everything, in time.

& teddy 

“ okay you know what , i think we’ve had more than enough studying for tonight — don’t you agree ? “ grace had finally reached the point in she and teddy’s impromptu study date / hang out session where she knew if she stared at her laptop any longer it might actually make her sick . not a second more passed between grace’s sentence leaving her mouth and her hand reaching out to shut her computer , a dramatic huff spilling from her lips as she stacked up all of her books and notebooks into an organized pile . “ okay here’s what i’m thinking … you , me , a really cozy blanket , some freshly baked cookies and whatever movie you want  — does that sound good to you ? “ she phrases her sentence like a suggestion , though really she’s just trying to pull teddy away from his studies so they can both indulge in a bit of relaxation . “ c’mon , just take a little break , please ? “  she tries to seal the deal by looking up and over at him with her best puppy dog expression , hoping that would do the trick just as it always did . ( @seascorchd ) 

Exams seemed to be unending in this program. It was really a godsent to have a friend like grace who was willing to sit with him while he studied. Usually, he and the girls would sit at the kitchen table and work on homework together, but it could get hard for him to get any work done when he was helping them. “Grace, I don’t know, I really need to do well on this exam.” He had sailed through high school and most of undergrad without doing a lot of work, but there was something way more difficult about graduate school. He rolled his eyes good naturedly, before relenting though. “One episode of an hour long show is all you’re getting from me and I am not baking the cookies. I’ll ruin them.” He stood, popping his back as he did. “I’ll go grab us the blankets?”

SHE LETS OUT A SOFT LAUGH, nodding to him, “ i’ll hold you to it. ” it occurs to her that it might be the universe pulling some strings in order for them to meet, but it’s unclear why. originally, she considered that maybe he was following her. but upon actually getting to know him, it seemed like he was just as confused as she was. “ i was actually headed to it before you clotheslined me, so i can take you there. ” soleil offers, before nodding at the admittance. “ right !! the girls, ” he’d mentioned his sisters during their many run-ins with one another, if she can recall correctly. “ good news is that you’re kind of in the middle of everything interesting in town. you’ve got options. ”

“As you should, don’t let me get away with anything.” Whatever this friendship was with Soleil, Teddy looked forward to their moments. He was at ease with her, now that he wasn’t being paranoid, in a way he hadn’t found here yet. “Clotheslined you! Wow, way to be dramatic. Maybe you aren’t okay with my apology and you’re just trying to get me to feel guilty. This whole thing is fishie!” He declared, dramatically and with great flare. “What would you suggest to keep me busy for two hours?”

she smiled, shaking his hand for a moment. “teddy? oh, that’s cute. i should probably go to class more often,” she didn’t miss too many sessions since it was grad school. “but that makes sense why i haven’t seen you around like that. i don’t know everyone, but i’m very much out and about all the time, so i come across a lot of people. we’re definitely going to change school being your social life ‘cause there’s literally no way you’re on campus and haven’t been to at least one party.” she beamed, always trying to encourage people to go out with her. while she was dating noah, she didn’t think hanging out with other guys should be an issue. though, she could imagine how it looked with her handing teddy her phone. “put your number in… i’ll welcome you to sunset’s nightlife whenever you’re free.”

That’s cute. Though it didn’t bother the man, he had bigger things to worry about, he couldn’t pinpoint if she was making fun of him or not. “Probably since you pay for it and all that,” He answered with a shrug,”But what you do with your time is up to you ultimately.” Teddy didn’t really have the option to skip as he wanted, needing to save his sick days for when his sisters needed him the most. He laughed slightly,”I’ve been a bit busy with the move to get to a party, but sure, I’ll go to one.” He took her phone, putting his number in with a teddy cornish! as his contact name. “If you hear about something good and can give me a day or so headsup, I’ll tey to come out.”

it’s kind of a bummer that teddy is so worried about his girls. but it’s also sweet. noah wouldn’t know what to do in his shoes. he respects him so much. “that’s fine, man. we can go get coffee if you want?” he’s a good influence on him, and noah knows it. maybe that’s why they’re friends. noah encourages teddy to let loose a bit. have some fun, you’re still young, man. that’s what he says at times. but he understands the responsibility the other has. and that’s good. teddy is a good influence on him. a coffee is way more liable. he shouldn’t be having so much thc in his system anyway. and a hazelnut latte sounds great right now. the blond can’t help but smile at the way his friend talks about his sisters. he chuckles at the thought of teddy having a fifteen-year-old talking to a boy. “is he decent, though?” he asks, reaching for a cigarette pack in his pocket. he takes one and fits it between his teeth before lighting it. “you don’t smoke, do you?” he asks, offering a cigarette to teddy. it’s just good manners. and the thought of florence terrorizing her debate club makes him laugh. “well, she is tough, isn’t she?” but it’s how he talks about lia that makes his heart melt a little. teddy loves his sisters so much. noah can’t help but feel a little sad that he didn’t really have that growing up. his father disappeared and his mom was busy all the time. “might have to get her onstage with aft,” he chuckles. “is she any good?” can’t have someone messing up their songs live. artists from teddy is a serious project and it has to be perfect, every single show. at least that’s what noah thinks. “oh, man,” the man chuckles again. “it’s been a crazy month, to be honest. i got depressed for a week and practically ghosted the whole world. then i started hanging out with sera and we’re… not dating, but just… seeing each other, you know? she’s great. i really like her,” he smiles.

“Yeah I could always use a coffee,” Teddy laughed, thankful his decision to say no didn’t ruin the vibe. He knew that other people his age got to do this type of thing, but he really could never risk something like this. He glanced down at the cigarette Noah had, thinking back to the days where he did, where he drank a little too much and smoked too often and indulged in too much of what was offered to him. It was really only because his childhood friends that he didn’t end up in deeper trouble than what he got. “Nah, not anymore, but thanks.” He still smoked when he was stressed, it was one of the telltale signs of it, but there was no reason to right now. He laughed a little, shaking his head. “Yeah, she’s good. She’s really serious about it, but I think she’s too young to get into the scene yet. Let’s let her get to sixteen at least.” Maybe others would find it overprotective to wait so long to let Lia dip her toe into performing but he couldn’t be fucked to care about their opinion. His kid’s well being was the most important. “You okay now?” He didn’t know too much about Noah’s situation, but he knew that the dude struggled. “Seeing each other? So what’s the terms of that?”

seraphina was lucky her siblings weren’t too much younger than her. while she was the oldest and acted like such, they were both within five years younger than her so she didn’t need to completely take care of them. she just was in charge whenever their parents left them home alone and often did the things that no one wanted to do … like file for fafsa. sera had a terrible habit of thinking she could squeeze by people. normally, she could without bumping into them as long as they didn’t do any sudden movements. sera spotted the other as she walked though daylight district but he seemed lost in his own world while standing in the middle of the sidewalk, so she planned on walking around him. “fuck… ow,” she laughed a little when he turned into her. which caused the girl to stumble backwards a little in her heels. “nah, nah. you’re good… we’re good,” she assured him, but that was because luckily nothing dropped and honestly it was her fault. “you’re new around here,” she mused aloud. sera tended to know of, or at least seen, nearly everyone in town. “sorry, that’s a little… hi, i’m seraphina.”

His cheeks flushed at her soft ow, feeling a bit more guilty now. Rationally, he understood that she was fine, she was saying it and there seemed to be no visible issues. Still, he had to catch himself from asking if she was okay. It was a relief when she seemed to realize she didn’t know him. “Yeah!” He said brightly. “I’m Teddy. I moved here at the beginning of the school year. Haven’t really be doing anything but school though, so I haven’t been around that much.” He stuck out his hand for a handshake. “It’s nice to meet you, Seraphina. You know everyone around here then I take it?”

“ IF I DIDN’T KNOW ANY BETTER, T, i’d think you were running out of excuses to talk to me. am i so intimidating ?? ” sol teases, thankful that she didn’t fall flat on her face in front of him. “ well, don’t try to knock me out again and i’ll call us even. maybe treat me to some tea and i might even forgive you. ” even though they only really know each other from their run-ins, soleil feels comfortable enough to joke around with him. after all, she did arguably see him more than some of her friends. fingers pick at her nails absently, friendly smile turning into a curious one, “ where you’re going ?? are you lost ?? ”

“I promise the day I run out of excuses to talk to you, my go to won’t be accidentally tackling you.” He laughed. The constant weird coincidence of them seeing eaach other often around town had worried Teddy at first. His paranoia had offered some colorful ideas like his father trying to prove he wasn’t fit to raise the girls anymore. Thankfully it only took him sharing that thought to his old friends back home to be thrown out swiftly. “I can absolutely buy you a tea. Just... Direct me to the coffee shop.” Three months here and he still barely knew where anything was if he wasn’t constantly there. He grinned at her, a little sheepishly. “Not lost, just without anything to do for the next few hours. I haven’t had that in a while.”

“they should’ve recorded us and make a tiktok so we go viral,” noah rolls his eyes as he jokes. a sly grin appears on his face. of course he has something in mind. “we could go back to mine. have one of these,” he opens the brown bag and shows teddy the content. four magic brownies. “i love these. they taste so good. like, chocolate and walnuts. and the high lasts for about two hours, so you’ll be okay.” it’s been so long since they both have hung out that noah is not sure if teddy even likes these things. getting high and having a good time with drugs. is weed a drug? cocaine, heroine, those are drugs. weed is just… natural. “how are the girls by the way?” the man asks. he knows teddy has three younger sisters and he’s the legal guardian. to be honest, noah really fucking admires that. he couldn’t do it. he’s an only child and he doesn’t want kids. feels like he wouldn’t be a good dad. so it’s nice to have a friend who is actually a good brother. a parental figure. he knows the change has been exhausting, and that’s why he’s offering teddy to get high with him. he hopes the other says yes. 

“God, I hope not. I don’t need my face on the internet more than it already has been.” Florence, his middle sister, has explained the platform to him a few times in an attempt to get him to understand why she should be able to create content for it. There were two main reasons he was still firmly saying no; one: she was fifteen and did not want him to monitor her comments and interaction and two: he didn’t want a fucking article written about her. Their father’s name was attached to too many A list celebrities for it not to gain at least a small amount of attention. The stupid snapchat stories he saw from the DailyMail about the custody battle was enough. It took Teddy a moment of consideration before shaking his head,“I gotta be okay just in case something happens in those two hours. Arabella’s at ballet so I couldn’t even call her to drive over if I had to. I’m sorry, man. Next time, when I get someone to be on standby for them, okay?” It had been a lot easier in Vegas to say yes to impulsive things like this, where he could call any of his friends to get to the girls and they would without a second thought. He didn’t have that support system here yet and that caused him far too much anxiety to let himself relax. “They’re good! Arabella’s talking to a guy from her class right now, so that’s honestly a nightmare at times, but she’s smart. Florence made it onto varsity soccer and is apparently already terrorizing her debate club. Lia...” The love Teddy had for his sisters extended further than he could ever explain, but he had a soft spot for Lia. She had just turned six when their mother passed and he knew while he was more of a big brother to Arabella and Florence, Lia had really only ever known him as her parental figure. “She was the most excited for the move, ya know? And now we’re here and she hasn’t really made friends yet, so all she wants to do is go to her bass lessons and practice at home. I think I’ll take her sailing soon, get her outside again.” His cheeks flushed suddenly as he realized how long he had been rambling about his girls. “How about you, man, what have you been up to?”

noah’s been happy lately. he’s doing good in classes and he’s seeing sera again. not dating her, because she doesn’t want to be exclusive, but he respects that. now. he was at the happy days shop. the one with the weed everything. the blond walks out of the shop, distracted with the brown paper bag in his hands. he bought edibles. it’s never a bad idea to keep edibles around. he doesn’t notice teddy until he’s slamming into him. “what the- “ noah looks around and sees his friend’s face, he laughs. “are you okay, man? i’m sorry, but if someone was watching us from somewhere else, they would laugh. bet it looked like two cartoons collapsing or something.” he’s happy to see teddy. he feels like they haven’t hung out in ages. “but anyway, are you busy right now?” it would be nice to have a talk, a laugh, and just have time go by fast. noah’s got this good energy going, a contagious one. he wants to share that with the world. teddy is a good place to start.

.

Noah was always someone Teddy liked to see, but he hadn’t been able to in a while. He had figured that by October everything would calm down enough for him to actually get back into his life, but if anything it had gotten busier. He hadn’t considered that he didn’t have the support of the other parents his sisters had grown up around. Still, they seemed to be happier in California and he was certainly enjoying his time, so it was time to go with the flow of it all. He laughed a bit,“Well, I’m glad somewhere out there someone is having a good time with that.” He nearly goes to his phone to check if the girls needed him before reminding himself that they would call him if they did. “Nah, I have two hours by myself for once. Why you got something in mind?” His situation wasn’t one that he was the most open about, but he never tried to hide the girls from the people he met. Being the legal guardian of three young girls wasn’t really a thing most people did he supposed.

SOMETIMES, SOLEIL HAS A TENDENCY TO be in her own head and unaware of her surroundings. today wasn’t an exception, whirlwind thoughts of midterms along with thanksgiving break ( should she go home ?? should she not go home ?? ), on top of her sudden craving for tea.. the already clumsy woman was doomed from the start. she’s on her phone sending a text to noah when the space ahead of where she was walking was suddenly occupied. “ ah !! ” soleil exclaims, hand instinctively reaching out for the nearest steady object she can find before landing on his arm. the redhead lets go of him when she finds her footing once more, looking up to see— “ teddy, ” though she’s clearly thrown off guard, she still remembers who he is. after all, running into him at least a dozen times across town in the span of a few months makes him hard to forget. hands fidget with her clothes as she feels her heartrate start to slowly even out, “ you’re really taking this bumping into thing to a new level. —what did you just say ?? ”

If Teddy had to find a good person to bump into, Soleil would have been on the list. At this point it was nearly comical how often he saw this woman. They always seemed to be running errands around the same time... Now they were physically running into each other. There were worse things he supposed. “Oh, hi, Soleil. Nice to see you here,” He grinned down at her, hand moving from her back where he had tried to steady her. “I am really sorry about slamming into you.” He blinked down at her, head tilting as he tried to remember what he had said. “Uh, that it was my fault, I think. Which it was, sorry about that. I was trying to figure out where I’m going.” 

There had not been a moments peace since the Cornish’s had moved. It was school for all of them, getting them into their extra curriculars, meeting with principals and tutors. There was constantly something to keep Teddy busy. And yet, for the first time he was alone without a to do list. Arabella was at ballet and being driven home by one of her friends, Florence was at soccer practice, and Lia was with her bass teacher for a two hour lesson. Frankly he felt like a sim standing in the middle of town looking around like he was waiting for his overlord to give him a new command. This was, objectively, a nightmare situation. (It wasn’t, he knew he was just being dramatic, but he didn’t want to talk about it.) He turned without looking, too busy thinking about looking like he was doing something to think about looking, slamming into someone. “Oh, holy shit.” He stumbled, grimacing. “I am so sorry. I didn’t look. It wasn’t you, it was me. It wasn’t me, it wasn’t you.”

HI there !! I’m finn (she/they). feel free to hit me up here or on discord