#you know you've vanished for a long time when the notes become very dry but thats ok

[sebsbarnes]

Hey I have an idea that you totally don't have to write but I wanted to tell you. Basically sequel to "the days you meet" where lemon goes to the cafe a few weeks later and talks with reader. they notice Lemon wearing Tangerine's necklace. surprise! Reader is also a contract killer and thinks that lemon killed tangerine. A very tense conversation and maybe a fight ensue. It ends with the reader giving Lemon and tangerine drizzle cake on the house.

Sorry if this is weird I thought it was kinda cute

it's not weird at all! thank you for the idea and i'm sorry it's late!

friend or foe

alternate continuation to 'the days you meet' read here for better understanding

lemon x platonic f!reader ; implied tangerine x reader

warnings: guns

word count: 1.1k+

masterlist

lemon wasn't sure what possessed him to finally leave the house after mourning for weeks since arriving back home from kyoto. a part of him died the day that tangerine passed away on the bullet train, but he needed to pick himself up and start living again. he knew tangerine would be screaming at him to do so.

so he found himself wandering down the streets and sidewalks, with no real destination in mind, just wandering until his feet could no longer move. he would walk until he could feel the ache in his feet and back and he would walk until his shins started to burn. he didn't care, any pain other than the pain of losing his brother and best friend was far more bearable and endurable.

lemon surprised himself when he found himself entering the small building. he had never been in it but he was familiar with the logo and the stories that were created behind these doors. it was empty and near closing time but he didn't plan on being here long. he eyed the bakery case looking for something in particular. the scone. tangerine's scone. the one he would get almost every day he could. the scone he would go out of his way for. the one he would be late to work for. but lemon didn't see it.

"oh, hello," a soft voice called out.

lemon looked up to see you approaching the counter. you looked tired like you hadn't slept in days but beautiful with a kind smile. lemon could see why tangerine fancied you.

"i was looking to see if you were selling scones?" lemon asked, glancing back down to the case.

you felt your throat dry up and the slight swelling of tears in your eyes that you had to force back, "sorry, i no longer bake scones anymore."

it was true. after tangerine stopped visiting you you couldn't bring yourself to bake the pastry anymore. it hurt. it hurt to think of the man you were beginning to become so fond of. you missed the way he smiled at you, the way he would call you darling and love, the way his eyes gazed over your face so lovingly, the sound of his voice, the smell of his cologne, and you could go on. on and on for hours about how you missed him and you didn't even know what happened. he simply vanished. maybe you were too naive and he didn't actually like you so he stopped coming in. you tried convincing yourself that that wasn't true, it couldn't be. you knew tangerine felt the same way about you.

he stepped towards you, wrapping one hand around your waist, "you've got something here," he whispered inches away from your face, bringing his handkerchief to your nose.

you were frozen in place. eyes wide staring directly into his. this couldn't be real. it was like a scene straight out of a movie. you swallowed harshly eyes flickering to his lips. he removed the handkerchief out of the way, arm still gripping your waist.

"that's a shame," lemon sighed, breaking you from your memory, "i had a dear friend who really enjoyed them."

you took note of the way he man before you sighed, his shoulders deflating. his eyes seemed distant like he was also distracted by a memory. he absently twirled the gold chain hanging from his neck. you squinted at it a bit and it felt painfully familiar. it was one of the first things you noticed about tangerine when he walked in that first day, his gold rings and the gold necklace that lay in the center of his chest. the same necklace that this man was wearing. your eyes trailed down his body looking for any other clues and that's when you noticed the bruised fists and recovering wounds. when you noticed the holster attached to his side you swallowed thickly.

you reached under the counter and slammed a loaded magazine clip down. the man looked panicked and took a step back before reaching for his gun. you quickly grabbed the handgun from below, slamming the handle down onto the magazine clip and pointing it at the man.

"who are you," you hissed, arm unwavering.

though he was holding onto the gun he held his left hand up in the air defensively, "my name is lemon."

"where did you get that necklace?" you gestured to it with a nod of your chin.

lemon pulled his eyebrows together before looking down at the necklace himself. his left hand now coming to pick the chain up off his chest, "this- this necklace is my brother's."

your finger hovered over the trigger, "prove it. and move slowly."

"so i assume you aren't just a baker?" lemon laughed nervously.

you gave lemon a disapproving look, "does it seem like it? doesn't seem like you have an ordinary job either, lemon."

"then how come you didn't realize my twin brother was an assassin?" lemon asked you, carefully pulling out a picture from his wallet. it was a small dated picture, lemon and tangerine seemed to be young teens. lemon pulled out another photo, one far more recent.

you hesitated before dropping the gun, "i didn't want to believe someone as good as him did something as horrible as i did."

lemon sighed, "does that change the way you view my brother?"

"no. not at all. i wish he told me though. i'm guessing that he..." you trailed off, not wanting to voice your fear of him being dead.

all lemon could do was nod. you gripped the counter and hung your head. for the last few weeks you've been wanting to know the answer but now hearing the truth about what happened to tangerine made it worse. you've been coming up with wild theories in your head but now you can't. you have the answer and tangerine was never coming back. no more days wishing he'd open those doors and smile good morning to you and leave you with a comforting hug.

"i know it can't change anything now but, my brother really liked you. he actually wouldn't shut up about you," lemon laughed sadly.

you gave lemon a soft smile, not really sure of what to say. it made your heart ache in a beautiful yet sorrowful way. you exhaled heavily before turning to the back of the building. you returned with a box lemon had become familiar with over time. you popped the lid, handing a fork to lemon and holding onto one for yourself.

"let's eat," you said with a small smile.

"what is this?" lemon looked puzzled at the pastry sitting neatly in the box.

"tangerine drizzle cake."

[thejacksmit]

Short Takes at LYIFF: The North has a new film festival, and it's awesome

This weekend indie cinema got its rightful moment in the spotlight, as the Lytham International Film Festival took over the iconic Lowther Pavilion. With features, shorts, and curated strands from festival partners - including our old mates at Beyond the Bar programming the 'After Dark' strand - this is a festival rooted in its Northern roots, with a view to going global. So what better way to showcase the best bits than with a return to the Short world of things?

Across the weekend members of the TheJackSmit.com family seen a lot of shorts, and as ever, we're gonna showcase the best ones here on the blog - because you never know how a career might take off from out of nowhere. It was difficult to narrow it down to just a few, but these were the ones which stood out.

JACK'S TOP SHORTS FROM LYIFF 2023

DARWIN'S FOX

SYNOPSIS: Driven by the urge to prove the existence of an extinct creature, a father and his son head off into the wilderness. But soon the search becomes much more personal, when the son suddenly vanishes without a trace.

The Germans like doing the basics right - and this short from Ben Scharf does just that. In half an hour it has the makings of a feature, with some well thought out cinematography and writing. Importantly this short features young talent Cooper Dillon- who will be next seen in Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

MIDNIGHT RIDE

SYNOPSIS: A drug-dealing, Italian delivery rider resorts to robbing a South London burrito joint after his bike and drugs are stolen, little knowing he might be the one taken for a ride all along.

This was a neat short from Alessandro Farratini Pojani (who has shadowed names like Pete Czernin and Graham Broadbent behind the scenes), that has a distinctly British vibe but subverts the idea of a drug dealer trying to get his life back on track... by adding everyone's favourite food delivery service into the mix as he has the unluckiest night of his life. It gets the look and feel pretty much spot on.

You can watch this film online thanks to the great people at Omeleto

A LITTLE GLASS OF RUM

SYNOPSIS: After grieving over the murder of his wife and son, prison guard Stan Ailor dines with the killer, Kenneth for his last meal. The two converse about the murders which leads Stan to getting the revenge he's been longing for.

LYIFF has its roots in the education sector - so to see Point Park University graduates make a short like this, on a similar kind of budget to UK students is nothing short of extraordinary. Going back in time to the 70s, what Carah Chafin did with writer/director of photography Lauren Keller's script, added in with the authenticity of the locations and those performances.... this is a cracker.

FLYTRAP

SYNOPSIS: Charles falls into a germaphobic hysteria living under the unsanitary habits of his roommate. Narrated by the protagonist, we witness his petty yet paranoid reality unfold as he delivers a confession email to his unreliable advisor, Mr. Waters.

We had a little bit of animation courtesy of Connor Bland's 6 minute long Flytrap - a unique one about the downsides of sharing a living space and the emails you've got to send to get things fixed. It's very rare that you see a strong animated short created by just one person, and it looked right at home as part of the festival's selection.

You can watch this one online thanks to the good folks at Director's Notes.

MENDO'S CAROUSEL

SYNOPSIS: After the death of her father, a troubled woman robs a dry-cleaning shop to make ends meet, but when the owner finds out, a secret from their past forces her to choose between doing what is right or following in the footsteps of her father.

Reading the EPK for this short, this is quite a personal film about honesty for its writer/director David Michael Maurer - and in 12 minutes it tells an incredibly powerful story. It was a worthy way to close the first session of shorts on day 1, and it is definitely making waves on the festival circuit.

As well as the main festival selection, partners Director's Notes brought some of their featured shorts to LYIFF, and as much as we want to talk about things like crazy American dark comedy The Flute, BAFTA nominated short Stuffed and student effort Heart Failure... they are a bit too 18 certificate to be showcased here on the blog. But ultimately the filmmakers enjoyed a Northern welcome, the audiences lapped up each and every film, and the Q&As hosted throughout the weekend (hosted by LYIFF's festival director Ed Greenberg) got a lot of discussion going.

Filmmakers, listen up - you can be part of it next year

The 2024 Lytham International Film Festival is on August 23rd-25th - and applications for next year have just opened on FilmFreeway.