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ordinaryschmuck · 3 years

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What I Thought About "Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances" from The Owl House

Salutations, random people on the internet who most likely won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons!

When Dana Terrace did her AMA on Reddit, a fan asked what we could expect for the new season. To which she replied by listing five things:

Parental conflict

A lot of emotions

Island exploration

New characters

...There's a fifth thing in there. You just got to look closely.

Now, when Dana mentioned parental conflict, dozens of fans assumed she was talking about Alador and Odalia, which, I mean...valid. They were the only two parental figures who presented any real conflict, and the idea of Camila being involved seemed implausible due to Luz being cut off from the human world. But no matter how you perceived that line, one thing’s for sure: No one expected Eda and Lilith's mother to be a source of conflict!

Yup. Today we met the woman who created two of the (former) greatest witches in all of the Isles. Was her introduction welcomed? Or did she give the Blights a run for their money for the "Worst Parent(s) of the Year" award? Only spoilers can answer those questions, so keep that in mind as we go in-depth with "Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances."

Let's review, shall we!

WHAT I LIKED

The Flashback: Already, this episode comes out swinging by giving us so much information! We get an explanation of what Eda goes through when cursed (which is horrifying), the reasoning behind her gem, the revelation that Eda ran away from home, and the reveal of how she got the portal door. The best part is, none of it feels rushed or forced. Eda's curse and the portal are integral threads to this story, both in this episode and in future ones. Tying them together sets up Gwendolyn's determination to cure her daughter while showing Eda's determination to escape her mother by skipping town into another dimension. There's also a sense of mystery in how and why the portal was in their backyard. And judging by how we got all of this incredible information in episode FOUR of the new season, something tells me we'll get answers to those questions sooner than we might think. This was such a strong opening to the episode. Despite giving so much information, it makes fans like me want even more. Which is an A+ in my book.

Gwendolyn: Yeah, might as well step out the gate in saying that I like Gwen...but I can already see how others won't. Immediately, she sets herself up as a mother who would do anything and everything to cure her daughter. That aspect of her character is perfect, and it quickly won points from me in terms of liking her. It's just that Gwendolyn's disregard of what Eda wants and the complete dismissal of Lilith are aspects of Gwen that are certainly going to rub some people the wrong way. Especially if those kids come from households where their parents are a lot like Gwendolyn. I was in the same boat of hating her too for a while, but thankfully, the last act saved her.

First, there's that scene where Gwendolyn threatened the lives of the demons for not only screwing her over but making things worse for Eda. It's one of those "Hell hath no fury like a mother scorned" moments that I always love to see.

Then there's the fact that Gwendolyn learns her lesson and, more importantly, apologizes. Not many actual abusive mothers would do that (Looking at you, Odalia), so it's nice to see that she makes an effort to make amends. Oh, and by the way, since I mentioned it, don't go around calling Gwendolyn abusive. She isn't. Or, at least, not to my eyes. If anything, she's a lot like Sara Fitzgerald from My Sister's Keeper (The book. Not the movie. The movie sucked).

In that story, Sara makes controversial choices that result in her youngest daughter Anna getting the short end of the stick due to putting all attention towards her eldest Kate. But here's the thing: KATE HAS CANCER! So while Sara's choices are beyond questionable, you can understand her point. And if you don't, well, I'd see how you would react when in her shoes. Trust me when I say that situations like this aren't always cut and dry. It's the same with Gwendolyn. She's far from "Mom of the year," but you understand where she's coming from. She wants to do what she can to help Eda, even if her methods could have been better. But that's just how I feel, and I can't speak for everyone who dealt with mothers far worse than her. If you refuse to forgive her, I'll understand. But to me, I consider Gwendolyn a worthy addition to the series.

(Plus, she just radiates Grandma energy when interacting with Luz. It's cute, and therefore I must love it!)

Luz: This season is on FIRE when presenting Luz!

I adore that the first thing we see her doing in this episode is sleeping after, most likely, another all-nighter to find a new portal. It proves that she has a determination made of iron and an intense dedication to getting back to Camila. In fact, it's that dedication that works as a perfect way to build a connection between Luz and Gwendolyn. They both want to reconnect with their families and are willing to do whatever it takes to do so.

Regardless, despite so desperately wanting to see Camila again, I'm glad that Luz still has common sense when it comes to helping Eda. She quickly sees that Gwen's cures are doing more harm than good, and it's great that Luz is the one to call malarky on the whole thing. No one had to spell things out for her because she's smart enough to notice that everything Professor Warlop is marketing feels a lot more like the fake medicine real people sell in the human world. It's a testament that despite having a big heart and the best intentions, Luz still has the intelligence to know when something is up and put a stop to it. And, again, let's hope that more people pick up on that.

Lilith: ...who would have expected Lilith of all characters to have most of the emotional moments in this episode?! I sure didn't!

But...Yeah. Lilith is the best thing in "Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances." On top of her seeking Gwendolyn's approval being relatable for some viewers, it's also really heartbreaking. I mean, listen to the shocked and hurt tone in her voice after finding out Gwen visited Eda regularly. That alone should give away how much Gwendolyn is important to Lilith and says so much about how strained their relationship became after the curse. Then there's that scene where she just breaks down, feeling both scared and torn apart by the fact that she experienced the curse in its full form and could do nothing to stop herself. It...stung. That's the best way to describe it. It stung seeing a character who is (mostly) cool and collective to become so vulnerable and broken. And, you know what? It's because of this that Lilith has won me over. I still don't think she should have been as forgiven as quickly as she was, but after learning what Lilith went through and what she's currently going through, I'm more than willing to be ok with her. And--I can't believe I'm saying this--I'm going to miss her being a part of the Owl House. She earned her place, in my opinion, creating entertaining dynamics with everyone. Sure, she'll make appearances every now and again, but I wouldn't mind a few more episodes with her being with the main group. But I'm positive the writers will have plans for her in the future and seeing how well she was written in this, I can't wait to see what they do next.

King Hoping to see his Dad Again: This was just a cute tidbit that ties nicely into last week's episode. Bonus points for that scene where King and Lilith get drunk off of Night Market ice cream. It got a good chuckle out of me, especially when Hooty was the one who ended up being the voice of reason.

Cursed Lilith: ...How does she look worse and more terrifying than Eda?

How Beast Keeping Magic Works: Not much I can say about this. It's neat to be given a visual explanation of how Beast Keeping magic works and how it's more than just controlling animals. Judging by the roof shingles, it can also be making objects more animal-like. It's pretty cool, and I hope to see more of how the rest of the magic from the prominent covens work.

Luz wasn’t the only human: To tell you the truth, this doesn't surprise me. Eda did say that every myth humans have is a bit of the Boiling Isles leaking into the human world, so why can't the opposite be true? However, the reveal of there being a famous human around many years ago presents many more questions, and possible theories, that deserve to be discussed in a future post. For now, I'll just say that it's awesome how this reveal perfectly transitions us to next week's episode, "Through the Looking Glass Ruins." We already know Luz is going to the library. But, seeing how Gus is going to be a prominent character in that episode as well, he probably wanted to tag along with Luz to study about the first human in the Boiling Isles. Only to then get sidetracked by some cool kids from Glandis. It's in the realm of possibility, thus proving how more serialized this season compared to Season One while still being somewhat episodic. Because even if "Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances" presents a lot for the overall story, it's still its own tale about family relationships and knowing how to truly be there for the people you love. Resulting in a necessary and cute episode that ends on a wholesome note without any major surprises like--

Creepy Clone Luz: ...

...Dana Terrace, you lying--YOU SAID CREEPY LUZ WAS A FARCE! IN THE SAME AMA, TOO! CURSE YOU! CURSE YOU AND YOUR SNAKE TONGUE, GOSH DANGIT!

...Alright, now that I got my overreaction out of the way, this was an amazingly well-written surprise!

Tricking fans into thinking that Camila is crying over the realization that Luz is gone, only to then reveal this...thing, is the best shock to the system that this series has done so far. Even better, it results in all the right questions:

Who is it?

What is it?

Where did it come from?

When did it get there?

How did it get there?

How does it know about Camila?

And why? Just, why?

To me, a series that presents all of these questions, and makes me excited for whatever answers are given, is a series that's doing something right. Because if I'm still reeling over something that lasts for a second, despite seeing the episode hours ago, that is a testament to how good a surprise really is.

WHAT I DISLIKED

Trust me, I want to give this episode the A+ just for that ending alone. But, there are some issues I have that are worth discussing.

Eda’s Outfit Change: I know. It's the nitpickiest of all nitpicks I could present. Particularly because Eda doesn't even look bad (although that's no surprise). The issue is that it feels weird that Eda's having this permanent outfit change in the fourth episode of Season Two. Or, to me it is, at least. Because I think that if you're going to give a small yet constant change to the look of a character, it should be done right away. Like, in the first episode of a new season. I highly doubt fans would question why Eda is wearing different clothes by then, so it wouldn't be too bad if the first time we see her, she’s sporting a new outfit. Again, this is just me, and I have no problems with the outfit itself. It just seems odd they would do this later rather than sooner.

Screwing with Eda: I...did not like this. At all. It was funny at first to see Luz and Gwendolyn lure Eda with Apple Blood like how Wile E. Coyote would bait the Road Runner with birdseed, but it quickly took a turn. Because I don't want to see Eda meet inconvenience after inconvenience from her mother and surrogate daughter. I like Eda, and seeing her happy makes me happy. If I wanted to laugh at a character's suffering, I would have picked Boscha, Mattholomule, Alador, and/or Odalia. This? This was just unnecessary cruelness to a character who doesn't deserve it. And it takes up a good chunk of this episode, making me question whether or not this would be the stinker I was fearing. Fortunately, the ending increased my enjoyment by several notches, but that doesn't change how this was the low point of "Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances."

IN CONCLUSION

Despite the road being rocky in the middle, I still consider "Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances" to be another solid A episode. The first and last few minutes have some quality writing that adds more to the characters, ongoing plot, and mystery that the series is building up. It's one of those important episodes you can't skip when watching a series, but given how it's keeping the new season's impeccable track record, I fail to see how that's a problem.

(Although, I am scared. We haven't gotten a stinker yet, and I really don't want it to be next week's episode. It's a Gus episode with sweet Lumity content on the side! That cannot fail!)

#the owl house #the owl house season 2 #the owl house spoilers #the owl house reviews #luz noceda #gwendolyn clawthorne #lilith clawthorne #eda clawthorne #what i thought about #creepy luz

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santiagoswagger · 5 years

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no gifts to give, they're all right here

For week 18 of b99 hiatus creations.

Jake spends his first Christmas with the Santiagos and has an enlightening conversation with his girlfriend's terrifying mother.

Set immediately after ‘Captain Latvia’.

He hovered hesitantly in the doorway to the kitchen, one foot in and one foot out.

He figured he had two choices: walk in and have a witness-free conversation with his girlfriend’s terrifying mother for the first time, or run out of the house and walk all the way back to Brooklyn from New Jersey in the middle of December, missing the Santiago family Christmas celebrations altogether.

Jake swallowed the lump in his throat and bravely walked into the kitchen.

Camila heard his sneakers squeaking on her spotless hardwood floor and turned. Her face split into an expression of genuine surprise when she saw him, so achingly similar to Amy’s it briefly caught him off-guard.

“Jake, are you finished unpacking already?”

“Uh, no. Amy insisted on doing it for me.”

He and Amy had only been in her parents’ house for twenty minutes before she marched up to her childhood bedroom to start her thorough unpacking process before the rest of her siblings arrived with their kids and chaos reigned. She’d practically ripped his well-worn leather duffel bag from his hands with excitement when they walked over the threshold so she could unpack for him. He hadn’t even had enough time to inspect her giant collection of spelling bee trophies and the framed photo of young Al Gore on her nightstand before she was shooing him out of the room. She was pretty adorable when she was being an organizational dictator.

“That sounds like my Amy,” Camila laughed.

She was being so kind, but Jake knew better. Amy had warned him that her mother would likely be watching his every move this weekend; he could only imagine what Victor must have told her about his time with Jake on Thanksgiving. Even though Victor agreed it was Amy’s decision to date whoever she wanted, the Santiagos lived and died by their binders and Jake needed to keep his wits about him.

He watched Camila peel potatoes for a moment before he spoke. “Can I help you with anything, Mrs. Santiago?”

Camila’s hands stopped peeling and she silently appraised Jake before nodding slightly. “Do you know how to shuck corn?”

He definitely did not, but a quick search on Yahoo! Answers while Camila had her back turned to him cleared everything up and he was shucking like a pro in no time.

The Santiago family kitchen was as warm and homey as you might expect from a kitchen equipped to feed so many. Jake could easily picture all eight kids tucked into every nook and cranny for family dinners each night. But as comfortable as the kitchen looked, Jake felt a coolness radiating from the woman working next to him. The silence was awkward and deafening before Camila cleared her throat and finally addressed him.

“My husband doesn’t understand what our daughter sees in you.” It was a statement, not a question, and Jake had no idea what to make of it.

He knew Amy didn’t care what her parents thought, but he did. He was pretty sure she was the love of his life, and he wanted her family to be on board with him too.

“I’ve seen the binder he has for you,” Camila said, eyes sharply fixed on her potatoes. Each one in her sizeable pile was peeled with precision, no skin in sight. “It’s very thorough.”

He sighed and stopped shucking. “I know the binder doesn’t look great, Mrs. Santiago, but I love your daughter very much. I just want to make her happy.”

“I know.”

Startled, Jake looked up from his corn to find Camila regarding him more kindly than before. “You do?”

“I can tell from the way my daughter talks about you that you’re good for her, Jake,” she said. “She was always a serious child – she used her head but not her heart. Many of my daughter’s boyfriends have passed my husband’s binder test, but none of them made her smile the way you seem to.”

She shot him the ghost of a grin and went right back to cooking, like she hadn’t just disrupted Jake’s entire understanding of the universe and dropped an atomic bomb on his head.

Jake followed her lead and continued shucking corn in what was now a much more comfortable silence. Jake had only just met Camila, but even he knew that he had just been given a glowing review – by Santiago standards at least.

Amy entered the kitchen a few minutes later and Jake watched with amusement as her expression morphed from one of surprise to confusion at the sight of her boyfriend being put to work in her mother’s kitchen, or in any kitchen for that matter.

“Here you are, I was looking for you,” she said bemusedly, kissing him on the cheek when she got close enough. “What are you doing?”

Before Jake could speak, Camila answered for him. “He’s helping me with dinner, mija. Now shoo, you know you’re not allowed within ten feet of the stove.”

Amy looked affronted as her mother turned back to the stove to put the finishing touches on her black bean soup. Jake, trying his hardest not to laugh, very lovingly stuck his tongue out at his girlfriend, who responded by gently flicking him on the shoulder.

She was almost out of the room when Camila asked, “Jake, would you like the first taste of the soup?”

Amy turned on her heel and stared at Jake, eyes as wide as saucers. She mouthed ‘oh my god’ behind her mother’s back and Jake knew that meant he had been given the official Santiago seal of approval.

Maybe getting her family on board with him wouldn’t be as difficult as he once thought.

#b99 #brooklyn nine nine #jake x amy #peraltiago #b99 fic #peraltiago fic #camila ships jake and amy and no one can take that headcanon away from me

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sambergscott · 6 years

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that’s what brothers are for

read on ao3

Jake hears his seven new brothers before he sees them.

(He’d met them all pretty soon after he started dating Amy, a week or two after Amy had first told her family she was seeing him. Her brothers had apparently been desperate to meet “the famous Jake Peralta” and Amy couldn’t hold them off for long. He was super nervous because he’d assumed they were going to play the intimidating big brother act and they did try, but they realised quickly that Jake was awesome and perfect for their sister and the eight of them became friends immediately. Ever since, they’d all met up once a week to drink beer and eat pizza and play video games and tease Jake about his relationship with Amy. Obviously their budding bromance had been put on pause when Jake was in Florida, and again when Jake was falsely imprisoned, but when he was released and admitted his plans to propose to their sister on Halloween, his relationship with all seven Santiago brothers grew stronger than ever.

After his cancelled wedding, and then the makeshift Precinct wedding which their families all missed, the Santiagos decided to arrange a celebration at Shaw’s bar with their sister’s new husband.

Jake had asked if Amy could come - because he kind of hated being separated from her - but her brothers had insisted that no girls were allowed.

“Sorry, Ames,” he’d said, showing her the messages in the WhatsApp group chat. “I can’t get them to change their minds.”

He kissed away her disappointed pout and promised he’d make it up to her when he got back from the bar.

“I’m holding you to that,” she’d replied, biting her lip. “I’ll be waiting in that lingerie I ordered last night.”

Jake almost cancelled on her brothers then and there but she’d shooed him out the apartment, giggling as he kept asking for “just one last kiss” before he left.

After nine goodbye kisses, he finally relented and left for his favourite bar in Brooklyn.

As he was the first to arrive, he ordered himself a beer and texted Amy several times about how much he missed her already and how much her brothers sucked for not letting her join them. Before he could send the next text ( “babe, you’re the best wife I’ve ever had” ), he heard a loud group of men approaching the bar and slid his phone back into his pocket. The Santiagos had arrived.)

“Jake!” Tony exclaims, the first to stride over to the bar and hug Jake tightly. “Congrats, man.”

“You finally made an honest woman out of our Amy, huh?” Luis teases, next to hug their favourite detective.

Tomas, Mateo and Carlos follow, with Bruno and Alex the last to mob the newest addition to the Santiago clan.

Jake grins broadly as Mateo orders a round of beers and they find a table big enough for all of them, thrilled to be a part of the close bond between the brothers.

“To Jake!” They all toast, ignoring Jake’s reminders that their sister just got married, too.

“Forget her, Peralta. You’re our favourite person in the NYPD.”

“I’m telling her that,” Jake quips, laughing as Tomas’ eyes bulge. They all know Amy can be super scary when she wants to be. “Oh, and it’s, Santiago- Peralta, thank you very much. We’re both taking each other’s names.”

“You’re officially one of us then, man,” Alex replies, toasting to Jake again. He downs his beer and gestures to Hank behind the bar to bring them all another round. “How was the Honeymoon?”

“Incredible.” A dreamy expression passes over Jake’s face and everyone rolls their eyes.

“Here we go. He’s got that dopey look he gets whenever he talks about Ames. Why would you encourage him, Al?”

Alex shrugs as Jake protests loudly that he does not get a dopey look on his face.

“You definitely do. Amy’s so beautiful. I love Amy so much. I’m so lucky to be with Amy,” Carlos says in a spot-on impression of Jake, his brothers howling with laughter.

“I do not sound like that,” Jake insists.

“I do not sound like that,” Carlos mimics and even Jake laughs this time.

“But seriously, Paris was awesome. I think Amy looks even more beautiful in France than she does in America.”

“Oh to be a newlywed again,” Bruno, the eldest, says, patting Jake on the back. “I bet you can’t keep your hands off each other, right?”

Jake colours, thinking about Amy joining him in the shower before he left the apartment and the new lingerie Amy promised to wear when he returned.

“Ew! Gross! That’s our sister, Jake!”

“Bruno asked!”

“Make the most of it now, man. You won’t get two minutes of peace when you have kids. Mason almost walked in on us last week and we had to stop. I still haven’t forgiven him.”

“Kids?” Jake balks. “I got married three weeks ago and we’re having kids already?”

“Amy must have talked to you about kids,” Luis says, amused. “She only wants about a hundred.”

“Luis is kidding,” Tony quickly interjects at Jake’s terrified expression. “She wants two or three. But she does want them before she becomes captain, so you better hurry up and give us more nieces and nephews.”

“How do you know all this and I don’t? Kids aren’t on her life calendar…”

“Maybe she didn’t want to scare you off.”

“She’s been talking our ears off about being a mom since she was, like, seven. She used to pretend Tom was her baby and put diapers on him and everything.”

The tips of Tomas’ ears turn red. “Will you ever shut up about that?”

“You were an eleven year old boy wearing Winnie the Pooh diapers over your pants and it was fucking hilarious, so, no - unlikely.”

Jake chuckles, storing that information in the back of his mind in order to ask Camila if she has any pictures of it the next time he visits Amy’s childhood home. Knowing Camila, who has documented every moment of her children’s lives and organised everything from baby photographs and tiny baby shoes to high school report cards and medals from soccer competitions into binders and boxes for each one of her eight children, she definitely will.

“You do want kids though, don’t you?” Alex asks, suddenly serious.

Jake takes a large gulp of his beer. “Uh, I mean… yeah, of course. Yeah, I want kids. Just not right away,” he adds quickly. “I want to enjoy spending time just the two of us first.”

“Gross,” Mateo repeats.

“Grow up, man. We’re happy.”

“Mateo’s just jealous that he’s the only one here who’s still single.”

“ Hey!” Mateo cries. “I’ll have you know that I’ve been seeing this one lady for the past few weeks and she really likes me.”

“And do you like her back?”

“The Jury’s still out.”

“Mom’s going to start setting you up with her friends’ daughters soon,” Tony warns.

“She already has,” Mateo murmurs under his breath, embarrassed.

“It’s OK, man. Your mom was trying to set Amy up with random dudes even after Amy told her she was dating me.”

“Really?”

“Yep. Apparently Amy would have been better suited to somebody with a better credit score who was obsessed with organisation and crosswords,” Jake says, shaking his head. “Camila even told her we wouldn’t last and that Ames should ‘keep her options open’. I don’t think she ever imagined Amy marrying me.”

“Well, we’re all really glad she did.”

“Mom and dad, too.”

“Yeah, we’re so happy for you, man.”

“Thanks,” Jake grins. “I still can’t believe I actually have a wife. Is that weird?”

“Nah, it takes a while to feel real,” Bruno replies, spotting a familiar face entering Shaw’s bar from over Jake’s shoulder. “Speaking of your wife…” He nods his head in Amy’s direction and, as Jake turns around and sees her, Jake’s grin grows impossibly wide.

All seven Santiago brothers boo and jeer as he gets up and kisses her, eventually guiding her to the table when Carlos yells for them to “get your asses over here”.

“We were pretty clear when we said you weren’t invited,” Alex says as Amy sits down on Jake’s lap, one arm curled around his shoulders, her fingers idly playing with the hair at the nape of his neck as her brothers tease her relentlessly.

“Yeah, sis, we thought you were the smart one in the family.”

“I missed Jake too much to stay away and I am the smart one in the family. Ask dad.”

“Yeah, yeah, we all know you’re dad’s favourite.”

“Daddy’s little girl,” Mateo cajoles from next to Jake and Amy, earning himself a playful slap from his younger sister.

“Well, Jake is our favourite out of the two of you.”

“ What?”

“Sorry, babe,” Jake says with false sincerity, high-fiving Tony behind her back.

“I heard that, Jacob. And I can’t believe all of you prefer him to me, your own sister.”

Luis shrugs. “He’s more fun than you.”

“And he likes the Nets,” Tomas chimes in.

“And Diehard.”

(Jake high-fives Tony again for that one).

“Unbelievable,” she says, glaring at all of them. “I’m going to get a beer and I’m not getting one for any of you. Not even you, Jake.”

She climbs off his lap and storms over to the bar, Jake staring helplessly after her.

“If I miss out on sexy-timez tonight because of this I am never hanging out with any of you again.”

(Jake decides to call it a night after Amy downs her fourth drink, knowing sober-Amy would not want to be around her brothers in her super horny four-drink state. Amy crashes her lips against Jake’s the moment they’re through their apartment door, because of course she does, and he unbuttons her floral shirt and tugs down her jeans to reveal a half-naked Amy, wearing only a black thong that reads “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good”. Jake has to stop what they’re doing to laugh solidly for five minutes because that’s what his wife meant by the sexy new underwear she’d ordered and that’s freaking hilarious, Ames).

(The Harry Potter underwear quickly becomes Jake’s favourite to pull off his wife).

(His decisions clouded by God knows how many beers, Jake puts a message in the “Magnificent Seven + Jake” group chat, bragging about Amy’s awesome new lingerie and how many different places in their apartment he’d boinked his wife. They all complain because gross, that’s our sister, Peralta!!!!! and threaten to remove Jake from the band of brothers).

(Nevertheless, he ends up playing basketball with them the next weekend because they do love him. But none of them ever watch Harry Potter again).

#b99 fics #Jake x Amy #jake peralta #amy santiago #my writing

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5hfanfiction · 7 years

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Stop & Shop Love Story

Lauren hates her job.

The registers beeping that rings in her head every day, the annoyingly scratchy speaker, the obnoxious customers bombarding her with questions and demands. She’d quit in a heartbeat if she had the choice.

Unfortunately she’s seventeen years old and she’s becoming “too dependant on her parents money, especially with college coming up” according to her dad so Stop & Shop seems to be the only option. There aren’t many other places that hire teenagers because they don’t have any experience and Lauren babysits plenty for pocket cash, but she needed to start saving and this Stop & Shop happens to be on the street next to her school so the timing is much more convenient.

But anyways she hates her job. It’s not just the tedious cash register working and occasional stockpiling, the worst part is actually the customers themselves. Okay maybe Lauren is just cynical and maybe she hates like everybody other than a select handful, but that’s not the point, the customers she has to deal with are the most obnoxious, irritating people she’s ever come face to face with.

Don’t get her wrong, some customers win respect including the parents she sees on her night shifts running around to feed their families, and as much as she hates the couponers cause they make her job harder, Lauren can’t hate someone for being smart with their money.

No she hates the obnoxious moms pushing their way through aisles to buy their spoiled kids all the expensive treats, or the young guys that try to hit on her as she bags their food (like seriously? Even if she’s the hottest person in the world these mid twenty year old guys should have higher standards than a grocery bagging high schooler), or the closed minded douchebags who think a girl can’t properly be doing the job right and “why is it so damn expensive”, like bitch you tell her you’re the one eating the food.

She could probably rant for hours because this job just sucks more than she ever thought it would, and she always thought it would, but she’s not trying to seem salty (although she is in fact so salty you might as well call her beef jerky).

Like right now.

Who the fuck thinks it’s okay to drop a jar of… pickles? and leave it without at least telling a worker? You aren’t even charged for that here, it’s simply to inform someone that there needs to be a clean up. And damn it usually they call custodial for that but now that Lauren’s the unlucky one who happened to stumble upon this shit she’s also the one dealing with cleaning it-

“Oh hey! I was looking everywhere for a worker but the cashiers said it isn’t their job and to find someone else to deal with this,” a voice calls Lauren’s attention from where she had been focused on glaring at the broken jar, her eyes stay focused on the jar though, luckily it’s not completely shattered so she doesn’t have to close the isle off, just spilled and cracked at the top and maybe - “I’m so sorry about this I was trying to reach the Lucky Charms on the top shelf and I was trying to climb up maybe cause I’m an idiot and I didn’t even think about what I could kick but I can pay for it or I can clean it myself I’m so sorry again about that.”

Now Lauren has dealt with a lot of customers coming to tell her that they’re spilled or broken stuff, and they never ramble like that, usually inform her and then leave before she can ask them to inform someone else.

Her eyes snap up when the voice starts to sound even more nervous at the end of her rambling and she swears her breath catches in her throat when she’s met with one of the most beautiful people she’s had the pleasure of seeing. She’s tiny, Latina, curves so gorgeous lauren can’t help but let her eyes linger, hair dark and falling in waves, and her lips god they look like the softest pair Lauren’s seen ever, and her eyes they’re so chocolatey and warm and homey and - fuck also looking back at her Lauren notices and snaps out of her thoughts to focus on the issue at hand.

“It’s fine,” Lauren gets out, not knowing how to talk to someone here without snapping at them and she sure as hell doesn’t want to snap at this girl. This girl who happens to still look terrified at the consequences of breaking a jar, as if a grocery store worker is going to care. “It happens on the time, really it’s no big deal,” Lauren says in attempt to stop the shorter girl from worrying anymore.

The mystery girl for her part lets out a breath of relief and runs a hand through her messy hair, looking down anxiously at the mess before meeting Lauren’s eyes again and blushing when she meets the green. “I’m just… can I at least help you clean it up?” she offers, seemingly not knowing what to say but still feeling bad about the mess.

“I don’t clean it,” Lauren lies swiftly, she knows she could just deny the help but the girl is worrying her bottom lip between her teeth and Lauren can see how bad she feels in her eyes and she doesn’t want the girl to think she’s making Lauren’s job harder. “I just have to call custodial and they get paid to do specifically this so you’re fine, okay? Trust me it’s not a big deal,” Lauren reassures, keeping eye contact until the other girl nods and lets out another deep breath.

The brown eyed beauty stays where she’s standing for a moment, at first holding Lauren’s gaze with a small blush covering her cheeks, but then her eyes nervously glance up and then down to the floor again.

“Umm.. you can go if you need to finish your shopping..?” Lauren trails off and the girl flinches and breathes in and Lauren is confused.

At first Lauren doesn’t get it. Why she’s still standing there at all considering usually she tells the customer to fuck off and does a half assed job cleaning up.Then she realizes she’s still here because the girl needs those Lucky Charms and who’s going to help her reach them if Lauren isn’t still there?

Lauren lets out a laugh at the realization that mystery girl was embarrassed to ask for help and was planning on waiting for Lauren to leave to try again for the reach, but stops laughing when brown eyes snap up, blush growing when Lauren nods towards the cereal with a grin.

The girl nods smiling and laughing at herself as Lauren reaches up, standing on her tiptoes to reach the cereal and handing the box over to the girl who smiles even more gratefully once their eyes meet.

“Sorry I’m being weird I just, I feel really bad and you’re also really pretty and I suck around pretty girls and shit why do I say things like that out loud I’m so sorry I’m rambling and awkward and shit sorry I just, what I should be saying is thank you Lauren,” the girl rambles on and by the end her face is red as a tomato and Lauren smiles back at the adorable girl’s nervousness and tries not to blush herself at being called pretty by someone so pretty, but confusion must cross her eyes because Camila answers her question with an added, “you have a name tag,” and Lauren smiles and nods remembering.

“Yeah, no problem,” Lauren says back quickly, “And you’re fine really, people spill stuff all the time and they’re not this adorable so you’re beyond fine,” Lauren smiles back and Camila blushes before saying another thank you and spinning on her heels and leaving the aisle.

So Lauren now has a broken jar of pickles, a nameless beauty, and still a shitty job, but if she gets to meet more girls like that then maybe it’s not as shitty as it appears.

So maybe she should’ve asked that brown eyed girl what her name was, because for some reason she hasn’t left Lauren’s mind one over the past week. Whenever Lauren hears a “cleanup on aisle -” on the speaker she can’t help but think maybe it’s her. It never is, or at least Lauren doesn’t think it is because she’s always on cashier duties and she never sees the girl pass the check out section. So she bags peoples food and takes their money for a week while hating her job.

It happens again when she’s changing the stickers that say what sales are in the candy section. She hears the crash and by nature her first thought is “holy fucing fuck” because messes and noises annoy her, but her immediate second thought is the Latina mystery girl.

That’s the thought that sends her in a fast jog slash walk towards the next aisle where she heard the crash, and sure enough she’s greeted with the sight of a broken jar of pickles, two boxes of Lucky Charms, and a gorgeous brunette with her face buried in her hands.

“We’ve gotta stop meeting this way,” Lauren pipes up as she eyes the girl who’s lifted her head and is bashfully smiling with a blush covering her face. She perks up by the sight of Lauren but she’s obviously embarrassed by the clumsy move.

“I’m so sorry,” she gets out once again covering her face with her hand in embarrassment after she speaks. “I swear I don’t know how that happened I had the box in my hand then I just - I guess I flailed a little bit but - hey don’t laugh at me,” she pouts and if Lauren was flirty she’d comment about wanting to kiss it off but she’s more into hating everyone, this girl is an exception though so she’ll just say it’s cute.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Lauren chuckles, holding her hands up in defense, “but you keep breaking my pickles, I’m allowed to laugh if I want,” she teases and the brown haired girl blushes deeply again and trying to keep pouting but failing because Lauren’s teasing is making her giggly. “But hey, at least you got the Lucky Charms down yourself this time, right?” Lauren grins as she reaches to pick up the box and hand it to the girl.

“Hmm, maybe I should start wearing heels,” the girl ponders and Lauren giggles and woah since when does Lauren giggle? “Maybe not though, I’m sure I’d knock more things down falling in heels than I do jumping in converse,” the Latina grins and Lauren smiles back.

“Or you can come track me down, I can be like your personal reacher,” she jokes and the stranger laughs at her comment for a minute before sobering.

“Thank you once again Lauren,” she grins and turns to toss the cereal into her nearly empty wagon (the only things in it are doritos, bread, and pancake mix), “and I’ll have to hold you to that, might add some time but will surely save you from having to clean so much up.”

“Well I’ll be here,” Lauren says back as she crosses her arms and smiles, “I usually get stuck with the afternoon shifts so if you’re looking that’s where you’ll find me.”

“I’ll note that, but I should get going, obviously I have a lot to finish getting and I should let you get back to work…” the girl trails off looking down at the mess she made, “sorry again.”

“It’s completely fine, don’t stress for a second like I said last time it happens all the time,” Lauren answers with a shrug. She doesn’t mind this girl doing it because she’s pretty and nice and polite and adorable, if everyone who spilled things was this nice then Lauren wouldn’t hate her job so much. “But I’ll let you go, good luck shopping.”

Camila shoots her a nod and smile before turning for her wagon and walking away. Lauren’s eyes are focused on her ass because god that’s a nice ass so it’s not until the girl is about to be out of sight that she snaps out of it.

“Wait!” Lauren yells and the brunette stops in her tracks and spins to face Lauren. “What’s your name?”

The girl’s smile goes from light bulb to fucking sun shine brightness before she yells back in an enthusiastic voice, “Camila.”

It takes another two weeks for it to finally happen again.

Now as a softball player, Lauren usually associates the number three with “three strikes you’re out”. But when she hears the clashing of glass on the ground when she’s trying to find Harry for their switch in shifts, she’s hoping maybe third time will be the charm instead.

Now that she knows Camila’s name is Camila she’s had her eyes out on social media but she hasn’t found the girl’s account and she’s not about to creep until she finds her (that one time on instagram last Friday doesn’t count). She hasn’t lost hope though and she’s glad because when she turns into the familiar aisle she’s met with the beautiful sight of Camila running her hands through her hair and throwing her head back with a frustrated groan. Oh and also the sight of pickles all over the floor but that isn’t concerning her at the moment.

“I’m starting to think you do this on purpose,” Lauren jokes as she makes her way over, Camila’s head snapping down when she hears her and noticing Lauren for the first time.

“Don’t start, I was so close this time I swear,” Camila frowns, pointing up to the Lucky Charms that are basically hanging off the edge of the shelf. “God I should just start eating the adult cereal like my mom always says,” she huffs, crossing her arms and glaring at the plain Cheerios the are a shelf lower and in perfect reach.

“Don’t let broken jars ruin your breakfast,” Lauren jokes but the look Camila gives her tells her that maybe breakfast isn’t something to joke about. “Okay but really Camila it isn’t a big deal.”

“I know you always say that I just, are you sure I’m not supposed to pay for it or anything?” Camila asks and Lauren can’t help but giggle at the way she lowers her voice in the end as if they’re going to get caught discussing very serious things.

Truth is they have a policy that after a warning the customer is supposed to pay, but Lauren doesn’t mind paying the five dollars it is for the jar of pickles, if even that much. She doesn’t think Camila should have to pay, if anything the store should be required to have little ladders just so Camila can reach things without risking injury. “Camz, I’ve told you both times and I’m telling you a again you do not have to worry about anything. If anything I’m sorry that you keep almost getting hurt,” Lauren says, leveling the nervous girl, wanting to reassure her that she’s not a bother. She would tell her that seeing her in the store every now and then makes her job a hundred times less miserable to her but she feels like that might be too forward.

“Okay fine but only since you’re persistent,” the brown eyed girl smiles and Lauren returns it. “I really wanna help somehow but if you’re really sure there’s nothing I can do?”

Now or never right?

“Go out with me,” Lauren says in a gentle but demanding voice and she doesn’t let her confident appearance fade because that’s how you get girls to like you according to Zayn who she reluctantly had to ask for advice.

Camila stands like a fish out of water for a moment with wide eyes filled with surprise and Lauren doesn’t know how to read it but the girl is blushing and kind of smiling with her eyes so she assumes it can’t be too bad. After what feels like forever she finally speaks, “I’m sorry like a, like-”

“Like a date?” Lauren cuts in and Camila is still so shocked that all she can do is nod confirming and Lauren chuckles softly. “I mean unless you don’t want to, then you could just give me your number maybe?” she asks again, not wanting to make Camila uncomfortable but hoping she’s read their interactions correctly and Camila is into girls.

“Umm… yeah I umm, sorry I’m just, I didn’t think, god you;re just so pretty I’m overwhelmed and once again talking too much,” Camila stutters out and now a deep blush is covering her cheeks and she does that cute thing she always does where she buries her face into her hands momentarily before letting out a deep breath. “I’d like that, the date I mean, and the number since that kinda goes along with it I guess.”

“So that’s a yes?” Lauren asks with a small playful smirk that makes Camila laugh before nodding enthusiastically.

“A definite yes,” she replies, smiling at Lauren before reaching into her purse for her phone.

Maybe working at Stop & Shop isn’t the worst job she could’ve gotten.

This is also on my wattpad @ longerr_hours so check out my other works if you’re interested, I had to write this idk why but let me know what you think!

#UPDATE #one shot #AU #slash #camren #humour #submission #Stop and Shop Love Story

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