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sonofsallyjackson · 4 years ago

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Family Never Truly Leaves Us: Chapter 1 featuring Baby Lost Trio

AO3

Summary: Thalia Grace was very good at finding her family. Keeping that family together was a completely different story. Her first family collapsed when her brother’s disappearance became too much to bear. She died for her second family, only to wake up years later and not recognize them anymore. Her third family is literally twenty-odd teenagers and an immortal virgin goddess, but she’s never been one for traditional.

AN: Basically this is a three part story that was inspired by @silima’s incredible art of the lost trio together as kids. I mean just look at it. Baby Piper, Leo and Jason are absolutely adorable and deserved to be celebrated. However, this turned into a Thalia piece and the three different families she’s made for herself. As I initially planned to have this chapter out by Jason’s birthday and it’s now the last hours of Leo’s, I cannot hope to have the next section up by Annabeth’s birthday even if that’s my unofficial deadline.

Thalia Grace was very good at finding her family. Keeping that family together was a completely different story.

Her first family was one pulled together just as much biologically as it had been by circumstance. Beryl Grace lacked the maternal instinct necessary to be a good mother, but she did have a strong ability for finding people who might be useful to her. Of course, her definition of useful was particularly fickle. Some days useful meant the literal king of the gods, who she would beg to make her queen of his dominion, to revere her above all others. Other days it meant the personal assistant, all too willing to fill their mansion with a never-ending supply of alcohol. On the best days, it brought Tristan Mclean, Esperanza Valdez and their children into their lives.

Beryl had mocked her agent at first. You really couldn’t get me anything better? The Oscar committee hates fantasy. But she had wanted to dive back into the world of Hollywood elite where she belonged. She wanted to prove that her second child didn’t mean she had let herself go or was less worthy of the public’s adoration. If anything Beryl claimed to six-year-old Thalia, I’m more worthy. Who can say they’ve attracted a god twice?

They met in the middle, as Beryl Grace’s fame was crashing, and Tristan Mclean's was preparing for a meteoric rise. He'd worked with the director on a few minor projects, but it was his first starring role in such a big-budget film. Regardless, it had taken a little convincing. After all, he was a single father with a daughter under the age of two, and his closest family was halfway across the country. But the director was insistent, sending scripts, pictures of the prototype animatronic dragons, and finally, a pretty young woman from the special effects department who also had a little kid. Esperanza Valdez and her honest approach to how she was handling her "tornado with legs" did more to calm his fears than anything else did. Tristan signed on enthusiastically after making sure childcare was handled.

Beryl Grace didn’t bother to consider something as bland as childcare. After all, she accumulated a list of nannies over the years. No one stuck around very long. The latest, Mrs. Costa, thought their house was haunted. She didn’t like the way wind danced through the house or the lightning that flashed even when the sky was completely clear. One day Mrs. Costa ran out of the house, screaming that the baby was floating and needed to be exorcised.

"I don't have time to be dealing with this, Thalia." Beryl snapped as if this was all Thalia’s fault. “I’m calling the studio.”

It turned out the studio had no problem with adding two more children to their makeshift daycare. Beryl Grace dropped them off at Tristan Mclean’s trailer, apologizing all the way as she runs to makeup. The trailer was a mess of children’s toys and storybooks. Thalia was not impressed, but Jason squealed excitedly at the other children already on the floor. The girl definitely dressed herself, decked out as she was in a rainbow tutu, a camo t-shirt and rainboots despite the fact they’re in the middle of a drought. The boy didn’t say anything but offered Jason the red block he’d previously been playing with. He’s smaller than Jason, with dark curly hair and an infectious smile. Thalia’s never felt more out of place as she watches the three of them play. She’s used to being Jason’s whole world, the one who always keeps him entertained and safe. The blond intern boredly watching them, jumped to her feet as the door opened again. A woman slightly younger than her mother with dark skin and twinkling brown eyes smiled at her easily.

"Thanks so much for covering for me, Sarah. We should be good to go. I only had to explain the controls about six times to Pat.”

"Really, Esperanza? They're letting Pat handle it." There's clear annoyance in her voice, but she also seems resigned to the fact.

"It turns out being the producer's son has its perks." Esperanza patted Sarah's shoulder encouragingly. "If it were up to me, you'd be the one running it.”

“I’ll come get you if we run into problems, but I think you’re good to stay with the kids.” Sarah glanced in Thaila’s direction as if to remind her boss of their unusual charges.

“Well, you’ll know where to find me.”

After Sarah had left, Esperanza set her walkie talkie on the table before kneeling down, so she was eye to eye with Thalia. "Hello Mija, you must be Thalia. I don't know what your mother told you, but my name is Esperanza. I’m going to be looking after you and your brother today.”

Thalia nodded uncertainly. She was used to new people coming into their lives, but that didn't mean she liked it. And she knew all too well, that even the people with the brightest smiles could bring trouble.

"The other little munchkins are Piper and Leo." Piper didn't even react to her name as she was too busy building a tower, so a giggling Jason could knock it over. Leo, on the other hand, gave his Mama a curious glance before promptly shoving a block in his mouth.

“Jason tries to eat everything too!” Thalia said with a slight laugh.

“They tend to do that at this age. It helps them explore their world better.” Esperanza gently encouraged Leo to take it out only to have her son holding tightly to her like a spider monkey.

Thalia sort of understood that. She didn’t understand the world either, but she didn’t think knowing how blocks tasted really made Jason any more of an expert.

“Most of the toys we have are meant for someone their age, but I’m sure we can find something for you to play with.”

In the end, Thalia settled down with a stack of paper and crayons. She sat as close to Jason as possible, just on the outside of the trio’s little circle. Even though she already felt like Esperanza was better at keeping an eye on Jason than Mrs. Costa, Thalia continually checked in on her brother, although her glances slowly subside from one for every new line she added to her drawing to only when she grabbed a new crayon or when one of the kids let out an indignant squawk or a giggle.

When Piper requested a song for naptime, it’s easy to slip into a gentle sleep until the trailer door opened, and Thalia heard her mother's voice.

Beryl fluttered her eyelashes at Tristan as she leaves exaggerated kisses on her children’s heads. “I really can’t thank you enough for helping today.”

He let out the hearty genuine laugh that he’ll be known for one day. “It was all Esperanza, really.” He said as he offered the other woman a smile. “In this industry, single parents need to stick together. Helping out for the week is the least we can do.”

It ended up being much more than a week.

Many days on set are often the same as their first, although a collection of toy cars, a robot, and a pair of lightsabers are added to the more toddler-friendly options. There are days when the kids are so full of energy there’s no possible way to stay in the trailer. The trio ran laps around the trailer or race between wherever Thalia and Esperanza are standing.

Sometimes if they promise to be good, they even go on adventures to see different parts of the studio lot. The women in the hair and makeup department dote on Piper. Leo is happiest in his mother’s workshop. Jason proclaimed he wants to be exactly like the stunt actors, which made Thalia’s heart skip a beat. Despite all of the cool things she’s seen on set, Thalia loved the days they watch their parents act the most. When Thalia watched her mother, she felt like she understands why Beryl is so determined to make it here. She thrived in front of the lights and camera. There's an ease to her smiles that Thalia hasn’t seen since her father left.

After one late-night shoot where the children all slept over in the Mclean house, the families traded the trailer for their homes. Esperanza's schedule barely overlapped with the other two. She got to set early to set up her machines, or she went later for the nightly repairs. In the hours where makeup calls overlapped with set-up, a tired production assistant lazily watched the kids in Tristan’s trailer. There are days where Beryl filmed, and Tristan didn't, and vice versa. Days when Tristan took all four children because Esperanza needed to get some decent sleep. They look out for each other. While Beryl was not thrilled about the idea of two additional kids in her house, it’s a lot easier to keep a babysitter than a nanny.

Undoubtedly, this strategy would have been completely impossible if the three toddlers hadn't been friends. Luckily, the kids got along almost too well. Even if they saw each other nearly every day, separating them was a nightmare. They also were more than willing to help out in each other's schemes. Jason’s determination to put absolutely everything in his mouth had only grown as he got older. Sure things kept falling off of high shelves as if pushed by some invisible force, but Thalia thought she’d probably be able to handle that if it hadn’t been for Leo. He was a week younger, but when he got the occasional look of mischief on his chubby face, Thalia knew it was over. She’d walked in from school twice now to find Jason chewing on something she knew was in one of the locked cabinets and Leo proudly smiling on the counter.

Of course all good things come to an end. Thalia worried that with no movie bonding the three families together, everything would fall apart, that she and Jason would be left to their own devices. She realized she shouldn’t have worried when Beryl mentioned they’re spending the Premiere night at the Valdez’s. Three assistants needed to sew Beryl into a form-fitting dress with embroidery that looks like the night stars. Her mother may have looked radiant on the red carpet, but Thalia preferred Esperanza’s mismatched pajamas and the genuine smiles she gave as she tucks the four of them in.

In the end, the film flopped. The only things critics deemed worthy of any praise are Esperanza’s mechanical dragons. The fans seem to prefer the shirtless Tristan Mclean scenes. It had the potential to be a cult classic one day, but Beryl Grace didn’t care about being famous someday. She wanted the world now when she’s young and beautiful. She already deserved the world.

It was probably for the best that Beryl misses most of the party. It's the easy sort of affair that she would hate. She's always been one for spectacle, and three kids sitting in highchairs flinging red frosting at each other was not a spectacle. She chose her career over her son’s third birthday. It didn’t even surprise Thalia anymore.

“You know I can’t Thalia. My agent says this is a big opportunity we’ve been waiting for. I just know it’s the one.” Beryl said as she pulled up to the Valdez’s apartment building.

Thalia didn’t mention that every audition, every lunch, every cocktail hour seemed to be the one lately. Her mother is frazzled in a way she’s never seen her before. She hasn’t accepted that there is no new movie coming. A new blonde-haired, blue-eyed ingenue showed up in Hollywood every day, and they’re almost all younger and easier to work with than Beryl Grace.

“I’ll be there later, Sweetie.” She handed Thalia a disposable camera. “You’ll just have to show me what I miss.”

It’s almost funny how their birthdays align so perfectly. Piper’s is in June and Leo and Jason’s a week apart. They held the party together since the kids wouldn't know differently anyway. Unlike Beryl, Tristan took the day off from auditions. Esperanza had already spent the entire night before making enough food for an army.

Thalia blew up a hundred silver balloons, never realizing that an eight-year-old should have been out of breath much sooner and that without helium, her balloons should stay firmly on the ground. Some of them do, but most float easily around the apartment. Piper and Leo bounced one back and forth to each other, giggling the entire time. Jason practically pounced on one and tries to eat it. It pops beneath him, which seemed to be enough to convince him not to put this strange thing in his mouth. He joined the other two, although he took great pleasure in hitting the balloon as hard as he can at Thalia to convince her to join them.

There’s easy laughter, homemade tamales, and little shouts of “Tree! Tree! Tree!” as the birthday kids marched around the room, announcing their age proudly for everyone to hear despite not mastering the sound an h makes. The pictures Thalia took are more for herself then Beryl, to remind herself of how happy she was. This is probably for the best as Beryl never asks to look at the pictures.

Maybe in another world, Thalia would feel like it was impossible to go to school, to leave Jason alone with their mother or the nanny of the month for the day. But in this world, Thalia has other adults in her corner. The three children stayed together in a play-pin in Esperanza’s workshop or Tristan’s office as he looked for his next big role. It wasn’t an ideal scenario since by the time they were three and a half, they were more than capable of making a break for it. But they’d learned early not to touch anything besides their toys, that masterful escapes were meant for playing in the yard or for grabbing extra crayons and that if necessary the parents could find other arrangements, potentially separate arrangements. Personal assistants and nannies filled in where the parents couldn’t, but these had been hired by parents who actually cared about their children.

School was hard enough in this world where the letters floated off the page, and Thalia couldn't sit still, so Thalia truly couldn’t imagine a worse one. But after school, when there were no glowering teachers or odd children with one eye, Thalia relaxed. She sat at the short wooden table in whoever’s living room they were staying at for the day and stubbornly work on her homework as Leo put together puzzles, and Piper roped Jason into creating larger than life storylines for her Barbies.

Piper seemed to know when her homework made her want to scream because she would ask in her sweetest voice, “Tally, play now?”

“Who am I today, Pipes?”

Jason might try to hand her the doll he'd previously been sucking on, but usually, Piper had something very specific in mind. There’s Sofia, the redheaded murder suspect complete with purple crayon scars. Or Ama, the princess in disguise that Jason attacked with a pair of safety scissors, so she's almost bald. Or a million other characters with intricate backstories.

Piper occasionally needed to pause their play because “Jason was doing it all wrong” or because she needed to ask Leo to build their characters a castle out of Legos. But overall, Thalia could play with the kiddos for hours after school.

Occasionally things were bad. Beryl would be sent home from a shoot early, alcohol heavy on her breath. Daytime soap actresses were a dime a dozen, and no one had the patience for a woman past her prime who could barely remember her lines and couldn't even stand without swaying. (Beryl’s character was given a brain tumor to explain her behavior and allow the writers time to get rid of the fan favorite.) Those days featured doors slamming and screaming. If they’re at the Grace Mansion, Thalia made sure the kiddos were safely out of sight and occupied, before ducking behind the kitchen counter so she can call for reinforcements. Mostly though, she found about these sorts of days after the fact, when Tristan’s assistant drove the two of them home, and there would be broken glasses and picture frames with their mother passed out in her bedroom.

Despite this, Thalia grew up loved, even if that love didn’t come from her biological parents. Tristan tried to entice her to read even though it's hard. He pretended he needed someone to run lines with and encouraged Thalia to be as dramatic as possible. Somehow it didn’t matter that the words are swimming in front of her, she’s only nine, and the idea of collapsing dramatically into fake tears is so much more powerful than her fear of getting something wrong. It certainly helped that her captive audience of toddlers seems to love everything she did. Piper and Jason always seemed to giggle when she reads the lines in a sing-song voice, so Thalia goes out of her way to do it, even when the part didn’t call for it. Esperanza played rock music that allowed Thalia to scream out her frustration and dance around the kitchen in the Valdez apartment. It's a wild mass of limbs, and she doesn’t even know which language Leo is yelling in half the time. But it feels right. She has a family that loves her.

When they moved out of the mansion into a cramped apartment, Thalia told herself it didn't matter. This cold house with its glass walls and minimalist furnishings never really felt like home. The new apartment sort of did after Thalia covered her side of the room in scotch tape and pictures. She's collected evidence of everything her mother missed during her auditions, her soap operas, and eventually her hours as a waitress. There's Tristan playing ring-around-the-Rosie, and Piper refusing to wear anything not dinosaur themed. Jason smiling despite his stitches because he tried to eat a stapler. Leo stands proudly in front of his first project, little wrench still in hand. There's a slightly blurry picture of Esperanza teaching her how to make enchiladas. Thalia captured everything. Maybe someday her mother would see them and be sorry she missed this.

On Thalia’s 10th birthday, her mother didn’t give her a gift. It’s almost like she can’t see her anymore. Beryl spent the entire day reminiscing about Zeus. Thalia is not her own person. She’s her father’s black hair and startling blue eyes. She has Zeus’ determined face and his chin. Thalia is proof that in the long scheme of things, Beryl has won, won the affection of a god, and that no matter how much further they fall, no one can take that prize away from her.

Thalia didn’t particularly like the idea of being the child of a god, especially since she hasn’t seen her father since Jason was born. She wasn’t sure she truly believed it either. It seemed like just another fantasy Beryl latched onto the idea in a drunken haze. Thalia barely saw her mother sober anymore. If she was a child of a god, Thalia should feel powerful and important. Instead, she's just alone with her baby brother on her birthday.

She got birthday phone calls from both the Mcleans and the Valdezs, but they’re not here. It’s three days before Christmas after all. Esperanza’s extended family in Texas took the holiday very seriously, and Tristan finally had a long enough break from shooting to go home to Oklahoma. She smiled brightly when they gave her presents later, a leather jacket and extra cameras, and doesn’t tell them the truth that even thinking about her birthday made her heart ache.

In the weeks leading up to Jason’s fifth birthday, Beryl got worse. She didn’t acknowledge her children, wandering the house in a daze, muttering under her breath.

Thalia put on a brave face and told Jason, “Mom’s just practicing for a new role,” but she was terrified.

Thalia saw her arguing with people who aren’t there, her mother’s eyes wide and tortured. None of her pleas made any sense. "No, you can't have him. I need more time." “He’s my son, not hers! You didn’t even let me name him.” “Why can’t you protect us?”

Jason nearly threw a tantrum when Beryl suggested they have a birthday picnic. “No! We always celebrate with Piper and Leo!”

Thalia glared at her mother before kneeling to face her brother. "We'll see them tomorrow, Jay. But for now, we'll go see the woods and the stars. You'll be able to run around as much as you want."

“Really? As much as I want?”

Thalia almost groaned, knowing she'll regret those words later. She’ll have to chase him down, and Jason runs like he's practically flying.

Beryl gave her a grateful look, but Thalia didn’t return it. Sure her mother was making an effort, but they both deserve so much more after everything she has put them through.

Jason was the only one to speak the entire drive to the state park. He sang the alphabet about six times and twinkle-twinkle little star twice. But he never stopped talking, not even as Thalia unbuckled him from his car seat, and the three of them walked through the state park.

Beryl’s hands shook as she set their picnic basket by the pond. “Sweetheart, I think we forgot the blanket. Why don’t you run back to the car and grab it?”

“Sure,” Thalia shrugged. “Jason, why don’t you come with me?”

He looked ready to shout that he’ll “race her back” when Beryl put an arm around his shoulder, a sickly-sweet smile on her face. “Really, Thalia. I can watch my own son for two minutes.”

Thalia swallowed. She seemed more put together today, but her mother is an actress, and appearances can be misleading. Thalia practically ran from their spot near the ruins to the car.

It took a few minutes to realize there was no picnic blanket. Thalia wanted to think it's a coincidence that Beryl actually thought they brought the blanket, but the sinking feeling in her stomach let her know it was likely always a distraction, a wild goose chase to get her away from Jason.

Thalia slammed the trunk of the car closed. Ten minutes. How much trouble could her mother cause in ten minutes? She ran until her lungs hurt, her heart throbbing in her chest. The path was uneven under her worn-out sneakers. Thalia tripped over a tree root and barely noticed her scraped knee as she set off again. It felt hard to breathe, but Thalia isn't sure if that's coming from her worry or her running.

Upon first glance, the meadow with the ruins of the old house was empty. As Thalia got closer, she saw her mother hunched over on the ground. Beryl was sobbing like she would never run out of tears. She’s alone.

Thalia couldn’t help but shake her mother desperately, “What’d you do? Where is he? How could you?” The questions rolled out of her uncontrollably.

She was barely gone ten minutes, but it felt like something has drastically changed.

“Hera claimed him. He’s as good as dead.” Beryl was able to manage between sobs.

Her mother had no right to cry. She didn’t know Jason, not really, not the way Thalia did. She didn’t know that Jason liked to pretend he can fly and preferred the Buzz Lightyear band-aids when he inevitably scrapes himself up jumping from furniture or the playground equipment to demonstrate. She didn’t know that Jason liked to build block towers just as much as Piper did, but he liked knocking them over more because he got to roar like a dinosaur or howl like a wolf. She didn’t know about the bird’s nest Jason decided to camp outside protecting because he was worried the mama bird wouldn’t come back. Thalia knows those things. She thinks he’s the most important person in the universe and now he’s gone.

They stayed for two hours. Thalia combed every inch of the area, looked behind every tree, in every bush. She screamed Jason’s name until she can’t anymore. When Beryl dragged her away from the site, Thalia didn’t even have the energy to fight her.

The drive home was oddly silent without Jason’s chatter.

Beryl disappeared into the confines of her bedroom as soon as they got home. She would wallow in her own grief away from her remaining child. Beryl knew Thalia deserved to be comforted, but she also knew that people seldom got what they deserved.

Thalia ran to her spot behind the kitchen counter. She wished it was a normal day as she picked up the phone. She wanted to just be able to call Esmeralda and tell her that her mother was having a rough day, to ask that someone come pick up Jason and her. But this time was different. This time Thalia calls 911.

The police cars pulled up to their apartment in a flurry of sound and lights. Thalia can’t move from her spot behind the counter even when they demanded someone open the door. She hugged herself tightly as her mother opened the door.

"Really, Officer, I don't understand what the problem is," Beryl said earnestly but firmly kept them outside.

“We have a report of a missing child from a Miss Thalia Grace.”

Thalia can’t see her mother’s face, but her mask must not firmly be in place. They knew something was wrong, even as Beryl attempted to push them away. "Oh, that's just my daughter. What a frightful imagination she has. I'm sure it's nothing, Officers. I'm sorry for bothering-.”

A female officer cut off Beryl's apology. "Even If it's just a simple mistake, it's still best that we talk to her. We'll even let her know that this isn't the sort of thing to joke about."

Thalia felt her tears grow heavier at that. There is no way she could ever joke about this, not with a memory of her baby brother singing twinkle twinkle little star running through her head.

The officer walked past a reluctant Beryl into the apartment. Her partner, a Hispanic man with greying hair, stayed with her mother as she sought out Thalia. The blonde woman didn't need to look far before she found her curled in a ball in the corner against the lower cabinets. Thalia was a mess, covered in scrapes and dirt from her time spent searching for her brother. The officer gingerly sat down across from her.

“You must be Thalia. I’m Officer Joan. You did a really good job calling us tonight. I know you told the person on the phone a little bit of what happened, but can you tell me everything please?”

Thalia’s words spilled out of her, a desperate flood of information on the off chance that literally anything is even the slightest bit helpful in finding Jason. She didn’t know if these people even can help. This felt strange, like her one-eyed classmates or her mother begging people who aren’t there, but Thalia needed them to be able to do the impossible anyway. She won’t ever forgive herself if the police could have done something and they didn’t

When she finished, Officer Joan nodded to her partner before helping Thalia to her feet. "Now, I know this isn't going to be fun, but we need to take your mom to the station so we can ask her more questions.

Thalia nodded, slightly unsure. She understood, but every second that someone wasn’t looking for her brother was time he could spend hurt. Why weren’t they moving faster?

“Do you have someone you can stay with while we do that? A relative?”

When the police car pulled up to the Valdez apartment, it is seven hours since she last saw her brother. Thalia thinks it isn’t possible to cry anymore. She’s done almost nothing but cry since Jason disappeared. She used up all her tears.

Esperanza answered the door with a look of confusion on her face. Her curls were already wrapped in a purple headscarf. Her fingers kept her thin robe closed over her nightdress. The look of confusion turned to one of worry when she saw Thalia. Officer Joan briefly explained the situation, but Esperanza never truly took her eyes off Thalia’s face.

“Tally!” Leo exclaimed as he saw the people at the front door. He peered around their legs eagerly before the smile fell from his face. “Where’s Jay?”

Thalia broke down into a fresh set of tears.

“Leo, why don’t you go pick out another book to read while I get Thalia settled?” The little boy looked confused. Thalia and Jason were a package set. If Thalia was here, his best friend should be too.

Esperanza pulled Thalia into a tight hug. "Oh, sweetheart, everything's going to be alright. You just let it out. I know it's been a hard day."

Esperanza maneuvered the two of them, so they're sitting on the sagging couch, all the while clutching her tightly. Esperanza wrapped her in a blanket and fixed some hot chocolate before she finally left to put Leo to bed.

After Leo’s safely asleep, Esperanza came back with a washcloth and a glass of water. She doesn’t force Thalia to say anything. She merely wiped away the grime of the day from her face before gently helping the girl lay down with her head in Esperanza’s lap. She ran her fingers through Thalia’s short hair until the girl settled into an uneasy sleep.

The police come back the next day. She remembered getting frustrated that they were here again, asking her the same questions instead of being out there finding her brother, but the rest of the interview is a blur. She sat on the couch, watching the rain pound harshly against the glass. A flash of lightning illuminated the sky, and Thalia prayed to whoever may be listening that Jason is somewhere safe and dry. The thunder didn’t stop all day.

Her mother must have been sober enough to give the performance of her life because she wasn't charged for Jason's disappearance. There is no body. It's Thalia's word against hers, and Thalia was just a kid. Still, the papers had a field day. “Who is Beryl Grace’s super-secret custody agreement with?” “Did Disgraced Soap Opera Star Kill Her Own Son?” “Where is Jason Grace?” Her brother’s face smiled at her on the cover of tabloids for weeks, and it just felt like too much.

Thalia tried to stay. She really did. She barely entered the apartment that she shared with her mother, instead crashing on Esperanza’s couch or the guest room in the Mclean house. These people seem to understand, at least. They’ve seen Beryl Grace at her worst. They believe Thalia without question. Although after Tristan gets reprimanded for drawing negative attention to himself, they don’t press the issue publicly anymore. No one says it, but the odds are Jason is dead already.

Thalia pretends she doesn’t hear Esperanza and Tristan’s frantic whispers late at night, knowing they’re talking about what to do with her. She ripped down every photo she ever put on her bedroom wall the one time she can bring herself to go back inside the room she shared with her brother. She can’t look at them, can’t see Jason grinning back at her with a red party hat holding up three fingers proudly or Jason making funny faces with Piper and Leo, without wanting to scream. Thalia tried to avoid looking at Piper and Leo’s disappointed faces. They don’t understand what’s happening, but their best friend is gone. Their little questions of “But is Jay coming back tomorrow?” break her heart. She can’t bear to stay here, but she also has nowhere else to go.

In the end, Thalia didn’t make the decision to leave so much as the monsters did.

She noticed the looming shadows before she saw them. Thalia ducked behind a mailbox to get a better look at them. They're over double her size, with wild eyes, pointy teeth, and hairy arms covered in tattoos. Their clothes wouldn’t look too out of place at a rock concert if it weren’t for their necklaces. The giants proudly wore chains with everything from beaded necklaces to gleaming weapons attached to it. Souvenirs, Thalia thought to herself. The spoils of war from the people who they killed before. She would not let herself be next.

“The hero is close. Their scent is strong.”

Thalia did not feel like a hero, especially as she studied the swords and spears that rattle against their chests. She’s only ten years old, but no one else on the street seemed to notice them.

"You better be right, brother. Halfblood is a treat, but I'm hungry now." Scraps of blood-soaked denim clung to the ogre's face.

Would they just eat whoever they come across if she didn’t come forward? This is a busy road, only a few blocks from the school. They could grab anyone; her classmates are at risk the longer she stays hidden. She knows in her bones that she’s the person they’re looking for. She may not know the word “Halfblood," but it felt right to her. Thalia wished she was in a position where she could fight, where she could leap up and just fight them. But all she has is a backpack, and as scary as math is, she didn’t think her textbook can do much damage.

Thalia was so absorbed in trying to think of an escape plan, something that both didn't draw attention to herself and minimized the casualties, that she didn't notice the hand inching toward the mailbox until it was too late. She jumped back.

The giants leered at her. “Little hero. I see we won’t have to wait long for dinner.”

She’s not an especially fast runner, but she is small enough to maneuver quickly, to change paths even as they lumbered toward her. They recognized that they could not win on speed alone. They use the very features of the street as projectiles. The giants lift cars as if they weigh nothing. Shop awnings fall in their grasp. Thalia did everything she could to avoid them.

Still, it was not enough. The stoplight may not have hit her, but she needed extra time to jump around it to avoid the sparks flying off it. It was time she did not have to lose.

Thalia can’t explain why she did it. Her back was against the rough concrete wall. She was out of options. So Thalia raised her right hand and directed it toward the closer giant. She just wanted a way out of here, any way. The lightning flashed until there was nothing left of the giant but the smell of burning flesh and his spoils of war.

“Child of Zeus, you shall pay for that.” He lunged for her, but missed, his hand impeding deep into the wall behind her.

Thalia swallowed, surprised despite the absurdity of her current situation that her mother was telling the truth. A god. Her father really had been a god. After Jason had disappeared, Thalia had completely dismissed the notion. What sort of god didn’t even protect his own son?

"I will have revenge, godling." The remaining giant ripped one of the streetlamps up from the base. It flew to her left, even if the miss was a little too close for comfort.

Thalia tried to recreate the feeling, the tug in her stomach, but no matter what she did, she could not summon more lightning. She had another option, though. The giant may have disappeared, but his necklace of souvenirs had not.

Thalia tugged a spear loose from the chain. It feels right in her hand.

“There is no escape, little hero. I will feast on your bones.”

Thalia didn’t have any time to think as the monster stalked forward. There was no time to worry about all the ways this can go wrong, that she's never held a spear, let alone thrown one. She flung the spear with all her might, hoping it would go straight.

Amazingly it did, and the Laistrygonian howled as he disappeared.

Even as the ogre crumbled into dust, Thalia kept panicking. He said her scent was strong, which meant more monsters would be coming. What would happen if she was with Piper and Leo next time? They were just little kids. Plus, Tristan and Esperanza had gone out of their way since they’d met to make sure that she was safe and loved. It wasn’t fair to involve them or put them at risk.

Thalia couldn't be here the next time a monster attacked. She wasn't going to let them get hurt. Thalia couldn't watch someone else she loved die and know she could have prevented it. She had to gather some supplies first, but then she was leaving. If the price to pay for her family’s safety was never seeing them again, she’d gladly pay it.

#pjo #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo/hoo #hoo #thalia grace #jason grace #leo valdez #piper mclean #my fic #Esperanza Valdez #because she's an icon in this #silima #moh tag #because I think you told people it was alright to tag you in content we hoped people would see #my writing

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demihead-blogger · 6 years ago

Text

Okay, I really have to rant about this.

"This" refers to the fact that people keep hating on Jasper and Caleo. First, I'll talk about Jasper. Okay, typically, people say that their relationship wasn't developed enough, or that it was based on a lie. Do these people also take into consideration the fact that the time period between The Lost Hero and The Mark of Athena was at least nine months? Their relationship must have developed during that time.

Also I'd like to point another thing out. They've been together together longer than Percabeth have. Percy and Annabeth were only in a relationship for like, 4 months before he disappeared. It's a miracle that things worked out between them. Long-distance does a lot to relationships. Add to that the whole forgetting his memories thing. Jason and Piper were around each other that whole time.

As for those people who say it was based on a lie, I say, wow. In all honesty, I find it a miracle that they made it. I think it's really beautiful and sweet, that Jason decided to try and create a relationship with someone he didn't know. He did this for Piper, a girl who was heartbroken over the fact that her relationship with Jason had all been a lie, fake memories planted in her mind, so that she could be used as a tool.

Also consider the fact that they're both supposed to hate each other. She's Greek, he's Roman. They're barely supposed to be friends, much less get into a relationship. But they made it work. Which is just... wow! (Side note, their little banter in The Lost Hero was adorable)

I get why people ship Jeyna. I really do. But here's the thing. Unrequited love is a thing. And it's painful as hell. I would know. But it's not always that people romantically love someone they've known for a long time. What about all those people who click within the first few minutes of meeting each other? Those people who took a chance and asked out the person they'd had a crush on for like a week, even though they'd never really talked much? Those stories you find all over the internet? They've literally just started dating, of course their relationship isn't going to be super developed. Same applies to Jason and Piper.

As for the spoiler I read about from The Dark Prophecy (THANKS A LOT INTERNET!!!), about them breaking up, I have a theory. Piper's been through a lot. She felt neglected in her childhood, which really sucks. So she did stuff to get her dad's attention. And then, at the age of only 16, she was thrown into this world of monsters. Suddenly, the fate of the world rested on her shoulders. Her memories were altered. It felt like an invasion of her privacy. Her friends were thrown into Tartarus. People died. Her best friend died. That's not an easy thing to deal with. She felt like she'd lost control over her life. She felt suffocated. Breaking up with Jason helped her to regain some of that control. The reason I say this is because I've done something similar. I've gone through a lot. And no, I didn't break up with someone, but I had a fight with my best friends, and stopped talking with them because I needed to feel like my life wasn't completely slipping out of my control.

Now, on to Caleo. A few of these points apply to them too, so I won't repeating them in detail. But there was also a long time skip between the ending of The Blood of Olympus and the beginning of The Trials of Apollo. Just because we didn't see their relationship develop, doesn't mean it didn't. They may not be in love, but they still really like each other. Also, don't forget that Leo was on the island for weeks in Ogygia time.

What I find odd, is the fact that you have all these fangirls who adore Leo, but then go all weird when someone else takes an interest in him. I mean, why wouldn't Calypso fall for Leo? Just because he's not the typical, buff, strong hero, doesn't mean he isn't awesome. He's smart, funny, creative, empathetic, sweet etc. He fixes her stuff for her. He gives her company, makes her feel less alone. Of course she's going to fall for him.

As for the reason she hated him in the beginning? Why wouldn't she? She felt angry, resentful. Percy asked to Gods to release her, and then forgot about her. I'm not blaming him, God knows the guy has way too much on his mind for a 16 year old, but imagine this. You've wanted something for years, but you always knew it was impossible for you. Then someone comes along and tells you they can get it for you. And then they don't. For the first time in centuries, Calypso felt a bit of hope, only to have it crushed as she realised that more than a year had gone by, and she was still stuck in her prison. Leo gave her hope again. Granted she felt like it was false hope, but it was there. He was her salvation. But when he first arrived, she felt angry that her curse still had not been lifted. So she lashed out at the only person she could: Leo.

Another thing. Calypso's curse wasn't to fall in love with everyone who arrived in the island. No, her curse was to spend eternity alone, with someone sent every few centuries for her to look after. Someone she can't help falling in love with. And it's not like someone would arrive everyday or something, it was after a few centuries (From what we know there were 3). And then that same someone would crush her heart. It's hard enough to face heartbreak once, let alone face it multiple times. She's amazingly strong, and I admire her so much. And this makes me hate the Gods, because they expect their kids to fight for them, but when this girl fought for her own father, they do this to her. They knew exactly how to pull at her heartstrings and hurt her. And anyone who's been through emotional pain, like a bad break-up, knows how much that hurts.

Might I also add that those two went through a lot together? They had to face the literal Sea of Monsters for goodness' sake! That's not an easy thing to do. It's rare for people to survive. Even Percy and Annabeth barely made it out alive. When people go through something together, it creates a special bond between them. The same bond that was created between Percy and Annabeth when they held up the sky. That bond grew stronger between the two couples, with the more hardships they faced.

And as for them arguing? All healthy relationships have fights. My grandparents have been together for 60 something years and they still fight like kids. My best friend and I love each other, yet we fight all the time. What really makes a relationship special, is being able to get past those fights, making up, and loving each other despite all that. Just, moving forward. And they did that.

Another thing I've heard people say is that Uncle Rick shouldn't have given Leo a girlfriend, because Leo doesn't need someone to be happy. And I agree. In a way. You don't need to date someone to be happy, but you need a friend. Someone you can always count on. Yes, he had his friends, but they were all in relationships. Look at it from his point of view. He felt as if he was intruding when they were together. He wanted someone purely for him. As well as that, he wanted to feel included for once. He'd always been the outsider, the odd one out. Being in a relationship would give him a sense of belonging.

Honestly, I think that the main reason anyone even has a problem with these relationships, is because they keep comparing them to Percabeth. This really irks me, because seriously, not every relationship is or can be Percabeth. Each relationship, and the individuals in it, are different and unique and should be treated as such. It's like, you have two friends okay. One of them is a lot like you, but the other one is the exact opposite of you. One of them will have phone conversations with you for hours on end, whereas the other will do the same in person. One of them will listen to you when you're feeling down in the dumps, whereas the other will try to cheer you up. One of them will talk about the weirdest stuff with you, whereas the other one will have philosophical conversations with you at 3 in the morning. You love them both in different ways, because your relationship with them is different. Same with them.

And one last thing before I shut up. You hate it when your parents or other people compare you to, say, your sibling, or your cousins, or even your mum's friend's kid who has 4.2 GPA. If you hate people making comparisons of you, then why do you compare others? No one likes it. So don't.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

#pjo #percy jackson #percy jackson and the heroes of olympus #percy jackon and the olympians #annabeth chase #percy and annabeth #percabeth #jason grace #piper mclean #jasper #frank zhang #hazel levesque #frazel #leo valdez #calypso #caleo #nico di angelo #will solace #solangelo

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zuko-thee-stallion · 5 years ago

Text

teenage fever

(a little one-shot from my spiderman au )

also, read on ao3.

________________________________________________________________

to: annoying hoe :/

from: resting bitch face ;p

12:50 a.m.

r u up loser?

Three dots appear at the bottom of her screen. They disappear then reappear again. She bites her lip in anticipation. This time he sends his response.

to: resting bitch face ;p

from: annoying hoe :/

12:51 a.m.

yh.

To be honest she doesn’t even know why she texted him in the first place. She’d been feeling weird as of late. Like she actually...cared about things. She shudders at the thought. This is the type of shit Jason does. She snaps out of her thoughts rather quickly when she realizes she hasn’t answered Leo in - she checks the time on her phone - three minutes! She mentally kicks herself for getting so consumed in her thoughts.

to: annoying hoe :/

from: resting bitch face ;p

12:53 a.m.

good.

She takes in a shaky breath as she waits for his answer.

to: resting bitch face ;p

from: annoying hoe :/

12:53 a.m.

is everything ok?

No! She wants to say. No, I’m not okay! She wants to tell somebody - anybody -how she’s feeling, but how does one express how weird they’re feeling to their best friend?

to: annoying hoe :/

from: resting bitch face ;p

12:54 a.m.

yeah

Wrong answer. Now he’s sure to press for answers. What’s even worse is how quickly he responds.

to: resting bitch face ;p

from: annoying hoe :/

12:54 a.m.

ok, now i know something’s wrong. first, u text me at one in the morning and second, u don’t say “yeah”. well, at least like that.

“Fuck,” she curses. Why couldn’t she keep emotions in check like a normal person? And why did she have such an observant best friend?

to: annoying hoe :/

from: resting bitch face ;p

12:55 a.m.

first of all, it’s not “one in the morning” it’s 12:55, second of all i can say “yeah” whenever i want to, third of all i hate u.

Three simple words with a world of meaning but Leo, of course, knows better than to take offense.

to: resting bitch face ;p

from: annoying hoe :/

12:56 a.m.

yh, yh. but seriously...what’s up?

She groans as she queues up Netflix on her computer, knowing full well that Leo’s not going to drop the topic anytime soon. (Again, why did she have such an observant best friend?) She quickly scrolls through the movie options before ultimately deciding on Carrie.

to: annoying hoe :/

from: resting bitch face ;p

12:56 a.m.

fine. what do u want to know?

She starts up the movie, quickly getting wrapped up in it before realizing that Leo’s already answered her.

to: resting bitch face ;p

from: annoying hoe :/

12:57 a.m.

i wanna know why you’ve been acting weird around jason.

She swears her heart stops for a second before beating at an abnormal rate, followed by a horrible fluttery feeling at the pit of her stomach (which seems to happen a lot at the mention of his name).

to: annoying hoe :/

from resting bitch face ;p

1:07 a.m.

how do i act weird around jason?

She thinks long and hard about how she acts around Jason. Nothing so far seemed to spark any oddities. She doesn’t treat him any differently than she does Leo.

to: resting bitch face ;p

from: annoying hoe :/

1:07 a.m.

r u serious?

She scowls. What does he mean by that?

to: annoying hoe :/

from: resting bitch face ;p

1:08 a.m.

deadly. tell me how i act “weird” around jason.

At this point, the movie’s been long forgotten, currently being used as background noise for her highly stressful situation.

to: resting bitch face ;p

from: annoying hoe :/

1:09 a.m.

first off, every time he comes around u or somebody mentions his name u visibly, albeit slightly, perk up. like u look a little less angry than u usually do.

The text stops there but soon, the three dots appear at the bottom of her screen.

to: resting bitch face ;p

from: annoying hoe :/

1:09 a.m.

secondly, u always have this fond look on ur face whenever he is near.

She blinks. Once. Twice. Huh?

to: annoying hoe :/

from: resting bitch face ;p

1:10 a.m.

no, i don’t.

Fond look on my face my ass. If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s Piper McLean never going soft.

to: resting bitch face ;p

from: annoying hoe :/

1:10 a.m.

unless u r constantly looking at urself in the mirror there is no way you could possibly see urself.

Does he have a point? Yes. Does that mean she would ever admit that? Hell no. She throws her hair into a messy bun while waiting for a response.

to: resting bitch face ;p

from: annoying hoe :/

1:10 a.m.

as i was saying, u also seem to spend time with him more.

She audibly scoffs in disagreement, knowing full well that he’s right once again.

to: annoying hoe :/

from: resting bitch face ;p

1:11 a.m.

how?

Thinking back, she realizes that she doesn’t spend a lot of physical time with Leo. Instead, they call, text, and facetime. Meanwhile, she and Jason hang out a lot more.

to: annoying hoe :/

from: resting bitch face ;p

1:11 a.m.

if i admit that i spend time with him will u leave me alone?

She sits up, anxiety practically oozing out of her. Why was Leo so determined to prove that she liked Jason? Were there any other things that she subconsciously does around him that other people noticed too? Did she like Jason? Sure, he understands her although he can be oblivious at times. And his sarcasm rivals her own (which was surprising by the way). And the way it seems like he’s been aged beyond his years yet still holds an essence of innocence. Or how his face lights up when he talks about topics he’s passionate about. How the scar on his upper lip curves into a little crescent whenever he smiles. How he has a tattoo of his sister’s birthday in Roman numerals because she’s the only family he has right now. How he is so unbearably happy and kind regardless of all the shit he’s been through. How he’s adorable at times and how he makes her want to punch his lights out for being so stupid. How he’s just so...beautiful. Ugh! She gets out of her, very comfortable mind you, bed just so she can faceplant into her pillows. Did she not just say that she doesn’t go soft? “Stupid Jason. Stupid, stupid feelings,” she grumbles. A chime from her phone startles her out of her pity party. Tentatively, she lifts her head and grabs her phone. The notification is from Leo, of course.

to: resting bitch face ;p

from: annoying hoe :/

1:13 a.m.

idk.

Her anxiety bubbles up again, thousands of “what if” scenarios flit throughout her head.

to: annoying hoe :/

from: resting bitch face ;p

1:14 a.m.

leo. what if i do like him? what if he doesn’t like me back? what if he does like me back? what if i don’t like him back?

She can’t bear the thought of losing Jason as a friend because even though she might not show it, she cares about her friends. Hell, she might even consider them family and that’s a big deal.

to: resting bitch face ;p

from: annoying hoe :/

1:14 a.m.

whoa, whoa. calm down, piper. i didn’t know this meant so much to u.

Was he serious? Of course it meant a lot to her, she could possibly lose one of her best friends over a stupid crush.

to: annoying hoe :/

from: resting bitch face ;p

1:15 a.m.

well, now u know.

This was all too frustrating and confusing and she had too many questions. When did I start liking Jason? Why did I start liking Jason? Did he feel the same way?

to: resting bitch face ;p

from: annoying hoe :/

1:15 a.m.

ok, ok. but, one, if u do like him i’m sure it won’t be the worst thing in the world. two, there’s no way of knowing unless u ask and if he likes u back then u guys can date and be all mushy. three, if u don’t actually like him and if he likes u i’m sure he’s not gonna get mad or anything like that.

She appreciates Leo’s reassurances. She appreciates him for being there for her while she is currently having an exponential crisis. She appreciates him for being one of her only friends even though she’s an outcast. She almost considers changing his contact name. Almost.

to: annoying hoe :/

from: resting bitch face ;p

1:16 a.m.

thanks leo. i really needed that.

His reply comes quick.

to: resting bitch face ;p

from: annoying hoe :/

1:16 a.m.

yh, ik i’m awesome. now leave me alone so i can get my beauty sleep. i suggest u do the same.

She cracks a small smile as she types up her response.

to: annoying hoe :/

from: resting bitch face ;p

1:16 a.m.

goodnight leo.

She turns off her phone and curls up under the covers, knowing that even though her problems aren’t solved, she can sleep easier knowing her inner turmoil has been partially solved.

She wakes up to a text, which surprises her because no one in their right mind would be up before eleven o'clock on a Saturday.

to: Pipes :)

from: sparky :]

7:34 a.m.

Hey Pipes! Do you want to get ice cream later on today?

Nobody except, Jason Fucking Grace.

to: sparky :]

from: Pipes :)

11:48 a.m.

sure, what time?

#spiderman au #jason grace #piper mclean #leo valdez #jason x piper au #jasiper #jasper #jiper #heroes of olympus #late night conversations

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jasiper · 6 years ago

Note

Can you do #9 with Jasiper please? Iv’e been reading and re-reading all of your writing these past few weeks and your work is addicting in a way I also adore both my children and can never have enough of them 💕

thank you kind anon! I love my kids too but I apologize because I’m about to make them suffer again :)

9. things you said when i was crying

Survivor’s guilt. People talk about it all the time. Veterans, car accident victims, anyone who’s lived when someone else died from the same circumstances. It wasn’t an unfamiliar concept to Piper, however, she had never experienced it before.

Until now.

Her body felt heavy, every muscle of her body full of hurt. Even her eyelids ached. No matter what position she rested in, she could never find a comfortable spot. She was agitated, unable to lay still for more than a few minutes at a time. She was sleep-deprived, and her chest felt hollow, as if someone had reached inside and ripped out her heart and lungs and left nothing but bones. Her eyes hurt so badly that it ached whenever she blinked. She kept scrubbing at her eyes, but the tears didn’t stop. She wasn’t sure if they would ever stop.

There was nobody in the cabin. They were out doing their activities, Drew leading the campers through the day. It wasn’t like Piper physically could. She’d been crying for nearly a week straight. She wasn’t in any condition to even be outside of her cabin.

Rolling over, she stifled another sob. She faced the wall of her bunk, and she opened her tear-filled eyes to see the pictures lining her wall. She saw Jason, Annabeth, and Leo.

Leo. No. Oh, no. Leo. Leo. Leo.

She could still hear the roaring in her ears as they flew through the air, could feel the tingling on her tongue as she charmspoke Gaea to sleep. When she closed her eyes, she could see Leo’s entire body on fire, his smile, could hear his voice. And then she was falling, trying to look up, and then there was the explosion, and everything went black, and—

There was a nearly silent creak, and she instantly recognized the door opening. She remained completely still, hyper aware of the heaving noise she was making each time she breathed. When the mattress dipped and an arm wound around her waist, she automatically rolled over, burying her face into the warm chest and began sobbing again.

“Shh.” Jason’s voice was so soothing, it almost hurt. His hand found his way into her hair, holding her close. “Let it out.”

I’ve been letting it out, she wanted to say. She sniffled, whole body shaking as she cried. His shirt was wet with her tears now, and when she pulled away a bit, he put his hand on her cheek, wiping away her tears.

“Have you eaten today?” he whispered, his thumb skimming on her cheekbone. “Drank water?”

She shrugged. “Dunno,” she mumbled, her voice raw from crying so hard. He shifted, looking ready to get up and find her food, but she grabbed his arm. “Don’t go. Please.”

He settled back beside her, kissing her forehead. “I love you,” he muttered against her skin. “I love you so much. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” She gazed up at him, and she noticed how his eyes lacked the usual glow they always had. “You have no reason to be.”

He gave her a sad smile. “He was your best friend, Piper. He made us believe that you could save any one of us. I can’t imagine what you’re feeling right now.”

Survivor’s guilt. The term flashed through her head again. She never thought she would feel it until now.

“Do you ever think that we should’ve died too?” she whispered.

Jason frowned. He moved his hand back to stroke her hair, eyes a million miles away. He sighed, and he shrugged. “Sometimes,” he said thoughtfully. “I’ve lived through things that other people haven’t. So I think…” He faltered. “I think that he should have lived, Pipes.”

The tears welled up again. He kissed her temple, allowing her to cry it out for a few more minutes.

“But he died for something greater than one person,” Jason continued. “I know that sounds awful because he was amazing, but that is why heroes die. They recognize that some sacrifices are worth it. Because of Leo, the world is still here. Mortals are still safe. Demigods aren’t extinct. The gods haven’t fallen. Leo wouldn’t want us to mourn that. He’d want us to celebrate the fact that everything’s still okay out there.”

Piper blinked up at him, and suddenly she didn’t feel like she had to cry anymore.

“It was always supposed to be him,” Jason reminded her. “Always. He knew it, and he was brave enough to keep it a secret. He is more of a hero than most of us. And we get to carry on his legacy.”

She leaned up, and she kissed him gently. “I love you,” she murmured. “Thank you.”

He wrapped his arms tightly around her, and it was the first time in days that the tears stopped.

#take more jasiper angst #idk why i keep doing this to myself #jasiper #piper mclean #jason grace #hoo #heroes of olympus #angst tag #my writing #mine #request

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millennial-medusa · 6 years ago

Text

Help Me Piece It All Together, Darling

This was just supposed to be a little Jasiper drabble for my Baseball AU, but I love these two so much and it got away from me and, well...here’s 11k words of them being idiots and honestly barely any baseball. It is absolutely as cheesy as it sounds.

This is set their sophomore year, so earlier than the other fics I’ve written for this au.

Jason x Piper, rated T, read on ao3

Jason Grace might just be the death of her.

She’d thought he was attractive as soon as she’d started going to baseball games last year and spotted him from the stands. She’d thought he was gorgeous when she’d approached him at that bar a few months ago, the couple drinks in her system giving her the courage to toss her hair and tease him a little, the resulting blush across his cheeks and the electric blue of his eyes weakening her knees.

But now, sitting in the library watching him help Leo through a research paper with all the patience and kindness and—yes, she’d admit it, grace, no pun intended—of a seasoned kindergarten teacher, she was positive he was the most beautiful person she’d ever met.

And this was a problem.

It was a problem because Piper, despite being a decent flirt when she wanted to be, had absolutely zero skills in terms of getting a guy to date her. She’d had her fair share of one night stands and casual hookups, but those were easy; the kind of guys that were willing to do one night stands were willing to do them with anyone decently attractive and emotionally detached. Piper checked those boxes pretty well, minimal work required.

But Jason wasn’t one of those guys. The more time she spent with him, the more obvious it was that he was the kind of guy to hold open doors and only kiss on the third date and ask for a lady’s favor before going to fight a dragon for her hand because he was literally a knight in shining armor, and it sucked because Piper was pretty sure she was the scullery maid in that scenario. Or the evil step-sister. Or the dragon.

(Okay, she reasoned, she wasn’t that bad. She wasn’t evil. Just hopeless and delusional. One of the nameless court ladies who swooned at a glance from the knight, but was overlooked in favor of the lovely and virtuous princess he would live happily ever after with.)

So a crush on Jason was a terrible, awful, absolutely horrendous idea, but for some reason her heart didn’t get the message her brain was so desperately signaling to it with red flags and emergency flares, because it kept picking up speed with every blindingly white smile he sent her from across the table.

(What had she just been saying about swooning?)

“But I say right there what it’s about,” Leo was complaining, gesturing to his laptop screen.

“No, that’s your topic sentence for that paragraph,” Jason explained. He ran a hand through his already mussed hair.

Piper wanted to run her own hands through it, tugging on the blonde locks while her tongue explored his mouth.

“Isn’t that what a topic sentence is supposed to do?”

“Yes, but you don’t have a thesis. Or an introduction.”

“Why would I need one of those when you made me write that abstract thing that explained the whole paper anyway? I still maintain that invalidates even needing to write a paper, by the way.”

“Leo, have you ever written an essay in your life?”

Leo’s eyes darted to Piper’s, and twin smiles stretched slowly across their faces.

“Oh yeah,” Leo answered, turning back to Jason. “I’ve written tons, and they were fantastic. Totally winners.”

Piper bit back a laugh. “Honestly, Leo’s written some of the finest essays of our generation. I’m incredibly proud of my—ah, of his work,” she added.

Jason’s brow furrowed—in a non-totally adorable and distracting way, of course—as he glanced back and forth between the two of them.

“Leo,” he repeated slowly, fixing him with a stern gaze, “have you ever written an essay in your life?”

“Define ‘written.’”

“Are you serious?” Jason’s eyebrows hit his hairline, and Piper didn’t bother to hold back her laughter. “How did you get through high school? How did you get through all of last year?”

Leo grinned over at him. “Wilderness school didn’t assign too many essays, and when they did, they didn’t read them closely enough to realize the similarities in Piper’s and my writing styles.”

Jason’s eyes widened before landing on Piper. “You—you wrote his essays for him? For all of high school?”

Piper shrugged. “Like he said, there weren’t that many to write. Besides, I can knock out a three page paper in less than an hour, and Leo did lots of my math assignments to pay me back.”

“Yes, she drove a hard bargain, but every equation was worth it to not have to analyze Jane Eyre," Leo sighed.

“What can I say? The rates are high, but I provide excellent customer service.”

“Absolutely. I’d give you four stars on yelp.”

“Only four? That rhetorical analysis of Mark Antony’s speech got you a 98!”

“Sure, the quality is great, but your options are limited. You’re not writing this essay, for example.”

“You’re right, the uses of obscure elements is a little out of my scope of provided services. That’s what you get for taking chemistry.”

“What good are you comm majors if you can’t even write my essays for me?”

“You committed plagiarism for four years and got away with it?” Jason interrupted with a harsh whisper.

“Relax, Sparky, the teachers didn’t care what we did as long as we sat quietly,” Piper laughed.

“Which, naturally, we always did,” Leo added. “We’re both known for our ability to sit in silence and behave just like we should.”

Jason shook his head. “I have no idea how I ended up with the two of you for friends.”

“Aww c’mon, you know you love us,” Leo crooned.

Jason chuckled and adjusted his glasses. “You’re lucky I do. I would not risk having ‘aiding and abetting criminals’ on my record for anybody else.”

With that, the air shifted. Piper felt her stomach drop, and her eyes met Leo’s again, but this time the knowledge that passed between them was not of an inside joke. The laughter had disappeared from their expressions, and Jason noticed.

“Guys?” he asked tentatively, glancing between the two of them nervously before landing on Piper. “Is everything okay? Did I say someth—”

“So I don’t have a thesis,” Leo interrupted, “what is that, exactly?”

Jason was still studying Piper, who was avoiding his gaze. She could feel his eyes, all too perceptive, roaming over her drawn face and tensed shoulders, but she focused resolutely on the textbook in front of her.

“Your thesis statement sums up your argument and the key points you’re using to prove it,” she spoke up, her gaze trained on Leo now. “It’s like, a shortened version of the back of a book. Or a highlights reel. Or a movie trailer.”

Leo looked back at her blankly. “So…another thing that sums up the whole paper. Why do I have to write the whole paper if I can prove it in one sentence?”

Piper rolled her eyes, but, to his credit, Jason managed a small smile. “It doesn’t prove your claim, it just gives a little preview of how you’re going to prove it. It gives the reader an idea of what to expect,” he explained, far more patiently than Piper ever could have. She was good with words, but even Leo exceeded her patience at times like these.

Jason was just so good. Piper couldn’t think of anybody deserving of him, especially not herself.

Her heart ached.

Over the past three months, Jason had fit seamlessly into Leo and Piper’s lives, clicking instantly. She and Jason were easy friends in their own right, getting pizza together or hanging out in the apartment when Leo was out. Of course, she’d befriended Percy, Annabeth, and many of the other team members and their assorted friends in the same amount of time, but her connection to Jason was just…different, somehow. And not just because she was perilously close to falling in love with him already.

Leo would always be Piper’s best friend—they’d been through so much together that losing him wasn’t even a possibility to Piper, they were stuck with each other for life—but Jason, even after only three months, was already a close second. After their initial meeting of tipsy flirting, they’d bonded quickly over their shared love of baseball and Disney movies.

So now Piper knew just how kind and genuine of a person he really was. She also knew how much of a disaster she was, and how much he didn’t deserve to have to put up with that.

So she suffered in silence, hoping her little crush would go away painlessly and soon. The way her stomach flipped when Jason glanced over at her again, his eyes still slightly apprehensive, seemed to insist she would not be getting an easy out.

When she tuned back into the boys’ conversation, Jason was asking Leo when the paper was due.

“Tomorrow?” he yelped at Leo’s answer. “And you waited until now to ask for my help? Leo, you have six more pages to write, we’re gonna be here all night!”

“Nice rhyme, Dr. Seuss,” Leo teased, but at the look Jason gave him, he ducked his head guiltily. “I know, honestly I didn’t think writing a dumb essay would take that long,” he mumbled. “You guys can go home if you want, it’s pretty late and finals are in a few days and I’m sure I can figure this out—”

Piper just snorted. “Not going anywhere, Valdez. We’re a team.”

“She’s right,” Jason chimed in, patting Leo lightly on the shoulder. “I meant it when I said I’d help. If we have to stay until the paper is due, then that’s what we’re gonna do.”

Leo smiled at both of them, and they went back to work.

—

Three hours later, Piper felt her eyelids drooping. It was only 10 PM, but she'd had gotten up early and worked all day, so she could already tell staying up with Leo was gonna be rough. The boys, she noted, were looking a little frazzled too, so she stood and told them she was going on a coffee run.

Jason frowned. “It’s late, Pipes, are you sure you should be walking across campus alone?”

Warmth spread through her at his concern, but she shrugged it off and her jacket on. “I’m a tough girl, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Jason opened his mouth to protest, but Leo cut him off. “Just go with her, Jason, I need some time alone anyway.”

Piper nodded at Jason’s questioning glance, but she glared daggers at Leo when Jason turned to grab his coat. Leo just gave her a shit eating grin; he’d picked up on Piper’s crush early on and frequently found excuses to leave them alone together.

A few moments later, Piper and Jason were walking out into a wall of freezing December air that had Piper tugging her coat around her and wishing she could cuddle up to Jason. Strictly to conserve heat, naturally.

They chatted easily as they walked to a small coffee shop about five minutes away, the only one on campus open 24 hours.

“Are your finals bad?” Jason asked, his words a puff of steam in the frigid air.

Piper shook her head and buried her hands deeper in her pockets. “Nah. My media law final is the only one I’m really worried about, but I think I’ll do okay. What about yours? Is that political theory stuff still giving you trouble?”

“I’ve been studying for it, so I think I’ll be okay,” he shrugged.

“I wish I had the self discipline to already be studying for finals,” Piper grumbled. “I can’t get myself to study before the last minute.”

Jason laughed at her sullen expression. “You just need the right motivation, like a reward or a study buddy.”

“You offering?” She caught his eye and smirked; Jason blushed a pretty shade of pink that spread down his neck and disappeared beneath the collar of his peacoat. Piper found herself wishing she could see just how far down that blush travelled.

“Yeah—I mean, if you wanted,” Jason stammered, looking hurriedly away from her.

Piper cringed inwardly; she hadn’t meant to embarrass or pressure him. But she had to admit, having someone to make her study would be helpful—Leo was no help at all and Annabeth had her hands full with Percy—and she couldn’t bring herself to say no to spending time with Jason, even if she should for her own sake.

“I’d like that,” she found herself saying, and his resulting smile was so bright she forgot all about the awkwardness of the previous moment. His teeth were so perfect and straight, he could’ve done toothpaste commercials, she noted. And his lips—well, Piper had spent plenty of time thinking about them already; they were a little thin and a little chapped, but they were so frequently pulled into a smile and looked so inviting she knew she wouldn’t mind the roughness if they were working with her own. She wanted to bite the scar on his upper lip—where had it come from? She’d have to ask him sometime.

Her eyes traveled upward then, following the gentle slope of his nose to his bright blue eyes. Piper usually preferred brown, like her own, but Jason’s were so genuinely captivating, fringed with long, blonde lashes, that she longed to drown herself in them.

That thought snapped her out of her haze: she wasn’t this much of a fucking sap, and she couldn’t afford to be thinking things that sounded like they were written by a lovesick thirteen year old. She couldn’t take her eyes off his, though, and she noted the way they dropped to her mouth as her tongue darted out to wet her lips.

He was looking at her mouth. And his eyes were different somehow—darker? Or maybe that was just the shadowy lighting, but either way he was definitely staring at her mouth and either he was going to stop and kiss her or she had something stuck in her teeth. She really hoped it was the former, because they’d gotten so close their arms were touching as they walked and his eyes were flitting up to her own and back down again, and Piper prayed, oh she prayed that she was right because she was leaning forward now so there was no going back and—

Unfortunately, staring prolongedly at a boy who probably wasn’t even into her meant that Piper didn’t notice the patch of ice she was walking towards.

She shrieked as her feet slid out from under her, the dark pavement suddenly racing towards her. She braced for impact, but instead of freezing concrete to the nose, she felt a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and hauling her back to her feet.

Before she could fully process what was happening she found herself pressed entirely up against Jason’s front, his arms securely around her waist and his wide eyes blinking down at her from behind his glasses. Her hands settled on his chest as they stared at each other, and then slid down to grip his forearms. Neither his hands nor his gaze shifted.

Piper swallowed hard before noting just how nice his arms felt, even through his coat. All those workouts and baseball practices had really paid off.

Jason’s cheeks were stained crimson again—he blushed a lot, and Piper adored it—but he started laughing.

“Yeah, uh, I guess they have,” he said. Suddenly his eyes went wide. “Not—not that you’re heavy, or anything. Because you aren’t. I mean, you’re like, average weight I assume? For a girl your height? I don’t really know, I haven’t caught very many people—”

Piper was mortified her comment had been spoken aloud, but thankfully Jason’s own stammering had shifted the focus off of her.

“What?” she asked, cutting him off with a raised eyebrow. “You mean to tell me you don’t regularly swoop in and catch people? And here I thought you were some kind of blonde Superman. It’s kind of a let down that you don’t save the day all the time.”

Jason grinned, a little sheepishly, but without most of the previous nervousness. “Haven’t noticed too many people falling.”

Piper’s heart hammered in her chest, and surely he could feel it with the way they were still pressed together. Then you must be blind, she wanted to say.

Instead, she stepped back, letting his arms fall away from her. She instantly felt the chill seep into her as though she weren’t even wearing a coat.

“Guess it’s just me, then,” she quipped, tossing him a smile as they headed toward the coffee shop again. They were nearly there. “Figures, I’m pretty clumsy.”

A small smile appeared on Jason’s face at that. Piper saw him attempt to subtlety lengthen his strides—attempt being the key word, because it wasn’t subtle at all—and reached the door first, just in time to open it for her, ever the perfect gentleman. “Hey, every princess needs a little saving now and then,” he said.

This time, Piper was the one blushing.

—

Piper McLean was going to be the death of him, he was sure of it.

Jason had never been great with girls. He knew there had been girls who’d liked him in the past, definitely more than a few who’d flirted with him, but he never had much interest. The only relationship he’d ever had was with Reyna in high school, and that had been short lived; Jason cared about her deeply but not romantically, and Reyna…well. Reyna had ended up dating his older sister.

Where was he going with that? Oh, he was bad with girls. Right.

So when he’d seen Piper across that bar in September, he’d nearly panicked. She was gorgeous, looking him up and down with eyes that were shifting color, and she seemed to approve of what she saw, but Jason couldn’t flirt to save his life when he was sober, let alone several drinks in. Luckily she’d been about as drunk as he had, so she hadn’t minded his inability to keep up with her.

Since that night, Jason couldn’t get her out of his head. She was beautiful and brilliant and funny, and they just matched. The more time he spent with her, the harder he fell, and he knew it would end badly because she was clearly out of his league—but that didn’t stop him.

Being around her and knowing she would never be interested in him was torture, but if it meant he could make her laugh and watch her re-braid her hair and listen to the little songs she made up under her breath when she thought he couldn’t hear, then he’d gladly suffer every day of his life.

They’d gotten the coffee and headed back to the library after the rather embarrassing incident outside the shop (he wanted to die a little remembering how he’d basically called her heavy, and that he’d stood there and not let her go like some kind of clingy creeper. It was worth it to get to hold her like that—it just felt right—but still. And had he really called her a princess in need of saving? As if Piper needed him to save her. Piper was more like a badass queen who slew her own dragons, so Jason really had no idea what had possessed him to make that comment).

In any case, they’d made it through the rest of the night without any more awkward moments, and now, at nearly 4 AM, Leo was finishing up his paper. Jason’s eyelids had been drooping for the past hour even with the enormous amount of coffee he drank, and Piper had slumped forward and fell asleep on her arms some time ago. Leo, however, somehow managed to maintain his ridiculously high energy levels, which struck Jason as a little concerning. Did he ever sleep?

“Okay,” he was saying now, his fingers flitting frantically over the keyboard, “what if I shifted this quote down here, and I could add something up here about the chemical bonding process?”

Jason shook his head to wake himself up. It didn’t work. “Uh, yeah, if you’ve got more to say about…about uh, chemical bonding, I say go for it, man.”

He looked over at Piper. One of her arms was extended across the table in front of her, and the other was bent next to it. Her head rested on them at an angle that didn’t look comfortable to Jason, but either didn’t bother Piper or the discomfort was outweighed by her exhaustion. Her hair was a mess, thrown across her shoulders and sticking to her face. Jason’s fingers twitched on the table, wanting to brush it back.

Even when she was messy and undone and practically drooling onto her oversized flannel, Piper still made Jason’s heart skip a beat. It wasn’t that she was traditionally beautiful at all times (because that was just unrealistic), but she was her own kind of beautiful, and it was the most breathtaking kind Jason had ever seen.

He must have been staring, because Leo nudged his shoulder and shot him a knowing grin that heated Jason’s cheeks. “I’ve got this covered here, if you wanna take Piper to bed.”

Jason’s face went full red at that. “What? I-I wouldn’t—she’s, I mean that’s not really—”

And then Leo was laughing, laughing way too loudly for four in the morning. “Relax, Grace, I just meant take her back to our place. This is basically all written, but I’ll probably stay a couple more hours to finish editing and then print it and turn it in while I’m up, so I’m not gonna be able to take her back. And I don’t…I don’t like her walking alone at night, even if she says she can,” he added quietly, suddenly more serious. Jason nodded in agreement. The idea of Piper going out alone at night on a college campus made his stomach turn. He knew how a lot of guys their age could be and wouldn’t put it past them to try something, as horrible as that was.

And the thought of one of them trying something with Piper made him want to punch someone’s teeth out.

“You sure you’re okay here?” he asked. “I can stay if you need more help.”

Leo shook his head. “I’m good now. But listen…thanks. I know this isn’t your ideal Saturday night, so, um, thank you.” He kept his gaze down, fiddling with his fingers like he always did, but this time it seemed more…agitated?

Nervous, Jason realized.

He gripped Leo’s shoulder tightly until the other boy met his gaze. “Remember what Piper said about us being a team? That includes me now, and I’ve always got your back, Leo.”

A grin lit up Leo’s face, and he shoved the hand off his shoulder playfully. “Welcome to Team Valdez and the Crew, then!”

“That name needs a little work.”

“What are you talking about? It’s perfect!”

“I somehow doubt Piper signed off on it, and I may be late to the game but I know I hold some kind of veto power.”

“Fine, we can workshop it. Later. Right now you need to get the beauty queen home, because if she stays like that any longer I’m pretty sure her arm is gonna lose blood flow.”

Jason chuckled and moved to Piper, trying to gently wake her. It took a few tries—wow, she was a deep sleeper—but eventually she stirred.

“Hmm? Jason?” Her eyes blinked in the fluorescent lights of the library, and closed again.

“Yeah, Pipes, it’s me,” he reassured quietly. “Come on, let’s get your coat on.”

“Coat?”

“Yep, I’m gonna get you home.”

“Oh. ‘S cold outside.” Jason had to keep himself from laughing at her slurred words. Half awake was as good as he was going to get, he supposed, but damn, it was too adorable for him to mind.

“Yep, that’s what the coat’s for.”

“Where’s—” she yawned dramatically— “where’s m’purse?”

“On your shoulder.”

“…oh. Hmm.”

Piper’s eyes were barely open, and he honestly didn’t trust her to not walk into a wall or something, so Jason hesitantly wrapped his arm behind her waist, gripping her hip to keep her pressed to his side. She immediately nuzzled into the crook of his shoulder and sighed, and Jason’s brain sort of broke for a moment. He stared down at the top of her head, his heart pounding.

That doesn’t mean anything, he told himself. Pull it together, man. She’s basically asleep. She doesn’t know what she’s doing.

So he shook his head in an attempt to clear it and started to steer her to the exit.

“Grace!”

Jason turned back a little to half face Leo. “Yeah?”

“Be careful with her. She’s more fragile than she looks.” The normal teasing lilt to his voice was there, but his eyes were serious, piercing into his own with purpose.

Jason nodded solemnly. He knew Leo meant more than just to be careful tonight, though he wasn’t sure exactly what he intended beyond that. What Jason did know is that he would never hurt Piper.

Besides, his own heart seemed much more at risk than hers.

—

Jason was living in a dorm this year and didn’t have a car, but luckily Piper and Leo’s apartment was only a short walk from campus. Plus, the longer they walked, the longer Piper was wrapped up in his arm, pressed against his side and nuzzling into him like a kitten.

By the time they reached her apartment building, the chill and the walk had woken Piper up some, and she was a bit more conscious of what was going on, but Jason noted giddily that she made no attempt to move away from him. In fact, she may have even pushed closer, but that could have been his imagination. Besides, it was probably just because it was below freezing and she wasn’t completely awake.

(He really didn’t mind.)

Finally he had to release her so she could kick off her shoes and shrug her coat off and fall into bed. He felt colder without her, and almost…hollow, like something was missing where she had been? But that was just silly. They were just friends, and he was fine with that. He had to be.

“Okay, well if you’re good I’m gonna—” he gestured towards her door, starting to leave, but her soft voice calling his name stopped him in his tracks.

“Just crash here,” she said sleepily, her eyes barely open. “It’s late.”

“Only if you don’t mind,” he said, but he was praying she would insist because it was freezing, and his dorm was on the other side of campus, and he was almost as exhausted as she was.

“‘Course not.” She yawned again, and her eyes drifted shut. “C’mere.”

Jason blinked, confused. “Um, I’ll just sleep on the couch, Pipes,” he tried to explain, but even in her mostly-asleep state she was pushy.

“Couch is lumpy and I want you to stay here,” she insisted, though her slurred words made her a little less intimidating than usual.

Still, Jason hesitated. She was so tired she was practically drunk, she could not be thinking straight. She’d probably wake up tomorrow and wonder what was wrong with him that he didn’t ignore her.

“C’mon, Sparky, I’m cold,” she pleaded, and when he glanced back at her, her eyes were open and clear. “Please?”

As Jason toed off his sneakers, draped his coat over her desk chair, set his glasses carefully aside, and crawled into bed beside her, he was cursing himself for being so weak for this woman. He knew he’d regret it tomorrow, but, well…he just couldn’t say no to her.

—

Piper woke suddenly. She sat up and glanced around blearily, trying to find what had woken her up. Her eyes landed on her clock. It was 7:28 on a Sunday morning, why the hell—

A noise came from beside her, a kind of strangled yelp, and she jumped. Jason was lying in her bed—Jason was lying in her bed, oh, God—Jason was lying in her bed—and he was shaking, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on his frowning forehead. His chest was heaving, and Piper realized with a clench of her heart that he was having a nightmare.

She placed a hand on his chest, feeling his erratic heartbeat beneath her fingers. Then she shook him gently, trying to wake him up.

“Jason,” she whispered, repeating it louder when he didn’t stir.

Suddenly he jolted awake, gasping, his eyes glancing about the room frantically before landing on her face and softening.

“Piper?” he croaked.

“Yeah, Jason, it’s me,” she answered softly, unthinkingly combing his hair back from his forehead. He leaned into her touch and her heart nearly stopped. What was she doing? It had been stupid of her to ask him to stay; he would’ve been fine on the couch.

He seemed to notice something was off, and he coughed awkwardly as he sat up. “I should go,” he muttered, not meeting her eyes. “I-I shouldn’t have stayed, I’m sorry, you were basically asleep, you—”

“I asked you to stay, and I meant it,” she insisted. It was the truth, even if she was kicking herself now for practically forcing herself on him. He paused and wiped the sweat from his brow. Together, they waited in silence for something Piper couldn’t name.

“What was it about?” she asked hesitantly. Her voice was small and cautious. “The dream.”

Jason’s head lifted and their eyes met, sparks lighting up Piper’s spine. Her nickname for him was more accurate than he realized.

But he hesitated, and Piper rushed to add, “If you don’t wanna talk about it that’s fine, I shouldn’t have pried, I just thought maybe—”

“My mom,” he answered quietly. “My real mom. She—well, she was an alcoholic, so Thalia and I got taken away from her when I was really little. I barely remember her, just bits of memories here and there. I was only two, so...I found out later my dad is some politician, barely even knew we existed, and his wife hated us so she made sure they didn’t have to take us. We were put into foster care, different families. Took us years to find each other again.”

His gaze hadn’t wavered from hers, and Piper could see the pain in his eyes. She hadn’t meant to make him relive something that hurt so much, she hadn’t realized.

“Jason,” she breathed, her hand finding his. He gripped it hard.

“She died,” he said, his eyes finally dropping from hers to settle on their hands. “Went sort of crazy and drank herself to death a couple years after we were taken away. I only found out years later, when Thalia told me. I never…I didn’t get to see her again.”

His hand was shaking in hers, so Piper squeezed harder. Minutes ticked by in silence, and she wasn’t sure how else to comfort him. There was nothing she could think to say to make him feel better, and it didn’t feel right to try to brush past what he’d just admitted to her. He’d opened up a huge part of himself to her.

Maybe that called for her to do the same.

“I never knew my mom,” she said finally. Jason glanced up at her earnestly, questioningly. She took a shaky breath and continued, “My dad’s a movie star and all so I guess it could be pretty much anyone, but he never talks about her and shuts down when I ask, so I gave up on trying a long time ago. He was never really around either though, with his film schedule and press stuff. He tried, for a while anyway, when I was little. He used to come home more often and take me to the beach, but I was always a difficult kid and pretty soon it was visits for a day every couple weeks when he could make the time to fly out and see me. Pretty sure he didn’t even want a kid, but he was stuck with me.”

Jason was watching her, studying her face openly, but she couldn’t meet his gaze. Instead she focused on their entwined hands, as he had done. Her fingers played with his as she talked, and she took comfort in the fact that he let her.

“Anyway, Leo and I met in middle school and he got me through it. His mom was really sweet to me, way nicer than the nanny my dad hired to watch me most of the time. That’s around the time I…I started acting out? You know, doing stupid stuff to get my dad to pay attention to me, even if it was just to scold me or whatever. Leo was happy to help, and after his mom died and he got stuck with his awful relatives it just got worse, and we probably spent most of our time in detention. It wasn’t enough for me, though, and it kept escalating, and I—I was in a really bad place, but my sophomore year I got caught shoplifting some clothes.”

She paused to look up at him, expecting to see judgement written across his face, but she found only the same earnest expression as before.

“It was dumb, and my dad’s lawyers got me off without anything on my record somehow, but I finally got my dad’s full attention. He flew all the way home just to chew me out.” She laughed a little at the absurdity. “It was really bad, and the next week I was at wilderness school, which was like this boarding school for troubled kids out in the middle of some bumblefuck Nevada desert.”

“Shit, Piper,” Jason said, “I’m sorry.”

Piper waved him off. “Please, even the racial slurs those kids threw at me is nothing compared to what you just told me, and Leo acted up enough to end up out there with me, so it wasn’t the end of the world. I just thought I should be honest.”

Jason frowned. “You don’t owe me anything. I told you that stuff because I wanted to, Pipes. I trust you.”

“I know. I trust you too,” she answered, squeezing his hand. “So now that we’ve agreed that parents are shitty, wanna go back to sleep for a few hours?” She forced a smile and hoped he would miss the tension behind it.

He studied her a moment longer, but finally relented with a nod. Together they lay back down in Piper’s bed and drifted back into sleep.

Piper smiled to herself at the realization that they were still holding hands.

—

The second time Jason woke that morning was not to Piper’s voice calling him out of a nightmare, but to her hair in his mouth and Leo’s loud laughter, which was somewhat less pleasant.

Apparently they had shifted over the last few hours so they were no longer holding hands; rather, Piper was stretched out face down on top of him, one leg slung over his hips and her head nestled on his chest, hence the aforementioned hair in his mouth. Jason had instinctually wrapped his arms around her, and he thanked every deity he could think of that there was no morning…issue to deal with. The situation was embarrassing enough without it.

He stared down at her as she came to, blinking confusedly in the morning light before meeting his eyes. She seemed to realize where she was then and shot up, Jason’s arms jerking back immediately.

Leo laughed again from the doorway, wiping tears from his eyes. “Jason, man, I told you I didn’t mean it literally when I said take her to bed!” he was giggling, and Jason felt his face flush brightly.

He was gonna kill him.

“Leo, get out of my room before I murder you,” Piper snapped from behind her hands covering her face.

Never mind, Piper had it handled.

Leo did as she asked, but not before blowing them each a kiss and winking at Jason.

The pause that followed was tense, unsurprisingly.

“Piper,” he started, but she interrupted him.

“I’m sorry, I was asleep so obviously I didn’t really know what I was doing,” she rushed, sliding out of bed and hurrying around her room, searching the clutter until she found a hair tie to braid her hair back with as she talked. “I wouldn’t have—I mean, I shouldn’t have made you stay. Sorry.”

Jason grit his teeth. There was the rejection he’d been anticipating since last night. It hurt more than he'd expected, but it was his own fault. He'd known the risks. He should’ve just slept on the couch. He should’ve kept quiet about his mom. He should’ve stopped her, told her he wasn’t trying to pressure her into talking, into anything.

He should’ve known better.

“No, I’m sorry,” he muttered, trying to mask the hurt on his face and bending to put his shoes on. “I appreciate you letting me stay. I’m gonna head out.”

She may have nodded, or maybe she didn’t answer, or maybe she watched him go. He wasn’t sure, he walked out and didn’t look back.

—

Piper didn’t hear from him for the next several days, and kicked herself every time she checked her phone hoping to see a message from him. Of course he isn’t gonna text you, she chided, you basically told him you regretted letting him stay over right after he poured his heart out to you, and you were cuddling with him when he woke up. You’ll be lucky if he talks to you again.

So Piper went to Annabeth, the only person she’d actually told about her feelings for Jason, unsure of what exactly she was hoping for.

What she got was a frown over the carton of ice cream they were sharing.

“You’re taking all the cookie dough chunks,” Annabeth complained.

“No I’m not. Focus on the real issue here!”

“The issue of you not telling Jason how you feel? Because that’s the real issue.”

Piper rolled her eyes; they’d had this exact conversation about a million times already. “There’s no reason to ruin the friendship we’ve got because my stupid feelings got in the way.”

“You seem to think you’ve already ruined it,” Annabeth pointed out, nudging Piper’s spoon away from another chunk of cookie dough.

“It’s been three days, what am I supposed to think?”

“Maybe he got busy?” Annabeth suggested. “Maybe his phone got broken or lost, maybe he thought you didn’t want to hear from him. Have you tried texting him?”

Piper bit her lip and focused very hard on getting a decent spoonful of ice cream.

“You haven’t even tried texting him. Of course not. Piper, I thought you were good with guys!”

“I am!” she insisted. “Guys that I wanna sleep with and then never see again, or that I want to flirt with and not have to worry about their feelings. But Jason is all perfect and handsome and sweet and suddenly my brain feels like it’s been zapped by lightning.”

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. “Well he probably thinks you don’t want to hear from him and is agonizing over why you haven’t texted him.”

Piper perked up a little at that. “You think so?”

“I don’t know, Percy said he was really off Monday but seems mostly fine now, just distracted. Sounds like it could have something to do with why he hasn’t said anything.”

Piper chewed on her lower lip, mulling the possibilities over. Either he was distracted by what had happened Sunday—though she hoped that wasn’t the case—or something else had happened and that was keeping him preoccupied. She just had to figure out what was bothering him, and then maybe things could go back to normal.

“So you think I should text him?”

Annabeth sighed. “Honestly? I think you should both wake up and realize you’re obviously head over heels for each other. But since neither of you is going to admit it apparently, yes, I think you should text him before it gets weird.”

Piper grinned and snagged a hunk of dough before pulling out her phone.

hey, she typed. Very eloquent. Definitely summed up the “please talk to me I’m really sorry and I miss you also I might be falling in love with you” sentiment she was going for.

But, having nothing else she could think to say, Piper pressed send and waited.

She didn’t have to wait long. Less than a minute later, her phone buzzed with an answering, Hey!! from him. Piper grinned, just as another message followed: What’s up?

“He answer?” Annabeth asked around the spoon in her mouth.

Piper nodded as her fingers flew across the keyboard. just haven’t heard from you in a few days, everything ok?

Yeah everything is fine, I’ve just been busy. he answered. Piper smiled at his perfect grammar. She’d tried to explain to him once that he didn’t need to worry about that with her, but he’d furrowed his brow and asked why she wouldn’t want the same consideration he gave to everyone else. She’d laughed at his seriousness and let the issue drop. She glanced down when her phone buzzed again. Are you still in need of a study buddy?

Only if it’s you, she shot back. It was a little risky, but she figured it was just a casual friendly remark. No hidden truths to be found anywhere.

Her anxiety mounted a little when the three dots showed up at the bottom of the screen and then disappeared. Was that the wrong thing to say? Had that sent her crashing through the thin ice she’d been standing on with him and right into hot water?

But no, his answer was simply, Tomorrow, 7 PM at the library? and she breathed a sigh of relief.

make it the coffee shop and you’ve got a deal

Sounds good. See you then.

Piper grinned giddily down at the screen. Everything was okay, and their friendship was intact.

She looked up to see Annabeth smirking at her from the other side of the couch.

“Shut up,” Piper muttered. Annabeth only shrugged and returned to the ice cream.

—

The “study date”, as Percy and Leo insisted on calling it, went smoothly, much to Jason’s relief. He’d panicked after not hearing from Piper for so long, thinking that either his storming out or the waking up cuddling incident had upset her, so getting a text from her was a huge weight off his shoulders. He focused on everything, including baseball, a little better when he was on good terms with her. It was dangerous, he knew; he couldn’t afford to let every disagreement with a girl he’d only known a few months throw him off his game, but he couldn’t exactly help it. He’d just have to settle for keeping her happy. (Luckily for him, keeping Piper happy was becoming a top priority at an alarming rate. Or…perhaps that was unluckily.)

Things had just about returned to normal between the two of them, and they hung like nothing had changed. Which, Jason reminded himself, was true. Nothing had changed. He just knew for certain that she wasn’t interested in him the way he wanted her to be. But he’d known that before. So.

Jason was just reflecting on this when Leo caught up to him, leaving the locker room after the last practice of the semester.

“You missed an easy shot at the end there, you sure you don’t need a little more practice?”

Jason raised an eyebrow at him. “What’s your average again?”

“Point taken. When are you headed home?”

“I’ve got one more final tomorrow and then I’m out. What about you?”

Leo looked down, his fingers tapping out an agitated rhythm on the shoulder strap of his bag. “I’m staying here, actually. Lotta money to fly to Houston, and I’ve got lots of stuff to work on here, so.” He shrugged.

“You’re from Houston?” Jason frowned. “I thought you and Piper went to school together.”

“We did. Piper lived at her dad’s little ranch house thing even while he was filming, supposedly so she didn’t ‘get sucked into the Hollywood stuff.’ Really it was because he didn’t want to deal with her.” Suddenly Leo glanced at him, eyes wide. “Shit, don’t tell her I said anything, yeah? I probably shouldn’t have told you that.”

Jason waved him off. “I won’t, but it’s fine, she already told me about her dad.”

This seemed to interest Leo. “She did?” A small smile appeared on his face at Jason’s nod, which seemed…odd, for such a serious subject. “Anyway yeah, we knew each other in Texas before we both got banished to the desert.”

“So she’s going home to Texas?”

“Nah, her dad sold the property as soon as she went to college. He didn’t use it, so no point in keeping it if you don’t need somewhere to stash a kid, I guess.” Leo’s tone was bitter, and Jason got the impression Leo felt about the same way toward Tristan McLean as his daughter did. “Besides, Piper’s only going to L.A. for Christmas because she has to, and then she’ll be back. We spend every New Year’s together. It’s tradition.”

“You’re lucky,” Jason commented drily, “my foster mom is great and all, but she’s a little…I don’t know, militant? Makes holidays kind of stressful.”

Leo grabbed his shoulders and pulled him so they were facing each other in the middle of the sidewalk. “Come back for New Year’s.”

“What?”

“I’m serious, you can stay in the apartment until the spring semester starts. You’ll still have Christmas with your mom, but you can have a little fun with us for the new year!”

Jason frowned, thinking it over. “I don’t know, Leo…”

“Piper will be there, too.” Leo wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Jason blushed.

“Are you sure she wouldn’t mind me staying for a couple weeks?”

Leo snorted and released his shoulders so they could walk again. “Please, Piper would love having you there.”

Jason started to ask what that meant, but before he could, Leo slapped him on the back.

“Great! Glad that’s settled. You’re gonna see Piper before you leave, right?”

“Um, I was planning on it, but Leo—”

“Smart man. Have a good break! See you at the end of the month!”

And then Leo was gone, leaving Jason with plans for the holidays and several questions.

—

��He what?”

Jason winced. He knew he shouldn’t have agreed without asking Piper first, but then again, Leo hadn’t left much room for debate.

“Yeah,” he answered once he’d swallowed the bite of pizza he’d been working on. “He kind of insisted, so now I guess I’m spending New Year's and the following couple weeks with you guys? I mean, if that’s okay with you. I can always tell him no,” he added, watching her chew her lip and resisting the urge to reach over and soothe it with his thumb.

“No!” she yelped, and immediately blushed. Probably remembering what had happened the last time he’d stayed with her, he figured. This plan was seeming worse with every passing minute. “It’s fine,” she amended more quietly, “I just wasn’t expecting it.”

“I’ll be sleeping on the couch, obviously,” he said with a dry smile. He’d hoped to reassure her, but her face seemed to fall, almost like…disappointment? But that didn’t seem right, unless she really didn’t want him there.

Her expression shifted almost immediately to one of excitement, though, and he didn’t have time to overthink anymore. “Right. It’ll be fun!” she was saying. “You can join in all our New Year’s Eve traditions, like drinking.”

Jason waited a moment for her to continue. She didn’t. “Oh, I thought you were listing things.”

Piper nodded, taking a sip of her soda. “I was.”

“So…?”

“That was the whole list.”

Jason laughed. “Of course. Well, it’s more traditions than I’ve got, so I’d be happy to join in.”

Piper’s answering smile lit up her whole face, and Jason had to swallow hard to keep his heart from jumping into his mouth. She was so beautiful it was just unfair.

—

As soon as Piper walked into their apartment on December 29th, she felt at ease again. Her Christmas had been stressful—which is completely unfair, by the way, it’s Christmas—because yeah, he was her dad, and he was trying and she got that, really she did, but she always felt a little on edge around him because, frankly, they didn’t know each other very well. It was easy for constant filming to get in the way of visiting your kid when you didn’t really want it in the first place.

So coming back to Leo, who always wanted her around and never made her feel awkward in the slightest, was an enormous relief.

“Hey, Beauty Queen, how’s it hanging?” he called from the kitchen.

“I’m sorry,” she laughed, “but I don’t think anyone has used the phrase ‘how’s it hanging’ since, like, the seventies.”

Leo only shrugged, abandoning his bowl of cereal to grab her suitcase and carry it to her room. “I’m bringing it back. The seventies had some great trends.”

“Such as?”

“Well, for starters, I could rock a pair of bell bottomed pants and one of those shiny disco shirts.”

Piper laughed and wrapped him in a tight hug, which he returned enthusiastically. “I missed you, Valdez.”

“Don’t be such a sap. You were gone for like a week and a half.”

“I know, don’t remind me.”

“That bad, huh?” He pulled back to examine her face. “You guys fight?”

Piper shook her head and started unpacking. “I’m just always on edge when I’m there. I hate L.A.”

Leo nodded in solidarity. “Wanna order pizza?”

“Obviously.”

Leo grinned and pulled out his phone.

—

As soon as Jason walked through the door on December 31st, he was treated to the sight of Piper wearing a blue bra, a beanie, jeans, and a single sock. It was in interesting look, but Leo was enough to distract him in socks, boxer shorts, a glove, and a top hat.

Jason was more than a little confused, but had the presence of mind to be grateful that Leo’s outfit was weird enough to take his attention from Piper in just a bra. That thought had the unfortunate effect, however, of directing his attention right back to her though, because Piper was in just a bra and Jason’s brain was sort of short circuiting because holy shit Piper was in just a bra.

(And the pants or whatever, but who could be bothered to look that low when Piper. Was. In. Just. A. Bra.)

Focus on something else, he told himself. Don’t be a creep. That’s super weird and predator-y and you’re not even dating. Yes, Leo’s top hat. Stare at that. Just focus on the top hat. He mentally patted himself on the back for pulling that off.

“Hey,” Leo and Piper called in unison, not even glancing up from the cards in their hands.

“Um, hey,” he answered, pausing to allow one of them to jump in and explain just what exactly was happening. Neither did. “What’s, uh…what’s going on?”

“Strip or sip poker,” Leo answered, laying a card down with incredible focus.

“Sorry?”

“It’s like strip poker, but you have the option of taking a drink instead of losing an article of clothing,” Piper explained, finally looking up at him. “It’s, um…”

Jason could swear her cheeks got redder when their eyes met; he knew his certainly did. Her loss of words made him feel a little better about his own at her state of undress as well.

“It’s our New Year’s Eve tradition,” she finished finally, looking back down at her cards. “Shit, Leo!”

Leo laughed triumphantly at whatever had just happened in the game.

“I thought your tradition was just drinking,” Jason commented, removing his coat and wheeling his suitcase farther into the living room.

“Didn’t you hear the drinking part of the rules?” Leo asked, grinning up at him from his seat on the floor. “Come on, I’ll deal you in as soon as this round’s over, which should be soon with the way Piper’s playing.”

Piper flashed her middle finger at him.

“You guys don’t think it’s weird that you play strip poker together every year?” Jason asked, running a hand through his hair.

“Why would it be weird?” Leo asked.

“You’re playing a game favored by couples and horny groups of teenagers because the purpose is to get naked.’’

“The purpose is to have fun and get drunk,” Piper countered. “Besides, we only strip until we reach our underwear. Then you have to forfeit or chug your drink.”

“I don’t know if I can keep up with these rules,” Jason laughed.

“Well you’re gonna have to learn quick,” she said, smirking. “Hurry up, Grace, it’s only two hours ’til midnight and I’m not even tipsy!"

“Alright, alright, but someone’s gonna have to explain how poker works because I haven’t played it in years.”

Leo and Piper groaned in unison, and Jason grinned as he took a seat where they’d left room for him beside the table. It was good to be back, even if he knew he was about to end up either drunk or naked very quickly.

—

As it turned out, it was a combination of the two.

By the time 11:59 rolled around, Piper had lost her beanie and her other sock, Leo was down to his boxers and top hat, and Jason was left with just his underwear (purple briefs, one of his nicer pairs which he was now thanking himself from this morning for picking out) because, as he’d expected, he lost horribly. He wasn’t nearly as drunk as the other two, however, as he’d had more items of clothing to lose and had to drink less to keep up.

He was exceedingly thankful for that as well, because he had no idea what drunk Jason would say to a half naked Piper and he certainly didn’t want to find out.

There were 60 seconds until midnight, and Leo was trying to get the other two to come out on the fire escape with him, insisting it was the best spot to watch the fireworks. Piper was laughing, definitely drunk but lucid enough to know it was way too cold for that. Jason was insisting Leo get back inside, that it was below freezing and Leo was going to catch a cold out there in just his underwear.

(Leo countered this by explaining he was also wearing a hat.)

There were 45 seconds until midnight, and Leo was attempting to translate Auld Lang Syne into Spanish. Piper was singing the English lyrics, since she didn’t know much Spanish to begin with and translating that was just too difficult. Jason was listening to Piper sing, because she had the most beautiful voice he’d ever heard, which was unfair because everything else about her was beautiful too, and it was keeping him rooted in place, just staring at her.

(Piper caught his eye more than once and her skin took on a pretty deep pink tinge, but Jason figured it was probably just the alcohol.)

There were 15 seconds until midnight, and Leo was beginning to count down, watching his phone to keep track of the seconds as they disappeared into the ether. Piper was warning him to be careful, that he was too drunk to be waving his phone around out there, that he was going to drop it. Jason was watching her inch closer to him, each second vanishing along with an inch of space between them until she was pressed fully to his side and his heart rate was skyrocketing.

(Jason was pressing closer to her too, he realized.)

Three, Leo was shouting over the railing.

Two, Piper was looking up at him expectantly through her eyelashes.

One, Jason panicked.

“Happy New Year!” the three of them yelled together, and Jason bent down, and Piper’s eyes fluttered shut, and he pressed his lips to her cheek, softly, so softly.

He pulled back to see Piper frown, looking almost disappointed. Maybe he wasn’t misreading signals then, maybe Piper really did want him to kiss her, and he’d majorly screwed up. But he wouldn’t let their first (and maybe last, if he really was just tipsy and she wasn’t into him at all) kiss be a drunken fumbling one for the sake of the holiday with Leo jumping around in his underwear. His brain was cloudy and he wanted so badly to press Piper up against a wall and hear her sigh his name, but he knew that she deserved better than anything that would happen tonight.

So together, shivering, they pulled Leo back inside and, after a bit of celebrating and watching whatever fireworks they could see, pushed him in the direction of his room. They all needed to get some sleep.

Jason found himself standing with Piper outside her bedroom door, which was across from Leo’s. She was studying his face, and had the same look in her eyes she’d had at midnight. It had Jason’s breath quickening, and his hands ached to brush her hair behind her ear or find her waist and pull her against him.

“What’s your resolution?” Piper asked, catching him off guard. Her words were only the slightest bit slurred, and her eyes were bright, the color seeming to change in the dim light.

“Haven’t really thought about it,” he answered truthfully.

Piper nodded solemnly, eyes still locked on his. Her voice was gentle, and soothed him even as the heat passing between them riled him up. “Wanna know mine?”

Jason nodded.

“It’s to go after the things I want,” she said, just a whisper, nearly drowned out by the sounds of partying and fireworks from outside.

“I like it,” Jason said. “Does it apply to anything in particular?”

Piper smiled coyly, and Jason couldn’t quite catch his breath. “Mm hm. But I think what I want can wait for another night, when I’m a little more sober.”

Unable to formulate a response to that, Jason nodded mutely again.

She turned and opened her bedroom door. “Goodnight, Sparky.”

“Happy New Year, Pipes.”

Her eyes sparkled at him, and then the door shut and he was left alone in the hallway.

—

Piper spent the first half of the next day hungover and hoping she wasn’t as obvious last night as she thought she’d been, and the second half regretting ever having made that ridiculous resolution because Jason fit so well with her and Leo and she really wasn’t looking forward to the awkwardness that would surely follow his rejection of her, but there was always a chance the heat in his eyes and the tenderness of his kiss last night hadn’t been a drunken hallucination, and besides, Piper had committed to going after what she wanted. What she wanted was him, and every time she thought about backing out she reminded herself that mama didn’t raise no bitch.

(You know, metaphorically, because she had no idea who her mother was and her father certainly didn’t raise her and the nanny didn’t put in much effort, so really it was more like…Piper didn’t raise herself to be no bitch. But that was too complicated, so she stuck with the original phrase.)

Actually telling Jason how she felt was a little more challenging with Leo hanging about—yeah, he lived there, but that was hardly an excuse—so before she knew it they were going to bed and she was lying awake, and then sneaking past a sleeping Jason to sit out on the fire escape, bundled in a hoodie and a blanket.

It was freezing, but the cold air helped her think, so she didn’t mind it too much. It was still pretty early for her, only a quarter past midnight, but the stars blinking down at her made it feel later than it was. A car honked in the distance. Someone in another building was blasting music.

“Jeez, Pipes, it’s freezing out here.”

And then Jason was sitting next to her, and it didn’t feel quite as cold as it had before.

She unwrapped one side of the blanket and held it open for him, letting him scoot closer and wrap the blanket around himself.

“It’s a good system,” she said, looking back up at the stars. “We can share a blanket and body heat.”

She hoped he couldn’t feel her heart pounding.

They sat in silence for what felt like hours, just drinking in each other’s presence and watching their breath turn to steam in the air, curling and entwining before vanishing into the night. Finally, it was Jason who broke the spell.

“Piper?”

Just her name, but it was enough to knock the wind out of her. “Yeah?”

“How drunk were you last night?”

She kept her eyes on the sky above them. “Not drunk enough to say anything I didn’t mean.”

He was silent then, but she could feel his eyes on the side of her face, watching her. She wondered what he saw.

“Piper?” he asked again.

“Yeah?”

“I came up with a resolution.”

She turned to look at him, and suddenly his lips were pressed to hers and the blanket was sliding down because his hands were on her waist, hot even through her hoodie, pulling her closer and closer and closer and somehow it still wasn’t enough, so Piper pressed back, one hand bunched in his shirt and the other finding his cheek. She needed air so desperately but she couldn’t pull back, not when his tongue was sliding against hers and she finally felt like she could breathe, and her hand slid up to wrap his hair around her fingers like she’d always wanted to.

She was practically in his lap now, nipping at the little scar on his lip, and she still didn’t know where he’d gotten it but she didn’t really care at the moment. His hands slid up, one around her back to hold her against his front and the other to her hair where it tugged on her braid, making her moan into his mouth. He must’ve liked that because he kissed her harder and his tongue dipped deeper and Piper had just about lost all presence of mind when she suddenly put her hands on his chest and shoved herself back.

She stared at him, panting, and he stared at her right back with his cheeks flushed gorgeously and his eyes wide. He opened his mouth and she knew he was about to apologize, he was going to think she stopped him because she didn’t want him to kiss her, and of course that couldn’t be farther from the truth, so—

“Jason Grace, how dare you have the audacity to kiss me,” she took a brief pause to catch her breath, not long enough for him to start to apologize but enough to scare him a little (she couldn’t resist messing with him just a tiny bit when he looked so adorably shocked), “when you knew it was my resolution to go after what I want, which is obviously you!”

Jason’s mouth opened and closed several times, but no sound came out. He blinked and frowned, and, “Um…what?”

“I was going to make the first move,” she sniffed. “I’d made a resolution and worked up the balls and even had a speech prepared. And backup speeches for different scenarios! I can’t believe you just ruined all those plans.”

Jason blinked several times, but a shadow of a smile had appeared on his face. “I’m sorry, I had no idea.”

“I basically told you last night.”

“I didn’t realize you were preparing speeches, though. I figured I’d save you the trouble with a resolution of my own.”

“You stole my resolution, too. Who’s committing plagiarism now?”

“Not true. Your resolution was to go after what you want. Mine was much simpler.”

“Oh yeah?” she challenged, picking up the fallen blanket to ward off the chill seeping back through her clothes. “What was it?”

“‘Kiss Piper.’”

She brushed back a piece of hair that had come loose from her braid—probably when Jason’s hand had tangled in it and pulled, she realized, the memory causing heat to pool low in her belly—to cover her smile. “Well that’s just…boring. Where’s the pizzazz?”

When she turned to look at him again, his face was much closer than it had been, his warm breath ghosting over her lips in a way that made them tingle deliciously. “I thought there was plenty of pizzazz. You need a refresher?” he teased.

Piper sucked in a breath. She had been far less prepared for confident, sexy, teasing, ready-to-kiss-her-stupid Jason than she’d thought, and it might just kill her. Trying to regain some control of the situation, she raised an eyebrow and said, “It still doesn’t make up for all the work I put in. Now I’ll never get to fulfill my New Year’s Resolution. I’m a failure.”

“Would it make you feel better to give me one of the speeches you prepared?”

“No, I don’t have one for this scenario.”

“You prepared for multiple scenarios but none of them included me kissing you?”

“I thought it would be at least another month before you made a move on me, Sparky, so no.”

“That stings.”

Piper laughed and nuzzled her nose against his, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment. “Can you blame me?”

“No,” he sighed, “I’m still pretty amazed I got it together long enough to kiss you. I’m sorry you didn’t get to give your speeches, though. You sure you can’t tell me one anyway?”

“I’m afraid that’s impossible, you’ll never know what I was going to say.”

Jason laughed. “You are a cruel woman, Piper McLean.”

She just shrugged, a smirk spreading across her face. “That’s what you get for stealing my moment.”

“How about I make it up to you?” His eyes were dark now, his nose brushing along hers and his voice deep. Piper shivered, and it wasn’t from the January air.

“I think we can work something out,” she whispered, and their mouths met in the middle as they reached for each other.

—

The first game of the season, Jason was third up to bat, and he was nervous as hell.

It was normal, especially for him. His nerves would decrease as the game went on, but that didn’t stop the shaking of his hands as he stepped up to the plate and took a couple warm up swings.

The first pitch veered to the left, just out of the strike zone.

The second was a fastball, and he was half a second too late.

He adjusted the straps on his gloves and tried to steady his breathing. This is normal, he told himself. You just need to pull it together and get your head in the game.

Great. Now I’m quoting High School Musical.

This, naturally, got I Don’t Dance stuck in his head, which wouldn’t even be an issue if Piper hadn’t made him watch the movies last week and sung that song at him constantly. (Not that he really minded; Piper’s singing voice was one of his favorite things in the world to listen to, even when accompanied by cheesy choreography.)

He glanced at the stands to his left, where he knew she was sitting with Annabeth, Grover, Hazel, and Percy’s family. He found her quickly, and she waved. His heart rate slowed, and the haze in his brain seemed to clear as he stepped back to the plate.

It probably wasn’t great to rely on her to keep him relaxed at bat. If they broke up, or fought, or even if she just missed seeing him play, he couldn’t afford to be off his game. He’d never had an issue working through his nerves before; he was sure he could do it without her, but it was so much easier to take one look at her and feel himself relax.

When he hit the ball way out to left field and made it to first with plenty of time to spare, he figured he didn’t mind relying on Piper so much. Watching her jump up and down, cheering in the stands, he got the feeling she wasn’t going anywhere.

#here it is #finally #jasiper #baseball au #otp: if i fall you're catching me #jason grace #piper mclean #fanfic #my writing #pjo #hoo

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prxttylittle · 6 years ago

Note

“Sometimes it feels like my world is falling apart.”, “Am I good enough for you?”, AND “What is it about me that makes you hate me so much?”

“Sometimes it feels like my world is falling apart.”

{ v ;; the princess and the moon.

Prince was confused to come home and find the lights dimmed and his wife sitting at the kitchen table, telling him she’d made his favourites. Now that he thought about it, he had been a little suspicious that Nick had offered to babysit Leo for a few hours, out of nowhere. He was also suspicious that his friends had wanted a day out without that meaning day-drinking or even scoffing their faces. It all added up now, they’d just been distracting him. It was unnecessary, really, in his opinion considering she was the one going through a tough time, not him. Usually, he greeted her with a kiss but since their fight the previous day, things had been tense between them. Prince had been harsh but Luna hadn’t really given him anything to work with. He shrugged off his jacket and sat down across from her at the table. He frowned when she started apologising for pushing him away. “I needed to do things that kept me busy to keep me from thinking about how shit my life feels right now. There were better ways to deal with everything, so I’m sorry and I love you.” Prince sighed and didn’t speak for a moment, his eyes just searching those of his wife. He understood, partly, where she was coming from. Prince didn’t really know what it was like to lose someone he loved. He cared about Cass, sure, but he never had near a bond to her as Luna did, he couldn’t really understand the pain. Luna had had to lose her mother, her father and her best friend and he couldn’t begin to really relate to what that meant for her. Prince didn’t technically have his parents but he bore no love for them so it wasn’t even comparable. He shook his head. “You don’t have to apologise to me. I love you, too, but your life isn’t shit, Luna. You’ve got a beautiful child who loves you.” He was going to add in about a husband that loves her and a great job but he chose to focus on the most important aspect of their life together; their son, their pride and joy, because she could hardly argue against that, right? He pursed his lips together when he noticed her getting visibly upset. “Sometimes it feels like my world is falling apart.” She barely got her sentence out before Prince was already on her side of the table, sitting beside her and pulling her in to his chest, cradling her as he ran a hand through her hair. His lips pressed gently against her forehead, hovering for a moment. He let the silence fall between them as he held her for a little bit, letting it last for a few minutes before speaking again. “I shouldn’t have gotten mad with you for pushing me away. I mean– what the fuck do I know about grief? I should have let you deal with it but I just wanted you to know you’ve got me, no matter what.” He pulled away slightly now so he could look her in the eyes, smiling softly. He kissed her, sweet and slow. “I’m sorry.”

{ v ;; no reason.

The words that escaped from Iola’s lips caused Jason to frown. He had honestly thought she was asleep until he heard her voice. Lying on his back, he turned so he was facing her, watching as she did the same. It had been a tough few days for Iola, Jason knew. He nodded slowly, reaching across the bed to take her hand in his. He brought hers to his lips, brushing against her knuckles with a soft kiss. “I know, babe.” He mumbled. He shuffled closer to her so he could wrap his arms around her, and practically his whole body as he engulfed her in his embrace. His lips grazed her forehead. Jason was being so soft and gentle with her, unsure really of how to act. He wanted to be there for her and he wanted her to not feel any sadness, but he knew that was impossible. He couldn’t take her pain away. All he could do was hold her, and kiss her, and love her. It was all he had to offer her and he hoped it was enough. Jason ran a hand through her hair, brushing loose strands out of her face. “I’ve got an idea. C’mere.” He clambered over her and out of the bed, holding out a hand for her to take. It was late, he wasn’t sure what time exactly but he knew it was late. He figured neither of them were going to get much sleep before the funeral tomorrow anyway so he wasn’t disturbing much by pulling her out of bed. He lifted her up so her legs were wrapped around his waist and her face tucked into the crook of his neck and he did his best to be silent as possible walking through the house, to avoid waking their son. They got into the kitchen and Jason set Iola down on the island in the centre of the room. Jason poured them both a glass of wine. He then unplugged the earphones out from where they were charging and handed her one. He pressed play on the playlist in their shared Spotify, the playlist that was just for them, one he hadn’t listened to in so long. Another thing they hadn’t done in so long was-- “Dance with me.” He spoke with a childlike grin on his face. He knew she wasn’t really in the mood, she was sad and grieving but it had been years since they’d fallen out of bed in the middle of the night to dance around the house like idiots. Unchained Melody came on shuffle and he held out a hand for her. When she met him on the floor, he pulled her in to kiss her. His hand rested on the small of her back, his other hand wrapping around hers. He felt her head fall against his chest as they started to dance in the centre the kitchen. While the sadness hadn’t faded, it was nice to be close to one another. The kitchen was dim, the only glow coming from the lights that lit up the countertops. It was dark outside, but the moon provided a glowing reflection on the kitchen tiles. He kissed the top of her head, lightly, before he started to speak. “I know it feels like your whole world is falling apart right now, babe, but you’re going to get through it. You’ve got Freds and you’ve got me and the rest of your family. I’m never going to not be there for you, no matter what, my love.” He pulled back slightly so he could smile down at her, reassuring her of his words. He pressed a kiss to her lips. He pressed their bodies together again to carry on slow-dancing as The Righteous Brothers played in their ears. Jason jumped slightly when the big light turned on, flooding the room with brightness. He turned around to see their son standing in the doorway, rubbing tiredly at his eyes and asking why they were dancing with no music on. Jason chuckled lightly and let his hands fall away from Iola. He took the earphone from his ear, disconnecting it so that the speaker would play the music out loud instead. A pop song came on shuffle then and Jason pulled Freddie up into his arms, dancing around with him with so much energy that the child’s giggle filled the house. He looked over to Iola and could see the adoration on her face for her boys. He hoped she could see just how okay they were going to be, all three of them together.

{ v ;; july 17th.

Zayn really didn't and couldn’t bring himself to understand Ari’s mother. It had been revealed on international television that Ari’s dad had abused her yet her mother somehow felt it appropriate to invite him round for dinner so they could resolve it? He honestly couldn't wrap his head around it, and he had wanted to let both her parents know just how strongly he felt but his girlfriend was more important. “Are you okay?” Zayn pondered as they entered their hotel room. He followed her to the bed, turning on the lights behind her. When they settled on the mattress and as she fell into his embrace, she finally spoke to him. “Sometimes I feel like my world is falling apart.” She confessed and Zayn felt his heart shatter for her. They both had had high hopes after Ari’s mother invited them for dinner, considering the concern Zayn had revolving the judgement that may come that he’d gone between dating two sisters in the family. When he was dating Perrie, their mother liked him and he’d known that. He got along very well with her and she talked fondly of him when he wasn’t around, he’d heard from Perrie many times. He wasn’t sure if that was still going to stand now that it was not only revealed how poorly he actually treated her on account of his drug abuse throughout their relationship but he had swiftly moved on to date her twin sister like it was no big deal. Now, Zayn didn’t care what her family thought of him. He believed they owed Ari the basic respect of not giving her father any kind of second chance or benefit of the doubt upon learning about his abusive tendencies. “It’s not.” He encouraged her, kissing the top of her head, rubbing a soothing hand up and down her arm. “He’s done enough to hurt you and you shouldn’t let him make you feel like this anymore. Your world is doing just fine despite everything he’s done to change that and I refuse to let him or your mum or anyone else try to push you down like that. This isn’t a setback, you went, you saw him and you left. Nothing bad happened, your world didn’t ‘fall apart’, and you were so strong.” Zayn pulled back so her head was no longer laying on his chest, forcing her to meet his gaze. He smiled, a timid one but a smile nonetheless. “You’re doing just fine, and I am proud.”

{ v ;; what if.

Ashton had only been partly confused when his phone rang at 2AM and it was Ari asking him to come and collect her. He was quick in obliging and had been over to her home in less than thirty minutes. The car ride back to his apartment was awkward and silent. Ashton didn't want to push what was wrong and Ari obviously didn't want to talk about it. Ashton tried to piece together what happened but there was so many possibilities, all signs pointing to Zayn of course. Ashton had seen the reunion episode of Gyhab which had aired lived the night previous. Zayn wasn’t in it. Ashton didn’t know if Zayn couldn’t make it or if he didn’t want to but when he’d watched he had hoped something happened that the married couple didn’t want to be together. Ashton would never tell anyone that he hoped that, but he did. Ashton looked over to Ari when he noticed the sound of her sniffling; she was crying. He didn’t say anything but he took one hand from the wheel to place it on her thigh, squeezing encouragingly. They pulled into the drive of his apartment and he ignored how tightly she wrapped her hood over her head. He doubted any paparazzi were lurking at this hour of the night especially around his apartment but he chose not to question her. “Tea?” He offered weakly when they entered through his front door. She shook her head and stated she was just tired. Ashton couldn’t stand how awkward it was between them, he just didn’t understand why. He got that Ari felt guilty whenever she came running to Ashton during her marital issues only to return to her husband the next day without a second thought. He wondered if the tension was because they both had done this so many times that they knew it was going to happen again. Neither of them were even pretending that her being here meant anything more than it should this time. Ashton sighed as he pulled up the covers for her to lay down. She wrapped a hand around his wrist and asked him to say, to which of course he agreed. Ashton snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her body in close to his, letting his lips graze her neck lightly. “I hope you’re okay, Ari. I don’t know what happened but you deserve to feel alright.” He whispered into the dark of the night. Silence for a moment. “Sometimes I feel like my world is just falling apart.” She finally spoke and what could Ashton say to that? It wasn’t as if he was about to start going off an a ten-minute speech on why Ari had the perfect life. He couldn’t say that for or to her. Everytime they did this, he held her and did his best to distract her and then she would leave, he felt his world fall apart. He chose not to relate by saying that, either. He nodded. “You’re safe here.” He paused. “With me. You can always lean on me, whether your world is falling apart or you’re on top of it, I’m always going to be here.” His arm didn’t move from her waist when she finally turned around in the bed to face him. He smiled softly despite how she could barely see him. “I’m not going anywhere.” He mumbled, leaning in to connect their lips.

“Am I good enough for you?”

{ v ;; the princess and the moon.

Prince had been painting when Luna showed up at his apartment. He didn’t do it very often-- to Panda’s disdain. His sister loved when he put time into his hobby of art but Prince just never had the muse or the time. He mostly put his artistic energy into tattooing himself. Well, he’d been finished painting when Luna showed up. He’d just set the canvas to the side of the room to dry and was about to clean up when she fell onto the floor beside him. She’d complimented his painting and the moment had turned so sweet that Prince had been uncomfortable and, to ease the tension between them, had taken a paintbrush covered in yellow and flicked it her way, splattering yellow dots down her face and shirt. To retaliate, she’d dipped a hand in red paint and dragged it down his chest, making him furious at first until he was coming back with a splash of blue until eventually his floor, the pile of laundry at the end of the bed, some of the wall and most importantly the two of them were covered in paint. He tackled her to the floor to get her to stop flinging paint his direction, pinning her down underneath him. His eyes scanned her face, red and blue mingling to make purple, yellow splotches like bright freckles. He smirked, taking one hand from pinning her arm down to cup her face. His thumb brushed the drying paint on her skin, scraping through some white paint to turn the purple into lilac. It looked good and he couldn’t help but smile. And just as he leaned in to kiss her, Luna spoke. “Am I good enough for you?” She asked and he frowned, pausing. It was an unexpected, to say the least. It had no correlation to any recent conversation nor what they were doing right now. He loosened his grip where he was still pinning her down to the floor and pulled back slightly. He didn’t understand why she would ask that, especially considering how many times she, and others, had said how she deserved much better than him. Usually, the serious talk or the attempt to discuss feelings was something that made Prince run a mile. He would either tell her to shut the fuck up or storm out, bar the few times he’d confessed the truth. He didn’t feel so afraid right now. Prince leaned back in, pressing his lips to hers lightly and letting his eyes flutter closed. He was being sweet, somewhat gentle with her, his lips ghosting her own. There was nothing heated about, no aggression or intense passion like it usually was with them. There was a twisting in his stomach as he kissed her like this, some kinds of nerves or unsettling that he didn’t appreciate but chose to ignore. Prince pulled back, his eyes remaining closed for a beat. They finally blinked open, his gaze meeting hers. “’Course you are, babe.” Prince whispered. He dipped a finger onto the palette beside them, wetting his digit in green paint. He dotted a smiley face on her cheek, smirking playfully. “More than enough.”

{ v ;; no reason.

Jason grabbed his phone out of Iola’s hand and marched away from her and into the bedroom. He didn’t doubt she was going to follow him, demanding who the girl in his Instagram DM’s was. “I don’t know, Iola!” He snapped, his voice raised louder than he had intended. “I didn’t even fucking text her back, so why are you getting angry at me?” He still hadn’t turned to face her since storming away from her, his irritation growing the more she questioned his loyalty to her. He knew if he saw the fury on her face, he'd just get more annoyed. He busied himself by picking through his laundry and putting it away, still ignoring her. Eventually he felt her hand on his arm, turning him around. Their scowls were almost mirroring when their gaze met, both annoyed at one another. Iola detailed how that one wasn’t the only girl and he rolled his eyes. “I have a lot of followers Iola, some of them are bound to message me.” And he scoffed when she pointed out that he’d been flirting with the girl that served them at the restaurant earlier and she’d ‘totally caught him checking out the neighbour’ whom Jason had helped carry a box into the next-door apartment when they’d bumped into her on their way into the building. “Now you’re just making stuff up for the sake of fighting with me. I’m just a friendly guy, there’s nothing wrong with that!” Jason couldn’t understand Iola’s jealousy half the time. When they had first met and started dating he was a nervous, stuttering wreck and remained that way for weeks, even months into their relationship. How she assumed he could find the confidence to chat up so many girls on a daily basis was a mystery to him. “This is exhausting.” Jason stormed past Iola and back into the kitchen, pulling a beer from the fridge. He slammed the fridge door shut just as she caught up to him. “Jason, am I good enough for you?” And just that question was enough to wash away all of his anger. His eyes met hers and he could see the sincerity in her features, if her tone hadn’t been enough. He bit down on his lip and sighed, placing his beer on the counter before making his way across the room to her. He placed a hand on either of her arms, rubbing up and down soothingly. Jason kissed her forehead. “Good enough, more than enough, too good.” He mumbled, his words slightly muffled from the fact his lips were still on her. “I could never find anyone better for me than you, and I wouldn't want to. I love you.” He shook his head. “You are more than good enough for me and that’s why I don’t understand how you get so-- so angry and so jealous. I would never want anyone else, I will never want anyone but you.” He pressed another kiss to her forehead, her cheeks, the tip of her nose, around her mouth and then finally kissed her lips. “Okay?”

{ v ;; july 17th.

Zayn sighed and looked at their counsellor who was looking between them. Part of Zayn hated how he could never read her expression, she was so good at keeping it straight. “See, she always says things like that. Like, how many times can I tell her she’s good enough for me until it just starts feeling like a habit?” Zayn glanced to Ari. When they agreed to start doing counselling together, he had this kind of cinematic-expectation where they just show up, she tells them what they’ve done wrong to lead their relationship to be like this for her to then tell them what to do to fix it. It had been nothing like that. The first time she had made them fill out a questionnaire which Zayn had felt childish doing. The next few times she had made them talk so much about their relationship that Zayn felt uncomfortable. She gave advice in tiny tidbits unlike sounding out every bit of relationship-knowledge she had stored in her brain in the first session, like Zayn had been unrealistically hoping for. A lot of the time she didn’t even really give advice or offer an opinion and left Ari and Zayn to have the floor while she sometimes intervened with a ‘why’ or a ‘how does that feel’ between arguments. He really had believed this was going to be easy but it was far from it. Zayn crossed his arms and sat back in the seat when the counsellor focused her attention on Zayn, asking why he thinks Ari would ask him that. He shrugged, avoiding his fiancees gaze. “Because she’s insecure.” He answered, short. There was silence and Zayn knew a much better answer was expected of him. He sat forward rubbing his hands together. “Uh, because when she first told me about her self harm, I didn’t really say anything. Then, I broke up with her because I didn’t want her to, like, rely on me so much and then” he paused, rubbing his hands over his face, feeling the guilt consume him as he reminisced on their relationship. “Then I left her when she told me she relapsed because I thought it somehow meant she didn’t, like, love me enough to stop. And, probably, because after our son died I stopped spending time with her and even really talking to her so that I could grieve on my own.” Zayn hated when it was his turn to admit his faults in the relationship. The therapist nodded and there was something soothing about her silence, for once. It made Zayn feel like he could talk. Having her there meant a neutral mediator and not just constant back-and-forth between he and Ari. He probably wouldn’t confess that to Ari afterwards though. “She probably says that because I treat her like she’s not good enough.” He admitted with a sigh. Zayn had never actually listed out loud the things he'd done to hurt Ari. He’s apologised and they’ve moved on but they never go back to talking about it. “Zayn, do you think Ari is not enough for you?” She asked and Zayn felt almost humoured by the question but he had to stop himself from laughing when he realised the things he’d just listed that indicated otherwise. He shook his head. “Of course not. I love Ari.” He looked to Ari now, taking her hand. “I do, I love you. I can’t change the way I’ve acted but I guess that’s why we’re here. I want to prove myself to you. You are good enough and I want to marry you and spend our lives together, happy.”

{ v ;; katie and leo.

Katie sighed when Leo started talking about how he thought it was time that they stop messing around and finally get together. She had given him this exact same speech three months earlier but he turned her down he had made some good points that were all coming to her mind now. They weren't ready, she felt. She was still too young, as was he. Katie didn’t want them to get together only for them to become bored of each other by the time school was over or when they got older and realised they’d missed out on other stuff by only being with one another. She sighed, and reached past him to pick up her shirt to bring it over her head. Maybe the benefits thing was the issue. If they were fooling around but not being exclusive, then maybe they were just causing more harm than good. “Leo, we’ve talked about this.” Katie pulled her shirt over her head and climbed off the bed, feeling his arms fall from where they’d been at her waist. She missed his touch already. “We’re not ready to be together. I think you know that, too. You’re just bored right now and want us to move on with something.” She shrugged, not 100% believing her words but she needed an excuse to turn him down. She watched as he turned around on the bed to face her. “Am I good enough for you?” he challenged and she was across the room in seconds, her hands on either side of his face. “Shut up, Leo. That's not what this is about. You’re more than enough for me, you’re my best fucking friend and I would never want anyone in my life as much as I do you.” She kissed him with passion. Katie truly loved Leo but something about them becoming a couple in the school halls was just scary to her. She wasn't really sure why, it’s not as if she cared about what the other kids thought. It was more of a personal thing. “I fucking love you, I just don’t want to be your ‘girlfriend’ just yet.” She smirked as she pulled away from him. “But don’t worry, I’ll probably offer again in another three months and you can turn me down next.”

“What is it about me that makes you hate me so much?”

{ v ;; the princess and the moon.

Prince rolled his eyes, and made an attempt to leave the room but she blocked his pathway. He huffed out a breath and glared down at her. “Get the fuck out of my way.” He snarled but, adding to his infuriation, she didn’t. It was starting to seem quite stupid of her to even ask why he hated her so much when all she ever did was give him reasons to. He sighed and stepped away from her, aware he wasn’t getting out of the room until he answered her question. “Because you’re so fucking annoying. I’ve literally never met someone as annoying as you in my fucking life. It’s like you know that you’re annoying too and you try to add to it just to piss me off. You purposely piss me off all the fucking time. You speak in Spanish despite how I know that you know the English for what you’re trying to say. You ask too many questions in class, you chew gum so fucking loudly it makes me want to tear it out of your fucking mouth. And you style your fucking school uniform, like, we all wear the same one why do you have to make yours look so fucking–” And he wished, he so wished he didn’t pause. Because the hesitation gave him away. The unfinished sentence and all it’s possible endings swirled around in his mind– the words hot, beautiful, sexy all danced in his brain and it just got under his skin even further. His anger and his irritation was growing with each given second he spent in this room. He went to leave again but she was still blocking him. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t shoved her out of the way instead of allowing her to trap him inside the room like she was. He huffed out a breath, his nostrils flaring as he did so. His gaze settled on hers, the anger evident on his features. “Why d’you have to ask why I hate you? This is fucking why. Move.” She did not. Prince wrapped a hand around her arm but he didn’t move her, he just held on. He leaned in, his face close to hers. He was trying to be intimidating but something about the moment felt more heated than he was expecting. “I wouldn’t make a habit out of crossing me, if I were you.” His tone was low, and threatening. It was a threat. It was definitely a threat, so Prince didn’t understand how suddenly she had her hands on his neck, her legs wrapped around his waist as he pulled her up with his hands under thighs, their lips kissing furiously at each other. It wasn’t sweet, or even nice for that matter. It was just violent, clashing of lips and teeth as he carried her to the bed.

{ v ;; no reason.

Jason just had to laugh. He really had no other choice, he just had to let the noise fall from his lips. He couldn’t believe that this was his life, his girlfriend and her words were serious. He shook his head. “You’re so dramatic.” He spoke, his tone not as amused-sounding as his laughter had been. “--I’m not saying that, like, as an answer to you as in that’s something I hate about you I’m just stating that you are.” He could tell she wasn’t amused but frankly, neither was he. Jason didn’t know if Iola was trying to provide something for her to do with her day since she had the day off but he didn't consider it very fair for her to start a fight with him five minutes before he had to go out the door. Couldn't she use her boredom to play Candy Crush or look up memes on the internet? He didn’t understand why she had to constantly start this fight out of nowhere. “Baby, I don’t hate you. Obviously, I don’t hate you. I fucking love you but I’m only 25 and I feel like I can’t even as much as turn the microwave on without supervision. I can’t even imagine how you think you’re old enough to get married. As in, I can’t actually formulate where your thought process is coming from.” He scoffed. He didn't want to make fun of her or make her feel as though her feelings regarding the proposal issue were invalid but her logic was just non-existent in his eyes. “Me not wanting to marry you has nothing to do with my feelings for you, I obviously want to spend the rest of my life with you and I’m going to. If you want to think that I hate you just because I would like to be your boyfriend for a longer time while we are already spending our lives together, then that’s your prerogative. Stop dragging me into it.” And with that, Jason gathered his things and made his way toward the front door. Surely, Iola would spend her day thinking into every little word that came out of his mouth and he would probably come home from work to her fuming at him for marching out without actually doing anything to reassure her that being with her was his priority. He hadn’t done anything to squash her concerns or her fears around their relationship because he hadn’t felt like he’d had to. Standing in the elevator, he had to let out a quiet chuckle to himself as he recalled her asking what she’d done to make him her her so; what a stupid question.

{ v ;; july 17th.

Zayn considered Ari’s question. Apart from sneaking into her room two nights prior to sleep with her, everything he said, and did certainly pointed in the direction of the possibility that he hated her. She made a valid point, there. But when she said it, he knew he didn't. Zayn didn't hate Ari, in fact he believed he had a bit of a crush on her, if he really thought about it. Zayn liked to mess around, though. He was going to tease and tease as much as he could to get the most entertainment as he could out of this. “I don’t know. Maybe I get a kick out of this love-hate relationship we’ve got going.” He laughed when she scoffed at his definition of their relationship. So maybe it was lacking any love, she was right there. Zayn couldn't think of a genuine reason as to why he got such a kick out of making fun of Ari and making her life unnecessarily difficult. Arguing with her, whether it was playful or coming from a mean place, was better than any peaceful conversation Zayn ever had with Perrie. "Maybe you’re just easy to hate, Arianna.” He chuckled quietly when she went to storm away from him because he wasn’t really giving her anything to work with. Zayn let her storm off, going to amuse himself elsewhere in the house. Zayn returned to his own room to see Perrie playing with Hatchi. She beamed up at him and he immediately knew he didn’t want to be here with her. He kissed his girlfriend and threw a toy across the room for Hatchi before making up an excuse that he had just come back to grab a jacket because he was going to head out for a bit with Cody. Zayn happened to know Cody was already out of the house. He quickly slipped back out of his room and made his way to Ari’s. He didn’t bother knocking. “What, Zayn?” He ignored her snippy attitude. “I don’t hate you.” He confessed, locking the door behind him as he stepped into the room. Zayn sat down next to her on the bed, holding her gaze the entire time. “You do annoy me and I don’t get half of your jokes or references and I hate the fact that you hate my child, Hatchi, but I don’t hate you.” His tone was softer now than it had been the first time he was talking to her. He reached out his hand to cover hers. Zayn had enjoyed their night spent together, and while Cody and Perrie remained in the dark, he couldn’t see anything too wrong about it. In fact, he wanted to do it again. He laughed when she pulled her hand away and insisted she hated him. Zayn shuffled closer to her. He leaned in so their faces were inches apart, noticing she didn’t move. “Do you hate me, Ari?” He whispered, feeling the tension fall deep in the air between them. His gaze flicked down to her lips before meeting her eyes again. He smirked. “Cause I don’t think you do.” he leaned in further and when she didn’t pull away again, he kissed her. It was bold and a little outrageous considering their relationships but they’d already slept together. How much harm could this cause, really?

{ b ;; squad goals. I guess

Cassie was practically beaming as she walked through to the kitchen of Matt and Nick’s flat. She hopped up on the counter beside Nick who was attempting to clean but didn’t seem to know the difference between spray for counter-tops and window-cleaner. She continued beaming until he paid attention to her. “What are you grinning about?” He queried before he gave up on scrubbing to make some tea. She looked over to Prince who hadn’t as much as spared her a glance since she walked in. The smell of whatever he was smoking caused her nose to crinkle in disgust before she re-focused on Nick. She took her tea from him. “I have a theory that I think you’re going to love!” She chuckled at the mere thought of it. He didn’t even have to press her any further. “I think that Matt and Luna are sleeping together.” And just as she spoke, Nick practically spat out his tea. He looked at her like she had gone insane. She felt Prince’s eyes on her. Nick informed her that he would know if they were, and so would she for that matter. She shook her head. “I think they’re keeping it a secret. Come on, it makes so much sense!” Cassie placed her cup of tea down so she could talk even more with her hands than she already was. “She’s definitely been sleeping with someone, okay, and I’ve heard whoever it is –Matt– sneak out at, like, 6 in the morning more than once this month. He’s always flirting with her.” She rolled her eyes when Nick insisted that Matt flirts with everybody, pointing out he never flirts with her. She watched as she could see on his face that he was considering the idea. “Okay, listen. She always goes missing at his parties, last week she offered to drop you back your phone charger that you lent me. And remember that time that we ‘randomly’ bumped into Luna literally down the street and she looked all flustered? Like, first of all why was she around here without at least you knowing she’d called around? And you remember Matt said he hadn’t even seen her? I mean, she was hardly at Prince’s considering how much she hates Prince.” She looked over to the raven-haired boy whose presence made her feel uncomfortable. “No offence, Prince.” She quickly added but he just rolled his eyes. “Just keep me out of your stupid theories.” He said before re-focusing on his phone. Cassie turned back to Nick, to catch him putting the pieces together, the sense formulating on his face. She watched his eyes widen. The fact that he was seeing the logic in her theory just helped confirm it for herself. She beamed to herself, proud that she had come up with this. When Nick asked her why they would keep it a secret, she shrugged. “I don’t know, that’s the part I’m struggling with. Like, I’m not going to tell her that I totally know her secret because she obviously wants to keep it hidden for a reason and I respect that but I just don’t get why. Like, is it just because he’s the ugliest out of the three of you? I don’t get why that should matter, Matt is nice and it’s not as if he’s that ugly.” Cassie chewed down on her lower lip. Now that Nick was on board, she was even further convinced of her theory but she just couldn’t figure out why Luna wouldn’t tell her. “What is it about me that makes you hate me so much?” Nick spoke and Cassie frowned, confused. “Now I’m going to watch everything they do and I’m going to be suspicious when he has girls over, which he always does. You’ve ruined them for me, Cassie.” Cassie just rolled her eyes and hopped down off the counter. At the same time, Prince let out a sigh, probably done with hearing Cassie’s voice, and marched out of the room barely offering Nick a goodbye. Cassie re-focused on Nick. “So I’m definitely right, huh? Matt and Luna are for sure having a secret relationship?”

#if you're not listening to unchained melody for Jason and Iola in the first one then don't even BOTHER reading it #im telling u #also imagine being as stupid as @cassie williams #also I rlly only had muse for princess moon and no reason #the others are well u know they're just there :)#ly bye #{ v ;; the princess and the moon.#{ v ;; no reason.#{ v ;; what if.#{ v ;; katie & leo.#{ b ;; squad goals.#beencaughts #memed

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nanyoky · 7 years ago

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hey gang guess who’s sick in bed and therefore not drinking but is definitely getting Fever Weird which is the next best thing really

No it’s not i’m sick as a dog and fucking miserable and probably not going to be as much fun as usual, full disclosure. Instead of sushi and cider like my usual wednesdays, i’m having tang and saltines so.... cheers.

also i want you all to know there were no working links so i had to wait for the official cw stream to go up like a pauper come on team it’s 2018 we’re better than this

mayor mac and the lodges are still in cahoots and now v knows why but you know who doesn’t yet? ME THAT’S WHO

oh wow so that’s penelope’s deal now

this is- in a darkly hilarious way- the photo negative of season one keller boys “no cruising guys today kiddo” “good GAWD dad”. “i may be a widow but i can still fucking PULL” “good GAWD mom”

i should not be laughing but oh my god CHERYL’S FACE jesus h christ

it’s veronica’s job to keep next gen riverdale chill “when the news breaks” ruh-roh

did archie say he’s going to start a band “of redheads”? so just- him on guitar and cheryl screaming into the mic like a kraken? that’s the only possibility i can envision

“are you upset?” “upset? ronnie, i’m crazy about you” that is a suburban white mom level of non-answer, archie- stop hanging out with alice cooper

RED ALERT KEVIN READS CLIVE BARKER NOVELS AND MY LOVE FOR HIM GROWS EVEN MORE

awkward betty and archie eye contact is almost as obvious as veronica’s stilted forced “we should probably all stay calm....” to the room at large

((the saltines went over pretty well so i think i’mma try some chicken nuggest pray for me team))

“my home is a dickensian nightmare- i won’t have my school turn into one too!” there is just... so much here. short version: cheryl’s origin story is that of the classic highschool bully: not in control of her home life, so enacts violent control over her school. in this way she has not changed. also jesus christ she’s so fucking dramatic i love her like this is in any way her problem but she’s automatically FURIOUS about it. but also just: wow cheryl hates poor people.

“of course. we’re fine.” kevin’s skeptical face (tm) is mint. top shelf. the good shit.

“jones- this is very lovecraftian, which i’m sure was the intention.” toni has jughead Figured Out, and i’m not sure he’s comfortable with that.

*jake peralta voice* toni- first off your insinuating voice is way too high you sound like meryl streep in mama mia

oh my god sweetpea and fangs are just so dumb. so pretty and so dumb. just because you two wear leather jackets and flannel doesn’t mean you’re not dumb jocks. i’m calling it: sweetpea/reggie. can you imagine the angry makeouts???? so much angry repressed sexuality.

toni’s face of “oh god why are you morons celebrating” is some of the best we’ve seen of her so far my hopes are high for next gen serpent characterization with this plotline

WHAT DOES HIRAM NEED ALL THIS LAND FOR?!?!?!?!?!

POLLY MY GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh wow yeah actress must have gotten a better gig or something and is only available for a cameo or two if a show as drama loving as RIVERDALE is keeping the birth of twins offscreen

THE LEADERS OF THE FARM?????? NO. NO. UNACCEPTABLE.

“juniper and dagwood” *betty face*

also yes polly you are in a cult get your babies and LEAVE. go hang out with smithers and joaquin whom i command are safe and happy and healthy wherever they are

“that’s mine by the way” FUCKIN COLD.

FINALLY someone other than the sheriff’s office is getting involved in how fucking SHADY this “small” town is

“is this even legal, what you’re asking me to do?” SMART, REASONABLE ARCHIE IS HERE TO STAY I LOVE SMART, REASONABLE ARCHIE WHO HAS LEARNED NOT TO JUST ACCEPT EVERYTHING ADULTS TELL HIM AT FACE VALUE

oh nevermind one seed of doubt and he’s back. poor boy. sweet boy. dumb boy.

oh nooooo freddddd

fp in his adorkable pop’s uniform smugly nudging about betty is a great moment everyone deserves an in-law that loves them like fp loves betty

please tell me “doctor beeker” is their actual science teacher’s name

we all know that finding the lost cooper brother is going to do ANYTHING but make alice a happier, more stable person right this is not going to end well

i mean even if he wasn’t a minor and using him to get information from a dangerous criminal was a profoundly shitty thing to do, the fbi could have picked literally anyone in town that would have been a better double agent because this is.... not a subtle conversation.

GREAT SONG CHOICE FOR THE SERPENTS’ INTRO TO RHS ((my mom had a tape with this song on it that she’d play to get me pumped for kindergarten))

okay i’m only going to say this once and then probably once more in the scorecard but: how much better would this mixed school plot have been if JOAQUIN WAS STILL IN TOWN?!?!?! the joy and comedy if he and kevin got back together?? the ANGST IF THEY DIDN’T?!?!?!?!?! i am CHEATED. LAID LOW. BITCHSLAPPED.

THAT BEING SAID: this is so good already. serpents swaggering in. veronica’s stepford forced cheer. cheryl and reggie STRUTTING to create conflict.

toni’s face upon gazing at cheryl once more is just so very gay. angry gay. furious that she has to see those mile long legs again.

“no one invited facist barbie to the party” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "ragamuffins” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh archie. so pure. so ineffective. as always.

did jughead just sidehug sweetpea away from conflict are they there now

i haven’t been paying enough attention to outfits so far but the placement of cheryl’s iconic spider broach not over her heart like a normal broach, but ON HER SHOULDER LIKE IT’S CRAWLING was a topnotch choice by wardrobe

again this is some classic response to sexual assault in the category of “well that’s unfortunate” until it’s about someone close to you come on archie you’re better than this.

which of course reinforces cheryl’s “me against the world” attitude because NO ONE SEEMS TO FUCKING CARE that she was attacked except veronica and the cats

“of the park avenue lodges” juggie. not helping. although i’d like to think jughead has mentioned veronica enough that toni knows this is just mild teasing between unlikely friends

josie’s awkward “now just... josie...” BROKE MY HEART

“joaquin and i used to hang out. talked about you all the time” OF COURSE HE FUCKING DID THAT POOR BOY WAS *ELIZA SCHUYLER VOICE* HELPLLLLLEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS. also i’m so happy joaquin has FRIENDS that hopefully still keep in touch please just someone check on him i miss my gay biker leo

godfuckingdammit reggie

“no more serpent jackets” okay- okay- i really need to ask the writers to go to a real high school just once. once. in what world would they have not made this a rule already???? i got in trouble in middleschool for wearing a bandana okay and i was a weird horse girl and LOOKED IT.

is josie hanging out with the core four+kevin because cheryl’s weirdness was scaring her off and the cats have cut all ties? has she lost her entire support network??? i’m worried about alpha kitty guys include her in stuff

jughead is #worked up and toni is having none of it thank god for toni

“i just need to borrow one of jason’s blazers” thank GOD they haven’t abandoned creepy ties between jason and archie. please someone share my half baked conspiracy theory that they were switched at birth and archie is the real blossom twin

juggie. i love you. i genuinely do. but you are being a prime fucking asshole right now.

i was rolling my eyes so hard at jughead’s bullshit i almost missed sweetpea’s turtleneck which would have been a TRAGEDY

this separation between jughead’s attitude and the rest of the serpents is finally bringing to light what has bothered me about his plot this season so far. he’s so fucking desperate to fit into his role as the heir apparent to the gang but he doesn’t actually know shit about being in a gang and being in danger all the time. for all he grew up poor his has this really privileged attitude and i can’t wait for toni and co. to just tell him to sit down and shut up because believe it or not his actions have consequences

OH MY GOD VERONICA’S SOLUTION IS MAKEOVERS BECAUSE OF COURSE IT IS

i was going to say “what they didn’t call ahead???” but of course not. cooper women do not call ahead

i mean we all knew this wasn’t going to go well and i think a lot of us thought it might be a possibility but...... umm.... heavens.... golly.... that.... that uh... looks like.... ayoungblondskeetulrich. .....jinkies.

oh god why do we have two prostitution plotlines in one episode why why is this a thing in riverdale now

on a lighter note they are hitting into my nostalgia funny bone hard this ep with the game in the whyte wurm being mortal combat ii it’s been years since i’ve gazed on those pixilated icons of my childhood

fp giving you advice on doing the smart thing instead of your kneejerk reaction to a shit situation is a real lowpoint i hope you realize that juggie

again, as heavy as it is, i’m glad they don’t shy away from the dreaded “R” bomb with this nick plotline. like characters seem hesitant to say it in a realistic way, but they do use it which keeps it from feeling like the creators trying to write around controversy

i like that they’re acknowledging it’s pretty shitty of archie to not care until it’s about veronica it feels like brewing #character development

BAHAHAHA TONI AND SWEETPEA LOOK ADORABLY HORRIBLE THIS PLOTLINE IS BLESSED

I mean don’t get me wrong, i love seeing nick get beat up as much as anyone else, but archie should have def talked to veronica before all that and she’s right to be upset

yess betty goin to rescue her bro and showing up in the suspiciously convenient nick of time i love it

archie being a good boy and clearing the air about the kiss before things get out of hand but also.... not mentioning the fbi agent after her dad is such a very riverdale thing to do

omg they’re making a d&d cover group i lied i’m bringing it up again HOW DARE THEY NOT HAVE JOAQUIN HERE FOR THIS WHEN HIS BOYFRIEND IS A CERTIFIED D&D NERD CAN YOU FUCKING IMAGINE THE BANTER

BLOSSOMS JESUS H CHRIST

god this poor lost cooper boy this is the most awkward situation ever because you know alice and hal are not going to handle this well and you know betty is going to try too hard to make it work and you know chic is probably involved in some stuff that will be Plot (tm) later on and this is just A Lot

archie.....

chic..... (we’re supposed to find this threatening, but psych, chic is noticing all the suspiciously different features they have almost like they might be half siblings instead of full siblings.....)

Episode Scorecard:

# of Sick Beat Drop Editing Sequences: None

Do I Still Miss Joaquin: Do i have to fucking elaborate YES okay goddammit someone better be working on a “joaquin never left” au to fit in with this serpents at rhs plot as we speak or i will be MOST CROSS.

Episode Hair MVP: Toni’s was looking particularly nice today

Episode Outfit MVP: sweetpea’s turtleneck. hands down. but with a close second being the placement of cheryl’s spider.

Episode Cast/Crew Shoutout: soundtrack was better than it has been this season- good choices there.

#nell liveblogs #long post #unsubtle highschool suburban gothic of my dreams #riverdale #riverdale season 2 #riverdale spoilers

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jflashandclash · 8 years ago

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Blood of a Mayan

Twenty-Seven: Ajax

Learning Nothing in Life is Free… Except Free Vouchers

There is no good way to apologize for death threats. Sure, you could send someone flowers and a note that said I’m sorry I threatened to kill you. Dinners on me, but that didn’t feel sincere. Pax could tell that’s exactly what Axel was thinking each time he glanced at Kally. Well, except without the dinner on me part, since that would be too much like a date and would be weird for all parties.

Once Axel gained full control of himself, he looked like he needed a two year vacation to Disneyworld. His eyes looked solemn and exhausted. His face was pale and sweaty. When he stood up, his legs wobbled.

Despite his danger status being at level newborn, Kally gave him a wide berth when she went to heal Leo Valdez. Pax figured it might be awhile before the two could partake in group hugs.

“What was your sister talking about?” Kally asked while kneeling beside the son of Hephaestus. She wouldn’t make eye contact with either of them, but took one of Leo’s hands into her lap. As she sang to heal his wrists, her voice quivered.

“I don’t know, but it sounded pretty end-of-the-worldy,” Pax said. He tried to think of something else to say to her that might explain away some of their actions or maybe something cheery like, “Good thing you have nightmares about Python every night so you don’t need to worry about Axel and I showing up.” That didn’t really feel appropriate.

Red Alert: The Silver Tongued Snake has run out of words.

Axel’s eyes drifted until they fixated on Pax. Had this not been Axel, a being that was—as far as Pax was concerned—a gift from the gods of Awesome and Wow, Pax would have said Axel looked scared and confused.

“We need to get all of you back to Camp Half-Blood,” he Axel. He staggered over to the work bench with the brightly colored beach towel. He grabbed it and walked to Backbiter. The blade still lay on the ground, glistening sinisterly in the moonlight and torchlight.

Both Kally and Pax flinched when Axel wrapped up the blade.

“You’re not seriously going to keep that sword are you? I mean, you go all ‘Here’s Johnny!’ when you touch the metal,” Pax said.

Axel frowned.

That was the worst Pax had ever seen Axel struggle with the Leonis Caput. Considering Axel had even been wearing a silver onesie and still looked terrifying, that meant this was pretty serious. That was the real monstrosity there: adult onesies.

“Help me get everyone back into the van,” Axel said.

By “help me get everyone back into the van,” Axel had really meant, “Watch me pass out in the back and do all the work for me.” After Axel collapsed halfway into the van and Pax dragged him the rest of the way inside. Pax took Hunnie out of his pocket and gently placed her on Axel’s face. Within moments, Baller hopped into the back and rushed to investigate the beach towel at Axel’s side. Experimentally, Baller bit at the material.

Pax hoped that the sword wouldn’t call some inner demon out of Baller. He really didn’t want to fight a ten foot long weasel wielding a sword and demanding beef jerky.

The next half hour was a little awkward. While Kally fixed up Leo, Pax raided the shack for leftover stew and to-go boxes. Pax even paid for the stew and wished he could write up a little citation notice for Leo about violating California Code SB-1221 from Officer Doofus. Leo wouldn’t remember who that was, but that might make it even better. Unfortunately, he figured Kally wouldn’t be in the mood to transcribe for him.

Pax swiped a few of those vouchers his mom had mentioned off the counter and walked outside to meet Kally.

She’d finished fixing up Leo and managed to drag him onto the work table beside Calypso. While Pax was inside pillaging, she must have gathered her messenger bag. Pax frowned when she saw her hand defensively on her Argonaut statue.

“I stole each of us free vouchers for Reese’s Sundays,” Pax informed her, holding up the slips of paper. “Located at Moma’s Sweets only a ten minute drive without donkey power.”

“Free vouchers are meant to be taken,” Kally said.

“Oh, well, I legally acquired them,” he said with a devilish grin. That somehow sounded more sinister and Pax would have normally been proud of it.

She didn’t crack a smile. Those green eyes were soul crushing. She tried to stand up tall and look authoritative, though Pax could see she was still shaken. “When we get back to Camp Half-Blood, you’re telling Chiron everything.”

That sounded about as smart as skydiving with a trash bag. Pax opened his mouth to protest.

Kally continued, gulping, “If you don’t, I—I will.”

That was like skydiving with one of those complimentary, airplane throw-up bags, prefilled for grossness. “Uh, eternal torment. Orkus—” Pax reminded her. His heart thumped in his ears. The little stunt with the River Styx might be back firing.

“I don’t care. What happened to Axel back there wasn’t good for him and he’s not fit to… do whatever with your dad. Obviously you really want to stop your dad, but—but maybe we should leave it to the real heroes. Maybe, if we tell Chiron, Jason Grace or Percy Jackson can do it.”

The real heroes.

Ow, my tiny bit of pride. Getting hit in the pride and the righteousness all in one day? Pax was waiting for someone to finish him off, to tell him he wasn’t cuter than a baby panda, and send him to tears. Though by nature of how pathetic and adorable he would look while crying, he might be able to disprove their claim.

A part of him screamed that Jason and Percy weren’t any better than he or Axel. He, Axel, and Alabaster had been training to and probably could have taken them out, but that tidbit of information might not help defend his case.

The rest of him realized she was right. Relief flooded over him when he thought about someone else—some real heroes—arresting their dad. Axel had always said it was a family matter, but Pax didn’t care. If Piper, or Jason, or Annabeth were on the line against the Pax family, it would mean Axel was safe, hiding with him. They wouldn’t need the stupid Golden Net or Backbiter.

“We could hold a game show to find out which hero gets the quest and a complimentary shirt—” As he spoke, he could see the rims around her eyes getting red. Yea, he couldn’t handle it if she started crying, because he would definitely start to cry too and then Ares would show up and beat them both up for being wimps and take their lunch money, or at least rob Leo’s shop since that’s where all of Pax’s lunch money had gone.

“Sorry,” he cut himself off. No jokes. No jokes, he chanted in his head to keep focused. He puffed up his cheeks and popped them. He wanted to make everything right. This might have been the best way. “I’ll tell Chiron everything. I… I swear on the—”

“Stop.” She held up a hand and took a step closer to him, eyes wide. “I—I don’t want anyone to have a River Styx curse. And I want to know that you’re going to do it because you’re going to do it, not because you’re afraid of eternal pain or whatever.”

Pax puffed up his cheeks and popped them. He realized he’d messed up a good thing with Kally, but he didn’t realize how good a thing it could have been until that response. She really was a fantastic person. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he and Axel didn’t deserve good people. “Can I quote you on a motivational poster?” he asked.

Something about the way he looked at her must have cued Kally in to the type of adoration he was feeling. She blushed, then scowled. “Shut up, I’m still mad at you.”

“Cyclopes got fangs,” he teased. Upon seeing the way she gripped her Argonaut statue, he held his hands up. “Sorry—I’m sorry. You have every right to be mad.” Don’t joke. Don’t make a joke. Keep it together man!

She sighed and motioned towards the van. “This is why I didn’t agree to date you.”

Pax glanced around at the general, torched vicinity. “Uh, because you knew I’d assist in an amazing party then bring about the reforging of a talking sword that belonged to the Grinch Who Stole Olympus? Er, tried to?” He walked alongside her, towards their friends. Pax almost reflexively grabbed her hands, but realized that would probably incite a good lesson in karma, taught with fists.

“Because I can’t trust you,” she said. Kally didn’t make eye contact, but Pax could tell it wasn’t just because she was upset. Her gaze was distant. “The forge ambushed in the lion’s maw. Not to flame or plea will force withdraw,” she quoted.

Pax winced. Couldn’t Rachel have told Kally, “That Axel dude is going to attack Leo. Attacking back or begging him to stop won’t do anything, so prepare a good pep talk.”

Kally frowned and continued. “I think Joey’s quest is one of the dominos Rachel was talking about. Things are about to get serious.”

When they got out to the van, Euna was awake and raiding the to-go boxes. As she munched and they approached, she gave them an absent wave. She didn’t seem the slightest bit concerned that everyone was fast asleep around her.

If Pax wasn’t absolutely sure she would kick the snot out of him for it later, he’d prop a box up with a stick, put a cheeseburger under there, and see if Euna would get boxed. But, knowing Flower Girl’s power, she’d probably bring the box and stick to life and they would go Groot on him. Recycling at its most violent.

Several of the satyrs and nymphs were yawning and sitting up. Calex was up and stretching as well.

Pax wondered if everyone had happy dreams of rainbows, sunshine, and rodents. Morpheus Dust was supposed to grant happy dreams from what he remembered. From the way Calex looked relaxed and not sad over his mom and brother, he guessed Calex had a nice dream about cleaning Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang’s house for them, then fetching coffee for Percy and Annabeth afterwards.

“Hey Calex, Euna, can you help us get everyone in the van?” Kally asked. “We need to get to Chiron as fast as possible.”

Kally might as well have sprinted up to Calex, socked him in the stomach, and shouted, “I grew a backbone Scrum Lord! And your football team sucks!”

He gave her a perplexed glance, looked back and forth between Pax and Kally, then glared at Pax. “What happened?” he slowly asked. “This perv upset you?”

Kally frowned.

Pax figured now was a fantastic time to tell the truth. “My pop is ascending tomorrow morning. No time to get a signature from Leo. I already wrote him a note.” Just not the whole truth. That would come later. He really hoped no one remembered he was illiterate, since his note was a metaphorical one in the form of coins.

“Ascending?” Euna repeated. She set her to-go box down. Pax could envision her movie trailer now: When Euna sets food aside: Stuff. Gets. SERIOUS.

Kally nodded. She joined Calex in his glare at Pax. “When we get to Chiron, Pax will explain everything—” He gave her his best charming grin of I’m a sleazebag and I’ve accepted that as a friendly term. “—but the sooner we get there, the better. Do you think we have enough time to drive back and get Percy or Annabeth out here? Or, uh, should we Iris Message?” Kally seemed to realize she was being a proper domineering heroine and tapered off to return to sidekick status.

At hearing the plan, Pax wanted to hug Kally. If it was mandated by Camp Half-Blood, they could trap Axel at Camp Half-Blood to prevent him from interfering and force him to play games, like volleyball and sneak-past-Argus. No one had beaten that game yet, but he was going to prove to the Stoll brothers that it could be done.

“We’re not going?” Euna asked. She sounded incredibly relieved.

Calex looked surprised. “Won’t your bother be—where’s Axel?”

Again, Calex always sounded so suspicious of Pax. Although the reaction proved some intelligence on Calex’s part, Pax had to feign an indignant huff—an excellent mimic of Joey’s—to pretend Calex was still ridiculous.

“Unconscious,” Pax assured. Knowing that should be enough explanation, he cheerfully stepped towards the van.

He could still hear the others as Kally and Calex walked over to Merry’s sleeping bag. “Just let me know if this dodgy prick bothers you and he’ll be in love with a Reese’s Stick right quick.” The Son of Eros tapped the pencil pouch sticking out of his jean’s pocket.

“I’d never be able to eat it!” Pax cried, terrified of the thought.

From the grin Calex gave him, that was the full intention.

“You monster,” Pax grumbled.

Kally blushed and broke eye contact with Calex. “Thank you Calex, but I’ve been able to take care of myself.”

Judging from the dull pain in his stomach from where Kally’s elbow had a romantic rendezvous with his gut, he had to agree. From both times Pax had upset her to violence… had it really been two times? Should Pax have an intervention with Kally about her friendship choices? He never would, as he’d have to recommend Kally to stay away from him, but the sentiment was there.

He expected her to be glaring at him warily, but she was staring at the van. He winced. Ajax Pax wasn’t the Pax she was afraid of.

“That offer never expires,” Calex assured her. He knelt down beside Merry, who was curled up on her side. “Will she go mental if I wake her?” He glanced to where Euna had woken up Joey. Joey didn’t seem nearly as pow! and bam! as her sister. Pax imagined that Joey only got like that when she realized they didn’t have any showers or mirrors.

Kally shook her head and covered up a laugh with her hand. It was good to see her smile, especially at the potential misery of Calex. “No, she just complains a lot in the morning.”

“Mmm, sweetie Kal, you don’t know this pain,” Merry whined from her sleeping bag. She stretched, rolled over, and stretched on the other side, reminding Pax of a slow motion weasel. “Give me five minutes of stretching and seven Tylenol. Then I’ll be ready to face the pain in my back. And that massage that Calex owes me for dragging him away from that model mania.” She peered up at him slyly from her lazy sprawl.

“How about I carry you to the van?” Calex offered instead.

“Oh honey, you won’t—” Merry yelped when Calex picked her up, bridal style. As though she feared he’d get a bad case of bodacious butterfingers, Merry clung to him. When he didn’t drop her, but continued towards the van with little more than a quick neck crack, she said, “You can carry me? But I weigh like, three Paxes!”

“Hey!” Pax resented that. “I am a tiny ball of muscle!”

Merry ignored him. Her voice carried over Calex’s shoulder as they went to join the Song sisters in the van. “Calex, we should be asexual life partners. You’re a useful sweet teddy.”

From inside, Pax could hear Joey say, “Asexual? Wouldn’t your dad have to disown you for that?”

As their Scooby Team assembled, Pax bowed slightly to Kally. “Cyclopes,” he said.

She looked at the ground and walked to the passenger door.

Pax puffed up his cheeks, popped them, and walked to the driver’s side. For Christmas, he’d have to buy Kally a coupon book full of Free Punch Pax Day and Fill in the Blank for What Stupid Thing You Want Pax to Say to ___ Hero that Can Kick His Sorry Butt.

Pax decided—if they got pulled over for speeding, he was going to hand Calex over as a sacrifice to the American judicial system.

Axel was still passed out in the back with the Phobetor sleeping bag carefully tucked over his head. His Mist mask always fell away when he slept, so he and Pax had a careful system of assuring he was properly cocooned.[1] Calex freaked out as soon as he went near Axel. Pax wanted to assure that yes—Axel would emerge a beautiful butterfly, but he suspected that wasn’t Calex’s problem.

“What’s in the towel?” Calex demanded. “That’s it, isn’t it? One of the things screaming malice back here?”

The towel containing Backbiter was tucked tightly beside the fluffy sleeping bundle of Axel, completely unseen to the average eye.

“Calex, you suck,” Pax grumbled as he sat in the driver’s seat. He was frustrated to find the seatbelt still broken from the dart-jamming incident earlier. “First you understand Axel and I when we’re trying to have a familial conversation, then you can tell Kally and I had a spat, and now you get feelings off our evil sword. You don’t have X-ray vision too, do you? Because I’ll be quite disappointed if you ruin the surprise of which boxers I wear on special occasions.”

They had a brief argument over what to do with the sword, not once mentioning the importance of his boxers. At first, Pax was disgusted to agree with Calex about leaving it behind, but Kally pointed out that Chiron would know how to get rid of the blade properly. Joey and Euna were confused, though Euna busied herself assuring everyone was settled on the couches so they could drive. Merry remained quiet, listening, and didn’t interject until they decided to bring the sword to Camp Half-Blood.

“So, Pax,” she said as he pulled out of the parking lot. “I assume you’re going to explain why all of us adults needed a nap time at one of my parties when we talk to Chiron? No one ever yawns at one of my parties.” Her brown eyes flashed.

Maybe they should plan to have a dunking booth. Everyone would get a turn for each thing he’d screwed up so… he’d probably be better off with having Percy drown him. “Yep!” Pax puffed up his cheeks and popped them. “Come one! Come all! The Pax secrets divulged! Except my night cream routine. Joey might steal that.”

He glanced in the mirror at her. Joey rolled her eyes at him, butshe was too deep into a to-go box for a real response.

Pax entered the coordinates off his ice cream voucher into the GPS, but didn’t engage Luke’s system. He didn’t want the donkey to tug him. Pax wanted to tear down the highway on his own to get his mind off the conversation he’d have when Axel woke up. “Axel, this is an intervention. We took your sword away and gave you an ice pop.”

Only slightly better than the convo with Chiron. Pax wanted to make sure Kally didn’t have any secrets that needed keeping. But… would Chiron accept the argument that they weren’t going to do any more evil seeming things and that it must be the start of their redemption arc?

Pax corralled the conversation towards Joey’s cheerful Winter Break plans: Greek Hell. That’s not what it actually was, but Pax liked to make it sound as horrible as possible to get everyone’s mind on a safer topic.

Ideas were pumping through the back about Joey’s quest from Hera, like how to get to Hades and how to get help from Persephone. Pax tried to contribute. He suggested they tell the Ares Cabin that the Athena Cabin said they could dig a bigger hole using their brains than their brawn, and vice versa for the other cabin, and then sit back and wait.

Kally stayed quiet. She would stare out the window at the shadows of trees and the distant, polluted glow of the town of Berkeley Hills. Then she’d jump and glance back to where Axel and the sword laid dormant. Axel never moved; he only ever slept like this when he had two nighters or when Pax darted him. Pax wanted to tease, “naww, look at him and his widdle sword.” He wanted to say a lot of things, to ramble until Kally forgot what happened and felt better, but he was getting this strange inkling that maayyyybe that wasn’t the best way to solve this.

They were leaving the park’s forest when the sign for Moma’s Sweets caught his headlights. Pax couldn’t actually read the writing, but he recognized the double scoop logo from the vouchers. Pax pulled off the side of the road into the far side of the parking lot, away from the other occupants and closer to the trees—in case Leo Valdez magically got his memory back, woke up, and was searching their van out on the road.

There was a small, single room shop just off what Kally had called out as Grizzly Peak Boulevard, which—Pax was surprised—still had its lights on. The shop was painted red, with yellow shutters, very hipster friendly. Pax knew they were near a college town and wondered if he was about to run into exactly the kind of child-adults that Michael Kahale was worried would test out fireworks during flame season.

“We’re stopping for ice cream?” Joey asked skeptically from the back. “Isn’t your dad like, ascending tomorrow? What happened to hurrying to Chiron?”

“Ice cream is clearly more important,” Pax said. He put the emergency brake down when he parked, as if Luke couldn’t tear right through that. The driver’s seat belt was in ribbons from Axel cutting at it—totally worth pranking Leo—but they’d need to get that fixed. Although Pax tended to enjoy a good bout with danger, one with the windshield was something he’d rather save for a few hundred years.

“Besides,” he continued as he hopped out of the van. “I’ve always wanted to know if I could balance or juggle seven sundaes on my own. I’ll be back.”

Before anyone could offer to come with, he jammed his hands into his pockets and stalked towards the shop. In reality, he didn’t know what kind of exchange the vouchers demanded, and he was sure he was going to end up exhausting his mortal money supply on guilt desserts for the group. And maybe he could ask the cashier how you apologized to your friends for drugging all of them and lying for months. Pleasant evening chatter.

There were only two other cars on the other side of the parking lot: a white ice cream truck and a pickup truck that looked like an extra from Mad Max. Pax found it strange that not many people would want ice cream at midnight in November, but he figured others didn’t have as good of taste.

Pax was fumbling with the vouchers while he shoved the door opened and took a step inside. He almost ran into a guest. He was about to bow grandly and apologize to the sir or lady or other when he heard the familiar click of someone cocking the hammer on a revolver.

“Hello Ajax,” a male voice cooed.

If Pax had ingested a pound of cockroaches and they all made a dash up his esophagus at the same time, he imagined this was about how it would feel. He was going to need a lot more than some sundaes to make up for this mistake. Though he couldn’t figure out what before something metal cracked across his jaw, knocking him backwards.

Thanks for reading! :D

[1] So, I definitely cocoon when I sleep. (Mel will verify this and has conducted several studies on the process.) Is this normal? Do you guys do this? (Also, Mel—upon reading this footnote—denied that she conducted studies. She said she happened to watch my sleeping process because we roomed together for a bit XD)

#Traitors of Olympus #Blood of a Mayan #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #Heroes of Olympus #auuuughhg too lazy to do this properly ><

3 notes · View notes

prxttylittle · 6 years ago

Note

“i’m begging you, don’t do this.”, “you deserve someone who makes you happy.”, AND “so just like that… we’re over?”

“I’m begging you, don’t do this.”

{ v ;; the princess & the moon.

Prince rolled his eyes. “Well, as much as I enjoy you begging for it.” He remarked sarcastically. He could hear the desperation in Luna’s voice but he was capable of not allowing his emotions to overtake his actions to express empathy toward her. He shook his arm free from her embrace. Prince didn’t follow up on his sarcasm with any more smart remarks, not wanting to drag this out any further. “Just go home, Luna.” Prince made an effort to get around her to avoid talking about this anymore. He was tired of it all at this rate. He stormed out of his bedroom and to the front door, knowing she’d follow him if only to discuss things further or make another request for him to change his mind. He pulled the door open, indicating for her to leave. When she went to speak again, he sighed. “Shut up.” He snapped, interrupting her. “Done is done. We’re fucking over. Are you stupid or something that you don’t understand that?” He seethed, walking closer to her until her back was against the wall. “You’re not my girlfriend, I don’t want to see you again. I’m bored of this, now. Just get the fuck out of my house.” He stepped back from her then to give her space to actually leave. Of course, however, she did not. Luna stepped to Prince and accused him of just being scared of loving her. Even if that was true, Prince figured it didn’t change anything; he still wanted her out. He scoffed and shoved her into the wall, not hard enough to hurt her but enough that the action was there, the rage driving him. “You’re so irritating! You really think I could love you? Just take the fucking hint and fuck off. I don’t want anything to do with you.” Prince’s tone was sharp, and mean. He wrapped his hand around her arm, squeezing slightly as he then took to pulling her to the door. He didn’t push her this time, leaving her at the door to make the choice to step outside herself. He leaned in, his lips grazing against her ear as he spoke with bitterness. “Don’t come back here.” With that, he shut the door behind her and returned to bed, pulling the covers over his head and ignored his phone.

{ v ;; no reason.

Jasons’ eyes welled up with tears. He wanted to listen to her, he wanted to change his mind but he knew it would just be pushing back on the inevitable and that this conversation would happen again, be it in a week, a month or a year. He felt the guilt crawling inside of his chest, pumping into his blood with every heartbeat. They had wasted so much time together only for him to finally make up his mind that he couldn’t do it, he couldn’t marry her. Jason loved Iola too much to want her to live a semi-happy life just because they stay together rather than let her go out and carry on a fulfilled life with someone more deserving. He looked down to her hands, one on his chest, the other holding onto his arm as if to keep him there. On her left hand, the diamond that sat on her finger shone, catching each drip of light that fell through the room. It was kind of beautiful, the way the ring caught onto each shred of colour in the room. He sighed. “I have to. I’m sorry, Iola.” He sniffed. It didn’t seem fair for him to be the one crying when he was the one inflicting the pain here. There was no denying the love and adoration he held for her, like a torch in the night. The last nine years had felt like the very start to the eternity they would share. Little did either know it would come to an end on his behalf. He had promised, time and time again, that it would never be him to finish things. Almost on a weekly basis did Jason express his fear of her being the one to leave him. He placed both of his hands around her wrists, feebly losing the touch between them as he dropped them from holding onto him. “I just can’t make you happy. I love you but I can’t marry you. And I won’t make you wait for me anymore. It isn’t fair. I think–” He stuttered on his words before hesitating. He let out a deep breath and continued. “I think I’m going to go home. Back to Scotland.” He paused again, his eyes searching hers and the confusion set deep into her features. “For good.” He walks away from her then, refusing to let his heart break further by seeing the pain she expressed at his expense.

{ v ;; july 17th.

It was difficult for Zayn to hear the pain in Arianna’s voice. Their relationship felt like it was stuck somewhere between a rock and a hard place and neither of them knew what to do about it. But Zayn didn’t expect this desperation from Ari as she wrapped her arms around her fiance and begged him not to leave her. His hands cradled her face and his eyes fixated on hers, saddened by the tears that flowed. “I— I don’t want to.” He confessed. His bag sat at their feet from where she had forced him to drop it just moments ago. In all honesty, Zayn truly didn’t want to leave. It had been a difficult year. There was no sign of healing or getting better. Zayn mourned both for their son and for what was their relationship. At the start, they had had each others backs. It had been them against the world. As people constantly called to check on them, Zayn wanted to see nobody but Ari. She was all he felt he needed in the first brink of sadness. Eventually the sadness they shared became draining. Being around her started to hurt because it reminded him that it was just the two of them, not three. For the first time in his music career, Zayn had been somewhat excited that another worldwide tour was on the horizon and they were being hounded by the label to make another album. He was able to keep busy without it feeling like he was abandoning her on purpose. On time off from the band, Zayn lied and said he had recording to do most days and would just hang out with Ant. It was beginning to get tedious. It was starting to gnaw at him that he was lying to the woman he loved. It tore him apart that he told himself being away from her was better than being around her. There was no comprehension in his mind how he could love her so and still feel like that. He looked down at her, wiping at her cheeks with his thumbs. “I want to stay, Ari. I want things to change.” Her request for him not to end things was a relief to him. Part of Zayn expected Ari to tell him to just go and that would have been the final nail in the coffin of their relationship but she wanted him to stay. “How do we get better?” He mumbled but instead of waiting for an answer, he kissed her. The first true, passionate kiss shared between them in months. “I do still love you.”

{ v ;; katie & leo.

Katie looked down to where Leo’s hand had locked around her own. She frowned, hesitating at the doorway. Leo had completely shocked her by turning up at her front door the second she got home. She gave a quick peer behind her into the house to double check her dad had gone in before shutting the door and stepping back out so she could talk to Leo without being ear-wigged. In an instant, she wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing herself close to him, her face against his shoulder. “I don’t want to.” She murmured, muffled by being tucked into him. Katie felt like crying but she kept her composure, not wanting to run the risk of her dad discovering how upset she was about the move. She didn’t fully understand what her dad’s desire to constantly move them from their home was. The years they had spent in France had been wonderful but the life they built there was one they didn’t think too much about when they left it behind. It was different, here. Katie was not only older now but had so much more to stay for. Katie couldn’t put to words how much she didn’t understand how her dad’s girlfriend had lived in the UK for so many years but now that she was pregnant she suddenly wanted to return to Spain? What added further to her confusion was how willing her dad was to go along with it. Katie pulled back from Leo so she could look at him, her eyes searching his. She knew it would hurt him because this would be the second time she was abandoning him to live abroad. “It’s not up to me, though. Unless you plan on going in there and begging my dad, I don’t think there’s anything I can do about it except for wait to turn eighteen and come back on my own.” Katie fell back into his embrace again, tucking her face in the crook of his neck. She could smell the cologne she had bought him for his birthday. Katie wasn’t sure if he wore it around her just to make her happy about him utilizing the gift or because he genuinely liked the smell. She wouldn’t be surprised if it was the first option but either way she enjoyed the scent. “I’m going to miss you, Leo.”

“You deserve someone who makes you happy.”

{ v ;; the princess and the moon.

Prince sighed when Luna asked about the scar on his chest, her fingers grazing it lightly. He knew she had most definitely spotted the marks on his body since they’d been intimate so often but she hadn’t asked because that wasn’t really what their relationship was about. Until recently, until they started staying, started citing kind words to one another. He kissed her forehead as if to settle his nerves. He wanted to let her in like this, wanted her to know about himself and his past like she had allowed for him to know of her. “I accidentally knocked over my dad’s bottle of whiskey and it smashed on the ground. He held me up against the wall, threatening me with one of the shards. I don’t know if he actually broke the skin with it on purpose or not but, uh, yeah.” He looked down at the frown on Luna’s face. She knew about his past in the sense that his mother had left and his dad had been highly abusive, but she never got further details than that. He ran a hand through her hair and kissed her again. Part of him reassuring her about his past made him feel better about speaking of it. He watched as her hand trailed from the wound-scar on his chest to the long red scar tissue on his arm, mostly hidden by tattoos now. “That? He pushed me from halfway down the stairs. He did that often but this one time, my arm latched onto the loose bit of wood paneling on the wall, which he’d torn apart a different time that made it so jagged.” Prince lifted his arm to look at the scar himself, something he didn’t do often. The tail of the serpent tattooed on his forearm wrapped around the scar in a way that Prince felt the snake was overpowering it. “That was a few weeks before we got out of the house. My neighbour at the time took me to hospital for stitches. She stayed and chatted with me while the nurse took splinters out of my arm.” Prince only told a few more stories about his dad before he found himself kissing Luna, both to shut himself up and also as some form of gratitude that she was there. The only person that knew, really, some of the detail of the horrors of his past was Matt. Though Matt didn’t know the specifics that Prince had just detailed for Luna. He pulled away, a hand on Luna’s face as his eyes gazed into hers. Despite having just opened up about his terrors, a soft smile worked its way onto his lips. It was a sad smile that didn’t reach his eyes, but it was there. “I’ve never talked about all that so much before, with anyone. What makes you so special, hmm?” They shared another kiss before Luna questioned if Prince was okay. He nodded, kissing her again. He groaned slightly when she pulled away but the way she ran her hands through his hair and looked at him with a devoting care made him smile slightly. He frowned when Luna apologised for the pain he suffered, noting he didn’t deserve any of it. Part of him didn’t agree but he knew she would argue if he said so. “What do I deserve then?” And Prince was trying, desperately to re-lighten the tone and get back to flirting and kissing with Luna. “You deserve someone who makes you happy.” Prince’s smile faltered slightly, having not expected that response at all. He pursed his lips together, avoiding eye contact for some time. He looked back to her. “I’ve got you.” His words came out hushed. “And I know I haven’t exactly made it easy for either of us, but you do make me happy.” He pressed his lips to hers again. “Even if I will deny ever saying that.”

{ v ;; no reason.

It had been such a long day for Jason and the last thing he wanted to do when he got home from work was fight with Iola. He’d been half-hoping she had a late day herself and wouldn’t be there when he got home. To no avail once he caught sight of her sitting at the kitchen counter working on something on her laptop. He’d sighed silently and made an attempt to get into their bedroom without something starting. They had been arguing so much lately that it was starting to wear Jason down. He had even started fighting back in the last couple of days. He hated fighting with her, despised using hurtful words against her when things got intense. Jason was without luck when he tried to sneak past her into their bedroom and Iola made a snarky comment about him not even saying hi to her anymore to which he felt necessary to snap back he was trying to avoid exactly this; another fight. Moments later they were shouting at each other which was then followed by Jason announcing how emotionally exhausting the pair not getting along was for him. He watched as she shoved clothes into a bag, visibly upset. “Iola, what are you doing?” He couldn’t help the snip in his voice. He was more sad than anything to see her packing as if she was about to leave but the irritation was something that just couldn’t be helped. “You deserve someone that makes you happy. Clearly I don’t.” He frowned at the hint of dejection in her tone. He crossed the room to take the bag from her grasp. “You think I’d be happy if you left?” The idea was far-fetched. He could understand her thinking, they really hadn’t gotten along in ages but it was just a tough patch in his opinion. It didn’t seem possible that it was a sign things were going to end between them. He reached his arm back behind him when she tried to grab the bag off of him. He dropped it to the ground in favour of placing his hands on her face, eyes searching hers intently. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled, pushing aside any pride he’d collected in their last few weeks or constant bickering. “I’m sorry for how tense things have been, I’m sorry for riling you up and encouraging the fighting instead of just sitting down and talking about it. I’m sorry for all the harsh things I said and did. This isn’t us, fighting for no reason. And it’s certainly no reason to up and leave.” He gently pressed his forehead against hers, taking a deep breath as he shut his eyes. He knew she’d been set on getting an apology from Jason for so long but he had just kept allowing the petty arguing to get in the way, standing off to her rather down standing down. “I love you and nobody in this world could ever make me happier than you do. I’d rather fight with you everyday than laugh with someone else.” He opened his eyes again. “But I do want to work through this and stop fighting. Can you please just stay, baby? Stay here, with me?”

{ v ;; july 17th.

Zayn’s laughter died down as he heard the words fall from Ariannas’ lips. His hand trailed down along her arm to place over her hand which was rested on his face, fingertips grazing the facial hair he’d let grow out. “Hmm?” He remarked almost silently as he hummed in response. He looked up at her, straddling his waist as she hovered over him like some sort of heavenly figure. “You make me happy, Ari.” He spoke quietly, sure of his statement. His thumb brushed gently against the back of her hand. He smiled gently, his eyes crinkling and his lips exposing his tongue pushing up against his teeth. Zayn placed his hands on her hips, shifting them both so she fell down next to him in the bed in a way they were now lying next to each other rather than having her on top of him anymore. He turned to face her, eyes meeting hers. “You know, I’ve been around a lot of places. All of those other girls have just been, like, a bit of fun. Meaningless escape and that.” He shrugged, licking at his dry lips slightly. “But you?” He laughed breathlessly as if the idea of conjuring up words to describe how happy she made him, to describe the way she made him feel, was possible. He let out a breath. “You’re just, like, you’re different. You’re, like, proper there for me.” He shook his head, chuckling lightly and feeling a little embarrassed about his words. “D’you know what I mean?” Zayn took Ari’s hand in his, kissing the back of her knuckles as his eyes stayed trained on hers. It was unreal, the way being with Arianna Edwards made Zayn feel. It was as though he didn’t realise he’d been in darkness until he saw just how much light she shone into his life. And that was just as friends. When he kissed her? Oh, it was like magic. When Zayn and Ari were together he couldn’t think of anything better. There was no better combination than the union of Ari and Zayn. He smiled when she did. “I’ve actually been thinking about it just being us, recently. Maybe we should, like, go on a date-date?” He grinned. “Aren’t MTV taking us to Alaska to some resort? We could, like, I don’t know– go ice skating or something? Drink hot chocolate like a couple of old biddies?” He giggled and kissed her gently. “What d’you think? I’ll show you just how happy being around you makes me, even out of the bed.” He teased.

{ v ;; what if.

Ashton was surprised to open the front door and see Ari standing there. He had been expecting Lexi. Letting her in, he quizzed her presence at his home to which he was given a response detailing her concern after seeing so many stories online. It had been amusing and also a little heartwarming that she wanted to check on him through all the rumours floating around on the internet. “Just rumours. I’m fine. Me and Lexi are fine.” He half-lied. Things with Lexi were, in fact, rocky but the articles and fan speculation were wrong that it was he who was being hurt through it. He led her into the kitchen and flicked the switch on the kettle as they sat at the island. “I didn’t expect you to care so much about what’s happening in my relationship.” Ashton commented. “You deserve someone who makes you happy.” Ashton chuckled sardonically, then. “What? Like you? Wonder how Zayn would feel about that.” He remarked, voice dripping in bitterness. He glared down at Ari. His jerkiness was misplaced and he was aware of it but at the same time he didn’t really feel like Ari had any right commenting on his relationship or personal life. Not when he’d been reprimanded or told to be quiet anytime he’d tried to do the same in the past. He sighed. “She makes me happy, Ari, alright? You don’t have to worry about me. The truth is–” He paused, eyes searching Ari’s face. He wasn’t sure if he was right in telling her about the troubles of his relationship. He was sure that Lexi wouldn’t appreciate it. But she was supposed to be his best friend, despite everything, right? “I told her about you and I. That’s why paps and fans have kind of caught on to the distance between us.” He shrugged. When Ari pondered as to why it should upset Lexi so, if they haven’t slept together or done anything in so long, since Ari decided she had to focus on her family, a long time before Ashton even met Lexi, Ashton squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. He knew he would have to tell the whole story if he’d brought anything up. “Uh, I guess when I told her I still love you and I never got over all of that, she kind of got upset.” Ashton focused on making tea for the two of them despite how neither was probably going to drink it at all. He avoided Ari’s gaze for the two minutes it took him to prepare the drinks. There was a tension in the air following his confession as neither of them spoke. He sighed. “Sorry for springing that on you. Although you probably already knew.”

{ b ;; aesthetic queens.

Cassie pursed her lips together. She knew Luna was just trying to be a good friend but Cassie didn’t enjoy the serious talk. She had done so much of it lately. It felt like all she ever did was have serious or life-altering conversations. Perhaps that was why she hadn’t exposed to her best friend yet that she was suffering from an illness that would eventually win the fight. Which also obviously added to Luna’s lack of understanding as to why Cassie would get back together with Nick after he hurt her so badly when he spent a weekend with another woman during their relationship. Cassie had been in a different relationship for the past year but when Cassie received her diagnosis, she knew she needed to get Nick back into her life. She could spend years feeling the pain he caused, hating him and being angry with him but knowing they would be her last, she had to let things go. She just wasn’t ready to tell Luna why, just yet. Cassie wanted to enjoy her time with the people that had come to be her truest form of family since her own had rejected her. “I appreciate that, Luna, but Nick really does make me happy.” Cassie spoke, squeezing her friends hands which were wrapped around her own. “Yeah, he hurt me but that was over a year ago. He won’t do it again.” She frowned when Prince scoffed from across the room, simultaneously noting the concern on Luna’s face. Being close friends of Nick’s, they were allowed to express their doubts about him, having known him for so long and witnessed his behavior over the years. She wanted to tell them why she was so sure Nick would take care of her this time, if anything to prove them wrong, but Cassie wasn’t emotionally ready to reveal her news just yet. She didn’t want to ruin things. She watched as Prince carried over two mugs of tea, placing a hand on Luna’s shoulder and kissing her forehead. Cassie felt a pang of jealousy in her chest. Luna had a point about not trusting Nick. He had hurt Cass, terribly so. When they were younger, Cass had had no faith in Luna and Prince’s relationship yet here they were, married and thriving in front of her. Meanwhile Cass was forced to forgive Nick for cheating so she could keep him by her side as she died. Cassie held back tears and smiled at her friends, eyes meeting Luna’s. “If he does anything to lead you to believe he’s not making me happy, you have my permission to beat his ass to the ground. Deal?”

“So just like that… we’re over?”

{ v ;; the princess and the moon.

Prince frowned. He hadn’t been expecting this despite being the cause of it. Then, wasn’t he always? He shook his head. “No, Luna.” He looked down to the ring she placed on the table between them. He didn’t pick it up. His gaze drifted back to her. Prince wanted to say that he could tell by her face that she didn’t want things to end between them but in all honesty he couldn’t read her. “There’s no ‘just like that’ about it. This has been coming for a long time, we’ve both just been ignoring it.” He shrugged through his lie, placing a cigarette between his lips. His finger fumbled on the clipper in his lighter before he finally lit the stick dangling from his mouth. His eyebrows furrowed at his shakiness but he chose to look past it and glance to Luna. He knew his excuse was weak but he would need one, wouldn’t he? “It’s just not fuckin’ worth it anymore. Once other people get involved then that’s it. End of. We can’t do anything anymore without someone like Nick or fucking Cass butting their noses in. I never wanted that.” Prince hadn’t expected that once their relationship became public knowledge that he would be so quick to end everything but he had never had anything so intimate and equally important to him in his life that was worth holding onto until the first day he kissed Luna. At the start, he didn’t mind. He’d kiss her in front of the group and just flip them off when they cooed or teased. He even defended Luna a few times when necessary and he’d even been caught telling her how beautiful she looked one time. And it wasn’t as if Prince cared what people thought about him or her, or his reputation. It was how he was seeing himself weaken in front of everybody. He’d let more insults slide than ever before and had just generally started acting softer than he would like. He didn’t appreciate Luna having the power to break away his frosty exterior. It was like his armor. So it was more about how he perceived himself rather than everyone else. He sighed and reached an arm out to pull Luna into him. He dropped his cigarette into the ashtray. “You look good when you’re annoyed at me.” He smirked, knowing his back-and-forth was just going to irritate her. He missed that, though. He missed irritating her. “It’s been a long time coming in school and stuff, but maybe if we go back to it being just between us–” He cursed when she pulled herself from his grasp, demanding he leave her apartment. “Think about it.” He mumbled as he made his way out. So was this it? Could it really be over ‘just like that’ between them?

{ v ;; no reason.

Jason frowned when Iola’s rant finally came to an end. “I’m sick of this, Iola. I didn’t do anything with that girl, she put her arm around me for all of three seconds in a Snapchat.” Jason ran a hand through his hair, brushing the curls out of his face. “I don’t think I can take much more of these accusations. It’s fucking exhausting. This needs to end.” He sighed and rolled his eyes. “So just like that… we’re over?” She retorted and he couldn’t help but to let out the slightest chuckle at just how dramatic Iola was being about all of his. “Us over? Seriously Iola? That’s not what I meant and you know that as much as I do.” He snapped, storming out of the room and away from her. Feeling her following him, he stopped and turned to face her, quite suddenly, forcing her to stop in her tracks. His eyes scanned hers and he scowled. “I’m nowhere near finished with this relationship, alright? Don’t accuse me otherwise. I didn’t mean we need to end, I meant your ridiculous jealousy and constantly making wild accusations as if I would ever do that to you, that needs to end.” It was almost 3AM but Jason didn’t want to go to sleep. He was too riled up from the fury he had faced upon arriving home earlier. He hadn’t even expected Iola to be awake, considering she had skipped out on joining the others for a night out in favour of all the work she had to do. He’d expected her to be exhausted and to have passed out by midnight. Instead, he was greeted by the green beast that he had come to know so well over the years. He stormed into his at-home art studio, slamming the door behind him. There were so many paintings of Iola piled around the place. She was his muse, the most beautiful subject he’d ever laid eyes on. He never did anything with the art he made of her; it felt personal. Jason never wanted to sell pieces of her, as good as some of them may have been, because it was a part of them that he didn’t want to share. He approached the paintings, picking one up at random. It was a coloured sketch of her eyes and he’d only painted the iris’s. His work was never a fraction as beautiful as the real thing but he loved to try. He sighed, falling down onto the old sofa as he stared at the image. Jason couldn’t understand her jealousy or where it came from when he knew himself how deeply he cared for her. He would never want to give that up. He could empathize with the fear of losing him, if that’s where it all stemmed from, because he had those same feelings. Sometimes he felt like he loved her too much and it ate him up just how unable he would be to not have her in his life anymore. The squeaking of the door opening grabbed his attention and he looked up to see Iola standing in the doorway. He sighed and put the painting down, approaching her. He wrapped her in his arms. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled, lips pressing gently to her forehead. “I didn’t mean we were over— I would never mean that. And I’m sorry for making you worry.”

{ v ;; july 17th.

Zayn had tried for so long to make things work with Ari. Well, at least, he believed so. It was becoming increasingly difficult for them to be there for each other whilst also worrying about their own issues. When she was out, he couldn’t restrain himself any longer from packing his bags. She returned home to find him leaning over a suitcase, weighing out his options. “Zayn?” He had been shocked to hear her voice croak out, he hadn’t even heard her come in. It wasn’t easy for him to explain what exactly he was doing in a way that he could avoid watching the hurt, the heartbreak unfold on her features. “I just– I can’t do this anymore, Ari.” He ended up with, as he sighed and sat down on the bed beside the open, half-filled suitcase. “I’ve tried. It’s not working.” Zayn wasn’t brave. He could never look Ari directly in the eye when he knew his words were causing pain. “So, just like that… we’re over?” The tone of Ari’s voice made Zayn almost want to change his mind. He pursed his lips together and let out a breath, nodding slowly. “We’re over.” He confirmed. “This has reached it’s finish. Like it was supposed to. I need to be on my own, now.” Zayn knew that Ari was struggling to comprehend where exactly he was coming from or when he had decided to change everything between them. They hadn’t talked about anything being so fundamentally wrong that it needed to meet it’s ending point, nor had they recently fought to a point of nearly finishing things. No real warning signs had been alerted to present evidence of the relationship leading down this crumbling path. Zayn had no explanation as to why or how much he was struggling with this despite being the one at the hem of the ship as it sank beneath them. Part of him wished he had recently done something to hurt her, cheat or lie, to make it easier on her part to want to be rid of him. He was greedy and didn’t want to see the hurt on her face, the tears in her eyes or the dejection in her body language. He got off the bed and approached her, taking her hands in his. He knew the only reason she was letting him near her was because she was still going through it all in her minds, probably still shocked. “I am sorry. I never wanted to hurt you.”

{ v ;; katie & leo.

Katie looked away from Leo so he couldn’t see the tears that were forming in her eyes. He had seen her cry so many times in the past but something about this felt more vulnerable than she felt she could cope with. There was no hiding it, though. It was obvious how upset she was. Leo was her best friend but she wasn’t sure things could ever go back to how they used to be. It seemed impossible that they’d gone so long living on that pact to come to be together only for it to end in tatters. She sniffled, still trying to disguise her pain. “I’m sorry, Leo, but yeah, I guess we are.” She spoke with a tenderness that made her feel so weak to almost a point of humiliation but couldn’t be helped. Katie wasn’t sure why or how things had gotten to this point. There was an aching in her chest that she hadn’t felt since the day of her mother’s funeral. She had sworn to never let a boy cause her upset so strong that it felt like her world was crumbling under her very own feet. But Leo was no ordinary boy, that was Leo, her Leo. She gave him her heart and her soul and she would let him hurt her again and again if he said please. Another reason that contributed to her showing up here today to finish things with him. “Maybe we should have waited until we were in our twenties to get together. Maybe we should have never made that stupid pact at all. It was too much pressure, I guess.” She wiped at her eyes, again. Katie still wasn’t 100% sure if the rumours about Leo were true. If she eventually learned for a fact that they weren’t, it would be too late to mend the relationship. She wasn’t sure she would want to, anyway. It was an unheard of idea that Katie wouldn’t trust Leo but the anger she felt upon hearing he’d been with another girl, was an anger she was insatiably unfamiliar with, despite how strongly he denied it. She didn’t want to feel like that everytime a girl so much as looked at Leo. It hadn’t felt that way when she was just in love with him as best friends. She’d experienced the jealousy and the bitterness but at the time she wasn’t hers to make a fuss over. It made her feel like the pact had been a mistake which her feel a bit of a fool. “I’m just going to go.” She spoke quietly. When his hand wrapped around hers to try bring her back, she sighed and shook him off, running out of his room to avoid any further discussion or heightened emotions.

#imagine writing as many bad memes as i just did #jason should learn how to say sorry in different languages since he says it so fUCKING much #im not even gonna add anymore tags thats how bAD these are #but wow poor prince #gbye #{ v ;; the princess and the moon.#{ v ;; no reason.#{ v ;; what if.#{ v ;; katie & leo.#{ ;; july 17th.#{ b ;; aesthetic queens.#beencaughts #memed

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