One Shots

You Are Formidable (To Me)

"Guys," Janet spoke up in her cutesy voice that was always paired with her puppy eyes. "Can we watch Mulan?"

No one in the friend group was ever able to say no to that. But it was especially difficult for Jack, who let out a genuine and audible, "Aww."

Everyone there knew about his crush on Janet, except for Janet herself. They all exchanged knowing looks, while she remained oblivious. Jack blushed and refused to make eye contact with the others.

Hazel was the one to confirm that they could indeed watch Mulan. She got up to grab the remote.

Brady then stood up and insisted that he needed Jack's help in the kitchen. Jack was confused but followed anyway.

"Dude, do you not know how to microwave popcorn?" He asked once they got to the kitchen.

"I just want to make sure I don't burn it. And I'll need help carrying that and drinks in," Brady gave a valid excuse but left out the real reason he asked for Jack's help specifically.

"Right," Jack responded, dragging out the vowel.

The two made small talk while the popcorn popped. Once it was done, the snack was poured into bowls and brought into the living room, where the rest of the group resided.

Brady made sure he was ahead of Jack. When the latter fully made it into the room and assessed the situation, he realized that people switched places. This meant that the only available seat was next to Janet.

He was grateful for his friends but also kind of wanted to inflict pain on them at this moment.

As calmly as he could, Jack sat down next to Janet. He offered her the bowl of popcorn after taking a handful for himself. She grabbed the bowl and placed it between the two of them.

She got comfortable, scooting closer to Jack, so their sides were practically pressed together.

"Okay!" She said excitedly. "Let's start this thing."

Hazel pressed play and rested her head on Frank's shoulder.

The others in the group always make jokes about the two of them, but the pair insists they're just friends. Even Brady, who is Frank's cousin and very much does not like discussing his cousin's love life, makes note of how close they are.

Jack has suspicions that one or both of them are in the closet, and it would explain why they're not together. But he also believes that a straight boy and girl can be friends and nothing more. He wouldn't dare ask them. It's not his business. If either of them ever decides to confide in him or the group about anything, that should be completely up to them.

Besides, he was kind of distracted by his own problems. Sometimes Jack thinks that Janet could like him the way he likes her. But then, he'll think of Hazel and Frank and think that Janet just sees them as close friends.

The rest of the group insists that she likes him, too. He isn't so sure, which is why he has yet to do anything about his feelings for his friend. If it isn't mutual, he doesn't want to ruin their friendship by confessing how he really feels. He wouldn't want to make things awkward if she doesn't feel the same.

Once "I'll Make a Man Out of You" came on, Janet really got into it and started singing along. Jack found himself having trouble watching the movie. He kept glancing at the girl next to him until he gave up on watching the screen. He was openly watching Janet sing along and act out the movements. Yes, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene because he loves anything she does, but Janet in her excitement was simply entertaining to watch. Seeing someone be so genuinely excited about something was really fun to witness. Jack didn't notice the small, fond smile stuck on his face, but his friends (sans Janet) did. They couldn't wait to tease him about it later.

The song came to an end, and Janet went back to her previous position of nearly cuddling Jack when she became aware of him staring at her.

"What?" She asked shyly, quiet enough for only Jack to hear.

"Nothing." He shrugged. "You're cute when you get excited."

Her face turned pink, as she looked down at her hands in her lap. "Oh."

"And you're a pretty good singer."

"You're just saying that."

"I'm not." He smiled softly. "I know you joke around when you sing, but this was different. You have a nice voice."

"Thanks," she said adorably.

A wave of silence fell over them, as they turned their attention back to the movie.

After a couple of minutes of watching, Janet slowly moved her right hand toward Jack. She glanced between the TV and her hand until she gently tangled her and Jack's fingers together. The boy was surprised but quickly tightened his grip, so they were properly holding hands.

They didn't acknowledge the action, opting to just continue watching the animated movie.

Brady, Frank, and Hazel noticed the pair at different times, but they all had to stop themselves from reacting. They didn't want to make things awkward for Janet and Jack because they knew that any attention brought to them would make the two of them shy away from each other. Obviously, the trio did not want that. They've been wanting the two of them to act on their feelings for a while now.

This seemed like the first step towards that, and everyone was happy about it.