We're back, bitches. This will be the last one to this mini-compilation. Please make sure to read my note at the end!
DoggyPocky: Cosmo really gets the short end of the stick. Like, why people gotta hate for being happy and yourself?
TriceTokushu: The struggle to write has been real man, but we made it. Ya, I've come to like Juan more as I write for him, but gotta stick with my original motive for his high school self which is that he was a BIG hypocrite.
acorntree1: If looked into closely, Juan can be just as bad as Luther in this situation. The more he sees Wanda slipping away, the more he tries to control and that's not cute. If he thinks Cosmo is the sole reason for their relationship crumbling he has to take a hard look in the mirror.
. . .
. .
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"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!"
Listening to the eight-count repeated by Juniper like a broken doll, Wanda went through the practice routine with the other cheerleaders. Dressed in similar aqua blue and white of the school's provided gym clothes. They ran through the eight-count for who knows how many times now to erase any given mistakes. One: hip and hand out to the left, Two: hip and hand out to the right, Three: clap, Four: fists up and out, Five: round-about arms, Six: second clap, Seven: herkie prep position, Eight: actual herkie jump.
"Again! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!"
Sage landed in her herkie, looking around to the other flush-faced girls. "Yo, Jun. I don't think these moves can get any more perfect." She said, running a loose hair back as she caught her breath. Wanda stood nearby and looked at one of the gym door exits.
"Don't entice me today, hon." Juniper floated forward with a hand firmly on her hip, the other pointing carefully to her teammate. "We can run as long as I have the say so."
The blow of a sharp whistle startled the team. Dropping the whistle from her mouth to let it dangle on its lanyard as is, their coach approached from the bleachers, clipboard in hand. Dressed in a sorted tracksuit of baby blue and white lining. Snowy skin of a pointed face with a yellow-gold bun tied so tight it was probably the reason behind her nitpicking nature. Icy-blue eyes trailed over the cheerleaders sharply.
"I'll take it from here, red." She hovered forward, clipboard firmly resting against her cocked hip.
"Yes, coach."
"As a matter of fact ladies, working more does not mean working better. Belle, your feet are hardly pointed." Coach Diamondhop commented, floating past a fairy who lowered her head in shame. "Krystal, I'm seeing no lift in your herkie, I thought we were winged creatures. Sage?"
"Right here, coach." Sage notified.
Diamondhop circled around to her and Wanda's front. "I'm impressed today."
Well, that certainly wasn't gonna be taken for granted. Sage gave a shrug. "I give what I get."
"You give only what you think you can't reach," the coach defied as she floated to the group's front again.
"There she goes.." Sage backtracked. As the coach went on, Wanda's eyes strayed to the door again.
"National champions don't have a minimum they depend on for succeeding. Not even a maximum they are trying to reach." Diamondhop lectured, pacing back and forth to capture every listening ear of her squad. "Ladies. You will always be given an expectation. If you do not go beyond that expected, the only thing you can expect is being plain average."
Some of the girls exchanged looks of slight tension in their usual bouncy self-confidence. They may have been hot stuff in the rest of the school, but the coach's eyes were definitely their weak spot. She was the real honey bee of this hive. Juniper being her little stinger at the end.
"Jezzabelle, next time you wanna mess up an eight-count, do it somewhere where you can't embarrass yourself with those ankles. Tulip, I mean Miss Wobbly Knees? I put you on this team for your backbone!"
Wanda still watched those doors like she was gonna marry them. Wondering when the heck a certain green was gonna appear.
"And Fairywinkle...Fairywinkle!"
Snapped back to the now, Wanda turned her head quicker than she wanted to make it. Immediately showing herself to be distracted in front of the others. She tried showing no frenzy in her face.
"Yes, coach?"
Diamondhop coddled her clipboard to her lap, raising a thin brow. "Other places your brain needs to be, Wandie?"
"No..coach."
"Anything you'd like to share? Your own corrections for the group?"
"No.."
"Some more important matters got you distracted?"
"No." Wanda finalized, refusing to look up. The silence was so loud. Coach's float forward was even more intense as she came to Wanda's front and pink lifted to blue in slight challenge.
"You have a competitive eye, Wanda." Diamondhop reminded. "I'd hate to see that flame die out for something less important."
Someone get this lady a hobby. She floated off and Wanda tried not to looked bothered to avoid real trouble. Less than half the group felt no more confident than when they walked in that day already.
The coach blew her whistle. "Spread out and stretch, I'll be back in ten."
The squad proceeded to find separate spots on the gym floor and get into regular stretching routines. Wanda sat as she began motioning her shoulders in a roll to loosen up, keeping one thought of attention of the door as Sage stretched by near her with some neck rolls.
"I heard a rumour that Westwing's squad is using substances to try and win championships. No wonder coach is in a knot."
"Mm.."
Sage stretched her shoulder in an arm hold as Wanda stretched her legs opposing ways, reaching her body to touch one foot. "Like they even need it," Sage continued. "As if coach needs a reason to be pissed either, but.."
Sage looked over at Wanda in her side stretch, noting the pink fairy's total dedication to watching the door.
"Dude, if he comes, there's no way you're gonna be able to leave."
"Yeah, well..." Wanda drifted off. She flinched in a sudden awakening when a pair of fingers snapped in front of her vision.
"Hey, hey. Get your mind outta there, girl. You can find your little boy toy after."
The rouge of her cheeks highlighted her fair skin, and Wanda looked down at her knees as she continued her routine stretches. "Well, if he does-"
"You're kidding.."
Caught by Sage's shift in attention, Wanda looked back to her lookout. This time not imagining the head of green that peaked on the cheer practice and gave a small motion over for Wanda to make an early exit.
She grinned widely. "Cover for me, I gotta go."
Sage tried to pry Wanda's distraction away from the not-so-subtle fairy in the window. "Heyo, you are not leaving me to Diamondhop's bullcrap today."
"It doesn't have to be a good excuse." Wanda rose from her spot. "I'll take whatever punishment."
Sage huffed. "You'll take her sneaker up your butt."
"Worth it. See ya."
Bouncing up and away from her seat, Wanda dashed for the door as the head of green hair disappeared from view. Sneaking out as her nose poked around for his sight and in turning right from the gym's exit, the boy that waited shyly by a row of lockers quickly leaned his arm against it.
Wanda busted into a bunch of girly giggles, flying to grab his hand and stray further down the empty afterschool halls. Once scurrying around a corner or two, the young fairies stopped in breathless laughs as Wanda looked to Cosmo happily. They dialed down from the adrenaline as Wanda comfortably settled herself against a locker, hands folded behind her back as she stared like she had a naughty little secret.
Cosmo swallowed against his choking throat, straying a little closer to the pretty girl as he rested one hand against the locker Wanda's head leaned back on. Giving himself support as he inched closer and closer, nearing his face close to hers before stopping intentionally.
The repeated breaths coming from his nose warmed her flushing cheeks. Knowing how wanting yet shy he was in kissing her still. Good thing she had a little more practice to help them both. Besides, the nervousness was adorable.
She gently interlocked their lips and the red of Cosmo's face deepened.
They parted and his saucer eyes darted downwards, chuckling awkwardly as Wanda continued to gush over his cuteness. She held a hand gently to his cheek that sent lightning through Cosmo by the grace of her fingertips.
"You're really good at this," he mumbled shyly.
She smoothed out his cheek. "I do what I can."
"I like it a lot."
Seeing as he did, she leaned forward and gave him another peck. Giving him a reason to look less nervous and smile her way.
"You still wanna go to the diner after?"
Her arms circled his neck. "I was thinking a little earlier.."
His nose strayed near her's. "Like...ditch practice?"
She watched his lips. "Mhm.." she swallowed. "Get a nice booth while you're off the clock."
"I promise not to spill strawberry milkshake in your hair this time."
She smiled a smile that could melt cotton candy. As sweet as sugar, and those lips that Cosmo knew officially tasted as nice as he had always wondered. Pushing courage the way he'd practiced in the mirror, he initiated the kiss this time.
Right as around the corner some sweaty, adrenaline-high boys wandered. Coming from the boy's locker room after football practice in a similar schedule to the cheer squad. That including Luther and a few of his followers, as well as a Magnifico.
Turning right in the hall, the couple down the way didn't seem to notice the jocks stopping to gawk at the scene so disgustingly being displayed before their eyeballs.
"Yo, I'm gonna hurl!"
They parted and Wanda quickly took Cosmo's hand. "Come on."
"What's the hurry?" They turned when Luther leaned against a locker nearby, Wanda somewhat inching in front of Cosmo.
"We were just leaving, Luther. Piss off." She hissed.
"Oh!" the boys snarled, Luther laughing in their direction.
"This ain't about you, toots." His hunter's eyes looked to Cosmo.
Panicking, Wanda crossed gazes with Juandissimo at a distance from the others. He watched the regular antics with Luther perform. The raven-haired fairy gave one glance to Wanda before turning by his wings and parting ways from the building scene. She frowned angrily. Too bad his cowardness wasn't her problem anymore.
"You need to leave." The green fairy bravely protected himself and his girlfriend.
"Oof, you're ballsey." Luther jabbed a finger so strong Cosmo felt like a hole embedded in his shoulder.
"Please," Wanda kept trying to get in between Luther's closing gap between him and Cosmo. "Stop this."
"Too bad for you I got benched in coach's drills." The football player cracked his knuckles.
"Luther!" Wanda begged, throwing herself in front of Cosmo. Her boyfriend attempted to push her way in fear she would get hurt in the upcoming crossfire. One of the players had already thought of that though, taking her by the upper arm forcefully and pulling her from the two. Cosmo wanted to stride forward upon the nerve they had in grabbing her but Luther's fist meshed with his sweater collar to push him against the locker.
"Luther, no!" Wanda begged, held by two jocks.
"Wake up, baby!" Luther howled Wanda's way. "You're freakin' blind and this loser's poisoned you or somethin'!
"Huh, yeh!" One agreed, holding Wanda's arm too tightly as she squirmed. Cosmo shifted in Luther's grip and eyed him angrily.
"Let her go."
The jock jolted him in his grip. "Not 'till I'm done with ya."
"Cosmo!"
Thrown by the collar, Cosmo landed on the floor. Looking up in time for Luther to glide over him and wail on him with a kick and punch, knocking Cosmo senseless as Wanda's screaming protests begged for an end.
"Stop it! STOP, PLEASE!"
Punches flew, Cosmo using his forearms as means of protection. One jock left Wanda to leave her to the other's clutches as he came and pinned Cosmo's squirming body down so Luther could have an easier time hitting the smaller fairy where it hurts.
"Stop!"
The swings hurt, but Wanda's pleas hurt Cosmo more. He did what he could to protect himself and make it seem less than what it clearly was for her sake. This wasn't different from anything he'd faced before, but it was one of the few worsts. Especially now that Wanda had clearer motives to want to protect him.
One arm loosened from the grip on her, red from the jock's nails digging into her squiggling arms. She ripped free and before one of Luther's punches could come down, Wanda threw herself over Cosmo's weakened body in hysterics.
"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" She cried. "Get off him! NOW, DAMN YOU!"
Luther and the other jock backed off. Not at all out of sympathy for her wails, yet knowing the loser got what he deserved. Cosmo chose to get up with Wanda's assistance as the boys distanced themselves. Wanda held his shoulders from behind as Cosmo chose to hide her in fear of her witnessing any more of what he faced on the daily. This was one of his fears since he began to go out with her. That she wouldn't be able to bear his frequent troubles on top of her own.
"I'll catch you when your floozy isn't protecting you, then." Luther leered an obnoxious nose to Wanda.
Ba-boom went what was left of Cosmo's control. He lugged forward but was kept by Wanda's desperate grip on his arm. "Drop dead!"
Luther stormed back over.
"No, Cosmo!"
Pink engulfed the two, making Luther's fist meet midair.
According to plan, they escaped to their diner. Not according to plan, they took sanctuary in the kitchen's back which was sometimes preferred depending on Cosmo's work schedule. While off the clock, the other workers knew the boy to allow some exceptions to chill back there or do homework on occasion. Leaned up between the door to the walk-in freezer and the wall, Wanda sat on tangled legs exhausted from cheer as she stared at Cosmo across the way. Backpacks in reach yet no homework was up for grabs for Cosmo as he watched Wanda scrub the dirt from her nails profusely. He held an ice pack to his swelling cheek from a hard hit.
The back door nearby opened with a yellow fairy floating through. Ginko was there...for some reason. He showed up in the back even when Cosmo was working and it was getting on the boss' nerves much to both their amusement. He'd shown up just to stay hi and had been in and out, looking through some of the recent delivery.
"Yo, you get these fries by the pound or what?" His best friend asked, looking through a thawing box of frozen french fries stacked nearby the freezer Wanda leaned against.
"Don't get me fired." Cosmo laughed.
"McFairies is always hiring," he flicked an escaped fry Cosmo's way. "Hey, Wanda."
"Hey.."
Cosmo frowned, yet Ginko took it less seriously. "Okay, yikes? Psh." He floated to the kitchen's front to some of the employees' annoyance of just waltzing through. Wanda took another paper towel from a roll set near her. Bothered by the dirt stuck in her nails from that jock's football field-hands wrangling of her. One of the things Cosmo was beginning to figure out about her was that she needed something to do with her hands when angry. It was much less about the actual nails.
"Wanda.."
She shook her head too quickly, scrubbing harder.
His lips slanted in a thoughtful frown. "I could've done something more I guess-"
"That wasn't your fault, Cosmo! GOD!" She threw the roll. Seeing red as Luther's mockery of her boyfriend's pain kept replaying and pausing sickeningly in memory. Through the anger she was risking getting lost in, chuckles broke through and she looked to Cosmo in gawking over his laughter.
"It's not funny!" She fumed. "What about any of this is funny!?"
"Oi!" One of the cooks piped up. "Keep it down, or move the teenage soap opera elsewhere! Customers could hear you!"
Cosmo got up on his knees, scooting over and coming to sit by her with one arm elongating across the back of her shoulders. She huffed and conceded to leaning against his charming embrace.
"I'm okay." He promised. "I'm the trouble."
"Not always, and definitely not this."
His lip crooked. "But, I guess it finds me...I don't want you brought into it."
"What d'you mean?"
He felt those endearing pink gems looking up at him from under his chin. Cosmo dared to look down. The beautiful siren looking to him tugged at his heart strings and his truthful call. Asking he give her what she wants. His dedication to being another reason to her happiness was hard to question, but he was no fool when it came to what it was causing publicly. It was unlikely to find anyone who didn't hate what they shared in only a few weeks together. So much for a magical race that creates happiness. God forbid two out of the ordinary began dating.
"You can leave whenever."
She snorted. "I'm sorry?"
He tucked a delicate pink curl behind her ear. Why fight for the girl if he was willing to let her go if necessary? Sometimes he didn't understand his own mind, either.
Wanda hated how hopeless he saw things to be for himself. Was leaving a whole relationship for him not enough proof? Whether he maybe thought this a fling on her part, she thought it more. She thought he knew a lot about her bull she put up with, yet his guilt for her dealing with his told Wanda he was only beginning to understand just what a relationship was. Balance.
"You...you can have that out.." he assured. "I won't be mad."
"Cosmo.."
"I know things have become harder since you gained my trouble."
"Maybe I want the trouble." Wanda clutched his hands, lacing one tightly and holding it to her chest above her heart. "Nothing I already know could've gotten worse, especially not with you."
He perked, having heard this for the first time. "Really?"
"..yeah." She said. Her eyes went inward on herself, disgusted by her whiny soul. Supposedly for her, it was either risk it all or keep living a lie she was set up to endure. Whatever kinda life that was she was detesting. Whatever this was, she was so willing to take those chances.
She gave a little pout. His cheesy smirk in return couldn't help the granted kiss on her cheek. She rolled onto her knees as Cosmo sat sprawled on the floor, watching every one of her enticing moves. She held a hand to his beating chest and stroked his blemished face.
"Promise me, for everything that is good and pudding-licious," she asked, he bit down a grin. "Don't let them try and change you."
Whether that meant she was there to see it for herself or not.
"If you stop letting them do the same to you."
She winked. "Touché, Cosma."
His eyes watched amorously as she scooted on her bottom to lay her head on his lap. Looking upwards on him with comfort in her soft gaze and sweetness on her lips. Was she ever a vision. An angel deserving of all better than this and beyond. Above her, she saw a fairy ahead of his time who deserved no less. At least the best that she could give him. She bit her lip. He laced his hand with her's. Well, if she wouldn't, he would!
He dipped down and meshed the soft of his mouth to her's gently. She looped an arm above to hold him close as one hand got caught in the net of her hair. One another deserved the world. There was something better for each of them out there. Whether together or apart.
They were gonna get there, one day at a time.
. . .
. .
Frenching in the middle of a restaurant kitchen is where it's at I guess. Yes, Diamondhop is 100% based on Sue Sylvester. Though these were all kinda random, I hope these one-shots had some nice little gems. Sometimes you gotta breathe and take it one step at a time when in a rough patch.
So, I do have more FOP ideas. Howeverrrrrrrr, my next story will not be FOP. *GASP*. I don't expect any of my FOP followers to stick around for that obvi, so maybe I'll see ya around when I have another FOP story. I've written for other fandoms before, sometimes I gotta mix it up, ya feel me?
See you around!
~McSwgizzle