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victimeyez · 12 days ago

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Who's a Good Boy?

Chapter 20 of The Professionals with @knivestothroats

Tommy struggles to understand that Fletcher doesn't want the person he has been forced to be.

tags: long term captivity, "cooperative" whumpee, post traumatic stress disorder, collared whumpee, behavioral conditioning

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The crops in Fletcher’s garden ripened in stages across the seasons. Even as winter descended, the apple trees still held some fruit, sweet as candy when the first frosts turned the starches to sugar.

In spite of this thoughtful design, there was no way to avoid the fact that the bulk of the crops came ready to harvest around the same time. It could mean some long days harvesting, and more pickling. Or jarring, baking, ricing, trimming, cleaning, pitting, juicing, washing, spiralizing, mashing, boiling, peeling, plucking, salting, candying, frying, drying, dancer, prancer, donner, vixen…

It was hard for Tommy to muscle through the harder physical labor, his body already a perpetual state of bruised and sore, but he could appreciate the process. He liked working with his hands; tasks that created tangible rewards, rather than just another grueling endurance of punishment. Jars lined neatly in rows, filling the root cellar shelves with salsas and jams and preserves. Greens that he had tended to with a fastidious hand made bright, fresh salads that tasted buttery and delicious only moments from field to plate. It was lively and gloriously satisfying, especially after a long day’s work.

Fletcher wasn’t teaching today, and they’d worked together since early in the morning. It had actually been kinda fun, and Tommy had a chance to study Fletcher working. The way they handled themself, the way they moved. Relaxed, confident in their work without feeling any need to show off.

He stole glances when he could, watching Fletcher stand and straighten their back with a grimace. They put their hands on their hips to stretch back, before wiping the sweat from their brow with the back of their forearm. Loose strands of their dark hair had pulled free from their ponytail, falling around their face in darts. He admired their bronzed and freckled skin, their tank top revealing scars and tattoos.

This is who I’m going to spend the rest of my life with.

How can I make this work? How can I be a good companion? How do I give them what they want?

The satisfaction he felt from the work and some pretty amicable time with Fletcher made him want to show them he would try. That he could be their good boy, and then maybe they wouldn’t make it all hurt so much.

It was a long day, but they were finally finishing up and heading inside.

“Hey, good work today,” Fletcher said, bumping their fist against Tommy’s shoulder.

“Oh! Thank you,” He beamed, managing a tired grin. He rubbed his shoulder after their hand left him, replacing it with his own for a moment before dropping it.

Fletcher stood washing their hands in the sink, and they had their back turned to him. With effort, Tommy tried for his best casual tone.

“Hey, I uh, I feel like this has been a pretty good, pretty good week. For us. Yeah...?” Stop stammering, goddamnit.

“Uh… yeah, I guess,” Fletcher agreed. They looked at him over their shoulder and added in a light tone, “You haven’t done anything to piss me off lately.”

“So, that’s- yeah, that’s a good sign.” He drew in a nervous breath. “I want to be a good boy.”

Fletcher quirked an eyebrow and gave an awkward chuckle before turning back to the sink to wash their hands. “Uh huh. That’s good.”

“Yeah, I mean…” He rubbed his arm. “Am I..?”

Fletcher looked back at him over their shoulder again. They waited for him to finish his sentence with their eyebrows raised expectantly.

Tommy swallowed nervously, though he maintained a casual posture. He forced his eyes up to meet their gaze, and asked hopefully, “Am I a good boy?”

Fletcher gave him a pitying grimace before turning back to face the sink.

“Have a little dignity, dude.”

That cut deep. It him him hard enough he gasped, “Oh!”, and covered his mouth with his hand. Sucking a few shaky breaths in, he shrank back a bit from his place against the counter.

“Look,” Fletcher said, turning back and wiping their hands on a towel. “You’re fine. Just… you don’t have to act like a dog. Or a child. You did a good job. That’s all. Okay? I told you that you did good, I’m acknowledging it, we don’t have to make it weird.”

Tommy nodded, his eyes huge and horrified. Pink to the tips of his ear, he nodded jerkily, his composure crushed. He pressed his fist tightly to his mouth, trembling.

“Alright, just go… take a shower. You can take it easy for the rest of the night. Got it?”

He nodded again and ducked his head, quick to retreat to his room. Locking himself in the bathroom for a bit sounded just fine to him. When he went to take his collar off, he remembered with a start that he had asked Fletcher if he could sleep with them tonight. Fletcher had hemmed and hawed, but said they would think about it.

At lunch, they’d said yes. Usually they didn’t say yes until he asked again right before bed.

Great. The one day they don’t draw it out the whole time, and the one day he wished they had.

His stomach clenched with anxiety. He wanted more than anything to hide, but he couldn’t imagine telling Fletcher that – what? He changed his mind? They might not let him sleep next to them anymore.

And he…did want to sleep next to them. If he faked falling asleep long enough, Fletcher would hold him, and it felt so nice to be touched without pain. When they pressed against him, their warmth helped soothe his aches, and he could finally fall asleep… he couldn’t lose that, couldn’t even risk it.

He sighed and leaned forwards towards the mirror, his fists clenched on the bathroom counter. He looked at himself for minutes, forcing his own eye contact to punish himself as he let the shame eat him alive.

Tommy was unusually distant in bed that night. He clung to the edge of the bed away from Fletcher, and he was pointedly looking at his bear when Fletcher turned the lights off.

“Goodnight,” was all he whispered, and he lied eerily still in the dark. His posture was taut, forced. Fletcher knew they had run him down to utter exhaustion today; they were worn out themself. In spite of their tense companion, Fletcher started to fall asleep exceptionally early – a mere forty-five minutes after laying down.

They woke up to a trembling of the bed. It was only so lightly; a slight shiver in the dense foam of the mattress. Fletcher immediately looked for Tommy, to find he was twitching and shuddering on his side. Only then did they register the sound of gasping, muffled sobs, and they realized he was crying.

Fletcher listened for a moment, the way they listened for the thunder in the storms or the patter of the rain on the roof. They knew he had tried his best to hold off. He had his part of the blanket bunched up to his face, sobbing into the folds to dampen himself. After a few minutes, they reached over and felt his shoulder. Jerking violently on the bed, Tommy curled away from their touch. He shuddered in a few short gasps before hiccuping out,

“I don’t- hic- know- hic- why- hic- I’mlikethis!”

Fletcher leaned over and patted him, unsure of what to say.

“It’s…fine. You know, just…not my thing.”

Tommy sobbed harder. He had to struggle to collect his words for a minute.

“He - he got inside my head.”

Tommy’s harsh gasp sounded pained.

“He made me like this. And then he just…threw me away. I don’t know what’s left of me at all.”

Fletcher didn’t know what to do. After a moment, they scooted forwards, and wrapped their arms around him. A little awkward, neither quite sure what to do.

“It’s okay,” Fletcher’s dark voice sounded almost emotionless, but Tommy could sense their honesty.

“Look,” Fletcher said. “You did what you had to do to survive. Survival isn’t pretty. You were there for five years, and you’ve only been here a few months. It’s not realistic to expect you to adjust immediately.”

“I just…” Tommy choked back another sob. “I don’t know what you want from me sometimes.”

Fletcher thought in silence for so long Tommy assumed they wouldn’t answer. When they finally spoke up, they told him, “I want you to be a person, who follows orders. When you have a job you still have to do what your boss says, but you don’t have to…”

They sighed, trailing off.

“I know it’s different, because I can hurt you and you can’t leave. But in the… the downtime, you can act normal. I know that this is different for you, but you were a person for 25 years before Caius. You just have to remember how to do it again.”

“That person…” Tommy spoke in a small voice. “I don’t think he exists anymore.”

“Then be a new one.”

“I just…” Tommy curled his bear tighter to his chest. “I just want to make you happy. So you don’t hurt me. As much, I mean, I know - I know - I know you can hurt me, wh-whenever you want to or-or feel like it, but… I knew how to make Caius happy, sometimes, so… things could be easier. So things could kinda be okay. I don’t… I don’t know how to make you happy.”

Fletcher rested their hand on his arm.

“Listen. I will tell you when I want you to do something. Outside of that, you can do what you want, and if I don’t like what you’re doing, I will let you know. You don’t have to be tripping over yourself to anticipate what I want you to do; I will tell you. If you don’t have any assignments you can watch TV or braid a daisy chain or cook yourself food or whatever. You can speak freely, just be respectful. If you’re saying something that’s going to make me angry, I will let you know before you dig yourself into a hole. I want you to have a personality, T-Bird. You can have a personality and still take orders.”

Tommy was quiet for a long moment. Talking about it was helping him calm down, and he wasn’t shaking as much. He took a few long, labored breaths.

“How do you find that?” Tommy asked.

He swallowed painfully against his dry throat.

“I know it’s just…supposed to be natural. It was, before – before him. But… I don’t know. He broke me. I don’t know how to function outside the house anymore.” He sniffled sadly, but he was finally starting to relax.

“It’s just gonna take time.” Fletcher yawned.

They laid in silence. Tommy’s breathing was starting to even out, his crying giving way to exhaustion. It was the first time Fletcher could actually see him respond to being held, and it had a calming effect on him. They supposed they should not be surprised – he calmed from his nightmares when Fletcher held him close at night, pulled from their shallow sleep by the sounds he made in his.

“Can you…be patient with me?” Tommy asked softly.

Fletcher was no longer interested in forcing their eyes back open in the dark.

“Hmm…” they murmured. “No. But we’ll figure it out.”

Tommy actually chuckled. Strange kid. But it had broken Tommy’s fever, and they fell asleep in a companionable silence.

Taglist:

@suspicious-whumping-egg @whumpyourdamnpears @generic-whumperz @lonesome--hunter

@whumplr-reader @theelvishcowgirl @sunshiline-writes @dont-be-gentle-please @galesgallery

@2in1whump @sparrowsage @apokolyps @whumpinggrounds

@morning-star-whump @leviiio @alexmundaythrufriday

@defire @jumpywhumpywriter @watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees

@light-me-on-pyre @slightlydisturbedbeans @dislexiher @paperprinxe @desert-dyke

@just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @burtlederp @whatwasmyprevioususername @cursedandtired

@whump-only @misspelledwitch @redstainedsocks @thehopelessopus @im-just-here-for-the-whump

@thatsthewhump @utopian819 @pretty-face-breaker @thesuffererrrr @technicallydeliciousdeer

@notactuallyluska

#long term captivity #“cooperative” whumpee #post traumatic stress disorder #collared whumpee #the professionals

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heartfullofleeches · 1 year ago

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augh,,, fletcher and his foxboy malewife have given me brain worms, i love both of them so much,,,, , how does the town adjust to fletcher's new spouse?

The town is cautious of outsiders, even moreso of predator hybrids. The only way they're accepted/allowed is if they pull their own weight - or if they're married/close to to a trustworthy person in the town who can vouch for them. Fletcher is one of most valued members of the community considering it's his farm that keeps majority of them fed so when he tell the whole story to friends and family about how his wife was just a poor, starving fox who needed a helping hand and a loving heart they welcome Fox Reader.

There are still those who despise Fox Reader reader for their thieving ways, but they never dare to vocalize their issues. Both because Fletcher is the farmer, and because he can get pretty scary when he's upset. The sheriff is the only one who's allowed to run his mouth when Fetch is around because the sheriff raised him and is known for his "tough love."

Fletcher doesn't want his wife to lift a fiber around the house, but he does teach Fox boy a few dessert recipes he knows are a hit around town and has them past the treats to neighbors to further thin out any bad blood.

"One carrot pudding, please."

Picking up one of the readily made serving cups from your tray, you grab next a plastic spoon and a napkin - passing it all off to the hare before you. "One carrot pudding! Sorry about trampling your flowers that one time...."

Beats of sweat pour down your face - tenderly dabbed away by your attentive husband and that old rag he carries around in his pocket. "Good boy.. We're making wonderful progress. Can ya believe my sweetheart did all this baking by themselves?"

His claims had some merit. The stray glares within the crowd liquified the second those still wary of you had a bite of the peace offerings you had whipped up. It was hard to be afraid you with such a large rabbit keeping a close eye on you, but they still had their suspicions. If this keeps up, you'll be a welcomed member of the community in no time.

"Mm... I'll say - might want to keep an eye on that wife of yours. I could use someone around my place who can baking as good as you, Fetch."

A joke, clearly - but someone doesn't seem to get the memo.

Your husband's eyes narrow, a protective arm flying around your shoulders. 'Get the fuck off our property before I have you carried out in a body bag."

#Fletcher my oc #yandere oc #yandere imagines #yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere scenarios #yandere insert #yandere #male yandere #yandere blurb #yandere headcanons #yandere hybrid #yandere drabble #yandere farmer

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girlberrie · 1 month ago

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i kinda want to know more about ur pjo dr if ur okay with sharing more ab it

hi. hey. hello. thank you for this ask. i will try my best to give a good answer but know that this dr is still in the works……….my script is one sentence long and for 4 years this dr has been running on daydreams and vague ideas. nothing is concrete. i could change my mind about everything tomorrow.

lets get started.

𓆟

my name is anäis anestis and i was born on the 26th of july 1993. i am a daughter of dionysus. and i don’t like wine!!!!!!!!!!!! i came to camp at age seven after a series of unfortunate events that i would rather not write down. i was angry and hungry. my first friend was luke castellan . yikes. i was………..an outsider, kinda. it took a bit for me to make friends, because i was claimed literally the day i arrived at camp……after my dad threw a can of diet coke at my head and said ‘she’s one of mine’……and the unclaimed kids envied me. the other kids in the hermes cabin envied the empty cabin 12 i had all to myself.

but i wanted friends. i pestered people and did small kindnesses and gave puppy eyes and made silly little jokes until my social circle grew bigger than just luke castellan. i played soccer with chris rodriguez. i lost many uno games to ethan nakamura. i put the fear of god into the stoll brothers after they pranked me and then helped them prank luke. i annoyed lee fletcher until he taught me archery. i started translating english books into ancient greek with some cabin 6 kids. i had pillow fights and fashion shows in cabin 12 with kerry. the aphrodite kids practically adopted me when they found out that i was spending the cabin activity hours on saturdays alone and made me join their spa days.

i am a year-rounder. i’m always at camp, except three years in, i get my first quest. lovely. i have no idea what happened, i haven’t scripted it. i just know that i come back cursed to be betrayed by every weapon i dare to use lol. great for me. its great that i had an older brother figure (ehem. Luke Castellan) to teach me hand to hand combat (eye twitch).

(its great that like, ancient greek monsters still bend to the power of a roundhouse kick and right hooks………….idk why i really just want to throw hands with these ancient monsters. i just. think its so cool. like imagine.. everyone else is using swords daggers bow&arrows spears etc. and you’re just there swinging. no reservations. you get up close and personal with the monsters and wreck their shit. pummel them to the ground with your mighty little fists. snap their necks and watch them turn into dust. is that too explicit??? i just think its great fun. yeah. this is all so morbid i’m so sorry lkshflsdjcl)

also . when i say i’m a daughter of dionysus…. i mean like. god of insanity. ecstasy. religious madness. etc. and……………………i am going to ascend. its a whole thing. i will become the personification of freedom…….and its kind of tied to the insanity part of my fathers domains???? like. i may not have flashy powers like percy or thalia but. when i fight i go into the trance and only i can take myself out of it. its like i’m in a frenzy, completely cut loose from my inhibition, and i’m so quick and and agile and deadly you’d think i’m more god than mortal (which i am. but. that’s not really known. so). there is this image of me in my mind. its so soso specific that i’m finding it difficult to explain. its like i’m a whirlpool of slightly insane laughter and a sense of freedom and its like i’m letting go of my mortal restraints when i’m fighting. its divine. its overwhelming for the enemy and i’m just a teenage girl. its great. very main character. ha

also also also……………. i took god of insanity and said. yeah sure i have semi-mind control powers. its like the voice from dune. its like i twist my mortal voice chords into something more divine than they have the right to be and instill madness and fear into the enemy and command them. and my voice comes out all warped and creepy and the voices of my ancestors and my father mix in with mine. my eyes glow purple. i turn people mad. all that jazz. i usually use it in one on one fights. the monsters are especially weak to the voice thing. sometimes they just go poof because of it. at times, i can take the voice thing a bit further. sometimes monsters do like a …… pre battle yell or something. and i do it back at them. except i do it whilst doing the voice thingy. and it comes out as this screech///scream///horrifying-sound and every enemy within close range is poof. dust. gone. easy. HA

none of this may relate to me being the daughter of dionysus but to me. it does. and that’s all that matters. its just that, the brand of insanity passed down from him to me is. more of just letting go of all the limitations put on me. pulling off miracles no sane person would dare to touch with a kilometer long pole etc etc it just feels right to me

what else what else……………………..OH. i’m the hero of a very very very very very old prophecy. i won’t even ATTEMPT to write the prophecy, but the major idea is that it foretells the greatest enemy of the gods rising once more and a measly child of dionysus will be tasked with scattering the enemy's remains in both the overworld and the pit. yes. The Pit. tartarsauce. yay? also it mentions that said child of dionysus will free the gods from chains (what chains?? I DON'T KNOW)…….become the breaker of chains…………and then lose their mortality………yeah……… . not fantastic but i didn’t choose this life (i literally did. i am actively choosing this life)

O HOH OHO OH also i have changed canon quests a lot. and there is like a two year break between kronos’ rise and the events of mark of athena because i need some time being a teenager with my boyfriend and sucking his lips off his gorgeous little face. sorry. and during that two year break i will be……..scattering the dusty musty remains of kronos. that will fall out of luke’s achilles curse weak spot on his chest. where i stab him with the cursed blade. yay?

also. trip to tartarus? yeah i’ll be alone.BUT. i’ll be like. not safe. not…..alright. but at this point, i’ve faced off so many monsters that uh…. they’re kinda just avoid approaching me down there. and i’m not in a good mood at all. i’m in the mood where i could let out a scream that would decimate luke////kronos’ army from two years prior. i’m pissed tf off. kronos’ dusty remains are trying to talk to me. i have to drink fire from a fire lake. the lighting is horrid. i miss my gorgeous boyfriend. like. its not great but also. not as traumatizing as it could be. its also possibly because i am a mortal that is on the brink of ascension….to become the personification on freedom….. not simply a god but something that has always existed that now has a form, no longer a concept. and maybe that’s kinda spooky for the monster inhabitants of tartarus?? who am i to judge?? yeah. oh and i of course finish scattering kronos’ remains down there. and close the doors of death. yay. will think more on this later

Oh and also the curse about me not being able to use weapons????? yeah . that kinda just….. goes away when i stab luke////kronos. and and and percy has NEVER seen me swordfight. and its funny because me???? i was beating up sixteen year old luke castellan when i was nine. i was a fucking beast. and because i’m a demigod and i’m allowed to be a mary sue in my drs, my body has just.. not forgotten how to use swords???? or any other weapon i knew how to use before the curse???? and so. one day after the battle of manhattan ends and everyone has forgotten the miraculous feat of me actually being able to use a weapon after five years of not being able to, i show up to the arena whilst a couple cabins are doing swordfighting practice. and this is planned. because i go up to clarisse (bestie for LIFE she is SO REAL) and we just start sparring. and percy???????????????? yeah he is drooling. he is bamboozled flabbergasted in shock. he is like. oh i didn’t know she could do this. I HAVE ALL OF THIS LAYED OUT IN MY HEAD klshgkdfl i keep thinking about his face.

i would say more but i’m yapped out. i cannot go on any longer rn. ty ty ty for this ask!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i guess this was the informal intro to this dr. just means i can put off writing an actual one for a later day... . i am always open to more questions, specific or general!!!!!

#sam's percy jackson dr #sam's drs #percy perce perseus ༯ jackson #shiftblr #shifting #ask #shifting antis dni #anti shifters dni #pjo shifting #pjo dr #shifting to percy jackson #percy jackson dr #desired reality #reality shifting #shifting realities #shifting motivation #shifting reality #reality shifter #shifting to pjo

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too-deviant · 1 year ago

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jackie and wilson.

previous | next masterlist.

pairing: luke castellan x unclaimed!reader

summary: you haven't been given a quest, but you have made it your personal mission to make luke castellan smile

word count: 6.2k

content: very juicy chapter. is all im gonnna say.

notes: i cant stay mad at my otps i fear

PART IV — better yet, she wouldn’t care

“If I have to hear one more handjob joke, I’m gonna lose it. So please tell me you have good news.”

Lee Fletcher’s dark blue eyes flitted up to yours, his lashes tickling just under his eyebrow when he did. His hands were fiddling with the bandage that wrapped around your hand, but they slowed when you spoke, “Bare with me, newbie.”

You sighed deeply, fighting the urge to fall back onto the cot that you were sitting on — you’d had the stupid bandage wrapped around your hand and wrist for what felt like eternity, but was really only five days. You should be thankful, really, since the last time you’d broken your wrist you’d been walking around with a thick blue cast on for a month, but you couldn’t help but be a little peeved. Capture the flag was today, and you hadn’t trained nearly as much as the others had due to your injury — when you probably should’ve been training twice as much, only because you were new and unfamiliar with the game.

It was their fault for hyping it up; if they had just shut up about it, you wouldn’t have been as excited about taking part, broken wrist or not. But alas, demigods were barbarians — barbarians who thirsted to beat each other up in a controlled battle. Barbarians who didn’t have any regard for the new camper when they were climbing all over each other to see the freshly posted team setup, and trampled all over their perfectly good wrist.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have been standing right in front of the notice board.” Luke had been saying all week.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have asked me to accompany you there, then.” You replied every time.

Lee narrowed his gaze, flipping your hand around carefully in his, kneading at curtain parts of your skin while checking you for reactions. When you showcased nothing but annoyance at your own shit luck, he leaned back with a cheeky smile, “Well, it’s looking good. I don’t think you need this anymore.”

He lifted up the knot of bandage he’d removed from your hand and threw it with perfect precision into the trash can on the other side of the room, before turning and grinning at you. You couldn’t help but grin back, “You’re the best.”

“I’m told.” He shrugged, feigning a humble demeanour. You stood, and he did so with you, looking at you pointedly, “But you should still take it easy today. It’s your first game, and you’ve been here for a week. Nobody is gonna judge you for stepping back today.”

You scoffed, rolling your newly healed wrist around with a small smile, “I’m not stepping back for shit, Fletcher. I’m beating the hell out of Chris Rodriguez.”

“He’s on your team.”

“I don’t care.” You rebutted. Lee rolled his eyes, but ultimately let you off with a wave. “See you later!”

The past five days had been fairly tame. When the team setup was posted on Sunday afternoon, everyone went immediately into prep mode for the game. You knew they took it seriously, but you didn’t realise how seriously they did until you found yourself being pulled out of your sleeping bag at five in the morning so you could get a headstart on training with Luke. Although you didn’t see the relevance — after you’d broken your wrist, the boy hadn’t even let you look at a spear, so you woke up at the asscrack of dawn to…sit around and watch him train.

Thankfully, Hermes had paired up with Ares for once, and Clarisse wasn’t letting you off easily. Whenever she could, she was dragging you to the arena and teaching you how to fight one-handed. So you were more than ready, skipping down the infirmary steps with an easy smile.

“I think I see you here more than I see you anywhere else.”

You paused, looking up and spotting Evan, leaning gently on the porch railing. You rounded the steps and stopped in front of him, “Hey. I’ve only been here twice.”

“In…” He checked his imaginary watch, “One week. That’s gotta be a record.”

You narrowed your eyes jokingly, “Okay. I’m still learning, leave me alone.”

“We’ll see how much you’ve learnt later today.” He quipped, running a hand through his hair. He smirked at you, “Good luck.”

“Thanks.” You slid out, sarcasm evident in your tone. He laughed, and you smiled, rolling your eyes.

“Come on, clumsy. Let’s get to training.” He began to walk off, and you followed, presumably to where the Hermes team were gathering for last minute preparations.

For this game, they’d paired up with Ares and Athena, Apollo taking lead for the blue team with Hephaestus and Aphrodite. Red team also had Demeter, and the boys of cabin twelve were on the blue team. It seemed like a pretty good split; or at least you thought it was, judging by the reactions of everyone when they read the pamphlet. You might have been reading it wrong, though. After all, you were crying out in pain and cradling a shattered wrist when it happened.

Athena was always a good cabin to pair up with, was what Evie had told you when she was taking your measurements for armour. You presumed so, goddess of war and all. But you were a little wary about the Cabin Ten girls — Aphrodite was also a warrior goddess, after all.

Evan led you around the back of the pegasi stables and through a mudded path. The only reason you hadn’t taken off running in fear that he was leading you to your imminent death was because the wood nymphs were out and about, milling around like bodyguards. They eyed you up at first, but a few of them recognised you from your impromptu baseball session with Luke last week and told them to back off.

“Here she is, the woman of the hour!” Clarisse exclaimed when she saw you break through the trees. A few people glanced back and smiled at you politely, a sentiment you returned as Evan led you to the front of the crowd where she stood.

Luke was beside her, and only nodded at you. You nodded back, a glimmer in your eyes that made his hands twitch.

“Okay, now that our whole team is in attendance, we can begin.” The Ares girl said, conviction prominent in her voice. She was made to lead, that much was obvious. “You all know the deal. I won’t repeat it, not with the blue team so close by, but…” She sent a meaningful look around the whole crew, “You know where to go. We’ve been practising this, and in a couple of hours it’ll be time to bring home yet another win.”

“It’s pretty much all in the cards for us.” Luke cropped himself into the speech, “Cabin Nine have their special machinery but we’ve got wit, power and numbers. We’ll be fine.”

“Speaking of cabin nine.” Clarisse hopped down from the wooden crate she was standing on, “I grabbed this from them just before the teams went up. Had to make sure they didn’t sabotage it.”

She pulled a long spear out from behind some other boxes, and let it shimmer in the light. It was beautiful, and you couldn’t keep your eyes away from it. Despite it being made from celestial bronze, the forger had clearly done something to make it shine a mesmerising silver. You could see your reflection in it as it glistened under the sun. It was double ended and if you squinted, you could see tiny spikes coiling around the first ten or so inches of each end. The shaft was smooth and engraved with something you could only make out when she walked over and handed it to you.

“Wait.” You took it out of instinct, weighing it in both hands but giving a shocked look to Clarisse, “This is mine?”

“You’re damn right.” She smirked, “Jake was having a field day making that thing, couldn’t stop talking about it. Especially when he added these,” She poked one of the spikes that coiled around the shaft and rubbed the tips of her fingers together with a wince, “They’re lethal. You’ll be unbeatable out there with this thing.”

“Cool.” You gave it an experimental swing, and everyone in your vicinity took a long step back. You shrugged, smiling anyway, “Whoops.”

You felt very powerful with your new weapon, and now that you had it in your hands, you could marvel at the engravings. They were images, battles fought — a lot of them recognisable. There was Perseus killing Phineus and Polydectes with Medusa’s head, Heracles and the Nemean Lion. There was even an engraving of Tantalus stealing the ambrosia and nectar from Olympus, for some reason. You’d have to ask Jake about that later.

“We have two hours until we need to gather at the pavilion, so we won’t bore you with details.” A young girl who you’d seen around camp before stood up and addressed the crowd. She was very little, but she exuded authority even at her young age. “But if I see you lazing around, I’ll put my dagger through your foot.”

There was a chorus of nods and murmured agreement, so the little girl stepped back and nodded at Luke, who told them all to go get ready. The crowd dispersed, but you stayed firmly put as the boy made his way over to you, the little girl following behind him.

“Sunny.” He tried not to smile, but you saw his lips twitch. He gestured to the girl beside him, “This is my little sister Annabeth. Newly appointed Counselor of Athena.”

You raised a brow, impressed, before looking down at the girl with a smile, “Hey, Annabeth.” You introduced yourself, trying not to show her how kind of scared you were for her to not like you.

Luckily she nodded, “Hi. You better be good with that spear.”

“I’d like to think I am.” You joked. She didn’t laugh, simply telling Luke she was going to brainstorm and left you both alone in the clearing you’d been gathered in. You raised your brows at him, “I think she gets her stoic indifference from you.”

He cracked a smile then, grabbing your spear from you and weighing it in his own hands, “Yeah. She’s a firecracker.” He looked at you firmly, “Think you’ll be good for this game? It’s not too late to back out.”

You snatched the weapon right back from him, rubbing his finger prints from the shaft with your sleeve and sending him a half-glare, “You just want an excuse to use this instead of me. I’m fine, JoJo.”

He raised a single brow, “Fine. But if you end up back in the infirmary, I’m not gonna kiss your wounds better.”

You smirked, backing away and pointing your free finger at him daringly, “You wouldn’t be able to hold back.”

He laughed, hand on heart, “Right.”

You were quick to retreat to the Arena where you knew Clarisse was waiting for you. A good chance to break in the new armoury and swing a spear around that wasn’t made of styrofoam or rotten wood. You caught yourself a good sweat in an hour and a half, and Clarisse was covered in bloody dots from those spikes. Even if you were injured, they still didn’t stand a chance against those. It was a comforting thought.

You would’ve practised the whole time had it not started raining — something that confused you greatly since the camp had a controlled climate. Clarisse just rolled her eyes, though, claiming that Chiron was upping the dramatics for the game. You were unsure that the centaur could just…make it rain, but you went along with it. You’d only been a demigod for a week after all.

Not wanting to be completely soaked by the time the game started, you retreated back to the Hermes cabin, shortening your spear down with a click and tucking it into your belt loop before you sat down. You were still on the floor, still next to the six year-old who almost always rolled on top of you in the night — you had now perfected your rollover technique to get him off you without waking him up.

You were re-lacing your combat boots when two shadows loomed over either side of you. Without so much as a glance away from your foot, you said plainly, “Stolls. What do you want?”

A twin pair of scoffs sounded and you just rolled your eyes. The one on the left spoke first, and you thought it might have been Travis, “Bold to assume we want anything.”

“I mean, we do.” Connor added from your right, and the indisputable sound of a hard slap came right after. “Ow! Asshole.”

“Cut to it.” You moved onto your other shoe now that the left one was wound tight. You were always pretty speedy at tying laces, a fairly random skill but a skill nonetheless.

“Well…” Connor started.

“Luke put us on second offence.” Travis continued.

“But we sorta hate doing second offence.”

“Yeah, it’s way too much work.”

Connor leaned over your shoulder so his stupid grin was visible in your peripheral vision, “And we heard that you are on side offence. Which has a much lower maiming risk.”

“So you wanna swap spots?” You deducted, looking up from your feet and giving them a blank glance. They nodded, and you sighed, “Ok, first of all, there’s two of you and one of me. You’ll have to find someone else to swap with too.”

“Already done.” Travis nodded, “Sabine loves second offence.”

“Second of all,” You sent them firm looks, “Luke isn’t going to let you change the layout right before the game. Neither is Clarisse and neither is Annabeth.”

“Which is why we aren’t telling them.” Connor said like it was obvious, holding out his hands like he’d presented you with the best idea ever conjured, “Luke and Clarisse are on first offence and Annabeth is on last defence, right by the flag. No one will know.”

“Plus,” Travis sang, wiggling his eyebrows, “This is a perfect opportunity to prove to everyone how badass you are.”

“Yeah, Luke’s had you on a leash since you hurt your wrist.” Connor raised a teasing brow, “Why not show him what you’re made of?”

You looked between them, and the silence that stretched seemed to serve as an answer because they were smirking at you and pushing themselves up and out of the door before you could utter a word.

The rain hadn’t settled — Chiron and his dramatics, although it appeared Mr D wasn’t too much of a fan. God or not, he still got wet with the rest of them. You stood between Luke and Clarisse, the former shielding both your heads with his black jacket — Annabeth ended up squeezing between the two of you when she couldn’t keep up with her I’m too good to hide from the rain facade. You took it as a win, she was warming up to you!

“Welcome to our first capture the flag of the summer!” Chiron bellowed, pausing for the cheers that resounded. “The usual rules are enforced. Magic weapons are permitted, the flag must be prominently presented with no more than two guards no less than ten yards from the flag! No killing or maiming, and no gagging or bounding of prisoners. Let the games begin!”

There was a loud echo of cheers and battle cries as the first conch sounded — they only had twenty minutes to get into position and then they would be permitted to cross the creek into enemy territory. Annabeth was quick to gather up the flag guards and send them off to their agreed location with nothing but a sharp eye before she was pulling together the defensive lines and sending them off too.

“Hey.” Just before you could walk off, Luke grabbed your attention, levelling his eyes with yours as best as he could from under his helmet. He adjusted yours and patted your shoulders, “You got this, Sunny.”

You nodded, “Damn right I do.”

It was hard to navigate the woods in the rain, which was still pouring almost torrentially over them. The forest floor had grown slippery and wet with the new downpour, but the campers traipsed through it roughly, boots squelching as they moved. You followed the side defence through mud and grass, dodging branches and puddles until you couldn’t hear the chatter of Luke and Clarisse from behind you. Then you stopped, and just ahead of you, Sabine did the same.

It wasn’t long before Connor and Travis were pushing through the trees and greeting the pair of you with wide grins. Sabine rolled her eyes, “Shove off, punks.”

Then she was storming in the direction they came from, and you had no choice but to follow. It was hard to keep up with her long strides, but whenever you lost her in the fog you just followed the sound of her annoyed mutters.

“Stupid kids. Can’t be trusted on last offence let alone second. It’s not fair. I punch one kid for cheating and Luke sends me to side defence. Side! Stupid punk has been out of it for too long, needs a reality check.”

You didn’t bother responding — whether you were going to agree or come to Luke’s defence, you had no idea. You just followed her to the edge where the second offence was lined up just past the edge of the shore. Evie and Evan gave you the same confused look.

“Those Stoll fuckers wanted an easy out.” Sabine spat, pushing a stray curl back under her helmet and heaving her giant club over her shoulder.

The twins didn’t question or fight the decision, simply shrugging and going back to where they were tracing their own tic tac toe game into the wet sand. You stood idly, hands fiddling with your belt buckle before the second conch sounded. Almost immediately did the first and side offences cross the creek and disappear into the woods, while you pulled your spear from the ground and followed the twins and Sabine across the water moments after they were gone.

Then it was a waiting game.

“Fuck Apollo, Marry Athena and Kill Hermes.”

Evie scoffed, shaking her head, “No. No way. Athena would be way controlling as a wife, you gotta bag Apollo.”

Sabine hummed, “No. I think Athena and I would be unstoppable together.”

You looked up from your shoes and between the three that stood before you. It had been two hours and the most action you had was seeing one of your own teammates get flung right back over the creek by some cabin nine contraption that you were not too keen on meeting. Your spear rested across the back of your shoulders, your arms swung around the shaft at either side as you contemplated your own answer.

“No, see —“ You huffed, “I couldn’t marry Athena, but only because she conjures babies with her brain. I could never win an argument, I know that for sure.”

“But we all agree on killing Hermes, right?” Evan butted in with a laugh that was immediately shared by the rest of them. He settled down and squinted for a moment, “Ok. Fuck, Marry, Kill. Iris, Nemesis and…Hypnos.”

There was immediate discourse, everyone speaking up at once with their own opinions. Sabine thought Hypnos would be a terrible lay — He’d fall asleep halfway through! — but Iris would be overbearing as a wife. Evie said Nemesis would be the best wife, she’d never let anyone hurt you, and you were just about to add on that Iris could let you eavesdrop on other people’s conversations whenever you were bored when a loud crack echoed through the trees.

Then it was quiet. You all shared silent looks, baring your weapons and facing the enemy side.

Another crack, a snap of a twig. Then a crash, like something being dropped onto a pile of leaves.

A scream, and a manic son of Aphrodite breaking through the trees and aiming a large Kopis at Evan, who was quick to defend with his dual wielding swords. His teammates followed, and the rest of you jumped into action — you were only slightly panicked when you realised your opponent was a Hephaestus kid who was nearly double your height.

You’d seen him around sometimes, he was only a year or so younger than you. Same age as Clarisse, and definitely the same level of skill in battle. What made him even scarier was that he fought with nunchucks…fucking nunchucks! And he was good with them, too.

But you had been taught well. You were quick to defend your body and use both ends of your spear to deflect each nunchuck from making contact. At one point, he clipped your arm pretty hard, and that was when you realised they were ribbed along the edges making for a harder hit. You bounced back though, swinging every which way and not letting him touch you again.

Briefly, you could hear your peers’ own battles. There weren’t any shouts of pain, or cries for help, so you put all your focus on the boy before you. He had a height advantage, and swung his weapon down on you fairly often, which left your torso open when you held your spear over your head. But your reflexes were like lightning, and no matter how hard he tried he just couldn’t land that second hit.

Fuelled by his own frustration, he lunged forward and tried to wrap the chain of his chucks around the shaft of your spear. He attempted to no avail a couple of times, but then he clicked a button on one of the shafts and released a crackle of energy along it. You were shocked momentarily by the reveal of his electric nunchucks that you faltered in your defence and he managed to wrangle your weapon in his own on the third try. You pulled back hard, trying to regain control and prevent his disarm, but he just pressed that damn button again and this time the volts ran through his chain and up the entire length of your spear.

The crack that resounded was huge. Too huge to have come from those tiny nunchucks.

Where you were expecting a sudden and painful shock through your hand and arms you instead felt a massive give. You stumbled back, shocked, but regained your footing before you could fall onto the wet ground. Your spear was in your hands, and the nunchucks were still wrapped tightly around the middle. You looked up from them to see their owner crumbled in a heap on the ground, nursing his painfully red hands while the rainfall soaked his clothes even more.

You’d completely forgotten you weren’t alone until one of his teammates dropped their shield and ran to his aid. You looked up, expecting to meet the dumbstruck eyes of Evie and Evan, only to see their gazes fixed elsewhere. You turned your head.

There in the grass was a giant streak of black, stretching along the shore for nearly five metres. It took a second for you to realise that it was embers — the ground had been burnt completely from where you stood to where it ended. And standing just before it was Luke and Clarisse — the blue team's flag in hand. They weren’t moving, they were staring at the burn in the floor, at you.

Your chin wobbled a little until the echo of the other team reached your ears. You looked at the pair urgently, “Move!”

And they did. Even when the blue team kids you’d been fighting before tried to stop them, they were held back and Luke and Clarisse led your team to an easy victory.

They cheered, and the conch sounded. Chiron emerged through the wood and smiled at them in congratulations — the whole spark debacle was nearly forgotten, campers too busy either cheering or groaning to notice the burn streak on the floor. Chiron did, though, and soon though the short lived celebration quieted down as he asked about it.

Eyes turned to you. You shrugged, “I don’t…I don’t know what happened, it just —“

But then there were gasps. All around you. And suddenly Chiron wasn’t looking at you, he was looking at the space above your head. And then so was everyone else.

When you looked up, squinting past the rain, and your eyes fixated on that glowing lighting bolt that floated above your head, the world went quiet. A week of hearing everything about the glory of being claimed — how at ease you would be, how reassured you would end up. None of it was true. Because for some reason, the symbol that hung above your head sent nothing but trepidation running through you.

You almost missed Chiron's next words,

“Zeus. Law Maker. Striker of Lightning. King of Olympus. All hail.” He shouted your name, but it didn’t feel right in your ears, “Daughter of the Sky God.”

When you couldn’t stand the sight of it — when it started to make you feel sick, when the picturesque summer camp you were finally finding yourself in started to feel tight and uncomfortable, you looked down. Everyone was kneeling, eyes on the ground. It was comforting that they weren’t staring at you anymore, but when you searched the crowd for those baby brows that held you down, they were fixated firmly on the mud.

After your claiming, Chiron dismissed everyone sharply. They left, all talk about the capture the flag win long left behind and replaced by canards about you and your family. Your lineage. You were very prepared to stand frozen on the other side of the creek for the rest of the day but the centaur ushered you into his office in the big house just as the rain stopped.

The next hour was a muffled blur. You felt as if you had just been plunged underwater and all you could hear was your heartbeat in your ears — you vaguely registered Chiron and Mr. D asking you a load of questions about your childhood and whether there were any signs of your parentage along the way. You couldn’t answer that.

They Iris-Messaged your mother — who was in her office and jumped up startled when the call came through. You might have been in a hazy funk, but you could tell the surprise on her face when Chiron informed her of your claiming was genuine. She’d had no idea. That, out of all things, angered you the most.

“This new information will have caused quite a stir in Olympus.” Was one of the last things he said, “But you should be fine, since you’re seventeen.”

“Why does me being seventeen mean anything?”

Zeus’ Cabin was subpar to say the least. Alright if you’re only going in there to worship the guy, not so alright if you’re planning on living there. There weren’t any beds, but there were alcoves lining the walls that you tucked your sleeping bag into so you didn’t have to look at the giant statue of Zeus that stood at the end of the room. For good measure, you chucked a spare blanket over its head — he could smite you for it, you didn’t really care anymore.

You zoned back into reality when a knock sounded on your door, and you realised it was nightfall. Dinner time. You stood from your perch on one of the many benches that sat in the room — you thought they’d have better use in the pavilion, where Hermes kids were practically falling off the benches there were so little of them — and headed over to the huge double doors, heaving one open and breathing deep at the workout it took just to see who was at the door.

It was Evie, and for some reason that made a pit of disappointment form in your gut. You sent her a weak smile nonetheless, “Hi.”

She smiled back, full of pity, “Hey. Just thought I’d come check on you, we haven’t seen you in hours.”

“I didn’t like them staring at me.” You said plainly, stepping out into the open air. The rain had stopped now, the sky clear, and you fought the urge to roll your eyes.

“Yeah, I get that.” Was her heartfelt reply. You felt bad for being so plain with her, but there was really only one person you wanted to see, “But, um, it’s dinner right about now. Wanna…come with?”

You didn’t really wanna, but you were starving and almost certain that nobody would be bringing you any food, so you shrugged, “Sure.”

The large door shut on its own when you stepped away from it, and Evie jumped at the sound. You folded your arms and walked alongside her in silence until you were forced to part at the pavilion. She tried to say something — maybe a goodbye, a good luck. Maybe a we can’t be friends anymore because you’re forbidden. You didn’t stick around to check, walking over to the empty Zeus table where you unfortunately belonged.

You filled your plate, hungry from the workout of capture the flag and exhaustion from the day, but your appetite was ruined when you saw Luke walk in and avoid your eyes completely in favour of sitting at his usual spot at the Hermes table. You hadn’t seen him all day, he hadn’t seen you, and yet here he was; ignoring your existence like he used to. It sort of hurt.

So you dropped your fork, leaned your elbows on the untouched wood and stared at nothing. Only hours earlier were you at the top of your game, happy and ready to use your skills in capture the flag, show your friends what you could do. Now? You were completely alone, completely miserable, and completely ready to go back to Vermont.

You wanted nothing more than to climb into your bed and cry.

People started to stand. Heading in the direction of the campfire that you were definitely going to skip. Some Hermes kids stood, Luke included, and started a slow stroll down there too, past your table and down the hill. Chris was talking animatedly to his friends on either side of him, but Luke didn’t look very happy with whatever it was he was saying. Before you could build up the courage to call out for him, beg him to look you in the eyes and still stay your friend, he was shoving Chris roughly, the boy falling into your table with a grunt.

“What the hell, man?” He sneered, brushing himself off. Luke just glared. He scoffed, “You’ve changed, bro. And not for the better.”

Then he was walking off in a huff, and his friends were following him. Luke met your eyes for half a second before storming off in the opposite direction — and with the influence of the tug on your heart, you followed.

He was halfway to the Hermes cabin when you caught him, and you were thrown back to the time he got into that…thing with Dean from Ares and you chased him all the way up the hill. This time, it was down, and you were a lot less out of breath when you reached out and tugged on his elbow.

He turned to you, “What?”

You paused, hand falling to your side. You swallowed, shrugged, “I…uh…”

Luke tightened his jaw, eyes flicking above your head like if he looked at you any longer his facade would break. He took in a deep breath and met your gaze once more, “Go to the campfire.”

“What —?”

“Go to the campfire.” He was backing away, “Entertain your fans, give out autographs. Conjure some more lighting. I don’t know. Do something, but don’t do it here.”

You weren’t having that. Your gaze hardened, “Hey. You’re not allowed to say that to me after you ignored me all day.”

“I —“ He went for a rebuttal, but came up short, licking his lips in frustration. “You disappeared.”

“I was in the Big House, being interrogated.” You explained, annoyance clear in your tone, “I would’ve liked it if my best friend was waiting for me when I got out but unfortunately he decided he hated me like everyone else and I had to cry alone in my cabin.”

He paused then, taking slow steps back towards you and meeting your saddened gaze. His brows furrowed, “I’m your best friend?”

You cracked a tiny smile, “Of course you are, idiot.”

His nod was barely there, but you saw it. You also saw his smile, small like yours and gone in a flash. “I don’t hate you.” He said, “I don’t care that Zeus is your dad. It’s just…”

“He forgot about me.”

“What?”

You shrugged, folding your arms. There, standing in the middle of the cabins and staring at Luke Castellan, you admitted out loud what you’d been avoiding since you left the Big House, “Zeus. He forgot about me. That's why I never got attacked by monsters, because my deadbeat father was so busy turning his kid into a tree that he forgot he had another one.”

Even under the tears brimming in your lids and through the lump on your throat, you saw Luke flinch. A minute movement, but you caught it like you caught all of his other details. The freckle on his eyebrow, the scar on his forehead that other people missed because they were too busy staring at his big one. The flinch when you brought up the tree. Thalia Grace, is what Chiron had called her.

“I’m sorry for avoiding you.” He said in a low murmur. “Thalia was a friend of mine and Annabeth’s. Brought back some rough memories.”

“Oh.” You breathed, “Oh, gods. I’m so sorry.”

You stepped forward and wrapped your arms around his torso before you could think about it. Big bad Luke definitely didn’t like hugs, but there you were; hugging him and staining his camp shirt with your salty tears. You couldn’t help it — you were so full of emotions that a single hug that he hadn't even reciprocated was bringing you to tears.

Then he hugged you back, and you started bawling.

Bawling like a baby into his chest while he stood there and held you. Crying about your dad who forgot about you, your sister who died while you lived a happy life, your nonexistent purpose in life because you were over sixteen now and there was nothing for you. Maybe being a forbidden kid was enough, but not really. You weren’t forbidden enough for them, apparently.

“Sorry for shoving Chris.” He spoke into your hair. You pulled your head back enough to meet his eyes, “He was saying shit about you and Thalia and it pissed me off. I know that you want me to be better, happier or whatever, and I am trying but…”

“I don’t care.”

His lips shut with a smack, “What?”

You let out a sad chuckle, “Be miserable. I don’t care, I like you for who you are. Plus, I get it. Y’know? This isn’t the happiest life.”

Luke looked at you with an expression so genuine and heavy that it sort of scared you, but you let it burn you. You’d let him burn you forever more. Then he let out a breath, tinged with relief, and relaxed his forehead onto your own. You stayed like that, heads pressed together and arms wrapped around one another, until footsteps bled into your ears.

You pulled away from each other and spotted Annabeth, who was making her way over very quickly, trudging through the grass that was still wet from earlier.

“Anna Banana.” Luke squinted, his new way of smiling, “What are ya’ doing over here?”

The girl stopped between the two of you and ignored her brother in favour of looking at you, “So, you’re Zeus’ kid.”

“Yup.”

“I knew your sister. She was my sister, too, for a bit.” She said, and you thought it sounded sad, but the girl hid her emotions well. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” You shrugged — it wasn’t anyone’s fault but Zeus’. You sent her a kind smile.

She returned it, glancing at Luke then, “Don’t call me that.”

He chucked, patting her on the head and yanking on one of her braids. She huffed and smacked his hand away, but smiled nonetheless. Then she looked back at you, “You were good with that spear today. Maybe Athena could pair up with Zeus for the next game.”

“Maybe they could.” You nodded.

She nodded back, before announcing her departure and heading off. You looked at Luke with a proud grin, “She likes me.”

He smiled fully, amused, “She does.”

“You like me.”

A little sheepish, “I do.”

“So who cares if daddy dearest doesn’t?” You settled on, tilting your head, “We got each other.”

Luke nodded, and you admired the way he looked. He was handsome, that you knew, but he seemed particularly beautiful under the moon, alone with you.

🏷️ @katherines-imagines @lovingjasontoddmakemewanttocry @jennapancake @cobaltskiez @loveryoushouldcomeoverr @m00ng4z3r @ma1dita @woodlandwrites @tsireyasgf @theo-notts-doll @iammightsadyall @fennecswife @csifandom @evilwrongdoer @blueberryjune @dancing-inasnowglobe @acidaciruela @solshaven @rosieandthethorns @sofiacblair @obxstiles @lukecastellanirl (comment to be removed/added!) (also sorry if some of these didn’t work idk what’s going on)

#sunny!verse #who gasped #guys tell me this is good #luke castellan #luke castellan x reader #@lia’s works #luke castellan x you #thanks to the anon who gave me the idea for her godly parent

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