First Impressions (Snapshots Five)
Title: First Impressions (Snapshots Five)
Author: Mara
Fandoms: The OC/One Tree Hill
Prompt: #024 - Family
Rating: R
Warnings: A little smutty.
Summary: Brooke meets the Cohens...
Notes: Fifth in the 'Snapshots Series'. Follows immediately after the previous installment, 'Sidetracked'.
First Impressions
In the doorway, Brooke felt bad for eavesdropping, but Ryan's gentle reassurance just made her love him more. She felt a hand on her arm and turned, recognizing Ryan's adoptive mom from the pictures he'd shown her. "Hi, Mrs. Cohen, I'm Brooke Davis..."
"I know, Ryan showed us a picture," Kirsten replied with a smile. "Why don't you come join Sandy and I in the kitchen? And please, call me Kirsten."
Brooke smiled and followed her into the kitchen. "Thank you for letting me tag along on the trip," she said.
"Ryan asks for things so rarely we can never say no," Sandy said. "It's nice to meet you, Brooke," he said, offering her his hand.
Brooke shook it. "It's nice to meet you, too, Mr. Cohen."
"Call me Sandy," he replied. "So, Ryan never got around to telling us how you two met?"
"At the gym, actually..." Brooke began. "He taught me how to through a good right hook, as opposed to my version which basically just incapacitates because the attacker's laughing too hard."
Kirsten tried to hide that she was struggling not to laugh by turning her back, while Sandy laughed outright. "Well, that could be equally effective..." Sandy said.
"That's what Ryan said," Brooke agreed, shrugging.
"So, where are you from?" Kirsten asked. "I think Ryan said the east coast?"
"Tree Hill, North Carolina," Brooke said with some pride. "I wanted a complete change of scenery for college."
"How's Berkeley treating you so far?" Sandy asked.
"I like it," Brooke said, feeling bubbly because Ryan was right, his parents seemed to like her. "Classes are tough, but the fun kind of tough, and I'm proving wrong everyone back home who said I couldn't handle Berkeley."
"I'll bet your parents are proud," Kirsten said, trying to be friendly but realizing she'd said the wrong thing when Brooke deflated. "What's wrong?"
"Honestly, I haven't exactly spoken to my parents since I started at Berkeley. I spent 3 weeks with them after high school graduation, then made the big move and... not even a phone call since," Brooke said. "We're just not that kind of family."
"Their loss," Ryan said as he walked in with the Coopers and moved from having an arm around Kaitlin's shoulders to wrap them around Brooke's waist. "I see you've met my parents."
"Is that who these strange people are? I thought it was a coincidence that they looked like the pictures in your dorm room and wallet!" Brooke teased.
"Such a comedian," Ryan said, rolling his eyes, but at the same time laughing. "But now I'd like you to meet Julie and Kaitlin Cooper, two other very important members of my family."
"It's really nice to meet you both," Brooke said sincerely, smiling and relaxing back into Ryan's arms. "Ry's told me so much about you both."
"Ryan's actually said something? Real words? Enough to qualify as 'so much'?" Kaitlin teased.
"You're a riot, you know that, Kaitlin?" Ryan said, grabbing a dishtowel and tossing it in her general direction.
Brooke smacked his arm. "If I can't cuss you can't throw things at people," she scolded.
"Why can't you cuss?" Kaitlin asked.
"No exposing either of my baby siblings to bad language," Ryan said. "You're already hopelessly corrupted," he added.
Kaitlin stuck her tongue out at him, but was smiling as she hopped onto a stool. "So, Brooke, you wouldn't happen to be the Brooke Davis? As in Clothes Over Bros?"
"Yes I am," Brooke said. "Why, you hoping for freebies?"
"Maybe," Kaitlin said.
"Well, you'll have to wait and see what I give you for Chrismukkah."
"The girl's already learned the right name!" Sandy said, impressed. "She's a keeper."
"That's what I thought," Ryan agreed, smiling.
"What's not to love about eight days of presents followed by one day of many presents?" Brooke said.
"Yeah, well you suck too, Cohen!" came from the front of the house, followed by a slamming door and angry footsteps stomping into the kitchen. "Hi, everybody!" Summer said with mock cheerfulness as she sat down beside Kaitlin.
"So... Seth and Taylor have arrived?" Kaitlin said.
"I slammed the door in Taylor's face," Summer said, this time with real glee in her voice.
"You were right, I like her," Brooke said to Ryan, who laughed.
"So you're the girl who thinks she's good enough for Chino?" Summer asked, eyeing Brooke. "Would you ever tell an ex-boyfriend interest in getting back with you that you were single when you were actually screwing the yard guy? Even if the yard guy was hot?"
"Never," Brooke said. "And no yard guy could be hotter than Ryan."
"Good answer," Summer said. "But for the record, if you hurt him in anyway, I will have a rage blackout and kick your ass. He's way too good of a friend to let some girl screw with his head yet again."
"Now that I seem pathetic and easily manipulated..." Ryan said, rolling his eyes.
"Hello, girl who's boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend not once but twice, standing right here," Brooke said. "If you're pathetic, I'm worse."
"God, Summer! You almost broke her nose!" Seth said as he and Taylor entered the kitchen. "Wow, the gang's all here already."
"Frank sucks, so mom and I left early," Kaitlin replied. "He's out of our lives for good."
"If he ever comes near you again I'll kill him," Ryan said in a low, angry, voice.
"He broke my arm," Kaitlin said, holding up the cast.
"Whoa," Seth said, mouth hanging open.
"I thought he'd changed," Taylor said, glancing from Kaitlin to Ryan, who was gritting his teeth.
"People like him don't change," Ryan replied tensely. "They never do."
"You changed," Seth said, and then seemed to immediately regret it as almost everyone gave him dirty looks and Ryan looked at him incredulously.
"You did not just compare him to Frank," Kaitlin said warningly.
"Of course not, I just... I'm gonna shut up now."
"Good idea," Brooke said. "Because Ryan's been saying I'm almost good enough for cage fighting and I will beat your scrawny ass down."
"That's my girl," Ryan said, kissing her temple. Then he pulled back and looked down, smiling as he saw the weight on his foot was Flapjacks. "Well, good to know that you survived a couple hours with Sandy and Kirsten," he said, bending to scoop up the little rabbit and cradle him to his chest.
"That explains why he wasn't in the jeep," Brooke said as she gently scratched behind Flapjacks' ear. "I was getting worried that you left him in the dorm."
"And risk my wrath?" Summer said, tsking. "And the things Pancakes would do to him!"
"Did you bring her?" Ryan asked, amused.
"I left her in her carrier by the couch," Summer said. "I wanted to give warning before letting her loose."
"Well, Flapjacks has been hopping around here since yesterday, so it's fine," Kirsten said.
"I didn't want him getting hurt in the chaos of luggage," Ryan supplied. "Especially with everyone moving out today."
The End
I realized, while rereading Brandywine's Flapjacks stories that I totally did not mention him at all in Snapshots... so I figured now I would and I'd explain why he wasn't mentioned in the last one... He was already at the Cohens! lol... but have no fear, Flapjacks lives in Ryan's dorm room with him and sleeps on his pillow beside him... lol
Author: Mara
Fandoms: The OC/One Tree Hill
Prompt: #024 - Family
Rating: R
Warnings: A little smutty.
Summary: Brooke meets the Cohens...
Notes: Fifth in the 'Snapshots Series'. Follows immediately after the previous installment, 'Sidetracked'.
First Impressions
In the doorway, Brooke felt bad for eavesdropping, but Ryan's gentle reassurance just made her love him more. She felt a hand on her arm and turned, recognizing Ryan's adoptive mom from the pictures he'd shown her. "Hi, Mrs. Cohen, I'm Brooke Davis..."
"I know, Ryan showed us a picture," Kirsten replied with a smile. "Why don't you come join Sandy and I in the kitchen? And please, call me Kirsten."
Brooke smiled and followed her into the kitchen. "Thank you for letting me tag along on the trip," she said.
"Ryan asks for things so rarely we can never say no," Sandy said. "It's nice to meet you, Brooke," he said, offering her his hand.
Brooke shook it. "It's nice to meet you, too, Mr. Cohen."
"Call me Sandy," he replied. "So, Ryan never got around to telling us how you two met?"
"At the gym, actually..." Brooke began. "He taught me how to through a good right hook, as opposed to my version which basically just incapacitates because the attacker's laughing too hard."
Kirsten tried to hide that she was struggling not to laugh by turning her back, while Sandy laughed outright. "Well, that could be equally effective..." Sandy said.
"That's what Ryan said," Brooke agreed, shrugging.
"So, where are you from?" Kirsten asked. "I think Ryan said the east coast?"
"Tree Hill, North Carolina," Brooke said with some pride. "I wanted a complete change of scenery for college."
"How's Berkeley treating you so far?" Sandy asked.
"I like it," Brooke said, feeling bubbly because Ryan was right, his parents seemed to like her. "Classes are tough, but the fun kind of tough, and I'm proving wrong everyone back home who said I couldn't handle Berkeley."
"I'll bet your parents are proud," Kirsten said, trying to be friendly but realizing she'd said the wrong thing when Brooke deflated. "What's wrong?"
"Honestly, I haven't exactly spoken to my parents since I started at Berkeley. I spent 3 weeks with them after high school graduation, then made the big move and... not even a phone call since," Brooke said. "We're just not that kind of family."
"Their loss," Ryan said as he walked in with the Coopers and moved from having an arm around Kaitlin's shoulders to wrap them around Brooke's waist. "I see you've met my parents."
"Is that who these strange people are? I thought it was a coincidence that they looked like the pictures in your dorm room and wallet!" Brooke teased.
"Such a comedian," Ryan said, rolling his eyes, but at the same time laughing. "But now I'd like you to meet Julie and Kaitlin Cooper, two other very important members of my family."
"It's really nice to meet you both," Brooke said sincerely, smiling and relaxing back into Ryan's arms. "Ry's told me so much about you both."
"Ryan's actually said something? Real words? Enough to qualify as 'so much'?" Kaitlin teased.
"You're a riot, you know that, Kaitlin?" Ryan said, grabbing a dishtowel and tossing it in her general direction.
Brooke smacked his arm. "If I can't cuss you can't throw things at people," she scolded.
"Why can't you cuss?" Kaitlin asked.
"No exposing either of my baby siblings to bad language," Ryan said. "You're already hopelessly corrupted," he added.
Kaitlin stuck her tongue out at him, but was smiling as she hopped onto a stool. "So, Brooke, you wouldn't happen to be the Brooke Davis? As in Clothes Over Bros?"
"Yes I am," Brooke said. "Why, you hoping for freebies?"
"Maybe," Kaitlin said.
"Well, you'll have to wait and see what I give you for Chrismukkah."
"The girl's already learned the right name!" Sandy said, impressed. "She's a keeper."
"That's what I thought," Ryan agreed, smiling.
"What's not to love about eight days of presents followed by one day of many presents?" Brooke said.
"Yeah, well you suck too, Cohen!" came from the front of the house, followed by a slamming door and angry footsteps stomping into the kitchen. "Hi, everybody!" Summer said with mock cheerfulness as she sat down beside Kaitlin.
"So... Seth and Taylor have arrived?" Kaitlin said.
"I slammed the door in Taylor's face," Summer said, this time with real glee in her voice.
"You were right, I like her," Brooke said to Ryan, who laughed.
"So you're the girl who thinks she's good enough for Chino?" Summer asked, eyeing Brooke. "Would you ever tell an ex-boyfriend interest in getting back with you that you were single when you were actually screwing the yard guy? Even if the yard guy was hot?"
"Never," Brooke said. "And no yard guy could be hotter than Ryan."
"Good answer," Summer said. "But for the record, if you hurt him in anyway, I will have a rage blackout and kick your ass. He's way too good of a friend to let some girl screw with his head yet again."
"Now that I seem pathetic and easily manipulated..." Ryan said, rolling his eyes.
"Hello, girl who's boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend not once but twice, standing right here," Brooke said. "If you're pathetic, I'm worse."
"God, Summer! You almost broke her nose!" Seth said as he and Taylor entered the kitchen. "Wow, the gang's all here already."
"Frank sucks, so mom and I left early," Kaitlin replied. "He's out of our lives for good."
"If he ever comes near you again I'll kill him," Ryan said in a low, angry, voice.
"He broke my arm," Kaitlin said, holding up the cast.
"Whoa," Seth said, mouth hanging open.
"I thought he'd changed," Taylor said, glancing from Kaitlin to Ryan, who was gritting his teeth.
"People like him don't change," Ryan replied tensely. "They never do."
"You changed," Seth said, and then seemed to immediately regret it as almost everyone gave him dirty looks and Ryan looked at him incredulously.
"You did not just compare him to Frank," Kaitlin said warningly.
"Of course not, I just... I'm gonna shut up now."
"Good idea," Brooke said. "Because Ryan's been saying I'm almost good enough for cage fighting and I will beat your scrawny ass down."
"That's my girl," Ryan said, kissing her temple. Then he pulled back and looked down, smiling as he saw the weight on his foot was Flapjacks. "Well, good to know that you survived a couple hours with Sandy and Kirsten," he said, bending to scoop up the little rabbit and cradle him to his chest.
"That explains why he wasn't in the jeep," Brooke said as she gently scratched behind Flapjacks' ear. "I was getting worried that you left him in the dorm."
"And risk my wrath?" Summer said, tsking. "And the things Pancakes would do to him!"
"Did you bring her?" Ryan asked, amused.
"I left her in her carrier by the couch," Summer said. "I wanted to give warning before letting her loose."
"Well, Flapjacks has been hopping around here since yesterday, so it's fine," Kirsten said.
"I didn't want him getting hurt in the chaos of luggage," Ryan supplied. "Especially with everyone moving out today."
The End
I realized, while rereading Brandywine's Flapjacks stories that I totally did not mention him at all in Snapshots... so I figured now I would and I'd explain why he wasn't mentioned in the last one... He was already at the Cohens! lol... but have no fear, Flapjacks lives in Ryan's dorm room with him and sleeps on his pillow beside him... lol