#Jason would be irritated by the audience if he wasn’t so exhausted

[ky-landfill]

just breathe.

[the-void-writes]

"only a fool would grow bored with a [x/god/goddess] the colour of blood"

I can't thank you enough for this prompt because it really helped me explore these characters better. The problem is it ended up being over 8k words lol. I'm gonna do something different then, and answer this prompt in separate posts, like a mini-series. I really hope you guys enjoy it because this was seriously fun!

Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5

TW: Mentions of nausea, parasites, death of family, and funerals.

Freaks Of Preston - Where Family Begins and Ends - Part 1

Will hated being in Vesely’s office. It was clean and organized to an unnatural degree. There wasn’t a speck of dust on the counters, not a single book out of place. It reminded Will of a stage play, a facade for whatever audience Vesely was inviting at the time. There was an underlying, unshakeable feeling that something in the room would jump out at Will, or the floor would crumble beneath his feet to reveal the darkness that seeped out of everything Vesely touched.

His bone-colored fingers tapped the desk limply, as if an invisible force was lifting his hand and letting it fall. Will couldn’t tell if Vesely’s powers had decayed his body, reducing him to this frail state, or if he was actually older than Jason had thought. Secretly, Will hoped it was the first option, even if that gave him more terrifying questions about his own Infection. His own rapid decay wasn’t as sickening as the idea that a diseased old man had tried to seduce his godfather.

Vesely put down his array of papers and finally glanced up at Will. His green eyes seemed to swirl in the light, the way Will imagined a pool of toxic waste might look. He couldn’t keep looking at him without growing nauseous. The Infection burned and twisted in Will’s veins, reinvigorated by the presence of its former master.

“Hello, William.” 

There was a small hint of hope in his voice, as though he hadn’t expected the boy to show up. Of course, that hope hadn’t stopped him from using the wrong name. Will took a deep breath and moved past it.

“Hello, sir.”

“Please, have a seat.”

He passed the rows of sterile-looking shelves and sat in the chair across from Vesely’s desk. The closer proximity to those toxic eyes made Will’s nausea even worse.

“How is your training going?” Vesely asked. “Is it any easier with the medicine?”

Will’s hand twitched against his leg. He could have told Vesely off right then and there for acting like he gave a damn about the boy he was slowly killing, but he held his tongue. One wrong word could put his team into a week’s worth of extra training, and those poor kids were still recovering from the week before. Their health meant more to Will than any debate he could try to have with Vesely.

“It’s been fine, sir.” Will focused on a row of books in the corner, too dizzy from looking Vesely in the eye. “I have to thank you again for letting me stay here.”

“I have to thank you, as well. We’ve made so much progress since you showed up.” Vesely nodded solemnly to himself. “I should have brought you in much earlier.”

Will took a deep breath, letting his irritation float away. “Rio said you wanted to see me?”

“Yes, there’s something I need from you.”

Vesely leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. Most days, he was unreadable, save for those moments in battle where his mask of indifference would slip and reveal the power-hungry madman underneath. Today, in his quiet state, Will could read him like a book. He seemed exhausted— fragile, even.

“I’ll have to leave the facility tomorrow,” Vesely said. “My father passed away a few days ago. We’re holding his funeral back home.”

Will sat politely with his hands on his lap, consumed by more thoughts than he could keep track of. From the few things he had learned, Vesely Senior was the one who had planted this idea of the “superior species” into the heads of his children. It must have worked better than he was hoping, because Vesely ended up surgically harvesting his father’s powers for himself, leaving the man comatose until the day he died. Will suspected that Vesely was slightly proud of what he had done, given how he brought up that story every other week. Today, though, he wore no such pride.

“I’m sorry for your loss, sir,” Will said.

“As am I.” Vesely closed his eyes. “There are some things I’ll need before I attend the funeral. That’s why I asked for you.”

“What do you need?”

“I’d like for you to go, as well.”

Will bit his tongue so hard that he thought he could taste blood. He couldn’t afford to lash out, no matter how much his wrists ached from the surge of his powers. After everything Vesely had done— the hit-and-run, Jason’s kidnapping, the child experiments, and Will’s illness— he dared to ask Will for such a huge favor, attending a funeral for the man who started all of this.

Vesely could sense his discomfort like a snake finding its prey in a field. He spoke in a gentle, rhythmic tone, but Will found no comfort in his words.

“You’re not being tricked, Will. I only mean to show you to my family. They need to see the progress we’ve made, with our patients and technology— and with you, most of all.”

Will shook his head. “Sir, I’m not your best patient. I’m not even the best in our Division.”

“This isn’t about your testing— which isn’t as bad as you may think, mind you.” Vesely gestured towards Will’s left arm, with the dark blue lines of his disease trailing down his skin. “You are the only patient who’s survived the initial Infection. You’re the proof that my father was looking for, someone capable of intense strength— A living god.”

The boy flinched at his words, and his irritation seeped through his voice. “So you want bragging rights, is that it?”

Vesely let out a small, barely-audible chuckle, with a smile that looked unnatural on him.

“I just want the others to know that our father hasn’t died in vain, that his dream is alive and well.”

“Alive and well— Is that what you call this? Your parasite ate through my nerves. You want to take pride in that?”

Will crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair. Part of him started to miss Rio’s extensive training and Avery’s medical testing, the pain of which was preferable in comparison to the intense, sickening, stifling atmosphere of the office. Vesely sighed deeply, but he wasn’t irritated— not from what Will could tell, at least. He scratched at his cheek as he thought to himself.

“If you come to the funeral, I’ll give your division the week off of training.”

Of course, he knew the best way to manipulate the boy. Will looked back at him sternly.

“Two weeks, for their full recovery. Riley needs more time to rest.”

“It’s a deal.”

Vesely held his hand out to seal the deal, earning a glare from Will. A double-infection seemed unlikely, but Will didn’t want to take that risk ever again. His hands still ached from the memory of Vesely’s near-acidic touch. Realizing his mistake, Vesely sheepishly retracted his hand.

“Right, I’ll have everything sorted out by tomorrow. You won’t have to speak to anyone, and we’ll be out before you know it.”

“As long as my friends get to rest, it’s fine.”

“You’re a good leader, Will. They’ll truly appreciate it.” Vesely bowed his head. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Will left the office without another word. He cursed Vesely for doing this, just as he cursed himself for agreeing to go. His friends needed that extra time, even if it meant risking his life even further. The funeral invitation may have been sincere, but Vesely always found a way to hurt someone, intentional or not. Still, Will told himself it was the best thing to do. He could get through it, as long as he stayed calm.

[jobrookekarev]

Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby

Chapter: 1/1

Words: 4000

Summary: Alex takes Jo home after she divorces Paul and watches over her for the best he can.

Fandom: Grey's Anatomy.

Relationship: Alex Karev/Jo Karev.

Characters: Alex Karev, Jo Wilson Karev, and Meredith Grey.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences.

Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, In Canon, Missing Scene, Referenced to Domestic Violence.

Read at AO3

Read at FFN

AN: The title is from a song by cigarettes after sex, it's a really good and definitely a Jolex song. 

……………………………………………………………………

“God, I wish he was dead,” Jo said her voice was full of pain and she looked like she was about to cry as her expression contorted into a grimace. 

The last time Alex had seen her like this was when she showed up on his porch after her fight with Jason. The way she looked at him, tears in her eyes and half of her face black and blue was burned into his mind. Jo had been absolutely distraught, hollow and distant from the moment Paul got there. The light that usually illuminated her face and her eyes were gone, and in its place was a painful expression.

“Come on. Let's go home,” Alex said, moving to her side and wrapping one arm around her waist as Jo relaxed against him. 

He could see how exhausted she was and he wanted to pick her up and carry her home, but they're still at work. So instead he let her lean into him as much as she needed to and held her up as they walked.

The three of them walked over to the attending’s lounge and Alex grabbed his jacket, not even bothering to change out of his scrubs. He just packed everything in his bag so they could get going. Jo was silent the entire time, just watching and Alex made sure that his hand didn't leave her waist and Meredith helped him grab his things. 

They walked down to the parking garage with Meredith walking ahead, turning every corner before they did. Just to be sure that he wasn't still lingering somewhere in the hospital. Alex opened the side door for Jo and put his hand on her back as she climbed in. Jo fastened her seat belt and then stared out the windshield at nothing, her eyes empty. 

He knew the tears were coming, he could see them in the corner of her eyes, but Jo held back. Alex figured that she was waiting until she was somewhere safe to break down. He doesn't know if that would be the car, or the loft, or their bed, but he was determined to get her to her safe place as quickly as possible. 

Alex looked back at Meredith, she seemed anxious like Jo, but in a different way, more wound up and angry, determined and ready to fight.

“Okay, so I'm going to talk to Bailey and will get him banned from the hospital. He won’t be able to set foot in here ever again. So why don't you and Jo take tomorrow off? I’ll get everything settled and then we can all go to a lawyer and get a restraining order, okay?”

Jo just nodded as she stared straight ahead. Alex squeezed her hand before he double checked Jo’s seatbelt and squeezed her hand as she just stared ahead. The hardest part about this whole thing had been watching Jo shut down like this. Alex swallowed the lump in his throat as he closed the door.

“Alex it’s going to be okay,” Meredith said, gripping his arms and forcing him to look at her. “He is not going to win, he is not going to hurt her again, we’re going to fight and we’re going to keep her safe. Just don’t do anything stupid, alright.”

Alex looked back at Jo, she still stared out the window with her blank expression. Everything inside him told him to track down Paul at whatever hotel he was staying at and smash his face into the ground until he was no longer breathing. Yet, Alex knew that he would end up in jail. Then Jo would be alone and he couldn’t leave her right now. 

“I'm won’t, I promise,” Alex said with a nod and Meredith let him go. 

It was a silent ride home, Jo didn't even turn on the radio, she just sat there and stared out the window. After he parked the car they just sat there for a moment. Alex looked over at her as Jo let out a breath and then got out of the car. He raced around to meet her when she got out and grabbed her bags before he put his arm around her. Together, they walked up to the apartment building. 

Alex made sure that the main door to the entryway of the apartment building was locked before they went up the elevator. He closed the gate behind them, double checking that it was locked too. He checked that every door was locked behind them before he pulled the metal door closed and bolted it shut. Jo jumped and let out a yelp when he slammed the door shut and he looked back at her standing there in the entryway, her shoulders tense and her body frozen.

Jo just stood there in the entryway and Alex dropped both of their bags to the floor and watched her for a moment. He thought he should do something like get dinner ready or put away their things or something, but then Jo turned around and looked at him, she frowned and squeezed her eyes shut. He knew she was about five seconds from losing it and he dropped everything to rushed over to her as quickly as possible before her knees gave out and he caught her as they both fell to the floor. 

As Jo’s sob’s filled the loft, Alex didn't say anything, he didn't know what to say. There were no words in the world that will make this better, that will make Paul go away, so instead, he just held her. He sat on the floor and wrapped his arms around her and held her against his chest as she wailed. 

Jo’s cries were loud and sorrowful and they filled the room and it broke his heart. There was a stream of tears falling down her face and she cried so hard she could barely take in a breath before she was crying out again. Jo cried for so long and so hard her voice started to give out, but the tears didn't stop. 

Alex had a muscle cramping his leg as he sat awkwardly and held her, but he didn't dare move before she did. It broke his heart to see her like this, to see her this distraught and in pain. He cried silent tears that he didn't let her see as he just held her and pressed his cheek against the top of her head. 

Jo slowly started to grow quiet, the sobbing became less frequent and she took deeper and fuller breaths. She rested her head against his shoulder and Alex rubbed his hand up and down her back. He did it in slow steady motions up and back down. Jo wiggled uncomfortably against his hands and Alex stopped as Jo pulled back. She moved her shoulder to scratch against her neck and Alex pulled at the collar of her shirt and saw the hives that ran up her neck. If they peeked out the collar of her shirt, then they probably covered her whole back.  

“Come on,” Alex said, pulling her up as she stood on wobbly legs, so he picked her up, her legs wrapped around his waist as he walked over to the bathroom. 

He flipped on the lights and set her down on the edge of the tub before he helped her pull off her jacket. Jo held her arms up as he pulled her top over her head and tried not to gasp as he saw the hives that had broken out across her skin. They went across her stomach and out her arms. Jo reached for the button of her pants and Alex helped her down pull them down her legs and the sight of the hives extending down her thighs scares him. He had never seen them this bad, even when she was freaking out about one of the residents being fired back when she was a second-year. Back then they only covered her back and arms, now they cover almost her whole body.

“Okay,” Alex said, taking a deep breath as he knelt in front of her and put his hands on her knees. This was medical, he could treat this and help her. “Why don't we get an oatmeal bath going and I'll grab you some Benadryl. Then afterward we can cover you with calamine lotion, and then I'll get the soft blue cotton pajamas that are loose and won't irritate your skin, sound good?”

“Yeah,” Jo nodded and she looked at him rather than staring at the tile floor. 

Alex quickly got the oat and put it in the coffee grinder to make a powder before he returned to the bathroom. The water was just a few inches deep but he poured the powder oats in as Jo mixed it up with her hand. He got out the Benadryl and handed it to her with a glass of water. 

Jo took off the remainder of her undergarments and got into the tub where she curled up, hugging her knees to her chest. Alex kneeled on the floor next to the tub and mixed the water with his hands and picked up the empty cup and filled it with the oat water and poured it over her back. For a moment things were calm after the tub filled up. Jo sat there as Alex poured the water over her back, but then she spoke.

“This was a mistake.” Jo's voice was just a whisper as her eyes glanced over at him. “I'm happy that I'm divorced, but this was a mistake.”

Jo looked over at him with fresh tears in her eyes and Alex just leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “I promise that I’m going to do everything in my power to protect you, but if you want to go, just say the word and we'll leave. We’ll pack up everything and take off and we’ll change our names and disappear. We can start over somewhere he'll never find us.” 

Jo just nodded against his shoulder and Alex held her for as long as she needed him to. Eventually, Jo let go and laid back in the tub as her eyes fluttered closed. She seemed to be fighting sleep and he was relieved to see her finally relax. He didn't mind if she fell asleep in the tub as he would just pick her up and carry her to bed. For now, he just poured the water over her and was happy to see her hives disappear. 

After a few more minutes Jo stood up and Alex reached for the towel. She stepped out of the tub and he wrapped it around her shoulders. She looked so tired as she leaned against him and he picked her up, putting one arm under her legs and the other around her back as he carried her over to the bed. He thought she had fallen asleep in his arms, but Jo blinked awake when he set her down. Alex grabbed the calamine lotion and applied it over her back and arms while Jo got her chest and stomach.

“Lift up for a second you’ve got hives on your butt,” Alex said, nudging her hip and trying to make her smile.

It worked and Jo turned her head to smile at him as she laid down and let him slather it over her butt and thighs. Her smile, however small, gave him hope that this wouldn't break her. 

After the lotion dried he grabbed her the soft pajamas like he promised and changed into a pair of his own. He warmed up some leftovers from the fridge and they ate a little bit before they both crawled into bed. Alex laid down first and Jo crawled over to lay down on top of him. She tucked her head under his chin as his arms immediately wrapped around her. Alex relaxed as he closed his eyes, he knew that despite everything, Jo was going to be okay.

Suddenly the phone rings and Jo tensed up with a cry. She wrapped her arms around him and dug her fingernails into his shirt as she clung to him. Alex quickly looked around and reached for the phone. He picked it up and sighed in relief as it was only Meredith and Jo relaxed in his arms.

“Hey, Meredith what’s up?”

“Okay so I did some research and I was able to find a lawyer that I think can help Jo get a restraining order. It looks like we can get it right away as an emergency order of protection, but we’ll have to go to court later and we’ll need evidence of the abuse. I don’t know if Jo has medical records and I don't want to search for anything under her old name until she says I can.”

“Yeah that sounds great Mer, but can we continue this in the morning, I think we just need some sleep.”

“Yeah okay, how is she?” 

Alex looked down at Jo curled up in his arms as she glanced up at him, having heard everything, but her eyes were heavy as she fought sleep. He knew that Jo didn't mind if he shared with Meredith.

“Her stress hives are pretty bad. She’s not itching anymore, but they still cover most of her body. I've given her some Benadryl and an oatmeal bath and that seems to have helped.”

“Is she running a fever?”

“No, but I'm keeping an eye on her,” Alex said as Jo turned her head and pressed a kiss to his chest. He put his hand on her back but was careful not to rub up and down in case he irritated her hives. 

“Well, keep an eye on it and if she develops a fever, bring her into the hospital,” Meredith said, but then her voice softened. “I'll call and check in with you guys tomorrow morning, Okay.” 

“Yeah, thanks Mer,” Alex said before hanging up and putting his phone on silent as he put it on the nightstand. 

Jo finally closed her eyes and he took a moment to look down at her. She still clung to him and Alex could feel the way that her fingers dug into his shirt. 

“I've got you Jo, I promise,” Alex said as he let his arms rest over her. 

“I know,” Jo whispered as she snuggled further into his arms. “With you, I feel safe.”

Alex smiled a little bit and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. He knew there weren't very many people that Jo truly trusted and he felt honored to have her trust. Jo quickly fell asleep as the stress from the day had drained her. However her fingers still curled tightly to his shirt, even in her sleep, and Alex stayed up and watched over her.

A part of him regretted the way he spoke to her when she came into Frankie's room having finally tracked down boy Taylor. Jo had run all over the hospital to track down the correct nurse, yet when she showed up too late he was frustrated. Not at her but at the situation and the wrong calls he had made. Looking back he recognized the look on her face, the pain and tension she held. He wished he would have asked her what happened so she could tell him that Paul was there, then he could have kept her safe the entire time. But he was here now and he wasn't leaving her side again, not until this whole thing was over. 

Even if he had to punch Paul to keep him away from her. Alex thought he should be able to get at least one punch in before he had to stop. It would be just enough to wipe that smug look off his damn face. Paul deserved to know what it was like to have someone hit back. Alex took a deep breath as he let go of the anger and tension and looked down at Jo again. He knew he couldn't let his anger get the best of him and risk leaving her alone. For now, he tried to relax and get some sleep, before they faced what he knew would be an exhausting day tomorrow.

The next morning when Alex woke up he was relieved to see that Jo was still asleep and had slept through the night. Neither of them were strangers to nightmares and after she filed for divorce she had had a few. Jo would wake up gasping for air and covered in sweat and was reluctant to go back to sleep. He figured there'd be a nightmare tonight, but I was relieved to see that she had slept peacefully. 

Alex pulled up Jo’s shirt to see that her hives had mostly disappeared except for a few on her back and shoulders. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek before he got up to make some coffee. He pulled open the fridge to check what they had and grabbed a couple of eggs and the bread. He remembered the arguments they used to have about whether the bread should be in the fridge or on the counter. He wished to go back and have that be the worst thing they fought about. Those days living in the frat house were wild and carefree, but he loved having the loft. It was a home of their own and he was so happy to build his life with her. It was their safe haven, but with Paul around, he wasn’t sure if it would be for much longer.

Alex looked back at Jo sleeping peacefully in the bed and let out a sigh. He went back over to the kitchen and got the coffee started with the toast and eggs. Soon the smell of warm coffee filled the loft and Alex sipped his cup of coffee while he made one for Jo, trying to get lost in the routine of making breakfast. He heard her gasp and turned around to see her sitting up in bed. Her eyes were wild as she looked around and he instantly set down his coffee and got up to run over to her.

“Hey, hey, Jo it's okay, you're in the Loft, he's not here, you're safe,” Alex reassured her as he sat down on the bed and put his hands on her shoulders.

Jo was still breathing heavily, but her eyes got less wild as they focused on him. She looked around the Loft before glancing at the kitchen. “You made coffee?”

“Yeah, and eggs and toast, you hungry?” Alex asked as he watched Jo wrinkle her nose. 

There was still the lingering distress on her face from the nightmare and she put her hand over her mouth before she got up and bolted over to the bathroom. Alex followed hot on her heels as she fell in front of the toilet and threw open the lid, the contents of last night's dinner coming back up. He held her hair and combed it back with his fingers twisting it into a bun, before he grabbed one of the many hair ties that were lying around and tied her hair up. Then he rubbed her back as she heaved. Jo had always had a nervous stomach and he cursed himself for not seeing this coming. Once her stomach was empty, she pulled back and leaned against him as he wrapped his arms around her waist. 

“How about we start with just toast and water, yeah?” Alex asked as she nodded from where her head was on his shoulder.

He let her move to get up first before he wrapped his arms around her as she leaned into him as they walked over to the couch. He came back and got her some toast and water and they sat on the couch together. She put on the morning news and leaned back against his chest as they tried to relax.

“Hey, so I was thinking,” Alex said, pausing as he scratched at the back of his neck. “Maybe it would be best if we switched phones.”

Jo bit her lip. “I don't know.”

“Just hear me out,” Alex said waited for Jo to nod before he continued. “I know that you don't want to change your number in case Jenny reaches out to you, but Paul has your number now too. So I thought that if we switched phones and he called, I could be the one to answer and you wouldn't have to deal with him, but if Jenny called, I could quickly hand the phone over to you so you could help her.”

Jo thought about it for a moment as she rubbed her fingers before she looked at him and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

“Okay,” Alex said as they switched phones and he put Jo’s phone into the pocket of his pajama pants. 

Jo relaxed back against him as they watched the news and Jo cracked a smile at something one of the hosts said. It gave him hope that she would be okay. Jo was strong and she could handle anything that life threw at her. She had already escaped Paul once and this time she had him to help her. He thought she would be okay, but then her phone rang.

Jo jumped the same way she did last night, and he quickly put his arm around her before he looked at the phone. They both let out a sigh when they saw that it was just April. 

“Kepner, it's our day off!” Alex gruffed, but then trailed off as April told him what happened.

“Alex, what is it,” Jo asked, seeing the serious look in his eyes as his lips parted.

“It's Paul. He’s been hit by a car,” Alex said as he watched Jo's eyes grow wide in shock.

[knuffled]

just practice - chapter ten

chapter ten is here, yay! hope you all enjoy it! somewhat important update in the notes at the end of the chapter on ao3 for those interested. thanks in advance!

ao3 link here

Holding the premier of the school play on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving was a bold move in Annabeth’s opinion, so it was surprising that the school’s parking lot was nearly filled, although that almost certainly had to do with the fact that Piper was playing Viola in the school’s production of Twelfth Night. Her performances in the school plays had turned into something of local legend after all. It had all started when she landed the role of Ophelia as a freshman, a feat in and of itself, but it was the way that she had sent audiences home in tears each night of the production that had catapulted her to near mythic status among the student body. It had gotten to the point where even many members of the football team could be found patiently waiting in line to watch a Shakespearean play.

Ever prepared, Annabeth had come fairly early to help secure seats for herself and the rest of her friends. The moment the doors opened, she made a beeline for the rows close to the stage and found some center seats, but when the auditorium began to fill its seats quicker than she anticipated and none of her friends had yet to arrive, she was forced to concede all of the seats she’d reserved except for two, one on either side of her. As more and more of the seats began to get filled, She came close to sending a text in the group chat as her sense of worry grew. Fortunately, that was when Jason showed up, a grateful smile on his face as he sank into the seat next to her. He took off his jacket, draping it on the seatback, and rubbed at the dark bags beneath his eyes.

“You look like a panda,” Annabeth said, smirking.

Jason ran his fingers through his hair and scowled. “Very funny. I’ve been neck deep in planning for the stupid after-party, and it has been a total nightmare.”

“So I take it that working with Drew Tanaka isn’t a good time then?”

Jason rolled his eyes and said, “There’s just something about event planning that turns her into a demon. At one point, I legitimately thought she was going to skin me alive.”

“Very dramatic,” Annabeth teased, squeezing his shoulder. “At least the worst is over now.”

“I sure hope so,” Jason muttered. “Otherwise, I might not live to see another day.”

Annabeth was about to say something when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She fished it out and looked at the caller ID, which immediately sent a frisson of irritation running through her. That was probably the seventeenth time this random number had called her over the past two weeks. She didn’t recognize the number at all, but whoever it was happened to be incredibly persistent about calling her.

“That number again?” Jason asked.

Annabeth sighed and nodded. “It’s starting to get really fucking annoying.”

“You should just block ‘em and save yourself the trouble,” Jason said, shrugging.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Annabeth said, sighing. “I’ll do it after the show.”

Jason nodded and pulled out his phone to shoot some texts, presumably to the group organizing the after-party. Annabeth spent her time scrolling mindlessly through Twitter, waiting for Percy to show up, but he was still missing two minutes before the show was due to begin. It was only once the lights began to dim that Annabeth heard the familiar cadence of his footsteps behind her. Percy squeezed past the people who were already seated, murmuring apologies as he passed by, before he sank into the seat beside her. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and winced as he probed his upper back muscles.

Annabeth looked at him with concern and said, “Are you okay?”

“I’ve been better,” Percy said, grimacing.

“I swear your coach has been extending practices by an hour every month now since the start of the school year.”

Percy huffed a laugh. “You’re probably right. I swear, he’s trying to kill me. Literally every part of my body hurts right now.”

Annabeth frowned in the dark. In all his years on the team, she had never heard Percy complain about his body hurting after practices. His coach must have been pushing him even harder over this past month than normal. She wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

She leaned in to him to whisper to him and found her face heating up at the distracting scent of body wash and chlorine clinging to his skin, evidence of the post-practice shower he must have taken before coming here.

It took her a moment to collect her thoughts and mumble, “If you feel that bad, you should have just gone home. Piper would understand.”

“I’m not missing the premier just because I’m a little sore,” Percy said, shaking his head.

Annabeth paused before giving him a tentative nod and turning back to the stage, but she still felt lingering traces of embarrassment. That scent was beyond familiar to her and it had been for years, so she was troubled by how she had suddenly become so conscious of it.

Fortunately, the start of the play gave her a way to stop treading down that creepy train of thought. She had read Twelfth Night once during middle school, but it hadn’t made much of an impression on her. Seeing it performed now, the play was a lot better than she had remembered, but then again Piper had always insisted that there was a huge difference between reading a play versus seeing one live. For a high school play, Annabeth couldn’t help being impressed by the level of care and effort that had gone into every element of the production, from the set design to the lighting and wardrobe. Of course, the actors were great as well, but Piper stole the show as Annabeth had expected.

It took her a while to realize that Percy was mouthing lines beside her, nearly verbatim. At first, she’d thought she was hearing things, but when she stole a sidelong glance at Percy, she noticed that he was leaning forward in his seat, staring intently at the stage and whispering the lines to himself.

“But, indeed, words are very rascals, since bonds disgraced them,” Percy mouthed.

On stage, Piper said, “Thy reason, man?”

Percy whispered, "Troth, sir, I can yield you none without words, and words are grown so false, I am loathe to prove reason with them.”

Annabeth shook her head in amazement before knocking elbows with him to get his attention. He froze in his seat, face turning a gentle shade of vermilion in response to being caught, before turning to face her.

“You know all the lines?” Annabeth whispered incredulously.

Percy ducked his chin. “Not all of them, just the scenes where Piper has lines. Must have helped her rehearse them like a hundred times.”

“And let me guess, she didn’t ask for your help: you volunteered,” she said, sighing.

Annabeth found herself shaking her head again when he rubbed the back in his neck and looked away with a sheepish smile. It was amazing that Percy had managed to memorize all those lines, but it was even more impressive that he had done so while juggling all his other responsibilities. Her heart welled up inside her chest looking at him while he tried to not-so-subtly divert her attention back to the play, still blushing profusely, as if he didn’t realize he was more amazing in her eyes than anything Shakespeare could’ve ever written.

Before she knew it, the play was over, and Annabeth found herself waiting backstage with her friends for Piper to finish changing into her normal clothes. Leo and Frank spoke quietly to one another while Hazel was noodling with her phone. Jason drummed his fingers against his pants and rocked on his heels and kept looking down the hallway to the changing rooms with poorly suppressed excitement, practically embodying the spirit of a golden retriever. Percy stood beside her, leaning against a wall with his eyes closed, close enough for their elbows to touch.

When Piper showed up with an exhausted smile on her face, Jason rushed in and pulled her into a fierce hug.

“You were amazing,” he said.

Piper laughed tiredly and whispered, “Thanks, Jace.”

Jason stepped away suddenly and rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly embarrassed by such a public display of affection. Piper rolled her eyes and poked him with her elbow before turning to address the rest of them.

“Thank you all for coming tonight. I really appreciate it.”

“Jason is right,” Frank said. “You were really great out there tonight.”

Everyone chimed in with words of agreement, which flustered Piper a little, much to Annabeth’s delight. Piper rarely ever got flustered except when she got bombarded by compliments that she had rightfully earned. Percy was the only one who didn’t say anything, but he watched the entire scene with a soft smile on his face. Once she’d given everyone else a hug, Piper met Percy’s eyes, her eyes shining with gratitude, and a wordless understanding passed between them.

“So, after-party everyone?” Jason asked.

Piper leaned against him and nodded tiredly. “I could certainly use a drink right now.”

Jason smiled before turning to the group and saying, “It’s at Drew’s place. I texted the address to our group chat in case anyone didn’t remember it.”

With that, they dispersed and made their way to the parking lot. It was dark outside even though it wasn’t all that late, but it was nothing unexpected considering December was on its way. Annabeth buried her hands in the front pocket of her sweatshirt, but she still couldn’t help shivering as the wind howled past them.

Percy smoothed his wind-tousled hair with a scowl before he gave her a sidelong glance. “So I’m guessing your parents didn’t change their mind about the after-party then?”

Annabeth nodded. “They are still insisting that I spend some quality ‘family time’ with them for Thanksgiving. Whatever the fuck that means.”

“Maybe it’s a good sign,” Percy said.

Annabeth snorted and said, “Knowing Helen, I highly doubt that. It’s probably just going to be a miserable meal with passive aggressive comments for dessert.”

Percy stopped and gave her forearm a gentle squeeze, forcing her to meet his eyes, which shone with concern.

“If it gets bad and you ever need to get out of the house, give me a call, okay?”

Annabeth tried for a laugh, but it sounded hollow even to her ears. “Come on, Jackson. You don’t think I can survive one measly dinner?”

“I know you can,” Percy said, firmly but not unkindly. “But there’s a big difference between surviving something and not having to suffer because of it.”

She didn’t really know how to respond to that, so she just remained silent. Percy looked at her and waited for a short while before he sighed and dropped her arm. Annabeth could tell by the downturn of his lips and the furrow of his brow that he still wasn’t entirely convinced, but she didn’t plan on changing her mind. No matter what happened at tonight’s dinner, she was determined not to call Percy. A nameless fear had begun to take root inside her. She couldn’t say what it was, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible would happen if she continued to rely on Percy as heavily as she had. Maybe she was completely off-base or maybe she was simply imagining the whole thing. And yet it grated on her like an itch she couldn't scratch, telling her, compelling her to at least do something.

Percy scuffed his converses against his ankle and nodded again. “Well, I guess I'll see you when you come over on Friday then?”

Annabeth nodded and watched him leave before she made her way back to her car. She didn’t remember much of the drive back home. The spam caller called again at some point, but apart from that the only thing that stuck out was how the pit in the center of her stomach grew the closer she got to her house. When she wasn't eating outside the house, Annabeth usually holed herself in her bedroom until the rest of the family finished dinner before she went downstairs to microwave the leftovers and bring them back upstairs with her. Tonight, unfortunately she had no such avenue of escape.

Once she parked in the driveway, Annabeth continued to sit there in the dark, her hands wrapped around the steering wheel so tightly the cheap stitching on the faux leather dug into her palms. She couldn’t help thinking at that moment that silence wore many different faces. When she was with Percy, silence was companionable and radiated a warmth that felt like trust. When she went for a run, silence was open and peaceful, almost like a physical space where she could leave reality behind for a short while. When she watched Percy give his mother a hug before he left the house, silence was wistful and forlorn, wrapping around her heart like tendrils of smoke. But now, as she sat in the car outside her own house, silence was unforgiving and violent, like a shark sensing blood in the water, waiting for her to tear herself to shreds.

But eventually, Annabeth screwed her eyes shut and forced herself to take a deep breath before she finally made her way inside. She slipped past the door and quietly took her shoes off before heading to the dining room. The rest of her family was already seated and had started eating.

“Ah, Annabeth, we weren’t sure if you would make it, so we got started a little early,” Helen said, voice dripping with faux sincerity.

Annabeth pursed her lips and nodded sharply before she pulled out a chair for herself and sat down. She didn’t put much on her plate — barely enough mashed potatoes to make a mound drizzled with gravy, a small piece of grilled chicken, and some buttered vegetables — and tried to finish her food as quickly as she could so she could retreat to her room.

Of course, it didn’t take long for Helen to take issue with that. “Someone certainly seems to be in a rush today.”

Annabeth looked up from her plate and tried to quell the fire in her eyes, but it was difficult when Helen looked at her with that smile of hers like poisoned honey, while the coldness in her eyes communicated her utter and absolute disdain for Annabeth in a way words never could. Briefly, she looked to her father to see if he might intervene, but like always, she was disappointed. He was staring absentmindedly at the wall behind her, probably thinking about his research.

"I'm just really tired," Annabeth lied.

"And yet you had just enough energy to go to your friend's play," Helen said.

"It's almost like human beings have less energy over the course of a day."

She had tried very hard to keep the sarcasm out of her voice, but it didn't seem to matter judging by the tick of Helen's jaw. Annabeth couldn't help deriving a twisted sense of pleasure at the momentary collapse in Helen's composure.

Helen sighed with mock affectation. "Children your age are so disrespectful these days."

Annabeth shrugged nonchalantly. "Must be because we’re on our phones all the time."

A gleam passed in Helen's eyes. "Or maybe it's because you associate with the wrong kinds of people."

Annabeth furrowed her brow and deliberately set her fork aside. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Helen raised her wineglass and took a sip before she spoke, and when she did her tone was feather-light. "Oh, it's nothing. As your mother, I'm just concerned when a girl your age spends all her time unsupervised, doing lord knows what, with someone like that Jackson boy."

Annabeth balled her hands into fists. “‘Someone like him’? You don’t even know him.”

Helen looked at her imperiously over the rim of her wine glass. “I don’t need to know him to know that he’s of the wrong sort.”

It took Annabeth a second to decipher what Helen had meant, but once she did the pit in her stomach burned with hellfire.

Annabeth barked a harsh laugh and crossed her arms over her chest. “So he’s the ‘wrong sort’ just because he isn’t white?”

“That wasn’t what I said,” Helen said mildly.

“No, but it's what you meant.”

For the first time that night, her father spoke, voice low yet firm.

“Annabeth,” he warned.

Annabeth bit her tongue and wrestled with the urge to scream. At that moment, her phone vibrated again in her pocket, so Annabeth decided to run with it. Anything to give her an excuse to leave.

Her chair emitted an unholy screech as she stood up. “I have to take an important call.”

Annabeth didn’t wait for Helen’s permission and left the dining room quickly, only just noticing the irritation in her eyes. She went upstairs to her bedroom and slammed the door behind her before pulling her phone out of her pocket.

When she looked at the caller ID and noticed it was that same spam number again, Annabeth clenched her jaw and made to reject the call before an idea occurred to her. If she couldn’t show any emotion around her family, well then this stubborn asshole who clearly couldn’t tell she wasn’t going to answer the phone would give her a good opportunity to vent.

“Hello?” Annabeth snapped, answering the phone.

The voice on the other end of the line sounded male. “Oh, um, hello. Am I speaking with Ms. Annabeth Chase?”

“Yes,” Annabeth spat. “And who are you?”

There was a pause — the speaker was clearly taken aback by Annabeth’s open hostility, but it didn’t take long for them to recover.

“I apologize if this is a bad time, but my name is Rick Waters. I’m the coach of the women’s cross country team here at the University of California, Berkeley. I just wanted to reach out to you regarding the offer of admission we sent you a month or so ago.”

A panicked flurry of thoughts blew through Annabeth's mind. “Oh, sorry, I thought you were a telemarketer. Did you say that you sent me an offer of admission a month ago?”

“Yes, we sent a letter in early October to be precise.”

“I never got anything in the mail,” Annabeth said, frowning.

“Oh, well I suppose that certainly explains things. Perhaps there was a mistake made somewhere along the way, but no harm done. I could inform you of our offer over the phone now, if you'd like."

Annabeth pressed a hand to her forehead and shut her eyes. "Um, yes, please do."

"Well, we've been scouting all over the country for new runners for the incoming freshman class, and we were very interested in you. You are clearly a very talented distance runner, and I think you would be a wonderful asset and a great fit with our team here at Cal. All our facilities are state-of-the-art, and we have some former Olympians on our coaching staff in addition to a team of dietitians, physical therapists, and psychologists. I’ll pause here if you have any questions.”

“No, not at the moment, sorry. I’m just a little overwhelmed,” Annabeth said, mind reeling.

“I understand,” he said. “The reason I have been trying so hard to reach you, though, is because we need to know your decision before the 30th, which is in four days.”

Only four days? How the fuck was she supposed to write all those supplementary essays in only four days? It had taken her months to just finish the essays for the Common App.

“What is the process if I decide to commit to Berkeley?” Annabeth asked. “Like, am I required to send an application and include essays?”

“No, we wouldn’t need anything supplementary. We do, however, require a transcript, but we’ve already been in contact with your high school regarding that, and it was more than satisfactory. In fact, we were highly impressed with your academic performance.”

“Oh, um, thank you,” Annabeth said, feeling relieved.

“Of course,” the coach said. “One final thing I wanted to mention is that we would be willing to offer you a fairly sizable athletic scholarship should you decide to attend in the fall. It would cover a majority of your tuition and room and board fees.”

Annabeth leaned against her door and sank down to the floor, smiling so widely it hurt. The one fear she had had was how she would afford going to Berkeley, so she was beyond relieved that they were willing to give her a scholarship. For once in her life, it seemed that all her hard work had actually amounted to something. For once, her accomplishments actually mattered.

“Thank you so much,” Annabeth said quietly.

“Take some time to think about it, but please do get back to us by the 30th so that we can secure your admission. To be perfectly honest, the deadline for athletic recruitment ended in October, but I’ve been adamant with the Admissions Office that you were special and that the deadline be extended on your behalf.”

Annabeth's throat constricted and her heart squeezed in her chest. “I really don't know what to say. Just thank you so much. I really do appreciate it. I’ll be sure to get back to you by the 30th.”

“Wonderful,” he said. “I look forward to hearing from you.”

With that, the phone call ended, and Annabeth knocked the back of her head against the door and stared up at the ceiling, not sure whether to cry or laugh. As the coach had said, recruitment was usually finished by October, so the fact that she hadn’t received any offers from schools had been depressing. She had assured herself that her application was strong enough on its own to brave the conventional admissions process, but this was an immense weight off her shoulders. Of course, that meant that all those hours she’d spent on writing her stupid Common App essay had been pretty much useless, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

The only thing that soured her mood was the knowledge that she still needed to go back downstairs to deal with her step-mother now that the call was over. Annabeth sat there and looked up at her popcorn ceiling, trying to muster the strength to get up, but it still took her the better part of ten minutes before she finally rose to her feet and closed the door behind her.

:::

Friday at the Jackson household was often a rambunctious affair, but it was quieter than normal when Annabeth came to visit the day after Thanksgiving. But that was largely due to the fact that Paul happened to be away at a teacher’s conference, Estelle at a playdate at a friend’s house, and Sally was upstairs, working on her writing, which left Annabeth alone with Percy downstairs.

He had been the one to suggest that they bake something together, much to her relief. She had wanted to do something where she could turn her brain off, and there was just something about baking in particular that tended to calm her down. As Annabeth sat on the countertop, swinging her legs, and watched Percy riffle through the pantry in search of ingredients, it occurred to her that that was probably why he’d suggested the activity to begin with. The domesticity of Percy humming a tuneless melody under his breath while moving about the kitchen in his pajamas made warmth blossom in her chest.

"Are you gonna help out or are you just continue checking me out, Chase?" Percy asked, looking inside a cupboard for vanilla extract.

Annabeth felt heat rush to her face as she hopped off the counter. She tried to keep her tone light and asked, "What am I not allowed to check out my fake-boyfriend?"

Percy looked at her over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "Then surely you wouldn't mind if I were to check out my fake-girlfriend then."

Annabeth's heart fluttered in her chest. "It almost sounds like you're asking for permission."

It was hard to tell if the look in Percy’s eyes was teasing or challenging. "And if I am?"

Her throat had suddenly become completely dry. She wasn't sure if the move here was to say yes and double down or if she should play it off and change the topic.

She settled for the former and said, "And what would you do if I said yes?"

Percy's eyes darkened and his eyes darted to her lips for an instant before he cleared his throat conspicuously and turned away. “Good job. That should work when you get a real boyfriend.”

With that, the tension in the room dissipated into thin air, leaving Annabeth with a vague sense of dissatisfaction, although she couldn’t explain where it came from. Annabeth tried her best to put the interaction behind her and started helping Percy find the remaining ingredients, but she found her eyes wandering towards him without her permission. It was definitely because of the previous exchange, Annabeth reasoned, that she suddenly began paying attention to the way his back muscles strained against the fabric of his thin t-shirt when he reached up to get some nutmeg or the hard line of his jaw when she caught a glimpse of his profile as he turned away.

Her face began to heat up again, but this time it was because she was actually guilty of the crime she'd been accused of. She shook her head in an effort to dispel those thoughts, but she couldn't erase the images taking center stage in her mind's eye.

This was really fucking weird. She'd seen Percy practically every day for the last ten years, and his body had never distracted her like this, so it felt creepy and wrong. Yet, her eyes continued to wander towards him whenever she wasn’t vigilant, much to her embarrassment, as they started making the cookies.

They were nearly ready to put the chocolate chip cookie batter into the oven when Percy stopped and suddenly groaned.

"What?" she asked.

"I forgot the blue food coloring," he grumbled. "Mom and I ran out last time we made cookies."

Annabeth knew better than to ask him if it was really that important for the cookies to be blue, so she nodded and said, "Should we go to the grocery store?"

"Yeah, just let me get changed," Percy said, leaving the kitchen.

Sally made her way down the stairs and smiled as Percy went past her. She stepped into the kitchen and surveyed it for a moment before looking to her with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Well, at least you both don't make nearly as big a mess as you used to."

"Sorry," Annabeth said, her face heating up.

"Relax, dear," Sally said, laughing. "I'm just pulling your leg."

Annabeth managed a smile and said, "How was your book tour?"

Sally leaned against the counter-top and sighed. "Exhausting, but overall, pretty good. Each time I have to do one of them, they just keep adding more and more cities. I know that it's a sign my books are reaching a wider audience, but it still wears out an old woman like me."

"You're not old at all, Sally," Annabeth said genuinely.

A warm smile crossed Sally's face. "You're sweet, dear. How have things been with you?"

Percy came downstairs, now that he'd changed, and jangled his car keys. "Ready to go?"

Annabeth looked to Sally and felt a surge of gratitude when Sally told Percy, "You go on ahead. Annabeth and I are going to have some girl time."

Percy looked between the two of them for a moment before he shrugged and left the kitchen. Annabeth waited until she heard the sound of the garage door closing before she spoke again.

"How did you know?" Annabeth asked.

"Hmm, know what?" Sally asked.

"Know that I wanted to talk to you.”

"I've known you since you were seven, dear," Sally said, giving her a significant look.

Annabeth couldn't help the fact that that brought a smile to her face. "Percy told me that he got recruited by USC."

"Mhmm."

“I’m happy for him and everything, but- I don’t know. It’s just that college actually feels real now and not like something imaginary in the far off future,” Annabeth said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

"It’s a big change," Sally admitted. "But I'm sure you both can handle it when the time comes."

"I know,” Annabeth said. “I’m just worried about being apart from Percy and stuff.”

"Well, if you’re that worried, what if you found a college close by LA?" Sally asked.

Annabeth shook her head. "A recruiter from Berkeley reached out to me Wednesday night about joining the cross country team there. He said the university would even be willing to give me a pretty big scholarship, so I'm thinking of accepting."

"Annabeth, that's fantastic," Sally beamed. "Your parents must be so proud of you."

"They just asked how I was going to pay for it," Annabeth said, smiling thinly.

Sally's eyes softened and she pulled her into a warm hug. Annabeth didn't expect a lump to form in her throat, but it didn't surprise her when it happened. She knew from prior experience that Sally Jackson's hugs did tend to have that sort of effect.

"Well, for what it's worth, I'm so incredibly proud of you and everything you’ve accomplished," Sally said. "Lord knows how hard you've worked these past few years."

"Thank you," Annabeth said, trying not to let her voice quiver.

Sally pulled away and framed Annabeth's face in her hands, smiling softly. "You've grown into such a wonderful young woman. It’s almost hard to believe that bossy little seven year old would grow up like this."

Annabeth wiped at her nose as a watery laugh escaped her. "Well, one thing hasn't changed: I'm still pretty bossy."

"Well, no one's perfect, after all," Sally said, a twinkle in her eye. "I really don’t think you have anything to worry about, dear. Berkeley and LA are in the same state."

"It's a five hour and forty-two minute drive," Annabeth said. "I, um, checked on Google Maps."

"That’s not that bad," Sally said. “You and Percy can deal with that.”

Annabeth shifted on her heels. "No, it's not that. I know we'll be okay, but I'm just worried it'll change things."

"Well, I know that the way you two feel about each other won't change and that's the most important thing," Sally said firmly.

"Of course, things will be different, but that doesn't mean it has to get worse. This is just another stage you have to pass through in your life, just like Percy does. But despite all that change, you will still be Annabeth and Percy will still be Percy, and that is enough for me to believe you both will be fine."

Annabeth considered her words before nodding. "I still haven't told him."

"He'll be happy to hear it."

"I know he will," Annabeth said. "I just want to be less of a wreck when I tell him. I don't want him to worry."

Sally smiled and said, "That boy will worry about you regardless of what you do."

"He shouldn't have to though," Annabeth said desperately. I’m not worth it.

"No, perhaps he shouldn't," Sally admitted. "But he chooses to anyways, and who are we to say he's wrong for it."

There was a pause before Annabeth quietly said, "Sometimes, it feels like he loves so hard, so honestly, so naturally that it's impossible for me to catch up."

"That's just the way he is," Sally said, a sad smile on her face. "His name means 'To Destroy', but there's no one more protective, more loving than my boy. Been that way all his life, even when he shouldn't have had to. Because of that, I’m afraid that I've hurt him without knowing, hurt him in ways that can't be fixed."

"You mean with Gabe?" Annabeth asked.

Sally's eyes turned hard. "He started trying to protect me from him ever since he was six and I don’t think he has ever stopped. Even now, I can see he still doesn't completely feel comfortable around Paul, but he bears it for my sake. He has always been willing to cause himself pain if it means alleviating someone else’s suffering. Sometimes, I worry that he feels the need to be responsible for how other people feel.”

Sally’s words immediately made Annabeth think about her conversation with Kara and how she had said something similar:

I just remember being so fucking stunned. Like, your girlfriend is telling you she’s breaking up with you after cheating on you, and your response is to go be someone else’s fucking therapist?

Annabeth balled her hands into fists and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She wasn’t sure what to say. She had never been good with words or emotions, but she wasn’t even sure if this was something that could be fixed with just words. If she were like Percy, maybe she could think of the right combination of words to say in order to make this better, but she wasn’t.

She hated this. All her life, Annabeth had been praised for being intelligent. Most of her identity was built around that fact. Whenever her life went to shit, the one thing she could count on was the fact that she was smart: it was the one thing that made her feel like she was worth anything. But lately, Annabeth couldn’t help questioning if she’d built her entire sense of self around a lie. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d been able to use her intelligence to solve a problem, or at least not any problem that mattered. It seemed pointless to have all this purported intelligence when life only sent her problems that couldn’t be solved just by thinking really hard.

Sally must have sensed Annabeth’s frustration because she put her hand on Annabeth’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Although she felt a bit better, it did nothing to dispel the underlying sensation of weight, like someone was sitting on her chest.

The garage door opened and Percy popped into the kitchen with an exuberant smile, holding a bottle of blue food coloring in his hand.

“Managed to get the last one!” he beamed before his smile fell and he looked between the two of them. “What happened here?”

Sally gave Annabeth’s shoulder another squeeze before making her way to the staircase. “Oh, nothing. Just girl stuff.”

Percy nodded but clearly looked unconvinced. Once Sally was gone, he turned to her with a question in his eyes.

“Girl stuff?” he asked.

Annabeth found herself settling for a half-truth yet again. It seemed like that was all she did these days when she spoke to Percy.

“A recruiter contacted me from Berkeley,” she said, looking at her feet. “They’re giving me a big scholarship if I go there to join the cross country team.”

Percy blinked before breaking into a smile and rushing to her with open arms. “Holy shit, Annabeth, that’s insane! I’m so happy for you!”

Annabeth returned his hug and smiled into his shoulder — Sally had been so spot on about his reaction that, despite her heavy mood, it was kind of hilarious.

“Thanks.”

Percy looked at her with a searching gaze. “Then why do we seem so sad?”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “I’m not sad. I was just getting emotional with your mom about how much I’ve matured.”

“Hmm, you don’t look all that mature to me,” Percy said, appraising her.

“Asshole,” Annabeth grumbled. “I don’t seem to recall that being your opinion back when you were trying to get permission to check me out.”

Percy’s face flushed at the accusation, and his voice jumped an octave as he stammered, “T-That was to help you practice.”

“Yeah, sure,” Annabeth drawled. “Very convincing.”

“Now who’s being an asshole?”

“Couldn’t be me,” Annabeth said lightly.

“Of course not,” Percy said, rolling his eyes. “Now should we start making these cookies or not? I’m starving.”

Annabeth followed him to the batter and watched as he drenched it in blue food coloring, tongue poking out the corner of his mouth, and found herself desperately wishing they had more time. There was a delicate, almost exquisite pain that came with the awareness that this couldn’t last, but watching Percy roll misshapen balls of blue cookie dough made it easier for her to ignore it. At least for a while.

[ethelphantom]

perhaps the worst of timings and ideas (but I’ll still do it ‘cause I’ll do it with you)

Uh yeah I know this is day late but it’s still the prompt fill for day 22, wedding because well. It was meant to be a drabble but then seemed to decide that no, it wanted to be an actual, almost 3k oneshot. Maybe you’ll survive. The first almost 1,5k are just some people making Jon and Adrien’s life insufferable.

Ao3

______

So, perhaps they should have thought it through before all… this.

Whether that meant Marinette and Damian or Adrien and Jon, well, no one was sure.

If it was Marinette and Damian, then this would be about how much they regretted agreeing to help with the wedding, that they both promised to be the Best Woman and the Best Man of their respective best friends. The stress the organisation caused was endless, and that on top of their hero work and university was a lot to handle.

But, as it is, talking about how stressed someone is is rather boring, so no. Maybe we should talk about why Jon and Adrien regretted ever asking their best friends to do any of this instead. They should have just asked them to attend the wedding and perhaps do a short speech.

Not that they didn’t do the speeches anyway. Marinette simply didn’t make a short one and Damian, well, Jon was wishing he had explicitly told his best friend to just keep his mouth shut. To make matters worse, the two of them were doing the speech together, because how else.

“Dear everyone here, it’s certainly lovely to see you all here celebrating these two dumbasses who only took three years to ask each other out after mutual pining and our suffering. It’s certainly a little surprising that after seven years of telling them they actually like each other and goddamnit Adrien yes Jon is genuinely in love with you alright, now can you please propose to him so we’ll be done with your worries, we’re finally here at their wedding reception,” Marinette had said at the very beginning of their speech, earning groans from the happy just married couple and laughs from most of the audience. That, and a “moan all you want about how unfair this is, Adrien, but she’s right, we did have to suffer for years!” from Chloé, along with affirmative nods from Kagami who sat next to her.

Yeah, the only ones invited there who were from Paris were Chloé, Kagami, Marinette, Luka and Félix. Everyone else had at last announced out loud they weren’t friends a few years back, and neither Marinette or Adrien had looked back. Alya was definitely going to call them once she heard Lois Lane was at the wedding as well, but neither cared. It wasn’t like they were going to even answer to her.  

“I’m honoured Jon made the mistake of letting me speak at his and Adrien’s wedding,” was how Damian had started. At that point, Jon had already looked like he was ready to run away from his own wedding, or perhaps it would work better if he just threw Damian out.

Not that either of those actually happened.

“As my lovely girlfriend already said, we indeed had to spend years watching these two dance around each other before they even asked one another out. It took us less time to start dating, and we actually met through them — which reminds me, perhaps I should thank you, Jon. If you hadn’t tried to break through my window and hurt yourself at the process when you wanted to moan about how he brought his ‘cute girlfriend’ with him to the States, I might not have ever met the love of my life you at the time thought was dating her very much platonic best friend.”

Dick started laughing (“so that’s why little D asked us to replace his windows with something unbreakable while muttering something about idiot best friends from under his breath”) and couldn’t stop before Kagami threatened to drag him out by his ear to calm down. It was clear the happy couple wanted the Earth to swallow them alive, preferably right that second.

Then the two ended up giving yet another set of shovel talks to their respective best friends’ husbands, and perhaps the only reason they hadn’t been dragged off the stage and away from the microphones one and half minutes into it was probably the fact neither Jon or Adrien were capable of standing up from their embarrassment and both the Paris Crew and the Batfamily and Conner, Clark and Lois were having too much fun listening to it.

Well. If that wasn’t all, once they got out of the main hall they were using as the dining room, the wedding reception started to look more like a chaos than anything. Nothing bad happened, really, but it was bemusing and a little frustrating, the least to say.

One of the main halls was filled with fake rats, as a very confused Clark tried to explain to his son and son-in-law, and by saying “filled”, he really did mean filled — even Mar’i could only barely fit into the room what with all the stuffed toys in there. Dick was absolutely baffled as he dragged his baby brother (“I’m not your baby brother, you dick”, Jason had yelled as he was being pulled by his collar towards the toom) to help him empty the room.

There were supposed to be filled water glasses in the cafeteria area of the mansion ready to just be taken and drunk. Instead, over half of them were upside down — yet filled with water — along with a computer written note “Have fun cleaning up! Or, try to turn them around without spilling any water. Love you!”

Needless to say, the mess that followed was enormous. Adrien wanted to fling himself off a cliff or maybe a window, but Jon stopped him just in time.

Then there was the area just in front of most of the toilets. Filled with plastic cups full of water, all of them.

Adrien buried his head in his hands, resigning to his fate.

Once they did get to the toilets, some of the soaps were coated in dried clear nail polish. The only reason they figured it out was because Chloé was there and she was able to recognise it without missing a beat.

One of the smaller dining rooms was covered with rather embarrassing pictures of Adrien and Jon. Chloé, Luka, Dick and Tim were all immediately able to find some that they had taken in the past years. It threw Bruce completely off because then who was the culprit?

By then Jon was ready to follow Adrien to jump down from the highest room in the mansion.

Alfred sat them both down, gave them two glasses, a bottle of champagne and a box of chocolate and tissues.

Conner found out some of the caramel apples were replaced by caramel onions.

Neither Adrien or Jon were ever told about it to save them from more chaos.

No one knew who to blame for all of this.

By the time they got back to the main dining hall, two of the biggest tables were covered in post-it notes — and it seemed that all the leftover post-it notes had been attached to the windows lazily once the culprit got bored. Cass took one look at it before she turned around and simply left to breathe some fresh air, dragging Stephanie with her.

Turns out, that was rather impossible since all their jackets were taped to the ceiling — which was rather high up there — and only Kagami and Cass could really get them since everyone else that was a superhero or a vigilante had to play normal nothing-to-see-here to the few non-superheroes in the entire celebration.

And finally, in the very back cold room they found a gorgeous wedding cake — more beautiful and definitely bigger than any of them had ever seen — waiting, which Tim approached with high alert. It was suspicious as it was not supposed to be there, but well. It was a cake. Then again, considering everything else that had happened, it was still far too dangerous to go without being careful. There was a note attached to the wall next to it.

Sorry. Maybe this compensates for all the other stuff. No pranks this time, I swear. Just a delicious cake baked by yours truly. Your favourite flavours. Sorry again. We just needed a getaway plan. Love you, and Adrien, do not try to find us or you’ll find your apartment in less than perfect condition once you visit it again~

You two must be baffled by now, but I have to say I do not find myself too apologetic right now. You’ve caused us enough suffering in the past few years, this is merely a simple payback of equal value, is it not? Have a lovely rest of the evening, Jon. You may want to keep your husband from trying to race to wherever we may be in approximately ten seconds, and it would be preferable if you didn’t try to do so as well.

A beat.

Then, a confused whisper full of suspicion echoed in the dark room, “…where are Marinette and Damian?” It was soon followed by two loud, irritated and frustrated screams of “Marinette! Damian! Get back here!” which could be heard throughout the mansion they rented and the forest surrounding them.

⬷۵⤐

“Thanks Kaalki, here are some sugar cubes for you as thanks,” Marinette said smiling tiredly and yawned. Then her eyes landed on the flowers she had taken with her and she laughed.“I wonder how long it will take them before they realise I stole Adrien’s bouquet before he can throw it over his shoulder.”

Marinette leaned against her boyfriend and let him pick her up to carry her to the bedroom. It had been a stressful and tiring few weeks, and considering it was past midnight in Paris already, she decided that it was completely reasonable for them to go sleep already. Even if they had just spent the past two weeks in Gotham and Metropolis and her internal clock should correspond to theirs instead of Paris’.

They had first gone to The Seine to calm down and to breathe for a while. Damian had searched up the exact coordinates of their wanted location before simply taking the Miraculous from Marinette and transforming himself. There was no way he could have let his far too exhausted girlfriend to handle this — there was a good chance they’d end up in The Seine instead of next to it.

After that, Damian had transformed once more to take them to Adrien’s apartment, and the only reason they ended up in front of the building instead of inside it was because Marinette had insisted she wanted to open the door with the keys Adrien had given her the previous summer. Both could have bet he was regretting doing that more than anything right now, but that was fine.

Damian set her gently to the bed before helping her change into her pajamas so that they could just go to sleep. He had plans for the day that his best friend had almost ruined for him by deciding he wanted to get married the day before, and now that Damian had a chance to go through with his plans anyway, there was no way he was going to let his Angel exhaust herself even more. He needed her awake for the morning.

Once he was sure Marinette had fallen asleep, he took both their phones and simply turned them off, knowing that soon enough they would be blown up with messages and he would rather not have his Father or Drake to hack their phones to turn up the volume again. After all, there was a real chance they would do just that. Harder to do it to a phone that’s just simply off.

⬷۵⤐

“Good morning, habibti. I hope you slept well. I made breakfast, please dress and get to the kitchen,” Damian said, waking her up from her peaceful slumber. He kissed her forehead gently before turning around and leaving to give her some space.

Marinette buried her face to her pillow before smelling the amazing scent that came from the kitchen. Damnit. Now she really couldn’t just continue sleeping. Damn her boyfriend for being a sneaky bastard and making sure she wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep.

So, Marinette opened one of the luggage, not really caring which one of them owned it, and took the first sweater she could find and pulled it over her head. Then she stood up and walked to the kitchen, following the wonderful scent in favour of ignoring the need to brush her teeth.

“Good morning, mon tresor,” she said, leaning against the door frame and watched her dear boyfriend cook them something to eat. Once he turned around, he simply stopped in his tracks, staring at her. “What is it? Did I dress up in something dirty?”

Damian shook his head and smiled at her. “No, it’s not that. It’s just, I can’t believe you’re actually wearing my clothes,” he replied, taking a few strides across the room to get to her. He swept her up into his arms and squeezed her. “You’re too adorable for your own good,” he told her as blush crept to her cheeks.

When Damian finally returned her back to her feet, she pulled him down by his collar and pressed a kiss on his nose, only then letting him return to whatever it was he had been doing. Marinette rubbed her still sleepy eyes, yawning before she slumped on the chair closest to her. Burying her head to her arms, ready to fall asleep at the table again, she sighed happily as Damian reached out to comb her hair a little. It was nice and comforting. Well, up until he found a tangled area and had to use a little more force to untangle it. Marinette winced and stiffed, only relaxing when Damian kissed her head.

“I apologise, love. I did not mean to cause you pain,” he said, his hands never leaving her hair.

“It’s alright. Just, please, be more careful.”

“I will.”

Damian continued for a short while more before declaring he was done and went to get her a plate full of food. She sighed happily at the delicious smell of it all. Without thinking, Marinette put a forkful of the scrambled eggs in her mouth, only to then realise it was still hot. Damian laughed at her as he went to fetch her a glass of cold water.

As they ate, they talked about the previous day. Marinette wondered why she hadn’t gotten any messages from them — they should have realised she was a part of the scheming, unless they hadn’t found the cake — but then Damian told her it was because he had turned both their phones off. But, perhaps there weren’t that many messages from everyone waiting for them. Hopefully, anyway.

“Isn’t this our third anniversary already?” Marinette suddenly asked. Damian nodded.

“Yes. Isn’t it strange how time flies?”

“Yep, definitely. Especially since it feels like we’ve been together forever. I honestly cannot get over how a few years back I wanted to learn your name and now I’m having breakfast with you in your sweater,” Marinette said chuckling and leaned against her palm. She watched how he stared at her before digging something from his pocket.

Damian walked around to her and cleared his throat. “I understand the sentiment,” he said, playing with a strand of her hair. “Personally, I can not believe how miraculous it is I got the first date and even the first year, let alone these wonderful three years I’ve now had with you.”

Then he dropped on one knee and showed her what he had taken out of his pocket. A beautiful silver ring with a sapphire and a double halo. Marinette gasped and felt tears prickling in her eyes, all of the exhaustion gone from her. “So, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, habibti, my dearest angel, will you do me the honour and stay by my side until death do us part?”

“Yes! A thousand times yes!” she breathed out and launched herself at her boyfriend — fiancé? —, tackling him to the ground as she embraced him.

Damian returned the embrace, squeezing her tight against his chest as she kissed his forehead, hair, eyes, nose, anything she could easily reach.

Her fiancé had a horrible sense of timing, but that was fine with her. So what if they ended up getting engaged the day after their best friends got married? They would live.

A few hours later, they finally turned their phones on to tell their families of their engagement. As they had guessed, they had hundreds of notifications, both worried and frustrated messages. And about three hundred missed calls each. Oops?

If they had hoped telling them of their engagement would have helped them calm down, they were horribly wrong.

The messages that followed that absolutely flooded their phones.

Maybe the akumas could wait a little until Adrien was less done with her, and the villains in the states could wait until Jon was ready to face Damian without wanting to launch him directly at the sun and his family was ready to not start a screaming match about him proposing to her somewhere they could not see it happen.

Perhaps they should stay away from all of them for the next few days… or weeks.

Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.

__________

@ladysblackcat​ @daminett4life​ @tinyterror333​ @annabellabrookes​ @7-sage-7​ @theyellowfeverexperience​ @thethirdwheelfriend​ @lady-phoenix-of-tardis @kris-pines04​ @daminette-december2019​ @bluerosette23​

[fieldfullofbangtan]

bts imagine: standing your ground during an argument (hyung line)

↳ wow joons became really long im sorry but i have a hard time writing short imagines lol. but thanks for the request.

✎ masterlist

Namjoon

You noticed that Joon wasn’t in the best mood. He usually gives you a kiss when he greets you but tonight when the 7 men flooded into their apartment he just kicked his sneakers off and sat down on the couch. You greeted them all hastily and went to sit down beside Joon. You kind of needed him in a good mood because you had some news.

- Joon I need to talk to you about something.

- Can’t it wait baby? I’m exhausted.

- No because it’s about this weekend.

The others were on their way to sit down when they did a 180 and walked away because of the obvious tension between you and Joon. Though they didn’t walk far as they all gathered around the kitchen isle, just about 10 meters away from the couch.

- What about this weekend?

- I can’t go.

- What?

He was clearly upset. Joon wanted to spend that weekend with you away in some smaller town near Busan and you agreed. But because you were sick all last week your boss said you couldn’t take more days off, or you’d be fired. Explaining it all to Joon you expected him to understand, but instead you noticed anger in his face.

- I can’t believe this. You’re never here when I need you anymore, for you it’s just work work work all the time. 

You were speechless. Is he seriously not hearing himself? To you it sounded more like the perfect description of Joon, not you. But what really sent you was what he said next.

- You don’t seem to understand that our relationship is more important than your job.

- Who do you think you’re talking to?

The six, now very uncomfortable, boys by the kitchen isle stared at eachother in fear of what would happen next, they’d never heard you snap at Joon before. However his mortified look was not what you expected. It was like he snapped out of it and realized what was going on.

- I- I’m sorry baby... I- 

- Let’s go for a walk, I think we need som privacy.

Seokjin

- I’m back!

You entered the apartment to find your boyfriend calmly sleeping on your couch. Cooing to yourself at the cute sight you were just about to join him when you saw the huge pile of dishes in the kitchen. You had just washed them all this morning and for it to have piled up this much in just one day, the boys must’ve all been here for lunch or dinner. You washed everything by yourself this morning, so this time you wanted Jin to atleast help you.

Ofcourse nobody likes being woken up from a nap to do chores so Jin was not happy about the dishes. The playful and kind of cute complaining turned to pure annoyance after the 14-15th time.

- Jin I get it, you don’t want to do the dishes, but I’m not gonna do everything, I wasn’t even here when you guys ate and had fun!

- Okok fine! 

He picked up some rubber gloves and started to help you. But you could hear him mutter something.

- i mean it’s your plates and stuff...

- Jin I swear to god say it loud and clear or not at all.

- Not at all!

Yoongi

- Who you textin’?

Yoongi said still looking at his own phone. You were texting one of your childhood friends when he sent a meme that made you laugh out loud. 

- Jason, one of my highschool friends.

- The one that broke up with his girlfriend a few weeks ago?

- Yes...?

- I don’t get why you need to talk a bunch of dudes when you have me.

- What?

You needed a few seconds to process his words. “...when you have me”. Did he seriously not want you to talk to any guys whatsoever? You two sat by the window at a small cozy café. Not wanting to cause a scene you kept your cool.

- I said, what?

Yoongi looked up at you but didn’t answer. He did this annoying thing where he would just ignore people to avoid conflict or confrontation. But you weren’t having it that day. After trying to talk to him for a little while you stood up and started to walk out of the café leaving Yoongi irritated and slightly worried.

When you were outside you started to walk toward the nearest park and Yoongi came running up behind you.

- Hey where are you going?

- Oh, talking now are we?

- Look I’m sorry I lashed out, I was jealous ok.

- You don’t get to shut me out like that Yoongi.

- I’ll stop I promise just stop walking away from me please.

- Fine...

Hoseok

You were all hanging out in their practice room when the topic of vacation came up. The boys started to discuss dates that you could all travel together and you realized all the dates they were free, you had to work. You and Hoseok managed to hang out alot after work and during weekends but you’d never been away for a long period of time together. And Hoseok was clearly bummed.

- Can’t you take some time off then?

- I already did this spring when we-

- You know I can’t take time off like you can because I’m don’t have a regular job.

- I understand Hoseok but th-

- It’s a lot easier for you than-

- Hoseok let me speak.

Hoseok finally paused and your audience, the rest of BTS, let out a “oooh” as if you just roasted him. 

- Yea Hoseok let the boss lady speak.

- You go queen.

- Everyone bow to the HBIC.

[closetofanxiety]

Show Review: XWA Wrestlution 17

It’s like a revolution ... but with WRESTLING.

Where: Meehan Auditorium at Brown University, Providence, R.I.

When: Sunday, July 16, 2017

Who: Me and my friend Mike T, plus a crowd I saw estimated various places at about 1,000 or so

What: The annual supercard show from the Rhode Island promotion that is not Beyond Wrestling

Buff Inc. vs. Alpha Males vs. Tough Guy Inc.

This is your Student Preshow Match. XWA runs a training school in West Warwick, and every Thursday night they have shows, mostly with their students, but occasionally with better known indie wrestlers. These are students from the school, and a vocal contingent of Thursday night fans was on hand for this match, which was what you’d expect from a three-way tag match consisting of people still learning to wrestle. Buff Inc. are a father-and-son duo, or so the very talkative wrestling fan in front of us said. He kept turning around to fill us in on gossip about wrestlers, which was both informative and slightly irritating. Also, every time I’d say something to Mike T, this guy would turn around and respond, as if I were talking to him. It got to the point where Mike T and I had to communicate via text message. Rating: I’m not going to rate this match, that’s not what you do with these things.

Ladder Match for the XWA Firebrand Championship: Flip Gordon vs. Vinny Marseglia vs. Donovan Dijak vs. Kyle the Beast vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Mike Orlando vs. Tessa Blanchard

The Firebrand Championship is a new title named in honor of Brian Fury. This was originally going to be a six-way match, but Tessa (”She’s Ricochet’s girlfriend,” the guy in front of us noted) was a surprise last-minute addition, and when she was announced the crowd went crackers. I mean, people lost it. There were four or five young girls sitting behind us who just SHRIEKED, like it was 1963 and Tessa Blanchard was four mop-topped lads from Liverpool strumming guitars. Crazy. Tessa Blanchard is over, at least in Rhode Island.

The other thing I want to point out is Marseglia’s entrance. It started with half a dozen guys in Jason Voorhees masks coming out amidst fog and spooky music. And then a woman crawled out from the back, seemingly in fear for her life. Soon, she was followed by a guy dressed like Freddie Krueger. As the woman stumbled backwards down the ramp and Freddie was about to pounce, Vinny Marseglia came from the back and beat Freddie up. I ... loved this. This was so preposterous it immediately made me a Vinny Marseglia fan.

Anyway, the match is a ladder match, and proceeds like most ladder matches proceed: lots of high spots, because these are all talented wrestlers, and everyone “gets their shit in,” as it were. Blanchard took a horrifying-looking suplex from Orlando, Friedman (”He changed it from ‘Feinstein’ ‘cause he didn’t want to be associated with Rob Feinstein,” Talkative Wrestling Fan informed us) got massive heat for slapping Blanchard around, Dijak flung guys all over the place, spears from the cables holding the title above the ring, dives to the outside, etc. Flip Gordon took one of the craziest dives I’ve ever seen, going from the top of one of the pillars holding the title belt in place to the floor, a drop of maybe 18 feet. 

Marseglia wins after scaring Friedman away from the ladder, and the crowd, which was insanely hot for the match, is exhausted. 

Rating: Three and a half Freddie Kruegers.

Crusade for Change (TJ Marconi & Anthony Gangone) vs. The Amazing Graysons vs. The Fraternity

This was ... an odd booking decision. With the crowd cooling down from a crazy seven-way ladder match, having a crazy six-way tag match is a recipe for exhaustion, and that’s what happened. This wasn’t bad or anything, but it was your standard indie tag highlight reel. It was also weird to have two heel teams, the Crusade and the Fraternity, who didn’t join forces to try and smite the plucky babyfaces. Anyway, it was fine, it was just a bit much on top of the ladder match. It struck me that jerky college guy gimmicks like The Fraternity don’t get over as well in audiences where lots of people don’t have much direct experience with college. But boy would those guys get heat from the Brown student body. 

Rating: Two and a half Freddie Kruegers.

At this point, Brian Fury came out to a nice ovation and interviewed, for some reason, the bass player for Killswitch Engage, who was seated ringside. One of the best developments in indie wrestling over the last couple of years has been the adoption of corny ‘80s pop-rock songs as entrance music, slowly crowding out the metalcore and rap-rock that dominated the field for so long. Metal and hardcore shouldn’t mix. I realize this is controversial, but it’s like wrestling and MMA to me: I just have no interest in one, even though I recognize the similarities.

Mike Verna vs. Richard Holliday [sic]

Richard Holliday does the arrogant New Yorker thing, which always gets decent heat in New England. He reminds me a little bit of Maxwell Jacob Friedman, maybe more than a little, now that I think of it. This is a good, snugly worked match between two young, capable guys that gets done in less than 10 minutes. Matches like this used to make up the bulk of weekly wrestling TV before the MONDAY NIGHT WARS introduced hotshot booking and terrible “cinematic” angles and all the other stuff that people claim to fondly remember. 

Rating: Three Freddie Kruegers.

XWA Tag Team Championship: LAX (Santana and Ortiz) vs. New Gore Order (Josh Briggs and Mike Graca) vs. Take Me Home Tonight (Ace Romero and Anthony Greene)

This started out as a match between LAX/EYFBO and New Gore Order, but then it turned out that the latter had cheated at a Thursday night show to get this match, so their unjustly vanquished opponents, Romero and Greene, were back in the mix. This is our second three-way tag match of the night. Indie shows love to pack as many people on the card as possible, brother.

LAX/EYFBO (whenever I put up pictures of these guys I have to use like 30 hash tags) are maybe my favorite current tag team, just two insanely talented guys who mesh perfectly together, right on the cusp of breaking out. I mean, yes, they’re currently the TNA tag champs, Impact tag champs, GFW tag champs, Nick Gulas Promotions tag champs, etc. but that’s not really “breaking out” anymore. These dudes would tear a hole in the roof of that shitty building where PWG runs shows.

Take Me Home Tonight are great exemplars of my point about ‘80s pop songs, and are two fun, young, up and coming guys. New Gore Order are also young and up and coming, but they have a further distances to travel than Romero and Greene.

This, again, is what you’d expect, some high-level indie tag action with LAX working at about two-thirds of their capacity, willing to let the greener guys get a chance to shine. Josh Briggs is being touted as the new Dijak, but, uh, he is not there yet. There were a couple of moments, like when he caught Mike Draztik (sorry, “Santana,” whatever) on a dive where he very nearly screwed up in a potentially serious way. He’ll be fine, he’s got lots of natural talent, he just doesn’t need bookers putting him in spots where he has to carry a whole match yet. 

Take Me Home Tonight win, and are the first-ever XWA tag team champs. 

Rating: Three Freddie Kreugers.

Keith Lee vs. Jeff Cobb

SPEAKING OF PWG. The current indie hoss dream matchup comes to Rhode Island, and the crowd was pumped for this. Keith Lee has gone from being an obscure Texas wrestler to a dude who can get a thousand people in Rhode Island chanting his name in just over a year, and it’s spectacular. This match was the expected demonstration of the strength and truly shocking agility of both big men, and was a lot of fun, although maybe just a smidge too long, at 14 minutes or so. That’s the temptation of the indies. It’s a bit like workshopping. After the match, Cobb and Lee shook hands in the now-standard Indie Show of Mutual Respect, and I booed. I’m so tired of that. 

Rating: Three and a half Freddie Kreugers. 

JT Dunn vs. John Morrison

Johnny Mundo was billed as John Morrison, maybe because of all the troubles with AAA, maybe because that’s how this crowd would know him, but in any event, they were very excited to see him. This was a terrific matchup between two guys who don’t really fit into easy categories - they aren’t high-flyers, but they can do aerial stuff; they aren’t grapplefucksmen, though they can do scientific stuff; and they aren’t strikers, but they can strike with the best of them. Matt Striker was on commentary for the whole show, and I wonder if it was weird to see so many of his former Lucha Underground colleagues in the ring. Also, he’s kind of a choad.

Both guys looked fantastic here, going hold for hold and switching back and forth between different styles with total fluid ease. The term “wrestling clinic” gets overused, but that’s what this felt like. When Dunn got the surprise win, the crowd legitimately gasped in shock, which turned into cheers. A nice, spontaneous reaction because they didn’t telegraph the finish, it didn’t come after umpteen kickouts from finishers, and because, if anything, the match felt a little short. There’s a lesson to be learned here! 

Rating: Four Freddie Kreugers.

David Starr vs. Anthony Henry vs. Paul London

I am not, in 2017, here for Paul London’s bullshit. His entrance lasted something like 10 minutes, as he walked through the entire building to shake hands and take pictures with practically the entire crowd. At least he uses the Handsome Family as entrance music, so I didn’t have to endure metalcore for 10 minutes. He’s an odd guy, all the talent in the world but seemingly never committed to wrestling in the way that would make him a real star. Someone like Johnny Gargano, for instance, who doesn’t have the same effortless talent as London, is a person who visibly throws himself into wrestling with a kind of abandon. It’s the commitment of the artist as opposed to the talent of the artisan. London always seems a step or two removed from whatever he’s doing. It’s hard to ever believe he really cares about the outcome of a match.

He was good in this, though, breaking out some of his high-flying offense, hitting two crazily fast shooting star presses on David Starr and generally serving as a sort of wild card in the match. Starr and Henry seem like they could have a tremendous feud together. They’re well-matched in a way that’s pure natural chemistry rather than labored storyline matchmaking. All three guys looked terrific, and Henry, the XWA champion, retained. 

Rating: Three Freddie Kreugers.

Jason Blade vs. Kenny Dykstra

This was cut short by what looked like a legitimate shoulder injury to Dykstra. Hope he’s doing OK.

Student Battle Royal

Are there any words more thrilling to the wrestling fan’s soul than “previously unannounced student battle royal”? The chance to see 20 or so people at various levels of not-ready-yet sluggishly pretend to punch each other inside a wrestling ring - ah, it transports the spectator to the plains of paradise!

Look, I’m not dumb. I understand that if you have 20 locals in a battle royal, that’s ticket sales to the family members and friends of those 20 locals. And, in fairness, they did not overly try our patience with this. Pretty quickly we got down to the final three, which was Buff Inc., the father and son duo, versus giant man-mountain Wrecking Ball Legursky, who easily won.

Rating: This is not a thing to be rated.

Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Ricochet

A rematch of their Lucha Underground showdown from season 2, the crowd was very excited for Rey. It’s weird to think he’s been doing this for as long as he has, and he’s still pretty good. He’s not the kid who in the 1990s was the most exciting wrestler I had ever seen in my life anymore, but he’s not in the phase where he needs to totally reinvent himself on character work a la Matt Hardy, or to be propped up by his disciples, either. If Rey’s matches have been honed to a staple of familiar crowd-pleasers, well, the Rolling Stones play “Satisfaction” whenever they tour, too.

It may be impossible for these two to have a bad match, and this was a very good match. It had teacher vs. student undertones, but ultimately it was about two high-flyers trying to somehow find an edge to get the win. When Ricochet blocked the 619 and countered with the Benadryller for the win, it was surprising and fitting at the same time, almost a passing of the torch moment. 

Rating: Four Freddie Kreugers.