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bobafetts-princess · 3 months ago

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Stranger and the Bear Pt1

Summary: A handsome stranger has been warming a stool at the bar you work at. What happens when ghosts from the past make an appearance?

Pairings: Logan Howlett x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2.5k

Warnings: drinking, a touch of Logan smoking the cigar, abusive relationship mentioned (no abuse shown), I think that’s all for this chapter

A/N: if you saw this on ao3, I’m the same person! I’m deep in a Logan crisis and have been thinking about moving my Logan fics over to tumblr so his resurgence has given me the boost I need!

Part 2 can be found here

“Hey stranger!” You shout to your newest bar customer, tossing a coaster in front of him before turning around and grabbing his usual.

“Hey Bear,” he responds, his deep voice silky and rough at the same time.

“I can’t believe you still call me that,” You laugh, “it’s been like, three months.”

“You mentioned it first, so I ran with it.” He smiles and winks playfully at you, the most lighthearted you’ve ever seen him. The tall and handsome stranger had first come into the bar you work at a few months ago, ordering a whiskey neat and a beer.

You’d given him your name in the hopes that he would give you his in return, but no luck. “My childhood classmates called me care bear though, they claimed I was as sweet and cuddly as a care bear,” you tell him, smiling at the old memory.

“Care bear, huh?” The stranger had said, deep voice rumbling through his chest. “How about just Bear?”

“Ooh! I like that,” you say before asking him what he would like to drink.

The two of you had fell into an easy camaraderie, always some light flirting, at least from your end. You’d never asked his name and he’d never offered. Your stranger was a good looking man, neatly trimmed facial hair and sideburns, usually in a leather jacket and form-fitting jeans. He was the definition of ‘hate to see them leave, love to watch them walk away’ and you looked forward to the one or two days a week he would come in. He was always respectful, drank the same thing, and left a decent tip.

The evening passed in a blur, patrons coming and going but your stranger stayed where he was. You refilled his drinks at the exact moment he was finishing the last, that was your routine. You’d refill his drinks and he would hang out for a few hours. He watched you work, sometimes from behind dark sunglasses, sometimes through hazel green eyes.

“Hey Bear, c’mere.” Your stranger asked, cigar hanging from his mouth. You made your way towards him, thinking about how no matter how much he drank, he seemed perfectly sober. “You from ‘round here?” He asked, no sunglasses today. You could see his pupils were blown and for the first time in two months you wondered whether he was actually buzzed. He smelled like good worn leather and the cigar he was smoking. You had to prevent yourself from closing your eyes when you inhaled his scent.

“Uhh, sorta kinda. Why?” You told him, shocked at the personal question, and also embarrassed.

The truth was that you weren’t from here, you’d moved here to be with an ex-boyfriend and it had ended badly. You’d gotten home from work one night to find the locks had been changed on the apartment as well as his phone number. Come to find out, he’d been sleeping around on you since you started dating and decided he liked his side piece more. So you’d called your boss, Sally, begging for somewhere to stay and she rented you the studio apartment upstairs. You struck up a deal, the apartment for half price as long as you closed the bar down every night.

When your ex’s side-piece decided she didn’t like him as much as she'd originally thought, he’d begun stalking you and things had gone downhill. He tried to get physical with you once but Sally had threatened him with a shotgun and he hadn’t shown his face again. That was ABOUT the same time your stranger had started coming to the bar, and for some reason you felt safer when he was there.

Apparently Sally did too because on nights he showed up, she took off early and let you close down by yourself.

“So I presume you know that guy in the corner over there? He’s been watching you most of the night.” He told you, clamping the cigar between his index and middle finger. You began to turn your body in the direction of the person he was talking about but a warm hand a-top yours stopped you. “Don’t make it obvious, Bear. Don’t want him to know.” His eyes raked down your body as he was speaking, drinking you in. You weren’t wearing anything fancy, fitted jeans and a black cropped tank with the bars logo on it, but the way he was looking at you made goosebumps cover your skin.

Forcing your mind back to the issue at hand, you glance in the corner, keeping your body facing your stranger. When you caught sight of the face in the corner, you paled. It was your ex, and Sally was gone, her shotgun locked in her office.

“You alright, sweetheart?” Your stranger asked, noting your expression, his hand rubbing back and forth across your knuckles. If you hadn’t been worried, you would have blushed at the way his hand held yours and the nickname he called you.

You forced your voice to sound normal when you spoke again. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just ghosts from the past.” You forced a smile, one that didn’t quite reach your eyes and were surprised to look up and find your strangers face held concern and a touch of tenderness.

“I’m gonna stick around late tonight, Bear. So keep ‘em comin’.” He told you and you felt a bit safer.

You worked the night away, one eye on your next drink ticket and one eye in the corner where your ex sat, unmoving. Your stranger did the same, only he kept one eye on you and one eye on your ex. At ten till close your voice rang out into the emptying bar, “last call!” The few that were still hanging out left not too long after, leaving you, your stranger, and your ex in the bar. You chose not to acknowledge that you knew it was him, hoping that the dark shadows of the bar would convince him that you didn’t notice who he was. After a few tense moments he stood, heading towards the front door so you turned to your stranger.

“I’m gonna run to the bathroom, Bear.” He said, the sultry tones of his voice soothing you. You took a glance at his retreating back before turning around and starting your wipe down of the back bar. A rough hand grabbed your wrist, pulling and making your body spin. It happened so fast that you didn’t get a good look at the face until it was the only thing in your line of sight. It was your ex, which shouldn’t surprise you but somehow it did. Your voice caught in your throat and you couldn’t attempt to shout for help from your stranger, your fear paralyzing you.

“I thought your miserable ass left this fucking town.” He snarled in one ear, face pressed against yours.

“You would think that when I left you, you’d have tucked that tail and ran back to mommy and daddy. Why are you still fucking here??” He sneered and you could smell the alcohol on his breath and when he pulled back, your wrist in his hand, you could see that his pupils were blown wide. He was high too, but you didn’t know what on. You didn't know why he was so obsessed with you, it wasn't like you had a great and powerful love. You thought his feelings were just hurt because you didn't take him back. “You stupid. Fucking. Bit-“ But he didn’t get a chance to finish because his body was ripped away from yours. You blinked and saw your stranger standing over him as he lay on the floor where he’d been thrown.

“Attacking a woman while she’s alone?” He snarled, that deep vibrato now a growl. He picked your ex up by the front of his shirt, his strength shocking you. “You piece of shit. Picking on a woman half your size while she’s alone?” He growled, shaking your ex while he was holding him up in the air. “What kind of an asshole gets off on that?” Your legs were shaking so bad that you sunk to the floor, the butt of your jeans wet from the beer and liquor that had been spilled during the course of the evening.

Your ex looked terrified, used to always being the bigger in a fight but he looked like a teenager next to your stranger. His mouth was moving wordlessly, almost like he was trying to make sounds but was too frightened.

“I’m not gonna hurt you tonight, but I swear to god if you come back, I’ll rip you limb from limb. And I’ll be here every night to make sure she stays safe. Get outta here before I change my mind, you piece of shit.” He snarls, dropping your ex unceremoniously on the floor in a heap of fear and embarrassment. He scrambles to his feet, sprinting towards the front door, letting it slam behind him. You see your stranger following behind him to lock the door before your vision starts to swirl with the beginnings of a panic attack.

“In through your nose. Out through your mouth. In through your nose. Out through your mouth.” You repeat over and over to yourself when you feel a large, warm hand on your shoulder and a low gravelly voice speaking in your ear.

“Bear. Bear. Are you alright?” You continue your breathing, adding a small nod to ensure your stranger you were fine.

“I’m gonna pick you up. You live upstairs right?” He asked and in the back of your mind you wondered how he knew that. But thoughts left your mind as strong arms wrapped underneath your legs and behind your back. Your heart rate was slowing, and your panic attack subsiding, so when he asked you which way the stairs were you were able to answer. His strong body carried yours up the stairs and into the studio apartment you resided in, slowing as he crossed the threshold.

“I’m okay to stand. You can put me down.” You told him, but he seemed hesitant and you swore he clutched you even tighter to his body. “Really, Stranger, I’m okay.” You said, smiling up at his kindness.

“Logan.” He whispered as he lowered your legs onto the ground, arm staying around the small of your back until he was sure you were okay on your own two feet.

“What?” You asked, not sure of what he said.

“Logan. My names Logan.” He repeated, fingers digging into the exposed flesh of your hip, biting slightly.

“Okay, Logan. It’s nice to not refer to you as Stranger in my mind.” You giggled. You stepped reluctantly away from his embrace, heading towards your ‘kitchen’. “Would you like a drink, Logan? All I have is beer and water.”

You heard him clear his throat and when you looked at him, he looked like he was warring with himself.

“Uhh, ya, sure Kid. Bear. I’ll have a beer.” He said and for the first time since you’d met him, there was a twinge of uncertainty in his voice. You popped the top on two, handing him one before heading to the small couch you had, a mere 10 feet from your bed. He followed, sitting next to you and doing his best to make sure he wasn’t touching you, but the area was so small that your knees touched anyways.

“So that was my ex. He was stupid enough to try and get physical with me once. Sally threatened him with a shotgun. I didn’t think he would be stupid enough to try it twice.” You tried to explain without going into the entire sordid story.

“I’m going to tear him in half.” He answered, taking a long pull of his beer and you felt ashamed at what the dominance in his voice did to your lady bits.

“I don’t think he’ll be stupid enough to try this again so hopefully I don’t ever have to worry about him again.” You assured your stranger.

“Logan.” You mused aloud, a small smile crossing your face.

“Ya, Bear?” He answered, thinking you were going to ask him a question.

“It’s such a normal name.” You snickered.

“What’s wrong with my name?” He asked, faux defensiveness in his voice at your teasing.

“I’ve wondered for WEEKS what your name was and it’s Logan. It’s so normal. It suits you though. I like it.” You smiled at him, hitching one knee up on the couch and turning your torso towards him.

“I’ll be comin’ by more often and stayin’ until the bar is locked down. Just to make sure that moron doesn’t come back.” He told you, venom in his tone, but in a way that had you suppressing a shiver. You wondered what he sounded like first thing in the morning, his voice filled with sleep. “What’re you thinkin’’ about, Bear?” He asked, almost knowing your thoughts. You flushed, embarrassed to be caught in your thoughts.

“Nothing, just how you manhandled him. I think you humbled him.” You lied through your teeth, hoping he wouldn’t realize you were thinking about HIM manhandling you.

“He’s a lightweight. Pushin’ people around that are smaller than him.” He told you, eyes skimming over you. You heated at his gaze and wondered to yourself how long it had been since you’d gotten laid. When you couldn’t remember immediately you’d decided it had been too long. “People like him always need to be manhandled, otherwise they don’t learn their lessons,” You glanced at his beer, bartender habit, and stood to get him another. Yours was still half full, so you only popped the top off of one and brought it back to him. You felt his eyes glued to your frame as you walked and tried not to let it go to your head.

“You didn’t have to do that.” He told you, even though he took the beer from your hands when you stretched it out to him.

“Thank you Logan. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been there. How did you know I lived upstairs though?” You asked, the memory hitting you quick.

“I’ve heard you speak to the woman about rent. Sally? And I’ve stayed after a few times when I come by to make sure you get to your car, and you never come out of the building. The lights go out though.” He told you, unashamedly. You were struck by the kindness of this stranger. He was looking out for you and you hadn't even known. He watched out for you and all you'd ever offered him was a warm smile and a cold beer. Your breath hitched in your throat as you muttered out a small thank you to him, but he simply shrugged and took a long pull.

"I don't know how to thank you." You admitted to him but he waved you off.

"Don't worry about it, kid." He said, finishing his beer. You decided it was better off to just thank him in a different way, probably with free booze. You decided in that moment that this man would never pay for another drink in the bar again, and you felt that Sally would agree. You would speak with her about it first thing in the morning, after you filed a restraining order.

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asvterias · 7 months ago

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𝖩𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝖬𝗒 𝖳𝗒𝗉𝖾 ~ 𝖢𝗅𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗌𝗌𝖾 𝖫𝖺 𝖱𝗎𝖾

part one || chapter playlist (1) & chapter playlist (2) || clarisse masterlist

helping palestine 🇵🇸

warnings: slight bullying, usage of a weapon, minor cursing, some blood mentions (during kissing)

pairings: (both aged up to 16) clarisse la rue ✘ black!fem!demigod!reader (daughter of poseidon) | younger!brother percy jackson ✘ older!sister!reader

genres: kinda enemies to lovers, reader goes through a whirlwind of emotions simultaneously, reader’s emotions control the weather, flirty!clarisse, BOTH reader and clarisse are bold!!, unhinged!reader, mentions of kissing, detailed kissing scene, BOTH reader and clarisse are sneaky teases with each other, clarisse has 100% rizz, undertones of being a closeted lesbian (clarisse!!), jealousy, (if you squint hard enough) clarisse gets a little a handsy 🤭, percy & clarisse kinda bonding on reader’s behalf!

summary: y/n and percy arrive at camp half-blood, upon recently discovering they’re poseidon’s kids, making them forbidden demigods. and with being titled a forbidden kid, also stirs up trouble from the wrong people, even if the wrongdoers are unbelievably gorgeous.

word count: 7.2k+

tag list: @lvrue @kyuupidwrites @xanasaurusrex @urdeadpoet @aurorailvsm @quinnsadilla @st4rzl7 @p0rkbun @star-girl69 @aphroditesmoon @lcvved @tinytea-biscut @dearlydarlings @rocknr0ll @nvirskies @k4zuhas-visi0n @urbisexualfriend @marlswhore @lovelyy-moonlight @thegiganticgirlkisser @thewritingbarbie @apocalypticlibrary @solecitoszn @mira-belcul18 @sleighingstella @ampitrit3 @mthefae @hoku-k @kazerka @liv444me @korizzybee @mariposa555 @cherriesnbutter @justintinderlake4 @natasha-took-fall-damage @importantpotato @laughingcheese037 @b0ok-lover @novastarrs @urfavefag @babyzzlove @importantpotato @laughingcheese037 @iheartamberfreeman @karslyn @haerinfrr @gianni7867 @jimfiqs @lyzsaphrodite @4evafvctional

author’s note: i really enjoyed writing this ngl and i’m shocked this is 7k+ words. also this is not proofread, i just wanted this out of my drafts so i’ll come back to this and recheck my errors!

requested from both anonymous & wattpad! (ONLY with the pairing)

Eventually, you woke up with a groan, everything began to hit you like a train wreck. The rainy thunderous night, while desperately trying to escape a demigod killer. The car crashed onto the side of the street and everyone waking up battled and bruised. It was your mom’s last moment, in the car, telling you to be safe and discover your true potential. Your cries still echoed in your mind as you shuddered at the faint memory, struggling to keep the fresh tears at bay.

More importantly, the fight with the Minotaur was one you’d never forget. That wretched monster killed your other mom, Sally and so you killed it, driven by vengeance and grief.

It was a wonder how you survived so far, the aching heartbreak of recent losses still lingering in your mind.

“Y/N, you’re awake!” Percy states, rushing to you for a hug. You winced slightly at the impact but returned the hug.

“How long was I out for?” You examined your body, recognizing a pair of clean clothes replacing your dirty ones

“Two days straight.”

“Is there— Are our moms?!” You gulp, too heartbroken to finish your statement.

They both looked down, refusing to admittedly say it, knowing the losses were a sore subject to discuss.

You frantically searched for the necklace, sighing in relief when you pulled it out, dangling the necklace in your face. You held the sentimental item to your chest, whispered a quick prayer to your mom, and briefly kissed the necklace.

“I just wanna be left alone right now, if that’s okay.”

You wished the earth swallowed you whole.

Grover pipes up, “Y’know Y/N most people would go for the eyes but you went for the neck, I’m impressed.”

“Thanks, Grover, please can we keep the commentary to ourselves for right now?”

“Oh…” Grover catches on, his eyes crinkling in sadness as he holds his head down, “I’m sorry….”

“What are you apologizing for?”

“For not doing my job properly,” His ears dejected as he looked down shamefully “…I failed you both.”

“What happened to my moms wasn’t your fault, you couldn’t have predicted that or stopped it.”

“But I still feel guilty.”

You remained silent, eyes stuck on the ground before a sudden weight crashed into you, catching you by surprise.

“I know I can’t take your sadness away, believe me, if I could I definitely would. So I’m going for the next best thing, a hug.”

A small genuine smile appears on your face at Grover’s statement as you reciprocate the hug back before, feeling another presence join the hug. Percy nuzzled his head, smiling as you three lingered in silence for a while, comforted by each other.

“Wait,” you backtrack, being the first to pull away from the group hug, “That fight with that thing was real??”

“Oh yeah,” Grover nods, “It’s also called a minotaur, that doesn’t matter and you probably don’t care.”

“Look at you catching on, I’ve never been prouder.” You joked, finally taking in your surroundings. “Where the hell are we?” You inspected the room, getting up from the bed.

“Welcome to Camp Half-Blood.”

“That’s a stupid ass name.”

“It kinda is.”

“Guys,” Grover stares at the sibling duo, “Not the right focus.”

“Totally.”

“My bad,”

“Y/N, I think you should change into something a little less…dirty.” Grover insists, gesturing to your dirty outfit.

“Good call,” you click your tongue, “Where’s the shower? I’m due for a nice hot steamy shower,”

Grover looked at you with a hesitant smile.

“Oh, please don’t tell me this is an actual outdoor camp where I shower in a communal?!”

Grover had left a while ago, you and Percy wandered around the medic ward, searching for an adult who seemed to own this place.

“Excuse me, sir, I’m Percy Jackson-Matthews.”

“And I’m Y/N Jackson-Matthews, we’re new here,”

“Peter Johnson and Y/N Morgan are here.” He shouts to no one.

“Okay,” Percy shuffled on his feet, looking clueless, “That isn’t really our names.”

“Not even remotely close.” you shake your head at the man before you, “Do you know where the office is? Or who’s in charge of this…dump?” You peer at the stacked old dusty wooden box against the wall, instinctively jumping away when a spider appears. Percy scoffs at your sudden clinginess, wondering what scared you but he flinches away, noticing the large spider on the box too.

The man slides his shades down, getting a much better look at the two siblings.

“For your information, missy, this camp isn’t a dump.”

“Then what is it? I doubt it’s a heaven.”

“You’re right, it’s a hellhole, my personal hell, and you just happened to spawn here without warning.”

Grover’s hurried tone appears throughout the room as he runs inside, standing in between the two Jackson siblings.

“Percy and Y/N, this is Mr. D. He’s the camp director.” He introduced you two.

“Mr. D. This is Percy and Y/N Jackson-Matthews.”

“Yeah, Grover,” he throws his sunglasses on the table, “I heard them the first time.”

You tilted your head at the man, “But did you?”

Grover pulled you and Percy aside in a small corner of the room.

“You don’t really wanna start with this guy,” Grover warns.

“Don’t wanna start with him but he’s starting with us,” You retitalted.

“Y/N, the D is for Dionysus, that’s Dionysus,” He recorrects himself.

“What do you mean Dionysus?” You inquired, “That’s an ancient ass name, who names their kid Dionysus?”

“Like the god Dionysus?” Percy persisted.

“No way!”

“Yes, way!”

“There’s no fucking way!”

“You’re not supposed to be cursing,” Percy gasps.

“Oh, and what are you gonna do? Bite me, blondie boy,” You snarled at your brother.

“Do you wanna go? Do you wanna go right now because we can go right now.”

“Shut up you doofus,”

“Make me, loser,” Percy stuck his tongue out at you.

“Guys let’s not…do that right here. Can you both please be civilized people, at least for a couple of minutes?”

“I can, I have more self-control than Percy,”

“Apparently my sister is a good liar,”

The three of you turned back to him, walking forward to his table.

“Excuse me, your highness.” Percy starts. You close your eyes, whispering an incoherent prayer as you shake your head in embarrassment. Dionysus grumbles in disapproval and you roll your eyes, slapping Percy in the back of his head, lunging his head forward a little bit.

“Ow, Y/N, what was that for?” He held his head, spinning to you in shock.

“Why are you calling him your highness? He’s not a god or royalty.”

“Yes, he is. Grover just told us.”

“No you imbecile, he told us Dionysus was a god, not a powerful god or not one or the gods.”

“He doesn’t have to be important, he’s still a god.”

“Very obviously not an important god if he works at this dump of a camp, this is probably some punishment for him,”

“Anyways,” he focuses his attention back onto Dionysus, “I think my dad may be around here somewhere, and I don’t know how to ask for him…we don’t even know his name, but I think we should see him,” he says, glancing at you, “I think we really need that right now. Can you help us?” he blinks at Dionysus.

“Yeah, he owes us that much,” You snort, crossing your arms, “Years of abandonment and he doesn’t have the decency to show up.”

After Percy’s sentimental confession, Dionysus sits upright, resting his coke can on the table, and begins to speak. “Actually I think I can….son.” he concludes, keeping a neutral face as he looks at you, “and my beloved daughter.”

“Dad…” Percy initiates, stunned at the revelation.

“Hold up, what?”

“Yes, Peter.”

“It’s Percy.”

“Exactly.”

“You idiot, he’s not our dad.”

“He so could be.

“How? Tell me how Percy?”

“No, no, no.” Chiron explains, “Mr. D is not your father, either of you.”

“Told you, dummy.” You grit your teeth at your brother.

“I could be.” he reaffirms with a nod.

“Yes, but are you?”

“Why must you ruin everything?”

After a brief discussion with Chiron and Mr. D about this camp’s history, they allowed you two to get acquainted with the campers.

A camp counselor, who kindly introduced himself as Luke Castellan showed you where you’d be staying and then began the tour. Luke was accompanied by one of his many half-siblings, Chris Rodriguez who shared the same kindness to the Jackson siblings.

All of a sudden, a girl bumps into Percy and exclaims in protest causing the random girl to turn her head, now facing you.

Sparing one glance at the boy, and pushing against his chest, easily shoving him to the ground. Percy lands on the ground with a grunt, as the girl sizes you up, standing beside Chris.

“Give him a break, Clarisse, it’s his first day,” Luke tells the curly-haired girl.

She briefly looked at Percy and then shifted her gaze onto you.

“Yeah, I bet…” she jeers, cockiness and sarcasm in her tone. “So these are the two newbies, huh?”

Her dark brown eyes flicker from you to Percy, a malicious intent as she smirks.

Your face remained stoic, currently incapable of displaying any emotion of gratitude to the girl. This was not the time to approach a bully, much less a self-appointed popular girl at this camp.

You were tired, your body was exhausted and your stomach grumbled in irritation or hunger, possibly even both. This random girl bullying your brother wasn’t what you had in store for today, out of all days, why couldn’t today be peaceful?

You shove her back, using much force to have her stumble back, “What’s your problem?”

Clarisse looks at you in bewilderment and scoffs, “Excuse me?”

“Did I stutter? You bothered my brother first so it’s only fair! Do you feel entitled to bully my brother?”

The curly-haired girl glares at you, stepping up closer, “If I were you, I’d watch my tone when talking to me.”

You step closer to her, “My tone’s staying the same, you got a problem with it, use all that pent-up anger for something good and prove me wrong but if you’re all talk, pipe the fuck down and stay out of my way.”

She nods her head, feigning to be understanding, and distances herself a few inches away. Considering her impressed by your assertive tone she changed the subject almost immediately.

“Wait, so you’re the siblings who killed the Minotaur, right?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Hmmm…I don’t believe it.”

“We’re not asking you to nor do we really care if you believe us, it already happened, we have the proof as well.”

Clarisse partially smiles, eyes trailing down your figure, checking you out as she clicks her tongue, “I like you, you’re quite bitchy, just my type.”

“I’m surprised you’re capable of having a crush on someone,”

“Me too,” she confidently admits, “But I guess someone might change that.”

“Keep on dreaming La Rue.” You scoffed at her flirty remarks.

“You never know, pretty girl.” the nickname rolls off her tongue smoothly.

You hate to admit how sultry her voice was, hanging off that nickname made you flustered. And with that, Clarisse and her posse of half-siblings left as Percy got up from the forest ground.

“Wow, no one’s really stood up to Clarisse like that before,” Luke admits, blowing out a breath of surprise.

“I’m taking it that she’s this camp’s bully.”

“She’s not gonna let you live this down,” Chris informs you, observing how your eyes still follow Clarisse’s figure.

“Yeah, I know,” you glance at Clarisse walking off in the distance and drift your attention to your younger brother, “But no one bullies my brother, that’s my job.” you ruffle with Percy’s blonde hair as he rolls his eyes at you.

“Haha, very funny…” Percy sarcastically replies, swatting your head away from his head.

“You’re right, I am the funnier sibling.”

“Says who?”

“Says you. You just said it!”

Luke chuckles at your sibling banter, “C’mon guys, let’s finish the tour.”

“When’s lunch, I’m starving,”

Chris laughed at your question.

“What’s so funny about that? I was serious.” You deadpanned, glaring at him. “I never joke about food, keep that in mind.”

His laughs came to a halt at your seriousness as he cleared his throat, dismissing the slight embarrassment he felt.

The following day was Capture the Flag, a day everyone seemed to love, especially Ares’ kids. For some reason, an exciting feeling ran through your veins as you prepared in the mandatory armor.

Separated you and Percy away from your other teammates, supposedly having a major plan involving the two forbidden kids. Assuming, she was one of Athena’s kids, known for her intelligence and her name was Annabeth Chase. Throughout the trail of the walk, Annabeth was quiet, continually peering at the Jackson siblings and later she abandoned the two of you.

Sitting on a big rock on top of a hill, the armory discarded across the dirty ground as you talked with Percy. Capture The Flag was long forgotten in your minds as you both quit mid-game.

“I can’t believe everything that happened in the last few days. This was all so crazy.”

“Should we talk about it?” Percy was hesitant. You stared at him in question but instantly knew by the spark in his eye where this conversation was heading.

“What do you mean?”

“About our moms, Y/N.” He deeply sighs.

“Don’t, Percy…” you quickly dismiss him, closing your eyes momentarily, “I can’t talk about it, not right now.”

“I’m sorry, Y/N…” He breathes out.

“Can everyone please stop saying sorry, it doesn’t lessen the pain anymore. Saying sorry is just a go-to card expressing sympathy and sometimes not actually mean it. But not you, or Sally or Grover should feel obliged to say it, you were there, experienced it too. You deserve to mourn too, she is— was your mom too. If anything I should be asking you, how are you dealing with our parents’ losses?”

“Wait, are we talking about your mom or my mom?” His cluelessness brought a small smile to your face.

“Both, dummy.”

You pulled him into a hug, gripping onto his shirt, anything to ease the heavy burden in your heart. You wanted to feel safe and Percy wanted to be safe.

“Promise me something…” You start, the tears already forming in your eyes.

“Yeah, anything, sis,” he mumbles into your shirt.

“Promise me you won’t do any stupid shit to get you killed.”

“Y/N…”

“Promise me! I can’t afford to lose another family member, you’re my baby brother, I’m supposed to protect you from dangers, and can’t bear to lose you too as well.”

He didn’t want nor need a protector, in fact, he was sick of people trying to protect him. At this point, he was scared of people protecting him, all because they’d end up in danger. Or even worse, risk their lives and unfortunately take their last breath at Percy’s expense. All he needed right now was you. He didn’t want a protector but he needed his older sister, the last person of family in his life.

He just wanted his sister to be with him. Only his sister, not another demigod, just his older sister.

Percy noticed the urgency and desperation plastered on your face and nodded against you. “I promise.”

“Thank you,”

However, your sibling moment was short-lived when Percy glimpses at Clarisse walking up the hill, alongside two other Ares kids. You stood up, at their sudden presence, steadily shielding Percy away from them.

“The flag’s that way, it’s not here.” You gulped at the trio.

“We know...” her voice was sultry, indulging more than she should have let on.

Her intense stare lingered on you as you gulped down the slight fear….and possibly something else, leaning towards fluster.

Clarisse shifted her eyes onto Percy, nothing but malicious intent in her eyes.

“Yeah glory’s fine, but revenge is more fine,” She states and slams her spear against the ground, watching it flicker on, an electric spear, her eyes sparkled in admiration.

“What did you do, Percy?” you glared at your brother.

He stares at you in bewilderment, “What did I do? There was a toilet, and Clarisse and her sisters were preparing to shove my head into the toilet, and the next thing I knew the water exploded at them. Which also broke the nearby bathroom stalls by the way. If anything, this is all her fault.”

“What? How does this—“

Clarisse interrupted, “It’s not about what he did or how he did it. This is about whether you two can fight to save your own asses.”

Percy’s eyes widened as he turned back at Clarisse.

“It was just a harmless thing, I- I didn’t even know I could do that.” Percy was quick to defend himself.

“And a few days ago, you didn’t know you were Poseidon’s latest mystery son.” The Ares girl rebuts back, clearly dismissing his reasoning, “Some things tend to change overnight, your powers being one of them.”

“Hold up, you mean to tell me that you’re getting revenge on my brother because he humiliated you? You threatened to shove his head into a toilet, insisting that he lied about killing the minotaur and now you’re furious that he defended himself.” you stared at her in astonishment, “Oh, that’s really sad and pathetic.”

The Ares girl huffs impatiently and blatantly ignores your whole statement, precisely focusing on her insight into the situation.

“No maiming it’s like the one rule, right?” Percy stumbles to grab his armor, and hurriedly puts it on.

“Yeah, I guess I’ll lose dessert privileges for a while.” She seems as if she is reconsidering her consequences, “I’ll live.” she concludes with a neutral expression.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“You two take the punk,” Clarisse commands her two sisters, looking at Percy. Her head cranes to you with a mysterious grin as you hold strong eye contact, “The pretty girl is all mine.”

“What are you going to do?”

“You’ll see..” Clarisse darkly chuckles.

“Oh this is just great.” you shrug your shoulders, “We’re not even here for a week yet we have bullies on our asses.”

“Don’t get me confused, pretty girl, I’m not a bully. I just like to set people straight, especially the newbies, so no hard feelings right?”

“No hard feelings,” you agree, scoffing. What exactly was this girl’s thought process?

“I know you’d understand…” Sending you a half-lipped smile, “There was always something about you that I always liked.”

Right now, you have two instinctive choices, which are flight or fight. Long story short, you chose the easier way, relying on your adrenaline to save you this one time. Without much thought, you chose flight and god, you only hoped it would be your rescue.

Slowly backing away from the trio of girls stalked closer to you, shielding your brother away from the teenage girls.

“Percy,” you whisper to him, attention on the three girls unwavering in the slightest, “Get ready to run.”

“What?” He breathlessly exclaimed.

You quickly grab his arm, turn on your heel, and immediately run away in the other direction. Aiming towards the woods, the two siblings sprinted off, hoping to lose the Ares trio of trouble. In the midst of many trees and bushes, the wilderness provided you with endless possibilities but very few solutions.

“I always loved a good hide and seek,” She speaks to herself, a playful smirk resting on her face. Oh, Clarisse was loving you already, feisty and frightful, a wicked combination. A combination that Clarisse certainly loved to cherish…or demolish, depending on the other person. But you were different, you were the first to stand up to her; you were her challenge and she was determined to put you in your place.

“Stop,” she puts a handout, halting her sisters’ movements, “We’ll give them a head start, they’ll probably need it.”

At her statement, her younger sisters chuckle in agreement, urging their boastful ego. A few seconds passed, and Clarisse’s patience was running very thin.

After a while of running away from the trio of girls, you lost Percy during it and groaned in annoyance upon realization.

You became exhausted from running, and the next best thing was to hide and pray that Clarisse wouldn’t find you or just give up and leave.

Her pride and unnatural stability wouldn’t allow you to escape from her clutches so easily. Oh, who are you kidding? Clarisse was the daughter of Ares, a literal war god who possibly killed for fun. If she was anything like her father, she possibly is, then she’d be extremely persistent and dedicated to ending this childish game, and declaring her victory. She seemed entitled to her glory, the ultimate root of her reputation at this camp.

Tired and out of breath, the adrenaline is still pumping in your blood as your eyes frantically dart everywhere for a decent hiding space. Using your last amount of energy, you stumbled towards a huge green bush and stayed in a crouched position without any movement. Just a slight movement might get your cover blown and you didn’t want that.

Soon enough, she makes her presence known and your heart sped up at the sound of her voice.

“You can run but you can’t hide forever, pretty girl.” Clarisse taunted you, light on her footsteps and she surveyed her surroundings. “I’m gonna find you eventually, so don’t make this harder for yourself and just come out.”

Her chuckle was not so much terrifying as it was hot. You rolled your eyes, internally panicking as her voice grew closer.

Truth be told, you thought of a plan. Now was the plan a brilliant or well-thought-out plan, no, it certainly was not, you weren’t secretly Athena’s daughter. Guess it has to be one of those; figuring it out along the way type of plan.

Spotting the curly-haired girl, her back was turned to you and her stealthy movements made you nervous. Would it really be that easy for you? No, but you decided to deceive the possibilities and just seized the moment in its unawareness.

Without any second thoughts, adrenaline pumped through your veins as you sprinted towards her, not stopping until you tackled her, possibly knocking the breath out of her. You both landed on the ground with a hard thud, the dirt smearing onto your clothes and you staggered to get back up.

As Clarisse is still recovering from the strong hit, you took the opportunity to straddle her, taking her by surprise as you kept her trapped underneath you. Her spear landed a few feet away from both of you, making immediate eye contact, seemingly knowing the other’s movement, as you both scurried to retrieve the spear, you beat her to it.

The spear felt weird in your hand and you analyzed the supposed weapon.

“Be careful with that,” Clarisse demands with a sharp tone.

“Relax, I’m not gonna break it or anything,” You reassured her. Catching her by surprise, you aimed the spear at her neck, pressing the cold metal there.

“Leave me and my brother alone, that’s all I ask.” you breathed heavily, inching the spear closer to her neck. The girl below you barely flinched, staring into your eyes, and lifted her neck upward, as if she was challenging you to puncture her neck.

Were Ares kids really this fearless? Never revealing their vulnerability, even when getting injured, they remained so cold and brutal to others. You understood why no other campers truly messed with Ares children, they were all so terrifying in a way. You assumed they were all psychotic, and you were beginning to believe it, maybe Clarisse’s psychotic tendencies made you attracted to her.

She had that menacing look, a dangerous fire dancing around in her eyes. Her thick eyelashes flutter at you almost innocently as her eyes pierce at yours.

“Is that all you got, pretty girl?” she whispers hoarsely, gazing into your eyes, “It’s gonna take more than that to convince me.”

You lean closer to her face, merely inches from your lips touching, discarding her spear away, hearing the metal clink against the forest floor. Clarisse felt flustered, her eyes widened as the unfamiliar butterflies swarmed around immensely in her stomach.

She began to internally panic at the new position and you were aware, reveling in some joy. For a girl who was convinced of being ruthless and cold by others, your presence made her timid, and vulnerable….an unusual feeling for her. Of course, Clarisse was overwhelmed with her emotions, something she was taught to control by her father, and she stared at you, dark-chocolate eyes twinkled, not filled with malicious intent, but rather an observant curiosity.

It came as a surprise to Clarisse, being left speechless, unable to make a snarky remark on the spot. Usually, she was the one with the last word, yet, her thoughts were all hazy by the image of you, everything regarding you. It was all about you, you, you. As always, Clarisse’s mind was consumed by other priorities such as finding ways to impress her father or practicing her fighting skills to remain the most victorious Ares kid at this camp. For once, Clarisse wasn’t upset by this revelation but more confused…or was it frustration?! Clarisse was clueless and it scared her, unaware of how to handle this situation but with your lingering gaze and gentle touches, you made it impossible for her.

‘So much for her being a bully, a bully my ass,’ you thought. You found her reaction to this entire interaction quite entertaining, inclined to provoke her even further.

You made Clarisse La Rue blush. You made her nervous. You made her feel vulnerable, and you loved every ounce of it, you practically relished the exciting feeling.

Still, you decided to tease her further, just to see how much she’d allow herself to take.

“Would a kiss suffice?” you meekly ask, refusing to come onto her too strong. Yes, you had the upper hand but you still had morals and respect, it’s common decency.

By now her eyes were as wide as saucers and her eyebrows furrowed in shock.

“W-what?”

“You heard me, La Rue,” you chuckled, settling some distance between you two. The ares girl hated how she missed your proximity, your scent enticed her in ways beyond her imagination.

“Unless you never had a first kiss.” you feign clueless. “Oh my god, that’s so hilarious.” you laugh, wiping a single tear from your eye. Her fingers linger around your upper thighs, barely moving, too scared to overstep any boundaries you might have personally established.

“Shut up,” she seethes, gripping the clothed flesh around your thighs tightly. ignoring the fuzzy feeling when your fingers linger against her bare skin.

“Oh yeah, Ms. Confidence, why don’t you prove it then?” you challenged her, closing the gap between your faces. Just like that, the heat rushes back to Clarisse’s face, leaving her a stammering fool for you to witness and tease again.

A small whimper left her mouth, and although she tried to play it off, it was too late as you already heard it. Why couldn’t she control herself around you? What made you so special was that her heart was fluttering like never before?

“Don’t tell me that you’re getting shy all of a sudden,” You tease her, a smirk adorning your lips.

All of a sudden she quickly regained her senses, shoving you to the ground as you scramble to make it back on your feet, and your confidence shimmers down immensely.

“What’s the matter, pretty girl?” she stalks closer to you as a predator does to its prey. The Ares girl chuckles, watching you back away.

You stumbled backward until your back hit against a rough surface, one of the many trees surrounding the camp.

“I’m not going to lie to you but seeing you stumble away makes me want to just pounce on you.”

Keeping your eyes locked onto Clarisse’s, you noticed that her eyes were shifty and she was agile with her movements, keeping up with your pace. Soon enough, she stormed up closer and you flinched, turning your head sideways, avoiding it.

Missing the way, her face drops at the sight of you scared of her.

“I’m not gonna hurt you, pretty girl.” she gently reassures, performing the triangle trick on you, “Wouldn’t want to scar you in any way, you’re too gorgeous for that.”

You seemed to miss the action of her eyes lingering on your face, especially your lips.

“Then, what do you want?” You questioned her. Clarisse was being weird, one minute she was dedicated to kicking your ass, courtesy of your brother, and the next minute, she was being flirty with you.

To be honest, you were loving the attention, partially skeptical of the recipient but regardless, her flirty remarks made you swoon. You stared at the girl, waiting for an answer but her face remained neutral, restricting any hint to give you.

Her face hardened, still a glimpse of sincerity, tone indicating boldness. Clarisse wanted you to break first, “I want you.” the small smile crept upon her lips as she analyzed your body language.

Suddenly butterflies in your stomach appear as you flutter your eyelashes at her. Your balance stumbles and your body is heated up as your shocked gaze meets her fierce gaze. You gulped, avoiding her stare as you awkwardly rocked onto your feet.

Were you dreaming? You certainly have to be dreaming.

There was no way Clarisse wanted you, figuratively or literally, simply refusing to believe that possibility. Why would she? You just met her, and she’s attracted to you already? There was something wrong, and you were determined to figure it out before it was too late, ending up with you hurt in the process.

“From the moment we met, I felt something for you, and I just didn’t know what it was. That was until Silena, Aphrodite’s daughter told me…”

This piqued your curiosity even further, “What’d Silena tell you?”

“I don’t know, I refused to accept it.”

“What do you—“ you were simultaneously confused and flustered, sufficing that you were so dangerously indecisive for your following words, “Well, you can’t have me.”

“Hmmm…..” she peers, closing the gap, your noses were now touching as you felt the warmth overtake your cheeks. You swore you saw her lips curl up into a knowing smirk as it disappeared just as it appeared. “And why’s that?” she inquired with an eyebrow raised, the jealousy bubbling beneath her veins, “You have a little boyfriend back home? Sorry to break it to you, doll, but you’re not returning back to the real world, not unless you were chosen for a quest.”

“Whatever.” you scoff, lightly shoving her and she cautiously stepped a few feet back. “My love life isn’t any of your business. You don’t see me asking you about your love life, now do you?”

She cockily smirks, tilting her head which makes your knees weak, “I wouldn’t mind it.”

All she heard was a wicked laugh erupt from you.

By your reaction, Clarisse’s frustration and annoyance replaced her confidence. “What’s so fucking funny?” Her eyebrows bunch up together in irritation, squinting her eyes at her.

“You…” your laugh dies down, “When I arrived at this camp, I didn’t expect the big bad bully to be this flustered over me.”

“Get over yourself, water girl.” she groans, crossing her arms as she shakes her head in disbelief. “I don’t get flustered by anyone, especially over some random girl who just arrived at this camp in the span of two days.”

You clicked your tongue, totally unconvinced by her, “Whatever helps you sleep at night, La Rue.” If she was gonna lie to you, it wasn’t your problem anyway. She wasn’t your responsibility, she wasn’t your girlfriend…not yet anyway.

“A good sparring session helps me.”

She managed to inform you of that.

“Oh, I can tell,”

She rolls her eyes, “So do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Don’t act dumb right now, Matthews.” The curly-haired girl snapped, a scowl resting upon her lips.

“I’m not acting dumb, you didn’t give me enough context for me to understand.”

“Do you actually have a boyfriend back home?”

“Why are you so curious? I thought you don’t get flustered by anyone, especially me. What’s with the sudden switch up?”

“Okay,” she ignored you, “How about a girlfriend?”

“Still not any of your business,” you retorted back. Clarisse scoffed, folding her arms and glaring at you. Figuring out she was getting madder at the minute and it only urged you to further push her to the edge.

“Would you stop being such a smartass, and just answer the question?”

“Enough about me, let’s talk about you.”

Clarisse became shell-shocked, “What!” she stared at you in disbelief, “This isn’t about me, this is about you. I wanna talk about you.”

“So you admit you care for me?” You grin slowly at her.

“Those words never left my lips.” The Ares girl was quick to defend herself, “Y’know what just forget it, it’s obvious you’re single.”

She began to saunter off, annoyed by your tactics, and proceeded with the camp game. You were quick to follow behind, still wanting to converse with the hot-tempered girl.

“C’mon ask me again, I promise I’ll be completely honest.”

A faint smile tugs at Clarisse’s lips and she stops any further movement, turning around to face you once again.

“Now let’s start our conversation again.”

“Are you or are you not in a relationship?”

You shake your head at her question, this time being honest like you promised.

“I prefer words over gestures, pretty girl.”

“No,” you grumble, folding your arms, “I'm not dating anyone.”

“That’s more like it.”

“Then I guess you wouldn’t mind if—“

She grabbed the front of your shirt, balling it into her fist, any ounce of hesitancy soon hindering. With a swift tug, she crashed her lips onto yours, kissing you with the utmost passion you have ever experienced.

Too stunned to react, you reciprocated the kiss as your eyes fluttered closed, melting into it. The kiss became more ferocious as her hands moved downwards, pulling you by the waist closer.

Clarisse might be a cold, ruthless girl but her lips, and her kisses tell a different story. How could someone be so cold but her lips be so soft and alluring?

Your hands caress her face, gently rubbing on her smooth skin and her hands wrap around your waist as the kiss deepens. As her hands linger on your jeans, trailing slowly directly onto your hips, and settles her hands there, gently squeezing it.

“Is this okay?” She whispers breathlessly against your lips, disconnecting the kiss. Her eyes were hooded and her lips were already swollen as she stared at you.

“It’s fine…” You nod and she rushes the kiss again.

Squeezing the clothed-covered piece of flesh frequently, Clarisse’s calloused hands enjoyed the fabric as you inhaled and shuffled during the kiss. You both breathed in slowly, not slowing down the kiss but keeping it consistent.

Soon enough, the kiss started to become more intimate, hands wandering across the other with light touches grazing over the exposed skin. It was too much to handle, too hot to handle for either of you, but that was a stupid thought disappearing at the back of your mind as the makeout intensified, too engrossed with the warmth provided. Your lips pressed firmly against her lips, molding perfectly together, but the intense passion didn’t stop the makeout, it was the lack of air that was desperately needed.

Clarisse bites down on your lower lip, hard enough to draw blood, causing a small whimper to escape your mouth. The Ares girl grinned at the reaction, kneading her lips with yours, pressing harsher to produce more blood.

Pulling away from the kiss, “Promise me that you won’t bully my brother anymore.”

For a moment, it looked like Clarisse was desperate to feel your lips again, that hunger and pleading look in her eyes. It made your heart swoon and almost gave in to her needs, but you knew better. You weren’t gonna make it easy for her, she’d have to earn it.

“Yeah whatever,” Clarisse easily agrees, shocking you to the core. For a girl who was defined as fiercely stubborn, her compliance caught you off guard.

“You’d actually listen to me.”

“Yeah, as long as you promise to keep on kissing me.” she indulged.

“That can be arranged.” You grinned at her, pulling her in for another kiss but halted and Clarisse released an exasperated sigh, “Oh and you need to apologize to my brother.”

“Do I have to?” She whines, throwing her head back slightly.

“Yeah, you do.”

“I’m doing this only for you! I want you to know that!”

“That’s fine by me.”

“Anything you want to do to me is more than fine.”

Certainly, that bold statement slipped out of Clarisse’s mind.

No, it didn’t, Clarisse was intentional with that.

By the time you two arrived back at camp, everyone was preparing for dinner, conversing with their friends, and walking around. Making your way to your shared cabin 3 with Percy, you saw him unpacking his clothes out of the small duffel bag.

Despite your greatest efforts to make this abandoned cabin feel a little more like home, it didn’t meet the expectations. At least the cabin was a lot more tidy than before, you’ll give yourself that.

“Y/N.” Percy smiles at you but it quickly vanishes when he catches Clarisse’s gaze.

“Clarisse..” He visibly gulped, “W-what are you doing here?” The fear in his face was visible, and glimpsing at Clarisse’s cocky smirk tugging at her lips, you rolled your eyes. Even though things were going to be on good terms between the two, Clarisse craved the fear Percy held for her. You could tell just from her facial expressions.

“You didn’t hurt my sister in any way, did you?”

“Yeah, I did and now I’m here to beat your ass too.” she snaps, irritated by the blonde, “What do you think, fish boy?”

“Clarisse.” you stared pointedly at her, disliking her tone when talking to your brother.

“Sorry,” she rolls her eyes, looking at Percy who seemed uneasy by just her presence.

“I came to apologize for attacking you, it wasn’t cool or any of that shit. Your very ridiculously gorgeous ass sister made me realize that it was all stupid. I guess I was worried that you were gonna…I dunno, like steal all my glory. Or it’s maybe because I just don’t like you, yeah that’s probably it.”

“Well thanks for apologizing, I guess, and besides you can keep all the glory, I don’t want it anyway.” Percy says and scrunches his face in disbelief or disgust, it was distinctive to tell, “Also please don’t call my sister gorgeous near me, I think I feel my lunch coming back up.”

“Oh, you’ll live.” You scoff.

“No promises.”

“Worth a shot,” Percy shrugs.

Clarisse chuckles at him with a small grin, her cold demeanor long gone, “Good.”

“So, are we friends now?”

“Acquaintances for now.” Quick to correct him with a crossing of her arms. “We just met and I don’t know you like that.”

“But aren’t you friends with my sister?”

“That’s different!”

“How exactly is that different?”

“Because she’s gorgeous— whatever fish boy, I don’t have to explain myself to you!”

Technically, it was the thought that counts so a critical statement wasn’t necessary, but Percy accepted it.

The silence was deafening as the two stared at each other and then back at you. Clarisse spun on her heel, leaving the cabin, halting her movements at you.

“I’ll be right outside,” she whispers to you, squeezing your arm as she passes by. You smiled in response, hearing her footsteps gradually decreasing, indicating her leave.

A few minutes had gone and Percy was quick to ask questions, no hesitancy in his tone. “Hey, sis, what did you do to get Clarisse to forgive me?”

Percy was curious, as he was about many things.

“That’s a secret I’ll never tell,” you winked at him, patting his back, and began to saunter off, “I’ll see you at dinner.”

The blonde boy watches you scurrying off with Clarisse trailing behind you like a lost puppy. It took your brother a while to figure out, and when he did, an appalled look came over his face.

“No flipping way,” Percy murmurs to himself.

His loving older sister was dating (or at least he thought) the main bully of this camp. As long as you were happy, Percy was happy for you, even if you were talking to the meanest girl in camp. He just hoped that Clarisse would be less lenient towards him, at least on your behalf, he presumed. Hopefully, he and Clarisse warm up to each other and they never know what the future may behold, perhaps might be future in-laws so it’s best to bond early rather than later.

likes, comments, and reblogs are highly appreciated!

#dior goodjohn #dior goodjohn x reader #clarisse la rue #clarisse la rue x reader #clarisse la rue x fem!reader #clarisse la rue x black!reader #clarisse la rue x black!fem!reader #clarisse la rue x y/n #clarisse la rue x you #clarisse la rue fluff #clarisse la rue imagines #clarisse la rue oneshot #daughter of poseidon

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wandas-lunchbox · 10 months ago

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so sick of you (chapter 3)

series summary: you and natasha have ended your relationship due to her cheating on you. it's been 5 years now. what happens when you bump into her at a bar on your birthday?

warnings: some swearing, but otherwise none

a/n: omg guys i’m acc so sorry this took 2 whole years to write. we’re gonna pretend that never happened…. you may end up having to wait another 5 years for the next chapter

finally i was on the plane. it felt like it took forever. it was an overnight flight which was good because i could finally get some sleep. wanda like the rich ass she is got us business class so we were pretty comfortable throughout the plane journey.

a couple hours had past and we were still mid air, wanda and i were sat next to eachother and in the chair next to me was a fairly pretty woman. ok i lied she was gorgeous. her hair was brunette with waves, she wore these black rimmed glasses and her lips looked so beautiful. i dont know why i noticed her lips but i guess i just did.

oh well.

i decided to get up and strech my legs for a bit, i felt some cramps in my legs so i needed to walk. wanda was snoring next to me while when harry met sally was playing in the background. i took a photo of her for evidence later. i walk up and head to the bathroom. it was occupied.

i stood there for a good whole 5 minutes till i heard faint moans coming from the bathroom. what the fuck. why are people having sex in an airplane bathroom, thats the most disgusting thing ever. they needed to hurry up bc a girls got to piss.

the beautiful brunette girl walks up to me, or well i guess to the bathroom. i admire her face.

“are people seriously having sex in an airplane bathroom”

i laugh and continue to look at her.

“honestly, like i understand doing it in your seat but the bathroom? seriously? thats the dirtiest place on the whole plane,” i said

“she laughs, are you headed to italy or is it a stop before another flight?” she asks

“yeah i’m going to italy, a friend actually planned this as a birthday trip, what about you?”

“oh, i live in italy, sorry let me rephrase i am italian and i used to live there, just visiting some family” she says

“oh nice, you’ll have to tell me some of the great places to go”

“of course!” she smiles at me

suddenly the bathroom door opens and a lady and a man walk out. both of them fixing their hair snd their clothes.

“after you,” the brunette says

“wait, i never ended up getting your name”

“we still have a whole 2 hours left of this flight, don’t worry you’ll figure it out” she laughs

i lock the door and began to do my buiness. i look at myself and i think i’ve seen death. my hair was a mess, and eye bags darker than ever.

i fixed it as a quick as possible before returning to my seat.

i smile at the girl before she goes in. when i sit at my seat i slap wanda a couple times trying to tell her what happened just now. she just slaps me back harder and starts snoring.

this girl could cause an avalanche with her snoring.

suddenly the girl returns to her seat and we continue to converse as if nothing had stopped us before.

we spoke as if we had known eachother forever. maybe we did?

the flight started to come to an end but our conversation definitely didn’t.

“you got a number or something?”

“yeah here let me type it for you.

i type in my number and write “your plain gf ;)” misspelling plane.

she laughs and points it out. “guess you’re a basic girlfriend then”

i look at her confused, only for her to show me i misspelled plane. i laugh and blush akwardly.

when the plane lands it takes forever for me to wake up wanda. this bitch just wouldn’t wake up.

after what felt like 3 trillion years, i get her up and we start to get ready to leave the plane.

we were in italy…

a/n: omg finally chapter 3 is out

lmk if you want to be added to the taglist making a new one

new year new me 😜

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connabeth · 11 months ago

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The first two episodes were wonderful and I really enjoyed the imagery and cinematography along with how every actor embodied the character but here are things I will complain about because I can:

1. I don’t want to see R*ck in it, why did they have to show his face…

2. Sally Jackson still just seems like a Random White Woman™️ to me. The acting was good but something just isn’t clicking for me. Also…the way she was a hardass on grover…i did not like it.

3. WHY WAS THERE BARELY ANY ANNABETH?? my girl is the star of the show!!! she’s supposed to be the one to show percy around camp and have that funny banter where he asks her questions and she answers all of them without answering at all, leaving him more confused than he was before. that was the best part of the intro chapters imo. WHY DID CH*RON TAKE HER PLACE???

3a. the full shot of a little percy standing next to chiron’s absolute wagon while walking into the hermes cabin still absolutely sends me 😭😭. it ALMOST makes up for a lack of annabeth

4. why was annabeth just hovering there in the infirmary and not nursing him like she did in the book😭 they rly made her stalk him instead of just being the person who introduced him to everything. in the book, he was already taking mythology lessons with annabeth by the time the quest came around. she didn’t feel quite as integrated into the narrative as she should’ve been. i did love how blunt she was though. she’s many things, but apparently a liar isn’t one of them.

5. clarisse didn’t call him prissy

6. why was smelly gabe so…sanitized. he’s a loser who doesn’t treat them well but his depiction also doesn’t live up to the abusive pos he really is. the interactions with him didn’t have the same gravity as they did in the books, they just seemed too lighthearted…he also should’ve looked greasier. i know abuse comes in many forms and doesn’t always reveal itself right away but he was a lot more of a pushover than i would expect him to be if sally stood up for herself

7. the plot about the hellhound that sets up luke as the traitor…simply vanishing. annabeth shoving percy’s ass into the water to figure out he can heal was funny though. would’ve been cooler if it healed a giant hellhound claw mark rather than a nick

8. percy doing some half-assed flossing on a rock alone while waiting to be maimed during capture the flag, not knowing who his dad is or if he’ll ever get his mom back is so fucking funny in the most miserably way but also…why is he a fortnite kid, this is supposed to be 2006 😭. the implication that annabeth is standing there silently watching him almost makes up for it. i can’t imagine what was going through her mind…like girl that’s your future husband good luck

#percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo tv show #pjo #percabeth #pjo series #annabeth chase #ash.txt

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dreamsnails · 1 year ago

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begging and pleading and smashing my fists on the table for sal x f!reader x larry where’s its just Buds Hanging Out but there’s definitely sexual tension and oh wow suddenly we r kissing and larry johnson and his tongue piercing r eating pussy and sal is figuring out how to touch boobs

I am very well aware that it has been almost a year since I received this ask and I am so so sorry. However, here is the content I hope you've been looking for <3

#sally face x reader #larry johnson x reader #sally face fanfiction #sal fisher #larry johnson #sally face smut #sal fisher x larry johnson x reader #ask blog #sally face fandom #smut

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experimentfae · 2 years ago

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Ok so since by popular demand I’m gonna give writing a welcome home fanfic a try.

Wally Darling x GN! Reader (One shot 1/3)

(Artwork by: PartyCoffin)

You have just moved into the neighborhood place called welcome home you had moved just today, you where unpacking some things until you heard a knock on you’re door. “Hello?” You questioned “hello I wanted to welcome you neighbor.” Someone Responded.

You smiled “of course.” You open the door to see another puppet with curly blue hair, yellow skin and a colorful outfit. “Hello I’m Wally darling who are you new neighbor?” He asked you blushed a little you couldn’t help but find him a little cute “I’m (y/n) (l/n).” He smiled wider at that “that’s the most name.” You smiled at the compliment “I guess you you name is the most as well Wally.” You chuckled.

He smiled “thank you neighbor.” Do you want help unpacking I sure everyone would love to help as well.” It did sound nice and to be honest, you would love the help “that would be great thank you.” He nodded “I’ll get the other don’t worry neighbor this place would be done in a snap.” He walked out to get the others you just hoped you made a good impression on you’re new neighbors.

One by one they all came in well except for poppy for what you been told she would loved to help but, she was to tall but you would love to meet her eventually. You have meet all the others though Julie the extrovert optimist, frank introvert and some cases not always positive but despite that him and Julie are friends. Eddie the kind but clueless mailman you found out that he was dating frank which you found them to be adorable together.

Howdy the kind Caterpillar who own a bodega which is good to know, and the last in sally is a star that fell down from the sky to welcome home she was responsible for entertainment around the neighborhood, she owns a little theater.

After they helped to put everything away “wow (y/n) you decor choices are lovely.” Praised Julie everyone else seem to agree “oh thank you guys, I really do appreciate you all helping no worry I’ll find a way to repay you guys.” You assured “there’s no need (y/n) we just love to h-

“Actually that w- frank interrupted Wally until Eddie elbows his arm to make him stop “no it’s fine we love helping new neighbors.” Eddie assured “well thank you all.” They all left except Wally “here since I heard that you would be coming I made you this he gave you a apple “they always me me happy so I assume they would make you happy as well.”

“Thank you, It’s sweet of you Wally.” You smiled he smiled he walked towards “see you around neighbor.” He gave you a wink and walked out the door, you felt you face heat up again one thing you knew was that you might have a little crush on Wally.

Next Chapter:(2)

<- Back to MasterList or back to welcome home

#welcome home #welcome home arg #welcome home wally #wally darling #wally darling x reader #oneshot #welcome home puppet show #welcome home x reader #welcome home fandom #welcome home fanfic

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novelsbynia · 10 days ago

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GEMINI:

————————

CHAPTER FOUR: Mindy’s intervention

Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Dr. Asher Newman

——————————————————————————

October 28th

"Okay nerds listen up." Mindy called for the attention of her friends. They were currently sitting on the wooden benches at the student park at Blackmoore. Scarlett sat down between her sister, Tara and Ethan. "As terrifying as this all is, I'm actually glad I get a chance to redeem myself for not calling the killers last time..." Mindy trailed off as she adjusted her white crop and sienna jacket. "It's fine. Okay the way I see it, someone is out to make a sequel to the requel."

"Uhm, what's a requel?" Anika raised her hand. "You're beautiful, sweetie. Let's hold questions till the end." Mindy instructed her girlfriend. Anika shot her a smile and a nod. "Stab 1 took place in Woodsboro. Stab 2 took place in college." Sam added. "So we think that the killer is trying to copy the movies?" Scar asked. "That is one possibility. Hero's now in college: Check. Suspicious new characters brought in..." Mindy gestured over to Ethan. "Hmm?" He hummed confused.

"... to round out the suspect list and/or body count: Check, check and check." Mindy pointed at Quinn, Anika, and Ethan. "I don't like this." Ethan shook his head. "But it can't just be about Stab 2." Mindy continued. "Why not?" Tara asked. "It would makes sense if this were just a sequel. But we're not in a sequel, because nobody just makes sequels anymore. We're in a franchise! And there are certain rules to a continuing franchise."

"I had a feeling." Sam muttered. "Rule one: Everything is bigger than last time. Bigger budget, bigger cast, bigger body count. Longer chases, shoot-outs, beheadings you got to top what came before to keep people coming back." Mindy explained.

"Beheadings?" Chad looked up from the notes he was taking. "Beheadings. Rule two: Whatever happened last time, expect the opposite. Franchises only survive by subverting expectations. If the killers last time were winy snowflake film nerds with Letterboxd accounts instead of personalities-"

Scarlett looked over at Ethan with a smirk who's eyes widen and looked down at his lap."-you can bet the opposite will be true here. And rule three: No one is safe. Legacy characters? Cannon fodder at this point. Usually brought back only to be killed off in some cheap bid for nostalgia. It's not looking too good for Gale and Kirby. Oh and that's not even the worst part!" Mindy shook her head.

"This is the part where she tells us the worst part." Chad added. "The worst part is franchises are just continuing episodic installments design to boost an IP. Which means main characters are completely expendable now, too. Laurie Strode, Nancy Thompson, Ellen Ripley, Sally Hardest, Jigsaw, Tony Stark, James Bond, I mean even Luke Skywalker all died so their franchises could live on. That means it's not just the friend group. Any of us could go at any time, especially Sam, Scarlett, and Tara."

The three sisters glanced at each other. Great they were on the chopping block more then they already were at this point. "Great" Scar dragged on. "Thats just great." she slowly nodded. "Wait, any of us?" Ethan spoke up. "Yeah." Mindy said. "Am I in the friend group?" Ethan looked around at his friends with a confused look on their faces. How could he not think he was in the friend group? The group thought.

"Yeah." Mindy spoke. "Am I like, one of the targets?" Ethan asked again with more worry in his voice. "Mm-hmm." Mindy nodded. "Am I gonna die a virgin?" The group looked at him, each with a different expression on their faces. Scarlett however just looked confused. Ethan hasn't been a virgin for the past three months. She looked at him and tilted her head. "Wha-" she started to whisper but then just gave up and shook her head.

"Weird overshare, but it brings us to our current suspects: Ethan. The shy, dorky guy who no one suspects because he's so shy and dorky." Mindy gestured over towards Ethan. "What?" This time Scarlett's voice was audible. "Okay wait. Why am I on the suspect list? Because I'm randomly Chad's roommate?" Ethan gestured over towards Chad. "Roommate lotteries can be juked. You could have fixed it to get next to us." Mindy snapped then turned her attention over to Quinn.

"Quinn. The slutty roommate. A horror movie classic." Mindy pursed her lips in a fake kiss motion. "Sex positive. But thank you?" Quinn voiced confused at Mindy's backhand complement. "Mm-hmm. Um, how did you come to live with Sam, Scar and Tara?" Mindy asked. "I answered their ad online." Quinn looked over at the three nodding. "Okay. Say no more. You've already implicated yourself enough."

"It was an anonymous ad, Mindy. And you know we vetted her. Plus, her dad is a cop." Scarlett added. "And that makes it even more likely that she's the killer, because having a cop dad is a great cover. Do you not remember how these movies work, Scarlett?" Mindy's voice started to get louder as her sentence went on. "Is she always like this?" Quinn asked.

"And finally... Anika-" Mindy turned towards her girlfriend who blew Mindy a kiss. "-never trust the love interest." Anika's smile faded. "Okay. So, we have our rules and we have our suspects." Sam started. "But wait What about you guys?" Ethan spoke up. "I mean, I think it's pretty safe to rule out the four of us who went through this last year in Woodsboro." Mindy chuckled. "Agreed." added. "Um, not agreed. What if the trauma you all went through caused one or more of you to snap?" Quinn expressed. "She's right though. I mean, face facts. If we're all suspects, you're all suspects." Anika looked at her friends. "Fine. We can be suspects too." Mindy agreed.

"Okay well I have to get to class. I'll see you guys tonight?" Chad grabbed his black book bag from the ground. "Yeah whenever you guys are finished with your classes." Sam informed him. Chad gave her a nod before he started walking off. "Oh wait for me." Anika grabbed her stuff quickly. "Well you guys have fun learning and all that I have some things I have to do." Mindy told her remaining friends. "Oh so you're not coming to class? Kind of suspicious if you ask me." Ethan trailed off.

"Oh shut it virgin I have to make an appointment I booked last week." Mindy flipped him off. "Okay okay." Ethan held his hands up in defense. "You ready to go?" Ethan nudged Scarlett's shoulder. "Go where?" She pulled away from talking with her sisters. "Class." Ethan smiled. "Oh shit, I didn't think they were doing class today." Scarlett grabbed her school bag. "Yeah they got a sub I heard." Ethan stood up from the bench. "Oh okay yeah." Scarlett turned over to her sister. "I'll see you guys later."

"Text me when you're out of class please and when you're home." Sam instructed. Scarlett nodded her head. "Do you think she's going a little overboard?" Ethan asked as they started walking to their destination. "I would, but you weren't there last year. I think she's just being cautious." Scar shrugged her shoulders. "Do you really think I'm a suspect?" Ethan looked over at her. "I think everyone is. You said it yourself."

"You're right." Ethan sighed. "Virgin?" Scarlett asked. "I don't know. It just sort of slipped. Good way to throw them off track though." Ethan smiled. "I don't think they were ever onto us." Scarlett chuckled. "We'll just in case then."

"Whatever you say babe whatever you say." Ethan looked over at her, she slipped. She never called him those pet names unless they were hooking up.

XXXX

Class was per usual with except with the new sub after Dr. Crane murder last night. Scarlett was going to miss her in all honesty. She was the only teacher here who tried her best to resonate with her students no matter how young or old they were. This new guy now Mr. Newman, granted she was sure he wasn't prepared at all to teach a class today. Honestly judging by his nervousness this might be his first time teaching in front of a class. It was kind of crazy how young he looked for being a professor with a doctorate. Then again Dr. Crane was also in the same boat. She looked ridiculously young.

After a long conversation about how old horror cliques could be linked to mental health Scarlett let out a yawn. She was exhausted after last night. She went to pick up her phone on the desk row in front of her. Dead. How did she forget to charge it after the shower. Scarlett let out a small sigh and then turned her back a bit to look at the clock oh the wall in the back of the class room. About twenty more minutes of class. She went to turn back around when she caught the attention of a curly haired boy whose eyes were already on her before making contact with her own. Scarlett gave him a smile and a wink before turning her attention to the front of the class again.

"Okay guys that's just about wraps us up for today. Thank you for baring with me today and once again, I'm sorry for your loss." Dr. Newman told the class as his conclusion of discussion finishes up. Scarlett started to grab her stuff while trying not to get in the way of any passerby's trying to get out of the row. "Ms. Carpenter, Can I see you for a second." Dr Newman's words caught her attention as Scarlett was starting to leave her row. She walked down the black tiled steps to the front of the classroom. "What can I do for you Dr. Newman?"

"I just wanted to check in with you. I heard you and Dr. Crane were close and you were starting the steps to be her TA." Dr. Newman asked as he leaned against the dark wooded desk. "Oh yeah I was trying to at least. Also thank you, she was my favorite teacher." Scarlett shot him a small smile. "She was one of my favorite colleges. I was going to ask if you would like me to continue the steps with you?" Dr. Newman offered. "Oh yeah that would be great Dr. Newman thank you."

"No need to thank me. I would be thrilled to have you as a TA base off your grades and the notes Laura left." Dr. Newman lifted up the note pad on the desk Laura left behind. "You're staying?" Scarlett asked. "It's looking like it, yes."

"Oh then yeah I would definitely appreciate it. Thank you Dr. Newman." Scar thanked him as she adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. "Please call me Asher, and I won't keep any of your time. Looks like your friend is waiting for you." Scarlett turned around to see Ethan leaning against the wall near the exit with his phone in his hands. However his eyes weren't on the screen, they were on her.

"Well you have a great night." Asher smiled at her. "Yeah you too Dr. Ne-, Asher." Scar corrected herself. She turned around and made her way towards Ethan at the doorway. "Why'd you stay behind?" Scar asked. "I saw that your phone was dead and I didn't think it would be a good idea for you to walk home with no battery, in the semi dark while there is someone after you." Ethan explained."You're right. I appreciate it."

"No problem. I texted Sam too and I told her that we are on the way now and your phone died." Ethan put his phone in his blue jeans. "Ahh is this part of your plan now where you kid nap me and end me in a dark alley somewhere?" Scar teased as they started walking down the hallway towards the exit. "You caught me. Can't let you escape." Ethan reached down and grabbed her hand with his own. Scarlett didn't pull away though. They walked hand in hand for the remainder of the time till they hit the front door. Scarlett took out her keys as she unlocked the three locks on the door.

"Where is everyone?" Ethan asked as they entered. "Sam went to go grab Tara from class since you got me, I'm sure. Quinn I think said she was out on a date earlier. I don't really remember." Scar went in her room to set down her bag and plug in her phone. "I need a shower. I just need to rinse the whole day off of me. Do you maybe want to join me?" Scar asked peeping her head out of her room to see Ethan in the living room. "Isn't even a question. Let me put my shoes and stuff in your room." Ethan quickly went over and slipped over his vans in Scarlett's room. Scarlett headed over towards the bathroom and turned on the shower.

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fayes-fics · 1 year ago

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It Had To Be You: Chapter 3 - Around London Town (Sun Is In The Sky)

Masterpost PREV | NEXT

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader, Modern AU

Summary: Set 5 years after Chapter 2, serious relationships are ending. You reunite with Benedict and bond over heartbreak.

Artwork credit: @colettebronte

Warnings: discussion of sex/sexual acts, swearing.

Word count: 3.1k

Authors Note: Unbetaed. A multi-chapter modern rom-com retelling of When Harry Met Sally. In this chapter, we are in various spots around London, hence the title. We also get to meet the Kate and Anthony of this AU. Enjoy! <3

Two years ago (5 years later)

“I saw the email,” she sighs, poking her salad. “He just spent 2000 quid on a new king-sized bed.”

“What do you mean you saw the email?” you frown, taking a bite of your fish as you stare across to St Paul’s dome, looking so beautiful lit up at dusk this late spring evening. Oxo Tower is a regular haunt for you, as it’s right around the corner from Kate’s work.

“I mean… he was working on his laptop in bed next to me and got called away, and a delivery notification from John Lewis popped up, and well, I saw it. He's bought a new bed for them,” her jaw ticks as she swallows hard. “He’s never going to leave her, is he?”

“No, Kate, he's never going to leave her,” you echo for what feels like the millionth time.

Your sympathy has limits; this woman, your very best friend, is so smart and so blindingly beautiful; you really don't understand why she has spent the last few years allowing herself to be dicked around by this what sounds like colossal asshat of a married man. She claims he's fantastic in bed and treats her like a queen, but as you've never even met him in the three years she's been seeing him, you can't form an opinion beyond the rose-tinted snippets she shares.

“I know you're right, I know,” she shakes her head a little and reaches for her G&T, downing it with remarkable alacrity. “How's Doctor Tom?” she wiggles her eyebrows comedically, obviously wanting a change of direction.

“Fine,” you offer warily, “at least, I hear he's fine.” You take a deep breath “… we broke up,” you explain as her brow knits.

“What? When? Why didn't you tell me?” she cries.

“I am telling you now. Last week. It just wasn't something I wanted to discuss on WhatsApp y'know,” you shrug, reaching for your wine and taking a fortifying large gulp. You knew you would have to tell your best friend sometime, apparently that ‘sometime’ is today.

“What happened?”

“We’ve been growing apart for a while, to be honest,” you confess, feeling like a burden is lifted just from voicing it. “It was all very grown up. We had a heart-to-heart; I said what I wanted, he said what he wanted, and we agreed it was very different, so he left.”

“My god, you make it sound so simple! And almost businesslike, mechanical. Fucking hell, are you not broken up about it at all?” she raises her perfectly shaped eyebrows, this time in surprise.

“I've had a few days, and you know, I'm alright about it. I'm over it, to be honest. It's better we did this now than after we had gone through with the marriage,” you point out, starting at your now bare ring finger with a short pang of loss. It really was a beautiful ring.

“Well, good point, divorces are expensive and a bloody nightmare, but still…. Five years y/n. That's a long time to be with someone, and you are so matter-of-fact about it!”

“Not all of us are drama queens, Kate,” you jest gently and chuckle as she pulls a face.

“So you want me to set you up? There's that guy at my work, remember?” she singsongs, her brown eyes shining with mischief. “You guys would be perfect; I just know it!”

“Urghh, who?” you will admit to some intrigue.

“Freidrich Hohenzollern, you don't mind the blonds,” she winks.

“Kate! German Freddy?! You set me up with him six years ago!” you roll your eyes. “He threw up your deathly strong margaritas all over my pretty summer shoes,” you bemoan, recalling how it capped off a truly awful barbecue in her back garden. As it turns out, it was only a few weeks before you met Dr Tom. “Besides, I'm not ready to meet anyone yet; it's only been a few bloody days.”

“I thought you said you were over it?” she teases.

“I am, but I’m in mourning about being single again. I don't need anything right now, except maybe a rebound fuck, and I don't want that to be anyone remotely close to our friendship pool, you know? Much better to get with some rando I never have to cross paths with again.”

“Fair enough,” she shrugs but then waves her fork at you. “Just don't leave it too long before you get serious again.”

“What the fuck do you mean?” you laugh.

“I mean, if you stay on the shelf too long, some other bitch is going to snap up your man, and you’ll have to get cats and live alone, a bitter spinster until you die one of those mystery early deaths from unused vagina in about ten years. You’ll even make the news; cos, y’know, the cats, they’ll eat your face after you die. All alone.”

“Thanks, Kate.” you deadpan at that fantastically supportive vision of your future. “Also, so glad to know you are visiting me in my ancient forties, like the wonderful friend you are,” you roll your eyes.

“Bitch please, imma be busy being impregnated for the fifth time by my beautiful husband, James Norton,” she breezes with a huge grin.

“You’ll have to leave the fucking married idiot who doesn't deserve you first,” you point out, perhaps a little uncharitably.

“Touche,” she fires over her water glass. “He’s never going to leave her, is he?” she adds wistfully.

You reach over the table and touch her hand gently. “No darling, he is never going to leave his wife.”

“I know, I know, FUCK, I know…” she sighs dramatically, “Well… this calls for MORE DRINKS!” she states decidedly, banging her beautifully manicured fist on the table.

That, at least, you can fully support.

—

“What happened?” Anthony Bridgerton asks, taking a sip of his beer, his eye on his beloved team on the pitch below as they take a slight hammering at home in Twickenham.

“It's over. I'm moving home,” Benedict sighs, scratching his beard and glancing around the grandstand. “You've still got that spare room, right? Just until I get everything sorted, my stuff shipped back,” he adds, not wanting to be a burden at this age.

“Yeah, it's yours, as long as you need it,” Anthony nods, the older brother instinct kicking in without thought. “Are you sure this isn't something you can work out? Moving back to London seems rash.”

“Not a chance,” Benedict responds morosely, staring at his beer as a fly lands in it and starts swimming—seems like an apt metaphor for the shitshow being thirty-five has become for him. “I offered everything,” he shrugs miserably, “to go for counselling, sleep in the spare room; she's not interested. I knew something was up when some of her shit started disappearing.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’d come home, and her wardrobe looked half empty, you know, more than just laundry piling up, whole sections missing. Then her art and supplies started to dwindle, and she wasn't replacing them, but she was coming home still covered in paint. I figured maybe she had rented a separate studio space. So I confronted her; asked her what was happening: ‘Que se passe-t-il ici, tessa?’ you know. And she was all ‘de rein’ and ‘c’est tous dans ta tête’ it’s all in my head,” he translates, “and the whole time, I knew I wasn't being paranoid. So one day, I followed her...”

“You did what?”

“Yes, I know, I’m not proud of it,” he admits, “but I went to the coffee shop across the road and followed her. She had a big suitcase, lugging more of her stuff, I guess. So she went straight to a flat in the tenth arrondissement. Her ‘friend’ Clarissa. Yeah, they are definitely not just friends.”

“How do you know?” Anthony checks, sucking in air between his teeth as a Harlequins player hits the grass hard after a vicious tackle

“I watched them fuck on the balcony,” Benedict monotones, “sat in a little cafe opposite and watched my wife screaming her fucking head off as her ‘friend’ went down on her.”

“Ouch.”

“Exactly. She hasn't let me do that in months; claims she’s lost the enjoyment of it. That isn't fucking true, obviously.” He fishes out the fly and downs the rest of his watery beer, placing the plastic cup on the ground and letting his head fall into his hands. “I mean, we haven't had sex in a year, but I thought it's just a rough patch, you know? We could get through it. Until a couple of months ago, she was at least letting me eat her out, and on occasion, when she got drunk, come to think of it, she might even give me a handjob once in a while. So I was dealing with it, thinking it's a blip, we can get through it. But… uggghhhh…. I knew it, you know? This whole time I knew she would kick the shit out of me one day. I just didn't think it would be this far into marriage. Five fucking years Anthony….”

He looks so utterly unmoored that Anthony turns to him and places a comforting arm around his brother. “Listen, infidelity isn't the reason marriages break up; it's just a symptom that something else is wrong.”

“Yeah, well, that symptom is eating my wife’s pussy,” Benedict grouses loudly, uncaring that a whole bunch of people in the vicinity twist around in their stadium seats and stare at him.

Just fucking great.

—

“Ooh, what about this one?” Kate bounds over, holding some utterly dreadful-looking period romance novel.

“Regency? Sex? Kate, please, I’m not that desperate yet,” you say witheringly, staring over your reading glasses at her.

“You’re newly single. This shit might teach you a few things,” she hums unapologetically, waggling the book at you.

“Please, as if I need some American woman telling me how to fuck a handsome Englishman from 200 years ago,” you roll your eyes and take the book from her.

“Speaking of handsome,” Kate sidles up closer, “someone is staring at you in foreign languages.”

You peel off your glasses and look over to see a face you would never forget lurking by a bookshelf. And it’s a jolt to your being. He’s got to be in his mid-thirties by now and sports a somewhat scraggly but short beard. Damn, he’s still so handsome, your mind screams.

“I know him. You’d like him; he’s married,” you needle sarcastically.

“I don’t see a ring,” Kate counters quietly, “when was the last time you saw him?”

“God, maybe five years ago? And he was moving to Paris. To get married,” you explain as you politely raise a hand to wave and nod.

“So that’s a long time ago,” she stage whispers, “maybe he’s not anymore,” she hints.

“Please, he’s so obnoxious,” you dismiss, even as your heart thumps a little harder as he approaches. “Plus, he never remembers me….”

“Y/n y/l/n,” he says warmly as he pulls up nearby.

Wow, okay, wrong on that count.

“Ben! Ben Bridgerton. Hi!” you breeze, feigning nonchalance and quickly dropping the crappy romance book Kate gave you.

“This is…” you turn around, and Kate is gone, waving next to the Hatchards sign and heading out the door. “Well, that was my friend Kate…. How are you? How’s married life?”

“Ahh, not good,” he winces, and you feel awkward as his face goes crestfallen. “I’m getting divorced.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I really am,” you frown, the sting of your breakup lessened somehow.

“How’s Doctor Dorset?” he perks up.

“Oh, I hear he’s fine. We uhh just broke up. Last month,” you nod, and you exchange glances that are so meaningful.

He looks so much wiser, mellow. And it’s not just the beard. Like the cocksureness and swagger have been knocked out of him. He’s learned some hard lessons about life, living but hurting. Something in your heart reaches out to him.

“Coffee and a catch-up?” you offer casually.

“Actually, I’m starving,” he admits, “how about lunch instead?”

You glance at your phone, and there’s a trademark subtle WhatsApp message from Kate.

Ride that fine thing to Rebound City.

I expect all the deets tmrw.

Woof.

“Urghh, sure, looks like I’m free,” you answer, quickly swiping left to clear the screen.

——

You are sitting on the sunny rooftop terrace at Ham Yard sharing break-up stories. Although it’s selfish to admit it, somehow, his melancholy makes you feel better about yourself. That you are more together than you thought. And even more certain you made the right choice not to get married.

“We used to say how life was great because we didn’t have kids,” you explain, pushing your salad around the plate. “How everyone we knew stopped having sex if they had kids. How we could fuck against the window or on the kitchen table, and no one would walk in on us. And I believed him when he said he didn’t want kids. But then…” you trail off.

“He changed his mind?” Ben intuits; his emotional intelligence momentarily takes you aback.

“He went to stay with his sister for a week to celebrate some family thing; I had to cover an event, so I couldn’t go. Anyway, she has three kids. And he came back different; kept saying maybe kids aren’t so bad. Even after his brother-in-law admitted they no longer had sex cos childcare was so exhausting, mind,” you gesture with your hands. “And he just started to drop hints about how we aren’t getting any younger - I'm only thirty-fucking-one - and how kids ensure a legacy….” you stab a piece of cucumber. “That’s when I snapped, and I just said. Listen, I don’t want kids, and if you do, maybe we need to rethink this engagement, cos I’m not going to change my mind. And he looks at me horrified. As if it doesn’t compute that a woman would never want children. ‘I thought that was just a thing to establish your career, then you’d take a break and have kids. My income more than provides’,”

Benedict huffs a gentle laugh at your deliberately lousy impression.

“And I said back, ‘I love my job, I don’t want to give it up and certainly not to have kids’. And he replied, ‘Well, I want a wife who will give me kids’. And I said, ‘Well, that’s not me’. And then he left.”

Your harsh but accurate summary of that shitty afternoon somehow feels lighter now you’ve shared details. You don’t want to dwell on how odd it is that you’ve given him, a man you’ve seen twice in ten years, more than you shared with your best friend.

“And the thing is, we never did fuck spontaneously like that anyway,” you sigh, sipping your coffee.

“Not on the kitchen table?” he raises an eyebrow.

“Not once. Not even against the window. He doesn’t like doing it standing up,” you shrug.

“That’s a shame. It’s fun,” Benedict opines, but it’s not like in the past when he would’ve used it as a blatant flirtation; it’s more like he’s simply agreeing with an empiric truth.

“Agreed,” you nod and fall silent as you can tell he’s gearing up to talk more.

“I knew Tessa was bisexual when we got together,” he sighs, elaborating on his breakup story. “To be honest, I think that’s what made her so damn sexy at first, the stupid caveman idea she’d be into threesomes,” he rolls his eyes and shakes his head slightly at the naivety of his younger self. “I just didn’t think she would do the almost cliched thing and cheat on me with a woman.”

“Doesn’t it hurt less? That it’s not another dick that led her astray?” you frown.

He huffs a laugh. “Never thought of it like that. But it’s more the helplessness of it. That’s the one thing I can’t be, a woman. And that’s what she wants.” he twists his mouth into a thoughtful pout before continuing. “She moved in with her. But she didn’t tell me. Didn’t have the guts. She just kept moving her stuff out slowly. I’d prefer she was honest and told me, but she played mind games. Tried to gaslight me into thinking it was all in my head.”

You drop your fork and decide to inject some humour, knowing the sign that he’s getting too maudlin. “Hold the bloody phone. Did Benedict Bridgerton just use the word gaslight?” you tease. “Bloody hell, we have gotten old.”

He looks up and meets your eye, an appreciative glint in the down-sloped corners as he chuckles in agreement. The look lingers for a beat longer than it should, and all you can think is the slight crinkles around his eyes lend him a more mature beauty, somehow more deadly than the pretty, fresh-faced idiot you shared a car ride with ten years ago. Benedict Bridgerton with heartbreak is a beautiful sight, perverse as it may be to think it.

“I’m sorry that happened to you,” you offer conciliatory, reaching out to touch the back of his hand. His skin is soft; you can feel his pulse in the prominent vein under your fingertip, and something in you runs warm.

“You know, the first time we met, I really didn't like you,” he confesses as you withdraw your touch, “you were so uptight about the world; you’re much mellower now.”

“Way to wrap a compliment in an insult,” you pull a face, and he laughs. “You were just utterly nonplussed that someone might not want to fuck you—-that's why you didn't like me,” you add, raising an eyebrow pointedly.

“What's the apology deadline for being a young idiot?” he winces and shoots you an adorably contrite expression.

“Hmmm, ten years,” you volley back, unable to stop your grin.

“Oooh, well, it's mid-May, and that was late May, so I am juuuuust in time,” he jests, and you feel a warmth inside your ribs as you smile at each other.

After eating, you find yourselves wandering together, crossing under the mature trees of Golden Square.

“Are we becoming friends? For real this time?” An ironic smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “I mean, I forgive you for not ever texting me after I gave you my number all those years ago,” he teases, and you blush.

“We might be,” your tone playful.

“Huh, a woman friend,” his brow knitting, “that’s novel.”

You laugh, and again your eyes meet.

“You know you may be the first attractive single woman I don’t want to fuck…” he confesses.

Something in you feels conflicted. Pleased he has matured enough to be that way, flattered he feels willing to admit it to you as a friend, and the part you don’t want to think about too much, the tinge of sadness that fact gives you.

“That’s wonderful, Ben,” you reply as he loops your arm and keeps strolling.

Benedict taglist: @makaylan @foreverlonginguniverse @iboopedyournose @colettebronte @aintnuthinbutahounddog @severewobblerlightdragon @margofiore @writergirl-2001 @heeyyyou @enichole445 @enchantedbytomandhenry @ambitionspassionscoffee @chaoticcalzoneranchsports @nikaprincessofkattegat @baebee35 @crowleysqueenofhell @bridgertontess @fiction-is-life @lilacbeesworld @angels17324 @broooookiecrisp @queen-of-the-misfit-toys @eleanor-bradstreet @divaanya @musicismyoxygen84 @benedictspaintbrush @miindfucked @sorryallonsy @lilithseve @cayt0123 @hottytoddyhistory @truly-dionysus @fictionalmenloversblog @zinzysstuff @malpalgalz @panhoeofmanyfandoms @kinokomoonshine @causeimissu @delehosies @mlovesbridgerton @m-rae23 @last-sheep @kmc1989

#benedict bridgerton #benedict bridgerton fanfiction #benedict bridgerton imagine #benedict bridgerton fluff #benedict bridgerton x reader #benedict bridgerton x female reader #benedict bridgerton x you #benedict bridgerton x y/n #bridgerton #bridgerton fanfiction #bridgerton imagine #bridgerton fluff #bridgerton x reader #bridgerton x female reader #bridgerton x you #bridgerton x y/n #it had to be you fic

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justapoet · 3 months ago

Text

these roads are changing me (but they all lead back to you)

She wanted to have it, the freedom to touch him and smother him and kiss him absolutely senseless. She wanted to know what it was like to be kissed by him, to be hugged as it meant something more, to bask in the feeling of waking up beside him knowing they belonged to each other. Annabeth wanted to belong to him. Desperately. Vocally. On purpose. She wanted to belong, but she didn't care about where in the world. But Annabeth found that she was stuck. Frozen in place and unable to make a coherent thought.

read on Ao3

chapter 1: to those who ask

chapter 2: to whose who wait

chapter 3: to those who gaze

chapter 4: to those who left

chapter 5: to those who went so far away

chapter 6: to those who remain

chapter 7: to those who never saw me

chapter 8: to those who said they would stay

chapter 9: to those left behind

to the love of my life

Annabeth Chase fell in love with Percy Jackson on an ordinary night, when the moon hid and the stars weren't strong enough to shine through the city lights.

She fell in love with him on a summer day, when the Sun wanted the world to see its brightness and the water reached the shore a little higher than the day before.

She fell in love with him at a cramped up apartment, with books and papers scattered all around as she tried again and again to draw the same line of a project she was never satisfied with, and he ordered take-out because she'd forgotten to eat.

She fell in love with him on a winter day when his face was pink and cold, and she didn't put on gloves just to press her fingers against his cheeks and feel the smile that would always spread on his face.

She fell in love with him in Spring, when being stung by a bee made him ignore his aching arm to bury the little insect under the flower he'd allegedly stolen from it.

She fell in love with him in Autumn, when he'd asked her for pictures with a scarf that resembled a song Juniper and Grover loved to sing along to, despite its full ten minutes of extension.

She fell in love with him when it was warm, and the cabin on Montauk had been cleaned three times so she wouldn't fear getting mugged by a spider.

She fell in love with him when it was cold, and he had done his best to fight his fever-induced sleepiness so they could watch Sandra Bullock falling in love with Ryan Reynolds because Annabeth just had felt the need to believe in love again.

She fell in love with him when it was rainy and the flowers she'd gotten him were a bit crumpled by the water's aggressive falling from the sky, but he cradled them with such care it made her wonder why she'd never gotten him any flowers before.

She fell in love with him when his smile was bright enough to light up the whole town the moment he'd spotted her with his swim-team cap and a huge hand-made sign over her head with a really abstract drawing (made mostly by Estelle) of him with a fish-tail.

She fell in love with him in the silence after she'd run from home again, and found herself cradled in his and Sally's arms.

She fell in love with him in August, when his eyes would always tear up at the sight of another home-baked blue cake she got progressively better at.

She fell in love with him in the loudness of the book-launch party they'd thrown in Sally's honor for her first book.

She fell in love with him in April, when he showed up at her house with a highly unreliable blue ice-cream and a batch of brownies in his backpack, smiling blindly just because.

She fell in love with him on Sunday when the next morning already haunted her and he decided that there was no right or wrong time for ice cream.

She fell in love with him in May, when he hugged her over and over because of the surprise trip to the newest aquarium in the area.

She fell in love with him on Thursday when they picked a new place to visit and made written reviews to trade at the end of the night, and the company spot was always five stars (and a heart, when she got his paper).

She fell in love with him in September, when he shared with her his jelly after a nasty fall on a skateboard had landed him in the ER with a mild concussion.

She fell in love with him on Wednesday when he trusted her with the keys of his blue jeep and asked her to just drive as far as she could with the windows down and a random playlist blaring in their ears.

She fell in love with him in March, when, at two in the morning, he decided he had enough information on sharks to write a whole paper by her side, as she finished another project.

She fell in love with him in November, when his eyes lit up at the most hideous, terribly knit sweater she had made him just because she wanted to.

She fell in love with him in January, when she lost, over and over, the snowball war they'd waged in Paul's mother's backyard.

She fell in love with him on Friday when the week caught up to their shoulders and still there was always disposition for a batch of blue cookies.

She fell in love with him in June, when the twelfth was a reason for chocolate because somewhere in the south-hemisphere was celebrating Valentine’s Day.

She fell in love with him at ten in the morning, when he had spent the entire night playing something online with Jason and forgotten to sleep, and woken up with crumpled hair when she tossed a pillow at his head.

She fell in love with him in December, when there was no one in New York happier about Christmas lights and trees and terrible-looking hoodies.

She fell in love with him on Tuesday, when nothing really happened but she remembered, randomly around the clock, that he existed and was a real person walking around the surface of the Earth.

She fell in love with him at nine in the night, when there wasn’t a bad time to take a dive in the sea.

She fell in love with him in July when her birthday was a quiet matter with the brightest smiles and the most thoughtful gifts.

She fell in love with him in October and February when his eyes were kind and his touch was sweet as she cried her eyes out over stupid, stupid romantic movies.

She fell in love with him, and suddenly she wasn't afraid of heights.

She fell in love with him, and the ocean didn't seem such a big thing to compare anything to.

She fell in love with him, and wished she believed in an afterlife so she could see him again.

She fell in love with him, and suddenly rationality wasn't the answer to anything, anymore.

She fell in love with him.

And so it happened.

She fell in love with him.

She fell.

She falls.

✉

"Where do you want to go from here?" Percy asked from the bedroom, and she could hear the way he — very violently, it's safe to note — dried his hair with a towel. A part of her wanted desperately to admonish his actions, because that was the last thing someone with such pretty curls for a hair should ever do, but Annabeth found that she was stuck.

Frozen in place and unable to make a coherent thought.

They had gotten to Venice two days before, and walked around the same parts of the city for as long as their feet could manage to bear their weight. Her phone, she was sure, would soon start overheating if they kept taking the amount of pictures they did — but she couldn’t help the need to register every single detail of every place and town and city their eyes scanned around them.

It was an hour into being settled in the hotel before they had gotten on gondolas and just floated around the channels, chatting happily with the lovely man with the rows and silently thanking Nico for the forced Italian lessons he decided to give their group after Leo had forced them to learn Spanish. All throughout the day, Annabeth’s smile didn’t falter, unlike her heart, with Percy by her side, looking a lot like a child who'd gotten the best remote-control car ever for Christmas, absolutely thriving while being in a roadless, floating town.

His smile was blinding all throughout the day, and Annabeth's expression mirrored his — she couldn't help it. Percy's excitement left no other option but to join him in silly smiles and unrestrained laughter, none of them caring much when they laughed too loud and attracted confused pairs of eyes in their direction. The people were used, probably, to tourists at that point in living there.

And now, as the sun began to set on the third day they were on Italian soil, they had retired earlier just to share one lazy night together. The day had been warm, and they'd walked their fair share while touring shops and cafés and restaurants (because Percy had a mission while in Italy, and it was to leave with more pounds in weight than he had arrived with), and their sore legs were almost nothing compared to their sore cheeks at so many sights and sighs and pictures.

They were having lunch in a Google-recommended restaurant — that deserved the praise and recommendation, that was for sure — when Annabeth decided that she would do something about the butterflies in her stomach and the fluttering of her heart. Percy was laughing, and she was smiling, and she didn't know if she wanted to snap a picture of his face just to have it stored somewhere, the sight, or go on and take one of the beautiful arrangements of the plate because it was what they usually did.

She wanted to kiss him, too, when the dessert came and his eyes lit up at the mere sight of the waiter carrying the plate. She wanted to kiss him when he smiled, when he laughed, when his face got dirty because he had no manners when sweets were involved — she wanted to kiss him when he asked for another desert to take home, and when they got up and he tangled their arms together.

She wanted to kiss him and hug him and wrap her arms around him a little bit possessively when a gorgeous european lady was clearly hitting on him, and Percy didn't have a clue, because he had always been that way. She wanted to hold his hand and know it meant more to the both of them — she wanted it to mean more on purpose.

Annabeth wanted to belong to him. Desperately. Vocally. On purpose.

With purpose. Of spending her life loving him openly — clearly, in a way that Percy could see it, too, and know that it meant something.

She wanted to have that, to have him, anywhere they wandered to. Venice, Lille, Paris, Athens, Rome, Zurique, Lucerna, Lisbon, London, Lima, Rio, Brussels, Vienna, San Francisco, New York.

She wanted to belong, but she didn't care about where in the world.

And so, when they got back to the small apartment they were staying in, Annabeth had let him take a shower first, and headed straight to the folder that she kept safe and far on her backpack, taking out the last letter she had tucked in there. It was a bit more crumpled than the others, the amount of times she'd read it before and throughout their trip making it a little worse for wear — it wasn't a recent letter, though it had been one of the last ones she'd written.

She'd known who the letter was for from the beginning. But it took a while (a really long one) for her to admit it, to make it real on paper as well.

And as she walked back to the cozy living room, she could hear Percy's less than tuned sing-along to The Little Mermaid's live action's 'Wild Uncharted Waters'. Annabeth couldn't help but chuckle, smiling widely and shaking her head.

Terrible for the neighbors.

A blessing for her very, very unsteady heart.

A sudden wave of fear hit her, then, and Annabeth stopped moving, frozen on spot as if lightning had hit her and petrified her muscles. Her throat tightened, and she pressed her lips against each other as she swallowed dryly.

Those small blessings, those little moments they shared in the secrecy of their friendship, were far too precious for her to risk. Weren't they? To have him like that, carefree and comfortable and just so damn sweet, was worth risking?

Was it worth it, a heartbreak over the skipping beats she had lived with for so long?

And so, when Percy had gotten out of the shower and talked to her, Annabeth couldn't move.

She couldn't move, couldn't change the way she was sitting on the couch, cross-legged as her hands held carefully to the last piece of paper she had found among the things she didn't think she had kept. Her eyes darted carefully through all the nearly non-existent details over the folded sheet, the same she'd been staring at for a quite worrisome amount of time.

She knew, to some extent, and was confident that things would be perfectly fine after she'd given him the letter for his curious eyes to discover. Annabeth was perfectly sure, just as she was about most things she knew and learned and taught, that the outcome wasn't dangerous, whatever it was — they'd still be the two of them, and things would work out completely well. Not for her heart, perhaps, but she knew her soul wouldn't be torn apart, in the end.

Because, while the consequence of knowing Percy was to love him, the opposite also proved itself to be true. To love him is to know him — know all the smallest details of his face and expressions, of his gestures and the tone of his voice. She knew what to expect of his reactions, and what to never expect of his words and actions; she knew him. And had for a really long time.

Which made her overthinking and the hammering of her heart to be incredibly irrational, as well.

But, Annabeth supposed, it was inevitable when dealing with matters of the heart; the only few things she could never learn thoroughly despite her very best efforts, despite all her dedication. She could try to convince herself all she wanted, and Annabeth knew it would never worked as she'd planned it — she'd still get breathless upon the sight of him, still get heartbroken at his absence, and still fall over and over in love with the man she'd met so many times, in so many ways.

She hoped, secretly as she carried her feelings and truths, that she'd get the chance to meet him again — she hoped, and prayed, that she'd meet him in the middle.

"Like, I know we're not making plans and such, but do you have anywhere in mind?" he continued, his voice getting closer to where she was. His feet were bare against the flooring, and he had put the towel back in the bathroom at some point of her mind-turmoil. "South, or west, or staying here for longer?"

She didn't move or reply, and Annabeth could almost see with the back of her head as he stopped moving. She could picture the crease in between his eyebrows, and how he squinted his eyes in worry. She wanted to laugh. But she couldn't quite breathe as her lungs should.

It's Percy, she reminded herself. Your Percy. He deserves to know.

And she deserved to tell him, as well, and take this one leap of faith.

Because in her very core, she knew that she couldn't fall without him jumping and falling right after her.

"Annabeth?" Percy called. "Are you alright?" he asked, now rounding the couch and flopping by her side, his eyes concerned as he took in the scene — Annabeth, unmoving as stone, holding a piece of folded paper and eyes glued to it. She wasn't sure she was even blinking. "Wise Girl?" he called again, his voice low and even more concerned.

She inhaled sharply. As she exhaled, she closed her eyes.

"There's one more letter," she said, sober and only high enough that he could hear it. Percy's eyes, so bright while looking at her, had this worried expression not as well hidden as he thought it was. She turned his head to look at him, again. It made her as breathless as it always did. "That I've been keeping and carrying around, too."

Percy's smile was kind, his features softening.

"Oh?" he expressed, adjusting his position beside her so he could face her more easily. "Well, that's just perfect. One more thrill to look for. One more remittee to figure out," he smiled, and Annabeth felt her heart swelling in her chest.

Her smile, she was sure, was completely love drunk as she spoke again.

"Yeah," she agreed, and stretched out her arm to offer him the folded letter. "This one's a little more personal, though. Not that the others weren't, but—" she shrugged. "This one's a bit more," she settled with it. Her arm was still stretched out, and her hand was shaking a little. The uncertain rhythm of her heart might've been the cause, or just the anticipation for his reaction. Percy, forever careful and thoughtful as he was, sent her a look that asked her if she was sure she wanted him to read it.

She nodded.

It was high time she stopped running away from him. From them.

She didn't have the energy, the need, and much less the desire to keep pulling away.

Percy took the folded paper, and carefully opened it up, still looking at her face. Annabeth tried to smile in encouragement, but her mind was working overdrive, and it was hard to try to settle his feelings when hers were all over the place, over the letter, over them both. With one of his hands, Percy reached for her leg and squeezed it, assuring.

"Are you sure you want me to read it? We can figure out a receiver some other way," he asked, concerned at how private it was, and she shook her head.

"Not this one, we can't," she assured him. "I really want you to read it," Annabeth replied, trying to sound as honest and sure as she felt. Percy nodded, smiling again, and she really thought her heart would fly out of her chest through her ribs the moment his blue eyes looked down at the paper.

She watched his pupils and irises move as he took in the first line. The vocative. The one she'd changed, with a blue pen over the black ink, so many moons ago. The same blue she'd signed the letter with, contrary to all the others.

He stopped.

"Annabeth—" he tried, looking up at her with alarmed, wide blue eyes, and she didn't let him finish.

"Read it," she asked, and it sounded a lot like a plea. "Please."

She could see how he held his breath when he nodded. The tension over his shoulders when he looked back down at the paper. How he didn't dare to breathe as his eyes moved again.

Annabeth knew him too well not to notice, and her leg started to move in her anxiety as he took in each word written there. She knew them all, back to front. She'd read it, and reread it, and read it again just to be sure she had conveyed what she meant — she didn't, she couldn't, not really. There weren't enough words around the globe that could precisely make him make sense. The two of them, though? Even less.

She knew each word, and knew which parts took him longer to take in. The text was as familiar as the freckles over his nose and the feeling of her own hand in his. The words were as well-known as the whirlwind of his curls and the way his smile was so kind to her. Everything on that sheet was just as common, as familiar, as recognizable as the heartbeats inside her chest.

And as she waited, Annabeth couldn't help but go through the letter one more time, just to be sure. Just to be her — the overthinker she'd always been.

"To the love of my life, Percy Jackson,

read the rest on Ao3

#percabeth #percy jackson #annabeth chase #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo #pjo fandom #my writing #fanfic #justapoet writes #these roads

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