[dazednconfuseds]

𝐈'𝐌 𝐀 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘 𝐒𝐎 𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐄

𝖆𝖚𝖌𝖚𝖘𝖙 𝖇𝖎𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖍𝖎: 𝖆𝖓 𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖉𝖚𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓.

(﹙˓  ‍🎧  ˒﹚)          whoa,  did  you  just  hear  that  voice?  it's  so  recognizable  that  i  have  no  doubt  it's  august bianchi.  i  don't  really  know  much  about  them,  but  i  heard  they're  a  twenty-two year  old  film studies  major  in  their  third year  of  study.  people  say  that  they're  loyal and observant,  but  rumor  has  it  that  they're  actually  self-destructive and emotionally irregulated,  so  i  guess  we'll  never  know  the  truth  you  live  with  them  in  hummel house.  if  you  ask  me,  i  think  i'd  describe  them  as  the fallen athlete,  but  their  spotify  wrapped  should  say  more  about  them,  in  which  loser by beck, jane says by jane’s addiction, and glycerine by bush  are  amongst  their  most  played.  but  whatever,  i  wish  them  luck  on  their  endeavors  in  the saint rivera film society and new directions.  i  don't  know  how  they  have  time  for  all  of  that,  but  i  can't  wait  to  see  how  this  new  school  year  treats  them!    (  antonio cipriano,  cisman,  bisexual  )      𝄞ˎˊ˗

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[onwiththeshcw]

there were very few places on campus where nobody expected anything from rhys davenport. the gym, strangely enough, was one of them. weights didn't care about last names, family expectations, net worth, networking or carefully taught reputations. they either got tossed around like a bean bag or they didn't.

he slid the final plate onto the rack, racked the sled with a quiet metallic clang, and sat up, dragging the back of his hand across his forehead before reaching for his water bottle. it wasn't until he caught movement out of the corner of his eye that he realized someone had stopped nearby. his gaze flicked toward the leg press before returning to his new spotter. "you want to work in?" he asked between breaths, one corner of his mouth pulling into a tired smile, "i've got one more set, but i'm headed to squat next."

tldr: this is a gratuitous rhys gym starter. i googled stuff about gym bros and it could be inaccurate. enter at your own risk.

[dazednconfuseds]

August was stuck in a cardio-adjacent purgatory for longer than he liked to admit. One sneaker braced against the rubber flooring, stretching his hamstring. The brace was gone now — thank God, but the ghost of it still lived behind his kneecap, a persistent reminder of what he could no longer do. He glanced up when Rhys spoke, eyes flickering to the sled.

"Uh, maybe," August answered, a tilt of his head as he considered it. "I'm on a very aggressive doctor says I'm not allowed to be stupid anymore plan." He stood up, not quite committing or retreating. "Leg press should be fine. Just promise that if I fuck something up, you'll haul my ass bridal style to the health center."

[sing2you]

though she could never be sure, lore felt pretty confident that each time she and august met up, she taught him something new. was he fully absorbing it? maybe not. but he kept showing up, and seemed eager enough to hear a new space fact each time, so that was enough for her to keep sharing them.

"i'm sure," she gracefully allowed, letting him pretend to know the nineteenth brightest star in the sky fact as she fully settled in beside him. but it didn't take long before her eyes were trained upwards again.

though she was focused on the constellation of which she spoke, she did take a peek over at august the moment the words angus cylinder left his mouth, surprise evident in her expression. "do you mean the o'neill cylinder?" she asked, before she realized that they'd not yet discussed theoretical space habitats. and he probably wouldn't know that there was a comic artist named angus mckie who had incorporated the o'neill cylinder into some of his work.

oh. wait. a smile crept onto her face as she realized what he actually meant.

"alpha cygni," she reiterated, encouraging him to look up at where she was now pointing. "alpha because it's the brightest one in the constellation, cyngi, for cygnus, the name of the constellation - the swan. if it helps you to remember, baby swans are cygnets."

she traced the shape of the constellation then, pointing out each star and the way in which they all connected.

"there's a pretty straightforward cross in the middle, and then the arms of the swan get a little wonky on the end. one of the stars in the cygnus constellation is pretty high up on the list of largest currently known stars."

it was only after she let her hand fall and a beat of silence ensue that she moved them away from space facts and towards a conversation about what was going on in their lives. and yet, her eyes didn't move. not at first. it was easier to shift topics if she kept looking at the sky. it made things feel more casual, somehow, even though she was asking questions she really wanted the answer to.

"how are you feeling about your mashup duet thing in glee club this week? would you say it's... keeping you up at night?"

[dazednconfuseds]

August kept his eyes focused on where Lore pointed and what she was explaining. He always had a hard time absorbing exactly what she was telling him, but he usually got it somewhat. "I still don't get how you just know all of this," he admitted with a laugh, squinting his eyes as if it would help him see the constellation better.

"Alpha Cygni," he repeated, slowly, after it, then little repetitions in his mind. Alpha Cygni. Alpha Cygni. Alpha Cygni. At her question about their glee assignment, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye before looking back to the sky. "Keeping me up?" He echoed. "Eh, maybe a little."

Glee assignments weren't exactly what he would call difficult, and the same could be said for, well, most of the assignments August had in general. "It's not even the whole singing thing," he told her. It wasn't his partner or even the songs they had chosen, but, "It's the sort of... being perceived part of it all." It may have seemed humorous to be embarrassed about having to perform for what was essentially a club built on performing. And now that their numbers were growing, especially with people he used to consider friends. It was a new kind of horrifying.

"But, it's manageable," a beat, "The sleep. I've survived on fewer hours of sleep." His gaze flicked back upward. "Plus, I've got a walking planetarium talking me down so," a shrug, "Could be worse ways to lose a few hours."

[lyricaels]

one  perfectly  shaped  brow  lifts  at  the  phrase  brochacho  to  brochacho,  her  expression  hovering  somewhere  between  disbelief  and  amusement.    “  that's . . .  certainly  a  strategy,   ”    she  remarks  dryly,  tilting  her  head  just  enough  to  suggest  she's  giving  it  genuine  consideration.    “   not  one  i'd  personally  recommend,  but  a  strategy  nonetheless.   ”    her  gaze  lingers  on  him  for  a  brief  moment  before  his  next  question  pulls  the  faintest  hint  of  a  smile  at  the  corner  of  her  mouth.     he  really  isn't  subtle.     most  people  would've  taken  the  hint  by  now;  august  seems to  choose  not  to.

one  brow  arches,  as  though  she's  carefully  considering  the  question.    “   yeah.     sure.     why  not?   ”     the  answer  leaves  her  lips  with  almost  suspicious  ease,  vague  enough  to  satisfy  him  without  committing  her  to  anything  in  particular.     in  cecelia's  mind,  it  settles  comfortably  beside  all  the  other  things  that  sound  nice  in  theory  and  quietly  disappear  beneath  the  weight  of  a  busy  schedule.     “   if  we  both  happen  to  have  some  free  time  after  all  this,   ”    she  gestures  vaguely  toward  the  choir  room,     “   maybe  we'll  figure  something  out.   ”    her  smile  returns,  hoping  to  shift august's attention to a different  topic.    “   but  first,  you  should  probably  survive  your  duet  with  carter.   ”

[dazednconfuseds]

August blinked rapidly, like his brain was short-circuiting in real time. Cece was being vague; he knew that, and he should have taken it as an out. A disinterest. But to him, it meant that he wanted to tread further. ".... Okay," he said, nodding to himself like he had just struck a very reasonable deal. "I can work with a maybe," he told her, earnestly. Mostly because he would be able to constantly remind her of her words.

He walked closer toward the choir room, pushing the door open, and letting her lead the way out. "See you on the flip side?" She would be free of him for now.

𝐄𝐍𝐃.

[sheltersheridan]

Tick tock, Shelter is clocked. She hadn’t wanted to be much of anywhere lately, and especially not the film club– but he was right. The few places she could actually stand (‘she’d find another!’ is what the counselor insisted… She thought the counselor was wrong.) didn’t want her anywhere near their closed doors any longer. Cheerios, dance squad, even stupid student council– all entrances that had been slammed in her face. God damn her little freshman year meltdown. She’d be paying the price for Scary Sheri until she graduated. 

August turned toward her, she stayed faced forward. “It’s actually energizing to say ‘fuck you,’” She nearly spit the words out at him, cocking her chin to the side, “To whatever the hell is annoying me at any given moment. Ever tried it?” 

“And unless you want my claws buried somewhere you’ll regret, I suggest you go find some other film geek to bother.” She motioned around the room- at least the rest of them left her the hell alone. “There’s plenty of them here to go around.”

[dazednconfuseds]

Damn, she lived up to her name. She was scary. "Believe it or not, yeah. Turns out saying fuck you to everything gets pretty lonely pretty fast," he pointed out. In a way, it was like looking in a mirror. The two of them had certainly fallen from their prime. "Also, tends to get you banned from surprisingly many spaces," a beat. "Film Society excluded, apparently."

He followed her gesture around the room at the few people who were kept to themselves. "I'm not bothering you," he stated, unbothered by the threat so much as amused by the theatrics around it. "I'm vetting you. Big difference."

August didn't know what it was about Scary Sheri that had him so intrigued. Maybe it was the lack of estrogen in the room, but he suddenly felt like a bird trying to do a mating call. And when he heard her threat, he couldn't help but lean in farther, his arm sliding behind her chair.

"So, what I'm hearing is you want your claws on me? Geez Louise, take me out to Breadstix first."

[whimsyhcrts]

perhaps savannah hadn't realized that bringing up the fact that her brother was now an uncle might have been a tad bit awkward. the pair were still very much in the process of getting to know one another, sav not wanting august to feel pressured to meet her daughter if he didn't feel ready. "i mean, no pressure. i just ... think it could be nice? i'm only about two hours away from campus. my town isn't anything special, but i hopefully trained her to be the best three year old you'll meet." she let out a chuckle before taking another sip from her beer.

[dazednconfuseds]

August tipped his bottle back again, mostly to buy himself some time. "Two hours isn't bad," he said after a beat as if he was doing the math for the first time. "Best three-year-old I'll ever meet is a bold claim," he added. He thought about his Aunt Gia and her daughter Chiara, who had once been a three-year-old. She did nothing but stomp around and throw tantrums. At age seven, she was just practically lifeless with an iPad in front of her.

"I'm not," he stopped himself as he lifted his shoulder into a shrug. "I'm not great with kids. I don't know the rules. Like, what if I say fuck in front of her?" He inquired, knowing it was likely, given how liberal he was with his own speech. "No presh on the timeline. But yeah, it could be nice."

[sing2you]

speaking of those with a weaker constitution... stella wouldn't say that she took particular care in silently approaching august, but she also wouldn't not say that.

"i know that being aware of one's surroundings can become difficult for some people when they have earbuds in, so perhaps a lower volume would be best?" stella smiled, fully ignoring any of the feedback august had on her sudden appearance. it'd had its desired effect, given that a) she'd wanted to scare him as retribution for the thong song and b) she now had has attention.

did she think that he was paying proper attention as she stressed the importance of booking space? no. but in the end he came to the correct conclusion, so she didn't bother to make an even more passionate plea. not when there was something else she was hoping to address with him.

"yes," she agreed to his request, fully knowing that the answer was actually no. "but it would help me to leave you alone if i also had some sense of what you might be performing."

[dazednconfuseds]

August watched her smile like it had personally insulted him. Which, in some way, as Stella's lips began to flap, it may well have been. "Woooow," he drawled out. "Victim blaming and ambush tactics. Must be a busy day for you."

At her interest in what he was performing, he let out an audible groan. "Didn't realize your last name was Kelmeckis," he pointed out. Why was it any of Stella's business other than being co-captain? As a matter of fact, why did they have co-captains? Other than Stella's obvious high that she got from it.

"I don't know, okay? Haven't thought that far." Lie. He and Carter had already worked up their mash-up, a rendition of Close to Me by The Cure and DJ Khaled's All I Do Is Win. Last thing he needed was Stella ripping him a new one for not doing whatever twinklebop song was rocking the Broadway catalogs these days. "I don't keep a rotating list of performances I want to do like a Singing Robot."

[loserspng]

carter wasn’t sure which elephant to address first. “you mean, like, a hype song?” he finally lands on. “the cure really does it for you, man?” he digs out his phone and scrolls to his game day spotify playlist before landing on perhaps the most ironic song in his life. dj khaled. he pauses the song just as quick as he plays it. “you’re basically the expert at this point, will it mash well?”

[dazednconfuseds]

August let out a snort. "Hype song, sure, we'll go with that," he said. It was like the blind leading the blind in a sense. Was DJ Khaled anywhere close to The Cure in sound? No, but mash-ups were about bringing the best of two worlds together, or whatever it was Hannah Montana had said. He tried to piece together the music in his head; they'd have to have a miracle to somehow pull it off.

He stood from his chair and made his way over to Carter, letting out a small whoop noise. "Carter, my man, I think we've just cracked the code to mash-ups."

𝐄𝐍𝐃.

[whimsyhcrts]

"i mean, it's not terrible .... think they are just trying to scare us straight before the real horrors of medical schools begins," savannah responded. she had always taken a special liking towards anything science related as far as she could remember. but truthfully? her real motivation for wanting to go in the medical field goes to her mom who has graduated from nursing school when she was pre-teen. a young sav saw just how motivated and determined she'd been to finish her degree. now, it almost seemed like the apple didn't fall far from the tree. a young mother trying to balance having a child and completing her education.

upon the mention of serenity, sav looks over her shoulder to make sure there wasn't anyone nearby. typically, she didn't like to openly discuss her child in a public setting, doing everything she could to keep her identity anonymous as possible. "oh, she's great. i can't help but miss her like crazy when i'm here on campus, but i've been trying to see her every other weekend though. you know, i think she'd really like to meet you? uncle auggie .... kinda has a nice ring to it," she admitted with a chuckle, speaking low.

[dazednconfuseds]

August's hand stilled halfway through his pockets when she said that. Uncle Auggie had a fun ring to it and was certainly better than Cousin Auggie, spending years with his aunts' daughters had maybe prepped him for just this. When she made no mention of needing money, he let his hand fall out of his pocket, considering that moot.

He let his gaze drift elsewhere; the floor, other partygoers making their way around, literally anywhere but direct eye contact as she talked about missing Serenity. He couldn't imagine the pain she must feel. He didn't have kids, God willing, but if he did, he was sure he'd want to see them more than every other weekend, like a visitor just checking in. When she mentioned meeting her, he finally glanced up. "I don't know, I feel like I should come with a warning label before being in the vicinity. May tech bad habits." He joked, letting out a light chuckle.

[loserspng]

a stifled laugh clears from carter’s throat. he leans back over the piano to shake the bottle of protein paste. muscle memory kicks in and he holds out the shake towards the other. it hangs awkwardly between them for a moment too long before carter clears his throat. “anyway,” he sighs at his own embarrassment. “a blackout party would be cool too. my first keg stand in the dark? could be worth celebrating after winning this mashup assignment,” he continues thoughtfully. he throws a glance over his shoulder as if expecting another pair of eyes to catch them. “any ideas for that, by the way? apparently it’s just two songs you slap together.”

[dazednconfuseds]

Muscle memory was a bitch. He almost stood up to take it, but he just leaned back in his chair, knocking a foot against the metal leg, tipping it back slightly. "It would be... something," August concurred, regarding Carter's eventual keg stand. When he brought up their mash-up duet, August was the one to clear his throat this time.

"Well, it's a song that's about you? Like, a power anthem?" He couldn't help but groan as the term power anthem left his mouth. New Directions was taking a toll on him. "I'd probably do something by The Cure." What a tortured boy! "Close to Me, maybe. I've always felt a little spiritually connected to it. Et tu, Carter?"

[lyricaels]

cece's  smile  grows  despite  herself.  august's  persistence  is  almost  impressive;  she'd  long  since  figured  out  he  wasn't  nearly  as  subtle  as  he  believed  himself  to  be,  but  there  was  something  oddly  charming  about  watching  him  commit  so  wholeheartedly  to  the  act.  "   proactive?   "  she  repeats,  one  brow  arching  as  though  she's  genuinely  weighing  the  distinction.  "   that's  certainly  one  way  to  spin  it.   "  a  quiet  laugh  escapes  her,  accompanied  by  a  small  shake  of  her  head.  "   hmmm, i  don't  know,  auggie . . .  sounds  suspiciously  close  to  eager,  if  you  ask  me.   "

her  attention  drifts  back  to  the  screen  of  her  phone,  thumb  idly  swiping  away  a  notification  before  slipping  the  device  back  into  her  tote.  only  then  does  she  look  up  at  him  again,  expression  still  carrying  that  easy,  amused  warmth.  "   and,  for  the  record,  i  think  you're  underestimating  your  chemistry  with  carter.   "  she  shrugs,  as  though  the  answer  is  perfectly  obvious.  "   who  knows,  maybe  you  two  will  turn  out  to  be  the  breakout  bromance  of  the  year.   "  another  smile  follows,  softer  this  time.  "   besides . . .  it's  not  like  this  assignment  is  the  last  opportunity  we'll  ever  have  to  perform  with  other  people.  if  you  keep  insisting  on  it,  i'm  sure  we'll  end  up  sharing  a  stage  eventually.   "  the  reassurance  is  delivered  almost  absentmindedly,  as  if  she's  merely  stating  a  fact  rather  than  offering  him  a  sliver  of  hope.  "  you're  just  going  to  have  to  be  a  little  patient.  "  after  a  beat,  she  tilts  her  head,  curiosity  replacing  the  teasing.  "   have  you  and  carter had  your  first  rehearsal  yet?   "

[dazednconfuseds]

August let out a slow exhale through his nose, the corner of his mouth tugging upwards just a hair. He was getting somewhere. At least, she hadn't completely run off in the other direction yet, leaving him crestfallen. If all he got were these last few minutes, he'd have to make them count.

Shit, were they supposed to be rehearsing? Neither he nor Carter took show choir as seriously as the rest. "Uh... no," he admitted, sheepishly. "I feel like we could kinda wing it. Brochacho to brochacho." You're gonna lose her if you keep talking like that, man. He cleared his throat, trying to swing back to her somewhat gentle attempt of letting him down.

"So, what you're saying is I have a chance?" He asked, a little quizzically, eyebrow raised.

[whimsyhcrts]

it had been a rather surreal experience the first time savannah had encountered her brother being on the same campus as her. she wasn't typically someone who believed in sighs, or the whole invisible string theory, but it was pretty ironic ( even though she wasn't complaining ). in a weird way, it was like the universe had been giving them a chance to truly connect, beyond exchanging text messages and seeing one another every so often.

"same here, i can't say my classes totally aren't kicking my ass at the moment," she shrugged her shoulders. oh the curse of being a pre-med major, her course load wasn't exactly for the faint of heart. "it's been nice being back on campus, but it was nice being back home for the summer. you know, for obvious reasons." obvious reasonings being spending quality time with her daughter.

[dazednconfuseds]

August pressed his lips around the rim of his bottle before taking another sip. He didn't feel inferior to Savannah; they represented two sides of the same fucked-up coin, but a small knot dropped in his stomach as she talked about her classes. It should have brought a smile to his face to hear that she was doing so well for herself, but he couldn't help but think that what he was doing at Saint Rivera was quite as remarkable. A doctor. They were going to have a doctor in their family, and it wasn't going to be him.

"Yeah, I don't envy you at all. I don't think I'd survive a single week with your schedule," he said, in earnest. Was she superwoman? Had to be. There was no earthly way she could balance school, extracurriculars, a social life, and parenting otherwise. "How is she? She good and all? Kids grow fast, right? They, like, get clown feet in a matter of seconds," he started to ramble. Uncle of the year wasn't exactly a title August felt revered to, but he worried. Kids needed food, clothes, and toys. All he saw was dollar signs.

He started patting his pockets, digging into his jeans. "You know, I bet I've got a twenty somewhere."

[sheltersheridan]

Shelter's eyes were trained on the wall, studying a poster for a movie she'd never seen before (not exactly surprising, seeing as she hadn't seen most movies these dorks had spoken about) and then they're on him: stranger, suddenly in her way. It takes a second to even understand what the hell he's asking her; she has to snap herself back to reality- right. Film society, peers, making an effort. Screw the effort. She raises a disgusted little eyebrow at him, let the 'Scary Sheri,' thing hang in the air between them until it was heavy. No comment.

"Who's Godard?" Shelter was pretty sure he was some French Guy, must be a movie maker if he was being so 'holier than thou' about it-she didn't have much interest in throwing this idiot a bone, though. "Boyfriend of yours? Impressive, honestly. Something about you just screams 'I'm insufferable!' in a way that makes a relationship with you seem... "

She looks him up and down. No comment.

"You mind if I get back to it now? Or did you want me to name three movies too?"

[dazednconfuseds]

Just what he expected. August wasn't a shit stirrer by any measure, but the Saint Rivera Film Society had become a sanctuary for him, one without any ghosts from his past to haunt him. Scary Sheri deliberately challenged that notion. Despite their shared fall from grace, he was quick to label her a foe until proven otherwise. She seemed to share the same sentiment.

"I don't care if you can name three movies or fifty," he said, which was a lie. He did care, because maybe if she showed a modicum of interest, he'd ease up on her. "I just like knowing who's actually here because they want to be here, not because they've run everyone off with their claws."

He turned his body toward her, despite their mutual disinterest in one another. "Surely the Girl, Interrupted act gets tiresome after a while."

[wells-hannah]

JOHN LOGAN AND JULES LOGAN OFF CAMPUS | 1x02

[whimsyhcrts]

( @dazednconfuseds )

[whimsyhcrts]

savannah's first year at saint rivera had been quite the adjustment to say the least. she had gone from small town living, fully in mom mode with her daughter to suddenly feeling like a small fish in a huge, huge pond. a twenty year old freshman, it took her awhile to find her booting on campus. the cherry on top of an interesting school year? reuniting with her half brother that she'd lost contact with a few years prior. it was bittersweet to say the least, but sav was hoping that this year their relationship could hopefully strengthen.

"sure," she shrugged her shoulders, extending her arm out to accept the can from august. "how you'd know this is my usual drink of choice amongst us trailer trash folk?" the blonde joked, cracking it open and taking a sip. "how has the new school year been treating you so far though?"

[dazednconfuseds]

August rested his shoulder against the wall, observing how easily she effortlessly transitioned into humor, as if it were muscle memory. Maybe if she joked first, nothing could sting too severely afterward. That was a trait he hadn't quite managed to nail down.

"Guess I've got great taste," he said, lifting his bottle in a half-hearted toast before taking a sip. He studied her carefully over the rim of the glass as the ambient noise of the party swelled and receded around them, music thumping through the floor. Savannah looked older, somehow. Not in a bad way, just a stark contrast to seeing her mostly in photos over the years and distant encounters.

"Uh," he started, then stopped almost immediately, resetting himself. Honesty had never been his strong suit with family. "It's been fine, I mean," he paused, one shoulder lifting in a shrug, taking the moment to take another drink. "Same monkeys, same circus. How about you? Just coasting by?"

[scgclden]

gosh her friends were so funny. seriously, goldie laughed so hard during most school days her stomach would cramp. and they were so distracting she would leave stuff scattered across the campus. like right now. her emotional support water bottle was left inside the choir room, sweetly placed on the floor next to her chair. realizing her mistake in leaving it there, the blonde waved goodbye to the cheerio she had been walking with as she entered the choir room.

and then when she saw august spread out on the floor, she couldn't help but cock her head as a look of confusion spread across her face. "what are you doin' on the floor?" she asked, squatting down to be eye level with him as she inspected him closer. "did ya fall over?" asked questioned, her voice almost a conspiratorial whisper. he had hurt his knee in the past, was this another one of those situations?

she grabbed one of the pieces of sheet music and looked it over, the confusion staying in place. "is this your song choice for the assignment? cause i've never heard of it." she said with a shrug, judgement creeping into her voice before standing up and offering a hand to help him up.

[dazednconfuseds]

August groaned when he crouched down, one hand coming up to drag across his face like he might be able to erase the last thirty seconds of his life. He peeked at her through his fingers, then let his arm lamely fall away with a resigned smile. He shifted a little, testing his knee out of habit more than an actual injury. Sometimes even the smallest fall could leave him elevating it for days afterward.

"Nah, didn't fall. Just... gravity and I have always had a complicated relationship with one another," he waved it off with a lazy flick of his wrist before realizing the weight of his words. That made him picture his time in the hospital: him, bedridden, and Goldie playing Hot Nurse. Just the thought of the sponge bath she tried to offer almost made him shudder.

When she picked up the sheet music, his eyes tracked it. "It's old," he admitted. "Like, my mom probably made out to it at a high school dance," and he immediately regretted thinking of his mom making out with anyone. August took her hand when she offered it, his grip too tight as he hauled himself upright, hoping he didn't drag her down. "So, uh, you here for anything important?"

[lyricaels]

normally, cecelia wouldn't have lasted more than three minutes in a glee rehearsal before mentally checking out, but coach steele had given her a mission, and cece had never been one to half - ass an assignment. so, instead of tuning out the endless vocal warmups, she'd started paying attention, quietly collecting little pieces of information about her fellow clubmates as if they were puzzle pieces.

which  was  exactly  how  she'd  learned  that  august  had  all  the  subtlety  of  a  marching  band.  the  conveniently  timed  conversations,  the  lingering  looks,  the  way  he  somehow  always  managed  to  be  exactly  where  she  was  whenever  rehearsal  came  to  an  end . . .  if  he  thought  he  was  being  discreet,  he  was  giving  himself  far  too  much  credit.  luckily  for  august,  she  had  no  intention  of  making  him  squirm  by  acknowledging  it. not yet, anyways.

" hm? "  the  blonde  looks  up  from  slipping  her  phone  out  of  her  tote,  a  smile  tugging  at  the  corners  of  her  lips.  " oh,  i'm  sure  we'll  end  up  singing  together  eventually. "  she  shrugs  lightly,  already  unlocking  her  screen  as  if  the  matter  had  solved  itself.  " there's  only  so  many  combinations  before  they  run  out  of  people. "    her  attention  lingers  on  a  notification  for  a  beat  before  she  glances  back  up,  almost  as  an  afterthought. " although . . . "  another  smile,  amused  this  time.  " you  do  seem  awfully  eager, auggie.  should  i  be  flattered,  or  are  you  just  trying  to  get  out  of  singing  with  someone  else? "

[dazednconfuseds]

August let out a breathy laugh that was more air rather than sound, attempting his best to project looking casual, his shoulders relaxed despite that fact that his brain was making a giant whirring sound inside. He scrubbed a hand over the nape of his neck, heat creeping up past his collar as he looked back at her, his expression caught between sheepish and just stupidly fond.

"Eager's a strong word," he said, aware that was a glaring lie, but he delivered it with just enough confidence that maybe it could pass. "I prefer... proactive. Forward thinking. The man with a plan." Eager.

He shifted his weight, toe of his sneaker nudging at the scuffed linoleum floor, watching her heavy disinterest in him. Luckily for him and unluckily for Cecilia, he could not take the hint. Subtly was not his strong suit. "I mean," he continued, trying to get her attention once more, tugging at the one backpack strap on his shoulder. "I like Carter and all, but two guys singing together is just sad. Nobody wants to see a pork show." He wasn't sure what he was trying to get out of this; he wasn't fond of singing in front of people already, this was more so a ploy to spend time alone with her.