yeet and skrrt

orwell  laughed  -  it  was  true.  he  could  only  imagine.  orwell  was  especially  creative  in  their  punishments  in  their  younger  years,  when  they  had  less  control  over  their  emotions  and  had  no  idea  how  to  express  them.  “ well  they  can’t  get  mad  at  you  if  they’re  daft  enough  to  buy  a  single  without  realising  it’s  a  single.  that’s  on  them, ”  she  shrugged.  though  with  some  of  the  people  in  this  town,  orwell  wouldn’t  have  been  surprised  if  someone  did  try  to  throw  punches  at  him.  “ i  mean,  i  could  dip  into  leafwell  funds  for  a  new  record  player  if  i  was  desperate  but  i’d  rather  not.  i’m  saving  for  a  better  place,  so  i  can  move  out  of  my  shitty  apartment.  i  want  a  backyard  with  a  nice  garden  that  i  can  read  in. ”  it  was  a  simple  dream,  but  one  that  they  refused  to  give  up  on. 

“i’m pretty sure if they’re like that they won’t remember why they were mad in the first place.” jayden mused with a chuckle, and he was pretty sure he was safe for the most part, at least from that sort of menial danger. shrike has definitely not been a boring small town as of recent. “hopefully you can move out soon enough and go someplace much better than this.”

✧ desi + jayden

             desi was somewhat reserved when talking to jayden , extremely mindful and careful , trying  to be kind while also trying to not come on too strong or in a way that would lead the younger man to get his hopes up . desi had grown used to being alone , no matter how he felt about it , no matter whether or not he actually liked the feeling , and he meant it whenever he said that jayden was far too young for him . it wasn’t like the age difference was large , or like it actually mattered when they were both mature adults , but perhaps it was just easiest for desi to brush the other man off with the excuse . but as much as he did avoid the other man’s - quite frankly obvious - feelings for him , desi still made it a point to be respectful . he didn’t want to lose jayden from his life completely . 

“ if you ever meet a security guard who isn’t tired , let me know . ” he jested lightly , half to be somewhat amusing , half to try to take the heat off of himself , to make jayden’s comment less personal and targeted at desi in particular . “ i’m a big man , i can take care of myself . ” he told the other man , truthfully not trying to come across as rejecting his kindness but instead trying to act as if he had things together more than he perhaps did . desi mightn’t have been doing a good job at caring for himself , in truth , but that didn’t mean he wanted the people in his life to worry about him . “ you don’t have to go out of your way , i’ll be fine , i promise . ” he added , a little softer this time .   

˙ ˖ ✶desi

jayden wasn’t dumb he knew that his chances with a man as great as desi were few and far in between. desi was kind enough to not just push him away is all, but jayden couldn’t help himself, he knew what he wanted, and if he couldn’t have it, then the least he could do was make sure this man was safe and cared for. “oh, i’ll definitely be on the lookout for you. my search for the ever so rare not tired guard will be the discovery of a lifetime.” jayden smiled. “yes, but it’s nice to have someone take care of you too, i wouldn’t know though, always been alone.” he shrugged. “i’m not going out of my way, i only do things because i want to, and i want to do this...but just with you.” 

♡  orwell  +  jayden  ;

“ well  let’s  just  say  you’re  lucky  you  made  the  right  decision.  for  legal  reasons  i  cannot  tell  you  what  i  would  have  done  if  you’d  sold  it  to  someone  else, ”  she  told  him,  “ and  what,  you  sold  them  the  single,  or  you  sold  them  live  from  earth ?  because,  as  a  pat  benatar  enjoyer  myself,  i  would  not  condone  scamming  someone  who  wants  to  experience  rock  music. ”  though  orwell  definitely  wouldn’t  put  pat  benatar  above  kate  bush,  of  course.  there  was  something  about  the  art  of  bush’s  music  that  orwell  connected  to.  when  jayden  had  brought  up  the  skipping,  orwell  paused  for  a  moment.  really  it  was  their  own  fault  it  was  scratched.  unfortunately,  when  a  book  hits  a  wall,  it  bounces.  so  not  only  did  orwell  have  a  dented  hardcover  book  and  a  chip  out  of  the  plaster  of  their  wall,  but  their  record  player  had  taken  a  hit  along  with  one  of  their  favourite  albums.  they  weren’t  about  to  discuss  that  with  him,  that  was  for  sure.  “ it  was  an  accident.  i  was  stupid  and  knocked  a  book  off  the  shelf,  right  onto  the  record  player.  i’m  lucky  it  didn’t  damage  more  than  the  vinyl. ”  

˙ ˖ ✶Orwell

“i can only imagine what you would’ve done,” he smirked. “just the single, not sure i they could tell the difference or not. i love pat benatar, but for the sake of my own safety this had to be done,” he teased. jayden was curious as to how exactly orwell broke one of their favorite things and just needed it to be replaced immediately. this was a pretty rare occurrence for the shop so he could use all the entertainment he could get. “otherwise you’d be buying a whole new record player, and on our salary that’s kind of hard to do.” he laughed wondering just how lucky one had to be to not make more damage after that story. “now if they come back asking for a refund, i might just have to point them in your direction, i’m not taking any punches today.”

status: open

@shrikestart​

nate stood at the bar chatting with some of the patrons until someone new walked in and sat down in front of him. “what will you be having?” he got the request ready, while striking up a conversation with them. “so how’s your day going, in the wonderful not at all terrifying town of shrike?”

˙ ˖ ✶Nathaniel

“i don’t think i’ll be having anything tonight, can’t afford it,” jayden shrugged offering nathaniel a lopsided smile. “it’s going okay for the most part, kind of avoiding going home cause i don’t know if i forgot my keys or not, so that dread has stuck with me.”

✧ desi + jayden

                 had desi thought about leaving his job at the mall and pursuing something different somewhere else ? absolutely he had . but would desi actually do that ? absolutely not , he wouldn’t . he couldn’t leave all of his friends and his loved ones working there , or even just shopping there , not when the risk of harm - or worse - was too great . desi hadn’t even been working - or present - for an attack that had taken place at shrike mall , but that didn’t mean he didn’t still feel the responsibility to at least try to look out for everyone . so instead of leaving , desi kept letting himself get overworked and overstressed . 

he didn’t exactly have anyone to care for him right now , no one other than himself , and understandably his own care was getting neglected right now as he was too exhausted to really put much effort into it . that was why jayden’s presence and offer felt like a godsend . he smiled , though through his smile his fatigue was fully on display . “ yeah , i can definitely take a break , that sounds like … exactly what i need right now . ” he chuckled , but again his exhaustion shined through .

˙ ˖ ✶Desi

having desi round the mall meant not just protection, but jayden could stop daydreaming about the man and what he would say to him and just go do it. even if it would be one of the most   terrifying experiences he could face, not because of the man, but that innate fear of rejection. but that fear soon faded the second he saw that smile and the blush that would soon cover his features. “so i’m like your own little blessing, huh?” he smiled sitting down next to the other before unwrapping the containters. 

“i can tell you’re tired y’know,” jayden mused before taking a bite. “but just know that you don’t have to go through this alone desi, you’re doing your best to take care of us, but is anybody taking care of you?” he asked, worry written all over his face as he stared at the man. “cause sounds to me like i might have to step up and offer my assistance to your gorgeous self.”

✧ open starter ; @shrikestart​​​​ ✧ location ; the second floor of shrike mall 

               desi was meant to be doing his rounds , meant to be walking along the second floor of shrike mall , meant to be watching over the visitors and the employees to ensure there was no trouble and to ensure he could provide protection if needed - and let’s face it , there was a very high likelihood that his services would be needed , all things considered . unfortunately , however , the man’s job had been hindered ; he had barely left one of the first stores he had checked in on when he began being bombarded with questions from angry residents . “ the mayor’s security team was privately contracted , not my team of people , we had nothing to do with the event and i’m sorry but i have no idea what happened with them there . ” he sighed , trying his hardest to explain to the stranger that he had nothing to do with the security’s disappearing act the night of the fundraiser , having nothing to do with the security there at all , but it was hard to give his explanation without getting angry . 

desi had had a lot of blame placed on him since the attacks started at the mall , but after the events that had taken place wednesday night he wasn’t sure if he could take any more of it . all he had done was try to help the residents at this awful time , and now he was at a real loss , unsure of what to do next . while slightly clueless and beyond frustrated , desi simply tried his best to get through every next interaction , and thankfully the one where he was being hassled for something he had no involvement in came to an end . he finally went to step away from the store and towards the next one when he saw someone else approach . “ i hope you overheard that , because truthfully , i don’t have it in me to have the argument again . i’m as sorry for what happened wednesday night as you are . ” he told them , trying to remain seemingly strong to ensure residents would trust him with their care , but the truth was that he was so defeated .

˙ ˖ ✶Desi

Jayden found himself unable to smile after the attack, so many people he knew got hurt, and it seemed that a tragedy would always be coming to their town. He hated the feeling of having to watch over his back, being afraid was not something he was used to, not a fear like this, one so cold that it seeped into your bones and made it harder to do even the smallest of actions. Then he remembered Desi, and how the towns people would somehow blame him for this, for not doing more, but what could he do when all of this was truly out of his hands, and the legion of doom was out there in the night. Leaving his store on his break, he took the time to not even bother with food but to check in on the man that he had made lunch for awhile back.

“i did, but it’s not about that.” jayden sighed. “that’s not why i’m here,” he explained coming closer to the other man. “just came to check on you, see how you were doing.” jayden said as he tried for a smile, but it faltered, feeling as if the feeling of gloom would take him, but he couldn’t do that, so he managed a true smile. “i’m sorry too, for the attack, for those who got hurt, but also because i can tell this is hard on you, and people blaming you for something that you weren’t even a part of is not fair.” jayden wished he could do more for the man but he was just a guy working two jobs at the mall, nothing more, nothing less. “i’m really happy you’re here y’know, i’ve always felt safe knowing you were here, even after the attacks, and i just wanted to say if you ever needed to talk, or a home cooked meal, i’m here.”

closed  starter  ;  ft.  orwell  washington  +  jayden  lightwood.

location  ;  tracks.

@shrikejayden​

orwell  leans  right  onto  the  counter,  not  taking  into  account  whether  or  not  jayden  is  ready  to  serve  them  yet.  “ please,  please  tell  me  that  my  order  has  come  in.  kate  bush’s  hounds  of  love ?  i’m  not  exaggerating  when  i  say  i  can’t  survive  another  day  without  it, ”  of  course,  being  one  of  their  favourite  records,  orwell  did  already  own  it.  however,  an  incident  had  lead  to  a  scratch  in  the  vinyl,  causing  a  skip  in  the  record  that  was  absolutely  unbearable.  “ if  i  have  to  hear  the  record  skip  during  and  dream  of  sheep  one  more  time,  i’m  gonna  loose  it. ”

˙ ˖ ✶Orwell

“orwell, do you really think i’d let anybody else take this from you?” jayden said as he leaned on the counter, smiling over at her. “i mean someone did try to buy it for double, but i just sold them a copy of...what was it again? love is a battlefield?” he shrugged. “what even happened to your first one anyway, like you said it’s skipping, but how exactly did it scratch?” jayden was more curious than anything as he put the record on the counter. “by the way, it’s on the house, the lady pretty much paid for yours when she bought the other one for double, so you’re set.”

***

“eh i mean i’ll be able to finance a ring at least three years from now,” dhruv joked, filing it away in their head to get jayden a candy ring for shits and giggles some time in the future. “yeah, yeah, keep it in your pants, romeo, you seem to forget i live in my parents basement and those walls are not soundproof. not that it matters because my clothes are staying on,” dhruv added with a smirk, looking away so jayden couldn’t see the tint of pink that grew across his cheeks. but if there was one thing that was easy to do, it was make dhruv blush. “security guard, wait, which security guard?” the blush turned into a full flush as the memories with desi flashed through his mind quickly and he had to clear his throat before going back to the soda in his hand. “this side of paradise. by fitzgerald? it’s an acquired taste but i love it. honestly kind of sad that a book is the highlight of my week, isn’t it? maybe hector was right, we do need a party,” dhruv joked, remembering what the guy at julio’s had been going off about the last time they were there. “or at least..i dont’ know, maybe we can go for a drive or something after dinner?”

˙ ˖ ✶ Dhruv

“you think? damn, i’ll act surprised when that happens then, but i don’t know if i’ll be able to wait till marriage for you babe, you got me all hot and bothered,” jayden teased, wiggling his brows at dhruv. “so you’re just suggesting you wish to defile me at my place? say less, we can go tomorrow, and well we can keep your clothes on if you want, it’ll be awkward with fabric on but not impossible.” jayden kept the joke going as he tried to keep his face dead serious, all of which was utterly not successful as he burst out laughing a few seconds later. “doesn’t matter right now, but i’ll let you know if and when anything happens really.” he mused. “i don’t think that a book is sad? it’s just who you are, and i’ve always seen this side of you as pretty hot if i’m being honest.” jayden shrugged coming slightly closer to his best friend. “again, you just wanting me all alone is just our inevitable romance coming up.”

“So when’s the next campaign happening babes? i’ve got a lot of ideas, and maybe i’ll make some new characters, and i promise i won’t try to have my character seduce everything.”

***

“You’re close to it, that’s for sure. Juno may give you a run for your money though, whenever she’s here, my mom takes out the good silverware and always leaves coffee for her to take when she leaves. And I think they adopted you in all the places that mattered, like 100% you gotta be in the will,” Dhruv joked, though he wouldn’t have been surprised. His parents had taught him a lot about care and what it meant to really look out for the people around you. Something he was thinking about more and more as the violence in the mall got worse. And his mother’s love language had always been food anyway, which was fortunate for their sakes. “Yeah of course. I finally got that VCR working so we can watch some of the crappy movies I found in someone’s garbage.” Dhruv would be hard pressed to admit it, but he appreciated whenever Jayden stayed over, if only because it was nice to not have to fall asleep or wake up alone as he did most days. “Oh yeah, this is actually our engagement party, did you not know that? That’s why I put on my good t-shirt,” Dhruv joked as they headed for the fridge, grabbing them both a soda. “So you would never believe what happened to me this week. I found a new copy of my favorite book. And a couple of other things but that’s the highlight. How was your week?”

˙ ˖ ✶ Dhruv

“ah, you win again, juno, but one day that crown will be mine.” jayden said in a low tone, clearly joking as he made himself look more serious than he truly was. “honestly, all i don’t have is the last name, but your family is truly so used to me being here that it would be more weird if i wasn’t here at family dinner.” jayden laughed, but he truly appreciated just how welcoming dhruv’s family was of him, and how they took him in and showed him the love only a true family ever could. he was a shy kid in the past, a bit troublesome but definitely not outspoken like now, he found solace in the love and warmth he experienced with his best friend and his family. “Are you using that as an excuse to have my head rest against you’re oh so muscular chest? if you want all of this, you will have to put a ring on it,” he teased. “oh wow, so you’re actually putting a ring on it, well i hope whatever ring pop you got me is watermelon flavor, and not the yucky cherry one.” he smiled. “don’t know why you put it on cause all of those clothes are coming off is this is our engagement party, i’m finally gonna taste the genius of the man, oh boy.” jayden laughed clapping his hands together and making it seem as if he had just been given a delicious meal. “my week? uh, well i tried to invite the security guard over to my place for some...alone time. and your favorite book, a new copy? wait which one is that cause with you that could change weekly.”

˙ ˖ ✶ Desi

Working two jobs just to make ends meet was definitely not the life he thought he would have, but being an orphan and raised in the system didn’t offer much alternative. This also meant he would usually open in one shift and close in another which would leave him drained for the next day. There really wasn’t much reward to this, only the nights where he could get to see that one security guard that he’d been eyeing since he first started working.

“hey desi, this shop didn’t charge me for a second meal so now i have to whole meals, so um, if you’d like to have the other i wouldn’t really mind the company eating. you can take a break and eat with me, right?” jayden didn’t know why he lied about how he had acquired the food, since he truly spent all morning making an extra serving for desi.

Location: The Acharya Household

Tagging: @shrikejayden​

“You know when I came home yesterday my mom told me there was peanut butter in the cabinet and I could make myself something, now I tell her I was coming by with you and suddenly this kitchen is like michelin star.” Dhruv laughed softly as they walked up from the basement, the smells of Mrs. Acharya’s cooking moving through the house. If there was one thing Dhruv’s parents were, it was hospitable and welcoming, especially their parents. The Acharya’s house had always been the go to, the house in high school where kids would know they would be well fed and cared for and though as a teenager Dhruv took it for granted, the older he got, the more he understood just how important it was to have such a solid foundation in his parents. “You want a soda or something. My mom said the food will be another 30 minutes.” 

˙ ˖ ✶ Dhruv

“Am I the favorite now? Am I the drama!” Jayden said faking a gasp as he clasped a hand to his chest before laughing it off. “I love your mom, wish she would’ve adopted me when I was younger, which she kind of did I guess.” he grinned as the smells from the kitchen tickled his nose and he knew he’d be eating good tonight. “Is it okay if I stay over, because being alone with all these ghouly ghoulies really doesn’t feel right with me.” Jayden mention and although he could take care of himself, he didn’t know how well he’d be able to fed off a true killer. “So...is this like a date, are we telling your mom you’re finally about to confess you’re undying yet obvious love for me?” he teased. “Sure, I’ll take a soda.”