#i've been able to iron out my interests and sense of humor due to it

[umblrspectrum]

3 years of this godforsaken show

[friendlyneighborhoodcapricorn]

Here it is luv!

I'm an Asian who uses she/they pronouns and an Aquarius and INTJ. My sexuality is bi demiromantic. I'm 5'0 with tan skin, black hair, brown eyes and glasses.I'm bilingual. People say I look intimidating and unapproachable since I don't smile or talk much around strangers but I try my best to be polite and nice.I'm very introverted and shy. I'll need to warm up to people but when I do, I will surprisingly be energetic.

I consider myself a fair, open minded and laid back person. I like to seek out my friends' company when bored. I either ask them to do something wholesome or something they are afraid of with me. I'm down to do anything with my friends. I'm hardworking if its something that interests me. I'm very creative but can't seem to make my ideas into reality. If I'm not good at something, I tend to put it on hold until I get motivated again. I'm kind of a pacifist but I will fight if pushed too far or my loved ones are endangered.

My friends describe my  sense of humor as dark and cursed. I can be mischievous and chaotic but still reliable and smart.My hobbies are baking,gaming,art, true crime and supernatural stuff. I express my love with gifts and quality time more than physical affection but I'm ok with PDA. I'm gonna be emotionally unavailable at 1st. My fav kind of date is a picnic.A negative trait of mine would be barely taking initiative at 1st due to fear of rejection. My ideal type is someone who I can trust with my life,someone I've known for a long time, very respectful of my boundaries and protective. Like I said in my previous ask- I'm a Hades kid

Okay, this is going to be a long one, so get comfortable lol

You’ve been at Camp Half-Blood since you were six, and mostly stayed in a room in the Big House: the Hermes kids were too afraid of you to have you in their Cabin.

For a long time, it was expected that you’d be the one to fulfil the prophecy, but turns out you were just a few months younger than Percy.

You and Annabeth are pretty close, because the two of you were kind of the only ones around the same age for a long time.

In fact, you were probably the one to tell her and Luke that Thalia's spirit was still in the tree, being able to sense her with your powers.

As a child of Hades, you totally wield one of those Stygian iron swords.

So now that we have established a bit of background, let’s get to how the series progresses with you there.

When Percy is claimed, you kinda take him under your wing. The two of you bond over being kids of one of the Big Three, and it doesn’t take long to become friends.

You were very much against letting Percy, an inexperienced son of Poseidon, go on a quest already. He attracts every monster in a five mile radius and there’s no way he’s already had enough practice to be able to take them all. Also, he’s literally 12.

But there isn’t much that can be done about that, so you sit back and anxiously wait for him, Grover, and Annabeth to return.

The fact that Annabeth is there with him, is at least some consolation. She’s smart enough to keep the three of them alive.

While you stay at camp, you start getting a weird sense every night, like a constant chill running down your spine. You can tell there's some dark entity in the camp, but also... It's not really there?

You’ve felt it before, but never as strong as this. Naturally, your curiosity urges you to find out what it is. It could be a threat, after all.

But as you sneak through the shadows of the camp, dodging harpies along the way, you can feel the darkness start to fade. The night seems a little brighter now, and you are none the wiser as to what that presence was.

You feel it almost every night, but it fades away whenever you go looking for it.

Maybe you’re looking in the wrong place.

You figure it out by accident, when you suddenly sense it while you’re dreaming.

It is so much stronger now.

That’s when it all clicks together: someone in this camp is being haunted by some dark entity in their dreams.

We know children of Hades can walk in others’ dreams, but it takes time to figure this out.

You don’t even know whose dream you need to invade.

So during the day, you start paying close attention to see if anyone looks more tired than usual.

Clarissa looks tired, but she was up teaching a spear-fighting class all day yesterday, so that’s not surprising.

Luke doesn’t look much better, but he’s the head of Cabin 11 and he’s probably stressed about Annabeth being on her first quest, so no surprises there either.

There’s Chiron, but he’s running a camp full of teenage kids with strange powers. If anyone’s allowed to be tired, it would be him.

So your search mainly remains fruitless.

You do get better at dreamwalking: it’s surprisingly easy once you get the hang of it.

When you feel the presence again while you’re asleep, you let yourself be pulled towards its energy. The closer you get, the more you get the feeling you’re about to fall.

Whatever entity this is, it’s ancient.

In the end, you don’t get to see it, but you hear a familiar voice whisper a name.

Kronos.

You try to warn Chiron and Mr. D, but they both pretty much dismiss your concerns. They say they’ll look into it, but you have a feeling it’s only to get you to go back to bed.

Everyone is surprised about Luke’s betrayal, but you least of all. You already knew someone was having very, very dark dreams. You just didn’t know they were having them voluntarily.

Chiron apologises to you for not listening, but ultimately, you both know it wouldn’t have mattered.

And that’s it for Lightning Thief! Let’s move on now.

Because children of Hades kan pick up on spirits, you’re the first person to know that Thalia’s tree is poisoned, because you can feel her spirit fading.

You once again stay back from the quest because, you know, child of Hades on the big open sea just isn’t a stellar idea. You doubt Poseidon is going to do anything that might risk Percy’s life, but there’s no need to take risks.

But it’s not like you’re not doing anything. The barrier is gone, and monsters can freely come and go as they please. All those demigods in one place… Camp Half-Blood had practically become a beacon.

You take a lot of night shifts on guard duty, as monsters -at least the more intelligent ones- turn around the second they see your sword.

At the same time, Chiron teaches you how you can use your powers to keep Thalia’s spirit from fading as long as possible.

And, whenever you manage to get some sleep, you use your dreams to try and locate your friends and see if they’re doing alright.

All in all, it’s a very tiring time.

Somehow, despite having taken an airplane home, everyone comes home safely.

And then the Golden Fleece resurrects Thalia.

You’re there when it happens, having resigned yourself to watching over her tree to see if it’s working (and to catch up with Annabeth, who tells you and Thalia all about her quest).

Obviously, you mercilessly tease her about Percy. That’s what friends do lol.

But then you suddenly feel a spike in Thalia’s life force.

And before you know it, she’s actually there. In the flesh.

And then there’s three kids of the Big Three.

But little do you know, things are about to get a hell of a lot more chaotic.

That one was a little shorter, but now comes the Titan’s Curse, and with that… well, you know who makes his entrance now ;)

You join Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth when they go to Westover Hall. You can’t explain it, but you have a feeling you need to be there.

Which means you get to meet Sally Jackson, who practically adopts you the way she’s already adopted Annabeth and Thalia.

Speaking of Thalia, you and her have become pretty close since she came back to life. Thalia seems like she’d enjoy true crime and she’s probably interested in the supernatural as well, so you bond over that.

You, Thalia, and Annabeth have basically become a chaotic trio. Sparring matches with the three of you are a frequent occurrence.

But anyway. At Westover Hall, you’re the one who uses the Mist to manipulate the teacher. You’ve been training to use it ever since you first came to camp, and even though Thalia is skilled with it already, all of you agree that it’s better to be safe than sorry.

While you’re at the party, Grover pulls you aside and quietly tells you that the aura of the kids he saw, is scarily similar to yours.

He asks if there’s a chance Hades had any other kids after you, but you doubt it. Breaking the agreement once is tricky, doing it twice? Hades is smarter than that.

Of course that’s when shit hits the fan.

During the battle by the cliffs, you mostly focus on keeping the two kids you came here for safe. Maybe Grover was right about them being related to you.

And then shit somehow manages to hit the fan even harder, because the Hunters of Artemis just had to interfere and chase the Manticore off the cliff -and Annabeth with it.

None of you know what to do, then. You, Thalia, and Percy are all devastated and full of guilt. Kids of the Big Three, and none of you were able to save her -your best friend, the girl Thalia practically raised, the girl Percy loves.

You’re grateful for the Hunters giving you shelter for the time being. Artemis herself offers both you and Thalia a position in the hunt, but you both decline. You’re a child of the god of the Underworld: you understand better than anyone that death is a vital part of the natural order.

Bianca Di Angelo, however, immediately says yes. Both you and Nico are hurt by her decision; by now you’re fairly certain the Do Angelo’s are your siblings, and for Bianca to ditch both of you so quickly, without even getting to know you… well, it stings.

You, Thalia, Percy, and Nico return to Camp with the Hunters, while Artemis goes her own way. The atmosphere at camp is horribly depressing.

Everyone at least knew Annabeth, and most people cared about her, or even loved her.

When Grover, Zoe Nightshade, Bianca, and Thalia embark on their quest, you are up all night. That’s how you catch Percy sneaking off after him.

You tell him to take you along, and he agrees before you can even try and convince him.

It would be a good time, you know, if you weren’t trying to find a missing goddess and your presumed dead best friend.

Percy explains his dream to you, about Annabeth being forced to take the weight of the sky. You try your best to reassure him by saying that if anyone can take it, it’s Annabeth.

When the two of you are caught, you have a shouting match with Zoe. She claims you’re endangering the mission; you accuse her of not giving a shit about Annabeth, and saying that Artemis would be disappointed to be the focus of this quest when there was a young woman who needed help.

It’s a mess, but Percy and Thalia have your back. Bianca admits that she, too, believes that Artemis would want them to rescue Annabeth first. Even Grover, who honestly just wants to stay as far away from the argument as possible, quietly agrees.

Apollo helps you guys get to the Junkyard of the Gods…

But Bianca is not lost in a land without rain, like she would normally be.

Because you are still the most powerful child of Hades present.

So when Talos activates? You create a fissure in the ground with your sword, one so broad and deep that even Talos can’t cross it.

Not without falling in and breaking down for once and for all.

When you get to Mount Othrys, tensions are at an all time high. Thalia, Percy, and you are all anxious to find Annabeth, but also dreading the prospect of having to see Luke again.

Zoe gets poisoned, but rather than Percy, you’re the one who takes the weight of the sky from Artemis so she can fight Atlas and make him take your place again.

It’s just in time to see Luke go ever the edge of a cliff. You can feel the moment his body hits the ground, but you don’t feel him die.

When the Olympians suggest to kill Percy to keep him from becoming the next child of the prophecy, after Thalia accepts Artemis’ offer, you’re the first to rush to his defence.

“What are you going to do, kill all of us? First Perce, then me, and eventually Nico?”

Luckily, Artemis stands in your corner as well, and she takes no shit from her fellow Olympians.

Important to note: since Bianca is alive and with the Hunters, Nico never runs away from Camp…

I feel like these are only getting longer and longer lol. Onto the Battle of the Labyrinth.

So obviously things go very different: Nico is still at Camp Half-Blood, and is quickly progressing in skill under your training.

The two of you have become close, especially now that Bianca is away with the Hunters -though she frequently writes to you both.

Still, Nico desires answers for why he can’t remember anything from the past.

He strays into the Underworld with unnerving ease, and he even manages shadow travel, something even you aren’t capable of yet. You can’t help but be a little jealous.

So while Nico is off finding his answers, you perfect your sword-fighting skills. It doesn’t take long before you meet Quintus, but you don’t like him. Granted, you don’t instantly like people most of the time, but something about the guy feels off.

You already know about the entrance to the Labyrinth: you worked with Clarisse and Annabeth to try and figure out how Luke and the Titan Army might use this to their advantage.

Naturally, when Annabeth embarks on her quest, she asks you along: even your geokinetic abilities aren’t fully able to find a way through the Labyrinth, but you at least can sense where exits and entrances are.

The Labyrinth makes you feel like you’re walking on the edge of a knife: one wrong step and you’ll spiral into madness forever.

You can sense the madness around you: of the man who created it, of those who perished here.

Certain parts are so full of spirits that walking through them makes you feel like you’re suffocating.

You don’t make a pitstop at the Triple G Ranch because there is nothing there for you to find.

Instead, you go straight to Hephaestus’ workshop.

Which leads to the incident with the volcano.

After Percy’s apparent death, you’re the one who leads everyone back to Camp.

That’s when Nico contacts you through a dream, asking for help. The contact is cut off before you can ask what’s wrong, but you caught a glimpse of his environment.

You head straight back to the Labyrinth, and focus on your powers like you never have before. You can feel your half-brother’s spirit if you try hard enough, and it leads to Antaeus’ arena.

That’s where you run into Nico -and Luke and his forces. Nico, not hardened by the loss of Bianca, still had the innocence to trust Luke. Until, you know, he got captured.

You put up a fight, but you’ve been wandering the Labyrinth for days with little to no rest while drawing on a great deal of your powers.

You’re embarrassed by how quickly they capture you to.

But thankfully, most of the Titan Army is none too clever. They let you rest and keep you fed, in the hope that you might change your mind and join their side.

So when you’re called upon to fight and see Percy in the arena… we’ll, Antaeus never stood a chance. You make your escape with Percy, Nico, Annabeth, ands mortal girl named Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

You yell at Percy for, like, 20 minutes straight for making you think he was dead.

When you meet Daedalus, everything makes sense. Of course Daedalus and Quintus are the same person.

You all arrive just in time to see Kronos rise, and from there it’s just a mad dash back to Camp to warm them of what’s coming.

Well. With one small interruption when you discover Pan’s last resting place.

You can’t explain it, but you feel as if Pan has a connection to you. Maybe it has something to do with the wilderness dying. Maybe it’s just because death is a vital part of life.

Whatever the case, it feels as if he’s trying to tell you something.

You arrive back at Camp just before all hell breaks loose.

Things seem to go your way at first, the monsters slowed by the narrow entrance, and with Daedalus, Briares, and Mrs. O’Leary on your side.

But then there’s Kampê.

Grover manages to summon panic and send the monsters scrambling back to the Labyrinth, but they’ll come back soon enough.

That’s when Daedalus asks you to release his spirit, as it will destroy the Labyrinth and everything in it.

So you do.

You’ve never actually set a spirit free, but it’s not hard.

And when you do, you become the Ghost Ruler.

Nevertheless, despite winning the battle, the losses are devastating. You can feel dead all around you…

… but you also feel life.

This was what Pan was trying to tell you. Children of Hades do not just sense death, but also the absence of it.

You start to wonder if it might be possible for you to reverse the dying process, or at least slow it down. After all, you also kept Thalia’s spirit from fading when her tree was poisoned.

There is power over life in the power over death.

Alright, onto the grand finale!

You know the battle is approaching fast, so you spent almost the entire year in the Underworld, perfecting your powers.

Nico is with you, trying to force some answers out of your dad.

You try to convince Hades to fight in the upcoming war, but he’s stubborn over how the Olympians rejected him, despite him being one of the most powerful gods. He reminds you that you and Nico don’t even have a cabin at camp.

And for a moment, you understand his bitterness, and with it, you understand what drove Luke and so many others to this.

But just because you don’t have your own cabin, doesn’t mean you don’t have a place at camp.

You return to camp not long after Annabeth sends you an Iris message about the disaster on the Princess Andromeda.

You arrive just in time to learn that the gods are trying to slow down Typhon.

Unbeknownst to you, Nico low-key kidnaps Percy.

You’re just trying to keep roughly 100 stressed and scared teenagers with free access to weapons from killing each other.

When you finally all go to the Empire State Building to defend the city and Mount Olympus, you run into Percy.

“Your brother kidnapped me.”

“Why do you have an aura of invincibility?”

“Shit, is it that obvious?”

You also reunite with Bianca and Thalia when the Hunters arrive.

“Bianca, your brother kidnapped me.”

Bianca, who has taken over Thalia’s sense of humor: “Good for him.”

The battle is in full swing, and while you’re not outnumbered, you’d feel a hell of a lot better if there were some Underwordly reinforcements.

There’s the disaster on the bridge, and Annabeth getting stabbed, and then some Titan tries to convince Percy to open Pandora’s Box and release hope.

When Percy refuses, it becomes clear how this is going to end: in victory or in death.

The battles go and on, and you’re not sure how much longer you can keep doing this.

But just when all hope seems lost, Hades arrives with Demeter, Persephone, Nico, and an army of undead warriors.

You are so happy you weren’t there for that awkward family gathering.

You’re with Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Thalia when they follow Kronos and Ethan Nakamura up to Olympus.

When the statue of Hera falls, you hold it back with your powers until everyone has safely passed underneath.

The battle in the throne room is a brutal one, but then Ethan suddenly switches sides after Percy talks to him.

Of course Kronos tries to kill him for it, but you manage to stop him from forming the fissure.

Still, all of you are incapacitated: Ethan is bleeding from a bad wound, Annabeth got flung against a throne with a sickening crack, and you and Thalia could only fight for so long after days of tiring battles.

In the end, it’s Annabeth who gets through to Luke.

In the end, Luke is the hero of the prophecy.

When Percy calls the gods out on their bullshit, you can barely refrain from laughing.

The Olympians put you in charge of working with the minor deities to give them the representation they want and deserve.

At the same time, you work closely with Annabeth and Ethan on new cabins for the camp.

Honestly, life is good.

And then Percy goes missing.

I feel like I should apologise for how long this got omg. I hope you enjoy it, though, and if you ever want a Heroes of Olympus continuation, let me know!

Anyway, thank you so much for the request, I had such fun writing this <3

[el-moscorrofio-y-el-mercachifle]

Same here: Betty, Marcela, and Armando- The holy trinity lol

Betty has my heart, but I find Marcela and Armando so fascinating and I love unpacking their dysfunctional relationship. There's just so much to discuss and analyze in their dynamic. Their competing egos, the incompatibility in personalities, and general lack of respect for one another, all wrapped with the irony that on paper, and in society's view, they were "perfect for each other". For me though, ultimately, both Armando and Marcela were victims of their own prejudice that was condemning them to settle into a relationship that made them both so unhappy.

Omg yes, in this victimization of Marcela, people fail to recognize how misogynistic she actually was!! Marcela took out all her frustration on not being able to control Armando's infidelity and her denial of how bad their relationship was, on the women that surrounded him, regardless if they engaged with him romantically or not. Her hatred for Betty is the biggest example of that. It's ironic that on paper, Armando hiring Betty as his secretary should have been the best news for somebody as jealous of beautiful women as she was. Yet literally her reason for hating Betty was that Armando was a cheater, even if (at least initially lol) she had nothing to do with that. But there she was, trying to justify her hate in creative ways when it was all rooted in misogyny and resentment towards Armando. Yet, breaking up with him was out of the question. The epitome of this is the scene where Marcela takes Betty out for lunch trying to get information out of her. I mean, she's broken and I genuinely feel for her in this scene, but when she tries to manipulate Betty using the female solidarity card 🙄🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️ AKJSDHAJDK. I CAN'T lol. That's exactly what she never showed Betty, solidarity... not as a woman, not as a professional. and not as a human being. But again, Marcela did have her moments where she was reasonable, showed good judgement as a boss, and it was hard not to root for her in general.

Yes, Armando's parents were terrible. They were terrible to both Armando and Marcela. I've seen criticism of Don Hermes (justified) but at least in Betty's household, she had genuine display of love and affection, even if they did handicap her in some ways with their overprotection. And that's a whole other discussion. But that's what so amazing about the series, it gives way for so much interpretation, perspective, and analysis. For example: Mario Calderon is a terrible human being, the ultimate villain of the series, but also he was almost impossible to hate👀😭🤣.

Lol! The Holy Trinity of Ambiguity and Chaos lol❤️

Same here. I love Betty for her sweet, way-too-innocent personality and her sense of humor (even if it’s more like a mechanism to deal with her insecurities and how much they affect her), but Armando and Marcela are so dark and interesting (although good to notice that Betty herself BECOMES pretty dark aftet she finds the Letter. She becomes just as abusive as Marcela in revenge). Yes, everything in that relationship was so, so wrong!

I’d say a great part of Armando’s and Marcela clinge to each other (Armando’s clinge to Marcela is strange— he “needs” her, can’t let her go because she “represents” a good, stable life dven though in practice it’s chaos, yet at the same time he’s desperately trying to free himself and get a breath of fresh air), more than prejudice itself, it was due to their parents. They have a very strange dynamic, as they both see Roberto and Margarita as their parents, and Roberto and Margarita also treat Marcela and Armando as their children (they constantly call them that), and often blur the lines in the relationship between the two, like that scene the day of the collection in which Claudia Bosch got drunk. That time Armando and Marcela were fighting and angry; it was a couple’s quarrel that could have seriously affected their relationship. But Margarita and Roberto treated it like a pair of little siblings fighting over a toy, and even asked them to hug each other, smile, and “make peace”. That was so, so strange. That was a siblings’ dynamic, not a couple’s. Armando and Marcela grew up together, so we can assume that it’s been this way their whole lives. This just can’t possibly be healthy. Add to that how Margarita was always partly helping Marcela, and partly helping Armando, because in her eyes they were both her children… and on top of it all, the constant drilling into their heads of how they were meant to be together and it was the Mendozas’ and Valencias’ dream to see their children getting married. They were treated like siblings and expected to love each other as a couple. Just weird.

We could also mention that, even though Armando was a womanizer, he only looked for beautiful women of a high status. The kind of woman that, were it not because he’s already with Marcela, his parents would aprove, unlike the poor guy that Camila married and got her exiled from the family. Even Armando’s rebellion and need for freedom restricted to what his family would approve.

Yes! Marcela even laughs at the idea of Betty being Armando’s secretary and mocks him that he’s “presenting symptoms of fidelity”😓 she hated Betty simply for being ugly, and completely disregarded her professional abilities based off her looks… but, funnily enough, she never criticizes or judges Gutierrez for being ugly, nor ever undermines his owrk or authority (except when he was trying to abuse his position to take advantage of Aura Maria). It was just all rooted in mysogyny and classism.

Omggg! Yesss! That scene always irked me. The way she says “we are both women, and we need to be in solidarity of that feeling”. Like, girl, whaaaat? She spent the whole show callinf Betty a thing, an animal, an undefined being, etc. Marcela even told Armando explicitly that she found offensive that Armando believed that she saw Betty as a female rival, and even Armando seems shocked or disgusted for a second there. Marcela genuinely didn’t even see her as a human being. She had her good side (thus why I can’t hate her), and I feel bad for her situation, but it’s important to also highlight her bad attitudes and not hide them under the rug like most of the fandom seems to do 😓😓

Lol, tbh I loooove Mario Calderon. He’s an a-hole, mysogynistic, manipulator, awful “friend”, maquiavelic, cruel, and much more, but he’s soooo funny. He has so much charisma! I can’t help but love his scenes because he always makes me laugh. Ahh, ysblf always finding a way ti make people love very wrong and broken characters😌❤️✨

[darley1101]

Say You Won’t Let Go (Nov 2 Music)

A/N For the November prompt challenge hosted by @meeraaverywalker November 2: Music featuring Katarina Vance and Parker Shaw from It Live Beneath. Combined with first kiss while slow dancing, a night kiss with a promise, and 'Why are you looking at me like that?' Requested by @blackcatkitaTags are at the end of the story. If you would like to be added, moved, or removed please let me know. If you enjoyed the story please consider giving it a like, comment or re-blog. Thank you for reading.

Rating/warning: Mature due to slight sexual innuendos.

Side note: for those who are into this sort of thing, the song Kat and Parker are dancing to:  Say You Won't Let Go   

Say You Won't Let Go

Drawing her bare legs up beneath her, Katarina leaned against the rail and stared down at the deceptively peaceful water lapping at the sides of the boat. She didn't know what Imogen was thinking, hosting another party on her parents yacht so soon after Kyle's death. It just felt wrong. It also felt like they were asking for trouble. 'I shouldn't have come,' Katarina thought, her fingers absentmindedly toying with the frayed hem of her denim shorts. She'd been on the verge of declining the invitation when Imogen mentioned that Parker was going to be off duty and able to come have fun for once. Like some love sick school girl, Katarina had quickly accepted. It had been a mistake. Parker hadn't spoken more than two words to her and she couldn't shake the guilt or unease for attending a party that felt very much like the one where Kyle had died.

“Hey.”

At the sound of Parker's voice, Katarina drew her gaze from the water. Her traitorous heart sped up, fueled by a love sick adrenaline rush. “Hey,” she echoed. The fingers plucking at the fraying on her shorts picked up speed, tangling in the white threads. She didn't know how to react to his sudden attention. The last time they had been alone together she had made a fool of herself by flirting with him and asking him for coffee. He'd quickly shot her down, citing work as the reason. It had been a plausible excuse, one that didn't completely put her off since he'd followed it by suggesting they exchange numbers. Not that he ever contacted her. Which made her coming to the party because he was going to be there even more pathetic.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

The question caught Katarina off guard. Her brows drew together, confusion clouded her eyes. “Like what?”

“Like you're confused about why I'm talking to you.” He nudged her foot with his own, a playful grin stretching across his full, kissable lips. Full, kissable lips? It took every ounce of Katarina's will power not to gag. Since when was she that girl? The one who noticed things like how kissable a guy's lips were? Looks had never factored into what attracted her to a guy. Her ex-boyfriend Gary had been cute enough, in a Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory sort of way, but it had been his quirky sense of humor that drew her in. Ironically enough, it was that same quirky humor that pushed her away. Well, that and the fact that he'd made her first and only sexual experience awful. There had been no foreplay, no loving kisses. Just Gary lubing up with some KY and sticking it in. His reasoning had been the first time was going to suck no matter what so why not just get it over with so they could get to the good stuff. He hadn't thought about how painful it would be for her or how she might not appreciate his little jokes about needing practice. 'Why are you thinking about that loser,' she silently scolded herself. She knew the answer. It was Parker and his kissable lips.

“I'm not confused,” Katarina lied. Everything about Parker confused her. His hot and cold demeanor. The way he made her feel. It would be easier if she was the sort of girl who could just point blank ask a guy how he felt, what his intentions were. She didn't have that sort of bravery in her. Jumping in to save Kyle and then trying to get justice for Ned had been anomalies, she didn't usually have that much courage.

“Good because most girls don't understand about my no flirting while on the clock rule.” He dropped down next to her, his muscular thigh pressing against her slimmer one. “It probably seems silly, but I'm the youngest and the newest...a lot of the older officers are just waiting for me to screw up.” Parker glanced at her, his grin widening, “you should know...not flirting with you has been the hardest thing I've done in a while.”

“Really?” Her heart skipped a beat before accelerating to triple time when he nodded. Katarina chewed her lower lip and then let out a sigh. “Parker, I'm really not very understanding. I mean, I am. I totally get why you don't flirt while you're on the clock. I just...I didn't realize you were serious about that and...” she shrugged, her cheeks flushing.

“And you thought I wasn't interested.” She nodded. “Kat, if I wasn't interested I wouldn't have given you my phone number or asked for yours.”

Katarina felt her cheeks flush even more. “I thought you were being polite. Besides...you never text or called me. What was I supposed to think?”

“You could have text me,” Parker pointed out. “That's why I gave you my number. Plus, I've been busy.” He glanced around before lowering his voice. “I talked to Ned after you came into the station the other day. He wasn't acting like himself and he was definitely favoring his left side...like he'd hurt himself or-”

“Or been stabbed,” Katarina finished breathlessly. The fact that Parker had taken her seriously when she'd burst into the station announcing that Ned had been stabbed to death, only for Ned to walk out of the Chief's office very much alive, was huge. Parker had no reason to trust her, she wouldn't have blamed him for writing her off as crazy after that incident, but he'd taken her at her word and looked into it. “Parker, I-”

“Guys,” Imogen cried, dancing towards them, “it's a party!” She grabbed Katarina by the hand, pulling her to her feet. “Dance with me! You too Parker!”

“I don't dance,” Katarina protested, glancing over her shoulder at Parker. He smiled and then shrugged before moving his body in time to the music. 'Of course he's a good dancer,' she thought, trying to coordinate her body with the rhythm of the song. It was one she recognized and had occasionally danced to in the privacy of her dorm room. Who didn't dance when Kesha came on?

“This place about to blow-oh-oh-oh,” Imogen sang, shaking her hair out of her face and shrieking with laughter. It was a relief to see something other than sadness on the other girl's face. The memory of Kyle was hovering just beneath the surface, it was written in her eyes, but she wasn't going to let it define how she lived. “Come on, Kat! Sing it with me!”

Katarina shook her head. “Hard pass.” The only thing worse than her dancing was her singing. Her freshmen roommate had dragged her to a charity Karoke event and basically forced her on to the stage, where she was promptly booed off before she could reach the chorus of Miley Cyrus' Party In The USA.

“Dance with me?” Parker pulled her close as the music transitioned into a slow ballad. Heart pounding, Katarina raised her arms and looped them around Parker's neck. Beneath his light gray t shirt she could feel his heart thumping triple time. She closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on the lyrics of the song instead of how amazing it felt to have Parker's hands resting on her hips. I met you in the dark, you lit me up. You made me feel as though I was enough. We danced the night away... “There's just something about you,” he murmured against her ear. Her eyes fluttered open, their gazes locking. She felt her breathing starting to accelerate when his head dipped just slightly. “Kat...” The way he whispered her name sent tingles throughout her body. It was unlike anything she'd ever felt. She closed her eyes, her breathe hitching when his lips brushed across hers. It was innocent enough, just a whisper of flesh against flesh, yet there was something hot and demanding as well...a promise of more. “Kat,” he whispered again. His left hand slid up the side of her body, stirring awareness, before sliding into her wavy dark hair. His fingers rest just below her ear, his thumb gently rubbing across her cheek bone as their breathes mingled. He used his other arm to pull her closer, sealing the gap between their bodies. It felt right, the way each curve and valley fit together perfectly.

“Ahem.”

Katarina jumped back, her cheeks blazing with color as she turned to face Imogen. There was a curious mixture of amusement and jealousy in her friend's golden brown eyes. “I hate to break things  up, but my mom called. We have to dock the boat,” Imogen sulked. “Apparently Daddy is pushing for new restrictions about drinking on the lake and it wouldn't look good for his daughter to be throwing a party...especially so soon after an alcohol involved drowning.” Tears brimmed her lashes. “Did she really have to bring up Kyle like that? She made it sound like...like I don't care.”

“I'm sure she didn't mean it like that,” Katarina tried to reassure her but a quick glance at Parker's grimace told her that Imogen's mom probably had meant it like that. “I'm sorry Im.”

“It's not your fault.” Imogen let out a frustrated sigh. 

“Thanks for coming though. I know you were a little hesitant...so I just...I appreciate what a good friend you are Katarina. I don't have many of those left.” The smaller girl impulsively engulfed Katarina in a hug. “Please be careful with Parker,” she whispered lowly. “He's a nice guy but he's got a bit of a reputation for being a flirt. I don't think I've ever seen him get serious with anyone.”

The words were like cold water being thrown in  her face. Everything in Katarina froze. She forced a smile before pulling back. “I'm always careful,” she promised. “It's my middle name. Well, not really, but...it could be.”

“Lunch tomorrow?”

Katarina nodded, shoving her hands into the back pockets of her shorts. Her mile faded when Imogen left to relay the news to the rest of her guests. She should have known Parker was a player. 'Not a player,' an inner voice chided, 'a flirt. There is a difference.' Was there though? Katarina wasn't exactly naive when it came to men but she wasn't all that experienced either. “You have that confused look on your face again,” Parker said softly.

“Oh.” She ducked her head down, studying the apricot colored polish on her toes. “Sorry. I was just thinking.”

“About what Imogen said?” Katarina's head jerked up, her eyes widening. Parker let out a small chuckle and then sighed. “She's not very good at whispering.” He let out another sigh, walking the short distance to the rail. He stared out at the water before turning to face her. “Can I just be blunt?” She hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Pine Spring is a small town. People tend to mistaken friendliness for flirting. I'm not saying I don't flirt...I do...just not as much as people claim. As for never being serious with someone...I guess I've never met the right someone.” His voice lowered, the gold flecks in his hazel eyes intensifying. “Until now.”

Conflict warred with desire. She'd already been through one crummy relationship that had left her sad, disillusioned, and wear. Did she really want to take that risk again? Her mind kept drifting back to the kiss that wasn't quite a kiss. There had been real feeling there...on both of their parts. She hadn't just imagined that. Katarina glanced in Imogen's direction. She knew Imogen meant well, that she was trying to be a good friend, but she also knew Parker was telling the truth. 'You have enough regrets in your life, do you really want to add Parker to that list?'  The answer was simple. She was tired of regrets. If there was one thing she had learned from her parents deaths and the strangeness going on in Pine Springs it was that life was short. Too short really. “Hey Parker,” she said softly, “I like you too. Besides...” she smiled sweetly, “you still owe me a dance.”

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