#sunghee | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

totallyuseless-ugh · 1 year

Text

Quick Fics

How CJ and Darnell met

It has barely been a month since CJ had moved to Hennistal. Just recently had they graduated from college and got hired for a job in the new town as a pharmacy assistant. Together with their bandmates had CJ then traded in their previous cramped college dorms for a slightly less cramped apartment, this time with a fully functioning bathroom sink. Although this all was a new living situation for the 21-year-old was everything going surprisingly well. Their room had just enough space for them and Radoth, CJ’s much loved boa constrictor which they had gotten in their first semester from their first dormmate before he had decided to drop out.

Working at the pharmacy was also way more laid back than first expected. Manfred Zimmermann, the head pharmacist made sure to let CJ take their time with understanding the organizational system. In his eyes, it was better to have them fully understand everything after two months than to be rushed through the process in a week and forget half of it again by the end of it. The remaining staff was also very kind, or at least knew how to act like they were. That made it much easier for CJ to settle into their new life. Though, the only thing that had truly changed, was that instead of scheduled classes they’d have to attend, there would be a work schedule which assigned them to random shifts along with at least one other colleague.

Regardless, it was still fairly easy to get used to the new living situation and workplace. There weren’t many customers coming in during the early hours, which left a lot of time for CJ to get to know their coworkers, or handle the paperwork and stock logistics.

On a slow day like these, CJ was just learning from their coworker Mia about some great places in Hennistal. That was, until the phone started ringing. Reluctantly took CJ the phone and put on the best customer service voice they could at the moment, “Hennistal Pharmacy, you are speaking to CJ Ashton. How may I help you?”

From the other end of the line came an equally tired, feminine voice. “Yeah, hi.. this is Ebby from the retirement home. Uh.. so, apparently, some ‘M. Zimmermann’ didn’t like, give us the right amount of medication we need for this month, so we’re already starting to run low and need a restock ASAP."

The fact alone that their boss had messed up an important order like this made CJ crack up. But they had to keep quiet so that they could hear what exactly Ebby would need delivered. They hastily scribbled down all the dozens of pills, creams and other medications on the back of an old piece of paper before the call ended with Ebby adding, “Good, that better be here soon, ‘k? K, bye.”

Sure, CJ knew of the delivery service which the pharmacy offered, they had already tagged along on one of those drives before. But they hadn’t been to the retirement home on that particular day. CJ didn’t even know where it was supposed to be, considering that Hennistal wasn’t a small town. Of course, it was nothing compared to a proper city, but still enough to get lost in easily. And while Mia was kind enough to give CJ the directions, they were still left with just a bit of worry over possibly taking a wrong turn, ending up in a completely different part of town and being too embarrassed to ask anyone for help.

“You really can’t miss it, just head down the main street until you’re out of the housing area and just turn right twice. There’s more than enough signs telling you where to go anyway,” Mia tried to reassure CJ one final time as they both loaded the last boxes into the trunk of the car.

“Yeah, thanks. I’ll try not to become illiterate when these signs pop up.” CJ grinned at their coworker before getting into the driver seat and heading off in the direction given. Never before had CJ been this focused while driving. All they thought about were the instructions on where to go, and Mia was right. There were an awful lot of signs pointing out where the retirement home was. It briefly made CJ wonder what the reason was for these many signs. Probably just too many past visitors complaining how they couldn’t find their way, in a time before GPS on phones had become a normal thing.

And yet, after successfully parking the car was CJ left clueless as to where to go. Not that it was hard to find the entrance, it was just as prominent as the building had been signed out itself. But should they really just head in through the main entrance? There surely had to be one just for deliveries, or at least that’s what CJ thought. After wandering aimlessly around the parking lot for a few minutes, CJ gave up and resigned to taking the only entrance they could find at that moment.

The automatic sliding doors opened as CJ walked in, and they were instantly met with many eyes staring at them. They should have seen this coming actually. For one, this was a retirement home, these seniors were probably expecting (or at least hoping) for their family to come and visit them. But even then, CJ was already standing out like a rainbow sheep in a petting zoo; the bright purple hair, several face and ear piercings, and a few of their many tattoos that still partially peeked out from under the long-sleeved uniform. The combination of uncomfortably long staring and not knowing where to go made them more and more nervous. After all, they couldn’t just throw the boxes with medication into the foyer room and leave. But CJ didn’t know what to do. Luckily, before they would give up and approach one of the seniors were two sets of footsteps approaching from one of the halls along with a gentle voice talking.

The first person that CJ’s eyes fell on was a caucasian woman with bleached blonde hair, probably in her late thirties. She was in the middle of talking when she had also caught sight of the stranger. Her eyes scanned CJ top to bottom, the uniform quickly reminding her of something.

“Ah, hey. I suppose you’re here for the medication delivery?” The woman’s voice was far kinder and less bored than the one CJ had heard over the phone, which calmed their nerves a little already. They nodded in response but didn’t get to say a word as she already turned away and patted on her colleague’s shoulder before walking down a different hallway, “alright, that’s gonna be your job then.”

It took both of them a few seconds to process the idea of being left all alone now before CJ finally met eyes with the other caretaker that had come to the entrance of the building. And the first sight alone already left them feeling astonished. A handsome Afro-American man, who seemed to be just as old as CJ themself, with a gorgeously curled black afro was standing in front of them. What stood out the most to CJ though were the bright cyan eyes that the stranger was looking at them with.

The two felt incredibly awkward, being left like this to figure out what to do next. They stood at the entrance for about a minute before the young caretaker spoke up a bit hesitantly, “I.. suppose I should show you where to bring that stuff..?” He didn’t seem very sure on what to do either, but it was still better than nothing. CJ only nodded in agreement and quietly followed him around. They both didn’t talk a lot, only making brief comments about how hard work was when starting a new job.

After all the boxes had been dropped off waved CJ goodbye to the kind person and headed back to the car. But they didn’t drive back right away. Despite this brief, and very awkward interaction, CJ already felt like they were head over heels for the guy they had just met. There was just something about him that made their heart jump, be it his looks or the lovely first impression that they got of him despite the lack of conversation. Either way, from that day on had the pharmacist assistant started to always look forward to delivery drives, hoping they would get to stop by the retirement home again.

Although the two didn’t get to see each other regularly, they still started getting comfortable around each other more and more over time. The conversations became less awkward, and the two young adults got to know their ‘new colleagues’ better. What both forgot every time though was to ask for their names. Neither of them even remembered to simply look for a name plates on the uniforms. So whenever CJ would gush over the ‘cute caretaker’ to their bandmates, they would always refer to him by just that nickname.

Their names weren’t the only thing that the two didn’t know about each other though. They were also completely unaware that both were regulars at the same music club in Hennistal, “The Rockin’ Punk”. While the young caretaker was mostly just a visitor to the place came CJ often as one of the performing acts with the rest of their band “Ferocious Maniacs”. And yet, despite how much they stood out on stage as the lead singer and guitarist, they hadn’t been recognized for the whole time by the other. CJ’s appearance was simply way too different outside of work; their hair was wild, fluffed up and rarely tied back, instead of glasses were they using contact lenses, the tattoos on their arms were on full display, and generally did their personal outfits show off their actual body shape instead of hiding it under a baggy and long, layered uniform.

The singer was also unaware of the other’s presence at the club. Even though they often stood at the very front of the stage did their eyes rarely focus on the crowd, and thus never had the chance of recognizing the bright blue eyes in the crowd. The lights probably played a role in this all too, as they made everyone in the room get to literally shine in different colors every few seconds, so that cyan shining eyes were less of a feature that would stand out in a mass of people.

This blindness to each other was the main reason why CJ hadn’t already gotten to know the man properly yet. It took over half a year and a very lucky coincidence for that to finally change.

Yet another long day was nearing its end for CJ. Their band had played the last set of songs for the night and were just done clearing the stage for the next performers to take over. In the backstage lounged Sydney and Egeith, the band’s keyboardist and drummer, unwinding after packing up their equipment and instruments. As great as the atmosphere always was after a good show, this night CJ wouldn’t be able to stay for too long. The next day, they would have a morning shift with delivery drive, so they’d need to be up on time and well rested. The bassist Rika had just packed away her instrument as she turned to CJ with a sly grin already spread across her lips. “Yo Jay, you know-,” she began, but was promptly cut off by the singer, rolling their eyes. “Yeah I know, my turn to pay for the drinks. No need to remind me of the bet.” They groaned slightly after securing their guitar in its case. CJ couldn’t leave without somewhat getting back at their friend for the teasing though, flicking her forehead on their way out of the backstage area.

By the time that they had gotten to the bar was the new band on stage already done with sound checks and playing their first songs. It was a real shame for CJ that they’d be leaving again soon since they really liked the other band’s music. This wouldn’t be the group's last performance at this club though for sure, they thought and tried to quickly order the drinks for their friends.

While CJ had to wait to even get a chance at talking to the bartender, they sat down on one of the empty stools and let their eyes wander around the place. To their left sat a girl group of goths that were making one of their friends drink her first alcoholic drink in one go, and the rest of the bar was a mix of new and familiar faces alike, most dressed in some sort of scene fashion. Then, a sudden loud laughter to CJ’s right side caught their attention.

Three guys were sitting together and downing one shot after another. While two of them seemed to be tipsy at most was the guy directly next to CJ fully drunk already.

Before the singer had a chance to try and recognize the person was it already their turn to order for drinks. From there on, it didn’t take much longer until CJ was back with their friends to drink together. But despite the good mood, they couldn’t help but feel like they shouldn’t stay around here much longer and leave soon. And since they almost entirely trusted their gut feeling got CJ up again after just a few minutes. “I, uhm.. I’m gonna head home already. Y’know, wanna get enough sleep ‘n all,” they muttered as a sort of apology to the rest of their band before heading back to the bar. They didn't worry about their guitar, knowing it would be safe with their friends. CJ just wanted to return their glass and then be on their way, but they didn’t get that far this time.

Most of the people from earlier had stayed at the bar, including the goths that CJ had seen there earlier. But from the other friend group they had noticed was only one guy left, the absolutely drunk one who now laid with his upper body sprawled out across the bar. Just as the man had glanced over at CJ hit them some sort of realization. For an odd reason, this was why they wanted to leave early. There was something about the guy that made CJ want to stay near the bar just a little longer. “Hey.. you alright there?” they asked with the gentlest voice they could while loud music was playing around them.

The man lifted his head, looking back somewhat properly at CJ with barely open eyes and a drunken smile. “Yup! Havin’ a great time,” he told the other as he slurred his words. As happy as he seemed to behave, CJ didn’t like the fact he was sitting here all by himself when he was this drunk. They slung an arm around him to have a good grasp in case he would topple over when they lifted him off the barstool. “You’re going home. It’s time to sober up, man.”

The man laughed drunkenly. He tried his best to walk for himself, but the crowded place didn’t make it easy. At least CJ managed to get them both outside again quickly. “Alright, where do I have to drop you off?” They asked with a little chuckle. It was honestly a relief to be out of the noisy area, the sounds were starting to make their skin feel crawly. All CJ got in response though was more laughter as he tried to point in a direction. Well, it was better than nothing.

Together, the two walked in the direction given. The streets were lit just enough to navigate through town with the stranger. His laughter had died down over time, though he still remained far from being sober. “Heyyy.. what’cha name?..” the guy tried to ask with slurred speech. CJ shook their head with a small grin. “Doesn’t matter. I’m just bringing you home, no need to make new friends.”

“Aww c’mon! I wanna know who you are!..” he insisted in a whiny one. CJ shook their head again, tightening their grip on the shirt they held up the other man with in case he’d trip over his own feet. “Alright, I’ll go first then. ‘m Darnell! Now’s your turn.” Darnell poked at CJ repeatedly. It could’ve been annoying, but their silliness somehow got to them. “CJ.”

Darnell’s eyes grew wide. “Daaamn.. tha’ your whole name? Like that’it??”

“Yep. Not a nickname, no abbreviation or anything like that. Just CJ,” they explained to him in a soft voice. Darnell was silent for a moment, his face all scrunched up as if he were thinking about something very hard. “That must suck..” he muttered eventually. CJ gave him a curious look, upon which he elaborated, “Just bein’ called CJ? No last name or som’? That gotta be shit..” CJ had to focus very hard and bite their lip as to not burst out laughing over this hilarious statement.

The two continued their walk until they eventually stopped by an apartment complex not all too far from CJ’s own home. They stayed by the drunk man’s side until he was safely dropped off in his bed to rest. CJ had never done something like this before for a stranger, and only a handful of times for any of their friends. But the two would never see each other again, so that guy sure wouldn’t remember any of this and just be glad to have gotten home safely. That was all CJ cared about in that moment.

They made sure that Darnell had everything he’d need for a good recovery from the very likely hangover that would get to him in the morning. CJ was about to leave after bringing a bottle of water for Darnell, seeing him lay seemingly knocked on in the sheets. But before they could sneak out through the front door sounded quiet groaning form the bedroom, “Thanks CJ..” They left with a smile on their face, heading home themself to finally get their well deserved rest as well.

Manfred put a clip board on the counter just as he came out from the back and passed CJ. “The boxes are near the backdoor, you just gotta get them in the car,” he told them. They briefly glanced on the board to see how long the list for the deliveries would be this time around. Many different medications were listed in large amounts, all for the same address. Today’s drive was entirely for the retirement home. CJ excitedly waved to their boss as they jogged off to load up the car with the boxes and then made their way over to the given address.

Since this had become a regular drop off left CJ their glasses in the car and walked up to the entrance of the building. A few of the seniors had already begun to recognize them, some giving them a soft smile and greeting them happily, while others weren’t exactly a fan of CJ simply for their looks, especially the ‘weird body artwork’ that remained visible much to the senior’s annoyance.

But before CJ would be subjected to someone’s comments on their appearance came a certain caretaker into the entrance hall. Looking not really motivated, if not even tired or sick, CJ’s ‘favorite colleague’ showed up, leaning slightly against the wall. Both looked at each other, and it seemed to take a moment before they realized something.

Dark curly hair, slouched posture, barely open eyes. It reminded CJ of the guy they had walked home last night. Although they hadn’t been able to exactly notice bright blue eyes in the dark lighting back then, they could recognize the exhausted look Darnell had before they went separate ways. Darnell’s eyes shot all around CJ, matching them to the guy he had met at the bar, while CJ did the same until their eyes landed on the name plate. ‘Darnell J. Hodge’ was written on it, confirming that this really was the same person.

An awkward silence lingered between them briefly before it quickly turned into chuckles. “You’re- how couldn’t I recognize you this whole time?” Darnell shook his head, covering his face with his hand out of embarrassment. “God, I was so blind!”

“Just ask me! I feel insanely stupid that I couldn’t recognize that hair of yours,” CJ admitted, but Darnell dismissed them with a wave of his hand. “Oh shut it, afros aren’t that rare.”

The two spent the entire time transporting boxes with laughter over the embarrassing moment. But they both felt incredibly glad that they actually got to know each other after all, despite how silly it was. The car was emptied far too quick. CJ closed the trunk and leaned against it while Darnell stood close by as if he had nothing else left to do now. “I’d ask if we’ll see each other again, but I know we will eventually, so..” he chuckled, kicking the ground as he lowered his head a little. He only looked up again when CJ walked over to the driver’s side of the car without a word.

He thought at first that they would just leave. Instead, they took a scrap piece of paper from the dashboard and the pen from their shirt pocket to scribble something down, folding it up and handing it over to Darnell. “I gotta head back soon. But if you’re not too hungover, we could meet up after work and get to know each other properly this time?”

Darnell opened the paper, seeing the phone number written so messily that it was would take a bit of time for him to decipher the digits. He smiled at CJ regardless and nodded. “Sure. Let’s say my place, since you already know the directions for it.”

#CJ #Darnell #quick fics #Rika #Egeith #Sydney #Sunghee #ferocious maniacs in general tbh

3 notes · View notes

totallyuseless-ugh · 1 year

Text

You rocked my Heart

Chapter Eight: Intoxicated Words are Sober Thoughts

Never before had CJ been so glad to see their grandma Helena. Having her present made the holidays much more pleasant, despite having to sit at one table with Cristoff again every day. At least he no longer insisted on having his children greet him at the breakfast table. He seemed to understand that if he were to try this, CJ would be just as reluctant to talk to him, but this time Helena would be there to witness it. Her presence reassured CJ more and more that it would not be as big of a deal if they were to leave the house for a few hours.

The anticipated day kept coming closer, and the wait was made much more bearable with the calls CJ and Darnell had every day. It didn't matter how brief their conversations were. Just getting to hear the other for a while as they both waited to see each other again felt like a second, much shorter advent calendar. And before they knew it had the day finally come.

During dinner kept CJ's eyes darting back and forth between the clock on the wall and their plate. Nobody seemed to notice their odd behaviour, most likely because the family was deep into conversation. If CJ weren't currently elsewhere with their thoughts, the whole atmosphere at the table would've made them sick to their stomach. Cristoff was smiling and talking as if this family hadn't suffered under his terrors one bit, as if the fight had never broken out in front of his wife and younger sons. He was witty when it came to lying and pretending he lived the perfect life. It was sickening to watch.

Lucky for CJ though, dinner was over fairly quick. Joane and Helena brought away the dirty dishes while Aaron and Henry would wipe down the table and put the chairs back into place. Meanwhile Cristoff went ahead to get comfy on the couch as he smoked a cigarette. CJ didn't hesitate to take this chance and quickly leave for their room upstairs. They still had to wait a bit until it would be time to head out, but CJ preferred to spend that time by themself and find something to wear that would keep them warm and comfy on their way to Rika's house.

The streets outside their window were already dark and barely lit by a few lanterns or porch lights of the neighbouring houses. Snow had been plowed away earlier that day to make it easier to walk and drive around, though most people avoided going outside as much as possible in these freezing temperatures. CJ eventually got ready to leave the house. The only thing missing was a lighter. But as they were searching for one laying around in their room knocked Helena on the open door, smiling at them a little. "Sneaking out for the night?"

Instead of feeling caught or scared rolled CJ their eyes with a small grin. "Yeah, being stuck in this house all day sucks." They soon found what they had been looking for and swiftly dropped the item into their pocket before finally facing their grandma properly. Helena chuckled softly, reaching out to lightly ruffle the dark blonde hair of her grandchild. "Don't overdo it then. I doubt your mom would be very happy otherwise," Helena told them.

"I won't, definitely. Just.. having a very overdue evening with my friends." CJ had only taken a few steps out into the hallway before they stopped again to talk to Helena. "Oh, uhm.. quick question, you don't need the other bed in the guest room, right?"

"You plan on bringing over some company?”

"Yeah, just to make sure he stays safe 'n all. It's his first time," CJ explained to her. "He'll be gone before breakfast though. Darnell ain't much of a fan when it comes to you-know-who."

"Oh really? I thought your friends enjoyed his company," Helena spoke as sarcastically as ever before she waved CJ off. "No worries, I'll have the bed clear for him by the time you two get back. Now go have some fun before you actually get caught."

CJ grinned and dramatically blew her a kiss, then hurried on downstairs. Joane was still in the kitchen, putting away the last few things while Henry and Aaron watched tv with Cristoff. It made CJ's heart sink a little to not only see both their siblings sit on the other couch, as far away from their father as possible. But Aaron sat on the side closer to Cristoff, looking over at him every time he moved just a little or made any bit of noise. If they hadn't been so sure that Helena's presence in the house would keep Cristoff at bay, CJ would've decided to stay home that very moment. Never would they want for Aaron to feel the need to stand between Henry and their father as CJ had done for them.

They shook their head a little in an attempt to clear their mind before they quietly put on their boots, coat, and scarf to then sneak out through the front door. An icy breeze hit them almost right away. If they weren't in such need for a break, the weather definitely would've made them rethink their decision of meeting up with their friends. And although the walk down to Rika's house was quite long, upon their arrival, CJ was more than glad to have made it there.

"Jay! Took ya long enough!" Rika greeted them with a laugh. She patted their shoulder as CJ came into the warm house to take off the now snow covered clothes. "It's not exactly the season to ride a bike, Rix," CJ informed their friend. "And I hate to disappoint you, but I don't have a few huskies and a sledge just laying around."

Rika laughed and eventually let go of CJ that they could hang the coat to dry. "Everyone is here already. Just been waiting for you before we'd get started."

"Oh how sweet of you," CJ swooned sarcastically. "You waited to get high with me. You're just so amazing, because you definitely know how to roll joints yourselves and don't need any help at all." They walked down the hallway with Rika to make their way into the basement where the group of friends would always meet to hang out together outside of school. Egeith had just put extra wood into the small fireplace before settling back on the couch while Sunghee, Charlie, and Darnell were talking to each other. The conversation was promptly put on hold as Rika returned with the final missing guest.

“CJ!” Charlie cheered at the sight of her friend, and the rest of the group was quick to join in. Darnell was smiling wide at them. Although he had been enjoying himself just fine so far, it was a relief to finally have CJ there as well. Egeith made sure to give his friend a quick hug and a pat on the back as a greeting before CJ had the chance to plop down into one of the beanbags near the couches. “Took a bit longer than I had expected,” they explained while taking out the items from their pockets which they had brought with them. Rika settled on the couch next to Sunghee just as Charlie got up to walk over to the stairs. “Now that everyone’s here, I'm-a go pop the pizzas in.” The group all gave her a thumbs up as she left.

They all took time to unwind and chill out for a while, just chatting in peace before CJ eventually moved to settle down by the small table. “Got the tobacco here, Rix?” CJ asked as they took the small bag of weed in their hands, idly playing around with it. Rika hummed as confirmation and nudged a small can towards them.

“Wait, why tobacco?” Darnell asked curiously. “Wouldn't you get high quicker with just weed?”

“Exactly,” CJ responded as they began twirling a piece of rolling paper between their fingers. “And that’s the problem. Not for us, but for you. Since you got no experience with this, it’s safer for you not to take in too much in one puff. We don't want you hallucinating or some shit on your first trip already.”

Darnell’s eyes grew wide over what he was told. He understood well enough CJ’s reasoning and wasn’t going to argue against it. What did surprise them was that it was possible to possibly get hallucinations from weed. “Oh- yeah, that makes sense of course.”

CJ nodded slightly, most of their focus currently being on properly rolling a few proper joints for the group to share amongst them. And just as CJ laid the last one on the table returned Charlie just in time with a plate in her hands. “Guys, I need someone to help me get all the food down here,” she told her friends. Sunghee didn’t hesitate to get off her comfy seat and help out.

The group lounged together near the coffee table, eating and talking while passing a lit joint around in the circle. It didn’t take long for the laughter among the friends to grow loud and drawn out, conversations being a mess of slurred words, suddenly broken up sentences, and idiotic ideas thrown around without a care and nobody to remember them. Darnell was the prime example for that. He had no idea how much would be enough for him, and the burning in his throat from his first attempt of taking a puff made it only harder to focus on how much he inhaled. Along with his low tolerance, it didn’t take long until he began to babble nonstop. And the things he told were entertaining to say the least, getting the group to laugh even more than they already did.

Everyone was enjoying themselves, including CJ. Since the rest had mostly paid attention to their new guest, nobody had noticed how little CJ had smoked themself. They were buzzed and resting limply in the beanbag as always. But they still were able to keep an eye out for Darnell and make sure he wouldn’t go over the top.

Time ticked by in a rapid pace. Only when Egeith randomly commented that over three hours had passed realized the group it was already incredibly late. But it bothered none except CJ, as the rest had agreed to have a sleepover in the basement. It took CJ a moment to stand up on their feet before they could help Darnell to leave the basement with them. The remaining group waved and loudly said their goodbyes as the two left to dress up for the freezing temperatures awaiting them on their walk home. Darnell couldn’t stop laughing, having to sit down on the floor as to not fall over while getting his shoes on.

“You’re really having a blast, huh?” CJ laughed at the sight. They were glad to be not full on high like the others, or they would have been acting just as silly. Who knows what sort of stupid things could’ve slipped from them in such a state, especially around Darnell. He nodded with a silly, wide grin across his face and shakily got back up to shrug his coat over his shoulders. “Best day ’f my life!” He barked.

Along with CJ’s help made the two their way outside. They stepped through the new layer of snow that was covering the streets again. Good thing CJ was clear enough in their head to know the way back home. Darnell was stumbling from left to right and back, so he needed to hold onto CJ for the walk to the Ashton house. “Maaan, you’re just so cool,” he continued to babble without a thought. “Your friends, th’ stuff y’all do. I only wish I could be on that level!”

“Oh c’mon,” CJ began to laugh softly. “We’re not that special. Besides, you can just hang with us. Become a part of the group if you want.”

Darnell gasped excitedly. “I’d like that, oh you’ve no idea!” He bumped into CJ’s side during their walk, neither of them really caring as long as he would manage to stay on his feet. “I like hanging out with Rika, ‘n Egeith, Sunghee, Charlie.. And with you too of course!” Darnell pointed right at CJ with a giggle.

“I’m glad to hear that,” they smiled back. As silly as Darnell’s outbursts were, CJ still enjoyed listening to his mindless babbles. Even when he began repeating “I like you” in different tones until all words nearly lost their meaning. “You really seem to like me a bunch,” CJ laughed, trying to play off how flustered they felt over their own little comment.

“Y’wanna know how much exactly?” Darnell grinned and giggled as he waited for the other to give some sort of response. CJ nodded out of curiosity, at which Darnell began to giggle only more. “I like you sooo much, I would full on kiss ya if I got the chance!”

CJ felt a cold shock shooting up their spine. He didn’t seriously just say this, right? Darnell was high, no way he actually meant the things he said. “Heh, I had no idea you’re into guys..” they muttered. Although CJ was pretty sure they couldn’t take anything serious that Darnell would tell them, the curiosity in them was far too great not to play along and ask questions.

“Well, duh! It’s a secret after all,” Darnell told them in a deadpan manner.

“Fair enough, I suppose,” CJ said mostly to themself. They completely looked away from the other. “Why do you like me though? What is there to like about the way I am?”

Darnell rolled his eyes and scoffed as if he had just been asked the easiest question in all of humanity. “Everythin’bout you! Our calls ‘n talks every day, th’ book you gave me. Oh! Especially the lil’ note you put in there. Makes me wanna kiss ya even more!” His voice was giggly the whole time. It confused CJ, unable to tell whether Darnell was trying to pull a prank on them, or if his words were genuine and the intoxicated state had him giggling to cover up his nervousness.

Eventually, CJ stopped walking. Their head felt as if it were overloaded with questions and anxieties. “So.. you’re not joking?..” CJ was hesitant to ask.

“Why would I joke about wantin’ to kiss you?” Darnell answered immediately. He gazed at the other despite it being unrequited, his eyes full of genuine adoration. The dim porch lights near the two made it hard to see how red CJ’s face had gotten from both the icy winds and the flustered feeling boiling up inside of them. It took Darnell a bit to understand what the lasting silence meant. Why CJ only after a while dared to glance back at him almost fearfully.

He slowly removed his arms from CJ’s. They were already on the verge of simply walking home without another word and pretending this never happened. They didn't notice how Darnell had come to rest his hands on their shoulders before moving further up and hold CJ’s face in them. Only when both finally locked eyes again lit their expression up faintly. Darnell looked up at them without a hint of anger or disgust like they had dreaded.

Before CJ knew it were they pulled down closer to Darnell as he guided their lips to meet for a soft kiss. After months of yearning for each other, this moment was overwhelming for both. They pulled back just a mere second later already to stare at one another. CJ was beyond shocked and wondered for just a moment whether they actually did smoke a bit too much and were imagining things. But as Darnell laid his warm hand on their cold cheek was CJ sure that this had to be real.

"We.. gotta keep going," they muttered hesitantly. Their hand cupped over the other's to keep it safe from the icy cold surrounding them both. Reluctantly, the two separated to walk alongside each other for the rest of their way. But for the time that they had not yet reached the Ashton home, the two kept their pinkies linked between them.

Inside the house were all lights out already. Everything was silent as the two snuck in and tried to remove their extra clothes as quietly as possible. At every noise they made cursed CJ under their breath, hoping that nobody would wake up to catch them. Luckily, no one came to see the two sneak around until they had retreated safely to the bedroom upstairs.

Darnell plopped down on the bed tiredly, groaning as he already started to feel the effects of his first stoner party wearing off. CJ sat next to him and the two smiled as they gazed at each other. “Finally getting a clear mind again?” they asked with a soft chuckle.

Darnell gave a slow nod as response before he carefully sat up again. “This was.. quite something to be honest. Can’t believe you do this regularly,” he joked a little. “But I got no regrets.”

“You get used to it,” CJ told Darnell in a soft chuckle. Their gaze lingered for a little longer before leaning closer for another kiss. Now that the two were sobering up had the buzzing feeling become less overwhelming, but the intensity of the moment was still the same as before.

Darnell pulled back his head a little to look at CJ again. His eyes were filled with something close to fascination, as if he were still unable to believe this was actually happening. "If getting high always leads to something this amazing, I don't wanna get used to it though," he mumbled under his breath.

CJ was speechless for a moment. It was clear that his words were genuine as they had been the entire night already.

"You never stop surprising me with your words, Nells."

"Really?" Darnell began to laugh softly at the sight of CJ's lovestruck grin. "How? Tell me what keeps on surprising you."

"Just listen to yourself! You managed to make smoking weed poetic and meaningful! I didn't even know this was possible!"

The two bursted out into quiet laughter together. It lasted for a few minutes, as every time they calmed down and looked at each other, the laughter bubbled up and from their mouths all over again. Only when the exhaustion was starting to make CJ yawn a little managed both to control their amusement again.

"Got some clothes I could borrow for the night?" Darnell asked and rubbed his eyes. CJ nodded with a hum as they moved off the bed to pick out some comfy clothes to sleep in for them both. They got changed before nestling into bed under the heavy duvet. Neither had to say a word or give an asking look towards the other, Darnell just quietly rested his head on CJ’s chest, and CJ put their arm around his body as if they had been expecting for him to lay against them this way.

It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep once the light got switched off. His slow breathing comforted CJ as they stayed awake for the night. As far as they knew, and hoped, only Helena knew about the adventure and the secret sleepover guest her oldest grandchild had snuck out for. But with Cristoff back in the house felt anything they did like a major risk. The fear of him snapping once Helena would leave again was already terrifying enough. No way would they want to test his nerves over finding out about any of this, even while their grandmother was still present.

With Darnell having become yet another secret to keep, CJ had to be extra careful. Even if they’d try to sleep, their anxiety wasn’t letting them have more than a few minutes of dozing off before they would suddenly open their eyes again to stare at the door. It was beyond exhausting for them to stay up the entire night just in case. But knowing Darnell was safe, and more importantly theirs now too, made all the struggles CJ had faced over the past year absolutely worth it.

#CJ #Darnell #you rocked my heart #Chapter eight #Rika #Egeith #Sunghee #Charlie/Sydney #sydney #finally this story has come to an end

2 notes · View notes