prompt:
it's two in the morning and you're here in the convenience store staring at the tampons aisle do you need help

Dakota's been to the convenience store at the most ungodly hours many times this week and it was almost considered normal. Her parents were out of town and she had no curfew. Who could blame her for wanting to leave the house as often and as late as she pleased?

It wasn't like she was getting into any trouble after all. She only ever went outside to stargaze or pet Mrs. Merceli's dog across the street or, most often, to buy food from the store opened 24/7 located just down the block.

That day was the third time that week that she was walking around the store. Marianne, the girl who served the graveyard shifts in that shop, was already greeting her by her first name when she came in, and the fact that she was there on a school night wasn't a sight that was out of place anymore.

The boy, on the other hand, the one with a zipped hoodie and faint pillow lines tracing his cheek who stood at the corner—he was out of place.

No one was ever in the shop at 2 o'clock in the morning and Dakota nearly jumped at the sight of him the moment she turned to the aisle he was stood. His clothing was dark and his posture looked intimidating but the moment she caught a glimpse of the unruly mop of curls poking out the top of his hood, she breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Hey," She called out, walking to where he stood. She didn't miss the confused expression on his face turning into shock, "You're Avery's kid, right?"

"Y-Yeah," The boy coughed out and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket, turning to face her, "You actually know who I am?"

"We live in a compound with less than 20 houses, my friend, of course I do," She smiled and held a hand out, "I'm Dakota."

"Yeah, I know," He smiled back but it faded instantly as he flinched, probably realizing what he just said a beat too late, "Not that I—Uh, I met your mom once. She mentioned you."

"And she didn't introduce you to me?" She raised an eyebrow and he shrugged.

"I was just helping her carry grocery bags from her car and you were already on your way out. We didn't have an actual conversation, she just pointed at you and said 'that's my daughter, Dakota.'"

She let his words sink in and let a soft smile fall on her lips.

"And you never bothered to introduce yourself to me?" She narrowed her eyes and grinned as he nervously fiddled with the drawstrings of his hoodie.

"Never got the chance," He chuckled and dorkily pointed a finger to his chest, "I'm Jack."

"Nice to meet you Jack," she nodded at him, a smile tugging up the corner of her lips, "What brings you to McKinley's Convenience Store at such an ungodly hour?"

He sighed and nodded towards the display rack he was stood beside and she couldn't help but let out a curt laugh as she saw stacks upon stacks of tampons in all its varieties.

"Wanna explain to me why you're looking through tampons in the middle of the night?" She laughed, folding her arms and squinting her eyes at him accusingly but he only ran a hand over his already messy hair.

"I have a little sister, she's twelve," He sighed exhaustedly, "She just got her—oh, god, um. She just got her period. First one ever. And we're the only ones home right now. We both don't know what we're supposed to do and I have no clue on what these are."

"It's just the bloody waters of hell flowing out a vagina," She rolled her eyes at the way he fumbled with his words, uncomfortable and flustered because he was talking about menstruation, but she once again noticed the pillow line slowly fading on his cheek and she couldn't help but feel fond.

His sister may have been unlucky for getting her period without having someone to explain to her what it was and what she was meant to do but she was quite lucky for having a brother who looked like he got out of bed in the middle of the night to run to the store and get her whatever she needed. Even if he didn't actually know what it was that she needed.

"I didn't sign up for this when my parents told me I was getting a little sister," He defended, puffing out a breath, and Dakota laughed, "My older sister should be the one dealing with this I don't know what to do."

"Well, for starters," She chuckled, "Maybe you should get her pads instead of tampons."

Jack turned to look at her, eyes wide, and dubiously asked, "Wait, those are two different things?"

"Yes!" She laughed, amused by how surprised he was, "Pads are external. You just stick it onto your underwear and you're done. Tampons, on the other hand, are a little more tricky. You need to put it inside the opening of—"

"Okay!" He cut her off, his cheeks flustered, "I think I get it. Jesus Christ. We're getting pads."

Dakota couldn't help herself. She almost doubled over in laughter at how uncomfortable Jack looked at that moment.

"You done?" He asked after Dakota had a few failed attempts of trying to contain her laughter but she could see the embarrassed but entertained smile threatening to come from his lips.

"Pretty much, yeah," She nodded, wiping a tear from her waterline.

"Where are the pads, exactly?" He asked and she nodded to the section of products only a foot behind him.

"Just right there, beside the tampons."

Jack followed her line of sight and visibly deflated.

"You've got to be kidding me," He groaned, eyeing the long pile of brands and types, "For what reason do you need this many kinds of pads?"

"Oh, Jack," Dakota shook her head with a small laugh, "You're hopeless."

+

Jack and Dakota were walking down their shared street with a half-eaten snickers bar in her hands and a plastic-wrapped bag of sanitary pads in his.

"Isn't this your house, Jack?" Dakota asked when they reached the house only a few lots from the convenience store. She hasn't met everyone in her neighborhood but she knew all of the people who lived there.

"Yeah," He nodded and Dakota was confused as to why he wasn't stopping. He continued to walk alongside her until they passed his yard and when Dakota stopped in her tracks, it was his turn to look confused.

"You aren't going in?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, and he did the same.

"I'm walking you home," He said slowly as if it was already obvious and Dakota's heart skipped a few beats after she heard what he said.

But she remembered his sister and the reason they met in the first place and she shook her head.

"No you aren't," She said, turning around to face Jack, "Your sister needs you right now and she probably won't be happy with you taking so long."

"I won't be long," He shook his head, undeterred, "your house is literally just at the end of this street—"

"Which is why I'll be fine and you're going to go inside," She interrupted, tugging him to the direction of his front door. She pulled out the extra snickers bar she bought in the store and shoved it in his hand, "And give this to her, it'll help. I promise."

Jack stared at her for what felt like an entire minute, seemingly observing whether she was serious or not and weighing the pros of his actions in his head. In the end he sighed, defeated, but just as Dakota thought he was going to go to his house inside, he pulled his phone out from his back pocket.

"Put your number in. I'm gonna need help if I'm gonna go through this night unscathed."

Dakota let out a loud laugh, not caring if it woke up one of her neighbor's pets, and dialed her number into his phone with her bottom lip between her teeth to conceal her smile.

"There," She said as she handed it back, "Good luck with your sister. God knows she needs it, she has you for company."

"Funny," He rolled his eyes but it was instantly replaced by a somber expression, "Thank you a lot, Dakota. I appreciate it."

"No problem," She smiled, "Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything, alright?"

"Okay," He nodded curtly once, grin on his face, "You'll be fine walking back to your place?"

"Yes, Jack," She rolled her eyes, "I'll make sure to watch out for all the thieves and kidnappers and the many, many cars that might run over me on my way back home."

Jack huffed out a laugh as she tipped her head to look at the empty, deserted street between his house and hers.

"Good," He said nonetheless, playful tone behind voice, "I'm gonna run to my sister now before I get murdered on my way in."

"You better," She laughed and waved him towards his house, knowing that he probably wouldn't move if she didn't urge him to.

"Good night, Dakota," He called out from the front of his steps and Dakota waved back, mirroring his bright smile that made him look vibrant despite how sleepy and exhausted he obviously was.

"Sweet dreams, Jack," She called back and grinned her entire way back home.

But before she even reached her front yard, her phone started ringing in her pocket.

She pulled it out, confused by the unknown number that showed up on her screen, but answered it anyways.

"Hello?"

"Hi. Is this troubleshoot I'm speaking with?" The voice on the other end of the line said.

Dakota couldn't help the ear-to-ear grin that covered her face at the sound of Jack's familiar voice, "Yes, this is she."

"You said to call you if there was a problem."

"Oh no," She laughed, "So soon?"

She heard a long, drawn-out sigh from across the line before Jack spoke up again, "I'm just gonna hand the phone to her. Would save all of us the trouble."

Dakota laughed again, finishing her snickers bars as she heard some shuffling from Jack's side of the call, before a very young and very feminine voice spoke up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, sweetheart, what's the matter?"

"Uh," She started but cut herself off immediately after. It took a few more seconds before she spoke up again, "My brother's glaring at me from across the room. I'm not even talking about my period anymore, I just want to know how to make the cramps go away."

Dakota shook her head and snorted, picturing the image in her head.

"Do you have hot water or hot compress?" She asked.

"Jack, do we have hot water or hot compress?" The girl's voice called out, obviously addressing Jack, and Dakota could barely hear her brother's muffled response. "He said no."

"Well do you have rice or beans and a microwave?" She prodded and she heard some shuffling before the girl spoke up again.

"We do!" She said enthusiastically, "But we don't know how to use the microwave."

Dakota willed herself to not let out a long sigh despite how endeared she was by the situation and instead asked, "Would it be okay if I went to your house and borrowed your microwave? I'm gonna make you makeshift compress."

"Would you really?" She replied, her voice octaves higher, "You're so kind, thank you!"

"Least I could do," Dakota laughed, already turning around and walking down the same street she came form, "It's very unfortunate you have Jack as your only form of help the first time you got your period."

"Tell me about it," She replied and Dakota could picture her rolling her eyes. She couldn't help but laugh, knowing that she was going to be good friends with Jack's younger sister.

Distantly, she heard Jack's voice protest with a cry of, "Hey!" and she went to his house, a little bounce on her step and a wide smile on her lips.

and then like months later theyre dating and jack's buying her tampons when she gets her period aw aNYWAYS YO IM PART OF THIS THING CALLED #WDWC WHICH IS A GROUP OF AMAZING AND REALLY COOL PEOPLE (idk why im a part of this either) AND EVERYONE IN THERE HAS SUCH GREAT BOOKS AND ARE SUCH TALENTED AUTHORS I ADORE THEM AND 8292929/10 RECOMMEND

as always thank u for reading this <3 i love jack and i hope u love him too