SHYIN' AWAY ,

I'LL BE COMING FOR YOUR LOVE, OKAY ?

[stupidiots]

       stupidiots  is  a  private  &  dependent  multi - muse blog  affiliated  with  campusloser.  mun is over 21 & mature themes may be present. please  DNI  with  this  blog  if  you're  not  a  part  of  the group !  penned  by  kloudy. 

NAVIGATION. DRAFT COUNT: 03

DENNIS  BARWICK - THE KNOW - IT - ALL :  ★  twenty4.  debate  society,  glee &  sports  broadcast. their solos & ensembles so far.

KIERAN RYU - THE UNRELIABLE NARRATOR :   ★  twenty5.  saint rivera's ice hockey team.

VALERIA  CHAVEZ - THE DITZY DARLING :   ★  twenty5.  cheerios,  glee &  student  events  committee. their solos & ensembles so far.

WYATT  CALLAHAN - THE HOT AND COLD :   ★  twenty6.  av club,  film society  &  swim team.

[stupidiots]

welcome  to  the  black  parade  or w/e @whimsyhcrts

main  lot.  five  minutes.  urgent  emo  business.  he  hadn’t  been  entirely  sure  that  would  actually  get  savannah  to  show,  but  apparently  he  still  knew  his  audience.  he’d  stationed  himself  near  the  far  end  of  the  lot,  leaning  against  the  front  of  a  car  that  very  much  didn't  belong  to  him,  with  two  pitch-black  slushies  tucked  out  of  sight  on  the  hood  behind  him.  from  a  distance,  there  was  nothing  especially  suspicious  about  the  picture.  only  once  she  got  close  enough  would  the  refreshments  at  the  funeral  make  their  debut. 

kieran  could’ve  picked  any  gleek.  that  was  half  the  point.  it was mostly for the love of the game, with a little retaliation thrown in after that slushie rumor started making the rounds.  but  savannah  had  become  a  particularly  hot  topic  over  the  last  few  days.  first  came  the  revelation  that  the  grandmother  they’d  held  an  actual  vigil  for  had  apparently  been  part  of  a  lie.  then  came  the  reason  for  the  lie:  a  secret  baby.  suddenly  an  ex-fling  he’d  mostly  filed  away  under  …interesting  while  it  lasted  had  enough  concealed  lore  for  three  seasons  of  prestige  television,  which  was  exactly  the  kind  of  questionable  behavior  he  might’ve  found  hot  once.  not  anymore.  they  were  #over,  and  he  wasn’t  about  to  reopen  that  coffin  just  because  she’d  turned  out  to  be  crazier  than  he  thought. 

“ there  she  is, ”  he  called  when  he  spotted  her,  brightening  like  this  was  a  perfectly  normal  reunion  between  two  people  who  used  to  make out.  “ before  anything  happens,  i  want  credit  for  being  thoughtful. ”  he  picked  up  both  cups,  one  in  each  hand,  and  held  them  up  for  her  inspection.  his  eyes  dropped  to  the  slushies,  then  back  to  her.  “ funeral  chic.  bespoke,  even.  you  can't  say  i  never  knew  how  to  romance  you. ”  a  beat,  and  then  his  mouth  pulled  into  a  grin.  “ also,  apparently  you  have  a  daughter?  which,  by  the  way,  insane  thing  to  learn  after  the  fact. ”  not  that  she  owed  him  a  disclosure  form  back  then,  but  still,  he’d  spent  enough  time  around  her  to  be  faintly  offended  on  behalf  of  his  own  powers  of  observation.  surely  there  should’ve  been  a  vibe.  a  stray  maternal  instinct.  something.  then  there  was  the  rest  of  it.  the  music,  the fashion, the  whole  morose  little  ecosystem  he’d  once  found  intriguing  enough  to  orbit  until,  eventually,  it  had  started  getting  too  weird.  “ anyway.  congratulations  on  the  baby.  and enjoy  your  little  field  trip  for  losers. these are sort of for both. ”

that  was  about  as  much  warning  as  he  felt  obligated  to  give.  the  first  cup  tipped  forward  in  one  quick  motion,  sending  black  ice  and  syrup  straight  at  her;  the  second  followed  almost  immediately  after.  blue  raspberry,  cherry,  and  an  irresponsible  amount  of  black  food  colouring  splattered  across  her  in  two  successive  waves.  then,  he  was  left  holding  nothing  but  plastic  and  a  grin  that  had  gone  openly  delighted  at  the  sight  of  his  handiwork.  he  gave  the  cups  a  tiny  shake,  as  if  checking  for  anything  he'd  missed,  his eyes  flicking  over  the  black  syrup  now  streaking  through  her  blonde  hair.  “ hope  that  doesn't  stain! ”

[stupidiots]

closed starter ft. @scgclden

deciding  she  probably  shouldn’t  get  drunk  with  conditioning  at  seven  in  the  morning  had  valeria  finding  other  ways  to  entertain  herself,  which  was  how  she’d  ended  up  perched  on  brooks’  kitchen  counter  with  tyler  nearby,  three  half-finished  drinks  between  them  and  a  pizza  box  open  beside  her.  “  try  this  one,  ”  she  said,  nudging  the  newest  cup  toward  him.  “  sprite,  cranberry,  lime…  barely  any  vodka.  coach  can  smell  weakness  from,  like,  three  buildings  away.  ”  she  waited  for  him  to  take  a  sip  before  stealing  it  back  for  one  of  her  own,  swinging  one  foot  idly  against  the  cabinet  beneath  her  as  she  considered  it.  by  the  third  attempt,  though,  even  playing  bartender  was  starting  to  lose  her.  “  okay,  how  do  sober  people  actually  have  fun  at  these  things?  ”   she  asked,  looking  down  at  him  with  a  little  grin  before  taking  another  sip.  then,  her  curiosity  turned  more  toward  him  than  the  drink.  “  how  far  are  you  taking  this  tonight?  are  you  actually  pacing  yourself  or  am  i  gonna  hear  something  insane  from  you  in,  like,  an  hour?  ”

[stupidiots]

closed starter ft. @rawtalents

the  corner  store  run  had  left  him  carrying  more  than  he’d  meant  to,  but  with  brooks  apparently  handling  the  alcohol  side  of  things,  he  figured  somebody  could  make  sure  the  sober  options  extended  beyond  water.  a  couple  bottles  of  jarritos,  a  few  fever-tree  ginger  beers,  san  pellegrino  and  bottled lemonade  had  earned  their  own  little  section  of  the  kitchen  counter  by  the  time  he  twisted  the  cap  off  a  diet  coke  for  himself.  “  there,  ”  he  muttered,  mostly  to  himself  as  he  shoved  the  last  bottle  into  place.  “  now  it’s  a  party.  ”   it  was  only  when  he  straightened  that  he  caught  sight  of  a  familiar  face  nearby,  and  rather  than  let  them  disappear  back  into  the  crowd,  he  reached  for  one  of  the  bottles  and  held  it  up  in  offering.  “  you  drinking  tonight,  or  can  i  interest  you  in  something  from  my  incredibly  well-stocked  sober  bar?  ”  he  glanced  back  at  his  spread,  then  added,  “  there’s  water  too,  i'm  sure,  but  i  figured  we  could  do  a  little  better  than  that.  ”

[mckennaro]

mckenna stopped in her tracks when she saw him. she hadn't seen him in person in...well, likely weeks? the last time she'd heard his voice was in the video he'd made. why was he torturing her again? she sucked her teeth, she knew what this probably was. he was probably going to ask her to stop telling people that he ghosted her. how dare he! she was making a lot of assumptions. "let me guess, you apologized in a youtube video, so now i should stop telling people about what you did, even though it's totally the truth and i'm allowed to have been hurt by it? is that what we're going with? or are we going with something different?" she said, "if it's something different, i would for sure like to hear it."

[stupidiots]

wyatt  couldn’t  even  blame  her  for  assuming  there  was  some  ulterior  motive  behind  him  showing  up;  he  hadn’t  exactly  been  building  a  strong  case  for  himself  lately.  by  the  time  she  finished,  all  he  could  do  was  give  a  small  nod  and  adjust  the  strap  of  his  bag.   “  i  mean,  it  happened.  it’s  the  truth,  so  i’m  not  gonna  ask  you  to  stop  saying  it  just  because  it  makes  me  look  bad.  but that's not why i'm here. i  still  owe  you  the  explanation  i  wasn’t  ready  to  give  you  then. ”  he  paused,  then  gave  a  small,  resigned  huff  through  his  nose before taking a deeper breath.   “  i’ve got some history with the glee club that i’m not exactly eager to revisit.  ”  enough that he’d wanted nothing to do with the club at all.  wyatt had never exactly loved having anything that personal turned into something everyone could watch.  “  so  when  i  found  out  you  joined,  i  guess i got  in  my  head  about  it.  things  between  us  were  going  really  great,  so  my  brain  kind  of  went  straight  to,  well shit,  this  is  how  it  happens  again.  which  wasn’t  fair  to  you, but…  that’s  what  happened.  not  a  good  reason, and definitely not an excuse.  ”  in some ways, it  would’ve  been almost  easier  if  he’d  simply  gotten  bored  or  stopped  liking  her  somewhere  along  the  way,  but  that  had  never  been  the  problem.  “  i’m  just…  really  sorry  for  treating  you  the  way  i  did.  ”

[stupidiots]

(﹙˓  ‍🎧  ˒﹚)          whoa,  did  you  just  hear  that  voice?  it's  so  recognizable  that  i  have  no  doubt  it's  kieran  ryu.  i  don't  really  know  much  about  them,  but  i  heard  they're  a  twenty - five  year  old  communications  major  in  their  fourth  year  of  study.  people  say  that  they're  imaginative  and  tenacious,  but  rumor  has  it  that  they're  actually  dishonest  and  opportunistic,  so  i  guess  we'll  never  know  the  truth  unless  you  live  with  them  in  hummel house.  if  you  ask  me,  i  think  i'd  describe  them  as  the unreliable narrator,  but  their  spotify  wrapped  should  say  more  about  them,  in  which  fake tales of san francisco  by  arctic monkeys,  too dumb to die  by  green day,  and  sweet talk by saint motel  are  amongst  their  most  played.  but  whatever,  i  wish  them  luck  on  their  endeavors  in  saint rivera's ice hockey titans.  i  don't  know  how  they  have  time  for  all  of  that,  but  i  can't  wait  to  see  how  this  new  school  year  treats  them!    (  sang heon lee,  cis man  and  he / him,  bisexual  )      𝄞ˎˊ˗

𝟎𝟏.  𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒

full  name:  kihyun kieran ryu

nicknames:  kieran, key

age  &  birthday:  twenty5  &  june 6th

gender  &  pronouns:  cis man  &  he / him

hometown:  seoul, south korea

residence:  hummel house

major:  communications

minor: acting

clubs:  ice hockey titans

𝟎𝟐.  𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄

face  claim:  sang heon lee

voice claim: tba

height:  5'11"

build:  lean and athletic

eye  color:  dark  brown

hair  color:  black

style  habits:  button - downs, denim, leather or bomber jackets, sneakers, rings, sunglasses and a nice watch thrown in. most of it is designer, collected through a combination of hand - me - downs and resale finds

𝟎𝟑.  𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

positive  traits:  imaginative, tenacious, adaptable, loyal ( selective )

negative  traits:  dishonest, opportunistic, competitive, vindictive

zodiac  sign:  gemini

mbti  type:  tba

moral  alignment:  chaotic neutral

label:  "the  unreliable narrator"

𝟎𝟒.  𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘

kieran spent his earliest years in seoul, where his mother was still acting and his father made a comfortable living in venture capital. it paid well, came with plenty of favors owed and, every now and then, a deal nobody seemed all that interested in explaining. his father’s work started bringing him to the states more often, and eventually the family moved to socal while kieran was still young. between siblings, cousins and regular trips back to korea, there was rarely much chance of the house feeling quiet. family holidays usually meant skiing somewhere in winter or disappearing somewhere warmer once summer came around. california was where he did most of his growing up, met some of his longtime friends and started playing hockey, which ended up sticking. growing up around his mother’s career also meant the entertainment world was never particularly unfamiliar to him. he's never been particularly flashy about his family’s money though. it mostly comes up in passing, usually when someone mentions a place he’s visited before or a trip that reminds him of one his family took growing up.

𝟎𝟓.  𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓  𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐀

it had been one of several choices, but having one of his best friends already there made the decision pretty easy, and kieran has spent the years since acting like there was never anywhere else he was going to end up. between classes and the ice hockey titans, he keeps busy enough, and outside of both he can be hard to catch, usually blaming family plans, auditions or some last - minute thing he has to be at. with graduation getting closer, he still hasn’t settled on what comes next, though he’s hardly short on opportunities. acting has started looking more and more like something he might actually pursue, despite there being very little evidence so far that he’s any good at it, and there are always family connections to fall back on if that goes nowhere. for now, key seems pretty unconcerned about where he’ll end up after saint rivera. according to him, he has Options.

a/n: if you’ve actually read this far, thanks for your time! almost everything above is a lie <3 it did start pretty accidentally, to be fair ... someone assumed the family he was staying with was his own and he just never corrected them ?? one thing led to another ig ... he’s technically rich by association, and the family he’s always described as his own is actually his cousins’ family, who he stayed with growing up. they weren’t particularly willing to let him forget that, so he doesn’t feel guilty about taking advantage of the lifestyle now! where that leaves him depends a little on which route i end up taking with the cousin ( wc coming soon maybe ), but no, he does not actually have options. he’s kind of fucked. maybe there’s still hope for him yet depending on said wc though. we’ll see !!

𝟎𝟔.  𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

carter cortez: best friend & captain. first met at summer hockey camp in socal

goldie lewis: petty rivalry over carter’s attention

jasper st. james: occasional moral compass ( not always effective )

lorelei liang: knows about the holiday hookup carter apparently memory-holed and unlike his bestie, remembers her and makes sure she knows it

micah de leon: tba

rhys davenport: tba

savannah grady: ex - fling. was intrigued by her emo vibes until he started finding them a little too weird

sullivan vane: guide to reconnecting with his korean roots. key refuses to acknowledge the fact that sully voluntarily chose to be in glee.

stella nasr: head loser of the glee club & acting classmate who thinks he’s hopeless

tyler perera: co-worker ( research assistants on campus ) & secret - keeper

𝟎𝟕.  𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

( he's prone to collecting questionable ppl as friends and generally thinks gleeks are Losers. exceptions can and will be made, but that’s his default stance! )

flings, fwbs, hookups, etc

friends. close, fake, real, etc

someone key is a bad influence on

someone determined to recruit him into their club

someone he promised an expensive gift and now hoping they forgot

petty beef neither of them remembers starting

secret - knower ( potential blackmailer )

crushes. unrequited, one - sided, mutual but stupid

enemies with benefits

open to everything & anything !! <3

[sm0kesh0ws]

𝐖𝐇𝐎: emmett, wyatt, & milo callahan @hrmonies @stupidiots

By the time Emmett reached the tennis courts, the morning dew had long since burned off beneath the sun; an unseasonably warm day for November, which meant a perfect day for Emmett to practice. His duffel landed on one of the benches with a dull thud before he unzipped it, pulling out three rackets instead of one. He leaned them carefully against the fence, bouncing a fresh tennis ball against the concrete as he glanced toward the path leading from campus.

They were late. Not late late, but late enough to annoy him. Emmett checked his watch out of habit, though he already knew the time. He kept bouncing and catching the ball until two familiar figures came into view; he didn't wave. "Took you long enough." He said, finally looking up. Emmett reached and picked up his assigned racket, ready to get started despite his brothers only being there for less than sixty seconds.

"I say we do best out of three. And before you ask," his gaze drifted to Milo. "No, trying to distract me midserve does not count as a strategy." He stepped backward, closer to the turf. "So, which one of you wants to lose first?"

[stupidiots]

the  walk  from  campus  had  taken  longer  than  usual,  the  stop  for  drinks  adding  a  few  minutes  to  a  pace  already  set  by  milo’s  injured  foot.  as  the  courts  came  into  view,  wyatt  caught  emmett  glancing  at  his  watch  and  quickened  his  pace  over  the  last  stretch,  careful  not  to  pull  too  far  ahead  of  milo  or  tip  the  cardboard  drink  carrier  in  his  hand.  once they reached the bench, he passed emmett his drink before setting the carrier down beside the duffel, his and milo’s cups still inside.  “  we  made  pretty  good  time,  all  things  considered.  ”

wyatt  picked  up  one  of  the  rackets  resting  against  the  fence  as  emmett  proposed  the  match,  not  especially  bothered  by  who  won  but  quietly  amused  by  how  certain  his  brother  already  sounded.  he’d  always  found  it  faintly  admirable  how  seriously  emmett  took  things,  even  a  casual  game  between  the  three  of  them;  unfortunately,  the  same  competitive  instinct  had  never  quite  found  its  way  into  him.  the  warning  aimed  at  milo  earned  a  quiet  huff  of  laughter.  “  not  even  giving  the  injured  one  a  handicap?  ”  wyatt stepped onto the court and stopped near the baseline, rolling the racket once between his palms before looking  over  at  their  brother.  “  you  actually  playing,  mi,  or  are  you  sitting  this  one  out  and  keeping  score?  ” @hrmonies

[stupidiots]

closed starter ft. @mckennaro

the  stretch  of  pavement  outside  jones  house  had  become  the  latest  place  wyatt  had  failed  to  sit  still.  he  remembered  enough  of  her  routine  to  know  when  tuesday rehearsal  usually  finished,  though  there  was  no  guarantee  she’d  come  straight  home  afterward.  if  she  had  somewhere  else  to  be... well,  he’d  already  resigned  himself  to  waiting  there  all  night.  he  knew  he’d  handled  everything  like  a  dick,  then  made  it  even worse  by  saying  nothing  when  she  gave  him  the  chance  to  explain  himself.  when  she  finally  came  into  view,  he  stopped  mid-step,  one  hand  tightening  around  the  strap  of  the  duffel  slung  over  his  shoulder. “  hey,  mckenna.  ”  his  free  hand  hovered  awkwardly  at  his  side  before  he  tucked  it  into  his  jacket  pocket. for half a second, some of the tension left his expression at the sight of her, only to return when he remembered why he was there.   “  i  know  i  probably  don’t  get  to  ask  you  for  much  right  now,  but…  could  i  have  a  minute?  ”

[stupidiots]

hearts meme for oliver + wyatt!

VISUAL ATTRACTIVENESS: 💗💗💗💗💗 (purely aesthetic appreciation of looks)

FRIENDSHIP LEVEL: 💗 (how close a friend they consider them)

SEXUAL DESIRE: 💗💗💗 (wanting to have sex with them)

ROMANTIC INTENT: 💗💗💗 (hoping for a romantic relationship)

💔 non-existent 💗 very low 💗💗 a little 💗💗💗 hopeful 💗💗💗💗 high 💗💗💗💗💗 maximum

drop me a character name and i’ll reveal my muse’s heart ( whether they're aware of it or not is an entirely different question! )

[stupidiots]

wyatt for mckenna!

VISUAL ATTRACTIVENESS: 💗💗💗💗 (purely aesthetic appreciation of looks)

FRIENDSHIP LEVEL: 💔 (how close a friend they consider them)

SEXUAL DESIRE: 💗💗 (wanting to have sex with them)

ROMANTIC INTENT: 💗💗💗 (hoping for a romantic relationship)

💔 non-existent 💗 very low 💗💗 a little 💗💗💗 hopeful 💗💗💗💗 high 💗💗💗💗💗 maximum

drop me a character name and i’ll reveal my muse’s heart ( whether they're aware of it or not is an entirely different question! )

[stupidiots]

goldie for val + wyatt and tyler for dennis

goldie for valeria:

VISUAL ATTRACTIVENESS: 💗💗💗💗💗 (purely aesthetic appreciation of looks)

FRIENDSHIP LEVEL: 💗💗💗💗💗 (how close a friend they consider them)

SEXUAL DESIRE: 💗💗 (wanting to have sex with them)

ROMANTIC INTENT: 💗 (hoping for a romantic relationship)

goldie for wyatt:

VISUAL ATTRACTIVENESS: 💗💗💗💗💗 (purely aesthetic appreciation of looks)

FRIENDSHIP LEVEL: 💗💗💗 (how close a friend they consider them)

SEXUAL DESIRE: 💗💗💗 (wanting to have sex with them)

ROMANTIC INTENT: 💗💗 (hoping for a romantic relationship)

tyler for dennis:

VISUAL ATTRACTIVENESS: 💗💗💗💗 (purely aesthetic appreciation of looks)

FRIENDSHIP LEVEL: 💗💗💗💗💗 (how close a friend they consider them)

SEXUAL DESIRE: 💔 (wanting to have sex with them)

ROMANTIC INTENT: 💗 (hoping for a romantic relationship)

💔 non-existent 💗 very low 💗💗 a little 💗💗💗 hopeful 💗💗💗💗 high 💗💗💗💗💗 maximum

drop me a character name and i’ll reveal my muse’s heart ( whether they're aware of it or not is an entirely different question! )

[stupidiots]

marijoy for valeria

VISUAL ATTRACTIVENESS: 💗💗💗💗💗 (purely aesthetic appreciation of looks)

FRIENDSHIP LEVEL: 💗💗💗💗💗 (how close a friend they consider them)

SEXUAL DESIRE: 💗💗💗 (wanting to have sex with them)

ROMANTIC INTENT: 💗💗💗💗 (hoping for a romantic relationship)

💔 non-existent 💗 very low 💗💗 a little 💗💗💗 hopeful 💗💗💗💗 high 💗💗💗💗💗 maximum

drop me a character name and i’ll reveal my muse’s heart ( whether they're aware of it or not is an entirely different question! )

[stupidiots]

julian & aidan for the hearts meme! for val and dennis~

julian for valeria:

VISUAL ATTRACTIVENESS: 💗💗💗 (purely aesthetic appreciation of looks)

FRIENDSHIP LEVEL: 💗💗 (how close a friend they consider them)

SEXUAL DESIRE: 💗 (wanting to have sex with them)

ROMANTIC INTENT: 💔 (hoping for a romantic relationship)

aidan for valeria:

VISUAL ATTRACTIVENESS: 💗💗💗💗💗 (purely aesthetic appreciation of looks)

FRIENDSHIP LEVEL: 💗💗💗💗💗 (how close a friend they consider them)

SEXUAL DESIRE: 💗💗💗 (wanting to have sex with them)

ROMANTIC INTENT: 💗 (hoping for a romantic relationship)

julian for dennis:

VISUAL ATTRACTIVENESS: 💗💗💗💗 (purely aesthetic appreciation of looks)

FRIENDSHIP LEVEL: 💗💗💗 (how close a friend they consider them)

SEXUAL DESIRE: 💔 (wanting to have sex with them)

ROMANTIC INTENT: 💔 (hoping for a romantic relationship)

aidan for dennis:

VISUAL ATTRACTIVENESS: 💗💗💗💗 (purely aesthetic appreciation of looks)

FRIENDSHIP LEVEL: 💗 (how close a friend they consider them)

SEXUAL DESIRE: 💗💗 (wanting to have sex with them)

ROMANTIC INTENT: 💔 (hoping for a romantic relationship)

💔 non-existent 💗 very low 💗💗 a little 💗💗💗 hopeful 💗💗💗💗 high 💗💗💗💗💗 maximum

drop me a character name and i’ll reveal my muse’s heart ( whether they're aware of it or not is an entirely different question! )

[stupidiots]

wyatt, fmk stella mckenna oliver

“  oh,  this  is  evil.  okay…  marry  stella—and  hear  me  out.  we  were  together  for  a  year,  which  is  about  the  longest  anyone  outside  my  family  has  willingly  put  up  with  me,  and  there  was  a  lot  about  us  that  kinda  worked  before  everything  went  sideways  so…  yeah.  kiss  mckenna,  assuming  she’d  even  let  me  anywhere  near  her  face,  which  she  has  several  very  fair  reasons  not  to.  and  fuck  oliver.  respectfully.  extremely  respectfully.  under  different  rules  i’d  obviously  marry  all  three  of  them  (delusional) which is apparently not how this works.  ”

[stupidiots]

Wyatt, if Stella forgave you, would you rejoin New Directions?

“  no, not at the moment. not  really  sure  what  she'd  be  forgiving  me  for,  exactly...  and  even  if  stella  and  i  were  okay  again,  the  thought  of  someone  potentially dedicating  a  song  to  me  over  the  smallest  inconvenience  still  makes  me  want  to  leave  the  country.  they  do  need  more  people  who’ll  sing  rock  in  there,  though.  seriously,  where’s  the  nickelback?  three  doors  down?  goo  goo  dolls?  somebody  has  to  bring  a  little  divorced-dad  energy  to  the  setlist.  but  still  no.  milo  could  probably  talk  me  into  it  eventually,  but  nobody  tell  him  that.  ”

[stupidiots]

dennis, who do you think are the top five athletes at saint rivera?

“  ranking  people  across  completely  different  sports  is  methodologically  questionable,  but  tyler  is  obviously  up  there  for  swimming,  shepherd  is  an  obvious  choice  for  football,  milo  for  ice  hockey—yes,  the  musical  production  incident  was  an  unfortunate  disruption  to  his  season,  but  my  goat  will  make  a  comeback.  natalie  is  unmatched  on  the  soccer  field; i don’t think that’s even debatable.  last  but  not  least,  my  fellow  short  king  fontaine,  living  proof  that  height  is  largely  irrelevant  when  you  know  exactly  where  to  be  on  the  ice.  are  these  also  five  of  my  favourite  athletes  to  watch?  perhaps.  that  doesn’t  make  me  wrong.  ” 

[sing2you]

"i can't lie and say i didn't notice that particular pairing, but i can follow the logic there. i mean, if they're going to come together over something, should it not be the musical stylings of one direction?" lore asked, fully ignoring dennis's lighthearted comment about her opinion actually counting (important! but also known, given their long-lasting friendship) in favor of voicing the thoughts she'd had only moments ago.

of course, then came the karaoke question. the one she'd sort of been putting off herself. that they'd been so easily able to assess her current state and determine the intention behind it wasn't a surprise - they'd always been good at perceiving her (even when she wished they weren't). but still, her eyes widened as she stumbled through an answer. "i have been waiting for that, yeah," she conceded. the shots hadn't been part of the preparation for it, but the drink afterward had certainly been meant to lend her some courage. "i just need to figure out a song. and a partner." a general statement, but delivered with direct eye contact. whoops. "by that i mean i have a partner. group. goldie wants to do something from charlie's angels. so i will definitely be getting up there at some point."

with the constant shuffling of the crowd, it had only been a matter of time until the space shifted just enough for lore to settle in nicely near dennis's side. but she didn't get to enjoy it for long before the alarm bells in her brain started blaring and it was her turn to make an assessment. where are your other two-thirds? it sounded innocent. and they had a talent for saying what he really meant, so it had to be innocent, right? "goldie is looking for cece," she gestured vaguely in the direction the girl had run off. she followed that up with one more explanation, delivered almost-but-not-quite nervously as she looked up at them. "and i... was looking for you."

the party was chaotic, with crowds of people pushing from room to room, music blaring in between karaoke tracks, and an honestly not great version of suddenly seymour pumping through the speakers at that very moment. but from her spot next to dennis, it felt like lore was in the eye of a hurricane. one moment of calm before she had to face the rest of the night. she'd gotten everything she'd wanted - she was friends with goldie and sort-of friends with cece and they were visually tied together at a major event. and yet, somehow that was the best part of the night thus far.

lore didn't have a drink to offer up in celebration when the toast moment happened, but it was probably for the best given that the night was still young. instead, as dennis lifted their cup, she responded with a nod. "and you as well, as brad. the savior of the production, some might say." and with a meaningful pause and another nod: "to rocky horror. which is over now."

[stupidiots]

they  took  a  drink  while  lore  made  her  case,  watching  her  over  the  rim  of  the  cup  with  an  expression  that  grew  more  convinced  by  the  second.  by  the  time  she  finished,  dennis  gave  a  thoughtful  nod,  as  though  the  logic  had  survived  proper  scrutiny.  “  exactly.  and  frankly,  we  should  be  using  them  to  settle  more  disputes  around  here.  ”

the  brief  detour  through  partner  and  into  group  didn’t  escape  his  notice.  neither  did  the  eye  contact  that  came  before  lore  began  correcting  herself.  he  let  her  reach  the  safety  of  charlie’s  angels  without  interrupting,  amusement  gathering  at  the  corners  of  his  mouth as she continued. “  right,  ”  he  said  once  she’d  finished,  as  though  the  distinction  had  now  been  made  perfectly  clear.   “  i can’t claim any familiarity with it beyond the title, so whatever you choose is going to serve as my introduction.  ” they bumped their shoulder lightly against hers. “  you'll be great. anyone partnered with you would be lucky.  ”

his attention followed her vague gesture for only a moment before returning to her. it was the slight hesitation that made the admission land. the fact that she had chosen to say it at all when she could have left him to assume they’d simply ended up in the same part of the room. “  good. i  was  hoping  you  would.  ” dennis had been content to let her enjoy the night with her friends, but that didn’t mean he'd intended to leave without finding her at some point. knowing she had done the same drew an unguarded smile to his mouth.

how hopelessly gone dennis was for lore showed in how little of the room still held his attention. looking at her now, he couldn’t imagine wanting to be anywhere else. it wasn’t only their history drawing him in, but the ease of being with her, the care she gave so freely, and all the smaller things he’d been lucky enough to know. he didn’t need to be at the centre of her life; he only hoped there might still be room for him in it.

the  claim  that  they had  saved  the  production  drew  a warm laugh from them.   “  i  was  more  of  a  last-minute  structural  reinforcement,  but  i’m  willing  to  let  your  version  enter  the  official  record.  ”  still  smiling,  they set  their  cup  down  on  the  nearest  available  surface. her final addition took some of the humour from their expression. they understood the opening for what it was, tentative as it might have been.

“  it  is,  ”  they agreed, their expression easing as they held her eyes. “  which brings us back to where we left things before the show and everything else took over our lives. ” the pause that followed wasn’t hesitation so much as the care of choosing the words properly.  “  i meant all of it, lore. i’ve had plenty of time to think about it since, and time hasn’t talked me out of a word. ”

the corner of his mouth lifted, but he didn’t rush to fill the quiet that followed. he'd already told her how he felt; this wasn’t another confession, only the chance to ask whether there might be somewhere for those feelings to go. the hope in his expression was open, though he left the answer entirely with her.

“  and if you're still where you were then... what do you say? you and me, finally going on that date—and maybe giving us another shot?  ”