The fastest way to accomplish The Project is to cease being afraid of The Project. The Project cannot maim you. The Project cannot kill you. The Project is more afraid of you than you are of it. It is okay if The Project turns out differently from how it was in your head, and it is okay if it has flaws. You are capable of engaging with The Project.
andrew cody x original female character | mdni 18+ | Part 1/?
When Winnie Fletcher first moves to Oceanside to help a friend out, she crosses paths with Andrew "Pope" Cody and finds she has a hard time staying away. Back in town a few years later, not only have both she and Andrew changed but with Smurf out of the picture, she's not going to let the chance to see if there is something real between them slip away.
a/n: Ahh so excited to share the first part of this fic with you all! Let's hold hands as we close our eyes to any glaring inacuracies and remember we're all here to have a good time ˚♡˚
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Winnie was sure her brain was dying, wiping at a stubborn water stain on the glass in her hand for seemingly the fourth time that day. She was 22, had barely graduated college and was spending the summer working at the local diner, same as she’d spent most of her summers. The days blurred into each other, the customers all one boring predictable blob of blah.
Her phone buzzing in her pocket pulled her out of her self pitying reverie. It was a text from Kat, one of the former waitresses that she’d met while in college. Kat had moved back home to California a few days after graduation, she was one of those friends who stuck- always checking in, texting updates, scheduling catch up calls.
She swiped up on the message, expecting another detailed account of her new nightmare roommate.
SOS, the crazy bitch actually moved out!! I know we joked about you moving out here with me but do you want to? Like seriously, I have a room and need help with the rent!! Also I miss you!!!
Winnie smiled down at her phone, biting at the corner of her thumb. There wasn’t anything keeping her here really, her parents were fine, her younger brother had graduated high school and was moving away for college. Would it make much of a difference if she was waitressing here or in California?
Sounds fun, I’m in! She quickly texted back before putting the offending glass back in the dishwasher for another round. Unwrapping the apron from around her waist, she slowly walked towards the manager's office in the back. Peeking her head in, she saw Dora the day-shift manager poring over inventory sheets.
“Hey Dora, you got a second?” she asked, a guilty rock settling into the pit of her stomach. She’d been working at The Pinewood Diner since she was 16, and had known Dora even longer.
“Sure kiddo, what’s going on?” She looked up smiling but her expression changed once she saw the way Winnie was fidgeting in the doorway “Oh no, don’t tell me I’m going to lose you too!”
“I’m sorry, Kat just texted and her crazy roommate- I told you about her right? She refuses to flush! Anyway she just up and moved out and Kat needs a new roommate and I’m...” she was rambling and waving her hands around.
“Bored and taking the chance,” the older woman said, affixing her with a shrewd gaze.
Winnie huffed and shrugged, crossing her arms over chest while refusing to meet her gaze.
“Fine. Of course you should go, get out there! See the world” she stood up and pulled Winnie into a bone crushing hug before pulling back.
“Okay” Winnie said, laughing “Okay well I guess…I guess I have to go explain to my parents that I’m leaving” she rubbed her hands up and down her jean clad thighs.
“You’re going to be fine kiddo” Dora said, smiling at her gently “I’ll hold onto this for you, just in case” she said, tapping the apron that Winnie had laid on her desk.
“Thanks Dora”
“Anytime”
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In the end, her parents had been supportive- they were always supportive. They were at every game, every birthday, every event that their kids found important. No request was too much. Did this mean that Winnie and her brother may have grown up a little more spoiled than others? Maybe, but even Winnie knew when to push back, like at the airport counter when her Dad was holding the ticketing agent hostage while trying to convince her to let him upgrade her ticket.
“Dad please, I do not need to fly business class!” Winnie said, rubbing her eyes and shooting an apologetic look at the ticketing agent.
“Are you sure honey? It’ll be so much more comfortable” he murmured.
“The flight is less than 4 hours, I’ll be fine! No need to waste your money on that.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” her mother asked for the third time that morning. “I know you said the other girl left the furniture behind but we could go to Ikea, you love Ikea!”
“I’m sure mom” she said, smiling as the agent sent her a sympathetic smile before handing her boarding pass back. “You’re all set” she said and Winnie smiled gratefully as she ushered her family away from that poor woman's line.
She had allowed them to follow her into the airport, a rookie mistake. She should have said her goodbyes in the parking garage. Her parents were looking weepy with their arms around each other so she turned to her brother instead.
“Winifred” her brother said, pulling her into a bone crushing hug.
“Fitzgerald” she responded, clapping him on the back as they pulled apart “You gotta keep our name in good standing around here, the people need to remember that you don’t fuck with the Fletchers”
“I’ll do my best.” He said, voice a little thicker than usual and suddenly he wasn’t 18 and going off to college at the end of the summer but 8 and crying in their parents driveway while she went off to summer camp. She pulled him into another hug and whispered “Gonna miss you Gerald.”
“Gonna miss you too Freddie” he whispered back before pulling away, puffing his chest out and trying to look too tough to miss his big sister.
She gave her parents one last kiss goodbye and a half hearted promise to call regularly before hopping on the plane. This would be the first time she was more than a 3 hour drive from her hometown, she couldn’t wait.
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Kat had taken on a job as a bookkeeper at a local firm in Carlsbad “That’s the nice side of town” she’d explained to Winnie after picking her up at the airport in San Diego. “We’re living in the nicer side of Vista, which is basically the less nice side of Oceanside” she explained the way the three cities wove into each other while driving them to their apartment.
“This is it!” Kat said, giddy to show her around “It’s nothing special but I’m sure we can make it look good and I’m honestly so glad you’re here now” she squeezed Winnie into a side hug before depositing one of her suitcases in the bare room. “This one’s you, there’s the guest bathroom across the hall and then I’m on the other side of the living room.”
Winnie surveyed the room as she put the suitcase she was holding down, it was sparse but it had a bed, dresser and night table. “It’s perfect, thanks Roomie” she said, grinning at Kat.
“Roomie!” she squeezed Winnie’s hands “I’ll let you get settled in and then we gotta get some burritos.”
“Oh god yes, the ones with the fries you keep talking about.”
Finding a job had been the first thing on Winnie’s to-do list once she had settled in, she’d briefly considered a few postings at the bars in downtown before seeing that a diner a few blocks from their apartment was hiring. She had spent most of her free time working at the diner back home, but remembering the anxiety that working at a bar for a week in college gave her she decided to stick to what she knew.
She could see from the second she walked into ‘Polly’s’ that she was dealing with a team that knew exactly what they were doing. Aside from a few summer hires the crew had all been there at least 10 years. And they were nice. Winnie turned the charm up to 100 and walked out of there 15 minutes later with a job and a slice of the best Tres Leches cake she’d ever had.
The girls slipped into a comfortable routine almost immediately. They were both fairly tidy and enjoyed spending time together while also respecting each other’s need for private time. Kat had roots here and was more than happy to show Winnie around town.
She fell in love with Oceanside immediately; the vast skies over the sea, the breeze down by the pier. The cute local markets and dingy dive bars- you could be driving through the most California McMansion neighborhood of all time and five minutes later be stuck in the swampy boondocks of the inland neighborhoods.
Kat was the one who introduced her to the Cody boys, having grown up in and around their orbit. She had mentioned them offhand before, the parties that they’d thrown while growing up and the dominating matriarch who ruled over them.
She had been trying and failing to teach Winnie to surf for the better part of the morning, a few weeks after her arrival in Oceanside. The two of them were sitting on their boards after Winnie had wiped out for the seventh time in a row, catching their breath.
“Hey Kit-Kat, long time no see!” a loud voice boomed from behind them before Kat was unceremoniously flipped into the water.
“Craig you degenerate!” she sputtered, pulling herself back on the board before flipping the tattooed brunette who had paddled up next to her off his.
“Ooh degenerate, look who learned fancy words at college” the brunette that she assumed was Craig said, treading water before hauling himself back onto his board.
“Ignore him, he’s just jealous because he didn’t even make it out of high school” said the blonde who had paddled up on Winnie’s left, leaning past her to smile at Kat. “Good to see you again Kat.”
“Hey Deran, you too. This is my roommate Winnie” she said, grinning and nodding in her direction. “Win, this is Deran Cody and this dumbass is his brother Craig” she jerked a thumb over her shoulder at Craig, who put a hand up to his heart as if wounded.
“Nice to meet you guys” Winnie smiled at the pair before letting loose a yelp and gripping onto the board with her hands as a swell rocked the group.
“First time on a board?” Deran asked, looking her over and not even trying to hide his amusement.
“Whatever gave you that idea?” she huffed, sitting up straight once again though finding herself unable to loosen her grip.
“The way you keep eating shit” Craig said, earning him a smack from Kat.
“She is doing her best!” Kat insisted.
“If that’s the case, I’d hate to see her worst” Craig said, paddling away to catch the next wave.
Winnie snorted “You know what, that’s fair. At this point I’m just here for the aesthetics. I’ll stick to watching surf movies instead”
“It's fun once you get the hang of it,” Deran said, grinning at her.
“That's what they say about meth and I'm gonna pass on that too” she deadpanned.
They all laughed and that was that, she attached herself to Deran almost right away, the youngest Cody reminding her so much of her own brother. Craig was closer in age but mentally 15 and she slotted him into the annoying but harmless category.
She had the distinct displeasure of meeting Barry, or “Baz” as the others called him at the first party she went to at the Cody house. Baz was a creep, she could see it in his eyes and the fact that he kept calling her “babe” when he clearly had a wedding ring on. She spent the rest of the party pointedly turning her back to him anytime their paths crossed.
Meeting Smurf at the same party was the most intensely terrifying two minutes of her life.
“Just smile and you’ll be fine.” Kat said, though she was doing a bad job at hiding the fact that the matriarch of the Cody household set her on edge. “Hi Smurf! It’s so nice to see you again” She chirped, her smile wider than normal as she dragged Winnie over by the elbow to greet the older woman.
“Hi Kitty-Kat, glad to see you around again.” She was sitting at a table outside surrounded by party goers like a queen at a feast. Her tone was warm but her eyes were sharp as she took in the pair standing before her.
“This is my roommate Winnie, she just moved here a few weeks ago.” shoving her in front of the older woman like a sacrificial lamb, Winnie felt every ounce of the woman's appraising gaze raking over her.
“Aren’t you a pretty thing, did you meet my boys yet?” she asked, taking a sip of the cocktail in her hand, dark eyes sparking under her raised eyebrow.
“Yes ma’am, they’re all great” Winnie gave Smurf her best smile, and had to fight to keep it on her face when she watched her eyes narrow. “Y-you have a lovely home” she stammered.
“Oh you can just call me Smurf, baby. Ma’am makes me sound old” there was a sharpness to her tone even while she spoke with a smile on her face. “You two make sure you behave yourselves.” she said, standing suddenly “Pretty girls like you can get into all kinds of trouble around here” she warned the pair with a wink that felt less chummy than her words implied before making her way inside to refill her drink.
“Wow, she’s intense.” Winnie said, turning to look at Kat with raised eyebrows.
“I can’t believe you called her Ma’am, I wanted the ground to open up for you!”
“Shut up, you know my parents were strict on manners!” rubbing her hands up her arms, Winnie followed Kat across the yard to the tiki bar where Craig was handing out drinks.
“Winnie needs a shot, she just met Smurf” Kat announced, grabbing the beer that Craig offered.
“Oh yeah, how’d that go?” he asked, reaching into the bag of plastic shot glasses beside him and pulling out three before pouring them each a shot.
“I called her Ma’am” Winnie grumbled, sitting on one of the bar stools before downing her drink, Kat following suit.
Craig let out a bark of laughter and poured another shot for her “For that, you get two.” he said, tapping his fingers on the bar.
“I appreciate that” nodding solemnly, she took her other shot and he followed suit. She shook her head “I swear, I’ve never felt more like a bug under someone's shoe than when she called me ‘pretty thing’”
“Oh yeah, that’s Smurf.” Kat said “I remember one summer, she wouldn’t let me come over and use the pool because I’d ‘blossomed’” she said, using her fingers to put the word in air quotes “Like, it was my fault that I got boobs?”
“Great boobs.”
“Shut up Craig.”
“Seriously? How does that work when your parties are like this?” Winnie asked, gesturing at the assembled crowd of scantily clad people.
“It wasn’t the boobs, it was Pope.” Craig said, shrugging.
“You’re catholic?” Winnie asked, eyebrows almost disappearing into her hairline. Kat cackled beside her.
“No! Pope’s our brother. He…” Craig rubbed at his face “I don’t even know how to explain Pope to someone who’s never met him.”
“He has a staring problem?” Kat provided.
“Right” Craig said pointing at her “and Smurf is overprotective of him. Bet she saw him checking you out and sent you packing.”
“Right, like I’d ever try to get with Pope.” Kat scoffed. “She only let me back once she found out I was into girls though, so you may have a point.”
“Is he here now? How come I haven’t met him?” Winnie asked, twisting around in her seat to look around the yard, scanning the crowd.
“He’s not one for parties, probably hiding out in his room or wandering the streets somewhere.” Craig shrugged again, finishing his beer with a loud belch.
“Hard to believe you didn’t give Craig a chance before swearing off men forever.” Winnie said, grimacing at Kat.
“You give me the chance Kit-Kat, I’ll make you feel things you wouldn’t believe.” Craig lowered himself to rest his arms on the bar, smirking at Kat.
“Despair, disgust, disappointment” she ticked off on her fingers “I had my seven minutes in heaven with Craig Cody and learned all I needed to know.”
“That was sixth grade! I’ve gotten better.” He pouted at her before turning his attention to Winnie, raising an eyebrow and gesturing at the house with his head. “You wanna?”
She snorted and hopped off the barstool to go mingle with Kat, leaving Craig to try his charms on the girls taking their seats.
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As it was, the oldest Cody brother suddenly materialized at the next party she was at. Winnie zero’ed in on the stranger immediately, her eyes catching on his crossed arms and the frown on his pretty face. Taller than her, dark curly hair, freckles she could only just make out in the dimmed lights. Brooding in the corner, his narrowed eyes were taking in the crowd gathered at the house with a hostility that told her he wasn’t just a regular out of place guest.
“Who is that?” Winnie asked, not being able to drag her eyes away from the mysterious figure.
“Oh that's Pope.” Deran said, following her gaze. “Didn’t realize he was home tonight.”
“That’s Pope? How come no one mentioned that he was so cute?” she cocked her head to the side “What’s his deal?” she asked, turning her gaze on Deran.
“Don't” Deran warned her laughing.
“It's just a question” she responded innocently, running her hands through her hair.
“You're playing with your hair, that's your flirty tell” Deran pointed out, having seen her work her charms before.
Dropping her hands, she rolled her eyes at the blonde next to her “Come on, it's my birthday! Let me have some fun with your brother” she whined.
“I don't even want to think about that,” he shuddered, “and technically it’s not your birthday until midnight,” he pointed out.
“So what you’re saying is, give it 40 minutes?” She was grinning wickedly now and Deran laughed, shaking his head before firmly planting a hand on her back and steering her away from the kitchen and into the backyard “Trust me, you should stay away from him. Pope’s got some issues.”
Winnie couldn’t resist looking over her shoulder in the eldest Cody’s direction, and to her delight she found that his intense stare was already focused on her and Deran. She kept her eyes locked on his until the crowd got between them, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
After all, a staring problem is only a problem if you don't like the attention.
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Andrew knew he made people uneasy, like when you saw an animal that you weren’t sure was friendly or not and you didn’t want to take your eyes off it. They did not maintain eye contact however, their eyes would always jump away guiltily when he would stare back at them.
Whoever Deran was talking to didn’t, he had felt her eyes land on him a few moments ago and observed the pair out of the corner of his eye. Whatever she had said had Deran laughing before he was leading her outside.
With their backs to him, Andrew adjusted his gaze to take in the unfamiliar figure. Long hair, shorter than Deran and an even shorter skirt. Another friend of his brothers he’d have to kick out of the house in a hungover stupor in the morning. She looked over her shoulder as Deran led her outside, her eyes catching his and not looking away until she had to. It was unnerving.
He shook his head and looked around the house disgustedly, already trash was beginning to pile up. He made his way to the kitchen and began gathering the discarded cups and bottles there, methodically working his way around the interior of the house while the party went on around him. Eventually he made his way outside and began the same process there.
He could see Deran and the girl sitting on the sun loungers by the side gate, he couldn’t make out what she was saying but she was gesticulating wildly while Deran shook his head and laughed. Craig joined them and brought the girl a shot which she downed immediately. Her head turned as she was looking around the party, her posture stiffening for a moment when she locked eyes with Andrew again, refusing to look away again.
Dropping the bottles he had in his hand in the almost overflowing outdoor trash, Andrew turned and made his way back inside. He had tried to take a look at the guest bathroom before but it was occupied. Seeing the door now opened he made a beeline for it, hoping to get in and give it a once-over before the party devolved into not so clandestine hookups. He was standing in the doorway when he heard someone walk up behind him.
“What the fuck?” Andrew grunted as he was unceremoniously shoved further into the guest bathroom. He turned around, hands fisting at his sides at the intrusion. It was Deran’s friend.
“Hi sorry for shoving you like that, you're just like, really hot.” She had closed the bathroom door behind her and was leaning against it, a smile tugging the left corner of her mouth up.
Up close, he could see why she had been invited. She was pretty the way all the girls that his brothers spent their time with were; light wavy hair, bright eyes, short dress, strappy heels. His eyes snapped back up to her face where he found she’d started biting her lip while he assessed her.
“What?” he asked after a moment, her words registering in slow motion.
“Hot, like the freckles and the curls and stuff- that frown!” She said pointing at his forehead in delight “Really hot, almost bordering on dangerously cute.” She took a step towards him and Andrew took a step back, bumping into the bathroom counter.
“What are you doing?” he asked, blinking at her slowly.
Shrugging, she took another step towards him, keeping him trapped against the bathroom counter before cocking her head to the side “It's my birthday.” Her eyes were shining and glassy under the bathroom lights. Why was she looking at him like that?
“Hey!” He startled as her hands suddenly reached out to slide up his chest, he pressed himself further into the counter “Stop that.”
“It’s my birthday” she was whining now, her lips turned up in a pout.
“And why does that mean you're trying to get your hands under my shirt?” Andrew huffed, grabbing at where her hands were suddenly scrambling to get under the hem, the color already rising high on his neck at having an unfamiliar person- let alone a clearly intoxicated girl- touching him.
“Birthday kiss!” She crooned, smiling even wider and trying to get her hands out of his grip. He was careful not to squeeze her hands too tight but he was not going to let go while she was staring up at him with that look in her eyes.
“What?” He was beginning to get exasperated, where was Deran?
“It’s after midnight, which means It's officially my birthday which means I get a birthday kiss and you get to give it to me.” She explained, as if that was a perfectly reasonable explanation for cornering a stranger in a bathroom.
“Get to?” Andrew asked, releasing her hands and giving her a gentle push to put some distance between them.
“It's an incredible honor actually” her left hand reached into her hair and she twirled a strand of hair around her fingers “back in my hometown the men fight for the privilege.”
“Is that right? Where are they now?” He looked over her shoulder at the door, trying to gauge if he could step around her without touching her. Noticing his look, she took another step back and leaned against the door, blocking his exit plan with a raised eyebrow.
“Can't afford the gas” she quipped, flicking her hair over her shoulder “Come on Pope, you didn't even get me a gift.” she pouted.
“I didn't know you existed until about 2 minutes ago.” Andrew retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. “Before you accosted me in this bathroom.”
Shaking her head slowly, she licked her lips and said “That's not true, I saw you watching me earlier.”
He flushed to the tips of his ears and looked away, focusing on the corner of the bathroom and counting the number of tiles from the bottom of the shower to the top twice in quick succession to quiet the buzzing in his brain before looking back at her and finding her eyes still on his face.
“You’re even cuter when you blush.” she commented, cocking her head to the side once again.
“Who are you anyway?” Andrew ignored her comment, determined to get through this interaction as painlessly as possible.
“Winifred, but you can call me Winnie.”
“That's a grandma's name.” he frowned, looking her over. She had to be close to his brother's age.
“Okay wow, you're actually going to have to stop being mean to me or I am going to fall in love with you.” She was smiling widely at him now, this was the most someone had smiled at Andrew in years, it was beginning to do something very uncomfortable to his insides.
“You're weird, ” Shaking his head, he rubbed a hand over his face. “and drunk and holding me hostage.”
“I’m a little tipsy but definitely not drunk!” She said indignantly. “And if you give me one little smooch right here” she tapped her lips “I promise it’ll be good luck.”
Andrew observed her cooly, no one had ever been so direct with him before “Good luck for who?”
“The world. Don't you want the crops to prosper?” She pouted up at him again, fuck when had she stepped closer.
“Really? You magic or something?”
“Only one way to find out.”
Would it really be so bad to kiss a pretty girl? The thought came to him unbidden, floating up from somewhere he refused to acknowledge. She was still standing in front of him, waiting for an answer with a smile on her lips. His hands twitched at his sides.
He took a deep breath but was saved from having to answer by a sharp rap on the door and then Deran’s voice cutting through the too small space. “Winnie, you in there?”
Her eyes went wide and she clapped a hand over Andrews mouth. He grunted as he felt her soft fingers press into his lips, the smell of her perfume invading his nose. His hands gripped the edge of the counter, she was definitely too close now.
“Yep, I’m in here…definitely alone” Her eyes widened innocently as Andrews narrowed.
“Really? Because Craig said he saw you shove Pope in here.” Deran said dryly from the other side of the door.
“Hmm, Doesn’t sound like me- he must have confused me with some other beautiful girl trying to have her way with your brother” she said, feigning confusion and looking up at Andrew through her eyelashes. To his absolute horror he felt his mouth twitch as if to smile under her hand. She must have been able to feel it because she squeezed his face lightly, eyes bright.
“Pope? You in there man?” Deran asked, sounding exasperated now.
The girl- Winnie- raised her eyebrows at him but made no move to remove her hand from his mouth. He knew he could easily remove it, he knew he should, knew that staying in this bathroom with this girl would be a bad idea. A bad choice.
Sensing his hesitation she pitched her voice down and let out a gruff “No” that he could only assume was meant to be an impersonation of him.
This whole situation was absurd. He was being held hostage in a bathroom by a drunk girl begging for a kiss while Deran stood outside the door, and now she was pretending to be him, or more accurately pretending to be him pretending he wasn’t in there with her. Before he knew what was happening, Andrew felt laughter rising up his chest and pushing out through her fingers in a muffled wheeze, his shoulders shaking with the effort to keep the sound contained.
“Shhh” Winnie whispered, though the delight was evident on her face.
“What the fuck?” Deran asked, banging the door open and taking in the sight of his oldest brother pressed against the bathroom counter, his knuckles white from gripping onto the counter, red-faced and shoulders shaking with Winnie’s hand on his mouth. “What the hell are you doing? Take your hand off of Pope” he said, frowning.
“Oh you meant this Pope? Your brother? I thought you meant The Pope, I was like ‘why would I be in the bathroom with The Pope, that’s crazy’” She said, releasing her hold on Andrew and smiling innocently at Deran as she turned around.
“You know what, I don’t even want to know what you were doing” running a hand through his hair, Deran grabbed Winnie by the arm and dragged her out of the bathroom. “I told you to stay away from Pope” he heard him scold her as he led her away.
“He’s a big boy, he was fine.” She rolled her eyes at Deran before looking over her shoulder at Andrew still red-faced in the bathroom “See you around!” she called, blowing him a kiss with the hand that had been over his mouth.
Andrew rubbed at his lips, skin tingling from where her fingers had been pressing into him.
It was only later, while he was sitting on his bed not sleeping as the party wound down around him that he was able to admit to himself that maybe if Deran hadn’t knocked when he had, maybe she would have got the kiss she wanted out of him. Maybe.
﹏ .°˚.⋆ ☀︎ ⋆.˚°. ﹏
Waving goodbye to the car full of girls that had dropped her off after leaving the Cody house, Winnie sighed and made her way into the apartment she shared with Kat. In the few weeks they’d been roommates they had spent a considerable amount of time making the place feel more homey. There had been one incredibly successful thrift trip where they’d found a good sized rug for the living room, some pictures for the walls and a large crochet blanket for their couch.
Glancing towards the door that led to Kat’s bedroom, she saw the light on under the door and could hear faint giggles. Apparently the date that had kept Kat from joining her at the party had gone well.
She went into the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water before grabbing some aspirin out of their medicine cabinet. Swallowing them down, she leant against the counter as she thought about her encounter with Pope. She hadn’t really had an idea what to expect when Craig and Kat had first mentioned him. There was definitely something intense about him. But he was also incredibly cute, seeing his freckles and the auburn glints in his curls in the bathroom light up close had almost sent her over the edge. She’d always been a sucker for a cute guy, especially when she had a few drinks in her.
Kat’s door opened and she came out looking disheveled but satisfied, followed by a girl that Winnie recognized from the bar they’d been at last week. They waved to each other as Kat walked her out, saying their goodbyes outside the door.
“You know, you’re as bad as Craig.” she said to Kat when she came back in, the swagger in her step noticeable.
“Nah, Craig would blow off a girl to go to a party. I am always about the ladies first. Happy Birthday! Did you have fun?” Grinning, she joined Winnie in the kitchen and gave her a hug.
“Thanks! I did actually, I got to meet the mysterious Pope.” She told her over the rim of her glass.
“Oh, how’d that go?”
“I shoved him into the bathroom and begged him for a kiss.” she said with a shrug.
Kat’s mouth dropped open “You what?” She breathed, eyes wide.
“In my defense, I was a little bit tipsy and no one warned me that he was that cute!”
“I think you might be the first person to call Pope Cody cute.” Opening the fridge, Kat grabbed one of the bottles of Kombucha that she was fond of and took a sip.
“He did seem…overwhelmed by my affections.” She bit her cheek remembering the way he blushed anytime she came too close.
“Wait, like he was into it? He kissed you?” Now Kat looked alarmed, grabbing onto Winnie's arm.
“No! Deran kiss-blocked me before anything happened.” She rolled her eyes “I could tell he was thinking about it though. I was this close.“
“You realize he’s like crazy?” Kat said plainly, putting one hand on her hip.
“What do you mean?”
“Like, he used to get into fights all the time. Up all night, wandering around. Plus the whole staring thing is creepy. Did he do the staring thing?”
“We locked eyes like twice, I don’t think I’d call it staring.”
“And then you just…followed him into the bathroom?”
“Yep.”
“Wow, brave. Did Smurf see you?” She couldn’t hide the impressed tone in her voice.
“No, she wasn’t there.”
“Ok good, I’m telling you she’s real weird about Pope and girls. I’d stay away.” She twisted the top back onto her bottle and popped it back into the fridge. “Birthday Brunch at Curbside tomorrow?”
“Oh yes! The coffee cake is calling my name” she agreed, draining her glass and placing it in the dishwasher.
Kat gave her another quick hug before they parted ways. Picking up her purse from where she'd left it when she walked in, Winnie went to her room.
After dumping her purse and shoes, she grabbed some sleep clothes and made her way into the bathroom. With practiced precision, she quickly removed her makeup while the shower heated up.
Undressing, she turned to look herself over in the mirror.
Her strawberry blonde hair had begun to frizz as the night went on, her hair putting up a losing battle against the rising humidity. Grabbing a hairband she threw it into a bun at the top of her head to keep it dry. Leaning towards the mirror she inspected her face, there was definitely a pimple forming under her jaw, she tilted her chin up and poked at it.
Ouch, okay deep one.
Sighing she took a step back and turned to look down at her butt, biting her cheek as she watched it jiggle. Turning back to look at herself fully in the mirror, her hands settled on her hips as her eyes roamed over her form.
23. Good boobs, decent butt.
Maybe he'd have kissed you if you were more- she cut that thought off right then.
“Sexy bitch” she said, winking and pointing at herself in the mirror. A silly ritual she'd picked up in high school when she found herself being overly critical of the way she looked.
Grabbing her phone she connected her music to the little speaker she'd hung on the shower wall, after a few moments the sounds of Wolf Alice’s ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’ began softly filling the bathroom. Stepping into the shower, Winnie hummed along as she washed away the last traces of being 22.
But I'll bloom, baby, bloom
Watch me, yeah, you'll see just what I'm worth
Yes, I'll bloom, baby, bloom
Every flower needs to neighbour with the dirt
(Wow!)
I have been working on my Andrew Cody x OFC fic and finally have something to share!
Basic Plot: Winnie moves to Oceanside and meets the Cody's. She is immediately fixated on Andrew but before they’re able to figure it out she has to move back home. Now she’s back a few years later, Andrew has been to prison, Smurf is gone and she is not going to let their chance slip away.
Lot’s of banter and flirting, probs canon-divergent, Alternating POVs. Maybe some angst, definitely some smut.
I've been writing out a bunch of scenes and now need to work on connecting them together, think it's going to be a few parts but I'm fully just going with the flow and having fun.
I have a few snippets under the cut :)
—————
He took a deep breath but was saved from having to answer by a sharp rap on the door and then Deran’s voice cutting through the tension. “Winnie, you in there?”
Her eyes went wide and she clapped a hand over Andrews mouth. He grunted as he felt her soft fingers press into his lips, the smell of her perfume invading his nose. His hands gripped the edge of the counter, she was definitely too close now.
“Yep, I’m in here…alone” Her eyes widened innocently as Andrews narrowed.
“Pope? You in there man?” Deran asked, sounding exasperated.
The girl- Winnie- raised her eyebrows at him but made no move to remove her hand from his mouth. He knew he could easily remove it, he knew he should, knew that staying in this bathroom with this girl would be a bad idea.
Sensing his hesitation she pitched her voice down and let out a gruff “No” that he could only assume was meant to be an impersonation of him.
This whole situation was absurd. He was being held hostage in a bathroom by a drunk girl begging for a kiss while Deran stood outside the door and now she was pretending to be him, or more accurately pretending to be him pretending he wasn’t in there with her. Before he knew it was happening, Andrew felt laughter rising up his chest and pushing out through her fingers in a muffled wheeze, his shoulders shaking with the effort to keep the sound contained.
“Shhh” Winnie whispered, though the delight was evident on her face.
—————
“Andrew.”
“Yeah?”
“You have a bit of frosting, right there” she pointed to the corner of his mouth and he quickly wiped at his face “Wow, you are terrible at flirting, you’re supposed to let me wipe it away.” she chastised him.
“Thought we were gonna be friends.” he grumbled.
“Flirty friends.” She crossed her arms on the table and leaned forward, shrugging “I’m only human”.
—————
“Have a good night guys!” She called over her shoulder as the pair made their way to the door.
“I’ve got my eye on you boy!” Stan said, leaning out of the kitchen pass to point a finger at Andrew, who was blinking at the older man in mild surprise.
“Alright, let’s go.” she huffed, grabbing onto Andrew's arm and dragging him out of the diner. “Sorry, that’s just Stan”
“I know Stan.” he said, hands stuffed in his jacket pockets as they walked side by side “Sort of stole Stan’s car once.”
“Andrew!”
“I brought it back!” he raised his shoulders around his ears and ducked his head, she wasn’t sure but she thought he might be smiling.
“In what condition?”
“...I brought it back.” he repeated, and she was certain she could see a smile hiding in the corner of his mouth when he looked at her then.
—————
When he came into the kitchen, Andrew felt like he was 7 years old again. Smurf was making herself a cocktail with the calm precision that he had long ago learned meant he was to be seen and not heard.
“You need to be careful baby, pretty girls like that will burn you right up and then walk away just for the fun of it.” She was slicing limes like they had personally wronged her.
“It’s not like that.” Andrew said, the words sounding so small coming out of his mouth.
She snorted, squeezing some slices into her glass before tossing them aside. “Don’t give me that, I know exactly what it’s like.” Twisting the top of the vodka bottle off, she poured a generous amount into the glass.
“She’s my friend.”
Smurf put the bottle of Vodka down on the counter with a slam and he flinched. He hated that he flinched.
—————
“Okay, now I’m really insulted!” Winnie leaned across her chair to smack at his arm “How many of your brother's friends are cornering you for a kiss that you’ve forgotten about me already?”
“So many” Andrew said solemnly “Like an embarrassing amount.”
“Oh yeah, Andrew Cody pulls now?” she teased “Should I be jealous?”
“Very” he said, standing up and grabbing both of their empty bottles “Another?” he asked, his eyes meeting hers full on for the first time. He didn’t flinch and he didn’t look away.
—————
Standing in what looked to be a walled-in garden was a huge trampoline.
“No.” Andrew said immediately.
“Oh come on!” she exclaimed, dropping her hold on his wrist and kicking off her shoes before climbing on and giving an experimental bounce “It’ll be fun!”
“It’s a death trap.”
“It’s fun! You do know what fun is don’t you?” She put her hands on her hips and looked down at him, bending her knees and slowly beginning to bounce up and down.
“Youre going to fall off that thing and crack your head” Andrew observed cooly, watching her bounce rhythmically across the trampoline and averting his eyes when her the bottom of her dress fluttered up dangerously high.
“I know what I'm doing” She bounced and scissored her legs in the air, hands raised above her head. “Didn’t you know? I'm a professional trampolinist” she spun around on the next jump and Andrew felt his stomach clench. One wrong move and she’d fly off the damn thing.
“Get down from there” he took another step towards the elastic deathtrap.
“Make me” she bounced up again and again, grinning as she kicked her legs and blew him a kiss.
“I'm not getting up there so you can cut the cute shit.” he growled, bracing his hands on the edge of the trampoline and debating grabbing her the next time she jumped close.
“Ooh you called me cute, you really must be mad” she teased.
—————
Ahhh if you’re still here, thanks for checking it out!! Still very much a work in progress but I’m enjoying the process a lot :)
I have been working on my Andrew Cody x OFC fic and finally have something to share!
Basic Plot: Winnie moves to Oceanside and meets the Cody's. She is immediately fixated on Andrew but before they’re able to figure it out she has to move back home. Now she’s back a few years later, Andrew has been to prison, Smurf is gone and she is not going to let their chance slip away.
Lot’s of banter and flirting, probs canon-divergent, Alternating POVs. Maybe some angst, definitely some smut.
I've been writing out a bunch of scenes and now need to work on connecting them together, think it's going to be a few parts but I'm fully just going with the flow and having fun.
I have a few snippets under the cut :)
—————
He took a deep breath but was saved from having to answer by a sharp rap on the door and then Deran’s voice cutting through the tension. “Winnie, you in there?”
Her eyes went wide and she clapped a hand over Andrews mouth. He grunted as he felt her soft fingers press into his lips, the smell of her perfume invading his nose. His hands gripped the edge of the counter, she was definitely too close now.
“Yep, I’m in here…alone” Her eyes widened innocently as Andrews narrowed.
“Pope? You in there man?” Deran asked, sounding exasperated.
The girl- Winnie- raised her eyebrows at him but made no move to remove her hand from his mouth. He knew he could easily remove it, he knew he should, knew that staying in this bathroom with this girl would be a bad idea.
Sensing his hesitation she pitched her voice down and let out a gruff “No” that he could only assume was meant to be an impersonation of him.
This whole situation was absurd. He was being held hostage in a bathroom by a drunk girl begging for a kiss while Deran stood outside the door and now she was pretending to be him, or more accurately pretending to be him pretending he wasn’t in there with her. Before he knew it was happening, Andrew felt laughter rising up his chest and pushing out through her fingers in a muffled wheeze, his shoulders shaking with the effort to keep the sound contained.
“Shhh” Winnie whispered, though the delight was evident on her face.
—————
“Andrew.”
“Yeah?”
“You have a bit of frosting, right there” she pointed to the corner of his mouth and he quickly wiped at his face “Wow, you are terrible at flirting, you’re supposed to let me wipe it away.” she chastised him.
“Thought we were gonna be friends.” he grumbled.
“Flirty friends.” She crossed her arms on the table and leaned forward, shrugging “I’m only human”.
—————
“Have a good night guys!” She called over her shoulder as the pair made their way to the door.
“I’ve got my eye on you boy!” Stan said, leaning out of the kitchen pass to point a finger at Andrew, who was blinking at the older man in mild surprise.
“Alright, let’s go.” she huffed, grabbing onto Andrew's arm and dragging him out of the diner. “Sorry, that’s just Stan”
“I know Stan.” he said, hands stuffed in his jacket pockets as they walked side by side “Sort of stole Stan’s car once.”
“Andrew!”
“I brought it back!” he raised his shoulders around his ears and ducked his head, she wasn’t sure but she thought he might be smiling.
“In what condition?”
“...I brought it back.” he repeated, and she was certain she could see a smile hiding in the corner of his mouth when he looked at her then.
—————
When he came into the kitchen, Andrew felt like he was 7 years old again. Smurf was making herself a cocktail with the calm precision that he had long ago learned meant he was to be seen and not heard.
“You need to be careful baby, pretty girls like that will burn you right up and then walk away just for the fun of it.” She was slicing limes like they had personally wronged her.
“It’s not like that.” Andrew said, the words sounding so small coming out of his mouth.
She snorted, squeezing some slices into her glass before tossing them aside. “Don’t give me that, I know exactly what it’s like.” Twisting the top of the vodka bottle off, she poured a generous amount into the glass.
“She’s my friend.”
Smurf put the bottle of Vodka down on the counter with a slam and he flinched. He hated that he flinched.
—————
“Okay, now I’m really insulted!” Winnie leaned across her chair to smack at his arm “How many of your brother's friends are cornering you for a kiss that you’ve forgotten about me already?”
“So many” Andrew said solemnly “Like an embarrassing amount.”
“Oh yeah, Andrew Cody pulls now?” she teased “Should I be jealous?”
“Very” he said, standing up and grabbing both of their empty bottles “Another?” he asked, his eyes meeting hers full on for the first time. He didn’t flinch and he didn’t look away.
—————
Standing in what looked to be a walled-in garden was a huge trampoline.
“No.” Andrew said immediately.
“Oh come on!” she exclaimed, dropping her hold on his wrist and kicking off her shoes before climbing on and giving an experimental bounce “It’ll be fun!”
“It’s a death trap.”
“It’s fun! You do know what fun is don’t you?” She put her hands on her hips and looked down at him, bending her knees and slowly beginning to bounce up and down.
“Youre going to fall off that thing and crack your head” Andrew observed cooly, watching her bounce rhythmically across the trampoline and averting his eyes when her the bottom of her dress fluttered up dangerously high.
“I know what I'm doing” She bounced and scissored her legs in the air, hands raised above her head. “Didn’t you know? I'm a professional trampolinist” she spun around on the next jump and Andrew felt his stomach clench. One wrong move and she’d fly off the damn thing.
“Get down from there” he took another step towards the elastic deathtrap.
“Make me” she bounced up again and again, grinning as she kicked her legs and blew him a kiss.
“I'm not getting up there so you can cut the cute shit.” he growled, bracing his hands on the edge of the trampoline and debating grabbing her the next time she jumped close.
“Ooh you called me cute, you really must be mad” she teased.
—————
Ahhh if you’re still here, thanks for checking it out!! Still very much a work in progress but I’m enjoying the process a lot :)
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