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Title: Dare
Author: Mrs. Paper (me)
Rating: K+ (for now)
Warnings: N/A
Summary: Liam never remembers guys names, but why does not remembering him get Liam such an expression?
NPCs: Liam/Ian (eventually), Moira and Edmund (more later)
Other: Sorry if my writing is kinda... strange. I haven't written anything in a really long time.

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"Don't you have your own store to you know... work at?" Moira glared at Liam who was lounging behind her counter. She hadn't expected him to stop over so early in the day or rather at all, and though she didn‘t care that he was here, he was being more difficult and annoying than his usual. Though, she thought, it was nice that he had stopped asking her out on dates; she was running out of excuses to decline them.

"Eh, I closed shop early. It was surprisingly slow today." Liam said, stretching out his arm before placing them behind his head. “It’s been slow ever since the new EI’s and MC’s came out.”

Laying back in the chair with a loud yawned he watched as Moira busied herself with putting more clothes out on the racks and adjusting some items that either were misplaced or fell on the floor. "Plus I'm bored."

"Figures." She mumbled to herself. His visits were becoming more frequent as the weeks went on but she couldn't really blame him, even she sometimes found herself bored with keeping up the shop all day and night. All the drama that’s been happening recently suddenly was solved and it’s been more peaceful lately. Aside from Liam’s visits.

"So... anything going on today?" Liam asked, not really caring for the answer but just for the sake of making some sort of conversation.

Looking once over her store, Moira made sure things were properly placed and that everything was fully stocked again. She ignored his question, only rolling her eyes. He knew the answer to that without her having to say anything, it was the same as the last month, absolutely nothing.

"Argh, you’re so boring."

"I'm working!" She hissed pointing a finger at him threateningly. “Something you should be doing!”

Liam grunted, slowly leaning back further as to not make it seem like the chair would fall backwards. “I told you I closed shop early. You don’t need to worry about what I do with my shop.”

Moira grinded her teeth together as she tried her best to ignore her unwanted guest. He was like a child that needed constant attention or else he’d get into all sorts of mischief. A small smile played across her face as she imagined a fully grown Liam stomping his feet like a two year old. It was oddly something she could picture easily…

“Why don’t you find something to do?” She tried, walking over to where Liam was and leaning against the counter with her hip.

“Like what?”

“… Be creative.” Liam snorted and closed his eyes.

“Doesn’t have to be creative, there just has to be something. Anything!”

Moira shook her head and continued to tune her ranting friend out. Sometimes he was just to annoying to pretend to listen too.

“Then it should be easy…“ She trailed off as something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. It was Ian! She smiled broadly, what a relief after having only Liam to keep her company. The Barton shopkeeper looked like he was carrying a few boxes, which slightly confused her. Was she suppose to get new inventory today?

As if hit by a brick, an idea struck her. A slow-sinister smile graced her lips as she swirled around cutting off whatever Liam was talking about.

“Hey, Liam! I have something for you to do.”

Liam jumped up from his seat and leaned in closer to Moira with a happy smile. “Yeah? What?”

She laughed thinking he looked like an over excited puppy. “I dare you,” she pointed at him, his eyes going cross in attempt to look at the tip of her finger. “To date the next person to walk through that door for at least a month.”

Liam’s face feel, looking at her skeptically. “Seriously… ?”

Looking out of the window she saw Ian was close into opening the door. “Yes. Very serious.”

“It seems kind of--”

“You said you didn’t care what just that it was something.” She pressed with a glare.

Sighing, Liam sat back down in defeat. “Fine, fine.”

Before he could get another word out the bell to the shops door signaled of an arrival and in this case, Liam’s new conquest for the next month. Moira cackled to herself. “Ian! So good to see you!”

Startled, the said man nearly dropped the boxes. He wasn’t expected such a loud and sudden greeting. “M-Moira. It’s good to… see you too.”

“Just a minute and I’ll be over to help you with those boxes.” Looking back at Liam she was happy to see horror written all over his face. Her smile grew sinister as she reached over and grabbed him by the collar of his tank top and hauled him up to her so she could whisper in his ear. “Have fun.”

Blinking back into consciousness, he pulled himself away quickly. “You planned this! No guys, absolutely no--”

“To late!” She argued, her face grow darker as she pulled Liam closer with a more threatening grip. “If you don‘t keep our deal I‘ll tell Edmund about you closing shop early.”

Before he could choke out a answer or even nod, Moira turned back around with an overly sweet smile to Ian who watched the exchange between the two with slight unease. Walking calmly up to Ian she took one of the boxes and told him to follow her to the back, glaring at Liam as she passed.

“Um…” Ian looked uncomfortable as he shifted on his feet. “Where would you like me to put-”

“Oh, just set it down right there.” She pointed a little further ahead while she put her own box down close by. Standing up with an exaggerated sigh she motioned for Ian to listen. “Why don’t you go keep Liam company while I check these packages?”

Ian once again was thrown for a loop at was he asked to do. He usually left short after dropping of the new inventory. “Uh…”

Moira reached in her pocket to take out a folded knife, clicking it open she pointed it at him with her other hand on her hip. “I just don’t trust him to run the front properly. I swear I don’t know how he keeps his shop open.”

Without saying anything more, not that he wanted to argue with her at the moment, Ian nodded in understanding and walked back out to the store front, missing the calculating smile Moira shot after him.

Liam heard the doors behind him open with a soft swooshing noise, cringing slightly when he was met with a pair of liquid brown eyes and black hair. Well, he might as well ask and get this over with, if he was rejected he could just tell him that it was a dare and keep his dignity.

“Yo!” He shouted, smiling when the hat guy jumped a little and gave a weak smile and a wave.

“H-hello.” Ian fidgeted with the bottom of his suit wondering how he got himself into this situation.

Liam smirked, at least the guy was a little good looking. Not overly, but at least he wasn‘t an eyesore. “What’s your name?”

“Huh?” Ian stared at Liam wide-eyed. “You don’t remember me?”

“I know you?” Liam asked shocked. Well, it kind of made sense, he didn’t really remember many guys names unless he absolutely had too. Like Edmund, he’d remember that name and face even on his death bed.

“We’ve met a few times in the past and I’ve brought inventory to your shop a couple times too.”

Crap, Liam thought. This was going smoothly. Glancing behind the other guy he jumped back slightly when he saw the menacing look that Moira was shooting at him from where she was peeking out of from the door. Suddenly his throat seemed all to dry as he looked back at the crest-fallen look that Ian was giving him. A pain shot through his chest before he could even think about apologizing.

“I think I should be going.” Ian mumbled out. “Please tell Moira that the new items are to be put on the shelves tomorrow at noon.”

Turning towards the door, Liam watched confused at the pain in his chest as Ian left through the door. Rubbing the spot on his chest that hurt he breathed in deeply and let it out, slowly easing the pain away. What was that all about? He wondered.

“Stupid!” Moira shouted, slapping Liam in the back of the end. “Look what you did!”

“Ow! What did I do?!” Liam shouted back covering his head as if anticipating more assaults.

Moira looked as if she could spit fire at any second and even raised her fist to give the idiot she had sitting behind her counter a beating at the terrible thing he did. Instead, she closed her eyes and pointed towards the door. “If we’re getting new inventory you might want to high tail it to your shop.”

Liam’s eyes grew wide, not only at her voice but at the fact that she was holding back her violence on him. Getting up, he sprinted out of the shop and ran all the way back to his shop wondering why he felt he just screwed up something big.

--- extra---

Liam fell to his knees as tears streamed down his face. In front of his store were three boxes of the new items and a note tapped neatly to his door.

Liam,

New items are to be on the shelves at precisely 12:00PM.
Don’t screw up.

-Edmund

PS: I will be back tomorrow to discuss your absence today.



(end of chapter one)

OMG, I love it! x3
Such a good idea for a story!

did u put it on fanfiction.net? whee

I love cliche ideas. heart