like a boss

hunter clarington. not interested in getting to know you.

[hunterbrandon]

 ivyjhamilton:

Her Juilliard audition was still several weeks away, but Ivy still felt like she was in crunch time to perfect her piece. She’d barely paid any attention to her phone that week, briefly registering that she had a voicemail waiting for her from Hunter, before dropping her phone back into her back because she had to get home and get back to work. She’d been working on her audition piece for months now, and it felt like there was still something holding her back from feeling like it was perfect. She went straight home from school, going to her room and changing, before retreating into the dance studio for the evening. Ivy briefly considered that maybe she should listen to Hunter’s voicemail before she got started, but if there was anyone who would understand her need to get to work, it would be him.

Ivy lost herself in practicing for a few hours, savoring being home alone with no staff or parents or her brother, when she heard the door bell ring throughout the house. She glanced at the video monitor on the wall by the door as she grabbed a towel to dab the sweat from her face, surprised to see Hunter’s face. A wide smile broke across her face and she went over, pressing the button on the intercom. “Hey stranger. I’ll be right there.” She left the studio, draping her towel over her neck and heading for the front door. She could only assume now that his voicemail had been him surprising her with a visit, and she was glad she hadn’t listened to it after all, happy that his appearance was a complete surprise instead. Keying in the security code, Ivy yanked open the door, wide smile still on her face. “I didn’t get so wrapped up in myself that I forgot you were visiting, right?” Not waiting for an answer, she pushed up onto her toes to press a lingering kiss to his lips, before stepping back to let him inside. “It’s good you’re here, I might have kept rehearsing all night without stopping.”

He was uncharacteristically surprised by her voice greeting him remotely, but he managed to conceal his jittery energy and just nodded vague for the camera’s benefit. Hunter had spent the entire flight thinking about what to say, but ultimately no good ideas had surfaced. There was no way to do this that wouldn’t hurt Ivy, even if he felt that this entire situation was out of his hands. If she acted reasonably about it all, that was almost worse. He had been dutifully avoiding his soul mate, but maybe he should have done more. Maybe he should have moved, transferred schools. It wasn’t as if he felt especially fond of his college -- he could have tried to get into Oberlin, to be closer to Ivy. That was a better school than he deserved, even, with his criminal record. Then when she went off to New York, he would bring up feeling his soul mate while visiting her, and make a plan to see each other in Ohio more often.

When Ivy opened the door, he managed a slightly strangled, “no,” before she kissed him. And though it was wrong, he kissed her back, because it was very likely that he would never again get to kiss Ivy Hamilton. It seemed unfair, both that he had to do this and that he should feel so tormented over it. After all, soul mates were natural, biological, and he hadn’t gone out of his way to find Stevie. He should be happy that he met her at all, when the chances were so slim. But no, it was unfair, that he should have to break up with someone he cared about for something so out of his control. Being face to face with Ivy was predictably more difficult than talking over the phone would have been, but it was the right thing to do. His morals only held water when it came to her. Hunter loved her, he still felt it even with the tug in his gut reminding him about Stevie in New York. He didn’t want to hurt her, and more selfishly, he didn’t want to lose her. He didn’t want someone else to get to love her when he wasn’t done yet. “Did you listen to my message?” He asked, then cleared his throat. “We...I have something important to tell you.”

[hunterbrandon]

@ivyjhamilton

The fact that Hunter had flown back home without notice would be enough to put Ivy on her guard, although there was a slight chance that she would be happy about the surprise visit and not question it. Hunter sometimes did things like this, but neither of them were big on surprises and it seemed like the courteous thing to do was give her warning. In this instance, he didn’t have time, and his voicemail would have to serve as a heads up. When he got off the plane and turned his phone back on, there was no voicemail waiting for him or even a text. Although Hunter and Ivy were great at staying in contact despite their distance and busy schedules, they were far from co-dependent and sometimes returning a call fell to the bottom of the to-do list. He wasn’t sure whether he hoped she had heard the message or not.

He took a Lyft to Ivy’s house, knowing he wouldn’t be in town long enough to make it worth it to go get his own car from home. It seemed he would be taking a Lyft back to the airport, since he wasn’t sure whether Ivy would be in any mindset to drop him off. Had he driven his own car to the familiar spacious estate, he may have sat behind the wheel for too long. He hardly had the nerve to see her, let alone engage it what could only be a break-up conversation. But since he didn’t have his car, he had no choice but to exit the Lyft immediately and walk up to the door, pausing only to take one last deep breath before ringing the doorbell. The only thing that could make this ordeal worse would be Dane answering the door.

[steviestraight]

alter reality // stunter

[hunterbrandon]

 steviestraight:

Stevie took the hint and dropped it. She knew her own absolute burning need to be understood and make sure everyone she spoke to knew exactly what her intentions were could be a little overbearing. Or a lot overbearing. She had to agree with him on that, anyway. It had been so easy to ignore his existence when he’d been further away from her, just a distant sort of concept that wasn’t real, not to her. But then suddenly he was in the city and anytime they even remotely entered the same area, it was like her wrist had taken over her whole body. Regardless of how serious she’d been when she’d said meeting her soul mate could improve her chances of getting custody of Lex, there had been no resisting the way her wrist pulled her today. The world had demanded they meet, regardless of whether or not either of them really wanted to, and she still couldn’t get a read on his reaction. “Well, I feel better knowing the avoiding was mutual.” Already mentally kicking herself for making a joke that assumed he’d led an even slightly similar life to her, she flushed a little. “Well, then I guess that’s just a me thing. Favorite color seems like a safe territory.”

Stevie idly stirred sweetener and cream into her coffee as she watched him, wanting to think that perhaps he looked stressed, but not wanting to assume when she’d just met him. While almost everyone she knew had already gone over possible scenarios for meeting their soul mates and what they might feel over and over, she had spent all her time imagining ways to avoid meeting hers when the topic was brought up. She didn’t think that made her unique in any capacity, and it probably made her a little annoying, but she’d been so deadset on focusing on two things: Lex and her career. A relationship was like a luxury that she didn’t want or have time for, and even though the obvious expectations were there, she wasn’t sure she still wanted that. At most what she would want from Hunter right now would be a friend.

She followed his gaze when he was in the booth across from her, trying to decide if she should be embarrassed or not, before shrugging. “I was. Just processing, I guess.” She took a sip of her coffee, kind of wishing she’d ordered something to eat as well, but also glad she hadn’t. She was overwhelmed with questions suddenly, and all of them were competing about what she would ask first, but she landed on something safe. “You’re a student, I’m guessing? I’m a bad guesser though, you could easily be… something else.” She was also aggressively trying to ignore that she still felt a little warm from where his knee had bumped hers. “I hope the person you were supposed to meet isn’t too upset. We could do this later if you needed to…?” Stevie hated inconveniencing people, and she didn’t want to immediately inconvenience her soul mate.

Hunter knew his reason for wanting to delay this meeting was a fairly good one, or in his estimation, an extremely warranted one. But he wondered about her own aversions. He naturally assumed it had to do with the family she already didn’t want to talk about. Based on her reaction to actually seeing him face to face, it didn’t seem that she was likewise already in a relationship. Aside from that, he didn’t think there was much reason to avoid meeting your soul mate. Being together wouldn’t make life all rainbows and kittens (ugh, Mr. Puss was going to miss Ivy almost as much as Hunter) but it couldn’t possibly make anything worse. “Hunter green,” he offered, never once caring how obnoxious this preference was.

He didn’t expect her to be so honest, though he hardly found it embarrassing. Her body was reacting to him the same way his was reacting to her, and she probably wasn’t fighting against it as strongly as he was. Until he had a chance to talk to Ivy, even looking at Stevie for too long felt wrong. Hunter Clarington was many things, but a cheater was not one, and even the notion of having an impromptu date with his soul mate made his skin itch. “It’s a lot to adjust to,” he voiced, a bit needlessly, a thought that anyone who had ever been in his predicament likely had at the beginning. “I’m a student. Freshman -- but you probably know that.” After all, the tug on both ends had lessened considerably over the past few months. The moments when it swelled, Hunter usually stopped moving and ducked into a campus building where he thought his soul mate wasn’t likely to enter, even if she was looking for him. Which, as it turned out, she wasn’t. And yet. “What about you? Are you in school?” He was snobby about many things and higher education was one of them.

Just as he felt it was wrong to lie to Ivy, he knew that starting off what was bound to be a lifelong relationship with deceit was just as harmful. “I lied,” he said, maintaining eye contact the same way he had when he wasn’t being honest. Hunter knew all of the tells of lying and rarely gave any of them away. “I was actually calling my girlfriend, but she didn’t pick up. So I’m not sure how much we have to talk about. I want to get to know you, more than I expected, but not while there’s someone else that I’m blindsiding. I’m sure you understand.”

[nolangerardfunknews]

Nolan as Hunter Clarington in “Glee” Episode: 4x08 Thanksgiving.

[steviestraight]

alter reality // stunter

[hunterbrandon]

 steviestraight:

Whether or not he was being sincere or just trying to relate to her, it still felt a little comforting to hear that maybe, even a little bit, Hunter was feeling just as overwhelmed as she was, even if she’d chosen this. “It would be okay if you did blame me,” Stevie said sincerely, feeling the need to be apologetic, regardless of the fact that biologically she was sure he was feeling just as pleasant as she was, regardless of how confusing her thoughts were. “I don’t think I chased you down, but I didn’t exactly go out of my way to not find you this time.” It was starting to hit her now, that she’d really gone through with this, and Stevie was thinking about all the ways her life was going to change, some of them probably completely improbable, but they lingered in her mind anyway.

“Okay. Yeah, good.” While he seemed a little aloof, Stevie knew she was already starting to come across as a little… high strung would probably be the words her brother would use. “Family history is a little too heavy for day one, I think.” Unless she was alone here in having a tough family history. He looked like things had been relatively easy for him in life, though she hated to assume that considering most people looked at her and assumed the same thing. Still, she found she was getting good at spotting the difference between recently financially comfortable, and those who’d always had that security. “Yeah, of course, I’ll just…?” she trailed off, pointing toward the coffee shop before heading to it to leave him to his phone call in private, feeling bad she’d interrupted plans.

Stevie went inside, going immediately to the counter and ordering something decaf, figuring adding caffeine to her already anxious state would just make things worse. She found a seat at a little booth in a corner, next to a window, allowing her to glance out at the street to watch Hunter, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that it was really him, and she’d really met her soul mate. Her emotions felt mostly positive at the moment, though she wasn’t sure that was an option, but there was an underlying fear. This had been a huge risk, and so far, it didn’t seem like Hunter thought it had been a good one.

Sure, she said that, but did he believe her? Regardless or whether or not they were destined to be together, he had only known the girl for five minutes. He couldn’t read her expressions accurately, and he decided that maintaining his non-annoyance was a better move. It was a completely inopportune moment, but he knew that this relationship would be a long one, and he didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot. “It’s really fine,” he insisted, maybe a little too forcefully, tugging at one of his backpack straps anxiously. More gently, he continued, “Ignoring your body is hard, and not actually recommended. I think we’ve both been avoiding each another long enough.” Longer would have been fine, though, really.

He raised an eyebrow, unable to hide his interest, not that he tried. “On my end? Not really.” His parents had been largely absent for his teen years, and sporadically attentive before then, but he didn’t resent them. The lifestyle their constant busyness provided him was appreciated, and he was an independent person by nature. He had boarded at Dalton, anyways. Most of his peers rarely saw their parents. “Thanks,” he said, a little needlessly, as she walked towards the coffee shop. Hunter turned away as he listened to the endless ringing, calling two more times when she didn’t pick up. He started to pace once she didn’t answer for a third time and listened to her outgoing message. He couldn’t even conceive of a world where he didn’t hear that voice on a near constant basis. “Hey,” he started, knowing there wasn’t much he was willing to say in a voicemail but leaving one nonetheless. “Something...just happened. Literally just. Something big. I don’t want to worry you, I just...want to talk to you, preferably as soon as possible. I get that none of this sounds good, but I don’t know what else to say. I barely even...God, I miss you. I have to go now. See you soon.” It wasn’t until he hung up that he decided he’d have to book the soonest flight home once he was done talking to Stevie.

He put his phone back into his pocket, not bothering to turn the ringer back on. There was no way he would break up with Ivy over the phone while having coffee with his soul mate. When he entered the cafe, he spotted her immediately, seemingly in no way thanks to his wrist but something else altogether. Somehow he managed a smile that almost felt genuine as he slid into the booth across from her, his knee knocking into hers under the table. He almost said something stupid about tall children. He glanced out of the window, noticing it gave her a view of where they had just bumped into one another. “Were you watching me?” His tone was amused, but in the way that only somebody who knew him well could perceive. 

[steviestraight]

alter reality // stunter

[hunterbrandon]

 steviestraight:

Stevie had thought she’d adjust to having her soul mate closer to her than they’d ever been, but truthfully it had been hell the past couple of months having him so close. With her soul mate nearby, every thought she’d ever had about not wanting to meet him had been clouded by the absolute itch the lack of distance caused not just in her wrist, but all over. She liked to think it was curiosity more than anything. Who was the person on the planet meant to be the one for her, better suited for her than anyone else she would ever meet? Whoever HC was, this was it for her apparently. She thought it would be a little more overwhelming, and something on his face told her that maybe he found it overwhelming, but Stevie found herself feeling remarkably calm.

Stevie accepted his hand shake, learning his name was Hunter. It was a nice name, not at all what she would’ve expected, but she liked the sound of it. “Stevie Straight. It’s… surprisingly nice to meet you.” Realizing immediately that sounded bad, Stevie smiled a little shyly, shaking her head as if to clear her thoughts. “I just mean I was never really into this idea, but you’ve been so close, and… I don’t know, I couldn’t take the curiosity anymore.” She glanced down the street behind him, spotting a coffee shop just ahead.

“Did you… want to get coffee?” She pointed at the shop, starting hesitantly in the direction of the coffee shop. While she didn’t feel any hesitance about this, not when everything in her was screaming that this was right, she did feel hesitance about how to approach this. It wasn’t like she didn’t have any motives behind deciding to follow the pull today, but part of her also felt like this was the way they were always supposed to meet. “I don’t really know what to say now. Obviously this is new.”

Somehow the alliteration struck him, even though he already knew what her initials had to be, and even though he had been taunted once he transferred to Dalton and his soul mate was found to have the same initials as his Warbler second-in-command. It was a relief when Sebastian had not, in fact, been the love of his life. And it was a relief again that someone so beautiful and statuesque as Stevie actually was his soul mate. As pleasant as she looked, and as calm as her voice strangely made him feel, it all did little to silence the worry and concern flooding his brain. He almost didn’t hear he when she continued to speak.

“I wasn’t into it either.” Kind of a lie, since he had been optimistic about the whole thing as a child, then accepting of it as he hit his teen years, and had only recently grown to dread the entire prospect. “I don’t blame you.” He attempted a smile. He did blame her, actually. If they had both stayed out of each other’s business, they would both be happier. Hunter wasn’t sure how old she was, but they seemed to be almost the same age. They had plenty of time to meet and fall in love and go house hunting, or whatever. Now was not the optimal time for any of that.

He planned to say no, politely, but instead his immediate response was, “Yes. We can do that.” Hunter was a great actor (in his own estimation) but he knew he was coming off stiff. Thankfully, for all she knew, that was just the way he was. “We can skip over the family history and pet questions if you want. I’m sure once we sit down, something will happen.” These things weren’t supposed to be difficult, at least not on a conversational level. “But first, do you mind if I make a call? I was supposed to meet somebody right now.” Definitely a lie, and Hunter didn’t plan on dumping his girlfriend over the phone, but he also didn’t feel comfortable going on what would likely feel like a date with his soul mate without talking to her. He wanted her to know what had happened right away, even if they couldn’t fully parse out the situation yet.

[steviestraight]

alter reality // stunter

[hunterbrandon]

 steviestraight:

Stevie’s opinions on soul mates hadn’t changed at all, though her behavior said otherwise. She wasn’t looking for a long term relationship at the moment, or one in general, but she knew of plenty of people who didn’t date their soul mates right away, and that sounded okay to her. But she knew that her lifestyle didn’t look great to judges, and that soul mates did. As much as she hated it, this was a society that was largely influenced by soul mates, and if having hers in her life gave her a better chance of formally being Lex’s guardian, for good, and forever, she would do what she had to do. 

The pull in her wrist was like nothing she’d experienced before, and Stevie knew she was getting close. There was a moment when she thought she could turn back and be done with it but now that her wrist was insisting that this was it, she couldn’t help but agree. She wasn’t expecting to feel anything about this, but there was some excitement building up in her stomach, and while Stevie thought she could still change her mind, suddenly it was too late because her eyes were landing on someone she immediately knew was her soul mate, who was currently looking down at his own wrist.

She took a minute to collect herself when they locked eyes, trying to process that she, Stevie, who complained about the concept of soul mates at every opportunity, had gone through with this and he was there in front of her. He was attractive, she noticed that right away, but she’d never been great at getting a read on someone just from looks alone, and so she wasn’t really sure what to assume. His clothes seemed nice and she could only assume that he at least was comfortable financially. Taking a deep breath, Stevie covered the last little bit of distance between them, stopping in front of him. “I know I don’t need to ask but… HC?”

Moving had been stupid, he just didn’t realize how stupid until after it was too late. His first few weeks in the city had scared him, the amount of near misses it seemed like he had with his soul mate. Hunter found himself visiting Westerville weekly, both to see Ivy and to make sure he didn’t ruin what they had, either because of the strain of long distance or the newfound proximity he had to his soul mate. Hunter knew that Ivy’s own soul mate lived close by, and he never thought he would be the one to come face to face with whoever the initials on his wrist represented. Until he started college, the threat hadn’t felt real. Now there was absolutely nothing he could do to salvage his relationship with Ivy.

Because, when he saw SS, it didn’t matter how unprepared he was. It didn’t even matter that he knew, for a fact, that he was already in love with somebody else. The descriptions of seeing your soul mate for the first time didn’t do the moment justice -- not enough poets were lucky enough to experience the sensation firsthand. And Hunter was no poet. But seeing her felt like looking at the rest of his life, whether he had wanted the rest of his life to start when he was eighteen or not. The other thing nobody ever described was what exactly you were supposed to do when meeting the supposed love of your life.

It was a good thing she had stepped closer, because Hunter wasn’t sure he could move. At least, not until he did, confidently offering his hand to shake hers, making sure her initials were prominently displayed. “Hunter Clarington.” It was hard to think about anything with the way his body was reacting to hers, but he managed to reassure himself that this didn’t have to be the end of the world, not for him or his girlfriend. Maybe his soul mate was in a relationship, or didn’t want to date him yet. She might be able to sympathize, and they could...Hunter wasn’t sure what. The only option he had was to break up with someone he cared about just because she dared not to be his soul mate.

[steviestraight]

alter reality // stunter

[hunterbrandon]

 steviestraight:

Though she’d discussed it with Bridie, and for the most part she’d been kidding, there was still a small part of Stevie that was constantly thinking about the fact that her soul mate was very obviously in close proximity now. It was convenient, more than she was willing to admit out loud, that he (or she) had shown up right around the time her father suddenly decided to actually attempt to be one. She wasn’t oblivious to the way society worked, and she knew having another person helping her due to the nature of her career would increase her chances of winning the custody battle, but it still didn’t change her perception of soul mates and relationships in general. She didn’t seek them out, for a multitude of reasons, and her wrist insisting she do just that was the equivalent of a fly buzzing in her ear.

Purely accidentally, she’d deduced that they were here for school, as the pull always grew the most insistent as she walked past one of the campuses, though it wasn’t insistent enough for her to give in and follow it. Frankly, she was surprised she’d resisted for so long since they’d arrived, finding the pull downright annoying, and an incredible inconvenience. She thought maybe she was getting used to it, and maybe she could just ignore it, but never having been an optimist before, she was finding she wasn’t great at holding onto that particular hope.

Especially when she was walking by the same campus on a perfectly normal day and felt a distinct difference in the tug. It was the strongest it’d been, like he was closer than normal, like maybe he was leaving for the day, or walking just a few blocks away from her, and despite Stevie’s insistence about her own apathy toward it all, she felt her heartbeat quicken, and before she even really thought about it, her pace quickened. Only this time, her feet were taking her in the direction of HC, why she wasn’t entirely sure, but with them this close, her curiosity couldn’t resist.

Ever since moving to New York, his life had changed in all the ways he had expected, but in all kinds of other ways he hadn’t remotely anticipated. He had always known that his soul mate lived in the same country as him, although that she might live in NYC had somehow never crossed his mind. Had he been in a different stage of his life, he might have even welcomed her crossing his path. But, at this exact moment, he was dating Ivy Hamilton, a girl who was not only an amazing match for him but perfect in every conceivable way. Hunter found it difficult to believe that his soul mate could actually be better suited for him, or even come close to the person he had already given his heart to.

He rubbed at his wrist absently, wishing they would hurry up and create a drug that effectively repressed the biological reactions that accompanied getting your letters. It was through sheer willpower alone that he managed not to fixate on it every moment, although when the pull suddenly sharpened, he knew she was much closer now than she had ever been before. Surprisingly, his impulse wasn’t to run, which made him feel guilty. He was loyal to his girlfriend, but they both knew that if one of them met their soul mate, no amount of trust or dedication to one another would hold them together. Ivy wouldn’t blame him. But he would blame him.

Hunter couldn’t tell exactly which direction she was coming from, so he didn’t alter his path. He was almost off campus now, where the traffic on the sidewalk would increase sharply, and he and his soul mate would lose track of one another. Although he wasn’t following the pull on his wrist, he wasn’t acting in direct opposition to it, either. So...if they were meant to meet today, they would. Without fully intending to, Hunter stopped in his tracks, the pull on his wrist so incessant that it made him wince. He bent over slightly, gripping at the initials with his other hand. And when he looked up again, he looked eyes with his soul mate. 

[ivyjhamilton]

I name dropped enough that the few subscribers I have that are around just to catch a glimpse of you were sustained. 

I did a makeup tutorial last week so I was thinking just a vlog. An update on how things are going, so I can just film next time we go out.

[hunterbrandon]

Luckily for them I was willing to return to the dry capital of the world just for you.

Two birds with one stone, sounds perfect to me. The next time we go out will be extremely soon so I hope your camera is charged.

[ivyjhamilton]

I can’t even pretend to argue with that. The company is much better now, too. 

[hunterbrandon]

I’m almost surprised your viewership didn’t drop in the year I was completely absent. But it’s clear to everyone that you can hold your own.

Any ideas for your next video?

[ivyjhamilton]

I’ve seen a spike in my subscribers since I moved to New York, and I can’t say I blame them. As interesting as I am, even I can’t make Ohio seem exciting.

[hunterbrandon]

Finally people can live more vicariously through your videos. I think your former location was the only unenviable thing about you.

[feckplynn]

Well, if you must know and I’m only telling you this because I’m getting the vibe that you’re not a gossipy bitch like many of the people I work with, but I did grow up in… I guess you can call it “suburbia” [unironically does finger quotes] except… not really…? It was a small town is what I’m saying and grime only made an appearance in commercials. Are you really that interested to find out where I went to?

Not really… it’s not like you’re a stranger to me, asking all these questions that no typical person would ask someone they just met. 

[hunterbrandon]

I’m not sure my gossiping about that fact would carry much weight, anyways. You could say the same thing about where I grew up. Less and less so as time goes on, but originally, yes.

I’m not sure what you were expecting to happen when you started talking to yourself like that. I thought I was saving you from looking like an escapee from a mental institution by responding with a question.

[feckplynn]

Sure, but… that doesn’t change the fact that New York is grimy as hell…? Unless you’re just stating facts. Which is great, I looove facts.

Again, I gotta ask… what’s your point exactly? A party’s a party, invitation or not, my ass is gonna be there if my ass wants to be there is what I’m saying.

[hunterbrandon]

Depends on which part you’re in, but yeah, more so than your typical suburb. More like trying to weed out which major cities across the world you weren’t visiting, since “three continents” was more than a little vague.

Just curious. Do you have an aversion to questions?

[feckplynn]

Can’t believe I’m saying this but I actually missed New York and all its grimy, crowded streets……. or maybe just the late night bars and the raves. Three continents in two weeks and my first night back, I still managed to crash two parties. Not my best work, to be honest.

[hunterbrandon]

There’s much grimier and more crowded cities to be in. I’m assuming you weren’t just visiting Mumbai.

Wouldn’t you rather be invited to parties in the first place so you don’t have to crash them?

[nolangerardfunknews]

Nolan Gerard Funk for Just Jared’s September 2015 Spotlight.