#for context; my sibling was having a surprise inspection and so had to spend all day and night with their roommates getting the place ready

[unoisveimved-un-proffesional]

I am at like, such peak landlords suck and should die right now, and have been for a couple years, that I can't get any more "Landlords suck and should die right now." And so I feel bad not getting any more angry at the fact that landlords suck and should die right now. I'm at the top of Mt. Landlords Suck And Should Die Right Now and have nowhere left to climb.

[itsclydebitches]

So RT said Winter apparently DID try to reach out to Whitley, but Jac stopped her (somehow) and told Whitley lies about his sisters. 4 things: 1. Not shown in the fucking show, as usual 2. It takes away any accountability Weiss and Winter had for leaving him 3. It takes away Whitley’s agency, because apparently he’s not allowed to have formed negative opinions about the “heroes” on his own accord because of mistakes they made 4. WHITLEY IS STILL SYMPATHETIC SO WHY ARE PEOPLE HATING HIM?!

The number of times I've heard some version of "This important bit of lore/motivation/characterization was discussed by the writers, but there's no indication of that in the text" is really amazing. Granted, the knowledge that Winter once tried to reach out to Whitley can't compare to something like, say, an entire semblance driving an antagonist's every action... but it's the trend that's the problem as much as the specific instances.

Even if Winter did try to reach out, that doesn’t sound like a solid excuse when we don’t know how Jacques “stopped her.” She clearly had access to Weiss, sneaking onto the Schnee property to spend a lot of time training her. Yeah, we can (again) come up with a number of headcanons like, “Oh, because Whitley is Jacques’ favorite he monitored his upbringing in a way he never did Weiss’. Weiss was another lost cause to his mind, so she was allowed to rebel like that” but again, not in the show. If we go by what we actually see on screen, Winter doesn’t even seem to know her brother exists. If we go by this little bit of supplementary info, Winter tried once and then… didn’t care enough to try again. Or try differently. Or try harder. It might sound harsh given that she was also an abuse victim and was pitting herself against both her personal and political enemy, but we have to remember that this is in the context of a) her helping Weiss so much and b) Weiss ignoring Willow’s direct request to assist her brother. The picture this paints is less than stellar, a picture in which the two older sisters really just didn’t care about their youngest sibling.

As for the lies, of course he lied! I fully agree that Whitley should be allowed to form his own opinions, but regardless it’s not at all surprising to me that Jacques would fill his head with nonsense. We do have evidence for that in canon, between Weiss believing lies about the faunus and Whitley believing lies about the barbarity of the huntsmen. “Jacques lies out his ass” is by no means a revolutionary concept, to us or the characters. Which just circles right back around to Winter and Weiss’ inability to apply their experiences to Whitley’s. They know their father taught them a bunch of nonsense because they lived through that too. Weiss had a whole arc at Beacon where she (rather rushed, but still) learned, “Wow, all that stuff Father said about the White Fang and the faunus and my intrinsic superiority needs to be reevaluated.” So when she, the older and now more experienced official huntress, appears on her childhood doorstep and sees her little brother spouting that same sort of rhetoric… don’t you think she would go, “Huh, I should probably teach Whitley what my team, my professors, my friends, and my sister helped teach me"? I personally can't imagine living through something that made me act out as a defense mechanism, emulating this learned behavior, and then seeing my sibling go through the exact same experience only to come to the conclusion, "Wow, they're just an asshole."

Instead of realizing that Whitley is a younger version of her, Weiss just argues with him, dumps punch on his head, ignores him, threatens him, sends him to his room, and then is interested once he proves that he’s got intellect and resources to share. Any one of these scenes wouldn’t be much of an issue (the punch bit in particular is, I think, a little blown out of proportion by the fandom. It’s not that embarrassing, it doesn’t hurt him, and they did need to find some way to inspect the house), but the pattern as a whole? It doesn’t imply that the Schnee sisters care.

And you know what? Let them not care! They’re human beings and we could have easily had a story where three abused kids turned away from each other rather than towards one another. Weiss could actually struggle to care about someone else while spending time in her hated home again, her father in the next room getting chummy with her boss. This could have been a more nuanced look at how people don’t always do The Right Thing when they’re working through their own troubles… but the story never cast a critical eye on Weiss’ choices in that manner. Or Winter’s. Instead, everything from Weiss hugging Whitley to Willow putting a hand on her shoulder is treated like an earned moment when, in fact, incredibly little (if any) work has been done to parse through these emotional problems. When we end the volume with Winter looking down at the mother she hasn’t reconciled with, the brother she ignored, the butler she’s never spent screen time with… I don’t feel anything. I think the show wants me to feel something — here's Maiden Winter #connecting with her family after the tragic death of her sister — but we just don't have the groundwork for that.

[bubblegumwitchswriting]

Kiss Me

Pairing: Will/Nico 

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11921496

Summary: Nico accidentally kisses Will and has to face the consequences.

Nico had thought he was good at keeping secrets. Nico had thought he was good at controlling his emotions. Nico had thought he had very good self-control. But then he’d accidentally kissed Will Solace and now he had to revise his opinion of his abilities.

It was a stupid mistake. One stupid, tiny, little mistake. It was Will’s fault for being so beautiful. It was his fault for being so weak.

And now Will was ignoring him.

He turned up at breakfast, late and unwilling. Will was quiet, his head ducked low as his siblings chatted around him. He looked up to reach for the juice and his eyes accidentally caught Nico’s. Nico felt his heart jump into his throat. Will’s cheeks just grew red and he looked away.

Nico didn’t have much of an appetite that morning.

Nico tried to hide out in his cabin but sooner or later he knew he had to emerge. As a Cabin Leader he had duties, and that afternoon he was supposed to be helping to organise some event for Chiron. With Will. Normally Nico wouldn’t have minded working with his friend, but this time the prospect of seeing Will after the kiss had him dragging his feet the entire way.

Will was already in the Big House when Nico got there. He smiled at Nico when Nico finally showed up, but his smile was all wrong. Will looked totally different: small and nervous. Nico knew he should have addressed what had happened but he couldn’t find the words. It hung over their heads, the elephant in the room. They worked in silence for the most part, which felt like a lead weight in Nico’s stomach. Whenever they had to speak they were oddly formal, in a way they’d never been, even when they hadn’t known each other all that well.

When Will asked for a pen he struggled to meet Nico’s eyes, and stumbled over his words. In any other context that would probably have been endearing, cute even, but now Will’s uneasiness felt like a spike in his chest. They accidentally brushed hands when Nico passed it over and Will snatched his hand back like he’d been electrocuted, blushing furiously.

Nico’s hands were shaking and he was torn between wanting to tell Will he was sorry and kissing him again. Being near Will was confusing, and eventually Nico made his excuses and left.

Nico was used to running from his problems so when he realised he’d been down to inspect rooms with Will, he tried swapping with Connor. Connor was having none of it.

The silence was once again awkward and pressing. In Cabin Eleven, Will tripped over an abandoned controller. Nico grabbed him before he could fall, fingers tight around Will’s arm. He didn’t let go for a split second too long, and Will pulled himself out of Nico’s grip. Nico swallowed, panicked. Will had never had a problem with Nico touching him before.  

He’d apologised for the kiss! Will had to know he didn’t usually go around kissing people.

“I’m not going to kiss you again if that’s what you’re worried about,” Nico snapped, words too sharp because he was on edge and uneasy.

Will looked at him. His eyes were surprisingly frosty.

“Cecil,” he called.

Cecil had been walking past the doorway but he paused, an eyebrow raised and worry in his eyes.

“Tell your brother to get down here.”

Cecil took one look at the set of Will’s shoulders and nodded. Will practically fled, leaving Nico very much alone in the middle of Cabin Eleven, holding the clipboard so tight he thought it might break.

The week dragged by. He was furious with Will, furious with himself. Kissing Will was the biggest mistake of his life and he wished he could take it back. He didn’t even care anymore that Will wasn’t in love with him. He just wanted his friend back.

The campfire used to be the highlight of his week. He complained it was cheesy and insisted he was only there under sufferance. But secretly he loved it. He liked the rare occasions when he got to hear Will sing, which was seldom the case since he used to leave actually leading the campfire to one of his siblings. He liked watching the fire dance and reflect in Will’s eyes and hair. He really liked the marshmallows. Setting up never used to be a chore either, because he’d liked spending time with Will.

When he turned up, Kayla was already there doing all the jobs Nico usually did. Will was a little way off, laughing at something Malcolm had said. He looked like his old self: beautiful and bright. Nico felt like he’d been shocked, a stab of wild jealously and fierce longing for his best friend back piercing through him. He stormed down to the campfire and took over from a surprised Kayla.

“You don’t have to help,” Will said quietly, all traces of humour gone.

Nico just shrugged. But he felt unwelcome and he soon enough went back to his cabin. He stayed there all evening, trapped alone in the dark and wishing he had Will with him.

“You’ve got to talk to him,” Lou Ellen said. Nico had only left his cabin because he could no longer hold back the hunger pains and was slightly worried his stomach had started digesting itself. He didn’t appreciate being ambushed by Will’s friends. He tried to shrug her off but Lou Ellen was persistent.

“You’re both miserable,” she pointed out.

“It’s Will’s problem,” Nico said nastily. “Maybe he should be apologising to me. I’ve already done my bit.”

The words were bitter and angry and so wrong, but they left his mouth and it was too late to take them back. Lou Ellen looked disappointed but she did leave him alone to get his food and retreat back to the darkness of his cabin.

Nico didn’t get it. Will didn’t mind ____ and _____ dating, and he’d never shown any uneasiness around Nico before. Will having a problem with Nico seemed out of character, but Nico couldn’t think of any other explanation for Will’s behaviour. Will probably hated him now, was scared Nico would kiss him again and disgusted by the prospect. He probably never wanted to see Nico’s face again.

Nico realised he’d been squeezing his can of coke a little too hard and he’d caught his hand on a sharp bit of metal. He didn’t have any plasters, but he figured the bleeding would stop soon enough.

Ten minutes later and he was starting to get a little worried. He’d pressed a tissue against the cut but it was soon soaked through, no traces of white left. He weighed up the pros and cons of never being able to use his sword hand again but he’d now gone through two tissues and he couldn’t really convince himself that he didn’t need the infirmary anymore.  

He made the journey last two times longer than it should have, praying every step of the way that the healer on duty wasn’t Will. Either the gods weren’t listening, or they enjoyed torturing him because when he opened the door and slipped inside the warm interior, Will was there sorting through medicines.

He turned, noticed Nico’s hand. Nico tried to explain but his mouth seemed to be glued shut. Will didn’t speak either, just got a pair of gloves and gestured that Nico should sit.

When Will took Nico’s hand, gently and carefully, Nico thought he was going to suffocate. His chest was suddenly so tight and his eyes were burning and more than anything he wanted Will back, his Will who laughed and joked, not this silent serious doctor Will.

“You need stiches,” Will said. “Hold on.”

Nico didn’t look as Will sorted out his hand, not because he was squeamish but because he couldn’t stand to look at his former-friend. The electric lights showed the pallor underneath Will’s tan, the circles under his eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” Nico whispered.

Will’s mouth was a tight line. His hands were shaking, so it was probably lucky he’d finished fixing closing the cut.

“I missed you,” Nico tried, when Will didn’t respond. “I want things to go back to the way they were.” His voice wasn’t much more than a whisper and he was so scared Will was going to push him away again, tell him to get out. If he did, Nico wasn’t sure he could deal with that.

“I want that too,” Will said eventually.

“I’m sorry I kissed you,” Nico said. “But can’t we just forget it happened? Start again?”

Will had been quiet and small but suddenly he rounded on Nico, eyes burning.

“Right. Just forget it. Sure, why not? After all it was a mistake.”

Nico was a bit confused by his ire. Will might as well have stabbed him: the feeling in his chest was the same.

“I know,” Nico said miserably, desperately. “I said it was a mistake. I said I was sorry. I don’t get what you want from me.”

“I want you to kiss me!” Will said suddenly. His words were like an explosion. His expression was frustrated and he blazed momentarily, furious and frantic. Then his eyes went wide and the panic set in. Before Nico could stop him he was turning and starting towards the door.

Nico was watching him go and wasn’t doing anything because he was too shocked. Then Will’s words finally registered and he realised they had been having two very different conversations and suddenly he was running too.

He grabbed Will’s arm at the door and spun him round.

“I get it,” he said. “Will I’m so sorry. I like you. I really like you. I like that you’re so kind and you always think of others and never asks for thanks. I like your hair and your stupid face. I like you.”

Will was staring at him, eyes blank.

“But-“

“You didn’t kiss me back! I thought you didn’t like me. I didn’t want to lose you and I thought if I pretended it was a mistake we could still be friends.”

Will was still staring. He looked like he was torn between laughing and crying.

“You’re an idiot Di Angelo,” Will said but he sounded more fond and frustrated than truly angry. “I didn’t kiss you because I was shocked. I never thought you’d like me. And then you said it was a mistake. That hurt so much.”

Against the night, Will didn’t blaze like he normally did all golden and bright like the sun. Instead he was softer: more vulnerable. Nico had done that. Nico had hurt him. The thought made him sick.

“I thought you hated me for kissing you,” Nico said. “I thought you’d never want to talk to me again.”

“I’m really sorry for ignoring you,” Will whispered. “I could have handled that better. I just didn’t get how you could kiss me one minute and tell me it was a mistake the next.”

Nico took a step closer. The stars were bright behind Will, but not quite as bright as the tentative light in Will’s eyes. Nico thought that the light might be hope. It made his chest feel about a billion times lighter.  

“So to be clear,” Nico said, “you don’t mind if I kiss you? Only you’re kind of really beautiful right now.”

Will still looked like he still wasn’t sure if he wanting to be laughing or crying, but he shook his head and threaded his fingers through Nico’s.

“I don’t mind,” he said softly. “In fact, I kind of insist.”

Nico smiled, stood up on tiptoes and kissed Will.

This time Will kissed him back.

[imgonnabeyourbubblegumwitch]

Kiss Me

Nico had thought he was good at keeping secrets. Nico had thought he was good at controlling his emotions. Nico had thought he had very good self-control. But then he’d accidentally kissed Will Solace and now he had to revise his opinion of his abilities.

It was a stupid mistake. One stupid, tiny, little mistake. It was Will’s fault for being so beautiful. It was his fault for being so weak.

And now Will was ignoring him.

He turned up at breakfast, late and unwilling. Will was quiet, his head ducked low as his siblings chatted around him. He looked up to reach for the juice and his eyes accidentally caught Nico’s. Nico felt his heart jump into his throat. Will’s cheeks just grew red and he looked away.

Nico didn’t have much of an appetite that morning.

Nico tried to hide out in his cabin but sooner or later he knew he had to emerge. As a Cabin Leader he had duties, and that afternoon he was supposed to be helping to organise some event for Chiron. With Will. Normally Nico wouldn’t have minded working with his friend, but this time the prospect of seeing Will after the kiss had him dragging his feet the entire way.

Will was already in the Big House when Nico got there. He smiled at Nico when Nico finally showed up, but his smile was all wrong. Will looked totally different: small and nervous. Nico knew he should have addressed what had happened but he couldn’t find the words. It hung over their heads, the elephant in the room. They worked in silence for the most part, which felt like a lead weight in Nico’s stomach. Whenever they had to speak they were oddly formal, in a way they’d never been, even when they hadn’t known each other all that well.

When Will asked for a pen he struggled to meet Nico’s eyes, and stumbled over his words. In any other context that would probably have been endearing, cute even, but now Will’s uneasiness felt like a spike in his chest. They accidentally brushed hands when Nico passed it over and Will snatched his hand back like he’d been electrocuted, blushing furiously. 

Nico’s hands were shaking and he was torn between wanting to tell Will he was sorry and kissing him again. Being near Will was confusing, and eventually Nico made his excuses and left.

Nico was used to running from his problems so when he realised he’d been down to inspect rooms with Will, he tried swapping with Connor. Connor was having none of it.

The silence was once again awkward and pressing. In Cabin Eleven, Will tripped over an abandoned controller. Nico grabbed him before he could fall, fingers tight around Will’s arm. He didn’t let go for a split second too long, and Will pulled himself out of Nico’s grip. Nico swallowed, panicked. Will had never had a problem with Nico touching him before.  

He’d apologised for the kiss! Will had to know he didn’t usually go around kissing people.

“I’m not going to kiss you again if that’s what you’re worried about,” Nico snapped, words too sharp because he was on edge and uneasy.

Will looked at him. His eyes were surprisingly frosty.

“Cecil,” he called.

Cecil had been walking past the doorway but he paused, an eyebrow raised and worry in his eyes.

“Tell your brother to get down here.”

Cecil took one look at the set of Will’s shoulders and nodded. Will practically fled, leaving Nico very much alone in the middle of Cabin Eleven, holding the clipboard so tight he thought it might break.

The week dragged by. He was furious with Will, furious with himself. Kissing Will was the biggest mistake of his life and he wished he could take it back. He didn’t even care anymore that Will wasn’t in love with him. He just wanted his friend back.

The campfire used to be the highlight of his week. He complained it was cheesy and insisted he was only there under sufferance. But secretly he loved it. He liked the rare occasions when he got to hear Will sing, which was seldom the case since he used to leave actually leading the campfire to one of his siblings. He liked watching the fire dance and reflect in Will’s eyes and hair. He really liked the marshmallows. Setting up never used to be a chore either, because he’d liked spending time with Will.

When he turned up, Kayla was already there doing all the jobs Nico usually did. Will was a little way off, laughing at something Malcolm had said. He looked like his old self: beautiful and bright. Nico felt like he’d been shocked, a stab of wild jealously and fierce longing for his best friend back piercing through him. He stormed down to the campfire and took over from a surprised Kayla.

“You don’t have to help,” Will said quietly, all traces of humour gone.

Nico just shrugged. But he felt unwelcome and he soon enough went back to his cabin. He stayed there all evening, trapped alone in the dark and wishing he had Will with him.

“You’ve got to talk to him,” Lou Ellen said. Nico had only left his cabin because he could no longer hold back the hunger pains and was slightly worried his stomach had started digesting itself. He didn’t appreciate being ambushed by Will’s friends. He tried to shrug her off but Lou Ellen was persistent.

“You’re both miserable,” she pointed out.

“It’s Will’s problem,” Nico said nastily. “Maybe he should be apologising to me. I’ve already done my bit.”

The words were bitter and angry and so wrong, but they left his mouth and it was too late to take them back. Lou Ellen looked disappointed but she did leave him alone to get his food and retreat back to the darkness of his cabin.

Nico didn’t get it. Will didn’t mind Malcolm and Mitchell dating, and he’d never shown any uneasiness around Nico before. Will having a problem with Nico seemed out of character, but Nico couldn’t think of any other explanation for Will’s behaviour. Will probably hated him now, was scared Nico would kiss him again and disgusted by the prospect. He probably never wanted to see Nico’s face again. 

Nico realised he’d been squeezing his can of coke a little too hard and he’d caught his hand on a sharp bit of metal. He didn’t have any plasters, but he figured the bleeding would stop soon enough.

Ten minutes later and he was starting to get a little worried. He’d pressed a tissue against the cut but it was soon soaked through, no traces of white left. He weighed up the pros and cons of never being able to use his sword hand again but he’d now gone through two tissues and he couldn’t really convince himself that he didn’t need the infirmary anymore.  

He made the journey last two times longer than it should have, praying every step of the way that the healer on duty wasn’t Will. Either the gods weren’t listening, or they enjoyed torturing him because when he opened the door and slipped inside the warm interior, Will was there sorting through medicines.

He turned, noticed Nico’s hand. Nico tried to explain but his mouth seemed to be glued shut. Will didn’t speak either, just got a pair of gloves and gestured that Nico should sit.

When Will took Nico’s hand, gently and carefully, Nico thought he was going to suffocate. His chest was suddenly so tight and his eyes were burning and more than anything he wanted Will back, his Will who laughed and joked, not this silent serious doctor Will.

“You need stiches,” Will said. “Hold on.”

Nico didn’t look as Will sorted out his hand, not because he was squeamish but because he couldn’t stand to look at his former-friend. The electric lights showed the pallor underneath Will’s tan, the circles under his eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” Nico whispered.

Will’s mouth was a tight line. His hands were shaking, so it was probably lucky he’d finished fixing closing the cut.

“I missed you,” Nico tried, when Will didn’t respond. “I want things to go back to the way they were.” His voice wasn’t much more than a whisper and he was so scared Will was going to push him away again, tell him to get out. If he did, Nico wasn’t sure he could deal with that. 

“I want that too,” Will said eventually.

“I’m sorry I kissed you,” Nico said. “But can’t we just forget it happened? Start again?”

Will had been quiet and small but suddenly he rounded on Nico, eyes burning.

“Right. Just forget it. Sure, why not? After all it was a mistake.”

Nico was a bit confused by his ire. Will might as well have stabbed him: the feeling in his chest was the same.

“I know,” Nico said miserably, desperately. “I said it was a mistake. I said I was sorry. I don’t get what you want from me.”

 “I want you to kiss me!” Will said suddenly. His words were like an explosion. His expression was frustrated and he blazed momentarily, furious and frantic. Then his eyes went wide and the panic set in. Before Nico could stop him he was turning and starting towards the door.

Nico was watching him go and wasn’t doing anything because he was too shocked. Then Will’s words finally registered and he realised they had been having two very different conversations and suddenly he was running too.

He grabbed Will’s arm at the door and spun him round.

“I get it,” he said. “Will I’m so sorry. I like you. I really like you. I like that you’re so kind and you always think of others and never asks for thanks. I like your hair and your stupid face. I like you.”

Will was staring at him, eyes blank.

“But-“

“You didn’t kiss me back! I thought you didn’t like me. I didn’t want to lose you and I thought if I pretended it was a mistake we could still be friends.”

Will was still staring. He looked like he was torn between laughing and crying.

“You’re an idiot Di Angelo,” Will said but he sounded more fond and frustrated than truly angry. “I didn’t kiss you because I was shocked. I never thought you’d like me. And then you said it was a mistake. That hurt so much.”

Against the night, Will didn’t blaze like he normally did all golden and bright like the sun. Instead he was softer: more vulnerable. Nico had done that. Nico had hurt him. The thought made him sick.

“I thought you hated me for kissing you,” Nico said. “I thought you’d never want to talk to me again.”

“I’m really sorry for ignoring you,” Will whispered. “I could have handled that better. I just didn’t get how you could kiss me one minute and tell me it was a mistake the next.”

Nico took a step closer. The stars were bright behind Will, but not quite as bright as the tentative light in Will’s eyes. Nico thought that the light might be hope. It made his chest feel about a billion times lighter.  

“So to be clear,” Nico said, “you don’t mind if I kiss you? Only you’re kind of really beautiful right now.”

Will still looked like he still wasn’t sure if he wanting to be laughing or crying, but he shook his head and threaded his fingers through Nico’s.

“I don’t mind,” he said softly. “In fact, I kind of insist.”

Nico smiled, stood up on tiptoes and kissed Will.

This time Will kissed him back.Writing Prompt Sunday: written for Maddy over on Ao3 who asked for a sequel to Never Mind. I’m not entirely sure this fits as a follow on, so may be going back to that request sometime soon!