/ CODES AND KEYS

[OLIVER BERNARD LAYTON]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(); width: 457px; padding-top: 30; padding-bottom: 30; -moz-border-radius: 35 35 35 35; -webkit-border-radius: 35 35 35 35;] hi oliver's tired, sleep-heavy eyes were the same color of the swirling coffee inside of his cup. he stared blankly into the mug with a slight twitch of the mouth; a possible urge to yawn that he fought off, or a faraway daydream that hinted at a smile-worthy thought. both were very probable ideas, seeing as ollie had gotten about two hours of sleep the night before. and now, what was it? he glanced up regretfully toward the ticking clock in the corner of his office that seemed to mock him with every waking, conscious moment. 10:08 am. was this some kind of a sick joke? sure, oliver knew that this was a real job and he was no longer working on freelance 'writer time,' but still. it almost seemed a sin to be up and at 'em, as they say, this early. hell, the sun had barely even risen over the tops of the skyscrapers in the distance. he should be in bed, marveling in the grandoise feeling of his fluffy pillow, comforting blankets, and ultra soft sheets. he assumed it would be looked down upon to bring his snuggie into the workplace, so he was stuck trying to feel cuddled and cozy in jeans, a tank top, and a hooded sweatshirt. he had been ridiculed before for wearing his infamously worn out, ragged moccasins day in and day out, but that was one thing he refused to give up. ever. he rarely obeyed the other 'rules' in the first place. the only thing oliver usually got accomplished in his actual office was leaving huge drool stains on his desk. most of his work was accomplished at home... when most normal people slept. and that was why ollie was in this particular predicament. he finally snapped out of his daze as he heard footsteps approaching down the hall. he cussed beneath his breath as he scrambled around to throw sheets of paper out in front of him, turn on his computer monitor, and somehow look busy. he nearly spilled his precious cappuccino in the process, and was rather peeved to realize that his meticulous clacking on the keyboard was for nothing. the potential boss figure turned out to be no one more than a ups guy delivering a package down the hall. oliver released a huge sigh and relief washed over his freckled face instantly. this was ridiculous! he was in no mood or state of mind to write. at least, not right now. maybe a quick break would help clear his mind, and wake him up a bit more and get him really going. he reclined tentatively in his roller chair, licking his lips in thought. he had already taken two breaks earlier on... but what the hell, what would one more hurt? he would just take a shortened lunch or something to balance it all out. with a cleared conscience, the red-haired giant loped down the hallway after closing up his office. a nice trip outside after sneaking out the back door was just what he needed. the fresh air hit him hard and mussed his bedhead even further. however, not even that could distract him from the whiff of freshly ground coffee beans down the block. his empty stomach rumbled and he stood in the middle of the sidewalk simply torn. his guilt for leaving work was welling up quickly, but the petite version of a starbucks just across the street was so tantalizing. he thought quickly about the dark circles under his eyes, the early time, and the long day he had ahead of him and set off as soon as there was a break in traffic. he was walking at a brisk pace anyway thanks to his ridiculously long, spindly legs, so it wasn't like he was trying to stall or anything. the stalling part came once he got inside and stared up at the menu for about ten minutes stupidly. he was practically a regular here, and once the cute brunette he'd flirted with just a few too many times saw him enter, she already started on his order. though, once oliver got to the counter, he ended up ordering a second drink, which he had rather quickly learned to be althea's favorites. yes, he did treat people to drinks and lunches that much that he would know. he tipped the barista, bought a chocolate chip muffin, and went back on his way to the offices with two drinks teetering in his hands. miraculously, oliver made it back up the stairs without a single drop spilling or a crumb falling and also seemed to go unnoticed. did life get any better? he snaked his way past a serious meeting in the boardroom and tiptoed for the rest of the way so his rotted old shoes wouldn't make too much of a scuffing distraction. he passed up his own office and arrived just a little bit farther down, at thea's. she was a good friend of his, and the only other person he cared to really be around at this time of day. he couldn't trust himself to be his usual chipper, upbeat self around others, and didn't necessarily want to ruin his first impressions before noon. that was logical enough, right? he stuffed all of his treats into one cradling arm as he rapped on her door softly with one of his huge paws before pushing it open. he peeked in slightly with a one thousand watt grin, brandishing his coffees and sweet proudly. "i come bearing gifts, love." oliver said rather smugly, weaving his way around the door knob and frame before closing it with his hip. "i'm having a rather tragically horrible morning, so i just wanted to make sure yours was a bit better than that." he shrugged slightly as he explained himself. normally, he had no real reason as to why he showered his friends with food and love, but he didn't want thea to feel as if he was trying to butter her up or something to finish one of his edits. that definitely wasn't the case. he simply wanted to check in on the petite blonde, and make sure his favorite co-worker was doing alright. he sat down in one of the chairs facing the desk without much hesitation at all, slid the muffin and her drink toward her and kicked his feet up onto the corner of the desk. clearly he felt right at home. maybe a bit rude... but definitley oliver through and through. "so, how are you? 1092 WORDS FOR STEPH AS THEA EVEN THOUGH THIS SUCKS

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[ALTHEA JANE CLARKE]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: #cfbed0; width: 450px; height: 600px; line-height:85%] she says, i've got the best beating heart in the world -------------------- mornings were odd. you woke up from a sleep to get into a routine that you set up for yourself, without knowing how you'd feel when it happened, til it happened. althea was arguably an all around contented person no matter what the time of day, and being up early hadn't come too difficult to her. actually, being from seattle and always having to go back and forth between her actual home and her apartment in new york city helped her internal clock, and well, with the right amount of coffee in her cup she was always ready to go. it was almost seven when she had woken up, and that was pretty late for her on a normal day even when she wasn't in semester sessions. thea lay in bed for a little while longer, closing her eyes as she listened to the chirping of the morning bird that perched outside one of her windows and always came to visit her in the wee hours of light. it was seemingly characteristic of her day - no matter where she was, what state she was in, whichever apartment she was sleeping at, there was always a bird to greet her with song in the morning. it led her to think that perhaps in a past life she too was a free bird, which could have contributed to her free travelling spirit, minus having feathers and wings. thea gently threw the covers off herself, feeling the cold of the air conditioning and suddenly not wanting to leave her bed, but she pushed herself to the bathroom for her morning shower. she continued to yawn sleepily throughout it and til the hum of her hair dryer dyed down, putting her finally dry and whitened hair in a messy bun while she picked her outfit for the day - a vintage dress with the addition of one of her hair bows amongst the many masses of different clothes in her closet. she contemplated other things as she checked herself in the mirror and reached for her makeup, wondering what the day was supposed to be like. surprises were always welcome in her life, but of course, only the good ones were the best ones. soon she was taking her morning drive to downtown los angeles, sitting in the minutes of early rush hour traffic like usual. it was about seven thirty when she had left her house, and the traffic made it eight as she sat in her seat, listening to the morning radio show as she tapped her fingers against the wheel. luckily, she never got frustrated while in the situation, not to mention she was never actually late as her job was all of free will and come as you please aside from crunch time hours. the agenda for the day consisting of mostly sitting in sound addict's office and doing some work. the beginning and end of a month was always an easy time due to the work being done from the prior month, but as it was summer and nearing the middle of july, there were pieces to consistently be done for a ton of things. and she had been put in charge of a layout change, what with her schooling and background in design. so, full plate for thea. shaking her head, thea adjusted her sunglasses at the red light she was stopped at, checking her mirrors as she sighed. the pile of papers and folders in her passenger seat were calling out to her, even if their small signals were muffled by the weight of her camera bag and her regular one sitting atop them. it made her think of the things that some people said about her, how she didn't work for what she got when it was totally the opposite. sure, she was priviledged enough to be living in three places during the year, having affluent parents who spoiled her only because of the fact she was an only child, but she was a hard worker when it came down to it, and she never used her parents' resources aside from her lodging and transportation. since, that was really a necessity. and anyone who would have liked to say that she wasn't accomplished at all for her age of newly twenty-one was blind as a bat - besides, anyone who had negativity, thea would kill with her smiles and her kindness. that was the number one rule, to never let anyone upset you or bring you down, unless it was a caffeine crash that was the reason that was bringing you down. and she lived that way to the fullest. parking in her usual spot was easy, as thea was usually the one person who was there at the ungodly work hour of eight or nine in a normal job. her coworkers weren't necessarily morning people and she noted she was probably the only person there if anyone else hadn't driven like her - and after all, how much of a morning person could you be with a job that basically allowed you to work from home, whenever you felt like posting and writing? thea locked her doors and slung her bags over her shoulder, she picked up her papers before grabbing her tall mug with her homemade chai and closed her passenger door with her side, taking a sip of her drink as she made her way across the parking lot of the office space. keying in the back door code, she let herself in and saw that the lights were already on, and she shrugged - at least she wasn't the only person early today! making her way quietly up the stairs from the lobby to her own office, she finally set her things down and removed her sunglasses from her face, squinting a little bit as her eyes adjusted to the light. looking around the room, she noted that everything was as she had left it the night before when she left at about eleven, and she sat down in her swivel chair, bringing it closer again to her desk as she turned on her mac and logged in with her credentials. being a writer for sound addict was a fortunate opportunity for her and she enjoyed her freedoms, and the bonus were the friends and experience she had gained through it, in the field and in this office. sipping at her chai again, she barely wasted any time before she pulled her folders closer to her and opened them, clicking against her screen with her opposite hand before she began typing away while referencing her notes on paper. the faster she could finish typing up this article, the faster she could get to editting the photos and video that came along with it since that deadline was coming up soon, and in turn, the faster she could get the layout finished. her thought process remained uniterrupted for about two hours, with noises coming from the hallway outside her door but nothing out of the ordinary. thea barely looked up from her screen and the papers and prints on her desk while she was in the office, and it wasn't just for show - she really was concentrated, and most of the time she was very hard to distract while she was in her element. earlier she had throught she had seen oliver run past in his usual manner of sneaking out, his ginger hair like a blur as he sprinted to not be seen, and thea had just smiled to herself and shook her head as she flipped between her work. admittedly, he had been one of her favorite people in the office, being as he actually visited her every day during their hours, and she even indulged him in distracting from his own work while she did hers. surely enough, about a half an hour later, she heard a knock at her slightly opened door and seconds later there he was, poking his head in through the door space before the rest of his body followed to be inside her office. thea relaxed her body and elbows against her desk, placing her chin to rest against her folded hands while giving him a smile. "aw, good morning! this has started to become a routine for you, hasn't it?" she giggled, her voice chirp-like in her morning happiness as she gestured for him to take a seat as usual. true, they had their morning conversations each day, followed by lunch together at the cafe down the block, so it was pretty routine. "one day you'll find one of those edible arrangement things on your desk, you always bring me coffee for no reason and it's very sweet of you," she said, accepting the coffee in his hand and knowing that he had even memorized her orders after all the time they spent out. "you are truly a doll. and a stealth ninja, if you've kept going unnoticed while you leave. are you actually being serious or just dramatic about your day, ron weasley? because it's barely noon and even then you get to legitimately come out of your office for more fresh air." thea was prone to teasing him a little bit, but always cheerily. she folded her hands in her lap, her coffee cup in hand warming her fingertips. "i'm pretty alright, i'm surprised you're here, actually..." thea gasped a little in shock, still in jest. "did you actually get here first, and before me? because if so, then i suppose that's your reason for a tragically horrible morning, as you put it!" she smiled once more, brushing her bangs out of the way of her eyes, the bright look in them increasing as they rested their focus on him. "alternatively, my day just gets better whenever i get to hear your silly accent, since i would still like to steal it and have it as my own." ash as ollie. 1658 words. wah sorry it took so long / it's all over the place ):

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[OLIVER BERNARD LAYTON]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(); width: 457px; padding-top: 30; padding-bottom: 30; -moz-border-radius: 35 35 35 35; -webkit-border-radius: 35 35 35 35;] hi a day in the life of oliver layton truly wasn't all that difficult. he simply took some of his artistic license to paint a bigger picture for say, his mum. he had to make it at least seem as if he were in some great, opportunistic spot that was worth leaving home for. certainly he was glad to be here and all, but he was quite homesick. walking passed a certain pub every day gave him hints of home, and even hearing people speak on british programming on the television in his cozy little loft suddenly made it feel uncomfortable and even cold. he was a momma's boy at heart which made things worse, but he knew that he'd be back on his feet soon enough, and grow up. he was twenty years old, for heaven's sake. how was this any different than being a college kid being shipped halfway across the country to go to school? ollie just remembered to suck it up, and keep carrying on. he actually loved it over here, and it was quite obvious he was loved back all the same. many people thought that oliver was a suck-up; bringing people things here and there, or doing a little something extra for them when they needed it. no. oliver simply enjoyed helping people, and he could go home at the end of the day and know that although he had a rather iffy habit of attendance, he at least knew that he had made his co-workers happy. if that just so happened to help him out when it came to the yearly staff reviews he had heard about, then it was just another perk. ollie wasn't particularly worried about that, though. no one seemed to be out to get him, or anything, and he knew he brought a lot to the writing table, so it wasn't really a huge issue. in fact, he remembered the warm welcome he received when he first 'moved in' to his office. it hadn't been all that long ago, either... perhaps only four or five months. he just remembered having to duck down and slouch his six foot body to get into the door frame without mussing his ridiculous hair. inside he'd found all kinds of little baskets of treats and trinkets, and since that day, the smile never really left his face. though, that wasn't really a bad thing. sometimes, oliver wondered if he was too nice or too happy. it was hard to question those things with so few positive and kind people left in the world... but still. he wondered. occasionally, people were suspicious and confused when the ginger boy dropped his usual presents off for them. he was bombarded with questions and raised eyebrows, and he simply wasn't into any of that for just doing a good deed. that was one of the reasons why he absolutely adored thea, and her understanding little self. he actually felt genuinely appreciated and liked by her, and it warmed his homesick heart just enough. for instance, her cheery greeting and reception was just another one of those things. she was almost always in this mood, and even when she was super busy, she still seemed to be almost of the same happy caliber. it seemed to be no secret to everyone except thea that he 'fancied' her, though... hence all of the daily coffee runs and lunch breaks spent at her side. he wasn't afraid to go the extra mile for someone as sweet and cute as her. he was a bit biased because of her bright smile and jovial giggle, but hey. could you blame him? oliver merely shrugged when she questioned his routine. he never really thought about it, but he did tend to zoom by her door at nearly the same time daily to make his escape. it was truly a wonder how he hadn't been caught yet, especially considering his rather 'impossible to miss' features, being the height and the hair. he'd ride out that wave as long as he could, and if it meant he'd eventually have to shimmy down a rope from his window to get in his cappuccino fix, so be it. stop that. you don't need to do that. i'm practically doing everyone a favor by keeping you buzzed all day long, he teased. thea probably didn't really need the extra latte to keep herself chipper, but ollie would rather not find out the hard way. he was usually long gone before althea clocked out, so part of the issue was already solved in that case. he waved off her thankful words and tiredly rubbed at his face, hoping to diminish the red color that had risen to his cheeks. god, he was such a mess. her flattering words clearly tickled him, and he was going to have trouble wiping the smirk off of his face. ron weasley? he repeated, holding his hands to his chest in a rather defeated and offended pose. he was quickly over it, though and ended up lowering his arms so he could take a slow sip of his drink and ponder a proper response. i always think i'm rather obvious when i sneak out, so i don't really understand it. but if you must know, i'd say i'm a bit of both. ninja skills seem like a useful thing i could throw on my job resume, actually. he thought for a little while longer while lowering his feet back to the floor so he could bounce his heels to alleviate some quick jitters. you shouldn't be questioning my motive anyway, luna lovegood. you get free things out of it, so what do you care? he laughed. he was always laughing around her. she had a particular way of teasing with him that made it impossible for him to keep a straight face, and for some reason, he loved that. the corners of his mouth always twitched out of a grimace and into a full on smile, and his stomach ached from giggling so hard whenever he was done speaking with her. he knew he sounded like a lovesick puppy, but he'd deny it to the death if you brought it up. there was no way that thea liked him in the same way, and for once, he wasn't going to get his hopes up. here he was again, laughing. her little gasp triggered it this time, though and he playfully rolled his eyes. i did, as a matter of fact. oliver boasted proudly; head cocked back and chin high in a mocking stance. i sort of just sat around, but it's a start, yeah? he was looking for approval much like a puppy running around, looking for its belly to be rubbed. as she cleared the hair from her face, he felt himself searching for another distraction. he didn't find it awkward to look someone in the eye, or anything... but when it came to thea, he usually found himself staring at her lips while she talked, which rather brought out the true little boy in him. he averted his eyes to his coffee, her desk, her papers, and everywhere else in the room before he had no choice but to look back at her as he spoke again. you're the one with the silly accent. he said after a while with a fake aura of defensive. you and your 'freedom language' can just deal with what you've got. there'll be no stealing of anything if i can help it. ollie grinned sloppily, dropping his official tone and replacing it with one more usual for him. you can't even handle speaking like me, he said as he stood up to examine her fully. get yourself a pair of trousers on, and then we'll talk. this isn't anything to mess around with. his eyes practically twinkled. actually, forget the trousers. i don't know what i'm on about. you look rather nice, actually. he said slowly as he sat back down, feeling rather unsure of what he was talking about. this happened a lot. he pursed his lips in thought, but not before crossing his mile long legs. he rested his coffee-free hand on his knee and shook his foot boredly. i'll just have to take you home one of these days. he said non-chalantly, as if carting someone off to europe was no big deal. you'll never want to leave, though... but i guess i could handle being stuck with you. he shrugged his thin shoulders, pulling his hood over his head as he leaned back into the chair in an awkwardly boxy position and relaxed. bizarre was probably the only real way to describe him. 1450 WORDS FOR STEPH AS THEA OMG I FAIL KICK ME PLZ

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[ALTHEA JANE CLARKE]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: #cfbed0; width: 450px; height: 600px; line-height:85%] she says, i've got the best beating heart in the world -------------------- some people could say that althea worked too hard for a job that wasn't quite "real" - but she would have to disagree with anyone who decided to say that to begin with. for one, writing was a real job and it did require skill; you couldn't just come in and use your opinions and write them down and call it a piece, there were objectives and subjectives and a lot of other components that required a bit of unbias amongst other things in order to convey the right words. you didn't want to anger anyone in the business, and negativity was never something that althea sought out to deliberately garner in her daily life. she knew that she definitely helped those around her with her positive attitude, but hey - unlike others, she didn't ever see a reason to be mad at anything, really. which was probably why her demeanor was perfectly suitable for this position, being a contributor and the quiet, chipper worker that did everything on time and didn't mind being in an office. sure, she was sometimes too nice and probably too sweet for anyone to believe in her true personality, but they would have to take her for her face value, because it truly was who she was. oliver was one of the people who seemed to appreciate her being daily, what with these aformentioned coffee bribes gifts and the quality time they spent as coworkers at lunch - yes, she also knew he was a typical free spirited guy who could always be coaxed into anything when it involved escaping from the office plus getting food, so it was quite a win for the both of them. with whatever reason it was that led him to her or vice versa never being a questioning point, it was fairly safe to say that she just thoroughly enjoyed his company at any time of the day, and it made this time no different at all. "oh, but i do, you see." thea couldn't help but laugh once more at oliver's first response to her comments, shaking her head as she brought the coffee cup to her lips and took another long sip of the warm beverage. "you're doing me a favor as well by always keeping me ready to go, dear," she added, feeling the caffeine already sinking into her bloodstream and adding onto her human battery life. "but i'm sure everyone would like me to slow down a tad, since i potentially make you all look bad, if i don't make myself look work crazy." truth, she did do way more than she had to, but thea couldn't really help how she worked - she just liked to help things move along for the cause and the advancement of everyone else as well, so really it was all for everyone else's benefits. and surely, deep down oliver appreciated her own favors of covering some of his work especially in the last few months - helping him getting started was a wonderful thing she took upon herself, having got a chance to know him better and get some of his own stories and pointers out of him. they were pretty much bettering each other, in addition of providing each other with coffees, sweets, and tons of laughter in between. "you look exhausted, dear. you need to get off your british time already, it's been a few months." did she mention that she probably talked more about how he was british than anything else? thea smiled, eyes settling on oliver in a sympethetic glance as she watched him rub at his eyes, and the tone of playfulness died out for a moment. "really though, you probably need this coffee more than i do, or some of my energy in the mornings. i'll share it with you, honest." she reached across the desk and patted his hand softly, winking at him and slightly noticing the color that had risen to his face. "too warm in here? we should break into riley's office and tell her to turn it down." of course, her absentmindedness would always be her downfall, but she never really thought much about anything to begin with anyway. althea raised an eyebrow in mock shock as her reaction to oliver's own once she called him ron weasley, and she was neither too quick nor too slow to reply. "oh, don't look at me like that, you know that's a compliment, you silly ginger." this was their way of conversation, witty and playful, and very flirtatious if anything, though althea never really quite thought of oliver in that way. sure, he was quite the gentleman in her eyes, odd in a good way and very different from the rest of the guys she was friends with, but she was never sure of motives and moves even if they were right in front of her. she had never had a boyfriend nor a real kiss before, so who was she to say that anything that oliver did for her wasn't anything more than just him being nice to her? "oh, don't worry, you are pretty obvious since you make yourself obvious, what with your running past my door every morning. you're almost like the flash, though, so you could have worked for the queen as a spy, with your skills. mention that at any of the next jobs you'll possibly be having after this one, haha." thea's ears perked up at his complimentary calling of her as luna lovegood, and she smiled at him, almost beaming actually. "i've always wanted to be her, you know that she's practically my spirit animal, except perhaps i don't think i'm as airy as she is?" thea licked her lips, which were drying a little from the air exposure when it was away from her coffee. "i care, because it's practically not fair. that rhymed, oops. but you know girls are quite the suckers for free things. and i'll have you know that i'm not taking advantage of this relationship - i will get you back one day, mark my words! ...oh, i fail at sounding menacing at all. you will always win, ollie." her giggle was nervous and she bit down on her bottom lip briefly, avoiding his eyes. yes, admittedly, she always felt shy calling him by his nickname, even though she had been told countless times that it was much preferred over the formality of his full name. and she wasn't sure why. luckily, nothing was ever caught or dwelled upon between them and their various interpretations of what the other had said, or so she had always believed. thea was very go with the flow, happy to move along with the moment as it passed by, and it was exactly what she was good at doing and applied it to wipe away her bit of nervousness that was showing in her demeanor at the moment. she glanced at her computer screen and then at her papers and laughed again as oliver talked about sitting around - something she could never seem to do. "at least you're here, and that makes sitting around count as work," she said, watching him look away from her and all around her room. "isn't my office intimidating? you're practically nervous at the mention of work," she mused, gathering a few of the stray pages on the left side of her desk and shuffling them back together matter-of-factly, and thea found herself laughing again at oliver's reply. "true, i do have a silly accent, but i have a defense of always moving around places. i am a language mutt, or an accent one, if that even makes any sense. i will steal your accent, just like ursula did with ariel in the little mermaid. except i'll leave you with my accent, you'll be all american." thea looked up at him when he stood, returning his observant gaze with one of her own, almost like a sort of staring contest except not quite. "i'll wear some trousers tomorrow if that'll please you, but oh, thank you," she said shyly, the same reaction she always had whenever anyone complimented how she looked - she wasn't nearly as confident as any girl out there in this city about her looks, and she was not close to model status, so while she knew she had her own unique style that others fancied, it was still always a shock to hear that someone thought it was adorable or good on her. the silence settled between them and it was sort of calming rather than awkward, and thea chose to just smile through it while gripping her coffee a little bit tighter. "you are always so sweet." could he possibly tell she was sort of at a loss for words whenever it came to compliments? england. always a topic of conversation between the two of them, and thea was always so eager to listen or talk about it with him. as big of an american she could have been, it had always been a dream to go to england, and not just because she loved harry potter and british accents and the idea of english style tea and everything that came with the scenery. yes, those were all very important and valid reasons she had, but she had also wanted to go out of the country for once, whenever she finally had time to. "you sound so excited at the prospect and possibility of that idea," she said jovially, even if she was unsure whether his voice was actually sarcastic in that way. "i can only imagine how wonderful it is over there, even if i might not really know what i'm dreaming about since i've never been. and you're right, i probably wouldn't want to leave." thea grinned, mentally making a note to actually look up arrangements for such a trip to happen this year - she deserved a break and a treat anyway. her eyes leveled with his again, watching him pull his hood to cover his mass of sideswept red hair. "i would be a wonderful companion, don't lie. you love my company, that's why you're here, and that's why i am betting that you wouldn't actually mind if i did somehow hide in your suitcase whenever you returned home." oliver always provided her with such attention and it made her feel very warm inside, and at the moment thea began to think that perhaps that idea from before about turning down the heat and turning up the air conditioning was going to be a very good idea in the next few minutes. ash as ollie. 1776 words. i suck but aw he's cute and she's cute and just weird

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[OLIVER BERNARD LAYTON]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(); width: 457px; padding-top: 30; padding-bottom: 30; -moz-border-radius: 35 35 35 35; -webkit-border-radius: 35 35 35 35;] hi believe it or not, at one point in time, oliver was rather hopeless. in the same month, he lost his high school sweetheart, flat, and his job. it had been a horrible time for him obviously, but it also served as a learning experience. he was certainly no ghandi or dalai lama, but the positive feelings that he forced himself to feel afterward were a pretty remarkable turnaround. he never uttered a foul word about anything unless it was part of a joke, and he would rather die than say something truly mean about anyone. many people considered him a pushover, but as an ex-writer of children's books, it was pretty clear he wasn't any rude or cruel thug type of character. even after starting with a clean slate over here, he was still impressively open to everyone. he had no walls up for people to break down, and he still put himself out there at his most vulnerable. it was his strength as well as his downfall, but he believed he could trust thea not to fuck him over and crush his friendly heart any time soon. intrigued to hear her explanation, he eased back into his chair; crossing his legs as he propped his elbow up on the arm rest and nestled his chin into his palm. he was all ears, and his blatantly amorous eyes were nearly glued to her as well. are you trying to brag? you're trying to turn this into a pity party for me because i don't get my work in on time? he scoffed with a fake look of disbelief. he appeared to be taken aback and highly offended, as per usual 'funny' ollie. 'potentially make us look bad.' he shook his head, burying his smirking mouth into his hand to hide it from her. damn his inability to keep a straight face for more than a few seconds around her. by now, he figured that she was either cursed, or he was just losing his touch when it came to comedy. either way, things weren't looking too bright for his sense of humor. you don't look crazy at all, love. no one besides me thinks you're mental, so your little secret is safe, alright? he finally showed his teasing grin before moving on. he shook his head at her advice and lowered his freckled hands. i'm not tired, he lied. my contacts are just bothering me. he shrugged. it wasn't really a well known fact that he was 'vision impaired' around here. he was supposed to wear glasses, really... but after breaking them a few too many times, he switched over to the contact lens end of things. after that failed, he sort of just went all natural and pretended that he could recognize blurry faces and type faces. he had actually gone the extra mile and decided to use his eyes today, so there came the cumbersome little lenses. he was actually sort of glad that he had picked today to wear them, though. the reason for that may or may not have been how cute althea looked today, but who knows. he caught her wink and his jaw gaped wide. maybe if you weren't winking at me i wouldn't be so flustered! he jeered as he pretended to cherish the hand that she had touched just then. such a little flirt, you are. he shook his head and gave a little 'tsk tsk' click of the tongue to show his 'disapproval.' yeah, right. she could touch him and wink at him all she damn pleased. keep your compliments, woman. can't you see i'm already hot and bothered? he tugged at his collar, as if she was really making him that way. he couldn't help but love to make people feel a bit uncomfortable, or at best, a little confused. i was born james bond in another life, i think. so yeah, it's a possibility. he commented nonchalantly before listening to her gush. oddly enough, oliver found it impeccably adorable to listen to her ramble. he could practically see the gears in her head clicking sometimes, and it fascinated him to no end. you're not as airy, but you're still quite a dreamer, i think. which is good! oliver vindicated. the last thing he wanted to do was insult the poor girl. he put her through enough on a daily basis. thea's giggle seemed to be contagious. although oliver was always in a laughing fit anyway, it just put him over the edge to hear her tittering at herself. one of these days, i'll let you win just so you can say you know what it feels like. he said it as if he were doing thea some huge favor, and dusted off his shoulders for whatever reason. he noticed they both seemed to look away from each other at the same time and wondered if he made her feel too awkward. he knew he was rather clingy and invasive at times, but he never really thought he was all that bad or too overbearing to deal with. besides, she would let him know if he was crossing some sort of line, right? he hoped so, at least. hush! you make me feel like i'm a horrible person, he mumbled, sticking his lower lip out in a sinfully sad pout. i get things done eventually! he attempted to justify himself, but it was definitely too late to save himself entirely. you're a gypsy, aren't you? oliver narrowed his dark eyes on her suspiciously, hands sinking into his hips as he stared her down. i knew it all along. don't try and distract me with this mermaid talk, either. i see right through you, blondie. he smirked whilst waggling a finger at her in a reprimanding manner. you're welcome, and thank you. he beamed, feeling his smile widening as she called him sweet. he heard it a bit often, but any compliment coming from thea still meant a lot to him. she seemed bashful when it came to flattering, whether it was her or someone else, and it made ollie wonder if she was actually as innocent as she seemed. part of him originally sensed it was an act and a professional one at that... but now, he wasn't so sure she was just putting on a show. oliver loved seeing her excited, more than anything. to get anyone's blood pumping for a positive reason typically made his day, and thea's chattering about his home country was as good as it could get. it's great. and don't believe the movies and whatnot. they seem to always portray it as foggy, and it's actually really rather nice... he leaned in close, except for all the muggles roaming the streets. he winked, and let her go on -- stifling his chuckle. i do love your company! he nodded, chewing on one of his sweatshirt strings while he pulled and tugged on the other one. seriously. you're my favorite person ever and i just want to pick you up and throw you over my shoulder and carry you to london and just watch you run around because you'd have no idea what to do with yourself. he raved, spitting out the hoodie string as he spoke more enthusiastically. if you ever want to come over, you can look through some photo albums i've got. he shrugged, hoping she wouldn't take his invitation the wrong way. 1243 WORDS FOR STEPH AS THEA OMG I FAIL KICK ME PLZ

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