sugar and old spice

bailey rose. owner of sweet cheeks bakery

[browniesnbruises]

jack-mw‌:

hartchitect‌:

The crowd around Wyatt erupted into laughter just as he spotted his old teammate across the room. Bailey predictably followed a step behind him, lugging a keg over his shoulder in a display of strength that might’ve been showy had it been anyone else. “Clean Streak!” Wyatt crowed, raising both arms to the ceiling and inspiring a rippling chant all the way to the kitchen. He removed his arms from around two girls, jumping down from the table to clap a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “What’s up–” His gaze dropped to the bottle in the other’s hand, and then to his date’s empty ones. “No drink for your girl? Where are his manners, seriously.” He directed that last part to the pretty face leaning against Jack, just before spinning around to snag a red Solo cup from behind him. “Cheers. Don’t ask me what’s in it, I’m claiming plausible deniability,” he said, handing the drink to the girl.

He leaned in towards Jack with a nudge of his arm, dropping his voice several decibels so he was barely audible over the music. “FYI, Ash is here, in case you wanna keep Rose on a tight leash.” It was the least he could do to warn the guy, considering Wyatt was the one to bring a social terrorist to a party. His expression turned gooey, just as it usually did whenever he got thinking about Ashley Borden’s tight ass. “He went to the bathroom ten minutes ago. When do you think I should go looking for him? And do you think I should be shirtless when I do it?”

Jack’s enthusiasm took a nose dive when Wyatt tried to make him look bad in front of his own girlfriend, his ego balking at the reminder that he wasn’t the only one who admired Wyatt. “Stop. Don’t-” Jack was quick to snatch the cup away from Mary-Beth as she went to take a sip, the action coming as second nature to someone who was constantly trying to keep Bailey from drinking antifreeze or getting drunk at school. “You don’t know what’s in that. He just said as much.” He scolded, earning a well-earned dirty look from his girlfriend. 

Jack was about to go find Mary-Beth a real drink to make up for it (and check on Bailey while he was at it) when Wyatt stopped him to warn him that Bailey’s bully was in the building. Jack might have appreciated the heads-up except for the way Wyatt’s expression changed when he talked about Ash, Jack’s admiration for Wyatt dissolving into exasperation. It was truly impossible to understand how someone as charismatic and intelligent as Wyatt could be stupid enough to throw themselves at a malicious twat like Ash. 

“Never. And no.” He was past the point of trying to entertain Wyatt on this point. Ash had proven himself as awful as everyone expected time and time again, and most of all to Wyatt maybe. Jack was annoyed that Wyatt put up with it for himself but even more so that he forced the rest of them to deal with Ash even after they’d graduated the hellscape that had initially brought them all together. “Just ignore him. Honestly, it’s the only way to deal with someone like that. Why do you think he’s so obsessed with Bailey?” Jack winced as he heard a crash from the kitchen, quickly letting go of Mary-Beth as he stepped in the direction of the doorway leading to it. “Leave it, Wyatt.” He warned over his shoulder,  forgetting to make up an excuse to his girlfriend about getting her a real drink as he made a beeline for the kitchen. 

“Bailey…” He stopped short when he didn’t see anyone there, the keg left on the floor by the island. The back door was left ajar and a scuffle could be heard on the back porch, Jack dropping the Solo cup in the sink as he hurried to investigate. Bailey was the only one there but he looked like a dog who’d just seen a squirrel wearing a cat costume, Jack stepping cautiously onto the porch. “You okay?” He asked, crouching down to pick up the pack of cigarettes that Bailey must have dropped there. “You should come hang out with me and Mary-Beth. We all need a drink.” He suggested, placing the pack into Bailey’s hand.

@browniesnbruises​

Bailey left Wyatt and Jack to catch up, ignoring them in favor of shotgunning several cans of beer with former members of the football team. He stepped away after winning two rounds, finding a quiet corner to slouch in after making himself a rum and coke. The parties he went to usually followed a similar formula: drink, eat, fight or find Jack, and pass out. There was no reason to believe that this one wouldn’t be the same, and he had no misgivings about leaving his friend to his own devices. Jack was here with Mary-Beth anyway, which meant that he probably expected to be left alone with her for most of the party.

Pickpocketing a pack of cigarettes from a kid with a BMW keychain, Bailey loped outside for a chance to get away from the girls who stood too close and the guys who tried to strike up conversations. He only tagged along for Jack and the free booze, finding little appeal in everything else that made up a social gathering.

Bailey dug into his pockets for a book of matches, only to freeze when something collided with his shoulder and shattered at his feet. “What the fuck--” There was a dull pain radiating from the point of impact, where a beer bottle had apparently fallen out of the sky. He looked up to see someone pull away from the window, and was distracted when Jack appeared at the door, without Mary-Beth or Wyatt in sight. “I need a fucking distillery. Did you see that? Someone’s trying to kill me. Badly.”

@ash-borden​

[browniesnbruises]

jeb-ayy-brams‌:

“This is the problem with this town,” he grunted, not even acknowledging Bailey’s suggestion, “They want to stick with what they know. I’m trying to bring fresh business in here and they reject it.” He let out a sigh, crossing his arms for a moment and then came up with another idea. “We should work in a partnership,” Jeb said quickly, “You know, you advertise my shop and I advertise yours.”

Bailey considered the suggestion and shrugged noncommittally. “It’d be easier if you sold tea at the bakery.” It made more sense than putting up a poster directing people to the Rise and Grind. He glanced down at the small booth Jeb had set up, and pointed to the tea bags. “How many kinds do you have?” It was the only question that mattered to him; he barely knew anything about going into a partnership, which was probably why Jack should’ve been there with him. 

[browniesnbruises]

@jack-mw​

Bailey kicked his feet up on the center console, dislodging Mary-Beth's elbow and eliciting a dirty look over her shoulder. He either ignored it or didn't notice as he reached to finish Jack's half-eaten veggie burger and the last of the fries at the bottom of the bag. “We almost there?” he mumbled around a mouthful, sounding bored. They’d been stuck in the car for what seemed like an impossible amount of time to traverse the entirety of Muddy Waters, and Mary-Beth’s pointed sighs had only gotten increasingly venomous by the minute.

Meeting Jack’s eyes in the rearview mirror, Bailey made a face in participation of a silent fight involving mostly eyebrows. Eventually, the car slowed to a stop beside the curb, and he eagerly tumbled out of the backseat with an unlabeled bottle in hand. He took a swig and offered it to Jack when the car door opened, glancing aside when Mary-Beth remained firmly in her seat.

“What's up with her?” Bailey asked, idly picking at the scabs marring the backs of his knuckles. “She waiting for you to open her door or something?”

[browniesnbruises]

jeb-ayy-brams‌:

“Fuck you, man,” he groaned, continuing to scowl at the man, “You insult my cuisine and then you eat the rest of it? Disgrace.” Jeb had been practically raised on baked beans on toast for the first 4 or 5 years of his life. His mum could never really be bothered to make him or his brother much more, and although his brother now can’t stand it, he loved it.

“Isn’t this the United States of America?” Jebediah challenged, “Land of the free n’ all that? Capitalism? The American Dream?” He let out a dramatic sigh, as if he’d been preparing for this speech all day, “How’s a man meant to start a business without doing something a little illegal?”

“No idea,” Bailey said, looking entirely unaffected by Jeb’s speech. He certainly couldn’t provide any advice, especially when his own business was the product of gang restitution (and, occasionally, getting beat up). “I’m just saying your chances of selling tea would be higher if most of these people weren’t looking for coffee. You should try the library or that crafts store. Don’t bookworms and little old ladies love that shit?” 

[browniesnbruises]

jack-mw‌:

Jack knew better than to expect anything other than a shitty, unsupportive response from Bailey. He stood, balling the towel in his hand and tossing it at the other’s chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He offered dismissively, refusing to let the other’s bad attitude get to him when he’d already bluffed about things being salvageable. Lily was going to come back and he wasn’t going to be caught fighting with Bailey about his attitude problem.

He left the bottle on the edge of the counter and crossed to where Bailey was, caging his arms around the other from behind. “I worked hard this year. People who look like this don’t have anything to cry about.” He insisted lightly, crowding Bailey against the oven. “You on the other hand, I can see why you might be concerned.” He teased, pinching the underside of Bailey’s bicep. “Besides, I know you animals are gonna slather enough gravy that the chicken will be indistinguishable from turkey anyway.”

Bailey threw the Stove Top™ stuffing and green bean casserole into the oven, hoping that at least two dishes out of their planned eight ended up marginally edible. He straightened and started to reach for the pie, but paused when he found Jack cornering him. “Don’t project your insecurities onto me,” he said, turning within the circle of the other’s arms. “Just ‘cause you’re mostly decorative.” Not that he was complaining; while Bailey wasn’t particularly shallow, he could still appreciate Jack’s obsessive dedication to his physique.

Hooking his thumbs through the other’s belt loops, he pulled Jack closer with a silent determination not to fuck up this year’s holidays with his drinking. His self-imposed limits weren’t working very well at all, and he was coming to terms with exactly what he’d feared all along: going sober a second time was much harder than the first. He could only be grateful that Jack still chose to stick around.

“At least you’ll have more to eat than a dry salad this time.” Bailey could simply cook Jack’s portion with less fat and an even more disappointing amount of salt. He’d even left a section of the green beans free of the fried onions and everything else, knowing that Jack wouldn’t touch them if they were tainted by anything dunked in oil. 

[go-monroe]

@browniesnbruises

Because Lily had refused to go live with grandparents and they clearly had no authority in their own home, Jack had decided that they were going to try and host their own Thanksgiving this year. If Jack wasn’t allowed to give up he’d just have to try that much harder, which was absolutely what he intended on doing. Of course, that was his optimistic thought process before he’d caught Bailey fighting with Diesel over the turkey that he’d failed at stuffing into the microwave. Every attempt to right the situation just seemed to make it worse and before long they were all yelling at each other in the kitchen and accomplishing nothing (as per usual).

Normally this would have gone on until they wore each other out and decided to order takeout instead but today was Thanksgiving and a thought occurred to Jack as he watched Lily mercilessly scold Bailey and Bailey trying to blame everything on the dog- this was his family. They were his and he was theirs. And instead of the absolute horror that should have resulted from this realization all he could feel was overwhelming gratitude for them. 

“Okay, stop.” He demanded, pushing his way into the middle of it. “The turkey was ambitious.” He admitted, deciding to take the fall for that decision in the interest of peace. Deep down, Jack knew that Carolyn would be proud of him for it. “But we still have everything else. And each other. So let’s just… clean up and start over. As a team this time. Teamwork means we get to veto all of Bailey’s bad decisions.” He offered towards Lily before she could accuse him of being cheesy. He didn’t know if starting over again would result in any better results but it was very clear to him in this moment that this was what family did. They didn’t give up on each other.

He grabbed a towel off the rack and crouched down to fish some cleaner out from underneath the sink. “Lily, will you take Diesel for a walk?” He suggested, hoping to have things under control by the time she got back. Lily had little faith in him and Bailey as a team for good reason but hew as determined to prove her (and everyone else) wrong. 

[browniesnbruises]

Both Lily and Diesel shot him accusatory looks at Jack’s request, and Bailey resigned himself to being the family scapegoat. He gestured emphatically at the mess on the counter, where a few actual Thanksgiving-like dishes were visible (recipes courtesy of Mrs. Monroe). “The turkey has to thaw. I can’t bake any of these until--” The door slammed behind Lily and Bailey huffed, reaching for Jack’s morning shake and downing what was left of it. 

“Nice speech, very inspiring.” He was only a little sarcastic, deciding that most of what Jack said was heartfelt up until the last bit. He motioned to the still-frozen-solid turkey sitting in the kitchen sink, eager to abandon the nightmare bird. “Let’s cook the chicken instead.” By chicken, he meant Jack’s GMO-free organic boneless skinless breasts that he ate joylessly. “You can eat it without crying about it later,” Bailey encouraged. 

[browniesnbruises]

jeb-ayy-brams‌:

“It’s nice. Try it,” he challenged, scowling as he took out a plate with a half-eaten baked beans on toast from under the counter. He’d been nibbling at it for a couple of minutes, but every time a customer walked past, he quickly shoved it back under, not wanting to seem ‘unprofessional’ - whatever that meant. “And lots of people. No one here knows what a proper tea tastes like.”

“No, because that’s not good tea,” Jeb replied, crossing his arms, “And I’m taking a stand against it. This is an actual place, bruv. Just not a big place, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an actual place.”

Bailey looked down at the plate of baked beans with a dubious look, before plucking the rest of it up and shoving it into his mouth. He shrugged as he chewed, mumbling “It’s okay,” around the mouthful. Though he wasn’t a foodie by any means, and he would’ve said the same about an eight-ounce steak.

Glancing at the windows behind Jeb, Bailey motioned to the person glaring at them from behind the counter inside. “No, I’m pretty sure it’s not an actual place. Do you have a permit for this? They’re going to kick you out.” He wasn’t necessarily concerned with whether Jeb had the correct papers or not, though he figured it was his duty as a former (and current) delinquent to let the kid know. “You should probably pick a place with less competition.”

[jeb-ayy-brams-blog]

Christmas was coming up too quickly for Jeb and he knew that he needed to do something. Fast.

He’d been unemployed for a little over a month now, and despite living at his grandma’s house for the past 3 weeks he’d very quickly run out of what little reserves he had. While most people would look for another job, Jeb wasn’t most people. He got very bored very quickly and would end up doing things he regretted when he was bored - such as rearranging most of the stock in the EZpump just to watch the citizens of Muddy Waters get frustrated as they searched the store for what they needed, which was what got him fired in the first place.

So, his solution was to create a pop-up shop that only sold British food right outside the Rise and Grind, specialising in tea. He’d spent the last of his savings on the equipment he needed, so he was praying that it worked.

“Oi, you want a cuppa tea for $1.50?” Jeb shouted across at the person on the other side of the street, “Beans on toast? Somethin’ else?”

[browniesnbruises]

Bailey approached the booth with wary curiosity, watching Jeb yell at various passerby with an abysmal amount of success. He wasn’t sure what the kid was selling, but he figured it was some bastardized version of a lemonade stand. “What kind of flavor is beans and toast? Who would want to drink that?” Then again, he didn’t know much about tea, nor did he consume it. Hot leaf water had never appealed to him.

Glancing up at the sign above the Rise and Grind, he shot Jeb’s booth a dubious look. “And don’t you think you’d have more luck if you’re not competing against an actual place that sells tea?”

[browniesnbruises]

atreus-trower‌:

Atreus frowned as Bailey tried to insist that it was all fun and games. Logically he knew that Bailey was probably right but at the same time Atreus was terrified and really wanted a chance at planting one on the town’s baker.

He barely had time to react when Bailey kissed his cheek, torn between being thrilled that it’d happened at all and outraged that it was all he got before being pushed into the building. 

“I don’t see any kids in here.” He insisted, begrudgingly stepping forward only to wait on Bailey. He stopped short when he noticed one of the doors standing slightly ajar, Atreus hesitating before moving to touch the door handle. “This better be-”

All of his worst fears came true when the door suddenly swung wide open and a costumed monster wearing a bloody apron and surgical mask came lunging towards him through the door. Atreus didn’t even recognize the sound that came from his own throat, toppling over backwards in his own shock and terror. 

Bailey had already thrown one door open and was moving on to the next when he heard a bang and a deafening screech. He turned to see a masked figure and reacted purely on instinct, grabbing the stranger (”Hey man, take it easy!”) and shoving him against the opposite wall. Emboldened by the all the excitement, Diesel proceeded to bark up a storm while Bailey hauled Atreus up by the arm and left the costumed actor wheezing behind them.

“You okay?” Bailey asked gruffly, shooting a wary look at their surroundings as he tore open another door. This was far more immersive than what he’d expected, and he could feel the back of his neck prickling from the heightened vigilance. “Let’s just get out of here.” Three doors left to go. He kicked open the next and was flooded with relief to be met with sky and... even more maze. “Fucking Christ,” Bailey growled. He pointed to another building just adjacent to theirs, closer to the floodlights circling the festival. “That has to be the last one.” If it wasn’t, he was calling Jack.

[browniesnbruises]

atreus-trower‌:

A few seconds sounded unrealistic, and even at that it still seemed exponentially longer than Atreus wanted to spend in an enclosed space inside the maze. He bit his lip and searched Bailey’s face, trying to discern whether or not he could still be talked out of it. The question was quickly answered when Bailey disregarded Atreus’ misgivings and threw the door to the building open. Atreus grabbed Bailey’s arm and avoided looking inside the door, terrified of what he might (or might not) see in there. 

“Wait,” His fingers tightened their grip on the other’s arm, his voice edged with panic. “Before we go in, can I kiss you?” He asked bluntly, deciding that now was the time to go out on a limb. He was fairly well convinced that there was a strong possibility that they could die inside the building, irrational fears piling up like dead leaves in his brain. 

He chanced a look inside the open door, hating the ambiguity of what he saw there so much that he could almost commit to the dread. At least they were doing this together, for whatever that was worth. “Just in case. For good luck?” He suggested, looking back at Bailey.

Bailey looked bewildered by the request, thinking for a moment that he might've misheard it. But the longer that Atreus stared at him, the lower those chances became. His face grew warm, and he briefly wondered what Jack might have to say about the situation. The utter lack of romance was something to consider, making Bailey think that this was just Atreus’ version of pulling out a rosary.

“We don’t need luck, we’re fine. Kids are in here.” He shook his arm out of the other’s grip and flapped a flustered hand at the decorations. “You know that isn’t real blood, right?” His eyes narrowed, expression thoughtful before he swooped in to kiss Atreus on the cheek and plant his hand flat on the other’s back. “Nothing’s going to happen,” Bailey said, shoving the kid into the hallway before stepping in after him.

[browniesnbruises]

atreus-trower‌:

“Maybe.” Atreus agreed without a second thought, only then realizing that Bailey was referencing the outfit that he was currently wearing. “I’m Dweedle Dee.” He replied as if it should have been obvious, reaching to tug the hem of his shorts in a futile attempt at preserving his dignity.

He stuck close to Bailey inside the maze, quickly regretting his decision to brave this at all. “I don’t know if we were supposed to bring dogs. What if he’s traumatized in here?” He asked hesitantly, watching as Bailey and Diesel tore at the wall of the maze. It was clear that Atreus was probably the only one in danger of being traumatized but he didn’t want to admit to it, passing the leash to Bailey through the wall before carefully climbing through the hole that they’d made. Vandalizing the maze seemed like a shitty thing to do but he also just wanted to get out before they saw any clowns.

 “I don’t… like that door.” He eyed the wheelchair uncomfortably, stepping behind Bailey and staying too close to him. The last thing he wanted was to find themselves in an enclosed building inside the maze. “Maybe you could just bust through another wall.” He gestured idly to the hole they’d just crawled through. “We’ll have to reach the outside eventually if we keep heading straight through.” He pulled his phone from his pocket to text Wyatt, curious as to where this BYOR bonfire was supposed to be.

Bailey brushed away the leaves that still clung to his hair after emerging from the maze, glancing back when he felt Atreus press against him. He’d been doing that for the past half hour, but Bailey couldn’t find a reason to complain when the kid was basically a heat lamp. Diesel continued sniffing at the ground, winding his leash around both of them until Bailey was forced to disentangle himself.

“I think going through would be quicker.” He tried to peer around the building to confirm that it led out of the maze, but his view was blocked by thickets of trees. He supposed they could weave through, but they'd yet to encounter any of the masked actors, and Bailey would rather not upset their winning streak. He was pretty sure he'd end up punching one of them.

“The building isn’t that big, it'll probably take a few seconds.” Assuming that it was just a hallway filled with fake cobwebs and spiders. He made his way to the entrance, confident that Atreus would follow simply because he was too scared to walk a couple feet before he was plastered to Bailey's back. He threw open the door to reveal what was definitely a hallway, but with several more doors lining each side of the wall. “Goddamnit.”

[freemaagyemans]

[browniesnbruises]

@jack-mw

[browniesnbruises]

atreus-trower‌:

Atreus combed his fingers through the dog’s fur, grinning uncontrollably as the dog licked his face. He wrapped one arm around the dog as he looked up at Bailey, shrugging when asked about his fears. Atreus was at risk of being afraid of his own shadow most days. 

“Deal.” He reached for the leash as he stood, wrapping it around his hand so if Diesel took off running he’d have to drag Atreus with him. “Maybe he’d like you more if you didn’t make everything such an ordeal.” He suggested, gently smacking Bailey’s arm with the back of his hand as he passed him towards the maze.

Bailey wasn’t sure what Atreus meant by that, but shot him an unimpressed look anyway. “Maybe he’d like me more if I looked like a slutty beach ball,” he retorted. “Slutty crayon box? Whatever you are.” He followed Atreus into the maze, eyeballing the decorations with a distant sort of curiosity. They certainly looked more realistic than what he’d expected, squinting through the dark to make out a pair of legs hidden in the bushes.

Growing frustrated after their third dead end, Bailey kicked at a flimsy-looking wall while Diesel began digging excitedly beside him. “This is taking too long,” he complained, creating a Bailey-sized hole to crawl through. The other side revealed a dilapidated building and a broken wheelchair by the door. “Is that the exit?”

[humorblr]

[browniesnbruises]

@jack-mw

[browniesnbruises]

atreus-trower‌:

Atreus fell to his bare knees, delighted that Diesel was moving towards him and never stopping to consider that it could be anything other than the dog being friendly. 

“I haven’t either.” He responded to Bailey, holding his arms out to the dog and hoping to god that Diesel would accept him as family. “Since you’re not scared you should go with me. I’m definitely scared of scarecrows. Not that scared, but, ya know.” He glanced up at Bailey, smiling in an attempt to pretend like he wasn’t actually terrified of stuffed mannequins strapped to poles.

Bailey didn’t quite gawk at what the kid was wearing, considering his own abysmal sense of fashion, but he did wonder what the hell he was supposed to be. His thoughts were interrupted before he could ask, continuing to stumble as Diesel, encouraged by Atreus’ enthusiasm, dragged him across the grounds with nearly no effort at all. Bailey glared at the dog as it lapped at the kid’s face, predictably friendlier to everyone on earth except Bailey.

“You’re scared of a bag filled with straw with a hat on?” he asked dubiously. Even so, he glanced at the pop-up bar with barely disguised longing before turning back to Atreus. He’d need the distraction. And the distance. “Okay, I’ll go with you.” He held out the leash, which Lily had painted green to match Diesel’s colored fur. “But only if you take the dog. He hates me.”

[brittany-murphy]

[browniesnbruises]

@jeb-ayy-brams

[atreus-trower]

@browniesnbruises​

Atreus really wanted to go into the maze but he was terrified to go alone and the usual suspects had already proven themselves to be volatile and unpredictable. He wanted to just have fun without all the drama, which is why he went running after Bailey when he saw the other skulking close- but not too close to the pop-up bar. 

“Hey,” He called to Bailey as he got closer. “You been to the maze yet? It sounds fun if you’re not too scared.”

[browniesnbruises]

Bailey was dutifully avoiding all the obvious trappings of booze-- including the punch, which wasn’t a happy nor easy decision. He paced the festival restlessly after Jack ended up kicking him out of the campsite when he proved more harmful than helpful, and saddled him with Diesel so he wasn’t completely useless. Although, Bailey couldn’t be sure that the dog wasn’t meant to keep an eye on him. 

He narrowed his eyes when he saw Atreus approach, and huffed out a breath as he stumbled forward several steps at Diesel’s insistence. “I’ve never been in a haunted maze,” Bailey said, either too oblivious or lacking the ego to scoff at the idea of being scared. "But I doubt you have anything to be scared of. Aren’t they just scarecrows and fake skeletons?” He was pretty sure that cardboard bats and some scratchy howling noises would be far from frightening.