A/N: Oh, man. This was so much fun to write, especially all of the Cinder and Thorne banter and the movie night. Thank you so much to the brilliant wavingthroughawindow, my partner for this crazy collab. We persevered through our ending struggles and writer's block to produce our final Cresswell AU! We both deserve cupcakes! To all of you amazing readers, I hope you like it! (Can you tell who wrote what...?) Reviews are popcorn on movie nights with friends!
It wasn't snowing, but for SoCal, Winter and Iko had decided that heavy rain was close enough. And so Cress found herself on a (very comfortable) sofa along with four of her closest friends, settling in for a Marvel movie marathon.
This, inevitably, led to a discussion about the hotness of each Marvel guy respectively, which in turn led to quite a bit of pillow-throwing as the took sides, and then, as was likely to happen, a full-on pillow war, which (unsurprisingly) Cinder and Scarlet won.
"I still think," Iko said, when relative peace had been reinstated, "that Steve Rogers is way hotter than Thor."
"He is pretty cute," Cress agreed.
This was met with several dirty looks.
"What? It's obviously the truth!" Iko protested.
A pillow was violently thrown.
"Oh, shut up," said Cinder, the thrower of the pillow, "I can't hear the movie."
There was silence for an entire minute.
"I have an idea," Iko announced.
"Iko!" Cinder shushed, grabbing another pillow. Iko took refuge behind Winter.
"But it's a good idea!"
"Loki is onscreen! Is your idea more important than Tom Hiddleston?!"
Cress hid her grin behind the bag of popcorn she was hoarding.
She loved these maniacs.
Onscreen, Loki was taunting Nick Fury: "It burns you to have-"
His voice was abruptly cut off when Iko pressed pause and then, foreseeing an attempt made by Cinder to regain control of the remote, promptly sat on it.
Cinder gave a sigh of frustration.
"You know what we should do?" Iko asked once more.
"Hmm," said Scarlet with mock-thoughtfulness, "maybe... watch the movie we agreed to see?"
"Touché," Iko grinned, "but other than that."
The debate continued, but Cress tuned it out in order to enjoy her snacks in peace.
"Cress! What do you think?"
The girl in question blinked.
Winter seemed to have joined the conversation (whatever it was about now) with considerable enthusiasm, and now she and Iko were looking expectantly at her.
Cinder rolled her eyes and began scrolling through her Tumblr feed.
"What do I think about what?" Cress asked cautiously.
"About letting us set you up with another guy! It's been six months, Cress," Iko nudged her in the rib cage.
"Ugh, please," Cress snorted, "after that guy I've lost faith in all men. I've given up on dating. Let me die a crazy cat lady."
"One bad experience and you give up?"
"Literally every time you try to set me up with someone, they turn out to be completely awful."
"She's right," put in Scarlet, "remember that one who tried to explain all the dishes on the menu in the French restaurant to her, even though she speaks French and was an exchange student for a little bit? He didn't know anything about the country."
"Or the one who got drunk right before the date?" asked Cinder sardonically.
"Or," said Cress with an air of finality, "the one who introduced me to his girlfriend who was sitting in his car when he came by to pick me up?!"
Winter squeezed Cress's arm reassuringly.
"Okay, those ones were pretty bad," Iko agreed. Cinder scoffed derisively.
"But," Iko continued, "this one will be way better. I promise."
Cress made a skeptical noise and returned to her popcorn. To be honest, she'd always wished to meet someone like those princes in fairy tales, the ones who were charming and selfless and heroic, but the real guys she had dated so far had been a far cry from them.
"Who are you thinking of?" Cinder finally took the bait and asked.
Iko grinned devilishly. "I'm so glad you asked! The Captain, of course."
Cinder's brows flicked upward and Winter let out a giggle of hilarity.
Cress glanced from one to the other. "Should I be worried?"
Cinder let herself and Iko into Thorne's apartment with the key she had stolen from him five months earlier. Classic rock music came from the direction of his bedroom. Pausing in front of the closed door, Cinder glanced at Iko.
"I pray that he's fully clothed."
With that, she tested the handle, finding it unlocked. "Thorne? Iko and I are coming in."
"This is my private man-cave!" he protested. "You're not allowed."
"Don't lie, Thorne," Cinder said, pushing open the door and walking in. "We all know that I'm much more manly than you are."
"You want me to do what?" Thorne asked.
"One date," Iko cajoled. "One fancy dinner."
"Winter and Jacin will be there as well," Cinder said, "in case anything goes wrong."
"Excuse me?" Thorne scoffed. "A date with me never goes wrong."
"Oh, please," Cinder rolled her eyes.
"Can we get back to the topic?" Iko pushed her way into the argument brewing. "It's going to be a really nice dinner with Cress."
"What sort of a name is Cress?"
"Better than Carswell," Cinder muttered.
"Hey, don't diss the name!" he protested.
"Anyway, Cress is one of our close friends. She's really sweet and hilarious. I think you'll like her!" Iko interjected. "Please, Thorne," she said, noting the skeptical look on his face. "Cress has lost faith in all men after the terrible dates she's been on. You need to redeem your gender!"
Cinder snorted. "I think we've got the wrong guy for the job."
Iko smacked her. "Stop antagonizing each other. But yeah, please don't flirt with every pretty girl you see."
"Basically, don't do anything you would normally do," Cinder suggested.
"Excuse me? There is a reason they call me a relationship expert!"
"Yeah, an expert in relationship failures."
"Shut up."
Iko took a deep inhale in. "Both of you, be quiet. I don't know when I became the responsible one around here, but we need to figure this out. Thorne, will you go on the date with Cress?"
Thorne sighed. "You're lucky my Friday evening is free."
"Took you long enough," Iko scowled. "You better not mess this one up, Captain."
"Since when do I ever mess things up?"
Cinder opened her mouth for a retort of some kind, but Iko had slipped out of the room before she could hear it.
"Hey guys! What's up?" Thorne said, striding up to their table.
Cress's first impression was that he was incredibly handsome, with that chiseled jawline and dreamy blue eyes. But experience had taught her that when looking for a soulmate, looks meant very little. Still, she actually hoped he would turn out to be a somewhat decent person.
"Jacin! You actually dressed up? Dude, you look great!" He attempted to pull him into one of those bro-hug things, but Jacin crossed his arms and pivoted slightly.
"Great to see you too, Thorne," he said.
Thorne sat down in front of her. "Ah, you must be Crescent, my date! Spades, Iko and Cinder really know how to pick them."
"Call me Cress," she said, plastering a smile on her face. She wasn't sure she liked his attitude very much. From what she could tell, he seemed to be rather cocky and arrogant, and she certainly did not want to date another sexist douche who indulged in mansplaining every five minutes.
"Winter, you're looking gorgeous as always… did I mention I love your dress - OW! Jacin, there was no need to poke so hard!" He looked indignant.
"Stop flirting with my girlfriend," Jacin said, his voice dangerously low.
"Okay, okay, jeez," he said, throwing his hands up. "I wasn't really flirting that hard…" He trailed off when he saw Jacin's expression.
"Anyway, a Thai place! This is going to be delicious! Surprisingly, they have chocolate mousse here. I've heard it's to die for…"
"I've heard that, too," Cress admitted, looking down at her plate. "It said so in the New York Times."
"Ey, you read the New York Times too? High five!" He held his hand up, and Cress slapped it after a moment's hesitation. He did read prestigious newspapers. Maybe he wasn't all that bad.
But the rest of the evening passed in a haze. Thorne was only interested in talking to Winter and Jacin, and even then it was Ten Great Flights Made By The Amazing Captain Thorne. He flirted with all the waitresses, servers, and even random women sitting on the tables next to him. Every woman who entered the room was flirted with except for her, his actual date.
The only memorable part of the evening was the food. It was every bit as amazing as the Times had made it out to be. She wasn't able to eat Thai food often, but stars, it was so good.
"Good food, eh?" Thorne asked her. She nodded. "You've been very quiet this evening. Normally my dates are giggling and blushing all over me."
"I guess I'm not the damsel in distress you imagined me to be," she replied coldly.
"What, did you imagine I was some sort of prince?" he said. "Because honey, you are going to be sorely disappointed." The words were casual, joking, but she sensed pain in them. Like maybe, beneath his cocky demeanor, was a man who didn't think very much of himself at all. It still didn't excuse his attitude, though.
She had no response to his words, and he had nothing else to say. She fell into an awkward silence, while he turned to Winter once more.
"What shall we have for dessert, ladies and gentlemen?" The server's voice pulled Cress out of her thoughts. Dessert. Finally. She released a breath of air she hadn't known she had been holding.
"One chocolate mousse, please," she said, smiling.
"I'll have one as well," Thorne said, grinning mischievously at the waiter. "By the way, did I tell you I love your hairstyle? You look almost as good as me today."
"For you, sir, dessert will be on the house!" she replied, blushing, while Cress groaned. Why did he have to flirt with every single girl he saw, except for her? For crying out loud, she was the one on the date with him!
"I'll have a chamomile tea, please," Winter replied.
Thorne frowned. "Live a little, Winter!" he said. Winter shook her head, but Cress had to agree with Thorne. Who had tea for dessert?
"Nothing for me, thank you," Jacin said, ever the epitome of the perfect gentleman. Thorne rolled his eyes.
"All right, two chocolate mousses and one chamomile tea," the server said.
"That's correct, gorgeous," Thorne said, yielding another round of blushing from her.
The waiter walked off, and Winter turned to Thorne. "Why did you have to flirt with her so much?"
"Hey, it got me free mousse," Thorne said. "Which, by the way, I'm giving to Cress. She doesn't have to pay."
Cress gaped at him. This whole date, he hadn't even seemed to notice her, and now he was giving her a free mousse?
"Thanks?" she squeaked.
"It was the least I could do. You haven't really said much this evening." He shrugged. "I figured you weren't enjoying yourself, which is probably my fault, seeing as I'm your date. I assume you haven't been charmed by me yet?"
She did find him somewhat charming, rather handsome, and not as heartless as she had first thought, but she wasn't going to admit that. "Well, thanks for the mousse," she said.
He leaned in conspiratorially. "I've heard it's to die for. Winter and Jacin are missing out."
"Me, too," Cress laughed. She glanced over at Winter, who was whispering something to Jacin and grinning impishly. Jacin, being Jacin, responded with an eye roll.
"It can't be better than Scarlet's lemon cake, though," Thorne said.
"Oh my goodness! You've had that, too? Scarlet's lemon cake is heavenly." She sighed. "She makes it for all of our birthdays."
"Wow," Thorne remarked, impressed. "I've only had it at Cinder and Iko's birthday parties. How did you two meet, anyway?"
"High school," Cress explained. "She was a couple grades above me, but Winter knew her. How about you?"
"Through Cinder," Thorne said. "To be quite honest, she still scares me sometimes."
"Scarlet's not scary," Cress scoffed. "No more than Cinder."
"Cinder is terrifying!" Thorne protested. "She's blackmailed me before!"
"No doubt with good reason," Cress said, and she saw his face flicker. Was that respect she had seen? No, it couldn't be… why would he respect her now?
"Here you are!" the server said, shaking Cress out of her thoughts. "Two chocolate mousses, one on the house! Plus a chamomile tea." She gave everyone the treat belonging to them, respectively. "By the way," she added, looking at Thorne, "I might be able to get you some deals here. Why don't you give me your number?"
Thorne suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "Uh, thanks, but I'd rather pay full price, you know, to give you guys business?"
"Oh. Okay." The server looked slightly disappointed and walked away, leaving Cress to wonder. Had he rejected her because of some obligation he felt to Cress?
Winter took a sip of her tea. "Delicious. How's your mousse?"
She stuck her spoon in and pulled it out, brimming with the creamy substance. "Almost as good as Scarlet's lemon cake," she sighed, "but not quite." It was every bit as amazing as the news articles had made it out to be.
"That good?" Winter looked shocked. "Can I try some?"
"Of course," Cress said, handing the mousse to her. Winter took a bite and let out a long sigh.
"That was marvelous," she said, handing it to Cress. "But you're right. It isn't as good as Scarlet's lemon cake."
"Toast?" Thorne asked her, holding up his cup, which was still full of mousse. "Oh, I see you've already started eating yours. Pity."
"It's okay, we can still toast," she laughed, holding up her cup and clinking it with his. "To more such meals like this!"
"Many more," he agreed, digging his spoon in. "Hey, I don't know what you're talking about. This is better than Scarlet's lemon cake!"
"You clearly haven't had it in a while then," Cress said.
"I guess not," Thorne shrugged, "but it is delicious." She nodded, and they fell into an awkward silence. Well, not too awkward, she thought. There was still the mousse.
At length, he spoke. "Hey, uh, Cress?"
Hearing Thorne stumble over a word was like hearing Jacin laugh. "What?"
He looked at her, somewhat sheepishly. "I - I know this date didn't quite go the way you wanted it to. Can we, uh, try again some some time?"
"Yeah. Of course." The words tumbled out of her mouth before she had time to think. It had been a mediocre date, at best. She wouldn't have considered a second date, had he not asked. She was sure he had felt similarly, so why was he asking? And why had she agreed?
Relief flooded his face. "I take it I am amazing, handsome, and charming then?"
"Better than chocolate mousse," she winked, finishing the last of her dessert.
"Cress, let's not say things we don't mean." He grinned.
She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned. It was Winter.
"Good date?" she whispered.
"Eh," Cress said softly, hoping Thorne wouldn't hear her. "It was okay. The food was delicious, though."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Winter said. "So no second date?"
"Actually… I kind of just agreed to one," she said sheepishly.
"Cress!" Winter said a little too loudly, then lowered her voice again. "Don't agree to second dates if you don't want them!"
"No. I - I think I actually want this." She wasn't confident in her own words, but maybe there was more to him than she had seen so far. She wasn't sure, but she was willing to give him a second chance.
"Okay, whatever you want! He does seem quite charming," Winter said with a wink, then she turned back to Jacin.
She turned back to Thorne and he said, "You were talking about me, weren't you?"
She thought about lying, but decided on a partial truth. "I've dated a lot of horrible guys. I was just telling Winter that compared to them, you're actually not bad."
"Only not bad!" he said indignantly. "I think I am more than not bad, honey!"
Her eyes narrowed. "Don't honey me. Just because I'm agreeing to a second date, doesn't give you the right to act like I'm your girlfriend."
He raised his eyebrows, and she thought she saw a flash of hurt in his eyes. She was about to say something, but before she could, she heard a slight swishing to her right. She looked over; Winter and Jacin had risen from their seats and were now kissing.
"Okay, Romeo and Juliet, let's get going. Cress and I are done with our mousses, and clearly Juliet is done with her tea."
"Drop the analogy, it sucks," Jacin growled, pulling away from Winter. He looked apologetically at her.
"Cress, it was a pleasure meeting you," Thorne held out his hand. "You have my number?"