#we’re back on Leo Bullying Hours

[peaceandgentletragedy]

What if Leo needed more time as a sprite to recover? What if he was invulnerable in the little orb made of his family’s love? What if your hands are full of tools? A Casey Junior? Welcome to the many ways one might carry the (Currently) Littlest BrotherTM in @somerandomdudelmao ‘s comic.

[fruitcoops]

Ugh ugh ugh so i have a roommate and we are really close friends which is a amazing. she’s been sick for about two weeks now and it sort of goes in and out: it’ll be ok for a few days and then get kind of sucky. The last two days she’s not been feeling well so I’ve been cooking for her and trying to get her to take naps and stuff but she has this really horrid sounding cough? And this is way to much information but here’s the kicker: I’m not sure if I’ve developed a crush? Either way I just really want her to feel better and I want to just cuddle her and rub her back and stuff but I don’t want it to be weird in case I do have a crush?? ANYWAY point is I was hoping that if you have a sec and the inspiration strikes that you’d write some o’knutzy or coops suck cuddles. It’s nothing life threatening just y’know feeling gross and the other(s) trying their best to help. Also if you don’t feel like writing that you can just revel in the silly silly story and the image of coops and o’knutzy cuddles, which are always happy :)))) -lilo

Fic O'Ween Day 10 & 11: Scary Movie & Costumes! Combining these two into one because Halloweekend is busy : ) Lilo, I don't know the whole context here, but it sounds like this is less of a crush and more that you want to take care of someone you care about. If the feelings keep Feeling after she's better, then that might be a crush (feel free to ignore if that's not true). Character credit goes to @lumosinlove!

TW illness (cough, stuffy nose), mention of throwing up (not described)

“You c’n go without me,” came a mumble from the pile of soft things on the couch. A sniffle followed. “I don’t mind.”

Leo sighed, easing himself into the space left over with a rub to the nearest socked foot. One sad, glassy eye peeked out from the depths of his own hoodie. “Harz…”

“S’okay, really,” Finn continued. “The party’ll be fun. I’ll be okay here.”

“We’re not leaving you alone like this.”

“I’m a big kid, I can—” A squeaky yawn interrupted him. “—handle it.”

“You don’t have to, though,” Leo said gently. They had been at it all afternoon, neither he nor Logan able to talk sense into a groggy and unhappy Finn. It had taken them long enough to lovingly bully him into letting them help once he realized he couldn’t get out of bed without wobbling—a headache had followed, then sniffles and a nasty cough, and by noon he finally gave in. The couch had been designated the ‘Sick Zone’. Finn alternated between naps and looking pathetic for the next six hours.

He fumbled for a tissue and blew his nose; Leo didn’t miss the wince that twitched at his shoulders and made a mental note to herd him into a hot shower as soon as possible. “I’m not exactly exciting right now.”

“And?”

“And so you should go to the—”

“No, Finn.”

“Go to the party!” he insisted, taking Leo’s hand in one of his clammy ones. “I promise I’ll be fine. You don’t have to sit here and worry over me when everyone else is having fun. They’ll miss you, Le.”

“And we would miss you.” Leo squeezed his hand. It felt warmer than before—too warm. He pushed down his worry and ran a thumb over the shadows beneath Finn’s eye. “I like you even when you’re not exciting, cher.”

The front door opened with a creak and they both looked up as Logan entered with an armful of grocery bags. His nose wrinkled. “Who closed the window? It’s—étouffant, you’ll stay sick if you don’t get air in here.”

“Finn was cold.” Leo leaned up for a kiss when Logan passed and saw him soften, looking between them on the couch. He made a small noise of agreement into Leo’s lips, then moved over to brush Finn’s hair off his forehead and leave a kiss in its wake.

“You’re hot, mon rouge.”

Finn cracked a smile. “Always am.”

Logan tsked at him, but the pass of his hand over the back of Finn’s head was gentle when he moved back to the kitchen. “I got your vegetables, Knutty, but I wasn’t sure what makes a medium onion different than regular ones.”

Leo blinked. “Are they…medium-sized?”

“That’s what I’m saying, I don’t know.” Several things clattered before Logan reappeared with two onions. “Is this medium? There were bigger ones and smaller ones.”

“How many onions did you buy?”

“Twelve.”

Leo laughed and started to get up, then paused and tucked Finn tighter under the blanket. “Don’t move.”

Finn gave him a rueful smile. “Can’t.”

“Shift change,” Leo teased, taking the onions from Logan.

A tug at his elbow stopped him just before he turned into the kitchen. “How long has he been that warm?” Logan asked, so quiet Leo could hardly hear him.

His heart sank. “Not sure. He wasn’t like that when you left, so I’d guess ten to fifteen minutes.”

Logan frowned. “Is he still talking bullshit about us going to the Halloween party?”

“Yeah. He’s pretty out of it, though.” Leo touched the fine bones of his wrist and smiled. “Thanks for going to the store, baby.”

Some of Logan’s worry lifted away into a pleased blush. “De rien, mon amour. Your food is always worth it.”

--

By 8 pm, Leo’s flu suspicions were confirmed in everything but a clinical diagnosis. Finn had given up on trying to convince them to have fun without him, laying his head in Logan’s lap or curling up tight against Leo’s ribs despite his feverish forehead. He dozed until dinner, managed to keep down a bowl of soup, and mustered just enough energy to argue with Logan as the evening’s entertainment.

I’m not going to throw up.

You look like you are.

No.

Just do it, you’ll feel better.

I would rather die.

He slept for 45 minutes to recover from such a harrowing conversation and did not—much to Logan’s annoyance—do the one thing that would make him feel better faster. Finn’s stubbornness, while rare, was damn near impossible to overcome. Leo was just grateful he took a hot shower with little cajoling, even if it meant he looked like the world’s cutest boiled lobster on the other side of it. The sides of his nose were starting to chap from the tissues. Better to nip that in the bud than deal with it for the next week and a half.

Finally, they settled on the couch and let the sounds of the TV fill the apartment. Leo could hear Finn breathing softly through his mouth while Logan combed his fingers through mostly-dry hair and rubbed Finn’s back at the same time. He pulled the edge of the blanket down over Finn’s feet and relaxed into the couch, exhausted. “Dumo sends well-wishes, by the way. Celeste wants to bring over some soup tomorrow.”

Finn made a quiet sound of acknowledgement; Logan cast him a smile that made Leo’s heart warm, reaching over to squeeze his arm. “Merci.”

“Boys?”

Leo’s sleepiness vanished in an instant and he sat up straighter, bending slightly to see Finn’s flushed face. “Hey, sweetheart, do you need something?”

He shook his head and shrugged the blanket up over his shoulder. “Can we—can we watch a scary movie?”

Leo looked over to Logan, whose face had fallen into something like distress. He raised a brow; Logan hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. “Yeah, ‘course we can,” Leo said. “Which one?”

“Don’t care.” One hand appeared to pat Logan’s knee. “You don’t have to stay for it. I know you don’t like them.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Logan promised with a kiss to the shell of Finn’s ear. “What kind of boyfriend would I be, eh? Leaving you when you’re sick. It hasn’t happened before and it won’t happen now.”

The faint sound of chaste kisses filled the background while Leo scrolled through the ‘Horror’ section. If he guessed correctly, Finn would be out cold in less than twenty minutes, and then they could change the show to something that wouldn’t petrify Logan for the next month. He didn’t have much of an opinion on scary movies, but that was one of the trials nobody warned him about when he got two boyfriends: movie night was like a judicial negotiation.

“Thank you for staying.” Finn’s voice was nearly inaudible against the opening music. “Both of you. This isn’t how you planned on spending the night, and you worked really hard to put together our costumes, so. You know. Thanks. And sorry.”

“Finn,” they chorused with equal degrees of heartbreak.

Leo pulled on the hem of his pajama pants until Finn looked back at him, altogether too drowsy and adorable for his own good. “If we had gone to that party, we’d spend the whole night worried about you because we care that you’re safe and healthy. Getting you Gatorade and making soup is what I wanted to do. It’s what we get to do for you, now.”

Finn still didn’t look convinced, but Logan moved his hand around to tip his chin up. “It’s not because you can’t take care of yourself,” he said quietly. “It’s because you don’t have to.”

It was a good thing Logan had guided Finn’s gaze away; Leo wasn’t sure he could have handled seeing whatever expression came across his face at that. The caving of Finn’s chest and the full-body tremor that went through him was enough to make his breath catch. “I know,” Finn rasped after a few moments. “God, sorry, I—yeah, I know. I’m working on it.”

“We know.” Leo folded a hand over his ankle, just for a point of contact. “I mean, yeah, I wish we could’ve gone because you’d look hot as Ferris Bueller and I desperately want to see Lo in a fringed jacket someday. But I’m not sad about staying in and watching movies, either. This is fun. Spending time with you two is what I want.”

Finn took a tissue from Logan and blew his nose with a miserable honk. “You never have been good at picking one or the other, huh?”

“Not once,” he laughed.

“Worked pretty well, though,” Logan noted. “I’m not complaining.”

“Choices are for chumps,” Finn agreed. It was good to see him smile. The moment was only ruined a little by a sudden, violent axe-murder occurring on the television—Leo counted them lucky that Logan didn’t launch their sick boyfriend off his lap with the force of his flinch.

“Can we please just watch Halloweentown?” he begged, clutching Finn’s shoulder and arm while Finn cackled himself into a coughing fit. “Or Casper? I’ll put up with Beetlejuice, I don’t care.”

“How about The Exorcist?” Finn suggested.

“I was thinking The Conjuring,” Leo added.

A flush rose to Logan’s cheeks and he leaned over to whack Leo on the arm with a pillow. “See if I ever buy you onions again, you ungrateful, evil, horrible—”

[zodiacrant]

🍩My experiences with each Moon sign🍩

(Cause yall are messy)

I have done this a few times before but for Sun signs and did rank placements but never shared my thoughts and experiences with the Moon signs.

Now I know how this goes, so if you get mad or sad then go off I guess. Aint the first time I get cursed out or attacked in this bitch. Plus, I am a Cap moon so naturally I won’t do well with some Moons and I will be nitpicking everything about everyone.

🍩Aries Moon🍩

My dad’s moon. Yup, that tells you alot without me even starting. Having our Moons in Square shit was hard to say the least. It took a long time for us to be on middle grounds and because I don’t feel comfortable talking about my problems here I will continue on. The Aries Moon that I really like and can think of is Rihanna, so I would say it’s unfair to make a whole judgment but from what I saw and heard they’re not exactly the best to be around. So I give them a 3/10 for being bold and having nerve.

🍩Taurus Moon🍩

Now this Moon right here I know people from ( a close friend and my sister, plus some others) and I don’t have many strong opinions about it. As a Taurus Sun, it can be a challenge to work with a Taurus Moon. I am stubborn at my core and they’re stubborn with their heart, so everytime we disagree it’s like a rope pulling contest. Way too stagnant for me but I think that’s because of my other placements and they don’t take any advice or open up no matter what. On to the good, I never disliked someone with this placement. No matter how much of an asshole they can be, to me it is difficult to hate them or stay mad at them. They’re warm, kind, and sweet but a bit aloof and naive, also they don’t like to touch and hug as some people might think. I will give them a 8/10

🍩Gemini Moon🍩

(⚠️TW⚠️ mention of rape and erratic behavior)

I only had one best friend with this placement and I don’t I want to meet any more, and I am at peace with that if they resemble her in any way. She was a maniac. She loved to lie, create drama, blow shit up, act crazy and basically be shocking. I do find similarities with Gemini Sun where they do shit for reactions but with her, she will take it to the next level. Lie about being raped, act possessed, or pretend that she is being followed. It’s not fair to associate her with people who share the same Moon as her but that was y’all’s representation in my life. She was erratic so it’s difficult to see where her Moon was in effect and where she was just off. I’ll give them a 1/10, would not recommend until proven otherwise.

🍩Cancer Moon🍩

The first that comes to my mind is Taylor Swift and to me she is the ultimate Cancer Moon. It juat makes sense how fast she takes it to the next level with people. Whether getting serious quickly with someone or throwing down and feuding. She just always at a 100. Personally, I never got close with someone who has this placement, maybe it’s because I am a Capricorn Moon myself, but I would say the ones that I have met were nice. I’ll give them a 5/10

🍩Leo Moon🍩

I only had one best friend with this placement but the people I have met with this Moon I still remember. They all had one thing in common and that was being emotionally traumatized and have lost one parent. My best friend was super loyal, very confident in what they believed in and represented, were always there for me and had an amazing ability in motivating others. But they were also super prideful and there’s no coming back with them. Fight once and it’s over. (Yes I am looking at you Jonnie). One of the other people was with me in uni and always had the to urge won up me and my friend. He had scars all over and he doesn’t remember how he got them. But he was super proud of himself and his home country, which I respect and admire. I’ll give them a 6/10

🍩Virgo Moon🍩

I know two people with this placement, my mom and a professor at uni, and oh boy it makes sense that they’re a Virgo Moon. Me and my mom are too alike that we clash strongly at times. She thinks she can do it better and I think I can do it better and we just have like a competition on who done it better basically. From cooking, to how you light the stove, to how you put on clothes, to how you lay down on bed. Both my mom and my professor are super critical and precise, althogh my professor is a double Virgo (Sun and Moon) so she will go even further. They have to do everything as it arises and act like there’s no time and everything is about to go wrong. Like damn sis chill the fuck out for a sec and this is coming from a Cap moon so you know it’s bad. But I really like Virgo Moon, even though people might hate such a personality but I can relate to them in some ways. I’ll give them 7/10

🍩Libra Moon🍩

My only online friend that I talk to all the time got this Moon. Other than her I met only two people and they were something. Okay so for my friend, because I never actually have seen her physically with my own eyes I can’t say how she acts all the time, but she is one of the best listeners I had in my life. She likes to hear me ramble for an hour about a dumb encounter that lasted a second, talking about astrology and some nerdy things and then not so nerdy things. I believe that it’s a Libra Moon quality to be emotionally versatile and attentive. I think because she is a Leo dominant she acts much fiery and fiercely than a Libra would. As for the other people I just thought they were fake. One acted as a friend but then would just disappear so I was over it quickly and the other was super passive and pretentious that I think she shits out plastic. All in all I think it’s a great Moon. I’ll give them a 7/10

🍩Scorpio Moon🍩

One of the hardest Moons I ever delt with but I find that I love them too. My oldest sister had this Moon and she is such a mystery. Because I am a Taurus Sun, it is only natural for me to have a hard time with a Scorpio Moon. Even though she is an extrovert, she rarely talks about herself and her feelings, you will never catch her slipping or show vulnerability. I can see how difficult it may be for her being a Cancer with a Scorpio Moon and have Gemini dominance. But she’s a bitch at heart and I am cool with it. I’ll give them 5/10 cause I am not a big fan of paradoxical people

🍩Sagittarius Moon🍩

A moon that I always babysat. I had two best friends with this Moon and if I was born a second earlier, it would mine too. I don’t know if it’s because of my Gemini Venus or my 0 degree Capricorn Moon but I love Sagittarius Moons. I was fortunate to see some of their weaknesses and for them to trust me enough to be vulnerable. But boy do they get themselves into the dumbest situation because they wanted to see what would happen. I had to babysit them and help them do everything like shopping, cooking, cleaning, assembling furniture, be their body guard when buying weed. (Shhhh it’s a secret). They’re in many ways immature cause they run from things and everytime you try to be real with them, they say “stop being negative”. I’ll give them a 9/10

🍩Capricorn Moon🍩

The grande dame of the Moon signs, sitting at it’s opposite planet. I have met many Cap Moons and honestly we are bitches 😂. The energy of sitting next to a Capricorn Moon is too fucking much like I never knew it’s like that. I noticed the way they stare, talk, walk and sit can be so aggressive and intimidating. I see why people might label us as bullies, cause the energy is definitely there and I myself was such a cunt (still a little but I am more aware of myself now) that I get where both are coming from. Life as a Capricorn Moon is emotionally flat. If wasn’t for my other placements you will never see me even flinch. I think we just take everything and let it process in our head before we let it into our hearts. So to me, we’re not mean, we just don’t see how something might be hurtful. But also that tone and that blank face, goddam! That’s why I try to smile cause bitch no, I didn’t know I was walking with a death stare this whole time. Anyways, I will give us 10/10 cause I am self appreciative like that 😂✌️

🍩Aquarius Moon🍩

I have always tried to understand Aquarius Moon and it was only a month ago that I have realized they themselves are not sure of who they’re. I had one best friend with this placement and three cousins (all siblings). First, my cousins are super competitive with each other on who gets to do what and if it happens that they’re similar in something they will get pissed. The person that was my best friend was like that as well. Only he would drop a an entire hobby, interest, something close to his heart, shit even a personality trait. I find them to be constantly changing and trying, so they shift between one end of extreme to the other until they center themselves. I’ll give them a 4/10

🍩Pisces Moon🍩

Now let’s talk about a depressing placement, in my opinion of course 😅. I don’t know if it’s the influence of Neptune on the Moon or is it the just the demeanor of Pisces, but good god girl get a grip (they call this the five G’s). My youngest sister is a Pisces Moon, and as creative as she is, she is pessimistic and overly cynical. I mean I am all for being critical and real but looking at everything with jacked up black sprayed glasses is just too much for me. Other than my sister I don’t know any Pisces Moon very well but I had a few acquaintances. I noticed that they talked about a specific thing and that’s it. I have found them to be amazing at drawing, painting and have an incredible artistic sense. At times twisted and dark, but I love the art that comes with it. I’ll give them a 5/10

Here’s the tea. It’s Pisces season so remember I am sensitive right now, and also it’s my life and I wish I met someone as amazing as you might think you’re. (Maybe that was a little too aggressive)

Okay love you ❤️

[straykidsftw]

Jealousy | BC

genre: angst, fluff

summary: joey, leo and dan sticking up for jemima at school

age: Jemima = 11 / Leo & Dan = 15 / Joey = 17

warnings: bullying

_______________

“Mima, hurry up, we're going to be late!” you yelled, Jemima still hauled up in her bedroom, taking over an hour on getting ready.

“I'll be down in a minute!” she responded, Joey coming down the stairs as she did.

“Mum can we get breakfast on the way?” Leo asked, Dan packing their bags behind him.

“Not if your sister takes any longer.”

“Oh Jemima!” Dan complained.

“Hey, can you guys do me a favour and keep an eye on Jemima today?” Chan said, catching Joey's arm as he started heading for the door, talking to all three brothers.

“Dad, she's fine,” Joey sighed.

“She says she is, but...” Chan shrugged, “just promise me you'll keep an eye on her.”

“Promise,” the brothers said.

Chan winked at them before heading to the bottom of the stairs, “Mima, if you come now you'll get Starbucks on the way!”

“Just go, I'll walk,” Jemima said, sounding disheartened.

Chan motioned furiously to you, as you just nodded, “I know, I know. Come on boys.”

***

“Can you two actually keep your promise? Dad's right, Mima's been acting weird,” Joey said, going and joining his brothers as they sat on a bench eating lunch.

“Fuck off, you think we're not any less concerned than you guys?” Dan said, the three conversing in English so the students around them couldn't understand, “she's over there.”

Joey turned his head to see Jemima sat at a lunch table with three other girls. Her hair was messy and she was wearing barely any make-up. Quietly, she sat, continuing to do her work as her friends talked endlessly.

“Wonder what they’re saying,” Leo said, picking at his rice.

“Why is Mima so messy? She spent ages getting ready, fucks’ sake,” Joey complained through a mouthful of food.

“Hey!” Dan shouted, standing up.

The canteen fell a lot quieter, eyes falling on Dan.

“What?” the other two brothers asked, looking towards Jemima.

The girls sat beside Jemima were now picking at Jemima’s clothes, doing their own make-up and tutting at Jemima about hers.

“Donghyuck, what are you doing?” Jemima scolded.

Dan rolled his eyes, “what are those two doing?!”

Jemima grunted, “just go away!”

She ran out the canteen, the three brothers watching as she went.

“Did she just call you Donghyuck?” Leo scoffed, “okay Bang Jaeun!”

“Leo stop it,” Joey shook his head, “just leave her be.”

***

“I told you to just stop picking me up! I don’t need it! I can walk home by myself!”

“I’m just worried about you, Mima, you haven’t been yourself recently,” Chan cooed.

“Just leave me alone,” she cried, running upstairs as she escaped his grasp.

Joey rolled his eyes, “she said that to us today as well.”

“Chan, I think she’s just becoming a teenage girl, it’s okay,” you chuckled, rubbing his shoulder.

“I don’t think she is, Mum, today the girls she was sat with started picking her apart.”

“Yeah that’s cause she looked like shit,” you snorted.

“Y/N!” Chan scolded.

“What?! She did! She said ‘that’s the point’ when I pointed it out,” you shrugged.

“What?” Chan asked.

“But the girls today were insulting her,” Dan said, Leo giving him a quick punch.

“What?! What girls?! Why didn’t you tell me?! Jemima!” Chan called.

“Dad, don’t freak out,” Joey groaned.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“Tell you what?” Jemima asked.

“Who are these girls who are making fun of you?!”

“Dad,” the brothers’ groaned.

Jemima looked shocked, panicked, as though she’s been caught; trapped in a lie.

“Wh-What?”

“Dan said today that there were girls insulting you. Who are they?”

“Just my friends!” Jemima lied, though tears were starting to form in her eyes, “j-just leave me alone.”

She ran back up the stairs, Chan heading to go after her when you caught him.

“Stop,” you whispered, “I’ll go in a few minutes okay? You’re stressing her out too much.”

“We’ll keep an eye on her at school, Dad, it’ll be okay,” Joey reassured.

Though reassured at the safety of his daughter, Chan shuddered at how grown up his sons sounded, “alright, off to bed, school tomorrow.”

Joey rolled his eyes before putting on a fake high-pitched voice, “goodnight Daddy I love you!”

“Fuck off,” Chan laughed.

***

“Well?”

“Yeah,” you sighed, “she’s having a tough time.”

“Is she being bullied?”

“More like... made fun of,” you nodded, “and, this may be the hardest thing you’ll ever hear in the world—”

“Y/N,” Chan whined, “I’m already nervous stop hyping it up.”

“It’s because of you.”

“Me? What did I do?”

“Not you being a dad, but because you’re an idol,” you rolled your eyes, “it’s so obvious that everyone’s just jealous of her and her family and her life, but 11-year-olds being 11-year-olds, they take it out on her by poking fun at everything she does, especially when it concerns celebrities, money and you.”

“Okay,” Chan sighed, turning away from you as he laid down, “I’ll back away, then. God, I fucking hate 11-year-olds.”

“I know, babe,” you kissed his bare shoulder, slinging an arm round his waist, “I know.”

***

“For god’s sake, Jaeun, we all know your dad’s from Australia, you can stop reminding us,” the girl sat across from Jemima said; she had a roller in the front of her hair and was topping up her make-up, specifically her under-eye white eyeliner.

“I-I wasn’t—”

“Why don’t you just go back over there?” another girl scowled.

“Cause then her dad wouldn’t even be famous!” a boy from the next table joined in.

“Ya, Kim Yonghee, make-up’s not allowed at this school, hmm?” Leo said, walking over and moving the girl’s hand away from her face.

Yonghee tutted, “I’m surprised you can speak Korean.”

Leo backed away, exasperated.

“So it’s not just Jemima, huh? You’re even taking on my brother?” Dan asked, pushing Leo away.

“You’re helping me at all, mate, by physically dominating me,” Leo switched to English, Jemima giving him a quick kick.

“You think I’m intimidated by the same face?” Yonghee laughed.

Dan looked away, accidentally locking eyes with Seo Haein, sat only a couple tables away from Jemima, “this bitch, huh?”

“Dan, Leo, go away,” Joey scoffed, moving them over to stand guard of Jemima as he approached.

Yonghee and all the other girls at the table– and everyone else on the surrounding tables –stopped, stiffening and suddenly becoming intimidated.

Joey Bang was known around the school; he was one of the coolest, most handsome seniors there was. He was sporty, he was in the band, he was notoriously friendly and flirty when he wanted to be.

“Who are you?” Joey asked before flitting his eyes down to her name badge, “Kim... Yong... Hee?”

“Yes, I’m Kim Yonghee,” she bowed.

Joey frowned, “why are you giving me a formal introduction? I think I already know all I wanna know about you.”

Yonghee bowed, “sorry.”

“Why are you apologising to me?” he laughed, “my baby sister is hurt because of you. Because of all of you. And it’s not her fault is it?! You’re just all so jealous, aren’t you? Come on; apologise.”

“I’m sorry Jemima,” Yonghee bowed, “your dad’s so awesome and cool and you have a proper English name!”

Joey rolled his eyes, “groveller.”

“How the fuck did you get that out of her?” Leo asked as the brothers walked away.

“That’s not fair at all!”

[enbysiriusblack]

For writing suggestions, how about Harry having a friend pre-Hogwarts? a secret one from the Dursleys.

I got two ideas for this so I'll do one here and then I'll write the second idea and link it here afterwards

tw. bullying, violence, swearing

9 year old Harry was sitting alone at break time. The other classmates, being scared of from him due to Dudley's threats.

But, a new student came into class. A young boy from a poorer neighbourhood, and like Harry, his shoes weren't new and well fitted, his uniform was second hand like Harry's and he sported a small bruise on his left cheek.

And as usual when a new student came, Dudley and his friends bullied Harry even more. But, the new boy decided to step in.

Dudley and his friends were kicking Harry, as he lay on the floor, unable to get up and defend himself. The new boy came up to them.

"Howdy Folks, I love old Western films. Name's Leo." he said, a piece of straw coming out his mouth as he tipped forwards an imaginary cowboy hat.

They stopped at the intrusion, staring at the new kid with confusion, as Harry tried to hold in a laugh. Leo glanced to Harry, slightly moving his head in a way to tell Harry to run away.

And as Harry got up and ran, the gang's focus came back to him, and they ran after him. However, Leo tried to stop it again. Chasing after the gang, and slamming into Dudley so he fell over.

"Get off me, Shithead" Dudley yelled at him, pushing him off.

The rest of the gang had stopped running, awaiting orders from Dudley. And in the commotion, Harry turned to corner and was out of sight.

"Now we've lost him, thanks a lot" one of them said, pushing Leo back.

"You're acting like 7 year olds!!" Leo retorted, seeing it as a prime insult at the age of 9.

Dudley finally stood up, "we're acting our age. We're only young once in life" remembering what his mother had said to the neighbours whenever Dudley had done something immature.

Leo snorted, "yeah, but you're gonna be stupid for the rest of your life"

This comment caused a fight to break out amongst them, 1 v 5. And Leo started to walk home with cuts and bruises scattered around his body.

Out of nowhere, Harry appeared. "You should be more careful."

Leo turned to him, and started matching his pace. "They're dicks". Both kids, laughed at the rude word used.

The two walked in silence for a while till Leo turned to Harry, "want to play in the park?"

Harry shook his head, "if we hang out you'll get hurt even more by them."

Leo shrugged, "gues we'll keep it a secret then"

Harry grinned. "We can't go to the park though". Both boys frowned at not being able to go there until Leo got an idea.

"There's this junkyard a few blocks from my house, we could turn it into our own park!!"

So they set out for the junkyard and played for hours.

•

The next day at school, the boys had a plan. During class, Harry tapped Leo on the shoulder and asked to borrow a pencil.

Loud enough for Dudley and his friends to hear but not to loud so the teacher would, Leo replied "no! you four eyes pile of shit"

Dudley and his friends, looked to Leo and laughed at the insult, satisfied. While Leo and Harry grinned at each other at their completed mission.

•

The next months included Harry and Leo secretly hanging out till they knew everything about each other.

On a tire swing they had made one day, Harry turned to Leo and asked him "do you think I'm weird?"

Leo looked back at him. It was impossible to deny he was weird, being witness to him being able to do what should have been impossible. "Yeah, but so what? Everybody's a little weird"

They would try to stay away from their homes as much as possible, one day falling asleep next to each other in an old field. They received severe punishments when they got home, but it was the best day of their lives.

[skylarmoon71]

TMNT 2014/2016 Raphael x Reader- Fanfiction (Short Story)- Chapter 1

"Are you kidding me Mikey!" You winced hearing the smack the youngest turtle received from his angry brother.

"Dude chill out there's lots more pizza in the world. " Mieky was rubbing the back of his head. When Raph trudged past you, he glanced, the scowl still present on his face. You avoided eye contact, and he left, clearly still pissed. You moved to Mikey. "Are you alright?"

You reached up to check the back of his head, and he laughed. "No worries I'm fine. It's gonna take more than a smack to head to break me." He puffed his chest with a smile. And you couldn't help but smile too. Mikey was the easier for you to speak with.

When you met the turtles, it wasn't quite as adventurous as April's meeting.

~Flashback~

You were at your high school, and unfortunately for you, a couple of your classmates thought it would be funny to tie you up in the school's back yard against a pole. You were terrified, especially when it started to get dark. And because they'd wrapped your mouth with tape, you couldn't cry out for help. You were there for hours. You pretty much gave up struggling half an hour in, and prayed for anyone to find you.

It was cold, freezing. If someone didn't find you quick you probably wouldn't make it through the night.

That's when they showed up. At first you thought it was some kids trying to pull a prank, but when you saw the massive shell, every hair on your body stood up. You thought for sure it was an alien coming to eat your brains or something. So it completely surprised you when three more gigantic green turtles appeared from off the building. Landing quite easily on the ground from such a distance. The one with the blue bandana sheathed his alarmingly large blades, moving to you cautiously. When his eyes landed on you, he looked pretty torn.

For brain eating aliens they looked almost sorry for your predicament.

He stepped over, pulling the tape from your lips slowly. Even though you could speak now, words weren't forming. You were just staring. Blue was untying the ropes around your body from the pole. 

"Who did this to you?"

His voice was soft, and strangely caring. It took you awhile to realize that yes, there were indeed four mutants standing in front of you. And apparently they could talk. Actual English too. Well at least the blue one could as far as you knew. When you were free you probably should have bolted. Because maybe he was just saving you to eat you. 

You didn't know.

Blue took a step back, raising his arms when he saw the look on your face. You were assessing the situation, because not only were they large, but they also had weapons. Even without it, you were sure you wouldn't win a fight against them.

"We're not going to hurt you, I promise." Something about his voice was so calming. His eyes conveyed the same. If they wanted to attack you, they probably would have by now, right?

"T-Thank you.." you whispered. Your body was sore, and you were starving. You weren't sure how long you'd been out there. You're parents were probably having a heart attack trying to find you right about now. You felt a bit lightheaded. Your eyes drifted to the side. The one in the purple was clicking and typing at his little machine, or cell phone, you couldn't really tell. The other red one was closer to you, his arms were folding and he looked pretty scary compared to others. You took a step, and all at once you regretted it. Because your body felt weakened by the small action.

"Raph grab her she's going to-" you took a breath, staggering. Raph reached out on instinct, supporting your body when you slumped forward. 

"I've got you." he whispered. Through your exhausted haze, you could make out his beautifully glimmering green eyes. It was possible you were just imagining they were so bright. He lifted you into his arms slowly, and you didn't even fight.

"Her body is really weak. She's dehydrated and starved. We need to get her to a hospital." Your head twisted in the direction of the purple clad one.

"Who the shell would do something, she doesn't even look mean." Orange spoke.

"What's important is we get her help. I'm sure she has someone out looking for her. We can drop her off at the police station. They could help her. " Apparently blue was the leader, because they all just obeyed, taking off. If you weren't so out of it, the fact that were being carried on top of buildings and over ledges would be freaking you out right now. Your head lulls back, and your eyes try to focus on the faces of your saviors. "Who...are you.." the fact that you could still speak was a mystery to you. Red grinned down at you.

"Just call me Raph."

"Raph.."

That was the last thing you remembered before passing out.

~Present~

"Hey, you alright, you seem pretty quiet today. Even for you." You were sitting crossed legged with Leo in the dojo. He was really good at the whole meditation thing, you not so much. The reason he asked must have been because for the first time you didn't distract him with your humming, or constant fidgeting.

You blinked. "O-Oh, it's nothing really. I was just...remembering the first time I met all of you."

His blue eyes looked a bit more serious. You could see his body visibly tense, just a little. The memory always made him unsettled, that's why you rarely ever talked about it. When they got you to the police station that night, after ensuring you were safe, they left. You woke up two days later in the hospital with your parents at your bedside. When you regained consciousness you had to tell the police everything.

Of course you left out the mutant turtles part. Your parents apparently went berserk thinking you were kidnapped. Knowing your mother, she must have turned the entire precinct upside down. After that you made it your mission to find the guys who were the reason you didn't die that night from hypothermia. Well in this case, turtles.

"I can't say I feel bad for those kids. " Leo stated. Of course they faced consequences. All of those involved were expelled for endangerment. Since then you hadn't gotten bullied, you weren't exactly making friends though either. You didn't care. You had the turtles, and honestly they were far better than the majority of actual humans that walked the earth.

"The only good thing that came out of that night was meeting you guys."

"Meeting Raph.."

It shocked you, your interest in the hot tempered turtle. He was fiery and impulsive. Almost everything pissed him off and for the life of you, you couldn't have a conversation with him unless one of his brother's were present. You were a naturally shy person. And it didn't help that he was so vocal.

Deep down you sort of envied him. Even if he was a firecracker, he always said what was on his mind. He had no filter. And you supposed that's what you liked. His honesty. He wasn't afraid to say something even if it would hurt someone's feelings. You hated pretentious people. You learned your lesson after the very ones who befriended you at school turned out to be the ones who bounded you to the pole that night.

Leo could tell you were reminiscing on the past, and he found himself doing the same. Something must have triggered a happy memory, because he just started to laugh. You smiled.

"What?" you asked curiously, giggling softly at the sound of his laughs.

"It's crazy. There was a point where I swore you had a little crush on Raph. You were always staring at him. I guess you were just trying to get used to his mood swings. " He kept laughing, but your giggles halted, and your face tinged red. You gaped at him, mouth open, eyes wide. You couldn't believe he actually knew about it, hell you were still trying to figure out what you felt. But hearing it from him, out loud. It just made it more real. 

When Leo didn't hear your denial, or laughter he looked over. From you flustered expression, he came to a slow realization that his theory wasn't so crazy after all.

"No way.." you raised your hands, waving at him wildly. "L-L-Leo please don't say anything to him please!" You felt like you were about to cry. Because you were terrified, absolutely horrified he would tell Raph. And You couldn't deal with him giving you the cold shoulder. You already barely talked to the guy.

"H-Hey calm down I won't say anything I promise." he moved over to comfort you, and you fell into his arms, sniffling. You hated how easily you always broke down. Leo patted your back softly. When he felt you slowly calming down, he pulled back.

"I have to say, I didn't see that one coming. I mean if it were Mikey or Donnie I would understand. But Raph." You smiled, wiping your eyes and smacking his hand playfully.

"He's not that bad."

"Please, I grew up with the guy, I think I would know." you giggled, and Leo looked content seeing you smile again.

"If he ever gives you trouble let me know. I'll put him in his place." 

And Leo meant it too. Raph was his brother, no matter how much they got into squabbles, they would always be blood. But you were just as much a family to him as his brothers and Splinter.Ever since he saw you that night so weak and alone, he felt like it was his duty to protect you. 

And he would do that, even if it was from his own brother.

[miraclesnail]

1000 Ways and I Can Name You One

A thousand ways to tell the Stoll brothers apart and I can name you one. Travis and Connor centric oneshots featuring characters from PJO/HOO.

Chapter 32: Michael - Food 

Plus the whole 9.7k fic under the read more but with funky formatting 

Michael — Food

Michael (14) — Travis (13) — Connor (13)

Early June 2007

Pre Sea of Monsters

[8:07 AM]

The whole drive to Camp, Lee has been saying the weirdest things. 

‘This camp is special.’

‘This camp is for children of Greek gods and goddesses.’

‘This camp helps the said children harness the godly gifts inherited from said gods and goddesses.’

‘This camp is top secret and no matter what, you cannot tell your mother about Camp Half Blood. Not a word. Not a complaint. Not even a compliment. Michael? Are you listening? Ar—are you laughing?! Michael, I’m not joking around. This is not a joke.’

Did Michael take Lee seriously? Not at all. Not even to humor him. What does Lee take him for? An idiot? Like, he doesn’t really have many friends at school (none actually) but even he knows when someone is trying to pull a prank on him. Lee typically goes for jump scares, but it’s good to see him broaden his horizon and try new things. 

Yeah. 

Michael wholeheartedly believes Lee is 100% kidding around. 

It’s kind of a shock when he walks through the camp and sees flowers being grown in someone’s palms, men with hooves and horns trotting around, a goddamn girl rising from the lake like some kind of b-grade horror movie but minus the sunken eyes and gray skin and tattered white dress. 

It’s a big shock. Kinda earth-shattering actually. Very disorientating. It’s taking all his mental capability to process the fact that the Greek gods are real , that the Greek myths are real , that his atheist beliefs are all wrong and holy fuck?? God is real . 

It’s probably why when that SOB Shermie or Sherlock or whatever his name is picked a fight, he welcomed the easy distraction and picked one right back. 

In hindsight, he should have maybe exhibited more self-control. 

“He shoved me.”

The utter stare of incredulity has Michael quickly rephrasing his initial statement, fiddling with a loose string on his t-shirt. 

“He shoved me first. ”

“And so you decided to turn it into a slugfest?” Lee says, arms crossing as they stand on Cabin 11’s porch. 

“To be fair, to be fair,” Michael says, scrambling for excuses as his eyes dart from cabin to cabin, “to be really fair, that Sherm-guy started it.”

Lee didn’t buy it, not that Michael expected him too. 

“You promised me, Michael,” Lee says, disappointed, and Michael looks away with guilt. 

He did promise Lee. Right before they left the apartment complex, Lee explicitly said, “Promise me, Michael, that you’ll be on your best behavior?” And he said he will. 

“Mike, I don’t want any phone calls from the head honcho again, okay?” his mom said, exasperated. He said there wouldn’t be any.

“Mikey, please tell us all the fights you’ll get into!” his four little siblings — Leo, Raphie, Carly, and Sam — screamed together with cheeky, smug, knowing grins as he got into the car with Lee. He said ‘in your dreams.’ 

Not even one full hour and he failed two out of three. Possibly all three if Travis and Connor decide to hand his ass to the director. 

“I’m really sorry, Lee,” Michael says, head lowering, “I promise for real this time. I won’t get into any more fights. I swear.” 

Like clockwork, the frown and crossed arms drop for a bright smile and a hair ruffling, like he actually believed Michael can do it. Lee’s weird like that. He believes in people and their lies despite what their actions are saying, believes in him even with the 14 years of experience that Michael cannot follow through on that promise. 

It’s that same idealistic, stupid belief that has Lee clinging to the hope his birth mom will one day want to actually be a mom. 

Michael slinks back into the cabin as quietly as he can. Miranda catches his eye and waves him over, patting the empty spot next to her. Michael hesitates (still remembers the way she tosses a boy a whole head taller than her like nothing) but thought better of it. 

The promise, he thinks. Remember your promise. 

He sees Sherman sitting on Miranda’s other side. As he slides down to sit cross-legged, he’s mentally preparing himself for a jeer. But Sherman is just staring at Miranda, wide-eyed and star-struck and totally ignoring him which is perfectly fine with Michael. 

Miranda angles her body towards him, a slight smile on her face as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I just want to warn you that you’re in Connor’s bad book right now.”

“Should I be worried?” Michael says, glancing at the brothers talking on one of the upper bunk beds.

To which Miranda smiles sweetly. “You should keep your head down. I heard he gets a bit prank-crazy with people he doesn’t like.”

A sharp whistle brings his attention upfront. 

“Okay, so hey, everybody! Exciting first day, I know. Welcome to Camp Half Blood,” one of the pair says with a big grin, standing on top of the upper bunk bed. The other sits at the edge, feet swinging over. “We’re already late for breakfast so I’ll make this super-duper quick. My name is Travis Stoll. I am one of your head counselors. This is Connor, my little brother.” 

Connor waves, his smile matching Travis’s.

“I’m also your counselor. Any problems you guys have whether it be life problems, camp problems, prank problems, you can come to us. Lucky for you guys, you have two of us. Most cabins just have one,” Connor says. 

“Where’s Luke?” someone in the back yells. 

“Luke is gone now. If you see him, either in person or in a dream, tell us right away. Please come talk to me after this meeting if you want more details,” Connor answers, still cheerful but Michael kinda feels like his words are too curt. There’s definitely bad blood between this Luke person and them.

“Moving on,” Travis follows after, “the beds are all taken. Any more fighting over them will result in the instigator getting a timeout. For everybody else, sleeping bags are available and we will make room. Your stuff can be placed in the closet or tucked in your sleeping bag. I know this cabin’s patron is the god of thievery, but please show respect and decency towards your fellow cabinmates and don’t steal from each other. Steal from other cabins instead. Apollo’s kids are the easiest to steal from. So are Aphrodite’s if you want to practice before moving onto the big leagues. Athena’s and Hephaestus’s cabins are where the real challenge is.”

“What about the claiming rate? Someone said the gods would claim us more now,” a girl asks, standing from her sitting position with a bounce, hope in her eyes. 

“Uh, um...” Travis falters, looking down at Connor for guidance. It’s hard to notice but Connor bites his cheeks and just barely shakes his head.

“Claiming, yeah. I’m not too sure about that. I’ll talk with Chi — Tantalus about that. Tantalus is the activity director now in case you all don’t know,” Travis answers. 

There’s a chorus of groans. 

Someone grumbles, “It’s been years.”

“What happened to Chiron?” another asks.

“Temporarily relieved of duty due to, uh, an investigation of his effectiveness on the job. Which, if you ask me, Chiron has been doing a fantastic job of and we should all write a very strongly worded letter to Zeus to get him back on his job.”

A boy in front of Michael shoots his hand up. 

“I heard Luke went all ‘Anakin Skywalker’ on us and joined Kr—”

Connor blows an air horn and interrupts the boy before he could finish. Travis’s smile is strained as he says, “Okay, first rule on Camp Half Blood for the foreseeable future! No mentioning any of the bad guys by name. Names have power. Instead we will refer to him by initials. The evil titan guy will be called K.T. K for his first letter and T because he controls time.” 

“Can we change it to K.K. Slider?” the same boy says.

Beside him, a girl socks the boy in the arm. “No! How dare you sully K.K.’s name like this?”

But Travis is already jumping down his bed, landing with grace. “K.K. Slider it is. That’s all for the morning announcements. Now everybody gets in a straight line. We’re going to the pavilion for breakfast and it is the best thing ever. You can literally get whatever you want. All you need is the power of imagination. Well, imagination and common sense. Don't imagine something you won’t eat. It’s not a contest to create the grossest food.” 

Connor follows down after his brother with a grin and shrugs. “But if it was, I would win.”

Growing up, Michael is what everybody called a ‘problem child.’ Absolutely zero friends not helped by him picking and starting fights for the ‘smallest’ reasons. No remarkable talent except for his athleticism. Mediocre to poor grades due to inability to focus (and it doesn’t help that he’s dyslexic and that his teachers all hate him and that he has a homing device for all the school’s bullies). 

The teachers blamed his mother for his attitude and academic abilities. But they don’t know shit. His mother helps him with his homework after coming back from work. His mother searches for ways to help him manage his ADHD and dyslexia. His mother is raising five kids all by herself with zero help from his deadbeat dad. Going to their extracurricular activities, funding their education, making time to have game and movie nights. His mother is literally Superman for finding time to do all that across five children. No. Make that six. Mom always attends Lee’s band performances and includes him with all their activities and outings and supports him the way Lee’s own mom should be doing. 

Michael’s pretty sure his mom isn't the problem.

Besides his four younger siblings are literal angels. Clearly, the problem is him. Not his mother. 

That’s why going into high school he had every intention of becoming a better son, a better brother, and a better student. Set a better reputation for his family, you know?

Unfortunately, this whole mess with him being half-god kinda put a pause on his plans. 

And put every weird thing Lee ever did into perspective. 

That one time Lee slapped his brand new Nokia cellphone out of his hands and ended his cell’s short life by stomping the hell out of it? Those dozens of times Lee lectured him about not using technology with his stupid excuse of ‘it rots your brain, Michael. Don’t touch it,’ despite Lee himself using a phone and a laptop on a daily basis?? Those hundreds of times Lee excused himself from dinner, movies, and the middle of game nights to ‘use the bathroom’ and coming back with a thin layer of gold dust??? Those weird dreams he gets of standing on top of a broken, tethering bridge and falling thousands of meters to his death in a ravine and Lee saying, ‘it’s just a dream. Don’t worry about it’ with a high-pitched, forced laugh that says he should be worrying????

Now he sees what it was all about. Obviously a metaphor for the earth-shattering revelation of his heritage. 

He’s half- god . A demigod. Some part of him came from an immortal being.

It makes him see his dad in a whole new light. 

Like, Michael always knows his dad is an asshole, leaving his mom and whatnot. 

But now? Knowing his dad is a literal god in the Greek myths he read back in 6th grade? Those freaky assholes with their crazy sex adventures and ego-driven tantrums?

At least the fantasy asshole dad he had in mind didn’t commit mass genocide or is an egotistical, narcissistic jerk or had sex with their siblings, parents, animals, and who knows what else freaky shit the gods like to stick their dick in to. 

And the most bizarre thing is that he’s expected to honor them by throwing the best parts of his meal into the fire. 

Well, he’s not gonna.

“Throw your food into the fire, Mike,” one of his counselors says beside him as he tosses a bag of M&M into the flames. 

“Why should I?”

“So the gods don’t get angry,” says the other counselor, throwing half of his strawberries — Michael stares at the plate. It’s just strawberries. Nothing else. That’s not healthy — into the fire before turning to help the others. 

“They’re gonna threaten us if we don’t worship them? Sounds like a pretty unhealthy parent-child relationship,” Michael says. 

The one that tossed the M&Ms shrugs. “Just toss something in. It can be anything. Even something you ha— don’t care about. That’s what I do. I don’t think Hermes minds.” 

But what Michael hears is that this Hermes fella doesn’t give a shit. 

A small boy with round glasses wedges in between them, frowning, and tosses in a sausage link. “Don’t listen to Connor. You’re never going to be claimed if you listen to him.” 

Connor shrugs again. “Hermes hasn’t disowned me yet.”

“That’s because Hermes is busy with other things. The other gods don’t have a child plotting to usurp—” the kid starts to say but at Connor’s harsh nudging and loud cough and not so subtle nod towards the others in the pavilion and (kind of scary) glare, he shuts up. A second passes before the boy says to him, “Everybody likes to feel appreciated, Michael. Even gods. It’s good to remind them we’re here for them. Now more than ever.”

Michael frowns at the exchange. Child? Usurp? Usurp who? The gods? Yeah. Like that is even possible. 

“What were you trying to say—”

“So I see you got over your embarrassing loss,” Connor interrupts with this infuriating smug grin. “Man, I would have hidden my face for like a year after the way I kicked your ass.” 

And just like that, Michael forgets everything but that day back in March when he met the brothers. It’s an obvious bait and Michael just lunges for it like the dumb fish he is. 

“No, I kicked your ass. Kicked it all the way down the stairs,” Michael huffs at Connor’s heel as they walk to the table. Connor slides into the first open spot he sees and Michael sits down across from him, elbow to elbow to his cabinmates. They need a bigger picnic table. 

“Ass?” Besides Connor, Miranda’s head swivels to face them, her smile innocent but Michael knows better now. Behind that sweet smile is a demon. “Who kicked whose ass? ” 

“We met Michael back in March when we hopped in Lee’s car and we’re not using that language, Mikey,” Travis says, sitting down beside Connor slurping a mouthful of cereal. 

“So? Who won?” Miranda asks, leaning over to slide scrambled eggs onto Travis’s plate and picking off 75% of Travis’s many, many strawberries from his plate. 

Travis stares at the egg with disdain. “Connor won, of course. And I don’t want that. Take it back.” 

“Will said you need something more than just strawberries in the morning. Doctor’s orders. Disobey and you’ll feel his wrath,” Miranda says. 

For half-a-second, Michael thinks Travis is going to fight but he turns back in his seat and just grabs his fork. 

“There’s nothing wrong with just strawberries for breakfast,” Travis grumbles, stabbing his fork into the scrambled eggs. “Right? Nothing wrong with strawberries.”

“I think that depends on the quantity but don’t worry, Travis. I totally got you,” Connor says, pulling out a basket of strawberries and ducking from Miranda’s sudden lunge for it. With ease, Connor holds Miranda back while Travis indulges in his unhealthy obsession with a satisfied, blissed smile. 

Michael thinks of the half Travis threw into the fire and before he knows it, he’s saying, “You really love strawberries, don’t you?” 

Travis nods, mouth full. “Favorite food in the world.”

“Then you must like your—” 

But Travis’s eyes shoot to a girl entering the pavilion, heading straight towards the table with the plant-speaking kid, and Michael knows his words are falling on deaf ears. Travis nudges Connor and whispers into his ear, a shit-eating grin sprouting on Connor’s face as he looks over his shoulder. 

Miranda catches their grins and stands, yelling, “Katie, wait!”

But Katie sits down and Michael hears what is probably the world’s loudest, strongest whoopee cushion rip through the pavilion. Travis and Connor laugh as Katie stands back up, cushion in hand and face flushed tomato red.

“Welcome back, Miss Tattletale!” Travis yells. 

“That was months ago, you pieces of — of — fertilizers! Give me a break!” Katie roars. The ground rumbles as a tree sprouts beside the table, hooking Travis and Connor up by the back of their shirts. They’re way too calm as they’re dangling several feet in the air. In unison, both brothers pull out squirt guns and aim them at Katie. 

And it is definitely not water judging by the smell. 

[9 AM, Sword Fighting]

Lee said he was a demigod. That monsters are real. And that they sometimes must fight off the monsters that come to eat them. 

Michael never really thought about what it entailed. What they’re supposed to fight the monsters with. 

Dimly, he’s aware of his counselors talking. Something about introduction to swordsmanship and the bare basics plus safety today, then tomorrow they will be training with Ares? Apollo? ‘Some god with the letter A’ cabin and learning a few techniques. He isn’t really paying attention to them as he stares at the blade in his hands. 

It’s real. It’s a real, metal blade. And by the looks of it, everyone has one. Even the little 9-year-old. What the fuck? That’s how old the twins, Sam and Carly, are and holy shit. The thought of them with a real sword? The thought of them having to use it to battle some mythical monster? It's enough to make him vomit. 

“Michael? Michael, hey.” Someone is snapping their fingers in front of his eyes and he knocks the hand away, glaring at … at … well, it’s either Travis or Connor, staring at him blankly, but he can’t tell who’s who yet. They should have worn nametags. 

“What?”

“Have you ever used a sword before?”

Michael kinda felt it should have been obvious, but he shakes his head. 

“Okay, well imagine you’re holding a kitchen knife and you’re cutting some veggies for a veggie soup but instead of a broccoli, it’s a monster and instead of small dainty cuts, you’re making big, wide, full power slashes. So nothing like what I told you to imagine. Forget I said that. You want to grip it like this with both hands—” Connor (or Travis?) demonstrates and Michael mimics the action, “—for the most control. You can try one-handed but the strikes tend to be flimsy at best unless you’re gifted like Clarisse or Percy. You want to kill the monsters as fast and in one go as you can while still being safe. Here’s—” he is walked over to a hand-made, hand-stuffed dummy with straws sticking out its seams. A happy face on a yellow sticky note stuck to where it’s head is. “—a practice dummy for you. Give it a few swings and get a feel for the weapon. I’ll be right back with more pointers after helping everyone. You good to be by yourself a bit?”

Then Travis (Connor?) is leaving after Michael hesitates to say ‘no, I’m not good’, taking off with a thumbs up and a crooked grin.

Michael almost called him back, but they’re a big cabin.  Only a quarter of them have been gotten too, the other three-fourths goofing around while waiting their turn. Michael has never been to a summer camp before, nevermind one as strange as this, but he guesses they’re on a tight schedule. 

So he looks down, readjusts his grip, and swings, missing spectacularly, losing his balance, and nearly taking his eye out. 

[10:00 AM, Archery]

Michael didn’t need much help here.

The bow feels right in his hands. His body knows what to do, his arms pull back the bow like it has done this a million times and his first shot lands dead center in the bullseye. 

The next five shots are the same.

“Woah,” his counselor mutters, face scrunched in thought before it lightens up, blue eyes shining with a gleam. “You’re a natural. Hey, you wanna be the archery tutor? I’ve never seen anyone aim so well and had such perfect form. Not even Annabeth.”

Michael lowers the bow and tries to figure out how he did what he just did despite never once using a bow before in his life. 

[11:00 AM, Greek Mythology]

Michael knew Lee was a decent teacher, tutoring him in both English and Math, so it’s no surprise he’s decent at teaching Greek mythology too. All the campers are in the amphitheater with hand made wooden desks courtesy of the girl from breakfast. Lee is in the center with an overhead projector just having the time of his life explaining what each of the 12 Olympians plus Hades represents with a mind map. 

He tries to pay attention. He really did. He gets through listening to Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, and part of Demeter’s history before his attention is pulled away by Travis and Connor. They’re far away from the group, beside the cabins,  hunched over a … birdbath? It looks like they’re arguing to the birdbath, but Michael squints and with his perfect vision sees that there is a person. On the surface of the birdbath. A girl with blonde hair. There’s a girl in the water of the birdbath. 

There’s a girl. In the water. Of a birdbath. 

Maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised. Food pops into existence with a thought. A girl can grow fullass trees without blinking an eye. Miranda can toss a boy almost twice her weight over her shoulder.

So what if the camp has a Moaning Myrtle?

Before he knows it, Lee is done, Michael misses the other 8 Olympian’s tales, and everybody is packing up their notes to head back to their respective cabins.

They’re ending early to have enough time for a tour of the camp. Which is kind of telling where their priorities are when they hold training first over the tour. 

It’s kind of even more telling what the camp’s view of safety is when there’s a climbing wall that spews lava and when asked about why there’s lava, Travis and Connor say cheerfully in unison,  ‘it’s more exciting that way.’

“Hey, Travis,” a kid starts, tugging on one of the brother’s sleeves. 

“I’m Connor, but yeah?” Connor corrects, turning to face the camper.

“Um, I heard from someone in the Ares Cabin that because of us, we’re in war with Kro—K.K. Is that true?”

Connor smiles and shakes his head. “No. We didn’t do anything.”

He didn’t refute the war part though. 

And as if Connor hears his thoughts, he addresses the cabin, “You don’t have to fight if you don’t want to. But monsters are still a thing so you still have to go to the morning training. No way out of those. Sorry.”

[12:30, Lunch]

Michael is starting to think Travis is some kind of strawberry fanatic and that’s putting it lightly. 

There’s another concerning amount of strawberries on his plate coupled with a grilled cheese sandwich and a salad, yes, but that’s way too many strawberries for one day.

“No such thing,” Travis says, scraping half of his ungodly amount into the fire. 

“I think there is a limit though.” Connor shrugs, tossing a bag of M&M right after.

Michael follows them to the table, even more cramped now. Five new campers, unclaimed, arrived late because of road traffic. He tucks himself into the first opening he sees, shoulder to shoulder and elbow to elbow. Many inches too close in his opinion. 

“Travis,” Michael starts, thinking back to breakfast, “You’re claimed, right? You know who your godly parent is?”

“Yup, Hermes. God of Pranksters,” Travis says, stabbing his fork into a lettuce and turning to wave it at Lee’s table which is much more roomier. Lee catches the action and nudges a boy beside him with an elbow, snickering. The boy turns and rolls his eyes at Travis. 

“You like your dad, right?” Michael asks. 

A quarter of the cabin immediately stops talking and not really subtly turns to them. He’s pretty sure he’s breaking some sort of taboo. Not that it bothers Michael all that much. 

“Yeah, of course I do. He’s pretty cool,” Travis responds, rolling a cherry tomato around with a fork and not looking him in the eye. 

“Why?” It feels like everyone in the cabin is staring at them now, but even then Michael can’t stop.

“‘Why?’” Travis repeats, twirling the fork. Michael can’t help but notice Connor gripping his fork tighter and he has a vivid image of the boy stabbing it into him. Connor seems like the type. “He’s my dad. I think I’m supposed to like him.”

“But he never talked with you though, right? He has never been there for you. How could you possibly like him?”

Travis shrugs. “He’s a god. He’s probably busy.”

Michael frowns. His mom is busy too. Granted, busy with normal things like a job but she still finds the time to tuck his siblings to bed. Still finds the time to cook breakfast and dinner for them. Still finds the time to make movie nights. Still tell them every day, without fail, that she loves them. Is still there for him and his siblings. 

“So it doesn’t bother you? The way your relationship is with him right now?” Michael pushes. 

Travis fidgets with his strawberries, muttering something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like French. 

“What was—” Michael starts to say, but Connor glares, hard. Michael thinks he can see the promise of pain and suffering Connor will inflict upon him. Guess he’d just written his name in Connor’s bad book in Sharpie. 

“Look, Michael, it’s the social norm around here to not talk about our godly parents. Especially in ways that demean them.”

Social norm? Like he cares about something as trivial as that. 

“I just want—”

“Drop it, Michael. Travis’s relationship with our dad is none of your business,” Connor snaps. 

Travis is quiet, a hand resting on a cheek as he stabs into a strawberry, red juices spattering over lettuce and grilled cheese. 

“I want his approval. He’s my dad. What kid doesn’t want their parent’s approval?” 

Lee pulls him aside as lunch wraps up, leading them a bit away from the others.

“Michael, can you chill with the public grilling for a bit?”

“I just don’t get the worship around here for them though,” he argues. 

Lee falters, thinking about his words. “Michael, for some of us, our godly parent is the only one that cares.”

“Wait, are you saying your dad talks to you here?” Michael says. He doesn’t really know what the whole deal is going on with Lee and his mom, but he knows enough to know that Ms. Fletcher deserves the worst mom of the century award. 

Lee frowns a bit and shakes his head. “We talked once when I was claimed but other than that, no. Not really. And none of my half-siblings said anything to me about him either. But he’s already doing so much more than the other gods.”

“Really? Like what?” 

And Lee answers without hesitating, “He claims us as his.”

Michael recalls the talk before breakfast and the questions. About claiming. About waiting. About giving up. The bitterness in their voices. The longing. The yearning. And a sinking feeling grows in the pit of his stomach. 

“How long did it take for you to be claimed?” he asks. 

“I was claimed the second I stepped onto Camp. Apollo tends to be rather fast when it comes to claiming his children. The longest he ever went without claiming is one week. Demeter claims fast during the fall and winter months when Persephone is away. Hephaestus takes on average a month or so to claim.”

“And the slowest god at claiming?” 

Lee’s eyes narrow in thought. “Let’s see… Ares, Athena, Aphrodite, and Hermes seem to be the slowest.”

“How slow?”

“Slow as in… months, years.”

“Why?”

Lee looks away in discomfort. “Who knows? We shouldn’t speculate though. That’s just asking for a curse.”

He catches up to his cabin gathering for the next event and when he asks around about the claiming rate, he gets a mixture of answers. 

“Because we’re not their favorites,” Miranda says cheerfully, while arm-wrestling (and clearly winning) with a flushed Sherman. 

“Because we have to prove ourselves first,” the kid with the glasses states, eyes fixed on his shoes.

“Because they forgot we existed,” others say. 

“Because they want something from us.”

“Because they don’t want the responsibilities of a parent.”

“Because they don’t care.”

“Because they don’t think we’re worth it.”

“It’s because they suck ass,” one of the older campers says with dead serious eyes as Travis chokes on his strawberry, tossing the rest of the fruits into the fire, plate and all. 

“Shh! Celise, you’re gonna get cursed! Everybody, no bad-mouthing the gods or you’ll be turned into a snail and as cute as snails are, I like you all as humans.” 

The camper shrugs and whispers, it’s true . 

Trust me, they whisper next as they’re pulled aside by Travis’s frantic tugging.

They don’t care.

All of this is truly making him appreciate the gods more. 

Connor whistles for everybody’s attention, standing on top of a rock with a piece of paper. 

“It’s free choice from now until 3:30. Each counselor is hosting a different event. Travis and I are doing canoeing. Silena will be hosting horseback — that needs to be changed to pegasi — riding. Malcolm, you will take over for Annabeth since she isn’t here yet for the intro to Origami. Katie will be watching over the wall climbing. Lee, intro to guitar and lyres. Beckendorf, intro to welding. Pollux will be taking over Clarisse’s place at the arena for additional sword and archery lessons. And Castor will be teaching DIY soda. Here’s a map for each of you where everything is. Any questions? Yes, you, in the back. Hao, right?”

Michael takes the map, finds Lee’s name, finds the corresponding location, and then crumples the flimsy paper in his hands. 

But before he can walk away, Miranda is there in front of him and tugging him by the arm with a beaming smile. 

“Follow me for a sec? I want to show you something. It will be quick, I promise.” 

 [1:30 PM, Free Choice]

“Everybody gets a celestial weapon,” Miranda explains as they walk to the armory, “It KOs the monster and turns them into gold dust if it nicks them in the flesh just enough.”

Gold dust… like the gold dust Lee comes back sometimes covered in? 

She leads him to an unassuming building beside one of the cabins, opening the door and revealing shelves stocked full of weapons. Miranda strides to the back without a double-take. Like it’s normal for a summer camp with children to have a stockpile meant for war. 

“Do you have a preference?”

“I… uh…”

“Want some help? Based on what I saw in training, I think you’re better suited with something long-range. You looked uncomfortable with a sword. Aha! What about this?“

Then Miranda pulls out a rifle from one of the boxes. 

Michael stares at it for a full second, wondering if he’s imagining it, wondering if Miranda is kidding, wondering if this whole day is just one big funny dream. But, no, Miranda remains standing there with a big ol’ grin and rifle in hand and waiting for them to say something.

“No.”

“What? Why not?”

“First of all, it’s a gun. Second of all, I share a room with two of my siblings who get into my shit all the time. Third, my mom would literally kill me if she sees me holding a rifle. And fourth, it’s a fucking gun .”

”It’s okay. This is a magic rifle. If you engage the safety and remove the magazine clip, it turns into a telescope.” Miranda demonstrates it for him and would you look at that. It actually became a telescope. “See? No problem. Mom won’t find out and plus! It actually works as a telescope! You can go stargazing with this thing and also kick any monster-butt.”

“What happens if it goes off and a bullet hits someone?”

“That’s okay too. The bullets are made of celestial metal. It can’t harm mortals.”

“But it’s a gun. And I don’t have a license.”

Miranda shrugs. “You can’t kill a mortal though. I don’t think you need a license if you seriously can’t hurt anyone. But if you don’t want a gun, then we can get you a bow. Apollo’s cabin is full of them. Come on.”

And as Michael follows Miranda out, he mutters under his breath, “Why are you all like this?”

Miranda laughs, spinning around her heels to face him. 

“And you’re like a completely normal kid. If you didn’t pass the barrier, I would have thought Lee brought someone fully human.” 

[2:20 PM, Free Choice]

“What is that?”

Lee does only a cursory glance at where Michael is pointing before going back to tuning his guitar engraved with his name and last initial on the Big House’s porch. “It’s Thalia’s Pine. Someone poisoned it unfortunately. A couple years ago a girl sacrificed herself to save her friends. Her father turned her dying body into a magic tree that protects all of camp. We’re trying to fix it, but it’s kinda slow-going right now.”

“That’s cool. That’s cool, but I’m talking about that .” 

And Lee really looks at where Michael is pointing at. A … well, he doesn’t want to say robotic because there’s no way a robot can move that fluidly, but fine. A metallic bull the size of an elephant is charging towards them, running full speed but going nowhere. It’s like an invisible wall is holding it back. Just a bit aways are five people in a line in full bronze armor and a variety of weapons with two more people running towards them. A girl with a gruff voice is ordering to get into position. 

“Is this some sort of play?” Michael asks, waiting for Lee’s answers but when there’s none, he turns to face him. “Lee?” 

Lee is pale. His guitar falls out of his hands as he stands. 

Michael tenses, alarmed. “Lee?” 

“Shit,” Lee curses for the first time ever. “Fuck.”

Now Michael is really worried. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?” 

Lee whirs to face him and Michael doesn’t like the fear, the panic he sees in Lee’s usually calm eyes. 

“Michael, Beckendorf is in the forge. Get him first. Tell him there is a Colchis Bull at Half Blood Hill. Then go get Travis and Connor next — Hey? Michael, are you there?”

A second bull crashes into the invisible wall and they break through. They’re breathing fire. People are being set on fire. People are having their armor melted off. People are being burned. People are being trampled on. People are— 

“Michael!” Lee shakes him hard by the shoulder. “Don’t look at it. Just go run and get Beckendorf.”

Then he’s forcibly turned around and pushed away to the sound of terrified screams and dying cries.  

[3:00 PM, Free Choice]

So that’s a monster. 

And he’s expected to fight one of them? 

The guy who took out the first bull —Percy he thinks is the name — Percy did it with a little help with a flame-resistant man and Percy is about the same age as him. And Clarisse took out the second bull all by herself. So it’s definitely possible. With training and maybe a bow instead of a sword, Michael can do it. 

He can do it. 

…

Just because it’s possible, doesn’t mean it’s right. Doesn‘t mean it’s normal and fuck. 

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. 

How can anyone not see how messed up this whole thing is? Monsters exist and they eat twerps like him? They’ll hunt him for as long as he lives? He’s always going to have to watch his back? He’s always going to have a weapon on him? This is what his day will be like every day? This is normal?  This is what being a demigod means? 

From the porch of the Big House, Michael watches Travis and Connor, amongst a few others with just as many beads on their necklaces, triaging the injured. Passing around nectar bottles and ambrosia brownies, helping them stand, checking their wounds all with an air of professionalism.

They were trained for this. They prepared for this. 

Michael doesn’t like that little fact. 

And speaking of little facts he doesn’t like, one just sits down next to him. When he’s not standing around like a dumbass, he goes to get more nectar bottles from the infirmary where a team of two people is running around tending to the patients. One is Lee. The other, and the clear leader, is the boy in blue scrubs and yellow flip flops. The kid barked orders left and right, telling people where to go, where to place the patients, how to treat the minor wounds until he can get there, basically keeping everything orderly and efficient, all with this air of confidence and calmness. It would have been very reassuring if the kid himself wasn’t this little, baby-faced 11-year-old.

And said 11-year-old is now sitting down beside him, downing a bottle of water then downing half a bottle of red Gatorade. 

Michael is starting to see why Lee doesn’t want his mom to know where Camp Half Blood is. If she ever visited and saw how the camp is being run primarily by pre-teens and teens… well… she’ll probably lose it. 

“Hey,” the kid says.

“Hey,” Michael replies, cautiously. 

Then, silence.

The most awkward silence he has ever experienced as they just sit side by side. 

The kid takes another sip from the Gatorade. 

“You’re Michael, right? You’re Lee’s upstairs friend?”

Michael bristles at the words. “How did you—“

“When the cabins burned down, we stayed at Lee’s apartment for a couple days,” the kid explains, staring at Travis and Connor milling about the battlegrounds. He fidgets with a bandaid on the back of his hand. “This is going to sound really weird, but I thought I heard his voice and your last names match so it might not be my imagination. But do you have a younger brother named Raphael?”

“Yeah, I do. How do you know that?” Michael says, trying and failing to tone back the defensiveness in his voice. God please don’t let Raphie be a demigod like him. 

The kid breaks into a big smile and it really makes him look like the child he is. “We used to be in a class together with Mrs. Rem. How is he by the way? Is he still watching Ninja Turtles? What did he think of the newest episode?”

Distantly, from a dinner chat a long time ago, Raphael mentioned a ‘Will’ who left class because of a stomach ache and was never seen again. He remembered Raphael being really worried. He remembered Raphael even saying that ‘Will doesn’t ever get sick’ and he remembered dismissively saying, “Don’t worry. The kid’s probably fine.” 

There’s no way the kid next to him is that Will. It has to be a coincidence. It got to be. Forget how this kid knows Raphael is a fan of Ninja Turtles. It’s a popular show right now. Somewhere, in this 6.6 billion populated planet, there’s got to be a Will and a Raphael who both go to the same school with a 5th-grade teacher named Mrs. Rem and both watch Ninja Turtles and both love Raphael the sai-welding turtle.

“You went to Hodgkins Elementary School?”

“Yeah.” 

There’s still a chance this is all a coincidence. 

“Your favorite turtle is Raph?”

“Well, it’s Leo now but I used to like Raph.”

Still a coincidence.

“And your name’s Will?”

“It is.”

Just one big coincidence. 

“And you left the classroom—” Michael wracks his brain — when, when did Raphael talked about the kid? — “Because of a stomach ache back in October?” 

For a minute, Will is silent. A minute filled with nothing but the whistle of the wind and commanding yells of campers. Will chuckles, low, as the plastic bottle crinkles in his hands. But when Will speaks, his voice is carefully blank, devoid of emotion. “Not exactly, no. I saw something strange at school that nobody could see and I called my mom, er, my aunt. But she raised me so I considered her my mom. She said to get out, even if I have to lie. So I did. A stomach ache was the easiest to fake. She picked me up from school. I think she was going to take me to camp. But on the drive here… a cyclops showed up and totaled the car. We ran. She told me to go ahead and get help. And I did. Without looking back. I found Lee and he took care of the cyclops but mom… ” 

The kid’s voice is still blank. Emotionless. 

“She died because of me.”

A bitter smile. 

“Because I was too weak. Because I was too scared.”

The bottle bursts in his hand, the red dripping off his hand and staining his scrubs. 

“No one is ever going to die because of me. Not again. Not ever.”

The kid leaves, running back inside when someone screams bloody murder and another voice yells, “Solace!” 

(“Will’s last name was on our vocab lists,” Raphael had said a long time ago. “Solace. It means comfort. That’s so cool. No way can I forget that.”)

Michael continues to sit there, watching the battlefield empty out one camper at a time until everyone injured has been attended to. 

(“She died. Because of me. Weak. Scared.”)

Weak. He understands. Too scared. He understands that too. He experienced all that today with the bulls. 

If it had been at home with his family, at school with his classmates, even at the park with random strangers, what would have happened? He would have fought, right? Adrenaline would have kicked in and he would do something. Or would he have frozen? Just like he did today? Just stood there, watching his family be stomped and kicked and lit on fire until someone kicked him into gear? (“Run, Michael. Don’t look back.”)

No. 

No. Fuck no. Three months. He has three months of this summer camp / orphanage / ‘let’s-all-become-child-soldiers-together!’ hellhole.  He has three months to kick this stupid deer in the headlights reaction. 

(“She died because of me.”)

He’s not going to let anyone die.

[5:00 PM, Free Time]

He finds them in the cabin, one slumped on the bed with an arm over his eyes and the other sitting at the foot with a sketch of the cabin in one hand and a pencil in the other. 

They’re talking about something secret because as soon as Michael slams the cabin door open, their conversation stops. He catches the last sentence though. Are the nightmares getting worse? And god, if these two are okay with everything that just happened today, just handled it all with a face that says this is nothing, then Michael doesn’t want to know what kind of nightmares are troubling them. 

“What’s up?” Connor or Travis, the one on his back, asks, trying and failing to get upright. The arm moves and tired eyes peek at him from underneath. 

“Is it Lee? Does he need us again?” the other asks, tossing the drawing under the bed. 

“You said, whatever problems we have, we can come to you two,” Michael starts. 

They nod together in sync. 

“Then I want you guys to train me until I drop dead. Now until the end of summer.”

[6:00 PM, Dinner]

He barely has his food on the plate when a bright light shines over his head. Flashy. Illuminating. Almost eye-blinding. Michael looks up, squints, and sees the sun with 21 arrows surrounding it, representing the sun’s rays. 

Distantly, he’s aware of a bored voice proclaiming him as a child of Apollo. But all he’s really focused on is his cabin’s, ex-cabin now he guesses, reactions. He can see all their faces down the line. Most are happy. They smile and cheer for him, patting on him on the back and congratulating him. But he can see it, beneath their grins, beneath the genuine elation, is frustration, jealousy, longing. 

(“It's been years.”)

Travis, with his pile of strawberries, bumps him in the shoulder with his own. “Hey, congratulations. Apollo cabin is a lot roomier than ours so you get to actually sleep on a bed.”

Connor nods, tossing an M&M bag into the flames. “Too bad you’re gonna miss the experience of being crammed like sardines on the floor. It’s actually pretty cozy.”

Michael frowns as he conjures up a PB and J sandwich exactly how Mom would make it, cuts it into halves, and toss it in . “Are you guys still going—”

“We’ll still help you,” Travis interrupts, but his smile is impish, borderline devilish.  “But—”

“It comes with a price now.” Connor follows with a just as sordid grin. “Two conditions. One, you have to help us with archery. We’re not bad but we’re not good either and could use a bit more work. Annabeth and I have this sparring contest every week to see who is more proficient in what weapon. She beats me every single time when it comes to archery, but that’s ending this year. And two, you have to be our inside man.”

“Inside man?” Michael asks, already kind of knowing what that means.

“Let us into your cabin. Help us set up pranks in your cabin. Tell us everything we want to know about your cabin. You know. That sort of thing,” Travis says flippantly. 

And before Michael can reject, accept, do literally anything, Travis turns around and walks to the table with this unbearably cheerful hum. “Will is going to regret ever messing with my diet.”

Connor falls in step with a fond smile. “But seriously, Will has a point. You need to balance your meals a bit more.”

For such nice people , Michael thinks as he’s corralled towards the Apollo table by an ecstatic Lee , they can be such dicks. 

[7:00 PM, Volleyball]

“Hey, Lee, when did the monsters start coming for me?” Michael asks as he twirls the volleyball in his hands once, twice and tosses it to Lee. In the background, Michael can hear the yells and cheers of the far more serious, far more competitive match going on. Apparently, there’s a tournament between the cabins and the winner gets bragging rights and no cabin inspection next month. 

Lee isn’t participating. “Our cabin is always clean and orderly,” he had said with pride, though that didn’t stop his half-siblings ( my half-siblings) from making a team and participating. 

“Eh? The monsters? Uh, l-last year,” Lee says, fumbling the ball just like he’s fumbling the lie. 

So it’s been more than a year. 

Michael bites his cheeks as he bends his knees and extends his arms to bounce the ball back.

“And you’ve been taking care of them all this time?” 

“Well, not all of them,” Lee admits, catching the ball with both hands. “A lot of them went away on their own.”

Liar , sings his guts. He’s lying . 

Because Lee is way too nice. Way too selfless. Way too noble to tell the truth that would most definitely hurt. 

“Why? Why didn’t you take me to camp earlier? When the monster started coming? Why now?” he bites out, just barely holding back the snarl. You could have saved yourself years of pain, years of trouble. 

“Because…” Lee looks over to the courts, to where Travis and Connor are arguing with Annabeth (the moaning myrtle girl, Michael realizes). Something about which team Percy should be on. 

(“Your dad is the god of Athletes. Your cabin already have an advantage.”)

(“Okay, but consider this, only Travis and I are claimed. Everyone else on the team could be anyone’s child. And your team is completely made up of god-tier and gifted strategists.”)

(“Your #4 is literally speaking ten languages. He’s got to be a son of Hermes.”)

(“That is a stereotype. Abraham could just be remarkably smart.”)

Lee’s eyes go back to him. “Because I wanted you to have a normal life, to know that there’s more to life than just this. Besides, I’ve been watching you for years. You learn how to do something like it’s nothing after a few minutes. It’s kind of ridiculous and I am lowkey jealous. But if you feel like you’re not ready, I can always—”

“Shut up, idiot. You’re not dropping out of school for me,” Michael grumbles, Lee’s stupid chuckle not at all comforting. 

“I heard you guys are in a war,” Michael says, “Are you fighting in it?”

Lee serves the ball over, high and easy to hit. “Yeah. It feels wrong not to.”

And Michael spikes it back as hard as he can. “But you’re going to college in a few months.”

Lee shrugs, easily leaning forward and kicking it back high into the air for another easy hit. “Julliard is close enough to camp.” 

Michael catches it, tucking it under an arm. “That’s not what I meant. What’s the point of going to college if you might lose an arm or leg fighting in this stupid war? You should just focus on school.”

Lee laughs of all things. “That’s nothing. Will fixed worse.”

Michael bristles at Lee's casualness. “Well, if you’re gonna fight, then I am going too.”

Lee laughs again, tenser this time. “You think your mom is gonna let you?”

“She lets you!”

“Because she doesn’t know what I’m doing. And I’m not the one living with her. Besides, do you even know what we are fighting for?”

“Of course, I do! The enemy is K—” Crap. He never got the full name or title of the bad guy. And somehow he feels like saying Cabin 11’s made up name isn’t going to make Lee take him any more seriously. “I’ll learn more about it. Besides, you���re a great guy. I’m sure you’re fighting for the good guys.”

“Michael, your faith in me is nice but getting involved without knowing the full story is dumb. You’re not fighting.”

“Yes, I am.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Yes, I —”

Lee’s face hardened the way it does when he’s mad or worried or dead serious. Like that one time Leo microwaved a spoon. Like when Raphael tried to jump down a flight of stairs for a dare. Like when Carly and Sam ran onto the streets without looking. And crap. Michael is 14, practically an adult. He shouldn’t be cowing under Lee’s hard stare anymore. But he is and he’s (slightly, only just slightly) scared. 

“No, you’re not,” Lee says, “Because I don’t want you to fight when you have so little experience. Because your mom will literally kill me if something, anything happens to you. Because something bad will happen to you if you do join this fight. So no. You’re not going to fight. You’re not going to participate. You’re only here to train and enjoy camp life.”

“Fine. Fine. I won’t,” Michael grumbles, ducking his head. “Sheesh, you make it sound like if I join, the camp is done for.”

The hard stare melts back into that familiar, soft, (almost) carefree aura with a shrug and small smile. “I just have a feeling. It’s good to trust your instincts.”

And my instincts are telling me right now that you need to quit. But Michael is pretty sure Lee won’t appreciate it and moves the conversation to the climbing wall and why it’s on fire. 

[9:00 PM, Campfire Song]

“Mom,” Michael says, the phone pressed against his ears. He looks out the window, watching the vibrant flame of the bonfire climb high into the starry skies and the circles of cheerful campers surrounding it. 

“Michael, I was wondering when you would call. How’s camp? Do you like it?” 

“Camp is…Camp is great. Lots of activity. Really unique. I—” I like it dies on his tongue. He doesn’t like it. He might have if there was a bit less training. Luckily his mother didn’t catch that pause.  

“That’s great! Made any new — Carly Yew, are those markers I see in your hands? You better not draw on the walls. Get some paper, baby, okay? Made any new friends?”

“A few.”

“You should invite them over! We can have a nice little movie night together.” 

Michael frowns as he recalls someone, somewhere, saying not to gather in more than threes outside the barrier. It attracts the monsters apparently and Michael isn’t about to test that. “They can't. They’re busy. They’re like—um—they’re head counselors, you see, and have a lot of duties.” Like practically running the camp but he doesn’t think Mom would appreciate knowing that. 

“Well, it’s nice to see you make friends even if they’re a bit older.”

Are Travis and Connor older than him? Possibly. They exude confidence that no normal teen has. Or maybe they have just been here for a long time. And that is all kinds of sad. 

His mom asks him about his day, what he did, if he has something he really likes, and for the next hour, Michael goes into a heavily censored, G-rated, parent-safe tale of his first day at Camp Half Blood. It could have been worse. On his way to the Big House to use the phone, he overheard an older boy telling a couple newbies how a kid fought a Minotaur on his first day here and a girl having to sacrifice herself for her friends. 

Wow, it would suck to be them. 

[11:00 PM]

He meets dad in his dreams. 

Michael doesn’t know why, but he thought Apollo to be a refined god. A serious god. A graceful god. 

Instead he sees a teenager sporting pilot shades and leaning on a flaming red sports car in the dingy parking lot of Camp Half Blood with the early morning sun just breaking the horizon. 

“Dad?” Michael says, (who else could it be?) but still not really sure. “Uh, Apollo?”

And the teen waves, flashing a smile that nearly blinds him. “Michael! It’s so good to finally meet you.”

Before Michael could react, the teen — Apollo — dad — pulls him into a crushing hug that knocks all the air out of his lungs.

Apollo is strangely… warm. But not overbearingly warm. Warm like first snuggling into bed under the covers. Plus he smells like laurel leaves, sweet and bright. And Michael has a vivid flashback of his mom — younger, much much younger —  in the hospital bed smiling at a man in his mid-twenties with a bundle of sheets in his arm.

Michael blinks as Apollo pulls away, holding him at arm's length and looking him up and down with a musing stare. 

“You resemble your mom more than me,” Apollo says with a nod, “Most of my children tend to take after my looks, but you’re different, Mike. I have to say, I like it! I can’t stay long. Godly matters I have to attend to, you know? Here, I got you a gift for making it so far in life. Tell Audrey I miss her and think sweetly about the time we spent together.” 

Apollo is pressing a guitar into his hands with his name engraved in the body and stepping back to get into his car. It’s exactly the same as the guitar Lee has except for the engraving. So not unique by any means. But it is a gift. And mom would kill him for rejecting a gift. It’s rude she says, but Michael doesn’t care about Apollo enough yet to give a fuck. Besides if Lee’s experience is anything to go by, this is probably the last time he’ll ever talk to his dad. He needs to make this moment count for something. 

“Wait.”

Apollo pauses just as the engine roars to life, purring sweetly and the window rolled down. 

“I want to ask for something else.”

Apollo blinks and Michael can see the inkling of annoyance in the young face, but Apollo nods and says without a lick of irritation in his voice, “Sure, shoot.” 

“I want you to spend more time with Lee.” Then Michael has a realization. “You know who Lee is, right? The oldest one in the cabin? About to go to Julliard? Want to become a teacher?”

Now Apollo is definitely irked, a telltale wrinkle in his brow. Michael can now add ‘gods’ to the list of people he can make pissed off. “Of course I know Lee, my little music enthusiast child. How could I not? But I’m a God, Michael. There’s only so much free time I have.”

“Then just a few minutes a week, or even a month. So he knows you care.”

Again a slight scowl, but it lingers for a few seconds more. 

“I do care but okay. Okay, I will.” Apollo shifts the car into drive still a little annoyed. Michael thought that was it. Any minute now he’s going to wake up and start the day, but Apollo sighs, leans back in the leather seat, and hangs an elbow out the window. “Michael, you’re so much like your mother. Caring. Gutsy. Compassionate. It’s crazy how much you resemble her. You’re going to do great things. You’re—” The annoyance drops and for a brief second, Apollo looks grief-stricken. And once again, Michael dreams of falling, of a bridge, of a boat wafting through a chasm of fire. But Apollo smiles that blinding smile, fond, and shakes his head. 

“Don’t worry so much about your family. They’re going to be fine. You’re going to be fine.”

Michael wakes up just as the car drives off, his gut itching. 

Apollo is lying to you.

[monsieur-hadrien]

Quarantine Harry Potter Fanfiction *READING LIST*

I’ve spent the past months reading copious amounts of fanfiction and now my amount of AO3 bookmarks is absurd. I really need to share these because if I don’t I think I might implode. Drarry-centric but not all!

These are in no particular order nor is there a particular time frame that these were all posted. I have a little bit of everything in here just you wait.

On Punching Gods and Absentee Dads by Enigmaris 

56 Chapters, 247k Words, Complete, no slash, T Rating

Marvel, Norse Mythology, Harry Potter Crossover

TW: Past Abandonment

Harry finds out that his dad is alive, has been the whole time. Instead of being overjoyed, Harry's disgusted. His dad left earth and abandoned his friends. Every painful thing he's ever gone through can be traced back to one man. Now Harry's got super strength he can't control and an almost unnecessary amount of magical power. His dad might be living it up with the Avengers now but not for long. With the help of his friends, Harry comes up with a plan for revenge. Get ready Avengers, Harry's out to punch a god.

We’re starting off strong with a Marvel crossover fanfic wow. Who knew that crossovers could be done tastefully as 2013 Wattpad kind of ruined it for us. However, this fic changed my mind! This fic is funny as fuck and is just a goodass time. I love a good multi-chapter fic (as you’ll soon see) and this one is a showstopper.

The Man Who Lived by sebastianL

42 Chapters, 254k Words, Complete, Draco/Harry, E Rating

TW: Major Character Death, Graphic Deptictions of Violence

Draco breaks a cup, and one thing leads to another. A story of redemption, tattoos, dreams, mistakes, green eyes, long conversations, and copious amounts of coffee.

With all of the Black Lives Matter protests happening right now, I think that this fic is super relevant. Draco has moved to New York City and is working as a receptionist at a tattoo shop and a mentor for inner city kids, but he accidentally gets forced to work out his differences with Harry, who at this point hates his guts. This fic is pretty serious, tackling themes of mental health, suicide, and police brutality. Every OC in this story is completely lovable and I cried my eyes out many times. When people ask me for a fic reccomendation this is the one I give people. Dare I say that this is my all-time favorite fic.

Warm Bodies by Betty_Hazel

Work in Progress, 37 Chapters as of 6/12/2020, 108k Words, Draco/Harry, E Rating

TW: D/s Dynamics, Graphic Porn, Dubious Relationship with Food

Draco Malfoy has spent his whole life wanting to go down on his knees for other men, and that's by far the least of the depraved things he fantasises about. He's wanted it all for so long that he's stopped believing that there might be someone out there who might be able to give it all to him; it comes as something of a surprise to find that maybe Harry Potter can, and that maybe Harry's looking for something too.

ALRIGHT MY PORN LOVERS THIS ONE IS FOR YOU! Don’t lie I know you’re horny. Somehow this fic is so fucking gorgeous and sweet yet so sinfully hot. It’s literally two boys who have never felt like their emotional needs have been satisfied learning to help and love each other like how much more wholesome does it get. I mean it’s all fine and wholesome until you get to the kinky sex which is WONDERFULLY WRITTEN MIGHT I ADD! I always say that if porn can make you feel something other than just horny, you’ve found a winner, and this story does just that.

Definitely check all the tags and I mean all the tags before you read this, but this is definitely one of my favorite porn with plot stories.

Running On Air by eleventy7

17 Chapters, 75k Words, Complete, Draco/Harry, T Rating

TW: No Archive Warnings

Draco Malfoy has been missing for three years. Harry is assigned the cold case and finds himself slowly falling in love with the memories he collects. 

Might I just say that classics are considered classics for a reason. This is one of those stories that has the vibe of high school summer after senior year where all you do is try to escape reality and figure out your place in the world. While the plot is wonderful and the characters are great, I think what shines the brightest from this story is the writing style. It’s so enchanting and poetic with the best one-liners that make your heart hurt. On my AO3 bookmark i captioned it, “This just ripped my soul in half and restitched it together again,” and I still stand by that.

Lokison (Series) and How To Train Your Godling (Series) by sifsshadowheart

Main Story (Lokison): 33 Chapters, 244k Words, Completed, Harry/Various Characters, E Rating

14 Spinoffs/ Sequel Stories, Completed, Harry/Various, Various Ratings

Norse Mythology, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Various Fandoms Crossover

TW: Major Character Death, Graphic Violence, Underage Sex, Spiralling Mental Health

James and Lily Potter had a secret, one which led to Thanatos saving young Harry from a dreary life with the Dursleys and changed the face of the Second British Wizarding War before it ever began.

This story feels much more like a 12 season television show than a two hour movie if you know what I mean. The plot is pretty slow going but the character development and interation makes it worth it. The story blends the lore and events of the HP and PJO to make a completely new story without making it feel like a goddamn recap. The reader follows Harry from when he’s young all the way into adulthood and it’s a fun time to watch him grow as a character and bond with his parental figures. Also some of the spinoffs are really wild and I never would have thought of the pairings but they just work somehow?? My personal favorite spinoff is the Pirates of Caribbean/Calypso and Leo arc like HELLO?! hot pirates. The total word count of the two series is 465k so beware it takes a hot second to chug through this one.

This Worship of an Extinct Fire by Lomonaaeren

Oneshot, 30k Words, Draco/Harry, M Rating

TW: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Emotional and Physical Abuse, Deppression

Unspeakable Draco Malfoy has planned for nearly six months how to take down Thomas Linwood, a man who has discovered the secret of converting wizard bodies to pure magic. He was prepared for anything--except the discovery of the missing Harry Potter in Linwood's compound.

This one, I don’t know how it’s not considered a classic. I’ve seen it floating around on drarry tumblr and wow is it good. I especially like the detailed magic system and mechanics that Draco is investigating. How the author managed to have so much detailed and gracefully planned out backstory in 30k words is beyond me. Also gentle Dracoo Malfoy is my favorite Draco Malfoy :) absolute angel mode.

Little Compton Street (One Rainy Night in Soho) by LLAP15 and Writcraft

Oneshot, 66k Words, Draco/Harry, Past Sirius/James, E Rating

TW: Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Light D/s Dynamics, References to Cancer, References to HIV/AIDS

Draco is lonely, Harry hates the press and it won’t stop raining in London. Harry discovers a magical street that’s close to disappearing forever and Draco realises he’s one rainy night in Soho away from finding everything he’s been searching for.

This fic is, in every sense, a masterpiece. Especially for pride month, the story surrounding LGBTQIA+ activism, the AIDS Epidemic of the 80s, and the gentrification of historically queer communities is one that should be read by everyone. Every single place, OC, and historic event has real world ties and is historically accurate, making this fic even more enchanting. Everything about this fic is graceful and slow burning I can’t help but fall in love with it. I’ve only seen this fic once on HP tumblr, but I feel like it should be considered a classic as it is truly a moving piece. This fic is one of the biggest reasons why I became so enthralled with LGBT history and am writing a fic that takes place in a wizarding version of the AIDS epidemic.

Sensitive Touch by Raserwolf

45 Chapters, 194k Words, Complete, Draco/Harry, E Rating

TW: Racism and Racial Slurs, Homophobic Slurs, Ablism and Ablist Slurs, Rape and Sexual Assault, Sensory Overloads and Mental Breakdowns, Extreme Bullying and Hate Crime, Past Abuse, Anxiety Disorders, PTSD wow this is a long list

When Draco Malfoy encounters a struggling and frustrated Harry desperately trying to tie his shoes after a meltdown in the Great Hall, his curiosity regarding the incident leads him to seek the help of the two people closest to Harry: Ron and Hermione.

After even they are shocked to hear the extent of Harry's issues, though Hermione had her suspicions, he discovers more about the man than he ever thought he knew before.

As a Neurotypical, I found this fic to be absolutely wonderful. I don’t know much about the typical traits of those who are one the autism spectrum and how they affect their everyday lives, but from what I was reading in the comments from those who are on the spectrum or who have family who are, this fic was pretty accurate and realistic. Harry, who lives with aspergers, goes without a known diagnosis until 8th year and it’s just heightened by his PTSD and anxiety and ugh I just want to hug the boy. The story follows Harry and Draco and the rest of the 8th year gang through the year and has multiple arcs in which the wizarding world are just dumbass bitches who can’t fucking seem to accept people for who they are. Not only is Harry on the spectrum but he’s also Desi with a purpose and not just mentioned and forgotten which is wonderful. The boys go through a lot of trauma in the story but there’s also a lot of teeth-rotting fluff that I live for. This is one of the fics that I have read and reread because I love it so much.

This definitely is not my full list I have a ton more stories in my bookmarks if you are curious. I’ll probably post a part two to this just cause I have so much and read so often. These, however, are definitely the biggest highlights.

[chameleonwritess]

Forever Starts Today (Epilogue)

Myriad of Stars

Not-So-Secretly in Love

Feels Like Home (Ch1 | Ch2 | Ch3)

Forever Starts Today (Epilogue)

Extras:

Infirmary Duties

Fandom: Percy Jackson

Pairing: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace

Nico has spent so much of his life fixating on his past. Now that Will's been in his life for so long, it's finally time for Nico to start focussing on his future.

He knows exactly how to start.

Word Count: 4383

Read the whole series on AO3

Nico smiled fondly as Percy clumsily dipped Annabeth in the middle of the floor. She attempted to scold him but couldn’t contain her laughter enough to do so properly. Nico had never seen her look as radiant as she did in her white dress trimmed with silver, her embroidered wedding train flowing out around the dancing couple from where it was attached into her curled up-do.

She wasn’t the only one looking radiant- Percy was dressed in a deep blue suit with a turquoise tie and grey flowers attached to his lapel. His hair was looking surprisingly tame, too, and Nico knew Sally Jackson was to thank for that. He looked ridiculously handsome and the bright smile added to his features just completed the look. Nico grinned at the sight. Two of his best friends had just gotten married and not a single monster had attacked the wedding. It was perfect.

“You’re looking uncharacteristically happy,” a familiar, snarky voice spoke besides Nico. He turned his head to the side and rolled his eyes at Reyna. She was dressed in deep plum robes and carried a champagne flute in her hand with an air of grace.

“They’ve both been through so much. I’m allowed to be happy that they’re happy- they deserve this,” Nico pointed out.

“Wise words, di Angelo. Who turned you into Socrates?” Reyna responded with a smirk. Nico elbowed her gently.

“Don’t bully me, I’m trying to be a better person,” he complained. Reyna let out a laugh at that.

“You were fine as the grumpy little emo we met you as,” she pointed out, ruffling his hair.

“Oi,” Nico batted her hand away, “don’t touch the hair- Will spent half an hour getting it into a ponytail.”

“Oh, he likes a man in a bun, does he?” Reyna raised an eyebrow. Nico flushed bright red and tried hard to keep in his laughter.

“Stop it, he’s only over there, he’ll hear you!” he complained, snorting a little through his nose.

Reyna let out a laugh too and finally settled into a stool next to Nico. Her eyes scanned the hall, taking in the appearance of all their remaining friends. The years hadn’t gone by without losses- one of the most significant being one of Nico and Reyna’s best friends, Jason Grace. His sister was here today with a few other Hunters that Percy and Annabeth knew well from their years of cooperation with them.

Nico tried not to think about their losses too much. He knew if he dwelled on the dead more than the living, he’d find himself right back in the mental state he was in when he lost Bianca. That was a place he never wanted to go back to.

“Piper’s doing well,” Reyna pointed out. It was true, Nico noted, as he glanced across the room and saw that other couples had started to spill onto the dance floor now Percy and Annabeth’s first dance was over. Piper had invited the daughter of Demeter she was currently seeing onto the dance floor and the two girls were twirling around and smiling. It was good to see the dark bags that had resided under her eyes over the past few years were finally dissipating.

“You are, too,” Nico reminded Reyna. Piper and Reyna both had a very long history with Jason and Reyna had seemed to everyone as if she’d recovered quite quickly from his loss. Nico knew her better, though. He knew she was still hurting a lot even if she didn’t want her legion to see it.

Reyna shrugged.

“All wars have losses. They’re never losses we’re prepared to make but we have no choice but to move forwards from the consequences,” she commented.

“Who’s Socrates, now?” Nico teased. Reyna rolled her eyes and smiled, taking a drink of champagne.

“Enough about that,” she batted the topic aside, “weren’t you going to put your big plan into action tonight?”

Nico sighed.

“I was but then I found out the wedding date and didn’t want to encroach. I’m not sure I’ll have the confidence, anyway,” he shrugged. Reyna raised a pointed eyebrow at him.

“These are all just excuses because you’re nervous. Percy and Annabeth won’t think it’s any such thing. You said yourself- tonight would be perfect, right? I say you still go for it,” she encouraged.

“I mean, I do have it on me but what if he-“ Nico started to voice his concerns when a flash of blond appeared in his field of vision. It appeared Nico’s boyfriend had finished his conversation with Hazel and Frank.

“Care to dance, dashing fellow,” Will Solace announced, bowing in front of Nico’s chair and offering his hand out. Nico took a moment to take his appearance in. Will had gone for an unusual choice of wedding attire, selecting a brown waistcoat with matching fitted pants over a baby blue shirt with a royal blue bowtie tightened snugly around his neck to match Nico’s tie that he’d been forced to wear for the event. His impish smile added to the outfit, making him look cuter than ever.

Nico snorted out a laugh and grabbed Will’s hand, hopping down from his stool.

“I suppose I could be tempted, on one condition,” Nico shrugged his shoulders.

“And what condition may that be?” Will asked, flashing Nico a grin.

Nico smirked back and gripped Will’s hand a bit tighter. In one swift movement, Nico slipped off his stool and put his arm around Will’s back, pressing his palm into the small of Will’s back and pulling him close against his chest.

“I get to lead,” Nico smirked, looking directly up into Will’s blue eyes.

“Sure,” Will responded breathlessly, his cheeks flushed red. Nico internally fist-pumped. His one mission in life was to make Will blush as much as possible and he was surprisingly very good at it as of late.

“Honestly,” Nico heard Reyna mutter behind him as he dragged Will onto the dance floor. As the two began dancing, Nico wondered if maybe Reyna had been right and he should go ahead with his previous plans for tonight. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, at all, it was just that he was… scared.

Nico pushed all thoughts of what he may or may not do that evening out of his head as Will leant down and whispered into Nico’s ear,

“Bets that Percy stands on Annabeth’s feet at least three times?”

Nico chuckled lowly underneath his breath as he spun Will around.

“Pretty sure I already saw him step on her toes four times. I reckon it will be eight times before she drags him off the dance floor,” he decided.

Will threw his head back a bit and laughed, capturing Nico’s full attention. Nico smiled at his boyfriend. He didn’t need to think about anything else with Will at his side.

Nico had sucked up all the courage he could muster and was going to do it. Reyna had given him the push he needed and he’d already texted Will to meet him at the top of Halfblood hill, just within the borders.

Whilst the new phones Leo had designed for them all were seemingly monster-proof, Nico still didn’t want to run any risks at all. Not tonight.

Now, here he was, pacing beside Thalia’s tree, half expecting the Lieutenant herself to appear and tell him to stop disturbing the soil above its roots.

No one did descend from the clouds, though, and Nico was left alone, waiting for Will. His boyfriend wasn’t late by any means- Nico didn’t think Will even could be late considering his promptness to every date the two had been on for the past six years- it was just that Nico was exceptionally early. His nerves had carried him to their meeting destination half an hour before the scheduled time.

Nico huffed out a laugh as he tried to dry the sweat on his hands using his jeans. He’d been dating Will for six whole years. It didn’t seem that long, really, although Nico also felt like someone could tell him he’d spent eternity with Will Solace and he wouldn’t argue. Still, six years was a long time for demigods when wars were seemingly around every corner.

The last few years had been relatively peaceful in comparison to the first few Nico spent outside the Lotus Casino. Nico was glad. He didn’t think he could cope with any more losses right now. He was still carrying the weight of all his other lost loved ones close to his chest, as were many of his other friends.

Will would be here soon, Nico noted, checking his watch for the twelfth time in the past ten minutes. He usually arrived at least ten minutes early so any second now, Nico would spot him walking up the hill.

Now that both of them had left Camp Halfblood, they lived in an apartment near Percy and Annabeth, near enough to both the mortal college Nico was attending and the hospital Will was interning at. Nico really didn’t understand how Will was still only an intern considering he’d had more medical experience than most doctors in the world and he was only twenty-one.

Nico still wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to do with his life. Right now, he was very happy taking his degree in psychology. Nico had never imagined that he’d find himself attending school, never mind going on to college, but he’d found himself to actually enjoy the learning environment. Will was very proud of him too, not that that impacted his enjoyment of it in the slightest.

“Neeks, what’s got you looking so worried?” A soft voice startled Nico out of his thoughts as a hand encircled his wrist, gently. Nico stopped his pacing to come face to face with Will who had also changed out of his wedding attire, now sporting a light blue hoodie with a basketball shirt underneath. Nico nearly laughed out loud. Will didn’t even like basketball- especially with the number of arms he’d had to sew back on after particularly aggressive games at Camp Halfblood.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about it. Just- anxious to show you this, I suppose,” Nico wormed his way around the truth. Will considered him with analytical eyes as if he was a particularly complex branch of the nervous system in one of Will’s many anatomy books.

“Alright, I’ll believe you for now but you’d better not be lying, di Angelo,” he conceded, taking a hold of the sides of Nico’s corduroy jacket to tug him in a bit closer.

“Why would I lie to you?” Nico mumbled. Will smiled, clearly pleased with his response, and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

“Aren’t you boiling in that jacket?” Will asked when he pulled away. Nico went red in the cheeks. He honestly was way too warm in the thick jacket intended for Winter. Despite the Spring breeze, it was just too heavy, but Nico had once been gifted the jacket by Will and he wasn’t about to take it off for tonight.

“A little, but it’s night and I run cold so I wanted to be prepared,” Nico argued. Will laughed and stroked the sunshine embroidered on the pocket that he’d sewn on himself.

“You, sir, are the biggest dork I know,” Will accused, “but-“ he continued when Nico tried to interject, “it just makes me love you even more.”

Will placed on arm over Nico’s shoulder and kissed the top of his head as Nico began to lead them higher up the hill for the perfect viewpoint.

“Now who’s the dork,” Nico grumbled, glancing up at Will with way more adoration in his eyes than he’d intended.

The two walked in silence for a little bit, Nico analysing the sky until he finally decided on the perfect spot.

“Ok,” Nico announced, “here’s good.”

“Nico, I hate to break it to you, but we’re still in the middle of the hill,” Will pointed out, looking around him as if he expected to find some big surprise.

“You’re so impatient,” Nico complained, tugging Will’s hand to get him to sit down on the ground next to him, “do you trust me?”

Will’s eyes found his, softening under the gaze.

“Of course I do, death boy,” he promised. Nico smiled and nodded, checking his watch again. Once upon a time, he would have complained at the nickname, but he’d grown to love with over the years. Not that any of the others would find out- they still found a sword at their necks if they attempted to call him ‘Neeks’ or made a jab at his heritage. Will was just… Will. He got away with everything when it came to Nico.

“We have about ten minutes. Tell me about your day whilst we wait,” Nico insisted.

“Nico, you were with me for most of it,” Will snorted with laughter. Nico rolled his eyes.

“I know that, duh, but who did you catch up with at the wedding? How was your trip to the hospital before you came here?” Nico asked. Will sprawled himself out across Nico’s lap, gazing up at him cheekily.

“Aw, you care about me that much?” Will teased.

“No, I just want the gossip,” Nico shrugged. Will gasped in mock horror and Nico huffed a laugh, brushing stray hairs away from Will’s eyes as his boyfriend finally launched into the stories he’d been after.

“So I talked to Piper at the wedding first, when you went over to talk to Percy and Annabeth. I asked how she was doing with Carys and the two are doing well. Piper’s thinking of asking her to be her girlfriend soon which is cute. Apparently, Carys memorised her coffee order after only two dates and she brings her flowers every date,” Will started.

“That is cute,” Nico noted, “pretty sure you don’t even know my coffee order.”

“You don’t like coffee, you nerd. You get a small hot chocolate with almond milk in every café we go in,” Will proved, his face breaking into a grin.

“Wow,” Nico said satirically, “a man after my own heart.”

Will lightly hit his stomach in complaint before continuing his story.

“So after that, Carys came up and I said hi and made small talk but decided to leave the two alone so they could get to the good stuff,” Will said, causing Nico to snort at his phrasing, “so I went to talk to your sister and Frank, ask them how they were doing and stuff.”

“You were talking to them for way longer than that. What are you hiding?” Nico noticed. Will pouted.

“When did you get so good at reading me?” he complained.

“Somewhere between Apollo arriving at camp and that time you tried to convince me Lou Ellen and Cecil still weren’t dating despite the fact I’d seen them making out in front of the Hecate cabin,” Nico noted.

“Fine, Hazel did tell me something but she made me swear not to tell you, so I won’t,” Will conceded with a sigh.

“What? That’s so unfair, she usually tells me everything,” Nico huffed. Will shrugged.

“She wants it to be a surprise,” he pointed out. Nico wracked his brains to think of a way to prise the information out of Will when he had a perfect idea.

“Okay, you won’t tell me? I’ll tickle it out of you,” Nico decided and before Will could even jump up in protest, Nico had flipped himself onto all fours above Will and his hands were already tracing lightly up and down his abdomen.

“W-wait, Nico! N-no hahaha don’t p-please don’t,” Will stammered, wriggling around under Nico’s dancing fingertips. Nico grinned down at his boyfriend as he became a blushing, writhing mess. Watching Will come undone beneath his fingertips was something that always made Nico’s day, even if it was just tickling this time.

“Tell me, then, Solace,” Nico demanded.

“Nicoooo,” Will complained, breathing heavily as he attempted and failed to grab Nico’s hands and still them.

“Fine, fine! I’ll tell you, but you have to pretend you don’t know when she tells you herself,” Will spluttered, gasping for breath as Nico’s hands finally stilled.

Nico pulled Will back up to a sitting position but remained firmly in his lap, looking expectantly into Will’s eyes. He still couldn’t believe Hazel had told Will something before she’d told him. Will was practically already a part of the family.

“She’s pregnant,” Will whispered as if there were people around to overhear, “and Frank is going to ask her to marry him once the baby is born.”

“No way!” Nico yelled, jumping to his feet angrily, “I’m going to be an uncle and my own sister didn’t bother to tell me?”

Will laughed at Nico’s antics before the smaller boy dived back down and grabbed Will’s face, planting a hurried but intense kiss on his mouth.

“Thanks for telling me. I’m going to hold this against her forever when she tells me and you dramatically announce that you already knew. Then I’m going to look so betrayed and declare that she’s no sister of mine anymore.”

“You are so overdramatic. I can’t believe how grumpy and quiet you used to be,” Will laughed, pulling Nico back into his side. Nico finally sighed and settled in. He was still struggling to comprehend the information. He was going to be an Uncle and his sister had wanted to keep it secret from him.

“There’s more,” Will added. Nico looked at him a little frenzied.

“What could possibly top that news?” he asked.

“Hades has invited all four of us to the Underworld to celebrate the birth of his grandson,” Will sighed. Nico’s heart sped up a little in panic. Will and the Underworld was not a good combination, as Nico recently discovered.

The first time Will went to the Underworld was the Spring after Hades had invited him. Nico had figured it was safest to take him when Persephone wasn’t around. Nico wished he’d remained as cautious.

Will usually visited the Underworld every Spring. Hades was gradually attempting to infiltrate more and more of Nico’s life and, as he constantly reiterated, apparently Nico’s love life was integral. However, after Will officially finished his course and was allowed to intern at the hospital that Autumn=, Hades invited the pair down for a meal.

It turns out, Persephone does not like children of Apollo and children of Apollo are surprisingly adept at killing plants. Nico really hadn’t been expecting an invite back ever again.

“Are we going?” Nico asked, uncertainly. Will raised an eyebrow.

“I have no problem if she doesn’t mind,” he shrugged.

“Will, every time I go down there she asks me if I’ve broken up with you yet. She’s even actively sought me out whilst out of the Underworld to tell me to get rid of you,” Nico smirked.

“Really?” Will asked and his eyes looked surprisingly bright. It was almost as if he was proud of finally having found an immortal enemy.

“Yes. She still hates you,” Nico assured him. He pretended not to notice the small fist pump Will did out of respect for his boyfriend’s reputation.

“We could always just suggest we have the meal in the summer months, anyway, even if the baby’s born when Persephone’s there,” Will shrugged. Nico raised an eyebrow.

“That seems a bit illogical. It would just be a meal for the sake of a meal,” he pointed out. Will shrugged.

“Hades has a surprisingly good chef. I don’t mind.”

Nico shook his head in exasperation when suddenly, a bright light caught his attention.

“Will, it’s starting,” he gasped excitedly.

“What’s starting?” Will queried. Nico grinned at him.

“There’s a meteor shower tonight. I brought you here so we could watch it,” he explained. Will gasped up at the sky as another light shot across it and then turned to smile at Nico.

“You’re such a sap,” he pointed out, “but thank you. This is a nice surprise.”

Nico curled up against Will’s side with his head on his shoulder as Will rested his own head on Nico’s, gazing up at the sky as he curled his arm around Nico’s back. It strangely reminded Nico of the position they’d been in the very first time they sat together to watch the sky. It had been a campfire night and Will had invited Nico. Nico had been so tired he hadn’t even registered what he’d been doing when he curled up against Will. Knowing what he knew now, he supposed Will hadn’t minded.

The two watched the meteors flash across the sky in silence for a while before Will spoke up.

“I can sense that there’s a reason you brought me to the meteor shower. Like, I feel as though I’ve forgotten an inside joke or something,” he muttered. Nico shifted slightly to turn and face him.

“Well, it was a long time ago, now, but when we first went to the campfire together during the summer we got together, I was so sleepy I traced your freckles and tried to tell you that they looked like a myriad of stars,” Nico smiled, bringing his finger up to once again trace Will’s freckles, “now the stars remind me of you so I wanted to bring you to see this.”

Will’s eyes melted as he gazed back at Nico.

“Every time I think you can’t get any more romantic, you go and pull off something like this. How am I supposed to top this?” he sighed, moving to cup Nico’s face. Nico felt his heart rate increase tenfold. Will had given him a perfect opening. The meteor shower was still raining above them in the stars. Now was the time.

The small, black box in his jacket pocket felt as if it was burning a hole through the fabric.

“Well,” Nico started, noting how short his breath was, “you could say yes.”

“What?” Will asked in confusion, his eyes going wide as he watched Nico get to his feet. Nico pulled the box out of his pocket and knelt down onto one knee, opening the box to present the ring he’d spent hours pondering over with Piper, Reyna and Annabeth. There was no backing down, now.

“William Solace,” he started, glancing at Will tentatively and noticing that he already had tears forming in his eyes, “when I first met you, I thought you were an idiot. Not because you were stupid, but because, for some strange reason, you wanted to be friends with me. You were persistent, infuriating and I thought I’d manage to scare you away within a day. I’d clearly underestimated just how persistent and infuriating you were because you stuck around. You always have stuck around. I was in such a dark place when you first met me and you stuck around to help pull me out. Whenever I doubted myself, you stuck around and assured me that I was safe, that I was enough and that I was loved. When someone sticks around that much, it’s hard not to fall in love with them, and falling in love with you was one of the easiest things I’ve ever done in my life. I fall more in love with you every day and-“ Nico paused to sniff. He was crying. “-and I want that to continue for the rest of my life. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I want to wake up every morning with you by my side so I can tell you how incredible you are, how kind you are, how impressive you are and how amazing your mom’s pancakes are. I promise that’s not the only reason why I’m asking this, but Will, will you marry me?”

Nico wiped his eyes with his free hand the second he finished only to see Will in a similar state, tears pouring freely down his cheeks.

“Nico,” he sighed, “do you even have to ask? Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes I will marry you and I am so mad that you beat me to it but I suppose I can forgive you because of the speech you just gave.”

“I’ve had it memorised for a month,” Nico laughed through his tears. Will’s laughter soon joined his own and before he could even move to stand up or sit down, Will had leapt on top of him and was kissing him. It was salty and messy and their lips were hardly touching because of how much they were both laughing, but Nico didn’t think they’d ever shared a more perfect kiss.

“You are so incredible, Nico di Angelo. I love you so much,” Will announced when the two finally finished laughing. Nico pushed them up into a sitting position rather than being sprawled out on the grass.

“I love you too,” he added. Will glanced down at the ring still stored in the little box Nico had been clutching so tightly.

“This is beautiful. I hope you like the one I bought for you,” Will sighed as Nico took his hand and gently slid the ring onto his finger.

“You already bought me one?” Nico asked. Will rolled his eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Obviously!” he said, “you’re not the only one that wanted to get married, y’know.”

“I’m glad,” Nico smiled, resting his head against Will’s. Will cupped his cheek and pressed their lips together once again, his lips curving up against Nico’s in a smile.

This time, Nico kissed him back properly rather than laughing, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend- no, fiancé-’s neck to pull him closer. Will wrapped his arms around Nico’s waist, his thumbs sliding underneath Nico’s shirt so that he could slide a hand up onto Nico’s bare back.

Nico could feel the cold metal of Will’s new ring on his finger against his skin. He pressed further into the kiss, holding Will as tightly as he could. Right there, Nico wasn’t afraid of the future at all. He was going to marry Will. For a son of Hades, Nico’s life was pretty incredible.

He wouldn’t change one bit of it for the world.

[demigodsanswer]

Once Upon a Pointe - Chapter Two

Story Summery:

“Annabeth, you’re with Percy,’ Chiron said. Annabeth. She looked like the figurine in a little girl’s music box had come to life to dance in City Ballet. Percy felt like every opportunity to dance with her was a privilege. Just don’t forget the choreography, Percy thought as he got into the right starting spot for the wedding pas de deux. Don’t forget the choreography, and don’t drop her.”

Percy, a soloist with the ballet company, and he is offered one chance to dance with Annabeth, one of their star principals. If he nails the choreography, he might just earn a chance to dance with her. And, if he’s really lucky, he might get a date out of it as well.

Chapter 2/12 - “Do Your Job” 

Read on AO3 

Chapter One 

Percy didn’t need to be at the rehearsal for the Rose Adagio, but he had nowhere else to be for two hours. Might as well get more acquainted with the ballet.

The adagio was iconic. The ballerina had to balance in en pointe on one foot for what seemed like an eternity, using only her own balance, core strength, and the occasional supporting hand from one of the four princes. She had to do that twice.

With few exceptions, men didn’t go on pointe, so Percy couldn’t image ever pulling something off like that. Hell, he wasn’t even sure he could do that on demi pointe.

Annabeth hardly seemed to have any issue with the balances, though, standing firm through the first pass of it, before continuing the five-minute dance. The second promenade was harder than the first, with each prince turning her around as she stayed en pointe, switching between the four princes, each with their own turn.

When she went up for the second set of balances, Percy could tell that she was off her leg by the way she seemed to hold on tightly to her partner’s hand as they went around and how quickly she brought her arm up and back down out of fifth position before taking the next prince’s hand. It didn’t have to be perfect – this was only the second day of rehearsal since choreography finished, and performances were rarely perfect. But Percy knew from dancing with her that Annabeth had different standards for herself.

Percy held his breath when the third prince walked up. He was a young dancer. He’d only been offered his corps contract a few weeks before rehearsals started, and he didn’t seem to be the strongest partner yet. But Chiron made choices like that sometimes; he threw younger dancers into a bigger role as a trial by fire. It made some of them better dancers, and it had broken some of the others.

Annabeth was probably ready to kill Chiron for putting this dancer in that spot about now. Percy could tell that he was distracted, leaving Annabeth to partner herself for most of the dance. He had the same issue as he partnered her around the promenade.

“Stay with her, Leo!” Chiron yelled from the side. Typically, if Chiron wanted to give a note, he’d stop the pianist and the dancers to correct something. It was rare for him to yell notes as during the dance.

Chiron’s comment only pulled Leo’s attention farther away from Annabeth. He stopped the turn short and released her hand before he was sure that she was ready to move on to the next prince. Annabeth knee and shoulders quivered as she fought to find her balance, before losing it, dropping out of her releve.

Percy winced for her as he watched her foot drop. Such a small action was a big mistake in the adagio. Audience members rarely noticed choreography mishaps. As long as a dancer stayed on their feet, they could adapt or change choreography on the spot if they needed to. No one ever had a perfect show, but the audience never knew the difference. But the adagio balances were one of the rare moments in ballet that had to be precise, because even an audience member unfamiliar with the ballet would notice if the ballerina falls out of the balance when she isn’t supposed to.

And Annabeth Chase wasn’t supposed to.

She popped back onto releve to continue, but Chiron called for the music to stop. She dropped out of her pose, taking a few deep breaths. Leo stepped towards the back of the room, clearly embarrassed. He stared at the back of Annabeth’s head like she was the high school bully ready to beat him up in the parking lot.  

He is a high school kid, Percy remembered. He was only eighteen. Percy knew Chiron well as a director and mentor. There was a good chance that Chiron remembered Leo’s age and took pity on him. Percy wasn’t too sure about Annabeth, though.

“Let’s try that again. This time, Leo, stay with her. She needs your support to get through this,” Chiron said. He gave a few more detailed instructions to all the princes’, and then a few notes to Annabeth, who took them with a gracious nod, before going up again, this time for a more gracious set of turns.

~*~*~

Chiron called for a short break before they started running some of the act two sequences.

Annabeth walked over to one of the barres on the side of the room and started stretching as she caught her breath.

Percy walked up to her, hoping he didn’t bother her too much.

“What’s up, Percy?” she asked before he could say anything. She seemed annoyed, but not annoyed with him, which was a good sign.

Percy cleared his throat. “I just wanted to say that I know act one is really hard for Aurora,” Annabeth’s cheeks flushed, and Percy back peddled. “I mean, it’s hard for every Aurora. It’s one of the hardest –”

“What do you want?” She said. Now she did sound annoyed with him.

“I just wanted to say that if there’s anything I can do to make act two and three easier for you, please let me know,”

She glared at him. An “I’m going to kill you” glare, an “I will snap you like a twig” glare, an “I will have my husband hire a hitman to smash your knees with a baton to end your career” glare. Percy suddenly regretted every decision he had ever made between his first ballet class at the YMCA and that moment.

“Do you really want to help me?” She asked him.

“Yeah,”

She turned away from the barre to face him. “Then do your job,” she said, before turning away from him.

~*~*~

Percy hung around Piper, their Lilac Fairy, for the rest of rehearsal. The last thing he needed was to annoy Annabeth more as they worked on the dream sequence.

Their progress was slow. Chiron seemed to stop them every few steps to give a note.

“Piper, you’ve really got to convince this guy to come save the princess.” “Annabeth, charm him. You need him to wake you up.” “Percy, be a little less sure of yourself in the beginning. You don’t know who this woman is. Some fairy just showed up in the woods and told you to go after this dream girl. It’s going to take some convincing.”

Percy took in all of the notes and did his best to apply them right away. Just do your job, he told himself.

“Before we end for the day,” Chiron said, “Percy, I want to run your variation from the top of act two,”

Percy nodded and stepped to the center of the room. The variation was slow and emotional. It was more about artistry than technical skill. It wasn’t an exciting one, but it was a chance for Percy to show off to Chiron that he could do more than jump high in the air. And Percy knew it was artistry that got you promoted to principal.

Chiron watched him throughout the dance, not interrupting him for notes. When he finished, he glanced at Annabeth, who was leaning against the barre, smiling at him.

Chiron had a number of notes and corrections for him but was generally complimentary.

“Alright, go home, rest. Tomorrow we’re going to finish working acts one and two,”

“Percy,” he heard Annabeth say as he walked towards his dance bag. He turned around to look at her.

“What’s up?” He asked.

“I wanted to apologize for being kind of bitchy earlier,” she said.

Percy smiled, “It’s alright. Things get intense sometimes, I get it. But seriously,” Percy said, “you shouldn’t worry about shit like that. You’re the best dancer here,”

Annabeth just shook her head in response. “See you tomorrow,” she said, smiling at him before walking out of the studio.

~*~*~

Percy walked out of the rehearsal room after doing his stretches and nearly collided with a familiar figure.

“Watch where you’re going, you don’t want to end up like me,” Beckendorf said, shaking one of his crutches at Percy.

“Beck!” Percy said, smiling wide. “What are you doing here?”

“Got tired of sitting at home feeling bad for myself, so I figured I’d come here to bad about myself in the company of my wife,” He said.

“I’m sure Silena loves that,” Percy said.

Beckendorf gave him a slight shove. “Come on, we’ve got a hot tea for you downstairs,” he said, leading Percy towards the costume shop.

“I’m sure you’ve had a long day of rehearsals,” Beckendorf said to Percy as they went headed to the costume shop in the studio elevator, “but I wanted to see how things were going,”

“Things are good. Rehearsals got a little intense today, but I think it’s coming together,” Percy told him.

“I’m sure it will be great when it goes up,” Beckendorf said. Percy opened the costume shop door for Beckendorf and followed him inside. “Hello gorgeous,” Beckendorf called into the room. Silena appeared behind a rack of costumes.

“Took you long enough. The tea might be cold my now,” she said.

Beckendorf hobbled over to her. She met him halfway, tilting her head up so that he could kiss her more easily. When they broke apart, he apologized, “I don’t move very quickly these days,”

They sat down around the table, sipping their tea as Percy told them about the ballets practice.

“Pretty sure Leo thought he was going to be fired on the spot this afternoon,” Percy said.

“Poor kid. It’s not easy to keep up with Annabeth,” Silena said.

“I know, she’s …” Percy trailed off and felt himself smiling thinking about her.

“Well, look at that, Percy’s in love,” Beckendorf joked.

“I am not,”

“Better that you aren’t,” Silena said. “I doubt she’s ever going to date company men again,”

“I don’t want to date her,” Percy lied. “And why wouldn’t she date company men again?”

Silena looked at him like he was stupid. “Come on,” she said, asking him to think about it himself.

“Was her breakup really that bad?” Percy asked.

Beckendorf looked at him, a dark, serious look in his eyes. “It was. It was really fucked up too,”

“What happened?” Percy asked.

“Still can’t tell you,” Silena said. “Just … don’t get your hopes up with her. She might not even be ready to date again yet. I mean … they were together since she was what? Twenty?”

“Yeah,” Beckendorf answered, “it was right before she was promoted to soloist,”

Percy traced the timeline of Annabeth’s career in his head. “Was he a principal when they started dating?”

“Yeah,” Beckendorf answered.

Percy nodded and stared at his teacup. He thought about her frustration during the Rose Adagio and the way she never seemed to take his compliments. “Did people give her shit for that?” He asked, “I mean, did they think that she got promoted just because –“

“Some people did, yeah,” SIlena answered.

“Obviously they were wrong,” Beckendrof added, “she’s a fantastic dancer, and she’s earned everything she’s ever gotten but –”

“-- Couple those rumors with the end of a six-year-long relationship, and …” she trailed off, but Percy was smart enough to get her meaning. Annabeth was determined to prove herself, prove to the company that she deserved these opportunities, and this ballet was the chance to do that. That didn’t leave a lot of space for guys in general, especially not company guys.

Percy suddenly felt a lot closer to Annabeth. She’d always seemed so untouchable, unshakeable. But she was probably feeling the pressure of this ballet as badly as he was.

He didn’t have a lot of fancy dance training before joining their company’s ballet school at fifteen. He started dancing at the Y when he was ten. Most of his colleagues had started dancing at three, four, or five years old. He’d gotten lucky (very lucky) with a few scholarships and grants along the way, but he knew most of the people in the company and at the school thought he was a wild card. Until his promotion, only Chiron and his mom really believed in him. And now, if he could do this ballet right, he might just make principal. This was his shot.

You shouldn’t be worried about dating either, he told himself, just do your job.

[vmheadquarters]

We’re still playing our game of written hot potato! Dozens of your favorite authors are taking turns to tell a Veronica Mars mystery story. Each writer crafts their chapter and then “tosses” the story to the next person to continue the tale. No one knows what will happen, so expect the unexpected!

Follow the “vmhq presents” and “murder we wrote” tags for all the installments, or read the story as it develops on AO3. --Chapter Twenty-Three of MURDER, WE WROTE is written by @disdainfullady​. And stayed tuned next week for Ch.24 from @artoftalent07​ - tag, you’re it!

_____________________________________________________________

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE by @disdainfullady​

Veronica turned the page, fascinated despite herself. When Ruby had come stomping into Mars Investigations that morning, Veronica had had to try three of the breathing techniques Logan swore kept him from washing out of OCS before she dared to even acknowledge the girl.  Either she wasn’t fighter pilot material, or Ruby was worse than the drill sergeants – MTIs corrected the little Logan voice in her brain – because she could never be sure if those techniques actually helped, or just gave her time to fine tune her sarcasm.

In the year since Carrie’s death, Ruby had found half a dozen excuses to hire Veronica, mostly background checks for potential dates – so far none of them had been kicked out by a pop star’s security for hiding in a closet, but they were keeping hope alive – and one case where she was convinced the couple across the street were running drugs out of their basement.  She’d actually been right about that, although Ruby had based her theory on the idea that the couple had far more lawn ornaments than anyone not pushing meth had a right to, and still insisted that that was the big give away.

Veronica never had the heart to turn her away. Sure, she didn’t, they didn’t, strictly need the money, but there was something so earnest about Ruby, despite her off-the-wall conspiracy theories and what seemed like a new obsession every week.  It was sometimes hard to remember that Ruby was only a year younger than her - Veronica doubted she'd had half Ruby's enthusiasm and energy even in her all too distant pep squad days. Of course, she probably should aim for a degree or two below manic.

After leaving Veronica three voicemails of escalating urgency about a case she absolutely needed Veronica’s help on, Ruby had shown up at Mars Investigations that morning in full pensive-artist mode complete with glasses that were either fake or a prescription so minor that they might as well be, pages clutched to her chest, announcing that the case in question was that which took place in the novel she had written.

Veronica knew she should have politely declined. Maybe gotten Wallace to have one of his colleagues in the English department give it a read, if her conscience was really bugging her.  But it had been a slow week, and she wouldn’t have gone back to being a PI if she’d been able to resist the pull of her curiosity.  Nor would Logan forgive her if she wasn’t able to give him a full summary of the entire thing.

And the work was fascinating.

She wasn't sure what impressed her more, the depth of Ruby's research, or her completely scattershot method of applying it. Sure, she'd pulled in most of the obvious players, but there were some deep cuts in here.  Lenny?  Cole? She was pretty sure Cole's own parents forgot he existed when he wasn't in the room, yet here he was parading all over this mysterious snow ridden island within easy access of Southern California.  Actually, she mused, Cole would make a great killer in the traditional way of things. Veronica was always suspicious of named minor characters with no apparent motive.  

Unfortunately, it didn't seem like Ruby was a fan of narrative efficiency, so he'd probably just been tossed into the manuscript along with the kitchen sink that she only hoped would be getting its big scene in the next chapter or two.

A chair scraped and she looked up, remembering just in time to wipe the incredulous glee off her face.  Ruby Jetson, formerly Della Pugh, literary alias Mistress X, had scooted her seat even closer to Veronica's desk, and was staring at her with an eager intensity.  Veronica cleared her throat and the - fortunately wigless - Ruby inched forward even closer, her knee actually bumping the desk.  

"Did you get to the part where they discover the island's tragic past?" asked Ruby.  The question burst out of her like she’d been holding it in for the past hour.

"Not yet - it has a tragic past?"

"Every mysterious island has a tragic past, Veronica." Ruby's scornful tone was undercut by the restless tapping of her leg.

"Oh of course," Veronica nodded with what she hoped was an appropriately serious expression.  "Well, that's something to look forward to, then." And she sort of was.  The way Ruby phrased it she rather hoped the island had had a passionate romance with a nearby peninsula only to lose it to  - how did you kill a peninsula, soil erosion maybe?

"But as I said earlier, it's going to take me a while to go through all this.  You really," really, really, really she thought, "don't need to sit here and watch me read it."

Ruby’s face scrunched in disapproval.  “You said that you’d prioritize my case, Veronica Mars.”

Veronica sighed.  She steepled her hands as she tried to gently let the girl down.  “That was when I thought you had a case.  I’m not a literary critic, Ruby.”

Ruby snorted.

“No, but you are a detective, and if I can stump you then I know my story’s good.”

Veronica carefully did not point out the flaws in that particular assertion.  “You don’t want it to be too baffling, Ruby.  Readers like the satisfaction of clues coming together.”

Ruby, beamed, apparently delighted by this rather commonplace observation.  “I knew you wouldn’t figure it out,” she crowed. “I bet you haven’t even grasped the significance of the chocolate.”

Veronica shook her head, even as one corner of her brain started following the trail begun by that breadcrumb.  The significance of the chocolate?  The number of chocolate martinis that had supposedly been consumed by the party were massive – but she’d been to plenty of 09er events that had better liquor stores than most bars.  Was there something to read into that?  Oh, that one was going to bother her.

She shook her head.  “Ruby, you already revealed your character as the bad guy. There’s nothing to figure out.”

Ruby’s mouth dropped open and she blinked at Veronica in surprise.

“Me?  I’m not the bad guy.”

“You’re not?”  She’s wasn’t?  Oh god, was Ruby supposed to be the heroine?  Was Veronica supposed to be rooting for her own comeuppance in this magnum opus of Ruby’s?

“You’re barely halfway through.  Do you honestly think that I would give away the real villain that soon?”

Ah.  Veronica looked down again at the depressingly large stack of papers in front of her.  It hadn’t seemed like this much when she’d started.  

Ruby smirked.  “Ruby Jetson is merely a red herring.”

“Ah, like communism,” Veronica murmured.

Though she had to point out, “Of course, you are killing people.”

“Madison Sinclair,” Ruby scoffed.

Veronica gave an equivocal head nod, not quite acknowledging the semi-validity of that point.

“And Leo.  Should I wonder why you even know Leo?”

Leo had been in San Diego for nearly a decade at this point, and occasional appearances at high school dances in Miami Vice regalia aside, she wouldn’t have thought he’d have had much occasion to cross paths with Ruby.

“I do my research, Veronica.” Ruby gave another one of her smug, knowing expressions.  Veronica, no stranger to being smug or knowing herself, sighed inwardly.

“And you didn’t actually see what happened to Leo did you?” Ruby continued.  “I mean, sure Lenny took credit, but then he would.”

With neither wealth, nor wit nor charisma, Lenny Sofer had been one of Neptune High’s more determined bullies, a nonentity so frustrated by his lack of status he spent all his time searching for those below him on the ladder, trying to push them down further.  Veronica had pretty much forgotten he’d existed the second she’d graduated, as she’d imagined, had most of their class, his chosen victims excluded.  Now if Ruby had written some sort of Murder on the Orient Express situation with Lenny as victim, she could probably get behind that.

“Is Lenny Sofer actually your cousin by the way?”

Ruby looked offended by the question.  Did she think Veronica had memorized her background the way she, Ruby, had apparently memorized Veronica’s?  Ruby did have a flare for investigation, if one could get past the whole bit where she was mildly bonkers.

“Lenny Sofer is a sociopath,” Ruby said, flatly.

That didn’t actually answer the question, Veronica noted.

“He bullied me for two years straight.  I had to spend my lunches hiding in that gross bathroom near the physics lab because someone kept putting out of order signs on the good one.”

Veronica’s eyebrows rose.  “So, you brought him in as your partner in crime?”

Ruby rolled her eyes.  “Again, not actually the bad guy.  And his character gets what’s coming to him a little further on.” She smiled, probably going for sinister but ending up on goofy.  “Let’s just say that was fun to write.”

Veronica supposed she could understand that.  She had always been more about enacting her revenge, but it wasn’t like that didn’t come with its own set of problems.  Maybe Ruby’s method was healthier, if a little odd.

She gave a little shrug and settled back to read some more.

[softspideys]

Enemies at First Sight (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

summary: when your best friends start dating, you and bucky barnes have no choice but to hang out. there’s only one problem: you hate each other

warnings: none

word count: 4.6k

pairings: bucky barnes x reader

a/n: nothing like a good ol’ fashioned enemies-to-lovers college!au am I right ladies.....this is my first time writing for bucky so I really hope y’all enjoy! :) 

“Remind me again why I agreed to do this?” you said wearily as you shut the door to your Uber and followed Sharon to the bar.

“Because you’re my best friend and you love me?” she said, shooting you a smile over her shoulder. You wrinkled your nose and she sighed. “Because I’m buying your drinks when we go out for the next two weeks?”

“That’s better.”

“Can you at least try to have some fun?” she asked, pulling open the door and allowing you to go inside first. It was only nine o’clock but the place was already packed. This was Georgetown, for God’s sake. Why was everyone in your entire school at this small, shitty bar?

You weren’t usually opposed to going out. You would just rather be doing it elsewhere. But Sharon had met some guy in her Military History class who was apparently so cute and so smart, and he’d asked her out for drinks. They were still in the early stages of getting to know one another, so he’d suggested they could each bring a friend to keep things from becoming awkward. You ended up being Sharon’s pick. Lucky you.

“All I’m saying is this guy better be, like, Leo DeCaprio in Titanic levels of good-looking,” you said, shaking your head. “Some Kappa guys were having a party and I wanted to go to it.”

“Kappa guys are gross,” Sharon said, craning her neck to see over the crowd of people. “And I’m telling you, Steve is like, Leo DeCaprio in Romeo and Juliet levels of good-looking. Seriously. Oh, there they are!”

“I wasn’t talking about Steve,” you said as she began to wave. “I meant his friend. You know, the one I’m actually going to have to hang out with tonight?”

“Oh, be quiet,” Sharon said, flipping her hand. “I’m sure you’re going to get along fine. And if not, it’s just one night. It’s not like you ever have to see each other again.”

You opened your mouth to argue further, but two boys approached you before you could get any words out. They were both tall, although that was pretty much where the similarities ended. One of them reminded you of a Ken doll: he had neatly combed blond hair, eyes the color of your favorite denim jeans, and a million megawatt smile that was born to be on infomercials, selling people ThighMasters and Snuggies at three in the morning. He was picture-perfect in a white t-shirt that stretched over a muscular chest, jeans, and a brown leather jacket.

His friend, however, was a little leaner, more casual in just a black t-shirt and jeans. His had a sharp jawline, tousled dark hair, and blue eyes, but not like the first guy’s: they were a bright, icy blue that reminded you of a frozen pond on a winter’s day. There was something darker and more elegant about him, like he should’ve been born an aristocrat instead of a college student.

“Hi there,” the blond guy said to you, flashing you that charming, All-American grin and offering his hand. “You must be Sharon’s friend.”

“Y/N,” you said, shaking it. “Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Steve,” he said before he gestured to his companion. “This is my friend Bucky.” The other boy nodded to you, a bored expression on his face.

“Bucket?” you said, scrunching your eyebrows together. The bar was loud, and it was hard to hear Steve’s low voice over the din. “That’s your name?”

He fixed you with a glare that was nothing short of hostile. “It’s Bucky,” he said. He didn’t say it loudly, but you heard him clearly that time. He didn’t elaborate, either.

“Oh,” you said, nodding slowly. “Alright.” An awkward silence followed.

“Should we get drinks?” Steve asked, clapping his hands. “First round’s on us, right, Buck?” You and Sharon gave them your orders and went to go find a table to sit at. As soon as they were out of earshot, you turned on her.

“What the fuck was that? What kind of name is Bucket?”

“It’s Bucky,” Sharon corrected, almost pleadingly. “Come on, you just met him. He can’t be that bad; he’s Steve’s best friend!”

“Easy for you to say, you’re not the one stuck with him!”

“Look, would you rather be here or at that noisy, smelly, gross Kappa house with all those creepy guys?” she challenged you.

You pretended to think for a second. “Kappa house, easily.” Sharon shot you a look as Steve and Bucky came back with your drinks, sliding into the booth across from you.

“So,” Steve said, “what are you studying?” You told him, and he nodded appreciatively. “Nice. I’m double majoring in History and Criminal Justice.”

“Cool.” In an effort to be inclusive, you asked Bucky, “What about you?”

“Foreign Language and Literature, minoring in Russian,” he said flatly. You’d never met anyone studying either of those, but Bucky had a look on his face that made it pretty clear he didn’t want to be asked any questions about it.

The night dragged on like that. After about fifteen minutes of painful group conversation, Sharon and Steve opted for leaning in closer to each other, talking and giggling in low voices. You were used to playing wingwoman for your friends and had gone on double dates before, but none of them had ever been this unfriendly. Bucky seemed to have zero interest in you, preferring to check his phone over talking to you.

“Hey,” Sharon said to you after what felt like hours. “Steve knows the bouncer at that really nice bar two blocks up. We’re going to head over there, do you wanna come?”

“Um,” you said, standing up. “No, that’s okay. I’m kinda tired, I think I’m just gonna go home.”

“Bucky will walk you,” Steve jumped in. “Right?” Bucky looked like he’d rather have his teeth pulled than do that, but he nodded anyway. You weren’t happy about it either, but forced a smile.

As Sharon hugged you good-bye, she whispered in your ear, “Thanks for being a good sport. And look: now you never have to see him again.”

You rolled your eyes. “Be safe, okay? Fill me in on everything tomorrow morning.” She nodded and you waved to Steve before following Bucky out the door.

The two of you walked in silence for a while before he said, “Look, you seem nice—”

“Gee, thanks.”

“—but I’m just not that interested in dating right now.”

“Wow, I never would’ve figured that out for myself,” you said sarcastically, shaking your head in disgust.

“Excuse me?”

“You’ve barely said two words to me all night and you look like someone just killed your grandma. I don’t see how I could’ve gotten any impression other than that you don’t like me.”

He shot you another icy glare. “It’s nothing personal. I just didn’t feel like coming out tonight.”

“So why did you?”

“Steve’s my best friend.”

“He doesn’t have other friends? Preferably nicer ones?”

“He does,” Bucky said defensively. “But he asked me to come.”

“Okay, so why you?” you asked. “Aside from your obvious charming and friendly nature, of course.”

Bucky was silent for a second. “He thought it might cheer me up,” he said at last, like he was choosing his words carefully. “I’ve been going through some . . . stuff . . . recently and I haven’t really been in the mood to see anyone.”

“Stuff?” you repeated, raising your eyebrows. “What, did you just get dumped or something?” It was a random guess, but he didn’t answer, staring at his feet as you walked. You snorted. “Oh my God, you did get dumped! And now you’re using your heartbreak as an excuse to just be a jerk. This is rich.”

“You know what?” Bucky said, stopping abruptly. “I’m thinking that you know your own way home. You don’t need me to walk you.”

“No, I certainly don’t,” you said, continuing down the sidewalk. “Thanks for nothing, Bucket.”

“It’s Bucky!” he shouted at your back. You smirked, shaking your head. Overall it had been a shitty night, but you were comforted by the fact that you would never have to see or interact with this stupid Bucky guy ever again.

Although you did have to admit he was handsome. You’d always been a sucker for blue eyes anyway. But it didn’t matter. “Not a chance,” you told yourself, chuckling a little at the absurdity of the idea. “Not a chance in hell.”

*****

Sharon practically floated through the door of your apartment the next morning; apparently she and Steve stayed out all night talking and walking through the streets of D.C. together, and they’d made plans to see each other again. One date turned into two, which turned into three, which turned into many, many more.

You were happy for her, of course. Steve seemed like a genuinely nice guy, and it was clear he was head-over-heels for Sharon (honestly, who wouldn’t be?). You didn’t mind when he stayed over at your apartment, or when she picked hanging out with him over plans with you. No, your biggest issue was still with Steve’s best friend, that asshole Bucky Barnes.

You’d learned more about him through Sharon: apparently they’d known each other since they were kids, growing up in Brooklyn together. Before he hit puberty, Steve had been (much to your amusement) small and scrawny, a favorite target among the bullies at their school. Bucky had always been the one to defend him.

Sharon also said Steve didn’t like to talk about Bucky’s ex-girlfriend, since apparently it hadn’t been the most amicable of breakups. All she’d managed to squeeze out of him was a name: Natasha Romanoff.

Some quick social media stalking revealed a couple things: she was a Pre-Law major with a minor in Russian, which was probably how the two of them had met. She used to be a ballet dancer and had spent time training in Volgograd. She’d done some modeling in Tokyo last summer. She was also, quite honestly, the most beautiful woman you’d ever seen.

“Holy shit,” you said, passing your phone to Sharon so she could scroll through Natasha’s Instagram. “Look at her hair. Do you think she dyes it?” Though the style changed throughout the photos, the color always remained a rich, dark red.

“Wow,” Sharon commented, taking a swig from the bottle of wine you were sharing. “She’s gorgeous. No wonder Bucky’s so grumpy all the time; I would be too if I got dumped by her.”

You rolled your eyes. “Being dumped by a hot girl is no excuse to be an asshole for as long as he has.” You’d been forced to hang out with Bucky several more times since your first disastrous meeting, and not much had changed between the two of you.

The next evening, you pulled up to the curb outside Bucky and Steve’s small, shitty off-campus house that they shared with three of their friends: an Aerospace & Bio-Mechanical Engineer major named Tony Stark, a Mechanical Engineering major named Sam Wilson, and an Exercise Science major named Clint Barton. You were there to get Sharon, but were surprised to see Bucky sitting on the front steps, reading a book. He glanced up at the sound of your car and made eye contact with you through the window.

Against your better judgment, you rolled it down. “Hey, Bucket.”

He scowled. “It’s Bucky. What are you doing here?”

“I’m picking up Sharon,” you said. “Why are you sitting outside?” It was nice out, but it was also ten o’clock at night. The only light he was getting was from the crappy one above him on the porch.

“Forgot my key,” he said. “Tony’s with Pepper, Sam and Clint are at the gym, and Steve and Sharon are . . . occupied.”

“Ah,” you said uncomfortably. Clearly you had some time to kill, so you cut the engine and unbuckled your seatbelt. “What are you reading?”

“Crime and Punishment,” he said. “For my Russian Lit class.”

“Dostoevsky,” you said, nodding. “Cool.”

He narrowed his eyes at you. “You know him?”

“Uh, yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”

He shrugged. “Just didn’t know you were that smart, is all.”

“Oh, please,” you scoffed, feeling a fresh wave of hatred for him wash over you. “Just because I’m not, what, Pre-Law and Russian, that means I’m not smart?” You didn’t mean to say Natasha’s studies specifically; somehow they just slipped out.

Bucky rolled his eyes. “No, it’s because—wait.” He blinked. “How did you know that?”

“Know what?”

“Natasha’s majors,” he said, forcing the name out. “How’d you know that? How do you know her? Have you been stalking me or something?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” you said, although your face was burning at being caught. “Sharon told me. I have no interest in you or anything you do, don’t worry.” Desperate to end the conversation, you laid on the horn, hoping Steve and Sharon would hear it and speed up the process.

“Yeah? I’m glad we’re on the same page, then,” Bucky snapped. “So do me a favor and stay out of my business.” Sharon finally came out, looking apologetic. Steve was behind her, holding the door open so Bucky could come inside. He got to his feet and stalked past him.

“You’ve been here for, like, a minute,” Sharon said as she got into the passenger seat. “How are you guys already fighting?” Steve waved half-heartedly as you drove away.

“He’s a douchebag, that’s how,” you said, ignoring the voice in the back of your head that said a handsome one, though.

*****

You met Natasha Romanoff for the first time at Bruce Banner’s birthday party. Originally, you weren’t even planning on going. Sharon and Steve had been dating for several months now, and you got along with their friend group just fine (aside from a certain blue-eyed jerk), but you didn’t really care to go to a party full of them.

That all changed when Sharon told you that Bruce, their constantly-stressed Physics major friend whom the party was for, was now dating Natasha, Bucky’s ex-girlfriend. Now you were interested. A chance to see Bucky uncomfortable? What could be better?

You were in the kitchen, fixing yourself a drink. Sharon was in the next room, cheering on Steve and Sam as they played a heated game of beer pong against Tony and their other friend Thor, a friendly and competitive frat boy type who was also Bruce’s roommate.

Suddenly, a voice behind you said, “Hey!” You turned and saw the birthday boy himself walking in, smiling at you. There was a girl standing behind him, and of course you recognized her immediately. The infamous Natasha.

“Hi,” you said, focusing on Bruce as he reached forward to hug you. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks for coming! I’m so glad you decided to show up.”

“Yeah, of course,” you said. “Wouldn’t miss it.” An awkward silence followed. You were grateful to be holding a drink, since it gave you something to do with your hands.

Bruce glanced at the girl, and then back at you. “Hey, you haven’t met Nat, have you?”

“No, I haven’t,” you said, because technically it was true. Meeting someone in person was very different from stalking their social media. “Hi, I’m Y/N. I’m Sharon’s friend.”

“Hi,” Natasha said, giving you a small half-smile. She was even more perfect up close, and you found yourself trying to picture her and Bucky together. The thought of it made you a little uncomfortable, although you weren’t sure why. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

“You said you were Sharon’s friend?” You nodded. “So you must know James.”

“James?” you repeated, racking your brain to try and think of who James could possibly be. You knew pretty much everybody in Steve’s friend group now, thanks to Sharon constantly forcing you to hang out with them. But you’d never met anyone named James. “No, I don’t think so.”

Bruce laughed, flicking Nat lightly on the arm. “What?” she said, although her half-smile grew into a bigger one as she looked at him.

You raised your eyebrows, confused. Clearly this was some inside joke you weren’t privy to. Bruce shook his head at you, still chuckling. “James—that’s Bucky’s real name.”

“Bucky’s real name is James?” you repeated in disbelief. You honestly had never thought about him having an actual name, though it obviously made sense. He was always just . . . Bucky. Just that word brought the image of him to your brain, rolling his eyes.  

“Yeah. James Buchanan Barnes.”

“Oh my God,” you said, snorting. “That’s completely ridiculous. James Buchanan wasn’t even a good president.”

“I always liked it,” Natasha said with a small shrug. “And where is he, anyway? I haven’t seen him at all since we got here.”

“He should be here somewhere,” Bruce said. “This is his house, after all.”

Now that you were thinking about him, you realized that you’d only seen Bucky once so far tonight, when you first walked in. The two of you had locked eyes across the room and scowled at each other. Bruce and Natasha had arrived not long after, and then he’d simply disappeared.

It wasn’t your problem. For God’s sake, you couldn’t stand the guy. And yet you still went looking for him. You didn’t bother asking Steve or Sharon where he was, knowing they’d just jump to conclusions, so you wandered throughout the house, peeking into random rooms and hoping you wouldn’t walk in on anyone having sex.

At last, you opened the door to the bathroom and found Bucky sitting on the edge of the bathtub, his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. He glanced up when you walked in, but said nothing.

“Hey, Bucket.”

“It’s Bucky,” he corrected you, like always, but he sounded tired this time.

“Or maybe you prefer James?” you asked, raising your eyebrows. Looking at him, though, you privately wondered if maybe you preferred it. James Buchanan Barnes. It was too stuffy, too old-fashioned for someone like him, but at the same time . . . it fit.

His gaze snapped to you quickly, his expression unreadable. For some reason it made your stomach jump. “I guess you met Natasha,” he said. He didn’t phrase it like a question.

“What makes you say that?”

“She’s the only one aside from my mom and my grandma who calls me James,” he said. “Always said Bucky was the name of a cartoon beaver, not a real person.”

That struck you as kind of harsh, but you didn’t say so. “James is okay,” you said with a shrug. “But I think I like Bucket better.” He cracked a smile, one of the rare ones you were able to elicit from him, shaking his head. “Why are you hiding in here, anyway? You’re supposed to be out having a good time.”

“Like you care.”

“Oddly enough, I do,” you said wryly. “It’s no fun if I’m not the one making you miserable.”

Bucky snorted. He was silent for a few seconds, and then he said abruptly, “It’s just—hard to be out there, I guess. Nat and I dated for two years, but we were friends before that. I know—knew—everything about her. And now it’s . . . not like that anymore.”

“It must be weird,” you said cautiously. “To see her and Bruce together.”

“That was why she broke up with me. Did you know that?” You shook your head. “Yeah. We’ve all been friends since like, freshman year, but I guess last semester was when they got close. And then she dumped me, and next thing I knew they were dating.” He exhaled. “I never saw it coming.”

“That really sucks,” you said. “I’m sorry.” And surprisingly, you meant it.

“Yeah,” was all Bucky said. “I don’t know. I want her to be happy. I thought I made her happy. But if it’s being with Banner that does it, then . . . that’s cool, I guess. Because she’s a great person, you know?”

You nodded. Even though she’d broken Bucky’s heart, you had to respect her for breaking up with him properly instead of just cheating. And Natasha had seemed funny and friendly when you met her. You just couldn’t hate her.

“You deserve to be happy too,” you said quietly. Bucky looked up at you, and for once, there was no irritation or malice in his gaze. He had a thoughtful expression on his face, and it made your stomach flip again. Butterflies? You didn’t think you could handle getting butterflies.

“I guess so,” he said finally. “I’m getting there.” You held his eyes for a few seconds until he shook his head a little, like he was snapping himself out of a trance. “I don’t even know why I told you all that.” He got to his feet and moved past you, opening the bathroom door. “You don’t even like me.”

But as you watched him successfully beat Steve in a game of flip cup, argue good-naturedly with Tony over the future of nanotechnology, and cordially say hello to Bruce and Nat, you wondered if maybe he was wrong.

Maybe you did like Bucky. Maybe all of the arguing was just to keep things interesting, and maybe the only thing you wanted to do right now was go up to him and kiss him right on his stupid mouth.

Oh no. There was only one solution to this: you went back into the kitchen and refilled your drink.

When you woke up the next morning with a terrible hangover, you rolled over to face Sharon, who always crawled into your bed and snuggled with you when she was drunk. “Sharon. Hey.” She groaned. “Wake up.”

“What?” she mumbled, her face half-smushed into the pillow.

“I think I like Bucky.”

There was a pause. You waited for her to be surprised at this revelation, or offer you some advice that only a best friend could. Instead, she opened her eyes and squinted at you, looking utterly disgusted.

“Yeah. No shit.”

*****

“You came to this party with Rumlow?”

You turned around and saw Bucky Barnes of all people standing in the doorway, staring at you.

It had been a strange couple of weeks. After Bruce’s birthday party, you came to the unfortunate conclusion that you had feelings for Bucky Barnes. It was a particularly hard pill to swallow, since a) the two of you couldn’t go five minutes without fighting, and b) he would never in a million years like you back.

You tried to act normal whenever you were around him, but soon you found that just being near him made your heart beat faster than normal. Suddenly it was hard to even form coherent thoughts, much less speak. So, avoidance it was.

You’d sworn Sharon to secrecy, forbidding her to even tell Steve, which she wasn’t happy about. She was convinced the two of them would be able to work some matchmaking magic, but you knew better. Bucky was better suited for girls like Natasha, who were interesting and mysterious and fun. You were just an occasionally annoying presence, a friend of his best friend’s girlfriend. Nothing else.

If Bucky noticed you weren’t around as much, he never said anything. In fact, the two of you didn’t speak at all. Until tonight, at a party thrown by your friends Scott and Hope. You’d spent most of the night successfully avoiding him, but made the mistake of stepping out onto the empty balcony to get some air. Now he had you cornered.

You raised your eyebrows at him. “Theoretically, yeah, I did.”

“So you’re aware that he’s hooking up with some random girl in there?” Bucky asked, almost accusingly.

Brock Rumlow was, by all accounts, a scumbag. Sharon was always telling you how much Steve hated him. But he’d asked you to go to the party with him and you’d do anything to not look like a pathetic, pining loser. Except, of course, now you did, because Rumlow had ditched you to sleep with someone else.

You knew you should care, or at least pretend that you did, but you couldn’t find it in yourself. So you just shrugged, turning back to look over the balcony at all the drunk people stumbling and laughing through the streets.

There was silence, and you thought maybe he’d gone back inside. But suddenly he was right next to you. “What’s your deal?”

“My deal?”

“Yeah. You’ve been, like, weird lately.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” you asked, annoyed.

“Just—I don’t know. It feels like you’re avoiding me or something. Ever since Banner’s party.”

You finally turned to look at him head-on and immediately wished you hadn’t. You’d forgotten how beautiful he was, how wonderfully messy his hair was as it fell across his forehead, how flushed his cheeks were from the cold, how bright his eyes were. You had to force your brain to start working again.

“Isn’t that what you want?” you said after a second.

To your surprise, he let out a long sigh. “I thought it was,” he said. “But now I’m not sure.”

“Sorry, wait, what?” you said, holding up a hand, acutely aware of your heart starting to pound. “What does that mean?”

“You just—you drive me insane, okay?” Bucky said. “Like, you pissed me off the first night we met and you fight with me about literally every single thing and you’re so freaking stubborn—”

“Is there a point to this? Or are you just going to keep insulting me?” you interrupted.

“I’m not done!” Bucky said, sounding frustrated. “See, this is what I mean! You’re always just around, and you always seem to like everyone but me and—and then all of a sudden you stopped coming over, or you only come over when I’m not there, and now you’re here with Rumlow and you—you make me feel weird.”

“Weird?” you repeated.

“Yeah. Like—like my stomach is fluttering or something.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “I don’t know.”

“Are you trying to tell me that you like me?” you said, feeling like the wind had just gotten knocked out of you. There was just no way that was what he meant. It just couldn’t be.

“I . . . yeah,” Bucky said quietly, exhaling. “I think I am.”

For a second the two of you just stared at each other. You searched his face, looking for any sign of him joking, but couldn’t find it. His eyes never left yours, looking back at you unflinchingly. You swallowed. This was real. This was actually real.

“I think,” you said finally, “you should kiss me.”

Bucky didn’t need to be told twice. He slid over, leaning in to crash his lips against yours. You fisted one hand in his shirt while he cupped your cheek, pressing closer still. Everything else seemed to stop, and you didn’t care that it was freezing out, or that your lips were slightly chapped, or that Steve and Sharon were never going to let you hear the end of this. You were kissing Bucky after all these long months of so desperately wanting to.

And God, he was good at it, kissing you so deeply and thoroughly it made your knees feel a little weak. His warm hands ran down your torso, slipping beneath your jacket and shirt and rubbing the skin there. Part of you couldn’t help but be annoyed at the fact that you’d known Bucky for about six months now and had only just gotten around to kissing him now.

At last, he placed one more soft kiss on your lips before pulling away, his eyes sparkling in a way that you’d never seen before. He looked . . . happy. Really, genuinely happy. I did that, you thought to yourself, almost in wonder.

“Do you wanna get outta here?” Bucky asked, gesturing to everything around you. “I know it’s a little overdue, but maybe I can walk you home now.”

You laughed and nodded. “Yeah. That sounds great.” He held out his hand and you took it, liking the way your fingers fit between his. “Let’s go, Bucket.”

“It’s Bucky,” he corrected you, but he was smiling.

[master-sass-blast]

Fall Family Day.

Hi, welcome to the Fluff Train, ALL ABOARD!

Summary: You, Piotr, and the students at Xavier’s take a day to celebrate Fall and mutantism with the families and alums connected to the Institute.

Pairings: Piotr Rasputin x Reader and Alexandra Rasputin x Nikolai Rasputin.

Rating: G. Just ignore the swear words. There aren’t any. Shhhh.

Set after “Meeting the Rasputins” but before the ending of “Gatekeeper.”

Taglist: @chromecutie, @marvel-is-perfection, @super-darkcloudstudent, @girl-obsessed-with-things, @nebulous-leo

Watching Piotr slowly step into the role of headmaster at Xavier’s has been a fascinating journey to watch. You know he takes the role with the utmost seriousness and dignity, and that he’s invested countless hours into learning the ropes of managing students, supply orders, payrolls, training waivers, and the various nitty-gritty details that come with the role of managing the Institute—

But you’ve also watched him work on implement new, fun activities for the students –case in point, today: Fall Family Day.

It’d taken some work to get off the ground, but Piotr managed to block out a Friday to invite the –supportive, loving—family members of the various students to come and visit the Institute and have their respect kids show them around and show off their various academic and mutation training accomplishments; for the kids that don’t have anyone coming, he’s also invited the various alumni and college students that work with Xavier’s to come, visit, and support the kids that don’t have anyone. The parents will have a chance to properly meet with the teachers in charge of their children’s education, and there’s a training session scheduled before lunch so the students can show off their progress from studying at Xavier’s.

Also on the day’s docket is pumpkin carving, apple bobbing, hayrides, and other fall-themed fun.

It’s not hard to miss the pride and satisfaction that’s practically glowing off Piotr. You know he loves doting on and supporting his students, and the fact that they’re excited and happy makes him happy—

You can’t help but smile. He’s the literal sweetest.

He’s also dressed in a dark gray button down shirt that he’s rolled up the sleeves on, and –granted—he’s wearing his X-Men suit underneath in case disaster strikes and he needs to armor up, but…

Hot dayum.

Anywho.

The excitement in the air is palpable –which, granted, with a combination of thirty odd elementary, middle school, and high school students, is pretty easy to achieve.

Granted, not everyone is quiet so overjoyed…

“It’s okay,” you soothe Sasha –who is far more prone to weepy outbursts than her counterpart, case in point right now. “We can set up a call with your parents soon, and you’re still going to have so much fun today—”

And then a shouted, elated greeting in Russian distracts the girls, and two adults that look a lot like them are running towards them, and then the girls are running towards the adults and hugging them—

“Just so we’re sure,” you say as you jog over to Piotr. “Those are the parents, right?”

He chuckles and nods. “Da. Although, that still leaves question of how they got here—”

“Medvezhonok!”

Alex strides across the lawn, beaming at her son, with Nikolai close behind and Illyana and Mikhail trailing after as they argue over something.

Piotr gapes at his family as they finish closing the distance between them. “Chto… kak?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s how Katya’s and Sasha’s parents got here,” you comment quietly.

Piotr only has a moment to blink –which is followed by a snort—before he’s pulled into a massive hug, courtesy of Alexandra. They converse in Russian for a moment, then Alex turns to you and flashes a dazzling grin at you. “Malen'kaya ptitsa!”

You grin back as you’re drawn into a hug. “Hi! How’s everything? Also, when and how did you get here?”

Alex chuckles as she lets you go. “We teleported.” She nods to Sasha’s and Katya’s parents. “And picked them up along way.”

“Mama,” Piotr says in a voice that’s equal parts exasperated and admonishing, which prompts Nikolai to soothe him in a stream of Russian that –like just about everything else everyone’s been saying—you don’t understand.

Alex merely shrugs and smirks. “We have it handled. And we wanted to see you.”

Piotr shakes his head, but there’s no hiding the grin on his face. “Just be careful.”

Alex grins crookedly at her son before turning to face Xavier’s. “Aren’t I always? Now, tell me all about today.”

 ***

 First on the roster is the training session –well, not a “session,” in the technical sense of the word. It’s more of a display, a chance for the students to show off everything they’ve been learning during their time at the school.

The younger students –along with those who are new to Xavier’s and haven’t had as much time to work on controlling their mutations—mostly stick to fun tricks: juggling with no hands, throwing or aiming things at targets, and the like.

One girl with the ability to control water makes it jump from cup to cup. She beams proudly when she finishes her display and does a little curtsy for the applauding crowd.

The older students –and those who have been at Xavier’s for longer—get to run through some of the tamer training simulations or perform more elaborate tricks for the crowd. Kitty wows everyone as she does various gymnastics through random objects, Yukio makes a short animation with her electrokinesis, and Ellie and Russell put on a display of pyrotechnics and energy manipulation that would’ve brought the house down if the room hadn’t been so thoroughly reinforced.

All in all, it’s a good time. The kids are practically glowing from all the praise they get from everyone that showed up, and the older students are similarly pleased, though some of go to greater efforts to hide it.

“This was a good idea,” you say to Piotr as everyone heads back towards the main part of the mansion. “The kids really needed this.”

He squeezes your hand and smiles at you gratefully. “Spasibo, myshka.”

***

 Lunch comes in the form of a massive picnic on the back lawn. Blankets are laid out on the grass, and picnic baskets –labelled, so students with food allergies don’t wind up getting something they can’t eat—are distributed among the students, alums, teachers, and parents. The weather is perfect –dry, full sun, but still with that hint of fall chill in the air.

Wade and Nate also show up at lunchtime. They split off so Wade can visit with Russell and Nate can visit with you, Piotr, and his family –but Wade is properly dressed and on his best behavior, for once.

The relief on Piotr’s face is palpable.

Katya, Sasha, and their parents –who you learn are named Alexei and Natalia—sit with you, Piotr, and his family, since no one else speaks fluent Russian at the mansion.

All in all, it’s a good time. You all munch on sandwiches, chips, and other –healthy—snacks, and you only catch about a tenth of what’s said in Russian, but it’s good. Calm. Happy.

You smile when Piotr’s hand curls around yours. It doesn’t get better than this.

 ***

 After lunch comes a series of fall-themed activities for the students, alums, and parents to do together: apple-bobbing, pumpkin carving, corn hole, hayrides, and the like.

Your role in all of it mostly boils down to making sure none of the students cut in the line for the various activities and that no one runs with the knives in the pumpkin carving area, same as the other teachers and staff members in attendance.

You do, though, get treated to quite the display when Piotr bobs for apples at the behest of his students. The way the water drips off his chin, the way his cheeks flush from the chill of the water, the ever-so-slightly self-conscious smile he wears when he finally manages to grab one…

Hot dayum.

Also high on the list of “entertaining moments” –albeit in an entirely different context—is watching Alex and Wade carve a pumpkin together. They’re both entirely too dramatic about the process of carving a pumpkin, of all things, and their steady stream of banter makes several of the students fall out of their seats from laughing too hard.

All in all, it’s a good day.

 ***

 “You did good today.”

It’s night, now. The students that stay at Xavier’s are in bed, the parents and alums have gone back to their places of residence, and you…

Well, you’re in bed with Piotr –post having worked out your pent-up frustration caused by the apple-bobbing contest, thank you very much.

The blankets are haphazardly draped over you both; you’re nestled up against your boyfriend’s chest, one leg slung over his hip, and Piotr’s fingers alternate between playing with your hair or tracing nonsensical designs up and down your back.

“I mean it,” you insist when Piotr tries to dodge the compliment with his trademark humility. “You did good, Piotr. You made the students so happy today. So many of the kids here come from such ugly backgrounds; they needed a day like today just soak in love and positivity.”

It’s a truth seldom spoken out loud at Xavier’s. There’s the occasional few students or members of the X-Men that manage to dodge the worst of the persecution aimed at mutants, but almost every single person who’s passed through the front doors of the Institute for Gifted Children have undergone some form of mistreatment for their different DNA, be it bullying, rejection by their families, or growing up in one of the orphanages like the one Russell and his peers came from.

“You’re going to be a good headmaster,” you say as you kiss your boyfriend’s chest. “Today proved it –again.”

Piotr ducks his head bashfully, though it’s impossible to miss the way his cheeks flush with happiness. “Spasibo, myshka.”

“Anytime, baby,” you murmur as he kisses the top of your head. “Anytime.”

[autisticlalna]

shadowrealms incident report: the Shadows

welcome to Spotlight Investigations, where leo has to go look at the post he made when this shit first happened!

note: this is heavily abridged, check out @green-t-ea​‘s recaps for full records of each event!

back when Shadowrealms was still a java realm, there would be sightings of shadows from various points in the timeline of the Shadow People AU. they would show up for a short period of time, then return back to the Hermitcraft server they originated from. due to the shadow update being an unspecified future update (jokingly called 1.1[_] by Leo), and the realm & server running on 1.14, they don’t render properly and instead appear as completely invisible except for their particles.

so far they haven’t meant us any harm. unfortunately the initial shadow visits was before we played on shadowrealms, so we don’t have any screenshots, but we know enough to provide a vague summary and we were present for the two most recent ones, where a lot of lore behind what’s happening was explained.

Visit 1: Jigsaw & Abyss

[ screencaps provided by Green! ]

[ * Jigsaw joined the game <Skyscream_3112> umj <Peppered_Fox> wut <Jigsaw> Well, this is new. <Skyscream_3112> Uhh ]

Jigsaw logged on, startled everyone, and was ominous about wanting to play a “game” with the beacons (with implications of it being lethal):

[ <Jisaw> Don’t be frightened! We’re going to play one of my favorite games. <Peppered_Fox> Monoploy? ]

[ <Jigsaw> Hmm, no. It’s the one where I come find you! ]

before he could do anything, though, Abyss logged on and Jigsaw fled back to the Hermitcraft server:

[ * Abyss joined the game <Peppered_Fox> oh no * pyritefish has made the advancement [Into Fire] <Jigsaw> Uh oh <Abyss> There you are. Wrong server Jigsaw <Jigsaw> Catch me if you can! * Jigsaw left the game ]

Abyss acknowledged the beacons, then left.

[ * Abyss left the game <Peppered_FOx> WELL <pyritefish> cobble bridge and chaos <DeadlyWeapon13> ....I’m frightened <Skyscream_3112> Thats just <Skyscream_3112> Does that mean the other Shadows can join too ]

Visit 2: Shadoc

[ no screencaps currently available, will edit when located ]

Shadoc appeared, was incredibly confused about a “strange portal” he’d gone through and where he’d ended up, and left shortly after.

Visit 3: Jigsaw

[ screencaps provided by Green! ]

[ * Jigsaw joined the game <Jigsaw> Back here again? Must be my lucky day <dungeonnumber0> oh hey bitchman ]

Jigsaw got in an argument with Ardent because honestly Ardent is just kinda like that.

[ <dungeonnumber0> I’m allowed to be rude, I’m the fuckin’ Broker <DeadlyWeapon13> How the heck do you keep getting on here ]

apparently Abyss didn’t do a good job of catching Jigsaw:

[ <GreenTea64> Jigsaw i heard you ran into abyss early today did that end up okay? <dungeonnumber0> ya get vibe checked? <Jigsaw> I managed to escape, thank you ]

Green managed to strike up a conversation with him about building styles, with Jigsaw appreciating Green’s base (including saying NPC would like it, awwh). turns out Jigsaw’s favourite kind of wood is spruce? and he also likes Dark Souls

when Green mentioned that they have a cat named Puzzler, Jigsaw got spooked and assumed Puzzler himself was around on the server. Ardent bullied him a bit more, then Green had to go.

worth noting that Jigsaw was rather well-behaved this time, probably because of Green distracting him with something he likes that isn’t, like, torture

his reaction to Puzzler means that he’s from Season 7, aka Abandoned Shadows, so that’s interesting.

Visit 4: Shadoc

[ <mathonwys> shadoc gets lost in the woods for 10 hours asmr ]

[ * Shadoc joined the game ]

(note: those screenshots are unrelated BUT they are hilarious considering Shay said that like a minute before Shadoc logged in)

we wrote a full report on this so here’s an even MORE abridged version!

Shadoc logs in and is initially worried that he’s intruding on stuff (while Shay fucking books it to spawn because he was wandering around trying to find the Orchid base), but the beacons reassure him that no, it’s fine, we love you

Sky follows up with him on the “strange portal” he mentioned:

[ <Shadoc> Yeah! So, the portal is suppose to lead to the next server I guess? But it keeps leading here ]

unlike Jigsaw, Shadoc is from Season 6. he’s roughly around the start of Abandoned Shadows: the hermits have moved seasons, and everyone is trying to figure out how to follow. the season portal is a bit busted, though, and while it isnt really confirmed what the problem is in Abandoned Shadows itself (in our own take on plot stuff, we figured it just... didn’t Work) in Shadowrealms it... apparently leads to Shadowrealms?

Shadoc confirms that Jigsaw went through the portal and hasn’t returned to S6, and that the first shadow through was supposed to come back and help everyone else cross over:

[ <Shadoc> Once one of us made it over, they were supposed to come back for the others ]

we theorized that the realm may be acting as a sort of buffer for the shadows to pass through between seasons, although that doesn’t explain why Jigsaw hasn’t come back to S6 like he was supposed to. the name of the realm + spawn being a shadow temple might be a factor in the interference, but no confirmation yet

after a good amount of shenanigans, Shadoc left with the hopes that he’d be able to get back to S6.

the realm ran into some issues due to having a 10-player cap and there being a lot of beacons trying to get online for the visit, so Ash upgraded it to a server. after that, we had encounters with the Watchers and with Herobrine, but no signs of any of the shadows.

Green and Shay built a huge flower garden & treehouse for if Shadoc returned, seeing as so many beacons donated flowers for him. it’s also now Shay’s favourite location at spawn and he’s usually up there if he’s not at his base, Orchid, or mining

Visit 5: Shadoc & Jigsaw

after several days of no activity from the shadows, and some concern that the Watchers and/or the server upgrade were responsible, Shadoc and Jigsaw logged on and immediately got into an argument.

[ <Shadoc> B-but, you left us! We waited for you to come back and you never did.. <Jigsaw> Do you really think I had a choice? ]

Jigsaw arrived in S7, as we’d already known, but had run into Abyss. after his second visit to the Shadowrealms, Abyss started guarding the portal to stay on watch for the other S6 shadows, but also to prevent any of the shadows from S7 to make it back i think? Jigsaw said that Abyss had gotten distracted by another shadow crossing over and that was how he was able to show up at shadowrealms again

after Jigsaw went missing from S6, Shadoc had followed him through the portal. as explained in Visit 4, he ended up here, we learned stuff from him, and he went back. he made it back to S6, rather than crossing to S7 like Jigsaw did

[ <Shadoc> When I went back everyone was in shock <Shadoc> They thought I had left them, just like you. I explained the world I had seen to them ]

Shadoc told all of the S6 shadows about shadowrealms and the beacons, seeing as he was the only one on S6 that knew anything about the other side of the portal bc of Jigsaw’s disappearance

[ <Shadoc> After that visit, Apex decided he wanted to see the people for himself ]

(shay: oh shit)

[ <Shadoc> We couldn’t stop him from going through..he didn’t come back ]

Apex made it to S7, and was the distraction that allowed Jigsaw to return to shadowrealms. interestingly, Apex wasn’t spotted on the server, so it’s possible he either passed through when no one was online / everyone was AFKing, or he found a way to bypass. honestly im a little relieved because i would NOT survive an encounter with apex and im not sure hed play by the “dont stab shay” rule

after Apex disappeared, Murmur got extremely protective of Shadoc and wasn’t going to let him go through the portal again in case he got left behind, and... well. Shadoc did anyway. ):

[ <Jigsaw> I’m going to leave before Abyss comes back. I don’t think you’d like meeting him. <Jigsaw> Goodbye Shadoc. Thank you for your information. ]

[ <Shadoc> N-no, wa-ait! <GreenTea64> ssshhhhhh * Jigsaw left the game ]

at which point all of the beacons that had been listening in immediately scrambled to comfort Shadoc and make sure he was okay. Shadoc has no idea why Jigsaw is being like this and honestly neither do we? but it seems like he’s trying to avoid Abyss coming to either Shadowrealms or S6.

Shadoc wasn’t able to stay long because he didn’t want to worry anyone if they noticed he was gone, but he was around long enough to get a tour of spawn + the garden&treehouse, which he liked (and Shay cried a little)

it turns out anything from Shadowrealms isn’t able to be brought back to S6, so unfortunately Shadoc wasn’t able to bring his armor & flowers back with him... and it’s presumed impossible for the beacons to try and make the jump as well because of that. Shadoc still had his orange armor once he was on the server though! which was a pleasant surprise

he’s apparently going to hug Murmur for us and you can definitely guess which emoji Shay was feeling (it’s :keralisweep: )

Shay promised to investigate the shadow appearances & what’s causing them, and Shadoc returned to S6.

Visit 6: From, Shadoc

this is a very interesting update and it was hard for Leo to get himself to go to sleep last night because Shay was so excited and wanted to update the report at 2 am

it’s also a very unique update because, for once, none of this happened on Shadowrealms. or, at least, not the Shadowrealms minecraft server.

after the Watcher sightings at Inari Empire on 11/24, Shay and Leo logged off to take a break and were chatting in the discord when Ash, the server admin, sent a surprising message.

[ a discord screenshot

The Void Itself: ...I was just about to add datapacks to one of my single player worlds. And uh. notice anything?

attached is a screenshot of their .minecraft folder. ]

[ a crop of the attached screenshot. it’s a folder named “From, Shadoc”, created after Visit 5. ]

the discord immediately went off the shits.

[ a discord screenshot:

mathonwys! (shay) leo: THE ARG IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE ]

inside the folder:

[ a screencap of the From, Shadoc folder. inside is 4 minecraft screenshots and a document named “Read.txt” ]

the screencaps are from Visit 5! specifically they’re the group photos from when everyone piled into the enchanting hut’s attic together, and when everyone crammed themselves into boats for the hell of it:

Read.txt is maybe the most interesting part, though.

[ a screenshot of a notepad document:

Hello Deadly, or whoever may see this I talked to Admin to see if there was any way to communicate without being in your world He tried a few things and this seems to be working? We’re not sure if you’re gong to be able to read it Hopefully this reaches you. If it does, you should be able to send things back? All we know so far is that the worlds can communicate somehow, which is how you’re getting these files Talk to you soon maybe? ~Shadoc Ps. I including some photos from today!Though, I appear to be invisible? Your world really is strange ]

so basically Shadoc (and maybe the other shadows, if Admin gives them access?) are able to communicate with the beacons through Ash without being present on the server itself! Leo described it as being like “an interdimensional dropbox”.

[ a discord screenshot:

The Void Itself I’m going to make a folder inside the folder called to shadoc, hopefully it works? Just so we can separate what we’re sending vs receiving ]

the beacons that were online at the time shared some artwork and messages for Ash to pass on. we’re now waiting for a response!

[amaranthinerose42]

So Ghosts are real

or at least waves of negative energy. Whether they’re man-made or spirits that can affect us. 

So not everyone wins the lottery when you get set up with housemates. Sometimes they’re strange, annoying and don’t understand boundaries. Sometimes they’re mean. Sometimes they’re quick to judge. Sometimes they turn out to be the kind of person who just exuberates negative vibes, man. I had the luck of all three in my final semester at san francisco state. Mix those all together with someone who is a chicken when it comes to confrontation, me, and you get domestic troubles. To keep people anonymous I’m going to refer to each housemate to their sun sign. We had a Leo and Aries sharing one room, Pisces and Capricorn (me) sharing another and then the Aquarius. 

This strange roommate with a lack of boundaries, the Aquarius, had her own room. Funny enough she never closed her door and had a habit of waltzing into our rooms without permission. I put her down as quirky, annoying, and someone I’d have to tolerate. The others found her behavior as offensive, horrifying, making them (and I quote) ‘Prisoners in our own home’ that it was ‘the most traumatic shit they’ve ever experienced’. It wasn’t a fun experience, and I felt bad for the girl. She did have some mental stuff that hindered her to understand certain social situations and what is polite living with near strangers. She’d change her clothes with her door open, not shower apparently (my room wasn’t close enough to hers but my housemates said the smell was unbearable) Things got real personal real fast with her. She’d talk and talk and constantly jump from one inappropriate topic to the next. 

As a person with my own social anxiety, I still tried to understand her point of view, respond, be generally kind and polite to her. The others were So good at acting polite toward her I was worried I was the one getting impatient and might snap at her. But then one weekend she went home. They went off. From that weekend on, for the next two weeks, they’d treat her like a monster in our house. They’d leave the living room the moment she’d come home from class. 

Anyway, one night one of the girls, the Aries, in the other room invited us all except the Aquarius to go with them to see this opera thing at the baseball field. It was mostly to get out of the house. I accepted because it seemed like a fun thing. I honestly didn't want to get involved in their drama. They just talked shit about her all day. As a gullible person, I was starting to lean toward their side. But now it’s likely a lot of the little things they said she did sounded like made up childish bullying to make her seem more gross. 

Things got bad enough that we had made a list of complaints and sent it to our RA to help us deal with her. There were certain things she straight up did/didn’t do like help pay for toilet paper, take peoples kitchen supplies, take peoples food. So our RA decided it was a good idea to email everyone in the house that “I see things aren’t going too well, we’re going to have a meeting on friday to discuss things”. We thought this was risky, but it being a wednesday we thought whatever, it’ll be taken care of in two days. Then the RA cancelled. Moved it to monday. Saturday was the opera night.  

So, we went to this opera thing and they purposely didn’t invite her. It was a fine night but I could tell I was starting to get sick, we were out in the cold. Then we went back home. Here are the following events from my perspective: 

As we were coming back home into the building I asked the Aries, the one who invited us out if I could have some of her tea, as i was starting to feel unwell. She said sure of course and brought me to her stash. It was nearly midnight when I had my cup. 

I then started to get ready for bed, exhausted. I had to walk over to their side of the apartment to get my toiletries. From where I stood, the Aquarius saw me with her door wide open. She asked me how the night went, had her usual cheery attitude. I responded, kinda downplayed it to make it seem not that interesting. Then I left to go to the restroom. A few minutes later, I was exiting the restroom with my PJ’s on when I see the Aries and the Leo leaving the apartment. 

“What’s going on?” I ask.

The Aries, with a peeved out of patience lilt, “My room just got raided.”

“Raided?”

“Yeah.” She nodded, saying it in a way that indicates with both know what just happened, “We’re going to the housing office.” And they left. 

Being curious, I went to their room and peaked in. The Leo’s side was fine, but the Aries side seemed a little messy. It does seem like her stuff had been looked through, but nothing broken or too crazy. The Aquarius’s door was shut. I went to bed not knowing what else to do. Pisces was asleep. I laid there for like five minutes when Leo called and told me to bring everyone and come down to have an emergency house meeting. I thought I needed to wake up the Aquarius and she wasn’t answering when I knocked on her door so I called her. 

She was crying when she answered, told me she was already down there and apologized. I just say it’s ok, said me and Pisces will be down there in a sec and hang up. God I just remember thinking this was all so stupid and childish. 

So we had this meeting, Aquarius was in a separate room because she was screaming and crying. The other four of us tired, listening to Aries and Leo explain what happened. 

So apparently when they came home, Aries found her stuff moved, rummages through, some of her things thrown into the trashcan, objects misplaced. Aquarius is inconsolable, saying she’s innocent. But the only other person was Pisces and Aquarius would have seen her do it with her door open. Pisces also had no motive. 

After Aries had seen the scene on her side of the room she called her parents and angrily expressed what she believed to be true, that Aquarius had done this. That she felt safe and said something along the lines of “Guess I’m getting murdered tonight” Aquarius, leaving her door open had overheard this, approached Aries and said very defensively “Do you have a problem with me?!”

They talked as if they had a screaming match. I heard none of this. 

Anyway, the Aquarius was effectively getting kicked out and moved to a separate housing until Monday when we could have an actual mediation when she is more calm.  At first the housing people felt bad for her, but as the night progressed, hours later we could tell they seemed to be kind of unnerved by her. 

The next two days we “celebrated”. Drank a little, got food together. Monday happened. I wrote a little message and presented it to the Aquarius. Essentially saying that we didn’t deal with this right, we should’ve just talked to you more, but breaking into someones room and messing with their things is pushing an unforgivable line and now we just feel unsafe. The rest just listed off the things that bothered them. I almost didn’t say what I wrote, she seemed already so distraught. She started crying after I read my note. The others were ready to kill her they were so angry.

And then it was over...? She had to come back a few days later to pack up her things and officially move out. 

[icarusthelunarguard]

This Week’s Horrible-Scopes

Aries

We know you are a quick and intelligent thinker, which makes your otherwise un-intelligent statements weird. If you’re trying to be the next Betty White or Gracie Allen, well…. It takes a lot of years to reach that level of comedic genius, and right now you haven’t lived quite that long enough. Keep at it, though!  

Taurus

Your attention span is so short, you can’t make it through a five-second YouTube ad without wondering what else is on. It might be another mobile game ad, or specially polarized and tinted sunglasses, or that damned Flex-Tape. Regardless……. We lost you already, didn’t we? You know, YOU’RE the reason ‘Blip-Verts’ are invented! 

Gemini 

If you live in an area with a “Tractor Supply Company”, they have chicks available! And by ‘chicks’ we mean ‘birds’. And by ‘birds’ we don’t mean ‘young ladies’. We speak American, not English here. So go and adopt a chicken. When it grows up you’ll have a miniature T-Rex as a pet! How metal will that be?

Cancer 

We’re having an existential question about this one. If we tell you to, ‘give up on your dreams’, but your dream is to be able to lucid dream, what does that mean, really? If you’ve been trying too hard to do it and you just need to relax, does that mean our advice was right, or are we just telling you to ease off an unattainable goal and try for something more in your abilities? We don’t know!

Leo

Most Leos like to pick on small people and it boils down to one of two reasons. Either A) you just want their affection but don’t know how to just open up and say it, or 2) you’re just so happy to no longer be the shortest person in the room and you just want to bully someone more your size for a change. Cut it out! 

Virgo

What’s Black and White and Red all over. Yep, that's an embarrassed  panda. Yeah, the old Dad Joke Answer was, ‘A Newspaper’, but nobody knows what that is anymore. The fact that YOU remember that version means you’re old too. Ok, so, how about this version; What’s Black and White and Red all over? Rorschach’s Mask.

Libra 

Some people might find this career suggestion a little morbid, but tRUSt us, it’s timely: Taxidermist! There are people going out hunting for food, like deer, and this can be an ecological good. Some will want to have their prized 10-point buck’s head mounted for a wall. Here’s what you do; offer a STUPID HIGH discount for anyone that brings in a kill that they got bare handed - WITH VIDEO PROOF. This way Ole Bambi has a fair fightin’ chance! 

Scorpio 

Life is passing you by only because it’s in better shape than you are. You could do some cardio to catch up or just wait by the jogging path with a softball bat. Life moves a lot slower when it has to ice its knee every hour. Remember what Sheppard Book told us about the Bible and violence; it has very specific rules against killing, however it’s somewhat fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps.

Sagittarius 

Your master plan for world domination will never work because it involves you at the helm. And now that we’ve told you about that paradoxical shortcoming we know that you’ll re-evaluate the whole plan, all the way back to the blueprints. Trouble is, nobody uses actual blueprints anymore. Best we can suggest is just use a chalkboard. Just… stop using grease pencils on them. That isn’t how that works. 

Capricorn 

The secret to long life is eating right. So eat more fruits and vegetables. The health conscious folks know exactly what we’re talking about. Those with dirty minds will be sniggering remembering a punchline to a joke. Those are the people you need to be watching out for. They’re got stockpiles of Nachos Deluxe.

Aquarius 

Time to break out your collection of TV Guides from 1993 and see what could have been worth watching this week. OH! “In the Heat of the Night” was pretty good. The movie was better, though. “Herman's Head” was ‘Inside Out’ before ‘Inside Out’ was ‘Inside out’. OH SNAP! “The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.”?! I need to get that on DVD now! Oh.. wow… “The Paula Poundstone Show”. Uhm.. Yeah, so… THAT went over well, huh?

Pisces 

Ask anyone in the tech industry and they’ll agree; “If It’s Automated, You Can Hack It.” They will ALSO tell you, “All Is Known.” Trying to hide your Not Safe For Work content on your work computer will not end well. Changing the picture filenames to be Excel spreadsheet won’t work. I.T. uses Amigas to check all the files - and they ignore filenames and only look at the file’s internal hashtag. There’s a difference between “J F I F” and “X M L” headers.