jamesxgarrett

[jamesxgarrett]

"I think he just likes to complain about stuff. He needs a hobby." James nodded, sagely. Perhaps there were more similarities between Oliver and Rupert than he realised. "Not sure he's the type to be into MILF rights, but maybe he'll surprise us." He held up his hands in a surrender gesture, and nodded his head. "Please, I have my limits. That's your girl, you know? Besides, even if she wasn't, she kind of terrifies me, dude. I'm here for the Mommy of it all, but in a kinky way. Somehow I feel like she'd actually ground me and send me to bed without dinner." She was objectively an attractive woman, but even without Ellis in the equation, their chemistry was in the negatives. "Let me get in on the Amazon browsing, though. I have ideas."

"I would say we should probably get Cat herself in on this, as our Paula, but she's definitely a Simon. I can be Abdul. Take one for the team, you know?" If anybody could come up with Simon Cowell level zingers, he had a feeling it was Cat. He shrugged his shoulders when things turned to Raye. "I liked Raye, but some stuff just isn't meant to be. You can always call her. Boston isn't too far to travel. Oliver might feel some sort of way about it, though, if you want him to come. Which you probably do." The question had him stumped. He knew women, sure, but women he hadn't slept with? That was another question. It took him a moment to come up with an answer. "Brittany. My tattoo artist. Though thinking about it, I would like to fuck her, so maybe she's out. There's Josie, too. She's my friend."

"Mmm, true. He was trying to get me to go to some strike with him the other day. I'm not sure what it was all about. He was explaining it, but I honestly got bored halfway through and tuned him out. I like holding up posters, though, so I'm in for that part of it. Hopefully he knows some stuff on MILF matters as well." Although he'd roll his eyes at anyone else making that comment, Ellis raised a brow and actually considered it. In a way, Cat somehow did give off mommy energy. "Actually, yeah, dude. Just don't go hitting on her or I'll have to choke you out. The bedsheet idea, though? Genius. I'm gonna browse Amazon later and see if there's anything ugly but, like, fitting personality wise.. If Oliver's bedroom is still as neutral as I remember it to be, he could use a nice pop of colour." He was sure it was a plan that'd somehow land the both of them in hot water later, but Ellis's brain cells seemed to be shared when he was with James.

Ellis wasn't totally familiar with the apps himself, but he'd seen them enough to know that thirty minutes was quick. He starred at James in what was a mix of astonishment and awe. "We can always do an audition or some shit like that, American Idol style. I'm gonna need you to be the Simon Cowell, though, I'm not snarky enough for him and not pretty enough for Paula Abdul. Randy Jackson, though, that seems like the right fit...dawg." He was about to attempt to correct James but then thought better of it, his description not perfect but also not super far off. He frowned a bit with the Raye explanation. "Darn, kind of a bummer seeing that she's basically what brought me and Cat back together. She would've been a good option." He let his brain put in some work before he looked at James a couple moments later. "Question, and it might be a dumb one but I'm gonna ask it anyways, do you have any friends that are girls? Not anyone you've fucked, just a female that is a buddy?"

[jamesxgarrett]

"A woman of fine taste, I see. Makes sense." He let his gaze linger on her a moment before smirking. "Well, who am I to say no? If a Double Whopper isn't to your standards, we can definitely find something that is." This might not be the best idea. If things went as badly as they had with Jane, he'd be screwing himself out of a good tattoo artist. Unfortunately, his brain was underutilised at the best of times, and even more so in the presence of hot women. "Being a gentlemen, I'll let you pick where we go for dinner. The Uber's on me."

"Oh?" Britt didn't elaborate much on her thought. She truth was, she was already in for whatever he was offering. She couldn't gage whether he was a one night or several nights kind of guy, but for whatever reason, she was down to see where one would take them. With him, it'd be harder to escape, considering he had permanent pieces of her etched on his skin already. "You want to steal? You're considering stealing under the roof of my good, Christian work establishment?" she replied, the way the corners of her lips kept pointing upwards being a dead giveaway of her sarcasm. "Because if we're doing that, we need to make it worth while. Burger King is for chumps, although the crown is a tempting offer, but still. I say we go to one of those ritzy places downtown and make an Uber or bus getaway...you know, if you're not scared."

[jamesxgarrett]

"Bet I can change your mind." It might have sounded arrogant, and maybe it was, to say it out loud, even if she was clearly joking about her preferences, but there was no bravado in James' tone. It was a simple statement of fact. He had always been a confident guy - and with Brittany, the odds definitely seemed to be stacked in his favour. It helped that he had known her long enough to build up a bit of banter with her. She wasn't just some random girl he had picked up from the bar - she was fun and flirty and made it easy to reciprocate in force. "Actually, I'm a little short this week. What do you say we dine and dash and save us both a bit of cash?" he smirked, clearly teasing her. "Do I look like the kind of guy who'd take you to McDonald's? Of course not. We're going to Burger King. I'll even get you a little paper crown to wear as we sprint across the parking lot without paying."

I can think of a few things. Although she was holding back a dramatic eye-roll, Britt had a pretty good idea what kind of speech was coming and, frankly, didn't hate the idea of it. "Mmm, I don't know. I'm not really into guys with tats," she almost immediately replied, trying to sound as monotone as possible. It would've been ironic, but it also would've been a lie, and her own grin that was matching his blew any cover she could've had. "Not currently. Maybe we'll have to get a few drinks in you and see what kind of inspiration arises, book you in for a last minute touch up...as long as it's coming out of your wallet, of course," she winked. There was no denying James was hot. She just wanted to make sure that, if there was some kind of client and clientele ethics to go by, she was picking wisely. "Where we going, anyways, smiles? If it's McDonalds, I'm getting myself a McChicken and leaving your ass there."

[jamesxgarrett]

James didn't know why he hadn't asked Brittany out before. He'd known her for a while, longer than it usually took him to make his move on a girl he thought was attractive, but though he had flirted with her from day one, he'd never taken the chance to shoot his shot. It was a realisation that hit him when he was walking past her shop, and had him impulsively barging his way through the door without an appointment to show her his latest piece. It was all a bit of an excuse to talk to her, but judging by the split second in which she wore a vacant look on her face, Britt hadn't seen through him until he showed his hand. "I can think of a few things," he pretended to mull it over for a second, a goofy grin on his face. "But if you really wanted me to walk out with a smile on my face, you'd leave with me. Get drinks or something. Guy at the counter said you were taking walk-ins all afternoon. That means you don't have anybody booked in, right?"

Britt felt herself grin again, wondering if it was just a praise kink or pride in her own work. Either way, she'd take it. It wasn't the dream life that her family had practically planned out of her. Not even close. She was pretty sure that going to university for art nearly gave both parents an aneurysm. Despite their protests, she couldn't be happier working how she did. Her hand froze again his arm as his comment followed, glancing upwards with an almost blank expression before it melted into a smirk once the words registered. "Is that so?" she questioned. "Did you have something not business related in mind you wanted to ask me or chat about? I couldn't bare the thought of you leaving here with a broken heart."

[jamesxgarrett]

There was no denying that Brittany was talented, but that wasn't exactly why James had chosen her as his tattoo artist of choice. He was a simple man, with simple motivations: she was very hot, and not afraid to get handsy, and that alone would have been enough to keep him as a repeat customer even if her line work looked like it was done by a drunk toddler with a knife and fork. Her skill was just an added bonus. "Yeah, I'm happy with it," he couldn't help but tense his arm a little as she touched him, just enough to make his bicep pop. "Damn, straight to business, huh? I thought I was more to you than just your favourite client. You break my heart, Vaidya." He smirked.

"Alright, dude, let's see it." Britt was already rolling up James's sleeve and checking to see how her last piece had held up. A satisfied grin spread across her lips. "Nice. Looks perfectly healed," she noted as her thumb grazed over the skin. "And that line work?" She paused, bringing her free hand to her mouth with a 'chef's kiss' motion. "Fucking crisp. Am I good, or am I good?" It was at that point that a normal person would've removed their hand, but it remained there and curled around his arm. "So, when are we booking you in next?" @jamesxgarrett

[jamesxgarrett]

"Maybe we can make jobs for MILFs our campaign strategy. We should talk to Oliver. He'll know all about the boring paperwork-y side of it." If there was anything James was passionate about, it was MILF rights. That, and Ellis' dorky bedsheets, apparently, because he could feel himself bristling at the idea that Cat and Oliver were less than keen on them. "Yeah? Cat giving you Mommy energy?" he smirked, trying not to laugh at his own joke. "You know what would be funny? If we replaced all their bedsheets with cool ones. I've got a key to Oliver's place, you've got a key to Cat's. We can make it happen. Then I'm sure they'd change their minds." He was quite proud of his little plan. Clearly, he was a genius in the making.

"I mean, if we're down to using apps, give me half an hour and I'll have a team of hot bridesmaids assembled. Can't speak for how sane they'd be, but I'd get them." The more he thought about it, the more appealing the idea of picking Cat's bridesmaids for her was. He was about to counter that Ellis couldn't be Cat's best friend, because he was already James', but Ellis saved him the bother. "Right, right. We're the real homies, and she's more your best friend with benefits. I get it. But no can do with Raye. I think Oliver said she moved to Boston. Or was already from Boston. I don't remember. Point is, she's not in New York."

"Eww," Ellis wrinkled his nose, the thought of enduring sex scenes with family being something he'd dealt with more times than he'd personally like. Old English nudity quickly shifted over to White House nudity, and whether it was just from spending too much time in the same space, Ellis felt is interest being piqued at the idea. "I want to say it's a bad idea, but when you think about some of the stupid laws we have right now...it's really not. MILFs need good jobs, too," he nodded. Ellis rolled his eyes and threw up his hands, glad that someone finally understood his view on the bed sheets. "Oliver also didn't like them, so I guess I just got used to it when Cat didn't, too. Two peas in a parental energy pod. If something happens to them, I guess I can always go on eBay and find the 5SOS ones that I originally wanted. It'd be like saying goodbye to a loved one, though." His brows knit together, and a firm hand was planted on his hip. "What the hell, dude, what do you mean 'late at night'? My beauty sleep is not as important as watching Ronnie and Sammy smackdowns with you. Wake me next time."

Ellis shrugged a bit, not having any need for those kinds of apps considering he'd been with Cat for years at that point. "If they have apps for farmers and Christian's, I'm sure there's a bridesmaid one out there, too." He settled his chin in his palm as James's question rattled around in his brain. "That's the thing, I don't know. She said I was her best friend, which is very sweet and all that and I agree, but not in the same way you're my best friend. I just...I think it'd be nice for her to have someone like that. Not sure how to go about setting something like that up, though. Do you know if Oliver still has Raye's number? He might've fumbled the bag with her, but I still feel like she could be a good friend match maker if she doesn't hate us by association."

[jamesxgarrett]

"It's the olden days one. She made me watch an episode with her. Do you know how weird it is watched some lady get railed on TV with your grandma?" James shuddered a bit at the thought. He shook his head wildly, frowning. "No, no no. See, when we're president, we get rid of all the wrinkly old guys and replace them with milfs. Then we enact the naked Friday amendment to the constitution." What Ellis was right about, though, was Oliver - his dad energy, nay, his grandfather energy was off the charts. James had tried very hard over the years to get him to just be cool, to no avail. It was like he was determined to live his life as a huge nerd until the end of his days. "How do you think I feel?" he complained. "He's my little brother and sometimes I think he's going to send me to bed without supper. The weirdo." His words weren't without fondness for his brother. "Wait, are you serious? You're going to have to lay down the law. Make a stand. The boys are counting on you, man." By boys, he meant One Direction. "I'm pretty are collectable by now. I mean, it's been years since 1D split, right? Clearly, she's not a connoisseur like us." he shrugged one shoulder. "I've been watching a lot of Jersey Shore reruns late at night."

James quietened a little as he let Ellis ponder the thought. He had intended to do a bit of shit stirring, but he could sense that he had opened a bit of a can of worms. "That's kinda... not so much for me to say. Unless there's a Bumble Bridesmaid, then I definitely want in," he joked. "I guess the main question is - do you think she'd want your help? Maybe she's happy being a loner."

"That's the royal one, right? Sounds like something grandma's would be into." Ellis raised a brow as he considered James's idea. It sounded appealing at first, but the more he thought about it, the more flaws started to come up. "Naked for everyone? I don't know, I'm not sure I wanna see some wrinkly old advisor dude showing off his bits and berries all over the place. Might get weird." He sighed dramatically, suddenly wondering how many Oliver-isms he'd inherited over the years and not known it. "You're not wrong. I guess it feels like having a dad when he's around...not that I don't have a dad, I do and I love him, but Oliver's like a step-father...God, the more I try and explain it, the weirder it sounds. Never mind. I guess I'm trying to say that Oliver just gives off dad energy, it can be a bit much." Although the giant hug wasn't expected, Ellis almost immediately hugged him back with as much enthusiasm. Considering both were pretty touchy-feely people, he shouldn't have been surprised. "I have a pretty strong feeling she'd only give us, like, allotted areas and things we can decorate. Your taste is more on par with mine, and I don't think she digs that. Like, she tried to throw out my One Direction bed sheets when I lived with her, can you believe it?" He was about to speak on behalf of all the other items Cat had attempted to veto but stopped once he saw James's move. "The fuck was that? Did you just transport to 2009 for a second there?"

"I...wouldn't say so...I'm not sure." In all honesty, he didn't want to dig up a grave when it came to looking at Cat's red flags. He'd take all her flags, whatever colour or design they bore, but he'd never actually stopped to think about how odd it was until James's perspective of it came up. "I guess she just always hung out with me so much that I never really thought anything of it. Like, we were always within the same friend circle, so I just assumed that my buds were hers, too, but that wasn't really the case." His brows furrowed as he started wracking his brain of what constituted a friend for Cat. "Should we make her a Bumble BFF? Would that be Catfishing? Ha, Cat-fishing, cause it's Cat...sorry, but, uh, yeah, would it be dumb for us to try and help? Do we think she needs the help?"

[jamesxgarrett]

"Even my Grandma Glynnis uses Netflix. She likes Bridgerton." James looked slightly horrified at the idea that there was still people alive who couldn't use a streaming app, but it was quickly brushed aside by Ellis' next idea. "Dude, that's an excellent idea. We could have naked Fridays in the White House." He snorted a bit at Ellis' reaction to being compared to Oliver. There was no doubt that they both loved his younger brother, but he was hardly the pinnacle of cool. "You've been spending too much time with him and not enough with me, I think. It's okay though, we can fix it," he nodded sagely. It was an instinctive reaction: when Ellis reached an arm around him to pat his shoulder, James pulled him in for a proper bear hug, clapping him on the back a few times before letting go. "Yeah, you better. I wanna decorate, though. You can help. But I can't imagine my taste and Cat's mixing all too well." He couldn't necessarily see Ellis and Cat's tastes meshing, either, but he kept that thought to himself. "I didn't know you were so mushy. But I love you too, dude. You're my homie." He patted his fist against his own chest twice, then threw up a peace sign, as though to take some of the sentimentality out of the air.

"I don't know. If he does, I'd feel sorry for her." If he was brutally honest, James would definitely try and steal any girl Edward brought to the family reunion, just to prove that he could. For a moment, Ellis stared at him blankly, and James stared back, just as dumbfounded. "Huh," it wasn't the answer he was expecting, but somehow, he wasn't surprised. "Is that not a red flag? She could have an entire other life you don't know about."

"I don't think he's young enough to appreciate it, he probably doesn't even know what Netflix is or how to use it. We could do a better job as politicians, and we both know how the world isn't ready to handle our greatness. They need us but don't deserve us, and that's why we stick to our day jobs." That was a thought Ellis liked to keep. The reality was a little more different; him teaming up with James to take on any political role would likely cause in an entire collapse of the system. Still, a guy could dream. He was quickly brought back to reality by being compared to Oliver. His expression was similar to that of if James had pulled a giant fish out of his coat pocket and smacked him across the face with it. It was something close to dissociated shock, like he wasn't sure what to think of his own emotions. "Love him, but yeah, I'm scaring myself there too." There was a tenseness in his chest, but it deflated the moment James started talking. "Yeah?" He wasn't sure what had him getting so sugary sweet with him that day, but Ellis found himself wrapping an arm around James's shoulder and patting it a few times to at least try and keep things manly. "Listen, it's not the end of anything. Not for a looong time. You're still gonna be stuck with me, cause if she, by some miracle, says yes, I can't see us getting married any time soon. Even if we do and end up getting a house or whatever, I'm gonna make sure there's a special James reserved area in it. Like, I don't know how to say this smartly, but my love for her doesn't take away from my love for you, you know?"

Ellis shook his head a bit, finding it hard to imagine that Edward would have any trouble finding a potential plus one. "Does he not have a girlfriend? Too much of a weirdo?" It was his next question that caught Ellis off guard. He'd had an answer for literally every other hard thing James threw at him, but this one had the neurons in his brain running on a race track in search of something to grab on to. "She...um..." He was starring directly at James's face for a good few seconds, wanting to bring up a million instances where other people had been brought around, but it was always his people. There'd be an odd mention of coworkers or actors or industry people, but no invites or visits from anyone within her circle. "Fuck. I actually...don't know. I mean, I'm sure she does, I've just...never seen them?"

[jamesxgarrett]

"That sounds kinda funny, actually. Maybe he's just a huge fan of Squid Games. You know, red light green light." James made a mental note to look it up later. It didn't seem the time to be cracking stupid jokes when Ellis was talking about what could be the rest of his life. "You're starting to sound like Oliver." Okay, maybe there was room for one more quip before getting serious. He couldn't hand on heart say he related to anything Ellis was saying. James had never felt that way about anybody, and though they were civil to one another, James and Cat definitely weren't on the same page about much of anything. James sighed, hating what he was about to say, but knowing it was probably the right thing to. "If that's how you feel, you should go for it. I can't say I'm not bummed, though, dude. It's like the end of an era. For us."

At the mention of Edward, James clapped his hand to his chest. "You wound me. Guess you'll be showing up to the reunion as Edward's plus one." His brows raised, a flash of disappointment crossed his face. "Ellis, does Cat have friends?" he prodded a little deeper. Ellis was someone who could make friends with anybody, and it was slightly baffling that he was choosing to marry someone the complete opposite of that.

"It's not worth knowing, there's just some really old guy who keeps literally freezing up mid press conference. It's like he's seeing his sleep paralysis demon in the room or something, I don't know. It'd be like if your grandpa decided to give a speech and then just starred into space. Solid impression though, man, gonna need you to send me those TikTok's." Ellis rolled his eyes with the air kiss but pretended to catch it in a knee jerk reaction. That was shoved to the side once the serious questions started coming, though. "Yeah, actually. I think it's one of the only things I've ever been serious about. I'm starting to feel like Oliver." He sighed, a strange sense of nervousness washing over him. Considering he was his best friend, James's opinion meant more to him than almost anyone else. "A lot. Like...there's no one else, dude. No one comes close. If she decided to dump me today, I wouldn't even want to find a hot rebound girl because it wouldn't be Cat."

"Well, I did consider asking Edward if he wanted to be my groomsman, but I thought you'd be easier on the eyes," he joked. He starred back at James in confusion for a moment, what he was getting to and the realization of it washing over him moments later. "I can try, except...I'm not actually sure who she'd have as her bridesmaids," Ellis suddenly said once it dawned upon him. "Like, I have you and Oliver and my brothers, but Cat? I don't know who she'd ask. Not her sister, she'd probably have her in a full nelson before the ceremony started...but uh, yeah, if any hotties are there, we'll 100% make sure you walk down the aisle with them and shit."

[jamesxgarrett]

"I'm going to be very real with you, Ellis. I have no idea who you're talking about. My interest in politics doesn't really go beyond watching TikToks of old Donnie saying Puerto Rico," he accompanied the words with a startlingly accurate impersonation of Trump, complete with hand gestures. He was back to his old self when Ellis threw a compliment his way, though, running a hand over his jaw in a faux display of modesty. "You're gonna make me blush if you keep it up." He blew Ellis a kiss, but when he revealed his plans, it suddenly didn't feel like time to joke around anymore. "Wait, are you serious? Like... actually proposing, proposing? Marriage?" He wanted to be happy for Ellis, but the concept of marriage was so unwelcome in James' world he was sure he couldn't hide the slightly terrified expression on his face, even if it wasn't his own they were talking about. "Uh. How much have you thought about it?" He asked. If it was just a passing fancy, then he wouldn't have anything to worry about.

"Now you're getting it." James chortled, shaking his head at the notion. "And I mean this in the least gay way possible. There's a higher chance that Cat won't be standing beside you at the altar than me. You really think I'd let you go off and get married without moi?" A sudden thought crossed his mind, and a grin spread across his face. "Groomsman means bridesmaids, right? Hot bridesmaids? If you can hook me up with a hot bridesmaid, maybe this wedding stuff isn't such a bad idea after all."

"Very true, there's something in the water with those far right people. Like, what's up with the old guy who keeps freezing up mid speech or whatever? Why wouldn't you just retire and throw back margarita's at that age? So weird." He was swerving off topic, but hearing James wish for his attractiveness to be boiled down had his attention caught right back. "I mean this in the least gay way possible, but I'm not sure that's gonna happen any time soon. You're even hot without the beard, man, and not every dude can pull that off. It's a blessing and a curse." Ellis's grip tightened around the bottle slightly before he made himself relax. He knew what his next steps with Cat would hopefully be, but James's opinion on it also mattered. They were probably the two people who meant the most to him in the entire universe, minus Oliver and Shrek. "Dude, not should, we will. She'll probably be thrilled to have a girls night to herself. But, uh, yeah, it's good...funny enough, I'm, um, actually thinking about proposing to her."

Ellis snorted, suddenly wishing he'd been a fly on the wall for any Garret get-together's he'd missed in the past. "Oh, right, him. Once you said weird loser, that totally gave me a clear picture in my mind. Like, if you said weird singer, we all know that's Graeyson, but weird loser? So Edward." Ellis grinned down towards his lap like a goof, not sure why he was so touched by an idiotic Shakespeare analogy, especially considering him and James wouldn't be able to decode any part of Romeo and Juliet, even with combined brain cells. "Speaking of bromance, let's say that, hypothetically, I do ask Cat to marry me and, by some weird coincidence, she says yes...I'm gonna be a groom, and, uh, tradition and all that shit says I need to have groomsmen, right? Would you maybe want to be one of mine? Hypothetically, of course."

[jamesxgarrett]

“Yeah, she doesn’t quite have that cold, dead look in her eyes either.” He wasn’t quite sure how he got to this place with her. It wasn’t like he had been intentionally leading her on. When he realised she was feeling him a lot more than he was feeling her, he had racked his brains anything he had said to encourage her. He hadn’t come to any sort of conclusion, and so rationalised that she was simply delusional. “Honestly, it’s days like this I wish I was less good looking and charismatic. My life would be so much easier.” He kicked his feet up on the coffee table, letting out a deep sigh as he drank. The beer helped. “We should go out this weekend. I think I deserve it, getting over a breakup and all. Unless you have plans with Cat, which would suck for me, but I get it. How’s that going, by the way?” 

“Nah, Edward’s the weird loser who wishes he were me.” There had always been a rivalry between the two of them for as long as James could remember. In a weird way, he enjoyed competing with him, but most of the time, it was a giant pain in the ass to come into contact with his cousin. “We’re written in the stars, dude. A bromance for the ages.” 

"Eh, I don't think she's blonde enough to be a Trump," Ellis mused. His knowledge of that family was limited to the fact that they all looked robotic and had matching bleached hair, and he knew even less about June. "Plus I think the tantrum was more over...well, her thinking you were in a committed relationship and you not seeing it that way and neither of you talking about that beforehand. That's what it seemed like, anyways, I dunno," Ellis shrugged, filling the need to talk with another swig of his drink as James went to grab his second. He was no love guru, but something he'd learned from his years with Cat was the importance of communication. It was something that sometimes had to be learned the hard way and seemingly caused James and June's demise, although it probably would've been something else blowing up between them if not that. "It sucks, but like you said, had to be done. She wasn't your type, anyways."

Once the conversation slipped to reunions, Ellis perked up a bit. "Yeah?" he asked, somehow feeling like that made him special. It shouldn't have been a surprise, but he loved the idea of being an honorary Garrett. "Edward's the scary, muscly one, right?" he asked. "I lose track sometimes, although weirdly enough, if I don't know them, Glen usually does. Our families can't escape each other, dude. It's like we're Romeo and Juliet, but in a good way."

[jamesxgarrett]

“Buckaroo?” James repeated with a snicker. It never failed to amuse James, the things that came out of Ellis’ mouth. A lot of his expressions were things James had never heard another person say out loud, at least, a person under the age of 45, but somehow, it was never that weird when Ellis said it. James put it down to natural charisma - there was no way anybody else could come out with the crap Ellis did without looking stupid. Maybe that was why they got along so well, both having a knack for coming out with the dumbest things, but it never really feeling that way when the other was around. 

“Probably. Something like that.” In all honesty, James had already forgotten what her dad did for a living beyond ‘politics’. That world didn’t really interest him at all, and he had even less of an interest in it now he wasn’t banging the president’s daughter or whatever June is. “Maybe she’s a Trump. That would explain the temper tantrum.” It was then that James realised he hadn’t even bothered to retain her last name, and he winced a little. Then he realised his beer was empty, and his temporary stab of guilt was soon replaced with the urge to walk to the kitchen and grab another, which is exactly what he did. “I think at this point, just assume you’re coming to the reunions, dude. You’re basically one of us now, anyway,” he pointed out. “Plus you can be my cheerleader when I take down Edward. Trust me, he’s the worst.” 

"Run that mouth again and I just might, buckaroo," he attempted to say seriously, but any moments of seriousness never lasted long between them. He wasn't sure if the years were making him soft or what, but Ellis couldn't help it when it came to James. There was a deep rooted sense of protectiveness over the Garrett's that'd forever be ingrained in him after all the years spent together. Although it started with Oliver, with James as his roommate and best friend, it was even more present. Chalk it up to Italian mob mentality or whatever, but any type of insult thrown at them felt like one thrown his way, too.

His lips pursed as he considered what he could recall of June's personality other than niceness, which was, honestly, not a lot. She'd been around, but it wasn't enough for him to break down any significant walls into knowing her. If that was as much as he could dig up, he was certain that James was in a similar boat. "Wasn't her dad a mayor or some shit like that? Politicians are weird and lie all the time, maybe it gets passed on to the kids, too. I guess we all have Hulk sides when we're angry, though." A brief expression of 'what the fuck' passed over his face once black magic was mentioned, but he didn't want to push it. Instead, he thought of the expansive list of odd Garrett members that he'd met, along with ones he'd only heard of in stories. "You need to invite me to a family reunion, dude, I want to see you duke it out with your weird cousins. It'd be better than Pay-Per-View wrestling...not that I watch that, but I'd pay to watch you headlock someone."

[jamesxgarrett]

“You wouldn’t” James made a show of faux outrage, but he was mostly glad that things were back to normal. Ellis’ concern made him feel a little bit uneasy, especially when he wasn’t thinking too deeply into the situation before it had emerged. He didn’t like being on the receiving end of that type of attention, which was odd, given that he usually loved any sort of focus on him. Maybe it was just that he was completely to blame for what had happened, and didn’t really deserve any pity for it. 

“Yeah, can’t say I expected all that to come out of her at once.” He chuckled, trying to make light of the situation. “Maybe she wasn’t as nice as I thought she was. Might have kept her around longer if she’d shown me that side before.” Was it a bit cruel? Probably, but it was true. “I think Josie’s more into black magic, not sure if she can pull off a protection spell or anything like that. Nope, if I’m cursed, that’s it for me.” He pondered over his weirder family members, giving a thoughtful nod. “Honestly, yeah. It would probably be for the best if the Garrett line ended with me, but my family can’t seem to stop firing them out.”

"I-" Ellis was stopped in his tracks when James started teasing him. It was probably a slap in the face that was needed. He didn't even understand himself what was so triggering about this particular event. It wasn't like he was rushing to defend his honor any of the other times, but it somehow felt different. "You're so lucky I'm not throwing a pillow at that stupid, gorgeous face of yours right now," he shook his head with a grin.

He found himself smiling again after James called him a good buddy. As dorky as it was, it was like a little pat on the head. He'd be full-on wiggling all over the place if he were a golden retriever in this scenario. He held that compliment close to his heart for the mean time, though, and tried to be a decent listener. "I didn't really expect that much yelling, though," he admitted with raised brows. June was tiny, but it seemed she was also mighty when it came to rage. "Isn't your sister into witchcraft kind of stuff? She can always do a reverse spell if that's a thing. But I think the fact you guys have Rupert and Graey shows that the bloodline was already cursed. Nothing you can do about it now," he took a swig of his beer, attempting to conceal a teasing smirk of his own now.

[jamesxgarrett]

James cocked an eyebrow at Ellis. He wasn’t sure where all this was coming from. It wasn’t the first breakup that he’d witnessed as James’ roomie, and it likely wouldn’t be the last. Rarely did they elicit this sort of reaction from him. “No offence, but you do sound a bit girly right now,” he joked, his tone and expression making it clear he was joking. “I think you’re taking this harder than June did. I didn’t realise our relationship meant so much to you. I’m sorry, man. I promise it gets better. Time heals all.” 

Despite his flippancy, he did take a moment to ponder Ellis’ words a little. Had June gotten personal? Sure, but it was easy to brush it off as the rantings of someone who had just been very hurt. A frown appeared on his face, and he shook his head a little. “I appreciate it, though. You’re a good buddy.” For the first time since June had stormed out, he was talking sincerely. He didn’t think he’d ever really had a friend like Ellis, not unless you counted his brother. “I mean, nobody likes being yelled at, right? But I expected it. It wasn’t like she was going to take being dumped lying down. So if she wants to put a curse on my bloodline or whatever, she can. I owe her that much, yeah?”

Ellis knew the comment was likely sarcastic, but the honest truth was he didn't miss being single. After the shit storm he had to fight through to get back to normal with Cat, along with watching the parade of girls visiting their apartment, he wasn't in a place where any part of him wanted to be back in that scene. It seemed like a shitty cycle for all involved, and he truly wondered how people willingly kept going back to the apps when those connections were fried. It was a bit much, even for him.

As much as he wanted to pretend he was focused on the TV, his gaze was pretty much fixed to James. "I guess," he sighed, knowing he was personally no shining example of how to treat women amazingly. He'd gotten better, but there were things he'd said and done that still kept him up with a hollow feeling of regret. Ellis's fingers tapped against the bottle, his fingers slick with condensation as he took in James's words. He wasn't sure why, whether it was just some weird softness he'd developed over time or if a full moon was screwing him over, but some protective nature was breaking though. "Yeah, maybe so, but...look, sorry if this sounds girly or whatever, but even if it wasn't a big thing, it was still something. Like, some of the shit she said, dude..." He shook his head a bit before taking a quick swig of his drink. "I just want you to know you can talk to me about these things if it's ever bugging you. I know feelings aren't really our thing, but...you can. It's on the table if you ever need it."

[jamesxgarrett]

“Don’t you miss being single?” James chuckled. He was doing a good job of acting unbothered, though he was clutching his bottle of beer a little tighter than normal, and when he raised it to his lips, it was less of a sip and more the gulp of an extremely dehydrated desert explorer. It wasn’t that he regretted it - in fact, he had never been more sure that this relationship was all wrong for the both of them, but under it all, James wasn’t a bad person. He didn’t feel good about upsetting her, even if he was sure she’d thank him for it one day when she’d found someone more on her wavelength. His eyes fixed on the screen, a chortle leaving his lips at SpongeBob’s latest shenanigans. 

“You got it, bro.” He whipped out his phone, opening the Door Dash app and punching in the order - wonton soup and chow mein for Ellis, bang bang chicken and salt and pepper shrimp for himself. He even threw in a few rice cakes. Once the order had been accepted, he booted up Tinder, immediately scrolling through his options. “It’s better this way. At least if she thinks I’m as asshole, she won’t be tempted to come back.” It was a twisted sort of logic, but one he was hoping would stick. The longer this dragged on, the worse it would be for June. “I know. That’s why I had to break things off. She was just too into me.” Despite it all, there was a slight smugness to his voice. “Don’t worry about me. I’m already way past over it. There’s barely even an ‘it’ to be over.”

"That's one word for it." Ellis wasn't sure what his current expression was reading. In fact, he was trying to process what had just happened himself. He was there for part of it, spooning Cocoa Puffs into his mouth over the kitchen sink to prevent milk drippage and freezing in place when James initiated the 'it's not you, it's me' from hell. Even though he'd retired to their living area to let them hash it out privately, it didn't mean he wasn't muting SpongeBob in order to listen in and send panic live updates to Cat via text. In a way, he was glad it wasn't him, but it didn't stop him from having mixed feelings about what he'd heard. There were elements of truth to what June had shouted at him, but Ellis was protective of James in a way he didn't realize until it was being spat back at his buddy.

"If wonton soup is on the table, then absolutely. I feel like slurping something...mmm, maybe chow mein, too," he nodded, satisfied with his own decision before turning his attention to James and taking the beer. "I don't know, dude. I think if you pressed your ear to the door, she'd probably still be out there crying," he said with an edge of softness to his voice. He didn't think June was gonna last for as long as she did, but she was nice and probably taking it harder than a lot of James's Tinder girls would have. "I don't think there was any way for that to end without tears, though, so...whoops. Better now than later. You okay, though?"

[jamesxgarrett]

@ellisxhall

"Damn, that was awkward, huh?" If James was bothered by what had just happened, he didn't show it. It hadn't felt good, making June feel so upset, but at the end of the day, it was better for both of them this way. He had known it for a while, but he couldn't bury his head in the sand and pretend he wasn't seeing how seriously she was taking it all. "You wanna get Chinese?"

He headed to the kitchen, pulling out two bottles of beer from the fridge, opening them, and joining Ellis on the couch, pressing one into his hand. "Wasn't as bad as the last one, though. At least June didn't start trying to smash the place up. Though I guess she could still come back."

[jamesxgarrett]

The last thing James wanted to do was hurt anybody. The first inkling he had that June was way more into this than he was, he had backed off, hoping that if he slowly wound down their communication, she would move on from whatever this has been. That genius plan hadn’t worked out the way he wanted, though. He probably should have seen her appearance at his door coming, but he hadn’t anticipated it at all. He shot a glance at Ellis, eyes wide and begging for help, though he knew that the only person who could let her down now was himself. He took a breath, and searched for the words to do so without running into an awkward, uncomfortable situation for the both of them. 

“Hey, listen,” he began, his voice gentle as he gestured for her to sit down. “You didn’t hurt my feelings, and you didn’t do anything wrong.” He patted her shoulder, as though that would be of any comfort. “We’ve had fun together, yeah? It’s been a good time all around. And you know, I just think we’re both at a stage where we should carry on having fun, right? I mean, why ruin a good thing. With each other, with other people... whatever’s working, you know?” He was rambling, and he wasn’t sure she was following. “Do you see what I’m saying here?”

June had a sinking feeling in her gut from the moment she’d stepped into that messy apartment. It wasn’t just the noisy way James’s roommate slurped down a bowl of Apple Jacks that had her nerves on edge. There was a tension, something in the air that made her feel like she was walking a tightrope. It seemed that her entire family was okay with that overwhelming feeling that came with confrontation, as if they thrived on it. That gene must’ve skipped her along the way. 

“So, um, I don’t…I don’t want to sound pushy or anything, and I’m sorry if I do,” she started, a slight wince crossing her face as the heard the tremor in her voice. Still, she pushed on. “I just wanted to ask if I, um…if I did anything to hurt your feelings?” She eyed James nervously. “Because if I did, I want to make it up to you, and if not, I’m sorry I’m bringing all this up and making a big deal out of probably nothing. I just felt like your texts have been a little less enthusiastic lately, and like, I get it. Sometimes you just have days where you don’t want to talk. I just wanted to check that it wasn’t…you know, because of me or something I did.” @jamesxgarrett​