Shopping for Science

To say that John Wilder was not a fan of shopping was an understatement.

The rough-and-tumble teenager would rather get into a fist fight with Mike Tyson or Chuck Norris than go out shopping if he could help it. The only time he could really stomach a trip to the store was for absolute necessities - which consisted of whatever didn't grow in the garden in the backyard. Meats, tools, toilet paper - those things were okay to shop for because he didn't have to spend much time in the grocery store.

But a shopping trip with the fairer sex meant it'd be hours in boutiques and shit. And as he stood in the school's parking lot, leaning against his truck with his arms crossed, he grumbled at the thought. He was the exact opposite of that frilly frou frou shit and everyone and their grandma knew it.

It was a shopping trip with Celi, Luce and Buster though, so perhaps it wasn't going to be too bad... but then again, all three of them were far more fashionable than he was. They also seemed to put more effort into their appearance every morning than he did, so perhaps this trip would be a long one after all. John frowned at that.

However, there was little time to stew on whether or not this trip was going to be a lengthy nightmare. He needed to make sure that he stayed in Celi's good graces, so behaving himself and not bitching about how long they were taking was a necessity. Speaking of which, John looked up as a familiar flash of magenta hair caught his eye.

Well, shopping trip or not, it was time he was spending getting closer to Celi. He just needed to make sure that Buster didn't do anything to earn the rosette's favor. And his ace-in-the-hole was Luce. That chick was doubly beneficial to his cause, since not only did she approve of John getting with Celi, she also had a major attraction to Buster. Two birds with one stone.

John lifted a hand to wave to Celi as she drew near. "Hey gorgeous." He called jovially as she approached, "So what kind of stuff do you want for the shampoo?" As she approached, he opened the passenger door for her and offered her a hand to step up into the old pickup. Then he realized Luce hadn't walked out with her. "Did your friend get lost in there or something?"

John was pleasantly surprised that Celi had given him a cute little wave, rather than her usual eye roll over his greeting. Either he was starting to wear her down or she was just that happy to go shopping. There was no clipped tone, no frustration. In fact, the girl seemed pleased to talk to him about what scents she had looked up for their project.

So much that she had casually handed him her backpack to toss behind the seat - with everything else that lived there - and attached herself to his arm so that she could show him the choices. A thrill of excitement crawled up his backbone and he had to stop himself from giving a whoop of joy when she let her head rest on his shoulder.

And then he looked at her phone as she was chattering away, smiling at some choices and scrunching up her nose at others. John grinned a little at that. It was cute, just like her. But the options she was going through and listing off were lost on him. He'd just kind of assumed she'd be happier picking out a scent. Instead, she wanted his input.

It caught him off guard.

Honestly, he had absolutely no idea about any of the scents she was scrolling through on her phone. Rum spice, sandalwood, black pepper... leather? Were these scents real people actually wanted in their shampoo? How do you even get the scent of leather to put into a shampoo?

"Um..." He floundered, unsure of what to say, "I usually just use whatever's in the bathroom."

And hearing that Luce was being held after by the vice principal made him frown a bit. "Leave it to the Vice Penis to be a dick to new students." John muttered, glancing at the digital clock on the truck's dashboard, "Hopefully he lets her go soon or we'll be late. Want me to go beat his ass?"

But rather than answer that - if she'd even heard him in all her excitement - she asked him about his thoughts on Cedarwood. "Um, sounds like we'd come out smelling like a Christmas tree?" He offered with a shrug, "How about we pick the scents at the store so we can smell 'em first?"

But then it clicked that the two of them were standing very close together. If he wanted, he could just lean down and steal a kiss from her. But that might put her in a sour mood and he didn't want their outing to start that way. Celi noticed too and muttered a quick apology, her cheeks warming in embarrassment as she made to take a step back.

His arm snaked around her before she could move, however, and kept her in place. "Aww, no need to be shy, Celi." He smiled down at her, "I like it when you're close by. It feels like you're finally starting to get comfortable with me."

A single eyebrow lifted in response to her embarrassed struggling.

"You were fine bein' close to me this whole time, and now you're suddenly trying to pull away? When I'm trying to see what you're all excited over for our project?" His voice had a distinct note of disapproval, "And all because people are staring?" He did not move his hand, not even a fraction of an inch.

Instead, John glared at the nearby onlookers with an acidic look. "I'm givin' away a free trip to the emergency room to anyone who doesn't quit starin' in the next two fucking seconds." The Wilder snarled loudly enough for everyone in earshot to hear. Immediately, everyone suddenly found everything else in their surroundings to be so interesting that no one could possibly look their way.

If it had been anyone else suggesting he stop flirting with Celi he'd have given then hell, but since Lu was trying to help him win her over he let it slide. Never bite the hand that feeds you, after all. Instead, the Wilder greeter her with a sympathetic nod.

"How'd it go with that ol' scrote?" John asked.

He was entirely too familiar with the long-winded lectures and punishments that the old blowhard liked doling out to students, so he'd give her some leeway for being late. Taking her backpack and setting it with his and Celi's, he held the passenger-side door open for them. "In you go, both of ya. Let's get this show on the road before everybody else shows up and takes all the good stuff."

There was a small discussion about who would sit where. Or, to be more frank, it was decided that Celi would sit in the middle and Lu in the passenger seat. The rosette climbed into the truck first, sitting daintily on the bench seat. Then Lu piled into the vehicle in a very obvious manner as John circled around and hopped into the drivers seat.

"Nice truck you got here." Lu commented, shoving her bestie into John, "Let me just get my bag all situated." The surfer pushed Celi some more as she bent over the back of the seat to monkey with the bag's placement. John didn't mind, since he had fanangled Celi practically into his lap before she finished and sprawled into the seat with a huge sigh. "Ahhhhh, so comfy."

But before the rosette could complain, he simply wrapped an arm around her to hold her steady, started the truck and stepped on the gas.

John drove through the island streets in the way that he normally did, which amused many of his siblings and apparently Lu. Celi clearly wasn't a fan however, if her clinging to him for dear life was any indication. However, he still felt like that was a win. Any time she was willing to cling to him was a good thing in his opinion, even if he caught hell for it later.

"Alright, we're making good time." He said jovially, glimpsing the clock as they flew through another intersection and scared the living shit out of pedestrians and other drivers alike, "At this rate, we should get there around the same time as Buster. Should only be another minute or so."

True to his word their destination appeared shortly and John took the turn into the parking lot hard. The truck rounded the curve with tires squealing and leaving twin arcs of rubber as he kept the wheel cranked. After about three donuts with both girls screaming - Celi in terror and Lu in excitement - the truck slid perfectly into a parking space.

John crowed in victory. That wasn't exactly an easy stunt to pull off, especially in a beat-up old pickup truck, but he'd stopped perfectly in the space. "Woo!" He hooted, "My brothers will be so jealous they weren't here for that!"

When Buster had gotten home from school he'd taken Dixie out right away.

As per usual, the little fluffball barked and danced about when he walked through the front door and grabbed her leash. Once he had her leashed up, they were making their usual romp around the block when his cell phone rang. Seeing it was his mom, he picked up. "Hey Mama-cita, how's work?"

"Not bad sweetheart, but I may not get back home until tomorrow night and I wanted to at least call and talk to the most important man in my life." His mom's voice had it's usual loving warmth, but she sounded dead tired. That meant it was Crunch Time. It was an all-too-common occurrence for the both of them, so he didn't take it personally. He knew his mom busted her ass to give her only son a good life. "Are you going to be alright for dinner tonight?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me." Buster said easily as he and his pomeranian trotted along, "Lu and I are getting together for a science project tonight, so I'm making dinner for us both." Dixie started her sniffing and circling to find the perfect spot, so he stopped and waited for her.

"Is she on the pill?"

"M-mom!" He sputtered, "I don't know, I didn't ask!"

"Take your condoms, sweetie."

He flushed in embarrassment as an elderly lady with her own tiny dog passed by and gave him a look of wide-eyed shock when she'd overheard his mother's advice. "Yes Mom, I always do." He said when she seemed to be out of earshot. Unfortunately, she wasn't, and gave the boy another look of surprise. At this, he wiggled his eyebrows at her and gave her a little wink. This made her cheeks turn crimson and she scurried away from the lewd young man.

By this point, Dixie had taken a healthy dump and was now motoring around her favorite human like the Energizer Bunny. He took her back home, chattering on the phone with his mom until he realized the time. If he didn't book-it, he was going to be late. But he couldn't leave his dog to fend for herself all night either.

Once he'd ended the call with his mom, he quickly put the dog-papoose on and inserted his fluffy friend. She yapped in excitement, realizing that they were about to have a really fun time very soon since he was stretching and warming up. He made sure he had his phone, wallet, dog, keys, and science notes, then he locked up the house.

Lu was super chill. He doubted she'd be mad he brought Dixie along.

Jogging to the street, he picked up the pace until he broke out into a sprint. Once he reached a chain-link fence, he scurried up and over it within seconds, leaping off the top and onto the roof of a nearby building. This would be the fastest way to the store for sure. If he were to jog down the roads like a normal person, he'd get caught in traffic for sure. And he'd have to wind his way along the pavement, which could potentially be an absolute nightmare.

Especially since John was driving down there.

No, free running along the rooftops and doing parkour was, ironically, much safer and faster in this instance. As his well-toned legs pumped like an oiled-up machine, the telltale squeal of tires met his ears as he leapt to the next building from some scaffolding that had yet to be taken down. Dixie was panting happily, enjoying the ride as she often did when he took her along like this. Occasionally she'd bark at a bird as the two of them raced by.

Had he not started doing this years ago and kept up an intense exercise regiment, Buster might not dare to take such leaps without questioning his rationality. But as he swung his legs up over a guard railing to the third story of a parking garage and hauled ass through it, his skills were the result of extensive training. And he was damn good. Good enough that as he reached the other side of the parking garage, he saw John's truck peeling around the corner into the parking lot.

He'd caught up by going over the buildings instead of around them. 

Without slowing down he vaulted up over the safety railing, perched just long enough to feel his muscles coiling, then launched himself downwards. His lean body arced in the air and flipped once, twice, Dixie strapped gleefully to his chest, clearly having the time of her life. And then his eyes caught on an all-too-familiar face below and his emerald eyes locked with teal eyes. Time seemed to slow down in that moment as his breath suddenly hitched in his chest.

But he was still falling and he landed properly, not letting his knees bend more them ninety degrees as his flipped forward a couple times to take the force out of just his legs and distribute it throughout his frame. Then he was sprinting to the edge of the building and vaulting off, without hesitation, into oncoming traffic. He hopped from vehicle to vehicle as he crossed the road and jumped, rolling over his shoulder across the hood of John's truck and landing on his feet, unscathed, with his hands in the air like a gymnast that just performed perfectly.

John was not amused. "What the fuck?!"

Buster looked at his watched as Dixie yapped cheerfully at John and the girls. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Four thirty, on the dot. I'm not late."

As much as John enjoyed having Celi practically fused to him, she was currently preventing him from knocking Buster off the hood of his truck. And despite their familial connection, John didn't like anyone messing with his truck. It might be an old pickup from the nineties, but it was still holding up just fine.

"You better not have dented my truck!" He grumbled as Buster slid off the hood with ease. As far as he could tell there was no damage, but that didn't mean there wasn't any at all. His cousin seemed unfazed as he also checked the hood and came up with nothing.

"I don't see any dents, but if you find some, I'll pay for it." He offered, bringing his hand up to pet Dixie. She snuggled into his palm, kicking her dainty little feet in the air. Though John wanted to argue about it, he knew it would only be futile. And so, he simply moved on.

Easily picking Celi up, he slid the both of them off the bench seat and onto the ground. Or at least he was on the ground and Celi was still curled up into a ball, attached to John. "It's okay now darlin'." John murmured quietly to her, "We're all here and ready to go shopping."

Though Buster was still a bit winded from sprinting across town, he somersaulted backwards off the hood of the truck and landed next to Lu effortlessly. The adorable tiny dog began squirming in vain in an attempt to get petted by the surfer. He accommodated his dog by leaning close to Lu so that she could pet Dixie.

"I couldn't be late now, could I?" He asked with a wink and a charming smile, "After all, you and I have plans for tonight." The way he said it hinted that their planned activities might have a slight foray into unexpected bonuses. Granted, they didn't know each other all too well but considering what they'd done at the beach, they knew each other all too well.

And considering that Celi was practically fused to John's side, looking downright terrified for her life - no doubt because of John's driving - Buster was glad that Lu was with them. If it had just been John, Celi, and himself, he would've been much more jealous. But since Lu was his all-too-willing partner, Buster was able to keep his mind focused on what was important... their project.

If he scored points with Lu, Celi, or both, all the better. Especially Lu.

"Mom called and said she won't be home until tomorrow. I hope you don't mind me bringing Dixie along. I couldn't leave her all by herself at home, especially since we'll be having dinner before we make and test our shampoo." His hand slipped around hers and brought his lips to her knuckles softly, "I figured since you're both so damn cute, you'd get along very well."

"So, ready to go pick out our ingredients and scents?" Buster asked, motioning towards the entryway, "I bet we'll ace this project." He gave her a cheesy grin. "After all, we've got great chemistry together."

She sure did look pretty with that blush warming up her cheeks like that. As much as John didn't want to let the rosette out of his arms, he decided to humor her request and gently set her on her feet. After all, he was getting familiar with her little quirks as they spent time together and was starting to be able to read between the lines with her. Despite her barbed words and lackluster insults, he knew Celi found him attractive.

She wasn't very good at hiding it.

He could play along with her little charade as long as it meant he'd come out on top. Of her. A warm smile and a tip of his hat followed. "Yes ma'am." He let just a hint of his cowboy style tinge his response as he showed her that he could be agreeable for her, "Why don't you lead the way, honey? You're the boss, after all."

He motioned towards where Lucia and Buster where already heading, the two chatting animatedly and showering attention on Buster's puffball of a pooch. Glancing at Celi from the corner of his eye, he offered his arm to her. "Want me to escort you?" He offered, "Maybe be a gentleman for ya?"

Hormones were simultaneously the best and the shittiest part of being a teenage boy.

Case in point - not only did a stab of jealousy prick him, his heart sank a little in loneliness. For whatever reason, he was never the kind of guy that people were happy to call their boyfriend. Buster was the charming pretty boy that people liked to fool around with. A challenge. A notch in someone's belt. Mellow, alluring and willing to let anyone do whatever they wanted to him. He was the kind of guy people went to for wish fulfillment, since he was more than happy to trade obedience for pleasure.

But those same people were quick for leave him when they realized he was addicted to it. It was more than just a little fun for him. It was a craving, a necessity, a primal need that couldn't be tamed once awakened. And so far, no one could handle it.

Nevertheless, he was fit, smart, attractive, and was holding down two jobs - while still in high school! It had been these perks of youth that drew people to him in the first place, whether platonic or otherwise. Those same perks kept drawing in people, which helped him build connections and helped with networking. It got him half a million subscribers, after all.

Most importantly, he'd certainly caught Lu's attention.

And while it might be agonizing to be attracted to two very different, very beautiful girls, there was still an upside. Celi may be oblivious in the pain she was causing him by fawning over his pushy, often obnoxious cousin, but her bestie was more than willing to hang all over him. Whether it was to 'innocently' brush the curve of her breasts against his arm or 'accidentally' bend over too far and give him an eyeful of her cleavage, Lu was definitely interested in keeping his eyes on her.

That was fine by Buster. He could gaze at her all day without being bored.

Honestly, he could do plenty of things with her and to her all day and night without getting tired or bored. If only he hadn't opened his mouth, they might already be doing those things. But he couldn't change the past so he needed to move forward. If Celi wanted to sigh over John... well, it'd suck, but he could handle it. Especially if Lu was so willing so dangle herself in front of him like a carrot.

After all, he wasn't striking out with the surfer.

Opening the door for her, he motioned her into the shopping center like a gentleman. "Let's take care of getting the stuff for our project first, then we can pick out what to make for dinner." Buster suggested.

Well, would ya look at that. John thought to himself, pleased that the object of his affection was slipping her dainty little arm around his. Being a little more gentlemanly and willing to listen was actually paying off. He'd have to thank Luce later for her pointers, considering they were really working out well for him.

And really, it wasn't that much of a stretch to do this for Celi. It wasn't like he wanted to drive her crazy more often than not, it just sort of happened because of his demeanor. Most of the time anyway. He did enjoy poking at the fashion queen sometimes though, since she'd get all huffy and really let loose on him. Was it his fault that she was so pretty when she was mad? Not at all.

But he needed to limit how often he set her off.

Don't want to drive her away, after all.

Though she sure was making it difficult not to tease the ever-loving hell out of her right now. With her looking everywhere but him, it was easy to see that he'd successfully gotten under her skin. Celi was flustered and trying her best to hide it, but it was clear as day to him. If anything, her actions made her attraction to John blatantly obvious for everyone around them.

Good.

"Alright honey. I'll be on my best behavior." John agreed, walking with her from area to area as Celi led them to... wherever she was taking them. Honestly, he couldn't give a damn where they went as long as she was hanging onto him. "What are we lookin' for?"

Feeling the soft wetness of Lu's tongue glide over his pulse was an unexpected shock to his system. The sensation danced along his nerve endings and sent his brain into overdrive with the possibilities of things they could do together. The very dirty, more than friendly things they could do together. The rush of endorphins made his heart pound and his blood dance with anticipation.

How the hell was he supposed to resist a girl like that?

Had he jumped at the contact? By the look in her eyes it was fair to say yes. But embarrassment was the furthest thing from Buster's mind right now, squirreled away in a cozy little corner of the shop he'd led her to. In all honesty, he couldn't give a damn if anyone saw them or not. With her leg rubbing against his crotch and her pressing against him so sweetly, all he wanted was to get her naked and ready for him.

A sneeze from Dixie brought him back to reality.

Right... right. They had come here to purchase scents for their science project and he had Dixie to consider. They couldn't just hide in a public perfume store's secluded corner and snog all afternoon. Mostly because the smells in here would bother Dixie's sensitive sniffer, but also because Lu was pulling back and smiling innocently, as if she hadn't been trying to get him all hot and bothered.

The little temptress.

"Erm, of course. Let's get this show on the road." Buster said quickly, trying not to let his thoughts rush to his groin. Quickly he grabbed the cedarwood scent along with juniper and a few other scents and led her to the checkout. He paid for the lot and escorted her out of the store. "So... any requests for dinner?" The boy asked in an attempt to keep the topic light despite what he really wanted, "I'll make you anything you like."

"We're looking for.....Ah ha! There it is! That place" The rosette exclaimed, pointing to the worn bright blue door of the little shop that Lu and Buster had gone into ahead of them. There may have other shops that they could browse for scents and things downtown, or even on the mainland, a quick online search wouldn't have been too hard to tell her that. But when she'd talked to him about it during French, Buster had been quite adamant that this shop in particular was the best one around for it's sheer variety alone.

And not one to doubt a friend's recommendation, Celi decided to follow suit after the other pair.

Just at a much slower pace while she took a glance at the other shops along the way.

She was just window shopping, Celi firmly told herself. Unconsciously tightening her grip on John's arm in self restraint as she nibbled on her bottom lip with every interesting store they passed. They weren't going to go inside or anything. They had a place to be, an assignment they had to do, and the sooner they got that done, the better!

After all, who knew how long John's patience for all this would last.

But it was rough.

With every slow step closer to the scents shop, the rosette was finding it harder and harder not to make a quick run into one of the other stores as her mental list grew longer and longer the more she looked. To the point that she was now gripping John's arm with both hands to hold herself back, her own embarrassment to holding onto him be damned!

Celi had never considered herself to be a shopaholic, even despite her love of fashion, she'd always lived a rather sparse life since moving was a constant. She only had what she needed and loved, things that had a use and place in her ever changing life. So while eye candy was nice, she never found it hard to leave it be to get on with things that she needed to do.

But since living on the island, and knowing that they never wanted to move again, the rosette had been finding more and more things that she simply loved to have for the joy of them. A soft cashmere blanket for her bed, a comfy sitter for her room, and even some decorative glassware simply because it sparkled gorgeously in the light.

It wasn't becoming a problem, at least that's what she told herself over and over again, but Celi certainly did have a better appreciation for casual window shopping now and her ability to restrain herself from impulse buying really wasn't what it used to be.

In fact, by the time they made it to their destination, the rosette's head was softly leaning against the boy's shoulder in silent defeat. Her urge to buy the few trinkets that she'd seen already making her mark her calendar for this weekend to stop in and get them.

Maybe she did have a little problem after all...

But not wanting to dwell on that thought, the rosette grabbed a basket and pulled her companion into the tiny maze of a shop, the hushed whispers of who she could only guess to be Lu and Buster reaching her ears faintly from some random nook of the store as she tried to find a scent or two of something John might like.

"So...have you been thinking about what scent you might like?" Celi asked, one hand still comfortably wrapped around his arm as she curiously picked up bottle after bottle to see what they were with the other.

Some were fairly standard, vanilla, peaches and cream, sandalwood, and the like. While others were downright strange sounding, and she had no clue what they could be or even smell like without trying them out.

Vetiver was a weird one that smelled like flowery patchouli, lemon and rosemary. And one called Bergamot Coriander made her sneeze a few times with its heavy scent of citrus and coriander. She'd picked up one by accident called Sex Grenade which had her blushing faintly, but the scent of jasmine, ylang ylang and sage was actually quite nice, but she nonetheless pushed the tiny bottle back onto the shelf discretely, hoping John hadn't seen.

"I'm still not quite sure what I want to get myself, not too sure what would be good y'know? But Buster did mention this place had quite a selection, so we might want to try narrowing things down a bit unless we want to be here all day"

John knew what that telltale slowing down meant - the object of his affection was enamored with the sights and shopping to be done in the surrounding stores. Conflicting emotions hit him all at once. A pit of dread opened up in his stomach at the realization that they might be here much, much longer than he wanted to be. And yet he also felt his heart soar at the possibility of spending much more time with Celi.

Hmm... decisions...

Shopping wasn't really his thing. And by 'not his thing', he meant 'spending long periods of time in public where he's supposed to behave would surely lead to him beating someone's ass'. But maybe people would leave the two of them alone. He did have quite a reputation on the island as someone not to be messed with, so hopefully people would keep that in mind.

Because if John was going to be completely honest with himself, he was going to tough it out for Celi. Do it for her. His mind insisted as he felt her gait slow as several things caught her attention. Her eyes sparkled with wonder and hope as she tried valiantly to keep herself from the tempting baubles. The trinkets were pretty, he supposed, but ultimately unnecessary in his opinion. Silly decorative things to take up space.

But she looked so precious as she pined away over those things.

His mind was made up even as his stomach felt like it was shriveling up into itself. Teeth clenched firmly enough to make his jaw flex a little, he followed Celi into the store Buster had suggested to her. Of course Buster had suggested this store. He actually enjoyed shopping, the weirdo. At her inquiry about what scent he'd like, he shrugged and suggested the first thing that popped into his head. "I dunno... pine?"

But it wasn't clear if she'd heard him since she was sniffing all sorts of different bottles of stink. One in particular seemed to catch his attention with the bold name of 'Sex Grenade'. Celi seemed to like how it smelled, but she put it back in a manner that suggested she was trying to be discreet. So of course he snatched it the moment she wasn't paying attention. When her gaze fell upon him, he motioned towards the stores they'd passed on the way in.

"You like that stuff?" The question was quiet and void of his usual teasing, "We can take a closer look after we get... uh, this." He motioned at the scents, unsure of what to call them without causing problems. "And if you wanna buy anything for your house I can help you move it."