FAGEY McFAGEINGTON THE 5th
Title: Brick By Boring Brick
Written for: Cullen Cousin
Written By: BabyPups Whitlock
Rating: PG
Summary/Prompt used: "A Little Fun"
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What I own: A super cool Siamese cat, FAR too many twitter accounts and 10 pairs of certified stripper shoes. I also have "Brick By Boring Brick on my Ipod a whole bunch of times which was the musical inspiration for this piece, as well as quoted throughout. Written and performed by Paramore who are AMAZEBALLS.
What I don't: Twilight. Despite a physical resembelence to Miss Stephanie Meyer, I am not her and am not making a cent off this piece of fiction. If I was things would have been VERY different.
A/N~ Much love goes out to ReadingMama, the sublime Misstress of FAGE for all of her hard work in each and every round. Thank you to Life_in_the_Shape_Of_A_Girl for the third lovely banner. I am in awe of your talent. Love and pole dances to my super amazing master beta TammyGrrl for fixing all of my insanity and talking me down from ledges she didn't even know about. Cullen Cousin I really hope you like this, it was a pleasure writing for you!
The cool afternoon breeze swept through the park, rustling the bright green leaves on the trees, catching both the ends of my dark hair and the hem of my heavy gown and twisting them behind me. I rested my chin on my hand and glanced out over the rolling green meadow, still sprinkled with violet and pink flowers. My smile was, I had no doubt, forced as I blinked in pain, errant strands of hair catching and pulling in the intricate tiara that perched on my head.
The small huff of indignation was not lost as the nearly constant click of the shutter stopped and a melodic voice reached my ears.
"Bells, princesses don't frown" Edwards voice was teasing and I glanced back over at him as he lowered his beloved Nikon and headed toward the tower that I was perched in. I stuck my tongue out at my friend and glanced down at him.
"Well, this princess does." My words were juvenile and whiney but they were true. I had been sitting in the small space for hours as Edward adjusted lightening and angles, played with filters and lights… just watching him was exhausting. My stomach rumbled slightly and I rested my hand on it, the rich satin and diaphianous chiffon of the elegant gown I was wearing felt luxurious under my fingers and was perfectly fitted. At first, when Edward had come to me seeking someone to shoot for his final photography portfolio, I had scoffed at him. I was more of a jeans, hoodie and Chucks girl than I was a princess but he had both begged and pouted which, along with his signature emerald eyes, had finally done me in. As had the passion behind his idea. Edward had both vision and talent out the ass and prattled on incessantly about the symbolism behind his project. "It's all about the exposure, the lens… her prince finally came to save her, and the rest you can figure out. It was a trick and the clock struck twelve…"The retelling, in photographs, of the treasured fairy tales that we all grew up with was compelling but I still didn't know why he wanted ME to play his princess. My skepticism had lasted straight through until this morning, when we had arrived at the meadow. Edwards sister Alice and Cousin Rosalie, whom I loved nearly as much as I did my best friend, had ushered me away into the small building, primping, pulling, painting and plucking me to within an inch of my life.
Once they had finally finished and I glanced in the mirror, I was more than a bit shocked to say the least, and I could almost see why Edward had been so insistant that I agree to be his "muse" as he so kindly put it. I still looked like myself only… better. My normally riotous dark curls were tamed into gentle waves that fell gracefully to my waist, an elegant silver tiara with glimmering stones rested on my head. My skin was luminous and pale, eyes dark and softly emphasized in charcoal, lips rich and berry hued. The gown itself was a wonder, a testament to Alice's amazing skills as both seamstress and designer, hugging my curves and cascading to the floor in layers of mocha coloured ruffles, the train stretched behind me as I gazed out of the window.
A small movement at the tree line caught my attention and I blinked, sure that my eyes were playing tricks on me. Edward, Alice, Rosalie and I were the only ones that had been here all morning but I swear I saw someone just duck behind a tree. Narrowing my eyes slightly, I returned to the window, leaning forward ever so slightly as the wind picked up. My hair blew across the eyes and I cursed aloud, brushing it away with a small yelp as another hank of it caught it the scrollwork of the tiara. Growling softly, I pulled the offending piece of jewelry off my head, along with a fair amount of hair, and, in frustration, chucked the thing from the window.
"Isabella Marie Swan! That is an antique!" Alice's tiny voice floated up to me from the ground as she somehow managed to catch the ringlet of silver and stones.
"It fucking HURT Alice! My hair kept catching in the scrolls!" I crossed my arms and stomped my foot, juvenile, yes, but still fittingly appropriate. I was playing a princess after all. Edwards melodic laugh was followed by the incessant click of the shutter as he captured my mini-tantrum on film.
"It's perfect Bells, I promise!" The words, spoken in Edward's musical tenor, were somehow reassuring and I could feel the corners of my mouth turn up in a small smile.
"That's better Belly-bean" Edward's casual use of a nearly forgotten childhood nickname had me throwing my head back in laughter. "Perfect! Just a couple more shots and we are good for a break. Now, put your elbow on the window ledge and rest your cheek on your hand… Just like that. Now look to the left. More, more. PERFECT! " I had followed Edward's directions, glancing, once again, to the tree line, in hopes of spotting the mysterious figure from a few minutes before. My hope seemed useless as I saw nothing but the brown bark and bright green trees of the forest.
"Okay Bells, come on down but BE CAREFUL! If you fall, we are all fucked!" Edward's tone was playful but the words held weight. My clumsiness was legendary in our tiny town, and I had been treated for more bumps, bruises, strains and sprains that any one person had a right to be. I swear I had caught the residents at the Forks Community Hospital ER playing "Rock, Paper, Scissors" to figure out who would treat me on more than one occasion. I waited in position until Edward lowered his camera and nodded at me, his fingers running through his unruly bronze locks, eyes now glued to the display on the expensive piece of machinery in his hand. He fought tooth and nail against getting digital camera at first but now carried it with him everywhere, reserving his classic Nikon for personal projects as opposed to professional or school ones. Shaking my head I turned and headed to the spiral steps of the old tower, descending them slowly, my voluminious skirt held up above my knees, exposing the dark washed denim of my beloved skinny jeans, as to further reduce the chance of a headlong trip down the stairs. My well worn and loved Chucks may not have been proper princess footwear but one glance at the heels that Rosalie had presented and I could feel the bruises forming already. I kept my eyes glued on my feet as I descended the steps, the air in the stone enclosure earthy and damp. No one knew why the tower was there, but it had been as long as any of them could remember. Some of my most fond memories were of playing here, in this meadow and tower as a child, hours and hours of intricate games of princess and monsters with the imaginative Alice and quiet afternoons spent twining brightly coloured blossoms into braids or crowns with Rosalie, all painstakingly documented by Edward on one of the cameras that he was never seen without. Even as a child, he had a camera clutched in the small hands, always viewing the world through the lens, seeing images and details that none of the rest of us could see.
My smile brightened as I exited the tower and I dropped my skirts, shielding my eyes from the unusually bright afternoon sun. Squinting against the light I rounded the corner of the tower, looking for my friends. The sun glinted off of Edwards bizarre hair, turning it an almost unnatural share of bronze as he sat in the grass, his head tilted down, emerald eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. Beside him Rosalie reclined amongst the flowers, her long cornsilk blonde hair fanning behind her, a sharp contrast to the fuscias and purples scattered against the deep green grass. Wrinkling my nose I searched for Alice. I finally spotted her, her shock of inky black hair and preternaturally pale skin, leaning against a tree along the meadow's edge, the sun glimmering off of her shining green top. Her lyrical laughter floated over to me and she jumped up, pausing for a moment to tug one someone at the tree side. I froze for a moment, surprised as a tall figure stepped out from behind the tree. So I hadn't been hallucinating! Alice grabbed the man's hand and danced across the meadow, her visitor in tow, his long legs easily keeping up with my tiny pixie of a friend. I felt like a fool but couldn't help but stare at the stranger that was currently dancing through the flowers with Alice. His legs were wrapped in perfectly fitting dark denim and a dark green button down hinted at the lean physique beneath. Strong, coltish arms danced in the air as he twirled Alice around, with a grace that was more than a little surprising for a man his height. Alice was tiny, granted, but this man had at least a foot on her 4'10" frame, if not a foot and a quarter, topped off with dark blond hair hanging low over the sunglasses that obscured his eyes. The closer they got the harder it was for me to pull my attention away and his deep laughter could have very well been my undoing. Rich and nearly musical, the sound made my long neglected hormones start dancing. Inwardly scolding myself, I shook my head of the ridiculous thoughts that were floating about as if the mere action would make them flee.
"He's pretty Belly-bean" Edwards purr startled me out of my stupor and I glared at him, my eyes narrowing to slits. "Don't even deny it Isabella Marie, I know that face and the last time I saw it was during Magic Mike. Although I don't know what you see in that kid. Now Channing Tatum, on the other hand-"
"Edward! Shut. Up." My hissed words were punctuated by playfull attempts to ruffle his hair, all of which were easily fended off by my much taller and infinitely more agile friend.
"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen if that dress gets so much as damaged because you are being an ass, so help me God, I will do things to your camera collection you can't even imagine!" Alice, despite being tiny, could be fierce when the situation called for it and when one of her creations was in any way in danger, my petite friend could quite possibly take on an opponent twice her size and win, without a single hair out of place.
Edward froze and dropped his hands away from me, carefully clutching his antique camera in his hand as he manually advanced the film. "Ali Cat you know I would never willingly endanger one of your illustrious creations."
Roaslie's throaty chortle drifted over as she joined us, her arms encircling the stranger with a familiar ease as he picked her up and spun her around. "Damn it Whit, I've missed you like crazy! What the fuck took you so long to get your skinny ass up here for a motherfucking visit?" Beautiful as she was, Rosalie Hale had a mouth that could make a trucker blush and she made good use of it, more often than not.
"I'm sorry Rosie Posie, you know I don't do well in the cold. " He flashed Rose a devastating smile, all white teeth and charm and, combined with the lilting Texas accent, I may have melted a bit. Okay a lot.
"Fucking please Jasper Hale Whitlock, it's 70 degrees and sunny today. You just didn't want to leave Peter and Charlotte. " Rosalie's brow cocked in challenge, a smile tweaking her red lips.
"Damn Rosie! That wounds me." I couldn't hide my laugh as he –Jasper- dropped to his knees in front of us, his hands over his heart. "You know I couldn't leave my girl while she was expecting!" My smile dropped a notch as I processed his words and I felt Edward elbow me lightly in the ribs.
"Jesus Christ Jas, you fucking Texas boys and your goddamn horses!" Rose rolled her eyes playfully and brushed her hair off her shoulder, her grin giving her away.
"Now Rosie you know I couldn't leave Peter to take care of Charlotte. I love the man, he is my brother, but he knows about as much about delivering horses as I do about driving a snow plow."
"When you're right, you're right Jas." Rosalie said with a shrug before glancing over at Edward and I, draping an arm across Alice's tiny shoulders. Jasper's attention followed and he gave me a blinding smile, catching my hand in his and pressing his lips to my knuckes in a ridiculously old-fashioned and yet unbelievably charming gesture.
"You must be Bella, Rosie has told me all about you."
My lips quirked up in a smile as before I replied. "Well, I'm sure at least half of it is false. Rosalie tends to elaborate when it comes to me, especially if she is trying to get me to agree with something." I glance over at Rose and give a playful wink before turning my attention back to the man that still knelt before me. "You were in the trees earlier." My statement was simple and I raised a brow as I waited for his response.
"And you were in a tower princess." Another quick kiss across my knuckles and he stood, pulling off his glasses to reveal a pair of stormy grey eyes, twinkling with laughter as he stood.
"It's hard to keep your feet on the ground when your heads in the clouds." I smiled slightly as I paraphrased one of Edwards constant teases about my constant imagination, the results of which were countless notebooks filled with miscellaneous ramblings.
Jasper narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment before a smile tugged at his full lips and he tucked a purple flower behind my ear, leaning close to my ear, his breath warm across my cheek. "For some reason, Miss Isabella, I have a feeling that your head is far from in the clouds." Strong fingers brushed across my cheek as they left my ear and I swallowed hard, meeting Jasper's gaze, just about to open .my mouth to speak when the familiar click of the shutter stunned me into silence and I snapped around to glare at my beloved friend, a far from innocent grin playing on his face.
"It was a perfect shot princess.": I glanced back up at Jasper, a smile playing on his lips as Edward quickly advanced the film and snapped another picture.
"I'm kind of liking this juxtaposition." Edward gestured between Jasper and I, a mischevious smile playing on his lips. I rolled my eyes and shook my head slightly, recognizing the look on his face. A glance at Alice and Rosalie, matching smiles on their faces confirmed my suspicions and I huffed slightly, rolling my eyes and looking back at Jasper, grabbing his hand.
"We need to talk." My words were blunt and I lifted my skirt with my free hand, tossing it over my arm and striding, as purposefully as I could towards the tower, ignoring the amused laughs that trailed in our wake.
My hand felt tiny in Jaspers large one and we ascended the stairs in silence, our footsteps on the stone steps the only sound. Entering the small room that I had spent most of the day in, I leaned against the wall next to Jasper and met his gaze.
"They-" I paused for a moment, gesturing emphatically toward the window through which the deep golden light of sunset spilled in, "Are trying to set us up."
"It would appear that you are right." Jasper's honeyed voice was oddly calming and I felt my shoulders relax as I met his gaze. "Is that a bad thing princess?" Full pink lips twitched upward and I tugged my bottom lip between my teeth, deep in thought.
My friends, amazing as they are, had been doing this same thing in varying forms with zero success, since high school and it had only taken a threat of violence towards their cameras, shoes and BMW before they finally agreed to stop. As much as I hated their meddeling, A nagging voice in the back of my head hoped that maybe, just this once, they may be at least somewhat successful.
"It might not be an entirely bad thing." My smile was quick as I met Jaspers eyes, twinkling in amusement.
"What?"
Leaning in close, Jaspers breath was warm as it ghosted across my ear. "Wanna have a little fun?"
I nodded slightly, my hair swinging off my shoulders and met his eyes again for a moment before he seized my hand and led me back towards the window. Dropping my skirts I followed, leaning on the window frame. Glancing down I could see my friends staring up, amused smiles on their faces, Edwards 35 millimeter poised to shoot.
Jaspers rough thumb gently brushing my cheek before his lips brushed over mine in a sweet, unpressured kiss, my arms twining around his neck. I could vaguely hear the amused laughter of my friends on the ground below and the click of Edwards shutter. I pulled away slightly, my cheeks flushing and met Jasper's eyes.
"So Princess, it's not so bad in your tower, is it?" His hands rested loosely on my waist and I grinned.
"It's where I want to be." Chuckling softly I tightened my arms and pulled his lips back down to mine, smiling against them for an instant before giving in to his sweet, fairy-tale perfect kiss.