#i have a feeling that hestia is going to accidentally help her through this honestly

[asexual-levia-tan]

i tried to make this post while on post limit so lets see if i can remember all the points i wanted to hit

i do feel kinda bad for the prince that she (and apparently even cael himself) really feel this way about him. so far this entire time he really has shown nothing but concern for cael (and thus, suspicion towards hestia), not to mention that he tends to visit cael while using an alias. if he'd ever visited cael in the previous life to try to reconcile(way too late), she'd have no clue about it.

at the same time, him @ diana like "i didnt correct your opinion on cael because i thought you'd come around on your own🥺" Just Ain't It. the two of you were practically raised as brothers and you still didnt try to mediate between him and your girlfriend?? hello??? especially considering that he saved your entire kingdom a massive headache???

all that being said

i think maybe the timeline here has been too vague. just how much time was between cael and diana's fight and diana and the prince's wedding? prince has made it sound like he doesnt have the full picture, yet at the same time he definitely knows diana's opinion on cael. if i had a clearer picture of how long the prince had waited before reaching out, i'd be able to understand cael's feelings better.

[astaroth1357]

Demigod MC Series: Hestia

This is another eternally virgin goddess, so we're doing another pseudo-demigod by adoption (like we did with Athena).

Demigod MC: Intro, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hades, Dionysus, Demeter, Athena, Hades Pt. 2, Poseidon, Ares, Hestia

Hestia is the goddess of the Hearth, Home, Architecture, Domesticity, Family, and the State. She's high up there (firstborn of Rhea and Cronus), but several factors have led to her falling into the background when compared to the other (flashier) Olympians. She swore to never marry, rejecting proposals from both Poseidon and Apollo, and is something of an antithesis to Aphrodite.

Lucifer

Honestly? He thought they were exactly what they were after. A weak human with no experience in the magical world what-so-ever.

Well… He was half-right.

On the surface, this is a pretty weak human. They don't have super flashy powers or a divine birth from the gods… but they do have a very protective adoptive mother.

The brothers had just settled in for their first dinner with the new human when the goddess herself strolled into their dining room, asked who was in charge, then dragged Lucifer away by the ear!

She's not even his mother, yet he felt the intense urge to apologize and put himself in his own room… Oh, the humiliation… at least she did the same to Diavolo…

The Prince was only able to calm her down by promising absolutely NO harm would come to her child… on their heads...

By the time the goddess finally let him go, Lucifer was about ready to shackle the MC to his wrist so nothing could touch them but he settled on keeping them with him like an assistant of sorts. They were in charge of helping him with the paperwork so he could keep an eye on them. 

What he didn’t expect was for them to be so… good at it? They could keep his offices clean, they managed his daily schedule, fixed up the House, and still have time to bring him tea and sweets every night!

They could even reign in his brothers somehow… They weren't strong or intimidating, but one or two mildly unhappy words out of them and everybody would be on their best behavior.

Was everyone positive they're only human...?

As much as he hated to admit, he may have a slight deep case of falling for the housekeeper… He would make a move, but well…

He has Beel to contend with first.

Mammon

Okay so, watching Lucifer get dragged out by the ear just like Raphael used to do to him was hilarious!!! The whole room got a good laugh! 🤣

Until Hestia glared at them and suddenly they all felt like they'd disappointed someone important….

And all that fuss over some dumb human??

So what if they made amazing food?

So what if they could clean the entire mansion in a day?

So what if they were the walking equivalent to a warm cup of cocoa on a winter's day??

So what if they were just the kindest, sweetest thing in this godforsaken hellscape and he would throw himself in front of a bus to keep them safe-

-Wait, when did that happen?!?

Seriously, Mammon's attachment to the MC came out of NOWHERE to him. One day, he was threatening to eat their soul and the next he's freaking out when they stub their toe!

He swears they have to have some kind of magic about them! A charm, or a spell, or… their lovable smile and warm, loving hugs...! 😊

Damnit!! They're too cute!! He needs them to go away but also never leave, thanks. 😒

In all seriousness, though their kind nature puts Mammon's tsundere self at a bit of a disadvantage, his protective instincts shoot through the roof whenever they're involved.

Naturally, that means his day is spent running them away from hungry lesser demons or shielding them from Beel and Lucifer's tug-of-war matches… He's a busy guy these days. 😖

Leviathan 

They're so… so… MOE!!!

That was his immediate thought when Mammon brought them home. He was expecting a defenseless human, but not one that could have stepped out of one of his slice-of-life manga!

To be honest, his instant thought was try and find a place to sit them on his shelves with the rest of the adorable characters he loves… 😅

And that was before they even opened their mouth! Five words into their introduction and he was ready to get their face on a t-shirt!!

Honestly, combine their natural cuteness with their household skills and they made for perfect waifu/husbando material… 

Not helped by the fact they found one of his maid/butler outfits while doing the laundry one day. Not only did they ask if they could wear it, they actually non-ironically liked it and started wearing it around the House!!

Oh he got cornered by Beel, Lucifer, and Mammon separately that day because they thought he was using them for fetish fuel… But it was their idea, he swears!!

I mean… He didn't discourage them or anything either but still…

If Beel hadn't claimed them on Day One, Levi might have eventually thrown his hat in the ring too... Oh well… he can pine from a distance… What else is new? 😔

Satan

He has a video of Hestia dragging Lucifer out of the dining room on his phone and it's one of his most treasured possessions now. 😌

He is perhaps the only person in the House who was not at all impressed with their little human.

So they could cook? So could he. So they can clean? That's not impressive. They could manage a household? Big deal, he's more or less been in charge of the same thing for centuries!

As far as he saw it, there was nothing the MC could do that he couldn't do as proficiently or even better. There was nothing remarkable about this human at all!

… except for one thing.

That maid/butler outfit of Levi's? The one they like to wear around?

It has cat accessories…

Either they don't notice or they don't mind it but they essentially walk around the House cleaning things with little kitty ears attached to their head and a bell on their collar…

Dammit… Why did Levi even buy that?!?

Satan ended up getting in trouble for enchanting their outfit to give them REAL ears and a tail "accidentally..." Lucifer strung him up by his toes, Beel gave him a black-eye, and Mammon still calls him a "perverted cat freak" but it was worth it, he says, worth it!!

Asmodeus 

Oh Beel…

Asmo saw Beel's feelings for the MC coming from a mile away. He didn't even need to confirm it with a sniff check, he had them scented by the end of their first night!

Lucifer, on the other hand, now that was a surprise... 😏

Ask him a century ago if Lucifer would ever consider a human lover, godly mother or no, and he'd have laughed! Yet here he is, giving gifts and sneaking whiffs of their adorable new housemate!

Of course, that's causing some commotion because they're pitted against each other, but Asmo finds it kind of cute honestly. 

Beel and Lucifer aren't fighting, not for real. The whole house knows Lucifer would win in a real brawl, but neither of them actually want to hurt the other… They're far too close for that.

So Beel tosses Lucifer around with kid gloves and Lucifer holds back considerably against Beel. It's pretty much just two brothers who love each other squabbling over the same toy… 🤭

Honestly, Lucifer might have bowed out by now and just let Beel have them but now his pride's on the line… thus an endless tussle between family and the sweet MC is in the middle, clueless to it all!

Tragic, is it not? But it certainly makes things more entertaining around here! (Good thing too since Beel beat him to the punch… If it's a fight against those two, he'll have to keep any of his own affairs with the MC under the radar... 😏)

Beelzebub 

He has claimed this one. Full stop.

For a bit of perspective: when Barbatos needs cooking tips, he calls Hestia. Hestia, the Divine Master of All Things Cooking. Hestia, the goddess who raised this MC… 

Needless to say if they have any magic at all, it's in the kitchen.

If food is the way to Beel's heart, this MC has claimed his heart, soul, and probably all of his vital organs. Their food is astounding!! Always perfect every time and so good it brings him to tears!

It started the night of that first dinner, prepared by MC. He was too busy scarfing down the table to even notice a goddess showed up and then he proposed to the MC with their own pig roast by meal's end!

They said no to marriage, but an instant pact agreement suited him just fine.

Beel didn't waste a single moment before he started treating them like a potential mate, territorial aggression and all, but there was a bit of a catch… He kept the MC totally oblivious to it.

Surprisingly, Beel's can turn the "They're MINE" part of his brain on and off pretty well. He's nothing but sweet and cuddly to the MC when they're around and even with his brothers!... as long as they don't try anything.

The moment he caught whiff that Lucifer might be pursuing them too, it was on. Suddenly the two brothers who almost never fight were in competition against each other! But of course, both have an unspoken rule to never do so in front of MC.

And now poor MC believes it's common for demons to "play wrestle" like puppies and hugs are traditionally supposed to be so hard they could snap spines… 

And it doesn’t look like they'll be backing down any time soon… Oh dear...

Belphegor 

You know what? For once, everything goes exactly to plan for Belphie!

No really, this MC has no hidden powers, no magic horses, not even Demon Nip. They are a helpless, trusting little human who just wants to help their big teddy bear get his twin back!

So, you know how it goes. The charm, the lies, the treachery and all of that. He even gets to kill them!! Oh, happy days!! 😁

Come to think of it, they did smell an awful lot like Beel… But who cares, as long as Lucifer suffers right?? And this whole "living together in harmony" crap fails, right?!

Wrong. 

Beel went ballistic. Lucifer did too, but Beel was what really hurt…

Belphie can safely say that in all of his life, Beel has never physically attacked him. Not once, or at least, not with intent to kill… 

But when the sixthborn's fist went crashing through the wall right by his ear that day, he knew his brother's first instinct was to aim for his head… and his second was to miss, as he still loved him, but only by just a little.

What the hell did he just do??

Thank their father for Barbatos and all the funky time stuff he can do because bringing the MC "back" snapped his angry brothers right out of it. 

Things should have been smoothed over at that point but as everyone was finally settling down for tea, Hestia made another appearance in the House… this time carrying a butcher's knife!

Time fix or no, Diavolo had promised her no harm would come to MC and at least one continuity of them DIED… so punishment was now on Lucifer and the Demon Prince himself!

Belphie, in a rare case of guilt and an expression of brotherly love, offered to take their place since it WAS kind of all his fault. His gesture softened the Goddess of Family juuust enough to lighten his sentence from execution to hard labor.

And thus, the MC had their own housekeeping assistant for a whole year, complete with bitter reluctance and a matching maid outfit! Cat-theme and all!!

He's sending nightmares to anybody who laughs… guaranteed. 😒

[paladinwife]

I'm sure you're already gonna get some but just to be sure, all of the mythology asks for Raiden :> (both of them or either, your choice <3)

Me blasting Rules of Nature as I answer this

Also because this is a lot this will just be Metal Gear Raiden! Baal will have to be separate

Zeus: How did you first meet your f/o(s)? How did you feel about each other at first?

So I’m still working through this, but: my theory is that the people that hurt and nearly killed Elise were involved with the Patriots (not that she knew), and so her pursuing revenge resulted in her basically accidentally walking in on the plot of MGS2. She and Raiden run into each other this way some time shortly after the whole incident with Rose (where, in this timeline, he won’t forgive her and refuses to take her back). After their chance meeting they actually start bonding and see each other more and more.

Hera: How did you first start your romantic relationship with your f/o(s)? How did the way you feel about each other evolve to get to that point?

And this jumps off perfectly from the last question! Like I said, after their meeting, they start getting closer and spending some actual time together. At some point, Raiden realizes he’s following Elise like a puppy, but he’s nervous considering how badly his last romantic relationship went. Eventually, though, his feelings win out and he does approach her about dating, and Elise is happy to accept.

Poseidon: Do you and your f/o(s) like to travel? If so, where do you like to go? Is there anywhere you’d like to go that you haven’t yet?

Raiden and Elise travel a lot for their careers, but I think they really want to travel together. First priority is to go somewhere with a nice beach and just have a relaxing time, I think. But there are so many countries they want to see together when they have the chance.

Demeter: What’s your favorite season, and how do you like to spend that season together?

Elise loves autumn - not only is it her birth month, but the weather is lovely, and she loves to have some tea and enjoy the leaves changing color. Raiden doesn’t have particularly strong feelings on any season, but he appreciates how happy autumn makes his wife, and also that’s it’s Wife Birthday Time. Besides, he has some unfortunate memories associated with spring.

Athena: Are your f/o(s) interested in any particular hobby or interest of yours? Have you taught them about it, or let them watch you, or anything similar?

Elise, particularly after getting some cyborg augmentation in her arms and hands, starts getting really interested in visual art, especially painting. Raiden doesn’t know shit about art, but he knows that what his wife creates is super cool and he’s so proud. Also, Elise is a bit of a fitness buff to try to keep the human parts of her body strong and healthy, and Raiden is more than happy to watch if not join her just for the fun and moral support.

Apollo: What do you like best about your f/o(s)? What does your f/o(s) like best about you?

Ask this question to either of them and their first response will be “everything”. They adore each other. If Elise had to pick one, it would be his strength - not physical (though she is impressed with what he can achieve there), but the fact that he just keeps going despite everything. She had a lot of admiration for him in that regard and does her best to stay strong too. If Raiden had to just choose one, he would choose her heart. Not only is she the first person to treat him kindly and let him just exist as himself, but he sees the kind and gentle way she handles other people. She has a lot of love in her heart for others, and he doesn’t see a lot of that, so he thinks it’s beautiful. Also, he’s quick to add, she’s smart as hell and he admires that so much.

Artemis: Do you have any LGBT+ headcanons for you f/o(s)? Do you share these identities? Feel free to share anything else special about your LGBT+ identities.

They’re both bi as hell. I’m aware that most of Metal Gear is very bi, but Elise and Raiden are both extremely bisexual and love each other in an extremely bisexual way.

Ares: Are you ever protective of your f/o(s)? Are they ever protective of you?

Oh, both. Mutual protectiveness. Raiden being protective of her is obvious, but at any given time Elise is ready to fuck up anyone that would dare hurt him any more. Also they’re both more than ready to fight each other’s shitty exes.

Hephaestus: Do you and your f/o(s) ever like to get gifts for one another? What kind of gifts?

Yes! I’ve previously addressed Raiden’s tendency to get Elise cheesy souvenirs when he travels - he likes getting her little things like that. He also likes picking up things that remind him of her. Elise is also aware of Raiden’s tendency to not get things for himself, but one time she bought him something nice that she thought he’d like and he has treasured it ever since. It’s not about the actual thing, but more about the fact she loves him, right? She also apparently gets him t shirts that say silly things because he loves them.

Aphrodite: How do you and your f/o(s) like to show love to each other? Feel free to include your love languages, if you find that helpful.

Raiden kind of struggles to figure out his own love language and shows love in multiple different ways. I think, though, his primary one is quality time, and he very much appreciates just being around Elise. Second is physical touch, as he ends up really loving giving physical affection to her and the warm feeling of her skin. Elise likewise dabbles in all of them to a degree, but she tends towards acts of service - she will constantly go out of her way for him in a way that isn’t lost on him. She also does have quite the way with words that makes him feel all warm and fuzzy.

Hermes: Was it love at first sight? Slow burn with lots of pining? How fast did your relationship progress?

Raiden fell very very fast. He was like a puppy following her around. In spite of his trauma, or maybe because of it, he melted at her kindness and care right away and couldn’t get enough. Elise was a little slower, but I feel like she was surprised at how fast she fell. They were both careful in progressing the relationship, given their trauma, but it’s hardly a slow burn.

Hestia: What makes you and your f/o(s) feel at home? 

Raiden’s answer is Elise herself. Before he met her he didn’t have anything that strongly felt like a home - recall that Rose got mad at him for having a mostly empty bedroom because he didn’t come back to it often. It was Elise being there that made him want to come home more often. It’s less about the location and more about coming back to her, you know? Elise’s answer is actually similar - she’s not from where they live now and has moved around a lot in her life. Her attachment is more with him than to the place.

Dionysus: What do you like to do with your f/o(s) for fun? Is there anything fun you’d like to try with them?

Actually? Watching movies together at home. Raiden has a strong interest in that kind of thing, and watching them at home means he doesn’t have to try to pretend to be “normal” around others, whatever that means. It’s kind of been their thing since their first date. They certainly try lots of fun things together, but that one is special.

Hades: Would you ever consider a pet with your f/o(s)? What kind of pet? If you already have one, what is the pet like?

Honestly he deserves a dog. Again I’m leaning towards a bigger dog, but I think he’d love any dog. Just give this man a dog and he’ll dote on it. I’m particularly fond of a GSD for him because he kind of reminds me of one.

Persephone: How different are you and your f/o(s)? How do you deal with each other’s differences?

Honestly, more similar than you’d think. Aside from some shared trauma, they’re both very strong and persistent, and they’re full of compassion for others. I just think their strengths lie in different places. Really the similarities helped them bond quicker.

Nyx: Do you have any children with your f/o(s)? Would you ever consider children (biological or adopted)?

Well, I’d consider John (normally mothered by Rose, but now mothered by Elise herself) their son. I also made the mistake of referencing “children” to Justice, implying more than one, so uh. Watch this space.

(Thanatos answered here!)

Hypnos: Do you like to sleep together or share a bed with your f/o(s)? If so, what position do you sleep in? Does anyone hog the blankets, or have a stuffed animal, or have nightmares and need the other for comfort? Anything else along those lines?

Anyone who has played MGS2 knows Raiden is not naturally comfortable sleeping with other people. It takes him a while, but he does get to that point with Elise. Even better is that he finds that Elise soothes his insomnia and troubles with nightmares a lot. They tend to sleep hugging each other, by Elise’s request but with his enthusiastic consent.

The Erinyes: How does your f/o (or f/os) respond to someone mistreating you? Do they confront the person? Do they comfort you? 

Raiden. Gets. Furious. He can’t stand the thought of someone mistreating his wife. He would fight them if necessary. But at the same time, Elise isn’t that different: hell hath no fury like Elise pissed off that you’re mistreating her husband, who has been through enough.

The Moirai: What is your “happy ending” for your ship? How do you end up? What kind of life do you want together?

It’s for them both to finally be at peace. They’ve been through so much, and now that they have someone that they can truly trust, they can finally let their guards down and just exist peacefully. I think that’s the happy ending for them, regardless of everything else about how they end up.

(Calliope answered here!)

Thalia: Discuss any fluff ideas you have for your ship. What kind of affectionate or sweet scenarios do you like best for this ship?

Raiden really likes holding hands with Elise. Not only is he tickled by how tiny her hands are, but he finds it very soothing. Sometimes it’s hard for him to pretend for the public to be a completely normal un-traumatized person, but her touch and her hand put him at ease. He asks to hold hands with her a lot.

Melpomene: Here’s your dedicated angst question: discuss any angsty or hurt/comfort ideas you have for your ship.

This is hard, since I see this as such a happy ship. But the one thing is: when it comes to their first child, instead of faking a relationship and devastating Raiden, Elise probably tells him what’s going on and goes into hiding to protect her and their child. She probably had to have his first child alone and desperately hope that he would come back to her alive, and that’s a pretty painful thought.

Euterpe: What song(s) suit your ship best? Any particular lyrics that fit well?

From Take My Breath Away, the titular song for the ship:

That’s pretty painful but also very fitting.

Erato: Does any canon ship remind you of your ship (if you like those)? What tropes or ship dynamics apply to your ship?

Remember the girlboss/malewife pair from FMA and how iconic that was? That’s them for sure.

Terpsichore: Have you and your f/o(s) ever danced together? What kind of dancing? Formal dress or completely informal jamming out in your home?

Oh definitely they would. Elise is the only one with formal dance training, but Raiden is a romantic at heart and wants a dance with her, formal or not. I can see them just slow dancing in their house, so happy they’re in love.

[cinnaminsvga]

forever fools | tddup!spinoff

→ summary: jieun learns that saying goodbye is a two-way street, and sometimes it's easy to forget to look both ways before crossing.

{or alternatively: here's some sad lesbian angst ft. sana from twice}

→ genre: angst, slight fluff/humor, tddup!au → word count: 5.8K → a/n: this was commissioned by my lovely patron haley, to whom i am forever grateful for. i don't know if this is what you were expecting, but hopefully you enjoy it!! thank you again for being such a great star in my life!! if anyone else is interested in commissioning me for works like this, head over to my patreon (link in description) for more details. without further ado, here’s some lesbian greek goddess angst lmao!!

There’s something strange about looking at an empty bedroom, Jieun thinks as she snaps her last suitcase closed with a note of finality reverberating in the still air. The normally cluttered closet stands forlornly against the wall like a shell, the floor looks pristinely white for the first time in a century, and the window sill is devoid of all the little succulents that Demeter had given her from the first day she had arrived at Olympus. Above all, what unsettles her the most is the fact that the room did not look like it has ever been lived in at all. Jieun shakes her head, a small smile of amusement gracing her face. The cleaning naiads truly do not hold any prisoners when it comes to dust and dirt.

As she looks around her room, it is hard for her to keep the nostalgia at bay. After all, for the longest time, Jieun has called this place home––an oasis away from the terrible migraines and playful chaos that happens on a regular basis while working as an Olympian. It is the one place where she can escape when Zeus’ antics would get a little bit too much. While she did sleep in the same bed as him on most nights (not quite out of her own desire, but rather, because of a sense of duty that compels her to stay faithful to Zeus), she always did like slinking away to her little haven whenever she had the time.

She does not know what this room will be used for, since Y/N has expressed her desire to stay by Zeus’ side. Jieun chuckles at the memory of a red-faced Y/N when she had explained her reasons, saying something along the lines of “I need to keep both eyes on that man-sized toddler” even though her rapidly beating heart and flushed cheeks said otherwise. Oh, the beauty of young love.

In the midst of her contemplations, she hears a knock outside her window pane despite her room being high up in the heavens. Normally, most mortals would be confused as to who would have the ability to climb thousands of meters up into the air, but since Jieun is a goddess (or soon to be an ex-goddess, to be exact), things like this are hardly ever out of the ordinary. Even more so, Jieun knows exactly who the intruder is, because no one else would be crazy enough to disturb her privacy and wear those gaudy winged Gucci slippers with a stupid grin on their handsome face.

“Someone called for the bellboy?” Hermes says in lieu of a greeting as Jieun opens the window for him to enter through. Hermes flops down from the window sill, his Gucci slides thumping loudly against the carpeted floor. He takes the suitcase away from Jieun’s hand, who almost seems reluctant to let go. Noticing her mournful face, Hermes steps closer to her, squeezing her shoulder comfortingly.

“Hey, you doing okay, Hera? I know it must be weird. Hell, I think it’s gonna be weird not hearing you nag me all the time,” Hermes jokes, but his voice drips with sadness. In truth, Jieun always did appreciate Hermes’ presence, especially since the two of them had become gods at around the same time period. Jieun has promised herself that she wouldn’t cry in front of the others, but somehow seeing the usually upbeat god looking so forlorn was making her tear ducts moisten against her will.

“Nah, I’m fine. We all knew this was coming, sooner or later. Besides,” Jieun huffs, pinching the younger’s cheek with a smirk. He whines, but doesn’t do anything to push her hand away. “Even when I die, something tells me that you’re going to be visiting me in the Underworld more often than you did when I was here on Olympus.”

At that, the trickster god laughs, his ears reddening at the accusation that the two of them knew was true. He shrugs his shoulders, the sadness abated for now. There is more than enough time to be sad in the future. “Perhaps. Don’t tell Yoongi though, because I’m going to be using the excuse that I miss you for the next millennia until he starts to get suspicious of my frequent visits.”

“Something tells me he wouldn’t mind either way,” Jieun smirks, ruffling the boy’s hair in endearment. Hermes gives her a wicked grin, neither agreeing nor denying the claim.

“This is the last of your belongings, right? No need to call the Anemoi to help bring your stuff down to your new home?” Hermes says, lifting the suitcase to check its weight. He whistles when he feels how light it is. “Damn. You really don’t have a lot of stuff on you, huh? You’ve been living here for the past 1000 years so I had expected at least a few more bags, if I’m being honest.”

Jieun shrugs, gesturing around her room. “This bedroom was honestly just as much as a storage space as it was a hiding spot, and there wasn’t a lot of room to keep things over the centuries. Plus, I was never into material things, so the things I have are mostly necessities rather than memorabilia.”

Hermes shakes his head, a fond smile on his lips. “Ah, the frugal Asian in you really hasn’t disappeared even after all these years, huh?”

“You can take the girl out of Asia, but you can’t take the Asian out of the girl,” Jieun laughs, pushing Hermes out of her room. “Now get out of my room––I have to start doing last minute preparations for the wedding and I can’t do that with an annoying twink in my room.”

“Who are you calling annoying? That’s no way to treat your bellboys! A tip would be very appreciated, by the way,” Hermes whines, but he slips out of the window regardless.

“I’ll give you the tip of my strap if you keep delaying! Now shoo!”

Hermes snorts, winking salaciously at her. “Oh, you know what this baby boy likes, huh?” he says, guffawing loudly when Jieun goes to grab his ankles from her window sill. Floating outside with her suitcase in tow, Hermes gives her one final goofy salute before he is off to deposit the last of her belongings in her new mortal abode.

Left to her own devices once more, Jieun walks over to her closet, where a single white dress hangs loosely like a ghost. She thumbs the fabric, an odd feeling rising up her chest at the sight of it. This is the dress that she would be wearing to the wedding, an heirloom that has been passed down for generations after each Hera has passed the torch to the next. She remembers the previous Hera wearing this exact dress during her union with the previous Zeus, remembers the way the dress had made her previous mentor look spectral in a way––as if she was already gone before she had even left.

The thought jars her, and she rips her hand away. She wipes her palms against her jeans, feeling sweat start to build for whatever reason.

Unwilling to stay in this empty room for much longer, Jieun is thinking of having some last minute checks with Y/N to see how she is holding up when two small bodies crash through the door in a flurry of limbs. Jieun hardly flinches when the two girls stand up in noisily, their giggles giving her the impression that they may not be as a sober as she hopes they would be. Demeter is the first one to straighten up long enough to shoot her a wide smile.

“Hera! What are you doing here being all mopey and sentimental? You’ve got a party to catch!” Demeter laughs, her potent intoxication causing sprouts to grow out of her head. Hestia smiles, more reserved than the younger (or was it elder? Demeter is certainly older when it came to human years) but clearly just as out of it, as she plucks the small plant and tucks it into her own ear.

“I’m not being mopey,” Jieun frowns, mopey. She gives the two other goddesses an appraising look. “And what party are you talking about? I’m assuming it’s my surprise farewell party from the Facebook event that our lovely Eos accidentally invited me to.”

Hestia gasps, slapping her head comically as she looks at Demeter in disbelief. “That stupid bitch! I told you that we should’ve used Eventbrite instead!”

“Either way,” Jieun interrupts, watching as the two continually sway on their feet. “That doesn’t explain why the two of you are already drunk out of your minds when the supposed party hasn’t even started.” She suspects they must have also gotten a hold of Dionysus’ secret stash of godly pot, because she knows the two girls aren’t exactly the lightest drinkers. Either that or the excessive amount of binge watching shitty Netflix shows has finally caused their limited brain cells to deplete.

“Who says the party hasn’t started?” Demeter grins, tugging Jieun by the wrist and out of her room. Before Jieun can turn to take one last look at her old bedroom, Hestia closes the door with a bang, and somehow Jieun knows that this might be one of the last times she’ll ever get to see it.

Hestia has the decency to shoot her a guilty look. “We weren’t purposefully gonna start the party before we brought you there, of course. But Wendy-unnie over here––” Demeter squawks at the use of her human name, slapping her shoulder playfully, but not appearing entirely as offended as Jieun had expected, “––saw that they were serving spiked nectar that Iris stole from Dionysus so really… Can you blame us?”

Jieun rolls her eyes playfully, a smirk gracing her lips. “Of course, that explains everything. How could I be so selfish?”

Demeter manhandles her until they reach the Chariot Room (which is basically just a garage with a mismatch of vehicles from every time period imaginable; they bypass the Hatsune Miku chariot with averted eyes.) They approach one of the more modern vehicles, parked near the exit of the garage. Jieun looks at the license plate and notices that its Artemis’ silver car that she uses when she does her nightly moon journey.

“Please tell me Artemis actually let you take her car and we’re definitely not going to hotwire it––aaaand of course you’re hotwiring it,” Jieun groans, watching helplessly as the two younger girls start doing who knows what to the poor car. If the car had been sentient, she is sure it would be filing a sexual harassment case with how much tinkering they were doing.

“It was her idea to host the party anyway, so sucks to be her!” Hestia says defensively, her brows furrowed in concentration as she conjures magical fire out of her hands to help… whatever it is that Demeter was doing. Jieun does not want to know where Demeter pulled out the tube of toothpaste from, and why it was needed to hotwire a car.

“I really don’t understand why we need to celebrate my departure anyway. It’s not like I’m leaving forever; in fact, I’m probably going to have to deadbolt my apartment to keep you vermin from breaching my privacy,” Jieun jokes, snickering when she sees the affronted look that Hestia shoots her. “What? You look at me as if I were lying.”

“Well, you look at me as if I haven’t been pestering you ever since I turned from drab ol’ human Yeri and into the banging goddess that I am today!” Hestia says, her eyes lighting up gleefully.

Jieun snorts. “You’re right. You’ve been a pain in my ass ever since you existed. How foolish of me to think otherwise.”

Seconds later, Hestia and Demeter make a noise of contentment when the car whirs to life, signalling that whatever they had done had miraculously worked. (Again, Jieun doesn’t want to know, and the less she knows, the easier it is for her to escape Artemis’ wrath later on.)

“But seriously,” Demeter begins, standing up and hopping into the driver’s seat. Before Jieun can even argue, Hestia takes the passenger seat, sticking her tongue out petulantly like the supposedly “banging” goddess that she was. “Artemis and Persephone planned this party mostly to get back on your good side after they got mad at you for making Y/N marry the thunder twerp. Which, I mean… Can you blame them? He’s a fucking loser and Y/N is… Well. Have you seen her ass?”

Jieun jumps into the backseat, a huff of air punched out of her lungs when she realizes she just sat on one of Artemis’ stray buttplugs, poking itself into the small of her back. Jieun gingerly picks it up, throwing it against the back of Hestia’s head. “Yes, I can blame them. At the end of the day, it’s my decision who succeeds me as Hera and I needed to choose quickly because my time was almost up. Y/N just so happened to make the perfect candidate, so they had no right to be angry at my decision.”

Demeter grumbles. “Yeah, I know you’re right. It’s just that we really thought you were on the lesbians’ sides... No wonder you never showed up to the blood compact, traitor,” Demeter says, no bite to her tone. The smirk on her face tells Jieun that she’s far from mad. “Still, I would’ve loved to have Y/N join our little dyke trysts. Do you think maybe she’s bi?”

“Who knows?” Jieun muses, staring out the window as Demeter clicks for the garage doors to open. The sunny open sky greets them as the three women start driving out of Olympus and to wherever it is that the party was located. If Jieun squints hard enough, she thinks she can see the mortals milling about on earth, where she’ll be in just a few more hours. A mortal, once more.

“And besides, there are other mortal girls that Artemis and Persephone can find,” Jieun says, looking away from the view to glance at Demeter’s reflection from the rear-view mirror. When the agricultural goddess notices, she gives her a knowing look.

Despite her inebriation, Demeter manages to safely drive them to the party, which happens to be the mansion where the nine Muses are known to live in.  Demeter parks the car haphazardly, uncaring for the rules of parallel parking and all codes of ethics as she takes up the entire driveway before turning off the ignition. Hestia is the first to jump out, stretching her legs and ready to race back towards the party.

“C’mon, slowpokes! The nectar is getting warm,” she calls out, rushing towards the door where the sounds of laughter and singing can be heard even from the garden.

“Remind me to keep her away from the alcohol during the wedding,” Jieun murmurs to Demeter. The other girl only grins wildly, and Jieun knows that there really isn’t any use depending on her when it comes to the topic of sobriety.

Jieun and Demeter follow after Hestia to find the party already in full swing. Demeter loudly announces over the din to tell everyone that the celebrant has arrived, and a chorus of welcome’s come from all around. Jieun flushes under the attention, never one to go to full out raging parties in the first place, least of all the ones dedicated to her. Regardless, she walks around to greet everyone, thanking them for coming despite their inebriation rendering most of them useless to anything other than them replying with raucous giggling and hugging.

Artemis and Persephone somehow find their way towards her, stumbling through the crowd and piling their drunken bodies onto her to capture her in the tightest bear hug imaginable. Jieun laughs under their assault, using up all her strength to pull away long enough to see that their faces are already decorated with lipstick smudges and other stains that Jieun has no desire to learn about.

“Jieeeeeeun, you came!” Artemis cries, rubbing her cheeks against Jieun’s. She already feels the lipstick rubbing itself uncomfortably against her skin, but she does not pull away out of politeness. “I thought you wouldn’t come!”

“And why is that?” Jieun asks, awkwardly patting the babbling younger as she starts to hiccup from both intoxication and excessive emotions. “Also, who told you that you’re allowed to call me by my human name, young lady? I’m still Hera to you until tomorrow evening.”

“Sorry, she’s a little tipsy,” Persephone giggles, prying herself and Artemis away from Jieun to let her take her first breath in over a minute. “But seriously Hera, we’re really sorry about how we acted with the whole Y/N thing. We shouldn’t have gone ballistic on you and called you a hetero on Twitter. That was definitely uncalled for and totally barbaric of us.”

“Don’t worry, kids. I was hardly phased by your insults,” Jieun smirks, giggling at the absolute sorrow and guilt contorting the archer goddess’ face. “Really.”

“But it’s so out of line! No one deserves to be called a het, not when you’re so fucking gorgeous and sexy and hey are you free tomorrow evening––” Artemis starts hiccuping incoherently, and Persephone has to wheel her away before she can embarrass herself further.

“We’ll talk later when I sober her up! Have fun tonight, okay? We’re willing to take our ‘punishment’ later for our terrible crimes, if you know what I mean.” Persephone winks, pushing her friend away to the kitchen, probably to get more drunk and grind against each other. Jieun stores away this scene away into her memory for blackmail later on.

After her encounter with the two hosts, Jieun decides to circle the rest of the room. She greets a few familiar faces, including the actual people who live in this mansion. The Muses that she greets are at various stages of drunk, but most of them welcome her warmly despite their incoherency. When Jieun enters the main dining hall, she can only watch worriedly as the Muse of comedy hangs precariously from the chandelier while wearing nothing but a silk black robe.

“Thalia, don’t make me fucking burn your clit off again! The chandelier is going break under your fat ass. Get down from there or else––SOMI!” Polymnia cries, almost missing a stray foot to the face. The crowd hoots at the display, egging the comedian on. “This is your last warning!”

Jieun chuckles at their antics, but she can’t help but notice that she has only seen eight of the sisters so far. Her palms begin to sweat, knowing full well who the missing Muse is and wonders if she might have chosen not to attend due to the argument that still lies fresh on both their minds. She feels the disappointment start to build up in her stomach, thinking that the Muse of tragedy truly wants to avoid her like she had feared.

After Jieun circles the whole living room to give her regards to all the other party-goers, she decides to head upstairs to one of the balconies to get some fresh air. She sees a few more straggling guests, most of them too preoccupied to properly respond to Jieun’s soft greetings since their faces are currently entrenched in other endeavors at the moment. Still, Jieun doesn’t mind as she passes by the bedrooms to the slide open the balcony door and allow the soft afternoon breeze to caress her face.

Since her eyes are closed when she welcomes the gentle wind to blow around her, she does not immediately notice two things.

One, there is a giant ice sculpture in Jieun’s perfect likeness, with all her curves and imperfections open to the world to see. The summer heat does not melt the sculpture, but this is not a surprise when it comes to the power of gods (plus, someone placed a small ice bath around it, though Jieun does not know why that would be of any help whatsoever.)

Two, she is not alone.

Melpomene stands idly by the edge of the balcony, her gaze trained away from Jieun. She knows that the Muse has noticed her presence, because her shoulders are hunched up in a way that only means that she is on guard and ready to flee at a moment’s notice. The Muse of tragedy stares up at the sky, neither of them saying a word as the two of them quietly listen to the muted music from the party downstairs and the sound of drunken naiads prancing wildly in the gardens.

The sun has begun to descend, but Jieun notices the way it slinks across the sky irregularly, almost as if a toddler were just slapping it across the sky like a tennis ball. Instead of the usual twilight transition that is familiar to most people, the sun appears to transform immediately into the moon, as if a light switch had been turned on and suddenly it was night time. The sky darkens immediately, and the world around them is bathed in stars.

Melpomene must have been sensed Jieun’s confusion because she offers up an explanation, voice scratchy from misuse. She sounds sober, unlike the rest of her sisters. “It’s Apollo. Artemis got him to take her shift as the moon for today,” she says, never once looking back at Jieun. She continues to stare at the random spirals that Jieun now knows is the work of Apollo’s disastrous driving skills. Poor kid.

“Well, he only did become the newest Apollo a few months ago. Although, I wouldn’t say that Artemis should have trusted him to do the night shift when he can hardly do his own day shift,” Jieun comments, pursing her lips as Apollo does a steep nosedive before thankfully going back on course.

Melpomene does not reply. The two of them stand in awkward silence, and Jieun has no idea how to break it. She wants desperately to speak to her, knowing that it wouldn’t sit well if she left Olympus knowing that one of her dearest friends stayed mad at her. She fidgets beside her, mouth opening and closing shut as she thinks of something to talk about.

“Hah, speaking of Apollo… Do you remember who came before him? I never even knew his human name,” Jieun starts, already beginning to spew out whatever nonsense comes to mind.

“Never really liked the sixth generation Apollo. He always gave off a lecherous vibe, and we were all so excited to see him leave. I remember how Hermes had gifted him a stink bomb disguised as a bath bomb for a goodbye gift… I could smell the stench all the way from Olympus. I’m lowkey worried that all of you are itching to kick me off as well and pull a stink bomb on me,” Jieun jokes, but her voice cracks imperceptibly, giving herself away.

Even though she tries to keep her voice lighthearted, deep down, she doesn’t even know if anyone will actually be sorry to see her gone. Sure, this party is dedicated to her, but that’s hardly a reason for her to believe that any of these people like her. Olympians are notorious for latching on to any reason to throw a party; hell, she solemnly remembers when Poseidon’s goldfish laid its first egg and they had partied for a whole week.

At the end of the day, she is just another mortal. Who is she to expect that anyone would remember her in a few thousand centuries?

There is something about her words and her tone that makes Melpomene snap out of her silence, eyes blazing with a fury so intense that it surprises Jieun. She gapes at the angry brunette, who corners her to the edge of the balcony until her butt bumps against the cool surface. When Jieun looks over her shoulder, she sees that the naiads from the garden have gone elsewhere, leaving the two of them alone.

Melpomene jabs her finger right into Jieun’s sternum, her hand shaking with emotion. “How fucking dare you insinuate that no one will miss you. How fucking dare you think that anyone would ever forget you!”

For a moment, Jieun is at a loss for words. Jieun splutters indignantly, wondering where Melpomene’s misplaced anger was coming from. She stares wide-eyed at the younger and wonders if her irritation stems from something more. “It was just a joke,” she says, lamely.

“A joke? Is that what you think everything is?” Melpomene laughs, and Jieun thinks the flower inside her heart wilts at the sound. It’s harsh, a sound wave that grates against her eardrums. The younger is never one to laugh without mirth, despite the nature of her role as the Muse of tragedy, but Jieun knows that the tormented tone in her voice is no longer because of the tragic tales she weaves in her stories––

It’s because of her.

“You betrayed us, didn’t you know? We all thought that we had more years to spend with you, and you just suddenly drop the bomb on us that your death day was coming,” she cries out, tears welling up in her eyes. Jieun’s hands itch to wipe them away. “Do you have any idea how terrible it is to find out that the person you love more than anyone in the world is going to leave you forever?”

Love. She loves her.

Somehow, the words don’t make sense to her.

“I’m not going to leave forever,” Jieun says instead, irises flitting about and unable to stay still. Her legs burn where they touch Melpomene’s own, and she wants to pull her closer and never let go. “I already told you last week that you’ll be able to visit me as a human until the Fates cut my string. I didn’t betray anyone.”

The tragedian’s nostrils flare, and she clutches Jieun’s shoulders tightly, as if she was afraid she would disappear if she didn’t hold on quick enough. When Jieun observes her closely, she notices the way her lips quiver with the effort of keeping it together. I did this to her, Jieun thinks sadly. Is this what love does?

“Did I mean nothing to you, then?” Melpomene murmurs, voice shaky as a leaf. She digs her nails into the back of Jieun’s shoulders, but she doesn’t mind the pain if it lets the younger steady herself. Anything. Take anything from me.

“If I truly meant something to you, you would’ve known that things like this matter to me. You should’ve cared, but you didn’t.”

Jieun exhales, tongue thick in her mouth. “Sana––”

“Don’t call me that!” She shouts, wrenching her hands away from her body as if she had been burned. Her absence hurt Jieun more than any of the scars from the wars she has fought––not even the agony of Zeus’ lightning bolt can compare to this pain. Melpomene stalks away from her, and it is only when she separates herself from Jieun that she allows the tears to fall.

Even when she was crying, Jieun can’t help but think that she is the most beautiful person that she has ever seen.

“Mel,” Jieun tries again. It hurts knowing that she has probably lost the precious gift of being able to call her by her true name, and it twists her heart painfully to realize that she will never get to experience the sweet taste of her name on her tongue ever again. “None of us are immortal, Mel. We’re all bound to pass, just like our predecessors. You should have known my time was limited. And besides, we’ll meet again in the Underworld––”

“Don’t you get it?” she seethes. She turns away from Jieun then, not allowing her the opportunity to watch helplessly as the only girl she’s ever cared for starts to openly weep for her, a living corpse. The weight of time has never felt so suffocating until then. “The Underworld is different. By then, it would have been centuries of us having to stay apart, and who is to say we’ll find each other again? Hades told me how difficult it is for lovers to reunite and how they often forget about each other by the time they do meet again. How can you be so nonchalant about this––?”

“Melpomene, my love,” Jieun whispers, and she takes a tentative step towards her. When she gingerly places a palm against her back, she feels the younger tense, but she does not move away. Jieun carefully slides her arms around her waist, embracing her loosely as she nuzzles her face into her back. She takes a shaky breath. “I’m still here, aren’t I? We lasted centuries before ever meeting, and I’m sure I’ll keep waiting for you for another more. Why worry so soon when we have time?”

At her words, Melpomene starts to shake violently, the sound of her sobs echoing into the night. Jieun refuses to let go, trying so hard to make the other girl understand she hasn’t died––not yet. She’s only ever felt alive whenever she’s around the tragedian, and that hasn’t changed even after centuries of stolen kisses in the meadows and whispered promises in the shadows.

Even in the light, those promises will hold true. Jieun will make sure of it.

“I’m scared,” Melpomene eventually says after a few minutes of sobbing, still faced away from her lover in fear of breaking more. But when Jieun gently cups her cheeks to face her, she can’t help but follow her touch like a moth to a flame. Jieun’s heart breaks at the sight of her swollen eyes, the look of pure devastation spilling the contents of her soul to anyone who can see. Melpomene continues, “I’m scared that we’ll forget.”

“I know,” Jieun whispers, and she suddenly notices the wetness on her own face––she’s been crying, too. Melpomene begins to brush them away, just as Jieun goes to brush them off as well. Melpomene lets out a watery giggle when their hands clumsily bump against each other.

Jieun grabs her hand before she can pull away. She squeezes tight. “It’s fine to be scared, you know? And I know it’s hard to see me go, but is it really harder to believe that I won’t leave you alone?”

“It’s not, but I can’t help but worry––”

“Mel, I have to tell you something,” Jieun interrupts, and she tries to sound firm to fully make her understand. She wants––no, needs her to understand that there is nothing to fear. “My time with you has meant so much to me, even more so than the time I spent with my own husband. You know this, don’t you?”

At the mention of the god of thunder, Melpomene lets out another bitter laugh like before, and a single fat tear rolls down her face. “Ah, Zeus. How could I forget? At the end of the day, how am I even sure that you felt the same way I did? I was only a mistress––a secret kept away from everyone because you had to keep your queenly status. Whereas for me? I was just someone you fancied when there was no one to hold, someone to keep your bed warm––”

“That’s not true,” Jieun says, staring wide-eyed at the girl’s accusation. “You know that’s not true. I cared for you more than I can even bare to handle.”

“Don’t lie. I’ve seen the way you look at Zeus,” Melpomene counters, head shaking in exhaustion. She’s no longer angry, only tired from all the worries and anxieties that have haunted her for years, perhaps even for centuries. “You might not know it, but you always did look sad when you looked at him, because you knew that he would never love you the way you loved him.”

“It’s true that I love him,” Jieun begins, taking a shuddering breath. She lets out a laugh of her own, as mirthless and weary as she felt. “But it’s not the same way I feel for you.”

At those words, Melpomene scoffs, pulling away from Jieun. She begins to walk away, gaze downcast as she goes to slide open the balcony door and rejoin the party. “Even now, you can’t say those three words back to me,” she murmurs, putting on the strongest smile she can muster. It disappears just as quickly as the wind.

Before Melpomene can walk away far enough, Jieun rushes towards her and grasps her hand in her own. It isn’t even strong enough to really stop her, and Jieun’s loose grip tells Melpomene that she can leave if she really wants to.

But she doesn’t. Of course she doesn’t.

She doesn’t because she can’t, and wouldn’t want to. Despite all the worries bubbling within her, all of them threatening to erupt and destroy everything that she has come to know and love, there is one thing that keeps Melpomene sane. It is just so unfortunate that the same person who used to make her heart flutter and her soul sing symphonies is the very same person who has the power to cause everything to fall apart.

At the end of the day, she is only mortal. She can pretend to be the Muse of tragedy, who is able to weave sorrow into words just as quickly as a seasoned archer is able to draw their bow. All the talent in the world can never erase the fact that she is just a girl, and she fears just as much as she loves.

When Jieun leans forward, her breath mingling with hers in a slow waltz, the stars reflect themselves off of her eyes. They were made for you, is the last thing thinks Melpomene before her lips are millimeters away from her lover’s, until the space between them is nothing more than something that happened once in a dream. Jieun’s gravity pulls her closer still, until there is nothing more to give.

I’m yours, I’m yours, I’m yours, her heart beat thunders against her eardrums, urging Jieun to hear. She wonders if she has doomed herself, like the protagonists in her tragedies.

Melpomene pulls away for a split second, enough to gather air into her lungs which she will inevitably waste as she presses against Jieun and she is left breathless and lightheaded. This. This is what I will remember during the nights we will spend away from another. I hope you don’t forget them, too.

The party downstairs continues to rage on. The two lovers kiss by the balcony, with an audience of stars to keep them company. Melpomene fools herself into thinking that time will wait for them, if she just prays hard enough.

But she knows how tragedies end, and so she weeps.

[gxldentrio]

i know you know it’s gonna be something sweet

The mailman keeps mixing up our houses and delivering your packages on my doorstep and dude, why the hell did you order 30 tubes of super glue (after a billion years, it’s finally here. thank you Nai (@hiddenpolkadots) for the wonderful prompt, I love you sm)

or three times James doesn’t ask Lily out. not really

~3.5k

ao3 | ffn

One.

Let it go on record that Lily doesn’t usually go knocking on people’s doors, especially not after getting completely toasted on wine. At least, she doesn’t make a habit out of it. If it helps her case, it has only happened once before, and Benjy was an awful good sport about it. Especially considering she’s moved in all of three months ago and that was the first time she actually spoke to any of her neighbours.

This time, however, it’s different. Because to be fair, she’s had a really shit day, what with Hestia messing up the deadlines and scheduling meetings for when she knows Lily can’t be there and. Ugh.

You see, the thing is that most of the time, Lily actually enjoys working at the Daily Prophet. The paper gives her a platform to speak out about important issues, stuff that actually matters, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

But then there’s the days when she feels like she’s running a marathon against the world, when she’s tired and exhausted of fighting the same fucking battles, and it gets really hard. Don’t get her wrong, Lily knows that being white makes her privileged, but her mother was still an immigrant and so with everything that’s going around, she can’t help but feel a bit unwanted. Then, she turns on the telly and sees a new Trayvon Martin, and she swallows the damn frog in her mouth and gets back to work.

The point is, some days, when Lily gets home after hauling ass at the office, all she wants to do is take a bath and maybe (definitely) drink some Merlot (maybe a little more).

This is one of those days.

She picks up a package at the front desk, not even bothering to read the label. Her feet are blistering and she feels suffocated in that damn pencil skirt, and so the first thing she does when she gets home—after taking her bra off, of course—is get into one of her dad’s old t-shirts. Then, she grabs a frozen curry she got from Tesco and throws it in the oven. Hopefully, she doesn’t burn it, but to be fair, her expectations are low. This is why she’s got Papa John’s number on speed-dial.

The knots on her back only unravel when Lily sinks completely inside the bathtub. The water is scalding hot, and there’s a few too many Lush products inside, which in turn makes it a pretty disgusting shade of brown. It does smell pretty fucking bomb though, and so Lily lets it slide. There’s a glass of wine in one of her hands and a magazine in the other, and for a few minutes, Lily is content.

And then the fire alarm goes off. Stupid curry.

It seems that there’s someone up above deliberately messing with her life, because just as she’s stumbling out of the tub, she accidentally kicks the glass and it spills wine all over her white robe. Whatever, she’ll deal with the stain later.

After struggling for a while, the smoke detector is finally silent, and Lily rings up the pizza place and asks for the usual—a medium spicy Italian. It’s delicious every time. Then, Lily glances at the kitchen counter and the package is still there, untouched, and for some reason she feels mocked.

She marches—or stomps, really—to the fancy looking, glorified slab of marble she bought off the IKEA sale (or was it Home Sense? She’s not sure.) It only takes one look at the label to send Lily over the edge.

Because there, in bold black letters, is the straw that breaks Lily’s figurative camel’s back.

“PRIORITY MAIL 2-DAY™

TO: James Potter”

You see, if it were anyone else—and Lily really does mean anyone—she’d be perfectly fine with simply going up a couple of floors and giving back the package to its rightful owner, but the mailman is constantly mixing up Potter’s and hers addresses, and more often than not she comes home to a package of Amazon Prime that in reality, isn’t actually for her.

She also doesn’t make it a habit to open up other people’s mail, but it’s late, she’s tired, Potter’s too attractive for his own good, and besides, she’s curious as to how the bloke can afford to order so much shit. Amazon isn’t as cheap as they say, and especially not if you’re ordering stuff every other day. Shit adds up.

She pierces through the brown tape with a kitchen knife, and part of her actually isn’t surprised at what she finds.

She takes the lift and makes her way to 5C, and after ringing the doorbell, she sees him. At this point, Lily is so annoyed she doesn’t even have it in her to acknowledge his attractiveness.

Instead, she says, “Dude, what the fuck did you order thirty tubes of super glue for?”

If Lily were in his shoes, and someone came to her house with a foul attitude and an even fouler mouth, she’d probably slam the door in their faces. For some reason, though, Potter doesn’t, choosing instead to lean on his door jamb, looking… amused?

It annoys her even more. And it makes her feel vulnerable, for some reason.

“Do you always open up other people’s mail or was this a special occasion?”

“The mailman keeps mixing shit up and delivering your packages to my floor. You can’t help that a girl gets curious.”

“More like nosey,” he snaps back, but his smile is softer now, less of a smirk and more of a grin. All the tension is suddenly replaced with something else. Lily can’t pinpoint with what, exactly, but it’s good.

Lily laughs. “Yes, that too. Besides, most of the time it says on the package, and let me tell you, you buy some weird stuff.”

“Do I? I hadn’t noticed.”

“This girl still hasn’t forgotten the five litres of neon nail polish from last month. It always leaves me wondering what kind of stuff you get up to.”

Potter-from-5C sighs.

“My best mate is unconventional in his madness.”

Lily raises a single eyebrow, lips twitching to form a smile.

“Admittedly, the super glue was all me,” he concedes. “Would you like to come in?”

She shrugs. What does she really have to lose?

As they make their way through the house, Potter adds, “Mum’s in town and she can be a bit pushy, but I can make you a cup of tea if you’d like.”

“That sounds nice, actually. What do you have?”

“Just about everything. Take your pick, really.”

“Will you judge me if I ask for breakfast tea?”

“Only a little.”

Then there’s shuffling and a small woman—Potter’s mum, Lily assumes—appears on the doorway. She’s tiny, really, and her saree is impeccable. Almost as beautiful as the one Dorcas from HR wore to Mary’s wedding the past fall.

“Good evening, dear, how are you?” Mrs. Potter asks, sporting a kind smile and a twinkle in her eyes. Then, she turns to her son and adds, “honestly, James, you aren’t even going to introduce us?”

Potter—James—is quick to oblige. Well, almost.

“Mum, this is—uh, I’ve just realised I don’t actually know your name.”

“I’m Lily Evans, ma’am,” Lily adds, offering a hand to Mrs. Potter, who in turn pulls her in for a hug. “I live in 4B.”

“You can call me Euphemia, dear. Have you had dinner yet?”

An alarm goes off in Lily’s brain. Papa John’s. “Actually, I should have a pizza arriving soon, so maybe I should get going. Some other time?”

James’ eyes twinkle behind his glasses. “Another time, then. Let me show you out.”

The corridor feels much smaller this time. Maybe because Lily doesn’t really want to leave.

It’s especially strange considering not over half an hour ago, she was ready to off the bloke and sell his bits on Ebay.

Then, she feels something graze her ankle, and it’s only after noticing the way Potter’s doubled over in laughter that she realises the shrill sound she heard was herself shrieking.

“That would be Algernon,” James clarifies.

“Algernon?”

“My cat. He’s lazy and orange and can’t fetch for shit, but we love him anyway.”

“Potter,” she stops, turning to get a better look at him. “You do realise most cats don’t fetch, don’t you?”

“Algernon is not most cats.” He says it so bluntly, that Lily can’t really find it in her to argue about it anymore. “Mum wasn’t joking about dinner, by the way. She’ll have my head on a silver platter if I don’t come through.”

“I’d like to see that happen, funnily enough.”

“Ah-bloody-ha. You’re hilarious.”

“I know, I try, thank you.” It’s only then Lily remembers she’s currently wearing a wine stained robe and not much else, and soon her cheeks are as red as her hair. Staring at the ground, she pockets her hands and adds, “so, about that super glue?”

“Another time, Lily,” James reminds her, and it only aids in the darkening of her cheeks.

“All right.” Then, before she can talk herself out of it, she gets a little closer and gingerly places a kiss on James’ cheek. It’s warm, and softer than she expected, and it throws her off a little. “Well, goodbye then.”

Two.

The next time Lily sees him, she’s fully clothed. It’s late in the afternoon, and she’s still frazzled from her journey through Central Line. Apparently, rush hour in high heels isn’t very comfortable. Who would’ve thought?

As soon as she finally gets to her overpriced apartment complex, she takes off her shoes and walks her own personal walk of shame to the lift.

Mrs. Figg from 1A is holding the lift door open for her, and Lily wheezes out a thank you. The sturdy stainless steel doors are just about to close when a brown hand forces them open.

“Evans,” James greets her, his trademark smirk plastered on his face.

“Potter.” She nods. Then, she feels her own lips stretch into a grin, and she adds, “so, how’s Mama Potter doing?”

“Oh, she’s doing grand. Waitrose had thirty-percent off on all chocolate bars and so she went a bit nutty.”

There’s a pause.

“Get it?”

Lily’s jaw drops open, but then she hears Mrs. Figg—lovely, cat-loving, cabbage-smelling Mrs. Figg—clear her throat and it snaps back closed.

“Are any of you going to push the button or?”

“Right, sorry.”

The ride up is a somewhat awkward one. Luckily, Mrs. Figg gets off early in the journey, and soon the atmosphere becomes much more relaxed. It’s a shame their apartment complex actually invested in fast lifts.

“Do you wanna come in for a second?” she asks, the steel door closed enough so that it’s not in the way, but open enough so that they can talk without having to worry about the lift going up. “They’re supposed to be playing Scorpion reruns tonight.”

“Yeah, sure. Let me just go up for a bit to feed Algernon and I’ll head down after.”

“You can bring him, if you want. My sister hates cats, but luckily I don’t live with her anymore.”

“All right. I’ll be right back.” James winks, and after letting go of the door, Lily takes a deep breath.

Oh boy.

Then, she’s rushing to unlock her door, chuck her pumps somewhere in her room, and make sure there’s nothing super embarrassing lying around, like old pictures from before Lily had braces or a stray bra.

Sooner than she could have expected, she hears the familiar sound of her doorbell, and when Lily opens the door, she’s met with James, who’s carrying the fattest cat she’s ever seen, and a bottle of expensive champagne.

Lily knew there was a reason she liked him.

“Thought we’d make things a little more interesting. I don’t know about you, but I could use a proper passing out.”

“What do you do?”

“I’m a lawyer. Awful corporate of me, I know, but it’s not half bad. Most of the time, that is.”

Lily shrugs. “It could be worse.”

“Yeah,” James nods. “It could be.”

The night ends with an empty glass bottle, and a sleepy James Potter on Lily’s couch. It’s a good thing the next day is the weekend. Biting her lip, Lily sneakily snaps a picture of him and sends it to her friends’ chat group. Mary goes insane, and Lily goes to bed with a smile on her face.

She wakes up to the smell of coffee and toast.

“Morning,” James says, now wearing the comfiest-looking pair of grey sweatpants (had he run back to his flat to get them?). “I was aiming for pancakes, but couldn’t find your pans. Sorry.”

“Hey, toast and caffeine feel like a five-star hotel meal compared to what I usually bother with. You didn’t have to do this, so thanks.”

“I kind of did, though. You have the softest sofa.” Lily laughs, careful not to spit coffee anywhere. “I can assure you that if you were the one sleeping over, you’d have the worst back ache in the world.”

Suddenly, Lily’s cheeks are the colour of her hair and she almost feels burnt. She swallows what feels like a too large piece of bread, and chugs down a glass of water. Then, she pulls out her phone, and starts snapchatting. She has to say, credit where credit’s due, and James Potter looks fine with the puppy filter.

Three.

It’s not a date.

Sure, they’re having dinner at James’ place, and she actually has his phone number now, but his mum and best mate—Sirius, he tells her—will both be there, so it’s not as though it actually counts.

And if she spends a little extra time fussing over how she looks, well that’s her business. Besides, the first time she met both him and Mrs. Potter, she was wearing a dirty bathrobe and her hair was pulled up in a messy top knot. Lily figures she should at least put some effort in this time.

She hears the faint ping of her phone, and of course, of course it’s him.

5C to Red: what’s red and bad for your teeth?

He’s nervous, she can tell. It’s gotten to a point where she actually knows James well enough to be able to tell. Maybe he’s hoping this non-date date will lead to something more, too.

She’s not stubborn enough that she won’t admit she’s started to fall for him.

Red to 5C: I have a feeling I’m going to regret asking—what?

5C to Red: a brick

Red to 5C: That joke was awful. Like, even for you.

Red to 5C: Just terrible, really.

5C to Red: you get what you pay for

5C to Red: and im free

Potter, she texts back, because even though she’s grown accustomed to his terrible humour, it’s not like she can give him the satisfaction of knowing.

Red to 5C: You’re actually not, may I remind you

5C to Red: shhhhh. stop it.

5C to Red: i kno u like it

Red to 5C: I really don’t. I’m only in this for Algernon.

5C to Red: dinner’s gonna get cold if u don’t hurry up

Red to 5C: You’re so impatient, oh my gOD

Red to 5C: Leaving

She adds a kissy emoji, partly because she’s feeling a little out of her wits, partly because she likes seeing him frazzled. It’s always the highlight of her week.

This time, Lily takes the stairs. It’s only one flight, and besides, it helps her take some of the edge off. The soft tacking of her heels against the smooth marble is comforting in the same way a ticking clock would be. Consistent, dependable, grounding.

She’s at his door before she knows it.

The doorbell seems too shrill, the corridor lights too yellow, the air too tight. Still, she looks killer in her dress, and even if the bobby pins are harsh against her scalp, Lily knows she’s got it.

“Are you caught up on Grey’s?” Lily asks, twirling a bit of pasta in her fork.

“Please,” Sirius scoffs, taking a sip of his wine. “I know that show like I know my own family tree.”

“Not at all, then?” James replies, smirking, and the ease, the familiarity between the two of them is palpable.

“You know me too well.”

“Well, duh. I’ve put up with you long enough.”

It’s… different than what she’s used to, for sure. Lily wonders what it must be like to have that kind of relationship with someone, where a simple glance communicates entire speeches and every sentence seems laced with inside jokes. She has her friends—Mary, and Donna and Alice from work—but it’s not the same. She wouldn’t trade the sleepovers, the nights out, the wine-sipping, getting ready sessions for anything in the whole world, but a part of her still wishes she had that with someone.  

When James places a hand on her shoulder, she wonders if she already has.

Four?

They’ve made plans to visit this fancy bar in Chelsea together. It’s in a weird part of town but apparently their Martinis are to die for, and James has had a rough week at the office and could use the distraction. Lily, of course, is up for it, but she’s already so far gone that she would have done pretty much anything James asked her to.

The goal is to meet him at the lobby, head for the tube and get shit-faced drunk together. Lily can definitely work with that.

She isn’t, however, prepared to deal with the butterflies in her stomach, which seemed to erupt in a frenzy at the mere sight of James. He’s wearing dark slacks and a burgundy shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and looks, to be perfectly honest, like a fucking snack. No, scratch that. James Potter is a full five-course meal.

“Potter,” she says, appearing much more confident than she feels, “you clean up well.”

If she were to look in the mirror, Lily’s positive her pupils would be blown wide beyond proportion. The spots on Lily’s arm James touched are tingling, and if there was some sort of thermal scanning machine nearby, she’s sure it’d be able to pick up on it.

Just as they’re leaving Charing Cross, the train lurches, causing Lily to uncomfortably knock into James. She’s already nervous—even though she shouldn’t, really, because this is James but at the same time this is James—but the fact that she’s also in four-inch heels nearly sends her flying to the floor.

Luckily, he’s there to catch her fall.

He’s cradling her arm and her hand is on his chest, and is it just her, or did it suddenly get really hot? Lily could have sworn that cologne scent wasn’t there before.

It’s a good thing they’re almost at their stop. She’s not sure how much more she can handle.

Between the exposed forearms, the crooked glasses and the hair, it’s safe to say things have become quite hard for Lily. And when Lily notices the way James proper gulps, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down in his throat, she’s about ninety-percent positive James is feeling the same.

When they reach The Leaky Cauldron, it doesn’t take long for Lily to get a little more than tipsy, having started by downing her drinks like no other, wanting to rid herself of some tension. Looking back on it, she’s sure it wasn’t one of her best decisions. After all, she may be able to handle more than James, but at heart she’s still a lightweight.

It almost seems inevitable at this point.

It’s nearly Christmas, and the lights are shining over James’ face, and his eyes are glowing a million different shades of gold—it’s all a bit too much, if she’s being honest with herself.

She’s wearing her short-as-fuck black slip dress, and her hand is on James’ shoulder and his hand is on her thigh and of course they end up making out in the girl’s bathroom.

She feels seventeen again.

Her body flush against his, lips touching, hips grazing, eyes closed, mouth open, gasping for air.

“I wanted to do this right,” he sighs into Lily’s ear, making her shiver.

She shushes him. “Don’t worry,” she says, and then she’s clutching his jaw and kissing him again. “You are.”

James replies with a grunt.

It’s unconventional for her, of course, but she loves it.

Lily knows that James cares about her—she isn’t completely clueless. She’s just glad they’ve finally stopped dancing around each other and actually done something about it. However things turn out in the morning, they’ll deal.

She’s positive.

[takaraphoenix]

Hades Headcanons

So I did the mythological headcanons, right? And since I’m currently trying to befriend Photoshop (we do NOT get along, never did. But I figured I’d try to fix our relationship?), I thought I’d try it with some mythological headcanons centered around my favorite god - Hades!

1. Before Hades, Erebus/Nyx ruled the underworld and when Hades moved down there, they taught him how things worked

It just makes a lot of sense to me that Erebyx ruled the underworld before Hadephone did. And, I mean, while Zeus got their sisters upstairs to help him figure out how things worked, who exactly did that for Hades? (For Poseidon, I headcanon that he learned from Hydrus and Thalassa)

Hades braced himself as he entered the depth of the underworld. Why had he even agreed to make it all a gamble? He had never been good at those. Hera and Demeter used to beat him all the time at all their games.

And he was still sure that Zeus had cheated. Oh, what a coincident, the new kid came in as the dashing hero and ended up becoming the king of Olympus. Like that was in any way or shape legit.

Gritting his teeth and balling his fists at the sides of his body, he took a farther step into the scary, endless depth of the underworld.

It just wasn’t fair. Zeus got to hang out in the fancy, pretty palace upstairs - with all their sisters! - while Hades was basically sent into the next dark stomach. He had a little sympathy with Poseidon, because his baby brother was also sent away to rule on his own.

“Hey, there, kiddo. What brings you down here?”

Hades was proud to say he did not squeak like a little girl. Only Poseidon did that. Frowning, Hades turned to look at the man who had just spoken. His hair was dark and his skin pale as though he had never seen the light of day before. Lanky and tall, but something about him was kind of creepy. He had one arm wrapped around a beautiful woman with dark skin and even darker eyes. She offered Hades a gentle smile as she tilted her head.

“I am Nyx, the Lady Night, and this is my husband Erebus, the Lord of Darkness”, introduced the woman softly. “Now, who are you?”

“I’m... Hades”, replied the boy, shifting a little nervously. “I’m... I guess I’m the Lord of Death now? My siblings and I drew straws and you could say I got the short end of the deal...”

“Ah”, grunted Erebus, a calculating frown on his face. “I heard about that. Kronos didn’t last that long, did he?”

“Sorry, but who are you exactly? I’m a little... out of touch. Spent my life kind of inside my father’s stomach”, grunted Hades, not too excited about sharing his new realm with those total strangers.

“We’re the king and queen of the underworld”, chuckled Nyx. “When this world was created, Mother put us in charge of the underworld and our siblings Aether and Hemera in charge of Olympus. Our siblings were replaced by their children Uranus and Gaia, who then were replaced by their children Kronos and Rhea and now by... well, your siblings, I assume.”

“Ri--ight. So, this just got awkward”, grunted Hades, arms crossed in front of his chest in a defensive way. “Basically, I’m here to take over your job, huh?”

“Oh, you can have that!”, laughed Nyx and shook her head. “We’re overdue for retirement anyway. Got a nice, cozy castle in the depth of Tartarus.”

“...Ah”, nodded Hades, carefully looking around.

He shifted from one leg to the other. He was nervous. He had never been on his own before. All his life, he had spent with Demeter, Hestia, Hera and Poseidon. There wasn’t much to do in their father’s stomach, but at least they had each other. Always. At least until Zeus came in to save the day, forcing them all to join in on a revolution. They were just kids.

And Hades really didn’t want to be alone. He wanted to go home, to his siblings. Only... that this was now his home, apparently. An entire, dark, creepy kingdom all to himself.

“You know”, drawled Erebus thoughtfully, eyeing Hades. “We’re not much in a hurry. You want us to stick around for a bit? Show you how everything works down here? Where everything is?”

“Uh, sure. I don’t care”, shrugged Hades indifferently, even though on the inside he felt immensely relieved.

He hoped ‘a bit’ would last a while.

2. Erebus/Nyx basically adopted Hades and they gave their boy a puppy

I headcanon Hades as a real family person and a god who actually has a lot of love to give. Both, inside Kronos’ stomach with Poseidon and their sisters, as well as afterward. So when Erebyx took him in to show him how things worked down there, they basically adopted him. Hades grew up with Hecate, Eris, Thanatos, Morpheus, Hypnos, Nemesis, Eros and the other kids of Erebyx. Which makes sense considering most of Erebyx’s kids are marked as underworldly gods (and which makes me headcanon them as the underworld council of Hades to counter the Olympian council).

Hades was just taking a stroll through the underworld. He did that, sometimes. After all, there was still much to explore that he hadn’t seen yet. He was very grateful to Erebus and Nyx for the guidance they have been providing so far, but at times he still felt very lost.

Coming to terms with his powers and trying to be the king of his own realm were... not exactly easy tasks. And that Zeus was flaunting around how good he was doing was so not helping. Honestly, Hades really didn’t like the guy.

Hades was suddenly ripped out of his thoughts as he was tackled to the ground by a black mass. The black mass growled and yelped. When things around him slowly came into focus again, he knew he must have hit his head, because he was seeing not just drouble but triple. One dog, but three heads.

Blinking a couple of times, he waited for his vision to go back to normal again. Only then, the three heads started sniffing him and licking his face. Separately. Huh. Okay. Three-headed dog, it is. He watched the creature for a long moment, but when the puppy wagged his tail excitedly and tried to get Hades into playing with him, Hades found it oddly impossible to deny the creature.

After a few rounds of fetch with the thigh-bone of a close-by skeleton, the three-headed puppy tackled Hades again. He yelped and squeaked happily as he licked Hades’ face and neck, tail wagging in excitement.

The poor thing acted as attention-starved as Hades sometimes felt. Frowning, Hades looked around, trying to find the puppy’s mother. But judging by the state the puppy was in, Hades doubted he’d find anyone.

His frown morphed into utter determination as he gathered the creature up in his arms and returned to the palace. Gathering the puppy up some closer, he leaned in to whisper.

“Okay, boys, listen up. You gotta put on the most convincing puppy-pout ever, you hear me? Mom and dad are not gonna be amused, I think”, whispered Hades.

Squaring his shoulders, Hades continued on to the throne-room where he found Nyx and Erebus. Both primordeal gods looked at him curiously.

“I found a puppy”, declared Hades. “Can... I keep him? Please?”

Erebus and Nyx exchanged an amused look as they were confronted by four matching puppy-pouts. “Of course you can. You’re the king, my boy.”

“What do you want to call him? Them?”, asked Nyx curiously.

“Mh... I thought maybe... Zerberus?”, mused Hades thoughtfully.

The three heads all yelped in agreement, trying to lick Hades’ face. He was so going to take good care of them and not abandon them, because that was just not what family did.

3. Hades/Persephone are happy and in love

Yes, he kidnapped her. But so did the Beast with Belle and that’s a great love-story repeatedly retold. Who’s to say she didn’t also fall in love with him? I just think that Hades is... Very Bad at expressing his feelings. That was the only problem there, really.

When Hades first saw her, he ran into a solid marble-wall.

He had been on one of the semi-regular meeting him and his brothers had, on Olympus. And as always, Zeus had been a smug pain. So nursing a headache the size of Tartarus, Hades just wanted to get back home. But that was when he saw her. She was easily the most beautiful creature Hades had ever laid eyes on, as young and lovely as a delicate blossom. He had been so awed that he craned his neck and tried to watch her for as long as possible, losing focus and kind of accidentally missing a wall.

The Muses were going to make fun of him for that for the next five centuries, because they were his only witnesses.

When he got home, with an even bigger headache than before, he decided to do what he did best: Mope. He had no idea what to do. Feelings weren’t exactly his thing.

All his siblings aside from Hestia were married. Some very happily, like Demeter with Karmanor - nice fella, bit dull and way too in love with his garden, but quite the perfect match for Demeter, really - or moderately happy as Poseidon with Amphitrite - a bit cold, but that came probably with the whole half-fish-deal - or, well, the unhappy ones; Zeus and Hera. The point was, they all had a love-life going on. Had gotten married. Hades had never even looked at a woman like that before. He had always simply rationalized that he had no interest in those sort of things.

Only. Only now he kind of really had? But what did one do when they felt this way? Frowning, he decided to ask the one man Hades definitely knew was absolutely happy with his wife.

“Erebus, how... did you make Nyx fall in love with you?”, asked Hades uncomfortably as he approached the God of Darkness.

“Oh, don’t ask me, boy”, laughed Erebus and shook his head. “Mother sent us both down here into the cave and then it just... happened. Why do you ask?”

“No... reason”, replied Hades and left.

So Erebus and Nyx were just down here and then it happened? That sounded doable, right?

“EREBUS! Did you tell Hades to abduct a girl?!”

Erebus fell off his throne as his wife stormed in, furious and wild. He normally liked that look on her, but not so much when it was aimed at him. Shifting nervously, he tried to figure out what he had done wrong.

“No? Why do you think that, love of my life?”, asked Erebus cautiously.

“Oh no, do not sweet-talk me, mister”, huffed Nyx, glaring at him. “There’s a girl in our palace who has no idea what she’s doing here and Hades is having a mental melt-down about it! Apparently, you gave him ‘great advise with women’. That resulted in him abducting Zeus’ daughter.”

“...Oh. Oh no. I didn’t... I mean...”, grunted Erebus, unsure how to even respond to that.

“Well-”, started Nyx displeased.

“Nyx? What... What do you give a woman to say’ I’m sorry I abducted you, I just don’t know how to talk to women?’“, interrupted Hades as he entered their chambers. “Because she looks really pissed.”

“Flowers”, suggested Nyx after a long moment, massaging her temples. “Try with a lot of flowers. And words. Like, actually articulated words that express your feelings and thoughts. No more caveman behavior, young man, you’re not a mortal! And if the flowers fail, try to woo her with exotic food.”

“Flowers and food. Got it”, nodded Hades, determination written all over his face.

He went to the upper world to pick all the flowers he could find. Gathering all his courage, he went to the chambers where he had left Persephone and he prayed she didn’t have her mother’s temper.

“H--Hello”, started Hades awkwardly, shuffling around as he tried to hide all the flowers behind his back.

Persephone looked not the least bit impressed as she stood before him with her hip cocked and her arms crossed over her chest. “You know, I thought you looked like a bad boy, but I didn’t think you’d be... that bad at everything you do.”

Hades sputtered a little, his cheeks flushing. “I... I brought you flowers. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to abduct you. I mean, I meant to abduct you, I didn’t accidentally abduct you, but what I mean is... I don’t know what I mean...”

“You’re a mess”, sighed Persephone and shook her head as she looked at the blushing boy. “But you’re lucky you’re a cute mess.”

Hades’ blush significantly lit up even brighter.

[akakpoptrash]

Camp Days | Pt. 1 | Jeonghan

The camp store was one of the few places in Camp Half-Blood that was barely ever used. No one really ever needed anything, and if they did they usually just got it from the Hermes Cabin.

Jeonghan sat comfortably on the checkout counter, as he sat gossiping with Seungkwan. “It just doesn’t fit his head shape.”

“It doesn’t fit anyone’s head shape.” Seungkwan said, as he stood next to Jeonghan, but behind the cash register, “It’s just a bad fashion choice over all.”

Jeonghan looked up from his phone that he was messing around on, “Not completely true, Joshua can pull off a beanie.” He said thoughtfully, before going back to his phone.

“Still, I think he needs to burn it.” Seungkwan said, as he looked over towards the door to see a certain angry daughter of Ares [who Jeonghan definitely had a crush on] walk into the store.

She was mad. No. She was more than mad. She was pissed. She angrily stomped her way into the camp store.

“Just ignore him, they said. He can’t do anything too bad. He’ll get bored eventually.” She mumbled angrily under her breath.

Seungkwan looked over at Jeonghan who was still on his phone, as the long haired boy hadn’t bothered to look up from his phone at all. “Who are you even texting?”

“Mingyu.” Was Jeonghan’s short reply, as he slid his headphones out of his pocket, plugged them into his phone, and placed one of the buds into his ear

Seungkwan laughed quietly to himself as he realized that Jeonghan wasn’t going to look up from his phone -and notice that his crush was in the same room- any time soon. ‘This is too good’ Seungkwan thought to himself with a grin.

“Bored my ass. Tell that to freshly dyed puke green camp shirts.” She groaned to herself as she looked around the store quickly, trying to find the clothing area.

Her eyes quickly landed on the slew of bright orange camp shirts on the far wall, and she quickly headed over there. The display wall was floor to ceiling shelves with each cabin having a row to itself. Scanning over the shirts quickly searched for the shirts with the Ares symbol on them, and as if her day wasn’t bad enough, the size of shirts that she needed were placed on the very top, above all the others.

If she had been any other Ares kid, this would of been fine, as most of them are way taller than normal, but she wasn’t any other Ares kid. No, she had to be the short Ares kid, didn’t she?

“Can I get some help over here?” She called out, as she saw the two boys up at the counter.

Seungkwan looks over at her, “Give us a second.” He calls back to her, as he sees her predicament. His mind coming up with a plan at a lightning fast speed that would put S.Coups to shame.

“So what do you think of that one girl over at the Demeter Cabin, the one who started this year?” He asked curiously, having talked to the girl in question for the first time earlier in the day.

“Don’t even think about it?” Jeonghan said, not bothering to look up from his phone.

“Come on she is cute right?” He didn’t really have an interest in her but he was trying to pry some good info out of Jeonghan, as well as keep him from knowing about y/n being here till the right moment.

Jeonghan rolled his eyes, “Yeah but like I think 90% of the camp is cute.” he said offhandedly. The fact the he was a son of Aphrodite made him attracted to everyone, he saw no gender when it came to love, and he wasn’t defined by any sexual orientation.

“For real though, don’t let Woozi hear you talking about her.”

‘Finally, something.’ Seungkwan let a small grin slide onto his face, glad to be getting some juicy details. “Does he have a thing for her?”

“I know nothing. You heard nothing.” Jeonghan caught the younger boy’s eyes, and he gave him a hard glare. “Okay?”

“Nothing at all.” Seungkwan answered, hiding his grin. Woozi gossip was hard to come by, he wouldn’t let Jeonghan take this away from him.

Satisfied with the younger boy’s response, Jeonghan went back to texting Mingyu.

“Fucking Hades.” She let slip, as she looked around. Of course there was no step stool, or anything of that nature to help her get some shirts down.

‘I only need like a foot and a half,’ she thought as she tried to think of a solution. ‘It’s not that high up. I could climb it, like I’ve climbed higher. This is nothing compared to The Lava Wall’

Stepping up on the bottom shelf, she starts to climb. It’s harder than she thought, the shelving is slick and she keeps having to move the shirts back with her foot while trying to keep her balance.

The first time she loses her footing she has only made it to the second shelf from the bottom, before she stepped on a shirt and slid right off the shelf. The next time she made it one shelf higher than before, her hand accidentally grabbing a shirt instead of the shelf.

“Hello, I need some help over here.” She called out as she stared angrily at the shirts that evaded her. ‘Didn’t they say it would only be a second? Not five fucking minutes.’

Seungkwan looks over at Jeonghan who is locked in his own world, totally distracted by his music and Mingyu, before he calls out, “Be right there.” with a smirk on his face.

Jeonghan feels Seungkwan poking him in the side a solid five times before he bothers to pull out a earbud and pay him any attention.

“What is it?” Jeonghan says with a groan.

Seungkwan let’s out a giggle, “I’m going to go take my break. Cool?”

“Yeah, sure,” Jeonghan rolls his eyes and pops his earbud back in. Turning up the volume and drowning out any reply Seungkwan may make.

Seungkwan heads to the back, of course he stays within hearing distance because he knows the angry Ares cabin leader was about to snap, and he didn’t want to miss it, but he knows to stay out of sight.

She swears on the River Styx if no one comes in the next three seconds she will actually fight someone.

Weaving her way through the aisles, she heads back to the counter, where she saw the two boys at when she first entered the store. ‘Your kidding me!’ she thinks as she crosses her arms and looks at the vision in front of her.

The worker who she thinks was the one replying to her is sitting on the counter, glued to his phone, and definitely not on his way to help her.

Jeonghan wasn’t the one putting off helping her, but she doesn’t know that. Right now she is seeing red. Her anger at Jun, at being too short to reach the shelves, and at being straight up ignored have her short fuse at its limit.

She storms up to Jeonghan, standing square in front of him, and she rips his headphone right out of his ears. Both startling him and getting his attention.

“When I call for help, I am actually needing help. Listen it’s your job, right? So, why do I have to come up here to get some help after I’ve yelled for it? Honestly, I wasn’t yelling just to hear my own voice.”

She was upset, her day has been rough. Now though she is pissed. Ares would be proud of the fire she is about to let loose on this poor boy.

‘Oh great River Styx. When the fuck did she get here?’ Jeonghan thinks to himself.

He looks at her standing in front of him with his headphones in her hand and drops his phone onto his lap in shock. ‘Is she actually talking to me? What do I say?’ He thinks to himself as he runs a hand through his hair anxiously, unconsciously looking ten times more attractive when he did.

“Are you even paying attention, I called for help like two or three times, yet you are just up here sitting on that hot ass of yours playing on your phone. Are you for real?”

Jeonghan is so caught up that the beautiful girl that he has had a crush on for ages is standing in front of him that he isn’t processing the words she is saying.

“Were you even planning on helping me? What kind of help even are you? Just playing on your damn phone.” She is on a roll at this point, words rolling off her tongue as her cheeks flush red to match her anger.

‘Hades, she is so beautiful,’ He thought to himself, and he stared at her, loving the way her eyes lit up brighter than Hestia’s hearth when she was angry. It was like she stole his breath, or maybe she stole his heart.

He didn’t understand what it was about her that had him feeling this way. He was a son of Aphrodite, it should be him taking breaths and stealing hearts, not her.

He was a romantic, or maybe he was just a creep, but Jeonghan had never actually talked to her. He usually just watched, admired her from afar. He should be a little upset. Like the first time his crush is talking to him, she is yelling at him, but all he can think is, “You are so beautiful when you are angry.”

“And let me tell y-” She stops. Did she hear right? She thinks that she had to offer heard wrong. She isn’t beautiful, she is an Ares kid. Ares kids aren’t beautiful, they are ugly, crass, and rude not to mention the terrible case of resting bitch face that they have.

‘Hades did I just say that out loud?’ He prays to the gods that he didn’t, but she stopped mid sentence and is just staring at him in shock. That’s it, his life is over. He is done. He prays to be dragged to the depths of hell.

Jeonghan dropped his head down, trying to hide his embarrassment, and the blush that is blooming on his cheeks. The store is quiet. She isn’t saying anything. Jeonghan thinks he knows what is coming. The ultimate rejection, why would she accept his feeling he is just a weak flower boy, and she is the Ares cabin leader.

“Re-really.” She stutters out, blushing, her voice has gone squeaky.

At the sound of her reply, Jeonghan completely understands with his knowledge of his mother’s domain. He gives her a soft smile as he loses all his insecurity.

“Didn’t you say you needed help with something?” He said as he hopped the counter.

All she could do was nod her head as she tried to come to terms with the fact that the most attractive person in camp not only complemented her, but also was being so soft in general towards her. As most people were never soft with Ares’ kids.

Jeonghan looked as his crush became a shy stuttering mess in front of him after one compliment. He grabbed her hand and decided that after seeing her reaction from one compliment he never wanted to stop complimenting her.

Seungkwan stood in the doorway of the break room watching everything go down with a smile on his face, “I’m better than Cupid himself.”