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doesthatsuggestanythingtoyou · 3 days ago

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Do You Know What You're Doing?

Anywhere I Want (1)

> melissa schemmenti x fem!reader

> requested? kinda, by the peeps of tumblr 🙇🏻‍♀️

> content/warnings: dress shaming? is that even a thing...

> a/n: PLEASEEEE, don't worry i'm gonna post more as i go deeper the algorithm of tiktok

Stealing glances between the five of them, Ava tilted her head as she locked eyes with Barbara, silently asking what just happened. Barbara gave the young woman a shrug and pulled Melissa towards their chairs.

“So, what're we going to talk about? Don't worry we don't bite.” Charlie started with a sickeningly sweet smile, which made Kristin Marie lean forward and stare at the blonde.

“Why is she like that?” You whispered to the Italian blonde right next to you. Kristin Marie gave you a shrug. “Beats the hell outta me.”

Sighing at the situation, Melissa raised a hand. “Yes? Schemmenti with the red hair!” Pointing her hand towards Melissa, Ava gave the room a bright smile.

“How ‘bout we just do our jobs—”

“Right! That’s so right, Schemmenti! And not your sister, you!” Charlie's overly passive aggressive statement made Melissa's eye and hand twitch, one more comment from the blonde, Melissa would have to march down her classroom, get her baseball bat, and beat the headlights off Charlie's car.

“What in the fuck?” Holding her laugh, Kristin Marie gave you a nudge and nodded towards her sister's direction. Being the obedient person you are, you turned your head to look at the redhead’s direction and found her already looking at you with a raised eyebrow.

Nodding her head towards Charlie, Melissa silently asked you what the hell is going on between your friend. In reply, you gave her a shrug and kicked Charlie lightly to stop her from staring at Melissa with shade.

She looks at me like I'm a trend and she's so over it

At last the meeting was over. With Charlie always butting herself whenever an Abbott teacher was speaking made all the teachers, even ones from Addington, very irritative.

“This whole meeting could've finished within an hour if the blonde baboon kept her mouth shut.” An elder Addington teacher rolled his eyes as he opened the building front door.

“Totally true.” Another teacher agreed.

“Well, that Charlie's going to be the talk of Addington now.” said Barbara as she stood behind the front desk, fishing for her lost pen that she lent to the front desk worker yesterday.

“Yeah,” started Janine sadly, “but she was just giving out ideas, guys!” She looked at the people in front of her and not one gave her a ‘yes’ or a nod.

“Y’know Janine, in this industry, you can either be overly respected by not saying anything or have at least an ounce of dignity before you open your mouth.” Melissa gave Janine a look before jostling her bags as she looked for her car keys.

“Schemmenti's right, with that dress on you would've thought she knew how to brake her mouth.” Ava gave Melissa a pat on the back, which Melissa shrugged her off harshly before glaring at the principal.

“She was just doing her job, I see nothing wrong with that.” Gregory gave Janine an encouraging smile. “C’mon Greg, what part of being a teacher has you bamboozling your colleagues?” Jacob gave Gregory a challenging look which made him look at the camera in defeat.

“Your principal’s right, beanpole. C got a little carried away today.” An accented voice behind them spoke.

Turning their heads towards the voice, they saw you and Kristin Marie in front of them. “A little? You mean ‘too’.” You huffed as you crossed your arms in disappointment.

“She was all over the place, hell she's not like that when she teaches gym at school.” You threw your hands up and gave Kristin Marie a look.

Shaking her head, Kristin Marie gave you a nod. “Yeah, well, this isn't Addington.” She pulled you by the arm towards the exit. “C’mon pipsqueak. See ya’ later at the dinner, Red.” Kristin Marie gave her sister a nod and left with you.

But no amount of vintage dresses gives you dignity

“Dinner? You do know you have a husband, right?”

“’Course I do, you moron.” Kirstin Marie tossed you another dress. Chuckling as it landed on your face.

“Then why do I have to go?” You stomped your feet as you plopped down your bed onto a pool of dressed your friend gave you.

“You have nowhere to go.” You raised your eyebrow at your friend. “Fine, Ma has been askin’ ‘bout you this month. Gonna give ‘er what she wants.”

Rolling her eyes, Kristin Marie threw another dress at your face. “Put that on and put an act later.”

Pulling the dress off your face, you turned around and walked towards your bathroom. “An act?”

“Yeah, you bozzo. Ma’s expecting you to come with Red.” The blonde sat down on your bed, making you poke your head out the bathroom door and give her a glare.

“Get the fuck off my bed.” Throwing her hands in disbelief, Kristin Marie stood up. “And what do you mean ‘act’?”

“Toni’s gonna be your girlfriend tonight.”

“What?!” You shrieked as you entered your bedroom. “Isn't that lying to your mom? And your family?” Giving Kristin Marie a twirl, you went towards your vanity and fixed your hair.

“Yeah, don't act like you haven't lied before. You ain't a saint nor Mother Theresa, stronzzo.”

“Plus, it'll be fun playing with Red.” Kristin Marie wiggled her eyebrows and grinned. “It’s gonna be so fun.”

Giving you a tap on the shoulders, your friend prompted you to get up. “C’mon, pipsqueak. We have revenge waiting.”

Slinging your bag on your shoulder, you but your lip. “I don't know about this, Tin. What if Mel gets mad? Why are we even doing this?”

“And? She ain't gonna to anything ‘cause Ma’s there. We're doing this because Toni and I find it funny.”

Locking your door, you bagged your house keys and got your car keys out. “Fine, but if Mel unfriends me on Facebook, it's your fault.” The effect of what you were going to do to you made Kristin Marie burst out laughing.

Holding her stomach, your let out a breath. “Jesus Y/N. She's not gonna do that! Trust me. I ain't gonna do anything to worsen your rift with my sister. The family likes you. That redhead idiot just needs a push.”

Opening the car door, Kristin Marie pushed you inside the driver's seat. “Let's go!”

She's not a saint, and she's not what you think

#abbott elementary #lisa ann walter #melissa schemmenti fanfiction #melissa schemmenti x reader #melissa schemmenti #lisa ann walter x reader

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hexalianrebel-blackfeathers · 2 days ago

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The T.I.C.K.L.E. Bomb (@squealing-santa 2024)

Panda’s Notes: Happy late holidays to @gingerlee-holds, my favorite Tumblr sibling. >w< I'm sorry about this being so late, but between two different sicknesses and trying to get into college again, I have not been having a fun winter. I was really excited about writing this the whole time though, and I'm kind of proud of it, so I hope you like it too.

[Ao3] || [Cookies Found: 0] || [Commissions] || [Ko-fi]

Izuku Midoriya knows a lot of things. Probably too many things, to be honest. Probably too many things that he shouldn’t know. Things that can get a stupid, overthinking, adorable, unfiltered wiseass in trouble if he isn’t careful with the information or what he does with said information.

Information like, say…

How to build a bomb?

Why the fuck would he even need to know something like that?

Better question: do you want to know too?

-TRIGGER

Important to know about things that explode: There’s always a TRIGGER. Like a button; if it gets pressed, explosion happens. Usually, it’s something as simple as an actual button of sorts, or maybe a timer ticking down, or a clock. Sometimes it’s as complicated as a remote signal or a light pattern, or the position of Jupiter in relation to the Dog Star or some shit. Now, some people might think of the trigger as the final piece, but for methodical overthinkers Midoriya, it’s a key place to start. You want to make sure you have your keys before you lock a door, and you want to make sure your trigger is stable before you build the rest of the bomb.

Science favors the consistent, after all.

“Deku!” Bakugou snarled under his breath, glancing over his shoulder to find Midoriya spinning a pen casually between his fingers.

Midoriya blinked curiously, innocently. What was Bakugou upset about? They could usually get through class without him making a scene, at least.

Bakugou glared at him pointedly—a warning—before he looked back at his own worksheet.

Midoriya smirked a bit to himself, catching the “pen” in his palm and clicking it. The tip of the pen extended into a short pointing stick, just barely the length of Midoriya's forearm, and he tried to keep quiet as he leaned just enough to drag the tip down Bakugou's spine.

He flinched sharply, his breath catching on a stifled giggle as his shoes squeaked against the floor.

The room was suddenly tense as Aizawa stopped talking, and a few of their classmates held back their own laughter as he glanced over his shoulder with glowing eyes.

Midoriya had clicked the button as quietly as he could, stashing the fake pen up his sleeve and folding his hands on his desk as he bit his lip.

And the second Aizawa huffed and looked away, Bakugou was glaring a hole straight though his head.

Yep. Trigger’s good.

~~~~~~~~~

-INCINDIARY

More often than not, the bulk of an explosion’s destruction comes from the fire that happens afterward. While not every bomb results in a fire, those that do require a spark to ignite them. Now, it’d be easy to mistake this spark for a TRIGGER, but it’s more of a second step. Like so: The trigger is activated, and the INCINDIARY starts the reaction.

Midoriya combed his fingers through Bakugou’s hair, smiling softly at the way he leaned back into the touch. Bakugou rested his head against Midoriya’s knee, sighing through his nose as he tapped the controller in his hands.

“You do realize you need to bring the iron back to base at some point, right?” Bakugou huffed.

“Mhm…” Midoriya nodded, scratching gingerly at Bakugou’s scalp. “I already said I will. Just like you said you’d help me build the mob spawner.”

Bakugou rolled his eyes and groaned. “I’m gonna build your fuckin’ mob spawner after I bring back these damn mangrove saplings or whatever they’re called.”

“Aw, you’re thinking about the colors already?”

Bakugou huffed, shrugging his shoulder slightly as Midoriya’s fingers started to crawl over his ears. “Shut up…”

Midoriya snickered, leaning to bury his face in the blond hair before he glanced back at the screen they were sharing. As he spotted Bakugou’s character sprinting back into the compound they’d built, Midoriya leaned to grab his controller. He opened the door to their iron farm, hardly taking a step outside before he threw a single snowball.

“Why do you have your dogs wander—” Bakugou had started to ask, only to flinch as the snowball hit his character. “Wait, did you just—No!”

In an instant, four of the dogs that Midoriya had gathered were attacking him all at once. Bakugou stammered, torn between wanting to avoid damage and not wanting to hurt Midoriya’s pets. Unfortunately, this left him a few blocks short of his house when his character dropped over dead. As his side of the screen glowed red, he watched Midoriya’s dogs nose around his fallen items, apparently picking them all up.

“I told you this mod pack was great.” Midoriya giggled tauntingly, reaching to play with his hair again.

Bakugou grabbed his hand, taking a breath as he spoke slowly. “I didn’t get to reset my fucking spawn. Do you know how many levels I had?”

Midoriya was unfazed, smirking playfully and leaning to look over his shoulder. “And that’s why I built the emergency base at spawn. And the levels can be sorted with the five clerics that you said were a waste of time to level up.”

Bakugou pouted heavily, grabbing Midoriya by his shirt and angrily kissing his cheek.

Definitely a simmer. For now, at least.

~~~~~~~~~

-CASING

Funny enough, this can swing from the least important to possibly the most crucial. The CASING, naturally, contains every essential part of the device, and it can range from a simple clear housing to an intricately designed piece of hardware meant to camouflage into its hiding place.

“If you have even half the brain you had literally an hour ago, you will fucking untie me.”

Midoriya pulled a shocked face, not that Bakugou threatening him was surprising or even offensive anymore.

What will always be shocking and offensive, however, is betrayal, which is the only word that can describe tying your partner’s hoodie sleeves together while he’s half asleep during a cuddle session.

“Deku, for fuck’s sake, can you not go one day without being a little—?”

Midoriya had stolen a soft kiss on his lips to shut Bakugou up, his hands starting to crawl along the hem of his shirt before scribbling playfully up his sides. Bakugou huffed and cringed, biting back a smile and trying to writhe under him.

“Y-You—C-Cut it out!” He growled through snickers as his squirming made them sink deeper into the beanbag chair.

“Why~?” Midoriya asked playfully. “Is something bothering you?” He pressed his thumbs along his sides before squeezing at his hipbones.

“Fuck off!” Bakugou snorted, finally attempting to pull his arms free of his sleeves.

Midoriya quickly shifted his hands instead, wrapping his arms around Bakugou’s ribs and nuzzling into his neck.

Bakugou blinked warily before giving a half-amused huff and returning the tight squeeze.

“Dammit, Deku…” He chuckled, rolling his wide-awake eyes at Midoriya pretending to sleep against him.

Casing secured.

~~~~~~~~~

-KINDLING

Unlike everything else, KINDLING is the only truly optional piece of a device. Consider it an extra enhancement to the INCINDIARY. When the fire starts, it might need a little fuel to keep it burning, just in case.

Midoriya stretched his hands as he yawned, groaning tiredly as he pulled one back to run his palm over his face.

The other hand, however, was caught before he could pull it back. A calloused touch ran up his palm before fingers laced with his and squeezed softly. Or not, actually; that kind of hurt. Midoriya snickered and opened one eye, finding Bakugou sitting beside him on the bed and apparently debating whether or not to crush his hand.

Bakugou glanced down at Midoriya’s face before pressing a chaste kiss on his knuckles. “’Sup, fucker?” He greeted with a slight smirk.

Midoriya pouted, squeezing Bakugou’s hand in return as he glanced toward his bedside table. “It is barely eight in the morning; why are you already like this?”

Bakugou shrugged, letting Midoriya’s hand fall as he moved to lie down beside him. “You seen my blue hoodie?” He asked casually, resting his chin on his arms.

Midoriya hummed as he rolled over to look at him. “Not lately. Why?”

The blonde huffed curiously, glancing to meet Midoriya’s eyes. “You positive? Because I asked Chipmunk the other day. She seemed pretty certain the last place she saw it was with you.”

Midoriya might have hesitated to answer, and Bakugou might have noticed his quick little flail for words. “You think I would lie to you?” He tried to sound sweet and innocent.

“You don’t want me to answer that.” Bakugou sneered slightly at the way Midoriya pouted and turned away from him, reaching to scratch gently along Midoriya’s spine. “But, I suppose I’ll let it slide for now. …Y’know, assuming you are telling the truth.”

Bakugou gingerly traced a few shapes on Midoriya’s back. “If I find out you’re lying…” He whispered playfully, grinning as the other boy squirmed. He shifted to pull Midoriya into his arms, nuzzling softly into the crook of his neck before pushing himself away. There was a soft pat on his leg and a sneaky tickle on his foot before Bakugou walked out of Midoriya’s room, and Midoriya stretched as the door shut quietly.

And as soon as it did, Midoriya rolled over and reached into the sliver of space between his bed and the corner of his walls, pulling up a soft blue hoodie with a bright yellow belly and four red circles on its back. He couldn’t help giggling as he hugged it to his chest for a moment before hiding it again.

It’s almost time~

~~~~~~~~~

-LOCATION

There’s a dumb little saying in real estate: ‘Location, location, location’. And while real estate, as a concept, is stupid, there is truth in such a saying. The final LOCATION for a device determines everything: from the speed of the TRIGGER; to the shape of the casing; to the type of incendiary. Now, something to consider: when planning something so meticulous as a bomb, one occasionally needs to be much more hands-on. For example, certain locations need to be carefully prepared before the big event.

“I still think you’re going to die.” Uraraka teased gently, resting her hands on her hips as she watched Midoriya work.

Midoriya acknowledged her comment with a casual sort of noise, kicking at the side of the pile of pillows he’d built up around one of the beanbag chairs in the corner of the commons. “You’re probably right.” He shrugged. “But I still say it’ll be worth it~!”

He shouldered past her playfully, scooping a quilt off of the couch and dropping it with a slight flair of his arms. She giggled and followed along, stacking up a few of the stuffed animals she had brought for him.

Less than an hour now…

Midoriya’s hands might have been shaking. Every breath made his chest fill up with butterflies. As he walked through the hallways in the stolen hoodie, he almost wished he could make use of its fake flame vents just to drain some heat from his face. At the same time, the weight of the round, chubby beanbag critters he had were practically burning a hole in his pocket, as if they were begging to escape. He almost told himself he could hear their whiny little pleas, but he knew it was his own inner voice just egging him on.

When he finally pulled the trigger, he almost felt like he wasn’t in control. But he felt his weight pressing his shoulder into the barely-opened door, and he felt the weight of the three blue—and one brown—toys as he threw them like grenades.

Bakugou had barely looked up when his door opened, and his hands had just reached his headphones when he was hit with four little beanbags that squeaked out their names on impact with his head and torso.

Time stood still. Bakugou stared in slight disbelief at both Midoriya and his choice of weaponry. There was the slightest hint of a grin on his face as he picked up one of the critters and cradled it in his hands. Frankly, that alone was almost worth it; Midoriya smiled brightly as he watched him…Right up until Bakugou’s gaze fell on him again.

His soft smile shifted, his entire face twisting into a vicious sneer. And Midoriya felt chills run up and down his spine.

Game on.

~~~~~~~~~

-EXPLOSION

…I suppose I have to paint a picture, because I want you to really understand. Every bit of preparation; every piece—material and conceptual—involved; it all culminates in one glorious moment. A single instant. A dazzling EXPLOSION. In the proper hands, the event is masterful. It’s exhilarating; it’s chaotic; poetic, even.

And it’s so damn fun.

Midoriya shrieked excitedly as he sprinted through the halls back toward the stairs, already laughing through panic at the knowledge that he wasn’t getting out of the proverbial blast radius anytime soon.

“You scheming little shit!” Bakugou barked after him, grinning like a fiend and struggling not to laugh himself. “Get back here so I can kill you!”

“You’re not catching me that easily, Kacchan~!” Midoriya taunted, sparks of black and pink energies zapping through his hair. He reached his hands out, a pair of Blackwhips lashing from his wrists to grab the closest stair railing and catapult himself down.

“Oh, you fucking cheater!” Bakugou called, and explosions crackled as he boosted himself down the stairs after his fleeing partner.

Midoriya had just barely gotten out of Bakugou’s sight as they left the stairwell, rushing as best he could toward the commons when he was suddenly tackled off of his feet.

The common area was quickly a mess of scattered pillows and stuffed animals as the pair wrestled, and Bakugou didn’t bother trying to grab his hands when it was much easier to just grab his hips. Instantly, Midoriya was squealing with helpless laughter, his own hands grabbing at Bakugou’s wrists as he sank into the pile and tried to kick.

Bakugou couldn’t help smirking at him, letting his fingers scribble under the hem of his hoodie to squeeze around his stomach. “You’re such a damn menace, y’know?” He snickered, leaning to press a kiss to Midoriya’s neck and relishing in the squeaky giggles it got.

Meanwhile, Uraraka and Iida peeked over from the stairwell, with Iida holding a stopwatch in one hand.

“Bakugou definitely goes easier on you two.” He teased, chuckling as Bakugou whacked Midoriya with a pillow before pulling him into a hug. “Took him almost two minutes to catch him this time.”

“Look, not all of us can run at the speed of sound, Emergency Exit.” Uraraka taunted back before nudging Iida playfully with her elbow. “Bet you I can beat my record before you beat yours though.”

Of course, Midoriya didn’t the whole “making a bomb” process a secret.

#a panda writes a thing #tickling #panda's friends #squealing santa #squealing santa 2k24 #ss 2k24 #boku no hero academia #midoriya izuku #bakugou katsuki

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queenjunothegreat · 1 day ago

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Tumblr fix your shit or I swear to god I'm gonna lose it (ㆁᴗㆁ✿)

ANYWAYS!!!!! Here is the link to the long-awaited Hallmark fic! I have been informed that chapter one is sad but I PINKY PROMISE things get better ASAP. Anywho, on with the important shit.

May I present Where the Love Light Gleams Chapter One: When You Pine for the Sunshine of a Friendly Gaze

Jason squeezed his eyes shut. “Okay, fine. We’ll handle it. How do you want to do this? Trying to do everything over the phone is going to be a bigger pain than either of us are willing to deal with.” Thalia went quiet for a moment before she very hesitantly said, “What if we… went back?” Jason’s eyebrows shot up, even if he knew Thalia couldn’t see it. “You mean back to California?” “Sure. I mean, I don’t see why not.” Jason sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. “Look, Thalia, I don’t think you know what you’re signing yourself up for. Wills and estates are a nightmare to deal with and– “We could spend Christmas together.” Jason’s teeth clicked shut at her interruption. Silence hung heavy between them before he broke it. “I don’t like Christmas.” *-*-* After the sudden death of his mother, Jason agrees to travel across the country to spend Christmas with his estranged sister who hates the holiday as much as he does. Things manage to go worse than he could have ever imagined when he finds himself stranded in Oklahoma in the middle of the night, but maybe that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Jason Grace was having a bad day. He’d woken up with a feeling of dread that he couldn’t explain as anything other than mounting dread for the fast-approaching holidays and a desperate desire to do anything other than walk into the office. Things hadn’t gone much better from there, first with him pouring hot coffee all over his hand instead of in his cup and then nearly missing his train and stepping in a mysterious puddle just inside the subway station. Then, of course, he’d had to smile and grimace through all of his coworkers gushing about their Thanksgiving plans for the next day before they noticed him and awkwardly cleared their throats, asking him if he was planning on spending the day with his father. He hadn’t managed to get much of anything done all day, despite the looming deadlines, but he figured he was still more productive than everyone else in his department. But somehow, all of that still didn’t manage to be the shittiest thing that happened to him that day. No, that illustrious title went to a phone call.

Jason sucked his teeth and gripped his phone a little tighter. “So, she’s really dead?”

Thalia clucked her tongue a couple times like she always did when she was uncomfortable. “Yep. Doctor called and let me know this morning.”

Jason heaved a deep, heavy sigh and buried his face in his free hand. “Alright. I’ll call up Octavian. He deals with estates, and he owes me a favor so–”

“No,” Thalia cut him off sharply. “We can handle it. I don’t want lawyers getting involved. I don’t like lawyers.”

Jason took in a quick huff of air through his nose to calm his temper. “I’m a lawyer,” he reminded her in a slightly clipped tone. Had it been a few years earlier, Thalia would have blustered about how obviously he didn’t count, but now she just remained silent. He squeezed his eyes shut. “Okay, fine. We’ll handle it. How do you want to do this? Trying to do everything over the phone is going to be a bigger pain than either of us are willing to deal with.”

Thalia went quiet for a moment before she very hesitantly said, “What if we… went back?”

Jason’s eyebrows shot up, even if he knew Thalia couldn’t see it. “You mean back to California?”

“Sure. I mean, I don’t see why not.”

Jason didn’t bother to tell her exactly why he was so surprised. She didn’t need to know how she’d left a twelve-year-old boy devastated when she’d shouted at their mother that there was nothing in California worth staying for and stormed out the front door for the very last time. It had been fifteen years since that day, but considering he hadn’t been in the same state as his sister in four years, he didn’t really think much had changed.

Jason sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. “Look, Thalia, I don’t think you know what you’re signing yourself up for. Wills and estates are a nightmare to deal with and–

“We could spend Christmas together.”

Jason’s teeth clicked shut at her interruption. Silence hung heavy between them before he broke it. “I don’t like Christmas.”

“That’s because it sucks,” Thalia scoffed. “I can count on one hand the number of not-shitty ones I’ve had, and I don’t remember when the last one was. I think maybe it was the year I turned twenty and we were in Milwaukee for a show.”

Jason remembered his last good Christmas. He was eleven years old and his big sister had given a pair of Superman pajamas that he wore until his mom threw them out years later because she was sick of looking at them in their ratty state. He didn’t tell her that either. “Then why the hell would we do that?”

“I dunno. It’s December,” Thalia said, and Jason could almost see the casual lazy shrug that accompanied the suggestion. “Families celebrate Christmas together.”

“Are we a family?”

The words were out of Jason’s mouth before he could bite his tongue, and he grimaced. “Sorry, I– That was uncalled for.”

“You’re not wrong,” Thalia said quietly. “I don’t know if we even are a family any more, Jason. But we are family, so… maybe we can be a family again?”

Jason frowned down at his desk, brows furrowed deeply. “I– I’ll think about it, okay? I don’t even know if I can get the time off at this short notice.”

“You’re the managing partner’s son,” she pointed out derisively.

“Yeah, well, you’ve met the guy,” Jason pointed out. “Look, I said I’ll think about it, and that’s the best I can promise you right now. I can’t just drop everything and move across the country for a month. I have a real job.” The last bit was an unnecessary dig, but it felt pretty good, so he didn’t take it back.

Surprisingly, Thalia didn’t rise to the bait. She just sighed, and Jason couldn’t help but notice that she sounded tired. “Okay,” she said eventually. “Okay, just… Just think about it. Let me know one way or another. We’ll figure something out if we can’t do this.”

“Okay, I’ll call you back soon,” Jason promised, his tone equally gentle.

She hummed softly. “Jay?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you. I hope you know that.”

Jason squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, unwilling to admit just how much those three words made him want to burst into tears. “Yeah, no, I– I know, Lia. I love you, too.”

“Okay, I’ll, um,” Thalia cut herself off by awkwardly clearing her throat. “I’ll let you get back to your big important lawyer job. Talk to you later. Bye, Jason.”

“Bye, Thalia.”

The line went dead and Jason slumped over on his desk burrowing down into his arms. His mom was dead. It was the day before Thanksgiving, and his mom was dead. He wondered how normal people would feel about that. He was pretty sure he was supposed to be at least a little upset, not feel like an invisible noose had fallen from his neck. It had been months since he’d last talked to her over the phone. It had been years since he’d seen her in person. He remembered trying to surprise her for Mother’s Day the year he’d graduated from law school. He’d shown up on her front door with flowers and a pearl necklace just like the ones in movies she’d always yearned for when he was growing up. She’d answered the door with a scowl on her face, smelling of cigarette smoke and soured whiskey and demanded to know what he wanted from her. Things hadn’t gone much better from there, even when he’d presented his offerings. After that, Jason had moved to New York and never made an effort to go visit her since. Not that she’d exactly made the effort to extend an invitation, either.

He wondered if his father knew she was dead. If he knew, did he care? Doubtful. Thalia had always been more like their father than she wanted to admit. He cut ties and walked out on anyone and anything he deemed less than deserving of his time and attention, just like she did. Which left Jason to be like their mom. Left behind, bitter and hurt and waiting for someone who’d never bother to come back.

He shook his head and stood from his desk. He had briefs that he still needed to write, but he knew he wasn’t going to get any more work done today. He sent a quick message to his department head that he was feeling ill, so he wanted to know if he could head home early. She responded with nothing more than a thumbs up emoji, so he packed his things without a second thought. It wasn’t like he didn’t have the necessary off time built up to skip out a few hours early. Truth be told, he hadn’t taken a vacation in the four years that he’d been working there, so between that and the two week bereavement leave he was due, he could easily arrange to go to California for a month. He just… didn’t want to. He didn’t want to go back to that awful house. He didn’t want to share awkward meals with Thalia while they discussed divvying up their dead mother’s estate. He didn’t want to sit in front of a half-assed fake tree and exchange gifts with Thalia that neither of them gave a shit about.

But he’d have to do something. His mother was dead, and he’d need to do something. But that would just have to wait. That would have to wait until Jason ate enough Chinese food to make himself sick, drank an entire bottle of sauvignon blanc, tortured himself with a marathon of his mother’s favorite movies, and had a good, long crying session. My mother is dead, Jason thought to himself once again as he stepped outside into the cold afternoon.

He marveled at how little that mattered.

*-*-*

Jason was sitting in front of his TV, eating reheated leftovers from the office Thanksgiving party two days earlier as brightly colored floats and balloons rolled across the screen. He hadn’t actually woken up early enough to watch it live, but through the marvels of the modern age, he’d found a channel streaming it all day long. So, naturally, he’d sat himself down to partake in this national tradition that was older than his grandfather.

He hated the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

But, well, he didn’t exactly have any other plans, and this made him feel a little less like a lonely, half-orphaned sad sack. He figured most people in his position would be connecting with family on a day like this, his father lived in New York City as well, after all. And if there was one thing that was certain, it was that his father would be having the finest Thanksgiving party imaginable. He had a large family, a whole Rolodex of important clients, and an image to maintain, after all. Right about now, his penthouse apartment was probably dressed to the nines with a feast fit for kings weighing down his dining table. His whole family would be there.

Except Jason.

The first year Jason had moved to New York and joined his father’s firm, he’d been eager to partake in the festivities. His mom hadn’t really put any kind of effort into holidays after Thalia left home, and he’d been alone for all seven years of college, but this was going to be his big chance. He’d mentioned it to his father after a department meeting, and he’d been told that one of the secretaries would email him the details of the event. The email never came, but Jason had held out hope that maybe it was just a clerical error, and he’d patiently waited for a Christmas invite. Then New Years came and went, and he quit asking. Despite what some people thought, he could take a hint.

Jason shoved another forkful of food into his mouth and grimaced. He hated turkey, and the half-congealed gravy wasn’t helping much. He wondered what his coworkers were doing at that moment. Most of them were probably with their families, though he’d overheard a few of them discussing arrangements for a friendly get-together for those who didn’t have families in town. Jason hadn’t been invited to that, either, because, well, he had family in town, didn’t he? They didn’t need to invite him to Friends-giving.

As much as he wanted to deny it, he was lonely. He didn’t have friends, not really. There were a few people at work who offered him smiles and friendly conversation, and a few people from school who occasionally sent him a message, but nothing else. He didn’t go out, he didn’t take classes. He just came home every day after work and worked until his eyes ached for sleep, went to bed, then woke up and did the same thing the next day.

As he slouched there in his recliner, dwelling on all the ways his life sucked, the camera panned over to some celebrity he couldn't be bothered to remember the name of, standing on the back of a float designed to look like a gingerbread village. She gave the camera a blinding smile while all the various gingerbread people around her waved. Then, the float rolled to a stop and she stepped forward to the microphone. There was the sound of bells and humming before she opened her mouth and began to sing.

I'll be home for Christmas

You can plan on me

Please have snow and mistletoe

And presents by the tree

Jason stared at the TV with something that bordered a little closer to offense than he would have liked to admit. His mind skipped down a handful of streets to that glittering penthouse he wasn’t invited to, and his phone was in his hand and pressed to his ear before he really knew what he was doing. It rang a few times before finally picking up.

“Jason?”

“Hey, Thalia. Yeah, it's me,” he said. He couldn't blame her for being confused. The two of them didn't exactly make a habit of calling one another on holidays. He heard a bunch of background clatter, and his brows knit. “Are you… at a party?”

“No,” Thalia said, a little too quickly. “Well, I mean, not really. Some of the Hunters and I met up at Phoebe's place. That's all.”

“Oh.” Jason sucked his teeth and added another person to his list of people having a better day than him. He dismissed the thought and pressed on. “Hey, were you serious about going out to California?”

“Yes!” Thalia almost shouted the word down the line, then she cleared her throat, obviously embarrassed at her eagerness. “I mean, uh, yeah. I was serious. Do you want to?”

“Sure,” Jason shrugged. “Like you said, getting the time off won't actually be all that hard. How soon can you get there? It's gonna take a while for us to get everything taken care of.”

“Um, how about the sixth? We're doing a show out in Denver on the second, and then we're off until after New Years. Does that work?”

Jason ran through the basic plan he'd outlined in his head. If he knew his mom, she likely didn’t have a will or anything drawn up. That could potentially make things messier, but he doubted he or Thalia would be all that interested in disputing any rulings the court made. He shrugged. “Yeah, that should be fine. Hopefully.”

“Yeah. I, um, yeah.” Jason could hear the big beaming smile Thalia wore when she said her next words. “Thanks, Jason. This really– It means a lot, you know?”

“Yeah, I know,” Jason said with a gentle smile. “I love you, Lia.”

“I love you, too, Jay. And, um, happy Thanksgiving.”

“Happy Thanksgiving. See you on the sixth.”

“See you.”

Jason hung up the phone and let out a soft sigh, eyes sparkling. He was going to go home. He was going to see his sister for the first time in years. He was going to celebrate Christmas with his family.

*-*-*

Then he froze, and his face paled in horror. He was going to have to go home. He was going to have to see his sister for the first time in years. He was going to have to celebrate Christmas with his family.

He glowered at the TV and the celebrity lady who was once again smiling and waving at the camera. “This is all your fault.”

Leo Valdez was many, many things. He was a mechanical genius. He was the textbook definition of a plucky orphan. He was an amazing cook. He was the best adopted brother Piper McLean could have ever asked for, and they both knew it. He was smart, he was talented, and above all else, he was incredibly humble.

But at the moment, he was most importantly the only mechanic in Crooked Hollow Bend, Oklahoma, and there wasn’t another one for almost a hundred miles.

He’d been minding his own business, idly flipping through a car magazine when the shop phone went off, which was odd partially because most everyone in town just waltzed right on in when they wanted their car fixed, but mostly because it was well past half the town’s bedtime. Still, he figured that talking to whoever was on the other end of the line would be more entertaining than his magazine, even if they were just a prank caller or a very confused old lady with a very wrong number.

“Valdez Automotive. How can I help you?”

“Hey, Valdez, it’s me.”

Leo narrowed his eyes, trying to place the voice. “Stoll?”

“Yeah.”

“Connor or Travis?”

“If I say Travis, what will you do?”

“Hang up.”

“Oh, good. Then it’s Connor.”

Leo snorted and rolled his eyes. “Alright then. What do you want?”

“You willing to take a look at a car tonight?”

“Why the hell do you need me to look at a car tonight?” Leo asked, gobsmacked. “Can’t you just wait until tomorrow, dude? It’s, like, ten.”

“It’s not for me. Travis and I were driving home when we saw this dude stuck on the side of the road. He’s fine, but his car’s in rough shape.”

Leo’s brow furrowed. “Who is it?”

“No idea. He said he’s driving from New York to California.”

“Hmm…” Leo glanced over at his empty schedule and shrugged. “Yeah, alright. Tell him to limp it in and I’ll take a look at it. He’ll probably have to wait until tomorrow for it to be fixed, though.”

“Yeah, about that. He’s not limping this thing anywhere. Travis and I are gonna be towing it in with our truck.”

Leo let out a low whistle. “Yikes. He’ll definitely have to wait until tomorrow for me to fix it, then. You want me to call Piper? She’s for sure got a room open, but she might have to get it ready.”

It rang a few times before she picked up, her voice thick and gravely with sleep, “You’d better have a damn good reason for calling me at this time of night, I swear to god.”

“Yeah, if you wouldn’t mind. We’ll get this guy’s car hitched up and drag it in. See you in thirty.”

”See you.” With that, Connor hung up, and Leo called Piper.

“Hello to you, too,” Leo scoffed. “And I do have a good reason, thank you very much.”

“Leo, I’ve told you before, finding a chip shaped like a video game character isn’t half as cool as you think it is, and nobody is gonna buy it on Ebay.”

“First of all, fuck you, I could have made bank on that Sonic chip if you hadn’t eaten it,” Leo huffed. “Second of all, I was just calling to let you know that you’re going to be having a guest soon, so you might want to get ready.”

Leo heard Piper shifting around, likely sitting up in bed, finally paying proper attention to him. “What? A guest? Really?”

“Yeah. Connor just called me and said he’s on the way in with some guy from New York whose car broke down. He’ll be stuck in town, and he can’t sleep in his car, so he’s gonna need a place to stay tonight.”

Piper made a soft, sympathetic noise. “Poor guy. I wonder if he was on his way to visit family for Christmas.”

Leo hiked an eyebrow, even if she couldn’t see it, and smirked. “Pipes, it’s, like, the second. I think it might be a little early for Christmas traveling. I know you’re a little freak when it comes to the holidays, but not everyone is.”

“Connor didn’t specifically say he was by himself, but he also didn’t mention anyone.”

Piper blew a very loud, wet-sounding raspberry down the line. “Whatever. I’ll see about getting a room ready. Do you know if he’s traveling alone?”

“Mkay. I’ll get something set up for him. You’re still coming tomorrow, right?”

“Duh. I’m pretty sure you’d skin me if I bailed on you.”

“I for sure would,” she said with syrupy sweetness. “Anyway, gotta go. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Leo hung up the phone and got to his feet, making sure to stretch all of the stiffness out of his arms and legs before he made his way through the kitchen and out to the garage. Running a mechanic’s shop out of his house had its fair share of challenges (expanding the dinky little two-car garage and getting it properly tricked out with everything needed to run a proper garage had been a nightmarish eight months) but it meant he got to just hang out in his livingroom in his pajamas when he wasn’t working, so he figured it was worth the hassle. Besides, he never had more than two cars in the shop at a time, so it’s not like he was exactly pressed for space. He quickly got changed into his coveralls, and started moving stuff out of the way so he could properly work on whatever it was that the Stolls had dragged in.

Not too long after he was done, there was a short honk from outside, and he opened the garage door to see the Stolls sitting in his driveway, a sparkly dark blue Audi tethered to the back of their pickup truck. Leo tipped his head back and groaned, readying himself for a real pain in the ass.

Leo bounded over and put his arms through the open passenger window of the truck and put on his most winning smile and best customer service voice. “Alright, dude. Let’s see what we– Wait a minute.” He scowled at the truck occupants. “What did you two do with the guy?”

“He’s in his car,” Connor (Probably) reported. “We offered to let him ride up here with us, but he said he’d rather stay back there.”

Leo frowned before he shrugged and went to the other car. The guy inside was sitting in the front seat, forehead pressed to the steering wheel. Leo couldn’t see his face (or anything but his broad shoulders and fluffy blonde hair) but he’d recognize that defeated slump anywhere, even on a complete stranger. He cleared his throat, and tapped on the window.

Immediately, everything about the mystery man changed. His spine straightened, his shoulders pulled back, and his chin got a confidently charming tilt to it. The whole display reminded Leo of a marionette being jerked to life with the strings of its puppeteer, and he felt a shiver, unrelated to the cold, go racing down his back. The guy quickly got out of his car, straightening his charcoal peacoat as he went, then offered Leo a polite smile and a handshake. “You must be Leo Valdez. The mechanic?”

“Uh, yeah,” Leo said hesitantly, shaking the man’s hand. “That’s me.”

“Jason Grace,” he said, his smile still perfectly poised and uncomfortably approachable. “Sorry about the late call. Thank you so much for taking the time to see me. I can assure you that I will happily compensate you for the inconvenience.”

“Yeah, dude, it’s no problem.” Leo felt like he’d been spun around one too many times. There weren’t a lot of people in town who made the effort to talk with that level of detached professionalism, and even fewer who bothered to do it with Leo. He shook his head and gave Jason a blinding smile. “Alright, dude, let’s see what we’re working with.” Jason blinked at him for a moment and Leo just arched his eyebrows. “Do you maybe wanna try starting it?”

Jason jolted like he’d been hit with a taser before his cheeks went pink. “Right. Yeah. I can do that.” He sat back down in the driver’s seat and pressed the ignition button. The car revved to life in an instant, then immediately started making the most awful grinding sound Leo had ever heard. Before he could clap his hands over his ears or make any kind of signal to kill the engine, Jason turned the car back off with a wince. “And that’s what made me decide to pull over.”

“Yeah, I can see why you were stuck,” Leo agreed with a nod. “Alright, I’ll see about getting you unhitched while you get your stuff out of the trunk. I’m not gonna be able to fix this until tomorrow, and you’re gonna need a place to stay for the night.

Without waiting for a reply, Leo started unhitching Jason’s car from the truck. When he was done, he trotted back up to the front to hand over the straps they’d tied up Jason’s car with, which Travis (Probably) tossed in the back seat before looking at Leo eyebrow hiked up near his hairline. “You think you can fix it?”

Connor (Probably) snorted and grinned. “Good luck, man.”

“Obviously,” he scoffed. Then he winced. “It’s definitely not going to be easy, though. Sounds like a transmission issue. I hate transmissions. And Audis. I don’t know who designed them like that, but they need to be shot. Twice. Or more. I’ll tell you when I finish dealing with the transmission.”

“Thanks. Lemme know if you guys find any more lost travelers, yeah?”

“You got it. See you.”

“See you.” Leo waved at the Stolls as they drove away before he turned back to Jason. He was once again in that same miserable slump he’d been in before, this time leaning against the car. Leo bit his lip and gently said, “Hey, man. You alright?”

“Well, I haven’t slept in over thirty-six hours, I’m stranded in an unfamiliar town because my car decided to break down in the middle of nowhere, and my mom’s dead, so I decided to drive across the country to divvy up her estate with my sister who I haven’t seen in years while we both try to pretend that we don’t hate Christmas, but other than that I’m just great,” Jason snapped. Leo sucked his teeth for just a moment before Jason stiffened and turned to Leo with a horrified expression. “I’m so sorry. That was wildly inappropriate.”

Leo gave him a half-hearted smile. “It’s cool, man. It does sound like you need some sleep though.”

“Yes. Please,” Jason agreed, rubbing a hand over his face. “One of the gentlemen from before mentioned something about a hotel?”

“Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to call the Stolls gentlemen, but they were right about there being a place in town for you to stay,” Leo grinned. “Come on, I’ll give you a lift.”

#valgrace #my writing #pjo fanfic

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