jaymumu

[jaymumu]

lilsunflowerseed​:

“No, I didn’t hit him P.” Clarke mumbled, “I just threw whiskey on him.” The corners of her mouth pulled slightly, it was bad that it felt good but Clarke wasn’t going to think about that. All she wanted to do was to sign the lease and start moving in, she always hated it. Not that she brought a lot of her things back home with her, just clothes and thing she deemed important. While she waited, she talked to Parker, they caught up considering she went to the bar first. Her plan was to visit her and Nate in the morning anyways. 

She was just about to ask Parker who was the landlord, if it was anyone they knew before she saw Greyson walking up to her, her opened his office and she blinked for a couple times before laughing under her breath. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I gotta go.” Clarke ended the call before walking into Greyson’s office and sitting in front of him. Without saying a word, she took a pen and signed by the red, initialed by the yellow. When she was done, she flipped back to the first page before sliding it back over to Greyson.  Her eyebrow quirked at the sight of a different shirt, and the familiar smell of cigarette smoke. Her eyes scanned the office, it looked like a normal one, not much personality to it. But Greyson was never sentimental in the way that their other friends were. What stuck out to her though was a picture behind his desk. Her head tilted to the side, squinting, she needed her glasses. Clarke got up, moving closed to the picture to get a good look at it. She raised her hands and took it off the hook, looking at the two of them. It had to be a while ago, Greyson looked smaller, you could see it in his face and his shoulders.  His arm was around Orion, she didn’t look… Sad, but she didn’t look happy either. Somber was what she could describe it as. She wondered why there was a picture of them here, they were close but a picture.. Hanging for people he didn’t know to see? It was something that had her wondering. Maybe what he said was true, her trying to fix him. It wasn’t her call, and deep down she knew that. But Clarke would never admit it, she wished he wanted to get clean with her, she wondered how he got clean at all. “When was this?” She asked finally.

.

Never in a million years would Greyson have thought himself to be the type of person to become a landlord. It was a shit ton of responsibility. Turns out responsibility was what he needed. He lacked so much of it in high school, college, even as a young adult. There was no structure, no accountability. It let him be completely lost in his addiction, free to wreak havoc on the world around him and himself. This gave him something else to focus on. The bar was a first step. A literal business that required orders and permits and employees, the list went on. And now he was in charge of a building full of people. When he first bought the building, he started on the grueling process of having all the units remodeled. It was a pain in the ass and required a lot of bargaining with residents to get them to shuffle to different units while he upgraded the ones they were in. It all worked out though. Especially once he mentioned he wasn’t raising their rent. He didn’t need it but the building sorely did.

“Do you always touch things in offices that don’t belong to you?” he asked in a mumble as he flipped through the pages, taking off the markers as he went. This was easily the most boring part of what he did. It didn’t make sense to bring someone else on. They’d go insane with boredom. Most of the residents were long term with very few people coming and going to merit extra staff. So he took care of most of it on his own. When he was done he spun in the chair and started making copies of the pages. “Hm?” Clarke was holding a photo of himself and Orion, taken just a few days before he left for rehab. It wasn’t the best display of them but that wasn’t what it was there for. It served as a reminder more than anything. Of what he’d almost lost and would lose. “A while ago.”

Grey stacked the copies of the lease and stapled them together, tossing it onto the desk. He picked his hips up and pulled a keyring out of his back pocket with three keys on it -- two silver and one gold. He held it up by the two silver first. “Front door.” He swapped holding them for the gold. “Mailbox. Replacing them is a bitch so try not to lose them.” On a sticky note he jotted down the number of her mailbox and stuck it to the top of her lease copy. Then he stood up and held out the keys for her. “Got any questions?”

[jaymumu]

lilsunflowerseed​:

“You don’t have monopoly on Tybee, dickweed, I lived here too.” She laughed, ignoring how the volume went down a bit. She knew everyone was listening, Greyson and Clarke had done this dance multiple times growing up. Everyone knew when they were fighting, but they would never stop and stare, no that was too obvious. Guess it was a grand return if anything. Clarke clenched her jaw and looked the other way before turning her face back towards Greyson. 

“So that makes me the fuckin’ bad guy now yeah?” She scoffed, actually silenced because she wasn’t what to even say. “You were never a project.” Her voice was stern, “If there was a void I wouldn’t have been off my ass on drugs either wouldn’t I? But we’re going to forget it was the two us right?” Of course she considered it, it was all she could think about, even now sometimes she ever wondered if maybe he just didn’t want to be with her anymore. That he was over whatever they had and her leaving was the only way he could get out of it. She laughed and shook her head, she was not going to cry in this bar, she wasn’t going to cry in front of Greyson. So instead, Clarke held onto the class, she had planned on downing the rest of it, but Greyson struck a nerve – as he always did. She threw the remaining liquid in her cup on him, reaching over and smashing the glass on the floor next to Greyson. “Fuck you.” She spat, pulling out a fifty and throwing it on the bar top. “For the stupid glass.” 

Clarke hated how they always dissolved to a fight, she hated that he could make her so angry so quickly. She hated that she missed him, she hated that she came back home. Luckily, her new apartment was just above her and she didn’t have to go far. Meeting her landlord for her keys and to finalize the lease so she could brood in the comfort of her own apartment sounded nice. She left the bar, heading upstairs as she waited for the leasing agent, she was early so it wasn’t that big of a deal, already dialing Parker’s number.

.

“If that’s how you see yourself it’s not my problem,” he said with a one shouldered shrug, replacing someone’s beer down at the end of the bar without them having to ask. God knows they didn’t want to interrupt this. Mostly becaue for once it gave them something to talk about. Grey rolled his eyes dramatically and snorted in the back of his throat, a disbelieving sound. “No you were the one who got clean and I’m happy for you about it, Clarke, for real. But you treated me like I was someone you needed to pick up off the floor. You knew best, you wanted to make a choice for me that wasn’t yours to make and you still can’t even fucking see it,” he accented with his finger pointing hard on the wood of the bar. He laughed dryly, an absolute lack of humor in it -- more like slight hysteria -- and ran a hand through his hair, inhaling slowly through his nose. He needed to regain his grip on himself.

Grey knew it was a targeted thing to say. Even worse was knowing that it wasn’t entirely true. It was at one point. Talking to Clarke when he was early in his recovery would have been a one way ticket to relapse. There was no way around that. Now, though, almost three years in it was more of an excuse. Something he was hiding behind though he would never admit that part even to himself. He should’ve seen this coming. It was rare that their fights stopped at harsh words. He felt the liquid and heard the smash, felt a few pieces of the glass bounce off his legs and shoes. That got people’s attention. A few heads turned, caught his eye, and turned right back. At least this glass hit the floor. The scar cutting through his eyebrow told a story of a different time when it didn’t. “See you around, Clarke.” Grey closed his eyes and sighed heavily, licking the whiskey off of his lips before wiping his face off with the bottom of his shirt. 

There weren’t many places Clarke had to go he reckoned. Considering the keys to her apartment were in his back pocket and the lease was on his desk. He took his time cleaning up the shattered glass, stuffed the fifty in the tip jar on a shelf underneath the bar, and took a much needed smoke break in the alley behind the building. Twenty minutes before he was due to meet Clarke, Grey handed over the reigns to Savannah, a spring breaker who’d fallen in love with Tybee and stayed who also happened to be a semi-regular booty call. He stopped by his apartment, changed into clothes that didn’t smell like alcohol, and met Clarke in the leasing office. Plopping into the chair behind the desk, he dropped the lease in front of her. “Everything marked in red needs a signature, yellow needs initials.”

[jaymumu]

lilsunflowerseed​:

“Why do you care?” Clarke asked, the glass had hit the bar top a lot harder than it should have. She had so much time to learn how to not let Greyson get under her skin, yet here she was, already annoyed with him. Clarke didn’t owe him anything, especially if he decided to ignore her for all these years. “Creepy Todd isn’t an enormous dick.” Clarke muttered. 

Bringing the glass back to her lips, Clarke scoffed before she took another sip, leaning against the bar top. “Jesus.” She groaned, closing her eyes and sitting up straight. “Ever since I left you’ve been an annoying piece of shit.” Clarke hissed. “You act like I left you in the dust, I wanted you to come with me but you fucking fought me on it. All I wanted was better for you, for us.” She hated bringing this up, it always upset her. The past five years could’ve been them exploring New York together, she wouldn’t be running away from a marriage. “What good..” Clarke scoffed rolling her eyes.

She was in a weird limbo, part of her was missing William. Missing his calmness, missing the way he brought her tea even though she only drank it when she was sick. The way he always rubbed her back when she laid next to him in bed, her thumb rubbed against her ring finger, she took another sip. Her brows pushing together, but then… William was too soft for her. He caved when he shouldn’t have, he gave her anything she wanted. Work kept her busy and she missed dates and anniversaries like no other. She wasn’t good to him but he never left. Part of her loved him, but she knew it would never be enough.  “It’s fuckin annoying for you to stand there and act like I didn’t try multiple times to fucking get you to talk to me. To fix it. Instead you acted like a fucking child and ignored me for five fucking years.”

.

“Because I live here and need to know if I gotta start grocery shopping in the middle of the night.” It was the easy way out if he was being honest. Avoiding Clarke. Avoiding what they used to be and the things they said and did to each other. Instead of doing the hard work. Facing the music, reconciling with himself and with her. None of that was appealing. Not right now. Maybe not ever. But then again that wasn’t true. The truth was clawing at his insides and at some point it would become undeniable again. For now, though, it was quiet enough to ignore. He titled his head slightly and gave her a tired, pointed look, pointing at the glass. “Break it you buy it.”

Greyson smirked and leaned forward, bent at the wait, his arms on the edge of the bartop. His eyelids lowered just a little almost like he was flirting. They always ended up back here. “Mm, c’mon. That’s not true. I’ve always been an annoying piece of shit,” he mused, a cocky little expression in his eyes. This part was definitely inevitable. Part of him wished they weren’t doing this right here but then again, nothing said ‘Grey and Clarke’ quite like a public spectacle. People weren’t staring because the people of Tybee were nosy in a polite way. They were definitely listening. “And now look at you. Big businesswoman from New York,” he said in a somewhat mocking way, wiggling his shoulders with it before rolling his eyes. “Give me a break from your sanctimonious bullshit.”

All that old anger and irritation was swirling in his belly. He could feel it growing hotter, filling him up, like flames in a fire. His jaw flexed and tightened as he stood up slightly, palms on the bar instead, gripping the edge of it like it was the only thing holding him in place. “Oh yeah well that’s me, isn’t it?” he started, voice low and all that negative emotion dripping through. “Childish ass Greyson being a child again. You’re so fuckin’ arrogant, Clarke. Do you listen to yourself? Better for me, fix it,” he said, throwing in some air quotes for good measure. “I’m not your project anymore. Whatever void you’re trying to fill by saving me from myself has nothing to actually do with me.” He leaned in much closer, chest practically pressed against the bar. “Did you consider that maybe I didn’t fucking want to?”

[jaymumu]

lilsunflowerseed​:

Clarke was not a superstitious person, she didn’t believe in ghosts or spirits or anything like that staying with you at all times. But the one person that did for the past five years was Greyson. Clarke would deny it to anyone and everyone, but it was the truth. He looked amazing, different from when she saw him the first Christmas after she left. Clarke was stupid enough to think they could work something out, all it left was a fight and a heart broken.  She blinked before rolling her eyes and taking the glass that was slid over to her. “Says the man behind the bar?” She asked with a raised eyebrow, before she took a slip. Clarke breathed through her nose, the glass still on her lips before she set it down. “Moving back.” There was a shrug of her shoulders, “If I had known you worked here I would’ve just got a four loco from the gas station.” It was only partly a joke, but she didn’t want to wake up vomiting. It was annoying that he looked good, healthy, she hated that she wanted to ask if he was good, if he was still using. She always tried her best not to think about his health while in New York. A part of her always hoped he’d get clean. At least he looked bigger than when she saw him, he looked so small, which through her when he always towered over her. Her eyes fell on the stud in his nose and his lobes. She refused to look at the visible tattoo she saw. Her left ring finger felt heavy and the ring around the necklace felt like it was burning a hole in her skin, so she drank some more. “Apollo, maybe.” This was her best friend at one point in her life and she couldn’t figure out how to talk to him, it was annoying and so fucking stupid she wanted to scream. “You would’ve known if you ever took your head out your ass and talked to me.”

.

Greyson had time to prepare himself for this. He saw her name on the tenant application. This wasn’t a surprise. Yet he was still having a hell of a time, his mind swirling. Christmas had left a lot to be desired. Her hair was longer and flowed like water. She’d added on a few more piercings that fit her so well it was hard to reason that they hadn’t been there before. 

“Yes?” he snorted, collecting a few empty beer bottles from a few feet down the bar. “That means I know best.” He tossed them into the garbage where they clanked against the rest. An eyebrow quirked up at the word as if it were a surprise. “Moving? Permanently? Why?” Given the tone of his voice you’d never think he knew better. Cocaine made you an incredibly good liar. He hummed and smiled tightly, crossing his arms loosely over his chest. No amount of time or distance it seemed could disrupt the back and forth they established as teens. “And deal with Creepy Todd? Be my guest.” He leaned comfortably back against the shelf on his side of the bar, crossing his ankles.

Being hyperaware of Clarke was a superpower he wished he didn’t have. He clocked everything about her. From the way she was clearly having a hard time navigating a conversation with him to the band of skin on her left ring finger that was slightly lighter than the rest. A tan line from a ring that was no longer there. “Ares is more fitting.” She might not have know it but that was a little bit of a low blow. Only if because of the way he regarded Clarke and the life she went on to live without him as a potential cause for relapse. And he was doing his absolute damnedest to steer clear of those. He wouldn’t be able to bear the look in Orion’s eyes if he slipped. His lips pressed together briefly in a thin line and he stood up straight again. “What good would that have done anyone?”

[jaymumu]

lilsunflowerseed​:

COMING HOME -- CLARKSON

Leaving Tybee was never about hating it, growing up in Tybee had been some of the best years of her life. With her sister and her friends, life always seemed great. The one person who had defined most of her childhood was Greyson Smythe. She couldn’t really tell you how they ended up together, it just seemed that they were always the last two out of the six. See, with her twin sister Parker running off with Nate, Indie’s older brother who herself would pull Greyson’s sister Orion away.. It always left them two. They got along, for the most part. They enjoyed messing around and getting under each others skin. Clarke never expected them to get anywhere beyond that, and they did. Ironically enough, she fell in love. Greyson was annoying and kind of a dick but she was kind of bitch if she thought about it. On many occasions the two of them had gotten into fist fights that resulted in them being pulled off each other. But no matter how bad it was, despite all the fights, the cheating, and how much it seemed they didn’t belong together. Clarke always felt like they did. No one got to her the way Greyson did, but she could never see herself loving someone as much as she loved Greyson. Their college years were some of the most troubling for them, getting into drugs at the time seemed like a good route. They had time, Clarke didn’t know what she wanted out of life yet. And for a while it was fun, it gave her what she needed, until one day it didn’t. She wanted more out of life, out of her relationship with Greyson. As things tended to do, it blew up in her face. Clarke hoped she’d end up in New York with her boyfriend and their new life ahead of them, but as it turned out it was just her. Finishing her degree, Clarke went on to be a wedding planner. Despite her aggressive personality, clients always came back to her. She may have fought with the bride and her families, but no one could plan a wedding like her. They’d always be perfect to the T, it’s what kept people coming back.  Always the wedding planner but never the bride; for years, Clarke was single for years, sleeping around and claiming she was too busy to date. Clarke could juggle multiple things at once and that was never the issue, Greyson was the issue. Until William came into her life, he was the opposite of Greyson in ever possible way. She ignored his advances at first, until she was unable to do it anymore. Something about him drew her to him. So they started dating, and then there was labels. It wasn’t long before they moved in together and got engaged.  It wasn’t that marriage scared her, she had to deal with every day. Maybe it was Will, or the fact that he was so perfect and never got mad at her. Or maybe he call her out on her sister. Either way, Clarke found herself back in Tybee after five years without a ring on her finger. The wedding was tomorrow and she had left the whole state. Here she was in a bar that didn’t exist the last time she had spent more than 24 hours in her hometown.  Clarke walked in, ignoring the abundance of texts from William as she stuffed her phone in her pocket and taking a seat by the bar. The tender had their back turned, Clarke tapped her finger nails against the bar top for a moment. “Hi,” She started over the noise of others talking. “Can I get a double shot of whiskey? No ice, thanks.” 

 .

Greyson could not in full confidence say he planned on spending his adult years in Tybee. Growing up in a town your father was the mayor of was bad enough. Especially when said father habitually slept with his secretaries with no great amount of discretion. It was exactly the type of town that knew -- of course they knew -- and whispered among themselves about it without ever actually addressing it to his face. Their sad, sympathetic smiles were just salt in the wound really. At least he had one thing though. At least he had Clarke. Their other friends, too, of course, and his sister. But Clarke was different. Clarke met his energy unlike anyone else he knew. 

At a glance, they were terrible for each other. Fire and gasoline. Burning hot and running rampant. The fighting, the cheating, the screaming. Underneath it all, somehow, unbelievably, there was a balance. They knew and understood each other in ways that were indescribable to anyone else. 3am conversations on rooftops and sneaking in each other windows. Spontaneous middle of the night roadtrips back in time for school the next morning. They shared things with each other they hadn’t with anyone else. At the end of the day, Greyson was undeniably and absolutely in love with her.

So when college came and they were both accepted it felt like a new chapter of their lives. A life lived together. Free to do what they seemed fit and when, even moreso than they did already. And when drugs entered the picture, well. It was all very Bonnie and Clyde. If Bonnie eventually screwed over Clyde and left him behind anyway. Parker leaving and the fight that had come with it was like setting off a small nuclear bomb. Greyson didn’t understand why she needed so much change so suddenly. He was too stubborn, too addicted, too complacent with where he was at in life to even try to compromise. Change was not his forte. In the aftermath he left college with his associate in psychology, dropping out mid junior year, and fell into a hole that didn’t seem to have a bottom.

Greyson spent years freefalling. Running his father’s credit cards ragged and when he cut those off, stealing anything of value from the house he grew up in to sell for cash a couple towns over. Richard kept it all quiet. Still clinging to his reputation despite the path Grey was on. And then he died and while going through his study, he happened upon two wills. One with his name and one without. Replaced instead by Richard’s most recent wife, a woman the same age as him. He burned the one without and inherited half the estate, the other half going to Orion. With a new well of cash flow and somewhere consistent to sleep, his habits only got worse. But like all good things, it eventually came to an end.

When Greyson woke up in a hospital bed surrounded by his friends he only had one request. No one was allowed to contact Clarke. In exchange, he spent six months in an in-patient facility in Savannah. Upon his release he took a year and a half to himself and traveled. He’d spent so long in Tybee, drowning in everything that reminded him of Clarke, that he needed to be sure when he returned it was with a clear mind.He backpacked, hiked, ran with the bulls, became certified in skydiving, and put as many stamps in his passport as he could. At some point it stopped feeling like vacation and felt more like running. So he went back. It felt enough like coming home that he stayed. Clarke was still imprinted all over the town. She always would be. Now it was about living with it instead.

Greyson bought the building below a set of apartments that had only seen failed small business after failed small business. He gutted the inside and built a bar from the ground up. Something Tybee was in dire need of. The small pub where the town’s veterans were practically glued to the stools left a lot to be desired. He rented the unit right above it right up until the old man who owned the building who he’d become familiar with announced he was retiring at which point he bought it from him instead.

An average night tended to see the regulars who he’d become familiar with over the years. When it wasn’t spring break, there was a good chance he could give you the first name of everyone inside at any given time. His younger self would’ve gagged at the thought. So it was a good thing he had a good grip on the glass he was drying when a very, very familiar voice sounded from behind him. His shoulders tensed slightly and Grey was staring, blinking at the bottles on the shelf for a moment. This was fine. He knew this was coming. “Little early for a double, no?” he quipped as he finished pouring the drink and turned around to set it on the bar, slinging the other towel in his hand over his shoulder. Fuck, she looked amazing. “And what god can we all thank for Clarke Rutherford gracing us with her presence?”

[jaymumu]

lilsunflowerseed​:

Nate, you’re not a child and neither am I. I’m not playing these games with you. If you have something to say, say it with your chest.

Drive safe, Parker. Call me.

[jaymumu]

lilsunflowerseed​:

There’s a different between shooting someone a text to let them know you’re busy rather than ignoring them.

What line exactly?

I... don’t really have an argument for that.

Don’t. You know. And we really don’t need to talk about this right now.

[jaymumu]

lilsunflowerseed​:

Ha, okay. So now you’re making it seem like I expected you to drop your life for me. It slipped your mind? But you suddenly remembered I was leaving today? Do you hear the hole you’re digging yourself into?

That’s not what I meant. Yes, it slipped my mind. I had work, I had-- Responsibilities, Parker. I never forgot when you were leaving. Look, I’m sorry. I crossed a line.

[jaymumu]

lilsunflowerseed​:

You had forty-eight hours.

What’s your damage? You kiss me and then ghost me like some fuck boy in his twenties?

Well I’m here now so.

No, come on, it’s not like that. I was busy. My life didn’t stop because you were in LA. It slipped my mind, I’m-- Really? The age card? People make mistakes.

[jaymumu]

Parker, wait. I tried to call, it went to voicemail. I just-- I wanted to see you. Before you left.

[jaymumu]

lilsunflowerseed​:

“You don’t have a crazy girlfriend I need to be on the look out for right?” Orion felt good about her question, she had a feeling Indie would both confirm if she was single or into girl. She smiled and took the phone, putting her number inside and handing it back to Indie before taking out her own phone asking Indie to do the same. Only part of her felt bad that she didn’t want to car to be fixed tomorrow. 

“Waking you up.” She listened to Nate, her full attention on him. Her eyes grew wide at all the things he did. “Wow. I’ve never actually seen a cow in real life.” Suddenly Blake felt vulnerable, her cheeks growing warm. “That sounded really fuckin’ stupid.” She snorted, “Would you guys ever grow anything else?” Blake asked, intrigued. “Well, I plan on watching this sunrise, I like to write with good inspiration and a sunrise over the mountains sounds about as good as I’ll ever get huh?” Blake reached for her journal, patting it and looking at the boy across from her. “You’re welcome to stay if you want. I’ll bore you with the day in the life of a city girl.” There was a smirk before she pulled out another cigarette, “Let me know if the smoke bothers you.”

“Honey, if you saw the size of the town, there’s no way’n hell you’d be askin’ me that. No crazy girlfriend,” Indie laughed her response as they swapped phones. She dialed in her number and even went to the trouble of saving it, complete with the deer emoji since it was the only antlered animal available. As she handed it back she made sure their fingers brushed for good measure. “Good luck with your car, Orion,” she said softly, though the second ‘o’ got lost in her accent. “Let me know if you need anythin’ at all.”

“Oh.” Nate shrugged again and waved it off. “I’ve been woken up for worse.” A short but genuine, actual laugh escaped his chest and even took himself by surprise. “It didn’t. Most people don’t. I can show you tomorrow ‘fore Daryl comes round to tow y’alls car.” Which was an unfortunate truth about tomorrow. It wasn’t often he stumbled across a stranger who was pretty and kind and interesting. So what if he wanted to make the most of it for the night. “What, and make more work for myself?” he joked, a light smile on his face. “My mom’s got her own garden with a bunch’a fruits and whatnot but those are for her bakin’.” He sat up straight and turned to the side, his back against the support beam to face Blake head on instead. His interest was deeply piqued. “You a writer or is it just for kicks?” Nate exhaled a laugh through his nose and smirked. “Go on then, city girl. Bore me.” He shook his head in response -- he was used to it. “Nah, my old man was a smoker.”

[jaymumu]

lilsunflowerseed​:

Lorelai laughed loud and bright like she always did, she never diminished who she was for the sake of anyone, much less a cute city boy with an attitude. “That’s the smartest thing you’ve said all night city boy, you definitely shouldn’t trust me.” Titling her head to the side, Lorelai giggled and nodded her head, “I know that I’m gettin’ under your skin,” She teased, reaching out and lightly touching his arm. Lorelai got up, placed her dirty plate and silverware into the sink, she saluted Greyson. “See ya.” 

“Fuck,” Orion breathed, “The most dangerous thing in Portland is a white hipster dude who thinks he’s going to be the next Steven Spielberg.” The question took Orion off guard, she blinked before pausing. “What? Like hunting? In the woods. I don’t know, I’d like fuck up your game and shit. I don’t know the first thing about hunting.” Finishing the last plate, she handed it off to Orion, drying her hands and turning around and leaning against the rim of the counter. “You’ll have my number, the ball will be in your court, darlin’”

“Sorry,” Blake said softly, she followed his instructions, even went and closed her eyes, listening to the night sounds, the crickets to the owl in the distances, Blake swore she even heard the rustling of the wind going through trees. When he wasn’t looking, Blake turned to him, her eyes studying him in the moonlight. “A sunrise huh?” She didn’t say it but Blake decided she was going to stay up and watching it. “Do you always wear your hat?” She snickered, “Even following me in the middle of the night.” Resting her elbow on her knee, Blake placed her chin in her hand. “What’s it like? A normal day for you?”

Indie snorted hard and started putting silverware away. She had to pitch up onto her toes to slide the plates onto the shelf correctly. Orion had her laughing again the next minute though at this point it wasn’t intentional. “You’re cute. Don’t worry about it. I’ll teach ya.” She finished up storing everything away and hopped up to sit on the counter, feet swinging. “Look at you, already pickin’ up the dialect. You’re a natural,” she teased, swatting at Orion with the towel in her hand. She set it down beside her and leaned to the side to slip her phone out of her back pocket, unlocking it and offering it out to her. “Go on then.”

Nate waved his fingers and shook his head. “What for?” By now he was well accustomed to the ambient noises of the farm. They were still his favorite. “A sunrise,” he confirmed with a hum. The mountains could be seen from the back of the house well enough. Better from the roof and even better again by the lake. Maybe she’d get to see all three or maybe by tomorrow afternoon he’d never see her again. “Yes,” he answered simply and left it at that. The hat belonged to his dad and if he was leaving his room, it was going with him. He rolled his eyes and leaned back on his elbows instead. “I can leave.” He took a deep breath in through his nose and exhaled it as a short laugh. Despite his routine, normal was relative to the day. “Up with the sun. Feed the horses and move ‘em out to pasture. Clean out the stalls. Haul in fresh hay if they need it. Same with the cows. Milk ‘em too though. I’ll take my horse out to check the fence line.. Fix up anythin’ that needs fixin’. We grow wheat, cherries, and apples so I’ll check the crops. Lots’a little things. Drive into town for supplies and then at night do the whole thing in reverse. Check the fence, herd the cattle, stall the horses. And that’s about the half of it,” he laughed softly.

[jaymumu]

lilsunflowerseed​:

“Yes, but only if you f–mess with ‘em, but you have nuffin to worry about city boy, I’ll make sure Buttercup doesn’t give you a good lick or two.” Lorelai laughed at the thought, it would be amusing if Buttercup did kick him. That thought helped keep her mind off the fact that she didn’t really let anyone meet her horse. “And what about it?” Lorelai snorted, she was presumptuous and judgmental but she could care less about that. “Tomorrow, I’ll come back over and let you meet my special girl. As Mary for some peppermints, those are her favorites.”

“Is there a lot of that? Population country?” For some odd reason that had nothing to do with how cute this girl was, Orion was oddly interested in everything Indie did. From how she hunted, to what she preferred, to if she skinned the animals herself. She couldn’t help but let out a loud snort and shook her head. “No, Portland doesn’t have much areas to go huntin’” She said, a slight twang that she never had before coming out her mouth. “I hope you catch that elk one day.” Orion said softly after silence had fallen over them. “I’ll give you my number so you can send me a picture to let me know you caught it.” It was so… Quiet. Blake felt like she could see the wind carry the dust a feet or two. It was un-nerving but also.. Nice. She lit a cigarette, letting herself enjoy her terrible vice. It didn’t take long for her to finish and stamp it out, soon she heard a voice behind her, Blake turned and saw Nate, ironically enough with his cowboy at on his head again. She shook her head and turned back to center, “No. It’s just quiet. I’m not used to that.” She said softly. “I can see all the stars out here, it’s beautiful.” She turned back to him, “Did I wake you?”

“I absolutely don’t trust you or a horse but fine. I’m in.” Greyson was never the type to be won over by an accent. Least of all one so distinct. And yet here he was. Utterly intrigued. Until the next time she opened her mouth, anyway. “You don’t know me any better than I know you,” he scoffed lightly, rolling his eyes. She sure had a way of getting under his skin from one moment to the next though. “Peppermints, sure, got it. See you around.”

Indie hummed to herself and swayed her hips side to side to the song in her head, drying dishes and stacking them as Orion handed them to her. “Nah not all that often. Deer, mostly. Sometimes cougars but they’re such a pain.” It was nice, albeit a little odd, how easy it was to slip into such casual conversation with someone she met an hour ago. It was incredibly nice. There wasn’t a ton of room in a town so small to meet new people. Especially ones that flirted back. Which gave her an idea. “Do you wanna?” she asked genuinely, a hint of a challenge in her voice. Like she was daring Orion to say yes. A laugh bubbled up and out. “Is that all I can use your number for?”

“Mm, yeah, you and them floorboards,” he answered honestly though it was clear he wasn’t upset about it. He invited himself to sit down on the stairs, propping his elbows on his knees. “It’s not as quiet as you think. Listen.” Nate put his finger against his lips and within a few moments, crickets started chirping, more joining in and some moving on minute to minute. In the distance, an owl hooted and it echoed through the trees. He held up his finger between them, eyes on the tree line, like he knew it was coming, and after another minute, a howl sounded through the night. “You’re listenin’ for cars and ambulances and airplanes overhead.” He shook his head slowly. “We don’t got that here. Y'all are so overwhelmed by noise in the city, it’s dulled your senses. You just gotta listen.” He glanced at Blake, the curve of her jaw and lips and diverted his eyes to the stars before he got much farther. “Very beautiful,” he murmured and meant it in more way than one. “You should see the sunrise over the mountains. You’ll never forget it.”

[jaymumu]

lilsunflowerseed​:

“Well, if you’re up for it, you can meet her, she’s real sweet.” Lorelai managed to finish her dinner, setting her plate to the side nicely, just like Mary taught her. She rolled her eyes and leaned closer to the table, she made sure to not let Mary seen her elbows on the table. “Aye, I don’t have problems with city folk, y’alls the ones that have issues with us. You seem you’d rather be anywhere else other than here.”

“I’ll wash.” Orion smiled, rolling up the sleeves of her plaid shirt. Grabbing some plates and silverware herself, she brought them over to the sink, placing them inside before. Then turning the sink on, she made the water warm before reaching for the sponge and soap. Orion wasn’t sure where to start, as many girls as Orion usually pulled she always found herself nervous. “How often do you hunt?” She asked, looking over to Indie, lathering a plate up in soap. Blake reached out and shoved Greyson’s shoulder, “Fuck off, I just got out of a stupidly stupid relationships, a crush is the last thing on my mind.” Even if she wanted to talk to Nate all night and ask him what it was like to live on a farm. She wondered so much about him, his life. Blake let out a loud laugh and rolled her eyes, “What are you taking here? Think they’re cannibals? Maybe they have an underground medical office and they experiment on people. Alive.” Blake’s eyebrows pushed together, “Aren’t those caribou? Clearly we don’t know shit outside of Portland, a little embarrassing. Have you gotten anything from Mom?” 

There was barely any time for words to leave Blake’s lips before her bags were taken from her, Nate had them and was already at the top of the stairs. “Yeah, I can see that.” She said as she got up to the top of the stairs. She nodded along knowing she was going to forget all of this the moment Nate stopped talking. “Thanks Nate.” Blake gave him a smile and turned to Greyson, “You take the single, I’ll let O know she’s gonna sleep with me.”  The night was.. All in all a lot to deal with. Blake spoke to her mothers for a bit, letting them know that they were in fact safe, and that the car would be looked at tomorrow. After she showered and wrote for a bit, Blake tried to put herself to sleep. But the silence caused her to toss and turn. Living in Portland, there wasn’t a lot of noise but there was some, most nights she’d complain about it. But now.. She kind of missed it. Sitting up, she groaned as she threw off her covers and lightly set foot on the ground. Blake put on a sweater, grabbed her journal and a pack of cigarettes, if she was going to be up, she was going to write. Tip toeing downstairs, Blake made it to the front door, trying her best to keep quiet as she sat on the porch, looking out into the sky admiring all the stars.

Grey contemplated for a moment, looking Lorelai up and down with just his eyes, sizing her up. “Don’t they kick real fuckin’ hard?” He shifted a little in his seat due to an inexplicable bout of nerves at the idea of meeting an actual horse. Which meant now he couldn’t say no. “Hm. When?” he asked lowly as he leaned into the table, as if they were sharing some kind of secret. “That’s presumptuous of you,” he snorted, accompanied by an eye roll. 

Indie tucked the loose hair behind her ears and pulled two dish towels off the front of the stove, tossing one over her shoulder and spreading the other out in her hands. She laughed softly and shrugged one shoulder. “Depends on the season and what I’m huntin’ for. I don’t usually hunt for sport unless it’s population control so maybe ev’ry two or three days. You ever been?” she asked though the look on her face said that she already knew the answer. She assumed the closest thing to hunting they came in Portland was in thrift stores. 

“Please. No one said you had to date him. Ride a cowboy,” he said playfully, tipping an invisible cowboy hat. Grey’s nose scrunched and he shoved at her shoulder right back, making a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. Even as he got chills up the back of his arms. Horror movies were his weakness. “You’re so fuckin’ annoying.” He checked his phone again just to be sure and sighed. “Nah, I still don’t have shit.” Grey was left to his own devices, presumably because he was a man and Blake was prettier than him, to haul his own luggage up the stairs. He just caught the tail end of whatever Nate was saying and nodded at Blake in agreement before getting himself settled.

Nate knew the house like the back of his hand. He’d grown here. Become a teenager who stayed out too late once or twice. He knew which boards creaked, which ones groaned, and which lifted up for secret storage. Pair that with being a fairly light sleeper, the creak right at the top of the staircase pulled him awake. He rubbed his eyes and threw the covers off. He listened in silence as the front door -- which sounded different from the back -- opened and shut. He gave it a few minutes before his curiosity got the best of him. Still in his pajamas, he slipped his hat onto his head and snuck down the stairs, slipping out of the door quietly and coming to lean against the post at the top of the porch stairs. “Homesick?” he asked softly.

[jaymumu]

lilsunflowerseed​:

“My horse.” Lorelai gritted out, it was a gift, given on her 16th birthday. “It’s a city, about an hour or so out west, maybe even longer I’m not sure. We don’t go to big cities much.” Lorelai wasn’t one to really focus on things she didn’t have, she had a lot on her plate with what she did have, but for some reason.. She felt jealous, or something like that. This guy, and his sisters got to travel, she wished she could afford that luxury, but not with her mom as sick as she was. “Well, I’m sure Nate’s got y’all all set to have Daryl come get your car in the morning. Sure y’all will be back on the road in no time.” 

Blake watched Indiana talk about this elk, she couldn’t help but throw her head back and laugh, she was apparently really trying to get this animal. “I’m sure it’ll get tired and you’ll get it.” Blake didn’t even know the first thing about hunting or elks, she didn’t even know what one looked like, but being around this family was nice, it reminded her of her own in a while. Of course there wasn’t talks of hunting animals, but the chaos was something she could relate too. “Oh,” Orion blinked looking at Greyson, and now Blake as she got up. “I’ll help clean up, you guys go ahead.” If she wanted to stay and listen to Indie’s laugh and her ridiculously cute accent while she washed dishes, so be it.

Walking back to the front of the house, Blake put her shoes back on and snorted. “O’s got a crush on the short blonde.” Blake mentioned, “You know she fuckin’ hates dishes.” The whole thing was comical at best. There was a beat and Blake sighed she hated apologizing, especially when it was her fault. “I owe you one.” Was all she said, which loosely translated to her apologizing in Blake lingo.

Grey’s eyebrow arched in a bit of genuine interest. “Huh. Neat, actually. I’ve never seen a real one up close.” The deep way their lives clashed in so many different aspects was more and more apparent by the minute. Horses were something you pointed out from the car, not a literal mode of transportation. Their closest big city was an hour away. He could spend an hour driving and not leave his at all. Grey tilted his head back and forth and huffed a laugh. “Tell me how you really feel.”

Mary had excused herself to stow away the leftovers and smiled out at the scene in the kitchen. “Well, I won’t make you offer twice,” Mary butt in with a warm smile, wiping her hands on her napkin before pointing at Indie. “It’s your go. Orion, you watch this one now. She’s slippery.” Indie snorted and rolled her eyes, waving her hand in the air to playfully dismiss Mary. She pushed her chair out and stretched before she started piling up plates and silverware. “Well it’s only polite if I let you pick -- washin’ or dryin’?” she asked sweetly as she carried her stack to the kitchen sink.

A laugh bubbled out of Grey and he kicked loose a few rocks paving the way back to their car. “And you have a crush on the tall one,” he teased, poking his tongue out before scrunching nose up. “I think he’s blonde anyway.” It was impossible to tell since he hadn’t taken off his hat. Pressing his lips together tightly to stifle the satisfied smile, he tossed an arm over her shoulders. “You so fucking do. Apology accepted. I still think we’re gonna die but they’re nice. Little weird. I mean, an elk? I thought those were in fuckin’ Alaska,” he snorted, popping the trunk to haul out his suitcase.

Nate was waiting patiently inside between the front door with his hands folded behind his back and the stair case and perked up when Blake walked in with her things. He took one long step to get in front of her. “Here, lemme take that for you,” he offered gently as he scooped up the suitcase and carried it with one arm, braced against his shoulder, and deposited it at the top of the stairs. “Old house. Stairs are steeper’n they look.” He pointed to the doors in the hallway and explained. “So, uh, like I said, two on the left here, that’s Indie’s at the end of the hall. One on the right, mine’s next to it, and mom’s around the corner. They’re all done up with blankets and all. Shower’s behind us. Y’all need anythin’ just holler.” He wanted another excuse to stay. To talk to her and compare the nuances of their lives until the sun came up. But she was probably tired from the stress so he nodded once and carried himself back downstairs.

[jaymumu]

lilsunflowerseed​:

Blake nodded with food in her mouth, not wanting to be rude. Once she swallowed, she took a sip of water, slightly turning her body towards Nate. “Yeah, just us. We’re sort of miss matched yeah?” It always made her smile, they were at best a mess together but she really did love Greyson and Orion. “Our mothers got remarried a couple years ago.” And she left it at that, there wasn’t much else to it. No one really believed them when they said they were all siblings but it didn’t really matter. “What’s wrong with the elk?” Blake asked tilting her head to the side.

Lorelai scoffed, Mary giggled herself. “Practically,” She stated patting the top of Lorelai’s head. “No, my house is only a little ways down the road, only a ten minute ride on Buttercup, it’s not too bad. Nate’s little sis Indiana is my best friend.” Not that this boy needed anything explained to him, but Lorelai didn’t care about that, she mostly wanted to know how long he was in town for. “Y’all look like city folk, you from Great Falls?” Not many people came out this way, there wasn’t much, only land and cattle, but if people wanted to take tours some families had them.  “Didn’t say that,” Orion shot back quickly, “It’s usually babe, but darlin is cute, something about that accent of yours.” Orion hummed nodding, though she couldn’t help the smile on her face. “It’s giving you a run for your money, I see.” Following Indie and taking the seat that was pulled out for her, she laughed; stopping before a snort was let out. “Unfortunately,” Orion forked some food before rolling her eyes, trying to hide the smile that was still present on her face. “Do you flirt with all the girls that come through with broken down cars?”

Nate glanced around at the table -- Blake and her family and him and his, all shoved together -- and snorted hard. “So’s mine.” The corner of his lips twitched in his own way of a smile and he nodded once. “Oh, that’s real nice.” He briefly considered how different his life might look if Mary had gotten remarried and selfish as it may seem, he was kind of glad she didn’t. What they had was good. Nate exhaled and hung his head briefly before swinging it back up to meet Blake’s. “It’s Indiana’s white whale. She’s been tracking this big, big ol’ elk for two years. And every time she gets close, it manages to get the upper hand. She’s been gettin’ her ass -- rear, sorry, ma -- handed to her by an animal that’s thicker than molasses.” He finished with a shrug and piled his silverware on his now empty plate. “Not nearly as exitin’ as she makes it sound, huh?”

“What the hell is a Buttercup?” Greyson deadpanned, blinking blankly at Lorelai. He could at least put two and two together that the mentioned best friend and sister of the literal cowboy was the blonde who’d come in covered in camo. “That makes so much sense,” he murmured, chin in his hand, almost sounding a little amazed. The culture shock was unreal. “I’ve never even heard of Great Falls. No, we’re from Portland. Driving back from Canada and my sisters thought the scenic route would be more fun.” By the way he speared a piece of potato on his fork, it was clear Grey didn’t agree. He loved Blake and was all for supporting her through her shitty break up but he had things to do.

A smirk spread slowly on Indie’s face as she practically tuned out the rest of the table. “I can make plenty’a things sound cute.” She playfully rolled her eyes and nudged Orion’s foot with hers. “Tell me about it.” Orion was cute. Very cute. With an even cuter smile. And the way she, along with her siblings, seemed to mostly settle right in to their hectic little life was impressive. “What girls?” she asked innocently, tilting her head to the side, a glimmer in her eye. Indiana’s head snapped to her brother. She leaned back on two legs of the chair and reached around Orion to take a smack at Nate’s hat. It tipped forward and got stuck on what she could only assume was his manbun hidden underneath. He pushed the underside of the brim back up with two fingers to fix it silently. “You’re not even makin’ it sound good, Nate! This thing is massive and old as all get out. Covered in scars and blind in one eye from mountain lions. A lot of folks don’t even think it’s real. Say it’s a myth.” Greyson and Nate snorted at the same time, gave each other a brief look of confusion, and turned back to their respective plates. “O-kay,” Grey started, pushing away from the table and collecting his dishes. “That’s my cue to get my stuff from the car. O, B?”

[jaymumu]

lilsunflowerseed​:

“Oh, yeah Thanks.” She felt her cheeks warm as she took the plate from Nate, looking at all food there was to chose from, Blake took a little bit of everything, sitting down next to Nate when she finished. She wasn’t sure where to start, so she just tried a spoonful of everything, watching everything unfold around her. 

“Not since this mornin’ she went out to hunt that elk,” Rory shrugged herself, narrowing her eyes at the boy in across from her. Thrusting her leg forward, she kicked his shin and leaned forward, “You makin’ fun of my accent?” She questioned her elbows on the table, which caused Mary to now swat at her. “Lorelai, elbow.” Rory sighed and looked at Mary with a soft face and apologized. Turning back to Greyson, the fire in her eyes came back, she hated that he was sort of hot. “Lorelai, but the Evans’ call me Rory.” Of course, there was one more person, Orion wasn’t sure how many more people this dining room could hold, not that it mattered, Mary seemed to have room to accommodate for them all. As she was getting up for her own plate of food, another girl walked int. Now Orion had never seen a girl like her before, the first thing she noticed were her eyes. “Hey Indie.” Lorelai smiled at the kiss, watching as she went and slunk up next to the other girl Nate brought home. She rolled her eyes and smiled turning back to her plate.  “Darlin’?” Orion questioned out loud, she blinked and smiled, shaking her head slightly. “Better now, I think.” Suddenly food wasn’t really on her mind anymore. “Heard you were out looking for some elk?” Orion asked, staring to pile food on her plate. “How’d that work out for you?”

Nate almost kind of hated the way his eyes would always drift back to Blake as the scene carried on around them. He swore he could smell her shampoo or perfume or whatever over everything else. It was as soft and pleasant as her hand had been. Once they were well into their food, he nudged Blake’s elbow with his own and nodded at the room in general. “Is it just the three of you?” he asked and hoped she understood everything implied. Were they used to the type of chaos that was currently unfolding or did Nate drag them from one stressful situation into another? “Not the elk,” he sighed under the breath, sounding a little tired.

Greyson narrowed his eyes kicked the side of her foot with his own in retaliation. “What, I’m supposed to just not?” he snorted, a shit eating smirk on his face. Mary admonished her and he snickered into his food at it. He tilted his head to the side and watched the girl -- Lorelai -- move through a multitude of emotions in the span of just a few minutes. She mentioned the Evans as if she wasn’t actually part of the family and for all he knew, maybe she wasn’t. He certainly hadn’t heard a car pull up though. “You don’t live here?”

“Not a fan?” Indie asked back, politely hanging off to the side while she helped herself to the food as well. Indie laughed loud and free and eyed Orion with a wide smile. Not that the girl could’ve possibly known but the elk, while very real, had become the butt of endless jokes. “Well considerin’ I’m elk-less, I’d say it worked out in favor of the elk again.” Indie led the both of them back to the table and pulled out one of the two remaining chairs for her before seating herself. “So, car trouble? I’d say it’s a shame but then again I’d never call a pretty girl in my kitchen a shame.” She winked, grinning, before digging into her plate.