Archive of Our Own

“Again, dude?”

Colt waved him off. “Look, man, my last five girlfriends only dated me because I looked like Tom Ryder. Jessica just made it six, so-” he huffed. “Yeah, I’m not doing all that great.”

Dan winced, sitting next to him as he dejectedly watched the man himself launch into a monologue as the crew focused in on him. Tom Ryder, action star and perpetual thief of stunt man valor. And massive douchebag.

He wasn’t even that hot.

“So,” Dan said, nudging Colt’s side with his elbow, “Any plans?”

“Are you seriously-”

Dan rolled his eyes, clapping his hand on Colt’s back, sending him lurching forward. “Colt, buddy. You’re young, you live in the city of stars. I promise there’s a girl out there who’s not trying to pretend she’s dating Tom Ryder by dating you.”

“See, now you’re just being-” Colt sighed heavily, running a hand down his face. “I’m taking a break from the dating game. I’m just not having great luck, and I’d rather just spend my Saturdays driving up to the Bay Area for movie night.”

He looked at him suspiciously as Colt realized that he had forgotten one somewhat important detail. “Movie night with who?” Dan asked in a sing-songy voice that had Colt rolling his eyes.

“Have I not told you about my twin brother?”

Dan blinked, leaning forward as Colt prepared himself for all the questions that would follow. Colt, why didn’t you tell me you had a twin? Colt, are you identical twins or not? Is twin telepathy really a thing? Colt, have you ever switched places with your twin?

“You know-”

Colt physically recoiled, bile building in his throat. “Absolutely not. I am not using my twin brother to help me pick up chicks,” he announced, swatting at Dan’s arm. “Besides, he’s got a girl already.”

He laughed, slinging an arm over Colt’s shoulders. “I’m just messing with you, bro. Besides, am I gonna meet this mysterious twin of yours soon? Or is he like some even cooler dude, and you don’t want him stealing your thunder? Like, James Bond, Jason Bourne, secret agent type-”

“Well, he has a PhD in molecular biology.”

Dan blinks and looks…disappointed? “Well, that’s-”

“Hey, my brother is the coolest person I know,” Colt interrupted. “Just, please don’t tell him I said that.”

The two of them watched as the crew reset, Ryder already rambling about how the dialogue just felt stilted and stupid and dumb. Like his face, Colt grumbled inside his brain.

But then, something caught his eye. Or rather, someone. 

She was hovering by the director, watching intently as he and Ryder went back and forth over the shot. Her nearly platinum-blonde hair was tied back into a conservative ponytail to keep it out of her face. She was wearing the crew sweatshirt, a shockingly-not-hideous-for-once navy blue hoodie with the movie’s logo plastered across the chest, and it brought out the storminess of her blue-gray eyes. And as she listened to the conversation, her nose scrunched up in the most adorable-

Oh no.

Dan seemed to notice as well, shooting a disapproving glare at the stuntman. “Seriously, dude-”

“I- I-” Colt stammered, feeling an uncomfortable heat rise on his face.

“Colt, you just said-”

“I’ve never seen her on set before,” he protested, gesturing towards her as Dan pinched the bridge of his nose. “She’s new.”

Dan glanced over at her and then back to Colt, whose gaze had already drifted back at her. He shook his head, punching Colt hard in the shoulder.

“Dude, what the-”

“It’s for your own good, Colt,” he sighed, wrapping an arm around his best friend and pulling him to his side. “Yeah, she’s new on set this morning. But you just had your sixth breakup in two months, dude. You said-”

“It’s not like I’m going to-”

He blinked, shaking his head disapprovingly. Colt made a noise as Dan practically picked him up, dragging him to a quiet corner of the set out of view from the director, Ryder, and Colt’s apparent new crush. 

“Yes, Colt, you are,” he deadpanned. “You do this every time. Some new girl walks on set, you go down and put the-” Dan closed his fists, save for his thumbs and index fingers, and waved them around like a cowboy shooting his pistols- “Colt Seavers, stuntman moves on them-”

Colt groaned, “Please never do that ever again.”

Dan reached out, placing his hands on Colt’s shoulders and glaring at him until Colt finally felt uncomfortable enough to wrench himself out of the stunt-coordinator’s grip. The blond made a face, crossing his arms as he subconsciously turned back out to the set, trying to spot-

“You’re doing it again.”

“I am not!”

He made a deadpan face as Colt huffed. “Look,” the stuntman said. “I’m just gonna introduce myself so I’m familiar with more people on the set-”

“Colt,” Dan warned.

“I’ll bring my twin brother on set if you let me go talk to her.”

The man cocked his head to the side as Colt held out his arms with a smirk, watching as Dan slowly contemplated this offer. “Damnit,” he hissed. “Fine, Colt. You can go-” the stuntman pumped his fist triumphantly- “but be careful, dude. Every time you’ve tried to go out with a girl you’ve met on set, she’s only going out with you because of the Tom Ryder thing.”

“That’s not true.”

“Uh-huh, name one.”

He thought for a moment before snapping his fingers and pointing back at Dan. “Alexis.”

Dan raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t she cheat on you?”

“That’s not the point.”

“Repeatedly?”

“I think we’re getting off topic.”

“And then once you broke up with her, she slept with half the crew, including Ryder?”

Colt blinked. “Now that’s just mean.”

“Colt,” Dan groaned. “Just, just be careful. For all you know, Ryder hired some hot new assistant.”

“Or she could hate him as much as I do,” he suggested.

He snorted. “I don’t think there’s anyone who hates Tom Ryder as much as you do,” he sighed, watching as Colt looked to him expectantly. “Fine,” he sighed, which Colt took to be a clear end to the conversation and nearly sprinted back to the set, vaulting over a crate of props. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you!” He called.

Colt ignored him, landing smoothly on his feet and dusting himself off. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his leather Miami Vice Stunt Team jacket, trying to settle into his usual laid-back, nonchalant, stunt guy persona. 

Oh, dear God. The Colt Seavers, stuntman, moves are real.

He quickly took his hands out of his pockets, cringing at himself.

His gaze slowly swept the set, mentally taking stock of what his fellow stunt crew team was doing as they set up rigs and checked the safety equipment once, twice, and a third time for redundancy. He nodded, and he looked over the rest of the set, eyes finally settling on the new member of their crew talking to one of his favorite camera operators. Bingo.

Colt slipped through the masses of people adjusting the lighting, the sound equipment, and the cameras like a rehearsed flash mob. The kind of skills you get after being on film sets for a solid quarter of your life, especially when you’re running between the set and the medical trailer between takes.

He slowly made his way over to the camera operator, Andrew, a veteran who’d worked on countless action movies over the years and had always had a soft spot for Colt and the other stuntman, and her. She was smiling, seeming very engaged in whatever story from some movie Andrew had shot with Tom Cruise years ago, and she tucked a few strands of her-

Jesus Christ, Seavers, pull yourself together.

Andrew turned, face lighting up as he waved him over. “Colt! Good to see you, man,” he called as Colt jogged over to him. He gestured to her, “Have you met our newest member of the camera crew?”

She held out her hand, her smile bright and-

Oh God, she’s even prettier up close.

“Jody Moreno,” she announced, her accent making Colt’s face flush as he reached out for her hand, shaking it firmly.

“Nice to meet you, Jody,” he said, nodding. “I’m the- I’m Colt. Colt Seavers,” he fumbled, screaming at himself internally as she let her hand drop to her side. 

“Well, The Colt, Colt Seavers. It’s nice to meet you,” she replied, glancing back at Andrew.

“Colt here is part of our stunt crew,” he explained, jabbing a thumb in his direction. “One of the best I’ve seen in all my years,” he added, jabbing Colt in the stomach with his elbow as Jody nodded.

“Stunts, huh?” She mused, looking him up and down as Colt felt heat rush to his face. Please tell me I’m not blushing. Jody chewed on the inside of her cheek, cocking her head to the side as she studied him closely, not unlike how Ryland would stare at his samples under his microscope. “Are you-” she lowered her voice to barely above a whisper. “Are you Ryder’s stunt double?”

He swallowed. This could go one of two potential ways, and he really hoped it wouldn’t. “I am actually-” Jody’s face lit up- “how’d you-”

“I knew he didn’t do his own stunts!” She whispered excitedly with a grin that made Colt feel weak in the knees. “God, I’ve been looking for someone on the stunt crew that looks like him all day. I thought I was going crazy! He’s such a bloody prick, I mean, there’s no way someone who’s that much of a prat actually has the balls to do his own stunts.”

He’s so fucked.

Colt smirked. “You’re telling me, I’ve been his stunt man for three years, and I have to ban him from movie night every so often because he drives me insane.”

“Three years?”

He sighed, tucking his hands in his pockets. “I’m in his contracts,” he admitted. “Next to the assistant, his hair and makeup, and his trainer. Colt Seavers, Tom Ryder’s number one stunt double.”

She snorted, “Oh my God,” Jody laughed. “How in the world do you stand it?”

“Good support system, mental health breaks, spicy margaritas-”

“You are my type of person, Colt Seavers,” she announced with a laugh that nearly had Colt dropping to one knee on the spot. “If you ever want to, maybe, grab a spicy margarita with me sometime-” she held out a folded piece of paper to him- “I feel that you should know how to get ahold of me.”

Colt took the paper, holding it tightly. “I’ll have to check my calendar, but I’m sure I can squeeze you in between a cannon roll and falling out a window,” he smirked. “I might have to take a rain check on getting hit by a car to make it work, but they’ll understand.”

Jody smiled, opening her mouth to say something before her name echoed across the set. She turned to spot one of the other members of the camera crew waving her over frantically. Clapping her hands together, she nodded, “Thanks for the chat, Andrew-” she turned to face the stunt man- “and lovely to meet you, Colt Seavers. I’ll-”

“I’ll call you,” he blurted, tucking the paper into his pocket. “I have to drive up to San Francisco once we wrap for the day to visit family, but I’ll call you once I get there?”

“Sounds fantastic,” she nodded. “Cheers!” She took off running as her name was called once again, and Colt’s gaze followed her as she disappeared into the crowd.

He slowly retreated back to where the rest of the crew was waiting as Ryder grumbled, stepping back onto set, and the cameras began to move back into position. Colt searched for Dan, who was engrossed in a conversation with one of the other members of the stunt team, who slipped away as Colt approached. Dan turned towards him, “So, how’d it go?”

Colt grinned, holding the piece of paper Jody had given him between his fingers. “You tell me.”

Dan blinked, mouth falling open. “How the fuck did you do that?”

“I have no idea, I felt like a complete dork,” Colt breathed quickly. “I don’t know what was wrong with me, but my brain was all fuzzy, and, Dan, Dan, she’s so pretty. She’s gorgeous.”

“Colt, what did I say-”

“I know, I know, I know. But,” he smiled, “her name’s Jody, she’s a camera operator, she’s funny-”

“Colt.”

“She likes spicy margaritas-”

“Colt.”

“And,” Colt announced proudly, wagging his finger back and forth, “she hates Tom Ryder.”

Dan blinked. “You sure about that?”

“Absolutely.”

“You are so-”

“I’m so fucked, Dan,” he interjected. “I am so unbelievably fucked.” He groaned, burying his face in his hands. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he wailed, dragging his hands down his face. “I’m normally cool, calm, nonchalant. Ya know, Colt Seavers, stuntman, type of thing-”

“I thought you said-”

“It was the finger guns, Dan. Never do that again.”

Dan nodded as Colt faceplanted into his shoulder with a muffled groan. “So, we’re worried because-”

“I‘m driving up to San Francisco after wrap, and my brother’s gonna make fun of me,” he lamented, muffled by Dan’s shirt.

“And why is he gonna make fun of you?”

“Because I, Colt Seavers, professional dumbass, told Jody I’d call her when I got there.”

“And that’s bad because?”

Colt inhaled. “He’s seen me go through some shit. So he’s very…aware of my love life. Not overinvolved, just, aware. And sometimes it's like being a teenager again and having an overbearing parent who wants to make sure you’re dating a person who’s a good influence. So he’s gonna wanna eavesdrop.”

“So just don’t go.”

“I have to.”

Dan blinked, “Why?”

“I’m bringing him to set tomorrow.”

“We literally made that deal ten minutes ago,” the stunt coordinator said suspiciously. “There is no way in hell that you got that cleared with the director, the producers, Gail, Ryder, and Ryder’s security all while you were going up to her looking like a kindergartener with a crush.”

Colt winced. “First off, kindergartener? That’s how we’re doing this?”

“The only thing different about that from you asking her out on the playground at recess was the fact that you two are both over twenty-one and can therefore drink spicy margaritas,” Dan deadpanned, emphasizing the last two words with an atriociously bad accent.

The stuntman huffed. “Second off,” he continued as Dan rolled his eyes. “I’ve been planning to bring my brother on set for like a month. Gail and Dressler cleared it like a week ago.”

“Dude.”

“You gave me leverage to go talk to a very cute camera operator from across the pond,” he protested, with an exaggerated British accent. “And I found out that she’s very pretty, she’s very funny, she thinks I’m funny, she hates Tom Ryder-” he pulled out the paper, holding it between his fingers- “and I got her number, so I’m okay with that.”

Dan pinched the bridge of his nose while Colt stood proudly with his hands on his hips. “I’m so excited to meet this mysterious twin brother of yours, so we can talk all about how much of an idiot you are.”

“Then I will make sure he doesn’t go anywhere near you tomorrow,” Colt retorted.

“You wouldn’t,” Dan replied, scandalized, with his best impression of some upper-class English lady from a movie they’d gone to see, and secretly didn’t hate.

“I absolutely would. He hates watching me do stunts. It’s a stunt-heavy day tomorrow. He will be more than happy to go hide in the back until lunch, keeping him far away from you. So,” he held his hand out to Dan, who eyed him skeptically. “Do we have a deal?”

“What about your new crush?”

Colt cursed under his breath. “I did not think about that.”

Dan smirked. “I get to talk all the shit I want to about you with your twin, and I keep him away from the Queen of England, deal?”

He looked between his best friend and his outstretched hand, finally grimacing. “Fine. But I will deny everything you tell him.”

“I’d expect nothing less.”

They shook hands firmly as the director’s voice echoed through the set, igniting a flurry of movement as they finally wrapped for the day. Colt clapped Dan on the back, turning to slip back through the crew. His eyes began searching for Jody before he could even stop himself, and he groaned internally, a pit of dread opening within him as he made his way out into the parking lot, lifting himself into his truck.

The radio crackled to life as he turned the key in the ignition, the upbeat bass of a Taylor Swift song fading into the distance. “Man,” he muttered, “I love that one.” The DJ continued as Colt slowly pulled out of the lot, making his way onto the roads, following the signs pointing him to San Francisco as the acoustic guitar of something off Fearless began playing through the speakers.

The two-hour drive from the set in Monterey to the city was mostly a haze of traffic and car karaoke–aside from a pit stop to refill his gas tank and buy a few packs of skittles–before he pulled off, driving through residential streets until he pulled into the parking lot of a decently nice apartment complex, parking underneath one of the structures. He slipped out of the truck, spinning his keys around his fingers as he walked towards his twin brother’s apartment, humming to himself.

As he opened the door, he saw Ryland, glasses askew on his face, one hand in his hair while the other was twirling a red pen between his fingers. His eyes focused on the pile of papers in front of him. His knitted cardigan, the one with the foxes, wasn’t so much being worn as it was draped over his shoulders. Colt sighed, kicking the door closed, “I brought skittles,” he announced, setting the packets on the kitchen counter as Ryland nodded, not looking up.

He shrugged, continuing to hum to himself as he opened Ryland’s pantry, scanning for the packets of microwave popcorn.

“Somebody had a good day,” Ryland said as he scribbled something across the top of one of his students’ assignments. He finally pushed himself away, leaning back in his chair as Colt glanced at him.

“Yeah,” he answered, before returning to his humming, starting to dig around in the back for any loose packets.

“A really good day,” his twin brother continued, adjusting his glasses so they actually sat across the bridge of his nose and weren’t dangling from his ear.

Colt paused, finally looking at him. “How’d you know?”

“You were humming Style-” Colt blinked, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck- “and you hum songs from Fearless and 1989 when you have a good day,” Ryland observed, crossing his arms, careful not to cause the cardigan to slip.

“That’s not always-”

“I could hear you blasting it from outside,” he interrupted, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

Colt rolled his eyes. “Just because I’m listening to Taylor Swift does not mean-”

“You listen to Red, specifically All Too Well, when you’re upset.”

“I cried in the car one time-”

“Colt,” he deadpanned.

“Okay, two times.”

“Colt.”

“Okay, fine, I cry to Taylor Swift in the car because she makes good music.”

“You have Red TV on vinyl!”

“It had the ten-minute version of All Too Well!”

Ryland groaned, “You don’t own a record player!”

Colt waved him off dismissively, returning to the task at hand when he remembered something. His phone and the piece of paper he’d been holding onto were practically burning a hole in his pocket. I have to call Jody.

He finally found the packet, flinging it at his brother, who yelped as he ducked, dodging the packet, which thudded against the wall. Ryland glared at his brother, who already had his phone in his hand, his other hand holding the folded piece of paper. He shot him a questioning glance, noticing the slight tremble in his brother’s usual steady hands. Colt was a stuntman; he did things even Ryland couldn’t watch with a straight face and a thumbs up. What in God’s name could have him shaking like this?

Colt took one deep breath, chest rising and falling as he lifted his phone to his ear. “Jody! Hi,” Colt began, already starting to nervously pace around the cramped kitchen, and Ryland groaned internally. “Yeah, yeah, I made it up here fine, but uh- what- what are you gonna do? San Francisco traffic might be terrible, but it sure beats LA,” he continued with a nervous laugh that had Ryland studying him suspiciously.

“Speaker,” Ryland ordered. “Now.”

His twin brother lowered his phone, covering the microphone. “Absolutely not,” he hissed, narrowing his eyes at Ryland.

“Colt-”

“There is nothing for you to worry about,” Colt protested.

“You’re blushing, Colt. You came into my apartment humming Style by Taylor Swift. You’re calling a girl, your hands are shaking. And you’re acting like one of my eighth graders when I pair them with their crush for an assignment,” Ryland pointed out. “Now, put your phone on speaker.”

“I’m not doing that, Ry,” he countered, bringing the phone back up to his ear. “Yeah, no, Monterey sets are always fun. I grew up near the beach, so it’s a bit nostalgic.” He paused, and Ryland gestured wildly, only for Colt to run his thumb across his neck with a glare. “England? Couldn’t tell,” he said, with that same nervous laugh as his cheeks turned from a soft pink to a prominent red.

“Colton Seavers-Grace.”

He covered the microphone again, glaring at Ryland. “Canyoupleasejustshutupandbechillforoncepleaseandthankyou,” he shrieked quickly before returning the phone to his ear. “Bristol, really? I wanna say I’ve heard of that. Is it near London? No? Oh, like an hour from Cardiff? That’s in Wales, right?”

Ryland rolled his eyes, opening the packet of popcorn and resting it on the glass plate in the microwave. He had to admit that part of him was impressed with his brother’s geography knowledge, considering he couldn’t remember when Colt had last filmed abroad. It had been a while since Ryland had received a postcard to be tucked into a box in the back of his closet. 

“Actually, I’m visiting my brother up here,” Colt explained, pulling the aforementioned brother’s attention back to him. “I’m bringing him down to set tomorrow, so I figured it’d be easy to just sleep at his place instead of driving back and forth.” He paused again, so, Ryland assumed this mysterious girl could respond. “Yeah, uh, big stunt day tomorrow,” he laughed, that same nervous laugh as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Dan’s saying I’m doing some jumps, falls, wire work. Maybe a fight scene.” He paused again. “Well yeah, I mean, that is why I get paid the big bucks,” he said in an absolutely atrocious impression of some macho man who definitely wouldn’t flush fifty shades of red because he’s talking to a girl.

“That was bad, dude.”

“Shut up,” Colt seethed.

Ryland stifled his laugh with his hand as Colt nodded a few more times, making some affirmative noises. “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he finally said, rocking back and forth on his heels. “I can grab you some coffee on my way down if you’d like, actually,” he offered as Ryland reached out to smack his arm. “Oh, really? Yeah, I can do that. So I’ll see you then. Alright. Perfect. Bye.”

He tucked his phone back into his pocket, trying to ignore the hole that Ryland’s gaze was boring into him. Colt turned towards the fridge, ignoring his twin brother’s pointed coughs as he retrieved two sodas and continued on as normal.

His dearest, darlingest little brother realized that he’d have to be the one to start that conversation for him. “So,” Ryland began, “lot of blushing for one phone call?”

“Go pick out a movie,” Colt grumbled, swatting at him like a fly.

“I will get this information out of you,” he threatened.

“I highly doubt that. Also, anything that has Gail Meyer listed anywhere near the credits is banned. She and the human embodiment of a blobfish were bitching at the director all day, and he took it out on stunts, and that’s just not cool.”

“I thought Gail was a producer.”

“She is. So I am banning any movie that she has signed off on. She’s not getting my streaming royalties tonight,” Colt announced, opening one of the cabinets and reaching for a bowl.

“How involved does she need to be to be banned?” Ryland asked from the couch, the sound of him clicking through movies reverberating through the not-half-bad sound system Colt had set up for him.

“If her name is in the credits, it’s banned.”

“Doesn’t leave us with a lot of modern-day options,” he murmured, before turning around. “Rocky?”

Colt cocked his head to the side and then shrugged. “I’ll watch Rocky.”

“Sounds great,” he said, finger hovering over the remote. “As long as you tell me about what happened to you today for you to be humming Taylor Swift and blushing during a phone call.”

“And what if I don’t.”

“Tom Ryder movie marathon.”

Colt gasped. “You wouldn’t.”

Ryland smirked. “Try me.”

The stuntman stared at his brother, mouth still dramatically hung open with the sting of betrayal. He dropped the face quickly, though, as the beeping from the microwave rang through the apartment. 

“So, what happened?”

He took a deep breath, bracing himself for the teasing about to come his way. “I found her, Ry. I found her!” Colt sang, practically dancing through the kitchen, bowl of popcorn in hand.

Ryland turned his head, looking over his shoulder at his brother. “Found who?” Like the red on his twin brother’s face wasn’t a blinking neon sign with the answer to his question.

“The future Mrs. Seavers,” Colt announced, grabbing one of the packets of Skittles he’d brought back and plopping down next to his brother on the couch as Ryland clicked through the Netflix catalogue.

“Tom Ryder is also banned for the next month, by the way. I figured that was obvious,” Colt announced through a handful of popcorn as Ryland hovered over a movie where Ryder’s face was staring back at them.

He clicked off it for a moment, setting the remote down and turning to face Colt, who was cradling the bowl to his chest. “So, the future Mrs. Seavers?” Ryland asked, raising an eyebrow at his twin, who jumped up excitedly.

“Okay, okay,” Colt began, rocking back and forth on his heels. “Her name is Jody, she’s a camera operator on this new movie I’m working on. She’s English, she’s super nice, she’s super funny, she hates Tom Ryder almost as much as me.” He sighed in a way Ryland knew all too well from his students, falling back onto the couch with a soft thud. “I’m gonna marry her, Ryland.”

Ryland smiled, watching his brother’s dreamy expression and fighting the urge to roll his eyes. “Well then, I assume I’ll be invited to the wedding.”

“You kidding?” Colt scoffed, batting at his brother’s arm. “You’re the best man, dude. Nobody is gonna take that job from you.”

“So, do I get to meet this Jody tomorrow?”

Colt sucked in a breath through his teeth. “Yeah, buddy. I kinda made a deal with Dan that he could talk shit about me with you if he kept her away from you.” Ryland raised an eyebrow, leaning back against the couch and holding the remote just out of reach so Colt couldn’t lean over him and snatch it back. “Listen, I just want-”

“Colt, you’re my brother and I love you, but-”

“I know,” he groaned into his hands. “I know, I know, I know. And I know that if I say this is different, you won’t believe me, and it’ll just be a whole thing and I-”

His brother rested a hand on his shoulder, “Look, I’m just worried. You don’t have a great track record with picking the best options. I’m sure some of that is just Hollywood, but still. I’d like to have a decent sister-in-law in the future,” Ryland teased, nudging Colt with his elbow. “You’re all I’ve got left, Colt. I need you around for a long time.”

Colt sat with that information for a minute, shifting uncomfortably before he turned back to Ryland. “So, Rocky?”

“We’re glossing over that emotional moment where we come together in our bond as brothers?”

“Yes, please.”

Ryland shook his head, “Fine. Let me find it.”

“And you met her yesterday?”

Ryland had his coffee cup in hand, glasses sitting on his face normally for once, the gold frames catching the light. Colt shrugged, grabbing two more cups from the counter. “It’s not illegal to do something nice for a coworker,” he scoffed as the two of them turned, leaving.

He tucked both of his cups into the center console as Ryland slid into the passenger seat, still holding his own cup. His other hand rested in the pocket of his navy blue sweatshirt with the words “Grover Cleveland Middle School Tigers” printed across his chest. He looked like the epitome of a middle school teacher, down to the worn white converse to try to be “relatable,” and Colt nearly rolled his eyes.

He drove the two of them through the highway, finally reaching the set and nodding to the security guard who let them pass without issue. “By the way,” Colt said as he slowly pulled into his parking spot and turned the ignition off. “Despite the fact that I told Dan that you’re a boring scientist-”

“I am not boring!”

“-he’s convinced that I’m lying and that you’re some kind of secret agent, James Bond type deal,” Colt continued. “He will ask questions. You can choose to play along or just shut him down, up to you.”

Ryland blinked in slight disbelief, sliding out of the truck and following Colt by a few paces. He bristled under the odd glances being thrown their way as Colt waved to various crew members, slowly making his way through the set. He spotted Dan, waving his arms wildly and dragging Ryland along with him.

“So this is the famous twin that my favorite stunt guy only mentioned for the first time yesterday,” Dan announced, crossing his arms over his chest. “The one who’s definitely not a secret agent, and that’s why I never heard about him.”

Colt slung an arm over his brother’s shoulders, “Dan, this is Dr. Ryland Grace. Ry, this is the famous Dan,” he said, gesturing to the stunt coordinator. Ryland held out a hand, and Dan shook it, and then pulled him in, clapping him on the back.

“Listen,” he whispered, glancing at Colt. “I need to know all the dirt. Every bit of blackmail. You with me?”

Ryland grinned. “Oh, absolutely.”

The two of them smirked at Colt, who sighed, shaking his head as he searched the room for Jody, not even paying attention as Dan tried to ask him a few more things about the stunts on schedule for the day. 

Dan glanced at Ryland. “Is he usually like this?”

“Not even close,” he said, eyes following Colt as he walked away. “He falls hard when he falls, but this. This is bad. He met her yesterday?”

Dan nodded. “He blackmailed me a bit.”

“He bought her coffee on our way here.”

“You’re joking.”

Ryland shook his head as Dan sucked in a breath through his teeth. “He’s fucked.”

The two of them watched as Colt disappeared into another mess of the crew, weaving through the mess of wires, cameras, and microphones. He held both cups of coffee close to his chest, taking extra care to protect Jody’s cup as he nodded and greeted other members of the crew. Some of them looked at him with wide eyes, probably confused on how he suddenly cloned himself.

He spotted Jody, already sitting behind one of the cameras, her knees folded to her chest as she listened intently to one of the other camera operators rattling off a list from a clipboard. Her brow occasionally furrowed as her head cocked to the side, nodding slowly. 

Colt slowly walked over, trying to hover just out of the way of conversation until Jody turned to him with a grin. “Big stunt day today?” She asked, interrupting the other camera operator.

He nodded, handing her one of his cups of coffee. “Yep,” he sighed, “And I have a feeling that if Gail and Ryder are anything like they were yesterday, we’re gonna be doing a lot of reshoots.” He took a sip from his own coffee. “Gotta get the caffeine early.”

She took the cup with two hands, smiling in a way that had Colt’s face feeling unusually warm. “I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting to actually be brought coffee today,” Jody noted, taking a sip.

“There’s a decent spot near the set, it was on my way,” Colt shrugged. “I’ve been stopping by there for weeks; it wasn’t a big deal.”

The other camera operator turned to him, raising an eyebrow. “Colt, weren’t you just talking with Dan like-”

“Twin brother,” he interrupted. “Long story, I don’t talk much about him but he finally had some free time to visit, so I thought why not?”

“You have a twin brother?”

“He’s an eighth-grade teacher in the Bay Area,” Colt explained, waving his hand. “Teaches science. Has a PhD, ya know, standard stuff.”

Jody snorted. “How similar do you guys really look?”

“We’re identical.”

“What do you wanna bet that Ryder tries to complain to him about something you did, thinking it's you?”

Colt grinned. “Oh, I’m counting on it. I’ve been meaning to chew him out, and if he goes after my brother, that’s fair game in my books. No one is gonna come after my brother and not hear about it from me.”

“I’m assuming you’re the older one then,” Jody asked, crossing her legs.

“Not by much, just by five minutes. He’s still my baby brother though, regardless.”

She stifled her laugh with her hand as the other camera operator turned to leave, leaving the two of them alone. Colt tucked his hands into the pockets of his jacket, and Jody's eyes widened. “I’ve been meaning to ask you,” she said, standing up from her chair. “Miami Vice? How’d you end up with that?”

“First show I ever worked on,” he admitted sheepishly. “They had this one stunt that I had to do over and over again where I had to jump a boat through a ring of fire-” Jody’s mouth fell open- “Got so good at it I could do it with my hands tied behind my back. I brought Ryland, my brother, on set one day, and some of the crew thought he was gonna faint when I had to do a bunch of takes with that. Had medical on standby for him and everything.”

“Sounds like he cares about you.”

“Ry’s the safe one,” Colt shrugged.

“Ah,” she realized. “He’s the brains of the operation, isn’t he?”

“Dan thinks he’s some sort of secret agent and that’s why I haven’t brought him up.” Jody blinked and Colt added, “Stunt coordinator, Dan Tucker. You’ll probably see him around with a guy that looks just like me but wearing glasses.”

“Well, it’s more believable than someone with a PhD teaching Year Eights at a public school I’d imagine,” Jody said, taking another sip of her coffee. “This is incredible coffee, by the way. You’ll have to take me to wherever you got it.”

Colt nearly choked on air, feeling his face flush immediately. “Yeah,” he blurted, his voice probably too high to be passed off as normal. In reality, it probably sounded less like a word and more like a squeak. “Yeah, def- definitely. I’ve gotta take Ry home after we wrap but, uh, tomorrow, maybe?”

“That sounds great.”

“Great! Yeah, that’s great! Totally great!”

“One more time and I’ll believe you.”

Colt ran a hand through his hair, his face burning in what was probably a deep shade of crimson if he was being honest. “Sounds great, Jody. I’ll see you later?”

“Well,” she plopped back into her chair, leaning backwards. “I’ll see you in ten when you’re on set for the stunt you’re doing, right?”

“Right. Falling out of a window. We’re starting off with that one.”

“You don’t seem excited.”

“Having to get stitches on my face because of broken glass isn’t my preferred way of spending my Fridays,” Colt grumbled.

“And what would your preferred way to spend a Friday be?”

“I don’t know,” he mused as the corner of his mouth quirked up into a smirk. “I’m pretty partial to drinking a few spicy margaritas with a cute camera girl from Bristol,” he said with a wink.

Jody choked on her coffee, face flushing an adorable bright red as she blinked at him. Colt grinned, a swell of pride bubbling up inside him. At least I’m not that hopeless.

“That was bad, dude!” A voice shouted from across the room.

Colt stiffened immediately, recognizing the voice. He turned around to see his twin brother standing with his hands shoved into the pockets of his sweatshirt. Dan was doubled over next to him, nearly shaking with laughter as Colt felt his ears burn.

He turned back to Jody, who snorted. “Holy shit, there really are two of you.”

The stuntman groaned, burying his face in his hands. “Forget I said any of that. Please. For my own sanity,” he pleaded as Dan and Ryland’s laughter only grew louder.

“I’ll try, but I tend to remember when people call me attractive, Colt Seavers,” she said, looking between him and his twin. “It’s always nice to keep those comments in the back of the mind for a quick ego boost.”

“I’m doing all of these stunts with no safety equipment, I swear to God,” he whispered, mortified.

The concept of identical twins seemed straightforward. They shared the exact same DNA, presumably. They should have the same face, but as Colt’s brother, Ryland, if she remembered correctly, stood near her, the differences became easy to spot.

For one, Colt didn’t wear glasses. Well, wear was a strong word as Ryland’s were usually half hanging off his face at odd angles that couldn’t have been comfortable. But other than that, they seemed similar enough. And, for some reason, the fact that they had the same color eyes was oddly comforting. A confirmation that those startlingly blue eyes she had to fight herself to not get lost in weren’t actually just a pair of contacts.

Bloody hell, Moreno. Pull yourself together.

She shuddered, trying to reset as she watched Colt give a thumbs up from the crash pad, and felt herself release a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding since the director yelled action. His head popped up over the crash pad, and Jody’s brain catalogued another difference. The roots of his hair were slightly darker, seeming either like he was dying his hair to match his twin brother, which she had to admit was a bit endearing, or that he’d dyed his hair for a role a while back and the reversal hadn’t been done all that well.

Jody figured the second could be the case. She remembered the last Tom Ryder movie that had come out. She’d been dragged to it by her asshole of an ex-boyfriend back in London, who practically worshipped the man for simply existing. Colt and his very obvious hatred of the actor, on the other hand, was a welcome change.

She blinked, finding herself trying to catch his eye as he waited in place while Gail and Ryder hovered by the monitor. Jody recoiled, burying her face in her hands.

Goddamnit. Seriously? The first one? Couldn’t even wait a month? I had to fall for the first guy who brought me coffee in a new country? That’s all it took?

Jody huffed, rolling her eyes as the director called for everything to reset. She looked over the camera, watching as Colt dramatically fell backwards onto the crashpad with a groan that echoed through the rafters. A slight smile spread across her lips as he finally rolled himself off, brushing the broken glass off of himself and retreating to wherever the stunt crew had been launching him from.

“Am I blind? I didn’t see anything wrong with that one?”

She looked to the side, seeing Ryland, arms around Colt’s jacket, turned towards Dan, who shrugged. “I dunno, I didn’t see anything either.”

Before Jody could stop herself, she interjected. “There wasn’t anything wrong. You couldn’t see his face. Unless you were really looking, you wouldn’t have been able to tell that it wasn’t Ryder, so I don’t know what he’s hallucinating over there.”

Dan and Ryland stared at her, eyes wide like two deer caught in headlights. She leaned towards them, resting her chin on her hand. “I’m serious. Frankly, he’ll look less like Ryder the more takes we do with how bloody his face is getting-” she watched Ryland’s hold on the jacket tighten as he cringed- “besides, we’re already behind schedule as it is with how picky Ryder’s been with the last few scenes, this is only making it worse.”

The two of them still stared at her wordlessly, so she stared back, keeping them in a standoff until Ryland finally spoke. “He’s losing a decent amount of blood,” he observed, watching as Colt winced as the medical crew dabbed at his face with disinfectant wipes. “You don’t want to lose it from the head. He’ll start making mistakes soon as the effects start to kick in.” He rocked back and forth on his heels nervously.

“He said something yesterday about the director taking something out on stunts?”

Dan nodded, “Ryder’s been bitching non-stop. Specifically about Colt,” he dragged his hand down his face, “God, I hope he didn’t say anything to someone he shouldn’t have.” He glanced at Jody, who frowned.

“You know, the camera crew hates him, too, right? He’s a prick,” she waved her hand dismissively. “Besides, I’m pretty sure my ex wanted to shag Tom Ryder more than he ever wanted to shag me. Nothing would make me happier than to see someone take him down a peg.”

The boys stood still for a moment before doubling over laughing. “Oh, thank God,” Dan wheezed. “Jesus, I was so scared Colt was going to walk himself into another Alexis situation.”

Jody raised an eyebrow. “Who’s Alexis?”

Ryland winced. “One of Colt’s exes. She, uh, cheated on him. Repeatedly. Then broke up with him.”

“And slept with half the crew, including Ryder,” Dan added.

“Did he know?”

“He knew, he just-” Ryland chewed on the inside of his cheek- “it was bad. She was manipulating the heck out of him. And Colt was- I mean, he saw it, but with Colt, when he falls,” Ryland shrugged, and Jody guessed the rest of the sentence.

“And then the next six girls only dated him because he looks like Tom Ryder.”

“You’re joking.”

Ryland shook his head. “Trust me, I wish.”

“Twas a dark time for our courageous stuntman. I caught him crying in the car to Taylor Swift at least nine times,” Dan continued in a dramatic, stage accent, like he was trying to quote Shakespeare before promptly cutting himself off as Ryland swiftly jammed his elbow into his side.

She looked back at the stuntman who was hooking himself back into the wires and smiled. There was something endearing about all of it: the stumbling over his words, the shameless flirting, the idea that someone who jumped off buildings and got set on fire for a living would cry in the car to Taylor Swift of all artists. She hadn’t realized she’d zoned out, looking at him with a soft smile, until one of the camera operators called her name, pulling her back into reality. 

Everything hurt. It hurt a lot. There’s more glass ripping into the scabs that had already formed across his face, still stinging with the antiseptic from the medical team. He knew it was going to get worse, too. He could see it already, Ryland sitting in front of him, meticulously dabbing neosporin on all the scratches and covering them with steri-strips for redundancy.

However, like any good stuntman, he held his hand out with a thumbs-up.

Dark spots danced across his vision, probably due to the significant amount of blood that was outside of his body that should be inside his body. He glanced over towards the director, already dreading the fact that Gail seemed to be upset. Ryder, however, was staring at him smugly. Goddamnit.

He finally groaned as the director declared that take good enough, slowly rising from the crash pad as the medical team swarmed him once again. The crew gathered around the set slowly dispersed, though Colt watched Ryland start to take a few steps towards him.

His brother’s hands are on his shoulders before he even registers that Ryland had made it across the room. “‘m fine,” he mumbled. “Gimme some gatorade and I’ll be fine.”

“Colt,” Ryland pleaded. “You are not allowed to be showing off right now.”

“‘m not.”

“You’re not even fully saying ‘I’m.’”

Colt shrugged, letting out another groan as he was pulled to his feet. “The room is,” he trailed off waving his hand around, “spinny.”

“I’d imagine it would be. You probably hit your head a few times.”

“Nah, this doesn’t feel like a concussion. Just a lot of blood that’s not inside my body.”

“Colt.”

“Ry,” he said, finally coherent enough to give Ryland enough faith that he wouldn’t crumple like a ragdoll if he walked away. “I’m fine.” He paused, waiting for Dan to catch up to them before he repeated, “I’m fine.” Colt flashed a thumbs up as Dan checked him over.

“Half those reshoots were bullshit, right?” He asked, watching as Dan and Ryland nodded at each other. “Just Gail and Ryder on a power trip for God knows why?”

“Dan said everything looked fine from his perspective,” Ryland answered, glancing back at the crew. “Jody even said-”

Colt’s eyes snapped to Dan, glaring at him. “Dude.”

Dan’s eyes widened as he held up a hand. “In my defense-”

“We shook on it!”

“I wasn’t expecting her to come up to us!” He yelped, holding his hands up in surrender before jabbing a thumb at Ryland, “He was the one that talked to her first, anyways. Blame him.”

Colt buried his face in his hands. “I’m gonna kill you both,” he groaned, his voice muffled as Ryland’s gaze snapped to the stunt coordinator.

“Well, I wasn’t the one who told her that Colt has a habit of crying in the car to Taylor Swift.”

The stuntman let out another groan. “New plan, murder-suicide. I’m taking both of you out with me.”

“If it’s any consolation, she seemed to find it endearing. Girls like guys who are-”

“For the love of God, please don’t finish that sentence.”

Dan reached out, giving Colt a few pats on the head out of condolences before looking towards Ryland. “I think they’re setting up the catering in the back, I can keep an eye on Romeo here, and we’ll meet you back there.”

Ryland nodded, leaving the two of them behind as Colt sighed dramatically. “Just, just throw me into a cannon roll with no safety equipment. Let me go out in a cool way at least.”

“I don’t think SAG would like it if I did that.”

“What happens on set stays on set?” Colt offered.

“I am not letting you be stupid about your stunts because you have a crush.”

“I wasn’t the one who told her things I tell you and my brother in confidence,” he hissed.

“Told me what?”

The two of them turned quickly to find Jody standing behind them, arms crossed over her chest. She winced slightly as she saw Colt’s face, eyes tracing the scratches across his face with an intensity that made his face feel warm. Jody took a step forward, and he felt his breath hitch as she reached out, thumb tracing a jagged scratch across his cheek.

“Jesus,” she whispered. “And you’re okay?”

“Fine,” he squeaked. “I’m- I’m fine. Totally fine.” Jody laughed slightly, covering her mouth with her hand.  “One more time and you’ll believe me?” He asked.

“Sure.”

“I’m fine,” he laughed. “Dreading the fact that I’m about to go through the whole cleaning of the wounds process again when I take Ryland home, but other than that, I’m fine.” Colt made another squeak as her other hand moved up to his face, gently moving his head to the side as she looked at some of the cuts closer to his eyes.

Dan looked between them, covering his mouth with his hand, shaking slightly with a laugh as he watched Colt’s flush deepen. “PDA,” he coughed, and Jody flinched, taking a step back.

“Oh my god, I’m sorry I just-”

“No, it’s- it’s fine,” he stumbled, part of him missing the way her gentle touch ghosted across his face. “You’re fine.”

She smiled slightly. “Are there words other than ‘fine’ in your vocabulary?”

He shrugged, “I’ve got the thumbs up,” he flashed it to her, “But that’s just stereotypical stunt guy stuff. Other than that,” he sucked in a breath through his teeth, “I’m a man of few words, I guess.”

“Dude.”

Colt glared at him. “Whatisitwithyouandmybrotherjustbechill, God,” he breathed before turning back to her. “I think I’ve lost a lot of blood so words aren’t, words are pretty hard right now.”

“Liar,” Dan snorted.

“Shut up.”

Jody grinned. “You’re nervous, it’s fine. It’s obvious.”

“I am not-”

“Perfectly normal to be nervous in front of a girl you find attractive,” she mused as Colt choked on air once again. “You did refer to me as a cute girl from Bristol who you’d like to drink spicy margaritas with on a Friday night.”

“I-” Colt sighed, running a hand down his face. “I’m gonna drive myself off the Golden Gate Bridge, I swear to God.”

“Would you mind scheduling that after we get some drinks? I would like to get to know you, preferably when you’re not dealing with blood loss from being cut up by broken glass for twenty-some-odd takes and making words…hard.”

“That sounds-”

“Fine?” Jody offered with a smirk.

Colt shook his head. “More than fine. Sounds-” he swallowed, rolling his eyes as Dan gave him two thumbs up with a massive grin- “sounds like a date, Jody. Would Saturday work?”

“Saturday would be fantastic.”

He sighed with relief. “Great. Yeah. I’m- I’m gonna go get some food-” he jabbed a thumb back towards the catering set up- “because blood loss and low blood sugar is not a fun combo, and I would rather not embarrass myself further by passing out. Besides, uh, I need carbs because my brain is not working like it should.”

“Because of the blood loss?”

“Yep. Just the blood loss. Nothing else. Nothing else at all.”

She nodded, turning to leave as an angry shout echoed through the studio. Jody whipped around, her blonde hair fanning out into a halo around her head as she, Colt, and Dan turned towards the source, somewhere amongst the crew. A few other members perked up, like meerkats watching for danger.

“Did that?” Jody asked, looking between them.

“Sure sounded like Ryder,” Dan said, glancing at other crew members who shrugged. He turned to Colt, “Kinda sounds like he’s yelling at you.”

Colt furrowed his brow, confused as he listened to the rising noise of the actor. “Yeah I- Oh shit.”

“What’s wrong?”

He grimaced, turning to Jody, “Sounds like I won that bet. He is almost definitely yelling at Ryland with full confidence that he’s yelling at me. And now I get to go beat the shit out of him.”

He took off running, and Jody looked to Dan. “Is he serious?”

“Honestly. He might actually go beat the shit out of him.” 

Jody beamed. “Oh, that’ll be great.”

The two of them trailed after the stuntman as he weaved through the crew, most of them looking at him in shock, probably because they just realized they were seeing double. Colt winced as he heard Ryder’s voice get louder and louder, finally coming into a small clearing that had been made by most of the crew keeping their distance.

Ryland looked over at him, eyes wide in panic as Ryder took another step forward. Colt took a deep breath, cracking his knuckles and clearing his throat. “Ryder!” He yelled, spreading his arms out wide.

The actor paused, looking over at him, and his jaw dropped to the floor. He shook his head wildly between the two of them, his eyes were narrowed. “Okay, where’s the fucking unicorn, I’ve gotta be high.”

Colt glanced into the crowd, spotting Gail, a Diet Coke in hand. She blinked, and then slapped her hand to her forehead, the impact nearly rattling through the bodies of the entire crew. He tried to fight the grin spreading across his face. The crew had to sign NDAs when they joined to make sure Gail wouldn’t have to deal with the news that Ryder was lying about doing his own stunts coming out, but he knew there weren’t any provisions against discussing other things that Ryder admitted to. He could practically see the tabloid headlines and the hair that Gail was going to be ripping out for weeks.

Ryder still gaped at him. “Why the fuck am I seeing double?!” He shouted.

Colt crossed his arms. “Well, I wouldn’t call it double. For one, I don’t wear glasses,” he gestured to his twin brother, who nodded frantically as Ryder whipped around to glare at him. Ryland pushed his glasses back up his nose, one hand still wrapped around Colt’s jacket.

“Two,” he held up his fingers as he took a few steps towards the actor, who eyed him suspiciously. “I’ve worked for you for three years, and I’ve been working in stunts even longer. I’d hope you’d at least have the common sense-” he made his way over to Ryland, draping an arm over his twin brother’s shoulder as he waved at Ryland’s sweatshirt- “to know that I don’t work at Grover Cleveland Middle School.”

Ryder leaned forward, mouth opening and closing like a fish as he looked between them. Colt grinned like a maniac. “Three. And this, you can blame on Gail and Dressler for not telling you; this isn’t me. I’m Colt. This-” he pointed at his brother- “is Ryland. My twin brother. Who has a significant influence among eighth graders, who both have Instagram and incredibly deep cutting insults that they’d love to leave in the comment section of the actor who yelled at their beloved science teacher for no reason.”

“In my defense-”

“I. Don’t. Wear. Glasses. Tom.” Colt interrupted, clapping his hands between each word.

He sputtered as snickers began to spread and disperse throughout the crew. “How was I supposed to know that?” He whined, gesturing wildly. “You two look like twins.”

“We are twins,” Ryland reminded him as Colt rolled his eyes.

“Probably because I’ve been your stunt guy for three years.” He looked over, finding Jody and Dan, both barely containing their laughter. He grinned. “Gail,” he called, watching the producer glare at him as she finally decided to get involved. “We’ve known each other for years, right? Do I wear glasses? Have I ever worn glasses?”

Gail huffed, resting a hand on Ryder’s shoulder as she took another few sips from her drink. “He is right, Tom. Colt’s never had glasses,” she sighed as Ryder continued sputtering, gesturing wildly at the twins. 

“Doesn’t change the fact that he completely fucked the car crash scene that-”

“Dan!” Colt sang. “Have we filmed the car crash yet?”

Dan shook his head, bringing his hands up to his mouth to amplify his voice. “Nah. We rescheduled it to tomorrow because Gail and Ryder wanted to do so many reshoots of you crashing through a window and falling off a building.”

Colt nodded with a grin as he turned back to Ryder and Gail. “Honestly, that kinda hurts after a while. But regardless, you-” he let Ryland go as he stepped forward, pressing his index finger to Ryder’s chest- “went and found my twin brother. Didn’t think to check that he wasn’t actually me, and yelled at him for my mistake that I hadn’t even made yet.” He reached out, placing a hand on Ryder’s shoulder with a shit-eating smirk. “So, tell me, Tom, were we in our right mind when we made me crash through a window and fall out of a building over twenty times? Or are we drugged out of our fucking mind?”

Gail huffed, holding her hands up and walking away as Ryder jerked himself out of Colt’s grip, trailing behind her with his tail between his legs.

Colt’s attention immediately flipped as he turned on Ryland. “You okay?” He asked, studying his little brother’s face for any cuts or injuries. “He didn’t make it physical, did he?”

Ryland shook his head, watching as Jody and Dan made their way over to them. Colt still stayed focused, his eyes narrowing as he inspected Ryland closely.

“He’s such an ass,” Jody announced as Ryder disappeared into his trailer.

“Complete ass,” Colt agreed, patting his twin brother on the head. “See why I hate him?”

“I would have loved to see you beat the shit out of him.”

He smirked. “Get a few spicy margaritas in me, and I’ll start making bad decisions.”

Jody raised an eyebrow. “In what world is beating the shit out of the man who just screamed at your brother a bad decision?”

“Bad career decision. Good moral decision.”

Ryland finally slumped into the passenger seat as Colt faceplanted against the steering wheel. “‘m so tired,” he groaned. “Things hurt. I need tylenol.”

His brother shook him by the shoulder, “I can think of something else you need.”

He slowly raised his head, turning to look at Ryland, who still cringed at the spiderweb of cuts across his face. He inhaled. “You need to listen to this, Colt.” The stuntman sat upright, brow furrowed as he listened intently.

“I’ve watched you with girls your whole life, Colt, but this. And I have no idea why, but this is different.”

“Weren’t you-”

He held up a hand like he was silencing his classroom, “Do not interrupt me right now. This is serious.” Ryland leaned forward. “Jody is, honestly, pretty awesome. Probably the best girl you’ve ever picked, really.” Colt grinned proudly. “And,” he began, “she’d be a pretty kick ass sister-in-law.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves-”

“No!” Ryland shouted, both hands on Colt’s shoulders, shaking him firmly. “No. Colt, you always do this. You fall hard for a girl, you put all your effort into this, and you always keep making excuses not to leave when you need to. For the love of God, Colt.” He inhaled. “You and Jody practically spent the day oogling each other. There’s something there, Colt, and everyone can see it.”

Colt blinked as Ryland glared at him. “So, for the love of God. Listen to me, Colt. Do. Not. Fudge. This. Up.” He threatened.

The stuntman nodded slightly, glancing out the window to see the girl in question waving goodbye to some other members of the crew and making her way over to her car. He smiled, turning the key in the ignition, another Taylor Swift song starting to come over the radio.

Maybe Ryland had a point.