#this one goes out to the over stimulated girlies xx

[hesbuckcompton-baby]

this writer's block has been HELLLLL, i'm so sorry it's been a while!! but because Halloween is the perfect opportunity to write some more college au, please enjoy some Gwen x Brady!

word count: 2.4k

-> peace - john brady x gwen dastrup (college au)

"You sure they're on straight?" Helen asked, peering over her shoulder as they walked down the street. The angel wings she wore strapped to her shoulders were the finishing touch to the Romeo and Juliet costume she'd spent weeks planning with Nash, and Gwen had heard of little else for the last half hour.

"Uhhh - yep. There," She affirmed with a nod, stepping behind her roommate to adjust them.

"So..." Helen smirked, her gaze fixed on Gwen as she fell back in step. "You gonna see John at the party?"

"Well, he lives there. So probably."

"Oh," She scoffed. "That is not what I mean. That boy is absolutely smitten and you know it."

"I do not know that." Gwen shook her head, face flushing as red as the toga draped over her shoulder.

"You're nervous," Helen sang, the teasing grin audible in her voice even when Gwen didn't look, fidgeting with her costume for the tenth time in as many minutes.

"Parties are... loud," She grumbled, the excuse sounding utterly pathetic as it rolled off her tongue.

So what if John was there? It was his party at his house - a party that countless others had also been invited to. What were the chances that he'd find even a moment to talk to her? And why would he want to? If she had to guess, Gwen imagined this night going only one way - she would cling to Helen's side for as long as possible, drink a couple beers, and head home halfway through the party, making the trek back to her dorm alone. This result seemed a safe bet if last year was anything to go by.

The front lawn was scattered with partygoers as they arrived, a sea of unfamiliar faces made even more unrecognisable beneath layers of face paint and fake blood. She could hear Time Warp blaring from within, Helen's hand slipping into her own as they headed up the steps, ensuring she stayed close. The gesture made her smile, the sense of dread that had been steadily building their whole way here ebbing away slightly.

About to enter through the front door, the pair took an alarmed step back as Frankie appeared suddenly in front of them, almost whacking them with the baseball bat clutched in her grip. "Oh, shit, sorry!" She blurted, sweating slightly beneath the many layers of her Wendy Torrance costume. "Hey guys! Here, take these-" Reaching inside, she propped the bat up in the doorway long enough to seize two cups of blood-coloured liquid, thrusting them into their hands. "Oh, and if you see a Tin-Man wandering around, send him my way."

"You've already lost Rosie?" Helen laughed, taking a sip. With a shrug, Frankie seized her bat again, hurrying off across the porch towards where George was waiting, a May Queen crown perched atop her head as she chatted to Curt in his matching bear suit.

"I turn my back for one minute and he just disappears!"

Gwen let out a chuckle, raising the cup to her lips and squinting as the tart taste of cranberries caught her by surprise. "Oh, my god," She spluttered slightly, eliciting a snort of amusement from Helen as they headed inside.

It was somehow even worse than she'd expected, the press of bodies suffocating from the moment they entered. Helen's grip on her hand tightened as they tried to squeeze their way through, the music so overpowering it was as if her very brain had begun to vibrate inside her skull.

"You okay?" Helen called over her shoulder.

"Uh-huh," She lied.

Her shoulders were hunched, tucked inwards to take up as little space as possible as she tried to weave her way through the mass of bodies, her roommate's hand a lifeline in all the chaos.

Maybe one beer was all she needed. Then she could go.

"Gwen! Hey!" A familiar voice cut through the wall of sound, and before she knew it her feet had failed her, stopping in her tracks right in the centre of the room, partygoers bumping and brushing past her entire she could think straight enough to move out of their way.

John's hair was curlier than usual, tousled slightly until it hung in his face, empty glasses frames sliding down the bridge of his nose. His shirt was unbuttoned halfway down, the bright red 'S' for Superman peeking out from underneath. It took Gwen a long moment to realise how blatantly she was staring.

"Hi," she blurted, far more enthusiastically than she'd hoped for. There came that humiliating flush again, pinkness flooding her face as he let out a chuckle.

"You look... great," John offered earnestly, a grin deepening the dimples in her cheeks. Briefly, Gwen realised that Helen had slipped away, her hand suddenly empty. But she found she didn't mind.

"Clark Kent," She stated, internally cursing her awkwardness, unable to notice the way his smile widened each time she fumbled her words.

"Sure am. And you are-?"

"Agrippina the Younger," Gwen shrugged, trying her hand at feigning nonchalance. "I was gonna go for Anne of Cleves, but Helen pointed out that a hoop skirt probably wouldn't be a good idea for a party."

"Yeah, no, I can see how that might be awkward," He laughed, nodding along. "Hey, you got a drink?"

"Uh," Her brow furrowed with a frown, raising her cup. "Frankie gave me this, but it's, uh... Kinda terrible."

"Oh, God, yeah, you don't wanna drink that," John shook his head, hovering a hand over her shoulder as he gestured towards the kitchen. "Wanna get a beer? Then you can tell me all about Agrippina."

He couldn't help but grin at the way her expression lit up at this, following him eagerly as they wove their way between bodies, the relative quiet in the kitchen like a breath of fresh air.

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Helen stood at the punch bowl, ladling another cup full of the cranberry concoction as Nash hovered beside her, a lock of her hair absent-mindedly wrapped around his finger.

"You didn't tell me those two are together," He stated.

"Hm?" Brow arched in question, she looked up at him, following his gaze across the room until she found what he was staring at.

John leant on his shoulder against the fridge door, a bottle of beer balanced in his relaxed grip, still so full it seemed he was yet to take even a single sip. Gwen stood facing him, hands gesticulating ceaselessly as she spoke, gaze fixed on the ceiling like she always did when she was concentrating. After so long spent sharing a room, Helen knew precisely what it looked like when Gwen was rambling about something she'd read, and the sight made her smile. But her smile was nothing next to John's, who was so utterly transfixed that he didn't even appear to notice when someone knocked a glass onto the floor behind him, the sound of shattering glass catching everyone else by surprise.

"Oh, they're not," Helen shook her head slightly, gnawing the inside of her cheek as she paused. "... Yet."

Nash sucked in a breath, hissing through his teeth. "Jesus Christ."

"Yep."

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"So... did she kill Claudius?" John asked tentatively, frowning in concentration.

"Well, that's the thing, no one knows for sure," Gwen shrugged.

"Oh, that's good stuff," He uttered, nodding. "I think I'm getting it."

She grinned, opening her mouth to speak again when suddenly the clatter of breaking glass behind him caught her off guard. Her smile dropped. Since John had brought her in here, she'd tuned out the noise, the constant cacophony echoing through from the next room that put her teeth on edge. As long as she concentrated on what she was saying, she could push through it - block it out. The sudden shatter ripped that away from her, tearing her out of her line of thought and dropping her back into the present, where the music was still blaring and everything was still too fucking loud.

Gwen could feel her heartbeat thumping in her ear, a cold sweat forming on her cheeks.

John was still frowning, but there was a pinch in his brow, barely discernible as his expression shifted from focused to concerned.

"Man, it's too loud down here for me," He sighed, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck. "I'm gonna head somewhere quiet, you wanna come?"

He was fine. She knew he was fine. He was so lovely that she wanted to burst into tears.

"Yeah."

His arm was around her as they made a beeline for the stairs, his chest brushing against her back as he herded her away from the crowds, rising up out of the noise like a drowning body coming up for air. Upstairs was practically deserted, and John let out a snort as they passed Kit and Bucky on the way to his room. "They're relentless," He uttered, a slight smile curling her lip, anxiety beginning to slowly melt, thawing the tension in her body.

"Just wait here - I'll be back in a sec, ok?" John asked, leaving her in the hall outside his room as he slipped inside. Gwen nodded as the door clicked gently shut, wringing her hands as she waited for his return.

At the end of the corridor, the sound of laughter caught her attention. The bathroom door was propped open, and Benny leant against the edge of the sink, beaming as Susie filled in the patches in his pale green face paint. Reaching out to her, he straightened her Bride of Frankenstein wig, the pair chuckling to themselves at something he'd said, too wrapped up in each other's presence to notice her intruding gaze.

She sucked in a deep breath, turning to stare at the closed door, passing her weight impatiently from foot to foot. It didn't seem like too much to want that.

Gwen blinked in surprise as the door swung open, a lopsided smile creasing John's cheek. "Alright," He gave a firm nod, ushering her inside. The room gave the distinct impression of having been very hurriedly tidied, a pile of books and clothes peeking out from under the bed. But in the centre of the ceiling, a skylight had been propped open, a step ladder reaching up towards it. Wordlessly, he scaled it, clambering out onto the roof. John disappeared for a second, before his face reappeared through the window, grinning down at her. "C'mon!"

For a moment Gwen paused, staring at the ladder with unease. But a part of her knew that if she waited any longer she'd never go. And she really wanted to go. Sucking in a deep breath, she tugged up her skirt, climbing up one step after another until her head poked up into the night, cold air hitting her cheeks.

His hands found hers, comfortably warm as he helped her out and onto her feet, the roof tiles slightly slippery beneath her sandals. They sat down quietly, side by side, the sound of their surroundings dying with distance. She let out a sigh, breath fogging in front of her.

"I'm sorry," Gwen uttered. "You should be down there, it's your party."

"You kidding? I love it up here," John scoffed, and unlike before, when he was simply trying to make her feel better, he seemed to truly mean it. She smiled, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"So..." He began after a moment's silence. "Where did you get to? Something about Nero."

An involuntary burst of laughter escaped Gwen's throat, making him grin. "You don't have to keep pretending you care about any of that stuff. Thanks, though."

"Well, I care when it's you," John shrugged, leaning back on his elbows. "I like how you tell it."

She snorted, heat flooding her face as she prayed the darkness would mask her blush. "Oh, c'mon."

"I'm serious! You could read me the ingredients off a cereal box and I'd give a shit."

"How much have you had to drink tonight?"

He shrugged again. "Enough that I can tell you this stuff without freaking out."

Gwen shook her head, golden curls sliding over her shoulders. "You sayin' I make you nervous?" She chuckled, forcing a teasing lilt to hide the way her heart was pounding.

"Oh, absolutely."

Gnawing at the inside of her cheek, she raised a hand to her mouth. "That's silly."

"Oh, God, well - you're beautiful. And you're smarter than me - by, like, a lot."

Gwen fought the sudden impulse to roll off the roof.

A few streets over, a firework shot up into the sky, exploding in a golden burst and momentarily bathing them in a flash of flickering, orange light, shadows forming a perfect outline of her features.

John let out a breath, too occupied with staring at her to pay the eruption of sparks any mind.

"You really are beautiful."

She lifted her hands, burying her face in her palms in embarrassment. Beside her, she could hear him shuffling, moving to sit upright beside her again. A gentle finger brushed against her wrist, coaxing her hands away.

"Gwen, hey, I-"

Before he could utter another word, her lips were pressed against his, eyes screwed shut as tightly as they would go as if to protect herself from his reaction. But then his hand was cupping her jaw, glasses pushed wonkily up his nose as he nudged closer against her, tilting his head to kiss her properly.

It was over as soon as it had begun, his chin involuntarily tilting up towards her, chasing her lips as they broke away from his. Gwen let out a giggle, feeling his nose brush against her cheek as a grin made its way across his face.

His hand slowly peeled away from her jaw, and for a moment they were stuck in silence, frozen inches apart as they searched desperately for something to say, unable to meet one another's eye without laughter bubbling in their throats.

A sudden whoop sounded, and Gwen turned her head, hesitantly tearing her gaze from a curl that seemed to hang just perfectly against John's forehead. In the darkness of the front yard, she could just make out Helen, standing down at the far end of the lawn, fists raised in a double thumbs-up, evidently having witnessed the whole thing.

John followed her gaze, letting out a breath of laughter as he spotted her roommate. "Hey, Helen!" He called, waving. Letting out a groan, Gwen hid her face against his shoulder.

"Oh my God."