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harryandmolly · 4 years

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Change of Pace - Epilogue (Late Summer 2019)

cowritten by @achinglyshawn

summary: Shawn and Maya meet again 10 years after life got in the way of love

warnings: language

wc: 3.5k

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Shawn doesn’t settle at the piano until the crowd at Emilia’s has grown. The loud chatter echoing in the small restaurant quiets when he turns down the music tinkling through the soundsystem. Heads turn towards the sleek black piano in the corner of the restaurant as he places his well-practiced fingers on the ivory keys.

He speaks into the microphone as he begins to play his favorite melody.

“This is a song about finding love again when you least expect it,” he coos softly, so as not to interrupt anyone who doesn’t care for the live music.

(He’s not sure why you’d come to Emilia’s on a Thursday night if you don’t like live music, but to each their own.)

“Maybe I had too many drinks, but that's just what I needed. I hope that you don't think that what I'm saying sounds conceited…”

Chatter in the restaurant kicks up again, but those closest to him seem willing to forgo conversation for a free concert. It’s quiet in this little corner of Emilia’s, save for the plinking of the piano and the delicate croon of his falsetto.

“When I look across the room, and you're staring right back at me, like somebody told a joke and we're the only ones laughing...”

Maya’s at her new favorite table watching her old favorite guy do his favorite thing. Back in the day, she and Shawn used to cozy up in a booth in the far corner. They could be gross and kiss there without anyone looking at them funny. They were kids.

Shawn plays regularly at Emilia’s now and Maya loves to watch, especially on days like today. Maya’s been in the studio she shares with Shawn since just after her sunrise surf. She’s had one of her first commissions since starting to paint semi-professionally in Avila and spent her whole day focusing on the piece — it’s a landscape, oil on canvas, based on a crumpled old Polaroid the client got from his grandparents of the boardwalk when they lived in Avila years before. It’s nice. Maya’s proud to do it.

She and Shawn expanded his studio when the space next to his came available. Now it’s their studio. Mostly, she adds her artistry to his instruments, adding little painted elements or even much larger ones, like in the case of that first piano Shawn built. She ended up adding a whole gorgeous Avila sunset mural on top. It sold for a lot (!) more than expected. Her business acumen has also helped them in their new ventures together.

Tonight is a welcome break from it, though. They’ve both been working themselves so hard to finish pieces commissioned by some of Margaret’s San Francisco finance friends. But tonight, back at Emilia’s like nothing ever changed and at the same time like they’re brand new, Shawn plays her song.

Not her only song, obviously. He’s written her many over the years. This is the new one, the one he started a decade ago, tripped over through that first hazy summer and finished around the time they decided to move in to Maya’s cottage together. She’s heard it before, whispered into her hair, plucked quietly against the backdrop of sea and sand on their daybed outside. Never like this, in front of a crowd of strangers who mostly all know their story.

Maya watches him smile as he sings the words like he always does, like he has a secret, like he got the girl in the end after all the trouble. It makes her smile too.

Shawn takes a breath, suddenly aware of Maya’s eyes on him from across the room, though he hasn’t looked up since he began playing.

“Don't know why I tried, ‘cause ain't nobody like you, familiar disappointment every single time I do…”

She must’ve tucked into their new favorite table right as he started playing, or else she would’ve pressed a good luck kiss to his temple like she always does before he performs. She insists he doesn’t actually need luck, but they both like the tradition, anyway.

“Every single night my arms are not around you, my mind's still wrapped around you.

Baby, tell me when you're ready, I'm waitin'. Baby, anytime you're ready, I'm waitin'...”

He knows where she is without searching, so when he tilts his head and finally opens his eyes, she’s there, staring him down like he’s something magical she’s never seen before. His face heats, because even after all these years, being the sole focus of Maya’s attention makes his heart race.

He catches her gaze with his and the corner of his mouth ticks up in a tender smile. Memories of the night before race through his mind and send a shiver down his spine; memories of staying up far too late to make love over and over until sleep pulled Maya under, with Shawn easily following.

His breath hitches, but he doesn’t take his eyes off of her as he continues to sing the words he’s already pressed into the curve of her neck while tangled together between their sheets.

“Even ten years from now if you haven't found somebody I promise, I'll be around. Tell me when you're ready, I'm waitin'...”

Maya’s lips switch around a shy smile. She knows, somehow, when he’s looking at her like that, that he’s thinking about last night.

Last night is just the latest in a long thread that they’ve had since reestablishing their relationship. They’re hot and frantic or lazy and sensual and completely perfect. They’re the kind of nights when sleep holds no appeal at all, that touching each other is the only kind of satisfaction they need.

A curl flops over Shawn’s eyes as he plays and sings right at her. She grins for real because she can’t help it and props her chin up in her hand as she watches.

A pair of warm, flabby arms wrap gently around her shoulders and she feels the weight of a chin on her head.

“You know,” Emilia’s gritty voice says softly near Maya’s ear, “I think the two of you are my favorite thing that’s ever happened in this little beach town.”

Maya rubs Emilia’s arm and nods. “I think I agree.”

Emilia winks at him from her perch above Maya’s head. Shawn flushes, still unable to control the rush of blood to his cheeks each time Emilia looks at him with that mysterious twinkle in her eye. He watches the women murmur to one another, and his heart beats a little faster, just enough to feel against his ribcage.

But before the galvanized rhythm can overwhelm him, Shawn closes his eyes and continues to sing. His voice is soft, as though he’s decided to sing the rest of the song to himself. Sometimes it’s the quiet moments with his music that have the most powerful impact on an audience, and more importantly, on the woman he’s in love with.

“And if I have to, I'll wait forever, say the word and I'll change my plans.

Yeah, you know that we fit together, I know your heart like the back of my hand…”

Shawn’s energy shifts. He gets quieter, like he forgets he’s not in the studio playing quietly for her or in their house, sitting at the baby grand piano he built for them as a housewarming gift when he moved in.

But there’s just so long he can go without looking at her. His gaze is drawn to her, as if pulled by a magnetic field so strong he couldn’t fight it if he wanted. His fingers climb along the piano keys while he watches Emilia press her cheek into the top of Maya’s head. It’s his turn to wink, but he directs it at Maya.

“So baby, tell me when you're ready, I'm waitin'. Baby, anytime you're ready, I'm waitin'...”

She giggles at the way Emilia squeals teasingly in her ear. As Shawn’s voice fades out and the song ends, the restaurant claps politely. Maya mimes whistling at him and continues clapping.

Emilia releases her from her loving near stranglehold. Maya tilts her head up at the woman’s face, grinning ear to ear and covered in sunspots.

“Can I have a coffee milkshake with caramel and whipped cream please?”

Emilia tosses her head back and laughs, a big, strong belly laugh that doesn’t match the finer aesthetic she’s created for her still quirky restaurant since the renovation. They don’t even have milkshakes on the menu anymore -- too lowbrow. But Emilia kept the machine. Maya and Shawn are glad she did.

Shawn manages to catch Maya’s request when he’s heading to their table. He grins up at Emilia, slings his arm over Maya’s shoulders and slides into the seat beside her.

“I’ll take a chocolate shake, Em, if it’s not too much trouble.” The smile that splits his lips is as sugary as the treats they’ve ordered. Emilia calls it his ‘popstar smile’ when she’s trying to give him shit, but he thinks she likes it more than she lets on.

The woman shakes her head, but smiles as she wipes her hands on the front of her black apron. “You’re always too much trouble, kid.”

Emilia gives Maya one last look, something Shawn can’t quite read, then scurries back to the kitchen, repinning her curls to the top of her head as she goes.

“So,” he murmurs, angling himself towards Maya, “What were you two talking about? I can only assume it was me.” His nose nudges her temple, lips brushing over the apple of her cheek.

With his heavy arm around her shoulders, Maya curls comfortably into Shawn, resting her hand on his stomach as he peppers her cheek with kisses. She can feel the way he smiles through it, just happy to be close to her. She knows the feeling.

Maya crosses her legs, resting her foot against his calf. She shrugs. “You always think everything is about you. You’re not the sun.”

She’s teasing. He knows she was talking about him anyway. She moves some floppy curls out of his eyes.

“She just loves us, that’s all.”

“Everyone seems to love us these days, don’t they?” he asks with a smile.

Maya and Shawn are a bit of local lore. The town is small and it talks. Everyone knows about the guy who owned the workshop whose long lost love came back to where they spent a few weeks in love one summer, and how the beach brought them back together. They’re not too nosy, but Maya and Shawn are noticed, and not just by Emilia.

She brings them their milkshakes, making a silly show of pretending to hide them so the other customers won’t wonder where they came from.

Shawn nearly moans. The milkshakes are beautifully decorated, with a smooth caramel drizzle topping Maya’s whipped cream, and a deep brown ribbon of chocolate swirled around his own.

“Em,” he says with a laugh, “If you wanted to be inconspicuous with these, you shouldn’t’ve made them so pretty.” Shawn grabs his spoon and digs into the homemade whip Em always keeps around just in case he and Maya stop by.

“Maybe,” hums Emilia, “But y’all deserve a nice treat every now and then.” With that, she drops a kiss to the top of Maya’s head and shuffles off to the busy kitchen.

“She’s spoiling you rotten, Lemon,” Shawn garbles around a spoonful of milkshake. As he swallows, his mouth stretches into a wide, close-lipped smile, his cheeks ruddy, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “But I don’t think I can blame her.”

Maya rolls her eyes, swallowing her own enormous mouthful of espresso-y goodness. She winces at the slight brain freeze and shakes her head quickly before answering.

“Spoiling you, too. She gave you extra whip, I can tell,” Maya accuses playfully, jabbing her spoon at his overflowing glass.

She settles back into his arm and continues poking at her own shake. The restaurant is lively tonight, warm with conversation and good energy. Emilia’s is almost always like that. It’s why she and Shawn love it so much. She may even miss it while they’re gone.

“How much do you have packed?” Maya asks him carefully after swallowing, narrowing her eyes.

They leave for Greece tomorrow. Three weeks of beach hopping around the coast, exploring little towns, enjoying history, even taking some sailing lessons in the Mediterranean.

Maya herself has barely packed. But he doesn’t need to know that.

Shawn wipes a dribble of chocolate from the corner of his mouth. He tilts his head, swirls his spoon in his glass so the rest of his whipped cream mixes with the shake.

“Packed? For what?” he asks with a quirk of his brow. He keeps his gaze trained on his glass, the most promising method for maintaining his silly rouse.

A bag full of light summer linens packed specifically for Greece is stashed on his side of the walk-in, where it’s been for a few weeks now. Shawn’s been eager to get away with Maya since even before they bought the plane tickets. Packing his bag so early was a cathartic release for the frantic energy of his anticipation.

He certainly has more to pack, though. It’s hard, however, when every free moment he has tends to be occupied by efforts to make his girlfriend come as much as possible.

Maya rolls her eyes and swallows a mouthful of ice cream, elbowing him softly.

“For what, he asks. Like you’re not counting the seconds.”

They both are. They both have been. They don’t lead extraordinarily stressful lives, but they’ve been pushing hard lately. They took on their first commissioned project together, a harp with an intricate design described and ordered by a doting grandfather for his granddaughter. He sent to pick it up yesterday and called the studio to relay his effusive praise personally, letting them know it would not be his last purchase and he wanted to tell all his friends about them.

Now that that project is done, they’re ready for vacation. Maya herself still has some things to toss into a bag. She’s packing light, though. Staying in a series of villas around Greece with Shawn doesn’t call for much in the way of clothes. Some light, breezy dresses, plenty of bikinis, and not much else.

She can’t fucking wait.

She finishes the milkshake with a deeply contented sigh and presses her cool lips to the side of his neck.

“What are you most excited about?” she coos, the same question she’s asked over and over since they booked the trip -- a fun way to anticipate and daydream as they prepared for their first vacation together since they came to Avila as kids.

Shawn hums. He pushes his own empty glass away and curls his arm tighter around Maya’s shoulders, tipping his head so his cheek brushes the top of hers.

“I think--” the word is drawn out, as if he really has to consider what might possibly excite him during their trip, “I think I’m most excited about finding a little cafe where you’ll jump up on the table and start singing Dancing Queen to me. Or Mamma Mia. Whichever fits the cafe scene better.”

Shawn smiles into the kiss he presses to Maya’s head. The scent of her coconut milk shampoo floods his senses and he sighs, content to spend the rest of his life with his nose buried in her hair. As much as he’s looking forward to their trip, nothing beats being nestled together at their favorite table in their favorite restaurant, full of their favorite milkshakes.

Maya snorts. “Gonna have to feed me a lot of ouzo to get that to happen.”

She has no doubt there will be a lot of ouzo and a lot of cafes. But if Shawn wants Maya singing in public, he’s also going to have to smile real pretty. Which, as it turns out, he’s an expert at.

One of their regular waiters drops the check on their table. Maya lets Shawn put down his card because she’s footing most of their vacation bill, since it was her idea.

“What about you, Lemon?”

“I thiiiiink,” she teases him with a smile, running her fingers against the back of his neck, “Probably all the skinny dipping we’re gonna do in the Adriatic. Or Mediterranean, either or. I’m not picky.”

She nips his jaw and reaches for her purse to stand. They have more to pack, so it’s probably time to be heading back. Maya blows Emilia a kiss and catches the one she sends in return. She makes a mental note to find her a nice gift while they’re abroad.

“I don’t know about skinny dipping, Lu,” Shawn muses as he guides her out of the restaurant, aiming a friendly wave over his shoulder to Emilia as she bustles around the main dining room. “Those European seas get pretty chilly. And I’ve got precious cargo to protect.”

She almost chokes on a breath.

“Did you just refer to your cock and balls as precious cargo? Not that I’m disagreeing, but Jesus, Shawn,” she laughs, squeezing his hand playfully.

Shawn grins, the dimple in his chin popping out. “Bad joke? It was Geoff’s, first. Blame him.”

He swings their joined hands between them, making sure to keep his pace at a leisurely stroll while they head down the boardwalk. Sure, there’s some packing to do, but Shawn’s not in a rush. The sun hasn’t even set. The breeze is warm, salty, perfect. Maybe Maya will go for an evening surf before they have to get down to business.

The waves swell, roll in, crash, retreat.

Maya finds herself slowing her pace to match his. Sometimes she catches herself power walking around this sleepy beach town like it’s Manhattan at rush hour and she has to remind herself to slow down. There’s no need for that anymore, and Maya is so grateful that he’s here to help keep her from sprinting through life.

Maya admires the way his curls rumple in the shore breeze. He squints adorably through the golden hour sun. She thinks about painting him this way and wonders if she could ever hope to capture the colors accurately.

Shawn turns so he’s walking backwards ahead of Maya, their hands still clasped together. “You wanna go for a surf? You didn’t get out there this morning.”

She shrugs and plays with his fingers while they walk. “Maybe. Kind of just want to stay on land with you.”

He watches her bend and stretch his fingers as he continues his backwards trek. She studies his face, and he knows she’s got her artist eyes on from the contemplative intensity of her gaze. He stays focused on their linked fingers. A look like that from Maya is full of weight Shawn’s not sure he understands.

He comes close, though, when he writes music about her.

“Do we have to pack right away?” he asks eventually, swinging around to walk forward again when they near the house. “Let’s get stranded on the beach for a little. Watch the sunset. If no one’s around, I could make you come.”

Shawn’s itching with the need to savor this last night in Avila, because it feels as though tomorrow will change them. They’ll be a different couple on the other end of this trip. He’s eager for it, to really begin his life with her, but he’s not in any rush.

They have the time for another sunset.

Maya’s eyebrows lift. “Well, I certainly think I could make time for that in our very busy, very official pre-travel schedule.”

Maybe they’ll be up late throwing clothes into a bag, dazed and smiley after spending another several hours in bed like they’re prone to do. Maya doesn’t mind. It’s always worth it with him.

They live far enough off the boardwalk to avoid most foot traffic. The house is quiet but warm -- they left a few lights on when they left for dinner, giving it a cozy glow. Maya looks up at it with pride. It was the best thing she’s ever done for herself, buying this house. And now it belongs to them both. It feels right.

The sun is starting to dip below the horizon when they arrive out on the beach in front of the house. She stops and drapes his arms around her shoulders like he’s a blanket, facing them toward the sunset. She looks down at their feet, hers between his, and traces her toe around the inside of his foot.

“Love you,” she murmurs softly. Maya’s not afraid to say it. She saves it for the most special occasions, and for some beautiful, cosmic reason, this feels like one.

Her gentle words push his heart into his throat. His pulse is loud— drum drum drum— in his ears, and he hides his satisfied smirk in her neck.

She makes him feel painfully twenty-one again with such simple words.

But he’s not twenty-one anymore, and he’s pretty fucking glad for it. He was a huge idiot back then, even if he did fall in love with the right girl. He’s better at loving her now, with his newfound, middle-aged wisdom.

“I know,” he growls into her neck when he manages to find his voice. He bites at her throat, then kisses his way to her ear. “Now stop bragging about it, Lemon, and watch the sunset with me.”

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Thank you for joining @achinglyshawn and I on such a special journey! We loved sharing this story with you and appreciate every message, like, or reblog. 💜 wishing you all safety and love.

@smallerinfinities @the-claire-bitch-project @achinglyshawn @infiniteshawn @mendesoft @singanddreamanyway @alone-in-madness @abigfatmess @shawnitsmutual @awkwardfangirl2014 @september-lace @sinplisticshawn @rollingxstone @randi-eve @fallmoreinlove @heyits-claire @itrocksmysocks @parkerspicedlatte @simpledomain @abeautiful-and-cloudy-day @thecurlsofgod @magcon7280 @bensbuttercup @shawnsmusical @paigeasourous @tell-me-when-ur-ready @softmendesss @searchingunderthestars @buggy-blogs @mendesficsxbombay @siennarossi @lostinshawnsmemory @umbreakablesoul @sleepybesson @shawnsheaven @desire-to-live @jillian-nd @shawnwyr @curlsofshawn @graysonmendes @tnhmblive @meltingicequeen

#shawn mendes #shawn mendes fan fiction #shawn mendes fan fic #shawn mendes fiction #shawn mendes fluff #shawn mendes fanfic #shawn mendes fanfiction #shawn mendes au #shawn mendes angst #shawn mendes smut #shawn mendes series #shawn mendes rpf #shawn mendes blurb #Shawn Mendes Imagine #shawn mendes drabble #shawn mendes one shot

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shirtlesssammy · 5 years

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10x22: The Prisoner

Hey Guys! We’re finally done with recapping all of Andrew Dabb’s episodes this week. For the rest of hiatus we’re doing a mix of favorites and not-so-favorites (*cough* finally addressing some of the Buckleming episodes *cough*) Six weeks until the final season. Agh!

Shreveport, Louisiana

Nerd Boy Styne leaves school only to be harassed by local burnouts. They want to know how much of a virgin he is (um, is there a gradient on that?) (Natasha: Virginity. Is. A. Construct.) Nerd Boy bites back HARD which does not sit well with Alpha burnout.

He’s pushed to the ground but is “saved” by his older brother. I get the feeling that he’d rather take his chances with the burnouts.

Later, Alpha Burnout is enjoying his Slushy and stayin’ alive when he notices a car following him. He takes off but runs into Older Brother Styne. Styne #2 creeps up and puts a plastic bag over his head and bye bye burnout.

*FFFFFUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKK ALERT*

Sam and Dean are building Charlie’s pyre. We get flashbacks as they burn her body. Sam tries to say some words but Dean is full of rage and doesn’t want to hear it.

He even goes so far to tell Sam that he should be on that pyre instead of her. Oh boy. He tells Sam to stop what they’re doing to help him. The Mark isn’t going to kill him. Meanwhile, he WILL find who killed Charlie and end them all.

Nerd Boy Styne is busy playing video games and chatting with a friend. He has plans on moving to LA, but can’t tell his family because they’re scary and will kill him. His older brother lets him know their father wants to see him.

Cut to the elder Styne (listen, I HATE this storyline, I HATE that they killed Charlie, I HATE it all. I am not putting any effort into finding out any of their names. They’re all just Styne #1-4 to me.) He’s berating Styne with no arm about not getting the book and losing his arm. He tells his father about the bunker’s lore.

First, he’s got to get a new arm, so they bring in Nerd Boy (Fine, Nerd Boy can have a name-- it’s Cyrus) and show him Alpha Burnout and tell him to carve him up. He doesn’t want to. Jesus, his dear old dad says he’s going to do this or his dad will do it and then he’ll tie up Cyrus and do the same to him. W o W.

Dean calls another hunter, Rudy, about a lead on the Stynes.

Cas and Rowena continue to work on the Book of the Damned.

For Too Much Beauty in One Shot Science:

Sam comes back and wordlessly tells Cas that Charlie is gone. Sam then says that Dean knows and that he promised Dean that he would shut down their little plan. Rowena, still the delightful antagonist here, wants to know what’s going on. They opt not to fill her in. Cas asks the only important question: “What about Dean?” Sam looks at the GPS on his phone pointing to where the Impala is when he gets an email from Charlie. It’s the codex. Rowena can now read the Book of the Damned.

Sam tasks Cas with finding Dean. Sam’s going to keep with their plan. He’s going to save his brother.

He then demands that Rowena read the Book. She’s not so inclined right now. She wants Crowley dead first.

Back at Casa Styne, the burnout is dead and brother Styne has a new arm. Cyrus is devastated.

Dean’s made it to Louisiana and gets pulled over by the cops. They dare to knock out Baby’s rear lights and Dean goes for one of the cops and gets arrested for his effort. I mean, I’m really surprised at the restraint Dean shows here? He doesn’t fight really. He could have busted up both the cops with little effort.

At Phil’s Diner, Crowley enjoys the best cup of coffee he’s ever had (and I’m enjoying the midcentury set design!).

Seth, the server, tells him that he learned how to make a good cup in Ecuador. Next, he’d like to head to Asia. It’s just a dream though. Crowley is in the business of making dreams come true. He gets a call from Dean before he can seal any dream making deals though. Then he gets a text with where to meet Dean --in Kansas, not Louisiana.

Dean’s at the sheriff’s station having his entire rock alias collection uncovered (not to mention the secret arsenal of weapons in the Impala). The officer wants to know who Dean is. “I’m the guy who’s going to get out of here in about 30 seconds.” He then proceeds to knock a mug of pens over. The guy comes over to Dean and Dean promptly gets him in a headlock, demands the handcuff’s keys and knocks the guy out cold. I’d say that took maybe 15 seconds.

Dean finds the sheriff talking to someone on the phone.

He butts him with a gun once for lying and once again for hurting his car. He then demands the sheriff tell him who he was talking to --one of the Stynes, but they own this town and there’s no way Dean can take on this family. Challenge Accepted! (Also: let’s just temporarily think about Dean saying: “Yeah, well I kill gods” as we head into the final season.)

Crowley makes a fabulous entrance into a nasty warehouse, looking for Dean. <Insert 8,000 booty call jokes here> Sam shoots him with a devil’s trap bullet. Sam reveals that he lured Crowley there with a faked phone call from Dean. He flourishes the demon-killing knife and a hex bag, before stuffing the bag into Crowley’s pocket. Oh, and he has a final message from Rowena: “She should’ve taken the three pigs.” Sam x Rowena: murder couple extraordinaire!

Dean casually kills his way into the Styne compound and it’s half James Bond ease and half YIKES OH NO KILLER DEAN BEAN.

Inside, several people point guns at Dean surprise-party-style, while another Styne sneaks a plastic bag onto his face, smothering him. (Query: why are there no women in this family except the single hot nurse? Lame.)

Sam continues to listen to Crowley monologue as he slowly crumples under Rowena’s curse. Crowley insists that he’s been creating a friendlier Hell. “I thought if I did better, I might actually feel something again. That it might matter.” Sam reminds Crowley - and us - that he’s killed a lot of people we care about. Crowley admits to being monstrous and he looks up at Sam. His eyes glow red as he rises, tosses out the bullet, and thanks Sam for jolting him back into his true King-of-Hell give-’em-hell mindset.

Sam started Crowley on his human journey, so I guess it’s fitting that he’s ended it as well.

Dean wakes up on the Styne operating slab. They tell him they’ll kill him and harvest him. (So, like, just do it and quit the smirky speeches?) Dean points out the Mark - he can’t die but he CAN come back as a demon so...don’t say he didn’t warn you. In very little time, Dean dispatches the entire operating theater, killing Elder Styne riiiight in the middle of his evil villain monologue. (For that, we applaud you, Crazed Killer Dean.)

The other Stynes break into the bunker, which is currently unoccupied. They plan to loot and then burn it which, yep, seems pretty much on par with what we’ve seen of these yahoos.

Sam calls Rowena and tells her about the failed hex bag. Rowena’s entirely unimpressed at Sam’s killing prowess and snaps at him to finish the job he started. Mmmhmmm yesss gurl!

Cas calls Sam from the Styne estate. It’s a bloody mess; Dean took out the whole dumb Styne storyline - I mean, family. Now, Dean’s headed back to the bunker.

In the bunker, Cyrus digs through books while Formerly-One-Arm makes dick commentary like, “So this is what I know about Dean Winchester. He's got crappy taste in music, got a hot mom, and he loves flannel.” Man, what I wouldn’t give for a late-season Mary Winchester to show these Stynes what’s what! They finish piling stuff in the middle of the library and pour fuel over everything. A single match gets dramatically lit when the other Styne Stooge stumbles in, stabbed.

Dean Winchester appears, covered in blood and looking so pissed that he’s practically on the other side of the emotion by now.

Formerly-One-Arm Styne disrespects Charlie and, despite Dean’s dead-eyed stare, we’re really ready for Dean to let go and beat this jerk down. Without further preamble, Dean shoots him in the head. Dean then threatens Cyrus, who begs for mercy. He doesn’t have monstrous stitches and he hates his family! (Though it’s strongly implied that Cyrus is complicit in his bully’s death and de-arming.) “There's bad in you,” Dean tells him in response. “It's in your blood. Now you can deny it and you can run from it all you want, but that bad will always win.” Oh, Dean Bean. The Mark’s got you well and truly hooked now. Dean kills Baby Styne.

Cas walks in, horrified by what Dean’s done.

….And then they hug it out and go for milkshakes!

Right?

Ugh, okay. Fine. Cas confronts Dean about his faulty moral compass.

Dean flares up about Sam and Cas’s secret project to cure Dean. Cas insists that Dean needs help. “Maybe you could fight the Mark for years. Maybe centuries, like Cain did. But you cannot fight it forever. And when you finally turn, and you will turn. Sam, and everyone you know, everyone you love...they could be long dead. Everyone except me. I'm the one who will have to watch you murder the world. So if there's even a small chance that we can save you, I won't let you walk out of this room.”

Dean continues to glare at Cas.

……..And then they hug it out and go for milkshakes!

(Boris and I will take just a moment to picture Cas staying by Dean’s side for centuries. Please do not mind the sound of quiet weeping.)

Instead of milkshakes and hugs, there’s a terrible fight where Cas only defends and doesn’t attack. He begs Dean to stop his march into darkness and in response Dean beats him bloody. He pulls out Cas’s angel blade and raises it to strike. As Dean hovers above his bloodied friend, Cas simply says, “Please…”

Dean stabs a nearby book instead, and stalks out of the bunker leaving nothing but terrible feelings in all of us - and a clear threat of future murderous intent.

______________________________

The Mark of Quotes is Changing You!

An angel that rejected Heaven. That's like a fish that wants to fly, or a dog that thinks he's people. I’d be happy to kill her, she just called me a fish.

You got seventeen fake I.D.'s, and a trunk full of guns, knives, freakin' ninja stars... I mean, who are you, man?

Aren’t you a clever kitty?

You can save me the speech on the three hearts, the two spleens, the seven nipples, for the ladies... or the fellas, I don't judge.

______________________________

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zig-a-zow · 6 years

Text

As told by Aiden [Chapter 4: Watching and waiting]

Summary: Aiden Zhou had everything figured out. He was a Junior at high school, he would graduate in two years, attend a prestigious school such as Juilliard and become the best musician he could be. Of course, despite being practically a prodigy at what he loved, he had a lot to learn yet, especially the most important lesson: there was more to life than what he once thought.

Pairings: Aiden x MC (Grace Ashton)

Word count: 2826

Notes: Hello there! What is this, you might be asking yourself? Well, nothing other than what the title says: High School Story as told by Aiden. The events from the book, but from his perspective, plus extra scenes/fanon lore. There are significant changes in this story, though. For once, I have two MCs, best friends Grace and Callie. However, one of them will be significantly more prominent due to being Aiden’s love interest. Also, each chapter has its own song, cause how could I write about Aiden without music included? Click the lyrics to listen.

Taglist: @mlmseangayle @ravenclawpokegirl25 @poofboopmew @apluschoices

Ch. 1 - Ch. 2 - Ch. 3 - Ch. 4 (It’s right here!) - Ch. 5 - Ch. 6 - Ch. 7 - Ch. 8 (Coming soon!)

Oh, you capture my attention

Carefully listening

Don’t wanna miss a thing

Keeping my eyes on you

He had been staring at his phone’s screen until its light stopped illuminating his face, and he could see his reflection on the glass.

The screen came to life again with a single tap of his finger, as he immediately deleted the message he had written but not sent.

Was he really going to text Grace? Right now, while laying in bed, unable to sleep?

It probably wasn’t a good idea, he told himself. They had been talking all night, and even if she seemed pretty… interested in him, maybe it was a little too much to talk to her now.

Plus, she was probably already asleep, like a normal person at 5:00am.

Aiden sighed deeply, leaving his phone on his bedside table and pulling his blankets to cover his whole body in a futile attempt to rest at least a few hours.

Next morning, he had a raging headache and wished he could stay in bed all day. Or maybe all week. All month…?

Begrudgingly he got out of bed, and left his house hoping for a little bit of quietness at school.

Which he didn’t find.

“Aiden! AIDEN, HOLY SH–!”

“Myra, language” he simply said, waiting until his friend reached their usual table at the cafeteria.

“You’re not gonna BELIEVE what happened today at homeroom!” she exclaimed as she sat across from him, a big grin of joy adorning her face. “Come on, ask me what happened!”

He sighed.

“What happened, Myra?”

“Okay, so Grace and Callie are sitting in the front with Caleb, right? And suddendly Brian comes in and starts acting like a jerk, so Caleb is fed up and they both get up, like, they’re gonna fight!” she started narrating, her hands gesturing as she spoke. “And Brian goes and punches Caleb when he’s distracted! And Grace is all like ‘Oh, no you didn’t!’, so she goes and…!”

Her hand turned into a fist, and she punched the air with a smile.

“BAM! Right in the face! And he almost falls on his back! It was hi-lar-i-ous!”

Aiden listened in silence, an expression of astonishment displaying on his face. He tried to imagine Grace, petite and dainty Grace, punching the school’s quarterback so hard that she made him stumble. It was surprisingly easy to picture.

“So Callie is all like ’Oooh nooo, don’t fight!’, and grabs Grace before Brian can hit back, and Vice Principal Isa came in right then! And she took them ALL to the Principal’s office! HOW COOL IS THAT?!”

“Pretty cool, if you ask me” they both turned to Ezra when they heard his voice, just as he took a seat beside Myra, grinning. “Yep, everyone’s talking about it. I think Morgan recorded it all, I hope she uploads it to MyTube soon.”

“Oooh, man! Why didn’t I think of recording it…?!”

“Wait a minute… are you two celebrating this?”

At his words, Myra and Ezra exchanged glances briefly before turning to look at him again, stunned expressions on their faces.

“Well, she did punch the biggest jerk at Berry High, so…”

“… of course we’re celebrating, you dummy! Here’s a better question, why aren’t you?!”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because I don’t condone violence in any way, shape or form?” he replied to Myra’s rhetorical question with one of his own. “What Grace did was wrong, no matter how justified you might think it was. She lowered herself to his level, it’s as simple as that.”

Ezra smirked at that.

“Okay, you tell her that.”

“What…?”

“Hey guys” Grace’s voice startled him as she took a seat right beside him. She gave him a quizzical look before turning to the others, grimacing at their smiling faces. “Don’t tell me…”

“Aaah! Grace, you were so awesome!” Myra almost bounced out of her seat with excitement, her voice a squeal. “Remind me not to mess with you!”

“Oh, and Aiden has something to tell you” Ezra smirked mischievously, nodding his way as if to give him the word. “What was that you were saying right now…?”

“I, uh…”

Aiden stammered for a few seconds, suddenly feeling all his confidence and resolution go down the metaphorical drain. To his surprise, Grace barely turned to him with a tired expression.

“I heard him. What I did was wrong, I lowered myself to that idiot’s level. He’s right” she mumbled, casting her gaze toward the table in shame. She let out a long sigh of resignation. “Don’t get me wrong, he deserved it. And I’m not gonna lie, it felt good. But guess who was almost suspended and is now stuck on Homecoming committee?”

She half-heartedly pointed to herself with her thumbs.

“This girl.”

A moment of silence reigned between them, and Aiden took a good look at the girl beside him. She looked somehow smaller than before, and genuinely remorseful. He raised his hand a few centimeters, tempted to place it on her shoulder, before Ezra spoke again.

“Sorry, Grace. We didn’t mean to make you feel bad or anything” he said with a soft tone, and Myra nodded silently by his side, a rare serious expression on her face. “It’s just, what you did today? It was great, even if it got you in trouble. You wanna know why? ‘Cause that guy always thought he was untouchable, he could do whatever he wanted, but guess what? He can’t, 'cause people like you are out there putting jerks like him in their places. So chin up, queen. You did good.”

Grace looked up at that, her dark eyes shinning slightly as a tiny smile started to appear on her face. Myra rounded the table to sit by her side and give her a quick hug, smiling encouragingly.

“That’s more like it! We’re not saying you should go around punching every person that looks at you the wrong way… though honestly, that would be pretty cool” she started, before catching herself, shaking her head quickly. “But seriously… giving the Brians of the world a reason to count their teeth? Yes, please!”

Just then, the bell rang. Several people started abandoning the cafeteria, and that included them as well.

“Thanks for the pep talk, guys” said Grace with a little smile, shrugging slightly. “I guess this could be worse…”

Aiden remained silent. He had heard lots of stories about how Maria Flores, his classmate and the person in charge of Homecoming committee, was like as a leader. They all agreed in the fact that she could be utterly terrifying.

But somehow he had a feeling that Grace would be able to handle it just fine. At least he hoped so.

A growing feeling of discomfort didn’t leave him alone for the rest of the day.

Aiden couldn’t help but feel guilty about the way he had spoken before. He dreaded the idea that his words could’ve hurt Grace’s feelings in any way. So he needed to talk to her so he could… apologize? He wasn’t really sure of what to do, but he had to do something.

He didn’t see Grace again until it was time for him to finally leave the school. He had just walked out of the band room after practice, and was approaching his locker when he could hear her cheerful voice calling his name.

“Oh, hey! Look, it’s Aiden!”

When he turned around, he could see her approaching quickly with a grin and a cupholder full of milkshakes, Maria following her at a moderate pace and clearly not as excited.

“Grace, we can’t stay for too long…”

“I know, I know! Just wanted to say hi!” she replied with a brief laugh, turning to him again. “Hi!”

“Hey… what are you doing here?” he mumbled as his eyes fell on the cupholder significantly.

“Homecoming committee… we had to go and get something to eat 'cause we all got hungry halfway through.”

Aiden was about to say something when he could hear Maria huffing at a prudent distance from them, probably unaware of him noticing her gesture of impatience. He sighed.

“It seems like you’re busy… but I need to talk to you” he admitted as he finally reached his locker, placing a few books inside. “It’s… moderately important.”

“Oooh, you got me at 'moderately’!” Grace had a playful smile on her face, so he wasn’t sure if she was kidding or not. “Tell you what, I’ll hit you up as soon as I’m able, okay?”

“Grace…”

“I’m coming!”

Grace winked before she walked away and joined Maria, who clearly was growing impatient by the minute. She turned around once with a smile.

“Talk to you later!”

“Yes, talk to you later!” repeated Maria as they both started to walk away, and seemingly realized what she had said a few second later. “Why did I say that? I’m not going to talk to him later!”

Grace laughed loudly as they reached a corner, and Aiden was barely able to hear them anymore.

“Don’t laugh, it’s not funny…!”

“But it’s super cute…!”

Aiden stopped for a second before closing his locker, his gaze directed toward the corner where the pair of girls had disappeared from view. He frowned slightly. Had he heard that right?

Had Grace called Maria cute?

'No. She thought what she said was cute. In a funny way’ he told himself as he shrugged, hanging his backpack on his shoulder. 'But what if it was… in a flirty way?’

Well, if that was the case, it was okay. Because Grace had the right to flirt with whoever she wanted, and he had no say in that matter, obviously.

He knew all of that, and still, he wasn’t able to erase that frown from his features.

He had patiently waited for Grace to call, but she didn’t.

At first he thought nothing of it, and distracted himself with simple tasks like composing a short piece for violin and making small talk with his parents while having dinner.

But as the night progressed, he started to feel… something.

At first, he was worried. Was she okay? Maybe something bad had happened. He contemplated calling her himself to check, but what if she was simply busy and his call was unwelcome?

Then he was somewhat disappointed. Maybe she just had forgotten, which was completely plausible.

Or maybe she was talking with Maria instead.

Aiden huffed as he finished drying his longish hair with a towel after a shower, as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. He frowned, though he wasn’t sure why.

He made his way back to his room and let himself fall on his bed with a soft thud, staring at the ceiling for a few moments.

He could feel his tired eyes give in after minute or two, and drifted to sleep.

Aiden wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but his phone rang on his bedside table and startled him. He grabbed it, half asleep, and let out a sleepy groan.

“You have to be kidding me…”

It seemed like Grace had decided that calling him almost at midnight was a good idea.

He felt tempted to ignore her call and resume his much needed sleeping… but he couldn’t do that. Well, he actually could, if it were Ezra or even Myra.

But seeing Grace’s name and face in his screen was somehow enough for him accept the call.

“Hello…?”

“Hey! Did I wake you up?!”

“Mhm.”

“Ohmygod, I’m so sorry!” Grace’s voice sounded a bit hushed, as if she were trying to keep quiet and failing. “I didn’t mean to, but I just now found a moment to myself.”

Aiden yawned as he sat down on his bed, rubbing the sleep out of his tired eyes in an attempt to fully wake up.

“Why?” he muttered, his voice a bit hoarse from sleeping. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah… I mean… well, Emma did something really dumb and brave today and needed some cheering up, so I had the brilliant idea of staying up with her and Callie for a while” Grace explained with a sigh, sounding tired as well. “I didn’t expect Emma to stay for so long. Her mom came to get her like twenty minutes ago.”

“And Callie?”

“She’s sleeping on the floor. I don’t know how she does it, to be honest.”

Aiden nodded slowly before remembering she couldn’t see him at the moment. He sighed deeply.

“Sorry, I can hang up if you…”

“No, I mean… I’m already awake” he mumbled, and it was only half a lie. “I might as well say what I wanted to say. It’s about what happened today.”

“A lot happened today” she pointed out, matter-of-factly. “Are you talking about me punching Brian or…?”

“Yes. Partially. Mostly about what I said later on, at lunch.”

Grace remained silent, and all he could hear for a few seconds was her calm breathing. He knew she was waiting for him to explain further, but couldn’t help finding the soft sounds oddly relaxing.

He shook his head, feeling himself blush.

“I meant to apologize, Grace. I was out of line.”

“For stating your opinion?”

“For the way I worded it, I suppose” Aiden looked up at the ceiling yet again, suddenly feeling like he didn’t really know what to say. “I felt… guilty afterwards. I did not mean to hurt your feelings.”

“Aw, Aiden… you didn’t. Really” she assured immediately, and he could almost hear the smile on her face as she spoke. “You were right. And it’s okay.”

“Maybe so, but…”

“If it makes you feel better… then I accept your unnecessary apology.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the tone of her voice and the emphasis of her words. Her soft laughter made him smile.

“Thank you, Grace.”

“Don’t mention it. I guess I should let you sleep now” she muttered then, and he could hear the mischief in her voice. “Even though I don’t really want to.”

Aiden let himself slide in his bed until he was again resting on his back, and repressed a yawn. He was really tired, but the conversation was getting more interesting by the minute.

“Is that so?” he could also hear a rare glimpse of confidence as he spoke, and assumed it was only because she couldn’t see his blushing face. “May I know why?”

“I dunno. I really like the sound of your voice. It’s… deep but also soft? Like a constant whisper… if that makes any sense.”

Suddenly all that confidence he was building up once again drained faster than it had arrived. He swallowed hard, feeling his face burn red with embarrassment.

“Oh. Um… thank you? I think… uh…”

Grace giggled at that.

“You’re blushing.”

“N-No, I’m not.”

“You’re totally blushing. That’s cute.”

’Cute’.

Suddenly Aiden felt the need to hang up without any warning, and just go back to sleep, possibly with a frown.

But that would be too immature for him, so he sighed.

“I really should go back to sleep now” he said then, and he noticed that his voice sounded more serious now.

She noticed as well.

“Uh… sure. Of course. Have a good night, Aiden.”

And there it was again, that sting of guilt he hated so much. He sighed, his tone softening slightly.

“Good night, Grace.”

They both hung up at the same time, and as he was setting his phone aside, Aiden came to have an epiphany of sorts.

No matter how hard he was trying to deny it, it was very clear now.

He was jealous.

And he hated it.

Oh, you capture my attention

I’m anticipating

I’m watching and waiting

For you to make your move

Got me on my toes

Chapter 4 is up!

I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Remember that I can add you to my taglist if you want me to, so you don’t miss any update!

As always, feedback is appreciated and encouraged! Thanks for reading!

#playchoices #high school story #hss #aiden zhou #aiden x mc #maria flores #myra khandaar #ezra mitchell #hss mc (grace ashton)#zig writes #fghfjjgv #i like how this came out #💖#thanks for your patience btw #ok bye #long post

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zig-a-zow · 6 years

Text

As told by Aiden [Chapter 3: Wild hearts]

Pairings: Aiden x MC (Grace Ashton), Michael x MC (Callie McKenzie)

Word count: 3702

Ch. 1 - Ch. 2 - Ch. 3 (It’s right here!) - Ch. 4 - Ch. 5 - Ch. 6 - Ch. 7 - Ch. 8 (Coming soon!)

Wild hearts, run

Your time has just begun

Keep chasing for the sun

Don’t slow it down.

It wasn't long before Grace's attention drifted from him to the sliding glass doors, where they could both see her friend Callie walking out of the house, a stunned expression on her face.

Grace quickly ran toward her, and as Aiden could see, a few other classmates did the same. He didn't exactly know why, but he followed her.

"Callie? What's wrong?"

The blonde girl looked shaken, and her blue eyes darted toward Grace immediately. She sighed deeply, approaching her friend to hug her tightly.

"It's awful... Caleb and I just walked in on Brian and Zoe making out!"

Even though her voice sounded slightly hushed due to her face being pressed against Grace's shoulder, it was loud enough for the rest of them to hear it. Aiden looked around and recognized the people around them.

Maria, his classmate, and as far as he knew, the only one besides him that wasn't a Sophomore, was the first to speak with a frown.

"Well, that explains why he run away almost crying" she said with a thoughtful expression, before catching herself. "Oh, and this is terrible, of course!"

"Can't say I'm surprised" commented Michael, whose hair was still damp from the pool.

"That doesn't matter right now!" Callie let go of Grace for a moment, straightening up with a look of resolution on her face. "We have to go after him and make sure he's okay!"

"Excuse me, 'we'?"

All eyes turned to him, and Aiden made an effort not to take a literal step back. He cleared his throat, suddenly on the spot.

Luckily for him, Grace piped up just in time.

"Gonna have to agree with Aiden here" she said, shrugging slightly. "Callie, we barely know the guy. Hell, we barely know anyone here. It's none of our business."

"That, and... nobody here really hangs out with him, so the same could be said about us" Michael spoke again, hiding his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "So yeah, hard pass from me."

"But... he's one of us! Wouldn't you want someone to go after you if the tables were turned?"

"No. I'd want to be left alone, thank you very much."

"Well, I'm with you, Callie" Emma's voice was heard as she approached the center of the circle, looking a little less shy at the moment. "He needs m-- us, right now."

"Count me in as well. What Zoe did is disgusting" stated Maria, solemnly, even though a tiny smile crept into her face a second later. "Not to mention Caleb could persuade a few more people to attend Homecoming."

Once again, all eyes turned to Aiden, and he gulped loudly. He had been so absorbed in listening to everyone else that he didn't even think about what he would do.

He considered silently for a few seconds before he sighed deeply, almost in defeat.

"It's the right thing to do. So I'll join your group."

Michael let out a low chuckle at that, that almost made him frown.

"It's the right thing to do... wow. Good for you, pal, your medal's in the mail."

"Well, he's not wrong" Grace mumbled, joining the other side in a symbolic and literal way. "I still don't care, but there's no way I'm staying in this lame party instead of running around town. Sounds like fun."

"The right thing for the wrong reasons, got it" after a moment Michael joined them as well, shrugging slightly. "I got nothing else to do, I guess. Come on, let's go."

Callie squealed at that, and she put her arms around both of their shoulders for a few seconds as she happily beamed at them.

"Aww, I knew you two would come around! Now, any idea where Caleb would run off to?"

"Maybe The Golden Griddle?" Julian's voice came from behind and Aiden startled slightly, but luckily nobody seemed to notice or care. "That's where I'd go to grab a burger and sulk."

"Alright, let's go!"

Grace cleared her throat to get her attention.

"Callie."

"Yes?"

"Your clothes."

"Oh, right!" Callie's pale cheeks turned red when she realized she was still wearing her swimsuit. She walked toward the house. "I'll be right back!"

She disapeared from view, and a few minutes later she returned. And with that, the seven of them started their way toward The Golden Griddle. As he walked with his hands hidden in the pockets of his jeans, lost in thought, Aiden realized that Grace fell behind to match his rather slow pace.

"Hey... don't let that Michael guy get to you" she said with a low tone, for him to be the only one able to hear her. "I personally think it's very noble of you to do this just because it's the right thing to do."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Like, I've never heard another kid our age say something like that. Unless you count heartthrobs from crappy YA novels."

Aiden couldn't help but laugh under his breath at that, shaking his head slightly. When he turned to her, she was giving him a curious look that made him blush lightly in return. He shrugged.

"I appreciate it. But I wasn't letting him get to me anyway, his opinion means very little to me" he admitted as they finally made it to the place in question, and the rest of the group hurried inside, leaving them behind. He opened the door for her. "After you."

Grace snorted at that, but he could tell she wasn't mocking him. With a simple nod she walked in, and he followed suit.

The diner was almost empty, except for Wes and Autumn, two Seniors that he knew from school. They were sharing a milkshake while the rest of the group was already talking to them. Wes was shaking his head with a smirk as the two of them approached at last.

"Callie McKenzie, one of the newest students to Berry High, recently transferred from Hearst" he was saying, and his eyes promptly found Grace, his smile widening. "And Grace Ashton, of course. Missing New York yet?"

"A little, but this place is okay so far" she replied, shrugging as if his words weren't that important. "Now, will you stop the mysterious edgy act and tell us who you are? Seems only fair."

"It's Wes. He makes it his business to know everything that goes on around town" said Maria almost immediately, and as Wes was about to say something else, she hurried to continue. "No, we don't have time for witty banter. Have you guys seen Caleb?"

"No, not lately at least. He wasn't here if that's what you're asking" replied Autumn, before acquiring a worried expression. "Why? Is he okay?"

"I don't think so... he walked in on his girlfriend cheating on him with his best friend."

At Emma's words, Wes clicked his tongue as he shook his head, releasing Autumn's hand so he could fold his arms above his chest.

"Took him long enough to find out."

"Wait a minute, you knew about this?" Aiden couldn't contain himself, frowning slightly without even noticing. "And you didn't say anything?"

"Yeah, man, how dare you? Don't you know that telling him was the right thing to do?"

Michael's voice managed to make him scowl, his dark eyes throwing daggers at him for just a millisecond. It wasn't like Michael cared anyway, as he simply gave him a mocking smirk in return.

"Maybe so, but my job is to know, not tell" Wes replied a second later, oblivious of their silent exchange. "However... if I were you, I'd try the arcade. Caleb likes to blow off steam there."

"Oh, yay! Thank you, Wes!" Callie gave them both a warm smile before leading the way back to the door. "Come on, everybody, there's no time to lose!"

The rest of the group clearly didn't share her enthusiasm, but that didn't seem to bother her at all, in fact it was almost like she wasn't even aware of that. As Callie walked in the front, with Michael, the rest of them followed at an average pace.

It wasn't strange that a brief silence took place at first, since most of them hadn't interacted much before that night, and they were just meeting the two new girls.

Maria cleared her throat.

"So, Grace... you used to live in New York?" she said after a moment, a bright smile on her face. "I've always wanted to visit. How is it there?"

Grace, who was distracted typing as she walked, looked up from her phone with a brief expression of confusion before she smiled, tucking her phone back in her pocket.

"It's... big. Like, really big" she walked a little faster to match their pace, shrugging slightly. "But believe it or not, I like it better here."

"You used to live here?" Emma asked after a moment, and Grace gave her a low chuckle.

"Yeah, for ten years. Then my mom wanted us to move with her to New York, but after almost six years dad wanted to come back here. He thinks it's a better environment for my little sister."

Aiden remained silent as they kept asking trivial questions about her life in New York. He really had nothing to ask at the moment, although he did feel curious to a certain extent. Luckily for him, their path was coming to an end, as he could see the neon lights of the arcade ahead.

"Oh, wow! This place is huuuge!" Callie was bouncing from place to place as the rest of them walked inside, immediately surrounded by bright colorful lights. "We have to come here again someday, just to have fun!"

Nobody replied, probably because they had spotted a group of familiar faces. They approached only to see that they were all admiring Sakura's dancing skills in Disco Dance Rebellion.

"Good evening, we don't mean to bother, but we were wondering if maybe you had seen Caleb Mitchell tonight?"

Aiden's voice was barely audible due to the chiptune music coming from the machine next to them, but Myra seemed to have trained ears because she could understand his words right away.

"He came here and beat Sakura's previous score" she replied, just as the music finally stopped. "But as you can see, she just beat him! Go Sakura!"

"Could you tell us where he went after that?" asked this time Emma, with a grimace. "We need to find him..."

"We don't know where he went, but he left about ten minutes ago" Aiden recognized the guy that spoke next as Luis, another of his classmates, who promply blushed slightly at the sight of Emma. "It's nice to see you, Emma... and everyone else, of course!"

"Yeah, sure..."

Aiden could see that Luis was blushing even more at Myra's words, and couldn't help but feel a tinge of symphaty for him. Clearly he wasn't the only victim of her ruthless teasing.

"This is all very interesting, but can you guys tell us where he went?" Grace intervened after a moment, her arms crossed above her chest. "That's the only reason we came here, to be honest."

"Yeah, uh, about that..."

They all turned toward Michael when they heard his voice, and he promptly pointed to the game where Sakura was dancing previously, although she wasn't alone now. Callie was right beside her, getting rid of her blue cardigan with a huge smile on her face.

"I don't care about winning, I just wanna dance!" she was exclaiming, clearly replying to whatever Sakura had said before and they couldn't hear. "Let's do this!"

Grace succesfully caught the blue cardigan her best friend threw at her, a slight smile on her face as she shook her head.

"Welp, seems like we're staying here for a little while."

"No, no, this is good!" Myra grinned at the rest of the group, and proceeded to explain when she saw their confused stares. "Sakura is the one who talked to Caleb, so she must know where he went... so if your friend beats her, she might just tell you guys!"

"I see..." Grace seemed to be deep in thought for a few seconds, before she turned to the game that was just starting. "Woo, go Callie! Make me proud!"

"Yeah, you got this!" Michael joined in a few seconds later, apparently understanding what Grace was trying to do. "Callie, Callie, Callie!"

Maria and Emma exchanged a quick glance before joining the chant enthusiastically. Aiden took a moment to consider if he really was willing to potentially look ridiculous cheering for a stranger in a completely unimportant game for a cause he wasn't even invested in. Just one glance at Grace's bright smile was enough for him to decide.

With the five of them cheering loudly for her, Callie seemed to put a lot more effort on her movements, and soon enough the victory tune was heard.

"Noooo! You bested me!" Sakura's cries of defeat could be heard as well, and her boyfriend Nishan quickly approached to comfort her.

"It's okay, Princess Peach, I know you'll beat the record... again."

"Don't call me that in public...!"

Callie was breathing heavily after all that dancing, and her best friend caught her in a hug right after she stepped out of the plataform.

"You did it, you beautiful beast!" Grace exclaimed with a grin, before turning her around and gently pushing her forward. "Now go ask Sakura if she knows where Caleb went."

Soon enough they all were in their way to the beach, which was hopefully the very last stop on their little journey. Grace was the last one to leave the arcade, because Luis had stopped her for a moment. Aiden wanted to stay and hear what he had to say, but obviously that would be too nosy of him.

But asking afterwards wasn't that bad, right?

"Let's just say he's very interested in Emma's relationship status, y'know?" she replied then, a tiny mischievous smile on her lips. "Maybe he likes her 'cause they're similar? Like, shy and awkward and all that."

"Mhm. Maybe so" he muttered, keeping his eyes to the front before he spoke once again. "Do you think that's for the best? I mean, when you look for a partner, do you look for someone who potentially shares your interests or even personality traits?"

Grace remained silent for a few seconds, and when he looked down, she was giving him a playful smile. She shrugged.

"You have a very interesting way of speaking. I like it" she admitted, before she let out a sigh. "And no, I don't look for anything specific. I don't have a type, if that's what you're asking. Do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Do you have type? You like people like you or different? Birds of a feather or opposites attract?"

"Oh! Uh..."

Aiden kept quiet for a few seconds, thinking deeply. He was aware that he had asked first and now she had the right to ask back but he wasn't expecting to share so many things about himself in a single, fateful night.

He sighed.

"No. I don't think I have a 'type'. Then again..." he mumbled as they finally reached the beach, walking in the tricky sand. "I haven't been looking for a partner in a while, so it's hard to say."

"Well, maybe it's time to change that...?"

"There he is!"

Aiden didn't have much time to properly stammer and make a fool of himself at Grace's words because they both heard Callie announce Caleb's presence a second later.

He gladly took the chance to walk a little faster so he could finally reach the rest of the group, with Grace following close behind.

Caleb was sitting on the edge of the water, a few feet away. He seemed to be very lost in thought, because he didn't hear them at all. The group formed a circle to discuss what they could do next.

"Well, obviously someone should go and talk to him" said Maria, and when a few of them tried to walk away toward him, she continued. "Only one! Let's not overwhelm him."

"I'd go, but I'm terrible at all this... feelings stuff" Julian spoke next, and for the second time Aiden startled slightly. He was ashamed to admit that he had forgotten about him. "Maybe someone else...?"

"I'll go!" Callie exclaimed with a smile, grabbing her cardigan from her best friend's hands so she could put it back on. "I'm really good at this 'feelings stuff' as you call it! You guys make a fire in the meantime."

And with that, she simply walked away, almost skipping in the sand. They all watched her sit down next to Caleb and start talking to him, before turning to each other once again.

"Well, he's in good hands. Let's get that fire started" said Grace, pulling a lighter from the pocket of her jean shorts.

"Do you... carry that with you all the time?"

"You never know when you need fire!"

"Like now! Gimme that" asked Michael, practically ignoring Emma's question and puzzled look, catching the lighter that Grace threw at him. "Now we only need some wood."

While the others started looking around for some dry branches, Aiden could feel his gaze drift to the pair at the shore of the beach. They seemed to be talking still, before hugging each other for a few moments, and standing up.

"There it is!" Michael's voice brought him back to reality, and when he turned around, he could see a small fire burning. "I can't take full credit though, you guys helped a little."

"A little?! We gave you the wood, you just turned on a lighter that isn't even yours!" exclaimed Maria, frowning slightly, but he just shrugged it off as he tossed the lighter back to Grace.

"That's more than others did."

Of course Michael was talking about him, but there was no way he was going to give him the satisfaction of reacting to his words. Especially because he was right, after all.

Callie and Caleb joined them just a few seconds later, and the whole group formed circle around the fire to have a taste of its warmth. After a moment of silence, in which apparently nobody knew what to say, Maria finally spoke.

"How are you holding up?"

"Honestly, I feel like I've been hit by a train..." Caleb replied almost immediately, and he certainly looked like he meant it, at least until he looked up and smiled slightly. "I can't believe you guys came all this way to find me. I thought I knew who my real friends were before tonight, but I was wrong. It's all of you."

"You should thank Callie" Michael offered the girl a tiny smirk, and she looked away with embarrassment. "She's the one who convinced us to come."

"Oh, please. I was just doing the right thing."

Callie probably wasn't aware that she was paraphrasing, but Michael certainly was. Aiden could see him bite his tongue so he wouldn't let out a snide remark this time, and that was the most satisfying thing he had seen tonight.

"Well, thank you anyway. You didn't have to, but you still did it. That says a lot."

Callie blushed even more at Caleb's words, and made a gesture with her hand, as if she wanted him to stop. Michael cleared his throat loudly. "Ok, so... you gonna teach Brian a lesson for stealing your girl?"

"That won't solve anything!" exclaimed Maria, frowning at him. "He needs to move on."

"No matter what you choose to do, you can count on us" Callie placed a gentle hand on Caleb's shoulder, with a smile.

"Yeah, that's nice and all, but it's getting kinda late and my dad already sent me a bunch of emoji infested texts."

Grace's words prompted everyone to check their own phones, and Aiden almost gasped. If his parents weren't texting him as well, was only because they were still getting the hang of their devices. Did they really spend almost two hours walking around?

The group mumbled their agreement, and soon enough the fire was extinguished. They all started their way back to Brian's house, since most of their cars were parked close by. Aiden found his rather quickly, and as he was about to get inside, he felt someone tap on his shoulder.

When he turned around, Grace was standing in front of him with a bright smile.

"Hey, before you go... I just wanted to tell you that I had a blast tonight" she said, hiding one of her dark curls behind her ear. "And it was mostly because of you, so thank you."

"Oh... no. I mean, thank you" Aiden swallowed hard, looking away as he felt his face burn. "I didn't expect to have a good time tonight, but I did..."

"... and it was because of me?"

A quick glance at her was enough to make him feel even more embarrassed, but it was worth it. Her eyes were shinning with anticipation.

"I guess you could say that, yes."

"Heh. So... are you gonna give me your number or do I have to ask you?" apparently she could noticed just how flustered he was because she simply extended her hand to him. "Just give me your phone."

Aiden hesitated for a few seconds, before he pulled his phone out of his pocket and gave it to her. She quickly typed on it, and her phone rang, so he assumed she had texted herself to get his number. To his surprise, she took a few seconds to snap a picture of herself before giving it back.

"There. I'll see you tomorrow."

He muttered a reply that he wasn't sure she heard, as he watched walk away and climb on her own car without looking back.

When he was sure she had already driven off, he checked his phone. On his contacts list, a new name was added. "Grace 👑", alongside with a selfie of her, that she had just taken right in front of him.

It took him a few second to look away from her.

Wild hearts, run

We're all animals inside

Go brave into the night

Don't slow, slow, slow it down.

Chapter 3 is up!

It took me a little longer to update this time, but I’ll try to be quicker next time. Also, if anyone would like to be tagged on my updates so they don’t miss them, please tell me! Thanks!

I hope you enjoyed it! Feedback is appreciated and encouraged. Thanks for reading!

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