Joy Set My Mind Free

closed: @camxreed​

location: news seasons market

Liv was in desperate need to replenish her very sad sad fridge, the girl had been struggling to upkeep with groceries and bills. Living alone was all fun and games until you realize you actually have to take care of yourself. She had been strolling around aisle by aisle grabbing random things that would make her look like a helpless college student as stuffed spicy ramen into her cart. She decided adding some fruits would be the adult thing to do. She was looking at the peaches when she saw a familiar face. “Hey!” she called over. Liv picked up a peach and showed to him. “Do you think this actually looks like a butt?”

Cam’s fridge may have been full but who was he to turn down a good deal? There was an amazing deal on milk and golden oreos (his favorite cheat treat), which meant time for Cam to head to the grocery store. Mama didn’t raise no fool after all. He had been in the fruit section, picking up a bag of grapes to put in his cart when he heard his attention being called. In front of him was Liv, peach in hand, and asking if that actually looked like a butt. Huh. “Not... really? I think your butt looks better, but I’m slightly biased.” 

Kingsley looked up to Cam as he went ahead and laid out on the futon. He smiled, amused and tilted his head a little. “Well you look comfortable already,” he commented, folding his arms and chuckling. But hearing Cam’s request he raised his brows and glanced around, “Are you sure they won’t make us leave for this?” He laughed a little and stepped forward, initially lowering one knee onto the cushy material, and then deciding to flop down next to Cam, just in front of him. Teasing himself a bit, he said, “I don’t think I have the luxury of being big spoon here. I’m too short.”

“C’mon, it’s IKEA. What are they gonna do, yell at us in Swedish? That would be foolish. I don’t even speak Swedish.” Despite the hesitance that his friend showed, Cam was beaming ear from ear when Kingsley joined him on the bed. “Hey now, don’t let your dreams be dreams,” Cam quoting an infamous Shia LeBeouf meme. “You can always be the big spoon or in your case, my jet pack. Unless, you seriously want to be the little spoon. I’m cool with either. They don’t call me flexible for nothing.” 

The real tragedy in this situation wasn’t the bruise on her butt Eevee was sure she was going to be feeling later, or really even her dress. It was the delicious treats that now laid ruined on herself and the ground that truly caused her heart to ache a little and in turn she couldn’t stop the slight disappointed whine in her voice. “ I mean I made those perfect, delicious, moist with every bite, perfect amount of heaven in your mouth cupcakes of pure love and sugar.  so could you really put a price on blood, sweat and tears? Minus the blood, and adding the tears I might shed right now? ”  Was she being dramatic? Maybe just a little… okay maybe A LOT, but her heart was in everything she baked and now it was mushed and smeared.  “ Not that I blame you I don;t blame you. It’s okay. Really. It’s fine. ”

“I mean, if your goal is to make me feel worse than I already do, let me tell you, it’s succeeding and I already felt terrible.” There was really oh so much that Cam could do in this scenario. The cupcakes that seemed to be this woman’s sole prize possession were still on the ground, inedible by all standards and as much as Cam loved magic, he could not make a new batch suddenly appear. In all honesty, if he were a magician, Cam would be using those powers to make himself disappear. “Look, let me help you pick these up off the ground so we can throw them out and then, please let me pay you for your work. You can name your price since you put your blood, sweat and tears into this.” 

“I can tell it’s not your thing,”  Thomas said, nodding with pursed lips. God, imagine growing up with an artist for a mother and not becoming a tiny Picasso yourself. Then again, maybe being artistically challenged was his way of drawing himself outside the box. 

“No, actually, I don’t.” Anyone who knew Thomas knew that he was a big softie. Including Rory which, if one thought about it, explained why Rory knew just how to get under his skin. Laurel, too, though she was more of a mom friend than anything.

As for Cam, well… their friendship was the result of a bad date. Side note, his lunch was a dick joke waiting to happen.

“You think about me that much?” That might have been serious, had his own dimples not given him away. “What, is Grindr not working out for you?”

“Ha, ha,” Cam enunciated the fake laughter before taking another bite of his food. “I think about how you should join me in the gym so you can increase those gains. You’re secret muscular but you won’t be for long if you don’t keep it up.” The pair may have met on a hook up app, but the relationship between the two was more sibling like than sexual, which made the next part easy to discuss. “Speaking of dates, I actually have one this week with a guy that I met not on Grindr. I met him at a coffee shop and he seems really nice. Please tell me you got something coming up for yourself. I can’t be the only one dating here.” 

Illustrator’s block –the illustrator version of writer’s block, could be a real pain in the ass and the only way Stella knew how to get over it was taking a hike (running really wasn’t her forte). For a split second, she’d been distracted after a moment of inspiration, however said distraction caused a head on collision between her and another body. “Crap!” Gingerly, she touched her shoulder which had bared the brunt of the exchange. “I… I’m fine. No broken bones.” 

Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit. Of course Cam would run into the tiniest girl that he had ever seen. How could he have missed her? Well, to be honest, it was completely Cam’s fault that their shoulders had connected in such a rough collision. “Oh god, I’m so sorry,” he began to apologize, reaching for his phone to finally stop the music that played into his air pods. “Are you sure that you’re okay? I honestly feel really terrible.” 

Luke’s pain started to simmer down to a dull throb, he was certain he may have re-activated an old football injury but it was nothing a little ice and tylenol couldn’t fix. If anything he knew he could call Charlie if he felt like something was wrong, and if it really came down to it he could make an appointment with his doctor. Instead though, he gave the younger man a slightly pained laugh, still shaking out his arm. “Nah man, I’m good. I can move it, it wasn’t that bad. I’m actually pretty okay, yeah…yeah I’m fine.Just my shoulder, I’ll ice it when I get home. Its a bad one anyway, football in my high school days showed no mercy.” Luke joked. “Hey uh, what about you? You alright? Nothing seems broken or anything, right?”

“Nah, nah, I’m fine,” Cam reassured the other man, confirming that at least physically he was okay. Mentally, he was probably a bit shaken up but that would fade within the hour. “But I know all about football and those injuries. Or at least, I heard it from my teammates.” Cam had played different sports during his high school years but had been one of the lucky ones to graduate without seriously injuring himself. “I actually heard someone say the other day that you’re either a bad knee or bad back millennial. I think bad shoulder counts.”  

“If you were being my dad you wouldn’t be worrying about my sleep, so thank you for not being my dad and for worrying so much.” The world they lived in wasn’t always the most healthy. It was hard to get the right amount of sleep when your mind doesn’t really want that. Even if they weren’t doing streams, somehow there would be a way of staying up in the night. Going back into the room they made another cup for Cam. “Thank you! I think i’m going back to long pink hair, but until this stream is over it’s a black bob.” A smile formed on their lips as they sat down and settled into the couch. Handing him the coffee they then smirked at how their friends cheeks began to blush. “I have always respected that about you Cam. The fact that you are always asking for consent is very attractive. Explains why you so many suitors in line waiting to give Peppi a cuddle in my place.” 

 It felt like a joke when Clem mentioned suitors wanting to take her place. When Cam first moved to Portland, he had been focused on school and on making sure that he had done well during his first two years here. His focus really had been singular on this goal and because of this, he didn’t spend too much time in the dating scene. Sure, he would have the occasional hook up, he was human after all, but nothing more than a one night stand. It was only recently that Cam felt comfortable enough to actually go out more, see more people, explore what Portland had to offer and that suddenly meant.. well.. more dates. Shaking his head and laughing, Cam took his place on Clem’s couch after receiving his fresh cup of joe. “No one is coming for your aunt position just yet. Best they can try to go for is step-parent and seriously, there isn’t anyone that serious. Your legacy is secure. Pinky promise.” 

Kingsley couldn’t help chuckling while leaning into Cam a little and then righting himself, arms crossed with a pensive look at the couch. He watched and listened to Cameron try to sell him on the couch. “That is a good point and I do like the color. But be honest–you’re more likely to end up sleeping on it more than anyone else. So the only question at this point is, is it comfortable for lounging and for sleepovers?”

Kingsley did bring up a good point. For as long as he had known the man, Kingsley wasn’t the kind to bring random girls back home to his place, so the example that he was using may not have been 100% accurate. Cam wasn’t even sure why his friend wasn’t bringing home girls since he was pretty much an eligible bachelor, but hey, he must have had his reasons, right? Pondering the conundrum that Kingsley had brought up, an idea came to Cam’s mind. “Well, there is only one way to find out,” he began before he walked forward and gently laid himself on the bed. After all, IKEA was all about trying out the product before taking it home. Getting comfortable on the bed, which was barely long enough for his frame, Cam patted the spot next to him. “Come on over and snuggle up. I’ll even let you be the big spoon if you are nice.” 

“You know France isn’t on the other side of the….whole solar system right? We do say Netflix and Chill because it is a thing in all of the languages…” Rory took a huge mouthful of frozen yogurt like it was going out of fashion, well on her way to getting a brain freeze but she didn’t give a single crap. “What is in the ice cream of Ben and Jerry? I mean like what does it taste like?” Meaning specifically Netflix and Chill’d rather than just…Ben and Jerry’s ice cream in general because god knows she’d eaten enough of that in her time.

“Okay, I thought you would just use different words for it. Like maybe it comes out cooler in French. By the way, you should totally teach me some French. I only know the lyrics of that one song. The, uhm,” Cam pausing as he snapped his fingers in the hopes of remembering. “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir.” With Rory asking about the taste of the Netflix and Chill’d, Cam tilted his cup toward the blonde, offering her a taste. “Try some. It’s like peanut butter, pretzel and fudge all in one.” 

One minute she was lifting the lid of the box to look at her treats and the next they were being slammed into her body and on the ground with the rest of her. This had to be the second time this week that someone had collided into her and Eevee couldn’t help but narrow her eyes in annoyance. Not at the person, just at the fact and the situation. Despite his offer to help she picked herself up from the ground and grabbed both her mini backpack as well but left the fallen box of cupcakes as she wiped her hands of the dirt and frosting. “ Nope it’s fine, probably my fault. ”  She took ownership of the incident without a second thought.  “ Unless you can bake two dozen chocolate salted caramel cupcakes right now on the spot, I don’t think so. ”  She sighed and muttered to herself.  “ So much for taking shortcuts. ”  She glanced down at her yellow, floral print ruffled mini dress now covered in frosting and dessert. “ And designer silk… and delicious cupcakes. ”

Oh no.  Oh no, oh no, oh no. This was worst case scenario as Cam’s eyes took in the scene before him. There was a person on the ground and next to her, a box of what was some sort of frosted confection that was now spread on both the woman and the ground. He wanted to offer his hand, but the stranger was already on her feet, wiping her hands from the dirt and the frosting that had landed on her during the collision. “I... can’t do that,” Cam answered, wincing at the idea of having to try to recreate the fancy cupcakes that were now on the path. Pausing for a moment, Cam reached for his wallet in the back pocket of his shorts. “But since this is my fault, let me pay you for how much this costs. It’s literally the least that I can do.” 

Until now, Luke hadn’t ever been one to venture out much. Aside from his usual running route and the odd trip to the bar, there wasn’t much he did outside of his normal routine. However, he and his sister had been bingeing ridiculous amounts of true crime videos, and now Luke was certain he had to change things up when it came to his schedule. So, instead of running in the hustle and bustle of downtown he opted for a trail and began running. Since the trail was pretty empty, he was a bit more careless, already regretting the choice of running along the treelined scenery since it reminded him of a dark time in his life. Luke preferred the city because of this, and to distract himself he kept his eyes on his phone as some Netflix show kept his interest. Luke didn’t even process or hear the other person in front of him, and when the two of them collided, he stepped back a bit as he lost his balance. “Jesus.” He let out a small laugh as he winced at the immediate onset of pain. “I’m alright, you just knocked the wind out of me.” Luke let out another laugh in disbelief, sniffing and shaking his arm out as he worked through the pain. “You’re built like a rock!” He joked, “You alright though? I’m sorry, I really wasn’t paying attention.”

The pain in Cam’s side was already starting to subside, but he could still feel the throbbing pain working it’s way through his system. At least he ran into someone who was closer to his size, rather than someway way smaller than him, though from the looks of it, the other guy had a bit of pain as well. “Oh, uh, thanks!,” Cam couldn’t help but respond with a bit of a laugh. It wasn’t every day that someone compared him to a rock. “Maybe being less rock-like would have actually been a benefit today. Keeping moving, he could feel the pain level from a sharp radiating pain to a subdued throb, the sign that he would probably be left with a bruise and some soreness on his side where the collision occurred. “But seriously, I’m all good. You okay, man? Can you move your arm? Do you have anyone that you would like me to call?” 

“Exactly. She stresses me the fuck out, but I guess I gotta deal with it.” for the sake of his daughter, he’d make it work. There was no chance of him ever getting back with his ex-wife, but he definitely wanted to form a more friendlier relationship with her to make things easier for Bowie, especially when his daughter was older. His brows raised as Cam went on about his own love life, clearly amused by it all. “Wow, someone’s been fucking busy, haven’t they?” the blond teased. “And why haven’t you made a move on any of the friends you think might be crushing on you huh? Why do they have to be the one to make a move? Maybe you’re charming good looks are too much for them— they could be intimidated by you.” TJ teased lightly, leaning back in his seat and folding his arms. “I mean, my sex life isn’t totally non-existent, but maybe I do need to create my own Tinder and Grindr accounts. See where that’ll take me.” he laughed, but part of him was actually considering it. Especially because a no strings attached kinda situation sounded ideal for him at the moment. “Oh of course. I love my daughter more than anything and anyone in this world, but I definitely am not ready for another one.”

TJ did pose a great question, one that took Cam a few seconds to verbalize into a great answer. Why hadn’t he been the one to make a move on his friends? The simple answer was... well.. because they were his friends. “I don’t think they are intimidated by me or anything. It’s just that, ultimately, I respect my friendships. I’m not friends with them just so I can get into their pants. Like, I’m friends with you and I haven’t hit on you even though you are definitely my type. The point is that I’d rather they be the first one to approach, at whatever pace that they choose, because once you cross that friendship boundary, there is no way to get back to it.” Maybe the logic didn’t make complete sense but hey, Cam had at least set up some boundaries. “And obviously using condoms the entire time because the dad look is great on you, but I think my parents would freak if they found out I was becoming a dad out of wedlock.”