense, I can drop a season synopsis to help it make some sense. If you really want to understand, all the seasons of Teen Wolf are on Amazon Prime, u seriously recommend watching them. It's kind of cringy, but only because of 2010/2011 CGI.

I'll probably try to write more of these to go more in depth with characters, some will be sad and others funny or both, but I promise I will try to make some more fics like this.

Feel free to send me an ask or episode recommendation that you'd like to see! I'd love to write different scenes from different seasons for you guys, just let me know what you want to see and I can work on it!!!!

[crown-of-briars]

Peace Keeper | John Seed x Female Deputy

Chpt 1

“Deputy Winters; we've got another call concerning Edens Gate.” Sheriff Whitehorse tosses a file down on the deputies desk with a sigh. “Mrs. Sanders says she's concerned about her boy; claims he started showing interest in the cult before going missing last Thursday.”

Avery raises a brow, taking the file and opening it to scan the contents. “Last Thursday? It's already Wednesday. She waited almost a week to call it in?”

Shrugging his shoulders Whitehorse brings a cup of coffee to his lips. “This isn't the first time her boy has wondered off for a few days, she was probably expecting him to show up again sooner or later.” A momentary silence fell. “He's been sighted at their compound. Figured placing you on this would be the best decision since you're the only one here who's managed to stay neutral on the matter of Edens Gate. Putting Hudson or Pratt on the case would undoubtedly end in conflict; we can't risk that.”

“And what about you? I know you've got your reservations on the matter but you're more than capable of keeping your wits about you.” For the last few months anytime a call came in concerning the project she would always be assigned the job. It normally wouldn't be an issue except the residence of Hope County were whispering about her being an Edens Gate sympathizer because she tried to keep peace between the project and Hope County, tried to resolve things in a civil manor, talking things through instead of going in throwing accusations and harsh words around.

“Being the Sheriff Edens Gate doesn't take kindly to me, Deputy. I have no grounds with them where you... well, the project doesn't seem to have any qualms with you.” Whitehorse wasn't wrong, he was the face of the local police, the face of the people who showed an obvious disdain for their cause. “You best get moving, Winters. You know how inpatient Mrs. Sanders can be.”

With a sigh Avery rises from her seat and throws on her jacket before grabbing her keys from the desk. “She won't be all too happy I'm the one at her door, Sheriff.”

“I wouldn't be sending you out if I didn't think you could handle it, Avery.”

~

Deputy Winters headed out, climbing into her tan and white bronco which proudly displayed 'Hope County Sheriffs Department' on its side. Within 20 minutes she was in the heart of Holland Valley, standing on Mrs. Sanders porch. As soon as she had knocked on the door it flung open, a distressed older woman standing before her. Her expression faltering as she saw Avery, wrinkling her nose.

“Of course they sent you.” The woman exclaimed as she threw her hands up. “Can't even mutter the words Edens Gate to the police without you showin' up!” Leaving the door open she shuffles deeper into her house.

Winters' purses her lips as she takes a step inside. “Well like it or not, I'm here. Now why don't you tell me what's goin' on.”

The Deputy proceeded to take a seat on the woman's couch, listening and taking notes as Mrs. Sanders broke it all down. Her son Kevin, 18, had been acting 'weird' talking about the project and showing interest in their cause; acquired a copy of The Book Of Joseph which disappeared along with him just shy of a week ago. In the end she just wanted to know if he was okay and perhaps try to convince him to come home. Though there wasn't much the Deputy could do in way of getting him to come home. The boy was 18 and legally didn't have to return if he didn't want to.

Rook thanked Mrs. Sanders for her time and left, closing the door behind her before letting out a groan. This was just another person who didn't like that a family member joined The Project, another person who harbored negative feelings towards something they didn't agree with and couldn't accept another persons choice. In the end these particular calls always resulted in a welfare check and rarely with anyone coming home.

It wasn't before long she pulled up to the gates of the compound, greeted by two armed guards who looked her over as she climbed out of her vehicle. Rook offers a smile as she walks past them, quickly being struck by the sickeningly sweet smell of Bliss flowers as she entered the compound; rubbing her nose and huffing softly trying to clear her airways to no avail. She couldn't stand those flowers. As pretty as they were to look at the smell always gave her a headache and made her stomach churn. Making her way towards Joseph's church she was greeted, to a degree, warmly by the members of Edens Gate and she returning those greetings in equal warmth.

Approaching the large white doors of the church a pang of anxiety bloomed inside her. She was no stranger to the Seeds by any means, they had been an element in her life since her youth. At this point encounters with the Project, with the Seeds' in her personal life felt as natural as could be, especially with the youngest of the three. But when the uniform was thrown into the mix she was expected to behave a certain way, had to keep an image, the image of law enforcement and that was what caused the unease within her. Pushing the door open slowly she peaks her head in, glancing around the room before entering; and before her they stood, their conversation halted, the Seed Brothers and sister. Joseph stood at his podium, Jacob was leaning against the wall behind him, Faith sat on the edge of the platform and John... Oh John. Standing beside Joseph, his stance and well built frame screaming elegance and power.

As she steps inside they all lift their heads, gaze falling upon her. The church was silent for a moment longer than was comfortable before Joseph spoke.

“Deputy. To what do we owe this visit?” For once he had a shirt on, the only thing at this point that ever surprised her when it came to Edens Gate.

“Apologies for uh... interrupting. I'm here to ask a favor of you.” Avery strode forward, taking a deep breath to shake off her nerves. “There's someone I've been asked to check on who I can only assume is currently under John's care, likely for confession.” She glances at the youngest Seed, his cold blue eyes and heavy gaze threatening a lump to form in her throat.

John tisks at her with a slight smirk. Were she not in uniform she'd roll her eyes at the arrogance this man emitted. “Deputy, you know someone can't be interrupted when preparing to confess their sins. I'm shocked you'd even ask.”

“Yeah well, that's the favor I'm asking for, to speak with him.” Joseph and John shared a glance for a moment before looking back to the Deputy. “Look, for once I'm not here having been asked to preform a removal. If I'm able to see him and just talk with him for a moment with no resistance from the project, it's likely you won't be seen as the bad guys for once.”

A thoughtful look graced the Father's face. “This decision I will leave to my brother.” Joseph announces as he places a hand on John's back.

The youngest Seed takes a moment to think, still taking in the view of the Deputy standing before him; stray blonde hairs messily framing her face and cheeks red from the chilled winter air. He smirks as he steps down from the platform, firmly clasping a hand on Avery's shoulder to turn her around towards the doors of the church. “I believe I can work something out, my dear Deputy.” His arm wraps around her shoulders as he walks with her out the doors of the church. “Who is it you're looking to speak with?”

Within moments of John's embrace Avery's face flushed a disgraceful shade a red. Since the day she had first laid eyes on him she'd been memorized by the youngest of the brothers. Everything about him drew her in, from the way he presented himself even when under heavy allegations of abuse and kidnapping; to his manicured and masculine presence, his perfectly shaped form and sculpted  features and those... beautiful steel blue eyes... This train of thought isn't helping...

Avery hunches her shoulders, drawing into herself to escape his hold as they step out of the church, quick to give John's firm... toned back 'Avery stop' a friendly pat. “I appreciate it, Seed. His name is Kevin Sanders.”

John looked almost offended for a moment at her slinking away from him before amusement takes it's place. “Well what can I say, you're solely responsible for the fragile peace between Edens Gate and the people of Hope County. You're our Peace Keeper.”

The Deputy scrunches her nose. She hated being called that, but it wasn't far from the truth. “It's certainly come with it's share of consequences. The county is convinced I'm in your pocket, that I'm one of you.”

With a smirk on his face John hails on his radio for the Sanders boy to be brought to Seed Ranch then returns the device snugly to his hip. “Is that really such a bad thing? You've been such a help to us that should you decide to join I'm sure Joseph would provide you a comfortable spot among us; perhaps even by me, aiding in bringing the sinners to redemption. Edens Gate has warmed up to you Deputy. I'd even go so far as to bet you weren't searched or questioned when entering the Father's compound.” John gave a knowing look in Avery's direction, catching a look of what seemed to be frustration from the fact she knew he was right.

The two approached her vehicle and climbed in, John settling into his seat with a dramatic sigh. “The boy will be at Seed Ranch waiting for you, Deputy Winters. Though do keep in mind, every favor requires payment.”

Rook narrows her eyes and glances at him as she shifts into reverse. “What do you want?” Her response came off more aggressive than intended, though John didn't seem to care.

Bringing a hand up to thoughtfully stroke his beard, John gazes ahead, letting a silence hang a few moments longer than was necessary. “I'll think of something.” His gaze shifts towards Avery, a mischievous look in his eye.

Avery rolls her eyes, letting a soft smile stain her lips before driving off. That look on the man's face made her stomach flutter with butterflies and her heart feel warm. She may have been in uniform but in the privacy of her Bronco, she felt as though she could relax around him more, even if just a little.

~

She was 16 when the religious congregation moved into the town she called home. Her grandfather would rant and rave about them during supper, Avery and her grandmother ignoring his ravings as they ate. The Project was small then, never caused problems and kept to themselves aside from the public service the Father would host every Friday and Sunday which she had attended on occasion. Initially it was out of curiosity, but the moment she had laid upon the youngest Seed, she admittedly attended for more... personal reasons. Avery would sit as close to the front as possible just to gaze upon blue clad man standing at the back of the stage. Though by the end of the service, when the brothers would encourage attendees to approach them, the young woman would leave due to lack of nerve. While she enjoyed looking at him, the thought of speaking with him drained her of all confidence, typical teenager. Avery continued her attendance for quite some time before her first interaction with the either of the Seed brothers.

Not long after turning 17, during a sermon one evening as she examined those in attendance, taking in who was around her and spotting familiar faces, she couldn't help but take notice of just how much their following had grown; how many more people now came to attend their service. As Avery returned her attention to the front, her heart stopped when she caught the gaze of the youngest Seed. His eyes were shamelessly watching her with a knowing look; as if telling her 'I know what you've been doing'. It took a few moments but Avery managed to pry her eyes away from him, face flushed and heart racing. She kept her attention off of him for a good portion of the sermon that evening, but whenever she tried to catch a glimpse of him after that, their eyes met, making her more and more frustrated each time.

At the end of service when it was time to rise Avery briskly made her way towards the exit, letting out a deep breath as she stepped out of the tent to sooth the rapid fire nerves shooting off inside her. This was the end, there was no way she could continue to attend these little sermons after this.

“It's impolite to stare, dear.” A voice suddenly calls to her, the tone a playful mockery of a parent scolding their child.

The young woman quickly turns with wide eyes, the unexpected company firing up her nerves yet again. She was met with the sight of the one and only John Seed slowly walking from around the tent, that knowing look still on his face and accompanied by a smirk. No words Avery could muster up in that moment would have been adequate, so she pursed her lips and chose not to respond, instead deciding to take a step back. Blue met gray for a long moment as the two stared at one another, the silence doing nothing to help the anxiety that was bubbling up inside Avery.

John tilts his head in amusement, the smirking growing the slightest bit as she continues to slowly stride towards her. “But, I'm willing to be... lenient in allowing this behavior. I also tend to find myself not wanting to look away when I see something I like.” His words dripped with salaciousness, sending the girls mind reeling, rendering her near unable to process what was happening.

A faint nervous laugh managed to force it's way past the barricade that had built in her throat as John grew close enough that Avery could smell his cologne; and if she focused hard enough, she swore she could feel the heat radiating off of him. Just as she tried to find a response a white book held by long tattooed fingers thumps against her stomach causing her to let out a yelp. Taking hold of the hardback Avery look down at the book examining the cover; The Book Of Joseph... As she looks it over a shiver runs down her spine when John leans down to her ear and speaks softly.

“See you Friday, dear.” His playful and alluring tone echoed through her head as she watched him walk away, leaving her to process what just happened.

After that she felt she had no choice but to continue attending, continue those heart pounding moments where their eyes would meet throughout the evening. Her relationship with the brothers, especially John continued to grow and became comfortable and familiar for the next year; until she turned 18. That day she had taken the first steps to joining the police academy and ship off not long after. For those 21 weeks and the following 2 years of service in Great Falls, Avery counted the days until she could request a Deputy's slot in Hope County.

~

That had been 5 years ago by this point. 5 years of desperately trying to keep peace between the people of the county she loved and the people of a project that was ran by a man that she... well... admired.

The drive was quiet for the most part, nothing but the sound of the dirt and loose rocks beneath tires to fill the silence. Since coming back to Hope County the feelings she felt for the man had never faltered, though due to her job she couldn't allow herself to indulge in them too much no matter how tempted she found herself. John still gave her those knowing looks which she on occasion returned, he still made her nerves set a blaze, she still found herself enjoying the moments she could gaze upon him. Nothing seemed to have changed. Despite all that hadn't changed, enough about the project had changed that she found her concern growing.

“John...?” The Deputy spoke up, thumb worrying the leather on her steering wheel.

“Avery?” He turns his attention to her.

“Off the record... all these accusations of the Project 'forcing'..” She air quotes “people to join... are they any grounds for those claims to stand on?” Avery almost sounded ashamed to ask, guilty for daring to question the innocence of the project on the front of the accusations pressed against them. Every time she had been sent out to look into kidnapping allegations she found no proof of it being true, but the number claims struck her with concern.

John stared at her for a moment, clearly putting together his response in his head before opening his mouth to respond. “Our goal is to save as many of god's children- the Father's children as we can before the earth is cleansed by his righteous and holy fire. His creatures, his children, don't all know they need saving. They don't all want saving, sometimes they just need a little... coercion. We do nothing but present them with what they will inevitably accept they need.”

Avery sighs, rubbing her forehead she closes her eyes for a moment. That basically sounded like a big ole' 'yes' to her. “Yeah, I've read the book John, I know what the project is about but exactly how do you coerce people join?”

“We simply promise them what they need, we promise them freedom and a chance to be cleansed and reborn. And, should it be necessary we will use... a firm hand to guide them to their decision.” He spoke matter-of-factly.  

“Well maybe try softening that hand a bit? There's going to be a point John where no matter what I say or what I do, it won't be enough to protect the project...”

“Is that self doubt I hear in your voice, Avery?” Slender fingers gently caress her mid thigh. “So unlike you...”

A shamefully pleasurable shiver quakes up her spine.

“You needn't worry, Deputy. You're our peace keeper, capable of more than you realize.” There was an unusually tender sound to his tone, his words coming off softer than she was used to. His words always carried such boldness, a confidence that was honestly annoying; but in that moment he sounded genuine... sounded sincere. With that the previously uncomfortable silence felt comfortable, and they spent the rest of the ride in that silence.

Full work will be posted here

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23076199/chapters/55200811

[overwhelmsion]

The thought of losing the rose garden made him sick. Griffin’s dad had summoned his children over to Joel’s house in a cryptic way and Griffin had felt sick to his stomach ever since. Jacob had always been detached, sneering almost towards the house. But since he was Joel’s only living relative, the house had passed down to Jacob after his death 10 years ago. Surely he would want to sell this house and land that meant nothing but resentment for him.

So nervous was Griffin that he arrived 20 minutes early, and he itched to go to his roses, as if he could protect them from his father’s apathy, shield them from reality somehow. Just as he went around the corner to make a beeline towards them, an eerie voice called.

“Hello Griffin.”

His heart froze. Time was up. He faced his father and replied, “Hello father.” Neither man smiled. But since Griffin was the son, he felt the pull of duty to go to him. “How are you doing?”

Jacob didn’t look him in the face, surveying instead the extensive grounds of the house. “It really is impressive, isn’t it?”

“Is this the first time you’ve taken a proper gander?”

Jacob side eyed him and huffed. “Sure, cause I’ve been the proprietor of this house for X years and this is the first time I’ve set foot in it.” The biting sarcasm burned Griffin’s skin. Why did his dad have to communicate in such a cruel way?

“No, no, I come here often, actually,” Jacob’s voice softened then. “Trying to decipher what Joel meant by leaving his estate to me. It feels like a last laugh, a last joke at my expense.”

That the relationship between the Blackwood brothers was complex had been clear to Griffin since early childhood. Jacob seemed to both crave Joel’s attention and approval while at the same time despising his presence. Joel spoke nothing but good things about Jacob but the detachment was clear; there had never been a loving bond between the two brothers. Perhaps it was due to their age difference. Joel had been fifteen years older than Griffin’s dad, which to young Griff’s mind made him almost a grandfatherly figure. There was an ease in their own relationship, as natural as a grandfather and grandson. But whenever Griffin would return from spending time with Joel, Jacob always made sure to ask if he had enjoyed his time with his uncle in a sardonic way.

“Why would he play games with you?” Griffin couldn't stop himself from defending his beloved uncle.

“You didn’t see it, did you, in all the time you spent with him.” A rhetorical question. “No, I suppose he didn’t do it out of malice, he never did, did he? Good old Joel. But riddle me this then: why would he ignore his little brother all throughout his childhood only to turn around and dedicate all his free time to his nephew? To take the time to play with him, laugh with him, teach him things. He practically snatched you from my arms,” the tears in his eyes were clear, and Griffin felt so confused. “I was going to be damned if I would let him do it to me again, so I made sure to keep Zach away from him. As much as I could though.”

“You,” his father turned to face him, “How could you resist Joel’s charm? You fell in love with the man. He took you away from me, I never had a chance.” Griffin wanted to reassure his dad, to comfort him, but he didn’t know how. What his father was saying was true, he had loved Joel more as a father than him. But Jacob had pulled away too, he hadn’t fought for his son’s attention. That’s how it had felt to Griffin anyways. 

He saw it now, how each play date had been a stake through his father’s heart, a betrayal. And to see his own son admire and love someone else---

“Hey dad!” Zach burst into the scene and undid their heart to heart. Each one of the men retreated their (extended?) vulnerability as Jacob embraced his younger son. “Hi Griff!” his brother turned to him now, and the weight of their fathers’ words collided into him as he held Zach tighter. Brothers… age differences… unfair? Grudges… the tears were starting to form and he felt tempted to keep his brother longer. But Jacob was looking on. So he let go and hid his almost tears away as best he could.

“I see everyone’s here,” Katherine’s feminine voice broke the tension, which felt like a respite. Griffin always felt so much more at ease with her present. “Is mom not coming?”

“No, she told me I had to take care of this on my own,” Jacob said, with a hint of bitterness. “Let’s get inside, it’s getting cold or whatever.”

The spacious interior was cold in the spring evening, set up the scene.

“So now that Zachary is going to become an adult, I’ve been doing some thinking… As you all know, this house and estate was the property of my brother, Joel. At the time of his death he was unmarried and had no living children so, as his sole living close relative, this property became mine. I have no use for it, and clearly some-- or all--” he said begrudgingly, “of you have some form of attachment to it. So it’s yours. If you want it.”

The room was silent as each sibling processed what they had heard. Jacob’s detached tone of voice hurt Griffin, and he had been bracing for the worst so the meaning of his father’s words took longer to register, 

Katherine was the first to speak. “What do you mean, it’s ours?”

“I’m passing it on to you, now.”

“But, why? How? How is that possible?” Zach chimed in.

“It’s called a living inheritance,” Jacob explained. “I don’t have any use for this house and although selling it would be beneficial economically to us, something tells me that the three of you would protest.”

“Something?” Katherine teased him, always on the edge with him.

Jacob slumped. “Your events company could surely use it, and I don’t think Griffin would much appreciate all his hard work with the roses to go to someone else. Or Zach.” Jacob put a fatherly hand on Zachary’s shoulder and the young man smiled at him, which seemed to prompt a more honest confession.

“Katherine, Griffin,” Jacob looked at each of them, “it has come to my attention that perhaps--what.”

Zach had jabbed him. Jacob gave a resigned sigh coupled with a meaningful look at his youngest son, then resumed his speech. “I know that I was a lackluster father to both of you, a source of contempt rather than comfort. I am sorry about that. This is a way to hopefully start making it up to you, your ruined childhoods--”

“Ruined childhoods? Aren’t we being a bit dramatic?” Katherine's eyebrow shot up. She could always go toe to toe with their father.

Another exasperated sigh from Jacob changed her sardonic smile. “Ruined, bungled, misshapen, lacking… you know what I mean Katherine.”

“We do,” Griffin injected.

Jacob’s eyes rested on him, something like regret swimming in the pools of his irises. “I know.” Or pain. “The fact is, I was not fair to my eldest children and even if it might be too late I realize the error of my ways now. How I held you to impossible standards, Katherine, and held misogynistic beliefs that shaped my expectations and interactions with you. I--- there’s no excuse for it. There simply isn’t. You were always such a wonderful child, a loving daughter, and I took you for granted, took advantage of you even, of your innocence and forgiving nature. Until that nature, naturally, wilted. Being fed toxic poison and not being given the nurturing love you deserved. You deserved it, and I withheld it from you, because of antiquated beliefs that I shudder to think of now. Can… can you ever forgive me?”

Kat’s face was all astonishment. She certainly hadn’t been expecting to be hearing those words from their father, and neither had Griffin. This was literally unprecedented.

“I--um--hm--” Kat mumbled a bit, her eyebrows knitting a tapestry of confusion on her face. “I guess. Yes?” her voice was dry, her body language uncomfortable. So used was she to the cold detachment of Jacob’s parenting style that the sincere apology left her apoplectic. Griffin squirmed at the thought of having to deal with that sort of attention from him. He gave Kat a reassuring, shoulder-shrugging smile and tried to silently comfort her. 

“Thank you, I will continue to work on it” or whatever Jacob would say.

Calmer, Kat seemed to accept their father’s words and let his vulnerability wash over her. 

“Griffin.” A knot immediately materialized in his throat as Jacob said his name. He would not look at his father-- could not-- make eye contact with this changeling sent to torment him. “I must apologize to you too. It pains me to think of all the time I spent resenting you over your love for your uncle. I wish I had been a better man, a better person, because it was due to my own unresolved issues with him that I gave up on you. I left you alone. Jesus Christ, I was so jealous of an innocent child that had nothing to do with what we had going on. And I--- I was stricter with you, I let you think that I didn’t care about you, I let myself fall on the trap of the self fulfilling prophecy and actively drove you away as you got closer to Joel. Like a petulant man child. I regret not making you feel loved. Oh, Griffin, you were so loved”

He would not cry in front of his father--it wasn’t safe! Rein yourself in, Griffin, control it! It was hard to believe the words he was hearing, so to check that it was indeed his father who was saying them, he looked up towards him. Confronted him.

But there was no confrontation there. 

[aratilightwood]

If Kit lived the extravagant lifestyle

Tagging @kit-herondale-blackthorn for the ‘Cirenworth hall’ craze fest.

...

(1) *Kit and Ty prepare for patrolling near a restaurant.*

“Are you ready to leave?” Ty asked as he walked into Kit’s bedroom.

“Yeah, give me a minute, I just have to lace up my red bottoms,” Kit replied.

“Red bottoms? What kind of demons have red bottoms?” Ty said.

“No they’re -“ Kit began. “Nevermind.”

(2) *Kit and Tessa wash dishes in the kitchen.*

“Do I really have to clear away the dishes?” Kit questioned miserably.

“Well, I cooked, so it only seems fair that you clean,” Tessa replied.

“But I don’t want to scratch my Rolex watch, please help me take it off,” Kit said.

“Fine,” Tessa sighed.

(3) *Kit and Emma prepare for patrolling at a bar*

“Have you got all the weapons you need?” Emma asked as she walked into the weapon’s room.

“Erm, yeah,” Kit replied.

She eyed the golden chain around his neck, “why are you still wearing that?”

“It might work like an electrum whip,” Kit said.

“I doubt that,” Emma replied.

(4) *Kit is feeding baby Cordelia.*

“Have you finished feeding Cordelia?” Jem asked as he peered in the living room doorway.

“Almost done,” Kit said happily.

“It’s good you’re getting practice,” Jem said.

Before Kit could reply, Cordelia picked up the plate that was filled with mushy bananas and flung it in his direction.

“Oh God, not my tie. It’s from Prada!” He exclaimed as he ducked to avoid the hit.

(5) *Kit and Ty are reading after hours in the library.*

“It says here, that a Raum demon’s venom doesn’t work immediately, but kills you slowly,” Ty said while he read a passage from the book.

“How long does it take for the victim to die than?” Kit asked.

“Hold on, this is a very old book. The writing has faded over the years. Could you please bring out your witchlight?” Ty said.

Kit reached into his pocket and took something out, “would this help?”

Ty eyed the shining object in Kit’s hands, “what’s that?”

“A Swarovski crystal,” Kit replied.

(6) *Residents of the institute plan to go to the ‘Midnight theatre’.*

“We’re going to be late, if we don’t leave now,” Ty said while he sat at the edge of Kit’s bed.

“I can’t find my silver cuff links,” Kit replied as he rummaged through his drawers.

“Pick another one, you have loads to choose from,” Ty said.

“But the silver ones have your initials, please help me find them,” Kit pleaded.

Ty smiled slightly, got up from the bed and walked towards Kit.

(7) *Kit and Dru plan to visit the shadow market.*

“Have you found a way to disguise yourself while we’re there?” Drusilla asked as she approached Kit near the institute’s entrance.

“Yeah, Givenchy sunglasses,” Kit said while he put them one.

“That’s not going to help,” Drusilla said. “It’s not even sunny outside.”

“It’s more of a fashion accessory than a convenient hindrance against sunlight,” Kit said.

Drusilla rolled her eyes, but followed him out of the institute anyway.

(8) *Kit is giving baby Cordelia a bath.*

“God, your hair grows a lot quicker than mine,” Kit said as he washed off the shampoo.

The baby giggled at the statement and splashed around the small bath tub.

“Bath time is your favourite time of the day, isn’t it?” Kit asked.

Cordelia’s smile grew wider as she noticed a ring glittering on Kit’s finger. She reached out and tried to grab it.

“Uh uh, no way,” Kit began as he moved his hand away. “You’re not having anymore of my rings, especially after the last one fell down the drain.”

(9) *Kit and Ty prepare to go patrolling on Santa Monica pier.*

“Kit, I can’t find my ge-“ Ty began as he walked into the training room. “What are you wearing?”

Kit was standing beside a target board in a casual jumper and jeans.

“It’s quite cold outside. I thought my Burberry, wool jumper would keep me warm,” Kit said.

“We’re going on patrol, not a moonlight walk. It’s best you wear your gear instead,” Ty replied.

“Nope, I should be fine like this,” Kit said.

(10) *Kit and Helen argue over washing clothes.*

“Kit, do you have any clothes that need cleaning?” Helen asked.

“I don’t think so,” Kit said after some thought.

“What about your leather jacket?” Helen said.

“Nope, I’m not putting that in the washing machine with the rest of the clothes after what happened to my other jacket. Oh the horror!” Kit said dramatically.

(11) *Kit and Ty walk around the shopping centre and do window shopping.*

“I don’t know why you wanted to go shopping,” Ty said. “You seem to have a lot of things already.”

“Even I can’t resist sales,” Kit replied.

A few moments passed when Ty felt a tug on his arm. He looked down and noticed that his shirt had caught on Kit’s bracelet.

“Kit!” Ty exclaimed. “This is the third time today your Armani bracelet has done this.”

Kit looked down at both of their arms and attempted to unlink them, “sorry.”

“Maybe its best you take it off,” Ty suggested.

“Erm, absolutely not,” Kit said.

(12) *Kit finds Julian in the art studio on Friday morning.*

“Julian, are you in here? Everyone’s been looking for you,” Kit said as he opened the door to the studio slightly.

“Yeah, I’m just finishing an art work. Is everything ok?” Julian replied.

Julian was standing in front of a canvass. The small paint brush in his hand had a rich, golden colour.

“The children are getting restless because it’s Friday, and you haven’t cooked any pancakes yet,” Kit said.

“Damn,” Julian said as he walked towards Kit. “I can’t believe I forgot.”

Suddenly some paint from the brush fell to the floor, only two inches away from Kit’s Jimmy Choo shoes.

Kit flinched back.

“Oops, sorry,” Julian said.

(13) *Dru and Kit decide to investigate the convergence site.*

“Have you got anything to place your weapons in?” Drusilla asked as they made their way down the staircase.

“Yeah, my Ralph Lauren bag,” Kit replied.

Drusilla gave the bag a long look and than gave Kit a disapproving one, “a weapon’s belt would be best.”

“It’s fine,” Kit said.

“You can’t put knives in there, the bag will get ruined,” Drusilla said.

“Not if they’re sheathed,” Kit replied.

(14) *The New York institute is hosting a Christmas ball, and everyone’s invited.*

“The portal to New York is opened. It’s time to lea-“ Ty began as he approached Kit.

“What?” Kit questioned when he saw Ty’s surprised face.

“You’re not seriously wearing that, are you?” Ty asked.

Kit was dressed formally in a waistcoat, shirt, trousers and bow tie, but he had an Icon cap on his head.

“What’s wrong with it?” Kit said.

“You look like you should be going to a baseball game, not party,” Ty laughed.

“I do not!” Kit protested.

(15) *Kit and Ty are changing into gear.*

“Ty, doesn’t this look great?” Kit asked as he adjusted the cashmere scarf around his neck.

“I’m sure gear isn’t supposed to accommodate any fashionable accessories,” Ty replied.

“I think it’s about time things change than,” Kit said.

“I don’t think so,” Ty said.

“Please, just try the red one,” Kit said while he held out another scarf.

(16) *Dru and Kit are spending time together in her room.*

“What kind of perfumes do you wear?” Kit asked as he examined Drusilla’s dressing table.

“I just borrow Emma’s, and I don’t know their names half of the time,” Drusilla said.

“You should try ‘Daisy’ by Marc Jacobs, it’s supposed to be great,” Kit said.

“Who’s Marc Jacobs, some kind of warlock?” Drusilla asked.

“Yeah,” Kit said with amusement.

(17) *Kit and Mark argue before he goes on patrol.*

“Give it back to me!” Kit cried as he tugged at his Gucci trousers.

“No, you’re not wearing this, it’s too nice. You’ll ruin it,” Mark replied while he pulled gently in retaliation.

“I’ll be extra cautious! Nothing’s going to happen to the trousers,” Kit said.

“I don’t believe that,” Mark said.

(18) *Kit and Ty take a walk on the beach.*

“I thought you always preferred wearing shoes whenever we walked on sand,” Ty said while he examined Kit’s feet.

“I am prepared to make any sacrifice for my Versace trainers,” Kit replied as he held onto his shoes.

“Well at least now you understand how great sand feels under foot,” Ty said.

“It’s like a warm blanket,” Kit sighed.

(19) *Kit and Aline talk before he goes on patrol.*

“What’s that smell?” Aline asked as she approached Kit.

Kit held out a bottle of perfume, “Dolce and Gabbana, do you like it?”

“Are you mad? You’re going demon hunting, not to a fashion show,” Aline exclaimed.

“What’s your point?” Kit said.

“Demons are attracted to nice scents,” Aline said. “You’re a dead man.”

“Not before I kill them first,” Kit said with a grin.

(20) *Kit is attending a Clave meeting.*

“Now, does anyone have suggestions for changes that need to be made to the new government?” Consul Alec asked.

Kit pulled out a Swarovski pen from his pocket, “I think we need to change the way steles are made.”

Alec gave Kit a questioning look, “steles cannot be made without adamas.”

“I know,” Kit said. “Keep the adamas, but I think we should decorate them with valuable gems, like this pen.”

“Kit I don’t think-“ Alec began.

“Please, it will look good,” Kit said.

...

@tdanetwork mission 1: favourite character

An AU of Kit living a completely different lifestyle to the one he’s known.

[5hfanfiction]

Yes

Summary:  According to Dinah, Lauren is stuck in a rut after her break up. Dinah sets her a challenge: say ‘yes’ to everything for 24 hours. Lauren doesn’t expect that three letter word to lead her to Camila.

Or,

The one where Lauren is the worst co-worker ever.

You can also find this on Wattpad and ao3 (@HereNowReady)

Yes

“Lauren! Stop being a loser!” Dinah yelled from the kitchen, “Come help me.”

Lauren rolled her eyes, sighing as she got up from the sofa, book still in hand, “Seriously, I only have like 20 pages left to read. You have the worst timing.” She got up and wandered through to the kitchen, deciding to be nice and see what her friend needed help with.

As she strolled through the door, her eyes widened. It was chaos. Flour was coating practically every surface and ingredients were scattered haphazardly across the counter.

“So… I sort of messed up,” Dinah said while giving her sweetest smile, hoping her housemate would see the funny side and help her out.

Lauren smirked, “You don’t say.”

“I just want to get this right… It’s Mani’s birthday and I can’t let her down. This cake has to be perfect! I have no idea what I’m doing and I’m totally messing it all up,” Dinah sighed, running a hand through her hair and, in the process, adding yet another streak of flour into it.

“Hey, stop stressing!” Lauren smiled warmly, putting an arm around her friend, “Look… Mani will love whatever hideous cake you create. Want to know why?”

Dinah nodded and gave a small smile.

“Because it’s you. Dinah, that girl is so crazy about you. You could show up with the world’s worst cake, burnt to hell and she would think it was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her.” Lauren playfully pushed her friend, “Now, get your act together.”

“Okay, okay!” Dinah grinned, “Thanks for the ego boost.”

“You don’t normally need it… Need to take a selfie to make yourself feel better?” Lauren suggested, grabbing a handful of flour and smearing it on Dinah’s face, “There. Now, you’re looking perfect.”

“Screw you, Jauregui.” Dinah yelled, throwing a fistful of flour at Lauren, who attempted to dodge her way around the kitchen and out of Dinah’s aim, “You know what? I am going to take a selfie! I still look hot.” Dinah grabbed her phone and proceeded to take at least 10 selfies, “What are you reading anyway, nerd?”

Lauren laughed, “It’s called 'Yes Man’. It’s by Danny Wallace.”

“That’s a movie, right? With that person from New Girl?” Dinah said as she scrolled through her phone and looked at the cake recipe again.

Lauren nodded, “The book is way better though.”

“Doesn’t that guy decide he’s going to say yes to everything? Like, no matter what?” Dinah asked, grabbing an egg and attempting to crack it with one hand. After about a quarter of the shell joined the rest of the cake ingredients, Dinah looked at Lauren for assistance, “Added crunch?”

“Move it, Hansen.” Lauren said, fishing the pieces of shell out easily, “And yeah, that’s basically what the book is about. He’s gone through a break up and he’s sort of stuck in a rut. Anyway, he decides he’s going to start saying yes to everything. If he gets asked a question that needs a yes or no answer then he has to say yes. So, if someone invites him for a night out or a girl asks for his number, he has to agree. It’s a real story too and he did it for a whole year.”

“That’s dumb,” Dinah snorted, “Imagine how much of a pain in the ass that would be.” She grabbed the spoon and began mixing the dubious looking mixture in the bowl. After stirring for a few seconds, she dropped the spoon dramatically, looking at Lauren with excitement.

“Oh god. I don’t think this is going to be good,” Lauren said with uncertainty, knowing all too well that the look currently occupying her friend’s face was one that usually led to terrible ideas.

“You should do it!”

“Do it?” Lauren raised an eyebrow in confusion, smirking. “Dinah, if you mean sex, I hate to break it to you but I’ve already done it with Lucy, remember?” She laughed.

Dinah rolled her eyes, “So we’re allowed to talk about 'she-who-must-not-be-named’ now?”

“Don’t be so dramatic! It’s been months…”

“Lauser, you are the one who banned all discussion of her after you guys broke up,” Dinah smirked, “Anyway, back to the point. No, I don’t mean sex. I mean you should do it… Say yes to everything!”

Lauren shook her head dramatically, “Hell no. You literally just said it would be a pain in the ass!”

“Oh, come on! Since Laucy ended, you’ve been so boring!!” Dinah threw her hands up, causing some flour to fly through the air, “This is just what you need! You need to have some fun.”

“Saying yes to everything is really not my idea of fun…” Lauren replied, shaking her head once more.

Dinah rolled her eyes, “Whatever, Lauren. But you’ve been avoiding things way too much. Plus, you said that guy started doing it after a break up. It’s perfect. I’m serious! When you’re not at work or class, you’re stuck here like a loner. You never come out with us anymore. You need to have fun again!”

“Reading is fun!” Lauren insisted, picking up her book in an attempt to both stop the conversation and prove her point all at once. After a few seconds, she looked up and saw Dinah still staring at her, “What?”

Dinah attempted to use her best puppy dog eyes to break her friend’s resolve, “You know what. C'mon, Lauren… You just have to say yes!”

Lauren sighed and put her book down on the counter yet again. Maybe if she just agreed, Dinah would shut up. Dinah wouldn’t even know if she stuck to their stupid deal anyway. Maybe she’d bend the rules a little and just say yes to most things. “Fine. But I’m only doing it for 24 hours.”

Dinah squealed and punched the air in victory, “Yes! I didn’t think you’d agree. Okay, so your 24 hours start at midnight.”

“Why midnight? Why not now?”

“Because shit always starts at midnight in stories and stuff. Duh.” Dinah grinned and happily went back to her recipe, grabbing the ingredients with far too much enthusiasm for Lauren.

Lauren picked up her book, determined to finish it without Dinah interrupting once more. As she began to read, she wondered what the hell she’d just gotten herself into. Surely nothing too crazy could happen in 24 hours, could it?

—

The day started just like every other Wednesday. Lauren showered and got ready for her lecture, stopping off at her favourite coffee place on the way.

“Would you like to try our new blend of coffee today?” the barista asked after Lauren had ordered, smiling way too much for that time in the morning.

Lauren was about to say no, when she suddenly remembered her deal with Dinah. Did she actually want to try this new blend of coffee? No. She liked the one she always had. But she figured this was an easy yes, nothing too dramatic. Maybe the new blend would be better, she told herself unconvincingly, “Erm, yeah. Sure.”

“And would you like to upgrade to a large coffee this morning?”

Lauren cursed inwardly then attempted to relax herself. More caffeine might be helpful. After all, she was still pretty tired and her Wednesday morning lecture was one of her more boring ones. She smiled politely, replying with the only response she was allowed to use, “Yes.”

The barista smiled warmly, “Wonderful. Can I get you anything else? A breakfast bar?”

Lauren took a deep breath and prayed that this would be the last question the barista asked her, “Sure. I’ll take a breakfast bar as well.”

Lauren seized her opportunity to end the conversation, swiftly handing over a ten dollar note and waiting for her change

She wandered to the end of the counter, waiting for her order patiently and clutching the breakfast bar that she didn’t really want. She went back to the same thought she’d had last night when Dinah had suggested this whole thing… did she have to say yes to everything? After all, Dinah wasn’t around… She would never know. Lauren sighed at herself, she knew she was too competitive for her own good. Now that she’d started this deal, she knew she’d have to stick to it. After all, if she was going to do this, she was going to do it properly.

Anyway, Lauren reasoned with herself, it hadn’t been that bad so far. So she’d ended up with a slightly larger (and slightly different) coffee and a breakfast bar. That was no big deal. She took her first sip of coffee, smiling unexpectedly as she realised the new coffee blend was actually pretty good after all.

Feeling more positive than she had 5 minutes ago, Lauren opened the door and continued on the way to her lecture, taking a bite of her breakfast bar as she went. She had a good feeling about this whole saying yes thing. Maybe it wouldn’t even be that hard.

That thought had barely finished playing in her mind when her phone rang.

It was her boss.

“Hello,” Lauren said - her positivity only slightly ruined as she attempted to balance her breakfast bar and phone in one hand, while her coffee was clutched in her other.

“Hey, Lauren. Sorry to bother you on your day off but I was wondering if you could work tonight? Jacob’s called in sick.”

Lauren ran her hand through her hair in frustration. Wednesday was karaoke night at the bar and she hated working on karaoke night. As someone majoring in music, she found the whole thing frustrating. Anybody with any real talent sang on a Friday at Open Mic Night. Wednesday’s karaoke night saw so many songs being murdered that it was practically a crime against the music industry. Her boss knew how much she hated it and she knew that he wouldn’t be asking her to work unless he was desperate.

“Can you make it?” her boss’ voice rang in her ears, making her realise she was yet to answer.

Lauren took a deep breath and prepared herself for the answer she knew she had to give, “Yes. Yes, I can make it. Shall I get there for 9?”

“That’s perfect! Thanks so much, Lauren. You’re a lifesaver,” he thanked her once more before hanging up the phone.

Lauren was quickly beginning to hate her deal with Dinah. She decided to take out her frustration on the girl that had caused all of this in the first place.

Lauren: I hate you. Thanks to you, I had to say yes to working tonight. I thought you said saying yes would make me have more fun.

Dinah: HAHAHA!

Lauren: You’re an asshole.

Dinah: You love me really. Maybe something awesome will happen tonight and if not you’ll have extra money. It’ll be worth it, you’ll see. Any good yes experiences so far, Lauser?

Lauren: I have a large coffee instead of a regular… and a breakfast bar. Did I mention I have to go to work tonight now too?

Dinah: Ooh a breakfast bar. Damn. I’m hungry now.

Lauren: Oh my god, you’re so annoying.

Dinah: Love you too!

Groaning in frustration, Lauren shoved her phone into her pocket. She prayed that the rest of her day would be uneventful and devoid of more irritating 'yes’ moments.

—

It was all going so well. The most eventful moments of the rest of her morning consisted of Lauren having to lend someone a pen and move up one seat for somebody. She reasoned that, in the grand scheme of things, she’d got off pretty lightly. Her bad mood was fading and she was beginning to feel hopeful again that things wouldn’t be so bad. That was until she overheard a few of her classmates discussing where they were going to get lunch.

She made the fatal error of lifting her head in their direction, a subconscious movement as her head followed the new sounds around her. As she made eye contact with one of them, she instantly regretted it.

“Lauren!” Brad said, smiling far too much for Lauren’s liking. He’d been trying to get her to hang out with them since the year had begun and it was quite clear he had a crush on her, “Do you wanna join us for lunch?”

She vaguely knew Brad, and he was harmless enough, but she had no interest in having lunch with him and his friends, especially when she knew he had feelings for her. But now, thanks to Dinah Jane Hansen, she was stuck.

“Uh…” She took a deep breath and prepared herself as she wondered if there was any possible way to word her reply so that it wasn’t a definitive 'yes’. She knew she’d already paused for too long, “Actually, yeah. But, don’t worry if not. I’d hate to crash.”

Brad was clearly caught off guard, not expecting her to say yes at all. It only took him a few seconds to flash a smile at her, “Great! I mean, yeah, you can totally join us.”

Lauren smiled weakly then turned away, gathering up her things. She clenched her fist quickly, her knuckles turning white as she tried to relieve some of her aggravation. She had a tendency to get easily frustrated. That was just her temperament. She counted to three slowly in her head, unclenched her fist and tried to convince herself that this wasn’t so bad. After all, she was hungry. It had been a long time since she’d finished that breakfast bar. Food wouldn’t be so bad. She could make this work.

—

A couple of hours later, Lauren was smiling and waving goodbye to her classmates. Sure, Brad had been a bit annoying but the rest of the people there were actually really nice and, since there was a fairly big group of them, she’d successfully managed to avoid talking to Brad much at all. It occurred to her that perhaps she should have made an effort to get to know them sooner. She headed to her next lecture of the day, trying to forget that she had to work later on.

The rest of the day, thankfully, passed uneventfully. Lauren had a few more 'yes’ moments but nothing overly annoying. Grateful for her easy afternoon, she headed back to the apartment to grab some food and get ready for work.

Just as she was about to leave, she heard the front door open and Dinah’s voice echo through the apartment.

“Lauren! You still here?”

“Yeah, hang on, I’m coming,” Lauren yelled, putting her leather jacket on, grabbing her phone and heading into the main room.

Dinah smiled, “So, how’s it going?”

Checking she had everything in her bag, Lauren replied, “Actually, not that bad. I think it could have been worse. Apart from having to work, I’ve been pretty lucky. I had lunch with some people from my lecture and it was actually…”

“Fun?” Dinah finished her sentence, her face practically screaming, 'I told you so’.

Lauren rolled her eyes, “Just because lunch wasn’t awful it does not mean you’re right about this saying yes thing, Dinah. If I wasn’t doing your dumb challenge, I wouldn’t have to work.”

“I’m telling you, it’s all going to be good. I have a feeling about this.”

Lauren groaned, picking up her bag and heading towards the door, “You would. You’re not the one saying yes!”

“You’ve just gotta embrace it, Lauren, instead of being a grumpy old woman,” Dinah smirked, “It’s only until midnight. Embrace the yes!

"If anything bad happens tonight, you’d better sleep with one eye open, Hansen,” Lauren mumbled, closing the door and heading back out into the terrifying world of potential 'yes’ moments.

—

Lauren had only been at work about thirty minutes and she was already feeling frustration rising. Every little job ended up being completed by her, because - of course - she wasn’t allowed to say no. On top of that, her ears felt like they were bleeding due to the hideous rendition of 'Total Eclipse of the Heart’ she’d just had to endure.

About an hour into her shift, Ally arrived. Lauren breathed a sigh of relief. She loved working with Ally. She, Dinah and Ally had all gone to the same high school and had been friends for years. Although Ally was older than them, they’d reconnected after high school and found themselves working in the same bar. The older girl’s enthusiasm was infectious and she never failed to make Lauren smile.

Ally joined her behind the bar, practically bouncing as she walked. Lauren felt instant relief and happiness spreading through her body. Ally smiled as she took her spot at the left side of the bar, “Hey, Lauren! Can you pass me that bucket of ice, please?”

“Yes!” Lauren said happily. It was one of the few 'yes’ moments of the night that she hadn’t found herself annoyed about, “How are you? I wasn’t looking forward to this shift at all but I’m so glad I’m working with you!”

“You’re so sweet!” Ally smiled, grabbing the bucket of ice from Lauren. As she did, the phone behind the bar began to ring, “Hey, Lauren, can you grab that?”

“Sure,” Lauren said, a tiny hint of annoyance in her voice. Why did she have to get the phone? Dan was closer to it anyway. Regardless, she answered and was quickly done and back to the front of the bar.

As Lauren made eye contact with Ally, the older girl looked away quickly. Lauren furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. What was going on?

“Could you pass me some clean shot glasses, please?” Ally asked, pointing to the stack of glasses right next to her.

Lauren was confused. There were at least twenty clean shot glasses right next to Ally. Why did she need more right now? The bar wasn’t even busy yet. Feeling irritated, she grabbed some shot glasses (after all, she couldn’t exactly say no) and held them out towards her friend. She noticed that Ally looked nervous. Far too slowly, the cogs turned and everything clicked into place.

“Dinah fucking told you! Allyson, you’ve been making me say yes this whole time!”

Ally breathed a sigh of relief, “I am so glad you realised. I am so sorry! I tried to be obvious…”

“Yeah, yeah, Brooke,” Lauren narrowed her eyes but as soon as she looked at Ally’s face she couldn’t help but laugh. The older girl looked so worried, “Calm down, Ally! How could I be mad with you? You’re like a ball of sunshine. Besides, your shitty acting meant this didn’t exactly last long.”

“Dinah told me to do it but then as soon as I started I felt so bad!” Ally’s word blurted out at the speed of light.

Lauren laughed, “Well, you can relax. Rules are that people that know about me saying yes aren’t allowed to take advantage. So, we both win. I can actually say no to you, and you don’t have to feel bad!”

Ally breathed a sigh of relief and Lauren saw her friend visibly relax. She laughed to herself and carried on with the meaningless jobs she was doing. Although she hated karaoke night, she found herself wishing the bar was a little busier. At least then she’d have more to do.

Dan had asked if she’d mind re-stocking all the fridges and she found herself saying 'yes’ with far too much enthusiasm. Keeping busy would only help make her shift pass by quicker. About half an hour later, the bar was getting more crowded. Unfortunately, that meant there were more performances to endure.

Lauren inwardly cringed as, yet another, flat note echoed through the air. Fortunately, that particular flat note was the last note of the song and Lauren exhaled loudly (for what was perhaps the fifth time in the last minute) as the guy singing left the stage - although calling those noises 'singing’ seemed pretty generous.

“Thank fuck that’s over…” Lauren mumbled to herself, rubbing her forehead to try and ease the slight headache that was forming.

Suddenly, she heard a gentle laugh coming from behind her and she quickly turned around. Embarrassingly, the first thought in her mind was that the sound of that laugh was the best melody she’d heard all night. Her eyes found the source of the sound and the strange rush that was coursing through her veins only intensified. If she’d thought the sound of that laughter was beautiful, she had no words to describe the girl sat just a few meters away.

The most intoxicating brown eyes she’d ever seen were staring right at her. Lauren swallowed, unsure of why her body was reacting so strongly to so little. Her gaze lowered and she was met with an adorable grin. Her stomach flipped uncontrollably.

“Hey, Lauren, are you alright to stay over there and serve on that side?” Dan asked, motioning to the area where Lauren’s eyes were already fixated.

Unlike other times that day, Lauren had no problem with the word she was about to utter, “Yes.”

She made her way over and closer to those brown eyes that seemed to be staring straight into her soul.

“It sounds like you enjoyed that guy’s performance as much as me,” the girl said, smirking and gesturing towards the stage.

It took Lauren too long to even process what the girl had said. She was far too distracted by her voice, her eyes, her lips…

Mentally chastising herself, she cleared her throat and attempted to bring herself back down to Earth. She ran a hand through her hair, hoping her nerves weren’t too obvious. Why the hell was she nervous anyway? Why was she losing her shit over this girl?

She needed a distraction and grabbed a glass, cleaning it as she spoke, smiling as she finally responded, “I don’t know what you mean. It was the highlight of my day.”

“Wow. The rest of your day must have been terrible then.”

The girl laughed again and, once more, Lauren found herself feeling way too much all at once. She put the glass down and made her way over to the front of the bar until she was stood right in front of the girl. Instantly, she wasn’t sure if that had been a good decision. The girl was even more stunning up close. Lauren attempted to avert her gaze, aware that her eyes had already been focused on the stranger in front of her for too long.

Lauren was trying to verbalise a response when her eyes locked onto brown ones. She swore that those brown eyes had just glanced down at her lips, but she shook it off. After all, she had to be imagining things.

Before she had chance to even respond, the girl was speaking again and Lauren felt frustration that she hadn’t even managed to come up with a decent reply. Confidence wasn’t normally something she struggled with but something about this stranger had her completely thrown.

“Maybe I can help make your day better though,” the girl with the brown eyes said softly, a gentle smile playing on her lips.

Lauren’s mouth was suddenly and inexplicably as dry as the Sahara desert. She barely managed to stutter out her next sentence, “Oh… I mean… H-how will you do that, then?”

“Well, first, I’ll order a drink and that can at least distract you from the awful sounds that are coming out of the speakers,” the girl said simply, her fingers gliding smoothly across the surface of the bar and forming small circular patterns.

Lauren grinned, “How kind of you…”

She let her sentence hang in the air, hoping the mystery girl would understand her intentions.

“Camila.”

“Camila,” Lauren repeated, letting her tongue wrap around the name as she said it aloud for the first time, “Well, Camila, what drink can I get you?”

“A vodka and cranberry, please…” Camila smirked as she copied Lauren’s method and let her sentence hang in the air deliberately unfinished.

“Erm… Lauren,” she rolled her eyes at herself as she turned away from Camila to grab a glass. Why was she incapable of talking to this girl without stuttering and stumbling over her words?

“Thanks, Erm Lauren,” Camila said, taking the drink and handing Lauren a ten dollar note.

Lauren’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion but, after a few seconds, she laughed and shot a playful glare at Camila. She shrugged, “I’ve been called worse names.”

She turned away, retrieving Camila’s change from the cash register. Before she returned to the front of the bar, she took a deep breath, steadying her nerves, “So, since you’re enjoying these performances as much as I am, what’s your excuse for subjecting yourself to this? I mean, I have no choice. I have to be here.”

The unmistakeable sound of 'Skyscraper’ began to fill the air and Lauren inwardly cringed. She’d heard that song being sung badly at least 3 times already that night.

She passed Camila her change and her stomach flipped as their fingers softly brushed together. She pulled her hand away slowly, wanting to prolong the electrifying feeling that was dominating her body due to their contact.

“Maybe I’m just a masochist,” Camila’s voice was soft and low, her eyes fixating on Lauren’s as she spoke. She winked as she said, “You know, hearing Demi Lovato songs being murdered really turns me on.”

“Demi would be turning in her grave listening to this shit,” Lauren laughed, her head turning towards the stage briefly. It didn’t take long for her eyes to return to Camila.

Camila giggled, and, as the sound reached her ears, Lauren was entirely unprepared for the sudden surge that filled her entire body, “Lauren, you are aware that Demi Lovato isn’t dead, right?”

Lauren rolled her eyes, unable to hold in a smile as her name left Camila’s lips. This time, she was absolutely sure Camila’s gaze wandered to her lips and, as she looked back up, Lauren saw her gently bite her bottom lip. That was all Lauren needed to gain a sudden burst of confidence. “Anyway, Camila, how else are you going to make my day better? You said that the first thing was ordering a drink. Do you want another by the way? You’ve pretty much finished that one.”

Camila nodded, her fingers twirling the straw around in her practically empty glass, “That would be good.”

Lauren wasted no time, returning with the drink in record time. Her speed was mostly due to her desire to return to Camila as soon as possible but also because she didn’t want to be forced into any more 'yes’ moments by being around her co-workers for too long.

She placed the drink down in front of Camila with a playful smirk. She leaned against the bar, bringing herself just that little bit closer to the girl in front of her, “You didn’t answer my question, Camila.”

Camila raised an eyebrow, “Surely, my amazing conversational skills are improving your day, Lauren. This is a quality chat we’re having right now, you know. I don’t give those out to just anyone.”

Lauren laughed, “Well, I’m honoured, Camila.”

“You can call me, Mila, by the way… If you want. My friends call me that.” Camila said, bringing her drink up to her lips.

“We’re friends now?” Lauren deliberately widened her eyes, maintaining eye contact with Camila as she smirked slightly and ran a hand through her hair. This time it wasn’t out of nerves, but confidence.

As she stretched her arm upwards, she could’ve sworn Camila’s eyes lowered, checking out the hint of stomach that showed as Lauren’s t-shirt lifted above the waistband of her black skinny jeans. All too soon, Lauren’s hand was lowered and the moment was over. Lauren ran her tongue along her bottom lip before she decided to continue teasing the girl in front of her. Her voice came out lower than she expected, her raspy tones even stronger than usual, “We’re moving pretty fast here, don’t you think?”

A delicate shade of pink was suddenly present in Camila’s cheeks and Lauren felt her heart soaring at the sight. Lauren took advantage of Camila’s flustered state and spoke again, “Mila? Hmm… I don’t know. I might think of my own name for you. After all, maybe I don’t want to be like your friends. Maybe I’d like to be something different.”

It was evident that Camila’s momentary lapse of confidence was over as she locked eyes with Lauren’s green ones and began to run her thumb over her bottom lip. Her thumb was quickly replaced with her teeth as she gently tugged on her own lip. After a few seconds, which was more than enough to cause Lauren’s heart to hammer in her chest, Camila spoke slowly. Each word seemed to be spoken with utter precision, each syllable beautifully accentuated, “What exactly would you like to be then?”

Lauren stuttered slightly, too distracted by the way Camila’s voice had caused her body to feel as though it was burning up. If she were to spontaneously combust at this very moment, she wouldn’t have been surprised. How was it possible for someone she barely even knew to elicit such a strong reaction? Before she’d had a chance to contemplate the answer, she heard a voice calling out her name.

She looked over her shoulder to see Ally gesturing to the queue of people at the bar, an apologetic look in her eyes. She’d clearly tried to avoid getting Lauren’s attention before but there were now far too many people for Ally to serve by herself. Lauren wondered how she hadn’t even noticed such a large queue building up. Rolling her eyes at herself, she realised the answer was stood in front of her wearing a tight black dress. Camila.

“I have to…” she gestured at the queue before asking hopefully, “Do you… I mean… Will you still be here in a few minutes? I still have to come up with my own name for you after all.”

“That’s true,” Camila lifted her glass, draining the last few drops of her drink, “Maybe.”

Whilst Lauren had found herself getting fed up of the word 'yes’ earlier, she would’ve given anything to hear that one word leave Camila’s lips right now, “Maybe?”

Camila nodded, her voice practically purring out her words, “Maybe. You better get back to work, Lo.”

Lauren raised her eyebrow, “Lo?”

“I don’t waste time. Better get thinking of that name.” Camila nodded her head in the direction of Ally, who was clearly struggling to keep up with the crowd around the bar, “You really should go. I’d hate to get you into trouble.”

Lauren walked across to the other side of the bar to help Ally. She tried to focus on the customers as they gave her their orders but all she could really think about was how she really wouldn’t care how much trouble she got in as long as Camila was the cause of it.

It momentarily occurred to her that, if Dinah heard about any of this, she would never hear the end of it. After all, saying 'yes’ seemed to be leading Lauren down a pretty good path right now.

Between the two of them, Lauren and Ally managed to handle the queue of people with ease. After about 10 minutes of constantly serving, the queue was almost non-existent. Lauren glanced across the bar and found a distinct gap right where Camila had been previously. She was gone.

“Fuck…” Lauren muttered, unaware of why she was so bothered that Camila had disappeared. After all, she barely knew her.

Ally noticed her friend’s frown, “Are you alright, Lauren?”

Lauren rubbed her forehead, shaking her head briefly in an attempt to clear her mind. Looking at her friend, she nodded but she knew it was less than convincing, “Erm, yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”

Another song ended and there was a small scattering of applause. Lauren hadn’t even registered what song had been sung but she was sure that it probably didn’t deserve the polite applause that was ringing around the bar.

She was about to ask Ally if she’d seen where Camila had gone when her attention was diverted as the next song began to play through the speakers. It was far too familiar and not a song that she’d ever expected to hear at karaoke night. The gentle sounds of Ed Sheeran’s acoustic guitar echoed in the air. This had always been one of her favourite songs but she was used to the fact that people usually didn’t know it. After all, it wasn’t one of his famous tracks.

A few seconds later, a voice began to accompany the backing track and Lauren was sure she had never heard anything so heavenly before. It was as though everything else disappeared as the voice filled her ears. She quickly spun around, needing to see the person who was singing. Her mind was racing, already forming a guess that she knew was far too hopeful. Surely, it had to just be wishful thinking…

Without even thinking, she stepped out from behind the bar, barely even hearing Ally calling after her. As she turned the corner, familiar brown eyes looked down at her from the stage and Lauren felt as though she was frozen to the spot. Camila smiled shyly at her as their eyes met and focused fully on each other’s. Lauren’s breath caught in her throat as the sound of Camila’s voice seemed to reverberate through her entire being.

You and I  We’re drifting over the edge

Lauren found herself fixated on the way Camila’s voice twisted and turned around the melodies, effortlessly rising and falling in what sounded like perfection. Her heart felt like it was beating so loudly that the whole bar was bound to hear it. If karaoke night was like this all the time, Wednesdays were Lauren’s new favourite day.

The rest of the song seemed to pass in a blur and it took Lauren far too long to realise the song had ended. The applause around her brought her back down to Earth and, as she crash landed back into reality, disappointment began to flood through her because Camila’s song was over and, if she had one wish, she’d ask to rewind and relive the last 3 minutes all over again. It was as though she’d been soaring through the clouds and she’d suddenly hit the ground with a loud thud. She’d give anything to fly again.

“Thank you,” Camila said as she stepped towards the microphone again, her gaze never leaving Lauren. She smiled before adding, “Hopefully that helped to make a certain person’s day even better.”

Lauren was powerless to stop the massive grin that she was sure was spreading across her face. Besides, she wasn’t sure she wanted to stop it.

It occurred to Lauren that with the physical barrier of the bar gone, this was her chance to get closer to Camila and actually talk to her without a huge structure in the way. She smiled as she realised that for the first time in a long time she had a rush of excitement coursing through her veins. Maybe Dinah had been right. Since everything had ended with Lucy, she hadn’t really allowed herself to make any new or meaningful connections. She’d stopped trying.

Maybe now was the time to fix that.

Camila had sparked something inside her and Lauren knew that she couldn’t end the night without at least trying to see if that spark was worth pursuing.

Lauren moved towards the stage, reaching the bottom of the steps just as Camila began descending them. Lauren pretended not to notice Camila’s brief stumble on the second step.

Brown eyes met hers and Camila laughed, “I can sing on a stage with no problems but apparently I can’t walk down stairs without almost falling on my ass.”

“It’s alright. It was actually pretty cute,” Lauren said quietly, although, judging by Camila’s smile, her words had been heard. Exuding more confidence than she actually had, Lauren walked up to meet her halfway down the stairs, holding out her hand, “Need assistance?”

Camila looked pleasantly surprised, accepting the outstretched hand quickly. Lauren’s first thought was similar to that of a feeling of inevitability or fate. Camila’s hand felt so right in her own. It was as though they’d been doing this their whole lives. Lauren felt a blush spreading across her face at the speed of light. She hoped Camila wouldn’t notice.

“You were incredible, by the way. I loved your song choice,” Lauren said softly, hoping if she continued the conversation that Camila wouldn’t mention the ridiculously obvious redness covering her cheeks.

“Thanks. It’s one of my favourite songs,” Camila smiled warmly, “I’m glad you liked it. After all, I did say I’d try and make your day better. It sort of would’ve sucked if you’d hated it.”

They left the final step and began moving through the vague crowd surrounding the stage. Lauren realised that there was no need for their hands to still be connected, but made no move to separate them. 'What Makes You Beautiful’ began playing and Lauren noticed a smile spreading across Camila’s face.

Lauren laughed, “Don’t tell me you’re a One Direction fan?”

“I’m not even ashamed,” Camila said, shrugging her shoulders, “Come on, you can’t tell me you don’t like this song! It’s so catchy!”

Lauren sighed softly, “I’m totally losing cool points but, yeah, it is pretty catchy.”

“What cool points?” Camila smirked, giggling gently.

Gasping, Lauren clutched at her heart dramatically, “That hurt, Camz.”

Camila raised her eyebrow, “Camz?”

“Yep,” Lauren nodded, “Camz.”

After a few seconds, Camila nodded her head in approval and smiled, “Not bad, Lo. I like it. Dance with me?”

Lauren looked back at the bar. It wasn’t that busy and her co-workers didn’t seem to need her but she definitely shouldn’t be abandoning them for longer than she already had. If her boss found out, he definitely wouldn’t be impressed. Then again, it wasn’t like she was actually allowed to say no… Dinah had made it very clear that their deal didn’t end until midnight and right now it was 11:45pm. Technically, there was only one response she was allowed to give.

Camila followed the direction of Lauren’s gaze and she spoke again before Lauren could reply, “I actually forgot you were working. Of course you can’t dance with me…”

But Lauren knew the rules. The question had been asked and she had to say yes. Besides, there was nothing she wanted more than to say yes anyway. If she got in trouble with her boss, she had a feeling she wouldn’t really care. Some things were worth it.

She gently placed her hand on Camila’s cheek, directing her gaze away from the bar and back towards her, “Yes, I want to dance with you.”

Lauren’s heart felt like it leapt straight out of her chest when she saw Camila smile in response. She tried to ignore how ridiculous it was that she could be so irrevocably drawn to someone she’d only met that night.

Suddenly, her hand was being pulled and she was following Camila into the crowd. Lauren looked back at the bar quickly and saw Ally giving her a thumbs up. Clearly, her friend wasn’t too bothered about her sudden disappearance. She knew she’d have to return to the bar soon though. There was no way she could get away with this for long.

Lauren couldn’t help but grin as Camila sang along and danced excitedly to One Direction (well, a karaoke version of One Direction). She was word perfect and Lauren giggled at how endearing she found this whole moment. If this was a movie, she was sure the main characters would be having some sort of slow and romantic dance right now. Either that, or the air would be filled with sexual tension and body parts would be pressed so tightly that there was barely room to breathe. As she watched Camila, she couldn’t help but smile and it occurred to her that, in her opinion, she’d take real life over the movie version any day.

Without warning, Camila grabbed Lauren’s other hand and spun her round, placing a hand on her hip to stop her after a couple of turns. Lauren marvelled over Camila’s ability to go from being ridiculously sexy with her lip biting and intoxicating eyes, to being completely adorable.

Camila smiled, catching her breath, before allowing her other hand to reach Lauren’s hip as well. Camila’s hands moved upwards a fraction and softly connected with the skin just above her hips and Lauren was on fire again.

Her head was spinning and she never wanted it to stop. Just like that, the entire room seemed to fade away and Camila’s ridiculous dancing and endearing smiles were a thing of the past. Instead, all Lauren could feel was an inexplicable force that seemed to be pulling her even closer to the brown eyed girl who was mere centimeters away from her.

Lauren was so close she swore she was about to get lost in the dark brown ocean of Camila’s eyes. She stepped forward reasoning that if she was going to drown in those eyes, she may as well do it properly.

The sudden sound of applause broke the moment between them and, as though she’d been temporarily transported elsewhere the moment Camila’s hands had touched her skin, she was instantaneously brought back to reality. Both girls stepped backwards slightly and Camila’s hands fell back and hung by her side somewhat awkwardly. Lauren ran a hand through her hair, this time because of the nervous feeling that was swirling around uncontrollably in her stomach.

Camila was first to break the silence, “Lauren…”

Looking up, Lauren was met with a tentative smile and eyes that were becoming beautifully familiar. She felt her nervousness melt away.

“I want to ask you something. I might have totally misjudged this but I was wondering if maybe…” Camila trailed off, her eyes darting downwards as she inhaled deeply. As she looked back up and met Lauren’s gaze, she opened her mouth to speak again but was cut off by Lauren.

It occurred to Lauren that perhaps, just maybe, Camila was about to ask her out. Of course, that could just be wishful thinking. But, if she was correct, Lauren didn’t want it to happen like this.

“This is going to make me sound completely crazy,” Lauren began, hoping that she wasn’t about to entirely ruin what was easily one of the best nights of her life. She saw Camila’s smile falter and quickly grabbed her hand, hoping it would reassure her, “but whatever question you were about to ask me, could you ask me it in 9 minutes time?”

Confusion filled Camila’s face, “9 minutes?”

Lauren nodded. She knew it was a risk, but she wanted there to be only one reason why she was saying yes if Camila asked her out. No stupid rules or dares. She squeezed Camila’s hand gently, “Yeah. I just… I’ll explain later, I promise.”

Lauren’s eyes glanced over to Ally and she saw her friend gesture towards the main door of the bar. Her boss had just arrived.

She allowed her eyes to meet Camila’s again, silently praying that the girl in front of her would still be around in 9 minutes time. She spoke quickly, knowing she didn’t have much time to get back behind the bar before her boss started asking questions, “My boss just got here. I have to get back to the bar but…” She paused, taking a deep breath before she finished her sentence, “Stay?”

“Maybe,” Camila smirked. Lauren’s face fell as she got the same response she had earlier that evening. She knew Camila could see the disappointment in her eyes. Camila grinned, “I’m kidding. 9 minutes. I’ll be here.”

“I think it’s 8 minutes now,” Lauren shouted over her shoulder as she darted back towards the bar, a stupidly large smile plastered on her face.

The clock seemed to move excruciatingly slowly and Lauren was sure that time had slowed down on purpose just to annoy her.

7 minutes.

She glanced around far too often, checking that Camila was indeed still there. Every time she was met with the same sight: Camila sat on the same bar stool as before, watching her intently, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

6 minutes.

Lauren could feel the tension building inside her. It was as though her stomach was riding a roller coaster and she had no way to stop it.

5 minutes.

A customer asked for a cocktail and she found herself feeling grateful. That would waste a couple of minutes at least. She grabbed the various bottles she needed and set them out on the side.

4 minutes.

As if on autopilot, Lauren mixed the various liquids together. She had no idea how the finished cocktail ended up in front of her because thoughts of Camila were clouding her mind entirely. Nevertheless, she handed the drink over to the waiting customer.

3 minutes.

Panic began to set in. What if Camila hadn’t even been planning on asking her out at all? What if she’d just been about to ask for another drink and now she was sat there waiting for 9 minutes just to order a goddamn vodka and cranberry?

2 minutes.

Fuck. She’d totally fucked up. This was going to be so embarrassing. Lauren wiped her palms on her jeans and told herself she was being ridiculous… She only partially believed herself.

1 minute.

Camila was looking at the clock behind the bar. Lauren’s eyes darted between the second hand, which was ticking around teasingly slowly, and Camila who was miraculously still sat there waiting for her.

Midnight.

Luck was on Lauren’s side. As the clock struck midnight, Lauren looked around and found no customers waiting by the side of the bar. Well, except one.

Camila.

Running a hand through her hair once again, she took a deep breath and made her way over to the girl who had her completely and utterly enamoured.

“So… Are those 9 minutes finally up?”

Lauren opened her mouth to speak but words failed her so she settled for a nod. She took a sip of her water and attempted to speak again, “Erm, yeah. We’re all good.”

“Finally.”

Lauren felt a smile forming as her eyes met Camila’s. Suddenly, everything seemed better. She laughed softly, “Yeah, sorry about that. I promise I’ll totally explain everything.”

“Well, maybe, you could explain it on our date,” Camila’s words were so casually said that it took Lauren far too long to process them properly. During the silence, Camila spoke again, sounding a little more nervous this time, “Please tell me I didn’t wait 9 minutes to be rejected…”

Lauren’s eyes widened and, whilst before her words were non-existent, now they left her mouth far too quickly, becoming a jumbled mess, “No… Oh my god… That’s so not what is happening. Wait… Fuck…” Lauren inhaled sharply, willing her brain to allow her words to actually make sense, “Retake?”

Camila laughed gently, shaking her head in amusement at the situation unfolding in front of her, “God, it’s a good job you’re so beautiful.”

Camila glanced down at Lauren’s cheeks, noticing the soft shade of pink that was now settling there. She looked back up, fixed her eyes on Lauren’s once again and spoke softly, maintaining eye contact as she asked Lauren the question she’d wanted to ask her for far longer than the last 9 minutes, “Lauren, will you go on a date with me?”

Lauren knew that over the last 24 hours she’d had to say 'yes’ a lot. Sometimes she’d wanted to say it anyway, but knowing she had to still altered the intentions of it slightly. But now there were no rules forcing the word out of her mouth and she grinned at the knowledge that, this time, that 3 letter word was entirely her own.

“Yes,” Lauren said simply, taking a breath before continuing, “I’d love to, Camz.”

It was the best yes she’d ever said.

[soldierstark]

Hometown Weddings | Part 1 | TOM HOLLAND X READER

Description / Request: The reader gets a call from an old friend inviting her to come to her wedding, one that's being held in her hometown. Tom, who has a crush on the reader, agrees to being her plus one, much to the amusement of Jacob and Zendaya. Jacob makes Tom promise to tell the reader his feelings at the wedding if he can get proof that she likes him back within the next 8 days.

Author's Note: So I got sent this request and liked it so much that I started writing it almost immediately. I added some details and it ended up being longer than expected so I think I'm going to turn it into a multi-part fic. Let me know if you like it and feel free to send me your own requests.

Word Count: 1632

Part 2 | Part 3

Everyone cheered as I caught yet another raspberry in my mouth. Tom, Zendaya, Jacob and I were all hanging around the craft services table, messing around while the crew got ready to film the next scene.

I reopened my mouth and leaped sideways as Jacob tossed another raspberry into the air. When I caught it once again, I dabbed furiously to my right.

“Why are you so good at this?” Zendaya asked in disbelief taking a sip from her water bottle.

I shrugged my shoulders and caught another raspberry in mouth, this one being tossed by Tom. I winked at him as I started chewing it causing a blush to appear in his cheeks. “While some of us were mastering the art of dancing,” I started making a pointed look at Zendaya and Tom. “I mastered the art of eating.”

“Preach,” Jacob said raising his hand for a high five. I grinned and slapped my hand against his rather aggressively. He hissed and retracted his hand. “Dam that stung,” he groaned, cradling his hand.

I cackled and opened my mouth to give a witty retort when the Spiderman theme song started playing. My hands reached into my back pocket and pulled out my phone which was receiving a call.

Tom started laughing, a sound that was music to my ears. “Seriously? That’s your ringtone? Why (Y/N)?”

I smiled at him innocently and put my free hand over my heart. “I’m just very dedicated to my role in the movie,” I said accepting the call. I put the phone up to my ear, not bothering to see who it was. “Hello?”

“(Y/N)? It’s (Friend/ Name),” a voice replied.

“Oh hey! What’s going on?” I asked, casually catching another piece of food in my mouth, this one being thrown by Jacob.

“Not much,” she answered. “I actually called you talk about my wedding that’s coming up.”

I leaned against the craft services table and watched as Tom failed to catch the food Zendaya was throwing his way. A weird feeling of jealousy coursed through my veins at the sight of them having fun together.

I tore my eyes away from them. “What about it?”

“Well I sent an RSVP to your apartment about a month ago and still haven’t gotten a reply from you. I’m just calling because, well I want you to come and I was wondering why you haven’t responded.”

“Oh (Friend/ Name) I haven’t been to my apartment in weeks,” I started laughing slightly. “I’ve been in Atlanta and will be for a while filming this new movie.”

“You should probably get someone to forward your mail (Y/N),” she said in a light tone.

Zendaya threw another raspberry at me and I leaped sideways quickly, catching it in my mouth successfully. “Yea I’ll make sure to do that. Sorry girl. But hey I’ll definitely be there. What day is it?”

“It’s next Saturday at 2:30. I’ll text you the location and other details. Also you can take a plus one.”

I paused and looked over at Tom who was chatting animatedly with Jacob. It was pretty obvious who I wanted to take with me, but would he want to come? I’m sure he had better things to do.

“Alright sounds good. See you then. Bye.”

“Bye (Nickname).”

“Who was that?” Zendaya asked as I hung up and put my phone away.

I looked up at my friends who were all watching me curiously. “My friend from high school. She’s getting married next week and wanted to make sure I could come.”

Tom raised an eyebrow at me. “(Y/N) you’re only 19. If she went to high school with you, assuming you graduated the same year, wouldn’t she be 19 too,” he asked, his accent very prominent.

I nodded my head yes with a look of confusion. “She is. So?”

“Don’t you think 19 is kind of young to be getting married?” Jacob added looking between me and Tom. Zendaya and Tom mumbled in agreement.

“Well where I’m from people get married very young. It’s common for people to marry who they date in high school when you’re from a small town,” I explained twirling a piece of my (Y/H/C) hair around my finger.

Zendaya laughed. “Oh yea, I forgot you’re from the country.”

“I’m not fro-,” I started but stopped when I realized she was right. “Okay yea I am. But I’m excited, I haven’t been home since I graduated. If anyone one of ya’ll is free on Saturday and wants to come with me you can. My friend says I can take a plus one.”

“Tom can go!” Jacob and Zendaya blurted out quickly in unison. My pulse started quicken as I tried to hide my excitement.

Tom’s head turned toward them so quickly I swear he could’ve gotten whiplash. His cheeks flushed as he started stuttering. “What? I uh, I mean uh ho-.”

“Look, Tom if you don’t want to go that’s fine,” I said trying to sound nonchalant, hiding my disappointment.  “I know you’re probably too busy and don’t want to travel to redneck Texas and watch some people you don’t know get married.”

He turned his head and looked straight at me. “No, uh I’ll go with you. It sounds… interesting. I’ve never been to Texas before.”

I quirked an eyebrow. “Really?” Tom nodded his head and I clapped my hands together in excitement. “Oh this is gonna be so much fun.”

“Dude you’re totally gonna get laid!” Jacob said clapping Tom on the back.

Zendaya and I started howling with laughter while Tom’s face went bright red. “Jacob!” he yelled embarrassed, covering his face with his hands.

I know I should’ve been upset at the prospect of my crush getting it on with another girl, but this was too dam funny. “He’s right Tom,” I choked out between giggles.  “You’re a cute 20 year old British movie star. The girls are gonna be all over you,” I finished once I sobered up.

“I don’t care if they like me,” Tom trailed off. He looked at me for second then down at his feet. “I’m not gonna sleep with a girl I hardly know.”

Zendaya smiled at him innocently. “And why is that… Tom.”

“Because I’m not that kind of guy,” he said in frustration.

Jacob crossed his arms and smiled at Tom innocently as well. “And,” he urged him on.

Tom looked back and forth between them. “You two suck. You said you wouldn’t tease me about!” Zendaya and Jacob started laughing at their friend’s expense.

“What am I missing here?” I asked with a look of confusion adorned my face.

Jacob opened his mouth to speak but Tom interrupted him. “Don’t,” he stated calmly.

Unfortunately for Tom, Jacob ignored him. “Tom has a crush on a girl!” he blurted out.

“Jacob!” Tom whined.

I looked between all three of them paused at Zendaya. “Wait, you knew about this too?” she nodded her head. “Why am I the last to hear about this?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Tom?” she asked, looking over at him for an answer with a devious smile.

“Uhhhhh,” he floundered looking between me and Zendaya.

I waved him off. “You know what, that doesn’t matter,” I said trying to sound nonchalant though I was internally screaming. “I just want to know who she is.”

Tom, Jacob, and Zendaya all looked at each other then back at me.  I waited patiently for someone to speak up. “Well?”

“Jacob and Tom to bedroom set. Jacob and Tom to bedroom set,” a voice over the PA system announced.

Tom grabbed Jacobs’ wrist and started walking away. “Oh would you look at that they’re ready for us on set.”

“Bye guys,” Jacob yelled over his shoulder as they disappeared into the crowd of camera’s and crew members.

    “What the hell man!” Tom whisper yelled at Jacob as they walked towards the set of Peter’s bedroom. “You’re so obvious there’s no way (Y/N) doesn’t know I like her now.”

Jacob laughed. “(Y/N) is a lot of things but she isn’t perceptive Tom. Trust me when I say she doesn’t know.”

“Alright,” Tom mumbled running a hand through his curly, dark brown hair. “I hope you’re right.”

“I am but switching topics, next weekend is the perfect time for you to tell her how you feel.”

Tom looked at his friend skeptically. “Really?”

“Trust me dude, alright, you need to make your move at the wedding. You’re gonna be alone with her, dancing, partying, drinking,” Jacob trailed off.

“She’s 19 Jacob,” Tom said simply looking down at his friend.

Jacob shrugged his shoulders. “Well you’ll be drinking, but that’s not my point.”

Tom sighed as they arrived at the set of Peter’s bedroom. “Jacob you know I don’t think it’s a good idea. We still have at least another month of filming this movie and if I confess to (Y/N) that I like her and she doesn’t reciprocate…” he trailed off. “Things will be weird for the rest of filming.”

Jacob sat down on Peter’s bed while Tom took a seat at his desk. “Tell you what Tom, if I can get you definite proof that (Y/N) likes you back, will you tell her that you like her at the wedding?” Jacob bargained, resting his elbows on his knees.

Tom swiveled in Peter’s desk chair and looked at his friend, raising an eyebrow. “You can do that?” he asked.

Jacob nodded his head. “Sure. I have my ways. I am, after all,” he paused for dramatic.”-the guy in the chair.”

With a laugh, Tom turned his chair back around. “You have 8 days Jacob. You sure you’re up to the challenge?”

“Dam straight. But only if you promise me that you’ll tell her.”

“I promise.”

[amanda-teaches]

Escaping the Island - Part 1

Series Summary: You’re in for the fight of your life, trapped on a deadly, ghost-filled island with no way out. The only way to survive is by unraveling a murderous plot. Can you figure out who brought you here and why before it’s too late? Or will you, Sam, and Dean all become their next victims?

Chapter Summary: You accompany your best friend to a mysterious dinner at a beautiful, island-based mansion. But, when you arrive, you find that there may be more to this dinner than you ever would have thought possible.

Characters/Pairing: Dean x Reader, Sam

Word Count: 3101

Warnings: an overaggressive, manhandling man who grabs the reader; sexy, protective Dean; not much so far

A/N: This is my first ever series! I’ve been planning this for awhile and I’m really excited about it. It was betaed by the fantastic @cyrilconnelly, who helps me so much. I also threw in the quote for @because-imma-lady-assface‘s 300 Follower/Birthday/Will and Grace revival/all around extravaganza celebration! My prompt was a Jack quote (my fav!): “Sarcasm noted and quickly forgotten,” and I thought it fit really well in here. I hope y’all enjoy the first part of this 10 part series! Feedback is much appreciated.

Escaping the Island MasterPost

“Come on, Y/N! You have to come with me,” your best friend, Annie Jackson, pleaded as she paced in continuous circles around the couch where you were sitting.

“No, thank you,” you replied, never taking your eyes off the magazine you held in your hands. As Annie continued her loop around the couch, you paid her little attention, only occasionally needing to move your feet off the coffee table to let her pass by. But, as soon as she was clear, your feet went right back to their previous position and your attention right back to your magazine.

Eventually, though, the pacing got to be too much. The sight of her in your peripheral vision was making you dizzy, and you were pretty sure she was going to wear a hole through the floor. You glanced up from your magazine and sighed heavily. “Annie, why don’t you sit? You’re not going to feel any better about this dinner if you exhaust yourself pacing.”

“Fine,” she groaned, flopping down dramatically on the couch next to you, “I’ll sit. BUT, that doesn’t mean you’re getting out of this, Y/N. I need you to come!”

“I can’t, Ann.”

“Give me one good reason why.”

You rolled your eyes. “Hmm, ok. Maybe because, I don’t want to? Besides,” you added before she could argue, “I wasn’t even invited.”

She waved her hand to dismiss that comment. “Oh, I’m sure they won’t mind another guest.”

“Annie…”

Suddenly, you were interrupted by Annie screaming your name so loud that you actually cringed at the high pitch. “Y/N, please,” she begged, looking at you with giant puppy dog eyes. “I can’t do this alone! Please, please, please! I’ll do anything!”

You studied her pleading face for a second before you gave in. “Fine,” you said with a laugh. “I’ll go. I’ll go.”

“Yes,” she muttered, sitting back with a triumphant smile.

You narrowed your eyes suspiciously. “You knew I’d give in, didn’t you?”

She shot you a look that had a certain gleam you knew all too well. “Well….we are best friends.”

“I knew it!” you cried, jumping up and pointing down at her. “I never should have fallen for the old puppy dog eyes trick.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “Well, it’s too late now. You’re going.”

“Fine, fine,” you muttered resignedly. You placed your hands on your hips and looked down at her. “But, if I’m going to this dinner party, I may as well know what it’s for. Who’s throwing it again?”

“I’m not sure,” Annie whispered. She picked the invitation up from the coffee table and glanced down at it. “It doesn’t say who’s throwing it. It just says I’m invited to a dinner to celebrate the memory of Jacob Dawson.”

“Your old boss? Didn’t he die like a year ago?”

“Yeah, but I guess they decided to finally have a memorial dinner. It’s going to be held at his old house, but it’ll probably just be friends and coworkers sitting around reminiscing about him. He didn’t have any family.”

“I have a question: why are they having a memorial dinner now instead of right after he died? It’s been a year.”

“Beats me,” she shrugged. “But, a free dinner’s a free dinner.”

“I guess,” you said, still a little unsure.

Annie stood up and grabbed your hands excitedly. “Oh come on, Y/N. Don’t look so nervous. It’s just dinner. How bad can it be?”

Five hours later, when you were standing on the edge of the dock freezing through the thin material of your evening dress, you were starting to think that “just dinner” could be pretty bad indeed. In fact, you were seriously starting to regret ever agreeing to come to this dinner with Annie in the first place.

“Uh, Annie,” you muttered, as you picked up the already wet hem of your dress from its place on the ground, “why didn’t you didn’t tell me this thing was on a freezing cold island in the middle of freaking nowhere?”

“You didn’t ask,” she said with nonchalant shrug before she took off down the path in front of you.

You quickly followed, glancing up at the imposing mansion that rested at the top of the steep, hilly path. You let out a low whistle. “Was I the only one who didn’t know that your boss was practically Bruce Wayne?”

“He wasn’t that rich,” she said, looking back over her shoulder with a smile. “At least I don’t think he was.”

You flashed her an expression that screamed of exasperation. “He owned his own island, Ann. His. Own. Island.”

She burst out laughing as the two of you came to a stop in front of the door. “Ok, fair point.” She turned to you and dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Here, I’ll make you a deal. We go in now and you’ll be the first to know if I find any batmobiles.”

“Hahaha,” you muttered sarcastically before reaching out to ring the doorbell. But, before you could, the door clicked and slowly creaked open on its own. You looked inside to see who had opened it, but no one was there. “Yeah, that’s not creepy at all….”

“Oh, shush,” Annie said. She grabbed your arm and pulled you inside. “It’s probably just a motion sensor or something.”

“Yeah, sure,” you whispered. “Cause, that’s always what it is in horror movies.”

You walked cautiously into the house and, once you were inside, Annie dropped your arm. Seizing the opportunity, you took a quick look around the vast entryway you were standing in.

The sight momentarily stunned you. It looked like something straight out of a fairytale. Two giant double doors stood facing you, with ornate carvings adorning the edges. There was a grand, sweeping staircase that curved up one wall, around the room, and into the opposite wall, the balcony disappearing into an opening above you. The elegantly patterned tile floor underneath your feet practically gleamed, reflecting the gigantic, waterfall chandelier that hung from the ceiling.

“Wow….” you breathed out quietly. This was the kind of room that demanded a certain element of deference.

Annie, on the other hand, felt no need to be quiet. “Hello?” she shouted, her voice echoing throughout the foyer. “Is anyone here?”

The sound of her reverberating voice instantly brought your attention back to the situation at hand. “Oh, that’s a great idea, Annie. Let the creepy serial killer know we’re here.”

Annie continued to look around the foyer, not even bothering to look your way when she replied. “Sarcasm noted and quickly forgotten, Y/N.”

You sighed and rolled your eyes. “It doesn’t look like anyone’s here, Ann. Maybe we should just go. I don’t think….”

Before you could finish your thought, the massive double doors flew open and a well-dressed man came striding through. He was wearing a three pieced suit that reeked of wealth, his salt and pepper hair slicked back, framing an unpleasant face that was twisted with anger. He leveled a glare in your direction. “Well, it’s about time you showed up. We’ve been waiting here for over 20 minutes! You call that service?!”

“Excuse me?” You backed up slightly as he advanced, his anger startling you.

“When I accepted this ridiculous invitation, I expected a gathering worthy of Jacob’s memory, not this unmitigated disaster. Frankly, young lady, the help showing up late does not make a very good first impression.”

Annie hurried over to your side and held up her hands, stopping the man’s tirade. “No, no, no, Mr. Leder! Y/N’s not the help! She’s with me.”

Mr. Leder turned his glare on Annie. “Oh, Ms. Jackson. I should have known you’d be involved in this whole debacle. Just when I thought this night couldn’t get any worse.”

Annie closed her eyes and sighed heavily. “Nice to see you too, Mr. Leder.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” he sneered haughtily before turning on his heels and stalking back through the double doors. You stared after him in shock for a minute before turning to Annie.

“Well, he seems nice…”

Annie turned to you and scowled. “Haha, very funny.” Then, her face fell. “Man, if I had known he was going to be here, I never would have come.”

“Who was that guy anyway?”

“Harold P. Leder. He was Mr. Dawson’s old business partner and I was his secretary too. He didn’t, well, he didn’t exactly like me.”

“I gathered that much, Annie.”

“Yeah,” she muttered, although she seemed distracted, like her mind was somewhere else entirely. “Ugh! I can’t believe he’s here! He hated Mr. Dawson by the time he died. Why would he even come to this?”

“I don’t know, but we don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to. We can still leave.”

Annie smiled for a second, but then she heard Mr. Leder bellowing her name from the other room and her face fell all over again. “So much for that idea,” she muttered. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Hey, now you sound like me,” you whispered playfully, drawing a small laugh out of your friend as you followed her over to the double doors leading to the room off of the foyer.

When you entered, you saw Mr. Leder right away. He was standing by the stately fireplace in the back of the room, with one hand on the mantle and the other hand waving around a tumbler full of scotch. He was talking, or rather yelling, at a beautiful, well-dressed woman standing next to him. She was middle-aged, although, she was the kind of woman that you could tell had been absolutely stunning in her prime.

You happily pulled your eyes away from the fighting pair and over to the couch in front of the fireplace, where another couple was sitting. They were younger, late 20s, maybe early 30s, and they definitely looked happier than Mr. Leder and his companion. The man had his arm around the woman and she was leaning into him familiarly as she chatted with another young woman, who was sitting across from her with her back to you.

Annie leaned over to whisper to you. “The man on the couch is Will McHale. He was Mr. Dawson’s attorney. I’m not sure about the woman next to him. But, I know the other woman. That’s Stacey Crane. She was Mr. Dawson’s girlfriend, if you could call it that. I like to think of her as the gold digger who just missed out on becoming a trophy wife.”

You laughed out loud, inadvertently alerting the people in the room to your presence. At once, they all turned to look you, making you feel instantly self-conscious. You cleared your throat and held up your hand. “Uh, sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt your little Downton Abbey convention. As you were.”

You heard a deep laugh come from the other side of the room and instinctively turned to find the source, only to discover that it came from the most gorgeous man you had ever seen. He was leaning against the far wall, one ankle crossed over another, looking effortlessly sexy in his dark red flannel and faded jeans. When he saw you looking at him, he smiled and winked. You smiled back.

You glanced over at the taller man standing next to him, who was also intensely attractive in his own right. In fact, you were surprised it taken you this long to notice the two of them. They were both unbelievably sexy and irresistible. You shifted your gaze back to the first man just as the taller, longer-haired one leaned down to address him, making him pull his eyes away from yours, breaking your brief connection.

You were about to turn back to Annie and ask her who the men were when Mr. Leder distracted you by grabbing your arm.

“Ah, I see Ms. Jackson and her little friend have decided to stick around. Y/N, was it?”

“Yes,” you repeated fiercely, anger seething under the surface at the way he was treating you. Did this man have no manners? You tried to pull your arm out of his grip, but his grasp was iron-clad. “Is there a problem?”

“Well,” he whispered spitefully, leaning in close until he was just inches away from your face, “I don’t believe you were invited to this little gathering, Ms. Y/N, and I don’t take kindly to party crashers.”

“Get your hands off of her,” a deep voice boomed from behind you. You shifted your head slightly to see the man with green eyes stalking towards you at a fast speed. He looked downright murderous and you were relieved knowing that you weren’t the target of that anger: Mr. Leder was.

Mr. Leder quickly started backing away from the intensity rolling off of the stranger, but his hand remained on your arm. When the handsome man stopped beside you, he stared Mr. Leder down with a look of pure hatred. “I said, get your hands off of her.”

The woman Mr. Leder had been yelling at earlier rushed forward to diffuse the situation. “Oh, now, let’s not get carried away. There’s no need for fighting.” She turned to Mr. Leder. “Come now, Harold, stop scaring the girl.”

Mr. Leder wavered for just a second before he released your arm. The mystery man instantly relaxed, but he stayed right by your side with his fists gently clenched.

The woman who had calmed Mr. Leder down took the opportunity the silence presented to plaster on an insincere smile and hold out her hand to you. “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Gretta Leder. I would like to apologize for my husband’s behavior. He doesn’t always play well with others, but he means you no harm.”

You took a quick glance at the attractive man standing next to you, who was still poised for trouble, and decided to take the high road. “Um, it’s ok, I guess. No harm, no foul. I think we can all just move past it.”

“Sounds like a plan to me!” yelled the lawyer, Will McHale, as he stood up to join you. He excitedly clasped Mr. Leder on the shoulder. “All of you should just ignore little old Harold here. I know I always do,” he added with a laugh.

You caught the rage that flickered across Mr. Leder’s face as Will held out his hand to you. “I’m Will McHale, attorney at law. It’s nice to meet you, Y/N.” He gestured to the woman who he had left sitting on the couch. “That right there is my girlfriend, Abby Hallman, and that,” he said, pointing at the gold digger, “is Stacey Crane.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” you said politely. As he turned to talk to Annie, you twisted slightly to face your defender. “And how do you fit into this crowd?”

He looked down at you and laughed, the tension easing out of him as his eyes met yours. “I don’t. Actually,” he said, gesturing back at the tall man behind him, “my brother and I don’t even know any of these crazy people. We just met that Dawson guy right before he, um…Well, right before he died.”

“Oh,” you laughed. To tell the truth, you were relieved that he wasn’t associated with the other people in the room. They all seemed like stuck-up, rich snobs, and you couldn’t bear the thought that the man with the dazzling eyes and gorgeous smile was one of them.

His brother, who had curiously stayed out of the entire volatile incident, chose that moment to walk up and stand next to the two of you. “Hi, I’m Sam. Y/N, right?” You nodded and he gave you a warm, comforting smile. “It’s nice to meet you. I see you’ve already met my brother, Dean.”

“Yes.” Dean. His name was Dean. “Thanks for your help, by the way.”

“Not a problem. That guy had no business putting his hands on you.”

“Like hell I didn’t!” Mr. Leder bellowed, interrupting your conversation.

“Harold,” his wife warned, but he paid her no mind.

“I don’t care what any of these morons say. This woman has no business here. She didn’t even know Jacob.”

Dean started towards him. “You know what, you son of a…”

Before Dean could finish his threat, the lights started flickering, stopping him. In unison, everyone looked up and watched as every light in the room started flickering.

“Sammy,” Dean growled urgently as he moved back to stand protectively next to you. The flickering became more intense, and the room shook violently, compelling you to grab Dean’s arm to steady not only your balance but your rapidly beating heart. Suddenly, the lights gave out entirely, plunging the room into darkness. A shrill scream sounded out, echoing throughout the room, and you clutched Dean’s arm tighter.

Then, as quickly as it had started, it was over. The lights came back on revealing everyone in the room again. No one was missing.

“Alright,” Sam said. “Nobody panic. Everything’s going to be fine. Who screamed?”

Everyone shook their heads. Dean groaned angrily. “Well, somebody did. So, who was it?”

“I don’t care who it was,” Stacey cried, jumping up from her seat and pushing her way forward. “I, for one, am definitely not going to stick around to find out. This party is a disaster. I’m out of here.”

She stalked out the door and the group followed, Sam yelling after her as they did. “Ms. Crane, wait! This is serious. We need to stay together.”

“Not happening, handsome. I’m out of here.”

“I’m with her,” Harold Leder asserted, grabbing his wife’s hand. He followed Stacey out the door and into the foyer. Will and his girlfriend, Abby, followed.

Sam raced after them while you, Dean, and Annie entered the foyer at the back of the group. You watched closely as Sam tried in vain to stop the exodus. You started to lean over to ask Dean why his brother was so intent on stopping them from leaving, but you were interrupted by an ear piecing scream. You looked over to see Will’s girlfriend, Abby, frozen with fear. She was pointing just over your shoulder.

You spun around and what you saw in front of you stopped you cold. You heard Annie’s sharp intake of breath beside you, but you barely registered it. You were too focused on the apparition standing in front of you.

It was a honest-to-goodness ghost, and it was staring straight at you.

Keep Reading with Part 2

Forevers- @hamartiamacguffin @mrsdeanfuckingwinchester @katymacsupernatural @impandagrl @cyrilconnelly @damnandriel-in-hell @impala-dreamer @castielhasthetardis @jarpadandjensenaremyheroes @shotgunintheimpala @mysterious398

Dean Tags- @akshi8278

Pond tags (I’ll be using them for the first part only so that I don’t bother people who aren’t interested. If you would like to continue to be tagged in the series, please send an ask, and I’ll be happy to keep tagging you!)

@thing-you-do-with-that-thing @nichelle-my-belle @leatherwhiskeycoffeeplaid @notnaturalanahi @whispersandwhiskerburn @roxy-davenport @deathtonormalcy56 @samsgoddess @frenchybell @spn-fan-girl-173@deansleather @whywhydoyouwantmetosaymyname @waywardjoy@mrswhozeewhatsis @imadeangirl-butimsamcurious @kayteonline@supernatural-jackles @wevegotworktodo @quiddy-writes @babypieandwhiskey @wi-deangirl77 @deantbh @chaos-and-the-calm67 @memariana91 @plaidstiel-wormstache @chelsea-winchester @fandommaniacx @castieltrash1 @supernaturalyobessed @ruined-by-destiel @tasteofdean @winchester-writes @deals-with-demons @faith-in-dean @winchestersmolder @bennyyh @clueless-gold @melbelle45 @winchester-family-business

[kindofsharethat]

I really love how you write, could you please (if you don't want it's okay love!) write for me a headcanon of h&l being parents??

“Orange juice is clearly the winner here---I can’t believe we’re even having this argument.”

“Apple juice is a classic, you can’t go wrong.”

Louis wrinkles his nose. “It’s overhyped and boring.”

“At least apple juice doesn’t have bits of pulp floating around in it. It has dignity, class.”

“What do you think, Madzie?”

Madzie looks up at the sound of her name, startled out of where she was intently swirling her finger in her alphabet soup.

Her cute, disgruntled expression reminds Louis so much of Harry that his breath catches in his throat and he almost completely forgets what he even asked her.

“Apple juice or orange juice?” Harry jogs her memory.

“Orange juice, orange juice, orange juice,” Louis chants.

At this, a mischievous grin spreads across Madzie’s face, looking much more like Louis now. “Orange juice.”

“No,” Harry clutches a hand over his chest dramatically, acting as if he’s wounded. “I don’t know who this child is, but she’s no child of mine.”

“Aww, c’mon, babe. Don’t be like that,” Louis knocks his hip into Harry’s, looking awfully smug with himself, “you still love me despite my fondness for orange juice.”

“You’re right, you’re right,” Harry says, looking deep in deliberation. “But that doesn’t mean Madzie isn’t gonna be punished.”

Harry swoops her out of her highchair at the speed of light, tickling her incessantly.

She squeals, letting out adorable high-pitched giggles. Louis watches on, so fond he could explode.

The commotion must have signaled Clifford, as he comes bounding into the room, tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.

“Uh-oh, here’s trouble. Trouble wearing...a dress and socks?” Louis bursts out laughing, realising this could only be the work of one small person.

Affirming Louis’ suspicions, Jacob trots in looking very proud of himself, also wearing a dress.

“This is another fashion parade, I presume?” Harry puts Madzie down, finally relenting from the tickles, who trots over to her big brother and reaches out to pat Clifford’s curly head.

Jacob flips his invisible hair, strutting forward and striking a pose.

“Work it!” Louis cheers, Harry joining in as Clifford suddenly barrels at full speed towards them, sending Harry tumbling to the ground and taking Louis down with him.

Jacob pauses his fashion show to race over and join their quite literal puppy pile, flopping down on top of them, Madzie following shortly after.

Louis groans. “I’m getting too old for this.”

“You’re still in your 20s, honey, don’t fret,” Harry ruffles his hair, giving him a quick peck on the lips. “Don’t act like you don’t enjoy a little roughhousing.”

“I don’t take character profiles from apple juice lovers.”

Madzie pipes up, “Ooh, can I have some apple juice, papa?”

Louis sighs in defeat. “I was played...by my own daughter.”

[iwanttowriteyou]

All I Wanted; C.H. 24

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10**, part 11*, part 12*, part 13, part 14, part 15**, part 16, part 17, part 18, part 19, part 20, part 21, part 22, part 23

Harry offered to come inside with me – but I reluctantly declined. I knew what would have happened if he had come inside, and I would’ve regretted it first thing in the morning. We did spend more than an hour in the car, talking about what I’ve gotten myself into, about Calum, about Meredith. It has become quite clear what was next on my to-do list. Talk with Meredith.

It was something I had been avoiding ever since this had started, so I wasn’t too keen on doing it right now either. The morning after left even a worse aftertaste and I didn’t think it were possible. I had spent the entire night mauling over everything Calum had ever said or done leading up to this moment. Searching for an indication somewhere that I had misread any signal Calum had sent me, anything that could imply that it was all in my head and I thought that he was interested in me like that, but came up empty-handed.

When I decided it was time to be part of reality again, and I checked my phone, messages of Harry, Luke and Calum had littered my lock screen. I decide to thank Harry and apologize for not answering his ‘I’m home’ message. After everything he has done for me in such a short period, which mainly means listening to me whine, drive me home and be there when I’m a sobbing mess, even if we were only mere friends with benefits when this special friendship begun, I owed him a lot.

I make a mental note of thinking of a way to thank him properly, rather than a lame-ass text at noon. Next up is Luke, and I think after my rather panic text messages I do owe him some sort of explanation. My eyes skim over the three messages I had received within the course of half an hour, sent at nine A.M.

As soon as my pointer finger presses send, and I drop myself back down on my soft pillow, contemplating even glancing at Calum’s text messages, my phone loudly rings through the otherwise empty bedroom. I groan, rolling onto my side again to see who it is needed me. Luke

“Yeah?” “You are fucking with me; please tell me you’re fucking with me?” Luke almost growls into the receiver and I let a short, boisterous chuckle slip past my lips as I snuggle back underneath my warm, thick duvet. “I wish I could tell you I’m just mind fucking you, but I think Calum was doing that all along.” My laughter dies out. I’m staring at the ceiling. I don’t know what it is I’m feeling – yesterday I was angry, sad and depressed all the same. But today, it sort of feels as if I felt nothing.

“Are you… Well, are you okay?” Luke mumbles and I can just picture him rubbing his hand over his face in utter desperation. That’s where I was last night too, buddy.

“I think I am. At least I will be. Who is Dennis anyway?” I just couldn’t grasp the fact that after all these years walking in and out of de Hood residence, never once in my life had I heard about this Dennis character. “Dennis? Was that the guy Calum picked up?”

I hum in response, picking up the nervous habit of chewing my fingernails once more as I wait for Luke to clarify this mess for me. “I haven’t heard from him in years. He’s a bit of a weirdo, to be honest. Was into drugs and what not before he met his girlfriend. Then he sort of disappeared.”

“So he resurfaced because his girlfriend left him? And Calum just jumps to his help although he hadn’t heard from him in years?” I scoff. I scramble out of my bed as I wait for Luke’s response, throwing a nearby sweat shirt over my head.

“You know how Calum is. He just wants to be there for… Well, apparently anybody.” Luke sighs loudly and I just know he’ll give Calum hell for what he has done last night, even if Luke and Calum had been mates practically since birth and I had just waltzed in mere months ago. “Apparently so.” “I’ll talk to him.”

“Do whatever floats your boat. Right now there’s nothing he can do to make this up to me. You can try and convince me that it was just Calum being a great friend – but he could’ve fucking told me. I have never felt more humiliated in my life. And yes, before you even try to say anything – I was privileged.” I laugh, shaking my head as I try to see at least a bit of the light at the end of the tunnel. I feel like such a whiny bastard lately.

“You’re something, Y/n. If you need a chat, ring me up.” With another thank you directed towards Luke, we end or rather revealing phone call. I open my message app and start up a new chat. Hi, wanna go for a drink?

*****************

“It sounded like you were breaking up with me or something.” Meredith chuckles as she sees me approaching the table she had picked out. A laugh slips past my lips as I bend down to press them against Meredith’s cheek.

“You’re too dramatic. I just missed my best friend, that’s all. But I do have something to tell you.” I drop down in front of her, starting to undress as I fling my scarf on a nearby chair. “And you’re saying I’m dramatic? The only thing missing is thunder in the distance and some ominous melody playing.” Meredith chuckles as she waves one of the waiters over for my order.

“So tell me. What’s up?” Meredith starts as a cup of coffee is placed in front of me and I sigh out. I’ve decided to start with the less obvious news. “Harry and I are speaking again.” Meredith’s eyebrows shoot sky high as she tries to suppress her smirk. Meredith, when Harry and I were seeing each other, had tried to do everything and anything to get us together romantically. Harry and I, on the other hand, had agreed in the beginning of it all that when one of us wanted this to become more, we’d quit whatever we were doing. I am certain neither of us where in it for the cuddles afterwards.

“Don’t even go there, Mer. It’s different.” I roll my eyes as I take a sip of my cup, my eyes following an old lady a she passes us by before refocusing back on my friend in front of me. “Ah, that’s what they all say.”

I open up to her and told her about our kiss, about that he was interested in picking up where we left off, and me not knowing what to do. I wanted her opinion, her advice. That would’ve been a lot easier if I could just tell her ’oh, but I’ve been shagging your brother as well and he fucked up a date and now I’m avoiding him like the pest.’. Since I can’t, I’ll have to deal with her advice to a partial story. Who knows, maybe it’ll help anyhow.

“And… What’s stopping you?” Yeah, I didn’t think this through, did I?

“I don’t know. Harry has been someone to fall back on and to be honest I might be in a place where I do develop feelings towards him if he keeps catching me whenever I fall.” I shrug my shoulders, leaning back as I let my eyes slowly drop closed, hearing Meredith sigh. I’m hyperaware of all that’s happening around me, listening in to the conversations of people surrounding us.

“If I were you, maybe I should just ask him to go on a date and see how it goes. I’m sure Harry would be interested in that as well. He’s been nuts about you for years now.” I take a deep breath, because that isn’t really something I consider myself ready for. If Calum wasn’t anywhere near the picture, Harry would’ve definitely gotten his chance now. Although I am not quite sure if I would’ve seen and spoken to Harry again if it weren’t for Calum.

“I’ll see. I really don’t fancy that idea right now.” I laugh heartily. My heart stops and I feel a lump in my throat as Meredith suddenly discards our conversation. “Calum, Mike, hey!”

I stay frozen in my spot as Michael comes into view to press his lips to his awaiting girlfriend. I almost squeal when I feel a hand land on my shoulder and squeezing it gently. As I let my gaze wander upwards I notice Luke looming over me with a sympathetic smile etched on his lips. “HI Y/n, how are you?”

“Oh hey Luke, I’ll live, yourself?” Luke hums in response and he leans against my seat as I turn my body a bit so I could converse a bit more properly with the blonde, but Meredith beats me to it. “Oh my god, Mikey, Y/n is going on a date with Harry!” My eyes widen dramatically and when I look away from Luke to throw a glare in Meredith’s direction, I see Calum with a widened glare staring in my direction. His lips are tightly pressed together and just seeing him here brings another wave of anger and sadness to the surface.

“Mer, I –“

“Harry Styles? That guy that hangs out with Hardy and Jacobs?” Michael asks and Luke raises an eyebrow at me as his smirk seeps through. I shrug my shoulders as a small, awkward smile etches onto my lips. Luke knew what was up and I think he knew I wasn’t going on a date with Harry anytime soon with Calum still cluttering my mind.

“Harry Styles eh? How did that happen?” Luke grins as he lets both of his hands fall on my shoulders and he squeezes them repeatedly. “Luke – stop.” I laugh, trying to push him off and he immediately takes a step back when Calum’s low voice chimes through the area.

“Luke, you don’t want to keep the girls waiting, do you?” Calum cocks an eyebrow and for just a split second, his gaze meets mine and I can see hurt. But it disappears as quickly as it appeared. I think I actually felt my heart breaking when I heard Calum utter those words. Michael has already kissed Meredith goodbye and leisurely walks over to Calum as I turn to Luke for an explanation, anything.

“Y/n I – “ Luke starts of rambling, as if there’s something he desperately wants to tell me, but Calum is quick to shut him up. “Luke. Now.” With a tight lipped grin Luke steps away from me and towards Calum and Michael who have already started heading in the direction of the pub. He looks back once more and mouths ‘later’, before he turns back around and jogs off behind Calum and Michael.

“I just knew Calum couldn’t stick to one girl.” Meredith sighs as she drops her spoon into her coffee cup, little droplets splattering the table. I knew it too, I just hoped I was wrong.

[shenanigansandtriumph]

Answer all of the questions you coward.

*sigh*

1. What is you middle name?: John2. How old are you?: 20-Something, I lost track.3. When is your birthday?: September the Twentieth.4. What is your zodiac sign?: Virgo5. What is your favorite color?: Red, probably.6. What’s your lucky number?: Twenty-Seven.7. Do you have any pets?: No.8. Where are you from?: California.9. How tall are you?: 6′4″.10. What shoe size are you?: 1411. How many pairs of shoes do you own?: 3....? 12. What was your last dream about?: Uhhh........ Muff...... ins. O3O;13. What talents do you have?: I can do this. You didn’t see what I did, but it was pretty impressive, take my word for it.14. Are you psychic in any way?: I can tell everyone the exact moment that they will think I am annoying. It’s always five seconds from now, and then five seconds later I will scream as loud as I can.15. Favorite song?: I don’t know how to spell it but it’s that one song from Steam Powered Giraffe with the.... uh..... hot monster ladies in the video. Latte Alterme. Or something. YAYAYA.16. Favorite movie?: Bunraku.17. Who would be your ideal partner?: My partner.18. Do you want children?: It’s Complicated.19. Do you want a church wedding?: No.20. Are you religious?: Yes.21. Have you ever been to the hospital?: Yes.22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law?: Legally, I can not say.23. Have you ever met any celebrities?: One time I met the dude who has the world record for eating the most marshmallows in an hour. He smelled like cheese. I wish I was joking.24. Baths or showers?: Showers.25. What color socks are you wearing?: Socks are for dweebs.26. Have you ever been famous?: Probably.27. Would you like to be a big celebrity?: Probably.28. What type of music do you like?: That’s a loaded question. Power Metal.29. Have you ever been skinny dipping?: Yes.30. How many pillows do you sleep with?: I hoarde pillows like a dragon hordes gold. I don’t know, it’s a high number.31. What position do you usually sleep in?: I sleep atop my horde of pillows and my horde of pillows decides how I am allowed to sleep in it.32. How big is your house?: Home is where the heart is, so my real home’s in my chest.33. What do you typically have for breakfast?: A iced coffee and a dr. pepper.34. Have you ever fired a gun?: Do BB Guns count? If no, then no.35. Have you ever tried archery?: Yes, I’m awful.36. Favorite clean word?: Hooliganism37. Favorite swear word?: Piss38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep?: A few days.39. Do you have any scars?: I have a lot of scars, yes. 40. Have you ever had a secret admirer?: Prrrrrobably?41. Are you a good liar?: No, I’m very trusty.42. Are you a good judge of character?: Probably not.43. Can you do any other accents other than your own?: I can try to do a lot of accents other than my own.44. Do you have a strong accent?: I don’t think so.45. What is your favorite accent?: Really bad fake italian.46. What is your personality type?: Uhhhh................. INFP? Is that what this is asking for?47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing?: Probably one of my wrestling t-shirts.48. Can you curl your tongue?: I can do a lot of things with my tongue.49. Are you an innie or an outie?: Uhhhh.............. Innnn?50. Left or right handed?: I am ambidextrous.51. Are you scared of spiders?: No.52. Favorite food?: ORANGE CHICKEN.53. Favorite foreign food?:..... orange...... chicken?54. Are you a clean or messy person?: I’m kind of a messy person.55. Most used phrased?:It is probably “Ohfuck”56. Most used word?: “Bupkis.”57. How long does it take for you to get ready?: About five minutes.58. Do you have much of an ego?: Kind of? But only in competitions. 59. Do you suck or bite lollipops?: I do whatever the lollipops want me to do. I ain’t selfish.60. Do you talk to yourself?: Yes.61. Do you sing to yourself?: Yes.62. Are you a good singer?: Maybe.63. Biggest Fear?: Horses64. Are you a gossip?: Maybe.65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen?: Bunraku.66. Do you like long or short hair?: Long.67. Can you name all 50 states of America?: No.68. Favorite school subject?: English.69. Extrovert or Introvert?: Introvert.70. Have you ever been scuba diving?: No.71. What makes you nervous?: Horses.72. Are you scared of the dark?: Yes.73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes?: If they’re big mistakes, yes.74. Are you ticklish?: No.75. Have you ever started a rumor?: No.76. Have you ever been in a position of authority?: Yup!77. Have you ever drank underage?: No.78. Have you ever done drugs?: No.79. Who was your first real crush?: A girl I knew in elementary school. She’s, like, super married and stuff now, though.80. How many piercings do you have?: None.81. Can you roll your Rs?: Yes.82. How fast can you type?: 69wpm (nice)83. How fast can you run?: Not fast enough to escape, but enough to catch up. 84. What color is your hair?: Brown? Ish?85. What color is your eyes?: Green. Ish?86. What are you allergic to?:  Citrus.87. Do you keep a journal?: No.88. What do your parents do?: My father is a handyman, my mother is a hippie.89. Do you like your age?: I don’t even know my age.90. What makes you angry?: People slurping their food.91. Do you like your own name?: It’s fine.92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they?: RUMPLEDUMPLESTILTSKIN.93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child?: I think Rumpledumplestiltskin is unisex, so it doesn’t fucking matter.94. What are you strengths?: I can lift heavy things, I can bite biteable objects, and am willing to eat pretty much anything.95. What are your weaknesses?: None. I am infallible, thanks.96. How did you get your name?: My parents liked John Wayne, but they didn’t want me to be a Jr., so they named me after Big Jake. Who is John Wayne. I am named Jacob because my dad loves John Wayne.97. Were your ancestors royalty?: Yeah.98. Do you have any scars?: I’ve already answered this. But yes.99. Color of your bedspread?: I haven’t seen my bedspread in years. It is in my horde of pillows, I think.100. Color of your room?: I think it’s blue.

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

EXCLUSIVE: The Ever-Persistent Alison Brie on Comedy, 'GLOW' and the Mild Humiliations of Auditioning

Despite having played type-A former Adderall addict Annie Edison for six seasons (and perhaps, someday, a movie) on Community, for which she earned a Critics' Choice Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series; despite going joke-for-joke with comedy heavyweights like Will Ferrell (Get Hard), Rebel Wilson (How to Be Single) and Jason Segel and Chris Pratt (The Five-Year Engagement); despite the cosign she's received from comedy maestros ranging from Adam McKay to Judd Apatow; and despite having once worked as a birthday clown named Sunny, Alison Brie has a hard time thinking of herself as a comedian.

"I've never done standup and I've never done improv," Brie says almost timidly, referring to the way in which many people in comedy now work their way through Upright Citizens Brigade or Second City. "I went to theater school" -- she graduated from California Institute of the Arts in 2005 -- "and we did a lot of, like, Shakespeare and Molière and Ibsen. After graduating, I was doing plays in Ventura county. Those were my first jobs where I could support myself as an actress, but it was The Diary of Anne Frank and I was playing Ophelia in Hamlet."

Yet here she is, adding two more comedic projects to her ever-growing IMDb page: GLOW, the new Netflix series from Orange Is the New Black's Jenji Kohan about the "Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling," and The Little Hours, a movie about sex, drugs and mortal sins in a nunnery.

Ultimately, it took booking Community for Brie, 34, to realize that the comedic part of her was something she could tap into. "And use to my advantage," she explains, "which was just never on my radar when I was younger and studying acting. I always wanted to be an actress and really took it very seriously. It's funny to me now that I'm fighting this comedic persona to get back to serious work."

Gunpowder & Sky

We're sitting in a sunshiny suite at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, where Brie is dutifully promoting The Little Hours. Wearing a floor-length, floral sundress with bright red lipstick, the actress has been doing interviews since 10a.m. Now, six hours later, she is still engaged and engaging, with a theatrical intensity in the excitement over her work.

The new film, out June 30, almost perfectly fits in the center of the Venn diagram that is the actress' career. Based on a novella within The Decameron, a 14th-century text by Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio, director Jeff Baena's film is about three bawdy, blasphemous and blood-eating nuns -- Sisters Alessandra (Brie), Fernanda (Aubrey Plaza) and Ginevra (Kate Micucci) -- at a medieval convent. The Catholic League called it "pure trash."

"Alessandra's kind of the straight man for some of the movie and really everything comedic about what's going on with her comes from a dramatic place," Brie says of playing the "really depressed, serious" sister, who is devastated over being forced to live out her life at the convent. “She fantasized about getting married and having a family. Then this man appears. This young, attractive man...”

That attractive man is Dave Franco, Brie's real-life husband. (The couple wed earlier this year.) The Little Hours is not the first time they've worked together -- in 2013, they made a Funny or Die skit called "Dream Girl," and she recently co-starred in brother-in-law James Franco's upcoming The Disaster Artist -- but Brie never felt any conflict about merging their personal and professional lives.

"My only hesitancy was that the way you are when you're on a set is kind of, you're in 'set mode.' And [I thought], Are our set personalities going to be in sync or is it going to feel weird to see the other person's set personality that you don't usually witness?" she reveals as she forks at a plate of melon. "It wasn't weird at all. It's so fun, actually." Plus, after spending months at a time apart shooting this movie or that TV show, working together gave them an excuse to finally be in the same place. "It felt like, Thank God, I have my person here with me. What a dream job to go to Italy with my husband and our friends and shoot a movie together."

Netflix

Ahead of The Little Hours, Brie fronts Netflix's newest binge, GLOW, which is loosely based on the obscure, late '80s women's syndicated wrestling series of the same name. "I'd been reading tons of pilots and I'd been like, No. No. No," Brie says. "Everything was just feeling the same." Then she got her hands on the script for GLOW.

Shortly after our in-person sitdown in L.A., Brie phones me as she's prepping to jet off to New York City to promote the show, which began streaming on June 23. She remembers the initial pitch from her agent, who encouraged her to google the original GLOW. "Five minutes later, my jaw was on the floor," she says. "I was so turned on and excited by the idea of being a part of something like that. The show is so bizarre and weird. It's really its own world -- they rapped and they did sketch comedy! It's a really weird variety show, almost! And there's wrestling."

Playing Ruth Wilder, a classically trained actress who enters the ring in a desperate attempt to find a good role, checked off many of the things Brie had been looking for: Something that would show off a more physical side of herself, but with writing as good as anything she'd read on Mad Men. Brie was obsessed with getting the role, but almost didn’t, because she almost didn't get to audition. "I had heard that they didn't think I was right for the role.

"I was hanging out with my Community cast mates at Ken [Jeong]'s karaoke birthday party and I was with Gillian [Jacobs]," she thinks back, laughing as she recalls the memory. As it happened, Jacobs was a longtime friend of GLOW co-creator Carly Mensch. "I was like, You have to text her right now. You have to tell her how much I'm interested in the role! If they would just let me come read, I'm sure they would be happy about it!" Jacobs texted Mensch the next day, but it wasn't just her Community connections that helped Brie get the part. "Everything in my career has been leading to this job in some ways. Jenji told me that they showed my tapes to [Mad Men creator] Matt Weiner, because she's good friends with him and wanted his opinion on if he thought I would be right for the role."

One reason that Mensch and co-creator Liz Flahive were hesitant to cast Brie was that Ruth requires a look that she had not yet shown in more polished personas on Community and Mad Men. To achieve that "unconventional" appearance, Brie cut her hair into a style inspired by Sigourney Weaver in Alien and wore no makeup while filming. "Liz and Carly kept thinking that we were sneaking more makeup in, which of course was never the case," Brie exclaims. "I remember a day Liz saw me applying something to my lips and she ran over and was like, What is that?! And I was like, It's chapstick! Calm down!"

Getty Images

GLOW was the most difficult audition process of Brie's career, but it wasn't her worst. During a recent discussion following the show’s ATX Television Festival premiere, the conversation turned to changes in the audition process over the past 20 years, and the actress reflected on going out for a bit role on HBO's Entourage. "I had to go in a bikini!" Brie reportedly said. "Or, like, shorts, and the tiniest shorts. And they were like, OK, can you take your top off now?"

The soundbite, sans context, quickly made headlines, and Brie had to clarify on Twitter, "I had a bikini top on UNDER my top. They didn't ask me to get totally topless." She signed the tweet with the sunglasses emoji. When I broach the subject in the hotel room, she has a physical reaction, tossing her head back and sighing sadly.

"I was actually really disappointed with the reaction to that story," she opens up. "I think that actually spoke to my exact point about sexism in this industry. It was disappointing to me that, coming out of a festival where we essentially premiered the first episode of GLOW to an audience to great reviews and much excitement, the main headline was a story about me showing my tits?"

To Brie, it was a distraction from the message of GLOW, which is female empowerment. She would much rather celebrate the efforts of casting directors who are seeking out diversity in their talent: Jennifer Euston, Allison Jones, Ellen Lewis. "I was caught off-guard on this panel and made a joke about auditioning not changing very much from the 1980s until today. That is something that is true in certain ways and obviously not true in other ways. But the way the headlines misconstrued it, because obviously they misinterpreted what I said, made it sound like it was an attack on a specific show, on a specific casting director. Really, it was more like a generalized story. That's not the only audition I've been to where I've had to wear a bikini! It was more the idea that actors, women and men, suffer mild humiliations all the time for the sake of our craft."

Aspiring actors, Brie says, come out of theater school thinking they are going to play roles like Ophelia, and then the next thing they know, they are auditioning for a few lines in a fast food commercial. “It's the nature of the job," she shrugs. "But I think for actors just starting out, there are these early hurdles that you have to undergo where you just think, God, I never pictured this when I was studying Chekhov."

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

EXCLUSIVE: The Ever-Persistent Alison Brie on Comedy, 'GLOW' and the Mild Humiliations of Auditioning

Despite having played type-A former Adderall addict Annie Edison for six seasons (and perhaps, someday, a movie) on Community, for which she earned a Critics' Choice Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series; despite going joke-for-joke with comedy heavyweights like Will Ferrell (Get Hard), Rebel Wilson (How to Be Single) and Jason Segel and Chris Pratt (The Five-Year Engagement); despite the cosign she's received from comedy maestros ranging from Adam McKay to Judd Apatow; and despite having once worked as a birthday clown named Sunny, Alison Brie has a hard time thinking of herself as a comedian.

"I've never done standup and I've never done improv," Brie says almost timidly, referring to the way in which many people in comedy now work their way through Upright Citizens Brigade or Second City. "I went to theater school" -- she graduated from California Institute of the Arts in 2005 -- "and we did a lot of, like, Shakespeare and Molière and Ibsen. After graduating, I was doing plays in Ventura county. Those were my first jobs where I could support myself as an actress, but it was The Diary of Anne Frank and I was playing Ophelia in Hamlet."

Yet here she is, adding two more comedic projects to her ever-growing IMDb page: GLOW, the new Netflix series from Orange Is the New Black's Jenji Kohan about the "Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling," and The Little Hours, a movie about sex, drugs and mortal sins in a nunnery.

Ultimately, it took booking Community for Brie, 34, to realize that the comedic part of her was something she could tap into. "And use to my advantage," she explains, "which was just never on my radar when I was younger and studying acting. I always wanted to be an actress and really took it very seriously. It's funny to me now that I'm fighting this comedic persona to get back to serious work."

Gunpowder & Sky

We're sitting in a sunshiny suite at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, where Brie is dutifully promoting The Little Hours. Wearing a floor-length, floral sundress with bright red lipstick, the actress has been doing interviews since 10a.m. Now, six hours later, she is still engaged and engaging, with a theatrical intensity in the excitement over her work.

The new film, out June 30, almost perfectly fits in the center of the Venn diagram that is the actress' career. Based on a novella within The Decameron, a 14th-century text by Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio, director Jeff Baena's film is about three bawdy, blasphemous and blood-eating nuns -- Sisters Alessandra (Brie), Fernanda (Aubrey Plaza) and Ginevra (Kate Micucci) -- at a medieval convent. The Catholic League called it "pure trash."

"Alessandra's kind of the straight man for some of the movie and really everything comedic about what's going on with her comes from a dramatic place," Brie says of playing the "really depressed, serious" sister, who is devastated over being forced to live out her life at the convent. “She fantasized about getting married and having a family. Then this man appears. This young, attractive man...”

That attractive man is Dave Franco, Brie's real-life husband. (The couple wed earlier this year.) The Little Hours is not the first time they've worked together -- in 2013, they made a Funny or Die skit called "Dream Girl," and she recently co-starred in brother-in-law James Franco's upcoming The Disaster Artist -- but Brie never felt any conflict about merging their personal and professional lives.

"My only hesitancy was that the way you are when you're on a set is kind of, you're in 'set mode.' And [I thought], Are our set personalities going to be in sync or is it going to feel weird to see the other person's set personality that you don't usually witness?" she reveals as she forks at a plate of melon. "It wasn't weird at all. It's so fun, actually." Plus, after spending months at a time apart shooting this movie or that TV show, working together gave them an excuse to finally be in the same place. "It felt like, Thank God, I have my person here with me. What a dream job to go to Italy with my husband and our friends and shoot a movie together."

Netflix

Ahead of The Little Hours, Brie fronts Netflix's newest binge, GLOW, which is loosely based on the obscure, late '80s women's syndicated wrestling series of the same name. "I'd been reading tons of pilots and I'd been like, No. No. No," Brie says. "Everything was just feeling the same." Then she got her hands on the script for GLOW.

Shortly after our in-person sitdown in L.A., Brie phones me as she's prepping to jet off to New York City to promote the show, which began streaming on June 23. She remembers the initial pitch from her agent, who encouraged her to google the original GLOW. "Five minutes later, my jaw was on the floor," she says. "I was so turned on and excited by the idea of being a part of something like that. The show is so bizarre and weird. It's really its own world -- they rapped and they did sketch comedy! It's a really weird variety show, almost! And there's wrestling."

Playing Ruth Wilder, a classically trained actress who enters the ring in a desperate attempt to find a good role, checked off many of the things Brie had been looking for: Something that would show off a more physical side of herself, but with writing as good as anything she'd read on Mad Men. Brie was obsessed with getting the role, but almost didn’t, because she almost didn't get to audition. "I had heard that they didn't think I was right for the role.

"I was hanging out with my Community cast mates at Ken [Jeong]'s karaoke birthday party and I was with Gillian [Jacobs]," she thinks back, laughing as she recalls the memory. As it happened, Jacobs was a longtime friend of GLOW co-creator Carly Mensch. "I was like, You have to text her right now. You have to tell her how much I'm interested in the role! If they would just let me come read, I'm sure they would be happy about it!" Jacobs texted Mensch the next day, but it wasn't just her Community connections that helped Brie get the part. "Everything in my career has been leading to this job in some ways. Jenji told me that they showed my tapes to [Mad Men creator] Matt Weiner, because she's good friends with him and wanted his opinion on if he thought I would be right for the role."

One reason that Mensch and co-creator Liz Flahive were hesitant to cast Brie was that Ruth requires a look that she had not yet shown in more polished personas on Community and Mad Men. To achieve that "unconventional" appearance, Brie cut her hair into a style inspired by Sigourney Weaver in Alien and wore no makeup while filming. "Liz and Carly kept thinking that we were sneaking more makeup in, which of course was never the case," Brie exclaims. "I remember a day Liz saw me applying something to my lips and she ran over and was like, What is that?! And I was like, It's chapstick! Calm down!"

Getty Images

GLOW was the most difficult audition process of Brie's career, but it wasn't her worst. During a recent discussion following the show’s ATX Television Festival premiere, the conversation turned to changes in the audition process over the past 20 years, and the actress reflected on going out for a bit role on HBO's Entourage. "I had to go in a bikini!" Brie reportedly said. "Or, like, shorts, and the tiniest shorts. And they were like, OK, can you take your top off now?"

The soundbite, sans context, quickly made headlines, and Brie had to clarify on Twitter, "I had a bikini top on UNDER my top. They didn't ask me to get totally topless." She signed the tweet with the sunglasses emoji. When I broach the subject in the hotel room, she has a physical reaction, tossing her head back and sighing sadly.

"I was actually really disappointed with the reaction to that story," she opens up. "I think that actually spoke to my exact point about sexism in this industry. It was disappointing to me that, coming out of a festival where we essentially premiered the first episode of GLOW to an audience to great reviews and much excitement, the main headline was a story about me showing my tits?"

To Brie, it was a distraction from the message of GLOW, which is female empowerment. She would much rather celebrate the efforts of casting directors who are seeking out diversity in their talent: Jennifer Euston, Allison Jones, Ellen Lewis. "I was caught off-guard on this panel and made a joke about auditioning not changing very much from the 1980s until today. That is something that is true in certain ways and obviously not true in other ways. But the way the headlines misconstrued it, because obviously they misinterpreted what I said, made it sound like it was an attack on a specific show, on a specific casting director. Really, it was more like a generalized story. That's not the only audition I've been to where I've had to wear a bikini! It was more the idea that actors, women and men, suffer mild humiliations all the time for the sake of our craft."

Aspiring actors, Brie says, come out of theater school thinking they are going to play roles like Ophelia, and then the next thing they know, they are auditioning for a few lines in a fast food commercial. “It's the nature of the job," she shrugs. "But I think for actors just starting out, there are these early hurdles that you have to undergo where you just think, God, I never pictured this when I was studying Chekhov."