m o o n c h i l d

“There is… NO fuckin’ way I’m gonna’ be able to grade these assignments on time, man.” David grumbles as he taps his red pen against the temple of his head in thought. “FUCK me, dude.” A heavy sigh escapes him. “Daya was right, man. I gotta’ quit procrastinating this shit. Or else I’ll lose my fuckin’ job.” A huffed laugh is stifled as he glances at the other beside him at the bar-style seating area of the starbucks facing the large windows. Averting his eyes to the stack of papers and his macbook, he shakes his head. “Not to mention, I’m already on thin-fucking-ice since I refuse to wear anything but cargos and sweats to class.” He snorts. 

“I-I, uh, I know it’s too early to be wedding dress shopping…” Tess wasn’t looking at the person she was with, brown-eyed gaze focused on the window of a gown shop across from them. “But would you mind going in there with me for a few minutes? I-I just want to look - and I’ll pay for lunch after!”

“Are you kidding?” Rei’s eyes widened, “I’ve always wanted an excuse to be that friend on the couch drinking champagne and dictating which dress looks best — I thought I’d never get it again after Lily. Plus, she was the one who was the boss all that day.” A small laugh in memory, before shaking her head as she realized she was rambing, “Lunch? Let’s go.” 

“You know, you really just haven’t lived until you’ve helped birth a baby sea lion. I have… never been so slimy in my life. But boy, it sure was a beautiful, one of a kind experience. I’d be… lion… if I said it wasn’t…”  

"Was that your dying wish? I’m not making fun of you, honestly — I’d die to do something like that. I’m all about life and nature, but were you like.. did you just happen to fall on it?” She grinned at the pun, “Oh no, you’re one of those.” 

He chuckled at her objection. Although, if he was being honest, working with Reina probably wouldn’t be the best idea. Not only because they would obviously serve as a distraction for one another, but because he liked her way more than he should. “Possibly. But you have to admit that it would be fun.” He took a quick moment to think about where they would go. “Want to watch amateur comedians do terrible on stage while eating kickass hot wings?”

“I’ll admit that but I won’t let you pull anymore out of me, Bellamy Donahue — you’ve had enough,” The smile never left her face as she dropped her phone into the fanny pack around her waist, “That sounds like something I need right now. No wonder you got such a big head, to fit that brain in there.” A giggle bubbled from her mouth as she tossed him his keys to him, the thought of hot wings making her stomach growl, “You’re driving. And we’re getting wine wasted.”

The other woman laughed, which made Gabby cackle a little bit herself. At least she was being lighthearted about the situation. “That bad, huh? You’ll find your thing one of these days, I bet.” 

“I have time anyways. I should go back to school but, one thing at a time, I don’t want to make my brain explode or anything.” She leaned her head on her chin, “What’s new with you, hm? When are you gonna move in with Nick? You guys are like one of those old timey couples you see holding hands at the park.” 

“Yeah… Uh, about that.” Yoosung muttered, hesitating before holding up his hand to show his friend the ring around his finger. “Yoosung Norwood, nice to meet you. Ah, I guess it wasn’t a good joke without explaining it first.” The blond managed a weak smile. “Anyway, is that why you quit your job? Freedom? Turning your life around?”

Her jaw dropped. “You’re joking. Do you have a ring?” Reina eagerly spoke before he even lifted his hand, grabbing it immediately, “The roomate that you absolutely didn’t have a crush on, you’re married to now. Look at how the world turns.” She laughed in disbelief, “That was a good distraction, now I don’t even care about my stuff — what? What happened? Are you like madly in love or are you pregnant?” A larger smile.

“Me and my son have spaghetti night tonight, it is going to be messy as hell” he chuckled, “But he doesn’t finish day care for a few hours so I have some time to kill”

“Spaghetti, the ultimate dinner because it’s the best left overs,” Rei nodded in appreciation, “Want to go to Central Park? Grab some coffee?” 

“My demo is finally up!” Maiah announced excitedly, as she twirled her laptop around and displayed her game information. “I’m obviously still in the works of getting some financial backing, but I have to say I’m pretty proud of this demo. If you ever have the time and you enjoy adventure games, check it out!”

A small squeak came from Reina, “Congrats! I have been waiting forever for you to show me it, I remember you tweeting about it and I asked like a million questions,” She laughed, “I’m so proud of you, where can I play it?” 

A small smile formed on his lips when he heard her laugh and he nodded his head at her answer. “Well hey, you know, that’s what being in our twenties are about. Figuring out everything that we don’t want to do. You’ll find another job soon, but if you want, I’ll try to see if there’s any openings where I’m at.–But for now, let’s celebrate! You’re free from doing something that you didn’t enjoy.”

Reina was soft like puddy around Bellamy. And not just in the schoolgirl crush sort of way, because it was impossible not to have a crush on Bell but he made her open much more than she already was. He calmed her usually, kept her mind from running amuck even in the most stressful of situations. “Work with you? That sounds like the worst idea you’ve ever had.” A more genuine smile, :”Where are we going?” 

“You did what?” Yoosung hadn’t meant to sound judgemental. Or maybe he had, but he was trying to cover it up for the sake of his friend. “Why? Don’t tell me you’re going to get married as well, it’s weird.”

“No, why — no, I don’t even... I haven’t dated in forever let alone do I wanna marry anyone, probably the opposite, I’m trying to be more, you know..” She tried not to ramble, pursing her lips for a moment, “Free.”