sass gets kicked in the ass

Culture and Cupcakes || Link & Lana

"Lake and mountains?" She asked, trying to picture the serenity that he was describing. For some reason, it didn’t surprise her at all that he dreamed of being far away from everything, despite how little she knew of him. She hadn’t imagined that he would have chosen Alaska, but to each their own, she supposed. "Seriously, don’t worry about it," she insisted, letting herself fall back onto the sofa, dragging him with her. Snatching the remote from the table, Lana glanced over at the  messy haired young man, smiling slightly. She clicked the TV on, making sure the movie was ready to play. "Mhm," she nodded. "I hope you don’t mind that I know the entire movie by heart. I’ll try not to sing too much, I mean."

Right, it was a musical. Link had nearly forgotten all about that aspect to it. "You sing?" He asked, but it was a silly question. Of course she did, she did say that her favorite place was on stage in Broadway productions. Though Link remembered after the fact and the question was already out there, at least it'd be entertaining with the singing on both ends now, from the television and from the companion at his side. "And I hope you don't mind commentary." He was a talker during movies, and anything else that required silence and stillness. Link took a seat next to her on the couch and for a moment his thoughts went to how comfortable the piece was. "Can I take a few cupcakes on the go? After the movie, I mean."

Culture and Cupcakes || Link & Lana

Everyone thinks that about New York at first, but…I don’t know. I just don’t feel like it’s overwhelming. Maybe it’s just because I’ve gotten used to it over years of vacationing there and all, but…It’s soothing for me.” When he lifted himself out of his seat, she lost her balance in her own for a moment before steadying herself and getting up as well. “I-I…You’re welcome!” She replied hastily, crossing to the sink to stand next to him. “You don’t have to do that, y’know. You’re a guest, I can take care of it later. Besides,” she started, shutting off the water and grabbing one of his hands. “We have a movie to watch, remember?”

"You are from LA after all." Link said it as if it were some kind of explanation. "Though to be fair, how you view big cities really depends on how you grew up. I mean, my dream would be to own a cabin up in Alaska, somewhere between a lake and the mountains preferably." Link started washing their used dishes and gave a shrug. "It's a habit." And it was true, he'd grown up cleaning up after his mother, especially when she worked multiple shifts and didn't have much time for anything else. Though when Lana shut the water off he barely had time to dry his hands on his jeans before she tugged him along to the living room side of the plentiful space. "Mama Mia, right." Link said, already dreading the thought of sitting still through another movie in the same week.

Culture and Cupcakes || Link & Lana

Lana’s smile faltered slightly when he got into the effect his break now had on his life. She’d heard in sports that once an athlete was injured, that was about it for them, but she hadn’t thought to piece that together. His nonchalance about the subject was almost unsettling and while she wanted to pursue it, she let it go. She wasn’t going to allow herself to dig into a complete strangers personal life, especially since she wanted to see him again after this. Instead of pursuing the subject again, she forced a smile back onto her lips, leaning forward and resting her hands on his knees to prop herself up. “Julliard Schmulliard. I can’t lie and say that I like Harbor more than I like New York, but it’s nice here.” Shaking her head, she grinned up at him, completely forgetting about their meal, her cupcakes, and the movie that was promised to come. “Just keep moving forward. That’s the motto, yeah?”

"New York seems like it'd be a lot to take in." He said, never having grown up in bustling cities he was sure he wouldn't appreciate them as much. Sure, they sounded great in theory but the crowds would most like get on his nerves, though it wasn't like he had any plans to go there any time soon. He finished up the cup of water before slipping out of the seat next to the dark haired girl and grabbing the plates, figuring she was dine as well, and walking over to the sink with them. "I think sometimes you have to take a few steps back, see things in retrospect, y'know?" He informed her before turning the faucet to wash the dishes. "Thanks for dinner, Lana Rhodes, it was great. Really." His hungry helped the situation of course, but it was still really tasty.

Culture and Cupcakes || Link & Lana

"Are you going to do anything with it after college, then? Or is it a purely recreational kind of thing? Either way, I think it’s really cool that you’re passionate about something. Some people pretend not to be passionate about anything, but I do believe you’re right in saying that everyone has their niche. I definitely know that I do. I tend to get a little competitive when it comes to my roles, I think." Taking in a breath to pause between her speech, Lana used the moment without speech to take another sip of her water, turning her body in her seat to face him, her knees against his. "Juiliard, yeah! It’s my dream school. I mean, I like West Harbor just fine and I’m sure I’m getting the same education here that I would there, but—" She veered off, unable to convince herself that her own words were true. Not that it mattered, anyhow. Juiliard was important to her, but as she’d reminded herself before making the decision to move out to Washington instead of New York, Danny’s health and safety were more important than her life aspirations. Especially when she could jump right back into them as soon as she was sure Danny was going to be okay for good. "International Relations sounds super interesting. Do you like it much? What were you doing before?"

It took a moment, but Link shook his head no. "The break kinda ruined any chance I might've had." He said, trying his best to be nonchalant about it. The interesting thing was that while Lana was the actress, Link was great at masking any distress he might have had. But maybe, in real life situations, that made him more of a liar. When she turned to him, he wasn't fazed by the closeness. He was already to unfamiliar with personal space to care all that much, instead he kind of welcomed it even if her knees were a bit knobbly. The girl could really talk, but at least she said something and it wasn't like him who would usually say nothing in the midst of confusion and riddles to entertain himself. He didn't have to do that here, her words came so rapidly that it was easy to lose himself in thought as he processed them all one by one and stringed them into something comprehensible. "You're the only person, probably in all of West Harbor, who's given up a spot at Juilliard." He tapped his fingers on the table, making a rhythm out of habit. "Not too sure yet, but I guess it'll be nice to find out." And at her final question, he gave a smile. "Never dwell in the past, Lana Rhodes, it'll never lead anywhere decent."

Culture and Cupcakes || Link & Lana

"Wow," she breathed with a grin. "You’ve been playing baseball as long as I’ve been acting. Is that your passion, then? I mean, I hate to be blunt or rude or anything, but are you good? No, wow, that sounded way ruder than it did in my head. You don’t have to answer that." Trying to shake off her last comments, she continued on to start into her passion, pleased that he had brought up one of her absolute favorite things to talk about. If he thought she could ramble about absolutely nothing, he should see her start on theater. That thought in mind, she made an effort before speaking to convince herself not to get too carried away. "I am! It’s what I was going to be going to Julliard for. Acting major with minors in ballet and performing arts. You go to West Harbor—what are you majoring in? I don’t think I’ve ever thought to ask."

"I'd say so. Everyone's got something that's their thing, I suppose. Well, I haven't met anyone who hasn't got a niche." He nodded. "I would hope so, if not, then I just wasted a lot of years and buckets of money of equipment." He laughed then, not mentioning how he was on a scholarship for baseball and had been scouted by a major league company before the accident that ended any chances of him going pro. "Juilliard, wow." Link said, admittedly impressed. It was odd meeting someone who seemingly had it all and had grown up having all the opportunities in the world. "International Relations. Though I've changed it a few times." He said, pulling at his collar.

Culture and Cupcakes || Link & Lana

"You play baseball?" She asked, her eyebrows lifting while she sipped at her water before going for another bite of alfredo. She took the time to chew and swallow before jumping into the topic again. "My dad’s a huge Yankees fan so I had to grow up at least pretending to like sports." She snorted oddly, reverting to a tone that held a semblance of sympathy while addressing his injury again. "I’m seriously sorry about that, though. I’m sure you’re going to be super excited to have it off." After a short laugh, she rolled her eyes, passing him a sly smile. "I do have bones. That’s silly to think that I wouldn’t have bones. I do have a really good immune system, though. Not because I’m a vegetarian, but because my mom and dad shoved a lot of vitamins down my throat when I was younger. I’ll never be able to repay them for that."

Link swallowed down the bite portion he had taken in with a gulp of water and nodded to answer her question. "Since I was maybe four or five." He elaborated. He smiled at her, though his preferred team were the Boston Red Sox he didn't mention it as he figured she either wouldn't know them or wouldn't care about them considering she had just admitted to pretending to like sports for her fathers sake. Which was nice of her, really, Link was bad at pretending to like things he really didn't. "Yeah." He agreed, though part of him knew it would be even harder to balance all of his responsibilities once he was back on Harbor's team. Link couldn't help but crack a bigger smile at her comment then. "I know, I was just joking." He explained, constantly amused by the enigma Lana Rhodes was. "That's smart of them." The boy said as he finished off the plate, surprised at how full he had actually gotten. "You're majoring in Theater right?" He asked, forgetting if they had gone over the topic before. "Cause if you're not, then maybe you should consider a carreer in the culinary arts."

Culture and Cupcakes || Link & Lana

Though he seemed nonchalant, Lana couldn’t imagine how strange only growing up with one parent could be. Unsure of what to say, she tried to change the topic of the conversation. “What happened there?” She inquired, eyeing and gesturing to his cast. She’d been meaning to ask the origin of the injury but hadn’t found an opportunity to bring it up yet. “Does it hurt? I mean, I’m sure it does—or did. Is it your first break? Sorry, I’m assuming it’s a break.” Shaking her head with a snort, she started again. As much as she wished she could cease her rambling,t here was something about the young man that made her flustered. Perhaps it was the fact they’d been somewhat intimate with each other with little to no knowledge about the other person. The simplicity of their relationship thus far was exciting to the brunette and she could only hope that he found her as intriguing and kind as she found him. “I’ve never broken anything. I’ve never even really been very sick until this year. I had the flu last month and it knocked me out for six days. Pretty horrible.”

Link appreciated the change in topic, though he wasn't all too upset about how he grew up. In fact, despite all the times he had moved and his life had been uprooted, he had a pretty carefree childhood and he wanted her to know that, though maybe he would safe that for later. "It's broken." He confirmed. "It hurts when I forget about it and accidentally smack it against something. Or when people run into me." He gave a slight sighed laughed then, remembering when it had happened the previous day. "I got it playing baseball, I tripped running to a base and well, snap. But it's cool, just a few more weeks and I get it taken off." He said, glad he had made a point of keeping it clean so that it didn't gain any bad smells as casts often did. "Never? That's concerning. Maybe you don't have any bones." He joked and took another mouthful of pasta, it was simply incredible but maybe it was because he wasn't the best cook at Harbor."Being sick sucks, though being a Vegetarian makes me think you have a superior immune system."

Culture and Cupcakes || Link & Lana

Sliding into the chair next to him, Lana watched him for a moment with a grin before answering his inquiry about her parents. Her dietary choices and family weren’t usually on the list of things that young men cared about while having dinner with her, and Link’s assumed interest in her life was somewhat refreshing. “Happily married,” she replied while twirling pasta on her fork. “Going on twenty-four years. What about you? Your parents, I mean?” Figuring she couldn’t do all the rambling, she focused on her food for a moment, pleased with the outcome of the meal she fixed before she trained her gaze on him again, patiently awaiting the tidbit of his life that she’d requested. Frankly, she just wanted to learn something about him, whereas he’d been listening to her talk the entire night so far about Danny, her parents and her life in general. The realization that she knew so little about him so far caused her to quiet, listening for once, rather than talking like she normally would be. 

Link knew the question would eventually come up, as it usually did with people he had met as of recently, though that didn't stop him from wishing it never had. After taking a mouthful of pasta, he waited to swallow it and then took another sip of water before speaking. "I grew up with just my mom in Oregon." He said, not letting any sign of resentment from his dead beat father to slid into his demeanor. "Mom's never been married." He added nonchalantly then, twisted some pasta into his fork as he leaned back in the chair. "But it's cool that your parents have, I mean, it seems note worthy." The guy mentioned in more of a congratulatory tone. There were things he didn't want to get into, not with someone who he knew wasn't going to be in his life for much more than however long it took him to ditch the school and fine something else. It wasn't that he intended on leaving, but he didn't keep his hopes up. School and work, on top of baseball, was hard to handle as it was. His grades had been slipping and though he tried to study and get by, nothing ever went his way. It was okay though, it was something he had accepted from a young age. 

Culture and Cupcakes || Link & Lana

Lana cringed for a moment at the thought of a documentary with the only topic being the slaughter of poor animals but shook the mental image away quickly, giving him the same answer she gave anyone that chose to question her meatless lifestyle. “No, nothing like that. My mom is a vegan and my dad loves steak but made a sacrifice for my mom and only eats meat at work, so my house never really had meat in it while I was growing up. So I never really ate it and I finally just realized I could cut it out of my diet entirely. My parents always made sure I had plenty of protein, though. Nuts, eggs, y’know.” When he settled on a drink option, she hastily grabbed a smart water from the fridge, popping the cap off and pouring some of the beverage into a cup so he wouldn’t have to worry about the unnecessarily long bottle. When he commented on her dinner, she felt her lips curving upwards again and moved to set the glass she’d gotten him next to the plate he’d set down. “Yeah? I mean, you seemed very interested in cupcakes yesterday, so I figured you might be into all food in general.” Her cheeks warmed further when she found herself caught on the thought of cupcakes and the kiss they’d shared that had caused her to make so many tonight. “I-I’m glad I know how to please.”

Link was already seated at the table with the utensils at hand by the time she was done with satisfying his curiosity. He supposed that was what marriage was all about, compromises and doing things for each other. Though he wasn't sure since he never really had a prime example of a happy couple in his life, especially not where it mattered most: the home. He ran a hand up through his tousled hair and blinked a few times before narrowing his eyes at the bottle she poured into a cup. Maybe they didn't have filtered water, not that it really mattered since he drank straight from the tap when he was at his shambled apartment.  "Did it work out?" He asked, not wanting to make any assumptions about her parents marriage. Link took the cup of water and had a drink from it before setting it on the table. "You thought correctly." He gave her an encouraging nod before leaning slightly forward in the seat, catching another of those flustered blushes she gave and wondering what had done it this time. "Now, c'mon, before it gets cold, Lana Rhodes." A side smirk stretched on his lips, though really he was trying to get out of watching the movie because if he were being honest, that's not why he arrived that evening.

Culture and Cupcakes || Link & Lana

Wen Link stepped closer again, Lana tried her hardest to fight the furious blush that she felt creeping up, shaking her head while moving to hand him the china she’d taken out of the cabinet to her right. “Here you go,” she started hastily, her eyes trained to the ground for a moment before she finally urged herself to look up at him again, a smile plastering on her face when she heard his chuckle. “Vegetarian, yeah. I tried to go vegan for a bit but I really love cheese. I don’t think I could give up cheese. Speaking of— would you mind getting the parmesan out of the fridge? It’s on the second shelf, I think. Behind the greek yogurt and next to the kale.” Fetching two forks from the silverware drawer, Lana laid them on the table, stopping in her tracks before letting out a soft gasp. “I’m the worst host, I’m so sorry—Did you need a drink or anything? We have Smart Water…Uh, almond milk, vitamin water, Naked, Izze, Odwalla, teas, coffee, goji and acai berry juice?”

Link knew the effect he could have on certain kinds of people, but it wasn't as obvious in anyone as it was in Lana. He looked at her and took the plates with an amused look on his face. "Did you watch one of those slaughterhouse documentaries on Netflix?" he asked, though really it was just a means to an end for her to explain why she had chosen that dietary plan. "Um, water would be fine." He was faced with so many choices that he had no idea what to pick, especially when he didn't know what half of the things she named were. "Lana, you really know your way into a guy's heart, vegetarian or not." He commented as he helped carry the pasta to the table, as she fetched drinks, and had the steam carry the seasoned smell into his system. His stomach growled once more and he realized only then that he hadn't had a bite to eat all day since he woke up late for class and then rushed to work right after.