A.N. Here is the first chapter of Agape which I teased at the idea of in my one shot Wonders of the World. I hope you like it and that there aren't too many grammatical errors as I don't have a beta.

"Cress what," Iko's voice was full of confusion and Iko, the school gossip, didn't do confusion. She did witty exposés and altogether incorrect conspiracy stories but she was never confused. "Thorne... Thorne is coming to stay."

Cress nodded, she had known of Thorne for as long as she can remember. He was the child of her first stepmother and the only sibling she'd acquired in her father's run of weddings. Thorne had wormed his way into his goods graces and stayed there forming a bond with her dad Cress envied. A bond based on beer and hospital dramas which had survived many ER visits on screen and off.

"Earth to Cress," Scarlett clicked her fingers in front of Cress's face. Cress blinked twice confused before wincing at the sharp abrasive sound. "What are you going to do?"

Cress shrugged, "Why would I know? I haven't seen him since dad invited him to our family get together months ago." Thorne had spent a summer at her house when he was sixteen and since then her dad invited him to every family event to play the perfect son. It never mattered that Cress got better grades and whatnot; she would never be what he wanted.

"Thorne's that arrogant jackass who thinks he's gods gift to womankind, right?" Thorne made the mistake in hitting on Cinder last year after she'd fixed his car and the then 16 year old had eaten in to him. Cress had succeeded in separating them but Cinder was notorious for holding grudges.

"That sounds like him," Cress signed resigning herself to having to put up with him for the next year. He was moving in so he could finish his pilot's license at the local airfield after his most recent bust up with his mom.

Iko arched a delicate eyebrow, "he's called Carswell. What do you expect?"

They all laughed at that except Cinder who mumbled something about common decency. Thorne had gone by that as a kid but when they'd first met when she'd been five he had tricked her into calling him captain. Everyone had laughed when it had all come out after years of her calling him 'captain' and Cress had raged for days. Thorne had only laughed when she confronted him and said that he was now going by Thorne.

" I don't need this," Cress pouted. "This year was my year and now he's going to be around at home sponging of dad with whichever girl he's picked up that day." He'd been her first crush years ago and had broken her twelve-year-old heart beyond repair but she didn't hold a grudge. Besides after all the shit she'd gone through last year. It was meant to be her time to shine and that didn't include being stuck in Thorne's shadow.

Scarlet smiled consolingly, "don't worry you'll be fine. You've gone through so much in the last year or so that he won't even matter to you. Stay composed and don't rise to whatever jibs he might make at you. Kay." Her words echoed Cress's own thoughts and comforted her in a way she couldn't quite put her finger on. Scarlet was right. Cress was stronger than Thorne and needn't be daunted by his mere presence.

"And he's got a car and the invites to the best parties," Iko interjected with a wry smile. She winced as Cinder elbowed her in the ribs, "What was that for?"

"You're supposed to be being supportive," Scarlet supplied popping her ps. Scarlet, the unofficial mom in the group, was very good at being supportive and looking out for her 'cubs'.

"And you do know that you're talking about Thorne," Cinder added stressing his last name as though that one syllable made all the difference. Iko rolled her eyes before tossing her blue braids behind her shoulder, " It can't be all bad. I mean seeing that face every morning would make me a whole lot more willing to get up."

"Supportive," Scarlet reminded waggling her eyebrows as though that could silence Iko. Nothing could silence Iko's caustic tongue or her pastel glitter pens she used to note down the school's gossip in her notebook

"He's like my ex step brother you know that right?" Cress intervened at last bemused by the direction this conversation had taken.

She didn't care if Iko was crushing on him but what would she call Iko: her ex stepsister in law. "Besides aren't you back with Liam?" They were off more than on but Cress thought that Iko enjoyed their rollercoaster of a relationship too much to ever break up with him completely. She swore every time they broke up that it'd be the last time and every time they got back together that they'd work out this time. It was never the last time and they never lasted more than a few months before one of them tried to kill the other.

"We're not exclusive and besides it's just window-shopping with no intent to buy," Iko smiled triumphantly. Cress couldn't help but smile back at her optimism. They originated from the small shreds of innocence Iko had left and were one of the few things that Iko concealed behind her face of makeup.

It's not like she cared one whit about Thorne and whoever he dated anyway.

…..

You don't care.

You are a model of composure

It's only Thorne.

Cress sighed as she reached the door. This mumbo jumbo wasn't working.

It had all made so much sense when the girls had explained it to her. How she could be cool and just ignore him and treat him purely as her ex-step brother but Cress wasn't sure how she could maintain her composure. She didn't understand why he got under her skin but since she was a child when he first walked in on her life Cress had hated him. He upset the tentative balance that Cress's life had made up between her and her father and stamped his footprints into her life so far that Cress couldn't just ignore him. He'd been around too long for her to just act normal around him.

She rested her head on the door with a heavy thunk and stood there a second merely thinking, unable to open the door. Whenever she would talk to him normally she'd become tongue-tied or end up babbling and he'd think she was a kid again. Cress closed her eyes and inhaled in slow breathes of air in a mockery of meditation before opening them. It hadn't worked. She was still standing clueless in front of the door, unable to knock and trapped within her own head.

Hey Thorne nice to see

So you're back

Good day Carswell

Cress banged her head against the door she was such a metal head. It was only Thorne whose blonde head been popping up in her life on and off for over a decade. She shouldn't need to freak out at this. Cress was about to straighten up and knock on that damn door like the boss she was when the door finally opened up on it's own accord. Cress felt nothing for a few seconds as she fell through the door and felt her resolve fall with her into a very warm and muscular chest.

She caught a sight of the black blue trainers and her heart fell into her own pumps. It was Thorne it had to be him. Her dad wouldn't wear shoes like that and there was no reason for anyone else to be in their house. "Are you okay? What were you doing?" the chest beneath her vibrated.

"I'm fine," Cress pushed herself off him standing slightly unsteady on her feet as she recovered her bearings. After a few seconds she took a few steps away from Thorne putting distance between them before looking up at him lips pursed. "Can you not?" Cress's fingernails it into her palm as she tried to keep herself calm and begged herself to not react.

"What stop you from falling over," Thorne crossed his arms looking faux-puzzled and Cress wanted to wipe that expression of his face. "Or should I not open the door anymore."

"Get in the way is what I was going for," Cress said hoping her tone sounded harsh enough but she knew her soft voice wouldn't relay that to Thorne. If it sounded anything like normal he'd just find her attempt at individuality funny instead of taking her seriously.

"Spades little C," Thorne said smiling arrogantly. He knew how much she hated that nickname. Her great aunt had given them when their parents had still been together and whilst Thorne had grown out of it when he hit puberty but Cress hadn't. "I know you missed me and all but you could try to look a little repulsed. It'd damage my ego and all actually you rejecting me if we weren't related."

Cress tutted as she fiddled with a knot in her blonde hair to hold onto her air of composure and keep her face a blank mask. She looked up a after a minute and stared fixedly into Thorne's blue eyes, "Ex-related. My dad's had three wives since your mum." Each had lasted less and less time until her dad had given up on the institution of marriage with its high alimony pay-outs and instead settled for short, commitment-free flings.

"Well I have enough ex's in this town to go round without needing to adding you to the mix," Thorne laughed.

"Like I'd ever be your ex," Cress scoffed almost angry at this. "It's not like Dad married Regina for you. You just came along like a two for one deal."

"What you jealous," Thorne said smiling smugly. "Cause you're not really my type if I have to be honest." He paused for a few seconds before adding with a deliberate almost cruel air, "You're too short."

Cress fought back the urge to punch him at the last few words. This was her town not his and it wasn't her problem he couldn't keep it in his pants or control himself. She was lucky she didn't share a last name or DNA, which would tie them together in any way she couldn't argue her way out of. Instead she beamed and adopted an innocent expression, "Well you're just lucky Daddy said I couldn't get rid of you. He says children are for life for some reason. Even when they're your ex-wife's"

"Ouch," Thorne said wincing but he was smiling so Cress knew she'd only amused him and she breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless of what happened he almost never became actually angry with her and this wouldn't be the first. Cress had seen him angry once and she'd been shell-shocked even though he hadn't been yelling or angry at her. This was just his sarcastic banter and Cress could deal with that. Besides, she was always more affected by their arguments than him. Thorne had built up an odd appreciation of being insulted, which always reminded Cress of Cinder. Cress didn't understand either of them but she at least valued Cinder's input.

Cress stepped away again taking the time now to appraise Thorne. He was dressed in grey tracks and his hair was mussed with bed head, "You look a sight you know that."

"If the adjectives used in combination are dashing and ravishing. I'll take that," Thorne agreed chirpily. "Besides Sage and I were binge watching the latest season of grey's anatomy and we got a bit caught up in the drama. I thought there was no one left to kill off but it turns out there were. You wanna join." Cress could hear the faint buzz of the TV in the living room now and she suppressed her frown with effort. She hated the way he referred to her Dad as Sage.

Cress frowned scrunching up her nose, "Is Derek still around?" She watched an episode a few years ago and she only remembered the undeniably attractive love interest.

"Mcdreamy," Thorne questioned and Cress shrugged. She hadn't exactly been watching it enough to pick up on nicknames. "He died like 2 seasons ago," Thorne said nonchalantly as though he was talking about a packet of crisps. "Meredith's on like her third guy since. You're way behind."

"Quell disaster," Cress shrugged her shoulder. She paused for a second before sniffing the air and recognizing the scent that filled the air, "You guys got popcorn?"

"In the living room," Thorne said and Cress turned in her pumps before following Thorne into the room, which was emitting a faint buzz from the TV. Thorne stopped abruptly and Cress collided with his torso for the second time that day. She stepped back frowning at the back of his head she knew she was small but surely the impact hadn't been that inconsequential but she wouldn't mention it. If Thorne didn't feel the need to comment on her embarrassing herself again she wouldn't give him any ideas.

Thorne stepped to the side after a few seconds revealing the rest of the room. The scene was not an unfamiliar one to her and Cress had walked in on similar scenes countless times. Her father lay sprawled out on the sofa engrossed in the scene and half asleep with a forgotten bowl of popcorn on his lap. It was a familiar domestic scene which with Thorne by her side reminded Cress of everything that was dysfunctional about her family.

Thorne passed her the bowl wordlessly not wanting to rouse her father before settling himself into an armchair – her armchair. Cress bit her tongue and settled for taking two large handfuls of popcorn with an insolent smile. That figured why he hadn't complained he hadn't wanted to wake up her dad. He had more consideration for the great Sage Darnel than to argue with Cress and she almost respected him for showing that he had a heart.

She turned back at the door not expecting a taunt but at least some form of reaction from him due to the now half empty bowl. Instead Throne sat transfixed by the screen and Cress left the room silently munching on her popcorn.

And there we have the first chapter. This fic as you can tell is loosely based off the premise of Clueless and whilst Cress is a very different narrator to Cher there will be features in common as I love the movie and how it built up Josh and Cher's relationship. I hope my presentation of any of the characters isn't to OOC and if so just shoot me a pm because this is my first multi-chapter fic on this site in years and I want to represent my favourite couple from the Lunar Chronicles well.

Please tell me what you think about the premise and my characterisations as constructive criticism is really important to me

Verity XxX