sir, yes sir

“It’s one I’ve honed over the years. You’re not a narc, are you?” Her lips curled up into the smile as she asked. Better safe than sorry. “How do you have fun?” 

John threw his head back and let out a large laugh at her question. “No,” he said through his laughter, shaking his head. “I am not a narc.” While he considered himself more of a person who followed the rules, he had friends who loved to drag him into trouble. They did some stupid things that he would never speak to another living soul. “You secretly a narc? Fishing around to see if I’m a trouble maker, trying to get me to admit to some dark deeds?” he asked playfully, eyes narrowing. “I’m onto you.” He chuckled again, before raising a shoulder in a small little shrug. “Depends. I’m pretty laid back, so just taking it easy. Getting some ice cream is my best idea of a good time.”

“Oh my gods, can we please? That would probably make my year.” She agreed with a laugh. “Well, I mean that sounds like the best kind of logic to me.” She giggled. She wasn’t sure if she needed to get more adventurous or if she had good friends that did their best to keep her out of trouble. She probably would have tried making her own if she had been in his position. “You know, I gotta say, I’m pretty impressed.” She laughed a bit before gasping at his rebuttal to her calling him a cheater. “Oh, so that’s how you wanna play it. I see you.” She laughed as she did her best to get her momentum back but she was wobbling at best. “Let’s change it up then. Let’s see who can jump off the farthest and no interfering.” She gave him a pointed look despite the large grin on her face.

“It’s too good of an idea to not. It has to happen. We’ll make it happen,” John assured her with a grin. He laughed again, shaking his head. “I don’t really deserve the credit. It was my friends’ idea. I am just along for the ride most of the time.” Honestly, but people like that were good for John. Without people to push him outside of his comfort zone and help him be a bit more flexible, he would probably live a very boring, very structured life. He continued to laugh, especially as it seemed his sabotage was working, and she had lost most of her momentum. He grinned, lifting an eyebrow at her challenge, nodding his head. “Oh, you are so on. Fair and square, who can jump the farthest. Would you like the first jump, or should I?”

“I played Marco Polo at 3 am in a skate park.” She repeated with a laugh. “It was in the middle of finals week and I just had the urge to get out of the dorm room. So we went out to the skate park. We ran down into one of the bowls and soon she was on one end, I was on the other and we started playing Marco Polo. It was dimly lit too so it was perfect.” She giggled before getting a brilliant idea. “We should get a group of our friends and play. I bet it’d be so much fun with a group of people. It’d be echoing like crazy.” She then looked over at him with a grin. “What? No! That sounds amazing and I’m a little sad I never thought of that.” She laughed. “Did you guys get caught?” She tried to dodge his leg, starting to lose her smooth swinging movements. “What are you doing?” She asked with a laugh. “You’re cheating!” Honestly her cheeks were starting to hurt from all the smiling and laughing she was doing tonight but she wouldn’t change a thing at all.

John’s eyes got wide as she explained the story, grinning and shaking his head. “That sounds fucking amazing!” he exclaimed. “We definitely should get a group of friends. It would be the greatest game of Marco Polo in history!” John chuckled, thinking back on the memory. “It was the most logical solution for our last night sweet craving at the time,” he laughed, shaking he head. “We did not get caught, and honestly it was a fairly easy heist. Believe it or not, the cafeteria is not the most high security area of campus.” He laughed again at her outrage, shaking his head. “Can’t cheat if we never established rules. “Alls fair in love and swinging competitions.” he teased, continuing to mess with her stride and laughing. He couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed so much in a single night, and he was enjoying every moment of it. 

“Oh, absolutely. This actually might beat my favorite one. Have I ever told you about the time my roommate sophomore year and I went to the skate park at 3 am and played Marco Polo?” She laughed at the memory. They had still been up studying for finals when Gemma had the urge to go out. They wound up at the skate park and after they had run down to the bottom of the pool together, Gemma had suggested the game. It was just dark enough that it worked. As she started to swing, her long skirt rippled and her bare feet poked out from underneath the blue tulle. “Oh, you are so on.” She accepted the challenge with her own laugh as she pushed herself higher and higher.

John threw his head back and laughed, before looking over at her. “No! You did what?” He honestly couldn’t be that surprised at the story. That seemed like exactly something Gemma would do. “I’m trying to think of one of my favorite adventures, not counting this one of course,” he said with a little laugh. In high school, there were quite a few times were Alex and Lafayette dragged him along on random excursions. “Oh, I know! Did I tell you about the time some friends and I broke into the WDPA cafeteria one night, just to get free ice cream?” he laughed at the memory, shaking his head. John pumped his legs to try and push himself higher, but honestly should have known Gemma would be the superior one at this. So he began to reach out his leg to try and tangle with hers in order to slow her down, laughing all the while. 

“Yeah definitely made everything a lot more fun. I guess we were all kind of fated from the start. When Lex and I first came here Madelyn and Apollo immediately joined us well Madelyn did her and Lex became thick as thieves. When APollo came to school he became my best friend and the rest was history no one else ever really worked the way we all did for each other I guess we were just denying it too long.” Scout admitted with a shrug. “What? Nah man. I know Gemma at least she was with you I saw and it looked like you had some pretty damn good game.” Scout pointed out. He’d be pretty happy if his two friends got together after all that meant he could just hang out with both of them all the time which was a win win for him. “Right? I swear to god. How did it get like this? There wasn’t that much yesterday I thought?” 

“Man, it’s crazy how things just have a way of working out exactly the way they were meant too. I dunno if you believe in fate, but man, after hearing a story like that it’s hard not to,” he said with a little grin. John just shook his head, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I dunno, man. Like I said, she’s just a friend. And she’s amazing, y’know, and obviously gorgeous. I really enjoy hanging out and being with her...” As he spoke, John was fully aware that it sure was sounding like more than a friend, but he didn’t want to think too much about that. Instead he made himself extremely busy packing up another box. “I don’t want to mess up a good friendship y’know?” Shaking his head, John let out another little chuckle. “There was no way there was this much yesterday. I don’t know what happened. This has got to be the real reason groomsmen exist. Just so the happy couple doesn’t have to clean up afterward.”

She smiled softly at his words, her cheeks turning a rosy color as warmth spread through her. “Then I’m glad I can bring a little bit of magic in your life.” She had honestly shocked herself when she had kissed him on the cheek. She was certainly only a little tipsy so she couldn’t blame it on the few drinks she had had at the reception. Then again whenever she was with John she had always felt lighter and didn’t think some things through all the way. Once he had joined her on the other side of the street, she took his hand and started heading towards the park in not quite a running pace but certainly more hurried than their previous stroll. She was in full on ‘we’re going on an adventure’ mode. Her smile never left her face. When they got to the swings she dropped her shoes by the pole of the swing set and plopped down in the nearest swing. “You know I don’t think I’ve ever been on an adventure so dressed up before.” She said as she walked herself back so she could push off. “We must be some sight.” She giggled.

When her hand slid into John’s, he gave it a little squeeze before they were off towards the park. It was always fun seeing Gemma this way. She had this sparkle in her eye, and it seemed there was no deterring her from whatever adventure she set her mind on, not that he would ever want to deter her. She brought out the spontaneous side of him that didn’t often make an appearance. John grinned as he slid into the swing next to hers, looking down at himself again. “First time for everything, yeah? This is definitely an adventure for the books,” he said, looking over at her with a smile. “Oh, I’m sure we look outrageously ridiculous and I am here for it,” he laughed. “Go big or go home, right?” He pushed off the ground, beginning to swing. He couldn’t remember the last time he genuinely swung on a swing set. It felt just as ridiculous as it probably looked, a fully grown man swinging in a suit, but he currently had no intention of stopping. “Bet I can go higher than you,” he challenged, teasingly continuing to laugh. 

A wide grin spread across her features at him calling her his favorite dance partner. She wanted to say that he was hers too but that would be pushing it. When he didn’t respond right away, she tilted her head, a smile on her face. She couldn’t think of a time when anyone looked at her like that. It made butterflies erupt in her stomach. But then he answered and her whole face lit up as she bounced a bit in her excitement. “Exactly!” She exclaimed as she looped her arm around his as she fell back in stride with him. “Oh, I’m so glad you get it. It’s sometimes hard to find the right words to describe what I feel on the daily, especially since before Santa Monica, no one really cared. I was just some mystical being who people sought out for answers. But, I’m glad that I’ve found people that I can share everything with.” She smiled up at him before giving his cheek a quick kiss as a way to say thank you. And then she was letting go again, running across the street. “Now come on! I know a shortcut and there’s swings!” She shouted with a laugh. 

Scout stacked one of the boxes on top of each other before turning back to the table they’d been working on to continue on. At John’s question he chuckled. “Yeah it was nice just kinda walked around the garden you know. It’s kind of fun sharing bridal party duties with your date.” He looked over spotting Lexie bossing around some workers turning back to John. “Did I see you dancing with two girls? Playing the field. I am so proud.” 

“Oh, I bet. It’s cool that it worked out that way.” John scoffed and laughed, shaking his head at the other mans comment, as he finished packing up another one of the boxes. “You are overestimating my ability with women. I hate to disappoint. They’re both just friends.” He looked over the boxes and all that was left to be backed up. “Shit. Are we sure this stuff didn’t miraculously multiply or something over night?” he chuckled.

Gemma smiled. “I’m so glad you had fun.” She giggled and nudged him back. “Well, if you’re ever in need of a dance partner, I’m always happy to join ya.” She really hoped that, that didn’t give her away too much. That was surely something friends said to each other. She grinned, looking back at him. “I’m sure it was. It’s the one thing I miss about not being near a city, proper star gazing. I am glad I still get to see some though.” She let out a small, happy sigh. “The stars, the universe, it all just hums with magic. It’s the best feeling in the world. It’s like that rush just before you run to someone you haven’t seen in awhile and wrap them up in a hug.” She tried to explain the feelings she was getting from the energy of the day and of the moments she was sharing with him currently buzzing through her veins.

“Well, I’m happy to hear that, because you are by far my favorite dance partner,” John said with a grin. That was a perfectly platonic thing to say right? Well, maybe it wasn’t super platonic, but it wasn’t outwardly romantic. That’s what he was going to tell himself at least. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face as she talked about the stars. Her face was so full of whimsy, of happiness. It knocked the breath out of him just a bit, the way she looked in that moment. Because of that, it took him a bit longer to find words to answer. “I, uh, never heard it described like that, but... yeah. Makes you feel like anything is possible, y’know?”

She giggled. “It was, yes.” Something about him was so sweet and pure, almost innocent. He was good. Daisy once again wished there were more like him. “Give it some time, Mr. John. I’m sure I will lead you towards some questionable decisions.” She chuckled, although she was really only half-joking. “It does, doesn’t it? Truth be told it’s a miracle I ain’t been arrested for fightin’ or somethin’ like that. I’m not real strong but I am scrappy.” There had certainly been times when she’d thought about it, especially back in Tennessee where her reputation was already not the best. “Ain’t she just? I’m glad y’all know each other. We should all hang out sometime,” she said with a smile. After a moment her eyebrow raised. “Unless I’d be third-wheeling?” Her words sounded more like a question than a statement. “In which case, I can make other plans,” she teased. “It’s not a bad idea, Mr. John. But I have to get them to bet something really good. Like if I win I get two nights in a row of picking which movie we all watch together. Or I get to use the purple lightsaber and not the green one.” She smiled widely. They were small things, sure. But talking about or even thinking of the three little rascals always brightened her day. “You say that now until you see how actually terrible I am,” she warned. The ball once more landed in her glove, this time harder than it had before. “Are you trying to kill me?” She teased, laughing as she threw it back once more. 

“You give me far too much credit,” John said with a grin and a slight shake of his head. “And definitely do not give yourself enough.” Daisy had quickly become someone John really valued having in his life. She was always able to make him laugh, make him smile. She was something special, and John hoped that despite all their teasing and playing around, she knew that about herself. John grinned at the mention of Gemma and suddenly became very interested in a loose string on his glove, ducking his head a bit as he felt his cheeks getting a bit warmer. “We are just friends,” he said after a beat. “You wouldn’t be third-wheeling.” He chuckled, and pointed a finger at her. “See, now you’e thinking. Use of the purple lightsaber is the kind of big dreams I can get behind.” He let out a large laugh at her question. “Hey! You caught it didn’t you? You think the boys are gonna play nice and throw you nice, easy balls?” He shook his head, with a grin. “If the purple lightsaber is on the light, we gotta make sure you are prepared for the worst,” he said as he caught the ball, before throwing it back.