got a secret, can you keep it?

shannon quilter.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Before

[christiandumotier]

Christian didn’t bother hiding his eyeroll. “And of all of these options, you decided to revisit the car crash that is the Montes family? Even if Tali had told you to spread it, do you really not see how badly that would go for you? Do you even know who the affair partner is?”

He gave her a warning look (mostly borrowed from Fi, if he was honest), an I’m not done gaze as he cut her off. “Yes. Banality. Your details aren’t really obfuscated, and you haven’t pulled yourself away from easy comparisons, like Gossip Girl. Is it because you don’t want to be identified? You’re saving your best for some college essay that isn’t going to actually matter five years from now?”

A smile spread over Christian’s face, somehow both feline and fox-like as he saw he start to compose herself. Partly. “Good instinct. But what are you offering?”

[shannonquilter]

Shannon wanted to ask if you could revisit something that you'd never visited in the first place. But she recognised she'd be, well, not poking the bear per se, she had already done that several times. Shoving the bear? He was a bit too stick-like to be compared to a bear. Lots to consider. "No I don't. I don't think that's the most relevant part of the story." Shannon sighed. "I decided not to publish it because I do see how it could backfire. It already has," she said, waving a hand in his direction. "Too little too late, apparently." As if losing her best friend wasn't punishment enough.

He was saying a lot of quite rude things, but Shannon could see the underlying give-a-fuck in his words. It was strange. She couldn't figure out what reason he'd have for that. He didn't know her, but she could do something with that. She was growing more certain that was her key to getting out of this situation relatively unscathed.

"Being identified would not be ideal," she admitted. It always lived in the back of her mind. What happened here had solidified Shannon's decision to never tell people she was Alice again.

"Well. You clearly have a lot of thoughts on what I do, how I could improve. Teach me what you know. And you'll have access to more information. Secrets, that's what you value yes? I can help with that."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Before

[christiandumotier]

“Non.” He answered before he could stop himself, echoing the question back to her with Francophone finality. “It’s crass. I would consider the value of its sophomoric humor if you weren’t discussing your best friend’s father’s ‘dipstick.’ ” He sighed. “I understand the appeal of the flourish but if you want to collect and use secrets, you need to consider the value of keeping them and the method by which you disclose. It is very easy to ruin their value. Far easier than most believe.”

“Sicc me on you?” Christian was genuinely offended. Was he a fucking poodle? But as tempted as he was to threaten her, he knew that made him look less powerful, not more. “Always glad to hear my reputation proceeds me. But if my presence really was so intimidating, you wouldn’t be defending yourself quite so vehemently, would you?” He didn’t wait for her to agree. He didn’t have to. “This was a monumentally stupid play precisely because you got your information in an easily traceable way, and despite the current banality of your writing, your style suggests you’re smart enough to know that. So stop arguing with me and come up with your next move.”

Why was he giving her advice? He genuinely didn’t know. It certainly wouldn’t be to Tali’s liking. But it was a waste, and despite his economic class, Christian didn’t like those. Mostly.

[shannonquilter]

Shannon squinted in response, opening her mouth to say what she thought about that and then decided for the first time since this began to think before she spoke. At least for a moment. "I do consider that," she told him. She wasn't about to tell him about the literal chest of secrets in her bedroom. The next thing she knew she'd be handing them over to protect her identity. "There are many things I know that haven't ended up in Tea Time. More than those that have. But that is my main method, I'm not sure what others I would use."

Shannon waved her hand between them like yeah, duh. Did he not know how this was coming across? Odd. "Excu--" She began to continue defending herself, but he kept going. She did so hate being interrupted. "Banality?" And to insult her! Incredible. There was no cure for bad taste, she didn't see how that was her problem though.

Next move? Did he mean in this situation with him? With Tali? She doubted he cared about what happened with Tali. Not in any other way than how this happening benefited him. But what if she could get something for herself too?

"What if you and I were to strike a mutually beneficial deal?"

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Before

[christiandumotier]

Christian really loved this part. Watching his prey flounder, explore every potential escape plan until they realized they had nothing. He didn’t joke to Lou that he was a supervillain for nothing. Even if he sometimes felt more like a housecat.

Shannon did have more questions than he was used to. Usually people were sniveling almost immediately. “First, it’s careless, but I suspect you know that. Second, because I’m me. And the sooner you understand that, the sooner we can move onto your third question.”

Maybe that was coming on a bit strong, but he didn’t particularly like being questioned. “But you’re misusing the past tense here too. Tali hasn’t done anything to you. Not yet. I’m not sure you can say the same. Reassure me, and I may consider helping you alleviate what I dearly hope is a misunderstanding.”

[shannonquilter]

Shannon feigned a confidence she did not feel. "Okay, but errant comma aside. My use of dipstick was pretty good, no?" She had been proud of that one, Nell hadn't even read it before Shannon had a change of heart.

"You don't consider siccing you on me as doing something to me?" she asked. She supposed it was better than the alternative: Tony Alessi. It was pointless arguing though, it was happening regardless of semantics. Shannon needed to figure out how to get through it without the entire school finding out about her.

"I wrote it after she told me what her sleazy dad did. I've never seen her so mad. I thought maybe she'd want to get payback. Learned quickly that was not the case." She cleared her throat and stood taller. Shannon had messed up but she didn't plan to go through with it. Not after Tali had dumped her for it. "I deleted it, like I said. Contrary to her belief, I didn't intend to ruin my best friend's life. You shouldn't be able to even see it, it was gone. I wasn't going to publish it." And there was a chance Nell would have stopped her too. She did that sometimes in complex situations. "...ex-best friend," she amended.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Before

[christiandumotier]

Christian was only mildly glassy-eyed as he inserted the USB stick to unlock Shannon’s computer. These things were second nature to him now, so they barely demanded any focus. It was quite easy to unlock any school machine when you bought the company who handled their remote access kiosk and insisted to them that having a skeleton key for the system was just good business. I mean what are they hiding anyway? he’d said in a near perfect imitation of his father. (Such was the benefit of conference calls.)

He looked up as Shannon spoke, raising his eyebrow at her nearly squeaking out ‘public use.’ “I know that you value your privacy, Alice, but I expect you to appreciate a good snoop.”

He leaned back in the chair, giving it a slight half turn back and forth as he read from the blind item she thought she deleted.

Big Oil Daddy’s housewife isn’t doing it for him anymore. Someone has been very bad recently, who knew the PTA was such a hot spot for illicit affairs? A father of a West Ham High student has been putting his dipstick where it doesn’t belong… A cheap date from the other side of the tracks who’s son also attends WHH. What will this mean for marriages and children? Is one of our social elite about to have a new step brother? We’ll just have to wait and see.

He pointed delicately at the screen, his finger hovering over the second line. “I think you’re misusing a comma here. Unless you resent Strunk & White as much as you do Tali Montes?”

[shannonquilter]

Shannon was stunned into silence. What... how... She looked around the room, making sure they were the only ones in here. Nell was the only one on the paper who knew what she did. The more people who knew the more likely it was to get out. Like it was right fucking now.

"Tali," she repeated, the pieces clicking together in her head. "She did this?" Wow, what the fuck. Absolutely batshit how quickly someone could go from being your best friend to your worst enemy. This was literally Shannon's nightmare. Far worse than what she had not even done to Tali. Her fucking dad was the one who hurt her. Tali knew that and she had still done it.

"First of all, that is a first draft. Those have errors." She raised one finger. "Second, I deleted that entry. How are you reading that right now?" Another. "Third, I'll ask again: what are you doing? I can appreciate a good snoop but this is an ambush. What do you want from me? Or should I say what does Tali want from me?"

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Before

[christiandumotier]

Christian took the note with a slight nod, just enough to evoke a bow to a lady but without actually being that ridiculous. “By eighth period. You have my word.” It would probably be sixth, but he liked a little room to work. Or take a pill or two, as the case may be.

“Word of mouth always, please. Anything you read on a bathroom wall about me is almost certainly a lie, and I’d like to keep it that way.” Social media was a no-go, but he knew she was smart enough to know that.

“An erased absence then.” Christian said, with a smile. “That’s even easier. Less overhead.” (It really was ridiculous that hall passes were still a thing. Such a waste of paper.) Then he let her go on her way, took a short nap, and headed to the newspaper office to lay his trap.

@shannonquilter

[shannonquilter]

Things had been... hard since Tali had ended their friendship. It was difficult for Shannon to wrap her head around. How she had ended up being the bad guy in a situation where Tali's father was an adulterous piece of shit. In what world did that make sense??

As a result of her much emptier social life, she had been throwing herself into all things school and gossip. It kept her mind busy and she couldn't dwell on how much she missed her friend. Onto bigger and better things. Shannon didn't need her.

She walked into the newspaper office, her attention on her phone, scrolling Instagram to see if anything interesting was going on. She was planning to knock out the rest of the new gossip this week during this period. Being Alice was one of her favourite things ever, her voice always soothed her.

She stopped short when she reached the end of her desk and realised someone was in her chair. At her computer. With her newspaper account open. "What are you doing?" she asked him, trying to appear calmer than she was. "This is not for public use."

[nellburnsbright]

Both. Nell wanted to ask more, but she didn’t like the way that Shannon was bracing herself. She worked hard to make her voice softer, hoping it would make things easier for Shannon. “You can tell me anything.”

She blinked slowly as the truth spilled out. Tali knew that Shannon was spying. That wasn’t great given what happened last time. The fact that Shannon left a message was… almost badass if it didn’t result in getting her killed. “Okay.”

Nell tried to tamp down her own anxiety as she listened to Shannon’s explanation. It all made sense in a very Shannon way. And she didn’t blame her for being pissed about the whole situation. It’s not like Nell hadn’t done similar things with the paper before she realized the consequences.

“What’s important is that Dylan is in a place to handle it.” She hated having to trust him on this, but she knew that he wouldn’t get his sister killed. “He can fix it. I’m sure we both don’t want to know the details of how.”

“And I’m not worried about me. This is the nice part of having my sister be the President. I can turn these things around with her, but thank you for being more careful in the future.” She kissed her on the cheek. “I know how hard it is to fight that impulse.”

Nell turned to face Shannon more fully. “You haven’t let me down. And the paper will get done. We’re not backing down from this fight, we’ve just been observing what the actual fight will be. That’s what makes us good journalists. I believe in our paper and it’s going to happen. We’ll make it together.”

[shannonquilter]

Shannon had been avoiding Nell's gaze, she didn't want to see the disappointment or frustration on her face.

I know how hard it is to fight that impulse. God she wanted to jump on her, tell her she loved her and kiss her until they were both breathless. Shannon should have known Nell would get it. She always did. Between the handful of people who knew her best, Nell was the only one who knew everything and didn't get frustrated by her less palatable character traits. "Thank you for saying that."

"Yeah," Shannon sighed. "I... He told me he's dating her to protect me. But he actually likes her, it's obvious." She hated it with everything in her but she knew he meant what he said about helping her. He didn't want anything bad to happen to her, even though they fought like feral cats. Shannon was lucky he was her brother.

"I gave him a copy of the information you found at the Mayor's office," she told Nell. "I'm not sure if you would have done the same, but he's got a better chance of getting real answers from her. He promised me that any information he got was mine."

Shannon searched Nell's eyes, looking for any hint that she didn't 100% mean it. But she was sure, and Shannon was relieved. "Together," Shannon promised. She'd been feeling like the only thing she was getting right was her romantic life, and even that had been chaotic. "I believe in it too." She wanted so badly to do it well. "Do we know anything more about the fire yet?"

[nellburnsbright]

“I could get used to this.” Nell smiled against her girlfriend’s lips as she brought them back together again. She hoped this giddiness never wore off.

“I can only imagine.” She was very grateful that she had an easy to live with sibling. Dylan must be a constant menace. You’d never have an peace. “Anything I should know about or just his usual dick self?” As much as she’d like this to be normal, Dylan was aligned with a more dangerous group of people. She tried not to judge given Fern’s own revelation, but she wouldn’t turn down any information Shannon could give her.

She seated herself next to Shannon, their legs pressed against each other. This was how she’d daydreamed about working alongside her. It was much more comfortable. “Long. Never ending. Between Dante’s attempts at undermining Fern, Tony’s general issues with authority, and now this damn fire, I feel like it never ends. And the paper still isn’t ready.” It genuinely broke her heart that they had been too busy for it. She missed having those news sheets.

[shannonquilter]

Shannon took a steadying breath and let it out through her nose. "Both," she told her. "But there's something I need to tell you before we get into that." Shannon quite literally had a list in her notes app of things she had to tell Nell. It was getting out of hand. "Dylan and Tali know that I was in her house last night." She gave her girlfriend the most apologetic look she could. She regretted how impulsive she had been, especially recently. "I left a message for them after you got outside. It was stupid and I shouldn't have done it and I'm sorry that I did."

"I was just so mad that he was there with her. I couldn't think around it. We had this talk the other night and I thought we were on the same page, but now he's..." Shannon shook her head. "They don't know you were with me. And he's going to appeal to their soulful connection to get her to not retaliate." She couldn't be sure how much faith she should put in her brother, but Christian at least had given her a sure way out. "I'm going to be more careful, Nell. I know how dangerous this is." Dylan had painted an incredibly vivid picture for her this morning. It hadn't left her mind since.

"I'm sorry things are non stop," she said, feeling guilty that she was only adding weight to Nell's mental load right now. She wasn't being fair to her. Shannon should be helping her carry it not making it worse. "And I'm sorry I haven't done enough to get the paper going yet. I feel like I'm letting you down."

[nellburnsbright]

What Nell wanted was the chance to relax in peace with her new girlfriend for a couple of hours. The problem was the society they were trying to build was already crumbling around them. The Tony of it all was ruining things. Nell was trying to have sympathy for her sister and the complicated feelings that might bring it up, but he was destroying things as fast as they were building them.

And the newspaper hadn’t even found its footing yet. They needed a place for people to understand what was really going on so the public could make the right choices. It was vital. But they’d dragged their feet too much and he could make a play for the narrative. His group was better at public speaking than they had any right to be.

But she tried to shove all of that to the side and spent an hour and a half on primping. She fixed her hair, perfected her makeup, and agonized over her outfit choice. When she was fully satisfied with her look, she made her way over to the Quilter house.

“Hey,” She leaned in and kissed Shannon. “I missed you, too. And you look so good. Damn.” She peered around the door. “Dylan’s not home, is he? I don’t have the energy for more surprises from Team Alessi today.”

[shannonquilter]

Nell using the word "damn" when talking about Shannon's appearance made all the blood in her body rush straight to her head. She felt dizzy over it. "Wait," she said, grabbing her hand and pulling her back in for another kiss. "One wasn't enough," Shannon said against her lips, kissing her once more for good measure. She wasn't sure she'd ever get enough of Nell Bright.

"God no. He's being a fucking nightmare today. I would never subject you to that." Dylan probably would not give a fuck and wouldn't actually interact with them if he was here, but he had better places to be now apparently.

She lead Nell to her room, sitting down on her plush rug on the floor. There was her bed but that felt... too tempting when they had so much to talk about. Her laptop was nearby, she'd been attempting to do some work on the paper while she waited for Nell, but inspiration wasn't flowing. Shannon knew she needed to clear her conscience before she could be creative.

"How's your day been?"

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Twelve

The lights are on, but no one’s home. Noah’s house is still smoking, and the mysteries are piling up. Oh, and there’s that government thing to worry about.  Might need a criminal justice system like now. 

So press play, and go.

[shannonquilter]

There were only five things in this life that truly scared Shannon. The first was Tony Alessi (and Tali, by extension), for obvious reasons. The second was losing her brother in any kind of permanent way, but also to Tali fucking Montes of all bitches. The third was Ingrid finding out how many things Shannon had kept from her, regardless of her reasoning for doing so. Fourth was disappointing Christian, his opinion meant a lot to her and she hated feeling like a failure. And fifth, arguably her biggest fear in this present moment, was losing her girlfriend because she had to tell her that she had fucked up. Again.

Shannon was all about facing her fears at the moment. Not that she'd really had another choice. If she'd kept on as she had been, things would undoubtedly have gotten significantly worse, bad decisions snowballing into more until eventually she ended up dead. Or worse: single and cast out of their new society.

She had asked Nell if she could come over, but apparently Fern was hosting a little get-together and the last thing Shannon needed were witnesses to this conversation. So Nell was coming to her house instead. Dylan wasn't here, thank god. The next time she saw him he better have info to give her on Tali's family.

Shannon saw Nell approaching her house, and she ran to open the door for her. "Hi girlfriend," she greeted her. "You look..." she let herself slowly take her in, a luxury she was still trying to get used to. Shannon didn't have to hide how absolutely gone she was for Nell anymore. It was extremely freeing. "Incredible, as always. I missed you."

@nellburnsbright

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

West Ham for the Holidays (Flashback and AUs)

West Ham for the Holidays (Flashback and AUs)

[shannonquilter]

“Yes. I will.” No she wouldn’t. Unless he annoyed her again and she decided to commit to the bit, but right now it was just too much labour and it was fucking Christmas.

“Maybe not in the functional, traditional sense of the word. But I’d fight a bitch for you,” she told him. She meant it too. Shannon could mess with Dylan, but nobody else was allowed to. Except BJ, but he was related to them so it was fine.

“I am trying very hard not to be offended right now, as it is Christmas and if we don’t let our transgressions slide on this wonderful holiday then when will we?” She grabbed a large plastic trash can from the hallway and placed it in his bedroom. “Just put everything in here. Your real pillows are under your bed. You’re welcome.”

Shannon flipped him off, smiling as she exited his room. “Merry Christmas, I’m going to go murder our cousin.”

[dylanquilter]

“I’m always in favor of women in STEM.” Shannon was close enough to a woman to count. Besides, he doubted she would actually go through that much work to help him. It just didn’t sound like her.

He nodded his head in gentle thanks. “So would I. Other people don’t get to mess with you. But the gloves are off when it’s in this house.” He was not going to agree to a real truce with her. She would never keep her word. Neither would he. It was the Quilter way.

“You’re so magnanimous. Thank you, kind sister, for living up to the values of the holiday.” It might have been nice if his face wasn’t entirely flat. But he did actually smile as she admitted she didn’t destroy his real pillows. “That was actually nice of you, Shan.”

Then she flipped him off. Okay, that’s fine. “Merry Christmas, remember to wear gloves.”

After she was well and truly gone, he pulled her presents out of his laundry basket. He knew she’d never go digging through there. He set the Hourglass lighting palette and a tiny camera on top of her pillow. He might tease her about her crush, but he didn’t fuck around when it came to what she loved - spying and makeup.

(the end)

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

West Ham for the Holidays (Flashback and AUs)

[dylanquilter]

“Okay, send me your video then.” He’d watch it when he was bored. Watching Shannon try and figure out technology was bound to be funny. It might even be useful. Who knew with her?

He scoffed, “Yeah, this house is just so loyal. That’s definitely the word I’d use to describe us.” The tattered remnants of his pillows really begged to differ. But of course Shannon expected absolute loyalty while offering nothing in return.

“Whatever you say.” He was surprised that she was still here. He’d expected her to go annoy BJ by now, but she was committed to her cause. He could respect that the slightest amount. Mind as well wring out as much annoyance from him as possible. That was truly in the spirit of the holidays.

“Okay, well, I haven’t really used it yet so I don’t know how grateful to be. Thocky’s not bad though.” He wasn’t going to explain it, she didn’t actually care. “And you are always good at research, so thanks for using that evil brain for good… sort of… this time.”

[shannonquilter]

"Yes. I will." No she wouldn't. Unless he annoyed her again and she decided to commit to the bit, but right now it was just too much labour and it was fucking Christmas.

"Maybe not in the functional, traditional sense of the word. But I'd fight a bitch for you," she told him. She meant it too. Shannon could mess with Dylan, but nobody else was allowed to. Except BJ, but he was related to them so it was fine.

"I am trying very hard not to be offended right now, as it is Christmas and if we don't let our transgressions slide on this wonderful holiday then when will we?" She grabbed a large plastic trash can from the hallway and placed it in his bedroom. "Just put everything in here. Your real pillows are under your bed. You're welcome."

Shannon flipped him off, smiling as she exited his room. "Merry Christmas, I'm going to go murder our cousin."

[shannonquilter]

Shannon let out a loud laugh. “Really? Oh Anu. God loves a trier,” she said. Oh that did make her feel better. “I almost feel bad for her. Almost.”

“I’m hoping it all falls apart before they get a foot off the ground.” She wouldn’t acknowledge the possibility of her being the collateral of that relationship. If she did, she would have to act out and she was already dealing with enough consequences of her actions. “Maybe Dylan’s jealousy of Tali’s friendship with Tony will get the best of him. We just don’t know.”

“I eagerly look forward to it,” she told him, standing from her seat. “I think I need to go and come clean to my girlfriend now. That’ll make time fly while we wait for the Montes secrets to be revealed.” Better to get it over with too. This honest communication thing was a real time. “I’ll see myself out. Thank you, Christian. Truly.”

[christiandumotier]

“I’ve always thought He loves those who help themselves.” Christian replied wryly. “But perhaps I’m biased. And Lord knows she attempts that a lot, too.”

He liked that she was being brave now, taking refuge in the superiority he generally tried to cultivate in any and all of the allies he had. “I hope the same, but only at his expense and not yours. If you’d like me to have a pre-emptive word with Tali without exposing the full extent of my interest, just let me know.” He had to admit he was curious. There were so many opportunities in that house. The kind of opportunities that would make an actual fixer salivate. The mafia elements were only the beginning of it, as evidenced by the thumb drive merrily clicking away in his laptop.

He wasn’t sure how well he could stand now that he’d settled again, so he gave her an affectionate “work wave.” “Thank you, ma petite monstre. Keep those ears and claws sharp.”

(fin)

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

West Ham for the Holidays (Flashback and AUs)

[dylanquilter]

“Did you really expect me to take your offer seriously without checking how you do things? Get real, Shan.” He knew she thought he was an idiot, but he didn’t think she thought he was that much of an idiot. Damn.

He fought to keep his smile from being too bright. “You just can’t trust us,” he clucked his tongue softly, “Quilter men are notorious traitors. It’s just the way we’re made.”

Dylan mimed zipping his lips. “I was never going to say anything. I’m not the problem.” He exuded sheer innocence, he was sure of it. But it was nice to see that her Nell feelings were as strong as ever. Always helped to have some good leverage.

And then she was stomping around and she threw stuff at his bed. He expected something horrible and it… nice? Weird. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like it at all. “Thanks?”

[shannonquilter]

"I thought I'd make you a step-by-step video not just let you go through my phone. It's my personal property." That wasn't what she was going to do at all but she had overestimated how gullible he was. Must be the Christmas spirit of it all.

"No shit!" She threw up her hands. "What ever happened to family loyalty? You two are sick." Shannon would be willfully ignoring her own familial betrayal as it looked her in the eye.

She was so mad, she wanted to flick him between the eyes so badly, but she knew he'd stop her before she reached him 30 feet in the air. "I'm not the problem," she repeated in a mocking imitation of his voice. "Sure."

"Thanks? Is that it? Open them. I spent hours researching the best quality and satisfying combination for huge fucking nerds. The website said the keyboard is thocky. Whatever the fuck that means."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

West Ham for the Holidays (Flashback and AUs)

[dylanquilter]

He narrowed his eyes at her for half a second before changing his mind. “You know what? Fuck it. Sure. Let me see your phone and I can glance through your set up to see if there’s something I haven’t learned.” And maybe he’d give her a virus or something to piss her off.

“There’s only way one for you to find out.” He shrugged his shoulders, “Or maybe two. From the school or from him.” Sorry, BJ. It was every Quilter for themself. That’s just how things worked.

Dylan stifled a laugh. That was rich. “Sure, little one, keep telling yourself that. We’ll see what she says when she finds out the truth.” God, he almost felt a little bad about this. Then he looked at his room. Nah, she deserved what she got.

[shannonquilter]

"No, that's not how it works. I know what you're like." Would he just hand over his phone for her to peruse? She thought not.

"I'll go see him as soon as we're done here. He took cash and pizza payment from me and this is how he repays me? The fucking audacity of men." She couldn't wait, not even to see him on Christmas Day tomorrow. This was fucking urgent.

"No! You're not going to tell her anything because you have nothing on me." She couldn't risk it though. If he did know about how she felt... It would be catastrophic for her if Nell found out. She wasn't going to let it happen. She growled and then stormed from the room, returning less than a minute later with three wrapped gifts in hand. "Merry early Christmas douchebag." Shannon tossed them on his bed, ruining her gnome cult formation. "I upgraded your mouse, keyboard and your HDMI cable." She gestured to the one being cut in half by another gnome with a missing leg. "It was fucked up anyway."

[christiandumotier]

Christian sighed. She was still scared. He could tell. “I know you will. And on the rare occasion that your best lets you down, I’m here. And my reputation precedes me. Even in that den of hormonal vipers. Did you know Anu texts me an invite to every Alessi party personally? Fucking desperate.”

“You are very well suited.” It was really the best compliment he could give anyone. He’d certainly never given it to any of his other friends, but they tended to either be single or in unequal relationships where he did his best to stay out of the fallout. Especially when he was sleeping with the fallout. (Sorry Jacks.)

Christian laughed at that. Feelings would justify it. “For his sake, I hope not. Harder to cut your losses. And the time will come when he will have to cut something.” His voice steadied to its lowest register. “If it is you, my dear friend, I will rectify it. Simply let me know.”

“I never prioritize sleep. If I can help it.” A private joke for himself, and an easy evasion. The agreement to call her was hopefully implied, but not to the point that it would look like he was lying in retrospect if he was caught. Not that he ever got caught. But caution was good.

“And I appreciate your candor.” He smiled. It was a genuine smile, as much as he could truly be genuine. Nowhere good without him? A funny thought. Unlikely. Once he was done getting what he wanted “I’m not confident of that. But I do believe I can help you get somewhere better.”

[shannonquilter]

Shannon let out a loud laugh. "Really? Oh Anu. God loves a trier," she said. Oh that did make her feel better. "I almost feel bad for her. Almost."

"I'm hoping it all falls apart before they get a foot off the ground." She wouldn't acknowledge the possibility of her being the collateral of that relationship. If she did, she would have to act out and she was already dealing with enough consequences of her actions. "Maybe Dylan's jealousy of Tali's friendship with Tony will get the best of him. We just don't know."

"I eagerly look forward to it," she told him, standing from her seat. "I think I need to go and come clean to my girlfriend now. That'll make time fly while we wait for the Montes secrets to be revealed." Better to get it over with too. This honest communication thing was a real time. "I'll see myself out. Thank you, Christian. Truly."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

West Ham for the Holidays (Flashback and AUs)

[dylanquilter]

Dylan rubbed his forehead slowly. He was going to lose it. She had found some fucking influencer project and used it to make his life a living hell. She had truly scraped the bottom of the barrel. “Ah yes, we all know how great non-stop ads for shit you don’t need is for inspiring people. You’re a real genius.”

He shook his head at her. Insulting him after she’d done this to his room. It was a lot to take in all at once, but he felt some small joy at how mad she was that BJ might be snooping through things. And the traitor deserved it for helping Shannon.

“I know how you feel about your diaries and I have no interest in them, but he seems to have some free time on his hand and a death wish. So, blame him. Not me.” The things he did know, he wished he didn’t. Shannon could be good at keeping secrets, but her feelings were almost too easy to read. “If you clean some of this up, I’ll keep Nell from finding out the truth.”

[shannonquilter]

"Oh big brother, there are ways around that. Do you need me to give you a tutorial?" she asked sweetly. She knew she was getting close to pushing him over whatever invisible line there was when it came to their siblinghood, but she was having a little too much fun to care.

"I will wring his disproportionate giraffe neck if what you're telling me is true," she told him. Her journals were off limits! Fuck, even just her bedroom was out of bounds for those cretins. Did she need to set up hidden cameras in her bedroom for security now? Is this what it was coming to? Dylan should probably do the same, considering their current situation. Haha. She wondered if her dad knew how to install a lock on her door. She would ask him as a Christmas favour.

"Nell? What are you talking about." Shannon took a threatening step closer. "I don't have any secrets that Nell isn't already aware of," she lied.