#muffin jack and jeremy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tedisnotdead · 3 years

Text

Renee nodded silently, walking off to join Matt and David while a peacekeeper guided him to the meeting room.

Andrew waited, alone in silence for a few minutes.

The weight of what he had just done settled on his shoulders. He didn't regret it and would never regret it. Saving his brother's life, his brother who had a future with the boy of his dreams and the job of his dreams now in his path. A job that could save more lives than Andrew would kill to protect him.

The door burst open and Nick ran in, wailing. He fell to his knees by Andrew, sobbing. Andrew swallowed before offering his hand.

"You are so brave." Nicky said, looking up. "Please win. I can't lose you, please Andrew."

"Don't use that word Nicky." Andrew said, trying not to focus on what he was saying.

"You need to win, and you need to come home." Nicky begged, squeezing Andrew's hand. "For us." The please was there, but it was silent. But it screamed in Andrew's ear.

Erik and Jesse walked in, followed by Aaron. Jesse's lip was wobbling as he clung to Erik's hand. Erik seemed to be the most composed, but Andrew could see the pain and panic in his eyes. He looked back down at Nicky, who was now leaning his head on Andrew's arm and whispering the prayers his parents had engraved into his soul over and over again.

"How dare you."

Andrew looked up, seeing Aaron glaring at him. His whole body was shaking as his sniffed his way through every tear rolling down his face.

"How dare you." I have shouted again. "You can't put your life at risk for mine. I won't let you, I won't!"

"It's too late." Andrew said before focusing on Jesse. "Would you like another hug?" he asked, and Jesse nodded timidly.

Andrew held his free arm open and Jesse stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Andrew's chest. Andrew wrapped the arm around him, holding him close.

"You know this could be your last one, right?" Andrew whispered as Erik sat opposite him. Andrew pressed a small kiss to the top of his head. Jesse nodded into his pec. "But you know I'll always look after you. No matter what." Andrew moved his gaze to Aaron, who was still fuming. "Even if I don't come back, I'm always looking after you. I promise."

"You never break your promises." Jesse whispered.

"No, I don't." Andrew whispered before looking up again. "I'm gay." he said, and everyone looked over. "I'm gay and I've been hooking up with Roland for the past year."

"Roland?" Aaron asked and he nodded. "He's a jack though? How did you meet?"

"I came off a shift at the same time as he was preparing for one. We showered together." Andrew muttered, looking at his twin. He moved his hand down to cover Jesse's ear, pushing the other against his pec. "I gave him a blowjob and it's been pretty much weekly since then. I met him at Renee's fight lessons though, we sometimes sparred." He loosened his grip on Jesse's head, stroking the fair blonde hair.

"I'm so proud of you." Erik said, looking up.

"Thank you." Andrew said, clenching his fists. He would not cry. "Tell her I said thank you for picking me up when she did." He would not cry. "Tell her I said thank you for every second she looked after me and cared for me." I have. Would. Not. Cry. "Tell her I said I'm sorry for all the shit I put her through and I'm sorry if I don't win."

The tear rolled down his cheek as he nodded, silently telling Erik he was done. Erik smiled before tugging Jesse's shirt lightly.

"All my bets will be on you." he said, picking Jesse up. The peacekeeper opened the door and shouted through, alerting them that their time was up. Aaron ran forward, engulfing his brother into a hug.

"Win." he whispered harshly before storming out.

Nicky stood up on shaky legs, finishing his final prayer before kissing Andrew's forehead lightly.

"I love you Andrew." I have whispered. "I always have, and I always will." Erik took Nicky's hand before leading them out.

Andrew waited in silence again, until the door opened with a calmer entrance. Jean stood in the doorway, smiling. A small, dark orange muffin was in a clear, sealed tub balanced on a small box in his hands. His cheeks were red and his whole face was blotchy. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy, the aftermath of Jean Moreau-Wymack crying.

"Good luck," he said, stepping forward. "I'm going to miss you for these next few weeks."

"It could be forever." Andrew said and Jean nodded.

"It could be. But it could also be a few weeks." Jean laughed, stepping forward and sitting beside Andrew. "Your promised muffin. It's in an air-tight box, so it should last a little longer. I picked the largest one in the batch."

Andrew snorted, looking at it. "I will eat it in your honor." Jean smiled. "Should I eat it in the Capitol, and when people ask, I say it's only the best baker to ever walk Panem, Mr Jean Moreau-Wymack." Jean giggled, looking down.

"I made these for you. Either you would get them now, like you are. Or you would've got them for your nineteenth birthday, to celebrate your safety." Jean said, handing him the box. "You don't have to open it now. You're probably sick to death of emotions today."

Jean trailed of as I have watched Andrew pop the lid and pull out the contents. A new set of armbands hung from his hands. They were mostly made of black cloth but had leather around the wrist and padding under the leather on the heels on the hands. The stitching was almost perfect, like a Capitol suit.

"They're beautiful Jean," Andrew said, "Thank you." Jean smiled, tears building up along his lash line. "Look after them for me." Jean nodded. "And ask Jeremy out. You're going to need someone else to talk to now." Jean nodded, laughing.

"You're still such an asshole." I have laughed, looking down. "Andrew. I love you. Like a brother. So, try and win. S'il vous plaît."

Andrew's eyes widened.

Jean knew the rules about please, and how he couldn't say it. The memories of the times Andrew fucked up so badly and got himself into the worse situation possible, and Betsy couldn't help him. Jean had discussed with him when these rules were first laid down about whether asking him in French would still trigger any unwanted memories. Andrew said no, it wouldn't. Jean still agreed that he would only use the French version if he was desperate.

And this was the first time he had ever used it.

"Ditto Jean." Andrew whispered, looking back at the armbands. "And I will. Don't worry."

#TouchMyTearsAU #all for the game #andrew minyard #andriel #jean moreau #jerejean #andrew x neil #neil josten #nerik #renee walker #david wymack #kevin day #aftg #the foxhole court #the kings men #the raven king #jeremy knox #nicky hemmick #nicky x erik

41 notes · View notes

starrobot96 · 2 years

Text

Ducktales OCs/Ideas (Mostly Moonlanders-No using without my Permission)

Eclipsius- son of Lunaris and Crescenca (FOC). Grandson to Meridian, Nocturnus (MOC), and Rilla (FOC)

Appearance: red hair, light blue eyes, cerulean skin, and has a birthmark reminiscent of an eclipse on the back of his right shoulder (a circle surrounded by a crescent). Lithe frame that gains muscle as he gets older.

Personality: polite, intelligent, creative, observant to behavior and detail/good listener, passionate, amicable, curious, and honest

Voice Actors(s): *range as he gets older* Zeno Robinson (14-16), Josh Keaton (17-19), and Jason Bateman (mid or late twenties-onward)

Singing Voice: Jeremy Jordan

Inspirations: Varian (Tangled), Golden Guard/Hunter (Owl House), Hiccup (HTTYD), Jack Darby (Transformers Prime), Mune (Mune: Guardian of the Moon), and Spider-Man (mostly the MCU and 2017 versions)

Something About: incredibly talented at phytochemistry with a small knack for inventing and welding. Loves spring, autumn, chocolate, otters, cats, rabbits, and wolves. Self-conscious about how others see him, very loyal and affectionate towards his family, and is slow to anger. When he does get angry, it’s the kind where it starts quiet and calm but builds as he argues with a person. Can get bashful. Good at sketching and journaling.

Favorite Food: Italian Food (pizza, pasta dishes, seafood, etc.) Also likes spicy cuisines. Favorite breakfast foods are waffles, crepes, and muffins.

Favorite Drinks: Smoothies, Lemonade, Milkshakes, and Ginger Ale

Favorite Desserts: Ice cream, cookies, chocolate anything and brownies/blondies.

Favorite Fruit: strawberries, blueberries, apples, cherries, and citrus fruits (lemons, limes, grapefruits, and oranges).

Favorite Flavors: Chocolate, Cinnamon, Vanilla, and Honey.

Weird/Fun Facts: Will be the first to apologize but stands by morals. Cares a lot about apiology (study of honeybees) and melittology (Study of bees) due to their significant role in helping plants and the environment. Is the kind of person to trap an insect and let it go instead of killing it. Equally uses plants/chemicals derived from plants to heal people and use against enemies. Sort of a night owl. Would willingly eat zucchini bread or drink kombucha/cold pressed juices than certain Earther foods that he deems “too much” or “bland” (pop-tarts, the DT equivalent of lunchables, pop/fizzy rocks, and microwave burritos). Is Half Paxusian in another AU (more info later). Loves sweets but also has a soft spot for sour items. Can get absent-minded when overwhelmed. Often takes time outs without telling people which causes people to panic when they can’t find him. In most of my AUs, he’s in a relationship with Polara.

Polara: daughter of Sinus (canon male Moonlander) and Axira (FOC). Niece of Ephemeris (FOC)

Appearance: violet hair (dyed dark magenta at the bottom in some AUs), aubergine eyes, and royal purple skin. Slim and lithe build that gains a little curve as she gets older.

Personality: sassy, determined, supportive, innovative, diligent, fierce, calm, and empathetic.

Voice Actors: Peyton Elizabeth Lee (14-16), Eden Espinosa (17-19), and Anne Hathaway (mid or late twenties-onward)

Singing Voice: Zendaya

Inspirations: Audrey (Disney’s Atlantis movies), Rani (Lion Guard), Kira (Jake game series), Monique (Kim Possible), Ingrid Third (Fillmore!) and Nani Pelekai (Lilo & Stitch)

Something About: Is down-to-Earth (no pun intended) and very mature. Doesn’t put up with boasting, tall-tale telling, and plagiarism. Will not be afraid tot ell someone that they’re in the wrong and will get mad if said person tries to blame others or play the victim. She’s into robotics and mechanics with a knack for handling a kiln for crafts like pottery and glass blowing. Loves summer, autumn, coffee, koalas, sea turtles, big cats, and foxes. Has a sisterly side but when push comes to shove, she stands her ground.

Favorite Food: Burgers and Fries (any potato based side)/Onion rings. Soups with sandwiches or bread (French Onion, Tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich, soup in bread bowls, etc.) Dips with bread/chips. Loves spicy food, seafood, and anything with dairy and carbs. Favorite breakfast food is French toast, coffee cake, and scones.

Favorite Drink: Coffee (lattes, espressos, mochas, frapps, etc.), Tea (iced/hot, sweetened, etc.), Root Beer, and Soda (tie between Pep and Coo-Coo Cola)

Favorite Desserts: Pastries/Sweet baked goods, doughnuts, cake (especially cupcake and cheesecake), and any sweet styled after coffee

Favorite Fruits: raspberries, blackberries, pears, bananas, and peaches

Favorite Flavors: Coffee, Salted Caramel, Peanut Butter, and Maple

Fun/Weird Facts: Tends to go meditate, shower/swim (depends on location), or jog with music. Does deeply care for other people but has a limit. Hates jell-o and energy drinks. Secretly likes reading murder mysteries and domestic fiction. Is a bit of a movie fiend. Would willingly tutor a person, especially if it’s a subject she likes (like history, science, or math). The kind of girl who could have popularity if she wanted it but does not care for it due to stereotypes and peer pressure associated with the “in-crowd.” Willingly helps others hide if she senses they need alone time or they’re about to lose it. Prefers coconut to cotton candy. Is in a relationship with Eclipsius in most AUs. Is half-Paxusian in one AU. Actually likes seasonal coffee drinks. Will go hangout in a café, bookstore, or library.

Crescena: wife/mate of Lunaris and mother of Eclipsius (MOC). Daughter of Nocturnus (MOC) and Rilla (FOC)

Appearance: long red hair, light blue eyes, lapis skin, and a birthmark( in the shape of a crescent moon with little dots inside it to mimic stars. Slender frame with hints of curves.

Personality: gentle, protective, brave, smart, encouraging, free-spirited, and reasonable

Voice Actor: Zoe Saldana

Singing Voice: Christina Aguilera

Inspirations: Anne Possible (Kim Possible), Mystique (X-Men), Kida (Disney’s Atlantis), Black Canary (Justice League), Mera (Justice League), Helen Parr/Elasti-Girl-Mrs. Incredible (The Incredibles), and Captain Amelia (Treasure Planet)

Something About: Equal parts dreamer and realistic. Works for what she wants. Knows when to mind her own business and when someone needs her help. Bold and playful when she wants to be but knows how to be serious and take initiative. Loves winter, autumn, cats, birds, horses, seasonal flavors, and s’mores. Leans more towards literature, reading, and archiving. Loves reading stories, both fictional and real. Fierce fighter as she is smart.

Favorite Food: Mexican, Italian, and Mediterranean Food. Favorite breakfast food is cinnamon rolls, pancakes, and waffles.

Favorite Drinks: Sweet Tea, Latte (pumpkin spice and salted caramel), Juice/Cider, and Pep

Favorite Desserts: Anything with chocolate. And in the fall/winter, anything with pumpkin/spice, white chocolate peppermint, gingerbread, and eggnog.

Favorite Fruits: strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, oranges, pears, and apples

Favorite Flavors: Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice, Honey, and Mocha.

Fun/Weird Facts: In the case of most of the AUs, Crescena and Eclipsius are the only Moonlanders with red hair (a rarity that is often associated with greatness, good luck, and promise). In most of the AUs, Crescena is sought after by both Lunaris and Penumbra. She has powers in two or three AUs. In one AU, she is full Paxusian. Will alternate from running barefoot through open spaces to sitting quietly in the archives or at a coffee shop reading a book or going through documents.

Axira: mother of Polara (FOC), mate/wife of Sinus (canon unnamed male Moonlander), and sister-in-law of Ephemeris (FOC)

Appearance: pale jade hair, seafoam skin, and dark aquamarine eyes. Thin but athletic build

Personality: sensitive, humble, thoughtful, alert, soothing, outspoken, and wise

Voice Actress/Singing Voice: Jennifer Hudson

Inspirations: Queen Arianna (Tangled), Marianne Thornberry (The Wild Thornberrys), Trudy Proud (Proud Family), Nakoma (Pocahontas), Kanga (Winnie the Pooh), Fauna (Sleeping Beauty), and Noelani (Rocket Power)

Something About: Is a cautious mother but not too overprotective. Is experienced and understands that the worse thing she can do is prevent her child fromf acing the world. Unlike Della, Axira reminds her daughter to be wary of people but also not to immediately jump to hostility. Takes her time to get use to things. Will not hesitate to take action or jump in to defend her loved one. Very sweet and sensible. Loves winter, spring, large marine mammals, small mammals, and owls. Will not be afraid to go to toe to toe with someone, doesn’t matter who, if she sees someone she loves or someone she knows is innocent and helpless in need of help.

Favorite Food, Drinks, Desserts, Fruits, and Flavors: Yet to be announced

Fun/Weird Facts: Is full Paxusian in one AU (more to come)

Sinus: canon Moonlander man. Brother of Ephemeris (FOC), mate/husband of Axira (FOC), and father of Polara (FOC) has the same build as the male Moonlander who said “Oh no!” at the end of “The Golden Spear” but with similar coloring to Polara. Loving and protective father who is new to Earth. Very cautious of Eclipsius in all my AUs where he and Eclipsius both exist. Yet to decide on voice actor.

Ephemeris: sister of Sinus (canon), sister-in-law of Axira (FOC), and aunt of Polara (FOC)

Appearance: plum hair, dark violet skin, aubergine eyes with a build similar to Zenith.

Personality: intelligent, voice of reason, undauntable, sarcastic, caring, firm, and open-minded

Voice Actress: Yet to be announced

Inspirations: Dr Baranova (Transformers Rescue Bots), Velma Dinkley (Scooby Doo), Professor Ivy (Pokemon), Susan Calvin (I, Robot). More to come.

Something About: Keeps a cool-head under pressure. Is serious but not neurotic or belittling. Takes everything into stride. Actually has a humorous and friendly side to her. Loves her brother but can only put up with so much of his antics and nervousness. Also gets mad when Penumbra and Lunaris argue.

More coming soon…

Obscurin: fellow Moonlander soldier and surrogate brother of Lunaris and Penumbra.

Appearance: similar muscular build to Lunaris but has a sharper face structure. Cobalt skin with indigo eyes and white hair (later dyes it midnight blue). Wear more gold armor.

Personality: soft-spoken, trustworthy, loyal, heart of gold (again, pun not intended), ethical, courageous, rational.

Voice Actor: Sterling K. Brown

Inspirations: Mattias (Frozen 2), Cutter (Antz), Ultra Magnus (Transformers Prime), Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes (Marvel), and Ronan (Epic)

Somethings About: In many AUs, he was raised and trained alongside Penumbra and Lunaris by Meridian. He lost his own father at an early age and Meridian stepped in. He is essentially the ideal soldier, as he puts his people first and will only disobey an order when he has no other choice. While he truly does want to be a father and have a mate, his strict work ethic and outside demeanor make it hard for him to connect with anyone aside from Lunaris, Penumbra, Ephemeris, Sinus, Gibbous, Zenith, Palus, Axira, Meridian (before he died), and Crescena. He is also essentially Eclipsius’s godfather/uncle. Is still a caring and good man underneath it all.

More to add soon.

Paxusians: In two or so of my AUs, Paxusians are a sister race to the Moonlanders. They are similar in biology and looks but, as oppose to the Moonlanders’s blue, green, and purple skin coloring, they come in a variety of other colors. Both species can also survive with and without atmosphere. The Paxusians once too also once lived on a Moon (one of Mars’ moons) in peace with both the Moonlanders and the people of Mars’s other moon, the Bellumites. The Paxusian culture/society is like a cross between ancient civilizations and futuristic utopia, their lunar home having similar qualities to Earth (plants, water, art, resources, animals, minerals, ruling system/government, etc.).

That changed when the Bellumites lost their resources and sought out the terraform Mars itself. At the same time, the Paxusians were looking to make a union with the Moonlanders and decided to colonize and terraform Mars as well to make room for future generations. Despite attempts to negotiate with each other, the Paxusians and Bellumites declared war on each other. While the Bellumites (reptile-simian esque creatures) had their weapons and strength, the Paxusians had their own defense: Aether-Wielders. These Aether Wielders were Paxusians who could derive/use the energy and life force of their surroundings and elements to heal/help others or fight against enemies.

The war went on for a decade before a biological attack attempt by the Bellumites went south and ended killing off all the Bellumites and hurting both Mars and the Paxusians home. While the Paxusians were able to flee with a good amount of their tech and resources, the Aether-Wielder numbers had been horrendously obliterated to three. The Moonlanders, who were lead by Meridian, allowed the Paxusians a safe haven on their planet. All was well for three years before the Paxusians discovered that they could not thrive in Tranquility like they did on their own home. So, with a heavy heart, Meridian and his fellow Moonlanders bid goodbye to their neighbors. It was around this time that Meridian noticed the Earth start emitting more objects off their planet, causing him to force his people to hide indefinitely. Little did they know that their fellow lunarsapiens had found refuge on a little island on the same planet the Moonlanders feared.

Fact: Paxusians cames form the word Pax which is Latin for peace. Bellumites comes from Bellum which means war. I did it in reference to Tranquility. Peace and Tranquility.

Other characters to be shared soon:

Aurorius (Paxusian Aether Wielder)

Virgo, Cygnus, Umbree, Ursina, Orionnah, Flaren, (Paxusian teens, friends of Polara and Eclipsius)

Azimuth (Paxusian female warrior)

Syzygy (Paxusian doctor)

Illuminus (Paxusian Council member)

Nocturnus and Rilla (Moonlanders in some AUs and Paxusians in others)

#ducktales 2017 #ducktales lunaris

6 notes · View notes

kazoosandfannypacks · 2 years

Text

I posted 4,517 times in 2021

1071 posts created (24%)

3446 posts reblogged (76%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 3.2 posts.

I added 1,267 tags in 2021

#tangled - 180 posts

#tangled the series - 170 posts

#varian - 165 posts

#eugene fitzherbert - 158 posts

#rapunzel - 135 posts

#rapunzel's tangled adventure - 135 posts

#tw caps - 105 posts

#disney - 79 posts

#cassandra - 70 posts

#newsies - 70 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#i have never felt more important or famous than when an army of children chanted at me for half an hour as they awaited merciful rainfalls o

My Top Posts in 2021

Based on this meme

321 notes • Posted 2021-09-12 20:03:42 GMT

Jeremy Jordan: *stage actor with a wide palate of other credits, including tv, movie, and animated roles* Me whenever I see Jeremy Jordan in something:

Image ID: a screenshot from Newsies Live, in which Crutchie says "this here's the famous Jack Kelly." End image ID

350 notes • Posted 2021-04-09 12:01:34 GMT

I think it's time I make a ✨Boys Positivity Post✨

When they put their hand behind their neck while they're thinking.

Smiling. I've never met a boy (or a girl for that matter) with an ugly smile

Especially smiles!!! From boys who don't normally smile!!! Or if you happen to see someone for some reason smile without their mask for the first time, it's like, dude.

Also what they smile at! I saw a Nice Boy smiling at math problems he was doing terribly at because he just really enjoyed trying to solve math problems, and I about lost my mind!

When you complement them, and they get so flustered, and you realize how much your opinion mattered to them. Boys deserve more compliments!

When they say anything respectful about women!

The boys who have good relationships with their siblings and parents and the times when you're blessed to see them all being soft and affectionate and also teasing each other

When they make a joke and look at you to see if you're laughing

Boys who remember inside jokes and bring them up later, repeatedly, until peanut butter and muffins or something become a running gag

Boys who have the courage to cry or be emotional in a way other than anger

When they sing. Oh gosh, a good singing voice will do ya in. Even a bad one will if they've got the spirit.

And, like, that singing that's just a breathy and quiet and deep! Oh boy!

Also when they get excited about little things!

Boys being friends with each other and platonically affectionate!

Boys who aren't afraid to platonically hug or touch their friends when they need it, without thought of relationship

When boys respect your ability in sports and get excited to have you on their team!

Boys. Who. Can. Cook.

When they share a little food or buy you a snack or something

Please add on to this!

498 notes • Posted 2021-06-14 12:01:21 GMT

Y'all ever been in love with how much a fictional character is in love with another fictional character?

718 notes • Posted 2021-11-05 12:03:12 GMT

Okay, so you know how we say stuff like "Tom Holland's Peter Parker" and "Mark Hamil's Joker" and stuff?

HOW DID THIS NEWS ARTICLE EXPECT ME TO READ THIS HEADLINE?

BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPLYING THAT

TOM HIDDLESTON

IS THE CHARACTER

PLAYED BY LOKI

I'M SORRY I JUST GOT CONFUSED FOR A BIT

1967 notes • Posted 2021-04-10 12:01:49 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

#my 2021 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

4 notes · View notes

connor-draws-things · 4 years

Text

I decided to make a list of all the OCs I have I can think of like, just right now. Man, I have a lot of characters. And these are just the ones off the top of my head. Who knows how many I really have?

Flavormares

-Vanilla

-Ian

-Lemon

-Lime

-Cupcake

-Muffine

-Cherry

-Logan

-Mango

-Peach

-Cinnamon

-Paprika

-Bubblegum

-Broccoli

We Are Not Alone

-Hanayita

-Tyler

-Virus

-Danny

-Jack

-Mister Rie

Furry OCs

-Tyler

-Sam

The Riverton Boys

-Michael

-Zack

-Asher

-Fin

Miscellaneous

-Taylor

-Alex

-Michael (demon)

-Ezekiel

-Pat/Patty

-Stella Nora

-Alice

-Valerie

-Jaiden

-Hana

-Zach

-Sam

-Zane

-David

-Riku

-Tora

-Valentino

-Ramone

-Michael (Wannabe pilot)

-Jeremy

-King

-Lucio

-Jackson

-Luana

Apocalypse/Forest

-Emerald

-Ruby

-Jay

Ivy and Alexander

-Ivy

-Alexander

Alien Apocalypse

-Emmanuel (main guy)

-Zachariah (a-hole)

-Justin (leader)

-Ben (Babey)

Medieval

-Sebastian

-Val

-Girta

-Tabitha

-William

-Mary

-Arthur

-Charlie

-Richard

Cats Kingdom thing

-Sebastian

-Alexander

-Olivia

-Sarah

Shit this is a lot,, 72 to be exact,,, dhfvfbfbdvbdbdb it'll probably be much more when I check all my older sketchbooks lmao

#random post #long post

3 notes · View notes

nomorelonelydays · 5 years

Text

kick your pretty feet up on my dash

Part 1 | Part 2

Two days after the Instagram account opens, Sidney unofficially gets put on naming duty.

The strawberry shortcake biscuit is named The Taylor.

The cream cheese-stuffed banana muffins, crusted with dark chocolate ganache, is The Fleury.

The slice of warm spiced peach cobbler (available for just two weeks), topped with a generous portion of thick, whipped cream and vanilla ice cream, is The Deidre.

He shares the account password with her, but she seems more interested in digging up her mom’s old recipes from an ancient box filled with yellowed index cards than photographing.

“I’ll leave that up to you,” she says, then passes him a card titled, ‘Cherry Layer Chocolate Cake.’ “I think I’ll make this for the holidays. What do you think?”

Deidre makes just one and a half cakes for a trial run (the other half, which had come out lopsided, is sitting in the back of Sidney’s fridge). It’s another instant hit.

Sidney watches a couple, two teenagers who are making it pretty painfully obvious that they’re on their first date, split a slice in a corner seat. She’s chasing the cherry around the plate with her fork, and he watching her like she hung the literal moon. He laughs a little too hard at her jokes, his eyes crinkling like Geno’s when he’s chirping Sidney. But with the way she’s beaming, it’s clear that she doesn’t mind at all.

He’s not jealous—or, at least, he doesn’t think he’s jealous. Having hockey and having a boyfriend have always been mutually exclusive. But now, with no obligations to the NHL, he’s supposedly free to do everything that he’s wanted to. He doesn’t dwell too long on it though, because the last thing he needs is to have an existential spiral in Deidre’s store over whether or not he’s missed his his golden hour to be happy the exact minute the Penguins drafted him all those years ago.

He finishes lettering the card for the cherry chocolate cake and slides ‘The Jack’ neatly into its proper holder.

Geno calls him on Thursday nights now, like clockwork. He’s grateful for the routineness of it, especially when he knows how much Geno lives on spontaneity. It’s always the same—updates on how the team is doing (good, the weather over in Pittsburgh (not so good), another dumb prank the rookies are trying to pull (hilarious, but slightly unoriginal with the shaving cream), even though it’ll never be as good as the ones Flower used to plan.

“How are you?” Geno asks one night, while Sidney is puttering around the kitchen to figure out what he wants to make for dinner. “Your tomatoes grow?”

“I think those are a goner,” Sidney grimaces. The entire plant had shriveled up weeks ago, despite Sidney faithfully watering them. “Guess I’ll just have to stick with the storebought ones.”

Geno is silent for a bit. Then, “Is quiet in locker room without you.”

Sidney pauses. “I doubt that’s true.” There’s plenty of rookies every year, eager to prove themselves on the ice and to establish themselves as a personality on the team. Besides, Sidney has never been the life of the party—that’s always been Geno himself.

“No, is quieter.” Geno sounds like he’s swallowing a yawn. “Different without you.”

Sidney’s heart flounders, and he has to blink a couple of times before his throat unclogs. “Maybe you should get to sleep. It’s pretty late over there.”

“No, I’m not tired,” Geno mumbles, sounding very drowsy. Sidney can almost picture Geno, hair-mussed and sleepy eyes about to close as he curls up on his mattress. “Want to keep talking.”

“I know you have practice tomorrow, G,” Sidney says. “You have the C now, you can’t get there two hours late anymore.”

“I’m never late,” Geno huffs. “You too early.”

“Get some rest,” Sidney says gently. “I’ll still be here next week, same as usual.”

“Maybe I call tomorrow.’

“I won’t go anywhere.”

“Wish you still here, Sid,” he murmurs. “Miss you so bad, some days.”

Sidney doesn’t miss a beat. “I miss you, too,” he whispers, because any louder and he knows his voice will crack. “I’ll be here tomorrow. And the day after, if you still want to call.”

“Okay,” Geno says. “Okay.”

Sidney’s restocking the brioche rolls when Deidre’s voice casually pipes up from the coffee machine, “You have a secret admirer, you know.”

“I know. It’s Samantha. PTA President,” Sidney says, trying to not sound exasperated. He only knows her name and title because she must’ve giggled it at him as a greeting every single time she’s marched in. “She asked me what the main ingredient was in the banana muffins and I told her banana like, three times.”

“She just likes to hear you say banana. And no, it’s not Sam.” Deidre makes a come hither motion with her hands and slides a napkin towards Sidney. “Yesterday afternoon, there was a young man, maybe around his 30s, who stopped by for a latte and he asked where you were.”

“Oh.” There’s something he can’t name fluttering in his stomach. The words on the napkin scrawled out, Jeremy, and a string of numbers. “What did you say?”

“I told him, ‘He’s a cute one, isn’t he? He’s the store eye candy, bringing in all the sales.’”

“Dee, you didn’t.”

“I did, and he went full red. It was adorable. And I told him that you pop in in the mornings and in the afternoon to help with opening and closing.” She leans forward, grinning. “I’m just saying, think about it.”

He thinks about it.

At night, he tells Geno, “I think I have a secret admirer. Or a stalker.”

Geno’s voice suddenly becomes infinitely more awake. “Have what? Someone stand outside your house? I read about this before, you need call police.”

“No, it was at the bakery. I got his number on a napkin. Well, the owner gave me his name on a napkin, so I don’t really know what he looks like. He could be 100. People in this town are usually…around that age range.”

Geno still sounds perplexed. “So say no.”

“What?”

“Say sorry, only go on dates with girls. But thank you.”

Sidney’s brain feels like it’s stuttering to a pause. “Geno, what the fuck?”

“What?”

“I don’t ‘only go on dates with girls.’ I—” Well, to be quite fair, he hasn’t gone on any dates at all. “You know this.”

It takes a full ten seconds for Geno to crackled back to life on the line again. His voice is hesitant. “You only bring girls to events. Like Halloween, or—”

“They’re my friends, I’ve told you. I’m not going to bring a guy in front of you guys,” he exclaims, then reigns in his voice. His heart is beating like a jackhammer boring straight through. “Hey, listen, I have a pretty early day tomorrow, I’ll talk to you next week, okay?”

“Sid, wait—”

He hangs up and puts his phone face down on the nightstand. It’s not his proudest moment.

I’m sorry(((, the text reads. The timestamp indicates that the message had been sent at 2 AM. You should go on a date with secret guy. Maybe he’s secret Ryan Reynolds.

Geno’s texts are never longer than five words, usually cryptic versions of a yes or no, accompanied by eyeless smilies. Sidney wonders if he’d been painstakingly worrying over each word since Sidney hastily ended the conversation.

I don’t think he’s Ryan Reynolds, Sidney sends back. Besides, no one in this town knows hockey. That’s gonna be a problem.

Geno’s reply is instantaneous, as if he’d been waiting.

Picky)))))

More messages follow in quick succession, before Sidney can even start typing.

But always best for u. Deserve the best only.

He laces up his shoes and heads to Dee’s.

It snows a little mid-December.

He helps Deidre with the decorations, hanging up tinsel and little snowflake cutouts on the window. She has a box of Christmas lights stored away in a dusty box from the attic, which definitely looks like they haven’t been disturbed since the 80s, but the one of the bulbs dies with a sad fizz the moment Sidney plugs it in. So they have to make do with the other nonflammable options.

The store looks nice. ‘Well-loved’ is a better word for it, with its mismatched decorations and ancient garlands. He snaps a photo of the mini tree on the counter for Instagram before he goes to help Deidre frost the rest of the ornament-shaped sugar cookies.

There’s commotion on the streets from all the tourists and families coming back for the holidays. He thinks about flying to Nova Scotia for the holidays, but then he realizes that none of Deidre’s children will be coming to Cardwell Point.

“They’re busy,” she shrugs indifferently, but she turns her back to Sidney as she busies herself with rearranging the shelfs. “It’s alright. That’s what Skype is for, right? Besides, I have to watch the store.”

He thinks about Geno, who’s probably headed to Florida soon to escape the onslaught of winter chill that he absolutely abhors, no matter how much he loves the city. He could Skype Geno, or Facetime him. Except Geno would always have the angle wrong, and Sidney’s sure he’d just get an on-brand mugshot of Geno’s nostril from the bottom up for the whole conversation.

He did ask Sidney if he wanted to go to Florida, except the way he had asked had felt like a given tagged with a question mark at the end (Florida w me this year?). Nonetheless, Sidney had been tempted.

But he also wonders if he’d feel even more homesick when Geno is physically standing in front of him again, all tall and loud and too big, too much, too many years of his unrequited love staring at him and making Sidney think that he has a chance. He doesn’t want to go to Florida to watch Geno pick up strangers at a club.

“I’m not going anywhere, either,” he tells her.

She looks over, finally, pursing her lips like she’s trying to hold back her smile.

@DeesBakeryandCafe

Season’s greetings and a happy New Year to our wonderful customers and families here in Cardwell Point. Hope everyone is spending time with their loved ones this holiday season.

Winter refuses to go. The clouds hang over the streets stubbornly, and each days trudges on like it’s dragging its feet.

He misses skating.

He misses Geno. Especially as it gets closer to February and teenagers and adults alike start coming to the shop in twos, their gloved hands clasped together as they squeeze through Dee’s tiny corridor when it’s really much easier to be in a single-file line.

He’s not jealous. He is not.

But he is lonely. And really fucking cold.

He serves up at least thirty slices of The Jack, which is apparently the most popular item these days thanks to Instagram. Deidre switches up the decoration, so the cherry-glazed design in the middle forms a big, gaudy heart. The Internet completely eats up. Sidney doesn’t understand it.

“It’s like a Titanic reference, right?” a customer asks, as he picks up the cake for his wife. “Like, an ‘I’ll never let you go,’ kind of thing. Jack and Rose?”

“Sure,” Sidney says. It’s really for his first childhood crush, but he can work with the Titanic.

The moment Deidre fills her last custom order of The Jack (and there had been plenty of those, for anniversaries to birthdays to just becauses), she tells Sidney that she’s figured out how to make her mother’s cheesecake.

“Finally worked out how to stop the goddamn filling from clotting,” she says, cutting him a slice. The cake has a brownie bottom, and the inside is perfectly creamy and smooth and dotted with dark chocolate chips. “What do you think?”

“I’m biased,” Sidney says, trying to not scarf down the whole thing like an animal. “I love cheesecakes. This one is my favorite so far.”

“Good,” she tells him. “You can name this one, then.”

His fork stops mid-air. “Weren’t you going to call it ‘The Lily’?”

She pats his arm affectionately, not unlike the day she did when Sidney told her why he ended up at Cardwell Point. “I figured she wouldn’t mind. This can be our second February special. God, I’m sick of The Jack.”

The next week, Sidney carefully slides The Geno in its display cabinet.

(Deidre doesn’t ask about the peculiar name. She never does, and Sidney is grateful.)

After over a decade in the NHL, he’s well aware of what he can and can’t have. But lately he’s been feeling selfish. He snaps a photo of the cheesecake and sends it to Deidre.

It’s a good photo.

“I got invited to a neighborhood potluck yesterday,” Sidney mumbles into the receiver, when Flower asks him how retirement is treating him. “I don’t know what to bring. Maybe I’ll bring something from the bakery.”

“Do you officially work at the bakery or are you just there because the owner is blackmailing you? Does she know who you are?”

“I just help out when I can. And no, I told you, it’s not a hockey town. They do have competitive knitting here. It’s a thing.” Sidney doesn’t have much to do these days, aside from working out and catching up on reading, which means that he does end up doing most of the latter in the café. Maybe he should take up competitive knitting. “I started an Instagram for her shop. We just hit 200 followers.”

“You know how to do that?” Flower asks, because he’s a little shit. “I’m kidding, I know you’re not actually a senior citizen.”

Sidney rolls his eyes. “I haven’t checked it in a while though. I let Deidre handle the posting now. It’s her shop, anyways.”

“What’s the handle?”

He tells him. Flower is quiet for a bit as he searches through the page. “Pretty cool, eh?”

“Yeah,” Flower says, his voice slightly off. “Yeah, it’s—it’s good. Looks like the real deal.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Of course it’s the real deal.”

Flower makes a noncommittal noise. “Nothing. Cheesecake looks good. Does Geno know?”

“No,” Sidney says. “I mentioned the bakery once or twice. He didn’t ask. Not, uh—not after I told him about Jeremy.”

“Secret napkin man?” Flower remembers. “You didn’t go on that date?”

“No, I didn’t go on a date with ‘secret napkin man,’” he mimics. “I don’t think he’d care.”

“I think he’d care.” Flower always sounds so sure when he wants to be serious, and it’s one of the things Sidney missed most when he left for Vegas—there’d been a metaphorical hollow within the team for a good few months following his departure, and that void never quite got replaced no matter what.

“Maybe.”

Sidney can only hope. But he’s a little too old for hoping these days.

Foot traffic is slower when they hit March, but Deidre promises that it’ll pick up when Cardwell Point’s 11th Annual Theater Festival starts in the middle of the month, because that’s apparently the other big thing aside from the 4th of July Carnival Bash. Sidney has just packed up another dozen of red velvet cupcakes for Samantha the PTA Queen when the front bell jingles.

“Hello? I’m look for—”

Sidney heart leaps to his throat.

“Sid,” Geno says softly. He looks like the wind knocked him in (it probably had), mismatched Frakenshirts and all. “Hi, Sid.”

Samantha may as well not have even walked into the store at all.

“How are—“ He must be imagining things. But Geno takes another step, until he’s right in front of the counter and Sidney can reach out and touch just how real he is. He hasn’t changed much--still the same eyes, the same nose and lips, and maybe his hair is a bit thinner but he still makes Sidney’s chest feel too small and too big all at once. “Where did you—how are you here?”

“Fly,” Geno says sheepishly. “Wanted to see you.”

“What about—”

“No games until Friday.” He’s staring at Sidney like he’s looking his fill and he can’t get enough. “I—I see your post, and I just—buy ticket.”

“What post?”

Geno pulls out his phone and flips through it until he lands at a familiar Instagram account. He passes it over to Sidney, his hands warm as it brushes against Sidney’s fingers.

@DeesBakeryCafe

‘I love you’ tastes a lot like our chocolate chip cheesecake, The Geno.

“Oh,” Sidney breathes. “Oh.”

#retirement fic #sidgeno #okay!!! getting closer to the final part #probably wont be any posting during the weekday because need to do Real Job things #but hope you guys enjoy #wish i knew graphic so i can like...make a graphic header

241 notes · View notes

binsofchaos · 3 years

Photo

Jeremy’s Cheese Bread (Pao de Queijo) | Two Red Bowls

Yield: 24 mini cheese breads

Ingredients

1 cup (125 grams) tapioca flour or tapioca starch

½ cup whole milk or milk of your choice

¼ cup vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the pan

1 large egg

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (about 2 ounces) shredded cheese of your choice (we like Parmesan and mozzarella)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 24-well mini-muffin pan with cooking spray or oil.

In a blender, combine the flour, milk, vegetable oil, egg, and salt. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed, about a minute or so. Add the cheese and pulse once or twice more, until just combined.

Divide the batter evenly into the greased mini-muffin pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Baking for less time will give stretchier, chewier rolls, and more will give a crispier exterior. Serve warm. Leftovers can be frozen and reheated at 400 for 5 minutes.

NOTES

Using a blender helps fully emulsify and aerate the batter, especially as the tapioca flour has a cornstarch-y consistency that can be difficult to mix by hand. That said, you should be able to use a food processor, stand mixer, or electric beater to achieve the same effect.

In terms of variations, other cheeses–cheddar, or Monterey Jack, for example–or different types of milk will work, and replacing a few tablespoons of the milk with sweetened condensed milk nicely complements the tapioca flour’s natural sweetness. However, do keep the amount of egg and oil the same, as that can affect how well the puffs rise and hold their shape, interestingly.

#jeremy's cheese bread #cheese bread #pao de queijo #two red bowls #gratitude #love #family #memory

0 notes

takemedancingmaine · 6 years

Text

My feet ache. My thighs are burning. I’m dodging families and vehicles. Especially dodging cyclists with their maniacal ways. Honestly, my hatred for cyclists can probably be blamed on Jeremy Clarkson, but as a runner I’ve found his rants about them much more factual than purely hatred based.

Eight kilometres into my run. Only two to go. It’s eight am. It’s Thursday. It’s a bye week, so I don’t have therapy this week. Sometimes I feel that the nicest part of the new job I’ve got is that I can wake up and make myself a real breakfast rather than just grabbing a smoothie on my way into the office.

I’ve been in the broadcast news room for a week now. It’s been enlightening. I’ve not had any big days like my first, none of my segments made it into the first two blocks, but I haven’t felt down about it since Saturday when I talked to Liam.

I’ve been managing. I’ve been doing well. I’ve learned to take solace in just being part of each nightly broadcast.

It’s when I hit the ninth kilometre, my watch beeping at me as I hit another mark. Only one to go.

It’s now that my mind starts to drift. To a certain primary school teacher.

Thoughts of blue eyes, dimples, a ginger coloured beard and strawberry blonde hair. Thoughts of a lean build in a stupidly attractive button down that was worn the other night at the pub.

Thoughts of Jack have been swirling in my mind like a maelstrom, around and around, and I’ve been unable to pull myself out of the spiral. I keep thinking of the blush that crept onto his face and the way he bit his lip. It makes my heart soar. There’s no way he could be into me. Which makes my heart sink.

And so the spiral continues.

I haven’t heard from Jack or his sister Lily since that night after she made sure I had arrived home safely.

I haven’t told Piper about seeing him again either. I don’t want to get her started on ‘shipping’ us. We are not to become her ‘OTP’. That isn’t something I need. Piper would not rest until she got us together and that would be embarrassing on a lot of fronts when it doesn’t work out.

I’ve got a bead of sweat on my brow about to drop into my eye. So I reach up and swipe it away with the inner crease of my arm, momentarily blocking my view, forcing me to have to swerve past a stroller at the last second.

“Fuck sake,” I mumble with a harsh breath in regard to the stroller as I see my street finally come to view ahead of me.

It had been suggested when I started running that I do not listen to music when I run. Melissa wanted to do a sort of test to see where my mind wandered when it had an allocated time to just think and be. So, since the day I started, I never have listened to music. As a consequence, I never bring my phone with me.

That feeling is quite freeing. For as long as I’m out running, whether it be a long run or a short one, I’m away from everything, any distractions and any micro stressors that I’ve got in my life. Instead, all I have to think about is my ability to keep going, my ability to struggle through the blisters and the ankle sprains and whatever other injuries I may get as a result.

It makes me proud of myself: running. It’s hard to do and every day I do it, for myself.

My mother and brother used to worry, of course, that I would be out around London early in the morning without a phone to contact anyone in case of emergency. When I got my new GPS watch it made them feel a bit better that it could be connected to my phone.

I turn that feature off when I’m out though so that nothing and no one can distract me from my running getaway. I don’t tell them that, though.

Let them think I’m taking all precautions. That white lie won’t hurt them.

I make my way up the front steps of the building and catch my breath quickly as I put in the pin for my building and jog up the stairs—all three flights—to get to our front door. Piper’s taken the day off from working in the gallery to take some new photos around the city.

She’s hoping to get some fall photos for a possible new exhibit. She’s trying to make the dying of summer, beautiful and spread that beauty. Fall, when the leaves slip from their branches, when the flowers lie dormant under the soil, and the sky becomes almost perpetually grey—more so than usual—is when the world renews itself.

Piper finds beauty in that. I love her for that. I like to compare her to Van Gogh in that way. She tends to roll her eyes at the comparison, but I still think it stands.

The best part of this is—her day away from the gallery—is that she’s made breakfast for us. I can smell it as I push open the front door and kick off my trainers.

“Oh,” Piper sighs when I step in and she sees me. “Thank god. Your phone just went off with an unknown number and I was too afraid to answer it for you,” she says, pointing to where it’s charging on the end table.

“You made mini quiches?” I ask in disbelief.

“I was going to make pastries and omelettes separately but I just… I got carried away.” She lifts her hands up and shrugs, almost helplessly. “I don’t really know what happened.”

With a laugh, I shake my head and pour myself a glass of milk.

“You having the day off is a very weird situation for me,” I give her an amused look.

“Yeah, well,” she smiles. “It’s weird having you home this late, too,” she knocks my elbow a bit as I drink. “I’m so used to you being gone before I even wake up. Now you’re out and about, having tea while I’m getting ready to leave for work.”

“It’s been a week and I’m not used to it either,” I say back. “I feel all sorts of discombobulated.”

“How was the run?” She asks now.

I look down at my watch and quickly calculate. “Not my best,” I make a face before smoothing it out. “But I did manage to avoid any major incidents with bicycles.”

“Now that’s improvement and should be celebrated properly,” Piper starts taking the mini quiches out of their muffin tins and placing them on a cooling rack. “Make yourself a nice brew and celebrate.”

“How many of those did you make?” I ask in awe as I watch her pull another mini muffin tin full of quiches from the oven.

“Forty-eight,” she mumbles.

“Right, well I know what my breakfast and lunch is going to be for the next week,” I tease her a bit more.

“Shut it,” she mumbles more and elbows me in the spleen.

“I’m going to shower,” I shrug and roll my eyes before heading to the bathroom.

“Good, because you smell bloody awful!” She yells after me as the door closes behind myself.

The stream is beating down on my shoulders and releasing the tension there, the steam filling up the small room around me as I breathe deeply and lean back to rinse the shampoo from my hair.

I can hear Piper put on some music and smile when I hear some Eagles playing. Piper and I had first bonded in uni when we were placed in the same housing. We were roomed directly across from each other in a six-student mixed-gender housing situation and about two months into the school year we realized we liked the same music and took our tea the same way.

It actually started when she had gotten upset with one of our other roommates for having sex—loudly—in the room adjacent to hers and so she’d placed her jbl speaker right against the wall they shared and started blasting Baba O’Riley as loud as it would allow her to.

I’d taken pity on her and told her she could sleep on my bed and I’d take the couch. She’d declined, but we ended up sitting up half the night on the couch drinking brews and discussing the music that was still playing loudly from down the hallway. We’d woken up with kinks in our necks from sleeping sitting up on the couch and ended up skipping our morning classes in order to sleep in our beds and then talk some more.

We’ve been best friends ever since.

It’s starting to get quite cold in the mornings, my runs more frigid than they had been just a few brief weeks before. The cold seeps in slowly after I run, the heat of my workout leaving me and the cold pulling me under. It’s why my typically cooler showers heat up so much in the winter. It’s the way I raise my body temperature back up.

With the shampoo all gone from my hair and the chill finally gone from my bones, I turn and push the water off, sighing as I dry off and wrap myself in a warm towel. In the mirror, I can’t help but notice the contrast between my dark, damp hair and my pale skin

I think it’s something about being British that I actually don’t mind being pale. Perhaps its because I’ve never really had the opportunity to see myself tan to compare.

There’s something almost cathartic about combing out my hair that I just love. It’s relaxing. Melissa thinks I use it as a metaphor. A sort of way to physically feel and see tangles being removed from my hair and by extension, my life. Piper, even though she’s fully supportive of me in all ways, thinks that’s a load of bullshit.

“Your phone buzzed again, and your tea is ready,” Piper calls as I tread from the bathroom to my bedroom to get dressed.

“You really are a blessing, no matter how in disguise you may be,” I tell her a few minutes later when I reappear from my room all clothed.

“You’re such a toad,” she pushes a plate filled with four mini quiches toward me as I lift the mug with my brew in it to my lips, blowing on it to hopefully cool it down a bit.

When I move the mug away from my mouth I give her a smile and a wink.

“You might actually be the worst,” she shakes her head.

“I honestly think I might be,” I shrug and take a sip of the brew. It’s perfect. Oh my gosh, it’s exactly what I needed. My eyes close and Piper giggles at my reaction.

“You and your brews are honestly the cutest thing I’ve ever seen, Wren,” I open my eyes in time to see Piper pop a mini quiche into her mouth.

“Verdict?” I ask.

“I did a proper good making these,” she brags.

“Oh come off your high horse, Pip,” I take a bite out of one of the pastries she’d given to me and I fight hard to keep my reaction to myself.

“It’s good, innit?” Piper asks with a smirk.

“Shut it,” I mumble around the food in my mouth and she laughs more before heading off to her room.

“My camera battery should be charged by now and I want to get as much out of the day after my whole, GBBO morning…” she trails off and I hear her shuffling in her room.

“For what it’s worth, I think you’d at least make it past the first round,” I call out to her.

“Thanks for that support you little shit,” she comes out of her room wearing her leather jacket and with her camera bag over her shoulder. “I’ll see you tonight, love,” she leans over and kisses my cheek. “Knock ‘em dead,” she grabs her keys and opens the door.

“God, sometimes I feel like we’re married,” I groan.

“Power couple of the year,” she winks before she’s gone, the door closing behind her and I’m left shaking my head.

It’s not until I’m leaving for work an hour later when I pull my phone off the charger on my way to the front door, that I’m reminded I have messages. One is from an unknown number, a voice message, while the other is from my brother asking if I can watch Charlie for a few hours on Saturday.

He has to head to work for a few hours.

I shake my head but quickly text back that I should be fine to watch Charlie and then slip my phone into my jacket pocket, doing up the bottoms and then heading out the door.

Every few moments I’m glancing at my watch, hoping to whoever or whatever that I make my train on time. I’d lost track of time when I was plaiting my hair and listening to a podcast, not realizing I was cutting it very close on time.

The cool air, while unwelcome while I’m out on a run, is actually some of my favourite weather and I feel a sense of calm fall over me as I shuffle past everyone who’s out and about on the sidewalk while I’m actually trying to get somewhere on a time frame.

A shocking idea to some people in London, I muse as I swipe my oyster card and practically jog down the escalators to get to the right platform on time.

“Fuckin’ hell,” I breathe out a sigh of relief as I step into the carriage just as the doors close. I honestly feel a bit like Indiana Jones when the doors just miss me. I find an empty seat and plop down into it unceremoniously before digging into my bag for headphones and plunking them in my ear before attaching them to my phone.

I open my voice messages and click play.

“Wren.”

My breath catches. It’s Jack.

I start to fiddle with the button on my coat nervously as I continue to listen. What if something happened to Charlie and Liam was too busy taking care of it to call me? I feel my pulse quicken as I listen more.

“It’s Jack.” There’s a breath and a pause. “I wanted to see if maybe you’d like to grab dinner with me.” Another pause. “I’m walking into school now so I won’t be able to answer until after three if you call back, but I’d love to hear from you.”

That’s it. He ends the call.

The people on the tube with me must think there’s something wrong with me—if they’re paying any attention at all. I’m flushed and breathing quickly, my heart beating at a quicker pace than a hummingbird’s wings. I’m almost sure it can be heard over the rattling of the train.

He wants to get dinner. With me. I think of his cheeky smile and feel my blush spread to the tips of my ears as I look down at my hands in my lap and bite my bottom lip.

I know for sure that by the time I reach work, walking forward out of the elevator, my blush is still noticeable on my cheeks. I feel like everyone can tell I’m giddy. Perhaps they think I’ve taken drugs. Even James, who’s been busy trying to convince Seamus to put something into the copy all day, seems to be looking at me funnily.

Consistently throughout the day, I find myself thinking about Jack. It’s worse than usual. When I run something over to Karl about the new speed cameras on the M5 I jump when I think about how close it is to three.

We’ve had the daily rundown meeting, through which I had a hard time focusing, and I’d been counting down the hours since I’d had a free moment to do so.

“Are you feeling alright?” Jamie asks when I sit down at my desk block. She’s diagonal across from me in the grouping of three, so she’s probably been watching me all day. “You look a bit flushed and you’ve seemed a bit out of it all day.”

“I’m fine,” I assure her. “Just a little distracted, but I’m fine,” I shoot her what I hope to be a reassuring smile and she nods, unconvinced. She returns her focus back to her desktop though and lets the subject drop, for which I’m grateful.

It’s five after three when I glance at the clock and feel my throat dry. What do I even say to him when I do call him? Shit. I’ve been so enamoured all day that I’ve forgotten to work out how to respond.

I know I want to go out with him, but how do I express that?

For a split second, I think about calling Piper and then immediately I shake that thought from my mind as quickly as it came. That would take me telling Piper about seeing him last weekend, would get her all excited for something that would more than likely turn out to be nothing. There was a reason I hadn’t told her in the first place.

No, that’s not something I’m interested in.

So now I’ve got to figure it out all myself. I mean, it’s not like I can ask Liam for advice. He’d probably lock me up in my bedroom if he knew I was thinking about going out on a date.

My older brother, who’s been married and has a child, is petrified by the very idea of my dating.

Find the logic behind that for me and I’ll pay you heartily in Yorkshire puddings. The best food in the world as a reward for a small tidbit of information. That’s a more than fair offer is all I’m saying.

It’s while I’m thinking that I realize I’ve opened my phone and pulled up Jack’s number to call him back. By now it’s almost four. That’s what all my planning has resulted in: no plan and an entire hour passed.

I hit his number and taking a deep breath I hold it and hover my thumb over the call button for a solid minute before releasing the breath and pressing the button.

“Hello,” his voice greets me after two rings.

If I was standing my knees would’ve given out. Such a simple word.

“I’d love to go to dinner with you,” I blurt before I can say anything else. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from rambling because in the brief silence I can feel myself wanting to ramble. Almost like word vomit.

“Is tonight good?” His voice lulls again, thankfully before I can let anything stupid to slip past my own lips.

“I don’t get off until nine,” I say now.

“That’s fine,” he tells me.

“I don’t want to keep you out late,” I continue.

“I don’t mind.”

“I’d be keeping you out late… on a school night!” I gasp for dramatic effect. “What is your mum going to think? She’ll call me a nuisance and a bad influence!”

“It could be argued that you’re both, but typically I don’t listen to what my mum says when it comes to things like this,” his voice has me blushing at my desk. In an open bullpen, at a shared desk, I’m blushing.

Oh god. I’m so embarrassed. On so many levels.

He continues. “I’m fine with however late you feel fit to keep me out. Hell, keep me out all night if you have to.”

I can hear his smirk just through his tone. I know that on his end of the call, as he holds the mobile to his ear, he’s just got a smug little smirk plastered on his face.

I, meanwhile, have a hand covering my eyes as my forehead rests on the desk and I try to make myself as small as possible.

“How about we get together on Saturday instead? I’ve got to watch Charlie for a bit but maybe we can just grab coffees and go to my friend’s gallery?” I ask, my stomach eating itself with my nerves.

“That sounds great,” he says. “I’ll see you Saturday, Wren.” He ends the call before anything else can be said.

There are butterflies and then there are elephants. I’ve got elephants clomping through my stomach, just smashing into each other and toppling and stampeding. It feels like I’m going to be violently sick in anticipation.

And that’s when I realize.

Now I have to tell Piper.

“Tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“I bloody don’t know, Wren but something is up with you.” We’re sat on top of unoccupied driers in our local laundromat, The Spin Cycle, watching our clothes spin round and round in the washers opposite us.

Every other Thursday night has been laundry night since uni (minus the few years Piper was up in Liverpool) and even with my schedule change, that’s remained the same.

Piper had seen how drained I was after one of my first therapy sessions and knew that doing coursework would’ve been too much for me. Still, she argued that I needed to feel productive somehow to pick me up and she had piles upon piles of clothes on her floor so that’s what she came up with.

It helped. And the routine was born. The two of us chatting lightly as we wash, fluff, and fold our laundry.

“Honestly, I dunno what you’re talking about,” I shrug now and wring my hands together.

“Well, that’s a lie, innit?” She gives me a prompting look.

“It might be,” I fire back.

“Oh, it might be?” She nudges me a bit with her elbow. “You’re such a cheeky fuck, aren’t you?”

“Fuckin’ right,” I smile back at her.

She shakes her head with a smile but after a minute of silence, she gets back into the inquiry. As a journalist and a news producer, you’d think Piper would be intimidated by my interviewing knowledge. You’d also think that I would be good at interviews and interview tactics, but not when I’m on the opposite side of the coin from normal.

I want to shiver just as she turns back to look at me.

“What is it?” she asks, her voice low, her eyes sincere.

The sincerity gets me. That’s what forces me to answer.

“You remember Charlie’s teacher?” I ask quietly, mumbling, hoping that she didn’t actually hear me, knowing that she did.

“Hot for teacher,” she nods, looking at me earnestly. I can see her trying to figure out just what I’m trying to say, the wheels are turning. Piper’s deductive reasoning is not to be messed with.

“Well,” I shrug, hoping that does it. That that answers her questions. And I know it doesn’t, but there’s a small hope.

“Y’know sometimes,” she gives me a look, “talking to you is like talking to a fuckin’ wall.”

I glare. Then, I sigh. “I saw him on Saturday.”

“You fuckin’ wot?!”

“I went to Simmons after Charlie’s party because I needed a drink and my whiskey stash at home ran out about a month ago,” she nods. She helped me finish it off. “I’d just gotten my drink, had just taken a sip to let the alcohol seep into my blood and I hear my name being called. It’s him and he’s with his sister.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” she asks.

“I didn’t want to get you excited over nothing!” I explain. “All that happened was that we chatted, mostly I chatted with his sister though.”

“So, tell me why you’ve been so jumpy tonight then,” she knows I’m not telling her the whole story.

“He’s the unknown number that called me this morning,” I explain.

“Shit,” she gasps. “What did he want?”

“He just asked if I wanted to go to dinner with him, so when I called him back I told him we could grab coffee and go to your gallery this Saturday,” I say in a rush, in one big breath.

“You did what?” She asks. She’s got wide eyes as she looks me over. “You’re fucking nuts, love! You did all that on your own? The fuck do you need me for now?”

“I’m so goddamn nervous,” I sputter out.

“Oh, love,” she pulls me into her side, wrapping an arm around me. “Listen to me, right? He called you,” she reassures me. “He wants to spend time with you, get to know you. You have no reason whatsoever to be nervous. None at all.”

“But he’s only known me briefly,” I tell her. “Just the one day when I picked up Charlie and then the other day Saturday, but his sister was there to smooth over any awkward bits in the conversation.”

“Who gives a shit about awkward bits?” she spits, angrily. “Life is fucking awkward,” she shakes her head. “Let it be awkward. Embrace the awkward,” she gives me a nudge.

“What the fuck are you on about?” I ask her.

“I’m saying,” she squeezes me, “that nobody gives a shit if you’re awkward. Even if it’s awkward it can still be good,” she shrugs.

“I’ve never had that experience,” I tell her begrudgingly.

“Wren,” she sighs. “Just, he clearly wants to spend time with you, and knowing you, even in your brief time together, you’ve been awkward around him. He doesn’t care. He wants you around, wants to see where it goes.”

I take a deep breath. “That’s bull-“

“Does he make you blush?” she asks, cutting me off. “Does he give you butterflies and make you feel something you’ve not felt before, something not Ed nor Evan made you feel?”

I bite my lower lip and hesitate. He’s intriguing. He does make me blush, does give me butterflies. I don’t know him well enough to answer whether or not he makes me feel something neither of my boyfriends past could make me feel. When he gives me that cheeky smile though or looks at me with those sincere, deep blue eyes… there’s an inkling. Something lingers under the surface that makes me think there could be more.

So I nod.

“That’s your answer then,” Piper lies her head on my shoulder. “You’ve got to embrace the awkward to find out what that feeling with him is, right?”

“Okay,” I acquiesce.

“Fuck, what’s his name again?” she asks.

“Jack,” I smile, his name slipping out from between my lips, the sound like velvet as it crosses my skin.

“There you are,” she pulls back and looks at me, pointing to my face. “Your face, just now when you said his name? You’ve got to see where this takes you,” she smiles. “I have a feeling this is going to be very, very good for you.”

#OKAY BUT PLEASE GIVE ME SOME FEEDBACK #WHAT DO YOU LIKE #WHAT DO YOU NOT LIKE #JUST PLEASE TALK TO ME #PLEASE #hmd #jack lowden #jack lowden fanfiction

21 notes · View notes